BLOODY LOVE'S
Extra 10: Disaster in a Human Form
Maria knew something was amiss when she saw Jose's carriage coming to Garnet's cottage in Bjork this afternoon. Jose should still be at Aston until later tonight, then back to Redstone in the morning.
"Mr Jose is with Count Clearwater" Susan reports, helping her non-unclean her hair. "I also saw Earl Blackwood outside."
"Well, I hope nothing bad!" Maria finished fixing her brown hair and putting on earrings. She grabbed a blue scraf that matched her dress, then quickly walked down across the foyer. He just wanted to open the door, but Jose had already rushed in first.
Before Maria could ask what had happened, Jose had already walked over and grabbed her. Maria was shocked, but hugged back automatically. His heart was racing with shock as well as pleasure. But that feeling quickly led to. If Jose was just hugging because of a kangen, that man couldn't have come with Clearwater and Blackwood.
"Why? Any problem? You're okay, right?" tanyanya. He could feel Jose's wide, warm hands on his waist. The hand was a bit trembling.
"I'm looking for you" Jose murmured, finally letting go of a hug. His face looks weird. There was an expression of relief mixed with something like anger.
Not angry, thought Mary astonished. That's insulted.
"I'm planning on calling you in the morning" he explained hurriedly. "I think you're still in Aston and you're only back in Redstone tomorrow."
"Hm? I don't blame you," replied Jose gently. He smiled faintly and grabbed Maria's face, rubbing her cheek with a thumb pad. "I can't call your manor, people haven't seen you all day, either, so I'm a little anxious."
"Ah, our phone cord broke ..." Maria turned her head and gave a brief peek at Jose's hand and pulled him over, taking him to sit in the living room. "Maybe you're calling time hasn't been fixed."
"How did you break up?"
"The tree fell over the phone cord, I don't know the details myself." Maria looked at Jose closely, scrutinizing the look on the man's face. "By the way, yesterday I met Mr. Joneses. Austin Jones's. You know him, right?"
Well, there was indeed a problem, Maria thought as soon as she saw Jose's expression turn cold and tense. The smile that was engraved on the man's face slowly faded in a gentle gradation.
"He bothers you?" ask Jose kaku.
"Not really. We only met a few times. But it's just a coincidence." Mary turned to Susan who was serving hot tea for the two of them. "Where do we meet him, Sue?"
"On the Carleton Store, Miss. Also when we're in Bericht Square."
Maria nodded. "Well, that. I don't know why, but I don't feel good. Then plus the telephone cable home suddenly broken. Fearing that it would be difficult to reach you, I immediately canceled the appointment to re-measure the dress and decided to go to the cottage so I could calmly read the letters and re-sort the invited guests." His eyes followed Susan who went outside carrying tea trays for Blackwood and Clearwater, then looked back at Jose. "Why, Jose?" whispered.
"I hope next time you leave a message to Luke if you don't get to talk to me directly."
"But Mom and Dad know I'm here."
"Yes. I can find you here for asking the Marchioness, "Jose is patient. "But do I always have to ask her where you are?"
Maria agreed it was ridiculous. "Sorry .. I'm just not used to considering Clearwater a bodyguard." His blue eyes gave a attentive look. "You want to tell me what happened?"
"Liam threatened me." Jose's voice did not show any emotion. He downed the tea served until it was finished and put the empty cup quite hard. "Not directly, indeed. He and Austin threatened to touch you if I still got in their way. If you don't go down here in secret, maybe Austin will get a chance to hurt you."
Maria clenched her thin lips tightly, now understanding why she and Austin had met so many times by accident. The man was looking for a gap.
Anger spread quickly in Mary's heart, especially her own annoyance. He regretted forgetting to tell Clearwater about his departure to the cottage. Because of his negligence, Jose got played like this. He wants to be Jose's strength, not his weakness.
"It's not your fault" Jose said as if capturing Maria's mind. "A lot of people are being rude because I'm too soft, so they think they can mess with me. What they think is not important. All that matters to me is that you're okay. Your speed of decision-making has again proved helpful." He stood up and opened his hands with a smile. "I'm leaving first, Mary. Clearwater's men will be standing guard here."
Maria got up, hugged Jose briefly, then drove him outside the cottage. Blackwood and Clearwater were nowhere to be seen. Their empty tea cups were placed on the porch ledge. In the courtyard there were only those who were still waiting as well as ten bodyguards.
"For a wedding souvenir" Jose said before he walked into his carriage. "You've thought about what's good?"
Maria looked at Jose closely, trying to follow the path of her fiance's mind. "We already ordered the commemorative gold coins, right? But if you think it's lacking, you can add a crystal glass."
