âSilly girl, Iâm just kidding.
Of course, I believe you.
But this wine was prepared by Nathaniel, wasnât it? Iâm afraid I canât trust him.
â
She held up her empty glass and smiled.
âIâve already drunk my share.
If the wine is spiked, Iâd be dead by now.
â
Kyson said nothing to that.
He swirled his glass lightly and watched the wine slosh around, but he made no move to drink it.
Lucinda was a little annoyed at this point.
She looked at the rest of the bottle and sighed.
âWould you like me to drink and entire bottle like you did last time, just so you would believe me?â
Still, the man remained silent.
Miffed, Lucinda reached for the bottle.
âI believe you,â Kyson finally said.
âWell, even if this wine is poisoned, I would willingly drink it, because thatâs what you are to me-a beautiful, irresistible poison.
In fact, I have been intoxicated with you for a long while now.
â
He flashed her a smile of adoration before downing the contents of his glass.
Out in the garden, Kysonâs men flanked the door like two marble sculptures.
Abel slowly approached them.
âs BunnyBookery
âHey, my guys.
The hour is late.
Have you two had dinner yet? Weâre having barbecue in the back yard.
Would you like to join us?â
The men didnât even bat an eye and refused him right away.
âNo, thank you.
â
âAw, come on,â Abel insisted.
âDonât worry.
Miss Ross is kind and generous.
Iâm sure she will speak up for you so that Mr.
Shaw wouldnât blame you.
Besides, itâs dinner time! Even us bodyguards need to eat, too.
Those two are getting along well, anyway.
We will be one family soon.
Why donât we start getting to know each other and bond early, huh?â
This time, the two men hesitated for a couple of seconds, but still gave him a resounding, âNo.
â
Abel was at a loss.
He couldnât press them any further, or they might suspect him.
Fortunately, Rickey chose that time to come over.
âHere, Abel.
This kebab is really delicious.
Try some.
Miss Ross said that she and Mr.
Shaw will spend the evening catching up and that we should enjoy our dinner too.
Ah, and weâve got some beer over there.
Come and enjoy!â
âNice! Thanks.
â