“Do you think I’m broke and penniless?” Athissa replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Do you think I earn nothing from my career?”
“I don’t want to have your wallet empty,” Anthony said and turned his body to the side.
“No more questions.”
“Bro?”
Athissa’s mouth hung as she was flabbergasted by Anthony’s words.
She didn’t know if she needed to reply or shut her mouth instead.
Athissa stared at the pouch and into Anthony’s retreating figure.
Anthony continued walking until his figure vanished in the darkness of the night.
“The more, the merrier.
I guess.”
Athissa slowly stepped back from the door and locked it immediately.
She placed the pouch on the bottom of the trunk to keep it safe and returned to work.
After an hour, Athissa let out a quiet sigh before glancing around the nearly empty house.
“Well, I have packed what I need.
I’ll keep the other unnecessary stuff here,” Athissa said, hands on her waist as she looked at the handful of belongings that remained.
However, a thought suddenly crossed Athissa’s mind.
Like something she had forgotten, but remembered.
Athissa took a candle burning on the table and walked to a clean, bare wall.
She placed her palm against the surface and traced a familiar path.
It didn’t take her long to press a block.
The creak sound echoed through the silent house.
The hallway was dark, and dust floated lazily through the light of Athissa’s candle.
“I’m still impressed this place exists in this house.
So impressive,” Athissa muttered in satisfaction.
Athissa bought that house a few years ago.
She didn’t know about the secret room and accidentally stumbled upon it while painting the walls.
Athissa walked inside the hallway while humming a happy tune.
She wasn’t frightened since she had been there a couple of times and used the place as her secret room to store valuable assets, which were not that much.
At the end of the hallway was a single room with a tight, heavy lock.
Athissa placed the candle on the wall-mounted holder.
She reached into her chest and under her clothes.
Then she pulled a necklace with a key.
“Hmm, the lock became rusty again.
I just cleaned it a few months ago,” Athissa pouted as she unlocked the door while barely touching the dirty lock.
Athissa pushed the door open, revealing a dark room.
She took the candle and lit the standby torches inside.
As the room illuminated.
It was packed with shelves full of books in dark leather covers.
Athissa went closer and touched them, feeling the trace of the covers in her fingertips.
“I can’t take this with me,” she whispered sadly but recovered fast.
“It’s okay.
I memorized it by heart anyway!”
The books slightly glistened against the light, and it gave them a glow like stars in the sky.
“I can stare at these books all day,” Athissa sighed deeply as she leaned her body on the table.
However, the table was older than it looked.
It didn’t fully support Athissa’s weight, causing the table to slide opposite her and break a leg.
“AH!” Athissa screamed in horror as she fell on the cold floor after failing to hold herself up.
Her buttocks landed straight to the ground, but then she felt something click underneath her.
“What the?” She muttered and scooted to the side.
The part of the floor where Athissa sat was lower than the rest.
She was frightened, but excited at the same time for a new discovery.
A slight rumble resonated in the room.
The middle shelf shook and moved a little to the side.
There, a small hollow space appeared, and a shiny, dark box was placed in the middle.
“Whoa, what is that?” Athissa exclaimed while standing up and walking slowly towards the wall.
She clenched her hands on her skirt nervously.
“This place is really interesting.
Since I’m the one living here, it means this box is mine too, right?”
There was a slight hesitation in Athissa’s eyes, but her curiosity got the best of her.
She reached out and took the box.
It was light and small.
Athissa slowly lifted the lid, and what was revealed was a small ring with a dark, matte black stone in the middle.
The ring was made of silver.
“A ring?
Seriously?”
Athissa shook her head in amusement.
She liked shiny things, but disliked how the center stone wasn’t sparkling enough.
“Hmm, I don’t need a ring.
Maybe this can be sold for a couple of silver,” Athissa whispered and observed the ring a couple more times, but it looked too ordinary.
Athissa placed the small box in her pocket and looked at the hidden place one last time before she left.
She locked the door tightly to ensure the items inside were safe.
She slipped the key back beneath her clothes and patted it once, making sure it rested against her chest.
“Safe and sound,” Athissa murmured.
Athissa glanced back at the hidden room.
Her heart was filled with longing at the thought of leaving as it finally sank in.
“Take care of this house while I’m gone,” Athissa said with a smile, speaking to the empty room as if it could hear her.
The torches still lit inside flickered in response before dying down.
As if it heard what Athissa had said.
Athissa emerged into the main house and the hidden wall slid shut with a heavy thud.
No trace remained that a hallway passage had ever existed.
Athissa stretched her arms above her head.
“Ah, finally done,” she said with a smile, her eyes drifting toward the stacked trucks waiting for her.
“… Almost done,” Athissa chuckled while shaking her head.
She thought she could finally rest and sleep through the night, since she needed to wake up early.
However, she needed to clean the house and cover the furniture with white cloths to prevent dust from damaging it.
“I guess two hours of sleep later is enough for me to function!” Athissa said in defeat.
Nobody is fighting.
Nobody is dying.