[Juliette’s POV] “I think it’s a good idea to send our new merchandise to these influencers and content producers,” I said to the Chief Designer of CHERI and her Marketing Director. “Our target consumers look up to them like trend masters. They can help develop the identity of the new line.” I looked through the list of selected influencers and content producers and their bio, as well as the concept of their channels, and said, thinking aloud, “I like that they are not socialites.” The Chief Designer smiled at her Marketing Director and then at Ralph. “We also love Lux Corp’s new direction of affordable quality. So we started this new line.” “Will the consumers find the brand questionable?” Ralph finally asked. Everyone in the conference room turned to him and he calmly explained, “CHERI is an ultra high-end brand To suddenly come up with an affordable line. The average consumer may lose hope with the brand.” “Not if we focus on the quality,” defended the Chief Designer, a for
[Ralph’s POV]Something happened at the meeting with Monsieur Kugerfield. I can see it on her face. I sighed as I continued chewing the roast chicken in my mouth. If I asked her about it, she would either give me an honest answer, or a sarcastic reply—the former means she wants to talk about it; the latter, she wants to whine about it and have me take her side. “How did it go?” I asked, trying to sound concerned for the business sake, but not too concerned because it’s about another woman.A brief pause, and then her face lifted with the brightest smile. “It went well!” Fuck. It didn’t. She caught the look on my face and the smile lessened as she added, “At least that’s what I think.” I swallowed the meat and asked, “What happened?” She stared at her plate of untouched roast chicken and muttered, “He rejected all of them.” Jesus Christ… I need to find something to help her take the steam off. “I see.” Her face jerked up again, this time with the worry and guilt of my men when
[Ralph’s POV]Women are bad drivers—this I don’t believe. As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve seen Jewel take the wheel, and she’s one hell of a driver. But women are bad with guns—this… I’m starting to believe. BANG! “Ah!” BANG!“AH!!!” BANG!“OH MY FUCKING GOD!” I removed my earmuffs and yanked Juliette’s behind her head. “Jesus Christ, Juliette!” I barked at her. I took a quick scan around the area, relieved that we are the only ones around, and then glared at the heiress. “You’re fucking noisy!” I hissed. And fucking erotic! GODDAMN IT. I listened to a few more, I might actually get hard. She was equally pissed. “I’m noisy?” She jerked up her hand that was holding the gun. “THIS IS NOISY!” I shook the headphones around her neck. “You have these! They’re supposed to reduce the noise.” “Well, they aren’t doing a good job, aren’t they?!” she snapped. I took the gun from her and drew in a deep breath to calm my nerves. “I know you’re scared—.” “DAMN WELL I AM.” She sulked
[Ralph’s POV] Fuck… I didn’t mean to tell her that… But it happened. Now I just have to go with the flow. Is this what love is? Is this what Ben means when he said he can’t help it, he just wants Jewel? The daughter of Lux stared at me, at a loss for words. The shine in her eyes flickered with the flame of the campfire, growing brighter with each passing second. Sucking me into a trance, enveloping me with something enticing… warmth? Fear? A connection? One that I’ve longed for, yearned for all these years but never truly found it anywhere… And now, I’ve finally found it. Or have I not? “Juliette….” I heard my voice calling out to her. And an array of purple shades wavered in her eyes. I saw my hand reaching out to her cheeks, wanting to feel that film of silk bathing her skin. “Ralph…?” Her voice breezed through the cold wind. I grabbed her hands and pressed her palms to my face, as though desperate for her warmth. “Life with me will be filled with darkness… so dark you ca
[Juliette’s POV] A few days later… I was perusing the sales reports that had just arrived in emails from the restaurants we invested in, both the local and overseas, when my phone rang angrily. I picked up from my desk and saw Monsieur Kugerfield’s name. Hastily, I accepted the call and replied in a casual tone, “Good afternoon, Monsieur. Have you had lunch—?” “She’s not here again, Julie!” Monsieur barked. “Where zee hell is zat girl!” Immediately, I felt my face fall with knowledge of what had happened, even before hearing it from Monsieur. “She may be running late again, Mon—.” “SHE’S FORGOTTEN! Zat girl!” Monsieur’s accent gets thick and clear whenever he’s driven madly upset. No one has done that for years—Jewel Virtus sure is a heck of a scum. Doesn’t she have a streak of consideration for the elderly? Monsieur can’t take such panic attacks! “I’m sure she remembers, Monsieur…” I tried to stay as calm as possible, hoping that it would reduce his stress. “Don’t say ni
