ROSE POVIt bothered me. The whole being with Max thing, bothered me. I stared in the mirror at my reflection, and the hickeys that Max had given me.I couldn't go around looking like this, so I've been walking around with a scarf for days. Honestly, I felt very happy when Max was sad that I wasn't pregnant.I was surprised, in the very least. Max wanting a baby, was the last thing I expected, no wonder he's been so nice. So we decided to start trying for one.Being a family of four won't be so bad, after all. Relatively, things have been okay and call between the both of us. Staying with him and being close to him, has let me see another side of him, that I naturally won't have seen had we been living apart. Max had to be strict, because he had a business to run and he needed to get things done, but he was still very nice to his employees. The way he was with Jason and how he was trying to make up for everything that had happened in the past was giving me more confidence to give h
ROSE POVIt's been days, two days actually since I spoke to Max or even saw him. Since I found out about what he actually did for a living that day in his office, he had gone MIA. I had asked Zayne where he was but he changed the topic. It had given me time to think about everything though. I couldn't blame Max for what had happened. His father had brought into this kind of lifestyle and he had taken over and gone along with it just so that he could make his father proud. So far he has been doing well for himself. Max was really dedicated to his work and made sure everything was going well. I had never seen an instance or heard anyone complain of ill treatment from him.What I thought about him before I came into the house wasn't what I was thinking now. I had blamed him and hated him for asking for Jason to be aborted. He hadn't even bothered to know if it was a boy or girl.When he came demanding for Jason after I came back, I hated him even more. He wanted to take the only perso
ROSE POVI have been in here for thirty minutes bagging and weighing. It was quite an easy job but I was beginning to feel dizzy and I didn't know why. The earlier I got out of here and went back to Jason before Max came back, the better for me. “Hey, where's the bathroom?" I asked the lady I was working with. She pointed across the hall to a green door and I managed to walk over there while making sure I didn't fall down. I splashed water on my face repeatedly to stop myself from feeling drowsy and after a few moments, I got better.“What the hell is going on with me?" I thought. The door through which I had come in earlier on was closed and if I went through the elevator, I would be caught. A bell immediately rang and I ran back to my table, not knowing what was going on. People began moving in different directions which left me confused. When I finally got back to my work station, the lady I was working with was taking off her apron and removing her mask. “What's going on
MAX POVAll my life, I have never cared so much for someone as much as I cared for Rose and Jason. I've only ever had my sister beside me and it's been really lonely. Having both of them in my life and being a pet of theirs was really new to me. When I opened up to Rose about my business, the last thing I expected her to do was to get high on my supply and accept me despite knowing everything. I thought I was going to lose my family because of this but Rose surprised me. Now that I had my family, I was going to make sure I protected them with my life. “Boss, why're you smiling?" I didn't remember Zayne was in my office.“Shut up. What do you want?" He shook his head and stepped forward. “Boss, I came to let you know that I was finally able to trace one of the calls that came in from Berlin. I spoke to a guy I know down there and he said that some odd things have been going on down there." Now that got my attention.“What's going on, Zayne?" He took a seat and the look on his fac
ROSE POVThings have been really calm at home and I have never seen Jason as happy as he has been these past few days. He and Max have been hanging out a lot and only remembering I exist when they get into a childish argument or become hungry.Speaking of arguments, Zayne and Max had one a couple of days ago. Things haven't really been the way they were for the past few days. The vibe between them was weird and I could feel the tension. That day when they argued, Zayne kept telling Max to let him go and before I could fully understand what was showing on, Zayne stormed out of the room. And then Max did. If Zayne was trying to resign then that would explain why Max was so mad. I didn't want Zayne to go and I'm sure Jason didn't either. He had grown on Jason so much and he calls him Uncle. Since he and Max were having relationship issues, I decided to speak to him on Max's behalf. It wasn't very easy to find Zayne. Wherever Max was, he should be around.Max had come in earlier to ki
ROSE POV“Jason, stay put so we can leave. You're already very late for school." This morning, Jason had woken up a little too energetic but I was happy that once again, he was happy to go to school.I didn't know what he and Max had talked about but whatever it was, it had worked. Jason had been the one to wake me up this morning saying he was ready to go to school.After I dropped him off at school, I had plans to go see my mother at the hospital. It's been a while since I last saw her and I missed her so much. “C'mon Munchkin. Let's go." He ran out of the room leaving me to carry all the bags. “Slow down, Jason. You'll fall." Of course I knew he wouldn't listen to me but at least I had to try. “Don't worry, he won't fall. I'm here." Max came into the room carrying Jason and the both of them wore large smiles. “Hey, what's going on? Why the smiles?" These days, the both of them were so close that I always felt that there was something going on. “Jason says you're going to se
MAX POV“..... And make sure nothing goes wrong with those shipments, Mark. I'm trusting you on this." “Sure Boss. I'll go now." Despite not catching the enemy with the former plan, I had a business to run. I would have to figure out another way to deal with everything. So far, there have been no leads. Well, except the lead Zayne brought to me that has successfully caused a rift between us. He barely spoke to anyone around the house except Rose. When he was around me, he did just his normal work; nothing else.I still stood my ground that I won't let Zayne travel to Germany and even though Rose had come several times to speak to me about it, nothing would change.“Oh Mark, get ready to go to Germany with your men. " Zayne raised his head so quickly and looked at me.“We received leads that something is going on down there that could help us catch that woman so I'm going to need you to jump on it." The look on Mark's face changed and he looked very uncomfortable.“What's wrong, M
MAX POVIf it was possible for Zayne to jump on me and kiss me all over my face, he would have. As soon as I told him he could go to Germany, I saw the lines in his face ease out and he cracked a smile but comported himself.“Boss, thank you so much. I'll leave as soon as possible." He bowed and gave Rose a knowing look and wide smile before walking out of the room.“Did you see how happy he was?" Rose chirped.I rolled my eyes and he laughed. “Now that you and Zayne have finally won, how about you give me what I want?" “Okay, and what may that be?""A date… with you.. I want to take you out, just the both of us. Far away from Jason." I joked and she laughed. “I thought you liked Jason." “Of course I do, he's my son but he's had you alone for three years. It's time for daddy to have you all to himself." She blushed and I watched as her smile made her face a whole lot more attractive. “Set the time and place." Wow, I didn't think she'd agree so fast but I guess it works for me to
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