《Falling in Love: I love you, Today and Forever》


 Chapter 1: Its Noah Allen Carter

    The phone rang for the second time in the last five minutes. Aria groaned as she rolled on her bed. She had a long day at work and had barely slept for three hours. She could hardly open her eyes, let alone look for her phone in the messy room. The phone rang for the third time and this time she knew that she could not ignore it. Sighing, she picked her phone which was lying beside her pillow, cursing the person responsible for disturbing her sleep.


    "Hello", Aria answered groggily, rubbing her eyes.


    "Dr. Aria West." A low voice hissed on the other side.


    Aria''s eyes widened soon after hearing her name. She jumped off the bed and immediately responded to the call.


    "Dr. Ian Davis", she spoke, now completely alert.


    "Dr. West, get your ass to the hospital right now", Dr. Davis shouted on the phone making Aria cringe at his voice.


    "Yes doctor", Aria obliged meekly while searching for her shoes.


    Aria and Ian were good friends. The usual gentle and charming doctor shouted only when there was some serious emergency. She had been shouted at by him only twice, this being the second time.


    Aria had plopped down on the bed as soon as she had entered her room. So, she was still dressed in the clothes she wore for work, saving her some time in dressing up again. She took off at once with her keys and phone, saying goodbye to her sleep.


    The road was deserted, so Aria drove to the hospital within fifteen minutes. The scene she encountered at the hospital shocked her to the core. The usually quiet atmosphere was nowhere to be found; instead, there was commotion everywhere. The reporters had surrounded the hospital and several bodyguards were trying to prevent them from rushing inside. Aria had to push herself through the crowd to get inside but was soon stopped by one of the bodyguards.


    "I am sorry, Madam. No reporter is allowed inside", he said with a monotone voice. Although he was polite, he was quite terrifying. He was huge and Aria barely reached his shoulder, she had to lift her head to meet his eyes. He and several other bodyguards were trying to control the enthusiastic reporters, making her wonder which important person managed to attract the press.


    "Is it the President? Did something happen to him? Is he admitted to the hospital? Is that the reason for Ian to call me at 2 a.m.?" Aria thought. She immediately snapped out of her thoughts when one of the reporters pushed her to get ahead. She pulled the nearby bodyguard''s shirt, which he disregarded. After a few futile attempts, she successfully managed to gain his attention.


    "What?" he snarled.


    "Let me through, Mister. I am a doctor here." Aria replied, flashing her ID.


    The bodyguard stared at her for a while, trying to see through her act while she stared back, trying to intimidate him. Aria''s phone rang at that moment, distracting her concentration. She immediately answered the call, glaring at the guard who was now giving her a triumphant look.


    "I am right in front of the hospital, the guards are not allowing me in, Dr. Davis. I''ll come in a minute", she answered immediately. The guard''s eyebrows rose as soon as he heard the name of Dr. Davis.


    "Are you a doctor?" he asked with a hint of doubt.


    "Yes. You can confirm with the hospital if you want", Aria retorted, folding her hands.


    "No, I believe you. You can go in", the hefty man replied, making way for her.


    Aria nodded at him before she bolted inside.


    "What the hell is happening?" she exclaimed looking at the ruckus inside the hospital. All the hospital staff was in a state of frenzy and panic. Grasping the tension, she rushed to the reception.


    "Goodness. You are here Dr. West. Dr. Davis is going all bonkers. You are required at the operating theater three right now", the receptionist said when she saw Aria.


    Although Aria couldn''t comprehend what was happening, she sprinted towards the operating room, dreading Ian''s wrath. Even though Ian was young and handsome, he was serious at his work and expected the same from others.


    As Aria approached the OT, she saw Ian briefing about the situation to others.


    "Dr. West, come here. We have an emergency." He motioned her to come over.


    "We have a very important patient. He has been shot and the bullet is very close to the heart, just a millimeter away from puncturing the left chamber. We need to operate right now. Everybody, prepare for the surgery. Dr. West, you will be my assistant surgeon." Ian ordered glancing at the people around him. Everybody scattered immediately without uttering a word.


    "Oh my God. Dr. Davis is scary when he is angry." Aria heard Nurse Thomas exclaim in the changing room. "I have never seen him like this before."


    "It''s because of the patient. I heard that the patient and Dr. Davis are friends since childhood," Miss Sawyer, the anesthesiologist replied.


    "No wonder Ian is being demanding." Aria speculated.


    After a few minutes, everyone assembled in front of the OT in their surgical uniform.


    "Alright, guys. Let''s start the surgery. Be careful everyone, no mistakes are appreciated. I think you all know how important the patient''s life is. All of us are dead meat if anything happens to him. Remember who he is." Ian warned.


    Ian''s words bewildered Aria more than she already was. Perhaps the look of confusion was prominent on her face, making Ian stare at her.


    "Any questions, Dr.West?"


    "Um. Yes. Who is the patient?"


    All the people look at her flabbergasted like she had grown two heads.


    "Don''t you know who is in the ward, Dr. Aria?" Nurse Thomas asked in disbelief.


    "No."


    "Didn''t you hear the news?" she continued.


    "What news?" Aria questioned back, perplexed.


    "Cut the crap. Aria, do you seriously not know anything?" Ian inquired, making Aria shrug her shoulder.


    Ian rubbed his forehead, before taking a deep breath, "It''s Noah Allen Carter."

 Chapter 2: Im going to kill you, Dr. Davis

    Noah Allen Carter.


    The name rang a bell in Aria''s mind. She realized that the patient was the one and only King of the Business World, who was more powerful than the President himself. He owned more than 70% of the business in the country ranging from real estate to software-based companies. He was also the youngest businessman in the world. It was rumored that he took over his ancestral business when he was only 20 and in the span of just 4 years had built a multi-billion empire. He was very shrewd and had the ability to shake the country''s economy in the blink of an eye.


    ''Ah, that explains why everyone''s going nuts. But how would I know about Mr. Carter being shot? It''s not like I can read minds or see the future,'' she pondered inwardly. She didn''t have the courage to express her words, seeing Ian''s solemn face.


    The team walked inside the operation theater with Aria lagging behind. She took a look at Noah. He looked deadly white and worn out, yet he was breathtakingly handsome, even though the oxygen mask was covering half of his face. He was already induced with anesthesia and was unconscious. His heartbeat was erratic, the ECG was going crazy every few seconds. Even in his unconscious state, there was a terrifying aura around him, causing Aria to shiver.


    Ian monitored his blood pressure before signaling Miss Sawyer to control the airway for inducing more anesthesia.


    The surgery had been in progress for three hours. Although the major part of the bullet had been taken out, a fragment was still to be removed. The bullet had fragmented into two pieces, making the operation riskier to perform.


    "Damn it", Ian gritted his teeth. The fragment had moved closer to the heart leading to severe hemothorax. Lots of cotton swabs were soaked with Noah''s blood. His heartbeat had decreased drastically, he was having a stroke.


    "We are losing him. Aria, control the bleeding." Ian ordered, sounding upset.


    "Yes, doctor."


    Sweat trickled down Aria''s forehead. The lack of sleep was making her lose concentration, nevertheless, she tried to focus. A life was at stake.


    After an hour of intense struggle, Ian managed to remove the fragment, and the bleeding reduced. Although Noah''s heartbeat was still slow, he had passed the critical stage. Aria immediately took over, stitching the cut and thus finishing the open-heart surgery.


    "Mr. Carter is out of danger. His condition is still serious, let''s keep him under observation for now," Ian said with a hint of appreciation.


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. It was the hardest surgery they had performed to date. ''Thank heavens, they were not going to die today,'' was the thought in everyone''s mind at that time.


    "Oh God, the surgery tired me out completely." Nurse Thomas cried out sitting on the nearest bench, outside the OT.


    "I swear." Dr. Matt Dean, the surgical technologist agreed, leaning against the wall. "I wonder how Dr. West is doing. This is her second surgery in a day. She must be utterly drained."


    Ian overheard their talk and was filled with guilt immediately. If he was not in a difficult situation, he would not have made her rush over to the hospital. It was not his fault either, he didn''t know about Aria''s state. He promised himself to make it up to her somehow. He still had orders for her, but now he was reluctant to give them.


    Aria dragged her body towards the changing room; the six-hour surgery had exhausted her completely. After trying hard for a long time, she managed to change out of her uniform.


    Ian was waiting for her outside the room. He had returned to his usual gentle self; the serious Ian, who had terrified his staff a couple of hours back, was nowhere to be seen.


    "You look like shit," he exclaimed in horror.


    "I know. Thanks for the compliment anyway." Aria whispered, rubbing her forehead.


    "I am sorry, Aria. This surgery was important. I couldn''t think of anybody else other than you for assisting me." Ian apologized.


    "It''s fine. Now I''m off to get some much-needed sleep. Don''t contact me for three days." Aria said walking past him.


    "Uh.. oh... That''s not possible, Aria," Ian stated making Aria turn back.


    "Noah is your patient now, Aria. It is your duty to monitor him regularly."


    "What do you mean? You have nurses for that, right? I haven''t had any good sleep in the last one and a half days."


    "I know Aria. I am sorry. But you are not to leave his side until he gains consciousness."


    "You have got to be kidding me," Aria yelled lifting up her arms. " I still have to prepare for the International Cardiologists Conference. Can you hand over Noah''s case to somebody else? It will not be difficult right since he is out of danger?"


    "No Aria. You are the only one I can trust his life with. I know how packed your schedule is, but his condition is critical. I don''t want to take any risks. He needs you and nobody other than you can enter his ward," he said with a stern face.


    "What about you? You could take care of him. He is your friend, it would be more appropriate." Aria suggested.


    "I have some urgent work to finish, so I will have to leave. I don''t know when I''ll return until then take care of him. Um...How about this? After everything settles, you can take a vacation; till then please cooperate. Please do it for me. You can sleep for a few hours if you want, I''ll wait till you have rested well. Also, I''ll treat you to your favorite dishes for a week, after I return. Please do it for me. OK?" Ian pleaded with puppy eyes and immediately took to his heels without waiting for Aria''s response.


    Aria glared at his retreating self before screaming, " I am going to kill you, Dr. Davis."


    "I know you won''t because you are a sweetheart," Ian yelled back laughing, making Aria curse at him again.


    "You just wait and watch, Dr. Davis."

 Chapter 3: Who sent you to kill Noah?

    It had been almost an hour since Ian left Aria in Noah''s ward. He had been shifted to the VIP ward which was being heavily guarded by his men. The entire hospital was under his men''s scrutiny and no one, other than his most trusted men, was allowed near his ward without Aria or Ian''s permission.


    Aria had checked his vitals twice within the hour to make sure his condition was stable. She then gazed at his attractive face, taking in his features. He had a striking face, no denying that. He looked tall, around 6''2" maybe, she guessed, although he was in a sleeping posture. The most striking feature was his chest muscles. Even the hospital gown, couldn''t hide those well-toned muscles. Aria swallowed a lump in her throat. All she wanted to do was run her hands on his muscular body.


    Immediately realizing her perverted thoughts, Aria shook her head.


    "Come to your senses, Ari. What are you thinking?"


    "But he looks delicious." She voiced and took a long breath.


    "What am I even doing? You and your perverted thoughts." She chided herself and continued to stare at him for a few minutes, admiring his good looks.


    The phone in her coat pocket beeped suddenly killing the silence in the room. It was a voice message from Ian.


    "Ari, cutie, sweetie. I am sorry for the trouble. I''ll make it up to you someday. Please don''t be angry, I''ll do anything you want me to do. Call me in case of an emergency," his cute voice played in the room.


    Aria walked towards the sofa and lied down sighing, "You owe me big time, Ian."


    ....


    Warning: Violent content ahead


    The Underworld Base


    The man shouted in pain, "I don''t know anything." He pulled at his shackles, but in vain. It only deepened into his flesh, causing him to bleed more.


    "What do you mean you don''t know? You were clearly out there to kill Noah." A voice boomed from across the room. It sounded like thunder in the quiet room. It was cold and scary, making the man tremble. He looked in the direction of the voice and sniggered, "Dr. Davis."


    Ian raised his eyebrows. "You know me?" he asked surprised.


    "Who doesn''t know you, doc? But what are you doing here? If I remember correctly, you are against violence right?" His tone was laced with sarcasm.


    "Cut the chase, Marcus. Tell me who sent you to kill Noah?"


    "Oh you know my name, I''m impressed doc."


    "I also know that you are the famous sniper, MM." Ian divulged while Marcus remained silent.


    Ian scrunched his eyebrows and gestured for his men to proceed. "Ronnie you know what to do."


    "Yes Dr. Davis," Ronnie replied with a wicked grin. He opened his toolbox and surveyed his tools. "What shall I use on you?" he mocked, glancing at Marcus.


    "How about a hammer? Ah... No. I''ll use it next. Yes, the nutcracker." Ronnie exclaimed pressing it in his hand.


    "Are you crazy?" Marcus asked, petrified.


    Ronnie stared at him in the eyes and replied with a smug, "Yes."


    He removed the shackles from Marcus''s hands and feet. Seizing the chance, Marcus made an attempt to escape towards the exit.


    "I like it when people think they can escape from my fingers. It gives me pleasure to break their confidence." Ronnie remarked before throwing a dart at Marcus'' thigh.


    Marcus grimaced and fell to the ground.


    "Oh...I love that sound."


    Ronnie walked towards his prey, taking his time, making Marcus dread his fate. He placed one of Marcus''s fingers in the nutcracker.


    "Who ordered you to shoot our Boss?" Ronnie questioned while his hands pressed on the cracker.


    Marcus cried out in pain.


    "You don''t want to answer? I think you don''t like your fingers." Ronnie increased the pressure on the cracker and ended up chopping off two of his fingers.


    "Two down. Let me use the hammer now."


    "What? No," Marcus shrieked.


    "Come on, let me have some fun."


    Without waiting for his reaction, he swung the hammer at his head slowly so as to not kill him. But the impact was strong enough to break his facial bones. Not satisfied with the result, he swung it again, this time directly on his skull. Marcus'' face started to bleed and he collapsed."


    "Keep him awake," Ian ordered from his seat. All the men stared at him. Although Ian rarely visited the underground base, he was equally ghastly as their Boss. They knew that Ian only behaved this way if his bottom line was crossed and his bottom line was his two friends. He was an orphan, but it was his friends who had made his life worth living.


    The men dragged Marcus and shackled him again.


    Ronnie pulled one of the levers on the wall, and scorching water poured onto Marcus from above.


    "Just kill me already." He hissed.


    "Oh, we will. But not yet. I''m not done with you." Ronnie smiled with a playful glint.


    "I think it''s time for the scourge." He picked the scourge and struck it on Marcus''s back, tearing his skin with it. He howled in agony. His shirt immediately became bloody. It was then he realized what pure torture was and why no one wanted to piss off the Underworld King, Noah. If the gentle natured Ian was this scary when he was angry, then how would the cold and ruthless Noah be?


    "Stop. I''ll confess. I''ll confess." Marcus spoke before Ronnie could strike the third time.


    Ronnie stopped with a dejected look. He still wanted to play with him, but getting the information was more crucial.


    "Speak."


    "I don''t know who it was. I received a private message a few days back to kill Noah. They paid me a large amount, even before I accepted the contract. I was only informed of the time and venue to kill him."


    "Are you saying the truth?" Ian questioned, leaning forward.


    "Yes."


    "You guys continue to have fun, but remember to keep him alive." Ian cautioned and walked out of the room.


    All he could hear was loud cries before he closed the door and made a call to Aria.

 Chapter 4: Mystery to solve

    The beeping sound was too loud, it started to irritate the sleeping Noah. He wanted to throw it out of the window or just smash it till the noise stopped. He tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy. Groaning in despair he tried harder, this time the faint light strained his eyes. He blinked twice trying to adjust to his surroundings. It was an unfamiliar room. His throat felt extremely dry and his body was exhausted. He attempted to get up, but pain shot through his body making him lie down immediately.


    After a few seconds of taking deep breaths, he moved his right hand searching for his phone. But he touched something else. He immediately turned to his right with much trouble to find a girl sleeping on a chair, while her head was on his bed. Her white coat indicated that she was a doctor. He made an effort to wake her up. But he was too tired and his eyelids weighed a ton. He fell asleep again in an instant.


    .....


    "Yes, everything is fine, Ian. Mr. Carter is still unconscious." Aria assured him once again. This was the third call from Ian for the day. Since the day Noah was left in Aria''s care, Ian had made sure to contact her at least five times daily.


    "What are you doing?" he asked from the other side. Ian was going through the video recording of Marcus, probing for some loose ends.


    "I have come to the canteen to grab a bite. One cheese sandwich please." Ian heard her order.


    "Don''t worry his keepers are just outside his ward. They will call me if there is a situation."


    Suddenly a commotion ensued in the canteen. Two burly men in black were frantically searching for something.


    "Where is Dr. Aria West?" the guards questioned a nurse. The nurse''s eyes went wide and she quivered in fear. She had never seen such fierce-looking men.


    One of the guards asked again, this time a little gently. "Have you seen Dr. West?"


    The nurse pointed towards the counter and ran away in fear when their gaze left hers. At one glance, Aria knew they were Noah''s men. As soon as they saw Aria standing near the counter, they hurried towards her.


    "Dr. West," they breathed.


    "Wow, wow, wow. Calm down, folks. What''s the matter? You just scared that poor nurse."


    "It''s the Boss. I mean Mr. Carter. You need to see him, it''s urgent. Please come with us." One of them spoke, panting.


    "Aria, what happened?" Ian asked perplexed. He had heard the guards speaking to Aria on the phone. His imagination ran wild instantaneously, fearing the worst.


    "I don''t know. I''ll call you back."


    "Aria. Aria." Ian yelled, nonetheless received no response. She had disconnected the call.


    "Is everything all right Mr. Davis? Master Martin is going to arrive soon." Ronnie informed looking at Ian''s panicked face.


    "I am not sure Ronnie. We will have to wait and see." Although Ian was scared, he knew Noah was out of danger.


    "Maybe Noah''s woken up. That''s great then." He presumed.


    Ian had stayed at the Underground Base for the last four days, pressuring Marcus for more information. But Marcus had stayed mute, all their methods of torture deemed useless on him.


    Ian had informed his other friend, Joshua Martin, who was vacationing in Canada, about Noah''s condition.


    Ian, Joshua and Noah were friends since childhood. Although they were once strangers, an incident in the past had created an everlasting bond between them.


    Once Joshua heard about Noah, he prepared to return to the country. However, his plane was canceled because of extremely bad weather. After three days, when the weather finally cleared, he boarded the plane without further delay.


    Meanwhile, Ian had managed to collect all possible information on Marcus. As Marcus had confessed, his bank account had received a cash transfer of 1 Million USD several days before the murder attempt. Besides that, he couldn''t obtain any details about the account from which the money was transferred. It was a dummy account and had been closed after the transaction was completed.


    There were neither any loose ends nor any leads. He could only wait for Joshua.


    Ian sighed. He had been sitting in Noah''s office for a long time. His shoulders had become tense and his neck ached.


    "How I wish I could get a Thai massage." He could only wish. He was having a migraine, the incident had taken a toll on his health.


    He dialed Aria''s number, only to go to voicemail. "I hope everything is alright."


    The door to the office opened abruptly, with a bang and Ian did not have to guess who it was.


    "Joshua."


    "The one and only."


    "How was your flight?"


    "It was boring. I flirted with the air hostess, but she was already married. It was a waste of time, although she was interesting. There were not many beauties on the plane, you know. Oh, I hate flying on a private plane. By the way, have you managed to get a girlfriend at least now?" Joshua teased.


    Ian ignored his question. "Are you not going to ask about Noah?"


    "Nope. You are sitting here, in the Underworld Base, instead of being at the hospital. I assume he is out of danger and in safe hands."


    Ian smiled. "Have you managed to track down the account details?"


    "Are you doubting my skills, this genius hacker''s skills? God, people cannot recognize talent at all." Joshua wiped his nonexistent tears.


    "Stop being melodramatic." Ian glared at him, making Joshua shut up. He placed a folder in front of Ian and stretched his legs on the desk.


    Ian opened the folder only to seethe in anger. "Caroline Turner."


    "Do you know her?" Joshua asked, yawning.


    "Yes, she is Noah''s girlfriend."


    Joshua straightened himself, now listening to Ian with utmost interest.


    "Noah had a girlfriend! When did that miracle happen? It looks like I missed out on a lot of things while I was vacationing. Damn. Anyway, why would she harm Noah? What was her motive?"


    "I am wondering the same. What would she gain by harming Noah?"


    After a few moments, Joshua stood up and walked towards the door. "Get up you lazy bum. We have a mystery to solve."

 Chapter 5: Dire consequences

    Aria ran towards Noah''s ward.


    ''He was perfectly fine a few moments before. What could have happened ?'' she thought. Her thoughts immediately vanished when she heard a loud crash from his ward. The moment she entered the room, she had to duck as something was hurled at her.


    "Oh, my pretty face." She patted her face, thanking the gods for her fast reflexes, before raising her head to look at the intimidating man.


    "Who the hell are you?" Noah questioned, glaring at Aria.


    "And who do you think you are?" she questioned back, furious.


    Noah was taken aback. "Don''t you know I am?"


    "If you are asking about the patient, Noah, then I know you. But if you are asking about the Business King, Noah, then I don''t."


    "Your misbehavior will lead to dire consequences, lady."


    "And yours, to death." Aria retorted.


    Noah stared at her in shock. Not many people had the guts to threaten him with his life and the ones who did, were lying buried in the graveyard. He had to give credit to the woman''s courage. Noah was unable to comprehend why he hadn''t strangled her already. He found the situation oddly amusing.


    "Why was I not informed of a tornado? Hmm. I am lucky to have evaded it." Aria rebuked studying the room. Although the man had not moved an inch, except lying down to sitting, the entire room was a mess.


    Noah remained silent observing her every move.


    "Do you have no regard for your life?" Aria queried looking at Noah''s gown which was covered with bloodstains.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Mr. Carter, you had been shot by a bullet a few days back and have had open-heart surgery. Instead of resting, you have strained yourself, causing the wounds to open up. Do you have any idea how foolish you are?"


    Aria had her eyes on his gown, so she could not see his darkened face.


    ''This damn woman. I need to teach her a lesson.''


    "Why did the temperature drop suddenly?" Aria mused, shivering.


    Clearing her throat, she continued. "Also, I expect an apology. You could have injured me quite badly when you threw something at me. By the way, what was that?" Aria turned back to get the medical tray and completely disregarded his darkened face.


    "Mr. Carter, please lie down." Aria gently pushed Noah to lie on the bed. She then pressed the button to raise the backrest until he was in a comfortable position. Despite the fact that Noah wanted to kill the woman, he followed her instructions.


    "This might sting a little. I''ll give you painkillers if you are in pain, once I am done."


    Aria made a cut through his gown. She removed the bloody bandage, cleaned his wounds, and stitched the opened gash. She then wrapped gauze around his chest.


    When Aria leaned in to drape the gauze over Noah''s shoulder, he inhaled her scent which immediately calmed his nerves. He was surprised by the effect she had on him, in spite of the fact that she was a mere stranger.


    "I recommend you to take rest for a few days Mr. Carter. Your injury is still fresh and may open up again. Yeah, thinking about it, I was wondering what made you all hyped up?" Aria enquired, pulling back.


    Noah frowned. How could he tell her the reason for his behavior? As soon as he had woken up, all the memories came rushing back. He still could remember the woman''s face who had deceived him. The one thing he hated the most was betrayal and he regretted trusting her ever.


    Seeing Noah wordless, Aria teased, "Cat got your tongue, Mr. Carter?"


    Noah flashed a smile, making Aria gawk at him.


    "Oh the man smiles and here I was thinking, I will only see a domineering face. I must say you have an enchanting smile. Please do smile more."


    Noah laughed at her suggestion. Aria gaped at him in astonishment. His deep laugh ignited an unknown emotion within her.


    "Do you like my smile?" Noah asked, gazing at her intently.


    "Who wouldn''t like it when you are greeted with a beautiful smile, Mr. Carter? Just imagine when you go to work and find people giving you a cold and intimidating look. How would you feel?"


    Noah, at once, imagined Aria giving him a cold look. He immediately cleared his thoughts when he realized he didn''t like it at all.


    "Let me help you with the gown," Aria said pulling out a new gown from the cupboard.


    At that moment there was a knock at the door. The bodyguards peeked a little, praying the gods to save their lives, before pushing the door open and letting themselves in. They were rendered speechless with what they saw. Their Boss was smiling like an idiot while Dr. West was helping him wear a hospital gown. Their senses stopped working looking at their Boss''s smile.


    ''Was there a problem during the surgery? Is it the side effect or did the anesthesia damage his brain?'' The guards thought looking at Noah''s smile, while Noah was completely oblivious to their dumbstruck expression. Aria saw their funny expressions, yet took no notice of it.


    "Do you need painkillers, Mr. Carter? Does it pain anywhere?"


    Noah nodded a no.


    "OK then."


    Aria turned towards the bodyguards. "Go to the canteen and get some fresh apple juice and a bowl of vegetable soup. Also, get me a cheese sandwich and an omelet."


    The two bodyguards nodded and left the room.


    "I am going to make a call to Dr. Davis. He has been going mad, checking your health every few hours."


    "Hmm."


    "What is your name?" Noah asked her when she took out her phone to place the call.


    "Blimey. I am sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Dr. Aria West." Aria said placing the phone to her ear.


    "Hey, Ian. I have some good news for you. Mr. Carter is awake." She blurted out before Ian could speak. Aria''s call came in as a blessing for Ian and Joshua.


    "May I talk to him?" Ian asked excitedly, kicking the sleeping Joshua.


    "What?" Joshua shouted, annoyed.


    "Noah is awake." Ian mouthed, pointing to the phone.


    Aria handed her phone to Noah. "Dr. Davis wants to speak to you."


    Seeing Noah''s hesitance, Aria continued," Do you want me to step out for a bit?"


    Noah nodded.


    Aria smiled in understanding and left the ward.


    "Hello." He answered, while his eyes followed the departing woman.

 Chapter 6: Who is backing Caroline?

    "Finally, I can take a break." Aria cheered. Ian had kept her on her toes by calling her every few hours and asking about Noah''s health. Aria could only follow his orders, cursing silently, and stay by Noah''s side. Now, she could relax a bit.


    "Oh, I still have the conference. But there is nothing wrong with planning a vacation right?" She mumbled.


    She walked towards her cabin, thinking about her vacation. She was so focused on her plans that she did not see who was in front of her and bumped into them.


    "What a good way to greet, Aria."


    "Dr. Smith." Aria snorted.


    "Come on, sweetheart. We have known each other for almost a year now. Stop being formal and call me Mason."


    "I''m fine with Dr. Smith. We are not that close anyway."


    "Ouch. That hurts."


    Mason and Aria had known each other for a while. Although they were of the same age, Aria was at a senior level at the hospital. She was already a surgeon, while he was still a final year resident. This constantly irked him. Yet he found her attractive. He made use of every opportunity to flirt with her, while Aria made sure to stay as far away as possible from him. She knew he was a swindler and was interested in her only for sex. She hated these kinds of people the most.


    Mason looked at her earnestly, making Aria uncomfortable. Looking at him grin at her uneasiness, made Aria loathe him more. She wished to punch his face or smack his head to the wall. But soon gave up on the idea, when she realized she would have to dirty her hands by touching him.


    "If you''ll excuse me, Dr. Smith," Aria said, walking by him.


    "Wait a minute. I was wondering if you would go on a date with me?"


    "No." Aria rejected him at once and walked away without taking a look at him.


    "How long are you going to run away from me, baby? I''ll make sure you come to me on your own will." He smirked.


    ....


    "What? You have got to be kidding me?" Joshua said, annoyed.


    Ian had put the call on the speaker and the trio were having a conversation on the recent events.


    "No, I am not. I got to know about Caroline''s ploy long back. I only intended to play along to know her purpose. I never thought she would actually hire a sniper to get me killed.


    "Hold on. So you are saying, you deliberately risked your life?" Ian asked, his voice deadly calm.


    Noah immediately blamed his tongue for the slip. He knew he was doomed. He was the only one who knew the limits of Ian''s anger. The usually calm man was a frightening beast when angered.


    "Have you gone insane?" Ian roared on the phone.


    Joshua stared at him shock. He had never seen Ian this angry and react this way. Among the three, he was the calmest. He was rarely in a bad mood.


    "Ian, calm down," Noah said, trying to soothe him.


    "I''ll get back to you on this when we meet," Ian promised Noah.


    "Joshua, I want you to check on Caroline."


    "Come on guys. I am a video game designer, not a detective." Joshua joked, making his friends roll their eyes.


    "Do you suspect something, Noah?" Ian questioned, staring at the phone.


    "I don''t know. I feel that there is something amiss. As much as I know Caroline, she did not have that much money to hire a sniper. I think she has a backer."


    Ian and Joshua nodded listening to his words. Caroline''s father had gone bankrupt recently. He was searching for investors to save his dying company and had been unsuccessful. All his properties and bank accounts had been seized and his family had moved to a one-bedroom house. Nobody knew it was Noah who had destroyed Caroline''s family, not even his friends.


    "Let me take a guess, are you the one responsible for their condition?" Ian asked with a doubt.


    "That woman got what she deserved." Noah spat.


    "OK. I got it. I''ll look out for her." Joshua assured.


    "Ian, how long have you known Dr. Aria West?" Noah deliberately changed the topic. Thinking about Caroline, made him fume. He needed a diversion.


    "Who is Dr. Aria West?" Joshua asked in confusion.


    "She is my colleague. I know her since school, she is my junior. Why do you ask?"


    "It''s nothing. Nothing at all." He cut the call immediately and his eyes drifted towards the messy room. It sure did look like a hurricane had occurred.


    "My, my. Looks like Noah is smitten by someone. What is her name, again? Ah.. Dr. Aria West. Thinking about it, how is it like to date a doctor? Can you tell me more about it?" Joshua mused.


    "Oh sorry. How would you know about it? You have never dated anyone. Maybe I need to give your hospital a visit, I might find someone I like. Are there any beautiful doctors at your hospital?" he muttered while Ian walked out of the room unable to listen to his nonsense.


    Noah had been in deep thought since his talk with his friends. He found it strange that he was interested in knowing about Aria.


    "Why am I acting this way?" he contemplated.


    Aria''s phone suddenly rang, disturbing him. The screen displayed the caller name as Danny.


    ''Who is Danny? Is he Aria''s boyfriend?'' He pondered.


    He received the call and remained quiet.


    "Hello, Ari. I have some great news for you. Let''s have dinner together. I''ll tell you everything when we meet. I''ll pick you up at 7." Danny spoke.


    "Ari? Ari? " He called out after babbling for some time, but didn''t receive any response.


    "Did the call connect by mistake? Aria, are you there?" Not getting an answer, he disconnected the call.


    Noah glared at the phone and tossed it out of the window without any second thought. His face had become frosty as soon as he heard Aria''s name being called in an intimate way. His eyes were blazing in anger and he was ready to kill anybody who approached him at that moment.


    "Hey, I am back." Aria pushed the door open, carrying a tray of food with her.


    "What''s with your face? Who put you in a black mood?"


    Noah immediately controlled his countenance and his face brightened up looking at her.


    "By the way Mister, I need my phone back." Aria held out her hands. She looked so cute that he wanted to pat her head.


    "I am sorry." He apologized although he had no regrets.


    "Why are you sorry?"


    "Because I cast your phone out of the window."

 Chapter 7: New mission

    "What?" Aria stared at him stupefied. "Did you just say you threw my phone out of the window?"


    Noah nodded.


    "Why would you do that? And you are on the fourth floor for god''s sake. Now my phone is gone." Aria wailed.


    "My hand slipped." He lied shrugging his shoulders. How could he say he got jealous of a person he didn''t even know? He also knew nothing about Aria''s relationship with Danny.


    "That was quite a long slip, I must say. The window is way across the room."


    "Look. I apologize. I''ll get you a new phone."


    "I had important contacts in the phone. There were some crucial files and photographs. What do I do now?" Aria held her head in between her hands.


    "I''ll get the data restored, alright? Now calm down."


    "Thanks, but no thanks. I don''t need your help." Aria glowered at him.


    The door opened and a bodyguard walked in with a cleaner.


    "I''ll take your leave. If I stay here any longer, I might go insane." Aria picked up the sandwich and the bottle of juice. She then pointed to the guard. "Make sure he eats finishes the soup and the omelet. I''ll send in a nurse with the medicines.


    "Wait," Noah called, only to fall on deaf ears.


    The bodyguard stood beside Noah in fear. The cleaner had finished his work and exited the room long back. At that moment, he was all alone with the demon.


    "Boss."


    "Get out."


    "But Dr. West.."


    "I said get out."


    The guard ran away trembling.


    Noah took the bowl of soup and started to drink, while reminiscing Aria''s angry face.


    ..........


    Meanwhile in Uron City


    A man was following a group of people silently. He was wearing a grey sweatshirt and black trousers. He had put on his goggles and a blue cap and held a camera in his hand. He was occasionally taking pictures while maintaining his focus on the four men.


    Uron City was a famous tourist attraction. Many people visited the city over the year.


    The people around the man were also taking photographs, so nobody noticed anything different about him.


    The man followed the group into a narrow alley. It reeked of cigarettes and booze. No tourists were present in that area. He had a pen camera in his pocket shirt and it was recording all the actions of the men in the front. They walked towards the coffee shop and took a left. There was a library at the end of the road. It was completely abandoned, not a single person was visible. The man waited for a few minutes at the coffee shop and then slowly approached the secluded library. He tried twisting the door handle, it didn''t budge. It was locked from within. He looked around for a way to get inside. He walked behind the library and found a staircase. It was connected to the library on the second floor. The man climbed the rusty stairs, while looking out for any danger.


    There was a door at the end of the stairs. He tried opening it, but it was jammed. After some struggle, it opened with a creak. He walked inside scrutinizing his surroundings. Though it was dark, he could see things clearly. He removed his goggles and stepped forward. There was only one hallway with stairs on either side. The stairs on the left led to the next floor.


    The man took the stairs on the right and walked down cautiously. He could hear hushed voices from below. Noticing a dark spot behind a bookcase, he jumped off the railing and hid himself.


    They were the same people he had followed. One of the men was puffing a cigarette. He was tall and had short blond hair. The man sitting beside him looked nervous. He was wearing baggy clothes and was adjusting his glasses every time it slid down his nose.


    "How long do we have to wait?" A man with a shoulder-length hair spoke. His face was not visible and he kept tapping his hands on the armrest, impatiently.


    "He''ll be here shortly." The last guy answered with a gruff voice. He was pacing back and forth.


    At that moment, low footsteps echoed through the room. All the men''s eyes turned towards the direction of the sound.


    A well built, middle-aged man walked in; everything about him screamed danger. He sat down on the only unoccupied chair in the room. The man, who was hiding, immediately recognized him to be David Peters, the Finance Minister of the country.


    "This is gonna be interesting." He adjusted the pen camera and silently watched the scene in front of him.


    "What is the status?", David asked looking at all four of them.


    "We have successfully obtained the virus and the antidote from the scientists. We are waiting for your orders." The blonde guy spoke.


    "Have you killed the scientists?" All four men nodded.


    "I''ll inform you of the place and the time and then you''ll release the virus. Until then keep it intact. Oh, we are going to wreak havoc in the country and the President will be forced to step down." David stated with a wicked glint.


    "Also I have another mission. The President''s secretary is suspicious of me. I want you to finish him before the matter goes out of hand."


    "Not again." The man with the shoulder-length hair stood up. "How long are you going to use us to do your dirty work? You know what? I am going to quit. Don''t involve me in your plans from now on."


    "Are you sure?" David questioned while everyone else pitied the man for his stupidity.


    "Yes."


    David took out a pistol and shot him in the head.


    "I don''t need useless people."


    "The man, who was hiding, gasped looking at the dead body. In spite of the sound being inaudible, everybody had heard it because of the echo.


    "Who''s there?" The guy with the spectacles raised his eyes, scanning the hallway. His eyes look so deadly that any sane person would piss in their pants out of fear.


    Realizing his mistake, the man climbed back the staircase and rushed towards the second floor, clutching his camera tight. The sound of his running echoed through the library.


    All the men got to their feet and ran in the direction of the noise. By the time, the people managed to track him, he was already nearing the coffee shop. The men could only get a glimpse of his silhouette. They discovered that he was wearing a grey shirt and a blue cap. They ran towards the coffee shop. But could not find the guy they were searching for.


    Just then, a girl in a blue shirt and black pants walked out of the shop. She had a backpack on her shoulders and her hair was tied into a bun.


    "Excuse me, Miss. Have you seen a man wearing a grey shirt and a blue cap? He came running this way." The man with the gruff voice spoke.


    She nodded and pointed towards a large group of tourists at the far end of the road. The men took off at once in the direction she pointed to, while the girl strolled in the opposite direction.


    "Idiots." She smirked.

 Chapter 8: You take care of your patient from now on

    "Ugh. I can''t believe this guy." Aria huffed. She was very furious with Noah. She had saved a lot of contacts, who were helping her to find her father, on her phone.


    "Now how will I get back their numbers?"


    Aria''s father had gone missing three years back leaving her and her twin sister, Ivy. Since then the sisters had been searching for him day and night. They didn''t even know if their father was dead or alive. However, recently they had got some leads on him, arising some hope in them and they had asked Danny to investigate more.


    Danny or Daniel Adler was Aria''s childhood friend. Their parents knew each other since long back and Danny, Aria and Ivy had grown up together. He was a corporate lawyer and owned the famous law firm, Adler Law Firm. It was easy for him to gain access to information with the resources he had procured over the years.


    Aria walked towards her cabin to make a call from the hospital telephone. She dialed Daniel''s number and waited for him to pick up.


    "Hello."


    "Danny. It''s Aria."


    "Hey, Ari. Why are you calling from the hospital telephone? What happened to your mobile?"


    "Some idiot broke it."


    "Oh. Is that so? I had called you sometime before. It got connected but I couldn''t hear anything from your side."


    "When did you call me?" Aria asked confused. She didn''t remember picking any calls from him.


    "Probably during lunchtime."


    ''Wasn''t it the same time when I had given my phone to Noah?'' Aria contemplated.


    "That explains it. I didn''t have my phone with me at that time. Anyway, why did you call me?"


    "I have some news about your father. Let''s have dinner together, I will tell you everything when we meet. Is it fine?"


    "Sure. What time will you come to pick me up?"


    "Is 7 p.m. fine with you?"


    "Yes. Absolutely."


    "Great. See you later."


    "See ya."


    It was only 4 p.m. She still had a couple of hours, so she thought of going on rounds.


    As soon as she opened the door, she bumped into Ian.


    "Ouch." Aria rubbed her forehead.


    "Aria, are you OK?"


    "Ian, you are finally here. I am so happy to see you. I have never been this happy before." Aria hugged him enthusiastically.


    "Hey. Hey. Save some hugs for me too, lady." Joshua commented from behind.


    "Ian, who is this?"


    "Aria, this is Joshua. He is my friend."


    "Hey. I am Dr. Aria West." She held out her hand.


    Joshua''s eyes widened in realization. "Ohh. So you are Dr. Aria West. I must say you are very beautiful." He shook her hand, making her blush.


    Aria took a thorough look at Joshua. He was tall, around 6 feet or more maybe. Aria had to look up to meet his eyes. He had chocolate brown hair and his hazel colored eyes had the power to penetrate through one''s soul. He was very handsome, she was mesmerized by him. Aria felt that his looks could put the Greek gods into shame.


    ''How lucky am I to be surrounded by handsome men? First Ian, then Noah and now Joshua. Bless my life.'' Aria thought.


    Ian waved his hands in front of Aria, breaking Aria''s thoughts.


    "Are you alright? You look a little lost."


    "I am fine," Aria said embarrassed.


    "Umm. Aria did you just check me out?" Joshua teased, making Aria blush more.


    "No. No." Aria wished that she could dig a hole and stay in there forever.


    "Anyway, Ian I''ll hand over your patient to you. You take care of him from now on." Aria said, her face burning red with fury.


    "Hold on Miss Little Spitfire. What happened?" Joshua asked amused at her change of expressions. A few seconds ago she was blushing, now she looked a little vexed.


    "Your friend tossed my phone out of the window and for what reasons I don''t know."


    "Wow. Interesting. I am liking this." Joshua mumbled.


    "What?"


    "Nothing Aria. Just ignore him." Ian gave him a warning. Joshua remained silent.


    "We will reprimand him for you. We are going to meet Noah. Do you want to come?"


    "I think I''ll pass. I have to go on rounds. You guys carry on."


    "I like her already," Joshua remarked when they were alone. "She could tame the wild Noah. Don''t you think so?"


    Ian imagined Aria and Noah together and he agreed that they would form a great pair.


    Noah was working on his laptop when Ian and Joshua walked in.


    Ian closed his laptop with a thud and gave him an accusing look. "You are a patient, behave like one."


    "Awe. The doctor is back. You know, I had decided that we had lost the doctor when I found this scary Ian in the Underworld Base. His thirst for blood when he was angry, scared the shit out of me."


    "What happened between you and Aria?" Ian asked, taking no notice of Joshua''s mockery and checking Noah''s health chart.


    "Nothing happened between us. Why, did she say something?"


    "Yes, something about her phone being tossed." Joshua prompted, enjoying Noah''s flustered face.


    "It was an accident."


    "Ohh. It was a beautiful accident."


    Both Noah and Ian turned to glare at Joshua. He raised his hands in defeat.


    The door was suddenly barged open and in walked a stunning woman. She was impeccably dressed and emitted an aura of independence. She had mid-shoulder length, black, shiny hair, and beautiful brown eyes. She was quite short compared to the tall men in front of her.


    "Rachel, what are you doing here?" Noah asked bewildered. If Rachel knew about him being shot, then definitely his family would know about it too.


    "I am obviously here to check on my elder brother."


    Rachel Carter was Noah''s younger sister. She was an architect by profession and was going to turn 24 in a few months. She had made a name for herself without any help from her family. Many women admired her for her talents and beauty, while for the men she was simply a goddess.


    "I am furious on you two." She pointed at Ian and Joshua.


    "I get to know about my brother''s situation from the paparazzi instead of you. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"


    "Hey. Hey. Please don''t blame me." Joshua pleaded with puppy eyes. "I am an innocent person who just hid the truth."


    The other three people rolled their eyes.


    "Rachel, we didn''t want to worry you or Mom and Dad."


    "Good. You have successfully failed in your attempt at hiding. Mom and Dad are going to visit you soon along with Grandpa. Good Luck brother."


    "Shit." All the three cursed simultaneously.

 Chapter 9: Genius journalist, Ivy West

    A shiny jet black Street Scrambler stopped at the parking lot of a sleek building. Everybody stopped to admire the sexy bike and the rider. All of them were immediately stunned at what they saw, when the rider removed the helmet. It was a beautiful girl; not a man as they had expected the rider to be. The girl was wearing a blue shirt and black trousers. Her hair was tied in a bun, a few loose strands were swaying with the wind. She looked very stylish in her attire.


    The girl noticed all the people gawking at her. She was used to this attitude, since the day she started working as a journalist at News4U.


    "Buggers." She walked with her chin held high and with utmost confidence. Her eyes sparkled in the sun; her style alluring the observers.


    She entered the building, pressed her ID card at the reader. She passed through the turnstile and strode towards the elevator. When the elevator opened, she stepped in and pressed the button for the sixth floor, where her cubicle was. As soon as she got off the elevator, she was engulfed in a hug. She staggered back a few steps due to the sudden impact.


    "God, Ivy. How many times have I told you to answer your phone? I was worried about you." A high pitched girlish voice spoke.


    "Relax Kira. I was a little busy." Ivy said pushing Kira off her.


    Kira Simpson was Scottish by birth. Her family had migrated to the country a few decades back. She had ginger red hair, which captured one''s eye just at one look. She was an associate producer at News4U. Her short frame easily concealed her actual nature. She had a sharp tongue, garnering her a nickname: Miss Pepper. She was a year older than Ivy.


    "What were you busy with? You were gone for almost a week. Do you think this an amusement park that you can come and go as you wish?" She spat, glowering at her through her frameless spectacles.


    "I''ll tell you about it later. I have some explosive news, it is going to blow away everyone''s mind. Where is Max?"


    "He is in the broadcast room. He is deciding what to broadcast at the 8''o clock news."


    "Oh, I have the best news for him. Come with me."


    Ivy pushed the door open and witnessed Max engrossed in his work, while Kira tagged along.


    Maximus Williams was a news director and the chief editor of the news agency. He was looked young, although he was in his forties. He was tall with a height of 5.9, he had dirty blonde hair and like Kira, he too was wearing spectacles. He had maintained his body quite well; nobody would believe him to be in his early forties. He could easily pass off to be in his late twenties.


    "Look who decides to show up. I am blessed to be in your presence, Your Highness." Max kneeled on one knee and bowed his head. Kira stifled a laugh and Ivy gave out a cheeky grin.


    "I have something that will make you both forget about me being lackadaisical. Have you decided on what to broadcast at the 8''o clock segment?"


    "No, Ivy. All I have is some boring stuff. I want something exhilarating."


    "Take a look at this." Ivy pushed a pen-drive towards Max.


    Ivy took in Max and Kira''s horrified expressions while they watched the video as she chewed on the gum.


    "Holy Mother. Where did you get this news from?" Max exclaimed, still unable to believe what he had just seen. "This is going to shake the nation. Is this the news you were trying to obtain all these days? And here I was thinking that you were slacking off."


    Ivy gave him a sarcastic smile.


    "Thank you, Ivy. Keep up the good work."


    Ivy noticed Kira standing silently, studying the recording.


    "What is it, Kira?"


    "Um. Ivy, did you find out anything about the virus Mr. peters was talking about?"


    "No, Kira. I think it''s something deadly. If my analysis is correct, he will let out the virus in a few days. It is bound to kill people or cause severe health hazards."


    "In the video, he is talking about forcing the President to step down from his position," Max interjected.


    "That means, he will challenge the President for his incompetence in discovering an antidote and protecting the people. The President will be forced to resign."


    "Once this happens, David will release the antidote, making him a hero in the citizen''s eyes. In order to avoid being suspected, he might do it after a few months." Kira put two and two together.


    "New elections will be held and David will be the preferred candidate," Ivy concluded.


    "I can''t believe it. What a plan? Those bastards need to be exposed in front of the nation. Ivy, you are a genius." Max muttered, giving Ivy a thumbs up with both hands.


    ......


    At the hospital.


    "How long do I have to stay in the hospital?" Noah asked sulking. He felt perfectly fit and fine, but Ian did not think so.


    "Two to three days, depending on your recovery."


    Ian had come back to check on Noah. Joshua had gone to drop Rachel, after staying for over an hour and to keep an eye on Caroline.


    "Where is Aria? I haven''t seen her since the afternoon."


    "When I was coming here, she was checking on her patients. Her shift ends at 6. She must have left, it''s past 6''o clock." Ian looked at his watch.


    "Dr. Davis, may I talk to you for a second?" Aria asked, clearing her throat from outside the room. The sulking Noah''s face lit up hearing Aria''s voice.


    "Hey come on in. Why are you standing outside?"


    "Dr. Davis, I''ll be leaving for the conference in London in two days."


    "Yes. I remember about it."


    "Can you handle my patients for me?" Aria prayed with her hands.


    "Sure, Aria. you didn''t have to pray for that."


    Noah was observing her from his bed. He was bewitched by the way her eyes shone when she spoke. And she looked very adorable with her hands joined together. His gaze traveled from her eyes to her lips. Her pink lips made him want to grab her and kiss her senseless.


    ''What am I thinking? Do I like her? But I don''t know anything about her?'' He introspected. He was confused about his behavior.


    "Thanks, Ian. I''ll get going now."


    "Wait. Do you want to have dinner with us? It''s boring to have dinner with only two of us. You know, the more, the merrier."


    Noah smile, thanking Ian in his mind for his suggestion. He looked like a puppy wagging its tail, waiting for its master''s attention.


    "Sorry, Ian. I have plans. I am meeting a friend at 7."


    Noah''s face dropped like a deflated balloon on Aria''s rejection. The temperature in the room plummeted instantly.


    Aria shivered. ''Did she just teleport to Antarctica?''


    Noah recalled the phone call he had picked a few hours back. Danny had invited her to have dinner.


    ''So he managed to contact her, in spite of her not having her phone.'' He cerebrated.


    ''Was she going out with him or somebody else? Is it a date?'' Envisaging Aria with another man, made his blood boil. His annoyed look was enough for Ian to usher Aria out of the room.


    "Bye Ian."


    Ian nodded and turned to look at the fuming devil behind him.


    "Do you know who Danny is?"


    "No."


    "Does she have a boyfriend?"


    "Not that I am aware of. Have you taken an interest in her?"


    "Maybe."


    "Are you sure? You just had a big blow because of Caroline."


    "I was not in a serious relationship with Caroline. I was only playing along with her tactics."


    "If you say so. By the way, why are you particularly attracted to Aria? There are other women out there who fancy you."


    "She is the first woman to speak to me without considering my status. She knows what I am capable of, yet she doesn''t treat me as a walking ATM, like the other women you talked about. I don''t deny that there aren''t good women out there. But she just happened to catch my fancy."


    "Yeah. As much as I can say, Aria is an incredible woman. But isn''t it soon. You have met each quite recently."


    "I am confused about the same. I am not sure why I am attracted to her in such a short duration. Also, I know that she is amazing; that''s what has made me take a liking to her."

 Chapter 10: Ivy and Arias father

    ''Let''s meet up. Have something important to discuss.


    Venue- Hotel Blue Purple.


    Time- 7.30 pm


    See ya.


    Danny.''


    Ivy read Danny''s message. She was sitting in her cubicle, scrolling through her messages. She had received a lot of missed calls and messages, most of them from Kira and Max and some from unknown numbers. The one text that caught her eye was from Danny.


    Although Ivy and Daniel had known each other since childhood, he was not that close to her as he was with Aria. Their thoughts never matched and most of the time they argued till both of them had only one wish in mind: To rip off the other person''s head. Finally, it would be Aria to the rescue, bringing peace between them. So they never talked much, except for when the met occasionally. He only texted her, if he had something crucial to discuss.


    ''Okay.'' She texted back.


    ''Do you want me to pick you up?'' His reply came immediately.


    ''Don''t take the trouble.''


    Ivy looked at the time; it was around 6.30 pm. She picked her back and got up to go.


    "Where are you going?" Kira asked, scrutinizing her through her glasses.


    "I am done for the day."


    "What do you mean you are done for the day? You arrived to work after the lunch hour."


    "But I got you a big news. And I don''t have any work right now?"


    "Don''t you want to watch the news you uncovered?"


    "Nah. I am fine. Anyway once it''s telecasted, it will be the only news playing on all channels for a few days."


    "You are right. But do you seriously wanna go?"


    Ivy nodded.


    "Okay. See you tomorrow."


    Ivy gave her a flying kiss and walked out.


    .....


    Aria was waiting for Danny outside the hospital. She had finished attending to all her patients and had reminded the receptionist to call her in case of an emergency. She was sipping on her Iced Caramel Macchiato, while tapping her right foot.


    A black Audi A8 stopped in front of her and the windows rolled down. Danny was sitting in the driver''s seat.


    "Get in."


    Aria got in and sat beside him.


    "Did you go to Starbucks?"


    "No. Why?"


    "Then, how did you get the drink?" Danny looked at the cup in Aria''s hand as he started driving.


    "This? I tricked one of my patient''s bodyguard into buying me one." Aria remembered Noah''s guard, whom she had fooled a few minutes back. "So what did you want to talk about?"


    "Not here. Let''s talk while we are eating. I have texted your sister too."


    "Ivy''s back? She didn''t give me a call. When did she come back?"


    "Why? Where did she go?"


    "Uron City. She had got some leads on a criminal activity, a couple of days back."


    "I think she came back today afternoon. And Miss Brainless, if I remember correctly, your phone got damaged,. So how would you get a call?"


    "I am not brainless. I just forgot about it. Also, she could contact me via the hospital phone." Aria stuck out her tongue.


    "Anyway, when are you leaving for London?"


    "In two days. My flight is on the 13th. The conference starts on the 15th and ends on the 18th. I''ll be back the next day."


    "So, you will be gone for almost a week?"


    "Yes."


    "We have arrived." Danny declared after driving silently for ten minutes. The car stopped in front of a beautiful restaurant. It was a striking reflective building and had a modern decor. Though it was not luxurious, it was still classy and elegant. She got off the car and walked behind Danny, taking in her surroundings with awe.


    "Hotel Blue Purple. Isn''t it the newly opened hotel, which had received very good ratings from the customers?"


    "Yes." Danny handed his keys to the valet and dragged her towards the entrance.


    Everything about the restaurant was magnificent. The best part of the hotel was that they did not have any dress code for the diners, yet the people were dressed gracefully.


    Aria looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a light green tunic and white trousers.


    "You like fine," Danny remarked seeing her hesitate.


    Just then, a roaring motorbike arrived, gaining everyone''s attention.


    "Here comes the attention seeker."


    Aria nudged Danny to shut up.


    Ivy parked her bike and walked towards the pair. "Hey, Ari. Hey Danny boy."


    Aria took in Ivy''s attire and relaxed a little. If she was under-dressed, then Ivy looked like she didn''t belong to this place at all with her tomboyish looks.


    "Let''s go." Danny prompted, ignoring Ivy''s greeting.


    "Yes. Let''s go. Danny boy, I am going to empty your wallets today." Ivy teased, making Aria sigh at their childishness.


    After a few minutes, Aria, Ivy and Danny were settled in a private booth and had placed their order.


    "Yes, Danny. What did you want to talk about? You said it was about Dad." Aria started the conversation.


    "You called us here to talk about Dad?" Ivy repeated Aria''s question.


    Aria and Ivy''s father, Oliver West was a journalist. He had covered many important news in his career. He had his own broadcasting agency, The Daily. He was very honest and did not hesitate to reveal the truth to the public. He and his teammates had performed various sting operations on famous people, involved in illegal activities. It was him who had inspired Ivy to be a journalist. Everything was going well and good, until three years ago; their Dad went missing and their Mom, Susan West, died of a heart attack.


    "Yes. I had some people look into what your Dad was up to three years ago. Do you know about it, Ivy?" Danny asked carefully.


    "Dad was covering a piece of news on illicit removal of organs from patients at the hospital, along with his colleagues."


    "Correct. Uncle had executed a sting operation on some of the famous doctors, but the news never made the headlines."


    "Ah. Now I remember. Dad was telling that he was close and he would find the mastermind behind those activities. He just needed one more day to uncover the truth." Aria said in realization. Ivy nodded.


    "What happened the day he disappeared? Did you notice something unusual about him?" Danny questioned, his face quite serious.


    The sisters looked at each other and shook their heads.


    "Danny, do you know something?" Ivy asked, leaning on the table with her arms folded.


    "I am not sure either. However, I have been informed that your father''s teammates were murdered."


    "And what about Dad?" Aria asked, thinking the worst possible outcome.


    "He is alive."


    "But?"


    "But he is being held captive."

 Chapter 11: Ill wait for her to tell on her own

    "Your Dad is being held captive."


    These words shattered the two sisters'' world. They had never imagined their father to have been kidnapped, let alone being held captive.


    "By whom?" Ivy asked, after some time. It was a lot to take in for both of them.


    "That, I don''t know," Danny replied with a long face.


    "Then, how did you know that Dad is being held captive?" Ivy continued, while Aria remained silent. She was still in shock hearing about her Dad''s state.


    "I had my informants to look out for any hints about your father. They went around asking about your father in hospitals in case he was no more. At one of the hospitals, the head nurse recognized your Dad''s photograph. She told them that your Dad was hospitalized for a few weeks, a couple of months ago. No hospital staff other than the Director was allowed inside the ward, not even the nurses.


    "Then how did she recognize it to be Dad," Aria asked, now coming back to her senses.


    Just then the waitress knocked and entered with the dishes. Looking at the silent atmosphere, she placed the food on the table silently.


    "Enjoy your food." She gave them a warm smile and left the booth, closing the door behind her. Though the food looked delicious, nobody had an appetite.


    Seeing that they were left alone, Danny resumed, " The head nurse had accidentally taken a look at you Dad, when he was being shifted to his room."


    "How can she confirm that it is Dad? It can be somebody else too." Ivy argued. She was still in denial.


    "She told my informants that your Dad was being guarded by a lot of keepers. It was impossible for anybody to get close to his room. She vividly remembered the face when she saw your Dad''s picture. She claimed that the events are etched in her mind like it happened just yesterday."


    "I want to have a word with her. What is the name of the hospital?" Ivy stood up at once.


    "Ivy calm down. It''s quite late. Let''s go tomorrow. I''ll accompany you." Aria suggested pulling Ivy''s hand.


    "Aria is right, Ivy."


    "Which hospital does the woman work at?" Aria asked Ivy''s unanswered question.


    "Royal Health Care Hospital. Now, ladies let''s forget about it for a while and have dinner. I am starving and I don''t want to waste such good food." Danny said, gesturing towards the dishes on the table. His words were quite effective as the atmosphere lightened and the sisters concentrated on filling their stomachs.


    The West sisters reached home at half past 10. Their Dad''s news had taken them by a storm. They were unsure whether to be happy that their Dad was alive, unlike his friends, or to be sad for that he being held a captive.


    "Ivy, may I borrow your phone?"


    "What happened to yours?"


    "It was broken."


    "Who do you want to call at this hour?"


    "Ian."


    "Who is Ian?"


    "Ian is the head doctor of the cardiology department. I told you about him before. I need to inform him that I''ll be arriving late to work tomorrow."


    Ivy gave Aria her phone and walked to her room.


    "Hey Ian, Aria here."


    "Hey, Aria." Ian chirped. He was still in Noah''s ward. He had forcibly made Ian stay with him on the pretext that he was bored. He had nothing to do. Ian had forbidden him from doing any of his office work. Now he was taking revenge on him by making him entertain him.


    "I''ll be coming to the hospital a little late tomorrow."


    "Any problems?" He questioned. Noah''s gaze immediately landed on Ian and he raised his eyebrows in uneasiness.


    "No Ian. Everything is fine. I have to accompany my sister somewhere."


    "Ohh OK. Take care."


    "Thanks. Bye."


    "What did Aria say? Is she in any problem? Does she need your help? Is she in danger?" Noah started to bombard Ian with questions as soon as he cut the call.


    "Relax. She is fine. She called to inform me that she''ll be taking half a day leave tomorrow."


    "What? Why?" Noah whined. He had planned to pursue her starting tomorrow until she accepted him and he would make sure she did accept him.


    "She has to accompany her sister somewhere."


    "Aria has a sister?"


    "Yes. A twin sister, but non-identical."


    "Interesting. Have you met her?"


    "No. I have heard Aria speak about her. That''s it, I know nothing more. If you want to know more about Aria, do a background check on her. It is easy for you anyway."


    "No. I don''t want to invade her privacy without her knowledge. I''ll wait for her to tell me about her on her own."


    "What has happened to you? It''s unlike you to know nothing about the people around you."


    "Who said I know nothing about Aria?"


    Ian folded his hands, waiting for Noah to continue.


    "I know that Aria is a wonderful woman, unlike the other women I have met. She is beautiful, intelligent and straight forward."


    "Wow. Someone is whipped." A voice spoke from behind the door.


    Ian and Noah turned their heads to see Joshua walking in.


    "Why did you come back at this hour? It''s quite late." Noah commented.


    "I had something urgent to tell you. It couldn''t wait till morning. Take a look at this." Joshua handed Noah an envelope.


    "What is this about?" Noah questioned, opening the contents of the envelope. Ian leaned over to take a look.


    "Your murder attempt was planned by your father''s ex-wife." Noah''s eyes widened on looking through the contents. It had the woman, Beth Soomers'' bank statement. There was a transfer of the exact amount, as Marcus had indicated, to a dummy account.


    Noah''s father was first married to another woman before his marriage to Noah''s mother. That woman was a drug addict and had cheated on his father. When his father learned about it, he got a divorce. He later met Noah''s mother, fell in love with her, and married her finally. That woman had married another man and had had a son.


    "And another thing. Her son who is being mentioned here is actually your half brother. I have checked his DNA; they match with your father''s. His records are still in the hospital, you can check it out if you want. Your father doesn''t even know about him. His ex-wife hid it well. She and her son planned the attack, along with Caroline."


    "Oh my god." Ian shook his head in disbelief.


    "There''s more," Joshua said, looking at Noah''s enraged face.


    "There''s more to this?" Noah asked, his face darkening every minute. He now had some pests to take care of before they become hazardous.


    "Yes. Caroline is your half-brother''s wife, though they have not registered their marriage yet."


    "How did you find out all of these in such a short time?" Ian asked perplexed. There was a lot of information for them to take in all of sudden and every one of them was more shocking than the other.


    "Oh, that was quite easy for me. When you told me about Caroline, I did a background check on her, and guess what? Those people are idiots. They haven''t made any attempt to hide their trail at all. Everything is out in the open. Noah, you had one idiot of a girlfriend." Joshua said sarcastically.


    Noah scoffed but he didn''t deny it. He knew long ago that woman was a brainless chicken. But it came as a surprise hearing who was with her supporting her plan. He sat thinking about his next course of action and a wicked smile formed on his face. Those bastards would get their retribution and he would make sure of it.

 Chapter 12: His game, his rules

    The entire nation was in a state of frenzy.


    A scandal had broken out against the Finance Minister, David Peters. Ivy''s secret video had taken the country by a storm. David was immediately taken into custody for questioning and the video was sent for authentication. David refused to accept any of the charges against him. He claimed the video to be fabricated and it was all a scheme of his opponents. Nobody knew that he was very nervous and was on the verge of a mental breakdown, though he looked calm and composed on the outside.


    David secretly informed his subordinates to release the virus immediately. "Make sure that the virus is being inhaled by a lot of people. So release it in crowded places."


    He had managed to send a hint to his attorney when they were alone in the interrogating room. Although he didn''t personally talk on the phone, he hinted the attorney, by giving him a small chit which he had hid in his shoes, to send a text to a number once he left the room.


    "I am going to kill the person responsible for my state," David muttered, once the attorney was out of the room. He knew something bad was going to happen when his men informed him that the spy had escaped. He was uncertain if there was any proof regarding his meeting at the library. So he had created a backup plan, in case a situation of that sort rose.


    David''s men couldn''t comprehend the reason for his rash decision. They were in a hotel room, involved in a deep discussion.


    "I can''t understand, why does he want us to release the virus immediately?" The man with the spectacles spoke.


    "Neither can I. But we can only do as he says." The man with the gruff voice replied. "Get your men ready. We will release the first set the day after tomorrow. If I remember correctly, there is a football match scheduled at the King''s stadium that day. But be careful as to not to inhale the virus yourself." The man warned while the others nodded.


    After an hour of careful planning, the men left the hotel room, each having different thoughts.


    ........


    It was past midnight. Ian and Joshua had long left Noah''s ward. Noah was deep in thought. He was slightly surprised when he heard that the people who he didn''t even know, wanted him dead. He knew his father had a failed marriage before. But he never made a thorough check as he had never encountered any problems from it before. His step-mother, Beth Sommers, had remained silent for almost thirty years.


    "So what made her become this way?" He wondered. He obtained his answers from the contents of the envelope.


    Noah''s father, Samuel Carter, had met the woman when he had just started his career. His father, Jonathan Carter, was a business tycoon. He had already established an empire for his son to run. Yet Samuel wanted to gain experience in the business field first before taking over his father''s empire. So, he started a small investment company. He hid his identity as the son of Jonathan Carter. It was then he found Beth, who assumed him to be just the owner of a small investment company. She knew nothing about his influential background. It was Beth who actively pursued him until he accepted her and got married against his father''s wish.


    It was after a year of his marriage, he found out about her involvement with Charles Miller, a real estate businessman whose worth was more than his small company. He immediately divorced her after she revealed her true intentions of wanting to marry Charles. But she hid the truth from Samuel about her being pregnant with his child.


    Samuel then started to work hard and in a span of two years, his company was listed in the top three investment companies. He was recognized for his skills and achievements, leading him to successfully take over his father''s empire. Unable to stand his son''s loneliness, Jonathan had suggested an arranged marriage with his friend''s daughter, Hailey Bennett.


    In the first meeting itself, Samuel had taken a liking towards Hailey and they got married at the end of the year. He was having a successful work life and a happy marriage, while Beth was facing a disaster. Her husband''s company was on a downfall and she had learned that her ex-husband was actually a multi-billionaire. She regretted her mistake of cheating on him. She thought of going back to him, but it was too late. Samuel had already had a son and a daughter and it was impossible for her to get close to any of the Carter.


    So, Beth devised a plan, for which she waited almost twenty-seven years to execute. She targeted the sole male heir of the Carter Business Empire to get back into the family. Once Noah was out of the picture, she could introduce her son, Eddie Miller, who was also Samuel''s son, making him the heir to the empire.


    "Looks like there will be some interesting scenarios in the upcoming days." Noah sighed. He knew Caroline was unaware of him knowing about her secrets. So, it was certain that she would come looking for him and act all modest. He also knew that he had to make a clean break up from her if he had to woo Aria. He didn''t want Aria to misunderstand him. It was time to permanently remove Caroline from his side. He thought of was ways to torture his step-brother''s family for even thinking of planning against him. He and his friends had carefully prepared a trap for them. They had played against him without him even knowing about it. It was now his game and his rules; a game which he was bound to win


    Noah had another important work to do. He was to start wooing Aria, commencing from the next day. Thinking about Aria, brought a smile on his face. He was still amazed at why he was drawn to her when he had met her only a few days back.


    He found her very alluring, no second thoughts on that. Her frankness pleased him. She was like a breath of fresh air among the sea of disgusting women who threw themselves at him without any self-respect. She neither cared about his money nor his status. He realized that as soon as she called him foolish. When there were people around him trying to kiss his feet, she was bold enough to scold him. He found it oddly amusing. But he was still doubtful of her. He was unsure whether she had any ulterior motives by being indifferent to him.


    "But there is nothing to lose in trying, right?" He thought. If he found out in the future that Aria had other intentions, then he would definitely not spare her. She would face death that would be a hundred times torturous. But if she had no such intentions, then she would be treated as a treasure. He would make her his Queen, pamper her, protect her and cherish her for life.


    Noah sighed. "Wait for me Aria. I am definitely going to make you mine."

 Chapter 13: You are doomed

    Aria and Ivy looked at the receptionist, who was staring at them curiously. They were at the Royal Health Care Hospital looking for the head nurse. Danny had informed them that the nurse worked at the neurology department.


    Ivy tapped again at the reception desk. "Miss, may I know where I can find the head nurse of the neurology department."


    The receptionist gave them a thorough look and pointed towards her back. "Go straight towards the end. You may find head nurse Simi in the second room on the left.


    The West sisters went in the direction indicated by the receptionist. The door to the second room opened and a middle-aged lady walked out. She had the nurse outfit on her and was carrying a tray of medicines.


    "Excuse me. Are you Miss Simi?" Aria said, stopping the woman.


    "Yes, I am. How many I help you, dear?" The nurse asked with a smile.


    "We want to talk to you in private if possible," Ivy replied hoping for her to accept.


    "We want to talk about our Dad. Please." Aria said, showing her father''s picture to the nurse.


    The nurse''s face contorted in realization. "I am sorry dear. It''s against the hospital''s rules to reveal about our patients."


    "Please. It is important. We haven''t seen him for years. It''s been three years since he disappeared. Please tell us about him." Ivy pleaded holding the nurse''s hands.


    The nurse sighed and gestured them to follow her. She walked inside an empty ward and turned to face them.


    "Look, I nothing about your father except that he was hospitalized a few months back. Nobody was allowed near the ward other than a few people. And his case was completely handled by the hospital Director."


    "Who is the hospital Director?" Aria intervened.


    "There is no use in telling about him."


    "Why?" Ivy questioned.


    "He moved to Australia along with his family and nobody has contacted him ever since."


    "Then who is in charge of the hospital now?" Aria asked finding it all strange.


    "That I don''t know. It is rumored that a new doctor has been made the Director. But nobody has seen him yet. Now I have to go dear." The nurse scurried out of the room.


    Aria and Ivy stared at one another.


    "Everything is a mess," Ivy said in frustration.


    Aria nodded. They had got some hints about their father, only to reach a dead end.


    "Let''s go."


    ........


    Noah was watching the news about David Peters being taken away for interrogation, when the door opened and his parents walked in along with his grandfather. His mother, Hailey Carter, looked at him with tears in her eyes.


    "We leave you for a while and you end up getting shot." His grandfather reprimanded him.


    "I am fine Mom. Don''t cry."


    "Why were you careless?" His grandfather continued. "Have you looked into who was responsible for this?"


    "Yes old man. Don''t worry." Noah then handed the envelope to his father. His father, Samuel Carter, looked at it in confusion. He opened it and took a look at its contents. His expression turned from confusion to shock and then to rage. He couldn''t believe that his ex-wife would be this horrendous. She even hid the truth about their son. He handed the papers to his father.


    "What have you thought to do now?" Samuel asked patting Noah''s shoulder.


    "It all depends on you."


    "Although he is my blood, he tried to harm you. I don''t accept such things. You are free to do what you want." Samuel said sighing. Hailey couldn''t understand a word they were talking about. She raised her eyebrows and her eyes darted between the three men. The door opened suddenly and a beautiful woman in a beige dress strutted in. She was a blonde with her face covered in a thick layer of makeup and her perfume smell was so strong that it made Noah nauseous.


    "Caroline, what are you doing here?" Noah asked feigning a look of shock. He knew she was going to visit him soon.


    "I came to you to visit you, sweetheart. You must be hurting because of the pain. I am so sorry I couldn''t come before. I am so happy that you are fine. I wouldn''t know what to do without you." She faked a tear.


    Noah rolled his eyes at her exceptional acting.


    "Uncle, Auntie, Grandpa. I am so sorry. I didn''t see you. How are you?" She asked looking at them finally. She looked like a fragile woman who had lost everything, making one want to protect her. The men clenched their fists, yet gave her a smile. Hailey observed at their odd behavior and looked at her husband for an explanation. He gave her an indication that he would explain everything later.


    "Son, we will take your leave. You take care." Noah father said. He nodded at them.


    Hailey gave him a hug. "When are you getting discharged?"


    "Tomorrow."


    "Come to the mansion. You will stay with us for a few days." She said, allowing no room for objection.


    "Ok."


    After his family left his ward, he turned towards Caroline.


    "Umm. Caroline, I need to talk to you."


    "Yes, sweetheart tell me."


    "Let''s break up." He said coldly.


    "What? I think I am hearing things." Caroline asked.


    "No, you are not. I said let''s break up." He stressed each word this time, his voice laced with annoyance.


    "You can''t do this to me. What did I do wrong?" She wailed throwing the vase near her on the floor.


    "Oh. Trust me. I can do a lot more." Noah said, his rage rising to a great level. Caroline shivered. He looked like the asura from hell. She had never seen him this way before. For a minute, she thought that he knew everything about her identity. The next moment she shook her head thinking that it was not possible, she had been careful.


    "I know everything about you." The moment these words left his mouth, her body trembled. She knew her end was near. She had gone against someone, whom she shouldn''t even have approached in the first place.


    "And tell Beth and Eddie, their death is awaiting them. Now get out of my ward." He shouted, making her flinch. She hastily walked towards the door.


    "And Caroline." She froze in fear. She was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Noah would find her anywhere on this planet. She knew about his power. It was said about Noah that, "Even if you don''t get on his right side, don''t ever get on his wrong side." And she had done just that.


    "You are doomed."

 Chapter 14: I knew you were foolish

    "What was all that about?" Hailey questioned when they were walking along the corridor of the hospital.


    "I''ll tell you everything at home. Let''s go from here first." Samuel assured.


    "Son." His father spoke with a feeble voice from beside him. As soon as Samuel turned to look at him, he fainted. His father looked deathly pale and he was sweating.


    "Dad," Samuel shouted in horror. He held his father in his arms and looked around for help.


    "Somebody help." He shouted.


    Hailey looked at her father-in-law in shock. She immediately fell to her knees and tried to wake him up. "Dad, wake up."


    Aria saw the entire scenario and ran to them at once. She had just entered the hospital and was walking towards her cabin when the old man in front of her fainted.


    "Excuse me, sir. Could you please move? I am a doctor." She said squatting in front of Samuel. She checked the person''s pulse. Although it was faint, he was still there.


    "Wait here for a minute sir." She said and ran away.


    "Wait. What happened to my father?" He shouted after Aria, but she had vanished.


    He looked at his father, praying for him to be alright. Aria returned after a few minutes with two attendants carrying a stretcher.


    "Take him to the emergency ward." She ordered.


    "Madam, Sir. Please don''t worry. He will be alright." She said and followed behind the attendants. Samuel and Hailey hurriedly accompanied her.


    As soon as they reached the ward, Aria stopped them. "Please wait here."


    She then went inside and checked Jonathan''s conditions. His blood pressure was very high, he was sweating and his breathing was irregular. His heartbeat was irregular too. It was a case of hypertension. She immediately administered some thiazide diuretics to stabilize him. After a minute or two, she walked out of the room.


    Samuel and Hailey were pacing with anxiousness. As soon as they saw Aria walkout, they ran to her.


    "How is Dad?" Hailey asked panicking.


    "Madam, the patient is out of danger for now." Hailey and Samuel took a breath of relief.


    "What happened to him?" Samuel asked taking control of his emotions.


    "Sir, the patient''s blood pressure elevated drastically. I have administered him some anti-hypertension medication. We have to keep him under observation for a few hours." Samuel and Hailey nodded.


    "After his blood pressure returns to normal, I recommend doing some tests and scans to be on a safer side," Aria said.


    Hailey and Samuel, who had relaxed a bit immediately stiffened on hearing her words.


    Just then, Noah and Ian came running towards them. As soon as his grandfather fainted, Noah''s men had informed him. He ran out to find Ian and rushed to his grandfather.


    "Why did you come out of the ward?" Hailey chided him. He was still weak and he needed rest. However, here he was running and giving stress on his injured body.


    "Mom, how is grandpa?" Noah ignored her scoldings and asked her.


    "Dr. West, how is the patient?" Ian asked putting on a professional look. He was at the hospital and it wouldn''t look good if he called Aria by her first name.


    "The patient is out of danger for now Dr. Davis. But it is a case of acute hypertension. I have given him some Thiazide diuretics" Aria replied, signaling him to have a talk in private.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Carter relax. There''s nothing to worry." Ian assured them, but Noah had seen Aria''s signal. He tagged along with them.


    "Dr. Davis this might a symptom of stroke. I recommend we perform some tests and scans. Did he suffer something like this before?" Aria said, looking at Ian.


    Ian shook his head and looked at Noah. "We will keep your grandpa in observation for a few hours and then we will perform some tests on him."


    Noah stared at him silently. He did not know what to do. He was scared.


    "Mr. Carter everything will be fine. We want to perform the tests just to see if there is any blood clot. Since this is the first time something like this has happened, there are less chances of him having a clot. Also, he was monitored immediately. So relax." Aria said, looking at Noah''s tensed face.


    Hearing Aria''s words Noah relaxed a little and gave her a faint smile.


    ....


    All the tests were performed and the Carter family was waiting for Ian. Rachel had arrived as soon as she heard about her grandfather. Nobody had moved from the place. They had not even had any food or water in those few hours.


    "People, I have some good news," Ian said arriving with the reports.


    All the four of them looked at him in anticipation.


    "There is nothing to worry about. It was just a case of high blood pressure. But he will have to stay in the hospital for two days." He said.


    The Carters immediately relaxed. The last few hours were like hell for them.


    "I suggest you to leave for now. He is fine. We will take care of him" Ian said.


    Everybody left the ward, except for Noah and Ian.


    "You too go take some rest," Ian said patting Noah on his back.


    "Hmm."


    Ian knew that Noah admired his grandfather the most. He would not leave his grandfather''s side till he recovered.


    "At least have some food."


    "Hmm."


    Ian shook his head and left the ward. He saw Aria, waiting for him outside.


    "How is the patient, Ian?"


    "He is fine. It was not a symptom of stroke."


    "Thank God." Aria heaved a sigh of relief.


    "By the way, is he Noah''s grandfather?"


    Ian nodded. Looking at Aria, Ian had an idea.


    "Aria could you please persuade Noah to eat something and take rest. He has to take medicines to recover. He is being stubborn with me, but he might listen to you."


    "Where is he?"


    "He is with his grandfather." Ian pointed towards the ward.


    "Leave it to me," Aria said and walked away. Ian knew only Aria could convince Noah.


    A few moments later, Aria knocked at the door and sauntered in. Noah was holding his grandfather''s hand and was staring at him.


    "Mr. Carter." No response.


    "Noah." Still no response.


    Aria forcefully grabbed Noah''s shoulder and made him look at her. He immediately came out of his daze.


    "I knew you were foolish." She taunted. Noah''s gaze sharpened at once.


    "You are still weak, yet you are here without having food or taking rest. Do you want to continue your stay at the hospital?" Noah remained quiet.


    "I know you love your grandfather, but consider your health too. Now I want you to finish all the food in this box. No excuses." She said with a stern voice, handing him a bento box.


    Noah observed her and the box. He knew she was right. He couldn''t fall sick again, he still had some issues to attend to. He knew why his grandfather fell ill, it was because of the contents of the envelope.


    Aria stared at him eating silently and ruffled his hair. "Good boy."


    Noah immediately stiffened at her touch. He looked at her smiling at him and thought, ''Does she care about me?''

 Chapter 15: You reap what you sow

    Caroline dragged her body inside her house. She was scared, tired, and lost. Just thinking about her fate made her shiver.


    ''Why? Why did I listen to that old woman? Why did she scheme against Noah? She should have remained loyal to him and left this nincompoop of a husband. She could have led a luxurious life and maybe he could have helped her father to redeem his business. He wouldn''t even know about my marriage with Eddie Miller. It was not even registered for God''s sake. Now I am dead.'' She thought.


    Beth and Eddie walked down the stairs as soon as they heard the front door open.


    "Caroline, how is Noah?" Beth asked, sitting next to her.


    "We are finished," Caroline said, looking straight ahead.


    "What? What are you even talking about?" Eddie asked confused.


    "He knows everything about me, about us and our plan," Caroline shouted.


    "That''s impossible," Beth responded in shock.


    "Now I realize why he is the King of Business World. Nothing can be hidden from him." Caroline whispered. Tears were running down her face. She looked pathetic.


    "That''s impossible. I had planned everything carefully. Caroline, did he say something?" Beth asked, shaking the crying woman.


    "He is going to come for us."


    "Mom, what are we going to do?" Eddie looked at his wife''s pitiful face. He never thought that their plan would backfire. He was not as cunning as his mother nor did he have any courage like Caroline. He only followed whatever was told to him. He was a scaredy-cat in fact. If someday he encountered Noah, it was definite that he would piss in his pants.


    "I''ll go talk to Samuel. When he gets to know about you being his son, he won''t let anything happen to us." Beth stood up. It was the only option left to save their asses.


    "Mom, but what about Charles?"


    "That old man doesn''t know anything. He still believes you are his son; let him stay in the dark. It is very easy to manipulate him." Beth said in contempt and left the house. She drove to Samuel''s house in her old Volkswagen Passat.


    When Beth reached the gigantic mansion, she was left in awe and amazement. She started to regret her decision of leaving Samuel. If she hadn''t done so, everything would be hers. She would be the Lady of the house and her son would be the heir to the business. Now she was jealous of Samuel''s wife.


    ''It should have been me instead of Hailey.'' She thought.


    Beth parked her car towards the side and walked towards the gate. The watchmen stared at her strangely. There were many men guarding the house. They were dressed in a black uniform and everyone had an earpiece. She peeked over from the gate, trying to get the watchman''s attention.


    "May I help you?" A guard walked to her and looked at her. She was wearing a black pleated skirt and a white shirt. The dress made her look quite young for her age.


    "I need to meet Samuel Carter." She said arrogantly.


    "Do you have an appointment?"


    "Why would I need an appointment? Tell him Beth has come to meet him. He will understand."


    The guard scoffed. He had seen many women come to the mansion to meet the Carters. Those women would be dressed in branded items from top to bottom, yet they were not allowed in. What made this woman think she would be allowed in dressed like that?


    "Sorry, Mam. We cannot allow anybody inside the house without orders from my Boss. Anyway, Sir is not in the house now. Come again another day." The guard said politely. He knew he shouldn''t judge people on their appearance. Who knew if she was actually acquainted with his Boss?


    "I''ll wait for him. Let me in."


    "No, Mam. That''s not possible."


    "Do you not know who I am? I''ll get you dismissed from your job." She screeched in anger.


    "Mam. Please try to understand. We cannot allow you in." The guard was getting a headache listening to Beth''s shrill voice.


    At that moment, a fleet of cars arrived. The guard got alerted and pressed the button on the remote. The gates opened and the cars drove in.


    Beth stared at the sleek and expensive cars in front of her.


    "Samuel. Samuel." She shouted. The cars stopped at the entrance. Samuel, Hailey and Rachel got off the car in the middle.


    "Samuel," Beth shouted again. This time, Samuel turned up to look, hearing someone call his name.


    "Samuel." Beth waved at him.


    "What is the commotion about?" He asked his guard.


    "I''ll enquire about it right away Sir." The guard spoke to the watchman on the earpiece. After knowing everything from him, he looked at Samuel.


    "Sir, some lady wants to meet you. She says her name is Beth and that she knows you."


    "Let her in." Samuel walked inside the mansion casually. Hailey and Rachel had long gone in.


    "Allow her to come in." The guard said on the earpiece.


    "You may go in." The watchman said politely. Beth gave him a smug look.


    "Lady, please follow me." The guard said to her when she arrived at the entrance. She had to walk for a long time to reach the entrance. It was quite far from the gate. She could have used her car, but her broken car only made her look poor. So, she didn''t want to humiliate herself. Her mind was blown away by the extravagance of the mansion. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden with a variety of flowers. There was a beautiful fountain in the front and a white gazebo on her further right. The mansion was nothing less than a castle, extravagant, magnificent, and beautiful. There was so to take in. Looking at her surroundings she had only one thing in mind. ''This place is a palace.''


    She plodded inside the mansion, looking around her. It was more beautiful than the outside. She immediately shut her mouth when she realized her mouth was open. She hastened her steps and went after the guard. Occasionally, she would peek around, taking in the grandeur of the place.


    Beth was so engrossed in her thoughts she didn''t realize that the guard had stopped walking. She bumped right into him. She immediately took a step back, embarrassed. She slowly looked up to see Samuel sitting on the sofa like a glorious King. His aura was too powerful for her to withstand, yet he looked quite serene. Nobody was present in the hall except them. The guard had left them alone.


    Samuel cleared his throat. "How may I help you, Mrs. Miller?"


    His voice made Beth wince. She realized that although they had a past, she was just a stranger to him now.


    "I came to talk about something important." She replied hoarsely. Her throat was too dry. She had to struggle to squeak the words out.


    "What is it about?"


    "I want to tell you about our son."


    "Are you talking about Eddie Miller?" Samuel was aggrieved. When she did not want him, she did not even reveal about her being pregnant with his child. Now she wants to get to him back using their son. That was something he would never accept.


    "Do you know about him?" She asked perplexed.


    ''Maybe he found out himself. That''s good then. I wouldn''t have to work hard to convince him.'' She reasoned in her mind.


    "Yes. I know about him." Samuel spoke calmly. There was no change in his expressions. But if she had looked closely, she wouldn''t have missed the look of disdain.


    "Then help us. His life in danger."


    "Why would his life be in danger and by whom?"


    Beth remained silent. How could she say Noah was out to take revenge on her family. If she said so, then she would be openly admitting to her being involved in conspiring Noah''s recent attack.


    "Is it by my son, Noah?" Beth nodded at Samuel''s question. She couldn''t evade it even if she wanted to.


    "Why would Noah try to hurt your son? Did Eddie do something to him?"


    "What are you saying? Eddie did nothing of that sort. I think Noah feels threatened by Eddie''s presence. Eddie is your first son, so legally he is your heir." Beth was so absorbed in cooking up a story that she did not notice Samuel had addressed Eddie as her son, not theirs.


    Samuel looked at her, his eyes squinting dangerously.


    "Look, Mrs. Miller. I don''t know what your son did to my son and I am not going to interfere in this problem. They are old enough to take care of it themselves. And remember this, I only have two children: Noah Allen Carter and Rachel Carter."


    Samuel got up to leave, but he couldn''t. Beth started to grovel in front of him.


    "Please Samuel. I beg you. He is our son."


    Hearing about his son, Samuel''s heart melted a little. However, he knew this was all a facade. Her son was just like her. He couldn''t risk trusting them. Who knew when they will start retaliating again?


    "Noah is my only son. It was like that in the past and it will be the same in the future. Eddie lost the status of being my son the day he conspired against Noah with you." Samuel shouted. He would never forget that he had almost lost his son because of them.


    Samuel kicked her ruthlessly and walked away from her. He stopped after a while and turned to look at the wretched woman.


    "You know there is a saying." He scorned. "You reap what you sow."

 Chapter 16: Case re-opened

    Ivy slumped on her chair. She had expected to get at least some information about her father, some clue that would help her in his pursuit. But they had not been fruitful. The hospital trip was utterly useless, the nurse knew nothing significant. She had thought that they had progressed with the search. But in fact, they had returned to their initial stage.


    Maximus walked inside and looked at Ivy being absent-minded. He knocked her forehead, successfully breaking her out of her reverie.


    "Earth to Ivy, come back." He said with a glint in his eye.


    Ivy punched him and turned on her laptop.


    "Ives. I have an assignment for you." Max handed her the papers he was carrying.


    Ivy scanned the document and her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? This is about the illegal organ removal case from three years back. How did you even get it?"


    Ivy had searched for the document for months, but all the files had been erased. It looked like something like that hadn''t ever happened in the country.


    "I didn''t look into it until now. But a recent occurrence made me dig it up."


    "What occurrence?"


    "A 22-year-old woman''s kidney was removed without her knowledge in a small clinic named Good City Clinic. For a few days, she was fine. Later, she started experiencing severe pain in her abdomen. She went to another clinic, there she found out about her it."


    "Then what happened?"


    "She immediately went to the Good City Clinic and a major argument broke down between her and the management. They denied ever operating on her. Even her records of her being admitted a few days back have been erased."


    "Didn''t she go to the police?" Ivy questioned. This was like a deja vu to her. It was exactly like the cases her father had covered three years back.


    "She did. But the police didn''t even lodge her complaint. Now she has come to the media''s aid to seek justice."


    Ivy nodded. "How did you get the details about these people." She pushed up the document in her hands. It had all the possible information on the people who had become victims. Though the scandal was never brought out in front of the public, many people who worked for the media knew about it.


    "I had one of my friends look into it. He is a hacker. We were lucky that the details had been fed onto a database. Although it was completely erased, he could still retrieve it."


    "May I get his contact details."


    "Will that help anyway?"


    "I don''t know. Maybe. Please."


    Maximus had come in as a savior. Since the case had been dug up again, she hoped to get some clues somehow. And the first step would be to get help from the hacker. Maybe he could find more information.


    "Sure. I''ll send you his contact details."


    Hope arose in Ivy''s heart on listening to him.


    "I''ll definitely cover this." She said confidently.


    After a few minutes, her phone buzzed. Max had sent her the contact details.


    She straight away dialed his phone. It ran for a few times, before a lazy voice spoke. "Hello."


    "Am I speaking to Mr. Joshua Martin?"


    ........


    Joshua sat looking at his phone while sipping on his coffee. Occasionally, girls would pass by him and giggle. He ignored them, he was used to this attention. He was waiting for the woman who had asked him to meet him at the cafe. Initially, he wanted to reject her. He changed his mind eventually after she pleaded.


    The door to the cafe opened and the bell chimed, indicating the entry of a person. His phone started to ring, it was a call from the woman he was waiting for.


    Ivy looked around hearing a phone ring. She walked towards the owner. "Are you Mr. Martin?"


    Joshua looked up to see a beautiful girl standing in front of him. She was dressed in blue jeans and a black tank top. Her shiny, black hair was pulled into a high pony. Her face was small and it could easily fit in his palm. She had pretty nose and lips and her eyes were strikingly attractive. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn''t remember where he had seen her. His stare made Ivy awkward.


    "Excuse me." She spoke again.


    "Yes."


    "Are you Joshua Martin?"


    "Call me Joshua, sweetheart." He smirked. Ivy rolled her eyes at his playfulness.


    "I am Ivy." She sat on the chair opposite to him.


    "Maximus gave me your contact. Mr. Martin, I wanted to talk about organ trafficking..."


    "What''s the rush, sweetheart. It''s not every day, that I get to meet someone as pretty as you. Order something. It''s on me."


    "I am fine Mr. Martin."


    "Call me Joshua, dear."


    Ivy felt disgusted by his flirting. But she had to endure it for the sake of her father.


    "Let''s get to the point. I am in a little hurry. Have you heard about the organ trafficking case that was being covered a few years ago?"


    Joshua''s face immediately became serious about listening to her question. He signaled her to continue.


    "Can you try to retrieve more information on it?" She asked hopefully.


    "I have provided all the details regarding it to Maximus. You can refer to it."


    "I know. The document you have given him has details of all the victims of the trafficking. I need information on the people who were covering it."


    "And why do you need it?" Joshua asked, startled. He was not expecting that.


    "Just that it''s very important." Ivy pleaded. She looked so cute that Joshua wanted to pinch her cheeks.


    "I''ll see what I can do." He couldn''t assure her completely. There were a lot of things involved with the case.


    "Please. Please." Ivy''s phone began ringing at that time. She excused herself and picked up the call.


    "Ivy come back. It''s urgent." Kira''s voice boomed on the phone.


    "I''ll be right there."


    Ivy stared at Joshua.


    "I think you have my number. Please give me a call if you find out anything. Even if it is a minute detail, I don''t care. Please." Ivy got up to go.


    "Wait. You didn''t have anything."


    "Maybe next time. I am in a hurry." Joshua accompanied her outside the cafe.


    "Do you want me to drop you somewhere?"


    "No thanks. I have my vehicle." Ivy smiled. Her smile was dazzling, it make Joshua gape at her. However, he immediately came back to his senses.


    "I will walk you to your vehicle."


    "No need for that. It is right here." Ivy pointed to the black Street Scrambler parked right next to the cafe.


    "Is this yours?" Joshua asked in wonder. He had never seen a woman ride a motorcycle before.


    "Look, Mr. Martin. I need to go. But please do call me if you find anything noteworthy." Without waiting for his response, Ivy rode off.


    Joshua looked in the direction she had gone for a long time and then muttered, "Interesting."

 Chapter 17: An interesting show

    "What was that about, honey? Why was your ex-wife here?" Hailey questioned, when Samuel entered the room.


    "She came to ask protection for her and her son?" Samuel replied, removing his suit jacket and tie.


    "Why would she come to you? She has her husband for that."


    "Hailey, I have something to tell you." Samuel held her hands and bent his head. He didn''t know how to start.


    "What is it about, honey? Is everything alright?"


    "I have a son from my marriage with Beth. His name is Eddie" Hailey stared at him quietly.


    Moments passed. However, she remained silent. She didn''t know that her silence was killing him.


    "Listen Hailey. I did not know about it before. I got to know about him just today. I didn''t hide anything from you. I am sorry. I am really very sorry. I am telling the truth. I promise." His voice choked at the end.


    "Hey. Hey. Hey. Calm down, honey. I trust you. I believe you." Hailey hugged him tightly and patted him to soothe him. He calmed down after a while.


    "I also have something else to say." Hailey smiled at him, encouraging him to continue.


    "It was Beth and her son, Eddie, who planned the attack on Noah." Hailey gasped. She never expected a situation of that sort. "And Caroline is with them."


    Hailey now understood the reason for the weird behavior of the men, when Caroline came to visit Noah at the hospital. She realized why Beth had come to ask Samuel a favor. Noah would not spare them, their life was going to be miserable.


    "What do you want to do now?" She took a look at her husband. He looked broken.


    "I am not going to interfere. It''s up to Noah to decide."


    "But Eddie is your son."


    "He is no son of mine." Samuel seethed. "He might have been my son before. Now, he is just a person who tried to kill my only son, Noah. I would prefer Noah to treat him the same way his enemies are treated at the Underworld Base."


    "Are you sure about that? Ain''t the torture too much for Eddie?" Hailey knew about the levels of torture in the Underworld Base. Samuel had taken her there many times to get her accustomed to his life. She had seen how gruesome the captives were treated. Although she never supported violence, she knew it was necessary to keep the enemies in check. And the Carters had a lot of enemies just because of their status. But the punishment had intensified when Noah had taken over from his father.


    "No. It is not. They deserve it. Who told them to attack my son?" Samuel''s eyes were blazing with anger.


    "Ok. Ok. Calm down. Come, let me give you a massage." Hailey made Samuel lie his head on her lap and she started to massage his head. She sighed. She knew how difficult it was for him to make a decision of that sort. Both of them were his sons.


    ........


    Meanwhile, Beth wandered on the streets like a drunkard. She didn''t even care she had left her car at the roadside near the Carter mansion. She didn''t care that people were giving her odd looks. Samuel''s impassive attitude had made her realize that she was as good as dead now. She knew she was done for. She had nowhere to go, no one to help her out. Her husband Charles was also a businessman. However, he was not even one-thousandth as influential as the Carters. It was time to pack their bags and leave the country for good. She started running. She had to save herself and her son before it was too late.


    Beth entered her house in a miserable state. She was sweating profusely, her eyes were red from crying and her hair was a mess. She looked a little haggard.


    "Pack your bags. We are leaving the country."


    "Why are we leaving the country? What did Dad say? Is it his idea of saving us from Noah?" Eddie asked jumping up from the dining chair.


    "That bastard doesn''t even care about us. He was not even surprised when I told him about you." Beth rushed to her room and pulled out a suitcase from under the bed. She started stuffing in her clothes and all her accessories.


    "What are you waiting for? Go pack your stuff. We are leaving tonight." Beth said when she saw Eddie standing by the door.


    "Let me give a call to Caroline. She has gone to meet her father."


    "Leave that bitch here. She is of no use to us. She couldn''t even do the only job she was told to do."


    "But, Mom she is my wife."


    "What is more important, your life or your wife?" Beth''s question made Eddie shut up.


    ''If he stayed alive, he could get another wife. But if he died, then it''s the end.'' Eddie thought.


    Just then, the door to the entrance opened and Caroline walked. She immediately stopped when she saw Beth packing her stuff in her room.


    "What is happening here?" Caroline asked confused. "Are you going somewhere?"


    "Yes. Mom and I are leaving the country."


    "What? Then what about me?" She threw her bag angrily. She couldn''t believe that the mother and the son duo would abandon her and flee to another country. Then, she would have to face Noah''s wrath alone.


    "I am coming with you."


    "No you are not," Beth said, zipping up her suitcase. "You are just a piece of extra luggage for us. We don''t have enough money to fend for ourselves, let alone take care of a beggar like you."


    "Excuse me. I am also a daughter of a businessman. My Dad is the owner of the Turner Industries."


    "Yeah right. Are you talking about the Turner Industries which went bankrupt a few weeks ago? If I am not wrong, your father is begging for sponsors to save his company." Beth scoffed, folding her hands.


    "You. How dare you?" Caroline wanted to slap the woman''s face. When she was rich and her Dad''s business was doing fine, Beth was the one who suggested an alliance between Eddie and her. Though Eddie was naive and immature, she accepted him because of his good looks which he inherited from Samuel and also for his background. Beth had told her about Eddie''s lineage. As soon as her father started facing problems, these greedy dogs were discarding her like an old shoe.


    "Eddie come on. Let''s go." Beth pulled Eddie''s hand.


    "Eddie, stay right here," Caroline warned.


    "Eddie. Remember our life is in danger." Listening to these words, Eddie started to move towards the entrance. Seeing Eddie move, Caroline grasped his other hand and pulled him.


    Eddie was stuck in the middle. His right hand was being pulled by his mother, while Caroline was pulling from the left. He didn''t know what to do.


    "Leave him. He is my son."


    "No, he is my husband."


    "Your marriage is not even registered. Nobody will believe you."


    "Eddie. Come with me. I have some money from my trust funds. Let''s leave together." Caroline said, tugging hard on Eddie''s hand.


    "Eddie, Caroline is only manipulating you. She has nothing. Trust your mother. I know what is good for you."


    "Eddie. I am not lying. I have some money which I had saved without my father''s knowledge."


    The pull from both sides was hurting Eddie. He was so confused that he did not know whom to believe.


    "Enough. Let''s all us leave together." Eddie shouted. Both the women stood still hearing him shout.


    "What an interesting show!" A voice spoke from the door at that exact moment.

 Chapter 18: Mental torture was worse than physical torture

    "What an interesting show!!!" A voice spoke from the doorway.


    All the three occupants of the house turned to look in the direction of the voice. They saw a well-built man with chocolate brown hair. He was around 6 feet tall and he was not alone. Behind him, eight men were standing with their hands folded. They looked muscular and very strong.


    "Who the hell are you?" Beth took a look at the person at the front. ''He must be the leader.'' She assumed.


    "People call me Joshua." Joshua bowed, taking off his imaginary cap.


    "Get out of my house." Beth was getting angry. They were already getting late; she had no time to entertain strangers.


    "Gladly. Before that let me take the things for which I came here."


    "What did you come here for?" Caroline asked. She had never seen Joshua nor did Noah ever mention him to her. So she never knew that Joshua and Noah were friends.


    "You three." Joshua snapped his fingers and three bodyguards walked forward. They held on to their prey and dragged them with them.


    "What are you doing?" Eddie shouted. "Mom, save me."


    "Tsk. Tsk. Grow up, Eddie. Be a man at least once."


    "I am a man." Eddie pushed his chest forwards, trying to intimidate Joshua.


    "Yeah. I can see that."


    "How dare you touch me? Don''t you know who I am? I am Noah''s girlfriend."


    "Which Noah?" Joshua turned to look at her.


    "Noah Allan Carter."


    "Is it? Then you will be given special treatment." The three people became helpless as their feet and hands were bound and their mouth was sealed. Yet, they tried wriggling and making muffled sounds. They were thrown into a minivan. They couldn''t even move, Joshua''s men were sitting right in front of them. They looked so scary that sweat started to appear on Beth''s head. Caroline was shivering uncontrollably. Of the three, Eddie was in the worst condition. He had fainted out of fear as soon as he was hurled into the van. The men laughed at the coward of a man.


    Beth and Caroline tried to free their hands, but in vain. It was tightly tied. Their struggle had made them tired. So, they fell as sleep after trying for some time.


    After an hour or so of driving, the van stopped suddenly. The sudden stop, jolted Caroline and Beth awake. Eddie remained unconscious. The men opened the door and pulled Caroline and Beth with them. One of the bodyguards lifted Eddie with one hand and pushed him out of the van. Eddie stumbled and fell to the ground. The sudden push had woken him up immediately.


    Caroline, Beth and Eddie were each hauled by a bodyguard. They took in their surroundings, after blinking a few times. It looked like they were in the forest, there were only trees around. They walked for some time. This time the rope on their legs were removed. After walking for about ten minutes, they reached a clearing. There was a huge building in front of them. They walked towards it and took in its structure. The black, mahogany door looked like the door to hell.


    Eddie attempted to escape. But the guard holding him was too strong for him. He couldn''t even move an inch and ended up bruising himself.


    The door opened and the group stepped in. There was a long tunnel in front of them. It was lit with the help of fluorescent bulbs. The walls were painted black. The place was giving them horror vibes. They were shivering. It was cold and scary. Even their shadows looked demonic to them.


    They were led to the first floor and pushed into one of the many rooms. The room was quite similar to the tunnel they had passed through. The only difference was there was only one bulb at the center. The room was quite huge and had no windows. Due to this, the light from the bulb could not cover all the corners.


    A guard walked in and untied their hands. He also freed their mouths. Caroline tried to scratch his face with her long nails. However, she ended up hurting herself due to his fast reflexes. He had smacked her head at the wall behind her. She started to bleed at once. She touched her forehead and felt a sticking liquid. Looking at the blood, she wailed in pain.


    "Don''t do anything stupid or you will end up hurting yourself more." He warned.


    The guard left the room for some time and returned with three slices of bread. He placed it in front of them and walked away, closing the door.


    Beth ran towards the door and made an effort to open it. It was looked from outside. "Let us out. What the hell do you want from us?" She shouted. No one answered. She banged hard on the door for a while, injuring her hand in the process. She walked back and sat down in her place. She glanced at the piece of bread in front of her. It was completely stale. There was fungus on it. She threw it away in disgust. Just the look of it made her puke.


    Meanwhile, Eddie had finished eating his piece and was eying hers. She scrunched her eyebrows at him. She looked at Caroline. Her face had gone white and her eyes were hollow. She had not touched her piece of bread too.


    At that moment, the only light in the room went off. The room was plunged in a sea of darkness. All three of them started shouting.


    "Ah....." It was pitch dark. They started running in the direction of the door based on assumptions. The darkness had rendered their sense of sight useless.


    Eddie was screaming at the top of his voice. Their voice echoed in the huge room. This sound effect intensified their fright.


    "Shut the hell up Eddie," Caroline said. Even though they tried for a long time, they couldn''t find the door. They were only going in circles.


    "What the hell are you playing at, you pyscho?" She shouted. "Let us out. Do you think it is a game?"


    "The game hasn''t even started yet," Joshua mumbled. He was sitting in his office, watching the video surveillance.


    Every room in the Underworld Base was equipped with a surveillance camera and a recorder that worked even in pitched darkness. This was done to keep a look at their prisoners and to record their activities.


    Joshua stared at the frightened people on his laptop. He pressed a button and hissing sounds started to play in the room.


    "Ahhhh....." This time the shrieks were louder than the previous time.


    "Mom there are snakes here." Eddie cried. He had never encountered a real snake till then.


    Caroline and Beth were no less scared. They were frightened out of their wits. They did not know that there were no snakes in the room. It was only the sound being played on the hidden speakers.


    Joshua smirked at their state. He had achieved what he wanted. It was not his matter to interfere in the first place. Noah would take care of them after being discharged from the hospital.


    Till then, he wanted to have some fun. He wanted to torture them mentally. He knew that, "Mental torture was worse than physical torture." And that is what he was going to do.

 Chapter 19: Assistant to the rescue

    "Does she care about me?" Noah pondered. His mood brightened up by the mere thought of it. That means he can start his plan; the sooner, the better.


    Aria took a look at Noah''s grandfather. She knew how hard it was to be the patriarch of the most powerful and influential family. There were enemies lurking around them waiting for their downfall. She sympathized with Noah, he had to constantly put on a fight to stay in power. In this world, those who had power were held at the highest position by all the people. So, there were many power-hungry wolves disguised as sheep around him, plotting to ruin him.


    Noah silently finished the food in the box thinking about Aria. He took a peek at her, she looked spaced out. He kept staring at her, admiring her beauty. She was so beautiful that he wished to lock her up, away from the eyes of all lecherous men.


    Ian walked in looking at the two in front of him. Aria was lost in thoughts, while Noah was gazing at her, his eyes oozing out immense tenderness. It was quite a rare sight for Ian to see. He had never seen such a gentle look on Noah''s face before.


    Aria was immediately broken off her trance when she heard a throat clearing beside her. Noah continued to look at her, not caring about the disturbance.


    "Dr Davis." Aria saw Ian smirking with his hands in his coat''s pockets.


    "I must say Aria you are quite incredible. You made the great Noah eat." Ian said looking at the empty bento box in Noah''s hand.


    Aria didn''t know what to say. She awkwardly tucked her loose hair behind her ear. "If you''ll excuse me." She proceeded towards the door.


    "Umm.. Aria, what time is your flight tomorrow?"


    "It is at eleven in the morning."


    "Call me as soon as you land," Ian said, nodding his head.


    Aria face slapped herself when she heard Ian.


    "What happened?" Ian asked, alarmed. Aria''s actions had shaken Noah''s intense gaze on her.


    "I completely forgot. I don''t have a phone. I was quite busy yesterday and today. I didn''t have time to buy one." Aria pouted. It was almost 9 p.m. and there was still time for her shift to end. She was making up for reporting late to work. By the time she finishes, all the shops would be closed. She could ask Ivy to buy one, but she didn''t want to trouble her. She already had a lot on her plate.


    "I guess, I''ll have to buy one tomorrow."


    Aria''s words made Noah guilty. It was his fault that she did not have a phone. An idea popped in his head. Although she had declined his offer to buy her a phone, it was only correct if he bought her one. He picked up his phone on the table and sent his assistant a text.


    "Make sure you do that," Ian said. He had seen Noah''s little movement from the corner of his eyes. He knew what Noah was up to.


    "Have you had your dinner yet?" Ian asked.


    "No. What about you?"


    "No. Do you want to accompany me?" Ian took a look at Noah. His face had turned dark. Ian could practically see fire being emitted from his eyes and nose.


    "Sure. Dr. Davis."


    Aria''s words further heightened his rage. He knew they were just friends and they were only being courteous. Yet, he could not control his jealousy.


    "I''ll come with you too." He spoke, rendering the other two speechless.


    "But you have already had your food, right?" Ian pointed to the box in Noah''s hand.


    "That does not mean I cannot give you company. Anyway, I haven''t seen the canteen in the hospital. I can take a look at it. I am bored of being in my ward." Noah was not wrong. Ian had forbidden him from moving around until he recovered. Now, he felt completely fine. So, he could move around right?


    Ian raised an eyebrow. He realized Noah was jealous. It was written all over his face.


    After ten minutes, the trio were waiting for the food at the canteen counter. Ian and Aria were discussing things related to the conference which Noah could not understand. So, he started to look at his surroundings. The canteen was fairly clean. They had a wide range of dishes, taking into account the health of the patients as well as the staff and the visitors. The food was good too; he had been eating it since he gained consciousness. He found it quite tasty. His eyes landed upon some women, who were occasionally looking at him and talking in whispers.


    When his eyes met theirs, the women drooled. He glared at them until they turned to look away in embarrassment. However, one woman amongst them continued to leer at him. She looked vaguely familiar to him, yet he couldn''t recognize her.


    "Here''s your order. Chicken rice for Dr. West and egg fried rice for Dr. Davis." The chef chirped.


    Aria thanked the old lady and took her tray. Ian followed suit. They walked to a table at the farthest end of the canteen and sat down. Noah followed them. He kept glancing at Aria without her knowledge.


    Noah tried initiating a conversation with Aria. His attempts were futile as she replied to his questions in a few words and continued her discussion with Ian. After a few more tries, he gave up.


    "So, we are going to meet after a week." Ian changed the topic looking at Noah''s bored expression. Noah''s head turned to look at her so fast that it was a miracle that he did not get a whiplash.


    "What? Aria will be gone for a week. Why didn''t anybody tell me about it?" Noah glowered at Ian.


    "We have been talking about the conference for almost half an hour now." Aria looked at him strangely.


    "How would I know? You were talking all medical terms that I haven''t even heard of."


    "Is there a problem?" Ian blinked his eyes thrice.


    "No. It''s just that... Um... I... That.." Ian was trying to control his laughter looking at Noah stutter. Joshua missed such a good show. It was a scene worth watching.


    "Excuse me." A woman''s voice sounded from beside Noah. All the three lifted their eyes to see a woman dressed in a short, black dress. It was the same woman, who Noah felt to have seen before.


    "Hey, Noah. It''s me Mia, Mia Stevenson." She introduced with a big smile. She had long, blonde hair and a very attractive face. Her eyes were smeared with a thick line of eyeliner. Her lips were painted strawberry pink and her dress was too low revealing her cleavage. In short, her attire was not suitable for a hospital environment. Rather, it looked like she was out to seduce someone.


    Mia batted her eyelashes at Noah.


    "Do I know you?"


    Mia''s face flushed red in uneasiness. She did not expect Noah to ask her who she was on her face.


    "Yes. We were classmates in college."


    Aria and Ian sat quietly, taking in their conversation.


    "Is it? I don''t remember you."


    "Oh. That''s fine. May I join you guys?" Mia said finally glancing at Ian and Aria.


    "Sure."


    "No." Aria and Noah said together.


    Mia''s eyes widened. She wanted to sit with Noah, but he rejected her at once.


    "Please. Join us." Ian said, trying to ease the awkwardness.


    The table they had chosen was meant for four people. Noah and Ian were sitting on one side. Mia sat on the only chair available beside Aria. She was directly facing Noah.


    "I am Mia Stevenson." She smiled at Aria and Ian.


    "Dr. Aria West."


    "Dr. Ian Davis."


    "Nice to meet you guys." Mia nodded her head and turned to Noah.


    "I heard about you, Noah. I wanted to meet you. But your guards blocked me from entering the ward."


    Noah rolled his eyes. Seeing Noah silent, Mia leaned on the table, the action causing her dress to lower further. Her voluptuous breasts were on full display to Noah. Ian coughed seeing Mia''s boldness. His ears became red at once.


    "Miss Stevenson, what are you doing here?" Aria questioned. She frowned on seeing Mia flash her boobs. She saw how Mia''s little stunt had made the two men extremely uncomfortable. She felt disgusted and had an intense repulsiveness towards her as soon as she had seen her. However, she still tried to ease the situation.


    "My friend is admitted here; she had an accident. I came to visit her. I was with her till now. It was already late. So, I thought of having dinner in the hospital canteen."


    "Is it?"


    Mia''s story didn''t actually make sense. The visiting hours had ended almost two hours back. Yet, nobody exposed her lie, saving her some face.


    "I am done." Aria picked up her plate and got up to leave.


    "Me too." Ian stood up. "Noah, why don''t you give your friend company? You have met each other after a long time."


    "No. My assistant is coming to meet me. I have some work to do."


    Mia pouted. "Please, Noah. It''s been quite long since we last met. Stay for some time."


    At that moment, Noah''s phone rang. It was a call from his assistant. Noah took a sigh of relief. His assistant had saved him today. He could have given Mia a cold shoulder like he usually did, but he did not want Aria to consider him rude.


    "Come to the canteen." Noah gritted his teeth without waiting for the other person to respond.


    "Yes, Boss."


    "Wait a minute, Aria. My assistant will be here in a moment. I need to give you something." Noah stopped Aria and Ian.


    Noah''s assistant, Shane White, had been working for him since Noah took over the business.


    He had been Samuel''s assistant for three years before that. Although he was older than Noah by six years, he was utterly scared of him. He knew of his identity of being the Underworld Leader. He had also seen him torture the living hell out of his enemies. As of now, he was taking care of Noah''s work at the office until his discharge from the hospital.


    Shane came inside the canteen huffing. As soon as he had received Noah''s call, he dismissed all his work and rushed over to finish his orders.


    "Boss."


    "You got what I asked?"


    "Yes, Boss." Shane took out a small paper bag and handed it to Noah.


    "This is for you." Noah pushed the bag towards Aria.


    "For me? What is it?"


    "Open it."


    Aria opened the bag and took out a box. She could guess what it was just by taking a look at the print on the front. It was the latest model of the iPhone mobile.


    "Noah I can''t accept this."


    "Why Aria? It was because of me that your phone got destroyed. It is only fair of me to get you one."


    "But it is too expensive, I can''t take it."


    "Aria if you have forgiven me for my mistake, please accept it." Noah turned to Ian to convince her to accept it.


    "Yes Aria. Take it. It will save you a trip to the mobile store."


    Aria stared at Noah''s hopeful face and sighed.


    "Alright. I''ll take it. Thank you. But, it is too expensive compared to my previous phone. So, I''ll get you something in return from London. I promise."


    "I''ll look forward to it." Noah smiled at her. His plan had been successful and he had taken a step closer to her heart.


    "Now, I''ll get going."


    "I''ll come with you."


    "Me too."


    The three of them had completely ignored the woman sitting with them.


    "Bye Miss Stevenson."


    "Goodbye Miss Stevenson."


    Mia flashed a forced smile at Ian and Aria and looked at Noah expectantly. She did not care about them. She was only interested in Noah.


    Noah did not even take a glance at the unwanted woman and walked away with his assistant.


    The moment he was out of sight, Mia''s face darkened. Jealousy filled her heart. She had had a crush on Noah since college days. However, she could not even get close to ten meters near him. He was that aristocratic noble she couldn''t even dream of meeting. As soon as she heard about him being hospitalized, she had come to meet him, especially dressed in a sexy dress to seduce him.


    She couldn''t even approach him because of the high protection around him, let alone seduce him. She had to wait for a long time, when an opportunity presented itself. She had seen Noah go towards the canteen with Ian and Aria. Though he was being guarded by keepers in secret, he was easily approachable this time. She had taken up the opportunity to talk to him, only to be ignored.


    She was filled with immense hatred towards Aria as she had stolen her chance to be with Noah. She could see Noah''s budding feelings for Aria in his eyes. It was as clear as day. Now she had to stop it before it was too late. So, she started plotting in her mind to get rid of Aria.


    "Noah. You are only mine. Mine alone."

 Chapter 20: Master Mind

    Rachel sat thinking in her room. She had overheard her father, Samuel, tell Hailey about Beth and her failed plan. Though she had never met her, like Noah she too knew about her. She realized how vicious the woman was, yet she felt something was amiss. She tried racking her brain, remembering all she had heard about Beth from her brother and her Dad. Though Beth was cunning and greedy, she was not smart enough to come up with a full proof plan to get Noah killed. She was also not clever to realize what could happen if her plan failed and was revealed in front of the Carters. All these led to only one thing, she was not the mastermind. There was somebody else plotting against the Carters.


    Rachel could name quite a few people who would try to seek revenge against the Carters. But she did not have any proof. She thought to inform Noah about it, he would definitely do something about it. She sighed, her head hurt with all the thinking. She had been working on a project for a month when Noah was shot and now her grandfather was hospitalized. The stress was taking a toll on her body. She opened the sketch she had prepared for her project. She was contacted by Daniel Adler for the construction of his law firm, Adler Law Firm. Though he already had one, he wanted his office building in the city center. So, he had contacted Rachel to be the architect.


    Rachel looked at her sketches. They were quite good in her eyes and she felt that they easily blended with the other buildings in the area. But Daniel did not feel so. He kept rejecting her ideas, asking for something innovative. He was giving her a hard time. She did not know what he wanted in his building as he was not sure himself. He couldn''t pinpoint what he felt was wrong in her previous fifteen sketches as all sketches were perfect.


    "Your sketches and ideas are very good. But I am not sure why I feel there is something important missing." Daniel had told her in their last meeting.


    Rachel started to look at all her sketches trying to find out what she could have missed. As far as she could see, she had included all that was necessary in a law firm.


    "What could I have missed?" Rachel tried recollecting her brother''s office. His office had an entire floor for the legal department. Maybe she could find out what she had missed.


    "Aha. That is what I missed." She exclaimed after some time. "How could I have forgotten the record section?" She remembered that Noah''s lawyers maintained a record section where all the cases they had taken were maintained based on the type of trial in a chronological order for future reference. She immediately started her new sketch.


    After two hours, Rachel had finished her work.


    "I hope now Mr. Adler will like it." She muttered, looking at it satisfied. She took out her phone and sent him a text. "I have another plan. Can we meet tomorrow?"


    She got off her bed and walked towards the bathroom. She needed a hot bath to relax her muscles. She filled the tub with moderately hot water and added chamomile essential oil. She slowly undressed herself and stepped inside the bathtub.


    Meanwhile, Danny was still in his office. He had a trial the next day, so he was going through his documents once again. He had memorized all the important details and had collected all the necessary proof sufficient for his victory, yet he did not want to miss out on relevant details. At that time, his phone vibrated. He opened it to find a message from Rachel Carter.


    "I have another plan. Can we meet tomorrow?"


    "Sorry. Miss Carter. I have a case tomorrow. How about the day after tomorrow?" He texted back.


    Daniel felt sorry for her. He knew he was giving her a hard time and he felt guilty every time he rejected her ideas. However, he knew it was her job and he was paying her the money. He wanted the best for his firm, so he kept quiet. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He closed his file, put it in his bag, and walked out of his office. It was empty, all the staff and the employees had left long back. He walked to the elevator and pressed the button. Even though he waited for around ten minutes, the elevator did not arrive. He looked around and found a signboard indicating that the elevator was out of order. He had failed to notice the board before. He gave a dejected look. He was tired and he had to climb down six floors now. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. It read 10.40 p.m. He had not had his dinner and his stomach had been rumbling since nine.


    Daniel opened the staircase door and started to climb down. After twenty minutes of climbing five floors, he reached the first floor. As soon as he approached the first floor, someone plunged at him. His right hand hurt like hell and a warm liquid flowed down, staining his shirt and coat. Daniel immediately swung his bag at his attacker and blocked his right hand. He punched his face with his left hand and kicked him in his right knee. The man howled in pain. He couldn''t see who his attacker was as he had worn a mask. He pulled the man''s hands behind his back and held them in his left hand.


    The attacker was could not defend himself as Daniel had him in a headlock. He did not know that Daniel knew how to fight. He was pulled forcefully by him towards the ground floor. As soon as they walked out of the building, the guard came running seeing his boss holding a man.


    "Call the police," Daniel said to the guard and pushed the attacker to the ground. He kicked him hard again, this time on the left leg. The man could not move, it was too painful. Daniel then forcefully pulled off the man''s mask, only to go into shock on seeing the person''s face.


    "You....."

 Chapter 21: Lookout for David Peters

    Ivy stared at all the people protesting outside the building. She had rushed to her office as soon as she had received Kira''s call. She knew something was wrong when she heard Kira''s panicked voice on the phone. But she never expected such a crowd outside her office. Since she couldn''t enter the building from the front entrance, she took the back gate. All the employees and staff members were distressed looking at the commotion outside. On interrogation, Ivy found out that they were David Peters supporters. They had come to create a ruckus in front of the building as News4U was the first news channel to broadcast David''s video. They had been informed by David''s men that the channel had released a fake video to increase their ratings. The angry mob, without even thinking twice, had rushed to the news agency to fight for their leader. Though the guards were preventing the people from entering the building, it looked like in no time the crowd would make it inside.


    Ivy searched for Max. He was not in the group looking at the scene happening in front of them. She walked around looking for Max, starting with the conference room. As expected, he was inside busy looking at a video. His face did not show any anxiety or nervousness. In fact, he looked quite calm and cool.


    "Ivy come take a look at this video," Max called her when he saw her standing silently by the door. "What is it about?"


    "See it yourself." Max pushed his laptop towards Ivy.


    Ivy gasped looking at the video. It was a video of David Peters involved in human trafficking. Many teenage boys and girls were kneeling in front of him, with their hands and legs tied and their heads covered. The video was of good quality and the entire scene was captured perfectly. Though there was no audio, it was still clear of the illegal activity David was doing.


    "Bastard." Ivy could see other men standing beside David and she recognized two of them from the library.


    "How did you get this footage?"


    "Someone anonymous sent me this. They have told me that this will curb the commotion outside our office." Max shrugged his shoulders. "Also we have received reports from the Video Authentication Agency. We can release both the news together."


    Ivy nodded absent-mindedly. She was wondering who the anonymous sender was and why did he send it to Max. Though she could not get her answer, she was relieved as they now had a solution to their problem.


    "Ivy, this time I want you to cover the news," Max said, looking at her.


    Ivy raised her eyebrows. "Max I can''t and I won''t. That is not what I do."


    "Ivy I have a reason for asking you to do this. The previous reporter who released David''s news was attacked outside her house. And now she is still in the hospital. Nobody else is ready to cover this segment. You can do it as you have fighting skills and you also know the art of disguise. You can easily fool people around you."


    "What about you? You can do this right?"


    "Did I forget to mention that we are doing this together?"


    "But why?" Ivy''s mouth opened. The one thing she hated was to show her face on the camera. Now Max was asking her to do the same.


    "I have my reasons. Now get ready. We are gonna start in ten minutes."


    "Ten minutes. But it isn''t the time for any significant news to be released."


    "We cannot delay this news further, Ivy." Max sighed.


    Ivy looked dejected. She had no choice other than to accept Max''s order. "Okay."


    After ten minutes, Max and Ivy met at the reporting room. Max was dressed in a black suit while Ivy was wearing a maroon shirt and black trousers. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail. For the first time, she was dressed differently from her usual attire. All her co-workers stared at her in awe. She looked quite dashing in her new look. Max cleared his throat to bring back his colleagues from their wonderland. He was not surprised by their behavior, in fact, he too was astonished by Ivy''s professional look.


    "Are you ready?"


    Ivy nodded. Although she was nervous, she knew it was important to reveal the true colors of that scoundrel.


    "Let''s go then." Max pulled Ivy with him and handed Kira a document. She smiled at him and walked towards the entrance. It was quite late, yet many people were outside, protesting with banners. She walked towards one of the guards and whispered to him a few words. He listened to her and immediately ran off to follow her instructions. After a few seconds, he came back and told her that the job was done.


    Kira stood at the entrance and shouted. "Listen to me, everyone. I know why you are angry and I also know what you want from us. But we are only a news agency, working to reveal the things happening around us, around you. It is our job to let the public know the truth and we are doing it. You doubt that the video about Mr. David Peters was fake. I suggest you watch the news that will be broadcasted in ten minutes. You might get your answers. Now everyone, please look at the projector screen." She had got a projector and a screen. The projector was connected to her laptop. She then adjusted the brightness and the volume. After a few minutes, Max and Ivy''s face appeared on the screen. It was a live telecast of the news.


    The people stared in confusion at the beginning, not knowing what Kira was up to. Yet they concentrated on the screen. As soon as they saw the authenticity of the video was revealed, their jaws dropped in horror. The videos were tested by a well-known and trusted agency which many people among the group knew about. So, they could not find any fault in it.


    All hell broke loose when the next set of videos was released. It was a video of David sitting in front of teenagers. The leader whom they had trusted, had turned out to be a criminal. The people couldn''t take this blow. Everyone became agitated at once when they realized that they had been used. They started to curse him and demanded the police to get him executed. But when they heard the next lines from the screen, the crowd became silent at once. Even Kira was shocked when she heard Ivy''s voice.


    "We have received news just now that Mr. David Peters has escaped from judicial custody and the police are on the lookout for him."

 Chapter 22: Meet at the airport

    "Ivy." Aria tried to wake her up by tapping on her shoulders. But her sister just snorted and continued to sleep. Ivy had reached home around twelve in the midnight and had gone to her bed directly without even changing her clothes. She was damn tired from all the running she had done that day.


    "Ivy. Get up I am leaving in half an hour." Ivy groaned. Her eyelids felt heavy, she wanted to sleep more. But her sister was annoying her by disturbing her sleep.


    "What is it Ari? Let me sleep."


    "It 8''o clock. I am going to leave in half an hour."


    "Ok Ari. Lock the door before you leave." Ivy pulled the duvet till her neck and turned away from Aria.


    Aria rolled her eyes at Ivy''s actions. She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She sat at the dining counter and poured herself a cup of juice. She didn''t know how to cook, so she did not have any breakfast. Amongst the twins, it was Ivy who had mastered the art of cooking.


    Aria took out the phone given to her by Noah and smiled thinking about his sweet gesture. Yet the next moment, the smile dropped when she remembered that it was because of him her phone was damaged in the first place.


    Aria unlocked the screen and sent a message to Danny and Ian. "I am leaving now. I will call you when I reach London. Take care."


    She then booked a cab and waited for it to arrive. Till then, she scrolled the news feeds on her phone. There was nothing much except for David''s new scandal. She knew it was her sister who had recorded the secret video in the library. In these aspects, Ivy had obtained her father''s skills and Aria was proud of it.


    She knew Ivy was closest to their father, while Aria was closest to her mother. Ivy had gained an interest in journalism looking at her father exposing the bad things happening in society. While Aria''s interest to be a doctor was sparked because of her mother. Her mother, Susan West, was a professor of Biology at the National University of Science, which was among the top universities in the country. But, Aria was similar to her father when it came to cooking. Both of them sucked at it and every time they entered the kitchen to try to make something, it would end up being a disaster. In the end, it would be Ivy or Susan who cooked their meals.


    Aria''s phone dinged indicating the arrival of her cab. She pushed her luggage out of her house and locked the door. Aria and Ivy had two sets of keys for their apartment due to their abnormal schedule. The driver put her luggage in the trunk and started the car. Aria sat in the car staring dazed. She had no idea what she was going to do in London. She was well prepared for the conference, still she was nervous. The only thing not allowing her a breakdown was the fact that she was accompanied by four other doctors from her hospital. She thanked God for that. Otherwise she would have been bored to death in a foreign land.


    Aria looked at her watch. There was still an hour for her to reach the airport. So, she thought of taking a nap for a while. As soon as she fell asleep, she was immersed in a dream. It was a scene from three years ago, when their mother died of a heart attack. The scene played exactly as it had happened. She could see her mother fainting when she received the news that their father had gone missing for a week. And then the scene changed to a hospital, where Ivy and Aria were pacing back and forth outside the operation theater, only for the doctor to declare to their mother''s death.


    "Miss. Miss. Are you alright?" The driver asked from his seat. He had seen Aria shaking her head and mumbling in her sleep from the mirror above him. She was sweating profusely and she looked frightened. She had closed her eyes tight and her hair was disheveled.


    Aria jolted from her seat. The nightmare had woken her up. She looked around and realized that she was still in the cab and the driver was looking at her with concern.


    "Miss. Are you alright?" He asked again.


    "Yes. Yes. I am fine." Aria took out her bottle of water and emptied it one gulp. "How much longer will it take?"


    "We will reach the airport in fifteen minutes." The driver said turning the steering towards the right.


    Aria took out her handkerchief and wiped her forehead and neck. She then tidied her hair using her phone camera and covered her head with a black cap. It had been a long time since she had a nightmare of that day. In the beginning, when her mother had died, she used to get a nightmare every day. This continued for almost two months which later reduced and then finally stopped.


    "Why did I get this nightmare again?" Aria wondered. But the cab driver''s voice broke her train of thoughts.


    "Miss. We have arrived."


    True to his words, they had arrived exactly in fifteen minutes. Aria paid the cab charges and pulled her luggage behind her. Her colleagues had already arrived and were waiting for her. Aria furrowed her eyebrows when she saw Mason Smith in the group. She was not informed of him joining her team for the conference. She had received a list of people who were accompanying her and Mason''s name was not in it.


    Mason waved at Aria with a bright face. He had made use of the opportunity that one of the doctors, who was attending the conference, the son was sick. So, he had somehow included his name in the list at the last moment. He did not reveal about it Aria as wanted to give her a surprise. Aria ignored him completely and walked to her other colleagues and greeted them.


    "Hey Aria." Mason came from behind her.


    "Dr Smith."


    "Not again. How many times have I told you to call me by my name?"


    "I think we should get going. We should check in early." Aria looked at the time. It was 9.40.


    Suddenly, one of the doctors standing next to Aria squealed. "Oh my gosh. He is so handsome." The others turned in the direction she was looking. But Aria''s sight was blocked by Mason.


    "Shall we go?" Mason looked at Aria, giving her a thorough look. Her white t-shirt blouse, black jeans, and the black cap made her look very young and lovely. She looked very alluring in her attire and Mason felt a strong attraction towards her. Looking at Mason''s lustful gaze, Aria squirmed uncomfortably.


    "Let''s go." Aria immediately escaped from there and walked inside the airport.


    After an hour, all the five doctors had checked in and were waiting in the waiting area.


    Aria was busy turning the pages of a magazine that she did not see a person approach her.


    "What a surprise Dr. Aria West."


    Hearing the familiar voice Aria looked up and her jaw dropped. There was only one thought in her mind at that moment.


    "What is Noah Allen Carter doing here?"

 Chapter 23: Welcome to London

    "What a surprise, Dr. Aria West." Noah exclaimed, standing right in front of her.


    Aria looked up from her magazine and stared at Noah.


    "What was he doing here? Shouldn''t he be at the hospital?" Aria thought, staring at the smiling Noah.


    "What are you doing here Mr. Carter?"


    "I am here to catch my flight?" Noah replied in amusement.


    "But shouldn''t you be at the hospital?"


    "I got discharged today," Noah remembered how he had forced Ian to discharge him in the morning. He had pestered him, threatened him, begged him and did all he could do until Ian took pity on him and discharged him.


    "Ohh Okay."


    Aria took a look at him. He was dressed casually. He had donned a blue shirt and black jeans with a black jacket. He looked super sexy and all the women around him were ogling him. At that moment, an announcement was made that the passengers traveling to London could board the flight. Aria picked up her bag and her sunglasses.


    "Okay Mr. Carter. I gotta go. See you later."


    "I''ll come with you."


    "Are you going to London too?"


    "What do you think?"


    Aria was skeptical but her attention got diverted when one of her colleagues spoke to her. Mason was watching all that was happening. He had seen Noah and Aria talk. He knew who Noah was, he had seen him at the hospital. However, he did not know what he wanted from Aria. He was throwing daggers from his eyes at Noah. It was supposed to be him whom Aria should be speaking to. Yet, she was ignoring him and treating him like a stranger. This made him irritated.


    Aria started walking towards the boarding area.


    "Wait for me," Noah called from behind.


    Aria turned and stopped for him.


    "Mr. Carter, are you traveling on this flight?" Aria suddenly remembered that Noah was the richest businessman in the country. He would definitely have his own private plane. Why would he travel among other people?


    "Why? Can''t I?"


    "No. No. You can. It''s just that I thought you had your own private plane."


    "That I have. But I want to experience traveling with other people." Aria gave him a look like he was crazy, while Noah gazed at her. Noah''s assistant, Shane White, was standing behind him. There was also a woman dressed in professional attire, followed by four bodyguards.


    Shane coughed. Only he knew how much trouble he had to go through in getting the flight tickets. He reminisced his meet with his Boss the previous night, when he had come to deliver the phone.


    Flashback...


    Noah was sitting on his bed. He was going through some documents which Shane had brought along with him. Noah thoroughly checked each file and then finally signed it at the bottom.


    "How is the London based project going on?" Noah wanted to expand his software-based company, Carter Software Technologies, to other countries. And the first place he had in mind was England, London. The project was at the final stage. The only thing left was for him to give a visit to the site and approve it.


    "Boss. Everything is going good. Currently it is on hold as we want your approval." Shane said, looking at Noah''s cold face.


    "Why should Boss always show such a terrifying face. Can''t he smile a little?"


    "Did you say something?" Noah asked, looking up from the files. He gave him a creepy smile and raised an eyebrow.


    "No Boss. Nothing." Shane shivered. "How could Boss understand what I was thinking? Can he read minds?" He thought.


    "Yes. I can." Noah said, this time without looking up.


    "Oh, God." Shane was petrified. He knew his Boss was dangerous; but he did not know that he was a demon.


    "Arrange a meeting day after tomorrow with the London staff and the collaborative company. We are going to London tomorrow?"


    "We are?" Shane asked doubtfully. "But Boss, you are still not discharged. How can we go to London?"


    Suddenly the temperature in the room dropped. It looked like the Arctic winds had changed their direction and had entered the ward. Before Noah could speak, Shane muttered. "Yes Boss. I''ll arrange everything. I''ll get the plane on standby."


    "No. We are going by another plane." Noah handed him the plane details by which Aria was traveling. He had obtained it from Ian while he was returning to his ward. Shane stared at him in shock. His Boss was going to travel with other passengers. He couldn''t comprehend Noah''s behavior.


    "Did he hit his brain? Has he gone insane?" He thought, but regretted immediately on hearing the next words.


    "Hmm. Let me see. I am sure that my brain was not hit. But I can confirm a hundred percent that I have gone insane."


    Shane''s jaw dropped. He collected all the files.


    "Boss I will arrange everything. Take care, Boss." Shane ran away from the ward.


    ....End of flashback


    "Aria." Mason pulled her towards him. Aria stumbled and fell on his chest. She immediately pushed him away and glared at him.


    "I am sorry. Come on. Let''s go." Although Mason apologized, there was no trace of remorse on his face. Aria walked away from Mason huffing. Her other colleagues had already boarded the plane. Noah saw the little stunt Mason had played on Aria. His blood boiled when she fell on him and he clenched his fist.


    "There are a lot of mosquitoes around my woman. I need to be careful." He mumbled and walked towards the boarding area.


    Noah was smart. He knew Aria and her colleagues were seated in the economy class and if he followed suit then she would definitely get suspicious. So, he had got his seat booked in the first class. The first-class cabin had only Noah''s people. His assistant, Shane, and the lady secretary were sitting on one side and three of his bodyguards were sitting behind him. He had appointed the other two guards to keep an eye on Aria.


    Aria''s teammates were already in their seats except for Mason and her. She thanked the god as her seat was not next to Mason. Otherwise she was have killed herself. She sat on her seat and smiled at the person beside her. Although it was not any of her co-workers, she still exchanged pleasantries. What she did not know was that the man was one of Noah''s guards, who was ordered to look after her. The guard was quite clever. He understood immediately that the woman beside him was of importance to his Boss. So, he kept an eye on her, lest his Boss should get angry. He immediately sent a text to his Boss.


    "Boss. Everything is fine here. Madam is sitting right beside me."


    Noah looked at the message. His grip on the phone tightened. Although he was one who had asked his assistant to book a seat for his guard next to Aria''s seat, he was still jealous. He took deep breaths to calm down.


    "It''s okay. He is only following your orders." Noah muttered to himself.


    The flight attendants explained the safety precautions when everyone was seated and after five minutes the flight took off. Aria had brought with her a book to keep herself occupied during the long journey, while Noah started to work on his laptop, his mind occupied with Aria''s thoughts.


    Mason took a look at Aria and walked towards her seat. "Excuse me Mister." He called the man sitting beside her. The guard looked at him, startled. He recognized the person in front of him. His Boss had specifically warned him before boarding the plane to keep him away from Aria.


    "Yes." He replied with an indifferent voice.


    "I wanted to exchange seats with you. The lady here is my friend." Mason pointed to Aria.


    The guard looked at Aria. She was pleading him with her eyes to not to give up his seat. He turned to Mason.


    "Sorry Mister. I cannot exchange seats."


    "But why? My seat is similar to yours. I am asking you because I want to sit with my friend."


    "I am not your friend." Aria retorted.


    "Look Mister. I don''t care if this lady is your friend or not. I am not exchanging my seat. In fact I have booked this seat because it is lucky for me." The guard wanted to bite his tongue at his ridiculous lie.


    Aria and Mason looked him hearing his absurd words.


    "Lucky?" Mason asked. He was getting impatient. He wanted to spend as much time possible with Aria during this trip so that he could achieve his goals soon. But the idiot in front of him was not coping with his plans.


    "Yes. I have been advised to book this seat number only whenever I travel, otherwise something bad would happen to my family." The guard wanted to dig a hole and bury himself. He was dying out of embarrassment.


    "Look Mister.." Mason started only to be interrupted by Aria.


    "It''s Okay Mason. I am fine here." Mason had no other option, other than going back to his seat.


    "Thank You," Aria said looking at the man next to her.


    "Why are you thanking me?"


    "Because you spoke all those nonsense because I pleaded you not to trade seats."


    The guard sighed. He knew how anybody could guess by hearing his silly reasons.


    "By the way I am Aria West."


    "I am Ronnie Petrov."


    "Petrov?"


    "Yes. My Dad is from Bulgaria."


    "Nice."


    Ronnie looked around, feeling someone''s eyes on him. He saw Mason staring icily at him. He stared back, making him look away.


    "You don''t like the person who was here, right?"


    "Yes. He is very annoying and I know what he wants from me."


    "What?"


    Aria gave him a knowing smile. Ronnie immediately understood. He clenched his fists in anger. The one thing that was taught to all the guards during their training at the Carters was to respect women.


    "You don''t worry. I''ll take care of him."


    Aria gave him a smile.


    "I am going to sleep now. I am quite tired." Aria yawned.


    "Sure."


    Aria was very tired. She immediately dozed off to sleep the very next moment. Ronnie stared at her for a few minutes. When he was confirmed that Aria was in deep sleep, he took out his phone. He open the front camera and took a few pictures with Aria in the frame. After taking a few photographs, he cropped them and sent them to his Boss.


    Meanwhile, Noah''s anger was rising every minute. He had ordered Ronnie to keep him updated every ten minutes. But it had been twenty minutes since the last text. The people around him were dreading his wrath, praying to God to save them. Suddenly Noah''s phone dinged. It was a message from Ronnie. He opened the message to find photographs of Aria attached to it. Noah''s cold face immediately broke out into a smile. There was a sudden shift from icy weather to warm spring in the cabin. His men were dumbstruck. They had never seen him smile in such a way before. Though they had seen his creepy smile that scared the hell out them, this the first time they saw him being gentle.


    Noah looked at the pictures of the sleeping woman. She looked so cute that he wished to personally go to her and look at her sleep. But he restrained himself. He knew it was not time yet. He had to take each step slowly.


    Every fifteen minutes Ronnie updated about Aria to Noah. This continued till the entire journey of nine hours. By the time Noah''s phone was loaded with Aria''s pictures. Though Ronnie was sitting right next to her, she did not know she was been captured on his phone. Ronnie had made sure that nobody was looking at them when he was taking the photographs.


    After nine hours, the plane finally reached London. Aria waited in her seat till other passengers had evacuated the plane. She then walked towards the exit at the front only to bump into Noah.


    "Careful." Noah grabbed her at once.


    "Are you hurt?" He asked worried.


    "No. I am fine. Thank You." Aria said rubbing her forehead. Who was she kidding? Her head was throbbing due to the impact.


    Noah observed her for a few seconds and his face broke into a smirk.


    "Welcome to London, Aria."

 Chapter 24: Arnolds secret

    Meanwhile, back in the country.


    Daniel was in the courtroom, giving his ending speech. His client, Mr. Durand had been falsely charged with sexually harassing his colleague when it was actually a case of blackmail. The woman had blackmailed him to give her money else she would go to court. When he had not agreed to her conditions, she had gone to the police station and had filed a case of sexual harassment. What she did not know was Mr. Durand had installed high definition CCTV cameras in his cabin. When the court was produced with the footage, it clearly showed that the woman had approached him and had blackmailed him.


    After listening to Daniel, the judge gave his verdict and Mr. Durand was declared as innocent while the woman was booked under the case of blackmailing. Daniel walked out of the courtroom along with Mr. Durand.


    "Thank you very much Mr Adler. You saved my life." Mr. Durand spoke in his clear French accent. Sexual harassment and **** was considered a serious crime in the country and the punishment to it was fixed: It was death and nothing else.


    Daniel shook Mr. Durand''s hand and excused himself. He still had to deal with his attacker from the previous night. He was still in shock at seeing his attacker''s face. It was none other than his uncle, his father''s brother, Jack Adler. Jack had been staying in the countryside until the last two years when he lost all his property due to his addiction to gambling. He later came to the city to ask his brother for some money.


    Daniel''s father, Arnold Adler had given him some money, just enough for his survival. After that neither Daniel nor Arnold had heard from him until yesterday. Before, Daniel could question him, the police had arrived and had taken him into custody.


    Daniel drove towards the police station where Jack was being held. He had already informed his Dad about the attack and he was on his way too. He parked his car at the side and waited for his father, who arrived in ten minutes.


    After all the formalities were completed, Daniel and Arnold were allowed to meet Jack. They were seated in a room separated by a glass wall. Neither of them spoke, waiting for someone to start.


    Arnold couldn''t take it anymore. "Why did you try to harm my son?" Anger was evident in his voice.


    Jack remained silent. His silence pissed off Arnold more. He stressed again.


    "Why did you try to harm my son?"


    "Do you remember what you had promised me twenty years back?" Jack questioned back.


    Arnold looked confused. He couldn''t remember a thing. Daniel''s eyes darted between his Dad and his Uncle. He did not know a thing they were talking about.


    "What promise are you talking about?" This time it was Daniel who had spoken.


    "Ask your Dad for the answers and then come back to me." Jack got up from his seat and left the room.


    Seeing Jack leave, Daniel and Arnold also left the room each in their own thoughts.


    "Dad, what was he talking about?" Daniel asked once they were outside the police station.


    "I don''t remember anything son," Arnold replied. He honestly could not remember what he had promised his brother twenty years back.


    "Dad, how is your promise related to him attacking me?" Daniel asked a little confused.


    "I am not sure son. I can''t remember a thing about it."


    "Then how are we going to find out? Have you told anybody about it? Or have you written somewhere about it?"


    "Yes," Arnold exclaimed in realization. "I had told it to your mother. Maybe she remembers it."


    "Okay Dad. You go home for now. I have some work at the office. I''ll come home at night."


    "I too have a meeting to attend to. Let''s meet at dinner."


    The father and the son duo walked towards their respective cars and took off in opposite directions.


    Meanwhile Jack had returned to his cell. He was quite happy with his accomplishment. He knew that one secret which would separate Daniel and Arnold. He had waited twenty years for this day. A few more days and everything would be his. The one thing Arnold Adler valued the most was promises and Jack had made use of this weakness for his gains. He could still remember the day twenty years back when Arnold had made the promise to Jack.


    Jack, being the spendthrift in the family, had approached his brother asking for money. He was neither interested in earning his own money nor was he interested in following his brother in helping in his company. All he wanted was money for his gambling and drinking habits. Initially, Arnold used to give him some money. But when Jack''s habits crossed all the limits, he stopped it completely. Jack couldn''t withstand Arnold not following his demands. So, he kidnapped his only son, Daniel and demanded money for his freedom.


    Daniel was the only son of Arnold. He loved him more than his life. When he heard about his kidnap, he immediately rushed to rescue him with the money. But Jack was quite smart. He not only took the money, but he also made Arnold to give him a promise. He forced Arnold to give away all his property whenever he asks or else he would reveal that one secret that could potentially destroy his brother. Arnold did not have any other choice other than to accept his brother''s conditions.


    Jack smiled, remembering Arnold''s devastated face. He knew he had won over his brother. Now all the Adler properties, on which he had no rights from the beginning, would be rightfully his. It was not his ancestral property nor did it belong to his father. All the fortune and the money had been hard-earned by Arnold and his son, Daniel. Yet, his greed took over his rationality and made him do some heinous things.


    "Now, my children will get the lavish life, while you and your family will beg on the streets." Jack laughed loudly like a maniac.


    Arnold shivered in the car. He knew what Jack was talking about. How could he forget about his brother''s unbelievable conditions which he had put forth to him in exchange for Daniel''s life? He only pretended not to know a thing in of Daniel. In fact, he was dreading this day for two months when Jack had reappeared in his life. He looked out of the window and was in a deep thought.


    "How can I reveal the truth to Daniel. How can I tell him he is not my son, that he is adopted?"

 Chapter 25: Searching for clues

    Ivy went through the document Max had given her. It contained the list of all the victims of the organ trafficking case as well as the doctors and the hospitals involved in the crime. There were a total of sixty-seven victims and thirteen doctors had taken part actively in this activity. She scanned the list of hospitals that were named and she could recognize a few of them. She arranged the names of the victims and the doctors based on the hospital where the operation had taken place. Most of the victims were from the Citizens Health Care Hospital, with cases of thirty-eight from it alone.


    Ivy remembered that her father had created a file of similar kind and it was somewhere in their old house. Aria and Ivy had moved out of the house as soon as their mother had passed away as they could not bear with the sad memories it held. They could neither toughen themselves and sell the house nor could they continue to stay in it.


    Ivy''s father had created a list of similar kind and he had locked it in his study. She knew the document must still be somewhere in there. Maybe it could help her in finding her father somehow. Though Aria and Ivy had looked through the study three years back, they could find nothing that could help in the search. But Ivy had a gut feeling that there was something in there that held all the answers. She pulled out her jacket and ran out of her house after locking it. She got on her street scrambler and rode towards her home at a fast speed. It was quite far from her current home. Yet she reached there within twenty minutes.


    The gates were locked with a chain lock. She removed the key and inserted it into the lock. Due to it not being used for many years, the lock had become rusty. She tried to unlock it many times until it finally clicked. She removed the chain and pushed the gate with force. It opened with a creak. She walked inside and took a look at her home, reminiscing her childhood. It was the first time after the West sisters had left the house that Ivy was returning. They couldn''t muster the courage to come back although they wanted to.


    Everything looked almost the same, except for the grass that had overgrown and the paint on the house had faded. She walked to the patio and recollected the good old days when she and Aria would hide from their parents whenever they were asked to study. She smiled a little thinking about it. But the next instant, she came out of her thoughts. She had other important matters to look into. She unlocked the main door and took a step inside. The floor was covered with dust while there were spider webs at every corner. There was an unpleasant, musty smell. She immediately opened the nearby windows, allowing the sunlight and some fresh air to enter the hall.


    Without wasting her time, Ivy strode towards her father''s study which was on the first floor. She turned the knob and opened the door with ease. Although it had been three years without being used, the door was still in good condition. She looked around the small bookshelf near the door, the drawers, the cupboards and all other possible places where her father could have hidden a file. But she found nothing. Without accepting defeat, she tried again only to end up with the same result.


    Ivy sat on the swirling chair dejected. She had come with the hopes of finding some clues only to reach a dead end. After sitting for around ten minutes, she tried looking for the last time.


    "Maybe, I have missed someplace." She voiced pulling out the drawers completely. Nothing.


    Her Dad had a hobby of collecting books. In his study, he had a collection of more than seven hundred books.


    "I cannot go through all of these." Ivy sighed looking at the large stack of books. She opened the cupboard and pulled out all the items inside it. Nothing again. Suddenly she got a hunch. She tapped on the cupboard''s inner walls. It sounded hollow. Her eyes widened immediately. She pulled out a stool and stood on it. She then pulled on the wooden sheet covering the back of the cupboard. There was a small rack at the back which could hold heavy items to a certain extent. The rack was stacked with documents. She took out all the documents and placed them on the table. She then arranged the entire room as it was before and stuffed the documents in the bag she had brought with her. The musty scent was suffocating her. She wanted to leave the house as soon as possible.


    Ivy locked the door and the entrance gate and ran towards her motorbike. She jumped when her phone rang.


    "Calm down Ivy. It''s just your phone." Ivy patted her racing heart and picked up the phone. It was a call from Joshua.


    "Hey Ivy."


    "Hello Mr Martin."


    "I have something to tell you. I am trying to find out more about the reporters who had previously tried to cover the news about the case you are working on now."


    Hope arose in Ivy''s heart. "Really?"


    "Yes. But, all the information about it has been locked. I am unable to collect any feeds about it. I am sorry." Joshua''s words immediately extinguished the ray of hope.


    "Mr. Martin please try again. Please."


    "Ivy I have tried all possible methods. It looks like someone powerful is blocking me from getting what I need." Joshua lied. He knew why he was not getting any information about those reporters. All the information had been locked on Noah''s orders. He wanted to talk to him regarding Ivy''s request. But Noah had flown to London as soon as he was discharged from hospital. So, he didn''t get an opportunity to raise the issue.


    "Please Mr. Martin. Please try again for my sake."


    Joshua sighed. He knew he couldn''t help her in any way. Three years back, he was one who had deleted all the files regarding the case on Noah''s orders. Now, without Noah he couldn''t make a decision alone. Ivy listened to Joshua''s silence on the phone and didn''t know what to do.


    "How about this Mr Martin. Let''s meet up. I''ll tell you why I want the information." Joshua raised his eyebrows. He wanted to know why Ivy was interested in knowing about those journalists since the day she had asked him for a favor.


    "Sure. Where shall we meet?" Joshua wanted to meet her too. He had been thinking about her since their first meet. He found her quite fascinating.


    "I am not sure. I don''t want to meet you anywhere crowded and I cannot ask a stranger to come to my house. Do you have a place in mind?"


    "How about my office? I have a meeting up till 4 o''clock. We can meet after that." Who was he kidding? He was still at the Underground Base playing with the new toys. He was not done with them yet and it would take around three hours more for him to return to his office.


    "Sure Mr. Martin."


    "I''ll text you the address."


    Ivy sighed. She knew she had no choice other than to reveal her intentions to Joshua. Her phone rang again. This time it was a call from Kira.


    "Hey Kira."


    "Ivy come to Full Care Hospital right now." Kira sounded panicked and scared.


    "Why? What happened Kira?"


    "Max has met with an accident."

 Chapter 26: Appointment to keep

    Joshua stared at his phone, even though his call to Ivy had been disconnected. He wanted to know why Ivy was interested in knowing about the journalists who were involved in covering the case. It had been closed a long time ago.


    "Does she know anyone among the people who went missing?" He wondered leaning back on his chair. "I guess I''ll find out when I meet her."


    A smile automatically made its way on his face when he realized he was going to meet the interesting woman again.


    The door to his office knocked and one of Noah''s bodyguards walked in. He was carrying a paper bag with him.


    "Mr. Martin. This is the food we have ordered for the captives. Do I give them now?" Joshua groaned. He wanted to get out of the Underworld Base as soon as possible and hand over Noah''s culprits to him. But that idiot had run off to London as soon as he was discharged from the hospital. Not only did he not leave for London alone, he even took Ronnie with him. Now he was getting bored of staying in the Base.


    "Give them the portion sufficient for only one person. Let''s see how strong their bonding is." Joshua smiled. He then turned to look at the three people who had scrunched down at the corner of the room. They looked quite haggard and pitiable.


    "Okay Mr. Martin." The guard walked out with the paper bag. He then opened the small gap on the door, threw a box and closed the gap immediately.


    The sudden noise woke the three people. They had not gotten even an ounce of sleep the entire night due to the darkness and the creepy noises. They could only relax a little when Joshua turned off the speakers during dawn. As they were too tired to even speak, they had drifted off to sleep in the silent room. They were hungry, tired and sleep-deprived. Their eyes had gone red and puffy and there were eye bags beneath them. They looked horrible.


    Since there were no windows, the room was still dark. They could not see what had made the noise.


    "Not again," Beth shouted. She had been exhausted by this game. Although she knew that the noises were all fake and there were no strange creatures in the room, she couldn''t help but shudder in the darkroom. Moreover, her coward son had stuck onto her like an octopus the entire night and had made her ears go deaf by shouting right next to them.


    Caroline''s state was no less different. She had been scared out of her wits. Her beautiful face looked horrid due to all the tears she had shed. Her voice had gone hoarse due to her constantly shouting the entire night.


    "Mom, what was that sound?" Eddie asked scared. He was tightly clutching onto Beth''s hands lest she should leave him alone with these monsters.


    "I don''t know. And for God''s sake, will you please get off me. His hands and neck are aching."


    "But Mom I am scared." Eddie wailed, making Beth sigh.


    "I don''t know to whom I had sold my brain when I gave birth to such a coward son."


    "Mom."


    Joshua laughed hearing the mother and the son banter. He switched on the lights to their room making the occupants go blind momentarily.


    Caroline blinked a few times, gradually adjusting to the bright light while Eddie and Beth shielded their eyes immediately. After a few seconds, the trio looked around and found a box at the door.


    "Mom, what is that?" Eddie asked, pointing towards the box.


    "I don''t know. Let me take a look." Beth tried to stand up. But Eddie pulled her down at once.


    "Mom. Please don''t go I am scared." Beth sighed.


    Joshua looked at Eddie''s scared face on the screen and wondered. "Beth wanted to make this idiot the King of the Business World. She must be a bigger idiot than him."


    Caroline ignored the two people next to her and walked towards the box. It looked quite ordinary, nothing weird about it. She took the box in her hands and opened it. It contained a sandwich and this time it smelt great. But the problem was there was only one sandwich and there were three people.


    Although Eddie was a scaredy-cat, he had the nose of a bloodhound. As soon as Caroline opened the box, he smelt the delicious food and immediately sprung to his feet. Beth too got up and stared at the box.


    "It''s a sandwich and it is not even enough for one person," Eddie said looking in the box.


    "Grab the box from her hand." Beth shrieked. Eddie tried to grab the box, but Caroline was quite fast for him. She immediately dodged him and ran to the farthest end of the room. Eddie stamped his foot and made a run towards her. His hunger had made him go berserk. This time he successfully managed to snatch the sandwich when Caroline was trying to devour it. However a part of it fell to the floor.


    "Caroline," Beth shouted in rage. But by then, Caroline had eaten the remaining part of the sandwich in her hand. She gave a triumphant look and sat down slowly. Eddie picked up the fallen part and gave half of it to his mother before gobbling up his part. Beth stared at the sandwich in her hand and frowned. It had some specs of dirt on it, yet she had no choice. She had not eaten anything since yesterday and her stomach was revolting.


    After eating, she stared at the door and spoke loudly. I don''t know who you are and what you want. If you have the guts, show us your face. Let''s talk face to face."


    Joshua had watched how the trio had fought like dogs for food. He found it more entertaining than the biggest gossip news. He knew people disregarded all forms of relations when it came to greed and there was nothing that would match the power of hunger.


    Joshua would have definitely entertained Beth when she dared him to meet her. But he had an appointment to keep and it was quite important than those brainless idiots. So, he shook his head and left the Underground Base after giving some orders to the guards. He drove towards his company while he hummed his favorite song.


    After driving for around forty minutes, he reached his office. Joshua was a video game designer. He owned a gaming company, called JM Video Games. The Martins were well known in the fields of military and politics. Although his father and grandfather held high status in the military, Joshua had chosen to open a gaming company of his own. Joshua''s father had understood him and had fully supported him.


    Joshua parked his Maserati in front of the building and walked towards his office. All the employees greeted him and the women employees fawned over him. He threw them a flying kiss and sauntered towards his office.


    As soon as he had settled himself in his chair, he called his secretary, Lucia Frances, inside. His secretary was a tall, blonde, Italian brunette. She had light blue eyes. Ever since she had joined the company, she had been giving hints to Joshua that she was interested in him. Though he had caught on her hints, he had still flirted with her with no intention of taking it any further.


    "Did you call for me, Mr Martin?" Lucia asked with her professional voice as soon as she entered his office. Though her voice sounded professional, her face was alluding to something else. Joshua smiled at her and gave her a wink. This small gesture made the woman''s heart flutter.


    "I want you to clear my entire schedule after 3 p.m. for today."


    "Why sir?"


    "I have an important appointment to keep."

 Chapter 27: Rain check

    Ivy barged into the hospital, frantically looking for Max. Kira''s call had made her panic and she had ridden her bike at a crazy speed to reach Full Care Hospital as early as possible. Max was one of the few people she trusted more than anyone. She could not afford to lose him at any cost. Other than Daniel, he was the only person who knew about her father''s disappearance. He was also helping her find her father by using all possible methods.


    Kira had already told Ivy the ward number where Max was in. So, she didn''t waste her time asking at the reception. She immediately walked in the direction of the ward, trying to avoid the people in her way. The ward door was wide open. She could clearly see a doctor taking a look at Max while Kira sat beside him. Although his face looked pale, he looked fine. She could not hear what the doctor was saying. But she could make out that there was nothing serious just by looking at Kira''s relieved face.


    Ivy entered the ward when the doctor left. She carefully examined Max''s condition. There was a bandage on his head and his right ankle. Other than that, he looked alright.


    "What did the doctor say?" Ivy asked, taking a seat beside the bed.


    "When did you come?" Max asked, clearing his throat. He glared at Kira for giving a call to Ivy. He didn''t want to scare her by telling her about his accident. But Kira couldn''t keep her mouth shut and had informed her about it.


    "Max is fine. It''s just that he hurt his head a little and he has a fractured ankle." Kira answered her question.


    Ivy folded her hands while she crossed her legs. She gave Max an angry look. Her intimidating aura made him lower his head subconsciously. He looked like a school kid who was being reprimanded for being mischievous.


    "What exactly happened?" This time the question was aimed at Max.


    "We had gone to meet one of the higher-ups in the management at the head office. While returning, we were crossing the road when a car sped in our direction. Though Max reacted in time by pushing both of us to the side, he couldn''t escape from getting hurt." Kira blurted out without thinking.


    Ivy glanced at Max silently. He knew what she was thinking. Her face was clearly showing all her emotions. She cared about him a lot and he too treated her like the younger sister he always to have. She looked like a ticking time bomb ready to go off any moment. However, much to his surprise, Ivy didn''t scold him or get angry with him. Instead she remained calm, shocking the two people in front of her.


    "Hmm. At least nothing serious happened. When are you being discharged?"


    "Maybe tomorrow."


    "Okay."


    "Umm. Ivy, I want a favor from you?" Max spoke after a while.


    "What?"


    "I have an important event to attend today evening. It is the President''s press conference. Since I cannot go, could you cover it for me please?" Max pleaded with both his hands. He knew Ivy would accept the job whenever he pleaded.


    As expected, Ivy had no choice. Kira was not a reporter like Max. Though other people in the agency could take over Max''s job, each of them had their own segments to take care of. As of now, only she was free.


    "Alright. Give me the questions. Where am I meeting him? And who is the cameraman?"


    "This is the list of questions. Choose the question as per the situation. Remember each reporter can ask only two questions." Max handed her a sheet that had twelve questions in total. "The press conference is in his office and begins at 5''o clock exactly. You will be accompanied by Sasha Rodriguez and Cedric Wyatt.


    Sasha was Max''s assistant. She was a Spanish blonde. Although she is efficient at her work, she was quite clumsy. She was quite a foodie and one could find all kinds of snacks in her bag. Cedric Wyatt was one of the best cameramen in the office. He was younger to Ivy by two years and he had a very playful attitude. He was the prankster in the office. Sometimes, Ivy joined in his pranks and would create a mess. However, when it came to work, he would immediately become serious.


    "That''s good." Ivy murmured. She then remembered her arrangement with Joshua. "Oh no." She smacked her forehead in frustration.


    "Is everything alright?" Kira asked her. Ivy''s actions had rendered them speechless.


    "Yes. Yes. I''ll be back. I have to make a call." Ivy left the room and walked towards the end of the corridor. She then made a call to Joshua and waited for him to pick.


    At that moment, Joshua was having a bi-weekly meeting with his designers. They were designing a mobile based video game and it had already reached towards the end. The only problem was, some of the mobile phone models were not compatible with the high definition graphics. They were having a meeting to find a solution to their problem when Joshua''s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and his lips raised automatically.


    "Excuse me." He strode out of the meeting room and picked up the call.


    "Missing me already?"


    "Yeah, right. That''s never gonna happen."


    "You never know."


    "I do. Now look Mister. I will have to take a rain check today. We will have to meet some other time."


    "What? Why?" Joshua was looking forward to their second encounter. Now, Ivy was skipping it. It made him a little sad.


    "I have some urgent work to do. So, I will not be available."


    "Okay. I understand."


    "Have a good day." Ivy chirped.


    "Surely, if you will have dinner with me."


    "Are you seriously this straight forward or is this only an act?"


    "What do you think?"


    "What I think is that you not my style."


    "How can you be so sure without even trying? Do you have a boyfriend?"


    "How is that relevant? We are only working together to find the information I need. That''s it."


    "Oh. It is very relevant. Trust me. So answer my question. Do you have a boyfriend or do you have a crush on someone?"


    "No."


    "For what are you saying no? Whether you have a boyfriend or whether you have a crush?"


    Joshua''s questions annoyed her more than her neighbor''s cat. And by the way she hated cats.


    "Both."


    "Great. And last question. Was there any scenario where your parents or the other family members fixed your marriage with someone or something like that?"


    Ivy gritted her teeth in frustration. This man was seriously getting on her nerves. Nevertheless, she still answered him. "No."


    "Great. I''ll text you about our next meet." Joshua didn''t even wait for her response and cut the call.


    Ivy took long breaths trying calm down. That man was seriously irritating.


    "I''ll teach you a lesson. Wait and watch." Ivy smirked, thinking about all the possible pranks she could play on him in their next meeting.

 Chapter 28: Rot in jail

    "Boss, why are you here?" The man with the gruff voice spoke, looking at the hollow-cheeked man in front of him. In just three days, Davis Peters had lost some weight and his eyes looked hollow. There were large bags under his eyes and his hair had gone grey. He had aged a little. It looked like he hadn''t slept for days, making his eyes bulge out like a zombie.


    "First let me in," David said. He was tired from all the walking and running he had done for the last few hours. His legs were aching and he was exhausted. He couldn''t hail a cab lest he should be recognized by someone. He could only manage to hide and walk in the shadows, away from the people''s eyes.


    "Sir, why did you escape from the police station? Ain''t it bad for you? Won''t it make everyone think that you are actually guilty?" The man with the spectacles spoke.


    "I did not escape on my own accord."


    "What do you mean?" The man with the blonde hair spoke, looking at his watch. It was almost six and the football match would start in an hour. They were supposed to execute their plan that day.


    "Do you have something to eat? I am hungry." David spoke looking around.


    The blonde guy brought him the leftover sushi roll from the kitchen and placed it in front of David. Looking at the food, David immediately devoured it. He was very hungry since he hadn''t eaten a thing after his escape from the police. When David had finished the food, the man with the gruff voice spoke.


    "Boss, now tell us what happened?"


    David took a long breath.


    "I didn''t want to escape from the police station. I wanted to stay there until our plan was executed. But the superintendent approached me when I was alone and told me that the higher-ups had ordered them to silently kill me while still in the station. They wanted to make it look like a suicide and blame me."


    Hearing David''s words, the other three men in the room understood what had happened. If David had died during custody and his death had been declared as suicide, then that meant he was deemed guilty. It was a clean finish to the case.


    "So, with the help of the superintendent, I escaped from the station yesterday night. I couldn''t ask him to drop me at my house. It is being flocked by the police and the reporters. I could only think of this place and don''t worry, nobody followed me. I got down a few miles away from here and I made sure no one knew it was me." David continued, after sipping the glass of water.


    "Umm. Boss, what should we do now? Do we release the virus or do we wait?" The man with the glasses spoke.


    "We are not going to adjourn our plans any further. We are going to release it as soon as possible. I hope you had received the slip from my lawyer."


    All three men nodded their heads at once.


    "We had decided to execute our plan today. There is a football match at the King''s stadium today at seven. Our men are on standby. We just need to give them the spray bottles." The blonde guy revealed all the plans, pointing towards a small stack of airtight containers at the corner of the room.


    David''s eyes gleamed in happiness. Although his plans had been foiled, he could still take his revenge. And his heart was filled with a sense of pleasure thinking about how the people were going to suffer.


    "After you release the virus, come back immediately. I''ll book flight tickets to Australia. We will relocate forever tomorrow."


    "Are you sure you can relocate to Australia?" A crisp and strong female voice sounded from across the room. The men looked in the direction of the voice and found a woman sitting on top of the five feet high bookshelf in the hall.


    "Who are you? What are you doing here?" David spat. Nobody had seen her nor had they sensed her. It looked like she just appeared out of nowhere.


    "Hmm. Let''s see. You are four in number. It will take me around twelve minutes to dislocate all your jaws and to break your bones enough to get you admitted to the hospital for a month." The woman spoke looking directly into David''s eyes.


    The blonde guy scoffed. "What made the woman think she could break their bones? She must be mentally retarded."


    The man with the gruff voice laughed loudly. His voice sounded so horrible that not only the woman but even the others had to shield their ears. "Woman, do you even know what you just spoke? Anyway, I like your boldness. Let''s see if you are still bold when I pound into your hot body."


    "I don''t think by then you will be having your manhood to do that."


    "You..." The man gritted his teeth.


    The woman jumped off the shelf. She was as agile as a cat. She was dressed in an all-black outfit, making her look quite sexy. The blonde guy tried to attack her. But she dodged it so quickly that he was left dumbstruck. Not only him all the others were dumbstruck too. Angered by this, the blonde man charged at her again. This time, she did not dodge it. But she kicked him right on his jaw. The impact was so strong that blood started to ooze out of his mouth. She then punched him in the chest thrice, breaking some of his ribs in the process. He fell to the ground at once. The man was shocked by the woman''s strength. She was very strong for her looks and as the saying goes: Looks can be deceiving.


    "You bitch." The man with the gruff voice spoke and took out his revolver. Before he could aim at her, his hand and right leg were shot by the guy with the glasses. This time the word shock was not enough to describe what the others were feeling.


    "You.. you.. you. How? Why?" David stuttered.


    "This man works for me." The woman said, kicking the man with the gruff voice in his private area. He immediately howled in pain. She kicked again and again until he fell unconscious.


    David did not know what to do. He could only sit and stare. He was defenseless; of the three men he trusted, two were down and one had betrayed him.


    "Who are you?"


    "We are from the Intelligence and we have successfully caught you along with the virus you intended to infect the people with." The only man standing spoke.


    David laughed out loud hearing his words. It took him a few minutes to calm himself.


    "Do you think you can leave this room alive? My men are outside. They will definitely kill you."


    This time it was their turn to laugh. After a while, the woman spoke, "Do you think we are idiots? My people have already taken care of them the moment you got here."


    "But how did you get here?"


    "Simple. We followed you." The woman shrugged her shoulders.


    "But I remembered to be careful. It is impossible for you to follow me."


    The woman sighed at David''s stupidity. "If you are smart, then we are super smart. That is why we are called the Intelligence."


    She handcuffed his hands and pulled him with her.


    "You take care of these. I''ll leave first. Also, send the virus to the National Laboratory for testing." The guy with the spectacles nodded.


    "Wait a minute. He already knew about my plans. Why did you wait so long?" David still couldn''t comprehend what was happening.


    "You answer him. We have all the time in the world." The woman said with a smile.


    "Though I knew who was involved along with you, I did not know where the virus was being stored. So we made a plan to make your escape from custody. We knew you would come and meet your men directly. Also, I got to know about this place only today."


    David was rendered speechless. All his plans had gone down the gutter. Now the only thing left was for him to rot in jail.

 Chapter 29: I want to write my will

    Ian had just finished his afternoon coffee and was walking back towards the general ward on the first floor when he heard someone sobbing. Initially, he felt it to be his imagination. But when the sobs became loud, he turned around looking for the voice. He walked in the direction of the voice slowly. It was coming from the staircase at the fire escape. The door was ajar, so he clearly heard the cries as soon as he was near it. He peeked in, looking for the person who was crying. His heart melted when he saw a little girl crying with her hands covering her face. She was sitting on the third step and her back was towards the door, so she could not see Ian approaching her.


    Ian sat beside her. Yet, she did not realize his presence. It was only when he spoke that she moved back startled.


    "Hey," Ian spoke in a soothing voice.


    The girl remained quiet. Ian took in her appearance. She looked around six or seven. Her brown hair was in a pigtail with a purple bow at the top. She was wearing a matching purple dress, with cute princess shoes. Her big, brown eyes were filled with tears and she had a running nose.


    "Hey. Little girl. What happened?" He asked again. His voice soft, making sure not to scare her.


    Tears fell from the girl''s eyes and she was rubbing her cheeks every time this happened. Ian took out his handkerchief and gave it to her. The girl first looked at the kerchief, then at Ian and then at the kerchief again. Ian raised his kerchief and gave her an assuring smile. The girl reluctantly took it from his hand and started to wipe her cheeks.


    After a few minutes, when Ian was sure that the girl had calmed down. He spoke again.


    "What are you doing here little girl? Have you come with someone?"


    The tears that had stopped, started flowing again listening to Ian''s words. Ian panicked looking at her cry again. So, he picked her up and placed her on his lap. He then rubbed her back while he wiped her face with his hands. He hushed her and waited for her to calm down.


    "It''s my grandpa. He is sick." This time the girl started the conversation. Ian patted her back while he positioned her in his lap in such a way as to clearly see her face.


    "My grandpa is sick. He is the only one I have." The girl''s voice broke.


    "It''s okay. It''s okay, sweetheart. Everything will be alright. Your grandpa will be fine."


    "Are you sure about that? My grandpa was bleeding from his mouth. I am scared." She held onto Ian''s neck tightly and buried her face in his chest.


    "Let me check okay. Can you tell me where your grandpa is?" Ian said standing up, carrying her in his arms. The girl nodded.


    Ian carried the girl with him and walked on the corridor.


    "Now tell me where your grandpa is," Ian asked gently. The girl motioned him to put her down which Ian did. She then held his hand and pulled him towards the ward on the left.


    Ian walked with her. However he was scared. The left division on the first floor was meant for cancer patients. And his intuition became true when the girl opened the second door in that division. The girl then left his hand and ran towards her grandfather who was lying unconscious on the bed. An attending doctor and two nurses were treating him. The attending doctor saw the girl and bent down to talk to her while Ian took a look at the patient''s medical chart.


    "Little princess, don''t cry. Your grandfather is just tired. So, he is sleeping. Okay. Now be a good girl and stop crying." The lady doctor said tucking some of the girl''s hair behind her ears.


    "But I saw him bleeding. And why are there so many pipes attached to his hands." The girl asked looking back and forth between Ian and the lady doctor.


    The lady doctor could not give any answer to the child''s question. How could she say that her grandfather was suffering from cancer and he was in the second stage? The worst part was, the girl did not have anybody else other than her grandfather and she did not know anything about her parents. The lady doctor looked at Ian and pleaded him to help her. Ian sighed. He too was helpless. Yet, he had to assure the girl and prevent her from crying again. So he picked her up and made her sit on the sofa next to the bed.


    "Sweetheart, your grandpa is fine. But he is a little sick. There are so many pipes going in and out of him because we want to keep him healthy. What do doctors give you when you are sick or down with fever?"


