[Juliette’s POV] Ten minutes! I need to be quick! Jesus! Can his study room be any bigger?! It's twice the size of my bedroom! Ah! There must be something at that vintage military campaign desk. I rushed over to the other end of the room. Damn! It’s empty! Not even a speck of dust! As expected of a man with trust issues… he wouldn't want to have anything out in the open. I yanked open the drawers, one by one, and they were all empty. Goddamn it, Ralph! I arrived at the last drawer… and it was locked. Bingo. It's too easy to be true, yet it felt right—people don't lock up the things they want to share. There must be something in there.I surveyed the area for something I could use to break open the drawer. But there was nothing. Shit! I should've brought something along. What can I use to pry this thing open? I glanced at the closed door, anxiety was beating against my ribs. Time is running out! Forget it! I'll take this drawer another time! I turned around to the bookshel
[Juliette’s POV] Oh God.... He was embedded deep inside me as I straddled him in the middle of the enormous bed, our bodies locked tightly together, my arms around his neck and his around my back. My body felt so hot and numbed with electrifying bliss, I could hardly hold myself up and had to lean against him for support as we kissed long and hard. Finally, Ralph tore his lips away and pressed his forehead against mine. We gazed into each other's eyes as our warm breaths mingled. "Ralph…," I whispered breathlessly, barely able to form a sentence in my head, much less remember how long ago since he took my clothes off. "What is it, kitten?" he asked hoarsely. "Please…," I pleaded, not knowing what I was begging for. His gaze grew fiercer. "Shall I stop?" No! My mind screamed. But this slow pace is killing me! I need him to go…. "Faster…," I squeezed out a tiny sigh. "I can't, kitten." His gaze darkened. "You made me wait so long… It’s only fair that I savour every bit
[Juliette’s POV]“I wanted to play a trick on Margaret,” I lied under my breath. His eyes grew in bewilderment. Hastily, I jumped into explaining. “I know it’s childish of me—.” “Goddamn right it is!” “Well, she started it!” And I told him everything that has happened to me in the past three days, the pranks and the meals I’ve missed because of them. As I talked, Ralph calmly sipped on his wine and listened wholeheartedly. “...so I hid myself in the one place she wouldn’t think I’d be, hoping to send her into a frenzy. I swear I was about to leave when I heard you and Ben coming in.” He snorted a chuckle. “So you hid in the store.” “That was a store?” I jokingly pretended to be surprised. “No wonder it smelled weird.” His right brows raised in pique. “There are no dead bodies in there, if that's what you're insinuating.” I hastily clarified, "I wasn't insinuating that." We gazed at each other with the same curiosity and compassion, and then arrived at an even understanding.
*WARNING: This chapter contains explicit mention and disturbing descriptions of violence.*[Juliette’s POV]I arrived at Ralph’s side and finally saw Mandy Virtus—and he reminded me of Papa’s pompous ass business partners; those who brag and bray but never sign a damn deal because they’re too scared to commit. Standing in the middle of the lobby like the conductor of an orchestra of men in black suits and shades, with both hands grabbing each side of his hips like a runway model, Mandy bore an uncanny resemblance to Sandy Virtus. Except for his Beethoven white hair, Mandy is what would become of Sandy should he finally switch to a diet of human food and sunbathing. I bit my lower lip to contain a giggle. Goddamn it, Juliette! Not now!“Good morning, Mandy,” Ralph’s deep voice thickened the airwaves. Instantly, all sound and movement halted, even the slightest twitch of a muscle. I swallowed my giggle, while Mandy looked as though he had just witnessed his own death. And then he
*WARNING: This chapter contains explicit mention and disturbing descriptions of violence.*[Juliette’s POV]That grin on Ralph’s face says he had indeed murdered those people in cold blood. But, I refused to believe it. Something just didn’t add up. I turned back to Mandy, and he was back to being the Devil’s minion—small, insignificant, and very much defeated. As the Mafia King moved towards his direction, I could tell that he already regretted taking the stage. But Ralph was focused on Big Nose. “What choice do I have, Nostriano?” his deep voice rumbled calmly. So the nickname ‘Big Nose’ wasn’t because of an abnormally large nose but the combination of a large stature and an mafia-inefficient four-syllable name. Then, his face fell grim. “You made a promise to me, and you broke it. And I’ve told you, every action requires a payment.” “But that’s my family!” squalled Big Nose, using every bit of his remaining strength to break free from the men holding onto him. If he wasn’t
