Chapter 91: Chapter 91

"Yes, Madam."

Bella's cries were so heart-wrenching. Occasionally, curses slipped from her lips, but no one cared at all. Not even Eland, who stared at her with triumph. Once again, he sipped his drink. Meanwhile, Anne could only squeeze each other's hands.

"This is the kind of punishment Sam wants, right?" Flara asked as she took a seat next to Anne. "Who are you? I've never seen this beautiful girl before."

"Don't touch Anne." Eland placed his drink down somewhat roughly. "I came here just to deliver this." He handed over a flat black object. Flara's wide smile was instantly formed.

"Ah... your boss knows exactly what I need." She took the object easily and handed it to one of her trusted subordinates. "Enjoy this time, Eland and... Anne?"

Not long after, the woman left. Followed by her subordinate, who seemed quite intimidating to Anne. But since she was used to dealing with large, tattooed men, most of Sam's subordinates had that build, she could relax and enjoy her seat, although questions arose because she knew the contents of the file that had changed hands earlier.

She knew exactly what was in it. She had formatted all the access there to make it easier when it was transferred.

"Why did Boss Sam collaborate with Savannah?" Anne asked, making Eland laugh.

"Flara is a committed person. Sam has been collaborating with Flara for a long time, especially in the distribution of alcohol in the Southern Territory. Now, you can say that Sam is also involved in the majority of Quassano's controlled Northern Territory. The majority of the sea entry routes are under Flara's control. Sam just doesn't want any trouble down the line."

Anne nodded as if she understood.

"Do what's your part. Don't be afraid as long as you're by my side and Sam's. The punishment for Bella is nothing compared to the other two."

"What do you mean?" Anne blinked in shock. Flara's punishment seemed cruel to her, but when she thought about the traitors, they should receive appropriate retribution. She remembered the explosion and the many victims who fell, as well as the attack on Flown that made the Twin Dragons lose control slightly. Suddenly, Anne's fist clenched tightly. "Gerald and Jimmy? Didn't I confirm their whereabouts to Boss Sam?"

"Only their whereabouts, right?" Eland stood up from his seat.

"Let's go home. We've met our old friend long enough."

"Did you deliberately want to meet Bella?" Anne asked with frustrated sarcasm. Somehow, Eland intentionally did this to her. Her mind was filled with the phrase "old friend" that Eland had been mentioning. So... the old friend he meant was Bella? How annoying!

"Jealous?" Eland reached out his hand, smiling thinly as he found Anne's pouting face utterly adorable. Amidst the colorful lights, loud music, and suffocating cigarette smoke, none of it mattered to Eland. Just by looking at Anne, his world became so much better.

"No." Her hand wasn't met as usual. Anne chose to lead the way, letting Eland follow her. She knew she was being closely watched by the man.

"I did meet an old friend, An." Eland matched Anne's slightly faster pace. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, as many pairs of eyes were watching Anne. Perhaps in their eyes, Anne was one of the women, just like Bella. How dare they? If anyone dared to touch Anne even a little, he wouldn't care if this building suddenly became a memory.

"Who?" Anne asked curtly. But this time, she didn't push away Eland's arm that wrapped around her.

"Flara." That was true. Flara was Eland's acquaintance for a long time. Before he decided to wander to the Southern Territory, he had already explored the port area and the arid sandy place where Flara lived. Unfortunately, Eland didn't want to get too involved in Flara's activities. It was only on a superficial level, and their occasional meetings were solely for inter-territorial matters.

"Since when have you known her?"

They had reached the exit. Two bald-headed individuals looked at Eland with scrutinizing eyes but then nodded obediently, allowing him to leave easily with Anne, who never strayed far from his side.

"Do you want to hear it?" Anne was always curious about Eland's past. Since they officially became a couple, Anne often asked Eland to tell her about his life. It was the same with her before she lived in the Twin Dragons' base. But Anne felt her own life story was rather flat, far different from Eland's captivating tales.

That's why Anne nodded in agreement.

"Um... but we can't go straight home. We have to stay here."

"Why is that?" Anne widened her eyes.

"It's a long story, An. I'm tired from driving." Eland reasoned while looking at Anne with a tired gaze. Pretending so that Anne would pout. Anne's whining voice sounded pleasant to Eland. Although he didn't feel tired at all. With Anne, he always found a new spirit.

"Oh, that's not a reason, Eland!" Anne pouted. "Let's go home. I don't want to stay in this area."

"Why?"

"I just don't want to, period."

The conversation made Anne smile faintly. Remembering the many journeys that had taken place between the two of them was indeed enjoyable. Most of them were filled with quite dangerous tasks from Sam, but Anne didn't mind. Eland took care of her very well, and she herself was never afraid to face anything. In addition to practicing martial arts and honing her skills with a pistol, she had also encountered many parties that became enemies and allies of the Twin Dragons.

Expanding her horizons, gazing at the world she walked upon now.

"Well, we're here," Eland announced. The car was neatly parked in one corner.

