Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Four
Aht
Aht ordered his n to clean up.
As the noise of the aftermath settled, boots scraping, weapons being collected, and bodies dragged away, he caught snippets of conversation drifting through the courtyard.
"Why is it always that woman causing trouble? In every Villa" one of them muttered.
"For peace’s sake, no Villa infiltrate another but whenever you hear soone has, it’s her. And nobody cares to attack her? Is it because she’s a woman?"
Another laughed. "Trouble or not, she’s hot."
A third scoffed. "I don’t care how she looks. I wish all our assassins had her guts."
Soone else cut in, more serious. "She’s not just an assassin. She’s a boss. The only female Mafia boss."
Aht smirked to himself.
So they liked her. Or at least, respected her.
That was... interesting. He wasn’t exactly angry at them and he certainly wasn’t angry that she created this ss. He should have but he wasn’t.
He turned and headed inside the Villa.
His parents were exactly where he imagined they would be, his mother seated stiffly on the couch, and his father already on his feet the mont Aht stepped into their bedroom.
"Why did you ask them to lock in?" his father demanded, voice sharp with wounded pride.
Aht sighed and scratched the back of his head. "You’ve retired. Mum would never forgive if I made you fight. And besides, Markus ca back."
As if summoned by his na, Markus walked in behind him, jacket half-open, his expression calm. Probably because he knew what was happening.
"It was for the best, Uncle," Markus added easily. "If we couldn’t handle the attack outside and they broke in, who would have protected Mum?" It never got old, that Markus called Aht’s father, Uncle but mother, mum.
That did it.
His father exhaled slowly, the tension easing from his shoulders. He didn’t argue again.
Then his mother spoke.
"What is going on?" she asked, eyes moving between them. "I thought there was peace now among all organizations."
Aht and Markus exchanged a look and smiled. Carefully and politely. Like two boys trying not to get grounded or lectured.
"We destroyed so warehouses," Aht said lightly. "The owner decided to scare us. But we are past those tricks. It’s been handled."
Her eyes narrowed. "Why would you destroy another organization’s warehouses?"
"Mum, you know we can’t..." Aht stopped, choosing his words. "We just needed to destroy them. The reason would irritate you more than the destruction itself."
She opened her mouth to argue but Markus was already moving, and looping an arm around her shoulders. One minute they were in battle field and the other, they were sons.
"How about I take you to one of Lisa’s concerts?" he asked smoothly.
Her irritation faltered. "Concert? She’s on break. Wait... has she announced sothing?"
"I have my sources," Markus said, lying without blinking. "She’ll be touring very soon." His eyes shot Aht a sign to better ask her to do that.
Her face lit up instantly. Just like that, the invasion was forgotten. Aht watched it happen with mild amusent, then decided there was no point delaying it.
"I’m going to be a father." The words left him easily, almost warmly. A faint smile tugged at his lips before he could stop it.
Then the room went quiet.
The smile faded quickly. His gaze lifted, moving from one face to the next, lingering and waiting.
"What?" Markus shouted, spinning toward him.
"Really?" his mother gasped, already half out of her seat.
His father’s brows drew together. "Who is the mother?"
They all said at the sa ti.
"I need to plan the wedding," his mother continued breathlessly. "Have you two decided on the date?"
Aht laughed softly and lifted a hand. "Calm down, Mum. One step at a ti."
"Who is she?" his father asked again, slower this ti, as the answer might bruise him.
"Yeah," Markus added, eyes wide, incredulous. "Who is she?"
Aht opened his mouth, then closed it. His chest felt tight.
"She’s... not regular," he finally said.
His mother shot to her feet imdiately. "Not regular? Aht, I told you an assassin will never help you build a family."
"She’s not an assassin," he said quickly.
"Then what?" his father barked. "The only won in this field are assassins or..." His voice dropped with disgust. "don’t tell you got so prostitute pregnant."
"What?" Aht recoiled. The word alone made his stomach turn. "No. Never." Never compare Asli to that, he wanted to warn.
"Then who is she?" his father pressed. "If she’s not an assassin or a prostitute, is she one of the thieves?"
Markus scoffed sharply. "Uncle, how low do you think of won in this field? There are hackers, doctors, lawyers, plumbers, hairstylists, carpen..."
