30 Minutes ago,
"I swear I'll kill you if you ask another stupid question this time—!"
"What am I supposed to do if she isn't eating the pills?" Zei interrupted, ignoring the fumes rising out of the phone he was holding.
A sigh. "I'll be charging you the next time you call me, got it?"
"Okay."
"..."
Theo pinched his nose and breathed out. "Feed it to her yourself, you bastard!"
"...How?"
Theo glared at the phone, lasers flashing out of his eyes. "Did nobody give you sexual education or were you just born this stupid?"
"I don't know."
Lord, help me. "Feed it to her through your mouth if she refuses to take them. Understood or do I have to act it out for your empty skull—"
A beep echoed in his ears and his eyes almost popped off. The audacity! First he asks for help and then hangs up like that!?
Son of a—!
———
Every single nerve of hers froze all over at his words and the look in his eyes.
Why was he doing this?
Why?
Why!?
WHY!?
"Where are all my previous clothes that were in the closet?" Which sewer did you drown them in this time?
His entire demeanor changed within seconds, as if a switch had been flipped, and Haven couldn't help but flinch slightly in response. At that moment, she witnessed the arrogant façade that had adorned his face fade away, making room for an unexpected display of hesitancy and doubt.
The once-confident stance he had held melted into a more uncertain posture, and his voice, once laced with self-assurance, now wavered with a newfound vulnerability.
Nervous.
Ezekiel Wei was nervous.
Breathing suddenly felt impossible and she had no clue what she was supposed to do. He was too much. He was everything all at once. Like uncontrollable waves in the ocean, he couldn't be understood and changed faster than the seasons did.
She couldn't figure him out.
"You didn't like them." the look in his eyes got distant as if he was of another world and was departing soon enough without bothering to say goodbye.
"..."
She frowned and then her eyes widened as realization suddenly took over. That night he had spoken the same words and she had been confused as to what he meant.
"I— I never agreed to that."
"Silence is an answer in itself."
"Did you throw them?" she asked and breathed out in relief when he shook his head dazedly.
He was gone. The mist in his eyes told that clearly enough. He was stuck somewhere between the heavens and the earth, too far away from her reach; from everyone's grasp.
"What about my tests?" she questioned and saw him shake his head, a storm brewing within the depths of his orbs.
"The first one is with Damien and then Abigail..." his voice trailed off and he finally looked up at her. Haven held her breath. "And then me."
She needed proof desperately.
He killed them.
He has to have.
He was evil, cruel, brutal, everything she despised—
"Eat the pills and remember, I'll know if you haven't." saying that, he left. A blur in space abruptly vanished, leaving her alone, messed up in her thoughts which only consisted of him; nothing else.
She wanted to think about anything other than him.
Out of nowhere, a woman entered the room, and Haven couldn't help but fix her gaze on her, consumed by curiosity.
This mysterious woman seemed completely out of place amidst the familiar surroundings. Unlike any of the maids bustling about, she exuded an air of elegance and grace that set her apart. Her attire, far from being simple or impoverished, hinted at a refined taste and sophistication.
With a warm, maternal smile gracing her features, she watched Haven as the maids swiftly and efficiently cleared the table, expertly gathering the used dishes and tidying up the room.
"I've been waiting so long to meet you, child." her voice brought back memories of her own mother. Soft, comforting as if she understood her without a need for words.
At her confused expression, the old lady laughed cheerfully and sat down on the chair beside her. "I should've introduced myself first. I'm Fu Lanfen but you better call me Aunt. I won't hear any other arguments!"
Haven giggled and nodded her head. "Okay, Aunt."
Fu Lanfen patted her hand which lay on her lap. "I manage this house along with all the other houses young Zei owns. Watched him grow up into the man he is today."
There was a dullness within her eyes as she stared vacantly at the table. "How many other houses does he have?" Haven asked.
Lanfen laughed out, her eyes twinkling like diamonds. "It would take me too long to remember and count. I'm sure he'll take you out to see them soon enough."
This kind, old woman didn't know who he was in reality. Somehow, she seemed oblivious to his other half, his dealings with the Underworld. Maybe she was clueless or she was pretending. Haven didn't know which one was the truth.
"Can you tell me a little about his parents?" she said hesitantly, and the old woman stared at her in silence for a minute or two before opening her mouth to speak.
"It's best if you ask him that yourself," she spoke. "But I'll tell you a little. His mother died years ago when he was a child and his father... Zei and his father's beliefs don't align quite well."
Her brows narrowed down. She hadn't known that and apparently, this wasn't known publicly either. True, Zei was a public figure considering the fact that he still was the President of Wei Corporations but in public gatherings, he and his father seemed amiable enough.
Was it a façade?
Or a delusion meant to confuse her?
Could it be—
Could it be that it was Zei's father who had killed her parents, not Zei himself?