IN THE CAGE

135. DESIGNING A COINCIDENCE

"How are you?" ask Evan.

"What?"

"I heard you visited Fawn So..., did you manage to calm her down?"

Indira leaned her head against the door leaf, her eyes glaring at Evan wistfully. "I don't think he will do things that will be troublesome. Fawn obeyed me and trusted me. He won't try to escape."

Evan who was lying on the bed, stomach holding a book, smiled. "Surely, he won't escape. Not if he's smart and understands his position now."

"You shouldn't have taken Fawn's mother as a prisoner" Indira said. He feels lost to his humanity after confronting Evan, after getting involved in the man's bad scheme.

"Don't look at me as a villain here, Indi. I just did what I needed to do. After all, the originator of the idea is your own best friend. Vera told me how Ace made Fawn obey him and I just learned from there."

"That doesn't make you any better" said Indira. He who was wearing an evening gown, stepped closer to the bed. He thought long before lying down next to Evan. The same man he hated and cursed morning and night.

"I'm not trying to be better than anyone" Evan said. "I'm just trying to win a showdown between me and Ace."

"You're very convincing."

Evan laughs. "You don't trust me at all, huh?"

"If I believe you, then I will be in the same hell as you. I don't want that."

"I think because we're married, we should be in the same hell, right?"

Although Evan looked at her with a smile, Indira showed no pleasure at all for the man's existence. He took a long breath. Rather than respond to Evan, Indira decides to pull the blanket and sleep. He turned his back to Evan before turning off the sleeping light on the left side of his bed.

"Good night, Indira." Evan mutters.

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

...NORMAL pov...

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

Ace was buttoning his shirt when he received a call from Rio. Now that it was only half seven in the morning, it was very unusual for Rio to contact her directly. Even if something urgent happens to his business and job, every report will go through Carcel first.

"Hello, Boss." Rio's voice greeted him, sounding quite serious and intense.

"What's up, Rio?" Ace chimed in while picking a tie in his closet drawer. Between the blue tie and the silver tie, Ace weighed in on the two objects that drew his eyes and matched them with the black shirt he was wearing.

"I'm sorry I bothered you so early, I was about to give you an important report."

While Rio was conveying that important thing as well, Ace paused his activity and leaned his back on the edge of his desk. He was pondering calmly over every report that Rio spoke. Then, when the report had expired, Ace immediately nodded. Surely, Rio would not know his reaction. So, in closing, Ace chimed in on the verbal report Rio gave by saying 'Good work, Rio!'.

After the phone connection was cut off, Ace sauntered towards the balcony of his open room. Stare at the view of the city still covered by the morning dew.

Now it is September, autumn coming and covering the city down there makes the atmosphere look to be shady and murky. Ace felt - if Fawn was with him now - the girl would love the sight. Given somewhere different from him now, Fawn looks just like a city of infinity, wistful and sweet.

Oh, she must be sad and scared...

"Now, what are you gonna do about Fawnia?" Ace muttered while leaning his arm against the balcony railing. He took a deep breath, taking in fresh oxygen that smelled like wet dew and the withered grass.

Ace's mind was fixated on the report Rio gave. The existence of Lilian Alder now in the palm of Evan Caspian. The information was not surprising to Ace, he perfectly understood the situation would end up there sooner or later. Also, although he understood, Ace did not want to prevent or do anything against that information.

Vera who was captured by Evan must have spoken, leaking her relationship with Fawn because that was the only way Vera was able to survive. Vera must have unpacked everything, every detail of Ace and Fawn's relationship that ultimately involved Lilian's existence and safety.

Vera is innocent, and Ace won't hate her for that. If there's anything Ace wants to do to Vera now is give her a medal, a charter of appreciation and a thank you.

Thank you for doing what you most expect.

Because, only in this way can the plan work.

Only in this way, Fawn will learn.

