Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 178: A Love to Protect

Chapter 178: A Love to Protect

Simon stood and got something from his pocket. He tossed it in the air and it landed at her feet.

"Think about it and meet me here at the same time the day after tomorrow," he said before he stormed out of the room with his vampire speed. The next moment, he was out of Lauren’s sight.

She looked down at the floor to see what Simon had tossed. The piece of silver shimmered, and when she took a closer look, a gasp escaped Lauren’s lips. Sitting on her heels, she blinked twice, flabbergasted. No... this couldn’t be.

She picked up the barrette from the floor and stared at it longer. Its butterfly design had the same design as that of her mother. She could never forget it because her mother told her that it was the possession she treasured the most.

Why would Simon leave her with this? It was a big question for Lauren. Back in the old days, she never remembered her mother having dear friends, and she also believed that she had no family or relatives. So why would Simon have this barrette? It couldn’t be just a coincidence. He left this for a reason—and that was to convince her to work with him and the rebels.

If he used this to stir her mind, it meant she knew what this barrette meant to her. He knew it would remind her of her mother... but how did that happen? And what did this mean? Perhaps was he trying to convey that he knew things about her mother and the truth behind everything that concerned her identity?

Lauren held the barrette tightly. Whatever this barrette meant, it served its purpose well. Now she was dying in curiosity about what Simon knew about her mother and her. It was possible he was just using the memory of her mother, but she was determined to know what Simon knew.

If he was planning to play a game with her, then she would give him that. She had played too many games and she knew she wouldn’t fail. Especially not this time—not when she had a love to protect.

* * *

Lauren put on the hood of her cloak and lowered her head as she entered Vivian’s brothel. Instead of going straight to the castle, she went to find Vivian because she wanted to check if Simon was telling the truth—that he did nothing to Vivian.

Vivian’s attendant who stood by her room tried to stop Lauren but when she took off the cloak, the servant immediately backed off. She asked if Vivian was inside but before the nervous attendant could answer, she had pushed the door open, which she wished she hadn’t done.

Lauren was stunned to see Vivian sitting on the table, almost naked, while in a deep kiss with Ethan.

"Oh my goodness! What—Lauren! You should have knocked first!" Vivian pushed Ethan in haste and hurriedly fixed her dress.

"And you should have locked the door!"

Lauren closed the door behind her and stared at both of her friends in disbelief. She knew the two had been head-over-heels in love with each other for some time now, and Ethan was planning to ask Vivian’s hand in marriage, but she had never seen them so intimate before because they always bickered in every chance they had. It was a new sight, so she was too stunned to speak for a moment.

"What is so urgent to discuss that you seem to be in a hurry?" Ethan asked while fixing his collar. He didn’t seem to care that she caught him and Vivian in such a situation, meanwhile, Vivian’s face was all red.

"She must have come for me. Why don’t you leave for now, Ethan, so we can talk?"

"Why do I need to leave? I am a friend too. Perhaps I can help." Ethan turned to Lauren. "What is it?"

It took a second for Lauren to answer. She was so preoccupied with the thoughts of Simon on the way here that she failed to think of an alibi for why she came to meet Vivian. Of course she couldn’t tell her about Simon.

"Vivian is right. It’s her I came for. It’s a girl stuff that you don’t need to involve yourself in."

Ethan raised his brow. "Oh, that’s too bad. I’ll just leave you alone, then." He smiled and pulled Vivian’s waist to kiss her on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Madame Locket."

Lauren cleared her throat, and Vivian’s face heated more. She pushed Ethan out of the room and closed the door before she went to Lauren.

"I’m sorry for that..." Vivian grinned. The glimmer in her eyes told Lauren that she probably didn’t meet Simon at all. She looked fine and she didn’t look like someone who received a death threat either. "So, what is it you want to talk about?"

"Well... I just want to consult you about my relationship with Alec," Lauren said and she came up with a convincing story about her urgent matter.

She spent the next few hours before nightfall with Vivian. She found a way to divert the topic to Vivian, so halfway through their talk, Vivian was the one talking. She wasn’t sure if she had absorbed everything she said, though. Her mind was still wandering around Simon Lancelot. She feared that he would eventually use her friends against her, so she thought of deploying some of her men to guard Vivian in secret.

It was drizzling when Lauren went out of the brothel. She was about to go back inside to ask for an umbrella, but she stopped upon seeing Matthias walking towards her with one. When she saw the royal carriage in the distance, she sighed. She didn’t have to ask. She could tell it in Matthias’ morbid face.

She got inside the carriage and saw Alec leaning on his back, arms crossed and eyes closed.

After she sat across from him, his eyelids flicked up all of a sudden, and her heart leaped when his piercing orbs watched her like a hawk.

"You really like provoking me, don’t you, my love?"