The War Begins

Rosaline's P.O.V.

I was petrified as I stared at Xavier. I don't know what to say anymore. I winced as his grip on my chin tightened.

No, not this time. I won’t show him my weak side and let him take control over me like always. This time I need to fight back. Moreover, the tables have turned now. I am here for a purpose so it be will be better if I stick to the plan rather than let him mess with everything.

I jerked his hands off me and pushed him back. Although my strength was incomparable to him but still, I managed to get him off me. Wiping out the unwanted tears sticked on my face with the back of hand roughly, I took a deep breath and looked in his eyes.

"Yes you win every single game but let me remind you Mr. Mafia, I am not your innocent Rose anymore. I am no longer that weak and naive Rose but a strong and powerful Rosaline Valentino. An independent and renowned woman of America. I am not only the Vice-president of Valentino Estates but also the WIFE of the senior detective and Head officer of CIA. You and your minions won't be even able to touch a single strand of my hair so hurting me is out of the picture. You yourself dragged me in your mess and now you think exposing me will lead you to any good"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at him.

"You yourself will spoil your reputation when the world will come to know that the billionaire Xavier Knight had held a married woman captive and is even mistreating her. And even if you will tell the people that you're married to me, we're never divorced and blah blah blah but still people will only think you as the bad guy because you'll never be able to tell them the real truth"

I chuckled. Xavier looked at me blankly as if he was not at all getting affected by my words but soon his gaze darkened and that's where I know, I hit the jackpot.

It is because if Xavier will tell my real intentions to the media, he himself will get exposed as the world will come to know that the leader of The Scorpions is none other than the famous business tycoon Xavier Knight.

"What happened Don? Did the cat got your tongue? I know you're not that stupid to dig your own grave so let's keep our cards decked up unless you want your image to get marred again, My Psycho Gangsta"

I flipped my wavy brown locks and steadied myself up. Xavier didn't spoke a word but his shining raven eyes kept boring holes in my body.

All of a sudden, a smile crept on his face making me shiver as it was not a genuine smile but a 'menacing' one.

He walked closer to me. I looked up in his eyes as his well-sculpted figure towered over me.

"Very well said...Mrs. Rosaline Valentino"

My heart stopped as my eyes widened in shock.

'Did he just address me as Mrs. Valentino?'

Xavier looked in my eyes as if he was studying my reaction. I quickly composed myself and glared at him. He chuckled and shook his head.

Xavier then took a few steps back. He tugged his hands in the pocket of his hands and spoke in a deep husky tone.

"So, I guess we shall keep our relationship formal then. It's fine by me. Very well, so Mrs. Valentino since you will be my personal secretary let's discuss about your job, shall we?"

He smirked at me and got seated on his swivel chair. I mentally cursed him with the most abhorrent words I could think of. I nodded. I held the chair and slide it back a bit to sit.

"WAIT!"

I immediately halted and looked up only to see his burning eyes.

"Did I told you to sit?"

I was taken aback with his harsh words. My face fell but it doesn't seem that he even got affected a bit. His gaze was still cold.

"Pardon?"

I murmured and stood straight. Xavier inhaled sharply but soon flashed me an evil smirk.

"Listen Mrs. Valentino, the first and most important thing I expect from my employees is obedience. I want my employees loyal and dedicated. And the thing which I dislike the most is disobedience. I know you are not familiar with the laws of my company so let me make my rules clear:

Rule 1#You'll never disrespect me.

Rule 2# You'll follow my each and every command as I hate recalcitrance.

Rule 3# The level of your devotion to me and my company should be laudable.

Rule 4# You are bound to follow my orders otherwise you'll have to deal with the consequences"

He threw a stern look at me. But me being the adamant rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"And you think I will follow your orders like a dog, hmm?"

I deadpanned. But Xavier chuckled at my words as if they had amused him so much.

"And why do you think you won't, I guess you forgot the deal which I had made with your so-called father-in-law?"

My eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING? I HAD CANCELLED THE DEAL"

I yelled furiously.

"But Mr. Valentino had accepted our offer and had even signed the deal"

He rasped. My blood boiled in anger. I slammed my hands on the desk and shouted.

"HOW CAN HE DO THAT AND BY THE WAY THE DEAL CAN'T BE APPROVED SINCE ALL THE DECISION-MAKING TASKS ARE UNDER THE VICE PRESIDENT'S CONTROL. AND ME BEING THE ONE, I REJECT YOUR DEAL AGAIN!!"

