Nemesis

XXXVII - Redemption, His Only Friend

Nemesis

Chapter XXXVII — Redemption, His Only Friend

[FabvL Ft. Sinewave Fox — Hurricane]

[03 December 2023]

[Laurent Residence]

[09:44]

Orla sat on the couch, idly flipping through a book that she could barely focus on. She could not help but allow her mind to wander to her first encounter with Kane, and the hidden distaste that he had expressed towards her. What had prompted such a reaction? Because she was confident that she had never met Kane before. Every time that Orla replayed the moment in her mind, she did not find any rude actions on her end that would have prompted such a look, nor had she uttered any disrespectful words. It could only point to one other matter — her father.

Perhaps the man had a hand in Ashton's death somehow, though she doubted that a paraplegic such as him had pulled the trigger. However, her instincts told her that the man was not one to be trusted, and she was keen to do her own investigating on him. If her father's death prompted such hatred from Kane, then she would be sure to extract every bit of information that she could pull out from his mind.

Orla sighed as she stood up from the couch, looking up the stairs where Miranda's laboratory was located. She was hoping to express her fears to the woman, but she doubted that she would ever listen. Orla had seen the look that she had given Kane, and could deduce that she was far more

attached to him than what met the eye. However, she was still willing to try and convince her.

As she walked towards the stairs, Orla stopped as she heard the house's doorbell ring. Her curiosity grew a bit as she walked to the door before she opened it. To her surprise — and dismay — the man she had been thinking about was now at her doorstep. Kane was likely here for Miranda, but Orla was well aware that he would wave the magic wand that was his mouth to soften her up, given that their first interaction was quite awkward, to put it lightly.

Just as she stared down at the man, she caught the same expression of hatred and the more that it happened, the more Orla gathered that it was an impulse, and not anything under his will. Did she repulse him that much, or was it the memory of her father? "Kane, what a surprise..." Orla said as she forced a smile onto her lips, fighting the urge to interrogate the man right then and there. She had to be smart about the matter and accusing a man without any proof would likely make things much worse.

Until she gathered sufficient evidence, Orla could not make any sense of suspicion obvious, but that plan had already failed. Kane was as observant as she was, and had noticed the minor cracks in her forced expression. He had noticed that Orla felt quite uncomfortable around him, for a reason he could not gather. Perhaps she knew something about him, but as he thought of that possibility, it seemed unlikely. If so, then what about him made her so uncomfortable?

"We meet again, Orla. How are you?" Kane greeted with a charming smile. He could not help but see Ashton whenever he saw Orla and that brought upon a slight bit of annoyance, which he had to keep in check. He had also learned about the dynamic they shared, and that made it even harder to remain calm around Orla. Despite the bloody ties they had, Kane had to win the girl over, or he likely had no chance of getting Miranda by his side.

In the times that they had shared words, Kane had learned plenty about Orla, all from Miranda. It was evident that she was very fond of her, and

was willing to do just about anything for the girl that was unwilling to show even an ounce of love in return. The thought absolutely disgusted him and further complicated the bond that these two shared.