*WARNING: This chapter contains mention of violence and drugs.* [Sandy’s POV] “You dumbass piece of shit!!!!” I roared at that chicken face of my stupid younger brother, standing at the entrance of my living room. In a fit of anger—and possibly the effects of cocaine—I flung the thing in my hand at him. A crystal glassware lasered past his shut eyes, hit the door, and smashed into a million bullets of glass shards that struck him repeatedly like a machine gun. “Steeerike Three!!” I cackled hard, bowing over to release the giggles. “... AAH!!” Cries and grunts of pain pierced my ears. “Umph! Argh!... My finger!” “Shut up, Mandy!” I straightened my back and glared at the man on the carpet floor, crouching and trembling like a baby. Two men appeared to help him up but I held up a palm to stop them. “Let the baby feel the pain!” I stomped over and placed the tip of my shoes on his cheek and pressed it down, steadily and firmly. “Feel it, Mandy. Feel it, so you’ll never forget th
[Juliette’s POV] Ralph glanced at me and then back at the road ahead. “That’s not the look I expected,” he said as the sports car zoomed through the beautiful scenery of the sky-scraping mountains resting amidst the calm forest, covered by the strong blaze of the late morning. But nature couldn’t stop the vexation in my chest from turning into a hulk of frustration. I felt the scowl on my face, and I didn’t give a shit about it. I could sense Ralph taking quick glances at me in the next two minutes of silence until he finally asked again, “Aren’t you glad that I’m taking you home?” “Didn’t someone say that I’m a Virtus now, and the place that I just left is my home?” I retorted grouchily. His jaw clenched, and he fell back into silence for another three minutes. We exited the landscape of natural serenity and entered an expressway that cuts through a vast flatland of yellow parched grass, swaying unanimously and acquiescently. And all of a sudden, the sports car swerved
[Juliette’s POV] Ralph remained silent. “Ralph!” I cried out in frustration and cursed in my head, what’s with the hesitation, damn it! “It’s confidential, Juliette!” He was gripping the wheel as tight as the veins on his arms were showing. “I don’t believe this.” I slumped into my seat with crossed arms and the look of grouch. Then, an idea came to me and I jolted upright. “Tell me the parts that aren’t confidential. How about that?” He glanced at me like I was both brilliant and crazy, then snorted in disbelief with a smile. “Alright, Juliette. You win this time.” It felt like I won because he let me. But I’ll take it. “So what is it?” I asked eagerly. He pondered for a quiet moment until his eyes lit up in recollection. “You may not like this… but it was actually your father who came to me with the contract.” I opened my mouth to refute it but then closed it again. What proof do I have to argue that Papa didn’t? Having a business connection with that dubious Micke
[Juliette’s POV]“Those VIPs of his casino?” I asked, still in disbelief. He flashed a nodding grin, and I jolted upright, a surge of admiration and awe to my face, and I beamed, grabbing his hands in excitement. “That’s what you’ve been up to?” Then, logic jetted in. “But how? Papa and I are the only ones with that list. And those ultra rich don’t listen to anyone but Papa.” “They listen to the one who leads the people doing their dirty jobs.” I stared speechless at the man who once saved me from a drug lord, and tried to sever all ties with the mafia, get his clan members cleaned up, and reform his family business. This man had done his best to go against the impossible, push the flow and ride the currents. Never once did he bow to failure, except to learn from it. Now, he’s back in the shadows, unable to shake off the darkness and his past, yet he shines far brighter than anyone. Papa may be standing in the light, but he’s as shady as a shady businessman can get. He was study
