Chains of Obsession

25

♡Emilia♡

The next day, I made my way down to the kitchen, still seething about Simon's words yesterday. I want nothing more than a cup of tea to calm me down.

As I enter the kitchen, I'm surprised to see one of the other guards there, leaning against the counter.

It's Peter.

He's usually pretty neutral towards me.

"Hey," he says, nodding at me as I enter. "You're up early today."

I just grunt in response, not feeling very chatty. I start rummaging through the cabinets, looking for tea.

Peter watches me silently for a moment before speaking up again. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

I pause my search for tea and turn to look at him.

"Depends on what it is," I say, my voice terse.

"I'm just curious," he says, his tone nonchalant. "Why do you keep trying to kill the boss?"

I sigh and lean against the counter, crossing my arms. It seems every guard here has to ask me that question eventually.

"Why do you think?" I reply, my voice sarcastic. "Because he's a heartless mafia leader who has no regard for human life. Why do you people swear your loyalty to him, anyway? It's not like he cares about any of you."

Peter shakes his head.

"That's where you're wrong," he says, his voice serious. "The boss does care about us, and he takes care of us. He's a tough guy, sure, but he has his own code of honour. We respect him, and he respects us."

I raise an eyebrow sceptically.

"He has a code of honour? Really?" I say, my voice dry. "Because from where I'm standing, he seems like a cold-hearted killer, not a man of honour."

Peter sighs and leans back against the counter. "You've got it all wrong," he says. "Sure, the boss is tough, and he'll do whatever it takes to protect his family and his business. But he's not some heartless killer. He values loyalty and respect, and he rewards those who serve him well. That's why we're loyal to him."

I couldn't help but laugh as I said, "If he is the man of honour, then I am the next queen."

Peter rolls his eyes at my comment, clearly getting a bit riled up by my attitude. "Look, doll, I know you don't like the boss, that much is clear. But you don't know him like we do. He's not the monster you think he is."

"Yeah, you can tell that bullshit to someone else." I said as I grabbed my cup of tea and went into the living room to watch Netflix.

"You're just stubborn, you know that?" He calls after me.

I don't respond, I just keep walking.

I sit down on the couch, sip my tea, and put on a Netflix show to distract myself.