148: Sliver of hope

Sliver of hope

'It's just a few vegetables.' Heaven watched her bodyguard, Bear, investigate the plants from the leisure area of the greenhouse with a bored face.  2

Ever since they arrived, she did nothing but idle while Bear diligently checked every corner and plant. If she didn't know better, she would mistake him for investigating a crime scene with how serious he looked. 

"Aren't you done?" she yelled, reclining lazily on the intricate chair. "It's probably just a stray cat or something."

A stray cat? In this mansion?

Bear turned his head in the voice's direction, only to see Heaven melting on the chair. He was still squatting down in front of the row of plants, sighing as it appeared Heaven wasn't as interested as he thought. 

Why did she even insist on tagging along?

'If it's a stray animal, that is much better,' he thought, pushing himself up to stand. 'However, if it's a person, then it's not good.'

Bear marched in Heaven's direction, stopping when he was several steps away from the leisure area. 

"Are you done?" was the first question she spewed the second he stopped. 

"Yes." He nodded, only to notice she was waiting for him to say more. 

"What?" Heaven cocked her head to the side with an arched brow. "Won't you tell me what is the result of your investigation? Was it an animal? An insect? Should I hire a pest control?"

"Well." Bear breathed out as he looked back at the plants behind him. "It doesn't seem like there's a nest of insects in the greenhouse."

"So, it's an animal?"

"I still need to make sure." Bear maintained an unsmiling countenance. "Though I can reassure you, it's not as serious as it sounds."

"Well, if it's a person… then that's not good." Heaven rocked her head, catching Bear off guard as he made sure not to mention the possibility that it was a person. He didn't want to say it until he was certain, knowing it was best to raise his concern once he had evidence.

"It might just be a crop, but the point is, we can't let someone who is capable of stealing linger around here. If they can steal a crop which they could get if only they give the gardener a heads-up, who knows what they steal next time?" Heaven continued indifferently, casting Bear a knowing look. "Well, I hope you catch whoever this person is soon."

Heaven pushed herself up. "I'll head out first. This is boring." 

Bear bowed when she waved dismissively, watching how she walked away from the greenhouse. Heaven already showed disinterest the moment they came in, but she stayed longer than expected. 

'She can barely stand boredom, huh?' Bear blinked ever so tenderly, keeping his eyes on Heaven's retreating figure. 'Well, her husband and son weren't home. She has nothing else to do without them.'

After observing his employers for the past three days, Bear got a good grasp of how the family of three spends their time at home. Dominic stayed throughout the entire weekend, but he would still allocate a short time to making and answering phone calls. 

Meanwhile, the young master of the house was a quiet kid. He would mostly spend his time reading books or writing notes. But despite that, he was like his mother's tail. Wherever Heaven went, Sebastian would be there. 

Heaven, on the other hand, bewildered Bear the most.

At first, she looked like the pampered wife of the richest man in the country. She appeared sweet and loving, tending to her husband and son, making them snacks, and preparing their meals. She was a typical housewife one would see at home. 

Just watching Heaven from the distance for the past few days gave the impression she was akin to a saint. With that angelic face, one would assume she wouldn't even hurt a fly. But his brief encounter with her today changed that. 

'Surely, judging a book by its cover is a bad practice.' Bear kept his eyes on the greenhouse's entrance even though Heaven was already out of sight. 'She quite has a sharp tongue and a beguiling nature.'

He slowly turned around, setting his eyes back on the vegetation behind him. "She's the matriarch of this house. So, it shouldn't be surprising if she has a fierce side."

She was just like Dominic Zhu. 

That man was very different in front of others and in front of his wife and son. Well, he was more different in front of Heaven. If Bear didn't know whom he was working for, he would think Dominic was a man with a big, golden heart. 

"Fierce, huh?" he whispered. "I guess she isn't as fierce compared to her."

His eyes softened as he sighed. 'I told myself not to think about her, but how the young madam spoke earlier somehow reminds me of the way she speaks.' — if only he wasn't there during his previous boss's final moments, he would have some strange thoughts about Heaven.

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Meanwhile, in the underground cellar…

"You have a bounty on your head…"

Heaven's ending remarks kept repeating in Andrea's head because she knew that wasn't impossible. People were after her and if Heaven surrendered her to them — which Andrea believe was Heaven's plan to get rid of her without tainting her hands — then she could only think of the worst. 

"I need to get out of here," she told herself with a jagged breath, twisting her bound wrist desperately. However, the more she moved, the tighter the rope. It didn't take long before she could feel the coldness at the tip of her fingers as blood circulation stopped going to her hands. 

"Damn it!" she screamed, grinding her teeth. "I need to get out of there — that damn woman! How did she tie these…"

Andrea trailed off as she caught a glint from the corner of her eyes. When she turned her head, she caught a huge piece of glass under the shelf. 

"Haha…" Andrea let out a dry and sinister chuckle. "Thank her that she won't cut me? Well, I'm sure she wouldn't be so cocky once I cut her face."

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