Ronan held his cigarette between his fingers, pausing slightly as he looked at me. Maybe he remembered how cigarette smoke always made me cough, because he immediately put it out.
I stood there stunned, almost choking on my own breath, completely frozen just like him until I finally returned to myself.
"Right, I came to find you."
"Find me?" He pointed at himself, smiling so wide his teeth flashed white. "Sister-in-law, what do you need from me?"
I pulled out a chair and sat down, but my eyes were glued to the surveillance screens. The more I looked, the more terrified I felt, my whole body trembling before I forced myself to look away.
"It's just…" I took a deep breath, fear and panic choking my voice so much I couldn't even form a full sentence.
"Sister-in-law?" Ronan gave me a strange look.
I steadied myself, remembering why I came. I glanced around cautiously, then asked, "Ronan… do you know anything about the Anderson family's old estate?"
"The old Anderson estate?" Ronan didn't even question it. "I've followed Mr. Anderson since I was a kid. I know a bit."
I narrowed my eyes and forced myself not to look back at the screens. "I went there today. I felt everyone there was… strange. On the surface they all respect and fear Captain, but behind that they're hiding other intentions. I met someone named Jonas, he said he's Captain's cousin. What's his actual position in that family?"
Ronan was stunned speechless. God… apparently I wasn't some naive little girl at all. One visit and I could already sense all that? Even he felt like I was some detective instead of the silly girl he thought I was.
Since he wasn't answering, I continued, "I also met Mrs. Jessica Anderson today. She seemed extremely strict… even frightening. Her relationship with Captain isn't good at all. And there was a middle-aged man beside her gentle looking. He called her 'mother.' That man is who?"
The Anderson family was bizarre, their relationships tangled and messy. Even though all I wanted was to leave, the truth was that Captain and I were now closely tied together. There were things about the Andersons I needed to understand; otherwise, a clueless girl like me wandering around their territory might die without even knowing how.
Ronan stared at me with growing astonishment. One visit and I could see through this much. A rabbit dressed like a fox indeed sharp and deceptively innocent. He hesitated, unsure if he should say it, but remembering Captain's attitude toward me, he probably thought it wouldn't cause trouble. It wasn't exactly a secret anyway.
He took a breath and spoke.
From Ronan, I learned that Mrs. Jessica Anderson had three sons. The eldest, Edgar, kind-hearted and well-liked, was originally her choice to inherit the family power. Captain was his son. But Edgar never married and eventually died young from illness.
The second son, Daniel, the second uncle was Jonas's father: cunning, calculating. After Edgar died, he fought fiercely for the position of family head, only to die in a bizarre shooting incident.
The youngest son, also named Daniel but with a different middle name, was the gentle man I saw beside Mrs. Anderson today. Honest, harmless, seemingly uninterested in power, a devout Catholic who spent more time in prayer than in business.
After hearing all this, I had a better grasp of the Andersons but even more questions.
Edgar, Captain's father, died unmarried meaning Captain was an illegitimate son. But so what? He was still Edgar's son. If Mrs. Anderson adored Edgar so much, then why did she loathe her only grandson? Normally people say "love the house, love the crow," but she was the opposite harsh, hostile, treating Captain like an enemy. Far too strange.
Clearly, the Anderson family had countless secrets buried beneath the surface.
No matter how curious I was, some things couldn't be dug up. I pushed the thoughts away and forced a smile. "So that's how it is. The Andersons really are a massive clan descendants everywhere."
"Anything else you want to ask?" Ronan crossed his legs lazily.
I glanced at the surveillance screens behind him but quickly decided not to ask and instead said, "Not really, just wanted to check on your kidneys lately."
His expression changed instantly. He uncrossed his legs and coughed awkwardly. "Great. Really great. Your treatment is amazing after taking the meds you prescribed my back pain disappeared entirely."
A smile curled at my lips. "Then stop taking them. Too much medication isn't good for you."
His cheeks flushed red as he gave a shy reply. My smile deepened. If the problem already led to kidney deficiency, what was there to be embarrassed about?
"Alright, keep watching the monitors. I'll head back."
I patted the dust off my clothes and left the surveillance room.
Once outside, I took a long breath. Most of what I needed to know was already clear but one question still gnawed at me.
Did Captain know I killed that king cobra?
I froze at the stair landing as several details suddenly resurfaced in my mind. When I pieced them together, my heart lurched violently, like something had grabbed my throat.
He definitely knew.
Otherwise he wouldn't have deliberately brought up cobras in front of me. He wouldn't have sent people to search the villa grounds, if he wanted to check surveillance footage, he could've just watched it from here. Why waste manpower? No, he wanted me to see him search.
But back then I was bold… stupidly optimistic… and didn't understand his intent.
Now that I thought about it, his behavior was clearly a test. A hint. A warning.
But why… why didn't he do anything afterward?
That question churned in my mind as I walked downstairs, almost missing a step. I immediately grabbed the wall for support, and because I moved too fast, the blue ribbon in my hair slipped off and fluttered into my view.
Captain had given it to me.
A beautiful blue ribbon… but the leather bow on it... its pattern reminded me of cobra scales.
My eyes widened. A chill shot down my spine.
In a flash of panic, I bolted down the stairs, running straight to the spot where I had buried the cobra's corpse. I dropped to my knees and dug with my bare hands, frantically clawing at the soil.
But after a long while… nothing. Empty. Completely empty. Not even the slightest trace of disturbed soil.
My eyes widened even more, a heavy dread sinking into my stomach.
It had been less than twenty days since I killed the king cobra. Even if it decomposed, bones would remain. There should've been something.
Unless… someone dug it up.
But why? Why dig up a dead venomous snake?
To make a specimen? Or to turn it into a beautiful ribbon… and give it to me?
My blood ran cold. I ripped the ribbon from my hair with trembling hands.
The blue fabric fluttered in the wind, soft, elegant, beautiful but the leather bow patterned like cobra scales made my skin crawl.