Clarice crossed her arms, a venomous smile curving her lips.
"I'll admit, it's a rather simplistic conclusion to describe you all. But that's exactly what you are. Crawling animals, lurking serpents, ready to poison everything you touch."
Her voice cut like a blade hidden in sweet words, and the garden, despite all its beauty, seemed to grow colder with her new words.
Aster stood firm, his gaze fixed on Clarice.
"Why do you treat me as if I were guilty?" His voice was low, almost calm, but there was an implicit strength that challenged her disdain.
Clarice leaned slightly forward, her gaze dripping with malice.
"Your victim act disgusts me. That fake air of humility, so unceremonious, as if you didn't want to bother anyone. Is that why you're here? To pretend you're harmless while invading a space that was never yours?"
Aster blinked slowly, choosing his words with care.
"So, that's what you think of me? That I want to take something from you? That I don't belong here?"
Clarice narrowed her eyes, her smile morphing into something more cruel.
"It's not just what I think. I know. You don't belong to any of this. You are beneath it, Aster. Your relationship with Callum? It won't last. He may have strayed for a moment, but you'll never be good enough."
Mason stepped forward abruptly, his expression a mix of shock and indignation.
"Beneath it? How can you say that? You don't even know him! Aster has been through things you could never understand. He's not beneath anyone. He's... he's a survivor!"
Clarice raised an eyebrow as though Mason's reaction was just another insignificant detail.
"A survivor? How poetic." She shook her head, laughing softly. "You're lost, Mason. And it seems he is too."
Aster remained unshaken, his tone calm yet firm.
"You're wrong, Clarice. I haven't taken anything from anyone. Callum chose me because he found something in me, he was looking for. Sometimes, love finds its way where it's least expected. I'm not the one who owes anyone here."
Clarice stepped closer, her face lit by a controlled fury.
"Do you think this affects me? I know how to wait, Aster. I don't know how to lose, but I know how to wait. And when the right moment comes… you'll see that this place was never yours."
Damián, who had been observing the exchange with an almost bored expression, decided to intervene.
"Well, how inspiring, Clarice. I think everyone here just learned a valuable lesson in hospitality." He smirked, a gleam of sarcasm in his eyes, before turning to Aster. "Shall we continue the tour? It seems we've seen enough of this part."
Clarice shot him a cutting glare, but Damián simply shrugged, ignoring the tension altogether. He then turned to Mason, who was still visibly shaken.
"Breathe, Mason. You're not going to turn into a snake just because someone said you are."
Mason shook his head, still crossing his arms tightly.
"This is ridiculous. I'm not a snake. Neither is Aster. Neither are you!" He hesitated, then shot a sharp look at Clarice. "But since we're on the subject of crawling… your shoes definitely weren't made for strolling through a garden. They're not even remotely nice, Clarice."
The silence that followed was heavy, but Aster couldn't suppress a brief smile. Damián chuckled softly, leaning slightly to glance at Clarice's shoes.
"Well done, Mason," he said with dry humor. "At least you found a way to… lighten the mood."
Clarice narrowed her eyes, clearly furious, but chose not to respond. She turned abruptly, walking down the garden path without looking back.
Aster sighed, glancing at Mason.
"You didn't have to mention the shoes."
Mason raised his hands defensively, though a faint smile played on his lips.
"Someone had to say it. And I was just being honest!"
Damián laughed again, shaking his head.
"Well, at least she's gone, and now it's time for the tour to get… interesting."
The sun was beginning to disappear behind the towering trees of the Phillips Mansion garden, casting a golden glow over the manicured bushes and exotic flowers. Every detail of the scenery seemed orchestrated to impress, but for Aster, Damián, and Mason, the garden was merely a stage for a dangerous game.
Mason walked a few steps ahead, his eyes alert to every detail. The small device in his hands looked like a simple phone, but it was actually a multifunctional espionage tool. The screen blinked with red dots indicating the locations of nearby guards. Tiny earpieces alerted him to changes in the environment.
"Three guards to the left, near the pavilion," Mason murmured, his voice low, almost imperceptible.
Damián, walking beside Aster, slightly raised his head, analyzing the indicated men.
"They're not there to protect anything important. They're relaxed. The real danger must be elsewhere."
Aster kept his gaze fixed ahead, his senses alert. He stopped next to a marble sculpture, as if admiring the artwork, but in reality, he was adjusting his angle to observe a figure standing out in the distance.
