My Precious Family [Jenlisa]

Chapter 169: A glimpse of the bitter past

VOLUME II: Crawling out of the burning sun. 

PROLOGUE    

"One of my friends said I was foolish to bring a child into this world." A woman's eyes gleamed as they mirrored the innocent face of an adorable child. "I agreed with her. It was foolish to bring a child into this catacomb, and now... that statement hit differently. I shouldn't have birthed a life, because now it scares me that she'd get hurt."    

The woman smiled bitterly, trying to caress the baby's plumped cheek only to stop midway upon realizing her hand was stained with blood. "She is so precious. I feel terrible that such a precious thing had a mother like me."    

"Madam, please do not say such a thing." Bear's expression turned hard, staring at the woman standing beside the crib where her child was sleeping.    

"And why not? I am merely speaking of the truth." The woman slowly turned her head in Bear's direction, who was standing a few meters from her. "Considering the life she will have, I already feel sorry for her. She deserved much more than the mountain of corpses her parents were standing on and the long list of enemies we have."    

Bear's jaw tightened, wanting to argue with his boss's wife. However, even he didn't know the right words to twist this fact. This woman standing before him was the best assassin in her generation. On top of that, her husband was a notorious felon in the underworld.     

Having a child together... one could already tell what life their child would have. It was a life of luxury at the cost of her freeLisa. But at this time, Bear didn't think that would be a problem. He believed they were very free. Sure, they were felons, but with the power his employers had, nothing or no one could stop them from going to places anytime they pleased.     

"It's alright, Bernard." The woman turned her head again and her eyes instantly fell on the child sleeping soundlessly in the crib. "Even though there's regret in my heart, I can't undo the past. It's already too late, and she's already here. Funny... that I had always thought I can kill anyone even if it's my husband if he give me enough reason to. But I guess I now have met someone I can't kill even if she asks me if she can skin me alive."    

Her eyes softened. "This is what they probably call a mother's unconditional love. My willingness to die for her and add more corpses under my belt for her is never been this intense."    

Bear kept his silence as he listened to the woman's sentiments. As he did so, his eyes veered to the body lying just seven steps from the crib. Blood crawled underneath the person's body, swimming in his pool of blood.     

The young princess of the organization was just two months old. However, the innocent child already faced at least six assassination attempts in that two-month timeframe, including tonight. This was the very first time someone managed to come close to the little princess. Fortunately, the Madam came.    

The woman glanced down, staring at the blood that reached her and the crib. The sight of it filled her heart with an ominous feeling, as if this blood that crawled to the foot of the crib marked the bloody path this child would have.     

"Look after her, Bernard," she ordered quietly, making Bear set his eyes back on her.     

"Madam, what did you mean by that?"    

"With the life her parents have, waking up every day is a miracle for us but a curse to others. There's no telling if we will ever see her grow up." The woman smiled bitterly. "If that ever happened —"    

"Madam." Bear's expression darkened, frowning. "Please, do not speak such things."    

The woman cast Bear a look and smiled. "If the worse happened, protect her in our stead. I'm not saying I'd die tonight. I'll live for as long as I can since I have now a deeper reason to survive this hell. It's the same for Vicenzo. I'm certain he loves this child more than he loves money and power."    

"My point being, I'll be very reassured if I have someone else who can look after her since I cannot give her away now." She returned her gaze to her child. "So, don't die, Bernard. Live through this hell with us until she's at the right age to decide what sort of life she wanted. Once she decided to live a life different from ours or conquer this hell, we'll have to live until then."    

BAM!    

Just as the last syllable rolled out of the woman's tongue, the door was suddenly kicked open with a bang. The woman and Bear instinctively turned their heads in the door's direction, only to see a severed head rolling inside, and then a foot suddenly stepped on it. When they lifted their gaze from the severed head, their eyes landed on a man almost covered in blood.     

"Vicenzo, what are you doing?" the woman asked with an evident frown. "That head is not a ball you can kick around here. This is Jane's room, for fuck's sake."    

The man, Vicenzo, Jane's father, pointed at the severed head, annoyed. "That motherfucker is the person who wanted to kill my child."    

"So?" the woman folded her arms, eyes on her husband.     

"I brought him here, so he apologizes to my baby!"    

"If an apology was what you wanted, then you shouldn't have cut off his head."    

"Ah, about that..." Vicenzo rocked his head, clicking his tongue as he marched inside. "I got so angry when I heard about it, so I ended up chopping his head. I mean, who in their sick mind would target a two-month-old baby? If they have business with me, they should come after my head! They make me angry!"    

Vicenzo stopped beside the woman, placing his hand on the rims of the crib with a sweet and bright smile on his face. "My princess, look! Daddy brought you that motherfucker's head. Were you scared? Don't worry. Daddy is here and I won't let them touch even the tip of your hair!"    

"Vicenzo, weren't you out of the country?" the woman watched her husband babytalk their daughter. "Also, tone down your voice. She's sleeping."    

"I flew to that fucktard's den when I heard the news." His attention stayed on the child. "Look at her, Elena. She's become more human than two months ago. Is she breathing?"    

"Darling, what nonsense are you saying now?"    

As Elena and Vicenzo argued beside the crib, Bear could only watch from his spot. Both parents had blood on them, but the way they cared for their daughter added a different tone from the usual black and red colors they carried. It was almost impossible to imagine that these two were capable to be loving parents, considering their fearful reputation.     

And this memory served that even the mostruthless devils had sides only a selected few could see.