"Are you okay?" Dante asked, wrapping his arms around Mireille's waist.
Mireille was standing by the window of their room, staring out at the night sky.
"I am fine." Mireille mumbled but her tone didn't say the same.
"You are not. What's wrong?" Dante pulled away and turned her to face him.
"Belinda. I feel like there's something up with her. She sounded off when I talked to her earlier and when I asked her if anything was wrong, she said everything was fine but I doubt that is true." Mireille replied.
"Do you want to go and check up on her?" Dante asked.
"She said she is not home. She will be home tomorrow but I can't stop worrying about it. Belinda is usually happy and cheerful. It was so weird to hear her sound so sullen."
"I am sure it's nothing much. She might just have a little issue. The both of you will talk about it tomorrow." Dante brushed her hair off her face, tucking it behind her ears.
"I know, right?" Mireille sighed softly.
"Yeah, I found the perfect land for the shopping mall. Let's go there together tomorrow so you can see it yourself. If you are pleased with it, the building construction will begin immediately." he informed her and Mireille hugged him.
"Thank you, Dante."
"Stop thanking me, Princess." Dante patted her back gently.
He soon pulled away and cupped her face in his hands.
"Want to watch a movie together?" He asked.
"Uhmm...." Mireille thought about it.
"No." she shook her head.
"Let's go out on a night ride. I just want to feel the fresh air on my face tonight."
Dante squinted his eyes.
"C'mon, let's go and we are going alone without your guards tagging along. Let's go on the ride alone." she grabbed his arm.
Dante refused to budge. He had a bad feeling about going out this night but the sad face Mireille gave him at his refusal made him give in.
"Anything for my princess."
Mireille smiled widely.
"I will change into something else." She beamed.
*
"Oooooooooh!" Mireille screamed excitedly as the cool breeze caressed her face and lifted her hair into the air.
Dante chuckled softly at her happiness. Perhaps he had just been troubled over nothing. The night was peaceful and the ride had been peaceful so far.
They were in a convertible, giving them the chance to enjoy the ride even more.
Mireille raised her hands up and shut her eyes.
"I feel so much better."
"Should I play some music?" Dante asked.
"Absolutely!"
Dante played a song and Mireille instantly began humming to the song.
Dante dropped his right hand to Mireille's thigh as he drove, enjoying the feel of her warmth against his hand. He squeezed lightly at her thigh every now and then.
"While you were off at work today, I began drafting an official business proposal. You should check it out when you are free and let me know if I am on the right path."
"You are so excited about the shopping mall."
"Of course, I am. Once I make profits from it, I am going to buy you loads of gifts and then I am going to buy a lot of things for the kids at the orphanage too." Mireille said dreamily.
"What are you going to name your shopping mall?" Dante asked.
"Don't laugh at me, alright?" Mireille said and Dante glanced at her.
"It's a funny name?" He asked.
"Not funny." Mireille frowned.
"But... I was thinking maybe Principessa would work." she mumbled and Dante chuckled.
"You are not supposed to laugh."
"I didn't promise you not to laugh" Dante laughed.
"I don't know if it makes any sense for me to use that... In fact, I am not using that anymore. I will use something else."
"No, it's beautiful. I love it. It's just funny that you were against me calling you a princess all these years and now you are going to name your business after it."
"I won't use it anymore." Mireille pouted.
"I know you will use it. C'mon." Dante squeezed lightly at her thigh and a small smile appeared on Mireille's lips.
"Do you know you look really really hot when driving?" Mireille asked and Dante turned his gaze to her.
"Really?"
Mireille nodded in affirmation.
"You do, especially when you drive with one hand just like you are doing right now." she replied.
"I should sack all my drivers and start driving myself from now on." Dante said and Mireille laughed.
"Don't drive with other women in the car though."
"You have something on your face." Dante slowed down the speed of the car and paid attention to Mireille's face.
"What's that?"
"Jealousy." he joked and Mireille laughed, turning away from him.
"I won't drive with other women. You will be the only one who will find this hot side of me just like I will be the only one who will ever find your hot, nasty side."
Mireille giggled softly and looked out at the night sky.
"Mireille." Dante suddenly called her by her name.
"Yes?" Mireille turned to face him, surprised that he suddenly called her by name in a tone that did not seem too pleasant.
"Your hands in."
Mireille pulled her hands away from the window, still surprised at the sudden change in the atmosphere. Dante clicked on a button that had the top of the car closing.
