The hall remained deathly silent.
"I came to see my wife."
The words still hung in the air.
Felix's expression darkened.
The elders looked ready to have a collective heart attack.
"Wife!!" Levi gritted.
"She's married to him!!"
"That's impossible!"
"It's an insult!"
Came voices from everywhere.
The eyes that stared at Rosaline seemed to burn.
The place was in chaos immediately Louis dropped the bomb.
Her ears rang.
Rosaline simply stared at Louis.
He had always been reckless.
But this?
Walking into enemy territory and claiming her in front of hundreds of Black Snakes?
He had completely lost his mind.
"Have you gone insane?" Felix asked.
Louis shrugged.
"A little."
Several people raised their weapons.
Ashley sighed.
"Here we go again."
Reinald pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Master Grey, please don't start."
Louis ignored them.
His eyes remained fixed on Rosaline.
"Come with me."
Rosaline blinked.
"What?"
"Come with me."
The nerve.
The absolute nerve.
A dangerous laugh escaped her lips.
"You walk into my brother's territory and expect me to leave with you?"
"Yes."
The answer came immediately.
Without shame.
Without hesitation.
Without a single ounce of fear.
The crowd exchanged looks.
Even Felix seemed momentarily speechless.
"Have you hit your head?" Rosaline asked.
"Possibly."
The room groaned.
Louis took a step forward.
Then another.
Guards instantly pointed guns at him.
He didn't even look at them.
"Rose."
Her heart squeezed painfully.
She hated when he called her that.
Mostly because she loved it.
"I only need five minutes."
"No."
"Three."
"No."
"One."
"No."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"There she is."
Rosaline clenched her jaw.
She hated that smile.
The one that always made her feel sixteen again.
The one that made her forget she was supposed to be angry.
Felix suddenly stepped between them.
"The answer is no."
Louis finally looked at him.
The warmth vanished instantly.
"I wasn't asking you."
The temperature in the room dropped.
For a second Rosaline genuinely thought someone was going to shoot somebody.
Then Louis looked back at her.
And the coldness disappeared.
Just like that.
"I miss you."
The words hit harder than a bullet.
No games.
No manipulation.
Just honesty.
Raw and painful.
The entire room froze.
Felix looked murderous.
Rosaline felt her throat tighten.
Months.
Months of anger.
Months of crying herself to sleep.
Months of convincing herself she hated him.
And all it took was three stupid words to make her chest hurt.
She remembered those words from weeks ago.
When he left her feeling like an idiot.
"I don't care. And I'm not buying that"
"Do I look like a toy you pick up when you're bored" she gritted at him.
The lie tasted bitter.
Louis smiled sadly.
"I know."
He took another step.
"Come with me."
"No."
"Five minutes."
"No."
"Rose."
"No."
"Please."
The room fell silent.
Reinald and Ashley's were dumbstruck.
"!!"
"He just used the word please"
Nobody had ever heard Louis Grey say please.
Not once.
Not in business.
Not in war.
Not in life.
Rosaline's heart broke a little.
Because she knew how hard that word had been for him.
Felix noticed her hesitation immediately.
"Rosaline."
She looked at her brother.
Then at Louis.
Then back at Felix.
The entire hall waited.
Finally she sighed.
One tired sigh.
"Five minutes."
Felix's eyes widened.
"Rosaline—"
"Five minutes."
Louis looked almost relieved.
A dangerous thing.
Because Louis with hope was more terrifying than Louis with a gun.
He walked toward her.
Felix stood in front of Rosaline.
"Who do you think you are to barge in here and take our belonging"
Louis' lashes flutters and looked at Felix lazily.
"She's not a property, she's my lawfully wedded wife" he answered sharply.
His voice carried faint annoyance in them.
"Now back off" Ashley said pointing a gun at Felix.
The guns were raised higher.
Felix was about to give a signal to fire.
"I asked politely, Anderson Junior, she's coming with me with or without your approval"
"Over my dead body" Felix gritted again.
"Okay" said Louis raising his hands.
"Stop!! I'll come with you!" Rosaline yelled and she pushes Felix away.
"Good choice " Louis replied calmly.
"Just five minutes" she told him.
"Whatever you want baby" he smiled at her.
The audience.
"!!!!!!!?????"
She stepped forward and nodded telling everyone to put down their guns.
All the guns were lowered.
Rosaline expected him to lead the way.
Instead, he stopped beside her.
Then casually removed his suit jacket.
"What are you doing?"
"You'll be cold."
Before she could protest, he draped it over her shoulders.
The familiar scent nearly destroyed her composure.
Felix looked ready to commit murder.
Ashley was openly trying not to laugh.
Reinald looked exhausted.
And Louis?
Louis simply offered his arm like they were attending a ballroom dance instead of standing in enemy territory.
"Shall we?"
Rosaline rolled her eyes.
But after a moment—
She took it.
The entire casino gasped.
And together, with hundreds of stunned eyes following them,
Louis Grey escorted his wife out of the casino.