[Juliette’s POV] “What’re you gonna do, Juliette?” asked Ralph, in an executioner’s non-sympathetic voice. I couldn’t move. Ralph stepped closer. When he spoke again, his voice was slightly gentle but firm. “You can’t panic, Juliette.” “E-easy for you to say…” Pure fear was in my quivering voice. “You’re h-holding the g-gun.” “I know it’s not easy. But you must stay calm.” “But he’s gonna shoot!” “No, he isn’t,” Ralph countered calmly. “He is!” “He will if you show him you’re scared!” Ralph barked. “BUT I AM SCARED!” He inched closer and muttered, “Think, Juliette.” “I CAN’T!” “YOU HAVE TO! YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!” Ralph glowered at me as though he wanted to kill, which… scared the bejesus out of me. I was trembling inside out. “Think, Juliette. Focus on the person, not the situation—who’s got the upperhand?” What kind of a stupid question is that? “HIM!” He’s got the damn gun! “NO, YOU.” I told Ralph that he’s an idiot, with my eyes. He ignored me
[Juliette's POV] “You can’t make me stay!” I cried out in vexation. “I will go to the office tomorrow!” After the ice application, we were back in the dining room for a quick supper. Ralph glared at me. “Half of your face is already swollen, goddamn it! Do you want Jewel to take the other half? What the hell’s wrong with you?” I jolted closer to him, my hands on the table gripping with indignation. “I DON’T WANT YOU NEAR HER!” Tha Mafia King blinked. His face jerked away to stare ahead. A slight tint crept up his cheekbones. “You said that given her response earlier, she’s sure to drop by the office tomorrow. So the more I should be there, shouldn’t I?” I pointed at the crimson handprint on my right cheek. “To return the courtesy!” He swallowed then lowered his gaze and muttered firmly, “You’re no match for her, Juliette. All the women of the Virtus family were taught a trick or two of the martial arts since they were four. That—” He pointed at my raw cheek. “Is evidence.”
[Juliette’s POV]As our tongues battled passionately, my hands slid down from his neck and across his broad shoulders, feeling the contours of those fierce muscles, kneading its firmness. And a groan of pleasure vibrated from his throat. So I moved lower, down the front, to his nipples. I brushed my thumbs across both and his body shuddered a little. He broke apart and whispered huskily, “Fuck, kitten.” I smiled at him and said, “Now I’m going to verify how sweet you taste.” He swallowed anxiously and laid back as I replaced my right thumb with my mouth and teased that tiny bud. His hand came up to the back of my head to guide me on how he wanted to be kissed and touched by my lips, and I followed and learned, and then applied that perfect timing and amount of pressure to his abs. Soon, his moans filled the cocoon of air around us, which was heating up with our bodies. I lifted my face from the side of his hips and looked at him. “I forgot to ask you, Ralph. Does this mean I’
[Juliette’s POV]“Juliette,” Ralph breathed. “Don’t,” I interjected, then pulled myself up to look at him. He was no longer smiling. His fierce gaze was back. We stared into each other's eyes for another long while, searching for answers that were only for the hypothetical, until he sat up and gently cupped my face with his strong, large palms. Bringing his face close to mine, he whispered firmly, “Being a Mafia taught me something–life is not fiction. If it was, then I wanted nothing more than to go away with you.” He wiped a tear that had spilled from the corner of my eye and took my lips for a brief kiss. When he pulled back, I murmured with a sad smile, “But life’s not a novel….” He shook his head at me. “We’ve got other lives to take care of. You got yours….” He swallowed and exhaled, “And I’ve got mine.” He lowered his gaze to my fingers resting on his lap and slotted his through mine before adding, “We didn’t start out as Mafia, Juliette.” “‘Virtus’... refers to ‘valour’
[Juliette’s POV]Ralph coughed and brusquely replied, “Yes.” “What about the elbow? Seems like it works best when the person’s standing behind me.” I swung my elbow to my back, to show him what I meant, and earned a chuckle. “Yes, you’re right. But aim for anything lower than the chest.”I tried shoving my right elbow at an imaginary person behind me. “So the waist. The stomach.” Ralph nodded. “Those areas are wide open for a person holding you from behind.” It sounded simple. Yet I wasn’t quite confident about it. Would I react in time? He probably read it on my face, for he said, “Here, let me show you.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a tree. Pressing my back against the trunk, he asked, “Where does the wrist joint hit?” I moved my freed wrist up and placed the wrist joint at his chin. In the blink of an eye, he swung both my hands up and pinned my wrist joints above my head, on the tree. “Ow! Ralph! What are you doing?” His face came closer. “Training.” I stared a
[Juliette’s POV] I stared at Ralph as he added with an earnest look in his hazel eyes, “They should have a life where they didn’t have to use violence.” I got what he meant, and I completely agreed with him. With a large, pleased grin, I turned back to the front and snuggled against his strong chest, and said in a dreamy voice, “Then let’s have two football teams of kids. They’ll all be Tommy’s siblings.” The Mafia King chuckled. “You sure?” “Yes!” I chirped. “We’ll have enough to end the feud. Our families will be united as one.” He hugged me close and kissed the top of my head as the horse throttled peacefully along. “What do we call them?” “We’ll need a system for their names.” “We’ll go by alphabetical order,” he suggested. “Adam Lux-Virtus.” I shifted aside to look up at him again. “Lux Virtus?” He smiled at me. “Didn’t you say it’s a union?” I turned back to the front, beaming to myself. “I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, Tommy is the next head of the clan.” “L
[Juliette’s POV] Three hours and a lunch later, Ralph and I left the diner with enough cash to take another cab to our next destination. And I was back to hugging the Mafia King in the backseat of the car. “I’m surprised, you’re not disgusted.” I frowned a little. “By what?” “I smell nasty after working in the kitchen.” I shrugged at the grinning handsome beast. “It’s the smell of hard work, why would I be disgusted by it? What?” “You surprised me yet again.” He leaned in to kiss me and pulled away. “I may come across as entitled and privileged, but I value diligence and honesty above everything else.” His thick brows knitted. “Sounds like there’s something between the lines.” “You’re just gonna show me the good stuff, aren’t you?” He gazed at me meaningfully, then turned from me to look ahead as he sighed. “That’s one of the successes Ben and I managed to achieve over the course of five years.” “How many of these successes are there?” I whispered with concern.
[Ralph’s POV]I awoke at the first ray of morning and she was slumbering peacefully beside me, snuggled against me, as though I was her shield. Her cocoon of security. My insides swelled with something. I leaned down and pressed my lips on the side of her head. I guessed I might have worn her out, for she didn’t stir a bit. A soft chuckle and a gentle caress of her soft cheek later, I slid out of her and off the bed. I wanted to put on my clothes but they now smelled really terrible, and I’m actually a clean freak. So I sent a text to Constance and asked for some fresh clothes. Five minutes later, there was a gentle rapping on the door. I opened it and the Virtus member was there grinning at me, fresh clothes, neatly pressed, were stacked nicely between his hands. “Sorry to bother you this early, Constance.” I took over the clothes. “Nonsense, Don. It’s always our pleasure.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled a fatherly smile. “If it weren’t for you, I would never be
[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.’