Celestine glanced at Mercy and his heart clenched as he noticed her shrunken expression.He didn’t know if it was Fred’s subtle taunts that cut down her size or if it was the daunting awkwardness between them. “I need a cold shower,” he said abruptly, stirring the silence.“Won’t you introduce her? Who’s she? We don’t need more people we do not know Celestine.” Mariah said, her voice tinged with concern.Celestine caught his patience slowly slipping by, he had to get away for a minute to recollect himself.“Mariah, I wouldn’t bring anyone into this house if I didn’t trust them enough. I’ll meet you at the dining table.”With that, he walked away, leaving them confused and concerned.“Did anything happen on the way back home?” Mariah asked, turning to the fair lady.Still shaken by the evening, Mercy only managed to respond with a soft nod.“What is this? A new feature? You used to be cunning and haughty, what happened to you?” Fred teased, his voice losing the calm that Mariah knew t
As Celestine hurried out of the house, footsteps echoed behind him, calling out his name. Finally, he stopped turning towards the approaching figure. “Celestine, you don’t have to do this,” Fred pressed, “If it is because she will lead us to Archer, there’s an even better way.”“Yeah? What way is better?” Celestine asked, squinting his eyes quizzically. “Master Woods.” Fred replied, “You can trust him, he made Archer into all of this. He would never turn his back on him. I’m certain that he’s doing everything he possible to get Archer out of there.” “I do not doubt that Master Woods is on our side. But he’s your Master, not mine. In some ways, you can say my Master is Archer, and in this situation, Archer would choose Mercy’s safety over any assumptions.“ Before Fred could say another word, Celestine hopped into his car, taking along with him a guard of the house. Mercy had barely made it a few blocks away from the mansion, her mind filled with fear and despair. A flood of repre
Celestine came to the dining table, surprised to find it empty but with food laid out. He quickly sauntered to the kitchen, calling out for his sister. "Mariah!" His voice returned without a reply, and Celestine sighed softly, going back to the dining table. He settled on the chair, and noticed that she had made breakfast for four people. "Oh, shit!" He exclaimed, suddenly remembering that he had a guest in the house. He buried his hand into his breast pocket to bring out his phone. Just then, Fred walked in, looking disheveled like he had just woken from sleep."You're already dressed? To where?" He asked, settling down on the seat across him."To the Palace of the young Prince Bullock. Wake your brain too." Celestine quipped. "I've been awake for two hours now, practicing my kenjitsu. I didn't miss a single step so my brain is awake too..." A moment of silence passed between them, each person brimming with words.Finally, Fred spoke out, his voice calm as usual, "How sure are y
Chapter 133The convoys bearing no labels nor logos of Sterling Groups pulled up in the garage of the Sullivan's business company, Celestine's heart sank as he stood at the entranceway wondering what he might find. However, he was more worried about not finding anyone at the company. He suspected the operations of the company had come to a halt since the day of the gruesome incident.Mercy stood beside him, observing his anxiety. "Here," she said, offering him black shades.Celestine raised an eyebrow at her strange suggestion but took it anyway. Together, they added the dark shades to their elegant appearance, creating an illusion of both assertiveness and a carefree attitude.Mercy extended her hand to him, "Play pretend," she muttered.As Celestine placed his hands on hers, their reflection in the mirror gave a picture of Bonnie and Clyde, or more accurately Dan Brown's Professor Langdon and Sienna.A sly smirk graced his lips as the image of them played in his mind. With a new
Celestine barged into the house, red in the face, murderous in the eye. Fred and Mariah exchanged worried glances, their gazes flickering from Celestine's furious face to Mercy’s indifferent expression.“Let me guess, it was a mistake?” Fred quipped. Mariah turned towards him, shaking her in disapproval. “Stop it, Fred.”“No, let him be… he was right, and I made a fool of myself trusting you.” Celestine fumed.“Celestine, what really happened?” Mariah asked calmly, gazing at him with curious eyes.“I don’t want to talk about it,” he fumed, storming past the living room, leaving Fred and Mariah looking at Mercy with suspicious eyes. The room held its breath as Mercy sought the words to explain the situation. Yet the more she thought about it, she realized if she said anything, they would misunderstand her.Unable to withstand their piercing gaze any longer, she cleared her throat softly. “I’ll be in my room,” she said, backing away. As soon as she disappeared into the hallway, Mariah
“Who is Master Woods?” She asked, speaking out for the first time. Celestine moved his gaze towards her, observing the skepticism in her eyes.“He’s one of the living saints on earth, you wouldn’t know about him because he’s not one of your dirty employers,” Fred sneered. His condescending comment gradually driving Celestine to the brink of insanity.“Working with these dirty people has taught me that there’s no saint on earth, Fred. You can decide to live in illusion or you can decide to wake up…”“Speak for yourself,” Fred returned, “Don’t speak when I call him.”With that, he dialed Master Woods's number and put the call on speaker. On the third ring, Master Woods's voice hollered into the phone. “What’s going on, Fred?”“Master, I’m alright but there are people on the edge, wondering what’s going on and what you’ve found so far…”“Fred, listen to me. I want to speak with his assistant.”“Well, he’s right here,” Fred replied quickly.“Good, are you listening boy? I hope it’s just
While Celestine’s heart raced as he opened the text message containing the link to the footage, Mercy stood by the window of the hotel room she temporarily occupied, staring at her phone screen as if she was expecting a call. She chewed her nails nervously, watching the time displayed on her screen move from pm to am. She was devastated.For the first time in her life, Mercy sought to explain herself. She understood how believable everything sounded but it was true that she only wanted to help. Not particularly to belong to a community like Fred suggested, but who didn’t like to feel safe and protected?“Celestine please,” she muttered, “Please, please, believe me…” It was almost 6 am, and her phone had not rang once, the person she thought would be her helper sent her away without even looking back.Mercy heaved a heavy sigh, rising from the window side, her skin had developed chills from the morning cold, and her sad eyes were now heavy with fatigue.Sluggishly, she sauntered acro
“See for yourself,” Celestine answered, handing his phone to Mercy.Abruptly, she paused turning to Celestine with a curiosity written on her face.“What is it?” Celestine asked, observing her expression.“I don’t know how this might sound so I’d rather not say it,” she said, exhaling softly as she looked outside the window. Her thoughts danced to the humming sound of the engine as they drove through the city. Silence set in, one filled with unspoken words and emotions. While Celestine was stuck with the guilt of how he handled last night, Mercy reminded herself to be extra careful now so as not to lose his trust in her. Every word she made to utter went through a rehashed process. For obvious reasons, she didn’t want to disappoint him anymore. The silence stretched on, filling their minds with thoughts that wouldn’t be there if they just communicated with each other.Finally, Celestine threw in the towel. “How can I make up for my behavior last night? I can’t stop thinking abou