“What else could it be?” A defiant voice called out from the bathroom. “F*ck, it feels like I’ve just puked my guts out. I’ve only been at your house for a few minutes and I’m already within an inch of my life!”
For some reason, his voice sounded funny to me. He should start a comedy show, I thought to myself.
Holden’s expression soured at the sight of my mirth and he clutched his stomach as he walked toward us. He had to support himself against the wall as he staggered into the living room and said, “Your drawings may not be worth a penny, but art is priceless. If you sell it, your money won’t be clean anymore. How could you miss such a simple theory?”
His words hit the mark for me. After a brief moment of hesitation, I finally realized how terrifying this all was.
Only dirty money had to be laundered. If it was dirty money, that meant it had been acquired illegally. The moment the transaction got discovered by the policemen, I would at least be arrested for aiding and abetting a crime as the so-called owner of the painting. Even if I didn’t think about the sentence I would get, I would still lose my freedom. I barely managed to get my freedom back, but it seemed like I was on the verge of losing it again.
Why?
Everything was starting to fall into place, so why is everything going downhill again?
I felt myself growing numb after all of my inward complaints.
Suddenly, a warm palm enveloped mine and I came back to my senses, realizing Ashton was holding my hand. I tried my best to bring myself back to reality.
The reason evil people were evil was that they didn’t know anywhere else apart from hell. Not only did they not realize any mistakes, but they also tried to drag innocent people inside. All they wanted to do was to see me panic and fret and cry, so if I showed them that they had gotten to me, they would have achieved their goal.
“That’s right,” Nick said seriously. “That’s why I brought Rose over once we landed. People are really cunning nowadays and you all need to be careful. I know you know how to get rid of being suspected as a culprit in money laundering since you studied law, but I just wanted to remind you to do it as soon as possible. It would be bad if you only try to solve it when it comes knocking at your door. By then, it’ll be even harder to get out of it.”
“Okay,” I replied dully. I couldn’t smile anymore and decided to send them off. “I got it. It’s been a really long day, so I’m going to head upstairs now. Feel free to continue on with your conversation.”
“But Scarlett, we just arrived-”
“Rose,” Nick interrupted. He could clearly tell that I didn’t want to continue talking and glanced at Rose. After indicating for her not to continue the conversation, he helpfully suggested, “It’s getting late, we’ll make ourselves scarce so you can rest. The kids are at home waiting for us, anyway.”
I couldn’t exactly be aloof in the face of his considerate words, so I sent them out before trudging upstairs.
I still heard Holden gossiping behind me as I left, “Isn’t Nick gay? Has he always been such a manly man?”
I took a hot shower and had just lay down when Ashton walked in and took off his jacket before lying down next to me, pulling me into his embrace.
“Are you stressed out?” Ashton asked quietly after hugging me for a while.
Everyone’s mood changed under the influence of their surroundings, and naturally, Ashton had already grasped the ins and outs of my own mood swings. His tone was so gentle I felt like I was floating on a cloud.
“A little bit.” I flipped around and burrowed into his embrace like a scared rabbit until I was flush against his chest. Sighing in relief, I murmured, “When will we be able to live our lives peacefully?”
“I’m always here for you to rely on,” Ashton said as he leaned over and patted my arm with a warm hand.
His protective gesture suddenly made me feel like a kid again.
I shot my head up and bit onto his chin in retaliation.
“Ouch!” Ashton hissed as he frowned deeply. In just a second, though, his brows relaxed, and he acted as if nothing had happened.
“Did it hurt?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“It itched a little bit,” he said seriously.
