Chapter 510
On the third day of our vacation on the island, Waylen called Shawn. "Mr. Xenos, they've noticed your absence, and
everyone's searching for you. What now?"
"Ignore them."
He didn't care about that. If he wasn't afraid, then so was I. I patted Eins' head, asking, "So, when are we going
back? I have a feeling it's going to be a rocky return."
He squinted his eyes and went on basking under the sun. "Alfred won't be doing anything for the time being. Robert
might be trouble, but he's easier to keep under check. Just tell him to lay low, and he's going to do it. Rudy doesn't
have enough strength to cause any trouble. Our main problems are Ezekiel and Daniel. Ezekiel isn't in the mood to
mess things up, so that leaves us with Daniel. He's an ambitious man. Only when things are messy enough could he
lead his family higher. If things stay as they are, the Hartmanns will never expand further than Rothfield."
"But he can't wreak havoc in Bryxton all by himself. He needs Ezekiel, and LG…" I paused for a bit, patting Eins'
head. "The big shots won't make any move like you said, but they'd let everyone else do whatever they want,
right?"
"For the time being, we're the only ones in Bryxton. We can't fend off every single family that is trying to invade the
city, so we have to get rid of Daniel and LG as soon as possible. That's the only way to fend everyone off."
I was relieved Shawn wanted to get rid of LG. At least, that proved he didn't like her. Wait, what was I thinking? If I
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcan't trust him, then I can trust no one. Curiously, I asked, "What about Ezekiel, then?"
He turned to look at me. "Sorry?"
"Are you keeping him in Bryxton as well?"
"Yes. He took over Rudy's forces. Going head-to-head against him is a fool's decision. Besides, he poses no threat to
you, which means I don't have to worry about him. Rudy has already lost May and all his men. Alfred should be the
one worrying right now. He's Ezekiel's biggest target." Just then, Shawn's eyes gleamed. "I don't think I did the
wrong thing back then, but it is still a regret of mine. Exiling Ezekiel is too much."
I got up and sat with him. "Why do you regret it?"
"He was going to back out of the apex back then."
Ezekiel had told me about that before. We met a few times, but that topic was never broken down too much. I
remembered he loved a woman in Bryxton, but she was married. Right then, my head started to hurt. It felt like I
had forgotten something, and the ring of that bell echoed in my mind again.
Shawn continued, "We tried to assassinate him, and that stopped him from coming back. It was stupid of him to try
and let go of all his power. He had forgotten about the multitude of enemies he had. No matter what he did, he
could never disentangle himself from this mess."
"What if he hadn't given up his power? Would you have taken over successfully?" I asked.
He pulled me into his embrace, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I can't say anything about a hypothetical
situation. But if he weren't in a hurry to leave, we wouldn't have taken him down easily. He might still be one of the
most powerful men around. But now? He's just a has-been."
So, that means… "He can't do anything?" I asked tentatively.
"Yes. Back when he held all the power, he made enemies out of every single aristocrat, including Daniel. Daniel
wants chaos, but not if it means Ezekiel can take back all his power. Ezekiel knows that as well. They're merely
using each other."
"Nobody wants him to return to power. Everyone will stop him, yet they wish chaos would reign."
"Yes. So that they can topple me."
Shawn was everyone's target now, but he was as calm as ever. I asked in concern, "So, are you in any danger?"
Everyone wanted to take Ezekiel and Shawn down. They wanted chaos to reign so they could claim more for
themselves.
"Can insects take down a tower of steel?" he answered with a question.
"But I…" I trailed off as I recalled how I took his family's power away back then.
He held me tightly. "I did it on purpose. It's fine."
Sadly, I asked, "Why?"
"I knew your father would come after me, but I had no idea about the details. Everyone told me to be wary of you,
but I wouldn't listen. You're my woman, and trusting you is my job. Besides, you meant no harm. Nobody wanted
that mess to happen. Fortunately, that was just a trial in our lives. Now, we are reunited. You don't have to let it
weigh on your mind."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmA gust of sea breeze blew past us. I stared at his nose, tears welling in my eyes. He made it sound so simple, but I
knew it was hell. I went through hell as well, but only mentally. He had to run away from assassination attempts,
and his body was on the verge of breaking down from it.
Noticing that I was in low spirits, Shawn kissed me on the lips. I could feel his breath as he comforted me, "You had
a different life from mine. I'm used to a life of danger, so I don't mind. I took it as my training. You haven't gone
through a lot, so you're weighed down by a lot of stuff. Once you've seen what I've seen, nothing will scare you
anymore. Just stay healthy and happy. Forget about the turmoil."
I really needed health. My arms were still wrapped around his neck. "I'm healing well, and I've been taking my pills,
too. I want to be with you for as long as possible." If it was possible, I hoped I wouldn't have to face kidney failure,
but even so, the change of kidneys had shortened my life, and I knew that. I would die before Shawn.
"I've spent a lot of money researching uterine cancer and kidney diseases. I won't let anything happen to you."
Surprised, I asked, "How did you—"
I didn't get to finish the sentence as he explained, "You do remember that you had a kidney removal when you
were twelve, right?"
How could I forget? Robert still had that kidney. It was gross! I merely thought Shawn had found out about my
hereditary kidney failure condition.
"I like to prepare for all contingencies. That way, if any 'accidents' do arise, I can deal with them."