"Please do not..."

"But I need... I just have to, Fanny. I can't do this anymore..." He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her tightly, one hand he held behind her head. while his other hand was fixed tightly at her waist.


"I'm so sorry. For everything. For everything that happened. It was my fault. I failed to protect you...

She cut him off with a kiss. Her lips were wet with her own tears, but Michel didn't care.

He immediately returned her kiss as he hungrily moved his mouth against hers, desperately trying to pull her closer.


They kiss over and over again, until Fanny pulls back just a few inches to look up at him, still in tears that he gently wipes away.

"You're so selfish..." She whimpered.


"I know. I'm sorry. But I can't help it. I know it's selfish, but I need you... even if you hate me... even then..."

They kissed again, Fanny running her fingers through his messy hair to pull him deeper into her mouth.

"I don't hate you..." She mumbled softly, her lips brushing against his.

"You do not have?"

She shook her head.

Michel pulled one of his hands back to her face again, his knuckles stroking the side of her cheek cautiously as he let his fingers touch her soft skin.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love it when you blush, pretty? It's the prettiest pink..."

"Michel,"

He continued to hold her to him with one arm while the other continued to stroke her.

Lifting her face up to look at him, Fanny once again pressed her lips to his, biting his bottom lip lightly while he responded by kissing her upper lip.

"Your lips are so soft and warm..." she whispered.

"You kiss me, do you know what that does to me?"

She looked at him suspiciously, tilting her head to the side.

"It wriggled inside me so hard, I felt almost dead every time." He explained.

"Why?"

Michel inhaled sharply again as if the weight of the words he was about to say were too heavy for him to utter out loud.

"Because I don't deserve to touch you."

"Michel."

"No, Fanny, you're right. I'm an asshole. I know I don't deserve you but I'm touching you anyway. I know I shouldn't kiss you but I can't help it. Guilt the bug is killing me but I can't stop, Fanny. I can't..."

"Do not."

He looked at her as his eyes locked on hers, he felt so alien to him, that he almost didn't know what to do with him.

This is unlike anything he's ever dealt with before. Should he really just give in to what he's long wanted? Is it that easy?

"I love you." The words just slipped from his lips.

And the moment they had, he could suddenly feel he was breathing.

It's weird that he's never actually done it before. Her little fingers curled at the base of his hair, Fanny pulling him down towards her again.

"I love you too." She whispered before locking his lips with hers.

---

2 months later.

"We have ten people from our side looking for him combined with all our resources and connections. How difficult can one be to locate?" Michel's voice echoed throughout the office as all the members involved sat around him.

Traveling through space, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair as silence pierced the room.

"He must have entered the field as a member of Phoenix. There's no way he'd get all their protection for nothing." Kaylin was the first to speak, followed by Eddie shaking his head.

"Archibald was supposed to be easy to find. He would lead us straight to Mr. Aiden. But now it turns out to be harder than we thought."

"Uh, maybe that's it." Carlos joined in, too, looking at everyone to see if they were following his thought trail.

"Perhaps they broke up, each man working for himself."

Charles, who had only been listening so far cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "There's no way to separate. Either join forces with Phoenix or face us on their own, in reality, would be suicide if they did it themselves. No, I agree with Kaylin. Phoenix must be doing it. do a great job of keeping them low."

Despite the fact that he agreed, Michel didn't like the sound at all.

The feud between the Black Roses and Phoenix gangs has been going on for so long, that technically, that's why his father felt the need to become a professional criminal. But he didn't give up.

Looking around the office, Michel was suddenly overwhelmed with the sense of responsibility he felt for his members.

Each of them is a valuable ship in this family and although he already knows for a fact that Phoenix will be his enemy forever, he has a personal bone to choose with Archibald and especially Mr. Aiden.

Just because his relationship with Fanny is improving doesn't mean the damage he's done to her is irreversible. And for that, he will pay with his life.

"I need everyone to be in their A-list game. I mean, if there's anything else you haven't done before, any sources you haven't discovered, or anything you haven't considered, do it now. My patience is running out and we need to end this once and for all."

Meanwhile, Audrey was happily sketching out Andy's wedding ideas, having invited Rosabella, Fanny, and Farrah into her room to help her with the details while her newborn baby slept.

Kaylin is attending the Black Roses meeting and cannot come, although Audrey still wants Fanny and Rosabella to get to know Farrah better as she will soon be living with them.

"Farrah, are you sure you don't want to have a big wedding? I mean the way you describe it, it sounds like it's just going to be us and your family. Even with the close friends we're with inclusive, the guest list shall not exceed fifty people." Audrey watched her soon-to-be sister-in-law with wide eyes of anticipation, hoping that Farrah would allow her to carry out her plan.