The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 38

~ Damon - ----TWO DAYS LATER --

More days had passed and Damon was still kept in the same dungeon under the same circumstances. Once a day, he'd have someone bring him food and water. It was only stale bread and water, but that was better than nothing. Then at night, the basement would get very cold, but he wasn't allowed any blankets or jackets. Damon had to endure the extremities in his torn up shirt and pants. There was dried blood everywhere, mud stains and dust, and not to mention, he smelled like shit because they don't really clean the bucket too.

Being kept in this situation should do a lot of damage to a person's mental health, but instead of suffering, Damon was thriving. His mind was as sharp as ever. Sometimes he'd pretend to be asleep when actually, he was eavesdropping on the guards's conversation. He learned how many men were guarding the compound and what Hugo's movements were like. Hugo was still in the house and he made no plans to leave. That must mean he was planning for his next move. And since Hugo didn't kill him yet, he must still have some value. Damon suspected that Celina might be behind it. After their last conversation, she confessed that she still loves him. Maybe Celina was asking her dad to spare him somehow. Maybe she still wants to marry him and maybe Hugo was willing to cut a new deal. * CLANK! *

The sudden sound of the metal gate crashing against the wall woke Damon up from his thoughts. He looked up to see Hugo and two of his guards walking in. In Hugo's hand was a large brown envelope. "Wake up, my son, it's a brand new day!" Hugo said with a cheery smile.

That can't be good.

Damon didn't respond, but he held his head up higher. Hugo entered the cell and the guards waited outside. A menacing grin was playing on his face as she started pacing around Damon who was chained down to a chair.

"You know, after our talk that night, I was certain I'd have you killed by the morning," Hugo said with a laugh, pausing for a beat before continuing, "But you see, Celina came and talked some sense into me. As young as she is, she is a bright girl," "Yeah, she is," Damon narrowed his eyes. "What did she tell you?"

"She's telling me that you're willing to cooperate and we can put this all behind us," Hugo smiled as he stood right in front of Damon. Damon didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Is that so?"

"Well, yes. She says that you're willing to peacefully hand over the Van Zandt company, estate, and family to us, under the grounds of marriage,"

Damon fell silent, but he kept his poker face. His calculations were correct. Celina still wanted to marry him and Hugo was using this to gain control over the Van Zandt family. If he was to legally marry Celina, as his wife, she was entitled to half his estate. And if something were to happen to him while they were married, she would get everything.

And by that, it means Hugo gets everything.

"Look, I've got everything ready and prepared," Hugo took out a piece of paper from the brown envelope and waved it in front of Damon's face. "This document here says it all. It's a marriage certificate to my beautiful daughter, which she already signed. Now you sign here too and the two of you can live happily ever after,"

Damon glanced at Celina's signature on the paper and looked up at Hugo again.

"What makes you think I will do that?" he asked challengingly.

"Oh, don't be stupid," Hugo stifled a laugh and put the paper back in the envelope. "This is your best case scenario out of this place. It's either this or you go out in a body bag," Damon swallowed hard. None of these options were good for him. He was a dead man either way,

"Look, Damon, I'm not fond of you right now, but for whatever reason, my daughter is. She is madly in love with you, her own words, so I have to respect that," Hugo said, putting his hands up in an act of surrender. "I promised her I'll let you go after you sign this contract. You can live a happy and peaceful life with my daughter and she will handle half of your estate. And I, of course, will be helping her with that,"

Ah, of course.

Just as Damon suspected, this was Hugo's plan. If he killed Damon just like that, Hugo would get nothing. Getting half would be better than nothing. Or better yet, getting all of it after Damon's death would be best. Surely, Hugo can orchestrate some accident to make it look believable too.

"What do you say, Damon?" Hugo said again, cocking his head to the side. "We have a deal?"

"A deal?" Damon scoffed. "Let's be real, Hugo. You have no intentions to keep me alive after I sign that contract. Why would you settle for half when you can get everything after my untimely death?"

Hugo's lips curved into a smile.

"You are such a pessimist, Damon," he tsked. "Why is it so hard to believe that I'm not here to hurt you?"

"You can talk when you put me out of these chains," Damon said flatly.

Hugo paused for a beat before turning to one of the guards. The guard then grabbed a key and walked into the cell. He went straight to Damon, unlocking the chains that were wrapped around his wrists. Damon let out a breath of relief when he felt the weight lifted from his hands. He was at least free to move around now, inside the confines of the cell.

"You see? I'm not this bad villain you make me out to be," Hugo said as he gave the envelope to Damon, along with a pen from his suit pocket. "I'm handing you an olive branch here. Take it,"

Damon didn't take the envelope. He simply looked at Hugo with a stoic face, expressionless and unreadable.

"Fine, you need time to think, I get it," Hugo sighed and put the envelope and pen on the ground. "I'll give you until tomorrow morning. You sign this deal and we'll move on together. You don't sign the deal and I'll move on without you. Capisce?"

