35 Knives

Bg Music recommendation: Can't help falling in love - DARK by Tommee Profitt

(I listen to recommended songs on loop, you can try the same)

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Agnes walked Prudence through the halls, the same path which Prudence had gone through yesterday with the head maid. With the way Prudence had answered Agnes yesterday, the maid did not dare to open her mouth today. Though the stab was still fresh in her mind, Agnes simply showed Prudence the way to the guest room, where Vincent usually had his breakfast with the morning newsletter.

Prudence was pulling at her skirt every once in a while as they walked through the corridors. Agnes knew something that Prudence did not know, and internally there was an evil smile that covered Agnes's face.

Don Sam was already here and talking with Vincent in the table room. Approaching the main stairs, which split in two directions, Agnes took a sharp left up the stairs.

Prudence noticed the change in path immediately and asked, "Aren't we supposed to take a right from here?"

"His Grace is expecting in the table room, milady," Agnes responded, not bothering to say too much, and Prudence did not ask anymore. Rather, she was confused whether Vincent had his breakfast at different places in the manor. It was undoubtedly a huge manor, so maybe he liked to keep an eye on every part of it with his breakfast, thought Prudence in her mind.

A little away from where Prudence walked behind Agnes, Vincent was inside the table room, where a large circular table was kept, which had a hollow centre.

Don Sam sat at the head of the table, facing the door directly. Vincent had specifically made Sam sit in his own chair today, so the view of the main door would be first for him to see. "His Grace, please have a seat in your chair. I can sit somewhere else," Don Sam said as he had mixed feelings in his heart. A sense of pride coaxed his ego and yet there was this eerie feeling which did not leave the atmosphere of the room.

Vincent turned his cold gaze towards Don Sam. He was sitting right next to Sam, "Are you trying to say you are not happy with me offering you the seat?"

"No, His Grace, I am very grateful," Don Sam gulped, not knowing the motive behind this sudden change. Was he being promoted to a rank higher than the one he was already holding? thought Don Sam to himself. When they heard footsteps approaching, Don Sam was quick to ask, "are the others meeting as well today?"

Vincent rubbed his nails against his coat near the chest and brought them in front of his eyes to check its sharpness, "No, it is just someone special for you." Vincent smiled at Don Sam.

Don Sam's mood elevated quickly. First, he was given the seat and now someone special to him was on his way. He wondered who it would be that was going to make his day golden today. Although he was expecting some kind of slave or a good person who can be added to his gang, Don Sam could not believe that His Grace was going to these lengths to reward him with something when he had done nothing.

He did not dare ask Vincent what was it for because Vincent had already shown distaste when Don Sam asked the reasons for the exchange of seats.

The doorknob turned, and Agnes was the first to enter. Don Sam already knew the maid. He had personally helped her get a job here at His Grace's manor. There was a quick exchange of looks between Don Sam and Agnes before she left. Then came in Prudence. Don Sam looked at her for a second and the flame inside him lit up.

He had not forgotten the day when that girl had emptied the glass of wine on his face.

His hand banged on the table and formed in a fist. Even though Vincent was present in the room, Don Sam wanted to rush his feet to Prudence and catch her slender neck in his arms. He wanted to use all his vampire strength to rip her head apart. Every part of his being wanted to mess with this girl standing in front of him before killing her.

Prudence was in a different mentality when she had come here for breakfast. She wanted to speak with Vincent, convince him to not bring Don Sam here. But this was completely opposite of what she was expecting to happen.

Her eyes went wide on seeing Don Sam sitting right in front of her, and she could feel her heart slip inside her ribcage.

"Don Sam," Vincent broke the heavy silence which had spread in the air and Prudence was quick to look at him. The hopes that she had left of Vincent was going down the drain. Her eyes saw how Vincent was seated in the centre chair and it was Don Sam as if he was important personnel than His Grace, the Mafia King himself. Don Sam did not break his gaze from Prudence when Vincent called out to him, and that was where everything turned upside down.

Just when Prudence was thinking her dream was about to come true, a scream resounded in the empty room, "Ahhhh!! His Grace!" Don Sam screamed as he felt his hands glued to the table with two knives.

"Now, Don Sam," Vincent looked at him coldly, "ignoring me calling out for you is a different thing, but gazing too much at what belongs to me is a totally different thing." Don Sam did not understand what situation he was placed in, but there was one thing he knew and that he had stepped on some wrong nerve of Vincent Dominick. Prudence turned and was about to leave when Vincent quickly called out for her, "Prudence, come here."

Prudence gulped as she clutched her skirt in her fist before slowly turning around.

Her feet slowly started to move towards where Vincent sat, but her eyes were fixated on Don Sam. The anger that the man carried was so heavy she could feel it creeping under her skin.

Prudence gingerly approached Vincent and stood there, almost able to breathe under Don Sam's gaze, which was laced with pain because of the knives which went through his hands and buried into the table. Don Sam had not dared to remove his hand from how Vincent had placed them on the table, palms down and knives through it.

When Prudence approached Vincent, she slowly shifted her gaze from Don Sam to Vincent, the most daunting man inside the room.

Both Prudence and Don Sam were under the impression that Vincent had pinned Don Sam's hands to the table because Don Sam had missed responding to the Mafia King calling out to him. But only Vincent knew what he had in his mind while doing that.

Prudence stopped right beside Vincent and her eyes dipped low before looking to the side.

Vincent raised his hand, and Prudence flinched at his sudden touch on her face. He ran his thumb under Prudence's eyes and said, "I should stay in the room henceforth so you could have better sleep."

Prudence whispered on hearing it immediately, "It was just a nightmare."

Vincent slowly turned to Don Sam and asked him, "What would do to a man who gives your girl such horrifying nightmares, Don Sam?"

"I-I will make sure he doesn't sleep well for the rest of his life," Don Sam was quick to reply. Though he was a vampire and healing a wound of a knife was an easy thing, but that did not mean it did not hurt. His wound was trying to heal, but the knives kept that from happening. "H-His Grace, can I-"

"I hate when people talk extra," Vincent warned, and Don Sam did not dare to speak another word.

There were two scared people in the room and only one who enjoyed the show. Vincent could hear the beating of Prudence's heart, and the smell of fear in the air was making him thirsty. Prudence moved a little back so the hand that Vincent had placed on her face could move away from the touch, and Vincent was quick to turn her way. She gulped, but did not take a step ahead, continuing to stand at a one-hand distance from Vincent.

Vicent noticed this and smiled at the girl's daring to even do this. There was a reason Vincent found Prudence appealing, and so far she had not disappointed him even once.

"So Don Sam Murray," Vincent called out before turning his head to look at the man, who was in pain and also in rage.

"Yes, His Grace," Don Sam clenched his neck muscles, trying not to grit his teeth while talking to the Mafia King. Vincent was not feared just because he was the king, but the strength he carried was unparalleled in the underworld. Owning eighty percentage of the underworld had not been a simple journey but Vincent had done it and the respect which he got was equal to how much the people feared him.

Prudence has never been associated with the dark side and yet she was standing here today looking at the cruelty it carried with the blood that continued to flow from Don Sam's hand.

Vincent held the hilt of the knives and twisted them to only receive another scream. Prudence took a sharp breath, looking at the wound that increased on Don Sam's hand, gushing more blood out. Vincent looked at Don Sam dead in the eye before his crimson eyes glistened, "Now which hand did you touch her with that day?"

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Author's note: It has been tough to manage the new job and get back to writing. It will take me some time to get used to the travelling and the day of work. Kindly understand till then because my job requires for me to write as well so it is very tiring. Apologies for the late update and thank you for the patience. <3