MAX POV“Shoot those arseholes!” The mafia bosses’ wife didn’t hesitate to instruct her men to open fire at us. She cried so loudly that the vigour which led her voicing the order felt like heralded instruction from an emissary to armoured gladiators, telling them to skip the inquisitors and kill as if it was for love.“Open fire men.” It seemed that even she had a bodyguard, a role I felt Mark played for Rose. The pain that thumped my heart into skipping several beats only grew the more as I looked to the face of the dying girl, as even in her mother’s arm, with blood rushing out of her mouth and the pain shown so ethereal in her last drawn breaths.She let out a smirk towards my disoriented expression, void of any focus to the insistent yapping from Zayne in the background. Her soft last breaths drew as I was able to read off her dazed lips, murmuring faint words to my distant hearing, moments before guns started blazing.“At least now … she gets to know how it feels.” My heart fe
MAX POVIt was now understandable that he chose to go the straight path. One would think that if it were up to the use of rationale, then the first choice would be the one in which the followed person had been followed first with.Seeing as the bodyguard followed us with a straight path, I could lead a guess that he felt continuing in that stead would lead to catch us off guard, or it could've been a trap."Get me home, Zayne." At this point I'd fully relinquished control of the steering wheel and allowed Zayne to do his thing, even if it was in a struggled motion that inconvenienced me.I rather saw to it that he was the one to drive me home because I knew the grieving condition I found myself in right now would only lead to an accident since I need to put forth a front of coherent thoughts process into driving, at least to halt his further prying.I lowered my head and used my whole palm to envelope my entire face. Even though I couldn't bare to drop a tear from my face, I managed t
ROSE POVI didn’t know what came over me. Max had barged in and then started narrating the hurt that he felt. For the first time since this escapade started, he actually sat to have a heart to heart with me.His eyes bled with tears after he had submerged himself into the cold bath. He wouldn’t quit his yapping and he looked like he would tear himself up for something that I hadn’t even taken to that degree. Mother was dead, Jason was dead, I knew how much he loved the both and of them and seeing as his grief laid chiefly on that fact but still partial to the lives that he had taken in that cause, I saw no other means to shut him up.I rose from my position which had me squatted inside a tub of water, with my thighs clenched between my body and feet, onto the feel of my soaked clothes that I knew had my everything from my nipples to my gentle under revealed. I wanted to resassure him, I wanted to give Max the closure even I so desperately needed from him. I wanted him to give me his
MAX POVShe kept on at her insistent teasing. She couldn’t even realise that I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back if I was to give in to her advances towards me with the full might of the descendant of Zeus that I carried between my leg.The thought roamed my head as I then swung towards the inclination of a heart felt conversation.“I love you, Max.” My heart felt like it had melted at that single moment. I could feel the heat building up from within me but this wasn’t just the built up fluster from my staring at the lustful and fuckable ‘god-designed’ figure that stood in my wake.It wasn’t even an anomaly from being submerged inside the water for this long. It was my heart tingling. It was what made me stand from the tub and drag Rose out of the restroom unto throwing her to lie flat on the bed.“I love you too Ro …” I didn’t wait anymore, I didn’t think it through any longer. I was ever ready to give it to her like she asked for it.She seemed jovial to hear the words come out o
ROSE POV “Late for the ceremony. I thought you knew.” I had all the while insinuated that he had already seen Mark clad in black and taken the hint from there of what I meant.“Knew what?” I was wrong, but undoubtedly, he would still get to go.“They’re having a candle ceremony in memory for Mother and Jason, that’s if you can …” I tried to be slow in telling so that he could process whether or not he wanted to go.I hadn’t wanted to rush anything with him, I wanted him to process everything and find if he was actually ready to handle all the emotional recollection that attending would cause to him.Mark had earlier told me how mother died when he came to comfort me as I laid atop her casket. It turned out that she had been in the hospital for a while, she just never told me because she wanted me to concentrate on school and my family, she hadn’t wanted me to worry about her.“When is it?” Max asked. I could understand his endearing curiosity.“Tonight.” I replied. I was also shocked
MAX POVAs I stared into the content of the letter, I felt even more sorrowful but this time, it wasn’t in the notion of something that would break me if I let it. I wouldn’t even let it, Rose was in my arms, I had no need to worry.“Wait Max!” Rose had stopped me after I suggested that we start making our way towards the ceremony.“What is it, Rose?” I asked, turning back to her with my exposed body’s view. “Can we talk first?” it seemed that she wanted to have a conversation.I was baffled because we had both talked for so long in so many different ways. It seemed a little out of place that it was now she had actually been asking to talk.“Talk about what?” I hadn’t been too keen on where the conversation had been leaning towards. I couldn’t hide it, I was scared for what she was going to say."It's something that has been on my mind for quite a while, mother's letter just gave me the push to voice it." I couldn't believe it, she caught me off guard with that single addition.That
