A gasp jumped from my lips. My eyes widened in shock. I walked in slowly. Still, wondering, he remembered this day. I whirled on my bare feet looking at my surroundings at all kinds of red, and white flowers. Red roses, orchids, daisies, lilies, all kinds of bouquets, dozens of red roses. My inside tinged with happiness.
I twirled as I felt him. His coat was hanging in a deadly grip, his face was severe, eyes blazing. The top three buttons were unfastened, showing his hard muscles. His furious gaze met my tearful eyes. I quickened my steps at him and curled my arms around his torso.
"You remember! I thought…" Tears rolled down. I glanced up at him. His arms came around me, slowly. His gaze was perplexed a little, "I cooked for us. I was waiting for you. I thought you forgot our day." A chill ran down my spine continuously staring into his dark eyes.
"You didn't check the room," His voice was slow and intense. He schooled his cold expression after a soft sigh.
I shook my head, wiped my cheek with the back of my hand and put my hand on his shoulder. This day is undeniably important for me, "I've baked a cake for us." I took the inner skin of my bottom lip between my teeth. He was looking angry.
He forwarded his hand and slipped it on my cheek. Drawing it down my neck, he brushed it along the neckline of my dress. My body was responding to his touch. My heart quickened. Certainly, he could hear the palpitations of my heart. He wasn't saying, just beholding everything very carefully. Unusual! I wasn't the center.
Bizarre!
"Duante," He pressed his index finger on my lips. I gulped as my words disappeared in my throat.
I sighed through my nose as he was still pressing it against my lips. His unreadable face perplexed me more. He remained impassive, unemotional.
"Get ready for bed," His voice hardly reached my ears.
I stared at him, trying to control my hurt expression. I was so busy cooking for us that I didn't come into our room. I held his hand. Still, his gaze didn't return to me. His second hand lowered to his holster. He always carried two guns and a sharp knife with him.
I stilled, careful not to make any noise. He slipped his hand. It disappeared behind his coat. I could only guess, it could be a gun and a knife.
I saw the sharp shining edge of his knife. His gaze was already on his prey. He drew his hand back to aim at his mark. He sought it and threw the knife. I didn't hear anything.
Instantly, I spun to see. My eyebrows pulled together when I couldn't see anything. Then, my gaze rested on a dead snake. It had a wide head and a narrow neck. It was a timber rattlesnake of yellow color. A series of dark brown cross bands on its skin. I retreated in dread and hit his hard body.
"Duante," I muttered in fright.
"Shh," He shushed me and tugged me closer to his body.
I snuggled closer. He was quiet. That was a sign. The danger was still surrounding us.
I tried to calm my breathing. Minutes passed. We stood still, not making any noise. My heart began to thud when I heard….
Hiss! Hiss!
Duante gripped another blade in his hand. I sucked when I saw a grey snake crawling at us. He raised his head high in the air and hissed. He opened his mouth. I could see his back mouth.
"Black mamba!" I shrieked in dread.
When I saw it was near the wall. In a blink, it was closer to us. It could be eight feet. It slithered quickly to us. He raised in the air, his head proudly held high as it opened its black mouth to attack. I screamed. Duante was agile and quicker than always. He ran the knife. A sharp blade cut it into two pieces.
Footsteps echoed in the air. Assassin, Aakash, Rocky, Drake and more people rushed in gripping their guns.
"There are snakes. Empty the floor." Duante said in a calm voice. While I was breathing heavily and dreading it.
He grasped my wrist and made me walk with him. I was still staring at the two dead snakes in awe.
"Yes, sir." I heard again.
My body trembled in fear when I heard a thud. I snapped my head from the doorway to the sound. The fake moon ball was crawling toward us after bouncing on the stairs.
"What's it?" Aakash asked, contorting his face, gaze curious.
"Fake lighting moon balls. I ordered them online for celebration." I whispered but I wasn't certain he had heard me. It should have stopped but it was still crawling on the marble floor. I saw a shadow crawling inside it. I pressed my body to Duante in fear, "Why is it not stopping?" My voice was full of suspicion, and panic.
"There could be a snake in it." Assassin said as he walked over it. He must have seen moving shadows in it. He hunched down near it and stopped it with the sharp nook of his knife. He brought his hand back near to his head and hit it with full force.
