Manuel was thrown out of the hospital by the security guards and warned never to return. Out of anger, he took a taxi and headed to Louis’s house.
“What are you doing here, man?” Louis asked as he opened the door and led a fuming Manuel in.
“Is there a reason you’re huffing and puffing? What happened?” Louis asked.
“That fucking girlfriend of yours…she humiliated me and had me thrown out of her workplace. I’m sure she was only able to do that because she is fucking the owner and everyone in the hospital knows about it!” He yelled, shaking his head angrily.
“Why the fuck were you even at Lily’s workplace?” Louis asked with a twisted look.
“I wanted to talk to her and get her to return. You know her being out there is a threat to us. She knows every fucking thing.” Manuel said with hooded eyes and Louis sighed loudly.
“The moment she opens her mouth we will all be dead. You know Draco will never spare us if the secret gets leaked because of us. Being your friend has brought me into this mess because he knows that we’re always together!” Manuel was already shaking.
The ‘Snakers’ gang was led by a man named Draco who was known for being ruthless. They were one of the leading gangs in Paris and were responsible for the high crime rate in the city. Because of Draco’s influence, he was able to keep his boys out of trouble and also keep their identities hidden. It was a rule that if any of them were to leak the identity of Draco or any of the other members, they would die immediately so, every gang member kept their mouth shut and never told anyone about the gang, not even their family members.
But, Lily knew who they were. Louis had foolishly hosted some of his other friends from the gang at his house when he thought Lily knew nothing about him being in a gang. He and his friends knocked themselves out with hard drinks and in their drunken state, they talked about the gang and even mentioned Draco.
What Louis didn’t know was that Lily had taken a video of them as they spoke and even mentioned Draco’s real name.
A few days after that, he discovered that she knew about his entanglement with Snakers. He then proceeded to threaten her and make sure her mouth stayed shut forever. As long as she was in his house and under his watch, things were fine.
But, Lily was no longer with him and could talk at any minute.
Louis didn’t want to admit it but, he was scared. He had no idea of what Lily was doing or who she was speaking to. After everything that had happened between them, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had already told her lover everything.
“No, man. Lily won’t do that. She might be a slut but she is smart. She knows how dangerous things will get if she opens her mouth.” Louis said, hoping he was right.
“That bitch is going to get us in trouble, man. Do you know that she told you to fuck off and do your worst? She’s not scared anymore because she has that rich doctor by her side.” Manuel reported and Louis’s eyes widened in shock.
“There’s no way Lily said that. She wouldn’t dare. That fucking bitch stayed like a loyal dog for years despite all the bearings I gave her. She doesn’t have the balls to tell me to fuck off!” Louis replied confidently, chuckling and shaking his head.
“Well, she has the balls now. She’s not the same person she was a few weeks ago. She’s different now because of that doctor.” Manuel said and anger filled Louis.
“Then I know what I have to do. Once that stupid doctor is out of the way, she’ll come running back to me.” He gave a sinister smile and pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, placed the cigarette in his mouth, and lit it.
“Call the boys. Tell them that we have a new target, one that has loads of money. It’s time to cut Lily’s wings off.”
*
*
AT TONY’S HOUSE
Rachael wasn’t home when they arrived so, the house was empty with just a maid and a cool. Tony was happy Rachael was away because he wanted to be with Lily without having to deal with his sister’s disturbance.
Tony led her to her room quietly. He understood that she needed some time to clear her head so he didn’t speak. He just stayed by her side and did whatever she asked him to.
When they got inside her room, he dropped her purse on the table and turned to leave so she would get freshened up but, she stopped him.
“Stay.” She whispered. It was so low that Tony almost missed it.
“Stay, Tony. Please.” She pleaded and lowered her eyes.
Lily couldn’t decide if it was fear that made her say those words or if she just wanted to be with Tony. All she knew was that she wanted him to be by her side.
“I uhhh…” She cleared her throat. “I’ll finish quickly. You don’t have to leave.” She said and ran into the closet to take off her clothes.
“Oh, Lily.” Tony shook his head and chuckled at her behavior. He then walked to the closet door and knocked on it.
“I’ll go get changed, Lily. You don’t have to worry. I’ll be back soon with food and then we can spend the rest of the night here.” He suggested and waited for her response.
Lily hesitated for a few seconds before opening the door. “Are you sure you’ll return?” She asked with her blue eyes looking up and Tony almost kissed her. She looked innocent and her voice sounded like a ten-year-old.
“Of course, Lily. I’m just going to freshen up and get dinner. You need food and you need to rest.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.
“Okay then. I will be waiting.” She said and shut the door quickly.
Tony kept to his word and returned an hour later with a plate of egg-fried rice and chicken. As soon as the smell hit Lily’s nose, she dropped her hairbrush, cleaned her hands, and dived into the food.
They both ate quietly but, a few minutes in, Lily dropped her spoon and looked up.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice was low and her eyes had fear in them. She was battling within herself, wondering if she needed to tell Tony. But, he needed to know what he was dealing with and then decide if he still wanted to be with her.
“What is it, Lily?” Tony dropped his utensil and focused on her. He could tell that whatever she wanted to say was serious because of how terrified she looked.
A few seconds later, Lily took a deep breath and said. “The gang Louis belongs to is SNAKERS and I know who the gang leader is.”