CHAPTER TWELVE
1531 Words
NEXT DAY
Ryan's POV
I woke up to see Eddie sitting at the table, writing something in a book. I glanced at Princess's window and saw it was locked.
"Hey, Eddie," I said, moving toward him.
"Hey, Ryan," he replied, quickly closing the book. I furrowed my brows, looking at him, then at the book.
"Your diary?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Uh-huh," he replied, nodding.
"So why are you hiding it? You and I both know I'm aware of everything going on in your life," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Come on, Ryan, I have my privacy too," he said, pouting.
"Fine, but trust me, I'm still going to read it," I said, and he rolled his eyes.
"I'm going to ride my bicycle; it's Saturday," I said and headed outside before he could respond.
I ran down the stairs to see Mom making breakfast and Dad engrossed in some newspapers.
"Good morning, Mom and Dad," I said, smiling.
"Morning, baby," they replied without looking at me.
"I guess everyone's busy. I'm off to ride my bicycle. See ya!" I yelled and ran out. I grabbed my bicycle from the garage and took a cloth to clean it. While cleaning, I saw a scary man coming out of the house where Princess lives. He locked the door, put the keys in his pocket, and glanced in my direction. I quickly looked away, pretending not to notice him.
He pulled out his phone and started talking as he walked toward me. "I'm going to f*****g kill that lawyer," I heard him say as he passed by and continued down the street.
I'm 100% sure that man is Princess's uncle. Though I didn't see him clearly the other day, I have a strong feeling it's him. He's the one locking Princess in that room. But what lawyer was he talking about? I thought anxiously. I need to tell Eddie about this; it might be helpful.
Eddie's POV
I was sketching a plan for Princess's escape when Ryan burst into the room, shouting my name.
"Eddie!" he called, panting.
"What's going on, Ryan?" I asked, jumping up from my chair.
"I found something," he said, sitting on my chair.
"Okay, Ryan. What is it?" I asked eagerly.
"I saw a man come out of Princess's apartment. My instincts tell me it's her uncle," he said, trying to calm down.
"Okay?" I prompted, squatting before him.
"He walked in front of our house, talking on the phone, and mentioned he was going to kill a lawyer," he said. I stared into space, trying to connect this to Princess's situation.
"Thank you for this, Ryan. It's going to help a lot," I said, patting his shoulder.
My father is a well-known man from our former neighborhood and has significant influence with the police positively. Once I find evidence against Princess's uncle, I'll give it to Dad so he can talk to his lawyer.
"So, what's the plan, Eddie?" Ryan asked, sounding like an adult, which made me chuckle.
"Okay, here it is, Ryan," I said, showing him some sketches in my diary.
"I know it sounds dangerous, but it's the only option for now. I need to break into the house," I said, looking at him.
"What house, Eddie?" he asked, eyes widening.
"Princess's house, of course. It's the only way I can get evidence to put him in jail. You and I know Princess is always locked in that room; she can't do this herself," I said, gesturing with my hands.
"Eddie, that man is evil. He could kill you," Ryan said fearfully.
"Ryan, listen to me. That bastard doesn't stay home in the early hours of the day; he comes back in the evening. I've noticed his routine," I said, hoping for a response, but Ryan just stared at me silently.
"I'll watch him leave the house, break in, gather evidence, and get out. Then I'll give it to Dad, and he'll handle it," I said, slumping onto my bed.
"Eddie, please be careful. I love you, and I don't want to lose you," he said, hugging me.
"I'll be safe," I said, hugging him back.
Princess's POV
I woke up yawning loudly, feeling happy and relieved after the massage Eddie gave me last night. I went to the bathroom to freshen up; the water soothed my skin, and I felt grateful for Eddie's help with the pain.
After bathing, I returned to my room, looked in the closet, and chose another white lace gown. I ran to my window, opened it, and raised the curtain to see Eddie and Ryan.
