281 Doing Business With The Devil
âWhere are you going?â Victor asked his cousin who was wearing a suit with a full scowl on his face. Everyone here knew how much he disliked ties for reasons best known to him.
âI have a date with Clara,â Marcel grunted out as if it was a herculean task and not an evening of chilling and relaxing.
âOh.â was all Victor said, having understood a bit of Marcelâs situation because the thing with Clara is that you have to look perfect. Not a thing out of place unless you want an earful of her shrill voice. His cousin was a wise man by choosing the tie despite his huge dislike.
Marcel didnât say anything and instead battled with the tie he had no idea how to fix.
âEasy,â Victor said and stepped in to save the day before his cousin decided to take out the frustration on someone else.
âItâs as easy as pie.â He told Marcel as he tightened the tie enough and pressed it down his chest, brushing invisible dirt off his suit, âYouâre good to go.â
âI donât think Iâm going to survive this.â Marcel unconsciously lifted his hand, ready to pull the tie off as usual but his cousin was there to give him a warning Tsk.
âJust breathe for a minute and youâd get used to the feeling,â Victor advised him.
This was the time to cure someoneâs abnormal fear of ties. Unlike the others, he was the only one who knew the reason for Marcelâs fear of ties on his body.
.....
Marcel shut his eyes and tried not to think about the memory of that womanâs hands on the ties, trying to suffocate him to death. It was very difficult at first to shake off the feeling of having his breath cut off, but that was until his imagination changed.
Instead of that evil woman strangling him, he conjured an image of Arianna kissing him ferociously, her hand digging into his hair and the other pulling on the tie to draw him closer to her.
âOkay, you are doing fine,â Victor said, staring at the stopwatch he had started on his phone. However, his brows couldnât help but furrow as he watched his cousin the next moment.
Instead of the deep furrow he had seen seconds ago, there was now a lopsided grin on his face. What the hell was the bastard thinking? He didnât want to know, even though he had an idea already.
âGood!â Victor shouted, cutting Marcel off from the good imagination he was having. He showed his phone to him, âInstead of a minute, you lasted two minutes, all thanks to whatever shitty thoughts you had there. And please, donât tell me. This is my holy day.â
But Marcel snorted at him haughtily, âWho even wants to tell you?â He checked his silver cufflink and picked up his phone just as it lit up with a notification. It was time to leave.
âI wish you, good luck,â Victor told him, yet said with a lowered tone, âI wonder how long you are going to keep up with the act though?â
âUntil I find Chloe.â Marcel answered, having heard him, âYou of all people know my cooperation is the reason why my sister is still in one piece. Sheâs not his blood, that man wouldnât care. â
Victor didnât have a sympathetic look as many people would in this situation, however, he placed his hand on Marcelâs shoulder and squeezed tight, offering support.
âDonât worry, weâll focus on finding her now. Iâve missed the brat already.â and pause the whole find Elijah thingy, Victor didnât add that part.
With Marcelâs sensitivity to issues concerning Elijah, he would probably deal with him if he heard that.
âThank you, Victor,â Marcel said to him sincerely and a smile split his cousinâs face.
âThe great Marcel thanked me, that should make the records.â
âWhatever.â Marcel returned to his normal aloof demeanor, shrugging his hand off his shoulder.
One time, Marcel had contemplated asking Clara to cooperate with him and help him find his sister. However, he knew his fiancée would want something in return for herself of equal value, if not more than. Hence, dealing with her was like doing business with the devil.
Moreover, he didnât trust her, not when she was best friends with his father. Who knows what that man would tell her and she betrays him in the blink of an eye. Marcel hated betrayals, so to avoid such an inevitable fate where he puts a bullet through her head, he kept the offer to himself.
In no time, Marcel was out of the house and stepping towards the car where the chauffeur was already waiting when he suddenly turned and looked up at Ariannaâs floor.
The light was on which meant that she was up. Well, it was evening. Marcel suddenly had the urge to drop all of this and just go upstairs to her room.
And do what?
Well, spend time with her.
Aside from the fact he was giving her the space she needed, he was busy with work and only heard she had become best friends with Beatrice as he wanted.
But Marcel knew to separate pleasure from work, so even though he was craving Ariannaâs presence, he forced himself into the car and left for the date without seeing her step into the window at that moment.
âHe comes and goes as he wants while Iâm the bird in the golden cage,â Arianna muttered as he watched Marcelâs car leave the heavily guarded base. Well, it wonât be long, she just had to gain his trust, she hoped.
It didnât take long for Marcel to arrive at the location Clara had chosen which was out of town. As expected, it was a very luxurious hotel restaurant and she reserved the whole place for the night.
As soon as Marcel arrived, he was directed inside. However, no matter how prepared Marcel was, he definitely didnât expect the sight of his father at the table with Clara at his side and the both of them happily engaged in conversation.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âOh, God.â Marcel felt light -headed, the same moment Clara saw him and her smile widened.