Unexpected Someone

"You never took care of her in fear of alerting Adrianne. You didn't expect you'd die early before you could even pass your wealth to her, didn't you? " Sherdan's words were filled with mockery, as he attacked Sibal with words that pierced through the chains locking his secrets inside. The chains were ripped apart, and Sibal's greatest secret poured out of Sherdan's mouth. 

"Now that you're dying, you named the company under her. But do you know what would happen to Aunt Anneye once you're finally dead? Are you aware of the consequences of your actions?" Sherdan trailed off, and stood up as he looked at the old man, who now had his eyes half closed. He was close to convulsing, but Sherdan did not stop.

Sherdan went to where he was and leaned in close to Sibal's ears.

And with a quiet voice, he muttered.

"She will follow you in the afterlife"

Sibal's heart quenched and his eyes turned white. Sherdan stood up and stared at the old man who was shaking on his seat. Bubbles formed on his mouth, and his fingers curled as if possessed. Sherdan watched quietly, waiting for the perfect moment. And right before Sibal passed out, Sherdan called out for the nurse.

The nurse who remained outside flinched upon hearing Sherdan's panicking voice. And when she entered, she saw the scene of her patient, in an awkward position and unconscious.

"W-what the hell happened!" She couldn't help but stutter, and she immediately went to where Sibal was to check his pulse. After she felt the weak but beating pulse, she sighed in relief. 

After that, everything happened quickly. Sherdan went out of the hall along with his family. The guards escorted them outside so they could go to their designated rooms. Those that wanted to assist the elderly man tag along to the doctors that was rushed by Jelo, they were all escorted to a separate private jet by the guards. 

"What happened Sherdan?" Nicholas glanced at his son, who was unusually quiet. He wasn't able to stop him earlier when he was brought along by the elder to the latter's room. Although he saw Sherdan signalling him seriously to not meddle nor do anything.

Nicholas was worried, but it was not as though Sherdan couldn't take care of himself. Imogen was still crying at that time, and the couple couldn't leave her side. 

The Elder's violence was a way of disciplining the youngsters. Nicholas and his father, Jelo, never really agreed nor implemented it in their own household, but they couldn't convince the elder to let go of his abusive disciplinary customs.

The Elder normally never punished a child as young as Imogen, especially in public. But it seems his temperamet has worsened recently.

Andra, on the other hand, was extremely worried about Sherdan, but Nicholas told her to let their oldest child handle this matter. Nicholas was well aware of how irresponsible it was to resign to such thinking, but for some reason, after he saw how the Elder shut up when Sherdan muttered something to him, he felt as though Sherdan would be able to handle this matter. And aside from that baseless confidence he had on his son, Nicholas felt that he might do something reckless if he was the one left alone with the elder in a room.

But now, Nicholas was actually regretting his decision. What did Sherdan told the old man? That it led to the other getting hospitalized?

Sherdan glanced at his father, and only gave an ambiguous answer.

"We were just talking about something, but his emotions heightened when we reached a certain topic." 

Nicholas was about to probe more, but he lost his attention to Sherdan when he bumped into someone.

The other was thrown off balance for a second, but immediately regained her composure.

The girl had her head hanging low, and she bowed to Nicholas as a form of an apology.

"Sorry," she said before she walked away with hurried steps.

Nicholas, who was just about to give her his answer, was cut off. He was ignored before he could even do as much as give the youngster a piece of his thoughts.

Nichilas sighed as he turned around and spoke.

"Teens nowadays are so disrespectf---Sherdan?" He was about to talk to his son, but saw that Sherdan was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did that brat go?" 

"Nicholas!" 

"Yes! Coming!"

As Sherdan swept through the flocks of people blocking his way, he didn't even glance at those he accidentally collided with.

'Peiya'

'She's certainly Peiya' He thought.

The girl who bumped against his father earlier had her gaze down, and her hair was also blocking most of her facial features. But Sherdan caught a peek of her face when she was turning around. And he was certain he saw Peiya.

'Why is she here?'

There was no way Peiya would be here, inside the Cohen's mansion. 

If he saw her near the mansion, he would have doubted why she was there, but not to this extent. Afterall, she could be a daughter of a servant, or she could be a servant herself that he didn't know about before.

