Damnit. Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.
Was this some kind of cruel, unfair joke? If I didn't know any better, I was guessing this was some setup that Ares' brother had made on purpose, just for his own pleasure.
I bit down on my lower lip, trying to prevent myself from breathing erratically or screaming if something scurried by.
I don't think Ares likes dog treats.
He would definitely be a lot harder to get by then a bunch of guard dogs.
It didn't exactly help that he probably detested me and wanted revenge for last time. How did he get back here, anyways? Was there some stupid rule in the mafia telling you to return the enemy back home after he tried to kill you? Did that even make sense?!
It felt like the world was working against me. Time was ticking.
It was already 2:00 am.
Although the maids didn't check on me until around 9:00am, I was still pressed for time.
Could I do this in a mere seven hours?
I need an idea...Well, that was obvious. What did I even have left in my bag? A couple of dog treats, remnants of some rope, some leftover money, an unused tazer and gun, a handkerchief... everything was useless!
If some other security guard had been on watch, I would've been a little more confident that I would be able to pummel them or at least pull off something. Ares, on the other hand... I was kind of afraid of him going all insane on me again.
And there was no way I was going to shoot Ares, or anyone for that matter.
The sudden sound of chimes almost made me gasp, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. A dim light began to glow from Ares' direction, and I could tell he was getting closer.
"What?" Ares spat, sounding impatient and angry as ever. Thank goodness, he was on a cellphone. If he had been talking to me... I didn't even want to think about what would happen.
"Huh? Of course I'm keeping watch! ... Yeah, no one has gone by... what? Arc is gone? ... What? That's impossible! I just saw him this morning! ... Excuse me? I don't f*cking care if he just vanished a half hour ago, he did not f*cking pass me, okay? ... Father is counting on me? ... Well, fine then. I suppose I can handle it. I'll be heading back, then. ... Yeah. Mmkay. Bye."
It was surprising how different his tone of voice could be. At first he was in such a seething, overwhelming rage that the darkness around us seemed to quiver at his tone of voice. But the instant his father was mentioned, that anger had dissipated into a gentle, if not loving tone. It was almost like the time I had first met him.
I watched carefully as Ares darted back towards the clearing, able to make out a bright smile on his face, full of innocent, naive happiness in the dim glow of his cell phone.
I slowly made my way after Ares, following at quite a distance to make sure he didn't notice me. I was quite confident that in his current state, he probably wouldn't notice if I walked right behind him. It was better to play it safe, though.
My mouth fell open when I spotted the Viridian Estate. Like I had thought, it was completely different than the Sangria Estate.
Unlike the elegant splendor of the Sangria Estate, the Viridan Estate was... earthy. The house seemed to be made completely of rock and granite. It was covered in vines and lush green flora all over it. A canopy of branches formed by the surrounding trees, dangled over the roof of the house. A cliff loomed in the distance.
Unlike the flashy decorations and landscaping done at the Sangria Estate, the yard was small, if not covered in underbrush and trees. It was like discovering a secret oasis with a desert---but in this case, it was like uncovering an ancient, lost castle within a jungle.
Considering that the Viridian building itself was not very large in height, there were probably miles of rooms and passageways underground. If they were Sangria's biggest competition, they would definitely need the man power to keep that title.
To my surprise, there were no guards. Security was probably focused on the inside, then.
Glancing to the left, I noticed a small, barely noticeable passageway that seemed to lead somewhere.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's the exchange location. I thought precariously.
I wouldn't have noticed the pathway if the large, light-blue ribbon hadn't been tied around the base of one of the trees next to it.
Taking precaution of a few security cameras installed in higher locations, I darted through the forest until I was on the path. I could see a sketchy, small building at the end of the path. The roof was made entirely of glass.
Could this be where they grow all the "nightshades"?
Eyeing the ribbon, I pulled it off the tree as I noticed something written on the backside of it.
Welcome! Took you long enough! I almost got bored of waiting. Meet me at the warehouse ahead. The code is L0Z3R. Better have brought the item, or I'll be angry~! Love, Arc.
My eyes widened. Wait a minute... his name was Arc? The same 'Arc' that Ares was supposed to be looking for was his brother?
Uh-oh. This was not going to end well.
What if Ares catches me with his brother? I didn't even want to imagine what it'd be like facing both brothers simultaneously.
I stared down at the message. The "item" he had spoken of... Why did he want it so badly?
