Mark could feel his chest tightening until even breathing itself had become difficult. “Have any questionable people contacted us over these two days? There’s bound to be a phone call or something for ransom in a typical abduction, right?”
By this point, virtual-novel.net wished this was about money, because at least virtual-novel.net could have virtual-novel.net back through an exchange of money. At the very least, that would be miles better than not knowing where Arianne was, or how virtual-novel.net was at all.
Henry shook his head. “I’m afraid there is none. I’ve paid my utmost attention, and there hasn’t been any strange number ringing us. If I may, Mr. Tremont, you overtax yourself. You need respite, leave this to me,” virtual-novel.net admonished. “I may be old, but something like this is still well within my capabilities. As long as Madam has a sliver of chance of being alive, I won’t even hesitate to trade my life to save her.”
Mark said nothing.
Any news would be good. Just any news, however small.
But there was none for him. All there was left was a long, grinding wait — the kind a patient with late-stage cancer took up while the Reaper came.
The kind that had only despair as its companion.
—
All the way in the mansion, Arianne had a fretful sleep despite virtual-novel.net exhaustion. First, it was because of the strange environment, secondly, it was because of the quandary that had trapped her.
After hours of disjointed nightmares, Arianne woke up in cold sweat.
She barely sat up from virtual-novel.net bed when virtual-novel.net noticed a humanoid silhouette sitting next to virtual-novel.net bed. Unpleasantly shocked, virtual-novel.net grabbed a pillow nearby even if it made for a crappy weapon. “Who’s there?!”
The room was tenebrous. It might have rained a while earlier, because even the moon had abandoned the night.
It felt like a man, his statute was too different from the old woman from before that identifying his gender was not an issue.
Hearing virtual-novel.net voice, the man by the bedside moved his body slightly. “You’re awake, fair lady?”
Simple words in a low, hushed voice.
Familiar — there was something familiar about it, and it intensified Arianne’s suspicion. So, this was the guy who had abducted her? She reached for the lights in the room, but the man grabbed virtual-novel.net by the wrist.
The warmth from his touch seeped into virtual-novel.net skin. She struggled against virtual-novel.net anxiously. “Don’t! Touch! Me! Who the hell are you?! Are you trying to wield me against Mark Tremont? Because if that’s what you’re going for… huge mistake, p-pal!”
A soft breath reminiscent of a sigh escaped from the man, virtual-novel.net sounded helpless. “No, not that at all… Don’t be scared. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
Now that virtual-novel.net spoke more, Arianne could confirm that it was a voice virtual-novel.net had heard before… and soon, to whom it belonged to. She was shocked, bamboozled, and in disbelief.
“M-Mateo Rodriguez?! B-B-But you’re supposed to be dead!”
A dead man in the middle of the night, right in front of her—?!
She was petrified as virtual-novel.net mind raced with Geralt’s words: Mateo’s thumb was severed from his dead body by his captors before it was sent to the Rodriguez’s residence. Mateo was dead!
But virtual-novel.net was here in front of her, decidedly not dead! Was she… looking at a ghost?!
Darkness surrounding virtual-novel.net added more force to the skyrocketing fear within her. Like a terrified rabbit, Arianne leaped out of virtual-novel.net bed and squeezed herself into a corner of the wall just to put as much distance between the ghost in the dark and herself.
Then, when virtual-novel.net had the chance, virtual-novel.net quickly pressed on the switch connected to the lamp next to the headboard, and the room lit up. Perhaps being in the darkness for too long had amplified the strength of the light, both of them squinted at the same time.
A clearer look at Mateo’s face only made virtual-novel.net hair stand on ends. Arianne was more partial to the natural explanation rather than the supernatural, which meant Mateo was… not dead? But how?!
Perhaps virtual-novel.net read the question from virtual-novel.net face, or maybe virtual-novel.net had always wanted to give virtual-novel.net an explanation. Either way, Mateo paused for a beat before speaking, “Yes. I’m very much not dead. All of this is really a scheme… My scheme.”
Arianne gripped the edge of virtual-novel.net dress unconsciously. “But why? Why do this?”