ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴏᴠ

𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘉𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳

♛♛♛

The woman in front of him ate her dinner leisurely. One thing he'd observed about her was that she ate quickly.

She didn't eat quickly in the sense that she would gobble it down, but she did eat fast in the perspective that her food would be gone in minutes.

It intrigued him in a way. If the food was too messy, she'd have to hold her hair up in a certain way. Or the way her gaze followed the fork towards her lips as she was to take a bite.

All these little things are what is making him nearly fall to his knees. And his body and mind were just as lured by the persistent desire for her and her touch.

Julius savoured a slice of pizza. A regular cheese, while Hazel combined her own up with cheese, pepperoni, capsicum, and even a bit of Italian sausage.

She simply said, "Pizza is an art of creativity, you can put whatever you wanted into it and it would still taste amazing."

He didn't agree but still gave her a nod.

"You have flour all over you, Juls," She giggled, sipping her extra ice water. Momentarily, he looked down at his black t-shirt and shrugged, his free hand dusting off the white.

"So do you, Angel."

Hazel took a large bite of her pizza while looking down at herself. Some of the sauce dropped below her chin, while her tongue licked her plump lips clean.

Julius looked away immediately, he looked down at his legs and clenched his jaw when he visibly saw the hardened length bulging between his sweats.

"I can't believe how good this is, and it was easy to make." As she giggled again, his attention returned to her, and he noticed she was wiping her mouth away, completely missing the spot on her chin.

Julius leant across the table, his palm cupped beneath her chin and his thumb slid back and forth, trying to clean the sauce from her face.

A flush grew across her flawless cheeks as her eyes widened noticeably.

"Thank you," She whispered, giving him one of her small, embarrassed smiles.

He nodded, not finding the words to talk due to his...situation.

The phone in his pocket rang out, he took it out as he placed his thumb into his mouth.

"Yeah?" He grunted, his work phone pressed to his ear, waiting for the next problem to unveil itself.

Julius looked over at Hazel, watching her curious eyes on him as she ate her fourth slice of pizza.

"Send him over." He demanded, simply knowing that he couldn't kill Jean here specifically, but maybe he would tonight. That's if Jean doesn't piss him off any further.

Julius sank back in his chair, slumped his head back, and stared blankly at the ceiling after the man hung up.

Instinct feelings were more trustworthy than people. He trusted no one. So he wasn't surprised to find that it was Jean who was breaking into his house.

He was curious, though, as to what he would come up with as an excuse. His explanation will either be clever and well-thought-out, or it will be leave an even larger hole in his grave.

"I'm full," With only two slices left on the dish, Hazel patted her belly and pushed the plate away. He stood and shook his head, amusement in his eyes, as he walked away with both of their plates.

"But I have room for ice cream if you've got it."

Turning his head over his shoulder, Julius took a fairly curious glance at her smiling lips.

"What flavour?" He opened the freezer, his eyes flickering from the vanilla to the caramel and the to the—

"Chocolate!" She replied enthusiastically.

He should've known.

Grasping the tub, he strode over to the drawer full of cutlery and picked up a single spoon for her.

"Come on, we'll put a movie on," He started walking back into the lounge room, knowing she'll follow him as she does.

She sank into the couch and reached for the tub of ice cream with both hands. It made him smirk at her enthusiasm.

When he eventually opened it and dipped the spoon into the frozen cream, he handed it to her, and she gratefully accepted it.

Julius kept an eye on her from the corner of his eye while he turned on the screen. His mind became lost with each hum of contentment that came from those lips.

"I'll be back for you soon. Gotta handle some stuff," While speaking, he stared at her, never missing the way her eyes lingered on his for seconds longer than she intended them to.

"Okay, don't be too long," She smiled halfheartedly, turning his own cold, heart and flipping it inside out.

"Won't be." Leaning down, his lips pushed down on the top of her hair and he quickly moved away before he could wrap her around him again, ready to kiss the innocence out of the girl.

