Fake
When Kaivan woke up, it was already midday. This was evident from the abundance of sunlight that managed to pierce through the large curtains covering the bedroom window.
Turning slightly, he found his wife still deeply asleep in his embrace, her arm serving as a pillow. One side of her face rested against Kaivan’s broad chest.
Seeing Anne in such a peaceful state made Kaivan unconsciously smile. Gazing at his wife’s beautiful face without blinking, he remained fixed on her for quite a while. Almost as if enchanted or perhaps hypnotized. Whatever it was, Kaivan felt that this was a new activity he must repeat every day. Yes, admiring Anne’s lovely face while she was still asleep seemed like a delightful pastime.
Satisfied with gazing at his wife’s face, Kaivan gently kissed her forehead and then her cheek in turn. This action caused the woman beside him to stir. She formed a faint smile, her eyes not fully open yet.
“Morning, Little Wife,” greeted Kaivan. Once again, he planted a kiss on Anne’s cheek without asking.
“Morning…” replied Anne, attempting to gather her consciousness. She then made an effort to open her eyelids.
“Did you sleep well?” Kaivan inquired. His hand extended to stroke Anne’s hair and then her innocent shoulder.
“Of course,” Anne replied with a nod. “I’ve told you before, my sleep is always sound when I’m embraced by you like this.”
Kaivan smiled. He held his wife tightly once more, not wanting to move away from her side even slightly.
“Aren’t you getting ready for work? I’m sure Mike must be quite puzzled trying to find you, and you’re nowhere to be found.”
Kaivan loosened his embrace. Instead of preparing to get up, he reached for Anna Maria’s face and began to kiss her. His kisses were lingering, as if what they had done last night was still not enough for him.
“In a little while,” he whispered. “I still want to be with you. Holding you, kissing you, or maybe…”
“Maybe what?” Anna Maria retorted.
“Maybe wanting to be inside you again?”
Anne chuckled and playfully pinched Kaivan’s stomach, making him grunt. She was quite exasperated by her husband’s behavior.
However, before she could voice her protest, her gaze fixated on the gunshot scar clearly visible on Kaivan’s chest. Slowly, Anne brought her hand up, gently stroking the area and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
Kaivan shook his head weakly.
“No. The pain is nothing compared to the thought of leaving you alone like I did yesterday.”
Anne raised her head, looking deeply into Kaivan’s face. She tried to fathom the honesty and hope that shone in his ocean-blue eyes.
“I won’t promise not to leave you. But I will try my best to stand by your side until the end of my days.”
Sweet.
Anne’s words instantly warmed Kaivan’s heart. Somehow, there was a magnetic quality about the beautiful woman that often left him feeling mixed up like he was now.
“Whatever it is, I won’t let you go from my side again.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
They embraced once more, spending their remaining time together before Anne eventually convinced Kaivan to get up and get ready for work. She was certain that her husband had plenty of deadlines and tasks to complete.
Indeed, just a few minutes after being in his office, Hans came to visit. He had a report to deliver to his colleague.
“How are you doing? Are you much better?”
Kaivan appeared busy, signing a few documents from the stack he was reading. Upon hearing Hans’ voice, he nodded and raised his face to respond.
“Like you see. The pain only comes occasionally. Otherwise, I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
After taking a seat, Hans retrieved a red folder from his bag and handed it directly to Kaivan for inspection.
“This is the report you asked for. I’ve marked the areas where the Sicilian people are residing. Some have already been apprehended following legal procedures.”
Kaivan took what Hans offered, opened it, and read it carefully.
“I’ll pass this report on to Noah. I’ll ask him to focus on capturing the remaining Luca members. If he faces any difficulties, I’ll have the Witch Hunter team intervene. One thing’s for sure, there shouldn’t be any more Sicilian people wandering out there.”
Hans smiled. He could clearly see the resolute determination in Kaivan’s two piercing blue eyes. The man was unwavering in his resolve. What had been spoken would undoubtedly be put into action. After all, Luca and his henchmen had to be eradicated from the face of the earth soon. There was no place for such merciless individuals.
