With a tight smile, he nodded at me. The fleeting grimace on his face while he glanced at my clothes didn’t go missed.
“I heard there were some problems going on between you two. But I’m glad to see you together today,” he said, though his eyes didn’t match his words.
Ace came back with a shirt on and took the charge of the pancakes from me again. Placing a kiss on my forehead, he said, “I’ve got some clothes for you in the room. Go, change. Then come out for breakfast.”
When did he do that?
But it was good since I didn’t want to roam in only a shirt before Arthur.
Nodding, I walked away from the kitchen as I heard their voices.
“What brings you here so early in the morning, Arthur?” Ace asked.
“It was important. I wanted to call you but then thought discussing face to face would be better. It’s about the deal with the Russians.”
The rest of the conversation was cut off as soon as I closed the bedroom door behind me.
“Achilles, as you set a lot of conditions for the contract there’ll be a lot of paperwork. We’re not sure if the Russians will agree to them. They’re quite a big fish in the market nowadays.” Arthur’s gaze set on Ace as he took a bite of his pancakes. “If you want them to work with us, we should consider letting go some of our conditions, don’t you think?”
When Ace offered him to have breakfast with us while having the discussion, he agreed. Much to my dismay.
Placing some more scrambled eggs on my plate, Ace’s left hand went back to my knee as he shrugged. “I don’t mind some paperwork. I won’t change my rules for anyone. Don’t forget they’re also interested in working with us. Yes, they’re big, but nothing compared to the Valencians. So, if they want to do business with Valencian Corp, they’ll have to do it our way.”
They were talking about a Russian company who wanted to expand their business more in the US. Their first choice was to go for the Valencian Corp. As they could bring huge money to the company, Arthur didn’t want to let them go. And the project they were interested in collaborating with us would require half a billion dollars of investment. So, a small mistake could lead to a big loss.
And the worst thing was, Arthur was going to handle it.
I didn’t have a slight faith in this man.
His jaw ticked, but being wise, he kept quiet before Ace. And my Mr. Valencian was too busy feeding me more fruits to notice his uncle’s discreet rebel.
Suddenly, Antonio’s words rang into my head.
Why didn’t I think of it before?
Who could it be other than him? He was doing illegal businesses behind Ace’s back. He threatened Sierra with her life to hide a secret of his. There could be a vast possibility of him being the enemy inside the house.
But… would he be foolish enough to go against Ace and join hands with Antonio?
I didn’t know. The only person who could answer my question was Liza.
Someone forced her to put those drugs in Caleb’s car. Maybe it was him. Maybe he threatened Liza, just like he did to Sierra.
I have to find out. And for that, I need to see Liza.
“If that’s what you want. I’ll talk to them once more about our conversation. Let’s see what their opinion is on it.” Arthur wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin.
Ace nodded. “Great. And please make sure you’re present at the meeting with the Arabs today. I can’t attend since I have a private meeting with De Sylvano.”
That had my attention. Meeting with the Arabs? Means that red witch would be at the office again?
When I asked Matt about her visit to the office the other day, he said she had come to complete some paperwork regarding a project. And as we were working together now, the Arabs would be coming for meetings and conferences frequently.
I pressed my lips. I had another problem to solve today.
“Ace, I can’t eat more. I’m full!” I complained when he put some more pancakes on my plate.
“You need to eat more, Rosebud. You’ve lost weight in the last months. Here, open your mouth.” He put the fork before my lips. “And after last night, you definitely need some energy,” he murmured the last line in my ear.
My eyes widened as heat crept up my cheeks.
Arthur’s clearing his throat snatched our eyes to him. “All right, then. I’ll meet you at the office. See you later.” Getting up, he threw me one last glance before turning around and walking out of the room.
“Please wait here. She’ll be here in a minute.”
I nodded as a female police officer walked out of the office. It was a small room with only a table in the center, with two wooden chairs.
After Ace left for the office for an important meeting, I took my chance to come here. Even though he strictly told me to stay home and rest. He didn’t even let me go to the office with him. He said he’d be back in an hour, and I’d to finish my work in the meantime.
After five minutes, the door opened and the familiar figure with a tall frame and blonde hair walked in. The orange jumpsuit was loose on her thin body.
Surprise washed over her dull face. Gone was the usual brightness of her eyes.
Standing, I smiled at her. “Hello, Liza. How are you doing?”
“Em? What are you doing here?” Her brown eyes were confused.
