Fair Trade

Inside it was a pair of earrings and a necklace. Also a watch and a bracelet. At first glance, it looked like an off-the-shelf product, but the way the rubies were placed was just far too exquisite.

Placing her elbows on the table, Sei asked, alternating between the necklace and Yuri, “Are they all wiretapping and surveillance devices?”

“They also have the location tracking function.”

“… So, am I like some sort of moving GPS machine?”

“Because I can’t kill you, when, where, what is happening to you, and what you’re doing – I ought to know every single thing.”

“Isn’t it too much to use the words ‘ought to know’ to describe your simple curiosity? Didn’t you say you’ll completely erase me from your list after this job? But this is….”

The words “too much” rolled at the tip of her tongue but didn’t leak out of her mouth.

Sei was going to hide somewhere immediately after handing over Yuri to Guilio. If she hid after applying for her father’s bail, Guilio wouldn’t be able to find her either. By that time, he would be at the mercy of the man named Yuri Petrov.

She was worried about her mother, but fortunately, Guilio was unaware of her existence. Sei once again recalled that she had a secret that she had to hide until the end by all means.

“It seems that you have noticed something missing from our previous conversation.”

A voice as calm as a deep swamp. The man’s hand caressed the tip of her chin as if he was stroking the edge of a diamond-studded watch. He stared at her intently, furrowing his brow. It didn’t look like he was in a bad mood. But what was hidden in his unreadable expression was a strange madness wrapped around innocence. He was enjoying seeing her embarrassed state.

Her body trembled as if covered in a cold sweat. Sei racked her brain to find any loopholes in their previous conversations.

“Sei.”

Please, keep your mouth shut and do not call my name.

“I never said anything about the contract date.”

So what he was saying was that…

“I told you our contract will end when I put a bullet in the traitor’s head. So you have to stay with me no matter what. Don’t tell me, were you planning to ditch me alone in the den of vices?”

Ridiculous!

Ahhhh!

With her eyes closed, she removed Yuri’s hand and flopped onto the table.

As she struggled with her annoyance, she felt a friendly touch on the back of her head. Yuri gently stroked her head and got up with a soft smile.

Holding down her desire to scream, Sei looked curiously at the man’s back as he walked into the kitchen.

“What… are you doing?”

“Like I said, I need to relieve my hunger a little. I looked in the refrigerator and the ingredients looked pretty good.”

“Are you going to eat?”

She raised her slumped body.

“I’ll take care of it, so just stay there.”

“Don’t do that. Go to a restaurant. Since I can’t cook, Chloe will think it’s strange that some ingredients are missing.”

And there was no way Justin, who talked a lot, would be quiet about this matter either.

Sei walked over to him and leaned over the sink, and put the meat and the pan back into its place. She also buttoned up his half-unbuttoned shirt one by one.

Why does my heart beat more every time I come into contact with this man’s bare skin?

She laughed, thinking that this teenage thrill of butterflies didn’t suit her at all.

“There’s a nice restaurant nearby. It’s quiet, and it also provides a private booth.”

“Really? By the way….”

He lowered his gaze and his face, looking down at her, came closer.

Seeing Sei avoid his eyes, Yuri grabbed her wrist and put her arm around his neck. Then he whispered, his lips pressed close to her ear, “It is dangerous.”

A languid voice that makes one’s body feel like it was floating.

“What is?”

She raised her head.

Yuri was a man who had a habit of looking squarely at his opponent. Whenever she looked into his cold eyes head-on, she would feel as if her body was pricked somewhere by the blade of a knife.

She felt the same now. Sei could feel the tension building up in her body, but she did not avoid his gaze. The man then took out his phone, slightly frowning, and showed her a picture.

“Oh?”

“Do you recognize this?”

“Huh?”

Her eyes widened as she took away the cell phone to take a closer look.

The photo showed a large pearl necklace along with the earrings she wore that day.

It was none other than the La Peregrina – a pearl in the shape of a drop that dominated a chain finished with rubies and diamonds.

Sei couldn’t take her eyes off the picture with a half-crazed look on her face.

This is real!

It was hard to judge its authenticity just by looking at the picture, but there was a 99% chance that this was the real La Peregrina.

“This, how did you….”

“It took longer than I thought to get it. That’s why I’m late. First of all, let me clarify it’s not an illegal purchase. Should I say it’s an acquaintance of an acquaintance’s favor?”

“Ha, no way…”

“How can you say that when you’re looking at it with your own eyes? Anyway, you can look forward to it. As I said, I’ll hang it around your neck sooner or later.”

Although he spoke sweetly, his face was still close to being expressionless. It seemed suddenly that all the sounds in the world had been muted out.

Sei suddenly thought that this relationship between them was ridiculous. This man wanted two things from her.

Mutual assistance.

And sex.

Weren’t these simpler and clearer requirements as compared to that of Giulio?

Her body felt heavy. It felt as if there were too many invisible chains on her body. The chains that stretched out in all directions pulled her down with an irresistible force.

“Didn’t you say that you’re not the type to take too much time…? Why do you keep taking so long? It’s as if you are a hunter.”

“I’ve learned the fun of playing around with my food.”

“You find it fun even when I’m scared and trembling…?”

“Let’s say I find it cute. But why are you so upset?”

At his flippant tone of speaking, she balled her hands into fists. Then, Sei yanked Yuri’s shirt off.