Crayson waved his hand, gesturing for them to take a seat.
Seated in front of him, Floch quickly passed him a cup of tea. "Please have some tea, Master Crayson."
He dispassionately took the cup from him and took a sip before sighing. "Thanks for your call that day. Nobody could guess what would have happened if it was just a minute later.”
Floch tilted his head as he peered at Rachel next to himself and sighed as well. "That was a dangerous situation. Rachel found out about it after she accidentally overheard Tiffany's phone call."
Wham!
Suddenly, Crayson slammed the cup on the table harshly and scared the couple so much with the sound that they jumped, and they sat upright nervously, waiting in silence for his reprimand.
"Take a look at yourselves. Tiffany is right under your noses, and you could still allow her to do something like this. Did you forget your identities? Since young, Veronica has been a stubborn and proud child. If Xavier got his way with her, and she ended her own life if she took things too hard, I would like to see how you're going to explain this to the higher-ups," he chided angrily.
Crayson happened to be in Bloomstead that day, but he didn't expect to run into something like this.
With his identity, he shouldn’t have appeared to save Veronica, but time waited for no man, and he had no choice but to save her.
Luckily he arrived in time. Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Rachel bobbed her head nervously
and agreed. "You're right, Master Crayson. We're the ones responsible for Tiffany's actions."
However, Crayson couldn’t help but stroke his white beard and say with a frown once he noticed the looks on their faces, "What? Did you really think that Tiffany is your real daughter?"
"Master Crayson, I-I... "
He hit the bullseye with his offhand remark, and panic washed over Rachel's face as she waved her palms frantically but didn't know what to say.
On the other hand, Floch took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Tiffany has been with us for years. How can we not have any feelings for her?"
"Nonsense!" Crayson scoffed, then lowered his head, picked up the cup leisurely, and took a sip. "Tiffany's merely a replacement, and you're well aware of what it means to be a replacement. So, I would advise you to give up on ideas you shouldn't have, or else you're going to be the ones who will be upset in the end," he said.
Some things were just beyond their control.
Therefore, Rachel pursed her lips before she spoke up, "We understand everything you're saying, but you should also know that feelings grow with time."
"Yes, you're right, Master Crayson. Both of us are humans with feelings. It's impossible for us to be that merciless."
"Shut up!"
The second Floch finished speaking, Crayson blew his top. "Remember, there’s only one person you two have to protect from the beginning until the end. So, don’t get the target wrong."
Floch and his wife lowered their heads like children who had done something wrong at his tongue lashing.
Crayson couldn't help but feel a hint of pity as he saw their reactions, and he leaned back into the seat as he scratched his silver hair. "Of course, humans have feelings and desires, but if you know that there isn't any end to some things, you should just forget about it. If you have what it takes to turn things around, maybe Tiffany will be able to see to your retirement and end."
The couple gave each other a solemn look, then silently lowered their heads at his words.
"What about Randy? How's that kid doing recently?” When he saw that they seemed a little sad, he added, "Randy is a good kid and not as arrogant as Tiffany. So, it's better if you place your attention on him."
"Yes, Master Crayson. We know what we should do," Floch nodded in affirmation as he answered seriously.
"Even though I'll be in Bloomstead in the future, we have to try not to meet. The last time at the center of Mudwood Street, Veronica almost recognized me."
It didn't hit him that he would bump into Veronica on that street when he went out to get something done in the middle of the night, and it gave him a big shock.
Floch brought up an important subject once they shifted back to the main topic. "Veronica is smart, so we have to be careful. But recently, we heard rumors that someone from Castron will be coming, and their target is... Tiffany."
"Follow this lead and find out who they are," Crayson said casually, adding, "The most important thing now is Veronica and Matthew. Now that they’re together, it will cause some big trouble sooner or later."
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