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"Does this mean you have to
call me mummy now?"

- Jade
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Chapter 55 - If I Were King

▪️C R I S T I A N O▪️

The next morning, Jade and myself had spent over an hour walking about the premises.

True to his word, José had indeed allowed us to roam freely without being escorted. However, this did not really matter as even though the house and property were big, both were crawling with armed bodyguards everywhere we looked.

The kitchen especially had been heavily guarded, much to Jade's disappointment as she had hoped to sneak in and confiscate a knife, fork, or spoon for later use.

Yes, a spoon!

I chuckled to myself at the thought. She really was one deadly woman, in more ways than one.

From our observations, the eight-bedroom house was situated on about one acre of land and consisted of three main floors and a basement. The basement area was more for the guards as well as the two-bedroom pool house that was in the backyard. The men used these areas to bring back prostitutes, and Jade had wondered if she could possibly slip a message to one of these women. Although we had both agreed that to attempt such would be very risky, and so we pushed it aside as a last resort option.

The waterfront property also had a huge and beautiful pool in the backyard. Jade was sitting with her feet submerged beneath its blue surface as she nibbled on some fruit while I stared at her silently.

We were both lost in our own thoughts.

After assessing all the options, she stated that our best way out would be to escape via the canal situated at the edge of the property, behind the backyard. The channel would no doubt lead back to the sea, but I had some doubts which I wasted no time voicing.

There had been repeated talks among some of the bodyguards about seeing alligators in the water. These loud conversations were obviously used as an extra deterrent to prevent us from escaping. The thought of alligators unnerved me, especially since the waters did not have the best clarity and it would be hard to tell what else might be swimming in their murky depths.

On top of that, I knew that all the pesticides and fertilizers that were used on the lawns probably drained into the canals. This made the water even more unsafe, especially if it were to be accidentally ingested.

Unfortunately, none of these concerns phased Jade.

She knew that getting into that water would definitely be risky, and she had no idea where exactly on the Miami coastline it might lead to, but she was adamant that it was our only option. Even though she reiterated to me that she was an excellent swimmer and would protect me, there was no hiding my fear, not so much for myself but for her.

I would be damned if anything ever happened to her.

The love I had for Jade was something I would take to my grave. It did not matter that we were no longer a couple.

Truth be told, as much as I loved her, I knew that I was not good enough for her.

Perhaps if I had had the strength to confide in her, tell her about José. Maybe if I had taken up my father's offer to rule at his side, to be a King, or in this case, Prince to a Cartel empire, things might have turned out differently.

But just seeing the way her gorgeous green eyes lit up whenever she spoke about Dominic, I knew that the love she had for me paled in comparison to the love she had for him. Jade would never love anyone the way she loved Dominic Calvetti.

In an odd twist of faith, I was glad that she had chosen him. Dominic had the power to protect her, or at least so I thought.

But then again, this was Jade we were talking about.

No matter who or what stood in her way, if she wanted to get something done, she would see it through. So, in the end I really could not blame the man for her current predicament.

Just thinking about how she had defied Dominic for me had my heart aching all over again. The thought of her doing something so reckless alongside with Blaire made it hard for me to sleep at night.

I blamed myself for Blaire's death, even though Jade had repeatedly told me that it was not entirely my fault. In the end, we would both lean on each other, staring at the water of the pool while we were both lost in our own world as our shared guilt slowly ate away at us.

Which is why I could not afford to lose Jade!

I was adamant not to lose another person close to me due to my arrogance and stupidity.

As a result, I told Jade that we would definitely need to come up with a proper plan to get past the guards that were always stationed at the edge of the canal. If we could commandeer a small boat or something, anything would be better than risking getting into that unnerving water.

My eyes slowly drifted over to her.

From a distance, I could see the guards devouring her body, as all she wore was a simple black string bikini. There was no denying her beauty, and at times I allowed myself to relive in the fantasy of the past, when she had been mine.

The weather was nice out and Jade was clearly enjoying herself, appreciating the sunlight on her skin.

From the way she sat back with her eyes closed, I allowed myself to admire the dreamy smile she had on her face. I knew that she was thinking happy thoughts, which involved being back in Aelbank City.

