Antonio held his breath as he got up from his long black sofa. He looked away and expelled all the oxygen that had just filled his throat.Rose looked up in surprise as Antonio walked away from her, only a few steps, but enough to make Antonio junior no longer as tense as before. She frowned in surprise and stood up. "What the hell?!"The man in the corner of the room turned to him. With a cold tone full of emphasis, Antonio asked, "What the hell are you?""I said it clearly, didn't I, Antonio? I want to be back with you!""Go away," Antonio said and turned his face away."But I-""I said leave!"Sydney was speechless as she heard the scream that came out of Antonio's mouth. The man who used to love her so much, not even to speak in such a high tone, has now changed so much. Even when she cleared her things from the sofa, Antonio didn't turn to her at all. He just stood in the corner of the room and looked out the window that was half covered by dark curtains. The view outside wasn't
Chapter 59Nathan walked past the shelves filled with various instant foods after the call was disconnected. His eyes were drawn to the different types of food and brands of drinks on display. But his stomach was already too full from eating instant noodles like Rose. Nathan chose to ignore all the food and drinks in his path.His long strides made it easy for him to reach the table they had ordered. And Rose still seemed to be enjoying her last few mouthfuls there. Nathan was stunned for a moment, both amazed and astonished, and then a moment later he sat down opposite her."You're really upset with Antonio aren't you?""Not really," she lied.And Nathan knew that she was lying to him. One hand placed the chicken-flavored instant noodles on the table, thrusting them closer to her even though he knew she wasn't even finished. "This is your last noodle. After you finish your meal, I'll take you home.""Home?" Rose looked up, with the remains of the noodles in her mouth. They stared in
Antonio got out of his black Lincoln town car. As he glanced around, he made sure his presence among the seedy hotels of the suburbs did not attract anyone's attention. The man then straightened his suit, which matched the vehicle in front of him, and checked the pistol he had deliberately kept in his pocket, before hiding it again and walking away from his car.His stride made him look very charismatic and charming at the same time. Even some of the sexily dressed women, who Antonio guessed to be nightclub sex workers, couldn't take their eyes off Antonio.The man continued to walk on ignoring anyone who tried to flirt with him, simply offering a one-night stand and the thrill of enjoying a hired woman's crotch. Unfortunately, they were not Antonio's favorite type. After all, he wasn't there to have fun in bed, but to discuss business matters with some of his partners."Welcome, sir. How may I help you?" asked a woman in a short dress at the front of the club.Then Antonio brought hi
Previous chapter.The pungent smell of alcohol instantly assaulted Antonio's sense of smell. He frowned and rubbed his nose for a moment before stepping inside and closing the wooden door that was covered in soundproofing. His eyes darted around and the familiar people were already waiting for him there. Nathan and Carl sat on the long sofa while Flo was busy fiddling with a bolster on the not-so-wide bed in the corner of the room.Upon noticing Antonio's presence, Flo was the first to draw her attention to the man. She threw the bolster on the floor and hurriedly got up. "Yo, whatsup, boss!"But Nathan glared at her in surprise, how could he speak that language in this situation.Antonio didn't respond to the strange greeting either. He chose to sit on the sofa with Nathan and Carl, and Flo followed. They all now filled the long table in the center of the room. The table, made of transparent glass that was not covered by a cloth, was filled with various bottles of drinks and several
Rose stuttered as her dim blue bead met Antonio's brown eyes. She was biting her lip nervously now. Let alone explaining what he had come to do with words, breathing was difficult. She felt like she was having a heart attack as the man before her looked her up and down, from head to toe."I-I...,""Did you come here in those clothes?""I-yes, I...,""Did you walk?""No!" Rose hurriedly denied. "Ta-taxi, I took a taxi here."Antonio took a deep breath before one hand pulled Rose's wrist closer. They were only inches apart when Antonio's hand finally reached her hip. Rose's eyes bulged, surprised. "I had enough of this yesterday, but my patience has run out.""A-Antonio... I don't-"Before Rose could continue, Antonio had already surprised her even more. Antonio suddenly brought his face closer to Rose and landed his gray lips on the surface of her red lips. Rose held her breath, but Antonio pushed in deeper until she couldn't hold back any longer. Rose opened her mouth slightly, lettin
Chapter before."The northern region was almost sabotaged, they promised about ninety percent of the sales in the couriers' cash transactions," Carl explained. "Their identities aren't known yet because they all use pseudonyms and it looks like... Monsta facilitated them with some fake documents for overseas transactions."Nathan replied immediately. "The ninety percent offer alone is quite lucrative. How could they add such perks to a courier who is most at risk of leaking our information?""Isn't it true that the more you get, the more you fear that person?" Carl asked. "My couriers are not interested in the offer because they are loyal. But how long are we going to trust that loyalty? Come on, in this world, we need money more than anything else."Antonio considered Carl's words and pretty much agreed with them. Then, he looked at Carl after taking a glass of vodka that Nathan had poured a moment ago. "Does your courier have further access to him?""You mean... we're going to see h
