๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Over the past month, Sheena had become accustomed to living in Jade's house, as she had nowhere else to go. During this time, he had provided her with her own room and everything she needed for her recovery. She had come to know him better in these days, although their interactions were limited. He was far different from the cheerful persona shown on TV.
He was usually stoic and reserved, giving minimal responses or gestures instead of words. He rarely initiated conversations with her, which suited her fine.
His presence was imposing, and she felt like he sucked all the air out of the room whenever he was around.
She had also become accustomed to Jade's routine. Every night, or whenever he was home, he would go to the balcony at exactly 9 p.m. with a cup of coffee in hand. She noticed that there were no other servants or maids in the mansion, and only a cleaning team came on Sundays to thoroughly clean the house.
Although he had his suspicions about her, he allowed her the freedom to move around the house without any restrictions.
There was only one room he had explicitly forbidden her to enter, sparking a sense of curiosity in her. On one day when he was out, she found herself standing in front of the door, her hand itching to twist the knob and quench her curiosity.
She cautiously moved her hand towards the knob, slowly twisting it. However, the door was locked, as she expected. Why would he leave a secret place unlocked, especially with a stranger living in his house?
She sighed in disappointment, her gaze falling to the ground, where she noticed a small photo near the door. It was almost as tiny as a passport-sized picture. She picked it up and turned it around, revealing a photo of a woman with jet-black hair and striking features, with piercing green eyes. She resembled a lizard in Sheena's eyes.
She wondered if the picture was important to Jade. Perhaps it was a photo of his girlfriend or someone significant in his life. In any case, she decided to keep the picture in her pocket with the intention of returning it to him when he returned home.
Later, Sheena left her room, yawning from boredom. She noticed the lights in the hall were on, and she wondered if Jade had returned home. She knocked on his door, but there was no response. After three attempts, deciding to enter, she slowly opened the door and peeked inside, only to be left speechless by the sight of Jade, shirtless, with wet hair. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she let her gaze wander over his bare torso.
His back, which was facing her, was marked with scars, but his toned and well-muscled physique was striking-
Jade, keenly aware of his surroundings, sensed someone behind him. He turned to find her standing there. In a nonchalant tone, he inquired, "Hey, did you need something?" He held a shirt in his hands, waiting for her response.
"....." Her gaze lingered over his figure once more before she snapped out of it, her cheeks slightly flushed. With a stuttered response, she blurted out, "I-I-ah...um...n nothing...I was just checking...i-if you came..." She wished the earth could open and swallow her whole, and she hastily closed the door behind her, sighing. 'What must Jade think of me now? That I am some creepy weirdo? This is so embarrassing,' Sheena thought.
She decided to go about her business and hoped that he wouldn't bring up their encounter later.
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It was a fine evening. The last rays of the sun were going down the sky, painting the city in colors of gold and orange. Jade was sitting on the balcony with a cup of black coffee in his hand as he stared at the sky. The cool breeze made his hair sway lightly. A few minutes passed like this before he suddenly stiffened up sensing something wrong as he looked out in the distance.
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
Jade noticed several black cars suddenly park outside his mansion, surrounding the entire place. The unexpected sight put him on edge. He placed his coffee cup on the table, and moments later, a bodyguard entered the balcony to report the situation. They informed him that unfamiliar cars had parked in front of the mansion, and they had not yet been granted access inside.
He nodded in acknowledgment, his expression still calm and cold. He stood up from the chair, preparing himself for the unexpected guests. "How many people got down from the cars?"
"Only one." The guard answered and Jade had a feeling who it could be.
He nodded in acknowledgment. He turned to look at the guard. "Let that man come and keep your distance."
As he descended downstairs and headed towards the entrance, he stood on the porch, maintaining a composed demeanor. When the well-known Mafia boss of Italy arrived at the porch, Jade greeted him with a calm expression.
The man was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt inside a black tie. His hair was styled perfectly, and his presence exuded a dark and dangerous air. With one misplaced move, Jade knew that he could face serious consequences.
Both men stood in silence for a moment before Jade broke the silence with a question, maintaining a professional demeanor. "Eden Rosalyn. What brings you to my humble abode?"
A dangerous smirk formed on the Mafia Man's face as he responded to Jade's question. "You know I'm not a man of words and I'm direct. You have something that belongs to me."
Jade quirked an eyebrow, he was cautious but still didn't show any change in expression. "Something that belongs to you? I don't recall having anything in my possession which belongs to you, Mr. Rosalyn."
Eden's smirk was still there. "Don't play coy with me. That girl you have in your mansion. She belongs to me."
Jade tensed up instantly, his demeanor changed from calm to tense. "No,she doesn't."
Eden chuckled, the rough tone of his voice signalling that he was nothing to be taken lightly. "Oh, did she told you that she rejected me. She did, didn't she? Well, she shouldn't have. I don't accept rejection. And the price she have to pay now will be high. High enough that you, her supposed savior, will also pay that price."
He grinned at Jade before saying with cold smile on his face. "And let me just warn you. You will be wise enough to hand her over to me..."
"๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐, ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐'๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ."
Jade stared at him with cold gaze, not showing any weakness. "Threats don't work on me, Rosalyn. And I don't take orders from some mafias."
Eden's expression darkened and he spoke in a warning. "Watch your words, Emethyst. You're still a mere businessman and if I get annoyed by you, I'll turn you into dust."
Jade was trying to keep his expression neutral but the hate he had for Eden was riling him up. "You should watch your words too, Rosalyn. Threatening a businessman from a powerful corporation will lead you to doom."
Eden smirked darkly, the dangerous tone in his voice increasing as he said, "I didn't come alone. My men are surrounding your mansion. You think you and your bodyguards can stop them all?"
Jade glanced over Eden's shoulder and sure enough he saw few cars surrounding the mansion and even his bodyguards were tensed up. He cursed silently and looked into Eden's eyes, his expression was hard and cold as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Threaten me all you want, I'm not handing her to you."
The tension in the air was palpable as the words hung in the silence. Both men's bodyguards stood by their sides, their guns trained and ready to fire at a moment's notice, awaiting further orders.
Eden suddenly grinned darkly. "Such confident tone. I like that. Maybe you're suitable to be under me."
Jade tensed up at this, his fists clenched tightly. He was keeping his cool because of the threat. He spoke in a and firm tone once again. "You will fail, Rosalyn!"
Eden laughed lowly as he looked at him with sinister smile. "Don't be so sure of that. You're outnumbered here."
With a wave of his hand, he gestured toward his own men, who were surrounding the mansion. They, in turn, aimed their guns at Jade and his bodyguards, waiting for the signal to open fire.
"Wait!"
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