[Ralph’s POV] “Mr. Virtus?” I turned to the Thai CEO with a friendly smile. “What’s it gonna be, Mr. Sangthong?” “We shall postpone the meeting. We thank you very much for your kind gesture.” “I really appreciate your understanding, Mr. Sangthong.” The doors to the conference room opened again and two staff from the PR team—upon Ben’s request—entered, and I introduced them to the Thai guests. “My colleagues, Rachel and James, will be assisting you and your team. We’ll help you get settled in our hotel real smoothly. They’ll also bring you around our beautiful city, if you don’t mind.” And the guests left with huge smiles. Alone again, I blurted, “Goddamn it!” “What is it?” Ben asked as I fished out my phone—the one that I had been using all along. “Agatha sent me a text and I blatantly ignored it,” I said, feeling stupid. Quickly, I blew up the text and froze. JULIE TOOK A CAB OUT. SAID SHE WANTS TO GET SOME FRESH AIR. BUT SHE SEEMS TO BE IN A RUSH. IS EVERYTHING A
[Juliette's POV] Fifteen minutes ago… “Come along, Julie,” ordered a familiar voice, and I was hauled up. Despite the blindfolds, I could tell who the person was. “Mother, please,” I begged, as I did since they removed me from that apartment. “There’s no way out of this—Mmph!” A huge ball of cloth was stuffed into my mouth, silencing me. “I’ve always hated the sound of your voice, Julie,” she whispered coldly. I stared at the darkness before me. My mother… hates me? “The first cry you made… argh,” she grunted with exasperation and then continued in a whisper so calm that it felt psychotic. “I felt as though someone was stabbing my ears with needles. Why oh why did I ever agree to have a child? How stupid of me.” As I listened, the tears from my heartache swarmed to the back of my eyes. The revelation was like a stake through my heart. All those kind smiles, the words of love and concern, the encouraging advice, had been nothing but lies. “I lost everything dear to me the
[Stalker’s POV]He knows the U.R.T. like the back of his gun. He keeps track of every hole and crevice—the perfect cloak of invisibility for those involved in some sort of shady business. His job requires it. He’s a soldier of his own now. He finds his own missions, which includes finding lost ‘items’, shadowing someone, or something, for protection, and saving victims of kidnap and human trafficking. He makes his own plans and moves alone. It has served him well so far. Less baggage to carry. But a greater reliance on his own knowledge, experience and intuitions, so he has to keep moving forward, keep up with the latest trends and intel. As soon as he finished reading the text from Ben Smith, he had identified the five likely areas where the target would be residing and, immediately, made his way there. His only obstruction —the size of U.R.T. Each area is about two to three hours drive apart. He has the skills but not that of God. He hoped that he could get to the hostage in ti
[Ralph's POV] 12:35 p.m Luke Paufertee, that son of a bitch. He was taking me on a merry-go-round ride. In the past thirty minutes, I'd gone to Queens Avenue, Orchard Street (a few traffic lights down), Mall Street (another few junctions away), and back to Queens Avenue. Now, I'm on my way to Franken Street, which is right in the middle of the shady side of town. I glanced at the rearview mirror, and the road behind me was empty. But I knew that Ben was following me. That asshole. Could he have figured out about Ben? So this was all to put him off my trail? Panic and fear had cracked my patience. I slammed on the steering wheel. "Goddamn it!" Where the fuck is that place?! The car drove past the sign 'Franken Street' and I checked the time—I am five minutes early. My phone buzzed briefly with a text: JUST FINISHED SWEEPING THE ENTIRE CITY, NO SIGN OF JULIETTE. FROM STALKER: REACHING LAST STOP. A wave of anxiety shook me. I hugged the steering wheel as the worst poss
[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
[Ralph’s POV] I flipped through the pages till the last one and exhaled a defeat. A pen shot into my view. I stared at it briefly to suppress my rage then snatched it over. With another exhale of resignation, I removed the cap and placed the tip of the pen just above the dotted line—. “NO! DON’T SIGN IT, RALPH!” Juliette shouted. Juliette? My hand froze. My insides bursting with renewed hope. My gaze shot up and there she was, right before my eyes—dishevelled and covered in stains, panting slightly; her right arm was bloodied; her purple eyes widened with worry. In a second, I had scanned her entirely and understood what had happened to her. My rage skyrocketed. I wanted to punch the daylights out of that bastard. But before I reacted, Luke had grabbed hold of Juliette. “Ow!” Juliette yelped as her bad arm was twisted roughly and pinned behind her back. “Let go of me, you traitor!” But Luke tugged her close against him, refraining her movements. “You slut! What did you
