just for a bloody contract | Roman Godfrey au

ch. 32 • betrayed

I followed him to his office. It was awkward facing him after shutting down his entire lab. It felt like I did something so wrong, even though I know it wasn't.

"So?" I said.

"He's under anesthesia. I put a reasonable dosage in him. He'll stay here for tonight."

I nodded. That was understandable. "Johann?" I said.

"That will be Dr. Pryce for you," he said.

"Sorry, Dr. Pryce. Thank you for following through with what you said. I hope the treatment actually works and you can receive your accolades soon. I am sorry again for your lab. It-it was bothering me, and I did what I had to do."

I couldn't get myself to look at him but heard him talk. "Well, I am benefiting from it, so I wish Roman the best too. Making blood substitutes and getting blood bags for him is quite time-consuming. I took my fees from him for that, and you put an end to it. Although, I did not need the lab."

"I figured that out," I said, looking down. "Roman told me it had to do with Olivia."

"Since the lab ceases to exist as of now, I suppose I can tell you. Sit down."

I did as followed, and finally managed to look at him. Still expressionless. You never knew what this man was thinking.

"The lab was created specifically for Olivia Godfrey to have actual humans for consumption. And to play with. I regret to inform you, that unlike Roman, Olivia does not just drink the blood. She likes to torture to her victims."

I shivered hearing that but was not that surprised. Olivia was an actual monster.

"I was attempting to create human life. Of course half the lab was occupied by failed experiments that I refused to discard. A weak point, perhaps. Then Olivia fell sick; I had no cure anymore. Blood was not helping her. So she went away to die, to live in the wild. Who knows? And who cares?"

"So, if you gave up experimenting when Olivia gave you that news, why did you keep asking Roman for money?"

Pryce smiled wryly, "You see, I am opening up my lab again."

I couldn't believe it. He had the nerve to tell me he's opening up the lab??

"Rest assured, it will not contain any more research on developing humanoids. I need a place to continue producing Roman's beloved blood substitutes. And further go into my own research of various things. I do not work for Olivia anymore; nor am I dependent on her. She does not matter."

"Also, I should thank you for calling the department. They removed all the failed experiments and vials with no out-of-pocket cost. It was a pleasant gesture from you."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "You mean, that day, downstairs, you actually were calm and collected?"

"Of course I was. I would have hired some people to do it anyway, but you solved that problem. However, dealing with the ethics department was quite a pain. There was commotion; orderliness was temporarily lost. But other than that, nothing happened. I was sad to let go of my hard work. I cannot say they were of much help, though."

I gawked at him. He had played me. He used me. Roman warned me not to go into deals with Pryce, but I did. I wanted to bang my head against the wall, but instead, I pondered over what he said. "Dr. Pryce, will you tell Roman about your new lab?"

"Why? Do you want me to?" he straightened his tie.

"If you do, I can ask him to raise your salary. That way, you won't have constant tension during your budget meetings."

"You are dealing with me again? I must say, you are rather foolish. How does this benefit you?"

"Maybe it doesn't have to. Not everything you do in life has to benefit you," I smiled.

"I fail to understand why you are doing so much for a man who does not care about you and will part with you as soon as the two years are over. I have seen Roman grow up. You are a little foolish, rather strange girl coming from nowhere and extending more than a necessary amount of benevolence our way."

"I don't care. If it makes me foolish, it makes me foolish. You're not the first two call me that," I got upset. As one would. "Sorry for taking your precious time. I'm sure you would have loved to use it for plotting or scheming or manipulating people," I said as I got up and walked out.

I don't know where Peter went, but I took the opportunity to go to the restroom. As soon as I entered a stall, I started to cry. Maybe it was all my tiredness. Or just the fact that I had done something so stupid. Or just Pryce's presence or Roman being treated and me not being sure it would work, but I wept more than I ever had. It was bitter; I felt like I had been stabbed multiple times. I got a headache from all my crying.

I finally finished after maybe half an hour, and came to look at myself in the mirror. I tried to swallow down the lump in my throat and washed my face. I stayed in the bathroom until my eyes weren't read anymore. Then I went and sat in the lobby.

I fell asleep again. And woke up in the middle of the night. Only one light was turned on. Peter was beside me, sipping on coffee.

"I thought you'd never wake up. You want some coffee?" Peter said. I shook my head. "What went on in there?"

"Pryce being Pryce. Insulting me some, being selfish. The usual," I sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough. Hey, I've been thinking about telling Letha. I just don't know how to say it or when. Probably before we get married. If her parents even let that happen."

I looked at Peter and gave him a fake punch on the chest. "Lighten up. You're a great guy. Letha's genuinely happy around you. Her eyes light up. It's beautiful," I said. "Just take things at your own pace. I'd recommend not going in front of her as a wolf."

Peter let out a big laugh. "Taking mental notes," he said.

We talked and talked until Pryce appeared in front of us. "Time for you both to go. The staff will come in a bit. It will be suspicious seeing you both."

Peter and I nodded and we left to go to the mansion. Letha and Shelley were there, and we had breakfast together, even though none of us could eat too much. Letha didn't exactly know what Roman was going through, just that he needed to be hospitalized.

Around 6pm, Pryce called and told me to come over. Peter and I did.