    "Injection." The girl replied at once.


    "Yes. But the injections they give you is small because you are small. But your grandpa is big, so he will be given big injections. And these pipes are just for that." The little girl nodded in understanding, making both the doctors and the nurses in the ward sigh in relief.


    "Now sweetheart, tell me. Have you come with anybody else?" The girl nodded and pointed towards the door. Ian held her hand and walked outside.


    "There I have come with the bodyguard uncle." The girl spoke as soon as she saw a man darting towards them. He was a middle-aged man around forty or so. His face was tanned and he was quite muscular. He wearing a dark blue suit and there was an earpiece in his right ear.


    The man hastened his footsteps as soon as he saw the girl. "Are you alright, Violet?"


    "Yes Uncle John. This big brother took care of me."


    The man looked at Ian and held out his hand. He could clearly recognize that Ian was a doctor with the white lab coat he was wearing.


    "May I talk to you for a second?" Ian asked.


    "Violet, go stay with your grandpa." The man named John smiled at her.


    "Okay Uncle John," Violet replied and went inside the ward.


    "The patient is suffering from leukemia and he is in the second stage. Did you know about it before?"


    "No doctor. Mr. Litner was absolutely fit until today. This was the first time he fainted and coughed out blood."


    Mr. Litner, the name struck a chord in Ian''s mind. Mr. Norman Litner was the world-renowned psychiatrist. His works in the field of psychology and studies related to the brain had made him famous all around the world. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his achievements and discoveries. After getting the award, he had set up a National Psychology Center in the country to treat patients with mental disorders. Ian had seen his interviews on the television. He looked completely different from the normal healthy man. Now he looked all fragile and weak. That what was why Ian could not recognize him.


    "Does he not have anybody else other than Violet?"


    "No Doctor. His daughter and son-in-law died in an accident three years ago. Now all he has is his granddaughter Violet?"


    "Who are you to him?"


    "I am John Sullivan. I am his assistant. May I ask you a question Doctor?"


    "Yes. Please go ahead."


    "Can he be cured?"


    "Yes. Definitely. If his treatment is started soon, then he can definitely be cured. But, I can only tell correctly after I see his complete report."


    At that instant, the door to Mr. Litner''s room opened and Violet ran outside.


    "Uncle John. Uncle John. Grandpa is awake. Grandpa is awake." Violet said excitedly.


    Both the men rushed inside along with Violet. As Violet had said, Mr. Litner had been conscious. He looked at his granddaughter and then at John. Violet stood beside him and started talking excitedly.


    "Grandpa, how do you feel now? You were sick." Norman gave a smile at his granddaughter, listening to her consistent chattering.


    "I need to talk to you alone." He signaled the assistant, which he understood immediately.


    "Violet, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?" Ian asked grasping the situation.


    "Yes I want an ice cream."


    "Come with me. I''ll buy you one." Ian said taking her hand in his and beckoned the others to leave the room. Norman thanked him through his eyes.


    "I want to meet my lawyer," Norman said as soon as he was left alone with John.


    "Why Mr. Litner?"


    "I have some things which I want to tell Violet. But she is too young for that right now. I want to write my will so that her future is safe if I am gone."


    "Okay Mr. Litner. I contact them as soon as possible."

 Chapter 30: The President wants to meet you

    Ivy listened to the Sasha and Cedric joking and pulling each other legs while they drove towards the President''s office.


    "You are going to become a balloon if you keep eating this much," Cedric commented, snatching the packet of chips from Sasha''s hands.


    "How does it matter to you, you bony man?" Sasha retorted, trying to get back her chips.


    "If you become fat then who will marry you?" Cedric said putting a chip in his mouth.


    "Those are my chips. How dare you eat it!! Spit it out. Spit it out right now. Sasha glared at him with her hands on her hips. Ivy laughed at their playful banter.


    While Cedric and Sasha were busy having a standoff in glaring at each other, Ivy grabbed the packet from Cedric''s hands.


    "Hey." Both of them shouted at once. By then, the last remaining piece had gone inside Ivy''s mouth and she gave them a contented smile.


    "Look what you did Mister. That was the last packet I had. Now I have to settle for something else." Sasha poked Cedric''s cheek.


    "You still have your food bag. Open it. You might find something more delicious."


    "Yes Sasha. Open your bag." Ivy too urged her.


    "I know both of you have set your eyes on my choco-chip cookies. But I am not sharing them with you two."


    "You have choco chip cookies?" Ivy''s eyes widened and she gave Sasha a wicked smile. The one thing she liked the most was the choco-chip cookies prepared by Sasha''s mother. The taste of butter and vanilla along with the chocolate chips and nuts just made Ivy salivate. And more than that, she liked how delicious those cookies tasted when dipped in chocolate syrup. They just tasted wow.


    "Don''t act all too innocent Ivy. I know you have been eyeing my bag since the beginning." Sasha pulled out a granola bar and started munching on it.


    "For now I''ll settle with this. I''ll open the box of cookies only after the press meet."


    Ivy huffed while Cedric groaned in frustration. By then they had arrived at the Presidents office. Ivy took a look at the mirror and arranged her dress properly. She had worn a white high neck shirt with a dark grey skirt and a matching jacket and black heel pumps. She had tied her hair in a low ponytail. She got off the car and walked towards the queue of reporters, waiting to get inside.


    As soon as her turn came, she showed her ID card and her pass at the entrance. The assistant in front of her ticked her news channel''s name on the attendance list and allowed her to go inside with Cedric. Ivy looked for her seat while Cedric started to set his camera equipment where all other cameramen were standing.


    Sasha was not allowed inside the hall as she did not have a pass. Only two people from an agency were allowed inside the hall, a reporter and a cameraman. So, she had to wait outside the hall.


    The chairs in the hall were placed on two sides with a gap in between for the cameramen and their equipment. There were four rows on each side with five chairs in every row. Ivy''s seat was the first one in the second row. She smiled. Her seat had the best view and accessibility. She was neither in the exact front nor was she hidden in a corner. She placed her bag on her chair and then approached the lady assistant near the stage.


    "Excuse me Miss. I am from the News4U channel. Can you tell me the order for asking the questions to the President?"


    It was a known rule that all the reporters had to follow a protocol while attending press conferences of such type. In order to avoid a ruckus, each agency would be allowed to ask a certain number of questions. They had to follow the order and ask the question only when it was their turn. If this rule was violated, then that particular agency would be blacklisted and banned from attending any further press meets.


    "Wait a second." The assistant looked at the notepad in her hand.


    "You can ask only two questions. You are to ask the fifth and the thirteenth question."


    Ivy thanked her and proceeded to talk to Cedric. "Ced I have been given the fifth and the thirteenth slot."


    "That''s good Ivy. You can look at the situation and then ask the questions." Cedric said adjusting the video recorder. Ivy too felt the same. She could comprehend the situation correctly and then ask her questions to the President.


    "I have this covered Ivy. You can return to your seat. Good luck"


    "Good luck Ced."


    The conference started exactly at five. The President, Luis Truman, walked to the stage and stood at the podium. He stood with all the pride and confidence a leader must possess. He was accompanied by his secretary and four guards.


    "Before you start asking questions, let me first tell you why this press meet was called. As you all know one of our ministers has conspired against the country and tried to harm the citizens."


    Although Luis did not reveal the name, everyone watching the live press meet could make out that he was talking about David Peters, the Finance Minister.


    "I am here to guarantee the people that his plans have been foiled and there is no threat to anybody."


    Ivy understood that the President himself wanted to assure the people of their safety. So, he had organized this event.


    "Now you may ask your questions."


    One of the reporters from the front row on the right stood up. "Yesterday it was told that Mr Peters had escaped from custody. Doesn''t that mean the threat is still present?"


    This was the question every reporter had prepared. Ivy looked at her list of questions and ticked off the first one.


    "We know that Mr. Peters has escaped from custody. But we have sent a search team for him. Rest assured he will be caught by the end of the day." Luis replied calmly. He knew that the Intelligence had already taken the matters in their hands and the results would be out soon.


    "Is it possible that Mr. Peters men have already released the virus as soon as his news of being taken for an inquiry was released." This time it was the reporter right behind Ivy.


    "That could not have happened. If something like that had already been done, then we would have had people showing symptoms and getting admitted to the hospital. But there is no news regarding this. So, I can assure you that the virus has not been released yet."


    Two more questions were asked regarding David to Luis to which he answered calmly. Now it was Ivy''s turn to question. She stood up slowly. Cedric focused his camera on Ivy.


    "Mr. President, is anybody else from the ministry or the government, other than Mr. Peters, involved in this act?"


    Luis was taken aback by Ivy''s question. He had not given a thought about other people''s involvement apart from David and his men. The reporter standing in front of him had given a matter to look into. Although he was taken by surprise, he immediately composed himself.


    "The proofs which we have obtained mainly point to Mr Peters. We are looking through this case completely. If we find anybody else''s involvement, he will be punished as per the law."


    Satisfied with the answer, Ivy sat down and waited for her turn again.


    After a series of other questions on different topics were fired, it was Ivy''s turn again.


    "Mr. President, there has been an update on foreign invasion at our country''s border? How has the government tackled this issue and what is their objective in attacking us?" Ivy asked the question though it was not on the list handed to her by Max.


    Murmurs erupted in the hall at this question. It was true that for a few weeks, the soldiers at the borders were fighting with the terrorists.


    Luis was once again taken aback at Ivy''s question. The female reporter knew what question to ask as well as how to ask it.


    "Though this issue is quite confidential, I will only reveal the things which I am quite sure of. Our soldiers are trying to suppress the commotion at the borders. I can say that none of our men have lost their lives and I am happy about it. And the answer to what their objective is in doing so, I cannot answer it. We have got some clues, but it is yet to be confirmed as of now."


    "Thank you Mr President." Ivy gave him a smile and waited for the conference to end.


    Other journalists took this opportunity and bombarded Luis with questions while Ivy listened to them carefully. Every now and then she was jotting down the points on her notepad.


    After an hour, the conference ended. Sasha was waiting for them outside the hall.


    "How was it? How was the press meet?" She asked, bouncing in her place in an animated way.


    "It was good," Ivy replied walking forward.


    "Good? Are you saying it was good? It was awesome." Cedric exclaimed carrying his bag behind her.


    "What do you mean?" Sasha asked grabbing Cedric''s hand.


    Before she got a reply from either of them, they were interrupted.


    "Excuse me Madam." One of the bodyguards ran towards Ivy and her team and stopped them from leaving.


    "Yes?"


    "The President wants to meet you."


    "Me?" Ivy asked dumbfounded. Cedric and Sasha were in a similar state too.


    "Yes. Now if you will please follow me."


    "Look Mister. I think you are mistaken. It must be somebody else."


    "No Madam. The President specifically asked to meet you."

 Chapter 31: Meeting the President

    Ivy, Sasha and Cedric followed the guard hesitantly.


    "Why would the President want to meet us?" Sasha asked, walking right beside Ivy.


    "I don''t know, Sasha. I am wondering the same." Ivy replied. It was true, she herself did not know why the President had asked her to meet him.


    "Is it because of the questions you asked him during the press meet?" Cedric said, making Ivy and Sasha stop in their feet.


    "What questions?" Sasha raised her eyebrows confused.


    "I don''t think that''s the reason," Ivy said, although she was unsure herself.


    "Oh my God. Oh my God. The President is angry. Your questions made him angry." Cedric said hyperventilating.


    "Relax. It''s going to be alright." Ivy said again. But this time she was sacred too. What if Cedric''s words were true? What if she had really angered the President?"


    "Can anybody tell me what are you talking about?" Sasha said annoyed.


    Again her question was unanswered. The guard who was leading them walked back when he realized that they were not following him.


    "Any problem?" He asked looking at all three of them.


    "No," Cedric replied at once. "We were just wondering what we being called for."


    "Sir, There is nothing to worry about. The President just wants to meet you. Nothing serious."


    Listening to the guard''s words, all the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.


    "This way please." The started to walk again and this time the trio followed him calmly. They arrived at a door and waited for a few minutes while the guard went inside. After a few seconds, the guard returned and held the door wide open.


    "You may go in."


    "All three of us?" Sasha asked skeptically.


    "Yes Madam. All three of you."


    The group of three stepped inside the room with muddled thoughts. They stared at the man sitting on the couch in the center. There were two guards behind him. There was a desk at the far end of the room with two computers and a printer. The desk had three telephones and a pen stand. The room was well furnished and looked like a private meeting room.


    "Please do take your seats." Luis welcomed them with a warm smile.


    Ivy took a seat on the couch towards his right, while Cedric and Sasha sat on the left.


    "Would you like some coffee?" Luis asked lifting the kettle.


    "No Mr President. We are fine. Thank You." Ivy replied courteously.


    "Don''t be formal. Have some coffee."


    "Umm. Okay Mr President. Let me help." This time Ivy gave in.


    "No no. You are my guests. Let me do it." The president poured the coffee into a cup and stared at Ivy.


    "How do you like your coffee?"


    "One spoon of sugar please."


    Luis added a spoonful of sugar and handed Ivy her cup along with a spoon. He then poured another cup and then turned to Cedric.


    "How do you like your coffee, young man?"


    "One spoon sugar, Sir."


    Luis handed Cedric his cup after adding the sugar. Before he could pour the third cup, Sasha stopped him.


    "I don''t drink coffee Mr. President."


    "Do you want anything else? Tell me. I''ll tell my assistant to get it for you."


    "No Mr President. I am fine." Sasha was too scared to even talk, let alone to ask him get her something else instead of coffee. She was fidgeting in her seat uncomfortably; sitting in front of the President himself was making her nervous.


    Ivy finished her cup in a go and burnt her tongue in the process. She then waited for Luis to talk.


    "You must be wondering why I called you here." Luis started.


    All three of them turned to look at him. He took a sip from his cup and lifted his head to meet three pairs of curious eyes.


    "May I know which news agency you are from?"


    "We work for News4U," Cedric answered his question.


    "Ain''t it the same news channel that telecasted Mr. Peters video first."


    Ivy nodded a yes while Sasha and Cedric remained silent.


    "Interesting. As I had expected."


    "What?" Ivy asked him on hearing him mumble.


    "May I know your name, young lady?" Luis stared right into Ivy''s eyes.


    "My name is Ivy West."


    "Hmm. During the press meet, you asked me a question if anybody else from the government had joined hands with David Peters. Why did you feel that way?" He observed her waiting for her to answer him.


    Ivy''s eyes broadened in surprise. As Cedric had predicted, they had been summoned due to the questions she had asked. Ivy answered his question, regardless of the situation.


    "Mr. President, I know Mr. Peters has money and all the power to get a virus developed from another country. But I don''t think he is powerful enough to sneak in the virus to our country without being noticed. I believe there is somebody else helping him behind the scenes and he may or may not be a government official. It is just my assumption and to be honest, I feel there are a lot more people involved with him. This case is not as simple as it looks to be."


    Luis smiled listening to the analysis given by the woman in front. She was very intelligent, he had to accept that.


    "Moving on to the second question you had asked. You think that the terrorists have some objective in attacking our people. What else can it be other than to kill our people?"


    This time Ivy had to think for a while before giving him an answer.


    "Mr. President, as you have said earlier in the press meet that none of our soldiers have been seriously injured. It means that our enemies are on a losing end, yet they are still fighting our men. It only means one thing They are trying to garner all our attention on them while they are secretly planning an attack somewhere else. Don''t you think so? I wouldn''t be surprised if our country is being attacked from a different direction in the upcoming few days."


    This time Cedric and Sasha too stared at her in shock along with Luis. His casual comment had made Luis think about its possibility. The reporter in front of him had given him the solution to his problems unknowingly.


    "Thank you very much, Miss West." Luis stood up. He now had important matters to handle.


    "No No, Mr President. We are honored. If there is nothing else, we will take your leave." Ivy gestured Cedric and Sasha to follow her.


    All the three of them walked towards their car silently.


    "What the hell was that?" Sasha was the first one to break the silence.


    "I don''t know." Ivy shrugged unlocking the company van.


    "What do you mean you don''t know? Do you even know what you did in there?" Cedric questioned with enthusiasm. Ivy folded her hands waiting for him to continue.


    "You were clearly analyzing and giving him advises to his problems." Cedric dropped his bag in the van


    "It seriously looked so cool that for a moment I wondered if I was sitting in a secret meeting room, like the Intelligence or the FBI or something," Sasha said. She looked like a die-hard fan who was meeting her idol for the first time.


    Ivy gave Sasha a look like she was crazy and threw the van keys to Cedric. She then coolly got inside the van.


    ''Hmm the idea of being in the Intelligence is not bad." She thought.

 Chapter 32: Tomorrow, we are going sightseeing

    At London airport.


    Aria pushed her luggage trolley outside the airport. Mason walked right beside her, taking quick glances at her secretly every few minutes. Her colleagues followed behind them, expressing their relief on finally landing in London. The long flight had made them restless and tired.


    Aria looked at awaiting people at the departure gate. She had been informed by the management that someone from the conference committee would definitely come to pick them up. She searched among the people for some signboard or an indication. After searching for a while, she finally found the person she was looking for. He was standing at the left corner with a board held high. The board in his hand clearly read: Regal Medical Hospital, Country P. She directly walked towards him and gave him a smile.


    "That''s us. Regal Medical Hospital, Country P."


    "Welcome to London everybody. My name is Stuart Lee. I will be your assistant and guide during your stay in London." The man''s cheerful voice immediately boosted everyone''s energy. He looked quite young, maybe a university student. He was quite tall and lean and was dressed casually in dark blue jeans and a white shirt. He had the innocence and charm that could make people turn their heads and admire him.


    "Shall we proceed, milady?" Stuart asked in a perfect British accent which made Aria laugh.


    "Sure. Mr. Lee. Lead the way." Aria tried to imitate the accent, but failed miserably. The other people in her group laughed at her attempt.


    Stuart gave her a cheeky smile on listening to her. "Follow me."


    He then led them towards the minibus in the parking lot. He put all their luggage in the luggage cabin while the others got on the bus. After making sure everyone had boarded the bus, Stuart too got in.


    "Hey, guys. This is Kaito Tanaka. He will be your driver during your stay." The driver waved at the group and gave them the answer beforehand to their unasked question. "I am Japanese."


    All of them nodded their heads together.


    "Kaito will also be your guard. So, don''t worry you will be safe." Listening to Stuart''s words, everyone had a doubtful face as Kaito looked so small and innocent that he couldn''t even kill a mosquito. Stuart took a look at everyone''s doubtful face and continued, " Don''t go by his appearance. He is a master in Karate and Taekwondo. Listening to him all of them clapped, while Kaito bowed on being applauded. After all the introductions, the minibus started to move towards their hotel.


    After an hour of driving, Stuart turned towards his guests.


    "Ladies and gentlemen. Shortly we will be arriving at the hotel where you will be staying. Freshen up as early as possible and meet me in the dining hall. I have to give you updates on the events at the conference."


    The minibus stopped in front of a magnificent hotel. The passengers stepped out of the bus and gaped at the hotel, The London Bridge Glory, in front of them. It had a traditional touch to it with a neoclassical style. It so beautiful and classy that it blew away the visitors'' minds.


    Stuart cleared his throat to gain his audience''s attention. "The interior is much better." He said with a wink.


    All their luggage had already been taken out of the bus by then. The group then proceeded to enter the hotel. As Stuart had said, the interior was marvelous. Stuart started to tell about the hotel, successfully gaining everyone''s attention.


    "The London Bridge Glory was built in the year 1968 under the supervision of British architect, William Wayne. This hotel has sixteen floors. There are totally 368 rooms in the hotel and seven presidential suites. The presidential suite lies on the last four floors and has the best view of the River Thames. There are two suites on the first three floors at that level and the last floor has the best suite in this hotel."


    Aria looked at the hotel''s extravagance. Truly, it was very beautiful. There was a circular vestibule at the reception. There were four wide vaulted corridors, each leading to different wings: North, East, West and South. There were triangular shaped staircases on both sides of the entrance door. The one on the right led to the dining hall, while the one on the left led to the restaurants and other shops.


    "You can take a look whenever you are free," Stuart said handing them the cards to their room. They were assigned three rooms in total. Since it was an international conference, more than five hundred people were attending it. So, all the hotel rooms had been booked for this purpose except for the presidential suites. Mason and another male doctor, Aiden Cooper, were to share a room. While the two female doctors, Tara Das and Julia Robert, decided to stay in one room. Now Aria had a room all by herself and she was very happy about it.


    Stuart led them towards the East Wing and took them to their rooms on the sixth floor via the elevator. He accompanied them till their respective rooms and reminded them to come down for dinner at the dining hall as early as possible.


    "Umm. Stuart, may I have your number? Just in case of an emergency." Aria handed her phone to him. Stuart fed his number on her phone and gave his number a ring.


    "Remember, come down as early as possible. It''s almost 10." Aria nodded and went inside her room. It was decorated in period styles with built-in wardrobes and bedroom cabinets. The four-poster bed was covered with Irish linen sheets, with cherry wood furnishings.


    Aria unpacked her bag and took out her towel. She opened the bathroom door was gasped. The bathroom was as beautiful as the bedroom. As she didn''t have time to admire it, she immediately washed her face, combed her messy hair and applied some minimal makeup. She didn''t change out of her casual dress as she was only going for dinner. She took a look at herself in the mirror. Though she looked tired, she looked presentable. Satisfied with her looks, she walked out of her room towards the dining hall. Stuart was waiting for her team at the entrance of the dining hall. "Wow that was quite fast."


    "I am starving. Where are the others?"


    "You are the first one to come."


    The dining hall was very large. There was food being served on the left while there were tables and deep red riveted leather chairs on the left. The ceiling had a garlanded balustrade giving it an ornate look. There were huge brass chandeliers at the center and the windows were covered with deep red curtains. Aria looked at the food being served and her stomach rumbled loudly. Stuart chuckled hearing the noise, making Aria blush with embarrassment.


    After fifteen minutes, the remaining four people arrived.


    "It''s a buffet. So, help yourselves." Stuart picked up the plate and went to look at the dishes. Aria too followed suit and her jaw dropped looking at the various cuisines being served. She grabbed a plate of fish and chips, a small serving of Shepherd''s pie and three servings of bangers and mash.


    "Wow. Nice." Mason commented looking at her plate.


    Aria grabbed a bottle of water and took her seat at one of the tables. She moaned in delight when she tasted a spoon of bangers and mash.


    "Wow. Look at you. Did you starve yourself for a week or what?" Stuart joked. Aria gave him a smile. The food was too delicious for her to even speak. Though Stuart had commented about Aria''s plate, his plate was loaded more than hers. One by one, her team members came and sat at the table.


    After everyone had finished with their dinner, Stuart handed them the itinerary.


    "Tomorrow''s schedule is empty. What are we going to do?" Tara asked studying the sheet.


    "Tomorrow we are going sightseeing."

 Chapter 33: Wait for me Aria

    Noah was sitting on the sofa, working on his tab. After he had made sure that Aria had safely reached the hotel, he had driven to his mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens. He had a mansion in London which he used every time he visited London. Though he was reluctant, he had decided to stay at his mansion. He did not want to stay in the same hotel where Aria was staying to avoid being called a stalker.


    The mansion was imposing and elegant following classic Arts and Crafts design incorporating the most up-to-date construction materials and technology. It had four floors, the lower ground floor featuring an outstanding indoor pool complex, spa area, treatment room, gymnasium and cinema.


    On the ground floor there was a grand hallway that featured an impressive curving staircase, which led onto a spacious and contemporary kitchen, 3 reception rooms and a dining room, all of which had doors leading onto the stunning garden. There were three bedrooms on the first floor. The master bedroom on the second floor had two private dressing rooms and two luxuriously fitted bathrooms, as well as a private terrace and balcony.


    Since the mansion was huge, Noah''s secretary and his assistant were also staying with him along with his guards.


    "Boss, he has come." One of the guards spoke up, making Noah divert his attention from his work for a while.


    "Bring him in."


    A short, slim Japanese man entered the hall and gave Noah a bow.


    "What do you have for me, Kaito?"


    "Boss, Madam and her friends have checked into the hotel. She has also had her dinner and now she is resting in her room. This is her itinerary for tomorrow." Kaito handed Noah a sheet.


    Kaito was Noah''s man. He had been working for him for three years and had good connections in London. When Noah learned that Aria was going to London, he had made Kaito a member of the committee using his connections. That way he could keep Aria safe in a foreign land. If it was in his hands, he would have been the one to take care of Aria. But he knew, he had to take it slow. He was still not sure of his feelings for Aria.


    "So, Aria is going sightseeing tomorrow."


    "Yes Boss," Kaito replied at once.


    "Hmm. Let''s see. What are our plans for tomorrow, Shane?" Noah looked at his assistant, Shane, who was sitting right in front of him.


    "Nothing Boss. Your schedule is clear." He squeaked out the words. How could he say he had a meeting with the shareholders at eleven in the morning? His Boss clearly had other plans in mind. If he says a thing about the meeting, that would mean angering the dragon. So, now he had to postpone the meet for another day.


    "Good. You have become quite efficient. You can take a holiday along with a bonus when we return."


    Noah''s words immediately lifted his assistant''s mood. He felt that spring had made an entry in this frosty weather. He secretly thanked Aria for coming into his Boss''s life.


    "Kaito, you can leave now. Remember to take care of Aria. If anything happens to her" Noah did not continue his words, but the threat was clear.


    Kaito gulped hearing his words. He realized Aria was important to his Boss. So he had to make no mistakes or else his life was as good as dead.


    "Yes Boss."


    "Everybody be ready on time," Noah ordered and got up. He climbed the staircase to the second floor. He plopped on the bed and opened Aria''s photos he had received on his phone from Ronnie. He stared at the photographs for a long while before sighing, "Wait for me Aria."


    Meanwhile Aria had returned to her room after dinner. It was past ten.


    ''It is past ten in London. So, that means it''s past midnight back home. Should I make a call or not?'' Aria contemplated. She had promised to make a call to Ian, Daniel and Ivy as soon as she reached London. However, it was too late to make a call.


    "But they will be worried. Let''s take the risk."


    She dialed Ivy''s number first and as expected from the night owl, she picked it on the first ring.


    "Hey Ari, have you reached London?"


    "Yes Ivy. But why haven''t you slept yet?"


    "Ari I have a new case at hand. So, I was searching for some things about it. Anyway, how is London? Did you find any good looking men? I heard that the British are sexy."


    If Noah had heard Ivy''s words at that time, he would have immediately set out a revenge plan on her. Since Ivy was Aria''s sister, definitely the revenge would be mild.


    Aria rolled her eyes at Ivy''s absurd words. "Goodnight Ivy. Take care. Don''t be awake for long."


    "Goodnight Ari. I hope you find a cool, good looking guy."


    Aria then gave a call to Daniel which he immediately disconnected.


    ''Maybe he is busy. He will give me a call when he sees my missed call'' She thought.


    Next she gave a call to Ian.


    "Hello, Aria. Have you reached London?" Ian greeted her.


    "Hey Ian. Yes, I have reached safely. Are you on night duty?"


    "Yes. For two days straight."


    "Oh. How''s everything at the hospital?"


    "Everything is fine Aria. How is it in London?"


    "It is good here. I haven''t had the chance to explore the city yet. I''ll get you something as a souvenir."


    "I''ll look forward to it. I hope it will be something good."


    "Definitely. Goodnight Ian. I''ll give you a call later." Aria responded.


    "Goodnight Aria. Take care."


    Aria lied on the soft bed and sighed in bliss. It was very comfortable and she felt like she was in heaven. Maybe due to the long flight or maybe the softness of the bed, Aria fell into a deep slumber at once without any care in the world. She had no idea what was waiting for her the next day and that she would have one of the most interesting days of her life.

 Chapter 34: Your Mom makes all the decisions

    The Adler family was sitting in the hall in silence. They had completed their dinner earlier in silence, waiting for someone to start speaking. It was almost midnight, yet none of them had spoken. All the servants in the house had retired for the night, giving the family some privacy. There was high tension in the air. Daniel stared at his parents. He knew something was going in their minds and it was very serious.


    "Dad, will you tell me what is going on?" Daniel couldn''t hold it anymore.


    "Son, I don''t know how to start." Daniel''s Dad, Arnold, knitted his eyebrows.


    "Mom, what about you? Someone please tell me. What is happening?" Daniel stood up and sat beside his mother.


    "Daniel, whatever we are going to tell you will not change the fact that we love you. We love you a lot." Daniel''s mother, Pamela Adler, spoke.


    "What do you mean, Mom? You are scaring me." Daniel held her trembling hands.


    Suddenly Daniel''s phone rang in the tense atmosphere. He glanced at the screen and disconnected the call. It was from Aria. He then placed the phone in his pant pocket.


    ''That means Aria has reached London safely.'' He thought.


    "Mom, Dad?" He prompted looking back and forth.


    Arnold sighed. He knew he couldn''t hide the truth any further. It was better that Daniel heard it from them rather than outsiders.


    "Thirty years ago, after a lot of struggle, your Mom became pregnant." Daniel stared at his father in shock. If his mother was pregnant thirty years ago, then he would be having an elder brother or sister.


    "Dad, do I have an elder sibling then? What happened to them?"


    "No son. You do not have any siblings. Pamela had a weak uterus. So she miscarried and we lost the lost baby."


    Pamela chocked on a sob when she remembered the day she lost her baby. Daniel hugged his mother tightly. He never knew his mother had gone through such a bad time.


    "After that the doctors told us that Pam could never conceive again." Arnold suddenly stopped. He couldn''t continue anymore.


    "Your grandparents tried to force your Dad to remarry. But he was adamant about staying with me. Eventually, they gave up." Pamela continued, reminiscing the day when Arnold had fought with his parents for her. She could clearly remember his words. "I don''t care if my wife cannot get pregnant and I don''t care what the society thinks. I love her and that is all that matters."


    "If you could not conceive again, then.." Daniel stopped. He could not put his words in front of them.


    "After the miscarriage, your mother went into depression for almost two years. It took us a lot of therapy to get her out it. Then we considered the option of adopting." Arnold looked at Daniel''s face. He was afraid of his reaction.


    "That means.."


    "Yes, you are adopted."


    Daniel''s mind went blank. It felt like the sky had fallen on him. He was not what he thought he was.


    "Daniel, we still love you. You are our son and nothing will change that."


    He could not hear his mother''s words nor he could see his father''s concerned face. The only thing that was going on in his mind was that he was adopted. He got up from the couch and started walking towards the stairs.


    "Daniel, listen to me. Daniel, please. Mamma loves you." Pamela ran after him.


    "Daniel, listen. You are still our son." Arnold held his hand tightly.


    Daniel forcibly freed his hand from his father and hastened his footsteps. He went inside his room and locked the door from within.


    "Danny, open the door. Listen to us." Pamela banged on the door.


    "Danny. Please listen to us once." Arnold joined.


    Daniel muted their voices in his head and slumped against the door. He could not hear his mother''s cries nor could he hear his father banging the door. The fact that he was adopted kept repeating in his mind like a broken record. A tear fell from his eyes.


    "My whole existence is a lie." He mumbled.


    He did not know how long he had been sitting in that position. He did not know when the cries and the banging had stopped. He did not even know what to do. Everything felt weird, his whole life was turned upside down.


    ''But I have to do something. I cannot sit like this.'' He thought. So, he did the one thing that would help him clear his mind. He gave a call to Aria. The phone was not picked up on the first try. So, he tried again. This time she picked it up.


    "Danny, do you even know what time it is? It is only 5 a.m. here in London which means it is around 3 a.m back in there. What are you doing at this time? Why are you giving me a call this time? You better give me a good reason for disturbing my sleep otherwise I''ll take care of you when I return." Aria blabbered on without waiting for the other person to speak. But she stopped immediately. Something was not right. Daniel''s uncharacteristic display of silence was new to her.


    "Is everything alright? What happened?" This time her voice was soft and gentle.


    "Aria, I am not an Adler," Daniel said, his voice had gone hoarse and he sounded like he had been crying.


    "What do you mean Danny?" Aria asked, sitting up on her bed. Danny''s behavior was scaring her.


    "Aria, I am not an Adler. I am not my parents'' son."


    "Danny, what are you even talking about?" For a moment, Aria thought that he was drunk. But she dismissed it immediately when she heard his next words.


    "I am adopted." Aria became silent at once. She had not expected anything like this. She did not know what to say to him. If she was back at home, she could have gone to him, hugged him and consoled him. However, she was in London, far away from him.


    "Aria, I don''t know what to do. My parents hid the truth from me for such a long time. Now all I feel is sadness and anger." Aria allowed him to vent all his frustration, sadness and anger on the phone. After what felt like a long time, he calmed down. Once she was sure he had was a little okay, she spoke carefully.


    "Danny, listen to me and listen to me carefully. Have your parents ever treated like you are not their own? If I remember correctly they love you a lot, they consider you their son. As for them not telling you about it, no parent would want their kid to know something like this. No good parent will allow their child to find out these things and if they have revealed this to you now, it means that they had no choice."


    Danny listened to Aria and realized that everything she was saying was the truth. His parents had never treated him bad, in fact he was treated even better than how other parents treated their kids.


    "Danny, what did you do when your parents revealed the truth to you?"


    "I came to my room without saying a word to them."


    Aria gasped. She couldn''t believe Daniel would behave insensitively.


    "Danny, how bad your parents must be feeling right now. Go and talk to them right now. They need you as much as you need them. And remember this one thing, you are their son and nothing will change that."


    "Oh my God. I messed up quite bad." Daniel repented his actions. He recalled his mother''s broken face when he had walked away.


    "No, Danny. Go talk to them right now. I know your parents will understand. They are the coolest parents you see."


    Daniel stifled a laugh listening to her. "Thank you. Aria."


    "Give me a call after you talk to them."


    Daniel sighed. Aria was right. He knew he had behaved immaturely and he had to make it right. He got up and unlocked his door, only to meet his parents sitting right in front of his door. His mother was still crying and her eyes had gone blood red while Arnold was consoling her. Seeing the door open, the couple stood up at once.


    "Can we talk?" Daniel spoke and walked inside the room. His parents followed him and took a seat on the couch while he remained standing. Their gaze was fixed on him, dreading what his reaction would be.


    Daniel crouched in front of them and held his mother''s hands.


    "Mom, Dad. I am sorry. I am so sorry. I was rude before. I am really very, very sorry. I know you had your reasons for not telling me. I am sorry." Daniel bowed his head in shame. Arnold pulled his son for a hug while tears were flowing from Pamela''s eyes.


    "You are our son. Nothing will change that."


    "Yes, Dad. I know."


    "I love you, Danny." Pamela hugged him next.


    "I love you too, Mom. I am sorry." Danny hugged her and kissed her hair. After a long time his mother released him.


    "Son, there is still something you must know."


    Daniel knew that his Dad was talking about the incident that took place twenty years ago.


    "Sit down properly, son. Pamela, why don''t you go take some rest. You look tired and this will take some time." It was only then Daniel realized that he was still squatting in front of his parents. Pamela nodded and walked out of the room. He sat on his bed in front of the couch and waited for his father to continue.


    "Do you remember you were kidnapped when you were ten years old?"


    Daniel nodded. He had faint memories of his abduction, though he had been unconscious most of the time.


    "It was done by your uncle, Jack."


    "But why?" This was a bolt out of the blue for him.


    "At that time, he was involved in gang activities and had done various crimes. One of them being, your kidnapping. He demanded to hand over all my properties and belongings to him. He even made me sign the transfer papers. You were our only son, I did not know what to do. So I did as he said. But before he could escape, the police arrived and he was sentenced to fourteen years of jail for all his crimes. I thought that the matter would have ended with this. However I was wrong, when he came to meet me two months back."


    "He came to meet you two months back!!" Daniel was stunned.


    "Yes."


    "But why did he attack me?"


    "He must have found out the truth."


    "What truth?"


    "My sign on those papers were useless. It is your Mom who holds all the rights to the Adler properties and the business. She makes all the decisions."

 Chapter 35: Puzzle with a lot of missing pieces

    Ivy opened the file she had retrieved from her father''s study. Though it had been three years and the papers had gone a little yellow at the edges, it was still in good condition. She scanned through the list on each sheet.


    The names of the victims were listed under the hospital they had been operated in and it was in a chronological order. There were twenty-three hospitals in total. All the doctor''s names were also mentioned in it, beside the patient they had operated on. She went through each hospital''s list and noted the doctor''s name. Every time the name repeated, she added a plus next to it. There were fifty-six doctors and the most number of patients was handled by a person named, George Hardin. He had operated on 67 cases.


    After going through the entire file, she opened her laptop to make a search on the hospitals on the internet. She found that all the hospitals recorded in the file had been closed and their medical license had been canceled in the last three years after her father disappeared, except for one hospital. It was the Royal Health Care Hospital. She remembered at once that it was the same hospital where she and Aria had gone to meet the nurse who had proclaimed to have seen her father.


    "Wow, who could have done this?" New results on the case had been obtained now and Ivy was a little excited. She continued to explore more about the hospitals and found interesting things about them. All those hospitals had been opened for less than a decade before they were forced to shut down. She went through the trustee''s names and management of all the hospitals. She discovered that in every hospital''s management, there was a person with the surname Grimes. But all the first names were different. Some were females, while some were males.


    "Are these people from the same family?" Ivy wondered, making a note of the surname Grimes on her notepad. She then typed the name Grimes on the Internet in hopes of getting some information. Unfortunately, there was no data about it. She thought of searching about the doctors listed in the file. Just like the Grimes, there was no information about them.


    Ivy stretched her hands. She had been sitting on the chair for quite a long time. Her neck had gone sore and her legs had become numb. She got up and went to the kitchen. She prepared herself a cup of hot chocolate and sat on the sofa in the hall. She switched on the TV and surfed through the channels. There was nothing eye-catching. The news channels were repeating the telecast of the President''s press meet. She had seen most of the movies that were being played. So, she switched to a business channel. One of the channels was reporting the rise and fall of currency while another channel was displaying the top 10 businessmen in the country. This immediately caught her fancy.


    Ivy folded her legs and held her cup of hot chocolate, looking intently at the TV screen.


    It was now the turn for the top 3 businessmen to be announced. Ivy took a sip of the hot chocolate, but immediately chocked on it when she heard who was holding the third position. It was Joshua Martin. She had sensed that he was not a normal person on their first meet. But she did not know that he was this rich and influential. She did not know much about him and it was not her mistake. Joshua had remained low-key and not many people had seen his face or known about his business. It was only in the recent months, when one of the video games his company had launched became famous at an international level, that people started observing his every move.


    The second place was held by an anonymous person. Nobody knew who he was or what he looked like. They did not even know his name. It was only revealed that he owned the pharmaceutical company, Royal Pharmaceuticals. He was also the Director of the Royal Health Care Hospital.


    Ivy''s mouth dropped open slightly in surprise. She ran to her room, while the TV was still on and was declaring Noah Allen Carter to be the sole winner by being first in the ranking.


    Ivy opened the search engine again and typed Royal Pharmaceuticals. She found all about it, the date when it was started, its net investments, annual profits, the medicines they manufactured. But she could not find anything related to who operated it. As she had heard on the TV, there was no mention of the person who owned it. She then searched about Royal Health Care hospital. Just like the previous result, she couldn''t get the name of the person she wanted. She also noted that there was no person having a surname Grimes on the management.


    Ivy pulled her hair in frustration. Even though she had got various leads, none of them connected properly. "First there is the Grimes and I don''t know where to find them. Next there is this anonymous Director who was my Dad''s doctor. But nobody even knows his name, let alone see his face. Who should I approach for help now?" Ivy muttered dropping her head on the table with a loud thud. Joshua''s face crossed her mind at the next instant.


    "Yes. I could ask for his help. Maybe he could help me dig out information on the Grimes. Yes." Ivy picked her phone to make a call to Joshua. However, she realized it was quite late. So, she thought of giving him a call in the morning. She then continued her search on the case. She remembered the document given to her by Max. It was a case of a similar type. She pulled her backpack and removed the document. She read the document and there was only one instance mentioned in it. She typed the name of the clinic referred to in it, Good City Clinic. There was nothing significant about it except for the fact that it was less than six months old. She could find no further information on it.


    Ivy closed her laptop and sighed. Everything was just like a puzzle with a lot of missing pieces. She knew that now only Joshua could help her. She groaned thinking about the flirt.


    "It''s okay. You are doing for your Dad. Just endure him for a while." Ivy patted her heart as she knew she could do nothing about it.

 Chapter 36: First date

    "And this is the famous Buckingham Palace," Stuart exclaimed, in a perfect British accent, donning the voice of a professional guide. Aria stared at the building in awe. As expected, it was quite magnificent and beautiful, more than what she had seen in the pictures.


    "Is this your first time in London?" Stuart asked, looking at Aria''s twinkling face.


    "Yes, it is. What gave it away?"


    "Your face is quite expressive." Stuart winked.


    Aria and her colleagues had gone to visit some of the famous landmarks in London. The conference was to start the next day officially. So, they had the entire day to look around the streets of London. Right after having breakfast, the group had left with Stuart and Kaito.


    Aria was quite energetic. She wanted to visit London for long and now her wish had come true. Throughout the entire time from their hotel to the Buckingham Palace, Mason had tried to indulge Aria in a talk with him. But she had ignored him completely by tagging along with Stuart and Tara. She replied to him occasionally only to not raise any suspicions in other people''s minds.


    "Come on. Let''s go have a look inside." Stuart led the team towards the entrance of the Buckingham Palace.


    Unknown to them, a group of people were watching their every move. Noah had memorized Aria''s schedule for the day, which he had obtained from Kaito, the previous night. He was waiting for her in front of the Palace for a long time since early morning, when she had finally arrived. He had dismissed his secretary and the assistant for the day. He was only accompanied by four guards, one of them being Ronnie.


    Aria was dressed in a white eyelet dress with a blue jacket and a straw hat was covering her head. She looked very lively and Noah couldn''t help but smile looking at her. She looked very pretty in a white dress. Occasionally, she would smile looking around with her curious eyes. The sight in front of him was more stunning than any painting he had ever seen.


    At that moment, Mason held Aria''s hands and started to drag her enthusiastically towards the Palace. Aria tried wriggling out of his grasp. However, he was too strong for her. He immediately tightened his hold on her, seeing her trying to free herself.


    "What are you doing?" Aria asked, trying to pull her hand back.


    "Nothing I just wanted to hold your hand," Mason smirked, making Aria cringe. She just wanted to slap him to wipe off the smirk.


    Noah noticed Mason grabbing Aria''s hands. He clenched his fists and glared in his direction. Ronnie observed his Boss''s deadly aura. It was terrifying and chilling to the bone. He knew his boss was angry.


    Before Noah could take a step forward, Ronnie stopped him. "Boss, let me handle this."


    He then gestured to one of the two guards and whispered something in his ears. The guard nodded and ran off. After a few minutes, he returned with a cup of hot coffee. He then bumped right into Mason, dropping the hot coffee all over his light blue shirt. He was careful as to not to spill a drop on Aria.


    "What the hell!!" Mason exclaimed. The hot coffee not only burnt his skin, but also stained his shirt.


    "I am sorry." The guard replied, yet it didn''t sound genuine. It was full of contempt.


    "Are you blind?" Mason raised his voice. He was beyond pissed while Aria was trying to stifle a laugh.


    "Oh my. Dr. Smith, are you alright?" Julia Robert asked handing Mason a tissue.


    "I am fine," Mason replied wiping his shirt using the tissue. This time his voice was quite soft, a complete contrast to how he had behaved with the guard before. He didn''t want to ruin the image he had maintained in front of his colleagues, so he pardoned the guard with a smile.


    "It''s okay, my friend. Not a problem." Both the guard and Aria scowled seeing his change of behavior.


    "Let me lead you to the loo." Stuart volunteered. "Why don''t you guys enter the Palace and have a look around by then? We will join you guys later."


    "I''ll come with you," Aiden replied.


    "Ladies be careful. Give me a call if anything happens." Stuart cautioned.


    "Come back soon," Tara said, as the three men walked away from them.


    "So, now it''s just the three of us." Julia sighed.


    Noah was observing all that had happened and he was quite impressed with the guard of his. He had managed to separate the ladies from the men. Now all that was remained was for him to somehow get Aria to be alone.


    Aria, Tara and Julia walked inside the Palace and followed the crowd towards the State Rooms. They couldn''t take their eyes off the grandeur of the palace. The sparkling candelabra, marble columns, sumptuous carpets, damask wallpaper, fine furniture, sculpture and works of art made one''s eyes widened in its exquisiteness.


    After having a thorough look at the State Rooms, they approached the Throne Room. At that moment, Aria''s phone rang. She walked towards the side and picked up the call.


    "Hello, Stuart."


    "Aria, where are you?"


    "We are in the throne room."


    "Okay, wait for us outside the Palace where we departed. We will join you after having the tour."


    "Okay Stuart."


    Aria then looked beside her. But Julia and Tara were nowhere to be seen. The crowd was quite huge. So she couldn''t find them in the midst of so many people. She tried calling them, none of them picked up. She tried again, but in vain. She groaned.


    "Now I have to have a tour of the Palace alone."


    "Who told you are alone?" A voice spoke from behind her, making her jump.


    Aria turned to look at the person who had spoken and her eyes widened in surprise.


    "Mr. Carter, what are you doing here?"


    "I am here to watch a movie."


    Aria rolled her eyes at Noah''s sarcasm. She realized her question was quite dumb. Obviously, he must have come to take a tour of the palace.


    "Are you alone?" Noah questioned, even though he already knew the answer. He was quite happy that Aria had somehow got separated from her group without him doing a thing.


    "No actually. My colleagues are with me. We got separated in the crowd."


    "Do you mind joining me or are you going to wait for them? I am alone as well. I don''t mind the company."


    Aria shrugged. She could make use of his company instead of wandering in the Palace alone.


    "That will be great."


    Noah smiled. His plans were finally taking place. Now he had Aria all to himself and he had to make sure that this continued until the end of the day. He nodded at Ronnie who was keeping a lookout for him.


    Aria and Noah walked towards the Throne Room.


    "Wow." Aria breathed. Aria''s eyes were roaming around the luxurious room while Noah''s gaze was fixed on the girl beside him, taking in her lovely features.


    Aria could fell Noah''s heated gaze and she raised an eyebrow at him. He immediately diverted his attention from her, embarrassed at being caught.


    "Everything is so beautiful here," Aria exclaimed.


    "Do you want to see something more beautiful?"


    Aria nodded absentmindedly. She was still immersed in the beauty of the Throne Room. Noah held her hand in his, his warmth seeping through her entire body. Her mind cleared at once and she looked at their intertwined hands.


    "I don''t want you to get lost in this crowd," Noah said. Though on the outside he looked calm and composed, fireworks were actually exploding in his body. Aria''s hands felt perfect in his hands, like they were made for him to hold. Butterflies were dancing in his stomach and before his mind started to malfunction, he pulled Aria towards the garden.


    Aria gasped at the sight in front of her. There were more than 300 types of flowers with a lot of different trees. That was what the signboard said. And the best part was the lake which reflected the flowers surrounding it. Her eyes twinkled at the stunning scenery. She walked deep into the garden while Noah followed her. He knew Ronnie was taking their photographs, yet he clicked a few pictures of Aria when she was not looking.


    "Have you been here before?" Aria asked looking at the garden.


    "Alone yes, in someone''s company no."


    Aria did not give him any reply. She continued to look around the garden.


    Aria''s mind was still processing what she had just seen after they had completed the tour. She was standing outside the Palace where she had decided to meet Stuart and the others after the tour. Noah was standing beside her, busy texting someone on the phone.


    Aria tried calling all the people who were still inside the Palace. It was either returning as not reachable or they were simply not picking her calls. She cursed in her mind. She was quite hungry. The tour had taken a lot of time. They stood outside for some time with no signs of anybody from her group.


    "So, are we going to wait here the entire day?" Noah asked, finally looking up from his phone.


    "No. No. You may leave if you want Mr. Carter. I am fine."


    "And leave you alone in this foreign place. No way." Noah rejected her offer at once.


    Aria''s stomach grumbled loudly and her face became red at once in embarrassment. Noah chuckled looking at her red face.


    "Look we both are clearly hungry and we don''t know where your colleagues are. So, I suggest we go and fill our stomachs while we wait for them. What say?" Noah asked, hoping for her to agree to his words.


    Aria sighed. She knew Noah was right. She was way too hungry to wait any further. She might as well have some lunch. When the other people come out of the Palace, they would give her a call.


    "Okay." She accepted.


    Noah''s eyes lit up at once.


    ''Is this our first date then?'' He wondered, though Aria did not know anything. All his plans were going smoothly and the best part was he had done nothing. He was quite happy with his luck that day and hoped for it to continue until the end of the night.

 Chapter 37: Background check on Ivy

    The President, Luis Truman, congratulated the members of the Intelligence. He was in the office of the Intelligence. He had come to congratulate the team on their accomplishment and he was quite happy with their work. They had successfully captured David Peters and his gang, stopping a huge catastrophe from happening. But he still couldn''t remove the journalist''s words from his mind. He was still in a great dilemma. What if Ivy''s assumptions are true? Is there anybody else involved in this act? If so, how would he find out about this and get to the bottom of it?


    "Mr President." The Chief of the Intelligence, Frederick Clarke, called him, breaking his train of thoughts.


    "This is Valarie Evans, the Deputy Chief. She was the one who led our team in this mission."


    "She is the one who led the team?" Valarie looked quite young, around thirty maybe, to be the Deputy Chief. He was quite surprised looking at her poised expression. She looked like a soldier, ready to face any situation.


    "I must say, lady, you were very impressive," Luis said, shaking her hand. Indeed he was quite impressed. He had met two outstanding women in just a span of one day.


    "Thank you, Mr. President. It is my honor and my job." Valarie said, politely. "And I couldn''t have done it without the support of my team."


    "Indeed," Luis said, nodding at her.


    "Mr President, Chief. I need to talk to you in private. I have something important to tell." Valarie said, reducing her voice.


    "Is it something urgent?" Frederick asked, leading the other two to his office room.


    "Yes Chief. It is about the virus."


    Luis, Frederick and Valarie entered his office while Luis''s guards and assistants stayed outside.


    "What is it about?" Luis asked taking a seat on the couch.


    "Mr President, it is about David Peters. I feel that there is something we are missing."


    "What do you mean?" This time it was Frederick who asked the question.


    "I feel that there is somebody else also involved in this plan, someone who helped him behind the scenes."


    Luis was baffled. It was the same thing Ivy had said when he had met her after the conference.


    "Why do you feel that way?" Luis asked, trying to hide his shocked expression. As expected of the Intelligence, he thought.


    "Mr. President, I feel Mr. Peters is not that capable of getting something like a deadly virus smuggled into the country without anybody noticing it. So, I feel there is someone more capable of doing the work."


    "Hmm. Just as I had thought." Luis said, removing his framed glasses.


    "What do you mean Mr. President? Did you know about this?" Frederick asked, listening to the words being exchanged between Luis and Valarie.


    "I had a hunch," Luis said standing up. " So, what are you going to do now?"


    "Sir, first we need to make a background check on Mr. Peters and his men. We have to know who had been in contact with them to find out anything." Valarie said, following him to the door.


    "Let me know once you find something."


    "Yes Mr President. Thank you for your time." Frederick walked beside Luis while Valarie followed them.


    "Just a second. May I have a word with you alone?" Luis stopped in front of the door and stared at Valarie.


    "I''ll take your leave now Mr President." Frederick left the room, closing the door behind him.


    "Do you know anybody by the name of Ivy West? She is a reporter." Luis spoke when they were left alone.


    "No. Mr President. It''s the first time I am hearing the name."


    Luis nodded.


    "Why Mr President? Is there a problem?"


    "I met this reporter during the press meet yesterday. She told me the same thing whatever you told me about somebody else being involved. So, I assumed maybe you were acquainted with each other."


    "No Mr President. I do not know anybody by that name."


    "Okay. Let me know if you find any valuable information." Luis said with a smile and left the room.


    "Ivy West. Hmm."


    She pulled out her phone and made a call to someone.


    "Get me all information regarding a person named Ivy West. She is a journalist." She then cut the call, straightening her back and walked out of the room.


    "Deputy Chief, what did the President and the Chief say?" The guy with the spectacles said as soon as she returned from the Chief''s office.


    "It seems the President already had a hunch about it, Ryder. But the Chief was quite shocked."


    Ryder Quinn was the person who had disguised himself to be in David''s gang, in order to extract more information on their mission. In reality, he was the Assistant Deputy in the Intelligence. Just like Valarie, he too had a feeling that somebody else was involved in this mission.


    "What do you mean? The President knew about it."


    "Some journalist by the name of Ivy West had told him about it. It seems she too had the same notion."


    "Ohh. Is it?"


    "Yes. So, I have asked for a background check on her. Let''s see what we get."


    Valarie then continued to mingle around with her colleagues while she waited for her phone to ring. After forty minutes, his phone dinged indicating the arrival of an email. She opened her phone and looked at the information. It was the complete bio-data of Ivy. There was nothing significant about her except that her father, Oliver West, had gone missing three years ago. Like Ivy, her father was also a journalist.


    Ryder immediately walked to her when he saw her grim expression.


    "Is everything alright?"


    "Yes. This is the information I received. Ivy is just a normal journalist. There is nothing out of ordinary about her."


    "Let me have a look." Ryder read through the information on the phone.


    "Oh my God." He exclaimed after going through it completely.


    "What happened?" Valarie asked looking at him intently.


    "Ivy''s Dad is Oliver West."


    "So?"


    "Oliver West. Doesn''t it ring a bell in your mind?"


    "It does sound familiar. What are you trying to say?"


    "Val, Oliver was the journalist who was covering the news about organ trafficking three years back."


    "What?" Valarie asked grabbing her phone back and going through the information again. She had been searching for Oliver for three years but without any results. It looked like he just vanished from the world suddenly. She had also tried searching for his family. But his details had been erased completely, there were no records of him having a family. Yet she somehow managed to find his address. However, his family had relocated by then and she had found nothing about them. After reading the name again, she raised her head.


    "Now I have to meet this Ivy West."

 Chapter 38: The man with a mask

    Meanwhile.


    A tall man walked into his lair, followed by a large group of people. He was wearing a hat and a black trench coat. His boots sounds were resonating in the silent hallway. His silver hair shone in the dark hallway, giving the man a mysterious air. All the people behind him had a tattoo of a viper on their right arm. Each man was carrying a gun, while the man in the front led them to a huge room. After reaching the room, he sat on the only chair in the room, while the others remained standing.


    There was dead silence. Everyone knew that the man sitting in front of them was angry, very very angry. His goal had not been reached, the virus had not been released. Not only that, now David Peters was arrested and the storage containers with the virus had been confiscated by the police. Everything was going in a downfall for him. He was emitting a lethal aura, making all the men tremble. They knew that the man in front of them was just like the poisonous snake imprinted on their arms, calm and deadly.


    The man raised his head and gave a smile. Though his face was covered behind a mask, his smile was clearly visible. It was creepy, giving chills to the people in the room. Nobody had seen his face. Every time they had met him, he had worn a mask.


    "So, David got caught." The man started. But nobody responded to him. They knew it was best to remain silent.


    "Who caught him?" Again silence.


    The masked man, suddenly, pulled out his gun and shot the person right in front of him and his brain exploded. The other people gasped in horror.


    "When I ask a question, I expect an answer." The man replied calmly, adjusting his gun to his waistband.


    "Master, it was the Intelligence." One of the men, who was daring enough, spoke.


    The man eyes immediately darted to him and scanned him thoroughly.


    "The Intelligence, you say. How did they find out about our plan?" He asked, looking at the man, who had spoken, right into his eyes.


    "Someone from the Intelligence disguised themselves to get into the gang."


    "So, you are saying the Intelligence somehow got into our gang, my gang?" The man nodded, bowing his head.


    The masked man laughed out loud. But his laugh frightened his men even more. They knew it was an indication of a holocaust or a massacre. He was out for blood, a lot of blood. Everyone else in the room shivered thinking about the consequences.


    "Hmm. The biggest gang in the world, the Vipers, have become so dumb that anybody can come and go as they wish." The masked man suddenly became serious. He looked at all the people bowing in front of him. He pulled out his gun again and shot the man to the far right. The man fell to the ground immediately.


    "I didn''t like his face." The masked man chuckled again, looking at his gun.


    "So, now what do we do?" He asked, placing his right thumb and index finger under his chin.


    "Master, we have to take care of David. He knows a lot about us." A man standing near the door suggested, in order to gain favors from his master. But his plan backfired. He was shot right in his heart.


    "I don''t like people dictating me. I give the orders, not the other way round." The man said, standing up. Everybody remained took a deep breath in fear.


    "Why are you all quiet? Say something. I don''t kill you for speaking." The man said placing his right hand on one of the men standing in front of him. The man stiffened at once. His master''s hand weighed like a boulder on his shoulder. He relaxed only when his master walked forward, eventually retrieving back his hand.


    "The guy was not wrong anyway." The man continued, pointing to the man whom he had just killed.


    "David being alive is a threat to us. We need to get rid of him. But the problem is who is going to do it?"


    A short, bald man stepped forward. "Master, I''ll do it."


    "Really?" The masked man pulled the bald guy to the front and made him sit on his chair. The man became uncomfortable at once. He was sitting on his master''s chair, this was making him jittery.


    The masked man bent his head and stared at the bald man, giving him no other choice other than to look at his eyes. His eyes were scary, just like the eyes of a snake.


    "Really?" He asked again, this time his voice was merely a whisper.


    The bald guy gulped loudly. No words could leave his mouth. He barely managed to nod out of nervousness.


    "Speak."


    "Yes Master. I''ll do it."


    "What if you can''t?"


    "Then I am ready to bear the consequences." The man replied swallowing a lump. He knew what the consequences were. His entire family would be killed. He wanted to thank the Gods in this aspect as he was an orphan. He had no family.


    "Not acceptable." The masked man replied after pondering for a while. " I want somebody else to bear the consequences along with you. Who shall that be?" The man turned back to look at everyone staring at him with horrified expressions.


    "You." He pointed to a random guy at the center. "I want you to ensure that this man will do his work, or else.." He didn''t have to continue, everybody got the underlying warning. The man he had pointed to, cursed his bad luck.


    "Now I also want someone to find out who the people from the Intelligence were who arrested that bastard. Whoever brings me the correct information first will be greatly rewarded." He then sat back on his chair that had been empty after the bald guy had scuttled away on receiving his orders.


    "Now let''s talk about the mission at hand. We will keep it on hold for a while. Let''s wait till this issue settles. By then I''ll get some more containers of the virus into the country. And this time I will plan everything. I can''t trust dumb idiots like David anymore."


    The masked man then got up and walked out with eight people following him. The remaining people could only sigh in relief for not getting killed by him. They were seriously lucky compared to the other three guys who had lost their lives.

 Chapter 39: Call from Valarie

    Ivy signed the discharge papers and carried Max''s belongings while Kira supported him till the hospital entrance. They hailed a cab to Max''s residence as they discussed the press meet.


    "What the hell was that Ivy? Where did you get those questions from?" Max asked, trying to sit comfortably in his seat. Kira was sitting beside him while Ivy sat in the passenger seat.


    "From nowhere. I just decided to ask them on the spot." Ivy shrugged. She knew she was in for a long lecture from Max. She had not asked any of the questions from the list he had given her.


    "Those questions were just brilliant Ivy. Well done." Max exclaimed from behind. Ivy immediately turned back to look at him surprised. She had never expected Max to be happy with her performance at the press conference. Kira giggled looking at Ivy''s face.


    "Are you serious?" Ivy asked, looking at Max''s face trying to find out if he was in fact serious or joking.


    "Yes Ivy. I am serious. You were good."


    "I know I am good. Still, thanks for the compliment."


    "So, how was your meet with Joshua?" Max asked changing the topic.


    "Who is Joshua?" Kira looked at Ivy and Max for an answer.


    "Just a random guy who is helping me in my new story." Ivy scorned.


    "Hmm, is he handsome?" Kira leaned forward in her seat waiting for Ivy to answer.


    "I don''t know. I didn''t look at him thoroughly and I only met him once."


    "So, you want to meet again?" Kira asked at once, finding the loophole in Ivy''s previous answer.


    "I didn''t mean that."


    "Ohh. Then, what was the meaning?" Max joined. He couldn''t deny he was having fun looking at Ivy''s flustered face. It was not every day that he got to tease her. It was always her who did the teasing.


    "It''s just.. I was just..Umm." Ivy stuttered.


    Max and Kira burst out laughing instantly listening to her stutter. Ivy realized at once that they were pulling her leg. She gave a look that said,'' Ohh, you are so dead.''


    "Coming to the point, did Joshua agree to help you?" Max changed the topic before Ivy turned on her destruction mode. If this mode is turned on, then nobody could win Ivy in her games. She was the master of pulling others legs.


    "Yes, he did. Although there is not much he can do, as all the information regarding the case has been erased, he told me he would do his best."


    "We have arrived." The driver stopped the cab after driving for twenty minutes. They had already arrived at their destination.


    "Come on Maxy, let''s go home." Ivy got off the cab.


    Max rolled his eyes, annoyed at the nickname Ivy had given him. He knew he had triggered Ivy by making fun of her a few minutes back. He slowly got down with the help of Kira. His ankles were still painful, so he limped whenever he had to walk. In addition to that, he also had to use a walking stick.


    They got inside the elevator and waited for it to reach the second floor. Ivy looked at Max leaning at the back.


    "So, Maxy I have a party tomorrow. So, I was thinking of wearing a maxi. What do you think?"


    Max gave her a death glare, while Kira laughed out loud.


    "Kira darling, I have the video of Vanessa asking you out. My hands are itching to do something about it." Now it was Max''s turn to laugh. Kira shut up at once and gave her a look that meant, ''You tell somebody else about it, then you are dead.''


    Somebody at the agency had spread a rumor that Kira was a lesbian. So, a few women, who had hidden their sexual preferences, had expressed their liking to her, Vanessa being one among them. Kira still could remember the time when those women had told her that they had taken a liking towards her. It took a lot of time for her to make people see the truth. She even had to resort to kissing a guy in front of them just them make them believe her.


    The elevator opened and they walked to Max''s apartment. He pressed his fingerprint for at the door lock and the door opened at once. Ivy''s phone rang at that moment and she excused herself to receive it.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, am I speaking to Ivy West?" It was a woman on the other side.


    "Speaking. May I know who is this?"


    "I am Valarie Evans. I want to meet you if you are free today."


    "Is it anything important?"


    "Yes it is. It is very important to you as well as to me." Ivy raised her eyebrows hearing the woman''s vague answer.


    "Sure, where shall we meet?"


    "I''ll text you the address and time. Thank you."


    "Not a problem."


    Ivy then went inside Max''s house and saw Kira and Max perched on the sofa. The TV was switched on and Max was changing the channels.


    "Who was it, Ives?" Max asked, without leaving his gaze from the television.


    "Some woman named Valarie Evans. She wants to meet me. She says it''s important."


    "Maybe she has something to say to you, some news to give you," Kira said, munching on a cheese ball. She was holding a jar of cheese balls in her hands.


    "Maybe." Ivy walked around and plopped on the sofa beside Kira. She too started eating the cheeseballs.


    "Don''t you guys have work to do?"


    "Nope. Our Boss is right here and he has given us a holiday." Ivy replied giving Max a wink.


    "When did I give you a day off?"


    "Right now," Kira replied, making Ivy smirk.


    "You. You.." Max did not know what to say.


    "Yes we. We." Ivy imitated his voice.


    "So what time is it now?" Kira looked around for her phone.


    "I think it''s almost noon. Why?" Max answered.


    "I am a little hungry. So, I want to prepare lunch." Kira stood up and went inside the kitchen.


    "Let me help." Ivy followed suit while Max remained in the hall.


    "So, tell me more about this Joshua?" Kira asked chopping some spring onions.


    "There is nothing to tell about him. I told you before."


    "Are you sure there is nothing to know about him?"


    "I just know that he is ranked in the top three richest businessmen in our country."


    Kira whistled. "If he is on the list, then his pictures will be on the Internet. Let me see. What was his name again?"


    "I think it''s Joshua Martin."


    Kira typed his name and opened his images. "Wow, so handsome."


    Ivy leaned in to take a look and indeed he was quite handsome. She had not noticed his features before. But looking at the man''s pictures, she realized that he could put the Greek gods to shame.


    "What are you thinking Ivy? Concentrate. Remember, he is a playboy and not worth your time." She chided herself.


    At that moment, her phone indicated the arrival of a message. It was from Valarie. She had texted her address and the time of their meet.


    "What does she want to meet me for? I''ll get my answers soon." She spoke to herself as she continued to wash the vegetables.

 Chapter 40: Noah tricks Aria

    Noah led Aria to his black Maserati. He opened the door to the passenger seat and waited for her to get in.


    "We could have lunch here. There are a lot of restaurants here." Aria looked around. She had seen a lot of restaurants while walking to the entrance of the parking lot. Thinking of the parking lot, she remembered that Kaito had parked the minibus at the parking lot.


    "Wait a minute. The minibus we came in is still at the parking lot. I could wait for my colleagues there. Why didn''t I think of it before?" Aria said.


    Noah had somehow persuaded Aria to come with him to have lunch. ''Why did she have to remember about the minibus?''


    "Let me take a look. Thanks a lot, Mr. Carter for your help. Now I''ll get going." She didn''t see Noah''s dark expression and sprinted off in the direction where the bus was parked.


    "I''ll drop you off." Noah started to accompany her.


    Will his plans just end this way?


    Aria went to the spot where she had remembered that Kaito had parked the minibus. But there was no trace of the bus.


    "Where did Kaito go?" Aria said looking around. She clearly remembered that they had got down from the minibus at that spot. She immediately made a call to Stuart. This time the call connected.


    "Aria, where are you?"


    "Stuart, I am still at the Palace entrance. Where are you guys?"


    "Aria, we are sorry. We thought you had already left without us. We tried searching for you at the Palace entrance. But we couldn''t find you. We also asked the people around and the Palace guards told us that you had already left. We tried calling you, but your phone was not reachable. We were so scared, we did not know what to do. We are on our way back to the hotel. We assumed that you would have gone there. Sorry, Aria."


    Stuart''s glum response made Aria pinch her nose.


    "It''s okay, Stuart. You guys carry on with the sightseeing. I''ll join you guys at the hotel in the evening."


    Noah smirked hearing her words. His plans had not ended. He could still go on a date.


    "Are you sure, Aria? What about you?"


    Before Aria could respond, she heard Mason''s voice on the phone.


    "Is that Aria? Where is she? Is she safe? Give me the phone. I want to talk to her."


    "Stuart, Stuart, I am fine. I''ll take care. You guys carry on with the trip. Now bye." Aria cut the call after blabbering out her words. She was in no mood to deal with Mason. Her phone rang the next moment she ended her call with Stuart. It was from Mason. She turned her phone into silent mode and looked at Noah.


    "Is the lunch offer you made earlier still available?" She did not know anyone there. She could as well take Noah''s help.


    "Yes. It is." Noah replied with a smile. Aria stared at him mesmerized. His smile was truly breathtaking.


    Noah''s smile widened looking at Aria in a daze. He held her hand and pulled her with him to his car. His hold on her was strong, but not strong enough to hurt her. He opened the car door and this time Aria sat down.


    "Don''t you think this car is a little too eye-catching."


    "Nope. This is the cheapest car in my London garage. I am trying to be low key."


    ''If this is called being low key, then what would being high profile be?'' She wondered.


    "So, where are we going?"


    "You will get to know in a while." Noah gave her a side glance and continued to drive.


    "Don''t you have your bodyguards tagging along with you today?"


    "No. I have given them a holiday. I wanted some me time." Noah looked at the rearview mirror of his car and saw his guards following him in another car.


    "So, what are your plans for today, now that your friends have ditched you?" Noah questioned, after some moments of silence.


    "I don''t know. I want to visit some places. So, maybe I''ll just do that after having lunch."


    "What about you? What are your plans Mr. Carter?"


    "Same here. I have some places in mind which I want to visit." He replied, though he wanted to say that he wanted to visit the places with her. He didn''t even care where he was going as long as he was with her. Suddenly he realized what Aria had addressed him as.


    "Please, Dr West. Call me Noah. I think we are close enough now to call each other by our names."


    "Then you must call me Aria."


    "Sure, Aria." Hearing her name from his mouth, made Aria feel something in her stomach.


    "Umm. Aria, I have a suggestion." Aria looked at him, waiting for him to continue.


    "Why don''t you join me? I am alone and your friends have left you. Both of us can continue with the sightseeing."


    Aria thought about it. It was not a bad idea. It was better for her to be in someone''s company than to be alone in a foreign land. And Noah was not bad. Other than him being short-tempered and unreasonable, he was quite a fine man.


    "I''ll drop you back to your hotel by 10 p.m. I promise."


    "Okay Noah. Let''s do it."


    Noah gave her a toothy smile, taking her by a trance once again.


    "And we have arrived." Noah turned off the car engine and got off the car. He walked to the other side with the intention of opening the door for Aria. But she had already got down and was waiting for him.


    "You could have waited for me."


    "For what?" Aria looked at him in confusion.


    "To open the door."


    "I am fine doing it myself and I don''t like it if somebody does it. It makes me feel like a delicate doll. I don''t want that."


    "Hmm, duly noted," Noah said, making a note of it in his mind.


    Aria gave him a hearty laugh and walked towards the restaurant. Noah walked beside her after giving his car keys to the valet. The maitre''d welcomed them at the entrance.


    "A table for two, sir?" He asked politely. He could guess that the man in front of him was not ordinary. Although he was casually dressed, there was still the air around that made him look like an aristocratic and with the Franck Muller Aeternitas watch he was wearing, it was clear he was not just rich. He was Richie rich.


    "Yes, I would prefer a private booth," Noah said in all seriousness.


    "Follow me sir, ma''am." The maitre''d led them to a booth at the far end.


    "Is this fine, sir?"


    Noah nodded. The booth they been led to had the best view of the London eye and the river Thames. It was silent and quite ideal to have a private talk.


    "Your waiter will be here in a minute." The maitre''d left the booth.


    Aria looked at the London Eye. "I want to go on that."


    "Sure. Let''s do that."


    "Wait. Are you going to come too?"


    "Why not? We have the entire day. We could go on it in the evening and watch the sunset. It has the best view at that time of the day."


    There was a knock at the door and the waiter walked in.


    "Hello sir, ma''am. I''ll be your waiter and here is your menu." He handed the menu to Aria and Noah and stood at the side waiting for them to order.


    After giving their orders, Noah and Aria sat in silence. They did not know what to say.


    "So, what do you say? Do you want to come with me on the London Eye?" Noah spoke up, hoping for her to agree.


    "I am not sure."


    "Come on. You''ll love the view, I promise."


    "Okay fine," Aria said, reluctantly.


    Noah jumped in his seat due to his happiness.


    "So, tell me about yourself," Noah asked, immediately composing himself. Aria fidgeted in her chair seeing Noah''s intense gaze on her. She had not realized how handsome he looked with his hair falling right on his eyes. The blues jeans and the white shirt made him look quite hot. She realized that their outfits matched. She blushed thinking about it.


    "What do you want to know about me?"


    "Anything."


    "Okay. You know my name already. I am 26 years old. My birthday is on the 16th of May. I have a twin sister. Her name is Ivy and that''s it. What about you?"


    "I am Noah Allen Carter. I am 28 years old. My birthday is on the 30th of December. You have already met my family."


    Aria nodded. The waiter knocked on the door and entered, carrying the dishes they had ordered.


    "Do you need anything else?"


    "No thank you," Aria replied, giving him a smile.


    "I''ll be right outside. Give me a call if you need anything." The waiter then took his leave.


    "What about your parents?" Noah asked, after serving himself some food.


    "My Mom died of a heart attack three years ago."


    "Oh I am sorry."


    "No that''s fine. We have moved on." Aria replied with a smile. But the smile didn''t reach her eyes.


    "What about your Dad?"


    Before she could reply, Aria''s phone vibrated. She looked at her phone.


    "I have to take this." Aria pointed to her phone.


    "Hey Danny. What''s up?"


    Noah smile dropped at once hearing his name. ''Danny again?''


    He clenched his fists and the temperature in the room dropped at once.


    "Aria, thank you very much. I have made up with my parents. If not for you, I would have hurt them seriously. Thank you so much." Danny replied. He sounded a lot happier compared to their last chat.


    "Hey Danny. Calm down. I know, you did not mean to hurt them. It''s just the circumstances that made you do so."


    "Yeah. I am relieved that I realized my mistake in the nick of time. Anyway, what are you doing now?" He asked holding the phone on his left hand, while signing some papers with his right hand.


    "I am visiting some places in London." Aria looked up to see Noah already looking at her. He had heard her entire conversation. He was exploding with rage inside, yet on the outside he looked calm.


    Daniel''s phone beeped indicating another call. It was from Rachel.


    "Aria, I have another call coming in. Have fun. Love you."


    "Okay bye. Love you too."


    That''s it. The volcano exploded. Noah''s mind was hatching plans on how to kill this guy named Danny. ''How dare he speak to his woman like this? And what did Aria say, love you too? What is the meaning of this?''


    "Sorry, about that," Aria said, picking up her spoon.


    "Is that your boyfriend?" Noah asked. It was a question he had been waiting to ask since the day he had thrown her phone.


    "What? No. He is just a friend. We grew up together since childhood."


    Aria''s words calmed the raging beast at once.


    ''So, he is just a friend. I was jealous of a mere friend.'' Noah laughed at his foolishness.


    "Why are you laughing?"


    "Ohh. It''s nothing. I just remembered something. Are you done?"


    Aria nodded, gulping down some water.


    "Do you need anything else?"


    "No thank you."


    The waiter arrived with the bill.


    "Noah, I''ll pay."


    "You are kidding, right? No, I am paying."


    "Let me pay."


    "No."


    "Noah."


    "Aria."


    The waiter looked at the couple''s banter. They looked so cute and perfect together. It was like they were made for each other.


    "How about this? Let''s split the bill."


    "No way. I cannot let you pay. Aria. Try to understand. Okay, how about this? I''ll pay this time. You pay when we go out the next time." Noah offered her a choice, seeing her being stubborn.


    "Fair enough." Aria thought about it. It was quite a fair deal. However, she did not realize she had just accepted to go out with Noah again.


    Noah''s grinned. He understood that Aria had not yet realized she had been tricked by him. He became excited thinking about his next date with her.


    "I''ll look forward to it."

 Chapter 41: I like you, Rachel

    "Hello, Mr Adler. Rachel here."


    "Yes Miss Carter." Daniel received her call after speaking to Aria.


    "Are you free today? Can we meet to discuss the plan for your firm?"


    "Sure, Miss Carter. Where shall we meet?"


    "How about my office, at 3 p.m.?"


    "That would be perfect," Daniel replied and ended the call. He then looked at the reports he had received from his men on Jack. It was a detailed report on all the crimes he had committed. There were also reports on the crimes he had tried to cover up. It varied from kidnapping to drug selling and whatnot.


    Daniel smirked. This was enough evidence to get Jack behind the bars forever. ''How dare he blackmail my Dad using me. There is no way I am going to allow that. It is good that all the properties and assets are in Mom''s name.''


    He got up and walked out of his office. He had important work to do. He arrived at the parking area, got into his car and drove off.


    After driving for around fifteen minutes, he arrived at the police station where Jack was being held in custody. After all the formalities, Jack was brought to meet him.


    "Oh it''s you. I thought it was your Dad." Jack sassed with a wicked smile.


    "Hmm. So you wanted the Adler properties. Is that why you attacked me?"


    "I see. Arnold has told you about my intentions." Jack said wriggling his hands in his handcuffs.


    "I know a lot more about you. Trust me."


    "Oh I doubt that."


    "Anyway, I have come to warn you to stay away from me and my family. Otherwise, I will not spare you."


    "Look at that. The cat has become a lion. I am scared." Jack faked a horrified face, while Daniel looked bored.


    "You have to be. Now you are going to stay in jail forever."


    "What do you mean?" Jack''s voice quivered.


    "What do you think will be your punishment for attempt to murder?"


    "I didn''t do anything like that."


    "Is it? Then what were you trying to do when you attacked me?" Daniel said stretching his legs.


    "I was just trying to send a warning to your Dad."


    "And I am just going to send you to prison. This time, I will not try, I will do it."


    Jack was scared now. He had thought that Arnold would somehow get him out jail if he was threatened with his son. But his plan had gone utterly wrong. The next moment he realized that, though his plans did not go as expected, he still had a trump card at hand. His brother would definitely not have told Daniel about his birth secret. Arnold loved his son dearly to disclose a secret of that kind. He could use it to his advantage.


    "Looks like your Dad hasn''t told you everything."


    "What do you mean?"


    Jack smiled. He had the upper hand now. Daniel perceived what his uncle was doing. So, he just acted along.


    "Your Dad did not tell you anything about yourself?"


    "Cut the crap. Come to the point." Daniel spoke irritated.


    "It''s the truth behind your birth." Daniel raised his eyebrows.


    "You are not your parents son."


    "You are talking nonsense." Daniel dismissed his words with a snort.


    "Ask your Dad for the truth, he knows it better than I do."


    "Ohh I asked him the truth alright. I am still his son, though I am adopted. So how can you say I am not my parents'' son. Looks like the air in the police station is making you a lunatic."


    Daniel''s words shook Jack completely. He never expected him to know the truth.


    "What, cat got your tongue? I know your intentions, Mr Jack. There is no way you can get to us. I have closed all the paths for you. Even if you take another path, I''ll make sure to close it."


    "What? How? Why?" Jack muttered. He was doomed now. He had nothing which he could use it to his advantage.


    "Ohh I forgot. Congratulations Jack on getting a new home. I hope you stay here forever. Have fun. Goodbye."


    Daniel walked away without even looking back, leaving the dumbfounded man in his chair. He looked at his watch. There was still time for his appointment with Rachel. He went to the nearby restaurant and ordered a hamburger.


    At exactly 3 p.m., Daniel was standing at the reception, in Rachel''s office. The front desk attendant recognized him at once.


    "Hello Mr Adler. Miss Carter is expecting you. Her cabin is on the fifth floor."


    "Thank you." Daniel smiled at her courtesy. The attendant blushed looking at the handsome man smiling.


    Rachel''s assistant was waiting for Daniel in front of the elevator on the fifth floor. As soon as he stepped out, the assistant greeted him.


    "Hello, Mr Adler. This way please." The assistant led him to Rachel''s office.


    "Mr. Adler, Miss Carter will be here in a minute. Please take a seat."


    Daniel gave him a smile and sat on one of the chairs. This was the first time he had come to her office. Every time they had met previously, it was in his office. The decor was sleek, efficient and charming. There was a desk and a leather low back chair behind it. Behind the desk was a floor to ceiling window, with purple curtains tied at both sides. There were two tables with four Eames chairs on the right. On the left, there was a lounge chair and a sofa.


    "I am sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Adler." Rachel entered and walked to her desk. Daniel turned to look at her. He had always admired her for her independence and confidence. She was quite outstanding in her field of work.


    "Have you had your lunch, Mr. Adler?" Rachel asked shuffling the papers on her desk.


    "Yes, Miss Carter. What about you?"


    "Yes. So, shall we get to work? This is the new sketch I have made. Have a look at it." Rachel handed him her new sketch and leaned forward to explain him each section in detail. Daniel listened to her, occasionally giving her some more add-ons.


    "So, how do you feel about it Mr. Adler?"


    "This sketch is perfect," Daniel said taking a look at it again.


    "Thank God. If you had rejected my idea once again, maybe I would have kicked you in the shin."


    Daniel looked at her to see her twinkling eyes.


    "I am sorry. I gave you a lot of trouble."


    "I was just joking. It''s not a problem." Rachel laughed. Daniel''s heart skipped a beat listening to her laugh. It was like the sweetest melody he had ever heard.


    "So Mr. Adler, shall we start the work from next week?"


    "Definitely," Daniel replied.


    "I''ll send you the quote within two days. I need the first deposit after that. Only after receive the payment, will I start the work." Rachel said filling out all the details on her laptop.


    "Okay. Send me the details as soon as you are done. I''ll wire you the money."


    Rachel smiled at him and gave him a copy of the agreement. "Take a look at this. Let me know if you find something you don''t understand, although I doubt you not understanding it. Otherwise you wouldn''t be a lawyer."


    Daniel chuckled. He looked at the time, it was 4 p.m. "Do you want to have some coffee?"


    "Coffee? I could have some coffee."


    "Great."


    Daniel opened the door for her. "After you."


    Daniel and Rachel went to the food court in front of Rachel''s office building. They ordered their coffee and waited for it.


    "So, anything new with you?" Daniel started.


    "Umm, nothing interesting as of now. After my brother got shot, my life has become boring. My parents have put restrictions on me. I know it is for my safety. Still it''s a little suffocating. What about you?"


    "Let me see. Everything is as usual. You can say my life is boring too."


    "So, it''s two bored people having coffee together," Rachel commented taking her cup of coffee.


    "Anyway, do you have a boyfriend?" Daniel asked, trying to as casual as possible.


    "Why? Are you gonna try if you find out if I don''t have one?"


    Daniel chocked on the coffee, listening to her being straight-forward. Rachel immediately handed him a tissue.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Yes, yes." Daniel wiped his lips and coughed again.


    "What about you? Do you have someone you like?"


    "Yes, I do. But I haven''t told her yet."


    Disappointment flashed in Rachel''s eyes. But she hid it immediately. How could she say to Daniel that she liked him when he clearly liked someone else?


    "Why? You should definitely go for it. I don''t think any girl would possibly reject you."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. Look you are sweet, caring and quite handsome and you are rich. You are a full package. Who wouldn''t want you?"


    Daniel smiled when he heard her call him handsome.


    "Anyway, who''s the lucky girl? Is it someone I know?"


    "Yes, you know her. In fact nobody knows her better than you do."


    "Really? Who is that?" Rachel immediately thought of all the women she knew, who would be compatible with Daniel.


    "It''s you, Rachel. I like you."

 Chapter 42: Kiss interrupted

    "I like you, Rachel," Daniel said, looking straight into her eyes, while Rachel looked perplexed.


    "Look, I know this might come out as a shock to you. But I have always liked you since the day we met. At first, I thought it was mere admiration. I was wrong. I like you, a lot actually. But I get it if you don''t feel that way." Daniel scrunched his eyebrows, looking at Rachel frown.


    "I am sorry. Forget everything I said. Let''s just be friends." Daniel said trying to ease the awkwardness.


    ''Maybe it was a bad idea to tell her about my feelings.'' He thought.


    "No we can''t be friends." Rachel said and walked out of the door. Daniel immediately followed her out.


    "I am sorry," Daniel yelled, making Rachel halt in her tracks.


    "I understand. Things have become awkward between us. It''s okay if you don''t want to be friends with me." Daniel said, bowing his head in shame.


    "Can we talk in my office?" Rachel walked away, without waiting for his reply.


    Daniel followed her silently. He didn''t know what to do now. How was he going to face her from now on? They didn''t utter a word until they were alone in Rachel''s office room.


    "So, what were you saying before?" Rachel turned to look at Daniel and folded her arms.


    "I am sorry."


    "No before that."


    "It''s fine if you don''t want to be my friend."


    "Oh I''ll come to that. But not that. It was something you told at the beginning."


    Daniel looked at her confused. He did not know what she wanted to hear. After a few minutes of pondering, he understood.


    "Is it that I like you?" He asked, skeptical.


    "Yes, it is. How dare you?" Rachel glared at him, placing her hands on her hips.


    "I am sorry."


    "How dare you say something like this out of the blue? You must give a heads up first. Do you have any idea how wildly my heart fluttered when you confessed?" Rachel was still glaring.


    "Look, I am sorry. Wait what?" Daniel looked up to see her. Did he hear her correctly?


    "You idiot. I like you too." Rachel immediately hugged him and Daniel staggered back a few steps due to the force.


    "You scared the shit out of me," Daniel said, hugging her back.


    "Oh, it was fun to look at your face all tensed." Rachel said, patting him on his back.


    "You are wicked."


    "And you are cute."


    "Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought you were angry with me."


    "Nah. If you make you any better, I will apologize. But I must say, it was quite fun."


    "This is not done. You deserve a punishment."


    "For what crime?"


    "For almost killing me due to tension?" Daniel said, pushing her back in his arms and looking at her.


    "And what would my punishment be?" Rachel said, anticipating it.


    ''Will he kiss me? Oh my god. He is going to kiss me now. Do I have bad breath? Will he like my kiss?'' Rachel spoke to herself in her mind. However, Daniel''s next words killed all her excitement.


    "Have dinner with me?"


    "What?"


    "I said have dinner with me today."


    "What a bore!" She exclaimed totally baffled.


    "Sorry. What did you say?" Daniel looked at her, unable to comprehend what was running in her mind.


    "Haven''t you read any romantic novels or seen any movies?"


    "Why are you asking me this?"


    "Ugh. I can''t believe you." Rachel huffed and walked away from him.


    "Wait a minute. You thought your punishment was I was going to kiss you?"


    Rachel''s cheeks reddened at once. Daniel smirked looking at her shy face.


    "Oh I didn''t know you had this side too."


    "What side? I don''t have any other side." Rachel turned away from him in embarrassment.


    Daniel chuckled and hugged her from behind.


    "I can fulfill your fantasy for you." He said and made her turn to him. He then leaned forward. Their lips were almost touching each other and they could feel each other''s breath on their face. Rachel closed her eyes, her face became hot at once.


    Daniel too was a little excited for the kiss. Even though he had been with quite a few women, he had never felt this giddy before.


    The door to Rachel''s office opened suddenly and her assistant walked in. Rachel pushed Daniel at once, making him almost fall. He glared at the assistant for his sudden intrusion.


    The assistant had not seen what had happened when he had opened the door. But looking at his Boss flustered and Mr. Adler giving him an icy look, he realized that he had entered at the wrong moment.


    "I am sorry, Miss Carter." He apologized and turned to leave.


    "What is it Bryan?"


    "Miss Carter, your father is here to meet you."


    "Ohh. I''ll see him in a moment."


    Bryan walked out, cursing himself for the bad timing. Rachel saw Daniel a little pissed and giggled.


    "You look cute when you are angry."


    "He ruined our moment."


    "My Dad is here. You have to go."


    "Mr. Carter is here? That''s great. I''ll wait for him. Maybe we can tell him about our relationship."


    "What? No. He cannot know about us."


    "And why is that?"


    "You have no idea how overprotective my Dad and my brother are. They will probably kill you and don''t you think it''s too early to meet my parents."


    "Relax, I was only joking. We will take it slow okay." Rachel punched him in his chest. She had thought that he really wanted to meet her parents.


    "Ouch. Woman that hurts."


    The door to the room opened and Samuel walked in. The couple separated from their embrace.


    "Mr. Adler, I''ll mail you the details regarding the next steps." Rachel said, trying to act cool.


    "Yes Miss Carter. It will be a pleasure to have your assistance." Daniel shook her hand and walked out of her room after giving Samuel a nod.


    Before walking out, he turned back to see Rachel looking at him. Her father''s attention was somewhere else. So, he blew her a kiss and winked at her. Rachel''s face flushed again at his gesture.


    "Are you alright?" Samuel asked looking at her red face.


    "I am fine Dad. Why do you ask?" Rachel was a little frightened. With his intelligence, she would not be surprised if her father had caught on what was happening between her and Daniel.


    "Your face is red. Are you having a fever, dear?" He asked, worried.


    Rachel took a sigh of relief. He had not suspected a thing.


    "No Dad. I am alright. I think it was the spicy food I ate." Rachel said thinking about Daniel.


    "Silly girl. Take care of your self." Samuel said.


    "Anyway Dad, why are you here?" Although she was listening to her Dad speak, her mind was somewhere else. She was thinking about Daniel.

 Chapter 43: All started in the hospital

    Ivy arrived at the location Valerie had sent her. Since she had not ridden her motorbike as Max was getting discharged, she had to hail a cab. She looked at the building in front of her. It was an apartment, Spring Renaissance. It was one of the best apartments for upper-middle-class people.


    ''Why has she called me here?'' She wondered. She looked at the address again, to check if she was at the correct place. After checking it, she placed a call to Valarie.


    "Hello, Miss Evans. I am outside the apartment building."


    "Ah, yes Miss West. Come to the flat number 7B on the 7th floor."


    "Okay."


    Ivy rang the bell to the flat number which Valarie had told her. A tall, slim woman opened the door. She was dressed professionally as though she had returned from work just then.


    "Ivy West?" She asked to receive a nod from the other woman.


    "Come in. I am Valarie Evans." She opened the door wide for Ivy to enter.


    Ivy entered the flat and took a lot at it. It was quite calm with the blue walls on either side with a white wall in between. The first thing that came into her mind was the ocean. There was only a U-shaped sofa with ivory-colored cushions and a table in the middle in the hall. She could see the replica of some famous paintings like Van Gogh''s Starry Night, Claude Monet''s Impression, Sunrise, The Hay Wain by John Constable hung on the wall; the room looked lovely with all the paintings. She couldn''t look beyond the hall as it was blocked by cream-colored curtains. All in all, it was a beautiful place.


    "Please take your seat," Valarie said.


    Ivy sat and looked around her. She saw something jutting from Valarie''s pant pockets as she sat in front of her. It looked like a police badge.


    "Do you want some coffee or tea?" Valarie asked, breaking Ivy''s thoughts


    "No. Thank you."


    "Okay. You must be wondering why I asked to meet you."


    Ivy nodded.


    "Well, I wanted to talk to you about something important." Valarie paused.


    "Yes. I am listening." Ivy said in all seriousness.


    "It is about Oliver West."


    "Do you know my Dad?"


    "Not personally. But, my Dad knew him. They were colleagues. They worked on the project together three years back."


    Ivy''s jaw dropped in shock. She had been searching for her Dad''s colleagues in order to know more about her Dad. But like her Dad, they too had disappeared from the surface of the earth.


    "Oh." She looked at Valarie not knowing what to say.


    "Our fathers have worked together for years. My Dad always talked about him." Valarie said with a smile.


    "Where is your Dad? May I meet him?" Ivy asked with a lot of hope.


    "Unfortunately, you cannot meet him. He died three years back."


    "I am sorry." Ivy sympathized with her. However, Valarie did not hear her.


    "He was murdered." She revealed, her voice laced with grief.


    "What?" Ivy''s sympathy turned into shock.


    "Yes. I saw him being murdered with my own eyes. This happened the same day your father disappeared."


    Shock was an understatement of what Ivy was feeling at that moment. She had thought that only her father had gone through this dreadful incident; but there was somebody else who had gone through worse. At least she was hopeful that her father was alive somewhere while the woman in front of her couldn''t even have that hope.


    "How?" Ivy asked with great difficulty. She still couldn''t think properly. So many people''s lives had become miserable due to that incident.


    "Apparently, our fathers had conducted a sting operation in one of the hospitals and the authorities had found out about it. They immediately sent people behind the two. My Dad and Mr West couldn''t escape those bastards, though they tried for long. They followed the two for a while and then they shot my father. It was a one-shot kill."


    "What about my father?" Ivy fidgeted in her seat. She was nervous and sweaty. She was clutching her palms tightly anticipating the next words. According to what Daniel had said, her Dad was still alive.


    Valarie paused. She stared into space for a while before she continued. "Before those men could shoot your Dad, some masked men killed those people and took away your father."


    Ivy heard her and took a sigh of relief. But she was still worried. She did not know if her father was safe and sound. She did not know what kind of men were holding him captive.


    "How do you know all of these?"


    "As I said, I saw everything." Valarie glanced at Ivy''s confused face and sighed.


    "I had installed a chip in my father''s watch. I had told him to activate it whenever he was in danger. On activation, I''ll get a message on my phone along with their location. He must have done so when he was being followed. I immediately tracked him and went to the location. By the time I reached, the men were already dead. However, my Dad was still breathing. He told me about your Dad''s kidnap and asked me to find him before he died in my arms."


    Valarie took a long breath thinking about the horrible day. She could till visualize her father''s blood all over her hands. Till today, she got nightmares of that day.


    Ivy was blank. It was a lot of information for her to take.


    "I have been searching for your Dad since that day. I had also looked for his family. But I couldn''t find you guys at your old address."


    "Yes, we moved out," Ivy replied. She then recalled something Valarie had said.


    "You said you had installed a chip in your Dad''s watch."


    Valarie nodded.


    "Could you tell me where you work?" Ivy realized that the woman''s background was not as simple as it looked.


    "I am sorry. I can''t say it. It''s a little confidential you see. However, my work is definitely legal and if it makes you any better, let''s just say I work for the government."


    "If my assumptions are right, you are a secret agent."


    "Something like that."


    Ivy understood her words. ''She must be working for a government agency like the Intelligence or the FBI. So, she doesn''t want to disclose it.'' She thought. Her suspicions regarding the badge she had seen earlier was true.


    ''Getting Valarie''s help will be valuable to me.'' She weighed the pros and the cons.


    After thinking for a while, Ivy replied, "How did you find me now? You said you couldn''t find me before."


    Valarie did not know whether to tell her the truth or lie to her. She did not know anything about Ivy other than the fact that she was a journalist. So, she chose the option of lying.


    "I saw the President''s press meet and your name was flashing over it. Your surname felt familiar to me. So, I thought maybe you were related to Oliver West." Valarie knew that she had taken a serious risk by lying. But she had no choice. She could not say who she was and how she got Ivy''s details. She was hoping for Ivy to believe her and to her relief, Ivy did believe her.


    Ivy knew her name had been flashing on the news channel since she had made an appearance with Max. So, many people would have noticed her and her name.


    "So, have you got any leads on your Dad?" Valarie asked after she saw Ivy accepting her lie.


    "No. I just know that he is alive. Other than that, I don''t know what to do."


    Valarie thought about too. She too was clueless.


    "Did your father tell you where he did his last sting operation before dying?"


    "Yes, yes. I remember him telling me the name of a hospital. It was something like Royal Health Hospital or something like that."


    "Is it The Royal Health Care Hospital?"


    "Yes. That is it. Royal Health Care Hospital."


    Ivy smiled. ''As expected, everything leads to one hospital, the Royal Health Care Hospital. It all started in that hospital.''

 Chapter 44: Missed opportunity

    "Do you have any place you want to visit?" Noah asked starting the car. After he had won the argument on who would be paying the bill, they continued with their so-called ''date''. Aria had still not yet realized Noah''s trick, or he would have had it.


    "Umm. I am open to other options. Do you have someplace in mind? Before that, yes I have some shopping to do." Aria said, putting on her seat belt.


    "Okay then. How about this? Let''s go to a place I want to take you to and then we will do some shopping. After that, we will take a ride on the London eye and we will end the day having dinner. Is that fine?" Noah asked, giving Aria a glance who was busy with her phone.


    "Yes. I am fine with it." She said, absentmindedly.


    "Perfect." Noah smiled.


    "So, what are you doing here in London?" Aria said, after sending Ivy a text message.


    "I have a business meeting to attend." Noah lied. How could he say he had made this trip just for her.


    "Nice. Anyway, how is your grandfather now?"


    "He is fine. Ian is there to take care of him."


    "Have you known Ian for long?"


    "Yes. We are childhood buddies along with Joshua."


    "You mean Joshua Martin?" Aria said. Now her attention was completely on Noah. She observed that even from the side, he looked deadly handsome.


    "Have you met him?"


    "Yes once."


    "Hmm."


    "Are you in a relationship?" Noah asked, taking a look at her. He was now crossing a personal line, so he had to be careful.


    "No." Her answer made him very happy. He smiled a little, flowers started to bloom in his heart.


    "Why?"


    "I never got time for that kind of stuff." Aria shrugged.


    "So you mean to say, you have never been in a relationship before," Noah said, this time his smile reaching his ears. If his efforts were successful, then he would be the first man in Aria''s love life and preferably last too.


    "Yes. Is it something bad?" Aria tilted her head a little. She looked so adorable with her head tilted that it was making Noah feel things he had never felt before.


    "No, no. Definitely not." Noah said with pride.


    "How about you? How many girls have you been with?"


    "Other than the casual flings and one night stands, I been with only one woman before," Noah replied honestly. He wanted to come out clean in front of the woman he wanted to be with.


    "Ohh. That was less than I had expected." Aria said shaking her head.


    "Why? Did you think I would have a lot of failed relationships?"


    Aria remained silent. Noah laughed at her cuteness, making her gaze at him. She wanted to poke those cheeks whenever he laughed.


    "So, here we are," Noah said, giving her a smile.


    "What place is this?" Aria looked in front of her. There was an archway with steps behind it. Beside the archway, there was a board on the wall, that read Holland Park.


    "This is the Kyoto Garden. You will love it." Noah said, holding her hand. By now, Aria was accustomed to him holding her hand. In fact she liked how their hands perfectly fit into each other. His warmth was making her heart flutter.


    There was nobody around. Noah''s men had made sure of it. They walked inside and Aria was immediately mesmerized. It was beautifully landscaped and very peaceful. There were peacocks and herons roaming around. There were numerous varieties of flowers and trees and waterfalls. Aria looked at the pond in front of the waterfall. Beautiful koi carp fishes were swimming in it.


    "Do you like the place?"


    "Noah, this place is amazing." Aria was so happy that she immediately gave him a hug. Noah''s smile froze. His brain short-circuited with the sudden hug. He did not know what to do. He was ecstatic. The girl he had taken a liking to was finally in his arms. But before he could hug her back, she had released him.


    Noah''s arms lay hung in the air, which he immediately pulled back. He regretted not reacting fast. He turned to look at his guards who were secretly taking their photographs. They gave him a thumbs up, indicating everything had been captured.


    Aria scurried around, looking at all the flowers and the trees, while Noah followed her with a smile. It was a dream come true for him. There was no one in this beautiful place other than him and Aria. The moment was just perfect.


    Noah chuckled at Aria''s failed attempt at catching a peacock. Whenever she went near one of them, they would run away from her. She humped and sat on the ground. She was a little tired with all the walking and running. He sat beside her and stared at her.


    Noah''s men captured the beautiful moment on their cameras. The four guards were hiding in different places, so they could take photos from different angles. The scene in front of them so perfect. Their Boss looked so good with the lady beside him. They were like the divine couple who had graced the earth. Also, they had never seen their Boss this blissful. The smiles he had given them before were creepy, like a beast ready to unleash its wrath. This time his smile was genuine.


    "Thank you Noah for bringing me to such a beautiful place."


    "Save your thank you for the last. There is a lot more you have to see before the day ends."


    Aria stared at him after listening to his words. She had never felt this happy since her father went missing. Nobody had ever made her feel this special. She had never dated anyone before. So, she did not know how it felt to be in a relationship. But now, after spending time with Noah, she realized that it was not actually bad to have someone who cared for her.


    Noah looked at her staring at him. He knocked her forehead. "Hello, earth to Aria."


    "Ouch." Aria rubbed her forehead in pain.


    "What was that for?" Aria asked, still rubbing her forehead.


    "To bring you back from your wonderland. Does it pain a lot?" He was a little worried now. He had not used a lot of force on her.


    "What do you think?"


    "Let me take a look." Noah leaned in to take a look at her forehead. His sudden closeness made Aria take a deep breath. She could smell his manly scent. His eyes immediately met hers and he gazed at her deeply.


    The bodyguards, who were hiding, became excited looking at the sight in front of them.


    "Boss, go for it."


    "Boss, you can do it."


    "Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her."


    "Boss, don''t miss this chance."


    They were screaming in their minds.


    Noah immediately pulled back looking at their close proximity. Aria looked away in embarrassment. Her cheeks were as red as a tomato.


    Noah would have loved to kiss her. But he didn''t want to scare her. He had all the time in the world. When Aria confesses her feelings to him, he could kiss her senseless. And he would make sure to kiss her a lot after that happens. Until then, he had to control himself.


    More than him, it was his men who were extremely disappointed. They had kept their cameras on standby, ready to capture the beautiful moment. But their Boss had pulled back, instead of initiating the kiss. All four of them had only one thing in mind.


    ''What Boss? You missed a good opportunity.''

 Chapter 45: Divide the assets equally

    "Uncle Ian." Violet ran to him as soon as she saw him walking towards her in the hospital corridor.


    "Hey Violet. How are you, sweetheart?" Ian picked her up at once, while he greeted John who was with her.


    "I am good, Uncle," Violet replied, giving him a peck.


    "Good girl." Ian smiled at her. He carried to her grandfather''s ward. He made her sit on the chair outside.


    "Wait here with Uncle John, sweetheart. I''ll be right back." He then handed her a candy that he had in his coat pocket.


    "Okay Uncle," Violet said, removing the wrapper of the chocolate.


    "Take care of her. I''ll take a look at Mr. Litner''s situation." Ian said to John, receiving a small nod in return from him.


    "How''s the condition of the patient, doctor?" Ian asked the doctor who was handling Norman Litner''s case. She was the same doctor whom he had seen the previous day.


    "His condition isn''t any good, Dr Davis. His cancer has advanced to the third stage. We need to start the treatment as early as possible to save him." The doctor replied sadly.


    "Then what are we waiting for, doctor?"


    "Dr. Davis, we need to do a bone marrow transplant to save him. The problem is we don''t have a matching donor. I have checked with all registered donors."


    Ian understood at once. It was difficult to find a donor with at least 5 of 10 HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigens) markers.


    "What could be the solution doctor?"


    "As far as possible, it''s his family who might be a match."


    "Are you talking about Violet?"


    The female doctor replied with a yes. "But Violet''s blood type does not match with his. I have got it checked."


    Ian thought for a while. "How about we start with the chemotherapy? Maybe we can find a donor by then."


    "Yes doctor. I have thought the same. So, I have scheduled his first chemo session next Monday. If he can handle that stage, then we can progress with the treatment.


    "Okay doctor. Thank you for your work."


    Ian left the room and walked to the people waiting for him outside the ward.


    "Excuse me, Mr. John. I need to have a word with you in private." Ian tilted his head towards his left.


    "Violet stay here okay," John said kneeling in front of her, before standing up to leave.


    "Okay Uncle."


    "Yes doctor. How is his condition?"


    "The cancer cells have spread and he is almost in his third stage."


    "How is it possible? Till yesterday, it was in the second stage." John said in despair.


    "We had not received his reports yesterday. We had only made assumptions on his physical conditions."


    John sighed. He did not know what to do now. "So, what is the next step?"


    "We have to do a bone marrow transplant. But we are unable to find a matching donor. So, as of now we are going to start with the chemotherapy."


    "What kind of donor do you want? Does their blood type need to match?"


    "Nope Mr. John. There are other criteria that have to match for the transplant to take place."


    "Then, you can test my blood. Maybe, it might match."


    "We could do that. But chances are less. Usually, the match is found within the family, like siblings or children. Do you know any other relatives of Mr. Litner?"


    "Not that I know of." John scratched his head, thinking.


    "Let''s see what we can do. We still have hope until chemo sessions. And I have another request. When the chemotherapy starts, I hope you do not bring Violet anywhere near her grandfather. It is for her own good."


    "I understand." John agreed. He knew the little child could not bear to watch the painful treatments. She was too young for that.


    ..........................


    Two hours later.


    John was standing in front of Mr. Litner, along with the lawyer he had requested to meet. They looked at his pale face and fragile body. They had never expected that the once energetic man would be lying sick in the hospital''s bed.


    "Hello, Elijah," Norman spoke. His voice was hoarse and soft, merely a whisper.


    "Hello Mr Litner. How are you feeling?" Elijah said, giving him a small smile.


    "I am good, Elijah. I hope John has told you about why I wanted to meet you."


    "Yes. He told me that you wanted to write your will."


    "Yes. I want all my properties and belongings to be equally divided between my granddaughter, Violet and my son, Sebastian."


    "But Mr Litner." John interrupted.


    "I know John. We do not know if Sebastian is alive or dead. But my heart is unable to accept that he is dead."


    The two standing in front of him sighed. They knew how stubborn he was. Yet they also knew, it was impossible to find a person who had been missing for almost twenty-six years. They didn''t even know if he was alive or dead and if he was alive how he looked now.


    "I have written about how my assets will be divided in a grey file and it is in my safe. John will give it to you. I want you to prepare the papers."


    "Okay. Mr Litner." Elijah could only accept his requests.


    "Thank you so much. And John, where is Violet?" Norman turned to look at John.


    "She is outside with one of the doctors. She is fine."


    "Take care of her after I am gone."


    "Mr. Litner, don''t say something like that. You''ll survive this." John said, holding his hands.


    "Okay. Okay. Now both of you get out. I want to take some rest." Norman closed his eyes, leaving no option for them, other than to leave the room.


    John looked at Violet, giggling at something Ian had told her as soon as he exited the room.


    "I pity that young child. She lost her parents and now grandfather has cancer. She has had such a miserable life at such a young age."


    "Yes. I just hope her grandfather makes it and I would be definitely happy if her uncle returns to the family." Elijah added. But both of them knew that the latter was quite impossible. Yet, there was nothing wrong in hoping.

 Chapter 46: Future planning by Grandpa Carter

    After sending Violet with John, Ian decided to check up on Noah''s grandfather, Jonathan.


    "Hey, grandpa." Ian greeted the senior Carter as soon as he entered his ward.


    "At least you have come to meet me. My unfilial grandson has not visited me at all since I woke up." He sulked.


    Ian chuckled. The old man looked like a cute little boy who had been refused his favorite snack.


    "Grandpa that''s not the case. Your family visited you in the morning right." Ian remembered seeing the Carter family giving him a visit early in the morning that day.


    "I am not talking about them. You know who I am talking about?" The old man huffed.


    "Grandpa, he would have come to meet you if he was in the city." Ian tried to calm him.


    "Where has he gone?" Jonathan looked at Ian.


    "He has gone to London."


    "Why?"


    "He had a business deal to complete."


    "Are you saying the truth?"


    "Why would I lie to you, Grandpa?" Ian shrugged.


    "Give me my phone." Jonathan pointed to his phone on the table. Ian handed him his phone and stood beside him thinking what the old man was up to.


    "I''ll confirm it with Noah." He dialed Noah''s number only to be rejected at once on the first ring. He tried again, only to be met with the same result.


    "How dare this grandson of mine reject my calls?" He was annoyed. He then tried Ronnie''s number. He knew Noah did not go anywhere without his head bodyguard, Ronnie.


    "Hello, Master," Ronnie answered on the second ring. ''Why is Master calling me?'' He thought.


    "Where is my grandson?" He bellowed on the phone.


    "Master, Boss is in London," Ronnie replied. He was scared hearing Jonathan''s angry voice.


    "Why?"


    "He had a business meeting to attend."


    "Give him the phone right now. I want to talk to him."


    Sweat started to trickle down Ronnie''s face. How could he hand over his phone to his Boss? His Boss had gone to meet the likely to be Lady Boss and moreover, he had not accompanied him that day.


    Noah knew Aria had seen Ronnie on the plane. So he was careful not to bring him with him.


    "Master, Boss is very busy."


    "I don''t care. Give him the phone right now." Jonathan interrupted Ronnie.


    Ian was hearing everything. He realized at this rate, the old man would find out Noah''s real intentions in going to London.


    "Master, I cannot give him the phone."


    "Why?"


    "Because I am not with him." Ronnie''s voice was quite low.


    There was silence for a few minutes on the other side. Ronnie checked the call to see if it was disconnected. No, the call was still on-going.


    "Master." He called out.


    "Master. He called out again.


    "What do you mean he is not with you? Tell me the truth. Don'' you dare lie."


    Ronnie shivered. He understood he had no choice other than to reveal the truth.


    "Master, Boss has gone on a date."


    "Did you say he has gone a date?" Jonathan said.


    Ian''s ears quirked upon hearing the word date. ''Wow that was quite fast. What did he do actually for Aria to accept to go on a date with him?''


    "Yes Master," Ronnie said praying the Almighty to save him.


    "Who is that woman?"


    "Master, she is a doctor at Regal Medical Hospital. She is a colleague of Dr Davis." Jonathan looked at Ian, making him raise his eyebrows in confusion.


    "Send me her photographs right now."


    "Yes Master."


    Jonathan ended the call. However, his eyes never left Ian.


    "Is there a problem grandpa?"


    "Do you know that woman?"


    Ian understood that he was referring to Aria. He nodded a yes. "She is my colleague."


    "What do you know about her?"


    "Hmm. Her name is Aria West. She was my junior in school and college. In fact she was the one who treated you first when you fainted in the hallway. She is an excellent doctor and as far as I know she has never dated anyone before."


    "What about her family?" Jonathan''s interest was piqued.


    "I don''t know much about her family except that she has a twin sister. I also know that her mother is dead. She doesn''t talk much about them."


    At that moment, Jonathan''s phone dinged indicating the arrival of a message. He looked at the photographs sent by Ronnie. It was of Noah and a beautiful girl sitting in a garden. The girl was looking to her right while Noah was gazing at her lovingly.


    "Is she the one?" Jonathan held the phone for Ian to see clearly.


    "Yes, that''s Aria."


    "Well done." Jonathan punched his fists in the air in exhilaration.


    Ian stared the old man dumbfounded. ''Did he by chance hit his brain when he fell? Why is he so happy? Am I only imagining things or, is Mr. Carter seriously very happy.'' He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them. He looked at Jonathan who was smiling like a fool.


    "Grandpa, is everything alright?" Ian was seriously worried now.


    "I am so happy today. Finally, my grandson has found himself a good girl."


    Jonathan looked at the picture on his phone and sighed, "My granddaughter-in-law is so beautiful and cute."


    "Grandpa, but how can you be sure that she is the one. What if she is not who she proclaims herself to be?" Ian cleared his throat. He knew Aria was not like the other women who just wanted to leech off Noah''s status and wealth. Anybody who would marry her would definitely be happy. He just wanted to make sure that Noah''s family accepted her completely if their relationship progressed further.


    "My hairs haven''t turned white just like that. If she was a wicked person, then definitely you would have warned my grandson about it before he started to pursue her."


    Ian lowered his head on listening to the old man''s words. He realized nothing could be hidden from him. He already knew that Ian was supporting Noah in his pursuit.


    "Aww. Look at these two. They look so perfect together. With these two having extraordinarily outstanding genes, I wonder how my great-grandkids will be. They will definitely be adorable and cute."


    Ian choked on his own saliva. Noah and Aria''s relationship hadn''t even crossed the stage of friendship and this person in front of him was already planning how his great-grandkids would be.


    ''Unbelievable.'' He thought.


    As if these words were not enough, the old man continued with his crazy imagination.


    "How many children will these two have? I would want them to have as many as possible. However, it is still for them to decide."


    "Grandpa. Grandpa. Let them first start dating each other. Then we can think about other things like marriage and kids." Ian put a brake to his speeding vehicle.


    "You are right. First my grandson needs to make her his. But there is nothing wrong in thinking about the future right?"


    Ian shook his head, looking at the crazy man. He knew he couldn''t stop his wild thoughts. In fact he too was waiting for Noah and Aria to be a couple. ''They would make a good pair.''

 Chapter 47: Joshua is helpless

    Joshua looked at his watch the seventh time in the last ten minutes. It had been fifteen minutes past the scheduled time, yet there was no sign of the person he was meeting. He was waiting for Ivy in his office room, for almost an hour, though they had agreed to meet at the time ten minutes prior to the current time.


    After her meeting with Valarie, Ivy had made a call to Joshua asking him to meet her. He had agreed at once, shifting all his work to the next day. He had informed Ivy to meet him at his office, which she had complied with.


    Actually, Ivy had arrived a few minutes before the scheduled time. However, she had to wait at the lounge to get Joshua''s permission to let her inside the office.


    Joshua''s secretary, Lucia, knocked at the door and waited for Joshua to allow her to enter in.


    "Come in." Joshua''s deep voice resonated, sending her heart into turmoil.


    "Sir, Miss Ivy West has arrived. Shall I bring her up?" With great difficulty, Lucia spoke up. She had to keep herself from losing her mind, looking at the dashing human in front of her.


    ''Oh my god. It is a sin for such a handsome man to ever grace this earth. I must have saved the world in my previous life for being able to work as his assistant.'' She thought, with invisible hearts practically flying out of her eyes.


    Joshua''s eyes glistened on hearing Ivy''s name. "Yes, yes. Bring her in."


    Meanwhile Ivy was waiting in the lounge, looking around her. It was the first time she had set her foot into a place like this. It was bustling with quite a lot of people. Although they were busy, when they saw Ivy, they smiled at her politely, before returning to their work.


    A tall, blonde, woman dressed in an all-white skirt and blouse, stopped in front of her, after some time of her waiting in the lounge.


    "Miss West, Mr. Martin is waiting for you. This way please."


    Ivy stood up and followed the woman. She was pleased with the hospitality in his office. They were polite and well mannered.


    "Is Mr. Martin busy? Am I disturbing him?" Ivy asked waiting for the elevator door to open.


    "No Miss West. Mr. Martin has been waiting for you." The woman gave her a smile, revealing her perfect white teeth.


    Ivy pushed the door to Joshua''s office. The woman had led her only till his office door, before walking back to her seat.


    "May I come in, Mr. Martin?" Ivy asked in a fake professional voice.


    Joshua''s eyes left the computer screen and landed at the beautiful intruder he had been waiting for.


    "Please do." Joshua got up from his chair and walked around his desk. He led her to the black couch at the back of the room and gestured for her to sit.


    "What would you like to take, tea, coffee or anything else?"


    "Just water is fine."


    Joshua poured a glass of water and handed it to her. She thanked him and gulped it one go.


    "Tell me, Miss West. What can I do for you?"


    ''Wow, straight to the point. Good. I like it.'' Ivy thought.


    "I know you have already tried searching for details about the journalists involved in the incident three years ago."


    "Look Miss West." Joshua started. However, Ivy interrupted him.


    "No. No. You have got me wrong. I have not come here to ask you the same thing again. I have come here on a different purpose."


    "What could that be?" Joshua asked with interest.


    ''Whatever her purpose for her visit is, it would definitely not be something small.'' He said in his mind.


    "I want your help with something else. I want to know who the Director of Royal Health Care Hospital is."


    Joshua''s eyes widened. As expected her words had taken him by surprise. He did not even expect her intention to this sudden meet was to ask him to find out about a hospital.


    "But why?" He asked unable to comprehend why she wanted to know about that hospital in particular.


    "Mr. Martin I searched for all the hospitals which had been involved in these illegal activities three years ago. Except for the Royal Health Care Hospital, all other hospitals have been shut down in this period of three years. So I wanted to know how this was possible. Why Royal Health Care Hospital was not shut down?"


    Joshua was astonished. He couldn''t deny that he was impressed with her determination. She had found out a lot about the incident. He had all the information she wanted. Yet he could only act and lie in front of her.


    "Okay Ivy. I''ll help you to find out more about the Director. However, I want you to answer some of my questions." Joshua waited for her approval.


    "Sure." Ivy thought about it and felt that it was only fair that he should know a few things about why she was so desperate for his help.


    "Umm. Why are you trying so hard to find clues about that incident?"


    "That''s a tough question. Let''s just say that someone I know went missing covering this news."


    Joshua''s jaw dropped a little. ''Who could it be?''


    "So you are searching for that person?"


    Ivy nodded.


    "Are you sure that person is alive?"


    Hearing his question, Ivy''s gaze constricted. She glared icily at him. She looked like a seething dragon, ready to spit out fire at any moment.


    "Do not misunderstand me. It has been a long time. So I was just wondering."


    Ivy calmed down a little. "I have a feeling that he is alive."


    ''So, the person she is looking for is a he.'' Joshua thought.


    "If you cannot find any information about the Director of the hospital, you can search for the owner of Royal Pharmaceuticals. They are both the same person."


    "Oh. Interesting." Joshua mused.


    "And Ivy, one last question. Who are you searching for?" Joshua''s brain was urging him to ask this question since she revealed that she was searching for someone.


    "My Dad."


    Ivy answered him with just two words and those two words were enough to shake him to the core.


    "Your Dad?" Joshua was perplexed. He did not anticipate this extraordinary turn of events.


    "Yes. My Dad, Oliver West, was the one who was leading his team to cover this news.


    "You are Oliver''s daughter?" Joshua was knocked with a feather.


    "Do you know my Dad?" Ivy turned to look at Joshua.


    Joshua cursed himself for his slip of the tongue. He controlled his emotions and replied calmly. "Sort of. But not personally. I used to follow his news closely. He was an honest reporter."


    Ivy smiled at his answer. Her father was definitely a person many people knew.


    "So, I think now you know why I am so desperate."


    Joshua could only nod. His hands were tied. Even though he wanted to help her, he couldn''t. Noah had forbidden him to do anything related to Oliver and his family. Joshua could only follow his orders. He was helpless looking at the hopeful eyes fixed on him.


    "I''ll try my level best."


    "Thank you Mr Martin. I''ll never forget your help."

 Chapter 48: Indirect kiss

    Noah and Aria sat next to each other in the capsule as four other people entered behind them. After that nobody else was allowed to enter. Aria looked around confused. She could see there were still many people in the queue and the capsule could still house some more people. Yet, there were only six of them. She turned to look at Noah, while he shrugged at her questioning look.


    Turning to face away from her, he grinned a little. He had booked one complete capsule for only the two of them. But considering that this would only arise suspicion in her mind, he had allowed the four guards to accompany them.


    Aria did not know that the four people were Noah''s men. She thought them to be normal people who wanted to go on a ride on the London eye.


    After their beautiful time at Kyoto Garden, they had gone shopping. While Aria shopped for Ivy, Daniel and Ian, Noah just gave her company.


    After shopping for around an hour, they had stopped to have some cool drinks on their way to the London eye. They had to hurry up as it was almost time for the sun to set. Fortunately, they made it on time.


    The capsule started to move and Aria looked outside. She could see the city below her. She gasped at the sight in front of her. At the same moment, the sun started to set. The entire city was covered with golden-red color and Aria took in the beautiful moment. She was very excited and in her excitement she held Noah''s hand.


    Noah stared at their intertwined hands and smiled. And as usual, the four guards in the capsule were snapping pictures of the couple instead of the magnificent sight of the city.


    The capsule stayed at the top for a few minutes and they could see the entire city below them. Aria took in the beauty before her while she took a glance at one of the four people in the capsule. He immediately, turned away in the opposite direction. He had been clicking photos of his Boss and most probably the Lady Boss. He had held his camera focused on the couple, when Aria looked at him.


    Looking at him behaving oddly, Aria muttered, "Weird."


    Noah had seen the entire scenario and he gave his men a warning through his eyes. It clearly said only one thing. ''If you do something that will ruin my date, then be ready to face my wrath."


    The four men gulped and one man, in particular, was scared out of his wits.


    ''Boss, don''t look at me like that. I was only clicking your pics.''


    At that moment, an idea struck his mind. ''Boss, you will praise me for this.''


    "Excuse me." He spoke gaining the attention of the couple.


    "Oh my. What a lovely couple. Do you want me to take your photographs? I am a worker here. We click pictures for the people who want to take photographs." He said, being careful not to anger his Boss.


    Aria thought that in places like these, sometimes many professional photographers were present to take pictures of the people in the capsule.


    "Noah, let''s take a pic together. We haven''t taken one since this day started."


    Noah smirked at her innocence. She had no idea that they had taken a lot of pictures without her knowledge.


    "Okay, sure."


    "Lovely. Now if both of you would come closer." The guard motioned for them to come closer.


    Noah moved closer to Aria.


    "Still close." The guard said focusing his camera.


    Noah took another step towards her. This time their shoulders were touching each other.


    "No no. There is something missing." The guard said. Noah immediately understood what he was trying to do.


    "What?" Aria asked confused.


    Noah put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. Aria looked at him in surprise and the guard captured this exact moment.


    "Perfect." He commented, making Aria and Noah to look at him. He clicked another picture this time and looked at it.


    "You both look so perfect together." He praised the couple. Aria blushed at the compliment and Noah gave the guard a nod of approval, making the guard sigh in relief. He had somehow pushed his death day further.


    After thirty minutes of the ride, Noah and Aria got off and walked towards his car.


    "So, where are we going now?" Aria asked expectantly. Unbeknownst to her, she was looking forward to their next destination. Accompanying Noah in visiting places in London had indeed made her day very interesting.


    "Next we are going to have dinner."


    "Okay."


    ..................


    After half an hour, Noah and Aria were having their dinner in a small inn. Aria had expected him to take her to an extravagant place for dinner, So, she was surprised at seeing the small cafe type restaurant.


    "You''ll love the food here." Noah had assured her looking at her doubtful face and true to his words the food was delicious.


    "Umm, this is so delicious." Aria moaned in delight. She was chewed on her spaghetti bolognese while Noah looked at her. Some bolognese sauce was stuck on her lips. It made Noah want to lick it off her lips. The sight was were alluring. His Adam''s apple bobbed. Yet, he controlled himself and took a tissue. He carefully wiped her lips. His actions made Aria''s heart skip a beat. Her face became red at once. She lowered her head and started to eat her food at a faster pace. Noah laughed inwardly looking at her red cheeks. He knew he was affecting her. He was slowing crawling into her heart.


    They finished their dinner, talking about random things. And Aria too realized that she was enjoying Noah''s company.


    "So, how did you like today?" Noah asked after they had finished their food.


    "It was very good, Noah. I enjoyed it a lot."


    "Me too."


    "Thank you so much," Aria said. She had clearly forgotten that few minutes back, she was actually flustered.


    "Anytime Lady," Noah said in a deep voice.


    "So, we are good to go?" Aria asked, picking up her bag.


    "Yes," Noah said, getting up.


    They drove along the roads of London street. There was still some time for the clock to strike 10. Aria noticed a small ice cream stall.


    "Noah stop." Noah pressed on the breaks at once.


    "What happened Aria?" He was confused. ''Why did she ask him to stop suddenly?''


    "Let''s have some ice cream," Aria said and hopped off the car. She ran to the ice cream vendor without waiting for Noah. She ushered him to come fast as she gave her order.


    "What flavor do you want?" Aria asked him as soon as he approached her.


    "I don''t eat ice cream," Noah said at once.


    "What?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay then give me my ice cream." She told the vendor, while Noah gave him the money.


    After five minutes, they were inside the car, driving back to the hotel where Aria was staying.


    "Noah, have a taste. This is so good." Aria held her spoon in front of him. Noah was about to reject her offer. He did not like ice creams at all. However, he got an idea and before she could withdraw her hand, he had eaten the ice cream.


    "You were right. This ice cream is indeed delicious." Noah said with a satisfied smile. He had only eaten it because she had eaten from the same spoon before feeding him. However, after tasting it he found it to be quite appetizing.


    ''Did we kiss indirectly just now?'' Noah wondered, while his heart was dancing in glee.


    Aria blinked twice looking at the empty spoon and dug into the bowl before taking a bite. She then held the next scoop for Noah, which he ate without hesitation.


    This continued until the bowl was empty. By then, they had reached the hotel.


    "Thanks a lot Noah for making my day wonderful," Aria said when both of them were standing at the entrance.


    "Not a problem. All the best for the conference." Noah said, giving her a smile.


    Aria stared at him for a few seconds, before realizing that she was looking at him dazedly. she cleared her throat.


    "Goodnight Noah."


    "Goodnight Aria."


    Noah waited until Aria entered the hotel and then he drove off.


    Aria plopped on her bed as soon as she entered her room. She reminisced her entire day. Her heart fluttered thinking about Noah.


    ''Wow. He is so good. He was so sweet to me. I am so attracted to him.''


    But, suddenly she got up and said out loud.


    "I am attracted to him."

 Chapter 49: Message from Aria

    Joshua was sitting alone in his office room. It was very late, in fact, it was past dinner time. All his employees had left for the day-long back. Yet he was still in his seat, thinking about Ivy and her plea for his help. He thought about it for a long time and finally decided to give Noah a call. Only he could tell him what to do now.


    At that moment, Noah had returned to his mansion after dropping Aria. He had changed into a black pajama and a dark blue shirt. He was lying on his bed and scrolling through the photographs his bodyguards had clicked.


    Before sending him all the pictures, the guards had dared to ask him why he had not taken the opportunity to kiss Aria. Noah had dismissed them by giving them a death glare. All four of them had run away with tails in between their legs.


    Ronnie and Shane gave Noah a questioning look, but looking at his cold face, they had kept quiet. They were dying to know what had happened and why their Boss was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Yet they got no answers from either Noah or the guards.


    After a lot of internal struggle, Ronnie had made an attempt to ask him. However, Noah had walked away towards his room, leaving him frustrated.


    Noah went through each one of the photographs, taking his own time looking at them. There were a lot of photographs. His guards had taken them in all possible angles and directions. Impressed with their work, he thought of giving them a three-month bonus.


    Even though most of the pictures were of them being together, Noah''s eyes were only looking at Aria. He created a back up for all the pictures and set one of his personal favorites as his phone wallpaper. It was of Aria at the Kyoto garden alone, when she was surrounded by flowers. In the midst of so many flowers, she looked like a flower herself.


    ''Did you reach safely?'' A message popped on the screen. It was from Aria. They had exchanged phone numbers before parting at the hotel on Noah''s insist. Although Aria was reluctant, she eventually gave in.


    Noah jumped up immediately. He couldn''t believe that Aria had texted him first. He grinned and his smile even blinded the stars in the night sky.


    ''Yes. I reached long back.'' He sent a reply. ''Aren''t you asleep yet?''


    His phone sounded again. But this time it was a call from Joshua. He disconnected it. But his phone rang again.


    "What?" He barked, clearly pissed off at being interrupted in his time with Aria.


    "Wow, wow, hold on. What got your pants in a twist?" Joshua teased.


    "You." Noah''s one word was enough for Joshua to shut up.


    "If you have nothing important to say, I''ll end.."


    "Wait. It''s very important." Joshua said, sighing. Noah remained silent. He perceived that Joshua had immediately become serious. So, it must be something urgent.


    "It''s about Oliver."


    "What about him?" Noah asked calmly.


    "His daughter is searching for him."


    "So?"


    "She asked me for help."


    "Then, you know what to do."


    "But how long are we going to hide it from the world?"


    "As long as we can." Noah gave him a curt reply.


    "Then, what shall I do about Ivy?"


    "Who''s Ivy?"


    "Oliver''s daughter."


    "Just stall time. Do something, anything. But the truth must not come out."


    "She also wanted to know about the Director of Royal Health Care Hospital."


    "How did she reach so far?" Noah asked, this time he was actually a little surprised.


    "She is a journalist. So, he has a very curious mind." Joshua replied while Noah nodded. He knew how impulsive and fast journalists were.


    "We cannot reveal anything about it. It is not our secret to make any decision. So, I guess we have to keep it for ourselves."


    Noah gave his answer and ended the call. He then saw the message he had received from Aria.


    ''Going to sleep now. You?'' Noah eyes crinkled. Looking at her message, his mood changed at once. His gaze was instantly filled with warmth.


    ''Not sleepy. Aria, I am very happy today. I had a very memorable day.'' He sent the text and waited for her to answer. Even after waiting for a long time, he did not get any reply from her. So, he assumed her to have gone to sleep.


    ''Goodnight Aria.'' He sent another reply and got ready to sleep.


    Meanwhile, Joshua stared at his cell phone. He knew what Noah''s answer would be, yet he had made a call to him. As expected, Noah did not even bat an eyelid.


    Joshua had all the answers to Ivy''s questions, yet he could not do anything. He could only sigh. "Sorry Ivy. I can''t help you with this. My hands are bound."


    He got up from his seat and exited his office. When he walked out, he saw his secretary, Lucia, dozing off at her desk. He walked to her and tapped on her desk. She woke up with a start.


    "Lucia, why are you still here?" Joshua looked at his watch.


    "Mr. Martin, you were still inside. So I thought I would wait for you." She said tucking her hair behind her ears.


    "It''s quite late. You should have left by now. From next time onward, until and unless I ask you to stay, make sure to leave at the correct time. Okay?"


    "Okay, Mr Martin."


    "Now come I''ll drop you."


    "No. No. I have my car. I''ll be fine."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes Mr. Martin. One hundred percent."


    "Text me when you reach home."


    "Okay."


    Joshua and Lucia walked together to the parking lot. He waited for her to take off, before he got in his car and drove in the direction of his house.


    On the other hand, Ivy did not know that Joshua was not going to help her at all. She was still hopeful that he would find something useful for her in finding her father.

 Chapter 50: Dug his own grave

    The next day early morning, Charles Miller returned from his business trip. He had gone to different cities trying to build contacts to secure his company. Although he couldn''t get much help, one small finance company had agreed to lend him money. But the condition was that he had to stabilize his company within six months, else they would seize his properties. Satisfied with the result, he had returned home.


    As Charles drove through the gate, he saw the two servants and the housekeeper waiting outside. He stopped the car at the driveway addled. He approached the servants and looked at them.


    "What happened? Why are you standing outside?"


    "Master, we are not sure if we can enter. For three days, Madam, Young Master and the Young Miss have not returned home." The house keeper said.


    "What do you mean they have not returned home? Where have they gone?" Charles raised his voice. He did not know that in his absence his family would go missing.


    "Master three days back, we arrived at 6 a.m. to start our work for the day. But the door was wide open and nobody was inside. We do not know where Madam has gone, we were not informed of their plans. We waited for three days, yet none of the three returned. We didn''t know what to do. So, we were waiting outside."


    "Let''s go in." Charles was dejected. ''What could have happened three days ago?''


    He sat on the sofa while the servants stood in front of him.


    "Get the watchman here," Charles said, after thinking for a while.


    One of the servants ran outside and came back with the watchman.


    "Master, did you call for me?"


    "Yes, what happened three days ago? Even if the three servants were not in the house, you were here. You must definitely know something."


    "Master. I don''t know a thing. As usual, I was doing my duty at night. Suddenly, there was a noise outside. So, I went to take a look. But, someone attacked me from behind and pushed a cloth to my face. I felt dizzy and the next time I woke up, it was already afternoon." The watchman recalled all the things that had happened to him.


    Charles realized that his family members had been kidnapped. He felt terrible and angry. ''Why would anybody try to kidnap them? What would they gain out of it?''


    He picked up his phone and made a call to the police. "Hello, police station. I want to file a missing report."


    After an hour, the police had arrived and were taking statements from the servants and the watchman. After doing so, the inspector walked towards Charles to get his statement.


    "Mr. Miller, did your family have any enemies?"


    "Yeah. Some, maybe. I am a businessman. So, I might have made some enemies."


    "Do you suspect anyone?"


    "Look, Inspector. Recently, my business has not been doing well. So, many shareholders were angry with me. Some, even threatened me with my family. But I cannot point out the names." Charles replied sadly.


    "Okay, Mr. Miller. We will inform you as soon as we find out anything." The police left his house.


    Charles hauled his body towards his bedroom. He was tired mentally and physically. He opened the door to his room and walked in. He looked around and something caught his eye. There was a file at the bedside drawer. He picked up the file and went through the details. It was a DNA test report. He wondered who could have taken a DNA test.


    Looking at the result, Charles was completely shaken up. It stated that Eddie was Samuel Carter''s son.


    "That means Beth lied to me. Eddie is not my son." Charles shouted in rage.


    Thirty years back, although Charles had known that Beth was married to another man, he had kept an affair with her. After Beth divorced her husband, she immediately proposed to Charles. At that time, his business in real estate had just started and he was slowly building a name for himself. So, he rejected her proposal at once. However, when she revealed that she was pregnant with his child, he married her the next day.


    Now, Charles was beyond angry. Beth had lied to him about Eddie.


    ''Maybe she has gone back to Samuel Carter.'' He thought. He knew how rich the Carters were. The amount of money he had was not even 0.1 percent of what they had.


    "She must have gone back to him. What a greedy woman!" Charles seethed. He grabbed his coat and went out of his room. He sat in his car and drove towards the Carter mansion.


    At that moment, Samuel was doing his regular exercise. He was walking on the treadmill as he watched the news on the television. One of the servants knocked at the door and entered inside.


    "Master a person named Charles Miller is here to see you. He says he is the husband of Beth Sommers,"


    Samuel stopped the treadmill listening to the servant. He wondered why Charles had come to meet him. Although he had never met him before, he still wanted to know why he had come to visit him.


    "Ask him to wait for me in the living room. I''ll be there in five minutes." The servant heard the orders and walked out.


    Samuel wiped his sweaty forehead and neck with a small towel. He switched off the TV and proceeded towards the living room. He saw a middle-aged man sitting on the sofa. He had lost hair at some places and was especially bald in the middle of his head. He looked quite fat.


    Hearing the footsteps, Charles lifted his head and saw Samuel walking towards him. He was wearing track pants and a sweatshirt. He was very tall and looked quite fit. As soon he saw him, he stood up.


    "Take a seat, Mr Miller."


    Samuel sat down and crossed his legs. Charles sat down looking at the domineering man. He couldn''t compare himself with Samuel in any category. He was miles ahead in everything, except for his age as Samuel was younger than Charles.


    "Why are you here, Mr. Miller?"


    Charles stared at him for a few seconds before he started.


    "Mr. Carter. It''s a pleasure to meet you."


    "Come to the point." Samuel stopped him at once. He was not interested in his chit chat.


    "Mr. Carter, as you already know your ex-wife, Beth Sommers, is my wife."


    "So?" Samuel looked disinterested.


    "Did you know that Eddie is not my son?"


    "Yes, I got to know a few days back." Charles nodded. He knew that if Samuel had known before, he would definitely have taken away Eddie form Beth.


    "Mr. Carter, I just wanted to tell you that Beth, Eddie and Caroline are missing."


    "Does it have anything to do with me?" Samuel raised his eyebrows.


    "No. No. I did not mean that. I do not care about Beth, she has lied to me. But I do care about Eddie. I still consider him as my son even if he isn''t. So, could you please help me find him?" He was telling the truth, he sincerely considered Eddie to be his son.


    Charles asked Samuel to find Eddie and not both Beth and Eddie on purpose. Since, Samuel had had a failed marriage with Beth, he would not care about her. But Eddie was still his son. No father would want to harm his child, unless he was a lunatic.


    "Mr. Miller, did you know that your wife and your son planned to get my son killed?" Samuel asked calmly.


    "What are you saying?"


    "Beth hatched a plan to get my son, Noah, killed, so that after his death she could bring back Eddie into the Carter family."


    Charles could not believe his ears. He did not know Beth had planned such a devious plan. And above all Eddie was also involved in her tactics.


    "Seeing your horrified expression, I assume you did not have a hand in this and I hope that''s the case. Otherwise." Samuel didn''t have to continue. The threat was clear in his voice.


    "Also, Mr. Miller. I only have one son, Noah. The day Eddie tried to harm Noah, he lost his birthright of being my son. Although you were having an affair with my wife when we were married, I am not angry with you. Do you know why?"


    Charles looked at him, waiting for his answer.


    "You saved me from the hands of a greedy woman. For this, I thank you with all my heart."


    Charles chided himself. Though he had saved Samuel, he had dug his own grave.


    "An advice for you Mr. Miller. Don''t waste your time trying to find those people. You will never find them."

 Chapter 51: Masons vow

    Aria got up at the usual time she was used to. Her body had been trained to get up exactly at 6 a.m automatically. She was a little excited about the conference. Today was the first day of the conference. Although nothing much would take place on the first day, she was still looking forward to it.


    Aria looked at her phone. There were two messages from Noah.


    ''Not sleepy. Aria, I am very happy today. I had a very memorable day.'' Aria smiled, reading the message. She too had a memorable day and that was all because of Noah. She was still confused with her new found attraction towards Noah. Her mind was having a serious battle about it. She looked at his next message and sent him a reply.


    ''Good morning.''


    Aria sighed and got up from her bed to get ready for the day. She finished her morning chores and got dressed as quickly as possible. She was out of her room by 7 a.m. She knew her colleagues would still be getting ready. So, she walked around the hotel by herself. On the first day she had arrived, it was already night and she was a little jet-lagged. And yesterday she had gone sightseeing. So, she hadn''t seen much of the hotel. She walked around taking in the beauty and the elegance of the hotel. She knew it was not wise to walk around in 4 wings of the hotel as there were mostly rooms for the guests. So, she proceeded towards the second floor where there were many restaurants and shops. The shops were closed but some restaurants had been opened.


    Aria sat down at the sitting area after getting a cup of lemon tea from one of the restaurants. She took a sip while her eyes wandered in all directions. Not many people were present in the area. She saw an old man occupy the table opposite her. He looked around fifty or so. He had a French beard which made him look quite wise. He had his glasses on and he was dressed in professional attire. She felt that she had seen him somewhere, yet she could not put a name to his face.


    ''Why is he dressed professionally, early in the morning?'' Aria thought, when she herself was dressed in a similar fashion.


    Stuart had messaged them that right after breakfast, the inauguration of the conference would start. So, she was already ready for the event.


    Aria looked at him for a while, trying to rack her brain where she had seen him. Then it struck her. He was the world-famous cardiothoracic surgeon, Wilbur Price. Recently, he was in the news for performing a heart transplant on a ten days old infant.


    Aria picked up her cup and approached him. She cleared her throat. "Hello, Dr Price. It''s a pleasure to meet you."


    The man was taken aback by the sudden introduction. "Do I know you?"


    "No, Dr Price. But I do. I saw your news about the heart transplant. You are like a teacher to me. I have also read your books on hear surgery."


    "Please take your seat. Are you a doctor too?" The man was pleased to hear Aria referring to his books.


    "Thank you. Yes, I am a cardiologist." Aria said politely.


    "So, you have come here to attend the conference?"


    "Yes."


    "Good. Good. What are you doing here at this time? Ain''t it quite early? There''s still time for breakfast."


    "Yes, sir. But I have the habit of getting up early."


    "That''s nice," Wilbur said, nodding in appreciation.


    At that moment, a man came running. He stopped in front of their table and panted for a while.


    "Dr Price. I have been looking for you everywhere."


    "Is there something serious?"


    "Yes. The committee wants to have a word with you."


    "Let''s go then." Wilbur turned to Aria.


    "It was good to know you. I''ll see you around." He gave her a smile and walked away with the man.


    Aria waited till she finished her lemon tea. After that, she checked her phone. There was a message from Noah. Since, she had kept her phone on silent mode, she had not heard it.


    ''Good Morning. Have a good day.''


    Aria smiled reading his message. Warmth spread through her entire body. Since the previous night, she couldn''t stop thinking about him. She found it strange that in one day how she had found the once irritating man quite pleasant and appealing. She had never found anyone as attractive as Noah before. She blushed at once when she remembered the scene from the garden where they were too close to each other. She calmed her racing heart and sighed.


    "What is happening to me?"


    Aria shook her to clear her thoughts of Noah. She then got up and walked to the dining hall. It was almost time for breakfast. She waited for a few minutes for her friends to arrive.


    "Where had you been? We were quite worried about you." Stuart said as soon as he saw Aria. He was the first one to arrive.


    "I think I got lost. Anyway how was your day?"


    "It was kinda okay. You were not there right? So, I lost interest. It became boring."


    Aria raised her eyebrows playfully.


    "I am honored."


    "You must be. How was your day?"


    "It was awesome, I think it was one of the best days of my life." Aria''s mind immediately diverted back to Noah.


    "Wow. What did you do for it be like that?" Stuart was surprised. In fact, he couldn''t stop worrying until he received a message from at night that she had reached the hotel safely. Only after that, he could calm down.


    At that moment, Tara and Julia arrived, followed by Aiden and Mason.


    "Aria, where the hell had you been?" It was Mason. He looked quite agitated. All his plans of spending some time with Aria had gone down the drains as soon as she had separated from the group.


    Everybody looked at Mason shocked, hearing his sudden outburst. Realizing that his behavior had been inappropriate, he changed his tone. "What happened Aria?"


    "I am fine guys," Aria replied, ensuring it with her eyes.


    "Perfect. So, what are we waiting for? Let''s have some breakfast." Tara said pulling Julia and Aria with her.


    Mason clenched his fists looking at Aria''s retreating figure. He made a vow to himself. "By the end of this tour, I am going to have a taste of you, Aria. After that, I promise, you will be head over heels with me.

 Chapter 52: The guards dilemma

    The sun rays entered the room through the window and fell on the sleeping man. His handsome face was glowing and even in his sleepy state, he was very charismatic.


    Noah frowned while sleeping. The sun rays were hitting directly on his face and were stinging his eyes. It was hindering his sleep. He turned in the opposite direction, effectively shielding himself from the rays. Sighing in content, he continued to sleep until there was a knock at the door.


    Did he think he could still continue to sleep? No way.


    After a few seconds there was a knock again. Noah muttered some curses. He couldn''t continue to lie on the bed as the knocks were quite persistent. It looked like the person on the other side wanted to make Noah open the door at all costs.


    Ronnie was waiting outside the master bedroom along with two other bodyguards. They had taken up the task of waking up their Boss who never like anybody disturbing his sleep. However, they had to do it as they had forgotten to inform him the previous night that a board meeting was scheduled at 8.30 a.m. Now it was past seven and they had been at the office before the meeting started, not that anybody would question Noah as he was the Boss. But, Noah was punctual and he expected punctuality from others too. So, how could the guards allow their Boss to be late?


    The assistant, Shane White, had told about his mistake early in the morning to the other people. They were rendered speechless. The guards knew that Noah was very scary if he was disturbed while asleep. They had seen his cold face before and as a result, nobody was willing to sacrifice themselves. But, notifying him about the meeting was also important. If not, the destruction later would be much more compared to that of telling him.


    The guards pushed each other towards Noah''s room, urging the other person to wake him up. Nobody was ready to face the wrath of the devil. So, their legs were rooted on the spot.


    After a lot of pondering and voting, everyone pointed towards the head bodyguard, Ronnie, to face the monster.


    ''Sorry, Ronnie. You know how he is. We are not brave enough to face him. So, we are offering you to the devil.'' The other guards thought.


    Ronnie was agitated. He looked at the wicked people in front of him. He pointed at two of them and motioned them to follow him. When they shook their heads, he gave them a threatening glance.


    ''It is better than dying alone.'' He thought.


    The three of them tiptoed in the direction of Noah''s room and stopped in front of the door. It looked like the door to hell. After taking a deep breath, Ronnie knocked at the door and waited for his Boss.


    Noah groaned. He rolled to the side and got up. He opened the door with an icy glare which could freeze anyone on spot. Ronnie and the guards were spooked looking at his cold face. Any other time, they would have laughed looking at Noah''s messy hair. But right now, their priority was to save their asses.


    "Good Morning, Boss." Ronnie stammered. He looked behind him when he did not hear any words from the other guards. To his horror, the two guards had escaped as soon as they had seen Noah''s frightening face. They had left Ronnie at Satan''s mercy.


    "Damn it." Ronnie cursed and turned to face his Boss. He shivered looking at Noah glare at him.


    ''Be brave. You are courageous, Ronnie. You are a soldier. Face the monster head-on. Come on, speak up. Speak up.'' He encouraged himself to lift up his spirits.


    "Boss, you have a board meeting to attend at 8.30," Ronnie informed in one breath and bowed his head. When he did not get any answer, he peeked a little and looked at Noah''s face. This time his face was less cold than before.


    "Sorry Boss. We forgot..." Before Ronnie could apologize, Noah had shut the door with a bang.


    At that moment, the person who was standing outside had only one question in mind. ''Will he be able to continue living or was today his last day?''


    Meanwhile the person inside the room had no idea that his head bodyguard was scared out of his wits. He casually picked up his phone and checked for any messages from Aria.


    ''Good Morning.'' He smiled at once reading her text. The coldness in his eyes vanished and was replied with warmth. If Ronnie had seen his Boss''s emotions changing from winter to spring just by looking at his phone, it would have made his blood run cold.


    ''Good Morning. Have a good day.'' He sent her a reply. He dropped his phone on the bed and went inside the bathroom.


    After half an hour, he was dressed in a black Ermenegildo Zegna suit and black shoes from Tom Ford. The black color heightened his charisma and he looked more mysterious.


    The guards, Shane and the secretary were anxiously biting their nails waiting for Noah to come down. Everybody looked up when they heard the footsteps coming from the staircase. Noah did not spare them a glance and went to the dining hall. The others sighed in relief and waited for Noah to finish the breakfast.


    Shane picked up his files and approached the calm man who was eating peacefully at the dining table.


    "Boss, we have a meeting with the board members at 8.30 a.m. After that we have to go on inspection. Later, we are having lunch at 1.30 p.m. with our partner company President, Liam Brooke. After the lunch, the schedule is free." Shane looked at Noah. Though he looked like he did not care about what Shane was blabbering, he had heard all that was being said by him and had registered it in his mind. He was happy that he had the entire day after lunch. He could go meet Aria.


    Noah finished his food, calmly picked up the napkin and wiped his fingers.


    "What are we waiting for then? Let''s go." Noah got up and left immediately leaving the others dumbfounded.


    ''Boss, we were waiting for you.'' They said in their minds as they did not have the courage to voice their words.


    Noah sat at the back of his car while Ronnie sat at the driver''s seat. Shane sat beside Noah while the secretary sat at the passenger seat.


    Shane handed Noah the tab which had all the details regarding the board meeting. Noah read through the details while the female secretary was going through the presentation she had prepared, once again.


    Everything was set and Noah had all the information he needed by the time they reached his office. All the employees were waiting for him. As soon he got down from the car, all the ladies were hyper-excited. They had taken extra time trying to dress up that day as their Boss was visiting them.


    But their efforts were in vain as Noah did not even spare them a glance and walked inside the building. All this was being noticed by a certain person standing in the corner. She grinned wickedly. "Noah you are mine. Mine alone."

 Chapter 53: Outwitting the enemies

    The President, Luis Truman, strode inside the meeting room followed by his secretary and two of his elite guards. He sat at his position and looked at the people already present in the room. There was the defense minister, three chiefs of armed forces that is army, navy and air force. There was also some defense personnel who held posts of high ranking. Everybody had been waiting for his arrival. They had been informed the previous day that the President wanted to have a private meeting with them regarding the border security issues. It was normal for the President to hold meetings of such kind to know what the situations were.


    After the President had made himself comfortable, the defense minister looked at all the other people and asked the question which everybody had in mind. "Mr. Truman, why are we called here?"


    Luis looked at the minister, hearing his question, and turned to his secretary. Taking it as the cue for him to speak, the secretary asked a question to all the people.


    "The President has called for this meeting as he has an important thing to reveal. Before that, he would like to know how the condition is at the west border of our country."


    Hearing the question, the army chief spoke up. "Mr. President, although the situation is completely in our hands, the other side is not backing off. The fight stops as soon as we capture their men. However, after some time again some people start attacking. So, many soldiers have been sent to the west border to extinguish this fire completely."


    Luis nodded. As expected, many soldiers had been sent on this mission. Though the case was not complex, it was being made complex to divert their attention.


    "Call back the troupes immediately," Luis said, folding his hands on the table.


    "But why Mr. President? We need to find out why they are attacking us even though they are at a disadvantage. Also, we don''t know who is the mastermind behind the attack." The army chief argued. Like everybody else, he too was perplexed listening to the President''s orders.


    "Call them back right now," Luis stressed.


    Looking at the confused faces, he leaned back on his chair. "Give me reports on how our country''s borders are being guarded."


    All of them looked at one another hearing the absurd question.


    The navy chief started with his report first. "Sir, the coastal regions are being guarded heavily. We are monitoring the international sea routes 24/7. We have also trained many naval soldiers to adapt themselves to any emergency situation. As of now, there is no possibility of danger at the coast from the sea route."


    "Hmm. So, the southwest to the southeast side is not in danger." The President mumbled to himself.


    "Sir, the northwest side is also not a problem except for the attack from those so-called terrorists, everything is under control. We have deputed the army as well as the air force to look into it. So, there are twelve thousand soldiers patrolling in that area from northwest till the upper north." One of the defense personnel said while everyone nodded in agreement.


    "Okay. How about the northeastern side? How many soldiers are currently shielding the area?" Luis asked. Three directions out of four possible directions of the attack were secure. Only the northeast border was remaining. If is it is being guarded by a good number of soldiers, then there is no need for worrying.


    "Sir, currently there are around seven hundred soldiers in that area. Before the attack at the northwest, there were around seven thousand soldiers." The army chief described the situation.


    ''That''s it. The terrorists are going to strike from the northeast direction. It has fewer soldiers. So, it will be easy for them to attack. Also, it would take some time for the soldiers at the northwest to return to the northeast. By then, the situation would have gone out of control.'' Luis analyzed.


    "Call back your men at once. Leave around four thousand in that northwest area. Send the remaining men to take charge in the northeast direction. We might be under attack soon."


    All the men were dumbfounded. The news fell on them like a nuclear bomb.


    Sir, I don''t understand. How can there be an attack all of a sudden? Do you suspect something, Sir?" The air force chief asked after thinking for a while.


    "Don''t you think that it is suspicious that the other party is still putting up a fight at the northwest borders even though we have defeated them every time? If I am not wrong this is their strategy."


    "Ohh. They want us to concentrate on the northwest borders while they are planning an attack from the northeast direction." The defense minister grasped what Luis wanted to tell at once.


    "Yes."


    "Oh my god. I''ll immediately take action." The air force chief looked at the army chief who nodded at him. Now they had to send out orders for their men at the northwest camp.


    "How dare they!! They dare mess with us. Now let them see the power of our soldiers." The defense minister said banging his fists on the table.


    Every other person in the room had the same feeling. They were ready to kill for their motherland and they were ready to get killed for their motherland. But they were not ready to allow somebody to kill their motherland.


    After an intense discussion of their next strategy and plans, everybody but the President and his secretary exited the room.


    "Sir, we found out our enemies plan in the nick of time. Else, it would have been late by the time we took some action if those wretched men executed their plan without our knowledge. Now, it will us who will give them a shocking surprise." The secretary said with a hint of admiration.


    Luis heard his words and smiled. It was true that they had managed to save themselves from a huge disaster all thanks to the lady reporter. If she had not asked him the questions on the suspicious attacks at the press conference, nobody would have thought the possibility of approaching catastrophe.


    ''I must thank her personally after everything returns to normal.'' Luis thought.


    Meanwhile, the lady reporter he was thinking about, had dressed up as a poor, old woman and had admitted herself to the Good City Clinic on the pretext of abdominal pain.

 Chapter 54: Ivys disguise

    "Ah. Ah. Pain. Pain." Ivy fainted right in front of the reception of the Good City Clinic. The clinic was not as small as a clinic would normally be, but it was not as big as a hospital too. Based on one''s judgment, it could be called more of a hospital than a small clinic.


    Ivy had dressed up as a poor, old woman. Her shirt was a little worn out at the sides, while her skirt looked like it belonged to her grandmother''s grandmother.


    The people near the clinic immediately surrounded her and one of them called the nurse. The nurse looked at the old woman. Her wrinkled face was pale and she was clutching her stomach. She was skeptical to bring her inside the hospital to treat her. The woman looked too poor to be able to pay the medical bills. Yet the next moment, she called the attendee to get the stretcher. There were many people around. If the old woman was not given immediate treatment, then that would have a bad impact on the hospital.


    The nurse led the woman on the stretcher to one of the small rooms. It was too small to be called a ward. She left the ward after shifting the old lady on to the bed and returned with a doctor after ten minutes.


    "Doctor, this is the woman I was talking about."


    "What the hell! have you lost your freaking mind? This old hag looks very poor. Do you think she would be able to pay the medical expenses?" The doctor bellowed, without even caring that his loud voice could wake up the unconscious woman.


    "But, Doctor. Many people saw her faint. So, I couldn''t help but get her inside." The nurse defended herself meekly.


    They did not know that their conversation had been heard by the woman in question. Although the woman had fainted, she was acting it all; she was only pretending to be asleep. If Aria had seen Ivy like this, she would have applauded her for her brilliant acting.


    Ivy stayed still and listened to the doctor-nurse duo. She had recorded all that had happened in the ward using a button camera on her shirt.


    ''Hmm. It''s time for the superstar to enter. Let the drama begin.'' Ivy thought and stirred, successfully gaining the attention of the nurse and the doctor.


    "Doctor, the woman is waking up." The nurse spoke, seeing her move.


    Ivy squinted her eyes and then she turned to look at the two people in front of her.


    "Doctor, what is wrong with me? Why does it pain so bad in my stomach?" She placed her hand on her abdomen and groaned lightly.


    "Where does it pain?" Looking at the old woman clutching her abdomen, he got an idea he could execute. So, he thought about it and decided to treat the woman.


    "Here, in my stomach."


    The doctor pressed on her abdomen lightly, making Ivy gasp. "Ahh."


    "We need to run some tests on you. Only then I can tell what the problem is." The doctor then looked at the nurse and gave her a set of tests to be performed on the woman.


    "Get a blood test and a urine test. Also, get an ultrasound."


    The nurse nodded and helped the woman to get the ultrasound first. After the procedure for the ultrasound was complete, she took her blood and urine samples.


    Ivy knew that the clinic did not have any high-end devices like the ones in the big hospitals that could determine her age from her blood. So, she readily obliged for the tests. She was then brought back to the waiting area at the reception and was asked to wait.


    "How long does it take for the results to be out?" Ivy asked the nurse.


    "About two hours."


    "Then can I come after two hours. Although I have had my breakfast, I am a little hungry."


    "Okay. But pay for the tests first." The nurse assumed that the old woman would run away without paying them. So, she asked her to pay before leaving the hospital.


    "How much do I have to pay?" She asked with reluctance.


    "300 dollars."


    "What? 300 dollars for all those tests." Ivy asked baffled. Although it was not as expensive as the huge and high tech hospitals, it was quite too much for a puny clinic like the Good City Clinic to charge its patients.


    "Yes. You must pay for it." The nurse was irritated. But she had to get the money from the woman.


    "I have only 150 dollars. It''s the money given to me by my son for my monthly expenses." Ivy held the money she had in front of the nurse.


    The nurse snatched the money from her hand and looked coldly at her. "Hmm. Okay. Pay the remaining money after you come back."


    "I don''t think I''ll be able to pay any more," Ivy said sadly. Grievance was oozing through her entire body.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I have no more money left with me until my son lends me some."


    "It''s okay. Come back after two hours. Let''s see what we can do."


    "Thank you. Thank you so much. You are so kind." The old woman held the nurse''s hands in gratitude.


    The nurse smiled and walked away.


    Ivy waited for the nurse to be out of sight and then got up slowly. She then walked towards her left and entered the ladies washroom.


    Inside the washroom, she removed her shirt and skirt. She was wearing a tank top and jeans beneath. She then took off her wig and washed her face. She pulled out the waterproof bag she had hidden under the sink and took out a dark green shirt and wore it, making sure that the button camera was intact. She stuffed the costume she had previously worn inside the bag and casually walked out of the loo.


    If anybody was told that the old woman who had entered the washroom before and the young lady who had left just now, were actually the same person, then they would have laughed at the absurdity. There was no trace of her being the old woman. She was back to being Ivy.


    Ivy went towards the reception. When nobody was looking, she slipped past the area and started searching for the nurse or the doctor who had looked at her before. She found the nurse at one of the wards. She was giving a sponge bath to an old man. But she could not find the doctor anywhere. She searched again everywhere until she came across a door at the farthest end of the hospital. There was a sign on it: Restricted.


    Ivy tried the knob and much to her surprise, it opened at once. She stepped in carefully. She was not sure who was inside and she did not want to risk being exposed. She closed the door behind her and took careful steps when she heard some people talking. She walked until she could clearly see who they were. It was the doctor she was searching for and another person she did not know. She hid behind curtains and focused her camera on them.


    "Doctor, this patient had come in just a few hours back. She had pain in her abdomen. The test reports are normal. I think it''s just a gastric problem, nothing major. Take a look." He handed the test reports to the unknown man. He took a thorough look at the reports.


    "Hmm. You say this woman is old and poor. I see that her organs are working fine. Make it a case of appendicitis."


    "You mean, Sir?"


    "Yes. We will operate on her saying it is to cure her appendicitis when in fact we will be removing one her kidneys."


    Ivy was shocked. She already knew that this hospital had scoundrels. Yet, listening to them directly made her horrified. Now, she had the evidence. So, her work was done. She retraced her steps back to the washroom and changed into her disguise of the old woman. She went outside and had a sandwich in the small canteen in front of the hospital.


    When she saw that it was time for her head back, she went to the waiting area and sat down patiently. After a few minutes of waiting, she saw the nurse heading towards her.


    "The doctor wants to see you." The nurse led her to the doctor''s cabin.


    Ivy followed her patiently. She only needed the last part to complete her evidence. Then she would expose to the entire world about the hooligans.


    "Sit down." The doctor said frowning.


    Ivy complied and she started her acting. ''3,2,1. Action.''


    "Doctor, is everything alright?" She asked with a tone of worry.


    "Hmm. There is nothing serious. It is just a case of appendicitis."


    "Ohh."


    "But we have to perform an operation as early as possible."


    "Operation?"


    "Yes. It is necessary. You must get it done."


    "How soon?"


    "The sooner the better. Preferably today."


    "The cost of the operation would be quite high right? I don''t have any money with me." Ivy shed a tear.


    "Don''t worry about it. Every month, we perform free surgeries on five people who cannot pay the medical expenses. This month you can be one amongst them."


    "Really? Is it possible Doctor?" The doctor smiled looking at the elated woman.


    ''What a foolish hag.'' He mocked in his mind.


    "Yes."


    "Then I am ready."


    "Okay. If you have no problems, we will schedule your operation today at 11 p.m."


    "Why at night?"


    "As I told you, we have to operate as early as possible. The doctor who is going to operate on you has fixed the time slot at night. He has another operation before that. Why, do you have a problem?" The doctor raised his eyebrows. He lied to her straight on her face. Such operations were performed at night when the visiting hours would be over and nobody would find out about their crimes.


    "No. No. I have no problems."


    "So, what are we waiting for then?"


    "Hmm. Doctor, I will make a call to my son first. I need to inform him about my condition."


    "Okay. But come back fast. We need to get your body ready for the operation."


    Ivy nodded and vacated his room. She then left the hospital unhurriedly. She had all the time in the world as she was ready, not for the operation. But to bring about their destruction.

 Chapter 55: Lethal and venemous

    ''Whatcha doing?'' Rachel sent a text to Daniel. After they had revealed their feelings to each other yesterday, they had spent the entire night talking on the phone. They only went to sleep when the first rays of the sun started peeping in through the windows.


    ''Having another cup of coffee.'' Daniel replied. This was his fifth cup of coffee within two hours. He was exhausted and sleepy. But he couldn''t take rest as he had worked at his firm. Though he did not get any sleep the previous night, he was not complaining. He had spoken to Rachel and had got to know a lot of things about her.


    "Me too." Rachel sent him a picture of a coffee mug along with a heart.


    Daniel smiled. He was quite happy in this relationship. He never knew that the strong and confident looking Rachel had a quirky side too.


    Bryan tapped at Rachel''s door.


    "Come in." Rachel said, her eyes still on the phone.


    "Miss Carter, Mr. Jared Augustus is here to see you."


    "Yeah right. I had an appointment with him. Send him in." Rachel said while typing a message to Daniel.


    "Okay."


    ''The heart is fine. However, I would prefer a kiss.'' Rachel read the new message.


    ''Wow just in 24 hours you have learned the art of flirting.'' Rachel sent the text. Her ears had become red.


    There was a knock at the door again. Bryan pushed open the door and walked in with a man, whom Rachel assumed to be Jared.


    "Hello, Mr Augustus. Rachel Carter." She shook his hand and gestured him to take a seat. The man was handsome and tall. He had a piercing on his right ear. He looked suave in his casual attire. Although everything about him was debonair, his eyes were deadly. Even when he was smiling, he looked creepy.


    "Hello Miss Carter. I didn''t expect you to be this young. I am amazed." Jared said staring intently at her. His strong regard made Rachel uncomfortable. She felt like ants were crawling on her body.


    "Thank you Mr Augustus. Now, as we had already had a talk on the phone, you want to build a shopping mall."


    "That''s correct." The man said, his eyes not leaving her.


    "Where is the location?"


    "Central State."


    "Central State?" Rachel was a little bewildered. Central State was the richest commercial area in the city. It housed all the cosmopolitan clubs, a lot a designer shops and world-class restaurants. Opening a shopping mall in this area might not be that beneficial as there were all the shops, right on the streets. As far as she knew, there was no land available even to open a small shop, let alone a big shopping mall.


    "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Jared raised his eyebrows.


    "Mr. Augustus, as far as I know, there are no empty lands available in Central State. So, where do you want to build a shopping mall?" Rachel''s voice was doubtful.


    "I recently acquired a few shops in that area."


    "So, you want to pull them down."


    The man nodded. During the entire conversation, not once had the man''s eyes deviated from Rachel. His eyes were like the X-Ray machines scanning her thoroughly.


    Rachel was a tough nut too. She would not crack quite easily. She stared back with equal defiance. She had trained herself in self-defense under Noah''s orders and was no less strong than some of his men. If the man in front of her did something as to bring any harm to her, then definitely it would be him on the losing end.


    "First I''ll have to take a look at the location. Only if I find everything correct, I will proceed with the next step."


    "That''s alright with me." Jared stood up. "So, when shall we go?"


    "How about tomorrow at 11 am? I have another appointment today. So, I am a little busy." Rachel said, following suit.


    All this time, Bryan was sitting beside Jared silently. He had made note of their conversation. When he was about to follow him, Jared spoke up making him halt. "I''ll see myself outside. No need to follow."


    After Jared left the room, it was Bryan who spoke first. "Oh My God. What was that? Was I the only one who felt that his character was a little weird?"


    "Did you feel that too? I thought I was the only one who thought it was suffocating. Did you see his eyes?" Rachel said placing her hands on her hips.


    "Yes. They looked lethal. Like. Um.. Like. What''s the word?"


    "Like viper." Rachel completed his words.


    "Yes, just like a viper."


    Rachel was silent. She had never met a man like Jared who looked venomous.


    "Rach, I suggest you do a thorough check before you proceed with the project," Bryan said, after some time.


    "You are right. I can''t take risks with this man."


    Bryan left her alone after taking her leave. Rachel thought for a while and gave Joshua a call.


    "Hey, Missy. What made you call me all of a sudden? Aww. Did you miss me?" Joshua''s excited voice was heard from the other side.


    "Josh. Shut up. I wanted to ask you something."


    "Ask anything you want. I am all yours."


    "Nah. I don''t have such a bad taste. I don''t want you." Rachel''s thoughts flew back to Daniel.


    "I think you have a bad taste. You have no idea how many girls out there are dying just for me to spare them a look."


    "I think I am going to puke. Your words are like stinking fish." Rachel made a puking noise.


    "Rach, you are just jealous that I have many admirers."


    "Yeah, I am jealous. I don''t know how your admirers have no brains."


    "So, you accept. You are jealous. Don''t worry Rach, there will always be a special place for you in my heart."


    "Spare me. I don''t know how many women you have given the same special place in your heart. I don''t want to be one of them."


    "Ouch. Rach, you hurt my heart." Joshua faked a pained sound.


    "Go to Ian he will cure you."


    "No I will not go to Ian. I''ll go to Aria. She will cure me."


    "Who is Aria?" Rachel asked finding the name quite familiar.


    "She is Ian''s colleague."


    "Is she the one my brother has take a liking to recently?"


    "How did you know?" Joshua was surprised.


    "Josh, I heard your talk at the hospital. It''s not difficult to guess."


    "So, why did you call?"


    "Umm. Have you heard about Jared Augustus."


    "I think so. His name is quite familiar. Why?"


    "He came to my office today. He wants to build a shopping mall in Central State and he wants me to handle the project."


    "That''s cool," Joshua replied excitedly.


    "I am not sure about that."


    "What happened Rachel?" Joshua heard her hesitance.


    "I don''t know. He has these weird eyes. They were making me so uncomfortable. Not only me, even my assistant felt that there was something wrong with him."


    "It''s just his eyes right?"


    "No Josh. Not only his eyes, even his aura was weird. It was like poison, he was like poison."


    "So, what do you want me to do?" This time Joshua felt that there was indeed something wrong. He had known Rachel since their baby days and she had never expressed this way about anyone before.


    "Can you find about more about him? I just want to be cent percent sure before proceeding further."


    "What do you two brother and sister take me for? I am a video game designer, not a person who does background checks on people. Why do you make me do such ridiculous jobs?"


    Rachel rolled her eyes at his whining. "You chose the path. Bear with it."


    "Lady, I chose to be a video game designer, not a detective."


    Rachel yawned. "Great. Good luck with your work. Bye."


    Joshua stared at the phone after the call was cut.


    "Maybe, I should start charging fees whenever I am asked to do a background check."

 Chapter 56: Find who the leader is

    "Deputy Chief, there is this new case of serial killing." Ryder handed Valarie a document.


    "Are you talking about the series of murders of rich men in the range of 40 to 50 years old?" Valarie asked. She had heard about the murders from the police. The case was too complicated. So, the police had handed it over to the Intelligence.


    "Yes, Deputy Chief. This is the fourth murder in a month."


    "So, what have you got?"


    Ryder switched on his laptop and started his presentation. "The first murder took place on 23 of the last month. It was Edward Wesley. He was 47 years old. His body was found in the restricted area of Cobi Lake. We could not identify his face, it was completely burnt. His face was dipped in acid. Only after a DNA test, his details were found. His hands were tied together with a shoelace and had cuts in a star pattern on each arm. His both eardrums were punctured with nails and his right foot was completely chopped off. The man was carrying a note which said: You are the reason for the consequences and I am happy that you faced death quite bravely. For death is not evil, you are."


    Valarie''s eyes widened on listening to the note. It made no sense, yet it made all the sense.


    Ryder continued. "The second murder occurred on the 30th, near the Park Highway. The body was identified to be Zachery Coben. He was 42 years old. The third murder took place on the 7th of this month in Barney Hills. It was Trevor Stone who was 49 years old. The fourth took place yesterday night. The body is yet to be identified. All the cases have the same modus operandi and each person was found with the same note."


    Valarie looked at the photos of the men from the murder site. It looked horrendous. A normal person couldn''t withstand seeing something that terrifying and Valarie was definitely not normal. She took a thorough look at all the photographs. They were many pictures of each dead body, taken from different angles. They also had the postmortem reports of the three victims.


    "This the forensic reports. There were no fingerprints on any of the bodies. The killer used a blade to imprint the star pattern on their arms and his foot was chopped off with an obsidian knife."


    "Obsidian knife?" Valarie intervened. This was a little shocking. The obsidian knives were banned in the country. Nobody was allowed to use it as it was the sharpest knife and a small mistake was enough to cause big accidents. The government had issued to stop its manufacture and had forbidden anyone from selling it.


    "Yes, Deputy. That is what is written here." Ryder held up the report.


    "Okay. How did they die? All these torture methods are not enough to kill a person."


    "That is a mystery," Ryder spoke softly.


    "Explain."


    "There were no drugs or any sort of poisonous substance found in their bodies. No gunshot wounds or knife wounds on any other part of the body except the arms. There aren''t any signs or marks on their necks."


    "Interesting."


    "Yes Deputy. The police tried but they found nothing. So the case has been handed to us."


    "Hmm."


    "So, what do we do now?"


    "Get Preston along. We are going to the crime scene. We might find something."


    "Copy that."


    After ten minutes, Valarie, Ryder and Preston walked out of the building. As soon as they stepped out, Preston''s body stiffened. He looked around frantically trying to find something.


    "What happened Prest?" Ryder asked. He had seen him acting weird as soon as they left the building.


    "I feel someone is watching us," Preston said, still looking around.


    Valarie and Ryder looked at each other, hearing his words. They could never neglect anything of this sort if it was said by Preston. His sixth sense was incredibly strong. He could accurately sense if there was any danger lurking around. He had the senses of a bloodhound. Not only this he had amazing abilities to find clues. So, it was one of the reasons for Valarie to put him in the group although he was inexperienced.


    Preston walked forward, while his eyes were roaming everywhere. He pulled out his gun and walked behind the huge row of trees opposite the building. Valarie and Ryder followed him with their hands on their gun.


    At that moment, they saw two figures jumping off the trees and scuttling away. Ryder and Preston ran behind them and overtook them within seconds.


    The two men were the same people who belonged to the Vipers gang. They had come to get more information on the people who arrested David Peters. They had just taken their position in front of the building when they were caught. They tried to fight, but they were easily overpowered by the trio.


    "Take them to the investigation room," Valarie ordered.


    The two men were dragged mercilessly by Ryder and Preston. Valarie turned around to see if anybody else was keeping an eye on them. When she found that the area was clear, she retraced her steps towards the building.


    "Tell me, what are you doing here?" Ryder questioned the two men while Valarie and Preston watched all that was happening inside the room through the transparent glass,


    "Can''t we just walk around in this area? I didn''t know walking was a crime." One of the men sassed.


    "Ohh sarcasm." Ryder punched the man in the face.


    "I am going to ask again. What are you doing here? Why did you run away as soon as you saw us?"


    The men only laughed at his question, yet not a word was spoken by them. This continued for almost twenty minutes. Valarie couldn''t take it anymore. She went inside the room. The men looked at her once she entered in. Seeing the woman standing in front of them, their gaze was filled with lust.


    "I didn''t know such a hot woman was working here. Maybe I would have applied for a position here too if I had known." The man, who had spoken before, said again stressing on the word ''working''.


