"You knew she had a fork in her pocket, sir, didn't you?"
A man, his voice steady, stood and leaned calmly towards Frederick to light his cigarette.
A gentle smile spread across his face before he said in a foreign accent, "I just wanted the game to be fair." Meanwhile, he began to inhale his cigarette, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. "Also, I can't catch the mouse without putting food in front of it."
"Do you really believe that man Henry had no hand in what happened?"
The man asked somewhat curiously as he poured a glass of wine for his master before breaking the sound of Frederick's deep breathing as he calmly inhaled smoke, saying, "He's a coward... he'll get what he deserves quietly. there's no need to rush." At that moment, he held up a photo in front of him—a photograph of Mr. Henry—and slowly began to burn the area around his eyes with the cigarette, smiling...
_____________________________
Back at Elizabeth, who is trying to use the phone to call her aunt, she puts it to her ear while watching Lucas talking to Mr. Hector, who seems happy as he watches the food on the grill. She rolls her eyes indifferently to focus on the ringing of the phone... it's ringing.
"Does it work?" Emma asks, sitting at a dining table, seemingly still struggling to lift the cup of tea.
Finally, her aunt's voice rings out, shouting, "Where in the world are you?!" Upon hearing Isabella's voice, she breathes a sigh of relief and quickly replies, "It's a long story... I'm with my friends right now, and we don't have any money. Can you come over?" Her aunt's voice slurs and repeats itself over and over with unintelligible words. It seems she's in her car before she confirms, her voice filled with worry:
"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Tell me the address."
On the opposite side, Emma also breathe a sigh of realif; her entire body relaxes in the chair...
The sound of footsteps approaching the table. It is Hector walking in, carrying plates full of food. It smells delicious and looks very elegant. It smells like meat. Behind him is Lucas with indescribable joy. He immediately sits down at the table. "This will definitely be delicious," he mutters, his mouth already watering.
"Please, miss," he said, turning towards Elizabeth at the same minute she hung up with her aunt. She watched him smile gently as he moved a chair for her. "Come on, before it gets cold."
The young girl finds no room to refuse, so she steps forward and sits down, her heartbeats slowly rising. It could be said that it is a feeling of slight apprehension. "Thank you," she whispers. Despite that, the heaviness of her body increases when she feels him close to her face. His golden eyes look at her carefully , as if they are searching for something, and as soon as he places the plate, she almost feels the sting in her eye increasing in those seconds that seem like hell.
The sound of Lucas biting breaks the silence. He looks extremely greedy as he takes his first bite. "Oh, MY, it melts in the mouth! What kind of meat is this!" He lifts piece after piece while Emma watches him in disbelief. "Really! How can you eat with a broken tooth?" She is facing another problem as she tries to use the knife... She curses internally... "What a struggle!"
A smile spread across Hector's lips. "Let me help you, miss. You don't want this beautiful hand to suffer any more, do you?" He sat beside her before taking her plate, his hand moving with astonishing fluidity, almost as if he were cutting slices with perfection and evenness. The sound of his knife was barely audible, as if he were slicing meat without striking the plate.
The three of them watch, with Emma and Lucas admiring and Elizabeth intently watching.
She watches his hand and its movements without blinking, then returns her gaze to her plate. The steak is dripping with juices that cascade perfectly onto the plate. Slowly, she takes her first bite, unable to truly define its taste. It's incredibly tender; she can't deny it. As she turns, she finds his eyes on her, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm glad you enjoyed the food, kids," he says, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Really!! It's amazing! What is this? A rabbit?" Emma says, her mouth full.
"It's best to keep it a secret," he replies, making both Emma and Lucas laugh heartily as she raises an eyebrow slightly. The only thing on her mind right now is that she's probably making a big deal of it . Even if they're in a stranger's house, eating food of unknown origin sitting and waiting, and he seems, for a moment, completely unconcerned about even knowing their names... she must be imagining things, right?
Luckily, the phone rings. Isabella must be waiting for them outside.