Ronan heard the words, yet understood none of them. "Her"… did he mean sister-in-law? But what did Director Anderson need her ID card and household registration book for?Curiosity gnawed at him, but he didn't dare ask. Instead, he followed the order swiftly and obediently.After ending the call, Captian stared at the black screen of his phone, sinking into silence.His eyes, dark as a bottomless abyss, revealed nothing of the storm of emotions hidden within.No one could tell what he was thinking or what he was planning to do next.
...
I left class and went to Hezze's house to practice piano like usual. Even though I wasn't in the mood, thinking about the promise I made to Captian gave me a strange kind of strength. There were still three days left before the agreed time. I scratched my head in frustration, I didn't even have the energy to care about Facebook anymore. Better be scolded than lose my life.
After several days of practice, I really did play well. I could only manage one piece in C major, but compared to when I first started when I even pressed wrong keys, it was already a huge improvement.
"Rosy, you really have talent. This piece sounds great."
Hezze clapped, genuinely happy.
I twitched the corner of my mouth. Every day after school, I spent three or four hours pounding away at this one piece, if I didn't improve, that would've been strange.
"I should be the one thanking you for teaching me," I smiled sincerely. "When I make it through this, I'll treat you to a meal."
Make it through? A thought struck Hezze.
"Don't tell me… President Anderson is the one making you learn piano?"
I widened my eyes. She really was my soulmate, this level of deduction could make her a detective.
"So I got it right?" she gasped.
I nodded with a complicated expression. She pressed her lips together, looking equally conflicted. She couldn't shake the feeling that President Anderson's hobbies were… bizarre.
But honestly, she admired me. Living under the same roof with President Anderson for so long and still being alive miraculous. She patted my shoulder stiffly.
"You have to be careful."
When I was about to leave, she flushed red again and mumbled, "And don't worry too much about the Facebook stuff. There'll be a way to solve it."
I smiled brightly under the warm lights, the tear-mole beneath my eye coming alive. "I know. Thank you."
I left the house and saw the Rolls-Royce parked by the road. Sitting in the back seat, my expression must have been a mess. Ronan checked me through the rear-view mirror, deep, serious, and a little wronged. The Facebook mess clearly hit me hard; I looked like I could cry any minute.
"Miss Sister-in-law, not in a good mood?" he grinned strangely.
I frowned. Something about that grin was weird.
"Did you see what happened on Facebook?"
He kept grinning. "Yeah, I saw some of it."
"What about President Anderson? Did he see it?"
I lifted my chin slightly, my eyes already watery.
Ronan blinked. "The moment he saw it, he told me to delete the hot search. But it got pushed up again. He told me to leave it for now, maybe he's planning something else."
Hearing that, I felt a strange mix of emotions. I wanted Captian to know, but also didn't want him to know. It was just a small issue, I didn't want to bother him. But now it was out of control. I couldn't solve it alone, and if he stepped in, that meant he already knew it was Liona's doing.
"Mm." I answered softly and fell silent.
I couldn't even protect myself right now. As for Liona, she'd have to rely on her luck. Ronan comforted me again,
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. President Anderson will definitely clean this up. By the way, did you bring your ID card and household registration booklet?"
I tightened my fingers slowly, steadying myself.
"Of course I have them. Why are you asking?"
He slapped his head and laughed. "Since you're living with President Anderson, you'll need to follow him abroad. He wants to make you a passport."
I narrowed my eyes. Was it really that simple?
If I refused to hand them over, wouldn't that make Captian suspicious?
"They're in my room. I'll give them to you when I'm back," I muttered, heart heavy and uncomfortable.
That feeling only grew all the way home. I got out of the car quickly, the cold air helped me breathe again.
I rushed to my room, hesitating as I opened the drawer. My ID card. My household registration booklet.
Did I really have to hand these over? What if he discovered something?
But if I didn't… his suspicion would only worsen.
I slapped my forehead in frustration. My face looked as pale as a ghost. But after a few minutes of panic, I grabbed the documents anyway. Better give them first, then figure out the rest. If not, it would look too strange.
Ronan beamed when he received them.
I glanced at his hands, unease rising again.
"Ronan… does President Anderson really want to help me make a passport?"
He froze, it was obvious he had absolutely no idea. But since I asked, he nodded vigorously.
"Yes! President Anderson said so himself."
I pressed my lips together and didn't ask again. Sometimes asking too much only drew suspicion. Luckily it was Ronan standing here. If it were Captian… I wouldn't dare speak at all.
Ronan pocketed the documents and hurried off.
I watched his fading silhouette, my heart in turmoil. Anxiety gnawed at me all night, I barely slept, my head foggy.
The next morning, dark circles pooled under my eyes. I stared at my worn-out reflection, my beauty smothered by exhaustion so I dabbed on makeup until the shadows disappeared.
When I walked downstairs, Captian was nowhere to be seen.
Looked like he didn't come home last night. Not surprising, his back injury had nearly healed, and he'd always been reckless. Now he was even worse. I'd never seen a patient so eager to ruin his own body.
Thinking of him, I sighed softly.
At the table, I sipped milk while scrolling through Facebook.
The two hot searches were still pinned at the top, hotter than ever. Captian hadn't done anything, no response, no statement. The gossip only grew.
He was fine.
I was the one getting cursed to hell and back, eighteen generations of ancestors included.
After reading for a bit, irritation flooded me. Ronan clearly said Captian would handle it. But there was still no movement…
Did he lie to me?
I gnawed on my dry bread, mood suddenly complicated.
He said he wanted to help me make a passport.
Was it because the Facebook scandal made him lose face, so he planned to dump me abroad in secret, let me fend for myself? Or kill me outright?
The idea made my whole body cold.
My face drained of color.
Knowing him… it was entirely possible.
I couldn't sit there anymore.
I grabbed my backpack and bolted out of the villa, like the house was a giant monster ready to swallow me whole.
"Miss Bailey, you haven't finished breakfast...!"