"I blew it again! Grandpa was right there! I could've just talked to him, but why was that Boogieman with Grandpa? What were they talking about?" Viviana fidgeted in her seat like a child throwing a tantrum, contorting her face in frustration and squirming as if under a pain-inducing spell.
Kiera, utterly baffled by Viviana's antics in the backseat, sighed heavily like a tired parent dealing with a difficult child. "What's wrong now?" he finally asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
"Nothing!" Viviana snapped, shaking her head vehemently.
"Then why are you twitching like a beetle?"
"I'm not!" She denied it again, shaking her head adamantly.
"Okay," Kiera shrugged, turning his attention back to the road. Viviana's brows furrowed again, and this time she turned to gaze outside, passing by a billboard featuring her own face.
"It's still up..." She shivered. "My body must be decomposed by now. No one would even recognize it if found. This is so unfair." She clenched her fist, frustration welling up in her heart, and tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Kiera! Do you know what happened to her?" Viviana pointed at the billboard that flashed by. Kiera glanced up at the board briefly.
"Hmm... her? Yeah, I heard she went missing. Why are you so interested in her?" Kiera asked curiously.
"What do you think? Is she dead?" Viviana ignored his question and fired another.
"She must be," Kiera shrugged. "Why? Are you hoping to find her and claim the reward money?"
Viviana's lips curled into a sly smile, and she nodded. "Yeah, I'd be rich if I could get my hands on that sort of money. I'd disappear to a place where your boss can't find me," she stated without hiding her intentions. Then she resumed her questioning.
"You're one of the gangsters, right? I mean, you must have disposed of people's bodies here and there before." Viviana asked without hesitation. Kiera glanced back at her in the rearview mirror, his expression slightly serious but silent, waiting for her to finish. "Where would you throw a body after hitting it in the back of the head and killing it so that no one can find it despite all the effort?"
Kiera didn't reply for a while, thinking deeply. Then he spoke. "I would vaporize the body in acid—" He paused, glancing at Viviana, who seemed to shudder.
"You would?" She didn't want to believe it.
"You asked if I didn't want to get caught. Also, if you can kill, then it shouldn't be hard to do this." Kiera's stern face made it clear he wasn't kidding.
"You truly have no heart in your chest, do you?" Her tone was hateful, and she turned away, her mind envisioning Nico dissolving her body in acid to get rid of the traces. The thought became too real, causing her to shake her head.
Kiera gave her one last glance in the mirror before looking away, focusing on the road while something started to brew in his mind.
---
A week went by, and nothing happened. It was a rather quiet time for everyone, but for Viviana, it was a tough week where she was preparing for an interview as an intern at Argon's company, Hayes Jewellers. Her task was to get a job there and slowly catch Argon's attention by proving herself worthy to be close to him so she could become a spy for Magnus. They had a well-devised plan, but Viviana didn't seem confident in it. Despite her doubts, she decided to go along with it, having no other choice. All the while, Kiera's words kept haunting her, bringing chills to her bones and freezing her to the core. What if Nico had really done something unimaginable to her, and that's why no one had found her yet?
"Aren't you going?" Kiera was standing in the doorway, watching Leo stand before the mirror, holding a tie to her neck and breathing steadily, completely stiff. At his voice, she flinched and turned to look at him, then gave a nod. "I just don't know how to tie this," she said, holding up the tie. Last time she had gotten one that was already made, so now she was clueless. But additionally, the tie was not the real problem for her at this point. She had to find her body at the very least and make Nico pay for what he had done. Kiera stepped into the room and stood in front of Leo. She lifted her head and looked at him with a perplexed gaze. She didn't know what to think of this man before her. He was the only one that she seemingly felt safe around despite him not doing anything to earn that trust, but the way he spoke made her stomach turn, knowing well enough that he was not a good man.
Kiera, unaware of her inner thoughts, picked up either side of the tie and lifted it, slowly tying it for her. She watched him intensely, hoping to come to a conclusion about this man. For some reason, she felt that her still being in this body and still being slightly sane was because of him. If he was not around to talk to her or to stand between her and Magnus, she would have long been dead. Now, the fear of death had grown in her even more after listening to the possibilities of what might have happened to her after Nico killed her.
"How long are you going to glare at me like that?" Kiera asked in the calmest tone possible, making Leo finally blink, though she still didn't look away. "Tell me, if someone kills you, what's the worst revenge you can take on him? And how?"
Kiera's hands paused, and he looked at her with confusion. "You mean to say haunt him like a ghost?"
"No, just answer me. If someone has killed you, what would you want to do to him as revenge?" she asked.
"Kill him, obviously—or," he paused and then shook his head, slipping the tie around Leo's neck before leaning over as his expressions darkened. "Make his life a living hell so he has no other wish left but to die," Kiera said, looking her in the eyes. "So who is it? Who is the man you want your revenge on?"
Leo suddenly felt the dark aura emitting from Kiera. Her throat started to feel dry, and she instantly stepped back and took a nervous breath. "Why are you talking like that? I was just asking," she said. Kiera noticed her discomfort and didn't approach her.
"With that look in your eyes, you are fooling no one. Just know that to make someone suffer, you must have a heart that has no mercy at all. It is not an easy path to follow, so make sure you choose wisely if you want to fall as low as the person who harmed you did. It will hurt you more in the end," he said, his voice deep and filled with an unclear emotion.
Leo watched him for a moment and then nodded. "I think we are late for the interview," she said and walked past him hurriedly.