Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 179: Bad Taste

Chapter 179: Bad Taste

In an alleyway, far away from the Presidential Residence, a tinted white van opened and a bundle was thrown out. A person with his mouth stuffed with cloth was held in a body bag and the bag was thrown out to that alley, while the van waited for the man who got out.

A couple rats scurried out of the garbage cans into the darkness that lurked at the end of the alleyway. Some creatures get comfortable in the dark, after all.

" He is... Here" the tall figure wearing black tactical uniform spoke to someone in the phone and knelt with his one knee over the body bag and opened the zipper.

"For you," he placed the phone in the ear of the man on the ground and removed the cloth stuffed in his mouth to allow him to speak.

"What is this?" the man wrapped up tightly with ropes inside the body bag could only squirm as he couldn’t move. With the cloth stuffed in his mouth, now his entire mouth was dry and he wanted to have a sip of water.

He knew he won’t be given any water if he asked now; he’d probably get pissed in the face. So he didn’t bother to ask. He knew the power of the people he worked with; or tried to work with. It would be gracious of them if they let him off just like this when he broke their command.

"You were advised not to touch that woman!"

He silently listened to the voice from the other end. This guy really liked him until a few days back. How many times he had put his everything at risk to carry on his commands? And now he is throwing me out like this?

" Why? You always knew this was my intent! I thought you wanted the same thing as I -"

"You cannot touch her! That’s it!" his ears hurt hearing the shout from the other end, "I liked you, enough to... Never mind! You had to join the Cooper family to get her?" there was a deep sigh. "You lied! You said she was that old hag’s great granddaughter and hid the fact that she is Jerome Brunton’s granddaughter. I wouldn’t have helped you if I knew she is Jerome’s granddaughter..." the voice in the other end softened.

"What’s the deal with you and Brunton?" This was a new information to him. So he was not allowed to kill her because of Brunton? Is Brunton a secret member of the Union too?

"I saved you today. If my peers knew what you did, they’d definitely disappear you. Stay away from her. That’s all!"

"Wait... Wait..." knowing the line is going to be cut off, he cried, "Can you help me-"

"No! No! I cannot help you in any way...But I can leave an advice. Just throw out your plans of revenge and live happily with what you have. Or else..."

The line went dead and the man on the cold ground closed his eyes as a tear drop rolled from the corner of his eye and fell on the stone pavement.

He felt the rope around him loosening and the sound of the van leaving. He felt wetness on him and opened the eyes. The street light from the distance made the snow falling from the sky, look poetic.

That year, he was in the streets the whole winter...

Throw out my plans of revenge, he says.... Hmpf! I held on to my life dearly, for the sake of revenge. How could I give up now?

He turned to the side and saw a rat picking up something from the ground and started chewing. He didn’t know what he must do next, and so he lied there, watching the rat.

He used to be like this rat too, if he thought back. Now he is not a rat, but a mouse. The same species, just a different name.

Her searched his pockets and felt the vial inside. Too bad he couldn’t get close to her today. If he had the chance, he’d have emptied this in her food and would have watched her die painfully. He was so close to her, yet he failed.

Those bastards!

But he could understand something. That old foggy backed off because she is Brunton’s granddaughter? So others must have forced him to intervene.

’Others know about me?’ His heart raced.

’And this old fool didn’t even check who she was and promised to help me when I met him? And only when my alliance with Cooper family was brought out, he bothered to check who she is?’

That only means he didn’t bother to learn who he was and what his story is, as long as he’s of use to him! Shit! Shit! To be used like this!

He was ashamed.

But if the Council hated the Cooper family, why did they let them live as they wished? And how did my alliance with Cooper family got exposed? By Brunton? Will they pursue me? Or did Brunton make a deal with them?

Hmpf! Like this would do anything to my plans...

Talia, I’m not giving up! I’m coming for you!

---

In the dance floor...