I had asked Dad about it, and although he had been shocked initially, he eventually told me that he was in possession of a certain ring.
Of course, it hadn't been easy. I somehow ended up explaining Leon's situation, and... well, it took a lot of convincing and pleading until he agreed to give it to me. He was not so much concerned with giving up the ring as he was with the fact that I was putting myself into unthinkable danger. He told me to never mention the ring after the exchange, as even mentioning it would draw all sorts of unwanted enemies to me.
Be careful. This ring is worth a lot more than you think it is, but it's not worth as much as your life.
With that warning in mind, I had become terribly afraid of the consequences of giving up the ring to Ares' brother, Arc. Just what was I getting myself into?
The ring itself was gorgeous, and rather uniquely designed. There were three central pieces. As the base were two gem halves shaped like crescent moons: one a brilliant ruby colour, another a deep hue of green. Embedded in the centre was a small, cerulean-coloured gem.
As explained to me by my Dad, the red gem was a red diamond. It was an extremely rare gemstone, sold for approximately 2.5 million dollars per carat.
The green gem was jadeite. The rarest gem in the world---and 3 million dollars per carat.
The small blue gem in the centre was blue garnet. Although less valuable at 1.5 million dollars per carat in comparison to the others, the gem had an interesting property of colour change. It could change from the greenish-blue hue to a purple.
There still seemed to be some detail missing. Sure, the ring was completely rare and made me feel nervous by just holding it, but... I personally didn't think that Arc was the type to desire material wealth. There had to be something more to it than just money. But what?
Holding the ring in my hand, I snapped back into reality, refocusing my attention on the goal in front of me. I couldn't hesitate now. Leon was suffering, and the longer I took to save him, the more torture he would have to endure.
Walking steadily down the path, I held my head high as I approached the warehouse, trying not falter. The building itself seemed run-down and on the verge of collapsing but the completely modern, pass-code machinery at the door told otherwise.
I punched in the code quickly, and to my relief, the door swiftly slid open. If Arc had given me a fake code... Don't think about it. I urged myself.
Gulping, I took a deep breath as I stepped through the doorway, the door sliding shut behind me like a threatening guillotine.
Although the entrance seemed a little sketchy, there was a gap in the ground a few steps ahead, separating the dirty cement ground from the tiled, pure-white plating of the actual warehouse.
Exotic plants and flowers bloomed everywhere in a rainbow of colours and sizes.
It was a giant greenhouse.
Taking the handkerchief out of my bag, I covered my mouth after inhaling a couple times. I could unintentionally choke myself to death in here.
"That's clever!" A voice laughed, and I looked up towards the ceiling. Arc was sitting on the railing above me, dangling his legs over the edge without any concern.
There was a railed-pathway, resembling a segmented second level like an indoor balcony on the walls of the warehouse. Paths from it lead to the centre in the shape of an 'X'.
"Obviously. Did you expect me to just suffocate here?" I retorted irritably, trying to appear confident. Arc swung his legs childishly, grinning at me with no signs of guilt whatsoever. I clicked my tongue.
He whirled around the railing like an ape. I frowned.
"Where's the antidote?" I demanded. "Unlike you, I don't have time to play around."
"Don't be in such a hurry. You're going to get wrinkles, you know." Arc responded, leaping down from the tall railing and landing painlessly beside me. He landed without a sound, and straightened his posture to tower over me. His violet eyes almost seemed to glow in the faint light of the warehouse.
"What about my present? Didn't you bring it with you?" He inquired, his eyes scanning me up and down until he spotted the ring on my finger. His face lit up.
"You did bring it! Good girl!" He reached to pat my head, but I swatted his hand away.
"Don't touch me." I hissed, narrowing my eyes. "Not only did you poison Leon, but you killed Damon! Not to mention you totally set up me tonight with Ares being on watch. Is this all some sort of stupid game to you?" I shouted in fury.
"Ah, you found out?" Arc sneered, taking off the gardener gloves he was wearing. "Ares looked bored. I thought you could entertain him a little."
"And what about Damon? Why did you kill him?" I folded my arms across my chest. I was actually itching to punch him in the face. I was hoping that by folding my arms, I wouldn't be stupid enough to just lash out at him.
"Oh, him? Right. Uh, for numerous reasons. I'll list them for you." He chuckled. There was a hint of uncertainty to his words, strangely enough.
"One. When I was snooping around the Sangria house a little, he found me and threatened to kill me. That's a no-no." He shook his finger, his eyes flashing with hatred for a moment.
