Day Twenty Eight…
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Nathan was at a loss for words. Although he already expected a connection between Stephen and Phantomflake, it felt strange hearing it from his best friend's mouth.
He didn't know how he would react. He hated Phantomflake but Stephen was his best friend. Nathan slammed his eyes shut and inhaled deeply. He needed to calm himself down.
Instead of judging Stephen, he had to listen to his story, so that he could understand why Stephen wanted to protect Phantomflake.
No matter what his story was, he wouldn't get influenced by his best friend. His hatred for Phantomflake would never change since she was the one who killed his beloved woman.
"How did you know her?" Nathan coldly asked Stephen, his sharp eyes looking at him.
Stephen sighed deeply. "It was a chance encounter… five years ago. I met her abroad… when she saved my life against those gangsters."
"I almost got beaten up badly if not for her interference," he added.
"Did she know you?" Nathan asked him.
"Honestly, I am not sure if she was the woman whom I met five years ago… Once she wakes up… I want to confirm it. I wonder if she can still remember me."
Nathan just remained silent. Phantomflake saved his best friend. But he couldn't change the fact that the same woman took away the most important woman in his life.
Stephen stared at Nathan for a long moment, waiting for his best friend to say a word.
"So please… let me do this mission to take her back. Allow me to do it by myself." Stephen requested him once more.
Complicated emotions resurfaced in Nathan's eyes. "Perhaps… Do you like her?"
Stephen was at a loss for words. He didn't expect to hear that question from Nathan. He wasn't prepared to answer that.
He fell silent for several seconds. He recalled the moments he spent with her. In fact, a woman who looked like Phantomflake became his patient, so he couldn't disclose this to Nathan because of the doctor-patient confidentiality.
The moment he saw Phantomflake's face, Stephen couldn't be mistaken… his gut feeling was telling him that she was the same woman who saved him and at the same time, the woman who became his patient.
'I saw how she suffered emotionally and mentally… because of what happened to her. An unfortunate event in her life. I witnessed her vulnerable side. She is different from Phantomflake who is known as the most ruthless assassin…'
"Why can't you answer me, Stephen? Do you have feelings for her? For the woman who ruined me?" Nathan clenched his jaw, a cold glint flashing through his eyes. He felt annoyed since Stephen took his time to answer Nathan.
"You are overthinking, Nate. I can't explain it… but I have to return the favor… since she saved me once." Stephen reasoned out.
"So are you thinking of stopping me from my revenge against her? Do you think you can change my mind? I will still kill her once I'm done with her. I just have to get the name of the person who called the hit!" Nathan spat back at Stephen. For the first time, Nathan got upset with Stephen.
"Yes… I will not deny it… I am hoping that you will change your mind… Don't take all your hatred and anger on her. She's an assassin. She just accepted the mission… The real bad guy who wanted to ruin you was the person who gave her the mission–"
Nathan raised his hand, signaling Stephen to stop. "I don't want to hear this."
Stephen looked down, feeling dejected. He didn't want to lie to Nathan so he expressed what was on his mind and his true feelings. He already expected this kind of reaction from Nathan.
"I am not asking you to stop your revenge… All I ask of you today… is to allow me to do this task. I will get her back together with your subordinates. Furthermore, I just don't want you to be in danger." Stephen mumbled with his pleading voice.
Nathan met his gaze. He contemplated for a moment. But Nathan always had a soft spot for his best friends.
"Fine. I will inform the team. You can join them on my behalf." Nathan finally agreed to his request.
Stephen's face brightened up when he heard that. His eyes gleamed with joy. He held his shoulders and said, "Thank you, Nate… I promise I will do what I can to get her back. Trust me. I will not do anything that will make you upset." Stephen reassured him.
Nathan just waved his hand, dismissing Stephen. He already got the answer he sought. Now, he had nothing to say to Stephen. His resolve wouldn't change. As of this moment, he couldn't forgive Phantomflake. He wanted to destroy her slowly, making her suffer ten folds.