I held my breath, "Oh my God!" I squealed in dread when a dark head raised from it and hissed at him.
He was stilled before wiping his blade on it.
"There are a lot. It's a dozen. There are a dozen more snakes." I was frightened.
"Aakash, Drake," Duante motioned at him
Aakash climbed the stairs. Drake rushed behind him.
"I don't know there are snakes. I purchased the moons, not snakes." Tears filled in my eyes. My hands began to tremor. I wouldn't forgive myself if someone died because of the venom of serpents. My shoulders began to shake with sobbing.
Duante engulfed me, "It's not your fault." He muttered.
"I stayed among them more than an hour waiting for you." I cried against his shoulder.
His body stiffened, and his jaw tightened. His grip tightened. The rush of the hot breath fanned my skin.
"Boss, it's cleared," Aakash said.
Duante took a long stride back and scooped me up. He gestured at Assassin before walking toward the private elevator.
It had been only a week since we shifted to this house. It was unbelievable. We didn't have any enemies now. I curled my arms around him and looked over his shoulder. Assassin was standing clenching a sword. I didn't know. Where did this come from?
The elevator opened. We weren't alone. Drake and Rocky were with us, gripping their guns.
Duante put me on my feet and looked me in the eye. He broke the gaze and turned to Drake and Rocky. He stared into their eyes for a second. Rocky immediately looked down and bowed his head. Drake did the same. They talked in sign language. I didn't understand.
"I'll come with you." I grasped my hands around his wrist.
He shook his head and pulled his hand out of my grip. His gaze became furious once again. He whirled and strode out of the lift. I choked back my words, my desire to stay with him.
Rocky pressed the button and the door closed, breaking his view. My heart accelerated. It made me a bit irate. I could understand his concern. But I wasn't trained to fight with snakes nor was he. Was he?
DUANTE'S POV Silence fell. I took a deep breath. I was f****** upset that she forgot our day. It had been a year. I didn't plan this day to celebrate killing snakes. It was a sign. I had one more enemy who was dying to go to his grave I glanced upstairs. There could be hundreds of crawling creatures. It was my wife's favorite place, "Burn it," I told Aakash. He grabbed the Kerosene barrel, "Ok, boss." He ascended the stairs. Zhang came out of the room, "There were only two." He said. I could see blood on the shiny blades "Check the entire house," I told him and walked toward the stairs. I climbed up. My gaze darted around the decoration. She was looking hurt. Aakash was gathering them on the grass, "People will know it, boss." He said as he opened the barrel, "Morning's headline will be. International Billionaire's penthouse caught on fire." He laughed. The corners of my lips curled up in a slight smirk. My
I never questioned his decision. But I loved our house. My throat closed up when he said we were moving. He hadn't stayed in one place permanently, except in Mexico and Hyderabad. Assassin opened the door for me. I stepped out anxiously. It was his parents' house. For the last ten minutes, I was watching grass ground, trees, guards with guns, and most eyes catching a white villa in the center of it. A fountain in front of it. I could see the blue water around it shining proudly from a distance. "Thank you, but I can do it," I said to him with a smile. He nodded and stepped back. "Ready," Duante asked quietly as he extended his hand after climbing down from the driver seat. I took his hand excitedly and curled my second hand around his arm. I was hoping it would be our permanent residence. He had business all over the world. Duante didn't leave me alone. With it, it seemed impossible. His fist clenched and unclenched. He must have a lot of m
One side of his mouth lifted as he kept talking to Uncle. His wry smile added more charm to him. His gaze averted on me. I always felt he could see deep into my soul. Sometimes, I tried to hide things from him, but his eyes would be on me. In less than a second, he would know it. My phone beeped. I stared at it expecting a new message from Mini or Rose. My smile faded when I looked down at the screen. I could feel He was watching me with his intense eyes. I exited the room and dragged myself toward our room. I swiped my fingers on it while drifting toward the room. I clicked on it. 'Why aren't you wearing a golden dress today?' My heart pounded against my chest in fear. My phone began to shiver in my hand. Ricky's ghost frightened me in my nightmares. Duante never left me alone, particularly at night. I was his obsession, he had killed many people just for reaching me. I trembled when his hand caught the phone and his second arm wrapped aro
