Our eternal affairs

Anna stared at the man in front of her, taken aback by his question. "Why do you want to be healed?" He asked, but she was suprised at herself. 

She thought about her life– No family, no job, no motivation. Pain flashed in her eyes at the thought. What was she living for?

"I want to be healed because… I want to live." she said, nodding confidently after a while.

He knew she would say that. He raised an eyebrow.

"And what would you give in exchange for that? Life is precious, as power is." A cold light glinted in his eyes.

"Exchange?" She repeated as she thought out loud. "But the man in the video didn't…" She immediately caught herself, from thinking out loud, for fear of putting Doctor Stone in trouble.

He raised the other eyebrow, as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Video?..." He asked, and just then, the waiter returned, rolling in a food cart towards them. Anna's eyes lit up at the sight of the food. 

 "Whoa," not knowing when she said it.

But Truce's gaze turned glacial, his expression darkening, as he turned a cold, hard stare at the waiter, for interrupting him.

The lanky waiter trembled nervously, as he arranged their dishes, gave a deep bow and hurriedly left the room.

Truce turned his gaze on Anna, and she kicked herself for forgetting her manners.

"Eat." He commanded coldly, they dug in, and didn't speak for a long time.

Halfway into the food, Anna felt she had to ask him what he meant by exchange. She secretly hoped it didn't have anything to do with life and death. She cleared her throat.

"Mister Truce," she said sweetly, "please, I hope you don't mind me asking, what you mean by exchange."

He stopped mid-bite, his face blazing with annoyance. He had always hated interruptions, and she was beginning to irritate him. His cutlery crashed hard on the plate, and Anna jumped in her seat.

He started after a moment's pause. "Why do you always cut me off, woman?" He blurted.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I ..." 

Anna clumped her mouth shut, not wanting to annoy him further. She thought of the many ways she had disturbed the man, in their first meeting. There was a tensed silence before he spoke up.

"As much as you need my help, something has to replace what I give you… to create a balance." Anna's mouth formed a small O shape, in realization before he continued.

"I have three options for you, Anna," he said, and pulled out two tiny glass vials, that were filled with a dark, inky liquid, and seemed to absorb the light around them.

He sat up straight, and cocked his head, he was enjoying her questioning glance. 

"I could easily pay for your transplant and provide for your medications. But you'll work for me, for the rest of your life. Or," He continued.

"You can take these and be absolutely fine for the next three years…and die. And lastly,"

Anna seemed to shrink away from him, by every proceeding word from his mouth. She didn't know there were so many hard options for her. He focused on his neatly manicured fingers, like they were important.

"A blood covenant… would clear everything away like it never happened." He stared at her and smirked coldly.

He would have paid her bills, for free and sent her on her way, but he wanted to ground her, to know what her connection was to Miriam. And he needed her blood for that.

Anna froze at the mention of the blood covenant. Her chest rose, and fell slowly, overwhelmed by the options. The food was no longer inviting, and she instantly became depressed.

"A…blood…covenant?" She stammered, as she stared at him. 

He leaned in. "Choose wisely, Miss Anna." He returned, watching her face with intense interest. 

Anna's mind rapidly juggled her options, she thought her head would burst open and her palms sweltered.

His conditions suffocated the life out of her, and she was immediately sucked into a trance as she considered the options, that would shape the rest of her life.

"Ca-can you give me some time to think about them, sir?" She asked, in a small voice.

He was distracted by her lashes, and the curve of her lips, when she wanted to speak. But he controlled himself, he still had some tricks up his sleeves.

"I don't think that can happen, considering my schedule." He lazily lifted his eyes to meet her now watery gaze.

"Oh," she breathed, and shut her eyes to make her tears retreat. It was now or never.

"What is this blood covenant like, sir?" She asked. 

"A sacred ritual will be performed, where I'll infuse my blood into yours, purifying your essence, and eliminating every trace of the disease. However, it comes with an eternal bond. You'll be bound to me…forever." His gaze was piercing, and Anna gulped.

Truce's phone rang, and he seethed. He picked it up, and barked at the person on the other end. 

"WHAT IS IT?" He asked. His expression remained hardened, as he listened. Then he ended the call. 

 "Miss Anna, if you don't have a reply for me, I'd like to take my…"

 "I'll do it!" She said, cutting him off immediately. He smirked coolly, as she

added. 

"I'll enter the blood covenant with you."

Gently, he slipped one of the bottles into his pockets, and pushed the other towards her.

 "This will help calm, and alleviate some symptoms." He took out a business card, and handed it to her. "Contact Chen for any emergencies. I'll get back to you soon." With that, he left her to her thoughts.