Chapter 4

Running his fingers through his wet hair, Weylin put his hand on the rim of the bathtub. Leaning on the edge of the tub, he took a deep breath, inhaling the relaxing lavender fragrance which was filled in the bathroom. The twilight bath bomb in the lukewarm made the bath even more pleasant. 

"Shadow prepared all this…" Weylin trailed off, scrubbing his body. "Everything is just too perfect- the fragrance, the bath bomb, the temperature of the water and the atmosphere. How does she know everything about me? How did she come to know that lavender fragrance is my favourite? Most importantly, who is she!? She even denied revealing her real identity. On top of that, she has special approval from dad."

These thoughts had been bothering him a lot for a while. No matter how much he tried to put the pieces together, Shadow seemed like a puzzle which he cannot complete. After finishing his bath, he came out in bathrobes. He halted upon seeing the person standing with clothes in front of him. 

"Uncle? You could have just left the clothes here or given them to some servants. Why are you standing here?" Weylin hurriedly took the clothes from the butler.

"You have returned home after such a long time. How can I just leave you to the servants?" The butler, Mr James chuckled. "Did you enjoy the bath?"

"Yes," the young master replied, smiling. After dressing, he followed the butler to the hall. "By the way, who is Shadow? Why does she have such authority?"  

"My apologies, young master. I am not allowed to tell you. You can directly ask your father," internally chuckling, the butler led him to the dining hall. 

Pouting a bit, Weylin followed the butler. He glanced at the surroundings, gaping at the interior decoration of the mansion. The mansion was so neat with pleasant fragrances all around that it seemed like some villa in the movies. 

"Master," Butler bowed to Blake Turner who was smiling at his curious son. 

"Dad?" Weylin's eyes widened as his eyes fell on the smiling figure. 

"Welcome home, son," Blake smiled. 

Smiling widely, Weylin hugged his father who returned the hug. Breaking the hug, Blake pulled the chair at the dining table, making his son sit on it. 

"How have you been, dear?" Blake asked, taking a seat on the opposite chair. 

"Everything's fine except missing you," Weylin smiled. "It's been a century since I heard your voice."

 "A century? I cannot deny this," Blake laughed. He signalled the maids to serve food.

"How have you been? Are you even taking care of yourself? You used to neglect taking care of your health," Weylin asked, cutting the steak. 

"Hm...I am perfectly fine. I still feel like I am a teenager," Blake joked, taking a bite from the omelette. 

"Tch…" Weylin laughed, taking a bite. 

The moment the food touched his taste buds, he halted. Blake glanced at his son who seemed to be thunderstruck. Grinning, he took another bite of his food. Weylin slowly munched on the food, letting the taste buds enjoy the heavenly taste for a while. 

"How's it? Is the food to your liking?" Blake asked, pulling Weylin out of his daze. 

"This is heavenly!" Weylin exclaimed. Behaving like a curious child who got his favourite toy for the first time, he added. "The arrangement, as well as the food, is way too perfect."

Blake laughed at Weylin's childish behaviour. "Then I should thank Shadow and the chef. She is the one who took care of the menu and arrangement."

Weylin frowned upon hearing the name. He had been hearing the praises about that person but no one was ready to reveal her real identity. Weylin who always used to get what he wanted started to lose his patience. 

"Dad, who is this Shadow?" Weylin inquired. 

"Haven't you met her yet? She is one of the important core members of my organisation," Blake replied, enjoying his meal.

"I met her in the morning but she denied revealing her real identity." Glancing at his father, Weylin continued, "she said that she is forbidden from revealing her identity and she has special permission from you."

"She said that?" Blake chuckled. This girl...she knows how to handle people well. She used my name when she realized that this time her opponent wasn't an ordinary one. Shadow, I really admire how witty you are!

"Yes. Even uncle James didn't tell me anything about her," the young master complained. "Judging from her frame, it's clear that she is in her mid-twenties, almost around my age. She mentioned that she has special permission from you and you just said that she is one of the core members of 'The Devils'. It means you and her share a very special bond. Then there are only two possibilities. One, you met her when she was young and gave her shelter. If not, then you must have helped her in her crisis for which she is so grateful to you that she is willing to sacrifice her life." Weylin explained in a serious tone as if he was negotiating with someone. "Dad, just who is she?" He asked, finishing the last piece of sausage on his plate. 