The sound of a knock on the door made Antonio turn his head instantly. There was Rose there, in her nightgown that made her look beautiful and seductive. She had a smile on her lips. Even without lipstick, Rose still looked charming there.Rose walked into the room with one hand holding a plate of food while the other carried a cup of coffee. Without removing the smile from her face, Rose said, "Your food is here, Prince!"Antonio chuckled after seeing Rose's adorable treatment. How could she call Antonio a prince, when he was more like a grim reaper at work. Ah, if only Rose knew. Suddenly the thought filled Antonio's head, which had been fine at first. But when the woman put the coffee cup on the nightstand, then sat on the edge of the bed and handed him a plate of pancakes, that's when Antonio started to feel guilty."I made pancakes. Do you like them?"The brown bead that had previously been fixed on Rose's beautiful face lowered slightly. He looked at the flour batter with eggs t
The strains of Rihanna's unfaithful suddenly came over the speakers that Antonio was using to accompany himself and his girlfriend at the time, Sydney, to dinner.It had been a long time since Sydney had gotten a new manager and some busy schedules, they hadn't seen each other. Texts and phone calls were only occasional as they were both busy at different times of the day. When Sydney wakes up and gets ready for work, Antonio is busy on the streets with his group. Sometimes he's busy counting the deals they've made, or other times, Antonio is dealing with a heated struggle between rival groups in his dirty business. And when Antonio has some free time, Sydney can only text him, letting him know that he's standing in front of the camera, getting ready for a photo shoot or some other important meeting.Client meetings, she said.But Antonio couldn't believe it.Ever since Nathan had told him that Sydney had been out with a man, at night too, and that they didn't seem to be talking about
Chapter 86Chapter 86- Previous Chapter -"You'll be fine. I'll make sure you're safe."But suddenly, Rose jumped up and hugged Antonio, making him gasp. The woman buried her face in Antonio's chest."What's wrong, Rose? You don't have to worry. Ssh! Ssh! I'm here," Antonio said soothingly. "I'll ask Nathan to look after you too. So you-""Don't leave me, Antonio," Rose cut in.And Antonio was instantly silent. For the first time in his life, Antonio heard words of pleading that touched him deeply. Even when Sydney found out she was pregnant with Antonio's child, she never begged. Instead, Sydney blamed Antonio and aborted their child. The child Antonio had hoped for from the woman he had loved so deeply."I have no one and everything is hard when I'm alone."Rosepun's cries were heard in Antonio's ears. He finally knew how Rose felt when she set foot in the house again. The parting words he had spoken a few days back must have frightened her. Antonio had intended to end their relati
Chapter 85- Previous Chapter -"They'll be closed until the investigation is complete," Nathan guessed.But Antonio shook his head. He took out a cigarette from his pants pocket, as well as a lighter from the other pocket, and lit it. He took a long drag from the cigarette and the smoke evaporated into the air."And of course that would take forever!""Or...,"Nathan's brow furrowed deeply. "Or what?""Or Jean has secretly got another business."Nathan could no longer contain his shock at the opinion Antonio mentioned. His mouth gaped open, probably enough to fit a loaf of bread with a full meat filling. He swallowed saliva with difficulty afterwards. "Other bi-businesses? Does he have other businesses? She looks so rich with that prostitution business!""A woman like Jean wouldn't be satisfied with one source of currency. She must be hiding somewhere." Antonio brought his face closer to Nathan's. "Can you investigate? Try traveling around the north, or just send one of your men. I w
Chapter 84- Previous chapter -Antonio smiled slightly and leaned closer. "Are you sorry, Rose?"But Rose denied it. She shook her head and said, "No.""Are you sad that you got pregnant when I had just ended our relationship?"It took a while before Rose finally looked Antonio straight in the eye and said yes to his question. Her blue eyes glazed over again. There were so many things she wanted to say. Rose missed the man who was now standing there looking at her curiously, but it was all held back at the tip of her pale lips. She occasionally bit her lower lip because she couldn't say anything else.And Antonio was quite sensitive to the situation in front of him. He moved forward and immediately pulled Rose into his warm embrace. Then, Rose's tears completely broke out there. She cried as she hid her face into Antonio's broad chest, then hugged him back. While Antonio used his hands to gently rub the back of the woman who was now in his arms.If he could cry, Antonio probably woul