"Dante? What's going on?" Mireille asked as Dante shut the windows and sped up.
"Hold on tight, Mireille."
Mireille was more than confused. She looked back and saw about four black cars behind them.
The car accelerated at a scary speed, making Mireille hold tightly onto her seatbelt.
"Dante, what is going on?" She asked.
"Don't worry, Princess." Was all Dante said before stretching his right hand out to Mireille.
"Tap thrice at it." he said and utterly confused, Mireille did as he said.
Dante looked into the rearview mirror and groaned, speeding up even the more.
"We are going to get into an accident!"
"Trust me! You will be safe." Dante assured her.
This was why he had had a bad feeling about stepping out tonight. He could not tell who was after him right now but he was sure those cars were after him.
It had to be another of his enemies. He wasn't worried about himself but he was worried about Mireille. Even if he was killed and he went to hell, it would not be enough punishment if Mireille died.
"Are those guys after us?" Mireille asked.
"Yes but you don't have to worry." Dante assured her though he could not assure himself not to worry.
He had sent a signal to Ditto and his other men through the wristwatch but it would take time before Ditto and the others would get over here and there were four cars. There was no way he would be able to defeat the number of men in those four cars.
Suddenly, a gunshot pierced the tense silence, making Mireille gasp loudly.
"Get down, Mireille!" Dante's voice raised as more gunshots filled the air. The shots were directed at the car and Dante regretted even more that he had not left home with a bullet proofed car.
Mireille bent over, doing as Dante said.
"What's going on, Dante?!"
Dante gave no response as he began to driving in zigzag to avoid the rain of bullets but he could not avoid all the bullets.
A noise came from the tyres as bullets pierced through it.
"Fuck!" Dante cursed, beads of sweats forming on his forehead.
Dante continued driving the lonely express road, refusing to pull the car to a halt but the ride wasn't as fast anymore with the burst tyre.
Dante knew it was a matter of time before he was cornered. He only had one option at the moment and that was to drive the car into the forest that lined up the road.
"Hold on tightly, Princess. Real tight." he gritted his teeth and swerved the car into the forest.
Mireille screamed loudly as the car crashed against a tall tree. For the first few seconds, there were groans of pains in the car but Dante quickly ignored the pains and undid Mireille's seatbelt.
"Get out of the car." he said, undoing his own seatbelt too.
He opened the car safe and pulled out a gun, making Mireille's eyes widen.
"Why do you have a gun in your car?"
"This is not the time to talk, Mireille!" Dante got out of the car, hurried over to the other side of the car and lifted Mireille out of the car.
He ran deeper into the forest, with Mireille in his arms. He could hear running steps after him and flashlights as the men searched for him in the forest.
Dante continued running until he tripped and fell, his head hitting a stone.
"Mireille, are you okay?" He asked, his hands grabbing her shoulders as he checked her out.
"I... Dante, you are bleeding." Mireille gasped. Dante ignored the bleeding, grabbed the gun that had fallen off his hand when he fell.
He picked Mireille back up and continued running deeper into the forest.
Getting to a large hole that seemed like the perfect place for them to hide, Dante dropped Mireille there and removed the wristwatch on his wrist.
He put it on for Mireille who now had a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Listen to me." he cupped her face, his voice holding urgency.
"No matter what you hear, do not step out. No matter what happens, I want you to stay here and hide as much as possible from everyone. Keep this wristwatch with you, Ditto would be able to find you with it. I love you." he kissed her face.
"Dante." Mireille grabbed his arm.
"Stay safe for me, Mireille. I will explain everything later. I have to go now." he grabbed the gun and flashed her one small smile before jerking her hands off his arm and hurrying off.
These men were here for him and he could be lucky enough if he could hold them off in this forest until Ditto arrived but if he wasn't that lucky, he prayed that these men would kill him and leave without searching for Mireille.
If he was going to die or live, it didn't matter. What mattered was Mireille staying alive.
