Bonus Chapter — Fishies

“How've you been these past few weeks? Anything interesting to tell?”

It was a beautiful summer day, with the birds chirping around, hopping from branch to branch above us. Aurelius, who had just gotten back from a long business trip in Italy, came by and decided to take a trip with me to the island located south of Devont City. It was three hours by car, along with another hour on a boat, heading to the island itself. It was a pretty tiring journey that we retired early and slept like logs in our hotel room, but I guess you could say it paid off due to the scenic view and delicious food offered by the locals.

Funny Elise and I haven’t thought about visiting this place once… It’s really beautiful here.

“I’m good. I just can’t wait to graduate…” I mumbled, wanting to lean back but fearing that in doing so may capsize the small boat. The scent of saltwater is distinct in the air despite us rowing on a lake, one of the island’s tourist spots. “Oh, and did Aiden already tell you? Elise is pregnant!”

Aurelius grinned, steadily rowing our boat closer to the trees to give us shade from the sun rays beaming down. “Yes, he called me a few days ago to tell me the good news himself.”

“Good for them, huh?”

“What do you think? Is it gonna be a boy or a girl?”

“Do you wanna bet?”

Agreeing to do so, we both settled that the winner would have to plan all the dates we would have for the entire month. Aurelius bet that it was going to be a girl, while I envisioned it to be a boy. And just as I was raving about how it could also be twins, my eyes caught a group of fishes swimming past our boat. Camera-ready, Aurelius stopped rowing and took pictures. “Look at those pretty fishies… It’s hard to find those kinds in the UK.”

“Mhmm.” Looking away from the peaceful scenery, I glanced down at the ring on my left hand. The emerald stone shining under the heat, its presence making itself known to remind me of the blissful event coming right after my graduation. “Aurelius, do you think my mother can come to our wedding?”

Five months have already passed since my mother was sent to the hospital to receive therapy. It has been discovered that she has been suffering from Intermittent Explosive Disorder. The therapists said that what may have aggravated it was the constant stress and worry she was under when she moved to South Korea and the usual grind at work. Additionally, they also added the factor that my mother may have been exposed to explosive behaviors since she was young. Seeing Mom didn’t know she had it, I guess everything just piled up inside of her without her knowledge and like a ticking bomb, she exploded.

Thankfully, the doctors did say she was improving. However, I wouldn’t expect a fast recovery since there might be a chance she won’t get cured at all.

All I can do is just hope for the best then…

“Of course, but I don’t know if the facility will allow it.” He answered, not taking his eyes off the fishes. “We have to ask if it won’t affect her in any way or their plans for her recovery. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’ll be able to attend even if she has to sit from afar.”

I really am blessed, huh… to have such an understanding partner. The whole journey may have been long, but things are quieter now.

“Oh… I almost forgot.” Aurelius set his camera to the side and immediately looked me in the eye. I could tell it was something serious. “Love, I’m sorry if I’m bringing up such a sensitive topic on this beautiful day, but… do you remember Priscilla?”

At the mere mention of his maid that made my trip to England a sour experience, I frowned. “Oh, yes I remember her. And I also remember the needle incident, if you wanted to ask. So… what about her?” To be honest, I almost forgot about how it all went down and what I actually felt during that time.

It’s probably because I’m happy now.

“I found out who threatened her.”

Oh.

“Who was it?” Thinking back then, it was Iris Maverick who I said was the culprit. Yet, she was the least involved person. In fact, she hasn’t shown her face at all. Aurelius told me it was because she has grown busy and may have found someone else to bother. “If I recall, it was a woman, right? Is it someone you know?”

“We all know her.”

“Eh?”

“It was Elaine.”

As if her name itself is poison, my whole body shivered as I clenched my hands into fists. Ever since she killed her father and got away, no one has ever seen her again. The Salvadors are still on the lookout with the help of the Maverick as Elise told me. To hear that it was Elaine…

“That’s kind of… impossible, isn’t it? I mean, she’s already seen as a criminal! Are you sure it is Elaine? She can’t possibly leave Devont City, let alone the country to go to England. Unless…”

“Unless someone is helping her.” Aurelius sighed. Those days where he seemed like he was carrying the whole weight of the world must be because of this information. “Priscilla gave me a description of the woman who threatened her and just hearing it made me think of Elaine. When I showed her a picture, she confirmed it. I asked Iris about Elaine before I came back here and she revealed that she did see Elaine in England.”

“Iris? She knows where Elaine is?”

“Not exactly. She said that they met coincidentally in the streets, but before she could even talk to her, Elaine ran off. A guy was with her, but he was wearing a face mask so she couldn’t pinpoint who it was. My guess is that Elaine got help from that man and fled the country with him.”

“But if she wanted to stay on a low profile, why would she go out of her way to come to your house and cause trouble? What was her goal?”

“I’m not really sure… But what she did is unforgivable. She did try to hurt someone again.” He scratched his head, clearly irritated. “I’m guessing she’s probably trying to get revenge on me or something. I don’t really know why though… And I asked the police to look for her, but I have this feeling that she and her companion are not in England anymore.”

Well, she must’ve foreseen Priscilla would spill and decided to leave as soon as possible. That bitch…

“Let’s not talk about her anymore.” I grabbed the paddle, craving for the corn on a stick with melted butter that’s sold next to the barbecue stall. “Talking about her would just bring bad luck. Let’s eat corn, yeah?”

Once on land again, both of us headed to the corn stall. Turning to Aurelius to ask him if he wanted to have condensed milk on his corn, my eyes went wide when he wasn’t behind me. Instantly, I began looking for the tall British man, only to find him smiling sheepishly at a blonde woman. Wondering what was holding him up, I approached them silently.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not from this island. I’m just a tourist here.”

“Oh? Is that so? I’m so sorry about that…”

“Is there something wrong?” I questioned, linking my arm with Aurelius as I raised an eyebrow at the woman. She merely bowed slightly in apology.

“I apologize, I thought he was one of our organizers here.” She spoke softly, still bowing. Her tan skin complimenting her white floral dress along with her blonde curly hair. “As the mayor’s daughter, I hope I could be of help in exchange for the trouble I have caused.”

“There’s no need to worry or go through those lengths.” Aurelius chuckled, holding my hand. “It happens.”

Perking up, the woman smiled. Her pearly white teeth are pretty to look at. “Really? Thank you so much for understanding, Sir. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here. Oh, before I forget, I’m Ayla Russo. If you ever need help around, don’t hesitate to visit the mayor. My father will definitely assist you.”

We both nodded. “Thank you as well, Miss Russo.” Watching as the mayor’s daughter ran off, I couldn’t help but sigh at how carefree they are here. Usually, when it comes to politics, they are mostly uptight and have an to uphold. Yet by seeing the mayor’s daughter blending in with the locals so perfectly that she doesn’t even look like someone who’s affiliated to a person with power, it just goes to show how this place is very different.

“Hey, Aurelius… What is this island called again?”

“Wait, let me see.” Pulling out the brochure we received when we arrived yesterday at the pier, he opened it and pointed at the name printed in a fancy font. “It’s called Namu Island.”