Chapter 25: Chains and Conspiracies
Chapter 25: Chains and Conspiracies
"...Caleb."The voice was real. Caleb snapped his head around—Lucy stood at the doorway, hair a mess like she’d just rolled out of bed, face pale but eyes razor sharp.
Without a word, she rushed in, grabbed his arm, and pushed him down onto the couch. Her breath came quick, like she’d run straight here.
"Caleb..." her voice was raspy. "...do you and Joe have a problem?"
Caleb stared at her for a moment, then snorted. "Problem? Hah... that old man just liked to preach, acting all wise like some street prophet." His lips twisted into a smirk. "I got sick of it, so I told him straight: if you want advice with no proof, a free AI can spit that out unlimited. Don’t need clowns like him anymore."
Lucy gave the faintest smile—maybe at his bluntness, maybe at the bite in his tone—but her face snapped serious again almost instantly.
"Listen... you need to leave. Now. Get far away from Torkside, from Metroland." Her tone sharpened. "Disappear for a while—go hide out in the countryside."
Caleb blinked. Countryside? His brow furrowed. The hell is she talking like that for...?
Inside, a thought crept in: Guess it’s time to play the role.
A second later, Caleb exploded in fake anger. "Stop! Don’t treat me like some damn kid, Aunt Lucy! I’m not a child anymore! If you won’t be honest with me..." he leaned in, voice rising. "...fine! I’ll go to Luna! I’ll live with Luna instead!"
Lucy’s eyes went wide, face drained of color. Her hands trembled slightly before she exhaled, defeated.
"Alright! Alright... I’ll tell you."
Caleb lowered his head, hiding the grin threatening to spread across his face. Inside, his lips already curled sharp with triumph.
Too easy...
Lucy drew in a long breath, her face tight.
"Sarah’s connected to Maya... this whole thing could be Maya’s setup." Her voice was low but firm. "I know her too well—Maya’s insane. She probably doesn’t want your father leaving you that inheritance. So she... arranged all of this."
Caleb’s fist clenched, veins bulging at his temple. His jaw locked until it ached.
"That bitch..." his voice rasped, dripping venom. "She already made my mother suffer... and now... she wants me to suffer too?!"
Lucy shook her head quickly, eyes wide. "Caleb, listen to me. You can’t touch Maya. She’s too dangerous."
Caleb turned his head slowly, gaze blank, though inside his mind the gears spun nonstop.
Of course... I can’t reach her directly. There’s always someone in the way. Aunt Lucy—you’ll always be the one trying to block me. And Luna... sure, I could use her, but she’s too obsessed with me. Go her way, and I’d end up caged instead.
He inhaled deeply, the corner of his lips twitching upward in a faint smirk.
Then fine... I’ll find my own path. I move alone.
He glanced at Lucy briefly, then dropped his head, pretending to look defeated.
But deep inside, the fire was already burning again.
Lucy drew in a sharp breath, her tone pressing hard.
"If you really want to be safe... go to Larkird village. It’s quiet, nothing but old folks there. Leave today... this morning, if you can."
Caleb froze, eyes narrowing. Larkird? Quiet? Full of old people?
He shook his head slowly, muttering inside, No... I can’t go there. That insane quest demands a hundred pairs of eyes. At the very least, I need to stay in Torkside—this city still has enough people.
Before he could open his mouth, hurried footsteps echoed.
Luna appeared at the doorway, her face dead serious.
Lucy shot up from the couch, glaring. "Luna! What the hell are you doing barging into my flower shop?! You think this is a damn robbery?!"
Luna didn’t even flinch. Her glare cut sharp at Lucy. "Shut the fuck up, Lucy. This is bigger than your damn flowers."
Lucy froze, stunned by her tone.
Luna turned to Caleb, her voice low and urgent. "My contact in the police... they’ve already started looking for you."
Caleb’s eyes widened. "What?! How the hell—?!"
Luna’s fists clenched. "Maya. She’s behind it."
Caleb’s head spun. Maya again? This... this is over the top. All this... just for an inheritance?
Lucy’s face darkened, eyes filled with grim certainty. "Maya’s insane, Caleb. She doesn’t care who burns, as long as she wins."
Luna cut her off, voice dropping into a bitter edge. "And rumor is... Maya ordered a special cell for you." Her eyes locked onto Caleb’s, tense and sharp.
"...a cell packed with men. Gay men... and... and you know what will happen right?"
Caleb’s jaw dropped, his whole face freezing. "What the fuck...?"
His blood boiled, thoughts tearing through his skull.
Maya... that bitch... she always destroys people with sexual humiliation. Always twisting it into something vile.
Caleb took a deep breath, lowering his voice. "Alright... I think I need to go to Larkird." He glance at Lucy.
Luna immediately turned, brow furrowed. "Larkird? For what?"
Lucy answered fast, almost cutting her off. "For his safety. That village is quiet, nobody cares, he can disappear there for a while."
Luna went silent for a moment, then finally nodded slowly. "Fine. That makes sense."
Caleb lowered his head, hiding his expression. Inside, he scoffed. These women... pain in the ass. Always chains around my legs, narrowing every move I make.
Without another word, he got ready. Black hoodie, mask, and a black cap Lucy gave to him yesterday. Done. Simple, but enough to make him harder to recognize.
Lucy handed him an envelope stuffed with cash, her face gloomy. "Take this. Don’t use your cards, everything can be tracked."
Luna dug into her small bag and pulled out some bills as well. "Here. We don’t know how long you’ll need to hide."
Caleb just gave a short nod, then followed the two of them into Luna’s car. They drove toward the train station.
The streets were still fairly empty that morning. But suddenly—screeech! The car slammed its brakes, nearly hitting a girl who crossed out of nowhere.
Caleb’s head snapped, catching her face through the windshield. His heart jolted. "..."
Lucy leaned forward from the back seat, eyes narrowing. "Caleb... do you know her?"
Caleb turned with a blank stare, but his lips moved slowly. "...Yeah. She’s... my high school friend. I used to... be close with her."
Lucy and Luna both gaped. "No way..."
Caleb’s eyes sharpened. "What?"
Luna swallowed, her gaze locked on the girl now frozen by the roadside. Then she turned back to Caleb, her face pale.
"She is..."