جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

[Ralph’s POV] 1.08 p.m. I was sprinting through the dense foliage. The air was getting cold and damp. The smell of blood was getting stronger. Bloodshed is normal to those who bear the name Virtus—we are descendants of the military. Taking the lives of others has been woven into our history. In the past, we did it for the country and our honour. Since my grandfather, we did it for power and wealth. We do not possess the gift of calculation, so we couldn’t accumulate wealth as fast and as vast as the Luxes. So grandfather decided that we use what we’ve been good at and take them by force. A twig broke. I snapped back into the forest. Swiftly, I slid behind a tree that was large enough to hide me, and waited. People who aren’t used to the smell of blood would think that it’s rust. Because they smell almost similar. But we call this place the Grave Yard for a reason—most of father’s (and perhaps, grandfather’s) enemies and their families were executed here and then burnt to

[Juliette’s POV] Intuition. I remember. The one I felt with Ralph. The one he told me to remember. And then I saw it clearly, what Luke was trying to do—what he has been doing to me all these years. It was as clear as his love for mother. He was trying to make me hate Ralph. If I don’t, he’s gonna make me feel bad about it for the rest of my life. I worried for Ralph. He was going to be reminded of all the pain from being forced to kill, and all the shame for doing so. I want to go to him. To Ralph. But I couldn’t feel my feet. I was too distraught by the images in my head… of Ralph pointing a gun at the kids the way he did to Big Nose…. Ralph felt really awful when he killed Big Nose—ridding his offspring of a father, his wife of a husband. Imagine killing those women and kids… the grief he had to live with all those years…. Stop talking, Luke… stop raking the past… you’re hurting him…. I was swimming in guilt for once again putting him and me in such danger. I saw Ben st

[Ralph’s POV] “So she agreed?” Ben asked, his voice in my ear. I stared at the darkness beyond the window of the hospital’s cafeteria. “Yes. She’ll resume her work as my PA when she’s fully recovered.” “That’s a relief.” Ben sighed. “Everything seems to work out exactly as you planned—everything except Luke Pauveree and Juliette—.” “Paufertee,” I corrected with a deadpan face. “Whatever. He’s lucky he got caught before I got to him. That asshole. We had miscalculated.” “I’ve underestimated him,” I admitted. I had been arrogant. I won’t make the same mistake twice. “And Juliette too. But you’re not the only one. I didn’t think she’d take a bullet for you.” We grew silent. And then, the good old Ben’s cut-the-tension laughter slipped in. “Look on the brightside—you were right about letting her into your study.” I almost forgot about that. Juliette was as predictable as her gift of calculation. I figured that if I got her into the library, she would find her way into

[Juliette’s POV]I held Papa’s hand in mine and felt his warmth seeping through my skin, reassuring me that he’s going to be alright. There is a high chance that he may sleep forever, but I’m going to be hopeful that he will wake up some day. “...and guess what, Papa,” I muttered softly and slipped a chuckle of genuine joy. “He blushed! I’m not kidding. It was a slight red but I saw it.” And before I commented on it, the Mafia King tugged me down for another kiss. It was to shut me up, but boy… was it a passionate kiss. I could still feel the pressure of his firm lips grazing mine with a deep yearning to devour me. And now I’m feeling embarrassed. “A-Anyway.” I shifted my view back to the white haired patient reposing peacefully in a giant hospital bed and continued with a warm, contented smile, “I think I’ll be a stay home mum once we start having kids. I’ll probably write too. Children’s stories. I’ve always wanted to give it a try. I know you’ll disapprove. But Papa, Lux Corp i

[Juliette’s POV] I thought I heard him wrongly. But the look in his eyes told me that I didn’t. “What are you saying, Ralph?” My fingers teased the ends of his hair at his nape as I continued taking deep breaths to regulate my heartbeat. “I’m already married to you!” A chuckle slipped from my lips. But he wasn’t smiling. He looked… very serious. Those brown eyes were narrowed into daggers. “I didn’t ask you the first time,” he whispered, his voice low and husky, and fucking sexy. “R-Ralph….” I swallowed. “I don’t… I don’t get it.” “I want to marry you for real, Juliette. No contract. No threats. No criteria, except that you love me.” I inhaled sharply. My eyes stretched with disbelief. His palm cradled one side of my face and his thumb gently stroked my warm skin. “So marry me, Juliette.” He leaned in to kiss me coaxingly. Then he pulled back to look at me, his eyes searching mine for an answer. “Must I answer you now?” He squinted in curiosity, his eyes rolling abou