“Achi?”
“Yes, love?”
“Um… W-Would it be alright if I went o-out today?”
I paused mid-twirl, making her loose strand of hair slip out from between my fingers. With my head still propped up against my arm as I laid next to my little wife on the bed, I glanced down at her, noting her fiddling fingers.
Looking up at me hopefully, Jane continued, “I-It’s just I haven’t left the estate for several weeks a-already a-and your mother invited Liam and me on an o-outing for today s-so I thought it would be nice to do something d-different for once…”
I pursued, hesitating on agreeing outright. The people who wanted to kill her were still out there, and I didn’t want to risk the possibility of losing her so soon after getting her back.
Noting my hesitation, her face immediately fell. “I-I g-guess it’s still too much to ask for right now… I-It’s probably still too d-dangerous, and I know that you’re still working very hard to find the people w-who tried to hurt me… I’ll just tell them that I’ll h-have to take a raincheck…”
I sighed as I took in her crestfallen expression.
Maybe I was just being too overprotective. Nothing had happened over the last couple of weeks, so it would be alright for her to go out for a few hours, right?
I didn’t want her to keep caged in like a prisoner.
Reluctantly giving in, I told her, “Watson and your personal guards will accompany you, and you have to send a text every thirty minutes, letting me know that everything is alright. I’ll personally come to pick you up if you miss a single check-in.”
She beamed at my words and eagerly nodded.
Unable to withstand her innocently pure radiance, I defeatedly laid back down next to her and curled up around her little figure. I tightened my arms around her waist as I snuggled up her bosom and softly reminded her, “Just please be safe, my love. I don’t think I would be able to handle seeing you in the hospital again…”
She laced her dainty fingers through my hair, raking her fingertips soothing along my scalp. Pressing a kiss to the top of my head, she reassuringly replied, “Please don’t worry too much, Achi. It’s only going to be Haraya, your mother, and her friend, Mellisa.”
No matter how much I tried to reassure myself with her words, I don’t think I would ever be able to forget the fear I felt after nearly losing her once.
She felt so small against my body that it felt like she could slip out of my arms at any moment. If I could, I would’ve chosen to bundle her up and tuck her away from the rest of the world, but I knew that that wasn’t a viable option. I would only be doing more harm to her than good.
I sighed at the thought. I reluctantly unlatched myself from her body and rolled out of bed in one swoop.
She sat up with an adorably confused expression, clearly worried that she had done something wrong to offend me.
But it was nothing like that. I just didn’t want to give myself the chance to change my mind and decide to tie her up to our bedpost.
I pulled the bedsheets back over her bare shoulders, not wanting her delicate skin to be too exposed to the cold morning air. Then, I leaned down and cupped her plump cheek, lovingly placing a kiss on her other cheek. “Take your time, love. I’m getting up first, so I can at least talk to Liam a bit before I have to leave since I haven’t been home much recently.”
She meekly nodded in reply.
I let my hand drift down her slender neck and brushed my thumb over her sweet spot, teasingly skimming over the fresh mark that I had left at the base of her neck last night.
She was honestly too cute not to tease, especially with how cheeks immediately flushed under my touch.
Pulling away with a soft whine, she mumbled, “I’m always flustered by your touch, but you don’t even notice it when I’m trying to get your attention… It’s not fair, Achi…”
I chuckled softly as I dropped my hand. Placing another tender kiss on the side of her temple, I replied, “I do notice all your attempts, my love. I’m just better at hiding my reactions than you are.”
She lightly swatted me away and huffed, “Stop that and go get changed. You’re just teasing me for fun now.”
I watched as my adorable little wife jumped off the bed and darted off a few steps away from me as if an extra couple of meters would be able to keep me away from her.
Deciding the play along, I held my hands up in surrender and walked off into the bathroom, taking no note of my little wife’s stink eye. “As you command, darling.”
We had slept naked after our playtime together last night, so I to pull on a pair of sweatpants before going through my daily routine. Brushing my teeth. Shaving my face. Brushing my hair and finishing it all off with a bit of my usual cologne.
By the time I walked out of the bathroom, I had found Jane wandering around our bedroom in a lavender chiffon a-line spring dress with straps barely hanging onto her thin shoulders. I could practically feel my pants tightening as she bent over to put on a pair of white lace-up heels, revealing the edge of a pair of white flowery panties as her short dress lifted up and over her bum.
I walked up behind her and lightly pulled her into me by her hips with only one of my bear-like paws, eliciting a startled yelp from my little queen. Pushing my hips flush against her bottom, I leaned down and huskily whispered into her ear, “Are you trying to test my self-control, love?”
A shiver of obvious pleasure ran down her spine as she stuttered, “I-I w-wasn’t trying to do anything.”