"Two. After your little friend took Ares at your party, let's say he left one too many marks on my poor little brother's back during interrogation." He lowered his gaze. Another knife appeared from inside his sleeve and landed in his palm. It gleamed in the light ominously.
"You mean... they tortured him?" I whispered, dumbfounded. That was news to me.
"You're honestly surprised? Open your eyes a little, missy. You expect him to pull a stunt like that and get away with nothing? A few slashes on the back is nothing, however..." His eyes flickered upwards. "
They can't just expect to me do nothing. Learn of our Father's plans and get away with spilling Viridian blood? Bullsh*t." His fake smile vanished for a moment, and his serious face was so dreadfully frightening that I shuddered. I instinctively took a step back in fear.
"Ooops. Did I scare you? That's what you get for getting me all serious like that." He chuckled, back to his innocent facade. It was like pulling a 'happy' mask over his face.
But torture? Did Leon know about that? This was like a self-destructive cycle. Attack one, hurt the other, and repeat. When was it going to stop?
"Although I do know you're upset about Ares... killing someone won't make it any better." I advised, my voice shaking as I spoke. "It won't ever stop, you know? Revenge is just a cycle. It's just going to continue until even death seems like it's not a big deal. You're already getting there. It's useless to think that you're going to feel better by hurting the other, but... I know that's how it's always been, but---"
"It is not useless." Arc roared, his eyes inflated in anger, and his pupils contracted. "If it makes me feel better, I will do it. Someone uninvolved like you can just stay out of it."
His entire aura was so dominating and foreboding that it felt like I was dealing with some sort of savage animal. It was like words did not even matter to him. It was like instinct alone guided him to make decisions.
I was too stunned to respond, particularly because Arc seemed prepared to dive at me with his knife at any time.
"Isn't it ironic? The Sangria always pretend to be the good guys and live in the light. It's like we're their f*cking shadow, doing all the dirty work while they take credit for it. Sangria, Sang, means blood. Shouldn't that be hint enough for their dirty business?" Arc continued, his hysteria building until his face suddenly relaxed and he smiled broadly at me.
He was like a ticking time bomb.
"That's why if you hand over the ring, I'll give you the antidote, and you can leave, right~?" He chirped, oblivious to how psychotic he had been acting. He pulled out a small vial, adorned with small red heart, and dangled it in front of me. A heart? Was he mocking me?
"How do I know it's the right one?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking. The horrid look on Arc's face was imprinted in my mind.
"You don't trust me, Lin-Lin? You should've known that coming here, right? That you're playing my rules. You're just going to have to trust me." He shook his head, pouting his lips. Did this guy have a switch or something? How could he just change personality in an instant?
"But I don't. You'll have to p-prove it to me if you want this ring." I tried to feign confidence, showing off the ring before I lowered my hand behind me.
He had the advantage here---all his men, all his weapons, all the help he needed was just around the corner.
I, on the other hand, was utterly alone and vulnerable.
"Oooh, ooh, I have an idea!" Arc exclaimed, bubbling with excitement. "Why don't I poison you as well and you can test out the antidote? Then you'd trust it, right?" He offered innocently with a daunting smile.
Did he even know what he was saying?
"W-What...?" I took a step back, watching as Arc merrily skipped over to the flowers, took out a syringe, and took the concentrated poison from stigma from the flower directly.
Just how potent would that be?
"I don't know how strong this is exactly... but it'll be a fun experience, I'm sure!" He laughed, turning around swiftly and taking a large step towards me. He was inches away from me in a matter of seconds.
"D-Don't move!" I exclaimed, pulling out the gun in desperation. My hands shook terribly against the cold metal. He was freaking insane! He was going to poison me so I could freaking test it out? Did he have any common sense?
"I thought you wanted to know if the antidote works. Jeez, I'm doing a favor for you here and everything!" He looked legitimately confused by my protest. He crossed his arms with the syringe still in hand. He did not even seem to be bothered by the fact I was pointing a gun at him.
It wasn't like I was going to use it, but it wasn't like he would have known that!
... Would I actually shoot if it came to that situation, though? My heart thudded loudly.
"I'm pretty sure if you inject that, I'd die in a second." I retorted, my calmness slowly returning to me. I did feel like I had regained some control and power once holding the gun. At the very least, I felt like my chances of escaping alive had (maybe) increased by about 10%. Maybe even more than that.
