Victor - Her Ruthless Husband (Ruthless Triad 3)

Victor’s mind caves in as he dies his own kind of death right along with his beloved.

But then, without warning, the impenetrable door slides open.

And, there’s Dawn…with a gun in one hand and a remote control in the other.

“Hi,” she says with a little wave, like the first time they met. Then she drops the gun and says, “That was crazy, right?”

Victor climbs to his feet. Dragons do not cry, but tears stream down his face.

And it doesn’t matter that he cannot speak. He calls out her name. And she falls into his arms as best she can with her pregnant belly.

But then, Dawn suddenly pulls away from him, her entire expression collapsing in pain.

Epilogue

MIKA

“You have got to be kidding me. She did not go into labor after managing to shoot Yaron’s brother with his own gun!”

“I swear to God she did!” Mika’s sister, Jazz, answers. She shakes her head at Joi, the five-month-old baby sleeping so peacefully in her arms despite the noisy wedding reception going on in the background.

“I guess this little one was like, ‘Okay, it’s Christmas, both my parents are stuck in enemy territory, and a gang war has just broken out. You know what this situation needs? A live birth!’”

Now it’s Mika’s turn to shake her head at the innocent-looking baby before addressing the unborn one growing underneath her own swollen belly.

“Please, don’t do that to us,” she whisper-pleads, rubbing a hand over her stomach. “We already had enough drama just getting to your conception.”

“Then what happened?” Mika’s husband Rashid demands, leaning forward in his armless wheelchair.

He’s hanging on every word of Jazz’s story. He’d been curious about the bride and groom he’d agreed to let use his beachside mansion for their wedding.

The ceremony and reception are taking place on a Monday of all days because it just had to be in a tropical destination on May 25th for some reason. And the bride and the groom turned out to have not only a connection to Rashid’s longtime friend Keane but also Jazz’s surprise husband. However, when Rashid innocently asked Jazz about the couple’s back story when she came to sit down with their little baby in her arms, neither he nor Mika expected this epic tale.

“Yeah, how did they get out of that one?” Mika demands. She wishes she had popcorn. This story is better than one of her K-dramas.

Jazz shakes her head, “Okay, this is where Phantom, the other best man, comes in…and Nora.”

She indicates toward a gorgeous Chinese woman with spiky green hair who’s currently dancing with her much shorter Japanese girlfriend. She caught the bouquet earlier, and according to Jazz’s story, she’s now the head of the 24K.

By the time Jazz is done with the whole tale, Mika has dropped at least three more “no ways!” and she has to admit, “Well, that puts a lot more perspective on your situation with Han.”

Jazz lets out a wry laugh. “I know, right?

“Is there a word that means being happy that other people’s relationship stories are even more drama-filled than yours?” Rashid asks, taking Mika’s hand. “Something like the German word, schadenfreude?”

Jazz tilts her head and comes up with, “Schadendrama?”

Rashid clasps his hands. “Yes, I am feeling much schadendrama after hearing that story!”

They all have a little laugh at that one. But then, it occurs to Mika to ask, “So wait, if Victor’s and Dawn’s marriage was fake, do you think yours and Han’s might be too?”

Jazz freezes at that question. Then says, “Excuse me, I need to go give back this baby and find my maybe not-husband.”

Mika winces as she watches her sister storm off.

But then her husband whispers, “Schadendrama!” in her ear. And she falls into gales of laughter.

“I’m so glad those two found their way to a happy ending,” Mika says to Rashid a little later as they watch the exultant couple. They sway slowly with their little baby between them, even though “Beauty and the Beat” an upbeat song by Justin Bieber featuring Nicki Minaj, is playing overhead.

“But, real talk, that cutie pie baby of theirs might be a harbinger of chaos—not trying to be mean, just putting that out there.”

“I believe you might be right about that,” Rashid says with a laugh. But then, he sobers to ask, “Shall we dance, too?”

“Sure,” Mika answers. “Do you want me to get your legs?”

That’s what they call the neuro-controlled exoskeleton braces that Rashid uses to walk, workout, and sometimes even surf after the severe spinal injury that put him in his wheelchair.

“Not tonight,” Rashid answers.

Mika’s heart drops to the floor when Rashid braces his hands against his chair seat and comes all the way to his feet.

“My physical therapy has been going very well,” he explains, standing above her. “I hope to be able to walk up and down stairs on my own by the time the baby is born.”