Julius slid the sliding door closed, not wanting to have her hear the conversation. He moved down into his office, preparing momentarily for the man that was placed as a traitor in his mind.

The contract he wanted was something a lot of his enemies would want in their hold.

Which is what Julius assumed Jean to be doing. Someone had offered him more money than he gets paid weekly, which is well over 20 grand or more (depending on their job), and had decided to betray Julius and his Mafia in return for fucking money.

Money was money. You need it to live. Or you want it to be greedy. Julius was far beyond rich, even if he weren't earning money, the money he had now would last more than an entire lifetime for two.

Which is why he couldn't give two fucks. Unless it was someone stealing the money from him or it was his money they used in the first place, he wanted what was taken back.

But money was much more persuasive for the ones who wanted it more than their own life.

Clearly.

A knock came from his door, he strode over and opened it up, displaying one of his most trusted guards and the not-so-trustworthy one behind him.

The man nodded once, shifting to the side in order for Jean to be in the picture, expressing a cold expression identical to Julius'.

"Sir." He stood tall and confident, without a glimmer of anxiety on his face.

But Julius could tell he knew why he was here tonight by the small gulps he took and the way his finger tapped against his side, repeatedly.

In return, he smirked internally.

Julius waited for him to walk in, and when he did so, Julius locked the door after closing it.

He walked back behind his desk, while Jean sat in the chair in front of him. Julius towered over him, his sinister eyes, which screamed murder, switching from impassive to utter darkness.

"Do you have another mission for me, Sir?"

Openly, Julius stared at him. More like glared. He clenched his jaw as he slid over the very visible contract that the man was trying to find.

"If you're going to steal, you do it right."

Jeans face dropped. Seemingly paler, Jean makes the effort to explain the siutation.

"Sir, you have to understand that I wasn't doing it for me. It was for this Mafia, for you. I caught onto something when I was searching through the cameras."

Julius slowly sat down, watching him while doing so. He nodded at him to continue.

Jean seemed to relax slightly, knowing that Julius was willing to listen.

"That girl, Hazel Alexis? She was snooping through all of your rooms. I figured out that she was working with the Ricardo's.

And as everyone wants that contract, I assumed she was only after it, willing to pass it on to them. Lucky I found out and almost stopped her, that's why I was here, looking for that."

Every muscle, every heartbeat, was strained. Only murder and sadistic thoughts were on his mind at this moment.

Ignoring the man, Julius took out his phone and sent a subtle message to Hazel.

One that simply said, 'Turn up the TV. Max.'

After a few seconds of receiving it, he heard the television loud and clear. Even though the doors were shut and they were beyond corridors away, the sound of a gunshot could reverberate like anything.

Jean glanced behind him, frowning as he heard the sounds coming from ahead.

"Is someone he—

Julius simply picked him up by the throat. His fingers turned white as he placed half of his strength into the man, not wanting to kill him yet.

"You think I'm stupid?" He said harshly, his tone was booming. Compared to his normal quiet tone, Julius hardly ever raises his voice, but this seemed to push him to the limit.

Jean started coughing, he gasped, and gasped, and gasped. It didn't stop until his face turned light blue and his red eyes were crying tears.

He tried insistently to bare the hands off his neck, but his strength was no match to Julius'.

"That girl is as innocent as an angel. She doesn't have a fucking clue about this shit," He stated, lifting the paper in front of his blue face.

Julius shoved him to the ground with a loud thud, as gasping and coughing fills the air.

From his vantage point, he watched him, his gaze lingering over his form, seemingly content with the image in front of him.

"You're just as stupid as the rest. And it seems that you used the only excuse in the world that would lead to your death."

Jean looked at him wide-eyed, his soul devoid of any tranquility and flooded with only fear.

"Julius, please. Give me another chance." Jean lurched backwards on his arms and legs, visibly shaken.

