novelxo Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The following day at noon, Markus found his way to the Leaky Goblet.
From a distance, he could spot the lame Sebastian hobbling around with a bucket, scrubbing the pub’s exterior walls.
“Mr. Harrington, you’re about to shut down for the day and yet you’re still working so hard!”
As he got closer, Markus couldn’t help but tease Sebastian a little.
Upon hearing Markus, Sebastian got up and turned around, looking genuinely taken aback, “Well, I’ll be damned, you didn’t kick the bucket at Insatiable Barl I had your burial expenses all figured out and everything.”
Markus made a face, “With that remark, I’m finding it hard to believe you didn’t spend last night hanging around outside Insatiable Bar.”
Sebastian was momentarily at a loss for words.
After dialing the City Watch last night, he had been sitting across the Insatiable Bar until he saw the cavalry show up. Only after he saw Markus walk out of the pub safe and sound did he finally rest easy and retire for the night.
Markus really knew Sebastian!
“I’m a bit bamboozled. The ruckus last night wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. You hadn’t been in the City Watch for a full- twenty-four hours and they just let you waltz out like that?” Sebastian inquired, baffled.
In his mind, there was a good chance Markus could be arrested for three to five months.
Truth be told, that would be for the best, a way to dodge any reprisal from the Montague Crime Family.
However, as luck would have it, he was released the very next day.
It was unbelievable.
Markus retorted, “You’ve got it all wrong.”
Sebastian asked, “Where did I go wrong?”
“I was released last night itself, went to the Rapturous Foot Massage to have a nice foot massage before heading back to my hotel for some shut-eye. By the way, the massage therapists are easy on the eyes!”
Sebastian was dumbfounded.
“You went for a foot massage and you didn’t bring me along?
“Didn’t you know that your old pal Mr. Harrington here is partial to young, attractive therapists, preferably those with a bit of junk in the trunk?
“That’s a sight for eyes!
“Well, the focus didn’t seem to be here,” Sebastian thought to himself.
“You were actually released last night?” Sebastian asked in disbelief.
“Do you really think I’d fib about something like this?” Markus chuckled, “Do you want me to give you the therapist’s number from last night? You can call and ask her yourself.”
Guess it was true then.
“Didn’t it occur to you to call me and let me know you were okay? You slept like a baby last night, while I was up all night worrying about you. I looked at myself in the mirror this morning, and I had bags under my eyes!” Sebastian said, a hint of reproach in his voice
Markus shot back, “You weren’t exactly rushing to hand over your Sinocomm phone last night, were you? Where was I supposed to find a phone to give you a ring?”
That was true.
“Mr. Harrington, I’m not one to beat around the bush. The reason I’m here today is to take what’s mine-that Sinocomm phone of yours!”
“Wait… since when did my Sinocomm become yours?”
“Just now.” Markus replied with a face as innocent as a lamb.
A look of exasperation washed over Sebastian’s face.
How did he end up with such a brazen lackey?
The norm was for juniors to respect their elders, yet here, it was the other way around!
How aggrieving!
Chapter 16
Sebastian knew what Markus was like, coveting his phone like a dog with a bone. Would he give up before he got it?
He could only accept it.
Internally, he made a vow. No more spending over a grand on a phone. Ever
“The phone is yours later, but first there’s someone who’s been waiting for you for two hours! Inside the bar,”
Upon hearing this, Markus paused, “Who’s been waiting for me for two hours?”
“A wonian. You’ll know once you get inside.”
Without further ado, Markus strolled into the bar.
At the counter sat a sophisticated woman, her voluptuous figure wrapped in a fiery red coat.
Beside the woman sat a cup of lemon tea
“Markus, you’re here! Come join me.”
Seeing Markus, the woman’s delicate face broke into a warm smile, waving him over.
The woman was all smiles.
But Markus was taken aback.
Eight years ago, it was this very woman who handed him a check for 200,000 dollars, asking him to leave Riverside.
It was Samantha!
She was Aaron’s second wife.
Maybe because she came from money and knew the art of preserving her beauty.
Eight years had passed, yet Samantha looked almost unchanged.
Truth be told, upon his return, Markus had wondered who he’d first bumped into from the Winchester family.
It could have been Aaron.
Or perhaps, Genevieve!
But he had never considered Samantha.
Still, it wasn’t that surprising.
Knowing that he was back, Samantha must’ve known she might not find him elsewhere. But the Leaky Goblet, was a sure
bet.
For a moment, Markus showed a smile as warm as an old friend’s, “So many years have passed, and Bache is as lovely as ever! If you were standing next to Genevieve, anyone would mistake you for sisters!”
Samantha’s face stiffened for a moment before she continued smiling. “Your silver tongue, Markus, hasn’t changed a bit. Always as sweet as sugar! Come sit next to me. Let me have a good look at you. You must’ve had your fair share of hardships over the past eight years.”
“Well, thanks to the 200,000 dollars you gave me, I was living a good life wherever I went!”
“Hey, what are you talking about? Did you spend a penny of that 200,000 dollars?”
Markus remained silent.
After a pause, Markus poured himself a glass of iced water, and the pretenses of politeness vanished.
He said straightforwardly, “Bache, you have your car to the ground. I only got back yesterday, and you already knew.”
Samantha shook her head, “A coincidence, nothing more. When you returned to Riverside Airport, I just happened to be coming back from a vacation. You could call it fate.”
What a coincidence.
“Then Bache, when you gave me that 200,000 dollars and asked me to leave Riverside City, I did just that. I’ve been gone for eight years. I should be out of the picture as far as the Winchester family is concerned, right? What’s the rush to find me?”
He cut right to the chase.
“What if I say, I plan to give you another 200,000 dollars, and you leave Riverside City for another eight years?” Samantha blinked her beautiful eyes.
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
“Is that necessary? Eight years have already passed…” Markus asked, puzzled.
Samantha cut him off. “Eight years have passed, and Genevieve has graduated from university. This year, she has started
Chapter 10.
taking over Aaron’s position and controlling the company. Now, Genevieve is the bona fide richest person in Riverside City. But she hasn’t had a boyfriend in these eight years!
“A woman pushing thirty without a boyfriend, there are only two reasons for that. One is an issue with her sexual orientation. The other is that she can’t forget a certain person. Markus, do you think she falls into the former or the latter?”
Samantha’s beautiful eyes were fixed on Markus, waiting for his answer.
Markus fell silent for a second, “I’ve already forgotten her.”
The problem is, while a man can be thick-skinned and heartless, a woman can’t. Samantha taunted, “Women, once they’ve given their heart to a man, unless they move on, there’s no dragging them back.
*Aaron has already issued a statement that within three days, you must leave Riverside City, by hook or by crook! He doesn’t want you to appear in front of Genevieve!
“Aaron is generally amiable and accommodating, but when it comes to matters concerning his daughter, he won’t budge an inch. His stance is as tough as nails!
*He wants you to leave in three days, and that means three days!”