    Valarie ignored their comments and took a thorough look at them. She saw something on their arms, though it was hidden behind their full-sleeved shirts and her eyes were fixed at that position. Seeing the woman''s gaze lingering on their right arms, the men pulled back their arms and they lost their smile. At any cost, nobody was to know that they belonged to the Vipers.


    Looking at their suspicious behavior, Valarie pulled one of the man''s arms. However, the man resisted. Preston, who had followed Valarie inside the room, held back the man. Ryder had to hold the other man as he had got agitated as soon as Valarie had held his companion''s arm.


    Valarie pushed the sleeve back and looked at the tattoo of the viper.


    "They belong to the Vipers," Preston said.


    Before the trio could react, the two men had gulped down something and they started to choke. Within two seconds, the two men were dead.


    Ryder took a look at their face. "It''s cyanide pill."


    "They are following the Code of Omerta," Preston said holding one''s of the men''s jaw in his hand.


    Code of Omerta was the code of silence which many mafia gangs followed to prohibit their members from betraying them. The penalty for disobeying was death. That, however, did not end there, family members of the traitor were also punished by death. The men had clearly chosen the easiest way to die.


    Valarie sighed. She knew who the Vipers were. They were the deadliest mafia gang in the country. Not only the police, even the Intelligence hadn''t managed to track them down. They were getting all the bad things done behind the scenes. But this time, they were surely unlucky to be have been caught by her team.


    "Why were these men keeping a watch on us?" Preston said when they had left the investigation room.


    "I don''t know. Maybe they were looking out for someone." Ryder shrugged.


    "Who?" Preston asked, looking at Valarie who was deep in thought.


    "I know who they were looking for," Valarie said, staring right in the front.


    "Who?" Both the men asked at the same time.


    "They were looking for Ryder and me."


    "But why?" Ryder was taken aback.


    "Don''t you think it''s a little weird that right after David was caught, we are being observed?"


    "You mean..." Ryder started.


    "I think the Vipers are also somewhere involved with the virus."


    "So what do we do now?" Preston queried, thrilled with the new discovery.


    Valarie smiled at Preston whose eyes were sparkling like a little kid. "Now we have to find out who the leader of Vipers is and as far as I know he is the man we are looking for."

 Chapter 57: Owner of the Royal Group

    Joshua and Ian stared at the old man, sitting leisurely on the bed. He looked as energetic as ever. It was the day of his discharge and he was waiting for his son, Samuel, to pick him up. Joshua had come to meet Ian to discuss about Ivy. But he had been dragged to Jonathan''s room before he could speak a word.


    "So, has my grandson succeeded in getting the girl?" Jonathan asked, grinning.


    "What girl?" Joshua faked an innocent expression. He did not know that the old man knew everything about Aria and how Noah had plans of pursuing her.


    "Don''t act in front of me, young man. I know that you know about the doctor. What''s her name again?" Jonathan turned to look at Ian, waiting for his response.


    "Dr. Aria West."


    Joshua''s jaw dropped. He did not expect Noah''s grandfather to have found out about Aria.


    ''He sure has good connections.'' He thought inwardly.


    What nobody knew was that Jonathan had threatened Ronnie to join forces with him. It was Ronnie who was being the spy in Noah''s team. It was his duty every day to give an update of his Boss to his Master.


    "So, tell me. How far has my grandson gone? Have they done the deed?" The grandfather asked shamelessly. His spunk dumbfounded the two young men in the ward.


    "What are you talking about grandpa? What deed?" This time it was Ian who feigned ignorance.


    "Don''t act all naive in front of me. I know you guys know what I am talking about. There is no need to hide." He spoke seriously.


    "Now tell me. Have they done the deed?" His seriousness vanished in an instant and the grin on his face returned.


    "What deed grandpa?" A woman''s confident voice was heard from the door, making all the three look in that direction.


    Rachel was standing along with her parents.


    ''Did they hear everything? Do they know about Aria now? No. No. No. Noah will kill us.'' Ian was scared. Joshua too was in a similar state. They had been warned by Noah to keep the matter concerning Aria a secret from his family until he settles the matter first. Now, not only his grandfather, his entire family had found out about it.


    While Joshua and Ian were sweating profoundly, Jonathan was grinning like a fool without any care. In fact he was happy that the others had heard him. Now, he would not need to keep any secrets from them.


    "Yes, Dad. What deed are you talking about?" Hailey intervened.


    Looking at the confused faces, it became clear that they had not heard them completely. Ian and Joshua heaved a sigh of relief. Before the old man could speak, Ian took his chance and spoke up.


    "It is about the discharge papers. Grandpa was talking about the discharge papers. He was asking if everything was ready?"


    Taking the hint, Joshua continued. "Yes. Yes. Grandpa was bored lying in the ward, within these white walls. He wanted to leave as soon as possible."


    Samuel furrowed his eyebrows looking at the two men acting weird. He had a feeling that there was something going on. But he could not put a word as to what it was.


    "So, Grandpa. Are we ready to go?" Rachel asked, holding her grandfather''s hand.


    "Yes. Yes. Let''s go." Jonathan looked like a small child who was happy because finally his exams had ended.


    The group of six walked till the entrance of the hospital.


    "Take care grandpa. I''ll come to visit you." Ian said politely, while he nodded at Mr. and Mrs. Carter.


    "Take care gramps. Don''t be hyperactive. Wait till Noah returns." Joshua said, hinting the old man to stay put until there was any update from Noah. However, his words of advice fell on deaf ears. The old man had ignored him completely.


    The Carter family left the hospital, leaving Ian and Joshua behind.


    "The old fellow has gone crazy." Joshua chuckled, while Ian nodded in agreement.


    "How does he even get all those ideas?" Ian asked.


    "Yeah. He was wondering if Noah and Aria had done the deed, while I am doubtful if they have even had their first kiss yet." Joshua grinned and Ian laughed out loud.


    "So, what are you doing here?" Ian changed the topic.


    "I have something important to tell you."


    "Okay. Let''s go to my cabin."


    Ian and Joshua went inside the cabin and took their seats.


    "What is it about?" Ian started.


    "It''s about Oliver West."


    "What happened to him again?"


    "Nothing happened to him. It''s his daughter."


    "What daughter?" Ian leaned forward on the desk.


    "His daughter somehow got my contact information. She wants me to find out more about the incident that happened three years ago."


    "What?"


    "Yes. Not only that. She has also found out that out of all the hospitals which were involved in the scandal, only the Royal Health Care Hospital is still operating. So, she wants to know more about it."


    "How did she find out all of these? That''s insane." Ian was perplexed.


    "She is a journalist. She has resources."


    "Did you talked to Noah? What did he say?"


    "Noah asked to me never reveal a thing about her father or about you. He told me that nobody should find out that you are the owner of the Royal Group."


    Ian nodded. It was expected of Noah and it was the best. The secret had to remain a secret for everybody''s good.


    "So, what are you going to do?" Ian asked, staring at Joshua.


    "I am going to stall time somehow. But I will not give her any results. Anyway, she is one interesting hell of a woman. It will be fun knowing her." Joshua smiled thinking about Ivy.


    "By the way, what is her name?"


    "Ivy."


    The name sounded familiar to Ian. But he could not remember where he had heard it.


    "How is Oliver now? Have you seen him recently?" Joshua enquired after a few moments of silence.


    "Yes, I did a thorough check on him three days back. He is fine as of now. If he had not had the concussion a few days back, his recovery would have been better."


    "Hmm. Let''s wait for Noah to return. Only then we can decide on the next step."


    "True."


    "I''ll get going then." Joshua stood up and took his leave.


    Ian sighed. ''When will all of this end? How long are we going to keep this secret? Hope everything returns to normal.''

 Chapter 58: Acting in front of the Boss

    The entire room was listening to the manager of the IT Department to speak about the new projects they had obtained. Although Noah''s gaze was at his phone, he was listening to all that was being spoken. He had been eagerly waiting for Aria to reply to his text. But he was yet to receive any response from her. The manager stopped when he felt that his Boss was a little distracted. As soon as he stopped, Noah looked up.


    "Why did you stop?" He asked. Although his voice was cold, he was still happy because his office had been progressing well even in his absence. His employees were quite efficient. The manager continued, giving out the cost estimates and the finances. He also provided all the details of the profits they would gain after the successful completion of the project.


    Noah listened until the end. He thought for a while. He looked at his secretary. "Tell the finance team to provide all the employees with two months bonus. Also mail me the reports, I''ll take a thorough look at it."


    All the people in the room cheered. They knew their Boss appreciated hard work. Behind the cold face, there was a beautiful soul.


    Noah walked out of the room, followed by Shane.


    "Mr. Carter, wait a minute." A beautiful woman stood up. She was the manager of the Human Resources Department.


    "Yes?" Noah stopped. All the managers had been waiting for this moment. Nobody had the guts bring out the topic.


    "We have kept a party the Friday night. It''s to celebrate the successful venture of our company in the Britain market."


    Listening to the woman''s words, Noah took a look at all the hopeful eyes of the people around him.


    "I''ll think about it," Noah said.


    Everybody became happy at once. Though their Boss had not accepted their offer, he had not rejected it too.


    "Anything else?" Noah asked.


    "No Sir. That''s it."


    Noah nodded and walked away with Shane. He went to his office and ordered his assistant to get him a cup of coffee. He took his time to finish his coffee.


    "Let''s go and take a look at how each department is working," Noah said. He sauntered in his company, going to all the departments personally. He started with the IT department. It was the largest department in the company, occupying five floors in the company. There were more than 450 employees. He casually entered one of the floors of the department and looked around. Nobody realized that their Boss had walked in. Everybody was busy working on their computers.


    Noah walked slowly and stood behind a man who was working seriously typing some codes on his laptop. His fingers were flying fast and he was typing at an extraordinary speed. Noah realized that the man was building a software firewall. The man stopped typing when he found a shadow on his computer screen. He turned to look at the person and stood up immediately.


    "Boss."


    Hearing his words, his colleagues lifted their heads to find their Boss standing in their department.


    "I am sorry, Boss. I didn''t know you were here." The man was scared.


    "Relax," Noah said. "I was just looking around. You did nothing wrong."


    The man relaxed at once. "Thank you, Boss."


    All the people in the department stood in attention. It was the first time they had seen their Boss in such proximity. Many female staff''s hearts were pounding fiercely, looking at the handsome man. The manager came running out of his cabin.


    "Boss." He gasped. "Is there something wrong? You could have called me."


    "There is nothing wrong. All of you are doing a good job. Now continue your work. I won''t pester you anymore." All the people returned to their seats.


    "But, don''t inform the other departments that I am going on inspection." He ordered. His voice was loud and this time it was looked like a threat.


    Next, Noah visited the finance, marketing, operation management, legal departments and he was quite happy with the employees. In the end, he visited the Human Resources Department. As soon as he approached the department, he heard two female voices.


    "Have you seen our Boss? He is so handsome." One woman spoke.


    "Yes. I could stare at him all day." Another woman agreed.


    "How long had I been waiting for this day to see him personally."


    "Hmm." The other woman sighed.


    "What are you two doing? Why are you not doing your work?" The manager approached them and scolded them. It was the same woman who had invited Noah to join them for the party. Although she looked like she was serious about her job, she was in fact putting an act. She had seen Noah standing at the entrance and listening to the two women. She scolded them loud enough for everyone to hear. This way she could impress her Boss.


    "Boss." The woman exclaimed after scolding the two female staff for some time.


    Everyone stood up at once. They were terrified, especially the two women.


    "Boss, is there any problem?" The manager asked politely.


    "What was the commotion about?" Noah questioned calmly.


    "No Boss. Everything is fine." The manager said. She didn''t want to complain about the two ladies as it would seem highly unethical and they had not done anything wrong.


    "Boss, Mr. Liam Brooke''s assistant is on the phone." Shane interrupted and handed Noah the phone.


    "Yes, Noah Allen Carter speaking."


    "Mr. Carter, I apologize. Mr. Brooke cannot have lunch with you today. His wife has gone into labor and he has to accompany her. He has asked me to send you his apologies and he would definitely make it up to you someday."


    "It''s okay. I understand. I''ll give him a call later." Noah said calmly and returned to his office. He was not the type of person who got angry when people canceled the appointments. He was in fact happy that Liam was about to be a father. He too wondered how it would be to be a father and a smile crept on his face. He had actually imagined Aria being pregnant with his child while he was softly caressing her belly. Just the thought itself filled his heart with warmth.


    Noah took out his phone and sent Aria a text. ''What are you doing?''


    Meanwhile, Aria and her team were sitting in their respective chairs, listening to the speeches from prominent doctors all around the world. This was scheduled till the lunch hour and after that, they had nothing to do, since it was just the first day of the conference.


    Aria was sitting in between Mason and Stuart. While she wanted to listen to the speech, Mason was attempting to distract her by using all sorts of methods. He tried talking to her and every few minutes he would nudge his elbows against her. His behavior was making Aria angry. Yet she endured it, as there were many people around her and she didn''t want to cause a scene.


    Stuart sensed Aria''s discomfort. He tapped her shoulder.


    "Aria, can you come over here? I have something important I must say to Mason." His voice was loud enough for both Aria and Mason to hear.


    Aria exchanged seats happily, while Mason frowned.


    "What do you want to talk about?" His voice came out quite rude. But, Stuart was not offended. He smiled at him and mouthed, "Later."


    Mason cursed. He was quite angry. However, Aria was quite happy. She realized that Stuart had exchanged seats on purpose and he had nothing important to tell to Mason. She gave him a smile of gratitude and continued to listen to the speech. At that moment, her phone vibrated. She saw that it was a message from Noah.


    ''What are you doing?''


    ''I am at the conference, listening to speeches.'' She texted back.


    ''Are you free today?'' Noah replied at once.


    ''Yes. My schedule is free after 2. Why?''


    ''I have a surprise for you. See Ya.''


    ''What is the surprise?''


    ''Be patient. A surprise will not be called a surprise anymore if I say it beforehand. Now be a good girl and concentrate on the speech. I''ll see you at 2.30 after lunch.''


    ''Okay.'' Aria smiled and started to listen to the fourth speech for the day. However, her mind was somewhere else. She was looking forward to Noah''s surprise.

 Chapter 59: Confession

    The last speech ended just in time for lunch and everybody proceeded towards the dining hall. Throughout the entire time, Mason had tried to talk to Aria and as usual, she had ignored him. She silently had her lunch as she waited for Noah.


    As promised Noah arrived exactly at 2.30 and gave Aria a call, which she picked up on the first ring.


    "Hey."


    "Hey."


    "Where are you?"


    "I am on the second floor. You?"


    "I have just arrived."


    "Wait a minute. I''ll be down." Aria said. She then looked at Stuart, who was standing right in front of her.


    "I have to go. My friend has come to meet me."


    "No problem. But be careful alright."


    "Okay." Aria smiled and her eyes were twinkling.


    Mason watched the interaction between Aria and Stuart and he clenched his fist. How he wished to just punch that pretty boy. Who does he think he is to be flirting with Aria?


    Aria came at the entrance and saw Noah leaning against his car, busy looking at his phone. Aria looked at his well-defined features and stood mesmerized.


    Sensing someone''s gaze on him, Noah saw Aria looking at him in a daze. He smirked realizing that Aria was slowly falling for him. His efforts were indeed fruitful. He walked to her and cleared his throat. Yet, Aria did not budge. His smile widened looking at the petite woman''s starry gaze. He flicked her forehead, which immediately brought her back to her senses.


    "What was that?" Aria asked, rubbing her forehead.


    "I should ask you that question. Were you daydreaming?" Noah teased.


    "No. No. Why would I daydream?" Aria was thoroughly embarrassed. Her face flushed at once.


    "Then what were you staring at for quite some time?"


    Aria couldn''t meet his eyes. She fidgeted in her place. Looking at her sheepish look, Noah grinned.


    "Tell me Aria. What were you looking at?"


    "Nothing. Nothing. Anyway, you were talking about some surprises. What is it?" Aria changed the topic. She couldn''t let the awkward conversation continue.


    "Hmm. Nothing much. I just wanted to take you to watch a movie. Do you want to come?" Noah said as he held her hand.


    "A movie?" Aria was surprised. It had been a long time since she had gone to watch a movie in the theaters. During her free time, she could only manage to watch TV for a few minutes.


    "Yes. I had some free time. I thought of spending it with you. I thought we could watch a movie." Noah spoke while he led her to his car. Aria''s heart skipped a beat when she felt his touch. She was finding it difficult to control her emotions in front of him. She followed him quietly and slipped inside the car, while Noah sat beside her. This time, there was a chauffeur driving the car.


    "You?" Aria was dumbfounded. It was the same person who had sat beside her on the plane.


    "He is Ronnie. He works for me." Noah said indifferently.


    "Hello Madam," Ronnie said politely.


    "Hello. You can call me Aria. Madam makes me feel old." Aria smiled at him.


    Ronnie''s eyes widened. How could he call his Boss''s woman by her name? He was not insane to seek his death himself.


    "No. No. Madam. I can''t." Ronnie said flustered.


    "Why?"


    Ronnie remained silent. He couldn''t say that the devil beside her would definitely roast him alive if he called his woman by her name.


    "Aria. Let him be. He is just being respectful." Noah said.


    "Okay." Aria hesitated.


    "So, how was the first day of your conference?"


    "It was good, though I couldn''t listen to much of the speeches."


    "Why?"


    "It was my colleague. He was quite irritating during the entire time." Aria huffed. Noah''s gaze darkened at once. He remembered which colleague she was referring to. He had seen him at the airport and he had also realized his motives on his first meet. He looked at Ronnie through the mirror and a silent conversation took place.


    "Anyway, how was your day?"


    "It was boring. Now it is becoming interesting."


    "What do you mean?"


    Noah didn''t have time to reply as Ronnie spoke indicating that they had arrived at the theater.


    "After you." Noah had already got down and was holding the door for Aria to get down.


    "Thank you, Mr. Carter."


    "You are welcome, Miss West." Aria laughed, listening to their formal talk. This time it was Noah who was in a daze. Her laughter sounded like music. It immediately became his favorite melody.


    "So, what movie are we watching?" Aria asked when they were inside the theater.


    "I don''t know. What do you prefer?"


    Aria looked at the list of movies being screened. She was not a fan of romance. She liked thrillers or horror movies. Fortunately, there was a horror movie being screened.


    "How about that horror movie?"


    Noah was a little astonished. He had expected Aria to be the romantic type. But, he was happy as he found those sorts of movies quite boring.


    "Okay," Noah said.


    "Let me buy the tickets," Aria said as she pulled out her wallet.


    "That''s not necessary."


    "What?"


    "This theater is under the Carter theater franchise in London."


    "You have a theater franchise?" Aria was perplexed.


    "Yeah."


    Aria was still in shock. However, Noah had already pulled her inside the movie hall and they were sitting in their seats. Noah had booked the entire theater hall. So, it was only the two of them inside. It was quite dark, hence she could not see there was nobody else other than them. They sat on the couple''s VIP seats.


    After ten minutes, the movie started and Aria was engrossed in it. Noah looked at Aria and the small gap of distance between the two. But as soon as there was a loud bang in one of the scenes, Aria moved closer to Noah. Whenever there were some terrifying scenes, Aria would scoot closer to Noah.


    Noah smirked looking at their closeness while Aria was completely oblivious to it. In one of the scenes, Aria hugged Noah so tight that he could feel all her curves. He gasped. His heart started to beat crazily fast. His hormones were going berserk.


    Until the end of the movie, Aria had not stopped hugging Noah. She had taken all liberties with his body. While she had thoroughly enjoyed the movie, Noah had thoroughly enjoyed Aria''s body pressed against his. It was not until it became completely silent after the movie ended, that she realized their compromising position. She pulled back immediately and cleared her throat awkwardly. It was too embarrassing.


    Looking at her red face, Noah had to control his laughter. She looked too cute and lovely. Before the discomfiture could raise, he spoke up.


    "Let''s go have dinner."


    "Yeah."


    Both of them got up and walked beside each other silently. They did not know what to talk about.


    "How did you like the movie?" Noah asked, to clear the uneasiness.


    "Good. It was good."


    "Yeah. It was very good."


    They sat in the car and again silence engulfed them.


    "Where are we going?" Aria said, looking outside.


    "My home."


    "Your home?"


    "Yes."


    "Oh okay."


    The car stopped in front of a beautiful mansion. Aria''s jaw dropped looking at it.


    "Is this your house?"


    "Yeah." Noah shrugged. "Come on in."


    The guards and the servants greeted Noah and Aria and were pleasantly surprised when she greeted them back. They immediately had a good impression of her. He dismissed all his staff and led Aria in. He gave her a complete tour of the mansion.


    After forty minutes, Aria plopped on the dining chair. She was tired. Noah''s house was huge. The tour had made her hungry although she had eaten to her stomach full before meeting him. Noah sat beside her and observed her. At that moment, her stomach rumbled. Aria''s face became red at once.


    "Oh. Look''s like someone is hungry." Aria covered her face with her hands. She couldn''t face the man who was staring intently at her.


    "I''ll get something for you to eat."


    "No. No. I am fine."


    "No. You are not. You have to eat something. It''s dinner time anyway"


    Noah found some lasagna in the refrigerator. He heated it and brought it to the dining table.


    "Eat." He handed her a spoon, which she took obediently. She took big spoonfuls as she made small talks with him.


    "Do you want some? Have some. I cannot finish all of these." She asked after some time when she realized that only she was eating. It looked very weird.


    "Umm. Okay." Looking at Aria eat, made Noah hungry too. So, he thought he might as well eat it. He picked up a spoon and ate from the same plate. Soon the plate became empty and both of them had their stomachs filled.


    Noah saw some sauce on Aria''s lips. It looked very enticing and it made him want to kiss her. He wiped her lips with his forefinger and immediately licked it.


    Aria saw Noah''s actions and her heart fluttered like a hummingbird.


    "Noah, what are you doing?"


    "What?"


    "You just did.." Aria did not know how to continue.


    "What did I do?"


    "You just.. just."


    Noah was amused at Aria''s flustered state.


    "Why did you do that?"


    "Are you referring to this?" Noah rubbed his finger on her lips and licked it again. Noah had decided to face her head-on with his feelings. So, he had mustered all his courage to do those things.


    Aria''s heart, which was previously fluttering, was now thundering. She could only manage to say one word.


    "Why?"


    "I just wanted to do that."


    "Wh..What? Why are you doing this?"


    Noah focused on her face, trying to read her expressions. He realized that it was time he confessed.


    "Because I like you," Noah answered and he immediately sealed her lips with his.

 Chapter 60: Stay away from Jared

    Aria''s brain exploded at the sudden kiss. The kiss was slow and gentle. His cold lips ignited something within her heart. It was a pleasant feeling she had never felt before. She closed her eyes, savoring the kiss.


    Noah looked at Aria''s face. She had closed her eyes, yet she was responding to him. He was ecstatic that she did not reject him. He sucked on her lips and bit on it. Aria opened her mouth to let him in which he did gladly. Her hands immediately held his neck, pulling him closer.


    Noah''s tongue intertwined with Aria''s and they danced along with a tune which was the tune of their hearts. He had never tasted anything like that, it was sweeter than honey. The kiss was quite passionate and slowly their breathing became heavy.


    Aria tapped his shoulders when it became difficult to breathe. Noah released her at once and looked at her. She was still in a daze and a thin line of saliva was still connecting their lips.


    She never expected Noah to suddenly confess to her. Although she felt a sort of fascination towards him, she was still not sure if she liked him. But on hearing that Noah liked her, she felt immensely happy. She felt like she was floating on the clouds.


    "So?" Noah pulled Aria on his lap and brushed her hair. She blinked once, twice, thrice. But she did not know what to say to him. She stared at him stupefied.


    "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know?" Noah asked looking at her confused expression. He realized that one kiss was not enough for Aria to realize what she felt for him. So he pressed his lips onto hers once again.


    This time the kiss was demanding and a little rough. Noah alternated between sucking, biting and licking her lips.


    Aria''s heart, which had calmed down, started to beat erratically again. When Noah squeezed her waist, she gasped and he plunged his tongue inside. He easily dominated her mouth, tasting the sweetness once again.


    "Wait," Aria said, when he had pulled back for a second. But her words were immediately swallowed when he kissed her, leaving no room for her to protest. After kissing her for a while, he pulled back and looked at her. He gave her some time to calm down.


    After some time, when Noah realized that Aria was returning to earth, he spoke.


    "So?"


    "Noah, I don''t know," Aria said the same thing again. Hearing her words, his face fell at once.


    ''Maybe, she doesn''t feel the same way.'' He thought.


    Looking at his sad face, Aria panicked. She immediately held his neck and made him look at her.


    "Noah, I need time alright. We have known each only for a few days. I don''t deny that I am attracted to you. In fact, you are the first person I ever felt like this. But I need time to sort my feelings." Aria said, hoping that he would understand.


    "How about this? Let''s date. If we are comfortable, then let''s take the next step." She suggested.


    "You want me to take it slow?" Noah read between the lines.


    "Yes. As I said, I am still confused about what I feel for you." Aria leaned her head on his chest.


    Noah smiled. Although she had not said how she felt, her actions were enough for him. He hugged her and kissed her forehead.


    "Okay. Let''s date for now. I''ll wait for you."


    Aria beamed hearing his words. She was happy that he understood her dilemma and gave her space. They hugged each other. Their peaceful time was interrupted by the ringing of a phone. Aria jumped at the sudden distraction. She had not noticed that she was sitting on Noah''s lap till then. However, Noah pulled her back immediately. He looked at his phone coldly. It was his sister.


    "What?" He asked irritated. Rachel had dared to interrupt his blissful time with Aria. It was a given that he was angry.


    "Calm down, brother. What got your pants twisted? Did I interrupt something?" Rachel teased.


    "If you have nothing to say, then I''ll cut the call." Noah glanced at Aria who was listening to his conversation. He gave her a smile and stroked her hair. She looked perfect sitting on his lap.


    "Wow. Wow. Wow. Hold on, brother. I have something to ask."


    "What?"


    "Have you heard of Jared Augustus?"


    "How do you know him?" Noah''s voice changed at once. It alarmed Aria and Rachel.


    Aria stared at Noah''s fuming face. Though he was angry and was clenching his jaw, he looked incredibly sexy. She gulped at the sight.


    "He came to my office. He wants me to take up a project."


    "Reject it at once," Noah answered straight away. He is not good news. Stay as far away as possible from him. He is dangerous."


    "Okay. Okay. I found him weird too."


    "Did he do something to you?"


    "No. No. Bryan was with me all the time."


    "Good. Don''t handle any of his projects."


    "Okay."


    "If there is nothing, then bye."


    "Wait. What''s the matter? Why are you hurrying to end our talk?"


    Noah disconnected the call. He did not have time to listen to Rachel''s nonsense.


    "Is everything alright?" Aria saw that Noah was still angry.


    "Yes. Everything is fine. It''s just matters related to work."


    "Ohh. Okay. Can you drop me at the hotel?"


    Despite the fact that Noah wanted Aria to stay, he couldn''t say it. It was too early in their relationship. He nodded at her and gave her a peck. Both of them stood up and went outside. Ronnie was already waiting for them. He opened the car door, allowing them to enter. As soon as Noah sat down beside Aria, he pulled her to his lap. The partition was already up. So, they were isolated.


    "What are you doing?" Aria cried in surprise.


    "I am doing nothing," Noah said as he hugged her.


    "Let go of me."


    "No."


    "Noah."


    "Aria."


    "Let me go. Will you?"


    "No."


    "Yes." Aria took a deep breath when Noah''s hands started rubbing on her back.


    "No."


    "Yes."


    "Yes."


    "No." Aria breathed, while Noah smiled. It took her some time to realize that he had tricked her.


    "You. You."


    "I am what?"


    "You.."


    "Are you say that I am incredibly handsome, smart and sexy. You wanna say that? Thank you." Noah pulled her closer to him.


    "No way. I want to say that you are a devil, a hooligan." Aria puffed up her cheeks.


    "Thank you. That''s the best compliment I have ever heard."


    "Ugh. I hate you."


    "No you don''t."


    "Yes, I do."


    "It''s okay. I am honored to be hated by you." Noah pecked her lips again. Before Aria could respond, he had pulled back.


    Aria pouted. She never knew he was this clingy. Looking at her, Noah chuckled. He found her very interesting and delightful.


    "Boss, we have arrived," Ronnie said on the intercom, startling Aria. She jumped off his lap and got down.


    "So, goodnight." Aria gazed at Noah who had got down along with her.


    "Goodnight, my dear."


    Aria''s heart misbehaved once again. She was losing it. She couldn''t control her heart whenever she was with Noah. It had its own mind.


    Aria gave him a peck quickly and ran away before he could react. It took some time for Noah to understand what had happened. He grinned and got inside the car.


    On the side, Mason had seen Aria kiss Noah. He was waiting for Aria since she had left in the afternoon. He was highly frustrated as it was already night and she had not yet returned. But when he saw her getting down along with Noah and giving him a kiss, he lost it completely. He had never seen Aria being this close with any man before, not even him. She had always rejected his advances. Now, he had seen her kiss someone. He couldn''t tolerate it.


    ''I need to do something before it is too late and I lose Aria.''

 Chapter 61: Think about Aria

    Meanwhile in Country P, Ivy had successfully edited the video she had recorded. She had already discussed it with Max and they decided to cut some parts in the recording.


    "Hmm. The criminal is ready to be butchered." Ivy rubbed her hands while Kira watched the glint in her eyes.


    "Did you have to do all of these?"


    "What did I do?" Ivy asked, perplexed.


    "Did you have to disguise yourself just to get some news? Did you have to put your life at risk?"


    "This is not just news Kira. It is justice for people who have become victims of some scoundrel''s sins. And yes, I don''t care about my life. If I am able to reveal the true nature of those bastards in front of the innocent, then everything is worth it."


    "I know Ivy. But I want to tell is to have some regard for your own safety. You might be good at disguising and getting to the root to seek justice. But sometimes you cannot avoid the danger that might be lurking around you. Also, think about Aria. You two only have each other. What will happen to her if something happens to you?"


    Ivy did not know how to respond.


    Kira continued. "I am not saying you to stop what you are doing. You must do it, otherwise you will not be you. You will not be Ivy. What I am saying is give us your updates every few hours, so that we know you are safe. Inform us before you go."


    "She is right, you know," Max commented from behind. He had listened to all Kira had said to Ivy.


    "Tell us before you do anything. Or else we will be worried until you return unscathed."


    Ivy scrunched her eyebrows. She never realized until now that her reckless behavior made people anxious. She felt guilty.


    "I am sorry." She apologized immediately. "I promise to tell you next time."


    "That''s more like it," Max remarked while Kira chuckled.


    "So, what are we going to do with this recording?" Ivy asked, pointing to her laptop.


    "I have an idea. I have called the woman who approached us complaining about the Good City Clinic. Let''s take an interview of her. After that, the Clinic''s management will retaliate against us. Then we will release the clip. How''s it?"


    "It''s good. But I have another idea." Ivy said, after some pondering.


    "What?" Kira asked interested.


    "It''s just some modifications to his suggestions. We could also include a segment regarding the similar cases that took place three years back."


    "You think.." Max said staring intently at Ivy.


    "Yes." Ivy had decided to use this opportunity to investigate more on what happened three years back. If the current news and past news were related somehow, then maybe she could find something about her father. Maybe someone out there may step out and tell the truth to her. She was definite that she would find some clues after this matter was revealed to the public.


    "We could do that too. But we will have to be careful."


    "Or maybe not. It might be too risky. We don''t know what kind of people we are dealing with." Ivy was a little confused. She couldn''t deny that the matter was dangerous and she did not want her colleagues to be dragged down with her.


    "Don''t worry about it. We are here, to tell the truth and we will do it." Kira said confidently. Although she was the one who had reprimanded Ivy a few minutes ago to consider her safety, she herself was now thrilled to be involved in a great mission.


    Ivy smiled gratefully at her.


    "So, when is this woman coming?" Kira turned to Max.


    "She should be here by now."


    At that moment, Max''s phone rang.


    "Sir, the person is here to meet you," Sasha said, as soon as the call connected.


    "Send her in."


    "She is here," Max said, looking at the two people.


    After two minutes, the door to the room opened and a woman who looked to be quite young walked in. She looked tired and sickly. Her face had gone pale and she was extremely thin, like she was malnourished.


    "Please take a seat." Kira stood up and guided her to a chair beside her.


    "How are you Miss?" Max asked, unsure of how to ease her uneasiness.


    "I am fine. Thank you very much for taking up my case." The woman thanked.


    "Miss. Umm. May we know your name?" Ivy asked.


    "Linda. Linda Cruz."


    "Miss Cruz, tell us in detail. What happened that day?" It was from Max.


    "I had fainted one day when I was walking back home. I did not know that it was because of a low sugar level. My friend brought me to the nearest hospital, which is the Good City Clinic. The doctor told me that some parts of my liver had been damaged and they had to remove it by operation otherwise it would become dangerous in the future. I accepted for the surgery and everything went well. After a few days of my discharge, my abdomen would pain out of nowhere whenever I did some stressful jobs. This happened for a few days, so I visited a doctor near my house. He did a body scan. It was only then done I get to know that my right kidney was removed." Linda chocked. Tears started to fall uncontrollably.


    Kira handed her a glass of water and patted her back, trying to console her. Linda took a sip and calmed down after some time. She continued.


    "After that, I went to another doctor. He too told the same. So, I went to the Good City Clinic to demand an explanation. However, they refused to accept that I had ever been admitted to their hospital. They did not even have any records of me." This time her eyes were showing pure anger. She had shifted from a meek woman to a fierce lady.


    "What happened after that?" Max asked curiously. Everybody was waiting for her to continue.


    "After that, I went to the police to file a complaint. But they refused to even listen to me as I did not have any evidence." The woman said softly. "Someone then told me to approach the media. So, I came to you."


    "You have done the right thing, Miss Cruz. We will help you. Okay Miss Cruz. We have decided to take your live interview during one of our news segments only if you are fine with it."


    "I don''t mind," Linda said, wiping her face with a tissue.


    "I''ll give you the list of questions we might ask you. If you have any problems with any of them tell us. We won''t ask them." Ivy said.


    "Okay."


    "We will take your interview tomorrow. I will send you the details later. Is it fine?"


    "Yes. Thank you so much for helping me."


    "Let''s just hope everything goes fine," Kira said hopefully.


    But nobody knew that a disaster was awaiting Linda. If they had known about it, they would have taken her interview that day itself.

 Chapter 62: Ivy tells Aria her plan

    Aria reminisced her kiss with Noah and blushed furiously. She couldn''t stop thinking about it, about him. A few months back, if somebody had told her that she would be dating the most eligible bachelor of the country, then she would have laughed at their faces. But right now, when it was actually becoming true, she did not know how to react.


    Aria rolled on the bed thinking about the time she had spent with him. Everything was like a dream, a beautiful dream. Her cell phone rang at that moment, interrupting her thoughts.


    "Hey Ivy."


    "Hey Ari. Wassup?"


    "Came to my room just now. Everything is going good here." Aria thought for a while whether to tell Ivy about her and Noah. But stopped herself as they were still very new to the relationship.


    "Aria, I have somethings to tell you."


    "What?"


    "I have got some clues on what Dad was covering before he went missing."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes. I searched and found out that all the hospitals that were involved in the scandal were closed immediately except for one."


    "Which one?"


    "Royal Medical Hospital."


    "You have got to be kidding me." Aria sat and listened intently.


    "Nope. And you know what, the Director of the hospital, who the head nurse had claimed to have checked on Dad, is also the Chairman of the Royal Pharmaceuticals."


    "Oh God. Is it the Royal Group?"


    "Yes."


    "Now what are we going to do?"


    "I have a plan." Ivy spent the next twenty minutes, explaining to Aria all that she had discovered as well as what her next step would be. Aria listened to her and felt that her plan might work.


    "Wait a minute. Let me talk to Ian."


    "Who is Ian?'' Ivy had completely forgotten about him again, although Aria had mentioned his name just a few days back.


    "Ivy, he is a colleague doctor. I had told you about him."


    "Okay. What do you want to talk to him about?"


    "I''ll ask him if he knows anything about this Chairman of the Royal Group."


    "Hmm. That would be good. Maybe he would know."


    "Yeah. I''ll talk to him right away."


    "Now. Let''s talk something else." Ivy said. There was a tone of playfulness in her voice.


    "What do you want to talk about?''


    "How far have you gone along with my idea?"


    "What idea?"


    "I told you to find a hot British guy. I am asking about it."


    Aria bit her lip. Although she had not found herself a British guy, she had definitely got involved with someone better and more outstanding. He was more handsome and dominating than any other guy she had ever seen or heard about.


    "Why are you silent, Ari? Do you have something you want to say? Oh my God. You found someone." Ivy became excited at once.


    "What? No."


    "I don''t believe you."


    "I don''t care."


    "Who''s the guy?"


    "What guy? There is no guy involved." Aria was flustered. Though she had strongly denied it, she knew Ivy had become suspicious of her.


    "Ari, I have known you since we were in our mother''s womb. You cannot lie to me."


    Aria sighed. Ivy was right. She was very bad at lying. Anybody could detect it easily.


    "I''ll tell you once I return home. It''s just it is too early in our relationship."


    "Relationship? You are in a relationship now? How far had you been in London that so many things happened?"


    Aria snorted. "Ivy stop."


    "Tell me Ari. Who is that guy? Is he handsome? Is he good? What''s his name?" Ivy continued to tease.


    "I am going to cut the call. Now Bye. Bye. Bye." Aria cut the call immediately and took a long breath.


    Ivy chuckled on the other side. It was the first time that she had heard Aria stammering. She found it very entertaining. However, she was concerned about her too. It was the first time her sister was in a relationship. She had to make sure she was careful. In the matters related to dating and love, Ivy had some experience. Although it was not a lot, she was still better than Aria.


    Ivy had a boyfriend when she was in college, though it didn''t end up well while Aria was a complete novice in these matters. She could only wish that her sister would get a good man, not an utter jerk she had as her boyfriend a few years back.


    On the other, Aria waited until she could calm her racing heart. She then dialed Ian''s number. He did not pick up.


    ''Maybe he is busy.'' Aria thought. She threw her phone on the bed and went to take a shower. She was a little tired and her muscles had gone stiff. Maybe a hot shower could relax her.


    After her relaxing bath, she wore her night suit and took her phone. She called Ian again only to get the same result. He didn''t pick it up.


    "I''ll make a call first thing in the morning." She spoke to herself and lied on the bed.


    ''Goodnight.'' She sent a message to Noah.


    Maybe it was the exhaustion or that she had not had a good sleep the previous day, she fell asleep at once. She did not even hear her phone ringing.


    Noah waited until the call disconnected automatically and sighed. ''Why isn''t Aria picking up the call?''


    He waited for ten minutes, before he tried again. This time, Aria picked up the call on the last ring.


    "Hello." She spoke groggily. Though her voice was hoarse, it sounded incredibly sexy. Blood rushed through Noah''s body listening to her alluring voice.


    "Hey."


    "Noah?" Aria asked, still in her sleepy state.


    "Yes. Were you sleeping?" Noah asked apologetically.


    "Yes."


    "I am sorry."


    "It''s okay. Why did you call?"


    "I missed you."


    "Whaaat? We met only a few minutes ago." Aria struggled to speak.


    "Aria. I am going to give you a video call. Please pick it up."


    "Okay." The phone rang within a few seconds after she disconnected it.


    She accepted it and she could clearly see Noah''s impeccable face. She angled her phone on the nightstand such that she could still be visible, while she did not have to carry it. She was lying face down, with her right cheek on the bed.


    Noah saw her side profile and smiled. "Lazy girl."


    "No."


    "Yes, you don''t even want to hold your phone."


    He did not get any response. Aria was long gone. She was in a deep sleep. He looked at her sleeping face and smiled. She looked sweet and endearing. He did not want to miss it, so he continued to watch her.


    Aria slept without any care in the world. What she did not know was that Noah had spent the entire time watching her sleep, until her phone shut down due to low battery somewhere around two at night, much to his unwillingness.

 Chapter 63: Secrets unveiled

    It was late at night when Ian saw Aria''s miss calls. He had been busy as he had to go to his company. So, he could not pick up her calls. Seeing the time, he decided to call her early in the morning.


    Ian was busy the entire day as he had to make a visit to his pharmaceutical company. They had invented a new medicine that could cure lung cancer at the initial stage itself and it had to undergo various stages of testing to be approved by the government.


    The medicine was only effective only when it was given in the early to the second stages. Although it would not beneficial for patients who were quite serious, it was still a major breakthrough. They had prepared all the necessary followups and the test had proven to be a success. They were given approval from the Medical Board to release it into the market.


    Ian stretched his hand and massaged his neck. He drove back to his house after a while. It was beyond midnight and he was quite tired. He arrived at his house and entered inside. He had eaten his dinner at his office. So, he immediately went to sleep.


    ....


    The next day.


    Ian woke up to hear his phone ring. He looked at the time, it was half-past seven. He looked at the caller ID and picked it up. It was Aria.


    "Hey Ian."


    "Hello Aria."


    "Were you still sleeping?"


    "Yes. I had a long day yesterday."


    "Sorry. Sorry. I''ll call you again later."


    "Wait. I am fine..." Before he could continue, Aria had disconnected the call.


    He looked at his phone and shook his head. He was still sleepy. So he pulled the duvet to his chin and dozed off at once.


    Meanwhile Aria prepared herself for the second day of the conference. This time she had to give a speech regarding some of the tough heart surgeries that been successfully done in her hospital. This speech was necessary as the other doctors over there could refer to them if they faced cases of similar type in the future. From her hospital, it was Aria who was giving the presentation.


    Aria was confident about it. She, Ian and some other senior doctors in her hospital had carefully selected the most significant and toughest cases they had ever come performed.


    At that moment, her phone rang. She smiled seeing that it was Noah who was calling her.


    "Hey. Good morning." She said sweetly.


    "Hey. Good morning."


    "Did you sleep well?"


    "Yes. I am sorry, I slept halfway between our call. I was too tired."


    "I understand. That''s fine. I am not blaming you. In fact I am happy."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Nothing. What are you doing today?"


    "Just the same. I have to give a report presentation today."


    "Is it? All the best."


    "Thank you," Aria said gratefully.


    "At what time will it end today?"


    "Today it will go on till 7 p.m."


    "Oh." Noah was a little sad and it was obvious from his voice.


    "Are you alright?" Aria asked. She became worried at once, listening to his depressed voice.


    "I am a little unhappy."


    "Why so?"


    "I may not be able to meet you today. So.."


    "I never knew you were such a flirt, Mr. Carter."


    "Oh trust me honey, you don''t know a lot of things about me," Noah said with pride.


    "Then I''ll look forward to it. I hope you won''t disappoint me."


    "Definitely."


    "Okay. Bye then. I gotta go."


    "Bye. Take care."


    .............


    The conference started on time and Aria had presented her report in front of all other doctors. She had completed her part before lunch. Now they were having the lunch break and Aria was helping herself to some food when her phone buzzed.


    "Hey Ian."


    "Aria, sorry about that.."


    "Ian. I understand."


    "Hmm. How''s the conference going?"


    "It''s fine. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."


    "Yes. Tell me."


    "Have you heard about the Royal Health Care Hospital?"


    Ian''s eyes widened listening to the hospital name.


    "Why do you ask?" He questioned immediately without thinking.


    Aria heard the difference in his tone. He was a little panicked and sounded worried.


    Still, she ignored it and continued. "I wanted to know about the Director of the hospital."


    "But why?"


    "It''s something personal. I cannot say it. So, tell me. Do you know who it is? It''s urgent."


    "No Aria. Never heard about them." Ian lied.


    "Then, how about the Royal Pharmaceuticals? Do you have any idea about who the chairman is?"


    Ian stayed silent. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He was thinking about why Aria was asking him regarding these things.


    ''Why does she want to know about these things?'' He thought.


    "Hello, Ian. Are you there?"


    "Yes. Sorry Aria. I have no idea what you are talking about."


    "It''s fine Ian. Not a problem."


    "What''s the matter, Aria? Why are you asking about him?"


    "Him? You know it''s him?" Aria was a little puzzled. She became suspicious at once.


    Ian cursed under his breath for his slip of the tongue. It was a grave mistake he had done.


    "I just assumed it might be a man. I may be wrong."'' Ian justified himself the next moment.


    Aria sighed. Although she was still not convinced, she could not argue with him about it.


    "Okay Ian. If you find out anything about the person, please do tell me. It''s very important."


    "Definitely."


    "Thanks. I have to leave. The post-lunch session is going to start in a few minutes. I will talk to you later."


    "Okay."


    After ending his call, he dropped a message in the group chat.


    Ian: Aria called me today.


    Joshua: So, big deal. Great.


    Ian: Shut up.


    Joshua: Ohh, you are happy that you got a call from a girl for the first time in your life. Congratulations.


    Ian: Noah, will you kill him? Or shall I do the honors?


    Noah: He is all yours.


    Joshua: Hey I am still here and I don''t belong to anybody.


    Noah: Why did Aria call you?


    Joshua: Ohh, the Carter boy is jealous. Yes, yes. Tell quickly why she called you. Otherwise, somebody will die from drinking vinegar.


    Ian: She was asking about the Chairman of the Royal Group.


    Joshua: Why does she want to know him? Is she secretly in love with him? Oh my God, don''t say she has a crush on him, I mean you.


    Noah: No way. It''s impossible. Aria and I are in a relationship.


    Joshua: What? When did this happen?


    Ian: Seriously dude. When did this happen?


    Noah: Yesterday.


    Joshua: Wow. Great. Then, why did she want to find out about it?


    Ian: I don''t know. Also, she wanted to know who the Director of Royal Health Care Hospital is?


    Noah: What?


    Joshua: What?


    This the other two were shocked. Joshua thought for a while. After a few seconds, his eyes widened in realization.


    Joshua: What is Aria''s last name?


    Ian: It''s West. Why?


    Joshua immediately called Noah and Ian in a conference call.


    Joshua: Damn. This is getting complicated.


    Noah: What are you talking about?


    Ian: Say clearly.


    Joshua: Do you remember the girl I was talking about, whose father is Oliver.


    Noah: Yes.


    Joshua: Her surname is also West.


    Ian: And Oliver too a West.


    Noah: What is the name of that girl?


    Joshua: Ivy West


    Noah: Her age?


    Joshua: Around 25. Maybe.


    Ian: Oh my God. Is Ivy Aria''s twin sister?


    Noah: I think so.


    Ian: Then, this is complicated. Very complicated.


    Joshua: Yes. Who would have known that the man, whom we have kept hidden from the outside world, would have such interesting daughters? And moreover they have entangled themselves with people whom they are actually looking for.


    Noah: Now I don''t know what to do.


    Ian: Me neither. But we have no choice. Let''s discuss about it when you return to the country.


    Joshua: Until then, I''ll try to hold Ivy and you try to control Aria.


    Noah: That''s the best we can do right now.


    The conference call ended. But each of them had the same thought in their minds: What were they going to do now?

 Chapter 64: Moved out in the midnight

    Ivy and her team were waiting for Linda to arrive, so that they could go through the entire procedure. She had to be informed about how the interview process worked. So, Kira had asked her to come to the news station two hours prior to going live. It was past the appointed time and there was no news of Linda. She was neither picking up their calls nor was she replying to any of their messages.


    This continued for a while until the operator declared that the number they were trying to call was not existing at all.


    "Damn it," Kira said.


    "What happened?" Max enquired, from the side.


    "Now her number is not existing anymore."


    "What? How could this be? I tried her number just a few minutes back. It rang." Ivy said, her voice reaching an octave higher than the one she normally spoke.


    "Try it yourself." Kira pointed to the phone.


    As Kira said, the number was told as non-existent when Ivy tried.


    "How could this be possible? Something is wrong."


    "I too feel the same," Max said. "Kira, give me her address. I''ll go look for her."


    "Just a second." Kira wrote down Linda''s address on a piece of paper and handed it to Max.


    "I''ll be back," Max said as he got up.


    ....


    An hour later.


    Ivy and Kira had constantly tried called Linda''s number, only to end up with the same result.


    "Max, should be here by now. Where is he?" Kira said, a little irritated. The sudden disappearance of Linda was anything but ordinary.


    "There he is," Ivy said, when she saw a dejected Max walking towards them.


    "Hey. What happened? Did you meet Linda? Where is she? Is she going to come here? What time will she be here?" Kira bombarded him with all possible questions.


    "No. I didn''t meet Linda." Max sighed as he sat down on the chair.


    "What happened?" Ivy asked. She knew something was wrong.


    "Her house was locked and on inquiring the neighbors, they told me that Linda moved out yesterday night."


    "What? How''s that possible?" Kira yelled. She was pissed now.


    "Yes. The shocking fact is, she moved out sometime after midnight. Not before that or not today morning."


    "You have got to be kidding me." Ivy raised her hands, hearing his words.


    "Yes. I am shocked too. It makes no sense as to why she would move out, that too in the middle of the night."


    "Did something happen to her when she left after meeting us?" Ivy voiced her question.


    "I thought about it too," Max said.


    "It''s a possibility. Maybe that''s the reason her phone number is not working." Kira agreed.


    "Now, what do we do?" Ivy asked. She was worried that an important witness, who was a victim herself, had vanished into thin air.


    "We will have to change the arrangement of the news," Max said, after thinking for a while.


    "How?" Kira said, wriggling her eyebrows.


    "How about this?" Max spoke up and the next fifteen minutes was spent in explaining their new course of action.


    ......


    Joshua was sitting in his office, looking at the details of the new antivirus software they were about to launch in collaboration with the Carter Software Technologies. He had merged his video game company with Noah''s software company and now he was the co-chairman of the new corporation.


    The TV in his office was switched on and it was showcasing a news channel. It was kept at a medium volume and he could hear the reporters words. Occasionally, he would look at it and nod his head.


    Correctly at four p.m., he heard a very familiar male voice. His head turned towards the TV at such a frightening speed, that one would assume he might get a whiplash.


    It was his good friend Max. Unknowingly, Joshua had picked up his news channel. He was actually surprised.


    Max''s news segment majorly occupied the prime time when people would have returned home. It would usually be after 8 p.m.


    ''Why is he covering the 4''o clock news?'' Joshua wondered.


    "Good evening, viewers." Max started. He stated all the other unimportant minor issues they wanted to telecast. In the end, he dropped the bomb.


    "We have received an anonymous recording today morning. It showcases all the illegal activities that are taking place in a small hospital in Central Street." The video immediately started playing. He did not say the name of the hospital and he did not have to either. The video recording clearly showed the name of the hospital.


    It started with a someone fainting and people flocking towards them. From the angle it was clear that, the person who had fainted was actually recording everything secretly.


    Joshua dropped the file in his hand and concentrated on the news. He was a little intrigued.


    It showed everything from the time the person had fainted until the nurse asked her for 300 dollars just for some tests. The scene then shifted to one where the doctor informed that she had to undergo surgery for appendicitis. Max''s face appeared on the screen.


    "We will resume after a break," Max said and smiled at the camera.


    Joshua tapped his pen on the desk. There was nothing weird about the recording except for the huge medical bill that the nurse had asked from the patient.


    ''What does Max want to do? What is he trying to show?'' He thought.


    After a series of advertisements, Max''s face reappeared on the TV screen.


    "Welcome back, viewers. The video which we had played was only half of it. Let''s take a look at the remaining half."


    The video resumed. This time the scene showed two people standing in a private room. It was clear that one of them was the doctor who had looked at the patient and the other person was a stranger. It was from their conversation, that Joshua realized what the matter was. Every word they had spoken was crisp, clear, revealing their sick intentions and the video was of high definition. Their face was clearly visible.


    Seeing the news, the first thing that came to his mind was Ivy. He was unsure as to why he had thought about her.


    The news ended and Max''s face was replaced by a female reporter. Joshua picked up his phone and called Max immediately.


    Max: Hey Josh.


    Joshua: Hey Max. I saw your segment.


    Max: Hmm. I just came out of the studio.


    Joshua: Is it true? About the news?


    Max: Yes.


    Joshua: How sure are you?


    Max: It was recorded by my junior in person.


    Joshua: Oh. But you said that someone had sent it to you.


    Max: I cannot risk my people''s life.


    Joshua: Anyway, who recorded it?


    Max was silent. He knew he could trust Joshua. However, the case was very sensitive and risky. Yet, he gave him the benefit of doubt.


    Max: It was Ivy. I think you know her.


    Joshua: Oh. Is it?


    ''As expected.'' Joshua thought.


    Max: Yes. If there is nothing else, I''ll talk to you later. I still have some work.


    Joshua: Sure. See you around.


    Joshua stared at the phone and then at the TV screen. He sat idly for a while, thinking what to do. After a long time, he dialed a number and waited for the other person to pick up.

 Chapter 65: Noahs plan

    Noah stared blankly in front of him. He did not know what to do. His mind was in utter chaos. The top businessman of the country, who could control the life and death of his employees as well as most other companies, did not know what to do now.


    He was in a meeting when he had got a call from Joshua. He had called him a few minutes back and had informed him about Ivy''s courageous attempts and her sting operation which was going viral. After listening to his words and looking at the news himself, Noah was sure that Ivy had definitely inherited the skills from her father. But that was not the reason for his stress.


    Noah knew that the rate at which Ivy and Aria were making progress in the search for their father, it would not be far away when the actual truth would be revealed to the world.


    He was scared, not because the truth would be revealed or not because Ivy was almost nearing their secret. He was afraid that the secret, which had been buried for almost three years, would impact his love life. Definitely this would influence his relationship with Aria and he did not want to lose her at any cost. Not now when she too felt the same way as him. However, he could not tell her truth either. It was not the correct time yet. How could he say that he had kept her father captive just to keep him alive, to keep him safe?


    Not only Oliver West, Noah had even saved the entire West family by kidnapping Oliver, though he couldn''t avoid the unfortunate death of Mrs. West. To save the West family, he had even gone to the extent of erasing Oliver''s records along with his family. Yet, now he did not know what to do.


    Noah knew that what he had done was cruel to Oliver and his family. But in actual his deeds had what kept Aria and Ivy alive, else they would have been dead a long time ago.


    He could not tell anything to Aria anything as the danger to their family hand not ended. If the word got out that Oliver was still alive, then people would definitely come after him.


    Oliver still had some confidential information that could bring down the entire nation. Yet, nobody knew where he had hidden it. Not even Noah.


    There was a knock at the door. After talking to Joshua, Noah had gone back to his cabin to organize his thoughts.


    "Boss." Ronnie entered and stood in front of him. Looking at his Boss''s distressed face, he realized something was wrong.


    "Is everything alright, Boss?" Ronnie asked when he saw Noah being unusually silent. Though he was normally cold and spoke only a few words, at that moment he was abnormally silent.


    "Aria is Oliver''s daughter," Noah said. His voice was laced with despair.


    "What?" Ronnie was gobsmacked. Nobody had expected such a turn of events. "Madam and Mr. West are related?"


    "Yes."


    "Now what do we do Boss? Are you going to tell Madam about her father?"


    "No. It''s not the correct time." Noah rejected Ronnie''s offer at once.


    "Then what do we do, Boss?" Ronnie was confused too. If Aria was Oliver''s daughter, then that would mean Noah had to buck up with his plans. Or else it might become too late for him to rectify. Once Aria found out about Noah''s involvement in her father''s kidnap, she would definitely not spare him.


    "Gather our men. I want to search at all possible places where Oliver might have hidden the information. Contact anyone. I don''t care. But I want results."


    "How about this Boss? You could directly ask Madam if she knows anything about the classified information."


    Noah sent him a glare immediately after hearing his words. Ronnie shivered seeing his dreadful look.


    "Do you take me for a fool. Why would I want to sabotage my relationship on my own? Anyway, if she had known about something like that, why haven''t she done anything? She could easily get her father back that way."


    Noah''s question made sense. So, Ronnie had no response. But after thinking for a while, he got another idea.


    "Boss, how about this? You could casually ask Madam about her father. That way she would tell you everything. Since you are in a relationship, she might tell you everything. Although not right, but gradually."


    Noah got his point at once. "After that I could offer her my help. Then definitely I can find out more about the data which Oliver has hidden."


    "Yes Boss."


    "Not bad Ronnie. Your intelligence has improved."


    "Thank you, Boss."


    "I am happy with your suggestion. Go take a six-month bonus."


    "Boss, thank you. Thank you so much."


    "Enough with this now. You still have to do the work I have told you to do. I don''t know when I can get information out of Aria. Until then keep searching."


    "Right away Boss."


    After Ronnie exited the room, Noah immediately called Joshua and Ian told them about his plan.


    Ian: We could do this.


    Joshua: Yes, I''ll try the same thing with Ivy.


    Noah: Try not to do anything that would make them suspicious.


    Joshua: I know. Although I don''t want to do this to the sisters, we have no choice.


    Ian: Me neither. But it is for their own good.


    Joshua: How did we end up in such a situation? Noah is the person Aria is looking for and he is in a relationship with her. What a twist of fate!


    Noah: Shut up.


    Joshua: Calm down lover boy. We''ll do everything we can to keep your love safe.


    Noah: Just you wait and watch. I am sure that you will be definitely crying buckets when you face something like with your love in the future.


    Joshua: Hold on. That''s not going to happen. I am never going to be in a serious relationship.


    Ian: We will see my friend. We will see. I am sure there is someone out there who will bring you to your knees.


    What none of the three knew was whatever Ian and Noah had told to Joshua as a joke would actually happen to him in real in the future. He would definitely cry buckets and fall to his knees just to get his love back.

 Chapter 66: Lets see if you will run away from me

    Daniel and Rachel were having dinner at one of the hotels under the Carter franchise. It was the first time they had gone on a date together. The idea of going on a date was suggested by Rachel. It was quite common for a man to ask a girl out on a date. However, she wanted to be the one to take him on a date. So, she had planned a romantic candlelight dinner with him.


    At first, Daniel was surprised. Later, he accepted her suggestion as it was quite out of the box and he wanted to experience this new thing. He was also happy that the date was being organized by his woman.


    The day Daniel had professed his liking towards Rachel to her, he had contemplated the entire night. He was yet to tell her about his birth secret. Although it did not matter whether he told her or not as he would still be an Adler. Nevertheless, he did not want to hide such a huge matter related to his life from her.


    He was yet to find an opportunity to tell her about himself. But he was nervous and scared; nervous because he did not know how to tell her and scared because he did want to lose her after she found out the truth.


    After Rachel had invited him to have dinner with him in the morning, he had made his mind to tell her the truth. He couldn''t hide it forever and he did not want to start a relationship based on the foundation of lies.


    "Are you alright? Since the beginning of this date, you look a little lost." Rachel asked staring at him. Since the two had started to have their dinner, she had noticed Daniel''s weird behavior. He was unusually silent and most of the time he looked lost. It was only Rachel who was chattering non-stop the entire time.


    "Yes. Yes. I am fine." Daniel replied at once. He immediately composed himself. He took a sip of wine from his glass.


    Rachel saw him drink and raised her eyebrows. "What happened to ''I will not be drinking as I will be driving later''?"


    Daniel gulped. He was still not ready to speak. However, he could not prolong it further. He mustered all his courage and looked at Rachel.


    "Rachel, I have something to tell."


    "Yes, Daniel tell me. Oh, if it is related to work. Save your breath. I am not going to listen to it." She objected immediately. She had come to spend some time with Daniel, not to listen to some boring work stuff.


    "No Rachel. It''s not related to work. Actually, it''s about me."


    "Yes, Daniel. Tell me. I would love to know about you." Rachel said, looking at him like a love-struck puppy.


    Seeing her beautiful gaze, Daniel was losing his willpower.


    ''Concentrate. This is more important.'' He chided himself in his mind.


    "Rachel, I want to ask you something."


    "Yes, Dan. Go ahead. Ask anything you want."


    "Rach, what if I am not someone who I am?" He questioned and looked at her curiously.


    "What do you mean? Ah.. Don''t tell me that you are one of the secret agents who are working undercover to find something."


    Daniel chuckled at her unusual thinking. Before he could reply, Rachel continued. "Is it true? Oh my good lord. I am so happy. I always wanted to be the wife of an undercover agent."


    Daniel''s heart skipped a beat when her heard mention the word ''wife''. However, he immediately realized that he still had to climb a mountain before that could happen. "No. No. Stop Rachel. Listen to me. I am not a secret agent."


    Rachel''s excitement dropped at once listening to his words. "Ohh. Okay."


    "Rachel, I am not my parents'' son," Daniel said slowly and waited for her response.


    "What nonsense are you talking. I think the wine here is making you speak bullshit." Rachel was angry. She did not know that the hotel was having stock of some bad quality wine. She was about to call the manager to reprimand him, when Daniel held her hand.


    "No Rachel. I am saying the truth and I am not drunk. I am not my parents'' biological son. I am adopted."


    Rachel blinked once, twice, thrice. Yet, she did not know how to respond. This was not something she had expected.


    "Ohh. Wow. This is unexpected." She gulped her glass of wine in one shot.


    "Yes. Yes. I know that this is something unbelievable and I am sorry. I know I shouldn''t have hidden the truth from you. I am really sorry. I was scared of losing you." Daniel blabbered on as he held her hands tightly.


    Rachel was silent. She was still comprehending what Daniel had told her a few minutes back. What she did not know was that her every second of silence was breaking the man in front of her from within. He let her hands go and pulled back. He was devastated. The one girl he had taken a serious liking to had left him too.


    "We can end our relationship if you want to. I won''t force you. You can leave anytime you want."


    As soon Daniel''s hands left Rachel''s, she felt something was amiss. She lost the warmth from his hands that had wrapped around hers. She came out of her thoughts and looked at the man''s sad face. She immediately realized that he had misunderstood her.


    She stood up and hugged him. "Silly, what are you thinking?"


    Daniel was a little shocked by the sudden hug.


    "Who told you that I want to leave? Don''t have these crazy thoughts ever again. I am not going to leave you. And by the way, who told you that I was so fickle-minded. I don''t care who you are. I don''t care if you are adopted. I don''t care if you are rich or poor. The only thing I care about is you. I like you and that is all that matters."


    She looked into his eyes as she spoke while her hands patted his back in order to soothe him. Her words were like a melody to him. She was like the oasis in the middle of the dessert. He was immensely happy. He pulled her on his lap and hugged her tightly. He did not have to think about other people walking in on them in such an intimate position as they were in a private booth.


    "Thank you. Thank you so much. I was scared. At one moment I thought that I had lost you."


    "No way. Not possible. I am thinking of tying you with me for life. How can you even think of running away from me?"


    Daniel chuckled.


    "Also, if you dare leave me, I will hunt you down and break your legs. You are not allowed to leave me." Rachel said in a domineering attitude, leaving no room for second opinions.


    "I wouldn''t dare," Daniel said at once.


    "You better not." She huffed.


    Looking at her cute face, Daniel had only one thought in mind: to kiss her and that was what he did. He pulled her face close to his and slowly placed his lips on hers. This sudden kiss shocked Rachel. At first, she did not respond. However, she kissed him back later when she came out of the shock.


    The kiss was passionate and gentle. Daniel angled her neck so that he could kiss her correctly and his lips laid perfectly on hers. He alternated between pecking and kissing. However, he did not go any further. This frustrated Rachel. She took the matter to her own hands. She pried open his mouth and delved her tongue inside. Immediately their tongues were involved in a tango dance, fighting for dominance.


    Rachel could taste the wine in his mouth and it made her drunk. She was immediately lost in enjoying the moment. The kiss continued for a while, until Daniel had to pull back due to lack of oxygen. Meanwhile, the woman in his arms was already huffing and puffing and her face had gone bright red from her cheeks to her ears.


    It took them some time to calm their hearts. After Rachel''s heartbeat returned to normal, she looked at Daniel with eyes filled with provocation. "Now, I have marked you mine. Let''s see if you will run away from me."

 Chapter 67: Joshua offers Ivy his help

    The next day a major scandal broke out. Although the news about Good City Clinic was released yesterday, its actual effect took place that day. Many people who had undergone treatment in the hospital were protesting in front of it. The people who had undergone an operation in that hospital got themselves thoroughly checked in other hospitals. It was then many of them realized that they too had been deceived. Their scanning reports showed things that they did not know about at all.


    The hospital was under chaos. People were protesting right in the front, throwing stones and sticks. Seeing the angry mob, the hospital staff did not know what to do. They immediately called the police, while the guard tried to prevent the people from barging inside and ripping the doctors and nurses heads off.


    It took more than half an hour for the police to arrive. Instead of preventing the people from attacking the hospital, they sauntered inside the hospital.


    One of the people, who was leading the police was not in a uniform. He looked around and pointed to a nurse.


    "You. Come here." He pointed to her. The nurse went to him immediately.


    "I want to meet the Chairman of the hospital. Call him right now." He barked. The nurse trembled at his words. She ran away in fear and brought back with her a senior doctor.


    "Yes, sir. How may I help you?" The doctor stuttered. Although he had many years of expertise, he was still scared of seeing the large crowd and the police officers in front of him.


    "I told I want to meet the head of the hospital." The man seethed. His patience was wearing thin.


    "I am sorry sir. We are unable to contact him since yesterday evening." The doctor said.


    The man in the front turned to look at the police officer behind him.


    "Looks like he ran away." The officer said. The man nodded.


    "Then in that way, I would like to meet someone from the administration." He said.


    "You can talk to me. I am a senior doctor here."


    "Can we hold you into account if anything happens?" The man asked.


    The doctor was silent for a while before he nodded.


    "Very well. I am from the Medical and Hospital Association. I am here to investigate the recent case of your hospital being involved in the illegal trafficking of organs. In this context, we have received orders to close this hospital until further notice."


    "What?" The doctor panicked. Not only him all the other staff who were nearby were also utterly scared.


    "Yes. Also, we have orders to take the hospital staff along with us for investigation." The police officer said. This was like a big blow to them. Nobody had expected this outcome.


    From the corner, one of the junior doctors tried fleeing. However, he was not as fast as the police. He was caught even before he could execute his plan.


    "Don''t even think about running away. You have been surrounded. I request you to cooperate if you don''t want us to force you." The police officer said.


    All the staff were pushed into a bus. This time they were protected by the police from angry people when they were boarding the bus. After the hospital became empty, the shutters were closed and it was locked.


    This entire process was being broadcasted live by many news channels. In fact many news channels had flocked to the hospital as soon as News4U had first telecasted about its illegal activities.


    Although the people were still angry, they were quite satisfied with the immediate result. They knew there was still a long battle ahead. They were contented with that for now, the hospital would not ruin any other patients'' life.


    Joshua saw the entire incident on the TV. He was impressed. Ivy alone had made the entire hospital go into crumbles. Her bravery was commendable. He thought for some time, before he gave her a call.


    "Hello." He heard her voice.


    "Hello. Guess who?" Joshua said excited.


    "Umm. Some shit load." Ivy played along.


    "What? I am not shit load." Joshua replied with annoyance.


    "Oh, my bad. Then you must be a load of crap?"


    "Ivy," Joshua said with a stern voice.


    "Mr Martin." She followed.


    "Do you talk to everybody this way?"


    "No. Only to a pile of some unwanted flies."


    Joshua was tongue-tied. Never in his life had anybody spoken to him this way.


    "So, why did you call me?" Ivy asked, deviating the topic.


    "I wanted to know something."


    "What?"


    "I want to know everything about your father as well as his work. Only then I can help you."


    "Why do you need that information? It''s not like I am asking you to find my dad."


    "It is necessary. Maybe I might find out more about the case and help you to find your father faster."


    Ivy was silent for a while.


    "Can I trust you?" Ivy asked after a few minutes.


    "What do you mean?" Joshua was offended.


    "What if you have some ulterior motives in helping me? I may be paranoid. But I am just being careful."


    Joshua sighed. He knew Ivy was not wrong. He had his own reasons for helping her. However, he could not say it to her for her own good.


    "I don''t know what to say now. But if you believe at least one percent that I would not hurt you, then you can tell me."


    Ivy thought about his suggestion. He was right. What more could he do to her? Her Dad was already missing.


    "Alright. I''ll give you the benefit of doubt. I''ll tell you whatever I know. But, in the future if I find out that you only used me, then trust me Mr. Martin, I am going to chop off your balls."


    Joshua was surprised by her threat. She was too daring and straightforward. He was also amused. While many women out there were behind his balls for some other reason, this woman wanted to chop it off.


    "That won''t happen."


    "How can you be so confident?"


    "Because I love myself. I need my body to be healthy. Else, how will I give my parents their grand kids?"


    "What a narcissist!!" Ivy commented.


    "Thanks for the compliment."


    "It wasn''t one."


    "But I''ll consider it one."


    "Whatever."


    "Anyway, where shall we meet?"


    "I''ll come to your office."


    "Sure. When?"


    "I am a little busy today and tomorrow. How about the day after?"


    "Perfect."


    "Then, I''ll text you the time," Ivy said.


    "Sure. I am fine with it."


    "If there is nothing else."


    "Wait."


    "What is it, Mr Martin?"


    "I saw the news."


    "What news?" Ivy asked confused.


    "About Good City Clinic."


    "Ohh that. What about it?"


    "I must say I am impressed."


    "And why would that be?"


    "I know it was you who filmed the video."


    "How did you know that?" Ivy was baffled. Nobody knew about it except for Max, Kira and other close colleagues of hers.


    "Talent."


    Ivy snorted. Although she was calm on the surface, she was doubtful within. Before her thoughts could wander far away, Joshua cleared them.


    "Max told me."


    "Ohh."


    "Yeah. I didn''t know you were this daring."


    "Oh. You don''t know a lot of things about me." Ivy retorted.


    "True. So, I''ll see you then."


    "See ya."

 Chapter 68: New guy in the office

    After disconnecting her call with Joshua, Ivy rolled her eyes. She had met a lot of weird people in her life and he was one of them. Although he was not a bad guy, he was quite irritating. Every time Ivy talked to him, she would end up getting angry. He was quite good at getting on one''s nerves.


    Max and Kira were nowhere to be seen. They had gone to meet the higher-ups. Max had invited Ivy to tag along, which she had denied politely. She was not a fan of such boring meetings.


    She opened her laptop to look more into her new piece of news. She had recently received a lead from one of the men that the cross border firing at the west side had stopped, though this was yet to be confirmed by the government. She wanted to look more into it.


    Despite the fact that, Ivy was not a fan of field reporting, this was one news she wanted to cover. It was her wish, her eternal dream. She had always wanted to cover a documentary regarding the life of a soldier. And she had got an opportunity to do it, she did not want to miss it. She wanted to talk to Max regarding this matter. She started accumulating data in this aspect.


    From the news reports, Ivy found out that the troupe of soldiers was being led by Major Ethan Meyer. She looked up his details. But she found nothing. He was not on any social networking site. Ivy sighed. She really wanted to go there to cover the news. It was like a dream for her.


    "What are you doing?" A voice said from behind her.


    Ivy jumped at the sudden voice.


    "Kira. You scared me." Ivy said patting her chest.


    "The brave Ivy also gets scared. I am honored." Kira teased.


    "You are back. How was the meeting?"


    "As usual. Boring." Kira said with disinterest.


    Ivy sniggered. "So, why were you called anyway?"


    "The people at the top are happy with our work. So, they wanted to congratulate us."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes. Those fools think that they don''t know what they are doing. They are only showing off."


    "What do you mean?" Ivy was confused.


    "They have given us a pay hike because of our outstanding work." Kira air quoted the word outstanding.


    "Although they were happy, it was clear that they were faking it. They just did not want to give us a hike." Kira made a comic face, making Ivy laugh.


    "So, what are you doing?"


    "I was looking up the matter regarding the cross border firing."


    "Ohh. You are interested in it too?"


    "What do you mean by too? Are you interested too?"


    "Yes." Kira jumped up excited. "Have you seen the major who is in charge of the operation He is so hot. I don''t need to go to the gym at all. His hotness is enough to make me sweat and my hormones go berserk. I must thank him actually. He saving me some gym money."


    "Is he that handsome?"


    "You have no idea." Kira pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of Ethan.


    He was undoubtedly good looking. There was a weird ruggedness to him, making him attractive. Although the picture was unclear, she could make out his features.


    "How did you get his picture?" Ivy asked.


    "What do you think?"


    "Tell me. Please. Please. I have been searching for him for a long while."


    "I got it from my friend. Her brother also works in the army."


    "Wow. That''s so cool."


    "I know right."


    "Umm. Kira, you know you are my best friend right?"


    "Am I?"


    "Yes. Yes. You are my bestie."


    "Enough of buttering. Tell me, what do you want?"


    "Can you get me Ethan''s number for me? Please, please. I''ll do anything you say."


    "Anything?"


    "Yes, anything."


    "I''ll try. Don''t forget your words."


    "Thank you. Thank you. You are the best. You are the sweetest." Ivy hugged her.


    "Enough of your ass-kissing. Get back to work."


    "Okay Boss." Ivy saluted, making Kira laugh.


    "Listen guys." Max clapped trying to garner everybody''s attention in the office. The room became silent at once.


    "Guys, this is Tim Fields. He is the new editor who will be joining us from today."


    "Max, you didn''t tell us you were looking for an editor," Kira said.


    "Umm. I know. I was not keen on hiring one either. One of our employees will be taking maternity leave after two months. So, I was looking forward to finding someone to replace her. And I met Tim by accident. I thought he could make himself accustomed to our work by joining early."


    "Tim, that''s Kira, Ivy, Sasha, Cedric." Max introduced Tim to everyone.


    "Hey guys." Tim waved at them. Everybody returned to their seats after the brief introduction.


    "So, have you worked as an editor before or is this your first time," Sasha asked. She looked a little infatuated by him. His good looks were strikingly attractive. He looked quite young, around 22 or 23.


    "This is my first actual job, although I did intern as an assistant to an editor in an advertising company when I was in college."


    "Oh. That''s great. Welcome to the group." Ivy said.


    "Thanks, and you are.."


    "Ivy."


    "Ivy. Sorry, it''s just I was introduced to a lot of people."


    "I understand."


    Kira was standing silently and observing him. Something about him was making her suspicious. He was unbelievably friendly. It looked like he was faking it. Her instincts were telling her that he was up to no good and her instincts were never wrong.


    "Earth to Kira, are you here?" Sasha waved in front of her to gain her attention.


    "Yes, yes." Kira shook her head.


    "Come with us. Let''s go have some coffee." Sasha said.


    "You guys go ahead. I''ll be there in 2 minutes." Kira assured.


    "Ok."


    As soon as Sasha left Kira alone, Cedric approached her.


    "Am I only one who finds Tim a little suspicious, like he is hiding something?" Cedric voiced his thoughts. Being a cameraman, he had mastered the art of face reading. He too realized that there was something wrong with the man.


    "Did you feel that too? I thought I was the only one." Kira said. "I just got chills thinking about it."


    "There''s something weird about him. Two of us cannot be wrong. We need to be wary of him."


    "You are right, Ced. We need to keep an eye on him."


    "Leave that to me Kira." Cedric winked. "Now come on. Let''s go have some coffee."


    "Sure, come on."

 Chapter 69: Unofficial party

    Two days passed by quickly and it was already Friday. Noah was listening to the details of the new software that would be launched the next week. All the preparations had been done and the managers of each department were giving him a follow-up.


    It took three hours for the meeting to end. By then it was past lunchtime.


    "You are all dismissed," Noah said. The managers stood up and approached him for a handshake.


    When everybody had finished their small talk with their Boss, it was the turn of the manager from the public relations department at the last.


    "Sir, today is Friday." She spoke up. Everybody tensed up at once.


    "So?"


    "Sir, we have organized a party. We told you about it." Noah remembered after she mentioned it. He had completely forgotten about it.


    "Yes."


    "Sir, are you going to come?" She asked slowly boldly. All the people were shocked by her courage.


    Noah raised his eyebrows. His employees were becoming daring. They were questioning him directly. He had to give it to her boldness.


    "I think my employees have lost their manners." He said in a cold voice. All the people in the room trembled. They realized that they had angered their Boss. And angry Boss is a devil Boss. Before the matter could go out of hand, the manager apologized immediately.


    "Boss, I am sorry. I spoke out of line. I am sorry."


    "I am leaving you with a warning this time. If this repeats, you will be fired." Noah looked at all of them, while they didn''t even lift their heads. He gave them a cold look and walked away, followed by his assistant.


    He went inside his cabin and thought about the party. He could invite Aria to accompany him. It had been two days since he last met her. Although they had talked to each other on the phone every night, he still missed her. And two days was too long for him to bear. He gave her a call the next moment. She didn''t pick it up. He tried again only to face the same result.


    Next, Noah tried Kaito''s number. He knew Kaito would know about Aria''s schedule. Though he was only a driver, he was also looking out for Aria in secret. He was in charge of her safety in Noah''s absence.


    "Boss." Kaito picked the call on the first ring.


    "Kaito, what is Aria doing?"


    "Boss, madam is talking to some doctors."


    "Doctors?"


    "Yes. They are in the organizing committee."


    "Oh. Is it?"


    "Yes, Boss."


    "When will the conference end today?" Noah asked.


    "Boss, the official event ended just now. In the evening there is an unofficial party, just for the sake of fun."


    "Party?" Noah asked surprised.


    "Yes, some young, local doctors have organized it and they have only invited people who are of the same age. They are going to the club."


    "Club? Which club?"


    "The London Nights."


    "Oh. Is Aria going?"


    "Sir, Madam did receive an invitation. However, I am not sure if she is going."


    "Hmm. Do you have something else to say?"


    Kaito racked his brain on hearing his words. Did he miss something he was supposed to tell his Boss? He thought for a while before it struck him.


    "Boss, I made sure no cockroaches could approach Madam, although I could not avoid her colleague," Kaito said in all honesty.


    "I understand. I''ll take care of him once I return to our country. Until then keep a look at him. I don''t want him to hurt Aria."


    "Yes Boss."


    Noah cut the call and dialed Aria''s number again. This time too it was not picked up. He sighed. He was losing his mind thinking about her.


    Although he had been in a relationship before, nobody had affected him the way Aria had. He was very surprised by this. He had known Aria just for a few days and he was already infatuated with her. How powerful was she to make the devil king fall for her? And moreover, their relationship had just begun and it had become complicated with her being Oliver''s daughter. He did not want to lose her after he realized how strong his feelings were.


    Noah''s phone rang, disrupting his thoughts.


    "Hey. Did you call?" Aria said with a cheerful voice.


    "Why? Can''t I call you?" Noah spoke with grievance on purpose.


    "No. No. No. I didn''t mean that. I am sorry." Aria apologized at once.


    "Relax, I was only joking." Noah laughed out loud.


    "You idiot." Aria scolded him.


    "So, were you busy?"


    "Yeah. I was talking to some senior doctors."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes. Thank God, the conference ended. I am a little homesick." Aria sighed.


    "So, what are you doing tonight?"


    "I have been invited to go to a club to chill out."


    "Are you going?" Noah asked. He was hoping that she would say no.


    "I am not sure. Everybody wants me to come and I was thinking about it. I have never been to a club before."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes. But I am a little scared."


    "Why?''


    "I don''t know. Maybe I don''t find it safe. Yeah, if there is someone, whom I can trust, accompanying me, then I wouldn''t mind. " Aria said reluctantly.


    "Like who?"


    "You," Aria answered without thinking. It took her a few seconds to realize what she had said. She coughed to cover her embarrassment.


    Aria''s answer brought a smile on Noah''s face. It was like spring had arrived and flowers were blossoming in a cold desert.


    "I have an idea. I have an official party to attend. You come with me and later I''ll accompany you to the club. This way I''ll be with you all the time." Noah suggested and he was hoping for her to accept.


    "That''s a good idea. I could do it." Aria said, giving it a serious thought.


    "Okay then. I''ll pick you up at 7 Is it fine?"


    "Sure."


    Aria smiled after ending her call.


    "Hey. What are you smiling at?" Stuart teased from beside her.


    "Hey, it''s bad to listen to other people''s talk." Aria chided him. She was a little flustered. How much did Stuart hear? Did he find out about Noah?


    "I didn''t listen to anything. I came just now." He defended himself.


    Aria furrowed her eyebrows.


    "What? I am saying the truth."


    "Okay." Aria huffed, while Stuart chortled.


    "So, are you coming to the club?"


    "Yes."


    "Great. Be ready at 7."


    "Um. Stuart, I''ll be joining you guys later. I have to meet a friend before that. He is coming to pick me at 7."


    "Who is that ''he''?" Stuart started. He had a wicked glint in his eyes. "Was he the one you were talking to?"


    "Yes."


    "He is your boyfriend right?"


    Aria''s face became red at once. Stuart got his answer just by looking at her.


    "My. My. Look at you blushing like a newlywed wife."


    Aria punched in the chest lightly.


    "Calm down lady," Stuart said, in his perfect British accent.


    Aria chuckled. "Come let''s go eat something. I am starving."


    "You will always be hungry, although you eat like a pig every time."


    "Did you just call me a pig?" Aria stopped on her heels and put her hands on her hips. She was glaring at him.


    "Did I? Then I must have gone mad. I told you that you eat very little, you must eat more."


    Aria stared at him for a while and eventually gave up.


    "So, do you want to tell me who your man is?"


    "I think you would have heard about him. His name is Noah Allen Carter."


    This time Stuart stooped in his heels.


    "No way. You and Noah."


    Aria nodded. He came to her and hugged her at once. "I am so happy for you. He is the best person for you. Don''t ever leave him."


    "Wait a minute. Do you know him?"


    "Yes."


    "How?"


    "Let''s just say he helped me once indirectly when I was in danger."


    Aria could not understand Stuart''s vague answer. So, she did not give a second thought to it.


    What she did not know was Kaito had seen Stuart hugging Aria and had sent the picture to Noah.

 Chapter 70: Reject the proposal

    "Mr. Augustus, I am sorry to say I will not be able to handle your project." Rachel said, facing him.


    She had told her assistant, Bryan to inform him about the same. When he had given Jared a call, he had insisted on meeting Rachel in private. He wanted to have a talk with her as needed to know her reasons for rejecting his project.


    "May I know why, Miss Carter?" Jared asked, looking sharply at her. However, she did not flinch. It was something she was used to.


    "It''s just that I have some emergency I have to attend to and I''ll not be able to handle any new projects as of now," Rachel replied. She was not sure how to reply to him actually. How could she say that she was a little uncomfortable working for him and that her brother had warned her against him?


    "How about this? If you are not able to handle the project, somebody from your company can. There are other qualified employees out there." Jared said. Although there was no difference in his voice, his eyes said something else altogether. His eyes were evil and deadly, which returned to normal the very next moment. But Rachel had seen it.


    "I''ll have to reject that too. My company will not be accepting new projects. It''s not only me. We are facing some problems as of now. I am sorry for the trouble." Rachel said sincerely. She actually did not have to apologize to him. The contract had not been signed yet. So, it was her wish if he wanted to go forward with it or not.


    "But why? I am unable to comprehend what problems you could be facing for not accepting my project." Jared argued. It looked like he was hell-bent on knowing why Rachel had rejected him. It was the first time someone had rejected to work for him. It was a big blow to his ego.


    "That''s a confidential matter, Mr Augustus. I cannot say it."


    "You know you are the first one to refuse to work for me," Jared said, showing her a sarcastic smile.


    "Everything has a first Mr Augustus. Maybe you will get used to it as you have experienced your first rejection." Rachel sassed. This man was getting on her nerves.


    "You have a fiery tongue. I love it." Jared said eyeing her up and down. Although only the upper half of her body was visible, she looked quite stunning and he could imagine her incredible figure overall.


    Rachel raised her eyebrows. His compliments did not make her happy, instead, it made her frown. She was finding everything about him creepy. If Bryan was not present in the room along with her, she would have lost her mind.


    "So, Miss Carter. Do give a second thought about it. I hope you will reconsider or else you might regret your decision in the future."


    "I don''t think so. I don''t usually regret my decisions because I am never wrong." Rachel said. Why was he so adamant about getting her on board in his project. It was not like she was not the only architect in the country. There were many good people. Although they were not as good as her, they were not bad either.


    "Oh. Let''s talk about something else then. Would you mind having a cup of coffee with me?" Although it was a question, it sounded like an order.


    Rachel frowned. ''Why is he not getting my words? I clearly want to stay far away from him. Looks like I need to say it on his face.''


    "Sorry. I don''t drink coffee." Her voice was a little rude. But she did not mind, neither did Jared. In fact he found it amusing.


    "How about tea?"


    "I am allergic to tea. In fact, I can''t drink anything other than water, I am allergic to them. Now if you will excuse me, I need to meet a client." Rachel stood up.


    "Are you driving me away?" Jared said. This time his voice was low and threatening. However, Rachel remained unaffected. She had seen people of his kind. They did not scare her. They were nowhere as frightening as her brother. He was not called the King of Underworld without reason.


    "Think about what you want. I must go. I am running a little late." Rachel picked up her bag and walked out of her office without even looking back. She did not give him any face in front of her assistant.


    Jared stared at her walk away from him. Nobody knew what was going on in his mind. He was a mystery, even to himself. He liked the way Rachel had rejected him. Nobody had dared to do it till now. He was amused and his interest in her was piqued.


    "Sir, if you may," Bryan said from beside. He was a little creeped out looking at the man''s devilish smile. It was not good.


    Bryan''s words instantly changed Jared mood. From being pleased, he became irritated. Nevertheless, he did not say anything and walked out of the office.


    After some time, Bryan gave Rachel a call. "You can come out. He is gone."


    Rachel peeked into the room. When she found that the coast was clear, she walked inside and slumped on her chair. She was hiding in the ladies restroom.


    "What a weirdo!" She exclaimed.


    "Totally," Bryan said from the side.


    "I am happy that I listened to my brother. Otherwise I don''t know how I would have controlled my temper in from of him if I had accepted to do his work."


    "Anyway, how is the Adler firm project going on?


    "We have finished with the delivery of the necessary materials to the site."


    "Then, I''ll give a visit tomorrow." Rachel said as she leaned on her chair. Her head was throbbing a little.


    At that moment, her laptop notified an email. She opened it and was shocked looking at the contents. It contained the details of all the shady business Jared had done as well as his criminal activities. Although he had tried to hide them, nothing could be hidden from the master hacker Joshua Martin. Her phone rang.


    "Did you get my email?" Joshua asked.


    "Yes. I did. What the hell is this? He is a criminal. Why isn''t he behind the bars yet?" Rachel said aggrieved.


    "It not as easy as you think. He is quite powerful and he has a lot of supporters."


    "Damn it. Anyway I rejected his proposal today."


    "Good for you."


    "How''s your collab going on?"


    "Smooth," Joshua answered in one word. "I need to go. I have no time to talk to you."


    "What are you so busy with?"


    "I have a date today evening."


    "You and a date?"


    "Why? Do you have a doubt?"


    "I wonder if there''s something wrong with the girl''s eyes. How did she even accept to go on a date with you?"


    "Don''t underestimate me. No woman can resist my charms." Joshua boasted. Rachel could literally imagine him with wings flying in the sky.


    "Are you sure that it''s a date or are you being delusional?" She clipped off his wings the next moment and he dropped to the ground heavily. He did not have an answer for her. It was clearly not a date and the woman in question was not even attracted to him even a bit. He was only meeting her to accomplish a task. Nothing more, nothing less.


    "I got my answer." Rachel said.


    Joshua cursed under his breathe. His moment of weakness had given him out.


    "Best of luck with your so-called date."


    "You. You." Joshua couldn''t continue as the other person had ended the call.

 Chapter 71: You are in for a ride

    It had been half an hour since Ivy had arrived at Joshua''s office. They were sitting face to face while he was speaking on the phone. Although he was not speaking softly, Ivy did not try to hear what he was talking about. She respected privacy. She did not like eavesdropping.


    After two more minutes of talking on the phone, Joshua diverted his attention towards Ivy.


    "So, Ivy. Do you want something before we start?" Joshua was concerned. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable.


    Ivy nodded a no and gave him a smile. Her docile attitude came in as a shock to him. What he did not know was, that it was all a pretense. She needed his help, so she was tolerating him. Otherwise she wouldn''t give a damn about him.


    "Okay. Then, tell me everything."


    Before Ivy could give a reply, she was interrupted. "By everything, I mean from the start till the end. I don''t want you to miss any details."


    "Why do I feel that you are trying to swindle me?"


    "No way. Even if I want to, I won''t deceive you. My future children are at stake."


    Ivy grinned hearing his words. She remembered the threat she had given him.


    "Okay. As you already know three years back, my Dad was following a case related to organ trafficking." Ivy started. The next hour, she spent revealing to Joshua all the details she knew about the case. She also handed him all her findings and told him her assumptions.


    Joshua listened to her intently and was surprised by how much information she could retrieve, although all of it had been locked away three years ago.


    After listening to her complete story, he thought for a while. It had everything related to the case. However, there was nothing that Joshua found useful. He already knew everything Ivy had told him. She did know the information he was looking for. And he could not ask her directly too as he himself did not know what it was.


    "So, that''s it. I know only so much." Ivy said, as she looked at the folder in her hands.


    "Hmm. You are saying that you met one of your Dad''s colleague''s daughter and she knows about this matter."


    "Yes. I met her recently. She claims that she witnessed her father''s death. Also, she told me that she saw some masked men forcibly take away my Dad with them."


    "What?" Joshua was shocked. This was not good. Nobody was supposed to know about it. The masked men were none other than Noah''s men. They had actually come in time to save Oliver, otherwise, he would have met the same fate as his colleague.


    "So, may I meet this woman? What''s her name?"


    "Valarie. Valarie Evans."


    "Yes. Valarie Evans. May I meet her? Maybe she might help me in my progress." In actual he wanted to know how much she knew about the matter. He had to make sure that she knew nothing about Noah''s involvement.


    "I''ll talk to her about it and I''ll let you know."


    The room became silent the next moment. Each of them was involved in their own thoughts.


    After a while, Ivy took the initiative to break the silence. "So, Mr Martin. What do you think?"


    "I''ll have to go through all of this again. I''ll inform you if I find anything new."


    "Please do. That would be quite helpful. Thank you in advance."


    "Since I am helping you, how are you going to return my kindness?" Joshua smirked. Gone was all his seriousness. He was now the same playful man who could infuriate any person.


    Ivy snorted. "Thank you." She said. However, she knew that was not enough for him.


    "Just a small thank you is not enough."


    "Then, what do you want?"


    "You could buy me a cup of coffee. That would do for now." He winked, while Ivy rolled her eyes.


    "Sure. Where shall we go?"


    "There''s a Coffee House in front of the building. We could go there."


    "Okay."


    After ten minutes, Joshua and Ivy were sitting in the Coffee House sipping their coffee.


    "So, Ivy. Tell me more about yourself."


    "Why do you want to know? It''s not like we are on a date."


    "Oh come on. Treat it as a date for now." Joshua raised his hands.


    Ivy remained silent.


    "Can''t you just play along for once?"


    "Okay fine." She gave in. She still needed his help. So, she thought of putting up with him.


    "What do you want to know?"


    "Anything."


    "I am Ivy. I am a journalist. I work for News4U."


    "Tell me something personal." Joshua interrupted her again.


    Ivy raised her eyebrows. What was he getting at?


    "What?"


    "Do you have a boyfriend?"


    "If I say no, do you want to take a chance?"


    Joshua chocked on his coffee. This girl was quite bold. He had to give her that. It was always him who flirted, not the other way round.


    Ivy sniggered.


    It took him some time to calm down. "From your words, shall I assume that you do not have a boyfriend?"


    Ivy shrugged her shoulders.


    "Interesting. Do you have someone you like?"


    "Why do I feel you like me, Mr. Martin?"


    "No sweetheart. I don''t like you." Joshua said. "Not yet."


    "What?"


    "Nothing. So answer my question? Do you have someone you like?"


    "Linda."


    "Linda?" He was stunned. Ivy was into girls. It was unexpected. He had thought of taking his chance with her, if possible. However, right that was not possible. Oh crap.


    "Linda. What is she doing here?" Ivy said, making him confused.


    "Who''s Linda?"


    "Mr. Martin, I have to go. I''ll give you a call."


    Ivy got up and walked to the table where Linda was sitting. She was accompanying a man and she looked a lot better than before.


    As soon as Linda saw Ivy, she got up and ran away along with the man. Ivy chased after them. Before she could get a hold on them, they had hailed a cab and had escaped.


    Joshua saw everything that had happened. It looked like Linda had cheated on Ivy and had hooked up with a man. Ivy had caught them red-handed. That was she had run away.


    He followed Ivy. "Was it Linda?"


    "Yes."


    "I am sorry."


    "Why?"


    "You had to see her cheating on you."


    "What?" Ivy looked at him like he had grown three heads.


    "She was your lover right?"


    "Look Mr. Martin, I don''t have time to entertain you. I need to go after her."


    "I''ll come with you."


    "What?''


    "I said, I''ll come with you." By then, the two of them had reached her motorbike.


    "I don''t have time for this. Take this." Ivy threw him a helmet.


    "We could take my car?"


    "No time for that. Hop on." Ivy had already started the engine.


    "May I trust you?"


    "No. Hold on tight, Mr. Martin. You are in for a ride." Ivy said as she buzzed across the streets.

 Chapter 72: We are surrounded

    Joshua had never ridden a motorbike before. It was something new for him. While Ivy was an exceptional rider. She sped on the roads, expertly avoiding the traffic. She was focused on following the cab, which was quite ahead of her. While, Joshua, who was sitting behind, was focusing on trying not to fall off the bike.


    When Ivy realized that the distance between her and the cab was increasing, she changed the gear and accelerated at a full speed. The sudden jerk made the already terrified man bump onto her back.


    "Slow down. Your lover will not run away." He shouted. He regretted accompanying her. However, the next moment, he realized that her lover had in fact ran away.


    "Hold onto me," Ivy shouted back.


    Joshua placed his hands on her stomach and held onto her tightly. Although it was quite an intimate position for the onlookers, that was not the case for the riders.


    Ivy concentrated on keeping an eye on the cab, while it was difficult for the man at the back even to keep his eye open. And moreover, the speed of the bike was making the wind slap at his face. All in all, it was not a good experience for him.


    "Slow down, woman. I don''t want to die yet." He cried. But it fell on deaf ears.


    The cab took a detour on the highway. It went to an empty lane. This time Ivy did not follow close by. Not many vehicles were moving in that area. So, she had to make sure that they had not found out that they were being followed.


    The cab stopped at a small club. Ivy parked her bike at a distance quite far from it. Joshua tapped on her shoulder.


    "Um. Ivy, why are we waiting?" Joshua said. Despite the fact that he was shit scared in the beginning, he had now come to enjoy the ride. There was a certain thrill in it.


    "Shh." She shushed him and pointed towards the front.


    "Ohh. You want to catch them red-handed. I get it."


    Ivy gave him a death piercing, earth-shattering glare.


    "Can you keep quiet?"


    "Okay." Joshua made a zipping his lips gesture and stared in front of him.


    Linda and the unknown man got off the cab and went inside the pub.


    "We have to go inside," Ivy said, looking at them.


    "Okay." Joshua was thrilled.


    "It might be a little risky."


    "I don''t mind."


    "Can you call for a back-up?"


    "Why do you need a backup?"


    "Things might go out of hand and I don''t want you to get hurt because of me."


    "Oh. You are worried about me."


    "No. I am worried about myself. If something were to happen to you, not only your family but also your crazy fangirls will be behind my ass. I don''t want that."


    "Oh."


    "If you are calling your men, keep them on standby."


    Ivy opened her bag and took out a wig. She then applied some skin darkening cream and thick makeup. The next moment she looked completely different. There was no Ivy. In her place was a brown-skinned blonde. She then, removed her jacket.


    Joshua was shocked by Ivy''s transformation. She looked completely different.


    "Do you want to come inside? I wouldn''t mind if you were to stay here."


    "And miss the show. No way. I am coming with you." Joshua denied at once. How could he reject to witness the catfight between women?


    "Then you will have to change your appearance."


    "I don''t mind."


    "Okay then. Put on this wig." Ivy handed him a wig. As Joshua adjusted it on his hair, she started applying the cream on his face. His face was too good. It would definitely attract many people''s intention which was just not she wanted.


    When Ivy''s cold fingers touched Joshua''s cheeks, he shivered involuntarily. It felt good to have her touch him. Before he could even enjoy the feel of her hands on his skin, she had pulled back.


    "All done. Now remove your windbreaker."


    Joshua did as instructed.


    "Untuck your shirt in the front and remove the top two buttons."


    "What?"


    Ivy did not have time to give him an answer. She was running late. She stood on her tiptoes and unbuttoned the top two buttons. She then pulled the shirt at the front. When she was satisfied with her work, she smiled.


    "Good. Now we are all set to go." Ivy walked towards the club.


    "When she saw that something was amiss, she halted. The person accompanying her was still rooted in his previous spot. She did not know what the brief moment of closeness with him when she was unbuttoning his shirt had done to him. He stood frozen in his spot.


    Without waiting for him, she pulled his hand and entered the club.


    The club was cheap and horrible. There were no bouncers, to begin with. Anybody could enter and leave. As soon they entered, they saw couples making out without a care in the world. Some of them were almost naked and connected at the bottom. They were also making lewd sounds that make someone sick.


    While Ivy did not give much care about it, Joshua was in a daze. It was the first time he had seen something like that. They walked further into the club. It smelt of smoke, booze and sex. There was a small bar on the side. There was a stripper dancing in the middle of the stage, while some crooks were making a pass at her.


    Ivy looked around, searching for Linda. She wanted to find her as soon as possible and leave this shitty place.


    "Do you know how to fight?" Ivy tugged Joshua closer and whispered.


    "Yes."


    "Good. We may need it." Ivy said and took the staircase to the first floor. Although there were bodyguards inside, nobody stopped her.


    The first floor was slightly better than the previous level. At least people were not making out in the open. There were seven rooms and Ivy assumed that they were private booths.


    "Come on." Ivy held Joshua''s hand. She went to the first room and tried the knob. It opened easily. Nobody was inside it. There was only a small sofa at the right, a large bed in the center and a mini-refrigerator on the left. She then tried the 2nd door. It was locked. She met the same results with the next four doors.


    She then tried the last door and it flung open. There were around four to five men sitting leisurely on the sofa and the bed with women on either side of them. She scanned the room for any traces of Linda and found her at last. She was making out with the guy she had seen at the Coffee House.


    Before she could do anything, one of the men saw her. With the wig and the makeup, the two people looked like a couple. Her dark makeup could not conceal her beauty. She was still attractive.


    The man stood up and pulled Ivy inside the room. He bent down to take a look at her.


    "What are you doing? Leave me." Ivy said. She was a little nervous. She was actually happy that she had Joshua with her. She took a peek at him. He was clenching his jaw. She realized he was angry. Before entering the club, she had told him not to do anything reckless. If things go out of hands, then she would make a gesture. Until then he had to stay silent.


    "What a beauty!" The man complimented her and leaned down to kiss her. This time, Joshua did not wait for Ivy''s sign. He took a beer bottle from the nearby table and smashed it right on the man''s head.


    The man groaned in pain. Blood started to trickle down his face. The shattering of the glass had managed to gain attention from other occupants of the room. Looking at their faces, Ivy retreated a step. Many women screamed, looking at the blood.


    "You. You. What did you do? Who are you?" Linda stuttered. She had not realized that it was Ivy. Her disguise was perfect.


    "Run," Ivy shouted and that was the cue for Joshua. He held Ivy''s hand and pulled her with him.


    "Catch them." Somebody shouted. But, it was already too late. They were already on the ground level, just a few steps away from the entrance door.


    But luck was not in their favor. They had to come to a sudden stop. Out of nowhere, four men had come inside in the club and was having a standing off between them. Ivy turned back, only to see that the situation had gone worse.


    "Uh. Oh. Joshua we have a problem. We are surrounded."

 Chapter 73: Causing trouble

    Meanwhile in London.


    Noah was sitting beside Aria in the car while every now and then he was taking glances at Aria. He had come to pick her up at the scheduled time and was immediately blown away looking at her. She was dressed in a dark purple dress with a netted collar. It was sleeveless and it fell just below her knees. She had paired the dress with black flat sandals and her hair was tied in a high pony. She was looking extremely beautiful. Looking at her all dressed up, he wished to take her away with him and hide her from malicious people.


    Just like Noah, Aria too was taking in Noah''s appearance. He was dressed in a black tuxedo. There was nothing new about it, it was his usual attire. What made him look different was his hair. He had styled his hair into casual spikes, which gave off a mysterious vibe.


    Seeing him looking at her like a hungry wolf, Aria blushed. She cleared her throat awkwardly.


    "Shall we go?"


    "Yes. After you, my love." His words made Aria stumble in her feet.


    "Careful." Noah caught her and held her by her waist. He could smell the faint fragrance of her perfume which was very soothing. Aria''s face had become as red as a tomato.


    "Come." Noah held her hand and led her to his car.


    As soon as Aria sat inside, Ronnie greeted her.


    "Hello, Madam."


    "Hey Ronnie." She greeted him happily.


    Noah sat beside her and held her hand. Ronnie started the car. Before that, he did not forget to pull up the partition.


    "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" Noah said as he kissed her hand.


    "That means I don''t look beautiful on other days," Aria said, as he tried to pull her hand back.


    "Yes."


    "What? Do you find me ugly?" Aria turned to look at him.


    "I did not say that."


    "Then?"


    "I meant to say, on other days you look pretty and cute. Today you are looking beautiful and gorgeous."


    Aria''s heart missed a beat. Noah was flirting with her, making her flustered.


    "Thanks, you don''t look bad yourself."


    Noah did not reply. He intertwined his hands with hers and kissed her hand again.


    "Stop it Noah."


    "Nope." He kissed her fingers.


    "Please."


    "Nope."


    "Pretty please," Aria said. She looked at him expectantly and pouted. He stared at her lips which was smeared lightly with lip gloss.


    "On one condition."


    "What?"


    "Give me a kiss."


    "What?"


    "Either you give me a kiss or I''ll kiss you."


    "No. Ronnie is in the front."


    "He cannot hear us."


    "Please."


    "Your choice Aria." This Noah kissed her cheek.


    "Noah." He kissed her other cheek.


    "Okay. Okay. Stop." Aria took a deep breath and gave him a peck on his cheek.


    "Now will you leave my hand?"


    "Who told I wanted a kiss on the cheek?"


    "Then?"


    Noah touched his lips with his free hand and smirked. Left with no choice, Aria give him a slight peck and pulled back immediately.


    "That was not even a kiss," Noah argued.


    "It is."


    "Is not. I''ll teach you what an actual kiss is." Noah pulled her close and held her neck. His other hand was on her waist. The sudden proximity made Aria''s breathing to hitch. Their lips were close, just a few millimeters away. Before he could have his with her, Ronnie spoke on the intercom.


    "Boss, we have arrived."


    Aria pulled back at once, while Noah cursed under his breathe. She stifled a laugh, seeing him frustrated.


    "I''ll definitely get back at you." He said. He got down and gave Ronnie a death glare. He shivered. He did not know what he had done wrong. He scratched his head before his bulb lit up. He had interrupted at the wrong time.


    ''Oh, God. I hope the devil will not be angry.'' He thought inwardly.


    Noah walked to the other side and held the door open. Aria thanked him and got off the car.


    As soon as Noah''s car had pulled up, all the people in the banquet hall rushed to receive him. They were being led by the manager of the Public Relations Department.


    When they saw a woman alighting from his car, they were surprised. The manager especially was stunned. It looked like she was struck with a thunderbolt. She wanted to make use of this opportunity to get close to Noah. However, now it looked a little difficult for her.


    "Welcome Boss." All the employees greeted him.


    "Hello Madam." They did not forget to greet Aria.


    She gave them a smile. "Hello."


    Everybody was baffled once again. They had not expected the woman beside their Boss to be this amicable and down to earth. They had expected her to be arrogant and bossy. Their impression of her became good immediately.


    "Let''s go in." Noah held Aria by her waist and walked her in. His employees followed behind.


    "Who is that lady beside our Boss?" They started whispering amongst themselves.


    "She looks beautiful and friendly. She might be his girlfriend."


    Hearing the word girlfriend, the female manager clenched her fists. She ought to do something. She walked in with her head held high and saw Noah and Aria talking to some of his employees.


    Aria did not understand anything they were talking about. It was all the financial stuff that she found miserable.


    "I''ll be back." She whispered to Noah and approached the food stall. There were a lot of delicacies. She took a bottle of orange juice and sat at one of the tables. She turned and looked at Noah, to see he was staring at her. She gave him a smile which said she was fine.


    Seeing that Aria was alone, the female manager went to her.


    "Hello. Is this seat occupied?" She asked and without waiting for her answer, she sat down.


    "No," Aria said.


    "So, how do you know my Boss?" She asked directly. Her voice gave away that she was here to create trouble for Aria. She realized it and decided to entertain her, anyway she was bored.


    "Oh. We are good friends."


    "Friends? Listen you poor woman, stay away from Noah. He does not need a poor woman like you by his side. You are a bitch. What he needs is a real woman." She attacked her directly. It was true that Aria''s dress was not as expensive as that of the one the woman in front of her was wearing. However, she looked elegant and classy, while the other woman looked like a cheap woman with the heavy make up and the dress which hid nothing.


    "Noah? I did not know that the employees in the Carter Empire addressed their Boss using his first name." Aria retorted. By then a small group had formed around them.


    Noah saw the commotion and went to Aria immediately. Seeing the crowd, the woman started her acting.


    "What are you saying Madam? I did not do anything. Don''t blame me unnecessarily." She started crying.


    "What happened?" Noah came to Aria and held her waist.


    "I don''t know. You ask her." Aria shrugged her shoulders. Noah took her hint. The woman in front of them was putting up an act.


    "Boss. I just wanted to sit beside Madam. But she called me a slut who seduces my Boss. I couldn''t tolerate the insult to you." She whined pitifully.


    The onlookers stared at Aria in shock. The woman they had thought to be good was actually a bitch.


    Aria folded her hands and tapped her foot.


    "Not only that, but she also said that you were her dog who obeyed her every wish and command."


    Everybody gasped. Noah looked at Aria. To the others, it looked like he was glaring at her. Only Aria knew that he was looking at her lovingly.


    "Are you saying the truth?" Aria asked.


    "Why would I lie?" The woman said.


    "I will give you one last chance to go back on your words."


    "I am not lying." The woman was adamant.


    "Then don''t regret this."


    Aria pulled out her phone and played an audio recording of her and the manager. It was very clear and everybody got to know immediately who was at fault. The female manager was stupefied. She did not know that the woman had secretly recorded their conversation. She trembled and turned to Noah.


    "Boss, I am sorry. I wanted to see if she was with you only for your money." The woman said as tears gushed down her face. Her makeup was ruined and she looked hideous.


    Aria had had enough of this. She held onto Noah''s hand and placed her other hand on his chest.


    "Honey, is this the way your company treats a guest?" Noah was pleasantly surprised when she called him honey. He smiled like a fool. However, his employees were in a different state. They were trembling, especially the woman. She looked forth between Noah and Aria.


    "Guards throw this woman out," Noah said, while his eyes were still on the woman in his arms. Anybody could guess what the relationship between the two was. His gaze towards Aria was filled with love.


    "No. Boss, I am sorry. Give me one last chance."


    "Wait a minute." Aria stopped the guards. The woman looked at her hopefully.


    "You told me I am a bitch right. Let me tell you something. Where there are rich, there will be a bitch. And in this case, you are that bitch. Now take her away." Aria said.


    During the entire time, Noah''s gaze had not left from Aria''s face. He was still reminiscing the moment when Aria had sweetly called him as honey.

 Chapter 74: Spiked drink

    "What the hell was that?" Noah asked, when all the commotion had died and he was left alone with Aria. His tone made her feel that she had done something wrong.


    ''Maybe, I angered him. Did I step over the line?''


    "I am sorry. I know I am wrong. I shouldn''t have behaved that way. This is your company and she is your employee. I had no right to interfere." Aria said, looking down at her feet.


    "Hey. Hey. Hey. What are you talking about? You did nothing wrong. Sometimes it becomes necessary to show people their places. And who told you that you had no right to interfere. You can do anything you want. You are my girlfriend. That alone is enough." Noah said holding her hand. His touch calmed her down a bit.


    "Girlfriend?" Aria repeated what he had said.


    "Yes. Girlfriend. Don''t you want to?"


    Aria blushed and her cheeks were covered with a beautiful shade of pink.


    "Anyway, how did you call me before?" Noah said, looking at her expectantly. One word from her had loosened all the nuts and bolts in his body.


    "What? What did I call you? I don''t remember." Aria said, although she clearly knew what Noah was talking about. He wanted her to call him honey again.


    "Really now?" Noah realized that the woman was shy.


    "You are lying. You need to be punished." Noah said and without waiting for her response pulled her along with him.


    "What punishment? Noah, where are we going?" Aria saw that they were at the entrance and they were leaving the hall. He gave a nod to his secretary and left without another word.


    Ronnie was already waiting for them at the entrance. How did he know that they were leaving? That was a question. Aria had not seen Noah make any call.


    He opened the door for her and slipped in beside her. Before Aria could even sit comfortably, Noah had pulled her on to his lap.


    "What are you doing?" Aria stuttered. She placed her arms on his chest and pulled back, keeping a distance between them.


    "Did you forget about your punishment?"


    "What punishment?"


    "That is for me to decide." Noah pulled her closer to him.


    "Wait." Aria pulled back once again.


    "Either you call me what you called me before or get ready for your punishment."


    Although their relationship started only a few days back, they had got quite comfortable with each other to the extent that they did not mind being touchy.


    "Don''t I have another choice?" Aria knew she had none. She was trapped in Noah''s arms and his grip on her was like iron. She could not escape from him.


    "Let me think. Um. Nope. So, make a choice."


    Aria avoided his gaze. Her cheeks were painted red and her hormones were at war. She could hear her own heartbeat and feared that it was audible even to Noah.


    When Aria remained silent, Noah leaned in.


    "Wait. Wait. I''ll say."


    He was a little disappointed. He wanted to actually kiss her. He could make her say what he wanted any other time. But his desire to kiss her, could not be controlled. Yet, he did not continue.


    "So?"


    "Um. Honey." Aria said softly.


    "Come again, love. I did not hear you." Noah teased, although he had heard her crystal clear. He pulled her closer. This time their chests were pressed together while her hands were tightly clutching on his suit jacket in between them.


    "Honey," Aria said with a hoarse voice. Her throat had become dry. Somehow to Noah, it sounded seductive and sexy.


    "Say again." He said. This time it was more like a demand.


    "Honey, darling, sweetheart. Alright, I said it there." Aria said. She covered her flustered self by showing anger on him.


    Noah could not wait any longer. He pulled her head and presses his lips on hers. Aria''s voice widened. She started to tap on his shoulders. However, Noah pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Before he could taste the sweetness of her mouth, he was interrupted by Ronnie. This was the second time he had done that.


    Aria was startled listening to the sudden intrusion. When Noah was momentarily distracted, she pulled back. She jumped off his lap and sat on the seat.


    "You cheater." Aria punched his chest. "You did not keep your words."


    "Everything is fair in life and war, love," Noah replied and grinned.


    "Sir, we are at the London Nights."


    After getting down, Noah once again glared at Ronnie. It was thousand times intensified now. Ronnie shivered. It was like he was standing in Antarctica naked.


    "You remembered?" Aria said. She had calmed her racing her and her fixed her messy hair before getting down the car.


    "How could I forget? Come let''s go."


    After ten minutes, they were inside the club and the music was blasting through the speakers. The club had been reserved for the people from the conference exclusively that night. So, there were no other people.


    Aria hopped on a chair at the bar and looked around. Many people were dancing on the dance floor, while some were playing some games and others were just chatting their time away.


    "Do you want something?" Noah questioned when he saw that she was rubbing her stomach.


    "Yes. I am a little hungry." Aria pouted.


    "Wait here. I''ll get you something to eat."


    Aria nodded. After Noah left her alone, Stuart came to her.


    "Look at you. Bringing your boyfriend everywhere now, are we?"


    "Stop teasing me." Aria pinched his hand.


    "So, do you want to have a dance with me?"


    "Sure, why not?" Noah was not back yet, she could as well break a leg before he returned.


    She went with him and started to match her body with the rhythm of the song that was currently playing.


    Mason watched her getting close to Noah as well as Stuart. He knew who Noah was. It was not a mystery. He got irritated with her getting to close to other men.


    After the song ended, Aria and Stuart returned to their seats. Mason approached them. Let''s make a toast. He said and handed them a drink each.


    "Mason, I don''t drink," Aria said.


    "Relax Aria. This is just apple juice." Mason handed her glass. She took it and inspected it. She did not trust him even one percent.


    "Don''t you trust me? I''ll drink it then." Mason said.


    "It''s alright. I''ll take the drink." Aria said and drank it in one go. She licked her lips. The drink tasted weird. It was a little bitter.


    "This is good. I want another."


    Mason chuckled and handed her another glass.


    Stuart looked at them and noticed that something was wrong. He took the glass she had emptied before and smelt it. It was some traces of alcohol smell.


    "You bastard." He punched Mason. "You spiked her drink."


    Mason ducked his punch. "Come on. It''s just for fun."


    By then, Noah had returned. He had heard Stuart and Mason. Without waiting, he made Mason to face him and punched his face. Blood started to trickle. Probably his nose was broken. He raised his arm to give another punch. However, he had to stop mid-air. Aria had hugged him from behind and was rubbing her face on his shirt.


    He turned to look at her. Her face was flushed and her eyes were in a daze.


    "Noahhhhhh." She dragged his name. She jumped on him and hugged him tighter.


    "Noahhhhhh." She said again and laughed.


    It did not take much time for Noah to realize that Aria was drunk.

 Chapter 75: Why did Papa leave me?

    Noah placed his hand across Aria''s shoulder and walked out of the club. He would let Ronnie deal with Mason. Stuart did not stop him. He knew she was safe with Noah. The other people too did not interfere in the matter. Noah''s cold face was making them hesitate.


    As soon as they were outside, Aria escaped from him and ran towards the garden.


    "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." She spread her arms wide and ran around like a little child.


    "Aria." Noah hastily followed her.


    "Weeeeeeeeeee." Aria sang again and turned to look at Noah.


    "Look, I am flying. Weeeeeeee." She was still running around.


    "Aria, come. Let''s go home." Noah said, when he had successfully managed to catch her. He must say it was a little tiring.


    "Home. Where is it?" She asked, looking up from his embrace.


    "My home, Aria. Remember, I had taken you there once."


    "Your home?" Aria thought. The entire time Noah was walking towards his car, with his hand firmly on her waist, lest she should run away again.


    Ronnie saw Aria acting weird. He opened the door to the car immediately. He guessed at once that she was drunk.


    "Get in. Okay. We will go home." Noah said and closed the car door. He walked to the other side and before he could sit, Aria had opened her side of the door and run away.


    "Weeeeeeeeeeeee." She ran around. People started to look at her and laughed. Some people also took out their phones to record her.


    "Damn it." Noah got down and chased after her.


    "Make sure nobody records a thing," Noah ordered Ronnie.


    After a while of playing cat and mouse, Noah caught Aria. This time he carried her princess style to the car. He did not leave her hand after he made her sit inside, afraid that she would run away again. He sat down beside her.


    "Drive." He ordered. Ronnie started driving immediately.


    "Weeeeeeeeeeeeee." Aria said and laughed. Noah looked at her and his face softened.


    Aria then turned to see Noah. Her heart was in a frenzy. She stared at him dreamily taking in his features.


    "So hands up." She said.


    "What?" Noah couldn''t make out what she said.


    "You are so hands up."


    Noah understood that she was mixing up between hands up and handsome.


    "You are so cute," Aria said next and pinched his cheeks. She stretched it, hurting him in the process.


    "Ouch. Aria, you are hurting me."


    "You are so cute," Aria said and kissed him on the cheek.


    Noah''s heart missed a beat at this action. His gaze lingered on her.


    "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." The romantic atmosphere was ruined when Aria became crazy again.


    "I am flying." She said and chuckled. Suddenly she held Noah''s face in her hands and poked his cheek and blew air near his earlobe. He stiffened at once. She did not know what she was doing to him.


    "I want to kiss you," Aria said and held Noah''s face. She inclined herself towards him. Before anything could happen, she pushed him.


    "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." She stretched her arms and exclaimed. The next moment she burped. "Oops."


    "Drive faster," Noah commanded as he looked at the crazy Aria beside him. Even though she was acting weird, she looked very cute.


    Following the orders, Ronnie stepped on the accelerator and covered the remaining distance in no time.


    As soon as the car stopped, Noah opened the door and held Aria''s hands pulling her with him.


    "I want to go in the car. Where are you taking me?" Aria tried to push him.


    "Darling, be good. Okay." Noah said.


    Aria looked at his face and grinned like a Cheshire cat.


    "You are so beautiful." She said and stumbled.


    Seeing her wobble, Noah picked her and started to walk. She tightened her arms around his neck and snuggled closer to his body.


    Noah sighed looking at Aria. He made a promise to himself to never allow her to drink in the future. When they were inside the mansion, he placed her on the sofa.


    "Wait, for me here. I''ll get you some water." He left her alone.


    After a few seconds, he returned with a glass of water. However, Aria was not present. He panicked. But the very next moment, he heard someone sing.


    "Baby Shark doo doo, doo doo doo doo.


    Baby Shark doo doo, doo doo doo doo


    Baby Shark doo doo, doo doo doo doo."


    Noah turned towards the direction of the voice and was surprised. Aria was standing near the window and was dancing right in front of it. The servants had been relieved of their work and were ordered not to step inside the mansion. Otherwise, they would have witnesses their future Madam''s crazy antics. That would have been embarrassing.


    Noah chortled. It was the first time that he saw something so adorable. He stared at her for a while, before walking to her.


    "Aria, sweetheart. Drink some water." Noah held the glass of water. She stopped singing at once.


    "Noah, baby. Come dance with me." Aria held his hand tried to twirl him. However, he did not budge.


    "First, you drink water."


    "Okay." Aria took the glass and emptied it.


    "Where were we?" Aria asked.


    "We were about to go to sleep," Noah said, leading her to the guest room.


    "Yay, sleep." Aria jumped. "Come let''s go."


    Noah led her to the guest room. He did not mind sleeping with her in the master room. But he knew, the next day when Aria came out of her drunken state, she would definitely murder him.


    "It''s so hot," Aria said, jumping on the bed.


    "I''ll switch on the air conditioner. It will become better."


    Noah picked up the remote and reduced the room temperature. When he turned back to look at Aria, she was trying to push her zipper down. It was already halfway down. Her snow-white skin was visible to his eyes. He gulped looking at the beautiful scenery. He had to stop her. Otherwise, he would definitely do something for which they were not ready yet.


    "Wow. Wow. Wow. Aria, hold on. What are you doing?" Noah zipped up the dress and held her hands.


    "It''s hot. By the way, who are you?"


    "Don''t you know me?" Noah asked, a little angry. If drinking made Aria forget him, then that was something he had to keep her far away from.


    Aria wriggled in his arms. She then blinked a few times before looking up to see him.


    "It''s you. Wait, what''s your name?"


    Noah raised an eyebrow. She was acting all spoilt.


    "I know you. You are Ally."


    "Ally?" Noah was confused. ''Who was Ally? Was he her past?'' He pondered.


    "Yes. Ally. My Ally." Aria said and hugged him so tight that it was difficult for him to breathe.


    "Aria, you are squeezing me," Noah said and the next moment he realized the ambiguity in his words. He felt that he was talking dirty. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.


    "Aria, go to sleep. You are a good girl right?"


    "Good girl. I am a good girl." Aria pulled back.


    "Yes, and good girls listen to people. Now go to sleep. Okay."


    "Okay," Aria said and hopped on the bed. Before Noah could realize what was happening, she pulled him along with him and straddled him.


    "I am a good girl. I want my reward."


    "What..." His words were swallowed by her sudden kiss. But the kiss ended as fast as it came. It was just a peck.


    "Noah, why did Papa leave me, leave Ivy?" Aria asked. She had turned from hyperactive to a docile creature. Her face became sad at once.


    This time Noah''s heart skipped a beat. He did not know what to say. He made her sit properly and sat beside her.


    Aria crawled and sat on his lap and rested her head on his chest.


    "Tell me, Noah. Why did Papa leave us? Did he not like us? Does he hate us?" Aria hiccuped. Only when his shirt became wet, did he notice that she was crying?


    "What did we do wrong?"


    Noah was guilty. He was the reason she was sad. He was silent for a while, thinking about how to console her.


    "Aria. You did nothing wrong. It was just that the circumstances were not in your favor. Don''t worry okay. Nobody hates you." Noah said. When he did not get any reply from the woman in his arms, he looked down and saw that she was deep asleep. He lifted her, placed her on the bed and pulled the duvet up to her shoulders.


    He glanced at the sleeping woman, kissed her forehead and made a silent promise to her.


    ''I''ll make everything alright. You will get your father back. It''s a promise.''

 Chapter 76: How do you know my sister?

    "Joshua, we have a problem," Ivy said, looking at the hefty and muscular people around them. Although she was not scared, she was a little nervous. They were around ten encircling Joshua and her. The odds of the two winning was less than the temperature in Antarctica on a cold winter night.


    "Stay close, Ivy. I''ll take care of these hooligans." Joshua said, as he moved closer to her.


    "Are you sure? They look quite strong." Ivy whispered.


    "Do you mean that I am weak?" Joshua said. His eyes not wavering from the men surrounding them.


    "No. I did not mean that. They are all bulky while you are lean."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll take you out of here unscathed."


    Joshua''s voice had confidence in it which made Ivy less nervous than before. Yet, she could not calm her racing heart.


    "Look at this." A voice sounded from the stairs. Everybody looked up. He was short in stature. Compared to Joshua, he was a lot shorter. Nothing more was could be said about him as he was standing in a dark area. Yes, the only they could make out was that, he was wearing shades. He was not in the room when Joshua and Ivy had barged inside.


    "What are you doing in my club?"


    The two people remained silent.


    "I''ll ask you another question. Why did you hit that man?" Ivy looked around. Everybody was looking at them. Even the people from the room were present. However, the man whose head was smashed with the bottle was nowhere to be seen.


    "Looks like you will not answer me this question either. Then I have no choice." The man said and waved his hand. The people closed in Ivy and Joshua on all sides.


    One man ran towards them. But, before he could even make an attack, a loud crunching sound was heard. The music had been stopped and it was pin-drop silent. So, the sudden sound of something breaking was quite blaring.


    Ivy was a little scared. She thought it was Joshua who had been injured. However, when she the man who had tried to attack, cry out in pain, she realized she was wrong.


    Joshua was fine. In fact, he had not moved an inch from his place.


    In the next fifteen minutes, all the men surrounding Ivy fell to the ground one by one. She could not comprehend what was happening. First of all, Joshua had not moved from his position. Second, he looked so calm that it was difficult to tell that he had injured all these people. And lastly, he looked perfectly fine. He was not injured, except for the small amount of blood on his knuckles.


    More men tried to attack them. Yet, they were unsuccessful. They met the same fate as their fellow attackers. They could not anticipate when Joshua would strike them next. He attacked them when they were least expecting him to. Moreover, they couldn''t even see his attacks. It was as fast as a bolt of lightning.


    Joshua smirked. He was not called the Master of the Underworld without a reason. These people could not even compare to his shoelace.


    "Interesting." The man clapped. He was amused. The man who looked quite fragile was actually capable of defending himself without getting even a scratch.


    "Who are you?" The man said.


    "Does it matter?" Joshua asked indifferently.


    "You are right. It doesn''t matter who you are. Because." He pulled out his gun and aimed it at Joshua. "I am going to kill you and the girl will be mine."


    Joshua was calm. He did not react at all. Ivy looked back and forth between the two men. Joshua''s calm face and indifference confused her.


    "Any last words, my friend?" The man asked.


    "You have to say."


    "What?"


    "You will have to say your last words."


    "And why would that be?"


    "Because the one who is going to die is you, not me."


    The man chuckled. "You are quite weird. I like you. If you beg me, I might pardon my life."


    "I don''t like you and I don''t beg old farts."


    "Then get ready to die." The man placed his hands on the trigger. Before he could press it, a loud gunshot was heard. The man fell to the ground. All the people screamed looking at this scene. They tried to run towards the exit. However it was blocked by the police. They were surrounded.


    The police took them away immediately and sealed the area. Joshua held Ivy''s hand and pulled her towards the exit. Nobody stopped him. He passed the huge crowd with ease.


    They walked in silence till they reached her motorbike. Ivy was still in shock. They had made it out alive from the den. Joshua had saved her. She took a peek at him. Sensing her gaze, he glanced at her. She diverted her eyes to the front. After some time, she took a look at him again.


    "Do you want to say something?"


    "Joshua, thank you. I really appreciate what you did for me." Ivy was sincere. She was not the person who hid her gratitude.


    "Just thanks. Not enough. I want you to treat me to dinner tonight."


    Ivy giggled. Joshua had saved her life. She could treat him to dinner. It was only fair.


    "First, let''s get out of here," Ivy said.


    "Can you still ride your bike or shall we hail a cab?" Joshua was worried. He felt that she was a little shaken up.


    "Are you kidding me? I am perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"


    "I thought you were shocked."


    "I was shocked. I thought I would die, or at least some of my bones would break. However, thanks to you. I am safe. By the way, you were super cool." Ivy gave him a thumbs up.


    "I did not know that you had so much strength in you." She continued, her eyes filled with admiration.


    "Oh. Thanks for the compliment. I hear that from a lot of women, you know ." Joshua winked.


    "Can''t you make any conversation without flirting?"


    "And miss the enjoyment. No way. Flirting is my blood right."


    Ivy rolled her eyes. "Show me your hand."


    "Why?" Joshua stretched his hand in front of her.


    Ivy took out a bottle of water and cleaned the blood on his hand. There were minor scratches on his knuckles. Most of them were small ones, expect the one on his forefinger. It was quite big. She took a band-aid from the first aid kit in her bike and put it on him.


    "Do you care for me? I am touched."


    Here he goes again. Ivy sighed. Just when she thought he would not talk anything absurd, he started it again.


    "I have been told since childhood to treat the wounded and I am doing that."


    "Oh just like your sister."


    "What? How do you know my sister?" Ivy raised an eyebrow. She remembered she had never told him about her.


    Joshua wanted to smack his head for his slip of the tongue. He thought for a few seconds. "I had heard about her from Max. He told me that she was a doctor."


    That was a possibility. Max might have told him. "Yes, she is a doctor at the Regal Medical Hospital."


    "That''s cool. Shall we go now? I am a little hungry."


    "Sure. Hop on. Wait a second. Give me your wig." She took both the wigs and stuffed it in her bag.


    "Now come on." She gave him a smile.


    Joshua breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed clear suspicions by his quick thinking.

 Chapter 77: I support you

    "Ivy, where are we going? How long will it take?" Joshua shouted from behind. They had been riding the bike for almost an hour now and yet they had not stopped for dinner. His stomach was rumbling and was creating riots due to the lack of food.


    "We are almost there." True to her words, she stopped the next moment.


    "What is this place?" Joshua looked at the small restaurant in front of him. It had a funky look to it. It was quite flashy, yet had a sober atmosphere.


    "This place makes the best pizza you have ever eaten. Come." Ivy walked in the front without waiting for him.


    Joshua followed her looking around him. As soon as he entered inside, a strong smell of spices and bread hit him. It was tantalizing. There were not many people inside.


    "Hey Ives." A man in his teens came to them and hugged Ivy. He was just a few inches taller than Ivy and had black curly hair.


    "Hey Caleb." Ivy hugged him back.


    "You did not come with Aria?" Caleb asked looking behind her.


    Ivy sighed. She knew that the boy had a crush on Aria. However, it was merely an admiration. Nothing more.


    "She is in London."


    "And who is this?" Caleb looked at the man standing beside her.


    "This is Joshua."


    They took their seats at the far end, away from the entrance and Caleb handed them each a menu card.


    "I''ll have the usual," Ivy said without even taking a glance at it.


    "What about you?" Ivy looked at Joshua.


    "I don''t know. What do you suggest?"


    "I have ordered Chicken-Bacon Parmesan Supreme Pizza. It''s good. I suggest you try something else. Like Supreme Pizza. It''s good."


    "Okay. I''ll have that."


    "I''ll have a coke with it. Make that two."


    "Sure." Caleb gave her a smile and nodded at Joshua.


    "Do you come here often?"


    "Yes. Whenever I don''t feel like cooking, I come here with my sister."


    "You cook?" Joshua was a little surprised.


    "Yes. My sister, Aria, is a doctor. So, she was busy studying most of the time and right now she is busy at the hospital. While, I had nothing to do. So, I learned to cook; it''s necessary you see. One of us must know how to fill our stomachs. And also, I like cooking, it''s fun."


    "Wow." Joshua had always thought that among the sisters it was Aria who would have learned to cook. Never in his dreams had he thought that Ivy was the one who could cook. She just did not look like the one who spent time in the kitchen.


    "Cut down your sexist thoughts. I can here them till here." Ivy interrupted his conception.


    "I am not.."


    "Hold your breath. You don''t have to pretend. Anyway, who fired at that man in the club. As far as I know, I did not see any gun in your hands."


    "That was the work of the police."


    "Are you sure? I feel something amiss, like something does not add up. The timing of the police was quite a few minutes later than the gunshot." Ivy said, deep in thought.


    "Here is your pizza." Caleb arrived with their order right at their moment, successfully gaining Ivy''s attention.


    Joshua thanked the boy mentally, he had saved him from an explanation. It was he, who had shot him. However, that was something he wanted to hide from her.


    Caleb placed their pizzas in front of them. "Enjoy the pizza."


    Joshua stared at the delicious pizza in front of him.


    "Take a bite." Ivy urged. Joshua picked up a slice and took a bite. It was delicious. The cheese along with the vegetables blended together perfectly. He could catch a taste of pork. It was wonderful. Truly, it was one of the best pizzas he had ever eaten.


    "How''s it?" Ivy looked at him expectantly.


    "It''s good."


    "I told you."


    Ivy started eating her pizza and she moaned in delight. It had been two years ago when she found this place and the taste had remained the same since then. In fact, it was only getting better.


    "Thank you for today," Ivy said in between taking a bite of a slice.


    "Was it necessary to go to that sort of a place just to confront your ex-girlfriend? Also, she is not that pretty, you deserve someone more beautiful."


    Ivy gave him a glare. She was annoyed that he assumed her to be a lesbian. How did he even get that idea?


    "She is not my girlfriend."


    "Yeah. I know. She is your ex."


    "No." Ivy raised her hands in the air in annoyance.


    "I am straight. I like men, she was not my girlfriend."


    "You don''t have to lie to me Ivy. I support all kinds of love, even if it is forbidden."


    "She is not my girlfriend. I don''t like women that way. She was someone we wanted to interview on our news channel."


    "Then, why was she running away from you? It''s not like you eat her up in secret, do you?" Joshua chuckled.


    By then, Ivy and Joshua had finished their pizza and had exited the restaurant.


    "She did not appear at the scheduled time for the interview and it was very important."


    "It''s a good story, but I don''t believe you. Ivy, I told you, I support you. You don''t have to hide your sexual preferences from me."


    Ivy smacked her head. She didn''t know how he ended up with the misconception and how to clear the misunderstanding. She thought for a while and an idea popped in her mind, although it was something she never wanted to do. However, clearing the misunderstanding was more important. If the rumor spread about her being gay, especially in her workplace, then it would be quite difficult for her in the future.


    "I know how to make you believe me."


    "How?"


    Ivy pulled his head and smacked her lips to his. Joshua was struck with a thunderbolt with the sudden peck, it was unexpected. She did not go any further other than giving him a kiss on his lips. She pulled before he could register what had happened.


    "See. I told you I am straight. If you had believed me, I would have not had to kiss you." Ivy rubbed her lips.


    "Did you dislike the kiss?" Joshua was a little disheartened with her actions.


    "Yes. Why would I want to kiss you when I don''t even like you? I had to do it just to prove my point." Ivy turned her face away from him. She was not sure how she felt about the kiss. It was quite good actually, his lips were soft and cold, something which made her feel excited when she kissed him. However, the second part was true, she did not like him. Not yet.


    "Now do you believe me?"


    "Yes. However, I can''t accept that you kissed him just like that. And you did all this just to prove your point. How absurd."


    "I didn''t have another choice. You were clearly being delusional when you assumed that I was into girls, even when I told you that was not the scenario. So, I had to resort to this. Anyway, the kiss means nothing okay."


    "Sure, if you say so. For a moment, I thought that you had fallen for me."


    "In your dreams. It''s getting late. Come, I''ll drop you."


    "Okay."


    After dropping Joshua at his house, Ivy returned home. Though he had insisted her on dropping him at his office, she had taken him to his house instead.


    She changed into her nightdress and immediately succumbed into a deep sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the excitement from the previous events, she fell asleep at once.


    However halfway in between, she had a wet dream. In that she was kissing Joshua, this time it was more than just a peck. He kissed her fervently, his hands tightening around her waist. After, kissing her lips for a few seconds, he pried open her mouth and shove his tongue inside.


    Before anything further could happen, Ivy woke up with a start. Her breathing was a little erratic and her heart was hammering fast. She looked around and realized that she was at home, in her bed. There was no Joshua or no kissing involved. She sighed in relief, for a moment she had thought that her dream was actually real. She lied down again, but she could not get any sleep. Her thoughts were filled with Joshua.


    On the other side, Joshua too was also unable to fall asleep. He was reminiscing the brief kiss he had with Ivy.


    It was the first time that both, Ivy and Joshua, could not fall asleep because of the other sex.

 Chapter 78: Officially at war

    On the 19th.


    On the orders of the President, a large number of battalions were asked to retreat on the west side and move to the northeast side. Their deputation had been changed, one-fourth of the original number of soldiers were retained on the west side, while the remaining were given orders to move to the eastern border.


    As per the orders, the soldiers had immediately marched to the eastern borders led by Major Ethan Meyer. They had been informed of the possible attack from the east and now they had to come up with a plan to defeat the enemies. They had already prepared a strategy for the same.


    Ethan had given orders for some of the soldiers to hide at several places rather than coming with him to the base camp at the further east. The position given to them was quite near to the base camp, just within two kilometers. This way, the enemy would be fed with false numbers. When the attack takes place, they could outwit them in their own game.


    All the soldiers had settled in their positions and were waiting for the enemy to attack. They were on a constant lookout for any sort of suspicious activity. They were on high alert, the locals living in that area, if any, were made to relocate. The cross border area was sealed completely, however to the enemies, it looked like a normal routine.


    On 19th, early morning at 2.07, one of the soldiers who was on night duty, noticed something suspicious from his checkpoint. He saw some black figures on the other side of the border. The distance was far, so he could not make out how many people were there. He took the binoculars beside him and saw through it, they were more than a thousand. He realized at once that they were on the attack. He pressed on the button in front of him and a siren rang through the area. The sound of the siren was so loud that even the people on the other side of the border could hear it, although it was merely a buzz for them.


    The people stopped in their tracks, they knew that they had been found out. They started running towards their positions while some started to mount their weapons. They made a safety wall in front of them using the bricks and wooden planks they had brought with them.


    The loud, blaring alarm woke all the sleeping soldiers, it was a clear indication that they had be alert.


    Major Ethan Meyer woke up with a start. He had just gone to take a nap after inspecting if everything was alright, when the siren boomed in the camp. He jumped off his bed and wore his jacket. He then took the SIG Sauer P226, his handgun and holstered it in his waistband. He went to the check post and looked at the young soldier who had woken him up in the early dawn.


    "What happened? Did you notice something or hear some sound?"


    "Major, take a look." He handed Ethan his binoculars and pointed at the border area.


    Ethan looked straight ahead and focused his binoculars. He saw many people dressed in black, fully armed taking their positions just a few meters away from the separation between the two countries; they were in the neighboring country.


    He saw the number of people and cursed secretly, it was a huge crowd. Although it was not that visible with the naked eyes, he could clearly see using the binoculars, there were more one thousand on the battlefield. But he was not sure on how many more were on their way or if they were hiding.


    "Keep me informed. Looking at the scenario, I think the President was right. We might be at war with our neighbor."


    "Yes, Major."


    Ethan got off the checkpoint and walked to the area where the all captains of each soldier regiment, who had accompanied him till the camp, had assembled. The garrison had been divided into many units, each being led by a captain. These captains reported to Ethan. There were a total of forty-five units in the camp, while there were 105 units stationed nearby. Each unit had 58 soldiers along with a leader. The forty-five captains were standing in front of him in full attention.


    "Friends, I think you all knew why we were deputed here. It was due to the orders of the President as he felt there might be a danger to the country from the east and his words are true. The enemies have taken their positions. We have to be ready for the attack now. Get ready with your battle gears, inform your soldiers and keep them on standby. Meet me within fifteen minutes.


    Ethan gave them the orders and went to the control room. Using the Defense Red Switch Network, he sent signals to all the troupes who were stationed at different areas in the two-kilometer perimeter.


    After fifteen minutes, all the captains in the camp had assembled, completely geared up. Ethan was already waiting for them, standing on the podium, straight and expressionless.


    "Captains, I have informed the other group too. Let''s wait for them."


    After another twenty minutes, the captains of the 105 units entered the arena while the soldiers were ordered to wait just outside the camp.


    "Captains, is everyone here?" He shouted.


    "Yes." The said in unison.


    "Captains, we have seen some suspicious people just at the border. If our assumptions are true, then we might be at war with our neighboring country. Get ready, get mentally prepared. The 45 groups will be in the front, the remaining 105 groups will cover them from the back. Tell your soldiers not to over-stress themselves, we want them safe and secure. And don''t attack them until they strike first. This is an order. Am I clear?"


    "Yes, Major." The captains yelled.


    "Before that. I want all my soldiers alive. They are to die only after they see their grandkids. This is also an order. Now go, prepare the men." Ethan said.


    The captains followed his orders and went to their respective units.


    In half an hour, everybody was in their positions, securing an upper hand compared to their enemies. They had to wait as they were given orders not to shoot before the enemy strikes.


    Nothing happened until 3.40 am. When the clock showed 3.40, the enemy fired at the soldiers. This was the cue for them, the soldiers retaliated with full force.


    The war had started, Country P was in war with its neighboring country.

 Chapter 79: I puked on you

    Aria stirred in her sleep. Her head was throbbing and she felt a little weird. She stared straight ahead and looked at the ceiling, it looked different compared to the one at the hotel room where she was staying. Also, the bed was more comfortable and soft, she could lie on it all day. Suddenly, she realized that something was wrong, she was in an unknown place.


    She up immediately, the sudden action giving her a head rush and causing her to feel a little dizzy. When the dizziness reduced, Aria held her aching head and groaned in pain. She then realized again that she was at an unknown place. She looked down to see if she was still wearing her clothes. She was a little afraid to think that she had been taken advantage of when she was drunk. However, she sighed in relief when she saw that she was still wearing the clothes she wore for the party.


    She tried to comprehend the situation. ''Who would bring her here? Mason?'' If it is that bastard, then she would not hesitate even an ounce to kill. She clearly remembered that it was a glass of drink he gave that made her go crazy.


    ''What if it was not Mason? Was it someone from the party?'' Aria mused. She had clearly forgotten about Noah and that he had accompanied her to the pub. Guess the only way to find out was to leave the room.


    She slipped off the bed and opened the door, it was already morning. The sunlight was blazing through the windows, yet nobody was present in her vicinity. She looked at the familiar surroundings and thought about it. Where had she seen them? Then it struck her. It was Noah''s house, she was in his house.


    ''Did Noah bring me to his house?'' She pondered. She was also a little happy that he had not taken advantage of her in her drunken state, her respect for him grew to another level.


    She walked down the stairs and approached the dining hall. She saw Noah sitting at the chair and gazed at him. He was reading the newspaper while he sipping coffee using his free hand. He looked so dapper and sexy even if he was in his sleepwear, it made Aria want to do bad things to him.


    Sensing somebody''s strong gaze on him, Noah turned back. He saw Aria standing in front of the dining hall, lost in her thoughts.


    "Hey." He chirped.


    His voice sounded so charming and masculine that it made Aria quiver. She shook her head off the perverted thoughts and wished him back.


    "Hey. Good morning." She walked in front of him and sat on the chair to his left. The headache she was having intensified again and she dropped her head on the table, with her eyes closed.


    "Oh." She moaned.


    "Hangover?"


    "You have no idea."


    "Here have this." Noah handed her a cup of green tea.


    "Thanks." Aria took a sip and blinked a few times. She finished her tea slowly, by then her headache had reduced.


    "Thank you," Aria said after a while.


    "Not a problem. Its just tea."


    "No, not for the tea."


    "Then?" Noah asked, a little confused. Did he do something which he did not know about or had probably forgotten?


    "For taking care of me and bringing me to your house. Also, for not taking advantage of me."


    "Hey, hey, hey. You are my girlfriend, it is my right to take care of you."


    "You are right. I am your girlfriend. Also, I am sorry."


    "Why are you sorry now?"


    "I might have done something really crazy in my drunken stupor." Aria bowed her head in embarrassment.


    "You did do many things actually. Don''t you remember?" Noah was amused.


    "I remember that it was Mason who gave me that drink. Also, I remember that I ran away when you were trying to get me in the car. Other than that I can''t remember a thing. What did I do? Was it something embarrassing?"


    "Yes." Noah wanted to continue. But he was stopped by Aria.


    "Oh my God. I puked on you."


    "What?"


    "I puked on you. That is what happened." Aria covered her mouth in shock.


    "No.." Noah wanted to refuse. However, he got an idea the next moment. He could get back at her for teasing him with just a small peck.


    "Yes, you puked on me and that too in front of so many people. My suit was ruined."


    "Oh my God. I am so sorry, I didn''t mean to do any of the things. That is why I don''t drink, I can seem to stay in my limits and later when I am sober, I can''t remember a thing."


    Noah smirked. "Yes, you should never drink from now on."


    "It was not my fault, it was Mason who gave me that drink."


    "From now on then, you are not allowed to accept any drinks from anyone other than me."


    "Is this an order?"


    "No, I want you to promise me."


    "Okay, I promise."


    "Now, how are you going to compensate me for the suit?" Noah said with a devilish smile.


    "I''ll buy a new one." Aria did not see his hungry gaze.


    "That is not enough."


    "Then what do you want?"


    "I want a kiss." Without waiting for Aria to respond, Noah pulled her on his lap and kissed her with passion. She pushed him with great force immediately.


    "I haven''t brushed my teeth yet."


    "I don''t care."


    "I stink of alcohol."


    "I don''t care."


    "I want to puke."


    "I don''t care. Wait. What?"


    "I want to puke."


    Aria jumped off his lap and ran in the direction of her with Noah''s eyes following her anxiously. He was worried.


    ''Was she sick? I need to call the doctor.'' He picked up his phone to make a call, when he hear Aria speak.


    "Tch, tch, tch, tch. How easy it is to fool the great Noah. Oh I am so intelligent you know, I could trick the business king." She patted her back.


    "You." Noah stood up at once and chased after her. However, she was closer to her room. She ran inside and closed it with a bang. When Noah tried to open the door, it was locked from inside.


    "Aria, open the door." He banged on the door.


    "And let the wolf in. No way."


    "Aria you are not Little Red Riding Hood''s grandma."


    "I may not be the grandma. But definitely you are a wolf. You will eat me up if I open the door."


    That was true in fact.


    "I''ll take care of you once you come out." Noah gave a devilish laugh. However, he did not get any reply from her.

 Chapter 80: Breach of contract

    After half an hour, Aria peeked from behind the door. She wanted to see if Noah was still around her, hiding somewhere, waiting for her to come out. When she saw that the coast was clear, she took a small step outside. There was still no danger, she was safe. She looked left and right, for any signs of Noah. However, she was surprised that he was not anywhere near her room. She decided to face him head-on, she could not hide from him forever.


    She walked down the steps and went to the living room, however, there were no signs of Noah even then. She searched for him and finally found him in the garden, talking on the phone. Looking at him, she could make out that something was wrong. His had clenched his jaws, eyebrows were furrowed and he was emitting a cold and dangerous vibe.


    Noah did not know that Aria was around, his back was facing her. He continued his talk on the phone. He was in conversation with one of the IT security staff from his office, someone had sold the company secrets to their rival company. Although this was not a big deal for him, it was still a problem he had to solve.


    "Alright, I''ll be at the office in an hour or two. I want all the employees to be present, call them right now." Noah commanded and ended the call. He took a deep breath. His anger had gone beyond the Milky Way galaxy and reached the next galaxy. The one thing he hated the most was a betrayal. What he did not realize that he was doing the same to Aria, although it was unintentional.


    He took deep breaths for a while to calm his anger. He felt a hand on his shoulder, making him turn to look at the person. It was Aria. Just a glance at her was enough to curb all his anger, it vanished in an instant.


    "Is everything alright?" She was a little worried.


    "Yes. Just some problems at work. Come, I''ll drop you at your hotel." Noah said. There was no playfulness she had seen in him just forty minutes back.


    "Okay."


    "What time is your flight?"


    "1.30 at noon."


    "Hmm. Come, let''s have some breakfast."


    After Aria had her breakfast, Noah dropped her off at the hotel. During their in the car, Noah did not speak much to her. He was mostly on his phone, barking orders and giving out commands. He had apologized to her beforehand for his unruly behavior. Surprisingly, he had not spoken to her regarding her prank in the morning. Otherwise, right now he would not have stopped touching her.


    After dropping Aria, Noah went to his company. Everybody was waiting for him, scared and frightened. They knew the situation and they were dreading the outcome.


    ''Who was brave enough to betray the devil? Have they lost their wish to live?''


    Without even taking a glance at them, he walked to his office. After waiting for ten minutes he called for his assistant.


    "Get me the PR Manager''s assistant."


    "Yes, Boss."


    After two minutes, there was a knock at the door. The PR manager, whom he had thrown away from his company just the previous night, her assistant was standing in front of him.


    "Do you have something to tell me?" Noah asked without lifting his head.


    "No Boss."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes Boss."


    "Okay."


    "Ronnie, call the police. I want to file a charge suit against this woman, she secretly sent company secrets to someone who does not even belong here."


    The woman panicked. ''How did he find out that I did something like that? There is no way he is doing it. He does not have any proof.''


    "Boss, I did not do anything like that." She defended herself immediately.


    "Are you saying the truth?"


    "Yes."


    "What if you are lying?"


    "Impossible."


    "What if you are lying?" He stressed on his question again, raising the pressure on her. She broke into a cold sweat.


    "If I am lying, I''ll leave the company right away." She answered confidently. She knew nobody could find proof for her work, she had been careful enough.


    "Okay."


    Noah typed something on his laptop and turned it towards her. The screen showed the CCTV footage from the previous night. It started at around 9.20 pm. At first there was nothing. Then after a minute or two, a person''s silhouette was seen. It was not clear whether it was a man or a woman, it was a little dark and the person had worn a mask. The person tapped his ID card at the entrance and the gates opened. Looking at the footage, the woman''s facial expression changed. However, she composed herself the next moment when she realized that the person''s face was not clear.


    "Boss. why are you showing me this? Wait a minute. Are you suspecting that I am that woman?" The woman questioned boldly. Ronnie who was standing beside was a little amused. The woman was clearly seeking her death. Nobody had spoken to his Boss in such a rude manner and got away with it, except for Aria of course.


    "Aren''t you?"


    "Okay then. How do you explain the fact that your name was registered in the login records at exactly 9.26 pm? If it was not you, why was your name registered in it?"


    ''Damn it.'' The woman had clearly forgotten that every time an employee or a visitor entered or exited the office, the scanner took note of the time and the name of the person. It was saved in the company''s login registry. She had clearly forgotten about it.


    Noah raised his eyebrows. He wanted to see how far the woman was willing to go with her lies and he was keeping a tab on all of them. He needed the count for her punishment; more the lies, severe the punishment.


    "Boss, that is. I lost my ID card yesterday. So I don''t know how something like this happened." The woman answered. Her confidence was wavering, yet she was trying to hold herself. If she gave in, then she knew it was the end. Her Boss would not spare her.


    "Then, what is that thing in your hand? If I am not wrong, that is an ID card right." Noah pointed to the ID card in her hand. "If your card was lost, how did you get one this fast. A new card takes at least two hours to be made."


    "Sir, this is the temporary employee card I got from the reception." The woman stuttered.


    "Is it? Let me have a look at it." Noah held out his hand.


    "Boss. I am saying right. I am not the one who sold the company secrets."


    "If you not guilty, why don''t you show your employee card. Let me have a look at it."


    Seeing the woman stubbornly denying her crimes, Ronnie came forward and pressed on her wrists, she cried out in pain. The card fell on the table with a clank. Noah picked it up and took a glance, it was clearly an ID card, not a temporary employee card.


    "So, what do you have to say now?"


    "This proves nothing. You know what I am going to call the police. I am going to sue you for molestation and attempt to ****."


    Ronnie scoffed. Was it that easy to frame his Boss? He was not called the king of the business world without a reason.


    "Sure go ahead, call the police. Before that take a look at this."


    Noah pressed some keys on his laptop and the scene shifted to the IT department room. To gain access to the department, every time the employee had to get his face scanned for recognition. This was the case for all the departments in the company. This face-scanning was also included for people from other departments to give them access to other departments.


    The woman saw her face clearly this time. She couldn''t deny any further.


    ''How did Noah find out about this?'' She did not know that every time a face was scanned, there would be two registers of it. One of them would go directly to Noah and would stay for a period of three days before it got erased. She had got only one of them erased from the records, not the one that went to Noah.


    "And also according to my sources, you mailed some of the company documents to the ex-PR manager who was fired from her job just yesterday right?"


    "Boss, I am sorry. I won''t do it again. I am sorry. Give me another chance Boss." She dropped to her knees and held his feet.


    "Get this woman away from me." Noah bellowed. He felt disgusted by her touch.


    "Hand her over to the police and file a report on that PR Manager."


    Ronnie took the woman away. She tried struggling in his arms, but he was too strong for her.


    "Also, you woman." Ronnie stopped on hearing Noah''s voice. The woman looked at Noah with hopeful eyes. However his next words came like a cannonball, crushing her completely.


    "You have breached the company''s contract. Be ready to compensate 1 Million USD."

 Chapter 81: Jealous Rachel

    Meanwhile Aria called Ivy. She was packing her bags to return home.


    "Hey Aria. Wassup?" Ivy picked up the phone.


    Aria could hear cars honking and other noises in the background. "Were you riding your bike?"


    "Yes. I am going to meet Daniel."


    "Okay. My flight is at 1.30 pm. Could you pick me up at the airport at 11 or so?"


    "Sure Ari. Why are you being formal? I am your sister."


    "Sure you are. How can I forget that I have the most irritating, idiotic, weird.."


    "Aria West."


    "Yet cute, hot and stunning sister."


    "That''s better."


    "Okay idiot. Bye."


    "Aria.," Ivy shouted on the phone, however, the call had already been disconnected.


    "Come back home, I''ll take of you." She seethed.


    She then continued to ride her bike.


    Thirty minutes later,


    Ivy and Daniel were sitting in his office, having a glaring competition. Nobody was ready to back down, nobody was willing to move their eyes away from each other. They were having a silent competition. The door to his office was pushed open and Rachel entered without making a noise. She saw the two people having the silent confrontation, although to the onlookers it looked like they were gazing at each other romantically.


    "Hey." Rachel said a little frustrated. She did not expect to see such a scenario as soon as she entered.


    Her voice was enough for Daniel to break the war, he averted his gaze from Ivy at once.


    "Yes, I won." Ivy fist thumped in the air.


    "Rachel." Daniel groaned.


    "What?" She shrugged.


    "You made me lose." Daniel cried.


    "Yeah loser." Ivy teased, sticking out her tongue. "Thank you very much Miss. You made me win, although I would have won the game sooner or later."


    "I was just an innocent bystander." Rachel said, her voice showing traces of anger. She then turned to Ivy.


    "You are welcome."


    Ivy could make out the obvious relationship between Daniel and Rachel from her voice, she was clearly jealous. Before the situation could escalate to something bad, she introduced herself.


    "Hey, I am Ivy. Ivy West. I am a childhood friend of Daniel."


    "Hey. I am Rachel Carter." Rachel said. She was a little relieved on hearing that the woman was a childhood friend, but she still had her doubts. She knew Daniel was trustworthy, it was Ivy she was a little suspicious of. What if she had ulterior motives and had taken a liking towards Daniel?


    "I think I know you," Ivy said taking a good look at her.


    "Yes, you an architect right. I have read about you a lot." Ivy said fangirling over her immediately.


    "Ivy give her a break. Rachel come in."


    Daniel walked towards the sofa and sat down. Rachel sat beside him, while Ivy sat in front of them.


    "So, Ivy what can I do for you?" Daniel said, while Rachel glared at Ivy. She saw the glare and realized that there was a misunderstanding, Rachel had misunderstood her.


    "Before that, may I ask you a question?" Ivy looked at Daniel and Rachel.


    "Sure."


    "Is she your girlfriend?" She was direct. Rachel squirmed in her seat, she was a little scared of Ivy. She was not sure if Ivy was also in love with Daniel.


    "Yes," Daniel answered and held Rachel''s hand. She gave him a meek smile.


    "Wow. Congratulations. You were quite lucky this time."


    Now it was Daniel''s turn to glare at her. Ivy ignored him.


    "You know what Miss Carter, I was a little worried for him. The girls he had dated previously were all crap. I was worried that he would never find a good girl. Now I am happy, he couldn''t have found anyone better."


    Rachel looked at Ivy, trying to see if she was lying. When she saw the innocence and honesty in her eyes, Rachel''s suspicions reduced. She relaxed a bit.


    "That is true. I couldn''t have found anyone better." Daniel kissed Rachel''s hand.


    "Wow, wow. Love birds. Don''t be all lovey-dovey in front of single people. I don''t want to eat dog food."


    Daniel rolled his eyes, while Rachel chuckled. She couldn''t deny that she was liking Ivy a little.


    "Anyway, why didn''t you say anything about her?"


    "I wanted to tell Aria first."


    "Who is Aria?" Rachel turned to look at him.


    "Aria West, she is also a childhood friend of mine and Ivy''s twin sister."


    "Is she a doctor?" Rachel asked. ''Is the woman they were talking about, the same one who her brother had taken a liking to?"


    "Yes, do you know her?" Daniel was a little surprised and so was Ivy.


    "Yes. She was my brother''s doctor."


    "Oh. Okay."


    Ivy looked at them speak was very happy. She was grinning from ear to ear.


    "Why are you smiling?" Daniel raised his eyebrows looking at her smile.


    "You both look so good together. I am so happy for you, however, I cannot say the same to Miss Carter."


    "What do you mean?" Daniel huffed.


    "Clearly, look at you and look at her." There was an obvious difference in her tone when she compared both of them.


    "You are an ordinary man, but she a goddess. There is nothing great about you. Look at her, she is just wow."


    "If you have come here to talk crap, get out of here."


    "Okay, okay. I''ll put this conversation on hold for now. So, these are the documents I wanted to give you."


    Ivy handed him all the documents.


    "Ivy, are you sure you want to talk about this here? You know you can talk in private." Daniel suggested. He knew this was a serious matter and Ivy was only trying to be humble so as to not make it difficult for Rachel.


    "Yeah, I can leave if you want." Rachel stood up. She realized that it was something confidential.


    "That''s not necessary Miss Carter. You are his girlfriend, so I trust you. Maybe you could help me too and I can find my father as fast as possible."


    Ivy''s words were enough for Rachel to clear all the negative thoughts she had about her.


    "Your father?"


    "Yes. Ivy and Aria''s father, Oliver West, went missing three years back. Since then we are looking for him."


    "You are Oliver''s daughter?"


    Rachel''s sudden outburst surprised both Ivy and Daniel.


    "Do you know my father?"


    "I have heard about him." Rachel composed herself immediately when she realized what she had done.


    Ivy nodded. It was not unusual that many people knew her father, he was quite famous.


    "So, what have you found out?" Daniel came back to the topic.


    The next half an hour was spent in Ivy telling them about her findings and her thoughts. While Daniel listened to her attentively, Rachel was lost. She knew who Oliver was and where he was right now. And Aria being his daughter would only complicate the relationship between her and Noah.


    She could only sigh as she was also helpless just like Joshua. It was her brother who called the shots and since he had not yet come clean in front of Aria, she could only remain silent and pray that everything would be alright.


    Things were definitely going to be ugly in the future.

 Chapter 82: Accident

    "Are you alright? You look a little lost." Daniel held Rachel in his arms and stared at her.


    "Yes, yes. I am fine. I was thinking about Ivy and her sister." Rachel said, as she hugged Daniel. I know those girls have had it bad since Uncle went missing. It had become difficult for them, they overcame it eventually with time.


    Rachel was silent. She was thinking about what the future held for them. She was worried about her brother in particular. He had taken a liking towards Aria and if she found out that he was the one who had kidnapped her father, then things might not go well for him.


    "Are you alright?" Daniel asked again. He felt that she was behaving weird.


    "I am a little tired, that''s it. I''ll go home and have some sleep, I''ll be fine. I''ll see you later." Rachel picked up her bag.


    "Do you want me to drop you?" Daniel looked at her worried.


    "No, I am fine. By the way, I have got the plan for your firm approved. You just have to go to the office to do some follow-ups."


    "Sure."


    Rachel sat in her car and made a call to Noah.


    "Yes."


    "Noah, I have something important to tell you."


    "Hmm."


    "It''s about Aria."


    "What about her?"


    "She is Oliver''s daughter."


    "How did you know about that?"


    "You already knew about it."


    "Yes."


    "I met her twin today. You know Daniel Adler right?"


    "Your current boyfriend? Yes."


    "How? How did you know that?" Rachel was shocked. She never knew her brother was keeping tabs on her.


    "I know everything. Come to the point."


    "I met Aria''s twin, Ivy, at his office today. She is taking his help to find her father."


    "Wait a minute." Daniel''s name struck a chord in his mind. ''Was Daniel and Danny one and the same? I need to find out about it.''


    "Is it?"


    "And brother, guess what?"


    "What?"


    "They also know that a few weeks back, Oliver was admitted to the Royal Health Care Hospital. This is the reason why they have increased their attempts to search for him."


    "This is bad."


    "I know. But, I feel it''s better if you tell them about their father as early as possible. How serious are you about Aria?"


    "Very."


    "And, what about her?"


    "She likes me too."


    "Then brother, tell her before it becomes too late."


    "Rachel, I am stuck in the middle. I want to tell them desperately. I want to tell her everything, this secret is killing me. Every time I see her face, I feel guilty. But, I can''t help it. Her life will be in danger if she finds out about her father and moreover she will not be able to tolerate hearing about him."


    "What do you mean? Is his condition still critical?"


    "Yes, in fact. His organs are failing one by one. I cannot take her to him now, she will be devastated."


    Rachel sighed. She knew her brother was right. Everything right now was messed up. No one knew what to do.


    "What about Ian? Did he find out any cure for Oliver?"


    "No luck yet. He is trying. Every time the drug he administers acts only for a few hours, then again he slips into a coma."


    "I pity them you know. They only have each other." Rachel sympathized.


    "Now they have me."


    "Yes. Take care of them okay."


    "Yes."


    Rachel ended the call and looked straight ahead. She was lost in thoughts, she did not know what to do. She was utterly confused.


    After a long time, she started the car and drove towards her house. On the way, she was so lost her thoughts that she lost control of her car. Also she did not see the car coming in her direction. She rammed into it and the car in front of her made a double flip and rolled a few meters back.


    Rachel''s head banged with the windshield and blood started to trickle from her forehead. Her body was aching and she could see black spots in front of her. She shook her head and due to this action blood drops fell off her forehead.


    She picked her phone and called the ambulance. She could only manage to tell her location when she fainted. She couldn''t even make out the loud noises outside her.


    Seeing the loud band, people started to crowd around them. They ran towards the car that had flipped over while some people tried to open the other car.


    With great difficulty, the flipped car''s door was opened. It was a woman who was at the driver''s seat. She was covered in blood. Someone released her seat belt and she plopped onto the ground due to gravity. They pulled her body out of the car and laid her on the ground.


    Meanwhile, Rachel was also out of the car. She was less wounded compared to the other woman. In less than a few minutes, the ambulance arrived and it laid both the woman on the stretcher. It immediately took off.


    The attending doctor first attended the severely wounded woman. Her face was covered with blood, it was even difficult to recognize her. The doctor cleaned the blood off her face and checked her vitals. She was breathing, however, her pulse was very low. Her situation was critical.


    The ambulance zoomed past the traffic and arrived at the Regal Medical Hospital in less than twenty minutes. By then the doctor had given them the necessary first aid.


    Rachel and the unknown woman were wheeled inside the hospital. Ian was waiting for them, he had been informed of the accident. But he did not know that it was Rachel who had been in the accident. As soon as he saw her, he was shocked. But her condition looked a lot more stable than the other woman who looked very serious.


    He gave his orders for the junior doctor to handle Rachel. Just by looking at her, he could make out that she was fine. Her life was not in danger. Meanwhile the other woman was already in the OT.


    Ian went to her and checked her condition. Her mouth was covered with an oxygen mask and her heartbeat was very low.


    He checked up on her and found her to be bleeding from the backside of her head. He made her lie on her stomach and saw that she was severely injured. His hands were immediately covered with blood.


    "Shit." He cursed.


    "Get a neurosurgeon right now. Make it fast, otherwise, she might slip into a coma." He barked at the nurse beside him.


    "Yes doctor." The nurse scurried away.


    Ian saw a card sticking out of her pant pocket. He pulled it out, it was an ID card.


    It belonged to Valarie Evans and she worked for the Intelligence.

 Chapter 83: You brought this upon yourself

    Rachel whimpered as she tried to move. The bright lights in the room were blinding her eyes, she closed her eyes tightly. It was like needles were pricking her eyes. After a long time, she blinked several times and opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy and sore all over. She tried to pull her hand, she saw an intravenous injection on her hand. All the memories came back to her like a movie reel. She remembered the accident as well as the other car which had made a double flip after the collision.


    Rachel panicked. With great difficulty, she pressed the bell beside her. It took away all her strength just to do it. A nurse came running to her immediately.


    "Miss Carter, how do you feel? Do you feel any pain? Do you want something? Wait a minute, I''ll get the doctor." The nurse ran away after making sure Rachel was fine. After five minutes, she returned with Ian.


    "Rachel, how do you feel?" Ian said as he checked her vitals.


    "Like a truck has run over me."


    "That''s normal," Ian said writing something on the patient record. "Do you feel any pain? Do you want me to give you some painkillers?"


    "No I am fine. By the way, what happened to the person in the other car? How many people were injured? Are they fine?"


    "Relax Rachel. There was one lady in the car and right now she is in the operation theater."


    "What?" Rachel was shocked.


    "Yes, she has hurt her head quite bad and she had to be operated immediately."


    "What have I done?" Rachel cried. She never wanted something like this to happen. She did not want an innocent person to lose their life just because of her mistake.


    "Rachel, calm down."


    "No Ian. You don''t understand. It was me who rammed into her car."


    "Rachel, Rachel calm down. It was an accident."


    "I hurt her." Rachel cried.


    Just then, loud voices could be heard from outside the ward.


    "Rachel." Hailey ran inside and hugged her.


    "Mom." Rachel groaned, she was in pain.


    "Hailey, careful. You are hurting her." Samuel said, pulling her back gently.


    "I am so sorry, dear." Hailey was crying now. She looked miserable.


    "Mom, Dad, I am fine."


    "How is her condition son?" Samuel asked Ian.


    "Mr. Carter, she is fine. She hurt her head and suffered a mild concussion. Other than a few scratches here and there, she perfectly fine." Ian assured them.


    "Samuel, why is this happening to us? In just a span of a month, three of our family members have been to the hospital."


    Everybody remained silent.


    "Ian, how is the other patient?"


    Ian realized that Samuel was talking about the other woman who was involved in the accident.


    "Her condition is quite critical. She has hurt her head quite bad and right now she is having surgery."


    Samuel could only nod, he did not know what to say. Hailey had calmed down. She looked at Rachel and patted her head.


    "When will Rachel be discharged?"


    "She has to stay in the hospital for two days," Ian said, sighing.


    "Mom, where is grandpa?" Rachel looked behind Samuel.


    "He is at home. When he heard about you, he wanted to come with us. However, I forbade him. He had become ill recently, he needs rest."


    "True."


    "I think you should go now Dad." Rachel said, after a while.


    "Don''t you want me to be here?" Samuel asked, a little shocked.


    "Dad, I did not mean that. I am a little sleepy."


    "Okay. We will go for now. Take care alright."


    "Okay Dad." Rachel lied down and dozed off immediately. She was too tired and the narcotics were making her drowsy.


    "Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Carter," Ian said and exited the ward with them.


    By then, the operation had ended.


    "How is her condition doctor?" Ian questioned the neurosurgeon.


    "She is out of danger, although it might take some time for her to wake up."


    "Is she in a coma?"


    "Umm." The doctor pondered for a while. "Not exactly, she might wake up within four to five days."


    Ian nodded. "Thank you, doctor."


    The doctor smiled and walked away. The door to the OT opened and Valarie was wheeled outside. She looked sickly pale and her head was covered with bandages. She was immediately shifted to one of the VIP wards.


    The news of Rachel being injured had already reached Joshua, Noah and Daniel.


    As soon as Noah heard about it, he got his chartered plane ready. Anxiety was killing him. Although Ian had assured him that his sister was fine, he couldn''t rest until he saw his beloved sister with his own eyes. Nobody could get away after hurting his sister, be it intentional or not. But when he heard that the other woman had been hurt more than Rachel, he felt guilty. Also, Ian told him about her working for the Intelligence. This assured him that it was just an accident.


    On the other hand, Daniel was worried to death over Rachel. He had rushed to the hospital when he heard about it. When he went to see her, she was deep in sleep. It had been just an hour since her parents had left her alone.


    Daniel held her hand and took a deep breath. He had been scared out of his wits when he heard about her accident. He kissed her hand every few minutes to calm himself.


    "Rachel, you scared to me." He said to the sleeping woman.


    "Don''t ever do this to me again. I cannot live without you. I think I am falling in love with you." He said to the sleeping woman.


    "What did you say?" Rachel voiced out immediately as soon as she heard his confession.


    "How long were you awake?" Daniel was perplexed. He did not know she was listening to him.


    "As soon as you first kissed my hand, I woke up."


    "Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "I wanted to listen to what you wanted to say. Is it true that you love me?"


    "Yes, I love you. I don''t know when that happened, maybe when you accepted me even when you found out that I was adopted. But I don''t know."


    "I love you too," Rachel replied, silencing him completely.


    "Aww, look at the love birds," Joshua commented from the door. He had heard everything and he knew everything. Noah had told about the two to his friends.


    "Joshua, what are you doing here?"


    "I am here to file a police report at the hospital."


    Rachel rolled her eyes. "Daniel, this is Joshua, my brother''s friend."


    "Hey." Daniel held out his hand which Joshua shook.


    "Since you have the strength to confess your feelings to each other, I''ll not ask if you are alright. You must be in heaven right now."


    "Yeah right." Rachel scoffed while Daniel chuckled.


    "Your friend is quite interesting," Daniel commented from the side.


    "See, I have fans. I have told her many times, yet she denies to accept it." Joshua boasted.


    "He is not your fan. He is just giving you a face. Right darling?" Rachel said as she placed her hands on Daniel''s chest.


    "Sure."


    "What? No way." Joshua exclaimed.


    "How did you get into an accident?" Joshua changed the topic.


    "It was my mistake, I was not being careful." Rachel made a gesture that she would speak about it later which made Joshua to shut up.


    "Okay. Okay. Be careful from on okay. Your devil brother is on the way and I think from now on he will not allow you to drive at all."


    "What? Who told him? Ian." Rachel answered her own question.


    "Joshua save me please. You know what will happen to me now. Please." Rachel prayed with her hands.


    "I am sorry Rachel. I cannot face the devil, you brought this upon yourself."


    "Shit, I am done for."

 Chapter 84: Daniel is more handsome

    After Ian watched Valerie being wheeled from the operation theater to the VIP ward, he visited the cancer ward. It had become a habit of his to visit Norman Litner every day. He was closely monitoring his treatment as soon as his chemotherapy sessions started.


    Once in two or three days, Violet would come to visit her grandpa. He would then give her company until John came to look for her at the end of the day. He knew that the little girl was actually heartbroken. Norman''s assistant had told him that she would cry every day at home. Ian could do nothing but pity her. She had lost her parents at such a young age and now her grandfather was suffering from cancer. Anybody would be truly devastated when faced with such a situation, she was just a little girl. How could she face all of these?


    Ian looked at Norman''s reports. There was not much improvement in his health, he was slowly losing his fight against cancer. The chemotherapy was only successful in reducing the growth of cancer cells, however, his old age was not able to cope with the treatment. The only solution was to perform a bone marrow transplant. But, they were unable to find a suitable donor yet.


    As Ian looked at the pale and fragile old man, he sighed. He did not know what to do, how to save his life.


