After a long silence, I spoke in resignation, “You don’t have to hurt them. It was my fault, so I should be the one to bear the consequences.”
Dante simply scoffed and looked at me indifferently. “It’s not your time yet.”
Then, he raised his hand and pointed at the girls. “They are going to die anyway. So why not let one of them help you to bear it first? Since you’re not willing to choose any of them, let me help you to select the most obnoxious one, so we can end this discussion as soon as possible.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him in disbelief. He is obviously sowing discord. No matter who it will be, I’ll suffer from guilt for the rest of my life. He is doing this on purpose!
He fixed his eyes on Tessa and flashed an evil smile. “A woman who likes philosophy. Very interesting. I’ve heard that a woman like her normally practices abstinence. I wonder if that’s true.”
I shook my head. “No, you can’t do this.”
Tessa was dumbstruck, her eyes full of horror and helplessness.
I rushed forward to stop the men, but I was pushed to the ground.
Then, I heard her resisting and screaming for help.
Dante’s voice came from the side. “I haven’t seen this scene for many years. How spectacular!”
I could not look back. Her ear-splitting shrills echoed in my ears.
It is all because of me.
For a long time, I stood frozen amidst her screams of agony and wails of despair.
In the end, all I could hear was a sentence from Tessa: “Scarlett, I hate you.”
People like Dante and Abe know better than anyone else that mental torture is more excruciating than physical pain.
By the time I was back to the villa, the huge dining table had been set.
I initially thought that Abe would have left, but he was still seated on the couch, reading a book leisurely.
Danny and Dante probably had left, so there were only Abe and me in this spacious room.
No one instructed me to go back to my room nor stay here. So, it meant that I should stand in the living room obediently.
Half an hour later, a chef came out from the kitchen and bowed to Abe. “Mr. Abe, dinner is ready.”
Putting down the book in his hand, he replied, “Okay.”
He was a man of few words.
Thud! It was so quiet that I could hear the sound of his book being placed down on the coffee table.
Then, he stood up and put his hand in his pocket. His towering 1.86m frame gave off a domineering vibe.
When he saw me standing at the side, he bent down slightly and glanced sideways at me. “Let’s eat dinner.”
Is he talking to me?
I pursed my lips and saw a housekeeper putting another set of cutlery and bowls on the dining table.
I understood now. He was indeed talking to me.
So, I followed him to the dining table and sat down. This sixteen-seater dining table was way too big for the two of us.
He seemed to have nothing to say to me as he focused on his food and ate gracefully.
Clang! A noise came from the kitchen.
Just then, Danny and Dante came inside.
One of them went to the kitchen to check on the noise while another one came to Abe’s side and greeted him, “Mr. Abe.”
People who worked in the kitchen came out and reported, “Someone accidentally knocked over something.”
“Okay.” Abe put down his cutlery even though he had not eaten much.
Danny frowned and glanced at the chef. The chef immediately looked down in fear.
“Mr. Abe, he…” Dante suddenly stopped mid-sentence when he saw Abe looking at me.
“Is the food not to your liking?” Abe asked. The question was directed to me.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Not in the mood to eat?”
I shook my head again. How could I eat after what happened to Tessa?
“Useless! Send them out to deliver the goods!” Abe shouted to his subordinates.
My heart sank. Does this man have a problem?
The housekeepers involved were then taken away, and the others remained expressionless as if they had become accustomed to it.
I was devastated. Although I wanted to say something for them, I realized that I could only protect myself.
“They…”
As soon as I mustered up the courage to speak, he had cut me off. “I heard that it’s not only the Murphys who wanted you safe.”
Taken aback, I raised my gaze and looked at him, but the coldness in his eyes was so overwhelming that I had to look away. “What do you mean, Mr. Abe?”
He smiled mirthlessly. “Never mind. I’ll treat this as a favor for the Murphys.”
After that, he glanced at Dante and said, “Let Ms. Stovall move around freely in the house and treat her well.”
“Yes,” Dante replied.
With that, he left.
I was momentarily stunned, baffled by his behavior.
Night fell.
The bright moonlight shone down on the front yard. The combination of the sound of waves and insects was exceptionally pleasant to hear at night.
