Michel cleared his throat and raised his glass to congratulate, looking around the large dining table as the exquisite Chinese food, drinks, and fare served covered the surface.

"This is to welcome you into our family, to see you as our own, to accept you as our brother, and to once again renew our purpose - all tied together for a reason."


"Long live the Black Roses family." Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip of very expensive and rare wine that they only brought out for a special occasion.

They moved on and started eating when one of the former Davies members started a conversation.

"As we are all sitting together, I wanted to express our appreciation for the opportunity to be part of this family. I know one of your requests was, not to mention it, but our former leader never showed us the respect or gave us the protection you have in a short time since we started." Mark said to Michel, who nodded in understanding.


"Yes, sure. We've wanted to leave for a long time, but it's not really safe to do so. Maybe not even now." Bellamy added.

"Once we catch him, we'll be able to leave this behind. Our synergy will hopefully allow us to get rid of him soon." Carlos responded to them, cutting his steak.


There seemed to be a relaxed consensus around the table, they all ate and drank with ease until Eddie finally decided to speak.

"Is it true that you are no longer engaged to Farrah?"

Suddenly everyone was silent, avoiding looking at Michel and instead glued to their plates as they tensed, waiting for their leader to explode.

However, to their surprise, he remained completely calm and replied nonchalantly.

"Yes. But I don't think Farrah will be single for long. Andy here will be proposing to her soon." Michel openly explained, receiving a wide eye and a shocked expression from Andy.

He and Michel haven't exactly talked about this in weeks, and he reckons it'll be weeks if not months before he can breach the topic again.

"And the captive nurse? Bellamy and Kieran say..."

"She's not just a nurse. She's my woman and you better watch out for that mouth of yours, Eddie." Michel warned with a smoldering look.

Apparently, there has been a clash of strong personalities with both Michel and Eddie currently playing for the same team.

Eddie isn't the Davies's second-in-command or leader, but he's still one of their most valued members, known for being outspoken and short-tempered.

But he also knows he needs to show his respect to his new boss so fortunately, he doesn't seem offended.

"I'm sorry. I assume that's not you?" Eddie speaks to Rosabella sitting directly across from him, catching her off guard by suddenly drawing her into the conversation.

"Sorry, I'm confused. Audrey introduced you as her nurse earlier so I thought..."

"She's also a nurse but also our newest rookie," Charles explained quickly, his voice a little strained that maybe only Rosabella could really tell the difference at that moment.

However, Eddie doesn't seem pleased with that, a curious smile creeping across his face as his gaze remains on Rosabella.

"So I assume you don't stick with anyone? What's your name? Sorry, I didn't catch it sooner."

Rosabella beamed as she somehow caught an interest in this playful new man, who didn't seem to notice how irritated the second-in-command was sitting at the table, just inches away from him.

Oh, this will be fun...

"No, I'm not really. And my name is Rosabella. Eddie, isn't it?" She plays along, acting amused and curious when in reality she's fighting the urge to laugh.

Compared to Rosabella, Kaylin doesn't seem to have the composure she has, grabbing her napkin and laughing at it as she watches the exchange between Rosabella, Eddie, and Charles, knowing exactly what's going on.

"Yes, Eddie. Um, then I'll look forward to getting to know you, Rosabella." He raised his glass towards her.

"Oh, me too."

Under the table, however, Charles's hands clenched into fists.

---

A few days later, Michel finished meeting with the architect, finalizing the blueprints for the extensions he wanted to build for the villa.

Now that more people have joined them, they definitely need more space and he wants his new members to live with them so he can provide the protection he promised and really make them feel like they were part of his family.

Agreeing to add six more suites, he finally shook hands with the hired architect and left his office, going to the private part of the mansion.

Michel had missed dinner, and although he knew they would reheat his food, he felt the need to check on Fanny more to see if she had eaten.

Some days have started to get really pleasant for Fanny, she eats sensibly and has a simple but easy conversation with him.

However, the others were tougher, as if she suddenly remembered that she must be mad at him.

Those are also the days when her nightmares will also be more activated.

Michel really doesn't know what he has to do to help her get better, but he also knows that he needs to be grateful that she acknowledges him.

Even if it's mostly him talking, telling her when he's away on business and when he'll be back is simply to assure her, to fill her in with a few tidbits that have happened around the house, he made sure she at least listened.

And as long as she does it and doesn't completely reject him, he will keep trying.

Entering the room, Michel was not surprised to find her sitting on the couch, a book in her lap while the tray that had been brought up and placed on the coffee table was still intact.

Fanny started reading again last week, however, it worries Michel that it looks like she's having a bad day.