650 The Proposal

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This was not really how she planned to spend the rest of the night, Winters thought as she stared around the cell. Yep, she was really in a cell room and it wasn’t really shocking since Marcel has a dungeon hidden away in the base. Moreover, this wasn’t the first time that she found herself in situations like this.

You see, the thing is that bad guys often need people like her. Someone who could simply expose their enemy’s secrets with just her fingers flying around the keyboards in hours. Yeah, it wasn’t as easy as it was shown in movies. Note, bad people tend to keep their secrets heavily encrypted and as much as it was stressful, Winters loved a good challenge now and then.

In one word, she was a rare gem to be wasted, hence they always ended up “convincing” her – often forcefully – to work for them – unless she outlived her usefulness. However, Winters was smart and often found a way to plot her escape before they blasted her brains out. Honestly, Marcel was the first person she worked with that trusted her enough not to end her life in the end.

Others were often in awe of her skills at first and used money to seduce her to stay, thinking that was all she cared for – if only they knew her worth – and when their hold on her seems to be slipping, they attempt violence then. Human nature is greedy and when a man stumbles upon a diamond, that is when his darkest side is revealed – the desire to keep the diamond to himself.

Hence, Winters was not scared of death, because she knew the Spencers would not kill her. They must have looked into her background already and like the others, they would also fall into that same cycle of greediness that never grows old.

So she made herself comfortable on the bed, and honestly, the Spencers sure know how to treat a prisoner well because her cell almost looked like a hotel room – she would ask Marcel to take inspiration from here and add that to his prisons. Those dungeons were old school. Winters couldn’t help but wonder if it came with room service as well.

Winters lounged on the bed waiting for their meeting with Marcel to be over, so they could come and see her, when she saw a shadow appear and turned around without a second thought only for her throat to suddenly go dry. Standing in front of her cell was a complication she had never thought about in the first place until now.

.....

“Akim...” Winters slowly rose from the bed, her heart beginning to pound in her heart as she could already sense where this conversation was going and how it was going to end.

He was going to break up with her.

Winters was sure of that.

That was how scenes like this often played out, both in movies and in real life.

She was doomed.

The only good thing in her life was about to end before it even began.

Akim stood in front of her cell with an unreadable expression that she was sure spelled trouble. But Winters had no choice but to face him. There was no running away now, he knew everything.

historical

“Hey...” She said unsure, walking over to him till it was just the bars separating him.

However, Akim did not answer and just kept on staring at him so intently that it made her self-conscious and the guilt in her heart increased such that she couldn’t look him in the eyes and had to lower her head in shame.

“Did you approach me on purpose?” He asked all of a sudden, making Winters’ head jerk up, her eyes wide with shock.

“Of course not!” She told him firmly, “I never even knew that you were going to be here in the first place or the fact that I would last long. The mission was straightforward, get Chloe out of here. But then, we couldn’t find her and I had to stay back and get information about her whereabouts. But then, you came and... and... Winters found herself stumbling on the words.

“And what?” Akim asked that she finish the rest of her words.

However, Winters shook her head, “It’s not -”

“And what?” He demanded fiercely, stunning her. She was not backing out of this one.

Winters had to blink twice, stunned by his ferocity. Why does he want her to answer so much when it wasn’t worth it anymore? He came here to break up with her, right? After all, what would the prince have to do with a hacker? They were bad for each other.

Nonetheless, Winters took a deep breath. Since he wanted an answer, she would give her one.

“You weren’t what I planned,”

“What?”

“When I learned that you’re a prince, I knew that we couldn’t be together. So I decided to be friends instead. What’s the harm, in a hacker being friends with the prince of a small country? But then, I couldn’t control it, not that feelings were meant to be controlled anyway. However, I knew deep down that all of this is going to end one day. Three things can never be hidden, the sun, the moon, and the truth. So I decided to cherish every moment that I was with you. But then, here we are, at the table of reckoning and I guess it’s the end. But for all it was worth, I never regretted being with you, Akim. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. ” Winters confessed, a tear slipping down her cheek. Although it didn’t end well, this was a happy memory, and she would hold it specially in her heart.

Akim threw his head back and laughed so hard tears escaped from his eyes. He wiped them with the back of his hand, saying, “I must have bad luck with women. First, Anika, and now, you.”

“I’m so sorry,” Winters apologized. It was so selfish of her, but she didn’t mean to harm him.

She was about to spill more apologies when Akim produced a key and before her very eyes, produced a key that he slid into the lock while Winter’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

What was he doing?

By chance, was he about to harm her for breaking his heart?

A chill fell over Winters, she had heard of scenes like this in the news and hoped she wasn’t about to become a victim of passion. Hence, even when the door was opened, she didn’t dare to make a move and just stood on the spot, watching Akim.

When Akim took a step inside the cell, Winters took one back. She studied him, trying to check if he had any weapons on him. As much as her imagination was running amok, Akim didn’t hit her as someone who would do such a thing, right?

He was a prince for speaking out loud.

“Anika was sent as well on a mission to lure me...” Akim said while walking towards her, “And didn’t plan to fall in love with me, but she did nonetheless. And you...”

Winters gulped when he called her name, still moving back. She was filled with anticipation to hear what he had to say. Was he going to tell her how much he hated her now? How much he wanted her to rot in hell for doing this to her.

“You might not have been on a mission to lure me, but you fell in love with me too...”

Winters gasped when her back hit the wall, her heart thudding against her chest as he successfully backed her into a corner, hands on both sides of the wall, caging her.

They looked into each other’s eyes, the emotions raw, and Winters wished that this wasn’t the moment where he stabbed her and left her to bleed out.

“Anika died,” He said, “I’m not going to let you die too....” And then his lips were on hers while Winters’ eyes grew to the size of the moon. This was not what she was expecting, not that she was complaining.

Well... Judas did betray Jesus with a kiss, albeit she bet it wasn’t with a French kiss. Just shut it up! She pushed the rest of the thoughts to the back of her head and concentrated on her kiss. Winters had to hold on to Akim because the kiss was fiery passion and her head swarmed.

“Wait,” She pulled away, “It doesn’t make sense. I lied to you, you are so supposed to be hurt and break up with me, leaving me to suffer for my actions.” It didn’t make sense. It felt surreal.

Akim cupped her cheeks and placed his forehead on hers saying, “I told you, I lost Anika, I’m not losing you too. I seem to have the talent for choosing bad women and the devil I know is better than the angel I don’t know. Run away with me, Winters.”

“What?!” Winters almost spat blood.

“I have five years until I come home and resume my princely roles. However, we could go to a place where my aunty and the others cannot track us and be together. Figure out this thing between us. You could start afresh, no more hacking, think about the kind of life you want for yourself and perhaps, if you want, you could still use your skills, but for good instead. My kingdom would need a talent like yours. I have influence, my family can get clean your records, you would not need to be on the run anymore and finally have a place where you can be yourself and with me by your side. What do you say to that?”