Todos los capítulos de The Ruthless Don and his Assassin Princess : Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONERHEYESAs the days went by, my life slowly settled into the strangest and most unexpected rhythm. I felt like a man stuck inside a costume I just couldn't take off.I joined Lui for tea every morning in the sitting room, sitting beside her with a cup I wouldn't even drink from, and nodding along to whatever story she was telling about the flower arrangements or the guest list or which cousin from which family was expected to cause the most trouble at the gala. I laughed when she tried to be funny, and I made sure to always reach for her hand whenever I felt there were eyes on us. The most common routine however, was me walking her through the gardens on my arm every afternoon, slow and easy, just like a man who was in love was expected to walk.It was all very exhausting… Every single piece of it. Each polite laugh I gave her tasted like acid on my tongue by the time it left my mouth, and every small touch or smile that I faked almost made me lose my mind.But it wa

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREERHEYESI told myself it didn't matter.I had no right to feel anything about Calista laughing with another man. I was the one who had spent the last week walking Lui through the gardens on my arm, laughing at her jokes, and letting my father watch us like we were exactly the kind of picture-perfect couple he wanted for his alliance. I had made my choice clear enough the moment I covered Lui's hand with my own and let Calista watch it happen, so I had no right to feel anything at all.But that image wouldn't leave me alone. It sat behind my eyes every time I closed them, seeing how Calista's head was tipped back, laughing freely and easily like she used to laugh with me before the world turned everything between us into something dangerous and forbidden. Then there was that bastard, Giovanni, leaning in close and grinning as if he'd just won the bloody lottery.Every time I saw him after that, it got worse. He was suddenly everywhere, or maybe I was simply noticing

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVERHEYESI felt Lui's lips against my cheek long before I saw where her eyes had gone. It was only when she pulled back, slowly and mischievously, with a small satisfied smile playing at her mouth that I followed her gaze across the room and found Calista standing near the far window.I only caught it for a second… Barely a second really, but it was enough.The pain across her face was fast and obvious, but it was also gone so quickly that most people in that room couldn't have seen it if they weren't looking directly at her. She also saw me looking at her, and her shoulders straightened then, and by the time anyone else might have glanced her way and noticed the reaction, she had tucked it away and looked perfectly composed and unbothered, nothing but just another quiet guest at a pleasant afternoon tea.But I had seen it. That single unguarded second before she locked it all away again. I wasn't going to lie about it… It had hit me harder than anything my father ha

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENCALISTAThe ballroom exploded into applause. Glasses were lifted, voices cheered, and someone even went as far as whistling loudly. Lui pressed her hand to her mouth, tears shining in her eyes, and then Rheyes bent his head and kissed her on the cheek while the whole room roared its approval.I clapped too like everyone else. I lifted my hands and I clapped, slowly and steadily…just like everyone else. I kept my chin high and my lips formed a soft, pleasant smile, and I did not let a single thing show on my face.Inside however, something was gradually coming apart. It happened quietly, like a crack that was slowly spreading across glass, and I could feel each piece of it giving way. It was the small, stubborn, foolish hope I had been carrying for years without admitting it to anyone, not even to myself. It was the belief that somehow, someday, he was going to choose me.It broke completely now…somewhere between the second and third round of applause.I don't know

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINECALISTAI froze at those words, and then his hands came up, and this time he didn't dodge. He caught both my wrists gently, his thumbs pressing against my pulse points, and then held them against his chest. I could feel his heart slamming under my knuckles, wild and fast, just like my own."My father saw us in this room, Calista," he said, and his voice was low and rough as he did. "That morning after you hit the guard, you know he saw me holding you, and I saw his face. I have never been so afraid in my life." His jaw tightened as he said it, and "He had already decided what to do with you…I could see it in his eyes. So I gave him something else to look at. I gave him Lui, and a ring, and a perfect little engagement, just so he would stop looking at you."I stared up at him, and my tears just blurred his face."Every laugh, Calista… Every touch, every walk in the garden with her hand on my arm." His voice broke terribly as he said it. "None of those things were re