[Juliette’s POV] Shame crawled into the old housekeeper’s smile before she looked away. “Even though she shaved all her hair and eyebrows, she looked like an angel.” “Y-You’re in love with Ralph’s mother?” My shock came out in a whisper that slipped with the winds gushing through us. Margaret nodded. “I’m just amazed by her beauty…. There wasn’t a day when I wouldn’t look at her. But that’s all there is to it.” She chuckled lightly and said, “I’m just a friend to her. And that was quite enough for me.” She paused to turn back to me and continued, “I knew she was here to protect her son. I knew she shouldn’t be here. But I couldn’t say no to her. I had to help her. Because that was the only thing I could do for her.” I took the bony hand that once tried to claw me into my hand and squeezed it gently. “Thank you for helping Ralph’s mother, Margaret. Does Ralph know what you did for his mother?” She shook her head with a weak smile. “He burned all the photos of her after she die
[Juliette’s POV] We strolled past the first guest room beside the staircase that led to the second floor—Guest Room 1A—and then I blurted, “Why do you need so many guest bedrooms?” “I can ask your father the same question,” he retorted. Immediately, I clarified, “I didn’t mean it that way.” “Then what do you mean?” he sounded impatient, which felt like a bite on my neck. He’s offended. To me, it was a question of curiosity. Obviously, he read it as something else—something that I know nothing of. The old me would immediately get into an argument with him. But the new me wanted to be more understanding and slowly ease the information out of him. So I maintained a calm demeanour and explained. “Well, there are twenty-four guest bedrooms in this mansion. And you said that this place was more of a training ground. So I didn’t think that the head of the Virtus clan would have guests staying over as often as my ancestors would. I thought maybe the rooms were previously used for s
[Juliette’s POV]Ralph. He’s at the door. I jumped off bed and dashed to the door. But as soon as my hand felt the door knob, his voice came through from the other side. “DON’T.” I paused. Don’t? Don’t what?As if reading my mind, he exhaled and said, “Don’t open the door.” And before I asked why, he added, “It’s my punishment. For hurting you. So don’t let me see you.” I sniffed and wiped my face with my fingertips and unlocked the door. “I SAID ‘DON’T’!” he barked, and I halted once more, tempting to ignore him and open the door, and flung myself into his arms—I’m sure they’re open, waiting for me. “Jesus Christ, Juliette….” He sounded tired. And wounded. Like that stray puppy I found at the pathside of the college campus. I remembered how it shivered with fear and cold, its brown fur dirty and dusty. And my heart fell ten storeys. I want to get to him. But I'm also afraid that my aggression will push him away. So I stayed put. Silence ensued between us. And then he asked,
[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.’
[Juliette’s POV]‘I am not selling anything.’ Papa’s eyes were filled with so much distaste, I felt ashamed for calling myself his heir. ‘I’m surprised that I have to remind you of the rules now. You wanted a vacation, and I gave you one. Now, you can’t even remember the simplest thing.’ My mouth opened, my explanation ready like a debate team, but I clamped my lips tight. He doesn’t want to hear anything right now. Right now, he only wants to vent. We’re losing money fast since twenty of our suppliers had suddenly asked for a price review.‘I do remember them, Papa,’ I murmured sourly. ‘Then why are you even suggesting that we sell off our least money-making businesses?’ he demanded angrily. Because that could stop more money from going out! My mind was screaming like a child being blamed for something that she didn’t do. Isn’t it common sense? When things get rough, tighten your pockets! Or is this yet another test? But I’m so done with all the tests! With the baby about to co
