Chapter 180: Schemes and Struggles III

Chapter 180: Schemes and Struggles III Sabrina said, looking at Kieran with a suspicious expression.

’He looks out of it’

Kieran though regained his composure like nothing had happened, tapping the table for a while, just staring at her, like they were meeting for the very first time.

"Yeah, I’ll be quick."

He finally spoke, just when she couldn’t take it anymore.

Kieran didn’t seem to care about that detail though and his eyes went across the counter, getting a glimpse of the busy kitchen behind.

’Not there...’

He noted, bringing his focus back to Sabrina who watched him waste her time in a leisure manner.

"What happened to the cold one? I don’t see him around you today?"

Kieran inquired about Liam’s absence. A rare sight to Sabrina out on her own without one of the two recruit who stuck to her like flies.

Ethan had been seen less ever since the rumors about Asher switching sides died down, having being debunked.

’Another one of thier plots and schemes, I guess!’

Kieran sighed, rubbing between his forehead.

"What are you playing at?"

Sabrina called him out on his bullshit.

He said he was going to be quick, yet here be was, wasting her time on purpose.

"You mean?"

Kieran said, raising a brow and feigning confusion.

’I expected more from someone of his nature.’

Sabrina stood up from her seat, unwilling to indulge him for a second longer.

’Bingo!’

"Sit!"

Kieran hid a small smirk and said in a demanding tone.

"I’m not sure I appreciate that tone, Kieran. Now, for the last time, what do you want?"

Sabrina said, her voice having lost all forms of softness and familiarity, now carried a sense of authority with it.

’How fitting!’

Kieran remarked internally, unfazed by the fierce look in her eyes.

"Sit."

Kieran repeated, this time in a less commanding tone, while extending his hand towards the chair right in across the table.

Saying nothing, Sabrina took the seat, waiting silently for him to state his purpose.

’I don’t like this’

Her eyes flashed. The feeling of losing something nudging at her in the most annoying way possible.

"I want more."

Kieran stated simply and got a eye raise in return.

"My favors don’t come cheap. You’ve got to offer more to keep me on your side."

Kieran broke down the meaning behind his words for her, watching how her stoic exterior crack, revealing a displeased frown and bubbling answer shrouding the confusion she was feeling at the moment.

"What do you mean you want more?"

Sabrina asked, her voice cold — a futile attempt at intimidating him.

"You heard me right."

Kieran said, slumping back into the chair.

A long silence ensued after Kieran’s words and Sabrina closed her eyes, while Kieran watched as her jaws clenched and relaxed several times in a row.

’Impressive, young princess. Unfortunately, you haven’t dealt with low lives like me’

Kieran kept watching with lazy eyes and a straight face.

"That was never the agreement. You came to you and I helped you. Don’t think you could just go around threatening me with no nothing more than a few words!"

A cold glint flashed within her blue eyes as she studied carefully the next words out of Kieran’s mouth.

"No threats. Just redefining the terms of our agreement. It’s a little bit like ripping me off isn’t it?"

Kieran said lightly, like the threat in her gaze wasn’t increasing by the second.

Rasing a hand, he prevented her from speaking and added to his unfinished words.

"Besides, I’m an unknown variable in this game you all are playing and trust me, I’m not a fan of games?"

Kieran’s voice came like a dark tide, going from light to heavy at the end of that sentence.

"Whoever realizes that first gets the upper hand, or at least one more card up their sleeves. And.."

Kieran paused, looking around cautiously, before sliding a small disk onto the table, tapping the top lightly.

Sabrina’s demeanor changed seeing him use a silence bubble on their table, cutting off the noise all round them and preventing anyone from listening in on their conversation.

"Trying to sabotage your own family isn’t really something befitting of a princess, is it?"

Kieran said with a small smile on his face.

’How??!’

Sabrina was shook to the core as those words reached her ears.

Her aura spiked and several thoughts flashed across her mind, but none of those were feasible now. She had ti swallow her emotions and listen to Kieran finish his plot.

