"Who are you to question me about Julie?" Logan roared at me, attempting to break free from the restraints. I knew Drake would bring him in when I asked him to take care of the matter. I was uneasy as they badly hurt Julie, both physically and mentally. The way they bound her and the number of chimpanzees safeguarding that broken building disturbed me.

When Drake called, I didn't expect it to be so soon. Logan was extremely easy to locate, as per Drake, and it didn't feel right to me from the start. He was boozing his ass out in a club with his friends when he knew that someone rescued his sister and might come for him. His green hooded guards couldn't overpower Drake's men. He brought him immediately to New York, making sure he was away from the eyes of the cops.

An old rusty building was abducted to be destroyed by the state. Not even a single lamp illuminating it. I could see anywhere street lanterns flickering now and then and not even a single human near it.

"That's none of your business!" Drake growled, punching him hard in his face. Logan was no less than Drake, in shape and size. The only dissimilarity was his insensitive mind, which gave Drake an upper hand. He was a very sharp fighter and Logan could tackle men, but not as fast as Drake. Drake took him down smoothly, provided Logan was in his drunken state.

Hitting my leg on the floor, as the chill breeze moved past the walls, caressing the leaves on its path, I dusted the ash of the cigarette after taking a long whiff of it. Drake whacked him in his gut, but I raised my hand, asking him to stop.

"You abused her," I announced. It was just to let him realize that whatever he was going through was only because he hurt her.

"That bitch deserved it." He spat blood from his mouth after the statement. Blood boiled in my veins and I stood abruptly, hitting the chair behind me. How can a man be so rude to his sister?

"She is your sister, you motherfucker!" I asserted through gritted teeth, mashing the flaming cigarette on the scar of his shoulder. Julie must have been in so much anguish her whole life. A brother must protect his sister, and this asshole hurt her so badly.

"She is a bitch! She ruined my life! She and I had some unfinished business which I'm not obliged to tell you about.!" He cried out at the top of his lungs. I took a step back, annoyed at his voice, and Drake jabbed a sizable chunk of cloth in his mouth, hushing him. He choked on his words and sneered at me. His hands strived to break free from the shackles, much to his displeasure.

"She is a woman. Honor her instead of abusing her." Drake spoke this time. My head whirled in his direction as he spoke. Veins popped up on his neck and hands as he clenched his hands every so often.

"Sign them," I said as I tossed a file towards Logan. He stared at the document with his furrowed brows, trying to examine them. Jerking his head from left to right, he began speaking, but the fabric muffled his voice. I peeled the cloth off and got down on my knees to look him in his eyes. Lifting his face parallel to mine, I smirked and said, "Sign off all the properties you possess or you won't survive to watch tomorrow's sunrise. You hardly have twenty-four hours to decide whether we kill you or you sign."

"How will I live if I give my entire property to her? I have earned it with my hard work!" He cried out.

"Well, you will survive at Julie's mercy, henceforth. If she'd want you to have any, then that's on her. She deserves your apology." I said, pointing at the papers. I did not know what happened between the two. Not interested in indulging in family drama, I only wished to let him know Julie was not alone and he would suffer every time he hurt her.

"All this torture just because I hurt her?" His voice cracked a little. I understood he was close to giving up. He was hurt pretty badly. Only his face could get almost fifteen stitches, let alone his entire body. The way he tortured Julie shook me to my core every time I reminisced about the scene.

"Yes," I confessed, getting back on my feet and dusting my pants. I couldn't change my attire due to all the messed-up circumstances, still wandering around wearing yesterday's suit. Whirling around, I saw the sun soaring and birds chirping, making me realize it took so long. I sighed when I noticed it was six in the morning already.

"Get this trash cleaned as soon as possible and take him to somewhere safe," I said, stepping past Drake, but then paused when I heard Logan grunting. "And yeah, get him treated." Clutching the bridge of my nose, I asked one of my men to drop me at Charles's as I wouldn't bother waking Julie up, and the blood all over my body would freak her out.

**†****†****†****†**

"You've got to be kidding me!" I groaned when Charles shrieked, staring at my condition. "Can you let me in?" I asked, and shoved him aside. He stood near the door with a furrowed eyebrow.

"Who did you kill? This is not your kingdom, for God's sake!" His drowsiness is long gone. His bed hair flopped every time he bounced from one corner to another.

"I did not kill anyone...... yet," I said, peeling off the shirt and tossing it on the ground.

"What have you done?!" His eyes gazed at me with anger. Not liking the way he spoke to me, I strode towards him, making sure my words were straight to the point. "I wouldn't require your approval to kill anyone. When I say I did not kill anyone, then better fucking believe."

"Why do you have blood all over your body?"

"Had to take care of something. And for the record, you are not my mom to compel me to answer all your dumb questions. Give me a change of clothes. I'm in a hurry." I walked towards his kitchen as my belly growled. Picking an apple, I began chewing.

Charles shook his head when I lifted my eyebrows at him and picked up my clothes. Soon, I ended up devouring two apples, one banana, and a few strawberries. Charles gave me a pair of clothes and an omelet. I didn't deny the offer and ate it, satisfying the appetite for now.

"Are you going, to tell the truth to Julie?" Charles analyzed when I finished eating and got up to leave.

"I guess." I was skeptical of what to do. I was slowly going insane as my life was so messed up at the moment. I had a wonderful time with Liara that got ruined when Julie found out about my wedding, fake or not.