I teasingly ran the tip of my nose against the arch of her slender neck and hummed skeptically, “Are you sure, my love? Because it really seems like you are trying to get me to make it so you can’t meet up with the girls later.”
“N-No, A-Achi… W-We c-can’t do anything right now… The others are coming in thirty minutes…” She tried to wriggle out of my grasp.
Tightening my hold, I slipped my hand under her dress and teasingly squeezed the inside of her thigh just below her heat. I tenderly rolled the tip of her ear between my teeth, eliciting a soft moan from her as she squirted ever so slightly on my hand, flooding our bedroom with the scent of her arousal.
Abiding by her command, I eventually released her from her hold and watched as her legs wobbled ever so slightly as they tried to hold up her body’s weight without my support anymore. I licked the side of my hand and amusingly replied, “It doesn’t seem like your body wants me to let go of you yet.”
As she tried to steady her wobbly legs, she embarrassingly mumbled, “It’s only because you are too good at finding all my sensitive spots.”
Noting the trail of wetness dripping down the inside of her leg, I pulled out a side drawer and fished out a new pair of panties for her. Holding up the new pair of white panties that now had a little bow at the top instead, I teasingly replied, “I think you should change your underwear, love.”
Her eyes widened when she eventually realized what I meant. Snatching the underwear out of my hands, she bashfully darted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her as she went.
I chuckled softly as I walked into the closet to change into my outfit for the day, a pair of tan trousers and a white button-up.
Leaving our bedroom, I dropped by the home library in search of Liam and found him curled up on one of Jane’s favorite chairs with a thick book resting in his lap. He must’ve been up for a while already since he was already dressed in a creaseless white button-up shirt paired with a pair of tan shorts and knee-high socks.
I knocked on the door to alert him of my presence as I walked into the room.
He perked up at the sound as a broad smile spread across his lips when he caught sight of me walking into the library. He immediately set aside his book and eagerly ran up to me, jumping straight into my arms with a cheerful “Good morning, Dad.”
My heart bloomed in adoration as I caught his little body with ease. I nuzzled up against his face and lovingly pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Good morning, Liam. Have you been waiting for long?”
He shook his head as he wrapped his arms around my neck and rested his head on my shoulder. “It’s only been 10 minutes since I came down.”
I hummed softly as I walked down the stairs toward the kitchen.
He looked up at me when I set him down on the countertop, noting my outfit, and asked, “Are you going somewhere again?”
I nodded as I pulled out a mug above. “Your grandpa, uncles, and I still have a bit more work to finish up together.”
His expression immediately fell at my response.
It tugged at my conscience to know that I was the cause of his down turned mood. I knew that I hadn’t been able to spend much time at home recently, so I had been trying to finish up our investigation quickly. But it still didn’t make up for the fact that I was still missing out on so many days of Liam’s precious childhood.
I set aside the mug and gently took his little hands into my own, making him look up at me in confusion. I gave him a soft smile and offered, “How about I take the day off tomorrow? I’ll give you 100% of my attention for the entire day.”
His face immediately lit up at the suggestion, but he faltered momentarily and hesitantly asked, “Would it be alright for me to take up an entire day? Won’t it just make you busier later? I don’t want you to overwork yourself because of me…”
Not liking his self-deprecating look, I lovingly nuzzled my nose up against his button nose until I pulled a sweet giggle from my little boy and reassured him, “Of course, it would be okay. You are my son, Liam. You and your mother will always come before everything in my life, so please never feel like you don’t have a right to ask for anything you could possibly want from me.”
A pair of small dimples appeared on his cheeks with his adorable little smile. “Yes, Dad!”
“You really are much too cute to handle.” I pinched his newfound chubby cheeks that had slowly come back in ever since Jane and I were finally able to get him to forget about his horrid biological family. Ignoring his soft whines, I continued, “Your mom said that your grandmother and aunties invited the two of you to go out today. I know you don’t like going out with the girls much, but if you are on your best behavior, I will spend the entire day tomorrow doing anything you want, okay?”
He pushed my hand away from his cheeks with a small huff and grumbled, “You agreed? I was so sure that I wouldn’t have to go because you’ve been insisting on keeping her at home since she came back from the hospital.”
I sighed.
I guess shouldn’t have been so surprised he noticed.
I explained, “Although I’m scared of losing her, I can’t cage her in forever… It should be safe since it’s just your grandmother and aunties, but do me a favor and stay close to your mom. Make sure she doesn’t do anything dangerous, and by the off chance that something does happen…” I clipped a small pendant around his neck. “Just squeeze this. It will automatically alert Watson and me and track your location for us, okay?”
He nodded obediently as he smoothed his thumb over the long, silver pendant in curiosity.
I patted his head gratefully.
Liam carefully tucked the pendant away underneath his shirt at the nearing sound of heels lightly clicking across our marble floors.