“Let’s take a seat first.”
Once we were seated opposite of each other, she leaned in. “I know it’s not your responsibility to find out if my family is well, especially after what I did. But do you know how they are? My brother? Is he okay?”
My heart hurt for her. Even though I was pretty mad at her when she betrayed us, now thinking of how she was threatened by a dangerous man, I could understand her situation back then. I had a hunch it was Arthur who threatened her.
I put a hand on hers, squeezing it slightly. “Don’t worry. Your family is fine. Ace has some guards watching over them since you got arrested.”
A gasp slipped from her lips. “B-boss did that?”
Smiling, I nodded.
Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Even after everything I did, I know I don’t deserve it. It must be your doing, Em. I—I don’t know how to thank you. I’ll be grateful to you forever. I was so worried thinking about my family’s safety. After they found out what happened, they were so disappointed in me. They didn’t even come see me.”
“I didn’t do anything. It was Ace who did all the arrangements.”
She shook her head, sniffling. “I know the boss. He can turn into someone’s nightmare if someone crosses his path. He doesn’t see why they did it or how valid their reasons were. But he did it for me even after I tried to defame his family. And I know it’s because of you.” A soft smile tugged at her lips. “Boss can do anything for his Rosebud.”
I tried my best not to blush and concentrate on the current situation.
“I understood why you did it, Liza. I know you. You’re an honest and kind girl. Seeing you doing what you did was extremely disappointing and shocking. But we couldn’t just leave your family in danger for your deed. After all, you had worked in that company for years with loyalty.”
She looked down, biting her lip. “I don’t deserve your kindness, Em. But… thank you. Thank you so much.”
“We can’t change what you did, but you can help me with something.” I kept my face neutral.
“How can I help you with anything while staying in here?”
“You can. You can tell me who threatened you to frame Caleb.”
Her eyes widened as her shoulders tensed. Leaning in, I grabbed both of her hands in mine.
“Look, Liza. I know you’re scared that if you tell us their name, your family will be in danger. But trust me, they’re safe. We have people there for their safety. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. So, you can tell me the person’s name so I can find out who they are and expose them.”
She snatched her hands from mine, shaking her head. “I’ve told the cops a thousand times I can’t spill the name, no matter how much they torture me. And I’ll tell you the same, Em. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you anything. Even though my family is safe now. You don’t know him. He’s dangerous. Those guards can’t keep an eye on my family all the time.”
He’s dangerous.
The same thing Sierra said.
“You know Sierra resigned?”
Her brows furrowed. “Resigned? Why?”
They were quite close. So maybe learning about her situation, she would say something?
I nodded. “Even after her financial crisis, she had to leave her job. And guess what, a certain someone threatened her with something too. When she denied them, she had to leave the office.”
She froze in her place. “Y-you know?”
“I have a guess. I tried to talk to her, but she said the same thing you told me. That he’s dangerous. And guess what I heard him say on the phone about some girl?” I tilted my head. “If she crosses her limits, she’ll lose her life just like her job.”
Horror etched on her features as she stared at me with wide eyes.
“I know you’re scared for your family. But if you tell me the name so I can confirm my doubt, I’ll be able to stop him. If you continue fearing him, I don’t know how many people will suffer because of him, just like you and Sierra.” I prayed in my head for her to understand my points. She could be a great help to expose Arthur if she agreed. “Sierra is in danger, and there’s no one who can protect her. He needs to be stopped. Please, Liza. Just give me the name.”
Tears fell down her face as she shook her head. “I can’t. I’m sorry. Sierra must be strong enough not to succumb to his threats. She’s my friend and I want to help her. But I can’t. I can’t put my family at risk.”
“He won’t know if you say anything. Nobody will tell him!”
She held my gaze. “If he even gets a sniff of you knowing his secret, he’ll come after me first, Em. And then… he’ll go after you.”
A shiver ran down my spine. But I didn’t let the fear show on my face and held my ground.
“He won’t. I’m Emerald Hutton. He can’t threaten me. You don’t worry about me. And you’re here in jail. He can’t harm you, either. Your family is also safe. Why can’t you just tell me the name?”
I sighed when she kept quiet.
I had to get something out of her.
“All right. Don’t say the name. Just answer me one question.” I took a deep breath. “Is it Arthur?”
Her hands balled into fists, her whole body tensed at the name. With tears shining in her eyes when she averted her gaze, I got my answer.
The enemy of the house was Arthur, indeed.
