Duke finds it hard because Melody won't speak to him anymore, she won't even answer him anymore. He went ahead to make her an early lunch, spaghetti, and meatballs, but she won't eat it. She won't speak to him too and it's driving him crazy. " Are you planning to ignore me forever?" He drops the plate of food on the table since she has refused to take it. " Yes, Duke. " She answers. " I plan to starve myself to death. "" Trust me, this isn't as big as what is making it to be. " He tells her. " All of this between us, it's uncalled for. "" How do you expect me to feel, Duke?!" She angrily turns to him. " Your ex just shows up in our house unannounced and you expect me to do what? You never spoke about having exes before. "" Exes?!" He raises his hands in frustration. " You are going to speak as if you never had exes?!"Melody lets out a short laugh as if he has just insulted the living hell out of her. " I have a burnt face, Duke!" She shouts at him. " Of course, no one would e
Duke can't sleep. He is waiting in the living room for Melody to come back from wherever it is that she had gone to, but hours and hours have gone by and she hasn't come back. He is in the living room, sighing and worrying about her. He has tried to call her, but she won't pick up. He knows that she is mad at him because of Renee's sudden appearance in their lives, but she should at least pick up and let him know that she is fine. Damn Renee, they have been fine all this time and now she is going to ruin his perfect life. After waiting for another hour, he grabs his jacket and heads out of the house. He stops out and is met with the darkness of the night, it's as dark as Renee's heart. He closes the door and throws the keys into his pocket. He hears the sound of a car engine behind him. He turns around to see a cab, Melody steps out of the cab. She walks over to the house and he sighs with relief as he starts to unlock the door, at least she is back. He opens the door, waitin
It's instinct, Duke jumps out of his sleepy state to save Melody from whatever is making her scream so much. He is forced into the chair back by some strong hands and a thick cloth is pressed over his face. He can't breathe, he can't see, he can't help himself and he still hears Melody screaming for his help. The hands around his neck are thick and masculine, they are trying to squeeze all the life out of him. His military instincts kick in and he tears the hands off his face and throws away the material. The huge man stands back to his feet and tries to grab Duke again, but he bolts away. He grabs the side table and smashes it against the giant man's head. One thing with gigantic people is that they are slow and he uses that to his advantage. With the man now on his knees, it's Duke's turn to strangle him. He works his face, his muscles twitching as the man struggles to free himself. When the man's arms fall limply, Duke drops him to the ground and runs towards the room. He
Thank God that she is fine and apart from the dislocated shoulder and a little bit of trauma, she is ready to go back home. How is the relationship between them now? They aren't really over the ex-girlfriend part, but at least she thanked him for saving her life. They are quietly sitting in the hospital room, he is half dozing off in his seat. He has been here for over three days now and he hasn't slept even once. He is relaxing back against his chair and his eyes are shut a little as he gives in to sleep. His hand is over Melody's and her eyes are on him. His other hand covers his face. Melody sighs as she watches him and she gives him a light squeeze. " Duke. " She calls. He murmurs softly before his eyes slowly open and he looks at her. " I'm sorry, do you need me to call the nurses or the doctor?" He sits up. "No, I want you to go home." His eyes squint and he frowns. " You are tired, you should rest. "" I'm fine. " He shrugs and leans into his free hand. " You are my p
Duke tries to drive to the house as carefully as he can because his mind keeps drifting away every now and then. Why does her grandfather want to see him? Whenever her father asks to see him, he gets anxious, but it doubles whenever it's her grandfather. He gets to the house when it's almost night and then he walks straight to the door. He spends some minutes before the bell gets answered. One of the servant girls is the one who answers the door and she gives him a flat look, even the servants here don't consider him to be anyone. " I'm here to see Mister Futterman. " He says. " Is he in?"She nods and widens the door. He walks in and meets Mister Jimmy reading the newspaper, his eyes glancing through the pages. "Good evening, sir. " He greets. Mister Jimmy drops the newspaper and turns to him. "Duke, what took you so long?" He sighs, but at least his voice is not hostile. " I asked to see you hours ago. "Mister Jimmy gestures to the seats and Duke sits in one of them. "I'm
Duke wasn't going to give in to this greedy man's request, but right now he is seriously considering it. Meetings with the great five? The very people that he has been seeking to bring down to their knees? Of course, he is going to take the deal, he doesn't care what it's going to cost him. " You need a bodyguard because of the meetings with the great five?" Duke tries not to sound excited. " Yes," Mister Jimmy affirms. " You know, a man like me has so many enemies and it's harder when you can tell your friends from your foes. I need someone to protect me in case something happens. "" Something like the faceless man attacking?" Duke tries his hardest not to smirk. " Exactly. That slippery son of the devil has been, but I have a feeling that he is going to sneak up on us very soon again. "Duke bends his head, pretending to be deep in thought or something. " I need someone I can trust for this job and since you are Melody's husband, this is a win for all of us. " Mister Jimmy tr
Duke walks casually through the reception with his hands in the pocket of his jacket. Bloom is ahead of him, in a suit like always, and he smiles at the receptionist as they walk to the elevator. She blushes like she has just seen the man of her dreams and she beams at him. Bloom goes to the elevator and holds it while Duke walks in too. When Duke is in, he presses one of the buttons and the door shuts. " Looks like you are popular with the ladies now. " Duke looks up. "Um, no sir, it's just that I have been here for a long time. " Bloom pushes his hair back. " She has just gotten familiar with me because she assisted me a lot when I got here. " Duke makes a face and nods like he knows Bloom might be lying, but he doesn't want to get into the story with him. The elevator stops and Bloom leads him out of the place. This is a five-star hotel and even though Duke is used to such luxury, he can't stop looking. Bloom leads him up to one of the doors at the end of the hall and swipe
Melody is outside in her hoodie when Duke drives in. He has been living with her for months now since they got married and this is the first time that she looks this odd.Her being outside, in his hoodie, with a cup of tea in her hand and this look on her face. It's both a good and a bad sign since their fight because he can't really tell what is going on in her head so much. He stops out of the car and walks to her, he kisses her face. "Hey, babe. " He kisses her. " How are you doing?"She shrugs, but her left shoulder is kind of stiff, it hasn't healed so much. " What are you doing outside?" He asks her and proceeds to open the door. " Just needed some air. " She says. She walks back into the house and he goes after her. The TV is on, a little too loud, and a half-eaten plate of food is on the table. He works quickly, he refuses the volume of the television and then takes the food back to the kitchen and puts a lid over it. She is sitting, staring blankly at the television,