I guaranteed Liara that I'd keep it a secret and it ricocheted on me as confiding Julie the truth would hinder the agreement as Liara would understand my conflict was a big no.

"I have to talk to Liara about that." I sighed. Staring at the watch as it struck seven in the morning, I assumed Liara would be up. I knew it was an unthinkable task, but I nonetheless had to try. I hurried to D'Waner Mansion after talking to him. I wanted to talk with Liara as I genuinely needed to tell the truth to Julie. I was not in love with her, but I cared for her and I knew it hurt her. I wished to give her a little relief that I did not misuse her love for me.

Entering the mansion, I saw Dima walking hastily towards me. "Son, you look exhausted. Want me to brew coffee for you? Or would you like to rest?" She bombarded me with questions. I grinned at her caring nature, but I was already full.

"Oh, I'm fine Dima. Is Liara home?" I questioned. My thoughts wandered around yesterday's events. She must be hungover. I needed to be nice to her if I had to convince her of something.

"Oh yes yes, the princess is still sleeping." She smiled, gesturing at the stairs.

"Dima, could I get a plate full of food for her? I bet she must be hungover and hungry." I said and Dima beamed with happiness even more. She nodded and walked toward the kitchen. I followed suit when I sniffed something delicious.

"Dima! Plan changed! I'm hungry now." I drooled over the kitchen counter when I saw burritos, waffles, and cinnamon rolls beautifully decorated on the table.

"Come sit, I made pancakes as well." She chuckled at my reaction and positioned a fluffy pancake, crowning it with maple syrup. "Liara eats these things at breakfast?" I inquired, curious as I couldn't help it.

"Princess wouldn't even bother touching any of these." She clarified, and I raised my eyebrows, gazing at the amount they cooked.

"These are for the children in Sams Orphanage." She acknowledged my unasked question. I shoved another large piece of pancake into my mouth when I heard about the orphanage. Striving to change the topic, I asked, "What exactly does she eat then?"

"She eats only two bread omelets and occasionally a glass of juice." She placed another plate beside me and started settling food on it. I shook my head at how unfortunate she was to deny a delicious breakfast.

"Let it be, I will give it to her," I announced when I saw Dima heading towards Liara's room. She nodded and put the plate beside me. Eating up everything that Dima served me, I held Liara's breakfast and headed toward her room.

Entering her room, I found her snuggling into the enormous teddy bear like a little kid. The teddy seized more than half the place of the bed. The duvet somewhat wrapped her torso. I hoisted the duvet cautiously so as not to wake her up, covering her entire body. My hands caressed her exposed skin, and she quivered. Slowly making sure that I did not wake her up, I took in her face when I was extremely close to feeling her breathing. Her hair draped her face like a curtain to cease the sunlight from waking her up. She looked so at peace.

Rubbing my eyes, I sighed, pondering whether I should leave a note or stay until she was up. My impatient side did not permit me to wait until she woke up, as I had to tidy the mess at my apartment and had to come up with something when Julie would bombard me with questions and accusations. Taking a deep audible breath, I wrote a note placing the pill for her hangover along with my phone number. I marked the note urgently as well.

Halting on my way, I wanted to convince Liara so that she would understand my problem and thought of doing something special. I made sure she'd eat the food by placing a second note, which I was sure she'd read.

****†***†****†*****†****

Hitting the songs on the high notes, I closed my eyes, enjoying the music. Not caring for the world, I drowned myself with the demands of the crowd that kept piling in inside the club today. I took in a deep breath and changed the song as per the sequence.

Thinking about how my day passed, I couldn't help but chuckle. I couldn't find Julie anywhere when I entered my apartment and, to my surprise, she cleaned all the mess. Waiting for Liara to call me, my eyelids shut down, and I woke up when my alarm blared near my ear at seven forty-five pm.

I checked my phone but did not find a single call from her or Julie. Getting ready for the club, I called Drake for the updates, and he said that Logan signed the papers after he was taken care of.

Everything went as planned except Liara and Julie. I saw Julie in the club, but she ignored me and I guess Liara did the same. Shuffling another song on the loop, I moved past the sweaty crowd to the pantry as I badly needed air.

In the pantry, I grabbed a few pizza slices and heated them in the microwave. My phone is constantly vibrating in my pocket, irritating me. Taking a bite, I checked the caller. Furrowing my brows, I wondered why Anthony, out of all people, would call me. As I attempted to receive it, the call got disconnected.

My heart started thumping louder and louder, expecting what would have gone wrong. I felt my phone vibrating in my hand. Looking down, Anthony's name flashed again. Without delaying any longer, I picked it up.

"Where the fuck are you! Liara is in danger! She is in the Shimmers Club. Please look after her. As she said, she walked out of the building through an emergency exit. I am still on my way. Go!" His words were in a hurry and my legs followed suit without even waiting for a second.

The song boomed in the background and I noticed the lock of the emergency exit was open. My hands pushed the door aside, and I hastily looked at the surroundings. Water splashing on my body, drenching me, but I didn't bother to stop. Walking away from the club, I heard noises. Not phased with the heavy rain and the thunderstorm, my mind focused on the noises.

Taking a swift turn, my body felt like it hit a wall. My eyes couldn't believe what I just witnessed. I stood rooted to the ground as if I felt my breath caught in my throat.

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