A/N: This chapter is longer than usual so i hope you like it. Since this story is about to end, 100 comments for the next chapter. Thank you!

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MAGGIE's POV

Seeing Marco after two weeks made my heart thump like crazy. He's really the only one who could make my heart beat faster. All the feelings that I've been suppressing these past two weeks started to get out of my control.

Even though I've been trying not to, I still keep on missing him with each passing day. I wanted to run towards him for a hug but I held myself back from doing so. It took me all my self-control to not just give in without hearing explanations from him yet.

"What is my wife doing in your house, Amouretti?" I could hint the jealousy and anger in his voice as he threw that question like a lion which was on the verge of attacking a prey. He was obviously flexing his jaw tightly. His eyes were fiery and dangerous.

Instead of getting intimidated, Brey shrugged his shoulders. He looked calm and unaffected of Marco's obvious rage.

"Why don't you ask Kyrus here?" He answered casually. Kyrus's eyes widened and then made a peace sign at Marco with a hesitant smile on his lips. I wanted to laugh because of what he did but the air around us was too thick for me show them my amusement.

"I brought her here, bud. Don't worry, she was with Ms. Morgan here." Kyrus answered, trying to ease Marco's obvious anger. Marco remained quiet but his eyes turned into slits. I swallowed hard. It felt like the Marco in front of us was the old Marco. He looked dangerous and intimidating.

Ever since we became lovers, he changed a lot and I haven't seen this side of him anymore. Now that he's behaving like his old self, I should be worried and get scared because he might do something to Brey to vent out his rage. But no. I couldn't feel any fear because my heart knew that he's the rugged and bad boy type but has the softest heart too. But he's part of the mafia, Maggie! He didn't tell you about that before! What if you haven't seen the worst side of him yet?

I mentally shook my head, confused of what I must do in order to lighten up the mood. I didn't want to anger Marco any further but I didn't want to talk to him either. Gosh! I'm not ready yet.

My heart raced even more when Marco's gaze shifted on me. I felt like his eyes were penetrating the depths of my soul. I met his gaze and I noticed something. Yes, he was mad but he looked like he was pleading for me to go with him.

"Let's go home." He voiced out firmly and I knew that moment that he would do anything for me to come with him. I shook my head before I went to Brey's side and wrapped my arm around his.

"I don't want to go home with you, Marco! I'll stay here with Brey!" I answered stubbornly and I saw how he clenched his jaw tightly. He looked like a dragon that was about to spit fire any moment now but I stood my ground.

I knew I was being a coward for running away but I felt like I wasn't ready yet to hear everything from him. I didn't want to get hurt more than I already have.

He stayed quiet and I thought he already gave up and decided to just leave me for now but I was wrong. Before I could react, he suddenly closed the gap between us and scooped me up onto his arms. I shrieked in surprise. I wasn't expecting for him to do that!

I tried to free myself from him but he was too strong for me.

"Help! This man is kidnapping me!" I screamed, determined not to go with him. I tried to wiggle out of his arms once again but my efforts were futile. He walked out of Brey's house with me on his arms, shouting for him to put me down.

I was already using my whole strength to get away from him but he looked like he wasn't having the hard time carrying me while struggling like that. His two men looked amused while watching us.

"Marco! What do you think you're doing?! You can't just appear here in Brey's house uninvited and make a scene! Put me down!" I hit his back with my fists but he was unfazed. He didn't even bat an eye.

"Keep on shouting and struggling and I'll kiss right now." He threatened. I instantly stopped shouting and then glared at him.

"This is kidnapping! You can't just force me to come with you!"

"Enough resisting before I lose my patience and make love with you right here, right now." He threatened which made my eyes bulge.

"Pervert! I—" Whatever I wanted to say was cut short when he suddenly drew his face closer to mine until our lips were almost touching.

"You look like in a mess right now. Even your smell isn't pleasant either. I can tell that you have a hangover too. This is what you get for drinking all night." I could hint the displeasure in his voice but I didn't care about that because I suddenly felt conscious of myself.

Well, I just woke up from drinking and partying until I drop. My cheeks reddened in embarrassment but I didn't let him notice that.

"S-So what if I smell bad? I didn't tell you to come to Brey's house and make a scene! I didn't tell you to force me to come with your either!" I hissed, trying to appear brave even though the closeness of our faces was already affecting me so much.

He stopped walking. We just walked past the gates.

"Amouretti should be thankful that I didn't break his arm because you held onto him like that in front me." His voice was menacing and it almost gave me cold chills.

