Redamancy | 𝐎𝐆

❦︎ 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒̀ 77 ❦︎

Alex kembali ke bilik suite, melihat senyuman tipis yang menghiasi wajah Meredith. "You look... pleased," Alex mengulas sambil menutup pintu di belakangnya.

Meredith tidak menjawab, sebaliknya memandang Alex dengan pandangan penuh maksud. "You know why I'm doing this, don't you?"

Alex mengangguk, lalu berkata, "To test Thorn's loyalty. And to bring down Ethan and Bradbury once and for all." Jawabnya dengan malas.

"Exactly," Meredith bersetuju, nadanya lembut namun penuh racun. "For too long, that family has stood in my way, making a mockery of everything I've built. I won't let some pampered child take what's mine not Ethan, not his brother, and certainly not Ayana. If destroying them means pushing Thorn to his breaking point, so be it...Perhaps I could ask him to kill them and make the bloodline vanish? Sounds like a great idea. "

Alex mengerutkan dahi."And what if Thorn chooses Ethan over you? What if he decides his loyalty lies elsewhere?"

Meredith tersenyum dingin. "Then I'll make sure he regrets it. He'll watch as everything he cares about crumbles before his eyes. If Thorn is foolish enough to defy me, he'll fall alongside them."

Alex mengangguk, memahami sepenuhnya permainan yang sedang dimainkan Meredith. "I'll make sure our people are prepared for whatever comes next," Katanya sebelum berbalik, meninggalkan Meredith seorang diri.

Meredith menatap peta itu sekali lagi, bayangan wajahnya terpancar samar di permukaan kertas yang dipenuhi tanda-tanda strategik."Let's see where your loyalties truly lie, Thorn. Will you sacrifice everything... or everyone... for them?"

Dia tahu, tak kira apa pilihan Thorn, dia telah merancang untuk memusnahkan semua yang Ethan sayangi. Bukan sekadar menguji kesetiaan, tapi memusnahkan segala-galanya hingga Ethan akhirnya tunduk di bawah kakinya atau hilang buat selama-lamanya.

Rancangannya mudah, bunuh keluarga Bradbury, Thorn dan Ayana.

Meredith menghela nafas panjang sebelum Alex tiba-tiba menyela, nada suaranya lebih sinis. "Meredith, let's be real for a second," Kata Alex sambil menyilangkan tangan di dada. "Thorn doesn't have anybody he cares about. He's the most cold and mysterious person I've ever known. Losing things... simply won't matter to him."

Meredith tersenyum, seakan-akan sudah menjangka komen itu. "That's where you're wrong, Alex," jawabnya dengan tenang, matanya menyala dengan keyakinan. "You think just because he's been this... ghost, this untouchable enigma, he has nothing to lose? But everyone has something they care about. Something they're willing to risk it all for."

Alex mengangkat kening, skeptikal. "And what would that be? What could possibly make Thorn and Ethan care enough to break?"

Meredith mendekat, hampir berbisik. "Ayana. That girl has managed to awaken something in him. Something human. He's been protecting her, hiding her from us. She's the key, Alex. The one thing that can make Ethan bleed."

Alex tergelak kecil, memandang Meredith seolah-olah dia telah kehilangan akal."So, you're betting everything on some fleeting affection? If that's your plan, you're even more desperate than I thought."

Meredith menggeleng perlahan, senyumnya melebar. "Desperate? No, Alex. I'm strategic. Thorn has been dancing around us for too long. He's managed to hide who he truly is, what he truly wants. But with Ayana in the picture... he's finally showing his hand same goes to Ethan. That girl has an effect for two person, bravo. "

Alex masih ingin bermain kata, tetapi dia tahu Meredith jarang sekali ingin kalah dalam berkata-kata. "And if you're wrong? If Thorn nor Ethan truly doesn't care?

Meredith tersenyum sinis." Then I'll make them care. One way or another. Even the coldest hearts can be cracked. And when he does crack, when he finally breaks, I'll be there to watch him crumble... and Ethan's entire world along with him."