Beckett felt like he was drenched with cold water when he heard what Nathan said. After a moment of shock, he quickly rushed out of the warehouse. Nathan was still calling him because there were a few more things that Beckett needed to attend to at work, but he ignored them.
Using his car, Beckett drove to the Allamino mansion as fast as he could. The distance from the warehouse to the mansion was quite far, but due to his car speed, he arrived at his destination quickly.
“Shit. Shit,” Beckett repeatedly cursed while gripping the steering wheel tightly. He was also trying to call Vivianne, but she wasn’t answering. “Fuck, Vivianne. Answer the phone, goddamn it.”
As each minute passed, his anxiety grew. Sweat was accumulating on his forehead, and anger was building up in his body. If only he knew that Alfred would make Vivianne his tester on that drug, he wouldn’t have sold that jerk anything.
After a few minutes, Beckett parked his car in front of the mansion gate. He saw the car Vivianne had used to pick him up from the police station, and he bit his lower lip-it meant Vivianne was already there.
Negative scenarios played in his head, and the pain he felt when he lost his parents began to resurface in his memory. Even though he felt paralyzed, he forced himself to calm down.
“Do you have an appointment, Sir?” the female guard asked as Beckett approached the gate. “If you don’t have an appointment with Sir Alfred, you’re not allowed to enter.”
Beckett suddenly pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it in front of her, causing the woman to stop talking. “I have an appointment with him now. I need to see him, and if you’re going to hinder me from doing it, I can’t promise I’ll let you stay alive.”
At that moment, he forgot that he couldn’t kill people, and a different feeling overcame him every time he saw blood. He could only think of Vivianne’s situation.
If he found out something bad had happened to Vivianne, he didn’t know what he would do.
The female guard didn’t respond. She was used to such scenarios because many had attempted to enter the Allamino house, so she was about to pull out her gun from her pocket when she heard an order in her earpiece.
“Let him in,” it was Alfred’s voice. “And tell him to go to the dining area.”
“Copy, Sir.”
The guard removed her hand from her waist and didn’t proceed further with her actions. Instead, she smiled at Beckett, causing his brows to furrow.
“You may proceed, Sir. Sir Alfred is in the dining area,” the guard said.
Beckett nodded before lowering his gun. He didn’t return it to its holster because he needed to stay vigilant. Now that they knew Alfred was involved in illegal business, it meant he was capable of killing or having people killed.
Now, he thinks he sees Alfred’s real personality behind the facade.
‘If Nathan is telling the truth about the drugs, it means that Alfred can sacrifice everything for the sake of his ambitions,’ Beckett thought, furrowing his brow. ‘Did he somehow have relations with my mother’s death, too?’
Doubts surrounded him, but he shook his head. He needed to clear his mind. He could think and act faster when his mind wasn’t cluttered with uncertainty.
Beckett entered the mansion. Just like before, the opulence of the entire house greeted him, as well as its expensive furnishings. There was no one in the living room, and it sent shivers down his spine.
‘Something’s wrong,’ Beckett thought. Why wasn’t there a single servant there to greet him?
“Vivianne?” Beckett called in his authoritative tone as he slowly walked toward the dining area with his gun pointed ahead.
He didn’t hear any noise, but the lights were on. Beckett remained alert until he reached the dining table, where he saw Vivianne and Alfred sitting across from each other.
Alfred had a smirk on his face, as if he expected Beckett’s arrival. Vivianne’s eyes were wide as she stared at him, her eyes slightly teary and her cheeks flushed.
Beckett suddenly gritted his teeth at the sight.
“To what do I owe the sudden visit?” Alfred asked, a smirk on his lips. “And you even had a gun in your hand. Do you plan to kill someone here?”
“It depends on what will happen here,” Beckett replied firmly.
“Is that so?” Alfred chuckled and shook his head before taking the rock glass on the table and sipping his drink. “Well, then.”
“He said he’d try it on his own child.”
Nathan’s words from earlier flashed back into Beckett’s mind. Drugs are commonly blended in beverages, and they were drinking alcohol right now. Beckett’s gaze landed on the nearly empty rock glass in front of Vivianne.
“Do you want to drink, too?” Alfred asked, his smirk unwavering. “You can try it, but this alcohol is strong. Just look at my daughter…”
Alfred pointed at Vivianne, who looked like she might faint any moment now. Beckett didn’t like what he was seeing, so he quickly took Vivianne’s glass and tasted the alcohol in it.
