Bullets and Roses

When I first met Thomas Hilton, he was still a street punk covered in blood.

The only good thing about him was the clumsy sincerity when he tattooed my name on his chest.

Later, when he rose to power, with a wave of his hand, he gave me half of Bronze Bay as a wedding gift.

Everyone in Harborwood knew that I, Jessica Shaw, was more important to him than his own life.

That was until today, when the celebrity Thomas kept finally walked into our house.

With a big belly, she said to me with a smile, "Ms. Shaw, are you going to leave with dignity now, or wait until my son grows up and throws you out of this place?"

I just raised my hand and ordered a subordinate to help her "give birth".

When Thomas saw the pool of blood beneath her, he flew into a rage.

He pressed a knife to my neck and said, "Jessica, you should know when to be satisfied!"

I laughed softly and pressed the muzzle of a gun against his heart.

"You really had a change of heart. Good thing my heart didn't change. My truest self is my ambition."

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

The one who fell was the cripple, Luke, who had always followed Thomas.

"Do you really like her that much? Figures. That celebrity was carefully trained by Luke and sent to your side. Being able to make you lose your temper with me like this meant she had some skill."

My gaze lowered, landing on the silver blade across my neck.

I snorted and said, "Aren't you going to make your move? Thomas, you weren't this hesitant before. Why is your hand shaking when you're holding the knife?"

The mocking look in my eyes made Thomas' heart ache.

In the silent standoff, it was he who had lost in the end.

He threw the knife aside and sat back down on the sofa.

"Luke had been my subordinate for 10 years. What you did was too ruthless."

I smiled faintly and had someone drag Luke away.

"He's not you. I'm only soft-hearted towards you."

Thomas looked at me, his expression complicated.

"I want to keep Vivian around. This life is full of violence and bloodshed. I'm exhausted. Vivian is like a window to me, allowing me to get some fresh air amongst all this bloodshed. She makes me feel that I can just be a normal man sometimes and live a normal life."

I didn't rush to respond.

I set the gun aside and lit a cigarette.

I said after a short pause, "Normal? Thomas, have you ever told her about all the blood on your hands, the dirty money in your accounts, and your enemies coming at you during the night? If you put a normal person like her in your world, that's no different from getting her killed."

Thomas frowned, displeased by my rebuttal.

"Jessica, I wasn't asking for your permission. I was informing