Chương 26: WHAT'S WRONG WITH HER??

Ave responded with a serious gaze, "You could be a game master too then."

Axel smirked and replied, "I could be one, same goes for you. If I were truly a game master, I would never have allowed you to come with me, reveal myself to you, or tell you about Anthony's secret. I know that revealing the game secret would be the death of me."

"You mentioned something about being involved with an assassination group. Does that mean your boss is the one who planned this whole game? If so, I don't know him, so why am I included in the game?" Ave asked, looking confused.

"There's more to find out, Ave. I'm telling you all this because you were also interested in finding the game's secret. You promised to work together with me to achieve that," replied Axel, placing his hand on Ave's shoulder and heaving a heavy sigh. "I have three agendas to fulfill now. First, I need to be sure that Murphy Lionel planned this whole game, because it's crazy to assume that a human like us planned it. Second, the Lionel in our group - I have to be sure that he's not the same Lionel I know about. And third, I need to know why this game started in the first place, how to end it, and return everything back to normal," he added, withdrawing his hand from Ave's shoulder.

"Wait! Y...yo...You mean that Lionel with the mask might be the one who planned the game. He might be the leader of your assassination group," Ave stuttered, her eyes wide open in shock, waiting curiously to hear Axel's answer.

"Yes! He's a smart guy and also very dangerous. For now, just pretend that you know nothing. An opportunity would eventually come whereby I'll reveal his face under the mask by myself and kill him with my bare hands in order to clear the debt he owed me," Axel proclaimed, his voice and eyes filled with anger and determination, as he crushed the flashlight in his hand without realizing.

"That's not your boss you're crushing, guy," said Ave, as she watched Axel's behavior. "Congratulations, you just crushed your flashlight."

Axel looked at the crushed flashlight in his hand and tossed it away before hopping on the bicycle. "Let's get back to the supermarket before the others find out about our disappearance," said Axel.

Ave expressed confusion and frustration, saying, "I don't know what happened between you and your boss. What concerns me is why I'm involved in this situation when I don't even know him."

Ignoring Ave's question, Axel spoke with seriousness and authority, instructing, "Don't disclose tonight's events to anyone, not even your friends." Ave, feeling disbelief, eventually nodded in agreement before riding off on the bicycle.

The next day came quickly, with the bright sun and warm, gentle sunlight. The birds chirped and a cool breeze blew, while dew drops covered the leaves of the plants.

Axel and the other players were busy with various activities, except for Ave, who sat down beside him on the tiled floor.

"Do you think he knows about our outing yesterday?" Ave whispered into Axel's ear, prompting an angry groan from him.

She was once again talking about Lionel, and it was the umpteenth time she had asked the same question. Ever since they had returned from the building the previous night, she had been following Axel around, almost like a stalker.

"Can you stop following me?" Axel whispered angrily into Ave's ear. "Your behavior is going to make everyone suspicious."

Meanwhile, Lionel had been pacing back and forth all morning.

"Do you think he knows about it?" Ave whispered to Axel, her gaze fixed on Lionel. "You said he's dangerous. I can't stay calm with a dangerous man around."

"Coming from the mouth of someone who said she's not scared of anything after going through all those bloody games," Axel whispered into her ear. "Just stop following me around, lady. You've been such a headache since morning."

"But...,"

"Are you two married?" Ave couldn't complete her statement before being interrupted by Livi's angry voice.

"Why do you keep following him around?" Livi asked with a smirk as she sat down opposite the duo. "And as if that isn't enough, you guys have been whispering to each other non-stop. Tell me, are you two married?" She added, with anger evident in her voice.

"Why are you concerned about that? Mind your own business, lady!" Ave yelled at Livi, who had her mouth wide open in shock as she witnessed Ave holding onto Axel's arm.

"Just what exactly is going on between you two?" Livi yelled as she stood up, walked up to Axel, sat down beside him, and held onto his other arm.

Ave rolled her eyes and said, "You're so shameless. Such a bitch!!

"You're the shameless one here," Livi retorted "I remember how you and Axel were never on good terms when we first met, and now you've already slept with him, right? Such a shameless act."

" You...,"

Before Ave could reply, Axel interrupted.

"Enough!" He had remained calm, sitting between the two ladies as they exchanged words.

"Livi started it," said Ave, her gaze fixed on Axel, leaving him speechless and shocked as he wasn't expecting such drama from her.

"I'm just speaking the truth about how shameless you've been," retorted Livi, rolling her eyes in disdain.

Suddenly, Axel rose and dragged Ave out of the supermarket by her hand, leaving Livi in disbelief and shock as she watched them hold hands until they were out of sight.

Axel continued to drag Ave, walking miles away from the supermarket, until Ave finally freed her hand from his tight grip as soon as Axel stopped walking.

"Are you crazy?" Ave yelled, still panting heavily and massaging her hand, which hurt from Axel's grip.

"And what the hell was that? Are you crazy? What's with all the useless drama? I thought I was having a chat with someone sensible," yelled Axel, his voice laced with anger and frustration.

Ave replied, "I was only clinging to you. Since we're now a team, so what's the problem?"

"Darn it!" Axel cursed bitterly. "Why are all women like this?" He asked, not expecting an answer but out of frustration. "Why are you giving everyone the wrong idea about us? You keep following me around, even to the toilet when I went to pee. Can't you just go back to being the once Ave who doesn't give a damn about everyone again?"

Ave yelled in frustration, "You think I want to cling on to you? No! I'm only doing so because I don't know if that dangerous man you said is actually the same Lionel. I don't know if he knew about our outing last night. If he knew, he might want to get rid of us, and who is the easiest target? It's me!" She paced back and forth in front of Axel.

"Why are women so senseless," Axel murmured to himself, rolling his eyes in disdain. "If you truly value your life, then go back to how you used to behave before. Don't let others point fingers at us. How could I trust you with such a secret if I knew how fragile you were in the first place?"

"All men are dangerous, why are you all so cruel?" Ave asked, her expression sad as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What is wrong with her?" Axel thought to himself as he watched Ave.