Chapter 14: Chaos

“I'm sorry if it seems like we're harnessing you, but… Leonard is right. This is for your safety.”

In her heart, Fiona was trying to be patient. She really hates everyone. It was as if the person she had been trying to protect so easily fell into the hands of a stranger.

Why did Fiona's holiday end like this?

In the middle of the quiet and empty dining room, Cornelius sat in front of Fiona, who was trembling angrily. She finished kicking Leonard's manhood and was about to run away. The plan almost succeeded if Cornelius—Leonard's father had not suddenly appeared.

Now, Fiona's heart feels tight and painful. It was as if the only chance to escape from this terrible house was gone in an instant.

"I don't like Leonard. And I can take care of myself. My safety is none of Leonard's business."

"This is not just ordinary safety. But this is the safety of your life," said Cornelius calmly.

"What's life safety, Sir? Are there really terrorists chasing me? All my life, I've only been chased by shadows of the past and problems at my job. There's no one who needs to protect me from those problems—"

"This is not a trivial matter."

"If it's not a trivial matter, why can't you tell me directly?!" Without realizing it, Fiona's voice rose even higher and her anger melted away in one exclamation. She gasped and swallowed hard. Her annoyance and all feelings of despair towards Leonard were released in a single moment of anger.

She had never felt angry and desperate like this.

Even when she faces her own problems at work.

Cornelius handed her a glass of water and calmly pointed at it. "Drink it."

Surprisingly, Fiona immediately complied and drank the water roughly. It felt a bit of a relief when the anger was welling up in the right place.

"Sorry. But... I can’t explain it yet."

Fiona frowned in confusion. "You can’t? What do you mean?"

For a moment, the dining room felt empty. Silence crept between them while Fiona tried to analyze the slight frown on Cornelius's forehead. That worried look was no joke. However, Fiona could feel the man's worry flowing from that expression.

"I know that you rarely go out of the house and busy writing. But the outside world around you keeps spinning. Some things are dangerous, some are fun. Unfortunately, Leonard's life is not that easy."

Fiona fell silent. Absorbing Cornelius' words which flowed calmly and hoarsely.

"In the past, I was not someone who was crazy about wealth and money. For art workers like us, creating images and a building that we dream of, making it a reality is the peak of our happiness. Unfortunately, where there is happiness, there is fear and worry that comes.

"Can we continue to be happy like this? At that time, ten years ago, I remember how I was invited to a dinner with the Minister at a department building in Jakarta. I was invited because I was the architect of the new city department building.

"I am certainly flattered by their enthusiasm. However, I did not know that there were actually several parties who were envious and jealous of this success. One of them was the owner of a tobacco and cigarette factory in Indonesia. Marionette."

Fiona furrowed her brows, the name sounded foreign.

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

Cornelius' eyes took on a serious look that silenced Fiona. For some reason, his stern expression this time made her even more convinced that what the man was telling her was not something made up. But why did the man have to say it? Is this related to the danger he mentioned earlier?

Fiona secretly swallowed hard again. Is it true that she is in danger? But what? She never did anything outside of state regulations…

“Marionatte is a well-known pawn as well as a dark mafia who is under direct government protection. He is… one of the men we have been closely associated with up until now.”

“With you. Then it has nothing to do with me, right?”

Cornelius sighed. "You met him by accident."

Fiona's back suddenly stiffened. Her mind was stuck on a moment that she had been thinking about a lot lately, especially after she met a group of hooligans at the restaurant where she went with Nia.

"Do you remember?" asked Cornelius as he poured a bottle of wine into a tall glass and swirled the drink casually.

Fiona didn't answer for a while while looking at the man. "I mean... wait, how do you know that I've met him?"

“Kian,” replied Cornelius casually, “He is the son of Marionette. Leonard told me that you could… meet him.”

"What?"

“A rare coincidence, isn't it?”

"Impossible. It’s bullshit…” Fiona tried to laugh amidst the shocking information. Kian? The sweet guy who is still a student is the son of the mafia...? Yeah, okay. If that's true, so what? The more he can protect her. Fiona would definitely be able to convince the boy that she was safe from anything directly related to Marionette. But what was strange about Fiona was, what made Cornelius have to warn her as if Marionette was someone cruel?

"No, it’s not. Kian will definitely want to approach you so he can—”

“We met by accident on the dating application. And there's no way he planned that. Moreover, I'm not the one who controls the application. But my friend. My best friend couldn't possibly have a connection with a man like that. After all, even if Kian is Marionette's son, so what? What are you really afraid of about this Mario? It's better if you don't scapegoat people you don't even know." Fiona got up, about to turn around to leave because her chest was tight and her head was so tired. She had enough of this game. Someone has to take her out from here.

She thought that Cornelius, who seemed saner than the others, could be invited to collaborate on this mission. But in fact, Cornelius was not much different from Leonard the rotten head.

“Marionette always wanted what I had. He took all my happiness. And he's a dangerous man. You've met him and accidentally got tagged by him. You're right, I don't know if Kian has such a plan, but we're just taking precautions to keep you safe."

Fiona turned around again, knitting her sharp eyebrows. Her long hair fluttered slightly into the air over her shoulders. "Safe? You made this excuse so that you would let Leonard use me. This is called prostitution. I don't accept it and I can report this to the police."

"Leonard likes you," said Cornelius without changing his flat expression as he sipped his wine. Fiona almost choked when she heard the confession from the mouth of a man who was the father of the boy who dragged her into this problem.

"Likes me? That's not a shape of feelings, that's lust. And if you let him do that to me just with an alibi to keep me safe, I wouldn't accept that at all. I'd better be with Kian or I might as well go home to Paris."

After saying that, a sense of satisfaction exploded within Fiona. She immediately turned around and took wide strides out of the room.

***