IN THE CAGE

21. RATHER POSSESSIVE

...ACE pov's...

.........

Ever since the Spades and Clubs allied and generalized their power with Diamond, I-as the leader in the Diamond corp. I need to deal with all the problems and betrayals committed by my colleagues who turned away from me, there are also enemies who came to the surface and began to terrorize us from all directions.

It was rained down by thousands of bullets. No matter how hard I try to fend it all off, I alone will not be enough. One of those thousands of bullets will hit me.

Today, the thing I can't fend off and prevent is happening altogether.

"When did this happen?" Uncle Jack circled the iron table where a corpse lay cold.

"A resident found him yesterday" replied a police officer who was also our insider. "But from the autopsy results, he's been dead for at least a week."

"It's lucky his body wasn't eaten by wild animals" added Jack's uncle. The foul smell in the room discouraged me from speaking, I just stared at the familiar face on the table with a little concern.

"David, while working under you, has there been anything unusual about Fabian's behavior over the past month?" Uncle Jack threw a glance at David who also came with us.

As the head of Margot's bodyguard, David was responsible to four other bodyguards, one of which was Fabian. When David heard Fabian's body was found in the forest, he was shocked to the point of falling down. I think they're not only as close as coworkers, but friends as well.

"I don't remember anything specific, boss. During his time overseeing Margot's boss, Fabian behaved as he always did. He's a little silly and makes jokes a lot, so Margot's boss drives him away. But..., I don't think she showed any strangeness." David spoke in a somewhat trembling voice.

I took a long breath. I don't know if David is still saddened by his partner's death or frightened by Jack's powerful uncle's aura. I didn't feel at home here and smelled that stench, so I took out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.

Uncle Jack looked at my behavior and made no comment.

"Did Fabian have a family?" I contribute with dislikes.

"Fabian had one child, he adopted his aunt's drunken son." The smile was painted on David's face. The memories he had of Fabian's kindness had turned into bitter memories.

"Fabian is a good boy." added David again.

So, in conclusion.., Fabian is a good-natured man with one child who needs to be raised. I seem to remember this story somewhere. Fawn.., he is another kind-hearted person with a family that needs to be protected.

"It looks like I've found the answer" I dropped my cigarette on the floor and stepped on it to death. "Uncle, let's discuss this at another."

"All right," said Uncle Jack and came out first.

I was with Carcel about to catch uncle out, but before that I greeted David who was still standing there and squeezed his shoulders gently.

"Make a proper funeral for him" I said before passing.

David nodded with tears piling up in his eyes.

"Stay strong, Dave." Carcel added like a whisper.

After we got out of the autopsy room, I walked along with Carcel and three other bodyguards waiting outside. They were all my personal bodyguards and they all showed sadness at Fabian's sudden departure. 

In the end, we are all human. This death reminds me that no matter how often we face death, the people who sacrificed their lives for me are real people. They are important people to others.

..."You crazy psychopath, you can't play around with other people's lives, damn it. Just because you're not loved doesn't mean everyone is in the same position as you!"...

Fawn's meaning echoed in my head, appearing like ridicule.

Depressing.

If only I could choose another path to live, I wouldn't want to be here either. Margot and Uncle Jack just used me as their tool. A valuable pawn that they are able to use to take down opponents. Because they are incompetent, stupid but ambitious. They want me to achieve what they want.

This revenge, motherfucker!

I didn't even cry when my parents died! I don't want to be here!

...---...

"Ace, are you okay?"

My head is full of the burdens of the mind, and instead of relaxing my muscles or continuing to work, here I am. In a luxury cafe selling beautiful macarons with a cup of tea in an aesthetic vintage cup. The people who invited me to this cafe were looking at me with a faint anxiety on their faces.

"If you're so busy, you shouldn't have responded to my invitation. You and your mind seem to be in two different places." Indira continued to speak.

"It's okay, because a lot of thought I'd better relax a little, right?" I forced a smile. "Anyway, don't you usually take me to a place like this?"

Where Indira used to take me to chat is usually a library cafe, an old cafe with visitors who can count fingers, or sometimes he took me to a cafe on board. The place we usually visit is a quiet and relaxing place. Not this place, a colorful place, a disgusting teenage couple and ear-splitting pop music.

"This is a popular dating spot on the internet."

Uh!!!

"What pot?" I raised my eyebrows unintentionally. A date? Did I hear about dating?

