Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

CHIARA MASSAGED her temple while reviewing the audit report sent by the head of the auditing committee, Caterina. Every report doesn’t make sense.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Are you sure that you audited this correctly?” she asked while flipping the pages of the report.

Caterina nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Those reports were reviewed by several staffs in our office before submitting it to you. I double checked everything, ma’am.”

Chiara slumped her back on the chair and took a deep and fast sigh. “If the returns and profits are these huge, how come the marketing department reduced their budget?”

“As far as I know, ma’am, the marketing department has excess budget from the last quarter that’s why they settled for a lesser budget,” Caterina responded.

Although her reason seem plausible, Chiara can sense that the lady is lying to her. She scanned the report once again.

The profits seem too huge to be true. The report only covers this month’s cash flow, yet, it stated that one mall branch alone gathered 12. 7 million euros. The average profit they have in a month for a single branch is around 4 million euros.

The data seemed fictitious. Chiara has a bad feeling that something is going on in the auditing department.

“Okay,” she closed the folder and put it aside. “This will do for now. You can go on with your work.”

Caterina smiled at her before leaving. When the door was closed, Chiara counted to thirty before dialing someone.

“Signora! Since you already called, just an update. The case you filed against Giovanni is now ongoing. The authorities arrested him this morning. ” Dante exclaimed on the other line. “By the way, you need my help?”

“Yes,” she answered. “My friend is busy right now so I’ll give this work to you.”

Dante, even though Chiara cannot see him, touched his chest and acted like he was hurt. “Oh, that hurts! I’m the second-choice.”

“That, and I want to claim my free commission,” she said with a grin.

“Okay, okay,” he spoke with a surrendering voice. “What can I do for my friend’s wife?”

Chiara walked to the window in the office and took a peak behind the blinds, making sure that no one is around the office.

“I want you to follow someone for me,” she answered.

“Woah!” Dante exclaimed as if he received such a challenging task. “I’m gonna stalk someone? I’m in!”

Chiara cannot help but to shake her head on Dante’s actions. “Sort of. You’ll follow her and I want you to report everything she will do, especially if you can see something that can tell you that she’s working for others.”

“I see, signora. Is it just a normal stalking or should I also monitor this person’s communication? Like texts or phone calls?”

Chiara took a second to think. “Will there be a charge for that?”

Dante grinned on the other line, smelling the money he will get from this. “Of course, signora. I usually ask for three million for this, but I’ll give it to you for only 2. 5 million.”

“Two million,” Chiara said. “That’s my final price.”

“What?” he reacted unbelievably. He thought that Chiara is also gallant like his friend. He was thinking that Chiara will give me five million, since Ezio used to double his payment.

“I can go lower for 1. 5 if you want,” Chiara spoke, trying to tease the man on the other line.

“Damn it,” Dante cussed because the money flew away from his hands. “I’ll do it for two million.”

Chiara smiled widely knowing that she won against a swindler. “I expect your report within a week. Thank you for working with me. I hope for another discount next time.”

The call ended before Dante could answer. Chiara went to her table and opened the intercom.

“Luigi, bring me my lunch in the office. Thank you,” she spoke in the intercom. A moment later, Luigi’s voice was heard.

“Good afternoon, signora. I’m currently working on the task you gave me. I can’t send the lunch there but Victor will. He is also Boss Ezio’s assistant, but he is more on the social and fashion part. Apologies, signora.”

Chiara’s eyebrows furrowed. She didn’t know that her husband has two assistants with different specialties.

She haven’t seen this Victor before. She wonders what his tasks are.

It didn’t take long for someone to knock on the office’s door. The knob twisted and the door opened, revealing a man that has a face of a teenager.

“Are you Victor?” she asked before the man could step in.

He nodded. “Yes, signora. I’m Victor, one of Signor Ezio’s assistant.”

She motioned him to enter and the man stepped in with a plastic bag on his hand. He gently put it in the table before bowing his head.

“These are for your lunch, signora. Sausage, potato soup, and meatball stuffed crescent rolls,” he spoke while removing each food from the plastic one by one.

“There are a lot of foods to choose from. Why these?” she asked, challenging the new man.

Victor’d polite smile didn’t falter. “Signor Ezio gave us a list of your food preferences in case you’ll be eating in his office, signora. I just picked what I deemed perfect for lunch.”

