Chapter 204 The Latest Targe

After he left the castle, Edwin went to Nick’s villa. The first thing he did upon arriving there was to hit the bar. He grabbed a full bottle of whiskey and slumped on the sofa. By the time Nick had returned, Edwin was already very drunk. The torn jeans and the hoodie jacket he wore made him look like a street thug. In his eyes, however, there was the sort of brightness you could never encounter in one of them.

“Why are you so down? Did the old man die?”

Edwin took a large sip from the bottle and smiled bitterly. “Why do you want him to die? How will you benefit from his death? Will you get the throne of the Kingdom of the Sea? Will you be able to return to the Kingdom of the Sea? Will you become the patron saint of the Kingdom of the Sea? The answer is no. His death has nothing to do with you! But if he dies, there will be no Steve in the world, there will only be Edwin Beck!”

Edwin was so out of his mind, he aimed for Nick’s head and tossed the bottle. Nick did not show any sign of fear. He caught the bottle in the air with his bare hands and smashed it into pieces.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong with you?” he asked and poured himself a glass of red wine from the bar. “Are those tears on your face? Why are you crying?”

But Edwin did not want to talk.  

“Is he really dead?” asked Nick “It is a miracle that he lived for so long after what he has been through. What are you crying for? You are just a tool he uses to fight against those who run the Devenport Research Institute. He has taken advantage of your love for his sister. Don’t tell me you that like him after being with him for such a long time.”

Upon hearing these words, Edwin gradually collected himself. Nick was right. He really regarded the man as his elderly brother and felt sorry for him but the reason he was so depressed had to do with what the man had just told him. But he would not give up Bella just because of those words.

“I am afraid he only has few days left to live,” said Edwin. “After he passes away I will tell Bella about her family background. By the way, it is said that they have found a new target who carries the mermaid gene and they’re going to go after her.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Katherine of course.”

“The woman Charles loves. Excellent!”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Steal her from Charles.”

“Don’t you need to prove first whether she really has the gene?”

“Compared to Bella, Katherine is nothing in my eyes. I’ll bring her here and have her blood tested. It’s going to be a piece of cake.”

“Don’t be so over-confident.”

Edwin got up from the sofa and walked out of the door.

“The cops are strict with drunk driving. Be careful! You should take this pill first.”

Nick tossed a small plastic vial that Edwin caught in the air.

“Thanks for reminding me.”

Nick looked at the gate of the door until Edwin was out of sight. Then he called Jack.

“I heard some rumors that Katherine has the mermaid gene. Would you look into that?”

“Yes, master,” replied Jack.

“Do you think that Edwin told you the news on purpose? Maybe he wants you to do something to that woman.”

“If he had such an intention then his scheme has indeed worked. I’m willing to try anything that would make Charles unhappy. Now please go and bring me the results of your investigation as soon as possible.”

“Yes, master.”

After Jack had closed the door behind, Nick went to the bar and poured himself more wine. He tried to call Bella but nobody answered. He began typing a message to her.

At that moment Bella was on her laptop, working on Nick’s project. A message suddenly appeared in her instant messenger window.

Why is your phone powered off? Have you run off with my money?

Bella knew from the tone it was Nick. She suddenly remembered that Charles had taken away her cellphone. If that was not enough, she had also returned the new one he had given her, so there was no way for her to call Nick. The only thing she could do was reply to his message.

Be rest assured. The job shall be completed by the end of the day. Can’t phone you. My cellphone has run out of power.

She received his reply soon.

Good job. I knew you had it in you!

Bella even could picture the expression Nick had as he typed the message. Nick was always that sharp-mouthed. She smiled as she typed the next message.

Will contact you when the job is done.

A few seconds later Nick logged out and Bella went back to her job. One thing she didn’t know was that Charles was standing outside the door. He could sense everything that she was doing. He could see what she had just typed and he could taste her happiness.

He opened his eyes and smiled bitterly. She was so kind to everyone.

Everyone except him.

He lowered his head and gazed at the cell phone. She had not accepted the gift because she believed he had given it to her to make Edwin jealous.

He turned his head upon hearing steps from the end of the corridor. Ziv was coming his way.