They didn't even reach the rooftop. Nathan turned around to proceed to his office where Joker, Violet, and Chantha were waiting for him.
"Come with me. I will inform my subordinates that you are coming with them once I verify this address." Nathan invited Stephen to join them in this meeting.
Stephen was his best friend. There was no need to hide information about Syphiruz. Stephen was like a brother to him, including Aiden.
"Okay." Stephen followed him.
When the door was pushed open, Chantha, Violet, and Joker turned in their direction. Chantha and Violet were surprised to see Stephen.
"What is he doing here?" Chantha leaned closer to her twin sister and whispered.
"Just behave. This is Dr. Stephen Zhou. Don't offend him, alright?" Violet warned Chantha.
Chantha just pouted her lips and rolled her eyes skyward. Violet was always telling her 1to behave. She didn't have any intention to make trouble for herself. She knew her limitation. Sometimes, they were hesitant to approach Stephen. He possessed an intimidating aura just like Nathan.
The three of them were silent. They just watched Nathan and Stephen as they took their seats.
"Stephen is here… because he will be joining the team in our operation to get Phantomflake back." Nathan declared to them.
Chantha, Violet, and Joker had a baffled look in their eyes when they heard Nathan. Stephen was not a member of the Syphiruz Mafia but why did he have to join them in this mission? He was not trained as a fighter.
"Supreme Leader, are you sure about this? This is a dangerous mission. I don't think Dr. Zhou is suited for this kind of mission." Violet showed her concern for the doctor.
"Don't underestimate me, Ms. Violet," Stephen said meaningfully.
Violet pursed her lips, keeping her mouth shut. She didn't expect that Stephen would react like that.
Nathan just gave everyone a warning look. The atmosphere immediately turned quiet. Nathan looked at Joker. He was looking forward to hearing an update from him.
"Joker, what have you got? Any significant information?" Nathan asked him expectantly.
"Regarding Black Rose… I didn't get any information. Even her pictures. Somehow, I feel like her data and information had been deleted. No records of her. But one thing is for sure… Black Rose is a member of the Phantom's Assassin Guild."
"She is a well-known hacker. But her identity is also hidden from others. I dug deeper but she erased her trace." Joker informed them.
Nathan's face contorted as soon as he heard that. How great Black Rose was for her to erase all her traces?
But little did he know, Abigail was the one who erased Black Rose's traces. This was his way of protecting her against Nathan.
She made sure that anyone who would try to look for Black Rose and gather information about her wouldn't find anything. She tried to hide her profile and background. Abigail had the capability to do that. This was her precautionary measure against their enemies.
"You have to try hard and conduct a thorough investigation about Black Rose," Nathan ordered him. He couldn't accept this kind of result. Deep inside, he wanted to clear his suspicion about Abigail being Black Rose. What if she was Black Rose… the hidden member of the Phantom's Assassin Guild.
"Ok, Supreme Leader. My apology for my incompetence. I failed to get relevant information about this hacker, Black Rose," Joker apologized right away, feeling disheartened.
Nathan just waved his hand and massaged his temples. He heard a lot of unpleasant things today– First… the relationship between Stephen and Phantomflake, and Second… Black Rose's identity remained hidden.
"Supreme Leader, I am also here to report something important about the other task you've given me."
Nathan stopped rubbing his forehead and tossed a glance at him. "What is it?"
"It's about Miss Abigail Scarlett…" Joker mumbled, catching the attention of Chantha, Violet, and Stephen. Aside from Nathan, the three of them became interested to hear an update about Abigail.
"What did you find out?" Nathan asked him curiously.
Joker pulled out a brown envelope and handed it over to Nathan. "This is the result of the DNA test."
Nathan took out the document inside the envelope. He checked the content and Nathan's expression changed as soon as he saw the percentage.
[ 99.9%... MATCHED ]
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