“Huh? What’s that about your dinner?”Deirdre told Tobey how everything had gone down, and the young man chuckled. “Ha, I knew you’ve got the magic, Dee,” he remarked.A cool evening wind billowed, and he smoothed her hair. “Too bad that cost you your dinner, though. But you’re in luck. There is a pretty good grill stall in town, and according to rumors, they have less oily and flavorful options. Wanna give that a try?”“Sounds great! I happen to think today’s progress calls for a celebration.”Tobey clapped the cushion of a share-bike. “Get into my sweet ride for the evening, miss. I am but your humble chauffeur.”Deirdre got onto the backseat and tightly held the edge of Tobey’s shirt. He started to pedal, and the two set sail into the wind.During a few seemingly trivial seconds, an Audi brushed past them. “Sir, Professor Ward’s residence is right ahead,” Sam reported as he scanned the neighborhood. “Do you want to visit him now that you’re in Surstate?”The man he was addr
Julia held her chin with the thick of her palm. “I got bored of takeout, ugh! Sure, my grandfather hired a cook, but I bet she wishes she could be as good as you are. There’s no joy in eating what she makes! She still has her job because my grandfather explicitly forbids me from firing people out of my preferences!”Then, suddenly, her eyes glinted. She cast a very meaningful stare in Deirdre’s direction. “Wait a sec. Why don’t… you become our new cook!? Name your price! I bet it’ll pay you way more than being my piano teacher.”The prospect quite tempted Deirdre, but she remembered her pregnancy and dismissed the idea with a smile. “I’ll pass.”“You’ll pass? Oh, h*ll no. Are you just holding a grudge against me for being a little bit nasty to you when we first started? Huh! Who knew you could be this grudgeful, huh? Okay, I formally apologize for being a brat and a pain in your *ss! I promise I won’t ever say something nasty to you again!” she declared. “But if that’s not enough fo
Professor Ward sighed. “There’s a little… complication with her hand. It’s largely healed, but she still can’t pick up a brush anymore. So, she turned to learning the piano instead.”Brendan was as unperturbed as ever. “I see.”Inside, Julia was taken aback by the abrupt mismatched melody. “What the heck?”“It’s nothing,” replied Deirdre, laughing dryly as she tried her best to calm herself down. “It was an accident.”“It was pretty chaotic!” She rose. “We’ll resume our lesson later. I should go outside and greet Brendan. Will be back in a jiffy!”Julia went outside, and Deirdre clenched her hands into fists. She still could not stop herself from trembling. What if Brendan suddenly opened the door and came in? She pressed her ear at the door and listened. She could hear him complimenting Julia rather decorously, “You’re all grown up now, aren’t you? And all glowed up, too.”Brendan never liked saying these things, so the fact that he even did showed how much he respected Profes
Julia was in a rare mood to compliment others. “I know she sounds a little too young to be giving lessons, but I think she’s a good teacher. I actually get way more about piano from her than those teachers and their endless lectures about theories and all that junk!”A kind smile broke out on Professor Ward’s lips. “Few people could elicit such high praises from my Julia. I really think we’ve struck gold this time.”The girl’s cheeks went a little pink. “I mean, to be fair… I've been chowing down on the food she makes, too, so it’s not like I’m gonna bite the hand that feeds me, right?”“Eating her food? Young lady! And here I thought you’d rather buy takeout than eat home-cooked meals!”Her grandfather’s comment reminded Julia of the offer she had made. Deirdre might have rejected her when she asked the former to be her new cook, but maybe… if her grandfather was the one talking, Deirdre might relent after all!Her eyes twinkled. She snuck up to Professor Ward and threw her arms
Julia felt both shock and worry roll into one. She lurched and helped her up, demanding, “What’s wrong, Deirdre? Why were you hiding in the closet? And God, why are you shaking so much!?”Deirdre’s lashes were quivering. She desperately sought her voice, and when it finally came out like a leaky whisper, she exhaled, “I’m… fine…”“Miss me with that bullsh*t! You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”Deirdre sputtered out a dry laugh. It was as if she had a brush with Death itself—and for now, she lived. “I’m fine, really. I… I just need a favor. Please, Julia.”“W-What kind of favor?”Deirdre closed her eyes. “Don’t ever tell anyone my name.”“Your name?” Something larger than confusion and questioning loomed over Julia. “Why?”Unpacking the entire complexities of her life was too grueling, so Deirdre simply replied under her breath, “I know you’re a good kid at heart, Julia, but there are some things I can’t tell you. What I can say is that I’m not a bad guy and haven’t committed any
Brendan furrowed his eyebrows. “When did they leave?”“Not long ago!” Henry’s answer sprung at the tail-end of his question. “About three or four days ago.”Three or four days ago? Meaning they had left the eastern Surstate and came straight to the west side. It was also the one blindspot of their manhunt. Brendan wished he could kick himself for this mistake. A part of him was mocking himself—oh, what lengths his darling Deirdre would not go to if it meant escaping him!How were they supposed to survive in the wealthier western Surstate now that Tobey’s bank account had been frozen? He shook himself out of his thoughts and finally turned to look Henry in the eyes for the first time. Part of him could not help but notice how much the man’s skin seemed to be glistening under the light. “Do you know where they went?”His display of patience made Henry feel honored and special. Brendan was the kind of elite, legendary figure everyone would scrape their knees to lick his shoes clea
Sam lifted him high—a feat easy enough for his well-trained muscles. He chucked him at a chair, and the force with Henry’s weight combined smashed the poor thing into pieces.Sam picked up one of its legs like a baton.Henry almost wetted himself from the sudden change of events. Still lying on the floor, he begged, “Stop, Mr. Brighthall! Sir! Oh Lord, stop! I’ll give you everything you need! Don’t hit me! Please! Stop!”The blood from his nose and lips seemed to have mixed together before rolling down his face and splattering onto the floor. He was shaking.Sam turned to look at Brendan, who simply lit up a cigarette. The rage in his eyes hardly dissipated.The bodyguard understood. He stomped on Henry a few more times until the man was too beaten to even shout, and finally, Sam asked, “Do you know what was your mistake?”Henry shook his head like his life depended on it. Judging from his badly bruised face, he would not be wrong. Sam pulled him by the collar and said in a low
”I”m not here for the professor!” Brendan cut her off, his fingers clutching Julia’s arms. He had never looked so anxious before. “That piano teacher! Where is she?”Julia froze for a second. “The piano teacher?”Brendan shoved her aside and ran toward the piano room as Julia reeled out of her shock to follow him. “Brendan, she’s clocked out. She has gone home.”“Gone!?” Brendan thinned his lips and turned to fix a piercing stare at her. “I’m going to ask you one question, and I need you to answer me honestly. That piano teacher is visually impaired, isn’t she?”Julia averted her gaze. “Visually impaired? You mean, like a blind person?”“Yes. A blind woman.”Julia laughed mirthlessly. “Come on. How’s a blind person supposed to be anyone’s piano teacher?”“She’s… an able-bodied person, then.”“Yeah,” Julia quickly answered, nodding. She could not stop herself from adding, “You’re really out of sorts, Brendan. Why? Did you think that piano teacher is someone you know?”“Yes.” Br