UNDER HIS RULES

“Are you still in pain?” Beatrice asked while observing Sam, who had been closing his eyes. “If you’re still in pain, why aren’t you taking your pain medication?” In reality, Beatrice wanted to be angry because this man seemed to care very little about his health.

After all, he wasn’t allowed to go home yet. There were still many examinations, especially on his hands and feet. But Sam ignored the doctor’s advice. Instead, he caused trouble for the hospital with his actions. Jack and Hugo were also made frantic, especially. The two of them were at a loss because Sam insisted on leaving his hospital room.

The reason? He was bored.

“Don’t make noise,” Sam warned. His eyes were closed not because he was enduring the pain that struck his chest. That wound was only a fraction of the pain he had ever felt. His body was accustomed to much more severe pain than that night.

He was so close to crushing Gerald. The man was already severely injured from the blows of the wooden beam Sam used to vent all his frustration and anger. Sam knew that Gerald was skilled in martial arts. He never lost focus on anything and wasn’t easily defeated. Although they had never faced each other one-on-one like they did now, Sam had often heard of Gerald’s greatness in making his opponents feel overwhelmed.

But what? If it wasn’t for the shot Paul fired directly into Sam’s chest, he was sure Gerald would have been destroyed in his hands. And whether Alfred’s arrival was a coincidence or planned, all the chaos that occurred at Mansion De Faux suddenly stopped. This was also what made Sam clench his fists tightly.

“Damn it!” he cursed.

Beatrice, who had been sitting by Sam’s side while peeling an apple for him to eat, flinched. “Ouch!”

Sam immediately opened his eyes. The knife that Beatrice was holding fell to the ground. There were droplets of blood beginning to seep from Beatrice’s palm.

“What were you doing?” Sam snapped in a high tone. He quickly snatched the injured hand and put it in his mouth.

This made Beatrice widen her eyes.

“Stay here. Your wound is quite serious.”

Beatrice had to hold back her complaints. Sam’s face truly showed no signs of friendliness. Ah… when did Sam ever look calm? Wasn’t his face created with firm and rigid lines? His lips never even had a smile. Or did they, but Beatrice didn’t notice? She didn’t remember it too well. What she was looking at now was his straight back hurrying towards the toilet. The medicine box must be his destination.

“I can do it myself,” Beatrice said, quickly taking the box Sam had brought for her just now. “You shouldn’t move around too much yet. Your legs must still be hurting, right?” The girl sighed in annoyance. “Why is it so hard for you to sit still and rest?”

Sam chuckled instead. “Two days of sleep was more than enough to recover from the pain I felt.” He watched the girl carefully open her medicine box. “Besides, when your mouth gave me a little satisfaction, it already felt much better.”

The girl was astonished, and it was fitting to label Sam as a lecherous thug. Then she dripped antiseptic to clean his wound. She covered it with a small bandage to keep it from getting dirty and to let it heal quickly. She also immediately cleaned the knife that had fallen and continued what had been interrupted.

“I got scratched too. If you don’t eat it, I won’t prepare any food for you.”

“I see you can sulk too.”

She gently pushed the plate that already had some peeled apples. “Eat.”

Sam wasn’t causing much trouble this time. He leaned back on the sofa with his feet up on the table, stretching his legs comfortably. He chewed the pieces that Beatrice had prepared for him one by one.

“Tasty?”

“Not bad, I guess. I’ll eat it if it’s prepared like this. Apples with the skin on don’t taste good.”

Beatrice scoffed. “You didn’t say that yesterday. If you had, I would have peeled them.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“You talk too much,” Sam muttered. “I can’t think.”

To Beatrice’s surprise, Sam casually rested his head on her shoulder.

“Sit properly. I want to sleep.”

“On my shoulder?”

Sam shook his head, and Beatrice felt her body being pulled slightly. It turned out that Sam’s target was her thigh. He used it as a pillow with his face slightly facing Beatrice’s stomach. This made the black-haired girl fall silent, watching Sam’s unusual behavior.

“I should be able to sleep like this without any problem.” He placed a pillow on Beatrice’s thigh as a much softer cushion. “Have you been eating enough? You look really skinny.”

Oh, how could he say something like that? But could Beatrice refuse? Of course not.

“No.” Her hand hung in the air, unsure. Should she also stroke Sam’s hair? Like her new habit whenever she slept with him? But before she did that, Beatrice usually asked for permission. Although Sam never objected to any of Beatrice’s touches, she was still afraid of his occasional high tone when speaking to her.

“I can’t guarantee falling asleep if I hug you.”

“You have to sleep, Sam.”

Sam laughed again. “I’ll give it a try.” Sam used his free hand to pull one of Beatrice’s hands, bringing it to his head as if he knew that Beatrice wouldn’t mind massaging it.

“I only need this.”

Sam’s embrace grew tighter. His breath tickled Beatrice’s stomach. Initially, she felt his breath was rushed, but as time went on, Beatrice felt it become more regular, accompanied by Sam’s relaxed body, which was now bare-chested and adorned with numerous tattoos, some of which were covered by bandages, still healing from recent wounds.

Beatrice only just realized, oh my, had she not been using her eyes properly? There were many marks on Sam’s muscular arms. There was a long scar visible on his back. Even though there were tattoos covering them, they were still clearly visible to Beatrice’s eyes. She longed to touch the scar, but it seemed it would disturb the sleeping ruler.