I spat furiously. My chest was heaving up and down in anger. But Xavier seemed unfazed by my outburst.

"You have no say in that, darling"

He spoke in a calm tone clasping his both hands together. I looked at him with a mixed feeling of anger and confusion.

"What do you mean by that? Of course, I have a say in my company's business. I am the Vice President of Valentino Est-"

"Correction you were"

I looked at him in shock. Xavier smirked at my paled face.

"What?"

"You heard me"

Tears started collecting in my eyes but I pushed back my tears and shouted.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?"

End of Rosaline's P.O.V.

Xavier chuckled darkly watching Rosaline fuming in anger. He then leaned back in the chair and rested his head on the headrest.

"As I have already told you that your so-called father-in-law had accepted our deal but there were certain conditions. The condition was that the Valentino Estates will now work under Knight Empire. I had also told your father-in-law that I would like to make certain changes. The first major change was the filtration of the useless and incompetent staff of your company. Highly skilled and technically trained employees of my company will work in Valentino Estates from now on. Secondly, the dysfunctional goals of your company will be discarded which means that from now on Valentino Estates will accomplish the tasks provided by my company. Third, not only the employees but even the senior officials like managers, directors, including the VICE PRESIDENT of the company will be replaced by my PEOPLE that clearly indicates that you have lost your position. Fourth, all the profits earned by your company will be transferred in our secured banks as Valentino Estates has no more existence of its own now. But since you are Mr. Valentino's daughter-in-law so he had BEGGED me to show you some MERCY. That's why I decided to make you my Personal Secretary. And since your so-called father-in-law had accepted my all conditions already so you have absolutely no reasons to vituperate or denounce me or my men anymore. Am I clear, Mrs. Rosaline Valentino?"

Rosaline was shell shocked. She stood rooted on the spot. Her eyes were wide opened and all her anger got replaced with fear and shock. Xavier smirked at her petrified face. He knew he had finally caught her off guard as Rosaline didn't have a chunk bit of knowledge of this deal. He had finally been able to hit his first target and was now enjoying the misery and pain of his victim.

Rosaline couldn't find any words. His words hit her face like a harsh slap. Her eyes turned teary as again her heart got shattered by a powerful wave of betrayal because whatever Xavier was saying was absolutely TRUE. Vincent had indeed sent Rosaline here to keep an eye on Xavier and his work but she was oblivious to the fact that Xavier had snatched away her job and now she was hopeless and jobless.

After getting caught Rosaline got scared, scared to face Xavier's wrath. All the painful and terrifying past memories started playing in her mind like a cassette tape. At that moment she really wanted to leave everything and run for her dear life. She knew that she won't be able to win with Xavier but still she would at least fight him like a hero because Xavier would never take the risk to expose her and then she would easily return back to her original life like a fighter. But she never knew that he had already wiped out her chances of leaving the game.

Xavier was always one step ahead. He knew that no matter how much Rosaline tries to act tough and strong, she was still naive. He could easily see the fear clouding in her eyes when he exposed her secret. He could see the streaks of horror smeared all over her face when she started shuddering in his hold. Xavier knew that once he confronts her, she will drop the weapons and will try to run back to her previous peaceful life but he was in no mood to make her leave him again.

Before capturing Rosaline, he had already made the deal with Mr. Valentino. He saw the greed of money in that old man's eyes during the meeting which eventually made everything easy for him.

After revealing the secret pendant and CIA's secret, he saw how Rosaline started getting jitters and her hazel orbs looked at him with angst. But he was well aware that she will again personify wonder woman and will try to act tough. And that was the exact golden moment where he pulled up his ace destroying her all hopes.

Rosaline looked at him. Slowly her sad tears changed into raging fire balls. All the betrayals and wounds she had received so far exploded inside her like a volcano. She started seeing red everywhere. Anger rushed in her veins blinding her with rage. She marched towards Xavier angrily and grabbed his collar harshly.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU THINK YOU CAN CONTROL MY LIFE AS YOU WANT!! YOU USED TO DO THAT IN THE PAST NOW AGAIN YOU'RE TRYING TO CONTROL ME AS YOUR DOLL!!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?? I WISH I HAD NEVER EVER MET YOU IN MY LIFE, I WISH I HAD ACCEPTED FINN'S PROPOSAL THAT DAY. HE ALSO WOULD HAD BEEN ALIVE TODAY AND I WOULD HAD BEEN LIVING A BEAUTIFUL AND HAPPY MARRIAGE LIFE WITH A MAN WHO WAS A NORMAL GUY NOT A SICK PSYCHOPATH!!! I WISH I HAD LISTENED TO REBECCA HAD RAN AWAY FROM YOU!!! YOU ARE A MONSTER, A BLOODY PSYCHO MAFIA!!! PEOPLE LIKE YOU SHOULD ROT IN HELL!!"

