AUTHOR’S POV
“You are finally awake?” Sandro dropped the cup of tea he had been sipping and looked at Irene whose eyes were just opening.
“I… I am still alive?” Irene whispered almost inaudibly.
“Of course, you are still alive. What do you think? That you died from the gunshot?” Sandro asked with a grin on his face.
Irene shut her eyes for a few seconds, hearing Sandro shuffle around, getting up from the chair he had been seated on.
“You were close to dying though. But one of my men saw Lucius leaving the room. He rushed in and saved you. I was going to just tell him to dump your body somewhere but you seemed to have a little life inside of you” Sandro uttered the words.
“And now…” He turned to face Irene who was now staring at him.
“Your life belongs to me. I have saved you. You would be long dead if it wasn’t for me. Your body, this pretty body of yours would be decaying right now if it wasn’t for me so you owe your life to me now. But don’t bother too much. I am a very nice person” Sandro grinned but his grin was in no way nice.
“So, you only owe your life to me for five years. Five years and you are free to leave and do whatever you want”
“Fi… Five years?” Irene mumbled the words weakly.
“Five years and there’s no debate on that. If you want to debate, I can just take back the life I have given to you” he said and Irene gulped down in fear.
“Let’s talk when you are better. I will ask the doctor to come check on you” Sandro said and with those words, he exited the room.
He shut the door behind him and leaned on it for a while. His usual grin vanished and his face pulled into a grim look.
“Irene” he mumbled the name.
“Just as strong as your father is”
*
MONALISA
“Agapi mou” Lucius walked into the room and I raised my head from the book I was reading.
“Devine” I called back and a small frown creased his forehead.
“Why don’t you call me your love instead?” He asked and I chuckled.
“You want me to call you that?”
“Yes, love” he moved closer and sat beside me on the bed.
He took my hand in his and kissed the back of my hand softly.
“I won’t” I replied playfully.
“That’s unfair”
“Life is unfair. You know I love you anyways so why do I have to call you adoring names?”
“To make it more obvious that you love me?” He replied and I laughed softly before dropping the book off my laps and reaching my hand to his face.
I cupped his face and stared deep into his beautiful eyes.
“I love you” I said to him.
“I love you too and I love our baby too” he broke the eye contact and lowered his head to kiss my stomach.
“I can’t wait for our baby”
“Do you think our baby would be a girl or a boy?” I asked.
“A girl definitely”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because a baby girl is what I want. I want a princess in addition to the queen I already have.”
“I want a boy though”
“I wouldn’t mind both” Lucius said suddenly.
“Both? Twin?”
“Wouldn’t that be perfect?” He asked.
“I guess it would but….” I hesitated for a few seconds
“Don’t hesitate on anything, Cupcake.” He said, noticing my hesitation.
“Do you have to do this?” I asked him and watched his brows furrow in confusion.
“I mean, do you have to continue in this dangerous line of work? I don’t know much about the mafia and all but I know it is dangerous. My dad died, Irene died and I am sure loads of others have died. It’s too dangerous and…”
“I will keep you safe, Cupcake. You do not have to bother a single bit about how dangerous it is. You won’t have the cause to worry about your safety and that of our baby”
“And yours?” I asked.
“You are the one going out there, Lucius. Each time you have left this room since I returned yesterday, you don’t know how scared I was. Each time you leave, I fear that you aren’t going to come back. I fear that someone might just shoot you dead, I fear that one of those men who guard you will betray you and cause….”
“Cupcake” he cupped my face, making me stop my words.
“I will be fine.”
“I bet every other person who has died in this line of work has once said those words. Life is particularly uncertain in this line of job, Lucius. I don’t… I won’t know what to do if anything happens to you. I will have… I will feel empty forever, Lucius. I and our child”
“No, that will never happen” he said.
“And if it does happen?” I asked and saw the conflict in his eyes.
“And if it does happen, I will make sure that your life and that of our child would still be perfect”
“Lucius” I groaned.
“There’s no perfect life for me without you! I don’t want to… I don’t want our child to grow up without a father like I did.”
“You own me, Cupcake and I will do anything for you. What do you want me to do?” He asked and I felt my heart flutter.
“I want you to… To stop. I want you to give up on this. You have more than enough already. You can’t tell me you are in it for money. You have more than enough and you can’t be in it for power. You have more than enough power already. Promise me, Lucius. Please” I moved my hands down to his hands and held both hands.
“Promise me you are going to drop this”
“Cupcake”
“You said you will do anything for me, Lucius. You can’t go back on your words”
“I will do anything for you but this….” He clenched his jaw and then took in a deep breath.
“I will do it for you” he held my hands.
“But after I finish dealing with what I am dealing with. It will take a bit of time but I have to finish this once and for all”
“Can’t you just let go of it?” I asked, really wanting him to just be safe.
I was tired of losing people. I didn’t want to lose anyone anymore.
“I can let go of it but it won’t let go of me. I will do just as you have said after this, Cupcake”
“Promise?”
There was a few seconds of silence with our eyes staring into each other.
“Promise.”