Flash Marriage: Shrewd Wife, Devious Husband
Chapter 231: Odd Occurrence

Chapter 231: Odd Occurrence

"Your cousin? Who is he?" Marcella asked.

She must have asked that out of confusion but her tone implicated that she was annoyed with him rather than being sensitive to his pain. Maybe she didn’t care for his feelings considering that her children’s lives were in danger.

John Russo scoffed. "As expected,..." he mumbled.

"What did you expect?" Marcella raised her voice. She was annoyed with that guy. If he had something to say, he should say it openly. She hated his indecisiveness. Either he could work here or he couldn’t; either he wanted to tell her his story or not. Why was he confused?

Tony blocked her. "Get inside, Marcella!"

Marcella was taken aback by the tone he used on her. He rarely used an authoritative tone on her. She stopped and looked at his face. He was looking at her. His face was stiff and she didn’t like how calm he looked.

She was not in the wrong. So, why was she getting sent away?

Everything in her wanted to shout at him. Her blood boiled with rage.

Then she made a tough decision—to listen to him without questioning him.

"Take care of this," she said and walked inside the house.

She had to drink a cup of water to calm herself but she trusted Tony. It was not just her; he had skin in the game too. It’s not just her kids’ lives in danger, it’s THEIR kids.

Standing behind the window she observed those two men. Tony was exhibiting his usual charming demeanor and the other guy looked calmer and more talkative.

Marcella let out a scoff and walked upstairs. She didn’t want to stand there and listen to them.

-----

"That’s odd," John Russo said watching Marcella listening to Tony’s word and walking in.

"What is odd?" Tony asked. There was a smooth smile on his lips as he looked at the man possibly around his age who dared to anger him so much.

"She listened to you..." John said. He still couldn’t peel his eyes off Marcella. His mouth was slightly ajar and he was staring as if he saw a talking pig.

"And?" Tony drew his attention toward him. What’s there to stare at?

"And she’s the mafia lord’s daughter who still commands a bunch of his men," he said, his eyes unconsciously wandering to the door, now closed.

Tony pressed his lips. So, this was what this secret protection was all about—to spy on her.

"She is my wife," Tony said.

What was surprising about that? Of course, she trusts him and listens to him.

John looked at him with a slight jerk of his head. It was as if he got snapped out of his reverie. He probably had realized that he revealed more than what he should have done.

Tony didn’t want to question him. "You must have meant her father and your cousin was not a saint either," he said. He wanted to keep that guy talking.

The president himself sent this bunch of men to his house for his "protection". Apparently, the president wanted to keep an eye on him because he was shocked by his instant rise to power.

Not everyone would have been the one reporting directly to him. He had information that one guy was directly reporting to the president. The president is smart to have a guy with personal animosity toward Marcella’s family to guard him. As he thought, it was this guy. The other guy was someone indirectly involved with him and now it was confirmed that he was not that guy.

Tony was intrigued by this game. He had to win against the plots of his party people to win the election, and now in D.C., he needed to fight with every other guy to stay in power.

He needed to form alliances if he needed to accomplish his ambition. But some guys will never agree to be by his side. He had no way of giving everyone what they wanted. A lot needed to be done.

John focused on Tony and he fisted his hands. "What do you know?" he knitted his brows. He was surprised that Tony had investigated him.

"I know what your cousin did to that girl and how your uncle tried to bury the case because he was in the police department. I know that the girl’s father pleaded with Don DeAngelo. Don had to act vengeance on that little girl’s behalf!" Tony said with a smile. His tone held no animosity but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"Still, it was not his place to enact justice," John said. "If everyone with the means started to act on their will, if everyone becomes a vigilante how will the law and order be maintained?"

"That is a good question, isn’t it?" Tony smirked. "Maybe not everyone cares as much as Mr. Russo does about law and order. Some follow different sets of rules when the law and order try to support thugs."

John didn’t say anything back. He looked like he was swallowing his anger.

"How much do you value your oath, Mr. Russo?" Tony asked. "Will you kill me without any question asked if you receive an order?"

"Who will give me such order?" John asked.

"It could be a wrong one or... a plot to have me killed. But if you receive communication from the White House to kill me, will you do it?" Tony focused on John.

John’s throat bobbled as he gulped. Tony was not smiling anymore. He looked like a hungry predator ready to devour.

"No one talks to my wife in that tone, do you hear me?" Tony said. "Even if she was mean to you, even if she asked for your life, you will be polite with her. Next time, I won’t just stand still and ask her to back off."

John was tongue-tied. He couldn’t say anything back. In the days he stayed in the house, he was always treated with respect. While some treated him as their assistant and household help, none of the members of the Crawford family treated him unfairly.

This was the first time he saw the dangerous side of Tony. He was not scared but he was intrigued.

"My wife wants you away from our kids. I agree with her. You can tell that guy that my weakness is my family. I am devout; I am loyal; I am affectionate. But if anyone tries to touch my family, no matter who that is, they will see a different side of me that they would wish they never saw."

Tony pressed his lips. Although it was a threat, he didn’t raise his voice. Only the divine blue eyes that always had a certain mirth to them looked grey mimicking his mood.

"I do not want to see you anywhere around my house. Get out," Tony said and walked inside the house.

John Russo fisted his hands.