Melody sitting on the couch with Damian who working on his phone. The scene just now makes her ask herself. If they target her, she can be a good one to lure them in.
“Hey, Dam…” she called.
“Hm?”
“You did tell me that Matthias is targeting me to get to you, right?”
“Yes. What with it?” Damian arches his eyebrows.
Melody tilted her head, “Why don’t you use me to lure them into your trap?”
Her question made Damian stiffened. He lifted his head, looking at her with a disbelief expression. He believe that he didn’t misheard of anything.
“What did you say?”
“I mean…you can’t get to him without using me. He wouldn’t stop until he got me so that he could use me on you,” she explains.
“Are you crazy? Or you are stupid? I wouldn’t risk your life just to get that old man,” Damian sneers. “There’s another way we can use instead of your stupid idea.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s genius-”
“It’s not genius, you genius,” Damian cuts her off.
Melody rolls her eyes. She lay on the couch, pouting to herself. She just suggesting some logical ideas and here she is, being called stupid.
“Matthias wouldn’t show up if you didn’t let him get me,” she speaks the truth.
Damian sighs, “I know but that didn’t mean I have to use you. I have risked your life before and I wouldn’t do it again.”
“You have to involve me in this too…” she whines.
“Why do I have to involve you? You do nothing in this mess,” he crossed his arms on his chest. “I don’t want to involve you again this time.”
“I can’t just let you face this by yourself. We are together in this, aren’t we?” She talks back.
Damian closes his eyes and sighs, trying to be patient with her stubbornness. He knows she trying to help but he just can’t…
“Mel, please listen to me. If anything happened to you-even worse than before, I can’t accept it. I just…couldn’t let it happen again,” he firmly speaks.
“I know but-”
“No means no, Mel.” Damian’s strict voice made her shut up.
She puffs her cheeks and glares at him. Why can’t he just let her help? It is much easier for him to reach Matthias and end it all.
Damian gets up and walks towards her, kneels in front of her. His gazes softened seeing her sulking expression.
“Can you please…listen to me this once? Just once. I’m begging you,” he whispers. His hand reached into her hair, caressing it gently. “I can’t see you hurt…not again.”
“Do you know how much it torture me seeing you bleeding and pain stick to your face?”
Melody didn’t say anything. She felt guilty for forcing him to listen to her without knowing how much the incident before traumatised him. He might not show it through his expression but….
His eyes tell her everything.
“Just be a good little wife and be safe for me. That’s all I asked for,”
Damian kissed her forehead before getting up and walking off. Melody sighs, hugging the cushion. Seeing him like that makes her weak.
“That was an interesting suggestion,”
She flinched and sat up to see Victor leaning on the wall. Since when is he standing there?
“Did you eavesdropping our conversation?” Melody narrows her eyes on him.
He scoffs, “Please. I’m not Matthew. I just happened to be passing you guys.”
“That’s the same thing,” she mumbles to herself.
“Are you that serious about asking Damian to use you as bait for him to get Matthias?” Victor inquired.
“I just want to help,”
“That’s not the way you are helping. Do you know how much Damian starts to become protective over you?”
“Your suggestion almost made his heart attack.”
Melody glares at him, “It didn’t. Tell me, do you guys have any other plan than mine?”
He is quiet for a moment before speaking, “Not for this meantime-but we will think about it later.”
“While you thinking about it, Matthias already making his move,” Melody scoffs.
“He wouldn’t. He didn’t know this place,” Victor speaks.
“Vic, please. Can you help me convince him?” She pleaded.
“I don’t even agree with you-how can you expect me to agree to help you convince him?” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Melody clutching the cushion in her arms, “He been living in this…pain in his whole life. Letting someone who wanted to ruin his life wouldn’t make him happy.”
“I just want him to live without worrying over my safety.”
“Even though this didn’t happen, he still worries about your safety. All the time,” Victor speaks up.
“I know that but not like this where we have to stay in this emergency base. Don’t you want to see him living in his peaceful life?” She asks, stare at him with her doe eyes.
Victor’s eyes twitch knowing what she try to do. Not only that, her words snap something in his mind. Doesn’t he want to see Damian live his peaceful life?
“I mean…have you heard Damian laughing like that? Not a scary laughing-this is a happy laugh! And it sounds so genuine!”
That’s right. He wants it. He wants Damian to live a life where he could laugh like that again with his wife.
“Victor?” Melody’s voice makes him flinch.
“Y-Yes?”
“Are you okay? You seem in a deep thought,” she fiddles with her fingers.
“Nothing…I just…thought of something,” Victor clears his throat. “Anyway…about your suggestion…”
She arches her eyebrows.
“I…I will think about it,” by that, Victor walks off leaving her alone in the living room.
She furrows her eyebrows and tilts her head in confusion. “What with him…”
___
Melody walked into the backyard, looking around. Some guards are on duty and some of them practice their combat skills.
“I forgot Damian has stopped my training,” she felt shivers as she remembered how strict he trained her to protect herself.
She walking around until she reach a tree. She looked up and saw it was an apple tree. Melody squeals and her eyes sparkling in interest.
She looks around seeing everyone is busy. Melody didn’t waste her time so she tried to climb the tree.
Damian taps his finger on the table seeing the camera surveillance that he sticks around Melody’s bakery. The black car Melody pointed out yesterday appeared.
“Hm…it seems like Matthias keeps an eye on us,” he speaks.
“It seems like it is,” Celestia nods in agreement.
“Isn’t it obvious? He trying to take the opportunity to kidnap Melody,” Matthew sneers, not toward Damian but hating the fact Melody is on target.
“We have to plan something as soon as we can before he makes a move, Dam,” Celestia speaks up.
Damian leans on his chair, “I know that. But all of us know how smart that old man is.”
Matthew glances at Victor who keeps quiet the whole time. He wrapped his arms around his shoulder.
“Yo, what’s wrong with you? You have been quiet since we started this meeting,”
Victor flinches and looks at him, “Nothing. Just thinking of something…”
The door being knocked. A guard walks in with a nervous expression. Damian looks at him with confusion.
“What is it?”
“Um…sir. We have something to tell you…” he gulps.
“And that is?”
“Uh…boss lady…she…” the guard scratched his head not knowing how to tell him. “…your wife…”
Damian frowns, “What with my wife?”
“She climbing the tree,” the guard spills it out.
Damian grunts, throwing his head back. Matthew laughs at hearing that. It’s not a surprise act since they are being used with Melody’s dumb act.
“This woman…I never understand her,” Damian gets up and leaves the office.
Matthew wipes the tears from his laughing, “How random it is…”
“Melody never fails to make a surprise,” Celestia agreed.
Then, she turns to Victor who is still with his world. She crosses her arms on her chest, looking at him with raised eyebrows.
“Is there something on your mind, Vic?”
“Why are you saying that?” Victor asks.
“Because you look like one,” Matthew agreed.
Victor sighs, “I…I just have been thinking…”
Matthew and Celestia exchange looks before turning to him again. They waiting for him to continue.
“What if…we used Melody as a bait?”