Chapter 21
AXEL’S POV:
The room was simple. No need for complicated furnishings since I o
occasionally use this house. Mahogany furniture, custom–designed chandeliers, and marble floors. The walls were a muted shade
of gray, adorned with minimalist art–pieces chosen for their precision rather than emotion. A bar sat in the corner, stocked with top–shelf liquor that rarely saw use. The airs
it smelled faintly of leather and cigars, though I neither smoked nor lingered here long enough to drink.
Grabbing my suit jacket and phone, I stepped into the corridor, where over thirty men stood at attention. Their heads were bowed in reverence, their black suits masking the firepower some carried beneath. A few had shoulder holsters peeking out, straps taut against their broad frames. These weren’t just men–they were soldiers bound to me by loyalty and fear, their lives pledged by an oath I ensured they would never dare break.
Walking past them, not a single head rose as I moved through their ranks. My presence was enough to keep them subdued. Ryan stood ahead, holding the car door open to the black sedan in the center of the convoy. Eight vehicles total–four in front, four behind–all armored, all ready.
I entrusted Ryan with training and vetting the men around me. Most of them had grown under his watchful eye molded into weapons from the time they were boys. They would lay down their lives without hesitation, not out of love, but because they knew what happened to those who crossed me. Betrayal wasn’t an option; I made sure of that.
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Sliding into the back seat, I fastened my seatbelt, letting the leather encase me as Ryan shut the door and rounded the car to take his place beside me. The engines roared to life, and the convoy moved as one.
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The ride from my ‘deal house‘ to my estate took four hours, every mile a reminder of the world controlled and the enemies waiting to see me fall. When we arrived, the gates opened soundlessly, revealing the sprawling mansion surrounded by high walls and armed guards patrolling the perimeter.
It remains a puzzling mystery how they could be so careless as to let a tiny woman slip away unnoticed.
As I stepped out, Katie was waiting at the entrance, her face a mask of calm as always. She moved with precision as if anticipating my every need.
“Welcome home, sir,” she greeted, taking my jacket as I shrugged it off.
“Where’s my princess?” I asked, not breaking stride.
“She’s asleep,” Katie replied. “She waited for you as long as she could.
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She was too precious to be corrupted by
Oh, my princess. She’d already retired for the night, unaware of my presence. This was the norm; she’d grown accustomed to my absence, especially on nights when I’d taken a life. I’d deliberately kept my distance, fearing my darkness would taint her innocence. She was too pre
my evil.
But with my health in decline, I’d been making a conscious effort to spend more time with her prepared for that eventuality if it was the only way out
Ryan’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Katie, where’s Dr. Cedric?”
“In the medical room,” she answered,
cherishing every moment before death claimed me. I was
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I nodded, and Ryan immediately understood–this was
meeting!
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bird
I turned left down the hallway, then right, approaching the unassuming wall adorned with a seemingly innocuous decoration that concealed the entrance. Twisting it from left
tor
a
tamp. The bird–shaped lamp was the key, right, the wall slid open soundlessly, revealing the room beyond.
This secret space was strictly off–limits to everyone except Dr. Cedric, Katie, Ryan, and me. While Katie and Ryan had access, they rarely entered unless I explicitly summoned them for cleaning or restocking.
The private medical room was unlike any other space in my home. Sterile and clinical, its stark white walls and stainless steel counters were a world away from the opulence outside. Cabinets lined the walls, filled with meticulously labeled medical supplies, while an operating table stood in the center, its surface gleaming under harsh fluorescent lights.
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Or Cette rose from the sofa as I entered, his expression unreadable. He was older, his once–black hair now streaked with silver, but his sharp eyes missed noting. His demeanor was all business, although he was a doctor.
tval, he greeted, arms outstretched.
1 accepted the rare gesture, patting his back briefly. Cedric was one of the few people who dared touch me without consequence. He had worked for Blackwood The first, before my time, but now his loyalty and his fear–belonged entirely to me.
Talking a seat on the couch opposite him, I wasted no time. “It’s getting worse,” I said.
Cedric nodded, listening as I described the episodes how billing or even sex left me drained in ways I couldn’t ignore and the pain that came during or after those moments.
He began running tests, his movements efficient as he drew blood, checked my vitals, and scanned for answers. Two hours passed, each one marked by silence and the cold efficiency of his work.
When he finally turned to me, his face was heavy with the same grim lock he wore the day he first told me about my heart.
“ool, I’m afraid
you’ve deteriorared further the sluggistily let out. “The holle in your heart is expanding rapidly.”
“I can feel it 1 admitted, my tone world of surprise
Cedric sighed, “And we will don’t know the cause this only something en before it’s beyond science.”
Heaned back, exhaling sharply, “Then there’s no solution What about new fear.
Cedric shook his head, folding his coal and placing it in his briefs were a standard defect, maybe. But this… this is something else entirely.”
Then, his tone softened, almost hesitant. “Perhaps you should consition going spiritual, Seek God.
I stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in God? What use would cut have for someone like me? I wasn’t just a sinner–I was the devil himself.
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Chapter 22
