Chapter 34: Flashback Again
1439words
Ramona stood for a moment, swallowing her saliva to calm herself down before venturing closer to her. Carefully, he took a spot by the window, a position close enough to challenge courage, but remained vigilant. His face was full of determination despite the cautious glare in his eyes.
"If you want to know who is the mastermind of tonight's trap," said Ramona, her voice low but firm, "follow my plan."
Hunter looked up, his originally cold gaze turned into a horror gaze. His jaw clenched tighter. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly, his voice almost like the hiss of a snake.
Ramona took a deep breath before replying, "It seems... Your mom is behind all these arranged marriages."
Hunter instantly got up from the sofa, his steps only needed twice to reach Ramona. Her big hand gripped her neck tightly, surprising Ramona even though she had already anticipated the reaction. "Never take my mom with you!" Hunter growled, his tone piercing.
However, to her surprise, Ramona smiled faintly. "Want to bet?" he challenged, his voice remaining calm even though his face was flushed red from Hunter's grip.
Hearing that, Hunter released his grip violently, pushing Ramona's face until she jerked back. "What are you thinking that you can be sure that my mother is the mastermind of all this?" she demanded with her jaw getting stiffer.
Ramona held onto her flushed neck, trying to regain her breath before answering. "Too many coincidences happened. Nick brought me to this dinner as if everything had been planned. He knows you're there, knows who I was in your past. From the beginning, he only asked me to be a pretend partner, but who would have thought that all of that was a trap?"
Hunter was silent, his eyes narrowing as his mind began to digest Ramona's words. He could not deny that his words made sense. All the events of that night were too perfect to be called coincidences. Nick brought Ramona to the event with so much confidence, and it was clear that he knew how important the meeting was to Hunter.
"She even knows I'm the woman from your past," Ramona continued, her voice softer, but still sharp. "And he knows very well who the woman you are going to match with."
Hunter was still silent, his gaze now changed from anger to confusion mixed with suspicion. He walked towards the window, with his back to Ramona, overlooking the darkness of the night. His hands were clenched at his sides. "All this... It can't be just a coincidence," he muttered quietly, barely audible.
Ramona knew by then, he had already managed to break a little of Hunter's defense. But in his heart, he knew this was just the beginning of the coming storm.
Hunter sat back on the sofa with an expression that was difficult to translate, his eyes still burning with burning anger. He folded his hands on his chest, then asked in a stern tone, "What's your plan?"
Ramona smiled faintly, feeling satisfied that Hunter was finally willing to listen. He knows this is a difficult, but important first step. In a calm but confident tone, he replied, "I'm going to marry Nick."
Hunter instantly straightened his body, his eyes sharp like a piercing knife. "You want your son to disappear?" he asked in a low but threatening voice. The controlled anger actually made the atmosphere even more tense.
Ramona remained calm even though the threat was like a dagger pointing directly at her heart. He leaned against the edge of the window, staring out for a moment before turning his gaze back to Hunter. "Listen first. I'm not done talking," he said firmly, ignoring the tension in the room.
Hunter kept looking at him sharply, but didn't cut off his words.
Ramona continued, "If I can convince Nick that I love him and want to marry him..." He paused his speech, letting his words hang in the air for a moment. His gaze was fixed on Hunter, full of confidence. "Most likely I will be very easy to approach him. I can investigate everything you want from him and Sevano, including the evidence of your father's murder."
Hunter gripped the sofa hand tightly, his fingers almost clawing at the fabric. His jaws clenched tightly, holding back the emotions that swelled up. His gaze was straight ahead, pondering Ramona's words. In his heart, he knew the plan was reasonable, but he also couldn't ignore the risks he might take.
After a moment of silence, Hunter looked up, his eyes staring at Ramona intensely. "Prove that I can trust you," he said quietly, but full of pressure.
Ramona nodded without hesitation. "It's easy," he replied, his voice steady. "My son as his guarantee."
Hunter smiled broadly, then shook his head while shaking his head. "How could a crazy woman like you be a mother?" she muttered, almost like talking to herself. However, those words actually made Ramona smile faintly, feeling that behind the tension, Hunter was worried about Esther.
In a softer tone, Ramona said, "If I prove to have betrayed you, you can kill me."
Hunter looked at him flatly, trying to look for any doubt or lie on Ramona's face. However, all he found was seriousness. The remark, although it sounded reckless, was very honest.
Secretly, Hunter begins to realize that Ramona, however crazy the plan, might actually be able to do it. But he also knew that the stake was not only their lives, but also Esther's future.
Their gazes clashed with each other, as if looking for a lie between the two.
The next day, the atmosphere in Ramona's apartment was tense again. Hunter arrived with heavy strides, his expression as cold as ever. "What's wrong?" he asked in a snarky tone, looking at Ramona who was standing in the middle of the room.
Ramona folded her hands on her chest, her eyes sharp but still calm. "Nick wants to know where your weapons reserves are," he said without mincing, starting the conversation by getting straight to the point.
Hunter frowned, his gaze instantly turning suspicious. However, before she could interrupt, Ramona continued, "He ordered me to ask you about this in order to test my loyalty. It's a trap, Hunter. If you tell me the place, he will know I am on his side. But if you move all your weapons first or conjure up another place as a fake warehouse, we can trick Nick."
Hunter did not immediately respond. He walked to the sofa, sat with his jaw hardened, his gaze looking far away. Obviously, he was thinking about Ramona's plan.
"I know it's risky," Ramona added, trying to read her mind. "But if you play this card right, Nick will believe I'm really on his side. That means we can get more information from him."
Hunter remained silent, only nodding softly while tapping his fingers on the back of the sofa. In his mind, he knew this was an opportunity to manipulate the situation. Coincidentally, he had a place that had not been used for a long time, an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city that was not even recorded in any documents.
"When he wants to know your warehouse, besides that I will continue to urge him to marry me quickly, while the wedding takes place," Ramona was silent for a moment in her words, making Hunter look at her sharply as if her curiosity was so intense at this time.
"You can come and thwart my marriage, pretend you're so angry as soon as you find out if all your weapons are gone, that's where the drama plays," Ramona continued confidently.
Hunter finally looked up, his gaze cold but firm. "Okay," he said in a low voice. "I'll use that place as bait and follow your plan. But remember, Ramona..." He leaned forward, looking directly into Ramona's eyes. "If your plan fails, you know what will happen."
Ramona nodded, not the slightest bit trembling. "I know," she replied calmly, before turning towards the window, hiding a faint smile that appeared on his face. In his heart, she knew this was the first step towards the big game he was planning.