"Come on, Fred... Stop acting wild. Step back!" Talia tried to push Arthur who was wrapping both of his arms around her waist. He had pulled her as close to him as possible making both their waist in contact. Talia had to curve her back to give an appearance of distance between them.

Her dainty little hands tried hard to push him. But her little hands didn’t have enough strength to push him away. And she got distracted as she felt the strong muscles of his chest. The strength of her push became gentler and her hands just seemed to have grown a brain of its own and started to fondle his firm chest and abdomen.

Talia suddenly felt her entire body heating up. They were in this amorous position with both their waist stuck together. There was this need to not let their relationship known to the public, which added to the excitement, making her heart race. His big hands that were on her waist slowly treaded south to her tush and the warmth in his hands spread all over. The firmness she felt in her hands made her want for more and as she looked up, his scented breath fell in her face making her go all giddy.

’Forget it!’ she thought looking around. ’Everyone is in their own world and no one will notice us. And the photographers won’t dare to publish our pictures together anyway. Why bother!’

She quit pushing him away and got closer gingerly and sniffed his suit. It had an overwhelming musky scent that is his trademark and the one she loves. But there were some other scents mixed in there too.

"You reek of perfume!" she said covering her nose with her index finger. She knew she was overreacting, but she did it anyway. "Seems like you had pretty good time with those women with big tits. Did you get to see a view you expected to see?"

Arthur looked at her dazzling blue eyes deeply. She seemed to be very cross and she had desperation written all over her face. She was desperate to chew him off. But he could understand that in honesty, She was just stewing in jealousy.

Was it because she saw me speaking with those women who came and pester me? I was just doing the basic courtesy of politely refusing. And she got jealous of that? I’m not the one who danced with others am I?

He couldn’t help but bend and place a smooch on her lips.

Idiot!

"Who danced with others again?" he asked lifting one of his eyebrows and his lips were curved to a smirk.

He’s the one who is supposed to be angry, but she dared to accuse him first?

"You rascal!" Talia was shocked by his brazen act of kissing her in public. Surely dancing is one thing, but what if someone saw him kissing her? How could she explain it?

She looked around quickly and was slightly relieved no one had a weird expression on them. Even the photographers were all pointing their cameras somewhere else.

" Stop doing this Fred. I will walk away if you do this again... You were spending time with those gorgeous women and so I had to accept the request of that gentleman... It’s not like I could throw in an excuse like, ’Sorry, I’m engaged!’ around, can I? I’m single and in these kind of parties, I would be expected to dance."

Those words flowed out of her mouth like water gushing through the floodgates and Arthur could only sigh. Her words pricked him like needles.

Ugh! I have to break the engagement the first thing after I return to Esteria!

" I was trying to send-off your ex-boyfriend who came here to give you a visit," Arthur said letting go of her waist and properly held her in the dancing position.

"Ex? Which one?" Talia asked and she watched Arthur’s face getting twitchy.

This little... She dared to...

"Haha... I don’t care. I won’t meet anyone! Except you, my sweet, cuddly Freddy bear!" she gave an awkward laugh and talked cutely trying to placate him.

Of course she had three ex-boyfriends while he had none. And she just now blamed him for getting fake engaged. He has a reason to be mad!

"That photographer!" he said calming himself down.

This woman makes him mad at times. But she is cute most of the time. It is true she had boyfriends before. But she didn’t sleep with them. He didn’t feel like staying mad with her. Hmm, life is short. Why stay mad, right?

Even if she slept with them, he wouldn’t be able to stay mad at her.

He loved this silly woman for who she is, entirely.

"You, Iris, have a terrible taste in men," he held back his urge to pull her closer to him. "You should have just stuck with me..."

"I should have," Talia didn’t refuse his words.

A lot of troubles would have been avoided if she stayed in Esteria.

"Your first choice is the best," Arthur said with a smile.

"My first choice..?" Talia gave a sly smile. She wanted to ask him what David did, but then she decided not to talk about him.

Who cares?