The black eyeball glimmered in the light of the lamp. "Good choice, Mary. Let me prepare."
Campbell and Jones are really idiots, Maria thought as she tightened the scraf. His eyes were still watching Jose's back walking away. They think they can survive because Jose never killed anyone else.
***
Austin Jones and Liam Campbell were still laughing and discussing the event despite the week that passed. They were content to be able to teach a lesson to the marquis-new-the-constant. Then as if the goddess of fortune was smiling at them, Campbell got an order of a thousand crystal glasses from Lord Batton. The man was a respected person, one of the members of the trade alliance in Skot. The crystal glasses will be used as a commemorative gift for a large celebration in Scotland, so the delivery will be done by sea.
A thousand crates were completed and Campbell chose to use the road in through Redstone. This time he did not smuggle anything, so it did not matter if checked. The profit of selling his crystal glasses would also cover the money passing by if Redstone requested. But there was no obstacle. The carriage was left to pass by just like before when Redstone was empty.
"Or maybe he's already deterred" Austin said in a mocking tone. "He wouldn't dare touch us. Anyway we didn't do anything wrong."
Campbell agreed. As long as they're at Aston, the Argent family won't be able to touch them.
What neither of them ever thought was that their ship was attacked by pirates in the middle of the sea and sunk to the bottom of the sea along with all of Campbell's crystals.
Lord Batton, their buyer from Skot, went on a rampage because his ordered goods did not arrive immediately. He demanded that the money he had paid in advance be returned in full or that the crystals be sent to Scots at once with compensation for delays in delivery.
Campbell and Austin's explanation was futile. As long as the goods have not reached the plot, the goods and all the risks are still Campbell's dependents. Lord Batton was very angry and disappointed that the crystal was a gift for a wedding celebration in Chantall.
Hearing the name of the territory, Campbell was flabbergasted. "Whose wedding?" tanyanya trembling.
"Whose wedding?! Of course Argent and Garnet! We also celebrated in Chantall!" snapped the beaver Lord Batton. "Marquis Redstone recommended you to me, but you let him down. You disappointed me!"
In that instant, Austin and Campbell knew that their ships were not accidentally targeted by pirates.
***
"They fell very low," Jeffrey recounted what he heard from the whispers at the party. He's snapped. "You know what's funniest? Austin went berserk and accused Lord Batton of conspiring with us to frame them. Lord Batton's! In-he hit Lord Batton!" Jeffrey could not breathe because he laughed.
"And they can't ask for funding from their friends either" Juan added calmly. "Me and Jeff made sure they lost their names in the upper world."
Jacob walked into the lounge and joined while Juan was still talking. "Are you talking about Campbell and Jones?" ask with a cold smile. "I heard Lord Batton brought this matter to justice. He's very angry."
"I did tell you not to hurt them directly" Rolan said with a dikulum smile. "But this is more evil, children. You guys really don't give him mercy."
"Badder you and Uncle Marco, anyway," Jeffrey murmured softly as he restored his brown hair. He looked at Jacob. "Where's Jose? Still on top?"
"Still." Jacob nodded, watching his uncle who was rising up. "Garnet's company goes to see Thea."
"I'm upstairs then. You coming too?" Rolan looked at Jeffrey.
His nephew shook his head with a lazy smile. "Uncle Marco will throw me out again if I'm noisy above." He held up the cigar in his hand. "I smell this one anyway."
Rolan raised his collar and kissed his shirt. "Am I going to get thrown off if I smell tobacco? Marco has been more savage since Thea was born."
"His name is also the first child" said Jeffrey amused. "You better get changed, Uncle."
As soon as Rolan left and the sound of his footsteps moved away, Jacob clapped his hands once and opened both palms with a gesture asking. "Jose broke Campbell and Jones. Do you think it's worth it?"
Jeffrey exhaled his cigar smoke in the form of white circles. "That's worth it. What they experienced was much heavier than death. Living with a smudged name would be extremely painful for such haughty people. But there are still many who support both of them, Juan and I have already collected their names."
Juan's smile was tilted. "Jose has shown classily what the consequences are for dealing with an Argent. Now it's our turn to cut another weed."
Jacob placed his right elbow above his knee and looked at his younger siblings with pride. "I'm glad we agreed. My principle, the slightest nail should be struck flat. No one can be allowed to stick out."
"Principku—"
"You really just love a fuss, though," Juan cut off before his twin could talk.
Jeffrey laughing. "That's right. But I also have things I don't like. For example: people who harass our families." He stretched his fist forward, onto the table. Juan and Jacob welcomed in the same gesture. Three different knuckles collided lightly with each other.
***