"Haha, that's true." Arc smirked, completely okay with admitting that he might have killed me.
Oh boy.
The sound of the entrance sliding open abruptly caused me to hesitantly turn around.
Oh crap. Please don't be....
"Oh god." I coughed, spotting Ares through the opening. I winced as I watched his face turn from normal to horror the moment our eyes met.
"... Sup?" I offered feebly.
"Linette Cyan? What the f*ck are you doing here?!" He screamed, completely red in the face. I couldn't exactly tell if he was more angry than surprised. I was guessing it was probably both.
"Haha Rezzy looks funny~!" Arc shouted equally as loud, bouncing towards Ares as he threw his arm around his shoulders in an almost feminine gesture.
Didn't Leon use that nickname for Ares too?
"Arc! What the----why is she here? With you?" He jerked his head back and forth to glance at Arc and I.
"How do I say this... we're on a date?" Arc pouted, lying through his teeth.
"What?" Ares murmured, his eyes twitching with disbelief. "You like this kind of guy?"
"Heeey, what did you mean by that." Arc retorted, feigning anger. "Well, I am gorgeous!" He dramatically pretended to flip his hair over his shoulder.
It was unbelievable how completely outrageous this situation was.
"He's joking, Ares." I mumbled, watching as Arc started to laugh so hard that he literally began rolling on the floor like some sort of puppy.
"Eh? He is?" Ares responded, turning red in the face from humiliation. "...Oh."
When he wasn't screaming at you in anger, he was pretty cute.
"Wait, that still doesn't explain why you're here!" He continued, Arc's laughing still echoing in the background.
"Uh... it's a long story?" I smiled weakly, unsure of how to explain myself.
Oh you know, your brother blackmailed me into getting him this ring by poisoning Leon, and yeah, I kind of broke in to get this antidote from him, and yeah, no big deal.
Like hell I was going to say that.
"He... He PROPOSED to you?!" Ares' voice cracked as he spotted the ring on my hand. He began to run around in circles, adding to the weirdness of the situation. Arc was still rolling on the ground, giggling to himself.
"Jeez, it isn't even on my ring finger, idiot." I remarked, unable to help myself as I laughed. Well, if you looked past the psychosis and anger management problems, these two could potentially be half-decent. Maybe. Didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Whoa. Does... Does that mean... you're my sister-in-law now...?"
"I didn't marry him you freak! Stop jumping to conclusions!"
Ares stopped in place, stared at me, and made a complete puppy-dog face. If he added a whimper in there, I probably would have squealed and run over to hug him to death.
What was with these crazy bursts of emotions?
It was almost like they were... drunk or something.
I gasped, slapping my forehead.
"I know why." I muttered softly.
They were getting high off the fumes in the greenhouse. Even with my mouth covered with my handkerchief, I was starting to feel a little lightheaded myself.
No wonder everyone seemed to be on an emotional roller coaster. I pressed the handkerchief firmly against my face.
"I know, right? I'm hungry too." Ares sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes as he talked to no one in particular. "Ohh~ How I would like some pancakes right now ~!" He sang completely off-tune.
I swear Arc had been laughing for at least ten minutes at this point. Despite being absolutely terrifying and witty in other aspects, he had been pretty stupid to have forgotten about the conditions of his own greenhouse. Well, at least I was guessing it was the fumes. Maybe he's always like this. I thought with a smirk.
CLICK!
THIS IS AN URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT.
The voice boomed from the enormous speakers above us. I had to strain to make out the words on the announcements as Arc was seriously laughing at the top of his lungs. Still.
THERE ARE INTRUDERS IN THE MAIN BUILDING. EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO GET THEM. FIRST ONE TO CAPTURE THEM RECEIVES 500 GRAND. GOOD LUCK.
What was wrong with this house? Why did they seem to make a game out of anything?
Another loud thud boomed behind me, and I yelped as I saw the tip of an axe lodge itself through the metal door of the warehouse.
"I think we'll be safe in here!" A voice shouted from the outside. Other voices murmured in agreement.
Don't tell me.
The intruders?
... Why would they pick here out of all the possible places?!
I looked back at Ares and Arc.
Ares was sobbing and crying hysterically as he ran around in circles. Arc was rolling on the ground, laughing like a maniac.
Both were completely out of their minds and clearly in no condition to protect themselves against any intruders.
So it was just me.
Against a bunch of probably extremely dangerous intruders breaking their way in.
Lovely.