Conflict (2)

Six years ago, the shocking death of Jeremy took a toll on Noah and resulted in him being stuck in bed for a week. He hated his ruthless brother. A question was always on his mind at that time. 'How could he execute someone without a trial or their father's permission? Has he always been like this?'. He knew his older brother was a mysterious character nobody would speak of. But this was the first time he understood why others felt frightened by him and preferred to avoid him.

The good news was that his older brother spent most of his time away from the territory. During those six years, he had seen many people who were head over heels in love with his older brother. The one who hurt the most was his childhood friend. When he was seven years old, A girl skilled in combat and magic had been appointed by the family's elders as his future bodyguard. They practised together all the time for eight years until he was 15. He suddenly received a notice of a change of bodyguard. He was surprised to find her amongst Radin's group. When he spoke to her about her leaving, she told him without flinching that her target had always been his older brother. She fell in love with him right off the bat. But the circumstances didn't allow her to be selected by them as his brother's bodyguard. But thanks to him, she was able to shine before his brother.

"You are so naïve; I killed Jeremy after your brother announced his sin. But you came to me to complain about that cruel brother of yours. It was so hilarious."

Noah could still hear her laughing at it. That gave him goosebumps. Because of her, he left the territory for a year and kept working outside. His little faith in humanity was wiped out of him with this incident.

Noah looked at Edwin. From the time he had seen him, he had experienced different emotions. His life has completely changed. His existence was a must for him, a shining light in his darkness, a warmth melting his frozen world. He wouldn't hand him over to Radin. He clenched his fist, vowing.

Dena felt a sense of loss when it came to Noah's suspicions. 'Why don't you believe that this is the only reason?'

Yeah, sure, Radin was hot, but she wasn't a naive person who thought everyone had a thing for her or, worst, believed that he was some saint and helped her just for the cause! It was clear to her that he was a dangerous man. She behaved like a fool to get away from him unscratched. And the reason she didn't cut him off was her uncertainty over his part in the original story. Turning him into an enemy would be an unwise decision if he were a hidden boss. It was sad that she and Noah argued, but neither could take a step forward and explain why they disagreed. Dena had observed Noah's change of demeanour whenever the subject of that man was brought up. It was evident that it was a sore spot for him. It was not wise to put pressure on Noah to get some explanation. She had no other choice than to win his trust.

" Do you mind going together and meeting him? I don't like being alone with this guy. How does that sound?"

Dena stared at him with hope.

Noah breathed a sigh of exasperation and nodded his head. 'It's a good thing. I need to deal with him sooner or later. If I'm there, it will prevent him from having the idea to play around with Edwin. He knows this town is my domain; if he screws up my mission, he will be punished for violating the rules.'

Dena was so pleased that she hugged and patted him on the back. "Thank you. With you there, I feel at ease. "

She picked up the phone and handed it to him. "From this point forward, you'll be in charge of dealing with him."

Noah was caught off guard by what he did. In both his lifetimes, he has never met anyone who would easily pass their mobile phones to their family and partners or, even more unusual, gave it willingly to strangers. 'Everybody's got a secret on their phone, right? '

"What are you doing that for?" Noah asked him, puzzled.

"I want you to trust me a little bit. I am selfish, am I not? I can count on one hand how many close friends I had up to this point. It is hard for me to connect with people. So when I find someone I can click with, I get so excited that I usually scare them away with my enthusiastic behaviour. At this moment, I've done something crazy, haven't I? Sorry, I appreciate that you point that out when I cross the line of common sense."

Dena positioned her head between her knees and squeezed her legs. Throughout her life, she has never been able to integrate with her classmates from school or university, roommates, and colleagues. She was stupid to think they would like her if she shared her stuff or food with them; what she got from them was pure jealousy. They were envious that she could achieve full marks without trying hard, or her parents cared about her and supported her, or she was from the capital, or she was gorgeous and had a sense of fashion. The list went on, and the reasons for dislike became more absurd.

The betrayal and hatred she experienced were so traumatic that she withdrew from seeking a new relationship or association with other people. So when things went south, she didn't have a single person to rely on or confide in them. She made an oath to change her mindset in this new life that was bestowed on her. But it appeared that she failed. Her behaviour still didn't sit well with others. She'd like to be more like her sister. She was a natural pro that could easily fit into any environment. 'I would kill to have that.'