To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 89

Anita considered how to escape from him. Though she felt guilty about treating him like Charles Bennett just because he was holding a wine glass, she couldn’t bring herself to trust him.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the funds at the moment.”

Anita felt a pang of regret about having to appease what seemed like a con artist. What had she done to attract such strange people one after another?

“Oh, it’s alright if you don’t have cash on hand. What’s important is the intention, the heart.”

Despite her initial doubts, Anita was now certain that Roy Krieger was indeed a scam artist. He would probably present a bizarre contract with strange conditions under the guise of being flexible about immediate payment.

“‘What’s important is the heart,’ he says. Just give him your heart, Anita.”

The sudden voice from behind made Anita jump.

“Finian?”

She hadn’t noticed him standing there. Finian was now behind her, arms crossed.

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant.”

Roy stammered as soon as he saw Finian.

“Anita, just say, ‘I have nothing to offer, so I’ll just pray for the success of your business.’”

It seemed like Finian viewed the whole situation as a joke. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be speaking in such a nonchalant tone.

“Finian, I can explain everything.”

Roy tried to start a flustered explanation.

“Sure, you might, but the problem is I’m not particularly interested.”

“……”

“By the way, the bodyguards hired by Liliana are looking for you.”

“What did I do?”

“I’m not sure. But what can you do? You’ll have to blame yourself for falling out of favor with the owner.”

Finian continued to irritate Roy with his usual mocking demeanor.

“Yeah, we should let him go for now.”

Roy Krieger huffed and puffed a bit before managing to compose himself and walked away. His exit was rather bland for a con artist.

“Is it alright to let him go like that?”

“Why not?”

“What if he comes back for revenge?”

“He’s not worth worrying about.”

Anita habitually fiddled with her lips. If Roy Krieger were to come back seeking revenge like Charles Bennett did, it would be a problem. Given her previous experience with Charles, Anita found it hard to trust Roy at all.

“So, what exactly does he do? Is he really a con artist?”

“You’ve got quite the keen eye.”

It seemed her guess was right.

“He’s not just a con artist. He’s also a notorious gambler and drug addict.”

Anita’s mouth dropped open in shock at his more colorful background. To think she had been alone with such a dangerous person just moments ago.

“Liliana absolutely despises him. Last time, he showed up at a party high on drugs, and it caused a scene that had the local police called in from everywhere.”

“…….”

“The party turned into complete chaos.”

Finian clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, as a way to celebrate getting away from that con artist, I’ll show you something nice.”

“What are you talking about?”

He suddenly leaned in and stared intently at her face, causing Anita to tilt her head back to avoid him. Finian reached toward her ear.

“What… what are you doing?”

“Just stay still.”

His fingers touched Anita’s earlobe, and the cold sensation made her shiver. With a chuckle, Finian withdrew his hand from her ear.

“Look.”

He thrust his clenched fist in front of Anita’s face and then slowly opened his fingers, revealing something that glistened even in the darkness.

“Huh?”

On his open palm was an object that looked like a coin in shape….

“Is this a gold coin?”

Anita asked with a suspicious look, and Finian burst into laughter.

“Of course.”

Anita lightly tapped the gold coin with her fingertips. Seeing her interest in the coin, Finian asked:

“Want to see something even more amazing?”

Though she was curious about what he meant by “amazing,” it was clear that Finian himself seemed more excited. Anita nodded in response.

“Watch closely.”

Anita stared intently at the gold coin, as Finian flicked it into the air. Nothing happened at first. Anita, secretly hoping the coin would transform into a dove or burst into confetti, looked back at him.

“This kind of trick usually takes a few tries. Watch again.”

Finian brazenly shifted the focus back to himself. Anita had no choice but to keep her eyes on his hand. The coin shot up from his hand once more, and she followed its ascent with her gaze.

Puff!

A golden firework exploded in the dark night sky. Anita’s gaze, which had been fixed on the coin, naturally shifted to the fireworks. It was as if a golden curtain had been drawn across the sky, and then it rained down like raindrops.

“Wow….”

Lost in awe, Anita took a step forward. Unconsciously moving closer to the fence, she reached out her hand, as if she could catch the golden rain.

“How’s that? Isn’t it quite a trick?”