Vexon
I had gone to the McDonald's to buy dinner for me and Ruby, and now, I was tapping the steering wheel of my car nervously, in front of Ruby's house because I didn't have the courage to go inside after I was thrown out by my mother-in-law, Syna Gerund.
Syna was so scary��actually scarier than any other person I had ever encountered. I still remembered our first conversation over the phone when I contacted her. When she knew it was me, her first sentence was, 'I am going to kill you with my nail cutter.'
I still wondered how she could kill me with a nail cutter, but I could not trust her with that. I couldn't risk being known as the Mafia king who died by a nail cutter; even the thought was shameful.
For as long as I had known Syna, she had always been terrifying. Kendrik had a hard time convincing her to let him marry Pearl.
When Syna got to know about us being in the Mafia, she literally held her kitchen knife on Kendrik's throat, asking him how dare he was to even think of marrying her daughter with that kind of profession. If Pearl wasn't there at that time, my brother would already be calling my name from hell to join him.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated, notifying an incoming call. "Boss, I am here in Manitoba. I am sorry to inform you this late, but it's very urgent. I wanted to tell you about something in private. I am at the hotel, but you're not here. Where are you?"
"In front of Ruby's house. Can you come here and tell me?" I offered, and he sighed.
"Okay."
I tapped my finger on the dashboard, waiting for Mane to arrive. After twenty minutes or so, I noticed a figure in a dark green shirt with black jeans jogging up towards my car. I got out and heard Mane exclaiming, "Boss!"
He immediately started stating business, "I have something very important to tell you. It's about��" but I cut him off.
"Leave it and help me," I almost begged.
A confused look dawned on his face. "In what?"
My face lit up as I started telling him my grand plan.
Mane's whole body stiffened. "Boss, I can't just be someone selling utensils in these weird clothes," he objected, his nose scrunched up in distaste, pointing at the costume that Richard brought a few minutes ago.
"You have to do this for me, please. Just wear this, distract Mrs. Gerund while I climb the window to eat dinner with my wife. I am sure she didn't eat her dinner," I pleaded.
"I can't believe you're scared of your mother-in-law. For God's sake, you're a Mafia King!" Mane complained.
I scowled. "The look she gave me was enough to send anyone to coma. Just because I am a Mafia King, thus I was strong enough to withstand her wrath."
Mane shook his head in disappointment. "The things I do for you, Vexon," he mumbled, and I looked at him in astonishment.
"At last, you called me Vexon. I'm so glad." I was tired of telling him to call me by my name since the training, but he never agreed. It always made me feel like there was a wall between us, so I was momentarily glad that it didn't exist anymore.
With a small smile forming in his lips, Mane took the weird clothes and accessories Richard brought. "I better go and dress up like a weird utensil seller," Mane mumbled before going away.
After a while, Mane returned, looking odd, just as expected.
I suppressed my laughter and hugged him. He was like a father figure to me, he was there with me since as far as I could remember; I was truly grateful for that.
"Thank you," I muttered.
Mane gritted his teeth and went inside the house. Richard was waiting for me with the ladder.
I took the takeout dinner and started climbing the ladder. It was a piece of cake for me since I learned this in my training. Speaking of cake, I wonder how it actually tasted.
I shoved away from the unimportant thoughts and focused on the steps I was taking, not wanting to risk a few bone fractures. Fortunately, the window was open. Ruby was laying on the bed, watching TV. She was eating a slice of cake, only a few small pieces were left on the tray. Was it really that good?
I was about to sneak inside through the window until Ruby noticed me. Her eyes held terror as she quickly got off the bed and kept the tray of cake on the desk before closing the window on my face.
I winced. Did she just close the window on my face?
Yes, she did, my subconscious replied.
"Gem, open the window." I lightly knocked on the windshield.
"Go away! My mom will kill us if she caught us," she whispered through the glass.
"No, she won't. Just let me in."
Ruby looked at the door and then back at me. "How can you be so sure?"
I sighed. "If you let me in, I swear, I will explain everything. Just trust me, please."
Ruby thought for a while before locking the door properly, then opened the window for you. "
Thank you," I politely mumbled and stepped in, handing her our dinner.
"You bought us dinner?" she asked in awe, and I nodded.
"I couldn't let you starve," I said and made myself comfortable on her bed. "Not to mention that I am starving as well, so please open it."
She smiled and quickly started unpacking it. I loved it when she smiled. As I admired her, I realized just how much I loved doing crazy things just for the sake of her beautiful smile.
I couldn't believe that motherfucker Steve touched her; even the thought made me see everything red. How dare he?
I texted Will, one of my guards, to capture Steve before we went back home. I didn't want him pestering my wife anymore, while I was trying to pacify her.
