Villain: The Play of Destiny

Friday, September 13th, 2041

Flower Street, Regensburg, Germany

The bells chimed as the door of the Efesto Jewels opened, and in walked a tall and ridiculously handsome man, accompanied by two ladies, one Chinese, and the other a beautiful Caucasian lady who looked to be in her early thirties.

“Welcome to my humble shop, Mister Demiliore!” A polite and respectful old man bowed to him, speaking in a language that the grey-eyed lady could not understand.

And to Celine’s confusion, all the workers in the shop bowed to them as well. This was strange considering that this was not how people greeted each other in Europe.

“Good Morning, Felix,” Keith spoke to him in Ancient Greek, the language which was not spoken anymore. “Is the ring ready?” And then he spoke in German, which the lady by his side understood.

“Yes.” Felix nodded to him and then invited them to follow him through the backdoor of the Jewellery Shop.

“What is this place, Keith?” Celine spoke in Netherian, hoping that Felix would not hear it. However, she was dumbstruck when they finally descended the stairs to reach an underground workshop, or a treasure trove to be exact.

Her grey eyes were comically looking at all the gold and sparkling gems that could be seen everywhere, and even Yingying could not help but curiously look around the place.

“This is a very special Jewellery Shop. And they are the best Jewellers in the world.” He said to her, which elated Felix.

“We are humbled by your praise, Mr. Demiliore.” The old man said and then signalled to one of the workers, who immediately brought him a small ring case. “We hope this will satisfy you.” He gently opened the case and showed Keith the two rings that were resting inside it.

Celine gasped when she laid eyes on the enchanting red diamond, which was crusted on top of a uniquely crafted platinum ring. It was shaped like a crown of a Stag with its antlers holding onto the diamond. And then she looked at the second ring, which was a simple platinum wedding band with mysterious text carved on it.

“They are perfect, Mr. Felix.” Keith smiled as he took the case and inspected the rings closely. “I am happy with the work you have done.” He handed the case to Celine, who happily looked at the rings.

“They are beautiful, Keith! Kiara would be very happy!” She sincerely said.

“I hope so.” He chuckled and then looked at Felix. “I would also like to take a look at your finest collections and craftsmanship. I need two more rings.” He said to the old man, whose smile brightened at Keith’s words.

“Of course, My Lord!” He reverently said, and thankfully, Celine could not understand the Ancient Greek or she would have burned from her curiosity about why Felix called Keith a Lord.

Keith grabbed Celine’s hand, and then led her to follow Felix, who brought them inside his office.

The old man did not even bother hiding the pin as he opened his Safe right before their eyes, and then he gathered a dozen ring cases from it and placed them on the table.

“This is perhaps my best work on a personal design. The five of the finest Blue Diamonds with a slender floral ring. Perfect for a lady whom you dearly love and want to make feel cherished. I named it the Flowers of Love.” Felix opened the first ring, and Celine was immediately mesmerised by its beauty.

“The Emeralds of Soul…”

“The Jane’s Lament…”

“Stars of Souls…”

“The Promise of Heaven…”

…..

…..

One by one, Felix showed them all of the best works that he had done for over a century and still had in his collection.

“And finally, the Bird of Joy…” The old man opened the last ring case, which had a beautiful ring inside of it. It was a pheasant with its tail making up the ring and the crest of a beautiful bird made out of Platinum, holding onto a precious pink diamond on its back with its wings spread.

It was a little too extravagant, but it was something that could make all the girls in the world yearn for it.

Celine had stars shining in her eyes as she stared at all the rings, and Keith caught her longingly looking at the Bird of Joy.

“If you are willing to part with them, I would like to buy the Bird of Joy, and the Flowers of Love,” Keith said to Felix, and the old man respectfully stood up and bowed to him. 𝗼𝐯𝐥.𝗻𝐭

“It would be my honour, Lord Erebus!”

“Thank you!” Keith nodded to him and then picked up the ring. “Let’s settle the bill now.”

Celine’s excitement wore off when Felix named a price that was simply outrageous, but to her dismay, Keith actually paid the sum of 800 Million Neris for the four rings he had bought. Two were, of course, his custom designs, but each of Felix’s rings cost him 300 Million Neris.

She did not say anything inside the shop, but after they stepped onto the street, she could not contain her dissatisfaction.

“I think you were robbed, Keith.” She seriously said and frowned when he started chuckling.

“No, I was not, Aunty.” He said to her. “The price might seem outrageous, but he gave me a discount on these four rings. No one in the world can make Felix craft a ring for them unless he wants to, and his works are perfect. Some say he is from the direct line of the descendants of Hephaestus, the Greek God of Fire and Craftsmanship.”

“He would not even make a ring for the Chancellor of Germany if he was asked to? or some Royalty?” She curiously asked.

“No.” Keith shook his head. “Not if he does not want to. And not anyone can afford his fees.” He chuckled.

“What language were you two using?”

“Ancient Greek.” He told her and amusedly smiled at her shock.

“You know Ancient Greek?!”

“Yes.” He nodded to her.

“Wow, Keith! You are Amazing!” She excitedly hugged his arm and said. “Where are we going next?”

“How about we explore the Alps? We will head to Switzerland and then to the Kingdom of Italia, where I will take you to the Demiliore Castle in Florence.”

His words made her curious and she asked him lots of questions about Demiliore Castle, and he patiently told her about the history of the Demiliore Family of Florence and the Angelini Family of Naples.

Celine was excited when he revealed to her that they will be on a road trip. She had requested him to take her with him when he informed everyone that he was going to Germany on some business. She said that she needed some inspiration for the work she had in mind, and for that, she wanted to explore some beautiful places.

They had been in Regensburg since yesterday, exploring it and its surroundings. And now, they were going for a road trip through the famous Alps.

“Let’s go!” Celine happily exited her room they were staying at, all dressed up and ready for the journey.

Keith smiled at her enthusiasm and then walked over to her, setting her floral hat on her head.

Celine sweetly smiled at his attentiveness, but then her heart skipped a beat when he took a ring case out of his pocket and opened it.

“The Bird of Joy for the lady of Joy.” He brightly smiled and said, and then chuckled at the dumbstruck expression of the grey-eyed lady.

“It’s for me?” She hopefully asked.

“Yes, Aunty. It’s for you.” He nodded to her.

“And the other one?”

“That one is Yue’s birthday present. Don’t spoil it for her.” He playfully said.

I won’t!” She giggled and then conflictedly looked at the ring. “You should give it to Amelia or Rebecca…”

“I bought it for you.” He shook his head and then picked out the ring from his case. He grabbed her soft hand and then placed it on the finger where she once used to wear her wedding band. “See, it looks perfect on you.” He brightly said and watched her eyes turn misty.

“Thank you!” She tightly hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I love it!”

“I know.” He laughed and then grabbed her hand, leading her out of the suite.

Yingying was waiting for them downstairs in a Range Rover Guardian.

“I want to drive!”

“No. You don’t have an International Licence.” Keith shook his head, but Celine did not listen to him.

She quickly exchanged the seat with Yingying and then playfully smiled at him.

“Come, little Keith! Aunty will take you on a ride!”

Suppressing his urge to laugh at her words, he shook his head and got into the front seat.

“Seat belt, please.” He reminded her and she pulled her tongue before buckling herself.

“Let’s go!” And she slammed onto the accelerator…

Yes, it was not a great idea to let her drive.