"I’m not sure Asher and his family can handle the heat if it’s brought on too fast. I’m pretty sure Ethan would be pleased to know he wasn’t spouting shit like the other times he ever spoke."

"Get on with it!"

Sabrina pushed impatiently.

She had been had, clearly Kieran hadn’t just approached her with ’Just a few words’, he had the whole advantage in his hands, steering the conversation as he wished.

’What is this?’

Sabrina struggled to bear the feeling of being played it was an extremely unfamiliar feeling.

’It’s nothing personal. I sss just forced to play’

"My conditions are the same. To make things fair, I’ll help you on that suicide mission of yours and make sure your secret remains a secret."

"Trust me, I’m the only one who you didn’t tell that knows about it."

Kieran defined his terms and watched for her reply.

’Fair my ass! He’s playing the long game...’

Sabrina couldn’t blame herself enough for underestimating the recruit in front of her, thinking he was worth nothing more than all he had shown on skill.

Well, he was showing her more and it wasn’t pleasant to be on the receiving end.

"What do you say?"

Kieran raised his brow and Sabrina sighed in defeat.

It was one thing to lose, it was another to admit defeat and own ones loss and take a step back.

’Not bad.’

Kieran’s eyes flashed.

"You’ve got me by the throat, don’t you?"

"Now that you’ve played your cards, you’ve gained my attention. Stop beating around the bush and get on with it, what do you want?"

Sabrina said in a somewhat slurry tone and Kieran narrowed his eyes, feeling her attempts to regain some control over the conversation, but he couldn’t help but shake his head at the futility of her attempts.

"I don’t know yet, I’ll let you know when it’s time. For now, it’s Orion and Veylan."

"I’ve got a feeling this peace isn’t going to last long and I’ve got to know when someone is moving against me."

Kieran said lightly, tapping the table with his fingers.

’You said you’d be fair, Goddammit!!’

Sabrina could feel her eye twitching at his demands.

He was clearly looking to exploit her.

’Did I push too her too hard?’

Kieran considered the possibility, observing her unfiltered reactions.

"Sigh, anything else?"

Sabrina, added with scorn in her tone. A question she should have never asked.

"Now that you’ve mentioned it, yeah!"

’The hell?’

Sabrina realized her mistake almost immediately, but it was too late.

"I wasn’t info on the number two."

Kieran added with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Why would you want that?"

Sabrina asked with genuine curiosity. There was nothing between Kieran that that recruit, it was odd for him to suddenly bring that name up.

"None of your business. That’d be all, it was nice taking to you!"

Kieran said, placing his hands on the disk at the centre of the table, but Sabrina’s hand shot to the top of his, pressing down on his gand and preventing him from picking the disk up.

’Soft!’

Kieran remarked, loosing himself in the unexpected sensation for a moment before being brought back by the words of the unsuspecting Sabrina.

"I can manage with Orion, but I’m not ready to get involved directly with Veylan. Whatever ot is you’re doing, don’t make it obvious. There’s only so much I can do with the camp being like this."

Sabrina advised with a hint of concern I her tone.

’Maybe she isn’t that far gone.’

Kieran smiled, sensing that.

"It’s fine, I don’t need you to do much right now. I’m on your boat now, remember? Knocking you down would mean knocking myself down."

Kieran said, snaking away his from underneath hers along with the disk which deactivated the bubble around them.

"I’d take those words to heart!"

Kieran dropped a strange like rather lightly, giving a small bow before retreating from the scene.

’Veylan. I wonder what kind of a figure he is!’

Kieran’s eyes flashed. The most influential person he had on his side had warped him against the recruit. He wasn’t one to fall prey to underestimating people.

Sabrina’s warning had only raised his guard up even more.

"Ahh.. how sly!"

Back in the cafeteria, Sabrina muttered replaying the whole conversation in her mind.

She had been played totally, and his last line was for all the undetected eyes on her.

’I wasn’t wrong about him being a unique one.’

She thought with a rather beautiful smile on her face.