A Rose Of Revenge

✴️Chapter 12✴️: And we meet again.

He was silent. Turning the contents of the cup slowly, he looked at me long and hard. He seemed to be selecting his next words carefully.

"You've changed". He said. Not the words I was expecting him to say but close enough.

"You too. Besides, I would be destined for sorrow if I trust another Henia". I explained to him, as he entered another world of silence and careful observation once again.

"So why? Why did you bring me out of there?" I asked him.

"Why would I watch my friend stay in jail for doing nothing wrong and leave her be? I would be a really bad friend, Nora. Which I'm not".

"Drop the pretense and go straight to the point, Phillips. Stop giving me your false care".   He gasped dramatically and let his hands fly to his chest.

"I really do care!"

"You mean you travelled all the way from England to release a friend from jail after she's spent eight years there? A Friend whom you haven't contacted not even once in Sixteen years! Isn't it hypocritical even to you, the hypocrite?!" I fired at him.

"I couldn't reach you not because I didn't want to but because I couldn't".

"So now you could? Because you dared or because the urge for what you want has eaten deep into you?!"

"Why are you firing questions at me, Nora? I mean, we are at least friends, couldn't you be a little bit gentle with me?"

"I have no friends". I deadpanned. He was speechless for a while, then he sat up on the bed and straightened himself, dropping the tea cup at his side, he sighed, and straightened his face like he was ready to say the big deal.

"Fine. I admit. I had other reasons for bringing you out and announcing you dead and I swear it's not to harm you. We the Henias have offended you, we know..." He started, and I already knew where he was going but I listened carefully anyway. "Especially Dure. What he did was unforgivable, I know.  And I know you hate him to the core and want to bring him down at all costs, and I know no one can stop you from what you're planning to do. I just want to plead with you that if you're destroying Dure, can you leave the rest of the family out of this?!" Phillips asked with such an innocent face.

Remember when I said Phillips changed! He really did and now he's more lethal than his brother.

"You want to use my hatred for your brother to your advantage and destroy your brother so you can have what he has been preventing you from having?! In other words, my hatred is like your bulldozer" I straightened out his words for him.

He looked quite shocked but immediately masked it up with a smile. "Not exactly but-"

I interrupted him, signalling him that I wasn't in any mood to hear more of his hypocrisy. "No need to explain, only a liar explains when his explantation isn't needed. Since we have the same goal, I'll agree to what you said. I'll take down Dure so you can have the empire to yourself. But I'll agree on three conditions" I started, sitting up straight in my chair.  "One. You're funding everything. Everything I need, you'll fund it! Two. You'll provide the henchmen. Three. I live by my own rules. And just to make this clear. We're not partners neither are we friends. You're the equipment, I'm the worker!" 

He looked quite pleased with my requirements.

"You're quite straightforward, Nora! Though I'm not too pleased to be an equipment, we do have a common goal after all"  He said as he stretched forth his hand for an handshake but I didn't take it. "Like I said before, We're not partners. Equipment and worker don't shake hands". I replied him and he smiled before retracting his hand. His cheeks became red from embarrassment.