Chapter 83Putting a smile on his thick lips, Elliot walked into the hospital that was dominated by white and golden colors. It was not real gold, but without bothering to put gold on their walls, Golden Hospital was famous for their first-rate service. It's been years since the hospital was built and its reputation has always been good. As for the few problems and complaints received from the patients, they were responded well, so the hospital's reputation remained at the top until this moment.At first, Elliot was confused as to why Jasmine, who was technically still his wife, could be admitted and treated at a hospital as big as Golden Hospital. How could a sick and poor woman like Jasmine have the money to afford treatment at such a place. The insurance money that Jasmine's ex-husband had was all used for gambling and occasionally used to hire night women without Jasmine's knowledge. Jasmine was a good wife. Unfortunately, Elliot was not the kind of man who needed all the good in
Chapter 82The heat of the sun shining directly on Antonio's house made the owner feel uncomfortable. He took in as much oxygen as he could before saying, "Let's talk inside."Rose hurriedly held Antonio's hand as he turned to leave.It made the man in his all-black outfit turn his head. He looked at Rose's hand tugging on his jacket sleeve, then turned to her blue eyes. "What's wrong?""Nathan doesn't seem to like my presence. You guys are having a problem, aren't you?""It's... none of your business. It has nothing to do with you at all.""You're lying, aren't you?"Antonio shook his head. "Come on in. Nathan can wait in the living room."And after deliberating for a moment, Rose finally nodded in agreement. She went in ahead of him, while Antonio still looked around before actually entering, following Rose in and closing the door.Nathan turned around as Rose and Antonio stood in the doorway. He gave a short snort and lit a cigarette with the lighter he always carried in his pants
Chapter 81Nathan packed up some clothes and put them in a long, small tote bag. As well as clothes for everyday use, the now orphaned man also took a few other valuables with him. Anything that left his identity, Nathan tried to take with him, then some of it he threw outside the house and burned it."Are you done?"The man looked up to find Antonio standing in front of him. He nodded and said, "I did, but I'm going to wait for it to burn. I don't want to get caught a second time.""I'll wait in the car.""Okay, boss!"Nathan then stepped on the items that were a little far away to get into the fire. Making all his belongings burn in the flames that turned them into dust.The man then went back into his room. He checked once more. His house was indeed not that big because this place they bought was only as an escape. Their life after becoming fugitives was not easy. Coming and going, leaving and being left behind, meeting and parting became something very close to Nathan. He nodded h
Chapter 80Antonio's brown eyes rounded instantly. "This... what the hell?!"The scene in front of him was a sight to behold. An enthusiastic and excited Nathan continued to explain about the items he had found at Jean's nightclub during the trip. But as soon as they arrived and Nathan took Antonio to his room, which was right next to the living room, Antonio was shocked.Items like pillows, bolsters, blankets were scattered all over the floor. Not to mention a few items on the nightstand. Oh, and don't forget the mirror!All the items lying in front of him now seemed to make Nathan's room look like a crashing airplane. Antonio turned to Nathan with a confused expression, his face saying you-must-explain-everything-now.Instead of cleaning up his mess, Nathan forgot that his room had become an outlet for his frustration. He snorted in amusement and scratched the nape of his neck as he returned Antonio's gaze. The man who had covered his body with an old leather jacket from last night
Chapter 79Rose looked around, after Williams had left her. The hospital corridors were still very busy even though it was soon time for some doctors to go home. Rose's blue eyes found nurses chatting as they walked, small children crying as they were about to be examined by the doctor or even parents who looked confused looking for loans over the phone to meet the hospital fees. But through it all, Rose still felt sorry for herself with all this fate.The woman then made her way to the cafeteria located on the west side of the hospital. Her stomach felt very empty and her throat was dry. And when she got there, Rose immediately cast her eyes around."Is there anything I can help you with, Miss?" asked the vendor standing behind the counter.Rose looked at the large menu board hanging behind the man. There was a wide variety of menus available at various prices. But in the end, Rose remembered how much money she had left and decided to economize. She swallowed hard before finally sayi
Chapter 78Meningitis is an inflammation that occurs in the meningen, or the protective layer that covers the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can sometimes be difficult to recognize, as the disease has initial symptoms similar to the flu, such as fever and headache.Meningitis can also be caused by bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic infections. Certain conditions, such as a weakened immune system, can also trigger meningitis. But in Jasmine's case, Williams wasn't just explaining things to Rose. He told her that she had a tumor that could aggravate her current condition, so surgery was necessary.After signing some paperwork, including completing the hospital administration, Jasmine was able to enter the operating table with Williams as the doctor in charge.Rose waited for about three hours in front of the operating room. Williams had already told her that the surgery would be performed under general anesthesia. The operation would begin by opening the skull bone (craniotomy) fo