Chapter 996: A Sigh (2/2)

”Sigh, we can't blame Bryan for that...” Erebus muttered, having always been rather close to Aobashi.

”No matter what, that doesn't change the fact that the Sainte family, my father especially, treated him very well. Yet, he didn't even spare my father! I don't want to hear the name of someone so sinister ever again!” she snapped.

”That's right. No matter what, Big Brother was killed by him. Even if we used to have a good relationship, we can never get along ever again,” Andre growled uncharacteristically.

”Then why did the City of Shadows not take part in the plan Yarus suggested to kill Bryan in the Fringe?” Aobashi asked.

Andre and Carmelita didn't say a single word, but their expressions were terrifying. Sighing inwardly, Aobashi didn't say anything else. She knew better than anyone that the grudge between them and Han Shuo wasn't something that could be resolved with just words.

Before Han Shuo killed Wallace, he was the best of friends with Andre and Carmelita. Yet, when Wallace wanted to deal with him, those two crossed family boundaries to defend him from Wallace and even helped the Han family on various other occasions. However, Wallace had undeniably died at Han Shuo's hands.

This was a conflict so complex that even Aobashi had no resolution to. It wasn't that she and Erebus hadn't tried to talk the other two out of it, but they had decided that Han Shuo shouldn't have killed Wallace no matter what and had never forgiven him for it.

Just then, a long sigh could be heard coming from the outside. It sounded really sentimental, but seemed to slowly fade away into the distance.

”Who goes there?!” the guards of the Sainte family yelled. They were within a secret meeting room, access to which was forbidden to anyone and everyone. So, the innocuous sigh provoked the strongest of reactions from the guards as they armed up to track the person down.

Andre, Carmelita, Erebus, and Aobashi were all stunned when they heard the familiar voice. After a long moment, Erebus stood up suddenly and said, ”Was I hallucinating? I think I heard Bryan's voice.”

”It can't be. He should be in the Fringe now. There's no way he'd show up here. Erebus, you're too tense these days,” Aobashi said, before she snapped alert too. ”Wait, I also heard it too, so it can't have been a hallucination. But there's no way Bryan can be here now... It must just be someone who sounds similar. Let me go out to take a look.”

Just as she got up and was about to go outside, Carmelita snapped, ”It's him! It's definitely him!” She was biting her lip so hard that she almost bled.

Andre also stood up abruptly as if he had thought of something. He turned to look at Carmelita before slowly sitting back down. ”Let's leave him be. Let him leave.”

”How could we?” Aobashi said, ”That person probably heard what we said! If it isn't Bryan, then we have to find out who he is! If he is Bryan, even if you don't want to meet him, Erebus and I do! We're still his friends! If he's in the city, we'll meet him no matter what!”

Aobashi turned to Erebus, who quickly nodded and agreed. However, they didn't leave immediately and instead paid attention to how Andre and Carmelita would react.