Chapter 99 Unexpected peace

Chapter 99 Unexpected peace
AXEL

I covered my eyes with my palm as though I was ashamed of what we'd just done. If I was being sincere, it's the best thing that has happened to me since the betrayal, everything else had caused me a higher ratio of pain than pleasure in comparison to the exhilarating sex we'd just enjoyed.

A low groan left my throat as I rubbed my eyes a little roughly, and moved away from where she lay beside me. We must've drifted off to sleep after tiring ourselves out because I felt slightly better rested just by having her in my arms for what must've only been a few minutes of deep sleep.

Even with the knowledge of what we'd just done, and the sex flashbacks from our heated sex being replayed in my head, I couldn't believe that I'd let myself have sex with her. How did she know just how to trigger my primal lust and longing for her? Shit, I'm done for.

As much as I wouldn't take back the fact that we'd just fucked, I couldn't stop myself from feeling like I'd betrayed myself. A feeling of self-guilt washed over me as I stared at the ceiling above me aimlessly, in a few hours I'd have gotten rid of her so why didn't I just hold on a bit longer?

I mentally slapped myself across the head, I was fucking helpless whenever it came to her. I hated being so powerless as long as she was concerned, I wished that I could loosen the impenetrable hold she had on me- but deep down, I was scared to let go and forget what love really felt like.

My arm lightly brushed the curve of her hip as I tried to sit up in the bed and I looked over at her gorgeous body. Her hair was sprawled about her, she had an arm lazily draped over her stomach, her knees were slightly bent and her lips parted slowly as she snored lightly-fuck, she was perfect.

More than anything, her being asleep after sex brought back old memories of how she'd always fall asleep when she was spent. Normally, we'd cuddle and fall asleep in each other's arms and I'd wake up first and watch how peaceful and adorable she looked while she slept naked.

Even now, despite everything that had led up to this moment, I felt nostalgia threatening to make my heart burst as I watched her sleep like she didn't have a care in that world. The more I watched her, the more distracted I got by her presence.

What was more distracting about her? The fact that she was naked, every curve of her body felt so familiar that it called to me as I watched her sleep. I thought that after fucking her the way I just did, my attraction to her would cool off since I was mad at her- but to my dismay, it hadn't.

Instead, I'd just been reminded of how mind-blowing sex with her was, we fit like a glove whenever our bodies met, and it was always unbelievably perfect. It fucked with my mind that she could make me feel things nobody could possibly conjure up, it was a blessing and a curse to love her so deeply.

I was being my own enemy by still staring at her, so I looked away and try to pull my pants back on. Just as I'd torn my eyes away from her, she turned over and shivered lightly which made me look over at her again.

I figured that she was probably a little cold, especially without the warmth of my body being nearby. I was genuinely fucking pissed at myself for worrying about her when I should've sent her away from the room the moment I saw her beside me when I woke up.

Yes, I should wake her up and her to leave, I thought to myself.

For a few minutes, I sat on the edge of the bed in silence as I contemplated between sending her away from my room or covering her up. I knew deep down that there was no need for that silly self- debate when I was certain I'd end up covering her up, so I gave in and decided to cover her up and let her sleep.

As if on cue, she wrapped herself in both her arms and rubbed her sides for some warmth, and I knew I had to cover her up before she caught a cold in her sleep. I finally dragged my pants on and stood up to get a fresh blanket from my closet.

In no time, I had her covered up in a blanket and I slipped a pillow beside her because I knew she'd reach out to cuddle it for more warmth as she slept. She had the most adorable quirks and habits, no wonder my heart refused to listen to reason no matter how much my brain wanted to let go of her.

After I'd done that, I strolled over to my study desk and picked up my phone to check up on things. To my displeasure, I found out that Prince has left me a few missed calls and one voicemail in the past hour. "I'm a fucking idiot, aren't I?" I said to myself as soon as I realized that I'd completely forgotten about the mission while I was with her.

I felt like a fool, one that had no control over my thoughts and actions whenever Lisa was involved and I hoped dearly that the mission hadn't gone south because of my absence. I wasn't one to lose focus because of a woman, but this woman was my kryptonite- I always lost grasp of reality whenever our bodies intertwined in pleasure.

With no intention of waking her, I stepped out of the room and shut the door quietly behind me so that it wouldn't startle her. I'd done so on instinct, but that moment I'd shut the door without stirring her in her sleep- I asked myself why the fuck I was scared of waking her up when the shouldn't have been in my bed in the first place.

I was a goner, shit.

Instead of dwelling on my weaknesses when it came to Lisa, I quickly dialed Prince's number to find out what was up. He picked on the very first ring, as usual.

"You finally decided to grace us with your presence, o mighty one" Prince mocked me as soon as he answered the call.

