Bree’s idea gave Chad chills. He was aware of her brilliance, but never in his wildest imagination could he have conjured up the stuff that came out of her brain.
“We just need him to understand that none of this is worth it, right?” she started, seemingly brainstorming only to go on a tangent, “So, perhaps a potion to bring him close to death in some way. It could work in his mind. It could even be a paralysis potion to make him unable to move for days… or even something to put him through a lot of pain-the kind of pain that would make someone feel like they're going to die.
"Then, as he’s enduring it all, we tell him that all of it can end if he chooses one of two things: Death or leaving Cherry alone for good. Any answer that’s not the latter can be taken to be the former. And for good measure, we could even find someone with a Binding Factor to make the contract unbreakable. I know a guy… he’s expensive, though.”
"Remind me never to get on your bad side!" Chad mused.
Bree smirked and kissed the man's cheek. "Treat me right, and you'll be alright."
The wink she added on top of her remark was a cherry on top of her threat. Chad could not tell if she was joking, and he didn't know whether to be scared or not worry about it... which only made him think he should react more than he was reacting.
"Killing you would be a last resort, though," she whispered, with a big smile on her face, "You know why."
Again, Chad didn't know whether to be scared. Knowing he was safe, though, he could at least try to think about something other than Bree's obsession with him.
“Where would we find someone to make the potion, though? Most of the people I know are from a future that’s not yet happened,” Chad murmured.
“I can call Clive to help with the potions,” Cherry answered.
Both Chad and Bree turned to the redhead with odd looks and in the same heartbeat said... “Can’t we find someone else?” “Isn’t he working with Brian?”
Cherry let out a gentle laugh, “Oh, you guys misunderstand. Clive isn’t…” Their looks stopped her mid-sentence. They, obviously, weren't buying it. She covered her face, turning red at the ears, “I know it looks bad.”
“That doesn’t even cover it,” Bree sighed, still holding on to Chad like her personal teddy bear. Chad didn’t seem to mind, and the longer he let her hold close to him, the happier she seemed to be getting.
What she didn't realise was how much he appreciated the same gesture that had helped him cool his anger. He very much enjoyed their proximity. It was good for him, in his opinion.
“Why do you still trust him?” Chad asked the red-haired girl in a whisper.
“Because he wasn’t always like that…" Cherry nearly threw her hands up in exasperation, "Clive just wants to do research and improve his abilities. When I found him, he was more than happy to receive funding without pay. I’m not a fool, of course. I’ve been paying him.”
“I think we should move this conversation to the bedroom,” Bree sighed. “Let me just do something.”
She grabbed her phone and Chad’s phone and started a video call, muting one side's microphone and taking the other to the chair opposite the man they’d tied up. “This way, we can keep our eyes on you,” she smiled.
"How long have you been against me? I gave you the stuff that made you that way for free," Brian growled.
"You stole that stuff. I don't see why you're acting like it was yours, to begin with. And let's face it, if I can become friends with Cherry, I can ask for more without having to double-cross her like you did," Bree answered.
There was a humourless chuckle, "Right. Like she would just give you her blood for free. You're so cute when you're being delusional."
A smirk bloomed on Bree's face as she watched him laugh, "You're one sad creature, you know that?"
"Sadder than a girl who thinks getting a bigger butt makes her attractive..."
She shrugged, "I would sit on you for that one, but I know you'd enjoy it, so enjoy your time here in silence."
When she had secured the phone watching Brian, she left and made sure he couldn’t hear anything from their end, but they could hear it all from their end.
With that, they left the kitchen and went to the bedroom to continue their discussion. Chad took some cups and filled them with water for the girls to take.
“You were saying…”
“Right! Clive.” Cherry jumped back into the story, “At first, all was well. I met him in a lab at the university one day when he was working on his experiments. He had bigger ideas than what he could afford, so I offered to help him in return for... solutions.
"He agreed, and his solutions really did help me. A pill here. A syrup there. A charm here. Now that I think about it, all of that changed when he met Brian.”
“So, it was Brian who made Clive do all that?”
“Why couldn’t Clive just come to you?” Bree tried, “You would just cut Brian off, and that would be the end of that, right?”
“Right now, we’re struggling with the very act of cutting Brian off,” Chad chuckled, “So, perhaps before hiring Clive, we should know whose side he’s on since he's clearly afraid of Brian.”
It was more of a request than a suggestion, and Cherry understood that this was the point where she would call Clive to confirm his allegiance. It would be a call meant to attain information without allowing Clive the chance to defend himself.
She took her phone out, then paused and turned to Chad, “Umm... Can I sit on your lap?”
Bree, who had been enjoying the close proximity that came with sticking to Chad’s side, was shocked by the request.
“I mean, I’d be a lot more comfortable that way,” Cherry continued without skipping a beat. “You know, it was Clive who told me how to restore your memories.”
Chad nodded, “Then there is some merit in considering him, I guess.”
"Yeah, but he also warned me not to come here tonight. It's possible that he told Brian I would be here," Cherry answered, her shoulders tensing as she tried to gather the nerve to make the call.
'These two are competing for affection while we're solving a serious matter right now, aren't they?' he thought to himself, acknowledging the silent dynamics happening between the three of them even while he could see the logic in Cherry's reasoning, and even while he himself wanted Cherry to sit on more than just his lap.
Author's Note: 'That witch!!!' Bree goes... well, that's what I would say in my head if I were in Bree's shoes... Lol. I hope you guys liked this one. We're going a bit technical here to erase the problem of Brian... and also building bonds in the process. Bree doesn't seem to hate Cherry that much... and she might even end up asking Cherry for her blood to make another Expansion potion just in case she senses Chad needing an even bigger version of her. I'm rambling now. Thanks for reading, guys.
Bonus images in Illustrated Chapter.