Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 90
Dane called out too.
“Grandpa has been sleeping a lot more lately. Ever since you took this lady here, even more so. Maybe he’s relieved now that a worthy successor has appeared.”
Dane said mischievously, hands behind his head. Anyone could see he was not cut out for delicate work like mixing medicines.
‘It’s possible that Diana’s presence has made him relax. But this…’
Cecilia reminisced about the past. When she first drifted into the back alleys, Dane, who used to scold her like he was lecturing. Gil Holt wasn’t there.
“You can’t hold on to the past. Let it go. And you have to survive decently!”
Those words…
They felt like they were spoken by someone who knew they were parting, which made them resonate more.
“…”
Cecilia silently watched Gil.
“Just wait ten minutes. He’ll wake up on his own.”
“No, sorry, but I don’t have time.”
As she tapped her feet, the image of Mary clutching the box with the ribbon hair accessory weighed on her mind.
“âŠ?! What are you doing?”
Cecilia went to the inner counter. Dane looked at her questioningly.
“You’ll see.”
Cecilia grabbed a handful of 100-lis coins that Gil had piled up and approached Dane. She handed them to him.
“âŠ?”
Just as Dane’s eyes fluttered in confusion, Cecilia shouted loudly.
“Dane! No matter how hungry you are, how could you steal Grandpa Gil’s money?!”
“âŠWhat?!”
Gil Holt sprung up like someone hit on the head. Dane was momentarily dumbfounded, fumbling to put on his glasses to face his grandfather.
With coins in his hand.
“Dane Holt… you againâŠ?”
Finally coming to his senses, Dane frantically waved his hands. Clutching the coins tightly, his actions only incited Gil’s anger.
“Ungrateful brat! How old are you to still be pilfering from your old manâs hard-earned money!”
“Ah! No, Grandpa! It’s not like that… that girlâŠ!”
Dane pointed at Cecilia. Cecilia blinked innocently.
“Me? What did I do?”
Soon her silver-blue eyes narrowed.
“Are you trying to pin this on me again like before…?”
“Before…? What are you talking aboutâŠ?”
Cecilia didn’t let Dane finish muttering. She sighed softly, appearing disappointed.
“You’re still the same, you⊔
Dane looked embarrassed, and Gil, fully awake now, slowly got up and strode over to Dane.
“Wait a minute! This time it really wasn’t me… Diana, you know, right? You saw everything, right? …Diana!”
“…”
Diana chose a neutral stance. Her tendency not to meddle in affairs unrelated to her own goals suggested she might have inherited some of her father’s tough businessman traits.
“Ahhh! Ceci, you…!”
“Donât try to blame others, you thief!”
“Grandpa! How long ago do you think that was…!”
A brief commotion ensued.
Dane, sporting a fresh bruise under his eye, glared at Cecilia. She did not avoid his sharp gaze but gave him a slight smile.
‘Thatâs why you should have been building up good karma all along.’
Dane had a problem with stealing in his youth. It wasn’t that he was unique; many children from the poor, hungry back alleys dug their own wells.
Once, he tried to steal Gil’s expensive herbs and pin the blame on Cecilia. Sharp as he was, Gil didn’t believe Dane’s story, but Cecilia felt a bit betrayed by Dane at that time.
‘I appreciate that you told me to live on, but that was then, and this is now.’
With that, Cecilia felt she had settled an old score and walked towards Gil with a refreshed spirit.
The question she asked Gil was not much different from the one she had asked Dane earlier. She described Louise ClĂ©on’s general appearance and asked if he had seen such a gypsy.
Gil pondered for a while then shook his head.
“No, I haven’t seen anyone like that.”
“Really? You havenât just forgotten?”
“Hey! Are you making fun of an old man’s memory now? My memory is several times more accurate than that jellyfish over there!”
Dane, suddenly reduced to jellyfish status, puffed up his eyes like one and rubbed his nose.
Cecilia rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
‘Even Gilbert Holt doesnât know Louise ClĂ©onâŠ?’
