"Angelica...?" Clive called out, his hand reaching out to her.

"Is that really you?" His eyes wavered.

He felt a surge of emotions come over him.

Angelica jumped down beside the desk and flexed her neck instead of answering him.

"I knew it...I knew you couldn't have died" Clive got to his feet and walked to her.

"I'm glad you are safe, An-An" said Clive, hugging her.

Angelica didn't respond to any of his words and kept her mouth shut. She pushed Clive away and took a step back.

"An-An.....?" Clive was puzzled. It was not like her, to stay quiet in such a situation.

Since the lights were out, he couldn't see her face properly.

Angelica tilted her head and sweetly smiled at him before her face turned into a rageful one.

"What's wron....."

Before Clive could finish his sentence, Angelica kicked him with full force and sent him flying in the air.

*Bang*

"Ugh..." Clive grunted. He tried to get up after being thrown through the air towards the door.

*thunder*

Angelica strode towards him and yanked him up to his feet.

"You f*ckin piece of sh*t" cursed Angelica, holding him by the collar against the wall.

She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and threw it at his face.

" 'I'm sorry'! Is that the only thing you got to say?"

"I... I... I know An-An. But will you just please let me talk" Clive tried pleading with his hands raised in the air.

"Talk? Ohhhhh... You've got a lot to talk huh?"

"The county sustained a lot of damages from a series of natural disasters and we needed a lot of resources to restore everything... and"

"And?" Angelica asked with her rage meter increasing by the second.

"And... at the same time, a proposal came from the Frost Duchy for support in exchange for...." Clive averted his eyes unable to meet her fierce gaze.

"In exchange for?"

"For your hand in marriage"

"..."

"Angelica...." Clive gulped and waited for her reaction.

Clive tried to get a look of her face but he couldn't since she had her head down.

"You...." Angelica's hands trembled.

"You sold me!" She yanked him up, raising his foot from the ground.

"You sold your own flesh and blood!" Angelica's face was flaming red in anger.

"I..I'm sorry An-An"

"Owwww" Clive grunted in pain.

Rather than the physical pain, his heart stung being on the receiving end of her anger.

Angelica continued banging his back on the door as she bombarded him with questions.

"What about mom and dad?"

"They... they don't know"

"They don't know you sold me or they don't know I'm dead"

"Neither"

"He... he... he... brother" Angelica smiled as she let go of Clive's collar.

"Do you even realize how f*cked up you are right now?"

"Wha..." Clive's eyes widened.

He could feel a firm hand creep on his neck slowly. It was tightening like a snake choking its prey.

"An-An....sister" Clive called out to Angelica as a sweat rained down his forehead. If he were to move even a little, a fight was bound to break out between them.

"Violence is not the answer to everything" Clive gulped, his voice stuttering at the sight of the fist-clenching before his eyes.

"You're right...tsk tsk" said Angelica, nodding her head.

"Violence is not the answer to everything"

She continued to talk in a firm voice as if she were reasoning to herself, and she lowered her fist.

"Violence is the question"

She raised her fist again, aiming for Clive's face.

"And the answer is... yes!"

"An-An, think about mom and dad!" Clive closed his eyes and raised his hands to cover his face.

*bang*

"Ugh.."

'It doesn't hurt?'

Clive couldn't feel any pain, but he was sure he heard something getting smashed.

He opened his eyes and peeked at the surroundings. He could see Angelica's hand buried in the wall next to him inches away from his face.

When she removed her hand there was a deep impression on the size of a fist.

"Hah..hah" Clive felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his mouth. He was saved by the words he shouted at the last minute before impact.

Angelica let go of him and walked towards the center of the room. She threw the cloak she was wearing and plopped on the sofa, tired from the travel.

"Damn it" Angelica muttered under her breath.

Having laid down after a long time she could finally rest in a comfortable environment.

Angelica raised her arm and covered her eyes. She signaled Clive to take a seat opposite her with her other hand.

Clive on the other was still petrified from the close-to-death experience he went through. He touched his neck which was seething in pain. He was sure that there were strangle marks on his skin.

Barely controlling his beating heart he turned on the lights of his office and nimbly took a seat opposite his sister, who had risen from death.

