[Juliette's POV] I stared at the man holding onto tag 3, on the other side of the two-way mirror—his hair falling defeated in all directions, thick grey crescents under those hooded, lost eyes, and jaw like an unmowed lawn. His stale jacket and creased shirt and pants of outdated design told me he was still in touch with his gambling addiction. "No. 3." "You sure?" Detective Dan asked, slanting his gaze suspiciously at Barbie beside him—posing haughtily as though she was at the end of the runway—then he turned to me. And I nodded. “A hundred percent.” Jewel Virtus coughed a dry chuckled. “Why do you need her to verify what I said? Didn’t I lure him out? Pointed him out to you? I told you that he approached me with a business opportunity and I worked with him. If I didn’t want to get my name off your damn record, I wouldn’t go through all that trouble, wouldn’t I?” The detective scribbled in his small notebook. “No offence.” He lifted a serious gaze at Jewel and then turned t

[Juliette's POV] “You can’t make me stay!” I cried out in vexation. “I will go to the office tomorrow!” After the ice application, we were back in the dining room for a quick supper. Ralph glared at me. “Half of your face is already swollen, goddamn it! Do you want Jewel to take the other half? What the hell’s wrong with you?” I jolted closer to him, my hands on the table gripping with indignation. “I DON’T WANT YOU NEAR HER!” Tha Mafia King blinked. His face jerked away to stare ahead. A slight tint crept up his cheekbones. “You said that given her response earlier, she’s sure to drop by the office tomorrow. So the more I should be there, shouldn’t I?” I pointed at the crimson handprint on my right cheek. “To return the courtesy!” He swallowed then lowered his gaze and muttered firmly, “You’re no match for her, Juliette. All the women of the Virtus family were taught a trick or two of the martial arts since they were four. That—” He pointed at my raw cheek. “Is evidence.”

[Juliette’s POV]“Juliette,” Ralph breathed. “Don’t,” I interjected, then pulled myself up to look at him. He was no longer smiling. His fierce gaze was back. We stared into each other's eyes for another long while, searching for answers that were only for the hypothetical, until he sat up and gently cupped my face with his strong, large palms. Bringing his face close to mine, he whispered firmly, “Being a Mafia taught me something–life is not fiction. If it was, then I wanted nothing more than to go away with you.” He wiped a tear that had spilled from the corner of my eye and took my lips for a brief kiss. When he pulled back, I murmured with a sad smile, “But life’s not a novel….” He shook his head at me. “We’ve got other lives to take care of. You got yours….” He swallowed and exhaled, “And I’ve got mine.” He lowered his gaze to my fingers resting on his lap and slotted his through mine before adding, “We didn’t start out as Mafia, Juliette.” “‘Virtus’... refers to ‘valour’

[Juliette’s POV] I stared at Ralph as he added with an earnest look in his hazel eyes, “They should have a life where they didn’t have to use violence.” I got what he meant, and I completely agreed with him. With a large, pleased grin, I turned back to the front and snuggled against his strong chest, and said in a dreamy voice, “Then let’s have two football teams of kids. They’ll all be Tommy’s siblings.” The Mafia King chuckled. “You sure?” “Yes!” I chirped. “We’ll have enough to end the feud. Our families will be united as one.” He hugged me close and kissed the top of my head as the horse throttled peacefully along. “What do we call them?” “We’ll need a system for their names.” “We’ll go by alphabetical order,” he suggested. “Adam Lux-Virtus.” I shifted aside to look up at him again. “Lux Virtus?” He smiled at me. “Didn’t you say it’s a union?” I turned back to the front, beaming to myself. “I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, Tommy is the next head of the clan.” “L

[Ralph’s POV]I awoke at the first ray of morning and she was slumbering peacefully beside me, snuggled against me, as though I was her shield. Her cocoon of security. My insides swelled with something. I leaned down and pressed my lips on the side of her head. I guessed I might have worn her out, for she didn’t stir a bit. A soft chuckle and a gentle caress of her soft cheek later, I slid out of her and off the bed. I wanted to put on my clothes but they now smelled really terrible, and I’m actually a clean freak. So I sent a text to Constance and asked for some fresh clothes. Five minutes later, there was a gentle rapping on the door. I opened it and the Virtus member was there grinning at me, fresh clothes, neatly pressed, were stacked nicely between his hands. “Sorry to bother you this early, Constance.” I took over the clothes. “Nonsense, Don. It’s always our pleasure.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled a fatherly smile. “If it weren’t for you, I would never be