Arc 3 Devica Part 14
1219 Words
Devica PART 14
Dylan dashed to the shop. She found Mary staring at her blood-soaked hand, shaking, her expression pale and horrified.
“Mary! Mary, pull yourself together!” Dylan’s whole focus was on Mary as he kneeled beside her and held her on the shoulders.
Mary only looked up with blank eyes. Her expression filled with fear.
Rico walked towards him. “They already called an ambulance.”
Dylan only nodded as he comforted Mary. “Mary, it will be fine. Help is about to arrive.”
This time, Mary gained her senses. “D-Dylan?”
“Yes. Are you hurt?”
“N-No, R-Raven…” she replied weakly.
As if her head cleared all of a sudden, she turned at the person beside her, panic spread on her whole body. “Raven! No way!” Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to reach him but Dylan held her.
“Calm down. Don’t touch your friend until the paramedics arrive.” Dylan urged her.
“R-Right.”
“Yes. Your friend will be fine. Look at him—!”
The door was ajar as Raven’s body was blocking it. A part of Raven’s strawberry pink hair was a bit soaked with blood. The side of his arms also had blood under it. Some soil and a large bluish-black patch already started to appear on his leg. Scattered soil and broken pieces of flower pot were all over it.
However, the moment Dylan’s eyes landed on the man on the ground, he froze. His ears felt like something exploded as he felt a loud thump inside his chest. Fear crept up inside him as he stared at the side profile of the young man Dylan met just a few weeks ago.
Raven!
A swift, dizzying feeling enveloped him as his surroundings immediately distorted.
Faster and faster.
Until he snapped out of it.
Xei bolted awake catching his breath. His forehead and body were wet with sweat as if he ran on a marathon.
He breathed deeply as he held his aching head, confused.
What the hell just happened?!
Xei gazed around at the pale blue interior of the room. There was nothing much except for the small wine cabinet placed near the floor-to-ceiling glass window.
Xei recognized the room right away. It was his room… Or rather, Dylan Wezel’s room.
He glanced down at his silk pajamas. When did I return here? Did I faint? Did Rico change his clothes?
He stood up and went towards the adjacent study room with all familiarity.
Xei checked the documents on his briefcase then glanced at the digital clock on his desk.
It was five in the morning. The incident indeed happened yesterday.
“Did I really faint yesterday when I saw Raven?” Xei wondered. I should ask Rico in the office later.
He set aside his thoughts for now.
Xei arrived early in the office earlier than the other staff. He hid in the office and busied himself.
When Rico arrived in the office, he exclaimed. “Dylan! How can you be this workaholic?!”
Rico first left to make Xei a cup of coffee. After he returned, he continued nagging.
He took the finished paper works with one hand and put down the coffee on the cleared space.
“Look at how much you’ve finished already. What time did you even arrive?”
“Six in the morning,” Xei answered. He decided to get off work early so the earlier he started, the earlier he would be able to leave.
“Damn. Fine, fine. I’m leaving you alone. I feel bad watching you work. It makes me feel like an incompetent assistant.”
Rico switched his work mode on. “You have a meeting with the representatives of the B Country’s Subsidiary at nine in the morning. After that, another meeting with the representative of Wezel’s Ranch at ten-thirty. Then a lunch meeting with the CEO.”
“Is there a schedule in the afternoon?”
“There’s an online conference with your cousin in H City and a dinner meeting with Miss Perez of our PR Company.”
“Cancel that dinner meeting. I need to check Raven in the hospital this afternoon.”
Rico stopped typing on his tablet, “Raven?”
“Yes,” Xei answered without looking up. “Did I also faint last night? I can’t remember some things from last night. You even change me out of my suit. Sorry for troubling you last night.”
He looked up at Rico, but the latter was just staring at him, at a loss for words.
Finally, he said, “What do you mean? Who is Raven? Where did you go last night? And we went together? But did not we have a dinner meeting with the CFO last night? Did you go somewhere after I sent you home? Did you get drunk senseless that you’ve mixed things up? And, wait? I changed you out of your suit?! Brother, I didn't even enter your house last night! F*ck, did someone unknown bring you to your home? No notes?!”
Xei held his forehead. Rico’s voice was starting to induce a headache. “Slow down.”
Rico stopped speaking. “So, we did not go to Mary’s shop yesterday?”
Rico, “But didn’t you say you’ll go to the event on the weekend instead?”
Was it really a dream?
“But I really can’t remember what happened the rest of the night.” After some thinking, he asked. “You got off early yesterday, did you?”
“Yes. Then in the spur of the moment, I accompanied you to visit Mary. Halfway, you said the CFO returned and asked if you had free time since he had something important to say. So we canceled your appointment with Mary and went to meet Mr. Zhong.
Xei could not find anything wrong with Rico’s explanation.
Xei decided, “Alright, maybe I just dream of something realistic.” He paused as a short memory flashed on his brain. Then he added, “Still, reschedule that dinner meeting. I’ll check Mary’s cafe later.”
I’ll consider it a dream for now. But I needed to see if it’s a warning dream. Also, I should check if Nephrite was really that Mary’s employee.
Xei recalled seeing a red string connecting him and Raven. But since everything suddenly distorted, he was not sure.
I should make time to check if Raven was Nephrite’s vessel, he decided.
A faint excitement welled inside Xei’s heart as he thought of meeting Nephrite earlier than the previous worlds.
With that, adrenaline rushed through his veins making him more productive even without his usual daily caffeine shot.
By the time the clock struck six in the evening, Xei was already on his way down to the underground parking lot of the main office.
Rico was walking beside him, “I’m worried but I can’t go with you this time.”
“Fine, I’m worried so I’ll go with you,” Rico said in that dream, Xei smiled at the amusing contrast. “You really have nothing to worry about.”
“Fine then. Call me if something comes up.” Rico waved goodbye before heading to his own car.
- Writer
