Chapter 127 The Cursed Book
When Jacqueline was little, she was chubby, but that wasn't why she was called "Chubby Bunny."
The nickname wasn't meant to be insulting. Plump with round cheeks, Jacqueline was adorable, but she had a somewhat strange personality as a child.
She clearly wanted to play with us, but would pretend not to care. When you talked to her, she'd just grunt and deliberately ignore you. You had to coax her several times before she'd pay attention.
That's why Marcus called her "Chubby Bunny."
As the memory came back, I remembered more.
Marcus had given Jacqueline a bunny doll with a sky-blue checkered scarf around its neck. Marcus wrote "Chubby Bunny" on the scarf with a pen.
Jacqueline was actually mixed-race and had lived abroad throughout her childhood. Marcus tricked her into thinking "Chubby Bunny" meant "cute girl," and Jacqueline believed it. At least during the time she stayed at my house, she never figured out what "Chubby Bunny" really meant.
Of course, Jacqueline now definitely understands.
"Bella, save me!" Marcus tried to hide behind me.
"Bella, help me catch him!" In her panic, Jacqueline called me the way she used to as a child, instantly bringing us closer.
I patted Marcus's arm. "Who told you to tease her back then? You deserve to get hit."
Then I turned to Jacqueline. "Jacqueline, it's so good to see you again. How are your parents?"
Jacqueline nodded. "They're doing well and miss you all very much. Five years ago, my mom and dad tried to find you, but unfortunately when we rushed from Phoenicia to Dawnharbor, it was already too late."
She lifted her skirt and tucked the two guns back inside, then suddenly remembered something and quickly looked at Marcus.
Marcus stared at her skirt, one eye open and one squinting. "I didn't see anything."
Jacqueline's face turned red again, and Marcus couldn't help but laugh out loud.
I gave Marcus a light kick, telling him to stop teasing Jacqueline. Come to think of it, Jacqueline was two years younger than me!
"When did you arrive?" I asked gently. "Where are you staying now?"
"Just got here yesterday. I want to go to Platinum Haven Hotel—I've never been there!" After chatting for a bit, Jacqueline warmed up, looking a bit awkward yet shy, exactly like when she was little. But she was much thinner now than she used to be.
"Sure, should I have Marcus take you there?" I asked with a smile.
Marcus tugged at my sleeve. "I came on my motorcycle."
"So what?" I asked back.
"Let's all ride back in your car together," Marcus said. "It's still pretty cold to ride a motorcycle this time of year."
I saw his nose was red from the cold and couldn't help saying, "Serves you right, trying to look cool in this weather."
Marcus didn't like being nagged. He started walking toward my car. I suddenly remembered Lucas was still in my car and quickly grabbed him. "Marcus, wait!"
"What's wrong?" Marcus asked, confused.
I wasn't afraid of Marcus knowing I'd been in contact with Lucas. I just thought about how the two of them would clash later and I'd be stuck in the middle again, which made me feel tired.
Fortunately, at that moment, Jacqueline said, "Marcus, ride in my car."
She tilted her chin up slightly, looking like she wanted to show off but was trying to act reserved. "I drove a sports car here, specially modified."
Marcus was a bit curious, so I immediately used "leading the way" as an excuse to push Marcus toward Jacqueline.
Then I quickly got in my car, opening and closing the door swiftly, trying not to let Marcus notice Lucas was in my car.
For some reason, I thought again of Lucas's earlier comparison about "having an affair."
"He didn't notice me, did he?" Lucas saw through my thoughts and deliberately lowered his voice to ask suggestively.
"If he had found out, you'd be getting beaten up again," I said with a straight face.
Lucas wasn't scared at all. "Getting hit would be fine, as long as you'd feel bad for me."
That evening when I got home, Marcus had indeed found out that I'd been working with Lucas today.
"I heard you brought Amelia back?" Marcus asked.
I nodded and told him the secrets Amelia had revealed.
Marcus immediately stopped thinking about Lucas and me, looking shocked. "No wonder! No wonder we couldn't find the truth no matter how hard we searched these past few years!"
Marcus clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, his eyes reddening with a crazy murderous look rolling in them.
"Damn it!" He kicked over the coffee table.
A loud crash, and the floor was covered in broken glass.
Marcus smashed two more vases and a standing lamp, but still wasn't satisfied.
Brian came back just in time to see the mess everywhere. His expression was serious as he asked, "What happened? Marcus, what are you going crazy about!"
"Brian, let Marcus vent a bit," I said, and told him everything again.
Brian's expression went from blank to grave. Then he took a deep breath, grabbed Marcus by the back of his collar, and forcefully threw him onto the sofa.
"Enough! What good does smashing things here do? This is Bella's house, not the enemy's house! You're scaring Bella!"
Marcus looked at me anxiously. "Bella, I'm sorry."
I quickly shook my head. "Marcus, I'm not scared."
"I'll pay you back," Marcus said, deflating as he sank into the sofa.
We were silent for a while, each lost in thought.
"How ridiculous!" Marcus sneered. "What good are big shots? They still got played by Michelle!"
"Michelle's got some nerve, daring to make up such a huge lie," Brian said, loosening his tie, his fingers trembling slightly.
"It's not entirely a lie," I said.
Brian and Marcus both looked at me.
"Our ancestor really was a very skilled alchemist, but he was obsessed with research and experimented on his own body with alchemy potions. He died before he was even fifty." I looked down at my hands on my knees, feeling somewhat lost.
"His name was Armando, and that alchemy manual really did exist."
Brian and Marcus looked at me in surprise.
"When I was four, I accidentally found that alchemy manual in the attic where old books were stored. At the time, I just thought the hand-drawn illustrations inside were beautiful, so Mom gave me the book." I recalled the past, my eyes slowly moistening.
"When I brought that book to Grandpa's house, I met Doyle, who happened to be visiting Grandpa. He saw the alchemy manual by chance and was also very interested. Grandpa decided to give him the manual on the condition that he take me as his student."
"So that's how it was?" Brian and Marcus were hearing this for the first time.
I continued, "That alchemy manual didn't contain any formula for slowing aging. In fact, because it was influenced by the witchcraft culture of that time, many of the formulas Armando recorded had flaws. But his methods of extraction and refinement were amazing—way ahead of his time!"
"Where's the book?" Brian asked. "Do you still have it?"
Marcus said irritably, "Feels really unlucky. What a cursed book! Just throw it away."
I shook my head. "Before Doyle died, the research institute was attacked. That alchemy manual was burned in that incident."
Brian frowned in thought. "How did Michelle know about that alchemy manual?"
"How she knows doesn't matter. What matters is that we're facing too many enemies, and they're too powerful," Marcus said, rubbing his face with his hands. "Let's tell Gale about this first."
I sighed. "I think Gale probably already knows."