Chapter 25 Enchanted by her
~~Alexander's POV~~
I didn't plan to fall for her.
Damien and I have been nemeses for years. During our last fight he snapped my neck, thinking he had killed me.
But I survived with just a neck pain; it was the universe that had given me a second chance.
I had planned to surprise him when he returned to Italy; the news of me still alive would have shocked him.
I had met Chiara; she hated Damien just as much as I did.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend, as they said.
The rumor of Damien's unfiltered love for his wife spread like wildfire.
Chiara and I had devised a plan. While Damien had his meeting on the ship, I would attack his wife and kill her.
But fuck, when I met Charlotte, the whole plan went off the rails; the way the moonlight danced against her brown eyes, her lips, which naturally formed a pout, and the red lipstick on them could make a man fall on his knees and beg for mercy.
I was supposed to take her life, but instead I asked for a dance. Chiara would be pissed. When Charlotte fell into the sea, it was supposed to be perfect. I should have let her drown.
Her death would have been the start of a war between Damien and us, which Chiara and I were prepared for.
But my dumb ass jumped into the water with her.
Fuck.
This girl had a hold on me, a strong one.
As I wrapped a towel on my waist to step into the shower, I heard Charlotte's scream. I froze, my brow raised.
I quickly rushed out of the bedroom towards the living room, and my gaze widened as I saw two men, one with a gun and the other with a knife. These were Chiara’s men. What were they doing here? How did they know that we were here?
My heart skipped a beat as one of the men began to close the distance between him and Charlotte. She trembled and began to take a step back, but each step drew her closer to the flames. I knew she could feel it, but she didn't stop.
“Who are you?” She stuttered, “What do you want!”
My fists clenched, I couldn't be so taken away by another man's wife. If I saved her life, she would never be mine. Why even bother… right?
As Charlotte backed up too close to the fire, she hissed in pain and quickly stepped forward. The man let out a menacing grin and lifted his knife to stab her.
I pinned my lips together. “Fuck,” I muttered in frustration, “Put the knife down!” I growled.
The man paused, stunned by my voice. He turned to face me, a puzzled look on his face. Charlotte instinctively tried to rush to my side, but the man grabbed her and slammed her against the floor.
She cried, tears rushing down her cheeks.
The man with a gun who stood by the door cocked his gun, and my head spun towards him. He slowly aimed it at Charlotte. Luckily, there was a gun on the shelf beside me. I quickly grabbed it and aimed the gun at him, and without a second thought, I fired it.
Before I could aim the gun at the man before Charlotte…. I was too late; she had gotten stabbed. The red stain of her blood seeped through the pink T-shirt she had on, with extra blood dripping on the floor.
My blood ran cold.
The man stood up on the floor in shock; he had expected me to be on their side. I didn't waste any time. I immediately aimed the gun and fired it at him. He dropped to his knees and slumped to the ground.
I quickly rushed towards Charlotte and immediately tossed my gun beside me, and I fell beside her.
Her eyes barely stayed open, her lips parted, and she struggled to speak.
I lifted her head up in my hands, my fingers trembling. She had almost passed out; her head wobbled in my hand.
“I…I…” Her chest heaved, and I could see the fear in her eyes.
“Shh…don't talk; I'll grab a first aid box!” I said and quickly rushed off to get it.
A FEW MINUTES LATER.
I had just placed Charlotte on the couch, a bandage perfectly wrapped around her wound.
I knelt beside her and watched her sleep; she had passed out from the pain.
“I'm sorry I couldn't protect you,” I swallowed.
As I watched her, I heard loud footsteps rush toward the cabin. I lifted my head up. More of Chiara’s men?
Suddenly the door slammed open and a brow raised. “Damien,” I muttered in shock.
His gaze swept towards Charlotte. “Fuck!” He rushed towards her and pushed me out of the way, quickly kneeling beside her, “How did this happen…?" How did this happen!” He growled, but not in anger? This man was in pure agony.
He put his hand underneath her nose to check her breathing; his hand trembled as it reached the bandage around her stomach. “Did you do this?”
“Yes, I stabbed her, and then I patched her up. Of course, it wasn't me!’ I barked, jealousy rising within me. How had he found us in such a small amount of time? I had thought that this was my chance to be alone with Charlotte…earn her trust.
Damien immediately stood up and grabbed me by my neck. His eyes were red from anger and tears. “You pushed her off the ship, didn't you? Didn't you!”
“Why would I push her off and then jump in to save her?!” I choked, my face turning red.
“You prick! After all these years, why do you show your ugly face? Huh! Whatever stupid revenge plan you have against me, you better fucking keep my dear wife out of it, or else I'll burn everything you love to the ground!” He tossed me against the ground and quickly took off his wet suit, tossing it aside.
He seemed to have jumped into the sea, too, to find Charlotte.
“You are lucky my gun got lost at sea; if not, your head would be blown off now.” He turned around and paced the room in frustration.
I smirked; the rumors were true. Damien was head-over-heels for this woman. Damien had spent enough years in the field to know that he should never turn his back on an enemy, but he did; he wasn't thinking.
My head turned to Charlotte on the couch. He wasn't thinking because of her.
“I saved your wife's life, Damien.” I slowly stood up from the ground, “Twice! You should be thanking me!”
He turned to face me; his breathing had grown heavy, his chest was heaving, his face was twisted into a frown, his lips were parted slightly, and his brows were knitted together. He didn't say a word to me. Instead, he moved to Charlotte and knelt beside her. He carried her hand in his hand and kissed it gently.
“I will never let you out of my side again,” his fingers gently caressed her. “Please, baby…don't die on me… You are my life… I'd die too,” he muttered in pain, his voice cracking with each sentence.
“Please, Vita Mia…. Please….” He placed his head on her chest and cried.
I clenched my fist so tight my knuckles turned white. I should be the one there. Comforting her.
Without saying a word, I marched into my bedroom and shut the door behind me with a loud thud, and a knot formed in my stomach.
I pressed my hand against my chest. How could I be so
stupid? She was another man's wife. Why did my heart ache when I saw them together?
“Fuck Charlotte,
What have you done to me?” I raked my fingers through my hair in frustration. I had to focus on the mission.”