[Juliette’s POV]I felt confrontational, yet, somehow, I found myself spreading my lips into a smile before lifting it to him. "Very funny," I remarked sarcastically. His brows knitted in concern. "OK. Let's hear it. What's wrong with my idea?"Strangely, irritation seeped in. I chuckled to hide it. "Nothing's wrong with it, silly." His brows arched in the same astonishment that widened my gaze. Silly? I chastised myself. What are you gonna call him next—sweetheart?I blinked and was back to staring at the table top. Ralph lowered his voice slightly as he spoke. "Juliette, is there something you're not comfortable with? If there is, spit it out now."God, I groaned inwardly. Here goes. I looked up with a sweet smile and battered my lashes. "So how was that?"He was back to squinting at me. "I was practising." I glanced at my finger adjusting the fork slightly, then looked up again. "We're supposed to be 'very much in love', aren't we?"Those brown eyes studied me as he slowly r
[Juliette’s POV] “We’ll go when we have to.” Came the usual curt reply, which, at this moment, sounded colder than usual. “I see.” I eyed sorrowfully at the cedar trees outlining the path like cheerleaders with pom poms. I better not get too settled in for the next few weeks, or it’ll be hard to leave when I do. As soon as my mind was made up, the car entered the space in front of the main door and came to a smooth stop. Eagerly, I stepped out of the car and the cool breeze from the snowy mountains embraced my face. I caught a whiff of the forest and the heavy weight of insecurity was lifted off my chest. I turned to the main entrance, and a few figures were rushing down the steps, making their way towards me. “Miss!” The sharp squeals of joy hit my ears even before their feet touched the ground. Samantha, my personal maid, was the first to arrive, and she threw her arms around me before I could even say her name, crushing me in her embrace as though I had returned from th
[Juliette’s POV] Every adolescent eye lit up with motivation once they realised what was happening. "Run, Rollfie, run!" Tommy shrieked his loudest. I nearly choked. Rollfie? I watched in silent awe as the Mafia King, in his colossal frame, started running away from the miniature captors. He looked even more carefree than he was at the daisy field. That large grin on his face was so infectious, I found myself smiling along as well. "You know…," began Agatha. "There's something odd about that man. Firstly, he's a Virtus—and they've always been the vicious sort…." "Secondly, we heard that people called him The Devil. So we expected the worst." I looked at Agatha knowingly when she continued, "We were all scared. We've never experienced a cruel leader since the heads of the Lux family have always been wise and benevolent." I glanced at the grass in shame. As the head of the family, I couldn't even protect my own people. "Don't feel bad, Julie," consoled Agatha. "We never th
[Juliette’s POV]My feet continued moving along, struggling to keep up with those long, powerful strides. Five minutes later, the walking had calmed us down. Ralph had slowed down his pace and his grip had loosened. I slipped my fingers through his and held his hand. We arrived at the stables and Thomas was just coming through the door. When the lanky teenager saw us, he grinned broadly. “Miss Jules! I thought old Stables was joking when he said you were back!” He rushed towards me, wanting to give me a hug, when an arm stretched out to stop him. “Mr. Ralph, Sir!” Thomas gave a salute in Ralph’s direction. “Thank you for bringing Miss Jules back! We really miss her!” Ralph patted his shoulder. “Can you please excuse us, Thomas? Miss Jules and I….” He looked down at me with a meaningful gaze. “Have something to discuss.” He emphasised the last word. I threw him a glare. Ironic, since I was holding his hands tightly. “Gladly! I’ll let the others know. We’ll take a break for now.
[Juliette's POV]His lips tore away and were back on that erogenous zone below my earlobe. “Come with me, kitten,” he grunted and then kissed hard on it over and over again. My body tensed up, arching like a strained bow against him, as euphoria tore through me. “Ralph!” A tiny scream squeezed through my quivering lips, my eyes shutting tightly as another current of rapture tore through me. He finally released my hands and I hugged him close, my trembling body clinging desperately onto him. *****[Ralph’s POV]She was jealous. The second those purple eyes turned feisty when that waitress came near me, I knew. I had seen it on the faces of those women who thought I cared. But I don't give a shit about them or their plastic hearts. The cheaters, I let them go. The troublemakers, I sent them running. The fussers, I axed them out of my life. With women, it has always been a transaction: I give them the adrenaline rush of drama and power, being The Devil's woman, and they fulfil my
[Juliette’s POV] The horse throttled calmly up the slope of the Misty Hills. The cool, damp air caressed my cheeks, and the smell of it, mixed with dewy grass, leaves and soil, filled my nose, sinking my insides into a tranquil mode. The feel of Ralph’s strong arms around my waist spread my lips into a satiated smile. My back was leaning against his muscular chest, and I exhaled a peaceful sigh. We had been chatting about the time he spent here in the Lux mansion and the sights he saw during the tour, as well as the people he met, especially Tommy. He chuckled above my head. “What do you think Tommy said to me? I asked him for permission to punish his aunt, and he said she deserves to be punished.” I knitted my brows slightly. “That little rascal.” “He’s a charmer.” I looked over my head and then up at him. “You’re the real charmer, I heard.” “What?” He laughed lightly. I turned back to the front and said, “Agatha told me that Tommy’s been following you around, didn’
[Juliette’s POV] The hint of disagreement across Luke’s features acknowledged my suspicions. Something was wrong. I looked up at Ralph and asked, “Why’s the CEO’s personal assistance proofreading proposals? Don’t we have managers for that?” Ralph threw an arm around my shoulder and squeezed it gently as he gazed down at me. “Juliette love—.” My right brow raised in renewed surprise. Love? “—-are you questioning my leadership now?” I caught the warning undertone of his voice and shook my head to humour him, then returned to Luke’s disoriented look with a reassuring smile. “No, I don’t, Ralph dear.” My left arm went around the back of Ralph’s waist to pull myself closer to him and sarcastically added, “I trust your judgement.” I grinned excessively up at him. Ralph returned an even grin then switched his gaze from me to Luke. “Mr. Paufertee is gifted at what he’s doing now, am I right?” I shot a curious gaze at Luke, and he smiled obligingly, nodding his head. Now, I
[Juliette’s POV] My shoulders sank in surrender. “You have my word. I won’t talk to him.” His brows finally relaxed. But they immediately knitted again, this time in concern. “Can I trust you, Juliette?” Those words and the pleading tone hit me hard. Guilt consumed me. My body remembered all that had happened between us in the past month, and my loyalty towards this man returned like an old habit. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. “Yes, Ralph. You can trust me.” I buried my face into his warm chest, feeling his human heart beating gently against my forehead, and drew in a deep breath, taking his powerful scent with me before resting my cheek on the steady thudding. His arms came around me and he hugged me back, as though it was a confession of love. And my heart melted once more. ***** After dinner, Ralph wanted to start the ball rolling for the preparations for the party . So we were in one of the lounge rooms, Ralph and I next to each other on the long c