Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain-Chapter 309: THE WAITING GAME

It was a gambling attempt when River called the office, because she only had this one chance. First, Rafael would be able to track down the phone if she used it for too long. Second, the phone’s battery was dying.

River couldn’t find a charger when she was running away from Rafael’s men with a little boy in tow. Time was of the essence here.

Therefore, since the phone was going to die anyway, she attempted to call the office, but who would have thought that it was Ranon himself who would pick up the call? What was he doing in the office late at night? Did he overwork himself again?

But what was more baffling for River was the fact that Ranon immediately agreed to come over; he didn’t even ask another question. Wouldn’t it be very suspicious if River, whom they assumed had died, called him and asked for help?

River and Ranon had never interacted before. It would be understandable if he bombarded her with countless questions, yet he didn’t.

"I am hungry," Archie said, as they waited for their train. River had checked, and this was the better option for them to reach Talbar City.

"But you have eaten." River reminded the young boy. She cooked a bowl of noodles for him before they ran away.

"But I am hungry again," Archie replied.

"You are indeed like your father." River remembered how Logan was a foodie too. She looked at the clock; the train would be here within fifteen minutes, and it would be enough for them to buy something. "Fine, let’s find something to eat."

Archie held River’s hand as both of them walked toward a store that was still open. There were only a few people in the station, since it was past midnight.

Because the phone had already run out of battery, River threw it away in the dustbin as they walked. She was still contemplating her interaction with Ranon. Her heart was still beating so fast, and the warm sensation that engulfed her was from being able to hear his voice again.

"I want this one, this one, and this one, too." Archie pointed out a few pieces of bread that he wanted to eat. "And strawberry milk."

River scrunched her nose. She calculated the money she had and finally agreed to all of his choices. She had stolen the wallet of one of Rafael’s men.

Archie was the biggest help here, since he managed to get a key to the back door that led outside. He also provided River with a clear layout of the house, enabling River to observe the guards’ patrol route.

"Thank you." Archie munched on his bread and held his milk while River paid for the items.

River was contemplating what she should do if she met with Ranon again. Would she tell him about herself? Would he believe her?

They had a conversation about this before, and even though Ranon didn’t say that he believed in metaphysical things, he showed understanding... Would that be enough for her to come clean to him now?

River regretted that she hadn’t told Ranon the whole thing before; at the very least, her story would be aligned.

"Sister... River," Archie called her.

"Wait a second," River said. She had her back facing Archie as she was waiting for the change.

But when she turned around, she saw a man she recognized standing next to the young boy, who was trembling with fear.

"I have been looking for you. Let’s go back home," Rafael said with a big smile. "Come on, don’t cause trouble here."

River changed her shocked expression to a neutral one in a split second. She walked toward Rafael and Archie.

"I should have guessed that you would try this trick. My bad for trusting you too soon," Rafael said in a singsong voice. He was not angry; he just seemed fascinated.

"How did you find me here?" River asked. She walked next to Rafael as she scanned her surroundings, looking for Rafael’s other men. She also looked at the clock. It would be five minutes before their train was here.

They needed to leave now.

"I have my men check all the stations and bus stops and every street in this city. You don’t know how many of them I have deployed." Rafael shrugged his shoulders. "But it’s a good thing too. They need to work their butt off. They have been very lazy lately because they have nothing to do. At least, with this, I don’t pay them for nothing."

"You should thank me for that," River said snidely.

"Indeed. I should thank you for that." Rafael grinned at River. "I have killed those incompetent men who let you escape, though. They are not worthy to keep around."

"I feel bad for them," River said lightly, making her words sound insincere. You could call her heartless, but people died every day, and she didn’t know those men.

We were all here just trying to survive.

"Can you leave me alone now?" River subtly moved Archie to walk on her left side, while Rafael was on her right side.

"Of course not. You are still not strong enough to walk around. If you were bored staying in the house all the time, you should have told me. I can take you anywhere you like. Where were you going to go anyway? I checked that you bought tickets to Talbar City. In case you forgot, the Lozen family is no more, and they are in Aspen City."

River said nothing; she looked at the clock. Three minutes away...

***

"Why are we here? Are you sure she meant this place?" Arthur asked. He frowned when they entered the house. "How did she know about this place?"

Arthur couldn’t stop asking questions. He regretted not saying anything when River called a few hours ago because he was too dumbstruck, but when he finally gathered his bearings, the phone call had ended.

Actually, Arthur’s question was the same as what Ranon had.

It sounded too impossible, but the fact that River knew about this house only indicated one thing... something beyond what he could comprehend.

"We will wait for her here." Ranon opened the door and let them in. Lucian and Rye came with them. They looked around the cozy house, which didn’t look abandoned at all, even though no one lived here.

Ranon kept the house in perfect condition, because this house was the one that his wife wanted. It was his first gift to her—or you could say their first deal.

"Until when will we have to wait?" Arthur was extremely impatient; he kept walking back and forth. He couldn’t stay still. There were a lot of things that ran through his mind. "What if this call is only a prank?"

Lucian rolled his eyes when he heard that. He had never seen Arthur act this way before, and he also didn’t understand why Ranon was so involved in this matter or why River was looking for Ranon instead of her father.

Lucian followed Ranon to the kitchen as he poured himself a glass of water so that he could escape from Arthur’s ramblings. Let Rye deal with him.

"Have you known River before this?" Lucian voiced out his questions. "On the phone earlier, it sounded like you had known her before. Have you met her?"

"No." Probably... Ranon couldn’t even tell Lucian what was on his mind. It sounded crazy, even to himself.

"But the two of you sounded very familiar with each other." Lucian furrowed his brows.

"No..." Ranon looked at the clock. River should be here in an hour. All they could do now was wait.

Ranon wanted to get her, but River insisted that she would be the one who would come. They managed to determine the location of River. The phone call came from Arion City, which was two cities away from here. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Even so, Ranon had sent his people, just in case...

They were waiting.

This waiting game was killing all of them inside, as the tension inside the house rose.

Arthur kept pacing back and forth, while Rye tried to calm him down, and Lucian stuck with Ranon, who didn’t say a single word.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Nothing.

River was not here. She didn’t come.

"There is something wrong with this! We can’t just stay here and do nothing!" Arthur stormed to the kitchen, where Ranon had been sitting without moving for hours.

"I have sent a few people," Ranon said.

"Only that?!" Arthur roared angrily.

"You have your own people, so if you know something better to do, then do it. No one prevents you from doing anything." Ranon glared dangerously at Arthur, who groaned in frustration.

"Then call her again!"

"You know that you can’t call her because her phone is dead, right?" Lucian reminded Arthur of what River had said before. They had also tried to call, but it didn’t go through.

Arthur grumbled.

The sky had turned bright out there. It was late; it was very late for River to be here... Did something happen to her?

Ranon closed his eyes; he felt as if his head was going to explode. He tried to breathe normally, but his chest tightened with so many thoughts that swirled in his mind.

The front door was far from the kitchen, so they didn’t hear when someone unlocked the door, but Rye was in the living room, and they heard his exclamation.

"River! Heaven! You are still alive!"

Arthur bolted out of the kitchen.