25 Gloomy sky

"What are you doing?"

"You can leave but not her," Mr. Wilfred pointed at Alexa.

"Why is that?"

"Because she needs to be questioned in regards to grandfather's death," Aaron suddenly walked in from the entrance.

Earlier, Alexa didn't notice him, maybe he just came in. True to her thoughts, he continued, "I just came back from the control room. You left her alone with grandfather to get your meal. There was no one else until you returned."

"And the murderer claimed there were three nurses present in the ward, lying bitch!" Talia would never give up the opportunity to humiliate Alexa.

"That's impossible… There were three nurses! They–"

"The hospital was shut down, why didn't we catch them?" Talia interrupted Alexa and shot her a glare.

"Grow some sense, dummy," Alexa retorted. Her patience was thinning out. It was too obvious that the old man's death was their doing, still they want to pin it on her.

"How dare you!"

Mr. Wilfred raised a hand to stop Talia from getting into a fist fight with Alexa, "Talia, be quiet."

Alexa had no idea why the man defended her, but decided to trust that he wasn't biased, only for him to vomit disappointment.

"Now that we have a suspect, she will be taken away to be questioned as soon as the cops arrive."

"Do you all think that I'm dead?!" Aiden suddenly roared, sending everyone into utter shock. He then took a calming breath and dished out a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "I already said there would be no investigation, but if you insist, I have no objections and if she's found guilty, I'll hand her over to you. Until then, my wife needs to go to bed."

With that said, Aiden took Alexa by the hand. Taking advantage of their shock, he pulled his wife and left the ward.

Alexa was struck dumb by what just happened. It was the first time she heard Aiden speak in such a domineering manner, capable of stunning everyone.

Alexa lost herself staring at her husband with different thoughts in her mind until she suddenly heard his stern voice;

"Is something stuck to my face?"

She quickly lowered her gaze and said nothing. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Suddenly, he stopped walking. When she raised her head to know why, she noticed they were standing outside the hospital building.

"Tonight, you'll sleep at your friend's place. Don't show up until after the funeral," Aiden said to her.

Stunned, she looked at him more profoundly. He had a distant look hidden behind his calm smile that didn't reach his eyes. Even so, she was forced to ask, "What do you mean? Are you sending me away?"

If he was, then wanting her to run away would worsen the situation.

"It's the only way to protect you."

"But Aiden–"

"Don't argue with me on this, Alexa," he said curtly while looking into the distance.

"Alright, I'll be at the parking lot."

"Hmm, someone will be there to take you. The night is cold, don't forget to wear thick layers of clothing."

Alexa was used to him caring about her wellbeing, but at a time like this where he just lost his dearest grandfather, and should be extremely sad, he was still looking out for her.

Although he was giving her the cold shoulder, she came to understand that it could be his way of coping with the death of his grandfather– he was upset. But why was she feeling sad? Wasn't it too early to be concerned about him?

'Alexa, he's done a lot for you in this short period of time. He didn't even let his family walk all over you like they wanted, even if he was powerless.

'I think I agree. They could have arrested you for something you didn't do. He saved you again. I don't like this, but I think you owe him some appreciation.'

For the first time in a long while, the two entities in her mind finally agreed on something. Shocking enough, her heart followed suit.

"Ok, but I don't have your contact," she didn't wait for his response before passing her phone to him. Once he was done giving her his digits, Alexa gave him a hug and a light kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Hmm," he replied.

Alexa didn't want to leave but had to. Reluctantly, she bade him farewell before sauntering towards the black car that had just pulled out of the parking lot.

Aiden watched her enter the car before, suddenly, an inscrutable glare flashed in his orbs.

The young man, who used to give off a cute and charming vibe, at that moment, appeared dangerous with an aura of doom shrouding him– Mysterious, fearsome, and domineering– so much so that, no one who had seen him before now would dare to believe that the man standing under the light coming from the hospital building was the same Aiden they used to look down on.

The guy in a black suit, who gave him a phone last night at the party, walked out of a dark corner and stood by Aiden as they both watched the car disappear into the snowy night.

"Should I get rid of her?" he queried.

Aiden looked over his shoulder and responded with the tone of voice his family had never heard before– dangerously low, "Not so soon."

"Why are you keeping her alive when you know she's lied to you again and again?"

"My old man just passed away, killing my wife the same day is no fun."

The guy chuckled, "Are you for real? Your old man passed away today, but you married yesterday. You could have killed her if you wanted to. Make it make sense."

Silence descended on them for a little while before Aiden suddenly said, "She's interesting."

The guy gasped, "Bro! You fell in love?!"

As though his friend said something poisonous, Aiden hissed and glowered. With a tinge of warning in his tone, he uttered, "There shouldn't be a next time, Renren."

"I know you're mad, but don't blame me for thinking out of the box, because, Aiden, we know you're not capable of love, so why are you treating her so well? It stings my eyes and I'm sure Taitai would be lost too."

"A wife deserves respect and compassion. This, you and Taitai will never understand."

"Hahahaha... Says the monster."

When Aiden glared at him, Renren stopped making fun of him and changed the topic, "Now that the only person who's been holding you down is dead, what do you intend to do?"

"Start doing what I do best."

"Terrorize your enemies, write new stories, buy more shares, and invest in more companies. I understand... But aren't you going to seek revenge for your grandfather? He genuinely loved you, you know."

"It's an unspoken rule. They inconvenienced me by taking away the old man before I made him retract his announcement."

"Indeed, I can't imagine you sitting behind an office desk, going through a heap of documents. Hahaha... Taitai would love this."

"When is he coming?"

"He did say next week, but I'll call to confirm."

"Tell him to push the date forward."

"Hehe, seems there's something fun to do. Who should we start with?"

"It makes no difference to me who you choose from the Wilfreds, but my old man's funeral needs to be handled with dignity and respect..."

"I understand. Then what about the Jacksons? They humiliated you at the altar."

"One at a time.... Monica comes last. And remember, leave no trace and suspicions."

"Roger that. Hehehe... I can perceive the smell of destruction hovering above Sky City," Renren stretched and started walking back to where he came out from while reading a poem in a calm and relaxed tone:

No place to run

No place to hide

Who is next?

Dim dim dim

Heart is in fear

Dim dim dim

Staring with a smile

He's everywhere

Friends seek to hide

Family seek to run

Who is next?

Dim dim dim

No one will be spared

Dim dim dim

He's a grim reaper

At night

He laughs like a fool

In day

Watching y'all as you poke his pride

He stands tall and Mighty

He's nearer than you think

Folks don't hasten your death

Dim dim dim

Heed my words

As I tell you

No place to run

No place to hide.