I woke up in bed instead of on the couch. I pushed myself up, fixing my palms on the mattress. I gazed around but there was no sign of him. I sighed as I let all those thoughts hit me again. "How could I sleep so long?" I muttered to myself in a sleepy voice. I could feel sadness rising inside me. I stepped out of the bed. I walked toward the door. Reluctantly, I reached for the door handle. I twisted it. A smile crawled on my lips when it opened. I pulled it. Freedom! Assassin was already on his feet on the other side of the door. I ignored him as I walked out toward the front door of the mansion. I wanted to go out and feel the fresh air. I didn't have my phone. There was only my gun with me. His threat was running over my mind. The morning was chilled as I paced in the garden. I could hear the chirping of words. The atmosphere was peaceful away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Though I could hear the slight noise of horns, ch
I plopped onto the couch and rested my head on the arm of it. Why was he bothered now? My brows rose a bit at the sight of him standing in the room. The door closed with a thud. I turned my back to him. His hand curled around her upper arm pulling me up. I didn't pluck my gaze from the wall. He tugged me in his lap as he sat on the couch, "Does it hurt?" He asked the same question. I didn't want to answer him. His calloused fingers slipped in my hair, his fingers brushed my scalp. He found the bump on it. He looked shocked for a second. Then he set his jaw stone. He looked in my eyes, "You should fight back," He crooned. 'And infuriate you more!' I called in my brain. I blinked. I tried to study his face. He was repenting over it. I stayed calm in his arms. The silence fell. I didn't know what he was expecting. I was sure he wouldn't hurt me but I couldn't swallow it without feeling pain. I wanted to change my option. It was the third time he
I needed to get out for some time. It had been a week. I ran my hands through my hair and tucked them in a tight bun. I put my feet on the soft carpet and yawned. I could only hope he wouldn't stop me from going out. I shuffled to the washroom for the shower. I grabbed my purse and headed out of the room. I glanced at myself in the mirror before walking out. My lavender gown was going with my curves, I put my wavy hair down and light makeup. He hadn't spoken one word to me. I reached in front of Thomas and Mini's room. I was about to knock when I heard them laughing. "No, let me get out of bed now. It's morning," I heard her. Her voice was full of happiness. I turned away from their door without knocking. Mini liked to be alone in her married life. It was her life she could spend it the way she wanted to. She didn't need to come with me. I paced toward the car. I hadn't seen Assassin since yesterday. I reached for the door of the car. A stro
I was still feeling shocked. More traitor! We didn't know. I took a deep sigh as I pulled the comforter more tightly around my body. It was the only warm thing around me. The sea was calm. The breeze was cool and sent shivers down my body. All I could see was the dark sea, dark gleaming with stars. I glided forward barefoot and smiled as a cool breeze brushed my hair. I could smell salt and freshness in the air. He hugged me from behind. I whirled in the ring of his arms and snuggled closer to his warm body. I was feeling cold. He was just in his slacks still, I couldn't see any sign of a cold. "Ain't you feeling cold?" I whispered as I wrapped one arm around his middle. It slid from my shoulder and showed my bare skin beneath it. "No," He kissed my shoulder and pulled me tighter, "Your hands are cold," He said as I pressed it against his hot skin. "I'm not used to cold weather." I closed my eyes, enjoying him, his touch, the beauti
DUANTE'S POV Without breaking stride, I took her into our room. The dead body was already removed. I could smell her favorite floral scent in the room. Her face was pressed tight on the crook of my neck. Her heart was beating louder against my chest. She was scared. I couldn't turn it down when she curled her arms around me. I was still seething from inside hearing them. No one could dare to look at what was mine. I brushed my lips against her forehead. I could feel her trembling. Tears were leaking from her closed eyes. This pushed me to the edge. I settled back on the bed. I pressed my lips against her forehead again, "Look at me," I softened my voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes and glanced in my eyes. She lowered it to my chest, "Please, don't go." Her voice was cracking. "There's no danger." She stayed quiet and fastened her arms. Things were tense enough. It wasn't the attack. We had faced it before, "What's it?" I