Rosaline screamed her heart out with tears streaming down her eyes. She was fed up of him and everyone. She just wanted to leave everyone and live her life according to herself. She was sick of people controlling her life as she was their puppet. She was finally done with everyone.

But slowly her grip loosened as she saw Xavier's dark gaze. His calmness was long gone and was now replaced with darkness. An eerie silence crept in the room and the temperature of the room dropped to several degrees lower turning the air around them cold. His shiny raven orbs turned into the darkest shade of black. His jaw got clenched and he was watching her with stoic expressions.

Rosaline shuddered as she got gripped with his deadly dark aura but her heart stopped as soon as she met with his familiar.....

Psychotic gaze

She started trembling. Her anger soon faded and got replaced with sheer terror. She released his collar and tried to stand when all of a sudden Xavier gripped her hands. Rosaline yelped in fear but before she could comprehend, he gripped her neck and slammed her on the desk.

Her back was facing the desk and she winced in pain. A sound of shattering of glass echoed in the room but she didn't feel any pain. Her head was now resting on Xavier's right arm while his left hand was gripping her throat tightly. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Rosaline was basically lying on the desk with Xavier hovering over her. His eyes were on fire and his face was red. Her breathing turned ragged as he was looking so angry. The heat of his anger was basically burning her skin as she shivered below him like a leaf caught in a storm. Her heart was hammering wildly and all the blood got collected in her ears turning them blood-red. Tears were freely falling from her eyes but she didn't dare to speak. Her throat had turned dry now while she kept staring at his blazing orbs.

"How.dare.you."

Xavier snarled with clenched teeth. His hot breath fanned her lips. Her sobs turned louder as she was now scared to death. He increased his grip on her throat. Rosaline started trembling as he started squeezing her windpipe. She grabbed his wrists with her trembling hands while hiccupping and crying harder. But Xavier didn't seem affected by at all. All of a sudden he titled his head and stared at her creepily.

"You like to trigger the beast in me, hmm? What the fuck do you mean that you would have agreed on that bastard's proposal? If you had even thought about this Rosebud, I would had not only chopped him but I would have killed you in the most cruel and heinous way which anyone could have ever imagined"

Xavier spoke in a such a calm and dead tone making goosebumps all over her body. She was shaking miserably below him and was breathing heavily. He leaned forward and kissed the corner of her lips.

"But now my babe had crossed all the limits. She not only left me alone but also got married to the person who had backstabbed me. Rose, even after doing that you still got the audacity to blabber nonsense in front of me, HUH?"

He growled. Rosaline was now barley breathing. He slowly loosened his grip. She immediately started galloping large ounces of air. Hot fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She kept staring at him with teary-eyes but didn't dare to speak. Xavier wiped off the tears and cupped her chin.

"You think you can play with fire. I don't give a damn about why you left me but how can you think that I will leave you so easily after all you had done to me my Princess?"

He smiled sinisterly while caressing her cheek.

Rosaline's P.O.V.

Xavier was caressing my cheek with his rough fingers. I was still petrified with shock but he pulled me up on my feet. I felt something wet on my left arm. I touched it but I became horrified when I saw...

Blood?

My eyes widened in shock. I turned around only to see pieces of glasses scattered on the desk. Wait a minute...

The sound of glass shattering

'But why I didn't feel any pain?'

I turned around but Xavier was nowhere. I scanned the room but couldn't find him anywhere.

"Baby girl?"

I flinched at his raspy voice. I turned back only to find him entering the cabin but he was holding a black file in his hands.

'When did he leave?'

Xavier then walked closer to me. My eyes landed on his right elbow.

'He was bleeding'

That means he was the one who got hurt. That means that when he slammed me on the desk he immediately placed his arm below my head to protect me?

