My father sold me to the Mafia King-Chapter 59 - 60/No One Leaves

Chapter 60:

Robert’s Point of View

She stood before me in the black waitress outfit, but something in her stance had shifted.

Her eyes were flashing with a new spark a cold spark fueled by the desire to survive, no matter the price she would pay or the souls she would crush along her path.

I scrutinized her features, then raised the two masks I was holding.

Her gaze settled on the intricately worked black lace, and seconds of heavy silence passed before she raised her eyes to meet mine directly.

She said in a dry tone, devoid of any tremor:

"Is this a mask to cover the crime?"

A slight smile formed on my lips a smile that didn’t reach my eyes as I contemplated her bitter intelligence.

She had finally begun to understand that this place is not run by open faces, but by the shadows we leave behind.

I moved toward her with measured steps, their steady thud filling the vacuum of the room.

I placed the mask intended for me on the table with a mechanical motion,

then reached out with the other mask, attempting to touch her face to fix it for her in a ritual of surrender,

but she preempted me.

Before my fingers could touch her skin, she snatched the mask from my hand with a firm motion,

as if refusing to let anyone grant her her new identity.

She put it on herself, pulling the ties behind her head tightly.

Then she shifted her gaze to my mask lying on the table and said in a tone dominated by sarcasm:

"I see you’ve prepared a masquerade."

A smile formed on my lips, carrying an unstated appreciation for her rebellion, and I said in a low voice:

"Yes, Julie... and this mask will be the perfect cover for everything you will do tonight."

Her eyes did not blink from behind the black lace; instead, she fixed her gaze on mine and said with words as sharp as a blade:

"The mask may hide my face from others, but it will never hide the truth from me... Mr. Robert."

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small transparent bag,

its powdered contents shimmering under the dim light, and presented it to her on my open palm:

"This is the weapon of your crime."

She leaned her head to examine the bag, her tone trembling as she asked:

"What is this?"

"Cocaine."

I uttered the word with complete coldness.

Her eyes bulged, and she recoiled a step as if I were holding a snake, muttering in shock:

"And what am I supposed to do with it?"

"You will put it in that person’s jacket pocket."

Her eyebrow rose, and her features tensed as she tried to fathom my motives:

"What did he do to you that makes you want to throw him in prison?"

I answered her while looking away with disdain: 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"He annoyed me."

"He annoyed you?"

She repeated the word as if she couldn’t comprehend the triviality of the reason, then continued with confusion mixed with fear:

"That means... he’s innocent?"

"Yes."

She swallowed hard, a visible lump in her throat, then shook her head in firm refusal:

"I can’t do it."

I stepped closer, a mocking smile appearing on my face as I reminded her of what happened last night:

"But you tried to kill me yesterday..."

I paused for a second, piercing her eyes with my gaze, then added in a whisper:

"Why were you able to do it then?"

She pressed her lower lip so hard that blood almost sprouted, and said in a wavering voice:

"Because you deserve it... but he doesn’t."

So, I deserve death in her eyes.

I clenched my fist over the bag tightly until it disappeared within, and said as I turned my body away from her:

"As you wish, Julie."

But, before I could take a single step away from her, I felt her small fingers encircle my clenched fist.

The heat of her trembling palm stung me, and she uttered a single word that came out like a final breath before drowning:

"I’ll do it."

I fixed my gaze on her, a persistent coldness in my chest, and said in a flat voice:

"I was going to put a bullet in his head."

Her hand jerked away from my fist as if she had touched glowing embers, and she recoiled, asking in a trembling tone:

"Are you trying... are you trying to make me feel better?"

"No,"

I answered her while adjusting my mask on the table, indifferent to her agitation.

"I am only informing you of what will happen if you don’t play your part."

A heavy silence prevailed, broken only by her rapid breathing.

She scrutinized my face as if searching for a grain of mercy or logic behind this human mask, then asked bitterly:

"Why are you doing all this?"

Silence hung over the room for moments, before she continued in a low, broken voice:

"Why don’t you just let me go?"

I clamped my fingers over her hand, closing her palm tightly around the small plastic bag until it sank into her palm,

and whispered in a dry tone devoid of any plea:

"No one leaves this place, Julie... no one."

I left her hand, which had frozen in place, and headed toward the table with steady steps.

I picked up my black mask and raised it slowly to place it on my face; in that moment,

I felt the dark lace masking my features from the world, transforming me into a mere shadow inhabiting this luxurious suit.

I turned toward the door, gripped the cold metal handle, and pulled it wide open.

A profound silence reigned in the long corridor; there was nothing but the silence of the majestic mansion that swallowed one’s breath.

I turned to her and gestured with my hand in a mechanical motion toward the dark hallway, saying from behind the mask in a husky voice:

"After you."

Her gaze froze on the void for a moment, and I saw her chest rising and falling with dread as she still clutched the bag inside the pocket of her uniform,

as if she were carrying an explosive charge that would blow up in her face before anyone else’s.