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The Return Of The God of War 120
Melody? No. He can't bring Melody to a meeting, she doesn't even want to see his face at this point. " I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think that my wife will be able to make it. " Duke quickly says. " She is kind of busy at the moment, traveling for work."" I am sure that she will make out time to attend such a huge party at that. " He insists. " Who knows? She might meet potential business partners while at it." He doesn't wait for Duke to answer to the remark he has made, he is leading him to the door. " I will see you at the party. And your wife too.""Goodbye, Mister president. " Duke smiles as he leaves. Under that smile are jaws clenched as hard as steel. Bloom stands up from where he has been seated and then he walks up to Duke. Duke is already leaving, so he is behind him as they both walk out. They get to the car and Bloom opens the door for Duke before hopping into the driver's seat. Bloom reverses the car and drives out. " How did it go, boss?" Bloom asks. " You guys
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He ends the call on her and she can't even believe it. He called and just went on to talk about Duke without even asking if she is fine. She had to go back to work within weeks of her father's death and all he cares about is that she listens to the phony she got married to.She picks up her phone again and calls Duke. He knows what he has done and what he has put her through and that's why he picks up at the first call. " You know, I underestimated just how far you were willing to go for this. " She points out. " Good job. "" I am sorry, Melody, but I didn't have another choice. " He defends himself. " You weren't listening and I told you it's important. "" And the first thing you thought to do was to call my grandfather?" She fires. " Melody, he is the only one that you listen to. " " You know, this just makes you hate me even more. "" That's totally fair, I get it, but I promise that it will be worth it. You haven't told me what you want. "" I don't want nothing from you, D
The Return Of The God of War 122
Duke shuts his eyes as he feels the pain going from his cheek to every part of his body. He inhales sharply and looks at her, there is absolutely nothing that he can do to her. " Nice to see you too, Melody. " He says. " I don't know why you would want to slap me though. "" Why not?" She shrugs. " You dragged me here by my teeth, didn't you?"She hasn't forgiven him for calling her grandfather and him ordering her to come. Duke rubs his cheek some more and turns to Bloom who is now as white as a ghost. " Come on, in. " He sighs. She walks behind him and he walks to the door, he opens it for her and walks her into the house. " I think I am going to wait in the car. " Bloom points. " I think I am going to get some work done here. "Duke shrugs as he shuts the door. Melody is with her hands folded and she is looking around, but not in an impressive way. " Have a seat. " He gestures. " I have to put on my clothes, we leave in a few minutes. "Gwen walks into the room and she freez
The Return Of The God of War 123
Duke almost laughs, but he keeps the handshake solid and doesn't break eye contact with this man. " Barrett?" He says under his breath. " Well, that explains a lot. " Ansel laughs, but he doesn't let go of Duke's hand, Duke doesn't mind. " It's a good thing that your memory doesn't fail, you do know who I am. "" Of course. " Duke blinks. " Had an encounter with your father. "" Of course you did. " Ansel nods. " You left him dead and headless."At this point, Duke takes his hand back. " What can I do for you, boy?" Duke asks, he is not fazed by Ansel's presence. Ansel chuckles and rubs against his nose. " You know, where I come from, we are heavily influenced by culture, and one of our many beliefs states that a headless corpse in the ground is the same as taking a shit in the face of the gods. " Ansel says. " It's a curse. "" I still don't know what that has got to do with me. " Duke shrugs. A waiter is walking past them with a tray of champagne, he picks one of the glasses
The Return Of The God of War 124
Duke can't believe his ears, she actually said that she wants to spend the night at his place and not the hotel." Are you sure about that?" He asks. " I won't be able to go to sleep knowing that someone might sneak into my room. If I am at your place that's not going to happen, right?" She looks at him. " Of course not." He answers. " I just don't want you to feel threatened by me and my presence."" I just don't want to be at the hotel tonight. "That's enough convincing, he knows that she is sticking to her request. He takes out the key that Bloom gave to one of the securities to give him and he unlocks the car. He lets Melody go in first before getting into the driver's seat and he drives towards the gate. His eyes look for any suspicious shapes in the dark that might be trying to peep at them. The one question that doesn't leave his mind is how the president is aware of a presence like that in the party and still be okay with that.From what he has heard and witnessed, the
The Return Of The God of War 125
Melody wakes up with the bright light of day shining into her eyes. She shields it away as she stands up to her feet. Her brain feels clogged and it takes a few seconds for her to register that she is in Duke's house and his bedroom. She sighs, glad that she is not shuttering, as she remembers the event of last night. She has the biggest scare of her life, she can still taste the fear on her tongue. She is wearing Duke's shirt, she stands to her feet and goes to the bathroom. She relieves her full bladder and then washes her face. She returns to the room, she is still the only one in the room. She slowly walks to the door and opens it by a crack, she looks around, but no one. She walks down the stairs, the television is showing the news. She peeps and sees Gwen in the kitchen, she is humming a song. Melody rubs her hands over her arms as she walks into the kitchen, Gwen's face bursts into a smile when she sees her. " Oh, ma, good morning. " She bows. " Good morning." Melody
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They hug each other for a long time, just lost in each other. Duke shuts his eyes loosely, but he can feel the tears pushing against his eyelids. He can't help it, he is about to lose her and he is going to regret this for the rest of his life. " Your flight is in two hours. " He tells her. " I would have wanted you to stay longer, but Sunville is not safe for you. "" I understand. " She pulls away. " I am going to take a bath and put my things together. "" Okay. " He reluctantly lets go of her. She turns and leaves the kitchen. Duke sinks back into the chair that he has been sitting on, but he feels like he went sank into the ground. He scrubs at his jaw, feeling a weird kind of anger rising inside of him and he wants to wreck down the place. The backdoor creeks open and Gwen returns to the kitchen. In her hand is the rosemary plant. " Some were growing beside the roses. " She looks at her hand. " Didn't realize that. " He tries to put up a different kind of face, but she c
The Return Of The God of War 127
Ansel has a big smile on his face and he waves to all of the seated people in the room and forcefully shakes hands with a few. Duke is fuming where he is seated, he hates that Ansel is not kissing the wall as he is being put under arrest. Ansel goes on to sit and even puts his legs on the huge table, his men stand behind him with huge frowns on their faces. " This is Ansel Barrett who just donated fifty million dollars to the military museum." The president goes on. " Such a generous young man. "" And not just that. " Ansel interrupts. " I am ready to donate another fifty million to any ten high schools of your choice. I want high school to be a place of fun for youngsters, I have always hated high school. "" Wait, is this a fucking joke?" Duke looks around. " I thought it was funny, but this man is now with his dick on the table. "Ansel turns like he hasn't noticed Duke the whole time, and is just doing so. "My friend!" He beams. " I didn't think that we would meet so soon, no