Unknown

Nearly a month ago.

Randall unlocked the seatbelt, climbed down the car fast, and realized what have he done. He sucked his teeth, ran to the middle of the street, and checked if there were any witnesses. Randall sighed, knowing there isn't anybody who has watched the scene.

As the woman sprawled on the street, a pool of blood appeared. Randall hunkered down, placing two fingers at the side of her neck, and she already had a weak pulse. He checked her body, and she's petite in frame. What was he doing inside the woods?

Randall rolled the woman on her back, inspecting the wound on the side of her head. Good thing the shards didn't penetrate her temple, or it could be her end. A specialized doctor would pull that out if Randall can hoist the woman's body inside his car.

His phone vibrated after a while. Randall tore off his handkerchief first, and laid the cloth down in her forehead steadily, putting pressure. As he held it, Randall answered the call.

"Hello, Leo," Randall whispered.

"What happened to you? You aren't answering my text message. Include some chips and noodles for tonight. I want to keep the party simple." Leo doesn't have any idea what Randall has to go through now before even dropping in the nearest convenience store. He believed he had to explain everything later.

"Yeah, Leo, umm… Listen, I forgot my black card in the office. I have to get back to it. Add it to the list before I head out again." Randall has to make up an excuse, and Leo caught it fine. He hung up the call, threw in his phone inside his pockets, and attended to her wound. Randall looked at her face, and it's all pale.

Randall doesn't have a choice but to hoist her in the arm, leaving the soaked cloth at the top of her forehead, and carried her in a bridal style way. Randall got surprised she isn't heavy as she thought it was, and made it to the car safely. He propped her up in the lying down position, covered her up on a small blanket, and tied the handkerchief around her forehead.

Randall wiped the sweat pouring at the side of his head.

He started the car, checked the rearview mirror, and clicked his tongue.

…

When Randall parked the car in the mansion, he saw Leo waiting down the front staircase. He's holding something, and it is Randall's black card. He turned to the back seat, seeing the unconscious woman in the same position as he threw her in, and wondered what he should do.

Leo got confused why Randall isn't rushing down the car. He knocked at the tinted window, and it gave Randall an opportunity to roll it down. Leo reached out the black card, saying, "You're on it for the party."

Randall ordered, "Come in, Leo. I have something to say to you."

Leo retrieved his hand out as Randall suddenly closed the window. He hopped inside without hesitating, and immediately smelled blood. Leo was about to close the door, but when he look at the back seat, someone's bleeding. Randall and Leo aren't surprised by it…

They used to see a lot of blood ever since they become Cassanos.

Leo hitched the door close, and turned to the woman. Randall sighed, ready for an explanation. Leo asked, "Who is she? We didn't have a mission to kill this week."

"I didn't kill her. I got into an accident," Randall said without pause. Leo turned to him with bloodshot eyes. Randall rested his bloody hands on his lap as Leo glared at him.

"Why aren't you that careful unlike Vincent, Etienne and Jon Cho?"

"She suddenly went out of the woods and I bumped into her!" Randall answered back. Leo knew this would be a result of a chaos. A disagreement they don't want to happen. Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, and couldn't afford to have a single mistake again. He's tired dealing with their mess as if it's his own.

"You should have driven carefully, Randall, so you wouldn't bring a stranger to the mansion! We have to hide her if we don't want to let Jeremy Tyran to see her!" Randall knew the inspection will be suspended until next year, but the spies aren't dumb at all. Especially, Leo Luciano, the leader of the Cassanos. If Jeremy is a crony, well, Leo isn't just a piece of bullet inside a magazine.

He is the pistol himself.

Leo can stab you in the back unknowingly.

"What do we do now with this woman?" Randall doesn't want to dispose her, but there is such a right time to kill her if she got in the way of Cassanos. Leo stared at the woman's face. The cold sweat in her chin indicated she's still alive, but she's infected. She needed to get treated.

"Let's call the doctor first. We need to get her treated before we pull out a plan."

…

The doctor mended the woman's forehead with stitches, and wrapped it in a bandage. The woman lay down on the drab guest room they spared inside the mansion. Plus, they're not using it at all. On some occasions, the investors or even Jeremy Tyran dropped by the third floor to have a drink.

Leo placed the woman here to keep her safe.

As Randall went out with the rest of the Cassanos, Leo asked, "Do you see any traces of Tempus Moneda in her wrist?"

It's the only thing that kept him bugging since lunch time. He even cancelled the party to check for the woman's condition. Leo hadn't find a perfect time to reschedule the party, and it's making him upset. Leo had to look at a stranger woman in his bed just so to prevent any casualties.

The doctor checked her wrist, but he furrowed his eyebrows, seeing none.

"I saw nothing. She must be a Calvorite citizen, don't worry." Leo sensed she isn't. But of course, Leo didn't know all the people in here, so he might as well assumed she's under the Calvorite. The doctor stood up from the bed, and bowed down.

"I'll check her tomorrow again. For now, she's unconscious, and it may take a week before she wakes up." Leo nodded. The doctor gave instructions on how to take care the wound on her forehead, and left the room. Leo checked the Cassanos, if they were still at the door, and walked the doctor out. Soon, Leo was left alone with the woman in the bed.

He sighed, mumbling, "Where did you come from, sneaky woman?"