34 Not Ye

In the black town car, Liam had moved into the front passenger seat alongside Parker and was rubbing his arms due to the cold. The car was one of the top on the market—it had heated seats, powerful heating, and the softest seats, but they did not want to turn on the engine for fear of attracting unwanted attention. The car's insulation alone was not enough to stop the two men feeling the cold that night.

A beautiful white shine had appeared in the ground, as if someone had sprinkled icing sugar all over the streets. As Liam spoke, a hazy mist appeared from his mouth.

"What on Earth is she doing in there? She should have gone home almost an hour ago," Liam muttered.

"I suppose, sir, that she is doing something similar to us—she does not want to leave her cafe undefended."

Liam frowned. 'She shouldn't have to worry about things like that…'

…

As Frank bumbled down the street, he was caught in a conundrum—how exactly should he ruin the cafe? Should he wreck the interior? Should he steal or break the coffee machine? He had a strong whisky on him, so starting a fire was not out of the question either.

A wicked grin appeared on his lips as he thought, 'I'll decide when I'm there. True art cannot be planned or rushed; it is something made in the spur of the moment.'

As the adrenaline rushed to his brain due to what he was about to do, Frank picked up the pace, going from a brisk walk to a half jog.

'He he he… I can't wait to see the news tomorrow. I can picture the headlines now. Cafe hit again. Jade isn't so great. Stupid woman should have gone out with Frank. Yes, wonderful headlines…'

His laughter at that could not be contained, and he began cackling out loud. "I've never been one for arson. If a debtor needs reminding about how much they owe, a few broken bones was never out of the question, but I could never burn everything—their belongings were what I was there for, so it would have been shooting myself in the foot.

"Yes, a fire might be a nice way to do it! HAHAHA!"

His malicious laughter filled the street, and as he turned a corner, Night Cafe came into view.

'Let me see how smug, pompous, and loved you are when I burn your cafe to the ground!'

…

Having only heard drunken laughter but none of his words, the two men in the car were oblivious to Frank's plan.

"Shall we intercept him, sir?"

Parker moved to jump out the car, but Liam put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"No. Let's not move yet. As long as he does not physically attack her, we'll stay here. She won't lose an argument to him, and she'll probably give me another cold look if I try to save the day unnecessarily."

"Very well, sir. But I shall remain ready to run at a moment's notice."

Liam nodded but didn't reply as a slight nervousness crept into his face.