Your Dog Ran Away

After leaving the hospital, Antonio walked endlessly, making turns down various streets without looking at where he was going. As he strode down the sidewalk, his thoughts were on Lia and her motives. Once he processed the fact that Selina was alright, he began thinking carefully. 'Did I misunderstand her?'

The sound of his blasting ringtone alarmed him, quickly pulling him out of his own world. "Hello?" his voice sounded deeper than usual. This distinguishable ringtone was set for only one person - his father.

"Imbecile! You were clueless when your dog went running and biting the wrong people. Head back home right now. I don't care whatever you're doing right now. Luckily, I was clever to have my people follow after your dog when things smelled fishy. Hah!"

Master Liam's agitated words spat out like mud being splashed from a puddle onto a brand new shirt. The more he spoke, the clearer the situation became. Wrinkles appeared on Antonio's forehead as if he realized a crucial point out of this conversation.

"Who is the dog you are talking about? Is it Lia?" He made a rough guess, connecting the dots to the recent incidents.

"Hah, who else? Haven't you realized how that loyal dog wags her tail every time you are involved? How did you think she listened to me every single time in the past? Did you think you managed to escape your responsibilities because I was lenient enough to let you go out and explore the world? What shame!"

Master Liam scoffed sarcastically. "Did she really think anyone could become my daughter-in-law? With her capabilities, she isn't even a peck of dust in front of me. Hah! To dare dream of soaring into a phoenix, she really is stupid to fall for you. As for you, a dense head, I am so glad you never realized it."

"What do you mean by all this? Why are you telling me all this?" Antonio knew Master Liam would never expose all these details for no reason at all. Of course, he was always angered by Antonio's words, but not once would he reveal these details without a price.

"Why? Because there is no use for her anymore. And you will never see her ever again. So, why won't I help her tell you about her long demise since the time she fell in love with you? Ah, she's quite something. She went on the missions that I wanted to assign to you. For you, her hands were stained with so much blood. Haha."

"And at the end? She gets nothing. This is the result of falling for someone she shouldn't have fallen for. This is a lesson that cost her life. Oh, right. you must have heard about Selina being admitted to the hospital. Of course, because you were right there. Ah, before you left the office, you even stabbed her with your distrustful words."

Master Liam's laughter was needles pricking Antonio's chest. His heart thumped rapidly. His nerves were aching tremendously to the point he felt a numbing sensation. The words he said to Lia and her heartbreaking response replayed in his mind.

"I am quite naive. I always questioned her for why she completes her missions. I always told her to leave and told her to choose her own path. It was me, who put her in that position and I didn't understand it one bit. No wonder..." Antonio gave a self-depreciating smile, nearly chuckling at his own stupidity.

"Let bygones be bygones. She can be replaced easily. Since she won't be able to appear in anywhere of this world anymore, we have nothing to worry about. I need to come up with a new plan to achieve my goal. Come back immediately." Master Liam demanded righteously as if Lia was nothing but exhaled air.

"I won't let you harm her. If you sent your men to kill her, then I'll kill myself the way she is killed with twice the torment. Mark my words. Either order your men to quit right now or prepare to get the news of your son's funeral. And no, I will not come back. There is no 'we' in this. It's always been you. Only you." Antonio threatened, without a sign of hesitation.

"Hah! Now you say it? Son, look at yourself. You are contradicting your attitude towards Lia. Don't forget, all along it was you who didn't trust her. So now that you realized you were wrong, your attitude changes 180 degrees? And using your life to threaten me? Even if I wish for my men to stop, I can't reach them. After all, they are-"

Before he could complete his sentence, a loud buzz echoed on both their phones. On their screen, a notification populated. "Explosive news! Flight XXX landed at the nearest airport and requested for immediate backup! Hijackers tried hijacking the plane!" A few photos of the tied up hijackers were shown on the screen.

Master Liam hung up seconds after reading the news, leaving Antonio in a confused state. In a daze, Antonio quickly scrolled through his contacts and dialed Lia's number. However, she never picked up the phone.

"Tsk. Shit." He cursed and quickly inputted Lia's address into his gps app. Once the route was highlighted on his phone, he rushed over to her apartment, hoping he will find her there. Soon, he reached her apartment and started ringing her doorbell.

After multiple attempts, he stopped pressing the doorbell. He leaned his forehead against the door helplessly. Suddenly, he felt a few taps on his shoulder.

"Lia?!" He turned around in a split second. His smiling face quickly froze and frowned in disappointment. Still, he quickly gathered himself together and greeted the elderly woman who tapped his shoulder.

"Young man, are you here to check out the apartment? We just updated the opening on our website. You sure receive notifications fast." For some reason, it did not surprise her when he called out Lia's name earlier. Instead, she maintained her amiable smile and nodded at him.

"You said this apartment is available for rent? Then what about Lia, the previous renter for this place? Does she not live here anymore?" Antonio glanced at the closed door. At that moment, something stirred uncomfortably in his chest. It made him feel frustrated and extremely conflicted, but he couldn't figure out why.