"Don't get me wrong, I'm doing this to see Evan's reaction."

Indira smiled shyly, her cheeks met red and she avoided my gaze. His hands were clinging to each other on the table.

"You're not trying to make me and Evan kill each other, are you?" I don't understand Indira at all.

"Where could I do that!" Indira looked back at me, her lips pursed in lethargy. "I just..., I shouldn't have said this but I really need a friend to confide in now!"

"Huh, tell me, what else did that idiot Evan do?" As a friend of Indira, I honestly still don't understand it. I think she said her marriage to Evan was a must, to save herself from bankruptcy. Then, why is she acting like a 14-year-old girl in a closet?

"Uh, mmm, actually.., I hope you didn't say this to anyone!" Indira threatened me with her index finger. "Promise!"

"Do I have any friends I can talk to about your personal problems? Oh...., or do you think of me as a bucket-mouthed man?"

"Well, don't misunderstand me. I'm just scared, you know." Indira set her breath once more before speaking. "Honestly, Ace.., my marriage to Evan did not go well."

"Is he a bastard?" I know Evan's a bastard, but I didn't think he'd show Indira his savage side. The guy's always two-faced everywhere.

"Not like that, Evan is honestly very kind and understanding but..."

"But?"

Indira is getting nervous, what exactly did the idiot Evan do until Indira sedilema this? Indira is always calm, and meek.

"It looks like Evan doesn't love me" Indira said.

"That's obvious, right?"

"Hey!" Indira shouted at me for a moment. "You don't have to be that honest!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just telling you the facts. Aren't you guys getting betrothed for the family business? His feelings don't go into the calculations at all, then." Again, I do not understand Indira.

"It's all your fault!" indira is back. "If you don't become very successful at your job, I won't marry Evan!"

"I once asked you to marry me, but you rejected me too. Did you forget?" I brought up the moment when I proposed to her a year after I became head of Diamond. Indira, who was still accompanied by Fawn, rejected me with a big laugh.

"Do you think I want to marry a heartless man like you?"

"And is Evan feeling the way you expected?" I mocked him who came back with a sour face.

"But at least I thought Evan would try to love me. But well, it looks like you deserve to laugh at me this time."

"As much as I want to laugh, I'll shut up this time." There was no benefit to me laughing at Indira's suffering, not when I myself was suffering with a burden peaking in my head.

"So, your goal in bringing me here is so you can see Evan's reaction, right? Do you think this will work?" I asked again after biting a macaron that tasted so sweet and sickening on my tongue.

"I don't know," Indira propped up her chin. "Just, maybe Evan's bodyguard will give a report about the man I met to Evan and Evan will be a little dislike, right? You know he doesn't like you, right?"

"So he gave you a new bodyguard?" I'm more interested in that information. If Evan indeed planted his people behind Indira, it would not be wrong if this meeting would reach his ears.

"He wants me to be safer" Indira said, twisting her hair. "Today, he's also recruited a lot of new bodyguards, I think his job is getting insecure."

"Huh, that's natural. He is the head at the Clubs, he also stands on par with me now. The price of his life is equivalent to mine." I answered Indira while leaning my back on the back of the bench.

While Indira was digesting my words as well, I recorded her words in my mind. Trying to find other reasons behind the recruitment of bodyguards carried out by the Caspian family.

What else is the snake planning now?

"Oh, this is delicious." Indira held the green macaron in front of my face. "I don't think we're in vain here."

"Hn, I agree."

"Aaaaah, look at this cake I'm so remembering Fawn. She really enjoyed the sweet snack, she would definitely love to eat this."

"Fawn?" that name interests me. "He likes macarons?"

"Not specifically. Fawn loves anything sweet."

"Ooh, is that it?" my smile unconsciously expands. It's a moron, what do I think of smiling after hearing a little trivia about Fawn?

"How's it going? Have you met him?" I'm taking information again.

"People don't say anything about Fawn, but you know me, I'm not gonna stay quiet. If Angga doesn't tell me where Fawn is now, then I'll look for her on my own."

When Indira said that with unanimous determination, I who sat opposite from Indira felt a dislike in her confession.

"I think you better not do something in vain. You could get hurt," I meant a friend's advice, but somehow, my voice changed that advice to sound like a threat.

Fawn is mine now, you're Indira Caspian, better keep your nose away from what's already my property.

...----...