Chapter 6 - Expressions of Emotion

~~~~

Ken found himself struggling to explain what he had just seen at the mansion.

The woman they had brought to his boss… the so-called bride… was nothing like what he expected. Instead of being gentle, she was like a volcano, one that could erupt at any moment.

Holding the tablet tightly, he glanced at Mr. Creed, trying to buy himself some time.

“I’m still trying to check if there are any errors,” he said, forcing a calm tone.

Lucian sighed and frowned. “That’s not your job, Ken. I’ll check it myself,” he said firmly. “Now hand it over.”

Ken stood still, contemplating his options.

There was no way he could stop his boss from seeing the content on the tablet… but maybe, just maybe, he could delete the video before…

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Lucian warned, sensing Ken’s intention.

Ken’s heart skipped.

Lucian’s voice dropped. “Whatever you’re trying to hide, show it to me now… or I’ll make you regret it.”

Ken swallowed hard. He knew Lucian Creed’s nature. With a quiet sigh, he handed over the tablet. “I’m sorry, sir,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything.”

A lie.

This was something he had gotten used to ever since he started working for the Creed family.

Lucian took the tablet and looked at the screen.

“What the hell—” His reaction was instant.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the video. Then slowly, he turned to Ken. “Care to explain?”

Ken stepped closer. “I think it’s better if you watch from the beginning,” he said, pressing play.

Lucian leaned back and watched. At first, his face was unreadable. Then… a grin slowly appeared.

By the time the video ended, he was already smiling.

“Wow…” he muttered. “That was entertaining.” He let out a small laugh. “It’s like watching a movie.”

Ken blinked.

Lucian shook his head slightly. “And the new Mrs. Creed… she’s not weak at all.” He grinned.

“Sir,” Ken said carefully, “with all due respect, I don’t think this is something to laugh about. This isn’t normal.”

Lucian looked at him. “What do you mean? I think her angry expression is quite… interesting.”

Ken exhaled and handed him a file.

“I didn’t know about this part of her until the report came in a few hours ago,” he said quickly, distancing himself from any blame, better safe than sorry.

Lucian raised an eyebrow at him. “Why the sudden change of tone?" He asked and took the file from him. “What’s this?”

Ken hesitated, then spoke. “There’s no easy way to say it, sir… but she’s mentally unstable. In a really bad way.”

Lucian didn’t even look surprised. “That’s obvious. Isn’t it.”

Ken shook his head.

“No, sir. It’s worse than you think.”

Lucian frowned slightly. “Can you just get to the point? Stop dragging it.”

Sighing, Ken opened the file. “It’s all here.” He responded, pointing at the files in front of him.

Lucian looked at the file, then back at Ken. “You know how much I hate reading a report on a piece of aper, right?" he said, dropping it on the table. “Just talk.”

He leaned back.

“Tell me about this ‘craziness’ my new wife has.” He smiled.

Lucian was always ready to get more information to destroy the Dolman family.

Ken nodded and began. “From what we gathered, she has a severe anger issue.”

Lucian raised a brow. “And… that’s it?”

“That’s how it’s written,” Ken said. “While it’s normal to feel anger, hers is extreme. You saw what she did to the maid.”

Lucian scoffed. “So what? I would have done the same. If a maid talks out of line, she should be corrected.” He waved it off. “That’s not a problem.” Ken stayed quiet for a moment. “Is there anything else?” Lucian asked.

“Yes, sir,” Ken replied, flipping through the pages. “It also says her sudden departure from London years ago was connected to an incident.”

Lucian leaned forward slightly. “What incident?”

Ken hesitated for a second. “It says here that during her graduation… she got into a fight. With one girl and two boys.”

Lucian’s expression changed. “And?”

Ken exhaled. “They were all rushed to the hospital. The two boys lost their sight… and the girl died.”

Silence.

Ken looked at the file again and flipped it around as if there was information written behind it.

“That’s all they wrote,” he muttered, shocked. “No full details.”

Lucian stayed quiet for a moment. Contemplating the new information.

“Did the file mention why the fight happened?” he asked.

“No, sir.” Ken frowned. “Those incompetent fools. I specifically instructed them to gather all the details… Why are there…”

Lucian sighed, tapping is hand on his desk. “Well, anger itself can’t be considered an illness,” he said calmly, attempting to make sense of what he had just learned.

“But it’s associated with Intermittent Explosive Disorder,” Ken added.

Lucian looked at him.

“Explosive what?”

“IED, sir. It means—” Ken began.

“I know what it means,” Lucian cut in. “What does that have to do with her?”

Ken pointed at the file. “It says she’s a severe IED patient.”

Lucian shook his head.

"SO? I doubt that's the case here," he disagreed, rejecting Ken's assertion. "Anger is a manifestation of various emotions that one cannot control," he stated, his voice turned cold. "And I wouldn't be surprised if all of that rage stemmed from the toxic and deceitful family she comes from, parents who feel no qualms about lying and attempting to sell their own daughter," he continued, trailing off.

Ken nodded slowly.

“But what about the girl that died?” he asked.

Lucian smirked slightly. “We’ll hear that part from her directly.”

Ken sighed.

“If you say so, sir.”

Lucian glanced at the clock. “How long till the weekend?”

“Three days, sir.”

“Good.” He picked up the file again.

Ken stood there, staring at him.

Something wasn’t adding up. If Mira had really killed someone, things wouldn’t be this simple. There was more to the story.

And those useless investigators clearly didn’t do their job properly. He would deal with them when he got back. Because from everything he had seen… Mira Dolman was not normal.

Whether Lucian wanted to accept it or not.

“Is there anything else?” Lucian asked suddenly, noticing Ken staring at him.

Ken snapped out of his thoughts.

“Oh… no, sir. I was just wondering if you needed anything.”

Lucian glanced at his empty cup.

“Yes. I need a refill.”

Ken frowned and looked at the table.

There was already a jug of coffee there.

“Sir, there is—” he started, then paused when he saw Lucian’s eyes.

Cold.

“You were saying?” Lucian asked.

Ken quickly shook his head.

“Nothing, sir. I was just asking if you wanted more sugar.”

He forced a smile and reached for the coffee.

“No, Ken,” Lucian said. “What I need right now is peace and quiet.”

Ken nodded quickly.

“I understand, sir.”

“And unless you want to help me with this work,” Lucian added.

“Of course not, sir,” Ken said immediately. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Ken poured the coffee for him quickly.

As he turned to leave—

“Bastard… not even a little help,” Lucian muttered, staring at the pile of documents, but the door was already slammed shut.