Chapter 45***The scorching sun dazzled Nathan's eyes even though he had covered them with dark-colored glasses. Dressed all in black, Nathan walked through the suburbs of New York City with great care. Since Antonio had become a national fugitive, Nathan's movements had been restricted. Antonio's name had been on the wanted list since the big raids at several points, so some of the big businesses they were running had changed. Whichever way you look at it, Elliot's betrayal has put the business on the edge. It was fortunate that Antonio still had loyal people behind him, so that the information that was kept secret did not completely leak into the hands of the police.Nathan looked up at the corner of the small building in front of him. A CCTV camera was mounted there, pointing right at him. Then casually, Nathan waved his hand, as if knowing that the owner of the CCTV camera would see him.And not long after, the door of the house opened. Nathan no longer raised his hand and waved.
Chapter 46Previous Chapter..."You... do you always wake up early like this?" asked Rose as she continued to hold the blanket on her body."I have a little trouble sleeping. A lot of things bother me when I close my eyes," said Antonio as he sat on the edge of the bed. He smiled a little and crossed his arms over his chest. "But it's a little better now that you're here."Rose blushed, her cheeks suddenly red as tomatoes. She pursed her lips and tried to change the subject. "But you're still up this early. Didn't you sleep well?"Antonio paused, he was silent. Before giving a small nod and saying, "I always have nightmares about something in the past. And... I hate it.""Is that why you chose to open your eyes even though you were tired?""I'm not tired," she lied. "I can even still shake you if you want right now."Rose closed her mouth tightly. There was no way Antonio would attack her again after making love all night? Or... would he really?***The man in the long black shirt the
Chapter 47[Antonio, 10:00 AM]: Are you at the location?[Nathan, 10:03 AM]: What do you think?[Antonio, 10:04 AM]: I'm serious, you idiot![Nathan, 10:04 AM]: Look behind you.Nathan waved his hand in the air as he widened his smile at the sight of Antonio. The neat rows of teeth were on display for all to see inside the coffee shop called Amour. It was on the outskirts of town and not too far from the hospital where Jasmine was being treated. Antonio had suddenly texted Nathan to meet him there and it had taken Nathan by surprise.Never in the history of their friendship had Antonio asked Nathan to meet him at a coffee shop. Even more so, after they were declared fugitives. Imagine, what fugitive could casually sit incognito and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the midst of other patrons? Antonio was crazy!But Nathan was no less crazy.He walked casually over to Antonio who was massaging his temples on the chair. If you look around, there's only Antonio and one other patron there. Whe
Chapter 48Previous Chapter...Jasmine turned around in confusion, thinking it was Rose. Perhaps the princess had left something behind and had returned so quickly. But to her surprise, it was not her daughter, but her husband, Elliot Maximus, who stood behind the white door.Jasmine stiffened. She tried to sit up as best she could and looked angrily at Elliot. "Elliot."Surprisingly, Elliot was calm as if nothing had happened between them. Elliot moved his feet and approached Jasmine."What are you doing here? Where have you been all this time?"Elliot did not answer immediately. Instead, he remained silent as he gazed into Jasmine's tired eyes. The woman he had married was very beautiful. But now, that beauty had been obscured by her own sickness and sadness. Something inside Elliot felt guilty. But he could not reverse his steps, the man had already made this decision in his life.Elliot's arrival was not only unexpected by Jasmine, but also Antonio who had already arrived in front
Chapter 49Rose stared at the two donuts in the open cardboard box. One had a white topping with small black powder, while the other had a red raspberry topping. She let out a long sigh before finally taking the vanilla-flavored donut and began to nibble on the edges.While sitting at the bus stop and staring at the passing vehicles, the long-haired woman could only rumble with her own thoughts. "Why did I get fired?" Her mouth filled with doughnut pieces made her voice sound like a mumble now. "He just gave me the day off and then fired me. Do I look stupid now?"Rose took another bite of her donut, "You should be happy, Rose," and went back to talking to herself as if she were two people at once. "You didn't have to come to that horrible man's house and do - AH! Never mind! Why am I even thinking in that direction?!"Another bite. "But I'm really curious why Antonio fired me so suddenly. What did I do? I left his house because he asked me to." The woman shrugged her shoulders indiff
Chapter 50Rose swept her gaze across the house. Not much had changed about the place. Most of it was the same stuff that her father had bought last time. Elliot's position as Jasmine's new husband had not changed the house much. In fact, he was the one who used a lot of things in the house and made them damaged or even lost."I think I need to clean this house. At least when mom comes home, she will feel comfortable." Rose nodded firmly with her own idea.She then left her phone on the sofa and activated the vibrate mode to avoid any form of distraction. She would keep Antonio away for a while, at least until the house was clean -and of course until she felt better.Since meeting Antonio, her world had changed one hundred and eighty degrees. Suddenly she's passed out in her tight red dress, woken up in a strange place, become a hired woman and now dependent on Antonio. Then within hours, the kindness he gave her turned into sudden pain. Like a knife that came out of nowhere, stabbing
Nathan opened his eyes and realized he was in a familiar room. The room's lighting was only from a single lamp and was dim, outshone by the sunlight that was quietly sneaking in through the slit in the window that had its curtains slightly open.The man blinked before rousing himself from the not-so-soft bed. He groaned, as his temples suddenly ached, not to mention one eye that was sticky and difficult to open.The remnants of last night's beating brought Nathan back to reality.That his parents had just been killed by loan sharks while his older brother chose to run away and leave all the harsh realities of his family behind.Debt, all started with a small loan. As parents who love their children, school is one of their responsibilities. Nathan's parents deliberately borrowed some money so that their three growing children could go to school and get the best education possible. In fact, the father was fired from his old job shortly after going into debt. The debt, which didn't seem
Chapter 52Previous chapter."Hi, Rose?""Nathan?""Yes, it's me. Why?"Rose was a little hesitant, so chose to make small talk first. "Y-you're busy?""I'm always busy you know."This is not the time for jokes, you idiot. But Rose chose to ignore it and continued her curiosity. "Look, there's something I want to ask you.""If you're asking if I'm sleeping with you, the answer is yes."Rose almost cursed if she didn't remember the purpose of calling Nathan in the first place. She took a breath and tried to forget Nathan's rude behavior. "Did Antonio ask you how I was?""What did you say? Hahaha Rose, you guys already met this morning. Why would he ask how you are again?" Nathan's reply sounded very innocent and straightforward. Which Rose could immediately deduce that Antonio hadn't discussed his problems with Antonio at all, not even to Nathan. "Did you miss him so much that you bothered to call me, hm?"That damn Nathan. "In that case, thank you.""That's all?"But without respondin