Chapter 69&70
🖤 PHOENIX 🖤
I collapsed onto Rome’s body, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. I could feel his chest rising and falling heavily beneath me.
“You never cease to amaze me,” he remarked, his voice filled with admiration, as I lay beside him, a contented smile gracing my lips.
“Come here,” he beckoned, opening his arms wide for me to snuggle into, and I gladly obliged, nestling into the warmth of his embrace.
We lay like that for a while, basking in the afterglow of our passion, before Rome finally broke the silence.
“I think I need more,” he murmured, his tone playful, causing me to roll my eyes in mock exasperation.
“This is like the third round now,” I teased, rising from his embrace with a playful smirk.
“Ouch, you’re breaking my heart,” he feigned hurt, his hands reaching out towards me in a playful gesture of despair.
“Well, it’s your fault for being so sweet, not mine,” He countered, and me chuckling at his antics.
I glanced back at him as I made my way towards the bathroom, a mischievous glint in my eyes.
“Are you coming or what?” I called out, watching as his eyes widened in playful surprise.
“Who would say no to that invitation?” he replied with a grin, immediately springing up from the bed to join me.
What a funny guy! Our playful banter never failed to lift my spirits and deepen our connection, making moments like these all the more precious.
We finished our bath, though it was more than just a bath……we had set and, almost bordering on roughness, but had to restrain ourselves for the sake of the baby.
Rome kept playfully reminding me that once the baby arrived, we would have even more fun. His impatience was evident, often making me laugh at his eagerness.
After drying off, we slipped into our robes, preparing for dinner downstairs. As we descended the staircase hand in hand, Rome entertained me with his charming banter, eliciting laughter from me along the way.
Our laughter came to an abrupt halt as we reached the living area and laid eyes on his mother standing there. If looks could ki||, her gaze would have surely ended me right then and there.
“Rome,” Mrs. Dante greeted with a smile, approaching him eagerly. He returned the smile and released my hand to embrace his mother warmly.
“You look so pale,” she remarked, her hand gently touching his face in concern.
“No, I’m fine, just been doing a lot of workouts lately,” Rome reassured her, glancing in my direction before giving me a discreet wink. I couldn’t help but smile back, understanding his subtle message.
Mrs. Dante’s gaze then turned to me, her expression dripping with disdain. What a vile woman.
“How are you, Mom?” Rome inquired, his tone filled with genuine concern.
“I’m fine,” she replied, but her expression quickly soured.
“Jess has been complaining that you haven’t been giving her attention, instead you’ve been preoccupied with… wh@ťěver,” she continued, her gaze lingering on me with thinly veiled contempt.
“Um, well, Jess is five months pregnant, and Phoenix is almost nine months along. Maybe my attention should be on Phoenix for now, since she’s almost due,” Rome reasoned, firmly grasping my hand for support. Mrs. Dante shot me another venomous look.
“But right now, Phoenix needs to eat,” he declared, emphasizing his point by holding onto my hand.
“What? She’s just a surrogate mother. You’re not supposed to have any connection with her. She’s just a commoner,” Mrs. Dante spat out with disgust.
Her words didn’t hurt me, but I could see the pain in Rome’s eyes. He was seething with anger, the tension in the room palpable as he struggled to contain his emotions.
“Don’t ever say that again,” Rome warned Mrs. Dante, his tone firm and resolute. My heart swelled with joy at his unwavering support.
“I am your mother. You don’t even know who she really is,” Mrs. Dante spat back, her shock evident as she glared at him.
I braced myself as Mrs. Dante’s words hung in the air, fearing she was about to expose my secrets.
“I know Phoenix, and I love her,” Rome declared, his revelation catching me off guard. I looked at him in astonishment, realizing he had never actually said those words to me before.
“Well, you won’t love her anymore after I tell you what she did,” Mrs. Dante thr_@tened, her words sending my heart racing with fear.
Rome glanced at me before turning back to his mother, his expression unwavering.
“She is…” Mrs. Dante began, but her words were cut off by the timely interruption of Camilla, who walked in carrying a bottle of champagne.
Ah, thank goodness.
Camilla paused as she sensed the tension in the room, her gaze flickering between us.
“Uhmm… am I late?” she asked, breaking the tension with her innocent inquiry.
“No, you’re not. You just saved my @zz,” I thought, wishing I could hug her in gratitude.
“You’re here too, Mom?” Camilla asked, smiling warmly, but Mrs. Dante only rolled her eyes in response.
