Chapter 603

I knew exactly who had a thing for tending to fat—it was Wayne. Thinking about what I suspected, I decided to throw Bruno off a bit. “Can your fish actually understand human words? Cause before you dragged me here, I was feeding some fish that, believe it or not, actually respond when you talk to them.”

I chose my words carefully, hoping to get under his skin. Bruno was way too competitive, especially after the way Hayden had humiliated him. Losing to anyone, even fish, seemed to get under his skin.

“Oh, really?” Bruno smirked, like he had the upper hand. “Bet those fish only know one phrase: ‘Rea, dinner time.’”

I froze. His words hit too close to home—was he mocking me, or did Wayne actually use that exact phrase when feeding his fish? Bruno saw my reaction and burst out laughing, that same, knowing laugh. It was clear now he knew Wayne. Otherwise, how would he know what Wayne said to his fish?

I had always been creeped out by Wayne’s obsession, the paintings he’d made of me, and how his house was practically a shrine to me. But now? It looked like he’d even named his fish after me. Great.

“Come on, let me show you how obedient my fish are,” Bruno said, clearly eager to rub it in. “They don’t just understand words—they can put on a show.”

He called out to them loudly, “Come on, Moni Moni, dinner time!” The moment he spoke, the fish swam right over, almost like they were posing for a photo.

I couldn’t believe it—fish really could do that? And the name “Moni”? It just showed what kind of person Bruno really was—greedy to the core. If Wayne was pulling the strings, money was definitely involved.

“So? Aren’t my fish better behaved?” Bruno beamed, tossing more food into the water. He kept feeding them like he was at some kind of circus, completely absorbed in his own little world.

But then, I heard an engine roar to life outside. I didn’t even have to look to know it was Hayden. Just as I was about to turn my head, Bruno muttered under his breath, “Oh Moni Moni, get ready for a taste of human blood.”

A cold shiver ran through me. I turned back to him, horrified. Then Hayden walked in, but Bruno still didn’t break his focus on the fish. “Agent Hart, you’re late. My fish are practically stuffed by now.”

Hayden didn’t waste time. “Where’s Yara?” A sharp pang hit my chest. Yara. Of course, she was his main concern right now.

Bruno’s eyes flicked to me, his amusement practically dripping. “Really? You’re worrying about another woman right in front of your girl? Doesn’t that seem a bit heartless?” The jerk wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was twisting the knife.

Hayden’s jaw tightened. “Bruno, let everyone else go. I’ll stay.” Bruno gave him that wicked smile of his. “And what would I want with you?” Like he hadn’t just threatened to feed Hayden’s blood to his fish.

“This whole situation was because of me,” Hayden continued, his voice steady. “If you want revenge, take it out on me. This is between you and me; it has nothing to do with anyone else.”

“True enough,” Bruno replied, nodding. But I knew better. He wasn’t going to just let everyone go that easily.

Sure enough, Bruno leaned back with a smirk. “But since you’re all here now, letting everyone walk away just like that would be way too boring. How about we play a game instead?”

The word “game” made my skin crawl. I had a bad feeling in my gut. Whatever game he had in mind, it wasn’t going to end well.