Since Beckett was working in the drug trade for a long time, he learned to recognize the taste of drugs in a beverage. He only used drugs when he needed to taste them for formulation purposes but wasn’t a drug user in general.
As the alcohol touched Beckett’s tongue, his brows furrowed because there was no taste of drugs in it. However, Alfred was right-the alcohol was strong due to its high alcohol content, and it seemed like Vivianne had consumed quite a bit.
‘This woman… Why did she drink so much again?’
“Are you looking for something?” Alfred asked with a smirk, bringing Beckett back to reality. “Well, you look like you do. Tell me what it is, and I’ll find it for you,” his voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Never mind.”
Beckett turned his gaze back to Vivianne. Suddenly, he felt a stirring in his g. roin as he saw how alluring Vivianne’s expression was right now. He wanted to kiss her deeply while savoring the taste of her lips.
He’ll surely punish her sooner or later, but for now, he needs to take her home.
“Let’s go.” Beckett pulled Vivianne so she could stand up. Vivianne immediately followed him.
“Where are we going?” Vivianne asked in a soft voice. Her eyes were also sparkling as she gazed at Beckett.
“Home,” Beckett replied coldly and authoritatively.
“Oh…”
Beckett held Vivianne by the waist, causing her to smile. She was feeling a bit dizzy, but she was still aware of her surroundings. She was just conserving her energy, so she didn’t participate much in the conversation between the two men.
Moreover, she could feel the tension between Beckett and Alfred. It was as if they knew something she didn’t. First of all, why did Beckett suddenly show up at their house when he wasn’t even invited? Second, why had her father been grinning almost non-stop since earlier?
She wanted to know the reason, and she could only find out through observation.
Beckett and Vivianne were about to leave the kitchen when some of Alfred’s men suddenly blocked their path. They all stood in front of them, but when Beckett glanced at their pockets, he saw their guns.
‘That’s it. They’re only hiding,’ Beckett thought, realizing that all of Alfred’s men had merely been concealing their presence earlier.
Alfred clapped slowly, catching the attention of the two. “How rude you are, Mr. Clainfer. Do you really think you can just take my daughter like that?”
“I’m not taking her away from you. I’m bringing her home.” Beckett glanced at Vivianne. “She needs rest. Let her go.”
‘Let her go…’ Vivianne repeated Beckett’s words in her mind.
Suddenly, she felt at ease. Beckett always protected her. Even though she had no idea about what was happening, she knew he was keeping her safe.
She trusted someone she had only recently met more than her own father.
“This is her home.” Alfred stood up and glared at Beckett. His expression darkened. “Who do you think you are?”
“Her boyfriend,” Beckett replied casually before tightening his grip on Vivianne’s waist. “And her fiancé.”
When he said that, it wasn’t just Alfred who was surprised. Vivianne’s lips parted as she stared at Beckett too, her eyes widening. She wanted to ask her boyfriend, but nervousness seemed to have sealed her lips.
“Is that true? Are you two together?” Alfred asked, but he was looking at Vivianne.
“Y-Yes,” Vivianne answered, her voice slightly faltering because she was still recovering from the shock earlier.
“Hmm… Interesting.” Alfred caressed the armchair using his hands. His gaze remained observant, as if he wanted to catch Beckett in something he didn’t know. “Since when?”
“It’s none of your business.” Beckett pressed his lips together, restraining himself from saying something that could jeopardize everything he had planned and built. “Command your people to move away, or everything will be bloody.”
And he wasn’t joking. If he couldn’t get Vivianne out of her father’s house willingly and if it meant risking everything, he was willing to make the mansion run red with blood.
Beckett could lose everything else, but he couldn’t lose his girl, especially not while he was watching.
“Chill. I might start thinking you have a personal grudge against me.” Alfred chuckled, but his hands were clenched tightly. The tone of his laughter wasn’t pleasant to hear. “Sure. Move aside, everyone.”
At Alfred’s command, his men immediately stepped back, but Beckett knew they were still on high alert. Suddenly, he realized that going to the Allamino mansion alone and unplanned was one of the reckless things he had ever done.
He cursed silently in his thoughts. He had thought he still had control over his emotions, but it turned out that Vivianne already held his heart.
“Let’s go,” Beckett said again before gently pulling Vivianne out of the mansion. Vivianne willingly followed him.
But before they could fully leave, Beckett glanced back at Alfred because there was something he wanted to see. What he saw was unexpected.
Alfred was taking off his shirt.
Beckett suddenly remembered the back of the person who killed his parents that day, and it looked exactly like Alfred’s.