CHAPTER 15 Confession
Xavier
I was nervous…no, I was scared sh itle ss. We were already dressed, lounging around in our suite,
waiting for dinner. We were at a suite right below Joy’s and I could also tell the o two were as nervous
and scared as me. I opened the minibar and prepared drinks for the three of us to help take the edge
off.
We knew Joy wouldn’t ept our gifts if we gave them to her outright, so we made her go on a
scavenger hunt, collecting her gifts in search for the next clue. I still had one more gift to give her…
whether or not she epted to be our girl.
I wanted to pamper her. After listening to her story, I was right to assume that her assault wasn’t
because she did something wrong to someone else. Those a ssholes just wanted to break her because
she had a good heart.
I handed Sebastian and Cristos each a ss of scotch and sat down with them in the living room of the
suite. Sebastian was wearing a dark gray suit with a blue tie, while Cristos opted for a ck suit and I,
a dark blue suit with a maroon-colored tie. Cristos was on hisptop, searching for the answers we
needed regarding the bas t ards of Joy’s past.
“I found out that the guy named Liam is the son of New Salem Mayor Theodore Cohen. The Cohens
moved to New Salem during the prohibition era with their riches in tow. This definitely smells like the
Angels of Darkness,” Cristos said.
“What legitimate businesses do they have in the area? Sebastian asked.
na
“They own a lot of undeveloped property. One property is currently being developed into housing,”
Cristos answered. That was where the money wasnd.
“Before this Theodore Cohen, who was mayor?” I asked.
“His father, Robert Cohen and before that, his grandfather Edward Cohen and then his great- her,
Ethan Coen.
“Holy s hit. That’s four generations of Cohens,” Sebastian said. “That means the next mayor of New
Salem will be-”
“Liam Cohen, Cristos spat out the ba stard’s name. “And get this, one of the pioneers of New Salem
were the Taylors. I think the Taylors and the Cohens were rivals. Remember, “Death to all Taylors”?
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CHAPTER 15 Confession
“He’s been groomed to hate the Taylors,” I said. I propose we wait until this Liam Cohen bes
mayor. In that way, we can take both him and his father down.”
72%
“I read from their town’s paper that Theodore Cohen is nning to retire once Liam graduates from
college. That’s in a couple of years, Cristos said. “Are you willing to wait that long?”
“I told you, there’s no expiration date on revenge. I don’t care if we have to wait a few more years.
Probably, by that time, they’ll think Joy is gone forever. They won’t see iting,” I exined.
“Actually, that’s a good idea, Sebastian said, agreeing to my suggestion. “Theodore Cohen has been
mayor for so long. He has the people wrapped tightly around his little finger. Even when Liam bes
mayor, it will still be Theodore Cohen running the show. All we need to do is pit-Liam against his own
father.”
“Do you actually think this Liam would go against his father?” Cristos asked.
“When he assaulted Joy, he went against the good e of his father,” Sebastian reasoned. “I believe Liam
has some unresolved issues with his father. Right now, he’s just a boy living off of his family’s legacy,
but once he bes mayor and has the authority to do whatever he wants, he won’t like Daddy
meddling in his affairs.” I nodded my head…he made sense.
“Well, we have years to n. Right now, my only concern is Joy,” I told the two. “Let’s go. We don’t
want to bete for our date.”
The table in the private dining room we booked was elegantly fixed for the four of us. The three of us
fixed our neck ties and unbuttoned our suit jackets before sitting at the table, waiting for Joy to arrive.
When she did, we all stood up. She was perfection… wearing a fitted ck floral co cktail dress which
gave emphasis on her cleavage, her small waist and her curvy hips. Her flowing blonde hair was parted
to the side and tucked behind her ear. On her left wrist, she wore the watch I gave her, making me
smile.
“The dress fits perfectly,” Cristos said. He has shopped with her so many times, he knew her
measurements by heart.
“Beautiful,” I murmured while I helped her with her chair. Joy blushed and smiled shyly. She my heart s
kip a beat.
made
“I agree with Xavier. Beautiful,” Sebastian said, smiling brightly.
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CHAPTER 15 Confession
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Dinner was also perfection. Kobe beef, scallops, lobster, oysters, cheese, ham, prawns… the tes
just cameing. For desert we had chocte truffles and ice cream.
After dinner we decided to go to our suite and have one drink before going back to the mansion. We
still had one more thing to do.
We all sat at the balcony, sipping our champagne. There was something about the stars and the moon
that makes love so romantic.
I
LOOK but the velv
rectangr box from my inner coat pocket and waited for Cristos and
Sebastian to do their thing.
I was never good with words.
Virtue
Cristos suddenly kneeled in front of me and took one of my hands in his. He slowly raised- the palm ofProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.
my hand to his lips and kissed it so gently. A sudden shiver ran down the length of my spine as he
ced my palm along the side of his cheek. He smiled sweetly at me, but his blue eyes gazed into
mine with a passion I have never seen before.
“You deserve to know the truth too, Joy,” he said, his voice so low. “I know you see us as your
bestfriends, maybe you even see us as your brothers, but we actually don’t want that. We don’t want to
be your friend or your brother.”
My heart sank. The kiss on my palm, this borate celebration, was just a distraction to my impending
doom. I should have known. I was just a charity case to them, have always been. And now that I have
completed my metamorphosis, it was time to say goodbye and part
ways.
I lowered my head and simply nodded. I had previously thought I would be strong enough to ept
their rejection, but this gut-wrenching pain I felt in my chest was worse than I had expected.
I couldn’t hold back my tears. I helplessly tried to blink them away, ashamed they would see how
distraught I was. I didn’t want their pity. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep the tears at bay.
“Hey. Why are you crying, my dearest?” Cristos asked, his distress noticeable in his voice. Xavier
immediately pushed him away and took me in his arms. He stroked my hair and
ears from my cheeks while Sebastian rubbed my back to console me.
“Cristos, if you weren’t my blood brother, I would drag you to theke and drown you,” Xavier said
angrily. “Why did you have to pause like that? Now look. Joy thinks we don’t want her in our lives.” He
kissed my forehead and wiped the remaining tears from eyes. “Sebastian, I told you it should be you
who tells her.”
I raised my hands in the air, stopping Sebastian from saying anything. “No, Sebastian, I get it. I do. I
was just a charity case for you three and now that it’s over, you want me to move
on.
“I should punch the both of you in the face!” Xavier hissed at Sebastian and Cristos. He sighed and ran
his fingers through his hair, looking frustrated.
Suddenly, he took my hands, ced it on his chest above his beating heart and covered my hands with
one of his. I lowered my head, anticipating the heart ache that I knew would
come.
“You know me, Joy. I’m not good with words,” Xavier croaked. He lifted my face, gently caressing my
chin with his thumb, so his eyes could peer into mine. “But my heart that you feel beating under your
hands, it only beats for you… ever since I heard your angelic voice. Same goes for Sebastian and
Cristos. Our hearts belong to you, Joy. Only you… and that, my love, is the simple truth.”
He opened a long velvet rectangr box and took out a gold bracelet. It was engraved with two
words… ‘Our Heart”.
“You are our heart, Joy,” Xavier said while cing the bracelet on my wrist. “Do know I… I mean we
love you and will go on loving you until our final breaths.
“I love you…” I whispered and grinned brightly with tear-filled eyes.
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Luna-Mom
a treasure hunt is the best way to receive gifts
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