𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋, 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲.

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍.

A PARTNER AND A FRIEND is what Angelina would say when someone asked who exactly Christopher Francis was to her. They weren't a conventional friendship. It seemed as though they would only ever treat each other as colleagues, family friends who had obligations to hold a close relationship for the sake of their family businesses. A treaty. A truce. That's all anyone would ever see if they took a look at the two from afar.

Up close it was another story. There was a different level of intimacy that would go unseen unless you took a closer look, but even then no one exactly knew who they were. What they decided to share with the public eye was nothing compared to what happened behind closed doors.

If you asked Christopher who she was to him, he would never give you a straight answer. Why would he? He was a particularly cocky man who had the smarts and looks and he knew it. He was the kind of person who you wanted to hate but you couldn't. He got his kicks out of causing difficulties for anyone, friend or foe. A real asshole. But he loved hard to those who went beyond the title of friend. Angelina may have been above a friend but it all depended on how you looked at the relationship.

He loved her, of course he did but he was mad. An absolute psychopath.

He threw his head back, blowing the smoke of his cigarette into the air with a smug look on his face. He was enjoying himself with a bottle of scotch and business forms littered across his desk. He didn't have much regard for the legal side of his business. He only paid attention to the pages when he wanted a good laugh. This was spent on the days he had the luxury of having alone time. Despite cherishing his alone time and being the kind of man that he is, he always had someone around him.

His feet were kicked up on his desk as he read a report that came in from London. He had been keeping track of certain people who he felt were either threats or could potentially be aids to his cause.

Among the men and women was a man who he couldn't bother with but recent issues caused for the man to come up on his radar. Collin Kane.

The Kane family was always a pain in the ass. The family lacked multiple qualifications it took to handle the kind of life he and many others like him led. Collin Kane was especially lacking in vision. He hated men like Collin Kane and he was ready to bury a bullet into every member of the Kane family. But he was a man who had to keep himself together in the eyes of everyone. Especially his precious Angel.

He missed her dearly and he wanted to do everything in his power to care for her but he couldn't do that for her. He couldn't do much for her anymore.

In the past, he did so much for her and all of his deeds were met with the dull eyes she held once her father died. He couldn't bear the sight, it was a sickening one. He shuddered, remembering the dark color of red surrounding her. The gray world that enhanced the vicious color on that night.

Blood. There were countless times where the blood of his enemies spread as far as he could see. It was always a glorious sight but her blood was not. Seeing her surrounded by the color he reveled in was not something he would ever want to see again.

"My niece is in this country..." The gruff, harsh voice of Peter "Williams" broke the silence the younger man sat in. Christopher turned his head, nodding. "She's been here for a couple of years now, she's shacking up with the Peaky Blinders currently but not too long ago she was with Solomons..." Christopher paused to watch the reaction of the kid sibling of August Belmont II.

"That child..." Peter shook his head in attempt to shake away his growing disappointment. Of all the people in the world, she always seemed to attract the worst people without even trying. He could never figure out why someone of her nature could end up in such predicaments.