    "Hey Uncle, Ian." Violet came running to him and hugged his thigh.


    "Hi darling." Ian picked her up in his arms.


    "Did you come alone?" He looked behind her.


    "Yes, Uncle John dropped me here."


    "So, where is he?"


    "He had some work to do. He left."


    "Okay, come with me. I''ll take you somewhere."


    "Where are we going?" Violet bounced happily in his arms.


    "Surprise."


    "Wow. Wait, let me greet grandpa first."


    Violet slid off his arms and went to her unconscious grandpa. "Hey, grandpa. How are you? Come back home, I am waiting for you. I miss a lot." She hiccuped.


    After talking to him and telling him all the things she did the previous day, she made a promise to visit him regularly. She then ran to Ian and held his hand.


    "Let''s go."


    "Okay."


    Ian took her to Rachel''s ward. He knew that she would be bored out of her mind and she wouldn''t mind some company.


    "Look who I have brought to meet you." Ian walked in holding Violet''s hand. As soon as he entered, he saw Rachel and Joshua along with Daniel who he was meeting for the first time.


    Hearing his voice, all the three turned to look at him. They saw a little cutie pie beside him.


    "Who is this cutie pie?" Rachel said as she looked the chubby little girl.


    Violet giggled.


    "Come here darling." Rachel summoned her which she followed. Rachel lifted her and placed her on her lap.


    "What is your name?"


    "Violet."


    "Such a beautiful name," Joshua said from behind.


    "I am Rachel, he is Joshua and Daniel." Rachel introduced them, although she felt that it would be too much for the little girl to remember.


    "You are very pretty, Big Sis," Violet said as she giggled.


    "Why, you too, You are so cute."


    Joshua lifted her and looked at her.


    "Rachel you have gone blind."


    "Why do you say that way?"


    "Violet is not only cute, but she is also very pretty."


    "Uncle Jo, you are very handsome."


    "See Rach, she has good eyesight. She knows what is pleasing to see."


    "She is only giving you face."


    "Wait. Violet, darling. Who do you find is more handsome between Ian and me?"


    Violet looked at Ian and Joshua and then she turned to look at Daniel who was watching them silently in the corner. Without any hesitance, she pointed to him. Rachel burst out laughing seeing this.


    "As expected, my boyfriend is the most handsome. She is as good as me." She patted her back.


    Joshua started to sulk. He then got an idea.


    "Violet, leave that uncle. Who is more handsome between us." He pointed to Ian and then to himself. This time too without hesitating she pointed at Ian.


    "Perfect." Rachel cheered from the side while Ian gave Joshua a triumphant look.


    "Whatever."


    Rachel looked at Violet and then at Ian. She was surprised. At first she had not noticed it. However, now she could make out the striking resemblance between the two. It looked like Violet was his daughter. All her features were very similar to his.


    Daniel followed her line of sight and too was surprised at this new discovery and without being told he too felt the same.


    "Ian, why is Violet in the hospital?"


    "Her grandfather has cancer." He spoke softly.


    "Is it?"


    After thinking for a while, she pulled Ian to sit in front of her on the bed. She then looked at Daniel and she spoke to him secretly through her eyes. He nodded at her.


    "Violet, come I''ll buy you some ice cream."


    "Yay, ice cream." She said happily.


    "Joshua, why don''t you join them," Rachel suggested.


    He was confused by the sudden change in the atmosphere, nevertheless he went along with them.


    As soon as the three left Ian and Rachel to themselves, Ian broke the silence.


    "Rachel what do you want to tell?"


    "How long have you known Violet?"


    "Only for a few days. Why?"


    "Didn''t you find this weird?"


    "What?"


    "She looks a little like you."


    "What?"


    "Yes. At first sight anybody would think that you are her father."


    "Nonsense."


    "No, I am telling the truth. She looks a lot like you. Maybe you might be related to her."


    "No Rachel, that''s not possible."


    "If you say so." She gave up. She knew what she was telling may just be her thoughts and not real. She just wanted Ian to find his family.


    Although Rachel had given up, her words kept running in Ian''s mind. He had heard that Norman had another son, other than Violet''s father, who went missing when he was just five. However, he was not ready to accept that he might be the one. He didn''t remember anything about his lost family nor anything before the age of five. The only thing he remembered was that he was accidentally found by Noah''s grandfather.


    Ian was not ready to accept it. It was all sudden for him, in fact he hadn''t even considered looking for his real family or even being related to Violet until Rachel pointed out the similarities between them. Guess that was the reason why Ian felt a strong connection to Norman and Violet.


    If he was truly Norman''s missing son, then he could save him. He could be the donor to save his father.

 Chapter 85: Meeting Linda in jail

    After Ivy left Daniel''s office, she had a lot of time on her hands. She was quite free for now and didn''t know what to do. Then an idea struck her. She remembered that Linda was locked up in prison. She could give her a visit and ask her why she had failed to keep up her presence for the interview. However, she knew going alone would not be safe. She gave a call to Max.


    "Ivy, what do you want?" Max spoke with disinterest.


    "Max, is this the way to talk?" Ivy rebuked, although she was not affected by it.


    "Ivy if you have called only because you are bored, then I am going to cut the call. I have a lot of work to do, unlike someone who is whiling their time god knows where."


    "Max I am also working."


    "Oh where? At the motorcycle racing arena."


    Ivy sighed. It was a known fact that Ivy loved to race. Whenever she was free, she would go racing with her fellow racers. She was quite well known among the racers as the Wind as she drove her motorbike as fast as the wind. If she was in the mood she would win the game without a miss. However, to keep up the fighting spirit, sometimes she would lose on purpose. The most interesting part was nobody knew that she was a girl, she always disguised as a guy while attending these races. She knew it was not safe as a girl to mingle with unknown people who were also involved with the drug lords and the mafia, so she had taken her precautionary measures.


    "Max, I am not racing right now."


    "Then speak."


    "I want to visit Linda."


    Ivy had told Max and Kira all that had happened in that cheap club, leaving the facts related to Joshua and the near-death miss. If she had told them about the fight, they would have lectured her again and reprimanded her for her carelessness,


    "Okay. What do you want of me?"


    "I want you to come with me."


    "Ivy, I am a little busy. I have to finish editing the new documentary film for the new segment."


    "Why are you doing it? Ain''t it the work of the video department?"


    "Yes, it is. However, they want my help in this as this is the first time we will be broadcasting a documentary on our channel."


    "Okay fine. I''ll go alone."


    "No way. You could go with Cedric. He is quite free."


    "No, it''s fine. I can manage."


    "Ivy."


    "Okay. I''ll wait for him in front of the police station."


    After ending the call, Ivy rolled her eyes. She was actually chiding herself for even thinking of calling Max. She should have gone alone, she could take care of herself.


    After forty minutes of riding her bike, Ivy arrived at the police station. Cedric was already waiting for her.


    "So, Ives. You wanna meet that Linda?" Cedric asked as soon as Ivy went to him.


    "Yes, I want some details from her."


    "Come on. Let''s go."


    Ivy entered the police station and was met with a loud cry from one of the inmates. Ivy''s eyes widened. It more or less looked like a torture room than a police station. She approached the officer in charge.


    "Excuse me sir. I want to meet Miss Linda."


    The officer looked up and carefully studied Ivy and Cedric.


    "Who?" He asked with a gruff voice.


    "Miss Linda," Ivy spoke clearly.


    "We have nobody here by that name."


    Ivy and Cedric looked at each other bewildered. How could it be? Ivy had clearly seen Linda being dragged away with the other girls by the police that day.


    "Officer, she was arrested from a club a few days back."


    "Ohh. Is she from that club? I am not sure if there is a Linda here. We have arrested a lot of women and the names they have provided us is fake. I''ll show you their photographs. You find out who it is you want to meet."


    Ivy nodded.


    The officer opened a document and handed her a stack of photographs. Ivy went through each of them and finally found the one she was looking for.


    "Officer, this is her." Ivy handed him Linda''s photograph.


    "Oh. Are you talking about Mindy?"


    "What?" Ivy was confused and so was Cedric.


    "Yes, her name is Mindy and not Linda. That is what it says in the database too. Sign this register."


    Ivy signed on the visitor register and followed the officer till a room. It had two divisions separated by a glass wall. Cedric and Ivy sat on one side as they waited for Linda or Mindy, whoever she was, to come.


    "Why did she lie to us?" Cedric asked.


    Ivy shrugged. She too wanted to find out the same. There were a lot of things involved in this case and it was getting complicated at every step.


    After five minutes, Linda arrived accompanied by a warden. Linda was wearing a light brown prisoner''s uniform, her hands were handcuffed. She looked worn out and messy. She had become quite dark compared to the time when they had seen her pale face at their agency.


    Seeing Ivy, Linda''s face paled. However, she had no choice as the warden pushed her to sit on the chair. Later, she went and sat at her designated spot at the far end of the room near the door.


    "Linda, I''ll be straight forward. Why didn''t you come to attend the interview?" Ivy looked at her without batting an eyelid.


    Linda remained silent.


    Ivy was not agitated. She had all the patience in the world. She had come to demand answers from her and she would get them at all costs.


    "I will ask you again. Why did not come that day?"


    Silence.


    "I''ll start with an easy question. Is your name Linda or Mindy?"


    "Mindy?" This time she got an answer.


    "Why did you lie to us?"


    "I had no choice. I was being threatened every day by someone."


    "What did they threaten you with?"


    "I would get calls on my phone that if I disclosed the matter then they would kill me."


    "Okay. But why did you change your name?"


    "I didn''t change my name. I merely used another name."


    "What do you mean?" Cedric questioned her this time.


    "Linda is my sister''s name."


    "Okay. How is this related to her?"


    "It was she who became a victim of this heinous crime."


    "What?" Both Ivy and Cedric were stupefied.


    "Yes. My sister was the one they had operated on in that clinic. As soon as she found out, she wanted to retaliate. However, they kidnapped her."


    Linda or Mindy chocked on her sobs. She had started to tear up long back.


    "Then why didn''t you go to the police?" Ivy said.


    "I went to them. But my complaint was not even filed. They threw me out like garbage."


    "So, then you came to us."


    "Yes."


    "Why did you lie then?"


    "I was scared. I didn''t want to get kidnapped too. I only wanted to find my sister and get her justice."


    "If that was what you wanted, why didn''t you come for the interview?" Cedric asked again.


    "After I met with you the previous day, I got a call from someone. He threatened me to follow his orders or else he would sell off my sister. So I had no choice."


    "So, you started to do as he wanted."


    Mindy nodded.


    "Have you found out about your sister?" Ivy asked carefully.


    "No. They were testing me to see if I was not betraying them behind their back. But you came and foiled all my plans." Mindy got agitated all of a sudden. She got up and the stool toppled with a bang.


    "You bitch. You came and spoiled all that I had done. I am going to kill you." She started to punch on the glass wall. The warden rushed to her immediately, however she could not control Mindy. It took two more people to subdue her. They immediately took her back to her cell.


    Ivy and Cedric left with a heavy heart. Mindy''s words were running in her mind like a cycle and she was filled with remorse. It was because of her, Mindy was unable to save her sister and she got locked up in jail. But what she did not know was that the truth was something else altogether.

 Chapter 86: Perfect couple

    Meanwhile in London.


    Aria packed her bags and exited her room. It was time for her team to leave for the airport. Stuart was waiting for her outside. As soon as he saw her, he took her room card and hugged her.


    "Aria, I am going to miss you."


    "Me too."


    Aria hugged him back. She had made a friend in an unknown place and he was with her and took care of her for almost a week. She was definitely going to miss him.


    "Keep in touch alright," Aria said, as she patted his back.


    "Sure. Before that, I have something for you."


    "What?"


    "This is a gift to you, to remind you of me."


    "Oh my, thanks," Aria said as she took the box.


    "And this is for you." She handed him a box in return.


    "You prepared a gift for me?" Stuart was pleased.


    "Yes. Open it after I leave."


    "Sure. Now come, everybody is waiting for us downstairs."


    Stuart took her luggage and walked in the front.


    "Hey, I''ll carry that." Aria ran behind him.


    "You carrying this heavy suitcase when I am here, no way." Stuart denied her offer and continued walking.


    "But.."


    "No buts. Let''s go."


    Having no other choice, Aria followed him. They got off the elevator and walked towards the entrance when her colleagues were already waiting for her.


    "So, are we ready to go?" Stuart looked at all of them.


    "Yes." Everybody nodded.


    "Let''s go."


    The group boarded the bus. During the entire time, Aria did not even look at Mason. Before, she did not like him. Now, after what he did to her yesterday, she hated him. Mason knew he had screwed up. Instead of getting closer to her, he had pushed her far away. What luck?


    After half an hour of driving, they arrived at the airport.


    "So, goodbye guys. Have a safe trip." Stuart said. It was clear from his face that he was sad, yet he was trying to keep up a smile in front of them.


    At that moment, he got a call and excused himself. Aria took out a box from her bag and approached Kaito who had got off the bus along with them.


    "Kaito, thank you for taking care of us.


    "Madam, it was my job."


    "Still, I want to thank you." Aria gave him a hug. This sudden action made the Japanese guy blush. But the next moment, he stiffened. He remembered that Aria was his Master''s woman and being hugged by her would only lead to death. However, he did not know what to do, he couldn''t push her away. He was not hugging her, but it was her who was hugging him. He could only let her do as she wanted.


    After hugging him for a few seconds, Aria pulled back.


    "Kaito, I am going to miss you."


    "Me too."


    "This is for you." Aria handed him the gift box.


    "Madam, I cannot accept this." Kaito refused immediately. How could he accept a gift from his future Madam? If his Master found out about it, then he would be as good as dead.


    "Kaito, I am not going to take a no. You are taking this and that''s final." Aria stuffed the box in his hands.


    Kaito sighed. His future Madam was as overbearing as his Master. They would make a perfect couple.


    "Kaito, Take it," Stuart suggested. He had ended his call and was looking at the scene taking place in front of him. With no other choice, he took it reluctantly.


    Happy with the result, Aria looked at Stuart. He had completely changed his demeanor from being sad to being happy. He had a bright smile on his face and he raised his eyebrows playfully at her.


    "Is everything alright?"


    "Yes. Why do you ask?"


    "You look quite happy."


    "Because I am happy."


    "May I know why?"


    "You will get to know in a few days."


    "What?" Aria was confused. She did not understand what Stuart was saying.


    "Aria, it''s time to go," Tara yelled.


    "Coming. So, goodbye." Aria hugged him once again.


    "Bye."


    She parted from him reluctantly. Sometimes, some newly made relationships will have closer bonds than those which have been years. She felt the same with Stuart. However, she was happy. She could go back home, she was quite homesick.


    They boarded the plane at exactly 1.30 p.m. This time Noah was not accompanying her, but he had made sure to send two guards to protect her. He knew what a bastard Mason was and he wanted Aria to stay as far away as possible from him.


    On the other side, Noah too boarded his private jet half an hour after Aria''s plane took off. He could have asked Aria to accompany him. However, he had other matters to deal with and he did not want Aria to see that face of his.


    Noah was sitting in his seat, looking at his laptop when a voice disturbed him.


    "Master."


    "Yes, Kaito. Do you have something to tell me?" Yes, Kaito was accompanying Noah back home.


    "Master, I am sorry."


    "Why?"


    "I have sinned."


    "What did you do?"


    "Madam hugged me today."


    "What?"


    Noah was stunned. Aria hugged another man who was not related to her. He became jealous at once.


    Kaito bent his head unable to meet Noah''s deadly eyes. The temperature in the cabin dropped suddenly.


    "Did you hug her?" Noah asked him in a threateningly low voice.


    "No Master." Kaito shivered.


    "Did she hug any other man?"


    "Yes Master."


    "Who?"


    "Stuart."


    "Oh." He had to do something now, his girl was going around hugging men behind his back. However, the next moment he berated himself for his childishness. He knew how friendly Aria was, it would have been only a friendly gesture. There was no need for him to be jealous.


    "Okay, I''ll deal with you once we reach our country."


    "Master."


    "Do you have something else to say?"


    "Yes Master."


    "What?"


    "Madam gave me this present before she boarded the plane."


    "She gave you what?"


    This time not only Kaito even Ronnie who was observing from the side shivered.


    "This present." Kaito gave him the box Aria had given him.


    "Open it." He ordered coldly.


    ''How could she give any other man a present when he himself hadn''t received one?''


    Kaito opened it in an instant. There were two gifts covered with a bubble wrap. He took one of them and removed the wrap. It was a photo frame. It was a photo of the group along with Stuart and Kaito which they had taken when they had gone sightseeing.


    "Keep this," Noah said. It was just a photo frame, nothing special about it. He took the next gift and his eyes widened on realizing what it was. It was a coffee mug. There was also a message engraved on it.


    ''Kaito,


    In an unknown land,


    A stranger became an acquaintance.


    Thank you for everything.


    I''ll never forget you.


    Aria.


    Noah sighed. Aria was the sweetest girl he had ever met in his life. She was not only friendly towards a driver, but she had also given him a gift out of consideration.


    "Keep this too."


    "But Master..."


    "She gave it to you. Don''t lose it ever."


    "Yes Master."


    Kaito was both surprised as well as happy. Surprised because his Master had allowed him to keep the gift and happy because his future Madam was very likable and kind, with not an ounce of arrogance. He wished them a long life and returned to his seat.


    Meanwhile Noah too had similar thoughts. He was quite touched with Aria''s gesture, however, he was also jealous. He had not yet received any presents from her.


    ''Looks like I should take my present from her myself.'' Noah smiled devilishly. He was looking forward to taking his present and oh that present would be something he would love.

 Chapter 87: Attracting danger

    Meanwhile in the dark, cold lair, a man was sitting on the only throne-like chair in the room. There was happiness in his eyes, not the terrifying aura he usually emanated. The men in front of him were dumbfounded looking at their Master smile. All their lives, they had only seen him smile creepily which could make one piss in their pants or die of a heart attack, this was a first time they had seen him give out a genuine smile.


    "I am very happy today. You know why?" The man lifted his head and stared at his men one by one.


    "Ask me why?" The man said, pulling out his gun. This action was enough for the other men to tremble.


    "Why Master?" They asked in unison before his craziness kicked off again and lest the psychopath should start firing at them without any proper reason.


    "My prey is in the hospital, although I wanted her to be dead. It''s okay, we can take of that. At least for now, she is out of the picture. I am very happy with your work, Zee. You will be rewarded accordingly."


    He looked at the man named Zee and pointed at the briefcase beside him. "You can take as much money as you want."


    "Thank you so much Master." The man named Zee was happy. He kowtowed in front of him, singing his praises.


    "Tell me the complete detail of the accident, leave nothing." His Master said crossing his legs.


    "Master, I made sure that the breaks of her car were not working. After ten minutes, the woman, Valarie took off in her car."


    "Next, what happened?" The man on the throne was excited. He looked like a small kid who had been provided with all his favorite things in the world.


    "The woman had a head-on collision with another car before her car toppled over twice."


    "Great." The man applauded. After applauding for a while, he paused immediately.


    "Whose car did she hit? Did that person die? Tell me he or she, whoever it was, died." The man stood up with a fierce glint in his eyes. He looked like he was out for a kill.


    "Master, there was no death involved. The lady who was hit suffered some minor injuries."


    "Shit." The man cursed and sat back on the chair.


    "Anyway, who was the lady?" Although he was not interested in knowing about her, he asked casually as he was bored.


    "Master, I think you know her," Zee said.


    "Do I?" The man raised his eyebrows.


    Zee in nodded. "It''s Rachel."


    The man''s eyes widened. He knew only one Rachel. "Are you referring to Rachel Carter?"


    "Yes Mas.."


    Before he could complete the word master, a bullet was shot right through his eyes. Zee fell dead immediately. The other men looked at the bloody scene and shivered vigorously. Every had only one thought in mind.


    ''Why did Master shoot him? What did he do wrong?''


    After shooting Zee, the man on the throne started laughing. His laughter was nothing short when compared to the laughter of the King of Hell.


    "You want to know why I shot him right?"


    Everybody nodded.


    "How dare he hurt Rachel? He should have made sure that she was fine; at any cost she should not be the one getting injured, not even by accident. But what did he do, he harmed Rachel. My Rachel." The man''s gaze turned from psychopathic to lovable in an instant. In the next moment, he turned sinister again. It looked like he had a switch that could make him change his emotions with the snap of his fingers.


    "How is she? Is she alright?" He asked, this time with a worried look. All the men in the room looked at each other astonished. They had never seen him worry about anybody else other than himself. This was a huge shock for them.


    "Tell me." He shouted and pointed his pistol at the man nearest to him.


    "Master, Miss Rachel is fine. She only suffered a few scratches, nothing serious. She has already gained consciousness."


    "Which hospital is she in?" He pulled back his gun.


    "Regal Medical hospital."


    "Get the car ready, we are going to the hospital." He looked at his driver who standing behind his chair and gave his orders.


    ----------------------


    After half an hour,


    At the hospital, Rachel was left alone to get some rest. Ian and Joshua had gone to Ian''s cabin to discuss some important issues while Daniel had returned to his company as he had a meeting with a client. Ian had taken Violet with him, so Rachel had no other option than to lie down and sleep.


    Although she had been unconscious for a while, her head still felt heavy and she was drowsy. She lied down and closed her eyes. She was on the brink of going into a wonderland when she felt a hand sweeping her bangs on her forehead. She woke up with a start and was shocked to see the person in front of her.


    "Mr. Augustus, what are you doing here?" She asked immediately as she tried to dodge his touch. His mere sight would give her chills, she did not even want to think about his touch.


    "Rachel, how are you?" Jared asked with a soft voice. He looked at her adoringly.


    Rachel noticed that he had not used any honorifics when addressing her. She tried to scuttle away from him, in spite of her not having any place. She was on the bed and an IV tube was still attached to her, she could not go far.


    "Rachel, calm down baby. I won''t do anything to you, I won''t hurt you. Never." Jared said as he pulled his hand back lest Rachel should move further away from him. She already looked like a scared rabbit in his eyes, he did not want to frighten her more. However, he did not know the true reason for her to avoid his touch. She was saving herself from the disgrace.


    "Mr. Augustus, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked once again.


    "I came to see you. I heard that you were involved in an accident, I was worried."


    "I am fine Mr. Augustus. You may leave now."


    "Why are you avoiding me? Do you hate me?"


    "I want to sleep." Rachel avoided his question.


    "Sleep, my dear. I''ll look after you." Jared said with a gentle voice.


    She stiffened, his words made the hair on the back of her neck to stand up. She was getting agitated. How could she avoid this psychopath?


    At that moment, Ian came in as a savior.


    "Rachel, you haven''t had your medicines yet." Ian stopped halfway, looking at the stranger in the ward.


    "This is.." He looked at Rachel.


    "He is Jared Augustus, an acquaintance."


    When Jared turned to look at Ian, Rachel motioned with her eyes to Ian to send him away somehow, which he understood at once.


    "Rachel, I have to do a thorough check up on you, this is a necessary procedure. Mr. Augustus, if you will excuse us."


    Jared squinted his eyes, he stared at Ian for a while before he looked at Rachel.


    "Rachel, take care baby. I''ll come to see you later." He got up and left the ward. Ian locked the door after he left.


    "What was that?"


    "I don''t know. Thank you very much. You have no idea how creepy he was before you came in."


    "By the way, who is he?"


    "He had approached our company with a project, but I rejected him on Noah''s warning."


    "Noah knows about him."


    "Yes, as soon as he heard his name, he asked me to be wary of him."


    "Be careful Rachel. that guy looks like a maniac. Tell Noah about him."


    "Yes, I''ll have to keep my guards up." Rachel didn''t protest against the idea of telling Noah, she knew it was better if he knew about it.


    "Anyway, take your tablets."


    Ian gave her her tablets. The drowsiness from before and the effect of the medicines made Rachel to fall asleep immediately. Ian stared at her sleeping self and sighed.


    ''Why did all the women surrounding Noah attract danger like magnets?''

 Chapter 88: Find the culprit

    After Jared walked out of Rachel''s ward, he did not leave the hospital immediately. He made an inquiry at the reception and found out about Valarie''s ward number. He then proceeded to her ward to give her a visit. He opened the door and stepped inside. There was a nurse who was changing her empty blood bag to a new one.


    Jared looked at the woman lying unconscious on the bed. Her forehead was covered with a bandage, the big oxygen mask covered half of her face. It looked like she was in deep sleep. Jared smiled.


    After the nurse changed the blood bag, she noticed his presence and was a little surprised. She did not know when he had entered, he did not make a sound at all.


    "Sir, are you visiting the patient?" She asked politely.


    Jared was silent, his eyes were fixed on Valarie. The woman who was now in deep slumber did not know how much stress she had given him before.


    As soon as he had heard that the two men he had sent to spy on the people in the Intelligence had been caught, he had sent his men to finish them off before they could point fingers at him. However, he was pleasantly surprised when his men did not reveal anything about the gang as well as why they were spying on them. Instead they took their own life just to save their Master. He was happy with their loyalty and had sent an abundant amount to their families as compensation.


    He next focused his target on Valarie, he knew she was the one who was investigating the case related to the virus from his sources. So he had to be wary of her and the best method was to eliminate her. He gave orders to Zee to finish her off efficiently and make it look like an accident and accordingly Zee had failed the brakes of her car, leading to her accident. And now here she was lying in a hospital bed, unconscious and fragile.


    His smile widened. Nobody could trace the accident to be intentional harm as the brakes had been fixed right after Valarie had been sent to the hospital. He had to give it for Zee as he had done a good job, except that in this midst Rachel had got hurt.


    Anyway, he couldn''t do anything now. He was relieved that Rachel was not gravely injured, otherwise he himself did not know what he would do.


    "Sir, Sir?" The nurse called at him again and again, until he finally reacted.


    "How is she?"


    "The patient is in a coma, but it''s not serious. She will wake up in a week or two."


    Jared sighed. He knew he couldn''t do anything to her in the hospital as the Regal Medical Hospital was one of the best hospitals in the city and every ward other than the maternity ward had a camera which secretly recorded everything that was happening in the room and the best part was nobody knew where the camera was present, except for the ones in the higher authorities. This was mainly done to prevent any ''accidental deaths'' in the hospital lest they should be blamed for any negligence. He could only wait for her to gain conscious, recover and leave the hospital to make any attempts on her again.


    "I''ll go for now," Jared informed the nurse and walked away without another word. Barely after a few seconds of him leaving the ward, Ryder and Preston walked in. They had missed Jared by a fraction of seconds.


    The nurse was taken by surprise again. The two men came and sat on the two stools placed beside her bed.


    "How is she?" Ryder asked as he looked at his Deputy lying silently on a hospital bed. He couldn''t believe that his mentor was lying comatose, it was the same for Preston too. Valarie was a senior they respected and admired. It still came in as a shock for them that she was involved in an accident as they knew she was an expert driver. They knew that the car had been tampered with and they had sent it for inspection. They were yet to receive results of it.


    "She is doing good. She will wake up in a week or two." The nurse repeated the same words she had told Jared to the two men in the ward.


    "Did anybody come inside the ward before us? I mean other than the doctors or the nurses?" Preston asked. He could smell a strong fragrance of cologne and he had detected it as soon as he had entered the ward. He recognized the smell at once, it was an international brand and a small bottle of it cost around a few million dollars and moreover it was only available in a limited edition. So, there was no way a mere doctor or a nurse could afford such a cologne unless he was influential.


    "Yes. Just a few minutes before you arrived, a man had visited the patient."


    Ryder and Preston stood up at once listening to her. Nobody knew about Valarie''s accident, not even her colleagues from her workspace, except for Preston and Ryder. There was no way anybody would come to visit her until he was someone they were looking for, the culprit.


    "Who was it? What did they do? How many people were here?" Ryder threw his questions at the poor nurse in one breathe. The nurse was startled by the sudden change in the behavior, they were behaving weird.


    "I don''t know who he was, he didn''t say his name. He was alone. He just asked about her condition and he left."


    "That''s it?"


    The nurse nodded unable to speak more. "I''ll come back and check up on her forty minutes later." She then slipped out of the ward.


    "Who do you think that man was?" Preston questioned after pondering for some time.


    "The one who wanted the Deputy dead." Ryder analyzed.


    There was no doubt in that. The man must be the one who had targeted her and now he must have visited her to find out more about her condition.


    After some time, Preston looked in the direction of the photo frame hung on the wall behind Valarie''s bed. There was nothing different about it. But as soon as he got near it, he found a small pinhole camera attached to it. It was so small and minute that most people would miss it even on taking a closer look and the best part was, it blended so well with the painting in the frame that nobody would doubt it.


    "Ryder, do you remember? It was said in the tabloids that every ward in the Regal Medical Hospital has a hidden camera to ensure the safety of their patients.


    "Yes," Ryder answered, not knowing what Preston was hinting at.


    "Come. Take a look here."


    Ryder followed his gaze and noticed the small camera on the frame. He was dumbstruck once again by Preston''s ability, his sixth sense worked like a devil and sometimes he doubted that if he was even from this world. How the hell did he even detect a camera in such an unbelievable position?


    "Yes, we can find out who was in the word before we entered," Ryder said, still admiring Preston''s skills. He was definitely the only one in the whole world with such a skill.


    "Will the management give us the recording?" Preston was skeptical.


    "Why won''t they? We are from the Intelligence, they will have to cooperate with us."


    Preston nodded. It did not matter who they were going to offend in the process, their main aim at present was to find the culprit who was after Valarie''s life.

 Chapter 89: Disgusted by the idea of love

    The feeling of the soft lips which tasted like strawberry, was constantly on Joshua''s mind since the previous night. He could not get the scene out of his mind at all. He could still feel her touch, it was still lingering on his lips. For the first time, he was left flustered and bothered by a woman. Usually, it was the opposite; he was the one who left women on their edges.


    He was in the meeting room where the graphics team was presenting the new ideas for the video game design. Yet, all his attention was somewhere else. He was not in his usual state of mind.


    His secretary, Lucia noticed his absence of mind, he was staring blankly at the manager who was giving the presentation. His employees have seen his lack of concentration too and they looked at Lucia to do something.


    "Sir," Lucia called out his name.


    "Yes Ivy," Joshua answered absent-minded, but he immediately realized his mistake. He looked his employees staring at him with her jaws wide open.


    Lucia''s heart skipped a beat. ''Who was Ivy? Is she his girlfriend?''


    Joshua cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sorry, can we continue this presentation tomorrow? I have other things to attend to."


    "Sure sir." All the people in the room obliged and left the room one by one.


    "Sir, are you alright?" Lucia asked him when they were left alone.


    "Yes."


    "Do you need something?" She was worried.


    "No Lucia. You can go." Joshua dismissed her.


    Lucia looked at him for a while and walked out of the reluctantly. Joshua sighed. He couldn''t comprehend what was happening to him, why he was constantly thinking about the kiss he shared with Ivy.


    Although he had other matters to handle and think about, like his new video game which was going to be launched the next month or about Rachel whom he had met in the afternoon in the hospital. Yet, everything became a void when he reminisced Ivy''s face. He suddenly started to have a bad feeling.


    ''Am I sick?'' He thought and shook his head.


    Without further delay, he called Ian.


    "What?'' Ian answered without an ounce of interest.


    "Can''t you be more cheerful? You spoil the mood." Joshua lamented.


    "Okay." Ian cut the call.


    "What the hell," Joshua yelled when he heard the end dial tone. He called him again.


    "What?" Ian asked the same question.


    "Why did you cut the call?"


    "Because I felt so. Now what?"


    "I think I am sick."


    "Hmm. Okay."


    "Okay? Just Okay?"


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "I am sick. You are a doctor, you must treat your patients."


    "Okay." Ian cut the call again. He was very busy and Joshua was only wasting his time. He had to find out more about the Litner family. He had to find out if he was actually related to them.


    Joshua stared at his phone when the call ended again. He was seething in anger.


    "Why did you cut the call?" Joshua asked Ian as soon as the call connected again.


    "I am busy. Tell me what do you want?"


    "I told you I am sick."


    "Okay. Tell me your symptoms."


    "I don''t know."


    "Then how are you telling you are sick? Listen Jo, if this is your prank, then I don''t have time for it."


    Before Ian could cut the call again, Joshua interrupted him.


    "Wait."


    "Hmm."


    "I don''t know. I haven''t felt like this till now. I am unable to sleep."


    "Insomnia, next," Ian noted down Joshua''s words.


    "I stare blankly into space."


    "Absent-mindedness. Next?"


    "I keep thinking about something."


    "What?"


    "Kiss."


    "What?" Ian was perplexed. This man had gone crazy.


    "Yes. I keep thinking about her."


    "Who?"


    "Ivy."


    "Aria''s sister, Ivy?" Ian asked, widening his eyes. Shock was an understatement of what he was feeling after listening to his friend''s words.


    "Yes."


    "What happened?"


    "I had met her a few days ago and some circumstances led her to kiss me."


    "So?" Ian did not understand where the problem was.


    "You are not getting it. I keep thinking about Ivy and the kiss. This has never happened before." Joshua sighed.


    "This has never happened before?" Ian repeated the question to confirm his words.


    "Yes. Tell me what is wrong with me."


    "There is nothing wrong with you."


    "Then, why am I feeling this way?"


    "That''s because my friend, you are falling for her."


    "No way."


    "Believe it or not it is the truth. You are attracted to her." Ian said smiling. Of the three, two wickets were down.


    "It''s impossible."


    At that moment, a nurse came running to Ian.


    "Doctor Davis, the patient in room number 12 is having a stroke. Please come with me, it''s urgent."


    "Listen Jo, I have an emergency to attend to. I''ll talk to you later." Without waiting for his reply, Ian disconnected the call and ran towards the room.


    On the other hand, Joshua was contemplating what Ian had told him. It was not possible that he was falling for Ivy. He had made a promise to himself to never fall for anyone eight years back. How could he break his promise just like that?


    He thought about all the things that had occurred after he had met Ivy. He couldn''t deny, she was interesting. She was different from all the other women he had been with or flirted with. She had never shown an interest in him nor had acted coquettishly in front of him. In fact, every time they met it looked like she repulsed him. What was it that made him like her?


    Her boldness? Her weird nature? Her straightforwardness? Her indifference to him? Her sarcasm?


    He couldn''t decide what it was. He found everything about her quite fascinating. He had never felt anything like that for eight years.


    Seeing where his thoughts were going, Joshua shook his head. How could he fall for anyone? No way. He made a promise to himself and he was going to maintain it. There was no way he would fall in love with Ivy when he was disgusted with the idea of love.


    Although he encouraged other people, but he personally hated the concept of love. It was disgusting, painful, miserable and selfish. It was not his cup of coffee. He had tasted it once and it was nothing but bitter and had destroyed him completely. Not again. Never.


    After thinking for a long time, he made a decision. If what Ian was saying was true and he was having feelings for Ivy, then it had to stop. He had to put a brake on them completely. He had to stay as far away as possible from her and this was for his own good.

 Chapter 90: Siblings are guilty

    After a six-hour flight, Noah returned to Country P. He had already given his orders for his assistant, Shane White, to take care of the woman who had been fired from the company the previous day. He had set the trap and was waiting for the prey to fall for it.


    As soon as he landed, he immediately rushed to the hospital to look for his sister. He was worried to death when he heard that she had met with an accident. He had to personally make sure she was fine, although Ian had already assured him about her health.


    When his car stopped in front of the hospital, he ran in the direction of the ward where Rachel was staying in. Looking at him run like a mad man in the hospital, the people made way for him. He looked like a bull which was ready to attack anybody who came in its way.


    Noah arrived at the said ward and opened the door with a bang. Although the sound was not too deafening, it was loud enough to wake up the sleeping Rachel. She woke up groggily and looked at her brother who looked like a scared kid who had just escaped from a horror house. He hugged her immediately and took deep breaths to calm his raging heart.


    "Calm down, brother. I am fine." She patted him to soothe his anxiety.


    After a while, Noah calmed down and he thoroughly took a look at his sister to see if she was gravely injured. Other than some superficial wounds, she looked fine. Only then he felt relieved.


    "How did you end up in an accident? Who is the other party? Tell me, I''ll take care of them. How dare they hurt my sister?" He seethed. Now his anxiety had switched to anger.


    "Hey, hey, hey. Nobody hurt me."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It was me who rammed into that woman''s car. It was my fault."


    "Ohh."


    "Yes, in fact that woman is now in a coma because of me." Rachel said sadly. She truly regretted her deeds. Because of her, an innocent person''s life was at stake.


    "Hey, hey relax alright. I''ll make sure she gets the best treatment. Anyway why did you do that?" Noah raised his eyebrows. It was unusual for his sister to intentionally ram her car into another.


    "I was being absent-minded."


    "You were absent-minded when you were driving?" Noah raged. It was fine if she hit a car on purpose or if there was a fault in the car. But she was not concentrating when she was driving? Not acceptable.


    "Sorry." Rachel bowed her head.


    "Not acceptable. From now on, you are not going to drive at all. I''ll appoint a driver for you."


    "But brother.." She started.


    "No buts. My word is final." He said without leaving any room for negotiation.


    Rachel sighed. She knew she could not change her brother''s mind. However, she hated having a driver. She felt that she would lose her freedom and someone would always be following her.


    "Tell me, what were you thinking about that you didn''t even care for your life?" Noah questioned.


    "I was thinking about Oliver." Noah was taken aback hearing her words.


    "Why were you thinking about him?"


    "I met Ivy today."


    "Ivy?"


    "Aria''s twin, Oliver''s daughter."


    "Oh." ''Why did Rachel meet Ivy?'' Noah thought.


    "Yes, she is friends with my boyfriend."


    "Daniel?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay. So what happened?"


    "Noah, you have no idea how much Ivy has already found out about the case. I was right there when she was discussing it with Daniel."


    "You were there when they discussed this important matter?" Noah was shocked.


    "Yes. She told me that she trusted me. Brother I feel very sad to keep the truth hidden from them."


    "Me too."


    "They trust us a lot. I am feeling guilty."


    "Me too."


    "I want all of these to end."


    "Me too."


    "Can we tell them about their father?" Rachel looked at Noah expectantly.


    "I want to tell them too. But you know how Oliver''s condition is, he is slipping in and out of coma. Ian is preparing the antidote for the poison. As soon as he is done, I''ll tell everything to them."


    "How long will it take?"


    "I need to ask Ian about it. He told me that it was almost ready."


    "Good."


    "Yes, once Oliver''s health improves, I''ll tell them everything. I don''t want to keep this burden too."


    "So, how is everything between you and Aria?"


    "She is my girlfriend."


    "Great."


    "I am happy for you."


    "Me too. I am happy for myself." Noah said with a smile on his face. Rachel choked on her own saliva on hearing his words. Her brother was praising himself.


    ''What a narcissist.'' She thought.


    "Yeah, I forgot."


    "Yes." Noah looked at her to continue.


    "Jared came to visit me in the hospital."


    "Jared? Why did he come to visit you." Noah''s gaze became cold at once.


    "I don''t know. But looking at him made me wanna puke. He was calling me with all endearing words and was being touchy with me."


    "That bastard." Noah clenched his fists and roared.


    "Do you know him?"


    "Have you heard of the Vipers?"


    "Is it the gang that is involved in the major criminal activities in the country?"


    Noah nodded. "He is the leader of the gang."


    "You have got to be kidding me." Rachel was hell shocked. "What does he want of me?"


    "I can give you two reasons for him to approach you."


    "What?"


    "First: He has taken a liking to you and wants to pursue you."


    "What?" Rachel looked at him like he was a moron. "No way."


    "It is a possibility. Second, he wants to take revenge on me by approaching you."


    "What?"


    "Probability of the second option is more." Noah reasoned.


    "Why does he want to take revenge on you?"


    "I destroyed his warehouse where he had kept his imported weapons."


    "Damn."


    "Hmm. So from now on, not only will you have a driver, but also two bodyguards who will accompany you everywhere."


    "Noo." Rachel cried.


    "Yes."


    "Noah please. I have a driver to look after me. Why do I need two guards?"


    "For your safety. You have no idea how dangerous that man is."


    "You are annoying you know that right?"


    "Thank you."


    "I don''t know how Aria will cope with you. I pity her. Poor girl."


    "What did you say?"


    Rachel was busy thinking about her life with three guards keeping a tab on her everywhere she went. So, she did not see the coldness that was brewing in Noah''s eyes.


    "I hate you." She declared without looking at him.


    "Same here." Noah flicked her forehead.


    "Ouch." Rachel rubbed her head in pain.


    "If you are here to annoy me, go away. I don''t wanna talk to you."


    "Okay."


    Looking at a raging Rachel, Noah was sure that she was completely fine. So, he left her to herself and walked out of the ward. He knew that was not what she had expected of him.


    "I hate you." She shouted again and huffed.


    Noah chuckled as he turned to look at her and finally walked away. He had some important matters to discuss with Ian regarding the antidote as well as the woman who was severely injured.

 Chapter 91: DNA report

    After meeting Rachel, Noah went to meet Ian in his cabin. Ian had informed him about an emergency and had asked for him to wait. So, Noah had to wait for Ian to come back.


    Although Noah arrived first to the cabin, it did not take long for Ian to come. He looked exhausted, there were dark circles under his eyes and his hair had become messy.


    "Look at you. What happened?" Noah asked giving him a thorough look.


    "I am overworked. When Aria was here, we would share the workload. Since her absence, I have to take care of her patients in addition to mine. It has become stressful." Ian took a bottle of water and gulped it down.


    "Don''t you have other doctors who can handle these patients?"


    "We do have them, but they are still inexperienced. I cannot hand over a major case to them yet. And the other senior doctors already have cases till the brim."


    "Pity."


    "You have no idea. For three days straight, I have been sleeping in the hospital. I am relieved now that Aria is returning to work tomorrow, otherwise I would have gone crazy."


    "Hmm."


    "By the way, why didn''t you bring her with you?"


    "I had some work to attend to on the plane. I did not want Aria to find out about it."


    Ian nodded. There were some things which better remained as secrets.


    "Anyway, how is the woman who was involved in the accident?"


    "She is fine, although she is unconscious now. She will wake up in four or five days."


    Noah took a sigh of relief. "Make sure she gets the best treatment, I don''t want her to suffer because of my sister''s mistake."


    "Sure."


    "How far are you in making the antidote?" Noah asked after some time.


    "I have prepared it, I only need to test if there are any side effects. It will be done by this week. I''ll give you a call once I am done."


    "Thank you."


    "You don''t have to thank me. It is my duty and we all want him to survive. He is a good man who fell prey for those assholes tricks. "


    "You have no idea how happy I am right now. Finally, I can tell Aria the truth."


    "Same here. After I found out that she is Oliver''s daughter, I have been consumed with guilt. I hope everything ends well."


    "Hmm."


    "So, now you are back, how do you wish to handle your father''s ex-wife?"


    "She is still alive?" Noah asked surprised. He had thought that the three people would have been dead by the time he returned to the country.


    "Barely. Joshua made sure to keep them alive as they are your culprits. It''s only right for you to punish them.


    "I''ll give a visit to the base when I am free."


    "I think you will not be free from on."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Now that you have a girlfriend, when will you have time for us let alone the base?" Ian teased.


    "Not a bad idea. I''ll hand over all those matters to Joshua and you. I can spend more time with my girl." Noah smiled. He was happy with just the thought of it.


    Ian sneered looking at Noah''s smile. "Don''t you dare."


    "Try me."


    "Then in that case, I''ll hand over as many cases as possible to Aria once she reports to work. That way, even if you are free, she will not be able to meet you."


    "Don''t you dare." This time Noah glared at him.


    "Try me." Ian shot back Noah''s words to him.


    At that moment there was a knock at the door and a nurse walked in. At first she was a little dazed to see Noah in the cabin. She knew who he was, there would be news of his achievements every alternate day on the TV. Why would he be here? Later, she realized that it was usual for him to be at the hospital as his sister was hospitalized and Dr. Davis was his friend. She calmed her heart and looked at Ian.


    "Doctor Davis, this is the DNA report you asked for." She managed to squeak out the words. Her heart was fluttering in the presence of two dashing men.


    "Thank you." Ian smiled at her gratefully. However, he did not know that his gesture had ignited fireworks in the poor woman''s heart. She scurried away blushing.


    "What report is that?" Noah asked as he looked at the file.


    "Have you heard about Norman Litner?"


    "No. Is it someone I should know?"


    "He won the Nobel Prize three years ago. He has opened the National Psychology Institute and his research in Minds and Depression has gained him many accolades."


    "Okay. So?"


    "He is a cancer patient and is admitted in our hospital. He has a granddaughter and I took her to meet Rachel today. She feels that I look quite similar to her.


    "Oh. What about his family? You could find out more about his offspring and in case he has a missing son."


    "Mr. Litner had two sons. Violet''s parents passed away in a car accident."


    "What about the second son?"


    "According to what I have heard he went missing when he was just six or seven years old."


    "So, you feel he might be your family?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t want to have high hopes."


    "Is this the DNA report between you and Mr. Litner?"


    "Yes."


    "Open the report then. Maybe you might be his son." Noah said hopefully. He sincerely wished for the DNA to match. He knew how badly Ian wanted to know about his parents.


    Ian slowly opened the reports and checked it thoroughly. After studying it carefully, he sighed.


    "What is the result?"


    "I am his son, the DNA matches 99.99 percent."


    "Congratulations," Noah said happily.


    Ian gave him a smile. Although he was happy, he was still not able to accept that he had found his family. It looked like a movie plot to him, unbelievable and crazy. He had a lot of questions in his mind, about his family, about himself.


    The one question that was bugging him the most was, ''How did I get separated from my family?''


    It looked like only the old man could give him the answers. Amidst the confusion, he was also happy as now his father could be saved. He could be the donor for the bone marrow transplant.


    "What do you want to do next?" Noah asked observing his expressions.


    "First I want to save him. Let''s see what happens next."


    "Fair enough." Noah agreed.


    "In that case, I''ll take your leave. Yeah, also first save your father. You can concentrate on the antidote later."


    "Thanks," Ian said gratefully. He could make the antidote anytime. But his father''s health was deteriorating every second. So he had to save him first. He was truly happy for having such understanding friends.


    Without wasting any time he took off, now he had a lot of things to do.

 Chapter 92: Helping Preston and Ryder

    After meeting Noah, Ian rushed to the cancer ward to meet his father. He had just finished his chemo session and was lying unconscious on the bed. Ian stared at the weak and fragile man for a long time. He could not express how he was feeling at that moment. He was happy about getting to know about his family but also sad when he saw his father suffering from a deadly disease. He was also curious about his past.


    He stared at his father for a while, the intense chemo session had made Norman go bald. He looked thin, yet there was peace and tranquility on his face. He did not know for how long he was standing just looking at his father. It was only when the nurse who was in charge of Norman came to check on him, did he move from his place.


    Taking a last look at his father, he walked out of the ward and went searching for the doctor who was handling Norman''s case.


    "Dr. Patterson," Ian called her out as soon as he saw her going towards the canteen with her other female colleagues.


    "Dr. Davis." The lady nodded at her friends to proceed without her and she would join them later.


    "Yes, doctor. How may I help you?" She asked him as soon as her colleagues left them alone.


    "Dr. Patterson, I think we found a match for Mr. Litner."


    "Really? That''s great." Dr. Patterson said excited. Which good doctor wouldn''t want their patient to get well as early as possible?


    "Yes."


    "Who is the donor?"


    "Me," Ian said although he did not reveal that he was actually Norman''s son.


    "That''s great news, doctor. But first, I must do some tests on you to confirm the match. We don''t want to take risks."


    "Fair enough."


    "So, when shall we start the procedure?"


    "As soon as you are free doctor. Yes, tomorrow I''ll be on leave. So, I am fine with any day later."


    "Yeah, I have work tomorrow too. So, then how about the day after?"


    "Great, but remember not to schedule any important cases during this process. You might feel some weakness and I don''t recommend you to take any stress."


    "Yes doctor." He was happy that Aria was returning. He could hand over his cases to her until his recovery.


    "So, if there is nothing else, I''ll take your leave."


    Ian nodded. Although he wanted to call and inform about the same to John, he wanted to wait until he was perfectly sure that he could be a donor. So, he dismissed the idea. He did not want to give them false hopes.


    He then saw the time, there were still ten minutes for his shift to end. So he decided to give Rachel a visit, before going back home. Before that he wanted to drop by Valarie''s ward and take a look at her.


    ------------------------------------


    Meanwhile in Valarie''s ward.


    Preston and Ryder were still inside the ward and were contemplating on what to do. Although they had approached the hospital staff, they were denied permission to access the CCTV footage. They could not reveal their true identity or else they could have easily secured the recordings.


    At that moment, the door to the ward opened and a man who looked to be in his late twenties entered inside. By the looks of it, he looked like a doctor.


    Ian glanced at the two people in the ward.


    "Are you visiting the patient?"


    "Yes," Preston answered.


    "The visiting hours will end in ten minutes."


    "Okay. We''ll leave." Preston said again.


    "Wait."


    "Yes?" Ryder turned to look at him.


    Ian took out the ID card he had picked up when Valarie was wheeled into the operating room.


    "This fell down when the lady was taken into the OT." He held out the card for them to take.


    The two men looked at the card first and then at Ian. This continued a few times until Ian cleared his throat.


    "That means.."


    "I know she is a Deputy at the Intelligence."


    Ryder coughed while Preston scratched his head. They took the ID card and Preston pocketed it. Hearing Ian tell them about him knowing the truth, an idea flashed in Ryder''s mind.


    "Doctor..."


    "Davis."


    "Yes, Dr. Davis. You already know that she works for the Intelligence. In fact, both of us too work with her. So, I have a request, more like a favor."


    "Yes."


    "I would like to view the CCTV recording of this ward."


    Ian was taken aback. He did not expect the men to ask him such a favor. He was not sure why they wanted the footage.


    "May I ask why?"


    "How shall I say this?" Ryder stopped talking. He did not know whether to tell the truth about the accident or not. He was not sure who Ian was and whether he was related to the people who wanted his Deputy dead.


    "Look Mister, without a request from the police we cannot give you the recordings. Also we need to know what your reason is for asking to view them." Ian said calmly.


    "Look Dr. Davis, the situation is like this." Preston started as soon as he realized that Ian would not bend to their wishes and Ryder did not know how to continue.


    "The car crash was not an accident, it was planned."


    "What?" Ian was shocked once again. It took him a lot of time to grasp what he had just heard.


    "Yes. Her car brakes weren''t working when she was driving it. Someone had tampered with it."


    Ian looked forth between Preston and Ryder to see if they were lying. But he couldn''t find any traces of them lying.


    "Hmm."


    "Also, only two of us know about her being admitted in this hospital. Not even our Chief knows about it."


    "Okay. How is this related to the CCTV footage? Why do you even want them?"


    "You see, before we entered the ward, somebody else had come here."


    "How do you know that?"


    "That...." Preston hesitated to tell him the truth.


    "He has the smell of a bloodhound. He smelt a highly expensive cologne in this room when we came in." Ryder revealed.


    "Makes sense." He was not surprised by their special abilities. He knew many people who could detect various smells, one of them was Ronnie.


    "So, would you help us?" Preston asked.


    "That, I need some time. I need to talk with my superiors before I can make a decision. But I suggest you to get a police warrant. It will be easier."


    The two people remained silent. They knew they could get the recording easily with the help of the police. However, once the police got involved, the matters would definitely reach their enemies and the danger would increase.


    Looking at the two men, Ian sighed. He knew how risky it was for them to approach the police.


    "Okay, I''ll try my best to get the footage."


    "Thank you." Preston and Ryder said at the same time.


    "Not a problem. The visiting hours are over now."


    "We are leaving."


    The two men sincerely thanked Ian for co-operating with them before leaving. Now Ian was left with the task of retrieving the recording.

 Chapter 93: Message from sister-in-law

    The flight finally landed around 11 p.m. and Aria exited the airport. Ivy was waiting for her at the departure gate. However, there was a large crowd of people, so she couldn''t find her easily.


    "Aria, how are you going home?" Tara asked as she dialed someone on her phone.


    "My sister has come to pick me up. How about you?"


    "My husband has come, I am giving him a call. Julia, how about you?"


    "I don''t know. I think I''ll hail a cab from here."


    "You could come with me. Your house is on the way to my apartment." Aria suggested.


    "Is it possible?" Julia looked at her hopefully.


    "Yes, definitely. Let me give my sister a call."


    As Aria made a call to Ivy, Julia turned to look at the men behind them.


    "How are you guys going home?"


    "We are taking a cab from here," Aiden replied while Mason booked a cab on his phone.


    "There she is." Aria found her sister. "Julia let''s go. Tara, has your husband arrived?"


    "Yes, he will be here in a minute. You guys carry on. See you at the hospital day after tomorrow."


    "Bye Tara. Be safe." Julia bade her goodbye and stood beside Aria.


    "Bye Tara. Bye Aaron." Aria followed suit. She only spoke to the two of them and did not even glance at Mason, he had become non-existent to her.


    "Let''s go Julia."


    Aria and Julia walked to the spot where Ivy was standing. She was busy on her phone. So, she did not notice the two people in front of her, until Aria called her.


    "Ivy."


    "Hey Aria." Ivy looked up.


    "This is Julia, a colleague of mine. This is Ivy, my twin sister." Aria introduced them to each other.


    "Twins?" Julia was surprised. They did not look identical in any aspect.


    "Yeah, non-identical," Ivy replied.


    "Ivy, her house is on the way. We will give her a drop."


    "Sure, this way." Ivy led them to her car.


    "I was worried that you would bring your motorbike. Hmm. You have brains." Aria teased.


    "I wouldn''t have minded bringing my bike. But then I thought about your luggage. So, I had to drive your car."


    Aria took the passenger seat, while Julia sat at the back. Their luggage was safely deposited in the trunk. Ivy started the car and took off from the airport.


    "So, Julia. How was London? My sister told me it was as handsome as Chris Evans in Captain America."


    Julia looked at the sisters in confusion. She couldn''t grasp what they were talking about. However, Aria clearly knew what Ivy meant, she was talking about her boyfriend.


    Aria looked at her and gestured through her eyes that Julia did not know a thing about it.


    "What I meant was, how were the men in London? My sister told me that they were quite good looking." Ivy corrected herself immediately.


    "Oh that. I am not sure. I did find some good looking men."


    "Cool."


    Aria rolled her eyes. She was not sure why Ivy was so excited.


    "Do you have a boyfriend?" Ivy asked.


    "No."


    "Hmm."


    "Why are you so interested in these kinds of stuff today?" Aria chided her from the side.


    "Just for fun. Where exactly does your house come, Julia?"


    "From here, go straight. You will find a gas station. Take the first left and then the first right. The second house is mine."


    Ivy followed her directions and stopped in front of her house. Julia got down and picked up her luggage from the trunk.


    "Thank you so much, guys."


    "Not a problem."


    "See you the day after tomorrow Aria. Phew, we do not have work tomorrow."


    "I am not that lucky."


    "Why?"


    "Dr. Davis has asked me to give a visit to the hospital tomorrow? He has some things to talk about."


    "Lucky you." Julia teased.


    "Damn Dr. Davis."


    "Okay, okay. Bye. Take care."


    Julia waved at Ivy and walked towards her house. Ivy and Aria waited until the lights of her house were turned on before they drove off.


    "So, who is the handsome guy you have found in London?"


    "Haven''t you left that topic still now? I thought we were over it."


    "Nah ah. No way. Not until you tell me everything. Who is it?"


    "Do you know Noah Carter?"


    "The business tycoon, Noah?"


    "Yes."


    "He is your boyfriend?" Ivy was shocked. She immediately pressed on the brakes and parked the car at the side.


    "Yes."


    "How did this happen?"


    "It''s a long story. Now will you drive?"


    "Sorry. Sorry." Ivy started driving again.


    Aria closed her eyes and leaned on the window. There was still time for them to reach home, she could as well take a nap.


    "I don''t care if it is long or short. I want the details." Ivy started again.


    "When will you let go of this topic?"


    "When you tell me everything," Ivy responded.


    "Ugh. You are unbelievable."


    "Thank you. So tell me."


    "I tell you in detail some other time. Now I am tired."


    "Okay, remember your words."


    Ivy and Aria reached home in ten minutes.


    "Do you want anything to eat?" Ivy asked as she removed her jacket after entering the apartment.


    "No. I am full, I had dinner on the flight."


    Ivy nodded and plopped on the sofa. She switched on the television and browsed the channels. Aria went to her room to freshen up. The long flight had made her tired and her muscles had gone stiff. She wanted nothing but to soak herself in hot water.


    Ivy saw that Aria''s purse was lying on the table. She turned to look at her room to see if she was around. When she confirmed that Aria would not leave her room any time soon, she opened the purse and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it easily.


    Ivy went through the contacts and found Noah''s details. She sent his contact number to her phone and placed her phone back in her purse.


    Ivy smirked and opened her phone. She immediately sent Noah a text.


    ''Is this Mr. Noah Allen Carter?''


    There was no reply from his side. She waited for ten minutes before she sent him another text.


    ''I know about you and Aria.''


    ''How do you know Aria?''


    Noah ignored the text from an unknown number at first. He was used to getting such messages. This number was not his private number so there was no high level security. Ivy had not seen Aria''s phone thoroughly. There were actually two numbers stored in his name. She had taken the one which Noah used for people who were not that close to him.


    The second message from the same number made Noah a little worried. Other than his friends and his sister, not many people knew about him and Aria. He was scared.


    ''What if it was from his enemy?'' He thought.


    ''It is not important for you to know about it.'' Ivy texted back.


    ''Then?'' Noah was getting anxious now. What did the sender want of him?


    ''I have something to tell you. So, I want to meet you in person.''


    ''Sure. When and where?''


    ''Jim''s cafe. 11 a.m.''


    ''Okay.''


    Ivy smiled at her smartness. She was only playing around with him. She wanted to meet him in person to see if he was worth her sister. Her intention was not to scare him.


    However, Noah was going bonkers on receiving the texts. He immediately dialed Joshua.


    "Hey Loverboy. What''s up?"


    "I have no time for this. I got a text from an unknown number, I want you to find out to whom the number belongs."


    "Okay."


    Noah sent him the number and waited for his reply. Within seconds, Joshua called him back.


    "Why do you have this number?"


    "I got some messages from this number. Why?"


    "Then, there''s nothing to worry about."


    "Who does it belong to?"


    "Ivy, Aria''s sister."


    "What?"


    "Yes. Tell me. What did she send you that you became so frantic?"


    "Nothing." Noah did not tell him about the messages and ended the call.


    "Ivy. Hmm. So my sister-in-law wants to meet me. Okay."


    Noah was surprised as to why Ivy wanted to meet him. He would get his answers the next day.

 Chapter 94: Testing Noah

    The next day, Noah arrived at the cafe. He was earlier than the fixed time and had to wait for Ivy to come. He had done this on purpose mainly for two reasons. First, he wanted to create a good impression on Ivy, after all she would become his sister-in-law in the future. Second, he wanted to play along with her prank and see what she was up to.


    Noah had not informed Aria about Ivy''s trick. He knew she was oblivious of it, otherwise she would have warned him. This was a meeting without anybody else''s knowledge.


    Ivy was on time, she was inside the cafe at 11 a.m. She looked around her in search of Noah. She had seen his picture. So, finding him would not be difficult for her. After a few seconds, she saw him sitting at the farther end of the cafe. He was glancing at his watch every few seconds impatiently.


    Ivy smirked. He observed him from her place before she approached him.


    He was handsome. Ten points. He was rich and could take care of Aria without any problems. Ten points. He had style. Ten points. For now, he had gained thirty points. There was still seventy more to go and Ivy would only consider him to be with Aria if he got a perfect score.


    She walked to him slowly. She thought that since Noah did not know who she was, it would not be a problem for her.


    "Excuse me Mister. Is this seat taken?" She asked coquettishly.


    Noah looked at her. Although he had not seen Ivy, he realized that it was her. The previous night after he had found out that the text was from Ivy, he had forgotten to ask Joshua to send him her picture.


    At first, Noah was surprised. There was no resemblance between Ivy and Aria. It would be difficult for anybody to believe that they were twins. However, he immediately composed himself and involved himself in the act. He did not know what Ivy was getting at.


    "I am sorry Miss. I am waiting for someone." He answered her without hesitation.


    "I could give you company till then." Ivy batted her eyelashes. Noah realized Ivy was flirting with him.


    "No Miss. Please leave."


    ''Not a flirt. Ten points.'' Ivy thought inwardly.


    "Mister, aren''t you the business tycoon Noah Allen Carter?"


    Noah remained silent.


    "Oh. That was why I felt you to be familiar. I have heard about you a lot." Ivy looked at him with stars in her eyes. She was literally fangirling over him. Noah''s lips raised a little. Yet he looked at her coldly.


    "Miss. I am waiting for someone. Please leave." He faked anxiousness and looked at his watch again.


    "Why is that person not here?" He said aloud.


    "Who?" Ivy blurted out without thinking. She immediately realized her mistake and stuck out her tongue.


    "Mister Carter, I like you," Ivy said and held his hand.


    Noah was shocked. This was something he had not expected even in his dreams. He did not know Aria''s sister had a crush on him. He started to panic.


    "Miss, I don''t know who you are. But let me tell you one thing, I already have a girlfriend and I am happy."


    Ivy stifled a smile. He was honest, trustworthy and definitely not a cheater. Ten more points.


    "It does not matter Mr. Carter. I like you. Even if we cannot take our relationship any further, we could have some fun." She gave him a suggestive look.


    Noah was disgusted by her now. If she was not Aria''s sister, he would have slapped her hard on her face. But he was enduring it just for his woman. He wondered if Aria knew that her sister was seducing her man.


    "Get lost." He looked her in anger. "How dare you? I am trying to give you some face. Before I lose control, get out of my sight."


    His speech gained him thirty points at one go. He was now at eighty.


    Ivy realized that her test had gone a little too far. Yet she tried one last time.


    "Are you sure? I will keep this a secret."


    Noah gave her a cold glare which made Ivy laugh. She was holding her stomach and laughing hysterically until there were tears in her eyes.


    "You are so cute brother-in-law." She said after some time.


    Noah was flabbergasted. He stared at her astonished.


    Looking at his bewildered, Ivy gave him an apologetic smile.


    "Mr. Carter, I apologize for my behavior just now. It was not my intention to seduce you, I was merely testing you."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You see, Aria only has me as a family right now. So, it is my responsibility to take care of her. When I heard that she was dating you, I was a little skeptical about this relationship."


    "But why?" Noah asked her calmly. This time his expressions had become gentle but not as gentle as he was in front of Aria.


    "You are a well-renowned person. I was not sure if you were serious about her or were only having fun with her."


    "I understand. I promise that I will do nothing that will hurt Aria and if I did hurt her, it would not be intentional. After all, I love her." Noah confessed.


    "Wow, brother-in-law you are so cool. Sorry about that. It was merely a test."


    "So, how would you evaluate me?"


    "You scored an eighty on a hundred. Wait, do you know to cook?"


    "Yes."


    "Then ninety."


    "What about the remaining ten?"


    "That will be awarded later. I am sure you will eventually gain those points too. It''s my first time meeting you. So, I need to have some reservations. Also, you are a bad actor."


    "Why do you say so?"


    "I knew you found out that I was Aria''s sister."


    "How?" Noah was taken aback again. His sister-in-law was truly amazing.


    "You are a businessman. It is obvious that you would have people to investigate messages from unknown people especially the ones which involved you or somebody close to you. It was not hard to guess."


    "You are smart."


    "I know." Ivy patted her shoulder, making Noah laugh in the process.


    "So, what do you want to order?" Noah handed her a menu.


    "Oh right, I am a little hungry, now that you mention it. However, it will be my treat."


    "No way." Noah rejected at once.


    "Brother-in-law, take it as a compensation for testing you and I am not taking a no from you. What would Aria say if she finds out that I tested you and also made you pay for my food? I am not yet ready to get myself killed especially by a doctor who is also my sister."


    Noah laughed again. Both the sisters were intelligent and funny and extremely stubborn. Before He could say anything to her, Ivy had already called the waiter. She gave her orders and looked at him to place his order. After he finished with his order, Ivy stopped the waiter.


    "Ask Jim to place this order on my tab?"


    The waiter nodded and took his leave.


    "Do you know Jim?" Noah asked her.


    "Yeah. I frequent this place a lot."


    "Hmm. By the way, next time it will be my treat."


    "Sure, remember I am only buying you brunch. When your turn comes, it will not be something small. I am a huge eater, I might end up emptying your pockets."


    "Sure. Not a problem. I have loads of money to feed you for a lifetime."


    Ivy gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, brother-in-law, keep this meeting a secret from my sister."


    "Why?"


    "She doesn''t know a thing about it and if she finds out then I am as good as dead."


    "Okay."


    Noah did not have any intentions of telling Aria. It was something between him and Ivy anyway. He was also happy that Ivy had accepted him whole-heartedly. A huge burden was removed off his shoulders now.

 Chapter 95: Regal Hospital, a subsidiary

    Meanwhile, Aria did not know about Ivy and Noah''s meet. She slept until 10. By then, Ivy was already gone. The breakfast was ready, all she had to do was heat it up. She was so tired that all she wanted to do was sleep. However, hunger did not allow her to be in peace. It woke her up with a slap, forcing her to break her deep slumber.


    Aria chewed on her omelet even though she had not brushed her teeth.


    ''Did I become lazy after I returned from London?'' She wondered, nevertheless satisfying her stomach was more important at present than to worry about hygiene. She ate slowly savoring the taste and blessed Ivy to have mastered the art of cooking. At least she would not die starving. There was somebody who would look after her need for food.


    Aria remembered that she still had to go to the hospital in the afternoon. Although she wanted to continue with her sleep, she had to bid a goodbye to it with much reluctance. She knew if she slept now, she would not get up in time and Ian would come behind her.


    After finishing her breakfast, she brushed her teeth and took a shower. The fatigue she felt slowly drifted off with the hot water soothing her body. However, it was not long before her peace was broken. Someone started banging on her door loud enough for her to hear even though the bathroom was filled with sounds of water. It would not be Ivy as she had her keys with her.


    ''Who else could it be?'' She thought. Yet, she had no intention of opening the door. She was not expecting anyone nor had she ordered any delivery. So, she did not move from her place. She thought that the person would eventually leave her to be.


    The banging went for some time until it died eventually when nobody answered. Aria took a deep breath. By then she was finished with her shower. Not having much to do, she switched on the TV. There were still two hours before she left for the hospital. There was nothing much that could catch her fancy. So, she turned it off and picked up her laptop. She still had her thesis to submit, she could as well work on it.


    She tried switching it on several times, but it did not work.


    "Not again." She cried. This was the third time her laptop had given up on her. She then got an idea. Since he had already created a backup on her drive, she could use Ivy''s laptop. So, she went to her room to use her laptop. However, the scene she encountered in her room made her gasp.


    There were paper cuttings, posters, maps, pictures all stuck on the wall. Below each, there was a brief writing about it. She saw David Peters'' picture and an article about his arrest. Also, there were many people who she did not know.


    "What the hell is this?" She exclaimed. Aria had seen Ivy''s room just before she had departed to London. Although there were paper clippings and other papers stuck on the wall, it was not to this extent. Just in a matter of a few days, it had covered the entire wall. There was also a glass wall which she had not seen before. There were many markings on it which were connected to other writings.


    Aria looked at the glass wall trying to decipher what Ivy had scribbled on it. In the middle of all the papers, there was her father''s photograph. So, this was a case related to her father.


    Aria started connecting the different scribblings with the lines that led to them. She read through the list of hospital names and then realized these were the ones that were involved in the crime. She saw that the last writing was about the Royal Health Care Hospital. Below the hospital name, the word ''Director'' was written with a question mark. She then saw a name that shook her to the core. It stated Vice Director: Wilbur Price.


    Aria was so shocked that she had to sit down for some time to come back to her senses. The man whom she had met in London was actually related to the hospital which caused her father to go missing. Suddenly she remembered something she had read years before. She switched on Ivy''s laptop and searched for the information she wanted. As she had expected, she was right.


    Regal Medical Hospital was actually owned by the Royal Group, it was a subsidiary branch. This had happened four years back, just before her father started covering the Royal Health Care Hospital.


    She was so dumbfounded by the information that she did not know what to do. She picked up a marker and wrote Regal Medical Hospital on the wall and connected it to Royal Hospital with a line. Below it, she wrote ''Same Management, bought 4 years back.''


    At that moment, the cell phone in her pocket rang breaking the silence. Aria picked it up without seeing the caller''s name.


    "Aria, where are you? I am waiting for you." Ian''s voice sounded from the other side.


    Aria looked at her watch and realized that she was running forty minutes late. She was so engrossed with the new findings that she forgot the time and her appointment with Ian.


    "Sorry Ian. I overslept." She lied conveniently.


    Ian did not give a second thought to her words. It was obvious that she would have been tired by the journey and she would have slept. So, he did not scold her.


    "No problem Aria."


    "I''ll be there soon," Aria promised.


    "Okay."


    Aria was still meddle headed. So, she sat down for some time to clear her head. It was a lot for her to take in. After she was sure that she was fine, only then did she step out of the house.


    ................


    As soon as Aria arrived at the hospital, she gave Ian a call. He asked her to come to his cabin and he would be there in just a few minutes. Aria did as she was asked to do and found Ian already waiting for her.


    "Come Aria. Sit down. How was London?"


    "It was good."


    "Great."


    "Congrats."


    "Why?" Aria asked confused.


    "You found yourself a boyfriend," Ian said smiling.


    Aria wanted to smack her forehead. How could she forget that Noah was friends with Ian and Joshua and definitely he would have told them about the new development in his life?


    Aria looked at him embarrassed.


    "I am happy for you both. There is nobody else better than him for you and definitely, he wouldn''t get anybody else better than you." Ian said with all sincerity.


    "Thank you," Aria said gratefully. She was touched by his words.


    "Now let me tell why I have called you here."


    "Hmm."


    "There is a cancer patient in our hospital and he needs to have a bone marrow transplant. Apparently, I could be a donor. My blood cells match with his, although there are some tests to be performed to confirm it."


    "That''s great Ian."


    "Yes. But during the process, I will not be able to handle my patients until I recover."


    Aria grasped onto his words immediately.


    "You want me to take care of your patients. Isn''t it?" Aria furrowed.


    "Yes."


    "Dr. Davis, are taking revenge on me?"


    "Why do you say so?"


    "Since, I handed over all my patients to you before I left, now are you returning the favor to me with interest?"


    Ian laughed. He hadn''t thought about it that way.


    "If you say so."


    "Dr. Davis." Aria seethed.


    "Aria, please."


    Aria stared at him and huffed. She was not at all angry with him. It was just that she was in the mood for some entertainment. So, she was throwing a tantrum.


    "Okay." She said after thinking for a while.


    "Thank you, Aria."


    "If there is nothing else, I''ll go take a look at my patients since I am already here. Oh, damn." She stopped suddenly.


    "What?"


    "I forgot the gift I got you from London?"


    "How could you forget such an important thing? Just how?" Ian made a face that showed he was utterly wronged.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll get it to you tomorrow."


    "Don''t forget. Otherwise, you are not allowed to step out of this hospital tomorrow."


    The word hospital made Aria remember something. She could ask Ian about the connection between Regal and Royal Hospital. He had been working there before she joined, he might know something.


    "Ian." She started. But she stopped halfway, she did not know how to continue.


    "Yes, Aria?"


    "Nothing. Bye." Aria said and left the room.

 Chapter 96: Having second thoughts

    The night arrived quickly and Aria had just gotten off from work. She was deciding on hailing a cab when a Maybach stopped in front of her. She did not have to think twice to see who it belonged to. She knew it was Noah inside the car. She was pleasantly surprised to see him. They had talked to each other in the morning and she had told him about her work timings. She had also informed him that she would be working late. Yet, here he was to see her.


    Warmth spread through her body and her ears reddened at once. The door to the backseat opened and Noah''s head peeked out.


    "What are you waiting for? Get in." Noah immediately pulled her and she stumbled inside. She was a little stupefied at his sudden pull. Glaring at him, she sat properly on the seat and fixed her messed up attire.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Ouch." Noah placed his hand on his chest and cried out. "Is this the way you welcome your boyfriend."


    "Then, how should I welcome you?"


    "When you see your boyfriend, which is me, you have to give me a hug and a kiss. That''s the actual and perfect way."


    "In your dreams." Aria scoffed.


    "Careful there. My dreams have always come true." Noah warned.


    "Whatever."


    "You want to test me?" He raised his eyebrows and pulled Aria towards him, making her squeal.


    "What are you do...?"


    Before she could finish, he had already pressed his lips on her. Aria tried to push him away and he pulled back immediately. It was a short kiss.


    "See I told you." Noah smiled.


    "You are mean."


    "I am honored." He draped his arms around her shoulders and pressed her head to his chest.


    "Where are we going?"


    "Nowhere. I am taking you home."


    "Ohh." Noah could hear her disheartened tone clearly. His lips quirked up in amusement.


    "Why? Do you want to go somewhere?"


    "What? No no." Aria denied immediately.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll take you out tomorrow, but today I have some work to do."


    "Then, why did you come here? You could have finished your work." Aria said in concern.


    "I have come to meet my girlfriend but she is quite eager to drive me away. Tell me what I should do? You are also mean and together we will create a bunch of meanies." Noah teased.


    Aria couldn''t grasp what he had said earlier. However, on realization she blushed immensely. It was the first time she was hearing such loving words, her heart couldn''t control the excitement. Her cheeks were painted red and her eyelashes fluttered. Noah smiled looking at her flushed cheeks. He wanted nothing but to bite them.


    Aria averted her gaze and looked outside the window. She saw the familiar neighborhood and she gasped. She remembered she had never given him her address. How did he even find out?


    "How did you know my address?"


    "Surprise." Noah gave her a vague answer.


    Just then they saw a motorbike come roaring out of nowhere and go inside one of the building''s apartments.


    "Hey, that''s Ivy," Aria said merrily. This was the best opportunity for her to introduce both of them.


    "Who?" Noah faked ignorance although he already knew who Ivy was. Also he was shocked to see Ivy riding a motorbike. In the morning, Noah had left early as he had a business meeting to attend, while Ivy was still eating her brunch. So, he did not know about her vehicle.


    "Ivy, my sister. I told you about her. Remember?" Aria looked at him.


    "Ah. Yes. Yes." Noah put on an act in front of her. If Joshua was present to witness this scene he would have puked out blood.


    "Does she ride a motorbike?"


    "Yes, she is wild and adventurous type, unlike me," Aria explained. She was so engrossed in her chat with Noah that she did not even know that they were already in front of her apartment.


    "Umm. Noah, can you spare a few minutes?"


    "Sure."


    "I want to introduce you to my sister."


    "So soon?"


    "What?" Aria was so excited that she did not hear what he had said.


    "I mean, ain''t it a too early for this?"


    "Ohh." Aria was taken aback. She did not know that Noah was reluctant to meet her sister. She even started to have second thoughts about them, about him.


    ''Was it too early for this?'' Aria pondered while Noah did not even know that her thoughts had run wild and she was even having second thoughts.


    "Okay, let''s wait for some time."


    "Yes. Aria we have just started dating. Let''s enjoy these days. We can meet the family later. Let''s get to know each other first."


    "You are right," Aria said, although there was still some doubt in her mind.


    "I''ll get going then." Aria gazed at him and gave him a peck. She then opened the door and ran inside the apartment without even turning back to look at him.


    Noah''s mind short-circuited by the sudden kiss. Before he could respond to her, she had run inside the apartment. Noah smiled, his ears had gone red. He could still feel her lips on his. His mood improved tremendously.


    Even after an hour, he could not stop smiling. The car stopped at the Underground Base.


    "Boss, we have arrived." His driver, Tony, said.


    "Yes, good job," Noah said, before he got down.


    Tony was greatly confused. He had been doing this job for almost six years and never in those years had he heard his Boss praising him, although he did the same job daily.


    ''What potion did Madam give to my Boss? Boss, what happened to you?'' He secretly cried.


    ''Boss, I can''t stand you this way. It is more terrifying than the times when you get angry. Boss, come back. Although I am happy for you, I prefer you to be cold and aloof rather than all smiling and behaving weirdly."


    Tony was not the only one who was dumbstruck by Noah''s change. Even for his guards at the base, it was a bolt out of blue. They too wondered what made him behave this way. Nevertheless, they were scared shitless, they were worried it was like the calm before the storm. He was smiling as if somebody''s end had arrived.


    Among all the people around Noah, only one person was not affected by his uncanny behavior. It was none other than Ronnie. He had seen a lot of expressions of a similar kind on his Boss''s face and he knew who was the reason behind it. So, he did not give a second thought to it. He followed him quietly.


    Joshua was already waiting for him in the room. He looked at Noah''s face and his lips twitched.


    "Why are you so happy today?"


    "What do you think?" He gave him a smile in return which only said: Ask me more.


    "Did something good happen? Tell me." Joshua was excited.


    "Good?" Noah pondered for a while. "It is more than good, excellent. Outstanding."


    "Hold on. What happened?"


    "Aria happened."


    Joshua rolled his eyes. He couldn''t believe Noah at all for his childishness. He had simply got his expectations high.


    "Okay lover boy, let''s talk about work now."


    Noah nodded and followed him inside the room where Eddie, Beth and Caroline were locked. Gone was all the gentleness and warmth in his eyes. He was now back to his old self. The three people had become unrecognizable. They had grown extremely thin, just like malnourished people. They looked like they had aged a lot and their cheeks had become hollow. It was difficult for them even to stand, let alone walk.


    "So, what do you want to do with them?"


    "Why don''t you just kill us?" Beth shrieked.


    "What do you get by torturing us?" Caroline joined her.


    "Satisfaction," Noah answered in one word.


    "You bastard," Beth shouted and since the room was quite huge and had nothing at all in it, her shrill voice echoed. It sounded horrible to listen.


    "I have decided," Noah said after staring at all the three for a while.


    "I won''t kill them."


    "Then? Do you want to let them go?" Joshua asked from the side unhappily.


    The three people looked at him hopefully. If they were allowed to walk out of here, then that would be excellent. They could make a full proof plan and take revenge on him in the future.


    "Do you take me for a fool?" Noah asked, his eyes still on Beth''s face.


    "What do you mean?" Joshua asked back.


    "Look at that woman in the middle. I know she will come after me if I allow her to go out from here."


    Beth''s heart skipped a beat. ''How did he even know what she was planning? Does he know how to read minds?''


    "Yes," Noah answered her unasked question.


    "Then, what do you want to do?" Joshua was getting confused now. He did not understand what Noah was getting at.


    "They will stay here. But give them sufficient food from now on."


    "Noah have you gone crazy."


    "Wait, I am yet to finish."


    Joshua immediately shut up.


    "However, every time we torture any person, these three people will be the witness and they will clean the room after it. What do you say?"


    The three people were horrified. They couldn''t imagine looking at a person being tortured even in their dreams let alone witness it live. Moreover, they had to clean up the place. It was horrible.


    "Oh, I love it." Joshua was exhilarated. This kind of torture was worse than any other form of torture.


    "Why don''t you just kill us?" Caroline flared.


    "There is still time for that."


    Noah left the room followed by Joshua and Ronnie. All they could hear were the high pitched curses from the two women accompanied by Eddie''s wailing.

 Chapter 97: Volunteering to go to war field

    Two days had passed since the war between the two countries started. All the people of Country P got to know about it and they were sincerely wishing that their soldiers would return victorious with no lives lost.


    A huge amount of armaments and weapons were brought to the campsite. The battle was taking place day and night with no symptoms of stopping for even a bit. The war field was filled with gunshots, rifle reports and every now and then the sound of bombs exploding. There was blood, death and destruction.


    Ethan Meyer was leading the team from the front along with five other majors. It was their duty to report the details of the war to their superiors. They had seen many of their soldiers hurt and many more dying. They did not know what to do other than to report the situation.


    "Major Meyer, how is the situation?" The Defense Minister asked. They were on an encrypted video call with the Defense Minister as well as the President. There were also the military officials of high ranks connected to the call. They were giving their opinions regarding the war.


    "Sir, as of today, we have lost thirty-nine soldiers and around a hundred and six of our men are severely injured," Ethan informed them.


    "That''s bad." President Luis Truman commented.


    "Yes sir."


    "What is the situation on the other side?"


    "Sir, they are in large numbers. We have managed to kill around seventy as far as we know. But we do know for sure how many people are out there in hiding." One of the other majors replied.


    "Hmm."


    "Soldiers, keep up the good work. I hope we don''t lose any more of our people. Keep us informed of the situation and let us know if you require anything." The Defense Minister said.


    "Sir, about that. We have a request to make." Ethan replied.


    "Yes go ahead."


    "Sir, we request you to send some doctors as well as some medical supplements along with them. We might need medical help and it''s best to have doctors here. We have army surgeons and doctors, but we wouldn''t mind additional help."


    A lot of soldiers were getting injured every minute and nobody knew how long the war would last. It was better that they had medical help so that their soldiers could receive good treatment.


    "That can be arranged." Luis accepted his request. It was fair that they had doctors who could tend to the soldiers. That was a fair request.


    "Anything else?" The Defense Minister questioned.


    "Nothing else, Sir."


    "Okay, but remember this none of the civilians are to be injured while they are there. You must make sure of it."


    "Yes sir. I promise none of the doctors will be affected in the war." Ethan replied confidently.


    ----------------------------------------


    Ethan''s request was put to action as soon as the call ended. The President ordered his secretary to prepare a list of the top four hospitals in the country and send them a message asking them if they were ready to assist the soldiers in the war. If they replied positively, then they were requested to make a list of the doctors and nurses who were willing. They were given a day to respond to the message.


    The secretary took the orders and got to work immediately.


    Regal Medical Hospital was one of the hospitals which received the message. As soon as the management saw the message, they immediately called for a meeting. There was nothing much to discuss, they were ready to assist the soldiers. It would their pride to help the country in the time of need.


    But the problem came when they had to select the people who would be going to the war site. So, they called for a meeting with doctors from each department. They put forth the message they had received and were asked to give their names if they wanted to go.


    Ian already knew about the message as he was the head of the hospital, it was obvious he would know about the matters related to it. However, he was in a dilemma. He wanted to go, but his father''s operation date had been fixed and his presence was very much needed. Nonetheless, he gave his name. He still had a week, before they departed to the war field. He could as well prepone the transplant and take time to recover the remaining days.


    Another person who gave her name without any hesitation was Aria. She knew that the hospitals had doctors who could take care of people. But there was dire need of medical staff at the eastern border. So she did not even think twice before giving her name.


    Ian and Aria were the only two doctors who volunteered from the cardiology department. Totally, there were four doctors and five nurses who were ready to go. The management immediately sent the mail regarding the same to the person in charge.


    After the meeting, Ian immediately went to meet Dr. Patterson. As soon as she saw him, she smiled at him.


    "I know why you are here, Dr. Davis. I heard that you have volunteered to go to the war site. In that case, we will have to advance the transplant for you to recover in time. If you are ready, we can start the treatment today evening."


    "Is that possible doctor?"


    "Yes, why not?"


    "Thanks a lot, Dr. Patterson."


    "Be prepared at 4 p.m. We will start the procedure today."


    "How long will it take doctor?"


    "If Mr. Litner''s body accepts your bone marrow, then around one to two hours. Otherwise, it depends."


    "Hmm."


    "Dr. Davis, I need you to have a good meal and take some rest for now."


    "Okay doctor. I''ll see you at 4."


    "Okay."


    Aria was standing just behind him. As soon as he turned around, he bumped into her. Aria staggered. Ian had to hold her to prevent her from falling.


    "Sorry." Both of them said at the same time.


    "Ian, you could have gone along with the original date of the bone marrow transplant right?" Aria voiced her opinion.


    "I wanted to join the war."


    "But, you will be weak after the operation."


    "I have time to recover. Anyway, my immunity and stamina is good, I''ll recover in no time."


    "Yeah right." Aria scoffed.


    "What about you? Why are you going there? You know it''s risky right?"


    "Yes. But, I don''t want to miss the opportunity to serve my nation." Aria said with pride.


    "What about your sister and Noah? Will they agree with your decision?"


    "I don''t think Ivy will have any problems with me going to the border. In fact, she will be happy and encourage me more to do so. And as far as Noah is considered, I am not sure how he will respond." Aria said unsure about what to do.


    Looking at Aria''s distressed face, Ian sighed.


    "Aria, as far as I know, Noah is not petty to stop you from doing the things you like. But he will definitely be sad to see you go. Moreover, we do not know when we will return. So, he might go a little crazy in this matter."


    "I understand. I will give him a call."


    Aria excused herself and immediately called Noah.


    "Hey." She said as soon as the call connected.


    "Missing me already?" Noah teased.


    "Yes," Aria replied honestly.


    Noah smirked. He was on cloud nine on listening to Aria reveal her thoughts.


    "Noah, I have something important to tell you."


    "Yes love, I am all ears."


    "Umm. You know that our country is at war right?"


    "Yes," Noah said unsure of what Aria wanted to say.


    "Our hospital was requested to send some staff to the war site to attend to the injured soldiers."


    "And?" Noah was having a bad feeling now.


    "I volunteered to go," Aria whispered. She had no strength to say it out loud.


    "What?" Noah stood up from his chair. He had just finished a meeting with a client and had returned to his office when he got a call from Aria.


    "Sorry."


    "Aria, can you repeat what you said to me?" Noah asked calmly.


    "I.." Aria stuttered.


    "Yes?"


    "I volunteered to go."


    Aria waited for him to speak. She knew he was angry and she just hoped that he would agree with her decision.


    On the other hand Noah was not angry. He was scared. He knew how scary the battlefield was. Even if she was not actively participating in the fight, it did not mean that the danger was lessened. He was terrified of losing her. However, he knew he couldn''t stop her from going. She was the master of her own life and he did not want to control her. He also knew it was a pride to serve the nation, he did not oppose the idea.


    "Noah, say something."


    "Okay."


    "What?"


    "I agree with you about going to the campsite."


    "Thank you. Thank you so much." Aria was elated. She did think that Noah would agree to her this fast. She thought she had to coax him before he even relented.


    ''That was quite fast and he did not even put up a fight.''


    "How long will you be gone?"


    "I am not sure. Maybe until the war ends."


    "What?'' Noah exclaimed again


    "Aria, how am I going to stay without seeing you for so long."


    "Noah, please please, please. I''ll do anything you say."


    Noah''s heart softened when he heard her beg. He was also tempted by her offer, he wanted to see how far was she willing to go to please him.


    "Okay fine. But I have a condition."


    "I''ll accept anything you say."


    "I want you to stay safe. Promise me."


    "I promise. Also, Ian is coming along. You don''t have to worry."


    Hearing that Ian was accompanying her, he relaxed a little.


    "About the offer you made, don''t forget about it," Noah said with a wicked tone after a while.


    Aria''s jaw dropped. In her desperation, she had not realized what she had said before. Now, on hearing it from Noah, she chided herself.


    ''Did I just offer myself to the Devil?''

 Chapter 98: An open book

    The bone marrow transplant had been completed successfully and Norman''s body had accepted Ian''s marrow. Although in the beginning, there were some complications when his body refused the new marrow. After trying another time, his body accepted it with great difficulty. Now, both the donor and acceptor were lying unconscious.


    Aria and Noah were in Ian''s ward, taking care of him. It had been four hours since the transplant and he would be waking up anytime soon. So, they were waiting for him to open his eyes.


    "Ian is so cool," Aria commented as she sat beside Noah.


    "He sure is," Noah said. It was not easy for anybody to donate their bone marrow. Moreover, the patient was Ian''s biological father, from whom he had got separated since the age of five. One must have great strength to something like that.


    Ian stirred slowly. Aria observed this slight movement and got up to take a look at him. His eyelashes fluttered and his fingers moved.


    "He is waking up."


    Noah stood up and walked towards the other side of Ian''s bed. It took Ian a few minutes to open his eyes completely and look at his surroundings. He tried to move, but an intense pain shot through his entire body making him groan.


    "Hey, hey calm down." Aria held his hand.


    Ian observed her. He felt weak all over, even smiling was difficult.


    "Do you want some water?" Aria asked him softly.


    He blinked twice.


    "Noah help me please."


    Aria pressed a button on the remote and the headrest moved up slightly. She adjusted it until she felt he was to have some water without any difficulty. Noah place his pillow so that he was comfortable.


    "Are you fine? Do you feel discomfort anywhere? Is it painful?"


    Ian shook his head.


    "Here, have some water." Aria handed him a cup of water which he swallowed in one go. He felt better. He smiled at her gratefully.


    "How are you feeling?" Noah asked from the side. It was not until he heard Noah''s voice, did he realize he was also in the ward.


    "When did you come?" His voice croaked.


    "A few minutes back. Are you alright?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you in pain?"


    "It''s manageable."


    "Where''s Joshua?"


    "I am right here." Joshua entered the ward as soon as Ian took his name.


    "You look...."


    "Bad, horrible."


    "Decent."


    "What?" Ian asked confused.


    "Yeah, I thought the transplant would have made you a little weak and maybe a little less handsome. But you still look cool. I am impressed Davis, you have outstanding genes."


    "Yes. I am not you." Ian teased.


    Aria stifled a laugh.


    "What do you mean?" Joshua furrowed his eyebrows.


    "I am not a weakling like you. So, it''s guaranteed that I won''t be losing any of my charms."


    "Oh, please. I am more charming than you."


    "Yeah right." Ian scorned.


    "You want to test it? Let''s ask the lady over here." Joshua turned to look at Aria.


    "Hi there, pretty lady. ICU in my dream tonight."


    "What?" Aria gaped at him.


    However, before she could hear any reply, Noah pulled him by his collar and dragged him away from her.


    "What are you doing?" He glared at him.


    "What? I am just turning on all my charms on her. I don''t want to lose to Ian."


    "I don''t even have to turn on my charms to win against you. Am I right, Aria?" Ian asked, smirking at her.


    Aria raised her eyebrow. She did not know how she even got involved in the childish banter between the two friends.


    "Aria, tell us who is more charming?" Joshua urged. He couldn''t walk to her as Noah was still holding his collar.


    Aria looked a the two men and without any hesitation said one name. "Noah."


    "What?" Both Ian and Joshua asked at the same moment.


    "You asked me who is more charming, so I answered. Who could be more charming to me than my boyfriend?"


    Her answer was as sweet as honey to Noah. His heart was filled with warmth and his hold on Joshua loosened immediately. He smiled and looked at Aria adoringly.


    "Not again." Joshua cried. "This is the second time something like this has happened." He was referring to the time when they had asked Violet the same question and she had chosen Daniel.


    "Children, don''t get angry. I''ll tell you who ranks the second." Aria spoke, trying to avoid Noah''s loving gaze which was burning holes on her head.


    "Who?" Joshua and Ian looked at her expectantly with their eyes wide open. To Aria, they resembled two puppies who were awaiting their master to pet them.


    "The second rank goes to.." She took a look at Ian first and then at Joshua.


    "Me." She pointed her forefinger at herself.


    Ian and Joshua were dumbfounded. They did not know Aria was this playful. Their mouths twitched.


    Noah let out a laugh. "As expected of my woman. She knows how to control naughty kids."


    ''Who was Noah calling naughty kids? He must have gone crazy after he fell in love.'' They thought.


    "You two get out of my ward right now. I am not hungry and even if I am, I don''t want to eat dog food." Ian huffed.


    "I second that. My eyes will become blind if I keep staring at you both being lovey-dovey with each other."


    "Then don''t look. We didn''t ask you to be an audience."


    Aria blushed hearing their words. She glared at Noah but to him it looked adorable. She resembled a strawberry with her cheeks tainted a beautiful shade of pink.


    "You are like a TV with no power off button. Neither there is an option for us to change channels. So we can''t do anything about it." Ian commented.


    "I can''t help it. I have an outstanding woman as my girlfriend. I am bound to flaunt my love for her. If you are so annoyed with it, get yourself a woman each. Although she might not be as good as Aria, you might find someone who is bearable."


    Aria''s heart skipped a beat. ''Does Noah love me? Is it true?''


    Noah did not realize what he had said and neither did the two other men. Nevertheless, he continued.


    "Who asked you two to be slow in getting yourselves a girlfriend?"


    "Get out. Go. Go flaunt your love somewhere else. There is a patient here and he needs rest." Ian tried to wave his hand like he was shooing away animals, however, he couldn''t move much.


    "Joshua back me up."


    But Joshua did not hear any of his words. His mind was somewhere else. As soon as Noah talked about them getting a girlfriend, he couldn''t help but think about Ivy. He did not know why he thought about her. His mind was constantly reeling the brief kiss he had shared with her.


    "Um Jo?"


    "Yes?" Joshua came out of his reverie immediately.


    "What were you contemplating about?"


    "Nothing."


    Ian looked at him suspiciously. He felt that there was something wrong about Joshua but he couldn''t put a word to it.


    "Where are the love birds?" Joshua looked around the now empty ward.


    "They left when you were deep in thoughts."


    "Oh." Joshua did not know what to say.


    Something struck a chord in Ian''s mind at that moment. He remembered the call he had had from Jo a few days back.


    "Jo, the topic we talked about two days back."


    "What about it?" Joshua feigned ignorance.


    "Are you fine?"


    "Yes. Why do you ask?"


    "My observation says that something is wrong. Do you like someone?"


    "What? No way." Joshua reacted immediately.


    Ian raised his eyebrows. His suspicions were confirmed now. There was definitely a woman he liked but he was holding himself due to the incident that took place long ago.


    "Jo, who is it?"


    "No one. What are you talking about?"


    "Jo."


    "There is no one. Dr. Davis, I think after donating your bone marrow you are becoming paranoid."


    "Jo, you cannot lie to me. I can read you like an open book."


    Joshua sighed. He knew nothing could be hidden from his friends. They knew him inside out, like the way he knew them.


    "I know. It''s just that I don''t want to do this."


    "Jo, listen to me. Whatever happened back then was not your fault. That woman was not worthy of your love and you know that."


    "Yes but I have lost the courage to love again. I don''t want to experience the heartbreak again."


    "Jo, not every woman out there is evil. There are some good people too, like Aria."


    "I know. That is what is making me lose control of my will power."


    "What do you mean?"


    "That girl is good, in fact very good."


    "Wow, my friend you are so in love. It shows in your eyes. Who is that lucky girl?"


    "I am not going to tell you because nothing like that will ever happen between us. I will never take this path of love." Joshua said with determination.


    "Are you sure? Think about it, you might regret it later."


    "No. I have decided and I will not change my mind."

 Chapter 99: Lets get married

    When Joshua had gone into deep thoughts, Aria and Noah had slipped out of the ward. It was around nine and Aria was hungry. So, she went to the canteen in the hospital and Noah followed her.


    "Why are you eating here? Let''s go somewhere else." Noah suggested although he was still following her.


    "If I leave, I''ll have to come back again. Let''s have dinner here."


    "Aren''t you finished with your work yet?"


    "I have night duty today."


    "Damn." Noah cursed.


    "What was that?" Aria turned to look at him.


    "Nothing. It''s just that you are leaving in a week and I don''t have much time to spend with you."


    "Hey relax. I''ll come back and we will spend as much time together as possible ."


    "Yes, you also have to keep your promise."


    "What promise?" Aria raised her eyebrows innocently.


    "In fact, there are two promises that you have to fulfill."


    "How did it become two? I remember saying only one time that I would do anything to agree with me in going to the borders. When was the other time?"


    "So, you remember that you had made a promise?" Noah smirked.


    Aria wanted to smack her head because of her idiocy. She realized that Noah had dug a pit for her and she had jumped right into it.


    "Don''t change the topic. What is the second promise I made?"


    "Remember in London, you promised me that you would buy me food."


    "Oh." Aria had forgotten about it completely. She reminisced their first date and how she had made a deal with Noah when he had paid for their meal.


    "Yes. So, when will you buy me a meal?" Noah asked bending down so that he could look at her in the eye.


    Aria blushed. She did not know what to say.


    "Don''t say you are going back on your words," Noah smirked.


    "No way. Never. I don''t break my promises." Aria said lifting her head proudly.


    "I''ll remember that. The second promise you made that you would do anything I ask you of, it will be on hold for now." Noah knew when exactly he would use her words for his gain. He was dreading the day Aria would find out about her father.


    "So, where will you take me on a date?" Noah said teasingly.


    "For now the hospital canteen."


    "I can manage."


    Aria and Noah went to the canteen and ordered their food. Noah stared at like it was something weird while Aria devoured it like a hungry kid. It looked like she had seen food after a week of starvation.


    Noah looked at her eating quite blissfully and took his bite after hesitating for a long time. Although it was not as good as the food he usually ate, it was not bad either.


    "How I wish Ivy had come here with dinner," Aria exclaimed.


    "What?"


    "I am tired of eating outside. I want to eat homemade food."


    "So, what''s the problem?"


    "My sister Ivy is working overtime today. So she can''t bring me dinner."


    "What about you? You can cook for yourself right?"


    "No."


    "Are you serious?" Though his question was supposed to come to out as a serious remark, it sounded like he was happy for some unknown reason.


    "Yes. I don''t know how to cook. It is a great fact that I can prepare some tea and coffee. Other than that, I know nothing about cooking."


    "That''s great," Noah said exhilarated. He was happy that he had learned cooking and became proud at once thinking about it. He could cook for her every day in the future and how exciting it would be when he saw her happy face eating the food he made. Just the thought of it was giving him butterflies in his stomach and filled his heart with joy.


    "What?" Aria asked and looked at him like he was crazy.


    "Nothing. You don''t know how to cook, but your sister does?"


    "Yes. She is awesome when it comes to this field. I would prefer her food to the ones from seven-star restaurants."


    "Oh," Noah said rewinding her words. Now he had a competitor and it was none other than his sister-in-law. He had to do something about it.


    "Since I don''t know how to cook, I always had this wish that the person I marry would know to make at least a few dishes." Aria blurted out without thinking.


    "So, what do you think now?" Noah folded his hands.


    "I don''t know. I am sure if that wish of mine will become true." Aria took the last bite on her plate.


    "Why do you say so? Do you think I don''t know to cook?"


    "Are you sure we are going to get in the married?"


    "What do you mean? Are you backing out of the relationship so soon and why do you think I am not serious about you, about us?" Noah''s eyes scrunched and it looked like he was getting angry.


    "I don''t know, I always have this feeling that I am not good enough for you." Aria bent her head unable to meet Noah''s scorching gaze.


    Noah''s heart softened on listening to her words. He held her hands.


    "Look at me Aria." He said softly.


    Aria slowly lifted her head to look at him.


    "Listen to me and listen to me carefully. I am not having a casual fling with you. I am serious about us and I promise that I will get married to you in the future."


    Aria''s heart skipped a beat at his confession.


    "So get this irrelevant thoughts out of your tiny head because it will never happen. We will be together in the future. I want to take small steps because I am scared that you are not ready yet. I want you to get to know me completely. But if you are still unsure, then come let''s get married right away."


    Noah was thrilled with the idea. He was being slow as he did not want to scare away. Otherwise, he would have tied her to himself legally long back. He knew it was the first time that Aria was in a relationship and he wanted her to experience her love life before getting married.


    Aria realized her mistake. She had jumped into conclusions without even thinking about it. She had even doubted Noah''s intentions about her. Now she was truly regretting her actions.


    "Sorry." She said as she looked at him with love-filled eyes.


    "Why are you sorry?"


    "Because I misunderstood you."


    "Apology accepted. Now get this thing in your mind. I am not going to leave you, not now not ever. And if you try to leave me then I am going to tie you to me so that you can''t. Understood?"


    "Yes sir." Aria saluted, making Noah laugh.


    "So, when will our next date be?" Noah changed the topic.


    "Tomorrow, I am a little busy. How about the day after and as promised, it will be my treat?"


    Aria remembered that she had not met Daniel after returning from London. So, she had dinner plans with him the next day.


    "Okay. I''ll look forward to it."


    "Sure."


    Noah then recollected that she had given gifts to Stuart and Kaito and an idea popped up in his mind.


    "I also want a gift."


    "Why do you want a gift?"


    "Just like that." Noah shrugged.


    "Okay. What do you want?"


    "Surprise me."


    "What? You are acting weird."


    "Is it necessary?"


    "Hmm. Don''t forget my gift."


    "Okay?" It came out as a question.


    Now Aria had to prepare for their second date as well as a gift for him. She could manage with the date but, she did not know what to gift him. She then realized that she could ask Danny the next day, he could help her.


    She then looked at him with all smiles, making Noah wonder what she was up to now.

 Chapter 100: Plan to get out of prison

    On the other side of the city.


    David Peters was living the life a beggar. He had lost his status, his power, and his everything in just one night and that was all because of that damn man who recorded his video. His life was destroyed in a blink of an eye. What he did not know was that the man who ended his career and dreams was actually a woman.


    The prison he was held at was not in its best condition. He was also not provided with any special treatment, he was treated just like the other convicts. His case was filed and was put up in the court of law. The proceeding would start from Thursday, which was two days from then. He had built up his hopes of escaping this misery, escaping the prison. He knew someone out there would come to his help, the one person who he had helped in doing his misdeeds while he monitored from the back. It was none other than Jared. He trusted him like a brother, a savior, and a friend.


    However, all his dreams came crashing when that one person too gave up on him.


    David reminisced the conversation he had with Jared in the morning.


    --------------Flashback--------------


    "Get up, you have a visitor." The prison warden opened the door to David''s cell and tapped on the gate.


    David got up immediately. He knew who had come to visit him, he had expected to meet him and had been waiting for him. The warden handcuffed his hands and led him to the visitor room.


    As expected, Jared had come to meet him. Although he had covered his face completely, David knew it was him. His eyes perked upon seeing him. It felt like after a long time he had found water to quench his thirst.


    He sat in his chair as he stared at the man on the opposite side of the window.


    "Jared, thank you. I knew you would not give up me. I know you will help me get out of here." David said in all honesty.


    "David." Jared cut him off of his emotional statement.


    "Yes?"


    "I want you to do something."


    "What? I''ll do anything you say. Just get me out of here."


    "Listen to me carefully. I have bribed one of the wardens here."


    "Okay. So, what should I do?"


    "He will bring you a bottle of pills. I want you to consume two of them."


    "And?"


    "And you will be sent to the hospital immediately."


    "I understood. I got the plan. I''ll do as you say."


    "Great. You have to do it by tomorrow morning."


    "I''ll do it as soon as I get the pills," David said enthusiastically. He was so excited about the plan that he did not see the slight sinister smile on Jared''s face.


    ---------------End of flashback----------


    David held the bottle of pills in his hand. There were only two pills inside. He stared at the bottle for some time. He was unsure if he wanted to proceed with the plan. He was going to get sick in the process, but would it be worth it? He thought about it.


    But when he saw the poor condition of the cell he was staying in as well as the food he was given, he felt everything was worth it if he got out of this hell.


    The plan was to get him sick, so that his proceeding date could be pushed forward and they could think of something for him to get out of this situation. This was the only option they had as of now as all the clues were against him. The prosecution had prepared a strong case against him and his chances of getting freedom were less than zero. Luck was not in favor of him.


    He took the two pills and gulped them down without hesitation. There was no immediate reaction. He waited for a few minutes, still no effect.


    ''Are the pills not working? That can''t be right. Jared would not give me these without testing them.'' He thought.


    One hour passed. David was getting restless. The pills had not yet started their work, he was still fit and fine. However, the next moment a tremendous pain shot through his body. He felt that his stomach was on fire. He started to cough and his eyes burned. His body was on fire, and he twitched in pain. His legs gave away and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. His coughs became severe and it became difficult for him to breathe. He felt that he was being burned alive.


    His chest hurt whenever he breathed. A sudden pain shot again through his body and he screamed. It was nothing less than hell for him. His scream made one of the wardens to come and take a look.


    The warden saw David on the floor, twitching and crying. He looked disinterested at first, but the next moment when he coughed out blood, the warden immediately typed the passcode and opened the cell. He ran to him and saw that David had gone pale and there was blood gushing out of his mouth. David lay limp in his hands.


    The warden immediately called for his fellow mates and picked up David. He was immediately shifted to the nearby hospital.


    After David was taken away in the ambulance, the warden who handed him the pills, made a call to Jared secretly.


    "Boss, the work is done."


    "Alright."


    David was immediately wheeled to the emergency ward. However, the doctors did not take much time to state his condition. He was declared brought dead.


    The two prison wardens looked at each other. They were shocked, as well as the police who had accompanied them on the way.


    "How did he die doctor?" One of the wardens asked.


    "We will have to do a post mortem test to find out about it. But if my speculations are correct, he must have consumed poison.


    The police were dumbfounded. They made a call to the police headquarters and informed them of the situation. Later, his body was sent for tests.


    The prison warden too got the news of his death from his mates who had gone to the hospital. He gave the news to Jared immediately.


    "Good. Now, keep the suicide letter in his cell, and remember, don''t leave any clues or traces. Got it?"


    "Yes Boss."


    "Good work. You will be rewarded well."


    Jared cut the call and smiled. His work was done. Now David was free, he was out of the prison. He had done as he had promised to David. He had told him that he would get him out of prison and now he was out of that dirty place. Though dead, he was out. It was all that mattered.


    "Fool." He commented, his voice laced with sarcasm.


    Hey, he promised he would get David out of prison. But he did not specify whether alive or dead. Now, Jared had removed the thorn in his way. Nobody would find out that David was working for him.


    The men involved in the mission were dead already and dead don''t speak.

 Chapter 101: Tim was not innocent

    The news of David''s death was released into the media after an hour of him passing away. To the entire country, it was more shocking than the day they found out about his misdeeds. They were eagerly waiting for the courtroom proceedings to take place. However, now when David himself was no more, the case was on hold.


    Even more alarming fact about his death was that he had committed suicide by consuming poison. The suicide letter was produced before the public for scrutiny. The people were in a state of frenzy.


    As soon as Ivy heard the news of David''s demise, she did not react much. She had predicted this outcome before. She had sensed that the person who was responsible for this ruckus would do something to get rid of David as he would always be a threat to him until he was alive.


    Now when David actually died, although not much, she too was surprised. It was not the fact that he died which surprised her, but the fact that it declared a suicide was what nagging her brain.


    ''There is something important here and we are overlooking it. We are missing a clue.''


    "You are right," Sasha stated.


    "What?" Ivy asked bewildered. She did not know what she was talking about.


    "We are missing something."


    "Did I say that out loud?"


    Sasha nodded.


    "Oops."


    "Don''t you find it weird that he committed suicide just two days before his trial."


    "It sure is strange," Kira added.


    "There is something wrong in the prison," Ivy said absent-mindedly, swing her pen in her hand.


    "Definitely, how did David even get a hold on poison. It is either the work of an inmate or the prison staff." Sasha reasoned as Kira took in her words.


    "Agh. This is a mess." Ivy said scratching her head.


    "I agree." Kira and Sasha said at the same time.


    "I am going to take a break." Ivy got up and left the room. She had been sitting for a while and her legs had gone numb. She needed to stretch her muscles and relax.


    Ivy walked out of the room and made a trip to the washroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. There were dark circles under her eyes, although not that prominent.


    "Ivy you need to take rest, don''t stress yourself. Your beauty will die if you keep overworking yourself. Then you will not be a goddess anymore." She spoke to herself.


    The door to one of the cubicles opened and a woman walked out. Ivy recognized her at once. She was Karen Douglas, the star news reporter of their channel. She mainly covered the entertainment section and interviewed famous celebrities in the country. Her quirky attitude and her bold personality had made her famous the moment she started her career as a showbiz reporter. She was quite proud of her achievements, but she was not a bad person. It''s just that her fame had got into her head and she had become arrogant.


    Karen laughed when she saw Ivy giving herself a beauty speech.


    "That was quite a speech out there." She sassed.


    "Thanks, I know I am good." Ivy retorted back.


    "Right." Karen coughed to hide the awkward situation.


    "So, what are you up to now? Are you still loitering around without doing any actual job or...?" Karen asked with a sweet smile.


    "Yeah, I am getting paid just to come to the office. Unlike you, I don''t need to work hard at all. Poor you, it must be tiring for you to work day and night without a break. You have become thinner, and your cheekbones look more protruded. Are you still dieting?"


    "What nonsense are you even blabbering?" Karen all but yelled.


    "Oh, my bad. It looks like you are menstruating. You must be having a stressful day. Take a break alright?" Ivy said with a poker face and walked out of the washroom before Karen even got the chance to speak.


    After exiting the washroom, she had a sarcastic smile on her face.


    "Who is that unlucky person you tore into shreds just now?"


    "Cedric, hey. How did you find out?"


    "Your face is practically screaming: I just killed a bitch right now."


    "It''s Karen."


    "Wow, your all-time mortal enemy?"


    "She is not my enemy."


    "More like a lover then, you are practically in a love-hate relationship with her." Cedric laughed.


    "What nonsense are you spouting?"


    "I am saying the truth. She loves you so much that she leaves no opportunities to make a dig at you and you hate her so much that you don''t even give her face."


    "Cedric, I think you have forgotten the last prank I played on you." Ivy''s tone held a tinge of warning.


    "Oh prankster, I think you forgot how I paid you back." He smirked.


    "Wait and watch."


    "I am waiting. Do you wanna have some coffee?"


    "Sure."


    "I heard that you want to do a documentary on a soldier''s life now."


    "Who told you? Kira, it must be her. She has a big mouth."


    "So?"


    "Yes, I want to look into the life of a soldier."


    "But, with the current scenario, I don''t think it''s possible."


    "Yeah. This war broke my dreams."


    "Not exactly. It is on hiatus right now."


    "You do know how to cheer me up."


    "Yeah. Talent." Cedric patted his back.


    "So, what''s up with you?"


    "Just finished covering the report on David''s death. Ain''t the case a little weird?"


    "It sure is. Look it''s Tim Fields." Ivy said as soon as they went inside the coffee house in front of the office building.


    Cedric too had seen him and his lips twitched in annoyance. He was very suspicious of the man and he had to be wary of him.


    Tim waved at the two of them and pointed to his table.


    "Mind if we join?" Ivy asked in courtesy although she had already made herself comfortable.


    "Sure." Tim gave her a smile and looked at Cedric who was still standing.


    "Cedric," Ivy called out his name. Now he had no choice. So, he sat down reluctantly.


    "How''s work Tim?" Ivy asked after the waiter took their orders.


    "Work is good. I am still learning though, so I have not much work to do."


    "That''s good."


    "Ivy, may I ask you something?"


    "Sure, go ahead." Ivy took a sip of water and glanced at Tim.


    "It was our channel that first released David''s recording right?"


    "Yes," Ivy replied honestly. There was nothing to hide about it, everybody who had seen the news knew about it.


    "How did you guys get a hold on the recording?" Tim asked as he looked between Ivy and Cedric.


    Cedric raised his eyebrows. Tim''s question was giving his warning bells in his head. It was not a question asked out of curiosity, there was a plan behind it. He could sense something fishy from it.


    "It was sent to us by an anonymous person," Cedric replied and blinked innocently. He too did not know how they had got the recording but he knew he was not to divulge more information about it.


    Ivy looked at him questioningly. Cedric gave her a smile that said he would handle the situation and she just had to follow along.


    "Okay. Did you guys try to find out who sent it? I mean did you track that person?"


    Now, Ivy too was becoming suspicious of him. She realized that his questions were not merely asked out of professional interest. Ivy perceived that Tim was not as innocent as he looked.


    "That, we tried. But that person was careful. He left no traces of himself" Ivy answered this time.


    "Oh. Is that so?"


    "Hmm."


    "Here''s your order." The waiter arrived with their coffees and silence immediately engulfed them.


    Ivy and Cedric exchanged glances at each other while drinking coffee without Tim noticing it.


    "What is your opinion regarding David''s death?" Tim asked after some time.


    "I am not too sure. There are some inexplicable things about it." Ivy said in all honesty.


    "You are right." Tim agreed.


    "But I believe there are no substantial proofs to confirm his cause of death," Cedric added.


    "Umm. Things are going quite bad in the country right now."


    "Yes, one side there is the war and on the other there is this virus matter." Cedric started.


    As soon as Cedric spoke, Ivy''s eyes widened. She got up immediately in realization.


    Cedric and Tim looked at her apprehensively.


    "Sorry, I have to go. I remembered I had to pick up my sister." Ivy said and rushed out of the coffee house.


    "Ivy," Cedric yelled, but it fell on deaf ears. She was long gone.

 Chapter 102: Ivy finds out about Valaries accident

    As soon as Ivy left the coffee house, she made a call to Valarie. Valarie had informed her that she was working on David''s case and she was the one who handled it. Though she had not told about it completely to her, she had given her subtle hints about it.


    The phone rang a few times, but nobody picked it up. She tried again and met the same result. She waited for a few minutes before she tried again. She was outside near the parking lot. Not many people were present at that time.


    On the fourth try, the call was picked up. However, it was a man who responded.


    "Hello," A man spoke on the other side.


    "Doesn''t this number belong to Valarie Evans?" Ivy asked doubtfully.


    "It does." The man said.


    "Then, I need to speak to her. It''s urgent."


    "May I know who is speaking?"


    "Ivy, Ivy West."


    "Oh," The man was silent for a few seconds.


    "It''s very important. Please I need to meet her."


    "Okay, when do you want to meet her?"


    "Right now."


    "What?" The man asked shocked.


    "As I said, it is a matter of life and death."


    "Okay, how about the Regal Medical Hospital. We are there right now."


    "Okay, I''ll meet you shortly."


    The man cut the call and sighed.


    "Who was it, Ryder?" Preston asked without looking up from his phone screen.


    "Have you heard about Ivy West?" Ryder asked sitting down on the nearby chair.


    "Yes, I have heard the Deputy speak about her. What does she want?"


    "She wants to meet the Deputy."


    Preston finally looked up. "What? Right now?"


    "Yes, she said it was something important and it was a matter of life and death."


    "Hmm. What could she mean?"


    "Guess, we will find out once she arrives."


    Twenty minutes later, Preston, Ryder, and Ivy were sitting in the hospital canteen.


    "I want to meet Valarie Evans please," Ivy said looking at them with pleading eyes.


    "Why?" Preston asked as he scrutinized Ivy. He relaxed a little when he did not sense anything bad about her.


    "I have something important to tell her."


    "You can tell us. We are her colleagues." Ryder said with a serious face.


    "I am not sure about that. I have met you just now and I am not sure if I can trust you yet."


    Ryder was impressed. Ivy was not just a pretty face, she was intelligent too.


    "You cannot meet our Deputy, I mean Valarie Evans."


    "Why?" Ivy had made a trip to the hospital at this time of the night in hopes of meeting her. Now, it looked like her efforts had gone in vain.


    "She is sick," Preston answered her question.


    "Is that so?" She was quite disheartened.


    Ryder looked at Ivy''s sad face and he sighed. He knew his Deputy trusted her, she was a good woman. Also, he had heard her tell that she was a journalist. So, she must have come here to tell me some important news. He knew he could trust her.


    "Come with me." Ryder got up.


    "Where?" Ivy asked skeptically.


    "You said you wanted to meet Deputy, right?"


    "Ryder what are you doing?" Preston was bewildered.


    "I trust her."


    "What happened? Is it something serious?" Ivy asked afraid.


    "Come."


    Ryder said nothing and started walking. Ivy had no choice other than to follow him.


    The three people reached Valarie''s ward.


    "Our Deputy here." Ryder opened the door and motioned for Ivy to walk in first. She looked at him and walked him confused.


    But when she saw the person lying on the bed, she gasped.


    "What happened to Valarie?"


    "She met with an accident."


    "Oh my God. Is she alright?"


    "Yes, she will wake up in a few days," Ryder answered all her questions while Preston watched her keenly.


    "So, what did you want to tell her?" He asked her impatiently.


    "Now, since she is unconscious, I have no other option than to tell you."


    "Tell us fast." Preston urged.


    "Yes, have you heard about David''s death." Ivy looked forth between Preston and Ryder.


    "Yes."


    "Don''t you think his death is a little strange?"


    "Okay, where are you getting at?" Ryder asked. He too was confused now.


    "See, it''s like this. David''s death does not look as simple as it does. Also, there is a war going on between our country and the neighboring country."


    "Yes, we know that," Preston said a little annoyed now. Ivy was not saying what she had come to say and was talking in a roundabout way.


    Ivy ignored his tone and continued. "Now there is chaos everywhere. Everybody''s attention is on these two matters."


    "Yes, what are you getting at?" Ryder folded his hands.


    "We all know that David was not working alone in this case. There was someone stronger backing him and now with David''s death he has removed all the clues that trace back to him."


    "Yes."


    "Put yourself in that person''s shoes. What would you do now when everybody''s attention is diverted?"


    Preston and Ryder realized what she wanted to say. Their eyes widened at once.


    Ivy noticed their changes in expression.


    "That was what I wanted to say." She said.


    "Crap," Preston said.


    They were so involved in looking into Valarie''s accident that they had overlooked other matters altogether.


    "Now since you have understood what I wanted to tell you, I will get going. My job is done."


    "Miss West, thank you," Preston said sincerely.


    "No problem."


    Ivy left the two men behind and stepped out of the ward. Since she was in the hospital, she could as well meet Aria. She knew where her cabin was, she needed no guidance. She went to her cabin and opened it without thinking. The scene she saw inside made her freeze. She saw Aria and Noah kissing passionately with Aria sitting on Noah''s lap.


    As soon as the door opened, Aria pushed Noah and got up immediately. Noah was angered by the sudden disruption. He had finally got Aria in his arms after a long day at work and now somebody had interrupted his sweet moment. But, when Noah saw that it was his sister-in-law who had interrupted their sweet time, his anger diminished.


    "I saw nothing, I heard nothing and I will speak nothing," Ivy said and closed her eyes.


    "You guys continue. I was only passing by." She said and turned to walk away.


    "Ivy wait." Aria ran to stop her but before that she did not forget to glare at Noah.


    "I presume you are busy, I''ll meet you later," Ivy said and winked at her.


    "No, no. Come, let me introduce you to Noah."


    "Noah?" Ivy raised her eyebrows.


    "My boyfriend." Aria folded her hands.


    "Yeah, I remember."


    Aria pulled Ivy inside the cabin and introduced them to each other.


    "Ivy, this is Noah. Noah, this is my twin Ivy."


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you." Noah held out his hand which Ivy shook.


    "Same here."


    They both acted as if they were meeting for the first time.


    "Ivy, what are you doing here?" Aria questioned her.


    "I was here to meet an acquaintance. Thought I would meet you too."


    "Ohh. Who were you meeting?"


    "You know Valarie Evans?"


    "Yes." Aria did not know a thing about Valarie, Ivy had not told her about her.


    "She is a friend of mine. I''ll tell you about her later. Now, I''ll get going. I don''t want Noah to think that I am purposely disturbing you guys. Yeah continue where you left."


    "Ivy," Aria called her out but she did not stop this time.


    Noah smiled. As expected of his genius sister-in-law. She left early, now he could continue where he had left before.


    "So, as my sister-in-law ordered, shall we continue with where we left?"


    Aria''s face was flushed red. First of all, she was embarrassed because she was caught kissing by her sister and now her pervert of a boyfriend was flirting with her openly.


    "No, I have work to do."


    "Aria."


    "Noah."


    "Aria."


    "Noah, go please. I need to work."


    "Okay fine."


    Aria looked at Noah''s dejected back and stifled a laugh. Who knew that a successful business tycoon had a side like this too?

 Chapter 103: Bad behavior

    Ivy''s notion had flabbergasted both Ryder and Preston. They perceived the seriousness of the situation. Any smart man would grasp this opportunity and get their work done let alone a man who wanted to destroy the country. The situation right now was extremely critical and everybody''s attention was elsewhere. He would be at an advantage now, it was a win-win situation.


    "What do we do now?" Preston asked after much contemplation.


    "Shall we talk to Chief about it? He might suggest something." Ryder gave his idea.


    "We could do that?" Preston said.


    "I''ll give him a call." Ryder made a call to Frederick immediately.


    "Chief. Hello."


    "We have something very important to tell you."


    Ryder was silent for a few seconds. He was waiting for the other person to finish speaking.


    "We will tell you in person Chief, it''s confidential."


    "Yes, Chief. We want to meet you right now."


    Preston listened to his one-sided conversation.


    "Chief, Deputy is not with us. Something happened to her. We will tell you everything when we meet."


    "Okay Chief."


    "What did he say?" Preston asked when Ryder ended the call.


    "He is waiting for us in his house."


    "Great."


    "What about Valarie?" Ryder asked, looking at the unconscious woman.


    "I''ll stay. You go." Preston volunteered.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, someone has to be here. We don''t know when her life will be in danger again. There might be an attack on her again. This hospital may be the best, but it cannot stop people from entering and leaving. Can they?"


    "You are right."


    "Also, you know Chief better than me. So, it''s better that you go."


    "Okay. Take care."


    Ryder left Preston with an unconscious Valarie to meet Frederick.


    The ward became silent once again. Ryder was once again immersed in his phone. He was testing his newly acquired hacking skills by hacking his other phone. Although he was successful in hacking it, he was unable to get complete control of it. He tried again only to meet the same result.


    "Looks like my skills are still bad." He muttered and locked his phone. He, then stretched his muscles and massaged his shoulders. They had become stiff. But, he stopped immediately when he sensed something. He saw Valarie move a little and then there was nothing. Any normal person would have deemed it to be his imagination, but not Preston. He was sure he saw Valarie move.


    Preston went to her hurriedly. "Chief, Chief, are you awake? Can you hear me? Chief?" He called out to her and held her hand but he did not get any response. However, he could feel her fingers move, although it was very subtle.


    He placed her hand back and went out of the ward to get a doctor. Luckily for him, he saw a lady doctor walking in the corridor. It was none other than Aria. she was on her night rounds when Preston called her.


    "Doctor." He ran to her.


    "Yes? Oh my. Are you alright?" She looked at the panic-stricken man in front of her.


    "It''s Valarie. I think I saw her move."


    "Is it? I''ll take a look."


    Aria went along with Preston to Valarie''s ward. She held her hand to check the pulse. It was stable, her heartbeat rate was normal. She then checked the report beside her bed.


    "Excuse me Mister, the patient condition has improved a lot. If what you said is right about her moving, then she will be up by this time tomorrow. Her attending doctor is Dr. William Baker. I''ll give him a call first. He will give you the correct analysis. But trust me, the patient will wake up within the next twenty-four hours."


    "Thank you. Thank you so much doctor." Preston thanked her and sighed in relief.


    "I''ll give Dr. Baker a call."


    Aria pulled out her phone and gave a call to the reception to inform Dr. Baker about his patient. "He will be here shortly. I''ll wait here until he comes."


    Aria sat on the stool beside the bed and held the tray of bandages in front of her. She had seen Valarie''s bloody bandage on her head. She carefully cut the bandage to not hurt her and then cleaned the wounds.


    After making sure that no more blood was oozing out, she did her bandage again.


    "Did nobody come here to change her bandage?" Aria looked at Preston who was watching her every move.


    "A nurse had come an hour back. But we asked her to come back later." Preston answered truthfully.


    "You can''t do that okay? Her bandage must be changed every few hours otherwise there will be infections and her healing process will be delayed." Aria said in all seriousness.


    "Sorry doctor."


    "Take care from now," Aria said.


    "Have we met before?" Preston asked after thinking for some time. He was getting a familiar vibe from her like he had met her before.


    "I don''t think so. I am seeing you for the first time today."


    "Ohh."


    Preston then thought of Ivy and looked at Aria. They had very similar features, though they were not prominent. Not many people could find the similarities. However, Preston was a weirdo, he caught it immediately.


    "Do you know Ivy West?"


    "How do you know Ivy?" Aria asked surprised.


    "Valarie knows her."


    "Oh. Is this Valarie Evans? Oh my."


    "Yes."


    "Ivy is my sister and I have heard her talk about Valarie."


    "Fair enough," Preston commented. He understood why he was getting a familiar vibe from her.


    "My sister was here to meet Valarie a few minutes back."


    "Yes, I met her."


    "That''s great," Aria said and became silent.


    Silence filled the ward. But suddenly, the ECG started behaving crazy. Valarie''s heartbeat increased rapidly. She was also sweating profusely.


    "Doctor what is happening to her?" Preston''s voiced was filled with worry. Just now he had heard that his Chief was fine and would be waking up anytime soon and now there were weird changes in her.


    "Relax. There is nothing wrong with her." Aria said and check her pulse again.


    "Don''t tell me to relax doctor. Something is wrong with her and instead of looking at it, you are asking me to relax." He shouted.


    Aria cringed hearing his voice, but she did not panic. She calmly looked at Valarie and held her hand. She took the napkin on the table and wiped her neck.


    Valarie was still breathing heavily and the ECG was still beeping loudly.


    "Are you even a doctor?" Preston pushed her aside forcefully. The impact of his push was so strong that she fell heavily on the floor. She even hurt her leg.


    All of a sudden, the beeping became normal. Valarie calm down and her eyes quivered. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes. Preston looked at her dumbfounded.


    ''Chief is alright. She opened her eyes.'' He was so happy that he completely forgot about Aria.


    The door to the ward opened and the fifty-year-old Dr. Baker walked in followed by a nurse. By then Aria had got up and she was standing at the side.


    "Dr. Baker, I think your patient woke up. I''ll leave her to you."


    "Thank you Dr. West. I''ll take over from here."


    Aria nodded at him, took a final look at Valarie, and left the ward limping.


    Dr. Baker immediately went to attend Valarie. He checked her vitals and he spoke slowly.


    "Miss Evans, are you alright?"


    She blinked and opened her mouth but no words left her mouth.


    "Calm down Miss Evans, you were asleep for a long time. So, your throat has gone dry."


    The nurse made Valarie drink a cup of water.


    "How are you feeling Miss Evans?" Dr. Baker asked again.


    "I am fi.. fine." She spoke with great difficulty.


    "Great. Does it pain anywhere?"


    "My head." She said.


    "That is a given. Now I''ll give you some painkillers. You will feel well after you wake up."


    Dr. Baker induced the painkiller in her IV drip and slowly Valarie fell asleep once again.


    "Doctor, how is she?" Preston asked.


    "Miss Evans is recovering well. Her pain will be reduced by tomorrow."


    "But doctor, why did she behave that way before she woke up?"


    "That is normal. Since she was in a coma, her body was asleep. When her brain became active again, all her organs started working again. So, the sudden jolt made her heartbeat to increase."


    "Oh," Preston said after hearing his words.


    "Yes. I''ll come and see her after an hour. Call me if there is anything."


    Dr. Baker exited the room. Preston did not find Aria anywhere in the room. He did not even know when she had left the ward.


    He immediately remembered the way he had pushed her and his heart was filled with regret.


    "Why did I do that?" He scolded himself. He looked at the nurse.


    "Can you stay here for a while? I''ll be back."


    "Sure Mister." She said.


    Preston now went in search of Aria. He had to apologize to her for his bad behavior.

 Chapter 104: Guilty Preston

    Aria limped back on her way once she left the ward. Her leg was throbbing in pain, maybe she had sprained it when she fell.


    "Great, just great." She said sarcastically.


    Nurse Thomas looked at her limping. "What happened my dear? How did you get hurt?"


    She held her hand and helped her to the nearest empty ward.


    "I slipped and fell." Aria lied.


    "You should be careful dear."


    "Yes, Mama." Aria laughed, making the nurse to laugh along with her.


    "Let me take a look." Nurse Thomas made her sit on the bed and looked at her leg.


    As the nurse removed her shoes, Aria stopped her.


    "I''ll do it myself."


    "You just sit. Let me assist you."


    The nurse removed her shoes and then her socks, her ankle had swollen and had become a little pink."


    "Oh my." The nurse held her ankle delicately and inspected it. Aria took a deep breath, it pained like hell.


    "You have a sprained ankle dear. You need a bandage. I''ll be right back."


    The nurse left the ward and came back within five minutes.


    She placed an ice pack on the swollen ankle. Aria sighed in content, the ice pack had reduced her pain.


    Nurse Thomas then put an elastic bandage on her ankle.


    "You cannot use your shoes, so I got you a pair of slippers to wear."


    "Thank you."


    "Sit for a few minutes for the pain to lessen."


    "Okay."


    The nurse carried the tray and went outside the ward. On her way, she bumped into Preston.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Yes, I am fine. How about you?" Preston questioned back.


    "I am fine too."


    The nurse walked away leaving Preston alone. He lingered outside the ward, thinking whether or not to go inside. He had seen Aria go inside the ward with the nurse a few minutes back. He wanted to go inside, but his ego was stopping him. He did not know how to face her. He stood in his place confused.


    After ten minutes, Aria stepped out of the ward. She saw Preston standing outside.


    "You, is anything the matter?" She asked calmly.


    "About the time in the ward.." He started.


    "What about it?"


    "I wanted to say sorry."


    "Why? What did you do?" Aria looked at him puzzled.


    "I pushed you in anger."


    "That, not a problem." Aria gave him a smile.


    "Are you not angry?"


    "Why should I be?"


    "I pushed you?" Preston stressed on the word pushed.


    "No. I am not angry."


    "Oh." He did not know what to say.


    "If there is nothing else, I''ll take my leave," Aria said and limped away.


    Preston saw Aria limping.


    ''Is she hurt because of me?'' He pondered. He remembered that she was perfectly fine when he brought her into the ward.


    ''So, I hurt her.'' He was filled with immense guilt.


    He ran to her.


    "Excuse me."


    Aria stopped. "Yes."


    "I am sorry."


    "Why are you sorry again?"


    "I hurt you."


    Preston looked at her bandaged ankle. Aria followed his line of sight and looked at her ankle.


    "This, it was my mistake. I was not careful."


    Preston looked at her speechless. He was not sure why Aria was blaming herself when it was his mistake.


    "I''ll get going then," Aria said and started walking.


    Preston saw her in pain and chided himself. "Let me help you."


    "That''s fine. I have to go on rounds anyway."


    She held her shoes in one hand and supported herself using the wall. Preston waited until she was nowhere to be seen. He then slowly dragged his body towards Valarie''s ward.


    The nurse was still inside. She stood up as soon as he went in.


    "I''ll stay here. You can leave."


    "Okay."


    Preston sat on the chair heavily. He recalled the way he had behaved with Aria, yet she had not given him even an ounce of scolding. In fact, she had even forgiven him for his mistake. He felt very apologetic. He then remembered how Aria had dismissed him with a smile. It was not until then did he realize that she had a very beautiful smile.


    His mind was filled with her smiling face, her eyes sparkling, and her cute confused face when he apologized.


    He sighed. Why was he even thinking about her? She was not even related to him. He had much better work to do than to think about her. He pushed her thoughts to the back of his head and started testing his hacking skills again.


    Meanwhile Aria kept her shoes in her cabin and went to take care of her patients. All of her patients were sleeping, it was way past 11 at night. It took her almost an hour to finish her rounds. By then she was tired. So, she thought of taking a nap in her cabin.


    On her way back, she walked by Rachel''s ward. She saw that Rachel was still not sleeping. She went inside.


    "Not asleep yet?" She asked when she went inside.


    Rachel looked at her in surprise. She observed at the woman in front of her. She was beautiful.


    "No. I slept all day. So, now I am wide awake."


    "Hmm." Aria looked at her health chart.


    "You are Ian''s patient."


    "Yeah."


    "So, right now you are my patient then."


    "What?"


    "Yes, I am in charge of Ian''s patients right now. He is resting."


    "I know. He gave his bone marrow."


    "You know about it?"


    "Yes. I am Rachel Carter by the way."


    "Carter. Are you related to Noah Carter by the way?"


    "Yes, I am his sister. Why do you ask?"


    "Ohh. Nothing." Aria smiled. " I am Aria West."


    "You are Aria?"


    "Yes."


    "I know about you. You are my brother''s girlfriend."


    "You know about me? How?"


    "Noah has told me about you. A pleasure to meet you."


    "Likewise. What happened to you?"


    "Got involved in an accident."


    "Ohh. You look fine. You may be discharged by tomorrow if all is well."


    "That''s great." Rachel was excited. She was bored of staying there even though it was only for a day.


    Aria raised her eyebrows.


    "You see, I don''t like staying in a hospital."


    "I agree."


    "How is the woman who was admitted along with me? Ian told me she was in a coma." Rachel said sadly.


    "Hey, hey relax alright. She is fine, she gained her consciousness."


    "Is it? That''s great. I want to see her. Can you take me to her?"


    "Now, it''s a little late. Also, she was given a high dosage of painkillers. So, she might be sleeping. You can meet her tomorrow."


    "Fair enough."


    Rachel''s phone rang at that moment. It was a video call from Daniel. She picked it up without hesitation even though Aria was still in the ward.


    "I was waiting for your call." She said happily.


    "I am sorry. I had some work till now. Have a case tomorrow."


    Aria heard a familiar voice and she raised her eyebrows. Was that Daniel?


    "I want you to meet someone."


    "Who?"


    "My brother''s girlfriend."


    "Aria meet Daniel, my boyfriend."


    Rachel turned the phone to Aria. Now she could see Daniel''s face clearly on the phone.


    "Daniel."


    "Aria."


    Both of them said each other''s name in shock.

 Chapter 105: Shall we tell the President?

    "What is so important that you have come to meet me now?" Frederick Clarke asked annoyed. It was way past the time he usually went to sleep. But he couldn''t blame Ryder either, his job called for it.


    "It better be something important."


    "Yes, Chief it is," Ryder said.


    "Do you want some coffee?"


    "No Chief, I am fine."


    "So, tell me what you want to say? And where is Valarie?"


    "Chief, Deputy met with an accident."


    "What? When did that happen?" Frederick asked perplexed.


    "Yesterday. She is still unconscious right now."


    "Where is she?"


    "She is at Regal Medical Medical Hospital."


    "How is she? What did the doctors say?"


    "She is doing well. She might wake up within this week."


    "That''s great. Is anybody there with her in the hospital?"


    "Yes, Preston is there to look after her."


    "Good good."


    "Chief, I have something else to tell."


    "Yes, go ahead."


    "Chief, we believe that there might be an attack on us."


    "What attack? We are already at war with our neighboring country."


    "I mean we do know that David Peters was not working in this mission alone, there was somebody else supporting him from behind."


    "Yes, but we don''t know who he is."


    "Now, since David is dead, all the traces that lead to him have been erased."


    "I speculated it to be a murder too. So, I have asked the police to hand over the case to the Intelligence."


    "Chief, now that everybody''s attention is elsewhere, I think the mastermind behind this virus attack may put forth his plan."


    "You mean to say he might release the virus anytime soon."


    "Just a speculation, but the possibility is very likely."


    "How did you end up with this theory?"


    "Just a thought." Ryder did not say it was a theory brought to their notice by a journalist. He did not want to take her name here, that would be awkward.


    "Hmm. I see."


    "Yes, Chief. I suggest we take look into this matter. It is not as simple as it looks."


    "What do you want to tell?"


    "Shall we tell the President?"


    "You want to tell the President about something you are not sure of?" Frederick said widening his eyes.


    Ryder sensed that he was angry, but he did not know why he was angry.


    "Yes. It''s better to be safe than sorry." Ryder reasoned.


    "No, I don''t agree with this."


    "But Chief..."


    "No. The President already has a lot on his plate, I don''t want to increase his worries by some unbelievable speculations which might not even become true."


    "But Chief, we can at least try and have some precautions."


    "No." Frederick deadpanned. "I disagree. Now you may leave."


    Ryder left Frederick''s house dejected. He had made a wasted trip here. He got in his car and drove towards the hospital. He did not know what else to do. He did not have the President''s contact and even if he did he could not go against his Chief''s orders.


    "What did the Chief say?" Preston asked as soon as Ryder entered the ward.


    "He disagreed to do anything right now."


    "What? How could he? Isn''t this a serious matter?"


    "Apparently, he believes we should not do anything if this is just our speculation. He wants proof."


    "Nonsense." Preston hissed. He then realized that his voice might have been loud.


    "Hey, I forgot to tell you something."


    "What?"


    "Deputy woke up today."


    "Are you serious?"


    "Yes. she even spoke a little."


    "What did she say? How is she? What did the doctor say?"


    "She did not say much. The doctor has given her painkillers, so she is sleeping. She will be fine by tomorrow."


    "This is great news."


    "Yes, it is."


    Hearing the word doctor, Preston''s mind went back to Aria and her pretty smile. But he got out of his thoughts immediately.


    "Now what do we do about this matter?"


    "I am not sure. We cannot defy orders." Ryder said dejected.


    "Hmm."


    "How is your hacking coming along?"


    "Still bad."


    "We could try a professional hacker."


    "No. What if our secrets leak out."


    "Right, only if Margeret was here." Ryder sighed.


    "Tell me, why did she even leave her job?"


    "I don''t know that either. There were rumors that she was forced to quit, but I am not sure. Only the Chief and the Deputy knows about it. However, they have kept their lips zipped."


    "I think there was a huge drama that took place."


    "Definitely. No denying that."


    "We can use hackers from other departments too right? There are so many of them."


    "I don''t know, Deputy doesn''t seem to trust them that much."


    "Did she have a fall out with them?"


    "Not that I know of." Ryder shrugged.


    "This is crazy. I am trying to hack for a long time and I have ended up nowhere. Want to try?"


    "I am bad at it too. I have tried and got tired now."


    "What are we to do? Agh. There are so many things for us to do now."


    "Let''s sleep. I am tired and my brain has become a roasted chicken. I need a break."


    "Me too. But before that, I am going to take a walk. I cannot sleep if I mind is not at peace."


    "Sure." Ryder slumped on the chair and made himself comfortable while Preston went to take a walk.


    The hospital was silent, not many people were walking at this time of the night. He sauntered through the silent hallway, keeping his eyes and ears open to notice anything strange. He had a feeling something bad was going to happen.


    Going on a walk was actually a lie, he had come out because he had sensed danger. He had noticed someone staring at him when he was talking to Aria. And as expected, he could still sense someone.


    He came down from the third floor to the first floor. There were quite a lot of people on that floor. He walked past them and went towards the canteen. He was hungry, he could as well eat something.


    From the corner of his eye, he saw Aria drinking coffee with another woman.


    "Why am I meeting Aria everywhere I go today? What is happening?" He spoke to himself. He bought a cup of tea and sat at the farthest table, away from Aria.


    If he saw her once more, he felt might end up becoming crazy.

 Chapter 106: Audio clip

    The night passed somehow. Preston did not find anything unusual although something was nagging him. He could sense it. It was around eleven in the morning and Dr. Baker had checked Valarie''s condition. Her situation was stable and she would be waking up any time soon.


    Preston and Ryder were still in the ward waiting for her to gain consciousness and their wish was finally granted.


    Valarie opened her slowly, the sudden light stung her eyes. Her head felt heavy and she had no strength in her body. Even a slight movement caused her a lot of discomfort. She groaned and tried to lift her hand. But it took a lot of her strength and she felt intense pain.


    "Relax dear. Take a deep breath." Dr. Baker said gently as he held her hand to check her pulse. When he felt that everything was fine, he made her sit with her back leaning against the headrest.


    "Now dear, I am going to remove your bandages. Tell me if it hurts, okay."


    Valarie nodded with great difficulty. Even that felt a lot of work for her.


    Dr. Baker removed her bandages gently so as to not hurt her. He then cleaned her wound thoroughly. The cut on her forehead was healing, but it still needed to be covered. So he put a new bandage on her. Every now and then Valarie would whimper, making Dr. Baker stop his work.


    "Do you feel pain now?" Dr. Baker had finished tying the bandage.


    "No." Valarie croaked out.


    "Here have some water."


    Ryder held a cup of water and helped her to drink it.


    "Do you remember everything that happened before?" Dr. Baker asked when she had finished drinking.


    "Yes."


    "Good. There is nothing wrong with you now. But it will take a few days for you to recover completely. I want you to rest until then, no working, no stressing. Okay?"


    "Yes."


    "I''ll look into it that she follows your orders doctor," Ryder assured.


    "Please do. Now are you hungry dear?"


    "Yes."


    "Good, someone amongst you go get her some soup. It is light and will enrich her taste buds."


    "I''ll go." Preston volunteered and walked out immediately. He directly went to the canteen and ordered some soup. As he waited for the soup, he heard a woman talk.


    "I pity Dr. Aria." One of the nurses spoke.


    "Why? What happened to her?" The other woman beside her asked.


    "She has had a lot of work to do this month with little or no breaks."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes, first she had two operations in a day and then she had to look after Dr. Davis'' patients along with hers when he was on leave. Then, immediately after he returned, she had to attend the conference in London. Now, that she is back, she has to look after Dr. Davis'' patients again. And after a week, she will be going to the borders."


    "Oh, she has had a lot on her plate. It is the same with Dr. Ian too."


    "Yes, what a weird duo. Have you seen them together? They make a good couple though."


    "You are right, they look so good together."


    Preston coughed hearing their words. He did not know why he was feeling weird about it. He immediately took the soup and went back to Valarie''s ward.


    He handed her the bowl of soup and sat on the stool beside her. Dr. Baker was nowhere to be it. It was only him and Ryder.


    The smell of the soup was tantalizing, she started drinking it immediately. Her taste buds became alive as soon as she tasted the first spoon.


    "So, Val. How did you even get involved in an accident?" Ryder started.


    Valarie stopped drinking her soup.


    "Break fail." She uttered two words and continued drinking.


    "Do you suspect anyone?" Preston asked.


    "The Vipers."


    "Oh."


    The ward became silent.


    "Chief, Ivy had come to meet you."


    "Is it?" She answered them using only two words at most.


    "Yes."


    "Why?"


    "She thinks that there might be chances of a virus leakage."


    "Hmm."


    "Chief, David is dead," Preston said looking at her still swallowing the soup.


    "Murder."


    Preston and Ryder looked at each other surprised. How did she even deduce that? They had not told her anything much about his death.


    "How?" Preston asked after coming out of the shock.


    "Knew it would happen."


    "Ohh."


    "Get my bag and your laptop."


    Preston held her bag while Ryder places his laptop on her desk. By then Valarie had finished drinking her soup and was contented with it.


    She took her bag from Preston and pulled out a pen drive. She connected it to the USB port of the laptop and opened the contents in it. There was an audio clip. She played it.


    "How are we going to deal with David now that he is in jail?" It was a man.


    "We will just have to kill him." Another man replied.


    "How do we do that? There is not much time before the court proceeding starts." The first man asked again.


    "Simple by tricking him."


    "I don''t understand."


    Preston and Ryder listened to the audio intently.


    "I am going to meet him in two days. I have my men in the prison. While returning, I will give him a bottle of pills."


    "Okay, then?"


    "Those pills are actually poison. One pill will make a person unconscious for days while two will lead to death."


    "Oh, great. But how will you make him eat it?"


    "I am going to trick him to eat it."


    "How?"


    There was no reply, the audio clip ended.


    "What the heck!" Preston cursed.


    "We have proof now, we can do voice recognition test and find out who the two men are," Ryder suggested.


    "I tried but it does not match with anyone in our database," Valarie replied.


    "How is it possible? We have all the voices of the people in our country in the database." Preston questioned.


    "It is possible if they have changed their voices," Ryder said after some analyzing.


    "Oh."


    "Valarie, how did you get this audio clip by the way? Is this the reason those bastards attacked you?" Ryder enquired.


    "No, I was attacked for a completely different reason."


    "What?" Preston and Ryder looked at her waiting for her answer.


    "Revenge."


    "What revenge?"


    "The Vipers lost two of their men. So, they are taking revenge on us."


    "Okay and who sent you this clip?" Ryder queried again. He was dying to know the answer. Nobody knew who was the one working behind the scenes in the mission. So, how did Valarie get a hold on it? However, her next words stupefied the two men.


    "Margeret sent it to me."

 Chapter 107: Things are not as simple as it looks

    "Margeret"


    Hearing her name, both Preston and Ryder looked at each other perplexed. They did now know that it was she who had sent the clip and never in their dreams had they imagined such a scenario too. They had the ideology that she had a fall out with the people from the Intelligence, although they did not know the details regarding it. They did not know why she left the Intelligence either.


    Even after several months had passed, nobody had spoken about her. She had severed all her ties with everyone. The office has returned to normal, everybody pretended that she had never worked with them. Nobody took her name nor anything related to her was found anywhere in the records too.


    Even Valarie who held her at high esteem, had not brought up her name. But they never envisaged that she was in contact with Margeret. The revelation blew their head away.


    "Margeret, didn''t she leave Intelligence?" Preston forced the words out in his confused state.


    "Yes, but I was constantly in touch with her."


    "How?" He asked again.


    Ryder was tongue-tied. He was unable to process anything.


    "Things are not as simple as it looks like," Valaire answered vaguely and took a sip of water.


    "Excuse me, Miss?" The nurse knocked at the door although it was open.


    "Yes."


    "Did you finish your soup?" The nurse came in looked at the empty bowl of soup.


    "Yes."


    "Good. Now I have to give you your medicines."


    "Okay," Valarie answered immediately. Her head was aching a little and she was feeling weak. It would be better if she could get some more sleep.


    "Here. Take this." The nurse handed her two pills and a glass of water. Valarie did as instructed.


    "I''ll come to take a look at you after two hours. Call me if there is anything." The nurse smiled at Valarie and left the ward.


    "Val, what did you mean before when you said that things were not that simple?" Ryder asked. By now he had processed his thoughts.


    "Who brought me to the hospital?" Valarie ignored his question.


    ''It was better that they did not know about this matter now. It was one hell of a complication and she did not want to two of her best teammates getting involved in this dirty game of politics.


    "We don''t know about that."


    "Hmm. What happened to the other person who got into an accident with me, I mean the one I hit?"


    "She is fine as much as I know. She suffered minor injuries and a concussion."


    "I need to apologize to her. It was because of me that she got hurt. Have you collected her details?" Valarie lied down. She was feeling drowsy, the medicine was taking its effect.


    "Yes, she is in this hospital. She might be discharged in a day or two." Preston replied.


    "Collect her details. I''ll talk to her when I get well."


    "Okay Deputy."


    "Val, where is Margeret?" Ryder fired the question that was bugging him. However, he did not get any reply, Valarie had succumbed to her sleep.


    Preston and Ryder saw her sleeping and sighed.


    "Wow, what the hell is happening?" Preston exclaimed. He was still unable to believe that Margeret was in touch with Valarie.


    "I don''t know. My brain is a mess too." Ryder remembered the day when Margeret left the building. She was seething in anger as she hailed curses at their Chief. He too retaliated by scolding her. However, Valarie stood behind calmly watching the scene. She neither interfered nor did she stop her from leaving. She acted as a bystander, putting on a face that everything that was happening was not related to her at all.


    At that moment, Ryder''s phone rang.


    "Hello. Yes?"


    "Yes. Is it?


    "Are you sure?"


    "Thanks."


    Preston listened to his one-sided conversation.


    "Thanks."


    Ryder ended the call.


    "It was from the mechanic. He has repaired Val''s car."


    "And?"


    "The breaks had been tampered with."


    "Expected."


    "Also, whoever it was, after the accident took place, he repaired it immediately so as to not raise any suspicions."


    "Hmm."


    "But, he did not do a good job of hiding it. It was still detected."


    "Did you hear anything from the doctor regarding the tape?" Preston asked when he remembered about Ian.


    "I haven''t heard from him since the day we met him last. Let me go take a look." Ryder stood up.


    "Okay."


    Ryder took the elevator to the reception on the ground floor.


    "Excuse me." He tapped on the desk.


    "Yes?" The assistant looked at him. He was busy typing on a computer when Ryder approached him.


    "Can you tell me where I can find Dr. Ian Davis?"


    "Are you a patient of his, Sir?" The assistant asked patiently.


    "Yes," Ryder replied. He did not know what to say to him other than lying.


    "Sorry Sir. Dr. Davis is unavailable. He is on leave."


    "Oh. Can I get his contact number? It''s very urgent. He is the doctor I trust the most." Ryder cooked up a story.


    The assistant looked at him and sighed. "Sir, Dr. Davis just underwent an operation recently, he is resting right now. I am not sure if it convenient for you to meet you."


    "What?"


    "Yes Sir."


    "Did he wake up?"


    "Sir, how about this? I''ll someone to deliver him a message. If he is willing to see you, you can go and see him."


    Ryder nodded. That was the best possible outcome he could think of right now. "That would of great help."


    He took a piece of paper and wrote a message:


    ''Hello,


    I wanted to know about the tape.


    Is it convenient to meet?


    Ryder''


    "Could you pass this message to him? I''ll wait over here." Ryder handed the piece of paper after folding it to the assistant.


    "Sure sir."


    The assistant called a ward boy, whispered something to him, and gave him the slip. Ryder sat on the bench nearby and waited for the ward boy to return. He hoped to meet Ian, he needed the tape at any cost.


    Fifteen minutes passed, there was still no news from the ward boy. Ryder was getting patient, he tapped his foot as he waited. Five minutes later, the ward boy came and spoke to Ryder.


    "Excuse me Sir, Dr. Davis is willing to meet you. But be careful sir, he had an operation recently."


    "Thanks."


    The ward boy led Ryder to Ian''s ward. Ian was waiting for him. Although he looked weak, he still had a charm and looked charismatic.


    "Please come in. I am sorry, I couldn''t contact you."


    "I understand. How are you doctor?"


    "I am fine right now, though I feel weak occasionally."


    "Is it convenient to talk?"


    "I am strong enough to have a serious conversation," Ian said with a smile.


    "About the tape.."


    "About that, I have already spoken to the management. You will get it in a day or two, but you are not to reveal to anybody else. You can only view it, you cannot make a copy of it."


    "That.."


    "Yes, you are to sign a document that you will not tell a thing about the tape after you view it."


    "Ohh."


    "Sorry, it''s the procedure. But you can get a copy if you get the permission of the police. I can only do so much."


    "Thanks, Doctor. This is enough."


    "No problem. Someone will contact you shortly. Leave your number with me." Ian handed him his phone.


    "Now I will get going Doctor. Take rest and get well soon."

 Chapter 108: Babies to make

    It was past lunchtime and Aria had another hour until her shift ended. She was tired and wanted nothing but to have a good sleep for a few hours before she had to go meet Daniel. When she saw his face on Rachel''s phone, she was thunderstruck. She had not expected him to have gotten a girlfriend when she was away. She was not annoyed due to this, it was the fact that he had hidden it from her was what getting on her nerves.


    They were friends since childhood and they hid nothing from each other. This was a huge matter. Rachel was an outstanding woman, no doubt in that. Aria regularly followed the tabloids, though it was during her break time. She had read about the Carters and she knew how well established they were.


    She had read Rachel''s interview in one of the magazines and she was impressed by her demeanor. She did not have any attitude of a pampered princess like the ones from a rich family. She was bold, confident, and excluded an aura of an independent woman, thereby making Aria a fan of hers.


    She knew, there was no better woman for Daniel than Rachel. Yet she was unhappy that he had not told her about them. However, she did not realize that she had done the same to him by hiding about her relationship.


    "So?" Rachel looked at Aria expectantly. Her test results were out and if everything was normal, she would be discharged that evening. She wanted to leave this boring hospital at any cost. The white walls were making her sick and she was missing her life.


    "No." Aria deadpanned.


    "Why?" Rachel cried. "I am perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with me."


    "Although there is nothing with you, I cannot discharge you today. You need rest, you are overstressed."


    "Yes, my dear. You need rest." A voice said from the ward door.


    "Grandpa."


    Jonathan Carter walked inside in a dignified manner. His old age had not made him weak or less powerful. In fact, he looked all the more menacing. He did not look anything like he had fallen ill just a few days back.


    "Rachel, how are you, my dear? I apologize that it took me some time to visit you."


    Jonathan Carter had intended to visit his beloved granddaughter the day he had heard about her accident. However, he was stopped by his son and daughter-in-law as they thought it would take a toll on his health. He controlled his anxiety for one full day. But he couldn''t stop himself the next day, although his son had assured him that Rachel was fine.


    So, Jonathan had snuck out of the mansion when nobody was looking. He had been careful enough to divert all the people''s attention in the house when he was executing his plan. Not even his personal assistant knew where he was.


    But he also knew that he couldn''t trick them forever. They would find out sooner or later and he did not care. His son would reprimand him for ignoring his health, but at least he got to meet his granddaughter. Moreover, he was going to a hospital that was filled with doctors. So, how could his health deteriorate?


    "Grandpa, I am fine. Why did you come here? You need to rest at home."


    "Nonsense. I am perfectly fine. I can even fight the ongoing war if you want, I am healthy."


    "Yes, yes. You are the healthiest person alive." Rachel gave in. She knew it was useless to fight him. If he was determined to do something, he would stop at nothing to accomplish it. This was a trait inherited by the Carter men. They neither cared about the method they used or about themselves; all that mattered was the end result.


    "That''s more like it."


    "Grandpa, didn''t Mom and Dad come with you?"


    Jonathan was silent. Looking at him not answering, Rachel was agitated.


    "Did you sneak out of the house?"


    Silence again. She got her answer.


    "Grandpa, how can you do this? Mom and Dad will be worried." She raised her hands in frustration.


    "They''ll guess where I am. Don''t worry dear."


    "Grandpa." She cried. She did not know what to say.


    Jonathan looked at Aria who was standing silently, watching them bicker. Surprise flashed through his eyes. He recognized her at once.


    ''Ain''t she the one who my grandson has taken a liking to?''


    He observed her carefully before shifting his eyes back to Rachel. Aria had seen his eyes on her, it made her uncomfortable for some unknown reasons.


    "Who is this lovely lady?" He asked Rachel.


    "This is my doctor, Aria West and Aria this is my grandpa."


    "Hello Mr. Carter." Aria greeted him.


    "Nonsense." Jonathan raged, making Aria flinch.


    ''Did she annoy him by any chance?''


    "Grandpa." Rachel started.


    "Call me grandpa, my dear. Mr. Carter makes me feel distant, we are family."


    Rachel stared at him for a while before she gasped.


    "You know?"


    "Yes I do," Jonathan smirked.


    "What? What are you talking about? I don''t understand." Aria was bewildered.


    "Aria, grandpa knows about you and Noah."


    "What?" Aria''s jaw dropped.


    "Yes, my dear. I knew about it long back."


    "How long?" Rachel waited for him to speak. Jonathan was intelligent. He knew it was not something that was to be disclosed in front of Aria. He assumed that things would not go well if he told Aria that Noah went to London just to woo her. She might even consider his grandson to be a stalker. So, in order to save his grandson''s love life, he lied.


    "I found out after Noah came back from London."


    "Oh," Aria said.


    "Come here child, let me take a look at you." Jonathan summoned her nearer to him. He then carefully observed her. She was beautiful, her pretty eyes were intriguing sucking oneself deep into them. She was polite and well-spoken and since she was a doctor, she must be intelligent. She had all the traits to be his grandson''s wife.


    Suddenly, he started smiling like a fool which made the two women look at each other.


    "Ugh, Grandpa what happened?" Rachel queried. He was smiling weirdly as he stared into oblivion.


    "I am imagining how good my great-grandkids would be. They would have extraordinary genes."


    Aria was speechless listening to him. Her relationship with Noah had just begun and his grandfather was already dreaming about grandkids.


    Rachel let out a laugh on hearing his words. On a second thought, she too started to thinking about her niece or nephew.


    "Grandpa, that would be awesome. Imagine how beautiful they will be and given that they would have superficial genes, they will be intelligent too."


    Aria gaped at Rachel. ''You too?''


    ''Sorry, I couldn''t stop myself picturing being an aunt.''


    Aria raised her eyebrows. ''Oh. shall I tell you about you and Danny?''


    ''No. No.'' Rachel begged through eyes. "It''s not yet time for that."


    "Time for what?" Jonathan asked. He had not seen the silent conversation between the two women.


    Rachel wanted to bite her tongue off, she did not realize she had said it out loud. Aria grinned at her discomfort.


    "I think it''s not time for them to have kids yet. They have just started dating Grandpa. Give them some time."


    "I can''t wait for long." The old man whined like a child.


    "Oh, trust me Grandpa. You will get grandkids sooner than you could expect." Aria gave Rachel a wink, making her scowl. However, she did not know her words were misunderstood by Jonathan. He smiled happily. He immediately pulled out his phone.


    "Hello." Noah''s voice sounded from the other side.


    "Where are you?" The old man questioned.


    "Office."


    "Come to the hospital immediately."


    "Why? What happened? Is everything alright?" Noah panicked at once listening to the word hospital.


    "You have an important task to accomplish."


    "What?" Noah was already walking towards the elevator. He was already fearing the worst.


    "You have to make babies and promote me to great grandfather as soon as possible."


    "What?" Noah stopped in his track.


    Aria was dumbstruck. What was the old man even talking? Rachel stifled a laugh, she was enjoying the show greatly.


    "Yes, Aria has already accepted to give me great-grandkids," Jonathan said with a smile, and this time Rachel could not control her laughter. All this time, Aria''s face had gone beet red. She was blushing furiously. These people were planning for her to make babies while she was still early in her relationship.


    "I''ll be there in a few minutes," Noah answered. He was still flabbergasted. Aria wanted to make babies with him. She was quite forward in her thoughts than he had expected.


    "Aria, your wish is my command." He beamed and entered the elevator. Now he had babies to make.

 Chapter 109: Mia is humiliated

    As Noah swiftly walked out the elevator towards the parking, Shane followed him gasping. He had seen his Boss speak on his phone, although he did not know what he had spoken about. Immediately after the call, he had got inside the elevator, and Shane had followed him.


    "Boss," Shane called out to him panting.


    "Yes?" Noah turned to look at him. He looked to be in a pleasant mood, he was smiling brightly. Everybody in the lobby was dumbstruck looking at him smile. It was not that he had not smiled in front of them before, but all his smiles would scare the shit out them sending a chill down their spines. This time his smile was as bright as the sun, making one feel warm and happy.


    All the women employees who saw his smile, started to fawn over him. He looked so handsome that they couldn''t control getting excited.


    "Boss, we have a meeting to attend in ten minutes." Shane reminded him.


    "You handle it. I am done with my work for today," Noah said and started walking again.


    "Boss, but..."


    "What?" Noah was getting pissed now.


    "Boss, the President of the company has specifically asked you to be present during the contract signing process."


    "Who is that fool making absurd demands?"


    "Sir, it''s the President of Stevenson Corporation," Shane spoke with great trouble. He knew his Boss was angry and he also knew that his anger was not the one to be underestimated.


    "Cancel the contract immediately," Noah ordered. He did not care about them. He did not need them, he could survive without their contract. It was they who needed him.


    "But Boss." Shane did not know how to continue. This project was worth billions and if they got it, it would raise the company to new heights.


    Noah took a look at his assistant and sympathized a little. He knew it was not his fault, he was only doing his job.


    "Fine. Are the clients here?"


    "Yes, Boss. They are already in the meeting room." Shane heaved a sigh of relief. He noticed his Boss was less angry compared to before.


    "Let''s go," Noah commanded and proceeded towards the meeting room.


    Ronnie was watching his Boss and the poor assistant from the side and stifled a laugh. It was always entertaining to watch if his Boss unleashed his wrath unless he was not on the receiving end.


    Shane glared at Ronnie. He knew what Ronnie was thinking as he too was sailing in the same ship with thoughts similar to his.


    Noah, Shane, and Ronnie went to the meeting room. His employees were waiting for him outside the room while his secretary was inside catering to his clients.


    Noah pushed the door and walked in with the aura of a king. His presence was undeniably strong and one would be able to feel his presence without even looking at him. As soon as he entered, he was hit a strong scent of a woman''s perfume. He frowned.


    He took a look at the people in the room. Besides his secretary, there were four other people in the room and one of them was a woman. He found her familiar but couldn''t comprehend where he had seen her. The woman gave him a smile and came forward to shake her hand.


    "Hello, Mr. Carter. I am Mia Stevenson."


    Everybody knew who Mia Stevenson was. She was the only daughter of George Stevenson and the heir to the Stevenson Corporation. She was pampered since birth and was famous for being a spoilt brat. She was considered a top socialite and many women wanted to suck up to her for benefits.


    Unlike Rachel who was interested in business, she was interested to dress up and attend parties and social events. Her dad was rich enough to cater to her needs, so she did not feel the need to work. However, when she heard from her father that he was dealing with Noah''s company she wanted to get involved with it although she had no idea what it was about.


    Mia walked towards Noah with a smile plastered on her face. The strength of her perfume smell increased by ten folds with every step she took towards him. His frown deepened. One of the many things he loathed was perfumes with a strong fragrance.


    Noah only gave her a nod and proceeded to sit.


    Mia awkwardly looked at her out-stretched hand and Noah. She pulled back her hand at once to avoid further embarrassment.


    "Mr. Carter, don''t you remember me? We have met before." She spoke with a sweet voice, trying to act coy. Hearing her sickly sweet voice, Ronnie felt like puking. He felt disgusted by her although it was the first time he had seen her.


    "I don''t keep unwanted things in my brain, it''s a waste of my memory," Noah announced with any change in his expressions.


    Ronnie and Shane smiled at his remark. It had hit on the bull''s eye, Mia clenched her fist in anger. But the next moment, she calmed down when she realized that it was her Noah who had spoken to her that way. She took her seat at the farther end of the table and Noah was happy for once as she was far away from him. He would not have to deal with her highly irritating perfume scent.


    Ronnie closed the door and took the seat on Noah''s left while Shane sat on his right.


    "Let''s begin," Noah ordered and the meeting started.


    Mia stood up and strutted towards the projector. She had taken up the project personally so that she could get in contact with Noah. Now when she had the opportunity, she wanted to impress him, so she went to present her project personally.


    "Mr. Carter, my company, Stevenson Corporation wants to open a resort and amusement park in the southern part of High Hills. We want your company to build our resort." She started and gave a document of estimated investment and benefits to Shane who in turn passed it to Noah.


    "Mr. Carter, we have planned to invest around 4 Billion USD in this project."


    "How have you obtained the funds? Are you investing the full amount personally or did you approach any investment company?" Noah interrupted Mia, rendering her speechless for a moment.


    "Miss Stevenson?" Ronnie prompted.


    "Yeah sorry." Mia came back to her senses. But she did not know the answer to Noah''s question. She had only glanced at the important information and had not delved deeper into the project. She looked at her employees for help.


    Taking her sign, one of them stood up and said, "Mr. Carter, we are investing forty-two percent of the funds in this project.


    Noah nodded. It was not usual for many corporations to approach investment companies.


    "Continue," Noah said when he did not hear Mia speak.


    "Yes. We have estimated our average annual profits to be sixty-eight percent in the initial stage."


    "What is the profit share percent?" Noah interrupted her again.


    "What?" Mia responded without thinking.


    "How much will our share of profit be every year?" Shane explained.


    "Oh, eight percent," Mia answered.


    "Don''t you think it''s less when compared to the annual profits?" Noah looked at her in the eye and asked her.


    "What do you mean, Mr. Carter?" Mia was going blank every time Noah interrupted. Though she looked calm on the outside, she was sweating profusely and her hands had gone numb. She was nervous to the core.


    Noah squinted his eyes and without any word threw the document in his hands at her feet. He then looked at Shane and glared at him.


    "Next time onwards, don''t even think about dealing with such insignificant people. We don''t have time to waste unlike other people. You will work overtime for the next six months."


    Shane shivered looking at Noah''s angry face. He knew his Boss was furious the first time he had interrupted Mia. He gave her a scowl and cursed his bad luck.


    Noah took a step but was stopped by Mia.


    "Mr. Carter, give us a chance. You haven''t even listened to the entire proposal."


    "Miss Stevenson, I do not have to listen to the entire presentation to deduce the capability of the project. Moreover, I don''t trust your company at all. They have sent someone who hasn''t worked on the proposal and has no knowledge about it to present it to us." He said bluntly.


    Every word of his was a blow to Mia''s ego. It was the first time she had got involved with her company affairs, not because she was interested, but to impress Noah.


    Without sparing any further time, Noah walked out of the room followed by his employees. Mia looked at her, she was utterly humiliated in front of so many people. Her employees looked at her with contempt. She couldn''t even present the plan properly, nor did she allow any of her capable staff to present.


    ''Where did all her haughtiness go?'' The sneered inwardly.


    If word got out that the Business King, Noah had utterly humiliated the Stevenson Corporation, then they would become a laughing stock for many. Yet, they had no option other than to follow her. They worked for her father and he had power.


    Without further adieu, they left the office to save their faces. Before, leaving they did not miss the mocking faces of the people in Noah''s office. They were thoroughly mortified that day.

 Chapter 110: I want you, Rachel

    In the hospital.


    Aria''s face had flushed red and she was embarrassed. The old man in front of her had spared no efforts in asking her for grandkids. This was the first time they were meeting correctly, although they had met before when he fell sick and he had already proclaimed her as his daughter-in-law. Unable to control her embarrassment, she had run away from the ward.


    Jonathan laughed looking at Aria scamper.


    "Such a cute kid." He commented.


    "She sure is. But grandpa, there is something you must know." Rachel said. She was contemplating whether to tell Jonathan about Aria or not. It was not her matter to speak in the first place.


    "What dear?" He looked at her, waiting for her reply.


    "Ah, nothing." Rachel said after much thinking. It would be better if Noah said it to grandpa in person.


    "You kids are weird." He commented. "I''ll get going now. Your parents would have created a ruckus in my absence."


    "Take care grandpa."


    "You too dear." Jonathan kissed her on the forehead and took his leave.


    Rachel lied down, although she was not sleepy. She thought of calling Daniel, but then she remembered he had the hearing of his case. So, she did not disturb him. She was truly bored, but she did not know what to do. She fumbled with her phone and thought of pestering Joshua.


    "Hello," Joshua answered her call on the first ring.


    "Don''t you have work to do? Why did you pick my call on the first ring?" Rachel teased, rendering Joshua speechless.


    "Madam, you were the one to call me." He retorted back.


    "And you are so jobless, that you picked it up on the first ring."


    "Yes, I am jobless. So what? Do you want to give me a job?"


    Rachel picked up the actual meaning in his words and she chocked on her saliva.


    "You dirty man. Is this the way to speak to me?"


    "What are you saying? I am completely innocent, it was you who misunderstood." Joshua said innocently. But in actuality, he was smirking mischievously.


    "Is it? Don''t lie."


    "I am not you. I don''t know how to lie. Anyway, tell me the reason you called me. I am busy."


    "Busy with what?"


    "Work," Joshua answered.


    "You work? That''s great." Rachel sassed and smiled inwardly. It was always fun to talk to Joshua.


    "Madam, if you were to refresh your memory, you will remember that I own a software company and a video game design company. Unfortunately for you, your memory is worse than a pig."


    "You.."


    "Yes me."


    "Have you tested a pig''s memory skills?"


    "No."


    "Then why did you compare mine with a pig''s memory."


    "Oh that. Because it sounded great and funny."


    "You..." Rachel seethed.


    "Yes me. Remember Rachel, I''ll always have the last say."


    "No way. I might have lost to you. But remember that there will be someone who could win you over."


    "I doubt that."


    "Trust me, it will happen soon."


    "If you have nothing to say, I am going to cut the call. I have work to do."


    "Fine." Rachel cut the call. Now even Joshua was busy.


    An idea came in her mind. She could take a walk in the hospital. At least, she could drive her boredom away. She got up slowly and took slow steps. It had been two days since she actually walked on her own. Whenever she had to go to the washroom, there was always a nurse to escort her.


    At first, it was difficult for her to balance herself. But once she got the hold of it, she could walk comfortably without any difficulties. She stepped out of the ward and she saw a nurse walk in her direction.


    "Nurse, I want to take a walk."


    "Do you want me to help you, Miss?" The nurse asked gently.


    "No. No I am fine." Rachel smiled at her and started walking.


    After two days of bed rest, the feel of being able to walk again was amazing. It was like she was flying in the sky. She did not wander in the hallways of the hospital. Instead, she went to the beautiful garden in the backside of the hospital. There were a lot of patients taking a walk in the garden. It looked lovely. She sat on one of the empty benches admiring the many people around her.


    But her moment of peace was broken when someone tapped on her shoulders. Rachel turned to look at him and she scowled.


    "Rachel, love what are you doing here?"


    "You took my question, Jared." Rachel lamented. She was feeling utterly disgusted by the way he was staring at her. By now, she had become a hundred percent sure what his intentions were.


    "I am here to see you." He smirked and sat beside her.


    "May I ask you something?"


    "Definitely love."


    His words of endearment made her cringe. She wanted nothing but to stay as far away as possible from him.


    "What do you want of me?" She asked him directly.


    "I don''t understand." He looked at her innocently.


    "Why are you behind me? If I remember correctly, you and I are mere acquaintances. In fact, to be precise, we are nothing but strangers. So, what do you want of me?"


    "I.." Jared stared but Rachel interrupted him.


    "Look, if you are doing this because I rejected to handle your project, then I am not going to change my mind."


    "What if I want something else from you?"


    "What?" Rachel stared at him and folded her hands.


    "You. I want you, Rachel."


    "That''s not possible."


    "Why? I like you Rachel."


    "Then you can forget about it."


    "Why? Is there something in me you are not satisfied with? Tell me, I''ll rectify it."


