Calm Wanderer
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(AKJ) Chapter 15 - Suspicious people following them?
🕑 Added 2023-10-24 09:45:37 +0000 UTCDamovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
In sync, the two turned to look at the new arrival. As expected, his gaze quickly found Adeliya walking toward them with a sleepy look and wearing her usual pajamas. Seeing her stretching languidly, Demian felt strangely embarrassed, prompting him to move his eyes away while swearing inwardly. ‘Fuck! Why is she always wearing those tight clothes for God’s sake! And why am I even feeling embarrassed? I’m not a teena...’ Suddenly remembering his current body still raging with teenager’s hormones, the young man froze for a second before letting out a wry sigh while thinking. ‘I forgot about my current body’s age... But why have I never felt like that when I looked at her in the past? Is it because of my new memories?’ He pondered with an absentminded look. His train of thought, however, was quickly broken when the ‘culprit’ behind his restless thoughts questioned. “Demian? You okay? You’ve got a strange look on your face?”
Startled by her question, he replied quickly to dispel her suspicion. “I was just thinking about my training. Definitely. Right.” Now, there was no way she would believe such a blatant lie, and indeed, a glint of amusement appeared in her eyes as her full lips stretched into an amused grin. Coughing to hide his awkwardness, he then tried to change the subject. “Hey, Aunty! How was your sleep?” While a few light giggles escaped her, she sat on an empty long chair and replied softly. “I've slept well. What about the two of you?” A bit of small talk later, the young man asked curiously. “Are you gonna work today?” Shaking her head, she responded. “No, I'd already planned to take today off a few weeks ago. Lina was pretty happy about it when I informed her. Well, more specifically, when I told her that she’d still be paid even if it was a day off for her.”
Her playful words made the other two chuckle lightly. Recalling the few times he met the brown-haired secretary along with his Aunt’s description of the woman’s character, he could not help but comment. “You’re really a great boss. I’m impressed.” Shaking her head at his compliment, she corrected. “Magdalina has always been reliable from the day I hired her, so it’s normal to treat her well.” He naturally nodded his head to the simple logic behind her words that not many understood in this day and age. Before he could say anything, however, Adeliya added. “In any case, I’m glad I’ll be able to spend more time with my three darlings today. Even if you have to leave after lunch, Bryn.”
Her happy smile was clearly contagious, as both Demian and Brynhild had a similar grin on their faces, the latter stating. “I feel the same. It’s too bad I can’t stay with you guys the whole day, but since it’s my last professional fight, I guess we’ll have plenty of time afterward.” To which Demian commented playfully. “We’ll have more time for training in that case... I’m not sure my body we’ll be able to hold though...” His innuendo made the two roll their eyes before Adeliya knocked gently on his head while exclaiming. “Stop being a pervert.”. Her reaction made him chuckle before his expression turned more serious at her next words. “You seem much happier recently. I’m glad...” Her words made him recall the ‘old’ Demian without his previous life’s memories. With how depressed and frustrated he used to be, it almost felt like another person. To be honest, it may be that he had become someone else. After all, there was a theory that stated that one’s personality is completely made up of one’s memories. If that was true then, both Damian and Demian disappeared when every past event from his previous life reappeared in his mind.
Feeling a bit wistful, he said softly. “Yeah... I... I do feel much happier. It’s still a bit of a mess in my head, but I’m getting better...” Pausing for a second, he then directed his gaze to meet the other two’s eyes and declared in an appreciative tone. “The three of you are one of the main reasons why, so... Thank you.” His earnest tone brought a warm smile to both of their faces, although the pale red hue coloring Bryn’s cheeks seemed to imply something slightly different than simple appreciation. Whatever truth was behind that cute smile of hers, Demian did not dig deeper but instead suggested going back inside to continue the conversation while Adeliya ate her breakfast. The two agreed immediately and thus, less than a minute later the three were chatting about random topics with the two women sharing funny stories about quirky people they met in their jobs. It lasted for a while, especially since Seraphine joined them less than half an hour later. Being so engrossed in the conversation, none of them realized how quickly the morning went by. It was only when Bryn‘s phone rang that they realized it was already noon.
