Chapter 82Katherine had already made up her mind. Today wasn't just going to pass by with her lazing around. She was going to do something, and she would do it right.She quickly took her shower and got dressed before she stepped out of her room. Her hair had been made up into a tight, yet messy bun and she wore a casual dress, slipping into her sandals. Angelie was the first to notice Katherine popping her head out of the hallway, "Oh!" She yelped, almost startled to see her brown eyes staring right at her."Miss Katherine, is there anything I can help you with?" She hurried over to her side, and that's when her eyes traveled over her body. It was only 12 in the noon and Katherine was rarely ever showered and dressed by this time of day. "Nothing really," She wrinkled her nose in amusement, shaking her head. She stepped out from behind the wall she was peeking from and went to sit on the couch, "I just needed some of those reusable bags from the kitchen, but I have no idea where t
Chapter 83"Don't tell me that you're turning this into a thing now Katherine?" Lucifer asked, lifting his eyes up from the documents in his hands. "What ever do you mean, Mr. Cain?" She smiled, her dimples on full display. "We have personnel hired for this. You don't have to cook, or clean, Katherine. You're overworking yourself and it isn't good for the baby.""You make it sound as if I'm working all the time," She rebutted sharply, plopping onto a single chair, "And besides, you don't hear me complaining now!" She sighed, propping her legs up and crossing them over the other while she popped cherries into her mouth. "This is the fourth day in a row that you've prepared breakfast or dinner," He looked at her knowingly, "It seems you're trying to adopt the title of housewife now, hm?" "Oh wow," Katherine snorted, "As if. I just kinda feel weird sitting around all day, with no work to do, and besides, it gives the chef some time to rest.""I'm paying them. They don't need rest, a
Chapter 84"I am utterly surprised." Katherine gasped, dropping some fertiliser onto the soil bed."Why?" Lucifer paused, looking at her. "A man of the underworld...in the garden!" She laughed throwing her hands up in surprise. "I know a few things about it. Don't think I don't." He squinted his eyes, watering the flowers. "Yeah, sure. You're not even holding the watering can right." She pointed out sassily. "You don't even know what you're talking about." He murmured, standing up. "I'm sure I do. I literally used to grow all the veggies back at home, Lucifer! But thanks for helping." She beamed. "Mhm." He wiped his face with handkerchief, "I'm thirsty." "There's some lemonade on the table under the gazebo, help yourself." She said, "I'll be right there. Let me attend to these lilies."He strode over to the gazebo as quick as he could, sitting down and pouring a glass of lemonade, downing it so fast to quench his parched throat.A few minutes later, Katherine joined him, taking
Chapter 85“Turn around,” Lucifer ordered as he narrowed his eyes. The petite girl in front of him spun, flaunting her curvy, perfectly-shaped ass right in his face. Not as perfect as Katherine’s though.Even though this wasn’t for any sexual reasons, he couldn’t get the image of Katherine out of his head. “Closer.” He grunted and she complied, stepping closer to Lucifer. He scanned over her body, before directing her to the right side of the room with a swift motion of his fingers. She gave a small smile before following his order and sashaying. Time passed, and the girls seemed to bore him. There was no ounce of excitement aroused in him, which was fairly unusual, and at some point, he got so sleepy that he almost dozed off. With an annoyed grimace, he commanded Antonio to take the approved girls to the club to begin work immediately while the rejected grils were to leave. As they all started to file out, he retreated back to his study to round up the work for the day, but he was
Chapter 86Katherine struggled to breathe as her sweaty hands' grip tightened on the plate that she held in her hands. She silently choked back her sobs as she stumbled away from the door, running to her room.Her head ached and her heart pounded so hard that her chest felt as if it could rip open at any more. Why did Lucifer always make her feel like shit? Was she just nothing to Lucifer? A pawn in his game?She quickly entered the room, locking the door behind her and sliding her back down against it. The bread that she had baked for him still sat on the plate, though cold now.In a fit of rage, she stood up and threw both the cake and plate into the trash bin, before she flopped on her bed. The world just kept spinning all around her and she could barely think straight anymore.The warmth and excitement that she had felt for the long-awaited gender reveal had turned into a feeling so hollow and bland. Everything that she’d heard today just dampened her mood. Now, who was she to be
CHAPTER 87“Where the fuck is she?”Lucifer’s voice cut through the mall like a gunshot as he stormed into the store, and the heavy glass doors slammed behind him.The sharp click of his shoes on the marble floor was the only sound as he moved forward. He was losing his cool but he had to be in charge.His men trailed behind him, all clad in black with their weapons aimed at everyone. At his presence, the cashier gasped, stumbling back into the counter. Someone near the entrance tripped over his own feet, scrambling away with eyes that were wide with fear. A mother clutching her toddler, dropped to the ground to shield her from him.No one dared to breathe.Lucifer didn’t even glance at them. They were nothing. His stare was deadly and locked onto the trembling guard standing stiff as a corpse.“You dare to repeat what you said on the phone, eh?” Lucifer spat, his voice dripping with irritation.The guard flinched, his hands shaking as he tried to speak. "S-Sir, she went to the restr
CHAPTER 88Lucifer stood in the dark, the glow of his cigarette casting shadows across his face. From up here he couldn't see the city, watch everything. He was careful. Always have. How couldn't he have known.He took a drag from his cigar, the only thing to keep his red hot anger at bay. He should have installed the darn tracker on her the instant it crossed his mind but of course he was too confident that nothing could ever happen to her. Not under his watch.At that instant, his door pushed open and his men stormed in, huffing and panting. Their mud stained boots leaving trails on his mahogany floorboards, stirred irk within him.Why were they here, so suddenly?His eyes shifted from each of them, searching for Katherine, perhaps she was behind them being stubborn. “Good or bad?” He asked finally, before setting his cigar on a tray.“Bad.”“Where is she?” he asked, the words leaving his mouth carefully.The men exchanged worried glances and bowed their head.“Mast—”“Did I stutte