    "I am not ready for relationships right now." Rachel lied. She could have told him about Daniel. But something from within was stopping her. She was getting bad vibes from him and she was definite that he was the kind of person to use all sorts of despicable methods to get what he wanted. She did not want Daniel to get involved with him and suffer.


    "There is no perfect time for a relationship. You just have to find the right person."


    "Then you are not the one for me." Rachel rejected him right away.


    "Who is the one for you? Daniel Adler?" Jared said with a creepy smile.


    "How?" Rachel was dumbfounded. How did he find out about Daniel?


    "Do you think I wouldn''t know about the affairs of the woman I like?" Jared raised an eyebrow.


    "Don''t you dare touch him." Rachel pointed a finger at him in rage.


    "Oh, I won''t. But I can''t guarantee that my men won''t."


    "You..." Rachel was agitated.


    "Calm down love. You need to take care of your health." He held her hand, but she pushed him away immediately.


    "Don''t touch me." She shouted and darted towards her ward. She was scared now for Daniel. She had to inform her brother about Jared''s threat.

 Chapter 111: Ominous feeling

    Rachel was terrified now. She was unsure now what to do. Jared had threatened her in broad daylight with her boyfriend''s life. She decided to inform Noah of Jared''s threat. But she had not carried her phone with her when she had gone out. So, she first went to her ward to get her phone.


    Immediately after she reached her ward, she called Noah. However, he did not pick it up. She tried again to get the same result. She thought for a few seconds and gave Joshua a call. He too did not pick up her phone.


    "Where is everyone? Why is nobody picking my call?" She yelled.


    After trying both their phones for some time, she remembered Ian was in the hospital. She could tell him about Jared. She came out of her ward. However, she did not know in which ward Ian was resting.


    She looked around and saw a ward boy heading in her direction.


    "Excuse me." She stopped.


    "How can I help you Miss?" He asked her.


    "Do you know in which ward Dr. Davis is resting?"


    "Sure Miss. He is in Ward No. 2E. It''s on the second floor."


    "Thank you."


    Without another word, she rushed to the said ward. Fortunately for her, Ian was awake. She stood outside the ward panting and gasping for breath. She bent her head and took deep breaths.


    Ian saw a frantic Rachel and tried to get up. But he couldn''t, his body was still weak and it hurt whenever he moved.


    "Rachel, what happened to you? Why are you in a disheveled state?"


    Rachel went in. She was still sweating and gasping lightly.


    "Have some water?" Ian pointed at the jug of water.


    Rachel poured herself a cup of water and gulped it in one go.


    "Calm down. Sit down." Ian told her gently.


    It took her a few minutes to calm herself. Ian did not speak to her the entire time until she had relaxed a bit.


    "Now tell me what happened."


    "Do you remember Jared?"


    "Yes, he had come to visit you once right?"


    "Yes." Rachel looked at him and did not know how to tell him.


    "Tell me what happened." Ian held her hand and pressed it gently.


    "He came to meet me again."


    "What?" Ian''s eyes widened. He was slowly getting furious.


    "Yes."


    "What did he tell you?"


    "He wants me."


    "What?" Ian shouted. The door to the ward was closed, so he did not have to worry about anybody listening to their talk.


    "He wants me and also knows about my relationship with Daniel."


    "Did he threaten you with Daniel''s life?"


    Rachel nodded.


    "Bastard." Ian seethed.


    Rachel looked at him astounded. It was very rare for him to curse. As a matter of fact, she had never heard him curse before.


    "This issue is very serious. We need to inform Noah and Joshua."


    "I tried calling them, but nobody picked up."


    "Maybe they are busy."


    "Maybe."


    "I''ll leave them a message, so they will know once they see it."


    "Thanks."


    "No problem."


    Ian immediately sent the other two a message: Call me once you see the message. It''s urgent.


    "I have sent the message. Don''t worry we will take care of it."


    Rachel smiled at him faintly. Though he had assured her, she could not stop worrying about Daniel.


    "Have you spoken to Daniel?" Ian asked after some time.


    "No. He has a court hearing today. So, he will not pick up the call."


    "Hmm. At least he is safe for now. Nobody can hurt him in the court premises as there will be a lot of policemen."


    Hearing Ian''s words, Rachel heaved a sigh of relief. However, to be on a safer side, she sent him a message to be safe and to call her once his case ended.


    "May I stay here for some time?" Rachel asked.


    "Sure. Are you hungry?" Ian complied without hesitation.


    "A little."


    "Me too. I''ll ask the nurse to get us something."


    Ian pressed the button on his right. After a few minutes, a nurse entered the ward.


    "Yes, Dr. Davis."


    "Can you get us two bento boxes?"


    "Sure."


    The nurse left them alone to get them food.


    "What have you thought about your family? Are you going to tell them about yourself?" Rachel queried once she was completely calm.


    "I am not sure yet. Mr. Litner is still unconscious, though I can tell about me to his assistant.."


    "Hmm."


    "I am still unable to believe that I found my family after so long. It feels very weird."


    Rachel rubbed her palm on his arms.


    "We are here for you."


    "Thanks. I want to tell them, but I am not sure how."


    "You can wait until Mr. Litner gains consciousness. You have time till then."


    "Not exactly. I don''t know when he will wake up and in six days, I''ll be going to the war zone to provide medical assistance to the injured."


    "What?" Now it was her time to get stupefied.


    "Yes. Even Aria is coming with me."


    "What?" She asked again, raising her eyebrows. She knew about the ongoing war between her country and the neighboring country. But, she did not know that Ian and Aria would be going to the borders in a few days. Nobody had told her about it.


    "Yes." Ian stared at her weirdly seeing her dumbstruck expression.


    "Did my brother give her permission?"


    "My answer would be yes and even if he doesn''t allow, Aria will definitely go. I know her, nobody can stop her from doing what she wants."


    "Oh."


    "Moreover, Noah has no right to control her life, even if he is her boyfriend."


    "Well said." Rachel agreed. It was true that Noah had no right to control anybody''s life and he was not that controlling either. Sometimes he would be a little overprotective. But that was his nature and it was justified. She too hated people who tried to control her.


    "How can you go in this state?" Rachel asked when she realized that Ian was still weak.


    "Rachel, I am fine. I still have six days to recuperate."


    "Will you get well before then?"


    "Definitely. Look at me how fit I am." Ian held his biceps for her to see.


    Rachel laughed. At that moment, the nurse returned with two bento boxes.


    "Thank you. You can go." Ian said to the nurse and she obliged.


    Ian handed a box to Rachel. "Now have some food. Everything will be fine. Trust me."


    "Thanks." Rachel opened the box and started eating. She had calmed herself completely.


    Meanwhile Ian was lost in thoughts. Though he had assured her Daniel''s well being, he couldn''t stop worrying himself. He was having an ominous feeling.


    Rachel sensed that Ian had not touched his food yet. She found him deep in thoughts.


    "Ian."


    "Ian."


    "Yeah."


    "What happened? Where were you lost?"


    "Nothing nothing. Let''s eat."


    Ian started to eat without telling her anything. He did not want her to start panicking again.

 Chapter 112: Indefinite furlough

    "Ivy," Kira called her as soon as she entered the room. It had been a tiring day yesterday with all the news related to David''s death and they working overtime. Also, today Max had called them to report early to work as he had got a new assignment on hand. And as to what that assignment was only Max knew.


    "Yes, Kira. What''s the news?" Ivy looked up. She was currently working on a new topic which she had hidden from both Kira and Max. She did not want to reveal about it before she was one hundred percent sure about the news. She was still waiting for her sources to confirm the news before she could go and capture it.


    "We have a problem." Kira sighed.


    "What?" Ivy frowned. She was told that they had got an assignment. How did it become a problem?


    "Someone in the management is quite powerful."


    "So?" Ivy did not know what Kira was getting at.


    "The entire team working under Max has been prohibited from working on any news from now on until further notice."


    "What? Why?" Ivy exclaimed in shock. Until yesterday everything was working fine, they were fine. However, now they were asked to stop with their work. This was something incomprehensible.


    "I don''t know. They are not telling the reasons. Max has called a meeting right now." Kira said with a dejected look.


    "Is the entire team on their list?" Ivy asked pinching her nose.


    "I am not sure. Let''s go and attend the meeting."


    "Come."


    Ivy and Kira went to the meeting room. As soon as they stepped inside, they saw Max, Sasha, Cedric, and Tim.


    "Come inside and close the door," Max said, his voice low and sad.


    "What is happening Max?" Ivy questioned as soon as she sat down.


    "My team has been asked to go on a furlough indefinitely," Max answered clasping his hands together.


    "What?" Everybody asked at the same time.


    "Yes. The management called me today to talk about the same. I have been given the names of people who will not be working for the time being."


    "Who?" Sasha asked taking a deep breath.


    "Kira, Ivy, Sasha, Cedric, and me."


    "What about me?" Tim intervened.


    "You are a new employee here. So, they have transferred you to another team on my request." Max replied.


    "Oh."


    "Why did they sack us?" Ivy queried. She was angry that they had been removed from work without prior notice.


    "They have not sacked us. We will be on leave until further notice and it will be unpaid."


    "What?" Again everyone gasped in shock.


    "Yes and I have been informed that if you are not happy with their decision, you are free to resign."


    "Are they crazy?" Kira seethed. She was not worried about anyone listening to her curses. Her job was already at stake.


    "Max you did not answer our question. Why are they doing this?" Cedric voiced.


    "They did not give me the reason except that the content we are publishing is misleading the public."


    "What nonsense." Kira gritted her teeth in rage.


    "What is the notice period?" Sasha asked. If they were given some time, she can least find a part-time job somewhere until work resumed.


    "No notice period. We will have to vacate immediately." Max uttered. He knew how devastated his colleagues were. Without any notice or prior announcement they had been removed from their job, this was an injustice to them.


    "Bastards." Ivy spat, furious.


    "So, what are we going to do?" Sasha asked calmly. Although she looked calm and composed, she was nervous. She had a little brother to take care of.


    "I haven''t decided yet. I''ll take a break for a few days and then decide about it." Max responded.


    "Ugh. I am going to go and blow off some steam." Kira stood up.


    "What are you going to do?" Ivy asked looking at her.


    "I don''t know. Maybe eat."


    "I''ll come with you. I am hungry too." Ivy stood up.


    "Me too." Sasha joined them.


    "Ced, do you want to come?" Ivy turned to look at him.


    "Sure." Cedric agreed.


    "I''ll join you guys." Max too stood up. The group proceeded to leave, but Max stopped suddenly on realizing something.


    "Tim, won''t you join us?"


    "No, I am not hungry." He smiled at Max.


    "Okay." The group of five walked out of the room leaving Tim alone. However, before leaving Max did not miss the small Smirk on Tim''s face, although it was only for a few seconds.


    After the group vacated the room, Tim sent a text message to someone, stood up and left as if nothing had ever happened.


    Meanwhile, the group of five went to the cafe opposite their building and occupied a table. Each of them had the same thought in mind.


    ''What were they going to do now?''


    However, Max had something else in his mind. He stared at his colleagues and tried to gauge their feelings through their expressions. He then looked around the cafe. After a long time of complete silence, he spoke.


    "Guys, I have something to discuss."


    "You still have more to say?" Kira asked bewildered. Was the blow not enough already that he had something else to tell them?


    "Yes."


    Everyone was silent, waiting for him to proceed.


    "I am going to resign from my job." He declared.


    "What?" The other four shouted at the same time. Their voice was loud enough to attract all the people''s attention in the cafe. However, they did not care.


    "Yes. I am going to resign."


    "But why?" Sasha asked.


    "I have my reasons, but I will tell you later. I have a plan in mind. If you want you can join me."


    "Then I will resign too," Ivy said almost immediately.


    "Why?" Now it was Max''s turn to ask. Though he knew her answer, he still wanted to hear it from her.


    "I trust you and I am going to join you."


    Max nodded, while the others comprehended about it.


    "I''ll join you too," Kira added.


    "Me too." Cedric too replied.


    Now only Sasha had to make her choice. Everybody looked at her waiting for her reply.


    "Will I be paid?" She asked timidly.


    At once, everyone broke out into a fit of laughter. It was the first time they had smiled since the meeting.


    "I am not sure about it in the beginning stages. Later, definitely." Max answered controlling his smile.


    "Then I am in."


    Suddenly, Ivy realized something and tapped Max''s shoulder.


    "Max, you could have told us about it in the meeting room right?"


    "No. I am suspicious of Tim."


    "What? Why?" Sasha asked.


    "He is not what he looks like."


    "What do you mean?" Cedric asked as he sipped his iced tea.


    "There is something mysterious about him. If my intuitions are not wrong, he is somehow related to us being in this state."


    "We feel the same." Ivy pointed at Kira, Cedric, and herself.


    "There is something else. Has anybody noticed anything weird about him?"


    "Yes," Kira answered.


    "What?"


    "I find him creepy."


    "Not like that." Max sighed. He did not know how to tell them.


    "Like how?" Cedric asked confused.


    "I had kept an eye on him for the past few days."


    "And?" Kira prompted.


    "He started following me secretly after work."


    "Oh my god," Sasha exclaimed loudly while stared at him horrified.


    "Yeah. But he stopped after four days. However, I continued to keep on eye on him."


    "Did you find anything else?" Cedric asked clenching his fists.


    "For the past two days, he is following Ivy."

 Chapter 113: Concern for Ivy

    "Tim is keeping an eye on Ivy" Max uttered. This was like a big blow to all of them. They did not know what to say.


    "I hope you have not done anything weird in the past few days." Max continued and looked at Ivy.


    Ivy was still in shock. No words came out of her mouth, however, she still managed to nod a no.


    "Good."


    "Now guys listen to me. Go home and take a day off. Let us meet at my house the day after tomorrow. I''ll discuss my plan with you. Also, don''t hand over your resignation letter right now, it might seem suspicious. I have a feeling each of us is being watched."


    Everybody nodded. It seemed fair.


    "Come on let''s go and Ivy don''t do anything suspicious for the next few days. We do not know what kind of a person Tim is." Max warned.


    "Yes."


    The group of five left the cafe and went back to the building. Without further delay, they collected their things and left the office. They had nothing to do anyway.


    Ivy walked out of the building with only a small box in her hand. She did not have many belongings in there.


    "Ivy, be safe," Cedric said with a smile. She gave him a nod and went to her motorbike. At that moment, her phone alerted a message notification. She looked at it and sighed. It was a message from Joshua.


    ''I have important news. Call me when you read this.''


    Immediately, she gave him a call. He picked it on the second ring.


    "Hey."


    "Hi. What have you got for me?" Ivy asked directly. She did not beat around the bush.


    "I will tell you in person. I have something important to tell you about your father."


    "Okay. Where do you want to meet me?"


    "My office."


    "I''ll be there is twenty," Ivy said.


    Joshua heard the difference in her tone. She did not sound like her usual self, there was grievance in her tone which he could detect although she hid it quite well.


    "See ya." Joshua ended the call and frowned.


    Exactly after twenty minutes, Ivy arrived at Joshua''s office. On the way, while she was riding her bike she had seen a car follow her. Immediately she realized that Tim was keeping an eye on her. She even felt like an idiot for not sensing it before. However, it was not her fault, Tim had expertly hid himself while doing his job. Even now, he was doing a great job. It was Ivy who had paid more attention to her surroundings.


    When Ivy parked her bike on arriving at her destination, she saw Tim''s car stopping at a distance far away. Without much thought, she walked inside the building and saw the secretary, she had met before on her previous visit, waiting for her.


    "Miss West, this way please." Lucia led her to Joshua''s cabin without further delay. She knocked at his door twice before entering.


    "Sir, Miss West is here." She gestured to Ivy to step in.


    "Hello Ivy," Joshua said. Immediately, his mind was filled with the brief kiss he had shared with her, her soft lips felt so good that he wanted to kiss her again.


    "Mr. Martin." Ivy greeted back.


    Joshua noticed that she looked a little absent-minded.


    "Do you want anything to drink?"


    "Water would be fine," Ivy replied and her thoughts went back to Tim.


    Joshua looked at Ivy and then at Lucia. "Get a bottle of water and some orange juice."


    Lucia nodded and stepped out of the room. Before that, she did not forget to close the door behind her.


    "Ivy," Joshua called her, but her attention was elsewhere.


    "Ivy." He called again, and again no response.


    Standing up from his chair, he walked around his desk and sat on the chair beside her. Looking at her staring into space, he flicked her forehead.


    Ivy gasped in pain.


    "Where the hell was your mind? I called you many times."


    "Sorry." Ivy apologized, rendering Joshua speechless. He was not sure why Ivy had apologized. He was now definite there was something wrong with her. She was behaving weird.


    "Spit it out." He said sternly.


    "What?" Ivy stared at him confused.


    "There is something bothering you. Tell me."


    "No. No. Joshua, there is nothing bothering me. I am fine." In her fit of panic, Ivy had not realized that she had called him using his first name.


    "Ivy."


    "There is nothing. Trust me."


    "Okay then. Until you say what is bothering you, I won''t tell you what I have found out about your father."


    "You found out something. What?" Ivy was excited now. She masked her worries expertly.


    "Uh. Uh. You know my condition."


    Ivy sighed. She realized that she could not talk him out. But, she could not tell him the truth either.


    "Just work-related issues. Nothing major." Ivy said and it was the truth.


    "Are you sure?" Joshua raised his eyebrows skeptically. He was not satisfied with her answer.


    "Yes and by the way, if you have called me to waste my time then I''ll take leave. I have a lot of things at hand." Ivy stood up annoyed.


    "Hey, sit down. I was just worried."


    "Thanks for your concern."


    "You must be. It is not every day that a handsome man like me will be concerned for you." Joshua teased.


    "Oh please. What handsome man are you talking about? Where is he?" Ivy looked around her.


    Joshua narrowed his eyes. "Are you teasing me?"


    "Oh, you realized that now. Slow brains."


    At that moment, Lucia entered with a bottle of water and a bottle of juice.


    "Anything else, sir?" Lucia asked after she placed the two bottles on the desk.


    "That will be all."


    Ivy waited until Lucia left them alone before she spoke again.


    "So, what did you want to tell me?"


    "I recently found out that the scam your father was covering was being supported financially by a powerful hand."


    "And?" Ivy folded her hands. It was nothing significant.


    "Remember the video that destroyed the Good City Clinic?"


    "Yes?"


    "There was a person who was talking to the patient''s doctor in a room."


    "Yes," Ivy remembered the man clearly.


    "If you have noticed carefully, you would have known that among the staff who were arrested by the police, he was missing."


    "Yes." Ivy had noticed it long back.


    "He was the last person your father met before he went missing."


    "How did you know that?" Ivy asked perplexed.


    Joshua turned his laptop to her and played the recording. It showed her father speaking to the person she had seen in the secret room. After that, the scene shifted to the one where her father was running away from the man. He hopped into a van and fled from the spot with three other people who she could not see clearly.


    "How are you so sure that he was the last person he met?" Ivy queried.


    "I am not sure. It''s just a feeling." Joshua shrugged. He did not tell her that after her father fled, Noah''s men had followed him until they took him away. He had more information on hand, nut Noah had told him to give away only so much.


    At least something was better than nothing.

 Chapter 114: Joshua goes to Ivys house

    Ivy stared at the video and then at Joshua. She was tongue-tied and many questions were swirling in her mind. She had long known that the situation was complex, but she did not know that it was this twisted.


    Joshua sat beside her observing her every change in expressions. He noticed that her face was quite exquisite and she had a unique charm. It could attract many men just by looking at her. His eyes traveled from her expressive eyes to her lips. He suddenly started feeling hot and he gulped. Shaking away his perverted thoughts, he picked up the remote and reduced the room temperature.


    "Have you found out anything else?" Ivy asked after thinking for a while. She had started to feel cold suddenly and her thin shirt was not helping her.


    "That''s all for now," Joshua replied.


    Ivy nodded.


    "If we can find him, maybe we can find out more about your father." Joshua continued. He also had a motive in finding that man. The video clip he had shown Ivy was only a part of it, there was still more to it. In the remaining part, he had seen Oliver show the man a document that had made him go in shock and become pale. The video did not have any sound, so he could not find out what they were talking about and what the contents of the document were.


    If Noah''s assumptions were correct, it the document which even they wanted. However, they did not know where it was and nor could they ask Oliver about it. The other three people who had fled with Oliver were long dead and when they had taken him with them, he did not have the file with him. The only way to find out more was to extract everything from the West sisters and from the man in the video or wait for Oliver to recover.


    The three friends had come up with a plan to find out everything possible from the West sisters as well as from other sources. This matter was as important to them as it was to Ivy and Aria. They had someone dear to them who had been wrongly accused and only the file could save that person.


    "Ivy, I heard from one of my sources that your father had stored at that he had found in a document and a pen drive. Do you have any idea about it?" Joshua asked looking at her intently.


    Ivy thought for a while. She only knew about the file which she had retrieved from her old house. However, regarding the pen drive she had no idea about it.


    "I have told you everything I know. If you want I can show you everything I have found out."


    Joshua heard her and gave it a thought. Although Ivy had told him everything, there might be something which she could have missed or hidden from him intentionally. If he could somehow sneak into her house, he might be able to find out about it.


    "That would be great. We can see if we have missed out on anything."


    "All my findings are at home. If you are free, we can go right away." Ivy said hopefully.


    Joshua was waiting for her to tell the same. He smirked but was also surprised at the trust Ivy had on him. His smirk was replaced by regret and guilt. He was making use of her for his personal gains while she was oblivious to it.


    "If you are fine with it, we can leave right away," Joshua said standing up. He immediately sent his secretary a text to push back all his meetings. This matter was more important to him. After that, he sent a message to Noah.


    ''Plan worked. I will be waiting for you.''


    "So, let''s go."


    Ivy and Joshua left the room and walked out of the building. It was a little over 3 p.m and it was still sunny. When Ivy approached her bike, she turned to look at him.


    "How will you come?"


    "I''ll drive my car."


    "Okay." Ivy took out her phone from her bag and sent him her address.


    "I have sent you my address."


    "That is not necessary. I''ll follow you." Joshua gave her a wink making her roll her eyes.


    "Okay, as you wish."


    "Wait for me."


    Joshua walked away from her towards his company parking. Meanwhile, Ivy put on her helmet as she waited for him to come. She looked at the place where she had seen Tim park his car before she went inside the building. The car was still in the spot. She immediately averted her gaze to avoid suspicions.


    Five minutes passed and Joshua had not yet returned. Suddenly there was a loud honk from behind her. Ivy was startled. She looked at back to see Joshua waving at her from his car. She rolled her eyes at his weirdness and started her bike. She then turned to look at him. He gave her a nod after which Ivy rode past him and he started following her.


    As soon as she took off, Tim too started his car. He had been waiting for her in his car. He had followed her from their agency until she stopped in front of Joshua''s company. Tim looked at her and was confused as to why she had stopped here. He knew who Joshua was and also about his friendship with Noah. He was suddenly having a bad feeling about it.


    Tim waited for forty minutes before Ivy came out with Joshua. From the looks of it, they looked like a couple. Anybody seeing them would conclude that they were in a relationship, the looked quite close and compatible.


    When Ivy took off, he had seen Joshua follow her in his car. After waiting for some time, he started following the two of them. He wanted to see what they were up to.


    Joshua closely followed Ivy, lest he should miss her. He was impressed by her bike riding skills. She looked suave and sexy.


    At that moment, his phone rang. He connected the Bluetooth and attended the call.


    "Joshua, where are you?" Noah''s voice was heard loud and clear in the car.


    "I am going to Ivy''s house." He replied curtly.


    "Hmm. I''ll be there shortly." Noah said and cut the call.


    While Joshua was on the phone, he had seen a car following him since he had left his building. Nothing could escape his hawk-like eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows confused. He was not sure who was following him and why. He kept on eye on him as he followed Ivy.


    Ivy too had noticed Tim following her. He was two cars behind Joshua. She narrowed her eyes and her lips were pressed together in a thin line.


    After driving for twenty-five minutes, they arrived in the street where Ivy and Aria lived. While Ivy rode her vehicle straight into a building, Joshua parked his car in front of it. He observed the person following him, he had parked his car in a dark area a little away from his car. But Joshua could still make out the car that trailed behind him.


    Joshua did not know that the person was following Ivy and not him. He had to find out who it was and what his intentions were. He stepped out of the car as Ivy came running to him.


    "Joshua, come inside."


    Ivy walked in the front while Joshua was behind her. Before entering the building, both of them did not forget to take a short glimpse at the car that had followed them.

 Chapter 115: Plan in action

    At the hospital.


    Aria had finished her work and now it was time for her to go home. Just thinking about her home, her cozy bed which was calling out to her, her sleep which she could finally have after a long day of work made her happy and satisfied. She could catch up on a few hours of sleep before she met Daniel for dinner. She had not driven her car and she could not call Ivy to pick her as she had work to do. So, she could only hail a cab.


    "Goodbye Miss Sawyer." Aria waved at her as she stepped out of the hospital. She sighed. To get a cab, she had to walk to the hospital entrance and she was not sure if she would be able to drag her heavy body till there. She was tired, but she had no choice.


    Aria started walking slowly, more like ambled towards the gate. At that moment, her phone started to ring. She picked it up with great difficulty without seeing who it was.


    "Hello."


    "Look back." She heard someone speak. His voice sounded oddly familiar. However, her muddled mind had long stopped processing anything. She turned around without thinking. There stood Noah tall and handsome, looking as suave as ever.


    Aria blinked twice to see if her mind was playing games with her. Noah looked at her puzzled expression and grinned inwardly. She looked lovely though she looked was tired.


    "You are really here?" She asked when he stood in front of her.


    "What do you think?" Noah questioned her back with a smirk.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I am here to pick up my girlfriend. Any problems?"


    Aria''s heart skipped a beat hearing his words. Her face flushed red as she stared at him without blinking.


    "Come let''s go." Noah held her hand and led her to his car. Ronnie was waiting for him in front of the car.


    "Hello Madam." He greeted her.


    "Hello," Aria replied abstracted.


    Noah opened the door and Aria slipped inside, still absentminded. She did not even register when Noah had sat beside her and the car had started moving. She was silent until he spoke.


    "You know I got a call from my grandfather." Noah started.


    Aria had forgotten about the matter completely. She had also presumed that Noah would eventually forget due to his busy schedule. But who would know that he would bring it up as soon as they met?


    "That''s great," Aria muttered half-heartedly.


    "Do you want to know what he told me?" Noah said gazing at her.


    "No." Aria blurted out without thinking. She immediately realized her mistake and blushed in embarrassment. Noah chuckled at her shy look.


    "But I still want to tell you," Noah replied as he pulled Aria closer towards him.


    Aria remained silent.


    "My grandfather told me that somebody wants to give him great-grandkids." Noah started. His gaze was still fixed at Aria, taking in her cute expressions.


    "I wonder who it is. Do you have any idea Aria?"


    "No."


    "Ohh. If you ask me, I am ready to make kids with her. But I doubt if she is ready for what is coming her way." Noah spoke confidently with a tone of arrogance.


    "Who told I am ready to make kids with you? You must be dreaming." Aria retorted back.


    "When did I tell it was you who had stated about giving grandkids to my grandfather?"


    Aria cursed herself for the slip of tongue. She realized Noah was too good at word games and was very proficient at speaking. She did not know what to say.


    "On a second thought, he did mention that was you who wanted to give him grandkids. Is it true?" Noah raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to answer.


    "I did not say anything like that. It was just that Rachel and your grandfather ganged up on me. That''s it."


    Noah laughed out loud at her awkward reasoning. Aria glanced at him and turned away from him huffing. She looked like a chipmunk in his eyes.


    "Okay fine. I am sorry. I won''t tease you anymore. Alright?"


    Aria still did not turn towards him. He pulled her and made her lean against him, her head against his chest.


    "I am sorry alright? Please talk to me."


    " Okay," Aria replied with a yawn which Noah noticed.


    "Sleep. I''ll wake you up when we arrive."


    "Where are we going?" Aria struggled to speak.


    "I am taking you home."


    But there was no reply. Aria had long succumbed to sleep. Noah patted her back and tucked some of the loose strands behind her ears.


    In no time, they had arrived at Aria''s house. Noah looked at the sleeping Aria and his lips curled up in a sweet smile. She looked so peaceful and tiny in his arms. It felt just perfect and he hoped that time would standstill at the moment. He wished to watch her sleep every day and see her wake up.


    Sensing the loss of movement, Aria opened her eyes groggily.


    "Where are we?" She asked as she tried to move away from Noah''s hold.


    We have reached." Noah replied kissing her forehead.


    "Oh, why didn''t you wake me up?"


    "We arrived just now."


    "Okay."


    Aria got away from his embrace, making Noah frown. The sudden loss of contact made him feel empty. Both of them got down from the car.


    "So, I''ll get going then," Aria said.


    "Won''t you invite me in?"


    "Do you want to come?" Aria asked unsure. The last time when she had invited him, he had declined it. Now he was inviting himself. What was wrong with him?


    "Yeah, if you do not mind."


    "Sure. Come in."


    Aria led him inside the building and waited for the elevator. Nosh did not forget to hold her hand in the meantime.


    They got out on the third floor and went to her apartment. She had her keys with her, so she opened it immediately. She did not know Ivy was already home and Joshua was with her.


    As soon as Aria entered inside, she heard voices from the kitchen.


    "Ivy, are you home?" She shouted as she dropped her bag on the table in the living room. Noah followed her silently. He knew that Ivy and Joshua were already inside.


    "Aria?" Ivy walked out with Joshua behind her.


    "I didn''t know you were here," Aria exclaimed. Noah too feigned a shock.


    "What are you doing here Jo?"


    "I had some work here." Joshua shrugged his shoulders.


    "You guys sit and talk. I''ll be back in a minute." Aria mumbled and went to her room.


    "What are you doing here Jo?" Noah asked again. "How did you guys even meet?"


    "Do you know him?" Ivy asked Joshua perplexed. She did know that they were acquainted with each other.


    "Yes, we are friends since childhood," Joshua replied.


    "Wow."


    "Noah, I am here to help Ivy find someone."


    "Who?"


    "Ivy, shall I tell him? Maybe he can help you too."


    Joshua and Noah looked at her. Their acting was on point and Ivy did not suspect them at all. She thought for a while before nodding her head.


    "It''s like this." Joshua started and told Noah everything Ivy had told him about her father''s disappearance.


    "Oh."


    "Yes. We wanted to see if we have left out anything in the process." Ivy added.


    "I''ll also help you in this matter. I have better resources and more men." Nosh chipped in.


    "That would be great. Thank you." Ivy looked at him gratefully. "Wait a minute. I''ll bring all the information I have accumulated in the last three years."


    She got up and went to her room on the left. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not see the two men giving each other a nod praising the other silently. Their plan was in action. If they could get a hold on the information they were looking for, everything would be alright.

 Chapter 116: Three boxes of papers

    Joshua and Noah looked at each other and the boxes that were lying in front of them. It was a lot to take in. There were two boxes and each of them was filled till the top. The two men had thought that Ivy had collected information that may be of a few pages or at least the size of a book. But who knew she had two boxes worth of data.


    "Wow, that''s a lot to take in," Joshua commented pulling a box towards him.


    "Yeah, but there is nothing much worth in it. This is what I have found in the last three years." Ivy sat on the sofa and wiped her sweat. The boxes were quite heavy, though they were small in size and she had to bring them from her room to the living room. But she did it with ease. The occasional visits to the gym had paid her off today.


    At that moment, Aria walked out of her room. She had just finished taking a shower and her hair was still damp. The night duty at the hospital made her feel that she smelt the of the disinfectants used in her hospital. She badly wanted a take a bath and had immediately hopped in the bathroom to take one as soon as she had entered her house.


    "Wow, Ivy that''s a lot of papers." She said in surprise, looking at the box of papers. She did not know her sister had collected so much information.


    The three people looked in the direction from where the voice came. Aria was looking at them innocently. But the scene in front of him made Noah gulp. She looked so sexy in her casual and homely dress that he was having a hard time controlling himself. The fact that she had come out after taking a shower was not helping him either. Her flushed face made her look like an apple and he just wanted to take a bite.


    "Yeah, but there is nothing quite significant in it," Ivy replied.


    "Wait. I have something too." Aria said and ran inside her room.


    Ivy blinked and looked at Joshua and Noah. While Noah raised her eyebrows, Joshua shrugged his shoulders. How would he know what Aria wanted to do?


    After a minute or two, Aria returned pushing a small box towards the hall. It was stacked with papers. It was of the same size as that of the boxes Ivy had brought. From the looks of it, everybody knew what the papers in it were. But Ivy still asked to make sure.


    "Aria, what is this all about?"


    "Ivy, this is what I have found in the last three years. I thought this could help."


    "Why didn''t you tell me about this?"


    "Well, since I found nothing worth mentioning, I didn''t say a thing."


    As Jo and Noah heard the two sisters talk, they were quite surprised that they were able to find out a lot of information. Though the sisters thought the information to be insignificant, they felt that they would be able to find something related to what they wanted.


    "So shall we start?" Joshua intervened.


    "Yes. You guys start, I''ll get you some coffee and some snacks." Aria said and went towards the kitchen.


    Noah stood up looking at Aria go to the kitchen. He had been silent the entire time watching her speak. Now he was unable to control himself and since the opportunity had presented itself before him, how could he not grasp it?


    "Noah, where are you going?" Jo asked looking at him stand up. Hearing his dumb question, Noah wanted to smack his forehead while Ivy felt like slapping some sense into him.


    "Noah, you go," Ivy spoke and glared at Joshua.


    Noah smiled at her gratefully. At least he had an intelligent sister-in-law unlike his dumb friend who couldn''t grasp the situation. Without giving Joshua a second glance, he went to the kitchen.


    "What is happening?" Joshua asked looking at Ivy giving him a glare.


    "I did not know you were an idiot."


    "What do you mean?" He furrowed his eyebrows. It was the first time someone had called him an idiot. Who was he? A genius hacker and a video game designer. How dare Ivy call him an idiot?


    "I am not sure why I am even explaining things to you. Look, Aria is in the kitchen."


    Joshua finally got what Ivy wanted to say. "Oh, my bad. So, the love birds wanted some alone time."


    "Yeah, dumbhead."


    "Who are you calling a dumbhead?"


    "Do you see anybody else other than you here?"


    "You..." Joshua glowered at her.


    "Yeah me. Come let''s start." Ivy took the first document from the box.


    Meanwhile in the kitchen, Aria was brewing the coffee when she felt Noah''s hands around her waist.


    "What are you doing?" She squealed.


    "I am doing nothing." He answered and placed his chin on her right shoulder.


    When Noah had walked into the kitchen, he saw Aria brewing the coffee, with her back facing him. How could he miss such an opportunity? So he walked to her and hugged her from behind.


    "Is this nothing?" Aria asked pointing to his hands which were wandering around her waist. She was finding it ticklish and she tried to wriggle out of his grasp.


    "Yes. I am an innocent boyfriend who is just hugging his girlfriend." Noah replied and turned his face slightly to look at her. He could clearly see her ears which had gone red and he could also smell the faint fragrance of her shampoo from her hair.


    "Noah, leave me. It tickles." Aria giggled. His hands were now roaming freely around her waist and she being very sensitive, Aria was struggling to stop herself from giggling.


    "What tickles?" He questioned with a devilish smile which Aria failed to notice.


    "Noah, stop." She said in between her giggles and turned to look at him slightly. The moment she did so, he captured her lips with his. However, it was for a brief moment. He pulled back immediately.


    Aria gaped at him dumbfounded. ''What just happened?'' She couldn''t arrange her thoughts, they were a jumbled mess.


    Noah saw her staring at him with her mouth open and he smirked. He cleared his throat.


    "Aria, I think the coffee is done."


    "Yeah." Aria broke out from her reverie and took the carafe and poured the coffee into four mugs. She then set the cups in the tray along with a small cup of sugar. All this time, Noah was looking at her intently from the side. He was still hugging her from behind.


    "Noah, leave me." Aria nudged him, making him sigh. He released her reluctantly and carried the tray.


    "Give me the tray."


    "Nah, I''ll carry it."


    "If you say so," Aria uttered and walked away from him. Noah chuckled before following Aria to the living room. But the scene they saw made the couple freeze on spot.


    Ivy and Joshua were both on the floor. This was not what made them halt in their places. They were shocked to see Ivy lying on top of Joshua with his hands wrapped around her waist.

 Chapter 117: Weird conversation

    When Aria and Noah were busy in their romantic world in the kitchen, Ivy and Joshua had started with their work. Ivy pulled one of the boxes towards her and took out the papers. They were arranged based on dates she had collected them, the newest being on the top.


    "Ivy, what are you doing?" Joshua enquired looking at her pick up the bundle from one of the boxes.


    "I am arranging them chronologically."


    "Oh." He pouted. The bundle of papers was huge and they couldn''t finish all of it in one day. They would need a lot of days to go through all of it.


    "Help me," Ivy commanded.


    "Okay."


    Joshua took a bundle from her hand and started arranging them in order. He could see the dates on the sheets. They started a few days after her father went missing and the latest update was just two days back.


    "Wow, you have a lot of papers here." He said giving them a thorough look.


    "Yeah. I have noted down everything I have found out until now lest I should forget about them."


    "That''s great," Joshua remarked but he stopped suddenly.


    Sensing no moment from the man beside her, Ivy took a glance at him and she froze immediately. She saw that he was holding a photo of her when she was a baby and the worse part was she was only in her diapers.


    "Give me that." She shouted in panic. How did he even find that pic? She remembered she had kept it away from everyone, thoroughly hidden. Initially, this pic was in the family album. But since it was of too much of an embarrassment for her to bear, she had hidden the pic from everyone. However, she was not sure how the pic got here.


    "Ivy, who is this?" Joshua asked smirking.


    "I said give me that." She seethed standing up.


    "Why? Don''t tell me this is you?" Joshua said in surprise though he had already deduced the answer from her reaction.


    "That''s not me. Now give me the pic." Ivy tried to snatch it out of his hands. But Joshua stood up immediately making it difficult for her to reach his hand.


    "Are you sure? I could ask Aria to confirm though." He teased. He was thoroughly enjoying looking at an agitated Ivy. It was very rare for her to behave this way.


    "Give me the pic." Ivy jumped to grab a hold of it, even so, she was unsuccessful. Joshua had stretched his arms higher making it difficult for her to reach. She looked tiny in front of the six feet tall man.


    "Nah uh." He clicked his tongue and turned away from her to take another look at it. Ivy chased after him to snatch it.


    "I must say Ivy you were quite bold when you were young."


    Ivy tried jumping again when she saw that he had dropped his hand a little. But the moment she tried, Joshua raised his arm again. Ivy stumbled and lost her footing. She fell on Joshua and gravity pulled them down together. During the slip, Joshua had subconsciously placed his left hand on her waist.


    Due to the sudden impact, Ivy''s head hit Joshua''s chin. He groaned in pain while she rubbed her forehead.


    "Damn you lady."


    Ivy pulled back a little to glare at him while Joshua observed her. She looked more beautiful up close, her eyes were shining as she was sending him daggers and her lips were pursed in a thin line. His eyes then traveled from her face to her neck. Due to the fall, her shirt had lowered a little and he could see the outline of her black bra. He gulped unknowingly. She looked so sexy at that moment that he did not know what to do. The room suddenly became too hot for him.


    Ivy pushed back her hair that had fallen over her face and saw Joshua staring at her. She followed his gaze and immediately her eyes widened when she saw what they were fixed at.


    Right at that moment, Aria and Noah walked out of the kitchen. The scene in from of them was shocking and they looked at each other quite dumbfounded.


    ''Were they in the kitchen for so long that many things had happened in the living room without their knowledge?''


    Aria gave Noah an evil smile. He blinked at first unable to comprehend what she was getting at.


    "Follow my lead." She mouthed. He then nodded in realization.


    Aria wanted to have some fun and how could he miss an opportunity to tease Joshua. So he followed her. Also, how could he say no to his woman? If she wanted to have fun and he would make sure she got her fill.


    "What a hot scene!!!" Aria exclaimed covering her eyes with her hands. She had tiptoed close to the couple to avoid them sensing her.


    "If you guys are in the process of making babies, I wouldn''t mind. But I suggest you to get a room." She chaffed.


    Her voice broke the fallen pair''s reverie and they immediately scrambled to their feet. Ivy cleared her throat in embarrassment while Joshua looked at the ground which suddenly deemed interesting to him.


    "How cute!!!" Aria giggled.


    "Wow, Jo. That was quite fast. I must say I am impressed." Noah commented, placing the tray on the table.


    "What? No. No. You are mist..." Joshua started.


    "Relax Jo. I support you both, you look good together."


    "There is nothing.." Ivy started but Aria interrupted her.


    "I am so happy for you. You look so cute together." Aria hugged her.


    "Aria, wait. There is a mis...."


    "Sorry guys for disturbing you. You can continue if you want in Ivy''s room. We will not be a hindrance."


    "Aria." Ivy cried.


    "Yes Ivy? Oh you want us to leave the house? We are fine with it. We will give you privacy." Aria grinned and pulled Noah with her. She knew there was nothing going on between the two of them. But it was fun to tease them and see them frustrated.


    "There is nothing going on between us," Ivy spoke finally.


    "What?" Aria stopped in her track and studied Ivy.


    "Yes. I was about to fall and he caught me. That''s it." Ivy cleared the misunderstanding.


    "Damn. And here I thought, Jo finally got laid."


    Both Ivy and Joshua gave Noah a glare making him raise his hands.


    "What? I was not the one who was caught in a compromising situation." He remarked.


    "And I was under the idea that I would get to see my nephew or niece shortly. Now they will have to wait a little longer to see the world." A smile threatened to break out on Aria''s face as she spoke.


    Ivy realized what was going on.


    "Really now?" She smirked at Aria.


    "Uh-oh." Aria noticed that her plan was about to backfire and her sister was on the revenge mode.


    "Noah back me up." She whispered.


    "What?" He asked confused.


    "Aria, if I remember correctly. You were in the kitchen for more than twenty minutes. What were you doing for so long?"


    "I was making coffee," Aria replied.


    "For that long? Oh really. I am sure there was something else going on."


    "What do you mean?" Aria knitted her eyebrows.


    "You were with Noah for more than twenty minutes and you say you were making coffee. I believe something else must have happened during this time."


    "No, no. Nothing happened." Aria said panicked.


    Joshua smiled hearing Ivy''s words. Now it was his time to have fun.


    "Yes Noah. Tell us what were you doing in there for so long? Wait a second." Joshua gasped. "Ivy, I think it is you who will be getting a niece or a nephew shortly."


    "Really. Oh my God." Ivy exclaimed happily.


    "Help me." Aria cursed under her breath and looked at the silent Noah but the words he said next made her regret her decision immediately.


    "Yes, we were in the process of making kids. However we realized you guys were in a hurry to have them before us. So we gave up."


    ''Shameless. Shameless. Too shameless.'' Aria thought inwardly.


    Joshua''s lips twitched while Ivy choked on her own saliva. Her brother-in-law was too brazen.


    "What are you doing?" Aria whispered angrily.


    "You told me to back you up." He replied with a shrug.


    "That was not what I meant."


    "Then, what did you mean?"


    Aria was tongue-tied. She did not know what to say.


    "Now if you are done with making babies, shall we do the work we actually came here for?" Noah raised his eyebrows and questioned sternly.


    "We were not making babies." Aria, Ivy and Joshua replied at the same time. However, it came out completely wrong. That sure sounded like they were having a threesome.


    The four people blinked before they burst out laughing. It was the weirdest conversation they had ever had.

 Chapter 118: Sisters boyfriend

    The next three hours were spent in going through the information Ivy had collected. There was nothing significant in them other than data related to some of the previous works her father had worked on before he took the new project. There were also details about her father''s colleagues who had worked with him. However, the interesting part was all of them had gone missing more or less around the same time as their father. Some were even found dead under mysterious circumstances.


    There was some information about the hospitals that were covered in the sting operation as well as the doctors involved in it. When they were going through this part of the information, Aria remembered something.


    "Wait, I just remembered something." Aria suddenly stopped making the other three look at her.


    "What?" Ivy questioned her.


    "I got to know recently that the Director of the Royal Health Care Hospital and the Regal Medical Hospital is one and the same."


    "Is it?" Ivy asked dumbfounded while Joshua and Noah looked at her perplexed. How did she even find out this information? This had been erased a long time ago.


    "Yes, I remembered reading about it when Royal Hospital took over Regal."


    "That''s great then. We could enquire at your hospital who the Director is." Ivy suggested. After a long time, they had got some leads. She would not let go of it.


    "Yeah, we could do that. But I am not confident in the results."


    "Why?"


    "Our Director is quite hard to approach and I haven''t seen his face till now. Not only me, most of the staff haven''t seen him."


    "That''s bad," Ivy said dejectedly. The room became silent once again. After a while Aria thought of something and her eyes brightened up once again.


    "Wait a minute. If I remember correctly, Ian has been working in the hospital since Royal took over Regal. We could ask him. Maybe he knows something."


    "Is that possible?"


    "There is nothing wrong in trying. What do you say guys?" Aria and Ivy stared at the two men waiting for their opinions.


    "We could do that," Noah said calmly although he was getting jittery from within.


    ''This was not going well. The twins had found out a lot more than they should have known. This was becoming dangerous now.''


    Joshua too had the same thought. Now, how were they going to stop the sisters? Ian could make up a lie, there was no problem with that. However, the problem lied when they find out the truth in the future. The betrayal would hit them hard. The girls trusted them too much that they had shared with them the biggest secret of life. However, the men were hiding such a huge secret from them and moreover they were putting up an act in front of them. This was not good.


    Joshua looked at Noah. He immediately understood what Jo wanted to say. However, he too did not know how to approach the situation.


    "So, two boxes done. Now we are left with Aria''s box." Ivy said lying her head on the sofa headrest. She was tired of going through all the papers. Her neck was aching and she was hungry. The information she had collected was not of much help. So they had only skimmed through it.


    "Let''s take a break," Noah said diverting his gaze from Joshua.


    "You guys are staying for dinner right? I''ll prepare something." Ivy got up.


    "Spare me. I am going out in an hour." Aria shouted, messaging her neck.


    "Where are you going at this time of the night?" Ivy looked at the time and it was past seven. Hearing Aria''s words Noah too turned to look at her waiting for her reply. ''Why does she need to go out now? Is something the matter?''


    "I am meeting Danny for dinner. He is coming to pick me up at eight."


    ''Again Danny. Who the hell is this Danny? Why is he sticking to Aria like a gum?'' Noah thought, his blood boiling. He did not know that Danny was none other than Daniel, his sister''s boyfriend. He was yet to meet him in person.


    "Is it?" Ivy shouted back.


    "Yes, we have some things to settle," Aria remembered how Danny had hidden his relationship with Rachel from her and she was furious. There was a reason why people had best friends.


    Taking a glance at Noah''s cold gaze, Joshua couldn''t stop himself from grinning. Though he too did not know about Danny''s truth, he was thoroughly enjoying Noah''s angry look. Clearing his throat, he turned to Aria.


    "Um, Aria. Who is Danny?"


    "Danny? He is a friend of mine. We grew up together since childhood."


    "Danny boy. Huh. Is he coming here?" Ivy walked out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand.


    "Yes."


    "Nice. I can have some fun." Ivy beamed. "Anyway, is any of you allergic to anything?"


    "Nope." Joshua and Noah answered at the same time.


    "Great."


    "Let me help you." Noah stood up.


    "Not a chance brother-in-law. Taste my food today, be my guest. I am sure you wouldn''t have eaten anything as good as the food I make." Ivy said with pride and confidence.


    "Not a chance. You haven''t tasted Noah''s food then. He is the best." Joshua stood facing Ivy with his hands folded.


    "You know to cook?" Aria asked surprised.


    "Yeah. I started living alone after graduation and I went abroad to do my Masters. So, I eventually learned to cook."


    "That is so great." Aria gazed at him in admiration. Noah chuckled seeing her give him a fangirl look.


    "Okay then. Let''s have a cooking competition someday and see who wins." Ivy said with a provocative stare.


    "I am in." Joshua accepted the challenge at once.


    Noah looked at him flabbergasted. He did not even ask his opinion and had accepted the challenge on his behalf. ''Hello, I am the one who will be doing the cooking.''


    "Okay. Aria you be the judge then." Ivy pointed at her.


    "Why me?"


    "Because the candidates are your sister and boyfriend. So I don''t think you will be biased and if you are, I am sure you will be dead on the spot."


    Aria gulped on listening to Ivy''s threat. ''She was a mere bystander. How did she even get involved in this fight?''


    "Fair enough," Joshua replied once again. He knew Aria would not be biased.


    ''Hello. I am still here. At least take my opinion.'' Aria thought inwardly.


    "For now, we will put with your food." Joshua sassed.


    "Are you doubting my skills?" Ivy narrowed her eyebrows.


    "Uh-oh," Aria whispered.


    "What happened?" Noah questioned from the side.


    "Ivy goes berserk when somebody challenges her. Stop your friend right now or else there will be bloodshed."


    "Oh." Noah took a glimpse and saw Ivy practically spitting fire. Before the situation could escalate to another level, he spoke up.


    "Ivy, I am hungry. Could you please prepare dinner?"


    "Oh. I am sorry. Wait for a few minutes." Ivy glared at Joshua and ran to the kitchen.


    "Thank you." Aria breathed. "But I must warn you she is a tough competition, she is a great cook."


    "Is it? Then it will be fun competing against her. Do you cook?"


    "Me? No way. If I cook, then it will be a disaster. I can barely make coffee."


    "It''s fine. I''ll cook for you in the future." Aria''s heart fluttered like a hummingbird listening to his words. How could someone be so perfect?


    "Hello. I am right here and I am definitely not interested in dog food." Joshua interrupted them.


    "Then get yourself a girlfriend." Noah retorted making him shut up while Aria giggled.


    At that moment, the doorbell rang.


    "That must be Danny." Aria got up to open the door as Noah''s eyes followed her. He waiting to see who this Danny was. Since the day he had met Aria he had heard his name a lot of times. Now it was finally time for them to come face to face.


    After a few seconds, Aria returned with a man who Noah recognized immediately. How would he not know about him? He had done a background search on him just a few days back.


    Seeing Noah''s face, Aria was confused. "Noah, this is Danny."


    "This is Danny?" He asked in shock.


    "Yes, do you know him?"


    "Yeah. He is my sister''s boyfriend."

 Chapter 119: Tickle war

    Noah took a glimpse at Daniel before he stared at Aria. "He is my sister''s boyfriend."


    Aria looked at him bewildered. "You know about their relationship?"


    "Yes. Why shouldn''t I? He is involved with my sister. I keep my tabs." Noah shrugged.


    Daniel too was shocked to hear that Noah knew about him. He was still not ready to face Rachel''s family as he was not sure how they would behave. Now listening to Noah tell them that he knew all along, he sighed. At least there was one less candidate he had to please in hopes that Noah had already accepted him.


    Aria narrowed her eyes as she glared at Daniel. "When were you thinking of telling me?"


    "Aria, listen to me. I wanted to tell you about Rachel. But.."


    "But, the day did not come. I would not even know if I hadn''t caught you speaking to Rachel in the hospital."


    "Rachel was in the hospital. What happened to her?" Ivy asked entering the living room.


    "You knew about Rachel too?" Aria asked in disbelief.


    "Yeah, I was the first one to know."


    "Looks like we are going to have one hell of a show," Joshua whispered chuckling to himself. Noah nodded. It sure did look interesting.


    "She got to know before me? Daniel, care to explain?" Aria folded her hands.


    "This looks fun." Ivy sat on the sofa as she took in Daniel''s frustrated face.


    "Ivy just happened to chance upon Rachel. It was a coincidence." Daniel tried explaining.


    "Really, and you did not have time to tell me?"


    Noah and Joshua too sat down. They couldn''t deny as it was too amusing to look at the two friends fight though Noah was a little agitated. He was not sure why he felt uncomfortable.


    "You were in London when it happened and you didn''t tell me about you and Noah." He pointed at them.


    "That. I thought of telling you after I returned." Aria said sheepishly.


    "What if I said the same?" Daniel raised his eyebrows.


    "That means was I the first one to know about your relationships?" Ivy pumped her fist in excitement.


    "See, you told Ivy before telling me."


    "She is my sister."


    "And she is my best friend''s sister," Daniel replied with his voice lowered.


    "So, basically both of you told Ivy first?" Joshua questioned suddenly making everyone look at him as Ivy furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Yes." Both of them replied together.


    "You have one good relationship." He commented.


    "What are you saying?" Ivy looked at him waiting for him to answer.


    "Nothing. I am just appreciating your bond." He raised his hand backing off.


    Noah was astonished looking at Aria and Daniel fight like small kids. That was a new side of her he had discovered that day. Although they were fighting, he could sense the closeness they had and it was making him jealous. He stood up without saying any word and walked towards Aria. he held her hand trying to calm her anger.


    "Aria, just how you wanted to tell him about us after coming back, he too must have thought to do the same. So, I think nobody is wrong here."


    Aria suddenly started feeling guilty hearing him. It was true that nobody was at fault. She had unknowingly fought with her best friend.


    "You are right. We both did the same thing." She sighed and turned to look at Daniel.


    "Danny, I am sorry. I acted quite childish before." She apologized though she had a small smile on her face.


    "Are you done?" Daniel queried trying hard not to laugh.


    "Yes," Aria replied and suddenly both of them started laughing like maniacs. Ivy, Joshua and Noah looked at the duo baffled. They couldn''t comprehend what was happening.


    "Aria, are you alright?" Ivy asked carefully.


    "Never been better," Aria responded in between her laughs.


    "It was quite good to see your faces," Daniel spoke holding his stomach trying to control his laughter.


    "So you both were acting right now?" Ivy stood up suddenly.


    "What do you think?" Aria grinned.


    "I am going to kill you two." Ivy charged towards Aria and Daniel.


    "Spare me. It was Aria who suggested the plan." Daniel moved away making Aria the scapegoat.


    "Daniel, what are you doing? You traitor." Aria shrieked before she started running away from Ivy, trying to dodge her.


    "I don''t want to get punched again. Good luck."


    "You..." Aria picked up a sofa cushion and hurled it at Danny as she ran away from Ivy. The cushion smacked him right in his face.


    "Bullseye," Joshua commented. The scene before him was too entertaining for him, he was liking it.


    "Aria, you are dead meat." Daniel threw the cushion and tackled her from the front while Ivy came from behind. In the next moment, Aria was down and she was crying. She was being tickled mercilessly by the two people and she had nowhere to go.


    "Stop." Aria pleaded in between her giggles but it fell on deaf ears.


    Looking at the mirthful scene before them, Noah and Joshua did not know what to do. Although they had been friends since childhood, they had never experienced such bonding. They were completely different from the trio. Though Joshua, teased Noah and Ian it never went physical. They started to feel that they had missed something.


    "Noah, help." Aria cried.


    "You wanna join?" Noah stared at Joshua as he pulled his sleeves up.


    "Definitely."


    The next moment, the house was filled with chaos until it stopped altogether. Noah had pulled Aria away from Daniel while Joshua attacked Ivy. Noah was holding Aria by her shoulders while Joshua was hugging Ivy from behind and Daniel did not know what to do. The more he looked at the twins and the men holding them, the more he felt that they looked perfect with each other.


    "So, now the fight is over? Daniel asked.


    "Think so," Ivy said scratching her head. She had still not realized that Joshua''s hands were on her waist.


    "Is either of you hurt? That was quite a good fight we had. I hope you are okay." Aria scrutinized Danny and Ivy but they looked fine.


    "Yep." Ivy and Danny nodded.


    "So? Who won?"


    "Is this a competition?" Noah stared at Aria weirdly. Why was his girlfriend crazy?


    "If you say it that way, then it does look like one." She shrugged.


    "You lost," Ivy answered pulling out her tongue.


    "There is always a next time." Aria huffed.


    "Definitely, now shall we have dinner. I am famished." Joshua said suddenly, startling Ivy. She didn''t have to turn to see how close he was. She could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke and it gave her goosebumps. He was too close for her liking. She pulled away from him abruptly and gave him an awkward stare.


    "I''ll set the table." Ivy cleared her throat and left the living room.


    "Danny, do you wanna stay here and have dinner. I am a little tired to go out."


    "Sure. Before that may I have a chat with you in private?"


    "Okay." Aria smiled at Noah which he returned immediately. She then went to her room with Danny following her. The entire time Noah was watching her like a hawk until the door closed.


    "Today was good," Joshua stated. Despite not finding any relevant clues, he was happy as he had fun. Also, his heart had fluttered for the first time since the day he had vowed to never love another woman. He was confused, yet he could not remove the alluring face of Ivy when she had fallen over him. He was not sure what was happening, but he had a notion that he was attracted to Ivy and he was unable to control it.

 Chapter 120: Breaking the promise

    "So, Rachel and you?" Aria started.


    "I know," Daniel said smiling broadly.


    "Seriously?" Aria asked again unable to believe it.


    "Yes Aria."


    "That is so cool." Aria hugged him in happiness. She never expected Daniel to have found a girlfriend by the time she returned from London.


    "I know."


    "When did this happen?" Aria was still hugging him.


    "Ugh. Aria, I am unable to breathe." Danny groaned.


    "Serves you right. Who told you to hide things from me?" Aria increased the strength on her hold. Though Danny could have released himself from her clutches, he did not want to hurt her. So he remained still.


    "Tells the girl who herself has hidden things from me."


    "That? I thought of telling you in person." Aria drawled.


    "This is unfair."


    "What is unfair?" Aria feigned ignorance acting all naive.


    Daniel narrowed his eyes seeing her putting an act. He placed his hands on his hips and gave her a look just like how a wicked mother-in-law would look at her innocent daughter-in-law. Aria smiled at him cheekily and giggled softly. He huffed annoyed.


    "Don''t be annoyed Danny." Aria grinned like a small child who had successfully completed her prank without being caught.


    "Don''t Danny me. I am not going to fall for it this time. You are not being fair."


    "Everything is fair in love and war." Aria declared folding her hands.


    "Oh, is it? That''s a good thought. Keep it up." Danny said, his tone laced with sarcasm.


    "Thank you. Thank you." Aria patted her back in pride.


    "Will you stop?"


    "No. It''s fun teasing someone who is in love."


    "Is it? Then I will do the same to you too."


    "What?" Aria asked still smiling.


    "I''ll start teasing you and Noah since you love him." Danny air quoted the word love.


    "I don''t love him." Aria blushed, her cheeks immediately taking a lighter shade of pink.


    "Is it? Then I''ll call him. You can tell it on his face and save him his precious time. Poor boy has high expectations of you."


    Daniel started to walk towards the door to be immediately stopped by Aria.


    "No wait."


    He suppressed a smile and turned to look at her with a serious face. He knew what could make Aria to surrender. He also realized that Aria really liked Noah. But he was not sure how to feel about it. He knew about Noah''s background. Though Rachel had not told him anything about her brother related to the Underworld, he had his means. But he also sensed that Noah was not involved in any illegal dealings nor did he kill innocent people.


    Danny could make out that Noah was a good man. But he was not sure if Aria would be able to accept his background. She was a simple woman and he was a man with a complex background with enemies lurking around in every corner waiting to finish. He noticed that Aria was genuinely happy with him and this being her first relationship, he did not want to sabotage it. He could only hope that Noah would keep her safe from all danger.


    "What happened Aria?" He blinked.


    "Nothing. I think we are going off-topic."


    "Is it? I thought we were talking about love."


    "No, we were talking about you and Rachel. I am so happy for you." Aria exclaimed coming back to the initial topic lest Danny should go and call Noah.


    "Me too. I am happy for myself."


    "What a narcissist!" Aria mumbled, making Danny chuckle.


    "How are things between you and Noah?"


    "It''s good."


    "Aria, are you happy?" Danny gave her a serious look.


    "Yes, I am very happy. He makes me feel good."


    "Aria, don''t tell me you have already done the deed? Ain''t it early?" Danny gasped, his eyes wide in shock.


    "Are you done?" Aria asked bored.


    "Yeah, sorry. Sorry."


    "Better."


    "I am happy for you too."


    "Thanks. Yeah, how are your parents? I forgot about them. What exactly happened?"


    "My parents adopted me when I was young."


    "Ohh. How do you feel about it? Are you alright?" Aria patted his back to console him.


    "I am fine Aria. When I first found out, I was very angry with them. But after talking to you, I realized my fault; otherwise I would have done a huge mistake. My parents were only looking out for me. If I was in their place, maybe I would have done the same. Thank you Aria."


    Danny skipped the part where he was attacked by his uncle and it was because of him that the truth had come out. He did not want Aria to panic and end up beating him in the process.


    "Wait a minute. How did you find out about Noah and me? I never told you about it." Aria suddenly queried. She remembered never to have spoken about her new relationship with him.


    "That, Ivy told me," Daniel said scratching his head.


    "When did that happen? I told her only after I returned home from London."


    "I think it happened the day David Peters died."


    "What?"


    "Yes."


    Flashback----------


    After the death of David Peters, all the news channels were covering about it, digging his past crimes along with the possible people involved with him. This news had become a sensation overnight creating chaos in the country.


    Daniel made a call to Ivy the next day after David''s death.


    "Hey Danny boy. Did the sun not rise at all today that you are calling me?" Ivy sassed.


    "Maybe. I think the sun got bored of seeing your not so impressive face that it went into hiding today." He retorted back making Ivy curse under her breath.


    "Is it? I am satisfied. The mighty sun is getting influenced by me, Ivy, the great. This is huge news."


    "I am not here to talk bullshit."


    "Me too. I don''t talk bullshit. What a coincidence."


    "Anyway, have you heard about David Peters death?" Daniel became serious at once.


    "Yes, what about it?"


    "I need help with it from you."


    "Okay. What do you want from me?" Ivy replied in all seriousness. When it came to work, she never compromised.


    "I want a clip recording of his past interview. If I remember correctly, he had mentioned about a scientist in one of his interviews."


    "I remember that," Ivy said reminiscing the video related to him speaking about a biological research scientist.


    "Can you get me the clip?"


    I''ll try what I can do."


    "Thanks."


    "Not a problem. So, how''s Rachel?"


    "She is good."


    "I am so happy. Two out of three in our group are bowled out. Now only I am remaining. God bless me." She sighed.


    "What do you mean by that?" Daniel responded immediately.


    "Oops." Ivy cursed her tongue.


    "Did Aria find someone?"


    "I don''t want to be the one telling you about it," Ivy said smacking her forehead for the slip of tongue.


    "Who is she with?" Daniel was curious now. Aria had found someone but she had not told him about it. Why?


    "I think it''s better you ask her directly. She must not have told you for a reason."


    "Ivy, tell me."


    "Okay fine. Promise me you will not put my neck on the guillotine when the time comes."


    "Promise."


    "It''s Noah Carter."


    "Is it Rachel''s brother Noah?" Daniel was perplexed with the revelation.


    "Yes. Now don''t forget your promise. Bye." She ended the call in a hurry.


    --------------------End of flashback


    ''Sorry Ivy. I had to break my promise else Aria would have pestered me until I relented.'' He apologized in his mind.


    "I can''t believe her. She couldn''t keep one secret in her stomach." Aria huffed and rolled her eyes. At that moment, her stomach grumbled embarrassing her in front of her friend.


    "Come on. Let''s go have dinner before your stomach decides to start a revolt." Daniel said chuckling and pushing her out of the room.

 Chapter 121: Great cook

    When Aria and Daniel were busy having their serious conversation, Ivy brought Noah and Joshua to the small dining room. The table had seating only for four people. So, she pulled a chair from her room.


    Though the apartment was big, the dining room was within the kitchen. With five people now, it would become cramped with restricted access for movement. The two bedroom apartment was jointly bought by her parents after they had married. When the twins were growing up, the couple decided to move to a bigger house. The apartment was given on rent until the disaster struck the family three years back.


    After their mother''s demise, the twins could not stay in the huge house. So, they had moved back to their old home. It was quite comfortable when only the two of them were in the house. But now in the presence of three tall men, the kitchen suddenly became crowded.


    "Guys, we can have dinner in the living room," Ivy suggested after pushing the chairs to make sure the five of them could sit comfortably.


    "We are fine Ivy. We don''t have a problem sitting here." Joshua replied and sat on one of the chairs.


    "Are you sure?" Ivy asked skeptically.


    "Yes," Noah answered this time and he sat beside Joshua.


    "If you say so. I''ll get the food."


    Ivy picked up the dishes and placed them on the table. She had prepared four dishes in total and they looked delicious. Though the two men, not even Noah who was a good cook, could not recognize what they were, the smell was appetizing.


    "Looks delicious." Noah praised, his eyes twinkling.


    "Does it also taste good or is it only the looks that are praiseworthy?" Joshua commented, though he was in fact drooling. The food sure appeared delectable.


    "I think its better that you watch us eat the food. Then maybe after everybody had finished it clean, you might want to reconsider your words." Ivy sassed while Joshua sulked. Noah did not miss the spark between the two of them. It was quite evident from the way the two interacted. He had never seen Joshua this way before.


    It was always Joshua who had flirted with women and had taken the last standing. But with Ivy, it was completely different. She not only was not affected by his friend''s charms but also had insulted and scolded him. However, it was more surprising that Joshua was not annoyed by it. It was clear that they made an awesome couple and he wanted to see what the future had for them.


    "Oh please. I want to save my stomach. I don''t want to suffer from food poisoning and I definitely don''t want to die early. I still have a lot to do."


    "Yeah, you still have lots of women to do," Ivy remarked softly, yet it was heard by the two men. Noah smirked. His sister-in-law was a spitfire. This would be fun.


    "How did you know that? Do you keep tabs on me?" Joshua''s lips raised up in the corners.


    "You wish."


    "I wish a lot of things, Ivy. Tell me yours. Wait a second."


    Noah turned to look at Joshua to see what he was up to now.


    "Is it your wish to be done by me?" Joshua raised his eyebrows, smiling devilishly.


    "I do not have such a bad choice. I have certain standards and you," Ivy pointed at him, "are way below it."


    "I am hurt." Joshua acted as if in pain.


    "Good." Ivy deadpanned.


    Just when Noah was about to think that Aria and Danny had gone to speak for a long time, the two came to the dining hall.


    "Hey, guys. What''s happening?" Aria chirped. She looked happy which Noah noticed.


    ''What could the two have spoken about that Aria is smiling brightly?'' Noah pondered, his heart filled with jealousy. He was unsure why he was feeling that way though he knew there was nothing between the two. They were just good friends.


    "We were discussing how good my food would taste." Ivy''s innocent words were completely misunderstood by Joshua''s perverted mind. Realizing what he was thinking, Noah kicked him under the table warning him to control himself. The girls were too innocent to know things of this kind. However, the little act did not go unnoticed by Danny.


    "Shall we have dinner?" He coughed, changing the topic.


    Aria sat in between Noah and Danny while Ivy took the only unoccupied seat.


    "Help yourselves," Ivy said.


    "What is this?" Noah asked looking at the delicacy nearest to him. It was reddish-orange in color which resembled pasta.


    "That is tteokbokki, a South-Korean dish. It is made using rice cakes" And before they could ask about other dishes, she answered herself. "This is Biryani, chicken and that is Irish muffin."


    "Did you prepare all of these in such short notice?" Danny asked perplexed. He knew how good a cook Ivy was but he was still dumbfounded to see that she had cooked that much food.


    "No. I prepared biryani and tteokbokki today. The chicken is from yesterday. I reheated it."


    "Wow."


    "You prepared tteokbokki." Aria was exhilarated.


    "Yes, hog on." Before Ivy could complete her sentence, Aria took a spoonful from the bowl, filled her plate, and helped herself to it. She moaned in delight. It was her favorite dish and she couldn''t help but devour it like a hungry pig.


    "Sorry about that. This is her favorite and she cannot stop herself whenever she sees it." Ivy was suddenly embarrassed by her sister''s behavior.


    Everybody started to eat, other than Noah. Nobody saw the drop of sweat trickling down his face. Aria''s moans had ignited a fire within him. It became too stressful to just sit and do nothing. It was also not helping that the woman he loved was sitting right beside him when he was in this state. He looked down and sighed. His little brother had become hard just listening to Aria''s pleasing sounds.


    Taking deep breaths, he tried to cool himself and diverted his mind to stare at his friend.


    Danny had tasted Ivy''s delicious food before. So, he started eating without any further ado while Joshua''s gaze was fixed at the dish on his plate.


    "Take a bite. You won''t die, I promise." Ivy urged.


    Listening to her, Joshua took a spoonful of biryani and ate in reluctantly. He was expecting it to be mediocre in taste. But to his surprise, it was mindblowing. The rice was cooked perfectly, the different spices blended with each other giving it a flavorful taste. His taste buds exploded in happiness; he had never tasted anything like that before. He immediately picked up another spoon.


    "So?" Ivy fixed her eyes a him expectantly.


    "It''s okay." He said, teasing her.


    Ivy scoffed, without giving him any reply. Not getting any counter-attack from the other party, Joshua looked up and stopped eating. Ivy was eating silently occasionally answering to Danny''s questions.


    After tasting all three dishes, except the one which was Aria''s favorite, Joshua realized that Ivy was really good at cooking. Yet, he did not give her any compliments trying to pull her leg a little more. He went to have the spicy rice cakes. Before Noah could warn him about its spiciness, he had put it in his mouth.


    Joshua hissed immediately, making his friend sigh. It was known among his friends that Jo could not handle spicy food. It was not his cup of tea. He spat the food and gulped a glass of water. Taking short breaths from his mouth, he tried to calm his burning tongue.


    "What happened?" Aria asked watching the man behaving like a child.


    "He cannot tolerate spicy food."


    "Oh," Aria replied not knowing what to say. Meanwhile, Ivy had run to the kitchen to return immediately.


    "Here. Have this." She handed him a spoon full of honey and held it in front of his mouth. Joshua swallowed it without wasting time. It took him a few minutes for the burning sensation to stop.


    "Are you alright?" Ivy asked concerned.


    "Were you worried about me?"


    "Seeing that you are back to your original self, your tongue must have cooled down."


    He gave her a toothy grin. Everybody resumed eating with Jo not even giving a glimpse towards the spicy rice cakes. It was around half-past nine when they finished dinner.


    "We still have a box to finish. What shall we do?" Noah questioned, sitting on the sofa. His little brother had calmed down much to his relief. They were now in the living room, discussing the next course of events.


    "What is this about?" Danny was ignorant of what was happening though he had seen the boxes as soon as he had arrived. Aria explained to him what they were doing and how Noah and Joshua were helping in their search.


    "Do you want to stay?" Aria pulled the third box towards the center.


    "I would have loved to, but I have a case hearing tomorrow morning. So, I''ll have to leave." He stood up and took his car keys.


    "That''s okay. I''ll inform you if we find anything."


    Aria accompanied Danny till the door and came back to sit beside Noah. Meanwhile, Ivy was still in the kitchen. Noticing her absence, Joshua stood up.


    "I''ll get some water to drink. My tongue is still burning."


    "I''ll get it for you." Aria proceeded to stand up but he stopped her.


    "It''s okay Aria. I''ll get it."


    Without waiting for her reply, he went to the kitchen to see Ivy packing the leftovers in a box. He saw her walking around the kitchen without noticing his presence. Slowly, he took a step until he was standing right behind her. He observed her for a while until she turned around to bump right into him.


    "What are you doing here? Do you need something?"


    "I came to tell you something."


    "What?" Ivy raised her eyebrows.


    "You sure are a great cook. I would definitely like to try it once again." With that, he walked out of the kitchen, with a small smile plastered on his face.

 Chapter 122: Missing pen drives

    Each document was thoroughly examined, there was nothing significant as Aria had stated. It held information similar to what Ivy had collected. There were names of the doctors, hospitals and other people which the four people noted down. Some of them were already on the list they had prepared using the data collected by Ivy while some were not. Those names which were not on the list were added to do a background check on them.


    This went on until midnight. Ivy leaned on the sofa, messaging her neck.


    "This sucks. We are going in circles, there is nothing in here." She groaned, throwing away the document in her hands. There were only a few documents left for them to check which the men were handling.


    Just then Noah noticed something which made him halt. He kicked Joshua''s feet to get his attention.


    "What?" Jo asked a little too loud, gaining the ladies attention on them.


    "Nothing. My mistake." Noah replied giving a glare to his airheaded friend which was completely ignored by him.


    After a few seconds when the ladies'' minds were elsewhere, he kicked his friend again. But this time he made sure to gesture him to stop making noise.


    "What?" Jo mouthed.


    Noah pointed towards the box and Jo followed his line of sight to see a grey colored pouch. They realized that the girls had not noticed it yet. Ivy was messaging her neck while Aria was inspecting a bunch of papers.


    Joshua bent down and casually picked up the pouch. He passed it Noah who opened it to find two pen drives inside. He pocketed them slowly and gave the pouch back to Joshua. The brilliant actor placed the pouch back inside the box and sat innocently. This whole act went unnoticed by the two sisters.


    After some time of messaging her neck, Ivy resumed her work. There were just a few papers left, they could as well finish it and end with the crap. It was then she noticed the pouch.


    "What''s this?" She asked picking it up. This piqued Aria''s curiosity. She recollected about it immediately.


    "I found the pouch in Dad''s study before we moved out."


    Ivy opened the pouch only to find it to be empty. "It''s empty."


    "What?" Aria asked.


    "It''s empty."


    "That''s not possible." Aria was bewildered. She knew it was not empty, she had checked it once before.


    "What do you mean?" Noah queried, his tone filled with worry. If his assumptions were true then these pen drives were the ones he had been looking for and if Aria knew about it then everything would become a mess.


    "The last time I checked it there were two pen drives. How can it become empty all of a sudden?" She voiced taking the pouch to see it herself.


    "When did you see it?" Joshua asked with anxiety though he made sure to hide it.


    "I think three years back, the day before we moved here."


    "Did you check the content?" Ivy was curious. Those pen drives might be their clue to find their father. Unfortunately for them, they had lost it. But if Aria had seen what was stored in them, maybe they had a chance.


    "No, I didn''t." The two men took a sigh of relief. That was a close call for them.


    "I got a call from the hospital due to an emergency. So, I just saw what it held and left the house." Aria continued.


    "How come you never told me about it?"


    "Because I completely forgot about it. You were not at home for a week and I had my patients to attend. It just went out of my mind."


    Ivy remembered what time she was talking about. It was when she had to go on an expedition with Max to another city.


    "Are you sure there were pen drives in there? Maybe it''s just your imagination." Noah chipped in.


    "That cannot be true. I saw them. There were two. I can tell the color if you want, one was red and the other was silver. I had seen them clearly."


    Noah and Joshua looked at each and blinked, not knowing what to tell. Aria''s memory was too good. She could tell the color of the pen drive she had seen for a few seconds three years ago. They could only be happy that she had not seen what was inside them.


    "Where did they go then?" Joshua asked only to get a hard nudge from the person beside him.


    ''What is this idiot trying to do?'' Noah thought. Joshua realized what he had done unknowingly and pulled out his tongue in realization.


    "I don''t know. If it''s not here, then it cannot be anywhere else. I haven''t opened the pouch after the first time."


    "Maybe, you dropped it somewhere," Jo suggested trying to rectify his mistake.


    "No. I remember correctly that after I received the call from the hospital, I came home to keep the things I had picked up back there before I went to the hospital."


    "So, you did not carry the pouch to the hospital."


    "Definitely not."


    "I suggest you search the apartment thoroughly. It might be somewhere here, they may have got misplaced." Noah spoke.


    "That could be a possibility. I''ll search for it." Ivy supported his claims.


    "I think it''s time we leave. It way past midnight and I am tired." Joshua stood up. They were done with the papers and the men were done with the work they had actually come here for.


    "I''ll take my leave too."


    "Okay." The girls stood up along with them and accompanied them till the elevator.


    "Thank you so much for today. This means a lot to us." Aria thanked them while Ivy nodded in agreement.


    "That''s fine. Anyway, what are boyfriends for?" Noah commented getting a snigger from his friend.


    "Thanks anyway." Aria pecked his lips before pulling back. Noah would have pulled her for a deep kiss if he did not have an audience around him. Though he did not mind, he was sure Aria would be embarrassed.


    The elevator door opened and the two men stepped in.


    "Bye." Aria waved at them and waited until the door closed while Ivy was standing absent-mindedly beside her.


    After the door closed. Aria turned to see Ivy spaced out. She tapped her forehead to bring her back.


    "Ouch." She rubbed her head in pain.


    "Earth the Ivy. Let''s get inside."


    "Okay." Though Ivy followed her, she could not stop the nagging feeling in her brain which was constantly telling her that there was something wrong.


    Meanwhile, in the elevator.


    "Do you think this has what we are looking for?" Joshua asked looking at the two pen drives in his hand.


    "A hundred percent."

 Chapter 123: Inside Jos lab

    After taking their leave from the West sisters, the two friends went to Joshua''s house. They had to see what the pen drives held and if it was of any use to them. It did not take long for them to go to his house. The road was deserted making it easy for them to drive their cars.


    "Boss, did something happen in Madam''s house? Did you find out anything?" Ronnie asked while driving. He waiting for his boss all the time while Noah was inside. When finally his boss came out accompanied by Joshua, he noticed that their expressions were serious and something had happened inside.


    When Noah had ordered him to drive to Joshua''s house, he had started the car without hesitating.


    "We found two pen drives."


    "Is it the one we were looking for?"


    "Maybe. We will have to check it. Did you have dinner?"


    "Yes, boss. Long back."


    "Good," Noah replied and closed his eyes. However, his mind was not in peace. Even if he found out the information he wanted from the pen drives, he was filled with remorse. It was the guilt of lying to Aria. Though he was doing it for her own benefit by hiding the truth, he was also being selfish. He had a person to save and her father was not in the right condition to meet her right now. It would only break her if they were to meet anytime in the near future.


    Once inside Joshua''s house, the three men went to his laboratory. It looked nothing less than a scene from a science fiction movie. There were loads of gadgets and computers and a lot of other devices that Noah could not recognize. Though Ronnie had been here before, he couldn''t stop himself from looking around in amazement. It was every gadget freak''s wonderland.


    Joshua snapped his fingers and the devices in the room switched on automatically.


    "Welcome home, Master." A voice sounded on the speakers.


    "Thank you, Alvis," Joshua spoke and connected one of the pen drives to the nearest computers. He tapped something on his keyboard and the screen enlarged in the air.


    "How did you do that?" Ronnie asked in wonder.


    "It''s a holographic screen." Joshua opened all the files in the pen drives. There were certain case studies, which were of no use to them. Some of them were the reports Oliver had previously published. There a lot of files in there. After spending some time, he found the one which grabbed his attention. It contained the video clips of all the sting operations that had been performed.


    Joshua opened the folder and played the videos in it.


    "There are the video recordings of the sting operation," Noah commented looking at them. It showed how the doctors had made their victims unconscious and then operating on them.


    "What do you think would happen to the doctors involved in this case if these videos were released?" Joshua asked, his eyes fixed on the huge screen.


    "They will be dead meat."


    Though the crime had been brought forward in front of the media and the public, most of the doctors had escaped and had gone into hiding. Some who couldn''t escape their fate were taken away by the police. The hospitals involved in the crime were shut down. However, the doctors who had escaped and the ones who had not been revealed in front of the public had opened their own clinic in secret and were living a good life.


    Joshua smiled, his eyes filled with wickedness. He knew what exactly to do, but this was not the time for it. The girls would become suspicious if he released the video now.


    They went through all the files in the pen drive, but couldn''t find what they were looking for. Joshua then switched the drives and opened it. There was only one file in it. It was a video recording too. It started playing and the three men watched with great interest.


    It wan an hour-long clipping. However, there was zero content in it, it was blank. Joshua tried to fast forward it, but it had nothing in it. It was an empty video.


    "There goes our hard work," Ronnie stated. He had hoped to find something from the pen drives. Other than the doctors who they had not heard of before, they found nothing.


    Noah too was dejected. He had high hopes and everything went down the hill.


    "Wait a minute," Joshua said making the two men look at him. He started to type some codes on the computer and the screen lit up again. This time it was not blank.


    "How did you do that?" Noah too was dumbfounded.


    "The video has been altered such that it can only be viewed when played in reverse. It is not exactly an hour-long clipping, but a short one of about nine minutes."


    "You have got to be kidding me." Noah was impressed. Whoever had stored the video file had done a good job in modifying it.


    The clip started playing and the room was filled with someone''s breathing. It was the cameraman running and panting at the same time. He was following a man in the front. Despite being as quick as a cat, the man did not know he was being followed.


    He went to a very secluded place. It was dark, somewhere around dusk. So, it was not clear as to where they exactly were. There were a lot of trees around the man. He walked sneakily looking around to see if anybody was trailing him. Before he could take another step, someone pounced on him and he fell to the ground.


    The man was held in a deadlock by his attacker. However, he escaped from his clutches immediately.


    "Well, well what do we have here?" He spoke.


    "Your death."


    Noah and Joshua''s eyes widened on hearing the attacker''s voice. It was the person they were looking for and the one they wanted to desperately save. He was their mentor, their brother, and their friend.


    "I don''t think I had an appointment with my death this early." The man stated. His face was completely invisible as his back was facing the camera. Not once did he turn back.


    "Expect the unexpected."


    "Hmm. But I am not in the mood to die right now. How about I send you back to where you belong?"


    "And where would that be?" The attacker asked calmly.


    "Hell." The man took out his gun and aimed at his victim.


    The three men in the laboratory stared at the screen wide-eyed, their hearts pounding crazily. Their mentor was held at gunpoint.


    Before the man could fire, their mentor had kicked his hand and the gun had flown away. A huge blood fight commenced which was unclear in the video. After a while, the man was held in a deadlock again by their mentor.


    They did not know what happened. One second their mentor was having his victim in a headlock and the next second a gunshot was heard. Their mentor fell down dead. He had been shot right in the middle of his head exploding his brain.


    The man who was held by him laughed like a maniac before the cameraman gasped and the video clip ended. Silence filled the laboratory. They could not believe what they had seen, their friend was murdered. They had hoped to find him alive and to be somewhere in this world at least. Never did they imagine him to be dead and to have been killed this gruesomely.


    The worst part was they did not know who had fired the bullet.

 Chapter 124: Planning and Preparation

    "What the hell was that!!" Joshua bellowed in rage. To say he was shocked would be an understatement, he was beyond shocked. The man who had trained Noah, Ian and him was dead and he was killed in a gruesome manner. Jo was overcome with grief, rage, shock and all other emotions which he couldn''t control.


    Noah too was having the same feeling. His blood was boiling, he never expected his mentor to have been murdered. Wiping the lone tear that slid down his cheek, he called out to Joshua.


    "Jo, can you do a voice recognition on the man? I hope we can find who he was at least if not for the killer."


    Noah''s words brought Joshua out of his thoughts. "Wait a second."


    He typed a series of codes and the video started playing again. "Alvis, perform voice identification." He ordered.


    "Yes, Master." The AI bot replied and soon the hologram screen was filled with pages and pages of codes. It took more than ten minutes for the voice recognition to complete.


    "Master, I have found the results."


    The screen then showed the names and photos of two people whose voices were heard on the video. One of them was their mentor while the other was the person who their mentor had held in a deadlock before he was shot by a mysterious person.


    "Get me the details of Kane Bright." Kane Bright was the man who was being followed by their mentor in the clip.


    "Yes, Master." The AI ran for another few minutes before Alvis started speaking.


    "Name: Kane Bright. Previously known as Liam Mason, Colin Stark to name a few. Age: 47 Date of Birth: 27 November 1972 Occupation: Doctor Working at: Previously worked at Good City Clinic. Current workplace not available. Marital Status: Not married Address: Not registered."


    "Stop," Joshua instructed and the robot stopped speaking the next second.


    "I know this man," Joshua observed Kane''s picture for a long time to recollect where he had seen him. "Yes, I remember now."


    "Do you know him?" Noah asked looking at him intently while Ronnie remained silent. The number of times he had met his boss''s mentor could be counted with his fingers and every time he was left dumbfounded by the man''s agility and skills. Though he had not been trained by him, Ronnie had come to admire him eventually.


    Also, he did not know his name. Not only Ronnie even Ian, Noah, and Joshua did not know their mentor''s name. He did not tell them and they did not ask him. Though the AI had found out his name to be Theo Williams, they realized that it was not his original name. He changed his name every few days and for what reasons they did not know.


    "When you were in London, a piece of news was broadcasted. It was a sting operation performed on the doctors in a small hospital called Good City Clinic and this man named Kane was also in the video. It looked like he was the head of the clinic or something like that."


    "You have got to be kidding me," Noah said after listening to him. He knew his mentor was trying to find the people involved in the organ trafficking crime just like Aria''s father. But he did not know that he was keeping an eye on a person named Kane.


    "Guess who was the one to performed the sting operation?."


    "Who?" Noah raised his eyebrows waiting for his answer, but only received a smile in return.


    "Don''t tell me...." Noah asked, his eyes wide in surprise.


    "Yes, it is your beloved sister-in-law."


    "Wow." This time Ronnie too was surprised. He had not heard of his Madam''s sister yet. After listening to Joshua''s words he concluded that his Madam''s sister was an extraordinary woman too.


    "After the video of the sting operation was released, this man named Kane had gone into hiding," Joshua stated trying to process his thoughts.


    "Since this pen drive was in the possession of Oliver West, when do you think Mentor died?" Noah queried, deep in thought.


    "Does that mean he died somewhere around the time we took Mr. West with us?" Ronnie voiced, looking forth between the two men.


    "No way. Alvis, find out how old the footage is."


    "Yes, Master." It took them no less than two minutes to find out that the video was shot three years ago, just two days before they saved Oliver and took him with them.


    "Darn it." Noah was seething in anger. His mentor was dead long back and he did not even know about it. He was filled with remorse and grief. Their hopes of finding him alive were gone. In fact, their hopes of even finding his body were gone. His body would have decomposed by now leaving only the bones that nobody knew where they were lying.


    The room was filled with silence, each having their own rumination. They left the lab and went to the living room. Not in the mood to speak, they sat down silently. At that moment, Noah''s phone dinged. It was a message from Aria.


    ''Did you reach home safe? Good night. Take care.''


    Her message eased him a little, clearing his thoughts. They had to do something, the situation was going out of hand. The person who he wanted to save desperately was gone. So, now he did not have any fear in executing his plans. He might as well start with them.


    "What shall we do now?" Noah asked suddenly. "Jo, can you see if Kane has made an appearance somewhere after the clinic incident. We might find out where he is hiding."


    "I could do that." Joshua nodded.


    "Ronnie, find all the people who were involved in this incident, nurses, doctors, all the hospital staff. I want them at any cost. Remember no innocent must be harmed."


    "Yes, Boss."


    "Jo, help him gather the information."


    "What are you going to do?" Joshua questioned absent-mindedly, his mind still reeling the way his master was killed. Even to him, who had dealt with a lot of blood, the scene looked brutal.


    "I am going to join hands with Ivy to try and bring all the hospitals who are presently involved in this matter. Those bastards may be hiding their crimes from the public, but not from me."


    "How are you going to do that?"


    "It''s easy. I am going to find all the doctors who became rich overnight. This cannot be done without any shady dealings."


    "That could be a possibility."


    "Boss, just a small question." Ronnie raised his hand like a small kid.


    "Yes?"


    "Do you want your grandfather to know about your mentor''s death?" Ronnie asked slowly. He had heard from his boss that they were quite close though they were not related by blood.


    "Not yet. I will reveal it after I find the murderer, until then I hope he does not get to know about it." Noah''s eyes were blazing with fire ready to burn anybody who would stand in his way.


    "Fair enough." Joshua and Ronnie agreed.


    "Be prepared. Things might go out of hand."

 Chapter 125: Nagging feeling

    While Noah and Joshua were busy trying to figure out their next course of action, Ivy was in deep thought. She couldn''t get the nagging feeling out of her head. She had a hunch that somewhere something was wrong. But she not sure where.


    Aria too was having similar thoughts. She clearly remembered having seen the two pen drives in the pouch. ''Where did they go?'' She wondered. She couldn''t have lost it. She had brought it home the day she had found it and had not touched the pouch since then.


    "Ivy, there''s something wrong," Aria stated looking straight at the wall. She was vexed thinking about the pen drives. She had an inkling that there was something in them which would be of importance.


    "Absolutely. No doubt in that."


    "I am sure I haven''t lost it."


    "I have this feeling that we are missing something which is right in front of our eyes." Ivy voiced with uncertainty in her voice.


    "Ugh...I am done. I have to get up early tomorrow. Good night Ivy."


    Ivy then remembered that she had not told Aria about her job.


    "Aria wait. I am resigning from my job."


    "Why? What happened?" Aria knew how much Ivy loved being a journalist. It was her life and the fact that she had decided to resign out of nowhere was quite a shock for her.


    "Do you remember Max? I told you about him."


    "Yes. He is your boss or team leader, if I am not wrong."


    "He is our chief editor and we are in his team." Aria was looking at her patiently to continue. Though she was tired and sleepy, she was also worried about her sister.


    "Our complete team has been sent on an indefinite furlough." She said giving a faint smile.


    "What? How? Why?" Aria was appalled. She couldn''t even speak properly hearing the news.


    "Apparently the management feels that the news we are providing is not true and is misleading the public."


    "How is that even possible? You were doing the same thing for years. The management was not unhappy back then. Why is there a sudden shift in their behavior? There''s something fishy."


    "Yes. We have the same feeling too. There is someone who feels threatened by our work."


    "Who?" Aria asked bringing her head forward.


    "No idea."


    "So, what are you going to do now?"


    "Max has a plan. We are meeting tomorrow to discuss it."


    "That''s great. Be safe alright." She looked at her in concern, patting her hand. Ivy glanced at her sister and she couldn''t stop herself from saying, "Aria, don''t look at me that way. I will think that you are falling for me."


    Aria narrowed her eyes and punched her sister''s hand lightly. "I don''t need to fall in love with you. I have an amazing man for that and I am happy with him."


    "Yeah. I can see that. You guys can''t keep your hands off each other."


    "Look who is speaking. Who was the one I found on the floor entangled with Joshua? By the way, what''s happening between you two?"


    "Nothing."


    "It does not look like there is nothing. There is an obvious tension in the air. Even Noah sensed it."


    "Aria, don''t cook things up. There is nothing between us and Noah and you are dancing on the same tune. Whatever you say, he just goes along with it."


    "If you say so. But I would definitely be happy if you end up with Joshua, he is a great guy. Anyway, I am going to go to sleep." Aria yawned and went to her room leaving Ivy alone. She thought about the time she had fallen on Joshua and the words he had told her in the kitchen. Her heart fluttered immediately and she blushed without her knowledge. Though she found Joshua attractive, she was hesitant to proceed further. He didn''t seem like a guy who would commit to a serious relationship and she was not interested in a casual fling.


    Ivy sat thinking about Joshua for a long time. Realizing what she was imagining, she patted her cheeks thrice to remove the trance she was in. She then wondered who could be Tim working for and if he was the reason for her team to lose their jobs.


    Meanwhile, the man in question was reporting the day''s events to his Boss on the phone.


    "Tell me clearly. What happened?" The man spoke from the other side.


    "Boss, the team has been removed according to your words," Tim replied honestly. He gulped although there was nothing for him to worry. He had done exactly what his boss wanted of him.


    "And.."


    "I have followed all the people we had doubts about and there is nothing suspicious about them. But.."


    "But what?"


    "There is this one woman, Ivy. She is acquainted with Joshua Martin."


    "Joshua Martin. Is that Noah''s friend, Joshua?"


    "Yes, Boss."


    "Then what happened? Did you find out anything?" The man asked in interest.


    "No Boss. They met at a cafe and then they went to the girl''s house."


    "Did anything else happen?"


    "No Boss."


    Tim had left just twenty minutes after Ivy and Joshua had reached her house. So, he had missed Noah who had come a few minutes after he vacated. If he had known about Noah''s presence, then he would have been shocked to death.


    "That''s interesting. Is there something going on between the two? Keep an eye on her." The man ordered still wondering why Joshua was involved with Ivy.


    "Okay, Boss."


    The call ended and the man sighed. His assistant handed him a glass of water.


    "Are you alright Master?"


    "Yes. Have you added the drug?" His assistant nodded and the man gulped down drugged water in one go. He waited for the drug to take its effect.


    "How is your search for Kane coming along?"


    "Boss, the man has disappeared without a trace. We are still in the process of searching for him."


    Hearing his assistant''s words, the man flared up. But the drug''s effect had started which calmed him down and his eyes were already glistening in ecstasy. However, his mind was still sober.


    "Find him at any cost." He said in a calm voice. But only his assistant knew the situation was anything but peaceful. Kane had got himself in trouble by getting caught while committing a crime. Now, he was a wanted criminal. However, his mistake of getting caught had created a problem for his Boss as he was the man behind the organ trafficking.


    "Yes, Boss."


    "And kill him. We do not want him revealing about us." The man said take a deep breath. The drug had taken its effect and his mind was high. It looked like he was in euphoria.


    "Is the woman ready?" The man stood up and removed his coat.


    "Yes, Boss. She is in your room."


    "Good. You may leave."


    The assistant bowed his head and left the hall while the man walked to his room to have his prey. The assistant could only pity the woman who knew nothing about what was going to happen to her in a few minutes and how in a matter of few hours she would end up dead just like the other women.

 Chapter 126: Devil to pacify

    The long night finally ended and the morning light engulfed the city, the sun shining bright. The sky was clear with no hint of dark clouds. Aria was already up, while Ivy was still in her dreamland. She was never a morning person. It was a misery for her to wake up early.


    Aria did not bother to wake her up. She prepared tea for herself, she could buy something in the hospital canteen. There was still time for her shift to begin. So, she browsed the internet for any gossip. She found an article about a superstar getting involved in a drug scandal that interested her. So, she started reading about it.


    "Morning." Ivy came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was nothing less than a bird''s nest and she looked like she had just made a trip to the horror house. She looked like a zombie herself. Aria chuckled looking at her sister''s state.


    "Good Morning. I have made you some tea." Aria wished her back and focused on reading her article. Ivy plopped on the sofa in front of her and yawned.


    "How come you are up this early?" Aria asked as she sipped on her tea.


    "I have to go to meet Max. Kira is spamming me since morning by calling me every few minutes. It''s disturbing my sleep. I could as well get up."


    Aria nodded. "Oh, I forgot. I will be going to the border to help our soldiers in a few days."


    "When?" Ivy''s eyes widened.


    "Upcoming Monday."


    "That''s in four days," Ivy whined like a child. "Why?"


    "Our soldiers are getting shot every few minutes and there is need of medical emergency. Major Meyer requested the President to send over some medical staff. Our hospital received a mail from them and I accepted."


    "Are you talking about Major Ethan Meyer?" Ivy asked, her eyes sparkling with interest. She was nothing less than an excited child who was ready to open her first Christmas present.


    "Apparently yes. If that is his full name." Aria shrugged. "Why do you ask?"


    "You are going to see him?" Ivy''s voice increased one level.


    "If going on a medical emergency is taken into consideration, then yes. I''ll be seeing him a lot." Aria was not sure where her sister was leading the conversation and what she wanted to do.


    "Wow. I mean just wow." Ivy stood up and raised her hands in shock.


    "What happened? Do you know him?"


    "Not exactly. I wanted to do a documentary on a soldier''s life and my colleague recommended him. He is so sexy." Ivy said dreamily.


    "Is it?"


    "Give me your phone." Aria handed her phone to Ivy waiting to see what she was up to.


    "Have you seen his photograph?"


    "No."


    "Then take a look." Ivy handed her the phone back, with his photo on the screen.


    "I don''t think I would need to look at other men. My boyfriend is.....Wow, he is hot." Aria exclaimed ogling at the hot man''s photo.


    "I told ya."


    "Wow, he is stunningly handsome."


    "Aria, are you in the mood to cheat on my brother-in-law?" Ivy asked, placing her hands on her hips.


    "Maybe," Aria said playfully. "Look at this man. He is the epitome of rugged handsomeness."


    Though Ethan was handsome, she felt he was inferior to Noah. Maybe because she was his girlfriend and was giving him the advantage. However, she still played along with Ivy and anyway, there was nothing wrong in looking at gorgeous men. Noah was not here. So, she had nothing to worry about.


    "Wait till I tell your man about your new crush." Ivy teased as she snatched Aria''s phone from her hand. Her phone was still on the bedside table. So, she did not waste energy in fetching it.


    "You won''t dare."


    "Oh trust me. I will." With that, Ivy dialed Noah''s number without hesitation.


    "Ivy, give me my phone," Aria shouted running behind her.


    "You were the one to challenge me." She answered escaping from her sister. Aria could only hope that Noah would not pick up the call. But to her dismay, that was the one thing that happened the next moment.


    "Hello, love. Good morning." He replied with his sexy morning voice. The phone was already on the loudspeaker. So, both the sisters heard his voice.


    "Umm. Noah, this is Ivy." Ivy answered awkwardly. She realized it was a mistake to use her sister''s phone to call Noah. She should have fetched hers.


    "Hello." Noah got up immediately. He was still on his bed when he had received Aria call.


    "Ugh. Yeah. Noah, keep your woman on a leash, otherwise she will slip through your fingers and you will not even notice."


    "Ivy, stop it. Noah, don''t listen to her." Aria yelled trying to take her phone back. However, Ivy avoided her attack and stood opposite to her with the sofa separating the two.


    "What happened?" Noah asked, still confused with the way the sisters were behaving. He was not sure what they were doing.


    "Your woman was ogling another man''s photograph on her phone." Ivy winked at Aria.


    "What?" Noah was dumbfounded.


    "Yes. I don''t know what you are doing. I don''t want my sister cheating on you. You are a good man, so I am warning you beforehand." Noah could hear the tease in Ivy''s voice. He realized that she was pulling Aria''s leg. When he was provided with an opportunity to make his girl flustered, who was he to reject it? So he played along.


    "Give the phone to Aria," Noah said with a playful voice, giving a hint to Ivy that he was game with her.


    "Your man wants to talk to you," Ivy stated with all seriousness and handed the phone to her. Aria glared at her. Her sister was such a troublesome person.


    "Hello." She answered so softly and sweetly that it melted Noah''s heart. However, he shock the feeling immediately and spoke to her in a stern voice.


    "What am I hearing Aria?"


    "Nothing, Ivy is just cooking things up. I was just... I was..Umm..." She stammered unable to form any words.


    "You were what?" He asked calmly. He couldn''t deny that this was fun. Only if he was in front of her, he could look at her flustered self. Just the imagination was making him fidgety and hot.


    "She wanted me to see someone. So, I..."


    "So, you were seeing his photo." Noah completed her sentence. Aria nodded. But when she realized that he would not be able to see it, she gave him an affirmative answer.


    "Aria, I think it''s time for your punishment."


    "No, no. Noah, listen to me." Aria panicked, making Noah smirk.


    "Wait till I get a hold of you. I must remind you who your boyfriend is and you can only ogle at me, nobody else." He replied with no room for discussion.


    "What are you talking about?" Aria turned around. But Ivy was nowhere to be found. She had returned to her room long back.


    "When you have such a handsome man as your boyfriend, you still want to see other men. This is unacceptable. No way." Noah smiled. His girlfriend was so cute and adorable and his sister-in-law was a sweetheart giving him opportunities to stay close to his woman.


    "Noah, wait. It''s not what you think it is."


    "Wait for me. I am coming to pick you up." The call ended.


    Aria groaned. Her sister had now created a problem. She was genuinely worried, she did not know it was all an act. Now she had a devil to pacify.

 Chapter 127: Rabbits are cute

    Aria huffed in anger. If not for Ivy''s loose tongue, she wouldn''t have had to deal with a jealous boyfriend. Now not only did she have to pacify him, but there was also a punishment waiting for her. Just the mere thought of it made her shiver. She ran to her room to get her things. She had to escape before he could make it to her house. At least she could postpone her punishment for a few hours if she could not avoid it.


    "Going somewhere?" Ivy asked from the door as she watched her sister stuffing her things into her bag.


    "I am going to the hospital."


    "If I remember correctly your shift doesn''t start until eleven. It''s only ten past nine. What''s the rush?" Ivy folded her hands and leaned against the door.


    "It''s all because of you."


    "Me? What did I do?" Ivy blinked her eyes innocently.


    "If you hadn''t sold me out, I wouldn''t be like this." Aria glared at her. "Where''s my stethoscope?" She muttered, searching for it everywhere.


    "Then, what do you expect me to do? Albeit having a hot boyfriend, you were gawking at another man''s photo. Don''t you have shame?" She chided her sister with a smile and picked up the stethoscope which was lying on the dressing table.


    "I was only looking at it and by the way, it was you who gave it for me to see." Aria refuted her behavior by arguing and snatched the stethoscope from Ivy''s hands.


    "So, you mean, you would jump into a well if I tell you to?"


    "Why would I? I am not insane."


    "Hmm. Aria, you do realize that you are contradicting your own statement, right?" Ivy looked at her sister innocently. After setting the things on fire, here she was trying to tone it down. But it was unclear if she was actually trying to calm the raging fire or was adding more fuel to it.


    "I just took a look at the photo. It''s not like I did a crime right? Ugh... I don''t know. I am going to go before the devil comes here to get me. Bye." Aria said as she walked out of the room.


    Ivy followed her closely, but she gasped hearing her sister''s words. "How mean of you Aria? You are calling my brother-in-law a devil. I''ll convey your words to him." Her hands flew to her mouth dramatically and she stopped walking.


    "Don''t you dare tattletale on me and since when did you change sides? The last I remember you were still my sister." Aria questioned as she wore her sneakers.


    "You are my sister. But now I have a brother-in-law who loves you dearly. So, I must take care of him too."


    "Good luck with that. I am taking the car today." Aria got up, ready to leave.


    "So desperate to avoid seeing your devil," Ivy commented dragging on the word ''so''.


    "Whatever." Aria rolled her eyes and left the apartment, closing the door behind her.


    "Silly girl." Ivy smiled at her flustered sister running away like a deer who was being chased by a lion. She could see clearly the love between the couple. It was pure without any malice. Also, she was sure Noah would cherish her sister for life. So, she had no worries regarding her sister anymore. They were the second most cutest and sweetest couple she had seen, first being her parents.


    Being older than Aria just by a few minutes, she had always been worried about the life partner she would choose in the future. She knew how men were, she had experienced it first hand. They were nothing but wicked hyenas who did not care much about others'' feelings. Her field of profession had trained her to meet all kinds of people. However, her sister was an innocent lamb in the world of wickedness. Though she knew Aria was strong and could take care of herself, she was still concerned about her little sister. But she was rest assured that with a man like Noah by her side, nobody would dare harm Aria.


    Ivy took a glance in the kitchen. Seeing that there was nothing to eat, she sighed. Her sister had again skipped her breakfast. If she was not at home, Aria would end up eating outside most of the time or would have to satisfy with takeaways.


    Ivy prepared herself some bread toast and coffee, she was not that hungry, to begin with. The intercom rang. She realized it to be Noah, he was only one who was expected to give them a visit at this time of the day. And as expected, there stood the tall man leaning against the wall beside the door.


    "Good morning. What brings you here at this time of the morning?" She asked feigning ignorance in front of him as she gave him space to enter in.


    "Good morning to you too. I have come to pick up Aria." Noah entered the house and looked around trying to find his woman.


    "Is it? Then you are late."


    "What?" Noah suddenly turned to look at Ivy who was standing behind him, scaring her a bit in the process.


    "Yes, she left for work a few minutes ago."


    "What? How is it possible? I told her to wait for me, I would come to pick her up. Why did she go without informing me?" Noah asked in disbelief. He was shocked to know that his woman had run away before he even got here.


    "How would I know that?" Ivy shrugged and sat on the couch. "Make yourself comfortable. Did you have breakfast?"


    Noah nodded a no. "Sit down. I''ll prepare something for you." Seeing the Noah was about to reject her offer, she narrowed her eyes, "And don''t you dare say no."


    Having no other choice, Noah sat on the sofa and tried calling Aria. But there was no response from her, she did not pick any of his calls. Realizing that she was avoiding him, he chuckled lightly. If she wanted to play cat and mouse with him, he was more than ready. He also found it amusing to see Aria running away from him when she would eventually come back to him.


    Ivy came back with a plate of omelet and glass of juice to see Noah smirking like he was plotting someone''s death.


    "What are you smiling at?" She asked as she handed the plate to him.


    "Just thinking of how to catch a little rabbit which is quite interested in running away and hiding."


    Ivy narrowed her eyes at his words. She did not have to have a huge IQ to understand what he wanted to convey.


    "Are you calling my sister a rabbit?"


    "I wouldn''t dare." Noah nodded a no while he chewed on the omelet.


    "Is it? I thought otherwise and even if you do call her that I wouldn''t mind. Besides rabbits are cute" Noah looked up to see Ivy only to get a wink in return. His sister-in-law was so cool that sometimes he wondered if she was Aria''s sister or his sister.


    It did not take long for him to finish his breakfast. After eating, he stood up to take his leave. "I am going to go."


    "Okay." Ivy went to drop him off till the door.


    "Umm. Noah?" She called him out when he was walking towards the lift.


    "Yes?"


    "Thank you very much for coming into my sister''s life."

 Chapter 128: Love so dearly

    Ivy''s words were still reeling in Noah''s mind. She was genuinely grateful to him for coming into her sister''s life while in fact, it was him who was thankful. It was Aria who had crashed into his life and not the other way round and he was happy that he got to meet such a lovely woman.


    Other than being thankful, he was also remorseful. But he had no choice. It was either he chose to disclose the secret about her father who was in his comatose condition and see her heartbroken, or wait until he recovered and then tell her about him. At least that way, his woman would not be dejected though he might end up sabotaging his relationship with her in both the scenarios.


    In any case, his choice would always be the second option. He could not make Aria sad at any cost and Ian had promised him that he would develop the medicine for his father-in-law. So, the only option he had was to wait for Ian and to not give up hope.


    "Boss, are you alright?" Ronnie had seen his boss being absent-minded since the time he had left Aria''s apartment. He was in deep thought, unlike the other times when he would be barking orders for him whenever they were driving towards the office.


    "Say, Ronnie what do you think will happen if I tell Aria about her father right now?" Noah cleared his thoughts and voiced the question that was bugging his mind.


    "Madam will be devastated. So, it is preferable to keep it a secret until the treatment is completed."


    "Hmm. I decided the same thing too. It''s best that way. Let me be the bad guy for her." Noah said and smiled faintly in sadness.


    Ronnie saw the smile from the rearview mirror. It was neither the creepy smile that Noah gave when he was ready to murder someone nor was it the gentle smile that was only reserved for Aria. It was a smile filled with various emotions: anger, sadness, pain, love. He realized that his boss loved Aria so dearly that he was ready to get hurt for her than to see her hurt.


    It was the first time for Ronnie to witness Noah in this state. He had seen his boss with other women previously. However, they were only meant for satisfying his sexual desires. It was never more than that and the woman came willingly to him even after knowing that it would never be anything past a fling. Seeing his boss worry in turn, made Ronnie worry. But he did not know what to do. It was not his matter to deal with in the first case. He could only pray that Aria would understand the situation.


    "Boss, the PR Manager has been caught," Ronnie said after some time. He had completely forgotten about the issue after seeing his boss in misery.


    "Who?" Noah asked, his eyes fixed on his tablet. He had decided to put matters related to his love life aside for a while. He would see how it would go naturally and make amends based on them.


    "The woman who sold our company''s information along with her secretary," Ronnie replied. They were almost near their company. So, he slowed down as the traffic was quite heavy in that area. Getting no response from his boss, Ronnie continued, "It is the same woman who insulted Madam at the party in London."


    "Oh, that woman. It''s great that she got caught."


    "What do you want to do with her boss?"


    "Hand her to the police, they will take care of her. Let her get a taste of prison life and make sure she never leaves the place." Noah answered calmly. He was not a person who would take betrayals lightly.


    "Boss, we are here," Ronnie said as he parked the car in the area reserved exclusively for his boss.


    "Hmm." Noah got off the car. Instead of going to the private elevator, as usual, he went to the entrance as Ronnie followed him closely. His private elevator started right from the parking area in the basement to the top floor. He never came from the main entrance except for a few times when he had to entertain some big-shot clients.


    This time Noah decided to enter from the main entrance and Ronnie understood that his boss had something in his mind. He could only wish that none of the employees were slacking from their work.


    Noah casually sauntered in with his hands in his pockets, his keen eyes roaming around like a hawk.


    "Good Morning." The guards and the receptionist greeted him as soon as he entered. He only nodded in return. The lady at the reception looked at him shock, she had never seen him come by this way. She checked her schedule and there were no meetings with any clients either, making her wonder what had actually transpired to make Noah come in via the main gate.


    Without giving another glance at the receptionist who was looking at him wide-eyed, he directly went to the marketing department on the first floor. It was as lively as ever. They were busy preparing for the new promotional event for the hotel that was going to be inaugurated in a few weeks. This was the new hotel to be included in the Carter chain of hotels in the world.


    Noah silently watched the team giving out ideas for the event, everybody listened to other''s opinion silently. The department was as harmonious, everybody was working hard. He gestured Ronnie to come closer and whispered something in his ear.


    The next department he visited was the HR department. There were a lot of people who were sitting on the chairs outside the department.


    "Who are they?" He asked Ronnie as he secretly watched them.


    "They are here for the job interview for various positions in the company."


    "Are we recruiting anybody for the top floor?" Noah asked. He knew about the recruitment that was taking place, his secretary had informed him about it. He was also told that they were looking for some potential candidates for their branch offices too. So, the number of employees they wanted was quite huge. He never dealt with the matters of these sorts, it was always the concerned department who took care of it. But he knew about all that was happening in his company.


    "Yes sir. We want another capable secretary for you. Shane and Mrs. Markel is finding the workload quite stressful. So, they requested you for another secretary." Ronnie answered honestly. He knew his boss would have forgotten about it. This matter was brought up before he was shot.


    "Ahh, yes. I remember now. Anyway, who is Mrs. Markel?" Noah asked as he took another glance at candidates who were nervously waiting in their seats. Ronnie looked at him dumbstruck. How could his boss forget his secretary who had been working with him for two years?


    "Sir, Mrs. Markel is your secretary."


    "Is it?" Noah glanced at him. He knew who his secretary was, but had no idea what her name was. He was only concerned about her work, not about her.


    "Yes, boss."


    "Hmm. Come let''s go." Noah said with a wicked grin.


    "Where boss?"


    "To the interview room." Noah started walking towards the room.


    "But boss.."


    "Is there anything important on my schedule today?" Noah paused suddenly and looked at Ronnie.


    "No boss. Your schedule is free until two."


    "Great. Come on. Let''s roast the new candidates."

 Chapter 129: Emergency

    While Noah was in a good mood to roast the candidates who were present to attend the interview, Aria drove to the hospital relieved. She had narrowly escaped meeting Noah for the time being. Though he was not scary, she still was not ready to face him and his punishments. She knew what was waiting for her and the mere thought of it made her nervous, yet excited. She was not sure why she felt that way, but Aria knew that once Noah caught her, he would eat her alive.


    Since she was quite early and there was a lot of time for her shift to start, Aria directly went to the canteen to have something. Her gluttonous stomach was shouting at her for not feeding it and if she did not provide it with food, it would keep grumbling like an old woman who had no better job to do.


    "May I have an omelet and a bottle of orange juice?" She placed her order and waited near the canteen. There were not many people at that time. There were the doctors and nurses who worked the night and some family members of patients who were admitted to the hospital.


    As she waited for her food, she saw the person who had injured her a few days back walk in along with a guy she did not recognize. Immediately she turned her head the other side to avoid being caught while staring. She did not have a good impression of him as he had appeared to be rude when all she was doing was her job.


    The moment Preston had entered the canteen, he had noticed Aria. He had also seen her taking a glance at him before looking away. Since the day Valarie had been hospitalized, Ryder and Preston had stayed with her taking care of her. It had become a second home for them. They had to make sure she was alright as there were people who wanted her dead. So, they were guarding her personally.


    Ian had told them they would get the clip they wanted shortly. So, they could do nothing but wait. Valarie was recovering quite well, though she had gained consciousness just a day before. The doctor had informed them that they had to wait until she recuperated completely before getting discharged.


    The duo went to the counter to place their orders. By then Aria had already taken her tray and had sat at the table as far as possible from them. She did not want to invite any uninvited problems, she already had enough on her plate.


    The two men were silent the entire time, but Ryder could sense Preston''s unusual behavior. He kept glancing at the lady in a black blouse and blue jeans. It was the first time Ryder was seeing Aria. So, he did not know what was transpiring between the two.


    "Who is the lady you are looking at?" He asked tapping his colleague''s shoulder.


    "Who? What lady? There is no lady here." Preston said flustered on being caught. He took one last glance at Aria before he turned to look at his friend.


    "Don''t pretend. I can clearly see where your gaze is heading towards. I have eyes and they are quite sharp. Do you like her?" He questioned directly.


    "What? No. There is nothing like that."


    "Then why are you behaving this way?"


    "What way?" Preston asked innocently rubbing his palms. "It must be the weather."


    "Don''t try to talk your way out of it. Tell me what the matter is." Ryder stressed placing his hand on Preston''s shoulder. Seeing his persistence in finding out the truth, Preston realized he had no way to talk out of it. He sighed in frustration.


    "When you had gone to meet Chief that night, Val''s heartbeat suddenly fluctuated. I called the doctor on duty and it was she who came to see her." Preston pointed at Aria as he continued, "At first, not much happened. She monitored Val''s health. But I could see that there was no change in her health. So, I got angry thinking that the doctor was not doing her duty and I pushed her quite harshly."


    "What happened then?" Ryder was very interested in listening to his story. It was very dramatic and filled with a lot of actions.


    "I pushed her aside, thinking she was not doing her duty when in fact, it was nothing but normal. Val was waking up. So, due to the sudden shock, her body behaved strangely. Not knowing the real truth, I ended up hurting the doctor''s ankle."


    "You have got to be kidding me," Ryder said in shock.


    "Look, I did not know about it okay. I know it was my mistake and I apologized for it too." Preston shrugged as if it was nothing, though he was still unable to remove Aria''s face when he had seen her limping.


    "So, it is the remorse that is making you all fidgety?"


    "Maybe."


    At that moment, the chef handed them their orders. "Come, let''s go and talk to her."


    "What? No." Preston stopped walking listening to his friend''s suggestion.


    "Listen, if you want to get rid of the guilt that is eating your heart, just trust me and follow my lead." Saying that Ryder walked away and Preston having no other choice followed him to Aria''s table.


    "Excuse me," Ryder called, startling Aria. She saw the two men who she wanted to avoid standing right in front of her.


    "Yes?"


    "Can we sit here?" He pointed to the seats in front of her. Aria looked around, there were a lot of tables that were empty. She wondered why they wanted to sit with her.


    Seeing her look around, Ryder cleared his throat. "We wanted to talk to you about something."


    "Okay." She agreed reluctantly and the two men sat down immediately.


    Five minutes passed and nobody spoke a word. Aria was almost finished with her breakfast. Seeing her plate becoming empty, Ryder nudged his friend to start the conversation.


    "Hello. You might not remember me. I am the one..."


    "who hurt my ankle. I know." Aria interrupted making it awkward for him.


    "I apologize for my behavior."


    "It''s okay. Anyway, you apologized that day and I accepted it. That ends the matter." Preston nodded silently.


    "I..." Preston started after some time to be interrupted again, but this time by a beeping sound.


    "Sorry about that." Aria took out her pager that was beeping. "I have to go now, it''s an emergency. See you later." Saying that she ran away in a hurry.


    "Hmm. That went quite bad." Ryder commented taking a bite of his food. "What''s this?" He took the phone that was lying on top of the table. In a hurry, Aria had forgotten her phone on the table.


    "Come, let''s go and give it to her." The two men ate their food in a hurry and then proceeded in the direction Aria had gone. But they had to stop suddenly on seeing the chaos in front of them.


    There were a lot of kids, more than thirty, who were injured and bleeding. They were being wheeled on the stretcher, while some of them were being carried by the ward boys. Aria was in the middle of treating a child who was having a seizure. She shouted for the ward boy to get a stretcher. However, they were too busy to hear her. There were a lot of people who needed their attention.


    Seeing that nobody was coming to her help, she lifted the boy with great difficulty. He was quite heavy for her and she had to struggle to balance herself and the boy.


    "Let me help you." She heard someone say. It was the same guy who had injured her. Without waiting for her reply, he took the boy and lifted him up with ease.


    "Where to?"


    "Follow me," Aria said and ran towards the emergency ward with Preston right behind her.

 Chapter 130: Admiration for doctors

    Aria rushed to the emergency room with Preston right behind her. The hospital was in chaos due to the large number of patients getting admitted at once. It was a case of an accident between a school bus and a garbage truck. The driver of the truck had lost control and had rammed into the school bus which was right in front of it in the lane. The impact was so strong that both the vehicles were pushed forward by a large distance and finally, the small school bus had crashed right into the building when it was supposed to take a right turn.


    Most of the children on the bus had suffered severe injuries due to the accident. The on-lookers had immediately called the ambulance of the nearby hospital which was the Regal Medical Hospital. Due to this, the hospital was in a state of panic. The doctors and nurses working the morning shift were yet to arrive and the ones who had stayed the previous night were tending to the injured.


    Aria opened the ward door for Preston to step in and he laid the kid on the hospital bed. She took a new pack of cotton swabs and started to clean the boy''s head which was slightly covered with blood.


    "Thank you for your help. Can you see if any nurse or a ward boy is around? I need assistance." She said not looking at Preston.


    Ryder, who had accompanied Aria and Preston till the ward, heard her and gestured to Preston that he would look for a nurse. The man nodded and conveyed the same to Aria. "My friend is looking for a nurse. I will assist you till then."


    The boy suddenly started to behave weird. He was jerking heavily, his hands and legs were convulsing. Aria stopped cleaning the blood and she loosely but securely held his hands. "Keep a track of the time. I need to record it." She ordered which Preston followed without any objections.


    The boy started to drool the next moment and he grunted in pain. He was mumbling some incoherent words. Aria tried to calm the boy by fanning around him and patting his arms.


    "What is happening?" Preston asked, his eyes not moving from his watch. A few seconds had passed, but the boy had not stopped moving.


    "He is having a seizure. If my assumptions are true, then this might be a case of a brain hemorrhage. I mean bleeding in the brain. But I hope I am wrong. Hemorrhage is a serious problem and the death rate is high in this condition is high."


    It took a few more seconds for the boy to calm down. His breathing was still erratic and he was taking long, deep breaths. Aria connected the ventilator to his mouth and regulated his breathing until it returned to normal. She then took an IV bag and injected dilute phenytoin to stop the kid from having another seizure and attached it to his hand.


    "How many seconds?"


    "42." Preston answer immediately. He was watching Aria''s movements carefully, ready to help her any moment. Aria shook her head. This was bad. At that instant, a nurse came running along with Preston.


    "Nurse, prepare a CT scan and cerebral angiography. The child may have a hemorrhage. Get any neurosurgeon available. It''s an emergency, we might to operate on him." Aria ordered. The nurse nodded.


    "I need help." She said and went out. Within a few minutes, the nurse had returned with a patient shifting roller. Preston helped her lay the child on the roller and both Aria and the nurse hurried to perform the scans.


    Preston stayed behind with Ryder, his eyes still fixed on the doctor who he helped a few minutes ago.


    "Wow, that was quite stressful. My admiration for doctors has increased ten folds." Ryder commented, rubbing his palms.


    "Yes. They have to do a lot of things to keep the patient alive. Definitely, they are to be appreciated." Preston followed suit.


    "What do you think happened to the child?" Ryder had gone to fetch the nurse. So, he did not hear Aria explaining the possible problem in the kid.


    "It may be a case of bleeding in the brain."


    "Damn. He is just a kid. I hope he survives."


    "Me too," Preston said and the duo returned to Valarie''s ward.


    Meanwhile, on the other side.


    Aria and the nurse reached the scanning room.


    "I need the results immediately. It is an emergency." Aria said to the radiologist who was in charge of the scanning. Grasping the situation, he got to work immediately. "I''ll call you once the reports are done." He said.


    Aria nodded and then left the room. She had other patients to attend to. She ran back to the reception. Most of the kids who had serious injuries were being provided with a medical emergency. But still, there were a few kids, who had minor injuries, waiting to get treated.


    Aria went to them. Due to the shock and the pain, the kids had not stopped crying. This was a given considering that were not even teenagers. She was carrying a tray with her. So, she could easily provide them the first aid.


    She went to the first child. It was a girl and she had scraped her arm quite bad. The child was crying hysterically, calling out to her parents. The news of the accident had spread as soon as it had happened and many parents had already reached the hospital. But some parents were yet to arrive.


    "Hi, sweetheart." Aria kneeled in front of the little girl. The girl glanced at her but didn''t stop crying.


    "What do we have here?" Aria said as she held the girl''s injured arm.


    "Oh. Uh. Tsk, tsk. This looks bad." She observed the girl''s hand and Aria words made her cry harder.


    "Shall I show you some magic?"


    Aria securely held the girl''s hand lest she should pull it back. She then started cleaning it thoroughly while blowing air on the wound. "I am going to make this wound go away."


    The girl blinked, her tears falling on her cheeks. She looked pitiful with her red eyes and puffy nose. "Beautiful girls don''t cry. It makes them look ugly." Aria stated. By then she had finished cleaning and was placing the cotton on the wound.


    "I am not ugly." The girl argued with her cute voice.


    "I never said you are ugly. I said you are beautiful. Did I say you are ugly? Did I?" Aria first looked at the girl and then at the other kids who were sitting beside her. Nobody reacted making Aria sigh.


    "See, your wound is gone." She pointed the bandaged arm to the girl. She blinked twice and looked forth between her wounded hand and Aria. She had stopped crying.


    "Good girl."


    Aria then treated the other kids who were sitting beside the girl. They had minor injuries. So, it did not take much time for her to complete her work. At that moment, the nurse who had helped her in the emergency ward came running, her face pale and anxious.


    "What happened nurse? Are the reports out?" Aria asked in concern. The nurse panted for a few seconds.


    "Doctor, we do not need the reports. The boy died just a few minutes ago."

 Chapter 131: Reliable sponsor

    After Aria left the apartment, Ivy got ready too. Although she did not have to go to work anymore, she had to go meet Max and the others in his house. They had to discuss their future and also about what Max had in mind. He had told them that he had a plan and wanted to discuss it with them.


    Ivy was ready to leave. But when she stepped out of her apartment, she remembered Tim following her everywhere she had gone yesterday. She did know if Joshua had realized them being followed, but with his acute senses, she was sure he must have noticed something suspicious. If Tim had planned to keep an eye on her, then there might be a possibility of him waiting outside her apartment building to follow her again.


    She did not mind Tim stalking her, but not on that day. She had to go meet her colleagues. If Tim was following her, there might have been chances of him following the others too. In that case, he would definitely know where Max lived. He following her to Max''s house would only make him suspicious and she did not want to do anything that would sabotage Max''s plan.


    To test the waters, she hatched a plan. She left her apartment and did not go to the basement where her motorbike was parked. Instead, she went to the ground floor and exited the building. She pretended as if she was running an errand while keeping an eye around her.


    As Ivy had expected, she saw Tim in the exact spot she had seen him park his car when she had brought Joshua home the previous day. She ignored him completely and walked in the opposite direction.


    Tim was confused seeing Ivy walk rather than ride her bike. Since it would seem more dubious if he trailed her in a car, he followed her on foot. He maintained a safe distance from her, his eyes not leaving her silhouette. After five minutes, he noticed that Ivy was approaching a supermarket. He did not follow her inside, instead, he leaned against a tree, hiding such that he could keep an eye on the supermarket entrance without anybody noticed him.


    Ivy saw that Tim had not tailed her inside. So, she heaved a sigh of relief. In this situation, she could not take leave from the front gate. She had to do something else. But right now, since she was already in the supermarket she could as well do some shopping. She remembered she had to stock the refrigerators. As she had nothing to do right now or at least for a few days, she might as well try out new recipes.


    Thus, Ivy started shopping for ingredients to her heart content. Before that, she did not forget to send a message to Max informing him that she would be arriving late. After forty minutes, Ivy was done with her shopping and she had two bag loads of ingredients with her. She carried them with great difficulty, they were quite heavy.


    When she left the supermarket, she searched for Tim without making it obvious. She couldn''t see him, but she knew he was somewhere nearby, his eye fixed on her. She started walking back to her apartment casually as if she was running a daily errand.


    After entering the apartment, she placed the two bags on the dining table. Now she had a big headache to deal with. How would she leave the place without him noticing? Ivy paced around in the living room trying to rack her brain for an idea.


    She suddenly stopped when something struck her. She remembered that the apartment building had a back gate. This gate was directly connected to the fire exit from every floor in the building via a metal staircase. She could leave the building that way. So, she went to the fire exit on the floor where her apartment was situated. However, to her dismay, it did not budge even though she exerted a lot of force.


    After that, she went trying on the subsequent floors only to meet the same fate. Now the last option left for her was to try the exit door in the basement. To her relief, it opened immediately the moment she turned the lever. She closed the door behind her, hoping that nobody would lock it. Else it would become difficult for her to come inside on returning.


    She saw that she was on the adjacent road of her apartment building. From here, neither she nor Tim could see each other. Since Ivy did not have a vehicle, she could only hail a cab. Meanwhile, Tim who was waiting for her outside could only assume her to be still inside her house.


    It took Ivy more than thirty minutes to reach Max''s house. The traffic was unbelievably heavy that day, making them halt every few minutes. She paid the cab fare and without further delay, she went to his house. Everybody was already present. Max was reading a file while Sasha and Cedric were involved in their usual bickering and Kira was on the phone.


    It was Sasha who first noticed her. " Ivy, you are here. Come in." She completely ignored Cedric and hopped towards Ivy. Sasha''s excited voice made everyone look towards the door. Kira ended the call immediately on seeing that Ivy had arrived.


    "What happened Ivy? Is everything alright?"


    "Yeah. I am fine. It''s just that Tim is keeping an eye on me. So, it took me some time to trick him and come here." Ivy said and sat on the couch.


    "That bastard." Max cursed. "We need to do something about him. I''ll see to it that he stops stalking us"


    "Definitely. Ivy be careful. This is for other people too. We don''t know what his background is." Cedric said concerned about his colleagues.


    "Okay, I''ll keep that in mind," Ivy replied, her heart filled with warmth seeing the people who were genuinely concerned about her.


    "Now coming back to the actual matter at hand, what do we do now?" Kira asked sitting beside Ivy.


    "I have a plan in mind. Before that, if anybody else has other ideas they can put it forth before us." Max stated. Seeing nobody replying, he continued, "I am planning to open my own news agency."


    "What?" All four people asked at once, their eyes wide in surprise.


    "Yes. I had this idea in mind long back and now is the perfect time to execute it. If you guys are ready, we can start with the plan immediately, but I must warn you that it is a bit risky." Max warned them beforehand. He did not want them to get involved if they were not ready to take risks, he did not want to force them in this matter.


    "I like the plan already," Ivy said to which the other three agreed immediately. They had known Max since the time they had started working in News4U. He was a trustworthy person and most importantly, he was honest.


    "Is everybody with me on this proposal?" Max asked gaining a nod from everyone.


    "Good. Now we have to address the biggest problem in this plan."


    "What?" Sasha asked as she munched on an apple while the others had their eyes trained on him.


    "We need to find a reliable sponsor."

 Chapter 132: Powerful and influential

    "We need a reliable sponsor," Max answered taking a glance at all the curious people around him. For any news agency to be opened, it had to go through a lot of procedures one of them is getting a good sponsorship. This was necessary for the workers to get adequate funds to do their work as well as to maintain the authority and decorum in the organization.


    Usually, the people who owned the news agencies were powerful men who could suppress or publish any news as they desired. This was the case in most of the press organizations. Even if they were not the owners, some of the powerful people like businessmen, government officials and celebrities had shares in them and thus indirectly controlling them. Most of the time, the person who owned the agency could do nothing but follow the shareholders'' decisions even if it meant going against their own principles.


    Max and his team needed someone who was powerful and influential and who would not be manipulated by others'' thoughts. But the problem was neither Ivy nor anybody in her team knew neither a person who fit these criteria nor anybody who was right now interested in venturing in this area right now. So, this was a huge problem for them.


    "Does anybody have any ideas what could be done right now? Who might be capable of sponsoring us, our team?" Kira questioned, her eyes darting between Ivy and Max. Amongst the five people, Max was the most experienced one, he had made connections with many people. So, the other four looked up to him to see if he had any suggestions.


    "There are many people who might give us a helping hand. But, I don''t want them as our boss. They are nothing but greedy and selfish criminals. Eventually, they will do the same as what News4U did to us. So, I am in a dilemma too. I have money, the problem is not in financing. We need someone who will be a backbone to us, who will not budge even after getting threatened by other high-powered people." Max answered sighing in defeat.


    The four people who were staring at Max expectantly groaned inwardly in frustration. Max''s words deflated their spirits, he was right though. It was impossible to find someone who would be genuinely supportive of them in their work.


    "I do have one person in mind who might be interested, but I am not sure if he will agree," Max said slowly, still thinking if his friend would help him or not. His words gained his audience''s attention once again.


    "Who?" Ivy leaned towards him, listening to him intently.


    "Joshua Martin. I think you know him, Ivy." Max lifted his head, fixing his eye on Ivy to get a nod in return. "I am not sure if he will be interested in this deal, but there is nothing wrong in trying. He is the only one I can think of who is powerful as well as strong. Nobody can threaten him or his status."


    "You are right. He is quite formidable." Ivy replied absent-mindedly. She remembered the time he had fought with the goons in the bar to save themselves. He sure had money and skills, and he knew how to fight too.


    "I''ll give it a try. Who knows luck might be in our favor?" Max added, his eyes brimming in hope. Without wasting any time, he dialed Joshua''s number. It rang a few times before it was hung up. However, within a few seconds, his phone dinged. ''In a meeting right now, call you later. Jo.''


    "He will call us later," Max mumbled, showing the message he received to others. Ivy pulled back, resting her head on the sofa headrest. She was a little tired from all the work she had done yesterday. Unlike Aria who had gone to sleep right after the two men had departed, Ivy had stayed up to do a little more research on her father''s previous projects.


    When she could no longer fight the sleep, she had gone to bed. By then it was past 3 a.m. Now the sleep she had missed was attacking her by making her head throb and drowsy. They had a lot of time at hand and nobody knew when Joshua would call back. So, she could as well take a nap. She closed her eyes only to open them the next second when Kira patted her hand.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Just a little sleepy," Ivy replied, stifling a yawn.


    "You could sleep in the guest room if you want." Max pointed towards the room which was right in front of them, across the hall. Ivy thanked him and went to get some much-needed sleep. Her body was worn out and her mind hazy. Though she had visited Max''s house a lot of times, she had had never wandered anywhere else other than the kitchen and the living room. So, this was the first time, she was entering the guest room.


    It was cold, maybe due to not being used by anybody else as Max lived alone. She took a look at the room, it was all in white. Nevertheless, it looked comfortable. Without giving much thought, she jumped on the bed, her head resting on the pillow. Within a few seconds, she was out. She was pulled into a sleep so deep that she did not hear Max''s phone ring nor Kira''s voice when she had come to call her.


    Time passed and Ivy slowly opened her eyes. The headache she had felt previously was now gone. Feeling refreshed and energetic. She went to the hall to see that only Max and Kira were present in the living room. Sasha and Cedric were nowhere in sight.


    "Here comes the sleeping beauty. Had a good sleep?" Kira asked, her eyes not moving from the TV. She was watching the news that was reporting the accident between the school bus and the truck.


    Ivy nodded. "Where did the other two go?"


    "They went to fetch some camera equipments from Ced''s house. Max needed it for something. They will be here shortly."


    "Did Mr. Martin call?"


    "Long ago. I came to call you, but you were in deep sleep. You did not even budge."


    "How long was I asleep?"


    "For three hours or so," Max answered her question this time. He was reading a document which he secretly brought from his office room yesterday before leaving. It was something he was working on and he was not ready to hand it over back to his company. This piece of news was important to him.


    "What? I slept for three hours." Ivy asked in shock, her eyes widened in disbelief. ''How was it possible? Was I so tired that I did not even hear Kira call out for me?''


    "Yep. Go have something, you must be hungry." Max spoke, pulling Ivy out of her stupor.


    "Before that, what did Joshua say? Did he agree to work with us?"


    "I am not sure. There was a lot of disturbance and I couldn''t hear him clearly. I tried calling him again, but his phone is switched off." Max had just finished speaking when his phone rang.


    "It''s Joshua. Hello." He picked the call immediately.


    "Hey, Max. Sorry, I couldn''t speak before. I was in a meeting and the reception there was poor. So, tell me. Did you need anything of me?" Max had kept the call on speaker mode. Ivy too heard his voice and she immediately recollected what he had told her in the kitchen the previous night. His deep, mesmerizing voice sending tremors down her body.


    "Yes, I had something important to speak to you about. Are you free right now?"


    "I am free, but I am not in the city." Joshua was actually in the Underground Base when he had received Max''s call. He had something urgent to deal with and it was taking a lot of time than he had expected. So, he had taken a break and had returned Max''s call to see what he was up to. "You can tell me on the phone."


    "Okay. It''s like this.'' Max spent the next ten minutes explaining to Joshua about his intentions to open a news agency of his own and also about his search for a reliable sponsor. "So, I was hoping if you would like to be the sponsor."


    "Oh. Are you leaving your old agency?"


    "Yes. They have started playing dirty games right now."


    "What happened?" Joshua asked in concern. He wanted to know what might have happened for Max to leave his old agency.


    "They sacked me and my team."


    "That''s bad." Joshua sympathized. He knew that Ivy was in his team. So, this meant even she was going to leave her job. "Are you alone in this or are your colleagues there with you?"


    "My entire team who were asked to quit are with me," Max answered honestly. If he needed Joshua to finance his agency, he had to tell him the truth.


    ''As expected.'' Joshua thought and an idea struck him. "Max, let me think about it. I''ll tell you by the end of the day."


    "Sure. Thank you anyway."


    "Not a problem," Joshua responded and the call ended. He immediately made another call. "I have something which might be of interest to you, Noah."

 Chapter 133: Opportunity

    "Hello. I have something which might be of interest to you, Noah."


    "Speak," Noah replied curtly waiting to see what his friend was up to. He was in the room where the candidates were being interviewed when he received Joshua''s call. He had immediately left the interview in the middle to get some privacy as he spoke to him.


    "Guess what? Max wants to open a news agency of his own."


    "Who is Max?" Noah was confused. This was the first time he was hearing his name.


    "Oh sorry. I forgot. He is the editor in chief in News4U, I mean was." Joshua corrected himself when Noah interrupted him.


    "What does this have to do with me? Be clear or don''t waste my time."


    "Wait. Max and his team were sacked from the company and Ivy works under Max."


    "You mean to say that Ivy lost her job?" Noah was perplexed. Ivy did not tell them anything when they were in her house yesterday. Why did she hide this from him?


    "That was what I heard. Coming back to the topic, Max wants to open his own agency and Ivy is working with him." Joshua stopped suddenly to see if his friend was listening.


    "Go on." Noah prompted, making his friend smirk. As expected he had gained his friend''s attention.


    "They want a sponsor who will also be their boss. Max asked me if I was ready and I thought it would be better if you did this. I remembered the talk we had yesterday, and this will help us with our goals. You can work with Ivy on this project and in turn, you will get more time to spend with Aria." Joshua chuckled, teasing Noah in the meantime.


    "Are you done with your nonsense? I don''t need your help to make time for me and Aria. I can do it myself. And regarding what you said, I like the idea. We can find out the culprits and with me being the boss, nobody will be hurt. I will take care of that. I have a question though. Is Max trustworthy? I mean I have never met. So, I have no idea how he is."


    "Definitely trustworthy. You have my word on it. I have known him for a long time."


    "Then, count me in."


    "Wow, we are quite lucky. The opportunity came to us without us doing anything." Joshua commented.


    "I agree with you this time, you are right."


    "What do you mean? I am always right."


    "I know that." Noah rubbed his forehead hearing his friend whine.


    "Shall I inform Max about your decision?"


    "Sure. Jo, I''ll talk to you later."


    "Okay." Joshua then dialed Max''s number once again.


    "Hello, Jo." The phone was answered immediately.


    "Yes, Max. I have made my decision."


    Max raised his eyebrows. It had not been even fifteen minutes when Joshua had asked him to give him some time to think and now he had called back to inform him about his decision. Wasn''t this a little too soon?


    "Jo, take your time. It''s no hurry." Max frowned, taking a look at his friends. Sasha and Cedric too were in the room now. They had just returned from Cedric''s house when Joshua called Max.


    "It''s fine. I have made the decision. I will not be your sponsor. Instead, my friend is ready to deal with you." When Joshua had spoken that he was not ready to finance them, everybody was reduced to tears at once. But on listening that somebody was ready to tie up with them, their faces brightened at once.


    "May I know your friend''s name?"


    "It''s Noah, Noah Carter." The people in the room who were rejoicing at getting a sponsor suddenly stopped on hearing Noah''s name. The business tycoon was ready to work with them, they must be dreaming right? Even Ivy went into a stupor on hearing Noah''s name. It took the five people some time to return to their senses.


    "Hello, Max. Are you there? Hello." Joshua repeated on not getting any response from Max.


    "Ah, yes?" Max replied, still in a daze.


    "You can discuss the details with him. I''ll forward you his assistant''s number. Is this fine?"


    "Thank you so much, Jo. Thanks a lot."


    "Not a problem. Take care."


    Max ended the call and scanned the people who were sitting silently, without moving. It was Sasha who first broke the silence.


    "Noah Allen Carter. He is going to be my boss. Am I dreaming? Somebody pinch me." She said dreamily and the next second she shouted when Cedric actually pinched her.


    "Why did you do that?" She glared at him, rubbing her hand where he had pinched her.


    "Weren''t you the one who asked for it?" He shrugged, his face full of innocence as if Sasha had wronged him by blaming him.


    "I did not ask you to do it in reality when it was just rhetorical."


    "I didn''t know that."


    "Guys stop it. We just got a sponsor." Kira exclaimed jumping up from her seat.


    "Yes, and it is Noah, the dashing male God of our country," Sasha said, her hands interlocked and her eyes filled with admiration.


    Ivy stared at the two women in amusement. What would happen to them if they were to find out that he was already taken and that too by her sister? Would they be heartbroken and start sulking? Just the thought of Kira and Sasha sulking in a corner like a kid and throwing a tantrum made Ivy laugh out loud. The people around her looked at her like she was a lunatic.


    "Uh, Ivy. Are you alright?" Cedric stood beside her, concern evident in his eyes.


    "I am fine. Why do you ask?"


    "You were laughing like a crazy person a few seconds back." Ivy then realized what she had done in a spur of a moment and was thoroughly embarrassed. She cleared her throat and tried changing the topic.


    "Guys we need to celebrate. Noah Carter is ready to provide us the funds. Yay." She raised her hands in excitement which immediately made the other people follow suit. It really was a happy moment for them.


    "Guys, guys, guys." Max clapped. "Don''t celebrate too soon. We are not too sure if he agrees to deal with us and moreover I need to find out if he is just like our previous boss, greedy and selfish."


    "No, he is not. He is sweet and honest." Ivy blurted out without thinking.


    "How do you know that?" Kira narrowed her eyes in doubt.


    "Just a hunch and my hunch never lies." Ivy pulled her collars, praising herself.


    "Yeah right." Kira scoffed while Ivy sighed. She was uncertain if Noah and Aria were ready to tell the world about their relationship. If not, then she would have to be careful, or else the people around her were smart. They would easily catch her slip-ups. She had to talk about this matter with the two, now that Noah was going to be her boss.

 Chapter 134: Work is important

    Joshua finished his talk with Max and smiled in satisfaction. Their plan was sailing smoothly and the opportunity had come to them even before they started to do anything. Without wasting time, he sent Noah''s assistant, Shane''s contact details for them to schedule an appointment. Being a businessman himself he knew how dangerous it was to give people their personal phone numbers. It was also not wise to give them their business contacts numbers, especially to paparazzi. Since he and Max were friends, it was fine. But that would not be the case with Noah.


    The best way was to follow the traditional method and book an appointment with the secretary. This way one would be sure that no nosy person would try to probe into their lives. Nothing was worse than people calling them at odd hours and harassing them.


    He then saw an unopened message from Ian. He had missed it somehow the previous day as he had been too busy with other work. Now that he saw it was from Ian and had asked Noah and him to call back as soon as possible, he dialed his number without a second thought.


    "Ian, hey."


    "Joshua, I sent you the message yesterday and you are calling me now?" Ian assessed. "Even Noah did not give a call. What were you two up to that you did not even see my message?"


    "Ian we were a little busy. I''ll tell you everything when we meet. You tell me. What happened?" Joshua knew it was not a good option to tell about their mentor''s death on the phone. Some things were best told directly rather than on the phone.


    "It''s about Rachel." Ian was alone in the ward and he was speaking softly. So, there were no chances of anybody hearing his words.


    "What happened to her? Is she alright?" Joshua panicked a little. It was only a few days ago that she had been involved in an accident.


    "She is fine. But you know Jared right?" Ian asked calmly. For now, the situation was not that critical. So, he had not called them again yesterday after sending the message. Rachel too had warned Daniel about Jared and had asked him to stay safe.


    "What did he do to her?"


    "He did nothing, yet. But he might do something."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It seems Jared likes her and he wants her to accept him. He has threatened her with Daniel''s life." Ian revealed everything he had heard from Rachel at one go.


    "How dare he?" Joshua seethed, clenching his jaw in fury. Rachel was his friend. Since childhood, he had looked after her like a true friend would. He did not consider her as a sister as there was Noah to do so. Instead, he considered her to be a true friend who could listen to his problems when the other two ignored him. She was the only girl in the group. So, the three men protected her with all their might. Though they teased her occasionally, they had never allowed anybody to hurt her, not even themselves.


    Now out of nowhere a puny man had threatened her with her boyfriend''s life. How could he stay still without getting angry? It was impossible.


    "Yes, that was what we wanted to talk to you about. But neither you nor Noah called back." Ian complained pushing himself up to sit comfortably on the bed. He had just finished with his lunch when Jo had called him. He was asked to rest another day and from the next day, he could start working again. He was waiting to get out of the ward. It was nothing but torture to him, sitting all day in one place and not doing anything. He wondered if all the other patients felt the same. If so, then he could do nothing but pity them.


    "We had an urgent issue to deal with. Anyway, how is Rachel now? Is she fine?"


    "Yes. She is going to get discharged today. I think she has not left the hospital yet, else she would have come to meet me."


    "Hmm. Who is coming to pick her up? Noah told me he has a meeting at three. So, it would not be him."


    "Mr. and Mrs. Carter are coming, I presume and I will not be surprised if the old man tags along. Rachel is his favorite. He must be on the edge to get her out of here." Ian chuckled thinking about the old man and his weird antics. He had heard from Rachel how he had tricked his son and daughter-in-law to visit her although he needed rest himself.


    "So, what are we going to do about this lowly creature?"


    "Let''s discuss with Noah first."


    "Hmm. You are right, it is his sister after all. I''ll have to go. I have some work here at the base. Some things have to be fixed. I''ll call you later."


    "Okay."


    "Was that my brother?" Rachel asked. He did not when she had arrived and what she had heard, not that it mattered to him. She knew everything about them and their work.


    "Nope. It was Jo. So, are you ready to go?"


    "Yep. Finally. I wonder how you work here, in this tense atmosphere, no offense though. Seeing a lot of people die, makes me feel weird." Rachel made a comical face which led Ian to laugh out loud.


    "Says the girl who is well versed with killing and beating. You have seen a lot more dead bodies and blood than most other doctors in this hospital."


    "Yes. That was different and this is different. The men we torture are criminals, scum in society. Here, there are many innocent people who lose lives for various reasons. Just take today''s case. More than thirty kids were wounded in an accident. The hospital is a mess, trying to treat the kids as well as consoling the worried parents." Rachel sat on the stool beside Ian''s bed as she narrated what she had seen when she had gone to the reception to sign the discharge papers.


    "What? Many kids were admitted and nobody told me about it. This is unbelievable." Ian stood up immediately.


    "Where are you going?" Rachel looked at him strutting towards the door. He did not look that weak compared to the other days she had seen him. Other than having grown thin, he looked almost the same.


    "I have work to do."


    "But you are a patient...."


    "I am a doctor and it is my job to save people."


    "But Ian..."


    "I cannot ignore my work Rachel. There are people who need me."


    "I cannot stop you right?" Rachel sighed, accepting defeat in front of the stubborn man.


    "No. Will you be alright?"


    "Yes, I am going to wait at the reception for my parents. They have given me strict instructions not to leave the hospital before they arrive and I cannot defy their orders. Otherwise, I will be up for a hearing."


    "Good girl. Take care."


    "You too and don''t faint while doing your job." Ian gave her a ''that was very funny'' look, and she returned him a cheeky grin.


    "Rachel, there are doctors around me. Even if I faint, the possibility of which is zero, they will take care of me. Don''t worry." With that, he left the ward leaving Rachel alone.

 Chapter 135: Complicated case

    Ian left his ward in a hurry. He was still in his patient pajamas and did not even think of changing as he sprinted towards the reception. The scene he saw there made him halt in his tracks. There were a lot of parents fighting with the hospital staff who were trying to control the crowd. There were also a lot of reporters outside the hospital trying to get past the entrance gate as the guards tried to control them.


    The police had also made their presence to investigate the matter. The school van driver was severely injured and was unconscious. So, they could not take his statement yet. On the other hand, the truck driver who had rammed into the small van was not found anywhere. He had run away as soon as the accident had taken place out of fear for his life.


    Ian came out of his stupor and noticed that there were no injured people in the reception. He presumed them to have been taken care of by the hospital. It had been more than three hours since the incident took place. He stopped the nurse who was walking nearby, startling her in the process.


    "Nurse, how is the situation? Are all the injured people safe? Are there any critical cases?"


    The nurse stopped suddenly and her eyes widened on seeing Ian. He was supposed to be resting. She pondered on what he was doing there. Nevertheless, she still answered him.


    "Dr. Ian. The situation is grave. Twelve children are seriously injured, nine have suffered some minor scratches and injuries, seven of them have fractured their limbs." She replied hastily.


    "What about deaths? Did anybody die?"


    "Yes, doctor. Three kids are dead."


    Ian closed his eyes on listening to the nurse. He was sad that the innocent kids were hurt. But he could do nothing, that was how life was. One moment everything would be going good and happy and the next moment..baam.. the situation just changed to something which one would not have ever imagined. Who knew that this mishap would happen to their kids? If they did, the parents would have prevented their child from stepping out of the house at all costs.


    After a few seconds of taking deep breaths, Ian opened his eyes. He had to come out of the melancholic mood. He was a doctor and he was used to this, yet some times he couldn''t stop himself from pitying the family who lost its beloved member. By then, the nurse had already left him alone.


    Without wasting any more time, he went towards the emergency ward. He supposed that the children who were severely injured were being treated there. He rushed to the nearest ward to see a small girl who was lying unconscious with her right leg in a splint. She was not in danger, he could see that. There was also a woman who looked to be in her late thirties, sitting beside her.


    He went to other wards, checking to see if his help was needed in any of the cases. Throughout the entire time, he had not seen Aria anywhere. He wondered where she was. He then proceeded towards the operation theater as he had heard someone whispering that one of the injured had been stabbed close to his heart.


    Just as he ran towards the OT, he bumped into Aria who was coming from the other side. She had to hold his hand to stabilize herself and prevent herself from falling.


    "Ian, what are you doing here?" She asked on seeing him. He was sweating and looked like he was in a hurry. Without waiting for his reply, Aria continued, "Good that you are here. I was about to come to meet you. There is an emergency case quite similar to that of Noah''s. But the problem here is, the patient is not shot. He has been spiked with an iron rod very close to his heart and it is very complicated as the rod is still attached to his body." She explained.


    Aria was going to have a discussion about the case with Ian when they met each other halfway through. Ian was an extraordinary doctor. He had more experience than her and his success rate of saving patients was higher than any other heart surgeons in the hospital. So, she felt it was better to take his advice and help in this highly complicated case.


    "What?" Ian was perplexed. He had handled cases related to patients with gunshots as well as those who had been stabbed in the heart by a knife, but never had he encountered a patient who had a rod run through his chest. This was a first for him.


    "Give me the details." He ordered. He was back to his professional mode. Gone was the Ian who had been lying in the hospital bed for days after donating his marrow. Now the old Dr. Davis was back.


    "Yes. It is the school bus driver. He has an iron rod pierced through his body. I have the scan report with me, take a look." Aria handed him the reports. "I have sedated him for now and tried to control his bleeding. But we have to be quick, he is not going to sustain for long. He had already lost a lot of blood when he came here."


    "Then why didn''t you come to me earlier. Why did you wait until now?" He scolded her immediately. He was a doctor who valued innocent people''s lives and he expected the same from others. Even a minute delay in attending to them would lead to consequences.


    "Dr. Davis, he was brought to our hospital just half an hour back," Aria revealed.


    "What do you mean? Didn''t he come with the kids in the morning?"


    "No, and I don''t know why he was admitted late. The person who brought him here told us that the driver was found quite a few meters away from the accident area."


    "That''s weird. Anyway, let me take a look at him."


    Ian changed into his scrubs and went inside the OT where the driver was being treated. A nurse was attending to him. As Aria had said, the rod was still intact. If they tried to remove it, the chances of him dying was more. But, they could also not keep the rod as it was. They were in a dilemma about what to do. This case was even more severe than Noah''s. At least in his situation, Ian had to remove the bullets which were in his body. But here, the rod was pierced such a way that it had gone right through his chest.


    Nobody knew what to do. It was a challenge that would put all the medical skills, they had learned over the years, to test.

 Chapter 136: Ironic situation

    Ian examined the man first. The rod had pierced through the upper part of his abdomen and had come out of the chest on the left side of the body. It was jutting out of his back, making it impossible for him to lie on his back. So, he was lying on his stomach. The area where the rod had pierced had become bluish-red, with dried blood around it.


    Though Aria had tried everything she could to stop the bleeding, it was impossible due to the rod still being attached to his body. Ian then went through the reports and the CT scan. The rod looked to be very close to the heart, it was just a few centimeters away. The man was extremely lucky that none of his organs were ruptured, especially his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have made it till the OT.


    The CT scan showed a blood clot on the right side of the chest. Though he was fine right now, he had to be operated at all costs immediately. He was losing time and it would not be long before he had a cardiac failure.


    Ian looked at the nurse and started barking orders to her. "Prepare for the surgery right away. We need to operate on him without delaying it any longer. Aria, be my assistant. I am going to do the surgery."


    "Okay, Dr. Davis." Aria and the nurse said at the same time. It was certain without Ian''s help, the chances of the surgery being a success were meager. After that, the nurse hurried to get everything ready. The medical assistants were already on stand-by, they had to just start the procedure. Ian and Aria were the lead surgeons. There was the surgical technologist, Dr. Lee who was assisting them along with two nurses and an anesthesiologist.


    Ten minutes later, the surgery started. The man''s blood type was an easily available one, much to the doctors'' relief. They knew they needed a large amount of blood. So, the nurse had already prepared more than twenty units. He was already sedated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the pain and was breathing using a ventilator. So, the anesthesiologist induced him with general anesthesia with ketamine. He was given very little amount so that there was no drastic loss of blood pressure.


    "We need to perform a thoracotomy. Dr. Aria, make an incision between the two ribs in the chest from front to back on the lungs."


    Aria did as she was told and blood started to ooze out immediately. The assisting nurse started cleaning it with cotton. They noticed that the posterior chest wall was punctured. There was a big clot on the aorta and an additional injury to the area of the left corner lope of the lung. The case was more complex than it looked. Nevertheless, they did not lose hope.


    Ian slowly eased the rod from its tricky position. He had to be careful, so as to not move it closer to the heart. It took a lot of time for him to remove it, but he did it eventually. Everybody took a sigh of relief immediately. The nurse noted the blood pressure. Though it was high, he was not in an extremely critical condition. She changed the almost empty blood bag with a new one.


    Ian then placed a chest tube to make sure that blood or air does not collect in the chest. Later the man was put on nasal prongs with oxygen. There was also a linear tear in the diaphragm which was repaired to prevent any complication.


    Aria took over the surgery. She had to deal with the blood clot in the aorta. She took a thin, flexible catheter and threaded it slowly through the blood vessel. It took her a lot of time for her to remove the clot, more than what Ian had taken to remove the rod. As soon as the clot was removed, the man started to bleed profusely. He was heaving a mild heart attack.


    "Ian, control the blood flow. Nurse, please monitor his blood pressure. It must not drop below 70 mmHg. Doctor Lee, help me with the sutures." Aria commanded gritting her teeth. She was anxious, but she controlled herself. The man was still fighting to stay alive. So, she had to save him at all costs.


    Ian did not say anything to her because he had full faith in Aria and did as she told him to do. She knew what she was doing. However, if she could not save the man then he would not blame her either. It would be a miracle if he survived such a situation.


    Aria sutured the man''s diaphragm and wounded lung and the bleeding reduced drastically. Layer by layer, she sealed all the wounds and closed the chest. The technologist and the nurse started to clean his wounds.


    "Good job everyone," Ian appreciated. But nobody smiled as the man was not out of danger yet. He was going to be kept under observation for thirty-six hours. He had not passed the critical stage yet, there were chances of him getting a heart attack again. However, the doctors had tried their best and now it was up to the patient if he was going to make it or not.


    The surgery had lasted for seven hours. Ian''s body was still weak to have handled the pressure. He looked pale and worn out. Aria was in a similar condition. She had not eaten anything other than the omelet she had in the morning. The seven-hour operation was taking a toll on her and she was feeling dizzy. She immediately went to the corridor outside the OT and sat on the bench beside Ian, after washing her hands.


    It took them a lot of time for them to return to normal. "Are you alright?" Aria had seen Ian go pale right after the surgery. So, she couldn''t stop herself from asking.


    "Yes. You?"


    "I am fine. Let me help you." She stood up. But Ian stopped her immediately.


    "I will manage. You look tired yourself." He tried assuring her, but in vain. Aria stopped the ward boy who was coming their way.


    "Please help Dr. Davis change and escort him till his ward and see to it that he eats something." She requested him politely.


    "Aria. I am fine..." Aria gave him a deathly glare which shut him up the next moment. It was the first time he was on the receiving end of her glare and man, she was scary. Having no other choice, he took the ward boy''s help to go back to his room.


    Aria waited for a long time before she dragged her body to the changing room. Her stomach had been protesting for a long time. It was not her mistake though. She had been busy treating kids since morning that she forgot about having lunch. All she wanted to do was to eat something and sleep for an entire day.


    She immediately went to her cabin to pick up her things and pack up for the day. However, she stopped immediately when she remembered that she had brought her car.


    ''Of all the days, why did I have to drive today?'' She scolded herself, crying inwardly. She had no strength to drive her car with all the work she had done. Her legs were aching due to her standing for a long time. So, Aria decided to leave her car at the hospital and hail a cab home.


    Aria took out her phone to book a cab when she saw missed calls from Noah and Ivy. There were also messages from her sister.


    Aria, where are you? Are you still at work?


    Aria call me.


    Ari, how long will you be working?


    Aria smiled at Ivy''s messages. ''Maybe, she wanted to come pick her up.'' She pondered and gave her sister a call immediately.


    "Aria, thank god you called. Where are you?"


    "I am still at the hospital."


    "Are you done with your shift?"


    "Yes, why?"


    "Then, could you please come and pick me up?" Ivy requested, making her sister dumbfounded. She had asked her what Aria wanted of her. How ironic!

 Chapter 137: Massage

    "Ivy." Aria sighed. She had expected to ask her sister to come pick her up. But now Ivy had beat her to it.


    "Ari, please. Please. I am in Max''s house and I didn''t bring my bike today."


    "Why did you not ride your bike?" Aria questioned sternly. She was dead tired and now she had to go get her sister too.


    Ivy remained silent. She did not want to scare Aria by revealing that she was being followed and she had seen her stalker waiting for her right near their apartment.


    "Why don''t you hail a cab?" Aria was already at the entrance gate. She gave a nod at the nurse who was passing by and stepped out.


    "Aria, I can''t."


    "Why?"


    "I''ll tell you once we meet. Please Ari, please." Ivy begged. It was very rare for her to beg and Aria sensed that there was something wrong at once.


    "Ivy, is everything alright?"


    "I''ll tell you everything at home."


    "Okay. I''ll come."


    "Thanks a lot. Love you loads."


    Aria sighed looking at her. Now she had no choice, other than to drive her car. She turned to proceed towards the parking lot when a voice that was too familiar to her stopped her.


    "Are you still trying to run away from me?"


    Aria turned towards the direction she had heard the voice come from only to see Noah standing like the king he was with his hands in his pocket and a devilish smirk plastered on his face. His eyes were fixed on her, amusement dancing in them as he waited for her to reply.


    "Noah, what are you doing here?" She ran to him with newfound energy. Her eyes twinkled in happiness on seeing him. All the weariness she had after performing the surgery vanished just by his presence.


    "I have come to pick up my girlfriend, who if I am not wrong is trying to hide from me." Noah teased, leaning closer to Aria, so that he was at her eye level.


    "I was not hiding from. I was just...I was...Just that. Um."


    "Yes, Aria. You were not trying to hide from and lambs eat wolves."


    "There is a possibility that lambs may eat wolves. We never know." Aria argued making Noah chuckle. He found her so adorable and cute that he couldn''t stop himself from pinching her cheeks.


    "Aww." She swatted his hand and gave him a glare, rubbing her cheeks.


    "How cute! Come, let me take you home." He held her hand and led her to his car.


    "But my car..." Aria stopped him.


    "I''ll ask one of my guards to fetch it for you later. Give me the keys." Noah took the keys from her and helped her to get in his car. As usual, Ronnie was waiting for them in the driver seat. He greeted her and she smiled at him in return.


    "Wait, we need to pick up Ivy. She is at her colleague''s house."


    "Give the address to Ronnie." Aria nodded and handed him her phone. Once Ronnie started driving, Noah pulled Aria close to him surprising her.


    "Noah, what are you doing?"


    "Nothing."


    "Then let me go."


    "No. Aria, have you forgotten about your punishment for today''s behavior."


    "What behavior?" She stifled a yawn. It was then Noah noticed how tired her face looked. He deduced her to have had a very tiring day.


    "Are you alright?"


    "I had to perform a surgery today and I had to stand for seven hours straight. My legs are killing me and I am dead tired."


    Noah immediately took her legs and placed them on his lap.


    "What are you doing?" Aria was flabbergasted by his behavior. She tried pulling her legs back. But, Noah stopped her by holding them tight.


    "Let me take a look."


    "But..."


    "Please." Seeing the look of concern and worry on his face, Aria gave in and allowed him to do as he pleased. She leaned against the window and watched her man remove her shoes followed by her socks. If anybody had told her two months ago that the great Noah Allen Carter would be removing her shoes and socks, she would have laughed on their faces calling them a lunatic. Now, when it was happening in real, she couldn''t believe her eyes. As ridiculous as it sounded, it was actually happening.


    Noah removed her shoes and socks with utmost care and gentleness as though he was handling a delicate, preserved flower that would crumble if he exerted even the merest amount of strength. Ronnie did not know what was happening in the back seat, otherwise he would not have been able to concentrate on driving the car. There was no guarantee that they would reach their destination unscathed with the way his boss was behaving.


    Without another thought, Noah pushed her trousers upwards till her knees to reveal her fair ankles and legs. Noah then held her fair legs and examined them. Aria jerked from the sudden touch.


    "Noah, what are you doing?" She tried pulling back her legs. However, seeing her actions. Noah held them securely to stop her. He did not say anything to her and continued with his work. Though there were no superficial wounds or injuries, he could feel the tensed muscles. He started to massage her right leg rendering Aria speechless. She looked at him stupefied unable to comprehend what was happening.


    Noah was massaging her leg slowly and attentively with the right amount of pressure. At that moment, he did not look anything like the great businessman whose net worth was in trillions. Instead, he was the doting and loving husband who was taking care of his adorable wife who had had a rough day at work.


    Aria closed her eyes in satisfaction. His massages were very soothing making her body relax and feel good. The pain she had slowly faded as his expert hands pressed on her calf muscles. Maybe due to the exhaustion from work or the fact that her body was relaxed, she fell asleep after some time, with her back leaned against the window.


    Noah continued his work. After massaging her right leg, he kneaded her left leg until there were no knots. The car was silent. He did not hear a word of protest from Aria the entire time.


    "How do you feel now? Are your legs aching still?" When did not receive any response, he looked up to see Aria sleeping soundly with her head lolling to the side. She looked so vulnerable right now that he wanted to take her far away from the scheming world and protect her forever.


    Noah covered her legs and eased her legs down. He moved to her side and slowly, but gently, pulled her to him so as to not disturb her sleep. He hugged her with her cheeks on his chest and started patting her back, soothing her more. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.


    "Please don''t leave me when you find out the truth."

 Chapter 138: Cozy and romantic

    While Noah and Aria were in their own sweet world, Ronnie drove towards the destination Aria had given him. He did not know what was happening at the back and he was not interested to know either. He did not want to eat dog food and see any more of his boss''s weird behavior which was only reserved whenever Aria was around.


    At that moment, a phone rang killing the silence. It was Aria''s phone which he still had with him when she had given him the address. Without looking at the caller ID, he called his boss removing the partition. But what he saw, made his eyes bulge out. Though he was familiar with the way Noah was behaving around Aria, he couldn''t stop himself from being shocked.


    Aria was sleeping with her head on Noah''s chest as he patted her back gently. His head was on top of her''s and his eyes were closed. Ronnie stared at the couple through the mirror. If it had not been for the call, he wouldn''t have disturbed such a beautiful scene. There was such tranquility and peacefulness in the air, that for a moment he forgot that he was related to the underworld.


    Ronnie cleared his thought and called his boss. The phone was ringing constantly, so he had to do something about it. But before he could do anything, Noah opened his eyes himself. He had heard the ringing sound when Ronnie had removed the partition.


    "Boss, it''s the Madam''s phone." Ronnie handed the phone to Noah immediately and sighed in relief that he was not the one who had disturbed his boss''s time with his woman. If anybody were to take responsibility, it would be the caller.


    Noah took a glance at Aria, to see her frowning. The phone ring was disturbing her sleep. Not wanting to wake her up, he answered the call for her.


    "Hello, Ari. Where are you? Are you nearby?" He heard Ivy''s voice from the other side.


    "Hello, Ivy. It''s me." Noah replied, only to render Ivy speechless. She wondered whether she had called the wrong number by mistake and checked her phone screen. But, she had called the correct person. Why did Noah pick up Aria''s phone? The next second Ivy smiled in realization.


    "Brother-in-law, what a surprise. Wow, you guys are now picking up each other''s calls. That''s wonderful." Noah was not an idiot to not realize that Ivy was teasing them. He had no problems with it anyway, in fact, he became happy hearing her words. It made him feel warm and contented that one out of the two most important people in his beloved''s life had accepted him.


    "Aria is sleeping and I did not want to disturb her. We are almost near you."


    "Is it? But I cannot see Aria''s car anywhere." Noah looked around and saw Ivy standing in front of an apartment complex on the other side of the road. It struck him that nobody told her they would be coming in his car.


    "Um... Ivy, Aria left her car at the hospital. We are taking a U-turn, wait a minute."


    Ivy looked around her to see if any other car was nearby and right at that moment a black Bentley stopped in front of her, startling her. When the car halted, Aria too woke up from her sleep.


    "Are we there yet?" She asked yawning as she snuggled closer to Noah trying to get more of his warmth. Noah smiled at her gesture. She resembled a koala bear, hugging him tightly not wanting to leave his side.


    "Ivy is here." He replied, making her pull back and follow his line of sight to see Ivy standing outside the car.


    Ivy was an intelligent person. She could practically see the couple behaving all cozy and romantic in the back seat. Not wanting to disturb them, she hopped into the passenger seat, making Ronnie''s eyes go wide. He had presumed Ivy to sit at the back beside her sister. Never had he imagined her to sit beside him. He took a good look at her. Just like Aria, she too was beautiful. He had heard from Noah that Aria had a twin. There were minute similarities between them, yet they looked different. He concluded them to be non-identical.


    "Why don''t you come and sit at the back?" Noah asked clearing his throat. His sister-in-law was highly unpredictable. He too had thought that she would take the back seat.


    "And disturb your sweet moments. Nah. I am fine here." Ivy gave the couple a wink and giggled. Aria blushed at her comment while Noah smirked. As expected, Ivy was exceptional and understanding.


    Ronnie started driving again, his eyes occasionally darting towards the woman beside him. There was something about her that was attractive, but not in a romantic way. Her aura was completely different than Aria''s. While Aria had a strong and confident aura, Ivy looked more independent and stubborn.


    "Ivy, why didn''t you get your bike today?" Aria asked making the two men''s jaw drop.


    "That..." Ivy did not know how to continue. However, she had no problem telling the truth. One was her sister and the other was her brother-in-law and the man beside her looked like Noah''s driver. Since he worked for Noah, she concluded him to be trustworthy.


    "Somebody is following me," Ivy revealed without any glitch in her voice. She looked calm and composed instead of being nervous or anxious. All the people in the car, other than Ivy, were appalled.


    "What do you mean? Who is following you and why?" Aria asked, still in shock.


    "Aria, calm down. He is a guy from work. He joined our group recently and he has this weird vibe about him which made us wary of him. He had followed all our groupmates before and now it''s my turn."


    "But why?" Aria continued.


    "I have no idea. We have a hunch that he might be the one behind us getting sacked. Since we are on this topic, thank you so much Noah for agreeing to help us." Ivy''s gaze was fixed on him as she thanked him and appreciated his help.


    "Not a problem and I think it would be beneficial to me as well."


    "What are you guys talking about?" Aria looked forth between Ivy and Noah confused.


    "I have agreed to help them open a news agency and be their boss."


    "You are opening your own news agency. That''s great."


    "Not I, Aria. It''s Max and we are supporting him and Noah will be the big boss." Ivy saluted him, making everyone chuckle including Ronnie.


    "By the way, did he follow you here as well?" Noah questioned, his eyes darting around to see if anybody was behind him.


    "No, I tricked him by taking the back entrance. Poor guy must be waiting for me at the entrance of the apartment. Oh no." Ivy exclaimed suddenly.


    "What happened?" Aria looked at her intently, brows creased.


    "How are we going to go inside if he is still lurking around?"


    "Not a problem. I''ll drive to your apartment basement. This way, he will think that it is one of the residents." Ronnie who was quiet all along answered suddenly.


    "But there is another problem. He has been keeping an eye on me for days. So, he might be familiar with the cars that belong to the residents and also this car is eye-catching and expensive. This might alert him more." Ivy said waving her hands.


    "Hmm. That is a problem. But since we will be at home only for a short amount of time, maybe he would not think it to be suspicious." Noah stated. He was actually not that worried about this matter. If things got out of hand, he would kill him and end this issue. Somebody was following his sweetheart''s sister. How audacious of him!

 Chapter 139: Bedroom Inspection

    Ronnie drove the car towards the sisters'' house, looking around to see anybody suspicious. He had been with Noah for a long time and he had also received the hellish training to reach the level he was at right now. So, it was obvious that he was extraordinarily skilled and talented.


    Ivy''s eyes immediately darted to the spot where she had found Tim hiding for the last few days when he was trying to keep an eye on her. To her relief, he was not anywhere to be found. Even his car was not present.


    "He is not here." Ivy expressed her relief loudly. "Maybe he left thinking I wouldn''t be coming out as it is late already."


    "Are you sure?" Noah asked skeptically, his eyes wandering around to see if what Ivy had said was true.


    "Positive."


    Ronnie stopped the car in front of the apartment building.


    "Come in. Let''s have dinner together." Aria suggested holding Noah''s hand. Ivy had already got off the car.


    "I am fine. It''s late anyway."


    "I am calling you since it''s late and it''s dinner time." On noticing that Noah was about to object, she pecked his lips, stunning him. "I insist."


    That was it. All the rationality, time sense, calmness, objection flew out the window. He got down immediately and held out his hand for Aria to take.


    "Why don''t you come inside too?" Aria invited Ronnie, it was quite late and he must be hungry too.


    "No. Madam, I am fine." He objected immediately.


    "No. No. Come in."


    "Aria, he will be fine." Noah''s eyes grew grim seeing her not giving him her attention. Though he was happy that she was taking care of his guard, he was also unhappy about it. "Besides, he is fasting tonight."


    "Why are you fasting?" Aria was surprised. She did not expect him to fast out of the blue.


    "Just like that." Ronnie shrugged nervously. He did not know why his boss had told her he was fasting when he was actually very hungry. But he knew not to cross him, he had to continue the act for his own safety.


    Aria narrowed her eyes doubtfully. Something was not adding up, but she did not know what. Since Ronnie was adamant about not having dinner, she couldn''t force him. So, Aria got off the car and held Noah''s hand. Ivy had already gone inside the building.


