River turned around and saw Lyle. He brought a fresh bouquet of flowers for his sister. He froze when his eyes landed on her.
"River, is that... really you?"
Lyle couldn’t believe who he was seeing. He was too shocked to move until River approached him. She was wearing black clothes with black jeans.
And even when her baseball cap covered her face, there was no way Lyle would mistake River. He had known her for his entire life.
"Hi, Lyle." River tilted her head. She looked at Lyle with a small smile. She could understand his surprise. "Long ti no see."
"What the hell..." Lyle cursed under his breath.
River could see a cut on the corner of his lips and a scar on his left forehead that he covered with his baseball cap.
"You are dead." Lyle looked around, as if he was trying to find soone else to confirm that they could see River, too; after all, they were in the cetery.
"I am alive."
"No way." Lyle breathed sharply.
"What? You look upset to see alive."
"People thought you were dead! Your father had buried you!"
River was not sure how much Lyle had known about it, but it didn’t matter to her anymore. There was sothing more important that she wanted to talk to Lyle about.
It was a good thing that she t him here. What a terrific coincidence because she didn’t need to look for him.
"How can you still be alive?" Lyle narrowed his eyes. He still thought River might disappear into white smoke before his eyes.
"It’s a long story. Aren’t you happy to see again?" River opened her arms. "Don’t you want to hug ?"
"No, thanks," Lyle replied with a suspicious look, which made River laugh. "Don’t laugh; it’s scary."
"Let’s have a chat. I will wait here as you et Olive."
"Okay." Lyle agreed. He then walked away, and River stood a few ters away from him.
River looked up to the bright sky. She let the warm rays of the sun wash over her. She took a deep breath as she thought of how her life was.
Everything felt surreal for her. If it were not for Ashlyn, River wouldn’t have believed that she had lived as Hazel.
Her daughter still refused to be touched by her. She would be upset when River got closer, even when Ranon coaxed the little girl. River knew how stubborn Ashlyn could be, and now it worked against her.
River couldn’t force her presence because it would only make Ashlyn even more defensive. Thus, she needed to find another way.
When she was thinking about it, she was still glad that the outco was not as bad as she had imagined.
It was way better...
River was deep in thought when suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar car parked in the parking lot. It gave whoever was inside a clear view of her.
"What a stalker." River pursed her lips, but she felt giddy as well.
***
"I can’t believe it; you still like that food," Lyle said with a grimace when he saw River polish two portions of lamb chop.
They ate in the Imperial Restaurant, which had just opened its branch in Aspen City.
"Give so respect to the food," River said with a glare.
They caught up with what happened, and River asked about Arlo, whether or not Lyle knew his whereabouts.
Lyle also told her after what happened to Hazel and the death of Olivia, he chose to step down from the family. He shared Olivia’s disgust for their family, but, being a man, he couldn’t leave like she did.
And now, he lived sowhere while Rania, his mother, was admitted to a psych ward. She couldn’t handle the downfall of the family and the fact that her own son had killed her husband. It was too much for her.
"I have been looking for Arlo as well. I found three places that may be used as his hideouts." Lyle was not stingy with his information.
He didn’t need to because he had his own grudge against Arlo. That man was the cause of all this. If it had not been for his ego, and if he could’ve kept his dick in his pants, their families might still be as strong as ever without the unnecessary conflicts that broke them apart.
"You are going... to kill him? Are you sure you can do it? I don’t mind doing it for you; I don’t like that man."
"No need. I can kill him," River replied without a shadow of doubt.
"Are you sure?" Lyle was still unable to believe that. "You were so in love with him before."
River scrunched her nose in disgust. "That stupidity died that night. I found soone else better than him. It would be an insult if I had to compare him to that scumbag."
Lyle was not interested in knowing who River was with. He wanted to focus on finding Arlo and exacting his own revenge.
"Do you have a plan?"
River pushed away her empty plates and grinned at Lyle. "Of course; that’s why I need you on board, too."
Sohow, it felt like the old ti when they did a mission together.
Their discussion lasted for three hours. During that ti, River had ordered another portion of lamb chop, and Lyle groaned to see that food.
Once they were done and walked out of the restaurant, Lyle grabbed River’s elbow and spoke in a low voice.
"Keep walking," Lyle said. "Soone is following us."
River imdiately knew what Lyle ant. "Do you an that black car?"
"Hm. That car had been following us from the cetery."
Hearing that, River chuckled. "That car is not following us; that car is following ," she corrected him. She wriggled her hand away from Lyle’s grip and then patted his back. "I will contact you later."
Lyle didn’t get a chance to reply when River had gone to approach the car. He watched the rare smile on her lips. His eyes narrowed. Was this the man that she ntioned before?
Knowing River would be fine, Lyle walked away. He blended with the crowd.
anwhile, River knocked on the car’s window and imdiately entered when she heard the door was unlocked.
"You are a bad stalker," River said as she played the llow song that she liked. "I spotted you almost right away."
Ranon put her seatbelt on and took the opportunity to kiss her cheek. "Who said that I want to hide? I want you to find ."
River chuckled when she heard that. She then told him everything she had learned from Lyle, as well as her plan. "We are going to discuss this plan with the others."
They were heading toward the house that beca a new place for Arthur and all of the Lozens’ n. Arthur had found a house for himself, but he had not moved out, because the timing was not right yet.
Aubrey was also there.
It ant when River went to that house, eting with the sister who had killed her was unavoidable, and Aubrey also knew that River was going to co.
"I need to leave, Dad." Aubrey shook her head. "She is going to kill ." She was scared. Her whole body was trembling. She couldn’t think straight. "She is going to kill . She is going to kill my son. She hates both of us!"
"No, Aubrey. River is not like that!" Arthur tried to calm her down, but Aubrey was too hysterical. He shook her body to stop her from screaming. "She will not kill you!"
"I have shot her... Dad. I have shot her... I have taken her man... I..." Aubrey was stuttering. She couldn’t finish her words because she cried so hard. "I am sorry. I am so sorry."
The guilty feeling hit her so hard. Aubrey fell on her knees, as if she were begging for forgiveness.
"Dad, she is going to kill . You raised her that way..."
Arthur felt his heart was being torn. Both of them were his daughters. But if River looked for revenge, it wouldn’t be fair for him to interfere. But how could he let one of his daughters die in the hands of the other?
"Please, Dad, don’t let her touch my son. Don’t let her harm Bryer..."
"I won’t. No one will harm Bryer." For that, Arthur was sure. Bryer had nothing to do with what Aubrey had done. He would protect his grandson.
And not long after, Rye knocked on the door to inform him that River and Ranon were already there, and they wanted a eting with them.
"Desgar is already there. River has important information to say," Rye said from behind the door.
"Okay. I will be there in a minute." Arthur took a deep breath and kissed Aubrey’s head. "I will talk to her. And if you really regret what you have done, you have to show your remorse. I raised her as an assassin, but it doesn’t an she doesn’t have a heart."
Aubrey was not convinced, but Arthur had to leave for the eting.
anwhile, Aubrey stayed with her son. Bryer was taking a nap, and she cradled him against her chest. She was crying silently because she felt as if this would be the last ti she t him.
Ti went very fast for Aubrey. And at the sa ti as Bryer was awake, soone opened the door. To her horror, there she was...
River.
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