Chapter 82: Chapter 82

Sebastian came back home not long after his uncle left. He was surprised to see Carol sitting in the living room and putting finishing touches to the drawing that she had been making. He sat down beside her and proceeded to look her all over as though by just doing that, he would be able to tell whether she was exerting herself or not.

"You're drawing? Are you not supposed to be resting?" He asked finally after he was satisfied with what he saw.

"I'm back to myself, Sebastian. I can assure you that I feel very fine now. Thanks for your concern though."

"I'm glad to hear that. Wow! This is really good. You're so talented. You should make a living off your drawings."

"Um, thanks," Carol said, suddenly feeling shy. It was not as though she was insecure about her work, but she was glad that Sebastian liked it.

"It's for you." She informed him.

"Really?"

"Sure...if you want it that is."

"What are you talking about? Of course, I want it. Thank you."

"You've done much more for me, but you're welcome. Oh, that reminds me, you're not going to believe who was here today."

"Really? Who was it?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow. Carol loved when he did that.

"Your uncle, Mr. James," Carol said and watched as the most unexpected change came over him. Contrary to the surprise and pleasure that she had thought that she would see on his face, there was anger, what looked like hatred, and even what looked like a little fear, although that was really ridiculous. Now, she believed what Mr. James had said concerning Sebastian not taking his calls. What was Sebastian's problem and why was he treating his uncle this way, after all that he had done just to please the man? It was like building an extremely complex and sophisticated castle, only to pull it down in the end.

"What did you just say?" Sebastian asked slowly and carefully, as though that will make what he had heard not be true.

"You heard me. Your uncle came by. We talked for a bit and he was really sad that you were not picking up or returning his calls."

"Fuck! What the fuck does he want? Why on earth did he come here?"

"What is the matter? What has he done to you to deserve such treatment?"

"Carol, I want you to stay away from that man, okay. You don't know what he is capable of. I need you to stay away from him. He's crazy... really crazy."

"Um, you're scaring me, Sebastian. You do know that it is practically impossible to stay away from him, considering that he is your uncle and that he is welcome here. Anyway, I do not want to do that. Whatever the man did to you, cut him some slack. He does not have a long time left, which you and I know very well. You should have seen him today. He looked so frail and weak."

"Carol, I'm not joking," Sebastian said, burying the pang of guilt that overcame him at what she said. He was such a mess, and he did not know what on earth to do with himself. On the one hand, he could not get all the things that his uncle had done so that he could have a good life out of his head. He had once loved the man dearly, and it was difficult for such a feeling to disappear overnight. But on the other hand, he could not forgive what his uncle had done to Jessica. If one thought about it, his uncle had thought he was doing all that for Sebastian, which was really crazy. Sebastian was torn between his love for his uncle and the need for justice to be served, which was why he wanted Jessica to wake up and be the one to take action.

"Well, as I said, it is not going to be possible, because we just became neighbors." Carol was saying.

"What? Who's we? What on earth are you talking about?"

"Your uncle and his wife bought the property next to this one so that they can be closer to us. Your uncle loves you so much, it's almost creepy." Carol finished.

"You're joking, right? What the fuck is wrong with that sick old bastard?"

"Actually, I'm not joking. I don't mind though."

"You're not listening to anything I'm saying, are you?" Sebastian said exasperatedly.

"I am, but I just don't see reason with you. Maybe if you explained why you said I should stay away from your uncle to me, I would see reason, but for now, I don't. I mean, I used to be really scared of him, but not anymore. He's just a nice, misunderstood old man. Any..." She trailed off as her phone began to ring and saw that it was her father who was calling.

"Fuck!" Carol exclaimed, remembering the conversation that they had had the last time when she was still on vacation. Her father had been worried that he had not heard from her sister, Victoria for some time now, something that was very rare. Carol had all but forgotten about the call, especially with the incident that occurred just before she came back and her recent illness.

"Hello, dad." She said into the phone, hoping that he was calling to tell her that they had finally heard from Victoria and that she was well. There was silence on the other end, so Carol tried again.

"Dad? Are you there?" She spoke into the phone, and then she heard it. A soft sob as though he was trying really hard to get himself together.

"Dad! What is it? You're scaring me." Carol exclaimed, glancing at Sebastian who was looking at her worriedly. She had even forgotten to mention the case to him as she had told her dad she would to see if he could help in any way.

"They found her, Carol. They found your sister, Victoria. She's dead, Carol. They shot her in the head. Victoria is gone." Her father sobbed over the phone.