    Ivy had started cooking when the couple ventured in. "It will take some time for me to finish cooking."


    "Take your time." Noah sat on the sofa while Aria handed him a glass of water. She wanted to take a bath quite badly. She could smell the hospital disinfectants and blood on her body from the surgery. She wanted to get the smell off her body.


    "Make yourself comfortable. I''ll be back." Aria told him and went to her room. Noah gave her a nod a took out his phone to find any clues on Jared. He had already heard what had happened to Rachel from Joshua when he had called him the evening. He was unsure either why he had missed her calls and messages from Ian.


    ''How is the search coming along? Did you find anything about him?'' He sent the message and waited for the reply which was quite immediate.


    ''On it. Will be ready by tomorrow.''


    Ten minutes passed. Ivy was busy in the kitchen and Aria had not yet returned. Having no work to do, Noah got up and entered Aria''s room. It was cozy and comfortable just like her. The walls were painted a sky blue and white. There was a study table at the corner of the room beside the window. On the other side, there was a book rack with books on medical science. In the middle of the room, there was a queen-size bed with light blue colored duvet on it. There were some pictures of Aria and her family hanging on the walls.


    After taking a thorough look at the room, Noah settled himself on her bed. He found a book on the bedside table and picked it up to see what kind of books Aria preferred to read. It was a thriller and it was half-read. There was a bookmark on one of the pages. While he was taking a look at the book, the bathroom door opened and Aria stepped out wiping her face. She was wearing shorts paired with an oversized white T-shirt. Her hair was tied in a bun with a few unruly strands falling our her face.


    Noah lifted his head on hearing the door open and saw Aria looking so delectable and cute. She looked tiny in the shirt she was wearing. Aria too was startled to see Noah sitting comfortably on her bed.


    "Noah, what are you doing here?" She saw that he had already removed his coat and tie and the top to buttons of his shirt were undone. The sleeves were folded till his elbows and she could see his strong arms and chest. The sight was too hot for her that she unknowingly gulped, her eyes fixed on his body. Noah smiled seeing her go in a daze.


    "Inspecting your bedroom." He answered without taking his eye off her.


    "What is there to inspect in my room?" Aria scoffed. It was not like she was hiding something from him.


    "I don''t know. You must say. Are you hiding something from me?" Noah narrowed his eyes as though he was scrutinizing her. Yet there was amusement and mirth in them.


    "What could I possibly hide from you?"


    "Pictures of hot men." Noah''s nonchalant answer rendered Aria speechless. She lowered her eyes guiltily.


    "What are you talking about? I don''t look at hot men." She argued, her face flushed red with embarrassment. She fiddled with her shirt, her eyes not daring to look at him.


    "So you are saying that I am not hot?" He folded his hands, waiting for her answer. He couldn''t deny that teasing Aria was so much fun. She gave the perfect reactions expected of her. Her flushed cheeks resembled apples urging him to take a bite which he would surely do, but that would have to wait for now. He was not done teasing her.


    "I did not say that."


    "Then what did you mean by ''you don''t take a look at hot men''?" He air quoted her sentence.


    "It does not apply to you."


    "So, you mean that I am hot?" Aria subconsciously nodded her head.


    "I am touched. Tell me more about what do you feel about me."


    "What?" Aria''s eyes widened. How did the conversation take such a turn? It was highly unexpected of him.


    "I think the dinner is ready. Let me go take a look." Aria tried changing the topic and took a step only to tugged back by Noah. Her back hit his chest and he cuddled her from behind.


    "What do you feel about me?" Noah whispered, his breath lingering on her already red ears.


    "I..." Aria suddenly felt very weird. The room temperature increased drastically, making her feel hot.


    "Ummm?" Noah prompted, giving a small peck to her right cheek. He then kissed her neck from behind, shocking Aria. She stood still like a mannequin, her mind had gone blank long ago.


    "You were saying something?" He prompted as he ran his hands over hers. Aria shivered with his touch. She did not know what was happening to her. Nervousness and excitement filled her mind, his touch had already made her mute making her unable to utter even a sound. Yet she tried to speak.


    "I...I..." She had just begun her sentence when he silenced her completely by locking her lips with his.

 Chapter 140: Punishment

    The kiss was gentle and sweet. Noah sucked on her lips softly as he pushed her face closer to him. He was still cuddling her from behind when he had initiated the kiss. Aria closed her eyes relinquishing the kiss, feeling his cold lips on hers. It felt divine. It was the first time she had been in a relationship and all the kisses she had was with Noah. And every time, it would be mindblowing and heavenly.


    He sucked, bit and nibbled on her lips, demanding an entrance to which she gladly obliged. Happy with the outcome, Noah immediately plunged his slick tongue inside her mouth, dominating her mind, body and tongue. His tongue took in her sweetness as he played with hers, forcing her tongue to do a salsa with his.


    The kiss went on until Aria couldn''t take it any longer. She was finding it difficult to breathe, so she tapped on his chest forcing him to stop his assault on her lips. He pulled back reluctantly as he gazed at her who was taking in deep breaths. Her face was flushed red, eyes glazed and lips swollen. She looked so enticing that he couldn''t control himself.


    Aria did not know what happened next. One moment she was breathing heavily with her back pressed against Noah''s chest and the next moment, she was spun around to face him. Her eyes landed on his, stunned with his behavior. There was something wild and beastly in them. His eyes had become dark, she could see something unknown, something dangerous. His deep, intense gaze sucked her into him, making her heart skip a beat.


    "Noah..." She did not how alluring her voice was at that moment. She was making it all the more difficult for him to control himself. Without waiting another moment, his lips crashed on hers again and this time the kiss was demanding and hard, completely different from their previous kiss.


    Aria''s hands intertwined behind his neck as she pulled him to closer to return the kiss. Noah took a peek at the woman his arms, and he couldn''t deny that it was the sexiest look he had ever seen. Her eyes were closed, her already flushed face was becoming crimson red and her heart was on a marathon. He sucked on her already swollen lips, making her moan. The sweet sound from her made him lose his mind completely.


    He led her to her bed without breaking the kiss and eased her gently onto it. He held her close to his body, trapping her legs between his. Aria was so into the kiss that she did not realize that they were already on the bed with Noah hovering above her. His hands were running on her back giving her tingling sensations. She couldn''t comprehend a thing and something unknown was happening to her. She could feel butterflies in her stomach due to the toe-curling kiss. Her body reacted to his touch, making her wet and excited.


    Noah kissed her for a while and stopped when he realized that Aria was having difficulty in breathing. He was an expert in matters related to sex, while Aria was still a novice. He had to give her time to adjust and not force her into things she was not ready for.


    Aria panted softly when her lips were released while Noah leaned his head to take a sniff at her neck. It took them some time to calm their thundering heart. Thinking it to be over, she tried to get up only to stop suddenly. When she had tried to get up, her thighs had unknowingly rubbed something hard and huge and she gasped. She knew what it was and the realization made her eyes go wide. It was poking her thigh, making her uncomfortable. So, she tried to wiggle away from it. However, Noah stopped her suddenly.


    When they were kissing each other, Noah had made sure to keep his excited little buddy as far as possible from Aria''s body lest he should scare her. It was painful and hard for him to not to do anything to her. He wanted her bad, very bad. But he had made a vow to himself that he would not make love to Aria until she knew the truth. He did not want to add more fuel to the flame to do something to her when he was keeping a secret that would affect their relationship after coming to light.


    So, he had tried to calm the raging fire within him. However, when Aria had brushed his little buddy unknowingly, the fire was ignited once again. He held her firmly in his embrace and stared at her innocent eyes.


    "Where do you think you are going?" He asked her, her voice husky and hoarse. His eyes were still dark, like a cloudy night sky, mysterious yet enchanting.


    "I....We have to go. Ivy is waiting for us." Aria forced the words out of her mouth. She could notice the change in Noah, his eyes held the desire for her. ''Was it love, lust or infatuation?''


    "Ivy is a smart woman. She must be knowing what we are doing behind closed doors, she will not disturb us. Moreover, your punishment is still due." He caressed her cheek as he uttered the words, observing her every expression.


    "Puni-Punishment. Why? What have I done?" She asked innocently like a cute rabbit with a pout and wide eyes. Noah raised an eyebrow at her antics. He knew she was trying to get out of it by talking and acting all cute. But he was not the one to budge. No way.


    "Do you want me to remind you?" He smirked, his eyes revealing an evil glint in them. He looked so devilish that Aria was scared for a moment. Before she could protest, she felt him suck her neck, followed by a lick. Goosebumps formed on her body. ''What the hell just happened?''


    "Do you still not want to confess?" He asked again pulling back and staring at her. Not getting any answer from her, he grinned again. "Looks like you love what we are doing. Then let me continue." Aria anticipated him to kiss her on her neck again and closed her eyes. Noah chuckled seeing her behave so docile and adorable.


    Seconds passed and the kiss was yet to come. Aria opened her eyes in confusion. Right at that moment, she felt his lips on her ankle and she took a deep breath. Her hands were clutching the blanket tightly while Noah trailed his kisses from her ankles to her legs. She was panting with her eyes closed while Noah gave her open-mouthed kisses. Her mind was a mess, a volcano was starting to erupt in her abdomen and her heart had become crazy once again. But all of this felt so good to her that she forgot who she was. All she had in mind was Noah and his expert mouth which was creating havoc to her body.

 Chapter 141: Devils lair

    Noah couldn''t help but kiss Aria again and again. Her soft body made him want to devour her more. She looked nothing less than an enchantress with her hair disheveled, lips swollen, eyes filled with unshed tears and face flushed. Their sweet time was disturbed when there was a knock at the door. Aria''s eyes flew open and her rationality returned. She jolted and jumped off the bed, surprising Noah.


    "Aria, though I do not want to disturb you guys, It is quite late. You can continue after dinner." Ivy yelled, heightening Aria''s embarrassment. Noah sniggered hearing Ivy''s words. Aria glanced at Noah shyly and cleared her throat. "Let''s have dinner."


    "You go first. I''ll join you in a minute." Noah replied. He looked like he was trying very hard to suppress something. Sweat trickled down his face as he took deep breaths.


    "Are you alright?" Aria looked at him worried. She did not know what was wrong with him until she saw the huge tent in his pants. She gawked at it, with her eyes wide open. Noah sensed Aria''s stare on him and saw her eyes fixed on his pants, especially the tent on his pants.


    "Do you want to see it?" He teased seeing her dumbfounded expression. "Let me show you." Noah held the zipper and before he could do anything, Aria covered her eyes and ran towards the door.


    "I don''t want to see anything. No. No. No." Aria opened the door and escaped the devils'' lair. Noah smiled at her reaction and entered the bathroom to put off the fire.


    Aria ran to the kitchen huffing. Ivy smiled at her knowingly, flustering her more. Was Noah not enough for teasing her, now that her sister is on the same mission?


    "Where''s Noah?" The dining table was set. Ivy waited the whole time for the couple as they took their time to be romantic with each other. When she couldn''t tolerate her hunger anymore, she had gone to call them, and now only Aria had come out.


    "He''ll be here in a minute." Aria sat on her chair, not daring to meet Ivy''s teasing eyes.


    "I am not going to ask what happened in there as I don''t want to corrupt my innocent mind right now. We are going to have a talk when we are alone. I need all the details and damn, you guys were in there quite long." Aria rolled her eyes. Ivy was anything but innocent. She remembered the times when Ivy had forced her to watch movies with lewd scenes in them without their parents'' knowledge. It was the first and the last time the sisters had viewed something like that.


    "Give me the details later," Ivy whispered and gave her a wink. "Look, Noah is here."


    "What were you guys talking about?" Noah sat beside Aria and enquired on seeing them behave weirdly. But he was sure that it was something related to him and Aria being in the room for too long.


    "Nothing. We were just talking about the weather." Aria gave her sister a glare, warning her not to spout any nonsense here. However, it was completely ignored. "Yes, we were talking about the weather. Don''t you think it is too hot in here?"


    Aria closed her eyes in embarrassment, while Noah did not say anything. He gave Ivy a knowing smile. "What do we have for dinner?"


    "Whatever you want? But I think I know what you want to have right now. Aria..." She started, making Aria curse her sister for her loose tongue. Noah too was flabbergasted by Ivy''s bold words.


    "give him the fried rice. He will like it." She added making the couple sigh in relief. Ivy smiled in mischief.


    The dinner went on smoothly with Ivy occasionally teasing the couple. It was warm and harmonious and finally, it was time for Noah to leave.


    "I''ll see you out."


    Aria walked with him till the elevator. "I''ll be leaving in three days."


    "I know and I already miss you." Noah looked at her dejectedly and held her hands. " I don''t know how long you will be away from me and it is making me frustrated." He raked his hair in annoyance. He was not sure how long she would be gone and if he could tolerate not seeing her in her absence. This was making him very angry.


    "I''ll be back soon." Aria pecked his lips in assurance.


    "You better do." His tone contained a warning. But it made her feel warm and happy.


    "Okay. Take care." She pecked his lips again as the elevator door opened and Noah stepped in.


    Aria waited until the door closed and then went back home. As soon as Aria entered the house, she was pulled by a strong force and she staggered a bit. "Ivy, what are you doing?"


    "Tell me what happened inside and don''t miss out on anything, even if it is minute. Did you two have sex?" Ivy''s eyes sparkled as she threw her question at Aria.


    "What? No."


    "No?" Ivy was taken aback. " Then what did you guys do in there for so long?"


    "I am not going to tell you."


    "Ari, please. Please please. Tell me. I want to know all the juicy details. Please."


    "Do you want to know?" Ivy nodded.


    "Do you seriously want to know?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you sure you can handle it?"


    "Yes, Aria. Yes. I want to know and I can handle it. Now tell me."


    "Then get yourself a boyfriend. Whatever I say will just be theory, you will need practical experience to know better." Aria grinned and sprinted to her room before her dumbfounded sister could get to her.


    "Aria, what the hell was that?"


    "That my, sister, was tit for tat."


    Ivy huffed in anger. Aria had locked the door, so she couldn''t go in and she was sure she wouldn''t open even if she requested. Having no other choice, she padded to her room. All her anticipation had deflated like a balloon. Sensing Ivy''s departure, Aria sighed in relief. She immediately reminisced whatever happened a few hours ago and her face heated up again.


    ''How am I going to sleep?''


    Aria groaned and walked to the dressing table to take a look at herself and her eyes went wide for the nth time in the day. There was a hickey that was very much visible on the left side of her neck. The purple mark was quite a contrast against her fair skin. Nevertheless, Ivy thought that they had made love to each other. She would have seen the hickey which was not at all hidden from her eyes.


    "Noah, I am going to kill you."

 Chapter 142: Surprise

    "Boss, what do we do about the man who is following Miss West?" Ronnie brought up the issue as soon as he started driving. It had been bugging him since the time he had heard from Ivy. ''Why would someone follow her?'' It was true that journalists had enemies especially if they were sincere and honest like Ivy. Moreover, it was not only Ivy that was being followed, even her colleagues had been kept an eye on by that man.


    "Find out who it is and what his motive is in following her? I don''t want to take risks, especially when it''s Aria''s sister in question." Noah ordered. This issue was very serious and he did not want to put Ivy''s life in danger.


    "Okay boss."


    "Check the background of all the people around Ivy. I don''t want anyone who is suspicious now that I am going to open a news agency."


    "Boss, do you suspect anyone?"


    "Not yet. But I want to be sure."


    "Okay boss. I''ll find out everything about them."


    The car became silent. Noah took out his tablet to analyze the new contract that he would be signing with his business partner, Liam Brooke. The last time when he was in London to proceed with the meeting, Liam had to cancel their lunch as his wife had gone into labor. It had been a few weeks now and Liam was going to give a visit to Country P to make up for his absence last time.


    "When is Liam coming here?"


    "Boss, he will be coming next Friday."


    "Okay."


    At that moment, Noah''s phone rang. It was the nurse who had been assigned to look after Oliver West. Fearing the worst, Noah picked up immediately. ''Let him just be safe.'' He prayed before he answered the call.


    "Hello."


    "Hello, sir." The nurse spoke cautiously. "I have some good news for you."


    Noah''s heart was drumming crazily fast. His hopes rose on hearing her words. "What is it?"


    "Mr. Oliver has woken up. I tried calling Dr. Davis, but he did not pick up my call."


    "What are you saying? Is it true?" Noah asked in disbelief.


    "Yes, sir. Mr. Oliver has woken up."


    "I am coming over right now," Noah said in a hush and cut the call.


    "Ronnie, drive to Ian''s company."


    "What happened boss?"


    "The nurse informed me just now that Mr. West has gained consciousness." Noah was ecstatic with the news. This was the first time after three years that Oliver had woke up. He had been in a coma for a long time and finally, he had opened his eyes. However, Noah did not know how his physical and mental condition was. But this news was a ray of hope for him. If he has gained consciousness, then they could cure him and make him normal.


    "That''s great, boss." Ronnie too was happy hearing the news. He had seen how devastated his boss had become on learning that Aria was Oliver''s daughter. Though Noah had a vast amount of wealth and resources, at that time he was helpless. Nothing was able to cure Oliver and this was breaking him from within.


    Oliver was being treated at Ian''s company. He was being looked after by a nurse personally hired by Ian. They could have admitted him to the hospital, but it would become too complicated and risky if anybody found out that he was alive, especially people who were after him or his family. So, Ian had been treating him in his company''s exclusive ward. Nobody but he and the two male nurses knew about it and the nurses were trustworthy. So, he had nothing to worry about.


    Ian''s company had all types of equipment required to treat a person. It was nothing less than a hospital. However, the last time when Oliver''s condition had worsened, Ian did not have the MRI machine and it was necessary to see what was the problem with him. So, they had taken him to the Royal Medical Hospital which had a special entrance which only Ian had access to.


    It did not take long for Noah and Ronnie to reach Ian''s company, the Royal Pharmaceuticals. Noah had private access. So, the guard did not stop him.


    Noah rushed to the exclusive ward on the top floor. It was a restricted area, nobody had access to it other than the three friends and the two male nurses. The nurse was waiting for him outside.


    "What''s the update?" Noah asked immediately on seeing him.


    "Sir, Mr. West gained consciousness a few hours ago. He is fine, there is no abnormal behavior or he did not get agitated. His vitals look fine. Right now, he is sleeping." The nurse relayed all that had happened after Oliver gained consciousness.


    "That''s- That''s great." Noah did not know what to say. He was happy and his happiness knew no bounds. He was still unable to believe the turn of events. It would not be long before Aria finds out about her father. If only Ian was here to do a thorough check-up on him and give the complete report.


    It was not a problem though. Ian was getting discharged the next day. He could ask him to check Aria''s father later. He wanted to relay the good news to Aria, but it was not the correct time yet. Ronnie smiled looking at his boss''s elated face. There was relief, joy, excitement and anticipation flowing through his eyes.


    Noah went to Aria''s father and sat on the chair beside his bed. "Hello, Mr. West. I am Noah, your daughter Aria''s boyfriend. Please get well soon. Your daughters are waiting for you."


    Noah and Ronnie stayed with Oliver for a while. Before leaving, he did not forget to instruct the nurse to take good care of him. He then left for his home.


    After reaching home, he couldn''t stop himself and called Aria, who at that time was rolling on her bed thinking about what had transpired on her bad. She could still feel his kisses on her body and it made her jittery and hot. Seeing that Noah was calling her, her heart went on an overdrive.


    "Hey." She answered, her voice shy and coy which Noah failed to notice in his excitement.


    "Hey, what were you doing?"


    "I was about to sleep. You?"


    "I just returned home."


    "Then, go to sleep. You must be tired." Aria said twirling her hair, with a huge smile on her face.


    "You too. Take care and sleep well." Noah too had a smile on his face for entirely a different reason.


    ''Aria, prepare yourself. I have a surprise for you and I am sure you will love it.''


    That night, the couple could not sleep properly, each for a reason of their own.

 Chapter 143: Tests and Reports

    The next day, immediately after getting discharged from the hospital, Ian went to his company to do a thorough check on Oliver. Noah had informed him and Joshua of Oliver getting consciousness the previous night and this was something they had been waiting for a long time.


    Oliver was still asleep when the three friends had barged into the room along with Ronnie. Ian checked his vitals and took a sample of his blood to do further tests. The moment he inserted the needle to draw the blood, Oliver woke up.


    Noah and Joshua who were intently watching Ian do his work were stunned by this. When Noah had come to visit him the previous night, Oliver was sleeping. So, he was still not confident if Oliver had actually gained consciousness. They could only trust the nurse to be telling the truth. Now that they had seen him personally, it was definitely a miracle.


    However, Ian was calm. He removed the oxygen mask after taking his blood. "Mr. West, can you hear me?"


    Oliver''s eyes immediately darted to Ian on listening the his voice. He had been startled when he had woken up in an unfamiliar environment. This was not his room, this room was completely white and blank giving the feel of a hospital. He had felt the needle sting him when he was asleep and had woke up with a start. He roamed his around and saw three men standing in front of him at the foot of the bed. They were looking at him keenly when he heard Ian''s voice.


    Oliver did not speak a word. Who knew what these men wanted of him? It was better to be silent and observe them for a while.


    "Mr. West, you must be thirsty. Let me get you some water." Ian made him sit comfortably and adjusted the pillow behind him. He then handed him a cup of water which he drank quite greedily. His throat had gone dry on being in a coma for three years. He gulped three more cups of water until he was satisfied.


    "Don''t worry Mr. West, you are safe. I am Ian and I am a doctor. How do you feel?"


    Oliver remained silent. He couldn''t trust anybody yet. Who knew what they wanted of him? They did not look familiar at all except for one man whose eyes had never left him since he had entered the room. He had seen him somewhere, but where Oliver did not know. He resembled someone who he could not put a name to.


    Seeing Oliver being silent, Ian sighed. He understood that it was not easy for the poor man to trust people suddenly when he had almost died and got out of a coma after three years.


    "Does it pain anywhere?"


    "No," Oliver spoke for the first time, making the other people in the room smile.


    "Are you hungry?"


    "A little." His voice came out hoarse and his throat ached whenever he spoke.


    "I''ll get you some congee to eat. I''ll have to do some more tests on you, if it is fine with you."


    Oliver was silent again. He could not understand why a doctor was in the room and why he was tending to him. He wondered if anything was wrong with him. ''Am I hurt? Did anything happen to him?''


    "Don''t worry Mr.West. This is just a routine checkup to see if everything is alright." Ian assured him. Nobody told him that he had had been shot and that he had missed three years of his life. They wanted to allow the man to adjust and become comfortable before they could reveal all the things. They could feel that his guards were up against them, so the first thing to do was to gain his trust.


    Ian gave him a bowl of congee to eat and waited patiently until he emptied it. Later, he took Oliver with him to perform some tests on him to see if anything was wrong with his body. While the reports were yet to be prepared, Oliver was brought to his room and was given some medicines. Though he was out of danger, for now, he needed a lot of nourishment and rest. The medicines took effect and he went to sleep after some time.


    "You two may leave. I''ll inform you when the reports are ready." Ian said as he went to his cabin.


    "It''s okay. We''ll wait and moreover, I have nothing important to do today." Noah answered taking a seat in front of Ian. Though he had a lot of meetings that day, nothing was more important than Oliver''s health. He needed to know that everything was fine with him and his life was out of danger.


    Seeing Noah sit on the chair comfortably, Joshua too sat beside him. He did not want to miss out on things. "I am going to stay too. You have no idea how fast my heart is beating. I hope everything turns out to be good so that we can reveal the truth to the sisters. Whenever I see them, I feel nothing but guilt. The sisters have blind faith on us and it is making me remorseful."


    "Jo, you have known Aria and Ivy for a few weeks. Just think about how Noah must be going through. One of them is his girlfriend. And moreover, I have known Aria since my school days. I hope they do not get devastated after the truth comes out and if my assumptions are true, it will Aria who will more heartbroken. She knows all of us while I have not met Ivy, yet."


    "Noah, you will have to take care of your woman. I sincerely hope that they would understand us and the reason for us to hide their father from them." Joshua spun the paperweight as he uttered the words.


    "It will not be easy for them at first," Noah answered after some time. He was also dreading the day when they would come clean in front of the twins and was hoping that they would acknowledge what the three men had done someday.


    The reports were ready after three hours. Ian took a thorough look at them while Noah and Joshua waited in anticipation. "Everything looks fine. But his blood count is quite low. He needs nourishment to enrich his blood cells. Also, his body is still weak. He needs a lot of rest."


    "How long will it take for him to recover completely?" Noah questioned after hearing Ian''s analysis.


    "A month maybe. It depends on how fast he can recover. Some patients take more time or he might get well quite early too. It is all up to him."


    There was a knock at the door interrupting their conversation. The male nurse who had been assigned to look after Oliver entered.


    "Dr. Davis, Mr. West has woken up and he is asking for you."


    Ian raised his eyebrows. ''What does he want from me? Was it something serious? Did something happen to him?'' He wondered as he followed the nurse with Joshua and Noah right behind him.


    Oliver was sitting on his bed quite calmly. He did not look like he was in pain, in fact, he looked perfect alright. He gave Ian a smile as soon as he entered.


    "Did you call for me? Is anything the matter, Mr. West?"


    "Yes. I want to meet my daughters."

 Chapter 144: Trusting Ian

    "I want to see my daughters and my wife." Oliver declared, with determination in his voice. He had sensed that there was something weird going on around him. When he had gone to take the tests, he had noticed that the place looked nothing like a hospital. There were no patients or doctors. In fact, he had not seen anybody else other than the two male nurses and four men who had been present when he had opened his eyes. He immediately deduced that he was being kept isolated and for what reasons he did not know.


    Also, he felt that Ian was trustworthy. If he had any ulterior motives, he could have executed his plan and killed him when he was asleep. Or if he wanted to threaten him, he would have done it as soon as he had woken up. But, nothing of that sort happened. Ian had shown him concern just like how a doctor would. So, he decided to put his faith in him.


    His words struck the other men hard. They did not know what to do. Oliver asking for his daughters was quite normal. But how could they tell him that his wife was dead and his daughters did not even know where he was right now? Moreover, he had also missed three years of his life. They were unsure if he could take in all the details at once. Things might get complicated if he fell ill again. But, they did know how to conceal the truth either. Oliver had great observational skills. He might find out things before anybody even spoke to him.


    "Mr. West that...." Ian paused taking a glance at Noah and Joshua. Ronnie was standing near the door. He didn''t want to put pressure on the man when there were already three highly oppressing men before him. He could still see and hear everything from where he was.


    "Is anything the matter?" Oliver stared at Ian, his eyes not moving away from him. Since the time the three men had entered the room, he had not looked at Noah and Joshua or even Ronnie.


    "Yes. But I think it would be better if you don''t hear it right now. You are weak and your body cannot handle any more stress."


    "What happened to me?" Oliver fired his next question rendering Ian speechless. Noah observed the man for some time and concluded that nothing could stop him if he wanted to know the truth. Not having any choice, he stepped forward.


    "Mr. West, we have something to tell you. We want you to stay calm and not get agitated. It might be a little hard for you at first. But remember we are here for you and we will never hurt you."


    "Why do you look so familiar? Have we met before?" Oliver studied Noah and the more he looked, the more he found him to be familiar.


    "I don''t think so," Noah answered immediately. He did not remember meeting Oliver before. He had heard about him and had seen him on the TV. But he had never had the opportunity to meet him in person.


    "May I know your name?"


    "Yeah. I am Noah Allen Carter."


    Oliver''s eyes widened in realization. "Are you Jonathan Carter''s grandson?"


    "Yes," Noah answered. The whole world knew about it, it was not a secret. Why was Oliver behaving weird on hearing his name? Was something wrong?


    "Was your mentor Theo Willaims?" Oliver''s question sent Noah and Joshua on overdrive. Not many people knew about Theo, especially when he changed his name every few days. The surprising part was Oliver had called the name their mentor had last taken when he had died.


    "Yes. Did you know him? Have you met him?" Joshua asked frantically, his eyes as wide as saucers.


    "Yes, I had met him. Come here, child." Oliver gestured Noah to come closer and patted the space towards his right on the bed. When Noah did as he was told, Oliver engulfed him a hug. "I am so sorry child. I couldn''t save your mentor, I couldn''t save Theo." Oliver started crying, his tears running down his cheeks.


    Noah stiffened immediately when Oliver whispered the words as he hugged him. Joshua too was stupefied. However, Ian looked at them in confusion. He did not know who Oliver was talking about.


    "Who is Theo Willaims?" He voiced the question, looking forth between the three people.


    "That was our mentor''s name when we last saw him," Joshua answered him honestly. In their excitement, Noah and Joshua had forgotten to tell him about their mentor''s death when they had met him.


    Ian nodded. But the next second, Oliver''s words rang in his mind and he looked at them in shock. "What do you mean by you couldn''t save him? What happened to him?"


    Oliver had calmed down a little and had released Noah from his hug. He glanced at Ian and took a deep breath. Before he could speak, Noah beat him to it. "Ian, our mentor was murdered."


    Ian was appalled, his mouth widened his disbelief. "Noah, you are joking, right? Jo, he is joking, right? Nothing could happen to our mentor. Nothing. He is the strongest person we ever knew. He cannot die. No." Ian looked at Noah and Joshua as he spoke the words. He was unable to accept the truth. His mentor could not have died, no. Noah and Joshua must have been kidding. He was sure of it. Their mentor must be hiding somewhere and when everything returned to normal, he would come and give them a surprise, like he always did. His mentor was alive.


    "I am sorry, child. I couldn''t save your mentor. I am really sorry." Oliver apologized looking at Ian panic. He couldn''t stop himself from apologizing though he was not the one who had killed Theo.


    "No, you are lying," Ian shouted and got up. He was not ready to believe the truth. "Noah, you tell me. You are playing a prank on me, right? This is not true. Nothing you are saying is true."


    "Ian." Noah stood up and held Ian''s shoulder. "Listen to me, Ian. Our mentor is gone. We are not lying. He was killed three years ago."


    Ian stared at him stunned, he did not blink even once. Tears started to form in his eyes.


    "Ian, he is gone." Noah hugged him as he said the words and everything snapped. Ian started to cry. Looking at him cry, Noah and Joshua too could not stop themselves. They knew Ian was the closest to their mentor among the three.


    Oliver''s sniffled and he recalled something Noah had just said. ''Did he just say that Thoe was killed three years back? How is that possible? I saw him getting killed with my own eyes.'' But he did not ask the question right away. The three men looked devastated right now and they needed some time to deal with it.


    It took them a lot of time for the three friends to calm down. This was the first time they had ever cried. Nothing had ever broken them before. They were as strong as the Great Wall, withstanding and overcoming anything that came in their way. However, their mentor''s death snapped something in them, breaking them completely.


    "Are you alright?" Noah looked at Ian in concern and Ian nodded.


    Noah turned towards Oliver and his eyes fixed on him. "Did you know our mentor?"


    "Before I answer that, tell me what you meant when you said that Theo was killed three years back."

 Chapter 145: Drop the bomb

    Silence filled the room when Oliver voiced his question. Even Ronnie who was standing near the door had a dreadful look on his face. This was something they had prepared for a long time and now when the actual time came, they were tongue-tied. Their mind had short-circuited, unable to send any instructions to their mouth. They stood like a statue, silent and unmoving.


    Oliver focused his eyes on Noah, occasionally taking glances at the other men. "Tell me, what you meant before? I want to know the truth and I want to know it right now." He said, with no changes in his expressions. His determined gaze couldn''t stop the trio from keeping the secret any longer. It was time for them to come clean.


    "Mr. West, you have been in a coma for three years." Noah dropped the bomb on Oliver and observed him carefully. They had to make sure that he would not fall sick again. However, it was also necessary for him to know the truth.


    Oliver was dumbstruck. His mind became blank and empty. ''Was this reason why I feel so weak? Was this the reason why I am in this room?''


    Seeing him go pale, Ian ran to him trying to soothe him. "Mr. West, please calm yourself. You cannot get agitated as you are still recovering. Please."


    Ian''s voice brought him out of his blank state. "What do you mean that I was in a coma? Are you kidding me? If you are, then it is not funny, young man."


    Noah pinched the skin between his eyebrows and sighed. "It''s the truth Mr.West. It has been three years since our mentor died and you went into a coma."


    Oliver gaped at him thunderstruck. His mind had gone haywire. He looked so broken that nobody knew how to tell him about his wife''s death. If this news was revealed to him, then definitely he would lose it. So, not wanting to risk putting his health on stake, they decided to stay silent. When he was completely recovered, they could slowly tell him everything.


    "How? Wha-What? Why?" Oliver blabbered, unable to form any coherent sentences. He stared at them blankly, waiting for them to speak. The three friends felt sad for him, even Ronnie who was standing for away from him couldn''t help but sympathize. The poor guy had gone through a lot.


    "Mr. West, take rest now. We will talk later. You need to calm your mind. Please." Ian made him lie down and gave him a sedative. They had to make him sleep. His brain had been triggered and he might start panicking any moment if this continued. It would be better if he rested for a while and postponed their talk to some other time.


    The sedative started to show it''s effect. Oliver started to feel drowsy and his eyes drooped. Before falling asleep, he took three names of people who were very close to his heart: Susan, Ivy, Aria. He then fell into a deep sleep.


    Seeing him sleep peacefully, Ian sighed. "Let''s go. He needs rest and he will not wake up for another four hours." He then informed the nurse to take care of Oliver and to inform him if anything happened.


    Ian was already on leave. So, he did not have to go to the hospital today. Even Joshua had cleared his schedule for the day and he had put all his other work to the evening. However, Noah did not have that liberty. He had a meeting with Ivy and her team. He had to go to his office at all costs. He still had two hours before the appointed time. So, he stayed another hour with Ian and Joshua.


    Ronnie closed the door as soon as the three men exited the room. Ian halted suddenly making the people behind to stop walking too. He turned back, his face tired and defeated. "Why didn''t you tell me anything before?"


    "About what?'' Joshua stared at him confused.


    "About mentor. Why didn''t you tell me about his death? When did you find out about it?"


    "Two days back," Jo answered folding his hands.


    "Was that what you were talking about when you told me you something important to tell?" Ian asked in realization making Jo nod.


    "How?"


    The next few minutes were spent with Noah and Joshua explaining Ian all that had surfaced two days ago, not hiding anything from Ian. They told him about the pen drives as well as the mystery man who had killed Theo. Joshua did not forget to mention Kane, who had been captured by Ivy on her video recorder for his bad deeds, and that he was also involved in the murder.


    Joshua handed him the recording which he had stored on his phone. It clearly showed how his mentor was shot. What was more shocking was that the video was in the possession of the West sisters. They had to know how it got there and who shot it; and the only person who could answer it was Oliver. Now that he was resting, they would have to wait until he got up.


    Ian took in all that was told to him. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He had received a lot of devastating news since the time he had left the hospital and he was not sure if he could handle any more. Everything was a mess, his mind was a mess. The truth was twisted and so were the people who were involved in committing the crime.


    "What have you thought to do now?" Ian looked at Noah, waiting to hear his plan. He could see that his friend was already prepared. Now that they had one clue, they had to do their best to avenge their mentor''s death.


    "We are trying to track that man who Theo was following. The search is on, let''s see how far we can go along." Joshua said, taking a glance at his fingers. "Also, Noah is going to find out all the hospitals that are secretly involved in this scandal. We do not want any more innocent to get harmed. This way we can track the mystery man, hopefully."


    "Fair enough." Ian agreed with their plan. This was the most probable thing they could do right now.


    "Alright, guys. I am going to go. I have a meeting with Ivy and her team."


    "Sure. Good luck." Ian and Jo bade Noah a farewell and went to Ian''s cabin.


    "Everything is so fucked up," Joshua whined entering the ward. "I hate this. My blood is boiling right now."


    "It sure is. At least, Oliver''s matter is settled for now."


    "Thank God for that. We can get information from him once he wakes up. He must know many things which we are not aware of."


    "Definitely. He knew that our mentor had died and from his behavior, it looks like he witnessed the murder taking place."


    "Do you think so too?"


    "Positive. Let''s just hope he remembers everything that happened before he fell sick."

 Chapter 146: Monster Noah

    After leaving Ian''s company, Noah had departed towards his office. He had a meeting with Max and his teammates regarding the news agency. Ivy had previously informed him that she would not be attending the meeting because of her stalker. She did not want to let out her plan to Tim lest he should sabotage it too.


    Noah had already made plans to take care of the man who was following Ivy. He had ordered one of his men to look into this matter and find out more about him. But to his disappointment, Tim had not come that day to keep an eye on her. Now, the only option for Noah, to find out who the man was, was to ask Ivy. Though she was free to go anywhere that day, she had remained at home just to be safe. Who knew when Tim would start following her again?


    As soon as Noah entered his cabin, he asked Shane the report on all the people around Ivy. Though he had ordered Ronnie to look into it, he had changed his mind when he noticed that Ronnie was overworked. He had been doing all he was told to do without any complaints. Though the man was highly capable, Noah did not want to burden him anymore. He already had a lot on his plate. So, he had asked Shane to do the work.


    Shane was no less efficient than Ronnie. As soon as he had received his boss''s command the previous night, he had got to work and the results were right in front of Noah. He had found out everything that was available about the four people and had dug out all their secrets if there were any.


    Noah picked up the report and went through it thoroughly. It had every minute detail, from their family background to their work as well as other things that might be of importance. Nothing was ignored. The first profile was that of Maximus Williams. There was nothing suspicious about him. His profile was clean and straightforward.


    Next, he went through Kira, Sasha and Cedric''s biodata and like Max, they too were good people, with no suspicious background. Satisfied with the report, he dismissed Shane. "Your work is commendable and you have been doing great for a few months. Go to the finance department and get a month''s bonus."


    Shane''s face bloomed on getting praised by his boss. Noah was never stingy when it came to praising his employees. It was necessary to motivate them and encourage them to do better from time to time. What was better than giving them bonuses and incentives to boost up their morale?


    Shane took his leave and Noah started to work on his laptop. He had a lot of files and reports to go through. The month was about to end and there would be a quarterly meeting with his staff someday next week. Also, there was Liam who would be coming to discuss the contract. So, he had to get everything prepared.


    Meanwhile outside Carter enterprises, Max and his team had arrived ten minutes before the scheduled time. All the four were nervous and their hearts were beating crazily fast. This was the first time they would be meeting Noah and it was making them apprehensive. Even Max, who would be undisturbed at all situations couldn''t stop himself from breaking out into a sweat.


    Taking a deep breath, Max led his team towards the reception.


    "Hello, sir. How may I help you?" The receptionist asked him politely, with a smile on her smile. Her professionalism impressed Max and he smiled in return.


    "Hello, I am Maximus Williams. I have an appointment with Mr. Noah Allan Carter."


    "Just a minute, sir. Let me check." The receptionist went through Noah''s schedule on her laptop. "Yes, sir. You have an appointment at two. Please do wait in the lounge. Mr. Warren will be here to receive you shortly." The receptionist led them to the lounge and asked them to wait.


    From where they were seated, they could clearly see everything that was happening in the entrance. Many employees were going in and out of the office and this was the first time they had seen that many employees in a company. True to its name, Carter Enterprises was the biggest conglomerate in the country.


    "Can''t you and Kira go to attend the meeting? Why do I have to tag along?" Cedric whined, making Sasha roll her eyes.


    "It''s is Mr. Carter''s request. He wants to meet all of us before he comes to a conclusion and it''s only fair that we oblige to it." Max replied. He had been surprised when Noah''s assistant had informed him that his boss wanted to meet everyone in his team. Though Max was unsure as to why he wanted to meet them all, he could only do as he was told.


    They did not have to wait long. Within five minutes, Noah''s assistant came to them. "Hello everyone. I am Shane White and I am Mr. Carter''s assistant. Please do come with me."


    Shane led the group to the topmost floor and they were immediately baffled by the grandeur of the place. The entire floor was designed in an intricate way, with a modern touch to it. They did not even know how to explain it in words. The only word that came to their mind at that moment was: Sophistication.


    Shane knocked at the door and entered in after getting Noah''s approval. "Sir, Mr. Williams and his team are here to meet you."


    Noah was busy working on his laptop when Shane had entered. He glanced at them and gave them a nod. "Just a minute. Let me finish my work. Shane, make sure that they are comfortable."


    "Yes sir." Since there were four of them, Shane led them to the couch. "Please take your seats. Mr. Carter will be here in a moment. Do you want anything to drink in the meanwhile?"


    Nobody answered him. Everybody was so tensed in the presence of the almighty king that they had become mute. Shane did not react to their behavior. It was normal for them to behave that way whenever his boss was around. His aura was too powerful to be ignored. Yeah, it would be another matter altogether if their reaction was something else.


    The four people did not dare to look at Noah, lest they should do something to offend him. Their eyes darted around the cabin. Though it was simple with minimalistic design, it was very mature, suitable for men like Noah.


    Noah completed his work and got up. The four people stiffened seeing him walk towards them. Noah could feel their nervousness. "Relax guys, I am not going to eat you and moreover, I am not a cannibal."


    His words eased the tension in the air and everybody laughed. Noah did not look as cold and tough to approach as the paparazzi had claimed him to be. He looked jovial and serene, so they assumed what the tabloids had published about him to be fabricated. Only Shane knew what a monster his boss was, especially if he was angry.

 Chapter 147: Tedious task

    "Yes, Mr. Williams, I was told that you want to open your own news agency. Do you have a plan yet?" Noah crossed his legs and leaned back, in an imposing manner. It was the way he dealt with business usually. Even if Ivy were to attend the interview, he would behave the same way. When it came to matters related to business, no relationship or familial ties held value to him.


    His imposing and domineering self made the four people break out in a cold sweat. They could clearly see why he was at the apex of the business hierarchy. The way he carried himself was enough for the people to admire and respect him. Even Max who was older than Noah by a few years couldn''t ignore his presence. Some people were born rulers, just like Noah.


    Taking a deep breath, Max prepared himself to speak. To get a sponsor as good as Noah was a dream come true to most people, including Max, and he did not want to lose this golden chance. It was now or never.


    "Mr. Carter, my team and I have decided to open our news channel and we want to publish the news without any restrictions imposed on us. I am going to make myself clear that we are not going to telecast any fabricated news or hide any news that the public has to know, even if it is related to you if you become our boss. We want to show the truth to the public and that is our main aim." Max took a glimpse at Noah to see if he was concentrating and on noticing that he had his complete attention, he handed him a file.


    "This is the plan we have in mind. We are five people in total right now and we will be needing a lot more employees. Our first step is to hire some staff. Next, we will have to find a building suitable for our office, and third, we need a channel to telecast the news." He breathed out all he wanted to say at once, Sasha, Kira and Cedric applauded him secretly. It took great courage to speak boldly in front of Noah and he had done it without any glitches.


    Nobody knew how terrified Max was from within. He had his fists clenched since the time he had started speaking and now they had become clammy. He could only hope that he was able to convince Noah.


    Noah took the file and went through it thoroughly. Time passed and nobody spoke a word. It was completely silent in the room except for the times when Noah turned the pages of the file. The four people waited in anticipation.


    "Mr. Williams, would you mind introducing your team to me. I would like to know who will be working for me if I am going to invest. Also, do tell me what your positions were in your previous agency."


    "Sure. I am Maximus Williams. I was the editor-in-chief. They are Kira Simpsons, Sasha Rodriguez and Cedric Wyatt. They previously worked as an assistant producer, an assistant editor and as a cameraman respectively. We have another teammate. Her name Is Ivy West and she is a journalist. She couldn''t make it here due to some unfortunate reasons."


    "Hmm. What do you have in mind? What is the first step you want to execute?"


    "If we could find an office, we could start hiring people," Max responded.


    "That would be a tedious task. If you start hiring people and you do not have a channel of your own, I would have to pay them for no work they would be doing. Or, they would be hired without any pay which I do not think anybody will accept. Either way, one of the parties will yield a loss with this idea. Any other suggestions?"


    Max was taken aback on hearing Noah''s deductions. He had not thought about these issues at all. As expected of the strategist, he was a true businessman, thinking in all aspects.


    Not getting any response, Noah rubbed his forehead. "Shane, check when we can apply for a channel to the Ministry of Broadcast and Television. See if there are any dates nearby."


    Shane, who was sitting idly behind his boss, jolted immediately on hearing his name and noted down his orders. Noah had informed him beforehand about his decision to open a news agency. So, Shane had an idea of what was expected of him.


    "Yes, boss."


    "Do you have any idea how long can a channel be unused once it has been bought?" Noah asked his question and waited for the others to speak.


    "A month," Kira answered immediately.


    "Okay, then. My first course of action would be to secure a channel for ourselves. We will have a month from the date we acquire it to plan it out completely."


    "Yes sir. But what about hiring the staff and where will our office be?" Cedric brought the second issue they had to deal with.


    "Do you guys have anything in mind?"


    "We thought of starting the hiring process as soon as possible," Max said, but he was convinced with what Noah had said before. That would just be a loss for either the employer or the employee.


    "I have an idea in mind. Have you heard about the news agency Everyday?"


    "Yes, that''s like the top best agencies in the country," Sasha exclaimed as soon as Noah spoke. Everyday was one of the top news agencies in the country with a lot of viewers and fans.


    "I am thinking of purchasing it." Noah deadpanned, taking everybody by a storm. Everyone gaped at him in shock. ''Why would he do something like that?''


    "Are you sure about buying it, sir? I am not doubting you Mr. Carter, but the agency is doing quite well and I don''t think the owner will be quite willing to sell it." Max expressed his concern. He was highly doubtful if this plan of his would work. Not only him, even Kira, Cedric and Sasha had the same thoughts.


    "I went through the company''s stock prices and they have been plummeting since last month. If my analysis is correct, it will go bankrupt in a few weeks. Once the price falls, I am thinking of buying the agency. How does my plan sound?"


    Again the group was rendered speechless. Everyday was going to be bankrupt soon? This was a piece of bomb news and why didn''t anybody know about it? Not even Max who had friends in other agencies had heard a whisper about it.


    "If we could take over Everyday, then that would be great. We can save a lot of money on equipments and even the studio." Max said exhilarated. The other news agency going bankrupt had paved a way for them and any smart man would grasp the opportunity thrown to them.


    "Yes. You will also get their employees. Does this sound feasible?" Noah enquired to make sure everybody was with him in the plan.


    "Yes sir. We are in." Max answered on everyone''s behalf.


    "Okay. But I have a condition though and only if you agree, I will proceed with the investment."

 Chapter 148: Shareholder

    "I have a condition." Hearing these words, Max and the others stiffened. What could his condition be? Would they be able to fulfill it? Everybody had the same thoughts and their bodies became tense at once.


    "What is your condition, Mr. Carter?" Max asked, his voice faltering a bit.


    "I want one of you to invest a small amount along with me. I don''t care how much, that''s up to you. But some part of it must come from your pockets." He said without any room for negotiation. His condition took everyone by surprise. Why would he ask such a request?


    "Why?" Cedric asked that question that was lingering on everyone''s mind. Noah gave a knowing look.


    "I am a businessman and I need security. I cannot invest the complete amount and bear the entire loss when the company falters. So, I would expect one of you to invest some part." Noah gave the answer they needed, awing them completely.


    Whatever he said was true. Sometimes a business would not do as expected and the investors would end up in losses, some even in debts, finally leading to bankruptcy. The deal was fair for them actually. Noah was not asking them a huge amount. He had given them the freedom to invest as much as they could, unlike other businessmen who expected a particular sum, which at times could be too large to even think about.


    Unknown to them, Noah had his own reasons for putting forth such a condition in front of them. One of them was to see if they were ready to take risks or not and the other was to see if they were trustworthy or not. There was another major reason for him to set the condition.


    Max accepted his condition to be fair. There was no harm in putting some of his money in this business when Noah was investing millions. "I am ready to invest my money."


    "Good. Then in my absence, you can take decisions as the boss. I am entrusting you with this since you will be the second-biggest shareholder of the agency. Do you want anybody else to be a shareholder? If so, please tell me right now. But, I do not want to release the shares to anybody else right now, not at least for a year."


    "I agree. We cannot trust anyone in this matter." Max agreed with Noah. It would not be wise to bring anybody else on board when they had people following them.


    "Good. I''ll make arrangements to secure a channel for us. Now we have one month. Prepare a thorough plan on how you want the agency to work. By then, I will buy Everyday. One more thing, keep the second-in-command post empty. Nobody, I mean it, nobody will be given that post." Noah said, his last words coming out as an order. He had a potential candidate for it in mind.


    "Thank you, sir. It would be a pleasure working for you." Max held out his hand for Noah to shake.


    "I''ll send you the contracts in a few days and you can contact Shane if you have anything to be clarified." Noah then turned to look at Shane. "Shane, keep in touch with them."


    "Yes, boss."


    The group of four left the room and Noah returned to do his work. He gave a glance at Shane and smirked. He could see the gears turning in Shane''s head and that he wanted to ask him something. However, he was reluctant to open his mouth, worried he might anger his boss. Noah sat on his chair and started his work. He could feel Shane''s eyes on with questioning eyes.


    "What is it, Shane?" Noah questioned taking out his glasses from the drawer and wore them. He looked more mature and sexy with the glasses. If Aria was anywhere near him, she would have drooled at this tempting sight. He looked stunning or devilishly handsome even right now.


    "Boss, why did you want to keep the Vice-President, I mean the second-in-command''s post empty? Is there any reason for it? Do you have someone in mind?"


    "I do have someone in mind," Noah said, rubbing his forehead. He was starting to have a mild headache, maybe because of the lack of sleep for the last two days.


    "Who is it, boss?" Shane asked, his eyes twinkling in excitement. He looked like a gossipmonger waiting to hear the best gossip of the year. Noah chuckled inwardly.


    "Shane, get me a cup of coffee."


    "Boss...."


    "Shane."


    "Okay boss." Shane left the room dejected. He looked no less than a puppy who had been abandoned by its master.


    Noah leaned back and stared blankly at the wall in front of him. He had someone in mind for the post and that was Oliver. Nobody else would be perfect for the post. With his experience and honesty, Oliver would definitely be the best choice. Also, he wanted to do something for him and his daughters for keeping them in the dark for all these years. That was the least he could do.


    He also had another thing in mind. He wanted to register the agency in Oliver''s name. But he would never reveal it to them. Noah could foresee that if this matter was revealed to anybody in the West family, they would never accept it and worse comes to worst, Ivy might even leave and stop working for him. This would be a secret for life or until time asks for it. The West family did not even know that they were going to have a company in their name.


    Meanwhile, as soon as the team left Noah''s cabin, Sasha''s legs gave up. Cedric had to support her to the entrance until she started to walk again. Everybody had become weak just attending a meeting with the almighty Noah.


    "That went well," Max exclaimed as soon as they got inside his car.


    "Well? That went awesome." Kira exaggerated. "That man is God." He clasped her hand and stared into space reminiscing his handsome face. She was nothing less than a fangirl who had just met her idol. Sasha was sailing in the same boat as Kira. She too had a dreamy look on her face.


    "Noah. Awwww." She squealed, startling Cedric who was sitting beside her. "He looked so yummy and delicious."


    "Sasha." Ced tapped her shoulder trying to bring her back to her senses. "Sasha, Noah is not food. So, stop salivating."


    "Whatever."


    "Let me give the news to Ivy. She must be waiting for our call." Max called her immediately.


    "Hello."


    "Hello. Ivy, we convinced Noah. Now he is going to be our boss." Sasha yelled from the back seat.

 Chapter 149: Loudspeaker

    Ivy, who had been sitting idle at home, cheered up seeing Max''s call. Due to Tim keeping an eye on her, she did not accompany them when going to meet Noah. Nobody knew if he was lurking around somewhere waiting for her to fall for his trap. Also, it was not sure if he had changed his victim this time and had started to follow somebody else in their group. However, she did not want to take risks that day and even Noah had ordered her to stay at home for her own safety. So, not wanting to piss him, she had agreed readily.


    She had been bored sitting at home. Ivy had gone through all the channels on the TV, surfed the social media and even searched the internet to find some gossip. But she found nothing that could attract her. She was itching to go out and hunt some spicy news. However, she stopped herself with great difficulty. Max''s call came at the perfect time. Her eyes lit up at once.


    "Hello." She had just greeted him when she heard Sasha shout on the phone.


    "Hello. Ivy, we convinced Noah. Now he is going to be our boss."


    Ivy flinched on hearing her yell. Though she was not near the phone, her voice was too loud that it could blast one''s eardrums. She, who was hearing her shout on the phone, was having this effect. Poor Kira, Max and Cedric, who were right beside her, had concluded that they had become deaf forever.


    "Sasha, stop screaming. I don''t want to become deaf, not now not ever." Cedric covered her mouth from uttering another sound. She started mewling in protest to allow her to speak, but Cedric did not move his hand away from her mouth. They did not know what she would do next in her over-enthusiasm.


    Seeing that, nobody was speaking, Ivy thought the call to have been disconnected. "Hello."


    "Hey, Ivy. Sorry about that. Sasha is too excited right now." Max started speaking.


    "What happened at the meeting, Max?"


    "Ivy, Noah has accepted to invest for us. We now have a lot of work to do." The next twenty minutes were spent in Max telling her everything that had taken place in Noah''s cabin. He did not forget to tell her about Noah''s condition as well as the possibility of the news agency Everyday going bankrupt. Like everybody else, Ivy too was shocked on learning about it. She was also impressed with the way Noah''s mind worked. As expected, he had done his homework.


    Ivy listened to everything Max said. Now that they had a lot of work to do, they had to start as early as possible. "Max, what is our next step?"


    "Ivy, we haven''t thought about it yet. We just finished our meeting with Noah. I couldn''t wait to give this news to you so I called you immediately. We are still outside his company. We were about to go have some food."


    "In that case, I''ll end the call. You guys carry on." As soon as Max finished talking with Ivy, He turned back to look at Sasha. "Do you have a loudspeaker or an amplifier in your mouth?"


    Sasha gave him a cheeky grin and tried to deviate the topic. "I am hungry. Let''s go."


    "Didn''t you have a feast for lunch before coming here? How come you are hungry already? Where does all the food you eat go?" Cedric chided her, making Kira and Max laugh.


    "I don''t know. I think it was because of Noah that I am hungry."


    Kira gave her a weird look. "What do you mean?"


    By then, Max had already started the car and they were heading away from the company.


    "Noah looked so delicious that I felt hungry for him and now I am actually hungry." She said, imagining the devilishly handsome man in front of her and she was gazing at him with a knife and a fork in her hands. If Ivy were to listen to her obnoxious words, she would have puked blood.


    "Sasha, you are becoming horny day by day." Kira teased and stifled a laughed. Sasha gave her glare, but she did not stop her imagination. At least in her mind, it looked pleasant and feasible.


    ""It''s four already. I didn''t realize how fast the time had gone." Sasha looked at her watch and exclaimed. "Nevertheless I am feeling so hungry. I have been starving for long." She patted her stomach and pulled out a sneaker bar from her pocket. She didn''t notice Cedric staring at her without blinking.


    "Max, are you sure you are willing to invest in this?" Kira started the topic she had in mind for a long time. When Noah had put forth the condition, she was a little befuddled. But when Max accepted it, she was unsure if he had done the right thing.


    "Yes, Kira. Why do you ask?"


    "I think there is a lot of risk. What if we don''t succeed? What if it ends up in loss? And it is your money, your savings for life."


    "Don''t you trust us and our abilities?" Cedric questioned from behind. He had been staring intently at Sasha, but Kira''s questions had brought him out of his reverie.


    "I don''t doubt anybody''s ability. I am sure everyone will do a fantastic job. It''s just that, I cannot stop worrying about it." She replied, her voice doubtful and uncertain.


    "Kira, when we are having the Noah Allen Carter as our backup, what do we have to worry about? Let''s not hesitate to take the first step. We might not succeed, but at least we will not be having the regret of not trying."


    "You are right. What am I even thinking right now when we must be celebrating?"


    "That''s like it. Where shall we go to eat? Sasha, any suggestions?" They were already in the area where there were a lot of restaurants. It was starting to crowd up a little.


    "How about some pizzas and pasta. I want to eat them." Sasha suggested, taking a glance around her.


    "This foodie will want to eat anything and everything that is edible at any given time," Cedric commented while Sasha scoffed.


    "Do you have a problem with that?"


    "Not at all. You can have all you want."


    "Better." Sasha smiled and looked out of the window.


    Max parked his vehicle at the side and the group got down. They looked around for a while and finally decided to go with Sasha''s recommendation. They had seen a restaurant which was quite famous for its pizzas somewhere behind. So, they turned to go back when they halted suddenly. Nobody spoke for a few seconds and their gaze was fixed on someone who was oblivious to it.


    It was Kira who broke the silence. "What is Tim doing here?"

 Chapter 150: Appetizing

    Meanwhile in Ivy''s apartment.


    After disconnecting Max''s call, Ivy looked at the time. It was a few minutes past four and her lazy bug of a sister was still sleeping. Aria had night duty that day. So, she had spent the entire day sleeping. The previous night, she couldn''t stop thinking about what had happened between her and Noah. Every time she closed her eyes, Noah''s seductive face would come in her mind making her blush.


    Aria couldn''t get an ounce of sleep for a long time. Finally, when dawn broke out, her tired eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep. She did not wake up until Ivy called her to have lunch and immediately after eating, she had dashed to her room to cuddle with her bed once again. Now it was past four and she had not yet come out.


    Aria had informed Ivy that her shift would start at six and not to wake her up until five. So, she had not bothered to disturb her again. However, to her surprise, Aria herself got up and walked out of her room with a hair similar to a bush. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she plopped on the couch and yawned loudly.


    "Good morning, sleeping beauty."


    "Morning." Aria gave her a cheeky grin and stretched her hands above her head. Her body had become stiff, and now she tried to relax her muscles.


    "Is there anything to eat? I am hungry." Aria asked like a small kid. Ivy smiled at her antics, she still looked like a girl who would ask her chocolates in the past whenever she was hungry. The only difference now was that she did not ask her chocolates but for food.


    "Go, wash yourself. I''ll prepare some snacks for you. Do you want me to pack your dinner or will you buy it in the hospital?"


    "Can you pack a box, if it not much trouble? I want to eat the food made by you today." Aria''s eyes sparkled when she heard that Ivy was going to pack her dinner. The hospital food was good, but she preferred Ivy''s food more. It was delicious and it suited her taste buds more.


    "Okay. Now, you go. Get ready."


    While Ivy prepared her food, Aria rushed to take a bath. Being a doctor, she was highly hygienic had the habit of taking a bath every day. If she missed even a day, she felt that worms were crawling all over her body. It didn''t take long for her to complete her bath. However, the biggest problem occurred when she noticed the hickey on her neck. She had chosen a normal blouse for work. Due to the hickey, she had to change to a turtle neck sweater.


    The entire time she was getting dressed, she did not forget to curse Noah. It was his work that had led to such a situation. On a second thought, she was quite satisfied with her attire, the weather was turning cold. So, it was better that she had covered herself with warm clothes. The one thing she hated was cold and winter. Winter was not her season, it always made her sulk and moody. She preferred spring. The season brought smiles on her face.


    By the time, she was done getting ready, Ivy had also packed her food and she had prepared her snacks to fill her stomach. Aria did not waste any more time and started hogging food.


    "Aria, Max and the others had a meeting with Noah."


    "Umm." She replied and stuffed another piece of cutlet. They were so delicious that she did not even hear what Ivy was talking about. All that mattered about was food.


    "He has agreed to sponsor us. Now, we need to prepare a full proof plan to start work. My brother-in-law is amazing."


    "Amazing." Aria licked her lips and took another bite. Her actions made Ivy laugh. Though she knew Aria was talking about food, she could as well twist the tales and have some fun.


    "Aria, how do you describe him in one word?" She teased, purposely reducing her voice at the word ''him''. Just as she had expected, Aria misunderstood Ivy''s word and assumed her to be talking about the cutlet.


    "Appetizing." She blurted out without thinking.


    "Is it?"


    Aria nodded innocently. She was so busy in finishing her plate that she did not see the playful smirk on her sisters face. The innocent Aria did not even know that her sister had recorded their entire conversation on her phone. She licked her lips and patted her belly in utter satisfaction.


    "So, you were asking something?" Aria finally fixed her gaze on Ivy. She had not heard a word her sister had said. All she could hear was some muffled words as her entire concentration was on her plate. Now that her main task was done, she could concentrate on the other tasks.


    "Did you not hear what you just said?"


    "What did I say?" Aria was confused. ''Did I say something weird to her right now? Why she is looking at me like I am a lunatic?''


    "You just called my brother-in-law to be appetizing." Ivy gave her a teasing smirking, shocking Aria.


    "No, I didn''t." Aria denied at once. She had not said anything of that sort.


    "Yes, you did. Just now."


    Finally, it struck her what had happened. What she had assumed to be about food, was in fact about Noah. Her sister had tricked her. Aria didn''t hesitate to complain about it. "You tricked me."


    "No, I didn''t."


    "Yes, you did."


    "What proof dod you have?" Ivy folded her hands and looked at her sternly. Ivy knew that did not have an proof against her while she had the voice note.


    "I don''t have anything. But..." As she was speaking, her eyes fell on her watch and she jumped at once. "Oh my God. I am going to be late." She dashed to her room to get her things.


    Ivy laughed seeing at her behave like a scared mouse. "Aren''t you driving your car today?"


    "No. I don''t think I will have the patience to drive it back tomorrow. It''s best to hail a cab. I would have asked you to drop me. But, not a problem." Aria said as she checked her purse.


    "Take care," Ivy shouted after her when she left the house. The house became silent the next moment. She took out her phone and edited the voice note and sent it to Noah, with a smirk on her face.


    The poor guy did not even know that two women in just one day had compared him to a delicacy and the astonishing fact was that one among them was his girlfriend. Now that Ivy had sent him the note, he would find out eventually.

 Chapter 151: Bowled over

    Aria left her apartment in a hurry. Since she was not going to drive her car, she had to find a cab. To her relief, she got one within ten minutes of waiting. Aria had no idea what her nuisance of a sister had done. All she had in mind was to get to the hospital before her shift started.


    Since it was the time the office hours usually ended, there was a lot of traffic on the road and she barely managed to reach the hospital with two minutes to spare. Aria started her work at once. She first checked the driver who had been stabbed by a rod. He was still unconscious, his body looked weak. He was not okay, but they did not give up hope. He was still in ICU and under observation.


    Aria had another patient who was in CCU. It was a fifty-year-old woman who had suffered a severe cardiac arrest two days back. Though it was not Aria who operated on her, the woman''s doctor had asked her to keep an eye on her as her condition was still critical. She had to be monitored every few hours as her heart was quite weak.


    After doing a thorough check-up on her, Aria left the ward and went to the reception. She had to inform the receptionist about one of her patients who was ready to be discharged. On her way, she met the man, who had helped her carry the boy the previous day, along with his friend and a woman who she recognized the one to be from the ward. She remembered her face, she had checked her condition once when she was on her night shift.


    Ryder nudged his friend''s elbow on seeing Aria. Preston too had seen her but turned his gaze away from her immediately. Ryder signed the papers and paid the bill while Valarie stood behind him. She still had the gauze around her head.


    "Are you getting discharged already?" Aria asked surprised. She had noticed the discharge papers and couldn''t stop herself from speaking. It was too soon for the woman to leave the hospital. Her wounds had not yet healed. She wondered why Dr. Baker had discharged her this early.


    Her words startled the trio. Valarie gave her a look, but she answered her nonetheless. "Yes, I am being discharged today."


    "Okay, but take care. Your wounds have not healed completely and do come for regular check-ups." She advised and smiled at her.


    "Definitely, doctor." She returned the smile.


    Aria then looked at Preston. "Thank you very much for your help yesterday. I appreciate it."


    "No problem. How is the boy?" Ryder smiled seeing the two talk and Valarie gave him a knowing look. She understood what was happening. She could clearly see the change in attitude in Preston. The man who did not give a damn about things that did not concern him or his job was asking about the well being of a boy to whom he was not even related. Something was going on here.


    "We couldn''t save him. He died of excessive bleeding in the brain."


    "That''s... sad."


    "This is common here. Anyway, take care. Bye." Aria went to talk to the receptionist while Preston''s gaze followed her. He did not move from his spot. He was not sure why, but he was reluctant to leave the hospital. Then something struck him.


    "Val, you wanted to meet the woman who was involved in the accident along with you." He reminded her, his eyes fixed on Aria.


    "Right. How did I even forget about it?" Valarie went to the receptionist. She had completely forgotten about the matter and would have let it slide if Preston had not reminded her.


    "Is there anything I can help you with?" The receptionist stopped taking and questioned Valarie politely.


    "What happened to the woman who got into an accident along with me? How is she?"


    "Are you talking about Rachel Carter? She was discharged just yesterday."


    Valarie blinked. She knew who Rachel was, everyone knew about her. ''Did my car hit Miss Carter''s car? Oh, Lord.''


    "Anything else?"


    "Nothing. Thank you."


    Valarie went to where Preston and Ryder were standing. "It was Rachel Carter and she has already left the hospital. I missed her narrowly." Valarie badly wanted to apologize to her. It was due to her that Rachel got hurt and had to be hospitalized. Though it was not intentional, she couldn''t help but feel guilty about it.


    "Let''s go." She said after a few seconds. Though she couldn''t meet her in the hospital, she knew where Rachel''s office was. She could as well go to her company and speak to her. She couldn''t remove the guilt in her mind until she apologized to her.


    The trio started to move towards the entrance with Preston lagging behind. He took occasional glances at Aria who was still near the reception. Then all of a sudden he stopped. "Ryder, did you receive the video footage from the nurse? The doctor told us we would get it by today."


    Ryder halted on hearing his words. He realized his friend was reluctant to leave the hospital and he knew who was the reason behind it. He chuckled inwardly before he turned to look at his friend with a perfect poker face. "I got the clip already."


    "When did that happen? Why didn''t I know about it?" Preston was baffled. He had been with Ryder the entire time. How did he miss the nurse who came to give him the video clip?


    "The doctor had told the receptionist to gave me this packet." He held up a brown packet to show it to Preston. "I got it just now when I was paying the bills."


    "How come I did not notice it?" He scratched his head thinking about it. Valarie stifled a laugh. The man who had acute senses did not even notice what was happening around him. Gone, he was completely gone. He was definitely bowled over by someone.


    "Maybe, your eyes and mind were somewhere else. Now, shall we leave? Don''t worry, I have not missed anything." Ryder teased, making Preston clear his throat in awkwardness. Now that he had no choice to stay back, he took one last glance at Aria and finally left the hospital. The only regret he had was that he did not even know her name.


    Meanwhile, Aria was oblivious to the man''s feelings. She was still talking to the receptionist. "What happened to the boy who died of brain hemorrhage yesterday? Did his parents come to take him?" Aria had assumed that by now the boy''s family would have taken his body away. However, the receptionist''s next words made her flabbergasted.


    "No, doctor. It has been a day and a half and nobody had come to claim his body. Not one person. His body is still in the morgue."

 Chapter 152: Apology not accepted

    Aria looked at the receptionist bewildered. It had been almost two days and the boy''s family had not come to claim his body. How was that possible? The entire city had heard about the accident. It was one of the major headlines in all newspapers and all the news channels had been broadcasting it. There had been a havoc outside the hospital when a lot of reporters had rushed to gather the news. Even now there were a few of them lingering outside, waiting to grab any news of the injured victims.


    Now when the entire city was talking about the accident, how was it possible that the boy''s parents had not heard about it. Aria snapped from her thoughts. "Did you call the parents?"


    "Yes, I called and informed them yesterday morning itself. But they have not yet visited the hospital."


    "How about the school? Did they tell anything about the boy or his family?"


    "I called the school too. They gave me the phone numbers that I already have. They too tried calling the boy''s family after I spoke to them. Since then, their phones have been turned off. And now the school has also refused to take responsibility." The receptionist said with a dejected face. She and her colleague had been trying to call the school and the boy''s family for a long time but in vain. After first, the school at least responded. But now, neither party was answering their phones.


    "How can they do this? It was their school kid that died and that too when he was traveling on the school bus. They are as much responsible as the boy''s parents. I know this was an accident. But they could at least help us contact the child''s parents right?" Aria voiced her opinion, her voice laced with utter disbelief.


    "Yes, Dr. West. This issue is giving me a headache and I don''t know what to do." The lady sighed and bent her head in defeat. This matter had been bugging her and now it was giving her a headache. The hospital could take care of the body themselves if the boy did not have family or guardians. But now that the boy had a family, they could do nothing. If they took the matters into their hands and the boy''s family later came to retrieve the body, then that would become another issue.


    Aria could understand the receptionist''s dilemma. Though on the outside it looked like that she had the easiest job, but only the people who were working there knew how tiring it was to do the job. They were responsible for the patients'' files. They also had to see to it that none of the details got mixed up. Their work was as tough as the doctors''.


    "Have you talked to the administration? What did they say?"


    "I spoke to them. They have asked me to wait for another day and even then if nobody comes forward, then we are supposed to contact the police. They will look after it."


    "Hmm. That sounds fair. Let me get back to work." Aria smiled at her went back to work. She pitied the young boy. First, he had died quite young, and second, nobody had come forward to claim his body. It was truly miserable.


    Within an hour, Aria had made a visit to all her patients and had checked them. Everyone looked stable and no new cases had come for her that day. So, she went to the children''s ward. She could as well speak to them. However, when she was walking in the direction of the ward, she saw Mason walking towards her. It was the first time after the incident in London that she had come face to face with him.


    Every time Mason would see Aria, he would run away from her. He knew he had messed up big time. Mason had no idea why he had behaved that way that day. Maybe it was the alcohol he had consumed. But due to his behavior, not only Aria, many other female doctors had distanced themselves from him. The news had spread like fire in the hospital.


    Now Mason did not even have a chance of flirting with other female staff, let alone Aria. His plan of wanting to have Aria had gone down the drain. But he had not given up on it, yet. He still dreamt of her and her enticing body under him and that was enough of keeping his hopes alive. He wanted to have a taste of her quite bad.


    Aria saw the man she despised the most coming from the other side and gritted her teeth. His face alone made her furrow her eyebrows. He looked nothing less than a local thug in her eyes at that moment. Since the ward she wanted to go to was in the opposite, she had no choice but to walk in his way. Moreover, it was not her who was wrong. So, why should she hide?


    As soon as Aria and Mason passed each other, Mason stopped her. "Aria.."


    "I''d prefer Dr. West. We are at the hospital and I expect professionalism." She said sternly without looking at him.


    "In that case, I can call you Aria outside the hospital. Right?"


    "Dream on. We are never going to meet outside the hospital."


    "Dr. West. I wanted to say something to you."


    "I have no time for you right now. I have work to do." Aria started walking, but to her dismay, Mason ran to her front and stopped her.


    "Please Aria, listen to me. I wanted to apologize to you for my behavior in London."


    Aria glimpsed at him and turned straight ahead. "First of all Dr. Smith, I want you to call me Dr. West. And second, I won''t accept your apology. Now if you will excuse me."


    Before Aria could stop walking again, Mason held her hand. Her anger rose at once. This man was testing all her patience. She gave him a deathly glare, making him retract his hand immediately. She looked utterly terrifying when she glared, but she also looked beautiful. He was momentarily stunned looking at her.


    "Dr. West, I sincerely want to apologize for my mistake. Why won''t you forgive me?"


    "Dr. Smith, I don''t think whatever you did was a mistake. It looked like it was intentional." Mason wanted to argue right away. But Aria beat him to it. "Also, it was your wish to apologize to me and it is my wish to accept your apology."


    Aria turned to face him, her eyes staring right at him. "And Dr. Smith, I am not going to forgive you. So, don''t waste my time." With that Aria walked away, leaving Mason all alone.

 Chapter 153: Innocent souls

    Aria did not give any face to Mason and left him gaping at her. She had had enough of him and his antics. That bastard had to be put in his place and she had done just that. His presence had always got on her nerves and right now she was satisfied that he was insulted.


    Aria went to the children''s ward and it was as not hyperactive as usual. This was the only ward in the hospital where one could hear noises at any time of the day. The kids, though they were sick, would be talkative and active. The had to be coaxed to sleep or wait until they fell asleep on their own. But that was not the case that day.


    As soon as Aria walked in she saw that all the kids were silent, some were even sad. She wondered what happened. The kids usually became sad when someone among them became seriously ill all of a sudden. She wondered if that was the case. Nonetheless, she entered with a smile on her face.


    "Hey, kiddos." She waved her hands at the kids, making them surprised at once. The children''s ward had two sections, one for kids who were suffering from a serious illness while another section was for kids with normal sickness. Most of the kids preferred the children''s ward even if they had the option to choose a ward for themselves.


    It had been a long time since she visited the ward. Aria saw some new faces, and from their looks alone she could see that the kids were suffering from a deadly disease, just like the others she was familiar with. The patients who had just the seasonal diseases would never stay in the hospital beyond three days. However, the kids she was familiar with had been admitted there for months.


    "What happened, kiddos? Why are you sad?" She questioned gently patting the boy who was nearest to her. She could sense the gloominess in the air and couldn''t help but worry. The kids who were meant to be playing outside, going to schools and live the life of their dreams were stuck in the hospital with diseases that were eating them alive.


    "Ari," The boy who she had patted started speaking. "Andy started to puke blood all of a sudden. Will he be alright? We are scared." The little boy started crying as he spoke. Seeing him cry, the others started to cry.


    Aria knew who Andy was. Though she was not his doctor, she had seen his reports. He had a hole in the heart and she being a cardiologist had understood his case to be critical. Though they could operate on him, the chances of him staying alive was less than 0.5 percent. So, the doctors had decided not to operate on him. This way, the chances of him living long was more.


    When Andy''s parents had heard about his state, they were devastated. Being the one son, they had doted on him since the beginning. Now that he was dying, they were heartbroken. Following the doctor''s advice, they had allowed him to stay as he was. Though they wanted their son to live long, they did not want to take risks.


    When Aria heard that Andy had vomited blood, she was shocked. She knew that kid''s end was near. His heart was weakening at a faster rate and it would not be long before he died. Even as a doctor, she couldn''t help but feel sad. However, what would she tell these kids who had come to become good friends after staying here for months? She could neither give them false hopes nor could she tell them the truth and break their hearts.


    Aria had noticed that the kids knew they were dying. They had perceived it long back when they had to stay in the hospital for months when some kids had been discharged in a few days. They had an idea that something was wrong with them. So, the children immediately concluded that Andy was critical and he would be gone someday.


    Aria did not know what to say to them. Just looking at the innocent children''s face made her heart ache. What wrong did these naive souls do to suffer such agony? This was highly unfair to them.


    One of the girls, who she presumed to be new, asked her with her cute voice, "Is Andy going to die? Will he leave us?"


    Aria sighed. She squatted in front of the girl and rubbed her hair. "No, sweetie. Andy is not going to die. He will come back as soon as possible."


    Another boy came to her and tugged her hand. "Are we all going to die just like him?"


    "No baby. Nobody is going to die. How could these cute little monsters die without torturing their Ari? Did you forget your promise? I am still waiting for you guys to give me a headache." Aria''s words brought a grin on everybody''s face.


    "Andy will be safe, right Ari?" The boy asked to confirm once again.


    "Yes, he will be safe, because he has a protector beside him."


    "Who is the protector?" The girl asked again.


    "You guys are his protectors. I know you guys will protect your friend from all possible sickness, won''t you?" Aria looked at all the kids in the ward to see them nod their heads. Though she did not intend to lie, she had no choice. These kids would not be able to handle the truth.


    "Okay. Now, I want all of you to give me your beautiful smiles. This room should return to its original state. I want my naughty kids back. Where are my kids hiding and who are you in my children''s bodies? Where are my devils?" Aria puffed her cheeks as she gave a pout. All of them started laughing. She chatted with them for a while and when she noticed that it was quite late, she put all the kids to their beds.


    "Okay. Let''s go to sleep. Come on." Aria waited until all the children had gone to sleep before she stepped out of the ward. She went to the on-duty nurse who was sitting right beside the door.


    "Nurse, what is Andy''s status?"


    "Doctor, Andy does not have much time left. He is stable for now, but his condition may worsen at any time."


    Aria sighed. Although she was sad, she was also relieved that Andy was fine for now.

 Chapter 154: Migraine

    It had been a long, tiring day for Noah. He had to attend meetings back to back after he had returned to his office from Ian''s office and he was having a killer headache. His eyes twitched every few minutes, making it impossible for him to concentrate. However, it was the last meeting for the day and he had to pull through it somehow. Then, he could go home and have a good sleep.


    The managers from each department were giving their month-end report and he had been listening to it for the last two hours. Shane could sense that his boss was irked and he did not know for what reasons. He thought of stopping the meeting in between. But Noah gave him a knowing look as if he had read his mind, stopping him in his seat.


    The meeting went for another half an hour and finally, when all the managers had presented their reports and had put forth their suggestions and ideas for the next month, Noah finally dismissed them. Even the managers looked tired. But they did not complain as their boss was very generous. It was only some days in a year when they were asked to work overtime and every three months they would be granted bonuses. So, everybody had no problems with him. Only when they did not meet the deadline, Noah would show them his fierce side, scaring the shit out of them.


    Everybody left the meeting room one by one leaving Shane and Noah behind. Noah rubbed his forehead to reduce the pain. Shane observed him for a second. "Boss, are you alright? Do you want something?"


    "No. I am fine Shane. You may leave."


    "But Boss, what about you?"


    "I''ll leave after a few minutes. Don''t worry. I have Ronnie with me." Noah assured him and saw him leave the room reluctantly. He took out his phone and called Ronnie to get the car ready. He then saw a voice note from Ivy. He had not touched his phone the entire day. So, he had no idea when the message was delivered.


    The next moment, he played the voice note and he could clearly hear Ivy and Aria''s voice. Though at first Aria''s voice was muffled, he could still make out that it was her. ''Was she eating when Ivy recorded this?'' He thought and then concentrated on hearing what it was. It started with Ivy praising Noah.


    Ivy: My brother-in-law is amazing.


    Aria: Amazing.


    Ivy: Aria, how do you describe him in one word? Though the word ''him'' was said softly, he could still hear it. It was as though she was whispering it.


    Aria: Appetizing.


    The voice note ended at this and Noah sat stunned. He had only one thing in mind. ''Does Aria find me appetizing?''


    Minutes passed when Noah finally came out of his reverie. He smirked thinking about Aria. He couldn''t believe what he had just heard although he had the proof right in front of him. Ronnie entered right at this moment and saw his weird smile. He was momentarily scared looking at him. ''Which great species just annoyed the great devil that he is smiling sinisterly. Whose end is near? I hope it''s not me.''


    Ronnie had been waiting for his boss in the car and when Noah did not exit the company even after a long time, he had come to see what the matter was. But to his horror, he had entered to see his all-time famous devilish smile.


    "Boss, are we leaving yet?" He asked, trying not to anger the beast any further. He did not want to incur the wrath on himself.


    "Yes, let''s go." Noah got up and walked out as if nothing had happened inside the room. Ronnie had to run to catch up with him.


    "Boss, is everything alright?"


    "Yes, why do you ask?" Noah gave him a small glance before he looked ahead.


    "Boss, did anybody annoy you?"


    "Why do you ask?" Noah halted suddenly, making Ronnie to stop walking too.


    "Boss, you were smiling looking at your phone. So, I thought maybe you found your new prey."


    "New prey you say. Hmm. Somebody finds me appetizing." He answered and started walking again.


    ''Appetizing. Who the hell found boss to be appetizing? I need to applaud him for his guts. By the way how dare they think about boss this way?'' Ronnie thought to himself. He clenched his fists in anger. But he knew that more than him, his boss was annoyed with the matter and he would take care of it himself. However, he couldn''t stop being curious on who might be brave enough to call Noah appetizing.


    Ronnie and Noah went to the car silently. Ronnie wanted to ask him who the person was, but he couldn''t get a word out of his mouth. They started driving silently. After a long time, when Ronnie could not take it any longer, he voiced his question. "Boss, who was the person who called you appetizing."


    He had not expected Noah to give him any answer and when he did, he was surprised. What was more shocking was the name of the person. ''Aria. Of course. Who would be daring enough other than Madam to do such things? I must be an idiot to think something else. So, what I saw was not a devilish smile but a doting smile? But why does that smile look more terrifying?'' Ronnie unknowingly shivered and concentrated on driving the car.


    In the back seat, Noah contemplated whether to call Aria or not. She had already informed him that she was working the night. So, he did not want to disturb her. But he was unable to control himself too. Faced with the dilemma, he chose what his heart wanted. He immediately placed the call and waited for Aria to pick up the phone.


    Nobody picked up. When he had called her, Aria at that moment was in the children''s ward trying to persuade the kids to sleep. He tried again, only to meet the same result. Assuming her to be busy, he decided not to disturb her. His head started to throb again. Though he had had migraines some times whenever he was overstressed, it was never this severe. A good sleep was what he needed and that is what he did as soon as he went home.


    As soon as he placed his head on the pillow, he fell into a sleep so deep that he did not even hear his phone ring. He completely missed the call from Aria for the first time.

 Chapter 155: Poison

    Oliver woke up sometime at night. Other than the nurse who was to cater to him, none of the four men were present. He did ask for them either. All he did was eat and then he went to sleep again. He needed some time to cope up with all that happened. He was still not ready to believe that he had woken up after three years. The news was a huge blow to him. He had not spoken to anybody and had gone back to sleep after eating.


    The night passed quickly. Ian came to check Oliver health in the morning to see him wide awake. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes not blinking. Ian presumed him to be deep in thought. He did not disturb the man and started to check his condition. Oliver looked great, his vitals were stable. Other than the fact that he was weak, everything looked normal.


    Oliver had sensed Ian''s presence as soon as he had entered the room. However, he had remained quiet, allowing him to do his work. He waited for him to complete what he doing when finally he spoke.


    "What had happened to me?"


    "Mr. West, let''s not talk about it right now. You are not in your right state of mind and I don''t want you to get agitated again. Your health which is improving might deteriorate again. And we do not want that happening."


    "It''s fine, doctor. I want to what happened to me. And I have another question I want to ask you." Oliver fixed his eyes on Ian who was sitting beside him.


    "Yes?"


    "Why aren''t my daughters and my wife here to see me yet? Have you not informed them about me?"


    Oliver''s question took Ian off guard. This was one of the questions which they feared answering. Whenever they had imagined this situation, shivers had run down their spine and now it was actually happening, Ian did not know what to say. Seeing him silent, Oliver raised an eyebrow. He had not asked that difficult of a question for the young man to remain quiet. ''There is something I am missing here.''


    Oliver waited for a few minutes to see if Ian was going to answer. Time passed and when he couldn''t take it any longer, he sighed. "Are you going to answer my question or not?"


    "I guess I have no other choice than to tell you the truth. But Mr. West, please remember this. Whatever we did, whatever we are going to do, we will have your best interest at heart. So, I hope you will not misunderstand our actions."


    Oliver pondered for a while. "By we, who all are included? My family and you?"


    "What? No. No. It includes the three men who came to visit you yesterday along with me. Your family has no idea about it." Ian answered him patiently. While he looked calm on the outside, he was actually sweating from within. Oliver was an observant man, he would have grasped that there was something wrong just by seeing Ian''s face.


    "Who are they? Are they your friends?"


    "Yes. I am Ian, Ian Davis. You have already familiar with Noah and the other man was Joshua Martin. The man who was standing by the door was Ronnie. He is Noah''s right-hand man."


    "Now, will you tell me what happened to me?"


    "Do you remember what happened to you three years ago?" Ian questioned him back, trying to see if he could remember everything that he had experienced.


    Ian''s words made Oliver to rack his brain to see if he remembered something that had occurred long back. It did not take him much time. All the events that had occurred on the dreadful day flashed before his eyes. He could see himself running form those monsters who were hot on his trail. He shivered the next second. It was like he was reliving the nightmare again.


    Ian noticed him flinch for a second and he was afraid that Oliver would start panicking again. He tried to soothe him. However, the man had calmed down faster than he had thought.


    "Do you want to talk about it, Mr.West?"


    "My colleagues and I were being chased. At one point, Paul.." Oliver paused suddenly. "That''s my colleague. Paul and I got separated from others. We couldn''t outrun them, they were several of them. They caught us immediately. Then I saw them shoot Paul in the head." Oliver could still remember Paul''s face when he had fell down after being shot. It was horrible to see a good friend die right in front of his eyes while he could do nothing.


    "Then, what happened?'' Ian bent forward to listen to him. He had to get all the details from Oliver as he was the only one alive who knew about this scandal more than anybody else, and only with his help could they get justice to their mentor and end the issue.


    "I don''t know. I thought they would shoot me next. But nothing like that happened. They injected something into my body even though I tried protesting. Then everything went black." Oliver was confused as to why the men had not shot him. It was highly unexpected. The worst part was he could not remember anything that happened after the incident. His mind was blank and how much ever he tried, he couldn''t recollect anything.


    "Why can''t I recall anything after that night?" Oliver was anxious. His thoughts ran wild and he started imagining the worst. ''Did somebody tamper with my brain? Did somebody erase my memories?''


    Ian could see the gears turning. "Mr. West, since the day you had been injected the drug until yesterday, you had been unconscious. This is the reason why you cannot remember anything."


    Oliver looked at him dumbfounded. Ian''s words sounded like a puzzle to him with no answer he could deduce. Everything was utterly confusing and scary.


    "Did you save me from those men or are you one of them?" Oliver asked as he shifted in his bed, trying to move away from Ian.


    "Mr. West, we are not them. It was Noah who saved you from those bastards and brought you to me. Since then I have been treating you."


    "What had happened to me?"


    "The drug they had given you had weakened your body. It was more or less a poison. You had to be stabilized first, else your organs would start deteriorating slowly. I did everything I was capable of to stop the poison from acting further. The poison had affected your brain by then. Since you were already weak by the time you were brought here, you couldn''t tolerate my medicine strength and you fell into a coma. "


    "Then, how was I cured?"


    "My medicines are stronger than the poison. But it took three years for the poison to be completely eradicated from your body."


    "Hmm. If what you are saying is true, I must thank you whole-heartedly. Thank you for saving me." Oliver gave him a grateful look. His heart was still unsettled. He wanted to see his family and only in their presence would he finally calm down.


    "Now, may I see my family?"

 Chapter 156: Theos gift

    "May I meet my family now?" Oliver asked his next question, to render Ian speechless once again and this time Oliver did not have to wait for him to confirm. He understood the situation immediately. "My family doesn''t know that I am here, isn''t it?"


    Ian nodded, unable to say anything. He wished that Noah or the chatter-box Joshua was here with him to ease the situation. Even Noah''s guard Ronnie would have been fine. At least he would not be handling Oliver''s questioning gazes alone.


    "Why?"


    Ian took a deep breath. Now that Oliver was about to find out everything, it would not take much harm to tell him himself. Someday or the other he would find out all that had happened, so why not today?


    "Mr. West, since the day we took you with us, those people who were after you had been keeping an eye on your family. They even attempted to get to them. But your daughters had filed a missing case at the police station. Those people knew that you have proofs against them and if something happened to your family, the police may find out that it was they who were behind it. It was not clear where you had hidden the proofs. I think they did not want to take a risk in case there was something against them in your house."


    Oliver got worked up all of a sudden. His family was being targeted and he was not there to protect them. He immediately scrambled to get close to Ian and held his hand. "Please tell me that my daughters and my wife is fine and nothing has happened to them. Please."


    "Don''t worry Mr. West, your daughters are fine." Oliver heaved a sigh of relief. He did not notice that Ian had only mentioned his daughters and not his wife.


    "Did they do anything to my daughters?"


    "No. If my assumptions are correct, they only kept an eye on them. They did not dare to do anything to them."


    "How do you know about this?"


    "Noah had asked his men to make sure they were safe. So, we have an idea of what might have happened."


    "Thank god. My family is safe. Thank you so much for taking care of them. I don''t think I would have wanted to live if something were to happen to them." Oliver looked at him with gratitude, his eyes tearing up a little. "I will be indebted to you for life."


    "Mr. West, it''s fine. You might not be knowing this. Aria and I know each other since high school. She is also my colleague. It was only recently I found out that she was your daughter."


    "What? You know Aria. How is she? My little girl must be doing good. She must have become a good doctor like she always wanted to. Am I right?" Oliver asked him excitedly just like a child.


    "Yes, Mr. West. Your daughter has turned out to be a fine woman and an incredible doctor."


    "Have you met my other daughter, Ivy?"


    "No. Joshua has met her and even without meeting her I can say that she is an awesome journalist."


    "Yes, yes. My daughters are outstanding." Tears fell off Oliver''s eyes. He couldn''t control his happiness on hearing about his daughters. He missed them dearly. All he wanted to do was to meet his family and hug them until he was satisfied.


    "Sir, we want to tell them about you. But we fear that the people who are after you are still in the belief that you are alive. So, we did not want to put your daughter''s life in danger."


    "What do you mean? Are they still keeping an eye on my family?" Oliver was stupefied with the news. His heart which had finally returned to normal started to get agitated again.


    "No Sir. But the case you have been working on, before the mishap happened has resurfaced once again. So, the mastermind behind it is still lurking around somewhere in the country and we do not want them to know about you, at least for now. And don''t worry, nothing will happen to your daughters. Noah has taken up the responsibility personally to keep your daughters safe." Ian assured him and mumbled to himself, "He has to make sure that they are safe. It''s his woman and her family in question. He wouldn''t want anything to happen to his in-laws."


    Oliver gave him a weird look. He had heard Ian mutter something under his breath, but he had not heard it clearly. "Did you say something?"


    "No. Nothing."


    The room became silent, both men having their own thoughts. While Oliver was happy that his family was doing fine, Ian was envisaging what would happen when he found out about his wife, Susan. He also wanted to reveal that Aria was in a relationship with Noah. Since it was not his matter in the first place, he chose to remain silent. It was up to Noah or Aria to inform about it.


    After a long stretch of silence, Ian opened his mouth. "Sir, do you have anything else to ask?"


    "I have this one question in mind. Did none of the doctors who were involved in the scandal get caught? I had collected a lot of evidence."


    "Sir, other than the Royal Hospital, all other hospitals have been forced to shut down and their license has been canceled. But I am not sure about the doctors involved in this. I believe not all of them were caught."


    "At least the hospitals were closed. And what happened to Royal Hospital?"


    "Sir, that is my hospital right now. After the incident came to light, I bought it. I didn''t want to close it as it was my mentor''s gift to me."


    "What? It was Theo''s hospital?" Oliver asked perplexed.


    "No Sir. When I was young, I had told my mentor about my aim to be a doctor. So, he had bought some shares of the Royal Hospital secretly and had gifted it to me when I successfully became a doctor six years back. So, when I heard that the hospital was about to be closed, I bought it with my friend''s help and renovated it completely." Ian said, reminiscing the day when his mentor had given him the shares document. He had been overjoyed that day. But when he had found out that it was going to be shut down, he had done all he could to stop it.


    "Your parents must be very proud of you," Oliver said with pride after hearing Ian''s words only to get silence in return. Ian did not reveal anything about him and his family. He was yet to come in terms with his family. Ian noticed that Oliver was exhausted. The long talk had tired him out. Not wanting to take any more of his time, he stood up.


    "Mr. West, I''ll send your breakfast. Please don''t forget to take the medicines after eating."


    Oliver nodded with a smile on his face. Ian gave him a small glance and walked out of the room. He was relieved that the man had taken the news quite well, better than he had expected.

 Chapter 157: Warehouse

    Ian dragged his body to his cabin, his thoughts running in various directions. He slumped on his chair as soon as he entered inside and everything that happened to him in the past flashed before his eyes. He remembered the day first met his mentor.


    It was more than fifteen years ago. Ian was in an isolated warehouse. He did not know how he got there or who brought him there. The last thing he remembered was sleeping on his bed in his house. But when he opened his eyes he found himself in a warehouse with many kids of his age around him. They looked scared and many were even crying. He had no idea where he was but he was sure he was in danger. Ian was a lot more observant than the kids of his age. So, he could see wherever he was, was not at all a good place.


    Ian was not the one to panic. But at that moment he could help but feel scared, terrified even. He had to save himself before it became too late. Just from the looks of the kids, he was sure that this place was nothing but a nightmare. He could see wounds on their hands and feet as though they had been whipped. He scooted close to the nearest boy who was staring at the wall silently.


    "Hey, what place is this?" He whispered softly, yet the boy was startled hearing him speak. He looked younger than Ian maybe six or seven while Ian was eight at that time.


    "You must be new here." The boy said giving him a thorough look. "When did you come here?"


    "I have no idea. What place is this?" Ian answered honestly.


    "Have you heard of child kidnappers?"


    Ian nodded. He had heard about it from his father. Recently, there had been a surge in the number of children getting kidnapped. The next moment his body stiffened.


    "You guessed it right. You have been kidnapped."


    "Why?" Ian forced the word out. How did his life end up here? Who was responsible for it? His mind was filled with all possible questions but with no answers.


    "I have no idea either. I got here two weeks ago."


    "Have you not tried escaping?" Ian looked at him hopefully. If there was a possibility for him to escape this hell hole, he wouldn''t even think twice to do so.


    "It''s a waste to even try. Those who try to escape are placed it another room and from what I have heard, it is worse than this place. People who go there never return. You see that boy over there." Ian followed his eyes to see an older boy sitting at the corner with his head leaning against the wall.


    Ian''s eyes widened in horror. The boy looked miserable. There was dried blood on his forehead, his cheeks had handprints as though he had been slapped many times. His eyes looked hollow, he looked as good as dead. If not were the fact that his chest was moving up and down as he breathed, Ian would have assumed him to be dead. He looked nothing less than a corpse.


    "He is the only one who came back from there. Since the day he returned, he has not spoken a word. His entire body was covered with whip lashes and he was bleeding in many places. But they did not even give him any medicine or treat his wound."


    Ian''s gaze was fixed the boy for a long time as he listened to the boy beside him. The door to the warehouse opened and three burly looking men walked in. They were carrying packages of food in their hands and without another word, they threw it in front of the group of kids.


    Ian and the boy had stopped talking seeing them enter. Seeing their physical appearance, Ian was sure that he could never outrun even if he wanted to. They looked strong and he would die with just a punch from them. He saw them throw something and they immediately left the room after locking it.


    "That''s food. Eat as much as you can right now because you won''t be getting anything until dinner." The warned him and dashed to pick up one of the packages. Ian too followed suit. He was quite hungry since the time he had woken up and was not sure he could handle it until dinner.


    "What about lunch?"


    "Never had it since the time I came here." The boy answered as he gobbled his first sandwich as fast as he could. He then opened the second one. Ian opened the first sandwich and looked around the room to see all the kids were eating hungrily. It looked like they had been starved for a long time. His eyes fell on the boy at the corner. He was the only one sitting still, he had not moved from his place even at the sight of food.


    "Isn''t he going to eat?"


    "He hasn''t touched food for two days."


    "Didn''t anybody go talk to him?"


    "It''s useless. He never speaks." By then, the boy had finished his three sandwiches."Aren''t you going to eat it?" He pointed at the two sandwiches in Ian''s hands as he rubbed his hands to remove the crumbs.


    Ian took a bite and glanced at the boy in the corner once again. "Will they allow us to leave this room? I mean, have you ever left this room?"


    "Yes, every alternate day they take us somewhere and make us work. That is the only time we are allowed to leave this place."


    Ian looked at him perplexed. "What kind of work?"


    "Every week it''s different. Some days we are asked to pack boxes, some days its'' to clean factories. It varies each time."


    Ian finished his first sandwich and opened the next one. His eyes darted to the silent boy once again and he couldn''t stop himself. He got up the next moment and went to him.


    "Where are you going? He is not going to respond." Ian did not heed the boy''s words. He went and sat beside the lonely boy.


    "Hey. I brought you a sandwich. I am sure you are hungry. Eat it." He placed the sandwich on the boy''s lap and waited for him to pick to up. The boy for a moment was stunned, he stared at Ian and then at the sandwich. And then, he went back to staring at the wall. He did not give any other response, not even a reaction. Ian waited for a long time, but when he noticed that the boy was not going to eat. He gave up and went back to his seat.


    "I told you. He is not going to eat."


    "There''s is nothing wrong in trying. By the way, I am Sebastian. What is your name?"


    "I am Ronnie."

 Chapter 158: Return the favor

    Two days had passed just like that and Ian was still stuck in the warehouse. He had gone to work and as Ronnie had said, they were made to work at factories. All they were asked to do was wrap boxes and there were a lot of them, more than a thousand. He had also witnessed how cruel his kidnappers were and even he had experienced it first hand when he had been whipped once for giving one of the men a glare.


    After that, he had not anything that would bring him in a spot, though secretly he was still plotting his escape. Also, every time he was provided food, he wouldn''t forget to get one to the silent boy in the hopes that he would eat it. The boy was becoming weak and he was losing a lot of weight. It looked like he had nothing but bones in his body. Though at first, the boy did not even give him a glance, after two days, to everyone''s surprise, he picked up the sandwich and ate it. But he did not say a word to him and Ian was fine with it as long as he ate something.


    On the third day, something miracle happened. The kids in the warehouse heard a siren early in the morning and after an hour or so, the warehouse door opened and this time it was not the men who they usually saw. Instead, they looked like the police who had come to rescue the kids. Leading the police, were two men who were dressed differently. They looked rich just from their attire alone.


    "Oh Lord", one of the men who was in an all-black attire, exclaimed looking at the children and the state they were in. "We need to treat their wounds."


    "Yes. Let''s get them out of here first." The other man said and started helping the kids to get out of this hell. There were two large vans outside the warehouse and the children were taken there one by one. Ian could see that these men were good. So, he cooperated with them wholeheartedly, unlike the other kids who were weary of them in the beginning.


    It took almost two hours for them to convince the kids that they were safe and they would be returning to their families. Except for Ian and the silent boy, everybody had got inside the van. When Ian trying to help the police, somebody had pulled him and the boy somewhere. He had tried shouting, but the next moment, his mouth was sealed with a cloth. Whoever it was dragged the two boys forward.


    "Tch, tch. Look who is here. The great son of the Carter family, Samuel Carter and his famous nameless bodyguard. I wonder what brings you here." The man spoke, pointing his gun at Ian.


    "Who the hell are you and what do you want? Leave those kids out of this." Samuel spoke, his eyes emitting a deadly aura. He was a very righteous man, it always annoyed him to see any innocent getting hurt. And right now, there were two kids who were held at gunpoint and one of them was his guard and best friend''s son.


    Samuel had been shocked when he had seen the boy. He looked so weak and fragile that he was worried the boy might faint at any moment. He wondered how his friend was doing and gave him a glance. To Samuel''s surprise, his friend looked calm. There was not a hint of worry in his eyes, instead, there was happiness. For eleven days, he had been searching for his missing son and finally they had found him. He was ecstatic on seeing him.


    "I am a man who was doing my job perfectly well, until you came to spoil it." The man laughed and in the next second, he pushed his gun to Ian''s forehead. The poor guy, who was already sweating in fear, felt his legs shiver. ''Is this the end of me? Won''t I be able to see my parents and my brother at all? Am I going to die here?''


    "No, don''t. Leave those kids alone. Let''s talk in a civilized manner." Samuel tried to compromise. However, the man denied it immediately.


    "No way. If I leave my hostages right now, I am sure I will end up dead and you know what, I would prefer dying than compromising with you. I know there is nothing that could benefit me."


    "What if we will let you go?"


    "Do you take me to a fool? I know you have your people securing this area. I might not be able to get far."


    "Then, what do you want to do?"


    "I want to kill these kids." The man said and this time he pointed his gun at the other boy. The next moment, the man in black started to emit a terrifying aura which even Ian could sense. He did not know what got over him at that moment, he bit his captor''s hand so hard that he could taste blood in his mouth. The man was momentarily stunned and he tried to free his hand. Ian looked at the boy and mouthed him to run and the boy did just as he was told.


    Seeing that the man was distracted, Samuel and his friend tried to get close to him. But to their horror, the man freed his hand and slapped Ian. "You bastard. Now you are going to die." Ian was standing face to face with his captor and he could see the man''s face scrunch up in anger. He pointed his gun to his head and he unlocked it. Ian did not know what had happened, somebody had pushed him and the next second he had heard the gunshot.


    "No....." The man in black shouted as Samuel shot the captor who was completely unguarded and the man fell down dead. Ian turned to look at what had happened and saw that the boy had taken the shot for him and now he was lying in a pool of his blood. He could clearly see that he was not breathing, the boy was dead.


    It was then he realized that the boy had returned his favor for giving him food by saving his life.

 Chapter 159: Abandoned

    It had been a week since Ian had been rescued by the police. All the kids had been admitted to the hospital to get their wounds treated. After that, they had been made to take counseling sessions from a therapist. The children had been traumatized from being locked in the warehouse. So, it was very necessary to get them out of the trauma.


    The police had also tried to contact the kids'' parents to inform them about their kids. Within a week, all the kids parents'' had come to take their child away. However, they had to wait until the counseling ended. So, they had stayed a few days until the sessions completed.


    Time passed and it was already two months. All the kids had left with the parents, except Ian. He had also attended the counseling. However, he had not spoken much during the time. His mind could not forget the boy''s lifeless body as his father hugged him and cried. After he had been shot, somebody had taken Ian with him. So, he could not see what happened later on. Since none of the other kids had seen the gruesome scene, it had not affected them as much as it had affected Ian.


    The police had come to meet Ian again that day. They were worried as nobody had come forward to contact him, let alone meet him. They had also checked the address Ian had given them to contact his family. However, to their dismay, the house was locked and on inquiring the neighbors, they found out that the family had moved out after a month. Nobody had any idea where they had gone.


    The police had then gone to the nearest police station to see if any missing complaint was registered. But, there was nothing. Nada. Having no other choice, they had returned to Ian. Now, they were standing in front of the boy, looking at him with pity. "Do you have someone you want to contact, any family or friend?"


    Ian shook his head. He was not that close to any of his relatives, nor did he have many friends. Whenever he had tried to make friends, he would end up getting annoyed by their immature behavior. It was not his fault though, his mind was a lot mature than his peers. So, he had stopped mingling with them. Now, he had no idea where to go. He had also noticed that he was also in another city, far away from where he lived.


    "What shall we do now?" The police spoke among themselves. Right now, Ian was in an orphanage under police protection. From the looks of the police, Ian had realized that his family had not yet approached them asking about him, unlike the other parents who had rushed to meets their kids. It did not take him long to deduce that his family had abandoned him and this made him despondent.


    "Let''s discuss this with Mr. Carter." The other policeman said and the two men left Ian alone in the room.


    Ian''s heart which was already dispirited turned even more melancholic hearing them. ''Did I become so unbearable that nobody wants me now? What did I ever do anybody? Why is this happening to me?''


    As far as Ian knew, he had been a good boy though at times he had been straight-forward. He had never hurt anybody and had been an obedient boy. At times, he had yearned for the familial love which he had been missing all these years. But he had never complained about it to anyone. Now that the reality had shown its presence, he could clearly see that he was not wanted by his family. This was making him depressed and he started to loathe himself for no fault of his.


    The policemen returned after an hour. However, his time they were being accompanied by another man. Ian recognized him to be the one who had lost his son the day he was saved. The man nodded at the policemen and they left him and Ian alone.


    The man took a thorough look at Ian, his eyes softening a little. He did not hesitate to caress the boy''s cheek gently. Ian looked at him startled, unsure of what he had in mind. The man pulled the chair and sat in front of Ian. Ian noticed that he had lost some weight, but he looked as intimidating as ever. He looked more refined than the last time he had met him.


    "Are you alright child?" The man asked Though his voice was hoarse, Ian could sense the worry and concern in his voice.


    "Yes, sir."


    "Good. I am sorry that you had to go through such agony at such a young age." The man bowed as he held Ian''s hands.


    "Please do not apologize sir. It was not your mistake, in fact, it was because of you and your son that I am even alive."


    At the mention of his son, the man''s face saddened even further and for a moment Ian felt as though he had dug up his old, painful memories. "You are a lot mature and wise than I thought. I''ll come to point without beating around the bush." Ian listened to him intently to see what he had in mind.


    "Now that we are unable to locate your family, what have you thought to do?"


    "I have no idea, sir."


    "In that case, do you want to come with me?"


    Ian looked at him bewildered. He did not know what to say, so he forced out the only word he had in mind. "Why?"


    "Let''s just say you were the last person my son was close to. he saved your life and that means he had you in his heart."


    Ian''s eyes widened. He had not done anything that could make the boy to like him, other than giving him food. ''Did the boy like me for that?'' Ian noticed the man''s eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to speak. "But I do not want to be a burden to you."


    "You are not a burden to me. I just lost a son and you don''t know where your family is. So, we could support each other..." The man''s suggestion that had Ian thinking.


    "I am not going to force you. It is up to you if you want to come with me or not, but I would be happy if you would." Ian could see the tenderness from the man''s eyes which he had never seen in his father. This was the first time he had experienced such warmth and it made him feel happy.


    The man got up to go, but Ian''s next words stopped him. "Sir, I am ready to go with you."


    "Then, in that case, you will call me mentor from now on. Before that, what is your name child?"


    "Ian, sir. My name is Ian." Ian had no idea what came to his mind at that moment and what made him blurt out that name. But he never regretted what he had done. The man had given him more love than he had ever received from anybody.

 Chapter 160: Friends

    Ian went along with the man to his house. It was big, bigger than the house he had lived in before. He looked around like a curious puppy, taking in the new environment. The house had a warm atmosphere making him feel at home instantly. Ian saw the pictures of the boy who had died and along with his parents on the wall and it made him a little depressed. However, when he saw a lot of dishes on the dining table, his eyes lit up again.


    The man pulled a chair for him to sit. "You must be hungry. Let''s eat something." The duo ate in silence. Ian noticed that the man was not a big talker or it was maybe they had just met, he was being silent. But it was not awkward. Ian ate a lot of food, more than he had eaten when he was in the orphanage and the man''s smiled seeing this. ''At least the kid was returning to normal.''


    After eating, the man took him to a room. "This was my son''s room. From now on, this will be yours."


    Ian was surprised. He had not expected the man to take him to his house, let alone give him his son''s room. ''This place must be dear to him and it would not be good if I took it.'' Ian thought.


    "Sir, but this is your son''s room.." Ian trailed.


    "Yes, and now it will be yours." The man declared and Ian could do nothing but to accept it. The man had given him one look which had made him agree to his words without delay.


    "Good. Get some rest and we will go shopping later. I do not have any clothing in your size."


    Now Ian could not deny his words. He truly did not have any clothes with him. All that he had been wearing for the past two months belonged to the kids in the orphanage and while coming his mentor had asked him not to bring anything with him.


    After four hours, Ian had a full wardrobe of shirts and pants as well as four pairs of shoes. The boy was more than astonished by the amount of money that was spent on him. Every time his mentor had picked up a shirt or a pant, Ian had tried to deny it only to get a glare in return. Ian had accepted it and had come to terms that nothing he said or did could stop the man from buying him what he wanted. So, he allowed him to do as he wished.


    "Now that you have all that you require, let''s go and find yourself a school. We do not want you wasting your seven months sitting idle."


    "But sir..."


    "What? You don''t want to go to school?" The man narrowed his eyes again and all of Ian''s courage vanished like a poof.


    "Nothing."


    "Good. I wanted you to go to the school that Noah and Joshua study in. But they do not allow mid-term admissions. I can only send you to the next best school."


    Ian wondered who Noah and Joshua were. ''Were they related to the man? Are they his sons? Will I be meeting them?''


    "Don''t worry. I''ll introduce them to you someday." The man replied as though sensing the questions in Ian''s mind.


    The next day, Ian was finally admitted to a school. It was the same school where Ivy and Aria were studying. He liked it at once. This one was way better than the school he previously studied in. It was huge and had a big playground. He found everything in there interesting. Looking at Ian''s twinkling eyes, the man was satisfied.


    "Your classes will start from tomorrow. So, you have a day. Do you want to do something?"


    Ian looked at him blankly. He did not know anything here. Everything looked different from where he had come. Everything was new and his mentor had already done a lot for him. He was not ready to burden him more.


    Looking at the boy''s hesitance, the man guessed what was going on in the boy''s mind. He sighed. He realized that the boy needed more time to get adjusted to him. "It''s okay. Let''s go home for now."


    That night, Ian was so excited that he could not sleep properly. He was anticipating for the next day to come so that he could go to his new school. When the time actually came, he was as nervous as ever. Ian was in front of the school gate, his feet stuck to the spot. His mentor tried all he could to lessen his anxiousness, but to no avail.


    Finally, after a lot of coaxing, Ian entered the school and went to his class. He had expected his classmates to be arrogant and to not accept him. However, to his surprise, he had made quite a number of good friends. On the way home, he narrated all that happened at school to his mentor and the man listened as intently as possible. The man noticed that the kid looked a livelier than before.


    This went on for a few days and Ian had opened up to the man. They would joke around at the dining table and Ian would tell him all that he had done during the day. One day, his mentor brought Ian to someplace.


    "Ian, now that you are all settled, I want you to train."


    "Train?" The boy looked at him confused.


    "Yes. You need to learn self-defense. If something like that happens to you again the future, at least you must be able to protect yourself." The man had kept his son away from all of these as he felt that with him present, his son would not be in any sort of danger. However, he had been wrong. If only he had trained his son, maybe he would be alive and happy.


    "You will be there for me right?" Ian looked at him hopefully. It was not that he did not want to train, but he was scared.


    "Ian, don''t worry. If you are not ready, I won''t force you." The man assured him. "But listen to me. The world is not as good as you think it to be. You need to be physically and mentally strong to protect yourself or people will take advantage of you. Now it''s up to you to decide if you want to go ahead or not."


    Ian thought for a while. He had experienced first hand that not all men were good and what his mentor had said was true. He had to train himself to become strong and powerful. Nobody but him will responsible for his own life and when the time comes, it would be his abilities that would help him avoid danger.


    Ian turned to face his mentor with determination in his eyes. "I am ready."


    "Good, let''s go. The boys must be waiting for us."


    The man took Ian inside and they walked along the long hallway. They finally entered a room that looked like a training room. Ian saw that there were two boys around his age who were in the midst of training. His mentor left his side and went to give them instructions.


    "Attack him towards his left, it''s his weak point. And Jo, you have given him a loose spot to attack, tighten your stance." The man barked a series of instructions and Ian watched the two boys fight. It took seven minutes for the match to end and nobody had been defeated. Both the boys were panting with sweat trickling down their faces.


    Noah, Joshua, come with me. I am going to introduce someone to you. "This is Ian. He will be training with you now on."


    The boys took a look at Ian and dropped their towels. Without waiting for another moment, one of them punched him right in the face. Ian looked at him in horror. This was the first time, he was meeting him and he had done nothing to them.


    "Noah, what are you doing? Get back here right now." His mentor ordered which went on deaf ears.


    "Relax, mentor. We need to see if he is capable of training with us." Joshua said, taking a sip from his bottle.


    As soon as Ian stabilized himself, Noah punched him again and this time he fell to the ground. His face was bleeding. Before the boy could attack him again, Ian kicked him in his stomach hard and the boy staggered back. Ian got up, ready to defend himself, when the boy instead of attacking held out his hand. "Sorry. I was just testing you to see if you are a weakling or not and you are not. I am Noah."


    "And I am Joshua." The other boy chirped and that was how Ian had met his friends.

 Chapter 161: Decision to be a doctor

    As time slowly passed, Ian had learned to cope up with his new life. It was way better than his previous one. He had found genuine friends in Noah and Joshua and a caring guardian as his mentor. What more could he ask for from life?


    Ian had also come to know that his mentor was related to the underworld and this was not involved in any illegal activities. In fact, this base was mainly to train people to protect the Carter and the Martin families. They only dealt with people who wronged the two families or anybody closely associated with them. They also helped the police by providing them backup whenever there were some serious issues in the country.


    Ian was not disgusted by the idea. Instead, he had agreed with the way the base worked. There were dangerous people lurking around everywhere and they had to be captured if one had to survive. He had wholeheartedly joined the base under his mentor''s guidance. It was then he had met Ronnie. He had no idea how Ronnie ended up there nor did he ask. He just knew that Ronnie was now under the Carter family wing.


    Once, when he was in high school, the school took the students to a scientific camp. It was like an open day where people from all over the country came to view the recent innovations in science and technology. Ian looked at them in wonder. His eyes darting around the amazing things he was seeing. He was walking alone as his school friends had gone to another area to take a look. It was then he noticed a girl from his school, looking intently at the screen placed at the top.


    Every room had a TV screen that would run some of the greatest achievements done in the field of science or technology. There were not many people in the room. He looked at what she was seeing. It was an animated experiment on nanotechnology. It showed how nanoparticles could be used to cure cancer. At once, Ian was interested in it. He too came beside her to get a clear view.


    "That''s so cool." The girl commented and Ian took a look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, but she could still feel his gaze on her. He turned to look at him, startling Ian. She noticed that he was from the same school as hers.


    "Are you interested in medicine too?" She asked.


    "After seeing this, yes. What about you?"


    "Yes. My mother is a biology professor. So, I must have gained some of her genes."


    "Hmm. That''s good. I am Ian by the way, Ian Davis." Ian had by then changed his name from Sebastian to Ian Davis. As he was going to start a new life, he had decided to get a new name too and his mentor had supported him in this decision.


    "Aria West. What class are you in?"


    "I am in eleventh."


    "Then you are my senior. I am in ninth." The two people walked around the camp exchanging their insights on every concept they found to be interesting. Ian noticed that the girl was very intelligent and she expressed her views clearly. He had learned that she wanted to be a cardiologist and this had piqued his interest. When asked, the girl had told him that the world was in need of doctors. Ian had no idea why, but he too wanted to be a doctor at that moment.


    When Aria had told him how good it felt to save someone, Ian had immediately imagined the scene where he actually saved someone. He couldn''t deny that it felt wonderful. When the day had ended, Ian had returned home and had told his mentor about his decision to become a doctor. The man had looked at Ian dumbfounded and he had hugged him for the first time. Ian was stunned beyond words. ''Did I say something wrong?''


    "Do you know my son wanted to be a doctor too." This took Ian by surprise. He had never expected such a coincidence. This gave him a strong motivation to achieve his dreams and he joined one of the best medical schools in the country. To his surprise, Aria had joined the same school two years later. So, she was his junior again. During the time of their studies, they had gone to become good friends, and later Aria had applied to the same hospital for an internship where Ian was working.


    The day Ian had graduated his mentor had given him a document that contained share agreement of the Royal Hospital. Though it was in his mentor''s name, he had gifted it to Ian. He had been overjoyed with the gift and had vowed to be a great doctor.


    Everything in his life was going great. He had good friends and colleagues, and a stable career. So, he had chosen to forget his former family who had not even come to meet him when he was rescued from the kidnappers. He forgot about his parents and his elder brother. He had no idea that just like how he had changed his name, his family too had changed their names to save themselves.


    Ian opened his eyes slowly. His memories had made him go in a daze and he stared blankly into space. He smiled ironically when he realized something. Fate was playing a bad game with him like he was the ball in the game of tennis. When he badly wanted a father, his father had not been present. Instead, the spot was filled by a stranger who later became much more than his life. Now that his father had returned, the person he held dear to his heart was gone. How ironic!


    Though he had given his bone marrow to his birth father, he was yet to come to terms with him. He was not sure if would ever be ready to accept him, but he would definitely ask for an explanation for his past behavior. He had to know why nobody had come to take him. Was he that despicable that they wanted to dispose him of that badly? He even wondered sometimes if they were the ones who sent him to the kidnappers.


    Ian stood up. He had a lot of work to do. Now that Oliver was awake, he did not have to create another antidote for him. However, he had to prepare himself as the day for him to leave to the war field was nearing.

 Chapter 162: Tricked again

    Ivy got up as usual that day. She had to go to meet Max and the others. How long could she evade Tim if he was hell bound on following her? The only thing she could do was to disguise herself and since Aria had not taken the car, she could use it instead of her motorbike. The team had to come up with plans for their agency as well as they had to find people who would be interested in joining them.


    Ivy looked at herself in the mirror with her dressing table filled with a lot of items useful for disguising herself. She could not disguise as another woman as chances of Tim recognizing her was more. So, she picked a beard and a mustache. She had already tied her hair in a tight bun, all she had to do was adjust her wig and baam, Ivy was gone. In her place was a handsome young man who could charm young girls at just one look.


    Ivy adjusted her shirt to look more elegant. Satisfied with her look, she looked at her watch. It was time for her to leave. She picked up her keys and went to the basement. As soon as she left the apartment, she saw Tim in his usual spot waiting for her. She cursed him under her breath. "Crap. This man has no better work to do. Am I that pretty that he is stalking me like an obsessed lover? I hope that''s not the case."


    Tim had no idea that Ivy had left right in front of him in the car that just passed by him. He continued to keep an eye on the building waiting for Ivy to step out. The previous day, he had not kept an eye on anyone he had some urgent work to finish. Later, he had seen Max and the others on the Food Street having a good time. He only saw the four of them, Ivy was missing. He noticed them looking around the area, probably trying to find a restaurant.


    Tim had followed them all the way when, to his horror, they had suddenly turned back and he had been busted. They had seen him. Not knowing what to do, he had gone to them. "Hello, guys. Are you here to have fun?"


    "No, we are here to buy restaurants." Cedric had taunted him the next second making it awkward for Tim to continue speaking.


    "We are here to eat. What about you?" Max answered for him.


    "Me too. Since you guys left the office, it has become dull and boring. I miss you people a lot. By the way, where is Ivy? Is she not here?" Tim looked behind them to see if Ivy was somewhere in the area.


    Nobody said a thing about him missing them. They knew it was not true. He was not the one to miss him when it was because of him they had lost their jobs. "Ivy is at home," Kira replied followed by a smile.


    Tim was unsure, but he felt that the smile was not as friendly as it looked. In fact, he could detect the hostility from the group. ''Did they know I was following them. No, that''s not possible. Maybe, it''s the sadness and anger from getting sacked.'' He concluded.


    "Did she not join you?"


    "No, she has some other important stuff to attend to."


    "Since you guys are here to eat as well, may I join you? I don''t want to be alone and we could have fun like we used to." Tim suggested. He had his reasons for doing so. He wanted to find out if the group was up to something now that they had a lot of time on their hands.


    "Sure." Max agreed and the other three people''s heads had snapped to look at him. Getting a warning glance from him, they had reluctantly agreed with the idea. They had gone to eat pizzas and pasta as Sasha had suggested.


    However, nothing as Tim had expected had happened. They had not spoken a word that could be of any use to him. All they discussed was about the new movies in the theaters as well as some good songs. At one moment, an argument ensued between Sasha and Cedric to see whose acting was the best while playing Batman, Ben Affleck, or Christian Bale.


    Noticing that the situation was not in his favor, he initiated the conversation. "What are you guys up to now that you do not have a job?"


    The group fell silent at once. This was a question they had been waiting for him to ask.


    "Right now, I am going to relax for a bit. Not everybody is lucky to get such an opportunity and to be honest, I am a little tired. So, I am going to take a break for a month or two." Kira voiced out as she glanced at Tim.


    "That''s good. Some times it''s good to take time for oneself." Tim believed her completely for her relief. "What about the others?"


    "My parents want me to give them a visit. Maybe I could go and stay at their place for a few days." Sasha was the next one to answer. Tim had no idea that the team had already prepared their answers for this question long back.


    "That''s cool. What about Ced and Max?"


    Hearing Tim address him as Ced, Cedric had the urge to punch him in the face. They were not even that close for crying out loud. But he controlled himself. "I am looking for a job. I don''t know when we will be called back. I am not sure if I can wait that long."


    Max immediately agreed with Ced. "Yes, I agree with him. We cannot sit idle for long. So, it''s best we start searching for new jobs."


    The group conversed for a long time as they eat their pizzas while Tim gave a satisfied look. He had got what he wanted and the only person left was Ivy. He had to find out what she was up to. So, the next day he had resumed his work. However, he had no idea that Ivy was two steps ahead of him. She had tricked him again and he no idea about it. The poor guy waited the entire day, but he did not even a glimpse of her.

 Chapter 163: Planning a date

    Aria had finished her work by the time it was one. She hated working night shifts as it always made her weary and sleepy. But she had no choice. It was not only her but many other doctors worked at night. So, she had no right to complain. Also, it was not every day that she had to work night shifts.


    She picked up her belongings and left the hospital. At least she did not have to drive her car today. She had just stepped out of the hospital when she got a call from Noah, taking her by surprise. She wondered if Noah had set up CCTV cameras around the hospital to see if she was done with work. Whenever she would finish her work, she would get a call from him.


    "Hey." She picked, her voice gentle and soothing. Noah, who had just finished a meeting with his employees, felt serene just listening to her voice. The previous night he had missed her call as he had gone to sleep. He had no idea that Aria had called him until he looked at his phone in the morning. Immediately, he had dialed back. However, Aria had told him that she was busy and she would call him once her shift ended at one.


    Lo and behold, instead of her calling him, he had called her and Aria was not even surprised. He had always been like this. It was as though he could sense whenever she was off work.


    "Hey, I apologize that I cannot come to pick you today."


    "No problem. I know you have work to do and it is more important."


    "No, it is not. Nothing is more important than you."


    "Yes, it is. If you are not going to work hard how are you going to feed me in the future." Aria answered without thinking, her eyes widened the next second when it struck her. ''What did I even say? I must have gone crazy working the night. I need sleep, yes it''s the sleep that''s making me speak weird things.'' She consoled herself.


    "Don''t worry love your man has money that can feed ten generations of Carter family. I am not going to let my sweetheart starve." Noah had heard her clearly and his lips perked up in a smile. It sounded so good to here Aria speak about their future together. He immediately imagined a huge house with a large garden surrounded by a fence. Aria was sitting in the middle of the garden with three children running around and playing in front of her while he watched them with a smile. It looked too blissful and beautiful that he wanted to make it true at all costs.


    "Who said I am starving? I am not starving." Aria tried to refute to hide her embarrassment. If Noah was here, he would have seen her red ears and neck. She was blushing furiously.


    "Yes yes. I am not going to let you starve. If you feel hungry, you can eat me too and I wouldn''t mind it." Noah said, his voice devoid of any emotion.


    "Noah," Aria was flustered by his flirting. Who knew that the devil had such a flirtatious mouth? He knew what exactly to tell her to make her heart go crazy and as expected her mind and heart were already on a haywire.


    "Yes, darling?"


    "Go back to work. I have to go home."


    At that moment somebody came to her and bowed in front of her, scaring the shit of her. His movements were so fluid that she had not noticed him at all. She was about to rebuke for his unruly behavior when she paused suddenly after seeing who it was. "Ronnie, what are you doing here?"


    Noah who still on the phone heard her. "He has come to pick you up. I apologize that I could not come." Aria''s heart was filled with warmth. He had kept her a priority even though he was busy and this showed how much he cared about her.


    "Aria, I have to go. Talk to you later."


    Aria followed Ronnie to the car and got in silently, which he noticed. She was abnormally silent and he couldn''t help but ask, "Madam, are you alright?"


    His words brought her out of her stupor. "Ronnie, how many women did Noah go out with in the past?"


    "Just one, though it ended early. Madam is the only one boss likes now and it will be the same in the future."


    "How can you be so sure? What if he breaks up with me?"


    "That will never happen. Boss will never break up with Madam." Ronnie wanted to tell her that it would be her who might initiate a breakup, if the situation comes to that, once the truth came out in the future. If his boss had the power, he would never let her go. "I have never seen my boss this happy with any other woman."


    Aria nodded and went into deep thought. It was true that Noah treated her good and he cared for her deeply. She had seen it when he had come to pick her up even if he himself had been tired from work. Who would do that unless they did not love and cherish that person? The realization made Aria''s jaw drop. ''Does Noah love me?'' But the next second she brushed those thoughts out of her head. They were still at the beginning stage of their relationship to call it love.


    Aria then recollected that it was always Noah who had done things for her and made her happy. She had not done anything for him and then the next second an idea struck her. "Ronnie, when does Noah get off work today?"


    "At seven, if the meetings do not get prolonged. Why do you ask Madam?"


    "I want to take him on a date." Ronnie''s eyes lit up on hearing her words. Aria was going to take his boss on a date, that was so damn cool. He could imagine how surprised and happy his boss would with the turn of events.


    "Please don''t tell him. I want it to be a surprise. I''ll text you the address, just bring him there by eight." Ronnie agreed immediately. He would be ever ready to help his boss and madam to get together.


    "Okay."


    "Don''t forget he has to be there by eight," Aria warned him, but with a smile on her face. Ronnie nodded excitedly, but the next second his eyes darkened. They were near Aria''s apartment already when he noticed a man he was all too familiar with in the area. At that moment, he had only one thought in mind.


    ''What the hell is Tim doing here?''

 Chapter 164: Blessed

    While Aria was busy planning a date, Valerie was having a headache. She had returned to work after a long time and the murder case, she and her team had been handling, had been transferred to another team and she had no idea about it. Nobody had told her or anybody in her team about the case transfer.


    "What the fuck?" Ryder exclaimed loudly on hearing the news. "How can they take our case and that too without informing us?"


    Valarie had no answer to his question while Preston looked on. He too was angry with the way the events had turned out to be. They were gone for a few days but that did not mean they had not been working. Even when they were in the hospital, they had been working trying to find out who was behind the three murders. But they had not got any leads and it was giving them a huge trouble.


    They had even checked the sites where the murders had taken place, interrogated people, searched for clues, and did everything they could, but with no results. They had reached a dead end. Now, the case had been taken off their hands and given to another team. This was unacceptable.


    "Val, let''s go to Chief. He might know about it." Ryder suggested after some time.


    "There is no use. He was the one who transferred the case. I called him regarding the matter and he informed me."


    "You have got to be kidding me." Preston kicked the table near him in anger. "Why is he doing this to us?"


    "No idea though. We cannot do anything about it now." Valarie said with a sigh.


    "What do we do now?" Preston looked at her, his eyes still emitting anger.


    "We will solve the other cases. Get the video. Let''s see who was in my ward when I was unconscious."


    Ryder handed her the pen drive. The previous day, although they had wanted to see the contents of the pen drive, they could not as Valarie had to go report to Frederick all that had happened to her and this taken a lot of their time. They had no time to take a look at the pen drive. So, they had decided to watch it the next day.


    Valarie inserted the drive to her laptop and waited for it to open. There was only one file on it. She played it and it showed the day''s recording the mystery man entered her room. It had the entire day''s recording. So, they had to fast forward it a few hours when they finally found the part they were looking for.


    "Wait, rewind," Valarie said, her eyes widening. Preston did as he was told and went back a few minutes. They saw the room door open and they waited for the man to show his face. However, he had entered the room after stopping at the door for a few seconds. At that moment, there was a nurse who was changing her blood bag. Valarie immediately recognized the man to be Jared Augustus. He was a business tycoon who had gained status and success in the recent years.


    "What is Jared doing in my room?" She said out loud as the two men narrowed their eyebrows in confusion. They had no idea too. Valarie was no way related to him nor was she acquainted with him. In fact, she had not even met him in the first place for him to know about her. This was something to be suspicious about. When he had no idea who she was, why would he visit her?


    "He looks suspicious. Do you think he was the one behind your accident?" Preston asked the question that was eating his head.


    "I have no idea. Maybe, maybe not. But, how did he find out about it in the first place when it was hidden from everyone."


    "What shall we do now?" Ryder was the one to speak.


    "Looks like I should formally introduce myself to him now. Let''s see how he reacts to seeing me."


    "How are you going to do that?" Preston and Ryder looked at her waiting to see what she had in her mind.


    "I am going to bait him. Since he has shown his face clearly to the camera and the nurse has also seen him, he can deny not visiting me. Let''s see what he has to say."


    "Hmm. That''s a good idea."


    "Preston, get his appointment for tomorrow. I have to thank him for giving me a visit when was injured."


    Preston gave her a knowing smile and immediately set to work. After five minutes, he returned with a smirk on his face. "All done. Twelve p.m, Jared''s office."


    "Great." At that moment, pain shot through Valarie''s head and she groaned. "Ouch."


    "What happened Val? Are you alright? Do you feel pain anywhere? Ryder and Preston went to her, worry apparent in their eyes.


    "I am fine. It''s just a little painful."


    "I told you to take rest for a few more days. Stubborn women." Ryder chided her.


    "What? I was bored alright."


    "Anyway, did you take your medicines for the day?"


    Valarie pulled out her tongue in guilt and looked at her shoe. Out of nowhere, her shoe was the most interesting thing to her at that moment. She had forgotten to take her medicines and she knew that Preston and Ryder would set off like a rocket if they found out about it. They had repeatedly reminded her to take her pills on time to get better soon and she had ignored just that.


    "You forgot to take your medicines, isn''t it?" Preston asked, his hands folded as he glared at her. She looked just like a small kid who had been caught doing mischievous deeds in front of the two tall men.


    "Do you hate yourself or something?" Ryder looked at her silently while Preston was the one who did all the questioning. Valarie had to be reprimanded. She had no regard for her life whatsoever and this was not the first time she had done it.


    "No. Why would I hate myself?"


    "Then, why do you want to stay sick for long?"


    Looking Valarie being silent, the men sighed. They could do nothing to her. She had always been this way. "Look, this is the last time. If this habit of yours continues, I am not going to speak to you forever."


    "Add me in," Ryder said. "Now, where are your medicines."


    Valarie pointed to her bag and Ryder got it for her and handed her a glass of water. She took the prescribed pills immediately without delay and sighed in relief. She had calmed the raging beasts for now, otherwise, these people would have not spared her. But her heart was filled with warmth thinking that she had such good friends who took good care of her. She was truly blessed to have these two people in her life.

 Chapter 165: Fake fight

    Aria had planned out everything for the date. As soon as she had got home, she had made the bookings with Ronnie''s help. Though she did not know much, it did not matter as Ronnie gave her a lot of suggestions. It was as though the duo had suddenly become close to each other like brother and sister planning mischievous things in secret.


    When Noah had finished his meeting, he saw Ronnie texting and smiling. He found it to be weird as he had never seen him like this before. The naughty grin on his face reminded him of a prankster who was planning a disaster in secret. But he did not give a second thought. Only if he had known that his personal guard was texting his girlfriend then he would have lost it for sure.


    It was Ronnie who had told Aria to converse by texting. He knew how his boss was. Noah was a ticking time bomb that would explode as though it had its own mind. On Aria''s instructions, Ronnie had made all the arrangements.


    Meanwhile, Noah had to go meet a client at a hotel which was quite far from the place Aria had set her venue for the date. Ronnie scratched his head in confusion. How was he going to tell his boss now? The meeting was at four and the traveling time took one hour for one way. So, he was not sure how to stop his boss.


    "Boss, can''t we postpone today''s meeting?" He asking trying to look courageous in front of Noah. His words were enough for Noah to snap his head towards him and raise his eyebrows. Ronnie had never questioned him anything regarding his work. This was the first time and he was surprised. Why was he behaving this way? Was something wrong with him?


    "Ronnie, what''s the matter?"


    "Nothing boss. It''s just that I feel a little sick."


    "Is it? Then let''s go to the hospital?" Noah got up from his chair immediately and took his coat and walked forward.


    "No, no. Boss, it''s just a mild headache. I am feeling a little sleepy that''s it."


    "Is it? Go take rest in my private lounge. I''ll go with Shane."


    "But boss..."


    "Ronnie go." Noah gave him one look which made him shut up and he immediately went to the lounge. He paced back and forth inside trying to come up with an idea to stop his boss from leaving the office. He had to do something or else his boss would slip away from his hands. If that happened, his madam would get angry. Any which way, somebody among the couple was bound to get angry and he preferred it to be Noah.


    After seeing Aria''s surprise he would surely forgive him. But if she got angry, then it was fixed that Noah would get angry too and finally he would be the one to suffer. "Madam, please save me this time. I am putting all my trust in you."


    Ronnie then called Shane to cancel today''s meeting at all costs.


    "Why do you want to cancel the meeting? Did boss tell you to call me?" Shane asked him skeptically.


    "No."


    "Then?"


    "Shane, listen to me carefully. Madam has arranged a surprise for our boss today and she wants him at the venue by eight. But the place of her surprise and venue where the meeting is is very far and it takes two hours just by traveling. Did you understand?"


    Shane understood what Ronnie wanted to convey and he also realized whom he was addressing as Madam. The only person who his boss was getting close to in the recent weeks was the lady doctor. So, it had to be her. Now that she had planned something for his boss, how could he sabotage it?


    Moreover, the meeting they had today was not that important. The client had been calling them for long for a meeting but it was Noah who had been stalling it. Finally, he had agreed to it when he noticed that the man would not stop pestering him until he met him. Also, the man had something important which Noah needed. It was a small piece of land right beside his hotel which would be inaugurated in a few days. Noah wanted that land at all costs. So, he had agreed for a meeting with the man.


    After canceling the meeting, Shane entered the room to inform the same to Noah. "Boss, your meeting with Mr. Reeves has been canceled."


    "Is it? Okay."


    By three everything was set. Ronnie had also texted her that the coast was clear and she could proceed with the second step. Aria smiled and immediately called Noah.


    "Hey, you missed me already?" Noah asked. He was exhilarated on seeing her call.


    "Noah, I have something to ask you," Aria answered her voice a little stiff and angry, which he noticed.


    "What happened sweetheart? Is everything alright?" He asked a little scared with the way she was behaving.


    "Don''t sweetheart me. I just found a photo of yours on the internet with another woman. Who is she?"


    Noah panicked immediately on hearing her complain. He did not know who she was talking about. He had already told her about the number of women he had been with. He wondered why she was bringing the topic right now. Before that, he had other things to worry about. He had to coax her first.


    "Aria, I know nothing you are talking about it. I have already told you about my past and...." Noah tried to speak, but he was interrupted midway.


    "Noah, I don''t want to talk to you. I am very angry right now and I don''t even want to see your face. Let''s talk about it tomorrow." Aria hung up the call without waiting for his response. She then smiled to herself. "I am sorry Noah. This is just to surprise. I hope you will not be angry and even if you are, I''ll do everything to pacify you. This is just a fake fight to surprise you." Aria still had four hours to spare. So, she thought of taking a nap and set her alarm for 6.30. Half an hour would be enough for her to get ready.


    Meanwhile, Noah was worked up. He was truly scared that Aria was angry with him. So, he tried calling her but nobody picked it up. He tried many times, but ended up with the same result. He then received a message from her.


    ''Noah, I don''t want to talk to you right now. So, don''t keep calling me. Also, don''t you dare come to my house today. I don''t want to see your face and if you do, I am never going to see your face again.''


    Noah smashed his phone in anger. He had no idea why Aria was behaving unreasonably. He had already come clean in front of her regarding his past flings and she had also told him that it did not matter to her. So, why was she kicking up a fuss about it now?


    Noah sat down and swept all the things on his table in one motion. His anger was at the peak. Ronnie heard the commotion from his room and he ran out immediately. He realized that the plan had worked and Noah was irked.


    "Boss, what happened?"


    "Nothing. Get out."

 Chapter 166: Weird Ronnie

    The marketing department was filled with chaos. As soon as they had received a notification from Shane about the meeting, they knew they were doomed. It was not that they never had meetings before. Every meeting would be preplanned and they would be informed beforehand. If it was called immediately without any preparation, then it meant only one thing; someone had not done their work or their boss was furious regarding something.


    The employees wanted to ask Shane why they were called out of the blue, but they had no time. The meeting would start in twenty minutes and they did not have any reports or materials supporting them. Everything was only half done. However, they could not evade the situation. The only thing they could do was to face the situation head one.


    Noah walked inside the conference room, loosening his tie a bit while Shane and Ronnie followed him. The employees could feel the dark aura he was emitting and the room became cold at once, making them shiver involuntarily. Everybody noticed that Noah was enraged and they concluded that their end was near. He looked nothing less than a raging monster ready to rip off anybody''s head who came in his way.


    "Begin." He ordered and the department manager started giving all the reports they could prepare in the short duration. The poor guy was on the verge of pissing himself on seeing the angry beast in front of him. He stuttered without his knowledge making Noah to stop him.


    "How much do I pay you for your work?" He asked, his voice exceptionally calm. Warning bells set off in everyone''s mind, even Ronnie who knew this was all temporary could not help but tremble. He had never seen him this angry, not even when he had found out about his mentor''s death or Caroline''s truth. He suddenly started to regret coming up with this plan.


    It was he who had suggested Aria to pick up a fight with him. Though Aria was reluctant at first. she eventually agreed that the effect of surprise would be huge after their fight. However, now he was starting to regret it.


    "Boss..." The manager started.


    "Do I pay you so that you can slack off and produce such nonsense work. Looks like the company needs to change its employees." As soon as he said those words everybody stiffened. That''s it, they were going to get fired today.


    "Next." He ordered. The manager could not speak a word. He was trembling vigorously. Seeing his weak state, the assistant manager took over the meeting. He started explaining about all the preparations they were doing to promote their new hotel.


    Noah who had his eyes closed as he listened to him, opened it suddenly making the assistant manager pause. "What crap ideas have you come up with? Are you going to promote my hotel using these thoughts? Even kindergarten kids will produce better results. I think its time I start replacing you with them."


    The manager was almost about to cry hearing his words. Just last week, when they had come up with the idea, Noah had liked it and had asked them to proceed with it. Now, he was objecting to it. What was wrong with him?


    The meeting went on for two hours and by then all the people in the conference room, except Noah, Ronnie and Shane were almost reduced to tears. It looked as though they were in hell waiting for the demon to give his verdict so that they could be punished. Noah stared at his employees, his eyes seething and jaws clenched. After a long time, he barked, "All of you will be getting half-pay for three months. Now get out."


    Though they were sad about the pay cut, they were relieved to have escaped their death that day. At least, they were not going to lose their jobs. When they left the room, everybody had just one thought in mind. If ever they found out who triggered Noah''s anger, they would not leave him for sure. Aria had no idea that people were cursing her as she slept like a log.


    "Shane, call the finance department for a meeting. Tell them it will start in half an hour." With that, he walked out of the room. Ronnie and Shane gave each other a look and shook their heads. Noah took his phone to see if Aria had called him, or even a text message was fine. But there was nothing from her. It looked like she was still angry, when in actuality she was peacefully asleep.


    As soon as Noah had smashed his phone, Ronnie had taken out a new one for him. They had a stock of phones just for him. Whenever Noah was angry, his wrath would first fall on his phone. So, they had to keep extra phones just for him.


    The meeting started exactly in half an hour and they were met with the same wrath from their boss. Noah''s anger had not diminished. In fact, it had increased ten folds and he was shooting them orders and scoldings for every word they spoke.


    Time passed and it was half-past seven. Ronnie took a look at the situation and he felt that the meeting would not end any time soon. He had to do something.


    "Boss." He interrupted only to get a glare in return. He gulped nervously, but he had to do what he wanted to do.


    "Boss, it''s already late. Let''s continue tomorrow." All the people in the room subconsciously nodded. They wanted the meeting to end as soon as possible so that they could escape the hell hole.


    "Are you giving me orders now?"


    "No no. Boss, it''s just that it''s late and ..."


    "And?"


    "And we have to go somewhere."


    Noah narrowed his eyes. Ronnie had been acting weird since the time he had returned after dropping Aria. Was something the matter? "Where?"


    "Boss, one of your clients booked an appointment at the last moment. So, we have to go to attend the meeting."


    "Cancel it."


    "Boss, it''s very important. Please." Without waiting for Noah, Ronnie pulled Noah by his hand shocking everyone in the room. "Boss, please listen to me just once. I assure you everything will be fine. You may punish me once the meeting is over, but right now please come with me."


    The room temperature had dropped to minus degrees and even Ronnie sensed it. But he continued to put on a brave face and pulled Noah out of the room, leaving the employees staring at each other with the eyes wide and jaws dropped.

 Chapter 167: Kiss me

    "Ronnie, what the heck are you doing?" Noah seethed, seeing his guard pull him out of the conference room. It was the first time he had behaved that way, stunning Noah. Since the time he had become Noah''s personal guard, he had always been respectful and had stayed in his limits. He was an efficient worker and Noah had no complaints against him. All his orders were carried out silently.


    Ronnie who was walking in the front did not turn to look at his boss lest he should lose focus from his intentions. He could feel the icy glares directed at him and he did not have to be a genius to guess that his boss was angry, incensed even.


    "Boss, please just trust me this once and do as I request you to. I will guarantee you that will be happy and satisfied by the end of the night and if you are not, you can punish me. I''ll accept it whole-heartedly." Ronnie could only pray that his boss would accept and come with him without further delay. If he asked another question, Ronnie was sure he would go mad.


    Noah stared at Ronnie''s back as he followed him. Noah was still being led by him to the entrance as though Ronnie was scared that the moment he released his hand, Noah would escape from his clutches.


    The entire office had seen this scene and their eyes had bulged out in horror. Nobody had dared to take such liberties with their boss, his cold gaze was enough to make them run for their lives. Seeing Ronnie holding their boss''s hand, they did not know whether to commend his courage or scold him for his stupidity. They immediately concluded that nobody could save Ronnie from Noah''s wrath that day.


    Ronnie led Noah to the car and begged him to get in. Noah narrowed his eyes as he waited to see what this man was up to, but he did not get inside. "Boss, please get inside boss. We are getting late. It is a matter of life and death to me. Please. Please."


    Seeing him request so earnestly, Noah sighed. Ronnie had never asked him for until now. So, he decided to grant him this one wish of his. "Okay, fine. I hope you will live up to my expectations and be ready to get punished. Nothing will save you from it." Noah got inside the car while Ronnie cried inwardly hearing his words. His intentions of helping Aria had landed him in trouble. But he could do nothing.


    Ronnie got behind the wheels and started driving. He had twenty minutes, so he pressed on the accelerator. He had to reach the venue before eight. Noah observed that Ronnie was hurrying to reach somewhere and he couldn''t stop himself from asking, "Why are you in a hurry? Drive slowly."


    "Boss, if I drive slowly, Madam will be furious and in turn, your anger will reach the sky," Ronnie muttered softly.


    "Did you say something?"


    "No Boss."


    Ronnie did all he could to get Noah to the venue by eight, but still, they were late by five minutes. He could only hope that Aria was not pissed by this. Noah had no idea where this place was. He had never been there before. So, he looked at Ronnie confused. It looked like an open space with a lot of trees.


    "Boss, please follow the directions. I can only bring you till here and I hope you will enjoy this." Ronnie pointed towards the direction board on the right and got inside the car. He had done his duty and now it was up to Aria to continue with the plan.


    Noah was still bewildered with the way Ronnie was behaving. He looked around the area and his eyes furrowed. He wondered what the hell was happening. Nevertheless, he followed Ronnie''s requests and followed the direction board. As soon as he started walking, the path lit up making it easy for him to see.


    He walked for ten minutes until he found a small bridge that led to a manmade lake. There was an island with a lot of beautiful flowers and trees with a gazebo in between. As soon as he went near, he realized that it was a lakeside gazebo. To go there, he had to step on stones that were being supported on the lake. The gazebo was lit up beautifully with lanterns hung on either side of the entrance pillars. There were small bulbs adorning the roof of the gazebo. It looked so mesmerizing that even Noah was stunned and he had stopped walking. But, what was more surprising was that he saw Aria standing in the middle of the gazebo with a beautiful smile on her face.


    She looked like a goddess in her white flowy Maxi dress that he could not take his eyes of her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her smile was so dazzling that he instantly forgot about their fight they had a few hours ago. His feet automatically took him to her and in no time he was standing in front of her.


    "Noah," She breathed on seeing him in front of her. She had been nervous since the moment she got here an hour ago. She wanted the date to be perfect. So, she had come early to personally supervise it.


    "Aria." He gazed at her, his eyes filled with love. At that moment, everything became dull in his eyes except for Aria.


    "Let''s sit." She held his hand and made him sit on the chair and then she sat opposite to him.


    "How was the surprise?"


    Noah, who had been staring lovingly at her, immediately came out of his stupor. She had planned this for him. Just the thought of it made him joyous and his heart swelled up in happiness. However, the next second he remembered their argument.


    "Is this the reason why you fought with me so that you could surprise me?" Noah asked in realization. Aria nodded shyly, her eyes darting away from him guiltily.


    "You mean to say that you faked a fight so that you could surprise me?" Seeing Aria silent, Noah got up and walked away from her towards the lake.


    "Aria, do you have any idea how scared I was when you asked me not to speak to you." He stated closing his eyes.


    "Noah, I know I took it a little too far. But I wanted to surprise you. So, it was all just a plan."


    "In order to do this, you intentionally hurt my feelings."


    "No, Noah. That''s not true." Aria panicked immediately and went to him.


    "Then what, Aria?"


    "I wanted to take you on a date."


    Noah opened his eyes in shock, listening to her words. ''Aria wanted to take me on a date.'' This thought made him smile and he could not deny that the feeling was awesome. However, he put up a poker face in front of her. He had to get back at her for torturing him.


    "So?"


    "I am sorry." Aria hugged him the next instant from the back, startling Noah. She had no idea how to pacify him. All she could do was hug him. But the next second, Noah released her hands.


    "Do you think a sorry can solve this?" Noah stared at her, his eyes not blinking.


    "Then, what do you want me to do? I''ll do anything. Please don''t be angry with me." Aria said to console him. She was ready to do anything to pacify him.


    "Anything?" Noah raised an eyebrow in doubt.


    "Anything."


    "Then, kiss me."

 Chapter 168: Crazy Aria

    "What?" Aria stared at Noah, her eyes as wide as saucers. His demand for her to kiss him had taken her by surprise. She had no idea what to do. Every time it was Noah who had taken the initiative to kiss her. She did not even know how to start.


    "Aria, I am waiting," Noah said as he looked at her with his hands in his pockets.


    "Do I have to kiss you?"


    "Do you want me to continue being angry with you?"


    "No. No." Aria closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then walked to him slowly to stall as much time as possible. But to her horror, Noah came her to swiftly. He was in no mood to wait.


    Aria glimpsed at him and blushed. Although she wanted to kiss those attractive lips, she was nervous and flustered. Her mind was telling her to not fall for his charms, but her heart was ordering her to kiss him. Stuck in the battle between her heart and mind, she did nothing.


    Noah waited for the kiss. He could see that she was shy, her tomato-red face was the proof for that. Also, she was fidgeting in her place. But he was not the one to back off. "I don''t think I will get the kiss if you keep standing there and do nothing."


    That''s it. His words triggered something in her and her heart smashed her brain''s thinking capability. She tiptoed and held his waist as she inched closer to him. Her lips fell on his and she tried to retreat after giving him a peck. However, Noah was having nothing of this.


    As soon as her lips landed on his, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss stopping her from retreating. He bit her lower lip punishing her for letting him go through such torture. She cried out in pain, but it was replaced with a moan when he licked the spot he had bit.


    He plunged his tongue inside her hot cavern and took in her sweetness. She tasted as sweet as always. It was a taste he could get addicted to for life. His hands were roaming on her back as he deepened the kiss. His tongue was already in a battle with hers for dominance and in the end, he won it. His tongue swept through her hot mouth as he savored her sweetness.


    Aria was having difficulty breathing. She patted on his chest to release her. But he did not give in. He continued kissing her until her legs turned to jelly and eventually gave out. Seeing her state, he supported her and finally stopped kissing. She started to take large chunks of air as she rested her face on his chest.


    Noah took a peek at her from above. Her face was flushed red, her mind was in a daze. Her swollen lips made him want to kiss her again. But he stopped himself and gave her time to calm down.


    Aria finally came back and raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "Am I forgiven now?"


    "Yes. I forgave you long back." Noah had forgiven her long back. His heart had melted as soon as she had hugged him from behind. He only wanted to tease her for what she had put him through.


    "Then, why did you torture me? Did you have any idea how scared I was?" Aria slapped his arm in distress.


    "And, do you have any idea how scared I was after I got your call?"


    Aria gave him a sheepish grin and hugged him back. "I am sorry."


    "Apology accepted. What are we doing next?"


    Aria pulled back and held out her hand while Noah raised his eyebrows. "Mr. Noah Allen Carter, will you do me the honor of dancing with me?"


    Noah smiled at her and held her hand. "With pleasure."


    "Just a moment." Aria took out her phone and pressed a button. A slow, gentle music started to play and the entire setting became romantic at once.


    Noah took her left hand in his and placed the other hand on her waist. He pulled her closer as they started swaying to the music. "Why did you decide to surprise me out of the blue?"


    "I just thought of going on a date with you. Every time, it was you who did things for me. So, I thought of doing something too."


    "Nice."


    The couple danced for some time and decided to have the food when their legs were getting tired.


    "What do we have?" Noah said as he lifted the dome. "Steak and wine. Cool. But Aria, you cannot drink."


    "Why?" She whined.


    "Don''t you remember the last time you got drunk in London?"


    "I can handle a glass or two. Please."


    "No."


    "Please."


    "No."


    "Pretty please." She looked at him with puppy eyes and that''s all it took for Noah''s will to shatter. He gave in to her.


    "Okay. Just one glass."


    "Two."


    "Aria."


    "Honey, please." She dragged her words to make him surrender and Noah accepted immediately. His mind had shut down as soon as she had called him honey.


    They started eating their food as they talked and laughed. Noah was keeping a count on the number of glasses she drank while he just took a sip from his glass.


    "Noah, thank you."


    "Why?"


    "For helping Ivy."


    "Not a problem. Also, I am doing this for my own profit. You do not have to thank me." Noah noticed that she had gulped the second glass, but she still looked fine. She did not look drunk at all, her eyes were clear.


    "May I have another glass?" She looked at him with a pout and asked coquettishly. Her voice held a tinge of seduction in them unable to make him think clearly. His body reacting to her sweet innocence and he couldn''t control himself.


    "Okay. This will be the last one." Noah said and filled her glass which Aria finished at one go, surprising him. But that was a big mistake he did.


    As soon as she finished the glass, he heard a burp followed by a giggle. He lifted his head to see her only to notice Aria in a daze. Her eyes were clouded as she stared at him lovestruck.


    "Noah, why are you so handsome?"


    "What?"


    Aria got up and went to his side. Without another word, she sat on his lap, startling him. She pinched his cheeks as she muttered, "Why are you so handsome?"


    She did not wait for his response. The next second, she spread her hands. "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."


    Noah stared at her dumbfounded. Just when he thought that Aria would not be getting drunk, she had become high and the crazy Aria was out."

 Chapter 169: Mine

    Noah looked at the drunk woman in his arms and shook his head. The crazy Aria was back and it was all his mistake. He shouldn''t have allowed her to drink even one glass of wine, let alone three.


    Aria stared at the man in front of her and let out a cheeky grin. He looked so handsome that she wanted to poke his cheeks and she did just that. "Why are you so handsome?"


    Noah shook his head once again seeing her behave weird. "Aria, sweetheart, let''s go. Okay."


    "No. First, tell me why are you so handsome? You are the most handsome man in the world." Noah smiled at her words, but the next second he yelped when she pinched his cheeks a little too hard. Aria leaned her back against the table and swung her legs as she gazed at her boyfriend.


    "You look like an apple. All I want to do is eat you." She said and immediately pulled him towards her. Noah waited to see what she wanted to do. However, to his shock, Aria smacked him lightly on his cheek and jumped off his lap. She then ran towards the lake with her arms wide open. "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"


    Noah sighed in disbelief. He stood up and went to her. She was still in her own world, ignorant of his presence. He hugged her from behind and the next second, she moved her butt back brushing against his groin. He groaned. This woman would be the death of him.


    Meanwhile, Aria had no idea what she had done. She started singing loudly, startling Noah.


    "Baby shark, doo do do do do


    Mama shark, doo do do do do."


    Noah rubbed his forehead looking at her. He tried to pull her, he had to get her home before her craziness increased. Aria shrugged his hands off her and started singing again. Noah took a deep breath. Every time he had tried to hold her firmly, she escaped from his clutches. He had to do something else.


    Out of nowhere, he lifted her princess style and started walking down the lane. But Aria was not done yet. She patted his chest fiercely. "Who are you? What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"


    Seeing that Noah was not going to put her down, she went near him and bit his neck. This time he had no choice but to release her. She had bit him quite hard and it was painful.


    "Ouch Aria. What are you doing?" Noah groaned as he rubbed the spot when she had bit him.


    "Who are you?" Aria narrowed her eyes.


    "Don''t know who I am? Noah''s stopped what he was doing and looked at her. There was a devilish glint in his eyes.


    "Wait a minute. I know you. You are my Ally." Aria lunged on him and hugged him tightly. "You are my Alli and I am your Ari."


    Noah''s heart skipped a beat hearing her sweet words. It was pleasant and warm to hear. He hugged her back as he tried to make her walk towards their car.


    "Alli, tell me. You are my Alli. right?"


    "Yes, yes. I am your Alli. Now, let''s go."


    "Alli, why do fishes swim in water?" Aria asked out of the blue, rendering Noah speechless. "Tell me."


    "Because they can?" Noah asked unsure of what she was expecting as the answer.


    "No silly. Fishes swim because they cannot walk on water." Aria said and giggled like a small girl.


    Noah gave her a weird look, but he did not stop walking.


    "Since you gave a wrong answer, you must be punished." She said and pushed him away.


    "Aria, what are you doing?"


    "How shall I punish you?" She tapped her right forefinger on her chin as she thought. After a while, she snapped her fingers in excitement. "I''ll punish you the same way you punish me."


    "What?" Noah asked bewildered. ''How was this girl thinking of punishing him? If she was going to do the same way, then....'' He waited in anticipation. As expected, Aria dashed to him and smacked her lips on his. Noah had to steady himself as well as her due to the sudden impact.


    Aria pecked him slightly. "Not enough. I need more." She mumbled and the next second she pulled his face down and bit on his lips. She tried to pry his mouth open, but Noah did not allow her to. She pulled back. "You, open your mouth right now." She pointed at him to his amusement and then kissed him again.


    This time Noah did as he was told. He opened his mouth for her and her tongue delved inside his mouth. He could faintly taste the wine in her mouth, in addition to her sweetness and he sighed into her mouth. This taste was all the more tantalizing and he was getting aroused slowly.


    "You taste so good." She stated and she kissed him again. They kissed for a long time before she released him. She looked enticing with her beautifully flushed face. Aria too looked at Noah in daze. The man in front of her was the best and the greatest and he was all hers. Her heart speed picked up the more she looked at him. She held his face firmly and then kissed his eyes slowly.


    "Noah Allen Carter, you are mine. Don''t you dare leave me else I will hunt you down even if you escape to any part of the world. So don''t even think about it." She warned and hugged him.


    "I am never going to leave you, not now not ever. My only wish is that you won''t leave me too."


    "Noah,"


    "Hmm?"


    "I love you."


    Noah''s eyes widened. She had told him she loved him. Was that true? Did she love him? To confirm again, he asked her, "What did say Aria? Tell me again." He waited, but he did not get any answer. Noah pulled back only to see that the woman in his arms had gone to sleep already. Her breathing was even and her eyes were tightly shut. Noah shook his head. ''Why did you have to go to sleep right now? You will be the death of me.''

 Chapter 170: Cutie Ronnie

    Noah picked up the sleeping Aria princess style and walked towards the car. Ronnie was waiting at the spot where he had dropped his boss. Seeing Noah carry Aria, he was surprised. ''What the hell happened there that Boss is carrying Madam?'' He immediately got down and opened the back door.


    "Boss, is everything alright?''"


    "Yes, she is just drunk."


    Noah got inside the car and placed Aria on his lap, with her head leaning against his chest. He took deep breaths to calm himself. He was having a tough time controlling himself with the way his little buddy was aroused. The fact that Aria was sitting on his lap was not helping him either.


    After a long time, the desire he had for her was suppressed and he opened his eyes. The woman in his arms was deep asleep with her breath fanning his neck. The fire was ignited once again. He cursed under his breath. What was this little woman doing to him? His body was not at all listening to him.


    Then something struck him. He remembered that Ronnie had brought him here. Did he know about Aria''s plans? "Ronnie, did you know about today?"


    Hearing Noah''s question, Ronnie answered immediately. "Yes, Boss."


    "When did you plan this?"


    "When I had come to pick up Madam, she expressed her wish to surprise you and asked my help. How was the surprise Boss? Did you like it?"


    "I am very surprised to be honest. Wait a minute. Was this what you were texting on the phone?"


    "Yes, Boss."


    "Hmm.


    "Boss, about my punishment...."


    "You will be punished. There is nothing you can do to avoid it." Noah said as he kissed Aria''s forehead.


    "Okay, Boss." Ronnie was dejected. He had thought that after seeing Madam''s incredible surprise, his Boss would forgive him and let him go. Who knew that would not be the case?


    "And your punishment is you can take a paid leave whenever you want."


    "Boss?" Ronnie was surprised.


    "Yes and for any number of days."


    "Thank you, Boss." Ronnie was on the verge of crying. His Boss had always been generous. But seeing him extra generous today Ronnie was speechless. His Boss was the best and his Madam was incredible. Maybe she was the only person in the whole world who could make Noah change his mind. He suddenly had a new profound respect for her.


    "Boss, I have something to tell you."


    "Hmm." Noah hummed as he patted Aria''s back. As though she had a feeling that she was in safe hands, Aria snuggled closer to him and rubbed her cheeks against his chest. After finding a comfortable spot, she went to sleep again. Noah chuckled looking at her sweet gesture. He was filled with warmth when he realized that she had attempted to surprise him in spite of being tired. So, he allowed her to sleep as much as she wanted.


    "Boss, when I went to drop Madam in the afternoon, I saw Tim."


    "Who?"


    "Tim from the Vipers gang."


    "What?" Noah asked, his voice raising an octave.


    "Yes. He was right opposite to Madam''s building and he was keeping an eye on the building."


    "Why would he do that?"


    "I don''t know Boss."


    "Do you think they have found out about Madam and they want to attack you using her?" Ronnie asked skeptically.


    "Impossible. I don''t think that is the case."


    Noah thought for a while as Ronnie drove towards Aria house. "Do you think Tim is the person following Ivy?"


    "That may be a possibility. What do we do now Boss?"


    "We cannot risk it at all. I''ll ask Ivy if he is the one who is following her."


    "Yes, Boss. We cannot kill him off that easily too now that he is associated with the Vipers."


    At that moment, Aria groaned and opened her eyes groggily. Silence filled the car and Ronnie closed the divider separating the driver seat and the back seats. Noah bent his head to stare at the woman who was rubbing her eyes.


    "Where am I?" She asked and looked around her.


    "We are going home Aria." Aria was startled by the voice beside her. Seeing the man in front of her, she flung her arms and hugged him. "Darling, where had you been? I missed you so much. Why did you leave me for soo long?" She wailed and squeezed him hard. Noah made a crying face. Aria was still drunk and her craziness was increasing every time. He wondered now what melodrama she was going to perform.


    "Darling, why are you not speaking?"


    "Aria."


    "Yes, darling." She slurred.


    "Go to sleep, okay."


    "Promise me that you are not going to leave me."


    "I promise. Now go to sleep." Noah made her lie on his chest as he started patting her again.


    "By the way, where are we going?"


    "We are going home."


    "Hoooome. I love home. Yay."


    Aria giggled and looked around the car. She was just like a cute little girl who had been taken to Disneyland for the first time.


    "Boss, we have arrived," Ronnie announced.


    "Who was that?" Aria questioned, her face searching for the man who just spoke.


    "That''s Ronnie."


    "Ronnie, that cutie?"


    "Cutie?" Noah raised his eyebrows.


    "Yes, he is so cute."


    Noah''s face darkened in jealousy. How dare she call another man cute. It was unacceptable. No way.


    "Aria?" He called in a warning tone which she missed completely.


    "Hmm?"


    "You need to be punished again. But I will punish you later. Now let''s go home. Ronnie, see if Tim is nearby."


    "No Boss. He is not here." Ronnie had already confirmed Tim''s absence. His eyes had immediately darted to the place where he had spotted Tim earlier in the afternoon


    Noah carried Aria and went inside the building as she swung her legs. "Baby shark doo do do do."


    They went to her house and Noah rang the bell. Ivy opened it and she was stunned to see Noah carrying Aria in his arms.


    "What happened to her?" Noah did not have to answer her as Aria started singing which confirmed her suspicions.


    "Baby, shark doo do do do."


    "Aria is drunk." Ivy declared and smacked her forehead.

 Chapter 171: Cleaning to do

    "Aria is drunk," Ivy stated looking at her sister behaving her usual way whenever she was high.


    Noah nodded to confirm her suspicions and tried to place Aria on the sofa. However, Aria clung to him, not allowing him to release her from his embrace. "I don''t want to leave you. What are you doing?"


    "Aria, I am not leaving you. I am just going to place you on the sofa." Noah assured her, but Aria tightened her hold on him.


    "No. I know you will leave me. Don''t let go of me." She said and immediately started crying rendering Ivy and Noah speechless. Aria had never behaved this touchy and clingy.


    "Okay, okay. I am not leaving. I am going to stay with you. Okay, now be a good girl and let go." He coaxed her softly as he tried to lay her on the sofa.


    "No, no. I want to stay this way. I want to stay close to you." Aria kicked her feet in the air as she tried to stop Noah from placing her on the sofa. She did not want to leave him at all. She wanted to stay like this with him.


    "Aria, let go. Okay. He will not leave you. He will be with you." Ivy tried talking to her sister.


    "No. I won''t. And by the way, who are you?" Aria asked and tried to see who she was talking to. She squinted her eyes to see clearly. "It''s you. My sweet sister, Ivy. I love you, Ivy. I love you." She said blowing her a kiss. "And I love you." She looked at Noah and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Noah and Ivy were both dumbfounded.


    "It''s best that you take her to her room and you can stay here today. I don''t think she will allow you to go home today." Noah sighed and proceeded towards her room, but Ivy stopped him suddenly. "And try to keep the noise as low as possible. You see our house soundproofing is not that good." Ivy gave him a wink and walked away giggling. Noah stared at her disappearing silhouette, stunned. Ivy was way to brazen and straight-forward.


    Noah chuckled and shook his head. He then went to Aria''s room, with Aria still in his arms, in her own dreamland. "La la la la. Sha la la la."


    Noah placed her on her bed. But she jumped up immediately and clung to him again. "Aria, I am not going anywhere. Let me just make a call. Okay?"


    "You are not going anywhere right?" She looked at him innocently, with her eyes wide.


    "No. I am not going anywhere."


    "Promise?"


    "Promise."


    "Okay." Aria pulled back and lied down obediently. But her eyes did not leave him. Noah removed his suit jacket and tie and then he folded his sleeves. Aria looked at his sexy body and gulped subconsciously. She licked her lips. "How delicious!"


    "Come again?" Noah had heard her mumble and stared at her.


    "Nothing." She said immediately and acted as though she was zipping her lips.


    "I''ll take care of you later. Let me make a call first." He pulled his phone and called Ronnie.


    "Boss?"


    "I''ll be staying here tonight. You can go home and come back tomorrow at seven. Get me a set of new clothes while coming."


    "Okay, Boss," Ronnie said wholeheartedly. His Boss and Madam were going to spend the night together. That was amazing. He waited for some time to make sure everything was alright before he drove away.


    "Are you done, Ally?" Aria asked, her voice sweet and innocent.


    "Yes, I am done."


    "Then, come here. I want to hug you."


    Noah gave a defeated smiled and sat beside her who hugged him tightly. "Who were you talking to?"


    "Ronnie."


    "Ronnie, that cutie?"


    Again cutie. Noah''s gaze darkened immediately. This was the second time Aria was calling somebody else cute and he did not know how he should handle it. To say that he was jealous would be an understatement.


    "Aria."


    "Hmm?"


    "Who is cuter, Ronnie, or me?"


    "Of course, Ronnie. He is the cutest." She answered without hesitation and Noah narrowed his eyes with a dangerous glint in them.


    "But you are hot." She said after a few seconds.


    "What?"


    "You are hot."


    "Do you find me hot?" Noah smirked, satisfied with her answer.


    "Yes and sexy," Aria replied snuggling closer to him as she draped on her legs on his body.


    "What else?"


    "Umm....." Aria thought for a while and then replied again, "You are delicious. I like the taste of you."


    Noah chuckled. "I like how you taste too. Now, let''s go to sleep."


    Noah made her lie down flat on the bed and he lied beside her. But suddenly, Aria lifted his right hand and placed it below her neck. She laid her head on his chest and took a deep breath. Noah was startled by her behavior. But this was not the first time he had been shocked that day. It had happened many times for one day. So, he allowed Aria to do whatever she wanted.


    The couple remained silent as they heard each other''s breathing. Noah lifted his head after some time to see Aria sleeping with her mouth slightly open and her legs sprawled on him. He chuckled lightly and then pulled her closer to him. He closed his eyes and fell into a blissful sleep.


    The next day.


    Noah was the first one to wake up. He stared at the unfamiliar surroundings and realization hit him. He was at Aria''s house and in her bedroom. His gaze then fell on the woman he was spooning. Aria''s back was pressed against his front. He did not know when Aria had changed her position, he had slept that soundly.


    Noah got up and freshened himself. He had found a spare toothbrush in one of the cabinets in her bathroom. When he came out, Aria was still in deep sleep as she hugged the pillow thinking it to be him. Noah went out and saw that Ivy was already up.


    "Hello, brother-in-law. Good morning." She wished him as soon as he came out of her sister''s room.


    "Good morning."


    "How was your sleep?"


    "Good."


    "Good? Only good?" Ivy made a face and Noah returned a glare in return. He sat on the chair beside her. "I thought it was hot, sweaty, sexy and unbelievable. But it was just good?" She scrunched her face.


    "Ivy?" Noah warned her.


    "Yes, brother-in-law?"


    "Nothing what you are thinking happened between us."


    "Oww. So sad. Unlucky you. Do you want some lemon tea?"


    "May I get a cup of coffee?"


    "Sure. Just a second."


    Ivy went to make coffee and returned in five minutes. "Here you go."


    "Thank you."


    Noah took a sip and Ronnie''s words came to his mind. He had to ask Ivy about Tim. Now was the perfect opportunity as Aria was not around.


    "Ivy, I wanted to ask something."


    "Yes, Noah." Ivy noticed Noah''s serious face and she too became serious. It looked like he had something very important to speak about.


    "Can you tell me the name of the person who is following you? Even a picture is fine."


    "Why?"


    "Just like that. I want to keep you guys safe. So, I wanted to appoint some guards for you and let them know about this man. They will take care of him if he follows you."


    "But Noah, I am not sure if this correct. I mean I appreciate your thoughts. But I feel whoever is following me or following us has a great backing."


    "Ivy, I know about it. But I do not want to risk your lives. Please accept it for me, for Aria."


    Ivy sensed the concern in his voice and she was confused as to why he was making a mountain out of a molehill. Nevertheless, she accepted. "Okay. Do as you wish."


    "Can you show me his photo?" Noah asked her. He wanted to see if the person who was following her was the same person who belonged to the Vipers gang.


    "Wait a second." Ivy took her phone and scrolled through her gallery to see for his images. But she was shocked when she noticed something weird. "What the heck!"


    "What happened?"


    "Tim is not in any of the pics I have in my phone."


    "What? Maybe you didn''t take any with him."


    "No way. I clearly remember that when we had taken the group pics, he was with us. When did he distance himself?"


    "He might have done it when you were about to take the picture."


    "Yes. That sly man is not as innocent as I thought him to be. He cleverly avoided being photographed." Ivy clenched her fists in anger.


    "I have a picture. See if it is him."


    "How do you have his picture?"


    "When my driver had come to drop Aria yesterday in the afternoon, he noticed someone keeping an eye on the building. He remembered your words and took a pic to confirm if he was the one."


    Noah showed her Tim''s pic and she exclaimed immediately. "That''s him. That''s Tim. He is the one following me."


    Noah''s gaze became deadly at once. ''Looks like I have some cleaning to do.''

 Chapter 172: Questioning Ronnie

    The bell rang.


    Ivy narrowed her eyebrows. It was only seven in the morning. She wondered who it could be at this time of the morning. She was not expecting anyone. "Who could it be?" She looked at Noah with her eyebrows raised.


    "I think it''s my guard. He must be here to deliver my clothes. I''ll get it."


    "Oh, now you are staying overnight and getting clothes to your girlfriend''s house. How cool is that." She chirped.


    Noah sniggered and went to open the door. As expected, it was Ronnie. He was always sharp on time. "Boss, these are your clothes." He handed a bag to Noah.


    "You can go."


    "Okay, Boss."


    "Hey, what are you doing? Call him inside." Ivy said. She was already standing behind Noah. He did not know when she had come there.


    "It''s fine."


    "Are you sure? The poor guy has to wait for a long. Let him have some breakfast before leaving. Let him come in." Ivy said and then she smiled at Ronnie.


    "It''s fin...."


    "Noah." Ivy gave him a look and he sighed. He opened the door wide for Ronnie to step in.


    "It''s okay. I am fine here. I''ll be leaving." Ronnie tried to object. But when he received the same look from her, he obliged like a meek puppy and came inside.


    "Now, shoo. Go take a bath." Ivy shooed Noah away much to his astonishment. Ronnie too looked at her bewildered. It was the second time he was seeing something like this. First, it was Aria who did not have an ounce of fear for his Boss and now her twin was also showing the same behavior. To them, he was not the great businessman, Noah. Instead, he was just Noah. "And you," She turned to Ronnie. "Come in."


