The café wasn't crowded. He sat by the glass window, relaxed, savouring every sip of coffee from his mug, unaware of my gaze. A curl of dark brown hair fell across one eye, giving him a look that many mistook for innocence. They didn't know he was a depraved sadist.
Three months into her dream job and my woman was losing weight already. She loved to dress up people—models particularly—and was perfect at it. Louis Korr was a high fashion empire and her talent elevated them above their competitors.
Lucien Korr, the CEO, constantly put down my wife, finding fault with her work. Yet when the positive reviews came in, it was his name they mentioned, not Ashley Valenti. She came home often in tears. She deserved respect like any staff and I told her to insist on it.
My wife knew my dark past but not everything. There are parts of me that don't belong in daylight so I keep them from her and only let them surface when pushed too far.
That night, when Lucien stepped into his car and it pulled away, I followed. He turned onto an isolated stretch of freeway. I sped ahead, overtook him and spun my car around to block the way. His car screeched to a halt a few feet from mine.
I stepped out and walked towards his car with a gun in my hand. His driver raised his hands in surrender while the bastard swore loudly in the back seat, something about firing the driver and killing his family if he didn't find a way to get him out of there.
I waved the gun at the driver. “Unlock the doors.” He obeyed and I got into the passenger seat with Lucien, pointing another gun at him. He was visibly trembling, his eyes bulging and breathing uneven.
We spoke for ten minutes and it was not a negotiation. I explained in clear terms what would happen if he didn't change his attitude towards my Ashley. Certain people would become aware of his stepbrother's laundering activities and his mother's private indulgences. That last part drained the colour from his face.
“Who are you?” He stuttered.
He would investigate me, as he should, and find nothing. I replied calmly, “I'm watching you, Lucien Korr. You don't want to cross me.”
The next night, a candlelit dinner was waiting when Ashley came home. She was smiling from ear to ear, looking absolutely gorgeous.
“Darling, you wouldn't believe it. I didn't either, at first. Lucien was so nice to me today. He apologised.”
I held and kissed her on the forehead. She closed her eyes, leaning into me with a deep sigh. That was what I wanted for my woman—happiness and calm. Anyone who disrupted that would know what kind of man loved her.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "insist on it".
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