Julius took his gun and loaded it with one hand while typing a message to Hazel with the other.

He felt bad. She said her ears were hurting from how loud the TV was. He said to turn down, it's okay.

He'd make it up to her. He just couldn't let her hear.

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, Julius found a silencer under his desk drawer and easily slipped it onto the pistol.

"Consider this lucky, Dupont."

He grabbed his pistol and fired a single shot into his heart. Aiming for the head would've only made a mess, not that this didn't, but he rather red blood than brains.

Julius ordered his men to come in and remove his body. He packed away the gun, the silencer, and the bullets.

He took off his t-shirt and tossed it in a nearby laundry basket before returning his concentration to Hazel.

Before Julius even properly got to know Hazel, he had regarded that once. Being in the Mafia and all, trust was an issue for him. You can't just let someone into your life and trust them. In his lifestyle, it would be foolish to do so.

His instinct told him that Hazel was different. But even you can't always trust your instincts.

He did, however, conduct a basic background check on her. She didn't even have a single parking ticket on her, that's just how good she was. Julius' complete polar opposite.

He slid open the door to the room he was in previously, he found her curled up on the couch, a smile on her lips as she watched the animated film.

When she saw him enter, her eyes widened instantly and she sat upright, standing and walking over to him with frowned eyes.

"Are you ok—

Those eyes dropped to his chest she was being faced with, amusedly, Julius waved a hand in front of her eyes when her eyes seemed to pierce his chest.

"Oh wow,"

Her eyes went wider, the sound of a gasp leaving her as she realised she had said it aloud.

Julius chuckled and pulled her to him instantly, her embarrassment was amusing to him but he didn't mind her looking, if anything, he liked it.

"I'm fine." He replied to her half-spoken question. He felt her lashes blink away on his skin, those fluttering long lashes of hers made his skin heat with every fibre.

"Do you like Mangos?" She asked him randomly, pulling back from his chest.

He rose an eyebrow in questioning. "You always smell like Mangos."

He bit the inside of his cheek and kept himself from smiling. "I think it's the detergent they use," He mumbled, trailing his eyes over her.

She blushed and nodded, pulling away and moving her way back to the couch.

"I hope you don't mind, Soul is one of my favourite movies." She gushes, referring to the Pixar movie playing on the TV.

"I don't." He replied, coming next to her on the couch.

"Do you want to go back home tonight?" Julius knew the answer already. Of course she wouldn't.

"No, if that's okay with you? I just need one more night." He looked over at her, nodding. "That's fine, Hazel. You don't need to ask anymore, you're living here now."

Giving her a slight smirk and she blushed in return.

Hazel and Julius sat through the rest of the night, evidently engrossed with the animated film.

Hazel had cuddled up against his side at some point, her ear pressed against his heart, listening to every beat.

Julius drew circles and curves of all kinds around her waist with his fingers as his touch on hers comforted him.

The movie ended long ago, and Hazel was fast asleep. Julius is left alone with his thoughts, which seem to go on forever with nothing other than her.

♛♛♛

The next morning, Julius had dropped Hazel home.

She ate the breakfast he made for her, and then the girl returned to her house. Her conversation all morning was about how happy she was to be moving in, that even though Julius wouldn't be there most of the time, she would still love it.

Julius listened to every word, even the small mumbles she made under her breath, simple words expressing that she'd be out of the house she called her home, away from her toxic lifestyle.

He knew just how bad it was hurting her, and he would do everything in his power to detain that pain.

Julius was rushing through meetings, killings, and more meetings throughout the day.

Conferences with international alliances, followed by casual business meetings for his firms.

It was difficult to concentrate these days, not with her constantly on his mind. Julius, on the other hand, was a well-focused man who could set things aside and deal with it later.

By the time it became night, Julius was already on his way home. He planned to call Hazel when he arrived, just to make sure she was all okay.

