Many theories raced through Annabelle's mind as she heard her brother's rejection of her question, but she chose to stay silent and listen until he finished, as she didn't want to rush into assessing the situation again.
"In the first place, she had some kind of mysterious background, which even until now, I had not been fully aware of."
Raising an eyebrow at this statement, Annabelle kept listening intently, and her brother continued, revealing that Eva was actually the mother of that schoolmate, not her older sister, which shocked her. But before she could react, he dropped an even more horrifying revelation.
"The problem is, the fucker Damian seems to have some sort of design against Eva. So, when we became quite close, he sent an assassin last night."
Hearing her worst fear come true, Annabelle was frozen, unable to utter a single word, and seeing her reaction, Christian quickly continued to reassure her.
"Don't worry, you saw how I'm perfectly fine. You even made me take off my clothes, taking advantage of the situation to confirm that."
"And sis, you should know by now that I have a special ability, plus my hacking skills. If the situation were truly hopeless, I would have told you already instead of trying to hide things from you."
Despite Christian's attempt to lighten the mood at first with his teasing, then try to reassure her, Annabelle remained silent, unable to muster a response. Naturally, his words eventually brought her back to her senses, as he was right there beside her, safe and sound. But the thought of her brother facing a life-threatening situation while she had been soundly sleeping in the next room ignited a wave of anger within her.
She was furious—furious at the assassin and even more at the one who had sent him. But most of all, she was angry with herself. Angry at her own incompetence. Where even after hearing everything Christian had said, no solution came to her mind. The law she only knew of, was clearly not an option, and she had no idea how else she could possibly help.
Some time passed slowly in that manner, with Annabelle immersed in self-reproach and Christian persistently trying to reassure her. Finally, she interrupted him with a sudden declaration.
"Huh?" Christian blinked, caught off guard. "But, sis, it clearly hasn't reached that stage yet."
While Christian questioned her suggestion, something he had always considered a last-resort measure, Annabelle was quick to counter him.
"Then do we need to wait until something truly irreversible happens before we act?"
"This time it's just a palm injury, but next time, what will it be?" Annabelle's voice trembled slightly as she pressed on.
"Do you want something to happen to you before asking me to run alone, when the situation has already become hopeless?"
"And if something really happened to you, do you honestly think I'd be able to continue living?"
Annabelle, who thought she had completely calmed down, now seemed consumed by only one thought, Christian's safety. Even her anger toward the possible culprit was set aside for now as she desperately tried to persuade him.
Her train of thought, now knowing her brother possessed not only his hacking skills but also other impressive abilities, led her to believe their escape shouldn't be difficult. However, Christian's perspective was naturally different.
He knew the full extent of his abilities and believed that things hadn't escalated to the point of no return.
Still, her concerns could also arguably be considered legitimate. So, while Christian felt that the situation was becoming increasingly complicated, he still tried to rationally convince her.
"Sis, before you try to persuade me to change my mind, how about you let me finish explaining the situation first?"
"Actually, I didn't tell you everything earlier. I don't just have one special ability, I have two. And on top of that, I've acquired a technique which along with my abilities, will make me a lot stronger."
After asking her to hear him first, Christian began reassuring his sister, he tried to calmly explain that the situation was far from fatal or beyond their control. He also emphasized his abilities and the measures he had already taken to ensure their safety. He wanted to alleviate her growing panic by conveying that, despite the current circumstances, hope still existed and they were more than capable of managing the situation together.
He didn't just rely on the excuse about the second special ability, which he had improvised earlier. He also, for the first time, explained Iris's current abilities in detail and how he planned to grant her an access level to look at whatever she wanted. So, that with Iris's help, she would be able to analyze and look at many things.
It was at this moment that Annabelle finally began to waver. After everything she had heard, she still wasn't sure if staying in the same place was truly the right choice, though. But then, what Christian said next delivered the final blow.
"Look, sis, we can constantly monitor the situation, and this time, unlike before when I was really taken by surprise, it'll be completely different."
"If even then you still feel it's not safe enough, we can go with the choice of running away."
Annabelle finally closed her eyes and took a few moments of silence, thinking things over again. She felt like she couldn't sway her brother from his current stance, so she conceded, but not before saying,
"Fine, but tell me everything again with more details. So we can discuss your preventive measures again together this time."
With a smile blooming on his face upon hearing his sister's response, Christian patiently began explaining everything to her again. He even went a step further, opening her laptop and letting her read through numerous documents, many of which he hadn't read himself, as he had only received brief explanations from Iris.
Annabelle also tried to be as through as possible with the current restrained time.