Chapter - 220
Rick bounded up the stairs with an air of casual confidence, a smirk playing on his lips as he addressed the old Matriarch lounging on the balcony, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," he greeted her with a grin. "Didn't expect to see so soon, did you?"
The old Matriarch turned her head lazily towards Rick, her expression unreadable as she regarded him with a hint of curiosity. "What brings you back here in such a hurry?" she inquired, her voice tinged with mild interest.
Rick's grin faltered slightly, a flicker of disappointnt crossing his features. "I thought maybe you'd be happy to see ," he admitted, his tone tinged with mock hurt. "But if you'd rather I leave..."
Before he could finish, the old Matriarch cut in, her voice calm but firm. "Don't try to play gas with , Rick," she admonished, her eyes boring into his with unwavering intensity. "Are you here to fulfill your end of the bargain?"
Rick's expression shifted to one of innocence, his eyes widening in mock surprise. "Promise? What promise?" he asked, his tone dripping with faux confusion as he tried to play dumb.
The old lady's patience wore thin as she fixed Rick with a steely glare, her words cutting through the air like a knife. "Are you playing dumb on purpose, or did you decide to start your day by forgetting everything?" she snapped, her tone laced with irritation.
"You would do well to rember that your cleverness won't save you here. Your smartness has no place in our world, rember it. It will barely take a minute to cut off your throat and drip your blood down my throat."
"You have promised sothing. Now you better keep it in return for that girl's life," the old lady responded, a frown appearing on her face.
Rick's grin faltered at the old lady's stern warning, but he quickly tried to diffuse the tension with a casual remark. "Hey now, no need to get all worked up," he said, attempting to lighten the mood with a nonchalant shrug. "I was just ssing around."
But the old matriarch was having none of it. Her expression hardened as she leaned forward, her eyes flashing with barely-contained fury. "Don't mistake my leniency for weakness, Rick," she warned, her voice firm and unwavering. "You made a promise, and I expect you to keep it."
With a sigh, Rick relented, realizing that he couldn't charm his way out of this one. "Alright, alright," he conceded, his tone more serious now. "I'll do what I said I would, just give so ti."
The old matriarch regarded him skeptically, her doubts lingering in the air like a heavy fog. "You better have a plan, Rick," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "Because if you fail, there will be consequences."
"Now tell , how are you going to cure him?" the old matriarch asked Rick, her voice tinged with doubt and suspicion, "I need to know."
Rick leaned back in his seat, a sly grin dancing on his lips as he considered the old matriarch's question. "Ah, now that's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" he mused, his tone teasing as he toyed with the idea of revealing his secret. "But sorry, love, a magician never reveals his tricks. Where's the fun in that?"
"If I tell you the cure, why would you even need ? Will you keep up with my shenanigans?" he replied cryptically, refusing to confess the technique he planned to use.
The old matriarch's gaze hardened, her suspicion evident as she fixed Rick with a penetrating stare. "Rick, cut the nonsense," she demanded, her voice tinged with impatience. "I need to know how you plan to cure him. How can a re mortal hope to cure an immortal being?"
Rick's smirk widened, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he leaned forward, his expression shrouded in mystery. "Ah, now that's the magic of it all, isn't it?" he replied coyly, his fingers tracing invisible patterns in the air. "Let's just say I have got a few tricks up my sleeve. But trust , I have got a plan that will knock your socks off."
The old matriarch let out a heavy sigh, her frustration palpable as she fixed Rick with a stern glare. "You're treading on dangerous ground, Rick," she cautioned, her voice tinged with warning.
"Don't even think about trying to deceive ," she continued, her tone icy. "If you fail to deliver on your promise, I will drain every last drop of blood from your body until you're nothing but an empty husk. And believe , I won't bat an eye at the sound of your screams."
Rick couldn't help but chuckle at the old matriarch's threats, his confidence unwavering. "Hahaha... Oh, is that supposed to scare ?" he taunted, his voice dripping with bravado. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am not easily intimidated. You know why? Because right now, you need ."
With a casual flick of his hand, Rick reached for the glass of wine sitting on the table, raising it to his lips with a smirk. Taking a leisurely sip, he savored the rich flavor, all the while maintaining eye contact with the old matriarch, his expression one of cool defiance.
"Nice wine," Rick nodded in approval, even though truth be told, he wouldn't know a rlot from a Cabernet Sauvignon if his life depended on it.
The old matriarch's facade of stoicism cracked ever so slightly, a flicker of uncertainty dancing in her eyes. She begrudgingly acknowledged Rick's point—despite her power and authority, she was now in a precarious position, relying on him to fulfill her husband's cure.
"You might have a point there, Rick," she conceded with a reluctant sigh, her tone heavy with resignation. "But don't get it twisted. If you fail to deliver on your end of the deal, I won't hesitate to ensure you pay the ultimate price for crossing the BloodThorne family."
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Rick couldn't resist a smirk, his confidence undiminished even in the face of the old matriarch's threats. "Hey, no need to get your fangs in a twist," he quipped, his tone teasing. "After all, who was it that saved your sorry ass in the first place?"
But before the Old Matriarch could respond, Geoffrey barged into their conversation like an enraged bull, his voice a thunderous roar of anger and frustration. "He's bluffing, milady! He doesn't have any way to cure," Geoffrey interjected, his tone dripping with venomous accusation.
"He's nothing but a conniving, deceitful bastard who spins lies faster than a spider spins its web. Don't fall for his tricks again. Last ti was just dumb luck," Geoffrey spat, his words laced with bitterness and resentnt.
The old matriarch's eyes narrowed at Geoffrey's outburst, her gaze shifting between him and Rick, uncertainty clouding her expression. Rick, however, remained unruffled, his deanor calm and collected as he watched Geoffrey unleash his tirade.
"Ah, here we go again," Rick responded, his voice laced with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes. "The cowardly failure erges to cast bla on soone else. Classic Geoffrey."
"Ha ha, if you are capable enough of saving your lover's husband, why didn't you do that?" Rick taunted Geoffrey.
Geoffrey's anger flared at Rick's taunt, his fists clenching at his sides as he bristled with indignation. "How dare you insult , you arrogant little bastard," he seethed, his voice trembling with rage.
Rick let out a scornful laugh, his smirk stretching into a full-blown grin. "Oh, spare the theatrics, Geoffrey. We all know you couldn't organize a tea party without causing a riot," he jeered, his words dripping with venom. "And now you have the nerve to point fingers at ?"
"I am sure the old Matriarch is well aware of what you wanted to do with her," Rick spoke, implying to the ti when the Old Matriarch was on death bed, "You wanted to... Hehehe... Do you want to spell it out for you?"
Geoffrey's face contorted with fury, his fists clenched at his sides as he took a nacing step forward. "You are nothing but a slimy, deceitful snake," he growled, his voice quivering with emotion. "Humans like you are the scourge of this earth, spreading nothing but lies and chaos."
Rick's expression hardened, his eyes blazing with defiance. "And you are just a sad excuse for a man," he shot back, his voice heavy with disdain. "You think you can intimidate with your hollow threats? Think again."
The tension crackled between them like electricity, each word fueling the flas of their animosity. Insults flew back and forth, each barb striking deeper than the last.
"Why don't we settle this like n, huh?" Rick rose from his seat, his gaze locked firmly on Geoffrey's. "Outside, right now, old coot."
Geoffrey's eyes narrowed, his jaw set in a determined line. "Do you think I am afraid of you?" he spat, his voice dripping with defiance.
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