Hamish pinched himself discreetly and belatedly felt the pain, realizing he wasn’t dreaming; Elisa had actually come to the hospital to visit him and even prepared soup for him.
“Is this really for me?” he questioned.
“Didn’t you say yesterday that you wanted to eat the food I cook? Since I didn’t make a meal, I made some medicinal soup for you. After all, the injury on your hand was caused by me,” Elisa said as she opened the insulated container, and a hot, pungent aroma hit them.
“Will you drink it?” she asked.
“Sure,” Hamish replied. Even if it were poison, he would drink it without hesitation, especially since Elisa had been at home and hadn’t had a chance to buy poison.
Naturally, Hamish couldn’t believe that Elisa would be so kind as to make soup for him and personally bring it. However, there was still a glimmer of a hopeful fantasy in his heart, imagining that perhaps Elisa did care for him a little.
This delicate fantasy was like holding a treasure in his hand, fearing it might break, or keeping it in his mouth, afraid it might dissolve.
Elisa poured the soup out, even darker than when it was first cooked. The medicinal herbs inside were common, yet for some reason, the soup had this unusual color.
“Shall I feed you?” Elisa asked, stirring the dark concoction gently with the spoon, her voice gentle and alluring, with a hint of deadly temptation.
“Please,” Hamish, with a needle still hanging from the back of his hand, found it inconvenient to drink the soup himself. He sat on the bed, motionless, as he watched Elisa scoop up a spoonful and bring it to his lips. Without hesitation, he drank it down.
The taste was peculiar, and as soon as he drank it, he realized something was amiss. If it were from anyone else, he would have spat it out immediately.
Observing his grimace, Elisa quirked her lips. “Not tasty?”
“It’s delicious. I would drink anything you make,” Hamish replied.
“In that case, finish this bowl,” she said.
“Alright.”
Elisa spoon-fed Hamish, saying, “All the ingredients in here are beneficial for the body. It’s normal for it to taste a bit odd.”
Watching Hamish finish the bowl of soup, Elisa felt the demons within her rejoicing.
The last time she had said “I love you” to Hamish felt like it had happened just yesterday. Yet today, she had started poisoning him, intending to kill the man.
It was indeed true that there are two things in this world that one cannot directly face: the sun and human nature.
For the past month, Mrs. Rugger had been urging her to let go. She warned that once hatred takes control of a person, they are ruined. Little did she know, Elisa had already been ruined by Hamish.
Not long after finishing the soup, Hamish’s stomach began to burn intensely, and soon, cold sweat drenched his back.
Elisa, with an undisturbed look in her eyes, straightened his collar gently. “I’ll go to the bathroom.”
“The bathroom is inside the room.”
The private bathroom in the ward was near the door. Shortly after Elisa went in, Hamish, bent over the edge of the bed, began to vomit. He felt dizzy, his head pounding, as if something inside him was churning.
His sudden bout of sickness alarmed the bodyguard and Mr. Clegg, who quickly called the attending physician, causing quite a commotion in the ward.
Hearing the noise outside, Elisa quietly pushed the door open and slipped away, unnoticed by everyone.
“Escaping” was something Elisa was familiar with, but she hadn’t planned to escape at that moment. Finding a phone booth, she inserted coins and dialed a number.
She was sensitive to numbers, likely due to her work before she lost her memory.
After the call connected, a lazy male voice came through. “Hello?”
“Finn, I’m willing to leave with you,” she said.
After a long pause, Finn chuckled. “I heard Hamish is in the hospital with his left hand half crippled. Did you do that?”
“Yes, and today I even poisoned his soup.”
Finn was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected this seemingly fragile woman to dare poison Hamish. Indeed, when rabbits get desperate, they will bite.
“If the old man finds out, he’ll be furious.”
In truth, Elisa didn’t want to contact Finn. She felt that, deep down, he was no better than Hamish. However, having lost her memory, she had no one else to turn to. She couldn’t confront Hamish alone, so she had to seek out Hamish’s “enemy.”
An enemy’s enemy is a friend. If Hamish hadn’t deceived her, Finn was probably the man most motivated to bring him down, and also the most capable.
“Elisa, I don’t want you now. I’d rather see the two of you tear each other apart after Hamish loses you in comparison to seeing you both destroy each other.”
“Tear each other apart?” Elisa smiled bitterly. “You overestimate me. It’s not a mutual destruction. It’s just me being victimized. If I want to shake the foundation of this great tree that is Hamish, I will have to slowly rot it from within. I can’t do it alone.”
“Well then, I can help you regain your memory.”
