Roland gave a queasy smile and fidgeted his engagement ring. "Come on, now. You know I don't like talking about that stuff among friends…."
"Angela's from a family of politicians, Rol." Harker reminded him. "Her Dad's a freakin' Senator too. I'm just worryin' about you. She'll get your ass whooped once she learns about one of your 'friends'."
"There's no need to worry. I'm being careful, I know these girls won't rat me out or any of the staff. Our house has technology to scan and disable bugs and tracking devices. So I don't see the problem." Roland assured him, patting his shoulder. "You're just being a good friend. I know. But please drop it."
There's a slight difference in his tone when he said that. His reassuring smile also faltered a bit. Harker took that as a sign to back down, he really should drop it.
That was what he would have done back then.
But for some reason, he kept on pressing the topic now.
"Angela is crazy about you, Rol. If you're not worried about yourself because of all your high tech, worry about those girls. They might get sniped for even touching you. Hell, I even almost got—"
"Got what?" Roland blinked. "Did Angela do anything to you?"
Harker closed his mouth. No, he shouldn't bring that up or there would be major trouble. And he doesn't like getting involved in rich people's troubles if he could avoid it.
That girl's name may be Angela, but damn if she wasn't a demonic bitch. Even more than Xi Hua and her mom.
"The point I'm getting at is that I know you're a good guy too." Harker said. "If you don't want anyone to get hurt by pissing off the MacBheatha family, then maybe lay low for a bit until you can find a way to get that divorce like you said. Or maybe tell your father now that you want to marry for love—"
"Hahaha!" Roland laughed bitterly. "And do you think my father would just listen to that sentiment of 'marrying for love'? The whole Faust family had remained wealthy and powerful not because we 'marry for love', but because we know who were the right people to marry."
Harker was frustrated. "Goddammit, it's the modern age now, Roland. That arranged marriage shit shouldn't be important anymore, you can even run off with some money and change your whole identity. Become a lawyer in New Zealand or something. Take one or all your girls with you."
"Ah, you got it all wrong. I don't cheat on Angela because I don't love her." Roland chuckled. "It's certainly not because I love any of the flings I had either."
Harker crossed his arms. "Then what is it? You wouldn't even tell me why that is."
Roland went off to his room to get some clothes, and Harker followed. An old lady mopped the floor as water dripped from him.
"But I did. You just won't believe it. Because you think I'm such a 'good' person." Roland chuckled.
Harker rolled his eyes. "The urges thing. Yeah, I don't buy it. If it were anyone else, I would have. But you ain't someone like that, Rol."
"But I am. I'm a man that's driven by my urges." Roland said as he put a lavender shirt on from the closet. "Just because I seem logical to you doesn't mean I don't have them. Haven't heard of Freud's Id and Superego?"
"Don't bring that psychology shit up." Harker scoffed. "Come on, man. There must be a deeper reason why you wanna act rebellious and sloppy. You weren't like that before. I'm your best bud, you can tell me—"
"Will you kill my father for me, then?"
Harker was surprised by that sudden question. Roland was leaning by the open closet's frame, smiling wide like a cat that countered a mouse to a dead end.
This wasn't the first time he asked that question.
Harker narrowed his eyes. "I already answered that."
"Why not? You admitted yourself that my plan was foolproof. You also promised me that you'd do anything for me. So…." He cocked his head to the side. "Why couldn't you kill my father?"
Harker rubbed his face "I just can't!"
"Again, why not?" Roland frowned. "I'm willing to pay you lots once I get the inheritance. Enough for you and your family to start a new life somewhere nice, like maybe Brazil or Galapagos Island. You said you've always wanted to go to islands like that where you can conduct your research and encounter weird species—"
"Mr. Faust also helped my family. Even before you were born, he had already treated my parents well." Harker said. "That's why."
"But is he treating your 'best bud' well?" Roland argued. "You said you don't like the fixed marriage thing, and you don't like how he's not allowing me to be who I want to be. You don't like that my house feels like a cold cage and thinks it's not a life for someone like me."
"Because you are a bright person that just needs a little bit of courage to push through, Rol." Harker argued. "You have it all. Except freedom, which you can get by convincing your father or outsmarting him without killing him. There's other ways."
"Yes, but none of them are as swift and easy as killing him." Roland insisted.
"Swift and easy ain't going to give you the best result."
"Easy for someone like you to say. Someone who always chooses the hard and useless way about things, like not accelerating to college at 12 or just accepting my family's offer to invest in you as a scientist. You could have had your own mansion by now, could even be richer than me. But why didn't you?"
His eyes truly showed no remorse when he said: "Isn't it because you also lack courage to be away from your family? You're being a hypocrite, Hark. "
Harker didn't expect for things to turn into a full-blown argument so late at night, and right after he defeated some supernatural demon lady.
And this one felt tougher somehow. He never liked arguing with Roland, especially when he starts saying hurtful things like that but with good intentions. He had heard a lot of hurtful shit in his life.
But when Roland says it, it's always something that's true and was actually for his sake. That's why it cuts deeper.
Harker knew someone should back down, and that should be him who brought this up in the first place.
But he really couldn't tonight.
Harker walked closer, expression grim. Roland took a step back but he had nowhere to go because there was only the closet behind him.
"You're right. I care about my family too much. If I killed your dad, they would get involved too. But haven't you considered something? You'd rather order someone else to kill your Dad for you…"
Harker grabbed his collar. "Isn't that because you lack the courage to do it yourself? Aren't you also being a hypocrite here?
Roland gulped. "It's because I would obviously be suspected first by the police—"
Harker pushed him, cornering him in that closet. "Stop the excuses. Even if you hate him, you see him as family too, that's why. I can't believe that we're arguing about all this just for me to prove it to you…."
"You are a good person, Roland Faust!"