“Whatever it is, if you need help, just let me know. I’m ready to assist you.”
“Thank you, Hans,” Kaivan sincerely responded. “I owe you a lot.”
Simultaneously, another man entered from the door. His presence this afternoon immediately prompted a puzzled expression from Kaivan. Why was his friend wandering around his hotel for the past two days?
“Goodness, Edward. What else do you want from me today?”
The man strolled casually towards Kaivan, taking a seat right next to Hans, who chuckled at his arrival.
“Nothing. I just met a client at a restaurant not far from your hotel. So, I decided to drop by. Is there something wrong with visiting you?”
Kaivan rolled his eyes.
“There’s nothing wrong per se. It’s just that your behavior has been quite odd since yesterday.”
“Who knows.” Edward shrugged. “Ever since I found out you got shot and almost lost your life, I’ve been worried about your condition.”
“Exaggerating as always,” Kaivan smirked. “You’re talking as if you’re my lover.”
“But by the way…” Edward continued. “I just bought two new weapons. One of them might be suitable for you. Do you want to see it?” He offered.
“Just bring it to the hotel tonight,” Kaivan replied. “I want to see the items you bought for myself.”
“Sure thing.” It was Hans’s turn to speak. He straightened up and got ready to leave. “Since my work is done, I’ll take my leave. If there’s any other information, I’ll report to you promptly.”
As Hans stood up, Edward seemed to do the same. Just like yesterday, he had come for a brief moment and decided to leave just as quickly.
“Well then, I’m taking off too. I’ll see you again tonight.”
****
“Are you sure you want to go to Veronica’s birthday party?” Kaivan inquired, making sure. His gaze was fixed on Anne, who had been pacing back and forth, choosing a dress to wear.
“Of course, I’m very sure. Why?” The woman turned to look at him. “Are you afraid to attend your ex’s party?” she accused with a sudden jest.
“Who’s afraid?” protested Kaivan, not taking it lightly.
“Then why ask? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to show everyone that I’m your wife? Let all those women who like to interfere realize that their competition is not up to par.”
Kaivan burst into laughter. It appeared that this was the reason his wife was insisting on attending Veronica’s birthday party. Even though it was clear that Veronica had been in several conflicts with him.
“Why are you laughing?” Anne wondered. Instead of promptly following her instructions, Kaivan continued to laugh.
“You’re quite amusing. Isn’t everyone in London or the United Kingdom aware that you’re the wife of Kaivan Maximilian? Even if our marriage was somewhat modest and seemed private, there were still plenty of media reports about our wedding.”
Anne nodded. What Kaivan said was indeed true. But it’s typical of women to always want recognition, right? Maybe it’s just a desire for the whole world to know who their significant other is.
“Yeah, whatever. I don’t care. Anyway, I want to make your exes realize who succeeded in having you now.”
Anne then approached, tugging on Kaivan’s left arm, forcing him to rise from his seat.
“Come on, quickly change your clothes. If you keep refusing, I’ll go with one of your friends.”
Kaivan squinted his eyes.
“Go with who? They all already have partners.”
“Maybe with Edward,” Anne confidently replied. Edward was currently on her mind. After all, he was the most handsome man after Kaivan. “If I’m not mistaken, among you guys, only he is still single, right? I’m sure Edward would agree if I asked him to accompany me.”
Kaivan immediately stood up. Without hesitation, he reached out and pinched both of Anne’s cheeks playfully.
“I’ll kill both of you if you dare to go without taking me along.”
Anne laughed. Rather than replying, she chose to pull Kaivan towards the walk-in closet, encouraging him to quickly pick his outfit.
“If you don’t want me to go with another guy, hurry up and get ready.”
Kaivan complied. It didn’t take him long to prepare himself. Together with Anne, he finally set off for the event venue located in the southern part of London.
