As Bella woke up the warm light touched her face, making her blink against its brightness.
And then, like an unshakable ghost, an image of Jas ca to her. Cold. Inhuman.
There was sothing about him, sothing unnatural, sothing beyond the world she understood. The feeling he left her with was unlike anything else, a presence that refused to fade, no matter how much she wanted it to.
"I still love you..." She whispered to herself as she turned in bed
And then a knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. At first, she ignored it, assuming it was nothing important. But then, it ca again...louder, more hurried.
Sothing was wrong.
Her instincts kicked in. Without hesitation, she reached under her pillow, fingers wrapping around her gun.
Barefoot, she moved toward the door
With one swift motion, she unlocked it and pulled it open, gun raised, finger ready on the trigger. If sothing bad was about to happen, she would be ready.
As she looked out, the sunlight hit her face, making her squint for a mont. Standing before her was the last person she expected.
"Did I wake you up?"
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Ja... Jas?" Her face lit up with a mix of surprise and sothing else, sothing she couldn't quite na.
There he stood, Jas, but not as she always saw him. Gone was the crisp suit he always wore, the sharp, polished image he projected to the world.
Instead, he was dressed casually, a simple t-shirt and dark jeans. It was strange, almost unsettling, to see him like this.
"Yeah..." He said, tilting his head slightly.
Bella's grip on her gun loosened, her heart pounding in her chest.
She opened the door fully, and as she took in Jas' face his expression suddenly tense, his eyes flickering away, she realized sothing.
She was only wearing her pajamas that clung to her skin. And worse, with the sun shining right through it.
"Do you like it...?" She whispered again, staring at Jas, her body shivering slightly.
He visibly tensed, his jaw tightening as he refused to et her gaze. Before he could respond, another voice cut through the mont.
"Get ready, Bella." Hans said from behind Jas, his usual blunt tone breaking the strange tension in the air.
Bella's eyes snapped toward him, and she imdiately used her hands to cover herself as much as possible.
"You dared to check out?!"
"No. I'm just saying Jas is in a hurry, so get so clothes on." Hans sighed, looking unimpressed.
"Tch. You're lucky I'm in a good mood."
Turning away, she stomped back into her house but she was anything but fast. She was stressing, throwing clothes from her wardrobe, pacing back and forth.
Should I wear sothing that shows off a little? A skirt, maybe...? No, sothing elegant, but Jas is just wearing a t-shirt. Should I match him?
Her head was spinning as she debated her outfit choices, the pile of clothes growing behind her.
anwhile, outside, Hans leaned against the wall, smirking. "No way. It's gonna take at least ten minutes." He said confidently.
Jas chuckled, crossing his arms. "Five minutes. No more."
Hans laughed, shaking his head. "You're underestimating her. Alright, I'll put 500 on it." He pulled out the cash and tossed it onto the pavent.
But before Jas could respond, a voice interrupted them.
"Who are you guys?"
They turned to see an older woman standing behind them. Hans instinctively reached for his gun,he knew a killer could co in many forms, but Jas held up a hand, stopping him. Instead, he gave the woman a warm smile.
"We're here for a friend." He said simply.
The woman stepped closer.
"Are you the one Bella talks about every day?"
Bella talks about every day? What a dumb question she does...
Jas hesitated, caught off guard by it. "Well... yeah. Can I know who you—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the woman stepped to him and pulled him into a tight, warm hug.
Jas stiffened, completely thrown off by the suddenness of it. Hans remained cautious, though his grip on the gun loosened slightly.
"Thank you for giving her a purpose to live, darling." The woman said softly, looking up at Jas as she placed a gentle hand on his face. "If I could see you clearly, I bet I'd see soone great...soone who truly cares about others."
Her words hit Jas hard, especially after yesterday.
Just then, Bella's voice rang out. "I'm ready!"
The door swung open, and there she stood.
She had chosen tight jeans and a t-shirt that hugged her curves perfectly. She was stunning.
"Bella, you really found soone special." Said the woman as she stepped past her.
But before she could react, a sudden slap landed on her cheek.
"Ahh! Miss Rebecca, that hurt!" Bella whined, blushing hard.
Hans and Jas just stood there like they were invisible.
"If I were a man, I'd fall in love with that too. Juicy and—"
"Enough!" Bella yelped, her face burning as she shoved Miss Rebecca into the house and slamd the door shut behind her.
She stood frozen for a second, her heart still racing from embarrassnt. Then Jas spoke.
"So, we're matching outfits?"
She glanced at their clothes, both wearing white t-shirts with black jeans.
"I thought it would be cute..." She admitted with a small smile.
Jas chuckled, his eyes softening. "Well, you're more than cute. But let's go, we don't have a lot of ti." He turned and started walking toward the car.
Hans, however, stayed behind, his gaze lingering on Bella, eyeing her suspiciously.
"What, you insect? Don't look at like that."
"I'm just wondering... where did you put your gun?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't bring one." She said casually, stepping forward.
Hans frowned. "You... didn't bring a gun?"
Bella smirked and walked past him. "I'll protect him with my body." She said, her voice teasing as she ran ahead and slid into the car beside Jas.
Hans stared for a mont before sighing and shaking his head. "This day is going to be fun."
As the car started moving, Bella wasted no ti. She imdiately turned to Jas.
"So, this is a date, right?" She asked, sliding closer to him, her head tilting to rest on his shoulder.
"You can call it a date since we're going to be together all day." Jas said, his voice calm but firm. "But we also have a job that needs to be done."
Bella felt a shift in the air.
