Author's Note: There will be Violent/Gore/Triggering Content in this chapter. You have been warned ahead.
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"Fuck! Follow them! Don't let Kai escape!" Venus commanded in a stern tone that resonated through the hall of the entire second floor.
The bodyguards of the minor clan obediently followed the order and ran after Paris and Kai. They continue to fight on their way to the elevator, while others went through the stairs to get to the third floor faster. The noisy gunshots kept echoing throughout the whole mansion.
All the bodyguards from the minor clan had already vanished from the second floor within five minutes. Only one of them remained with Venus to protect her from three other bodyguards of the major clan that were still alive in the second floor. He was already able to kill one, and there was two more left, but he couldn't find them. They either left already or were hiding somewhere really well.
Wait!
There is one over there!
The bodyguard from the minor clan quickly stood behind the large pillar, aiming his gun towards that one loyal bodyguard of Kai's. This was Pearl. She didn't notice him because her back was facing him. She was crouching down on the grimy floor, hiding underneath a wide table. She glanced at her surroundings but didn't realize that there was someone pointing a gun at her.
This bodyguard from the minor clan didn't seem to have heard Venus earlier when she mentioned not to harm Pearl. He was probably downstairs when she passed down the order and was just trying to do his job right now, not aware that it could bring him serious consequences.
*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*
Pearl got startled by the sound of the shots nearby, and she jolted abruptly, hitting her head against the table. "Ah!" She yelped as she rubbed her head, falling back to her knees.
She then turned around slowly towards the direction where the sounds came from. Her heart was already beating fast, but it accelerated even more when she spotted Venus beside that large pillar.
The shotgun in Venus' hand was aiming towards the ground, where a bodyguard was laying down. The heel of her shoe was stabbing his stomach, as if it that was a place where she could casually rest her foot. There was a pool of blood beneath him, which meant that he was dead.
Pearl creased her brows, noticing that this bodyguard was not dressed in a uniform, which meant that he was from the minor clan. Hold on a second! Did Venus just shot him?! Did she just murder one of her bodyguards?!
Pearl was stunned and bewildered.
What the hell was wrong with Venus? These are the people that are supposed to protect her and she is killing them just like that?
Venus threw a kick towards the corpse before she turned to face Pearl who was still beneath the table. That terrifying scowl on her face relaxed once she saw Pearl. Those emerald eyes that were filled with killing intent were now looking soft and concerned.
The hall fell into dead silence.
Pearl crawled out from under the table and stood on her feet. She dusted her uniform with one hand while the other was still grasping the gun tightly. She then looked up to meet eyes with Venus who was about fifteen feet away from her.
It was still quiet.
Pearl began to walk forward slowly, but she came to an abrupt halt. Her pupils shrank in that instant. Her expression changed. There was fear written all over her face.
*BANG!*
Without thinking it twice, Pearl lifted her gun and fired it.
"Aaagh!" Venus let out a painful groan, gripping her upper arm that was now bleeding after being shot. She stumbled and fell on one knee by the sudden impact, and her shotgun was already on the ground.
What the hell?
What was that all about?
Venus stared at Pearl at a loss.
"Go follow Ms. Kai! She is in danger upstairs! I'll handle this myself!" Pearl shouted loudly at someone.
Hearing this, Venus shifted her gaze, looking behind, and saw a male bodyguard from the main family aiming a gun at her. It seem like he was about to shoot Venus but Pearl had stopped him on time.
Ooh, it made sense now.
Pearl would never shoot Venus.
But the reason why she shot her now was because she was about to lose her life. Pearl was just saving her. If Pearl didn't do this, then the bodyguard would've already sent a bullet through Venus' skull, killing her in that split second.
No wonder Pearl looked so frightened just now. She was about to lose the person she loves the most and the first thing that came to her mind at that moment was to save her like this. She only had a few seconds to think and react. She didn't shoot her with any ill intentions.
The bodyguard nodded at Pearl, agreeing with what she said with a serious expression before leaving through the stairs.
When he was finally gone, Pearl was able to let out a sigh of relief. She glanced around once more just to make sure that they were really alone before stepping closer to Venus.
Venus' emerald eyes were sparkling as she watched Pearl approaching her with a dismal expression as if she was about to cry.
*SLAP!*
A blow was sent towards Venus' cheek, causing her to collapse on the ground. Venus was not expecting this at all and she could only gape, staring blankly at Pearl who was standing above her. Pearl had slapped her really hard. God damn.
