My father sold me to the Mafia King novel Chapter 299

Chapter 299: 299/Shadows of Bay Shore

Chapter 299:

Julie’s POV

My brows knitted for a moment, my features setting into absolute bewilderment and shock. It was utterly improbable in fact, from the seventh impossibility in my mind that a man like Mike could be infatuated with me or harbor romantic emotions in his heart.

After all, he was my brother Steve’s closest friend for long years, ever since they were together in this town in the past. Surely, he only viewed me as the sister of his lifelong companion and would never actually fall for me. I dusted my palms with a swift, firm motion to rid my fingers of the remnants of fresh leaves and stray stems, turning toward Madam Sophia as I spoke with a coldness laced with helpless surrender: "Madam Sophia, please cease these speculations. Mike is like a brother to me; he is Steve’s closest friend."

Madam Sophia waved her index finger in the air from side to side, a seasoned, determined expression painting her fifty-year-old face as she countered with sheer confidence: "But he isn’t your brother, Julie, and he wasn’t born from your mother’s womb. The looks in his eyes when he sees you are never meant for a sister, believe me."

I swiftly averted my gaze from her, fleeing the confinement of her words which awakened ancient terrors inside me. Turning my body back toward the colorful blossoms inside the glass vase, I said with an obvious detachment, my voice dry as I attempted to put an end to the discussion: "In any case, I am entirely uninterested in these romantic matters. They don’t occupy my mind or my thoughts at all."

Madam Sophia knitted her brows, signs of curiosity and bewilderment etching the contours of her face. She questioned with disapproval, tilting her head: "And why this harsh rejection and cold shoulder, my dear? You are a beautiful girl in the prime of your youth, and you don’t possess a lover or a husband to share your life. Why do you encase your heart in this manner?"

I swallowed the bitter, searing lump that formed in my throat like a sharp razor blade, forcing my facial features to remain frozen in absolute coldness. I said in a dead, dry pitch: "Love is a massive lie, and it has no existence in this real world, Madam Sophia. It is merely an illusion that sickens hearts, nothing more."

Sophia released a light, quiet chuckle, locking her sharp, intelligent gaze onto my eyes, exposing exactly what I was desperately trying to conceal. She said slily: "It has no existence? Or is the truth that you loved the wrong person in your past, receiving a stab from him that made you blaspheme against all emotions?"

My entire body turned to stone for a single second, as though a lightning bolt had struck my spine, the breath locking inside my chest. Of course I had loved a monster in that grotesque past a ravenous, sadistic beast that no sane human could ever love or coexist with. Yet I committed that sheer stupidity of my own absolute free will because I was merely a foolish, naive, and gullible girl at the time, swept away by the current. In that cruel, suffocating second, the brass door bell jingled loudly, signaling the entrance of a new customer looking to buy a bouquet.

It was the absolute perfect timing for me a true salvation from heaven to evade the answer and escape Sophia’s probing questions. Even though this town of "Bay Shore" was naturally small, placid, and still, a massive number of tourists and visitors consistently flocked here to enjoy its nature and its enchanting lake, keeping the traffic in the shop continuous.

The remainder of that long day bled away as I kept myself thoroughly occupied with arranging flowers, trimming stems, and fulfilling customers’ requests. In the shadowed evening, we locked the doors of the shop, and I vacated the place entirely alone. I always adored walking on my own two feet through these quiet streets, inhaling the crisp, cold air that refreshed my weary soul; I never boarded any means of transportation, no matter how long the distance was. On my path, I passed by the beauty salon belonging to Stella my closest and only friend whose precious trust and friendship I had earned when I came to live in this town three years ago. She was only two years older than me, and she happened to be Mike’s younger sister.

I pulled the door open, stepping into the small salon with slow strides. I found her standing with her slender, graceful frame, her long black hair cascading down her back, deeply focused on dyeing the locks of a patron sitting in the chair. The moment her wide blue eyes landed on me, the exhaustion vanished from her face, replaced by a radiant welcome and joy. She said in an elated voice: "Julie! Hello, my dear, I am so incredibly happy to see you right now."

I advanced toward her with calm steps, standing near her large mirror, speaking in a tender pitch: "Hello, Stella... how are you, and how was the grueling workday?"

She replied, continuing to glide her brush through the dye with fluid expertise without pausing: "I’m well. A bit exhausted from standing, but I’m fine, as usual."

I glanced around the space, noting the presence of other patrons waiting their turns, and said as I began to step back: "It seems your workload is heavy and hasn’t ended yet. The place is crowded."

She let out a deep sigh, lifting her shoulders, then pointed the tip of her dye brush toward the other seats: "As you can see for yourself, the customers are endless today. I’ve been drowning in work since morning."

I took a polite step backward, gripping my purse, and said swiftly: "Fine, I don’t want to disturb you or distract your attention from your work. I will head out now and leave you to finish."

But Stella instantly called out loudly to one of the assistant girls working with her in the shop, strictly ordering her to complete the dye process and distribute it through the patron’s hair in her stead. Then, she turned to me swiftly, firmly grasping my palm and pulling me toward her, speaking in an intensely low, grave whisper: "Julie, please wait. Don’t go... I have some crucial, urgent words for you."

I gave a quiet nod, surrendering to the grip of her hand, and said: "Fine, I am with you... I’m listening."

Stella peeled the clear plastic gloves from her hands with a swift, professional motion, tossing them into the trash bin. She directed her steps toward me with anxious features, pulling me by my arm into a quiet, distant nook away from the patrons’ ears in the corner of the salon. She spoke in a low, trembling pitch saturated with apprehension: "Tell me honestly, Julie... is there any new information or contact regarding Jake? Has Steve found out anything about him?"

I shrugged my shoulders in deep regret and absolute helplessness, the coldness firmly gripping my features as I replied: "I know absolutely nothing, Stella. All I know, which Steve informed me of recently, is that he is currently in New York City for private business. That is all he told me."

In truth and reality, my brother Steve had previously confided a massive secret to me. He had informed me in the utmost secrecy that Jake was rotting behind prison bars in New York. However, he never told me or clarified the underlying cause or motive behind his arrest and imprisonment.

He had also demanded with absolute emphasis and pleading that I never inform a single living soul of this matter, because Jake’s pride was deeply wounded, and he didn’t want anyone in the town to know of his fall into prison.

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