Driving at a moderate speed, Kaivan and Anne arrived at a luxurious hotel precisely at eight in the evening. Holding his wife affectionately, Kaivan casually walked into the event venue.
There, many guests had already started to arrive. Upon closer inspection, numerous models and socialites mingled and interacted with each other.
Veronica herself, just like Anne, worked as a model. So, it’s no surprise that her birthday party tonight was dominated by guests from the entertainment circle.
“Happy to see you,” Veronica greeted Kaivan. She had been engaged in conversation with other guests, but she stopped and decided to approach her ex-boyfriend who had just entered the event space.
“Actually, I didn’t want to come. But since Anne kept insisting on attending your birthday party, I had no choice but to come tonight,” Kaivan honestly replied. He didn’t care if his words offended Veronica.
“It’s alright.” Veronica offered a smile. She didn’t care about the reason her ex-boyfriend came tonight. “Just seeing you here is more than enough for me.” Her gaze then shifted to the elegant figure Kaivan was tightly holding. “How are you, Anna Maria? It’s nice to meet you again,” she greeted politely.
“Good. Very good,” Anna Maria replied. “I congratulate you on your birthday. Hopefully, after this, you’ll find a man who’s everything you need, so you won’t disturb my husband anymore,” she remarked openly, causing Veronica to burst into laughter.
“I like your sense of humor. Besides, you don’t need to worry. I’ve already let Kaivan be yours.”
Veronica then invited her two guests to continue enjoying the party. Meanwhile, she returned to mingle with other guests who had just arrived at the event.
As the night grew later, the party became livelier. After cutting the cake, guests were invited to taste the dishes. Kaivan and Anne appeared to be enjoying the party without any worries. Unbeknownst to them, from a distance, someone had been observing their every move.
Glancing at his wristwatch, which indicated it was almost 10 o’clock, Kaivan intended to persuade Anne to leave. Although the party wasn’t over, he didn’t want to stay out too late, considering the event venue was quite far from their hotel.
“Are you satisfied?” Kaivan whispered to Anne, who was enjoying some pastries in her hands.
“Why? Do you want to take me home?” Anne guessed, and her husband’s nod confirmed her suspicion. “Let’s go home then. But I need to use the restroom first. I want to make sure my makeup is still perfect or if anything needs fixing.”
Kaivan let Anne go to the restroom while he continued to enjoy the party and converse with Veronica, who suddenly approached him again.
Meanwhile, inside the restroom, Anne quickly checked her makeup one by one. She reapplied the slightly faded nude lipstick on her petite lips. After tidying up her hair and dress, she prepared to leave.
However, just as she turned the doorknob, two men in smart attire blocked her way. With one swift motion, they covered Anne’s mouth while pointing a gun at her waist.
“Move even a bit, and I’ll make sure these hot bullets lodge in your belly,” one of them threatened.
Observing her surroundings, they slowly pulled Anne’s body. Leading her to walk away from the party area, they took her to the hotel’s rooftop on the 15th floor.
“What do you want from me here? I don’t even know you, let alone have any dealings with both of you,” Anne dared to ask. Still being held at gunpoint, she was led to the edge of the building.
“They don’t have any business with you,” someone from the rooftop door retorted. “But I do have business with you.”
He gave a sinister smile, walking arrogantly towards where Anna Maria was standing. He acted as if he had just captured a big prize that was ready to be executed.
“You shouldn’t have played games with me, Anna Maria,” he threatened.
“You-”
“Yes, me,” he interjected. “No need to be so surprised. You’ve made a big mistake playing with me.”
“Kaivan will finish you!” Anne shouted.
“Oh, really? It’s fine if your husband finishes me, but before that happens, let me finish your life first.”
With that sentence, a Ragging Bull pistol was pointed directly at Anna Maria’s temple. Any moment now, the owner of the gun could release the trigger, sending the bullet straight into her head.
Now, it’s just a matter of time. Would Anne’s life be saved again this time? Or would it end without anyone coming to her rescue?