'Fuck! That was painful! Why do I always need to get slapped like this? Okay, okay, I admit that I deserve it. I deserve it all. I know that I'm not a good person and that I have done so many wrong things to you, Pearl. But please, you just shot me on the arm. It's hurting really badly. My entire body hurts. Why do you also have to slap me right now? Please have mercy on me.' Venus was protesting in her mind, looking at Pearl with puppy eyes.
"What the hell were you thinking, Venus?" Pearl exclaimed as she crouched down, grasping Venus' collar with both of her hands, pulling her face closer to hers. "Why did you kill that bodyguard? He is risking his life for you! He is trying to protect you, and you kill him in return? What the hell is wrong with you?"
'What bodyguard? The one who was trying to kill you earlier? Hahaha. Oh, Pearl. You're too kind-hearted. Why are you thinking about that? Why do you care about others so much? Well, to be honest, I shouldn't complain because I love that about you. I like the way you are. I fell for you because of your kindness. You were always there for me to comfort me when I was at my worst and when I needed it the most. But I don't deserve it. I don't deserve anything. I don't deserve your love either. I'm unworthy.' Venus was musing.
"I was just trying to protect you." Venus spoke in a breathy voice.
"Protect me my ass!" Pearl yelled at her. "If I wasn't here right now, then you could've died! You didn't had anyone to protect you because you killed the only bodyguard that was there for you! Please think about yourself more!"
There were faint tears forming in Pearl's beautiful brown eyes as she cried out. This caused Venus' heart to clench. She didn't want to see Pearl crying for her.
"I'm sorry, Pearl." Venus slowly reached out with her hand, holding the side of Pearl's face very gently. "I'm sorry for everything that I have done to hurt you. I haven't apologized properly. I'm afraid that if I die today, then I won't be able to tell you. That's why, I'm apologizing now. I'm sorry."
Tears were already dribbling down from Pearl's flushed cheeks as they were being wiped off by Venus. Those pale slender fingers were caressing that good-looking face. How could someone look so gorgeous even while crying? Pearl is so pretty and soft-hearted that it hurts. It hurts Venus so freaking much.
"Don't say that! You won't die! You can't die!" Pearl sobbed loudly, her voice was shaking. She couldn't allow that to happen. Venus was not going to die. She can't. She can't do this to Pearl. What will Pearl do if that were to happen? She would be lost and empty inside. How could she live her life like that?
"If I were to die in this war, could you please be the one to kill me? That way it will be all worth it. I will never regret dying in your hands." Venus' eyes began to glisten as she said this. She wanted to cry too, but she didn't want to do it in front of her beloved one who was already sobbing uncontrollably because of her.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?! STOP SAYING THAT! PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE!" Pearl's ear-piercing cries echoed through the hall as she shook Venus by the collar harshly.
Stop it Venus!
Please don't talk no more.
This is enough.
A tear finally rolled down from Venus face. She couldn't help it and started sobbing and crying along with Pearl. She could tell that Pearl loved her deeply. The same way she loved her. Their feelings were mutual. Venus already knew this, but she was confirming it once more.
This made her feel valuable for the first time. Venus never had someone who truly loved her this profoundly before. She must be extremely lucky. It was fortunate to have someone like Pearl in her life. Someone who genuinely appreciates her existence in this world without wanting anything in return.
Thank you Pearl.
Thank you so much for loving Venus unconditionally.
Despite of the tears, Venus still manage to curve up her lips into a warm smile. That smile was filled with many emotions. The most preeminent ones were happiness and sadness. She was happy to have Pearl, but also sad because she knows that she doesn't deserve her.
"I love you so much, Pearl." Venus uttered softly before moving her hand away from Pearl's cheek, resting it on her nape now. She then grasp it tightly and pulled Pearl down towards her with a bit of force.
Faces tilted and mouths collided with one another in that process. Their eyes closed and their lips interwined, opening and closing as they kissed slowly but passionately. That warming sensation came back. It was so addicting and sweet. They wished they could stop time at this moment so that this kiss could last forever.
Pearl felt weak in Venus' grasp even though she was the one on top of her. Their hearts were about to explode inside of their chests.
The emotions they were feeling were overwhelming and difficult to describe. But it was a good feeling. Too good to be true. It felt like a dream.
Once their lips parted, Venus wrapped her arms around Pearl, pulling her closer until their bodies pressed tightly together. Venus was on the floor, and Pearl was laying on top of her body. They were embracing in that position. Wishing that they could hug forever and breathe in each other's scents.
