Fair Trade

Sei stared at Guilio’s strangely frowning face, pulled out her arm from his grasp, and then walked into the villa.

Completely out of his sight, she pressed the back of her hand against her trembling lips.

Not yet…

She didn’t want to reveal anything yet. Not until she ran away from the devil with an angel’s face.

***

“Would you like to order?” the server, wearing an apron asked. Sei ordered a cup of hot coffee. She was in an open-air cafe with a fantastic view. Led by Romano, she was brought into an alley without any information about the area.

She wondered whether today’s concept was about being the youngest daughter of a rich family who is covered up in luxury goods. However, in terms of a subjective feeling, she felt more like a mistress than the youngest daughter of a family.

Wearing a knee-length tube-top dress and a thin cardigan, she stood out everywhere.

With her elbow on her table, Sei rubbed her chin and fiddled with her oversized earrings. It was kind of a signal. She set the first meeting point at the cafe and the second meeting at a nearby paper house. She kept talking to herself and waiting for the man to come.

As she did, she covered the bruise on her neck with a wide choker. Because of this, she had to leave out the necklace that Yuri gave her, but she wore the earrings.

Because of the sluggish heat of the sun rays and the warm coffee, the lingering fatigue did not go away.

After yawning loudly, she hurriedly closed her mouth when she saw the back of a white blonde sitting in the shop across from her.

A man who was sitting at an angle reading a newspaper raised his head. Then he looked from side to side as if he were looking for something. She could clearly see who it was.

Yuri…

Sei didn’t believe in the cosmic joke that this was a coincidence. She believed that there was no special coincidence in the world that she belonged to. It could be either a planned inevitability or there could only be a mistake.

A large shadow appeared in an instant in front of her as she sat there with a rather dazed expression on her face. Sei looked up at the gentle-looking man and naturally straightened her posture.

The man had tanned skin and clear features with a nicely trimmed beard. He grinned and kissed her cheeks in a French greeting.

“The cream latte here is delicious.”

“Have you ever surfed at Cocoa Beach?”

“I went to the hospital this morning because my cat threw up a hairball.”

“The… The Paper House is 50 meters away from here.”

“We would need an umbrella in this weather, right?”

Taking a sip of her coffee gracefully, she narrowed her eyes and stood up. Everything was said in code. It meant the package was from Giulio Parenti and that he had something to give. The place where the package would be passed would be the Paper House.

Sei moved to the second meeting point – the Paper House. She glanced at where Yuri was sitting a moment ago. But he was nowhere to be found. She looked around, searching for a person with similar platinum hair, but there was no sign of him.

It was obviously Yuri Petrov…

After opening the emerald-colored wooden door and entering the Paper House, Sei decided to focus on the task up ahead.

She knew if this even went slightly wrong, Guilio would pass all the blame onto her. Maybe his hand would even snap her neck off completely if she messed things up for him.

The place was filled with the smell of old paper. The owner, who was sitting at the counter and busy packing things, greeted her with a smile. Sei curiously looked around the interior filled with all kinds of paper.

From wrapping papers to different craft cardboard papers, it had everything. In a place full of papers bearing different scents, a few customers were carefully choosing their items except for her.

Sei was wearing a dress that showed off the curves of her body and high heels that accentuated her calves. Gazes occasionally followed Sei, who did not fit in with this place where paper was sold.

Just then, a man turned the corner and appeared in front of her. Surprised, Sei raised her head. Yuri brought his index finger to her lips, smiled quietly, and leaned forward.

Their lips touched and then he pressed his lips down on hers. Sei couldn’t breathe while she was being kissed by Yuri.

Feeling his arms clasp her waist, she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t know why, but as soon as she saw him, she was thrilled. But also a little bit sad.

“W-Wait.”

Then she suddenly remembered that she was supposed to meet the substitute guy here. As she pushed Yuri’s chest away urgently, he grabbed her hands tightly. He bit her earlobe and left wet kisses down her slender chin.

Sei looked around hurriedly and shook her head.

“I’m working.”

“Is this it?”

“What?”

“I asked if this is it.”

Yuri’s hand touched the nape of her neck. As he unclasped the wide choker, his eyes became serious in an instant. The soft smile on his face disappeared all of a sudden, and one corner of his lip raised in a cruel smile.

“You have bruises.”

Sei felt his lips kiss the back of her neck. Yuri gently kissed along the dark bruise, kissing up along her chin and then bit her drenched lips.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you guys, but shouldn’t you be working, miss?”

Then, a voice came from behind her. Sei turned around in surprise and saw the dealer with whom she exchanged codes with at the cafe a while ago. It was Yuri who spoke on her behalf as her mind became blank.

“What about the deal?”

“You have to let the lady go so that we can finish it.”

“Ah…. I don’t like that.”

What?

Sei’s eyes widened and she alternatively looked at Yuri and the man. Then the man with a smirk took a step closer and whispered into her ear.

“Miss, I am Dominic Crave. Please give me the card Giulio gave you. I’ll finish that up while you can take this crazy guy here…”

While talking, Dominic closed his mouth tightly and pretended to zip it up.

She could tell that Yuri was staring at him with terrifying eyes.

“Sei, give him the card.”

“Ah, yes. ”

Yuri was staring down at her as she put her hand inside her chest. He narrowed his eyes as an envelope with a card appeared from inside the tube top dress which barely covered her breasts.

“That’s not fair, but I’ll…”

“You’re the one who’s never fair. Is this also one of your plans?”

Sei hid the envelope behind her waist, avoiding Yuri’s hand. Then she alternately glared at the two men.

“No wonder… He didn’t show up immediately. I knew something was wrong.”

She grumbled and handed over the card to the man named Dominic. If Dominic Crave was the substitute, then the real dealer was definitely Yuri.

“I told you. I’ll see you soon.”

Is this man really fearless? Or is this how all mafias are normally like?

She felt a faint chill at his deadly calm attitude which couldn’t be called reckless.

She combed her hair and snatched back the choker he had taken off. In the meantime, Dominic whispered something to Yuri and left the Paper House. Sei said,

“I have to go too.”

“But the view in front of me is quite gorgeous.”

She shook her head at his low voice.

“No, it’s terrible.”

“Did it hurt?”

“Do I even need to say it? I fainted and woke up a few hours later. But, haven’t you probably seen it all…?”

Yuri covered Sei’s cheeks and chin, making her look at him. As she stared into his gray-blue eyes, the sadness she had been holding back was about to come up again.

But still.. It was only last night that she had whined to the necklace he gave her, but she didn’t expect to see him so soon.

“Anyway, I have to leave now. Would he think we are strange?”

She managed to get out of his arms and looked in the direction of the counter, avoiding Yuri’s gaze. Seeing that the entrance was still quiet, she felt like she was indulging in some personal affair.

“I will kill him.”

Sei, who was waiting for the right time to get out of here, blinked her big eyes. With a smile that showed no emotion, he wrapped his arms around her choker again and drew her closer.

“For now…  I want to kiss you properly.  Can’t we just do that?”