After turning off her alarm, the muscular redhead suggested for them to eat lunch. An hour later, every plate was empty and put away in the dishwasher with the dining table having been cleared completely. At that point, Adeliya declared while looking at her oldest daughter. “I'll bring you to the airport myself. Otherwise, you’ll waste too much time finding a parking spot.” Nodding her head, the young woman replied. “Thanks, Mom! I'll get my bag and we can be on our way.” She then dashed to her bedroom to get her luggage while in the meantime the older woman asked the other two. “Do you guys want to come?” Without even consulting each other, the two answered simultaneously. “We're coming!” Looking at Sera’s face, Demian chuckled briefly, instantly mirrored by the blind woman. Smiling at the two, Adeliya replied. “Alright, then. Let's wait for Bryn and then we can leave.” As the three were putting their shoes on, with the two women adding a long cardigan to hide their pajamas, the muscular redhead promptly arrived with her sports bag strapped on her back, a questioning look on her face.
Understanding her confusion, Demian said, smiling. “We're coming with you guys. There’s no way we’d let the two of you go alone there.” After listening to his explanation, a discreet but happy smile appeared on her face. “Alright.” Since everyone was ready, Adeliya declared. “Let's go, then!” As soon as those words left her lips, the group of four left the penthouse, the security door automatically locking itself behind them, and moved to the elevator leading to the garage. Once everyone was inside, Brynhild pushed the 'Underground Garage' button, prompting the doors to close and the elevator to quickly move downward. Less than a minute later, the doors reopened, unveiling the modern garage behind. Unlike the Mikhailovs who owned the penthouse on the tenth floor, most tenants or owners only had the right to use the ‘public’ underground parking lot with assigned parking spots. As for the family of four, they had access to a private one with a digital lock and enough room to park several vehicles.
After walking to the security door blocking their way, Adeliya typed the code on the screen before hitting enter. Immediately, a small clicking noise resounded before the door opened automatically, letting them proceed further inside. As the group moved into the massive room, Demian’s gaze shifted around, noting the exit door that covered almost the entire back wall and led outside. Besides the old-style muscle car and the Burgundy-colored SUV, there was also a small shed filled with many car parts such as tires, car oil, gas, etc. Basically, anything that did not require the help of an experienced mechanic could be found there.
Before the accident that happened a few years ago, Seraphine was the one taking care of any light fixes that the SUV needed, with Brynhild playing the assistant. Unfortunately, with the loss of her eyesight, there was no way the petite redhead could handle any repairs on the vehicles. As for himself and Adeliya... They wisely decided to leave anything car-related to the muscular beauty. In any case, for anything too complicated, they just had to send the two cars to the mechanic shop. ‘If it wasn’t because of her eyes, I’m sure Sera would’ve loved to work on Big Sis’ new ride...’ Letting out a wistful sigh at the sight of the white-striped and black-colored muscle car parked side by side with the SUV.
As he was silently admiring the powerful car, his train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the muscular redhead’s voice. “Demian, what're you doing gawking at my car? If you keep wasting time like that, I’ll miss my plane.” Shaking his head slightly, he replied with a bit of embarrassment filling his voice. “Sorry, Big Sis. I was just thinking about something.” He then quickly moved toward the SUV, before quickly sitting in the back where Seraphine was already waiting with her seatbelt fastened. The other two redheads were sitting in front with Adeliya in the driver seat. Once everyone was inside, the latter started the car, opened the exit door leading outside with a special device, and drove the car to the street running along their building. She then directed the car toward the west of the city where Damovotsk International Airport was located.
While the heavy vehicle was cruising along the bypass going around the bustling city, Demian asked hesitantly. “Big Sis?” Brynhild then responded absentmindedly. “Yes?” To which he started saying. “I was thinking... Do you think you could lend me your car for a bit after your fight? I'd love to take her for a spin.” His demand made the three women giggle with Adeliya commenting. “I was wondering when you’d ask after I saw you drooling over it a few minutes ago.” Scratching his cheek, he replied awkwardly. “Come on! I wasn’t drooling. I was just... Admiring its beauty.” Snickering, Sera retorted. “If that makes you feel better, we’ll go with that then.” Looking at the amused look on her face, Demian exclaimed in mock outrage. “Not you too, Sis! I thought you’d always have my back but I see you’d rather betray me like Aunty and Big Sis... Poor me!”
