Chapter 45: up to something
Somewhere in the country, inside a quiet but heavily guarded office, the president slammed his hand hard on the table.
"I hate what’s happening right now!" he shouted, his face red with anger. "It has been four years since I became president, and I still haven’t seen the real face of Henry Michelson? This is ridiculous!"
He paced around the room, breathing heavily. "I chose your side because of all the promises you made me. Now I’m worried. What if he’s watching me from some dark corner? What if he knows I betrayed the Michelson family before I got this position? His face is very dangerous for all of us."
Jeremiah, another man around the same age, let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair. "This matter is getting more complicated than we thought," he said calmly. "None of us could predict his real face. There are no past pictures of him either. He used to stay very low-key before he built his company. It was always his younger brother Liam that everyone knew about."
Jeremiah shook his head slowly. "I suddenly feel like we have been played by that low-key demon... Paul, Henry’s father. That man is very cunning. Err...well you know, he is one of the strongest backup supporters for many successful people in the business world. He is picky and rarely accepts offers. But once he agrees to support someone, the opponent usually loses everything. Or worse, they get erased from the business world completely if they go too far."
The president stopped pacing and looked at them nervously. "So what is our next plan?" he asked. "It’s obvious Henry decided to stay low-key right before another election is coming. There hasn’t been any weird news lately about someone being sent to a mental hospital, thrown into an unknown country, or vanishing into the underworld. People and the police may not know, but we know exactly what he is capable of. Especially since he has a close friend who rules the underworld. Even the most powerful mafias are on his side."
Albert, the third man in the room, kept pacing back and forth while sighing loudly. "We can’t even sue him without strong reason," he added. "His crazy younger brother Liam is an excellent lawyer with an AI-like brain. No case stands a chance against him!" There’s no way they can sue him!
The president rubbed his forehead, clearly stressed. "Does he have a wife? Or anybody we can use to bring him down?" At least, till the election ends! that’s when he can calm down.
Jeremiah thought for a moment and sighed again. "The person we usually see with him is Selena Stone. But his father would never tolerate us using his daughter as a pawn. That would be too risky."
Albert narrowed his eyes. "We should keep a close eye on him anyway. I don’t believe he is not interested in the upcoming election. I think his father was the one who told him to stay low for now. These two are definitely up to something big."
The three men looked at each other seriously. After a long silence, the president finally spoke. "Then we will start stalking Henry. Since we don’t really know him or his true identity, we need to learn everything we can."
They all nodded in agreement, their faces showing worry and determination. The conversation left the room feeling heavier than before.
...
Somewhere else, in a luxurious bedroom filled with expensive decorations, a lady in her early twenties angrily threw a costly vase across the room. It shattered loudly against the wall.
She glared at her assistant with pure rage. "What do you mean she is under Phoenix protection?" she screamed. "Why is it always her? I want her company! I want her life!"
She cried out in frustration, throwing more things around while pacing back and forth in her beautiful bedroom. "I want to be her!" she yelled at the top of her voice.
Not long after, a woman in a fancy dress entered the room with a calm, nonchalant expression on her face. The assistant quickly bowed. "Madam Yuri," she said respectfully.
Madam Yuri looked at her daughter and raised one eyebrow. "What’s wrong with her this time?" she asked.
Aarti sighed. "Her plan on her rival failed again, Madam."
"No!!!" Susan shouted, pointing at Aarti. "I will still get her! Nik will be mine. I am better than that Abbie orphan! I am the heir of the Benjamins family!" She pointed at herself proudly, her face full of anger and jealousy.
Madam Yuri looked at her miserable daughter for a while and raised her eyebrow again. "That is not what you should be worrying about right now, daughter," she said coolly.
She turned around and looked over her shoulder. "Archie is back in the country today."
Aarti looked at Susan with surprise. "Not a good time, boss," she whispered.
Susan stood there stunned, unable to speak for a few seconds. "How... Why...?" she finally managed to say, her voice shaking.
Madam Yuri simply nodded. "And you know what that means." With those words, she turned and left the room without another glance.
The bedroom fell into heavy silence after she left. Susan stood frozen in the middle of the mess she had created, her mind racing with new worries.
The mention of Archie had changed everything in just a few seconds. Her plans against Abigail suddenly felt much more dangerous and complicated.
The room that once felt like her safe space now felt cold and full of threats. Her assistant stayed quiet, knowing better than to say anything while Susan tried to process the news.
" Where’s why phone?" Susan yelled and snatched it from Aarti. she nervously opened her contacts and clicked the first number on her her contact list.
The number was very special to her and she used to dialed it everyday. She quickly dialed it and waited while it rings... but as usual, no one answered...