Elisa’s body stiffened, and she gripped the phone tightly. “You can help me regain my memory?” She had thought she would never be able to recover her memory, especially after months of being fed drugs by Hamish, which had nearly turned her into a vegetable.
“All you need is a little stimulation for your brain, and you can regain your memory. I happen to have a short video clip that accidentally fell into my hands. It should help stimulate your memory.”
Elisa’s amnesia had two main causes. Initially, she had been forced into hypnosis following a traumatic event, and during the hypnosis, she had willingly chosen to forget. Thus, the hypnosis had been successful.
Secondly, the medication she took every night was like a lock. Her brain was a door accumulating more and more keys, and the memories locked away behind that door were like a fierce flood and beast. Once triggered, a few locks wouldn’t hold them back.
Elisa wasn’t easily fooled. “You want me to regain my memory just so you can watch Hamish and me tear each other apart. It benefits you, but it doesn’t help me in any way.”
“Ah, you’re quite clever,” Finn remarked.
“Feel free. After all, your memory belongs to you. If you want it, take it. If not, forget it.”
“Finn, you don’t need to provoke me. I know what you’re up to. You’re a businessman, and you should know what kind of deals are profitable. My life itself isn’t worth much. If it’s ruined, so be it. I’m planning to go down with Hamish. Here’s the deal: you send me the video you have. Once I regain my memory, I’ll promise you something, as long as it doesn’t violate my principles.”
The line fell silent. After a while, Finn said, “Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
Elisa narrowed her eyes. She knew that Finn’s initial approach was not as simple as it seemed.
This man wasn’t much different from Hamish at his core. After all, they were both businessmen with the same blood running through their veins-arrogant, selfish, and adept at manipulating others.
“What do you want to know?”
“Hamish bought an island near Bankshire, supposedly to build a theme park. But beneath the island, there’s a private mine. The theme park is merely a distraction to covertly transport the minerals.”
“You want to know where those minerals are being taken so you can intercept them, right?” Elisa instantly understood his intentions.
“I enjoy talking to smart people. The island is called South Water Island. According to my sources, the private minerals have already been transported to Chiwood.”
South Water Island, minerals, Chiwood, theme park-something flashed in her mind, like a needle piercing through her skull and stirring her brain. She clutched her head, furrowing her brow tightly.
Deep within her memory, she sensed that she had encountered these terms long ago. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction upon hearing them.
“Do you know?” Finn asked, his tone casual, revealing no particular interest in the private minerals.
Coincidentally, Elisa did know. During a period when she was bored, she used to accompany Hamish to the office to pass the time. During that time, Hamish was busy with never-ending meetings, unfinished work, and endless conversations with Tobias. She would rest and sleep in the office cubicle. It was during that time, around her birthday, that she overheard a conversation between Hamish and Tobias, discussing the destination for the minerals.
At that time, Tobias had been quite cautious around her, but Hamish didn’t seem to mind. Company secrets were never a concern for him.
“I know, but you have to help me with something,” Elisa said.
“Don’t tell me you want me to secretly take you away?” Finn teased.
Elisa didn’t deny it. She knew how crucial those minerals were to Hamish. If Finn wanted them, he had to offer something significant in return. Yet, more than her own life, she cared about those who had been kind to her.
“Before that, help me ensure Mrs. Rugger and her family’s safety,” Elisa requested.
“Who is Mrs. Rugger?”
“She’s the nanny hired by Hamish, with a signed employment contract. She has helped me, and I’m afraid that my departure might bring trouble to her.”
He thought this woman was ruthless, but he hadn’t expected her to still possess a sense of kindness.
“That’s not difficult. I’ll make sure Mrs. Rugger and her family are safe. Tell me the approximate location of the minerals, and I’ll help you. Do you still want to see the video I have?” Finn asked.
“Yes, I do. You want me to regain my memory, right? But I’m outside now and don’t have a phone. How can I watch it?” Elisa asked.
“Find an internet café. I’ll give you an account. Remember the username and password. Use a computer to log in later, and the video will be there,” Finn explained, his voice carrying a casual air as he lit a cigarette, playing with the lighter with his long, slender fingers, the fire reflecting in his brown eyes, flickering.
“Alright.” Elisa didn’t say much more. After hanging up the phone, she looked around at the misty weather, then removed her outer garment, turned it inside out, put it back on, and donned a mask, allowing her long hair to cover her face.
There was an internet café not far away, crowded with mostly students.
Elisa paid and entered, finding a seat and following Finn’s instructions to log in with the provided account details. The internet connection was good, and she was directed to a chat room before a blank page popped up, displaying a video.