"Those are regular," the older man cut in. "He said she’s not."
Markus paused, then shrugged. "Right. In our world, assassins are the regulars. Everyone else is... irregular."
"Oh." His mother’s facials softened, relief sneaking in. "Then who? Who among the female doctors? Is it the lady who always wears the purple hair band? I like how she speaks, she’s soft spoken. Wait, or is it one of the hairstylists?"
"Right, Aht?" Markus asked as if he didn’t already know who Aht was talking about. He nearly wanted to strangle Markus for his silly remarks.
His mother continued, unstoppable now. "Is it the woman who made the new coffee table in your father’s study room? She’s good-looking but clumsy. However, if that’s who you like, I guess it’s okay."
Aht cleared his throat.
She stopped talking and then suddenly clapped her palms together as if finally figuring out who the woman was. "I know. It’s one of the security’s second daughter. The other day, I saw you two in the corridor talking."
Aht swallowed the big lump in his throat. This was a bad idea. And Markus shot him a look sharp enough to cut. Aht exhaled.
"Okay, fine. She’s regular," he finally said. The whole conversation was making him dizzy. What was wrong with wanting to be with soone who was just like him?
"Who the fck is she?" His father’s patience snapped.
Aht thought for a while. Once he said it, there was no undoing it. They were going to find out anyway so the earlier the better. However, was now the right ti? When she had just created this ss.
"It’s Asli." He decided to say it. Regardless of what their comnts were, she was going to be the woman of his child. The only woman.
"Who?" his father’s question echoed slowly in his head.
Markus exploded. "Yeah, who? You fcking got her pregnant. Do you know how much you’ve ruined her career? Scratch that, you’ve ruined her life. Her father is going to kill her. You rat!" Markus was angry and he could understand why. His points were valid, but why did it feel like he was attacking him? Maybe he knew he was right and that was why it felt like an attack.
Aht flinched.
"You knew about this?" His parents turned to Markus who looked angry himself.
"Why the hell am I being asked this?" Markus snapped. "Do you know what her father would do to her?" he was getting angrier every second Aht wasn’t saying anything.
"She’s the daughter of that man!" Aht’s father roared. "How dare you? Just like her father, she has set her evil eyes on this Villa. See what she caused today. You will never bring her into this family."
"She’s nothing like him," Aht said, his voice right as he defended her.
"Yeah, she’s worse. I forbid you from seeing her again." His mother chipped.
Did they hear themselves? Did they forget she was carrying his child?
"How could you?" his father asked in a whisper. And before Aht could say anything more, he was cut off by the older man. "I have never opposed anything you do. But this, this is sothing I’ll be ashad of for the rest of my life."
Sothing in Aht snapped.
"Really?" he said hoarsely. "You killed her family and still speak like you’re innocent? You made her an orphan. If not for you, she wouldn’t have grown up with a task as heavy as this. She ca here today because of what you did years ago. If not for you, she might have..."
"And if I had the chance," his father replied coldly, "I would have killed her too. It would’ve been best instead of leaving a tool for that man to make a weapon of."
Aht couldn’t believe his ears. His heart slamd violently against his ribs.
"No. Maybe if you had left her family alive, she would never have beco a weapon. You ruined her life." Aht continued, refusing to be blad for loving her.
"You think I fueled her vengeance?"
"You are the cause of her vengeance!" he responded. The words tore out of him before he could stop them. He wasn’t thinking clearly anymore. He had staked his life on believing his father was innocent. And yet, here he was, being told that loving her was an unforgivable sin.
"You’ve disappointed ." His father said quietly. The calm in his voice hurt more than the shouting ever could.
"Do you hate her that much?" This ti, Markus was the one who asked. Aht couldn’t speak. His throat closed, and his chest tightened, like every word he wanted to say had been crushed before it could surface.
"My war with her father has nothing to do with her. And it started long before any of you could hold your first gun." His father concluded and just like that, Aht knew he had heard those words before.
Asli spoke them before.
He turned slowly, his gaze moving from his father to his mother. She looked fragile and shaken, on the verge of falling until Markus stepped in and held her tighter. Tears shimred in her eyes, and sothing inside Aht cracked at the sight.
What did Marco do to his family?
Reviews
All reviews (0)