SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Thirty-Four: Lawton Penitentiary
Chapter Thirty-Four: Lawton Penitentiary
MAINE followed behind Philip on her way inside the penitentiary. They’re inside the building on their way to the warden’s office. Philip Mayers has infinite connections, he had told her in the awkward enclosed space of his car. The detective told her stories about how Hyacinth made him influential by gathering valuable information from respectable people in politics and the judiciary system. Philip managed to climb the ranks by getting the necessary information he needed and acquiring the help of his higher-ups with extortion.
They went inside the office with classic white paint. In the center of the office lies a dark, wooden desk with piles of paperwork on top of it and the nameplate of the officer that faced the doorway.
There are wooden carvings everywhere—swordfishes that are carved and hand-painted were the main attraction of the room with its vivid colors. There are also pictures of the lake and framed certificates from aquatic life conferences and stuff like that underneath the fish displays.
Maine concluded that the warden loves to fish. Loves the lake. Loves anything that relates to the word “fish”.
A bald, fifty-year-old something man went outside of the bathroom and regarded her with a friendly smile, then scowled when his gaze landed upon Philip. “What now, Mayers?”
“I need to speak to Sinclair.”
The warden sighed. “You are a pain in the ass, Mayers. I can’t just let you do whatever you want here.”
Philip shrugged. “I’m merely using your mistake against you. If you haven’t been screwing your superior’s wife, then I won’t have something to use for blackmail, right?”
The man’s cheeks reddened in frustration.
Maine immediately went in between the two before Philip fully agitated the poor warden.
“Sir, I’m sorry for his behavior. I’m Maine Bismarck, the sister-in-law of Ben Sinclair’s daughter, Hyacinth. I think you know the Bismarcks of Sutton City?”
The warden’s eyes widened in shock, his jaw fell in utter surprise “That’s why you looked familiar!” He immediately closed the space between them and offered his hand. “I’m Mr. Gary Lestrade, the warden here. I knew your brother personally and his wife. What a lovely pair they are.”
Maine frowned. “Max and Hyacinth visited here?”
“Oh yes, Ms. Bismarck.” The warden let go of her hand. “Mrs. Hyacinth Bismarck wanted an assurance that her father’s meals are nutritious due to his high blood pressure and his failing health. They didn’t even talk with the man.”
“I see,” Maine sighed. Hyacinth still loved her father regardless of Ben Sinclair’s greediness towards Hyacinth’s ability.
“Are you requesting a private conversation with the man, Miss?”
She nodded. “Yes, I am. May I talk to him? I would appreciate it if you’ll allow me a few minutes alone with Ben Sinclair. I’ll consider it a great debt and will repay you for this favor.” Maine assessed the old man with a bright smile. “By any chance, do you happen to enjoy the idea of an all-expense paid trip to the Orient Continent? I heard that it’s still summer in some places there. As you know, the Orient is the main source of fish exports in the countries of the United Seas.”
The old man’s eyes gleamed with excitement and delight. “Of course, Ms. Bismarck. You may have a few minutes with Ben Sinclair and...” He winked. “Thank you for the vacation.”
Maine lifted her chin in satisfaction. “Good. Then, contact me with this email and specify the days you wanted to have the vacation. The company secretary, Mrs. Baden-Rodrguez, will personally assist you.” She handed him her calling card and the man snatched it from her hand as if he was scared that she’ll change her mind.
Maine turned to look at Philip, which is looking at her with awe and surprise. “You may know blackmail very well, but I know bribery.”
Maine Bismarck has more to her than he thought.
.
.
.
MAINE clutched her purse when Ben Sinclair narrowed his eyes at her. They had never met, of course, but judging from the look on the old man’s face, he knew exactly who she is.
“A Bismarck. You can’t hide your identity with that eyes of yours. A rare shade of blue from your family.”
At least he talked normally. It assured Maine of having a proper conversation with the man.
“I’m here to negotiate with you, Sir.”
The man rested his back on the chair and raised his brow. “Why, Bismarck? Is Hyacinth in trouble? Do you want to squeeze information from me?”
“Yes, I—”
“Your brother sent me here!” Ben Sinclair slammed his palms on the metal table between him and Hyacinth. His cuffs restrained him from reaching her across the table. The man struggled to free his hands but it never worked.
“We’re not here to talk about that. I’m talking about the information I need from you.”
“I won’t help that ungrateful whore even if it kills me.”
Maine faked a laugh. “Hyacinth is the most generous and compassionate woman I know. How could she be ungrateful when she owed you nothing?!”
