Page 86 of Promise to Break

"Am I acting?"

"I see what you're doing, and I get it. I hurt Maricela by tormenting her, and this asshole does the same to Raven. You've made yourself clear. Now calm your tits before the Brit, as you call him, loses his shit and cuts off something of yours."

Julian laughs and kisses Liam's cheek. "and?" he sings.

"I promise that I will do everything I can to pay for my actions," Killian adds.

"Prove it."

"How?"

"Give her an apology in front of all those assholes," Julian says with a wave of his hand over the entire dining room. "Let them and me see you're worthy of someone like her."

For the first time in my life, I don't know what to say. Do I want Killian to apologize to me for everything he's done? Yes. I want it to happen. I need to hear this from him more than ever because I know my heart no longer belongs to me. It belongs to him. Whether I want to admit it or not.

"You're bold, I'll give you that." I can hear now why people call Liam The Joker. He's all fun and games until someone dares to go against him or his own. I just wish he saw my friend as someone to cherish as well.

"You're right," Killian says with a nod. "I need to ask for forgiveness from the woman who'll be mine."

"So do it. All these rich fuckers are here for our entertainment. Prove to her who Killian Fierro can be." Julian changes his voice to his usual semi-low lilt.

Killian stands on the damn round table and winks at me.

"Scoundrels!" he calls in his low voice. The conversations around us stop with that one word before he continues. "When Maricela came here, I declared war on her, a social boycott. You didn't ask me why because that's who you are. Animals who seek an alpha. One who will protect them from everyone because he's the strongest. And I let you do all you did to her because I could. All the teachers standing here didn't do a thing about it or even warn me to stop. I don't expect you to apologize to her because a queen doesn't need anything from her subjects."

He bends down and offers me his hand. I give him mine in return without hesitation, and no voice in my head tells me to run away from him. Every cell in my body trusts him. He helps me up onto the table and tucks me into his side before continuing, but he no longer speaks to them, even though I know everyone is listening to every word.

"Little Girl. My little wild girl, you've proven to me that you're unbreakable, a queen who stands up to any villain. Even one like me. In the past two years, I have tried to do many things to break you and mold you into my marionette." Why? I want to ask but don't. "Instead, you made me your man. I beg your forgiveness. For all the times I could have buried myself inside you and enjoyed the sounds you make when you're about to come, I'm sorry for wasting time."

The whistles behind us have me busting out in a laugh, because Killian will never change. He'll remain who he is. Rude, slightly evil, and very possessive. All mine.

"Do you forgive me, Little Girl?"

The word "Yes" leaves my lips without hesitation as all those thugs whistle and congratulate us on our relationship. His lips meet mine, and I feel at home. He is my home, and no matter where I go, I will always return to him.

Chapter thirty-three

Maricela

The weeks since Killian asked for my forgiveness seemed like a dream I didn't want to wake up from. Every morning, I started the day working with Ronen on the preparations and cooking, only to hear from him how much better his sister feels now that she's receiving the best care. It turns out that Killian really did a lot to help this girl and sent her at his own expense to doctors specializing in women's cancers of all types.

Emanuel's attitude toward me changed fundamentally, too. He seems to be afraid of me now and doesn't humiliate me anymore. However, I approached him at the end of his second class since returning to school and, in a respectful manner, I asked him to give me notes. I want to know if I'm making mistakes, and improvement is one of my goals. Killian tasted all my cakes along with Raven in the little gang we made for ourselves. Yes, Julian is a part of it, too, even if Liam, Kai, and Killian refuse to acknowledge it.

My relationship with Serena changed as well. She stopped sending me daily messages, and even though I was a little hurt at first, I understood. Connie is much more important, and I would do the same. I miss the little munchkin.

Thinking back, I realized that I was the one who initiated all our conversations, and since our lives changed, I expected my older sister to make time for me. That realization made me feel like shit.

Today is another final exam day, and the stress in the air is high. The mandatory subjects that are taught in every college were first, followed by those that are specific to this place. Every student must know all the legalities that exist in the field they've chosen to study.

Killian was tested in business yesterday. The fucker got an A-plus, while a lot of students failed. From what I've heard, the test included having them open a new business and show a yearly plan for its full success.

Today, I'm being tested on kitchen safety and food preparation steps. I'm not really worried about those exams, not like Raven.

"Girl, I'm going to fail so bad, and my dad is going to kill me." Raven sits on a stool while I prepare an obscene amount of eggs in different ways, as I do every day at six in the morning. The fact that she's awake, without her running gear on, means that she's really nervous.

"You're great at math," Ronen tells her. "You're not going to fail." He shakes her shoulder before slicing some cured meat and letting her steal a piece. I'm glad to see him happy and calm, nothing like the man who cried in my arms.

"Kill me," Raven repeats. "He is so going to kill me, Ronen. Tell him, girl. Chica, you know my father. He is going to kill me." I do know him, and he's the most earnest man out of everyone in the Fierro clan.

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