CHAPTER 89Everyone knew there was no truth outside the underworld. If you wanted truth you could resort to being a pope or a vicar. But the one thing stands; all men lie.Truth was a bait. It was the one thing that could build you and break you and it wasn't new to everyone. You had to know all these, experience all these before you become initiated into brotherhood. And if you are a leader, you are always the target. And if you can't be reached, your brother man would be the “eye for an eye”Lucifer exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t believe in coincidences. He believed in rats. There was a rat in the house and he wasn't going to wait for it to show itself.And when you found one? You burned down the nest.Isla cowered and scrambled back when she saw Lucifer walk in. Lucifer’s presence always meant something dreadful. “Lucifer.” Her voice was rough, hesitant. “Didn’t expect to see you.”“I want to speak with you and I need nothing but the truth,” he said, his voice cold
CHAPTER 136Asher sat with Noah resting quietly in his arms, the child’s tiny face pressed against his chest. His little hands clutched at Asher’s shirt without even knowing why. Asher glanced down at him and for the first time really looked. Although both parents Dna had contributed to the boy, his eyes… they were just like his father’s,Lucifer Cain.The ruthless, famous man whose reputation made even hardened men lower their heads. So this was the person Katherine had been running from all this time. The deadly Mafia.He wanted to know how she ended up with him. He had called her wife, asked for his son, showed possession and Katherine was vulnerbale. So vulnerbale and broken. Even after he left, she was still sitting in silence and trembling.Asher swallowed hard as he tried to put his messy thoughts together. The first time he heard of Lucifer, he had wanted to look for a way to harm Ethan. To set him up and fuck him up. But he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand them. They wer
CHAPTER 135The house was quiet, except for the soft sound of the old ceiling fan and the gentle scratch of a cloth as Katherine wiped down the table. The scent of cleaning solution hung in the air. She hummed as she cleaned, trying to relish the moment and clear her head, before the doorbell rang.Her hand froze mid-wipe, cloth pressed against the wood. The sound came again, persistently, like it needed attention.It was just her and Asher home. And no one came here.No one should.Her chest tightened. She didn't want to do this. Not again.Day after day, boxes arrived. Packages filled with things she never asked for — diapers, clothes, money and various self care she could never afford. She wanted to throw them out, burn them, scream at the sky, but she didn’t.Instead, she let them pile up in Asher’s room, turning his space into a cramped storeroom of her trash. The Landans’ patience had run thin and she couldn't blame them. Kind people had their limits.The bell rang again, caus
CHAPTER 134“Where is she?” he demanded coldly as he burst into the house in rage. Katherine glued herself to the wall of her room as Ethan approached her like a mad dog. He had a scowl on his face. “What the fuck came for you today?”“I…I don't know ow what you're talking about,” she stuttered in fear. “Show me or you'll hate it if I have to force it from you, myself.”“What did I say about treating women, Erhan?” Asher said in anger as he strutted into the room. “show her what it is to force a woman and I'll show you what it is to train a man.”Ethan lunged for his son but he dodged. “Are you blind? Can't you see what she's doing? No one has ever tried to find us for years. But ever since she came things have been happening.”“And shouldn't that be a good thing? Or did you do something wrong? Something that you're scared of someone else discovering,” Asher taunted and smirked at them. Ethan stepped back panting heavily while Katherine leaned farther away with fear as he neared he
CHAPTER 133There was a gentle knock on the mahogany door. The deep voice from within called to enter, before the guards pushed the door apart.“You need to get those thugs you call securitymen arrested,” the dark man said in annoyance. “If they ever lay a hand on me again, I will ensure their body is laid in the ground.“Any news?” The second man said in boredom.“A never disappointing one,” the dark man said and dumped the carton of files on the table before taking his seat.“What did you find?” The second man asked before placing his cigar on the tray. “Hold on friend. I've got to step out of this or I swear my toes would get eaten by this monsters,” the man said as he quickly unfasten the laces of his boots. “These commanders got to tell me how they do it.”“Enough!” the other man said and slammed his hand on the table. “What did you fucking find?”“I found the house and exactly according to my tracking, it's situated at the end of nowhere. Belongs to some family. Who builds thei
CHAPTER 132When it's a coincidence, it doesn't repeat itself, does it?Amanda sat at the rocking chair, cooing at noah who was in her arms. The baby giggled and threw his little arms in the air playfully. The girls were at her feet playing dolls and fir the first time, she felt at peace.There was a relief. Maybe because her creep of a husband wasn't around. Noah let out a little but loud fact and the stench was abominable.“Mom!” Adelaide shrieked. “His poop is leaking out.”“Oh dear,” Amanda exclaimed in panic. “This dress costs two hundred dollars!”Katherine came rushing in at that moment from the laundry room. She picked up noah in fright. “Oh Amanda I'm so sorry…Maddy love, please fetch mom the wet tissues.”“You owe me,” Amanda said as she snatched the pack of wet wipes from her daughter.Katherine smiled painfully before hurrying away.“Let me deal with this diarrhea before it explodes everywhere….arghhh noah you stink of shit…I mean it's shit….but you stink for goodness sake!