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

"He was very preoccupied with the incident at the port a few days ago, Boss. I heard he killed one of his clients because of the many problems caused by the fire and his clients were about to withdraw from cooperation."

"Looks like he's very depressed," Ace chuckled.

For the Clubs who have been shipwrecked, the information is certainly very bad and very detrimental. However, for Ace who masterminded the incident at the port as a mild revenge, the news of the stressed Max is fun music to the ears. Ace felt he could sleep well because Maximillian was getting cornered.

The bastard could have displayed a calm and dignified expression, but panic would gradually spread as well if the land where the ground was grounded was unstable. It was a human reaction.

"What about the publication I want?" Ace asked again as he sat down at the table. A cup of coffee that was in Jerome's hand was anchored near his arm. Ready to accompany Ace through this fun morning.

"As the boss predicted. No media would cooperate with the reporter." Jerome meant a reporter who had been stalking Fawn later. Reporter with gold information in hand.

"It seems like every media outlet is afraid to involve themselves to spread that information. They contacted me and told Ace's boss not to worry about anything."

"I'd be worried if the information wasn't spread out" Ace's murmur made Jerome smile stiffly.

"Should I ask N magazine to release that information?"

"Don't..." Ace shook his head. "I don't want to get caught already involved, do I?"

"Well..."

Ace's smile grew thin. If he wants to complain about the situation that has happened now, it is better he made his move without actually being involved there. Everything has to happen naturally. At least, what would happen later should be like a coincidence.

That way,

Only then would Fawn not hate him, not suspect him and would not escape his grasp.

Oh, speaking of the situation Ace was referring to, he gave the reporter a clue about his relationship with Fawn. A photo of her and Fawn's affection a few weeks ago.

The reporter who is smart enough and ambitious enough to ascend the throne eats up his bait and will do whatever it takes to expose him, disseminating information regarding his relationship and Fawnia.

"What do I do to get the news published?" Jerome's waiting for orders.

"Don't do anything" Ace said. "I want to see as ambitious as what that person is to raise his career and his name."

If Ace's estimate is correct, the reporter will contact Caspian's side for help with publication. Help Evan, more precisely.

Evan of all people is not one who will swallow information with unanimity and certainty. Even if Vera talked about Fawn's value in Ace's eyes, Evan would still doubt the truth. In addition to the lack of evidence in Vera's remarks, Vera was a person from Ace's side. An enemy. If Vera spoke, the value of her speech in Evan's eyes was only 70.

Evan might be taking advantage of Fawn after hearing Vera's remarks, but it's not as extreme as Ace would like it to be and Ace doesn't want it. Ace wants Evan to come to him with malicious intent, intent to obliterate him completely, and to his utter destruction.

Therefore, in order to close off Evan's remaining doubts and turn him into a monster with crazy ambitions, Ace needs to make the man's trust 100%. There should not be a little bit of concern arising in Evan's mind.

Evan needs to realize that Fawn is a figure that Ace loves very much to the stage he was willing to die for the girl. To make Evan believe, Ace accidentally sends proof of his relationship to Evan through the reporter who's been following them lately. The evidence will be a sealing of Evan's decision.

Evan..., in Ace's mind, in the black scheme he had carefully planned, would be a medium to destroy Fawn's loyalty to Anggara.

If the situation goes as Ace would like, then there is a chance that Ace will die in Fawn's hand.

"It's getting interesting" Ace smiled faintly and sipped his coffee.

The thought of dying at Fawnia's hands made Ace's heart flutter uneasily. This enthusiasm combined with nervousness was a new feeling he had only experienced when thinking about Fawn. It feels so awkward and fun, so wrong but full of passion.

"Boss Ace, your hand..., are you okay?" Jerome reprimanded Ace's vibrating fingers on the table. Cold crept at the tip of his fingers, like ice at the north pole.

"Oh..." Ace noticed his own body's reaction and laughed. "This.., I'm fine."

Just a little happy.

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