No doubt day dreaming about prancing around half naked in front of the men, pissing off Dominic on purpose in the process.

The thought made me smile. She really was a little hellfire. Poor Dominic.

As much as I loved Jade, I did not envy the man one bit! She was definitely more than a handful and I was man enough to know that right now, in my current state, I would not be able to handle her.

Maybe one day, if I were to be King.

Not wanting to give the notion any more thought, I vehemently shook my head, clearing my mind to refocus on the present.

"I need to put more sun-block on your back," I suddenly said.

Jade blinked her eyes, clearly coming out of her own reverie. With a smile, she replied, "Oh yes, don't want me all burnt. After all, I don't think that your father would like it too much!"

At her mischievous comment, I could not help but inaudibly gripe.

"Wait a minute! Does this mean you have to call me mummy now?" Jade pestered with a silly grin on her face.

Inwardly groaning, I replied while undoing the ties on the top of her bikini, "I love your sense of humour and all but no, just no!"

"But why not? Teasing you is just so much fun," she confessed.

"The only teasing to be had is if you decide to have me tied to a bed and you're riding me. Or spanking me while making me your bitch or something," I flashed a grin in return.

Over the last few days, our flirtatious banter had been more frequent. No doubt a coping mechanism for the both of us.

"Ooh, kinky!" Jade exclaimed before biting her lips, clearly imagining the scenarios.

Seeing the dreamy look on her face, I shook my head, my tone sterner as I stated "It's not funny though, seriously, the whole step-mother thing, you need to stop! I can't believe that you're considering sleeping with him!"

"You sound jealous," she smirked.

"The fuck... Of course, I am!" I replied without hesitating before adding, "But it's not about that and you know it! I don't want you to have to submit to him in that way."

"Well, we have to survive somehow right?" Jade shrugged as she devoured another strawberry.

I frowned at her nonchalant response and whispered, "I should be protecting you, not the other way around..."

"Huh?" she asked, not hearing what I had said.

Waving her off, I responded, "It's nothing."

Nodding, Jade resumed enjoying the taste of the sweet fruit while moving her head to an unheard beat in her head. She used her free hand to hold the bikini cups to her chest so as to not flash the bodyguards who were clearly waiting to see some more skin.

Grumbling, I jokingly said, "Why can't you just Matrix your way out of here like you were doing at the diner?"

"Because, genius, we're severely out-manned and definitely out-gunned," Jade whispered back.

"Err, it was the same at the diner, what's different now?" I probed while retying her top, immediately regretting the question as it left my lips.

Jade had been amazing back at the diner, but it had not been good enough to save herself or Blaire and I cringed at my lack of thoughtfulness. However, Jade's response was not what I had expected as I watched her turn to face me, her words shocking me deeply.

With our gazes locked, she said, "They will seriously hurt you if I do."

My mind once again ran onto Blaire. It was clear that both Jade and myself wanted to do our best to protect each other. But I was adamant about her not sacrificing herself for me and with another shake of my head, I replied.

"So? I honestly don't care what happens to me, Jade. The important thing is that at least you'd be able to get out and be free! I'd gladly trade my life for yours!" I stated, doing my best not to raise my voice at her, knowing that she was just thinking about me.

Frowning, Jade's own irritation rose as she pressed, "I'm not leaving you behind!"

"We don't have a choice! I'd only slow you down. Besides, I'm a dead man anyway. If I come with you, Dominic will kill me and if I stay my father will kill me for refusing to work for him," I confessed with a sour smile.

Pursing her lips, Jade countered, "You know... You could always kill José."

I stared at her, knowing that she had more to say.

"Not kill him right now of course, but in a few years' time, after you've learnt everything from him. Then you can take over, return to Aelbank City. Dominic will have no choice but to view you differently. If you're the head of the Sonora Mexican Cartel, you can do things your way. Remove the poisons from the drugs, make a more secured partnership with other organisations in the United States for example. Create a Cartel unlike the world has ever seen!" Jade stated, clearly having given the idea a lot of thought.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I considered her words. I could not deny that she was making a lot of sense.

It would be a different Cartel indeed, if I were King.

"Think about it!" Jade's voice broke through my thoughts as she continued, "You would have unlimited power and could do anything you wanted. I mean, being in the mafia business isn't so bad," she added with a smile.