Mireille was shivering with fear and confusion as she remained where Dante had left her. Her eyes were filled with tears and her breath was rough and uneven. She regretted that she had asked Dante for them to go out on this ride. She should have just stayed home and watched a movie like Dante had suggested. "Oh my god, what's going on?" She whispered and ran her hands over the wristwatch. She heard a gunshot and her heart skipped a beat. "Oh god. Please that shouldn't be Dante." she clasped her hands together. She did not know what was going on but she prayed Dante should be safe and alive at the end of it all.Another gunshot and rustling of dry leaves made more tears roll down her cheeks. The rustling of dry leaves got closer to where she was making her breath hitch. Another gunshot and she heard a thud with whoever had been getting closer to her, dropping down definitely dead. Mireille shut her eyes tightly, tears rolling down. Another gunshot and she heard someone curse. It
Dante was waiting outside of Mireille's room, pacing around worriedly, not minding his leg. "Mireille.." He mumbled her name and punched the wall. "Boss." Ditto called worriedly. "You are injured. You should be in your room, please. Miss. Mireille will be fine." Ditto said."Just shut the fuck up. She is in a coma, Mireille is in a coma." Dante groaned, trying hard not to let the tears roll down. "Where is he?" James raced in. "You bastard!" He yelled immediately he set his eyes on Dante and without caring about the state of Dante, he punched Dante down. Ditto stood back, not wanting to get involved in a fight between his boss and James. "You fucking bastard! I told you! I told you not to stay with her! I knew you would not be able to protect her, bastard! I knew you would not be able to!" He punched Dante to his satisfaction before pulling away with bleeding knuckles. Dante pulled himself to sit on the floor, lacking the strength and the will to get on his feet. "Where... Wh
Two weeks laterDante was seated on a chair beside Mireille. It had been two weeks already and yet Mireille had not woken up. Dante had ensured he spent enough time around her though.He wanted to be with her when she woke up. Dante was scared that it could take years for Mireille to wake up like it was in the case of some other people but no matter how long it would take her to wake up, he was going to be by her side. And yet if she woke up now, he had no idea how he was supposed to tell her that their baby was gone already. He was sure Mireille had heard everything that night and she now knew what he was involved in. He wondered if she would hate him now after all he had caused her so much pains to the point where he hated his own self, even. It was all his fault that she was in this situation and that their baby died. Dante let out a sharp exhale, trailing Mireille's hand with his thumb gently. He had been broken when he found out from the doctor that they lost the child and Jam
"How... Why did you chase Dante out?" Mireille asked as her headache reduced. "Mireille." James sighed softly and Mireille furrowed her brows at him. "What exactly happened that night?" She asked James but of course got no response from her brother. "We were out on a night ride and then... These men were chasing after us and Dante had a... He had a gun with him in the car!""Mireille, don't think about these things for now. Just eat a little and go back to sleep. You are still weak and...""No!" Mireille cut him off with a pretty loud voice as she recalled what she had heard that night. "Dante! I heard what one of the men said... They... They said Dante was in the mafia." her eyes widened and her grip on the bed tightened. "And Dante didn't deny that! Is... Is that true? Is Dante in the mafia?" Mireille asked, her right hand leaving the sheets and grabbing Jame's hands quickly. "Is it true? Is... Is my Dante involved in the mafia? Did you know about this too? Have you been hidin
Mireille felt her heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. This was the worst day of her life. She had been through so much too in the past in the hands of her stepdad but none of those pains she felt back then was comparable to the pains she was feeling at the moment. Realizing that she never truly knew the man she loved, knowing that his identity was the same as danger and still finding out that she had lost their baby. What could be worse?"My baby... Our baby." she sobbed. "I am sorry." Dante apologized but his apologies only made her even madder. He knew what he was involved with and he still let all of this happen. Mireille could not help but blame him even though she knew he was hurting too. She could have sworn that Dante had forgotten what it meant to shed tears but she had seen him shed tears when she had been shot that night and just a few minutes ago when she asked about their baby. "Dante." it was James' voice and Mireille slowly pulled away from Dante's embrace.
