My father sold me to the Mafia King

Chapter 430

Robert’s point of view

The gun almost slipped from my fingers, but I clamped down on it at the last second.

I stood frozen in place, my eyes widening in utter disbelief at the surreal scene unfolding before me. She was aiming her fiery insults straight at the dog, fully convinced it was me!

And where the hell did she even get enough alcohol to reach this level of instantaneous, reckless ruin?!

I took a slow step toward her, looking down as a bewildered whisper escaped my lips:

”Julie...”

Julie slowly turned her head toward the sound of my voice. Her bleary eyes flickered back and forth between the dog sitting before her and me.

She pointed a shaking hand at me, continuing in a soft, unsteady rasps:

”You’re here... Then who the hell is this?! Isn’t this you?”

A faint, incredulous smile touched my lips despite the inferno blazing inside my chest. I looked down at the dog, then brought my eyes back to her, my voice dropping dry and raspy:

”That’s Axel, Julie...”

Her hazy eyes lingered on Axel’s head for a few seconds. Her lips parted in a drunken, effortless pout, a soft, childlike smile softening her features and instantly melting the ice in my veins.

Her trembling fingers reached out to touch the fur on his head, her swaying body leaning closer toward him as she whispered in a velvety, broken murmur:

”Axel... I missed you.”

She stroked his cheeks with gentle affection. Axel let out a happy, deep rumble, throwing his front paws up against her chest in a sudden burst of energy to embrace her.

His heavy weight slammed right into her fragile, alcohol-weakened body. A light, startled gasp escaped her lips as she lost her balance entirely, tumbling backward onto the carpet, her damp hair fanning out around her head like a dark halo.

I extended my massive hand, wrapping my fingers gently around her soft arm with a tenderness I wasn’t used to, aiming to haul her off the floor as I demanded in a stern, gravelly voice:

”Get up, Julie... What the hell is this madness?!”

I clamped my arm around her waist, raising her off the carpet deliberately until her feet found their footing. The second she felt the hard floor beneath her, she shoved both her trembling palms against my bare chest, ripping herself away with a violent jerk that made her stumble a step back, hissing in pure bitterness:

”Don’t touch me, you bastard!”

I clenched my jaw tight, watching her body sway in the air like a fragile twig, stating in a dry, irritated voice:

”Look at yourself!... You can’t even stand on your own two feet!”

Her tear-filled eyes snapped up to mine, her lips curving into a broken, venomous smile, her voice tearing through my chest:

”You sold me... I actually thought you loved me.”

I hardened my features, summoning absolute detachment across my face to drop a single word like a cold blade:

”I don’t love you.”

Julie gasped, tears overflowing down her pale cheeks. She thrust a trembling forefinger at my bare chest, her voice choked with sobs:

”But I believed you!... I believed you actually loved me!”

Her body staggered backward as if the word had struck her at her core. My hand shot out with blinding speed, snatching her arm before she could crash down, but she yanked her hand away wildly, screaming:

”I told you not to touch me!”

Exhaling a scorching breath, I took a single step closer, locking my gaze onto her haze-filled eyes, asking in a sharp tone laced with raw concern:

”Why the hell did you drink this much alcohol?!”

She closed her eyes for a few agonizing seconds, tears trailing down her neck. When her eyelids fluttered open, she spoke with a drunken transparency that slaughtered me on the spot:

”So I could forget the pain... So I could forget that I love you.”

Every nerve in my body locked up. The breath trapped in my throat. I felt something massive crumble inside me a silent earthquake tearing down the walls of this damned pride. Swallowing hard, I leaned down, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper:

”If you actually love me... why the hell did you run away from me that day?!”

She caught her breath with difficulty, giving a slow, tragic shake of her head:

”That day I ran away... I heard everything.”

Her knees gave out suddenly, her body plummeting toward the floor. In less than a heartbeat, I lunged forward, wrapping both my massive arms tight around her waist and back, yanking her violently against my chest.

She tried to fight her way out with weak fingers, hammering her palms uselessly against my chest, but I tightened my hold like a steel clamp, refusing to let her pull away.

She lifted her flushed face toward mine, her words breaking between heavy sobs:

”I was hiding under your desk... I heard you talking about me to a customer... You wanted to sell me!”

The blood froze in my veins completely.

My eyes widened into burning embers of utter shock. My feet rooted to the floor. My memory raced back with terrifying speed to that cursed day four years ago... What phone call is this crazy girl talking about?!

My movements went dead still. I looked down into her weary eyes, asking in a low, stunned whisper:

”What phone call?!”

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, continuing in a raspy voice beneath the heavy fog of liquor:

”You were telling him my name was Julie... and that I was actually prettier than the picture... and that...”

My mind completely stopped functioning for a second.

(Did she just say that?!)

My jaw muscle clamped brutally shut, memory flaring up with the entire scene... That day! I wasn’t talking to a customer, for fuck’s sake! I was talking to my jeweler friend who was designing her custom engagement ring, so I could propose to her the way she deserved!

Could she have been hiding under the desk, catching a few broken sentences and assuming I was negotiating her price?!

Tears streamed relentlessly from her eyes. Her head dropped helplessly onto my bare chest, her broken voice shattering my soul:

”Why didn’t you love me, Robert?... Why couldn’t you just love me?”