[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
[Juliette’s POV]I couldn’t believe it. “Seventeen days?” Agatha gave a concerned smile. “The doctor said you would wake on the fifth. But you didn’t. So….” She glanced at Ralph. “I’ve never seen a man so lost. He wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t drink. I had to force him.” She turned back with a stern look. “Believe me, it was ugly. We almost started a war here. Thomas and the men had to drag him out at times. To get washed, take a walk, get some decent food. Stubborn as an ox, your husband—Julie!” The housekeeper grabbed a tissue and dabbed below my eyes. “Oh dear. Don’t be sad, he wasn’t alone. We were all here.” She gave me a light hug and patted my shoulder comfortingly. “Sweet dearest… he moved your father to a safer place, just in case that two-faced traitor tries something funny.” I nudged Agatha back to search her face. You know about mother and Luke? The question was in my mind, but I didn’t dare to ask. But the wise woman seemed to read my mind and immediately replied, “Yes, I
[Juliette’s POV]”Jesus Christ….” Ralph stared in wide shock at the truth revealed in Elizabeth Lux’s handwriting. His shock was as good as mine. I realised my mouth was agape and closed it, my shock finally ingested in a gulp and an inhale. I found my voice and muttered, “She had his baby.” I turned to Ralph and swallowed again to maintain my voice. “Milo’s not the first.” I grabbed Ralph’s sleeves and shook him out of his daze. “Milo’s not the first to have the Lux and Virtus blood! Do you know what this means?” The swell in his throat finally came alive, bobbing nervously between the collar of his freshly put on shirt, and he murmured with heightened worry. “This means Milo is in grave danger.” I felt my face fall deadpan. That wasn’t what I had in mind. “No, silly! Milo isn’t the first. That means he’s safe! Daddy wouldn’t mind having him.” I pointed at the journal. “Daddy knows this all along—.” “And he hates it.” Ralph’s fierce gaze bore into mine, trying to make me see what
[Ralph’s POV]And I slid my fingers through hers. I pinned her hands above her wonderful expression of bliss to sink deeper into her. She wrapped around me unconditionally while I stroked her the way she wanted, stretching her desires beyond that cliff so she’d want—no—burn for that tip. I pushed in further, driving her body to the brink of madness as our lips almost touched, my nipples pressing hard against hers, grinding, yearning for her the same ways her blood boils for me. “How badly do you want me, kitten?” I licked her quivering, intoxicated upper lip. I knew the answer, but I couldn’t help but tease her. My damn, damn pride. Her insides were hot like lava, twitching fiercely with a need for me to move. But her slender thighs were wedged securely between our warm bodies so she was completely immobilised, afraid that the slightest touch would take away everything, and she didn’t want that. So she resorted to hiking that sweet voice of hers. “Ralph, please!” I seized her
[Juliette’s POV]“Don’t worry, Miss Julie!” Thomas’ voice rang as the car bolted forward. “No one will know a thing!” Outside the window was pitch darkness. Even the headlights were off so that they wouldn’t be spotted. “You’ll be killed if Papa finds out,” I murmured, my heart racing as fast as the car. Thomas chuckled. “I’ll be fine, Miss Julie. There’s one thing I know for sure about Master Lux: he doesn’t care about small fries like us.”I felt my lips curled up in a smile. That’s true. Papa wouldn’t even know of Thomas’ existence. “But he’ll know when a car’s missing.” I sighed. “We’re so fucked. We’ll be discovered. And we’ll both have to pay for it—.” God, I’m whiny. “This is a gift, Miss Julie. From Mr. Ralph!” Thomas proudly patted the steering wheel. “The old Master hasn't visited the garage since his return. I bet you a hundred dollars, he doesn't know about this baby. Besides, it’s mine. I don’t put it with the other cars he used. So he’ll never know.” So this is wh
[Juliette’s {POV]He raised a brow. “Was?” And I nodded. “Before my vacation.” I looked down at my feet, the way I always do when I regret my actions. “I was struggling… I’m sure you can tell–I mean, you know… I couldn’t tell what’s real. I was living a lie for so long that I had started to believe it.” “That’s why you asked for a vacation.” A statement that sounded like a question, Papa’s condescending way of telling someone that he knows better. And I ran along with it. “Yes.” “And your head is clear now.” “Never been clearer.’ I glanced at Agatha who’d been standing behind Papa, her knowing gaze told me she'd laid the groundwork. So I casually explained, “That’s why I got curious, Papa. Ralph had access to everything you owned, including this room. And I remember how much you treasure this place.” The scepticism was still locked in his gaze but my confidence didn’t falter like before. “That’s why you never let anyone in. Only Agatha cleans this place, and she’s always supervi