ROSE POV I had told Max the reason for keeping the place where I first accepted that I love him to myself but he couldn’t even tell that much.I knew Max to be one that once I told him the place, he would just go all out and ruin its memory for me, by lavishing it with every other memory that he could conceive to wish for the both of us.“The first time I fell in love with you was when you were out on a business meet on your own. We learnt a lot for two strangers that one was stood up.” I wouldn’t even hide the details of our fateful encounter before our story begun“I’ve been led to believe that having been the victim and waiting for so long, it still played out alright for me.” He replied, agreeing to the same scenario that I had since forgotten.Conceiving Jason happened at another date but our first was supposedly meant to be the last. “I couldn’t accept my feelings for you because I felt like I could never be with a stranger like you.” I confessed to him.“So that brings us bac
MAX POVI couldn’t even understand why this all had happened, but as far as I knew, I wasn’t alright with it at all.At this point, the only fleeting thought that provided me discomfort was the fact that Rose couldn’t even specify when she told me that the candlelight ceremony was stipulated for this night.I noticed the awkward silence that filled the room as it was simultaneously accompanied by the glares that Rose shot at me.“You won’t say anything?” She said. Her tone alone would’ve made me quake if I hadn’t already settled all of this and its necessities with Zayne over the phone. I just didn’t want to rush to tell her everything.“What am I meant to say to you?” I asked, playing to the string that she had been pulling.Although mine was intentional, hers was explicitly vex inclined and I still chose not to sway her feelings on the matter.“We can still get ready and go before they’re through with the rites.” She still held no intention to give up on it, although I had other pl
ROSE POV“Max …”“Mark …” The both of them had stared down the other as they finally led unto a conversation for the first time in more than half a year. The tension in the string of their perceived lingering resentment, that reproached each other’s presence, told so much in the tone they used to address their personas.“Come here ol’ friend. You know retirement’s really taken its toll on you …” Max couldn’t even manage to flinch fast enough and dodge a false jab that a mafia boss in a wheelchair had led to his face.“I heard you saved my life?” Max no longer doubted what we had made him believe. He was well inclined to still hold his drawbacks to be exclusively confirmed from the source.“I heard you weren’t able to figure it out in six months … I mean six months really, former mafia boss Max, really.” Of course, Mark mocked him. Really, I mean it.“I’m a little rusty and a lot busy so … let’s forget about that. Mark, you never told me you’re …” Max made to question his ever keepin
MAX POV Rose had begun a series of reveal that rooted from the last heart-spiking moment that I had experienced during the candle light ceremony some months back in our former city.“Well, you know that the mafia bosses’ wife shot you in the chest and when you woke up, I hugged and told you that everything was alright.” She recollected back to a memory that I could clearly remember as if it were yesterday.“Yes, and I had no doubts, didn’t question anything that you said either.” I recalled back to how she had rushed to hug me after tapping her feet against the floor and for a prolonged period of time. I knew that she had held her two arms against her face, Mark wasn’t there and Zayne held May in his arms as the three of them came to embrace my coming out of the theatre.“Yes, well there was more to the story that none of us wanted to bother you with.” I couldn’t believe it. Something that far back they hadn’t deemed it fit to tell me since then. Even though I didn’t know of the bi
MAX POVIt has been several months since we moved to this city. Rose and I have seen the best of it, although the first several months were hard because I had to heal from the surgery, it still didn’t stop me from making the most my hands especially a I started an online retail business.Rose finally gave birth something two months ago. That’s, if I was to calculate correctly, then the day she took in for Damian was when we came back from date night, high as can be and unto greater heights when I took her entire to a second haven.Of course, she still had to continue going to college but the shared assets from my mafia business that I received as compensation took care of that, and even afforded me enough to start up a new means to broaden my already started business.“Would you stop spacing out, Max?” Rose wouldn’t let me live it down that she got to drive to the grand opening.As a gift for just being who she is to the college’s community and her outstanding first-class degree, she