[Juliette’s POV]I woke up to the most handsome face and the scariest pair of eyes staring at me in the fiercest silence. “Ralph?” I grabbed my throat. “Damn, what’s wrong with my voice? I sound eighty years older.” A glass of water appeared before my eyes and a low, sexy voice gruffed. “Drink.” The cool rim wedged between my lips and the sweetest water carefully slipped in. I sipped hungrily, emptying the glass with a sigh of satisfaction, and a Kleenex pressed the corners of my mouth. “Why did you put sugar in water?” He laid my head cautiously on the pillow. “I put nothing in the water.” “But it’s sweet.” My eyelids felt heavy. “Sleep.” My eyes flew open. It was my turn to stare at the beast till he asked what’s wrong, and I told him. “You’re upset.” “Because you were sick.” “Was I?” I checked myself for scars, and memories of the past forty-eight hours swiftly slotted back into my calendar. Ralph worry-stricken face calling my name repeatedly, stroking my face to get a
[Ralph’s POV]Robert’s gaze shot a warning that was the same as mine: it’s a trap. I held a finger to my lips—an instruction for him to not be heard—and he solemnly nodded. Then, I said, “Why?” “It’s Juliette.” The voice sounded secretive and rushed. “I can’t explain anything. But I’ll get her out. You have to take her away.”It was then I smelled danger and shot forward in my seat to the desk where the phone rested. Still, something feels off. “Why should I trust you?”There was a pause and then a sigh. And then the same voice lowered and exhaled. “Her child needs her, doesn’t he?” Fuck. Fuck that dumb Ben. Fuck that smartass lawyer. The fact that he knew about Milo set off all the red alarms. I sprang into action, like the pathetic Ben who had lost that darn phone and leaked all the secrets. The desperate rush to fix everything right. Oh, her crying had weakened. I rubbed her back in a comforting way, the way her housekeeper always does whenever she’s upset. She pulled back and
[Juliette’s POV]Way to go, Juliette. You fell for your father’s old tricks, and then you fell for some stranger’s weird tricks. Just because he knows your name and says it out loud, you got into his car. Great. I’m going to be trafficked as a sex slave. Milo. I’m never going to see him again. And Ralph. A clean tissue entered my view. My view was misty, so I blinked to clear it, and then realised that I was crying. Quickly, and embarrassingly, I grabbed the offer and dabbed my eyes. The man cleared his throat and repeated my name, and I gave a cold chuckle. “Yes, my father sent you, didn’t he? To get rid of me.” Both open palms waved frantically. “No, Miss! I mean, Madam. I mean, Dona.” “Who the fuck are you?” I wailed. “Just tell me. I can take it!” God, I sound pathetic. But I can’t seem to stop. “W-wait—.” His phone was out, slapped to his ear, and it rang once, then a voice came on, loud and clear. “Yes.” That deep gruff. I spun around like a deer caught in headlights.
[Juliette's POV]Paul caught a glimpse of his bleak future and plonked onto his seat in a pale face. The shareholders around Paul shared his misery while others stared puzzled at Harold Lux as he moved towards the throne at the front of the conference table. He moved past me as though I had never existed, and cold guilt stabbed my chest. “Young people.” Papa sighed. “Give them one tiny piece of candy, and they think they own the entire formula.” Everyone ignored Papa’s invitation to return to their seats. Then, Uncle Jerry stepped forward to deliver the King’s instructions. “The contract is in your email.”“What contract?” I jolted a curious look at Pauline who was reading off her mobile screen, her brows growing closer with surprise and anger. . I felt a crack in my hope and made a lunge like Paul’s.“Don’t sign it!” I yelped, desperation clawing the air. “If you invest more money, Lux Corp would pop like a bubble! The debt’s too huge—we’d be bankrupt before the casino’s ready!”W
[Jewel’s POV]This idiot. She glared down as the baby drank quietly. How dare he ignore my calls! Is he an idiot? We can’t even tell how long those two idiots are going to take, and he wants a baby now? Her finger tips caressed those tiny plump cheeks, and her mouth curled up in a loving smile. It’s not that I don’t want a baby. Heat of worry and anxiety swarmed to the back of her eyes and knocked her eardrums. The Virtus princess perked up with vigilance. Hugging Milo closer to cocoon him from danger, her gaze bounced between the main door and the bedroom door, her Virtus mind calculating and reciting the drill. Bedroom, lock door 1, bathroom, lock door 2. Two knocks. Three knocks. One knock. The Virtus code. Jewel crept closer to the tiny slit between the main door and its frame, and a familiar voice hissed through. “Peach.” Instantly, she unlocked, and the door flung back—only to shut tight. She was in the arms of the man who’d never stopped loving her since they first met. D
[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