Hesitancy was clearly seen on the doctor's face after heeding the young girl's request. His life had already been jeopardised from the moment he was assigned to take care of the Ricci princess, but somehow he felt the danger bells ringing much strongly in his head after the request posed by the young girl. A promise?

"I understand... that it wouldn't be easy for you to accept my request of promise... without knowing the message behind it. But- " a look of helplessness flashed in her eyes as she stuttered out. "I don't have a... choice."

Taking a deep breath, the doctor soothed his frantic heart and replied with a faint smile on his face, "It's okay Ms Juliette. What is your request? You can talk to me freely without any inhibitions. I would make sure this conversation remains inside this room."

Julie was never a person who shared her difficulties with people. But, she knew at this moment it was a necessity and a gamble.

'I can't tell my brothers anything about my past. For now,' Was the only prevalent thought that buzzed through her mind.

She knew no matter what, everything about her past won't stay hidden, and glimpses of it would slowly seep through the cracks. But all she wanted was time. Time to grasp the concept of family that was completely foreign to her. And she didn't want to lose them, before even starting the journey.

Summoning all her courage, she hardened her resolve.

"Can you please... share the test results with me, before showing it to my brother?" she questioned brokenly in a depressed tone. Her voice sounded feeble interlaced with nervousness.

"Do you have any sensitive information that you wouldn't like to share with your brother?" the doctor probed further, curious as to what forced the meek little girl to put forth such a request. In-depth information regarding the health of the patient would generally be shared with their relatives, especially if they are under-aged. But this was a special case, the girl who lived with her adoptive parents is returning to her original home. And in such a case, he wished to give the girl some time to settle before conveying the information to her brothers.

With a slight nod, Julie shifted her gaze towards the nearby window.

"At least... for now. I would share at my own pace gradually. So...is it possible to skip-" before she can continue with her sentence, two rapt knocks interrupted their conversation.

'Isn't he the security that my brother arranged for me?' Juliette mused as she gazed at Anthony entering the room hurriedly.

"Ms Juliette, apologies for the disturbance. Mr Vincent had urged us to escort you to the jet, as soon as the treatment is done due to a mild security breach," Anthony reported with a slight bow.

"It's okay to leave now... We can have my ankle treated later," the young girl hastily replied as she tried removing the tubes connected to her hand.

"Stop it," the elder guard squealed out, his eyes overflowing with concern and panic."Ms Juliette, your health remains the topmost priority. Mr Vincent would definitely have our heads if we depart before treating your ankle. Please, sit back."

The complicated look on her face gradually fell, as she was reminded of her brother's care and concern.

"Please give me a call when you are ready to depart," with another bow and a soft smile towards Julie, he turned his sharp gaze towards the doctor.

"Get the treatment completed immediately. Mr Vincent isn't a patient man, and you wouldn't want to be on his bad side. Moreover, prepare for your departure. Due to your astounding services, the Ricci family would like to contact you personally," Anthony informed in a low powerful voice to the shivering doctor.

The Ricci family. It was one of the families which the doctor never wished to come across in life. Yet, here he was placed in an unfathomable position and had nowhere to run.

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Juliette didn't realise when she had fallen asleep. The treatment didn't take too long, but her eyes had shut close somewhere down the lane, with signs of intense fatigue shown on her face.

She blinked her eyes open wearily, as soon as she heard loud turbulence noises.

Where are we? Her drowsy eyes, blinked lively with curiosity as she took a look around the flight.

"How was your nap?" Vincent asked, while his eyes were directed towards the pile of paperwork that he was reading.

"Umm. good. Are we going home?" A hint of excitement was detected in her eyes.

"Yes. We would be landing in three hours," he informed, as his eyes scrutinised her face, "Your complexion seems much better than earlier. It's a good thing that you rested."

A tender look flashed across his face and he continued to say with a small smile on his lips, "You should rest more, Ju. I would wake you up when the fight is ready to land."

The concerned look, his tender smile along with the sweet nickname, seemed to touch a chord in Julie's heart.

"How is the ankle?" he questioned, as his gaze fell on the huge band covering practically half of her leg.

"It's totally... fine. The band around it is making the injury look scarier than it genuinely is," the girl responded casually with a smile on her face.

"Looks like you used to be extremely careless when it comes to your health. I should work along with your brothers to come up with a new set of rules regarding your health," Vincent said all too seriously with his arms folded, a strict expression on his face.

Rules? A spur of booming voices seemed to fog up her mind, along with the flashes of her ex-father setting up rules, Rules that eventually destroyed her happiness.

"Rules?" she spluttered out, a wave of slight panic came crashing down on her.

"Yes, my dear sister," he smiled broadly. "The rest of your brothers and I are happy to have you in our lives. But there would be a few rules that we would wish for you to follow, and these are put in place solely for your safety. Stefano would give you more details about this once we reach home."

The panic in his sister's eyes was clearly seen, and he hated that look on her. He wished to console her and get rid of all the useless fears that clouded her mind.

"What are you worried about?" he questioned hurriedly, his arms instantly reaching forward to console her.

"It's nothing..-" with a slight pause she continued, "I just...don't like the concept of rules," she whispered hoarsely.

Vincent sighed, "Your safety remains our only priority. So, bear with us when it comes to certain rules. If you dislike anything in particular, discuss it with one of your brothers and we would definitely reconsider it."

Hasty footsteps wear heard suddenly followed by two knocks. "What do you want?" Vincent called out in an annoyed voice.

"Sir, we have received an emergency call from the base." Lin, one of Vincent's personal guards responded frantically.

'Emergency? Security Breach? Why are so many things happening around my brother?' Multiple thoughts swayed in her brain at the look of impatience on her brother's face.

Taking long steps, Vincent immediately swung the cabin door open and placed the phone on his ears. "Was ist der Notfal?" he questioned harshly.

"Guess, what? Unsere liebe Mama ist wieder weggelaufen. Und es sieht so aus, als ob eine Ratte ihr hilft," Damon Ricci spat in annoyance from the other end of the phone.

Vincent's jaw tensed. He shot a concerned gaze towards his sister, who was looking at him curiously.

"Beruhige alle, especially Leo. We will discuss it further, at home," Vincent commanded sharply.

"How is...she?" Damon asked with an edge of inquisitiveness and curiosity in his tone.

"You will know soon," the second eldest Ricci brother replied sharply and directly ended the call.

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(1300 words)

Translations:

Was ist der Notfal?- What is the emergency?

Unsere liebe Mama ist wieder weggelaufen. Und es sieht so aus, als ob eine Ratte ihr hilft- Our dear mom ran away again. And, it looks like a rat is helping her.

Beruhige alle- Calm down everyone.

Did you like the chapter?

This chapter might have looked like a filler, but the contents of this chapter is important for story progression. Also, the next chapter is where Juliette meets the rest of her brothers. Are you guys excited for it?