    Noah chortled and went to Aria''s room. The drunk woman was still sleeping and occasionally she would roll over to the other side. Noah glanced at her for a second before he went to take a shower.


    Meanwhile, Ivy led Ronnie to the living room. "Please take a seat." Seeing him hesitate, Ivy stated, "Don''t worry. This is not your Boss''s house. This is your Boss''s girlfriend''s house and as the girlfriend''s sister, I guarantee you that Noah will not come after you."


    Seeing Ronnie finally sit down, Ivy heaved a sigh of relief. She had her reasons for allowing Ronnie to come in. She had to ask him some questions about Noah now that he was in a relationship with her sister and who could be a better person other than his guard who was with him most of the time.


    "Do you want some tea or coffee?"


    "I am fine. May I have some water though," Ronnie replied. He could feel Ivy''s scrutinizing gaze on him and it made him uncomfortable. He had faced a lot of people since he started working for Noah and nothing had fazed him other than his Boss''s devilish smile. This was the first time he was feeling fidgety with the way Ivy was looking at him. It was as though she was trying to see through his soul.


    Ivy brought a glass of water and placed it on the table. But Ronnie did not pick it up.


    "I have some questions I want to ask you about your Boss. I hope you don''t mind." Ivy''s words made Ronnie look up. He pondered what she wanted to find out about his Boss when she knew everything about him, almost everything. He was a business tycoon and the tabloids loved him. So, she could look up on the internet and would find a lot of articles on him.


    Ivy noticed Ronnie''s confusion. "I am not asking as a journalist. I am now your Boss''s girlfriend''s sister and I am concerned about her. She is the only family I have and as an elder sister, it is my responsibility to see to it that she is happy. I also need to make sure that the man she likes is actually the best for her. She should not end up hurt later."


    Ivy cleared her intentions and Ronnie understood what she wanted of him. "Sure, go ahead."


    "Please answer honestly. It''s my sister''s future in question." Ronnie nodded to her request. She was doing what she had to do as a sister and Ronnie had no objections to it.


    "How long have you worked for him?"


    "For more than fifteen years."


    "Practically, you have been with him for half of his life. So, you must be knowing a lot of things about him. How is he as a person?"


    Ronnie furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How should I answer this question?"


    "I mean, how is he as a Boss? Is he good? Does he treat his employees well?" Ivy started off with an easy question.


    "Yes. He is the best boss anyone could ask for. I am not saying this because I am obligated to and I work for him. I am telling the truth. He treats his employees really well."


    "That''s good. How often does your Boss encounter danger?" Ivy question startled Ronnie. He was expecting her to ask about Noah''s past lovers or anything about his love life. Never had he expected her to ask something like this.


    "What?"


    "Yeah. Since he is like the top in the hierarchy, it is not uncommon that his life is often threatened. There must be at least one person who he is enemies with."


    Ronnie did not know how to answer her question. How could he say that the first time Aria met Noah was in the hospital when he had been shot?


    "Tell me honestly."


    "Can Miss West handle the truth?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay. My Boss''s life is always in danger. Many people want him gone as he is the heir to one of the richest and most powerful family in the country. There are people waiting for his downfall. So, I will not deny that his life is not peaceful. But I can guarantee that none of those people will even get near Miss West''s sister."


    "Fair enough. Even if something were to happen to her, I will not blame Noah. The world is filled with dangerous people."


    Ronnie''s respect for Ivy increased a lot more. She was a lot mature and open-minded than he had thought.


    "How serious do you think your Boss is about my sister?"


    "Miss West, I have never seen Boss behave the same way with other women the way he does when he is with Madam. His feelings for Madam are genuine and honest. I am not going to deny about the women he was with in the past as you would already know about it. But he was never this caring and loving with them. It was only after Madam entered Boss''s life did he change."


    "Are you saying the truth?" Ivy bent forward slightly with her eyes fixed on Ronnie to check if he was lying.


    "Why would I lie about it?"


    "Fine. I''ll believe you. I have this one last question. Is Noah hiding something which Aria needs to know? I am not asking about his business matters or his family matters. I am asking about the things that are important for Aria to know about."


    Ivy''s question rendered Ronnie speechless. His Boss had a lot of secrets which he was hiding from Madam, one of them was even about her father. Also, she did not know he was related to the Underworld. How was he supposed to reveal all of these to Ivy? This was a matter that even Noah would hesitate to tell, let alone Ronnie.


    "Miss West, I am not sure what you are talking about. But I do not that think that my Boss would not hurt Madam ever. He has some secrets about his life and I am sure he will reveal them when the time comes."


    Although Ronnie''s answer was vague, Ivy did not feel anything suspicious about it. So, she did not give it a second thought. "Thank you for answering honestly. Please make yourself comfortable. I''ll go prepare breakfast for all of us."


    Ivy went to the kitchen leaving Ronnie alone in the living room. The man immediately took a deep breath after she left. He had been worried about her questions. Except for her last question, he had replied honestly to all the others. The entire time he was being questioned, he felt as though his head was on a guillotine, ready to be chopped off any moment. He had become nervous and it had taken him great strength to keep himself calm.


    He picked up the glass of water and gulped it at one go. It was only later that he could relax a little. But this was short-lived when Ivy came back.


    "Sorry, I forgot to ask this one question." Ronnie stiffened at once. "It''s not about your Boss. It''s about Joshua Martin, your Boss''s friend."


    Ronnie gave her a suspicious look. ''Why was she asking about Master Martin?''


    "Yes?"


    "Does he have a girlfriend?"

 Chapter 173: Falling in love

    "Does Joshua Martin have a girlfriend?"


    Ronnie was dumbfounded by Ivy''s question. He narrowed his eyes to see what she wanted from him and why she was asking such a question. Ivy noticed his gaze on her and immediately realized what she had done.


    ''I asked Noah''s guard about Joshua. I must have gone mad. Why? Why did I ask Ronnie and why did I ask about him?'' Ivy closed her eyes in embarrassment. ''Awkward, awkward utter awkward.'' She shifted her weighted on her legs and she scratched her neck. Not knowing what to say, she smiled cheekily. "Forget the question I asked just now." Immediately she ran to the kitchen and covered her face.


    "Why did I do just now?" She lamented, making a sorrowful face. "Ivy, why are you behaving like a teenage girl who has lost control of her hormones." She smacked her head twice. "Why?" She wailed as she banged her head against the refrigerator.


    "Excuse me, Miss West." Ronnie interrupted her suddenly, shocking her. She pulled back to see him. He was standing at the entrance of the kitchen with a subtle smile on his. Ivy realized that he must have seen her weird state and she became even more flustered.


    "Yes?" She answered, but her voice came out as a croak and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Do you need something?"


    "I wanted to answer the question I was asked about Master Martin. Miss West, do not worry he does not have any girlfriend right now nor is he in any sort of relationship." Ronnie gave her a gentle smile and returned to the living room, while Ivy cursed her tongue. Her embarrassment was obvious from her blaring red face. ''I am done. I am utterly done.''


    Meanwhile in Aria''s room.


    Aria rolled to the left and opened her eyes slowly. She was in her room. She tried to get up, but she winced the next second. She was having a killer headache. She felt like someone was hammering her brain. Aria held her head in hands as she took deep breaths.


    At that moment, the door to the bathroom opened and Aria looked up to see a dashing Noah step outside. He was wearing his pants and shirt, that was not the matter. His shirt was not buttoned and she could see his sexy body beneath it. Unknowingly she gulped. She wanted to run her hands over those taut muscles. Noah looked absolutely delectable. Aria sighed in bliss looking at the male God in front of her. ''I must have saved the world in my previous life to get such an amazing man.''


    Aria''s thoughts ran wild and she started imagining all she could do with the male god in front of. But the next second, she shook her head. ''Pervert Aria, stop this nonsense and stop drooling.''


    Noah had sensed Aria''s gaze on him as soon as he had come out of the bathroom. However, he had ignored her. He wanted to see how long she would continue staring at him. He knew she was captivated by his charms just the way he was captivated by her adorableness.


    Noah smirked seeing Aria in a daze. Her eyes were fixed on his chest and she was looking at him lovestruck. "I can remove my shirt if you want. You can see to your heart content."


    "Really? Can you do that?" Aria blurted out without thinking. She then realized that something was wrong. She had said something she should not have and immediately covered her mouth.


    "Definitely." Without hesitation, Noah started to remove his shirt slowly.


    "No don''t. I don''t want to see." Aria yelled and the next second she groaned. Her head was still throbbing.


    "Are you alright?" Noah ran to her, concerned.


    "Yes. It''s just a headache. There are some Advil pills in the drawer over there. Can you bring them?"


    Noah gave her two pills and she took them. It took her some time for the headache to reduce. "Wow, why is my head painting to this extent?"


    "Don''t you remember?"


    "Nope."


    "Then let me remind you that you were drunk last night. This is the effect of hangover."


    "Hangover? But I don''t remember drinking." Aria said with an innocent face eyes full of confusion.


    "Really? Then, who was the one who begged for another glass of wine? Let me think." Noah pretended to think with his eyes lingering on Aria. "I think it was you."


    "No way. I don''t drink. I..." Aria stopped talking suddenly when she recalled something.


    "Did you remember now that you drank three glasses of wine? Also, remember that you were clinging to me the entire day." Noah teased with a wide grin on his face.


    She could not retaliate anymore. Flashbacks of what had transpired the previous night ran through her brain making her tongue-tied. She recalled that she had been clinging to him the entire night, not allowing him to leave her. She had also kissed him like there was no tomorrow.


    Aria blushed and looked elsewhere. She had no courage to face Noah, who was still wearing his shirt unbuttoned. His well-defined abs were right in front of her and she couldn''t stop herself from glancing at his body occasionally.


    Noah smiled inwardly seeing Aria flustered. He was getting accustomed to all the different traits in her and he was getting more and more attracted to her.


    When he had first met her, she had been daring as to chide him. Then she had shown him her concern when his grandfather had been sick. When he had professed his feeling to her, she had been shy and flustered, yet highly adorable. Also, he couldn''t forget the drunk Aria who was being clingy and touchy with him. He couldn''t deny that he was falling in love with her every trait. She was a keeper.


    "What happened Aria? Are you being shy now? What happened to the bold woman who said that I was your Alli and you were my Ari."


    Aria fidgeted in her place, trying to see if she could escape from Noah''s stare. But it was impossible to do so. He was right in front of her blocking her way. If she had to escape, she had to go from the other side of the bed. However, it would be easy for him again to catch. She was in a fix, it was impossible for her to escape from his penetrating gaze.


    "Also," He started again, making Aria look at him for a second. "If I am not wrong, I heard someone confess their feelings for me."


    Aria''s heart skipped a beat. She then recollected that in her drunken stupor she had told that she loved him. ''What did you do Aria?'' She scolded herself for her stupidity, but what she had told him was the truth.


    Not able to face Noah anymore, Aria jumped off the bed, pushed him lightly, and ran to the bathroom. Her face was glowing in shyness. Noah chuckled seeing her scuttle like a little rabbit. "I love you too Aria. But you get my answer only after I tell you the truth. I hope you will be patient until then.

 Chapter 174: Subject called love

    Aria looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a goner with her face puffed up and hair like that of a scarecrow without a hat. Noah had seen her in this state and this made her even more flustered. ''Why am I even alive? I want to die. Dear earth, please swallow me alive. I don''t want to live anymore.'' She covered her face.


    Meanwhile, Noah was in the kitchen trying to help Ivy prepare breakfast. "Ivy, let me help you."


    "No chance. Go and take a seat." Ivy ordered, though it came out as a request.


    Having no other choice, he went and sat beside Ronnie. "What is my schedule for the day?"


    "Boss, we have two meetings and an onsite visit to do. Also, we need to visit our branch office." Ronnie replied robotically. He had memorized his Boss''s schedule for a day.


    The Carter Enterprise had two branches in the city, one was the main branch and the other was a subsidiary. The main branch managed important projects and high-end clients while the other branch took up small projects where the clients were not that wealthy or powerful.


    "Hmm. We also need to give a visit to Ian''s company." He said under his breath such that only Ronnie could hear. Ronnie nodded. He knew his Boss had some matters to discuss with Mr. West and it could not be delayed any further now that he was fine and healthy.


    "Boss, what''s with Miss West and Master Martin?"


    "Why? What happened to them?"


    "Miss West was enquiring whether Master Martin had a girlfriend or not."


    "Ah. They have already proceeded to this level already. Interesting." Noah muttered to himself making Ronnie look at him in confusion. Noah gave him a knowing look and smirked.


    In no time, the breakfast was ready and Noah and Ronnie were at the dining table. Aria was still in her room hiding from Noah, unable to show her face to him. After a long time, she made up her mind and peeked out of the room to see if Noah was anywhere nearby. Seeing that the coast was clear, she stepped out boldly. Though she was happy that she did not have to face him right away, she was also sad that he had left without informing her.


    "Ivy, is the breakfast ready? I am hung....." The words stuck in her mouth when she saw the great devil and his guard sitting casually at the dining table. They had not started to eat yet.


    "Good morning, lazy bums. Come and have breakfast." Ivy teased as she placed the dishes on the table. They were about to start having breakfast when Aria came out. Ivy had a huge grin on her face while Noah was smiling at Aria devilishly. Meanwhile, Ronnie maintained a poker face.


    Aria went and sat in between Ivy and Noah. She was exceptionally silent not wanting to embarrass herself any further. However, her moment of peace was short-lived when Ivy started to tease the duo again.


    "Sister and brother-in-law, how was your night?" She raised her eyebrows playfully and gave them a knowing look.


    Aria choked on her food listening to her words. She had understood her dirty mind at once. Noah handed her a glass of water as he controlled his laughter. After she calmed down, she gave Ivy an intense death glare which made her surrender.


    "Don''t look at me that way. I was not the one who spent the night with my boyfriend."


    This time Ronnie choked on his food. He was eating the delicious food with utmost interest when Ivy spoke such lewd words. It was the first time he had tasted something so delicious. He had never eaten Noah''s food. So, he had no idea how delicious it was. If he had, then he would definitely have been mindblown with its top-class taste.


    "Ivy, stop with your teasing. People are choking on your words here." Noah said amused to see his woman and his guard cough awkwardly. Ivy burst out laughing.


    The breakfast proceeded peacefully and it was time for Noah and Ronnie to leave. Ronnie left first. He knew that his Boss would need some time before he came down. Aria went to drop Noah till the lift on Ivy''s insistence.


    "So, you will be going tomorrow?" Noah started.


    "Yes."


    "Are you going to work today?"


    "No. I have my day off. But I have to go to the hospital for a few hours for a briefing in the afternoon."


    "Okay, I''ll come to pick you up after your work ends. Wait for me. I don''t know when I''ll be able to see you again. I want to spend as much as possible with you before you leave."


    Noah''s words brought an unfamiliar warmth in her heart. She smiled at him at sweetly and waited until he got into the lift. "Take care, Noah."


    Ivy was waiting for her when she went back home. She was grinning ear to ear seeing her. Aria narrowed her eyebrows. "What?"


    "What what?"


    "Why are you looking at me that way?"


    "Finally my sister graduated in this subject called love." She exclaimed clasping her hands together.


    "What?"


    "Come tell me how was your first time. Was it good?" Ivy looked at her sister with her eyes twinkling brilliantly.


    "Ivy, you have gone crazy."


    "Come one, tell me."


    "Ivy, nothing you are thinking happened between us. We just slept."


    "What? Why did you just sleep?"


    "Then, what should I have done?"


    "You should have done what every couple does."


    "What?"


    "Make love."


    Aria picked the newspaper on the table and rolled it. She ran to attack her sister, but Ivy dodged her the first time. But she was not lucky the second time. Aria had hit her on her head. "Got you."


    "Now tell me. Did you seriously do nothing?"


    "No gossip queen. Nothing happened between us."


    "Damn it. Now I will have to wait a little longer for my cute nieces and nephews. Tough luck."


    "In that case, why don''t you give me a niece or nephew? I want them too."


    Ivy gave her an incredulous look. She should have known that she would also get reprimanded somehow. "I am yet to find a good man, okay. Otherwise, I would have thought about it a long back." The next moment her mind drifted to Joshua and the brief kiss they had shared a few weeks ago.

 Chapter 175: Pestering parents

    While Ivy was thinking about Joshua, the man in question was having a hard time at home. Every day his parents would pester him to get married as soon as possible. They did not care who the girl would be and about her background. All they cared about was their son''s happiness and well being.


    Joshua''s parents were in staying in Canada where they had opened a branch office recently. It would take another three to four months for everything to return normal and for them to get back to Country P. When Noah had been shot, it was only Joshua who had returned home. His parents had stayed back as they had a lot of issues to deal with in the company. However, they had made sure to get updated about Noah''s well being from their son as well as Samuel.


    Joshua''s father, Sean and Samuel were good friends from childhood. Their families had close ties since a long time. So, it was understandable that Sean and his wife, Karen were worried about Noah.


    Now that everything was slowly returning to normal, they had taken another issue to pester Joshua. They wanted him to get married as soon as possible. This was giving him a huge headache. He knew his parents did not care about the girl''s background if she was good and well cultured. But he was not ready. He was not ready to commit himself to someone for his entire life. He was not ready for a lifelong relationship. He had already experienced the pain once and now he was not ready to go through it again.


    Joshua had experienced a painful breakup when the girl he loved dearly had decided to leave him without giving him any reasons. He had tried searching for her for a long time to find out why she had left him. He wanted to know the reason. However, the day he saw her again had made him devastated and it had taken him a lot of time to come of the pain. He had seen the girl kiss another guy and since then he had stopped looking for her. He did not want to know her reasons for leaving him.


    It took Joshua a lot of time to get back to normal. Since then, he had become a flirt. He would never develop any serious relationship with any girl. They were all just bed partners to him. He never forced anyone nor did he reject anybody''s advances.


    Everybody who came to him knew that it would just be a fling and nothing more. To the outside world, it would seem as though he was a playboy. However, he was not. Only the girls who came to him knew that he never touched them. But, he was not a virgin either. He had had his fair share of experience when it came to sex.


    "Mom, please. I don''t want to get married. Stop forcing me." Joshua whined.


    "But Jo, you are our only child. We want you to be happy." Karen said, her tone filled with worry and concern for her son.


    "Mom, please. I need more time to think about it."


    "Jo..."


    "Karen, it''s okay. He is our child. He knows what is good for him. Let him take time. Maybe the girl he is destined to be with is somewhere around. Let''s wait." Joshua''s father, Sean assured his wife.


    "Thanks, Dad. I have to go. I''ll call you later. Love you." Joshua ended the call and pinched the space between his eyebrows. He knew his parents only wanted good for him and he did not blame them for pestering him. It was him who was at fault. He was afraid, afraid of getting hurt again. So, he had hardened his heart not allowing any woman to enter.


    However, recently he was unable to control himself whenever he was with Ivy. He did not know what it was about her that made him feel restless and anxious. Whenever he was with her, he would feel happy and contented. He liked being in her company, it was blissful and fun.


    Seeing that his thoughts were deviating towards her again, he shook his head. He did not want to go in that direction. He could perceive that Ivy was nothing like the girl he had liked in the past. Despite that, his heart was not ready, not ready to accept anyone. He did not have the courage to fall in love again.


    At that moment, there was a knock at the door. His secretary, Lucia entered immediately. "Sir, the blueprints are out. Do you want to see them?"


    "Sure. Get them here." Joshua ordered and his secretary handed him the pendrive. He had gone to work early as the release date for the new video game was nearing. He had to make sure that everything was going well. He still had to do the simulation to see how good it was and if it was compatible with all the devices.


    "Lucia, what is the status of the development?" Joshua asked, his face stern and serious. He was checking the blueprints of the new game on his computer.


    "Sir, we have completed up to ninety-five percent. But.."


    "But?" Joshua raised his head to meet her in the eye.


    "We are facing a technical issue with some of the phones. Their RAM is not compatible with our video game. When the users play the game, there is no problem in the beginning. However, it starts to lag after some time and the battery consumption is more."


    "Is it? There is a bug in the code. It is making the phones to lag. Arrange a meeting with the developers at two. We are going to have a simulation and test all the phones and laptops that we have. Also, send the design artist. I want to make some changes with the blueprints as well as the graphics. There are minor problems, but they can be resolved in a day or two."


    "Yes sir."


    Lucia left him alone in his cabin. He had long forgotten his phone call with his parents as well as about Ivy. All he had in mind was his work and his work alone.

 Chapter 176: Noahs wrath

    Noah reached his company as fast as possible. He wanted to finish with all his meetings for the day as soon as possible so that he could spend more time with Aria before she left. Though he wanted to cancel his schedule for the day, he couldn''t as he had this meeting fixed months ago and it would deem highly unprofessional to cancel it at the last moment.


    "Ronnie, when does the first meeting start?"


    "Boss, it''s at 10.30."


    "Okay."


    Noah sauntered inside the elevator and went to his floor directly, with Ronnie behind him. Shane got up immediately seeing his arrival. "Good morning, Boss."


    "Morning Shane." He wished him rendering both Ronnie and Shane speechless. It was the first time Noah was wishing anybody. Usually, they would receive a nod if everything was alright, nothing if he was moody and a glare if he was angry. Today, he had wished Shane back and it was a huge surprise for them.


    Noah went inside his cabin while Ronnie stayed behind.


    "What happened to Boss? He looks happy." Shane asked his eyes fixed on the closed door. He was still unable to comprehend what he just witnessed.


    "He stayed at Madam''s house all night. I don''t think we need to talk more about it. I think we know what would have taken place."


    Shane''s mouth dropped as he glanced at Ronnie who gave a nod in return. So, Boss was happy because he was with Madam. That explains his behavior.


    "I just hope Boss remains happy forever." Shane sighed, his eyes filled with respect.


    "Me too," Ronnie exclaimed. But he knew that would not be the case when all the truth came out. Everything lied in Aria''s hands. If she forgave his Boss, then that would be great. If she didn''t, then the actual problem would occur.


    "Shane, we have to finish with the meetings as early as possible."


    "Why? Is there something?"


    "Yes. Madam will be going out of town for a while and nobody knows when she will return. So, Boss wants to spend some time with her before she left."


    "I understand."


    At that moment, the elevator dinged. Ronnie and Shane looked at each other in confusion. The highest floor, which had Noah''s cabin, was not accessible for everyone in the company. Ronnie, Shane, two other male assistants and a female secretary were the only ones who had direct access to the floor. Very few employees at the top management level were allowed to come here. However, they had to inform Shane before they came here.


    As far as Shane knew, nobody had informed him nor was there was a meeting fixed beforehand by any of the employees. So, he was confused as to who was here. Their confusion turned to shock when Mia Stevenson stuttered inside in her five inched heels. The clicking sound was too loud in the peaceful atmosphere.


    Seeing Mia walk in, Ronnie frowned. ''What was this woman doing here? How did she come in and why did nobody from the reception inform them?'' He gave one look to Shane and he understood immediately. He went to her blocking her way.


    "What are you doing? How dare you block my way?" She seethed. She looked extremely ugly with the way her face contoured and the make-up she had applied was hideous. Shane was very short of getting a heart attack looking at her. She looked more frightening than any of the ghosts he had seen in horror movies.


    "Hello, Miss Stevenson. May I ask your purpose of visit today?" Shane was extremely polite to her though he did not have to give her any face. He could have asked her to leave at once, but he didn''t out of respect.


    "Why should I tell you? I''ll tell Noah." She said arrogantly, taking Noah''s name directly.


    Shane looked at her in contempt. ''What made her take his Boss''s name? She was not related to him in any way. She was only being haughty here. Where was her attitude when she was getting humiliated by Boss?'' He scoffed.


    Mia saw the look of disdain in his eyes and her anger increased even more. "How dare a lowly employee like you regard me this way? Is this the way you treat a guest in your office? I am going to complain to Noah."


    Seeing Mia''s reasonable behavior, Ronnie came to Shane''s help. "Miss Stevenson, if you have come here as a guest behave like one. You have not followed the protocols meant for a guest and have barged in here without an appointment. It is you who is at mistake. So, even if you complain to our Boss, you would be at the receiving end. Also, I don''t think you are that close with our Boss to be calling his name directly."


    "How dare you? I am Noah''s friend. I don''t think I need an appointment to come here."


    "That is where you are wrong." Ronnie interrupted her.


    "Even his family members need an appointment if they want to meet him in the company. You are just a friend."


    "I am going to complain to Noah. Let''s see how you will survive in this company." She threatened them.


    "Who dares to threaten my employees in my company?" A voice boomed suddenly taking everyone by shock. Nobody knew when Noah had come out of his cabin and had seen everything that had occurred there.


    Mia stuttered to him with a face filled with grief. "Mr. Carter, your employees are ill-treating your guests. I didn''t know Carter Enterprises entertained such people."


    "Yes, Carter Enterprises does not entertain such people," Noah stated, making Mia smile evilly at Ronnie and Shane. ''They thought they could make me leave. Dream on.'' However, to her dismay, the two people did not look terrified. Instead, they looked calm their eyes mocking her.


    "Ronnie, what is this woman doing here?"


    Mia looked at Noah in horror. "Mr. Carter, I am Mia, Mia Stevenson. Don''t you remember? I came to discuss a deal a few days ago."


    "I don''t keep records of trashy people in my memory. I have better things to remember."


    "Mr. Carter," Mia wailed.


    "What are you doing? Take this woman away from here." He ordered.


    Mia stared at Noah, her eyes turning red. Tears started to flow down. "Miss Stevenson, please." Ronnie gestured for her to follow.


    "Don''t touch me. I know my way." She huffed and left the floor.


    "Shane, inform the HR department to fire the receptionists. We do not want inefficient people who do not know how to do their work."


    Ronnie and Shane gave each other a look. The people in the ground floor had it that day. They were supposed to do one work and they had failed to do so. Now, they had to face their Boss''s wrath.

 Chapter 177: Mole in the company

    Seeing Mia run out of the company with tears in her eyes, the two receptionists were baffled. When she had come inside, they had been reluctant to send her up as she had not fixed an appointment and had come unannounced. Also, she had not asked them to enquire if their Boss was free and was willing to meet her. She had haughtily announced that she wanted to meet their Boss.


    The receptionists had tried to stop her. But, she had declared that she was Noah''s friend and he had allowed her access to his cabin. The two women had assumed her to have had an ambiguous relationship with their Boss. So they had allowed her to go without following the company protocols. But who knew that Mia would come out with tears in her eyes.


    Barely a few minutes had passed when they got a call from the HR department that they had been fired and they could collect their salaries for the month. Their world had been turned upside down in a matter of a few seconds. Though they wanted to grovel and beg for forgiveness, nobody would listen to them. So, they had no choice but to pack up their bags and leave the company.


    Mia sat in her car and wiped her tears. She made a call to her father immediately. "Dad." She wailed as soon as the call connected.


    "What happened Mia?"


    "Noah did not even spare me a glance and humiliated me in front of his employees." She complained.


    "Mia, I had warned you beforehand not to cause any more trouble. You silly child. No man likes it if the woman keeps clinging to him. You need to have some self-respect. You need to appear bold and strong. Surprise him, take him off guard. Men like challenges. They do not like easy women. So, don''t try to throw yourself at him."


    "But Dad.."


    "Listen to me, Mia. Take it slow. We know that he does not have a girlfriend yet. So, you have all the time in the world. Now that you are going to start working in his company, you will get more opportunities to be with him. So don''t worry. Just follow the plan."


    "Yes, Dad." Mia was consoled by the fact that she would get a lot of opportunities in the future. So, she stopped lamenting. "Okay, Dad. I''ll do as you say. I won''t let you down."


    "Good girl. I know I can trust you."


    "Okay, Dad. See you later."


    Mia had joined Noah''s company. After she had been humiliated by Noah, she had gone to complain about it to her father. He had then given her an idea to join Noah''s company so that she would get an opportunity to learn as well as get close to him. Following his instructions, she had applied to his company and had hoped that Noah would not be present during the selection. She knew the chances of her getting selected were nil if that happened.


    To her dismay, Noah had come to attend the interview. However, this did not go for long. He had left the interview halfway when he had received a call. At that time, Mia was yet to give her interview. With a lot of effort, she had made it and had got selected.


    "Let''s see how are going to avoid me, Noah," Mia said with an infatuated gaze.


    On the other hand, Mia''s father sighed loudly. The man in front of him had been staring at him the whole time he was speaking to his daughter. "Mr. Augustus, I apologize for the interruption."


    "Was that your daughter?"


    "Yes. I have ordered her to do as you have said. She has joined Carter Enterprises."


    "Good. I did not expect any other outcome."


    "Mr. Augustus, why do you want my daughter to work in Noah''s company when she has her own company?"


    Jared gave him a mysterious smile. "Mr. Stevenson, I knew long back that your daughter has a thing or two for Noah. So, I am only thinking about helping her. I am a magnanimous person. Also, I am helping you. Imagine if Noah becomes your son-in-law. How much profits can you reap with this outcome!"


    As expected, Mr. Stevenson got swayed by his words and immediately agreed to do as he was told. He had no idea that he was being used for Jared''s benefit and when the time came, he would just cast him aside like garbage.


    Jared had got what he wanted. He had implanted a mole in Noah''s company. Though he could have asked his men to do it, he knew Noah was keeping tabs on him and it would be easy for him to find out about it. So, he had used another method. He had approached somebody unimaginable for help. Nobody would trace it to him when the time came and all the blame would fall on Stevenson and his fool of a daughter.


    Jared smirked thinking how good his plan was going. On one hand, he was trying to woo Rachel. On the other, he was making someone to woo Noah. If everything turns out the way he wanted, then nobody could stop him. ''Noah, just a few more days. Then nobody can beat me.''


    "About the resort deal..."


    "Don''t worry Mr. Stevenson. If Noah is not going to sponsor for it, I am going to do it. I don''t know why he is not interested in such a good deal. But not to worry. I am here." Jared assured him much to his relief.


    Since the day Noah had rejected to deal with his company, Mr. Stevenson was having trouble finding reliable investors. Jared came to give him a helping hand and he had no issues with it if he got the money. However, he had to fulfill some of his conditions before he got his hand on the money. Mr. Stevenson being the greedy one agreed to it without even thinking. He did not even know that he was digging his own grave. Going against Noah was nothing less than inviting his death. He had no idea that his doom was waiting for him.

 Chapter 178: Secret donor

    Meanwhile in the hospital.


    Ian had come to the hospital to see Norman Litner. He was still unable to accept him as his father. Even just thinking about it made him feel disgusted. Yet, he had no idea why had got the thought of visiting him. He wanted to make sure he was alright.


    Ian opened the door to the ward and stepped in slowly. There was nobody inside and Norman was still sleeping. The man had been unconscious since the day the operation had taken place. Since he was old, it would take some time for his body to accept the new cells and recuperate.


    Norman looked weaker than what Ian had seen before. His face had become haggard and wrinkled. He looked older than his age and his bald head made him look completely different. Nevertheless, Ian could not match it with the man''s face he remembered as his biological father.


    Ian stayed in his ward for a long time, just staring at the sleeping man. It was not until the door opened and the nurse walked in for her hourly check-up did he come out of his stupor.


    "Dr. Davis." She acknowledged.


    "Nurse, how is the patient''s health?"


    "Doctor, he is recuperating well. Since he is weak, it might take him a few days to wake up."


    "I understand."


    Ian took one last glance at Norman before he left the ward. He then went in search of the doctor who had performed the bone marrow transplant. However, on his way, he met Violet and John.


    "Uncle Ian." Violet ran to him immediately and Ian squatted to meet her eye. He had to be careful as he had just recovered. So, he couldn''t lift her in his arms yet.


    "Hey, sweetheart. How are you?"


    "I am good. Why didn''t you come to meet me for the past few days? I came here every day. " She complained with a pout.


    "Sorry, dear. I was not in town. So, I couldn''t meet you." Ian lied conveniently as he took a glance at John who was watching them silently with a smile on his face.


    "Oh okay. Uncle Ian, did you hear? My grandpa is going to get well soon."


    "Is it? That''s great."


    "Yes, Doctor. Thank God, we were able to find a suitable donor for him. Otherwise, we don''t know how long he would be alive. I want to meet the doctor who performed the operation. I need to know the person who donated his marrow. I have to thank him for saving Mr. Litner."


    Ian''s eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about this matter. He did not want anybody to know him being the donor yet. So, he had to request the doctor to keep it a secret.


    "If you will excuse me. I have some work to do." He kissed Violet forehead. "I''ll see you later, dear." Ian had no problems in accepting Violet as his niece. She was sweet and adorable and she was not even born when he had got separated from his family. So, he accepted her as family and treated her dearly.


    John and Violet went inside the ward while Ian went to meet the doctor.


    "Excuse me, Doctor."


    "Yes, Dr. Davis?" The lady doctor smiled at him and gestured for him to take a seat. She was in her cabin when he had come to visit her.


    "I have come to talk about Norman Litner''s case."


    "Yes yes. He is doing well actually. You don''t have to worry. Dr. Davis."


    "I have come here to talk about something else," Ian answered mysteriously making the lady doctor raise her eyebrows in confusion.


    "If anybody from his family asks about the bone marrow donor, please can you keep it confidential. I don''t want to reveal it to them."


    "Sure Dr. Davis. No problem." She knew a lot of people preferred to keep the donor identities a secret. This was not something unusual.


    "Thank you, doctor." Ian thanked her sincerely and left the ward. His mind wandered to Norman. He was happy that he did not have to face the next few weeks or even months. He was being a coward, he knew it in his heart. But he couldn''t help it. Out of nowhere, his father had made his presence and created a storm in his life. So, he was yet to come in terms with it.


    Though Ian did not have any work that day, except he had to attend the briefing in the evening, he thought of working for some time to keep his head off other disturbing things. He went to the reception to check the patients'' register.


    Seeing him arrive, the receptionist sighed in relief. He came as a savior to her. Since the day the boy had died, nobody had to come forward as his family. They had waited for a few days and then had made a police complaint. However, they too had ignored it and the poor boy was still lying the morgue.


    "Dr. Davis, thank heavens you are here." She greeted him heartily.


    Ian was taken aback. This was the first time she had greeted him this enthusiastically. "Hello. Wow, did you miss me so much that you are happy to see me come back?"


    "Yes, Dr. Davis. Welcome back."


    "Thank you."


    Ian took the register. But he could still feel the receptionist eyes on him. "Do you have something to tell me?"


    "Yes, Dr. Davis. We have a problem." Ian gave a knowing smile. "Doctor, there is this boy who died a few days ago." The receptions recited everything she wanted to tell and Ian''s facial expressions changed drastically. He hated it if people did not do their work correctly, be it his own employees or somebody else.


    "When did you register the complaint?"


    "Yesterday morning."


    "Have they not taken any actions till now?"


    The receptionist shook her head. Ian pondered for a minute before speaking, "I''ll handle this matter. Leave this to me."


    The receptionist smiled at him gratefully. She knew Dr. Davis would help her. Though she did not know how, he always got things done and the problems would be solved quickly. So, continued to do her work while went to the side to make a call.

 Chapter 179: Not an accident

    Ian made a call after the receptionist gave him the details about the boy who had died. It was his hospital and he had to make sure everything went well. He was not the one to allow any mistakes, be it of any sort. It had taken him a lot of effort to build his own hospital and he expected perfection, with no black records of any sort.


    "Hello, Sergeant Phil."


    "Hello, Dr. Davis."


    "Sergeant, I need a favor from you."


    "Yes, yes Doctor. Tell me how may I help you?"


    Ian accounted him all that had taken place in his hospital regarding the boy and his family. The sergeant listened to him and was silent for some time. "Doctor, I''ll send my men to take a look at it. Please don''t worry. We will resolve the issue as soon as possible."


    "Thank you, Sergeant."


    "My pleasure."


    Ian ended the call and sighed. He wondered how they had ended up in this trouble. Now that the matter was being handled by Sergeant Phil, he had no reason to worry. At that moment, a nurse came to him running. "Doctor, the driver has woken up."


    "Is it? That''s great." Ian went along with her to take a look. As she had said, the man had woken up and he was staring at the ceiling without blinking. As soon as Ian went inside, the man''s eyes darted him.


    "Hello. How are you feeling? Does it pain anywhere?" Ian asked gently. He went through his health chart and checked his body for any abnormalities.


    "Doctor, can you please call the police?"


    Ian stared at him in surprise. As soon as the man had got up, he had asked to see the police. This was something unexpected. He had not spoken anything else nor did he complained of pain.


    "Why do you want to call the police? Is something the matter?"


    "Yes, I need to file a report."


    "Ohh, is it? Let me take a look at you first and make sure that you are alright. Okay? We need to see if you are doing fine."


    The man nodded and Ian started to see if he was fine. He checked his vitals. Everything looked normal, except that his heartbeat was a little high. There was nothing wrong with his body.


    "You are doing fine. I''ll call the police for you."


    Ian made a call to Sergeant Phil once again in front of the man. "Sergeant, the school bus driver has woken up and he wants to meet you. He wants to file a report."


    "Is it? I''ll be there in thirty minutes."


    "He will be here shortly. You can rest until then." Ian assured the driver but got a blank stare in return.


    Forty minutes later.


    The Sergeant and Ian were in the CCU, waiting for the man to speak up.


    "I am Sergeant Phil. Do you want something to tell us?"


    "Yes, Sergeant. I need to make a complaint."


    "Against who?"


    "I don''t know who he was."


    "Then?"


    "He was the person who tried to kill me."


    "What?" Ian and the sergeant were both dumbfounded.


    "Yes. It was not an accident, everything was planned."


    "Can you explain it in detail?"


    "The truck which rammed into the bus was following us for quite some time. I saw it through the rearview mirror. It hit us at the intersection while I was taking a turn."


    "Then what happened?"


    "I was thrust forward and fell off the bus. The kids stayed inside and I think they got hurt. But that was not the case. There were two people in the truck and one of them got down. He was searching for someone among the kids. I tried to stop him, but he struck me with the rod."


    The sergeant and Ian looked at each other in silence. What they had assumed to be an accident was actually an attempt to murder or kidnap. The case had suddenly taken a different turn altogether.


    "Did you see the man''s face?"


    "No. He was wearing a mask."


    "Did he take the child he was looking for with him?"


    "I don''t think so. A lot of people had accumulated by the time he finished dealing with me. So, he might not have gotten the chance to do what he intended to do."


    "I''ll take a look at it. We will see if any of the kids who were in that van were missing. Do you have anything else for us to know that might help in the investigation?"


    The man thought for a while trying to recollect everything that had occurred that day. But he couldn''t find out any other details that might be of great importance. He then remembered something. "Sergeant, I have something. But I am not sure if it is worth it."


    "That does not matter. Tell us everything you know, even a minute detail may help us."


    "The attacker had a tattoo on his arm. When I was trying to defend myself, I accidentally tore his right sleeve and I saw it."


    "What kind of a tattoo was it?"


    "It was a snake of some kind. It looked scary." The man revealed everything and once again the Sergeant and Ian looked at each, but this time in realization.


    "I''ll do a thorough investigation and look into this matter. Thank you for informing me." The sergeant took his leave and Ian followed him.


    "What do you think about this case, Dr. Davis?"


    "I am not sure. I am still wondering if he is telling the truth or not."


    "There is nothing wrong with investigating it. I''ll take a look at it thoroughly. If what he is saying is the truth, then we need to buck up and find those bastards. We cannot allow anybody else to get hurt because of them."


    "Yes, the Vipers are becoming bold each day. We need to do something about them."


    "I wonder who they wanted to take with them and why. Is it someone from an influential background?"


    "I don''t know what to say. Anyway, this is your case now." Ian sighed. "What about the boy I told you about?"


    "I have sent my men to find the boy''s family. If we have no results by the end of tomorrow, we will take care of the body. You have nothing to worry."


    "Thank you, Sergeant."

 Chapter 180: Question and answers

    Noah finished his meetings as soon as possible. He had to go meet Oliver. He wanted to ask him some questions. He had to know those answers. Now that Oliver was out of danger, Noah did not want to delay the time anymore. He had to find out the people who killed his mentor and take revenge against them. His meetings had ended early and Aria had to go to the hospital. There was some time before they met each other. So, he thought of going to meet Oliver in the meantime.


    Ian had gone to the hospital too and Joshua was busy. So, it was only him and Ronnie who had come to Ian''s company. Oliver was awake when they went to meet him.


    "Hello, Mr. West. How do you feel today?"


    "I am doing good. How about you Mr. Carter?"


    "I am doing great. I have come here to ask you some questions."


    "Sure. I''ll tell you everything I know."


    Noah sat on the chair beside Oliver''s bed while Ronnie sat on the sofa that was in the right corner of the room. The nurse had taken his leave immediately when Noah had entered giving them privacy.


    "How did you know my mentor?"


    "I met him when I had gone to work in another city. He saved my life that day."


    "What had happened?"


    "I was trying to find clues about a politician who was involved in shady dealings. His underlings found out about me and they started following me. Theo was the one who saved me from them."


    "Oh. Let''s come to the actual matter. This is related to my mentor''s death. Did you see him die?" Noah spoke the words with great difficulty.


    Oliver was silent for some time before he started speaking again, "Yes, I saw him die with my own eyes. He wanted me to come with him that day. I went with him along with a colleague I trust the most. He was following a man while we followed them."


    "Why did he want you to come with him?"


    "Theo had been wrongly accused of getting involved with the crime he had not even committed. Since he was the second-biggest shareholder in Royal Hospital, he was as guilty of the crime as the man who held the most number of shares. He wanted to find proof to prove his innocence. So, I went with him. He wanted me to record everything."


    "Coming to the question, who held the most number of shares then?"


    "It was the man who Theo was following. I don''t know what his name is." Oliver answered honestly.


    Noah remembered the man''s face he had seen in the video recording. He was the same person against whom Ivy had performed a sting operation. The father and daughter pair were extraordinary. He had to commend them. They thought alike and it was they who were indirectly helping him to find the man responsible for his mentor''s death.


    "I have a recording of your mentor''s death in my house."


    "I have seen it already," Noah said taking Oliver by surprise.


    "How?"


    "I''ll tell you about it a little later. Did you see the man who killed my mentor, I mean who shot him?"


    "No. It was dark and he was hiding his face behind a mask. Also, their people found out about us. So, we ran away from there to save ourselves from them."


    "Who is the other person you are talking about?"


    "He was my colleague Mr. Evans. He died." Oliver said, his eyes filled with grief on losing such a good friend and good person. He wondered how his family was doing now that he was gone.


    "I am sorry Mr. West. My mentor died two days before you two were captured. How did you get caught?"


    "That, I am not sure either. My colleague had found the man in the video recording somewhere and he wanted me to come with him. I am still unsure as to why he wanted to come."


    "We found that before those rogues caught up with you, you met the man my mentor was following before he died. What did you guys speak about?"


    "I have no idea how, but he had found out that it was I who had been following him along with Theo. He had a hunch, I believe, that we were working together. He wanted to capture me and I ran to save myself. I think you know what happened after that."


    Noah nodded. Everything made sense now. He still had a lot more questions to ask. But he did not want to overwhelm Oliver more than he could tolerate for the day. So, he stopped himself.


    "By the way, how did you find out about the pen drives? I had kept it safely in my house. How?"


    "That." Noah scratched his head awkwardly. It was now time for him to reveal his relationship with Aria. However, he was scared, scared that Oliver might not accept him. It was not the first time he was getting scared. Whenever he thought about Aria, he would get scared for a lot of reasons. He got to know the true meaning of fear only after he had met Aria.


    "I am your daughter''s boyfriend." He muttered, mainly to himself. So, Oliver could not hear him clearly.


    "I am sorry. I didn''t hear a word you said. Can you please repeat?"


    Noah took a deep breath. It was now or never. His confidence rose up a level and his eyes shone in determination. However, to Oliver, it looked as though Noah was going to meet his enemy on the battlefield with the way his eyes were burning.


    "I am your daughter''s boyfriend." He said loud and clear and this not only Oliver even Ronnie, who was sitting quite far away from them, heard it clearly. Oliver''s jaw dropped.


    "Wait a minute. Did I hear you clearly? Did you just say that you are my daughter''s boyfriend? Or am I hearing things now?"


    "I am saying the truth, Mr. West. I am your daughter''s boyfriend. We are in a relationship."


    "Who is it?"


    "Aria."


    It took Oliver some time to digest the news. He was unsure of what to do. On one hand, he was happy that his daughter had found a very good man. He had no doubt about it. On the other hand, he couldn''t stop himself from worrying. He knew what kind of a background Noah had and he fell in a huge dilemma.

 Chapter 181: Blessings

    Noah waited for Oliver''s response. When he was confessing about his relationship with Aria, only he knew how nervous and anxious he had been. Now that he had told him everything, he waited in anticipation and tried to read Oliver''s expressions. However, Oliver had a blank look on his face making it highly difficult for Noah to read what he was thinking.


    Noah had to wait for a long time before Oliver made a move. He held Noah''s hand in his while his eyes were fixed on him. Noah could feel his hands tremble and he had a bad feeling in his gut. ''Was he going to reject his relationship? Will he not allow me to be with Aria?''


    "Noah, look, I know you are a good person and I also know what kind of a background you have, other than the fact that you are a Carter. You have been linked to the Underworld and your mentor has told me some things about it." And Noah''s hopes exploded as though they had been sitting on a time bomb. His face fell, yet he tried to remain strong. His heart was enveloped with a blanket of sadness and his mind had short-circuited. However, he remained poker-faced. He did not reveal any of his feelings.


    If Oliver rejected their relationship, that did not mean he could not continue being with Aria. She had the final say in it and he would not force her. However, he knew the chances of the relationship going strong was next to nil. Once the truth came out, Aria would definitely leave him. Any which way, he was bound to lose.


    "I was skeptical at first when I learned about what you did. It was nothing but torturing people and also killing them. But your mentor explained it to me clearly. It was my mistake to have judged what you did as a crime. Everybody in this world wants to keep their families and themselves safe. If I was in your position, maybe I would kill people too to save my family."


    Oliver''s words brought a glimmer of hope in Noah''s heart. If he was willing to accept him, then he could somehow persuade Aria. He could make it up to her at all costs. The sadness vanished and his face blossomed like a sunflower. Oliver could notice the changes in him and he stifled a smile. ''This boy is pure and sensitive, completely different from what he shows to the world.''


    "If your feelings for my daughter is honest and genuine, I have no problems with it. You have my blessings." Noah''s face bloomed at once. He was sincerely gratified towards Oliver for his understanding. "Silly boy, did you think I would reject you?" Noah scratched his head awkwardly. "I don''t think my daughter would find anybody more capable and better than you. I will have no objections with you two being together. In return, I want a promise from you. I want you to keep my daughter safe and I trust you can do it."


    "Yes, Mr. West. I will keep your daughter safe and happy. I''ll protect her with my life."


    "That will not do." Oliver interrupted him. "You need to keep yourself safe too. I don''t want my daughter to lose you. You should live long and give me loads of grandkids."


    Noah smiled hearing Oliver''s words. He was happy that he had got such a sensible and awesome father-in-law. Now that he had got blessings from Oliver, he had one less thing to worry about. But he couldn''t stop wondering why people were expecting Aria and him to produce kids as soon as possible. He had not even had sex with her in the first place, for god''s sake. Though he was dying to make love to her, he was restricting himself. It was not the right time yet.


    "Okay, my previous question is still being unanswered. How did you find the pen drives?"


    "I have some things I want to tell you."


    "Yes?"


    "Your daughters do not know that you are with us."


    "That I noticed." Oliver had sensed it long back. Otherwise, his family would have come to meet after he had woken up.


    "Also, I have not told them that I know about you and that you are with us." Oliver looked at him silently, waiting for him to continue. "So, they are searching for you. Ivy asked one of my friends for help and you know who he is. He had come with us the last time I was here."


    Oliver nodded in realization. "What''s his name?"


    "Joshua, Joshua Martin."


    "He is a Martin?"


    "Yes."


    "That explains why he was here. He was trained by Theo too, right?"


    "Yes. When Ivy came to him, you were still unconscious. So, we had to lie to her about it, about you. However, my friend offered to help her and we came across the pen drives in your house."


    "That explains it."


    "I have something I want to ask. What do you want to do now Mr. West? You do realize that your daughters do not know about your whereabouts, right? Do you want to meet them right away or will you wait until we find the culprits?" Noah stressed out what he had in mind. He wished that Oliver would stay hidden until everything returned to normal. Else, not only would there be a danger to his life, even his daughters would be at risk.


    "How bad is it out there?"


    "Mr. West, your daughter, Ivy has following the same case as you. She is trying to uncover all the hospitals that are involved in these kinds of activities."


    "What?" Oliver was perplexed. He remembered telling Ivy about this issue when he was working on it. He had no idea that she would take this up after his disappearance. Now that he thought about it, he could not help but admire his daughter all the more.


    "Yes, Ivy is on the case and the issue which had been buried for all these years has been dug up and brought out open. It will not be long before people will start noticing her. However, if you come out and show yourself, this might only lead to more problems. Right now Ivy is safe and sound. But that might not be the case later."


    "You are right. I need to stay hidden for some time. But if what you are saying is true, then my daughter''s life would be in danger, right?" Oliver asked, his voice quivering at the end.


    "Don''t worry Mr. West. I will protect your daughters. Moreover, Ivy is not a pushover. She has some tricks up her sleeves. She will not get caught that easily." Noah spoke these words with pride. he had full trust in her abilities and also, he would be there to keep her safe. Oliver was assured with Noah''s words. He knew he could trust him. Under Noah''s watch, nobody would dare try to touch his daughters.

 Chapter 182: Dinner plans

    Noah had got all the answers he needed for now. But there was something else that was bugging his mind. Aria was leaving the next day to go to the war zone and there were chances that she might be hurt in the battle. Though there were soldiers who would protect the medical staff at all costs, he could not rule out the other possibilities.


    Just the thought of it made him shiver. He was unable to imagine his life without her, without her smile, her beautiful face. However, he was helpless. He could not stop her from doing what she wanted to do. If given a chance, he would have taken her far away from the world where they could be alone. He would have spent his entire life just looking at her. But that would only make Aria sad. She was meant to be free and he would not do anything that would take her freedom away.


    Noah wanted to take Oliver to meet her before she left, or at least see her. They would be taking a huge risk just to do that. But he did not want to take this right away from them. He took a deep breath. "Mr. West, I have a suggestion for you. Aria is going on a medical camp with her friends tomorrow and we don''t know when she will return." Noah lied to him that she was going on a camp and not to the war zone. He didn''t want to scare him than he already was.


    "Ivy will be there to drop her. Do you want to take a look at them? I would have liked it if you had met them, but you know the circumstances. So, if you want, you could see them from a distance."


    "Is it possible?" Oliver''s eyes sparkled listening to this idea. If he could see his daughters, even from a distance, then he would be happy and satisfied.


    "Yes, definitely. Joshua and Ronnie will come pick you up tomorrow. But you have to disguise yourself a little."


    "I have no problem with that," Oliver replied with a huge smile on his face.


    "I am going to go now, Mr. West. Take rest."


    Noah looked at his watch and gestured Ronnie to leave with him. It was almost time for him to go meet Aria. Her meeting would have started by then.


    Around six in the evening, Aria reached the hospital. She met Ian inside and they went to hear the briefing together. It was a short meeting with the hospital staff who were going to the war zone the next day. They were given some instructions to follow and were asked to perform their duty and responsibilities correctly. They were also warned not to do anything that would degrade the hospital''s name as well as to stay safe. The meeting ended after an hour or so.


    "Done with the packing?" Ian asked as they walked out together.


    "Sort of."


    "Yours?"


    "Not yet. Have to do now. Look, who is here to pick you up. Your boyfriend is here." Ian teased seeing Noah come to them. Aria blushed hearing his words. It was almost every day that Noah came to pick her up after work. So, she was a little worried that people would have found out about him and her by now. Nobody could ignore his king like appearance and aura, it was just that strong and mixed with his handsome face, he was just the ultimate package. He was also the great Noah Allen Carter. Who didn''t know him?


    Even Aria who had accustomed to his handsome face, couldn''t stop herself from drooling, let alone people who were seeing him for the first time. People still turned to look at him as he walked towards Aria and Ian.


    "Done with your meeting?" He asked the both of them. However, his eyes were fixed on Aria. Now that Aria would not be with him for weeks, months even, he wanted to take in her face and features as much as possible and save it in his memory. In the next few days of separation, he could only satisfy the urge to see her by looking at her photographs and remembering their sweet moments together.


    "Yes. Why are you here?" Ian asked him, though he knew why he was there. It was always good to tease the cold and aloof man whenever they had the chance. Noah rolled his eyes listening to Ian.


    "I heard that you were treating us to dinner. So, I came here to empty your bank balance."


    "Oh, please. Spare me. Among us, who is the rich one here?"


    Aria nodded at his question. She had no idea that the man beside her and her colleague were both rich. So, she assumed Noah to be the only rich person among the three.


    "Really? I thought that in friendship, we did not care who was rich or poor."


    "That is correct too." Aria nodded again.


    "Aria, who are you supporting here?" Ian was perplexed with the way she was changing sides like a pendulum.


    "What? Don''t look at me that way. One is my boyfriend and the other is my friend. I support both of you." Aria shrugged her shoulders. "I don''t care who is the one to open their pockets. Any which way I get to fill my stomach."


    Ian and Noah gave each other a look. "Aria, how about this? You treat us this time." Ian started while Noah nodded.


    "What?" Aria''s jaw dropped.


    "Yes, you give us the treat. There is nothing wrong with treating us, right? One is your boyfriend and the other is your friend." Noah repeated her words after upgrading it a little.


    "How did it turn this way? I was clearly a bystander. How did I get dragged into this?"


    "You did not get dragged. You were already here. So, come on. Let''s go and empty Aria''s pockets today." Ian said smirking.


    "Since it is my girlfriend''s treat, I am going to eat a lot. My stomach is completely empty anyway and I am damn hungry."


    "Hey, how about this? Since we are going to leave tomorrow, let''s all meet and have dinner together."


    "Sure, that''s a good idea. You call Jo and I''ll call Ivy." Noah added. Though Noah wanted to spend some time alone with Aria, he also did not despise the dinner plan. They could have a great time together. Ian and Noah were busy making calls. They did not notice Aria''s sorrowful face. ''Oh my hard-earned money, goodbye.''

 Chapter 183: Secret meeting

    While Aria was crying over the fact that she was going to lose her hard-earned money, on the other side of the city, Tim was waiting to meet Jared. He had some things to report him as well as to get his next orders. He had done his job as Jared commanded.


    Tim was waiting for him at their usual meeting place. It was not the abandoned factory where Jared usually met his men, nor was it his company. It was a secret hideout that only a few trusted people knew about. It was a small cafe which did not many visitors. Jared had a hidden room in the cafe which was not accessible to anybody. Except for the cafe owner, nobody else working there even knew about it.


    The cafe was closed for the day so as to not disturb the secret meeting. Since not many people came there, it did not raise eyes for it to have been closed earlier than usual. Jared came ten minutes later than their appointed time, he was being followed by his assistant. He had not donned his mask. So, he looked less fierce and lethal. But his eyes were all the more venomous, completely different from the way he looked at Rachel.


    "Master," Tim bowed seeing Jared walk in. He was wearing an all-black attire, with a black windbreaker and he looked nothing less than a black serpent. Even Tim who had seen him a lot of times before, couldn''t stop himself from getting scared for a second. However, he composed himself quickly. He knew his boss hated it if people behaved cowardly in front of him.


    Jared sat in front of him and folded his legs. Tim took a seat opposite to Jared while Jared''s assistant remained standing behind them. Jared started to tap his fingers on the armrest and his eyes were closed. "What have you got for me, Tim?"


    "Master, the five people have been removed from their jobs as you had ordered."


    "Good. What are they doing now?"


    "Master, I followed all of them for a few days and I found nothing suspicious. They did not do anything out of the ordinary."


    Jared opened his eyes suddenly and Tim stopped speaking. "Something is wrong."


    "What Master?"


    Jared thought for a while as he continued tapping his fingers. Tim looked on wondering what he was thinking. His Master''s mind worked in a way even he could not comprehend. He was always one step ahead of a lot of people and this made him admire Jared a lot.


    "They know that they are being followed."


    "What?"


    "Yes. There is no way they would have remained silent after losing their jobs. They know about you and they are taking measures. If I am not wrong, they are plotting something in secret."


    "No way."


    "Yes. They are up to something and we need to find out what it is. Keep an eye on them until I tell you to stop. They will reveal themselves eventually."


    "Yes, Master."


    "What is the girl you are doubtful about, up to? What is her name again?"


    "Ivy."


    "Ah, yes. Ivy. What did she do after losing her job?"


    "Boss, she did nothing but to stay at home. I never saw her leave her home."


    "Now I am a hundred percent sure that there is something wrong. They are seriously planning something."


    "I''ll keep a look on them. In fact, I''ll ask my men to watch out for all of them."


    "Good. But be careful. Now that they know about you, it might not be easy to get information."


    "Yes, Master. I''ll take care."


    Jared then looked at his assistant. "What happened to the boy we were searching for?"


    "Master, he died of a hemorrhage." The assistant replied almost instantly.


    "That''s good news. Now that he is out of our way, nobody will testify against us. Reward the man who got this job done."


    "But Boss, there is a problem."


    Jared''s eyes immediately shot to him and the assistant cowered in fear. It was as though a snake was about to attack him at that moment. He was not scared of anything as he was of his master.


    "What?" He barked.


    "The school van driver witnessed everything."


    "Is he alive?"


    "Yes, Master. He survived, that is what I heard."


    "This is bad. We need to dispose him off before he does anything. Kill him. I don''t want any trouble knocking on my door."


    "Yes, Master."


    Jared''s assistant had only got the news that the school van driver had survived the accident. He did not know that he had already filed a complaint against his attacker and had told them about the Vipers. If he had known and had informed his Master, all hell would have broken loose by now and maybe he would have been shot dead and his body would have been in the gutter.


    "Make sure nobody knows about it. It will not be easy for you to finish him in a hospital."


    "Yes Master, I''ll be careful."


    "I hope so otherwise, you have no hope."


    Jared''s assistant remained unfazed by his threat. He had been facing them a lot after he had become Jared''s assistant and every time he had postponed his ill-fate. He had the confidence that this time too he would be victorious.


    "I''ll take care of it, Master."


    Jared got up to go, but stopped suddenly when he remembered something. "Find all the details about Rachel''s boyfriend. I need everything about him."


    "Yes, Master."


    Jared took his leave first while Tim and his assistant stayed behind.


    "Who is Rachel?" Tim was the first one to break the silence.


    "Rachel Carter, Noah Carter''s sister."


    "What?"


    "Yeah. Master has his eye on her."


    "You have got to be kidding me."


    "No. He is actively pursuing her even though he knows that she has a boyfriend."


    "I wonder what would happen if Master and Noah Carter come face to face."


    "That would be the end of the world. Only one of them would survive and I don''t know who would that be. Both are equally powerful."


    "You bet."


    "I need to go. I have a man to kill." Jared''s assistant said.


    "And I have people to follow."

 Chapter 184: True love

    Aria, Ian and Noah were waiting in front of the restaurant for Ivy and Joshua to join. They had informed them about the dinner plan before they left the hospital. They wanted to call Daniel and Rachel too, but the couple had plans of their own. So, they decided not to disturb them.


    Joshua was the first one to arrive. He had finished his meeting with his employees when he had received Ian''s call and since the restaurant was closeby to his company, it did not take him long to reach the venue. Now, Ivy was the only one to arrive.


    At that moment, Aria saw someone and her eyes popped out of her sockets. She rubbed her forehead thinking that she was going to end up with a headache by the end of the day. The three men did not notice anything weird as they continued chatting.


    ''Five, four, three,'' Aria started the count down in her mind. ''two, one.''


    "Aria." Somebody shouted and all the three men turned to look at the source of the voice.


    "Shit." Aria cursed loudly, making Noah stare at her weirdly.


    "Sorry."


    Noah turned back to look at the man who had called his girlfriend. He was wearing black jeans and a black leather jacket with a white shirt underneath. He had a french beard and his unruly hair made him look mischievous and young. He looked more pretty than handsome. Noah wondered who it was and how he knew Aria.


    The man walked to the group and without another word hugged Aria to everybody''s surprise. Ian and Joshua looked at the scene with their eyes wide while Noah clenched his jaw in anger. He immediately separated the two people forcibly and draped his arm over Aria''s shoulder.


    "Who the hell are you?" He seethed.


    "And who the hell are you?" The man retorted back immediately. "I am talking to my girlfriend. Back off."


    Ian and Joshua''s jaw dropped hearing his words. What nonsense was he spouting and that too in front of Noah who was highly possessive of Aria? This man must be tired of living.


    "Who is your girlfriend? Aria is mine."


    "No way. Aria, what am I hearing? This man is playing a joke on us right?"


    "No, he is right. He is my boyfriend." Aria said at once.


    "What? Aria, how could you do this to me?" The man placed his hand on his chest as though he was hurt. "We were in love with each other. Just because I had gone abroad for three months, you left me. How heartless of you!"


    "Mind your words." Noah stood protectively in front of Aria. He was just short of punching the man''s face or breaking his legs. Even Joshua and Ian were about to lose it.


    "Aria, how could you forget me? How could you forget the sweet moments we had together?"


    "Aria, do you know him?" Noah looked at the woman in his embrace and raised an eyebrow.


    "Yes. I know him. But he is not my boyfriend."


    "Aria, please don''t lie. Don''t insult our love. It is pure and sweet." The man said, his eyes narrowing.


    "Listen, Mister, I don''t know who you are. Just back off before you end up in a hospital." Joshua stepped forward.


    "Aria, this is not fair. You are trying to protect yourself using three men. You know it''s impossible for me to win against them." The man ran his eyes on all three of them before it landed on Aria.


    "Aria, do you know him?" Ian asked.


    "Yes, I know him," Aria answered immediately.


    "Do you love him?"


    "Ian. what are you saying? Have you lost your mind?" Noah shouted the next moment.


    "Noah calm down. We need to see both points of view."


    Noah glared at him, but Ian was not affected by it. He had seen it many times and it had never fazed him. Noah stood silently beside Aria, his hand still draped against her shoulder.


    "Yes, Ian. I love him," Aria stated and Noah''s head turned to look at her in shock. "But not the way I love Noah. It is a completely different type of love."


    "Aria, what the hell is this?" Ian asked in surprise.


    "What? I have known him since my birth and we have been together since long." Aria stated indifferently.


    The three men looked at her in shock. It was the first time she was behaving this way with them and what was more surprising was that she was not hiding the fact that she loved the man in front of them. This struck them hard, especially Noah who had assumed that he was the first man to be with Aria.


    "Aria," Noah gave her a devastating look.


    "Noah, I love you and I love him too. But my love for both of you is different. You are the love of my life while he is just a person I love." Aria tried clearing her stance. She was exceptionally calm and highly unaffected by the turn of events and this surprised the three friends.


    ''He might be a childhood friend, just like Daniel. What am I even thinking? Aria would never cheat on me.'' Noah thought inwardly. However, his thoughts were interrupted when the man spoke again.


    "Aria, how could you say this? I am your true love. You cannot do this to me."


    "Listen, Mister." Noah clenched his hands and he shot a cold glare at him. "Leave from here before I do something to you."


    "I am not going to leave without Aria."


    "Please leave before it''s too late. You have no idea what will happen to you if you continue staying here." Ian too tried to shoo the man away but in vain.


    "Wait a minute. I know you." The man gave a thorough glance at Noah. "You are Noah Allen Carter right?"


    Nobody responded. The man continued, "Now that you have Noah with you, you are going to forget me Aria. This is not good. I did not expect you to be like this."


    Aria looked around bored. They were still in the parking lot and not many people were present. So, nobody noticed the chaos that was taking place.


    "Excuse me, leave before I do something to you," Noah said again, trying to control his anger.


    "Why should I leave? You leave. I am not going to leave without my sweetheart." Saying this, the man lunged at Aria and hugged her tightly.


    Noah pushed him away and separated them. He then proceeded to punch him in the face. But Aria stopped him to his dismay.


    "Aria, what are you doing?"


    "Noah stop it and you," She pointed her finger at the man, "Are you done having fun? This is getting too much."


    "Aria what do you mean?" Joshua looked at Aria and the man in confusion.


    "What I am saying is this idiot is my sister, Ivy."

 Chapter 185: Jealous Jo

    "Noah, stop. That''s my sister Ivy." Aria held him from punching Ivy''s, who was disguised as a man, face.


    "Aria, why did you reveal the truth this soon? You killed the fun." Ivy wailed as she removed her wig and her beard.


    "If I didn''t stop him, Noah would have killed you, stupid." Aria gave her a glare making Ivy chuckle.


    The three men were still flabbergasted with the turn of events. They still could not believe that Ivy was the man whose limbs they were about to break. She had mimicked the character of a man so good that they got fooled though they were smart and intelligent. Her style, her voice, even her charisma was that of a man''s. She had done a great job, they had to give her credit. If Aria had not stopped Noah, they could not imagine what would have happened to her.


    "Brother-in-law, I apologize for my behavior right now. It was fun to see you all flustered and angry." Ivy grinned at him as she held Aria''s hands. "It was such fun. I should do it again some other time."


    "Ivy, I am sorry too." Noah apologized. He was still in a state of shock. He was just short of hitting her if Aria had not stopped him. Just the thought of its after effect made him shiver.


    "Nah, that''s okay. Nobody other than Aria can find out it''s me when I am in a disguise. So, you were not in the wrong and my god, what luck. Aria, you have got the best boyfriend ever. He is quite good." Ivy stated loud and clear for everybody to hear and Aria blushed, cursing her in her mind. "He loves you, a lot actually. I could see it in his eyes."


    Noah cleared his throat awkwardly. "Shall we go in?"


    "Definitely. By the way, who is this?" Ivy asked looking at Ian.


    "Ivy, this is Ian, Ian Davis, a friend of mine. We are also colleagues. And Ian this is my sister, Ivy." Aria introduced the two of them.


    "Ah, this Dr. Ian. My sister talks a lot about you. Hello, nice to meet."


    "Nice to meet you too." Ian shook her hand and Joshua looked at them.


    "Aria, blessed is your life," Ivy said, her eyes twinkling. She looked as though she was worshipping someone with the way her eyes were filled with admiration.


    "Why?"


    "You have such handsome men around you. First, there is my brother-in-law, who is godly handsome. Then, there is Daniel who is smartly handsome and now Dr. Davis is geekily handsome. Happy you."


    Ian chortled hearing her words. By then, the group of five had started walking towards the restaurant entrance.


    "Excuse me. What about me? You missed my name." Joshua butted in forcibly in the sisters'' conversation. He had been observing her and listening to her attentively since the time she had arrived.


    "In what?" Ivy asked, her eyes blinking in confusion.


    "In the list of handsome men. I am handsome too."


    "Is it? Since when?"


    "What do you mean by since when? I was born handsome." Joshua boasted.


    "I don''t see that." Ivy denied immediately.


    "Are you kidding me? Ask anybody out there and they will tell you that I am one of the most handsome men in the world."


    "Let''s just say I am not anybody."


    Joshua narrowed his eyes, trying to make Ivy succumb to him. But she being a bold woman, did not even budge. She walked away with her sister without a care in the world.


    "Ivy, accept that I am handsome."


    "Whatever makes you sleep at night."


    Ian and Noah gave each other a knowing look while Aria just laughed looking at them bicker. They were inside the restaurant and the maitre''d led them to a private room seeing Noah come in. He was a regular at this restaurant. So, he had a room exclusively reserved for him.


    "What''s with these two?" Ian asked Noah, taking a glance at Ivy and Joshua. They were leading the others. So, nobody else heard what Ian had whispered.


    "There is an obvious spark between them. But neither of them is ready to make the first move." Noah answered.


    "Is Jo still hung up on that girl from the past?"


    "No. He is not ready to accept any other girl also."


    "Why? Not everybody is like her. There are some fabulous women too."


    "That''s true. But who will explain that to him? Also, he doesn''t want to take the risk again. So, I am no position to advise him, he knows what is better for him."


    "I just hope he realizes what is good for him."


    "Me too." Noah took another glance at the duo. "I don''t think he would meet anybody better than Ivy. She is the one who can handle him and I can see that she makes him happy."


    "Let''s just hope he does not avoid his feelings any further. I don''t want him to go through the pain again."


    The five people went inside the room and placed their orders one by one. There was some time for their food to arrive. So, they were just casually chatting with each other.


    "Ivy, why did you disguise yourself today?" Noah asked the question he was wishing to since he found out about it.


    "As you already know I have a man stalking me. So, I cannot go out normally. I disguised as a man today to come out. I don''t want him to keep following me everywhere I go." Ivy stated with a shrug and Noah nodded. It was fair.


    Though it was not necessary for her to disguise as she was not doing anything suspicious. She was only going out to have dinner, Noah was happy that she had decided to do so. If Tim found out about him or even the fact that Ian and Joshua knew Ivy, then it would become a huge problem for them. It was best that they keep it a secret as long as possible.


    "What do you mean somebody is following you?" Joshua asked baffled. Even Ian was perplexed hearing it.


    Ivy was about to answer him, but Noah intervened. "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you about it later." He gave a silent signal to them that he tell them everything later and the two men stopped the topic then and there. At that moment, the waiter arrived with the food and everybody became busy in eating it.


    "By the way, where''s your bodyguard Noah?" Ivy asked swallowing a spoonful of rice.


    "Who?"


    "The guy who came to our house yesterday."


    "Ronnie? I sent him home early."


    "That''s sad. He is a cute guy."


    Now not only Joshua, even Noah looked at her surprised. ''What was with the West sisters and Ronnie? How come both of them found him to be cute? He was anything but cute. If the twins saw him slaying people in the base, they would even forget the definition of cute and run for their lives.''


    However, Joshua had a completely different thought in mind. ''How did Ivy get to know Ronnie and she finds him cute, how hilarious!'' He had no idea that he was feeling jealous of a man who was not even present in the room at that moment.

 Chapter 186: Savings account

    Joshua unknowingly clenched his fists. He had stopped eating as soon as he had heard Ivy ask about Ronnie. Ian noticed this and smiled inwardly. He cleared his throat and decided to give a helping hand to his friend.


    "Umm, Ivy, what kind of a boyfriend do you prefer?" Ian asked and everybody''s head snapped to him and then their eyes turned to Ivy for an answer.


    "Why, Dr. Davis? Are you interested?" Ivy smirked and Aria sighed. She had started her antics again. ''This girl is bad, very, very bad. She will be the death of me.''


    "Let''s see. If everything clicks, why not?" Ian shrugged. He looked indifferent on the outside, but only he knew how difficult it was for him to sit beside Joshua, who looked as though he was ready to rip off his head or chop off his limbs.


    "That''s nice to hear. I am honored. I don''t have any particular requirements except for one thing."


    "What is that?" Ian leaned in, his ears listening to her attentively. Unbeknownst everyone, even Joshua''s ears had perked up. He too wanted to know what kind of a person she liked.


    "He should not restrict me from working. That''s is my only condition. Other than that, I have no particular preference." Ivy said honestly and Ian smiled.


    "That''s quite cool. I like it." Ian''s enthusiasm showed on his face. Seeing him that way, Joshua''s clenched his jaw. He was unsure why Ian was trying to irk him and boy, it was working. He was getting frustrated. His mind had only one idea, to go and kiss the woman who was blabbering nonsense. But he stopped himself.


    Noah could see what Ian was trying to do and he stifled a smile. He could also notice Joshua''s exasperation. It was time for him to snap if he seriously had something for the girl. Otherwise, they had to give up the idea of bringing the two together completely.


    "Ivy needs someone who can stop her from behaving crazy. She is constantly putting her life in danger and this makes me worried. She has no regard whatsoever." Aria complained and Ivy pulled out her tongue teasingly.


    "Ivy, this is not good. Don''t act on impulse. You have a sister who is concerned about you." Ian chided her as though she was a small girl who had been caught being mischievous.


    "Aww, is Dr. Davis worried for me? I am touched." Ivy placed her hand on her chest and wiped her non-existing tears. Aria rolled her eyes seeing the drama queen.


    "Yes, definitely. It would be a waste if something happens to such a pretty woman. The world would bear such a loss. So, please take care." Ian cautioned her and gave a knowing look to Noah. He secretly wished that he would be alive after this day seeing how Joshua was slowly getting vexed. Meanwhile, Noah appreciated Ian''s efforts. Now it was time for Joshua to realize his feelings.


    "Now that Dr. Davis has warned me, I''ll have to follow his words."


    ''Come on Jo. Please show that you have moved on. Please.'' Ian prayed in his mind while Noah waited for something to happen. And Joshua didn''t fail them, the bomb blasted on time.


    "Guys, let''s change the topic. Ivy will get a boyfriend when she finds someone suitable. Let''s talk about our friends who will be leaving tomorrow. How long will you be gone, Ian, Aria? Any idea?"


    Noah and Ian smiled victoriously. Though Joshua did not do anything that would make him get close to Ivy, he had stopped Ian from flirting with her and this indication was enough for them to conclude that Joshua had feelings for the daring woman.


    "Until the war ends," Ian answered with a mysterious smile on his face. Joshua narrowed his eyes in confusion looking at his weird behavior.


    "Why are you smiling that way?" Joshua asked him and Noah was almost about to burst out laughing. ''This naive, young man.''


    "I am just happy," Ian answered with a grin still plastered in his face.


    "Okay." Joshua gave him a weird look. "Shall we drink tonight? We don''t know when the next opportunity will be."


    "No." Noah and Ivy said at once. They were scared if Aria drank again, then that would be the end of the world.


    "Oh, come one," Joshua whined. "Please, this is the first time we are having dinner together. Let''s have some fun."


    "No. People can''t resist temptations. So, no." Ivy gave Aria one meaningful look.


    "I agree. We don''t want someone singing shark songs and going all weeeeeeee here." Noah agreed with Ivy immediately.


    Aria blushed hearing his words. She realized they were talking about her and she too accepted that it would not be good to drink in front of Ian and Joshua and make a fool of herself. That would not look good and she would end up utterly embarrassed.


    "What do you mean and who will sing shark songs?" Ian asked looking back and forth between Ivy and Noah.


    "And what is this weeeee?" Joshua added.


    "Oh, that''s nothing. They are just talking nonsense." Aria tried to deviate from the topic. She did not want them to know about it.


    "Yes, yes. We were just talking." Noah continued. Though he wanted to tease her more, he did not want to do it in front of his friends. This was something only he had the privilege to do. Noah also sent Ivy a warning which she noticed immediately.


    "I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Anyway, Ian are you in?"


    "No, I have to get up early tomorrow and I don''t want to end up with a hangover."


    "Right, another reason not to get drunk," Noah said much to Joshua''s annoyance. "But we can keep a party when Ian and Aria return. Don''t worry. At that time, nobody will stop you."


    "Okay fine," Joshua said dejectedly. "I''ll wait until their return."


    The dinner was filled with fun with everybody teasing each other. The food was good and the ambiance was nice. Moreover, the people in the room were cooperative and friendly. So, nobody felt left out.


    And finally the time, which Aria was hoping never to arrive, came. The waiter arrived with the bill. Noah and Ian did even not think twice before handing it to her.


    "Is Aria going to pay the bill? You should have told me before. I would have ordered a few more dishes." Aria gave Ivy a glare hearing her obnoxious words.


    "What? Aria is paying for the meal. No way. How mean of you guys. Why are you allowing a pretty, little lady to pay for your meals?" Joshua scolded the boys and pointed his finger at Noah, "Especially you, why are you making your woman pay?"


    "Don''t blame me. She insisted on paying for the meal." Noah shrugged his shoulders.


    Having no other choice, Aria handed her card. Though she looked like she was in agony, she was happy in fact that she got to spend some good time with these people. And just like that, she had paid for the meal with her own money. However, she had no idea that Noah had opened a savings account just for her. So, this meager amount was nothing but a drop in the ocean compared to the amount that was in it.

 Chapter 187: Heal each other

    The group was done with their dinner and it was only ten. Ian took his leave as he had packing to do. Ivy too wanted to go, but Joshua stopped her.


    "Ivy, may I speak to you for a second?"


    Seeing Joshua''s serious face, Ivy did not try to irritate him. She sensed he had something important to tell her. "Sure. What''s wrong?"


    "Ivy, I wanted to warn you to be safe." He spoke, his voice unbelievably gentle and filled with concern. Ivy''s heart skipped a beat seeing him worry. It was the first time she had seen him behave differently than his usual playful and flirtatious way. She realized that behind his mischievous facade, there was a genuine person who cared about people who were close to him. This touched her and her heart was filled with warmth.


    "Sure Joshua. Thank you so much for worrying about me." Ivy replied with a small smile on her face.


    "No Ivy. I mean it. You have no idea how dangerous the people behind the matter you are investigating are."


    "Do you know something?" Ivy narrowed her eyes trying to see if he was hiding something.


    "Not exactly. But my hunch says it is dangerous, you are falling into a dangerous pit." Joshua stated. He was unsure why he was feeling that way. Since the time he had heard that people were following Ivy, he couldn''t help but worry about her. He was having an ominous feeling about it.


    "Thanks for your concern. I''ll take care." Ivy smiled at him gratefully. She was genuinely happy that he was concerned about her. It was making her giddy and butterflies were dancing in her stomach thinking about it. She couldn''t help but feel jubilant seeing him that way. It was as though her first crush had reciprocated her feelings.


    "Do you want me to drop you home?"


    "No, I drove my car today. Thank you very much for the offer though."


    "Anytime. Please take care and tell me if you need any help."


    "Aww. Mr. Martin, please don''t be so cute or I might end up falling for you." Ivy blurted out without thinking and the next moment she smacked her mouth in realization. ''Shit, what did I just do?''


    As expected, Joshua was taken aback by her sudden outburst. He couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "What did you just say?"


    Ivy coughed twice to cover her awkwardness. She cleared her throat and faced Joshua''s scrutinizing gaze. "Nothing. I said Nothing."


    "Are you sure because I am damn sure that I heard something from you, something about you failing for me."


    "You have become delusional Mr. Martin. You are hearing nonsense. I advise you to visit an otolaryngologist and get your ears tested." Ivy folded her hands, not willing to back off. She was not ready to accept that she had blabbered those words unknowingly.


    "Really now?" Joshua smirked. He was back to his usual mischievous form. His eyes were sparkling in the night and for a second Ivy lost herself in those beautiful eyes. Ivy knew he was charming and along with his gorgeous looks, any girl would be attracted to him like a magnet, including her. She couldn''t deny that she was enticed by him but it was nothing more. There was no love between them nor was there any infatuation.


    Joshua noticed her go in a daze and his grin widened unknowingly. He controlled himself, not wanting to give away that he was satisfied with her reaction. "Hello, earth to Ivy, come back."


    Ivy snapped back to reality and she blushed the next second when she realized that she was fantasizing about the handsome man in front of her. ''What is wrong with you? Get your senses right. He is not the one for you.'' She scolded herself and within seconds she was back to herself. She gave him a sweet smile making him wonder what she was up to now.


    "Mr. Martin, thank you for your sweet concern. I was about to think that you had feelings for me with the way you were caring for me. Shall I assume that way?" Ivy asked, her smile still plastered on her face.


    Joshua scoffed with the way Ivy had twisted the words. It was clearly her who had a dreamy look on her face and now, she was accusing him of being a flirt. How shameless. "Miss West, we both know who had the look of admiration a few minutes back. So, cut the crap and stop your nonsense. I know you are a sweet talker, but it ain''t gonna work on me, sweetheart."


    Ivy rolled her eyes seeing him flirt. "Suit yourself."


    Noah and Aria were watching the duo converse and they smiled. They could see the spark between them. It was as strong as a lightening before a thunderstorm. Nobody could miss it, it was that clear and bright. However, the people in question were completely ignorant about it. They had turned a blind eye to it and behaved as though there had no obvious attraction to the other person.


    "They look awesome together," Aria commented, her eyes fixed on them.


    "They sure do." Noah agreed. They were still waiting for the couple to finish their chat as they wanted to speak to Ivy.


    "I don''t know why they are not able to feel what we are able to sense. I wish I could fill some sense in my sister''s head."


    "We cannot help them. They are matured and they know what is good for them. But I am sure of one thing, it will take some time for Joshua to take the first step. He has a bad romantic history which is making him hesitate to go into this again."


    "I didn''t know that. Was the breakup too bad?" Aria had finally stopped looking at the couple and her eyes landed on Noah.


    "Sort of. He took it quite hard. That was the first relationship he had ever been in. It was only after that he became a playboy."


    "Ivy too had a boyfriend in the past when she was studying at university. He was all sweet and caring at first. But it did not take long for her to find out he had made a bet with his friends. He only wanted to get into her pants before the month ended. Since then, she has stopped trusting men when it comes to issues related to love. Also, "Aria made Noah to face her, "I will warn you beforehand. She might get a little overprotective of me in these matters. She does not want to see me hurt."


    "Duly noted." Noah went back to look at Ivy and Joshua. "They both have had a similar kind of experience in the past They could easily heal each other if they wish to. I just hope they realize their feelings soon."


    Though Aria was silent, she had agreed to his words. Joshua was an awesome man and he would definitely keep her sister happy. She could only wish Ivy to realize it before it became too late.

 Chapter 188: Possessive Noah

    Noah and Aria went to the couple who were still bickering with each other. "Guys, cut it. Cut it. Now we do not want a war to take place here. We are already at war."


    Hearing his voice, Ivy and Joshua stopped talking and the realization hit them that they were outside and they had an audience all along. They had been so involved with themselves that they had not noticed a thing around them. Ivy gave a sheepish look while Jo casually put his hands in his pant pockets.


    "Ivy, I want to take Aria with me." Before the overprotective sister could protest, Noah continued, "Don''t worry. I send her back in time."


    "Wait a second." Aria stopped him suddenly. "You didn''t ask my permission at all. When did I agree to go with you?"


    "Are you saying that you are not willing to come with me?"


    "I did not say that."


    "Then, is there a reason to argue when I know what your decision is?" Noah smirked marking Aria''s lips to twitch. "If you are still not satisfied, then I''ll ask you now. Aria, would you like to go out with me at this time of the night? I promise I''ll drop you back."


    Aria''s face heated up at once. She did not know that her man was this shameless. He did not even care about the other two people in front of them. However, Aria did not deny his request. She too wanted to spend some quality time before she left. ''Who knows when I will meet him next?''


    "Okay, brother-in-law. Who am I to stop you and why would I? Go ahead. Take care and give her lots of kisses and hugs. She is going to miss them for the next few weeks." Ivy teased only to get a glare in return from her sister.


    "Now that my sister-in-law had commanded, I must follow them. I''ll make sure to obey you at all costs." Noah replied with a straight face. Aria''s jaw dropped in horror. ''How could this man speak so casually about these things and also keep a poker face?'' He looked perfectly normal while Aria was blushing like a ripened tomato.


    "That''s more like it." Ivy sent a wink to Aria making her scowl.


    "Bye, bye lovebirds. And Aria take care. See you soon." Joshua hugged Aria. "Please be safe and don''t forget to think about me." Aria laughed out loud hearing his words. "And I promise, I''ll think about you every day. I''ll miss you."


    Noah pushed Joshua away from her and draped his arm around Aria. "Why should she think about you? She has me and she will think about me."


    "Noah, she can''t always be thinking about boring people. Some times, she has to think about good and handsome people too and who is the best choice for it?" Joshua pointed to himself. "Nobody but me."


    "What a narcissist," Ivy remarked.


    "Thank you sweetheart for your sweet compliment. There''s nothing wrong with loving oneself." Joshua beamed at her.


    "Yeah right." Ivy folded her hands and pulled out her tongue teasingly.


    "Thank you and I''ll definitely miss you and I promise I will think about you," Aria said with a laugh.


    "That''s like it. See." He looked at Ivy. "Not everyone blind. Some people don''t know to appreciate good things."


    "Where is the good thing? Bring it in front of me and I''ll appreciate it too."


    "You.."


    "You guys continue. We will leave." Noah pulled Aria with him without another word and started walking towards his car.


    "Noah, wait. Let me talk to my sister." Aria protested.


    "Aria, you can talk to her all you want when you return home. We have very little time. So, I want to spend it with you. Please." Noah requested but he did not stop walking.


    "Fine."


    Meanwhile, Ivy blinked seeing Aria and Noah hurry. Since they were gone, there was no reason for her to continue staying. "I guess it''s time for me to leave."


    "Yeah." Joshua scratched his neck awkwardly.


    "Bye."


    "Bye."


    Ivy reluctantly took a step towards her car. She did not want to leave, not yet. She had no idea when she had started liking Joshua''s company. It always made her forget her worries. Joshua too was in the same state. He did not want her to leave. Something struck him and he stopped her immediately.


    "Ivy, you told us that someone was following you. Do you want me to trail behind you just to make sure everything is alright?" He stared at her hoping that she would accept his offer. At least that way he could see her for a while longer. He could also see who had the audacity to follow her.


    "Is it fine for you? Ain''t it late?"


    "I have no problems with it." Joshua shrugged his shoulders.


    "Then okay. Thank you so much." Ivy smiled at thankfully.


    "No problem."


    Ivy and Joshua went to their cars. Noah and Aria observed everything from Noah''s car and they smiled in victory. "Thank the heavens, he is watching out for her. I would be worried to death if she were to go alone at this time of the night. We don''t know what kind of a person is stalking her."


    "I know Joshua. He will not let anything happen to her. Don''t worry." Noah assured her and started his car. "Stop worrying about others. You will have to worry about yourself now."


    "Why?" Aria asked in confusion.


    "You said that you are going to miss another man instead of me. I appreciate your courage." Noah sneered. He glanced at her before he started driving.


    "Noah, he is your friend. Are you jealous of him?" Aria was surprised by his childish behavior.


    "I am a very possessive person Aria. So, yes. I am jealous." Noah did not deny Aria''s words. Instead, he embraced them wholeheartedly.


    "Noah, he is just a good friend."


    "I don''t care. Brace yourself for what is to come your way."


    "What are you going to do?" Aria raised her eyebrows daringly.


    Noah took another glance at her and smiled. "Patience love. Don''t worry. I am not going to eat you."


    Though Noah told her that he would not be eating her, somewhere in her mind, Aria knew that was not the case. He was hellbound on following Ivy''s orders and she couldn''t stop herself from anticipating what was about to come.

 Chapter 189: Protective shield

    Ivy started driving her car with Joshua trailing behind her closely. Even though it was around ten at night, the night was still young. The road was not as deserted as she had thought it to be. There were many people still driving around on the streets. This gave her some confidence. But what gave her courage was that Joshua was there to look out for her.


    She looked at the rearview mirror and noticed Joshua right behind her. She smiled unknowingly, happiness and warmth gushing through her heart. She had never felt this protected after her father''s disappearance. It was as though he was her personal protective shield. He did not have to follow her and ensure her safety. They had nothing between them. But the fact that he came just for her made her admire him more.


    Joshua saw her peeking at him once a while through the mirror and he grinned. At that moment, he found her to be cute and adorable. She was not the Ivy who had daringly followed the woman to a pub, nor was she the gutsy journalist who had made an entire clinic crumble into ash. Right now, she was just an alluring woman who had unknowingly decided to depend on him and this made him jubilant. He had the sudden urge to protect her for his entire life.


    While driving, Joshua also kept an eye to see any potential stalkers. However, he did not find anyone nor anything suspicious. He then remembered something. When he had last visited Ivy''s house, he had seen someone following them. He had assumed the person to be tailing him. But now he understood that it was Ivy who the person had in mind. He clenched his fists in anger. His mood changed at once and his hands started to crave for blood. He wanted to kill the person who was making Ivy worry.


    Once again, he saw Ivy taking glance at him in the mirror and his anger cooled down the next instant. It was as though she had calmed the bloodthirsty beast inside him and this surprised him. He wondered what was wrong with him. This had never happened before. Whenever he got angry, it would take at least an hour for it to subdue. But this girl had tamed him within minutes. He was confused himself with this sudden change.


    It took them some time to reach Ivy''s house. The restaurant was quite far from the area. Ivy looked around her to see if that bastard of a Tim was anywhere nearby. However, to her happiness, she found no one. She took a deep breath and drove her car to the basement of the apartment complex.


    Joshua too had kept on eye on to see if anybody was suspicious, but he found none. Seeing Ivy go in, he let out a sigh. He stopped his car in front of the building. He wanted to wait a few minutes just to make sure that there was no possible threats. However, he had not expected Ivy to come running back outside.


    Dreading the worst possible outcome, he got off the car and rushed to her. "Ivy, is everything alright? What happened? Why did you come back running?" He fired the questions in worry and hugged her, shocking Ivy. Her heart thundered in her chest and her brain short-circuited. It took her some time to analyze what had happened.


    Ivy felt his hands on her waist and she froze in her place. This was the first time she had been this close to any man and her heart couldn''t control the excitement. It was not listening to her mind and was dancing to its own tune. How much ever she tried, it was still on a sprint. She was blushing furiously. Only she knew how hard it was for her to squeak out the words to calm the man.


    She found her lost voice after a lot of time and tried to soothe the over-anxious man who was still hugging her. "Calm down, Mr. Worrywort. I am fine. I came back to send you off."


    Joshua was so perturbed seeing her sprint back that he had not noticed he had unknowingly hugged her. Now that he heard Ivy assure him, he realized their awkward position. He could feel her soft chest pressing against his body and his throat become dry in an instant. He gulped trying to soothe the fire that he had inadvertently lit in his body.


    Realizing the position they were in, he withdrew from her immediately and coughed in embarrassment. The sudden loss of warmth made Ivy frown a little. His hug had made her lean closer to his body to get more of his scent. She could smell the faint fragrance of his cologne and it calmed her nerves. She wanted to stay in his embrace a little longer. Realizing her thoughts, she was surprised herself. This was a first for her to think this way. An awkward situation engulfed them and nobody said a word.


    Seconds turned to minutes, yet nobody had spoken. Joshua was staring at the sky while Ivy''s eyes were fixed on the ground, each not daring to look at the other person. It was not until a car zoomed on the street, did their trance break.


    "I guess it''s time for me to leave." Joshua started.


    "Yes. Thank you so much for today." Ivy replied, her eyes still not meeting his.


    "No problem."


    Nobody spoke a word about the hug. The topic was on their mind but it never made till their tongue. Joshua gave Ivy one last glance before he got inside his car and drove away. Ivy waited until she could not see the car anymore before she went inside the apartment.


    Her heart was yet to come down from its excited state when she met her neighbor in the lift. The fifty-year-old woman was grinning at her like a Cheshire cat. From her face, Ivy could make out that the woman had seen everything that had transpired a few seconds back. But what was this woman doing outside at this time of the night? As an answer to her unasked question, she heard a bark and she looked down. Of course, the woman took her labrador for a walk every day after dinner. How could she forget it?


    Ivy waited impatiently for the elevator door to open and when it did, she dashed to her house in a blink. The woman watched her run for her life and laughed at her cuteness. Now she had something to gossip about with her friends in the building in their next meet.

 Chapter 190: Late night drive

    Unbeknownst to what was happening in her house, Aria was enjoying her time with Noah. They were going on a late-night drive around the city. She was the one in charge of the talking while Noah would reply a word or two occasionally. She did not feel bad the Noah was not actively participating in the conversation nor was he dissatisfied that she was blabbering non-stop. It was a happy moment and the atmosphere in the car was warm and cozy.


    "Noah, where are we going?" Aria asked after blabbering for a while.


    "You will find out shortly." He answered with a mysterious smile, making Aria wonder what plan he had in his mind.


    "Can''t you tell me right now?"


    "No."


    "Please."


    "No."


    "Pretty please." She looked at him with puppy eyes and it made him melt at once.


    "Aria, this is not fair. You are cheating." He complained as he drove up the hill.


    Aria noticed the change in her surroundings. "Everything is fair in love and war and by the way why are we going up the hill?"


    "Patience my love. Patience is worth the wait." He gave her a huge smile stunning her for a moment. He was so handsome when he smiled that Aria went into a daze momentarily, which Noah did not fail to notice. He chuckled inwardly seeing her in a trance and he snapped his fingers in front of her to bring her back.


    "Where did your mind wander off to?" Noah asked, his eyes not leaving the road. Now that they were driving on the steep hill, he had to make sure not to lose control. This was an accident-prone area and the twist and turns were quite sharp and narrow that only expert drivers could drive past it without any hustle.


    Aria got out of her daze and looked ahead. She did not want to reveal that she had been lost in his smile and for her relief, Noah did not stress the matter further. "Sit tight, Aria. This road is a little curvy, we need to be careful."


    "Okay." They were at the last turn and it was the sharpest of all. Even a small mistake would plummet them to death. But Aria was not scared. She trusted that Noah would never do anything that would risk her life. And as she had imagined, he knew what he was doing. He cherished her life more than his and he would never allow any harm to even grace her.


    After a few minutes more of driving, Noah stopped the car. "We are here."


    Aria roamed her eyes around her in confusion. She could not see anything, except for the tall trees and plants. It was dark outside, but she could still make out due to the moonlight.


    "Noah, where are we?" She asked but did not receive any response. She turned to see that Noah was not in the car. She had no idea when he had got off. Aria too got off the car wondering where he had gone. He was nowhere to be seen. Her heart beat wildly and she was getting scared. "Noah." She called out loud only to get silence in return.


    "Noah."


    "Hmm." This time she heard him right behind her, startling her. He was so close to her that she could feel his hot breath on her neck. Her body became stiff at once.


    "Shhh. I am right here. No need to worry, love." He whispered and goosebumps rose on her skin. His voice sounded incredibly tantalizingly and her mind had stopped thinking long back. All she could hear was Noah''s voice and all she felt was his hot breath on her neck. She even forgot where they were.


    "No-Noah, what are we doing here?"


    "I have a surprise for you." He said and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.


    "Su-surprise?"


    "Yes, but I want you to close your eyes."


    "But..."


    "Aria, do you trust me?"


    "Yes."


    "Then, please. Please close your eyes." He requested and kissed her cheek making her blush.


    "Okay." She whispered and Noah smiled. He gave her another kiss on the cheek and stood in front of her. As promised, she had closed her eyes. She looked breathtakingly beautiful with the way the moonlight fell on her skin, making her glow. All he wanted to do was to kiss her right then and there. But he controlled himself. He still had things to do.


    "Aria, until I say, don''t open your eyes. Okay?" He asked her one last time.


    "Okay."


    "Good girl." Noah gave her a peck on her lips, stunning her again. "Don''t worry, I am right here." He held her hand and led her forward, making sure every few seconds if she was alright. Throughout the entire time, Aria had kept her eyes closed much to Noah''s happiness. He realized this beautiful girl trusted him blindly and this made him happy as well as guilty at the same time. He brushed off the other thoughts as immediately as they had come to his mind. He had a long time to think about them now that Aria would be gone for some time. Now, all he had in mind was to surprise her.


    Noah slowly led her to their destination and finally, he stopped. Aria had not spoken a word the entire time. Her small hand was tightly engulfed in his sending warmth through her body. He stood behind her again.


    "Noah, are we there yet?" Aria had sensed that they had arrived when they had stopped walking.


    "Yes. But don''t open your eyes yet. Wait until I say so." Noah said and again his breath hit her neck.


    "Okay."


    Aria did not have to wait long. Just after a few seconds of waiting, Noah''s words fell on her ears. "Aria, you may open your eyes."


    Aria opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times trying to adjust to the darkness. Once her eyes adjusted, she gasped loudly. The sight in front of her was so gorgeous that she did not know what to say. She could see the entire city below her. The light from the buildings made them look like fireflies. It was utterly breathtaking mesmerizing her to the core. At that moment, she had only one word in mind, amazing.

 Chapter 191: Worried

    "Do you like it?" Noah asked, still hugging her behind.


    "I love it. It''s so beautiful." Aria could not take her eyes away from the beautiful sight. The city at night from where she was standing looked breathtaking. She had never seen anything like this before. Her eyes widened and her lips parted in wonder and awe.


    "How did you find this place?" She asked, still not looking at him.


    "Let''s just say this used to be my hangout place."


    This gained her attention and her eyes landed on Noah finally, much to his satisfaction. He was worried that Aria would not spare him a thought after seeing what was in front of her.


    "Hangout place?"


    "Yes. Whenever Jo, Ian and I wanted to get away from the city, we used to come here. I have a resort ten minutes from here."


    "That''s awesome. But why did you bring me here?"


    "I don''t know when we will meet next. All I have is this little time with you and I want to spend as much time as possible with you alone." Noah spoke those words with such intensity in his eyes that Aria shuddered. The night was not cold, no. It was Noah''s intense gaze and words that made Aria shiver.


    "I just want to take you away from this world with me forever. But that would not serve any purpose. Instead, it will only depress you. I brought you here today in the hopes that at least I can take you away from the world for a day." Noah poured out his heart''s wish in front of her completely. He did not shy away from showing his true feelings to her because he knew she trusted him.


    Aria''s heart melted hearing his words. She could sense his possessiveness, love and affection for her in his eyes. His feelings were bare in front of her and she would be a fool if she ignored them. She felt highly treasured just by seeing the way Noah was gazing at her.


    Without waiting another second, she lunged forward and kissed him heartily. It was as though he was the oasis in a dry desert, quenching her thirst making her crave for more. Noah did not see that coming. The sudden force pushed him back and he had to hold her waist tight to prevent her from falling. He was yet to return the kiss when Aria pulled back.


    Not noticing his unsatisfied face, Aria once again turned to look at the beautiful sight getting lost in it and the man who had been left hanging, had no other choice but the take deep breaths to calm his raging desire.


    "Come let''s sit." Noah held her hand after some time of them gazing at the city. He led her to one of the trees behind them and he sat down leaning against it. He then made her sit in the front with her back pressed to his chest. They could still see the city from this position. Aria intertwined her fingers with his as she leaned closer to him to get his warmth.


    Nobody said a word. It was calm and peaceful, but one could sense the love and warmth in the air. Noah''s eyes were fixed on their interlaced hands. Her hand looked so tiny when they were interlocked with his. He couldn''t stop himself from pressing on soft ones and once in a while, he would kiss those pretty little fingers.


    "Noah, are you going to miss me?" Aria asked after some time.


    "No." He answered immediately.


    His answer surprised her a little. Aria turned to look at him, but he stopped her. "Let''s stay this way for a while."


    "Okay. But why will you not miss me?" Aria''s voice was barely audible. Noah could easily detect the sadness in it without fail. He smiled inwardly. His devilish side perked up wanting to tease her more.


    "Why should I miss you?" He asked relentlessly, though his voice was not harsh. His raised his eyebrow when Aria turned back to see his face. His face held utter confusion. So, Aria could not detect the playfulness in them.


    "Because I''ll be gone for a while." She uttered, but it came out more as a question.


    "I haven''t thought about it. Wait, let me see if I am going to miss you or not?" Noah pretended as though he was in deep thought while in fact, he was just watching Aria''s hopeful face. Her wide, expectant eyes resembled that of a rabbits''. She was absolutely cute and alluring, tempting him to kiss her again and he did just that. However, much to his dissatisfaction, Aria dodged his kiss.


    "Why?" He wailed.


    "First, answer my question." She ordered with a stern face. But to Noah, it did not feel like an order. Her voice sounded more like she was complaining.


    "Let me kiss you first then I''ll answer you." He inched his face closer to hers. But she dodged it again.


    "Don''t try to deviate from the topic. Answer me." Her face scrunched up in anger.


    "Fine." He obliged and started thinking again. It did not take him long to give her an answer. "I don''t think I will be missing you."


    "Why?" Aria became sad at once. Her thoughts ran wild. ''Maybe Noah does not like me that much for him to miss me when I am gone.''


    Instaed of answering her, Noah marvelled at the various expressions that she showed on her face. It was like a kaledioscope, one could never know what to expect next.


    Aria noticed him staring at her and she pinched his hand briging him out of his stupor. "Ouch. Aria, do you want to kill me?"


    "Noah, how will a pinch kill you?"


    "Just like that." He shrugged.


    "How absurd." She huffed and turned back to gaze at the city, their previous conversation completely forgotten. Noah chuckled inwardly seeing her angry. He pulled her closer to him. Though Aria tried to protested, her strength was nothing compared to his. So, eventually she gave up and let him have his way.


    Noah placed his head on her shoulder and hugged her. "Aria, I am worried, worried how I will be able to survive when you are gone." Aria''s heart fluttered like a humming bird hearing him confess.


    "You are lying."


    "No. I am saying the truth. How am I going to survive this period in your absence? You have no idea how miserable I am just thinking about it. You are going to a place where your life is always at risk and the worst part is I will not be there to protect you." Noah kissed her cheek again and continued, "Promise me that you will be safe. Promise me that you will come unscathed. Promise me that you will return to me at all costs. Please."


    Aria had never seen him this weak. The almight business king looked shattered and she had no idea how to console him.

 Chapter 192: Promise

    "Please Aria. Promise me." This time Noah made her look at him. His eyes bore deep into hers waiting for her to answer.


    Aria could make out that his face was tense and his heart was unsettled. She cupped his face in her hands. "Noah, I promise I will be safe. I will come back to you because I''ll be leaving my heart here and I don''t think I can stay away from my heart."


    Noah snorted hearing her words. "Touche''."


    Aria giggled lightly hearing the sarcasm in his voice. "On a serious note, I promise I will come back safely. Rest assured nothing will happen to me when I have such good well-wishers around me."


    Noah smiled after he was reassured. "Now may I get my kiss that is still overdue?" He narrowed his eyes devilishly and Aria''s heart skipped a beat at the sudden change in him. His eyes held the desire for her and she got captured in them completely and utterly. When he leaned in, she closed her eyes automatically waiting for his sweet lips to meet hers. However, seconds passed and nothing happened.


    Aria opened her eyes to see Noah smirking at her. His eyes glimmered in mischief. "Aria, were you waiting for me to kiss you? Tch. Tch. I never knew that you have become a kiss mania." He sighed as though she had done a mistake.


    Aria narrowed her eyes at the obnoxious man in front of her. ''Now see what this kiss mania will do." Without further ado, she pulled him by his shirt collar startling him in the process. Her sudden, aggressive behavior came as a pleasant surprise for him and he waited to see what she would do next and Aria did not disappoint him.


    She placed her lips on his and attacked him with all her might. She pulled him closer and her hands clasped together behind his neck. She changed the angle and kissed him like there was no tomorrow. Aria pried open his mouth and her tongue immediately dived in. Noah did not know what was happening to him. His hands were lying limp on his sides. The sudden kiss had stopped his ability to think. All he had in mind was the sweet torture Aria was giving him.


    Getting no reaction from the frozen man, Aria smiled victoriously. She had successfully taken him off guard by her kiss. However, it did not last long. The man, who had gone numb, regained his senses and he encircled her waist. Aria''s tongue, which wandering alone in his mouth, got attacked out of nowhere. He sucked on her lips taking her breath away.


    She tried to dodge his attack, but Noah was having nothing of it. He did not allow her tongue to retreat. He held her tight and her tongue was attacked relentlessly. By then all her senses had gone haywire. Her brain had gone mushy. There was only one thing in mind, Noah and his intoxicating kiss.


    They were so close to each other that they could almost sense their heartbeats. However, Noah was still not satisfied. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her and made her sit on his lap, almost straddling him. Now, she was closer to him and he could easily run his hands on her waist. Their bodies were glued to each other like creepers.


    Their intimate position fueled a fire within Noah''s body and his little buddy became hard all of a sudden. Aria stiffened when she sensed something poking her from beneath. She did not have to be a genius to guess what it was. Her eyes widened with the way it had increased in size. She tried to wriggle away, but Noah stopped her and broke the kiss.


    "Please don''t." He almost begged, his voice was hoarse and husky. Aria sat still on him. Her body was completely frozen. If she moved even a little, she would directly rub on his rock hard manhood. It took her all of her might to not move away from his poking little buddy.


    Noah hugged her not wanting her to see him suppress his desire. Wrong move. As soon as he hugged her, her scent wafted to his nose and he stiffened again. The raging little monster became painfully hard.


    "Noah, I think it''s best that I move away from you."


    "No." He denied her suggestion at once. "Give me some time." He closed his eyes and nobody spoke for a long time. The raging monster finally cooled down and went to sleep and Aria sighed in relief. For a moment, she had been scared thinking about what would happen. Though she had complete faith in the man in front of her, she was not yet ready.


    "Are you alright?" Aria asked when he released her from his embrace.


    "See, this is what you do to me. You make me go crazy."


    Aria did not say anything. No words came out of her mouth. Noah looked at the time in his watch and he sighed. "Come on. Let''s go."


    "Where?" Aria looked at in him confusion.


    "As much as I want you to stay here with me, I need to take you home. It''s approaching midnight and you need sleep. Remember, you need to get up early."


    "Ohh." Aria''s lips opened to form a beautiful o and Noah cursed in his mind. They had to leave before he lost his mind and did something to her.


    "Come." Noah helped her to stand on her feet and the couple went back to his car. There was nobody on the roads. So, he could easily drive through the streets and they reached Aria''s house in no time.


    When the car stopped, neither of them spoke. They did not want to leave yet. Their time was running and it would not be long before the sun would rise up.


    It was Aria who spoke up. "Would you like to stay the night?"


    Noah''s head snapped to look at her. His eyes were brimming in happiness.


    "Please."


    Noah had no idea that Aria had mustered all her courage to put forth this request. She had slept with him on the same bed before. But that time she was drunk and was not in her usual state of mind. Now, both of them were sober. So, the situation was entirely different.


    "Okay." Noah agreed to her request without any delay.


    The couple went to her house happily. Ivy had long gone to bed and the house was silent. As soon as their heads touched the pillow, they fell into a deep slumber in each other''s embrace.

 Chapter 193: Mess in the house

    The next day.


    The house was a mess. Everything was overturned and it looked like a hurricane had washed over the house. Ivy and Noah were running around the house in panic while Aria calmly had her breakfast. She took a glance at the brother-in-law sister-in-law duo and let out a breath. They were getting nervous without reason.


    "Aria, have you packed everything?" Ivy shouted from god knows where.


    At that moment, Aria''s mouth was stuffed with food. So, she could not give a wordy reply. But she didn''t forget to nod and she stuffed another spoonful of the delicious breakfast in front of her. She was savoring every moment of it as she did not know when she would get such a succulent meal again. She closed her eyes after swallowing the food and licked her lips.


    When she opened her eyes again, Ivy was standing in front of her, with her hand on her hips. She was throwing her a deadly glare and Aria subconsciously swallowed.


    "Aria, couldn''t you give me a reply?"


    "I did give you a reply." Aria gazed at her confused as to why she was lashing out at her. She was as innocent as a rabbit.


    "Is it? What did you say?" Ivy plopped on the chair beside her and poured a glass of water for herself.


    "I nodded," Aria answered meekly making Ivy huff.


    "Aria, do you think I have eyes all over the house when I am not here?"


    Aria shook her head, then she nodded, and then she shook her head again.


    "Aria?"


    "Ivy, relax. Why are you so worked up?"


    Right then, Noah came running back from somewhere. He was carrying a bag with him. "Here, take this."


    "What is that?" Aria asked and took the bag from him. She peeked inside and what she saw flabbergasted her. The entire bag was filled with bandages, medicines and ointments of different sorts. She gaped at him, her mouth wide. She did not know what to say.


    "What is this?" She asked when her brain was cleared from its weird thoughts.


    "Aria, the place you are going is very risky. The chances of you getting hurt are more." He breathed as he took the glass of water from Ivy''s hand and gulped it down in one go.


    "So?"


    "So, I got you these. You need to take care of your health too."


    Aria laughed out loud helplessly. She did not know what to do with the man who was behaving like a naive child. "Noah, it might be risky over there. But we are taking medicines and drugs with us. We also have a lot of things to take and some of these," She pointed at the bag. "Are already in there." She said with a helpless smile.


    "I know. But take these with you at least for me."


    "Okay." She took them reluctantly. She could do that for his assurance.


    "Aria, have you packed everything?" Ivy questioned again and this time Aria answered her.


    "Yes."


    "Have you kept your passport and the permission papers?"


    "Done."


    "Adequate number of undergarments?" Ivy asked with hesitating. Aria became embarrassed at once. Noah was still standing in front of her and Ivy had talked about her inner garments. She took a small look at the man who stood as though Ivy''s words did not affect him at all.


    "Why are you looking at him like that? He is your boyfriend. What is there to hide from him?" Ivy scolded her sister and Noah nodded in agreement. Aria''s lips twitched at her absurd words.


    "I have packed everything. I have a question in mind though."


    Ivy looked at her intensely waiting for her to speak.


    "Why is our house this messy?"


    "That." Ivy scratched her head awkwardly. "I was trying to see if there was anything important you were missing out. We don''t want you to suffer when you reach there."


    "Aww. That''s so sweet, but I have everything with me."


    "That''s great."


    "Yeah. Good luck with putting them back." Aria sassed.


    "Where do you have to report and at what time?" Noah asked after Ivy and Aria finished talking. Ian had already informed him about the venue and the time beforehand, but he asked Aria again to confirm it


    "I have to be at Central Military Training Grounds before nine."


    "Do you need to go there directly?"


    "Yes. The hospital ordered us to go to the grounds directly. They will send all the equipment and medical kits to the ground itself."


    "Okay. I''ll be back in a second." Noah said and left the sisters alone.


    Noah moved away from the kitchen and conveyed the time and place to Joshua. Though he knew Ronnie had told Joshua and Ian the entire plan, he wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.


    Meanwhile in the kitchen.


    "I am gonna miss your food," Aria uttered taking her last bite.


    "I wish I could send you food daily." Ivy sighed. Though she wanted her sister to get the best food, she could not do so. She was helpless in this matter.


    "Anyway, how are you gonna go?"


    "It seems we will be going on a chopper."


    "Is it? That''s so cool." Ivy exclaimed.


    "Yeah, that was what I heard."


    "Wow, military choppers are amazing. Awesome Aria."


    Aria smiled and got up. She looked at the time in her watch. It was forty minutes past seven. It was time for her to leave. It would take at least an hour from her house to reach the grounds.


    "It''s time for me to leave." Aria hugged her sister all of a sudden, startling Ivy. But the next second, she hugged her back. "I''m going to miss you."


    "Me too."


    The sisters stayed this way, hugging each other for a few seconds before they pulled back.


    "Let me get my bags." Aria was about to go to her room to get her bags when Noah stepped out pulling the luggage behind him. She had packed her belongings in a medium-sized trolley bag along with her backpack. Though Noah wanted her to carry more, she had objected to his idea. She was going to war to help the soldiers, not for a trip or a fashion show.


    "Are we ready to go?"


    Before Aria could answer, Ivy shouted, "Wait a second. Let me grab my jacket."


    "Ivy, are you coming with me?"


    "Yeah. How could I miss the opportunity to see good looking men and who could be better than well-trained soldiers?" Ivy asked with a wink as she wore her jacket.


    "Yeah right." Aria scoffed. She knew Ivy was bluffing. Ivy was going along with her not because she wanted to ogle at hot men. Instead, she wanted to see her off as she was going to miss her when Aria was gone.

 Chapter 194: Weird fetish

    Just like how Aria had to put up with a hyper-active sister and a boyfriend, even Ian had to face the same. But this time, it was Joshua and Ronnie. Joshua had gone to pick up Oliver with Ronnie early in the morning just as decided. From there, they had come to Ian''s house to pick him. But before that, they had not forgotten to give Oliver a makeover.


    Due to his recent sickness, Oliver already looked quite old and fragile. They had given him a makeover by putting a wig on him and a white beard along with some makeup. Now he looked like an old man who could easily pass off as Joshua''s grandfather. Even Oliver himself was shocked by the disguise. He could not recognize who he was when he had looked at the mirror.


    After working on his disguise successfully, Ronnie and Joshua had safely escorted Oliver to their car, hiding him away from other people. Even the guard in charge of Ian''s company did not know how they had managed to do it. He had not seen Oliver at all. Nobody in the company knew that Ian had a secret exit door.


    Now, they were at Ian''s house running around to make sure that he had taken everything with him as Oliver watched on.


    "Ian, have you taken your underwear?" Joshua asked as he pulled a drawer in the cupboard.


    "Yeah."


    "Then, what is this?" He held a boxer shorts in front of Ian. "What did I tell you? Take as many clothes as possible. You never know when you will get the opportunity to take a bath. At least you could change clothes.


    Ian gave him a bored look as Joshua blabbered on and on non-stop. Seeing Ian give him a weird stare, he shut up in confusion. "Did I say anything weird?"


    "No."


    "Then, why are you looking at me like I am a brainless idiot."


    "Because you are a brainless idiot."


    "What? How dare you. I was asking you only because I found these in the drawer. People don''t appreciate kindness at all." Joshua wailed like a small kid.


    "Jo, enough with your drama. Open your eyes and see clearly. Those boxers are yours, not mine."


    "What?" Joshua shrieked all of a sudden startling everyone. His voice was louder than a high school girl who had just met her favorite k-pop idol.


    "Yeah." Ian nodded and closed his trolley bag lid. He was done with his packing.


    "Ian." Joshua shrieked again and this time, Ronnie who was standing the closest to him covered his ears immediately. He did want to become deaf due to some obnoxious man''s high pitched wail. Oliver too who was watching everything, cowered hearing his scream.


    "Jo, shut up," Ian ordered with a cold glare and the screaming man shut up immediately. The glaring Ian was more fearful than the all-time cold Noah.


    "Ian, answer this one question." Jo started and Ian looked at him waiting for him to continue. "Do you have a fetish for other men''s underwear?"


    Ian''s gaze became cold at once and Joshua cowered in fear. "Hey, I was just kidding. No need to get flustered. I understand that people have weird tendencies." Joshua smiled in understanding.


    "Are you done with your crap?" Ian seethed.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Remember, you passed out at my house last time when you were drunk."


    "Yeah? Did you take my boxers when I was out?" Joshua gasped and Ian was on the verge of punching him, but he controlled himself. He did not want to pick a fight with this idiot when he about to leave. "Ian, how could you do this to me?" Joshua continued with this act.


    "I am done. You continue with your act. I am going to leave."


    "Hey, wait for me," Joshua shouted and ran behind him. "But, please answer my question before you leave."


    "You forgot these at my house after you changed into a new set of clothes the next day."


    "Oh, is it?" Joshua gave Ian a cheeky grin. "I thought something else."


    Hearing his words, Oliver could not control himself and he laughed out loud. "You guys are so funny. Do you fight like this every time?"


    "You have no idea, Mr. West. This is nothing compared to what I have witnessed before." Ronnie replied. "They are like Tom and Jerry. Neither can they stay together nor can they stay away from each other."


    "Your friendship is so good," Oliver commented. His face was blooming with happiness which the three men noticed. After a long time of being in isolation, seeing the outside world made him tremendously exuberant.


    "I am glad that our squabble is entertaining someone. I did not live my life for nothing." Joshua commented, wiping his non-existent tears. "By the way, where is the lover boy, Noah?"


    "He is with Aria," Ian said and took a look at Oliver. He is going to drive Aria and Ivy to the grounds. Ian noticed Oliver''s sad face. "Are you alright Mr. West?"


    "Yes, I am fine." Oliver let out a forced smile. He had strengthened his heart long back. He could not falter now.


    "The lover boy is going more and more away from us. Now he doesn''t even give us time. He has to be reprimanded." Joshua complained and Oliver''s sadness vanished. He chuckled once more.


    "Is it? Can you reprimand him? Do you have the guts?"


    "Yes. Are you challenging me?"


    "Yeah. If you take it that way, then I am challenging you." Ian shrugged and picked his phone. It was time for him to leave.


    "Okay. I accept the challenge. I will definitely reprimand him."


    "But, I want you to do it in front of me." Ian put forth the condition. He had guessed Joshua''s intentions just by looking at his face. He knew Joshua would try to placate him with lies. Hearing his condition, Joshua''s waging tail drooped like a wilted flower.


    "I give up."


    "I knew you could not do it. Now, let''s go. Mr. West, let''s go. It''s time for you to see your daughters."


    Ian took a step forward but he had to stop when Joshua hugged him all of a sudden. Before Ian could comprehend what had happened, he had pulled back. "Take care," Joshua said indifferently.


    Ian smiled at this man''s cute behavior. He knew how his behavior was. Even though he liked to pull his leg, he could never see him hurt. Jo was a true friend in all aspects and Ian considered himself to be blessed to get a friend like him.

 Chapter 195: Improvement

    Ian was the first one to arrive at the military grounds. Some of the hospital staff who were going along with him had arrived and they were waiting for the others. He waved at a doctor he was familiar with and he picked up his luggage from the trunk.


    Joshua got down along with Ronnie and all the girls who were in the area started to whispering to themselves seeing him. This boosted Jo''s attitude to another level and he raised his chin in an attempt to provoke Ian. But the man in question was not even in the vicinity. He had slipped away from the group and he was having a chat with the doctor he had just waved at.


    Joshua stomped his feet in anger and removed his goggles. Oliver did not get down from the car. Since the car was tinted, he could see everything from inside without stepping out and nobody would even notice him. He could see Ivy and Aria from this position. Ronnie had parked the car right beside the gate of the grounds and there was no way Oliver would miss seeing his daughters.


    Among the staff members from Regal Medical Hospital who were at the venue, Ian was the senior-most with many years of experience. So, everybody had chosen him to lead the team.


    The military had given strict orders for the hospital management to not to send people who were over the age of forty-five and who were patients themselves. They would not want to add on to the already ongoing problems. As per the orders, only those who qualified were allowed to go.


    Since Ian was in charge of the group, he had to make sure that everything was alright. The equipment and the medical kits were yet to arrive from the hospital. He had called and confirmed regarding it and everything would reach the military grounds safely on time.


    After speaking some time with his colleague, he went back to where Joshua and Ronnie were standing. "Everything is set." He said and leaned against the car.


    "Then, what are you waiting for?"


    "Three more members are yet to arrive. So, we are waiting for them. We will go inside together and also, other than us nobody else is allowed in." Ian informed him.


    "So, we can''t go in?"


    "No."


    "How much time do we have before you leave?"


    "We still have thirty-five minutes."


    "I hope Noah comes here early so that Mr. West can take a look at his daughters. I don''t want Aria to rush inside on coming late else this trip of his going a waste." Joshua sighed as he smiled at the girls who were ogling at him.


    "Yeah. You can prevent Ivy from leaving early after we leave by kicking up a fuss with her like you usually do. But we can''t help with Aria."


    "I kick up a fuss Ivy?" Joshua asked with an incredulous look on his face.


    "Don''t you?" Ian questioned him back. "That was what I noticed. Anything and everything will become a matter for you two to start fighting."


    Ronnie was listening to the two men speak and he remembered something which he wanted to convey to Joshua long back. In the midst of all the chaos that was happening in the last two days, he had completely forgotten about it. "Master Martin, I have something to tell you and you might be interested in it."


    "Is it? What is it that would be of great interest to me?" Joshua waited anxiously for Ronnie to continue speaking.


    "I had gone to Miss West''s house yesterday and..."


    "And," Joshua prompted, his face was shining with interest.


    "And Miss West was asking about you."


    "Who are you talking about, Aria or Ivy?" He asked. He was hoping the answer to be Ivy and somewhere in his heart he was excited to hear more.


    "It was Ivy," Ronnie told him what he wanted to hear and fireworks blasted in Jo''s heart. It was as though the New Year had come in advance for him. Flowers blossomed in his heart and he smiled subconsciously.


    "What did she ask?" He was so overjoyed with the news that he failed to mask his joyous face in front of Ian and Ronnie.


    "She wanted to know whether you had a girlfriend or not," Ronnie answered without any delay, and Jo''s heart which was already soaring the sky, reached the outer space.


    Ian noticed the change in expressions on Jo''s face and he smiled. He could detect the budding feelings in his friend and he couldn''t say how happy he felt for him. His friend looked happy in a different way.


    Joshua was always smiling and happy on the outside. But only Noah and Ian knew that was not how he felt inside. They could feel his sadness whenever he would suddenly turn silent and this was the cue for them to understand that he was reminiscing the girl in the past.


    But for the past few weeks, they could see that he was getting less depressed and this was a great improvement in their eyes. This was all because of Ivy. Just hearing her name, Jo''s ears would perk up automatically.


    "Did she really ask about it?" Joshua stared at Ronnie to see if he was lying.


    "Yes. She did."


    "You are not lying right?" He questioned again to confirm it.


    "What would I get by lying to you, Master Martin?"


    "I side that." Ian butted in their conversation.


    Before Joshua could speak any further, they noticed Noah''s car. Seeing them arrive, Ian patted on the window to gain Oliver''s attention and pointed at the car that was being parked right beside theirs.


    Oliver followed his finger and he noticed a car that was right beside the one he was in. He waited anxiously. The moment he saw Aria get down from the car, his eyes were filled with tears. But when Ivy got down, the dam broke and tears started flowing down his cheeks. How long had it been since he saw them? He couldn''t control his happiness.


    His daughters looked fine. They seemed healthy to him. He noticed that Aria laughed at something Ivy had said and at the moment, the only wish he had was to run to them and hug them tightly. His princesses had suffered a lot because of him. They had to deal with everyone and also take care of Susan.


    Thinking of Susan, he wondered where she was and why she had not come to see their daughter off. He found it to be weird, but he brushed it off the next second. His eyes went back to his daughters and he smiled looking at them. They had become more beautiful when compared to the last time he saw them. The next moment something happened that scared the shit out of him. Ivy stared right back at him through the window as though she could feel his presence.

 Chapter 196: Missed

    Ivy stared right through the window as though she could feel someone''s gaze on her. Seeing her penetrating eyes Oliver for startled for a second. He assumed her to have identified him and he stiffened inwardly. However, to his relief, Ivy moved her gaze away from the car. Seeing this, Oliver relaxed a little. ''Phew, I was not found out.''


    Oliver''s gaze did not leave his two daughters. He followed them wherever they went. He was so close to them, yet so far. He was itching to get out of the damn car and go them. But he couldn''t. Neither could he sit still, not could he go to them. He could only watch them from where he was and get contented.


    Ivy noticed Joshua and Ian standing beside their car along with Ronnie. She greeted Ian, even Ronnie but not Joshua much to his dismay. However, he did not express it. He was still feeling the awkwardness between them due to the hug they had shared yesterday.


    "You are here?" Ian smiled at Ivy, his eyes wandering towards Jo once.


    "Is everybody here?" Aria counted the people from her hospital. There was still one member who was yet to arrive.


    "No," Ian answered. "Now only Dr. Matt Dean is left. Not to worry. He is on his way."


    Just as Ian spoke, they saw an ambulance which clearly was from their hospital. "He is here." Immediately after speaking, Ian ran to help Matt. Since he was in charge, he had already spoken to the military guards regarding it and had taken permission for the ambulance to drive straight inside. The guards opened the gate and the ambulance drove in.


    After ten minutes, Ian came back. "It''s time." He picked up his bags and Aria too followed suit. The time was here for them to leave to the battleground. She hugged her sister again and then Joshua. This time Noah did not stop them. She also greeted Ronnie and finally, she went to Noah.


    "I''m gonna miss you." He held her hands and stared at her with sadness in his eyes.


    "Me too." Aria pecked him on his lips. "Take care."


    "You too."


    "Bye." Aria took a reluctant step backward, but something stopped her and she dashed forward to hug Noah again. They stayed this way for a few seconds before she released him.


    Aria and Ian took one last glance at their friends and then joined their group from the hospital. They stood in line for the checking. It was customary for them to go through it as they were not military officials. First, their permission slips were checked followed by their bags. Only when everything was found right, were they allowed to go in.


    Joshua watched them go in. "Gosh, I miss them already."


    "Me too." Ivy agreed with him and Joshua''s head snapped to her so fast that she was startled by it. "What?"


    "This is the first time you are agreeing with me. I am just surprised."


    Ivy scoffed but did not say a word. Noah was silent all the while. His eyes were still fixed on the entrance gates even though Aria and Ian had already gone inside. He could not describe the feeling he was having. It was nothing less than the pain one felt when their heart was plucked out and squeezed thoroughly. Even Ronnie, who was standing silently beside them, couldn''t stop himself from feeling sad.


    The three men, in their stupor, had forgotten about Oliver completely. So, nobody noticed the weird expression he had on his face. It looked like he was struck by lightning. He clearly remembered Noah telling him that Aria was going on a medical camp. How did she end up going to the military grounds? He had been so excited about seeing his daughters earlier that he had failed to notice where he was. Only now did he observe that he was in the restricted military area. ''What work would Aria have here?''


    He thought of asking Noah or Joshua when they were alone. Right now his main priority was to see Ivy to his heart''s content. He wanted Aria to stay for some more time. But she had gone before he could get take a good look at her. At least, he could see his Ivy.


    Outside the car, the gloomy mood was still lingering in the air. Barely a few minutes had passed and they were already missing Aria and Ian to death. How could they survive until their return? How could they not miss them?


    As the four people looked on, they heard a car screech and they turned to see what had happened. From one look, Ivy could guess who it was. She snorted. This man dared to call himself Aria''s best friend when he had come to send her off after she had left. How ironic!


    Not even caring about his appearance, Daniel had come directly after getting up. He was still in his pajamas and slippers. Ivy saw that and she rolled her eyes. Daniel sprinted to where she was standing. "Ivy, where is Aria? Is she not here yet?" He asked gasping.


    He looked like a mess. Ivy observed his red eyes and his disheveled look. "Look who has graced us with their appearance." She said in sarcasm.


    "Ivy, please tell me where Aria is."


    Before Ivy could respond, Joshua answered for her. "You are late. Aria went inside ten minutes ago."


    "Damn." He cursed loudly and pulled his hair in frustration. It was all his mistake. If only he had not consumed alcohol the previous night, he could have made it here on time.


    Daniel had to attend a dinner party the previous night. He had recently won a case for a big shot and the client had invited him to a party on the rightful acquisition of the property that originally belonged to him. Daniel had consumed alcohol when the man had given him a toast. He had no idea how many glasses he had consumed that night. Because of this, he had woken up late.


    Seeing the time, he had jumped off his bed without even brushing his teeth and had driven like a mad man on the road, only to end up being late. He had missed Aria by a few minutes and now he had no idea when he would see her again. He cried inwardly. ''Why, just why did I drink yesterday?''

 Chapter 197: Embarrassing day

    Ivy felt pity for the man who was cursing himself for coming late. She knew it was not intentional and also with his untidy look, it was clear that he had hurried here as soon as he had got up. She rubbed her forehead. "It''s okay, Danny. It''s not like you wanted it to happen." She tried to console him. "It just happened and don''t worry. You can speak to her on the phone when she calls."


    "No Ivy. It''s all my fault. If only I had not taken the drink at the party yesterday, I could have seen her off."


    "Now that we were on the topic, is this the reason why you couldn''t come to dine with us?"


    "Yes. When Aria gave me a call to invite me, I was already at a party and I couldn''t leave half-way. It was a party celebrating my win in a case and the client was a prominent figure. I had to give him some face."


    "That explains it. I was wondering why you were not there. There was no way Aria would not have invited you." Ivy said.


    "Yeah."


    "It''s okay. You can talk to her on the phone." She tried to console him again.


    "I guess that''s the only way left now," Daniel said with a small smile, but he was still sad.


    "Now that we are off the topic, can we appreciate how great you look in this attire?" Joshua commented from the said and Danny looked at him in confusion. He had no idea what he is talking about.


    "He is talking about you," Ivy whispered to him and Danny bent down to only for his eyes to widen in shock. He was still in his wrinkled pajamas. He gaped at his reflection on Noah''s tinted car window. His hair was disheveled to a great extent that it looked like he just survived a trip on the aerotrim. One could even see antennas jutting out just like a grasshopper''s. And worst of all, he was wearing mismatched slippers.


    When Daniel had looked at his reflection, again Oliver was startled because Danny was staring at him through the window. He knew people outside could not see him. But he couldn''t stop himself from getting nervous. Though he wanted to get out of the disguise and go greet his daughter, he did not want to put her life in danger. So, he stopped himself, his heartbeat rising every minute Daniel continued to stare at the window. Only when he moved his eyes, did Oliver take a breath of relief.


    "I like this attire though. You look cute this way." Ivy said and Daniel scratched his head in awkwardness. He was still embarrassed that he had rushed out of his house without taking a good look at himself in the mirror. Now he looked like an idiot in front of the four people, especially the two men who were impeccably dressed. Though they were in casual clothes, they still looked as suave and dashing as ever and he felt like an ugly duckling in front of them.


    "Aww, Danny boy is feeling shy." Ivy rubbed his right hand in concern. She did not want him to feel humiliated in front of the two powerful men beside her. He was her friend. Though he was not as close as he was with Aria, they were still good friends. "It''s okay. These things happen and I find you cute this way." She then gave Joshua a glare to help her and just like that he followed her command.


    "Yes, yes Daniel. Ivy is right. You look very adorable. If Rachel was here, she would have jumped at you for a kiss." He winked at Ivy making her scowl. This man would never let an opportunity to flirt to slip away from his hands. At least, he had helped her this time. So, she did not say anything.


    However, nobody noticed Daniel''s eyes widening again. Noah was still staring at the gate. Ivy and Joshua were having a staring competition and Ronnie was standing at the side looking out for any possible dangers lurking around. Though they were near the military grounds, he couldn''t still bring himself to keep his guards down.


    Daniel remembered that in a rush to meet Aria, he had not brushed his teeth. ''I must be stinking right now. Oh my God, what have I done? This is the most embarrassing day of my life. I just want to jump off a cliff or get dragged away by the ocean waves.''


    Ivy perceived Daniel''s unusual behavior. "Danny, are you alright?"


    "Umm, yeah. I just realized that I have a meeting to attend. I''ll leave first. Bye. Sorry." Without waiting for anybody to respond, Daniel dashed to his car and took off. He did not want to them find out about him not brushing his teeth and humiliate himself further.


    "That''s weird. What happened to him?" Ivy questioned looking at the way Daniel had driven off in a hurry. Joshua shrugged not having any answer to her question.


    "I need to go home. I am feeling a little sleepy." Ivy stifled a yawn and Joshua noticed that Ivy looked a little tired.


    "Let me take you home." He volunteered.


    "Ohh, I came with Noah..." Ivy started but Noah interrupted her all of a sudden.


    "I have a meeting to attend Ivy. So, I am not sure if I can drop you home."


    "Ohh," Ivy replied.


    "Don''t worry. I am here. I''ll take you home." Joshua said with a dazzling smile on his face.


    "Can you do that? Thank you so much." Ivy was relieved with his offer. Though there was a certain degree of awkwardness between them, she had no choice but to take his help now that Noah was busy. They were in a restricted area and getting a cab would be difficult for her.


    Noah handed his keys to Joshua as Ivy stared at him confusion. "Are we going in Noah''s car?" Her question took the three men off guard. However, Noah came up with an answer immediately.


    "Yeah. I wanted to drive Jo''s car today. I have an important deal to sign and Jo''s car is always lucky for me." He said with such a straight face that for a second even Joshua believed his lie. Noah cursed himself. Who was he kidding? ''Lucky, my foot.''


    "Is that so?" Seeing Ivy''s believed look, Noah sighed in relief.


    "Yeah."


    "Okay. I am gonna go. All the best with your meeting." Ivy and Joshua went together and Noah and Ronne waited until they departed. They had a smile plastered on their face as they saw the couple drive away. Noah sighed remembering the lie he had said. ''What all do I have to do in the name of love? Joshua, you owe me one.''

 Chapter 198: Behind the scenes

    After Joshua and Ivy left the venue, Noah got inside the car only to meet Oliver''s questioning gaze. He stared at him in confusion not knowing what he had done for the man to look at this way. However, Oliver''s question cleared all his doubts.


    "You told Aria was going on a medical camp. Why did she go inside the military grounds?" He raised an eyebrow and Noah could clearly see the anger in his eyes on being lied to him. He was tongue-tied at the moment. No reason came to his brain that could save his ass. He stared blankly at the man who was waiting for his answer patiently. Noah tried to speak, but his mind did not co-operate with him at all.


    At that moment, Ronnie suddenly started speaking much to Noah''s relief. "Sir, Miss is going to a camp site which is near the military area in another city. So, they are just taking precautions for them. Don''t worry Sir. Miss will be alright. The military will ensure her safety."


    Ronnie''s words assured Oliver a little. He had been scared thinking what-not about it. But now he calmed down a little. Even Noah was a little relieved. He secretly praised Ronnie for coming up with such an excuse. On a second thought, he was not lying and it was not an excuse. It was half-true and they had just omitted some facts.


    Noah gave Ronnie an appreciative look. He had saved him and he had to give him a bonus for it. Ronnie smiled cheekily seeing Noah praising him with his eyes. Noah never hesitated to applaud his employees for their good work and this time, not only had Ronnie helped him, but he had also saved his ass from facing his future father-in-law''s wrath.


    "Is it? I thought she was going somewhere very dangerous and secretive. That was why she was here." Oliver looked a lot more relieved now and seeing this even Noah and Ronnie were relieved.


    "Let''s go, Ronnie. We shall drop Oliver at my house." Noah ordered and Oliver''s head shifted to him. Ronnie had already started driving before Oliver could even raise the question.


    "Your home?"


    "Yes, Mr. West. You shall be staying with me from now on. I know you might be getting bored staying at Ian''s company. You can stay at my house for the time being and nobody will find out about it."


    What Noah said was the truth. The people who had access to Noah''s house were mainly his family and his close friends and they already knew about Oliver. Nobody else could enter without his permission. If Aria was here, he would have brought her with him. Now that she was gone, that option was ruled out and there was no way Ivy would come to his house in Aria''s absence. Also, the security around his was top notch and Oliver would be protected at all cost.


    Also, if Oliver was in his house, he could make sure that he was alright, now that Ian was not here. He could also take his guidance in opening his news agency. So, he had planned everything beforehand.


    "Oh," Oliver thought for a while. Noah''s suggestion was not bad. He was getting bored staying in Ian''s company. But there was a problem. He did not want to freeload from Noah. His conscience was not agreeing to it. Seeing his worrying expressions, Noah realized what he was thinking.


    "Is everything alright, Sir? Is there a problem?"


    "Huh," Oliver jerked away from his thoughts. "Ahh, yes. I am not sure if I want to agree with your idea. I do not want to trouble you. It''s like I''ll be freeloading from you and my mind is unable to accept it."


    However, Noah had different thoughts. ''Mr. West, you will be my father-in-law someday. If you are willing, you can make use of me how ever you want. I am willing to provide for you my entire life.'' But he also respected the man''s feelings and he admired him all the more that he was not a greedy person.


    "Mr. West, I have a solution for your dilemma," Noah stated calmly and Oliver leaned in closer to listen to him. "You can help me with my work." Oliver''s eyebrows rose on hearing Noah''s ridiculous suggestion. The next moment he started chuckling in helplessness.


    "I am not sure I could be of any help to you. I was a mere journalist before and I have no knowledge regarding the matters you deal with. I do not know anything about finance or accounts." Oliver pouted unknowingly.


    Noah smiled after listening to Oliver''s words. He suddenly found his father-in-law to be cute and adorable. It was now he realized where Aria had got her cuteness from. She was undoubtedly a papa''s girl. "Mr. West, who told you will be dealing with those things. I have better work for you to do and I guarantee you that it will be of your interest."


    "What work?" Oliver asked skeptically, his eyes not leaving Noah''s face.


    "I am planning to open a new agency. You could help me with the matters related to it."


    Oliver''s ears perked up. Noah''s words had successfully gained his interest. "Continue."


    "I have no idea how a news agency works. So, I need an expert''s help, and who could be more qualified than you?"


    "How can I be of your help in this? I cannot return to the field and do the work as I usually did. You know how the situation is."


    "Mr. West, you can help me behind the scenes. Though you cannot be a reporter or a journalist, you could help me to manage it. I need guidance and I know you are good at your work. This will keep you occupied for a while." Noah said with an expectant gaze.


    Oliver pondered for a while. Noah''s suggestion was not bad. By helping him, he could gradually get updated with what was happening around him and he could also get accustomed to his work. Noah could see the gears running in Oliver''s mind and he waited for his decision. It did not take him long to get his answer.


    "I accept your suggestion. Thank you so much." Oliver said, his face will with gratitude.


    "Not a problem, Mr. West. I will give you everything I have drafted for now. Please take a look at it and let me know your thoughts on it."


    "Okay," Oliver exclaimed happily.


    Noah smiled seeing Oliver being happy. Noah had got the intended job done and Oliver had no idea about it. He had made Oliver agree to work for him and whatever job he was going to do was in the capacity as a Vice President to his company. The only twist was that he would be working behind the scenes, not publicly.

 Chapter 199: One and only rule

    Meanwhile, inside the Central Military Grounds.


    Ian, Aria and the other staff members from the Regal Medical Hospital were being escorted towards the center by a soldier. They could see that the ground was huge. It was meant as a training ground for the newly recruited soldiers and they could see some of them working hard as they trained.


    The ground was also a stadium used to commemorate the soldiers on their great achievements. Every year a celebration would be held and the soldiers would be provided with awards and rankings based on their work in the previous year.


    Aria marveled at the sight before her. She had never seen something so delirious and awesome. Behind the grounds, there was the hostel where the trainees stayed. Even Ian was momentarily stunned. Though he had taken physical training since childhood, what he saw here was something else altogether.


    The ground was divided into two sections. They were in the smaller section where not many trainees were present. They could see a huge building that ran across the ground from left to right separating the two sections. The building was an office where all the military records and details of the trainees were kept. A lot of army officers worked in the building and it was their duty to update the records every day. The other section was a part of the stadium.


    The soldier led the team to the center where three other soldiers were standing. Their poise and stature were enough for some of them to go into a trance, including Aria. Their body was no joke and Aria couldn''t help but stare at them a little longer than necessary though she already had a hot boyfriend.


    The group stood in front of the three soldiers as they waited for the instructions from them. The one who looked like the leader took a glance at his watch and nodded. There were still five minutes for it to strike nine.


    "I, Lieutenant Kevin Walsh, thank all of you for taking this great decision of helping us in the time of need. We have certain protocols and rules which all of you must follow. I am going to tell them to you and please listen to them clearly. Before that, let''s wait for some time. We have members from City Central Hospital who will be joining us shortly."


    As soon as he said that, he saw a man running inside the grounds. He was huffing as he sprinted inside. Everybody was startled seeing him enter in a hurry. Out of all, Aria was the most surprised because he was someone she knew. He had become her friend after the short time they had spent together. ''What is Stuart doing here?'' Though she wanted to ask him, she had no choice but to postpone it to a later time because there were other things that they had to deal with first.


    "Sorry, Sir. I am late." He bowed as he apologized.


    "Where are your colleagues?" Kevin asked him patiently. Just as he asked him, he saw three more people coming in and he sighed. If they had been even a minute late, he would have lost his mind because, for the people in the military, time was everything.


    When everybody had assembled in front of Kevin, he started to speak again. "I, Lieutenant Kevin Walsh, thank all of you for taking this great decision of helping us in the time of need. We have certain protocols and rules which all of you must follow. I am going to tell them to you and please listen to them clearly. The place we will be going is dangerous and there are chances that you may lose your life. I guarantee you that we will protect you at all times as much as possible. But we cannot rule out the possibility of the danger."


    As soon as Kevin started speaking, everybody stood attentively listening to him silently. Seeing that he had everybody''s attention, he continued, "A lot of our men are dead and a lot more are injured. This is a very risky mission. So, I am giving you one last chance. If you want to retreat from here, you are free to go. Nobody will stop you."


    Seeing that nobody gave him any response and their faces laced with confusion, he realized that they had not understood him. So, he tried in a different way. "I am not trying to scare you or make you nervous. However, remember one thing, there are chances that you might not return home safely, if and only if you do not follow the protocols. It is no walk in the park and my suggestion for you guys is to think properly before you decide."


    As soon as he said this, everybody''s expression changed from confusion to horror. Though the people from Regal Medical Hospital recomposed themselves quickly, it was not the case for the people from the other hospital. Except for Stuart, everybody else panicked and it clearly written on their faces.


    "I am giving you one last chance. If you want to go back, please tell us now. The gates are still open."


    As soon as he said that, except Stuart, everybody from the City Central Hospital raised their hands along with a female staff from the Regal Medical Hospital. Kevin nodded. "Thank you very much for coming here and sorry for the trouble. We will not take much of your time. You guys can leave."


    After the people left the grounds, Kevin started speaking again. "Let me brief you on the rules before we leave. Since you will be in a military restricted area, please follow the rules because we do not know when and where we may get attacked. There is only one rule that must be followed at all costs. Everything else is an order. The one and only rule is for you to follow whatever we tell you. It is for your own safety."


    "Any questions till now." Not getting any questions from the team, he sighed again. "Since the time we entered the grounds, I am the only one screaming and seriously speaking, my throat hurts. I am not a politician who has been given a mike and asked to speak as much as I want. Please relax and tell us if you have any queries. We are not going to eat you, especially when you are here to help us."


    Everybody laughed hearing his words. They calmed their raging nerves a little. When Kevin saw that their bodies had relaxed a little, he started again. "Now that we are done with the jokes, let me give you your orders."

 Chapter 200: Transfer

    "Now, let begin with your orders," Kevin shouted, and as soon as he said that everybody stiffened. This time Kevin did no try to ease their anxiety. They had to know what was good for them and they had to stay in their limits as there were people who were giving up their lives just to ensure their safety.


    "First and foremost, do not do anything that you are not supposed to do. Don''t wander alone in the places you are not familiar with. Don''t try to act recklessly and if you need anything, come to us. We will help you. Please do not touch any weapons or ammunition, they are not toys. These are the orders that I have for now. You will get a lot more when you reach the border. And please do not fight among yourselves. This is a request. We are already at war and we do not want another war to start. Any questions?"


    "No." This time the group shouted in unison and Kevin smiled in satisfaction. "Your chopper will be here in a few minutes, until then you can come inside and have breakfast with us. I know some of you might not have eaten yet. Leave your luggage here. We will take care of it." Kevin said with a bright smile and led the group inside.


    "What about the medical kits and the equipment?" Ian asked and Kevin stopped walking hearing him. He had completely forgotten about it.


    "Don''t worry about it. When the chopper arrives, we will transfer them inside. Until, then they can stay inside the ambulance."


    "Fair enough," Ian replied.


    "Any more questions?"


    "No." Everybody said in unison again.


    "Then, what are we waiting for. Let''s go and eat. I guarantee you our canteen food is good and I am damn sure you will miss it immensely once you reach the battlefield. This is the last time you will get some good food until you come back. So hog as much as you can." Everybody laughed again, though they knew whatever he was saying was the truth.


    Seeing that they were given some relaxation, Aria did not waste any more time and went to speak to Stuart. He had no idea that she was here. So, when she tapped on his shoulders, he was surprised on seeing her.


    "Aria," He hugged her immediately. He was so happy on seeing her that he could not express it in words.


    "What are you doing here?"She asked after releasing him from the hug.


    "I am going to help our soldiers," Stuart replied raising his eyebrows a little.


    Aria rolled her eyes and punched him lightly. "You know that was not what I meant. "When did you come here from London?"


    "Oh that. I think three weeks ago, if I remember correctly." Stuart answered as he walked beside Aria. He had been scared thinking that he would be the only one among these strangers from another hospital. But seeing Aria here had eased his nerves. At least he had a friend.


    "Why did you leave London?"


    "I wanted to return to my country. I was only studying there."


    "Weren''t you originally from London?" Aria asked in confusion. She had assumed him to be British by birth.


    "No. I did my medical studies over there. My roots are here, in this country. When you came to London, I was a third-year resident. After I finished my exams, I transferred here."


    "Oh, that''s nice. What''s your area of specialization?"


    "Neurology."


    "Wow." Aria stopped walking suddenly and stared at him in admiration. Neurosurgery was considered to be the toughest medical specialty as the cases were mostly complicated and even a small blunder would lead a person to coma or even death. So, not many people preferred to take up this area as the success rate was very low.


    "Stop it, okay." Stuart noticed her eyes glistening in respect and he felt shy all of a sudden. "I am still a novice in this area, I am yet to learn a lot of things."


    "But still. It''s neurology." Aria exclaimed.


    By then, they were inside the canteen and Stuart stood in the queue to get something to eat. Seeing Aria go get herself a cup of coffee, Stuart stared at her blankly. "Aren''t you eating?"


    "Nah, I had my fill. I ate breakfast before coming here."


    "Are you sure? You might feel hungry again later."


    "Hundred percent. My sister made sure to stuff my stomach until I couldn''t take it anymore."


    "Lucky you. I came here in a hurry. So, I didn''t have time to eat anything."


    "Hmm, then eat something. I''ll save you a seat."


    "Thanks."


    Aria went and sat at an unoccupied table. She looked around and saw that many people were in the canteen. It was the only canteen in the grounds. So, even the public was allowed here along with the military officials. Some of them were trainees who had come to have breakfast after their morning workout. Aria could see that many of the men were taking glances at her. So, she couldn''t help but feel awkward.


    The military was a male-dominated area of work. Not many women preferred to join this field of physical work. So, there were a lot of men in the canteen compared to the women and it was obvious they were finding her attractive. They couldn''t help but take notice of her. Since she was not in a uniform, it was easy to gain their attention.


    When she was unable to withstand it anymore and got up to leave the area, Ian came to her rescue, much to her happiness. "Where are you running off to?" He asked as he sat down on the chair beside her.


    "I am feeling weird sitting here. Everybody is looking at me as though I am Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Watson." Aria said exaggeratedly and Ian chuckled listening to her references.


    "Relax Aria. It''s just that it is unusual for them to see people who do not belong here. So, they are just taking a look. Don''t worry they won''t come here. They will just admire you from where they are. By the way, aren''t you eating?"


    "No. Ivy made sure I ate before I came here."


    "Good for you. Joshua did not allow me to eat all. He just kept giving a me headache as soon he came to my house. Anyway, who were you talking to before?" Ian had noticed her to speak to the only man who did not work for his hospital and this had piqued his interest. He wondered how Aria knew him. He wanted to ask her long back, but did not want to interrupt them in their conversation. Now that he had found her sitting alone, he had brought up the matter.

 Chapter 201: Live up to the expectations

    "Are you talking about Stuart?" Aria smiled as she reminisced the first time she met him at the airport. "He and I met each other in London. He was in charge of our group during the conference. We developed a close bonding over those few days."


    "I see," Ian stated and chewed his food. As the soldier had boasted, the food was not bad. It tasted exceptionally good, contrary to what he had thought.


    "May I join you guys?" Stuart came to the table where Aria and Ian were sitting and stood before them with a plate in his hands.


    "Stuart," Aria rolled her eyes. "I told you I would save you a chair. You do not have to be formal."


    "Oh," Stuart sat on the chair beside Aria. He stared at Ian, who was right in front of him, for a few seconds and started talking again. "Since you already had company, I thought you wouldn''t want to entertain me anymore."


    "Yeah right. Why would I do that?" Aria scoffed and took a sip of her tea. ''Gosh, I am going to miss my early morning lemon tea.'' She cried inwardly and took another sip, though the one she was drinking was the normal one.


    "Aria, the man beside you is quite handsome. So, why would you even waste your time on peasants like us."


    Ian chortled hearing Stuart''s words. He found him to be quite funny and he liked the guy in an instant. He did not get any bad vibes from him. Instead, he found him warm and easy-going.


    Seeing Ian chuckle, Aria glared at him, though it did not affect him in any way. He continued eating his food.


    "Now that you have told it yourself, what are you doing here? Shoo. Shoo. Go." Aria swung her hand in the air trying to shoo Stuart away. Though she looked like she wanted to kill him, her eyes were saying something else altogether. Unable to stand it any longer, Aria burst out laughing and Stuart followed suit. "You haven''t changed a bit, Stuart. You are as charming as ever."


    Stuart tipped his invisible hat and started to devour his food. "Aria, aren''t you going to introduce this gentleman to me?"


    "Blimey. Look at my dumb mind. I totally forgot about it. Stuart, this is Ian Davis. He is the head of the cardiology department and Ian, this is Stuart Lee."


    The two men greeted each other and then continued eating.


    "It''s great now that we will be in the same city. We can meet whenever we are free." Aria commented and Stuart nodded.


    "Yeah. I actually wanted to apply to your hospital. I do not know anybody in this city. I went to London when I was fifteen. So, I do not have many friends here."


    "Ahh, then why didn''t you?"


    "The application process for new doctors was already over and it won''t be open again for another three months."


    "Yeah. That is the rule. The new doctors will only be appointed once every three months. So, you applied to City Central Hospital?"


    "Yeah. I also tried applying to the Royal Medical Hospital. But they too have the same procedure as yours. I had no choice but to apply to the third-best hospital."


    When Stuart took his hospital''s name, Ian had become momentarily speechless unknowingly. He pacified himself immediately and put on a face as though he was not the one who had reacted a few seconds back. "That''s sad."


    "Yeah. But no worries. I''m still new to the hospital. So, my job has not been made permanent yet. When the application period for Regal Hospital opens, I''ll apply again and if everything turns out well, we might end up being colleagues." Stuart winked with a huge smile on his face.


    "I''ll look forward to that day." Aria beamed and Ian nodded in agreement.


    "Definitely. I will try to live up to your expectations."


    The two men swallowed their food as fast as possible and went to the place where they were asked to assemble after breakfast. Kevin was already waiting for them and he smiled on spotting them. They were the first ones to arrive. "Did you guys have breakfast? How was the food?"


    "We did and the food was great as you mentioned. Now that I think about it, I am already missing it." Stuart said.


    "I told ya. Let''s wait for the others."


    After fifteen minutes, everybody had assembled in the place and waited for their next instructions. "Everybody, your helicopter is here. Your luggage and all the medical equipment have been placed inside already. Don''t worry about them." Kevin smiled at Ian and Ian followed suit.


    "Now, if you will please follow me. We have to go to the helipad."


    Kevin led the troop to the helipad, which was a little far from the place where they had assembled, and on seeing the gigantic helicopter in front of them, everybody gasped in wonder. Kevin and the other two soldiers smiled on seeing their reactions. Everybody would react the same way after seeing the beauty in front of them.


    "Beautiful, isn''t it?" Kevin, who was beside Aria, asked seeing her eyes shining brightly in awe and wonder.


    "Yeah," Aria replied without thinking though it was the truth.


    "Wow, a Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion." Ian exclaimed and Kevin''s head snapped to the side to look at him in surprise.


    "Do you know about it?"


    "Yeah. I am a little into these kinds of things." Ian said, his ears turning a light shade of red.


    "That''s cool. Let''s go inside." The side crew door of the helicopter was already open and Kevin went in first. He then helped the group to get in. The remaining two soldiers got in at the last.


    "I''ll now tell you how to put the safety buckle on. Please concentrate."


    The group of ten were sitting on either side, facing each other. Kevin took a seat where everybody could see him and he picked up his safety buckle. He then instructed them clearly on how to put them on. The two soldiers also helped them in this work.


    When everybody was safely buckled and tucked in their seats, Kevin stood up. "Is everybody alright? Are there any problems?" Not getting any answer, Kevin continued, "If there are no issues, shall we leave?"


    This time everybody answered, "Yes."


    "Great. Then grab your seats. You will be having the ride of a lifetime."

 Chapter 202: Too cute

    Kevin gave the signal for the pilot to start the engine and taking his cue, he started doing his job. The side crew door closed slowly and when it was shut tight, Kevin sat and buckled himself to the seat. The propellers started rotating and the side wheels retracted. The helicopter rose up slowly and in an instant, it leaned towards the front taking everyone''s breath away in fear. But the next moment, the helicopter stabilized itself and it started flying beautifully.


    Everybody sighed a breath of relief, but they sat stiffly in their seats not daring to move even an inch. Kevin chuckled seeing them and he tried to ease their nerves. This was the first time they were riding in a military helicopter and they were bound to get nervous. "Don''t worry folks. Our pilot here values his life as well as others''. No harm will come to you, I promise."


    Though his words were assuring, it did not soothe them much. They sat as still as a boulder with only their chests moving as they breathed. Of the lot, Ian was the calmest. He sat unaffected by the fact that he was in a helicopter. Seeing Ian''s calm expression, Kevin assumed him to be either too scared to even speak or was actually unafraid by the situation he was in, unlike the others.


    After ten minutes since the helicopter took off, Ian was the first one to break the silence. "How long will it take for us to reach?"


    "Exactly seventy-one minutes," Kevin answered.


    "That''s fast."


    "Its sure is." Kevin nodded with his eyes closed. "You guys can take rest. We still have an hour to reach. Make use of this time as much as you can. Let me warn you beforehand. Once you reach the border, I don''t think you will be getting much sleep."


    Everybody understood what Kevin wanted to convey. The battlefield was a mess with the number of soldiers getting injured every day. Now that the medical assistance was on the way, they would assist the soldiers by tending to their injuries. The work would be a hundred times more stressful than they did at the hospitals.


    Since they had time, some of them went back to sleep, though they had trouble doing so in the beginning. The thought that they were in a military chopper had made them quite stiff and their minds were still reeling it. So, they had trouble falling asleep. However, it did not take long for them to feel drowsy as they had nothing to do and were getting bored eventually.


    Aria, Ian and Stuart sat beside each other and they made small talks occasionally. "Stuart, you knew I was in this city. Why didn''t you call me when you landed here?"


    "Ah, that. My phone broke when I was in London and since I was going to change my number eventually, I couldn''t retrieve the saved contacts."


    "Hmm. Now that you are here, give me your number."


    "Sure."


    Silence engulfed them again and nobody spoke for some time. However, Stuart couldn''t control his curiosity anymore. He wanted to ask the one question he had in mind since he saw her. "Aria, how is Noah?"


    His question rendered Aria speechless. Her cheeks unknowingly got painted with a shade of pink and she tried to avert her gaze from her friend''s scrutinizing gaze. "How do you know about him?"


    "Many people know about him. What''s so surprising in that?"


    "Ah." Aria realized that Stuart was asking casually and he did not know anything about their relationship. But Stuart''s next question swept her off her feet. "How far has your relationship gone after you returned from London?"


    "You knew about it?" She looked at him incredulously.


    "Yeah. Why? Did you want your relationship to be a secret?"


    "No. No. I did not mean that." Aria tried to evade his question. "I had no idea you knew about us. That''s it."


    "Nothing can hide from my eyes."


    "I can see that."


    "You know.." Ian interrupted their conversation. He had been listening to them since the beginning and now he couldn''t stop from inviting himself in their chat. "Stuart and Joshua would make good buddies."


    "Now that I think about it, they sure do. Just imagining them together is making me uneasy. I don''t want to end up being their target of fun." Aria said.


    "Who is Joshua?" Stuart asked confused.


    "He is Noah and Ian''s childhood friend."


    "Ohh." Stuart only knew about Noah. He had no idea who Joshua and Ian were and that they were friends with Noah. "Does he tease people too?"


    "You have no idea. I am fed up with him and sometimes my only wish is to murder him." Ian said clenching his fists thinking about the annoying man.


    "But.." Stuart prompted him to continue when he sensed that Ian had more to say.


    "But, he is my best friend. So, I just let him as he is."


    "Aww. Such a sweet friendship. Now I''m dying to see who this man is."


    Kevin, who had eavesdropped right at this moment, butted in. "Who is dying? No dying on this chopper. We cannot afford to have a dying person here and if doctors themselves are feeling this way, what will happen to us soldiers who need you. No dying, please. Hold on to your life until the battle ends and also many decades after it."


    The three people laughed hearing his words.


    "You are a funny guy." Aria asserted.


    "When you are filled with boring people around you, somebody has to take up the responsibility of lifting up the group''s mood. You guys have no idea how stressful it is to take up this responsibility." Kevin wiped his non-existent sweat on his forehead as the two other soldiers gave him a bored look.


    "I side that. Even I feel so tired doing this highly strenuous job."


    "See. Like-minded people." Kevin gave Stuart a high-five.


    Ian and Aria blinked at each other for a few seconds and immediately they started laughing. Aria even had tears in her eyes. These two people were just too cute in her eyes. They were like the stress relievers, just the kind of people they needed in the highly stressful place they were going.

 Chapter 203: Boyfriend

    Meanwhile, Ivy and Joshua drove towards her house in silence. At first, Ivy was looking out of the window taking in the beauty of the nature around her. The cool breeze made her feel so damn good that she started feeling drowsy and in no time she had fallen asleep with her head leaning against the car window.


    Joshua noticed her sleeping soundly and he pulled over at the side. The car window was completely rolled down. Afraid of her head falling over, he removed his seat belt and leaned towards her. He supported Ivy''s head in his hand and made her turn towards him. He then raised the window sufficient enough for the wind to enter with the help of control buttons on his side.


    After making sure that she was comfortable, he started driving again. He turned on the audio player and a soothing music started playing. It was Noah''s favorite tune by Mozart. Whenever Noah was stressed out, he would listen to it, and immediately his mind would become tranquil.


    Joshua was highly against the music of such sort. He found them to be boring and lifeless. But right now, after seeing Ivy snuggling closer to the seat and falling deep asleep as though the music was lulling her to sleep, he found it to be not bad. It was comforting in a very good way and his mood improved all of a sudden. All his worries vanished in the air when he looked at Ivy sleeping like a baby as the music played in the background.


    He drove unbelievably slowly even though the road was clear. Firstly, he did not want to disturb her sleep by driving recklessly and secondly, he wanted to spend more time with her. So, he drove around carefully taking glances at Ivy occasionally.


    After an hour or more of driving, he entered her street and the person he saw there shocked him tremendously. He saw Tim lurking around in his usual place. Joshua followed his line of sight and saw that he was looking at the building where Ivy stayed. He had no idea that Tim was one who was stalking Ivy. Noah had not informed him about it. So, he was still in the dark.


    ''What is he doing here?'' He pondered. Joshua carefully parked his car in front of the apartment, his eyes fixed on Tim. As soon as he pulled over Tim too looked at the car wondering who might be the one inside. But he could not see anything as the glasses were tinted.


    Joshua watched Tim like a hawk, occasionally taking glances at the sleeping woman beside him. Tim too stared at the car for a while, before he averted the gaze and looked at the apartment. He wanted to go inside the building. But the security here was too good. The gates would not open until any resident gave access to it. So, he no choice but to wait outside.


    He had come a few minutes after Aria, Ivy and Noah had left the house in the morning. So, he had not seen them, nor the car Joshua and Ivy were now in. Otherwise, he would have found out about Ivy knowing Noah.


    Ivy slept for a long time. When she sensed that the car had stopped moving, she opened her eyes hazily and looked around. They were already in her locality. She turned to her side and saw Joshua staring at something in the side mirror.


    "Why didn''t you wake me up?" She accused, but half of her words were swallowed when she let out a big yawn.


    "I didn''t want to disturb your sleep," Joshua answered and chuckled seeing her yawn loudly.


    "I could have continued my sleep on my warm and extremely cozy bed, if not here." She complained and yawned again. ''Why am I yawning so much today?''


    "You can go back to sleep when go home. No worries."


    "I could do that."


    Joshua went back to staring at Tim and this time Ivy couldn''t control herself and turned to see what he was looking at only to end up cursing loudly, startling Joshua.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Oops, did I say it out loud?"


    Joshua nodded, still in confusion as to why Ivy had lost her composure.


    "See, that man over there," She pointed at Tim, "He is Tim."


    Joshua''s eyes widened when she told him his name. "Do you know him?"


    "Yeah. He was my colleague. He joined the agency a few weeks before we lost our jobs and we have a presumption that he was somehow responsible for it."


    "Oh." Joshua was stunned on hearing this news. He wondered what work could Tim have at her agency and why he was interested in getting them sacked.


    "After we left the agency, he has been keeping tabs on all of us one by one. He is stalking us like a mad man day and night."


    "Is it?" Joshua unknowingly clenched his fists and gave Tim one cold glare through the window wishing to burn him to death.


    "Yeah. It''s a little strange though."


    "What is?" His attention went back to her and he released his fists.


    "He has been keeping an eye on me more compared to my other friends. I just want to go and punch him in the face. His face is so annoying and ugly."


    This time Jo did not say a thing, but he let out a chuckle.


    "I am serious. He creeps the hell out of me sometimes."


    "Do you want to annoy him?"


    "Yeah, but how?" Ivy gave him a confused look.


    "Just act along and leave everything to me. When we get down the car act as though you recognized him and go talk to him, alright? I''ll take care from there."


    Ivy narrowed her eyes to see what he was up to, but eventually, she gave in and agreed to act as per his wish.


    "Ready?"


    Ivy nodded and got off the car. She acted as though she was looking around and by coincidence, her eyes fell on Tim. Tim who was watching the apartment was stunned on seeing Ivy get down from the car. He was even more startled when Ivy''s eyes fell on him. The next moment, he saw Ivy walking towards him and behind her followed the man, whom everybody knew in his gang, Joshua Martin.


    "Tim, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?" Ivy exclaimed as though she was genuinely happy on seeing him here.


    "I was just passing by. A relative of mine lives here."


    "Is it? That''s great." Ivy did not ask where his relative lived lest he should be suspicious that she already knew about him following her.


    "Who is this gentleman?" Tim asked, feigning ignorance. He had never met Joshua personally and had no idea that the man knew who he was. So, he daringly asked the question and Jo raised an eyebrow in amusement.


    "He.." Ivy stuttered not knowing what to say.


    "I am her boyfriend," Joshua answered the next instant, stunning both of them.

 Chapter 204: Slow steps

    "Boyfriend."


    As soon as Joshua said this word, Ivy gawked at him wide-eyed. She was rendered speechless while Joshua basked in this newly created relationship with ease. Ivy''s face was fixed on his, trying to decipher why he said so. Sensing her gaze on him, Joshua smiled mysteriously. He too did not know why he had claimed himself to be her boyfriend. The idea did not seem bad. The word had just slipped out of his tongue as though it was the truth and he was going around proclaiming his relationship with Ivy to everybody and anybody he saw on the roads.


    Just like Ivy, Tim too was flabbergasted, but for a whole different reason. If Ivy was Joshua''s girlfriend, then things would get complicated. She had the biggest and strongest backup in the country. And if what they had assumed about Ivy being involved in collecting the evidence against them was true, then it would be almost impossible to get to her in the future.


    "Ain''t he Joshua Martin?" Tim asked. He could not continue to feign ignorance as to the man before him was a famous businessman nationwide. Everybody knew him and since he worked for the paparazzi, Tim could not say he had no idea who Joshua was.


    His question brought Ivy put of her stupor. Yet, she stared at Tim blankly, her mind still unable to process any word or sentence and her tongue was frozen. However, that was not the case for Joshua. He answered Tim immediately. "The one and only."


    Tim was in a dilemma and he was not ready to believe that he was Ivy''s boyfriend. But he couldn''t reject the possibility either. The last time he had followed her from the cafe, he had seen Joshua go into her house. So, this couple had been going strong since then and he had no idea about it. ''Crap.''


    Though Joshua had said it himself that he was Ivy''s boyfriend, Tim wanted to hear it from Ivy. He wanted to make sure that what they were saying was the truth and not a ploy to divert his attention. "Ivy, is he really your boyfriend?"


    Though he tried to mask it, Joshua could sense that Tim was up to something and warning bells set off in his mind. He narrowed his eyes and glared at him coldly. Ivy was still in a dazed state and he could see that she was not in her usual state of mind to keep up with the act he had started. He had to do something so as to not raise any suspicion.


    He wrapped his hand around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, again stunning her. Ivy lifted her head to look at him, her eyes filled with a lot of questions. "Looks like the man in front of us is doubting our relationship sweetheart." He said and Tim could not differentiate if he was being sarcastic or annoyed or both.


    "No. No. That was not what I meant, Mr. Martin. I..." Before he could continue, Joshua interrupted him.


    "Is that so? But why do I have a feeling that you are highly suspicious of our love for each other? Or is it that you are depressed that we are together, even?"


    Tim got flustered with Joshua''s questions at once. ''How did it turn this way?'' He wondered. It was he who was supposed to do the asking, not them. Yet here he was standing in front of them as though he was the culprit and they were the officers in charge of interrogating him. "How can that be Mr. Martin? I am happy for you as well as for Ivy. It was just that she never told us a thing about you when she was with us."


    "Ahh, that? I had asked her to keep it a secret. I do not want the reporters to poke their noses in my private life and make it public. I want to wholeheartedly enjoy my love life, not worrying about those unwanted flies."


    Again Tim was dumbstruck. He had a hunch that the flies Joshua referring to was not anyone but him. But he did not say a thing or tried to defend himself.


    "Could you keep this secret to yourself? I''m not yet ready to reveal about us to the world. My sweetheart here likes privacy very much." When Joshua used the word of endearment, Ivy''s heart slammed against her chest in unknown ecstasy. However, her mind sent her warning signals to not to fall for these charms. It was all a ploy. Her mind and heart were playing a tug of war on their own amidst all the chaos.


    "Yes, yes. Of course. Don''t worry, Mr. Martin. My lips are sealed."


    Joshua smirked. That would never be the case. Tim was bound to go and report this to someone who was above him and that was exactly what he wanted. This was a warning he was going to send to the mysterious man not to mess with Ivy, otherwise, they would have to deal with his wrath. Nobody could get to her when he was here.


    "I trust you on that." Joshua gave him a huge smile but it held a lot of meaning which Tim could not understand. "Now, if you will excuse me. My sweetheart here is a little tired. She needs to rest. So, I am going to take her up."


    Without waiting for another word from Tim, Joshua nudged Ivy and the couple started walking back to her apartment. During the entire time, it was only Joshua who had spoken to Tim. Other than greeting him, Ivy had not spoken a word to him. On the way back to her house, they remained silent.


    But as soon as they stepped inside her house, something snapped in Ivy. She pushed Joshua away from her and gave him an incredulous look. She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath. "Boyfriend? When did I agree to that?"


    "When did I say that you agreed?" Joshua questioned back.


    "Then, what was the thing that happened down there?"


    "That, it was just a warning."


    "What warning?"


    "Ivy, that man down there is not simple. My words were like a warning to him and whoever he is working with. Now that I have introduced myself as your boyfriend, he would not dare to do anything to you."


    "How do you know him?" Ivy narrowed her eyes in suspicion.


    "I know some things about him. His hands are filled with blood and I suggest you be wary of him. He doesn''t hesitate to kill if required."


    Joshua''s words creeped the hell out of Ivy for a second. She had encountered all kinds of people in her profession. They were dangerous too and they had killed people too. But she had been careful so as to not leave any clues that led back to her. Whenever she covered any important news, she was always in a disguise and each time it was a different attire. She had not been scared of getting found as it was impossible and she was confident about it.


    Since the time she had started working as a journalist, no danger had ever befallen on her. This was the first time she had been stalked and hearing Joshua''s caution against Tim, she was scared for a second. "Are you trying to scare me because if you are, it is working."


    "No. I have no intentions of scaring you. I am saying the truth and I am requesting you to be careful from now on. He has a complicated background."


    "How do know you all of these?"


    "I sometimes give a helping hand to the police when they ask for it. So, I know a few things." Joshua said smoothly and it was not a lie. Ivy believed him too. With his hacking skills, there was no doubt the police would ask him for help. So, she did not question him about it any further.


    Joshua noticed that Ivy was visibly shaken. He sighed, not knowing how to console her. Though he did not want to scare her by telling the truth, hiding it would bring nothing but problems. He had decided that it was better if she knew about Tim''s true nature so that she could be vigilant from then on. "Ivy, don''t worry. Nothing will happen to you. Your apartment has good security. He can''t enter whenever he wants and also, Noah will protect you and Aria at all costs. Moreover," He wanted to say, ''I am here and I will not let anything happen to you.'' But he stopped himself in time.


    Ivy was busy thinking about Tim. So, she did not notice the last word he had spoken and Joshua was happy about it. She was still absent-minded. But she did not forget to thank Joshua for his help. "Thank you so much for today."


    "Not a problem." Joshua wanted to take care of Tim as soon as possible. But that would only alert the enemies and then the entire Vipers gang would come behind him and Noah. So, he had to take slow steps in infiltrating his enemies. To do so, they had come to come with a master plan. Joshua noted in his mind that he had to discuss this issue with Noah as soon as possible. They had to solve this problem before it became too much for them.


    "May I stay here for some time? Now that Tim knows I am here, he might become doubtful if I leave early."


    "Sure. Make yourself comfortable. Do you need anything?"


    "No, I am fine."


    "Then, I am going to go to sleep." Ivy started walking towards her room, but Joshua stopped suddenly.


    "Ivy."


    "Yes?"


    "May I use your laptop?"


    "Sure. Just a second, let me get it for you."


    Twenty minutes later, Ivy was deep asleep in her room while Joshua was keeping an eye on Tim on her laptop in the living room. He had hacked all the surveillance cameras in the area and Tim had no idea about it.

 Chapter 205: Craving

    As soon as Ivy and Joshua went inside, Tim couldn''t hold himself and made a call to Jared. He couldn''t delay this explosive news any further. His Master had to know about it and the sooner the better. They could come up with a backup plan if things did not turn out in their way. But how many ever times he tried, Jared''s phone was not reachable.