"Huh? Isn't this a cemetery?" Anne asked in surprise. This cemetery complex was unfamiliar to her. Anne had never visited here before.

"It's where the traitorous women sleep forever."

Anne fell silent.

"Even so, you had a good relationship with her, right? I did too. Let's consider it a final tribute before we get married?"

***[]***

Remembering Ute does make Anne reflect to some extent. If only Ute had been honest back then, maybe her heartache would have been slightly alleviated. The traces and reasons for why Alfred did that to her could have been explored. The lowest point for someone like Ute couldn't have happened without a reason. Unfortunately... Ute chose to keep it to herself and played a role opposite to Sam's desires.

The grave is well-maintained. Anne herself didn't expect Sam to still take care of Uti properly. It's different from Joseph, who was left to die and turn into ashes. But one thing that sends shivers down Anne's spine is that Ute was left to die without any help.

"To be honest, I hate coming here, Ute, you know that for sure," Eland said amidst the gentle breeze that caressed them this afternoon. His words immediately caught Anne's attention after she had finished placing the bouquet of flowers. "To me, Twin Dragon is family. Family doesn't betray each other, Ute." Eland smirked slightly.

"May Ute rest in peace," Anne said, bowing her head softly. She brushed the edge of the tombstone with Ute’s name and birthdate written on it. For Anne, Ute was like an older sister who provided guidance. Sometimes, she would give advice, especially about relationships, and caution her every time Sam gave her a task.

"If you hadn't done something that disappointed and angered Sam, I'm sure you would have been the busiest person preparing everything in Twin Dragon," Eland sighed softly. "This will be the last time I come here, Ute. May you find peace in the afterlife."

Then Eland chose to leave the cemetery, with Anne following him. Although her eyes occasionally glanced at the grave of the woman she had known well, after catching up with Eland's steps, she chose to focus.

"Where are we going after this?"

"Where do you want to go?" Eland smiled wryly, pulling Anne closer so they wouldn't be too far apart. "But your idea of cooking in the apartment sounds good. How about we cook?"

Anne sighed in annoyance, but then the corner of her lips was pulled into a beautiful curve. "Just something easy, okay? So it's quick."

"It's okay if it takes a while." Eland always liked the scent of shampoo Anne wore. Her black hair, still with the same style, fell softly. It seemed that Anne wasn't the type of girl who liked drastic changes in her appearance.

"I'm afraid you'll get hungry."

Eland maintained his slight grin. "You can cook something you know."

"How about instant noodles?"

Eland raised an eyebrow, making sure the girl wasn't misspeaking. He briefly caught a confident gaze in Anne's eyes, making him think that her words were indeed true. "If learning to cook with Beatrice only allows you to make instant noodles, you don't have to cook for me, An. I can do it too."

Anne burst into laughter. "My homemade noodles are special, you know."

"Two eggs?"

"Four is fine too." Anne loosened the closeness between them. Their steps had reached the spot where Eland's car was parked. "You can drive a bit fast. I'm hungry and want to eat your homemade noodles."

Eland was taken aback. "You said you wanted to cook."

"Earlier, you said you could cook instant noodles. So I'll just wait for you to do it."

Sometimes, Anne was just like a spoiled teenage girl. She enjoyed sulking and put Eland in a position where he couldn't do much. Her behavior often made

Eland think that Anne was trapped in the body of a 23-year-old girl. Despite her serious demeanor when facing her work on the computer screen, there were random things she did regardless of her serious nature. Who would have thought that Anne's intelligence would lead her to become a highly relied upon spy on Sam's team?

Eland felt that Anne's behavior was only shown to certain people. When she was with Tony, perhaps Anne didn't like their closeness to be too obvious in public, or for some other reason. Who knows? One thing's for sure, since Eland officially confirmed their relationship, he should be grateful to Valdo for spreading rumors during their courtship. It created a stir in the base, but Eland tried not to pay too much attention to it. After all... almost everyone supported them and offered their congratulations.

"Okay. I'll make it later." They entered the car where, as an irrefutable habit, Eland made sure Anne fastened her seatbelt, sat comfortably, and played soft music as a special relaxation for her. "Don't complain if I drive fast."

Anne laughed. "You won't make us crash, Eland."

The journey back to the apartment didn't take much time. Eland fulfilled his promise. He pressed the gas pedal deep and drove at a rather terrifying speed. There was no trace of fear on the face of the girl who enjoyed how the man controlled the steering wheel. So skillful. They didn't even hear the honking sound, which was only used to warn other vehicles to make way for them.

"We've arrived," said Eland as he pulled the brake lever. His car was already parked in the basement of the unit where he lived. It was quite far from the headquarters, where the surrounding view of tall buildings offered natural beauty. The concept of this apartment was quite interesting. It was built on rural land, where most of the owners who lived there worked and had activities in the city. The highway that facilitated access to the city was a tempting offer for most unit owners in this broken white-themed building.

Anne often observed this building from the surveillance cameras. She rarely set foot here because the owner was usually at the headquarters. They also often engaged in activities outside under Sam's orders. That's why when they had time together, Anne didn't want to waste it.