Ruthless Heir: Chapter 11

I’m already tightening the belt around Bianca’s tiny wrists before I can even stop to think twice about it.

This is crazy. It’s fucking stupid and wrong.

But I don’t care.

If I don’t stick my cock in Bianca’s tight little pussy soon, I’m going to fucking implode.

“Are you comfortable, myszko?” I ask, because… well, she doesn’t look comfortable. Her sharp shoulder blades jut out as she arches her back and presses her ass into my cock.

“No,” Bianca whispers. “But I don’t care anymore.”

Whatever this is, it’s working for her.

And me.

“Good girl,” I praise.

A wild whip of pride slashes through me as I sneer down at my prize.

The tender skin on her ass is raw. Her tiny hands are bound behind her back. Her pussy is fucking soaked.

This is what I’ve always wanted.

Bianca Byrne. The sheltered princess. Tied up in my bed. Begging for my cock.

There’s no point in being gentle any more. Something has snapped within us both, split open by the leather of my belt.

“I won’t lie to you, baby girl,” I say, standing up so that I can rip my pants off. “This is going to hurt. But if you grit your teeth and take the first wave of pain, then I promise we will reach heaven together.”

“Fuck heaven,” Bianca mumbles. “I want hell.”

She’s even more depraved than I’d hoped.

“Let’s see if you can handle it.”

My pants hit the floor and my rock-hard cock whips out. Immediately, I’m on top of Bianca, pre-cum leaving a glistening trail across her plump ass as I lean down and gently bite the bottom of her earlobe.

“Oh my god…”

The princess quivers against the pressure of my teeth. Her back arches sharper still and her shoulder blades dig into my chest.

“Every one of your holes belongs to me,” I growl, slipping my tongue into her ear.

She trembles so violently that I have to wrap my forearm beneath her throat just to keep her from rolling out from under me.

“My mouth?” Bianca whispers.

Twisting her head around, I shove my tongue down her fucking throat. “You better fucking believe it,” I tell her when I pull back.

“My ass?”

“Every. Hole.”

“… My pussy…”

Sliding my knees up between her legs, I pry her open and rub my throbbing head against her soaking lips. “Is your pussy ready for me?” I ask.

My body isn’t about to wait around for an answer, though. Bianca’s fingers flare out into my hard stomach as I blindly find her tiny hole with my cock.

“I’m so wet,” she mumbles, as if she’s surprised by her own arousal.

“That means you’re ready.”

With a savage thrust, I force my way inside of her.

“Gabriel!” Before she can scream again, I smother her pillow lips with the palm of my hand. “… Daddy…” I hear her quietly correct herself.

“Welcome the pain,,” I growl, my thick throbbing shaft sliding deeper and deeper into her little wet hole. “Let it consume you.”

It’s easy for me to say. There’s no pain on my end—at least, not at first. There’s only pure fucking ecstasy… until my pelvis hits Bianca’s raw ass. By then, she’s become so tight that her slick pink walls are practically strangling my swollen shaft.

It feels like I’m being squeezed into oblivion. I’ve never been inside a pussy this tight before. It’s almost suffocating. But I don’t flinch.

I welcome the pain too.

“You’re so big.” Bianca’s muffled voice seeps up through my fingers. I tighten my grip.

Her hot breath washes against my outstretched palm as I slide my throbbing cock half way out of her dripping cunt again.

Then, I pound her raw ass with all of my fucking might.

“Your pussy is so fucking perfect,” I loudly growl, covering Bianca’s yelp with my own grunt. “But I’m going to loosen it up anyway.”

Sliding halfway out of her soaking cunt one more time, I rail back down into her plump little ass. Bianca’s bound hands tremble against my hard stomach, her outstretched fingers digging into my flesh. It adds another level of subtle pain to the whole experience.

I fucking love it.

“Again,” her voice is barely audible. But I can feel every word as they splash against my palm.

“As you wish.”

This time, when I pull halfway out, I don’t plunge back into her with only one brutal thrust. Fuck no. I’m done taking it slow. She’s had her time to prepare. If I don’t start dictating the pace, I’m going to explode before I can truly appreciate what’s happening.

I’m fucking Bianca Byrne—and a split second later, I’m not even just fucking her. I’m pounding the ever-loving fuck out of her virgin cunt.

