“You know, you’re right. I’m a slave of my Rosebud, she owns me. So, I can’t be mad at you for that.” He cocked his head. “But you’re wrong about one thing. The Valencian empire isn’t yours. It was just a mere company in my father’s hand. I’m the one who made it an empire. It was my hard work. And about your right, the luxury I provided you is worth much more than you would have gotten from grandfather’s property.”

Arthur stayed silent. But the gritting of his teeth was evidence of how much he wanted to disagree.

Dizziness hit me again, causing me to walk close to Ace. But I didn’t interrupt him. Instead, I took deep breaths to keep down the nausea that was rising in my throat.

Leaning in, he whispered in Arthur’s ear. But loud enough for me to hear everything.

“And you and I both know you can’t get out of here. Soon, you’ll be sent to the solitary confinement.” A malicious smirk tugged at his lips. “And you know what can happen to you behind the closed doors, don’t you? So, I’d be very careful with my tongue and hands if I were you.”

EPILOGUE - PART 2

The color of Arthur’s face drained. With wide eyes, he watched Ace in horror.

“Y-you can’t do that to me! I won’t let you!”

I grimaced at the feeling in my stomach. The world around me started to spin.

Stepping back from him, Ace wrapped a hand around my waist. “I can and I will. You’ve seen my respect for you these years, and now you’ll see my enmity. You should’ve thought about it before joining hands with Antonio and deciding to go against me and trying to hurt my Rosebud. You did what you wanted. Now you suffer the consequences. May God send you to hell. Goodbye, Arthur.”

“No! You can’t do that—”

Unable to contain it in anymore, I clutched my stomach, hunched forward, and emptied my stomach.

“Shit! Rosebud! Are you all right, baby?” Wrapping his arms around my shoulders, Ace pulled my hair back as the officers and Arthur jumped back.

“What the fuck!” Arthur screeched.

Looking up with watery vision, I found his legs covered with yellowish substances. A look of disgust flashed across his features.

“Rosebud, are you all right? What’s wrong?” Ace’s concerned voice sounded distant in my ears. Everything around me blurred.

The black dots across my vision and the foul stench of vomit made me throw up again, before I slumped against Ace as darkness slowly engulfed me.

The next time I regained my senses, I found myself on a hospital bed with him tightly gripping my hand in his. The smell of bleach and white walls of the hospital room surrounded me.