blueteamnovel Chapter 152 - CHAPTER 151 - Deal Settled.
Chapter 152 - CHAPTER 151 - Deal Settled.
The wooden door groaned on its hinges, swinging shut behind them. Inside, the house felt like another world—dim and cloistered, the air thick with the faint scent of wood polish and herbs. The faint tick-tock of a clock punctuated the heavy silence as Thorin gestured toward the table in the center of the room, its surface scattered with blueprints, tools, and scraps of parchment.
"Please sit," Thorin muttered, dropping into a chair opposite the one he'd offered. His tone carried a sharp edge, but Alex didn't take offense. He understood the weight the man carried.
He had used Thorin's mother to shake the guy last time, but it had been a while since then, and as Alex didn't contact the guy at all, he might be harboring doubts.
Alex pulled back the chair, its legs scraping faintly against the floor, and sat. Thorin's eyes never left him, wary and probing.
"You're not here for small talk," Thorin said flatly, folding his arms across his chest.
He remembered Alex telling him to think about his offer, and he had been doing that. But that didn't mean he would go ahead and talk about it; he would wait for Alex to mention it.
Alex leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table. "No, I'm not," he said, deciding to play along.
Thorin raised an eyebrow, his skepticism almost palpable.
"It's about your mother," Alex said, his voice steady but soft.
The room seemed to hold its breath. Thorin's expression froze, his lips pressing into a thin line as a flicker of something—hope, anger, or maybe fear—flashed in his eyes. His hands curled into fists, knuckles whitening.
Alex could see all of that, and he had brought up this topic on purpose. He knew that Thorin wouldn't be shaken by anything other than his mother—the only family member he had.
Alex knew that the guy must be angry. He was ignored for days after all. But Alex was also aware of the guy's nature. He was filial, so he won't let his anger cloud his judgment.
"She's dying," Thorin finally spoke, the words dropping like stones into a still pond. "They say it's incurable. Even the best healers in the city are at a loss." He looked away, the bitterness in his voice barely restrained. "So why bring it up unless you've got some miracle up your sleeve?"
He had been trying everything he could until now. He tried stealing to buy medicines and even sold some old artifacts his mother had left for him, but all he got in return was shattered hope.
He wanted to sell the contract to hire a healer, but after his last encounter with Alex, he decided against it. He decided to make new devices—smaller versions of the voting board—and sold them.
He was able to amass enough money to hire a healer in no time as that thing was in high demand, but when the healer came...
We can't heal this—was all they said.
Alex's gaze, on the other hand, didn't waver. He could see many emotions flashing past Thorin's eyes, and he knew that this guy was in need of hope, so he gave it to him. "Because I do," Alex replied to Thorin's words.
Thorin's head snapped back toward him, his brows furrowing. He
Alex's gaze was like steel, his voice as sharp as a blade. "Find her. And whoever's behind this—they'll regret it."