Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 19: Charlotte.

As Bella woke up the warm light touched her face, making her blink against its brightness.

And then, like an unshakable ghost, an image of James came to her. Cold. Inhuman.

There was something about him, something unnatural, something beyond the world she understood. The feeling he left her with was unlike anything else, a presence that refused to fade, no matter how much she wanted it to.

"I still love you..." She whispered to herself as she turned in bed

And then a knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. At first, she ignored it, assuming it was nothing important. But then, it came again...louder, more hurried.

Something was wrong.

Her instincts kicked in. Without hesitation, she reached under her pillow, fingers wrapping around her gun.

Barefoot, she moved toward the door

With one swift motion, she unlocked it and pulled it open, gun raised, finger ready on the trigger. If something bad was about to happen, she would be ready.

As she looked out, the sunlight hit her face, making her squint for a moment. Standing before her was the last person she expected.

"Did I wake you up?"

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Ja... James?" Her face lit up with a mix of surprise and something else, something she couldn't quite name.

There he stood, James, but not as she always saw him. Gone was the crisp suit he always wore, the sharp, polished image he projected to the world.

Instead, he was dressed casually, a simple t-shirt and dark jeans. It was strange, almost unsettling, to see him like this.

"Yeah..." He said, tilting his head slightly.

Bella's grip on her gun loosened, her heart pounding in her chest.

She opened the door fully, and as she took in James' face his expression suddenly tense, his eyes flickering away, she realized something.

She was only wearing her pajamas that clung to her skin. And worse, with the sun shining right through it.

"Do you like it...?" She whispered again, staring at James, her body shivering slightly.

He visibly tensed, his jaw tightening as he refused to meet her gaze. Before he could respond, another voice cut through the moment.

"Get ready, Bella." Hans said from behind James, his usual blunt tone breaking the strange tension in the air.

Bella's eyes snapped toward him, and she immediately used her hands to cover herself as much as possible.

"You dared to check me out?!"

"No. I'm just saying James is in a hurry, so get some clothes on." Hans sighed, looking unimpressed.

"Tch. You're lucky I'm in a good mood."

Turning away, she stomped back into her house but she was anything but fast. She was stressing, throwing clothes from her wardrobe, pacing back and forth.

Should I wear something that shows off a little? A skirt, maybe...? No, something elegant, but James is just wearing a t-shirt. Should I match him?

Her head was spinning as she debated her outfit choices, the pile of clothes growing behind her.

Meanwhile, outside, Hans leaned against the wall, smirking. "No way. It's gonna take at least ten minutes." He said confidently.

James chuckled, crossing his arms. "Five minutes. No more."

Hans laughed, shaking his head. "You're underestimating her. Alright, I'll put 500 on it." He pulled out the cash and tossed it onto the pavement.

But before James could respond, a voice interrupted them.

"Who are you guys?"

They turned to see an older woman standing behind them. Hans instinctively reached for his gun,he knew a killer could come in many forms, but James held up a hand, stopping him. Instead, he gave the woman a warm smile.

"We're here for a friend." He said simply.

The woman stepped closer.

"Are you the one Bella talks about every day?"

Bella talks about me every day? What a dumb question she does...

James hesitated, caught off guard by it. "Well... yeah. Can I know who you—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman stepped to him and pulled him into a tight, warm hug.

James stiffened, completely thrown off by the suddenness of it. Hans remained cautious, though his grip on the gun loosened slightly.

"Thank you for giving her a purpose to live, darling." The woman said softly, looking up at James as she placed a gentle hand on his face. "If I could see you clearly, I bet I'd see someone great...someone who truly cares about others."

Her words hit James hard, especially after yesterday.

Just then, Bella's voice rang out. "I'm ready!"

The door swung open, and there she stood.

She had chosen tight jeans and a t-shirt that hugged her curves perfectly. She was stunning.

"Bella, you really found someone special." Said the woman as she stepped past her.

But before she could react, a sudden slap landed on her cheek.

"Ahh! Miss Rebecca, that hurt!" Bella whined, blushing hard.

Hans and James just stood there like they were invisible.

"If I were a man, I'd fall in love with that too. Juicy and—"

"Enough!" Bella yelped, her face burning as she shoved Miss Rebecca into the house and slammed the door shut behind her.

She stood frozen for a second, her heart still racing from embarrassment. Then James spoke.

"So, we're matching outfits?"

She glanced at their clothes, both wearing white t-shirts with black jeans.

"I thought it would be cute..." She admitted with a small smile.

James chuckled, his eyes softening. "Well, you're more than cute. But let's go, we don't have a lot of time." He turned and started walking toward the car.

Hans, however, stayed behind, his gaze lingering on Bella, eyeing her suspiciously.

"What, you insect? Don't look at me like that."

"I'm just wondering... where did you put your gun?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't bring one." She said casually, stepping forward.

Hans frowned. "You... didn't bring a gun?"

Bella smirked and walked past him. "I'll protect him with my body." She said, her voice teasing as she ran ahead and slid into the car beside James.

Hans stared for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. "This day is going to be fun."

As the car started moving, Bella wasted no time. She immediately turned to James.

"So, this is a date, right?" She asked, sliding closer to him, her head tilting to rest on his shoulder.

"You can call it a date since we're going to be together all day." James said, his voice calm but firm. "But we also have a job that needs to be done."

Bella felt a shift in the air.

