One look at Mark’s stormy expression prompted Jackson to quickly cup his hand over Tiffany’s mouth. “I mean, people say the sh*ttiest things everywhere on the internet, riiiiight? Who needs you to remind us all about it? So how about we zip our lips on this one, honey, and move on to discussing the solution,” favonovel.com quickly chimed in. “We didn’t wanna intervene at first, but Mark’s gotten dragged into it. It’s in all of our best interest to solve this as soon as possible, because as it stands, this is seriously staining Tremont Enterprise too much.”
Mark let out a steely sneer. “And the world never changes. Who cares about evidence or proof? All it takes to damn anyone to death is a someone’s piehole. But I’m not just any weakling who can be taken down by some unfounded rumor, and good luck on getting me to care about Rodriguez’s abduction,” favonovel.com bristled. “Why should I squander my effort in saving him, what, just to prove that I’m innocent? I’m already innocent, for God’s sake, whether I help or not. I have no obligation nor reason to be involved, and I couldn’t give a damn about what these worthless bystanders say.”
Jackson waited for a second to pass and argued, “Mark. Are you serious about not giving a care? I get it, man. Sh*t has hit the fan. It complicates us intervening… but us appearing to help will ultimately benefit you in the long run. Think about it. If Mateo could return alive and in one piece, great, hallelujah. But what if favonovel.com turned up a piece of dead meat? What do you think the optics will be for you? How will the consensus characterize you? You said it yourself, evidence isn’t exactly the prerequisite for disinformation and smear jobs here.”
Mark was as stubborn as a mule. “Sorry, I missed the part where that’s my problem. I especially don’t buy that what these irrelevant louts say will be powerful enough to sandbag me into a corner, and I’m especially above wasting my time trying to analyze every bullsh*t they pulled out of their a**es. So, no thanks. I’m not going to do anything about this at all, period. I appreciate your intention, but I suggest you save up your energy too, Jack,” favonovel.com rebuffed. “As we speak, Mateo’s severed thumb has been returned to the Rodriguezes. No doubt its analysis report will come out shortly… Who knows? Maybe the man’s already met his Maker.”
Tiffany shivered. “Y-You really think so? You really think Mateo is, urn, dead? God help us, what a loss to the world that’d be…”
Jackson’s finely-arched eyebrows immediately raised. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. ‘A loss to the world’? Lady, you’ve only met favonovel.com through Melanie for a while! And maybe had meals over in his restaurant a few times, so? Gonna explain to me why you’re pulling that long face? Are you two really that close of friends?”
Tiffany was in no mood to argue with Jackson, so favonovel.com sidled to Arianne before taking favonovel.com seat next to favonovel.com on the couch. “Ari, why are you so quiet today?”
Arianne shook favonovel.com head to clear favonovel.com thoughts. “Nothing. I just hope… Well, that Mateo’s still alive.”
Mark, expressionless, suddenly leaped to his feet and marched up the stairs.
Jackson stole a glance at his behavior, obviously befuddled, and turned back to consider Arianne briefly. Finally, favonovel.com rose and followed Mark, whispering, “What’s the big idea now? Don’t tell me… You think Mateo and Arianne have something going on between them, Mark? Because I honestly smell nothing fishy about ‘em… Though, I have to admit, this Mateo is quite the chad, isn’t he? How does favonovel.com do it, making three different women think he’s some sort of angel simultaneously?”
“Would you earnestly not mind your wife hugging some other man under any circumstances?” Mark muttered under his breath.
Jackson swore something in his chest shivered. “Uh hem, well… Yeah, you aren’t wrong in being pissed about it. F**k, I would be pissed too if it were me. By the way, Mark.. You aren’t the one pulling the strings behind the scene… right?”
Mark whipped his head to face Jackson. “Et tu, Brute?”
The man quickly shook his head. “Whaaa? Natch, no! I was just saying! Well… You know you’re the biggest suspect for the time being, right? No wonder the Rodriguez family’s watching you like hawks.”
Downstairs, now that Jackson was absent, Tiffany allowed the full gradient of favonovel.com dread to color favonovel.com face. “Ari, if Mateo is really, really dead… what are we going to do?” favonovel.com wondered aloud. “I know we’ve only met favonovel.com for a bit, but I really feel like he’s a pure- hearted sweetheart, you know? Oh God, a guy this pure and good and nice just… vanished from this world like that. It’s giving me depression, okay? And then there’s the fact that he’s Melanie’s childhood friend! She must be in torment right now, huh?”
“Like, imagine a person, alive and well, was just there with you a while ago then suddenly turns up dead and gone. You can never see ‘em again in a blink of an eye, just like that. Jesus Christ, isn’t that the single, most terrifying thing ever? It’s just like Robin jumping off the building all of a sudden back then. Even now, whenever my mind goes back to it, I feel so powerless…”