Mireille felt a mixture of feelings all at once. Feelings that she could identify and a lot more that she could not identify. She suddenly wished she had just died and not woke up from coma. What was the essence of waking up and being hit with so many news like this? "Yes, he did. Dante killed his own father. If he could kill the man who gave birth to him, then who am I? Mireille..." James cupped her face. "If he could do that, then who are you too, Mireille?""No." tears dropped as Mireille shook her head. "There is no way Dante would have done that." she shook her head. "And why would I lie? Dante killed his father who was the previous mafia boss just because he wanted to be the boss as soon as possible. He could not wait for his father's death so he killed his father himself.""No! I refuse to believe all of this." Mireille refused vehemently. Dante was not someone who would kill his own family, right? Dante could be brutal, he could be dangerous but she had also seen him lov
"Mireille."She heard a soft voice calling her name. It was Belinda's voice and so Mireille slowly pulled the sheets off her head to look at Belinda. "Mireille." Belinda sounded even more relieved to see her face and immediately dropped the basket of fruits she had brought for Mireille. She quickly hugged her friend tightly and Mireille hugged her tightly back too. She had missed Belinda and she felt so much at peace with Belinda. Everyone seemed to have hidden things away from her but she was sure Belinda could never have done such. Thinking about it a bit more, Mireille realized that Ditto must be working for Dante and if Belinda was dating him, she had to know that Ditto was in the mafia too. She pulled away from the hug quickly and grabbed Belinda by the shoulders. "Bel." she called. "Yes, Mireille?""This might sound shocking to go up but I want you to take it as calmly as you can." "What is that?" Belinda asked. "Ditto." Mireille whispered his name. "Yes?""He is in a
Two days laterMireille clutched onto the seatbelt tightly, looking out of the window while James drove the car to Dante's home. She was going to pick a few things up from Dante's home and leave his home. For the past two days, Dante had tried to see her countless times but she had told him off every single time but this time around, Mireille wanted to see him and ask him a few questions before picking her things up and leaving his home. James had shown her the video of Dante beating him up and had claimed Dante beat him up that badly just because he was in a bad mood. James glanced at Mireille, a quite satisfied look on his face. He believed fully well that he had made Mireille believe that Dante was nothing short of a monster and the fact that Mireille had agreed to move out of Dante's home was a huge milestone for him. In no time, she would definitely agree to leave the country too and everything would be just perfect! Driving past the securities who recognized them very well
Dante pushed open the door, his lips on Mireille's lips, kissing her hard as they both found their way into the room. The room had been specially decorated for that night. There were rose petals on the bed and roses and candles beautified the room. But clearly the couple had no time to admire the beauty of the room, there were too lost in the beauty of each other. Dante's hands groped Mireille's ass and he groaned as the excess fabric of the wedding dress prevented him from being able to properly fill her ass. Dante swiftly turned Mireille and pulled her back to him, making her ass press into his crotch. He dipped his head down and kissed her neck, licking on her skin before sucking it into his mouth. "Ohh, yeah." Mireille moaned, her right hand moving back to reach for Dante's crotch. "Oh god, Princess." Dante groaned as her hand touched the bulge in his black trousers. "I told you I will be tearing this dress off, didn't I?" He whispered into her ear. "Did... Did you really m
"Dante?" Mireille called, walking into the room with a tired look on her face. "Dante." she called again but there was still no response so she guessed he wasn't in the room. She noticed that Dante's laptop was open and out of pure curiosity, she looked into the screen and what she saw made her heart race and her cheeks redden. Dante had searched sex styles appropriate for pregnant women in the second trimester. Just then, the door opened and Dante waltzed in. "Why are you looking, Princess?" Dante asked as he hurried over to the laptop and slammed it shut. Mireille threw her head back and laughed. "Really? Appropriate sex styles?" She giggled. "What? You don't think there should be appropriate sex styles?" Dante asked, moving closer to her. Her giggles stopped as her cheeks flushed a brighter pink. Mireille stepped back, away from him until she had her back against the wall. Dante leaned in close. "You are pregnant, Princess and our baby is growing every day. I don't want to
Three weeks laterJames was in his living room, working on his laptop even though it was hard for him to focus. It had been hard for him to work clearly knowing that he was not on good terms with his sister but he had held onto the belief that Mireille would change her mind and leave Dante. Holding that belief strongly, James had waited for three weeks. He had only worked for about thirty minutes when he heard a car parking in front of the main building. He got up on his feet. He wasn't expecting anyone to come visiting today. His mind immediately went to Mireille and he quickly headed towards the door. He had almost gotten to the door when the door opened and Mireille walked in. Her baby bump was getting bigger and seeing her face, James knew he missed his sister. He however held back so as to know why Mireille had come to see him. "Hello James." she greeted. "Mireille." James called her name. "Can I come in?" Mireille asked."Of... Of course." James replied and Mireille walk
