Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 52: Before the Angel Fell

The ride was smooth, nothing happened, except that Hans’s coupe was driving faster than James had expected.

Even Charlotte noticed it.

Her little hands gripped the seat firmly as James took the turns like an F1 driver, pressing on the gas and enjoying the horsepower of the car,.

The first thing he noticed before Charlotte was the cars following him, the two blacked-out SUVs tailing behind.

"I said one…" He sighed as he stopped at a red light and glanced at Charlotte, who was already bracing herself for the next round of his driving.

Fuck, for a moment I totally forgot she’s next to me… this car is crazy…

"Sorry, darling. Are you okay?" James asked, patting her head.

Charlotte looked at him, her blue eyes wide.

"Maybe a little slower…"

"I will be." He laughed, and when the light turned green, he continued driving, this time, more carefully.

After a while, they finally reached the park, where the city’s best ice cream shop was.

James parked near the entrance of the park, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

The two SUVs that had been tailing him slowed down and pulled into a parking spot a short distance away.

Good. They’re keeping close.

He stepped out, walking around to open Charlotte’s door. The little girl unbuckled herself and hopped down.

"Come on, let’s get some ice cream."

Charlotte’s mood instantly lifted, and she grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the ice cream shop near the park entrance.

James glanced back, noticing a few men in suits stepping out of the car. His bodyguards. They kept their distance but stayed within sight, watchful, discreet.

Charlotte, however, was completely focused on the ice cream display. She pressed her hands against the glass, eyes wide as she examined all the flavors.

"One strawberry, please!" She said excitedly.

James scanned the options before nodding at the worker. "And one salted caramel for me."

Charlotte turned to him, tilting her head. "You don’t want strawberry?"

"Nah, I like something with a little bite to it." He replied with a smirk.

She shrugged, accepting his weird choice, and happily took her ice cream cone when it was handed to her.

As they walked toward a nearby bench, his sharp eyes flickered back to the bodyguards who got closer, but pretended to be just another group of men enjoying the day.

James sat down, taking a bite of his ice cream. It was rich, sweet, with just the right amount of saltiness. Charlotte was already halfway through hers, her cheeks puffed out as she tried to eat fast before it melted.

He chuckled. "Slow down, you’ll get a brain freeze."

She ignored him, determined to finish before the sun did its job.

James let out a small sigh, leaning back on the bench.

For now, things were calm.

The bodyguards were in place, the park was peaceful, and Charlotte was happily eating her ice cream.

He ate his ice cream slowly, but his attention wasn’t on the taste.

He was mesmerized by the park itself, the beauty of it. Flowers in full bloom, dogs running happily across the grass, children laughing as they played.

But what truly caught his attention was the group of high schoolers sitting on a bench nearby, joking and pushing each other around, lost in their own world.

A life he never truly had.

He had never known that kind of fun, never had friends to mess around with like that.

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"Are you sad?" Charlotte’s small voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was munching on her ice cream, her gaze fixed on him.

James hesitated, then smiled slightly. "Yeah, kinda. But when you look at me with those blue eyes, all the sadness goes away." He was hoping to shift the topic, but Charlotte didn’t care for sweet words.

"You can’t be sad when you’re with me… so tell me why." Charlotte locked eyes with James again, her expression serious.

James hesitated, debating whether to tell her or not. But if he was really going to be a father figure to her, he needed to be honest. Maybe there was something she could learn from it.

He let out a small sigh, staring down at his ice cream. "I only had one friend in my entire school life. And that was when I went to college."

Charlotte’s chewing slowed as she stared at him. "Only one?"

"My high school life was boring. I was always alone. Like a loser." He scoffed at himself. "No girlfriend, no social life… no first kiss."

Charlotte’s eyes widened in horror. "You never had friends?"

"Not really."

She gasped, dramatically clutching her chest. "That’s so sad!"

James smirked at her reaction. "Yeah, thanks for that."

"But wait…" Charlotte’s face suddenly turned serious, her little hands gripping the edge of the bench. "What happened to that one friend?"

James felt his chest tighten.

She leaned in, her blue eyes filled with concern. "Did they… die?" she whispered, as if saying it too loud would make it true.

James forced a chuckle. "No, no one died."

Charlotte let out a relieved sigh, slumping back against the bench. "Oh, good. I thought this was going to be some super sad story."

James stared at his ice cream.

Liar.

But she didn’t need to know.

She didn’t need to know about Marcello. She didn’t need to know about the guilt that still clawed at his chest after all these years.

So he smiled, forcing the weight of it all down. "We just drifted apart. Life happened. He had his own things going on, and I had mine. We stopped talking. That’s all."

