Astraea

Lorcan stopped a block away from Miliani but like the previous days, he didn't get out of his car. He just looks blankly at the entrance door of the boutique.

Sometimes, his eyes would drift to the second floor of the boutique where the workroom is. Where he was sure that she was working.

Last night, he came to this spot again and he was relieved to see the lights at the workroom turned off. Then he found a dim light in the bedroom. For days, he finally felt relieved after seeing that she finally took an early sleep.

His eyes drifted back to the entrance of the boutique when he saw a food delivery guy enter the boutique.

Food delivery? He frowned. Thou not as good as Daniella and Brylee, he knows that Lydia is a good cook as well. She preferred to eat home-cooked food than order food or eat in a restaurant.

He knows because she cooks him food whenever she visits his pad or he visits her at the boutique thou not frequently.

Now, why did she just order food? Doesn't she have time to cook food for herself? Lorcan frowned and felt annoyed.

He saw the delivery guy walk out of the boutique and get on his bike. He is now driving in his direction. As if on instinct, Lorcan stepped out of his car and stopped the delivery guy before he passed him.

"Damn, man! Are you crazy?" The delivery guy was startled and almost lost control of his bike when Lorcan suddenly blocked his way.

But Lorcan just ignored him and asked, "To whom did you deliver that food?"

The delivery guy was taken aback by the question. He was hesitant to give the information but looking at Lorcan's intimidating gaze, he knows that he cannot leave the place without giving him the answer he needed.

"Uhm...I-I don't know. B-but the name is Lydia Hale." The delivery guy stuttered.

The look on Lorcan's eyes turned darker. So when he asked what the girl ordered, he didn't hesitate to answer immediately.

The delivery guy sighed in relief when he was released by Lorcan.

Sitting back inside his car, he stared at the workroom of the boutique. He wonders if she has a visitor or she just has a big appetite today for her to order that much. When he asked the delivery guy what food she ordered, he found out that she ordered a lot that could probably fill three stomachs.

He has been there for one hour now and he has seen a couple of customers that have been and out of the boutique. Nobody enters the boutique that hasn't gone out yet.

He wanted to go there and ask the sales assistant if Lydia has a visitor but by doing so, Lydia would find out that he is checking out on her because the sales assistant knows of him.

And why is he checking out on her? He asked himself this question but he doesn't want to ponder on that question.

He wanted to stay and wait but Bell called thirty minutes ago and told him that they are on their way to his pad as there was development in their current hunt.

His thought was distracted by the ringing of his phone. He looked at it, it was Bell.

"Hello?" He answered.

"We are here," Was Bell's only reply.

"Okay, I'm on my way," Lorcan said then hangs up.

He looked back at the workroom.

"Fuck!" He hissed and started the engine of his car then drove away from Miliani.

Arriving at his pad, he saw his five nieces already sitting inside the conference room. Did he give them duplicate keys? He thought internally. He shook his head and reminded himself that these girls don't need a key to open a locked door. He taught them the tricks.

Brina started to narrate everything that they found out.

"Okay," Lorcan leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table. "We will arrest him tomorrow." He said.

Bell looked at his sisters then back to Lorcan with a frown."We?" She asked.

"You have a problem with that?" Lorcan looks back at Bell with a questioning look.

"Yeah," Bell replied straightforwardly and nodded her head nonchalantly.

Lorcan frowned and pinched the space between his brows. He really cannot get in control of Bell.

He sighed. "Okay, you've done this a lot of times before. And now you are working together. So, I guess you can do it alone," Lorcan trailed then he looked at Briony and continued, "without anyone getting harmed," then he looked at Bell, "and no casualties."

Brylee giggled.

"Am I clear?" Lorcan said then glared at Brylee.

"Crystal clear!" The five sisters said at once.

"Wait, should we attack the harbor as well? Since they were expecting us, we cannot disappoint them." Briony asked.

Lorcan eyed her. "Unless you want to cause trouble and waste your time, go ahead." He said making Briony pout her lips.

"Someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, I wonder if a certain designer has something to do with it." Brylee insinuated.

"Are you tired of living Brylee?" Lorcan scowled at her.

Brylee looked at him with a cheeky smile. "No, in fact, I am enjoying my life. How about you?"

Lorcan didn't retort back and just glared at Brylee fuming. No, he is not enjoying it. Not even a little. Ever since that day. And he hates it.

"Arrest Torin Wald tomorrow, only him and no casualties." Lorcan decided to just ignore Brylee's insinuations.

"Are you expecting that the ten gang members he has with him at the convent will not resist once we arrest their leader and founder?" Bell asked sarcastically.

"No, but at least, try to persuade and intimidate Torin Wald to surrender himself peacefully instead of getting his men harmed," Lorcan replied because he knows what Bell is pointing out. A gang leader being arrested in front of his gang members has never been peaceful most of the time. Especially that petite harmless-looking female bounty hunters were arresting him.

Bell scoffed, "If you think that is possible, you are deceiving yourself." Though Lorcan prefers persuasion and intimidation in arresting his target, Bell knows that most of the time, he also resorted to violence. Lorcan is a fierce one, outside and on the inside. Who would believe that he had never punched a fugitive in his stomach? Only a blind man would believe.

"Have you girls ever thought that I am your uncle? Your boss? Mentor? Who is older than you?" Lorcan asked with amusement. He sometimes forgets that he is talking to his beloved nieces.

As if to add up to his irritation, Briony asked, "You are?" She looks at Lorcan innocently making Brylee laugh. Brina and Bianca just hide their chuckle behind their hand.

While Bell remained indifferent.

Lorcan groaned. "I would give anything just to see the younger versions of you again. The innocent and good-natured version of you." Lorcan trailed and thought, 'Maybe I should do that.'

"Alright! Get off my place!" Lorcan said with irritation.

"Are you going somewhere, Uncle?" Brylee asked again with a twinkle in her eyes.

Lorcan glared at her. "You are not stopping, are you?"

Brylee frowned innocently, "What did I say?" Then she runs off the room laughing.

Bell was left inside the room with Lorcan eyeing him intently.

"What?!" Lorcan snapped at her.

Bell shrugged her shoulders. "You looked like a lovesick puppy."

"What do you know about a lovesick puppy? Have you been in love?" Lorcan snapped at Bell.

But instead of answering his question, Bell smirked at him. "Have you?" She teased.

"Shut up! You are worse than Brylee." Lorcan said. Among his five nieces, he is probably closer to Bell. Maybe because she is the eldest, he spent a lot of time with her than the others.

Or maybe because they have the same personality and understand each other very well.

Bell stood up and started to walk out while saying, "You know, you should do something about it. Before you regret that you didn't do anything about it." She said then she's gone.

Lorcan stared blankly at the spot where Bell was gone. He thought how scary Bell could be. She seems to know a lot of things, secrets, that even he doesn't know.

Brylee intentionally waited for Bell to walk out of the room.

"Bell," She called, and not even surprised the Bell wasn't startled at all.

Bell glanced at her then, "Mm?"

"What was that?" She inquired with a slightly irritated tone.

"What?" Bell asked indifferently as she continued to walk.

Brylee followed her. "About Ryuu, what do you know about him?" She asked, keeping a low voice so that the other sisters won't hear them.

Bell stopped in her tracks and looked at Brylee. "Oh, everything." She just said blankly.

Brylee's eyes widened in shock, "How the hell did you know?!"

Bell narrowed her eyes at Brylee, "Seriously, Brylee? You are asking me that question?"

Brylee's mouth fell open. Right, it is Bell she is talking about. She knows everything. She has a way to know everything. But how? She doesn't know.

"Urgh! That is so unfair!" Brylee stomped her feet and followed Bell who started to walk back to her car where Bianca is waiting.

"And oh, by the way," Bell turned around as if she forgot to say something. "He's back. In case you didn't know."

After hearing that, Brylee's face turned pale as a sheet of paper.

He's back...