"And the group up ahead?" he asked, keeping his tone calm.
Mason quickly tapped the device's screen. "Two by the lake. They haven't moved in several minutes. It looks like they're waiting for something… or someone."
Damián furrowed his brow as he observed one of the men by the lake. His posture stiffened, almost imperceptibly, but Aster noticed the change.
"Fitzgerald," Damián murmured, the name falling from his lips like a curse.
Aster leaned slightly toward him. "You know him?"
Damián nodded, his eyes fixed on the distant figure. "Ex-MARSOC. Dishonorably discharged. Turned mercenary. Hired assassin. Fitzgerald worked for whoever paid the most. And he didn't pick sides."
Mason stopped, turning to Damián with evident concern. "Is he here for us?"
Damián narrowed his eyes, not looking away from Fitzgerald. "He's not here to protect anyone. If he's with Tetsu, something big is going on. And it's not good."
The air grew heavier as the three approached an isolated area of the garden. In the distance, Tetsu Sakae stood next to an elegant man, speaking to him in a low voice. The man's features were familiar—Oliver Phillips, Clarice's brother. Fitzgerald stood nearby, a menacing shadow, surveying the surroundings with the precision of a predator.
"Mason," Aster whispered, "can you pick up anything?"
Mason quickly adjusted the device, but soon shook his head in frustration.
"They're using advanced encryption. If I try to decode it now, it'll draw attention."
Before they could decide on their next move, Tetsu raised his eyes and saw them. Fitzgerald followed his gaze, and for a brief moment, his eyes landed on Mason. There was something different in that look, an intense evaluation that seemed more than mere curiosity.
Damián noticed Fitzgerald's focus and immediately reacted, adopting a light and casual tone.
"Oh, we must have taken the wrong exit, huh?" He laughed, looking at Aster and Mason. "I think we got lost."
Aster joined the act naturally. "Could you point us to the main path? We don't want to intrude."
Mason, however, felt the weight of those gazes on him. He tried to disguise his unease, but something about Fitzgerald and Tetsu made him shudder. Oliver, standing next to Tetsu, flashed an enigmatic smile but remained silent, while Tetsu simply tilted his head as if registering every detail about the group.
As the three moved away, Damián glanced over his shoulder, his expression cold and stern. He recognized this type of dynamic. Fitzgerald wasn't just a hired guard; he had a specific purpose, and that focused gaze on Mason wasn't a coincidence.
When they were at a safe distance, Mason finally broke the silence. "They were staring at me. It was... strange. Like they were analyzing me."
Aster gave Mason a thoughtful look. "Maybe… but let's not jump to conclusions. We need to understand what they're doing here."
Damián didn't respond immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, but his mind was resolute. Finding out what Tetsu and Fitzgerald wanted was important, but not essential. What mattered was eliminating the risks. If they posed a threat, the solution would be simple: Damián would take them out, one by one.
His deadly intent was palpable, yet controlled. He knew he couldn't act now. Not here. The plan was clear in his mind, even if no one else knew: Tetsu Sakae and Fitzgerald wouldn't walk away unscathed in the coming days. He just needed the right moment.
As they walked along a shaded path lined with wisteria and manicured bushes, a voice broke the silence. Smooth, cordial, but with a hint of carefully disguised curiosity.
"Ending the tour so soon?"
The three turned simultaneously, their senses still on edge. Oliver Phillips was walking slowly toward them, hands in the pockets of an elegant gray blazer.
There was a smile on his face, but his eyes told a different story. It was a look that seemed to measure every detail, analyzing the trio with unsettling calm. Oliver carried the presence of someone accustomed to observing before acting.
"Oliver," Aster replied, keeping his voice neutral. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Oliver shrugged, stopping a few steps away. He appeared relaxed, but there was something in his posture that suggested calculated control.
"Well, this is my home, after all. I should be asking you the same." He paused briefly, letting the weight of the question linger before continuing, still with that polite tone. "What exactly brought you here today?"
Aster held his brother's gaze for a moment before responding simply.
"I'm accompanying Sarah and Mallet Campbell. A family visit to finalize the tournament details."
Oliver raised an eyebrow, as if the answer wasn't sufficient. He turned his gaze to Damián and Mason, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"And you? Are you part of the… delegation as well?"
Damián smirked slightly, crossing his arms with apparent ease. He didn't trust Oliver but knew how to play the game.
"Oh, no. We're just here out of curiosity. Mason and I are… excited about the tournament. Thought it'd be interesting to explore a bit."
