Even though he was a bit condescending, and mostly an obnoxious asshole, I was still glad about the night we spent and the short kiss we shared. The cab ride back home was mostly silent, which I appreciated. My horny brain knew that if he kept talking, I would probably jump on him. Levi watched the outside the whole ride, his gaze distant, and I busied myself with watching whatever trash they were screening on the cab's flickering TV, glancing at Levi from the corner of my eye. God knows, if he glanced back, I would kiss him again.

When the ride ended, Levi got out first and extended his hand to me. I gladly took it. I subtly smiled at him, my cheeks warm.

"Hello, you lovebirds," a voice, sharp and laced with sarcasm, cut through the night air. And my subtle happiness came to an abrupt end.

Instinctively, I knew who she was: Julia.

She was waiting at our front door, her stance rigid, her presence radiating a palpable tension. She had a tall figure. Luscious brown hair, thick and glossy, cascaded down her back, framing a face with slightly tan skin. That initial, venomous gaze wasn't wasted on me. She was focused solely on Levi, as if I didn't even exist at that moment.

Then she shifted her attention to me, a smirk spreading across her lips. "I'm Julia, this fucker's ex." Her voice was just like Levi's: commanding, subtly reminding me that she was at the top of the food chain. Not that I could expect anything else from someone who was a noble and had survived Levi for years.

"I'm Raphael," I blurted out without thinking. Her calling Levi a 'fucker' was unexpected.

Another unexpected thing was how angry Levi became the moment he saw her. His jaw tightened, and he immediately clenched his hand into a fist. I was witnessing another silent battle, heavy with unspoken threats. I clapped my hands, to distract them from basically killing each other with looks, and suggested, my voice tight, "Can we go inside, guys?"

Neither of them relented, and I didn't want to awkwardly stand in the front yard with my husband and his ex, so I grabbed my keys and unlocked the door.

Once inside, with the tension thick in the air, I wasn't sure what to do. Should I awkwardly leave them alone in the living room? Should I brew tea, possibly chamomile, in case those two lions decided to bite each other, and I'd have to scrub blood off the floors tomorrow? I sighed and removed my suit, heading to the kitchen.

Julia and Levi, both immediately in business mode, were spewing poison at each other in the living room, their voices sharp and cutting. Levi was sitting on the couch, his posture tense, and Julia, in the middle of the room, her hands on her waist, was talking, her voice echoing.

I hastily prepared tea and went to them, tea tray and three cups in hand, my hands shaking slightly. I saw Levi fidgeting and loosening his tie, his jaw tight, as he spoke to Julia.

"I told you to wait. I did what you asked, and only expected compliance with something really minor, called waiting. And you completely disregarded it." he said.

Julia didn't hesitate to answer, her eyes flashing. "It was the fastest way to get your attention, you sloppy jerk."

I silently placed the tea tray on the coffee table; neither of them spared me a glance. So, what do I do now? Do I awkwardly stand up, or do I awkwardly sit down? Since it was possible that neither of them cared, I just sat down on the long couch, far from where Levi was sitting.

"Look, I was going to bankrupt your company in a month. I needed time to fabricate more evidence, and I already told you that. So, explain why you went over my head," he said with visible anger, his voice tight.

What the hell? My eyes widened. What do you mean by bankrupting her company?

"First, I don't need evidence to mess with my father. Second, not everyone has the time you do, okay? My dad has maybe a week or not, and I wanted him to see his legacy crash down in less than an hour. And third, you don't have a month, either."

Okay. A lot to unpack. Her father is about to die, so she put Levi's plan into action to make sure her father saw the scheme she and Levi had been working on, and Levi doesn't have a month either. What does that mean?

"What do you mean by that, Julia?" Levi asked, his voice tight, shifting in his seat. A cruel smirk curved on her face, her eyes glinting with malice.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from NovelBin. Support the author by reading it there.

"You're a fucking showoff. And thanks to your idiocy, every noble knows where Cybil is."

Levi sprang up from the couch and rushed to Julia, his eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" he whispered, his teeth clenched.

