Ray

Her eyes blazed with fire and blood, like hot coals ready to ignite. I felt her presence near, so close it sent shivers down my spine. For years, I wrestled with my feelings for her, unsure and afraid. But now, I feel invincible.

She's mine, completely mine, and I'd do anything for her. I looked into her eyes and saw my reflection, vulnerable and exposed. She noticed the gun in my hand, her gaze piercing through me.

"You have a strange habit of holding onto what's not yours, Mr. Wallace," she said, her voice daring and bold. I glanced at the hair tie on my wrist, a token of hers I've kept for years.

Suddenly, she pushed me away, setting the gun down on the counter. “How did you get in here?" she asked, her tone calm but curious as she slipped off her heels with practiced ease. My insides twisted with unnamed sensations, difficult to control. I approached her and knelt at her feet.

"I bought the building," I told her, revealing my recent dealership. She jerked her foot back in shock, but I held it firmly. Slowly, I ran my hands up her legs, meeting her gaze as she tried to hide her reaction.

With deliberate slowness, I untied the straps of her heels, mesmerized by her beauty in the moonlight. The breeze from the window matched her rhythmic breath as I gently removed the heels from her feet and bent my head over her foot, wished to drown in this skin but I kissed her foot gently but she immediately released her foot and leaned closer to me, a mysterious look in her eyes. Suddenly, a surge of desire overwhelmed me, a need to make her feel every emotion she'd been denying herself.

"No matter how hard you try, you'll never have what you want," she whispered, her breath against my face. Did she really think she could escape me after getting this close? I grabbed her neck and tightened my grip, keeping her in place.

"January 29, 2016. I got everything I wanted that day" I reminded her, my voice low and determined. She jerked my hand forcefully.

"You took out those robbers! How did you know I was robbed? Were you watching me?" Her voice quivered with accusation.

"No, but I wish I had been" I admitted, a pang of regret hitting me. I recounted the events of eight years ago.

"You lost contact with Ha Ri, so she contacted me, I got worried and Arthur filled me in on what happened to you and your aunt," I explained, feeling a deep sense of shame as I lowered my gaze.

She stared at me, her eyes fierce, then she noticed the crown tattoo on my thumb which I was given few years ago. Her smile turned teasing as she spoke. "Worried, huh?" she mocked. I wished I could explain why I kept things from her.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at her sitting silently on the bed. Tragedy and pain filled her eyes, replacing the shyness and nervousness she once had. She didn't blink, only held onto hate and agony. Yet, strangely, I found myself drawn to every part of her.

She'd always see me as her enemy, but my soul couldn't help but crave her.

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"Why are you trying to expose Miller?" I asked, but she remained silent. "Why are you after that box?" I pressed, but again, no response. Understanding that she wanted answers, not questions, I sat beside her.

"Miller didn't kill your Aunt April," I asserted, and she looked at me, confusion in her eyes.

"Then who did?" she inquired.

"My uncle," I confessed, meeting her gaze as she smirked sarcastically.

"Your aunt was hiding a truth that my uncle desperately wanted to know. He never appeared in public, never revealed his whereabouts, but that day..." I trailed off, recalling the night my father died. "After my father's funeral, he came to see me, alone. That’s when I know he kill someone because He only kills those he has personal business with, by his own hand, otherwise, he gives orders," I explained, her listening silently.

"If you're planning to kill my uncle, then change your mind. You won't succeed, and I won't let you," I declared, rising to leave. "But if you still pursue it, you'll need me because no one knows him better than I do," I added before turning away.

“I don’t need you” she whispered in the silence and I walked forward without answering. Before leaving, I stole a final glance at her, With that, I walked away.

I almost fell heavily in the car and leaned back my head on the seat, pressing my eyes tightly in regret at every second I was not with her. I wanted to be close to her, but my closure would only bring her calamity that is the only reason why I left the hope of being with her years ago, I planned to plaster all my feelings for her but now I can’t. Even though I had to betray my Uncle, who raised me as his son.

Son?

A sarcastic smile I couldn’t hold back on that thought then I recalled the memory of when I was forced to become a killer at the age of 7.

Raised by my uncle until I was fourteen, my custody was handed over to him by my mother after Mr. Wallace refused to accept me as his son.

Growing up in the Kingston Empire felt like being a dog, trained relentlessly to become the strongest and most loyal pawn in George Kingston's game. I was schooled in knives, martial arts, business tactics, and political psychology, but apparently, that wasn't sufficient for my uncle.

It was a certain night with a storm outside when I woke up with some distant loud voices and that was when curiosity led me to become a witness of a murder. Down the basement, I was not allowed but I still peeked at my uncle’s men who were brutally torturing a man, tied with a chair. They were talking in German which I couldn’t understand. My uncle was sitting on a chair at a distance. Then one of his men took a knife and bent toward the man in the chair, I watched closely as he started to peel off the skin of his face with the knife. A swift gruesome scream floated from my mouth and they heard me. Terrified, I covered my mouth, but it was too late.

I froze as I heard my uncle's footsteps drawing closer. "Ray, come out, my dear," he called. My heart raced, but I knew I had to obey him. Trembling, I approached him as he gestured lovingly.

My legs were shaking and my whole body becomes cold but I kept myself together. I reached him and he petted my head gently.

“This man here was working with our enemies Ray, while I, filled his stomach and now he refused to say the name of the person” his voice floated in the silence and I gulped all his words.

“Tell me what I taught you?” he asked petting my head with his heavy hand.

“Ha…Hungry Dogs are never loyal, they need to be pulled out” I whispered, and he nodded. “And what do we say?” he asked again to me and I hesitated.

“Loyalty and Obedience before Blood!” I state the slogan of the crown organization. Every person here has a crown tattoo that witnessed the oath they took with George Kingston.

"Bravo, hijo!" my uncle praised, patting my shoulder with his strong Spanish accent. He forcefully turned me to face the person tied to the chair. Seeing the man's half-peeled face twisted something deep within me, but I remained motionless. My uncle demanded a gun from one of his men and handed it to me.

I stared at the gun with fear, then looked at my uncle. His eyes urged me to take the gun, but I hesitated. Suddenly, his expression hardened, and fear gripped my heart. With shaky hands, I reached out and took the gun.

"Shoot him, Ray," my uncle whispered in my ear, guiding my hands toward the man in the chair. He let go of my hands, leaving me frozen in place. The weight of the gun felt unbearable, and I wondered what would happen if I pulled the trigger. Would this person stop breathing because of me?

As my finger neared the trigger, the man lifted his head and locked eyes with me. The gunshot jolted me backward, and I saw that man squirm like a fish without water for 5 minutes.

That’s what happens when you kill someone, those eyes haunt me till now.

to be continued in Part 2...