[Harold’s POV]SLAM!The sixty-ish fist slammed on the antique desk with the strength of a forty-year-old boxer. Even in his experience, there’s a limit to how much he can take. How did this happen? How did it slip by him unnoticed? The casino. He’d lost track. Damn his old man’s genes. They’re so useless, they made him useless as well. ‘You had no problems with the price for decades. Now, out of the blue you want—not one percent, not two—but a three percent hike?’ His knuckles were paling, bearing all the rage which only kept spiking. The calm voice at the other end of the phone irked Harold further. ‘My apologies, Mr. Lux. But you know how this works—we can’t hold down the price for any longer,’ replied the thirteenth supplier. ‘It’s been three decades since our last review. We hope you understand.’ Everyone wants his understanding. What about theirs? He’s cash strapped! Whose fault is it? If he didn’t build the casino for these bloodsuckers, he wouldn’t be stuck! If they weren’t
[Juliette’s POV]And then it crashed onto me. Like a boulder. I observed those golden swirls in his eyes burning with hurt and that hurt clenched my chest. Utensils down and my mouth wiped, I reached across the table and covered his hand with mine. ‘Growing up, I imagine the Virtuses as cold-blooded monsters,’ I began. Those brown irises dilated with fury, and I slipped my fingers through that large hand and rubbed my skin against his to calm the fire. ‘Because of all the stories I’ve been fed—we’ve all been fed.’ To his tensed jaw, I muttered softly, ‘I must speak for everyone, Ralph.’ ‘You’re not telling me that your father was fed the same story. He came to me with the aim of stealing my family’s land, Juliette.’ ‘I’m not saying—.’ ‘Stop defending him!’ Ralph jerked his hand out of my grasp, fuming. But his eyes never left me, which was a good sign. So immediately, I leaned forward and pleaded, ‘I’m not defending him.’ ‘Then what the fuck are you doing?’ ‘I’m trying to te
[Juliette’s POV]I smiled at the man gently resting his hand on my belly, so careful, so timidly, I almost couldn’t recognise him. Is this Ralph Virtus, the Mafia King? The one whom everyone calls The Devil? The handsome beast with the wits of a chess master. Those cold, fierce eyes were filled with so much fear that I wanted to hug him and squeeze those bad thoughts out of him. Those same golden brown eyes now widened in amazement as they swung up to me. ‘It moved.’ I chuckled and covered his hand with mine. ‘Of course it does, silly.’ He gazed at my stomach, his pupils dilating some more. ‘It’s kicking.’ He looked up, worried. ‘Does it hurt?’ I shook my head. ‘My chest just feels tight when it happens.’ Then, his ears were on my belly, listening intently. As amusing as it was watching his face change colour every second, I can’t help but worry that the next second something will happen to destroy this peaceful moment. As though he read my thoughts, his attention was back on
[Ralph’s POV]‘D…Did you just—I knew it.’ Her eyes were shaking with such low confidence, I almost couldn’t recognise them. ‘You find me annoying now….’ Her hands slid off my chest in defeat. Is this what a baby does to a woman? ‘I did not say that.’ As soon as I heard my voice, I froze again. Shit—that was cold. Quick—correct it. ‘I mean—I don’t mean what I said.’ I tried to grab her hand but missed it. ‘Juliette….’ Her shoulders were shaking too. ‘Jesus… you’re not crying now, are you?’ What? No. That came out wrong again. What the fuck is wrong with me? She spun around in full rage. With tears gushing down her steamed face, she jabbed a finger at my shoulder. ‘YES! I’m crying like a clingy pathetic woman! And whose fault is it? Who put this thing inside me?!’ She pointed at her round belly protruding proudly through her skirt. “WHO?!”I laughed. It was unplanned. Before I knew it, I was already holding my waist to steady myself. My shoulders were shaking, my chest was rumbli
[Ralph’s POV]I blinked at the Hong Kong mob leader and his voice returned. ‘... do you think?’ What were we discussing? Something that reminded me of Juliette and the baby. Of my fears. Of the baby dying inside Juliette’s stomach… or Juliette dying with the baby—yes. We were talking about that old fox and his shady business. My finger stopped tapping. ‘I’m closing all of it down.’ ‘No offence, nong Ralph.’ The Thai leader burst through. ‘My elders love khun Lux. It won’t be easy to shut them down.’ Chinh was frowning too. ‘You close down one, another will pop up. Who’ll say no to money?’‘Money and power,’ mumbled Andrei. ‘I’ve told you before. Harold Lux is well-connected. I can’t have the boys going against me. There are many who’ll have my head and you said that you’ll handle it. So all I have to do is focus on protecting my family from the ollies.’ ‘And this doesn’t change that,’ I repeated firmly. ‘I failed to see how,’ muttered the cool and collected Isamu. ‘Harold-san gi