Aria coldly asked, "Did you accept the bribe from Skyarch Palace? Are you plotting against Lord Caspian?"
Tom was utterly dumbfounded by Aria's strange question.
Tom explained, "Lord Caspian saved my life once. Why would I ever plot against him? Besides, I have a blood feud with Skyarch Palace in the first place. Why would I ever accept their bribe? I want nothing but to take revenge on them!"
"Then, show me what it is you're holding! Or else you're not convincing anyone!"
Aria had been trying to press on with her questions to shift Tom's attention.
Tom shook his head and refused to let anyone know about Miranda's kidnapping. "Absolutely not."
Aria asked, "Do you want to die?"
She harbored some feelings for Tom, but if he were to pose a threat to Caspian, then she wouldn't hesitate to pacify the threat.
Tom explained, "I promise you I don't mean Caspian any harm."
"Then, put your hands in the air! Or I'm going to shoot!"
Tom realized he had no other choice but to do as she said.
He opened his hand, and a piece of paper dropped to the ground.
Tom immediately stepped on the letter to hide it, but Aria had already seen everything.
Aria threatened, "Lift up your leg!"
She was convinced that something was off with Tom now.
He wouldn't need to be so anxious if he wasn't doing anything wrong.
Tom explained, "You can't see it."
Aria asked, "Could it be proof that you're working with our enemy?"
"It's not. Please believe me."
Aria wasn't in the mood to talk. She simply kicked Tom away and picked up the letter.
Tom staggered for a few steps before regaining his balance. He never expected Aria to actually kick him.
Aria was shocked after reading through the letter. "What? Miranda got kidnapped?"
Tom helplessly nodded his head. "That's right."
"Then, why didn't you just tell me? Are you going to save her by yourself?"
"I'm still thinking about what to do next."
"Why don't we tell Caspian about this? I'm sure he can help."
Tom replied, "Absolutely not! Didn't you read what the letter said? I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it or ask anyone for help, or Miranda will be in danger! Just forget what happened here and leave Miranda to me."
Aria explained, "You're just walking straight into their trap! They won't just let you and Miranda go after you hand them the scroll!
"I'll do anything if it's to save Miranda."
Tom was extremely worried about Miranda's safety.
"I'll come with you. Two is better than one anyway."
Aria was jealous of Miranda for having such a selfless friend like Tom.
"Absolutely not! They only want me to show up. Please just forget everything you've seen here. I'll be able to handle it myself. I don't want Miranda getting hurt because of you."
Aria pretended to be convinced. "Alright, then. Be careful."
She decided to follow after Tom once he left the house.
However, Miranda's phone could not be reached.
Willow then called Tom instead, only to find that he had already shut off his phone.
Willow was puzzled. "What's going on?"
Caspian felt that something was wrong. "Are they in trouble?"
Aria replied, "It's not dark outside yet, so I guess probably not. Besides, the streets sound relatively peaceful."
Caspian was genuinely worried about the missing duo. "Did they say where they were going? I'll go and look for them."
In the past, Caspian probably wouldn't have even bothered to worry about Tom and Miranda.
Aria stood up and explained, "Lord Caspian, it's dangerous out there with Skyarch Palace men coming after you. I'll go and look for them instead."
She wanted to excuse herself from the house and assist Tom.
Caspian nodded his head. "Alright, fine. But be careful out there. Call me if anything happens."
"Of course. I'll be going ahead, then. Enjoy your meal, you two," Aria replied and left.
…
The Skyarch Palace men retreated from the premises after they confirmed that Tom had left Riverside Villa.
Tom tried to reach Lunar Lake by taxi. But none of the taxis dared to stop and pick up a customer wielding a large weapon in his hand.
It was a scary sight to see a man holding onto a weapon out in the streets.
Luckily, Tom knew of a shortcut toward Lunar Lake.
He carried his weapon with him, and he ran all the way to Lunar Lake.
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