𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙪𝙤 ; 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [ BOOK 2 ]

TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY; TELL IT TO THE GODS

Within a day, Oswald learned that Caroline had lied, not from the woman herself, but from his own sources that informed him that her surname was in fact Shelby, because she was married to the infamous Thomas who sought power over Birmingham after dabbling in illegal activity.

Which led to the discovery that Caroline Shelby had two children, but that wasn't the surprise of it all. What shocked him was that behind her angel eyes, she was a devil in disguise, having taking matters into her own hands so violently. Though, he supposed the cruelty was passed through genes, as her late father was yet another gang leader, one in which her own husband conquered to take over his empire.

As Oswald stared down at the documentary that studied the woman inside out, he pressed his index finger to his chin, completely puzzled. Thomas was a despicable man, not because he tore her original family apart, but because he cheated on her during several occasions to gather further Intel on how to progress further into the worldwide legal industries. 

Perhaps Caroline was worse, but Oswald couldn't blame her for seeking true love, especially to a man who pulled the wool over her eyes, promising her nothing but eternal happiness and loyalty amongst being a productive father. Not everyone was who they said they were, and for her misfortune, Oswald granted her the freedom of unbeknowning her life.

It wasn't as though they were friends, but Oswald was intrigued by her. He didn't know that such a powerful woman existed, one who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and stand up to the men who opposed her. She wasn't a housewife, because she was anything but. In modern day society, women were expected to rear countless of children while their partners slaved away for less than a pound.

She was truly a force to be reckoned with, and he could tell just by how she didn't fawn at his feet like a desperate woman from the local brothel. If her independent personality didn't show, the fact files definitely indicated that at any given moment, she could slit his throat without hesitation, and the danger drew him in further to such a mesmerising woman. 

Thus, why he absentmindedly excused himself from a meeting in his hotel suite's office and made his way towards Caroline's. Ordinarily, if he was attempting to seduce any woman, he would flash his wealth by ordering a servant to send out an invitation to dinner, but Caroline was no other woman, and he could just tell by reading her information that she craved emotional affection, and so he would deliver his question in person.

With his hands swinging freely by his sides, he sent nods of acknowledgements to the maids who stared at him with giggles. At this point in time, he wasn't willing to allow his time to be taken up by women insignificant to Caroline Shelby, because for the remainder of her time in Mayfair, he would only have eyes for her, but hopefully with much coaxing, she would stay with him. Because, after all, Small Heath was no place for a revolutionary single woman, especially if she was of a superior ranking in a ruthless gang.

When Caroline heard a knock on the door, she immediately sprung out of her bed and ran towards the gun she kept on the kitchen table, specifically for this reason. Behind that chestnut door could lie an enemy, but more dangerously, Thomas, or Polly, or anyone else who sent her away for her own good, only to realise she escaped and remained in a fine hotel.

With her finger around the trigger, her toes curled in tension as she opened the door on the count of three. And, with her spare hand, she grabbed the unknown person of interest, dragged them into the room before slamming the door shut and pressing the barrel of the gun into their temple.