"Here." Ruby handed me a hamburger, and I started eating after mumbling a small thanks. She sat down beside me and started biting on her own burger.
It was silent for a while, with only the sounds of us chewing. All of a sudden, Ruby started, "You know, I was thinking about what you were doing. I was angry when you left, but I didn't know you were scared of my mom and..." she kept blabbering.
But all I was noticing was the way her lips moved, her wave black hair bounced over her shoulder, her shorts that made her toned legs look sexier, her tanned skin that always seemed to be glowing. Only one word described her accurately. Perfect.
That was what she's for me.
I never believed in my destiny. But she was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was grateful to the angels who made us a pair.
All of a sudden, Ruby clicked her fingers in front of me, making me jerk out of my fantasy land.
"Were you even listening?" she asked, and I shook my head, biting my lower lip. She pouted before repeating the earlier question, "Are you a virgin?"
I was taken aback at the sudden question. I took another small bite of my burger and inquired, "Why would you ask that?"
She rolled her eyes. "Why wouldn't I? It's my responsibility to know if I'll be my husband's first time like he will be mine or not."
My head snapped at her direction hearing that. Did she just say what I thought she said?
Did that mean Ruby really saw a future with me? Did she really want to make love with me only?
"Vexon? Please answer me," Ruby pleaded. I took the last bite of the burger.
Oh, baby, I thought, suppressing a sheepish grin. If only she knew about my wild dreams about her, she would stop raising that topic.
"Let's leave it right now. You will know when the time comes," I answered when I saw her staring at me for an answer.
"That's unfair! You have to tell me. I told you I am a virgin, so you have to tell me as well." She crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks. I loved it when she did that in anger.
"I didn't ask," I held back my laughter, trying to sound serious. It was amusing to see the invisible hot steam coming out of her ears.
"Argh!" Ruby got up and threw the foil paper in the dustbin. "You're so annoying, Vexon."
I grinned at her words and casually took a small slice of the cake from the desk as a dessert. As soon as I took a bite from it, I had an urge to throw up, while I heard Ruby cry out in the background, "Vexon, no, don't eat that!"
I grabbed a tissue and spit the salty cake on it before tossing it into the dustbin. The cake tasted disgusting; it was as if I drank a glass of ocean water.
I had put salt instead of sugar. The cocoa powder was more in it, making it taste bitter. Overall, this was trash and inedible.
How could Ruby even eat that?
"Why did you even taste it?" Ruby questioned and handed me a glass of water. I gulped all in one go and returned it to her.
"Why? Why did you even eat that garbage? Like how?" I inquired her. I got up and held the tray to throw the fritter in the dustbin. "This is where it deserves to stay."
"No!" Ruby snatched the tray away from my hand. "You can't throw it away."
"What do you mean by this? You can't eat this. Too much salt is bad for health."
"I can eat this, and I will!" she protested, raising her voice. "My husband made it for me with love. He can't cook yet he tried to��just to please me. I don't want to throw all his efforts away. I don't care if it harms my health. He even got scolded by my mother for it."
I gaped at her in awe. I was speechless.
"I didn't tell the truth because I didn't want to upset him," her voice lowered, only coming like a whisper.
To say that I was touched would be an understatement. I never felt like that before. Being so appreciated, I almost seemed like I was loved by her.
"Please don't throw it away. I��" I didn't let her complete her sentence and pulled her in a hug.
"You're the best," I mumbled with a proud smile. I could feel a smile forming on her lips as she put away the tray and wrapped her arms around me.
"This is nothing compared to the things you do for me," she said.
After we freed ourselves from the hug, we decided to cuddle while watching Netflix.
"How did you get the recipe?" Ruby asked casually.
I gave a cheeky grin. "Google."
"What about my mom? What if she comes and��" I interrupted her.
"Your mom won't come here. Mane is keeping her busy by showing her utensils."
Ruby kept a straight face for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, and I couldn't help but join in.
"No wonder why he looked so familiar," she managed to say in between her fits of giggles. "And you call me crazy?"
I hummed in response, taking pride in it. She playfully hit my chest, and I laughed.
After we finished playing around, she again placed her head on my chest and started drawing circles on my torso.
"Vexon, I wanted to ask you something for a long time." I waited for her to continue which she did, "What happened to your father?"
I inhaled a deep breath. I knew I had to answer this question one day, and she needed to know the truth. Subconsciously, I started thinking of a way to dodge the question, but looking at her hopeful eyes, I knew it was now or never.
I took her left hand in mine and squeezed it as a way to encourage myself to get the words out. Finally, I uttered, "My mother killed him."
