The Alchemists

Nicolae left the room and returned a few moments later with a pot of warm tea and two glasses.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

Marie nodded silently. She took the cup from Nicolae's hand and slowly sipped her tea until it was finished. A look of despair still adorned her face but at least colors had returned to her face, as she did not look as pale as before.

"Sorry for bothering you again ... I'm truly sorry. I don't know what got into me last night. I couldn't sleep and had to take medication to help me close my eyes, but for some reason, I became very sad. I kept thinking about how my life has become meaningless. And suddenly... I ... "Marie paused for a moment as if contemplating the fact that now her only family was gone. Her voice sounded hoarse again as she cried softly. "Besides my mother, I have no one else in this world."

"I understand," Nicolae said calmly. "I am not against people who want death. I think death is the basic right of every human being. Just as every human being has the right to live, they also have the right to die according to their own wishes, when they want it... how they want it. I do not oppose that, so I understand. But I didn't expect that you would end your life before you finished cremating your mother. Who do you expect to take care of all that?"

Marie looked down at Nicolae's words. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she bowed in shame. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was very desperate last night."

"We must go to the hospital immediately," Nicolae decided. "You should see a doctor to check your mental health."

Marie hurriedly shook her head. "I'm fine ... Please don't take me there ..."

Nicolae looked at Marie for a long time to assess Marie's mental state. The girl looked sad, but her face was filled with determination.

The young man was surprised to realize that Marie was indeed very unpredictable. She could turn from sad to fine in such a short time. Was she bipolar? Or was she really used to pretending that she could just switch her emotions that easily? Which one was it?

"All right. So, what do you want to do now?" Nicolae finally asked her. He refrained from thinking too much about it. He will leave in a few days anyway. Right now, he only needed to make sure Marie cremated her mother and then grief properly.

"I want to spread my mother's ashes in the sea as I originally planned ..." Marie answered softly.

"We can do it. Do you really feel better?"

Marie nodded. "My body is still weak, but that's okay. You took good care of me ... like a doctor."

"You're lucky the sleeping pills reacted before you cut the arteries in your wrists, so you didn't lose too much blood to cause a fatality. However, I'm not sure you'll be so lucky next time. So, please don't ever do this again. Also, don't take sleeping pills carelessly. You should seek professional help to help you. Find a grief counselor. The hospital will be able to recommend someone to help you." Nicolae took a deep breath. "I'm sure your mother won't be happy to know that her daughter turns this way ..."

"I'm fine now. Please leave me. I want to change clothes ..." Marie finally said.

Nicolae nodded, "Okay. I'll prepare breakfast so you can get a little energy before we go to the crematorium."

Marie just looked at the man's back when he left her bedroom, unable to say anything. Two weeks ago, he was just a stranger to her... but today Nicolae had helped her so much. He stayed with her during the toughest times of her life and, this morning, he even saved her life.

Marie never let others see her in a state of weakness. She had always expertly displayed a cheerful and strong personality ... but yesterday, Nicolae saw her being devastated when her mother passed away. She even tried to kill herself. She never felt so weak and fragile.

The girl pressed her c.h.e.s.t, which felt tight with embarrassment and frustration. Why did she feel so weak these past few days? she thought sadly.

Her mind drifted back to a beautiful afternoon two weeks ago. At that time, she had just closed her flower shop. It was a business she ran with Sanna, her best friend, as her cover. She was not really a florist.

They closed the shop early because Marie wanted to take Sanna to the airport. The girl would fly to France to meet her new boyfriend. The man had visited Singapore twice and now asked Sanna to come to France and meet his family.

"Hey, look! It's the guy from back then, isn't he? He made you wait for him all night at the dock?" blurted Sanna, pointing at the park across the street. Marie tilted her head toward that direction and saw an a.d.u.l.t man walking and laughing while holding two very similar-looking children in each hand. The two children held ice cream in their other hand.

"Oh ..." Marie, who was getting ready to drive her car, was transfixed and stared intently at the three people. Marie remembered that two months ago she had been waiting for Nicolae on the dock all night, in a good faith to show her remorse for accusing him of being a serial killer.

After admitting her mistake, Marie finally showed her good intentions to meet Nicolae on the dock. When the man did not come, Marie was actually very angry, but she later admitted that Nicolae Sorin was a good man. Maybe something happened to him that he couldn't come to the harbor.

That same night, she sought information about Nicolae and learned that the man studied at St. Mary University before moving abroad for ten years. Now he returned to Singapore with his two children and worked as a freelance writer. Finally, despite being upset, Marie forgave him for neglecting her on the dock. Marie considered them to be even.

However, when she saw the man and his two kids walking in the park with a cheerful face, Marie's anger suddenly arose as she remember all the mosquito bites she had to endure that night. If Nicolae could make her come to the dock and abandoned her, then she could trick Nicolae and make him suffer a little.

"I'll take you to the airport, after that, I'll play with him a little," Marie said later. She turned to Sanna and smiled mischievously.

"What are you up to?" Sanna asked in surprise.

"It's not a bad thing ... just something funny. I want to see him suffer a little.. hehe." Marie shrugged and smiled mischievously. She then drove her car to the airport and did not explain further.

After she went back to her apartment, Marie decided to hack Nicolae's profile on the online dating website and see all the girls he had met or talked to.

Hmm .. apparently very little. This guy seemed like the picky type, she thought.

Marie observed the profile's interaction very carefully and subtly. As the best hacker in Darknet right now, Marie could infiltrate any platforms without leaving a trace.

For some reason, observing who the girls Nicolae's profile was talking to and how their communication was developing, made Marie interested. She then created a fake profile and used various profile attributes that she thought would be able to attract Nicolae's attention and decide to trick the young man.

Thus, Louisa's profile was created. As expected, Louisa attracted Nicolae's attention, and they talked a lot until they decided to meet for a dinner date.