“What kind of life are you really living?” Beatrice asked softly. “I’m so afraid of never seeing you again.” The caress she gave was as gentle as possible. She gazed at Sam’s closed eyes. Although he looked fierce, cruel, and inhumane, now Beatrice could see another side of Sam.

The air in the room felt cool and peaceful. Only the sound of waves breaking on the shore could be heard. Beatrice’s eyes delighted in the blue sea juxtaposed with the bright sky of the day. If Sam weren’t in this condition, she would have loved to play on the beach. She also noticed some of Sam’s subordinates guarding the beach and ensuring the security around the resort. It was no longer an unusual sight for Beatrice.

“Get well soon, okay, Sam? I want to see the coral island over there.” Beatrice giggled at her thoughts. It seemed like too lofty a wish for Sam to fulfill. After recovering, Sam would probably wander again. Maybe he would challenge death once more or take care of many things unknown to Beatrice.

When she returned yesterday, Beatrice tried to ask, but unfortunately, Sam didn’t want to say a word. Instead, he said, “If you ask again, I can make sure you won’t wake up all day, you!” Sam never played around with his threats.

“But more than anything, I just want you to recover and stay away from trouble.” Beatrice lowered her head slightly, feeling a bit hesitant, but giving Sam a gentle kiss didn’t seem like a problem, right? So that’s what she did. “Goodnight, Sam.”

Once again, she gently stroked Sam’s thick hair. The sound of his soft snoring had a rhythm to it. In this silence, Beatrice could also fall asleep. But she didn’t want to disturb the ruler who was dozing off in her lap.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open, and Hugo appeared in a hurry. This clearly annoyed Beatrice.

“Sam is sleeping!” she immediately drove him away.

“It’s urgent, Beatrice.” Hugo looked confused. “Just a moment.”

“No!” Beatrice waved her hand to shoo Hugo away. “Get out!”

***[]***

Gerald was still having trouble moving his hand. His leg was broken, and his shinbone had shifted, probably due to Sam’s powerful kick. His head had a long stitch, and even his nose bone had joined the list of injured body parts.

He grumbled in frustration. If it weren’t for Jimmy Lee, whom he had to protect, he would still have his focus intact. “Bastard!” he cursed.

Hearing Gerald’s curse, Paul approached. “You need to rest. The doctor will examine your progress in an hour.”

“Any news about Sam? That man should have died when you shot him!”

“Unfortunately, Gerald, no.”

Both Gerald and Paul turned towards the source of the voice. Alfred had suddenly entered the room where Gerald was being treated. There were several guards around, including David, who was always on guard duty for him. The old man chuckled as he observed Gerald’s condition this time.

“You look worse than a sacrificial lamb, Gerald.”

Gerald didn’t dare interrupt. He simply gestured for Alfred to sit. The old man grinned again. He took out a cigar, which was always available in his jacket pocket. With David’s help, he slowly lit the end of the cigar and savored the taste on his tongue. Then he exhaled, filling the room with smoke.

“If it weren’t for Sam’s subordinates, I would never have known what happened.”

Gerald chose to listen, as he didn’t know where Alfred’s conversation was heading. Sam’s subordinates? Meeting Alfred?

“And because of that,” Alfred stood up and walked closer to Gerald, who was still looking at him. His visit this time was not only to see the true condition of the ruler of the Eagle Wing but also to issue a warning. He felt deceived.

And he would make sure that the assassination attempt on him was a one-time thing. It would never happen again. He would also immediately take action to ensure that there would be no change in the highest seat of power in Quassano.

Never again.

He also hadn’t forgotten the incident in the morning when the woman who had accompanied him all night was heavily guarded by his security, including another girl who never took her eyes off her laptop. They were all gathered in the living room, waiting for him to wake up from his deep sleep. David informed him that the two of them were infiltrators, but he also said that they wanted to deliver a message from their leader, Samuel.

Only for Alfred. If they were lying, David wouldn’t hesitate to make them talk or even risk losing their lives for daring to enter Alfred’s luxurious mansion without permission. The security system here detected the presence of an intruder who hacked into the surveillance around the mansion. However, the hacker was suspected to be in the master’s room.

David immediately took action, and it turned out to be true. But strangely, the two of them seemed relaxed. They didn’t feel guilty or afraid.

“Who are you really?” Alfred asked, taking a seat right in front of the two girls.

His eyes never left the calm woman in the red dress. She didn’t sense any danger that could take everything from her. It was a dangerous kind of calmness for Alfred.

“You were asked to see this.” The other girl handed over her working screen, which had now turned into a clear video recording.

“This footage was taken from drone, which Sam left at Mansion De Faux.”

Alfred fell silent. He pondered for a moment, then his eyes examined each of the women sitting in front of him. “You know what you’ve done.”

“We know,” they replied in unison.

“You are not easy to find, sir. And you won’t believe what we bring.”

For that reason, Alfred asked David to investigate the truth. It all concerned the trust and loyalty around him. Once he knew that what Sam’s subordinates brought was true, Alfred was furious.

When they were at a safe distance to talk, Alfred lowered his head slightly and whispered, “I know all your sinister plans with Jimmy Lee, Gerald. I just didn’t want you to die quickly at Sam’s hands.”