IN THE CAGE

107. WINES

...NORMAL pov...

...----------------...

"I want to meet Indira" Anggara said. Inside the greenhouse, it is covered with ornamental plants that creep on the walls, flowers in pots, shady trees, and other horticulture plants - The dragon that was then sitting facing Evan, he looked at his sister-in-law with seriousness.

"Drink the tea first" Evan said. Postpone the topic, maybe? He looked calm despite Anggara and Eleanor looking at him with a piercing glare. Evan lifted his teacup, sipping the chamomile-scented warm liquid into his mouth with his eyes still glued to Anggara's eyes.

"Evan, I want to see Indira." Anggara reiterated his goal.

"This is chamomile tea" said Evan, still faithfully do not touch the topic of Indira. "Do you know what chamomile tea does, Elle?"

"Squealing it in someone else's face?" Eleanor answered cynically. He was not afraid to splash the golden boy Caspian with tea. In fact, Eleanor felt very triggered to want to flirt with the man. There was no serious problem anyway, Eleanor just didn't like men evenly. Including Evan Caspian.

"Living too long out there makes your behavior the same as your father's family, Elle. Disappointingly. I thought there would be a change when you rejoined Rashid."

"What do you mean!" eleanor's voice was rising.

"I mean, the fruit does not fall far from the tree. You and your father..."

"Evan, enough." Anggara. He quickly read Eleanor's intentions and caught her cousin's arm. Elle barely reached for the teacup and poured the contents into Evan's head.

"Damn it, Angga!" Eleanor pulled her hand from the clutches of Anggara and sat back down. He slammed his body rough on the bench like a meteor that hit the Earth. Anggara's eyes rotated dull at the childish behavior of his cousin.

"You better shut your mouth" Anggara recalled, this time with great emphasis in his voice. After saying to Elle, Anggara then looked at Evan. "Please Evan, can you not drag this topic again?"

"I'm just talking to you, what's wrong?"

"It wouldn't be wrong if you said where Indira was first!"

"He's safe with me." Evan crossed his arms around his chest, a smile playing on his face. Implies stifled aggravation.

"Did you do something to her?"

"We do this and that a lot. If you could be more specific..."

"Did you hurt her?" cut off Anggara, this time with a fist pressing down on the table. "I asked, Evan."

"What part of him is safe that you don't understand?" Evan sighed. "Do you think I'm gonna hurt my own wife?"

"If Indira is safe, let us meet her." Elle is back. He supports Anggara's argument there. "You know we're his brothers, right? You have no right to keep Indira away from us."

"The one with no rights here is you, Elle. I don't remember where my relationship with Anggara or Indira involved you. You are an outsider. Better think about your own business."

"In case you forget, Indira is my cousin, Evan." Elle pressed her voice with a growl.

"And?" Evan did not see any important points in Elle's remarks. Nor does he care. Lazily continued the debate with Elle, Evan then turned to Anggara. To a man who could be spoken to, he thought.

"Female, you don't have to worry about Indira. I'm telling you, he's very nice. Very-very healthy. He's in good hands now."

"Huh, your hand?" Elle snatched without stopping.

"Just like.., you don't have to worry. When the time comes, I will let Indira meet you. For now, eeeh, I think he better get away from the crowd. You know our situation, don't you? Get him caught up in all this riot..." Evan scratched the cheek. He deliberately built a scenario that he knew Anggara was most afraid of. A scenario when Indira gets caught in danger.

"It is precisely because Indira is with you that she could be in danger. You and Ace Hunter are in a fight right now, don't rule out Indira being targeted by people." Elle tried to rationalize the situation.

Unfortunately, Evan had already predicted that argument.

"Absolutely right, isn't it? Since he could be my weakness, I will definitely hide it."

"I can protect Indira" Anggara said.

"No, Angga. You're my pawn now." Evan did not feel uneasy when he said that. "If I give Indira to you, how can I control you, heh?"

At that time, when Evan explained his main intention to hide Indira, not because of fear Indira is in danger or because he loves Indira, but because he wants to control Anggara. At that moment, Anggara looked at Evan with a deep seclusion.

