IN THE CAGE

73. CAGE

...ACE pov's...

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Fawn was holding me Butter on the couch when I got home. He glanced at me at a glance, smiled a thin smile then returned to paying attention to the lazy and spoiled cat. I put my briefcase on the table before joining Fawn on the sofa.

Those damn butter-cats that were on Fawn's lap opened their lazy eyes and looked at me. I looked back at him with a cynical delicacy.

"Don't get Butter into a fight, can you?" Fawn looked at me with excitement.

"You should have told him that. He's the one who looks at me first."

"That's because you're always so fierce, Butter beware of you."

"You're spoiling her too much." I sat next to Fawn and my presence did indeed succeed in making the grey-haired cat wake up from its position of efficacy. Goody. Now go and stop taking my spot.

"Butter, relax. Ace won't bother you." Fawn rubbed the drama-filled cat's head with love and tenderness that made me turn my eyes unable to stand it.

"I'm here and you're still thinking about the cat." I complained. Seriously, should I get rid of this cat? He's starting to irritate me. Fawn loves him very much and that's not good. Fawn should only love me.

"You're acting like a kid." Fawn pushed my shoulder with her shoulder. "There's no need to fight with animals, even if you don't like them. You can just ignore it, right?"

"The thing is, he's bothering people I like." I responded to Fawn without hesitation. In response to my honesty, Fawn was immediately silenced in embarrassment. His cheeks blushed to the ears.

"You're obnoxious, you better go take a shower." He kicked me out instead.

I didn't obey Fawn, of course. Instead, I grabbed Butter from his lap and put the cat on the floor. Fawn was about to protest against me but stopped when I took Butter's position on her lap.

"Seriously, you're a kid."

"You're right" I said without objection. When being in her lap makes me a kid, I'm fine with that name. Fawn could label me any name as long as it meant I could be this close to her, feel her warmth, breathe her aro.

"Is this the side of Ace Hunter I've never seen before?" Fawn looked down to look at me, but she ended up embarrassed and raised her face again. Funny, very funny. I could die.

"Do you like this when you like someone?"

"Are you curious because you're jealous?"

"Why did you draw that conclusion so far, I was just curious, okay!"

No, the thing is, I'm just happy to imagine that Fawn was thinking about all the probabilities about me. I want him to keep thinking about me until he forgets there's another world out there. Until he forgot everything but me.

"I've never liked anyone before" I said.

"What a joke?"

"I'm serious."

"Bohoooong-dong. It's impossible." Fawn denied my words with an amused grunt. But I'm not lying. I have never felt this much dependence on someone. Even when I was living in freedom, I just spent my time with women for fun. No one of the many women I know, could make me fall like I am now. It fell to a Fawnia. The bodyguard that came into my life was like a shooting star.

"I may look popular in your eyes, but I've never been in a serious relationship at all."

"Yayayayaya, take it easy. I trust you so much." That voice is sarcastic. I don't understand how to convince Fawn. What am I like in her imagination, this stupid girl...

"How about you, have you ever liked someone before?" I asked that but regretted it immediately. "No.." as fast as I can. "Don't answer that."

"Huh, why?"

"I don't want to know your answer." I thought I could kill that guy if I found out.

Fawnia-though I was her first experience in terms of 'you know what', I still don't know if she's ever been in a relationship with someone before. To think that he had craved someone before as much as I wanted him now made me very unhappy. I might be able to crumple someone's skull with just the adrenaline that comes with my emotions.

I raised my hand and pinched her cheek. That smooth skin is like ecstasy to me.

As I secured myself in Fawn's lap as well, I recalled Rio's words to me some time ago. That, Fawn's mother will carry out surgery in another week to install a support that can help her heart function better.

I'm honestly quite surprised. I didn't think his illness would be that drastic. If Fawn knew her mother's illness, all the happiness I have now would have been-it would have been.

"What are you thinking?"

"Fawnia..."

"Mmmm?"

It's a little greedy, but please, don't leave me. I'll make sure your mother gets the best care in the world. Just.., you don't need to know about all that stuff.

"Forget it."

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Margot came to me tonight. In the discussion room when I just wanted to be alone, smoking and drinking a glass of wine from the cupboard-Margot instead ruined my evening of tenure. He was in black satin pajamas and a tissue mask that made his face ghost-like - coming into the discussion room and sitting opposite me on a single bench that was displayed by the window. My cigarette smoke swung gently in the air - following the gust of wind that entered through the open window.

"You know smoking isn't good for your health, right?"

"Because you're touching her now, I think I just found out." I'm beating him cynical.

"You have to take care of your health if you want to live longer."

Did he come here to judge my pattern of life?

"Tell that to your drinking habits. You think I didn't know you spent a litre of alcohol on Leviathan?"

"Well, unlike you, I have no intention of living long." Margot chimed in on me with a calmness that made me think the woman was serious. Seriously crazy.

"I live only to see my enemies fall." Margot continued. "And thanks to my beloved sister, I can see Evan Caspian's head is on fire right now."

"Didn't you have another obsession?" I was curious about this because Margot was so obsessed with the death of our parents. I'm worried about his mental health, to be honest.

"If I had another obsession, I thought I'd betrayed my father and mother. Imagine, how could I possibly be happy on top of their deaths?"

"You deserve to be happy, Mar. You're not responsible for their deaths." I don't remember how many times I've told Margot this, but I can't stop until she listens to me.

"You don't understand Ace, you weren't there when I was with them. You left them because you could live happily without them. But I didn't. You'll only know when the person you love leaves your life."

Our conversation went back in circles on the same topic. That my words would never reach Margot and Margot - she would never escape her obsession.

"Forget my trouble-I heard you managed to seal the project with a few people who worked with Evan before. I'm very happy. This is amazing. Evan Caspian's head must be boiling hot now that he knows his client betrayed him."

"Don't be too happy, it's still early." After all, all this was thanks to Indira betraying her own husband. He sold Evan's client's name to me as an empty promise that I would find Fawn for him. Really dumb. Fawn's with me. I won't tell you that the one who separated them from the start was me alone. The one who Indira trusted the most now.

"Did anything bother you, Ace?"

"Yes, what?"

"You look..., weird." Margot nagged me with eyes full of curiosity. "You know, I can help you if you have a problem."

"No, nothing." I immediately shook my head. I don't want to tell the crazy Margot about my anxiety about Fawnia's whereabouts. Only God knows how the mad woman's brain works.

Everything about Fawnia.I just want to trap her in my life forever.

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