“She was just leaving,” Rome interjected, taking my hands in his with a protective gesture.
“You can go with her. Right now, Phoenix and I need to eat,” he declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. Camilla rolled her eyes playfully at his commanding tone, but I couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over me.
Mrs. Dante glanced at both of us before rolling her eyes and storming out.
“Wh@ťěver, you can both screw yourselves,” Camilla remarked, smirking mischievously.
“Oops,” she murmured, quickly covering her mouth in realization. I couldn’t help but giggle at her reaction.
“See you later when you’re not with that moron,” she added before swiftly exiting, leaving Rome and me alone.
Rome turned to me with an apologetic look in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry about my mother,” he apologized sincerely.
I smiled before wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I love you too,” I whispered, planting a soft kiss on his lips. I felt him smile against my lips as his hands found their way to my @zz, giving it a gentle squeeze. As he deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth, I moved to reciprocate, but he pulled away with a playful smirk.
“Eat before this,” he teased, making me roll my eyes in mock annoyance.
“They won’t be a later,” I replied, making my way towards the kitchen.
Suddenly, I felt Rome smack my @zz, causing me to turn and give him a playful glare.
“You’re being a naughty boy,” I teased, smirking.
“Your naughty boy,” he corrected, his hands returning to my @zz with a mischievous grin.
Oh, Lord.
~~BEATRIX~~
Beatrix walked into the building where Neo had asked her to meet him. She couldn’t deny that her feelings for him still lingered, despite knowing that it might not be the best choice to see him.
As she entered, Neo spotted her and greeted her with a smile and a wave. Beatrix didn’t return the smile; instead, she walked over to him with a reserved demeanor.
“Hey,” he said, pulling out a seat for her to sit.
“Hi,” Beatrix replied bluntly, taking a seat without much enthusiasm.
“How are you?” Neo inquired, his gaze fixed on her.
“I’m okay,” she replied, mustering a fake smile.
“Okay, cool,” Neo responded, smiling back at her.
He looked at her for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
“Um, I know I did a lot of wrong and hurtful things to you that you didn’t deserve at all, and I won’t lie, I was a fool, a jerk, you name it. But first, I just want to tell you that I’m so sorry for causing you any kind of pain,” he said, his gaze unwavering as he spoke. Beatrix remained silent, simply staring back at him.
“The thing is, I never actually got over you. I tried different ways to move on, like saying hurtful things to you and even trying to date someone else, but every day, my mind kept drifting back to you. I felt so trapped; I couldn’t get over you at all,” he confessed, his words hanging in the air as Beatrix continued to regard him with a mixture of emotions.
“I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness because of the stupid things that I did. I shouldn’t have flat out told you that you were too young or wh@ťěver. The truth is, you’re even more mature for your age. I feel like you’re more mature than me,” Neo confessed, his tone tinged with regret as he sighed.
“You agree that you acted dumb and were dumb,” Beatrix finally spoke out, her voice calm yet firm, causing Neo to break into a smile.
“I agree,” he admitted, returning her smile with a sense of relief.
“Well, since you’ve agreed, then I have no issues with you,” Beatrix said, her smile softening as she spoke.
Neo couldn’t contain the joy bubbling inside him. “We can still be friends, right?” he asked eagerly, his eyes shining with hope.
“On one condition?” Beatrix interjected, her smile growing wider as she looked at him.
“What?” Neo asked, intrigued by her condition.
Moments later…
“I AM DUMB AND I ACTED CHILDISH!” Neo screamed at the top of his voice, startling nearby onlookers who turned to glance at him with curiosity.
“Now, better?” Beatrix asked, her smile radiant as she watched Neo’s reaction.
“Wow,” Neo murmured, breaking into laughter at the unexpected turn of events.
~~
“I want her dead now, along with the child,” she declared, her eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on the woman in black.
The woman in black regarded her calmly before taking a drag of her cigarette and releasing a puff of smoke into the air.
“Why? What’s the fun in it?” she inquired, arching an eyebrow as she studied the other woman’s demeanor.
“The fun is when you do it now!” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with urgency.
“Don’t raise your voice at me,” the woman in black admonished, her tone cool and collected as she flicked the cigarette onto the floor.
“Now, back to business. You’ll keep your part of the plan as per the deal we made from the beginning, and don’t even think of sabotaging it,” she asserted firmly.
“Okay, fine,” the woman replied, her voice conceding to the woman in black’s authority.
To be continued…