January 24, 2021: Kintsukuroi

"I have some questions. Would you mind answering a few of them?" Orellia asked the man, moving away from the door to not hinder the other men who were assigned to transfer Syn to the stretcher.

Meanwhile, the bulky man did the same as he faced the investigator once again.

"Questions? Please do tell, though I cannot guarantee if I will utter the response you are looking for, Miss Reiner."

"That's fine. Here, I was certain that a lot of cars were chasing us. What happened to them? They just can't vanish in the middle of a straight road like the one we traversed. Surely, they will suspect that Miss Rosenfeldt had already switched vehicles. The commotion that your group made is quite big." The woman enumerated her sentiments all the while attentively gazing around her surroundings.

She was trying to see if there was anything that appeared off among the crowd that gathered.

"Let's say that Mr Herse cannot act up against my men. That would be the last thing that he'll do. "

"Act up? Do you mean that he's afraid of you guys?"

Upon hearing Orellia's conclusion, the man gave her a stare. Albeit unnoticeable because it was behind his mask, the female investigator could feel that he had an uncanny smile plastered on his countenance.

"Boss, we're done here." Another man said, urging the masked man in front of Orellia to turn his head towards who spoke.

"Good, depart immediately with the convoy." The man ordered, reinstating the gaze that he had on the investigator. "Miss Reiner, it was nice meeting you today. We will now be on our way. I hope you will heed my advice about following the instructions."

"Wait, I'm not done yet!"

However, her complaint fell on deaf ears as the man briskly sauntered en route the cars that were parked ahead of the road. Orellia couldn't help but click her tongue out of the bewilderment that she got from his answer.

Concurrently, the four men utilized maximum prudence as they brought the stretcher to the black van that was on a hazard several meters away. Although they took their time walking, it was still in a speed that enabled them to reach the vehicle in a matter of seconds. One man promptly entered the van to fold the seats at the back part, creating a space for Syn.

Upon their arrival afore the black van, the men exerted their utmost effort in putting the least possible strain on Syn's body as they lowered the stretcher.

The lady was evidently conscious, considering that her chest was still constantly rising and falling, albeit shallow. A hushed moan came out of her mouth as her back touched the warm floor of the van.

"Sir, we've successfully transferred Miss Rosenfeldt. We can depart now."

"Alright, the four of you should ride the van and secure the lady's body."

"Roger that." The subordinate said as he mounted the vehicle, closing the door behind him once he saw that the all of his companions were present.

The driver of the van then started the engine, driving the car away from the scene. He maintained the vehicle's speed to a bare minimum that wouldn't cause any further suffering for the young lady.

Thankfully, though peculiarly enough, no other incidents occurred during their short trip. The matter of Larry's men not trailing them could be dismissed, but the fact that the law implementers seemed to be turning a blind eye on the ruckus that they had made was uncanny in itself.

Contrary to the silence that bestowed a prickling tension to the nerves of the passengers, Syn's mind was in a turmoil. Withal, it was not the chaos that was full of thoughts, the young lady kept on screaming a single phrase inside her head.

'Live, Syn, your revenge is not over yet.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Did you relocate her safely? Good, update me when something is up." Tristan said as he finally dropped the call.

Subsequently, he made his way back to the couch set situated beside the floor-to-ceiling windows on the left side of the room. He then sat on the seat in front of the man who was occupied with drinking a cup of black coffee.

"Mr Brecheisen, this issue is not exclusive to Miss Rosenfeldt anymore. Larry is uncompromising on the matter." O' Connor uttered his worries as he leaned on the backrest, sighing heavily right after.

Konrad took his time enjoying his choice of beverage as he glanced at the winter sky that had no luster, save for its ashen hue. It would certainly dampen the mood of those who opted to be awed in its full dullness. Still and all, the man preferred the prosaic spectacle, mirroring his unfathomable feelings.

He proceeded to lay down the cup on the saucer as he turned his attention towards Tristan.

"Mr O' Connor, I understand that you want my help. However, I could care less about Miss Rosenfeldt. I might have been attracted to her, but I will only make a move when there's an advantage for me. I want to maintain a friendly relationship with Mr Herse. Hence, unless you're willing to give me that immunity, I won't aid you any more than what I've already done."

Tristan merely gritted his teeth since he's aware that Konrad was telling the truth. He first thought that he could use Syn as leverage to escape Larry's clutches, but he's the one who was caught in a trap. He never speculated that he would put a lot of value on Syn's existence. Basically, his emotions became the source of his downfall.

It was a bizarre idea in itself that humans could instantly become smitten with a stranger. Furthermore, letting one's self be swayed by that very concept was quite foolish. Granting how preposterous it was, anyone would embrace the narcotic sensations of falling in love whether they coveted for it or not.

Presently, Tristan was on the process of succumbing to such a drug, though he hadn't freed his rationality just yet. He shut his eyes to clear his thoughts all the while exhaling his concerns. Then, he opened his eyes, exposing the charisma of his murky irises, as met Konrad's gaze.

"Mr Brecheisen, I know that this is unfair of me. For all that, I am willing to discard my shame to accomplish my desires."

"Are you issuing a challenge, Mr O' Connor?"

"No, but if you think of it that way, so be it." Tristan straightened his body ahead of continuing his statement. "If you're not inclined to assist me, I will disclose our bet to your wife."