EXCEPTION

Chapter 8. Genuine fidelity

Courtney glanced at me with incredulity, probably assuming my words were hogwash. But those solemn stares of his evanesce into a quizzical one.

"Be careful of your words." He took a few steps and halted before me. He lifted my chin and stared deep into the depths of my eyes. "Remember, it takes strength to give in. And your misery won't decide it for you."

His grip on me loosened, and he stepped away. I was stunned for a moment until he walked out of the room. It took more seconds before I decided to follow him outside.

"Courtney, wait!" I called him out, but my words seemed to have no effect on him. He didn't stop or slow down. Instead, he just kept walking. The hallways are wide and spacious, so I had little trouble keeping up with him. He was going way too fast for me, and it's not as if his feet moved in rhythm. But I am persistent 'cause I followed him upstairs with no further thought until we reached the room where our quarrel started.

"I've given up already. Whatever consequence that comes, I'm willing to take it," I replied flatly, not even bothering to mask the desperation that dripped from my tone. This is my choice to stay with him. To stay in his life where jeopardies and bloodshed lurk in every corner of its existence.

He turned around sharply, and I took more steps in front of him.

"I want freedom, and this is the only way I can have it." The conviction seeped into my voice. This is not some whim I'm indulging in. I truly mean it. I don't want to feel bound by anyone anymore, and I especially don't want to live like a prisoner again in the hands of my husband.

He stayed rigid, apparently examining my face closely. With my heart thumping aggressively, I didn't avert my gaze from him and instead stared back unflinchingly, daring him to challenge what I said. His penetrating stare made my blood run cold, but relinquishing wasn't an option.

"Freedom?" He repeated, his eyes never leaving mine. "So be free." His gaze diverted to something behind me. I swiveled around only to be confronted by the table with a sword and a long, slender dagger laid on top of it. They looked lethal.

So this means he wanted to witness my avidity to be part of his perilous destiny. And shedding my blood would suffice in order to get me into this. I felt myself stiffening, but I quickly regained control over my emotions. I grabbed the knife from the table and lifted it in front of him. A smirk tugged lightly on his mouth at the sight of my hand gripping the handle until I sliced through my palm with all my might. I let the crimson liquid drip from my hand and onto the floor. His eyes widened in surprise as if this was an unlooked-for event.

My breathing intensified until he approached me. I met his piercing dark gaze head-on, filled with so much emotion. But then my eyes became glassy, causing the blade to glide into nothingness. My knees threatened to buckle, but he supported my waist and pulled me against his chest. I failed to see his reaction afterward when my eyes shut, but the last I heard was him calling out his men. His voice sounded strained and worried.

As if he was afraid that any second I'd die.

As if he cared enough for me.

*****

Courtney's POV

I checked the wall clock and saw that it was already 1 in the afternoon. My eyes laid on Adeleine, who was in deep slumber. What happened earlier was unanticipated. I never thought she would hurt herself using the knife. I indeed wanted to see how keen she was to prove her fidelity, but I think what I did was too much. I still cannot obliterate the fact that I admire her bravery. This is my unusual behavior because I don't usually feel this way toward anyone.

But now that she's under my care, all I need to do is to make her realize that the life I'm living is beyond the grasp of her imagination. It's not a fantasy where peace and happiness reign. It's too dark and complicated for her naive heart to comprehend. But this is the reality of my life. Blood is my constant companion. And the burden of undeserving creatures is my favorite point of view.

A knock sounded from the door, enough to pull me out of my trance.

"Come in," I called out and turned around to face the door. My five men entered with serious expression on their countenances. They shut the doors behind them and stood next to me.

"Good afternoon, Sir," they greeted me in unison, but I only hurled them a frigid stare without greeting them back.

"Sum up all the information you've got. I need to know everything." I crossed my arms in front of my chest and stared down at each of them one by one.

"Blaine Harrison is the name of her husband, Sir. He's a wealthy man with huge contributions to numerous conglomerate companies, including his own called Sobriety Union. He's one of the top ten CEOs worldwide. His father owned many subsidiaries and corporations that made him prominent, and he inherited his wealth when he became twenty-one years old," Julian explained. He handed me a brown envelope, which I took eagerly. I opened it and unfolded it to reveal documents about Blaine. "We made an investigation regarding Adeleine's history and found out she was forced to marry Blaine Harrison to save her family business from bankruptcy."

Hearing those words nudged me to take a glimpse at Adeleine, but I quickly refocused my attention on Julian. "I need more substantial."

"Blaine is also involved with some high-profile cases of missing persons and illegal immigration. This is why Fredrin became one of his closest friends during their operation in Europe," he added. "They both work under Feastro Corporation. We found some footage of Fredrin and Blaine inside the exclusive bar in Europe. It's all there."

I checked the documents one by one. These are the backgrounds of Blaine Harrison, not enough to know everything but enough to have something to go along with—some of his accomplishments, family background, business dealings and other details of his life. But what caught my attention was the image of Fredrin and Blaine inside the exclusive bar that was taken two years ago. This simply means Blaine was one of my greatest foes.

My curiosity was fuming inside of me to see who this man really was.

"I need you to investigate Feastro Corporation and find out the extent of their operations. If I'm right, then we won't be able to hold them off," I ordered. Their expressions changed into surprised ones. "They are probably one of our adversaries who has been hiding away somewhere waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike."

Their expression turned into a dour before they nodded firmly. "Copy that, Sir!" Julian bowed his head. "Don't worry. We've already set up a team of informants to monitor and report every single move they make."

Without further demand, I dismissed them to prepare for their grave task.

I had no idea how profound the connection between Fredrin and Blaine was, but that doesn't matter now. I have an intuition that Adeleine's husband is one of the enemies that I've been searching for.