Nicholas watched as Gabriel scratched his neck in discomfort before reaching for the other glass of water and drinking it in a single gulp.
"Are… are you alright?" Nicholas asked, quickly pulling his lingerie back into place. He tilted his head slightly, feigning concern, though his heart raced with excitement.
Gabriel didn't answer. He rose unsteadily from the bed, his hand still gripping his throat as the movement of his Adam's apple twitch beneath his skin.
From the look of things, Nicholas knew the poison was beginning to take hold. 'It's even easier than I thought it would be,' he mused inwardly, folding his arms across his stomach as a triumphant smile curled on his lips.
A rough cough escaped Gabriel's mouth, then another. He staggered back to the bed, lowering himself onto the mattress. "I told you… to pleasure yourself. I won't repeat…"
Before he could complete his sentence, his words broke into a violent fit of coughing.
Gabriel's hand clutched his throat as his eyes widened in panic.
The coughs grew harsher, ragged, until his entire body convulsed and foam spilled from his mouth while his eyes rolled upward, and within moments he collapsed flat on the bed, trembling uncontrollably.
"Perfect," Nicholas purred as his smirk widened while he ran his tongue slowly across his lips, watching Gabriel struggle for air.
And then… his body went rigid, his eyes rolling completely upward.
Swiftly, Nicholas closed the distance between them and leaned over, pressing his index finger beneath Gabriel's nose.
Nothing. No warmth. No breath.
A chill ran through him, but it only confirmed what he longed for, indicating that Gabriel was dead.
"Yes!" Nicholas cried, tears streaming down his cheeks as he bit his lower lip. "This is for you, Mom. I did this for you."
His trembling hand reached for the dagger on the bedside table. Gripping the handle tightly, he drew in a deep, steadying breath, raising his arm high.
The blade gleamed, poised to pierce Gabriel's flesh, but just as the dagger hovered inches above Gabriel's chest, a loud knock became heard from the door.
^Knock. Knock^
Nicholas froze. His heart thundered in his chest.
"Fu… fuck," he whispered, stumbling back from the bed. "Am I going to get caught?"
Another sharp knock rattled the door and in an instant, panic seized Nicholas entire body.
He swiped the tears from his face, pushed strands of hair behind his ear, and hastily adjusted his lingerie so nothing looked suspicious.
Forcing his shaking legs to move, he walked over to the door.
"Wh-who's there?" Nicholas stammered, holding his breath and praying it wasn't Gabriel's men because if it was, he knew he was utterly doomed.
"Room service. I'm here to deliver your meal," a female voice called from outside.
Nicholas frowned. 'Could this be the same lady who called earlier and addressed me as 'boss'?' he wondered, recalling the second call on the landline where a woman had told him the meal would be ready shortly.
Drawing in a steady breath, Nicholas cracked the door open just enough to peek his head through. "Umm… can you leave the food here? I'm naked, so I'll take it inside once you're gone," he stammered with a forced smile.
The woman scoffed, rolling her eyes before lifting the lid of a covered dish on the food cart. Beneath it sat a small package box.
"You know what's required of you," the woman said sharply, handing the package and a glass of water to Nicholas.
Without another word, she turned away, pushing the cart down the hall.
Nicholas's jaw dropped slightly as he closed the door, clutching the package tightly as he proceeded in setting the glass of water on the bedside table.
He carried the package to the bed and with quick, nervous hands he opened the box.
Inside was a sleek black bottle marked Poison and a gun.
'Wh… Why would Caesar send the poison twice?' Nicholas thought, his eyes narrowing as suspicion gnawed at him. 'Does… does this mean he doubt me? Or is this some kind of test?'
With a sigh Nicholas lifted the gun, the cold weight of it became heavy on his trembling hands and for a moment, he stared at it with a strange fascination.
Nicholas was scared and at the same time he wasn't amused either.
'I have to move fast before things get out of control,' he urged himself, sucking in a deep breath.
Climbing onto the bed, Nicholas sat on top of Gabriel's lifeless body, placing his legs on each side while holding the gun tightly.
He aimed the gun at Gabriel's head, biting his upper lip as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"How… how I wish you could give me an answer on the reason why… why you kill my mom when she had no idea about what my father did?" Nicholas stammered, his voice breaking as his lips trembled.
"I wish you could tell me why my… why my mom had to die in your hands after everything I went through just to keep her alive." he purred as his sobs deepened.
He lowered the gun from Gabriel's head to his chest, his arms shaking.
"Did you… did you fucking shoot her in the chest? Or did you blow out her brains just to punish my father?" Nicholas inquired as he pressed the gun harder against Gabriel's chest, sniffing as tears blurred his vision.
He exhaled sharply before lifting his gaze to the ceiling, "Mom… I'm doing this for you." he whispered, and with trembling fingers, he cocked the gun, ready to pull the trigger.
But before he could process what was happening, Gabriel's lips twisted into a smirk.
His eyes snapped open, cold and mocking, as his hand shot up and wrenched the gun from Nicholas's grip with a swift motion.
It happened so fast that Nicholas could only gasp in surprise.
"Since you miss your mom so much," Gabriel growled, turning the gown around as he pressed the weapon against Nicholas's forehead, "I'll do you the honor of paying her a visit… in hell." He spat as his smile widened, exposing his teeth.
And then… what followed next was the sound of a gunshot.
'Boom,'