Chapter 43
“Vivian, if you want to obtain Alajos’s forgiveness, perhaps you should be submissive to him during sex,” Luzia suggested.
Vivian’s face couldn’t quite be described as either shy or fearful as she weakly ruffled her hair, “This is terrible, I don’t think it will necessarily work.”
“Then shall we think of something else?” Luzia sounded distressed. “Make him a delicious lunch? Buy him a suit that he likes?”
“Those are not good ideas.” Alajos wasn’t someone who could be easily bought off.
Luzia thought the most feasible plan was to seduce Alajos in bed; no man would refuse a woman willing to perform oral sex for him, but she felt Vivian would be unwilling.
“Hey, Mare,” Luzia, unable to come up with any other strategy, turned her head to call Mare, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen, “Do you have any good suggestions?”
The kitchen was situated to the right of the living room, with no walls separating the two, and the voices of Vivian and Luzia were not quiet, so Luzia was sure Mare could hear their conversation.
Mare spread his hands in a shrug, offering no answer.
“Hey, please give your suggestion,” Luzia said, “Don’t evade.”
Vivian also cast a pleading look towards him.
Mare, with no other option, honestly replied, “Capo is a stubborn and intolerant man; he won’t easily change his mind.”
“I asked for a suggestion, not an assessment of Capo,” Luzia said with exasperation. “Forget it, you’re no help.”
Mare, undisturbed by the disapproval, simply bowed his head and continued preparing his lunch.
“It’s really difficult, isn’t it?” Luzia leaned back against Vivian, “Alajos is such a difficult bastard, making us rack our brains here, damn it.”
Vivian looked down in shock; from her angle, all she could see was the top of Luzia’s head, “You can’t swear, Luzia, you’re a lady.”
“What?” Luzia sat up, turning her head to look at her, “Who told you ladies can’t swear?”
“My parents,” Vivian said, “And the nuns at school.”
“Forget about that, Vivian,” Luzia laughed, “What’s wrong with swearing? It lets you vent all those bad emotions. Come on, learn from me, ‘damn it, go to hell, bitch…'”
“No, I won’t learn that,” Vivian crossed her arms.
“Forget the constraints of your parents. The nuns at school are not saints either; they also curse like sailors in private. I assure you, Alajos won’t mind his bride swearing.”
“I don’t…”
“You need to vent, Vivian. Let out all your dissatisfaction and anger. Come on, curse with me, ‘Alajos, you bastard, you jerk,’ come on, dear girl.”
“Alajos, you bastard, you jerk… no, Luzia, I can’t do it.”
“You’re doing great, Vivian, don’t be afraid, keep going, ‘to hell with you, Alajos, go die!'”
“I’m delighted to hear your heartfelt wishes for me, my dear cousin,” Alajos’s voice suddenly came from behind the two girls, startling both Vivian and Luzia.
Luzia, frightened, jumped off the sofa and enthusiastically went to hug Alajos, “Please don’t mind my rudeness, Alajos, I was just teaching Vivian how to vent her negative emotions.”
Alajos did not reciprocate the hug, nor did he glance at Vivian, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
“I just came back to pick up some things and will leave soon. You two carry on.” Alajos then headed upstairs.
Mare asked him if he needed lunch, but Alajos declined.
“Go ahead, girl,” Luzia quietly encouraged Vivian from behind, “Go up and scold him, say ‘to hell with you, I’ve had enough of you.'”
“That sounds silly,” Vivian said painfully, covering her face, “I won’t say it, just give up.”
Mare’s lunch wasn’t tasty, and Luzia shouted about ending Haylee’s holiday early; she would die on the spot if she had to eat another one of Mare’s dinners.
Haylee was the chef in Alajos’s apartment, usually responsible for their three meals a day. She was skilled, baking fragrant cakes and baguettes, and making delicious buffalo wings. In her spare time, Vivian liked to go to the kitchen to watch Haylee prepare dinner, learning how to make delicious Italian pasta and baked ziti.
Vivian decided to make dinner herself; pasta was the best choice, and the refrigerator still held ingredients left by Haylee, which Vivian took out.
Perhaps if she prepared a delicious dinner, Alajos would be willing to sit down and taste it together, and their relationship could be eased. At the very least, Alajos might not be so angry and stop ignoring her.
The dinner took a bit longer to make, but the outcome was quite satisfactory. Vivian cleaned up the kitchen and arranged everything on the dining table.
Luzia stood aside, “When is Alajos coming back?”
Vivian looked towards Mare.
“Capo left a message; he’ll be back before dinner.”
Vivian glanced at the living room clock; it was 30 minutes earlier than their usual dinner time. Alajos should be on his way back by now.
Luzia and Mare sat aside, waiting with her.
But after 30 minutes, and then another 30 minutes, the elevator remained silent, and there was no one at the door.
The dinner had gone cold. Vivian warmed it up again while Luzia and Mare watched.
“You guys go ahead and eat,” Vivian sat down at the table, urging them to join, “I’ll wait a bit longer.”
Luzia wanted Vivian to eat as well, but she shook her head, refusing. She was actually quite hungry, her stomach growling, but the thought of Alajos’s cold, indifferent face made her lose all appetite.
Luzia and Mare quickly finished their dinner, while Vivian continued to wait. Her stubborn waiting gave Luzia a headache, but she could not convince her.
Vivian was sure she could wait for Alajos to return, though it might take a long time. Her plate of pasta had gone cold again, but she didn’t want to move; she’d rather wait for Alajos to return to warm it up together. She really didn’t have the energy anymore.
Luzia was no longer in the living room; she might have gone back to her room. Mare was still there, standing at a distance, but she was sure Mare could see her tears-it allowed her privacy and also protected her.
Vivian was grateful for Mare’s thoughtfulness. She told herself not to cry; crying was useless. It couldn’t win back Alajos’s heart, yet she couldn’t help it. She had lost a husband who was kind to her, her marriage had fallen into an irreparable chill; what was she to do?
…
Alajos fired a shot into John’s kneecap, the pain exploded in his mind, and he fell to the ground clutching his severely injured leg and screamed, “I begged you to marry Luzia to me, but you wouldn’t, you just wouldn’t!”
“Luzia is your cousin, the first time you gave her to Paavo, and now you want to give her away a second time, Alajos, you’re inhuman!”
Alajos grabbed his thick, curly hair with a fierce tug, distorting John’s face slightly; blood and saliva spilled onto the ground.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Disgusted, Alajos tapped his face with the hot barrel of the gun, “A disloyal dog will bite wherever it goes; don’t use Luzia as an excuse. She is a woman of the Hargrave family; to marry Joseph is her honor.”
“And you are just a coward; you don’t deserve my excellent cousin.” Alajos released his hair, and John curled up in agony on the ground.