The Devil's Good Girl
Chapter 186: Where did that Filomena go?

Chapter 186: Where did that Filomena go?

"Fil." Marcus knocked on the door patiently. "It’s me. Can we talk?"

He glanced down at the gap underneath the door, taking a step back. He had been knocking on her door for minutes now, but still, there was no sign of movement inside.

’Hadn’t she gone home from the hotel?’ he wondered as he shoved his hand inside his pocket. He tried calling her again, but she was still out of reach.

Marcus clicked his tongue irritably and turned around. As soon as he did, he flinched at the elderly neighbor next door, peeking her head out of the door. He offered a smile, pointing at the door with his thumb.

"Is the lady who lives here inside?"

The elderly neighbor squinted her eyes at him, looking at him up and down. Seeing that she was suspicious, Marcus smiled amicably.

"I’m her... friend," he said with brief hesitation. "I need to talk to her about something."

"You should stop harassing her," said the old grandma grumpily. "Leave the young lady alone. She’s not in there."

With that being said, the elderly neighbor slammed the door. Marcus smacked his lips awkwardly, thinking of what the old lady told her.

"Is she talking about Vincent?" he scoffed, but then, he couldn’t blame the neighbor. She was already old and her eyesight might be bad.

Marcus gazed back at the door and sighed. "It did seem she hadn’t returned." Even the lights on her balcony were turned off, yet he still wanted to make sure.

With that thought in mind, Marcus walked away from Fil’s unit and straight to the parking space. If she wasn’t here, there was a high chance she was still in the hotel. At this point, Marcus’s only wish was that Vincent wasn’t with her. Not because he was afraid Vincent would find out about the two of them, but because he might snare her back to him using Valerie’s accident.

******

"I’m sorry, Mr. Arkwright. But the guest in that room already checked out."

Marcus frowned at the receptionist of the hotel. "What time did she check out?"

"Five hours ago."

"Five hours ago?" Marcus lowered his gaze. "Then where the hell did she go?"

Now that Fil was nowhere to be found, and she wouldn’t return his calls, a sense of urgency was starting to creep into his heart. He didn’t like the ominous feeling that was brewing within him because whenever his gut feeling sensed something, he knew it wasn’t good.

"Do you need anything else, Mr. Arkwright?" the receptionist inquired politely.

Marcus forced a smile and shook his head. "No. That’s all," he said as he pushed himself away. At the same time, he heard a familiar voice from the side.

"Marcus?"

Marcus turned his head, only to see Marianne. "Anne."

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she approached the front desk, extending her hand to return her keys. "Thought you didn’t stay over last night?"

"Lost and found." He shrugged. "I didn’t stay overnight, but I left something."

"Did you find it?"

"Sadly, it seemed I didn’t lose it here!"

A shallow chuckle escaped her. "Have you checked your car?"

"Seriously?"

"Just in case, since you were there all night. Or maybe it was in the hospital," she suggested while folding her arms under her chest. "You were there too."

Marcus smacked his lips and arched a brow at her. "Going home now?"

"Yep."

"Let me walk you out."

"That’s so sweet of you, considering you spewed a bunch of nonsense the last time we talked."

"Consider this a peace offering?" he humored, making her shrug as they started walking toward the main entrance. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Is that why you’re walking me out? You feel sorry for me?"

"I heard you were quite startled last night."

"I was." Marianne rocked her head, walking slowly as she knew it would take a moment for her ride to pick her up at the entrance. "But thanks to Fil, I am better now."

"What did she do this time?"

She glanced at him and said, "The usual. She took care of me."

"You are really... something." Marcus mused, slowing down his pace to match hers. "You’re screwing with her fiance, and then still want her to take care of you. I’m speechless."

"It’s ex, they’re not together anymore." Marianne abruptly stopped to face him. "And last night was an eye-opener for me. Fil is very important to me — she’s my only family. I won’t find an excuse for my action and I know it was wrong, but everything I did so far is to protect her."

"I don’t see fucking her fiance protecting her."

She rolled her eyes and resumed her steps. "You won’t understand because you were not in my shoes. Although it’s wrong, I did what I did and I would do it again if I must."

"Wow." Marcus couldn’t help but feel amused. "Now, you’re not even concealing your twisted rationalization from me anymore."

"You already know. So, what’s there to hide? It’s not like you will go around telling everybody that I’m crazy."

"How are you so sure about that?"

"Because I am and I could be worse." Marianne flashed him a big smile. "And you’re not the type to play your cards all at once."

Marcus smirked approvingly. "You owe me. Make sure to return the favor in the future."

Marianne didn’t answer him and simply gazed at him briefly. She then resumed her steps while he followed her pace.

"So, why are you in a good mood?" asked Marcus out of pure curiosity. "Is it because you’re now a hero?"

"I’m breaking up with Vincent."

"What?"

Marianne kept her answer to herself until they stepped out of the establishment. "As I said, my friendship with Fil is more important. And since she is cutting everyone off that connects her to Vincent, I don’t need to stay with him."

"It was fun — I loved the thrill and the sex. Can’t deny that he’s good, but that’s all," she continued. "Anyway, I had fun with the chat. I got to go."

"Wait." Marcus reached for her arm and squinted his eyes. "What do you mean, she’s cutting everyone off?"

"Seriously?" Marianne arched a brow at him, but when she realized he wanted answers, she sighed. "I didn’t want to say this to anyone because I promised her, but since it’s you, I will. Last night is a little too much for her, Marcus. Even though she didn’t push Valerie herself, she still blames herself."

"One way or another, it left an impact on her. So, she realized, if she wanted to move on from Vincent, she has to cut off everything and everyone that bridges them together," she continued. "That includes Vincent, his family, and his friends, including you."

"What?"

"She accepted a job abroad," Marianne clarified. "So, don’t bother her for your convenience."

After saying her piece, Marianne snatched her arm back and turned her back on him. The corner of her lips curled up into a satisfied smile, almost skipping her steps to her van.

Meanwhile, Marcus stood frozen in the same spot. All he could do for a moment was stare at Marianne’s back, stupefied.

’She left? And wanted to cut me off too? She can’t do that.’

********

Meanwhile...

Michael parked by the side of the street, gazing up at an old apartment building. He sighed, dragging his feet to the entrance of the building, and made his way to the old lift. Pressing a button, he glanced up at the numbers until he reached the fifth floor of the building.

He quietly marched through the worn-out hallway, which differed greatly from the usual high-end hallways he would take. One might wonder what a young master of a wealthy family was doing in such a place, especially those rich friends he had.

After a long walk, Michael stopped at the last unit. He looked to his left before putting his key in. The room was dark—pitched black dark. But that didn’t stop him from closing the door behind him and then reaching out for the switch attached to the wall.

As soon as the light came in, all that welcomed him was a mattress without a bedframe on the floor, a study desk and a chair in the corner, and the countless articles and pictures of his friends and their families plastered on every space on the wall.

*

*

*

While everyone was wondering why she left, wallowing that she slipped away from their clutches, or relieved that she planned to keep everyone away, Fil returned to her parent’s home with Elijah and Jackson where she spent the night with the people who truly loved her unconditionally.

And for now, that was all that mattered to her.

A moment of peace and calm.

A moment of reconnecting to her old self.

A moment she would look back in the future with only tears in her eyes, wondering, "Where did that Filomena go?"

— END OF VOLUME 1 —

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