Ben Sinclair snarled. “You posh girls don’t know anything about how this world works.”
“I do, Sir. More than you, at least.” Maine clenched her fists to suppress her agitation. “Hyacinth will disappear in the future for a decade. I want to help her and Erin to control their abilities. I’m afraid that Hyacinth is trapped within Erin’s ability—”
“Nonsense,” Ben Sinclair interrupted. “Hyacinth will never be trapped in there. Her daughter—”
“Erin. Hyacinth’s daughter is named Erin.”
Ben Sinclair cleared his throat. “Erin traveled from the future and went into 2022 by chance. A time traveler like her cannot function properly without a thread reader to help her navigate.”
Maine’s eyes widened. “Sir, tell me what you know and I’ll be forever in your debt.”
He pondered on that for a few seconds, then he leaned towards her. “I won’t tell you more than that. The bastard deserved what is coming upon her. I hope she’ll never return.”
Maine’s heart throbbed at those words and she slammed her palms on the table. “Hyacinth cared for you more than you know. She wanted you to meet Erin but she’s afraid of you! Your obsession with her ability scarred her for life, Sir, yet she visits you here and asks for your health. If someone is being an ungrateful turd here, then it’s you!”
Ben Sinclair’s eyes warmed upon hearing the word vomit that Maine emitted in the fit of rage. She swallowed...hard.
Ben Sinclair sighed. “If she wanted her life to be normal once again, then she must send her daughter back to the future. She is the only one that could send her daughter back because she can read the threads that drags a time traveler to a specific point in time that they wanted to go to.”
Maine’s eyes flooded with unshed warm moisture.
The old man continued, “Then, she’ll have to make a choice. To stay in the future with her daughter, or go back to the present and change everything. That means that her future will change according to her decisions—”
“Erin is just a possibility. Is that what you’re talking about?”
Ben Sinclair nodded. “Her daughter is a product of fate’s calculations. The threads predict outcomes and, since Erin is here, it means that Erin’s existence in the future is the most likely outcome. A thread reader’s ability interrupts those outcomes because they could avoid and prevent something from happening. That’s what changes the most-likely outcome that is attached to the thread of fate. The brat probably altered her thread to cause this chaos.”
Maine’s jaw trembled to suppress her tears. Her chest contracted with pain at the thought of her brother’s grim fate.
Oh, he’ll be miserable!
“Her daughter needs to go back in the future. If she chooses to stay in the future with her daughter, then she’ll render the possible outcome of the thread—that is fate— as permanent. If she happened to go back to the present after sending her daughter to the future, then the future will be changed. The Erin they had met will forever disappear. To let Erin exist, they must not alter the threads anymore. If Erin said that Hyacinth disappeared for a decade, then she have to follow and obey the outcome that is already attached to the thread of fate for her daughter’s existence to be permanent.”
Good lord. Is this why Hyacinth disappeared? She chose to stay in the future so that Erin becomes a permanent outcome. Did she choose to stay in the future to not alter their fate anymore by going back to Max after sending her daughter back to the future?
There’s too much information for Maine to take in, but she noted them down in her phone’s memo pad.
Hyacinth needed to choose: to send her daughter to the future and stay there with her, or go back to the present to be with Max.
“Do you understand a thing, Maine Bismarck? Hyacinth needs to send her daughter back to the future. A time traveler needs a thread reader to function properly. Without the thread reader, a time traveler cannot navigate their abilities because they’re not able to read threads. Do you understand what I mean?”
Maine’s eyes stung as tears fell on her cheek. “I understand, Sir. Hyacinth’s ability is the eyes of her daughter’s ability. Without Hyacinth, Erin might not be able to go back properly to her own.”
“You got it right.”
Maine’s heart clenched as a pang of pain burst through her chest. Oh, how she ached for Max’s pending heartache. The man will have to spend more than a decade waiting...and waiting...and waiting for his love.
“That’s why she needs to send her daughter to the future now, or they’ll cause chaos to the threads once Erin vanishes out of the blue. Her daughter from the future cannot stay in the past for so long as it will risk the alteration of fate. They need to make a decision now, or her daughter from the future will disappear..”
Maine stood up with her knees trembling. She sobbed and sobbed until her eyes cannot see a thing past the blurriness. Her heart died every second at the thought of Max’s unhappiness.
She grew up spoiled by his relentless care and affection. Max spent most of his life in the family business. Now that he finally got the things he deserved in life, fate decided to intervene.