"Marco! Brey didn't do anything for you to do that to him!" I rebuked exasperatedly. He's being unreasonable again just because he's jealous!

"I don't care. All I know is he touched you. You even slept in his house knowing how jealous I am to that b*stard!" My eyes widened. He sounded so jealous and it wasn't pleasant to the ears.

"Marco! Don't you ever call Brey names! He's a good guy!" I continued defending Brey. Marco gritted his teeth.

Then, all the emotions on his face disappeared. He then continued walking towards his waiting car while still carrying me in his arms. His men opened then door. He then deposited inside quietly. I wanted to protest more but I didn't like the expression on his face right now. He looked like he was about to explode.

I heaved a sigh and decided to just keep quiet. Maybe, this is the right time for us to talk once and for all. Marco got inside and then locked the doors. I saw his two men got inside the car behind Marco's car. I released a breath and leaned the back of my head against the headrest.

He started the engine and then maneuvered his car out of there without saying anything. No one spoke between us while we were on the road, on our way to God knows where. The silence was deafening, and I couldn't take it anymore. I closed my eyes and decided to just sleep my hangover.

My head was killing me not to mention that Marco was getting on my nerves.

I didn't know how long I've been sleeping because when I woke up, I was already inside a very familiar room; Marco and I's room in our house here in the USA. I sat up and looked around. He wasn't inside the room with me.

I bit my lower lip. I didn't even wake up when we arrived home. For sure, he carried me all the way here. I peeked underneath the blanket and realized that I was already wearing a lose shirt. My cheeks reddened when I saw that I was only wearing panties down there. Marco must have changed my clothes.

Well, I shouldn't feel shy because Marco's my husband.

I sighed and was about to get out of bed when my stomach suddenly growled. I'm hungry.

I looked at the digital clock on the bedside table and was surprise to see that it was already past 12 pm. I decided to get out of bed and then went to the bathroom to clean myself. While I was under the shower, I was wondering where Marco could be.

My mind and my heart were debating if I would leave after showering or stay and talk to him for good. I chose the latter. I shouldn't be a coward. Two weeks away from him is enough. But would he be willing to talk calmly without remembering about his jealousy?

I groaned inwardly, remembering Marco's evident jealousy this morning when he took me away from Brey's house. I silently prayed that he already calmed down now.

When I finished taking a bath, I suddenly remembered that I didn't take a towel with me. I huffed. My mind was full of Marco and what happened this morning that I forgot about getting a towel or bathrobe.

I got of the shower room and looked for a towel from the bathroom cabinet. But to my disappointment, there was no towel in there. I groaned inwardly. How come nothing's in there? We used to keep some unused ones there.

I decided to just get out, hoping that Marco wasn't inside the room.

I slightly opened the door and peeked through inside the room but to my surprise, Marco was already sitting on the bed, looking at me direction. He was topless and only wearing boxers. I felt like my body's temperature raised a couple of degrees upon seeing his muscular body.

I hid myself from his gaze right away. Thankfully, he couldn't see my naked form because I was hiding behind the door. I swallowed hard.

"I already saw you, my queen." He said. For some reason, my heart jumped upon hearing his usual endearment for me. I bit my bottom lip and peeked through the door again.

"M-Marco..." I called for him. The corner of his lips lifted as he gave me a lopsided grin. That almost took my breath away. Looked like he's finally managed to overcome his jealousy from earlier. He looked more relax now.

"Yes, my queen?" He stood up and approached me. My heart started thumping faster. "I guess, you want me to hand you a towel, right?"

"Yes. There's no towel here and I forgot to take one with me before taking my shower." His grin faded and replaced by a serious expression. But I could see the playfulness in his eyes.

"There's one there on the bed. You can take it." He suggested. I wasn't sure if he was joking or what. I could feel my cheeks getting red like a tomato.

"Marco! I'm not playing games with you! Give me the towel now!" I hissed but to my horror, he shook his head and smirked. He walked back to the bed and sat upright against the headboard while holding the towel, staring at it like he was trying to piss me off.

"No, my queen. I won't hand over you this towel as a punishment for getting wasted partying all night last night. You even slept in Amouretti's house." He even emphasized the last sentence.

"I didn't intend to sleep there last night and besides, I don't see anything wrong of what I did. I just felt like partying and drinking last night so I did it. It has been a while since the last time I enjoyed that much." I reasoned out exasperatedly, ticked off.