"What's up, man? Is everything okay? I'm so damn sorry I didn't take your calls" I ignored his earlier statement and asked the questions that mattered.

"Right after you tell me where you've been for the past hour, you sneaky ass" He laughed and asked again as if what I'd asked carried no weight at the moment.

I ignored his meaningless gimmicks again.

"You're always eager to tell me what's going on with you, so your being quiet leaves me with one possible explanation" He continued after a minute of silence had passed without a plausible reply

from me.

"Up to no good, then. I'm guessing- and since you don't kiss and tell, I'm guessing you kissed and now you can't share" He rounded up his assumption and sounded very proud of himself.

I had no intention of confirming his assumptions, so I made no move to.

"The mission, Prince. What's up with it?" I asked again sternly, and he laughed under his breath before he cleared his throat.

"Yes, sire! You'd be pleased to know that the mission was successful, there were no hiccups during the pickup as we'd expected and we've been able to recover all the goods from the shipment " He still had a playful tone as he spoke, and I believed it was because the mission had been concluded successfully.

"Fuck, that's great man. Well done, I knew you'd pull it off- I owe you one, for not being there when you called" I let out a sigh of relief and smiled while pressing the phone tightly against my ear like I couldn't believe what I'd just heard him say.

It was over, finally. But, that didn't give me the all round feeling of freedom and completion I'd expected and I wondered why.

Prince broke through my thoughts, "I work for you man, shut it already. I'm so fucking relieved man, this mission had us all on edge, phew

"There really wasn't any fishy activity from Volkov?" I asked again, just to be certain.

"None, man. It was unbelievable, especially since we'd prepared specifically for that." He replied and the confirmation soothed my heart all the more.

Just then, I realized that the playfulness I'd picked up from him much earlier in the call when I was asking him serious questions was because he'd had the weight of the mission lifted from his shoulders. I was happy that he seemed relieved enough to tease me again, for that- I was grateful.

"Psst. Your Dad's here and he wants to talk to you, now." He said in a whisper, as though it was delicate information.

"Oh, okay man. Hand it over."

I replied and he covered the receiver right before I heard a muffled, "Here, sir."

I assumed he'd handed it over to my dad then and I waited for him to speak first.

"My favorite don!" My father began in a tone filled with pride and excitement as soon as he got on the phone with me.

"Hello, Dad. How's it going?" I said softly, as though his praise hadn't made my heart grow a few times bigger. My father was a stern man, but he was never stingy with praises as long as you'd worked to earn it.

"Great over here! I'm so proud of you for keeping your promise to get the shipment back from the Volkovs!" He remarked again, raining more praises on me for a job well done.

"I wasn't entirely sure how you'd get it done, but I'm amazed at how your plan drew him out until he surrendered" From his ecstatic mention of the plan which I hadn't shared with him, I assumed that he'd had a lengthy chat with Prince earlier on.

"Pleased with your approval of our tactics. I gave you my word, Dad." I thanked him politely and reminded him of the weight of my words, he'd taught me to always stay true to my words always.

"You've truly proven yourself to be of my very flesh and bones, my son. You're a real don, cut from a thicker cloth than some, I respect that you kept your words unfailingly" He praised me some more and I smiled brightly at the end of the call.

I don't know how I'd have lived with myself if I'd let him down again, I was eternally grateful to Prince for holding up the fort and concluding the mission while I was unavailable.

"Thank you Dad, we all know that I learned from the very best" I praised him as well which earned me a hearty chuckle from him.

"Of course." He agreed with my compliment after his chuckle had died down.

He cleared his throat loudly, "Oh- also, I met with Volkov and he offered us a truce. How did you manage to convince him to do that?"

I was puzzled by his question just as much as I was by the revelation he'd dropped. Lisa's father offered us a truce. Something seemed off, my guts were burning with several possible reasons why he must've done that.

"Axel?" My father called out when I hadn't replied.

"I didn't, Dad. It's come as a surprise to me if I'm being sincere" I replied quickly even though I hadn't managed to gather my thoughts.

"I see. Well, he seemed more than willing to drop our years of enmity and work together in the future instead" He revealed more, and my confusion worsened as well as my suspicion.

"Oh well, I doubt we can trust Mr. Volkov just yet. He's proven to be cunning and untrustworthy in recent times" I replied, knowing that my dad respected my input in major decisions such as this.

I didn't let it bother me much, because it was just a suggestion for now. I'd make sure I saw through every single phase of the truce if it came to pass, I wouldn't let manipulation or any form of insincerity get past me because of how thoroughly I'd planned to handle it.

"He seems sincere, this time around. He even offered you marry his daughter, Lisa to seal the truce" My father's words broke through my strategizing and my ears rang wickedly as I heard what he'd

just said.

Was the fucking world upside down?