"Still can't connect the dots, imbecile?" Julia sneered, her eyes gleaming with malice. "You took the chopper. To the fucking island where we dumped your mother."

"No, no. NO. I took a private air transport," Levi said.

"Who cares when you two lovebirds took a chopper over the city to your alleged honeymoon, your lovely private island?" Julia said, her voice dripping with venom.

Shit. My stomach clenched. She was talking about our dinner with Cybil. Oh, fuck. I felt so guilty when I thought how fun the chopper ride was, the wind in my hair, the city below. Levi was completely silent. They were both looking at each other with animosity.

"That's not all. Last night, a small boat left the island. With a tiny shipment, Levi. Do you know what it is? Do you have any idea?" she asked.

"What was it?" Levi asked, his voice barely a whisper, his face contorting in frustration.

"Your old hag froze your sperm and shipped it off the island, probably to the first available egg to inseminate." she said.

My face paled, and I swallowed hard. I was going to puke.

"My—what? How? HOW?" Levi's hands trembled, his eyes wide with horror.

"I don't know. But we must know if the sperm is viable. Try to remember," Julia said, her voice sharp.

"I have zero idea," Levi said, rubbing his temples, his voice strained.

"Is there any time in your memory when you had a blackout, or did you have any encounter with an unknown partner that you didn't use protection, or when did you start using birth control…" she listed.

Levi was pacing around the room. "I... remember. The first time I had a blackout. Do you remember the week we visited that summer house, back when we were engaged? The first time I had a drink. I had a blackout. My memory is really fuzzy." he said and stopped.

"Summer house... Summer house... Yeah," Julia said, her eyes narrowed. "Your mom... brought us our first alcohol. I was knocked out with a single glass, too."

"I thought it was normal since it was the first time I drank," Levi said, his voice laced with a hint of disbelief. "We were 17 back then, right?"

"Yeah. Which means the sperm is viable. And since we don't remember how long we were out, it's possible she has more than one vial." she said.

"We need to reach every noble woman capable of becoming pregnant," Levi said, his face hardening.

"The women may pick your side. What about their mothers and fathers waiting for this moment? How are we going to get rid of them?" Julia asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I don't know," Levi said, running a hand through his hair, his voice strained. Levi was in a moment of defeat. He was utterly broken, his shoulders slumped, his gaze vacant.

There wasn't any word or action to console him.

Time stopped for all of us. Levi was staring outside, I could see the light slowly leaving his eyes, his hands limp at his sides. Julia was looking at him with concern, her brow furrowed. And I was just thinking about utterly nothing, my mind a blank slate.

"Since you are married, Cybil can't pass the potential heirs off as legitimate, but..." Julia broke the suffocating silence, her voice low and grave.

"But... She can adopt children into different families," Levi said, his voice flat, devoid of all inflection.

"Yes."

"Just like she planned, possibly ever since I was in the womb," Levi said, his jaw tightening, a barely perceptible tremor in his hands.

"Yes."

"I should've rendered myself sterile," Levi whispered, his gaze vacant. Julia didn't answer.

Time started running again for me. And I exploded.

"Are you two fucking serious?! Sterile? You're talking about injecting drugs into yourself because your mother decided to violate you as a minor! What the fuck is wrong with you both?" I roared, my voice raw and shaking with disbelief and rage. "And you!" I jabbed a finger at Julia, my whole body trembling. "You're just standing there, letting him talk like that?! Are you both completely fucking insane?! Why are you blaming yourself for this?!"

The room fell deathly silent. Levi's gaze, previously vacant, snapped back to mine, his eyes narrowed and hard. For a moment, I thought he was going to explode, his control finally shattering. But instead, he just stared, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable.

Julia, however, didn't hesitate. "Control yourself, Raphael," she said, her voice sharp and cold. "This isn't your fight."

"This has nothing to do with fighting or whatever shit you've been doing. I'm feeling sorry for someone because he thinks he's responsible for being violated!"

"How is your feeling sorry for him going to change anything? Shut your mouth," Julia snapped back, her voice sharp and cold.

"Oh my god! You are a fucking asshole!" I yelled, my hands clenching into fists.

"Yeah, shit happens. Always does." she replied.