“Huh?” I froze in my spot for a moment. “Like how?”
“Do you see that greenery there? Don’t you find it odd?” He raised his arm to point at the green patch downstairs, but no matter how long I looked at it, I found nothing odd about it.
Thus, I looked at him, perplexed, and asked, “What’s odd about it? It looks fine to me. Is it some kind of Fengshui setting? When have you learned that?”
He gave me a look before replying, “Nope. It’s the growth of the plants. Can’t you see any problems with them?”
I looked back at the spot, but still, I could not see anything strange about it. It was winter then, and most of the plants had wilted. The only ones that did not wilt were the pines, which thrived in all seasons.
He sighed. “The growth of the pines is all different from each other. Don’t you see it?”
His words made me look closer again. He was right, there were dozens of pines in the courtyard, but the ones in the middle had wilted. Meanwhile, the ones planted by the sides were still fine.
“Is it because the soil isn’t as healthy in the middle?” I asked.
He shook his head. “The soil here is all the same. The courtyard is enormous, and it’s far from the villa. It’s unlikely that the villa has blocked the sunlight from reaching the plant. In other words, either there isn’t enough soil in the middle, or something is buried there.”
“A cellar?” The villa had no underground parking lot, so the only thing I could think of was a cellar.
He turned to stare at me in silence for a moment. “I don’t think a villa like this needs a cellar. It should be a warehouse, meant to store something.”
When I thought about Abe and Armond’s relationship in Venria, I could not help but say, “For example, kyanine? Armond was quite close to Abe back in Venria. However, K City has strict rules about kyanine. How is he planning to sell them?”
Holden rubbed his nose, seemingly speechless for a moment. “What in the world is in that skull of yours? A huge villa like this usually has basements built for refuge from disasters. Even normal villas have them; they’re just converted into underground parking lots.”
After Holden tapped my head, I frowned. “You were so serious about your observation, so that’s why I thought about kyanine instead. What else did you think I was going to think about when I saw that solemn look of yours?”
He sat back down and threw a casual glance my way. “Judging from the way you look… let me guess, we’re being held captive by Armond?
My brows knitted into a frown after seeing him so unbothered. What the heck is he doing?“How are you taking this so calmly? We’re literally trapped here, yet you seem relaxed. Aren’t you afraid of being killed by Armond?”
He chuckled as he looked back up at me. “So Armond is now a bloodthirsty murderer who kills anyone in his way? Well, you’re probably refusing to give him something he wants then.”
At this, my shoulders tensed. How does he know so much?
No point lying then. I pursed my lips and replied, “It’s just a sandalwood box that my grandma gave me. He wanted it, but I said no, so he locked me here. The rest is history.”
Deep laughter rumbled from him while his gaze met mine again. “Is it important?”
I nodded and explained, “A little. The sandalwood box holds a contract between my grandma and a major gasoline-producing country. That contract allows the Murphys to take advantage of the low oil prices and bulk purchase petroleum, which they’ll make a profit out of later on.”
“I see.” His eyes narrowed at me before he advised, “I think you should give it to him since there’s no sentimental value behind it. Plus, it’s not like the Murphys are the only ones benefitting from this. The whole country will benefit from the petroleum deal. So why the hesitance?”
“I don’t mind giving the box to the Murphys, just not to Armond!” I stifled a growl at him. “Anthony visited A City to dig up all of Armond’s past dirty businesses, so Armond will get what’s coming to him. I know the Murphys are involved in the competitive gasoline market, but Armond isn’t the only Murphy capable of running the business. I’ll eventually hand them the box once Armond is locked up behind bars.”
He frowned, trying to comprehend the reason behind my actions. “So, you’re not giving it to Armond because all of his bad deeds will be forgiven if he secures a gasoline deal with Meudari; Because then, Anthony’s evidence will mean nothing as people will adore Armond for boosting the nation’s fuel economy.”
I nodded, “That kind of sums it up.”
An understanding look flashed briefly on his face before he stared off into the space. “You hate Armond that much?” I heard from Nora that he and you used to be close, so how’d you two end up as enemies?”
“Life had different plans for us,” I shrugged.
“So you’re gonna ruthlessly force him into a dead end?” a voice startled me from behind. My head whipped around to see who it was; it was Nora, whom I haven’t seen in a while. She looked more elegant now in her fox-fur shawl as she glared at me with disappointment. “He already surrendered A City to you Featherstones. Since then, he returned to his turf here in K City and hasn’t done anything bad. Why won’t you let him live?”
When did she get here?
I brushed my shock off and spoke casually, “What are you doing in K City? You didn’t even call to let me know you were coming.”
That prompted a sharp retort from her. “There’s nothing to say between us. I just happened to bump into you. Speaking of, why are you here? Don’t want to return what rightfully belongs to the Murphys?
My lips twitched with disdain at her. Rightfully theirs? “This doesn’t belong to the Murphys,” I snarled. “I don’t know why you’re here, Nora, but I’m sure you know that Armond doesn’t love you and that he’s only using you to get what he wants. Must you continue to lie to yourself?”
“That’s none of your concern. I don’t need you to explain whether he truly cares for me,” her gaze flickered in another direction. “You should give him that contract because he really needs it. I know that he wronged you guys in the past, but getting that contract is a matter of life and death for him. Can’t you give it to him?”
