Bastard

This idea... well, it’s not exactly great.

But hey, Pozole Rojo is Pozole Rojo. With the base sauce doing most of the work, you can just toss in whatever random veggies and meat you have. It can’t turn out that bad, right?

Maybe it was the weird confidence from this thought, but Raina suddenly felt this strange, mysterious belief that her cooking might actually be okay. She waited for Leif’s response.

After a moment of silence, Leif pressed his fingers against his forehead and quietly said, “Alright.”

Raina cleared her throat and said, “Okay... so it’s settled then. As for Mr. Cruz...”

She spoke while climbing into the car. Leif followed, closing the door behind him and added, “I’ll talk to Rael. If there’s anything he needs, he can just ask.”

Raina propped her chin on her hand, thinking seriously for a bit. Then she said, “By the way, do we have any Pozole Rojo’s ingredients at home? Also... you, and Gale—what do you guys like to eat? Otherwise, I might have to hit the supermarket later.”

Leif’s hand twitched slightly at his side as he looked at her.

Sunlight streamed through the window, catching on Raina’s face, softening her sharp features into something unexpectedly beautiful.

He said calmly, “I don’t care. Whatever you make, I’ll eat. I like everything.”

That’s pretty easy to please.

Not like some rich folks who are picky about everything. This guy’s attitude was honestly refreshing.

Raina thought that to herself and asked, “What about Gale? Last time I noticed he didn’t seem to like carrots. Is he picky too?”

Raina herself didn’t like carrots—or radishes of any kind, really. She never touched them.

Leif said, “Yeah, but kids need balanced nutrition. They shouldn’t be picky. So he’s like me—no need to worry about what he eats.”

Hearing that, it kinda sounded like he was worried she might spoil the kid too much and mess him up.

Is she that kind of person?!

Raina shot him a look and said, “Well, I don’t think that’s true. Kids have their own likes and dislikes. You can’t just force them to eat certain things because adults say so. You gotta respect their nature, right?”

Leif pressed his fingers harder against his forehead. “Mm.”

Seeing no objection from him, Raina felt a little victorious. At that moment, the convoy entered the city.

She glanced at the cars behind and asked, “By the way, where are you planning to take them?”

After all, Mireille’s fire had wiped out any chance for Mr. Shaw and the others to survive. To Mireille, those people were basically dead.

Leif said, “Don’t worry. I’ve made arrangements. No one will be able to find them.”

looks like he already had a plan.

Raina nodded, “Good. Also...”

“I’ve sent people to check on Cove,” Leif said.

Cove had escaped by car last night. He’d worked on the VIREXIN project too. If Mireille found out he got away, she’d probably go after him even harder.

Cove was cowardly, sure, but not someone who deserved to die. Saving one person was better than none.

Having said what needed to be said, Raina leaned back in her seat, feeling a wave of exhaustion hit her. Just then, a cool voice whispered in her ear, “Rai...”

She couldn’t quite catch the rest, her eyelids felt heavy, and before she knew it, she was out cold.

...

Raina didn’t sleep long—just half an hour before Fenris’s call woke her up.

Roused by the ringing, she frowned and opened her eyes. A thin cashmere blanket was draped over her—someone had covered her after she fell asleep. Probably Leif.

It’d been a long time since she’d felt someone watching over her like that. She didn’t even realize it herself.

Her fingers gripped the blanket tightly, bunching it up in her hand.

The phone rang again.

After a moment of daze, Raina snapped out of it, feeling strangely better. She let go of the blanket, but then caught a glimpse of it, crumpled in her hand. Her eyes flicked over to Leif, who wasn’t looking her way, so she smoothed out the blanket before answering the call.

On the other end came a furious, hoarse voice, yelling, “Raina, you bitch! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! The villa’s mine! How dare you call people to take it back?! Tell those people to get out or else—”

Raina closed her eyes and pressed two fingers to her forehead. “Or else what?”

Originally, Fenris had leverage with that kid, but after last night, that threat was gone. She had no cards left in his hands. What could he really do to her?

Fenris shouted, “You, you...”

Raina smiled coldly, “Do what? Don’t forget, that house was never yours. You guys can live there if you want, but if I’m not happy, I can kick you out anytime. And right now? I’m not happy.”

She’d said her piece and wasn’t about to waste breath on him anymore.

Just as she was about to hang up, Fenris sneered, “Is that so? What about that bastard kid? Last night I lied to you—don’t you want to know where that bastard is?”

Raina’s smile froze for a split second. She opened her eyes a little and said evenly, “I’ll warn you again—he’s not a bastard.”

After a pause, she added, “Do you really think I’d believe anything you say?”

Fenris was caught off guard, blurting out, “What... what do you mean?”

What did it mean?

A cold-hearted person like Fenris wouldn’t tell her the truth even if he knew the kid’s whereabouts.

Besides, after everything she’d been through, Raina wouldn’t trust anyone so easily anymore. She wouldn’t put her hopes in anyone.

So from the start, she never really expected to get any useful info from Fenris. She just wanted to see how far he’d stoop for his own goals.

She raised an eyebrow and said, “After getting played by you for so long, this time I’m just gonna let you wonder what I really mean. But Fenris, here’s a little advice before you go insulting someone else’s kid—have you ever thought about whether the child you raised is really your own?”

“Maybe she’s the bastard. Just maybe.”

***