*BANG*
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a gun hitting the car.
They were on a road surrounded by trees, as the villa was located on the other side of the city.
"GET DOWN, MISS!"
The one in the passenger seat pulled out his gun as he said this to her.
Harmony did as she was told.
This was her first time going far from the villa, and to think that she would be attacked so suddenly.
"They really are waiting for the right time to bring me back," she thought bitterly.
That was why she had barely gone out over the past two months. She would only go to the nearest places when she badly needed things.
"I guess, because I wasn't even following my brother in coming back, they would also truly resort to violence."
As the one in the passenger seat exchanged gunshots, the driver drove faster and maneuvered the car to avoid more of the incoming bullets.
Based on the number of shots fired, Harmony could deduce that this was just a warning to her.
"Return or die?"
She sighed heavily. She wished she could have learned how to handle a gun or anything at all.
They only allowed her to learn a few self-defense techniques, but that was all. This was the part they did not wish for her to perfect or make use of in the future.
At this moment, she could only close her eyes and wait until the two guards told her it was safe to get up.
"We are back at the villa, miss," one of the guards said.
She kept her position without looking up, not realizing that they had already returned.
She slowly got up and sighed.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" they asked her.
She shook her head, "I am fine. Thank you."
She stepped out of the car and went inside. The two guards checked the car, and there were only a few bullets that had hit it. But because of its bulletproof feature, the bullets did not penetrate inside.
None of the bullets had hit the tires. It was obvious that those people had come only to send a warning.
They had to report to Lenon.
...
"Why is that woman still here? Do you all realize how dangerous it is for her to be here?"
Upon entry, this was what Harmony heard coming from Lenon's younger sister, Olivia Ashcroft, married to one of the executives of Ashcroft Nexus, Marcus Campbell.
She was talking to Emina Ashcroft.
"Auntie..." Emina looked tired.
"I don't care about what she is going through. You should have just let her stay with the Lockhart family since it was their son who came to her rescue. Why must you all get involved?"
Emina already had a massive headache. She came home to rest since she could not really rest at the office. Who would have thought that her aunt would be there and the others would be out?
"You have to tell your parents that they should give her up to the Lockhart family. What if something happens to them because of that woman? The Morgrave family is not a family that lives righteously. They are also behind some underworld dealings."
Harmony pursed her lips.
Wasn't the incident a while ago proof of that?
Emina sighed, "Whether she is a danger or not, my parents have already taken responsibility for her. Grandfather always told us, 'Once you have taken responsibility, be responsible until the end.'"
Harmony blinked.
Emina had not shown any dislike toward her being there, but she had not shown any support either.
Harmony decided to slip away and stepped out of the house once again, walking toward the garden on the side.
*DING*
"Come home now, or worse will come."
She sighed.
Even though she had changed her number, she was still reached by her brother, who had returned.
All he did was send her messages telling her to come back.
In the past, she followed him more than her parents. That was why they had called him back from abroad to bring her back.
But now, she was an adult, and she no longer needed to do any of those things.
And she would surely not return. Wouldn't that make everything a joke?
But she also had her worries.
Because Olivia's words were the truth. She was implicating them with this decision.
She may have been happy, but now that danger had seriously approached, she felt like her decision was the worst.
She sighed while looking down at the pond, her eyes glazing over.
"Sometimes life can be so difficult," she bitterly thought.
"Don't put Auntie's words to your heart."
She looked up when she heard someone speak near her.
"She is worried about us. As you already know, Morgrave is not a kind family, especially when there is something they want," Emina continued.
"I... understand her very much," Harmony replied.
"But what I said was also true. My family took you in as our responsibility, so we will be responsible until the end," Emina said seriously.
She had seen Harmony walking out a while ago, but she did not realize that she had returned until she chose to walk back.
After sending her aunt away, Emina decided to speak with Harmony.
She may not have shown her support, always being aloof, but it was a fact that Harmony brought some kind of energy into their family. That was why Emina was also not against her being there.
It was a kind of energy that had been gone because of her, after all.
"It has already started, though..."
Harmony looked at her, but the light in her eyes had diminished.