My cock eviscerates her little pussy as I take what’s mine. Every savage thrust rips a desperate cry from her throat. But her cries only crash into my palm. They only seep in through my skin and urge me to go harder. To give her what she deserves.

All of me.

“This is all for you, baby,” I growl, covering every inch of her with my burning body. “This is how you’ll become my queen. This is how you’ll become strong enough to rule by my side.”

When I plunge my tongue back into her ear, the slick pink walls of her impossibly tight pussy start to tremble and convulse. It somehow makes her feel even tighter.

Fuck.

My throbbing cock is being strangled. My swollen shaft pulses like it’s about to explode. Even my fucking balls begin to pulse as I increase the brutality of my thrust, pounding Bianca into fucking oblivion.

She’s coming. I can feel the rest of her body tense up. Her whimpers are replaced by wails of ecstasy. Her screams crash against my palm as the orgasm takes hold. She begins to shake.

Still, I hold her tight. My tongue only digs deeper into her ear. My pelvis only smacks harder against her ass.

“There’s nowhere to go, baby girl” I tell her, as she jerks and twitches beneath the searing cage of my body. “I’ve got you.”

And then, suddenly, her ass gets free from my oppressive grip. It only moves an inch before I pound her back into submission, but the act is enough to bend the base of my cock in just the right way.

I lose control.

For a split-second, I go blind. My mind fucking empties. All I feel is the insane ecstasy of my own world-shattering orgasm as it erupts from my core, down my shaft and out of my throbbing head.

Somehow, I manage to pull myself back down to earth before I can cum in Bianca’s virgin pussy.

Ripping my cock from her convulsing cunt, I jump off of her just as the first thick stream of cum explodes from the tip of my cock.

“Holy shit,” I rumble, every muscle in me clenching.

“Oh my god,” Bianca whimpers, her little body still quivering as I glaze her sweaty skin. “Oh my god…”

Then, just like that, it’s over.

All of my wild energy drips off Bianca’s back, off her bound wrists, and onto the covers.

I can only fall down onto the bed beside my cum covered captive, temporarily drained.

The force of my falling body sinks the mattress just enough to toss Bianca onto her side… and into my arms.

Neither of us fight the accidental embrace. Not at first. In fact, for an oddly blissful moment, she quietly presses her desecrated ear into my heaving chest.

My pounding heart must snap her back to reality, though, because it doesn’t take long before she pulls herself away, and rolls over to her lonely side of the bed.

“Fuck,” I grumble, staring up at the ceiling. The sudden absence of her warmth sends a chill over my sweaty skin. “I need a shower.”

Even if part of me wants to roll over and force Bianca back into my arms, I quickly decide that I’ve already pushed her far enough for today. I’ll let her rest. For now.

That decision only strengthens when I push myself up and look down at my still half-hard cock.

It’s drenched in blood.

A blade of dread slices through me at the sight. Fucking hell. What have I done?

“Bianca,” I whisper, looking over at the princess. “Are you alright?”

Her back is turned to me, but I can see that she’s tucked her knees up to her chest. Blood stains the sheets just under her ass.

Guilt replaces the pulsing satisfaction of my orgasm.

“I’m fine,” Bianca mumbles, as I crawl towards her. But her words aren’t enough for me.

Fuck making her cum. The part of me that wanted to force her back into my arms also just wants to make sure she’s alright.

That will come. First, you have to make her strong.

Placing my hand on her shoulder, I brush my lips against the back of her neck. Then, I start to undo her restraints.

“Are you hurt?” I quietly ask.

“No.”

“Are you lying?”

“… No.”

I don’t believe her, especially not when I hear the jagged breath that escapes her lips after I’ve ripped the belt off from around her wrists.

Gingerly, her newly freed arms wrap around her huddled knees.

Fucking hell.

Seeing her in the fetal position like this does something evil to my cold, dead heart. Something dangerous.

It makes it fucking hurt. It makes me want to curl up in a ball around her and protect her from what I’ve done.

But I can’t do that. For as little as I actually know Bianca, I’m certain that she’ll just shrink further away if I try to take advantage of such a vulnerable moment.

Still, seeing her like this punches a fucking hole in my chest.

There’s no fire here. Only smoldering embers. I’ll have to be careful about how I stoke them, otherwise they could go out forever.