Mason, hiding his device discreetly, forced a smile, trying to conceal the faint unease he felt.
"Yes, the tournament sounds incredible. And the garden is… spectacular."
Oliver's eyes lingered on Mason for a moment before he responded with a seemingly casual observation.
"I'm glad you've found the gardens pleasant. My grandfather designed all of this with purpose. He always believed beauty should be a reflection of control."
Aster raised an eyebrow, noting the subtext in Oliver's words but chose not to react. Instead, he remained impassive, letting Damián steer the conversation.
"Control is an interesting thing," Damián commented casually. "Especially when we're talking about something as… organic as nature. It's hard to keep everything under control, don't you think?"
Oliver smiled, but there was a cold glint in his eyes.
"That depends on who's trying to control it, doesn't it? Some people have a knack for it. Others, not so much."
The tension in the air subtly increased, but Aster stepped forward, breaking the exchange before it could escalate.
"Oliver, it was nice seeing you. I'm sure we'll cross paths again during the tournament." He gestured toward the exit. "Let's wrap up the tour."
Oliver maintained his smile but gave a slight nod.
"Of course. Enjoy the rest of the garden."
Watching them walk away, Oliver couldn't help but wonder… If Aster had grown up with them, how different would everything have been? The dynamics he and Clarice had built—so intense, so defining—would they have changed? It was a thought he knew was futile, but it still lingered, weighing on his chest like an unspoken secret.
As those thoughts consumed him, his gaze returned to Damián. His fiery red hair reminded Oliver of his eyes, which seemed to hold stories he would never tell. For a brief moment, Oliver allowed himself to wonder.
If he had met Damián before Adam, would things have been different? Was there ever a chance? Perhaps yes. Perhaps no. But it was a cruel tragedy that shaped destinies, and theirs had been marked by so many choices and inescapable events that all he had left were the questions. What if this? What if that? Only lost possibilities.
Aster, Damián, and Mason returned to Phillips Mansion. The walk through the garden had been long but filled with discoveries, new questions, and carefully hidden tension. Now, the three walked in silence, each processing the day's events in their own way.
As they approached the main entrance, the soft glow of ornamental lamps illuminated the mansion with a welcoming brilliance. Inside the grand hall, Sarah, Mallet, Jared, Beatrice, and Robert awaited them. They all seemed relaxed, speaking in hushed tones as they waited. The atmosphere carried a sense of accomplishment, as though the day had delivered exactly what was needed.
"Finally!" Sarah exclaimed, smiling as she saw the three. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost."
Mallet laughed, his deep voice filled with good humor. "Or maybe you were too captivated by the gardens."
Aster gave a slight smile as he ascended the steps. "The gardens are… impressive, no doubt. It was an interesting walk."
Damián, ever more carefree, raised an eyebrow as he looked at Mallet. "Interesting is an understatement. But I think I still prefer the company of a good drink at the end of the day."
Mason, despite his efforts to keep his composure, still seemed a bit unsettled, but his expression softened when he met Sarah's reassuring gaze. "It's an incredible place, Lady Sarah. And the day was… magical."
Jared, standing beside Robert, stepped forward, his expression carrying a subtle sense of relief. "I must say, it's been an important day. The preparations are progressing well, and I'm optimistic about the tournament. It's good to see everyone aligned."
Robert, always standing with his commanding presence, nodded with a slight smile of satisfaction. "Yes, today has been a milestone. The collaboration between our families is essential, and moments like this reinforce that we're on the right path."
Sarah crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping over the faces of those present. "I agree. This is just the beginning, but I'm confident that with everyone's effort, the tournament will be a success."
Mallet gently touched Sarah's arm, an almost imperceptible gesture but one full of complicity. "And that's exactly the perspective we need to maintain. Tradition and legacy depend on what we do now."
Aster remained silent, absorbing their words, while Mason and Damián exchanged a brief glance. Despite the lightness in the air, both knew there was more beneath the surface. But this wasn't the time to delve deeper.
Jared approached Aster, placing a hand on his shoulder in a rare gesture of closeness. "It was good to have you here today, Aster. I hope this was meaningful for you as well."
Aster looked at him for a moment before giving a slight nod. "It was… important. Thank you."
And so, the day at Phillips Mansion came to an end, leaving in its wake a promise of days yet more intense and investigative—or more violent, where shadows of the past would need to be eradicated.