Chiara can’y help but to feel the warmth in her heart. Her husband really did things that can make her heart jumped in joy and roll in excitement.

She opened the containers and started eating. Just one spoon from the potato soup is enough to fade the problems she has temporarily.

“It’s the first time I saw you since I started working here. Aren’t you tasked to be in the office?” she asked, trying to know the assistant better.

“Luigi is the one assigned in the admin tasks, signora. Signor Ezio assigned me in organizing his social gatherings. Most of my work revolves on picking the best suit for events and making sure that he will look presentable,” he explained.

Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind. “Are you aldo there when we went to Marco Leon’s party?”

Victor’s smile grew wider, feeling glad that his signora recognized him. “Yes, signora. I was there for a short time to make sure that you and Signor Ezio has all the preparations you need to look glamorous in that event.”

“You’re the one who chose his suit?” she asked. “You really have a taste.”

The conversation between Chiara and the assistant went on until she finished eating. Afterwards, Victor cleaned the table.

“Since Luigi is busy right now, I can give you tasks, right? But it is not about social gathering or whatever,” Chiara asked before the assistant leave.

Victor nodded. “Yes, signora. I can do any tasks as long as I will have some guidance.”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a simple one,” she opened a certain folder from the shelf. “The department staffs are having their lunch right now. I want you to find this woman,” she pointed the name and the photo of a person.

“She’s from the auditing department. Tell her to go to my office,” Chiara added. “But make sure that no one will know that I summon her. Talk to her when she’s alone. Understood?”

Victor nodded. “Yes, signora.”

The assistant left and Chiara went back to work. However, a minute hasn’t even pass when someone barged in to the door, making a loud thud sound.

“Who are you? Who let you enter my office?” Chiara asked the familiar woman calmly.

“Bitch!” the woman shouted and ran towards Chiara to attack her. The woman targeted Chiara’s hair.

Chiara kicked the visitor’s swivel chair towards the woman and clicked on the intercom. “Someone barged in my office. Sen-”

She didn’t finished her words because the woman pulled her hair with such huge force. Chiara shouted in pain and reached for the woman’s hair while kicking her gut.

“Screw you! How dare you do that to my husband! I will kill you!” the woman shouted while pulling Chiara outside the office.

When they almost passed the door, Chiara grabbed the side of it and forcefully closed it, making the arm of the woman stuck between the door and the wall.

The woman screamed louder when Chiara pinned the door deeper that it left a deep mark in her arm. When the pain became unbearable, the woman let go of Chiara hair and pushed the door to the other side.

“My husband is now in jail because of you! You’re reporting nonsense! I will sue you!” the woman shouted that droplets of her saliva kept on throwing from her mouth as she speaks.

Chiara pushed the door harder. “Husband? Would you like me to remind you that you are Giovanni’s mistress?”

The woman shouted profanities to Chiara. What Chiara didn’t expect is that the other hand of the woman has a hidden cutter. The woman slipped her hand in the space of the open door and tried to slash Chiara’s face.

Fortunately, before the cutter landed on her face, someone pulled the woman, making her lose the grip on it.

“Let me go! Let me go!” the woman shouted repeatedly while the guards are restraining her moves.

Luigi and Victor ran towards Chiara who’s hair is now in a mess. “Are you hurt, signora?”

Chiara shook her head and looked at the woman who is still causing a scene. She squatted, making her face on the same level as the woman who is now slumping on the ground.

“I didn’t give false reports. Giovanni tried to kill my husband,” she spoke and gripped the jaw of the woman.

“Isabella, right? Giovanni’s mistress,” Chiara stated, remembering the report that Dante and Nick gave to her.

“I admire your courage for defending your bastard lover. His wife doesn’t even make a fuss when I sued her husband, yet, a lowly mistress like you dared to attack me in my own territory,” she stared with hatred st the woman’s eyes, tightening her grip that made Isabella cried in pain.

“I will make sure that Giovanni will live in jail,” Chiara spoke before smiling devilishly. “Since you want to be with your lover so bad, why don’t I send you to the same place?”

Chiara stood up straight before turning to the guards and assistants. “File a case of trespassing, assault, and battery to this woman,” she said before looking at the Isabella. “May you like your stay in jail.”

The woman shouted at her again. Profanities and threats were said, but Chiara closed her ears for Isabella’s words that faded as the guards dragged her outside.