I did not wish to make things difficult for him. “Mr. Murphy, thank you very much for your kind gesture.”
“Alright, you’re all coming with me!” Armond suddenly said, his eyes gleaming determinedly.
I froze in confusion.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Armond set his glass down noisily. “I’ll bring your friends along. Tomorrow, some of my men will be here to pick you up.”
I was taken aback. It seemed like an overly breezy promise to make. I stared at him disbelievingly.
Armond laughed at my suspicion. “Us Murphys are known for accomplishing something when we set our minds to it. When I’ve made up my mind to take you away, I mean it. So please, humor me and accept my gesture.”
I became even more confused. Though I did not know the extent of his relationship with Abe, I was sure that it was a lot to ask from Abe. If he was determined to get his way, surely it would only end in a conflict between the two of them.
In the worst-case scenario, if they were just casual acquaintances, Abe might even hold a grudge against Armond.
No matter which way I looked at it, it was disadvantageous to Armond from every possible angle.
“I would like to know why,” I blurted after a moment’s hesitation. I could not quell the suspicious feeling within me.
Armond raised his brows. “Would you believe me if I told you that I feel a certain way about you?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” We were all adults here, there was no place for fanciful feelings anymore. Besides, we’ve only met a handful of times, and I wasn’t particularly beautiful that every man I met would just fall head over heels for me.
There was no such thing as first love in the world of grownups. He smiled coldly. “Being too smart isn’t good for a woman. It’s better if you play dumb once in a while. You know how it feels to be loved. I’m sure you don’t want to lose it.”
I pursed my lips. Contrary to what he believed, all I felt was disgust. I kept quiet for a while before answering, “I want you to tell me the truth, Mr. Murphy.”
He nodded. “Remember where we first met?”
“J City’s cemetery.”
He nodded; his gaze still fixated on me. “To be precise, right in front of Mrs. Stanhope’s tombstone.”
I knew my grandmother was a Stanhope, so that wasn’t a shock. “So?” I looked at him. I saw Armond when I went to the cemetery on All Souls’ Day, but I didn’t think that much. I only thought he was being kind when he helped me out of the kidnapping, but after mulling it over, I thought things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
There are no coincidences in this world.
“I want the sandalwood box Mrs. Stanhope left you.” His gaze was still cold as ever.
I stiffened up and frowned at him. “That’s a puzzle box. How do you know I have it?”
He smiled. “I found out about it.” And he said nothing more.
I shouldn’t give him the box, since my grandma left it for me. However, if it could exchange five people’s lives and Anthony’s consolation, that would be worth it. I nodded. “No problem.”
He smiled, looking satisfied, and he stood up. “Sleep tight and wake up early next morning.”
I nodded. I had something else to say, but Abe had come down. “What were you guys talking about, Mr. Murphy?” Abe squinted at me, then his eyes were locked on my face, and he criticized, “She has the curves, and her features are nice, but she has a scar. She’s not the best woman you can get, so what did you see in her?”
He was talking to Armond.
Armond smiled at me. “Never judge a book by its cover. Beauty is nothing without a gorgeous soul.”
Abe snorted and plopped down on the chair, staring at me quietly. “I can never get your aesthetics.”
I went upstairs, refusing to stay any longer, and I mulled over what Armond told me. It would be for the best if he could take us away.
Nora and the girls were looking better when I went to see them again. Nora, especially, had regained consciousness. She tugged at my arm, her eyes teary. “I want to go home.”
That broke my heart, and I nodded. Everyone else was starting to regain some color, though they were still relatively pale. Well, anyone would be driven insane staying in that wretched place for such a long time.
Abe rarely stayed in the villa, probably fearing for his life. He was always cautious and appeared out of nowhere every time.
Same went for Danny and Dante. They’d appear whenever I thought they weren’t around, but I could never find them whenever I tried.
It was a sleepless night that night, for Armond’s promise lit up my desire to get my life back, and the prospect of bringing Nora and the girls back excited me.
I stayed up until late in the night, then I heard the roar of the engine coming from below. I froze in fear, thinking that Abe had come again. Then I went to the balcony to take a look, but someone knocked on the door before I could and startled me.
I went to take the door after a few more knocks, though surprisingly, it was Armond standing there. He was still cold as usual, though his black suit made him all the more distant. He frowned at me. “Let’s go.”
I was surprised. “Now?”
“Abe’s at the vineyard having fun. It’s your best chance to make a break for it. I’ve handled everything else. Now go.”
I was flabbergasted, but I had to take the chance, or it might prove difficult to leave. I went with him and noticed Danny in the living room downstairs, only illuminated by the dim lamp. He was staring straight at us.
I stopped in my tracks. “Danny.”
“Let’s go.” Armond threw him a look and dragged me away.
I thought Danny would stop us, but all he did was see us off. I hesitated for a moment, and I said, “Thank you.”
He didn’t answer me. Instead, he looked at Armond.
Three black cars were waiting for us when we came out, and the moment we got in, I heard gunshots coming from the rubber plantation. He shoved me into the car and told the chauffeur, “Take them and go!”
Abe’s probably back. I stared at Armond, panicked. There was nothing I could say but, “Be careful.”
He looked at me with surprise, and he nodded.
Instead of the rubber plantation, the driver went to the forest behind the villa. I could hear the fighting and the sounds of thunder coming from the villa. It’s about to rain.
The path was winding, and my head started spinning along the way. My stomach churned, and I retched a couple of times. The sounds of fighting still roared on behind us. Abe and his men were showing no signs of stopping. We were taken into the forest and eventually arriving at a clearing.
It was a heliport, and a helicopter was waiting for us there, much to my surprise. The car stopped, and the driver said, “Get out.” Then he leaped out of the car and dragged me out roughly before I realized what had happened.
Nora and the girls were in the cars before mine, and they were taken out too. “Get in here ASAP!” the man at the cockpit roared at us, and I looked in the villa’s direction by reflex, but all I could see was smoke billowing in the air.
Nora and the girls were taken to the helicopter. I thought something was off, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. I went in with them and noticed Nora was still deathly pale. Then I went up to her. “How do you feel, Nora?”
She opened her eyes weakly and looked at me. Nora opened her mouth and attempted to speak, but because of her throat, speaking was impossible for a while.
The man beside us said, “Take your seats and don’t move. We’re taking off now.”
“Where’s Armond?” I looked back at him curiously.
The man paused. “He’ll be rendezvousing with us in Epea. We have to go right now, or nobody’s leaving.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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