“If you’re not hurt, then you won’t have any problem standing up,” I say, carefully toeing a line between monster and teacher.

Crawling over her, I push myself off of the bed. But even I’m wobbly on my feet. I can’t even imagine how she’ll handle it.

Still, I know I have to try. This moment is crucial. Either she withers away forever or she learns to be the resilient queen I could see myself ruling beside.

“Gabriel,” Bianca looks up at me through those shimmering crystal blue eyes and my thawing heart twitches something fucking fierce.

“Bianca,” I nod. Reaching out, I offer her my hand. “You’ve stained my sheets. Let’s get you cleaned up before you stain anything else.”

Just like that, I catch a glimpse of that patented fire flash behind her eyes.

It makes me fucking smile.

There you are.

“You asshole,” she grumbles. But the insult hardly hurts, because she says it while pulling herself up to the side of the bed.

“See, getting up isn’t so hard,” I say, keeping my hand outstretched.

Bianca doesn’t accept my help. Instead, she pushes herself off the mattress.

It doesn’t go well. Not for her. But it gives me an excuse to hold her again. Because her fragile little knees immediately give out and I have to lunge forward to grab her.

“I didn’t fall because I’m hurt,” she immediately mumbles. Still, her nails dig into my bicep as she tries not to sink further into my embrace. “I’m just… exhausted.”

“Well, you’re going to have plenty of time to rest, because I have to go soon.”

Those crystal blue eyes flicker with another flash of fire.

“And you’re going to lock me back in here? After what we just did?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wash you up and get clean sheets first.”

Bending my knees, I slide my arms down Bianca’s body and then quickly sweep her off her feet.

“Gabriel!” she yelps.

“I thought I told you not to call me that?”

“I’m not calling you daddy again…” she says. “That was a mistake.”

“Was the sex a mistake too?”

It’s just banter, but I still find myself holding my breath as I wait for a response.

But Bianca isn’t in the mood.

“At least you didn’t finish inside of me.”

Fuck. She’s right. But I was so close. Even if knocking her up is part of the plan, it needs to wait until after those stupid fucking Polish priests finally get here.

Well, they better hurry the hell up. The longer I have to wait to cum in my princess, the crazier I’m going to get.

“Is that all you’re thankful for, myszko?” I return. “That I didn’t cum inside of you?”

“Myszko,” Bianca mutters, completely butchering the pronunciation. “You keep calling me that. What the hell does it mean?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Obviously,” she huffs. “That’s why I asked.”

“Well, you should have waited to ask it. You haven’t earned the privilege of knowing yet. The answer will have to wait.”

Turning away from the bed, I start to carry Bianca towards the bathroom.

“Where are you taking me?” she asks, a hint of panic lacing the sharpness of her voice.

I can feel her warm blood painting my forearms—hell, even a bit of cum rubs up against my sweaty skin—but I don’t give a shit.

“I can’t have you bleeding all over my fine grey rug while I’m gone,” I smirk. “I’m going to wash you up.”

“… In the shower?”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice.”

“You’re smarter than you look,” I chuckle.

“Obviously I’m not.”

Bianca trails off, lost in her own thoughts as I kick aside the bathroom door and carry her into the shower.

Placing her down on the counter carved into the marble wall, I try to ignore the conflict that must be tearing her insides apart right now.

She just gave in to me. The man she’s supposed to hate.

And she liked it.

Nothing could be more obvious. Her shame isn’t from being used. It’s from wanting more.

Still, I decide to finally give her something she’s been wanting.

“When I get back, I’ll tell you everything,” I hear myself say. “Now let’s get you cleaned up.”

Before I turn around to start the shower, I sneak a quick look at my captured princess. Clearly, my words have the intended effect, because her attention is ripped away from her internal battles and forced onto me.

“Why not just tell me now?” she asks, just as the hot water starts to rain down on me.

“Do you really want to learn the brutal truth while you’re naked in a shower with me? While your bleeding from your pussy? After we just fucked?”

The reminder stops her for a second. But Bianca hardly ever freezes for long. Her chest puffs out as steam starts to rise all around us.

“Tell me. I can take it.”

“I’m not sure you can,” I sigh. For as tough as Bianca has proven herself to be, the depth of the darkness that surrounds us both might well just crush her into nothing.

