"You had one job. And it's such a pity, that you might not live long after failing this," Vincent's chilling voice echoed along the walls of the doctor's cabin. The second eldest Ricci brother leaned back on the couch with a wide threatening smile on his face.

"I'm sorry sir. We...," the office paused his explanation midway, as the chilling aura in the room amplified to the point it was stifling.

"I believe a doctor would produce a more valid reason for this situation. Ain't I right Dr Banes?" he turned to give a pointed look at the man.

Anthony knew both the men were in trouble. No one wanted to come across the Devil brothers' path. Though they were right now in the soil of a neighbouring country with political restrictions, their power was still not to be trifled with.

"Doctor Banes, can you elaborate on why Ms Juliette, seemed to have fainted twice in a single day," Anthony voiced out the concern regarding their princess.

Small shivers ran down his spine, with a few sweat droplets forming on his forehead. He swiftly tried explaining, "Ms Juliette seemed to be malnourished. Her height and weight are very abnormal for her current age," he paused slightly as the room seemed to have gotten much colder. Waves of unadulterated fury were radiating off of the man seated opposite to him.

"Additionally, when receiving severely shocking or life-altering news, it is natural for the kids of her age to faint and cry," he concluded.

The smile on Don's face remained, as he removed the gun slowly from his hostler. The three men in the room looked at the crazed look that crossed his eyes, as he slowly placed the gun on the centre table.

"One last chance."

"I'm happy today because of her. It's indeed nice to have a sister. So, I'll give you one last chance. Make sure, to stay by her bedside till she wakes up and give me updates on her conditions. If.. she faints one more time..."he paused and gave a pointed look towards the two men."You know, what will happen don't you," he said softly.

The lazy smile on the Devil brother's face resembled a predator's actions as it narrows down towards the prey. And, they didn't want to be caught as the prey.

"Ah...wait a moment. We want her foster parent transferred to our headquarters as soon as possible. And..."he paused with a sharp look on his face, "What is the information you have on him?"

Officer Rhodes swiftly replied,"He is noted to be an innocent civilian. He maintains a spotless record. Even his friends have come forward vouching for his credibility. The neighbours have repeatedly mentioned good things about his parenting skills, and additionally, they even seemed to be worried for Julie."

"Worried? Why?"

"Apparently, Ms Julie loves her family a lot. She doesn't have any friends and spends a lot of time at home, especially with her father," he replied back.

A man with an impeccable record. It was indeed challenging to frame him. But, Anthony knew the right buttons to push and even if it is under a fake charge, he was happy that it would keep the foster parent away from the princess for at least five years.

"Hmm. You are dismissed for now. Guard the princess by her bedside. Also, keep it down regarding her mother. Make sure to not disclose anything," ordered the Don as he tucked back the gun in his hostler.

The man was too intimidating for the officer. The news regarding their neighbouring country affairs and its iron hold by the Devil brothers had been sweeping around the capital for a while. But, he never thought there would come a day, where he would personally meet one of the Devil brothers in this small town.

For a moment, the officer wondered about the personality differences between the long-lost siblings. After all, one was a rabbit and the other was a lion.

With a slightly shaky bow, he fled the room hastily.

"Has she been detained in the headquarters? Make sure the news outlets don't get a whiff of it, Anthony," he ordered in a low harsh tone.

"We will make sure she remains deceased to the outer world, Master," he responded with a bow and a sinister smile on his face.

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A wild look of bewilderment was seen in Julie's eyes, as she gazed at the cop standing alongside a doctor in the spacious hospital room.

Feeling the gaze on him, he turned to give her a faint smile, "Are you feeling better now? You gave us all quite a scare out there.,"

She offered a slight nod, with her head bowed down. Juliette wasn't prepared to have a conversation with anyone. She gazed outside the window, as the doctor was checking her heart monitor. A calming silence was encased in the room, as the doctor continued his routine observation. Her anxiety level was gradually rising at the presence of two unknown men close by to her, in an enclosed room. Though one was a cop and the other was a doctor, she learnt not to trust anyone.

Noting the steady rise in her heartbeat, the doctor looked at the petite girl with a worried gaze.

"You are alright Ms Juliette. I would be talking to your guardian regarding the details of your diet and supplementary foods. Remember to follow the chart, to improve your health and immunity," he informed with a gentle smile on his face and left the room silently.

Her heart and brain were gradually recovering from the shock of finally being free from the clutches of her stepfather. But, the term guardian truly frightened her.

"Do you recall the conversation we had?" questioned Mr Rhodes reluctantly.

She has replied yet again, with a small nod.

"Do you have any more questions, that you would like to ask?" Mr Rhodes continued to probe as he was bothered by the lack of emotion that the tiny girl was portraying. There had been similar situations earlier in his career, but there was never a child like her. A feeble child, with a timid personality, shaking like a leaf, yet there were no signs of her crying or wailing over the things she lost.

Except for the mild panic attack, followed by her fainting, she seemed extremely normal to be a kid who had just lost her parents.

"Can..you please tell me what happened with my...mother, officer?" she stuttered the question out, as her heartbeat took a higher pace.

"I'm unsure if you would like hearing the news. We can talk about it later, once you are completely cured," the officer replied with a complicated look of pity and sadness on his face.

Julie subconsciously replied with a small nod. She was confused. After all, her mother was the only relative who once showed an ounce of love and affection towards her. She didn't know how to react to her death. Though grief should be her prime reaction. All she felt was relief and happiness.

Deciding to push back all her emotions and internal turmoil, she returned to the one question that had been bugging her, "How did she die, officer? I do have the right to know."

With a deep sigh, Mr Rhodes leaned on the wall opposite to my bed and replied in a haggard tone,

"We don't have any specific information regarding her death, and the case is considered to be highly classified. But to summarise, we received the order from the higher officials to declare her as dead,"

"Mo..ther was always scared of..travelling. She always felt apprehensive in new places. Then..why..did she travel despite being scared of it," Julie spoke to herself in a low tone as her voice sounded resigned and broken.

A crestfallen look was seen on her face as she played with her fingers silently while lying down on the hospital bed.

"Mr Rhodes, I would advise you to not strain out the patient. Her health conditions have not recovered completely and yet you hang around her to be a complete nuisance," a playful harsh voice was heard from the doorway, as a tall man with dark hair entered the room with a small briefcase in his hand.

The cop visibly shuddered, as the tall man entered the room. A lazy yet intimidating smile was seen on his face, as he pulled a chair and sat next to Julie's bed. The room was filled with an air of tension as he sat leisurely with the lazy smile still on his face, directed towards Julie.

"Ah! Won't you do us a favour and step out of the room Rhodes. I would love to spend some time with my sister, without the bugs crawling around," the tall man requested along with a snide smile towards Mr Rhodes.

Juliette slowly peered through the curtain of hair veiling her face. She noticed a young man smiling at her widely. His eyes were twinkling as he looked at her with a gaze full of curiosity, happiness and excitement.

"So... do you know anything about me?" the tall man asked tenderly with a hint of excitement in his voice.

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(1510 words)

Did you like this chapter?

Which brother do you expect would get along with Julie the most? Well, I don't know about you, but I'm for sure curious regarding this.

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