"You finally came to meet me," The boy paused, "-I even thought you were avoiding me completely for these past few days."
Edward glanced coldly at him. He was silent, not intending to give any explanation.
The boy smiled helplessly, already used to his behavior. "No need to glare at me like that, okay? Since you're not telling me this yourself, let me ask frankly. What are you so busy with nowadays?"
"-And how does that concern you?" Edward countered.
"Well, I heard quite an interesting rumor." The boy took a sip of his drink before continuing, "-That you, Edward, are quite close to a certain person surnamed Castellan."
"We're not close."
"Oh, so you usually hug and wrap a scarf around people you're not close to?" The short haired youth frowned, "That's funny, you never did that to me."
Edward clenched his teeth. "It's none of your business."
"But I think it is my business if you're fraternizing with an enemy, though?"
"I'm not," Edward's voice was cold, the underlying aggression and anger evident in it.
"You're not fooling around an enemy, you say?" He took out his phone, showing multiple photos. All of them were clear, showing two people standing in the snow. "-But the photos from a few days ago say otherwise?"
Edward slapped away his phone and sneered, "You put a tail on me?"
The boy shook his head and said, "Of course not. How could I, an insignificant human, dare to put a tail on the young master of the Felix family?"
"Stop playing games with me, Ian Hall." Edward stood up, not intending to stay any longer. He warned, "Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
"-But I'm only sticking it where it does belong. Am I supposed to stay silent if my friend's brother goes around with his killer?"
Edward, who had been calm until now, suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "He's not dead!"
Ian smiled, happy to finally get a reaction from him. He also stood up and looked at him straight in the eye. "How long are you going to lie to yourself like this, Edward? It's already been 6 months. You traveled around the world desperately searching for anyone who can cure him, right? But what did you get? Nothing." Ian caressed his face and mercilessly said the truth Edward was trying so hard to avoid, "-Don't lie to yourself, Edward. You and I both know how many chances there are of him waking up."
Edward clenched his fist and said firmly, "He will wake up."
"Don't tell me this, Edward. Just tell me, do you really believe that he'll wake up? Or is it just another delusion you've constructed to fool yourself?"
Edward grabbed him by the collar. Hands closely pressed against his neck, Edward coldly glared at the boy in front of him. There was blatant hatred in his eyes, but Ian didn't even flinch. Maintaining his smile, he sighed, "You know, I really feel sorry for Ethan. First, he met August who forced him to take such a step. Now, even his brother is going along the same path for lust. How do you think he'd feel if he knew you're getting the hots for August, huh?"
"I don't like August," Voice full of contempt, he sneered, "I hate that person more than anything. I'd like nothing more than to see him suffer in misery, burn in the deepest pits of hell. That's how much I hate him."
"What I'm doing right now...It's just part of my plan."
Curiosity shone in Ian's eyes. He asked, "Oh? What 'plan'? Mind letting me on?"
Edward released him with contempt. Bruises appeared on Ian's neck, even though the force Edward used wasn't enough to form such black and blue spots even on the weakest individuals. The vibrant bruises were even clearer on his unusually pale skin.
"What makes you think I'll do that?"
"-Because we both hate the same person? We're on the same boat, you know."
"Don't think I completely trust you or what you told me of that time, Ian Hall. Me hating August doesn't mean I like or trust you."
Ian came closer and whispered, "But do you have any other option, though? We three are the only ones who knew what happened." He paused and leaned back to his original position. "Ethan isn't exactly in the condition to tell you and I'm pretty sure I'm more trustable than August, right?"
Edward just glared coldly at him.
"-Even though you don't fully trust me yet, you do trust your brother. Why would he take his name in his last moments if August wasn't the culprit?"
Edward didn't have an answer to that. Even if Ian wasn't reliable, he was still the best bet Edward had.
August paced nervously around his room, his eyes on the phone.
"Would you please stop it?" Ivy said in annoyance.
"I..." August sighed, not knowing how to continue. "I just-" He paused again before hesitantly saying, "I don't know what to do."
Seeing her brother in dismay, Ivy put down her phone and asked, "Tell me, what happened?"
August looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped. He shrugged, "It's uh, nothing. I don't want to trouble you with my problems," In a mild tone, he chided, "You're already a high-school student, focus on your studies and come here less."
"I have this much time, brother. Plus, mom asked me to check if you're alright."
"She did?" August asked with uncertainty.
"Yes, of course," Ivy shrugged, "-You know how she feels. She's still sorry about the past and doesn't know how to face you."
August bit his lip and looked troubled. "...Tell her I'm okay. It's alright, you can go now. You checked on me, I'm okay."
He took her hand, intending to drive her out. Ivy stood there resolutely, refusing to move. She demanded, "You don't look okay, though. Tell me what's the deal, maybe I can help."
"...It's nothing," There was an indescribable emotion in his eyes.
Ivy could only smile helplessly at her brother's stubbornness. He'd always been like that, painfully stubborn. If he doesn't want to open up, he won't tell someone even if he's dying inside.
She patted his shoulder sympathetically and said softly, "You can tell me, August."
"..." He continued to look down, not showing any reaction.
Seems like he won't be saying anything today. She stood up and sighed, "Well, I'll be going then."
August finally looked up and nodded slowly. There was relief in his eyes, like he just passed a difficult test.
"Give me a call when you reach home, okay? It's dark outside. Don't ask the driver to rush too much, be careful on the road, alright?"
Ivy couldn't help but chuckle at that. Her brother really is strange. Even though he's dying inside, he still wants to give her a sense of security. Even after all that happened....he still cares about her.
Having said everything, August was about to close the door when Ivy stuck her foot in it all of a sudden.
"-Wait, brother. I know you probably won't tell me what's troubling you, but please remember this. I'm there if you need someone to listen. Me, mom, everyone is there for you. You aren't alone, okay?"
"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
"I just..." Ivy trailed off, unsure of what to say. Saying this might be a little blunt, but she still has to or she might regret it later. "Brother, I have a wish. Will you fulfill it?"
August was pleasantly surprised. "Oh, a wish? It's the first time you asked me for something. Tell me, what's it? Brother will surely give it to you."
"I-" She stared at him, her eyes soft but firm. "-Don't ever want to walk in here to your corpse. Please, please hold on even if it's difficult. Please-" Her voice cracked, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "P-please, don't take away my brother from me ever again. That....that's all I want. And only you can give it to me."