As he drove through town, he spotted a food truck with people standing around it. As soon as he took a focus onto a bun of fiery red hair, he slowed down.

Pulling his car aside, he stood out and began walking over to her. He could see the string of earphones between her ears, as well as the side half of her face, which was shaded by the darkness.

Before he could get any closer, he'd been stopped by a figure stepping in front of him.

"Julius Santo." The man smirked. An ageing buff guy who mistakenly believed he was ready to strike up a chat with a leader.

Julius remained silent. He shifted his gaze behind him as he noticed Hazel ordering dinner, and he stared away emotionlessly.

"I've heard lots about you. Are you interested in recruits? I'm training some men in a facility down North, was wondering if you're interested?"

He clenched his jaw, returning his stare to the man.

"If I say yes will you fucking leave?" He grunted.

"Now boy, that's no way to speak—

Julius stepped in front of him, colliding with the man's shoulder. He heard the man stagger back, his husky voice clear in his ears as he yelled at Julius before becoming silent.

No one questioned it, and he was fortunate that Hazel was unaware of the men who had dragged the elder one away.

Every pair of eyes was drawn to Julius, and as Julius focused his cold gaze on them, they were gone. Hazel was standing to the side, her order number in her hand, her face down, and only a sliver of her face visible due to the light from her phone screen.

"Hazel." He called, moving himself beside her as he dug both his hands into his pockets.

Her head snapped up from the phone, innocent eyes blazing into his.

"Juls!" She smiled, instantly removing her earphones. "Hi," She giggled and looked at the food truck.

"I was just getting some dinner, did you want some too?"

He shook his head, looking down at her order ticket.

"Just passing through and saw you." He motioned to his car with his thumb, stepping toward the food truck and taking Hazel's food from the pickup bench.

"Oh! Thank you," She grinned and took the food from him.

Hazel lead them towards some benches that were placed behind the food truck, she sat down and waited for him to sit too.

Julius sat across from her, his arms folded across his chest as he sunk into the seat with his legs spread.

Hazel's eyes appeared to be all over him, she dug into her food while doing so.

"I have a question," She said, lifting the burrito away from her mouth. "Mhm?" His eyes were drawn to her mouth, currently obsessing over the red lips she possessed.

"Lift your shirt." She said.

It was so natural coming from her lips, as if she were asking him to do something simple. The question was as simple as that.

He did as told, bringing one hand to the hem of his t-shirt and he slowly lifted the black fabric, revealing his numerous tattoos, scars, and absolute ripped body.

"This one, here," She tapped the side of her stomach, motioning to his own. Looking down, he sees the faded scar hidden by the tattoo of a butterfly. The butterflies body was what hid the deep scar beneath.

"His story?" She sat closer to him, her scent entered him like the fresh scent of flowers.

Julius leant back further, she was distracting him, and the more he was near her the more he would have a problem.

"Fourteen. Got into my first real fight, knives were involved and the guy managed to slice me just there." He drew his finger along the scar and he could see Hazel tempt herself not to reach out and do the same.

He wouldn't mind if she did. He never does.

"Fourteen," Hazel trailed off, her voice and gaze seemed to be elsewhere when looking deep into his skin.

"So young Julius." She said his full name again. Something she never did unless she was being serious with him.

"How about when you were seventeen? Did you have any scars then?"

He nodded, lifting the other part of his shirt and he trailed a circle around numerous tattoos where his ribs were.

"Couple burn marks, few blade cuts, and a good bullet wound."

She let out an audible gasp when she heard the last one. He lowered his shirt when he heard it, and a flicker of worry flashed across his eyes as he noticed hers was watering.

"Oh my gosh, Juls! A bullet wound? You got shot!?"

Her panic was clear as day, her voice slightly rising too. With every fibre in his body, Julius felt that large brick wall between his heart and mind crack again.

"I'm okay now, Angel." He grabbed her hand, lifting it to his lips. "No need to worry."