CHAPTER 131The smell of sizzling bacon mixed with the earthy aroma of coffee filled the breakfast table as Katherine took a bite of her scrambled eggs.Ethan Landan wasn't helping either. He stirred the coffee pot beside her a little too loudly with the spoon clicking on every corner. It was so loud it drowned out the pounding in her head. She stole a glance at Asher who was sitting across from her. Nothing seemed out of place for him except the rage behind his eyes. He wasn’t meeting her gaze, rather his focus was firmly on the eggs on his plate. He knew. She knew. Amanda and Ethan were silent as well but their eyes flickered between Katherine and Asher from time to time as if they were trying to read minds or pick out anything odd.Katherine’s hand trembled slightly as she reached for her coffee mug. The sound of the cup clinking against the saucer was too loud. She quickly lowered the mug, staring down at her plate and trying to ignore the sick feeling churning in her stomach.“
CHAPTER 130“I'm sorry you had to go through all that,” Katherine whispered softly. “Opening up was really brave.”“Don't sound like you didn't make me do it,” he said jokingly.“Thank you,” she said, pressing his hand to her chest. “For trusting me.”“You know, you would make a huge sum of money if you consider therapy. Stop freaking kidding me.”Katherine pouted, trying to ease the situation. “Right? Don't you think you owe me?”“Maybe I would have,” he said, smiling wryly. “But you pushed me into talking by making me help you. More like reverse psychology.”Katherine's chest tightened. She already had all she needed. But it wasn't enough. She wanted more. “So, what do we do?”“This is the part where you act like you know nothing if you want to live long.”“Have you ever considered revenge?” Katherine asked out of the blues.“Lots of times,” he pointed out. “But God, I'm not like them.”“They have guns, don't they?”Asher scoffed. “Guns? No they don't use that here. They use surgic
CHAPTER 129Katherine took a step back, her voice soft. “I’m not playing games, Asher. I just… couldn’t sleep. That’s why I’m here. But it’s fine. I’ll leave. I’m sorry.”Before she could turn, Asher grabbed her arm, firm but not rough. “Stay. I… want you to stay. And I want you to be comfortable.”She hesitated, searching his face. “Does… comfortable mean you’re okay with being vulnerable too?”He scoffed, dropping back onto the bed. “I’ve got snacks. Could get something for you if you’re hungry.”“I’m fine,” Katherine whispered, then quietly lowered herself beside him. Asher glanced at her. “So… what is it?”Katherine rubbed her palms together, her heart pounding. She could already feel sweat on her neck. This could either save her… or end her right here.What if he was one of them? What if he smiled, stood up, and went straight to Amanda?But she couldn’t hold it in anymore.Her voice dropped to a shaky whisper, barely there. “ Before I start, I need your help and I need you to p
CHAPTER 128R circled Giovanni’s table with a frown. “We've got nothing. There's no thrill. None of what we did could bring him down. What do you want the underworld to say? That he's tougher than you?”Giovanni shrugged and leaned back against his chair, with his tobacco in the corner of his lips. “He's stubborn headed. That's the problem with Lucifer.”R scoffed, with her arms crossed on her chest. “And stubborn headed people always win.”“He settled his debts.”“So what?” R chimed In coldly. “Anyone can do that. Listen. We need something more fascinating. Very thrilling.”“And what do you think?”She grinned as she leaned in closely. “I've got something. I wasn't going to say because it didn't matter to us but oufff…a girl can't stay so long without being busy.”Giovanni turned to look at her with amusement and confusion swirling in his eyes. “What do you mean?”R leaned forward and dropped her voice to a whisper. Her lips moved silently against his ears and by the time she had pul