CHAPTER 129: ENEMY ATTACK

"Yes, I’m so sure of it too myself," my mother said teasingly before letting out a laugh.

I appreciated that she was adding some humor to our conversation, although I doubted that it was genuine. The truth was I wasn’t so sure at all about what I just said. However, what else could I possibly say?

A part of me feared that this business trip had to do with the mafia business that they were running in the shadows, but there was no way that I could tell my mother that.

"Why don’t we watch this movie? My friend told me that it’s supposed to be interesting," I told my mother in a desperate attempt to change the topic.

...

The mansion was uncharacteristically quiet the next morning when I woke up. It felt like having both masters of the mansion leave had left a void that couldn’t be filled. Apart from that, everything in life proceeded so normally as if nothing was happening.

My mother sat on the sofa in the living room sipping coffee while I tried my best to keep some sort of casual conversation going between us.

All the while, it was fairly obvious that we were both doing our best to avoid the topic of where those two men had disappeared to and what they were up to. Just when I was running out of topics to keep the conversation going, one of the maids showed up.

"What is it?" my mother asked without much interest.

"Miss Rosabella has arrived," the maid announced after clearing her throat.

I stiffened at the mention of her name. I had no idea why she was here. Had Raphael forgotten to tell her that he had gone away on a business trip?

"Oh, how lovely for her to visit! Please escort her in immediately," my mother instructed the maid as her expression clearly brightened.

I wanted so badly to excuse myself so that I wouldn’t have to face her, but I knew that would appear out of place.

Before I could do anything, Rosabella stepped inside the living room with a flawless smile on her beautiful lips.

As always, she looked like the perfect doll, wearing a pastel blue designer dress that was undoubtedly expensive. She walked with such grace before my mother invited her to take a seat on the sofa opposite from where we were seated.

"Rosabella, dear! What a surprise for you to visit us. I’m so glad that you’re here," my mother welcomed her warmly.

"I hope that I’m not interrupting anything," Rosabella said sweetly as her gaze flickered towards me.

I could see the amusement dancing in her eyes as if she was expecting me to outwardly struggle at her sudden appearance. I knew right away that she was here for me.

"Not at all," my mother quickly assured her before inviting her to sit down.

Rosabella took the seat closest to mine before thanking my mother gracefully for her invitation.

"Would you care for some coffee or perhaps some tea?" my mother asked politely.

"That’s very kind of you, but actually I came to see Abigail," Rosabella replied before smiling brightly at my mother.

My stomach twisted, and I suddenly felt extremely sick.

"Oh, is that so? That’s wonderful of you. I’m so glad that you two are getting along so well," my mother said as she looked curiously between the two of us.

Rosabella turned to me with her eyes gleaming as she flashed me a smile that was too bright to be genuine.

"I was hoping Abigail and I could go out for a little bit to enjoy each other’s company. You know, maybe grab some coffee, some nice dessert, and have a little chat," Rosabella said invitingly.

I could feel my throat constrict as my pulse quickened at her words. I knew that she wasn’t here for a friendly outing with me. It was clear that she wanted something, and whatever it was, I was absolutely certain that it wasn’t good.

More importantly, I didn’t trust her to keep things subtle in front of my mother. I could sense danger, but all I could do was force a small smile and follow along with whatever plan she had in mind.

"That sounds absolutely perfect. Exactly what I had in mind," I said as I quickly nodded my head.

My mother clapped her hands together in joy as she began to smile back at both of us.

"Oh, how lovely! I should not be in the way, don’t mind me. You girls should go out and have some fun," my mother said enthusiastically.

"Well then, shall we?" Rosabella asked invitingly as her smile widened even further.

I quickly followed her out of the mansion without asking anything. It felt like the further I took her away from my mother, the safer we all would be.

...

We soon arrived at the café that Rosabella had chosen. It was a beautiful and quiet place located in a secluded area off the main road. The relaxing atmosphere and the fact that there was no one around meant that we could have our conversation in private, where no one would overhear us.

I should have known that Rosabella would have chosen a place like this because there must be something that she needed to talk to me about. We took our seats at the table, sitting across from each other. Rosabella stared at me in silence with a beautiful smile on her lips, as if she was waiting for me to say something first.

"It’s nice of you to ask me out," I said to break the ice between us.

At the time, I was probably just as curious as I was scared about what she was going to talk to me about.

"So, Abigail," Rosabella said after a moment of silence.

"What is it?" I asked without beating around the bush.

She took a sip of her tea before tilting her head slightly to the side. The beautiful smile on her lips quickly transformed into a smirk.