After one of their drunken nights in bed together, she woke up to see him melancholy by the window. He said without turning to her, “Today, my mother was murdered. They almost killed my younger brother, too. She protected him.”
“You know you don’t have to wait for the day she’s killed to mourn or celebrate her,” Celia climbed out of bed and hugged him from behind. “There’s not a specified day for mourning.”
He chuckled and played at an empty glass of alcohol in his hands. “It’s a force of habit now. For Lang Lang’s sake.” He said nothing more, and Celia didn’t bother to pry.
They had more important things to focus on.
• • •
Celia had just climbed into her car after a successful meeting with the bank regarding Hui Ye’s newest investments in his rival’s business. She drove her car to a secluded area and slipped out of her curly black wig. She was busy wiping the makeup off of her face when her phone pinged.
Eyebrows furrowing, she picked up the phone with her still gloved hands to see the location of where Hui Ye last was. The message alerted of his status.
She threw her phone aside and pressed hard on the gas pedal. She weaved through the unsuspecting streets where citizens yelled at her for speeding, and she took care that no one followed her before entering where the GPS signaled her to go.
She drove into an abandoned construction site. Smoke rose from the distance, and collapsed buildings dotted the dug-up land. The land once had no value, and the poorest of the city lived in this unassuming area before a rich person decided they wanted to develop it. The citizens were kicked out, and the construction began with grand designs of skyscrapers, beautiful artificial gardens, and stunning roads. Halfway through, the rich decided it was no longer worth it, and the area remained a ghost town that no one ventured to.
Except for Hui Ye. Paranoid of people following, he had his chauffeur weave through forgotten and abandoned lands like this to get to where he needed to go.
She slammed on the brakes and flew out of her car. His car burned, and smoke billowed out into the sky. Hui Ye had begun to crawl his way out of the car through a window but gave up halfway through. He hung completely limp, and his arm brushed against the ground. His chauffeur stayed dead and strapped to the driver’s seat.
She dashed over and pulled Hui Ye out of the car, but she knew he was a lost cause. Burns covered his entire body, and his legs were twisted like a toy. How he was not screaming from agony, Celia did not know, but she laid him on top of her lap as best as she could to make him comfortable.
Her heart did not beat in pain, panic, or anger. There was an eerie acceptance of the fact that the man she had dedicated several years to lay dying in her lap. He coughed and gasped for air, and, despite half of his face burned away with flesh curling in torment, she still found herself admiring his handsome features. He forced his one good eye open, and the crooked smile returned to his face when he recognized her. “I might’ve…messed up…” he whispered.
“Do you know who it was?”
“Not really, but…Wang Xing was acting weird today…you’ll want to dig into who spoke to him recently…” He coughed, and blood trickled out of his mouth. Pain painted in his eyes, but still, they focused only on her. “I have…one more wish for you to fulfill…if I may ask…”
She tipped her head. “Your wish is to take down Infinite. That wish is what I agreed to, and I will continue to work on it even in your death. That is how I operate.”
“No…it’s regarding Aiden…Lang Lang…Hui Lang…” He took a moment to catch his breath, but his determination forged forward. “…he wants to live a life separate…like he should…please make sure he doesn’t get swept into the family and have to pay for their transgressions. Make sure that he’s free to live. Like he wanted to live. Grant his wish by granting mine.…”
“Why?” She stared down at the dying man. “You cannot give me anything in return for my work in that regard. You will soon be dead.”
However he managed to summon the strength, Celia did not know. Hui Ye reached into his pocket on the right and pulled out a small jewelry box. She took it from his hand and opened the obvious ring box. A silver ring reflected back light. A purple gem sat at the center. Celtic symbols were engraved within the band. “That…” he whispered. “That is a promise…”
“A promise?”
“That it will be fun.”
She snapped the ring box shut and placed it on the ground beside her. As Hui Ye continued to breathe laboriously, she slipped her gloves off and threw them into the fire of the car. His body started to shut down. Writhing, whimpers escaped from him. She placed her hand against his eyes to focus him on her touch, and she placed her other hand against his cheek. His breathing calmed. He chuckled, leaning his cheek into her hand. “I had once thought to myself that if I were to get killed, I would rather it be you to kill me.”
“Well, isn’t today your lucky day,” she whispered. She tapped the small button inside her shoe with her toe, and the heel retracted for her to grab the dagger attached to her boot. She pulled it out.
“How are you going to kill me?”
Her finger lingered on his neck. She traced it, dragging the tip of her nail against his dying skin. “Like this. So quickly, so suddenly, and so professionally. Your blood will pour out in a matter of seconds, and you will be dead. Just like that.”
He smiled at her as she readied the dagger against him. “Celia? Was it fun?”
She sliced the dagger through his throat, and he died with blood pouring out his neck and over her lap. When he was nothing but a corpse, Celia moved his body back into the burning car. It would be a while before anyone noticed something was wrong. The murderer would ensure that news of his death would not travel far, which protected her as her fingerprints burned away with him. She opened the ring box, took out the ring, and tossed the box into the flames. She slipped the ring through the gold chain necklace that currently decorated her neck and clasped it back in place.
I need to make sure his body is completely destroyed,she thought to herself and reached into her trunk for the fuel. She tossed it onto the burning car, stepping back as the flames engulfed the car and the bodies. Her lips touched the ring with great tenderness, and she turned back toward her car to leave.
She had very little time to lose.
Chapter Fourteen