"Do you have a second gun, Hans?" She asked, her tone more serious now.
"Yeah." Hans replied. "I'll give it to you when we arrive."
"Okie." She said softly, then leaned back against Jas again, resting her head on his shoulder like nothing had changed.
Jas glanced at her for a mont but didn't say anything.
After a while, they arrived at an empty parking lot. The place was eerily quiet, except for a single black car parked in the middle, surrounded by four n.
"This looks like a trap..." Hans muttered as he stopped the car.
Jas, however, just smirked. "He loves to play." Without hesitation, he opened the door and stepped out, walking slowly toward the parked car.
Behind him, Hans was already on alert, his hand resting near his gun. Bella, too, held her gun behind her back, ready for anything.
But just as the tension reached its peak, all the seriousness disappeared in an instant.
One of the n suddenly stepped forward and pulled Jas into a tight hug.
"I missed you, man!"
"How are you, Vallen?"
"Never been this good." He replied, grinning.
I bet you maniac serial killer Jas thought anwhile Bella froze.
Her breath caught in her throat as her mind repeated the na over and over. Vallen?
She looked at him again, her eyes scanning for confirmation. And there it was, the tattoo on his hand.
Her hands trembled slightly, and her thoughts spiraled. If these two are eting...
Hangur is going to blow up.
Because Vallen, Augustus Luican underboss.
And then he opened the car door.
Bella's heart jumped, her vision narrowing, but it was not what she expected.
A little girl stepped out of the car.
"So, this charming lady is Charlotte." Vallen said, squatting down to her with a warm smile. "Charlotte, this man here is going to be your guardian angel for a while. Be sure to behave, okay?"
Charlotte looked up at Jas, opening her arms.
There was an awkward silence between them for a mont as she stared at him with cautious curiosity.
Jas tilted his head. "You want to pick you up?"
She simply nodded, and Jas carefully lifted her into his arms. It was only then that he noticed sothing.
The girl's arm was bruised and not just a little one, it was a huge one covered with a single pink bandaid.
Vallen said nothing about it; he opened the car trunk, getting a duffle bag out.
"He didn't want to spend your own money, so here's 3 million in cash."
Jas' eyes widened. "3 million... for a child?"
"How should I say this? If she touches sothing, it's hers."
With a smirk, he turned back to Charlotte, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "That's it. Be happy. We'll pick you up when your grandpa cos back."
Charlotte, still quiet, looked up at Jas, her hands gripping onto his shirt. There was sothing innocent yet unreadable in her gaze.
"Wait, what about her stuff?" Jas asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Vallen said, spinning back toward the car. He opened the door and grabbed a small backpack, tossing it to Jas. "So of her favorite things are in it, but you got to buy things."
Jas glanced at the bag, then at Charlotte, who clung to him quietly.
"She's a little shy, but that won't be a problem, right?" Vallen added with a smirk.
"I don't have a problem with that." Jas replied.
"There's also a little notebook in the backpack." Vallen added. "It has everything you need to know, what she can eat, her allergies, when she should sleep, and other things that might help."
Jas sighed, adjusting his hold on Charlotte. "Alright, got it."
"Well, goodbye." Vallen said with a smirk before getting into his car and driving off.
Jas watched the car disappear before glancing down at Charlotte. "They just wanted to get rid of you, huh?" He asked casually.
Charlotte kept her eyes on the road where the car had vanished, silent for a mont. Then, finally, she spoke.
"I'm not shy..." She whispered.
Jas raised an eyebrow.
"They're bad people." she continued, gripping his shirt tightly. "I hate them."
"So, are you going to hate too?" Jas asked, still holding Charlotte in his arms.
Charlotte suddenly looked at him, her big blue eyes filled with brightness and innocence. For a mont, Jas was srized.
"I—"
"Oh my God! We got a daughter, Jas?!" Bella interrupted, snatching Charlotte out of his arms and hugging her tightly.
"I'm Jas' girlfriend! You can call Mama, darling." She said kissing her dozens of ti.
"She's Augustus Lucian's daughter." Hans said from the back.
Bella froze for a mont, then slowly put Charlotte down, staring at her with narrowed eyes. "So, you're a little demon...but you're still cute. And still just a child."
"I hate my father! Charlotte suddenly said, her small hands clenched into fists. "And everyone who is the sa as him..." Her voice didn't waver.
A seven year old, standing before them, filled with confidence and determination.
Bella let out a small chuckle and crouched down to Charlotte's level. "Then carve his na into your mind, darling." she said with a smirk. "Because he is Jas Bellini."
Charlotte's eyes widened in shock. She slowly turned back to look at Jas, and for the first ti, she truly saw him.
Standing tall before her was the man whose na she had heard whispered in fear a hundred tis.
The man even the darkness itself feared.
"The Angel of De—" Charlotte started, but she was cut off by the sharp ringing of Jas' phone.
He sighed, pulling it out. "You sure have a lot of ti to call from maximum-security prison."
A low chuckle ca from the other end. "It's more like a hotel, you know." Lucian said casually. "Is she with you?"
"Yeah." he replied, glancing at Charlotte." She's standing right in front of , staring straight into my eyes."
"Good. That's it, then. Have a wonderful ti with her."
And just like that, the line went dead.
"Even if you hate him, he still cares about you." Jas said, holding out his hand to her.
But Charlotte took a step back. "I'm fine."
Silence hung between them for a mont. Then, suddenly, Bella grabbed Jas' hand firmly.
"Hold mine!" She said, clinging to his arm.
And just like that, the first day of babysitting began, sothing that would bring more trouble that Jas thought.
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