“Please… Gabriel… Just tell me something. Anything.”

Feeling myself give into another person is not something I’m even remotely used to. But looking at those pleading blue eyes, remembering how she just took my savage lust, fuck, it makes me weak.

In this violent world, it’s dangerous to be weak. But maybe here, together, we can be safe—if even only for one precious moment.

“Fine,” I say. Stepping forward, I block the hot water with my back. “But first, I want you to stand up.”

“You’re such an asshole,” Bianca huffs, shaking her head.

“Guilty as charged.”

This time, when I reach my hand out to her, she takes it. With a deep breath, my stubborn princess pushes herself to her feet.

My grip tightens as she struggles to stay upright, but once she gains her footing, I drop her hand.

She really wants to know what the hell is going on.

“That’s a good girl,” I say, stepping forward until her nose nearly touches my chest. “Now, let’s start with some good news.”

“I could really fucking use some good news,” Bianca grumbles.

Lifting my hand again, I trace my fingers along the edges of the transparent bandage on her shoulder.

“This will need to be changed,” I note. Finding an edge to the bandage, I begin to peel it off.

“That’s not good news,” Bianca stubbornly points out. But she doesn’t flinch away from my touch.

“No,” I agree. “But this is: your entire family is alive and well—and that includes your cousin.”

“Rian survived?”

Bianca’s sudden burst of relief is palpable. In fact, it’s so intense that I worry I might have to reach out and keep her from collapsing again.

But the little princess is getting stronger by the second, and she hardly even wavers as I tear the rest of her bandage off.

“Apparently the lion is completely unscathed,” I tell her, brushing my fingers across the raised wound.

But where relief arose from the first revelation, a new conflict appears in Bianca from what I just said.

“He let you take me while he was still alive?” Bianca asks, her pretty face twisting in confusion.

“He ordered me to,” I shrug. “Not that either of us had much of a choice. My guns were empty. His weren’t. He stayed behind to buy us time while I carried you to safety.”

“And then you stabbed him in the back by taking me captive?”

There’s the fire again. I’m glad it’s back, even if it’s lashing flames are focused entirely on me.

“Just because I respect the man, doesn’t mean I was going to throw away my life’s work just to keep him happy.”

Bending down, I gently kiss Bianca’s wound.

She quivers against the tender touch of my lips. Still, she refuses to wince away.

“Are you finally going to tell me what your life work is?”

“You,” I say. Taking a step to the side, I finally let the hot water wash over Bianca.

A deep breath escapes her perfect pink lips as the water washes away her sweat and her blood and my cum. It all pools at her feet, before drifting down towards the drain.

“I thought I told you I don’t want to hear any more of your vague bullshit,” Bianca huffs, running her hands through her wet hair.

She closes her eyes and tilts her chin up to the ceiling. The image of her naked body standing before me, glistening wet, is almost enough to turn me savage again.

But instead of lust, I feel something else.

Something that stirs my thawing heart. Something that makes me give in again.

“Fine. No more vague bullshit,” I agree. “Where do you want me to start?”

“At the beginning.”

“Well, I already told you that my parents were murdered,” I remind her, a familiar rage accompanying the memory. “But I guess I didn’t tell you by who or why.”

“No. You didn’t,” Bianca mutters, her voice suddenly becoming respectfully quiet.

“Well, here’s the story.” Reaching around her, I grab a bottle of body wash and empty some of the liquid soap onto my hands. “My parents weren’t just any ordinary people, Bianca. No. They were mafia royalty, much like your parents.”

Gesturing her forward, I wait until the pretty little princess is directly under the water before I step behind her and start to wash her glistening body.

“Your dad was a don?” Bianca asks, stunned.

“Something like that,” I respond. Brushing my hands down her back, I wash away the last bits of my cum from her skin. “My father was leader of the Polish mafia. People called him Krol Cieni. In English that translates to Shadow King.”

“I… I’ve never heard of the Polish mafia,” Bianca sheepishly admits. “Or the shadow king.”

“That’s because, for the most part, we stayed in Poland. Things were good there. We had a stranglehold over the country. Politicians and Presidents kneeled at our feet. But some people wanted more. People always want more…”

The fury simmering behind my chest builds as I crouch down and begin to wash Bianca’s thighs. Her toes curl when I slide my fingers over her pussy lips. But I’m too focused on my dark past to get aroused.

