Chapter 174
Thomas’s Point of View (Robert’s Father)
I asked the driver to pull up at "San Lawrence," the place where I had shared countless mories with Violet. I entered the restaurant and slowly maneuvered my wheelchair toward our favorite table the one directly overlooking the large fountain adorned with dolphin statues.
Violet had always loved them; she was absolutely obsessed with dolphins.
I closed my eyes for a mont, summoning the first day I ever laid eyes on her. Morgan and I were together back then, during the days when we were still close friends.
That day, we had spilled a lot of blood and slaughtered half of Rocco’s n, but the bastard had managed to slip away in the end. We were in the car together until we stopped at a simple restaurant; it was very late.
"Morgan, let’s eat... I’m starving," I said, wiping my weary face.
" too, my friend," Morgan replied, breathing heavily. "My appetite always spikes after a kill."
I let out a soft laugh. "Let’s go then."
The restaurant was completely empty.
We walked in and sat at the nearest table, then I shouted audibly, "Waiter!"
And suddenly, she appeared. She stepped out from the kitchen door wearing a short black skirt and a white shirt simple waitress attire, but she looked indescribably provocative in it.
Her brown hair was pulled up in an alluringly ssy ponytail, and her green eyes... damn, her eyes were a vast green forest you couldn’t co out of alive.
She approached us with hesitant steps. "Hello. I’m sorry... we’re closing. I’ve already inford my manager."
"Are you going to leave us hungry?" Morgan asked, staring at her with the sa look of admiration that had taken over my own face.
"I’m sorry," she answered in a soft tone. "The chef has left, and there’s no one in the kitchen."
"Can you at least bring us a drink?" I asked, trying to lock my gaze onto hers.
She hesitated for a mont, biting her lower lip before saying, "Fine. What would you like?"
"White wine, please," Morgan said quickly.
She gave a delicate smile, nodded, and walked away. "Damn, she’s beautiful!" Morgan said, trailing her with his eyes.
"She’s enchanting," I said, breathless.
Morgan stood up and clapped my shoulder hard to snap out of my trance. "Hey! You’re married, rember?"
"I rembered... until she made forget everything," I replied, still staring toward the kitchen.
"Thomas, you know Elizabeth well," Morgan warned. "If she finds out you’re looking at girls, she’ll kill you."
"For God’s sake, Morgan, what did I do?" I snapped in frustration. "Did I fuck her? I just looked at her."
"Even looking is forbidden for you," he said sternly. "You have two sons have you thought about that?"
"Enough!" I barked. "Are you going to start reciting my entire family tree?"
"If that’s what it takes, I will," he challenged.
I saw her returning, carrying a tray with two glasses and a bottle of wine. She placed them gently on the table. "Here you go."
We thanked her, and she said with slight tension, "Please hurry. I told my manager I’d closed the place, so finish up quickly."
"Alright," Morgan replied.
She turned and left, while the two of us remained staring at her figure as if we had never seen a woman before. "This girl is a sorceress," Morgan whispered. "She can’t be natural."
"She truly is," I said with certainty.
I reached for the wine bottle and poured for both Morgan and myself. Then I raised my glass high. "To Rocco whom we will kill tomorrow."
Morgan smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against mine. "Tomorrow, his life ends."
I took the first sip, and as the wine flowed down my throat, I suddenly heard a loud, terrifying scream coming from inside. My body stiffened. I looked at Morgan in shock.
"Did you hear that?" I asked.
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Julie’s Point of View
The opportunity was perfect. I should have just run and been done with the Club... Yes, go on, Julie! Why are you standing here like an idiot? What are you waiting for? The voice of my chaotic thoughts was shattered by Robert’s voice.
He was standing beside a charcoal-black Rolls Royce; its windows were so heavily tinted you couldn’t see a thing inside.
"Well... aren’t you moving?" he asked coldly, swinging the door open.
I walked toward him with slow, wary steps. "Are we taking the car?" I asked tentatively.
"If you prefer, you can take the bus," he replied with a sarcasm that flared my temper.
The idiot! Does he have to mock at every single opportunity? He climbed into the driver’s seat, and I opened the door to sit beside him, my heart pounding with a single question: Where is he taking ? And why did he take out of the Club now?
The car’s interior was entirely black luxurious and haunting all at once. The mont the heavy door thudded shut, the noise of the outside world was completely severed.
I looked up to find that the black ceiling wasn’t just fine fabric; it was a sky studded with thousands of tiny stars glowing with a faint white light, as if Robert had stolen a piece of a distant galaxy and trapped it inside his car to grant it a magical privacy.
I buckled my seatbelt nervously, and then the car glided forward. It was silent, as if it were flying over the asphalt.
"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to break the silence.
"You’ll know when we get there," he answered without looking at .
"Do you always have to speak in riddles?" I snapped in frustration. "Aren’t you going to tell ?"
"No," he said shortly.
I went quiet for a mont, then asked in a provocative tone, "Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away?"
"If you were going to run, Julie, you would have done it while you were standing at the door," he replied with a lethal coldness, steering the wheel with mastery.
Damn it! Did he know I was thinking about escaping? "Who said I was going to run?" I said, trying to cover my fluster.
"It was obvious," he said with certainty.
"I’m just waiting for the right opportunity," I countered stubbornly.
"If that were true, you wouldn’t have told ," he replied calmly, making feel foolish.
Every word I said was turning against . Since when did Robert start winning these verbal matches? I was always the one who knew how to corner him with questions... Is it because I love him now? Stop it, Julie! How could you love him? Have you ever even been in love to know that this is it?
I began to watch his movents, my body stiff. How his broad back rested against the seat, how he kept a single hand on the wheel, and how his sharp gaze was fixed on the road... I watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed.
Damn, he looked incredibly sexy under the sunlight.
He suddenly turned toward , our eyes locking. "Are you going to stare at the whole way?" he asked, his tone exposing my scrutiny.
I whipped my head back toward the window, agitated. "I’m not staring at you!"
"Then at what?" he asked slyly.
Find a lie, Julie, you’ve beco an expert... find one! "I was just spacing out," I said, feigning calm. "I was thinking about where you’re taking ."
"Mmm... alright," he murmured indifferently.
I turned back to the window to watch the people. Yes, watch the streets, Julie; haven’t you missed seeing them? I pressed the button and lowered the window. Cold air rushed into the car with force.
I stuck my head out, my long hair whipping back. The cold stung my face harshly, but the feeling of freedom was worth enduring.
"Pull your head in, it’s cold," I heard his commanding voice behind .
I ignored him completely. I won’t listen to you this ti, Robert; I’m enjoying what I’ve been deprived of for so long.
"Julie, pull your head in!" his voice resonated with even more sharpness.
Damn you, Robert! Leave alone for a bit; can’t you just keep your mouth shut? Suddenly, his powerful hand reached out and yanked back in by my arm. I spun toward him, furious.
"What’s wrong with you? Can’t I enjoy this tiny bit of freedom for a mont?"
"It’s freezing and you’re sticking your head out... are you insane?" he said sternly, locking his eyes onto mine.
"What do you care? What do you care about ?" I shouted passionately.
I saw him press a button beside him, and the window slid up slowly. "Open it!" I scread.
"No," he said coldly.
"Didn’t I tell you to open it? What is wrong with you?" I said, fuming.
He didn’t answer. I tried to open it myself, pressing the button repeatedly, but he said, "I’ve deactivated the button on your side. You can’t open it."
Before I could hurl another angry word at him, the car ca to a sudden stop. When I realized where we were, my mouth hung open in shock, and a numbness spread through my body.
"Am I in a dream?" I blurted out loud without realizing.
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