Hugo didn't wait for an answer this time. He just gave Damon one last nod before turning around, walking out of the cell. The guard was quick to lock the gate as soon as Hugo was out. Meanwhile, Damon just sat in silence, looking at the envelope and pen lying on the ground.

Damon couldn't get a wink of sleep that night, and not because of the cold weather or the hard concrete. He was up considering all his options, from good to bad to worst.

Even as the guard was asleep, Damon was pacing around the square block cell. After being tied down for so long, it felt good to exercise his legs. They felt weak and tired, but Damon knew he had to get moving. Despite the bruises and broken bones, he was certain he'd find a way out of here, and his legs would have to take him far.

* CLANK *

Suddenly, the door opened and a new guard entered the room. The new guard woke the older guard up and they switched shifts. Damon knew the shift change meant that it was about to be sunrise soon. He didn't have much time and he had to think of something fast.

And just like that, an idea came into his head. He went over to the chair where he laid the envelope and paper. He took the marriage certificate out of the envelope and picked up the pen. Damon paused only for a beat before signing his name on the dotted line. Damon Van Zandt. It was clear and in bold print.

Damon left the envelope under the cell gate so the guard could take it. As soon as sunrise came, the envelope disappeared and Damon didn't hear anything. He waited for a while, and about an hour later, a guard came to bring him food and water. But instead of stale bread, this time he got eggs, bacon, fruits, and a selection of pastries.

That's it. He took the bait.

Damon was smiling victoriously as he ate breakfast that morning. It still wasn't the best condition, eating food next to a bucket of shit, but that would have to do for now. He needed his strength back, so Damon had no complaints.

After breakfast, another guard came into the cell and this time, he came to empty the bucket. He even brought some water, towel, and soap, allowing Damon a chance to take a bath after all these days of being locked up.

All this sudden act of kindness meant that Hugo was trying to keep Damon on his good side. It would probably take several days to a week for the marriage certificate to be fully notarized and presented to the board of the companies. After that was done, Hugo or Celina would have the power to start controlling half of Damon's estate. And after that, Damon's fate was pretty much settled.

Damon had no plans on trusting Hugo with his life. So, he came up with another plan, and it was a damn good one. His plan would commence when Celina visits him next. She always came by in the afternoon, usually around 12 o'clock. And just like clockwork, as soon as the clock struck twelve, the door opened and revealed Celina at the doorway. She was holding a stack of clothes in her hand, followed by a maid who was carrying two stacks of clothes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she beamed as she entered the cell. "I got you some fresh clothes to last the week,"

Celina and the maid put the clothes on the ground that seemed most clean. After her job was done, the maid quickly exited the room, feeling totally uncomfortable and out of place. Meanwhile, the guard was standing outside the cell and at a distance. If Damon kept his voice low enough, he shouldn't be able to hear their conversation.

"Don't bother," Damon said lowly. "I probably won't see the light of day after tomorrow,"

"Damon," Celina sighed and walked over to him. "I want you out of here just as much as you do, but you know what daddy's like. Baby steps, alright? He'll let you out soon enough,"

Damon let out a mocking scoff, causing Celina to narrow her eyes at him.

"Don't think that's gonna happen," he said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Daddy's taking the contract to the board as we speak. Once the transition is complete, he's gonna set you free. We'll have control over half of your estate, but you will have the rest, and you will have me-" "He lied to you," Damon said convincingly. "He's gonna kill me as soon as the transition is done,"

"No way, daddy wouldn't do that," she shook her head.

"That's what he told me just now. He's only keeping me alive until he makes sure the deal goes through. After that's done, he has no more use for me,"

That was a lie. Hugo didn't say that, but Celina didn't know. This was Damon's plan all along. He was going to turn Celina against her own father. "But... daddy promised me!" Celina cried in annoyance.

"He's not gonna let you be with me, Celina. I have nothing more to offer," he said as he put a hand on her chin, tilting her face up to him. "You know your dad. Do you think he'll let his most prized possession, his own daughter, be with a man like me? At my current state now?" Celina stared at Damon and her eyes went glassy. Damon played along and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I wanna be with you, but let's face it," he whispered lowly. "Your dad will much rather have one hundred percent of my company than half,"

"I'm not gonna let him hurt you," she shook her head reassuringly. "I don't know how I'll live without you..."

"Do you really want to be with me?" he asked.

"More than anything in the world,"

"Then I'm gonna need you to do something,"

"What is it?"

"You'll have to break me out,"

"Break you out...?" she gaped.

"It's the only way, Celina," he said as he tightened his grip on her cheek. "Get me out of here and we'll run away together,"

"But..."

"It's the only way we can be together,"

Damon stared deeply into her eyes and Celina looked lost. He knew he had to seal this deal somehow. So, he leaned down, closed his eyes, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Celina melted into his body the moment his lips met hers. She returned his kiss passionately, and that told Damon everything.

"What do you say, love?" he asked as he pulled away.

Celina was caught in a trance. She looked at Damon as if her life depended on it. Nothing in the world mattered to her more than him.

"Yes, Damon," she nodded meekly. "I'll do whatever it takes for us to be together,"