'But why? He hates me, doesn't he'

My all thoughts got erupted when Xavier handed me the file. I looked up at him perplexed.

"Take it"

He spoke nonchalantly. I took the file from his hands and opened it. My blood boiled once again as soon as I read it.

It was a contract.

I looked up at him. He kept staring at me with his cold eyes.

"What is this?"

I couldn't control my anger anymore and spat furiously.

"If you have eyes, you can read that it's a contract. After signing the deal with Mr. Valentino, I had appointed you as my secretary but I need an affirmation. You need to sign this contract. The rules whatever I had stated to you earlier are mentioned in it. By signing this it will be confirmed that you will follow the rules and will be legally tied to Xavier Knig-

I instantly threw a death glare at him. He flashed me a cocky smirk.

"Xavier Knight's company that is Knight Empire"

He said in a mocking tone. I clenched my fists in anger. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me intensely.

"So, what will be your call Mrs. Valentino?"

He spoke while emphasizing each word.

Now that's it!!

I will die but not fall in his traps again. I can't keep sealing my fate with this psychopath again and again. I know he had definitely planned something vicious. His cruel expression and sly smile are the proof of his wicked plan.

No, I can't do this. I know he will leave no stone unturned to hurt me. And I can't risk this again. I have gone through so much already. I can't bear it all again.

I toppled the file on the floor. His eyes slowly travelled downwards. He glared at the file and then looked at me back.

"I am sorry Mr. Knight but I don't accept this deal. I had no knowledge about it nor do I have any consent in this. This is truly unfair and let me make it clear that neither you nor Mr. Valentino have any right to decide where I should work"

Xavier stared at me silently but then a husky chuckle escaped through his lips.

"Mrs. Valentino, you are right but don't forget that you were the vice president of the company not the C.E.O. The main head who is Mr. Valentino has full rights over his employees. You were just a mere employee not the Boss, Mrs. Valentino"

He deadpanned. I scoffed.

"You don't need to teach me the rules and regulations of the professional world. Besides I know it better than you. And let me remind you I am an employee not a slave. There is a vast difference between these two terms. Knock some sense in your thick skull, Mr. Knight. Moreover, if I won't sign it what worst could happen? You'll either cancel the deal or threaten me with something but let me make it clear that by doing so you yourself will call the death on your door. Not only your plan of staying hidden forever from the world will get demolished but also your real face will be unmasked and once again your image will be sabotaged......

VENOM"

I spat fiercely. His eyes never left mine. I scoffed at him and wiped off my tears. I walked closer to him and spoke while looking directly in his eyes.

"Your game is over Xavier. This time I won't let myself get fooled by you. You'll pay for your sins. Your hands are painted with so much innocent blood yet you got the audacity to act like a God. Maybe today was your day so you got a chance but remember Xavier, the countdown has begun. Enjoy your days as much as you want because we both know that nothing last longer. Good luck Tyrant"

I spoke with so much hatred and disgust while my eyes welled up with tears recalling everything what he had done to me. He killed my friends, forcefully married me, abused me, tortured me, traumatized me and kept breaking my heart again and again. Xavier didn't say a word and stared at me blankly. I quickly decided to leave this room before I lose my temper. I turned my heels and started walking to the door.

Suddenly the door itself got opened revealing a guy with Xavier's gang members. The guy was all tied up and his face was covered with a black cloth. I was staring him confusingly when I felt a tight grip on my hand. I looked up only to see Noah smirking at me.

He then pushed me inside. Antonio locked the door. Noah then grabbed my hand and pulled me to the middle of the room.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LET ME GO!!"

I struggled in his grip but he didn't even budge. Sebastian then pushed the guy on the floor so that he was now sitting on his knees.

'But why wasn't he moving?'

"It seems your Agent husband had crammed your brain in a very good fucking way but he forgot to tell you the golden point my love"

I got flinched by his sudden voice. Xavier was still standing in the same position; his back was facing me but the air soon turned toxic making me difficult to breathe as his creepy aura returned back.

Xavier then slowly turned around and gave me a spine-chilling look. I gasped as he took out a shiny silver bayonet from his pocket. He then walked forward to the mysterious guy while glaring at me fiercely.

"You should never try to mortify The Venom"

He gritted. Xavier then walked towards that mysterious man and in one swift movement he tore the black cloth off his face which went flying on the floor.

I screamed in shock as soon as I saw his face.

~~~💗~~~