"Good morning!" they yelled happily, Ryan holding a tray of pancakes.
"Good morning!" I yelled back, and we all laughed loudly.
"You seem happy today," Eddie said, winking at me.
"I feel better than other days, thanks to you," I said happily.
"You look happy too. What's going on?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
"We came up with a plan," they chorused together.
"What plan?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"You need to see this," Eddie said, climbing out his window and jumping onto the mango tree. I glanced at Ryan, who widened his eyes in amusement.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Ryan asked in surprise.
"Ryan, trust me, I'm good at everything," Eddie said, moving closer to my window with a smile.
"Someone might see you," I said, looking around.
"I don't care, and I know your uncle isn't around, so I'm safe," he said, jumping into my window. He nearly fell, but I rushed to help, and he ended up falling on top of me as we both hit the ground.
I heard Ryan giggling outside. Eddie and I stared at each other, his gaze drifting to my lips.
"Princess," he said softly, bringing his face closer. I stared at his lips, speechless.
"Enough of the drama, you two!" Ryan yelled, still giggling, making Eddie stand up quickly. I stood up slowly, blushing hard.
"I'm sorry, I got lost in your beauty," Eddie said, looking away shyly, which made me laugh loudly.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked, pouting.
"You look really funny when you're shy," I said, giggling, while Ryan watched us, smiling widely.
"Okay, fine. Back to business," Eddie said, handing me a book.
"What is this?" I asked, staring at it.
"I sketched some plans in it," he said, sitting down to open the book. I sat close to him, curious about his sketches.
"Pancakes?!" Ryan yelled from outside.
"Not yet, Ryan," Eddie yelled back, still focused on the book.
"Check this out, Princess," he said, bringing the book closer. "Your uncle goes out every morning and comes back in the evening, right?" He traced some sketches, and I nodded in agreement.
"I got information from Ryan this morning that he talked about killing a lawyer. Do you know anything about that?" he asked, sounding professional.
"I don't know," I said, shaking my head.
"Did your parents leave anything behind? I mean, properties?" he asked again.
"Yes, Eddie, lots of properties," I said, nodding.
"Good," he said, jotting something down.
"There's a high chance this lawyer has something to do with you," he said, hitting the book, making me smile.
He looked at me with a blank expression. "Can you please stop smiling? You're distracting me. I don't want to go wild," he said, looking away, and I laughed out loud.
"I'm still here!" Ryan yelled, making us both giggle.
"Now, this is the real point. I'm going to break into your house during the day, gather what I can find, and get out before evening," he said, and my eyes widened.
"Eddie, that's a very dangerous plan. What if you get caught?" I asked fearfully.
"Princess, trust me, I won't get caught. He goes out every morning; it's his routine. I won't take long, okay?" he said, looking at me.
"How will you get in?" I asked, sighing.
"That's the least of my problems, Princess," he said, winking, making me blush.
"Thank you so much, Eddie," I said, holding his hands.
"My duty, my Princess," he said, smiling.
"So, when you get evidence, what will you do with it? Have you forgotten he has connections everywhere?" I said sadly.
"Don't worry, I have that under control. The main thing now is breaking into the house and getting vital information," he said, smiling.
"Eddie, please be careful. I can't afford to lose you, not now, not ever," I said, holding his hands.
He looked at me, smiled, and nodded.
"Pancake time! I'm bored already!" Ryan yelled from the other window.
We both smiled and moved to the window.
"Pass it here, Ryan," Eddie said, stretching out his hands.
Ryan extended the tray, and Eddie took some pancakes.
He turned to me, hands full of pancakes. "My hands are dirty," he mumbled shyly.
I went close to him, grabbed all the pancakes, and stuffed most of them into my mouth.
"Hey! You took mine too!" he yelled angrily. I stuck out my tongue and ran to the other side of the bed.
"Come catch me if you can!" I said, laughing as he ran toward me.
- Writer