He had been working with only the side lamp on his desk since it was past midnight. Now that he had the light back on, he could properly see the surroundings.

Angelica was lying on the three-seater sofa, she grunted a little from the bright lights but didn't respond otherwise. She was dressed in dark menswear, her boots covered with mud. The cloak that she threw away was on the ground next to her, wet from the rain.

'What the hell happened for her to be like this?'

"Where are they?" Angelica asked without looking at Clive.

"In Cherrel with Uncle and Aunt"

"I take it that it was a joint crime... hmmm" Angelica hummed and tapped her finger on her forehead in a rhythmic tone.

"Let's see... Drugging, human trafficking, fraud, and forgery too"

"I think that's enough to land a triple life sentence. Don't you think?"

"Wha.." Clive's face went pale.

"You... don't you think that's too much An-An. Considering what you put me through when we were children"

"What did you just say?" Angelica opened her eyes and sat up in a flash.

"Whatever I did was for your own good!" She yelled pissed at his unreasonable accusation.

All she ever did was raise him into the fine gentleman he was today. There may have been a few incidents in the past. But those too were merely trials every sibling in the world had to go through as a right of passage.

Angelica found it utterly disappointing that Clive would do something so underhanded.

'Maybe I should done some more?' Angelica glared at the grown man whining like a child.

Flinching under her intense gaze, Clive mustered up his courage and defended himself,

"You told me I was adopted!"

"Oh grown up! Stop being a manchild. You're too old for that"

The siblings started squabbling, neither of them willing to stand down.

"You attacked me and the twins while swinging from the trees"

"I saved you from those maniacs... Good god, do you even realize how ridiculous your arguments sound"

"You said there were monsters under my bed. Then grabbed me under in the middle of the night"

"I was having a quarter-life crisis in a child's body. Try being three at twenty-five and see how your brain works. You were lucky you got off with that"

"What?"

"Clive this is not how I raised you!" Angelica shouted, banging her hand on the table between them.

"!"

Clive flinched from the sudden sound.

For a moment, he was out of words to refute her. He was at a disadvantage and if he were to continue, he was sure that it would be him instead of the table to receive the next hit.

"Well..." Clive averted his eyes.

"If it weren't for what I did. You probably wouldn't be married in this lifetime"

Knowing the consequences, he still couldn't stop himself and borrowed some of Elliot's words.

"Oh no" Although he did regret it later, the deed was done.

"You did not just say that" Angelica scoffed, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I was about to get to there anyway"

She removed her wet gloves and threw them on top of the table, making Clive flinch backward.

"Considering YOU'RE the one who married Edward Frost. Since YOU signed the marriage documents" said Angelica, smiling at her brother's pale face.

"Aaah... about that..." Clive stuttered scratching his cheek.

"Remember the gardening contract that you signed..." He didn't dare to look at her eyes.

"No..." Angelica covered her mouth. Her eyes went wide on realizing the blunder she had made.

"Yes" Clive answered in a feeble voice.

'This is why you should read any kind of document that you're about to sign, even if it is from the most trusted people. Look where it brought you!' Angelica's conscience screamed at her mistake.

Angelica stood up in a fury and stomped the table in between them, breaking it into two. She pushed it to the side and walked towards a surprised Clive.

"That was the last line brother"

Angelica caught him by the neck and reached for the dagger attached to her thigh.

"Now... how about we put a smile on that stupid face?" Angelica's face twisted into a creepy smile.

"Then what about the Howards?"

"Don't worry. They're next"

"Don't do anything you'll regret An-An!" shouted Clive, the blade stopping inches from his face. It was the second time his life was in danger within a matter of minutes.

He was saved because instead of him, Angelica was focusing on the darkness beyond the window.

"Did you hear that?" questioned Angelica, letting go of Clive and turning towards its direction.

*pitter- patter* *pitter- patter*

Whatever it was, it was getting close and fast at that.

Frowning, Angelica tried to concentrate on the sound headed in their direction at a remarkable speed in the dead of the night.

"Oh no" She mumbled and took a step back on realizing what or rather who it was.

But it was already too late.

A huge figure jumped in through the open window and pounded on top of Angelica, knocking her to the ground.