I’m already committed to telling her everything. There’s no stopping me now. Not even with a body like hers.

“Someone usurped your father?” Bianca softly guesses, her voice trembling against my touch.

“More than that,” I grumble. “They killed him, along with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins.”

My grip tightens around her thigh and I have to shake my head to keep from getting lost in my anger.

“Who killed them?”

“Drug lords,” I spit, rising up again. “Filthy fuckers who wanted to expand our empire to the west by spreading poison amongst the people. But my father wouldn’t allow it. Poland was home. And drugs weren’t our kind of evil. So he refused.”

“But why did they want to come to America?”

“For the same reason anyone does. Power. And that’s exactly what they got when they arrived. Those fuckers got exactly what they wanted. Twisted allies who would help them overthrow my father and massacre my family.”

“But you escaped.”

My heart clenches as I step back in front of Bianca and let the water wash over me.

“My mother escaped with me in tow,” I explain, shutting my eyes. “She brought me to America. But America wasn’t safe.”

“No,” Bianca’s voice is just as heavy as my heart.

“They found her. Then they tore her from limb to limb, like ravenous fucking dogs.”

“Gabriel…”

“But she still managed to save me. Until her dying breath she was only worried about me.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Running my hands through my hair, I take a deep breath. But the rage and the sorrow won’t settle—at least, not until I feel Bianca’s soapy hands on my back.

Her soft skin gently slides over my scars and my muscles, lathering me in a tender sympathy.

“I was given to one of my father’s top advisors,” I continue. “A man who also managed to escape the chaos back home and make it to America. He adopted me. Eventually, he told me what I had lost… and how I could get it all back.”

Bianca’s soft hands falter at that last line.

“I’m part of your plan to get it back,” she understands, a dreadful realization joining her deep sympathy. “But how?”

“The kingdom my father once ruled is gone,” I tell her. “… Well, it’s hidden. I’ve been told the riches are being kept somewhere beneath the ruins of our old empire, along with a dark army ready to follow the rightful king. But only a certain group knows where and how to put it all together.”

“What happened to the people who killed your father and took over?” Bianca gulps, her hands slowly beginning to wash me again.

“The Recas,” I growl, my fists clenching as steam swirls around me. “They got what they deserved. It turns out your family isn’t too fond of drug lords either. The Kilpatricks killed the family who wiped out mine… but only after collaborating with the fuckers to make sure the job was done right.”

“So then who knows where everything they left behind is hidden?”

The growing heat of our shower seeps through my pores as I remember the stories Drago told me growing up. This all comes from him, but I’ve based my entire life around his teachings. This history is part of me.

“When the Recas were wiped out, there was no one powerful enough to replace them. Back in the motherland, the entire ancient order of things was thrown into chaos. So, a select few of the most dedicated clergymen did their best to hide everything away. Polish priests. Brothers of the Black Veil. But they are a stubborn type; religious zealots with their own outdated codes and rituals.”

“How do you plan on appeasing them?” Bianca asks, more invested than I was expecting.

“If I want the power that was abandoned after my father’s empire fell apart, I need to become king again. I obviously have the right bloodline to do it. But according to the Brotherhood, you cannot become king until you produce an heir, and you cannot produce a legitimate heir until you are married.”

“Your plan is to marry me,” Bianca gulps.

“That is what’s going to happen, yes.”

“And then you’re going to force me to birth your heir?”

Her hands fall from my back and a cold gust appears somewhere through the steam.

“Our heir,” I correct her. “It’s what needs to be done.”

“And the only reason you didn’t do it just now—the only reason you didn’t finish inside of me after what we just did… is because you’re waiting for marriage?”

“It sounds strangely noble when you put it that way,” I note.

Reaching forward, I turn off the shower.

I’ve had enough. This conversation is just a reminder of what needs to be done. And apparently, that now includes returning to the Byrne family… and Rian Kilpatrick.

“No. It doesn’t sound strangely noble,” Bianca rasps. “It sounds insane.”

“This world is insane.”

“I… I…” she starts to stumble as I step out of the shower and grab a towel.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know,” I say. Moving towards her, I go to dry her off. But this time, she doesn’t accept my touch. This time, she winces away like I’m about to hit her.

