Tangled By Fate

Chapter 342 - WHO IS CLOSER?

"Of course, I will help her. She is my friend. Why are you thanking me?" Veronica smirked, feeling amused.

Sebastian realized what he said was just wrong. For Veronica, it was okay for her to take care of her best friend she grew up with.

Sebastian had no relationship with Catherine. It wasn't him who should thank her best friend to heal her. Instead, it should be Veronica who needed to thank him for rescuing her friend.

Embarrassed, he scratched his head. He didn't know how to respond to his Mistress.

To break the awkward silence, Veronica changed the topic, "I wonder why those thugs attacked Cathy. If they needed money, they could just grab the pick-pocketer. There was no reason to kidnap her and imprison her. Why did they go through so much trouble?"

While talking, she was done bedding and Sebastian put Catherine down.

His expression changed when Veronica mentioned the kidnapping. "Not to mention, Catherine dresses up like a noble. Common thugs shouldn't dare to mess up with nobles. These thugs only attack nobles when they are paid by other nobles."

'Just as I predicted,' Veronica told herself. "But why her? When did she start making enemies? That's not like her."

"Darius should be interrogating them. I'll go and check what he has found." Sebastian bowed and then left.

Veronica stared at the door and then mumbled, "Cathy, you have two handsome men with great potential on your feet. Which one are you going to choose?"

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Sebastian went to the dungeon and heard hideous screams coming from a cellar. He quickened his pace and reached his destination.

He spotted four thugs in one cellar. They were stripped naked. Their wrists were tied with iron chains that were hanging on the ceiling.

Darius was standing in front of them. He had an iron whip that had sharp pins from top to bottom. Each time he whipped those guys, their skins cut through and blood gushed out.

Right this moment, four small pools of blood gathered under four thugs' feet. They shuddered and cried. Nonetheless, the pain and suffering didn't go away.

"You fuckers dared to lay a hand on the employee of the Magic Tower. Where did you get the nerves?" Darius was rather enjoying torturing them. Just his grin was enough for Sebastian to tell.

The thug leader sobbed and answered, "I had no idea who she was. I thought she was a noble lady with lots of money."

As if Darius would buy that. He smirked.

"And yet you not only took her money but also took her away and they tried to kill her. All I want to know is the purpose. If you can't say it, get ready for more torture."

He moved the whip, and it made a sharp slapping sound on the floor, close to the thug.

The thug trembled in fear. "I was greedy. I'm sorry!"

"Did they not tell you anything yet?" Sebastian stepped inside.

Darius didn't need to check who it was. He stroked his bald head.

"Well, others are a bunch of idiots. They know nothing. But the leader has all the information. But he won't just say it. I've finished interrogating the three. Now, I'll open his bastard's mouth."

"Good luck." Sebastian coldly gazed at the thug leader. He thought of many unspeakable things that could kill the leader in the most painful way possible.

Darius asked, "How's Catherine doing?"

Sebastian replied, "Sleeping. The Mistress already healed her. She looked pale and sickly."

"Tell the chef to prepare some soup that will help her reproduce blood quickly," Darius instructed. "She needs strength."

"Yes, I will. Continue with your interrogation." Sebastian thought, 'I should go to the kitchen and stay busy. Or, I think I might lose my patients.

"Leave this to me." Darius grinned. After Sebastian left, he turned to the leader.

"Oh well, you said you don't know. But need to ask, one last time, who was that person who ordered you to do it? What did they offer?

"If you don't tell me this time, I'll start drilling your fingers first and then move to your arms and legs. I'm losing my patience. Say it!"

He whipped the leader hard. This time, along with blood, his skin and small pieces of meat were chunked out.

"Aaahhh!!" The leader yelled loudly and at the same time, writhed in pain.

He screamed as long as he could. Darius almost feared that he would lose his vocal cord. He stood there patiently, waiting for that leader to speak up.

The leader finally stopped screaming. He squeezed his eyes and tears gushed out of his eyes. He regretted greatly for taking this job. He could do nothing but lament but it's too late.

He wished he could die painlessly but there wasn't a chance. The thing he wanted to avoid was the endless torture before his death. Thinking about all that, he made a decision.

"It was a woman…" he began. "She offered me fifty gold coins and gave me a picture. She told me to finish this girl and make her disappear. She instructed me to leave no trace of her left in the world."

'Fifty gold coins?' Darius frowned. 'This is a huge amount of money for a mere thug. Fifty gold means five thousand silver coins! They could buy a decent three-storied building in the commoner's street or a shop from aristocats' town. Why did that woman pay him so much for Catherine? Whom did she offend?'

"The woman," he stated. "What does she look like?"

The leader was already having a hard time breathing. He could barely talk.

"I didn't see her face properly. She wore a velvet purple cloak and hid her face with it. All I saw was her left hand. She gave me a pouch of gold coins with that hand.

"Her hand was dark. Her fingers were long. She had a gold snake embedded in her ring. That snake was breathing fire."

Darius raised an eyebrow.. "You said that the snake was breathing fire. Did it move?"