Liz sighed, then turned her wheelchair to the side. She knew the ins and outs of the house, and Ruby didn’t want to ask where she was going. She was too tired.
“Sorry, but your sister...” Lori held back from cursing but raised her middle finger, emphasizing that her patience with Liz was always thin. Ruby wasn’t going to force them to get along. She, too, found it difficult to get along with Liz.
“How are you?” Lori asked. She noticed that Ruby had been absent throughout the day. She seemed better now, but still weary.
“I’ll be fine, as long as you talk about something random.” Ruby half-lays on the sofa. She needed something to distract her thoughts.
“I’ve got something. Mayte contacted me earlier. She wanted to come, but she couldn’t get a ticket. She sends her condolences and apologies,” Lori said.
“Where’s Mayte? I thought she was still at your place.&rdqu
Ruby looked at Ed as if she were watching a terrible opera. She anticipated a melodious and engaging sound, yet the unexpected sound caught her off-guard.“He's really not my father?!” Liz rubbed her face, trying to convince herself once again that even though the information had been in her head for days, she still couldn't process it.But no one responded to Liz's question. Ed was focused on Ruby, who remained silent. Unsure of how to respond, many thoughts crossed her mind, including memories and understanding.“So… That’s… Mom never talked about it... Ashamed. Yes, I understand,” Ruby mumbled.Yesterday, she was confused as to why her mother wouldn’t discuss who Hans was. Ruby avoided the topic when she sought clarification.Ashamed, because no matter how vile Esli was, Jade still felt that turning to a man who wasn't her husband was wrong. Perhaps, aside from feeling guilty towards Liz, her mot
"Do I need to add more cookies or other snacks?" As she handed over a tray of tea, Tita inquired.“Hmm... can you make churros? With hot chocolate. Liz likes them," Ruby recalled Esli saying, referring to Liz's love for those treats.“Of course. I'll bring them later,” Tita agreed.Ruby nodded in thanks and carried the tray to the side porch. She knew Liz was there because she'd checked her room earlier and found it empty. She sat down and gazed at the distant beach. She was no longer in a wheelchair, but she was still limp.“Tea,” Ruby said, placing the tray on the table and pouring a cup for Liz. She added chamomile, hoping the aroma would calm Liz.But Liz didn’t seem to hear her. Her face remained fixed towards the beach. Ruby didn’t push it. She poured herself some tea and sat quietly across from Liz, also looking out at the beach. Silence could be peaceful. Ruby could handle that."I’ve n
"Congratulations, Senor Obrador. I hear your term will be extended."Obrador was forced to turn around and smile. He didn't recognize the man who had called out to him and was now approaching from the elevator's direction. He appeared to be an employee in the reception area, as evidenced by his uniform.It wasn't important, but Obrador had to smile. He couldn’t afford to ruin the positive image he had maintained all this time."Thank you. I will do my best to fulfill this trust with all my heart." Obrador shook the young man's hand. His face was somewhat unfamiliar. He didn’t look like a typical Latin man. Maybe he was mixed, as his features resembled those of a European with black hair."Are you new here?" Obrador asked."I’ve been here for two years." The man’s smile faded slightly, disappointed at not being recognized."Oh, yes! I forgot. Ayala." The name embroidered on the man's uniform was quickly read by Obrador
"You're overreacting." Matilda blushed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. This was the umpteenth time she had heard such a small compliment. At first, it felt strange, but eventually, it made her melt like butter. That face was indeed very convincing."I mean, there's no need to report this to Señor Obrador. This is just a minor setting error. And if he gets angry and reports it to my superior, then... I'm done. I'll lose my job." As part of his persuasion strategy, Val gestured by slicing his neck, accompanied by a pleading face."But... I have to ask for permission to hand over the key card." Matilda hesitated.Matilda had no doubt about Val's claims that he was a representative from the luxury car company and had come because he found a program error—and needed to take the car to reset it.But Matilda was still scared of Obrador. She would also lose her job if something went wrong with the car. She knew how proud Obrador was when he bo
"I thought our party meeting was our first. But it turns out you already knew me," Ed said.He slowly lowered his gun. It didn't matter, because Val and Eren/Ayala were now standing beside Obrador, guns in hand. Obrador wouldn't be foolish enough to try to run."I don't understand what you're talking about. We did meet for the first time at that party," Obrador frowned.Ed grinned, admiring Obrador's effort to stay calm. But he was a seasoned politician, skilled at controlling his expressions. It was his job to act."We might have just met, but you’ve already met my parents, or so they said. Along with Esli," Ed smiled.He saw a flicker of unease cross Obrador's face before it returned to its neutral expression."Your father? Of course, I know him. Our worlds may seem far apart, but they’re actually quite close. You know this, right? We both have lucrative side businesses," Obrador responded, again putting on a confused face.
"Get in." Val opened the door of Obrador's prized luxury car, gesturing for him to enter and sit in the driver's seat."Hm… what? Why…" Obrador laughed uncontrollably before suddenly slumping over. Drunk, of course.Val had provided two bottles of high-quality whiskey—Obrador's usual favorite—and all of it had ended up in Obrador's stomach. Naturally, his brain wasn't functioning straight anymore.It had taken some effort to persuade Obrador to consume the entire amount, as he was aware of the negative consequences that usually followed alcohol consumption. But in his current state, Obrador's brain couldn’t form any suspicions, so now he sat there without resistance."Asher, are you done?" Val asked Asher, whose face bore a striking resemblance to Ayala/Eren. He sat next to Obrador, altering all the travel data recorded by the car's navigation system, including replacing the dash cam footage. He erased anything that showed
Liz closed the door to the building that would soon become the boutique she would manage, smiling as she did so. After nearly a month of searching and preparing everything, she was almost ready to begin.Liz brushed her fingers over the name on the sign hanging on the door: Gemma's Boutique. She used that name intentionally because no one would ever call her that again. The name would be gone.By making it the name of her store, Gemma wouldn't disappear. The name would now be hers and spoken."Ah!" Liz gasped in surprise as she turned around and saw an unexpected person. Mendez had been standing behind her the whole time."Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you." Mendez bowed slightly."What are you doing here? You refused to meet me before, didn’t you? And now you're here?!" Liz was clearly frustrated because Mendez had refused to see her yesterday.Despite Ed's instruction, Mendez continued to refuse. Liz had been angry, but she d
“Your mouth is like garbage!” Liz shouted as she stood up and pointed at the man who had just insulted her.He had a handsome face—slightly long wavy hair, sharp, light brown eyes—but his mouth wasn't as pretty as his face.“Wait, Witch! Did you just insult me? You didn't apologize; instead, you became angry with me?" The man pointed to his damaged laptop.Liz glanced at it and actually felt guilty, but the man's rude attitude was too annoying.“Do you even know what's in there? Work and…”“Why should I care?” Liz brushed the dust off her coat and walked past the man. She didn’t care.“Hey!” The man grabbed Liz's arm.“Where do you think you’re going? Don’t you feel guilty? Shouldn't you be responsible?!” he shouted.“Guilty? You were walking in the street with your laptop open and coffee in hand! Even the wind could mak