Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1061

But whether it was Albert's Arms or Berlin, both were a thousand miles away from the Capital. Investigating from such a distance was a logistical nightmare for Agnes. So, Agnes opted for a shortcut. She decided to seek out Ryder. Finding the whereabouts of the elusive chemist was the only way to uncover the identity of the puppet master pulling the strings. And Ryder knew where to find this mysterious chemist.

Agnes gave Ryder a call. Cutting straight to the chase, she said, “I want to know about the conditions you mentioned last time?”

Ryder replied, “I’m at my apartment. Come over, and we’ll talk.”

Agnes headed to Ryder’s high-rise apartment. In her memory, she had never been here before. But according to Jared, there was one night she got so drunk that Ryder had to bring her here.

Agnes took the elevator up. She stood at the doorstep of Ryder's apartment floor, her heart heavy. She didn’t know what opening this door would entail. But she was sure nothing would be the same after this. She didn’t want to guess what Ryder might propose. If he asked her to leave Jared and move abroad like last time, what would she do?

Agnes was in turmoil. But she really didn’t have the luxury of time to ponder these things. Jared was currently facing murder charges. Without new evidence, he would soon be convicted. And the public pressure was enough to crush anyone. The Tim Group was also teetering on the brink, caught in an unprecedented public relations crisis. Economists had estimated the scandal had already cost The Tim Group nearly ten billion. Agnes was running out of time. This was the only thing she could do for Jared.

Taking a deep breath, she finally pressed the doorbell. The door opened swiftly. Ryder stood there, a stark contrast to his usual self. Clad in casual home attire, he appeared relaxed and languid. But the sight of his impassive face sent a chill down Agnes’s spine.

Ryder opened the door wider: “You’re here, come in.” Agnes stepped inside. The apartment wasn't large, but it was tidy and minimalist. Like Jared, Ryder preferred a monochromatic palette of black, white, and gray throughout his living space. There were no bright colors anywhere, giving off a cold and oppressive atmosphere.

However, Agnes noticed a cactus on the balcony of the living room. It wasn’t big, but it was well-tended, adding a fresh touch of green to the chilly room. Especially striking was the cactus’s pot, a little red bear with rhinestones attached to it. Agnes recognized it immediately. It was a gift she had given Ryder two years ago while in the States. It was actually a present from a florist during an interview. That day, she was taking Nocturne, her dog, for a vet check-up and had brought the plant to the hospital. Noticing there were no plants on Ryder’s desk, she had offered it to him.

What Agnes hadn’t expected was for Ryder to take the cactus back to his home country and care for it so well. Ryder caught Agnes’s gaze. He brought the cactus inside and said, “You gave this to me two years ago. I’ve taken good care of it. When moving back home, I couldn’t trust it with anyone else, so I brought it along.”

Agnes felt an inexplicable mix of emotions but tried to sound indifferent, “It's just a cactus. You didn’t have to go through all that trouble.”

There seemed to be a fleeting look of disappointment in Ryder’s eyes. Holding the cactus, Ryder said, “This isn’t just any cactus. To me, it’s like you; no matter how well I treat it, it keeps its thorns out, not letting me get close. But I can’t bring myself to get rid of it because, you see, this is the only splash of color I have here.”