Alyssa's Cup Of Tea ✔️

🐇 Chapter 11

When Alessio and Gino returned to the office after their break, they were mauled by a dreadful update—one that broke Alessio's composure, as for Gino, seeing something waver and pierced through the white-haired male's concrete apathy was new. The closed dam where Alessio stuffed the rest of his emotions burst.

"There is an accident at school! Alessa fell off the staircase and is bloody injured!" This was the announcement that turned Alessio's surroundings a muted gray, he saw the movement from others' lips but none of their words registered. It became a buzz, penetrating silence spearing his ear canal and then flat line.

Gino had a frown contorted on his face, it was weaved with disappointment. This was not the time to be amused nor make fun at someone else's expense yet...

"Whoa, about time" The callous remark came from one of the younger interns. Gino recalled this man got in the company due to his parents' connection to Ramon and he never went through an assessment anymore. "Perhaps she will get some senses in her pea brain after the fall"

The secretary was panting after running inside the conference room, a woman in her mid 30s and based on her dumbfounded expression, she was newly hired and hadn't been introduced yet to the daily routine in Pandora's Box Publishing & Group of Companies. "Sir, what must we do? Shall we send an abrupt urgent notice about canceling today's online conference--"

Whatever the still-naive secretary planned to say was quickly cut off, "Whatever do you fucking mean, idiot woman? We are not canceling an appointment with a potential big sponsor! Get your mind right in weighing priorities! I didn't hire you to fuck things up okay?!" Ramon didn't hold back his irritated outburst.

To the secretary's surprise and pain, most people present didn't reprimanded nor stop Ramon from saying those ill words. Only Gino appeared to be conflicted, torn between going frank or just staying quiet.

But Gino didn't have to think long as Alessio let himself known again that it didn't fail to cause agitation and vexing towards the others who kissed his father's ass. "So you will really keep up the pathetic and dick father image until you wither, huh? Your daughter got in an accident that can possibly kill her but all you care about is superficial things." His voice was as calm and still like a lake but there was no doubting the razor edges of each words spoken.

Ramon Laceheart stared at his son, features taut and grave—incensed at Alessio's neverending audacity to piss him off and go against the family's rhythm. For the number of times he beat him and expressed authority, nothing stayed in Alessio's head, he was fucking stubborn. "You think you're brave enough to stand the truth, hm? You think you got bigger balls huh?" He sneered at the white-haired male, "My life will be damn better without her in the picture, her existence is not relevant to the successful pages of MY household and MY country!"

Those unique-colored eyes gleamed darkly yet Alessio didn't lose the composure he quickly built up again, this was one thing he could be very consistent with. His unseen barricade fell apart after hearing the news of Alessa's accident but he needed to be wary as in the presence of assholes who could benefit from showing weakness, he wouldn't give them any damn satisfaction. "Your country?" An unusual curve made its way on his lips, Alessio rarely smiled, especially not in these bastards' presence. His smiles were reserved for Alyssa and Alessa only. But this smile held no warmth. "King Ramon Laceheart of Marchen, all hail." Without waiting for another retort, Alessio bumped his shoulder roughly against Ramon and walked past him with Gino following behind, both of them leaving the building.

Once they were out of the building, Gino turned to his friend. "This is going to get you in another trouble, Alessio."

"When did trouble stop? I will be more concerned if a day in my week becomes serene. It's not like you are bothered by their antagonizing ways, Gino, let's drop the act already, we both know you're just thinking the same thing." Alessio sent a text message to his twin sister regarding the accident but he had an inkling Alyssa would be aware already.

Gino walked side by side his friend as they made way in the parking lot to get Alessio's car, he didn't counter the white-haired guy's statement. Ironically, he was smiling. "Yes you're right, guess there's really no point now in acting normal."

"What is normal and proper anyway?"

--

Smoking never crossed Alyssa's mind to do, she found it uncool but their father liked doing it especially those thick ones imported from another country that cost a hefty sum. He always voiced how addicting it was and also those thick silver-wrapped cocaine and something else substance became a huge symbol of status, one glance from someone and they instantly knew to bow their heads before Ramon. Her distant cousin Midori also enjoyed smoking, Alyssa once saw the young woman grinning when men would fall on their feet to simply wanting to light a cigarette for her. Midori enjoyed being a badass, edgy woman.

"Ugh, what an awful smell--" Alyssa woke up in a fit of coughing as the smoke blown onto her face registered its distinct, foreign scent, unable to find the right word choices to bundle to describe it. She blinked repetitively and got to a sitting position until her coughing fit was finished, her heterochromatic eyes of onyx black and ruby-red took in the surrounding. This was...The Secret Garden!

It was morning but the clouds were dark gray above and behind the blue sky seemed had a filter that made the whole area desolated.

Standing at a good meters from Alyssa was...an oddly dressed man, his suit was a horrible muddle shade of green, blue, dark purple and some swirling black. His hair was a charcoal black reaching his shoulders and to make him get more layer of peculiarity, he had this full red velvet blindfold around where his eyes would be.

And man was he smoking. Alyssa's face couldn't contort the proper reaction to this oddity, though this stranger's garb reminded her of one imagery and that was the humongous, unpleasant caterpillar that blew a smoke on her face.

"Time did say you will make it here, a commendable job, the mortal piece you brought us was satisfactory. His physical remains and soul were delectable feast to us." The blindfolded stranger spoke calmly, smoking continuously.

This was not the Secret Garden Alyssa knew, the Secret Garden their mother brought them in when they were young was a place of beautiful, cherished memories. It was where Alessio smiled genuinely, all unseen aloof barricades were down.

Alyssa willed herself to stay grounded, she just killed a cousin and hadn't recover from hysteria yet. "Who are you? What monstrosity is happening here?" It was hard to find the right questions to ask, especially when she didn't know the root start of this was.

More smoke puffing and inhaling from the cigar stick he held. "Monstrosity that is helping, your family is a different kind of monsters under those sophisticated skins, aren't they?" Turning his back on the pale-haired woman, he added. "Do follow the trail, Miss Laceheart, don't get lost yet. Time is waiting."

It wasn't like she got elsewhere to go, this Secret Garden didn't seem to be anywhere in the manor and Alyssa needed clarity for whatever drove her to kill Naldo today. There was no exchange nor words spoken as she followed at a good distance, the walk wasn't that long and the blindfolded smoker stopped before a huge willowy tree without any leaves. The tree had such twisty and odd shape resembling more of a nightmarish figure if one would look at first glance.

He turned to the white-haired slender female and gestured to a rabbit hole near the willowy tree, "Kindly jump" The rabbit hole was large enough for a person.

Alyssa blinked, "HUH?!"

"Time is waiting, kindly jump in" He repeated.