However, they knew that they were in the middle of a serious war right now and that they needed to separate again. It was time to get back on their feet and fight with all they got.
No matter what happens after this, they'll surely meet again.
It was not a 'Goodbye', just a 'See You Later' and 'Take Care'.
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The gunshots kept reverberating in the third floor of the mansion as the bodyguards fought with one another while others chased after Kai and Paris who were currently running away from them together.
Whenever an opponent catched up to them and got on their way, Paris and Kai would either dodge them or punch them before shooting them on the head with their guns. If they have to throw kicks, then they would also do it without hesitating. They were using all their strength in this fight.
The objective here was to escape alive without getting shot by any of those bodyguards from the minor family. Paris and Kai were working together and protecting each other to get away as fast as they could. They both made a team at the end and were in good terms again. There was no time to think about other things right now other than this war.
There were many dead bodies on the floor. Most of them were bodyguards from the major clan who were being killed by the one's from minor clan, but there were also a few corpses from the minor clan too. Blood had splattered everywhere, leaving the third floor as messy as the second floor. It was such a chaotic scene.
Paris was currently fighting off three bodyguards at the same time, while Kai fought two others. They needed to be swift with every movement to avoid getting shot or punch by any of them. It almost seemed like it was impossible to defeat them because they were surrounded by quite a few.
"Do you know how long I've dreamt about this moment, Kai?" The sudden voice of someone familiar sounded nearby, causing all the bodyguards to stop what they were doing to look at the person.
It was Venus.
She had finally reached the third floor and had found Kai and Paris again.
Her shotgun was aiming towards Kai as she slowly approached them.
When the bodyguards of the major clan saw this, they all turned their guns to point at Venus instead, but the bodyguards from minor family were aiming their guns at them too. No one was in advantage here. If they dare to kill, then they get killed too. That's how things were.
Kai was glaring at Venus and Venus was glaring at her. The hatred between them was immeasurable.
"I still can't decide where I should shoot you first." Venus spoke to Kai with an evil smirk forming on her lips. "Your throat?" She aimed at Kai's neck. "Your head?" Then at her forehead. "Or...how about your heart?" Venus quickly shifted her gun towards Paris' head now.
"NO! DON'T!" Kai had shouted so loudly that her voice cracked at the end. Her heart sunk at the sight of Venus pointing the shotgun at Paris. She did not see that coming and was left aghast. Kai couldn't allow that to happen. Venus could kill her if she wanted, but not Paris. Don't involve Paris into this!
Venus was right when she said that Paris was Kai's heart, because she really is. She is the love of her life. If Kai doesn't have her, is like having no heart. Venus was enjoying the fear that was in her cousin's eyes. She wanted her to beg her some more. Beg for mercy, Kai. Come on! What are you waiting for?
Paris was standing in the middle of both Kai and Venus. The atmosphere was tense, and the hall had fallen into complete silence. She was glancing at the two with full attention. Waiting for the right moment to carefully snuck her hand inside of her brown leather jacket. When she did, she slowly began to pull out something from there.
It was a bomb!
Venus eyes widened when she saw that.
"Let's get out of here, Kai!" Paris raised her voice and let the bomb loose, throwing it to the ground.
Everyone was shock when the bomb rolled on the floor and began to move around. They all had only a few seconds to react before it actually explodes.
Without thinking it twice, Paris swiftly grabs Kai by the hand and runs away with her as far as they could.
All the bodyguards began to sprint away too.
Venus darted after them.
With an abrupt move, Venus grasped one of the male bodyguards and shielded herself with his body. It didn't matter if they were from the minor or major family, she needed to protect herself somehow or else she could really die.
And...3...2...1...
The bomb soon blasted, setting on fire some of the bodyguards that were nearby. Their bodies collapsed to the ground and were no longer moving.
The flames that were caused by the bomb were not too strong and they soon faded away, but the impact was still potent that it still managed to kill quite a few bodyguards that were close.
Venus was laying on the ground, covering both of her ears that were ringing with a long high-pitched sound caused by the loud explosion. It was a defeaning noise, and it was making her dizzy. Her head was spinning around and her vision was blurry for a while.
She groaned and crawled, attempting to stand on her feet again but it was difficult. She needed some time to adjust with what just happened. "God Dammit!" Venus cursed under her breath realizing that Kai and Paris had managed to escape again.
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Author's Note: We have unlocked another kiss scene between Venus and Pearl in this chapter!💋