"Wow. You noticed such minute details. It looks like you have successfully grown up to be a mafia leader," The older man chuckled, wiping his mouth with a tissue. Getting up, he walked to his son. Patting on Weylin's shoulder, Blake smirked. "If you are so curious about her, then find it yourself."

Weylin's brows knitted together forming a frown upon hearing his father's statement. Taking the last bite, he finished his dinner. The older man glanced at his son to follow him after finishing his meal. Wiping his mouth with tissues, he followed his father to the latter's office. 

Weylin Turner, I want to see how far you can go to find the whereabouts of a person. This time the person who is concealing Shadow's real identity is me, Blake Turner, himself. Let's see if you are strong enough to challenge me.

____________

The pitch-black room was dimly lit by bulbs, creating a dreadful environment that was enough to induce despair and fear in a person. Various torturing instruments were on the display, creating horror in the minds of the people who were brought there. 

The room was engulfed with pin drop silence. There was a water bucket hanging from the ceiling from which water was leaking continuously drop by drop, creating a constant irritating sound. A man was tied to a chair, eyes blinded by a blindfold. He seemed to struggle to remain conscious since he was already electrocuted twice with low intensity. He was the intruder whom Shadow shot on his thigh when he entered the mansion along with Weylin. 

Suddenly the low clacking sound of the boots echoed in the room, making the man move, expecting some help. 

"It looks like you are still highly energetic," Shadow's cold, emotionless voice reverberated in the room, making the man shiver in fear. 

"P-plea-se s-spare m-me," the intruder struggled to speak, wriggling.  

"Hm? I thought you are into playing games, aren't you?" Shadow asked innocently, leaning towards the man. "I am still excited to play with you," She whispered, smirking.

"I-I am so-r-ry...p-pl-ease…"

"Uh huh...should we go for another round?" Rubbing her chin with her fingers, Shadow suggested. "I think two rounds is too less for a player like you."

"NO! Plea-se…" The man pleased, wriggling around to free himself. "T-the so-und o-of wa-ter drops i-is killing m-me. Please s-spare me!"

"Are you sure?" She sneered.

"I-I am s-sorry."

"Then speak!" Shadow commanded in a deadly serious tone. 

"I w-was sent b-by y-young master F-Felix. H-he wanted m-me to k-kill Mr T-Turner."

"Felix?" Shadow wondered. This name...it sounds so familiar. Who is this?

"H-he is b-brother o-of Char-les Brown," the man replied. 

"Charles Brown? Isn't he the leader of 'The Vipers'?" Shadow asked, frowning. 

"H-he is."

"Great!" Smirking, Shadow removed the blindfold. "Thanks for your hard work."

Turning away from the tied man, she smirked. 

"Mr Chapman, he needs another round of electrocution. Keep it on low intensity. And make sure the sound of water drops is loud enough to make him go crazy," Shadow ordered a tall man who seemed like a headsman. "Make certain that he won't die. It seems like this man is related to the young master. So we cannot kill him until the young master himself interrogates him." She glanced at the man who trembled in fear, eyes popping out in anticipation. "Enjoy your reward."

"M-miss y-you can-not d-do this! I r-revealed everything. Miss!"

Walking out of the room, she closed the door. Letting out a deep breath, she proceeded to reach her destination - Blake Turner's office. She was supposed to report this news to the leader. 

Upon reaching the office, she put her hand on the handle of the door, intending to push it when she suddenly stopped. She suddenly remembered that her master was having a conversation with the young master. Hesitating, she removed her hand off the handle of the door. 

Is it okay if I knock at the door? Won't the master feel annoyed? He might treat me specially but now his own son is back. Won't it feel like I am snatching away his rights? No matter how special I am to him, I am just an adopted child. Is it really okay for me to disturb them?

She was drowning deeply into her thoughts when Blake Turner's manly voice was heard from the other side of the door, pulling her out of her thoughts. 

"Come in."

Huh?! Master?! How did he know that I was standing outside?!