Evan is a terrible person, a sword. Anggara just did not expect, the sword that he thought would be a weapon to protect his family, ended up pointing towards his neck.

"For the common good, brother, how about you sit down and enjoy the tea."

...----------------...

Fawn was standing on the white sand, one hand carrying a shoe while the other hand was busy fiddling with the phone. Fawn called someone. Someone who invited him to meet on the beach.

With his toes beginning to sink into the warm sand, Fawn sat crouching there.

Fawn had been waiting for about 10 minutes, and the figure he was waiting for did not arrive.

On that beach, there was no one but him. Fawn felt uneasy as she found no signs of a single person there. It wasn't that the darkness and silence frightened her, Fawn just didn't like being made to wait long.

"Should I go home?" Fawn looked at her phone once more, checked the inbox on her silent phone, and saw the clock that was approaching nine o'clock.

Actually, Fawn could have called Ace and asked him where the man was, but, perhaps because of his increasing prestige. Fawn did not want to impress 'very enthusiastic'.

"Maybe he's got an important meeting" Fawn speculated. Look around for reasons for Ace's figure that are yet to come and probably won't come.

Huuuuh~

Fawn's breath came back heavy. He looked up at the night sky and saw a sprinkling of stars there. Perhaps because he was now away from the crowds and the surroundings were very dim, the star that was above the sky there looked brighter and more numerous than in the city.

"I'll be home by 9." Fawn murmured to herself.

For a while, he'll stay there. Enjoy the sound of the waves, the night wind, and the stars.

Fawn stayed there, buttocks anchored in the sand, head gazing to the end of the night horizon. The shoes on his left side, overlapping with the black suit he had previously worn encircled his body.

That silence brought comfort to Fawn. Fawn occasionally took a deep breath, inhaling the cold night wind air up into the lungs. It's like freezing.

Fawn forgot the stars in the sky and closed her eyes, more enjoying the night breeze blowing across her skin. He felt an incredible calm...

5 Minutes before nine.

A cold object from the glass greeted his skin.

Fawn opened her eyes, not surprised and not afraid. He looked up to the figure now standing beside him. Down looking at his face.

"Not surprised?"

"If I'm surprised, you'll definitely die." Fawn responded as she pulled her face away from the glass gla.s.s attached to her cheek. It was a wine glass.

Ace, the man who had kept him waiting for a long time, appeared with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Obsolutely, do I look easy to die?"

"Depending on your opponent, maybe?"

"So, do you think I'll lose to you?"

"Want to try sparing?"

Ace chuckles. He sat down beside Fawn and looked at the girl's face from the side. It was nice to see a familiar face. The face he always wanted to find every morning, every night, but could not do because of Fawn...Fawn was still beyond his reach.

"I don't want to hurt you" Ace said.

"You're afraid of losing to me," Fawn teased Ace with a witty up and down eyebrow. "Just admit it."

"Don't you beat me?" Ace removed the black trench coat he was wearing and attached it to Fawn's shoulder. "Wear this, you can freeze."

"Wait, when do I beat you?" Fawn fixed Ace's coat on his back while looking at the man in the eyes.

"When you came into my life, Fawnia, you beat me."

"..."

Fawn's eyes widened instantly, followed by a heat that instantly radiated across his chest and rose onto his face. Fawn's cheeks flushed red, and thanks to the night sky, Fawn was grateful that the darkness had hidden the red tinge that was scattering on her face.

"Wine?" haggard Ace then. He opened the bottle of wine he was carrying and poured it in a glass.

"I..," Fawn hesitated. He didn't drink alcohol. Fawn was afraid that he would get drunk and unable to control himself.

"Just relax, I'll take care of you."

"Well, I trust you." Fawn welcomed the glass that Ace thrust. A whimper bloomed on his face cheerfully.

Just then, as Fawn smiled at him, Ace felt flowers blooming on his chest. It filled his lungs, shining darkly in his mind. It hypnotizes the eyes.

Fawn really did defeat him.

Ace has to get the girl back to her Eternity.

Entirely.

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