"Uncle, please, I’m begging you," Maxwell stamred, his voice trembling with desperation. His knees buckled as he clung to Lucius’s legs. "I swear, I’ll never go near Roderick again. I didn’t an to hurt him, I promise. I just lost control. A few punches... that’s all I intended."
Lucius lood over him, his piercing gaze colder than the steel barrel pressed against Maxwell’s chin.
"Boss," Aiden interjected cautiously, glancing at his phone. "Roderick’s throwing a fit. Roger’s been sending ssages nonstop. He says you should let Maxwell go," he added with unease.
Lucius’s jaw tightened as his grip on the gun steadied and his voice dripped with nace. "And what guarantee do I have," he growled, his finger hovering dangerously close to the trigger, "that you won’t lose your temper and try to harm my nephew again?"
Maxwell’s breaths ca in ragged gasps, tears streaming down his face as he frantically shook his head. "I swear on everything, Uncle! It will never happened again. I’ll stay away from Roderick! Just... please, give one more chance."
Lucius shoved Maxwell with a sharp thrust, sending him sprawling onto the cold floor. Maxwell landed with a thud, groaning as he scrambled to crawl backward, desperate to put so distance between himself and Roderick’s enraged uncle. His trembling hands wiped at the tears streaking down his face, though it did little to mask his fear.
Lucius’s steely gaze shifted, settling on the two gangsters standing near the corner. They flinched under his scrutiny, their faces were pale and were drenched in sweat.
"And you two," Lucius growled, his voice dangerously low. He raised an eyebrow, the weight of his authority crushing. "Which gang do you belong to?"
The n exchanged frantic glances, their knees almost buckling. One finally stamred out, "W-We’re... w-with the Shadow Viper... sir."
Lucius’s lips curled into a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. "The Shadow Vipers," he repeated. "Did you get a hold on their gang leader?" He tilted his head over his shoulder to look at Aiden.
"Yes, Boss," Aiden replied.
"Lock these two and send Maxwell ho," Lucius ordered and turned to leave when the two n shouted at the sa ti.
"Please leave us too. We did nothing. We were rely following the orders," one of them said in desperation.
"I don’t want blood in my hands these days. So, keep quiet until your leader is caught," Lucius sternly said and turned on his heels, walking out. Aiden followed him closely and handed him the phone.
"Yes, Roger?" Lucius asked as he stepped into the backseat of his car.
"It’s , Uncle. I’m at your house. I thought you would co here first," Roderick said.
"I’m on my way to the ho," Lucius replied, gesturing to Aiden to drive.
"What about Maxwell? You didn’t do anything to him, did you? We are civilians. I understand he made a mistake, but it’s between and him. So, please don’t do anything which brings in a tight spot," Roderick requested.
"I showed rcy on Maxwell. I’ll be there soon. Let’s talk then," Lucius said and hung up the call.
Roderick lowered Roger’s phone and returned it to him.
"What did Lucius say?" Layla asked, her voice tinged with worry as she glanced at Roderick.
"Uncle didn’t do anything to Maxwell," Roderick replied, his tone uneasy. He cast a sharp glare at Roger, who was seated on the couch a few steps away.
Roger t his gaze with a stern expression. "What? Don’t look at like that!" he snapped. "I did it for your safety. Do you even understand how these gangs operate? They could’ve seriously hurt you. If you’d gotten so much as a scratch, Boss wouldn’t have let Maxwell live," he proclaid with conviction.
Roderick lowered his head, his fingers fidgeting as guilt and confusion swirled within him.
Layla sighed softly. "Lucius is only trying to protect you, Rick," she said gently. "I know his thods aren’t to your liking, but believe , he won’t harm or kill anyone without reason. You need to trust him." Her tone was soothing while her gaze was warm. "Would you like so herbal tea? I picked so up earlier—it’s chamomile. It’ll help you relax, especially in this cold weather," she added with a small smile.
Roderick hesitated but eventually nodded. "Sure," he agreed.
"I’ll be back in a mont," Layla said, rising from her seat and heading to the kitchen.
The room fell into an awkward silence as Roger and Roderick avoided each other’s eyes. It wasn’t until Layla returned with a maid carrying a tray that the tension began to ease. The maid carefully placed the tray on the table while Layla poured the steaming tea into three cups.
"Here," Layla said, handing a saucer to Roderick.
"Thanks," Roderick murmured as he accepted it, wrapping his hands around the warm cup.
Roger eagerly grabbed his cup and took a slow sip, savoring the soothing brew.
Layla glanced at him, her tone casual but curious. "So, how have you been doing behind our backs, Roger?"
Roger raised an eyebrow at her question. "I’ve been doing fine," he replied evenly.
"And Sylvia?" Layla pressed gently. "She hasn’t caused you any trouble after that incident, right?"
Roderick’s gaze flicked to Roger, curiosity piqued. ’What incident?’ he wondered.
Roger shook his head. "No, Sylvia hasn’t contacted ," he affird firmly.
"Good," Layla said with a satisfied nod. "You’re part of our family, Roger. Always rember that," she added with a warm smile.
Roger blinked, taken aback by her words. A rare warmth filled his chest, and he couldn’t help the small, genuine smile that spread across his face. "Thank you for saying that, Layla," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.
"Did Sylvia again create trouble?" Roderick finally asked with curiosity.
"Well, she does not like my presence," Roger said.
"You must have bothered her the way you do to ," Roderick remarked.
Roger simply smiled. However, Roderick felt there was sothing more to the story. "Was her brother like her? I know Uncle Matteo was kinder," he asserted.
"Yeah. Matteo was a kind soul," Roger agreed with his statent, a subtle smile playing on his lips as he sipped more tea.
~~~~~
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