A wave of shock washes over Roman as his entire body freezes. His heart stops and he could hardly believe what he was hearing. His entire expression turns to dread and he speaks in a panicked tone of voice.
"M-Meg's...? You're joking, right?"
"Your idiot goons luckily hired a idiot prisoner to try and do it. They came to tell me they failed killing him so I was going to help you out but to do so I had to research the guy!" Apollo explained.
Roman sighs and he runs both hands through his hair. He's completely horrified and now he's starting to feel sick with the thought of having come very close to hurting the person he loves the most. The very person he swore he would protect with everything he had and now this...he feels terrible and he speaks in an saddened and angered tone of voice.
"So he really was Megan's brother?"
"Yes brother. Marcus is her older brother."
"Roman you acted careless. Uncle Rick probably still wants Marcus dead too. You should have told me. I would have done research on the guy."
"I know...and I'm sorry..." Roman sighs and he places both his hands at the back of his head. He looks at Apollo with sadness in his eyes as he apologizes for his mess up.
"I know I messed up...I should been more careful and should've looked into the matter more. That's on me and I take full responsibility for it."
"It's okay. I figured you were probably distracted by Megan anyways. Luckily Marcus is alright. He is in solitary confinement."
Roman sighs and he lets out a sigh of relief as he leans up against the desk, placing a hand against it as he looks down at the floor. "Yeah...I've been really distracted by Megan lately and...I've been losing focus on everything else."
"The question is what will you do about it?" Apollo crossed his arms looking at him with a unreadable expression on his face.
He pauses for a bit and he then speaks in a more calm and relaxed tone of voice. "I'll try and make time for other things as well. I can't keep neglecting other things because she is a part of my life now. A big part of my life. She's the most important thing to me and I want to be there for her. As long as this doesn't cause any issues like the one I made yesterday, I'll try to keep being focused."
"So you won't tell her what happened with Marcus? I mean she doesn't know so it should be fine...right?"
He thinks about it for a bit before he nods his head before speaking, "Yeah...it'll probably be for the best. There's no need for her to stress out about it if she doesn't need to know."
"What about Marcus? Uncle wants him dead...What will we do?"
He sighs and his expression turns into one of worry as he speaks. "I'll handle Marcus myself. I'll make sure no one hurts him anymore. It was my mistake for not checking on the task I gave out and I will make it right."
**********
***********
A few days later Megan was still worried about her brother and wondered what would happen to him while he was all alone in a dark room.
Her grandmother had broken down in tears When Megan told him what happened to him. Megan just couldn't figure out why someone as timid as Marcus get into a physical altercation.
She had been so stressed she barely spoke to Roman who was also seemingly busy with something else, the two texted and spoke on the phone but she still missed him. Luckily today he invited her over to his house
Megan had barely spoken about Marcus to Roman as it was a painful subject for her. She knew Marcus had gotten involved with drug dealing to feed her and her granny when things at home got really difficult financially.
Megan looked around the huge garden as she held her bag close to her body. Roman had one of his guys pick her up from school and brought her over to his mansion.
Roman is sat outside on his private garden with his feet kicked up on a table as he is relaxed and enjoying the sun and the warmth that it gives him. He's smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke into the air with a sigh. One of his guards would occasionally bring him a new cigarette and lighter to make sure it doesn't run out, but otherwise they mostly let him be by himself in his own little area just a little past the edge of the garden.
"Smoking is bad for you Mr Lewis." Megan says as she walks over to his side.
He lifts his head up to look at her when she walks over to him and he sighs as he looks down at his cigarette. He then speaks with a soft and smooth voice. "I know you mean well, but this helps me relax a little. I have a lot on my mind, so this is a sort of escape for me."
"Well I can be your escape."
Roman pauses for a bit after she said that, and his entire expression changes in a good way as soon as he hears her offer. He smiles at her sweetly and he looks down at her as she stands directly in front of him. He then lowers his cigarette.
"Well, there isn't a soul who can comfort me like you can, Meg."
"I love you." She says taking the cigarette throwing it on the ground with a smile plastered on her face.
Roman quickly grabs her by her waist and he lifts her up in his arms as he smiles softly at her. His expression was full of joy when she told him she loved him, and he didn't want to waste any time not holding her. He gives her a quick kiss on her forehead before he speaks in a soft and tender tone. "I love you too, Meg... I love you more than anything..."
She giggles happily before asking playfully, "More than your cigars?"
He chuckles when she jokingly mentions his cigars, so he speaks in a playful tone. "Well, they are quite a close second to you. But I got to admit, you're by far the number one thing that I love the most in my life."
"Then promise to never smoke them again."
Roman sighs and he smiles softly before he looks down at her, his hands wrapping around her waist as he looks her directly in her eyes. "If it's what you want, I promise to never smoke another cigarette again."
Megan smiles as she planted a kiss on his lips. "I love you and your lungs."
He then gently squeezes her in his arms before he pulls away and speaks to her once more with a soft and loving tone of voice. "I love you and your concern for my health. You're always so considerate."
"How sweet. Won't you introduce us?" His uncle Rick approached them with his two guards following behind. Rick smiles at Megan.