She stopped munching on the ice cream and looked into James eyes again, deeply.

"As I said you can’t be sad when you’re with me."

James raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Charlotte tilted her head slightly, as if the answer was obvious.

"Because I won’t let you."

James blinked at her answer, caught off guard.

"You won’t let me?" He repeated with a small chuckle.

Charlotte nodded firmly, taking another bite of her ice cream. "Yep. When you’re sad, I’ll just remind you that you have me. And I’m fun!"

James smirked, shaking his head. "Oh? What makes you so fun?"

Charlotte puffed out her chest proudly. "I can eat three ice creams in one day without getting sick."

He laughed. "That’s not fun, that’s just a sugar addiction."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No, it’s a talent!"

James let out a deep chuckle, something real and unforced. Charlotte, despite being a kid, had this strange way of making his world feel lighter, and he was also relieved, this side of Charlotte the childish one, was comforting.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the park around them. The high schoolers had started a game of tag, their laughter filling the air.

The bodyguards still lingered nearby, pretending not to be paying attention.

Charlotte finished her ice cream first and licked the last bit from her fingers before turning to James with an expectant look.

"What?" He asked.

She grinned. "Let’s go on the swings."

James stared at her, then at the small playground ahead. "You serious?"

"Yes!" she grabbed his wrist. "Come on! You can’t be sad if you’re swinging."

He sighed but didn’t resist as she pulled him up. His bodyguards tensed slightly, their eyes following his movement, but James ignored them.

They made their way to the playground, where a few other kids were running around. Charlotte ran ahead, hopping onto one of the swings.

James sat down next to her, feeling ridiculous.

"You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually done this before." He admitted.

Charlotte’s eyes widened. "You’ve never been on a swing?"

"Not really."

She gasped as if he had just confessed to some horrible crime.

"Okay, this is important. First, you kick your legs like this," she demonstrated, swinging her legs forward and back. "Then you just go higher and higher! Try it!"

James sighed but followed her lead, feeling slightly awkward at first. But soon, the swing started moving, and to his surprise, it felt… nice. The wind against his face, the lightness of it, it was stupidly simple, but in that moment, it was freeing.

Charlotte giggled, already swinging higher. "See? You can’t be sad now!"

James shook his head with a smirk. "You might be onto something, kid."

For a little while, he let himself forget everything else. No bodyguards. No threats. No past. Just him, a seven-year-old, and two swings.

And for the first time in a long time, James felt like a kid, too.

A minute later, both of them got tired of the swings. Charlotte let out an exaggerated sigh, dragging her feet as she hopped off.

"I think I’m too old for this…" She declared.

James raised an eyebrow. "You’re seven."

"Exactly. A very mature seven." She said with a dramatic nod.

James chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Alright, ’mature seven-year-old,’ let’s grab some ice cream to take home."

Charlotte perked up instantly. "Really?"

"Yeah, but don’t get too excited. I’m not letting you eat three in one day."

She gasped. "But I told you, it’s a talent!"

James shook his head with a smirk and led her back to the ice cream shop. He bought a few tubs, strawberry for Charlotte, salted caramel and chocolate for himself, and a few other flavors just in case.

Charlotte hugged the ice cream bag like it was treasure. "This is the best day ever."

James rolled his eyes. "You’re easy to please."

"Yep." She said proudly.

As they headed back to the car, James glanced at her, her little arms wrapped around the bag like it was the most precious thing in the world.

As they walked toward the car, Charlotte suddenly tugged at James’ sleeve.

"Look." She whispered, pointing toward the street.

James followed her gaze and immediately noticed a whole line of police cars sped through the main road, cutting through traffic.

But what caught his attention even more was the police car parked just two vehicles away from theirs.

It wasn’t just sitting there.

Two officers stood outside, one speaking into his radio, the other looking at them.

James’ instincts flared. Something was off.

"Why are there so many cops?" Charlotte asked, her voice hushed but curious.

"Good question." James said, keeping his tone casual, but his mind was already working.

Were they just passing through? Some big case happening in the city? Or was this something else?

He glanced at the cars parked near his car, some of the bodyguards were still inside, but he knew they had already noticed the police activity too.

"James…" Charlotte whispered again.He glanced down at her, seeing the concern in her big blue eyes. "Are we in trouble?"

James forced a small smirk and ruffled her hair. "No, kid. But let’s get in the car and go home, alright?"

Charlotte nodded, but she kept looking at the police car as James led her forward.

This was the last moment before James shattered and became somebody that would kill without hesitation without a second thought.

The true Angel of Death.