SWNOVELS Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Teddy lurked in the shadows, and his intention to intercept Rowan on his path was not without reason. “Ever wonder why the streetlights are out?” Teddy asked him, though he expected no reply. Rowan was a man of few words, often giving no response to a barrage of questions. It was a dynamic Teddy had grown accustomed to.
“It’s because someone’s planning to take a swing at you,” Teddy said, his tone void of jest, etched with
seriousness.
Rowan didn’t want to entertain the thought, mounting his bike with the intention of leaving, but Teddy’s temper flared as he grabbed the bike’s rear seat. His voice boomed with frustration, “Can’t you just listen for once? For someone who values others‘ lives so much, why do you treat your own with such disregard?”
“Let go.” Rowan’s voice was cold, his back to Teddy, devoid of warmth.
Fuming, Teddy released his grip but didn’t allow Rowan to pedal away. He stepped forward, blocking the path again. “I’ll let you go after we talk. It won’t take long. Geez, it’s not like you’re usually in a rush to get home.” Despite his grumbling, Teddy knew it was time for serious talk.
“I’ve heard some disturbing news,” Teddy began with a grave look, “Tonight, Thomas sent his right–hand man, Joseph, to corner you.”
Rowan glanced casually left and right, then asked, “Where is he then?”
“You would have been cornered, but luck’s on your side tonight. Apparently, Joseph got into a scrap himself, so you dodged a bullet,” Teddy remarked, surprised by the fortunate twist of events.
Rowan seemed indifferent; all he wanted was to get back home.
Watching Rowan’s figure recede into the night, Teddy’s furrowed brow remained locked in concern.
Teddy, having mixed with various crowds in France, knew the types well. The wealthy trust fund babies formed the most troublesome cliques. Teddy always kept his distance from such types.
And Thomas was one of them.
Though Teddy had never met this Thomas, his reputation preceded him taking advantage of his family’s corporate influence, he epitomized the reckless playboy, the spoiled rich kid.
Thomas had but one goal in life: to seek thrills.
When Teddy learned that Rowan had crossed paths with Thomas, he was quite taken aback. Although they attended the same university, their worlds were poles apart, with no common social ground. There should have been no reason for animosity.
Teddy initially suspected Thomas had instigated the trouble, but he later discovered it was Rowan who had first landed a punch on Thomas.
A young 18–year–old girl accidentally bumped into the wrong person. She apologized but was still pushed to the ground, her head drenched in a bowl of food. The girl cried helplessly, surrounded by mocking laughter.
Rowan happened to be dining in the canteen at that moment. Dropping his fork and knife, he stood up and punched the loudest of the mockers, Thomas, a tall 22–year–old Frenchman, right in the face.
Could Thomas swallow his pride after being beaten by a skinny–15–year–old boy? He couldn’t, and thus a feud was born.
Teddy admired Rowan’s actions but grew frustrated upon realizing Rowan didn’t care about his own safety. As someone who had been around, Teddy knew all too well the dangers and disadvantages of Rowan’s solitary and haughty character. He kept to himself, shunning closeness with others, as if his life required no one but himself.
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Chapter 47
Such aloofness, Teddy knew, would one day come at a terrible cost.
Karla hadn’t left the house all day. She pondered over the attackers in black – who were they, and more importantly, who sent them?
Karla thought about it for a long time. She decided to head to Fox Hollow, almost impulsively, and Henry’s unannounced inclusion was a spur–of–the–moment decision. It was odd – how did their assailants know of their plans to stay at Henry’s relative’s place? And how did they know the address well enough to ambush them?
Unless Henry was in on it, leading her into a trap.
Of course, the likelihood of that was next to none. If not Henry, then perhaps they had been bugged?
And there was one more critical point. The attackers didn’t seem to care about her police status, attacking her repeatedly as if they weren’t afraid at all.
The more Karla thought about it, the more things didn’t add up. She knew that upon her return, she could take precautions to avoid this crisis. But before that, she needed to clear the air.
Who was attacking her, and what exactly did they want?