“An opportunity will soon arrive,” she said calmly before hanging up.
Standing before the glass window, she missed the view of the beautiful city of Canada, the lights shining like stars, the indistinct sounds of car honks, and blaring sirens. Her attention, however, was elsewhere, her eyes glued to her phone as her heart tightened. A feeling of jealousy rose within her as she glared at the picture on her phone. She felt disturbed and angry. She had never seen him smile like that before, and it made her want to clench her fist around the phone until it cracked.
Staring angrily at the screen, the picture of Christian and Clarisse laughing and pointing at each other before the haunted house at the amusement park was glaring back at her. She had someone tail them ever since she learned that he was getting married. She felt disturbed and hurt, unable to stop the marriage as she was stuck in her own situation, but also refusing to believe that she no longer had a chance.
She heard the door beep, like someone was entering her room code, but she wasn’t bothered; there was only one person who knew the code besides her.
“Hey, sweetie,” she heard his smiling voice call as he strode in. She quickly closed her phone, not wanting him to see what she had been staring at, and turned toward him.
“You’re back early,” she said, walking toward the couch to join him.
“I know, right? The deal went smoother than I thought.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“What were you doing?”
“Nothing, just staring out of the window.”
“Hm,” he nodded, relaxing back on the couch. “I’m tired for real.”
“Let me get you a glass of water,” she offered.
“You’re a darling.”
“Shut up.”
He giggled, appreciating the gesture when she returned with a glass of water, but he noticed her mood seemed off. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” she replied quietly.
“Uh, I know,” he drank the water and placed the cup on the table before turning back to her. “Tell me, what’s wrong?” Ryan asked.
“I’m angry.”
“Angry at…?”
“Christian,” she said, and Ryan chuckled.
“You’re still pissed? Why don’t you call him?”
“I’m not going to.”
“But you know it wasn’t entirely his fault. There’s no way you could’ve attended, you’re stuck here on business, your dad purposely sent you to Canada, and you know he won’t let you come back home until you seal the deal.”
“Even though I might not be able to attend, he should have still told me. We called ourselves best friends, and yet he couldn’t tell his bestie that he’s getting married. And you also kept it from me.”
“Don’t put it on me,” he quickly withdrew. “I thought he told you. I wasn’t able to attend either… but… are you sure that’s the reason you’re so pissed?” he eyed her suspiciously. She seemed too upset about this, almost as if it had happened yesterday.
Marisa looked away.
“Have you seen him recently?”
“No.”
“The lady he married, does he like her?”
“I don’t know, I’m not in his mind.”
“But do you think there’s a possibility he likes her?”
“Maybe, maybe not. Irrespective of any of that, she’s his wife.”
“They could divorce if there are no feelings.”
Ryan sighed. He knew about Marisa’s crush on Christian and how much she wished to be with him, failing to recognize his affection and feelings.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but he’s married. Don’t do something stupid.”
“I’m not doing anything,” she said, gritting her teeth. “You need to see his face when he’s with her. I’ve never seen him smile like that.”
“How do you know?” he asked, looking surprised. But she simply looked away.
“Hey, don’t tell me,” he giggled, not wanting to believe what he was thinking. But when she didn’t respond, he knew his thought was right. “You have someone spying on them?”
“Not really, I was just looking after him.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” he said, almost shouting, grabbing her arm. “Do you realize what you’re doing? How dangerous it is?”
“I didn’t hurt anyone, did I? I’m just trying to find out who she is.”
“By spying on them?”
“I wanted to be sure that he was forced into that marriage.”
“Hear yourself. Does he look like a kid to you?”
She yanked her arm away from his grip. “He’s not going to find out. I’ll be discreet about it, so stop yelling.”
“Discreet? Do you think he doesn’t know already? You know who Christian is, I’m sure he knows by now.”
“I was being careful.”
“Not around Christian. He knows you’re spying on him.”
“If he knows, then why is he quiet about it? He must have realized my intentions. I mean no harm. I just wanted to see if he’s happy.”
“You mean you wanted to see if you still have a chance?” Ryan thought to himself as he looked at her. She seemed bothered, but more than that, she looked persistent and jealous.
Her intention after seeing those pictures was to have Clarisse kidnapped and watch Christian’s reaction. That would determine if she still had a chance or not, based on how much he cared about her or if he didn’t.
Clarisse looked from the bag of food between them to Christian, who had been completely silent since the moment they left the park. She had no idea what he was thinking. He sat beside her in the car but seemed a million miles away. His unfazed coldness and aloofness surrounded him. He stared out of the window in silence, not sparing her a glance. She couldn’t understand why he was so upset, but she was greatly disturbed by the coldness.
Because of his unwelcoming aura, Clarisse couldn’t bring herself to tell him she was feeling hungry. His indifference made it awkward for her to reach out and take something to eat. She kept stealing glances at him, but it felt as though she was invisible. She remembered how he suddenly hugged her at the park. His face had looked so scared and worried, and it made her feel like she had done something she shouldn’t have.
Clarisse made to tap him to ask what was wrong and to figure out how to apologize, but just then, the car came to a halt. They had arrived at the mansion. He got out of the car before she could reach him.
Sighing in disappointment, she also got out and walked behind him like a scolded puppy trailing its angry master. He went straight to his room, without a word or a glance, which made her feel shattered. She had never been so bothered by someone’s aloofness. It disturbed her so much that she couldn’t sleep. It kept bothering her, and the feeling of hunger only made it worse.
“Gotten anything from him?” Christian asked over the phone. He made the call the moment he entered his room.
“Not yet, Sir.”
“Then the pain isn’t excruciating enough. Does he still have all his toes?”
“Y… yes, my lord.”
“Give them to the hyenas,” he said and hung up.
The man who had been captured at the amusement park was tied to a chair and brutally beaten. His swollen face was bloody, with blood streaming down from his head. The taste of blood, like steel, lingered in his mouth, and tears rushed from his eyes as he wailed, pleading for mercy.
“You’re still not ready to talk?”
“I have been talking,” he said, weeping profusely.
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.