ROSE POV“Now we call on this year’s valedictorian to give her opening speech.” The vice chancellor had called me out to give a speech that he only told me about the day before.Of course, I didn’t know what to do so I had set myself up to bring up empty noted and wing it on stage.“Good day all of you, humble alumni like myself, able cohort of this humble institution and people who … oh who am I kidding.” I threw the notes to the floor. Most of the guests were surprised by how fast it took me to give up but for someone that had given birth twice, it wasn’t soon enough. Making up words as I went on was hard especially as I tried to piece them through to a structured form that would please the greater share of masses I was meant to lie.“Well the truth is this, VC Gayle, over there, Vice Chancellor Gayle everyone, give him an applaud please. He’s been the best and only VC that has been with me since my first year, and he’s leaving with us, who would figure.” He had actually stood up
MAX POVI wouldn’t tell Rose, but I was the one who encouraged Mark to leave. It hadn’t been the first time that I caught his gazes fixated on her. Earlier, I approached him to inquire more unto the truth that I knew had confronted me. He had told me of his true feelings and that was when I informed him of my plan to move from the city, away from the mafia group with Rose.“He said he’s not going to come back Max.” Rose had been worried about him and I could sense that much but there was little I could do since I was alright with his decision from the onset.I stretched my hand to her chin and climbed it till her disgruntled expression met with my gaze. “It’ll be alright Rose, he’ll be just fine. That much is obvious in how well he handled my business affairs. Besides, I’ll drag him to the christening if I have to.” “I guess you’re right. I don’t know why I was worried in the first place.” She had finally calmed down, although leaving me behind to enter unto the chatter in the main
ROSE POV I couldn’t easily comprehend the threshold of what I had been made aware of, but I could decrypt the greater part of it.Then, I noticed the side-eye that Mark shot at me. This hadn’t even been the first time that I caught on to his glaring attempts, but since we were about to bury our loved ones, I felt we should bury our grievances.The slow steps he had been making in an attempt to leave the ceremony intensified as he finally made his way out.Of course, I adored the way they had been throwing shades off the mystery at hand, but I also didn’t want to have Mark to miss the ceremony and the way he had been earnest in his attempted escape, that has almost become the case.“Mark! Mark! You can’t just leave yet, we haven’t even started the ceremony proper.” I called out to his leaving while taking notice on whether they had started without us.“I’m just going to get some water.” He tried at another flimsy excuse, the last one had been caught up to but he still persisted.“That
MAX POV I couldn’t even fathom the vigour that Rose mustered to speak down on my former clan elders. The tone and words she used to carry her lashing out on them made all that I had since said into some form of pleasantry.“I don’t know what to say Rose, that was …” I had been at a loss for words, the woman I loved just excused the extremities I had been tolerating for so long so effortlessly. “They might be back with another comeback to lift their defaced pride up a little so we better be done by then.” She had still been the same, always as careful as she was fidgety with a gun when she even managed to be that daring to someone.“Max, would you do the honours?” Zayne had finally invited me to do the honours, of which I was ever willing. “Rose, can you accompany me?” I needed rose by my side if I was ever going to say good bye to Jason and her mother forever, at least accept it.I then saw to Mark’s subtle leaving the funeral ground, making glances at Rose in that stead.“Mark
ROSE POV“Max, let’s hear them out first.” I tried to rush into a consensus that would finally cease the storming tides of Max’s raging tempest.He wouldn’t relent in his unjust spouting of bickering as he only manged to scald his clan elders with words that wouldn’t even be professed to an ugly blind date. “This girl has seen the death of her mother. Because of her, your child met his end. As a Mafia boss, haven’t you heard what people are saying about you? Your Alpha Lord title is hanging by a thin pluck of dangling thread and we haven’t even come to how all this is affecting the clan ...” The impetus they unsheathed to spout the gallery of composed backlash at my person was appalling. I calmed myself and chose to regard them with rationale. I wasn’t going to jump at all their defacing and answer to it using the vigour that only my husband was known for. Alas, I wished the same could be employed by Max.“I want to stop you there right there. First of all, I am no longer a mafia b
MAX POVRose had actually taken in and she wouldn’t even tell me of when it had happened. I was beyond jovial and had a million and one question to ask but our gentle march to the ceremony had me literally unable to utter a word.As we walked down the red carpet that had been set up in the scenic funeral setting, my gaze only fixed on her abdomen as I couldn’t even recount to when I pumped a child into her. “You’re here.” Zayne said as he opened the floor to where we were meant to settle for the ceremony.He had gone all out with the preparations for the ceremony so much so that he had even invited the elders from my clan who all wore their judgemental and worst disgruntled frown.“What are they doing here?” I couldn’t stand their presence because of how persistent they had always been in their revolt against Rose’s and my union.“What are you people doing here?” I directed at them with little regard in my tone.“Max, you have to calm down, they’re only here for the candle light cere