James paced his room angrily, filled with rage."I have tried! I have tried hard to protect your daughter, mum! But she is unwilling to be protected!" He raged. "Now that Dante knows that she is still pregnant with his child, he will never let go of her and Mireille doesn't even want to leave him too! And trying to take Mireille away forcefully just won't work cause Dante is much more powerful and he would find her in no time if he wanted to!"James yelled and punched at his wall. All of his efforts had been in vain. The two had been away for three months but had reunited like they had only been away for few days or a week. "Should I really just respect Mireille's decision?" He groaned and punched at the wall again. Maybe he indeed should do that but he felt it would be him leaving her to sink deeper in danger. But what else could he do other than watch that happen?"Maybe... Just maybe if I stay away from Mireille long enough, she would know that I am being serious and she would c
"Did he leave already?" Mireille asked as Dante walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Yes, he left angrily but I am sure he would come around soon." Dante replied with a slight shrug. "I don't know what's wrong with James. He never wants me to make my own decisions! His way of protecting me is just too rigid! Way too rigid!"Dante could sense the hurt in her tone. He walked over to where she was by the window and pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be fine, Princess. He will come around and he will learn to accept and respect your decisions." Dante said comfortingly. "I....I really hope so." Mireille sniffed. Even though she had acted like she did not care if he gave his blessings or not, she still wanted James to accept the fact that she and Dante were together and would never leave each other again after all James was her only family. "He will. He is just mad at the moment but he will come to his senses soon." Dante patted her back. The both of them remained,
The next weekJames groaned sleepily as his phone rang repeatedly. He had worked hard the previous day and wanted to rest throughout the day. It was noon already but he was still in bed and didn't want his rest to be disturbed at all. "If this isn't important, I swear I am going to kill this guy!" He sat up and grabbed his phone. He had missed the call already but almost immediately, the call came back in. James picked the call and took the phone to his ear, his other hand pulling his hair back. "Yes? What's the issue?""Boss, your sister and Mr. Romano just arrived in the country together."James eyes widened instantly and his fatigue left him immediately. "What did you just say?""They are both in the country sir and they are headed to Mr. Romano's home. I just thought you might want to know about it since you asked me to inform you if Miss. Mireille ever returns to the country.""Fuck! Alright." James ended the call and got out of the bed swiftly. "I wasn't so close to Dante
Mireille pursed her lips. She had been thinking about that already. She was going to give up the life she had started here to go back home but then, she never did belong here. She was only here because James brought her here but now that she was back with Dante, there was no reason for her to stay back, right?"I...""The shopping mall is in progress already." Dante cut her off. "You went ahead with it even after I left?" Mireille was surprised. "That's right. You were so excited about it back then and I just wanted to do it for you, for us.""Dante." Mireille cooed and walked across the kitchen to him. She back hugged him tightly and Dante felt his heart warming up. "Why don't you get back to the living room while I do this?" Dante asked. "No, I want to be right here with you." Mireille grumbled. "Would you take a seat and watch your perfect man cook, then?" Dante asked. "Sounds like a perfect deal but no! I want to hold you while you cook." Mireille replied and Dante chuckled
"You heard me. You stay back while I do the cooking." Dante said to Mireille who was seated on the couch with a pout on her lips. Dante leaned in closer and kissed her pouted lips. "You made breakfast and lunch. I want to make dinner." she grumbled. "It's too stressful for you. I will make dinner, when we are done eating. We could take a short walk for our baby's sake." he replied. "Then let me just assist you. I could chop the vegetables and just a bit of other things.""I will do everything myself. You've overworked yourself already." "No, I haven't." she replied stubbornly."You do recall that I had to carry you here from the room? You weren't just limping, you could not even walk." Dante smirked. "I can." Mireille blushed and hit his arm. Dante chuckled, pulling away from her. "Just stay here while I cook real quick." he turned to leave and just then the doorbell rang. Dante paused and turned towards Mireille, raising a brow to ask if she was expecting anyone. "I don't k
"Would you like to see my mother's grave? We could go visit her." Dante suggested as they both laid in her bed, her head on his bare chest and her arms around him. She was clothed in a shirt of his and nothing more. "I would be more than happy to visit her.""Let's visit her next week, then?" "Next week... I think that would be great but I do have a question, Dante. Did you tell anyone else about all you went through? It's so horrible and I can't imagine that you have kept all of these to yourself for years.""Keeping it was hard but sharing it would have been harder, Princess but I did share everything with James back then. He was the closest to me and so he did know everything."Mireille got off his chest to look at his face properly. "James knew about all that your dad did to you?" She asked. "I told him about it as it happened to me so yes, he knows about everything."Mireille's face pulled into a frown. "I... I don't get. He told me that you killed your innocent father just