✨ Zale's POV ✨

I fucking hate public events and I had no plan to going to one either if not for her. She surely missed her family, her father and her brother and going to that event was one way of making her meet them.

Yeah, I know it was selfish, I can easily release her and then she would be with her family but no, I am fucking selfish and she is not going anywhere. Not until I get Alaska.

I groaned remembering what all happened last night. So fucking wrong. And it took everything in me to not kiss her last night. And back at home if she would have been sober then I would have taken her to my room and shown her just how sore I can make her.

She didn't come out of her room this morning for breakfast so I ate it alone. How long will she hide from me? She has to face me eventually and the embarrassment that will come along with it.

How much will she remember from last night? I want her to remember everything because damn, the second hand embarrassment I felt last night...she has to feel it too, I won't let her escape it.

As I was done with the breakfast, I heard Alaric cry, so I went upstairs to check on him. As I was about to enter his nursery, she came out of her room, her hair messy and cheeks flushed and when she saw me, her eyes widened and she blushed hard before averting her gaze and going inside the nursery. She picked up Alaric in her arms and avoiding me, went inside her room again and closed the door.

I gave her sometime to gather herself, so I went inside my study and focused on my work instead.

But I couldn't. My mind kept going back to her again and again. How fucking adorably she grinned last night.

"How much do you hate me?" She had asked yesterday morning. She should have asked if I even hate her at all.

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair. She looked so fucking gorgeous last night, like a goddess.

Fuck. I need a shower.

Frustrated at myself I headed upstairs to my room which was opposite to hers but I guess she never figured out which room is mine or else she would have stabbed me in my sleep.

After I was done with the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked out of room and found her going inside hers but she shrieked when she saw me almost naked and covering her eyes went inside her room and was about to close the door but I placed my palm over it, pushing it wide open.

"Wear some clothes for fuck's sake!" She scolded, keeping her back to me.

I walked closer to her. "Why? Is it bothering you?"

"Yes! Cause you are acting like a pervert!"

I chuckled at that. "Pervert and me? Do you even remember what all you did last night?"

She glanced over her shoulders, her cheeks red. "Shut up!"

"What? Now you are feeling embarrassed? What happened last night, huh?" And I walked closer to her until my front was pressed to her back.

"I was drunk." She said trying to defend herself.

"Oh, that you were. Very drunk but you know people speak the truth whenever they are drunk."

And leaning down, I whispered in her ear huskily, "And you asked me to be your sugar daddy last night."

Her body stiffened. "I...I... remember what all I did last night, you don't need to remind me. And..."

"And?"

"I am sorry for the trouble." She muttered in a defeated tone.

I clicked my tongue. "Nah. I enjoyed it and especially because I got to know that how much you want me." And I trailed a finger down her bare arm making her shiver.

"I...I don't want you, you asshole! You really need to learn to be humble."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically.

"Y-yes."

"Okay."

She sighed in relief. "Yeah...okay...now...go away...I am busy..."

"Doing what?"

"Something..."

I turned her around and wrapping my arm around her waist pulled her flush against my body. I tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear with the other hand and leaned down until my lips hovered above hers. "You can do me instead."

Her eyes widened to their full extent and she turned red as a tomato and punched my chest. "Leave me, you fucking pervert! I don't want you! You...you kidnapped me! Why will I want you?!"

Smirking at her reaction, I dipped my head and brushed my lips at the corner of her mouth making her go still and I then released her. "Okay, as you say."

And before she could start throwing punches at me or burst with embarrassment, I turned around and left her room, smiling to myself.

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It was late afternoon as I sat on the couch in the living room, working on my laptop and Jezebel finally decided to come down with Alaric in her arms.

I watched her as she stood infront of me and cleared her throat. "I need a number of things for Alaric, everything in that bag is almost finished. Give me your car and I will go shopping."

I closed my laptop and raised a brow at her and she said, "I am not going to run away, okay? I will just go and buy him a few things." No, she won't run. Something happened with her dad last night, something changed after that. But still...

"You can make a list and give it to me and I'll buy it."

"No. I want to go out, I am bored sitting here all day. Please, Zale."

Fuck. Whenever she calls me by my name it does things to me.

"Okay. My driver will take you wherever you want but leave Alaric here."

"Who will look after him then?"

"I will. Duh."

She looked unsure but nodded slowly. "Okay." And she handed him to me. I took out my wallet and pulled out my credit card and handed it to her.

Neither she had any cash or her credit cards or her phone so she had to take my card and in any way, I wouldn't have let her use her money.

I made a call, instructing my driver as she went upstairs to get ready.

"Hey, my angel." I said to Alaric once I ended the call, stroking his cheek. God, his skin is so soft. And I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

I cradled him to my chest and opened my laptop with the other hand and started to scroll through the emails with him sleeping in my arms.

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"What's his name?" Maverick finally asked after sitting beside me for almost an hour.

I looked up from my laptop at him. I was still pissed off at him for his reaction when I told him I have a son. "Alaric." I replied in a cold tone.

"Can I...hold him...?"