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Of course you'd say that!"

"Hey, we do what we have to in order to survive," Jade shrugged.

Looking at her for a moment, I reached out and pushed a lock of her purple hair behind her ear before my thumb grazed the smooth skin of her cheek.

On the surface, she seemed like such a nice and quiet girl. It was hard to believe that underneath such soft skin was a manipulative and sadistic killer. I silently wondered if my father, José, really knew what he was getting himself into.

I pitied the fool.

Pulling my hand away, I said, "I fear the day you actually become a full-fledged member of the Calvetti mafia, may God save us all."

Giggling, she winked at me, "What can I say, the mafia is made up of blood and power and well, I'm attracted to both. It's like your father said, women can be more reasonable when in the mafia."

I nodded my head, knowing that Jade would be a great addition to the Calvetti organisation.

"Speaking of women, was your mother ever married to José? Since your last name is Morales and all," she pulled her feet out of the water and wrapped her arms around her calves as she rested her head against her knees.

Shaking my head, I answered, "No, she was a popular Mexican model, and one of his many girlfrie–"

Jade suddenly interrupted me, exclaiming with excitement, "Ah, a model! Was she tall? That would explain the height difference between you two!"

Laughing softly, I said, "Yes she was very tall, about 6 feet to be exact. I seem to have taken after her side of the family, hence the lighter-coloured hair and eyes. My mother was always the centre of attention, but I guess the thrill of being with a drug lord wore off and after a few years, she left him. He had no idea that he had a son and I had no idea who my father was until she got sick. Finally having a name, I sought to find him. It wasn't hard since he also has the reputation of being a wealthy businessman."

Jade listened to me no doubt picking up on the happy and sad tones in my voice.

"You should have seen the look on his face when the DNA results came back. He was so ecstatic to find out that he had a son," I reflected with a weak laugh.

Amused, Jade commented, "Yea, it's so weird that besides you, all he's ever had were daughters."

"Which I didn't see what the big deal was about at first, until I found out what he actually did for a living. I understood then why my mother had hidden the truth from me. When I confided in her about how he was blackmailing me, she confessed that she only told me because she didn't want to go to her grave without me knowing the truth..." I paused to take a drink of water before continuing, "It was then I realised just how sick she was, so she told me to stand up to him and when he threatened again to kill her, I told him to go ahead."

"Her death was quick though, yea?" Jade asked sympathetically.

"It was. She had been in so much pain with the cancer. I'm so sorry again that I lied to you," I suddenly said while bowing my head.

Moving so that she could sit closer to me, Jade used her index finger to tilt my head up so that she could look into my eyes. A small smile formed on her lips as her hand moved to cup my bruised face. Turning my head, I allowed my cheek to rest against her palm.

Jade's touch was so comforting, I would do anything to protect her.

"You did what you thought was best at the time. We've all done things we regret, we just need to live with them," she said, finally breaking the silence between us.

With a sigh, I hugged her to me.

Jade leaned into my embrace, her voice soothing as she spoke, "We won't heal by suppressing, the only way we'll be able to get past our feelings of guilt is by facing them, then releasing them."

"I don't know if I could ever forgive myself for putting you and Blaire in danger," I murmured against her hair.

"I forgive you, and I know that Blaire would have forgiven you too. She was so adamant about coming to find you, it was all she could think about on that day," she chuckled at the memory.

At her words, my grip tightened around her.

Enjoying my touch as she visibly relaxed even more, Jade went on to say, "Would things have been different if you'd have at least picked up the phone or messaged us back to let us know that you were alright? Of course, but our recklessness isn't your fault, we had a choice to make and that's on us..."

"I suppose we each have our own guilt to shoulder," I said softly.

"Indeed, but like I said, we should not let it eat away at us. We need to live so that Blaire's memory can live on within us..." Jade replied with a smile.

Nodding my head in agreement, my face remained impassive.

Wanting to lighten the mood, Jade teased as she commanded, "Now be a good step-son and go make me another Sombrero."

"Ugh, stop!" I gagged while playfully pushing her away before getting to my feet to do as she had asked.

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A/N: Forgive Cristiano yet? 😅