She wasn’t making sense at all. I couldn’t help but sigh at how blinded she was in helping Armond. “You should get your facts checked before telling me what to do. And Nora, don’t forget who you are and your values as an individual. It’s not wise to lose yourself whilst chasing after some unrequited love.”
I didn’t know what else to say after seeing the harsh determination in her eyes.
Sure enough, she refused to give in. She looked at me and softened her voice, “You Featherstones have already gotten all the glory in the world. You don’t need what’s in that box, so there’s no point holding onto it. Why won’t you hand it over to Armond and help him out?
“Sienna, we’ll always be friends, so can’t you do this favor for me? I know Armond hurt you guys in the past, but those times are over now. And you guys turned out fine anyway, so why not let bygones be bygones? Help him out just this once. I’m sure that Armond will get along with Anthony once he gets past this hurdle. We’ll do anything you ask after this, hmm? Please, Sienna?”
Nora drooped her shoulders and stared glassy-eyed at me.
My lips pressed into a thin line. I averted her stare by looking over to Holden, who was staring back at me with an uninterested expression. His eyes bore into mine, hinting that he wanted no part in any of this.
Then Nora’s hand clamped around my wrist, and her nails tore my flesh apart like a bear trap while she wailed, “I’m begging you, Sienna. I’ll do anything you ask me to; I’ll even convince my grandpa to hand over the Oberick family business to you and Anthony. Please, Sienna, I’ll do whatever it takes as long as you promise to help Armond. Just this time.”
An oncoming headache pounded at my temples, drawing my brows into a deep frown. “What are you thinking! Do you even know what you’re saying? How could you sacrifice your pride and get on your knees for some heartless, uncaring man?”
Nora’s eyes swelled and darkened into a deep red. “Sienna, you’ve misunderstood Armond. He’s not the villain that you say he is. You’ve got it all wrong. I’ll call him over, and he’ll explain how things actually went down.”
At her bold correction, that annoying headache grew into an electric pain behind my eyes. I couldn’t help but bark out, “How dare you expect me to forgive him? You think you know everything, huh? Well, your loverboy orchestrated the car accident and abducted Anthony, then almost froze him to death in the refrigerating chamber. He did all that to obtain trading rights to the Taylor family’s port. Do you know that? How would you feel if you were in my shoes? If you knew that Armond did all that to Anthony, what would you truly do? Here you are, preaching to me about how he’s misunderstood and asking me to forgive him… but have you ever considered my feelings?
“You say that we’re best friends, yet you put me through the pain of losing my child. All because you called me, saying that you were drunk at Imperial Hotel. You knew that I would go to you. Then you used my kindness against me and caused my miscarriage… Do you even know how much the baby that you murdered meant to me? The doctors say that I’ll never be able to conceive again, and it’s all because of your phone call, that one dreaded call that stole my child from me. Tell me, Nora, do you not care about the lives of others? Because as long as you’re not the one suffering, then none of it matters? Because only your problems trump over anyone else’s?”
I never blamed her for my child’s death as I was equally responsible. However, she shouldn’t have pointed fingers at me and said that I misunderstood the whole situation and acted so condescendingly by telling me what to do. Her shamelessness ticked me off so much that it reddened my ears.
Hence, I couldn’t bite back my burning resentment any longer. The woman before me was no one worth saving, even if she was once my dearest friend.
Nora’s eyes swelled as if they were going to fall out at any moment. She gripped white-knuckled onto my clothes and begged, “I know what I did was wrong, but it’s too late to change anything now. Sienna, please, I don’t know what to do anymore… Tell me, what do I do for you to give Armond the contract? All I want is to help the man I love to get through this hardship in his life. That’s all I ask…”
At that moment, I could no longer recognize my cheerful and carefree friend. Her tear-strewn face felt so foreign to me. It felt like I had never really known the real her, and now her facade was peeling away to reveal her green and hideous nature.
This wasn’t the Nora that I knew. Something lodged at the back of my throat as I saw her begging pathetically. Can a so-called love really change a person that drastically?
Oddly enough, I found myself asking a question that even I couldn’t comprehend. “Nora, do you love Armond that much?”
She paused before admitting with a solemn weight, “Yes. He’s all I want, and I’d rather die than live in a world without him.”
“You’re certain that he loves you? Because love isn’t one-sided, nor is it unrequited. Are you absolutely sure that he loves you back?” I shot a sharp gaze at her.
My question had taken her by surprise. Her vision blurred, possibly confused as to why I asked her this.
It took her a moment before she eventually regained her focus. Despite this, there was a hint of insanity laced in her voice, “He loves me. He told me that himself, and I trust him. Why do you ask this, Sienna? He really does love me. He does.”
I raised my chin and let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Even friendships have their limits, and you’ve crossed all of them, Nora. So you can quit your miserable begging because we’re not friends anymore. However… let’s make a bet since you’re so certain about his feelings for you. Come over tonight, and I’ll show you his true colors.”
Bitter laughter throbbed from my chest as I held her gaze. “Armond still hasn’t touched you anywhere intimately, has he?”
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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