For Better, For Worse: The Serpent's Contract Wife

Chapter 80: The Pacifist

"It’s a family tradition," I said, recalling when Zade told me so.

"One of the many reasons I chose to avoid," Caleb replied, sipping from his teacup.

"So anti-family, huh?"

He coughed, setting down the teacup, and then looked at me with intrigue, but behind that gaze I noted something I couldn’t quite explain.

He licked his lips. "No, not in the way you think."

"Okay... then I guess... not good with people, as you said."

A smile curled his lips in a way that brought out his eyes. "You remembered."

It was hard to forget something like that. A moment when I realized there was a fifth brother I hadn’t met since the wedding.

I figure he was more of a lone wolf type of person. Like someone I knew from the academy who was just like that. Came for practice, then left—just a chill person.

I don’t know much about Caleb, but he gave me that impression.

"You know your tea isn’t poisoned."

I stiffened at his comment, but I still managed to utter a reply. "I didn’t say it was."

I dropped my gaze to the tea, seeing a little bit of my reflection in the colored water.

"You’ve been looking at it like it is...I have drunk from it already. If it were poisoned, I’d be coughing my guts right about now."

"Again, why would I think that?" I brought the tea to my lips, a bit reluctant, before I sipped.

It’s...

"Sweet..." I said out loud. "You’re a fan of sugar."

"So are you."

My brows furrowed as I looked at him.

"How did you..."

"The reason why the sugar is practically floating around that thing." He brought the sugar bowl close and used the small tongs to drop more into my cup.

I blinked, still taken over. "Have we met before?"

"Have we?" He threw the question right back at me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but it only hung as I blinked multiple times before I could find words. "N-Not that I know of."

I would recall meeting him, right?

Caleb nodded. "The universe plays tricks like this... maybe we have met, maybe we haven’t. Who knows?"

"I guess."

"So Anastasia, how about you tell me what you were really doing in my brother’s office? I think we have established some grounds where we can be honest with each other."

"I already told you I went there to see him." I stirred my tea with the spoon, avoiding his gaze.

Why is he bringing that up?

"Then surely you knew Zade was at the shooting range. Unless, of course, there’s another reason you left there and went straight to his office."

My actions froze. I shot my eyes at him, my brows furrowing. "Were you following me?"

Caleb chuckled in amusement. "Yes, because I have so much time on my hands, and I spend my day stalking you."

He was being sarcastic.

"I happened to see you right when you were going into his office... you were coming from the same direction as the shooting range. I’d have said hi, but you were being sneaky, so I didn’t want to interrupt your mission."

I gulped nervously. "If you knew the whole time, then why did you agree with me?"

"Because it’s clear you didn’t want me to know why you were in his office."

"And you think I’m just gonna tell you what I was really doing in Zade’s office since we’re fucking pals now?"

A grin spread across his face. "So you do admit you were in there for something else."

"That was not..." I paused my words as my eyes widened, almost bulging out of my sockets.

Did he just trick me into exposing myself?

"It’s alright, Anastasia," he said, amused, when he noticed I had caught on. "You can trust me."

He pushed the plate of cookies toward me.

"Trust you?" I questioned flatly.

"The family business isn’t really my thing. I’m more of a pacifist."

He passed a swift look around the library. "Knowledge has always interested me far more than firearms."

"That’s..." I struggled with my words, still staggered. "So you’re saying you may be a Salvero, but you’re different?"

"You were wondering why you have never seen or heard of me. Here’s your answer."

My grip tightened against the teacup as a stormy feeling crawled under me.

For two years, I carried hatred for the Salvero family, convinced they were responsible for my sister’s demise. Whatever hatred I held for them was becoming fleeting because the real truth surfaced not too long ago.

The only person to blame was Zade. It has always been Zade. ƒreewebɳovel.com

"I was looking for my sister’s diary..." I confessed, an inner voice telling me I shouldn’t continue, but I was done running around in circles.

"As you’re aware, even if you’ve never been involved in that world. My sister Annabeth was in a relationship with Zade. And in the end, he was the one who killed her."

I waited for any reaction at all, maybe surprise, maybe disbelief, but nothing, which only solidified that what I just said was the truth.

Internally, I had been in a battle that maybe everything my father and Shane said was some warped fact, all made up, all an originality of some half-ass rumor built up by strangers.

However, Caleb’s next words made the world crash in on me.

"I’m sorry about your sister. I can only imagine the pain you’re going through right now... waking up every morning next to your sister’s killer."

He grabbed my hand, and I shivered at how cold it was. I pulled my hand away and set it on my lap.

"I can help you," he said.

"With what?"

"I can help you find your sister’s diary. Something tells me that’s important."

It is.

Right now, that was the only thing that mattered. I should have thought about her diary from the start, but I was so consumed by grief and pain that I didn’t realize it was missing.

"Why would you help me? Zade is your brother. Your Don."