Removing my hand from his head, I looked up from our spot and greeted Jane, “Did you finish getting ready already love?”
Jane nodded shyly as she walked out from behind the door frame and carefully made her way over to us in the middle of the kitchen.
Liam scowled the moment he caught sight of Jane’s outfit and harshly asked, “Why are you wearing such a short dress? Are you asking-”
I lightly flicked his forehead, making him wince in pain and effectively cutting off his words.
He glared back at me defiantly as he held his throbbing forehead in pain and tried to argue, “She needs to change! You know how she always attracts those filthy-”
“Liam…” I lowly warned, “Stop it…”
He gulped at my hard look.
Desperately trying to break up our minor little spat, Jane frantically waved her hands between us in a panic, trying to get out attention. “P-Please stop fighting. I-I can just get changed again. It doesn’t matter what I wear anyway-”
I caught her wrist mid-flail and interrupted, “You don’t need to change, Jane. You like that outfit, don’t you?”
She nodded meekly with her head hung low. “I just thought it would be alright to wear it outside… I figured that no one would try to touch me inappropriately anymore since everyone knew that you were my husband now…” She fiddled with her fingers nervously and hesitantly glanced at Liam. “But I guess it’s too much…”
“Your outfit is fine, love.” I pulled her into my arms in front of me and rubbed soothing circles on her hips. “No one would dare to harass the lady of Cordova family. Right, Liam?”
Liam pursued his lips and stubbornly turned his head away.
Shaking my head, I lightly smacked him on the back of his head and reprimanded, “Apologize to your mom, kid. You think she looks nice, too, right?”
“I’m sorry, Mom.” His eyes hesitantly flickered over to Jane, and he reluctantly grumbled, “You do look very pretty…”
Jane’s eyes shimmered ever so slightly in joy from his reply. She immediately tackled him with a hug, completely forgetting his need to breathe as she squeezed him tightly against her chest.
I stroke his head in amusement as he struggled against her hold in futile and reassured, “It’ll be fine, Liam. Watson and the rest of the guards will be with you, so there’s nothing to worry about, okay?”
He reluctantly gave in and nodded.
Signaling the arrival of the other girls, a delicate chime rang through our house, followed by a familiar clutter of chatter as they flooded through our front door.
Detaching myself from the two, I grabbed my coffee mug and leaned down to place one last kiss on both of their heads. “I’ll be back in the evening with take-out, so there’s no need to worry about dinner, my loves. Just make sure you have fun today.”
They nodded adorably in synchronous.
Excusing myself, I slipped out of the kitchen and quietly passed by the other girls entering from the foyer. It was just the usual bunch: my mother, her friend Mellisa, and Haraya.
Feeling assured by the familiar trustworthy faces, I grabbed the keys to my Range Rover and made my way into the garage. I swiftly pulled the car out and made my way off the estate, wanting to finish up today’s work as soon as possible.
I made it to a private warehouse in record time and nodded to the guards stationed around the building as I entered. I haphazardly parked the car in the back and made my way to the main floor in search of my father and brother.
On the way in, I bumped into a gloomy-looking Benedict and greeted, “What’s wrong with you?”
He looked up at me and released a heavy sigh as he followed me further into the building. “It’s nothing. I just got into an argument with Haraya this morning.”
I nodded quietly, not all surprised that they were arguing again, given what their friendship was like. Honestly, Haraya acted like his mother more than anything else with how much she kept reprimanding him for all his actions, but I guess that was just what she was like.
I switched his focus as I turned into the main hallway and asked him, “Did you find anything about the Borham family based on what we last spoke about?”
He nodded solemnly as he handed me a file. “Joseph was quite helpful, but we didn’t exactly find anything directly connecting their name to this case.”
I hummed softly in thought as I flipped through the packet.
It was just a list of the movements of each member of the Borham family. It wasn’t anything particularly odd, but there was something that did catch my eye: an unfamiliar name.
I pointed at the name and asked Benedict, “Do you know who this person is?”
He glanced over at the paper, “Albert Borham… I think he is Maverick Borham’s uncle, his father’s half-brother. He was apparently kicked out of the family a couple of decades ago by his own father for being a bastard child, but I guess his half-brother didn’t have the heart to abandon him completely.”
I nodded quietly as I took in the information.
The previous head of the Borham family was quite a soft man and had been close friends with my father ever since I was little. I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised that he continued to support his half-brother who was the result of his own father’s infidelity.
I continued flipping through the report and abruptly came to a halt mid-step when I finally came across a headshot of the said man.
Dark hair. Sunken eyes. Lanky figure.
This was the man that had seemed to recognize Liam and unreasonably lashed out at him in the flower shop. The man I had never gotten a chance to ask Liam about.
It had completely slipped my mind since he had never shown back up again, but it couldn’t have been a coincidence that he was showing up now.
