Chapter 122 - 121
When she remained silent, the man in black tapped his Bluetooth earpiece. A sound only he could hear played through it.
A few seconds later, while Serena Sutton was still trying to come up with a story, the man in black slowly advanced on her, knife in hand.
She instinctively backed away, but her back hit a damp wall. There was nowhere to run.
"Miss Sutton, we don’t have time to waste on you. If you don’t start talking..." The man in black paused, his voice thick with menace. "Then don’t blame me for finding out myself."
"Do you think the President of Southland would recognize one of your fingers?" he said suddenly.
"..."
Serena Sutton’s breath hitched. She was speechless, her eyes glued to the sharp blade in his hand as cold sweat instantly soaked her back.
The man drew closer, like The Reaper coming to claim her soul. When he was just a step away, Serena Sutton finally broke, crying out in terror, "I’ll talk! I’ll talk!"
"I... I drugged him. It’s a new kind of drug, one that alters emotions. He’ll fall in love with me. He has to fall in love with me..."
The man in black froze. A flicker of disbelief crossed his face, but he quickly recovered. "A drug that powerful? Never heard of it. You’d better not be making this up."
Serena Sutton grew agitated. "It’s all true! You can check if you don’t believe me! Hasn’t Simon Lockwood been cold to his girlfriend lately? It’s the Emotional Reversal! The more you love someone, the more they become a stranger. He must despise her by now! He must wish she would just die!"
...
As she spoke, Serena Sutton’s pale face flushed with excitement. She could almost picture Simon Lockwood wanting to kill Joanna Kennedy.
Overwhelmed by her agitation and having confessed everything, the combination of the man’s brutal threats and the fear of her secret being exposed was too much. Serena Sutton went limp, slumping heavily against the wall before passing out completely.
The man in black stopped. He and his partner exchanged a look, then walked out the door.
In the adjacent room, separated only by a wall, stood a tall, imposing man in a black trench coat. His handsome, chiseled features were cold and severe. Between his long fingers, the crimson tip of a cigarette glowed and faded.
"Mr. Lockwood, what do we do next?" one of the men in black asked, his head bowed respectfully, not daring to meet the man’s gaze.
For a long time, there was only silence, punctuated by the dull thud of the rainstorm against the old window frame. The men in black couldn’t help but grow tense.
Recalling what they’d just heard, both men couldn’t suppress a shiver.
Meridia was a capitalist nation with a thriving economy where firearm ownership was legal. The vast majority of its major corporations had roots in the criminal underworld, operating in both legitimate and illicit circles.
For the young President of Southland to have clawed his way to the top of Meridia’s cutthroat business world, especially as a man of Chinese heritage, meant he was far from the cold, indifferent man he appeared to be.
’And that woman actually dared to drug him? With some unheard-of new drug, no less. She must have a death wish.’
’They wouldn’t have been surprised if the man before them had ordered them to finish her off right here and now.’
But to their surprise, the man simply said in a flat tone, "Dump her at the entrance of the Jennings Company."
"Yes, sir," the man in black replied respectfully.
*
The rain fell harder, stripping the withered climbing roses from the courtyard’s white walls, their dead leaves and branches beaten mercilessly to the ground.
A comedy variety show was still playing on the living room’s flatscreen TV.
Perhaps it was the sedative in the medicine the doctor had prescribed, but Joanna Kennedy was half-reclined on the plush black leather sofa, her eyes closed and her breathing even and slow.
Outside in the courtyard, the faint sound of a car pulling in was easily drowned out by the rain.
CLICK. The door opened, and a tall man walked in, bringing the damp chill of the outside with him.
Through a wall-to-wall nanmu wood shelving unit, he could vaguely make out the girl’s figure on the sofa.
Simon Lockwood lowered his gaze, hiding the emotion in his eyes. His black trench coat was gone; he was wearing the same all-black suit he’d had on when he left.
The sofa was plenty large for her, but her sleeping posture was awkward. The loose collar of her nightdress had slipped, revealing a wide expanse of pale skin. It was dotted with red marks, some of which had already bruised to a purplish-blue.
Some of the bite marks on her neck had already scabbed over, creating a shocking sight.
Simon Lockwood loomed over the girl, his gaze one of pure scrutiny, devoid of any personal feeling.
’Emotional Reversal. The more you love, the more they become a stranger. The more you love... the more you despise them. To the point you wish they would... die.’
Those words flashed through Simon Lockwood’s mind, Serena Sutton’s frantic, unhinged voice seeming to echo in his ears.
’It sounded too outlandish, something no rational person would believe.’ Simon Lockwood almost wanted to laugh.
But the deadness in his heart, the causeless agitation he felt, told him that everything Serena Sutton had said was true.
’He couldn’t love Joanna Kennedy anymore.’
’Perhaps he’d realized it ever since that painful night. That was why he’d left on his so-called "business trip."’
’He was sick. Very sick. He had to get treatment. And Joanna Kennedy didn’t need to know any of it.’
’Joanna Kennedy had her own career, one that was just taking off. She had her college entrance exams next June. Her life was just beginning to shine; she shouldn’t be dragged into his mess.’
Simon Lockwood refused to think about what would happen if he couldn’t be cured. There was no point.
*
「The next day.」
At The Mid-Levels in the Jornheim Suburbs stood a quaint, traditional courtyard home. Since early morning, a continuous stream of luxury cars had been arriving, dropping off high-ranking officials, dignitaries, tycoons, and celebrities.
Sean Grant stood outside to greet the guests. He was dressed rather plainly today, a stark contrast to his usual social butterfly persona. Only his granny-gray hair remained as conspicuous as ever.
"Well, well, if it isn’t a rare sight~~" Sean Grant’s eyes lit up as he spotted someone. He called out teasingly, his gaze raking the newcomer up and down.
Jack Warren rolled his eyes. "You’re insane."
"Hey, what’s with the name-calling? I’m the host, you’re the guest. You’re supposed to be polite. Show some respect!" Sean Grant lectured with a completely straight face.
The nerve of this guy. Jack Warren decided to ignore him.
As if he hadn’t noticed, Sean Grant kept chattering, "Where are Simon and my dear sister-in-law? Why aren’t they here? You’re not playing chauffeur today?"
’What does he mean by "playing chauffeur"?’ Jack Warren took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. ’Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. Anger is the enemy.’
"They’re right be—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Sean Grant bumped past him. "Hey, Simon! Joanna, my dear sister-in-law! You finally made it! What presents did you bring? Can’t let you in if they’re too cheap..."
As the man’s boisterous voice rang in his ears, Jack Warren could only stand there, speechless.
He rubbed the shoulder Sean had bumped and walked over as well.
Joanna Kennedy offered a polite greeting. Sean Grant’s eyes darted back and forth, scanning her and Simon Lockwood’s expressions.
’One’s giving a fake smile, the other has a cold expression. Can’t read a thing.’
’Did they make up again?’
Sean Grant immediately clicked his tongue in appreciation. "Joanna, my dear sister-in-law, you really cleaned up nice. Absolutely beautiful."
"..." Joanna Kennedy was speechless for a second before forcing a smile. "You can just call me Joanna."
"Okay, okay, Joanna my dear sister-in-law."
Joanna: "..."
Standing beside her, Simon Lockwood remained expressionless as he handed the two gifts he was carrying to an attendant.