Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss-Chapter 20: Just James.

I killed a teenager, got beaten nearly to death, then tried to kill myself... and now I'm babysitting.

All within a week.

How the hell did my life turn out like this?

James thought, leaning against the car door as Hans drove toward the city center.

But as he gazed out the window, he caught Charlotte's reflection in the glass, staring straight at him.

He turned his head, locking eyes with her and they stared at each other in silence for minutes, neither saying a word.

Finally, James broke it. "What?"

"You're not how I imagined you." She said, her gaze never wavering.

"What do you mean by that?"

Instead of answering, she reached into her backpack, pulled out a notebook, and flipped to a page. She held it up for James to see.

It was a drawing—of a faceless figure with black wings.

James raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"It's you." She said flatly.

"Me?"

"Angel of Death."

The car fell into silence. Bella and Hans exchanged glances but said nothing, they knew better than to get involved.

James exhaled, shutting the notebook and leaning back. "You're too young to know about things like this."

"No, I'm not," Charlotte insisted, still staring at him.

He smirked slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah." She said without hesitation. "And I think you're a misunderstood person."

James' heart skipped a beat.

"What did you just say?"

"An Angel of Death isn't something evil." Charlotte said calmly. "It's not something people should fear. It helps souls cross the line...the one that separates us from the afterlife."

James stiffened.

Fuck.

For a split second, his heart pounded in his chest.

I really thought this kid was about to unmask the truth.

He let out a slow breath, forcing himself to relax.

"So what should I be then?"

Charlotte tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Something more fitting... like Lucifer, Prince of the Underworld."

James chuckled at her answer, but as he glanced at her again his smirk widened.

"But I'm the King of the underworld darling." He said, voice lower, teasing.

For the first time, Charlotte's gaze wavered. She looked away, uncertain.

James let the moment hang before leaning back with a laugh. "Or at least, I would be... if I believed in that sort of thing."

Charlotte's fear eased at his words. She looked back up at him, locking eyes once more.

"Are you an atheist?" She tilted her head.

"I just don't like associating people with non-human entities." He said. "If they really want to give me a nickname, they should at least make it something that actually relates to me."

"Then... what would you call yourself?"

"James." He said with a smile.

"But there's a reason they relate you to the Angel of Death. So, what did you do?"

The car fell silent again, Hans tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"You're too young to—" James started, but Charlotte cut him off.

"No I am not!" She shouted as looked at him.

"I'm not going to argue with a child you know?" James said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"I am not a child" She pressed more, her eyes piercing through James.

"Yes you are in fact a child–" But before he could finish it her tears were already rolling down on her cheek, his little hand clenched into a fist his eye with pure anger on her innocent face.

"I lived in horror, with that woman who gave birth to me. She beat me until I couldn't move, she cursed at me, she did drugs around me so don't tell me I am a child when I lived in–"

Her voice cracked, and before she could finish, James moved. He grabbed her gently and pulled her into his lap, holding her close.

Charlotte didn't fight him. The tears had already started falling.

"But now you're with me," James said, his voice firm, steady. "So just be yourself. Be a child."

Charlotte clutched his shirt, silent sobs shaking her small body.

Bella looked away, her jaw clenched. Hans said nothing, but his grip on the wheel relaxed just a little.

Charlotte reamind in James lap as she cried herself to sleep, but after an hour they arrived at the mall.

"Woke up lady." Charlotte slowly opened her eyes and even if she was sleepy she was surprised.

"What, you've never been here before?" Bella asked, stepping out of the vehicle with a smirk.

"Never."

Suddenly, James grabbed her hand. "There's a lot of people here. I don't want to lose you." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, this fucking insect is already staring at my body..." Bella muttered, glaring down at a man who had been checking her out. "But of course, I'm all yours, darling." She grabbed his other hand and pulled him forward.

"Let's gooo for an adventure!" She cheered, practically dragging them both toward the entrance.

Hans sighed as they stepped into the mall, the cool air-conditioning washing over them like a refreshing breeze.

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"First, the drugstore. We need to get you the necessary things." James stated, walking ahead. But before he could continue, he noticed Charlotte had stopped in her tracks, her gaze locked onto a store filled with art supplies.

James followed her line of sight, taking in the colorful display of sketchbooks, paints, and brushes neatly arranged behind the glass window.

He turned back to her, noticing the way she stood frozen, almost hesitant, as if she were afraid to say anything.

"You want to check it out?" He asked.

Charlotte didn't respond immediately. She just stood there.

"What are you waiting for? Go." James said, nudging her forward.

She turned to him with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Really."

A bright smile spread across her face, something so rare that James almost found himself staring.

Without thinking, her grip on his hand tightened, and she led the way into the store, excitement radiating off her as she stepped inside.

Then James let go of Charlotte's hand, but she immediately stopped and looked back at him before grabbing it again.

"It's a small store—"

"I want to." She said, grabbing his hand and leading him toward an aisle filled with pencils and sketchbooks.

"How cute she is." Bella commented with a teasing smirk, still holding onto James's other hand.

From behind, Hans chuckled. "Bella, you look like a little monkey clinging to her mom."

"Are you jealous?" Bella shot back, ready to argue, but before their playful bickering could continue, James suddenly stopped in front of a display.

His attention was drawn to a framed drawing setup for display. His eyes widened as he stepped closer, completely mesmerized.

"Wow, look at this..." He muttered, his fingers lightly grazing the edge of the frame. "Look at the details..."

"I can't...see it..." Charlotte muttered, frustrated in her tone as she stood on her toes, trying to get a better look.

James glanced at her, then without hesitation, he leaned down and lifted her up.

"Look." He said.

Charlotte gasped softly, now at eye level with the artwork. She was more than mesmerized. The drawing was of a butterfly, its wings detailed with patterns, each stroke bringing it to life. It almost looked as if the butterfly would flutter off the canvas.

"It's... beautiful." She whispered, completely lost in the details.

James held her steady, watching as her eyes sparkled with admiration.

"You like it?" He asked softly.

"It's amazing how someone can create something like this..."

James chuckled. "You can too."

Charlotte glanced at him, startled. "Me?"

"Yeah." He gently set her back down on the ground. "You love drawing, don't you?"

Charlotte hesitated "I do... but–"

"There is no 'but,' Charlotte. If you do something that fills your heart with love, then you can achieve whatever you want."

She stood there, stunned. Nobody had ever said something like that to her before. It wasn't just words...it felt real, like he actually meant it.

"So if you love drawing, why wouldn't you try to aim for the best?"

Charlotte just stared at him, speechless.

"Alright." she finally said. "Help me pick the best ones."

James chuckled. "You got it."

With that, they walked deeper into the store together, Charlotte's heart a little lighter, her grip on her dreams just a little stronger.

Her smile widened as she eagerly pulled him toward the shelves filled with sketchbooks, pencils, and paint sets.

Her fingers traced over the neatly arranged supplies, hesitating between different brands and colors.

James squinted at the endless choices. "Uh... how about this?" He grabbed a random set of colored pencils and held it up.

Charlotte gave him a deadpan stare. "James... those are crayon

James blinked, looking down at the box in his hand. Sure enough, the label clearly said crayons.

"...Right. That's what I meant," he said, quickly putting them back and grabbing another pack "This. This is what I meant."

"And those are highlighters."

James laughed and got embarrassed a bit but for the first time in what felt like forever, his mind was at peace, not thinking about death, the past, or the blood on his hands. Just a moment of normalcy.

A moment where he wasn't the Angel of Death.

Just James.