Chapter 20 A girl from the past.
Damien's POV
I hurt her.
The woman I had sworn to protect with my own life, I put a red-hot rod on her back.
I could still hear Charlotte's agonising screams ringing in my ears; it was a reminder that I hurt the women I loved.
I could see her struggling to hold on to the pain as the doctor patched her up. The rest of the soldiers gathered round each other for drinks to celebrate the new recruits, but I could catch them stealing glances at Charlotte and at me.
Immediately, the doctor patched up her wound. Charlotte slid on her jacket and turned to face me; her eyes were red from crying, but she still smiled at me. “See, I'm all better.” She spread her hands wide for a hug.
My chest tightened as I felt hot tears gather again.
She pouted, and a pitiful frown formed on her forehead. "Damien, I told you I was alright, didn't I?" She moved towards me and wrapped her hands around me.
I drew my face closer to hers as I spoke, “I…I hurt you.” My voice cracked.
She placed her lips against mine. “It's okay… I'm alright,” she said in the calmest voice in the world.
“Can I have a word with you?” General Dawson asked, and I looked up at him. He was one of my trusted advisors; I had left him in charge of my soldiers in Italy before I left.
He was a man in his late fifties, but had more wrinkles on his face than a ninety-year-old man. We have known each other for years, but I have never seen his smile.
“I'm talking about my wife, General,” I responded and immediately returned my gaze to Charlotte.
“Go,” Charlotte urged. “It will give me a chance to mingle with the soldiers before we head back to America.
I slowly reached for her face and wiped her cheeks even though there was nothing there. “I love you,” I mouthed.
“I love you,” she mouthed back.
I turned around and gestured to Dawson to walk with me. We both walked upstairs away from earshot, and then I turned to face him. “What is it?”
“It's an honour to have you back in Italy, boss… It's also a surprise to see that you have come back with a woman whom I now know is your wife…” He hesitated before he continued, “Can I ask a personal question?”
I nodded and drew out a seat beside me. “Go ahead,” I spoke as I sat.
“What is her purpose?”
My brows pinched together, “What?”
“You do not let people into your personal space, you do not love, and there's a reason behind why you married her. What is it?” He demanded.
“I love her,” I responded without thinking.
His eyes turned puzzled. “You do not love, sir,” he spoke as if he knew me better than I knew myself.
I exhaled, “Dawson, there's a version of me that you do not know.”
“There’s no part that loves.”
“There is…at least a part of Charlotte that brings that part out of me,” I explained.
“Sir, this woman made you kneel before her, in front of your soldiers; that can cause disrespect, and it can make people rebel.”
“Then I will snap their necks with my bare hands!"
He froze for a second. “You cried, sir…when you saw her in pain. That is not an attitude we need from our boss.”
My gaze darkened. Dawson had always been daring, but never towards me. He never questioned my actions. “Do not tell me how to care for my wife, Dawson.” I stood up in anger, my gaze turning cold. “No one has the right to do that.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “If you are getting weaker because of a woman, then are you really qualified to lead…?” Before he could finish his sentence, my fingers curled into a fist, and it landed right in his face.
He looked at me in shock. I grabbed his shirt and landed a punch, and another, until his nose bled. My hand was still on his shirt, and I dragged him out of the place until we reached downstairs. The place fell silent immediately I appeared; everybody froze.
I threw Dawson against the ground, and he landed with a loud thud. “How many of you believe that I have grown weak because of my wife's presence?” I asked.
Charlotte looked at me, puzzled. “What's going on?”
“I'll handle this,” I responded and turned to the rest of the soldiers. “I will ask again.” My feet made a gentle thud against the hard floor as I stepped forward. “Dawson here thinks that I have grown weaker. Who else here thinks that?”
I froze in my steps as a few of my soldiers stepped forward. “We have been talking about it since you got back, boss. You let Derick leave after he betrayed us. The old version of you would never do that.”
Charlotte began to speak. “But Derick didn't have a choice; his sister's life was in danger….”
“The act of letting him live is an abomination!” The soldier barked at her, cutting her short in the process.
My brow raised, and I immediately pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. “Did you just yell at my wife?”
“You are going to aim a bullet at your soldier for her?” He gestured at Charlotte in anger, and before he could take another breath, I fired the gun, letting the bullet land between his eyes.
He dropped to the ground with a loud thud. “Nobody rebels against them and survives; nobody thinks I'm weak and survives. I'm going to show everyone that I'm still the same old me…”
I turned to look at Charlotte; she had a glass of red wine in her hand from the celebration. “Vita mia, do I have permission to kill these men?”
She quickly shook her head. “I'm sure we can correct them.”
“It's wrong to let them go because they will try something in the future…. I can guarantee that.”
Charlotte's gaze swept through the place. “Of...of course,” she slowly let out.
That was all I needed, her approval, and then I wouldn't seem like the monster I feared she saw me as.
I immediately sent bullets flying through the air until all the rebels dropped to the ground. I gave Dawson a long stare before I aimed the gun at him.
He smiled, even in the face of death. “You'll ruin this empire because of that woman.” he groaned, I didn't waste time. Immediately after he spoke, I fired the gun, rendering him lifeless.
“Clean the bodies!’ I ordered, and some of the soldiers began to pick them up immediately.
I tossed the gun onto the floor and gestured to Charlotte, “Let's go back to the hotel.”
Charlotte quickly exchanged a hug with Isabelle and rushed towards me. I slipped my hand into hers and led her out of the place. Marcus got into the front seat to drive me home, and Charlotte and I sat in the back.
“Damien, are you okay?” She asked as the car sped into the road, “You look angry.”
I turned to look at her. “I'm fine; I have done what I need to do.”
She placed her hand against mine, but said nothing; that was all I needed—her beautiful touch against my skin.
Charlotte's gaze widened as we took a route that was different from the one we would have taken to the hotel.
“We will be staying at one of my houses in Italy. I should have told you earlier, but I realised that we would have to stay longer in Italy.”
She shot me a proud gaze. “We have houses in Italy?”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Yes, love.”
“Wait…why are we staying longer? Did something happen?” She was curious.
“I have a business meeting with an ally; it was scheduled at the last minute, and also, you wanted to train. Well, my strongest training facilities are in Italy; one more week here just for you should be okay, right?”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “Thank you, Damien.”
I reached for her face and pushed some strands of hair behind her ear. “Of course, love.”
A few minutes later, we arrived at my home. “This place is beautiful,” Charlotte spoke in awe as we stepped into the mansion.
My heart warmed with satisfaction as she twirled, her hair flipping against her back. She looked up at the ceiling and sucked in a deep breath. “I love it here.”
I chuckled, “We can move here if you want,” I said. The words weren't a suggestion; they were a vow. I would uproot my entire world if it meant seeing that gorgeous glow in her eyes.
“And abandon our life in the States?” She beamed, a smile tugging at her lips and a mocking frown on her face.
“You are my life, Charlotte,” I spoke in a soft tone.
Her smile dropped subtly, but then widened once more. “You say the sweetest things.”
I slid my hands
Suddenly, the loud clicking of heels began to walk down the stairs. I looked up, my eyes widening in shock as my gaze caught her.
Ezera.
I had forgotten about her; she was one of my soldiers in Italy. She used to be the only female here before Charlotte and Isabelle. I had rescued her from her abusive family years ago, and she has been devoted to me ever since.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
She tucked her red hair behind her ears and shot Charlotte a scornful look. “I didn't know we were having company,” she spoke in Italian. “She's going to ruin all the fun.”
“What did she say?” Charlotte turned to look at me. “Who is she?”
I hesitated; if I kept Ezera, she was going to be a headache before I left.