"Do you have a second gun, Hans?" She asked, her tone more serious now.

"Yeah." Hans replied. "I'll give it to you when we arrive."

"Okie." She said softly, then leaned back against James again, resting her head on his shoulder like nothing had changed.

James glanced at her for a moment but didn't say anything.

After a while, they arrived at an empty parking lot. The place was eerily quiet, except for a single black car parked in the middle, surrounded by four men.

"This looks like a trap..." Hans muttered as he stopped the car.

James, however, just smirked. "He loves to play." Without hesitation, he opened the door and stepped out, walking slowly toward the parked car.

Behind him, Hans was already on alert, his hand resting near his gun. Bella, too, held her gun behind her back, ready for anything.

But just as the tension reached its peak, all the seriousness disappeared in an instant.

One of the men suddenly stepped forward and pulled James into a tight hug.

"I missed you, man!"

"How are you, Vallen?"

"Never been this good." He replied, grinning.

I bet you maniac serial killer James thought meanwhile Bella froze.

Her breath caught in her throat as her mind repeated the name over and over. Vallen?

She looked at him again, her eyes scanning for confirmation. And there it was, the tattoo on his hand.

Her hands trembled slightly, and her thoughts spiraled. If these two are meeting...

Hangur is going to blow up.

Because Vallen, Augustus Luican underboss.

And then he opened the car door.

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Bella's heart jumped, her vision narrowing, but it was not what she expected.

A little girl stepped out of the car.

"So, this charming lady is Charlotte." Vallen said, squatting down to her with a warm smile. "Charlotte, this man here is going to be your guardian angel for a while. Be sure to behave, okay?"

Charlotte looked up at James, opening her arms.

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment as she stared at him with cautious curiosity.

James tilted his head. "You want me to pick you up?"

She simply nodded, and James carefully lifted her into his arms. It was only then that he noticed something.

The girl's arm was bruised and not just a little one, it was a huge one covered with a single pink bandaid.

Vallen said nothing about it; he opened the car trunk, getting a duffle bag out.

"He didn't want to spend your own money, so here's 3 million in cash."

James' eyes widened. "3 million... for a child?"

"How should I say this? If she touches something, it's hers."

With a smirk, he turned back to Charlotte, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "That's it. Be happy. We'll pick you up when your grandpa comes back."

Charlotte, still quiet, looked up at James, her hands gripping onto his shirt. There was something innocent yet unreadable in her gaze.

"Wait, what about her stuff?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Vallen said, spinning back toward the car. He opened the door and grabbed a small backpack, tossing it to James. "Some of her favorite things are in it, but you got to buy things."

James glanced at the bag, then at Charlotte, who clung to him quietly.

"She's a little shy, but that won't be a problem, right?" Vallen added with a smirk.

"I don't have a problem with that." James replied.

"There's also a little notebook in the backpack." Vallen added. "It has everything you need to know, what she can eat, her allergies, when she should sleep, and other things that might help."

James sighed, adjusting his hold on Charlotte. "Alright, got it."

"Well, goodbye." Vallen said with a smirk before getting into his car and driving off.

James watched the car disappear before glancing down at Charlotte. "They just wanted to get rid of you, huh?" He asked casually.

Charlotte kept her eyes on the road where the car had vanished, silent for a moment. Then, finally, she spoke.

"I'm not shy..." She whispered.

James raised an eyebrow.

"They're bad people." she continued, gripping his shirt tightly. "I hate them."

"So, are you going to hate me too?" James asked, still holding Charlotte in his arms.

Charlotte suddenly looked at him, her big blue eyes filled with brightness and innocence. For a moment, James was mesmerized.

"I—"

"Oh my God! We got a daughter, James?!" Bella interrupted, snatching Charlotte out of his arms and hugging her tightly.

"I'm James' girlfriend! You can call me Mama, darling." She said kissing her dozens of time.

"She's Augustus Lucian's daughter." Hans said from the back.

Bella froze for a moment, then slowly put Charlotte down, staring at her with narrowed eyes. "So, you're a little demon...but you're still cute. And still just a child."

"I hate my father! Charlotte suddenly said, her small hands clenched into fists. "And everyone who is the same as him..." Her voice didn't waver.

A seven year old, standing before them, filled with confidence and determination.

Bella let out a small chuckle and crouched down to Charlotte's level. "Then carve his name into your mind, darling." she said with a smirk. "Because he is James Bellini."

Charlotte's eyes widened in shock. She slowly turned back to look at James, and for the first time, she truly saw him.

Standing tall before her was the man whose name she had heard whispered in fear a hundred times.

The man even the darkness itself feared.

"The Angel of De—" Charlotte started, but she was cut off by the sharp ringing of James' phone.

He sighed, pulling it out. "You sure have a lot of time to call me from maximum-security prison."

A low chuckle came from the other end. "It's more like a hotel, you know." Lucian said casually. "Is she with you?"

"Yeah." he replied, glancing at Charlotte." She's standing right in front of me, staring straight into my eyes."

"Good. That's it, then. Have a wonderful time with her."

And just like that, the line went dead.

"Even if you hate him, he still cares about you." James said, holding out his hand to her.

But Charlotte took a step back. "I'm fine."

Silence hung between them for a moment. Then, suddenly, Bella grabbed James' hand firmly.

"Hold mine!" She said, clinging to his arm.

And just like that, the first day of babysitting began, something that would bring more trouble that James thought.