"And do you think that kind of explanation would justify what you did last night? What if some random guy took advantage of your vulnerability while drunk? Didn't you know that my men stopped a couple of guys who tried to approach you and your friend last night? If they weren't there, these guys would've already hit on you and worst, take advantage of you. My men reported that you were so drunk that you even passed out. That's not like you."

My mouth fell open. "Your men were there? Don't tell me, they have been watching me all this time?!"

"Yes. It's for your own safety." My lips parted, wanting to say something but couldn't think of anything to say. Now, I finally understood why I felt like someone was watching me but whenever I looked around me, no one was there. I thought, I was just being paranoid. But no...

Then, I began to feel cold because I was still naked and wet. "Marco! Hand me that towel already! I'm already feeling cold here!"

He shook his head. "I told you; this is your punishment. If you want the towel, come and get it. Simple as that."

I gave him a sharp stare. "Jerk!" He just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

I huffed and then opened the door wider in order for me to get out. I ran towards him, wanting to snatch the towel that he was holding and then go back inside the bathroom, but to my surprise, he dropped the towel next to him and then pulled me by the waist until I was already lying on the bed, with him on top of me.

I squealed in surprise. I wasn't expecting for him to do that.

"Marco! I'm still wet and I'm already cold!" I protested and was about to get up but he pinned me down with his body. My eyes bulged when I felt that hard thing poking between my legs as he playfully grazed his hardness between my legs.

He felt like he was about to explode because of how hard he was. His boxers were the only thing that separating our sensitive areas.

He intentionally grind his hardness against my weakness again and again that I couldn't hold back the seductive moan that escaped my lips.

"You're so beautiful, my queen. It's been a while and I missed you so much." He voiced out hoarsely. His eyes were already feasting on my nakedness. I could see the desire and longingness in those tantalizing eyes of his.

Our eyes met. He was giving me a puppy dog eyes. I looked away in order for me to not give up and then covered my breasts with my arms.

"Is this the only thing that you missed? Is this the reason why you forced me to come with you?" I asked without any emotions on my face, still not looking at him.

"Of course not, my queen! When I woke up this morning, I've read a message from Kyrus, telling me that he took you to Amouretti's place because you were drunk. His message was around 2 am that's why I couldn't read it right away. I even scold my men because they didn't report to me right away that you were at the club. When I read his text the moment I woke up, I came right away to get you because I couldn't take our situation anymore." He caressed my cheek.

"I missed you so much already, my queen. When you asked me not to come after you the day you left me, I respected your decision because I knew that you were just mad and needed time to think. But when I learned that you spent a night at Amouretti's house, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to come as quickly as I could."

I chuckled humorlessly. "Because you were jealous of Brey again, is that it?"

"Yes! I was jealous because you went to him while you couldn't even give me the chance to talk to you or get near you for two weeks!" He answered in frustration. He cupped my face and make me look at him.

"Please, my queen. Come back to me already. I can't go on like this. I miss you so much. Being away from you for two weeks almost drove me insane. Another week away from you and I will surely lose it."

"Really, Marco? You're telling me to come back to you after you practically forced me to go home with you?" I countered sarcastically.

"Because you didn't want to face me. Look at my face, my bruises are already gone. Now, we can finally talk, right?" I remained quiet for couple of seconds.

"My queen, please, hear me out." He pleaded like he was having a hard time. I heaved a sigh and placed my palms against his chest.

"I'm cold. Give me the towel first." He quickly obliged. I was about to take it from him when he started drying my body with the towel. I wanted to protest but I just let him do what he wished. Knowing him, he would insist on doing it anyway.

He made me sit up after that and then wiped my hair. Then, he got off the bed and took a bathrobe from the closet. He put it on me and then dried my hair with the hairdryer. The silence between us was kinda deafening.

After drying my hair, he combed it. He was behind me while doing so. "It has been two weeks but you didn't even call me. Haven't you missed me even just for a little bit?" He then asked sullenly and then buried his face on the crook of my neck.

I felt like all the small hairs in my nape stand up as his lips and breath tickled my neck. I almost moaned but I bit my lower lip to prevent myself from doing so.

My breath went hitched as the uncontrollable heat and anticipation began to cover my whole system. But before I totally got swept of his seductions, I finally managed to voice out my thoughts.

"Marco, let's talk."

"About what, my queen?" He planted butterfly kisses on my neck. He was about to ease off my bathrobe from my shoulders when I stopped him and then turned around to face him.