I shot him a glare. "I thought you wanted to give him to the Japanese."

He looked hurt. "Look. I am sorry for what all I said, okay? I was shocked that you suddenly have a kid. I shouldn't have said that, I am sorry."

I closed my laptop and keeping it aside, slowly handed Alaric to him, Mav looked uncomfortable as he held him because he didn't know how to hold a child.

"Careful." I warned him and adjusted him in his arms.

Alaric was awake at the moment and he looked up at him curiously and Mav did the same thing.

Slowly he lifted his hand grabbed his little one in his and lightly shook his hand. "Hello, Alaric." And he smiled softly at him.

"Can I teach him all the bad words as soon as he starts speaking?" He asked looking very excited.

I rolled my eyes. "No. Don't you dare spoil him."

"Aww...you are no fun..."

Jezebel also said the same thing to me last night. But where is she? I checked the time. She had been gone for three hours, shopping for a baby doesn't take so much time.

My jaw clenched realising she might have even ran away and I instantly stood up, ready to drag her back here. She can't do that to me.

"What happened?" Mav asked standing beside me.

I took out my phone and dialled my driver's number but he didn't pick up and tried once more.

"Fuck." I cursed. "I think she ran away."

"Are you serious? Who told you to let her go anyway?!"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Then I remembered she was wearing that watch I gifted her last night and I had put a tracker in it. So I pulled up the app on my phone and tracked her.

No. She wasn't at a store. She was quite far from the main town and she wasn't moving either.

Why do I have a feeling she is in danger? Then it dawned upon me. The Japanese. Someone must have saw us together last night and they might have thought she is important to me (which she is) and they think they can use her to their advantage. Fucking no.

"Mav, tell everyone to get ready. We need to kill some motherfuckers."

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It was a huge, old mansion and it used to be their old headquarters. And I gestured my men to surround the building and Mav and I cocked our guns and keeping it pointed ahead, we counted to three before bursting in through the front door. Surprise fuckers!

No one was there, empty bottles were lying around and dust coated every surface.

My few of my other men followed behind us and I told them to search the first floor and each and every room.

We searched through the ground floor and when I met Mav back in the middle, we heard a groan.

Our heads snapped to the door at the very end which I guess led to the backyard, we rushed towards it and I kicked opened the door bursting out in the backyard.

The scene infront of me surprised us. Jezebel stood in the middle, panting and in an attacking position while at least ten men around her laid on the ground, some with their nose bleeding, some with their arm twisted in a weird way, all alive but unconscious.

She sighed in relief when she saw me and her body relaxed, a bruise was forming on her jaw and a drop of blood trickled from her nose.

"Fuck." Mav muttered beside me. "She just earned my respect."

"She always had my respect." I told him, feeling fucking proud of her. It was true, I always respected, way before capturing her.

She started to walk towards me, stepping over the bodies. I lowered my gun as she neared me, she looked extremely exhausted. "They...they are all unconscious...and hurt...just leave them now... let's go home..."

Did she just say home?

And she took a step forward before her legs trembled and she fell forward and I wrapped hands around her, steadying her. Her face was pressed into my chest and I noticed that she went unconscious.

I tucked away my gun and picked her up in my arms, my one hand wrapping around her thighs and the other over her shoulder.

"What the fuck do we do with them?" Mav pointed to the bodies.

I had planned to kill them all but she told me not to. "Call Ruslan. He will take care of them."

Mav scoffed. "You want that fucking coward to take care of them. That man's seriously a coward--"

"Learn to respect his decision, Maverick." I snapped. "At least he is better than us all."

Maverick scoffed again but kept quiet and I carried Jezebel out of the house and sitting inside the car, held her close.

Pulling out my handkerchief, I held it to her nose, wiping away the blood and I kissed her forehead. "I am so proud of you, princess."

"Am I missing something?" Maverick asked, sitting beside me, looking baffled.

I cleared my throat and sat straight. "No."

"Zale, are you in lo--"

"No, Maverick. Shut up."

Am I in love with her? I looked down at her sleeping face looking so peacefully. I remember all those moments where she made my heart flutter.

But...no. No. I can't.

I forced myself to look away from her and for the rest of the ride, I stared out of the window.

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I tucked her in her bed after getting her checked, beside the bruise on her jaw and the slight concussion, she was alright.

I just couldn't bring myself to leave her alone for the whole night, what if she wakes up and because of the concussion she doesn't remember things or she needs something.

So after much contemplation, I slipped in the bed beside her, her back to me.

I watched her for a few minutes before she shifted and turned around and faced me and her arm extended towards me and rested on my chest.

I placed my hand over hers and rubbed circles on the back of her palm and she shifted closer to me and my breath hitched.

And once again she shifted closer until her face brushed my chest. I have never cuddled anyone besides Maverick when he was a kid.

So, hesitantly, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer, her face burying in my chest and her arm wrapping around my body. My heart fucking skipped a beat and resting my chin on top of her head, I closed my eyes hoping for a peaceful sleep.

Chapter completion on: 17/6/22
Published on: 27/6/22