The Devil's Favourite Obsession

That day, Warm Land was unusually busy. Customers stood in a line outside the cafe, waiting for a table as though the place had suddenly become one of those famous cafes people visited because of some signature dessert or limited-edition coffee.

Warm Land had never been that kind of place. It was a comfortable cafe, familiar to its regulars, busy enough during certain hours, but never so crowded that people waited outside with impatient faces and phones in their hands.

By six in the evening, Cixi was exhausted enough to stop caring about how people were lining up outside the cafe to get a place. Was the other branch of the cafe this busy as well?

Her shift had finally ended, and her feet ached from standing too long. Lily had taken a half day and left earlier, which had made the last few hours feel even longer.

Zoyar, however, had stayed back. He sat at his table with a drink he barely touched, occasionally looking at his phone, occasionally watching the room with that casual awareness that saw more than he pretended to see.

When Cixi disappeared into the back to collect her things and returned with her backpack, Zoyar closed whatever business he had been handling, stood, and left a moment after her.

Cixi did not notice him properly. The moment she stepped outside the cafe, her attention went to Marion. On her left, the queue snaked toward the corner. On her right, half a metre from the doorway, Marion stood waiting.

Marion was in jeans and a casual T-shirt and stood on the right side of the entrance with a serious expression on her face. On the left, the waiting customers had formed a line that reached almost to the next shop, their voices mixing with the noise of traffic and the evening rush. Cixi looked from the crowd to Marion, and immediately forgot her tiredness.

”Marion,” she said, walking closer. ”Did we plan to meet today?”

Marion shook her head. ”No. But I came here to talk to you.”

There was a worried note in her voice, and that worry touched Cixi’s heart before Marion even explained anything.

Marion was not the kind of woman who appeared without reason. She had children, a husband, a house, responsibilities. If she had come all the way to the cafe with that expression, something had happened.

”Of course,” Cixi replied quickly. ”Let us go to some other café.”

She had already turned slightly, thinking they could walk and sit somewhere quieter, but Marion shook her head again. ”No. Let us take a walk near the riverside.”

Cixi paused, giving Marion a startled glance.

The request itself was not strange, but the way Marion said it was and where. Marion sounded as though any closed space would suffocate her. She needed air. She needed distance. She needed somewhere wide enough to breathe through whatever was tightening around her heart.

”Sure,” Cixi agreed, though concern had already settled deeper inside her.

She raised her hand to stop a taxi, and within a few minutes they were sitting in the back seat while the car carried them away from the crowded street. Neither spoke much during the ride.

Cixi kept glancing at Marion, waiting for her to begin, but Marion looked out of the window with her hands folded tightly in her lap. The silence told Cixi enough to understand that this was not a small problem.

When they reached Long River, Cixi reached for her purse the moment the driver announced the fare, but Marion paid before she could argue. The taxi drove away, leaving them near the long stretch of riverside path that people used for walking and jogging during better times.

Better times being before the murders.

Cixi looked around as they stood near the path. The place was quiet. The river moved darkly beside them, and the trees along the walkway cast long shadows over the ground.

Most people avoided coming here after dusk, especially after two hundred and one people had been killed mysteriously in this area over the span of five years. The killer had never been captured. The police had given statements, warnings, theories, and promises, but none of those had brought the dead back or made the living feel safe.

”Do you think a serial killer could be waiting here for prey?” Cixi asked, half serious and half trying to lighten the heaviness between them.

”Let him be here,” Marion replied flatly. ”I will take him down today with the rage I am feeling.”

Cixi turned her head and stared at Marion bewilderedly.

Marion continued walking as though she had said nothing unusual. ”And we are two people. I am sure with the strength in our hands, we can handle one man or woman.”

Cixi was once again taken aback for a moment.

Marion was not herself. Whatever had happened was definitely related to Martin. Cixi had already assumed that much, but hearing Marion speak as though she was ready to fight a murderer on a riverside path made the assumption feel closer to fact.

”The killer was never captured,” Cixi murmured, looking around again.

”Yes,” Marion said bitterly. ”The police are useless when it comes to capturing the real culprit.”

Cixi only nodded because she could hear the hatred Marion held towards the system, and for once she did not feel like disagreeing.

”Do not worry, Cixi,” Marion added after a moment. ”With mafia people following us, I do not think anything will happen.”

Cixi stopped walking. She turned completely towards Marion, shock spreading across her face. ”Us? Following us? How can you tell?” Cixi knew Cassian’s men followed her, but she never told Marion about it. So how did she know?

Marion looked at her as though she had asked something foolish. ”Binge’s men have been following my family and me. And your apparent fiance, Cassian... do you honestly think a man like him would let you go anywhere alone?... After mass killing for not protecting you.....” Marion hadn’t forgotten what Cassian had done for her best friend.

Cixi’s mouth opened, but for a second nothing came out. Marion was not stupid. That much was clear.