The Mafia King's Unknown Doctor Wife novel Chapter 271

"Noah, I'm surprised," Massimo said, forcing his tone to remain casual. "Here I thought you were an honest businessman, but it turns out you're not as clean you pretend to be."

Noah frowned. "I don't kill people in gang wars, sell drugs or weapons or people, or break any traffic laws. Can you say the same?"

"Yet this isn't much different from Elena's father selling her future away," Massimo remarked. "Your moral high ground doesn't extend to human trafficking I guess."

"Please, this is completely different—"

"Do you think Elena herself would see it that way?" Massimo pressed on. "Because I have my doubts."

Elena would hate this—plain and simple. She completely cut off herself from her parents to get an ounce of her freedom back. To have another undermine her choices would be something unforgivable in her eyes.

Massimo was certain of this. And judging by Noah's sudden solemn expression, perhaps he understood this truth, too.

"This is Sloane's idea," Noah confessed, "but she wouldn't come up with this plan if she wasn't certain. She wants the best for Elena. That's the whole reason we're doing any of this."

Massimo snorted. Any respect he had for Noah was gone—the man was truly too wrapped around his wife's fingers to have a will of his own.

"Sloane might've birthed Elena but she also abandoned her," Massimo shot back. He enjoyed the small flinch in Noah's form as he spoke. "What makes you think she has any idea what's actually best for Elena?"

"Sloane talked to Elena—that's why we know this is the best move," Noah insisted. "And she can actually talk to Elena like an equal, which means Elena can speak her mind freely. Without fear."

Massimo clenched his jaw tightly. Elena might have been a little awkward and cautious around him in the beginning, but she surely wasn't afraid of him now, right? She couldn't be.

Why would she agree to be his fake wife? Why would she always take on extra work and be a true equal to him? Why would she do any of that if she didn't trust Massimo?

Didn't she trust him? Didn't she trust that nothing bad would happen to her as long as she stayed with him?

As Massimo's thoughts spiraled, that stupid pitying smile stayed firmly on Noah's face. If anything, it got worse.

"Massimo," Noah said with a sigh, "I won't pretend to understand your life or how the mafia operates. All I know is what I've learned from my wife. And all I know is that the mafia messed her up terribly."

"Even all these years later," Noah continued, "Sloane still can't sleep through the whole night—nightmares keep her up or she wakes up in a panic after a few hours, convinced someone's trying to kill her. When we go out, I always make sure she gets a seat with her back against the wall so that no one can sneak up on her—and she still gets jumpy any time she spots a new person walking past."

Noah sighed again. He shook his head sadly. If Noah was sharing all this about his wife, Massimo wondered what secrets the business man was keeping left unsaid—if there were any freak outs and bouts of paranoia that got so bad that Noah still thinks about them.