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===== Chapter 30 [ Part 3 ] =====

Peach fiddles with the hem of her pink shirt. Head resting against the car's window. Her bright blue eyes may appear drinking the outside scenery, but nothing really reflects on her gaze as she is still deep in thoughts.

She hasn't exactly moved on from all the information Dante gave her. Or, to be more specific—her eyes dart towards the white paper bag beside her—she cannot actually dare to process it in the moment.

"That phone..." she mumbles

It is familiar...

It's strange how it was so familiar to her.

While Peach was still caught off guard by Ia's deceptive facade by the revelation of Dante, the surprise eventually faded away as her attention was then snatched by a certain phone her frenemy had retrieved from a gadget repairing store they visited after the arcade.

It doesn't have a phone case, but the wallpaper... She has seen it once. No, not once— multiple times!

She looks at Dante who still did not spare her a glance. Peach extends her arm out to him and tugs on his sleeve. "Dante.. that is not your phone, right?"

He cocks his head to her.

"What do you think?" He didn't bother to conceal it from Pinkie anymore—why bother? He had already exposed a lot of information to her. And maybe, he didn't want to really admit it; but he was starting to trust her a little.

A little, just a little.

"That was (Y/N)'s old phone!" Pinkie exclaims, as if she isn't confirming it to him anymore. "No doubt that was! I don't think you'll make [BL Couple] your wallpaper when you didn't even watch the anime!"

She lets out a laugh, placing a hand on her temple, as if she just couldn't believe the truth.

"[BL Couple] what—" Dante was confused. He didn't really care about that wallpaper. Okay, maybe he slightly did. He found the two anime boys kissing interesting before and found himself wondering if you were interested in this.

But now?

Fuck! All it brought him was nausea as it only reminded him of that disgusting scene.

"— That's not the important question!" Pinkie shakes her head, once and then twice. "The important question is did you respect (Y/N)'s privacy?! Did you or did you not go over her phone?!"

She raises a hand, turning it into a fist, as if to threaten to pummel him if he said the wrong answer.

Dante gave her a glance, but it didn't stay too long because he had to focus on the road. "Well, I wanted to," He sighs, sensing the fist seem to inch closer to his face. "But I didn't, so get that hell out of my face, Peach," he curses under his breath.

Peach's eyes sparkled.

Suddenly, he felt his cheek get squished. Well, thankfully it's not a punch, but fuck it still hurts! "Hey, stop! I'm driving over here! You're gonna fucking get us killed, Peach!"

Peach pinches his cheeks harder, and Dante has to keep the car to the side and press the brakes for their safety! While he is a reckless motherfucker, he cannot dare to be reckless in the road and get themselves killed.

"Hey, what in the heck is wrong with you!"

Peach finally releases her grip on him as she slaps her cheeks this time. "Am I fucking dreaming?! Not only was I able to get to see and interact with (Y/N) earlier, but I also didn't get to be called a bitch by Dante for the first time in years."

Oh, shit! His mouth slipped.

"No, you're not dreaming! You're probably high right now. I didn't say your name. I called you bitch!" Dante angrily denied, but the tip of his ears were already dusted pink.

"Pshhhhh!" Pinkie laughs, elbowing him. "It's fine, Dante! Don't be so embarrassed! I have always treated you as a friend. Or in better term, a frenemy! Ever since you helped me that day with my friendship with (Y/N), I just know you're not all that meany-meany in that cold heart of yours."

Dante shoves her away, but he's really flustered as heck.

"What are you saying?! Meany-meany?! Why are you making it sound like I'm cute! I'm not cute! I'm cool. Just call me an asshole, I would have preferred it," Dante mumbles the last sentence before darting away his glance from the beaming fool.

What the fuck!

He is totally acting so cute right now. Peach gapes at his friend, and she suddenly has the urge to pinch him again but suppresses herself to not to.

She instead decides to giggle and tease him, "If (Y/N) sees you acting like this, she would agree with me and say that you're cute."

Dante's face explodes like tomato.

"Peach," the blonde man exhales.

He looks at her as if seeming to hesitate but decides to continues with his words anyways, "The last time you teased your cousin with (Y/N), he ended up dying. Are you... also trying to plan my death?"

And that did the job.

The smile on her face fades. She pales, and she stiffens in her seat. Oh, Kielle. Right, Kielle.

Peach doesn't say anything anymore after that. How could she; the disappearance of Kielle in their lives is a part of her fault too— a huge part of her fault.

Dante sighs in relief. He can finally proceed driving in peace. So he presses the accelarator again and just calmly welcomes the awkward tension.

This silence anyways would always be better than being reminded of his unrequited crush with the woman that his boss is head over heels for.

• • • • •

[ Sunday ]

Ely takes a back. Her figure, a trembling mess. She tries to excuse herself out of the danger; but too bad for her— the black haired man before her is not someone who would let anyone go.

Especially, when he didn't get what he needed.

"Alessio! Please let me go!"

Tears stream out from her eyes, but it never evoke pity from the said man. Only, the crave to shoot her right in the head.

"Alessio, please! I did everything that you said! I stayed away from her like you asked me to. I destroyed our friendship like you asked me to, so why? Why are back here threatening me again?"

Alessio's silver eyes glint. He doesn't reply to that. He only needs one thing. "The cat," he calmly says, "Give it to me."

Ely freezes.

"I don't have the ca—" A scream leaves her lip as Alessio shoots the ground, close to her feet.

"Don't make the Boss repeat it."

Murder's brow furrowed, touching his ear for a second. As a blind person, all his other senses are naturally enhanced. While he's used to all the gunshots and anything else, the scream by this lady was too pitchy for his liking.

"Give him the cat."

Ely drops to her knees as if to succumb. "I swear! I swear! I don't have the cat right now!" she cries.

"So you did have it earlier?" Murder asks.

The brown haired girl doesn't want to answer but she find her hands on the ground being cruelly stomped on by the polished black shoes of Alessio.

"Argh!!! Yes! Yes! I took it outside, wa—was actually planning to return it to her but when I put the cage down for a second and lo—look away! It was gone!"

Ely is crying harder right now. At this point, her hand is already numb by the damage it went through by his foot and looks severely deformed.

Alessio's expression twitches.

He steps away and gives a cold silent glance to his right side, only to see no one to order and give his bloody shoe a polish.

He then suddenly remembers why, and it was because he had actually decided to beat him black and blue after discovering that scene yesterday.

That fool! Did he really think that he can carelessly touch his Queen just like that? Ever since he staked his claim on you, Alessio would never allow himself to be so tolerant again.

His bloodlust starts to spike; before he knows it, his vision turns red. He clicks the pistol that was aiming at Ely's head and...

BOOM!

"Boss! You killed her?! She was (Y/N)'s friend!" Murder cried out.

The smell of blood stinging his nose. It was a smell that he found himself getting fonder of throughout the years, but he never thought that his Boss would make a sudden move.

As if still consumed by anger, he shoots his subordinate this time in the arm.

"Boss?!" Murder let out an instant cry, clutching on to his bleeding arm.

Fuck, he really want to curse out loud. He badly wants to; but unlike the other subordinates that had been running off their mouths in front of this cruel man, he's more trained— more respectful.

"You don't get to call her her name. Call her Queen," Alessio spits out, coldly and with distaste, for hearing such disrespect from his man.

"Clean that mess," he then calmly concludes their small, measly conversation and walks away.

Murder can only stays in his position, silently listening to the every crunch his shoes make upon making contact with the dusty cemented ground. When he can hear none anymore, he tilts his head to the direction that Alessio went.

A chuckle leaving his lips.

"(Y/N)," he says with spite.