Shaking her head with an even bigger smile, she was about to reply but was cut off by her older sister. “Alright, Mister Drama Queen. You can stop now.” A small chuckle escaped him when he heard her reply. However, his attention was instantly distracted when he felt a soft hand grabbing his. Moving his gaze toward its owner, he noticed the playful look on Seraphine’s face despite the latter keeping silent. “About my car. I don’t mind lending it to you, but you need to get your driving license first. Otherwise, you better forget about it.” Bryn said while Demian discreetly squeezed the petite redhead’s hand gently. “Sure. I’ll sign up to pass the exam in a few days then.” He declared while his attention was divided between rubbing softly the back of Sera’s hand and planning how to acquire his driving license as quickly as possible. ‘It’s a good thing my Mom insisted that I get my License with a manual in my previous life, or I’d need to learn how to use a car all over again.’ Shoving that thought to the side, he simply opted to enjoy teasing the blushing redhead’s hand while joking inwardly. ‘Holding hands... How lewd!’
Around 30 minutes later, they finally reached the Airport with Adeliya parking their car in front of the Domestic Terminal. As Demian exited the car along with the other three women, he noticed Bryn’s discreet glance to the back of their vehicle, or more specifically, the slight frown appearing on her face as her gaze landed on something unknown. Feeling curious as to what could have alerted the powerful woman, Demian asked. “What's wrong, Sis?” His question was met by a few seconds of silence, as Brynhild seemed deep in thought before she turned her head toward him and replied hesitantly. “I'm probably paranoid but... See that grey Gotoya over there?” Following her line of sight, the young man noticed the Molkovian-branded car in question, which was parked a few hundred meters away. It was a bit far for him to glean too many details, but he could still see the few people inside, all of them wearing sunglasses.
Nodding, he asked. “What about it?” “I'm sure I've seen that same car almost as soon as we left our building. It could be a coincidence, but...” She did not finish her sentence, but she did not have to for him to understand her concern. “With everything going on and you leaving the city, you're thinking that they may be that guy's goons sent to follow us, right?” With a look of ‘so you get it’, she replied. “Exactly. I know I can’t convince the three of you to come with me to Molvograd, so you’ll have to be careful. After I leave, go straight back to the penthouse, lock the door, and don’t open for anyone, alright?” He nodded before trying to reassure her. “That was my plan all along. Plus, with the security door, there’s no way anyone could get inside.”
Despite his words, she still seemed worried, which prompted her to add with some hesitation. “Just in case... I... I’ve got a handgun in my room’s safe. So, take it with you. It could come in handy.” He felt a bit surprised at her ‘confession’ but was able to quickly rein in his emotions since it was not something too surprising for rich people to be armed, even in European countries. Naturally, if they were in the US, she would probably have something more powerful than a simple handgun. ‘It’s not as if I know how to use anything stronger than a handgun anyway.’ He pondered for a brief moment before his train of thought was interrupted by the redhead who commented. “You don’t seem too surprised?”
Before he was able to respond, however, she added. “It’s not as if it was the weirdest thing about you that last month, so I’ll just ignore it. Anyway, here’s the code for the safe.” Her statement made him speechless for a brief moment before focusing on remembering the safe’s digital combination. Once she was done, she hugged the three briefly before bidding them goodbye and entering the Terminal with her sports bag strapped to her back. Recalling her previous warning, he swiftly urged the two women standing by his side to get back in the car and drive back to their building. Moving to the front passenger seat, he exclaimed firmly. “It’s possible that we’re being followed, so we need to leave now.”
His words alarmed the other two, prompting Adeliya to turn on the ignition and drive off quickly. “How do you know we’re being followed?” Sera asked, worried. “Bryn warned me. She wasn’t sure, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Nodding her head, she muttered. “True...” After which Adeliya commented. “If we’re followed, it won’t be hard to find out.” As if her words were prophetic, a few minutes later, Demian noticed the same Gotoya that was parked a few tens of meters away from their car following behind them. Naturally, it could have been the same brand but a different car. However, the fact that the two men he could see sitting in the driver and passenger seats wore sunglasses made it clear that it WAS the same car.
“Big Sis was right. We’re being followed.” His statement was followed by his Aunt’s body tensing up, prompting him to reassure her. “It’s okay, Aunty. Just drive normally for now. They’re not trying to get closer, so we’re fine.” Pausing for a second, he then added thoughtfully. “Although if any of you have any idea on how to lose them for a few minutes while we get inside our garage, that’d be for the best.” Indeed, the enemy car was not that far from them, making it dangerous for them if they had to wait for the garage door to open slowly.
Fortunately, the three Mikhailovs were pretty resourceful and found a way to lose them. Letting out a sigh, he thought. ‘Although it’s not a long-term plan, it should buy us enough time to get back safely...’
