Chapter 139
The silence that followed was shattered by a single, deafening gunshot.
Flichhh!
The sharp sound reverberated through the room, followed by the sickening splatter of hot blood.
Arthur’s face was spattered with crimson drops, warm and sticky against his skin.
His expression remained eerily composed as he slowly reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a silk handkerchief. With practiced elegance, he dabbed the blood from his face, his movements unhurried and precise.
Behind him, RJ’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud, a gaping hole where his head used to be.
Arthur turned his gaze toward the window, where the faint glint of a sniper’s scope disappeared into the distance. He folded the bloodstained handkerchief neatly and tucked it away before standing, his posture relaxed but his smile cold and sharp.
The room was unnervingly calm, a stark contrast to the lifeless body sprawled behind Arthur’s couch. Blood pooled silently beneath the corpse, but neither of the two men seated in the room seemed to acknowledge it. The air carried the metallic tang of death, but Arthur’s expression remained composed, his smile elegant, almost disarming.
“Apologies, brother-in-law,” Arthur said, turning to Lucian with that same unreadable smile, his tone light and conversational. “I detest losing, you see.”
Lucian remained seated, his posture relaxed, his gaze drifting briefly to the corpse on the floor. There was no disgust, no shock only a faint trace of something akin to sadness. It was as if this was just another inconvenience, no more troubling than an overturned glass of wine.
Arthur’s sharp eyes narrowed, lingering on Lucian’s face. Interesting, he thought. Not the reaction I expected from someone with his reputation.
Arthur leaned back, his smile never faltering as his mind began turning. He had heard plenty of rumors about Lucian the son of the Kane family, dismissed as a good-for-nothing wastrel who couldn’t hold his own in even the simplest of conflicts. Yet, here he sat, unfazed by the blood, the death, the chaos. Arthur made a mental note to reevaluate him thoroughly.
His gaze flicked toward the phone on the table. The device sat innocently, though the voice emanating from it was anything but. “Well played, sister,” Arthur said, his tone devoid of warmth but tinged with grudging respect.
“Always, little brother,” Celestia replied, her voice light and amused, as though this entire scene were a delightful game to her.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed further, studying the phone as if it might hold the key to some unspoken mystery. He glanced back at Lucian, whose expression hadn’t shifted. The man even had the audacity to smile faintly, as if mocking the gravity of the situation. Arthur’s mind churned. What am I missing here? What does she see in him that I don’t?
With a soft sigh, Arthur settled back into his seat, crossing one leg over the other with practiced elegance. “So,” he began, his voice crisp, almost nonchalant, “you’ve won this round, sister. Congratulations.” He gestured lazily toward RJ’s body. “But what now? Your pawn is gone. What other plans do you have in store? I’d be… curious.”
His sharp gaze flicked to Lucian as he added, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “You know, I could still harm your darling.”
From the speaker, Celestia’s laughter spilled into the room, sweet and mocking. “Oh, Arthur,” she said, her tone dripping with condescension. “That’s where you’re wrong. You seem to be missing something important.”
Arthur’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes glinted with growing curiosity. “Do tell,” he said smoothly, leaning forward ever so slightly.
Celestia’s voice dropped, taking on a devilish edge that made the room feel colder. “Do you really think,” she asked, her tone dark and honeyed, “that the person I would choose to love would be… ordinary?”
Arthur froze, his breath catching for the briefest of moments. His sharp eyes darted to Lucian, who was still seated across from him. Lucian met Arthur’s gaze with that same faint, almost infuriatingly polite smile. But then, Arthur caught it a flicker of amusement, a slight widening of Lucian’s smile as if he found Celestia’s words entertaining.
Arthur’s mind raced. What is this? His sister’s choice in Lucian had always baffled him, but now, a new thought took root Does she know something about him that I don’t?
“Mr. Kane,” Arthur said finally, his voice smooth but edged with curiosity. “Is what my sister says… true?”
Lucian tilted his head, his polite smile unwavering. “I have no idea what she’s talking about,” he said calmly, shaking his head. But the subtle humor in his tone didn’t escape Arthur’s notice.
Arthur leaned back, his eyes narrowing further. He’s lying. Or at the very least, he knows more than he’s letting on.
Celestia’s voice cut through the tension, filled with unshakable pride and confidence. “You see, Arthur,” she said, her tone light but laced with menace, “while I have every confidence in my plans, I wouldn’t let my darling be in danger. Even now, no matter what you think you’re capable of, none of you would walk dry outa it.”
Arthur’s smile sharpened, but his jaw tightened imperceptibly. “Quite a Loki you’ve married, sister,” he said, his tone both mocking and contemplative as his gaze flicked back to Lucian.
Lucian chuckled softly, raising his hands in mock surrender. “She’s exaggerating,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, do you really think someone like me, unarmed and unprepared, could stand up to… this?” He gestured casually around the room, adding with a low whistle, “You’ve got guns, this many people and not to say snipers i would be done in seconds.”
Arthur’s eyes lingered on Lucian for a long moment, his thoughts swirling. He’s deflecting. But why?
Lucian sighed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s impossible,” he muttered, though the faint smile on his lips betrayed a flicker of amusement.
Arthur sat back, his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest of his chair. His mind raced with questions, strategies, and possibilities. No matter how much he hated to admit it, Celestia was always ten steps ahead. Her words, Lucian’s reactions, even the subtle interplay between the two none of it aligned with the narrative Arthur had built in his head.
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