[Ralph’s POV]“A break in?” Robert gasped, and anxiety was banging against my skull, threatening to burst through. “Goddamn it, Ben!” I roared. “What the fuck is wrong with you? We use it, we throw it away. It’s just a fucking burn phone—you didn’t use one, did you? You kept a second phone.”“It was for Jewel.” There was regret in his voice. But I couldn’t let it go. “And you left it in the office? Can you be any dumber? Now two lives are in danger because of you!” “ME?!” He finally flew off the handle. “You let the love of my life take care of your stupid child! Do you know how dangerous that is? That child’s a fucking shooting target!” My eyes turned murderous. “What the fuck did you just say?” Suddenly, Ben was as calm as he’s ever been. “I was wrong. I apologise.” At my silence, he continued, “I know you can’t chill” “The fuck I can.” My voice was running on its own. “So I won’t ask. But listen, will you? A shadow’s already on his way.” My fingers raged through my hair, sh
[Harold’s POV] “So he was there.” The owner of Lux empire, known to all as the Business King, Harold Lux, was tapping his finger on the antique desk back in his office at Lux Corp, listening to the P.I. reporting on the voice speaker of his phone, when rage took over. “And my daughter was there.” His voice was unusually calm. But his best friend and veteran lawyer, Jerry, could detect the livid undertone, and a sigh of exasperation let out into the air. His old brows slowly gathered. “Did they meet?” What a question. Of course, they did. Of course, they would! Harold’s fingers gathered into a clutch—within it, is Ralph Virtus’ neck. After the flipping of pages, the P.I.’s voice was back on. “No.” Everything slid off those tensed shoulders. Harold leaned forward, interested for the first time. “Are you sure?” More pages flipped to highlight the professionalism and then the voice returned. “Positive. She stayed in her villa. He stayed in his.” “And you surveille
[Chatri’s POV]The EMERGENCY sign was still lit up. Chatri couldn’t tear his gaze away from it, making sure the light doesn’t go out Across him, seated on the row of plastic chairs, nestled safely between his wife and his mother, his precious fourteen-year-old daughter was praying hard for her saviour too. It was near his heart. Guilt burned the back of her eyes. Ralph-kun… I blamed you for destroying the peace that we’ve paid with our blood and sweat to get. Yet, you did not leave me alone. You fought by my side. You kept your word. With your life. Is this the root of your men’s loyalty? Three hours ago, when they got to the van, her daughter was a crying mess, her almost naked body would have been in full display if it weren’t for that bloodied jacket. Ralph Virtus was sprawled at the van’s entrance, hanging on by a thread. Chatri had to get in the chopper. Footsteps snapped him back to the silent hallway. The ex-mob leader turned to them and Ralph-kun’s right-hand man was mo
[Juliette’s POV]“My father has brought us to the next level—there’s no doubt about it. But as you can see, the charts do not lie. Lux Corp will not survive the casino’s first quarter if we sit back and do nothing.”I gazed firmly around the room. These so-called shareholders of Lux Corp. I need to break their resistance and knock some sense back into them. The oldest one of the group cleared his throat and muttered in a haughty slow pace, “So what you’re saying is: remove Harold Lux as Chairman and put you in charge.” Another guy quickly added, “We don’t do this sort of thing.” Then, the third man snorted in derision. “I’m actually surprised that you gathered all of us here today without the Chairman. If he gets wind of this—.” “He won’t if none of us talk about it,” I snapped, frustration in my throat. What’s with the surprised looks and frowns of disapproval? Aren’t they as much of a businessman as Papa? Can’t they see the signs? The fucking obvious signs! Suddenly, Papa’s de
[Sarah’s POV]She can’t believe it. The unbeatable, ever invincible Don Ralph—the monster in the devil skin; a heartless murderer with the killer sense of an Olympic shooter; king of the world’s most ferocious mafia groups—is completely useless against an infant that’s less than an hour’s old. If it weren’t for Sarah’s fierce insistence and fearsome glare, he wouldn’t even hold his own child. ‘What if I break his neck?’ whispered the poor man, his eyes unable to stray from the tiny creature in his frozen arms. ‘Stop it,’ snapped the caretaker. ‘Sway gently, and you’ll be fine.’ She glanced at the bed and Juliette, who was sleeping soundly, and then back at the man, who would probably feel as though he’s on top of the world right now. Is he going to cry? ‘So what’s his name?’ asked Sarah, swiftly diverting those tears from crystalising. Without looking up, he muttered, ‘Milo.’ Then, he glanced at his sleeping wife and a proud smile appeared. ‘Milo Virtus. The first of the many.’