CHAPTER 28: TIED TO A TRAIN TRACK, SPLIT INTO THREE PARTS

Wayne carried his suitcase through the sleeping cars, looking for his private compartment. This was an extraordinarily luxurious train—over a dozen cars all decorated in classical style, with clear glass windows framed by velvet curtains. Crimson carpets covered the floors, and the ceilings were adorned with exquisite paintings with five-star aesthetics, rendered breathtakingly beautiful under the glow of crystal chandeliers.

This wasn’t so much a train but a moving palace, radiating luxury and fantastical imagination like the famous Orient Express. Any other pretty boy toy would’ve lost himself completely by now, but not Wayne. He had lived through better times, and this train didn’t impress him that much.

“What a piece of junk,” he muttered. “Doesn’t even have wifi, yet they charge so much. No wonder Veronica was furious.”

He saw several men in black suits approaching—likely bodyguards accompanying their employer. He lowered the brim of his fedora and stepped aside to let them pass. With the aisle being quite narrow in the sleeping car, one of the men with a mustache bumped into his shoulder. He strutted away with an arrogant gait as if he owned the place, not bothering to even attempt to avoid a collision.

“What terrible manners!” Wayne rolled his eyes, but he let it drop and didn’t make a fuss. As the train staff apologized to him repeatedly, he entered his compartment. It featured a bed, a desk beneath the window, and an upper bunk for luggage—quite spacious for a train.

He enjoyed dinner in his compartment. After the steam train started, he locked the door and flicked his fedora.

Coo, coo, coo—

A white dove leaped out, landing on the desk.

He opened his suitcase to feed the bird. He had expected to have potatoes with corn and peas for dinner, thinking that he might need his feathered friend to share some of its food with him, but life was full of surprises—his dinner had been upgraded to fine European cuisine with wine.

Whether it tasted good was debatable, but it certainly seemed expensive!

As the train slowly departed from Londan, he turned on the wall lamp and took out the magic book Vera had given him. He considered trying some basic communication magic on the dove, but worried that it would collapse from the abuse and end up becoming his midnight snack. Deciding against it, he instead read through the book to refresh his memory.

***

The night passed uneventfully. It was the twenty-first of March when Wayne woke up in the early morning, feeling rejuvenated. After washing up, he headed to the dining car for breakfast.

The train didn’t travel fast since it was a tourist train focused on scenery and fine dining. It moved slowly during the day and even more slowly at night.

He would be disembarking at Town Enrod. Veronica had arranged for him to be picked up at the station and driven directly to the luxurious manor where he would be staying. Once Mr. Lando dealt with the one after his hide, he would receive a call from her and could return to Londan.

The exact date of his return was yet to be determined—she had to wait for Mr. Lando to contact her.

Well, his father-in-law was a banker and an influential figure, so it shouldn’t take too long. Everything would be alright!

***

Dining Car.

Wayne arrived early, so most of the tables in the dining car were empty. He picked a random seat and ordered a hearty breakfast. If there were no delays, he would arrive at his destination around noon, just before lunchtime. But to be safe, he decided to have a substantial meal in the morning.

Before his meal arrived, a woman in a black shirt and a long skirt entered the dining car. She ignored all the empty tables and walked straight over to sit across from him.

She had neat, short blond hair that seemed to shimmer like silk. Her pearl earrings and necklaces accentuated her elegant neck. Her beauty was alluring yet refined, truly a sight to behold.

(一`´≖)

What a gorgeous woman!

But with so many empty seats available, why sit across from me?

Her facial features were striking, and every aspect of her face was perfectly molded to combine into a bold, radiant beauty. She appeared to be around twenty-eight years old, and with the unmistakable confidence that radiated from her very core, she had an aggressive presence to her that made others feel inferior in comparison.

At the same time, her makeup and clothing were meticulous, with every strand of hair perfectly in place, which showed her discipline and high standards for herself.

“Gentleman, you don’t mind if I share your table, do you?”

The beautiful woman gave him a slight smile. Soft sunlight streamed through the window onto the table, warming up her masterpiece of a face.

“I don’t mind!” Wayne said.

Scientific research showed that looking at beautiful women daily could extend a man’s lifespan by four to five years, and that beauty would pair well with the food, soothing his stomach. There was no reason for him to refuse a company that would be beneficial to his health.

Still...

Seriously, why would she insist on sharing his table when there were so many empty seats? What did she want?

Under her flabbergasted gaze, Wayne quickly finished his breakfast and disappeared without a trace, not even looking back once.

“Haha...”

The beautiful woman chuckled in surprise, touching her face. “Though his integrity—or perhaps caution—is a plus, this is quite embarrassing for me!”

Her name was Silvia, Silvia Lando. Veronica Lando was her daughter, and she was married to Auston Lando. Due to marital discord, they had been separated for a long time. She publicly went by Silvia Valentine and rarely mentioned her marriage.

Silvia was a typical career woman. After separating from her husband, she had been working abroad, and then her outstanding job performance earned her a promotion. She took the opportunity to request a transfer back to Londan, taking on an important position.

With Veronica’s graduation approaching, Silvia wanted to celebrate with her daughter in person. To surprise her, she didn’t notify her girl in advance.

When she saw Veronica at the train station, she thought that Veronica had found out about her plan somehow, but no, Veronica didn’t know she was returning; her daughter was at the train station to see someone off.

A man!

Veronica looked exactly like her when she said goodbye to her scoundrel husband many years ago. Silvia was stunned. Her little princess had a boyfriend! How long had this been going on? How far had their relationship progressed? Had they done it? Why was Veronica so angry? Did her boyfriend do something wrong?

How could her bastard of a husband not step in?!

While cursing her husband, Silvia adjusted her schedule and prepared to observe her daughter’s boyfriend up close to see what kind of character he was. If he turned out to be a piece of trash after Veronica’s money and beauty, she wouldn’t hesitate to personally put him into a barrel of cement and sink him in the river, or tie him to a train track to split him into three parts.

From what she had seen so far, he at least wasn’t after Veronica’s beauty, unlike her trash husband!

Silvia was satisfied with Wayne’s behavior so far, but it wasn’t enough. Supporting her daughter in her romantic endeavor didn’t mean not intervening. It would take much more to earn her approval.