“Benedict, do you know if this man ever had any children?”
He looked up at me in straight confusion. “Huh? Why does it matter?”
I unconsciously picked up my pace toward our main room and explained, “I ran into him in the streets before, and he seemed to have recognized Liam, but Liam was too frazzled by the whole encounter to tell me anything.”
He stumbled over his feet, trying to keep up with me, and stuttered, “I-I d-didn’t find anything about him having kids, but if Liam is really an illegitimate child, it wouldn’t be odd for his birth to be k-kept off the books.”
I pursed my lips.
If this man was really Liam’s biological father… and based on what I already knew about Liam’s biological mother… how she was trying to remind Liam that he came from her… I had no doubt that that despicable woman must have conceived Liam with the intention of using him as a trading chip with the Borham family.
It wouldn’t have been odd for such a thing to occur in any normal upper-class society, but the Cordova family had prided themselves in maintaining relationships with the most pristine families, heavily frowning upon the slightest inklings of adultery.
My grandfather had nearly thrown out the Borham family and burned down all their assets for conceiving an illegitimate child, i. e., Albert Borham. My grandfather was someone who held the vows of marriage as something sacred. He was the usual Cordova man who had also been highly infatuated with his wife and despised everyone who treated it as if it was nothing.
He had nearly driven the Borham family, the second strongest and wealthiest family, into complete and utter bankruptcy in less than a week. But my father had managed to talk him down by asking my grandfather not to hurt his friend, who was only still a child then. It was a story that everyone in the ten families knew about.
To think that wretch woman had dared to try to repeat history for a second time for something as greedy as a desire for power and wealth that had never belonged to her, to begin with.
I pushed open the door in a flurry, startling everyone that was inside.
My brother looked up at me with a frightened expression and shouted, “Why are you barging in so randomly?! You know that I can’t handle loud noises!”
I brushed off his comments, and I strode right up to my father and brother, ignoring all my guards’ curious expressions. I threw the file onto the table and bluntly instructed, “Track down his location. I need to know where he is right now.”
My brother arched an eyebrow but didn’t argue and immediately started getting to work on his computer.
I watched as he pulled the video feed from all the cameras in the city. Boxes of all shapes and sizes popped up on the screen as the software scanned each city-dwellers face in search of the man in question.
My father glanced over my shoulder at the file. “What’s wrong, Rafael? Who are you looking for? I thought we didn’t have…”
His voice trailed off when he caught sight of the headshot of the man I was looking for. He clenched his jaw and warily asked, “Why are you looking for my friend’s half-brother?”
I pursued my lips.
Part of me wanted to blame my father’s soft heart for all this chaos. If only he had just listened to my grandfather. If he had just let go of this so-called friend. Then my wife and son wouldn’t have had to suffer so much because of this man that should’ve died at my grandfather’s hand.
But another part of me knew that I was being unreasonable. I was just frustrated from being stuck a step behind these pests all the time.
Even if this man had been properly removed, I was sure that that disgusting woman who called herself Liam’s biological mother still would’ve tried to start something as well.
I sighed and bluntly replied, “He might be Liam’s biological father. There’s a possibility that he might be idiotically trying to take down our family as some form of revenge, and I think his half-brother might’ve been secretly funding his activities.”
My father tried to argue, “That can’t be right, Rafael! My friend would never support someone who tried to hurt me, even if it were his half-brother. He would never-”
“Even if he didn’t intentionally try to hurt you, any financial support that he gave his half-brother would’ve been enough to give him the freedom to try to start something stupid.” My eyes snapped to my father as my patience slowly waned. “Although you might think of him as your precious friend, I only see him as a blabbering nuisance. It’s time for you to stop being so soft-hearted before you end up killing my wife and son for being so naively trusting.”
My statement dug straight into my father’s soft heart, making him immediately shut his mouth, but I honestly couldn’t bring myself to care at the moment.
My mind was much more preoccupied with an unstable and unaccounted factor that was still wandering freely in the city without any eyes on him. Someone who could potentially try to hurt my family at moment.
I knew that Reegan was already working as quickly as possible, but I still couldn’t help feeling anxious, like I was already a step behind this man.
After what felt like forever, which was probably only a few minutes, the computer finally rang in with a match. The marker of his location was steadily traveling through the smack center of downtown Manhattan, but that wasn’t what caught my eye.
The thing that caught my eye was how that man’s location came to halt right above Liam’s tracker.
Then, my phone suddenly released a blaring ring, the alarm that was connected to the pendant I gave him for if he ever encountered any danger.
No…
I was a step behind again…
Just like when Jane got hurt…
I immediately bolted out of the room without another thought, barking at every guard on the upper floors of the warehouse to follow me.
I can’t lose him.
I can’t let him down again.
Please wait for me, Liam.
I’m coming.