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"Please, Bastien," Lisette implores, her eyes pleading with me to stand down. "Let's just hear what Claude has to say."
"Fine," I relent, my jaw clenched, fury boiling just beneath the surface. "But if he lays a hand on you, I'll kill him."
"Understood," she whispers, and together, we face the uncertain fate that awaits us.
The room smells of power and fear, the dimly lit chamber where Claude Badeaux conducts his business. My heart beats in my chest like a caged animal as Bastien and I are led inside, our hands entwined. The air is thick with tension, each breath I take suffocating me further.
"Ah, the star-crossed lovers," Claude sneers, his calculating eyes scrutinizing us from behind his large mahogany desk. "Please, sit."
I glance at Lisette, her eyes filled with fear, and my grip on her hand tightens, a silent reassurance passing between us. We take our seats, facing the formidable figure of Claude, the man who holds our lives in his hands.
"Uncle," I begin, my voice scratchy with an underlying tension. "Please, let us—"
"Silence!" Claude interrupts, dismissing my pleas with a dismissive wave. "I brought you here because I've reached a decision. Lisette, you will leave town immediately. It's in everyone's best interest."
"Non," I protest, my jaw clenched, muscles coiled with defiance. "She stays with me."
"Listen, boy," Claude growls, leaning forward, his gaze piercing mine. "I can't afford to have two of my best hitmen distracted because of one woman. Marcel won't back down just because she humiliated him. You both know that."
"Then we'll eliminate him," I suggest, my voice icy and resolute. "Should have done it the first time."
"Enough!" Claude's fist lands on the desk with a resounding thud, his voice reverberating through the room. "This isn't up for negotiation. It's an order. Bastien, you will step down."
"Or what?" I challenge, meeting his steely gaze with resolve.
"Or you'll face the same fate as Giroux," Claude threatens, venom oozing from his words.
“Is that a threat?” I stand, chin raised, and Claude raises an imperious eyebrow. “I’m the one who dealt with Giroux.”
“It’s a fact. And if you’re reckless, you’re putting Lisette in danger, too.”
I can't bear the thought of Lisette suffering the same fate as Giroux. I feel her hand trembling in mine, and I gather every ounce of courage to speak my heart.
"Let me go, Bastien," she whispers, her voice filled with pain. "Please."
"Non," I repeat, my voice firm, my gaze unwavering. "I won't lose you."
"Enough!" Claude's roar echoes through the room, his patience wearing thin. He rises, a towering presence filled with authority. "Bastien, if you truly love her, you will let her go. Consider this your final warning."
"Je t'aime, Lisette," I murmur, my eyes locked with hers, pouring my love into those words. "Remember that."
"Je t'aime aussi," she chokes out, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rises from her chair. "Goodbye, Bastien."
"Goodbye, mon amour," I whisper back, my voice cracking with the weight of my emotions.
As Lisette turns to leave, I watch her, a profound ache in my heart, knowing that for the moment, our paths diverge. I yearn for a different reality, one where we can be together without the shadow of danger and chaos looming over us. But in this dark world we inhabit, our fates are entangled in a war we desperately wish to escape.