“Why… Why can’t you just negotiate with my father? Why spend all of this time trying to take me? Fuck. Why even choose me? There wasn’t some other mafia princess you could terrorize?”

Backing up all the way to the slick shower walls, Bianca does her best to avoid me. And I’m left to stand there with her towel in my hand, dripping wet.

Fucking hell.

Do I tell her that I won’t ever negotiate with Ray fucking Byrne because the ravenous dogs who caught up to my mother all of those years ago weren’t Polish? Do I tell her they were Irish?

Do I tell her that it was her father?

Do I tell her the reason we chose her was so that we could get our revenge while consolidating our power, all in one swift and ruthless act?

No. Not now.

It’s too much.

She would shatter, and I would lose my queen before I could truly build her.

“I took you because I wanted you,” I half-lie. “I’ve always wanted you. And an arranged marriage wasn’t going to work. Your family doesn’t negotiate, Bianca. And neither do I. In this world, you take what you want, or you risk having everything stolen.”

“Just like you stole me?”

A sudden flash of frustration makes me shake my head. I don’t have time for this anymore. Tossing Bianca’s towel towards her, I turn and grab one of my own. Then, I wrap it around my waist and storm back into the bedroom.

I’ve barely even stepped foot on the soft carpet when I hear a buzz come from my discarded pants.

It’s my phone. That must be a text from Bianca’s new maid. She’s here.

A nervous knot tightens in my gut at the thought of what I’m about to do. And it’s not just anxiety about who I’m supposed to be tracking down. It’s also about who I’m leaving Bianca with.

But I don’t have a choice. I had to choose someone to look after her while I was gone. Because there’s a good chance I might not ever come back.

Fuck.

After drying myself off some more, I grab my underwear and pants and slip them back on. Then, I do the same with my shirt.

I’m just about to check my phone when I hear Bianca in the bathroom doorway.

“Where are you going?” she asks, towel wrapped around her tight little body. She already looks stronger, but that doesn’t stop her from leaning against the doorway for support.

Her legs must be sore as hell.

“If I survive, I’ll tell you when I return,” I say, finally checking my phone. It’s exactly who I thought it was. And she’s here.

“… If you survive?” Bianca gulps, a hint of dread cracking her voice. But before I can mistake her fear as concern for my safety, Bianca catches herself. “What happens to me if you die? Do I just rot away in this cage until I die too? Is that what you want?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “And it’s why I’ve arranged for a very special maid to look after you.”

“A maid?”

“That’s right,” I smirk. “Look, I’ll even leave the bedroom door open, since you won’t be alone.”

I’m already in the hallway before Bianca can process what I’ve just told her. As soon as it clicks, though, I hear her tiny little footsteps pitter-patter against the bedroom carpet.

“What if I try to escape?” she calls after me, her head sticking out of the bedroom doorway.

“You’ll fail,” I assure her.

“You don’t think I can overpower a maid?”

That stops me in my tracks. Looking back over my shoulder, I let Bianca see my Cheshire grin.

“If you overpower this maid, I will be very impressed. Hell, if you escape from under her, I might just let you have your freedom, because you’d have earned it.”

“I’m not worried about impressing you,” she quickly huffs, already back to her old self.

It makes me happy, and slightly less concerned about leaving her.

What a resilient queen Bianca could be.

“Oh, believe me, baby girl. You should be. If you keep impressing me, you might just earn yourself a crown.”

With that, I turn and leave the dripping princess in my wake.

“I’d have a crown without you!” she yells, reminding me of who her father is. And she’s right to. For a second there, I nearly forgot.

“Maybe, maybe not,” I shrug, hardly raising my voice enough to make sure she’s heard me.

“Wait! Who the hell is this maid?” I can hear the growing anxiety in Bianca’s voice. Despite her best intentions, I can tell she’s reluctantly getting used to me; to my hard lessons; to my particular form of depravity. But letting another monster into her gilded cage?

That’s cause for concern.

So, to drop a little hint, I stop one last time and turn back to my captured princess.

“She’ll either become your best friend or your worst nightmare,” I call back down the hall, toying with my captive one last time before I confront death head on.

“So make sure you behave, okay?”