Chapter 33

He grabbed the back of my neck. "Alex… please, stop," I whispered, trying to suppress the small sounds escaping me. I felt embarrassed by how my body was reacting to him. 

"I'm going to punish those cherry-red lips for what happened today… for the rest of our lives," he said. 

His fingers were dangerously close to brushing against my chest, his warm breath inching closer to my lips. I felt the air leave my lungs entirely. This was too much. I couldn't bear another touch from him. Closing my eyes, I braced myself for what was about to happen. But half a minute passed, and nothing came. 

When I opened my eyes, I found him staring at me with that unreadable look in his eyes. 

"I can't let the issue with my father go this easily.'" 

Before I could say a word, he placed a bank card in my hand. "I understand you might not like my taste in the clothes I stocked your wardrobe with. But I don't want to see you wearing that dress again, Teal." 

I could sense the frustration he was trying to conceal behind his cold, distant gaze. Without another word, he left the room, leaving me sitting quietly in the chair. 

With my fingertips, I touched the spot where his lips had pressed against mine. Shaking my head, I muttered, "What's wrong with you, Teal?" My face burned red with embarrassment, and my heart wouldn't stop racing. 

... 

From Madam Evik's perspective:

I had just returned from the doctor—my ninth appointment this month. I didn't understand the point of their insistence on performing the surgery when the success rate was so low, practically nonexistent. I sighed as I approached my apartment, realizing I had to tell Teal about the deposit I had saved for her so she could continue her studies at university.

My eyes landed on the figure of a man—his body covered in scars, his build still strong despite the gray that crowned his head. Half of his face was burned, disfigured in a way that was repulsive.

"Sweetheart, it's been fifteen years since I last saw your face," he said, opening the door to my apartment.

Wait—how did he get a key? Damn it. Didn't Alara say she had taken care of him, that he would never show up in front of us again?

"What are you doing here, John Evik? The dead aren't supposed to wander around ruining the lives of those who've moved on from them."

I exhaled sharply, trying to stay composed. He ran his fingers through his white hair, a sinister grin spreading across his face. He hadn't changed. Despite his age, he was still full of vigor. I couldn't help but think how foolish I had been to marry a mafia hitman—a murderer like him. Out of all the villains in the world, he was the worst.

His disgusting laughter pierced the fragile peace I had found.

"Don't you dare step into my house," I screamed as he placed one foot inside the doorway. His gaze was filled with murderous intent, a thirst for blood. Fear gripped me, the same fear I felt every time he came home drunk, yelling and beating me for giving birth to a girl.

"Oh, just so you know, I came here for my daughter, Teal. How I wish you'd given birth to a boy. Things would've been so different."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That bastard. I had worked so hard to make Teal believe her father had died in the fire at the farmhouse. I didn't want her to suffer.

"If you try—if you even think about going near Teal, I'll… I'll—"

My breath quickened, I clutched my chest, pain radiating from my heart. On top of that, a sharp ache hit my stomach, and I collapsed to the ground, unable to move. 

I could hear his footsteps approaching me, then fading away. 

"It seems your time is almost up. Do you have any last words for your dear daughter?" 

Damn you, John. What kind of nonsense are you spouting, you fool? I hate you. This isn't fair. Teal doesn't deserve to find out the truth—that her father isn't the man she imagines. I lost all feeling in my body as his voice faded, and darkness consumed me. 

From Alara's Perspective:

"What do you mean John Evik escaped your grasp? Didn't you assure me that this time he'd be imprisoned with charges that would rot him in jail?"

I muttered as I massaged my scalp slowly, trying to ease the unbearable headache pounding in my head. Where did this John problem even come from?

Before I could process the situation, Malika barged into the room without knocking. This girl—every day she grows older, her behavior worsens.

"Mother, I can't take it anymore. S-Samuel… he broke my heart. He proposed to that girl Teal. Can you believe he called off our engagement and turned me into a laughingstock in the media?"

She collapsed to the floor by my feet, sobbing. She reminded me of myself in my younger years—how I clung to the idea of marrying John Evik, despite him having no interest in me. Even when he told me he was already married, I refused to believe it. My foolish emotions ruined my life and his family's.

"You can leave now, Eros. Find what I asked for, even if you have to dig it up from the depths of the earth," I instructed my assistant. The last thing I needed was to give the staff any room to gossip about my state or our family problems.

"Malika, could you stop crying for a moment…"

She wasn't listening to a single word I said, slapping her cheeks repeatedly. Her eyeliner smudged, turning her once-perfect makeup into a mess.

"Mother, I can't bear to lose Samuel," Malika continued sobbing uncontrollably. Ugh, another crisis.

I pulled out my phone and called Samuel's father. "Yes, can we talk about your son's behavior? I'll see you at dinner."

The moment I ended the call, Malika stopped crying, wiped her tears, and began jumping for joy, wrapping her arms around me.

"Oh, thank you, Mother! I knew you wouldn't let my life fall apart."

From Bora's Perspective:

"I don't know what's happening with the men in this family. Did you see the news, Mandy?"

I spoke as I returned from my shopping spree, watching the staff carefully carry my bags upstairs. My niece sat on the couch, her tablet in hand.