Chapter 275 - § BROKEN DOLL §

CHAPTER 021 

Yanarym was consistently draped in yellow. Whether the style would be sashes, long sleeves, lace, or puffed, she could always be seen in a yellow dress and string straps sandals. It was reputedly part of her identity, it was her distinction. 

Ironically, the color of her fashion was not coherent with her personality. Yellow emitted an illuminating, cheerful essence, optimist, and enthusiast quality. Perhaps, she wore that to make up with her glum, dire, and faint character. 

For the very first time, Lyndon kept a close eye on her for practically an entire day. He recalled how she behaved at the academy. I thought she was back to her normal depressive self, he mumbled to himself. However, since she came to his house she was acting very out of ordinary. The color of her dress was now resonating with her atmosphere.

"You haven't gone home yet," Lyndon began the discussion. "You still wear the clothes you wore earlier." Throughout the dinner they had, they were awfully quiet. It was not like they could not talk, but there was an apparent revulsion from Lyndon of the notion of talking to her. Yanarym on the other hand was waiting for him to take the initiative.

That was how their interaction operated; the original would be compliant until she was permitted to speak. Kraig thinks he is the owner, Lyndon thinks he is the boss. Yanarym bit the skin inside her mouth to sustain the frustration. She looked at the hot tea that was served on the coffee table to avert her attention to somewhere else. She saw no servant in this house, how come everything that was served was still as hot and newly made? Magic servant? Invisible people? Even the dinner was still hot when she ate it. Whatever it was, it was pretty cool. 

Anyways, let's do it, acting skills. Activated. 

"About that…" she put down her teacup and a depressed expression appeared on her face. "I will do what you want, Lyndon." 

What do I want? Lyndon's lips twitched as his eyebrow raised with what he heard. What he wanted, huh. He peered at her visage and she was looking straight at him. He creased his eyebrows, she can even look straight at his eyes now. 

The repeating question crept into his mind, who is this woman? Where is that woman who could not even talk to me without stuttering? That woman who would blush at everything? He did not like this change. He could not read this version of her. 

"What I wanted? What does that mean, Yanarym?" Lyndon asked and drank up his tea to deflect her eyes. 

"I will take away Kraig from Tiana, isn't that what you want?" He almost choked and redirected his attention to her. 

"What are you saying?" He placed the teacup back on the table and wrinkled his forehead as the reaction to her assertion. 

"To ruin both of them and don't let them end up together, that is what you want the most, Lyndon. I can make that happen," her eyes were resolute as if no one could deter her no matter what. This was not the eyes of the same girl he approached before. 

THE CLASS was long over, the place was covered in pitch black, though the moonlight was to illuminate one student who remained in her seat. A girl in a yellow dress was absentmindedly staring at the window. It was a starless night. Her back was lump against her seat, shoulders dropped, empty soulless eyes, void expression, and motionless. At first glance, she resembled a wax figurine molded into a perfect beautiful doll. Something happened earlier that caused her to this state… 

Kraig, who was always hanging around with her, deserted her. He didn't talk to her nor throw her a single glance. With no explanation or closure, Kraig abnegated her like a toy he got tired of. In a snap, she was alone again. The worst part of it was he came to the classes with Tiana. They were looking sweet and intimate as if he was willfully rubbing salt to her wound. Look at your replacement, I am much happier with Tiana—was what Kraig's action openly declared to her face. That was what Lyndon could discern at her blank face. That night was the first time Lyndon noticed her. A worthless but gorgeous broken doll was abandoned in the darkness. 

He did not tend to pay much attention to her. However, as time went by, Tiana was slipping away. The devastation he saw from her started to slink into him. Tiana… like what he imagined, it didn't take long and she withdrew from him. After their argument, she never sought him. 

Driven by his rage to make Tiana regret picking another man, to make her realize that she was wrong regarding Kraig's angel's halo. Lyndon approached her, the broken doll. He needed someone to ruin Kraig and Tiana. He immediately pursued her, he could use her. Lyndon did not give a damn about her, but he needed her. She was defective but he would utilize her. She could become his marionette. 

"Do you want revenge?" Her eyes were empty just like that day when Kraig disregarded her. She was looking at him but he knew she wasn't staring directly at him. Her mind was drifting somewhere he didn't know, and he would drag her back. "Are you giving up Kraig?" She was noticeably startled by his unexpected initiation of conversation, they had been attending the same academy for so long. Yet, they never talked, they did not even look at each other. They were strangers to each other's world. She blinked as she recovered from the unforeseen discussion. 

"Why do you care?" Her voice was hushed, it was bitter. "Mind your own business." Like what the rumors say, she was ansty, unapproachable. No wonder Kraig preferred Tiana over her. 

I am, Lyndon thought, you are now my business. "Shouldn't you have your revenge on Kraig? He deserved to receive your retribution," she ceased from tidying her thing from her table. It was a long pause before she proceeded to clean up. Her movements were big and heavy, she was thrashing the books and paper, then she halted, she breathed in sharply. 

"Revenge," she muttered in exasperation, "you think I did not try to do that? I want them to feel what I felt—the betrayal, the agony, this exacerbating pain in my heart." She huffed silently and quickly wiped her eyes, "but I cannot go on. The more I give myself to that revenge, the more I lose myself too. I give up… If Kraig doesn't want me anymore, he can have his serenity. I will have mine too." 

Lyndon peered at her, she seemed to be in so much pain. But as he said, it did not matter to him, he did not care if she was dying in grief. He needed her, she cannot give up just like that. Her revenge would be his revenge as well. 

"Can you do that? Sleep at night in peace knowing that you had not retaliated?" 

She turned to him, her eyes were jaded, unlike their state earlier, this time she had emotions on them right now. She was mad and confused. Maybe because he was talking to her especially about this matter. "Why do you even care? Leave me alone!" 

"I will help you attain your revenge." He was unfazed and stared back at her. "I will aid you. Money, method, people, anything. I will do my best for you to succeed." Her lips parted but she did not utter a word, she narrowed her eyes to him but quickly looked away. 

"I don't know why you're doing this. But I don't need your help, I don't want this anymore. I want to be happy, and revenge is not for me." She turned her back on him. 

Damn it, I'm too late, Lyndon grumbled. She was determined to revoke her resentment from the betrayal? Lyndon didn't understand how she could do that. Because he could never forgive Kraig for taking away Tiana. 

She was not willing to participate by her own accord. That meant he had no choice but to blackmail her. 

"Have you told Kraig that your mother was not a true witch?" She flinched and stopped walking away. "She is a fraud, isn't she?" He grinned, placing both of his hands in his pocket. He got her, for sure, he would get her on board. She abruptly veered around to face him, she was in an obvious stupor.

"H-how—what are you saying?" 

"You should attack him before he does," Lyndon uttered in a grim, "he would use that to hurt you again. You are over with him? That doesn't mean he is. He likes to see you in misery. He should know that he must stop messing with you. Strike him back," He convinced her, after that day, he recycled a broken doll.. She was doing what he was telling her to do because he was insisting that it was what 'she' wanted to happen.