"Really, Marco? You don't know?! You know very well that we have a lot to discuss about! Yes, I admit that these past two weeks, I tried to come to you a few times so that we could talk but my fear always got the best of me. Truth to be told, I was scared to hear everything that you've been hiding from me that would surely hurt me even more than I am feeling right now. But now, since we're already here, I want you to tell me everything and I don't want you to leave even the smallest detail. Just make sure to be honest with me this time because if you ever lied to me again, I swear that I will leave you for good and you would never see me again." I said determinedly and I saw the fear that passed through his eyes.

His Adam's apple moved, indicating that he swallowed. Then, he slowly nodded his head and then held my hand.

"You're the love of my life, my queen, and I want you to know that before I tell you everything. Please, always remember that." He took a deep breath before he continued. "Whatever Apollyon told you before were all true. Dui and I are in the mafia. Someone trained us since we were just 11 years old in order to become what we are today.

"I didn't know about my the Alessi family back then but when we were 18 years old, Mantus told us everything. That's when I got interested to get to know my real family and eventually learned about 'il gioco'.

"Because of my resentment of my family, I planned to take what was rightfully mine by winning the il gioco as a revenge to my parents. I thought, they intentionally throw us away because of the Alessi family's rule but when I talked to papà, I proved that I was wrong all along."

My eyebrows creased. "What is that rule?"

"The Alessi family is still living like our ancestors. This day and age, they still follow all the ancient rules that the first members of the clan established long time ago. One of this rule is to make sure that the next leader will be tough, brave and wise enough to rule and they believe that in order to make that happen, the children should experience how cruel this world is on their own." He answered bitterly.

"What do you mean?" I asked confusedly.

"Do you know why Marcus and I resented our parents that much before?" He questioned. I shook my head. "Because we thought that they followed that rule and threw us like garbage. The Alessi children don't have the privilege to grow up with their parents because the clan throws them away. They believe that in order to be the king, one must suffer and overcome any hardships without the help of any member of the clan." I gasped, stunned.

"W-What kind of rule is that? That's ridiculous!"

"That's just one of the rules, my queen. Another one is the participation of all the heirs in 'il gioco.' That's what we did, my queen. Keith, Marcus and I participated in that game and I won. I was the one who married you." Upon hearing that, I felt like a knife stabbed my heart repeatedly. I smiled bitterly.

"So, I was nothing but a price in a game. Now, I know why you kept on chasing after me even though I kept on resisting you. You did everything to get me because you wanted to achieve more power." He shook his head vigorously.

"No, you don't understand. I—"

"You wanted us to have a child right away because you couldn't wait to complete all the conditions that you need to follow in order to get what you've been waiting for." I said like I wasn't myself. Tears began welling my eyes.

"My queen. Plea—"

"Tell me, Marco. If we ever have a child, will you apply the rule to him/her as well? Will you throw him/her away too?" I asked with a trembling voice. It hurt too much. I couldn't control my emotions from getting out of hand.

"No! I would never do that to our child!" He said as he shook his head vigorously.

"Was it fun playing with my emotions, Marco?" I then asked full of resentment. He cupped my face. His eyes watered.

"No! I've never played with your emotions, my queen! I did everything to have you because I love you. From the moment I first laid my eyes on you, I already fell in love with you. Yes, I admit that I wanted to win the game but I chased after you and married you because I love you. Please, believe me."

I smiled bitterly. "I told myself before that I was so lucky because I didn't fall into Keith's trap because my knight in shining armor came and saved me. I thought, I was the luckiest woman because my husband was the opposite of Keith; that he loved me so much just like I loved him, but I was wrong. You and Keith are the same, Marco. You only wanted me because you needed me to achieve your goals." I uttered with shaking voice as my tears continuously fell.

He shook his head. "N-No..." Was all he could say. I removed his hands from cupping my face and then stood up.

"I wish, I've never met you, Marco. You promised to love, cherish and protect me but you were nothing but a liar. I am not even sure if I believe your love for me anymore. I don't know if which part of you is true and which part is not. After hearing everything that you've said, I feel like I don't know you anymore.

"You're practically a stranger because all you've been showing me from the start were nothing but lies; just a part of your game. Don't blame me if I hate you even more right now because you deserve it." I then turned my back on him, wanting to leave him there as soon as possible.

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What do you think of this chapter?

If you were Maggie, would you still stay with Marco after all these revelations?

Will Marco managed to convince Maggie to help him after this?

Is there another chance for the two of them to get back together?

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