But to see her inside the mansion, now that's hella suspicious. She even came out of the hall!

The only ones who could go inside the mansion were the relatives of the Cohens and the Cohens themselves. Even the halls were built especially just for family gatherings.

Aside from that, Peiya wasn't wearing a maid's uniform but a dress befitting the gathering. That means she didn't come here as a servant but as either a relative or someone with blood ties to a pure Cohen.

Sherdan trailed behind Peiya, who was turning to every corner of the mansion and looking around, as if checking to see if she was being watched.

This notion made Sherdan more suspicious of her, and he became even more careful not to be seen.

Sherdan stopped at a distance when Peiya stopped in front of a big door. It was the room for storing unused things.

Sherdan frowned, wondering what would be the reason behind why Peiya came to such a place.

As if a code for someone to open the door for her, Peiya knocked on the door in a successive pattern. At the fifth knock, the door opened and Peiya went inside. 

Sherdan then went closer, upon arriving he leaned his ears against the door.

He could hear muffled voices inside. And it appears it belongs to two individuals, Peiya's and someone he still couldn't discern. But one thing'a for sure, the voice belonged to a woman.

"You...." The unknown woman's voice made Sherdan's ears perk up.

Peiya's voice was soon heard.

"Yes....my.....her child." 

The sounds of rustling were heard, and the voice became even more quiet.

"Keep... safe... Elionor"

"Yes....her...Alkine.....you....."

Sherdan immediately walked away after the voice became louder, indicating that they were coming towards the door.

He hid behind the nearest wall, and was about to peek again to see who would come out of the room. But before he could even do what he planned, his ringtone rang.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath, before roughly shutting his phone down. 

The two women were alerted, and Peiya nervously glanced at the woman beside her. The latter only raised her forefinger and signalled her to remain silent.

Peiya and the woman quietly walked to where Sherdan was, while Sherdan was still sighing from frustration.

Upon arriving, the woman readied herself and raised her pocket knife. If worse comes to worst, she could threaten the intruder to remain silent with their life on the line.

As she raised her hand that was holding the knife towards the direction where she heard the ringtone, she was surprised when she was welcomed by the scene.

"They're gone," Peiya exclaimed as he stared in horror at the corner leading to the staircase.There was someone here! They probably heard them!

After all, if that person was an oblivious person, the first thing they would do was to say sorry or get the call rather than to escape.

"A-are we exposed? W-what would happen to my sister?" Peiya glanced at the woman in front of her, who had gone unusually silent.

Anneye brushed her hair with her fingers and clicked her tongue.

"Don't worry. Your sister would be safe." She said, whilst gripping her pocket knife tightly.

Sherdan quickly followed the way down while huffing loudly. He couldn't help but groan in frustration.

He lost the chance to confirm that Peiya was indeed talking to her because of that darn call. He could have pretended that he was unaware and didn't hear anything, but if it was her, then he's sure as hell that she'd realize in an instant that he was bluffing.

After all, he know her, more than enough to be considered someone close to her.

She wasn't an enemy; she had never been, but if she found out that he knew about her secrets, she would surely cut off all ties with him or anyone who happened to stumble upon them.

And Sherdan wants to know, whether this secret was related to the the reason why she died before.

When Sherdan was finally at a safe distance, he took out his phone and opened it. What he saw was Lucian's missed call. The familiar ''business partner Lu lu' made Sherdan remember his dilemma once again.

Sherdan couldn't help but grunt. Right, there was this problem he had to take care of too.

He dialed Lucian's number and the other quickly picked up without further adeu.

"Are you alright? Why did you decline the call?" Lucian bit his nails. 

The last time he was able to talk with Sherdan was when the other activated Telepathy. After that, Sherdan was nowhere in sight, Lucian couldn't find him anywhere. It was as if he's purposely avoiding him.

Sherdan held back his sigh and swallowed the lump in his throat.

When he finally calmed himself, he spoke.

"Let's meet"

Lucian was surprised with this sudden invitation, but pushed back the question in his head. 

Sherdan was nowhere when he was looking for him, and now that he offered to meet, why would he decline?

Although he felt a sense of dread, he didn't reject him.

"Alright, when?"