    ''Master, please pick up the phone. Please.'' He begged in his mind. But nothing happened. How many ever times he tried, he ended up hearing the operator''s same old recorded dialog. He wanted to cry out loud in frustration. He then remembered that Jared''s assistant accompanied him everywhere he went most of the time. So, he gave a call to him. But he too was unavailable.


    Joshua noticed all of his actions through Ivy''s laptop. He could only make out that Tim had made a call to someone. Since the surveillance camera was quite a few feet away from his phone, he could not see to whom he had made the calls. However, Joshua not a novice in hacking. He was a genius when it came to any electronic devices. He had a software at home that could identify signals when a phone call was being made.


    All he had to do was connect Ivy''s laptop to his home server and give access to the software which was on his computer and the control was in his hands. He gave the IP address and the software detected Joshua''s location with ease. "Alvis, track all the phone calls withing ten meters from my location." He ordered his AI and the software started its work. Joshua just hoped that Tim would make another call before the software produced the result and he did just as he wanted, much to Joshua''s relief.


    Within five minutes, he got the results of the people who had made a phone call. There were not many, just nine. All he had to do was search for the caller ID and done. He scratched out all the names that were not suspicious and he ended with only one number. ''This is it? This is Tim''s number.'' He secretly cheered for himself. He had done a great job.


    Not waiting even a minute, he hacked into his phone. But it took a great deal of effort. Tim had installed a highly encrypted software that made it impossible for normal hackers to hack his phone. It had a lot of firewall layers and even a small mistake would alert the person whose phone was being hacked.


    But Joshua took this up as a challenge. He carefully analyzed the encryption coding and applied his own style of decoding it. It was a very complex type of software. Only a pro could create something like this. He wondered who was the person who was as talented as him. After a lot of time of hard work, he could break through three layers and there were still four, much to his anguish.


    He cracked his neck and stretched his hands. His back had gone stiff with all the work he had done in the past hour. He picked up the laptop, stretched his legs on the table, and placed it on his lap. "Now for the fourth layer." He started it and it was more difficult than the previous two layers. But he was not Joshua if could not solve any issues related to electronic devices. With great concentration and effort, he broke through the next three layers and only the seventh layer was left.


    As soon as he starting typing his code, he noticed a glitch. Instead of hacking Tim''s phone, the software was hacking Ivy''s laptop in return.


    "Damn it." He cursed loudly. The seventh layer had a reverse hacking code that would automatically start its work once the sixth layer was down. Joshua had not noticed this before. But he still had time. It would take at least four minutes for the reverse hack to complete and he had to stop it before the time ended.


    He activated his special anti-hacking featured software. Though this would not stop the reverse hack completely, it would at least delay it and he would get more time to find a solution. After forty minutes of intense struggle, he managed to break through it completely and Tim''s phone was hacked.


    "Yes." He shouted loudly. For a second he had forgotten where was. On realization, he cursed his loud tongue and went back to work. But his voice had woken up Ivy from her slumber and she looked around dazed trying to see where the sound came from. Then she remembered that Joshua was in the living room and it was his voice.


    ''Did something happen to him?'' She wondered. Fearing the worst, she jumped off the bed and ran to the living room, opening the door hastily with a loud bang.


    "What happened?" She came out, panic clearly written on her face. Joshua, who was so focused on going through Tim''s phone, had not heard the sound of the door and was startled when he heard Ivy''s voice. He looked up to see a disheveled Ivy looked around in panic and he immediately shut the laptop. He did not want Ivy to see what he was doing.


    "What happened?" He questioned back in confusion. He had completely forgotten that he had shouted a few seconds back.


    "You tell me." Ivy had not seen him close the laptop. So, she did not ask about it.


    "I don''t know."


    "Then, why did you shout?" Ivy gave him an incredulous look. ''This man was unbelievable.''


    "When did I shout?"


    Ivy''s jaw dropped. This man was so annoying. She was having a good sleep and this man destroyed it by shouting and now he was pretending as though he knew nothing. ''How irritating.''


    "Just now. You shouted so loudly that even I heard it though I was asleep."


    Joshua then remembered what he had done a few minutes back and he wanted to smack his head for his carelessness. He was almost done and the only thing left was to go through Tim''s call logs and he would get the man who was behind Ivy, but he destroyed the chance big time by his own hands.


    "Oh. I remember. I got a call from my secretary just now. She wanted to inform me that we have finished with our project. I became very excited and I shouted as I got carried away." He gave her a sheepish grin, making her narrow her eyes in anger. She did not say anything except for a huff and went to the kitchen.


    Ivy poured herself a glass of water and downed it one go. "Idiot. Who does he think he is? Has he no idea how scared I was. Idiot. Stupid. Weirdo. Lunatic." She cursed loudly and kicked the refrigerator in anger thinking it to be him, only to yelp in pain. She leaned against the kitchen counter as she took deep breaths to subdue the pain. "He is such a pain in the ass." She started scolding him again.


    Meanwhile, the man who she was scolding had no idea about it. He was busy in his own work. As soon as Ivy had left him alone, he had gone back to find out more from Tim''s phone and he had found a lot of contacts. He narrowed the searched to those numbers that had been dialed after they had left him on the street. There were only two numbers.


    After some searching, he found out that one of the numbers belonged to Jared Augustus and Tim had called him a lot of times in that time range. Joshua remembered who Jared was. He was the one who was behind Rachel. But he had no idea how he was related to Tim. He only knew that the man was dangerous as Noah had told him before.


    He looked back to see if Ivy was anywhere nearby. Seeing that the coast was clear, he started analyzing the things. Tim belonged to the Vipers. He had known about it long back. But what he did not know was who their leader was. Even Noah did not know about the man behind those vicious people. But he had a hunch that it was Jared. Now that Tim was contacting Jared, it arose suspicion in his mind. ''What if he is the leader of the Vipers?''


    "Ah." He sighed and tilted his head. ''But why is he behind Ivy? How did she offend him?'' This was a question only Ivy could answer. He had to ask her about this. But if Jared was really the one whom he assumed to be then two of the women around him were in danger and he had to rise up his guards. This was a serious issue.


    Before he could get lost in his thoughts again, Ivy came back. "Are you staying back?"


    "What?"


    "I need to prepare lunch. Tell me if you are staying back until lunch."


    "If it is not a problem to you." Joshua instantly reminisced the taste of food and he started craving for more of it. Now that he had an opportunity, why would he let it go?


    "Okay."

 Chapter 206: Despicable man

    Unknown to Joshua, as soon as he had hacked Tim''s phone, somebody got an alert about it on her phone. Hearing the notification, the woman smiled victoriously. She had been typing non-stop on her laptop when she was disturbed. But it was a notification she had been waiting for long. So, she was not angry about being interrupted.


    "I have been waiting for this day. Let''s see who is the one who could hack this software and I hope it''s the man I have in mind." The woman started to locate the IP address. But how many ever times she tried, she could not trace back to the person. However, she was not dejected. Instead, she was happy. The only person who could break through her encryption was Joshua. He was the best, even better than her.


    Now that she could not track the device that had initiated the hacking, she confirmed without any doubt that it was him. She was clearly well versed with his style. He had his own way of handling things when it came to these matters. Even she who knew some coding could not do anything like him. She had tried to imitate his way many times, but it had not yielded any results. In doing so, she had given her opponents some loose ends. So, she had stopped trying to imitate him.


    "Joshua, thank god it was you. Now that you have found out about Tim, I hope you could get to them faster." She wished out loud. "Please." She pushed the spectacles that were lying low on her nose and continued to type on her laptop. But she did not forget to send a message on her phone. "I hope everything goes well."


    "Maggie," She heard someone call her and she looked up to see who it was. It was the man who was on her hate list. She despised him as he was the assistant to the man who she wanted to kill with her own hands. However, she did not show anything on her face. She was as calm as ever.


    "Yes?"


    "Come to the hall right now."


    "Okay."


    Maggie followed him to the hall and saw many of the other men in the gang standing in line waiting for someone. She did not have to guess who they were waiting for. It was the for the man whom she had vowed to destroy, Jared Augustus.


    She stood quietly at the side while the other men gawked at her. She was one of the few females who were allowed to attend the meetings with Jared and this always irked them. They did not like the fact that a woman was held at a higher position compared to them. She was present at all meetings, even at those to which some of the men in the hall were not even allowed. This was a big blow to their egos.


    Maggie sensed the glares from the men around. But she did not say a thing. She had been accustomed to it long ago since the time she had joined the Vipers. She sneered at the men much to their dismay. This agitated the men more and before they could get back at her, Jared arrived with his assistant.


    He sat down on his usual throne like chair while everybody else stood in front of them silently. Even Maggie who was leaning against the wall stood straight as soon he had entered. He was wearing his mask as usual. So, nobody could see his face except his serpent like eyes which was clearly visible. Some of the men even did not know how he looked like and that he and the businessman Jared Augustus were one and the same. But Maggie was not among them. She knew who he was before she even joined the gang.


    Jared ran his eyes across the hall, glancing at each and every person present before him. Maggie noticed that Jared''s gaze lingered on her a little longer compared to everybody else.


    "How is everyone?" Jared asked. Though he asked the question to them, he did allow them to give him a reply. He continued talking. "What a question to ask? I know everybody here is doing good. Am I right?"


    Even if they had complaints, nobody had the guts to speak about it. The man in front of them was dangerous, crazy even. He would not hesitate to put a bullet through their heads if they spoke out of place. Anything and everything would trigger his craziness. So, nobody wanted to rake the risk.


    "Yes, Master. We are fine." Everybody, except Maggie, answered in unison. Jared noticed her being silent and he smiled inwardly.


    "Maggie, do you have something in mind?"


    His voice startled her. Every time he called her by her name, she had the strong urge to punch him in the face or chop off his dick. But she hid it coolly, not showing her true emotions. It was not time yet to reveal her true self. She wanted revenge and she wanted it to be perfect. She had all the time in the world. So, Maggie did nothing reckless that could foil her plans.


    "Yes, Master." She hated herself for calling him that. When she did so, she wanted to cut off her tongue. She hated herself all the more for doing something she loathed. But she had to do it. This was an order from her Deputy and her friend.


    "What?"


    "I was just wondering why we are being called for a meeting all of a sudden. Seeing that Master is in a good mood, I was under the assumption that we will be doing something exciting."


    "Ah," Jared exclaimed loudly. "This is the reason I like you, Maggie. You know me so well." He laughed out loud, his laughter filled with wickedness. For a second, everybody in the room was scared of him. Even Maggie could not help but shiver.


    "As Maggie said, I have a mission for you guys. Now that the news about the virus and David Peters has curbed a little, it is high time we execute our plan. We have already been delayed a lot. I cannot wait any longer."


    Hearing his words, Maggie was thunderstruck. The previous time when he had planned the same thing, she had somehow managed to evade the disaster from taking place. Now that he was coming with the same plan again, what was she supposed to do? How was she going to tackle its situation?


    "I have ordered for twelve canisters of the virus. It will be delivered to us shortly. Everybody be ready to get your orders. This time I am not going to trust anybody. Last time, my entire plan went down the drain for trusting that bastard of a Peters. This time, I''ll handle everything and there will be no mistakes. Is everybody with me?"


    "Yes, Master." Everybody, including Maggie, shouted. She did not want to be questioned again. So, she answered him. But her mind was filled with horrid thoughts and she could help but gulp in fear thinking what would happen if this lunatic''s plan became a success. She had to inform her Deputy as soon as possible and stop him from creating havoc in the country when it was already at war.


    Without another word, Jared stood up. His assistant helped him with his coat and in a blink, he was gone. Maggie did not wait for anybody, nor did she speak with anyone. She returned to her room in a hurry and locked the door.


    Maggie stayed in one of the rooms in Jared''s large hideout. Nobody was allowed inside her room except for Jared and his assistant and it was very rare for them to come there. So, she had no worries about them visiting her at abnormal times. Even if they did so, she had a backup plan that could save herself.


    She picked her laptop and sent an encrypted message to her Deputy. It was important that the message went to her as soon as possible. ''Val, I hope you get my message and you can understand it.'' She prayed in her mind. After the message was sent, she deleted all traces of it and flumped on the chair. She removed her spectacles and massaged her forehead.


    Since the time she had started working for Jared, she had been getting nightmares of her getting caught. Though she was not afraid of death or of being caught by Jared, she did not want to be careless as she still had a lot of work to do. She had to extract details of his all wicked plans from him. So, Maggie had to keep her guards up all the time.


    This was a case her Deputy had trusted her with and she had to do everything to keep herself alive. Nobody other than Valarie knew where she was. Even Ryder did not know about her secret mission. Everybody had assumed that she had gone on a world tour as she had always wanted to after leaving her job. Thinking about Ryder brought a small smile on her face. She remembered his stern face whenever she involved herself in dangerous missions and the next moment her smile became wide. ''I wonder what he would think when he finds out how dangerous my current mission is?''


    Barely five minutes had passed since she had sent the message. She got a reply. ''Got it, Margaret. Will start working on it. You please take care of yourself.''

 Chapter 207: Safe zone

    Meanwhile, the chopper finally landed in the war zone. As soon as the group walked out of the chopper, the first thing they heard was a bomb going off somewhere in the area and a tremor ran down everybody''s spine including Ian. This was the first time they were hearing a bomb explode and god, it sounded as though it had blown up right next to their ears.


    The helicopter had stopped at a region that was quite far from the actual war zone. From here, they had to go in military jeeps to the location. Other than assault helicopters, no other kind of helicopters were allowed to go near the zone. Before the troop was asked to get on the jeep, Kevin stood in the front of them again.


    "Guys, now that we are here, please be careful. As much as we are responsible for your safety, you too are responsible for taking care of yourself. Again I am reminding you not to do anything that you are not supposed to. If you have any issues or need any sort of help, you can approach any of us and we will try to help you as much as possible. After reaching the battle zone, you will again be asked to report to Major Ethan Meyers and he will give you more orders for you to follow. So, brace yourself." As he said that, another bomb exploded and everybody trembled again.


    Kevin did not say anything to curb their nervousness. They had to get adjusted to it as it would be a daily occurrence here. This was like a sound of death to many, but they could not do anything about it. The only choice they had was to accept it and get tuned to it.


    "Please get on the jeeps in groups of three. Don''t worry about the medical kits. We will get it. Take only your luggage with you" Kevin then led them to the jeeps that were already on standby. Aria, Ian and Stuart got on one jeep while the others occupied the remaining ones. When everybody had boarded the jeeps carefully and were sitting tight, the soldiers started driving the jeep.


    Aria''s eyes darted around, but other than trees and hilly areas, she could not see anything. But as they got closer to the camps, the sounds of gunshots and riffle reports became louder. The bomb explosions become louder too and the trio felt as though their eardrums would shatter if this continued. They immediately wore the earplugs they were provided with to protect their ears.


    After twenty minutes of driving, they arrived at the military pavilions. Kevin had informed them this was the safe zone and no harm would befall them if they stayed in this zone. Everybody got off the jeeps along with their luggage and accompanied Kevin and the two other soldiers inside one of the pavilions.


    At the farther end of the pavilion, there were seven or more men clad in their uniforms waiting for them. Kevin led them towards the troop. He and his two mates walked forward and saluted the man who was leading the troop. He returned their salute and the three men went and stood behind him.


    The man who was in the front stepped forward. "I, Major Ethan Meyers, welcome you all here, though this is not a place for you guys." Aria was stunned seeing the man. She had seen his photo already but he looked very different in person. He looked more rugged and rough when compared to the photograph. He was more tanned and his hair was cut short. So, she could not recognize the man at all.


    "I sincerely thank you all for agreeing to come here despite the abnormal circumstances. It takes a great deal of courage for agreeing to come here and we appreciate it all the more. Every one of us who is taking part in this war will be grateful to you forever for giving us a helping hand." Ethan smiled at them and everybody returned it.


    "Now that we are here, we will skip the introductions. We will get to know each other as time passes. So, let''s not waste time on it. Let me give you your orders and I expect all of you to follow them at all costs. Remember these are for your own safety."


    Ethan took a look at all of them, not missing the curious glances in some of them. He could also sense the nervousness and fear from them and it was not unusual. He then continued, "At all costs, stay in the safe zone. Do not cross this zone. You are safe here. But if you cross the zone, there is no guarantee of what may happen to you. Once you walk out of here, you will see a white line, a few meters from here, that runs across the area. You are not allowed to cross the line as long as you stay here. We will bring the injured soldiers to the pavilions itself. This is a request as well as an order. Any questions so far?"


    "No." Everybody answered at once.


    "Good. It is up to you guys how you are going to decide the shifts. But we want doctors ready at all times. As you already know the situation, we never know when one of us soldiers might get injured. We will be providing you three pavilions for you to treat the injured soldiers. We have two tents set up for you. The ladies can occupy one of them and the gentlemen here can use the other. The tents have bathrooms inside them. So, you do not have to worry. Any questions now?"


    Again he got the same answer. "Great. Remember what I have told you about the white line. If you have any issues or worries, feel free to approach any of us. We will do as best as we can to help you. I, once again, thank you all for coming here. Kevin, lead them to their tents. You can take rest for some time or you can start working immediately. It''s up to you."


    "Another thing. Your mobile phones do not work here. So, if you have to call someone, you will have to come to the main building. There is a telephone. You can make a call there. But I request you to restrict the number of calls you make. Now you may leave."


    After getting their orders, the group went along with Kevin to their tents. The two tents were right opposite to each other. "Ladies, this your tent." He pointed to the one towards his right. "And the gentlemen here can occupy the other. Please keep your luggage here and let me take you around the safe zone."


    Ten minutes later, the group was taking a mini-tour along with Kevin. He showed them all the places they had access to as well as the main building where they could make a call.


    "Excuse me, where are the already injured soldiers being treated right now?" Aria interrupted him.


    "Do you want to start work right away?"


    Aria gave him a look as though he was a fool for asking such a question. They were here to treat the injured, not on a trip. They could get accustomed to their surroundings gradually. What was more important right now was to provide medical assistance. Kevin smiled in awkwardness seeing her questioning gaze.


    "Please split into two groups. One of them will work the day shift and the other will do a night shift. Before that let me take you to the treatment center."


    Kevin again led them to one of the huge pavilions. It was huge, bigger than the previous one they had been to, almost two meters in length and fifty meters in width. As soon as the group went in, they gasped at the sight. There were a lot of soldiers who were being provided with care and treatment. There were at least two hundred soldiers in there and everybody was injured. They were being treated by the local doctors who were not that proficient.


    Seeing the ghastly sight, Aria could not stop herself. She gave Ian one knowing look and they immediately sorted themselves into two groups. They had to begin their work as early as possible. Ian, Aria, Stuart, and two other nurses were in one group and the remaining five members were in the other.


    Though they were asked to work in shifts, they had decided to start their work first. If anybody felt tired or sleepy, they could take some rest and join again when they got their energy back.


    But before they could even start their work, they could hear voices from outside. Four soldiers were helping three other soldiers who were severely injured. Two of them had bullet wounds on their arms. They were not in a critical situation. However, the third one had two bullet shots on his chest.


    Since Ian already had experience in treating gunshot wounds, he immediately rushed to treat the man who had been shot in his chest. Two nurses joined him to assist him. Meanwhile, Aria and Stuart each went to assist the other two wounded soldiers. The remaining members started to take a look at the other soldiers who were already present in the pavilion when they had come in.

 Chapter 208: Pretense?

    Ian took a look at the man who had been shot in his chest. He opened his shirt to see where exactly he had been shot. There were two bullets put through his chest, but the good part was that they were not in any critical position or anywhere near his organs. So, the soldier was safe for now. His protective gear had saved him.


    The soldier had lost some blood. So, he had to be given a transfusion. Ian started barking orders to the nurse. Before that, he summoned Kevin who was standing idly behind him. "Where are the medical equipment?"


    "They are right here." Kevin pointed towards the loads of goods they had brought with them on the helicopter. At first, he had been skeptical about bringing these with them on the helicopter seeing such a huge load. He did not know why they had insisted on bringing it with them. But when the nurse opened the trunks, he saw many things that were necessary for good treatment.


    They had brought portable ventilators and ECGs, medical instruments, scrubs, medicines, ointments, syringes, and a lot of other things that would be necessary for them here.


    There were still two more trunks that were place separate from the others. Even while they were transferring the trunks to and from the helicopter, Ian had asked Kevin to take care of those two especially. He wanted to find out what was in there and he got his answer when one of the nurses opened them. It was filled with loads and loads of blood bags.


    "Excuse me, would you please tell me your blood type?" Ian asked the soldier who was lying on the bed with blood trickling down his chest. Ian had to admire the man''s will. Even though he had been shot twice, he had not winced even once. Ian knew how painful it was and he had to salute the man for his bravery. He was a true soldier.


    "B positive." Ian sighed relief. He was glad that the man knew his blood type else it would take extra time to perform a blood test.


    "That''s a great blood type. Just like you." Ian commented and the nurse immediately took out a blood bag for the soldier. "Sir, do you want me to give you anesthesia?"


    The soldier shook his head.


    "Are you sure? This might be more painful. I''ll give you anesthesia."


    "I am fine." The man said. Though he looked like he was pain, his eyes were still smiling.


    "Okay. If you say so. I''ll be giving you a sedative. This will reduce the pain during the operation. You may even feel drowsy and you can even sleep comfortably. Are you fine with this?"


    "Yes."


    "Cool." Ian induced a sedative through his vein and waited for a few seconds. He then put on his surgical gloves and took the lancet to make a cut near one of the bullet shot area. As soon as he made the cut, blood started to seep out. The nurse then inserted the blood bag on the stand and the needle was inserted to his vein. Ian then sterilized the bullet hole with iodine. Since the bullet had not gone deep, he removed it with ease using a forceps. He then checked to see if there were any fragments left behind in his body. After that, he closed the cut.


    Next, he attended to the second bullet wound and repeated the same steps. But this time, the bullet had penetrated a little too deep inside his body. So he had to be careful while removing it. More than half an hour had passed before he removed the second bullet. He closed all the cuts he had made and the nurse put the bandage on his chest. By then, the man was deep asleep.


    Aria and Stuart had finished handling the two other men who had been shot in their arms and finally they could breathe properly. Seeing that their operation was done, the army surgeons came to them and thanked them for their help. Ian looked around the pavilion and saw the large crowd in there. Everybody had been put here irrespective of the seriousness of their wounds. This would not do. They had to do something about it.


    Being a strict doctor, he had mild OCD and he expected things to be meticulous and systematic. Now that he saw the pavilion being flooded with injured soldiers, he couldn''t control his desire to make things right.


    "Sir, I have a suggestion to make."


    "Yes?" The senior army surgeon asked him.


    "We want to divide the wounded soldiers based on the seriousness of their wounds."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Sir, look around you. Everybody who is injured, be it mild or critical injury, is getting treated here and this is creating an unhealthy environment. I suggest we divide it based on the seriousness of their wounds."


    "Please continue."


    "People who are not being severely injured can be treated in one of the pavilions. The soldiers who are heavily wounded and need operation can be treated in another pavilion. Those who have already been treated can take rest in the last pavilion. This way we can avoid any septics and unhygienic situations."


    "I agree. We were in a hurry when the war started. So, we started with our work without giving it much thought." What Ian had said was the truth. To perform an operation, the environment had to be clean and sanitized. Otherwise, the wound not heal properly and it would become more severe in the future.


    "Not a problem sir. We can start following it from now on. Let the smallest pavilion be the operating room."


    "Okay."


    "Great." Ian then gave everybody instructions and they started to look at the other soldiers who were in the room.


    An hour or so had passed since Ian had finished with the operation when Ethan entered. He had come to check on the three soldiers who had been shot a few hours ago. He was pleasantly surprised seeing that all the ten doctors were inside working to their fullest. He had expected at least some of them to be taking rest. Never had he expected all of them there. He smiled to himself seeing the hardworking doctors.


    They were nothing like he had imagined them to be, haughty or arrogant. Having worked at a multi-specialist hospital which had a lot of good facilities, it would be difficult to adapt to changes. Though they were working diligently now, that might not be the case later on. He had to wait and watch if they were true to their profession or was it all a pretense.

 Chapter 209: Traitor

    Aria saw Ethan standing in a haze and she wondered if he wanted something from here. He had been standing that way since he had entered and had not spoken to anyone, even to his comrades. Aria approached him and snapped her fingers on his face to get him out of his stupor. The man blinked twice trying to see what had happened and saw a lady doctor standing in front of him, her eyes filled with curiosity.


    "Are you alright, Major?"


    "Ah, yes." He cleared his throat and replied awkwardly.


    "Do you want something here?"


    "I came to check on my comrades."


    "Oh okay." Aria smiled at him and went back to her work.


    Ethan took a look at all his comrades. Some of them were ready to get back to fight as their injuries had healed and Ethan went to talk to one of the doctors about it. He had to make sure they were perfectly fine before they were even allowed to leave here. Though those soldiers looked perfectly fit, he did not want any of his soldiers to fight the battle in their injured state.


    After a thorough check-up was made, many of the soldiers were ready to get back to work, much to their happiness. There were at least twenty of them. Without waiting another second, they evacuated the pavilion. Ethan then enquired one of the doctors about the three soldiers who had been brought in today. The doctor called Ian to give his a reply as he was the one who had tended to them.


    "Yes, Major. Did you call for me?"


    "Yes, Doctor. How are soldiers who were brought here today?"


    "They are doing fine Major. Two comrades had only wounds on their arms. They can resume work in two days. While the man who had been shot in his chest had to be operated on. He might have woken up now. Let''s go take a look." Ian led Ethan to the man on whom he had performed the operation.


    He had woken up and he looked as energetic as ever. It did not feel as though he had been shot twice and he had undergone a small surgery. Except that his face looked a little pale, everything else looked fine. The soldier wanted to get up to salute his senior when Ethan walked to them. But, Ethan stopped him.


    "Please lie down. No need for formalities for now. How do you feel?"


    "I feel fine sir." He answered robotically.


    "That''s good to hear," Ethan said and then turned to look at Ian. "How long does he have to rest?"


    "It will take around four days for him to recover completely. His body has a quick healing capacity. So, he might get well even before that."


    "Good." As soon as he said that, there was a commotion and five more soldiers entered and were being supported by at least eight soldiers. They had not been shot this time. But their bodies had been mutilated when a bomb had exploded near them.


    "Damn. Aria." Ian shouted and went to help the men who were carrying the wounded soldiers. They looked ghastly and blood was oozing out from everywhere. One of them had received the worst blow. One of his legs had been scraped and it was just hanging on there by just his skin. The man had lost a leg and had become disabled.


    Ian, Aria and the others started to take a look at them at once. Their injuries looked more severe. Ethan clenched his fists in anger. He was losing his team members one by one and he was unable to anything. The enemy was coming out quite strongly on them. Though he and his team were giving them a tough fight too, but it came at the cost of his soldiers'' life. He had already lost a lot of people on his side and it seemed that the war was not going to stop any time soon.


    The number of casualties was soaring at a greater pace. He couldn''t even imagine how bad it would end up and he had no idea what to do. His seniors were putting pressure on him to end the war as soon as possible. Though the President had told him personally to fight the war and to not worry about his seniors, he couldn''t help but think about their words some times.


    Ethan had no idea why he was unable to gain control over the situation. Once in a while, he would become hopeful that his army was on the winning side. But something worse would happen and things would escalate beyond their capacity. He had no idea why he was feeling weak and uncertain. He pinched his brows in anger, desperation, grief and most of all helplessness. He then heard two more bombs detonation somewhere.


    He had to do something, anything. He had to speak to the President about it. Things were going out of hand. They had to come up with some other plan. He could not lose any more men. He took a step forward, but he was stopped by his comrade who had been shot in his chest.


    "Sir, I have something very important to tell you."


    "Yes?"


    "Sir, could you please come closer? We have ears all around us."


    Ethan looked at him confused. He looked around him and all he found were his own men and the doctors. So, he had no idea why his subordinate was being secretive. Nevertheless, he leaned in.


    "What do you want to tell me?"


    "Sir, there is something unusual going on here."


    "What do you mean?" Ethan narrowed his eyebrows and thought about his words. But nothing made sense.


    "Sir, you are in charge of commanding us and you are out there looking out at everything. So, you might not have noticed the abnormality. But I noticed it today." The injured man whispered, his eyes darting around to see if anybody was listening to them or eavesdropping on them.


    "What did you notice?"


    "Sir, the two men who had been shot in their arms today were being attacked by our own troop."


    "What?" Ethan asked flabbergasted.


    "Yes Sir. I saw with my own eyes. One of the soldiers in our team raised a pistol and shot them in the arms. But they did not know about it and thought it to be an attack from the enemy''s side."


    "Are you sure about it?"


    "Hundred percent. We have a traitor among us and I believe there is more than one."

 Chapter 210: Destruction

    "We have a traitor in our troop." The soldier said and Ethan looked on. His words did make sense in a way. There were a lot of suspicious events happening in the battalion since the war had started. He had sensed something fishy going on. But never had he witnessed his own troop members shooting their teammates. This definitely was an eye-opener for him.


    Since he had got a tip on this matter, he had to thoroughly investigate it. He had to get to the roots. Based on the suspicions alone, he could not jump to any conclusions. And even if he did, he did not know who were the traitors. He had to have solid proof to take strict action against them.


    "Okay. I''ll investigate it thoroughly. You relax and take care."


    "Yes sir."


    After speaking to him, Ethan left the pavilion and went outside. His subordinate''s words had risen another suspicious notion in his mind. ''For a traitor to get inside the army, was anybody from the government or the ministry helping them?''


    There was no doubt that a lot of people, who did not actually did not have any interest to fight for their country, had joined the military recently. They were only there to create a distraction. These kinds of people had strong backing from someone who held a very important position and had status and power. It was not that easy to join the military with the plan to sabotage their own team when they were at work without any strong support. If they were caught while executing their plan, then the punishment they would receive was unimaginable.


    He could not deduce if anybody he knew in the ministry or the government was actually involved in such a disgusting scheme. He had to inform the President about it. Before that, he had to find out if his team really had a quisling or not. He walked away from the pavilion towards the boundary where his soldiers were engaged in gunfire with their enemy. Though he was their commander, he had stationed some of his subordinates to look over the battle. These subordinates had to report to him and then they would plan an action of attack seeing their enemies'' ploy.


    When he walked back, he did not announce his presence. Instead, he hid in the shadows trying to see anyone who acted suspiciously. Seeing Ethan stand there, two of his subordinates came to speak to him. But he shushed them to stay silent and watch with him. At first, he did not find anybody who behaved out of place. After ten minutes of waiting, he found one of the men in a uniform picking up a grenade. But instead of throwing it at his enemy, he threw it right at his squad injuring them in the process.


    Ethan and his two second in commands saw this whole act and their eyes blazed in anger. So, his suspicions were true. There were bastards in the army. Now everything fell into place. These people were the reason why he was unable to gain control of the situation. Now that he had found out the root cause of the issue, he had to come up with a master plan to eradicate them completely. He also had to make sure that none of the traitors would find out that he already knew about their presence.


    Seeing the man walk away casually as though he was not the one who had thrown the grenade, Ethan clenched his fists in anger. He signaled two of his subordinates to stay silent and follow him. Ethan went to the man who looked like he was actually fighting but in fact, he was just lazing around creating a distraction to his own team.


    Ethan who was being followed by his juniors tapped on his shoulder. The man stood up immediately and saluted him. He was still a rookie soldier. Ethan could see that from the rank on his badge. He signaled him to follow him and the man did as he was asked without any questions. He assumed Ethan to have called him for giving him a special mission and just the thought of it made his eyes shine in glee. He had made up his mind to sabotage all the orders that were given to him.


    Ethan took him to the tent that he used when he would discuss a plan with his comrades. He stood facing his back towards the traitor while one of his juniors closed the tent. Now there were only four of them and nobody else could enter without their permission.


    "Who sent you here?'' Ethan seethed. His voice was deadly calm. It was as though a volcano was getting ready to erupt, the lava burning away all that stood in its way into ash.


    "Pardon?" The man asked, feigning ignorance.


    "Are you going to answer on your own or do you want me to make you answer?"


    "Sir, I think you are mistaken." The man said, his voice shivering a little. ''Was I found out? No way. I had been careful not to raise any suspicions. He must be talking about something else.''


    "Acting, are we? Okay, let me refresh your memory. Why did you throw the grenade at your own squad?" This time Ethan turned slowly and fixed his angry eyes on him.


    The man''s jaw dropped a little and he started at Ethan flabbergasted. He wondered how he had found out. But that was something he could think about later. Now there something more important to do. He had to save his ass before a bullet was put through his head.


    "Sir, I think you are mistaken."


    "Is it? Then, let me tell you this. What I am going to do next is not a mistake." Without any more delay, Ethan pulled out his revolver and shot the man right between his eyes. He fell down dead immediately. "Throw this man in the gutter. We don''t want him lying with our martyrs. I do not want to disrespect our brave men."


    "Yes Sir." The two adjutants saluted and dragged the man''s body out of the tent. But while they were doing so, a two-way radio fell off from his shirt. Again the three members looked at each other stunned. Except for the commander or the second in commands, nobody else was allowed to carry a handheld radio. Now that this man had it with him, he must have been using it to eavesdrop on their messages.


    Ethan took the radio and checked it. It did not belong to them as it was not the make they were currently using. As he was inspecting it, he heard a voice over the radio.


    ''Code B: Three down.''


    Ethan then realized that this was the radio the traitors used to talk among themselves while they executed their plan. He had to applaud them for their bravery. But they had forgotten that they were just traitors and it was a known fact that no traitor who sold their motherland had ended up good. It was now time for their destruction.

 Chapter 211: Confidential talk

    On hearing the message on the radio, Ethan was stunned. What did he mean by ''three down''? Did he refer to a secret mission or was it the number of targets they had taken down? As soon as he thought that, a chill went down his body and he immediately rushed outside. To his horror, his thoughts had come true. Three more from his squad members had died when a grenade had exploded before them.


    Looking at the martyred soldiers, he gave them a salute for sacrificing their life to save their motherland. While he saluted, he also made a promise to them that he would not let those assholes away who were responsible for their death. He would torture them until they wished that death was better.


    He had to relay this message to the President as early as possible and it had to be sent to him only. So, he rushed to the main building along with his two juniors who had witnessed the traitor''s work. The President had given a number where he could call him directly without any hindrance. So, Ethan made the call and waited for a response from the other side.


    The President, Luis Truman, at that moment was in a meeting, discussing the matters related to the war. He was facing his ministers who were advising him on the various actions they could take to stop the war and also avoid the deaths of their countrymen. When his assistant notified him about the incoming call from Ethan, he paused the meeting. He knew that Ethan would not call him directly unless it was something extremely urgent and that could not be overlooked.


    He had also told Ethan to call him on this number if he had something to discuss in private. Now that he was getting a call on this number, it had to be attended to at once. "Gentlemen, let''s take a break of ten minutes." He said and walked away with his assistant following him closely.


    The ministers in the meeting room looked at each other bewildered. This was the first time the President had dismissed the meeting while it was still in progress. Every other time, he would not leave until they had reached a conclusion. However, this time it was different. They wondered what could have popped up for him to leave halfway. Among them, there was one person who looked around coolly. He was not here to find solutions or to give suggestions that could help to win the war or stop it even. He was just there to listen to everything and relay it to someone for whom he worked like a lapdog.


    The President went to one of the empty rooms while his assistant closed the door and stood outside watching over the room. He was there to make sure that nobody would barge in unnecessarily when the President was having a confidential talk.


    "Yes, Major. What have you got for me?"


    "Sir, I have some bad news for you."


    "What happened?"


    "Sir, we have traitors in our team." Ethan came to the point directly without wasting any time. They had already lost time as well as men before. They could not delay things any further.


    "What do you mean Major?" The President asked bewildered.


    "Sir, some of the men in our team are here to create chaos and not to fight the war. Instead of attacking the enemies, they are attacking their own squadron members. This is the reason why we are not able to gain an upper hand over our enemies."


    "Major, are you sure about it? This is a serious allegation and we cannot conclude this matter just based on our assumptions." The President said in a serious tone. If what Ethan said was true, then the matter was serious.


    "Yes. My two second in commands and I saw it today. One of them threw a grenade at our men and injured them."


    "Oh my god. Didn''t you notice this before?"


    "No Sir. It was my fault for not noticing this before. If I had kept an eye on everything we wouldn''t have lost our men."


    "No Ethan." The President called out his name startling him. "Though you are slightly at fault, you are not to be blamed completely. How would you know that we would have traitors? They were smart enough to conceal their identities." The President sighed. "What have you thought to do now?"


    "Sir, we have thought to keep this matter silent lest we should alert them."


    "True. But Ethan, how did these kinds of people join the army?"


    "Sir, that was what I wanted to speak to you about next. Is there a possibility that there might be someone helping them from within the system?"


    "Are you doubting someone in my ministry?"


    "Yes Sir," Ethan answered honestly. He was not doubting the President, but he was not sure that the people who worked for the government were good. He had his doubts and he voiced them out loudly. He was not scared of anybody, not even the President especially when he was right.


    "We cannot rule out your assumptions completely. There may be a possibility that somebody is helping them. I''ll look into this matter myself and don''t worry, I''ll keep it confidential. How is it over there?"


    "Not good Sir. A lot of our men are getting injured every day."


    "Didn''t the medical assistance reach there yet?"


    "They reached here this morning."


    "That''s good. At least our soldiers can get good treatment. Major, it is your duty to take care of them. They are civilians and they are doing us a favor. Nothing should happen to them."


    "Definitely sir."


    "Anything else?"


    "No Sir."


    "Okay."


    The call ended and Luis went into deep thought. He wondered who was the person betraying his own countrymen. Everybody''s face flashed before his eyes. But he could not decide who it might be. He sighed loudly. This matter was getting out of hand. He opened the door and met his assistant who was waiting for him outside.


    "Is everything alright sir?"


    "I''ll tell you later. Let''s go back first."


    The meeting resumed when Luis went back and sat in his chair. Though he was keenly listening to suggestions his ministers were giving and him adding his own words of advice occasionally, he also kept an eye to see if anybody was acting suspicious. However, he found none of them who acted out of place. Everybody behaved normally.


    The meeting ended shortly after it resumed again. He was not the first one to leave the room this time and allowed the others to leave before him. While they were walking away, his eyes scrutinized all of them once again. Immediately a second later, he went behind them. While everybody else went to have some food or snacks, only one among them slipped away from the group to make a phone call. His actions were sure doubtful and Luis whispered something to his assistant before he walked away with his team.

 Chapter 212: Defeated man

    After getting the orders from the President, his assistant followed the man on whom they were doubtful. He was the Chief of the Army, General Simon Moore. He had been given his position newly as the one who was in the seat previously had passed away due to a heart attack while his term was still ongoing. Hence the military had decided to choose another person in his place.


    Though the President had somebody else in mind, the military had suggested this man. They had put pressure on him to choose him. The man had served in the army for more than twenty-two years and had made a good name for himself. He had a lot of achievements to his name, but he was not as remarkable as the man Luis had in mind. Seeing all of them putting their confidence in him had surprised him in the beginning. He had the ultimate right to choose the person he wanted. But he had given Simon the benefit of doubt and had relented to the other people''s wishes by choosing him.


    Luis'' assistant followed Simon secretly, without making any noise. Simon had no idea about it, he was as agile as a ninja. He had been Luis'' assistant for a while and he had taken training in martial arts. So, he knew certain tricks that would help him at times.


    Simon went inside the men''s washroom to make the call. To avoid suspicion, he had kept the washroom door closed but unlocked. He checked all the cubicles to see if anyone was inside. Seeing that the coast was clear, he made the call. He did not notice the President''s assistance right outside the washroom.


    He did not enter in. But he waited outside and slipped a recording device through a small opening. The recording device was a recorder and voice amplifier that was used to listen to soft conversations. It was a small device. So, it was not that noticeable at first glance. He opened the door slowly and peeked through the small gap. The man''s back was facing him. So, he slipped the device and it rolled and settled under the handbasin. Seeing that it was securely in its position, he closed the door softly. He then activated it using his phone and he waited at a dark corner.


    Simon made a call. Before the second ring, the man he had called picked up the call.


    "What have you got for me, Simon?" His gruff voice was heard on the other side.


    "We did not reach any significant conclusion today. Everybody is still waiting to see if our soldiers can do something about the situation and bring it under control."


    "Fools. They have no idea that we are the ones controlling everything."


    "Yes," Simone replied.


    "How are our men faring in the army?"


    "They are doing our job quite well. I have received news that they have managed to take down a lot of the soldiers."


    "That''s good to hear. I hope that nobody has noticed their true intentions."


    "I don''t think that''s happened. Otherwise, we would have received a report about it by now."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Absolutely," Simon said in assurance.


    "That''s good. Let''s see what our dear President will do now. He has no idea what is waiting for him. Where are you now?"


    "I''m still in the Princep House." Princep House was the place where the President of Country P lived while in office.


    "What?" The man on the other side shouted loudly making Simon cringe. He shivered hearing his roar. ''Why was he getting angry? Did I do something wrong?''


    "Are you still in the Princep House?" He asked again for confirmation.


    "Yes. Is something the matter?"


    "You idiot. What if someone is following you? Cut the call right now. Don''t ever call me if you still in the Princep House."


    "But I verified that no one was around before I placed the call."


    "What if they walk in on you when you are talking? Now cut the call and remember what I told you."


    Before Simon could speak another word, the call had ended and he sighed. The man he had spoken to was a nightmare to him. He hated him. He had no choice but to relent to his wishes. Simon''s entire family was being held hostage by him and until his job was done, he would not release them.


    Though Simon was in the army, he did not have the courage to harm his family. He did not have the courage to go against the man who had kidnapped them. He did not have the courage to tell anyone about it. He knew what he was doing was wrong to himself, to the people and the nation. But he was helpless. He could either save the nation or his family and he had chosen the latter.


    He did not know what the outcome would be. He did not know who would end up being victorious. All he wanted to do was to save his family. He was being a coward, he had realized that long back. Many a time, he wanted to smack, hit, curse or even kill himself for doing something which no army person would ever think about doing. But then, his family members'' faces would flash before his eyes and he would stop himself.


    He sighed and looked at himself in the washroom mirror. The man in the reflection looked defeated. His eyes had become hollow and he had lost a lot of weight. Any person who knew who he was and what position he held in the military would think that he had become like that due to the stress from the war. But only he knew the true reason.


    After taking a deep breath, he left the washroom. He looked around him to see if anybody was around. Not noticing anybody, he sighed in relief and went to join the others in the buffet hall.


    The President''s assistant who saw him leave the loo, left his hiding place and went inside the washroom to pick up the recorder. He cleaned it with the tissue before he put it in his pocket and walked away calmly. He had done the job the President had given him.

 Chapter 213: Hand over the case

    The President, Luis Truman and the other members were still in the buffet hall when his assistant walked in. Luis was having a talk with the defense minister when he noticed his assistant. They were discussing the war strategies and the notice they had received from the United Nations.


    As soon as the war had started between the two countries, the news had spread far and wide and everybody had got to know about it immediately. Even the United Nations had got to know about it and they had issued a statement about it. They had given a statement that they were with Country P in the war as they were the ones being attacked without any reason. The other country was being unreasonable to start the war without any reason. It was a well-known fact that Country P and its neighbor were enemies from the start. But never had Country P attacked anybody without a good reason. So, everybody knew that it was the other country that was in the wrong.


    Now that they had received support from the United Nations, the government and the people of Country P were relieved a little and their morale had boosted to a new level.


    Luis raised his eyebrows slightly, questioning his assistant with his eyes to know if the job was done. When he received a nod in return, he smiled faintly and went back to talk to the man in front of him.


    The President and the others stayed in the buffet hall for some time before they left the place one by one. An hour or so had passed before it was only the President and his assistant remaining in the hall.


    "Let''s go to my office."


    "Yes, Mr. President."


    The duo went to his office and Luis sat on his chair while his assistant took out his phone. The recorder was a custom made device. It would record all the voices in the vicinity when it was activated and it would automatically be saved on the phone that had activated it once the recording was stopped.


    The assistant started playing the recording. After a few seconds, they heard Simon''s voice. He was speaking to someone and his voice was filled with fear. They continued to listen and when they heard that he was the one who was helping the traitors to join the army, they were left dumbfounded. It was highly unbelievable that a man of such caliber was such a horrible person. He had not even thought about the country when he had decided to support the person who wanted to destroy it.


    They patiently listened to the entire one-voice recording and finally, it finished when the man had ended the call with a sigh and a greeting. "Yes, Master."


    Luis narrowed his eyes. "Who is this Master?"


    "I don''t know Sir."


    Luis sat thinking silently. Though they had found the rat in their team, they did not know who was the one behind him controlling the entire situation. If only they knew about it..


    "What do we do now, Sir?" His assistant asked politely after a few minutes had passed.


    "Let me think. We cannot question Simon right away as the man behind him would get alerted and we would never be able to find out about him."


    "Yes Sir."


    "How can we get to the man who is behind this?" Luis pondered for a while. But his mind was a mess and he did not get any solution that could help him solve this issue. "Ugh." He huffed and held his hair in his hands. Though Luis was behaving this way in anger, his assistant did not give any reaction. He had been long accustomed to his behavior and tactics. The usual calm and composed President only lost his cool in front of his assistant. Nobody else had seen him in this state, not even his family.


    "Sir, I have a solution."


    "Yes?" Luis lifted his head. He was ready to do anything if it could save his countrymen and his country. Even if the plan was ridiculous, at least he could hear it. Putting it into action was something they would do later.


    "Sir, why don''t we hand over this issue to the Intelligence?" His assistant suggested and Luis looked at him as though he was looking at a savior. ''Why didn''t I think about it?'' He thought and then remembered the woman who had impressed him when he had first met her. She was very smart and capable. With their help, he could try to find the man who was the mastermind behind the situation they were in currently.


    "That''s a great idea. We hand it over to them and they could help us with this issue."


    "Yes Sir. Do you want me to call the Chief?" Luis'' assistant had already unlocked his phone and had searched the Intelligence Chief, Frederick Clarke''s number when Luis stopped him.


    "No. Don''t call him."


    "Then Sir?" His assistant asked him in confusion.


    "Call the Deputy Chief. We met her the last time we were in the Intelligence office. I think you have her number. What''s her name by the way?"


    "Sir, are you talking about Miss Evans?"


    "Ah yes. Valarie Evans. Call her. I don''t want many people to know about this issue. Fewer the better. It''s best even Frederick is kept in the dark. That man sometimes has a loose tongue."


    "Yes Sir." The assistant placed a call Valarie on her private number. The last time when Luis had met her he had taken her number just in case and it had come in handy today.


    At that moment, Valarie and her friends were in the cafeteria having coffee. Since the last case they were handling was given to another team, they had very few complicated cases for them to solve. So, they had a lot of free time.


    Seeing the President''s assistant number, Valarie was startled. She answered instantly and gave a stunned look to Preston and Ryder who stared back at her. "Hello."


    "Am I speaking to Miss Valarie Evans?"


    "Yes?"


    "I am the President''s assistant. The President wants to speak to you."


    Before she could even react, she heard another voice that belonged to Luis. "Hello, Miss Evans. Is it the right time to talk to you?"


    "Yes Sir." She answered. Her mind had gone blank as soon as the President had started speaking. ''Why did the President call her? What did he want of her?''


    "I have something urgent to discuss with you. Are you free tomorrow morning?"


    "Yes Sir. Definitely."


    "Let''s meet at 9 a.m. sharp at Princep House."


    "Yes Sir."


    "Also, bring the two men who work with you. But don''t tell about this matter to anybody, even to Frederick."


    "Sure Sir," Valarie answered in confusion, wondering why the President did not want her to talk about it to her Chief.


    "See you tomorrow and have a good day."

 Chapter 214: Most idle

    The call ended and Valarie stared ahead in confusion. Her mind was blank and she looked dazed. Ryder and Preston watched her staring at them, but her concentration was somewhere else and she was in deep thought.


    "Val, what''s the matter?" Ryder asked. He and Preston had been observing her since the time she had picked up the call and had heard her speak politely on the phone. They did not know who she was speaking to. But it was clear from her tone that he was a very important person.


    "Who was that on the phone?" Preston asked next when she did not answer Ryder''s question.


    "It was the President." She answered this time rendering the two men speechless.


    "What did he want? Is it something serious? Why did he call you?" Ryder started firing his questions without any break.


    Valarie blinked twice, thrice seeing him panic. Why was he getting agitated? Everything was alright, right?


    She then realized that not only Ryder even Preston was looking at her with panic. Then it struck her. It was her behavior that had made the two men worry. She had gone blank after getting a call from the President that they had freaked out, thinking the worst possible outcome. She chuckled softly seeing their expressions and this in turn increased their uneasiness. ''Did she go mad after getting the President''s call? What did he say that made her this way in an instant?''


    Valarie had no idea that her behavior was making them think all weird possibilities. She had only been perplexed on getting a call from the President of the country. Never had she expected that she would see such a day. So, her mind had stopped working.


    "Val, speak something. You are scaring us." Ryder said again.


    "Calm down guys. It''s not that serious of a matter." Valarie replied after controlling her laughter.


    "Then?" Ryder asked, his eyes narrowing her in confusion.


    "The President wants to meet us tomorrow. He has something to discuss with us personally. So, we have to be at the Princep House at 9."


    "That''s it?" Preston questioned in shock.


    "Yeah."


    "Val, you scared us." Preston gave her his all-time famous glare, but she just shrugged. It was not her mistake that they had misunderstood.


    "I am not at fault. How would you react when you get a call from the President?"


    "Yeah. That would freak me out too." Ryder added and then Preston directed his glare at him. "Is something the matter?"


    "I have no idea. He did not say anything about it."


    "Did he ask only you to come?"


    "No. He asked you two to accompany me tomorrow."


    "Oh." Preston and Ryder said at once.


    "Yeah. But he said something weird."


    "What?" Ryder and Preston asked again at once.


    "He told me not to talk about this to Chief."


    "Why would he do that?" Preston mused.


    "I have no idea. He strictly told me to keep it among us."


    "We will only get to know when we meet him tomorrow," Ryder stated.


    Before anybody else could reply, Frederick Clarke''s voice sounded in their ears. "What are my favorite people doing here in the middle of the day?"


    "Shit," Preston cursed softly on hearing the man''s annoying voice. He had started loathing him since the day Frederick had transferred their case to another department. He was not angry about losing the case. But he did not like it that everything had been done in their absence and nobody had informed them about it. This was highly unethical and unprofessional of them.


    Hearing the man''s obnoxious question, he wanted to give him a befitting reply. ''We are planning how to murder you in the most horrific way.'' He thought to himself and just the thought of it made him smile. Though he would never do it, there was nothing wrong in imagining it. He envisaged poisoning him and the man rolling on the floor before dying. ''But that would be too easy of a death for him. How about shooting him with a gun? No.'' He shook his head. ''That would become too messy to deal with.''


    "Preston?" Ryder called him to get his attention.


    "Yes?" He asked, startled. He had been so busy in his thoughts that he did hear anything that had been spoken since the arrival of his Chief.


    "Where are you lost, my dear young man?" Frederick commented in amusement.


    Preston just gave him a smile, his eyes held mockery for the old, fickle-minded man. ''Oof. Go live your life. I lost interest and now I''m in no mood to kill you.''


    "Preston?" Ryder called him again.


    "Yes." Preston came out his thoughts and saw his two friends staring at him in surprise.


    "Are you okay?" Valarie looked at him in concern.


    "I am fine. Why do you ask?"


    "You spaced out the entire time Chief was here. So, we were worried."


    "Where did Chief go?" Preston saw the place where Frederick had been standing before he fell into a reverie, only to find it empty.


    "He left a few minutes ago. What happened to you?" Ryder asked him. "Are you sick?"


    "No. I am fine. I was just thinking about something. Anyway, what did he say?"


    "Nothing. He just wanted us to sort the files in the record room. It seems it is messed up and he wants us to arrange them in chronological order." Valarie said in defeat.


    "Why does he want us to do the task? There are other people who are free." Preston wailed.


    "Apparently, he feels that we three are the most idle here with no cases on hand."


    "Dammit. That old goose is getting on my nerves."


    "Mine too." Ryder agreed at once.


    "When does he want us to start the work?" Preston held his cup and took a sip.


    "As soon as possible. It seems the other departments are complaining that they are finding it difficult to locate the reference files in the mess. So, Chief asked us to finish the job at the earliest."


    "What the heck man."


    "Yeah, Finish your coffee and let''s leave. Otherwise, that man will come running behind us, though I doubt if he can chase us with that huge belly of his." Ryder mocked and Valarie chuckled.


    Preston closed his eyes for two seconds and sat thinking, ''I should have continued planning that old man''s death. Why did I even spare him?''

 Chapter 215: Boss on menstruation

    After Ivy and Joshua had taken off, Noah had brought Oliver to his house. After making sure he was comfortable and settled, he had handed him all the details he had collected related to the opening of his agency. He had also given him a cell phone so that Oliver could call him any time he wanted. To assist him, Noah had asked his servants to be at Oliver''s beck and call in case he needed something.


    Later, he had to go to his office as he had some documents to sign. He had left with Ronnie and had asked Oliver to call him in case he needed anything. He did not want his future father-in-law to suffer in any way.


    As soon as he had reached the office, Noah had drowned himself in a sea of files and reports, not even taking a lunch break. All the employees could sense that something was wrong with him. He was unusually calm and silent. Though he was cold and silent most of the time, today it had been amplified by many folds. Everyone wondered what was wrong with him. But nobody knew the answer except Ronnie.


    Ronnie had perceived long back that his boss was sad. Now that Madam was gone and nobody knew when she would return, his boss was definitely missing her a lot. It had been just a few hours since she had left and his boss had become silent and sad. ''How would he cope up until her return?'' He wondered.


    Just as he had thought, Noah was missing Aria lot. Though he had busied himself with work, he couldn''t stop thinking about her. Every few times, his mind would wander off in her thoughts and he would get deviated from work. He was finding it very hard to concentrate. His mind was filled with Aria and her thoughts.


    Noah sighed for the nth time. He pinched his brows, leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. He wondered if Aria had reached safely and if everything was alright. He couldn''t stop worrying about her now that she was in a very dangerous place. It was also bugging him that he was not beside her to protect her. He could only put his hopes on Ian to keep her safe.


    "Aria," He whispered softly and pulled out his phone. He opened the photos of her on his phone he had secretly taken in the Kyoto Garden and went through them. A small smile made up on his face as he scrolled through them. He reminisced all that had happened between them since the day he had met her. He noticed the time on his watch and saw that an adequate amount of time had passed since Aria had left. But neither she nor Ian had given a call to him.


    Unable to control himself, he dialed Aria''s number and waited for her to pick up. But it did not even connect. He tried again, only to meet the same result. Every time he called her number, it would declare as not reachable. Panicking a little, he called Ian only to receive the same answer.


    Sensing something to be wrong, Noah stood up suddenly. The chair jerked a little due to his sudden action. Without another delay, he sprinted out of his office and called for Ronnie.


    "Ronnie. Ronnie."


    At that time, Ronnie was helping Shane to arrange the slides of the presentation for their next meeting. Hearing his boss shout, Ronnie was stunned and he rushed to him immediately. Even Shane and the other secretaries were dumbfounded by his behavior. They had never seen him so agitated and worried.


    "Yes, Boss," Ronnie answered. He saw that Noah was upset about something. He wondered what had happened now for him to go into a panic mode.


    "Ronnie, get the chopper ready. We are going to the border." As soon as he gave his order, Noah started walking towards the elevator.


    It took Ronnie some time to contemplate what he had just heard. When it finally struck him, he noticed that his Boss had already got in the elevator. He rushed to get inside and he made it before the walls closed, and the elevator started descending.


    "Boss, why are we going to the border? Did something happen?"


    "Yes. My calls to Aria are not connecting. I am unable to call Ian either. Something must be wrong."


    Ronnie, who had got all worked up seeing his boss distraught, let out a helpless smile. He did know how to tell his boss that everything was alright. He suspected if this was how all the men behaved when they were in love. ''Would they lose their ability to think and behave weirdly? If so, then this feeling called love was a very dangerous sentiment.''


    "Boss," He let out a sigh. "Boss, everything is alright."


    "How can you say that? Her phone is not reachable. Something must be wrong." Noah bellowed in anger. He did not know why Ronnie was saying all these things when he was sure that there was a problem.


    "Boss, none of the phones will work in the border area. They have a military landline. Only that device will work in that area."


    "What?" Noah was perplexed. ''Why did I not know about this?''


    "Yes, Boss. No personal numbers will connect through. So, you will not be able to call them."


    "Then, how will I contact Aria?"


    "Boss, only Madam can contact you."


    "Then, why has she not called me yet?"


    "Boss," Ronnie sighed again. It was the first time he was seeing Noah asking such ridiculous questions. "Madam, must have been busy. She must have gone to work as soon as she landed there. So, she would not have called you. Maybe, she will call you later."


    "That must be the case. Why did you not tell me about this before?" Noah complained.


    "Sorry Boss." Ronnie apologized immediately even thought was not his mistake.


    "It''s okay. Don''t do it again."


    After five minutes, Noah returned to his cabin. Shane and the other secretaries were again dumbfounded on seeing him go in calmly. It did not look like he was the one who had panicked a few minutes ago. Seeing Ronnie return, everybody rushed to him to ask what was wrong with their boss. But he did not give them any reply and they returned to their work in dejection. How could he say that his Boss was behaving like a woman who was on her menstruation?

 Chapter 216: Kaito

    While Noah was fretting that Aria had not called him yet, Joshua finished having a scrumptious meal at Ivy''s house. As expected, the food was as good as before and he had to give it to her again. She was a good cook, just as good as Noah.


    Now that he had finished eating, he did not have any more reason to prolong his stay. While Ivy was cleaning the dining table, he had removed all the traces of his work on her laptop. Though he had stopped the work, his AI was still working in the background. All the calls Tim would make would be recorded. He had done it just to ensure safety.


    "Ivy, I''ll get going."


    "Sure." Ivy smiled at him and he started to walk towards the door. After a lot of hesitation, she stopped him. "Joshua."


    "Yes?" He turned around, looking forward to what she wanted to tell him. Seeing her fidget in her place, he raised an eyebrow in question, wondering what she wanted to say.


    Ivy wanted to thank him for staying with her. Now that she had got to know who Tim was and how dangerous his background was, she had been frightened. Though she was not the one to get scared that easily, she could not help but shiver thinking about the minacious man. But as soon she tried to open her mouth, no words made it from her. She had become mute.


    "Do you have something to say?"


    "Ah, yes. Thank you for coming to my aid earlier." Ivy whispered. Her voice almost got carried away in the air but Joshua heard it.


    "No problem Ivy. Tell me if you face any problem in the future. I''ll always be there for you." As soon as he said these words, Ivy''s heart fluttered. Unknowingly, her cheeks took a light shade of pink, and Joshua, whose eyes were scrutinizing her, did not miss it. At that moment, she looked so alluring that his heartbeat spiked up a little. Never had he found anyone so attractive as her before. He could sense the unbelievable attraction he had for her against his will. But somewhere in his mind, he was having a conflict. His previous experience in love was hindering his heart from taking a step forward in this direction again.


    Clearing his thoughts, he opened the door and walked out. "I''ll get going now. Take care."


    Ivy nodded subconsciously and watched him leave. She stood at her place for a long time before she snapped back to her senses and closed the door.


    Meanwhile, Joshua dragged his body towards the elevator reluctantly, against his heart''s wishes. But he sensed someone''s shadow behind him and halted suddenly. He turned behind to see who it was, but he found no one. Finding it a little suspicious, he squinted his eyes and waited on his spot to see if anybody would pop out from their hiding place. However, nothing happened.


    Something was wrong. He could sense someone''s eyes on him. But he could not decipher where and who he was. The lift door opened gaining his attention and Joshua saw a woman walk out. She was the same woman whom Ivy had met the previous night after Joshua had hugged her.


    Seeing an unknown man on the floor, the woman gave him a suspicious look. He looked vaguely, but she could not put a name to his face. Joshua noticed the woman giving him a weird stare and he decided it was best he left the apartment before something crazy happened.


    He gave her a small smile and went inside the elevator. When he walked out of the building, he saw Tim still keeping a look at the apartment. But this time, he had changed his spot of hiding. Joshua could still see him and he smiled in mockery. ''Switching places would not make him invisible.''


    Behaving as though he had not seen him, he got in his car and drove away. Since Ivy was being followed by a dangerous man, he had to send his own men to keep her protected. He drove towards Noah''s office to speak about the same. He wanted to get his opinion before he decided anything.


    It did not take him much time to reach the Carter Enterprises. As soon as he stepped inside the office, the ladies at the receptionist beamed. Everyone in the office knew who he was, especially the ladies who kept their eyes and ears open to see or hear anything about handsome men.


    Joshua, being one of them, was a favorite among the women. While Noah was mostly cold and aloof, Joshua was charming and amicable. He would smile warmly at all the women whose gaze were on him and this was enough to send their hearts on overdrive.


    They had seen Joshua come here a lot of times and knew about his friendship with their boss. This was one of the many things they were happy about as they could see this man some times. They did not stop him when he took the private elevator. Even though he had left the floor, all the ladies who had seen him enter were still rooted to their places with their eyes fixed on the elevator.


    When he reached the floor where Noah''s office was, Joshua observed that Ronnie and Shane were busy at work. They looked up to see who had come when the elevator had dinged.


    "Master Martin, what brings you here?" Ronnie approached him immediately.


    "Is Noah here?"


    "Yes. But Boss is being cranky." Ronnie whispered the last word as he did not want the others to hear his words.


    Joshua chortled, his throat bobbing a little. "Why do you say so?"


    "Since the time Madam has left, Boss is behaving weird. Just a few minutes ago, he even wanted to fly to the borders because her phone was not reachable. He forgot that normal phone numbers do not work over there."


    "He has become lovesick," Joshua stated.


    "Yes. I am worried about him. This is just the first day and he is already being weird. What happens as the days progress?"


    "He has lost it. Only Aria can cure his disease now."


    "Hmm. By the way, Master Martin, is the matter something important?"


    "Yes. Come with me."


    Joshua pushed the door without knocking with Ronnie hot on his heels. Noah was standing in front of the ceiling to floor glass window behind his desk, deep in thoughts. When he heard the door open, he turned around and took a glance at who it was. His gaze then went back to the view outside the window.


    "Are you trying to see if you can find Aria from here?" Joshua teased only to get a cold glare in return. He raised his hands in defeat. "Don''t look at me like that Mr. Lovesick. I am not the one whose sweetheart has gone out of station."


    "Why are you here? If you have come to waste my time, just leave. I have a lot of work to do." Noah spat.


    "That I can see."


    Not getting any response, Joshua sat on the couch. "I have something important to tell you. It''s about Ivy." This got Noah''s attention and he went to sit on the couch beside Joshua.


    "What happened to her?"


    "Did you know that the man who was following her was Tim?"


    "Yes."


    "Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "It must have slipped out of my mind. Why? What happened?"


    "When I went to drop her home today, I saw him outside her house."


    "I know. How was his reaction when he saw you both together?"


    "He sort of looked spooked. I told him that we were dating. Now, he will think twice before trying to do her any harm."


    "That''s a good idea. Ivy will stay safe if people know that you are her boyfriend. By the way, why don''t you date her for real? She is a good girl." Noah mused.


    "Noah, I am not here to discuss my dating plans. I have something else to report."


    "Continue."


    "When I was at her house, I hacked into his phone and looked through his recent contacts and you won''t believe who he is contacting the most."


    "Who?" Noah raised an eyebrow in interest.


    "Jared."


    "Jared Augustus?"


    "Yes."


    "Interesting. Then my assumptions are correct."


    "That is what I am worried about. Now that Ivy is being stalked, why don''t we send some of our men to follow her everywhere to keep her safe?" Joshua voiced his concerns.


    "Already done," Noah answered taking his friend in shock.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean I have already asked someone to keep her protected."


    "Who?"


    "Kaito."


    "Who is Kaito?" Joshua asked in confusion. He did not know anyone by the name, nor had he heard Noah speak about him.


    "He is the one who is keeping Ivy safe."


    "Is it? Why have I not heard of him before?"


    "You don''t know him. He was my bodyguard in London. I brought him here when I came back the last time."


    "How is he? Is he good?"


    "He is the best after Ronnie. Nothing will happen to Ivy with him keeping a watch on her and her surroundings. I guarantee you that."


    "I trust you on it now that she is going to be your sister-in-law. By the way, where did you send Mr. West?"


    "He is at my house."


    "My, my. Mr. Lovesick is already taking care of his father-in-law. Aria will be touched."


    "Don''t fret. You can come and stay with me. Both of us can take care of our father-in-law together." Noah said with a straight face.


    "Who is my father-in-law? I have no father-in-law."


    "We will see about that in the future when you fall hard for Ivy," Noah mumbled to himself.


    "Did you say something?"


    "Yes. When you were at Ivy''s house before, did you not sense anybody''s presence that made you suspicious. Given your skills, you might have sensed him right away."


    "I did. How do know about it?" Joshua was perplexed by Noah''s accurate guess.


    "It was Kaito keeping an eye on Ivy. He staying in a flat on the same floor as hers so that he can keep a good watch on her."


    "That''s great to hear. Now I will be less worried when it comes to her safety."


    Noah smirked hearing his words. "I have a better idea that will make you stop worrying about it altogether."


    "What is it?" Joshua leaned in to see what great idea he had in mind. Even Ronnie''s ears perked up when he heard his Boss.


    "You could make her your girlfriend for real and move in together with her. Nothing will happen to her with you around her. Think about it. How long are you to stay single? I know you have something for her. I can see it in your eyes. What if, in the future, she starts to date someone and eventually marry him. Can you bear to see it? Are you sure you will not be hurt? Are you sure you will not crave for her love? Are you sure you can bear with it?"


    Noah asked him without any hesitation. He had to show him the reality. He had to burst his bubble. If he did not take the first step now due to his haunting past, he could not do anything after the opportunity was gone when he actually fell for her. Ivy was a great woman and no doubt Joshua would be happy with her. Though he did not want to force his friend in this matter, he did not want him to get hurt either at a later stage.


    Noah''s questions rendered Joshua speechless and he sat thinking about it. What Noah said was the truth, he could not deny that. Just the thought of Ivy marrying somebody else made his blood boil and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably.


    "Think about it and take your decision."

 Chapter 217: Relocate

    While Jo was deep in his stupor, his phone dinged and his train of thoughts broke. He pulled out his phone and checked what the notification was. It was an alert message he had set up to inform him whenever Tim made a call using his phone. "May I use your laptop?"


    "Sure."


    Ronnie got the laptop for Joshua to use and using it he connected it to his AI with ease. Since Noah''s laptop was being kept secure and protected using his software and AI, it did not take long for him to take control.


    "What are you doing?" Noah looked at him in interest. Even Roomie wanted to see what Joshua was up to and he stood behind them to get a good view.


    "When I was in Aria''s house today, I added an encrypted code in Tim''s phone that will alert me wherever he makes a call. He has been trying to call someone for some time now. Sensing the urgency, it must be something important. So, let''s listen to it."


    "Can you do something like this?" Noah''s gaze widened in admiration.


    "Absolutely."


    "Wow," Ronnie exclaimed and Joshua chuckled seeing the two men''s worshipping gaze.


    "I know I am amazing. You do not have to express it this clearly. But of course, I wouldn''t mind the compliments."


    Noah scoffed hearing his friend''s narcissistic words. Joshua had mastered the art of boasting and nobody could beat him to it.


    "Done. Let''s see what our dear Tim is up to." Joshua said with an evil smile. As soon as he spoke those words, they could hear the call being placed on the laptop. They waited patiently and they got what they wanted. The phone call was answered this time.


    "What have you got for me, Tim?" Jared''s voice boomed on the phone. He had just finished a meeting with his men when he saw the numerous missed calls from him. Whenever he met his men in his lair, he would never pick any call. He did not want anyone to disturb his time when he was seriously planning a strategy. Now that he saw Tim''s calls, he wondered what had happened for him to call him these many times. His assistant had informed him that Tim called him too when he had not been able to reach him.


    When he was wondering if he should call him back or not, Tim called him again.


    "Master, thank god. I have been trying to call you for long."


    "What is it?"


    "Master, I have some news for you and I think it is bad."


    "Continue."


    "Master, as you had ordered, I waited outside the girl''s house today and I found out who her boyfriend is."


    "How is that even relevant to me?"


    "It is Master. Her boyfriend is someone you know."


    "Is it?" Jared''s eyes sparkled in fascination. He wondered who it could be.


    "Yes, Master. He is your all time enemy''s best friend."


    "My all time enemy? Do you mean the Carter boy?"


    Hearing Jared address him that way, Noah sneered and clenched his fists in anger. As he had expected, the man who had ordered Tim to keep an eye was Jared. It now confirmed that he was also the leader of the Vipers gang.


    "Yes, Master."


    "Then who among his friends is her boyfriend? Is it the doctor or the playboy?"


    Now it was Joshua''s turn to get annoyed. This man was hellishly infuriating.


    "Master, it''s Joshua Martin."


    "Are you sure?" Though Jared had heard this horrible news, he did not waver from his seat. This was highly unexpected and if Joshua was really that girl''s boyfriend, then it would become a hindrance in the future.


    "Yes, Master. Joshua confirmed it himself."


    "Did you speak to him? Why?" Jared asked in surprise.


    "Yes. Don''t worry Master. He does not know that I belong to the Vipers."


    "Now that he is related to her, it will only complicate the situation. Continue to keep an eye on her. By the way, what is she up to nowadays?"


    "Master, she has not done anything suspicious for the past few days. It was only yesterday that I saw her come back with Joshua."


    "What do you mean by coming back? Come back from where?"


    "I don''t know Master. I saw her come back with Joshua today morning. Maybe she stayed at his house the previous night when I couldn''t keep an eye on her."


    "Hmm. Continue what you are doing. I''ll see what I can do."


    "Yes, Master."


    "Wait a minute. You said that Joshua spoke to you. How did he find out you were there? Were you not hiding? Did he notice that you are keeping an eye on his woman?"


    "I don''t think he has found out about me stalking Ivy. It''s just that Ivy happened to see me when I was standing outside and she came to talk to me. It was just out of courtesy as I was her colleague."


    "Be careful as to not to get caught. Joshua is an intelligent man. We do not want him to get to us. We cannot take any risks with the girl having a very strong backing. None of the three friends have to be taken lightly."


    When Jared called him intelligent, Joshua smirked and voiced, "That I am." He then continued listening to the call.


    "Yes, Master."


    "Continue to keep a close eye on her. If possible try to break into her house and see if you can find out what she is up to."


    "Yes, Master."


    The phone call ended and silence engulfed in Noah''s office.


    "How did Ivy offend Jared?" Noah voiced the question that he had in mind.


    "I have no idea. It might be some news she collected that was against them. Maybe this is the reason they are getting all flustered." Joshua gave his opinion after some thought.


    "That might be a possibility."


    "What do we do now?"


    "She is safe for now. So, we do not have to worry about it."


    "Yeah. But it''s better to take precautions. Now that she is alone, I am scared about her safety. A lot."


    Noah raised an eyebrow hearing him. ''This man.'' He sighed. ''When would he realize the feelings he has for the girl? Can''t he see that he likes her a lot? What am I going to do with him?''


    "We can ask her to move into her friend''s house for the time being," Noah suggested. "At least she will have someone with her."


    "No."


    "Why?"


    "I don''t think it will be safe if she moved into another woman''s house. I''ll be more worried then. Not only will Ivy be in danger, even her friend would be involved in this situation. That''s not good."


    "What if she stays with a man?" Noah asked innocently although he knew what Joshua''s answer would be.


    "No. She can''t do that." Joshua rejected the idea at once. Just the thought of Ivy staying in another man''s house even if was for her safety was not sitting well with him. His blood boiled imagining it.


    "Why?" Noah gave Ronnie a knowing look and stifled his smile.


    "I mean she won''t do that." He corrected himself when he realized that he had blurted out without thinking.


    "How can you be sure? She has good friends right. She can stay with them for the time being until the matter settles."


    "I just felt that she would be reluctant to stay with a man."


    "I never suggested her to stay in the same room as him, right? They are only staying in the same house. What''s wrong with it?" Noah was amused with the way Joshua was getting all jittery thinking about Ivy and another man. It was quite fun and he continued teasing the man who was losing his sanity slowly.


    "Why don''t you ask her to stay with you?" Joshua queried suddenly. "You will be her future brother-in-law. So, there will be no issues." ''Yes, this idea is good.'' He thought. Now that Noah was in a relationship with Aria, he would not have to think of the possibility of anything happening between him and Ivy. Also, she would be safe with him. Who would dare to harm her with him around?


    "Have you forgotten that her father is staying at my house? How can I ask her to come over my place in this situation?"


    "You are right. I forgot about Mr. West totally."


    "If you are so worried about her, why don''t you ask her to relocate to your house?" Noah proposed with a grin that went unnoticed by the worried man. Ronnie too smiled hearing his Boss'' words.


    "That''s a great idea. I can do that. With me watching over her, there is no way anybody will get to her."


    "This is the best idea. But the question is will Ivy agree to this?" Noah mused and placed his right palm under his chin as though he was in deep thinking.


    "Ohh." Joshua voiced in realization. That would be hard to achieve, but it''s not impossible. "I will make her agree."


    "Wow. How?"


    "I have my ways." Joshua smiled at him.


    "You do what you want. But make sure she is safe."


    "Yep. So, what happened to you, Mr. Lovesick? Why do you look so forlorn?"


    "You will find out when the woman you love will leave you for a day or so in the future. I am sure you will be more miserable than me."


    "Spare me. I am not going to fall in love ever."


    "I believe you on that." Noah mocked while Ronnie chuckled. Even he had noticed that Joshua was already falling hard in love with Ivy and he had no idea about it.


    "What are you laughing at?" Joshua narrowed his eyes and scolded Ronnie. The poor guy blinked thrice not knowing what to say.


    "Why are you taking out your frustration on him? He is innocent, leave him alone."


    "Innocent and he?" Joshua exaggerated with wide eyes. "He is anything but innocent. If anybody sees him in the underworld base, they will piss in their pants out of horror. This man is a monster."


    "Are you done? I am in no mood to hear your crap. You may leave."


    "What the hell man. There is no way I am going to leave. Ian is not here. So, you will be my victim until he comes back. You will have to bear with my teasing, Loverboy." Joshua winked and Noah rolled his eyes at his childish behavior.


    "Ronnie take him out of here. I want some peace and with him here, I doubt if I will ever achieve it."


    "Boss?" Ronnie asked startled. He was in a fix right now. He had to follow Noah''s words as he was his superior. But the man he was asked to throw out was Joshua. ''How did a poor guy like me get pulled into their banter?''


    "Boss, I just remembered that Shane is waiting for me. We have a presentation to prepare. I have a lot of work. I''ll take my leave first." Without waiting another second, he ran away from the office.


    Noah and Joshua stared at him rushing away as though a bulldog was behind him. "Ronnie is so cute." They said together at once and realized that it was the exact same words the West sisters had said about him. The next instant they cleared their throat.


    "I''ll leave too. You continue with your work of sulking." Joshua said and left Noah alone in the office.


    Noah smiled a little and got back to work. But before that, he didn''t forget to take a glance at his sweetheart''s photo on his phone. It was the only way he could see her face for the next few days.

 Chapter 218: Lovey-dovey conversation

    Meanwhile, at the border site.


    Time passed. Darkness had engulfed the entire area and the sun was ready to set. But the war was going strong. Aria and Ian were still tending to the injured soldiers. They had been working since the time they had arrived at the site. Though the others had taken a break in the middle at some time of the day, these two along with Stuart had been working without any break except for the time they had gone to have lunch.


    Seeing them work tirelessly, one of their army surgeons came to speak to them and asked them to take some rest. They did not want to tire them out right on their first day. This time the three people did not deny them and went to take a break.


    Now that they had finally got some time off work, they went to call their family members. Ethan had already given them permission to make their calls for the day as it was their first day and that their family members would be worried about them. But each person could only make one call. Many people from the group had already finished speaking to their family when they had taken a break before. Now, only these three were left.


    They went to the main building and Stuart was the first one to call his family. After ensuring them of his safety and his wellness, they finally let him off. Next, it was Aria''s turn. But she was highly conflicted. She could not decide who she should call. On the one side, she had her sister and on the other, there was her boyfriend. She could leave neither of them.


    Seeing her in a dilemma, Ian gave her a suggestion. "Why don''t you call Ivy? I''ll talk to Noah first and then you could speak to him."


    "Are you going to call Noah?" Aria asked bewildered. She knew that Ian did not have any family except for the person whom he addressed as his mentor. She had assumed to call his mentor, not Noah.


    "Yeah."


    "Aren''t you going to call your mentor?"


    When he heard about his mentor, a pang of sadness rushed through his heart. He had not informed her about him going missing as well as his death. So, she was bound to not know anything about it.


    "My mentor is out of town. The place he is at had poor signal reception. So, I am thinking of calling Noah. When my mentor will return, Noah will inform him about me."


    "Oh okay. Can we do that?" Aria stared hopefully at the phone operator who was there to assist them. The man had been listening to their conversation and he had got a fair gist of what their problem was.


    "Sure. No problem."


    Sighing in relief, Aria made a call to Ivy. She had to wait for it to ring a few times for her sister to answer finally.


    "Hello?" Ivy asked, her tone coming out as a question. The number on her phone looked weird and she did not know who might be the one calling her. So, she was skeptical to receive the call first. She then decided to see who was the one to call her and she had picked up the call. This had taken her some time to answer the call, though she was using her phone when Aria called her.


    "Hello, Ivy. It''s me Aria."


    "Aria? Is it you? How are you? Did you reach safely? How is the situation over there? Are you alright? Is the work stressful?" Ivy fired her questions at her sister without taking a breath.


    "Calm down, Miss Super Express. Take a deep breath." Aria said, trying to calm her overly enthusiastic sister. Ivy did as she was told for a few seconds when she heard Aria''s reply.


    "I reached here safely. The situation is quite serious here, but our soldiers are trying our best. I am alright and yes, the work here is a little stressful. But manageable."


    "Thank God you called Aria. I worried sick. I had completely forgotten that your phone will not work over there and I had been trying to call you for a long time." Ivy said and then remembered how she had repeatedly called her sister until she realized that none of her calls would reach her sister and it had to be only Aria who could call her.


    "I am fine Ivy. Don''t worry."


    "Anyway, Aria. Did you see the guy we talked about before?"


    "Which guy?" Aria was confused and she thought about whom her sister was speaking. But she could remember none.


    "I showed you a pic of a major. Do you remember? He is Major Ethan Meyers. Did you see him? Is he as hot as he looks in the pictures when you see him in person?" Ivy asked and Aria could immediately imagine her condition at home. The first scene that came to her mind was an overly excited girl who was asking about her high school crush. She also imagined Ivy blushing as she asked her questions about Ethan.


    But a man''s chuckle brought her out of her stupor. She looked around to see who was laughing and she noticed the telephone operator who was chuckling softly. She had completely forgotten about him. Though the soldiers over there respected privacy, they also had to be cautious. So, all the calls the civilians made would be monitored. Aria had forgotten that the he was listening to their conversation. She looked away in embarrassment when his gaze landed on her.


    "Ivy, watch your tongue. Our call is being monitored." Aria chided her sister.


    "So what? I am talking about something important here. Anyway, who is listening to our talk? Is he hot too? Tell him hi on my behalf."


    Aria wanted to smack her head on the wall nearby. Ivy was giving her no face. Taking a deep breath, she cooled herself. "Sure. The man is right here and anyway, you can speak to him directly. Don''t worry, I''ll even make sure to give him your details and contact number. You can have your own chat whenever you are free."


    "Aria?" Ivy exclaimed in disbelief. She had no idea that her sister would retaliate this way.


    "Ivy, I think the guy is interested too. I''ll make sure to set something up for you here before I return."


    "Aria?" Ivy said again and this time it came out as a yell. The soldier coughed in embarrassment and closed his eyes, not able to look at her any longer.


    "I have to go now, Ivy. Take care. I''ll call you after two days."


    "Okay, Ari. You too take care and tell Ian that I asked for him. Also, tell the guy who is hearing us talk that I''ll be looking forward to hear from him."


    "Sure."


    The call ended. Aria gave an apologetic to the comrade and he smiled in return. "Sorry about that. My sister could get a little crazy at times."


    "No problem. And I wouldn''t mind getting to know about her. She seems to be interesting." The guy chuckled.


    "I''ll talk to her about it on my next call to her."


    "Sure. I''ll be waiting."


    Aria stepped out of the room and saw Ian and Stuart deep in conversation. "What are you guys talking?" She chirped as soon as she went towards them.


    "Are you done? Shall we talk to Noah now?"


    "Sure. We will be back." Aria said to Stuart and the duo went inside the room again.


    "Do you want to speak first or shall I go? On a second thought, you speak first. That man must be going crazy after not listening to your voice for an entire day. Give him some life." Ian teased and Aria blushed hearing his words.


    Aria dialed Noah''s number as Ian looked on.


    "Hello."


    "Noah, it''s me Aria."


    "Aria," Noah breathed hearing her voice. Her call came in as a savior. As Ian had predicted, he was going crazy when he had not heard from her the entire day. Now that she had called, he could take a breather.


    "Hi," Aria said.


    "Hi. How are you?"


    "I am good. What about you?"


    "I am not good."


    "Why? What happened?"


    "My love is not here. How can I be okay?" Noah said and Aria could hear the tenderness and longing in his voice. Her heart warmed and she smiled subconsciously. Ian noticed her smile and his lips raised up a little. He could see that Aria was genuinely happy with his friend and he was very happy about it.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be back soon."


    "You better do otherwise, see how I''ll punish you," Noah warned her strictly, but there was a hint of teasing in his voice. Aria immediately reminisced the day he had given her a punishment and her body became hot at once.


    "Noah, stop it. Our call is being monitored."


    "So what?"


    "I am talking to my sweetheart. What''s wrong with it? Anyway, the man who is listening to us will also agree with me. If he has a girlfriend or a wife, he too would be speaking the same way as me."


    This time Aria had nothing to say him as he had rendered her tongue-tied. "Noah, take care, alright? I''ll be back soon. Ian is with me. Speak to him."


    Aria handed the phone to Ian and went outside thinking that Stuart would be left alone. This time she did not even look at the operator as she was too embarrassed due to the lovey-dovey conversation she had just had with Noah.

 Chapter 219: Devise a plan

    Ian and Noah''s conversation did not last long. They talked as they usually did and Noah ended the call by asking Ian to take care of Aria and himself too. He did not want them to get harmed. Even a small scratch on them would not be accepted and they had to return as they had gone. Both of them were important to him. So, he couldn''t stop worrying about their safety. Ian had assured him that they would return unscathed. Only then, did Noah cut the call.


    Ian smiled at the operator and stepped out of the room. Aria and Stuart were laughing at something Stuart had said. She even jabbed his elbow with hers as he tried to dodge it.


    "What are you guys talking about?" Ian stepped closer to them and observed the two who were still laughing. Both of them were laughing hysterically as they tried to answer him. But as soon as they tried to speak, they would end up laughing again. Aria even had tears in her eyes.


    "Hey, involve me in your talk too. I would also like to laugh."


    "Wait, I''ll tell you." Aria tried to control her laughter and held her stomach. It took her some seconds to calm down.


    "Stuart was telling me about his university days."


    "Okay. What was it about?"


    "He was telling me that he was a heartthrob in his university. According to him, all girls would flock to him in excitement whenever he went to class."


    "Then?"


    "Don''t you think it''s similar to how ladies would behave when there was an off sale or mega sale going on in a shopping center? Everybody will flock to the market if they are going to get things at a discount."


    This time Ian got her reference and he too started chuckling.


    "You guys are so mean." Stuart wailed.


    "This is just the beginning. Just you wait until you meet my sister. She is the ultimate prankster. She will tease you until you want to smack your own head in frustration." Aria said. Though it seemed like she was complaining, there was a glimmer of pride in her eyes.


    "Yeah? I''m right here and I''ll not be going back. I''m gonna meet her someday. Let''s see if she will make me want to smack my head or not."


    "Sure. I would love to challenge you. But it would be no fun when I know I am going to be victorious. So, I am going to drop it." Aria shrugged as though she was doing Stuart a great favor.


    "Let''s go have dinner," Ian said with a chuckle. "We can talk about these later."


    "Sure. Come on, Dr. Best and Dr. West." Stuart agreed and smirked like an evil little boy. Aria and Ian rolled their eyes at his childish words.


    The three people went to the dining hall and stood in the line to get their food. It was ordinary food, yet it was not as bad as they had assumed it to be. Though it was not as tasty as the food they had in the military training center either that day, it was not bland either. They could eat it.


    They took their trays and went to occupy their seats. They were the only medical staff in the hall. Everybody else was still working. Aria was the only girl in the entire hall and everybody else other than the two men beside her would take glances at her occasionally. Aria could feel the gazes on her. But this time she did not think much about it. She had made herself immune to these things now that she would be there for a long time.


    It was a little early to have dinner. But many people were already eating to their full. While they were having their food, Ethan and Kevin walked in. They had come to have dinner too. The war still going on the other side of the area. But the gun fires and the grenades going off had reduced a little compared to earlier in the day.


    Seeing the three doctors, Ethan and Kevin walked to their table instead of going to get their food. "Dr. Davis, I need to have a word with you after dinner. Please come to my office later. It is important."


    "Sure Major."


    "In fact, I suggest if you two accompany him too. It''s best if you know about it too." Ethan suggested seeing Stuart and Aria beside Ian.


    "Sure Major. We will be there." Aria said and smiled.


    "Great. See you later." Ethan and Kevin walked away as the three people looked on.


    "What do you think he wants to tell us?" Stuart, who had been silent, spoke up after some time.


    "No idea. Maybe, he wants us to ask if we need something here?" Ian said in assumption.


    "That might be it." Stuart agreed. Aria did not say a thing as she was busy eating the food in front of her.


    After twenty minutes, Stuart, Aria and Ian were inside Ethan''s office along with Kevin and two other soldiers. Ethan and Kevin had finished their dinner before the three people and were waiting for their arrival.


    "Take your seats, doctors. This might take some time." Ethan offered and they did as they were told. "Doctors, I have something very important to tell you and it''s best if you can keep it a secret from others."


    "What is it, Major? Is something the matter?" Ian raised the question seeing the gloomy look on the soldiers face.


    "Yes. This is a serious issue. From now on, be on alert as best as you can."


    "Why Major? I don''t understand." Ian said, his eyes darting between Ethan and Kevin.


    "Dr. Davis, we have substantial proof with us to say there are traitors in our troop," Ethan revealed and turned to take a small glance at Kevin, who nodded at him in return. Ethan had taken a risk by revealing this secret to them. But this was a test he had decided to take.


    Ethan wanted to see if anybody among the medical staff was involved with the traitors. Instead of saying this to everybody, he had decided to tell it only these three doctors. If anybody among the three were involved with the traitors, then they would definitely alert them about it. As a precaution, he had asked three of his soldiers to keep an eye on them individually. This way they could get a hold on those bastards early.


    But if these three were not involved, then he would not have to worry about them at all. He would then target the other medical staff. Though he was not sure about these doctors and nurses, he did not want to rule out their involvement. So, he had devised a plan carefully to trap his prey.

 Chapter 220: Lure

    "What?" The three people looked at each other bewildered. They couldn''t stop themselves from being shocked listening to Ethan''s words. Never had they expected to have quislings in the army. This was all new to them, but not for the soldiers.


    "Yes," Ethan answered and took a close look at them to see if anybody was behaving abnormally. But all he found was the genuine shock, not the ones he would get when somebody got caught while doing a crime. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about. Shocked?"


    "I guess so," Ian replied, his eyes still wide and confused.


    "I want you to be aware of the people around you. Nobody knows who those betrayers are, not even me. Those people are targeting their own squad, killing and harming the other soldiers. We never know if they would come after you so that they could stop our honest men from getting treated. So, it''s best if you stay alert at all times."


    "We will. Thank you for informing us." Ian was grateful to Ethan for deciding to tell this truth to them. It was a huge risk Ethan had taken and he could deduce from his actions what he had in mind. Ian had a hunch that this was a test he was taking to see if they were working against the country. He did not have anything to worry about as he had complete trust in his employees.


    "Dr. Davis, now that you are commanding your staff members, it would be best if you could warn them in a subtle way so as to not alert our enemies. I trust you on that."


    Ethan had heard that Ian was in charge of the medical team. So, he had given him the responsibility to do it. He also had other intentions in doing so.


    "Yes, Major. I understand."


    "Another thing," Ethan spoke after a few seconds.


    Aria and Stuart looked at him keenly while Ian, who was deep his thought, raised his eyes to meets Ethan''s scrutinizing gaze.


    "Does anybody among you three know how to yield a gun?" Ethan''s question took the three by surprise again. This time even Ian was perplexed. He had no idea what the man had in mind. Ethan gave Kevin a knowing look again and his eyes went back to three people in front of him.


    "I don''t," Aria opened her mouth for the first time since she had entered the office.


    "Me neither." Stuart followed suit.


    Contrary to them, Ian said something which surprised everyone including Ethan. "I do. I know how to operate a gun." Ian knew how to use a gun. He had learned it when he had started his training under his mentor. It was a must for them to know these basic things if they were related to the underworld. Ian even had a license with him and also had a gun in his house, locked safely away from other people''s reach.


    "You do?" Ethan asked dubiously. He started to get suspicious of the man now.


    "Yes, I do. I even have a licensed gun at home," Ian stated honestly. There was nothing wrong with it and he was not a traitor. So, he had nothing to be scared of. He was not at fault.


    "How?"


    "I took classes."


    "Is it?" Ethan narrowed his eyes to see if he could get anything out of Ian or his face. But the man was as calm as ever. There was no change in his expressions whatsoever and this rendered Ethan a little speechless. He could not decide if Ian was being honest or just manipulative.


    "Yes."


    "That''s great then," Ethan said after some time. He had to keep a close eye on this man personally. "We will station some soldiers around you to keep you safe. So, you will not have to worry about your safety."


    "I''ll believe you on that. Thank you." Ian said gratefully. "Anything else?"


    "Yes. Do you have any problems here? Do you have anything you require? If you do, please do tell me, or any of us for that matter. We will try to help you as best as we can."


    "We sure will," Aria said and Stuart nodded, agreeing with her.


    "We will be happy to help you. I think that''s all for now. Thank you for your cooperation." Ethan''s gaze was fixed on the three people as they left the office one by one.


    "What are you thinking, Major?" Kevin questioned, seeing Ethan in staring blankly at the entrance.


    "The three people are innocent."


    "Are you sure, Sir? How about Dr, Davis? It''s unusual that he knows how to yield a gun."


    "It is unusual, but not uncommon. He is innocent, else he would not have told us about it."


    "What if it''s his ploy to distract us?"


    "No, he seems trustworthy. Also, I have read some things about him. He is a great doctor and he is a good friend of Noah''s. I highly doubt that Noah would become his friend if his character was bad. So, I have nothing to worry about."


    "Noah? Who is he?" Kevin asked in confusion. He had heard the name before, but he could not connect it to any face he was familiar with.


    "Have you heard about the Carter family?"


    "The one that has dominated the country''s business and economy?"


    "Yes. Noah Allen Carter. He is one who is leading the business empire currently. He is a good man and I don''t think his best friend would be any different."


    "Hmm. That does sound feasible." Kevin agreed after hearing Ethan''s analysis. "What about the girl and the other boy?"


    "Oh, they are as innocent as lambs. They are pure and trustworthy." Ethan replied at once. Though he was not completely sure, he could not sense any danger from them. They looked completely harmless.


    "If you say so, Major. What do we do next?"


    "We are going to hunt our next prey." Ethan took out the two-way radio he had got a hold on when he had killed the traitor. He then pressed a button and asked Kevin to relay a message to come and meet them. Since the person to whom the radio belonged to was dead and nobody knew about it, it was easy for them to lure his teammates. Before that, he didn''t forget to cover the speaker with a tissue so as to mask Kevin''s voice.


    After the message was conveyed, the four people in the group left the office and went to the designated area where they had asked to meet the guy. It was time to chop off another bastard''s head.

 Chapter 221: Princep House

    The next day at 8.50 a.m.


    The three members from the Intelligence were standing outside the Princep House as they stared at the magnificent structure in front of them. This was the most prominent building in the country. How many people wanted to get in here? Almost everyone. The power, the status and the position it held was above everything. The path to the throne was no less than a battle. It involved dirty politics, backstabbing and betrayal. There were no friends in this field. Everybody had to be wary of the other person. Nobody ever knew when who might turn against them.


    From the outside, the white structure looked pure and untainted. But that was not the case. To get to the ultimate seat, people had shed blood. The chair it house was tainted with people''s blood; innocent or corrupted, it did not matter, and this was all the result of greed, ambition and selfishness. A man''s greed knew no bounds or relationships.


    Valarie, Ryder and Preston were stopped at the entrance door for a security check. They had to give away the guns they had with them as other than the President''s guards nobody else was allowed to carry arms or any sort of weapons. The three people knew the protocols. So they did not kick up a fuss and gave their guns to the security in charge.


    They were asked to go inside and wait for the President''s assistant. One of the guards escorted them inside. The three people took in its grandeur as the looked at the Princep House while they followed the guard. This was the first time they were entering the President''s house and as expected it was magnificent. They had only seen its beauty on the television or just from a far distance. Never had they imagined that someday in the future they would get a chance to admire it this close.


    The guard led them led to a small waiting lounge inside. They were about to take their seats when they saw the President''s assistant come to them. "Thank you for coming here on such short notice. If the matter was not very important, we wouldn''t have troubled you."


    "No problem, Sir. We are here to serve the people and it would be an honor if we could be of help to the President." Valarie said, her voice polite and humble.


    "The President is waiting for you. Please follow me." The assistant nodded curtly at the guard. Taking it as his cue, he took his leave and went back to his work.


    The assistant led the group of three through the long corridors of the Princep House and finally, he stopped in front of a door. He knocked at the door twice and waited for the orders to enter in. When he received the orders, he pushed the door open and entered in with the three people behind him.


    "Sir, your guests are here." He informed him.


    Valarie noticed that the President, Luis Truman, was seated at the chair behind a desk as he went through the document in his hand. He was dressed impeccably as always. People who were always in the spotlight had to maintain their appearance and dignity and this was one of the reasons Valarie was happy that she was not a celebrity. With power came problems and she already had many on her plate to entertain some more.


    "Ah yes." Luis stood up from his seat and walked towards the trio. "Thank you very much for coming here." He shook his hands with all of them. "Please take your seats. What would you like to have, tea or coffee?"


    "We are fine, Sir. We just had tea before coming here." Valarie spoke on behalf of her friends and this was the truth. They had been too apprehensive while they were on the way to the Princep House. So, to calm their nerves that had stopped to have some tea before they proceeded to attend the meeting.


    "Are you sure? Please don''t keep any formalities."


    "Thank you, Sir. But we are fine."


    "Okay." Luis crossed his leg over the other and leaned back. He removed his spectacles as his eyes fell on the three people who were sitting towards his right. "You must be wondering why I have called you here. Am I right?"


    "Yes Sir." Ryder pitched in.


    "I have called you here because I have a task for you guys. I can trust no one but you three with it."


    "It is an honor, sir. Please tell us what we have to do. We will do anything if we are capable and within limits." Valarie spoke. She was happy that the President had thought about them for his work. But she was not ready to do anything that was against her conscience.


    "I know dear." Luis smiled at the smart woman in front of him. "Don''t worry. I am not asking you to do a crime when I am strictly against it myself. This is a task which will help us win the war."


    "What do you mean Sir?" Preston, who had been listening intently to the President, questioned in excitement.


    "You do know that we are at war, right?" Luis stopped speaking and glanced at the three swiftly. He saw them nod, only then did he continue, "But do you know that we are losing the war slowly?"


    "What?" The three people were dumbfounded. Never had they expected that they would on the losing end when they knew how good and efficient their soldiers were. Country P''s military was ranked to be one of the best in the world. All the citizens had the utmost confidence they would win the battle against their neighbor.


    Since the media had been denied any reports regarding the war from the military or the government, all they heard were the assumptions that had been made merely based on the strengths and weaknesses of the battalion of the two countries. Taking the analysis, many people had predicted that Country P would end up victorious. However, the reality was something else altogether.


    "Yes, and do you know why this is happening?"


    The three flabbergasted people shook their heads and Luis sighed. "It''s because we have traitors in our army."

 Chapter 222: Murder

    "Traitors." The word shocked them to an extent they could not believe. They had never expected the military to have traitors within them.


    "Yes. We have traitors in the army and they are killing our sincere and hard-working soldiers. Many of our men have died and many more have been injured because of them."


    "That''s horrifying," Ryder said, unable to believe what he was hearing.


    "Yes, it is. It''s good that we found out about it earlier. We can start taking precautions against them and start eradicating them. But there is a problem." Luis was silent for a few seconds and gazed at the three people to see if they were with him. "There is a powerful man who is helping them get into the army."


    "Who is it, Sir?" Valarie raised the question in bewilderment.


    "Have you heard of Siman Moore?"


    "Ain''t he the Chief of the Army?" Preston recognized him as soon as Luis took his name. He had read the news when he was chosen to be the Chief. Many people had expected somebody else to be the leader, but unexpectedly he had been selected. This had been a hot topic for a few months when he had taken over his post.


    "Yes. He is one of the traitors."


    "Unbelievable."


    "Yes. This was the matter I wanted to inform you about. Apparently, he is not working alone and I want you guys to find out all about him and the person behind him. Before that, I want you to listen to this." Luis nodded and his assistant started playing the audio they had recorded the previous day. Simon Moore''s voice was clearly audible in it.


    When the recording ended, there was complete silence in the room. Luis knew how the three people were feeling. He was taken over by shock too when he had found about this matter, about Simon''s involvement. He had been unable to sleep the entire night. This matter had kept him awake until the early hours of dawn. But he later succumbed to sleep when the day''s exhaustion kicked in.


    "Oh my God," Ryder exclaimed loudly.


    "Yes. I think now you know how serious the situation is. This is the mission I have for you and I would appreciate it if you can keep this a secret. We do not know who is involved in this and many people around us have loose tongues."


    The three people immediately understood who Luis was talking about. It was none other than Frederick. He could never keep a secret for long. So, it was a wonder for many how he had ended up being the Chief of Intelligence where everything and anything was a secret.


    "We understand, Sir. We will keep it confidential and we will start working on it right away."


    "I expect nothing less. I think you have my number. You can call me any time if you find out anything."


    "Sure Sir."


    Their serious conversation was interrupted when Luis'' assistant''s phone started ringing. He picked it up without hesitation and listened to it for a few seconds before he handed it to the President.


    "Sir, it''s the Defence Minister."


    "Excuse me." Luis gave them an apologetic smile and started speaking on the phone. He did not move away from them as he knew they were good people who could be trusted.


    "What? No way." He stood up suddenly, making the other three to stand up as well. They were startled with the sudden change in his behavior. He looked worried and his forehead was creased. They immediately deduced whatever matter he had heard to be bad for him to react this way.


    Luis spoke for some time. They could hear that he was speaking something related to a murder, but it was a little unclear. They waited until he cut the call as he had not asked them to leave the room. He sighed in frustration and pinched the space between his brows.


    "Is everything alright, Sir?" Valarie observed him and asked in concern.


    "No. This is bad. I think we need to change our plans."


    "What do you mean, Sir?"


    "Somebody has foiled our plans. General Simon Moore is no more. He was murdered at his house yesterday."


    "What?" Preston''s was one to exclaim loudly.


    "Yes. His dead body was found today morning when the cleaners went to clean his house at 7.30 a.m. The police have arrived to investigate the case."


    "This is bad," Valarie stated. "Sir, it would be best if you hand over the case to us completely. The police getting involved in this will only make it messy."


    "I understand. I will speak to them first and let you know. Now, I have to leave. I need to call for an emergency meeting. Thank you for your time."


    "No Sir. We would be happy to help. We will take our leave first." Valarie spoke while the two men beside her nodded.


    As Luis and his assistant got busy making the arrangements for the emergency meeting, the three people walked out of the room. They were in deep thoughts as they remembered what the President had said. Simon Moore was helping someone to betray the country. Now that the man was no more, it would only complicate the case as nobody knew who he was involved with. This was going to be a huge headache for them.


    Valarie wanted to speak something but was silenced when she heard a reporter''s voice over the television that was running in the big lounge. Many people were staring intently at it as they listened to the news in shock. The three people stopped in their tracks and joined them. They wanted to see what had actually taken place. But they too ended up being shocked just like the other people around them, but it was for a completely different reason.


    "Chief, this case is.." Preston started.


    "Similar. I realized that." Valarie finished what he wanted to say.


    "Oh God. What the hell is happening!" Ryder too was stupefied.


    The TV reporter continued to give the details about the murder. Simon Moore was murdered in the same way as the other victims in the case they were handling before. His hands were tied together using a shoelace. There were cuts in a star pattern on each arm. Both his eardrums were punctured with nails and his right foot was chopped off. The only difference this time was that his face was not dipped in acid and he was not carrying any note with him. Also, the man was found dead in his house, unlike the other men whose body was found mutilated on the roads or deserted areas.

 Chapter 223: Presidents orders

    Without further delay, Valarie and the two men rushed to the murder site. But there was a huge crowd outside Simon''s house, making it impossible for them to go any closer. A lot of reporters were trying to barge inside so that they could get a close up of the murder site. But the police were doing a good job trying to stop them. Nobody except the concerned officials were allowed to go in.


    The site was yet to be investigated completely. Fingerprint analysts were doing their job were the police were inspecting the house in and out. The body had already been sent to the forensic department for further tests. The entire house was sealed and the unconcerned people were not allowed to go in lest they should tamper with the probable evidence.


    Even the people from the Intelligence were not allowed to intervene. They had to get permission from the government to intervene. So, Valarie, Ryder and Preston were not allowed to go in. They tried peeking in to see what was going on, but the police force was too many in number and they obstructed their views. After trying for some time, they gave up eventually.


    "What shall we do Deputy?" Ryder said in dejection. This case was too exciting for them and they wanted to solve it. Since this case was similar to the other murders, it would automatically be handled by the Intelligence. But it had been taken away from them and given to somebody else and it was bugging him since then. Even if they wanted to try to investigate it, they would not get permission from Frederick. Only the department which was handling the case would get access to the reports. But what was surprising was none of the members from the Intelligence other than the these three had come to inspect the site.


    "Val, is anything the matter?" Preston had observed her go into deep thinking and he couldn''t help voice the question.


    "Yes. Why are the people who are handling this case in the Intelligence not here? Ain''t it weird?"


    "Now that you brought it up, it does seem weird. Where are they?" Ryder looked around and just as Valarie had said he could find nobody from their team.


    "Let''s wait and watch for some time," Preston suggested. "Maybe, they might come here shortly."


    "Oh, I doubt that. Anyway, let''s wait. We will lose nothing in doing so."


    The trio waited for a long time until the crowd dispersed and the police too left the site after locking Simon''s house. The area around his house was sealed and nobody was allowed to go in without permission.


    During the entire time they had waited, none of their colleagues from the Intelligence had come to investigate. Suspicions arose in their minds. Something was wrong. They did not know that there was a loophole somewhere and it was right in front of them. But they were not able to see it as it was thoroughly hidden.


    Having no other work, they returned to the office and directly went to Frederick''s cabin. But they could not find him anywhere. On enquiring about it with a colleague who was passing by them, they found out that he was on leave for a few days as he was sick.


    "Why do I feel there is something wrong here? How did that old man fall sick all of a sudden when he was alright just yesterday?" Ryder said, his brows furrowing a little. He could remember the man''s mocking gaze when he had asked the three to arrange the reports in the record room. He looked fit and fine with his huge belly of his and the nightmare of a face.


    "Yes. Something is wrong. Let me try calling him." Valarie made a call to Frederick. But how many ever times she called, nobody picked it up. "No response."


    "Let''s meet the team who was responsible for this case," Preston suggested and the trio went to the department. But they were told that the team had gone to the murder site early in the morning and had not yet returned. Not speaking another word, they returned to Valarie''s cabin.


    "What the hell is happening?" Ryder almost yelled as soon as they went inside.


    "I have no idea." Valarie put her head in between her heads in frustration. Why was everything so mysterious? Her Chief was on leave and was not answering her calls. The team which had gone to investigate the murder had actually not reached the site at all and were missing and above all, there were traitors in the army. Tough luck.


    Valarie groaned in frustration. She threw the pen stand in anger while Ryder and Preston looked on, a little startled. They had never seen her lose her cool. In any situation, she would be the calmest while Preston would and Ryder would be the ones to get agitated. However, this time she had shown her anger in front of them for the first time.


    The room became silent at once. They could hear the footsteps of people outside the cabin and the small wall clock inside the room ticking. This went on until the silence was broken by the ringing of a phone. It was Valarie''s. She picked it up without seeing who had called and stood up immediately when she heard the man''s voice.


    "Miss Evans. This is Luis Truman."


    "Yes, Sir. Just one second." Valarie put it on loudspeaker so that her friends too could listen to the conversation.


    "Miss Evans, I tried calling Frederick. But nobody picked up the call. Is he anywhere nearby?"


    "No Sir. Chief has taken a sick leave. Do you have any message to convey?"


    "Actually I did. But, it''s okay. I''ll talk to him later. I called you for something else."


    "Yes, Sir?"


    "I want you and your team to handle Simon Moore''s death case. I am going to transfer it to you from the police. Please take a look at it and start working on it right away."


    "But Sir, this case has already been allocated to another department. Without the Chief''s orders, we cannot get involved in this matter."


    "Don''t worry about it, Miss Evans. I am giving you exclusive rights and nobody other than you three are allowed to work on this case. Is this fine? And yes, you can take anybody''s help you want while you are investigating it."


    The three people''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "Sure Sir. We will start working on it right away."


    "Also, please keep me informed on what you find."


    "Yes Sir. Definitely."


    Now that they had the President''s orders nobody could stop them from doing their work, not even Frederick.

 Chapter 224: Repent

    While the outside world was in chaos, the Regal Hospital was relatively calm. Now that many people from the hospital had gone to the borders, the workload on others had increased. Now they had not only their cases to handle, even they had to take care of other patients who did not belong to them.


    Meanwhile, Norman Litner, who had been in a deep slumber since the day he had successfully gone through the bone marrow transplant, had finally gained consciousness in the early hours of the morning. The nurse had immediately informed about it to the doctor who come running to do a thorough check up on him. When everything seemed normal, they had called John and Violet and informed them regarding the same.


    Now, the grandfather and granddaughter were having a staring competition while John stood behind them, stifling a smile. The entire time when Norman had been unconscious, he had been worried to death. Now that he was awake, he felt at ease.


    Though the man looked sickly pale and weary, the doctor had confirmed that he was out of danger and his cancer was cured. He had to stay at the hospital for a few days until he recovered before he would be discharged.


    "Violet, why are you looking at me that way?" Norman asked, his eyed twinkling with delight. He had lost all hope when he had been diagnosed with cancer. He assumed that he would not live any longer. Though he was not afraid of dying, he was afraid of leaving Violet alone. If his Sebastian was with them, then that would have been a different scenario. He would have had nothing to worry about. But leaving Violet all alone with no family member to back her was something that he was scared of.


    Even before he had gone inside the operation theater, he was scared, scared of not being able to see Violet forever. So, he was reluctant to go through the surgery. But the doctor had convinced him that his chances of living were more as they found a suitable donor. Only after a lot of assurance, he had agreed to proceed with the surgery. However, the feeling of not being able to see his granddaughter had not left him.


    Now that he was alive and well as he looked at his cute granddaughter standing right in front of him, he could not help but thank the man who saved him.


    "Grandpa, I am angry with you," Violet complained.


    "Why dear? What did I do?" Norman chuckled as he asked the question.


    "You were asleep for so long. What took you so long to wake up? You told me remember, that good kids need to get up early every day. But you did not follow it."


    "Yes, dear. I know and I am sorry. I failed to practice what I told you. But I promise that from now on I''ll do as you say. Okay?" Norman raised his eyebrows hopefully.


    "Okay," Violet said and smiled for the first time after she had entered the ward.


    "Come here, dear," Norman called her to come closer to him, but the nurse stopped him.


    "Mr. Litner, let her stay a little far from you for today at least. You have just had an operation and you are yet to be cleaned. It is easier for the child to fall sick if she comes any closer to you."


    As soon as he heard the nurse''s suggestion, Norman''s face fell. But he did not mind it much as what she was saying was for his own good. So, he asked John to restrain Violet from coming any closer.


    "Violet, come with me." John led her outside and made her sit on the chair. "Wait here until I come back. Don''t go anywhere, okay?"


    Violet nodded and the man went inside the ward again. "Mr. Litner, how do you feel?"


    "A little tired and it pains at the back."


    "That''s normal, Sir. It is the effects of the surgery. The pain will gradually reduce once you recuperate."


    "Nurse, I wanted to ask you something."


    "Yes, Sir?" The nurse stared at Norman and then at John to see what they wanted to ask her.


    "Can you tell me the name of my donor?"


    The nurse was surprised by his question. But she masked it immediately. "Sorry, Sir. I cannot disclose this information to you. The donor has asked us to keep their identity a secret." The nurse remembered the orders she had received and sighed inwardly. She was told not to reveal to anybody that Dr. Davis was Norman''s donor.


    "Please, nurse. I want to thank the person who saved my life. Please. Help me."


    "I am sorry, Sir. I am helpless in this matter. The person has asked us to keep their identity a secret and we have to respect their wish."


    "Sir, don''t stress yourself. Nobody is going to reveal who your donor was. I tried asking your doctor regarding the same and she too denied giving any answer to me." John interrupted Norman when he tried to force the nurse to give out the name.


    "Nurse, may I speak to my assistant alone?"


    The nurse looked back and forth between the two men and she nodded. "Please press the bell if you need anything. I''ll be right outside."


    After the nurse left the ward, Norman gestured John to come closer to him. "Do you seriously not know who my savior is?"


    "No, Sir. I tried asking the doctor, the nurses and even the ward boys. But everybody''s lips are sealed."


    Norman took a deep breath. Though he wanted to thank the person who had saved him, he could do nothing when he did not even know who he was. "What about my son? Did you find out anything about him?"


    "No Sir. I tried searching for him everywhere. But we did not get any results. It''s like he has vanished into thin air. I doubt if.."


    "Don''t say that," Norman shouted, but he ended up coughing due to stress.


    "Sir, please relax. You are still weak and need rest. Don''t get agitated."


    Norman took deep breaths. He opened his eyes only when he had calmed down a little. "Don''t say that." He almost begged and John felt distressed seeing him this way. "He is my son and I know he is somewhere out there. He has to be. He cannot leave me without meeting me. I am yet to ask him forgiveness for my behavior. I need to apologize. He never received any love from his father or any of his family members. My son has suffered a lot. I need to repent, he has to punish me for it. He cannot leave me before that."


    A tear slipped from his eye and his breathing became a bit labored. The nurse who had heard his voice rushed inside and saw him having difficulty in breathing. "Sir, it''s best if you leave right now. Mr. Litner needs a lot of rest. he could not get agitated at all costs."


    John agreed and left the ward as the nurse tried to soothe the anxious man. His exhaustion got the best of him and he slipped into a deep sleep. But before, closing his eyes, he did not forget to mumble an apology to his son. "Sebastian, please forgive this useless of a father."


    ---------------------------------


    I am going to upload some reference pictures for this book on my discord server. Please feel free to join it to know more.


    Discord: https://discord.gg/HU4xe96

 Chapter 225: Sue

    Violet was getting impatient waiting for her uncle John to come out. When Violet saw that her uncle had not come out of the ward yet, she slipped off the chair and went in search of her favorite uncle, Ian. But even after searching for a while, she did not see him anywhere. A little dejected, she stopped one of the nurses who was walking by her.


    "Yes, sweetie?" The nurse kneeled on one knee in front of the little girl to see what she wanted of her. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?"


    "I am searching for someone. Do you know where Uncle Ian is?"


    "Is he your uncle?" The nurse did not know who the girl was addressing. She assumed her to be speaking about a relative of hers.


    "Yes. He is my uncle. Do you know where he is? He works here."


    "Is it?" The nurse asked in surprise. "Does he work here? Is he a doctor?"


    Violet nodded.


    "What is his name again?"


    "Ian."


    Ian. The name rang a bell in the nurse''s head. She realized the girl was talking about Dr. Davis. She wondered how the little girl knew Dr. Davis, but she did not ponder about it much. The girl was waiting for her answer with her big eyes. "I am sorry sweetheart. Your uncle is on leave today. He has not come to the hospital."


    "Oh." The little girl looked at the nurse, her eyes tearing up a little. The nurse panicked seeing the girl cry.


    "Don''t cry, sweetie. Tell me where your parents are. I''ll take you to them."


    "I don''t have any parents."


    The nurse stared at the little girl flabbergasted. "Who did you come with today then?"


    "My uncle."


    "Which uncle? Where is he?"


    "He is with my grandfather."


    "Is it? Let me take you there."


    The nurse held Violet''s hand and stood up but before she could take another step further, she heard a commotion taking place at the reception. It was so loud that she could hear it from where she was. Though she wanted to go take a look at what was happening, she could not leave the little girl alone. She was in a fix.


    "Violet," John shouted seeing her standing beside a nurse. He had been scared of not finding her when he had come out after talking to Norman. He had searched all possible places when he had found her talking to a nurse. He dashed towards her. "You scared me, dear."


    "Do you know him, sweetie?" The nurse asked in caution.


    Violet nodded. "He is my uncle."


    "Okay then. Off you go little lady. Don''t go wandering around alone okay?" The nurse scolded her strictly and Violet nodded again. "Good. Take care, dear."


    The nurse then hurried to see what was happening at the reception while John took Violet with him to her grandfather''s ward to say goodbye.


    A huge commotion was taking place at the reception as the hospital staff was trying to curb it. Few people were shouting and hurling curses at the hospital staff as they tried to throw things around them. But the guards who were holding them were too strong. So, they could not break free from their iron stronghold. These people had no idea that they were not mere security guards but they were the people who were trained along with Noah''s and Joshua''s other guards.


    Ian did not want some normal guards to be in charge of hospital safety. He knew how chaotic it would become sometimes when things went out of hand. Hence, he had chosen some of the people who worked for the underground to safeguard the place. The mad people tried to pry themselves out of the burly looking men. But they could not move even a finger of theirs.


    The hospital administration had come to see what was happening. One of the senior-most staff stepped forward to look into the matter. "What is happening here?" He shouted. His authoritative voice boomed over the place and everything became silent at once. Everybody''s gaze fell on the man who had stopped the ruckus. He was the man in charge of the hospital and it''s working, Jordan Blake. To the outside world, it was he who took all the important decisions in the hospital when in reality, all the decisions would be made by Ian and he would be the one to pass it to the others. He was the only one who knew about Ian''s true identity of being the owner of the hospital.


    Jordan summoned one the guards towards him and enquired what the matter was. It did not take long for him to find out what had happened. A few days ago a little boy had died of a brain hemorrhage in the school bus accident incident. However, even after many days had passed nobody had come to take his body with them. After a lot of thinking, the management had decided to hand over the case to the police and they had taken the boy''s dead body with them.


    Now, not even a day had passed and the boy''s family had come forward to claim the body. But when they had found out the truth, they had started to create a mess in the hospital. Seeing the man''s posture and confident stance, the boy''s family cowered a little. There was only one man among them who did not fear him. He went towards Jordan and took a thorough look at him.


    "Where is our child?"


    "Who are you talking about?" Jordan questioned back without blinking though he knew the answer.


    "The boy who died in the school bus accident. He is our kid. Where is his body?" Seeing the man boldly question the management, the other family members too raised their voices.


    "Yes, where is our boy? Give his body to us."


    "Yes, yes. Where is he?"


    Jordan glared at all the foolish people who had spoken blatantly. "We do not have his body. Contact the police for more information and stop creating a mess here."


    "How dare you!" The man, who had started the attack again, seethed. "How dare you give away our kid''s body just like that? Why didn''t you ask us? You have no right to do it. I am going to sue you and this hospital."


    Jordan did not even flinch on hearing the man threaten him. He was a man Ian trusted and he knew how to get things done. He folded his hands and narrowed his eyes. For a second, the man in front of him felt his heart jump out of his chest. Jordan looked scary as though he would beat the crap out of him if he did not stop his act. But the next second, he composed himself. However, Jordan''s next words made him lose his composure again.


    "Oh really? Then, I''ll wait for orders from the court. Now get lost."

 Chapter 226: Savage

    "Then, I''ll wait for the court orders. Get lost." Jordan spat, his eyes glowering in anger. Ian had bestowed him the duty to take care of the hospital in his absence. How could he allow some puny guy to disturb the peace and tranquility? Impossible. Nobody could demean it in his presence.


    "Just you wait. I am going to get this hospital closed. You bunch of loafers." The man started cursing again without thinking where he was and what he was doing. He did not even see the arrival of the police when he was running his mad tongue.


    "Watch your tongue," Jordan warned him, clenching his hands in annoyance.


    "Oh, what are you going to do?" The man challenged boldly, not knowing what was going to happen to him in a few seconds.


    "Sergeant Phil. Thank you for coming here at such short notice. We appreciate your help." Jordan immediately shifted his eyes from the annoying man towards the sergeant who was watching the commotion silently. He had come there long back and was observing everything that was happening in front of him. Jordan had called him as soon as he had heard the commotion.


    The man looked taken aback when he saw the sergeant walking towards them calmly. He started sweating profusely though he looked fine from the outside.


    "Hello, Mr. Blake. I''ll take care of it from here. You need not worry about anything with me here." He then turned towards the man who was staring at them in shock. "Are you done with your nonsense? Now, scram."


    "Sergeant, I want to file a complaint against this hospital." He said, trying to sound bold. But everybody could make out that he was shit scared with the way his voice trembled.


    "Is it? For what crime?" The sergeant asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement. He had seen a lot of drama in his career and this one was the most amusing. So, he couldn''t help but want to enjoy more. It was more exciting than a movie.


    "They did not keep our boy''s body until our arrival."


    "Oh. What is wrong with it?"


    "It''s a crime."


    "In which country?" The sergeant sneered seeing the man''s crazy reasoning. This man was either mad and had lost one or two screws in his head or he had another motive altogether for coming here. The sergeant guessed the man was here with a plan and he wanted to see what exactly it was. So, he prolonged his exchange of dialog with him. Else, he would have arrested him long ago.


    "Sergeant, what do you mean? These people are criminals. They.. they.."


    "They what? Please continue."


    "They did not wait for us to..."


    "To take your kid''s body back?"


    The man nodded in nervousness seeing the sergeant''s stern gaze. He was having a bad feeling now. He could see that the plan he had mind was going downhill. But with him being surrounded, he could neither retreat nor could he proceed any further.


    "Okay, answer my questions. If I am satisfied with the answers, I''ll file your complaint. Where were you when your boy died?"


    The man did not answer and neither did the other family members.


    Seeing them being silent, Phil continued, "If I am not wrong, your kid died some days ago. So, if you wanted to collect his body you should have come early. Why are you late?"


    "We were not in town." The man replied, his eyes dilating a little. Jordan and Phil could make out that he was lying. It was clear with the way he was unable to meet their eyes without getting nervous.


    "Then, why didn''t you pick up any of the calls from the hospital? According to the hospital, they have tried calling you regarding this matter and don''t try to deny it." Phil stopped him when he noticed that he was about to deny his words, shutting his mouth successfully. "We can obtain the call records if you want."


    "We were in the village. There were network issues." The man lied again.


    "Is it? If that is the case, then what was the boy doing here alone in the city with his family members far away in the village? Don''t tell me that the boy of his age was living here alone? And which village were you in?" Phil sassed and Jordan chuckled. The man was a spitfire. Nobody could win him if he had all the proofs with him.


    "He.. he.."


    "Yeah, please continue. I want to know the answers."


    The man was tongue-tied. He did not know what to say or even do in this situation. Everybody''s eyes were on him. He wanted to make a run towards the exit, but the sturdy bodyguards were right behind him. He was surrounded.


    "Next question. When the hospital has already told you that the boy''s body is with us, why are creating a mayhem here? You should have come to us. We would have helped you."


    "We did not know what to do. We were sad hearing our kid''s demise. So, we rushed here. It did not come to our mind to approach the police." The man answered, his voice coming out a mere whisper. But Phil and Jordan had heard him.


    "Is it? Let me ask you the most important question. How are you even related to the boy?"


    The sergeant glanced forth and back between all the people who had kicked up a fuss in the hospital.


    "I am his brother." The man answered immediately.


    "May I see your ID? I want to verify if you are being honest or not."


    "I am his cousin." The man corrected himself.


    "From which side, maternal or paternal? Think and answer carefully. I am going to investigate it thoroughly.


    Jordan chuckled hearing Phil''s warning. ''This man was savage and the fool had no chance with him here.''


    Before the man could even open his mouth, Phil interrupted him again. "You know what? I am sick and tired of this game. It''s no fun. Answer this one last question. Who gave you the orders to come here and do all this stuff?"


    The man stared at Phil stupefied. ''How did he know why I was here? No way. He is only testing me. I need to be careful with this man.''


    "What are you talking about sergeant?"


    "Don''t try to act smart with me. I know why exactly you are here. The boy''s family," Phil pointed at other people who had accompanied the man and continued, "which is his real family is standing there silently. Who are you even to demand things from us? I know why you are here. But I want to know who sent you here. Are you going to answer on your own or do want some motivation?"


    "Sergeant, I think you are mistaken. I.."


    "Yes, you. Mr. Whoever you are, you are under arrest for creating an unnecessary commotion and also trying to sabotage this hospital''s reputation." Phil held him and hurled him towards the exit and you, "He pointed towards the family. "Come with me. It is not a request but an order."


    "Sergeant, listen to me." The man cried.


    "You can tell me whatever you want. I am all ears. But not here. Let''s go to your in-laws house and have a good chit chat." Phil pushed him and the constables who had come with him made sure that everybody was inside the jeep.


    Before the jeep took off, the man only had one thought in mind. It was the fear of losing his life as well as his family members'' life if his boss found out that he had failed the mission.


    ---------------


    Dear readers,


    Please tell me if this book is becoming boring or if there is anything that you do not like. It will help me to know my mistakes and correct myself.

 Chapter 227: Godfather

    The police took away all the people who were responsible for destroying the peace in the hospital. Everybody sighed in relief. Jordan too was relieved that he had decided to call Sergeant Phil before matters escalated. He secretly thanked Ian for giving him Phil''s number. Ian had warned him beforehand that an incident of this sort was bound to happen someday. So, he had advised Jordan to call Phil if things went out of hand and he would take care of everything. As predicted, the situation had occurred and it got cleared immediately too.


    "Everybody get back to work. Don''t worry about this issue anymore. The police will take care of it. Also, please don''t allow this issue to get out of this hospital. We do not want unnecessary problems approaching us due to this. I apologize to the patients and their family for you had to witness such an ugly scene. Now that everything is normal, please do not worry about it anymore."


    Everybody agreed with him and went back to their work immediately. Even the patients and their relatives who had witnessed the scene did not speak a word about it as it was not the hospital''s fault in the first place. It was the boy''s family who had come here to create the ruckus. So, they too did not complain. Regal Hospital was one of the best hospitals in the country and they had a good reputation among the common people. So, the matter was forgotten completely right then and there.


    However, that was not the situation elsewhere. Jared, who had planned the entire ruckus, was seething in anger. His veins were about to pop out, out of anger and the only man around him was his assistant. Though he wanted to vent his displeasure on him, he did not do so as the man was very useful for him. He did not want him to die, not yet.


    "Master, what do we do now?" His assistant asked gulping in nervousness. He could see the fury bursting through his Master''s eyes and he trembled slightly. "The man has been arrested. What if he takes your name..."


    "No. That won''t happen, ever. He knows that we have his family. There is no way he will take such a huge risk. I need to come up with another plan. Regal Hospital, I am going to destroy it all costs. Ian, I am not going to allow you to live in peace." He pushed all the things on the table, his anger had raised to the peek. His poor assistant was on the verge of collapsing on the side. But Jared did not care. When plans did not go his way, somebody had to bear with him and his mood swings and every time, it would be his assistant.


    Jared closed his eyes and took deep breaths. However, he could not suppress his fury. He sat down heavily on the chair behind him.


    "Where is Kane right now?" He spat, his eyes emitting fire scaring the shit out of the man in front of him.


    "Sir, he is still in hiding." His assistant answered immediately.


    "Has he tried to contact me?"


    "No sir. He has not. Since the time the video has gone viral, we have not heard a word from his side."


    "Hmm. That man has become useless now. We do not want such fools around us. If he comes out of his hiding, finish him off immediately."


    "Yes, Sir."


    "Also, did you find out who recorded his video?"


    "We don''t know about it, sir. But it is someone from the News4U agency. They were the first ones to release the video."


    "News4U again? Is it the group Tim is keeping an eye on?"


    "We do not about that yet, Sir. Even the people in the agency are being tight-lipped about it. But Tim suspects it to be them."


    "Tim is never wrong. I need to do something about them. They have foiled all my plans. First, they found out about the virus and then they released the video about Kane. I need to know the name of the person who is smart enough to do this work. Order my men to keep an eye on all of them. If they find anything suspicious, tell them to kill the person right then and there."


    "But Master. This will only create more trouble for us. One of the girls in their team is associated with Joshua."


    "Ah, her? Tell them not to harm her if she is the one behind all the troubles. I will take care of her personally. Call Tim and order him to break into her house. We are bound to find something in there."


    "Yes, Master." The assistant noted down all his instructions in mind without fail.


    "Find out more about all of them. Follow them. Kidnap them. Do anything. I do not want people coming behind me in this matter again. We already had one man who wanted to destroy me three years back and we know what happened to him." The man chuckled evilly and the assistant realized who he was talking about. It was none other than Oliver. It was him who had tried to go against his boss and had ended up dead.


    It was him who had collected all the proofs against Jared and his crimes related to organ trafficking. Oliver had almost reached to Jared with the help of Theo and his colleague if not for his Godfather. His Godfather had killed Theo and the other man, saving Jared. He was also the one to inject the poison in Oliver''s body. They did not want to kill him yet as he had proofs against them. They wanted to get their hands on those before disposing off Oliver. They almost had him if not for those strangers who appeared out of nowhere and took him with them.


    When Oliver had escaped from their clutches after being infected with the poison, Jared''s men had gone to his house in his pursuit. But his house was surrounded by police. So, they had to retreat and remain low for a few days. When they had gone to his house again, they found it to be locked and empty. Oliver''s family had moved elsewhere from their house and they got nothing of their use in his house.


    They had waited for a few days to see if Oliver was up to something. But nothing happened. Till now, they assumed him to have been dead as they had not heard a word from him for the past few years. The poison in his body was too strong and it did not have any antidote. So, there was no way he could have made it out alive. But somewhere in their minds, they also had this feeling that he might be alive somewhere waiting to strike back at them at the right time.


    Also, they had no idea Ivy was related to Oliver. They had tried to obtain all the details regarding his family initially. But somebody had erased all possible records of him on all government databases right after he had disappeared. So, they did not know that Ivy was Oliver''s daughter. This was one of the reasons why Jared had not attacked Ivy and Aria. If he knew about it, then it would not take him even seconds to find out who was the one behind his problems. Oliver had been a headache for him three years ago and now his daughter was following his footsteps unknown to him.


    "Yes, Master. Master, we just got the news that your father is going to come to meet our men."


    "What does he want to do now?" Jared raised his eyebrows and his lips twitched. His father only came to meet him or his men if he had a new mission to deliver and this was quite a rare instance. They had not spoken to each since Oliver''s disappearance. Now that he was coming to meet them personally, it had to be something important.


    "He and his friend are coming today." His assistant said in fear.


    "What, Godfather is coming to meet us?" Jared stood up immediately.


    "Yes. That was what we have received from them."


    "What time will they come?"


    "At midnight." His assistant relayed all that he had received.


    "Crap. We are dead." Jared proclaimed his hands trembling slightly. Everybody in the Vipers gang knew that the only person Jared was scared of was his Godfather. He was a nightmare and a hundred times worse than Jared. That man was a devil reincarnated. On seeing Jared, his men wanted to hide themselves. But on seeing his Godfather, they wanted to kill themselves.


    "He must be annoyed with the way his plans have gone. This must be the reason for him to come here." Jared reasoned and shivered more.


    "What do we do now Master?"


    "Gather all our men. We do not want anybody slacking off today. Godfather hates it if anybody is not doing their work properly. Instruct all the men to be at their best behavior. Call back Tim. Godfather would want to meet him too."


    "Yes, Master." His assistant said and his lips twitched. Though Jared had ordered him to pass these instructions to his men, he did not have to do so. They would never dare to do anything out of the line.


    "Now go. Get lost. Leave me alone for some time."


    "But Master. What about the woman in your room?"


    "Discard her off. I have other matters to attend."


    "Yes, Master." The assistant sighed. The woman too was going to die like the others, but this time his Master had not done anything to her other than drugging her. The assistant then ordered someone to kill the woman and burn her body before he left his Master alone. He did not forget to close the door after him.


    Darkness filled the room. The only source of light in the room was through the door which was now closed after Jared''s assistant left him. It was completely silent and eerily dark. But Jared was not scared. This was nothing to him. The man he was scared of was coming to meet him and he did not know what to do.


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please don''t forget to vote, comment and review. It is a request from your dear author.

 Chapter 228: Satisfy

    While Jared was pondering on how to evade his devil of a Godfather, the girl he had set his eyes on was having a blissful date with her boyfriend. It had been so long since Rachel and Daniel had met each other.


    As soon as Rachel had been discharged from the hospital, she had to go to attend a friend''s wedding in another city. Her friend had even requested Rachel to design a house for her in the city where she could live with her husband without any worries. Unable to deny her request, Rachel had stayed behind to help her friend in designing her house as per her needs.


    After designing the house, she had handed our all the work to appointed workers and had returned home, to her family, to Danny. Since she had not seen him for a few days, Rachel had decided to meet him and discuss their plan regarding his firm as well as have lunch in the meantime.


    Rachel came to his office first and from there they had gone to a restaurant.


    "I missed you," Daniel said as he took her hand and kissed her lightly.


    "I missed you too."


    "Liar." Daniel scoffed.


    The couple had already placed their orders and were waiting for the food to arrive.


    "Why do you think I am lying?" Rachel raised an eyebrow as she tried to withdraw her hand back. However, he did not let her go. Instead, he grasped it even more firmly and stared at her lovingly. How many days had it been since he had last seen her?


    "If you had missed me, you would have come home early." He complained, yet there was a hint of teasing in his eyes.


    "In that case, why didn''t you come and meet me over there? Didn''t you miss me?" Rachel questioned back rendering Daniel speechless. He should have known that Rachel Carter was never the one to admit defeat, especially when it came to arguing. But this something he loved the most about her. He loved arguing with her as it brought out the bold and confident woman in her that he had come to admire.


    "I did not want to disturb you in your work." He reasoned and his grasp on her hand loosened a little.


    "I see. I am blessed to have found a partner like you who thinks about me and my work." Rachel wiped a non-existent tear as she continued staring at the handsome man in front of her.


    "You must be. Not every boyfriend is as thoughtful as me."


    "Narcissist." Rachel sneered and her lips twitched in amusement.


    "Narcissism is the key to a good life." Daniel declared loudly making Rachel chuckle.


    "Who said so?"


    "Me," Daniel said proudly and Rachel burst out laughing aloud. "Why are you laughing? It is the truth. When there are people out there trying to pull you down and smear filth on your name, you must praise yourself to boost your self-confidence. Only then you will survive in this world. You are your own fan and you are your own critic."


    "Well said." Rachel clapped, with a huge smile on her face and Daniel bowed slightly in acknowledgment. "Mr. Daniel Adler has become quite a talker in my absence."


    "I have to buck up my skills as the woman I am dating has a smart brain. I need to have a smooth tongue in order to satisfy her."


    "Do you think a smooth tongue will satisfy me?" Rachel''s innocent question shocked Daniel a little. He realized that his woman did not even notice what she had spoken about. His wandering mind had already thought about dirty things even though that was not what she had meant.


    "If not the tongue, then what will satisfy you?" Daniel asked with a smirk plastered on his face.


    At first, Rachel did not know what he was talking about. After seeing his grin, she understood that whatever he meant was not normal. He was teasing her, but she was not the one to back off.


    "Umm, let me think." Rachel pondered for a while as her eyes fell on Daniel who was observing her keenly. He was still smiling as he waited for her answer. But before she could answer, the waiter arrived with their food, much to Rachel''s relief. She did not have an answer to the man''s question. The waiter had come at the right time and had saved her.


    However, the man who was waiting for her reply cursed under his breath. Rachel noticed him sulk and stifled a smile. When the waiter left them alone, Daniel looked at her hopefully again waiting for her answer. But the woman ignored him and started eating without giving him any face.


    "Rachel?" Daniel whined, his eyebrows furrowing a little.


    She met his gaze and looked at him innocently acting as though she did not know what he was talking about. She then diverted her gaze towards the spoon in her hand. She had not yet eaten her bite. "Oh, you wanted to have the first bite? Sure. Here you go." Rachel then turned the spoon and brought it towards his lips. "You go first."


    "Rachel." He whined again. But before he could continue, Rachel had stuffed the spoonful of paella in his mouth, shutting his mouth successfully.


    "Here you go. Happy?" Rachel gave him a forced smiled and started eating, ignoring the man''s heated gaze on her.


    Daniel sensed that he would not get anything out of her for the time being and he too started eating. They started to discuss about random things and the topic shifted to Aria and Ian.


    "Yeah, I totally forgot about them. Did they reach the border safely?" Rachel questioned, her voice softening in worry.


    "Yes. Aria had called Ivy yesterday night. She has reached safe and sound."


    "That''s good to hear."


    "I just hope she returns home safe." Daniel sighed. Although he wanted her to return home unscathed, nothing was in his hands. He could only wish for her well being.


    "Don''t worry. Ian is with her and he will take care of her. Also, what are our handsome soldiers around her for? They will protect her."


    "Who did you call handsome?" Daniel queried, his head snapping towards her on hearing her words. Rachel could sense the jealousy in his voice and also the dangerous glint in his eyes. ''Uh, oh. Did I just open the door to his jealousy?''


    "Did you hear only that? I said a lot of other things too."


    "Who did you call handsome?" Daniel stressed again, not allowing her to escape his question this time.


    "You. Okay. I called you handsome. You are the most handsome guy in the world." She blabbered trying to appease the man.


    "That''s better and always remember that."


    "Okay fine." Rachel sighed in defeat. ''Did all the men behave this way when they were jealous?'' She made a note to ask her brother about it later.


    The couple were done with their food and they stood up to leave. Instead of walking out of the room, Rachel leaned closer to him and her breath hit Daniel''s neck. He took a deep breath as he waited for her next move. "About the question you asked before," She whispered seductively and held his arm for support. "A tongue cannot satisfy me, but something else can."


    Daniel''s breath hitched. But he could even react, Rachel had pulled back and had walked out of the room leaving him stunned and bothered.

 Chapter 229: Leave

    Daniel ran behind Rachel unable to believe what he had just heard. His woman was too bold for him to handle and unknowingly, he had come to like it. It was so sexy and undeniably alluring. He caught up with her instantly and held her by her waist. "So, I just found out a few things about someone."


    "Is it?" She looked at him, her eyes sparkling in interest.


    "Yes."


    "What?"


    "Someone likes to be satisfied with my ..." He started and smirked, his eyes glimmering with devilish ideas he had imagined in his head.


    "Is it? I wonder who it was." She replied, her eyes not meeting his. She was not sure if she could withstand his smoldering gaze on her. His heated gaze was giving her goosebumps and she was gradually losing herself with all the packed feelings in her heart for him.


    "I wonder who it was who likes to be satisfied with not only my tongue. And if I am not wrong, that woman is right beside me right now."


    By then they had reached his car. As soon as Rachel had buckled her seat, she felt Daniel''s breath on her and her own breath hitched. "What are you doing?"


    "I am trying to satisfy you as per your wish and wants," Daniel whispered and bit on her ear, making her yelp. She tried to dodge his attempts of kissing her neck. But she was bound to the seat which she had long forgotten. So, she could not move much except to squirm in her seat.


    "I am feeling ticklish." Rachel cried, trying to push him away using her arms. But he was adamant about having his way with her. Her puny attempts to push him did not bother him at all. Instead, he came even more strongly on her, kissing her neck. Rachel gasped feeling his wet tongue on her neck. "Danny please."


    "Rach, you were the one to ignite the fire within me. So, you must be the one to calm it down too." He spoke, his voice extremely seductive and charming. Rachel immediately became a puddle before him. Her mind had lost all its thinking ability. All she could hear was his voice and all she could feel was his tongue on her neck. She did not even realize when he had unbuckled her seat belt. She was even leaning on him as he sucked on her neck and let out a moan involuntarily.


    "Rach, be ready." He warned and before she could even comprehend what she had heard, Daniel had lifted her quickly and placed her on his lap. She noticed that she was straddling him, with her knees on either side of him. Rachel was relieved that she had decided to wear trousers instead of a skirt. She could easily straddle him without any hindrance. However, she stiffened suddenly when she felt his hardness very close to her inner thighs.


    When Rachel opened her mouth to complain, Daniel shut her up immediately with a kiss. Her mind which had long shut down exploded with fireworks. Her body was not in her control. It was already hypnotized and it was him who was controlling her body and mind. She never realized until now that the man she was kissing was actually this dominant.


    The kiss went on for long, their tongues fighting for dominance. For a second, Daniel pulled back to allow her to breathe properly. He waited patiently until she returned to normal. When she was about to protest, he pressed his lips on her again. But this time, he even pulled her right hand and placed it on his erection. Feeing the hardness in her hand, Rachel gasped and pulled back. This time he allowed her to do so.


    "See what your words have done to me." He whispered and Rachel blinked. She remained silent while Daniel took deep breaths to calm the fire in him. But it was unwilling to let go. All he had in mind was to have his way with the woman on his lap. He knew that she was not ready. Their relationship was still not that strong and he did not want to do anything to her against her will. He lifted her to get her back in her seat, but Rachel stopped him.


    "Why?" Daniel asked trying to control the agony he was in.


    "I want to help."


    "Rach, no." Daniel tried to lift her again only to be stopped again. "Rach?"


    "Please."


    "No. Rach. You are not yet ready. I will not do or make you do anything which you are not ready for. Please." He begged, trying to suppress the urge to gobble her up.


    "You seem to be in pain. I want to help Danny." Her innocent suggestion almost made him lose his mind. But he controlled himself. They had a lot of time to do all the things he had mind. But before that, they had know each completely. He did not want to rush into things even though both of them were in love.


    "No Rach. You are not ready yet. I don''t want to force you into doing things that you are comfortable about. Let''s wait for a few days. Let''s date and get to know each other properly. We have a long way ahead."


    This time Rachel did not protest when he placed her back on her seat. Her mind was constantly ringing the words she had just heard. When most men wanted to just get into her pants, the man she loved wanted to wait until she was ready and comfortable. He respected her wishes over his agony. ''Where did I find this gem of a person? I am so blessed.'' Her eyes welled up instantly.


    Daniel controlled his desire and his eyes fell on her only to go into a state of panic. He did not miss the unshed teardrops that were slowly forming in her eyes. This was the first time he was seeing her cry and he did not know if it was him who made her cry. He wondered what he had said or done that had made her unhappy.


    Even though he tried to remember all that he had done, he could not conclude what had triggered her tears. So, he assumed that whatever he had done to her a few minutes back had made her uncomfortable. His actions were the reason for her tears.


    He immediately held her face in his hands. "Rachel, I am sorry. Please don''t cry. Please." He begged. "Please, darling. I am sorry. I know I am in the wrong. I''ll not do anything against your wish from now on. Please don''t cry. I am sorry."


    Rachel was flabbergasted with the way things had turned out. She realized that Daniel had misunderstood the situation. She heard him plead and beg for forgiveness warming her heart completely. Although it was not his mistake, he was willing to apologize to her first. ''How did I get so lucky to find a man of such caliber? Even if I searched the whole world, there would be none who is as good as him.''


    Her silence only added fuel to his already anxious state. He stuttered trying to plead and beg her. "Pl-please Rachel. I am sorry. I am really very sorry. If you want to leave me, you can. I will not stop you. I am very sorry. Please say something."


    His words brought her out of her stupor. "What did you say?" She glared at him, her eyes blazing with fire.


    Seeing the sudden change in her behavior, Daniel was stupefied. She was on the verge of crying a few seconds back and now she was glaring at him. What had gone wrong?


    "Answer me, Daniel. What did you say?" She stressed again when he did not answer her.


    "That I am sorry?" He asked unsure.


    "No. It was something else."


    "Talk something."


    "No. Before that."


    "If you want to leave me..." He stared, but stopped suddenly when he saw her eyes narrowing in anger. He gulped unknowingly. The man who had been dominant when they were kissing before had become a meek little lamb when she unleashed her anger on him.


    "I think you have forgotten what we had spoken before."


    "What did we speak about?"


    "Remember." She folded her hands, increasing the pressure on his already confused and panicked mind. "I dared you to leave me if you can. Who told you that you can leave me or I will leave you? You are bound to me for eternity. Don''t you even think about leaving me."


    "But, why did you cry?"


    "I was momentarily admiring you and your character. I was thinking how lucky I am to have found such a gentleman. I was not crying because you kissed me or due to whatever happened before between us. I was crying because I was happy, happy that I found you. Happy that we together. Happy that you are mine."


    Hearing her words, Daniel was stunned for a while. But the next moment, a smile bloomed on his face and his body relaxed. He had been worried about seeing her cry and had concluded that today would be the end of their relationship. Though he did not want to let her go ever, he would not stop her if that was what she wished. Now that he listened to her and heard her order to never leave him, he felt as though his heart was swimming in a sea of happiness.


    "Rach, you scared me. I was so worried, worried.."


    "Worried that I would leave you?" Rachel completed his words. "Get my words imprinted in your mind and heart Mister. I am never going to leave you, not after I found out how good you are. So, don''t get any dreams of that sort. It will never become a reality."


    "Don''t worry that won''t happen ever and regarding what I told you before, I will satisfy you completely. I will do all the things you imagined soon, but not today." He said and his eyes glinted dangerously before he started the car.

 Chapter 230: Pack your bags

    "No means no." Ivy almost yelled in frustration. She sighed as she looked at the daunting man, who was not affecting her in any way, sitting in front of her.


    "Ivy, please try to understand. This is to ensure your safety. Please."


    "No, Joshua. I cannot come and stay at your house. It will not be right."


    "Ivy, I am not asking you to be in a relationship with me. I am just asking you to stay with me at my house. We can be roommates, you see."


    "But.."


    "Also, you will have the guest room to yourself. What is there to worry about?" He added trying to sway her stubborn mind to accept his offer.


    Ivy narrowed her eyes unable to believe the man''s audacity. Early in the morning, Ivy had decided that she had had enough of the bastard Tim lurking around her. Fearing him and his possible attempts to harm her, Ivy could not stay at home forever and she was not the one to do it either. So, she had made up her mind to leave her house and go meet her friends to prepare for their agenda.


    They still had a lot of work to do and ideas to come up with for their agency. Noah had entrusted them with all the work. He would only be responsible for setting up their agency and providing them with the funds. All other work would be handled by them and them alone. He would not interfere in their work unless they did something which was against his morals.


    When she had readied herself to leave the house, unexpectedly she saw Joshua entering her apartment floor from the lift, surprising her. Seeing her outside, he sauntered towards her with a small smile on his face. "I need to talk to you. It''s urgent." He then pulled her hand and went inside her house, the door to which was still unlocked.


    "Joshua, what are you doing?" Ivy asked when he released her hand.


    "Pack up your bags. Get all those things which are necessary and important to you. You need to leave from here."


    Ivy gaped at him in shock. ''Did I just hear right? Did he just ask me to pack my bags?''


    "I am not leaving my house. You have gone crazy."


    "Ivy, listen to me. You need to move away from here, especially when you are staying all alone. Your life might be in danger. It''s best to be aware and take precautions."


    "No way. I am not moving from here. Even if I do, where will I go?" She asked plopping on the sofa. Joshua sat in front of her and folded his hands in an intimidating manner. Ivy was too busy in her thoughts to notice how mesmerizing and irresistible he looked at that moment.


    "You can stay in my house during the time."


    "What?" Ivy exclaimed at once with disbelief. "No way. I am not staying with you. Never."


    "Why?"


    "Because you are a man and I don''t think it would be good for me to stay with you."


    "Why? Are you worried that something might happen between us if we stay in the same house? If that is what is concerning you, I''ll guarantee you that nothing like that will happen at least from my side. But if you cannot control your hormones and come on to me, then I''ll not reject you." He flirted and when her eyes met his, he did not forget to wink making her scoff.


    "Why will I do something foolish? I am not crazy."


    "Then, what is the problem with you staying in my house?" He shrugged as though he was not asking her to move in with him, but to take a stroll in the neighborhood.


    "How about this? I''ll stay with a friend meanwhile. That would not be a problem, right?"


    "No." Joshua rejected her at once, his domineering voice starling her.


    "Why?" Ivy followed his pose and folded her hands. She was getting irked with the way the man was behaving and she was just an inch away from losing her cool.


    "Ivy, you do realize that you moving in with a friend will only put them in danger too, right? Do you want to do that?"


    Ivy pondered on his words and he was right. If Tim really was adamant about harming her, then she would be putting her friend in trouble too which she would never want. "What about you? Will you not be in danger if I move in with you?" Ivy twisted his words and fed them to him right away.


    Joshua gave her a mysterious smile. The naive girl before him had no idea how capable he was. He was the Master of the Underworld. There was no one who could beat him or touch him even, against his will. The only people who could fight him and still be alive were his friends who were of the same caliber as him. Ian and Noah were the only ones who could fight him till the end, but then nobody would win or lose in the end. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses.


    They had tried to see who would end up victorious in a bout once, but the end results had been surprisingly different. They had sustained a lot of injuries in the match, but they had not been able to surpass the other, making it highly difficult for their mentor Theo to declare the winner. So, he had proclaimed all three to be winners and losers at the same time.


    Now when Ivy asked if he would be in danger because of her, he could not help but snicker in amusement. This young lady had no idea who he was. "Ivy, you are forgetting that I knowing some fighting." Though he did not want to seem boastful, he had said it to assure her. "Also, I have guards around me. So, I don''t think any harm will even dare approach me."


    Ivy agreed with him when he claimed to know some fighting. The scene from the club where he had fought against those hooligans were etched in her mind. His movements had been fluid and unexpected. Every strike he had delivered was perfect, sending the other man on his knees. ''Those moves and skills could not have been developed overnight. He must have taken training to get those skills.'' She deduced and her eyes subconsciously went to his body. Every muscle looked perfect. He really had the body of a god that was now being hidden beneath the layer of clothes he was wearing.


    Joshua noticed her gaze and his smile widened. He did not say a thing as he watched her eyes fixed on him. This went on until Ivy snapped out of her thoughts and shifted her eyes away from him.


    "So, what do you say?" Joshua prompted seeing her being silent.


    "No means no." Ivy almost in determination leading to Joshua to get annoyed. He was now losing it. He had to think of something else to make her agree. He would never allow her to stay alone when there was a dangerous man lurking around her.

 Chapter 231: Hook or crook

    Joshua stood up suddenly, his eyes glowering at Ivy. The sudden change in his behavior startled her as she looked at him stupefied. "Ivy, I am a very patient man. But my patience has a limit. Don''t try to test it because I am sure you will not like it. I am trying to help you to keep you safe from the danger you are unaware of. Don''t provoke me, Ivy, because you may not be able to bear with if I lose my cool."


    Ivy gaped at him mortified. This was the first time he was behaving this way in front of her. Gone was the man who was flirting and making jokes at their every meeting. His eyes were intimidatingly tyrannical making Ivy shiver in fear. Never had she expected herself to be afraid of him nor had she expected him to have such a terrifying side.


    Noticing Ivy''s stare at him dumbfounded and the small hint of fear in her eyes, Joshua realized what he had done. He had momentarily lost his composure when she had declined to come with him. He never wanted her to see this side to him, one which was well known in the Underworld and the one which made him the Master. He had to ease the situation before it became uncontrollable.


    Joshua started laughing all of a sudden, shocking her more. Now he seemed more creepy and Ivy was not sure how she wanted to handle this man. She was all the more scared of him. Her heart was accelerating at a speed she was unable to comprehend or control. The man was daunting and she was having a feeling that whatever she knew about him till then was just how he portrayed himself to the world. He had a side to himself which was completely hidden and different from his usual charming style.


    "This is so funny. Your face looks hilarious Ivy." He laughed, holding his stomach trying to make it as genuine as possible. He had seen her look of fear which he never wanted in return, especially from her. He did not know why but he did not want her to be afraid of him, to fear him. "Did I scare you successfully? Was my acting a success?"


    Ivy glared at him, anger curing through her veins for scaring her. But somewhere in her mind, she had a notion that he was not acting and that was him which she did not know about. It was as though he was trying to mask his true self before her.


    "Ivy look. I know you might be uncomfortable with this setup. But think about it. What is the best possible solution in this situation? You can choose to stay with Noah or me. Your choice."


    Though Joshua had given her a choice to choose between him and Noah, he hoped her to choose him. Firstly, there was her father who was staying at Noah''s house. And second, he did not want her to stay with another man even if he was going to be her brother-in-law in the future.


    "Why are you doing this? Can''t I stay here?"


    "No. This is something that Noah and I have decided. We do know that you are bold and you can take down a man if any harm comes your way. But Tim is not someone who fits in that category. He has blood on his hands and he will not hesitate to kill more if needed. I hope you think through it and make the best decision. I''ll be right here and just for the record, I am not going to leave without you. I am going to take you with me by hook or crook The choice is yours."


    Joshua crossed his legs and leaned back, his face returning to normal. But his eyes were still calculative and daunting. Just one look at him and many would either run for their lives and fall at his feet.


    Ivy was too busy to notice his strong gaze. She was thinking about the words he had said and she found him to be right in a way she could not deny. If Tim was truly as dangerous as Joshua claimed him to be, then it was better for her to be cautious. She did not want to die young as she had a lot of things to do. She had not even had sex for god''s sake and that was one thing she was looking forward to as she was waiting for the perfect man for her.


    Joshua''s idea was not bad, but she was not sure of it. Ivy had the feeling that staying with him would only create more problems for her. But that was something she would think about in the future. Now, she had to take her decision as Joshua was still waiting for her to speak. Seeing the man hellbent on taking her with him, she had no choice but to give in. She could stay with Noah too but he had not offered her to come and stay in his house and she would definitely not take the initiative to bring up the topic. It would be extremely awkward. So, Joshua was it.


    Seeing the gears turn in her head, Joshua knew that Ivy was considering his advice seriously this time and he smirked. If she did not relent to his wishes, he knew how to convince her. He had come here to make sure that by the end of the day she would be in his house. He had all the time in the world as he had cleared his schedule just for her. So, he waited patiently when suddenly Ivy lifted her face and stared right through him.


    He raised his eyebrows anticipating her answer which he wished to be positive. "So?"


    "Fine. I agree to be your roommate. But I have certain conditions."


    "And what might they be?" Joshua asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.


    "You will not forbid me from doing things which I usually do."


    "I that case, I can forbid you to do things that you usually don''t do."


    "I did not mean that." Ivy realized the loophole in her condition after hearing him.


    "Then, what did you mean? Please enlighten me."


    "You will not stop me from doing my work. Are you okay with that?"


    "Sure. Anything else?" He asked still smiling making Ivy roll her eyes.


    "Not that I can think of any right now. I''ll add to list when it comes to my mind." Ivy stated giving him no room for objection which he did not have either.


    "Sure. Now come on. Let''s start packing. I''ll help you."


    Ivy stood up with a sigh. She wondered how things had turned out this way? She absent-mindedly started walking towards her room with Joshua tailing her. When he went inside, he was stunned to see her room. Ivy was brought out of her stupor when he exclaimed loudly behind her, "Oh my God."

 Chapter 232: Ripped

    Joshua was momentarily stunned seeing Ivy''s room. It was filled with markings on the glass wall, there were paper clippings attached to a movable board. Lines were connecting the paper clippings and it looked very mysterious. It was just like a maze which seemed exciting at first but later on one would realize there was no end to it, nor could they find the beginning to it after getting too involved.


    Everything was fascinating to him. On a closer look, Joshua realized that everything was related to the organ trafficking case which she had been trying to solve since long. "Ivy, you pack your clothes and other necessities. I''ll take these down. These being up here in the open is just too dangerous."


    "What? Why?" Ivy groaned. It was all the research she had done to get her father back. She could not allow her hard work to go down the drain.


    "Ivy, what if that man has plans to break into your house? You never know. It is better to be safe than sorry."


    "You are right. Take them down but they are coming with me." Ivy said firmly and Joshua nodded. He had the same thought in mind. He would not allow Tim to get even a small hint as to what Ivy was up to. Either all these clippings would be going with him or they would end up being burnt. Never will he allow Tim to get his hands on them.


    "Sure." Without delay, he started taking all of them. It was easy for him as the paper clips were pinned on a pinboard. In just twenty minutes, he had removed all of them. The once filled huge pinboard was empty now. He then picked up the duster and wiped the glass board clean. Now everything was wiped out. The traces of all her findings were gone. He had wiped it clean completely.


    Next, he went to help Ivy to pack her clothes. She had picked up some of her clothes as she could not pack all of them. If needed, she could come and pick them up again. She was packing her lingerie when Joshua came to see if she was done. "Are you done?" He asked.


    Ivy had not noticed him approach her from behind. Moreover, he was right behind her and he could clearly see the lingerie set in her hands. It was a black silk lingerie with a transparent gown that would only reach till her mid-thighs or even less. Seeing the sexy nightgown, Joshua gulped unknowingly and he immediately imagined her in it He could not deny that even in just his imagination she looked tantalizing. She was just like a siren in this sexy gown. Unknowingly, his mind wanted to see her in just that.


    Ivy turned to face him but he was closer than she had expected and she ended up slipping on her foot in shock when she tried to step back. Seeing her fall, Joshua tried to help her but his hand unknowingly went to the front part of her blouse instead of her waist. A ripping sound was heard in the silent room stunning both of them.


    Ivy''s eyes widened in disbelief. That day she had chosen to wear a shirt with buttons in the front. While he was trying to save her from falling, Joshua had ripped it open. The nightgown she was previously holding had slipped down from her hand and was lying like a puddle at her feet. All that there was at that moment was the shock and embarrassment.


    Joshua too was not sure why he had pulled her by her shirt instead of her waist or her hands. Now she stood with her shirt buttons open until her chest and he could clearly see the nude-colored bra she was wearing. Though it was not as sexy as the nightgown, it still made him lose control. It made her look innocent and he just wanted to tear her shirt completely.


    Joshua had been with a lot of women before. He had seen them naked and also in those beautiful and sultry looking lingeries. But never had he felt anyone this seductive. Though she was not naked, it only added to her charm. Seeing his heated gaze on her, Ivy immediately covered herself with her shirt, obstructing his view on her chest.


    He cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped back giving her space. "I am sorry. I..I.." He did not know how to save the situation and erase the awkwardness between them. "I''ll be outside. Call me when you are done."


    Joshua walked away without another word. He did not forget to close the door before him. Though he was not beside her, his mind was still reeling the scene that he had just seen. Her innocent eyes when her shirt was ripped open flashed through his mind. Unknown to him, a burning desire erupted in his heart for her. His feelings were all over the place and he was losing his self-control. ''What is wrong with me? I need to calm down. Breathe in, breathe out.'' He took deep breaths and went to the kitchen to get some water.


    Meanwhile, Ivy was still in a state of shock. She was unable to comprehend what had just transpired in the room. ''Did her shirt just got ripped?'' She looked down and saw that the first four buttons of her shirt had come undone and one of the lapels had been torn which explained the ripping sound.


    Ivy''s shock turned into anger, not on Joshua but on the company that had produced such low-quality shirts. She had never been this embarrassed and helpless before.


    Time passed and Ivy was yet to come out of the room. Joshua waited for some time when he noticed that the woman would not be leaving her den anytime soon. The atmosphere between them had gotten weird. He could sense it but they had to leave. They could not delay any further. He sauntered towards her and saw it to be closed. He knocked at the door. "Ivy, are you done? We are getting late."


    Ivy had already changed into a sweatshirt that was thick and would not rip open in dangerous situations. However, she was reluctant to face the guy who was just outside her room. Realizing that she could not stay cooped up in her room forever, she made up her mind. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and came face to face with the gorgeous man.


    Joshua too looked at her and this time he made sure not to wander his eyes anywhere else. They were fixed on her face. "Shall we leave?"


    "Yes. I am done." Ivy pulled her bag behind her. She had packed very few clothes. But since she was going to bring all her research materials with her, there were three boxes behind her.


    When Joshua was busy taking down the paper clippings, she had gone through Aria''s room to see if she had anything that would give away what they were up to. To her relief, there was none. She then noticed Aria''s laptop on the table and picked it up. She did not know if there was anything in it. So, she did not want to take risks.


    "Are these the things?"


    "Just a minute." Ivy ran to the kitchen and packed all the vegetables in the refrigerator. Now that she would not be here, she did not want them to rot. She could as well bring them with her.


    Joshua noticed her carry a paper bag and he could easily guess what was in it. "Ivy, why are you bringing those vegetables with you. I am not going to let you starve. You can trust me on that."


    "I did not want these vegetables to rot. I bought them with my own money. We could use them in your house." Ivy said firmly giving him no room for denial.


    "Fine. As you say. Wait a second." Joshua stepped out of her house and returned after a few minutes. But this time, there was someone following him. He looked to be Japanese or Chinese.


    "Joshua, who is this?" She asked observing him carefully.


    "This is my bodyguard, Kaito."

 Chapter 233: Poles apart

    After twenty minutes, Ivy was on her motorbike following Joshua to his house. Kaito was right behind her in her car. Though Joshua wanted to protest, he could not when he saw Ivy''s stubborn gaze. She was not sure when Aria would return. Until then, she could not keep her car idle. So, she had insisted on bringing her car and her motorbike along with her. Having no other choice, Joshua had relented to her wishes.


    Ivy had made sure that she had all the things with her before locking her house while Joshua and Kaito helped to move Ivy''s luggage into Ivy''s car. Joshua had kept an eye around him to see if Tim was lurking in the shadows. But he had not seen him anywhere making him wonder what he was upto. Since he had come to Ivy''s house right in the morning, he had missed the call Tim had received from Jared. But it was not a problem for him. All the calls Tim made or received would be recorded for his reference. He could listen to them whenever he wanted.


    As Ivy rode her bike, she glanced at the mirror and saw Kaito right behind her. She wondered if he was really a guard. The man looked all small and delicate, but he was surely nothing as he seemed. He was much stronger than she had thought. He had easily lifted those heavy boxes of papers and had brought them downstairs. She had no idea that it was just one of the many skills he had.


    She took another glimpse at her mirror, when her eyes immediately met Kaito''s making her avert her gaze. She did not want to get caught peeking at him and think her to be a pervert. She felt that something was not right. Ivy had never seen Kaito before nor had Joshua mentioned about him. Whenever they had met, it had always been him alone with no guards around him, unlike Noah.


    Noah sometimes brought Ronnie with him. So, she was well accustomed to him being with a guard. She did not know that Joshua had met Kaito just the previous night. Noah had introduced Kaito to Joshua and they had come up with a plan. Kaito was to guard Ivy in secret whenever she left the house. So, just like how Ronnie was staying with Noah, Kaito too would be shifting to Joshua''s house.


    They reached Joshua''s house and Ivy was mesmerized at its grandeur. It was a beautiful two storey mansion lying in the middle of a small garden. There were no guards at the gate. It opened as soon as it detected Joshua''s car. He had already stored the details of all the people who usually came to his house in his AI, along with their car numbers. Only those people were allowed to come in. Everybody else had to get his permission for the gate to open.


    Now that Ivy would be staying with him, he had to add her vehicle details too. But for now, he controlled the gates using his phone until both Ivy and Kaito were inside. He drove right towards his garage and parked his car. There was a lot of space inside the garage. So, Ivy did not have to bother about keeping her vehicles out in the open. She could see a lot of other luxurious cars which she could never buy even if she worked her ass off for her entire life. His house was screaming rich just from outside and she could guess how magnificent it would be from within.


    "You can park your vehicles here Ivy," Joshua said pointing towards the space in his garage. He then nodded at Kaito who drove her car in and parked it perfectly.


    Ivy too parked her vehicle at the side and got off the bike.


    "Let''s go in. Kaito bring the boxes inside."


    "Let me help you." Ivy rushed to help Kaito. She picked up her luggage and the bag of vegetables while Kaito and Joshua each picked up a box. As she followed Joshua, her eyes wandered around her taking in the beautiful place.


    The house was arranged on a delicate slant and the site was encompassed by trees. she could clearly make out that it was an L-shaped house. There was a small pathway leading to the entrance door with a patch of grassland on either side.


    The cameras at the entrance had detected Joshua''s presence and the door opened automatically. Ivy gawked at the doors in awe. She was truly mesmerized with it. She had not noticed Joshua insert any key or punch a passcode, nor was the door opened by a person from within. It was all automatic.


    Joshua chuckled seeing her dumbstruck gaze. "Come inside. Welcome to my humble abode."


    ''Is this humble?'' Ivy pondered. ''If this was, then what was not humble?''


    As Ivy stepped inside, she noticed a strip-like winding stair that led to the next floor in the middle. The entire hall was painted in white and light blue giving it a peaceful and serene decor. Though Ivy wanted to explore further, Joshua''s words stopped her.


    "Let''s get you settled first. I''ll give you a tour later."


    Ivy nodded and followed him. They climbed the stairs and reached the next level. It had a floor to ceiling glass window where the staircase ended and she could see the pool outside. It looked stunning. There was an outdoor living area by the pool though it was covered by a thick glass from above to protect from rains and harsh sunlight.


    "Ivy," Joshua tapped on her shoulders when he saw her lost in thoughts. He knew what was on her mind. Everybody who came to his house behaved this way. They would be dumbfounded with the superb interior design all thanks to Rachel. When Joshua wanted to move out of his parents'' house, he had approached Rachel to build a house for him and she had done a wonderful job. His house was more gorgeous than Ian''s or even her brother Noah''s.


    "Yes?" Ivy was startled hearing his voice.


    "Let''s go."


    This time he led her to her room and Ivy was speechless once again. Just when she had thought that it was done, there was more to this amazing house.


    "I''ll leave you to unpack. Call me if you need anything. I''ll be downstairs."


    Joshua and Kaito left after placing her boxes on the side. As soon as the door closed, Ivy pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. "Ouch." She was not dreaming, she was really in this beautiful house with Joshua. But she knew this was all temporary. She would be leaving this house someday. Her world and his were different. She did not belong here nor was she interested too. He was the creme de la creme and she was just a normal journalist.


    However, she had no idea that soon she would be moving out. Not from the house but from the room she was in.

 Chapter 234: Complicate

    Ivy thoroughly admired her room. It was bigger than her entire apartment she was currently living in. It was painted in cream color giving it a very cozy and homely feeling. There was a king-sized bed at the center with a lampstand on either side. The wardrobe covered the entire wall on the left and there was a door on the right. She did not have to guess what it was. It must be the bathroom.


    Though she wanted to take a look at the bathroom, she knew Joshua was waiting for her downstairs and it would not seem good if she made him wait. So, she arranged her clothes in the huge wardrobe. With the meager number of clothes hanging in the wardrobe, she felt a little weird. Since she would be staying there only for a while, she did not give it much thought.


    She then placed the boxes she had brought with her at the bottom row and the laptops on the table in the right corner beside the bathroom door. Checking once more if she had arranged her things correctly, she then went in search of Joshua. On the way, she did not forget to wander her eyes at the magnificent house. It was truly a modern palace.


    Joshua was waiting for her in the living room as he casually texted on his phone. Kaito was nowhere to be seen. Hearing the footsteps, Joshua lifted his head and saw Ivy coming towards and he immediately remembered her face when he had ripped her shirt. Her sexy and alluring body came to his mind, but this time she was wearing the black transparent gown with the silk lingerie beneath. He must say that she looked damn hot. He gulped just seeing her this way in her imagination. Joshua was sure that if he ever saw her in real just like how she was in his imagination, he would never allow her to leave his bed.


    His perverted thoughts were interrupted when Ivy called out to him. She had long forgotten what had transpired between them back in her home and even if she remembered, she would never show it on her face. It was highly embarrassing and was something she would want to forget.


    Joshua cleared his thoughts and desires and stood up seeing her approach. "Let''s go have lunch. The maid has already prepared the food for today."


    "Okay." Ivy followed him to the dining hall and it was as beautiful as she had expected. The food was already on the table. Joshua and Ivy took their seats.


    "Help yourself. Don''t feel shy. From now on, you can think this to be your house." Joshua tried to ease her nerves. He knew she was still uncomfortable staying with him and this was something they had to get adjusted to gradually. But he had not realized that one day his statement would definitely become. His house would become hers and even he would become hers in the future.


    They ate their food silently, occasionally taking glances at each other. This was extremely awkward for them. Seeing the weird atmosphere, Joshua was the first one to speak. "Are you busy today?"


    "Ah, yes. I was supposed to meet my friends today. Since you came without informing me, I postponed my plan. I''ll be going after having lunch."


    "Okay. I''ll give you a tour of the house later when you come back."


    "Sure. Thank you for everything."


    "Not a problem. Please feel free to ask me if you need anything."


    Ivy smiled at him, touched by his words and gestures. Though he was a flirt, he had a great heart. He was definitely not how she had expected him to be on their first meet. She had assumed him to be a flirt, a selfish man who only thought about him and him alone. Now she realized how wrong she was. He was anything but selfish. Nobody would offer a helping hand when the person was in danger. If they did, then the person in danger must be close to the person offering the help. Or the person must be too good to be helping someone he was not even well acquainted with. Since Joshua and Ivy were not that close, the man must belong to the second category.


    "What are you thinking?" Joshua interrupted her thoughts.


    "Nothing. I am done with my lunch." Ivy stood up and picked up her jacket she had placed on the chair beside her. "I''ll see you later."


    "Take care."


    Again Ivy was touched by his caring nature. "Thanks."


    Joshua watched Ivy leave the house and he closed his eyes wondering how things would go on from now. Ivy staying with him would only complicate things with the way he was having the desire to take her to his bed. He opened his eyes and from the corner, he saw Kaito slipping out. This man was truly a ninja. Joshua did even know when he had heard their talk nor had he heard him leave. If he had not opened his eyes, he would not have even sensed him.


    Finishing his lunch, he dropped their plates in the dishwasher. He then went downstairs where he had an entire floor of computers and other devices. He had work to do. What if he could not go to the office for work? He could as well work from home.


    After forty minutes, Ivy reached Max''s apartment. The entire time while she was riding her bike, she did notice the nimble man following her on a bike of his own. He made sure to hide himself as he kept his eyes on the lady in the front. His Boss had told him she was going to be his sister-in-law. He had immediately deduced her to be Aria''s sister as Aria was the one his Boss had his eyes on.


    He followed her closely to a new neighborhood that did not belong to her. Seeing her park her bike, he too stopped at a distance not noticeable to her and parked his bike. He wondered why was she here and who was the person she was going to meet. ''What if it was her boyfriend? Would it be alright to follow her?''


    Nevertheless, he continued following her. He did not take the lift like her. Instead, he took the stairs taking a look at each floor if it was her destination. Finally, the lift stopped on the fifth floor and Ivy got off. Kaito was already waiting for her at the stairway to see if this was the floor she had intended to get off and much to his relief she did just that. Not that he minded climbing a few more floors.


    He then saw her ring the bell to one of the apartments on the floor only to be opened by a woman. The woman smiled at her and Ivy went inside and the door closed. He did not know if he was supposed to keep an eye on her even here. So, he waited outside not wanting to trespass somebody else''s property. He would have to ask about it clearly with Joshua.


    Ivy went inside Max''s house and noticed that all her friends were already present and they were busy coming up with plans for their agency. Seeing her come in along with Sasha, they smiled and welcomed her warmly. It had been some days since they had last seen her.


    "Hey, Ivy. Glad that you are here." Cedric rushed to her and hugged her tightly making it difficult to breathe. If Joshua was here, he would have punched the guy who dared to do so in his face.


    "Ced, I am not able to breathe. You are squeezing me too tight." Ivy squeaked out the words with great difficulty. Truly his hug was very tight, yet comforting.


    "Oops. Sorry Ivy." Cedric released her and gave her a cheeky grin. "How are you?"


    "I am good. How are you guys?"


    "We are good too. Come, sit." Max patted the space beside him and went back to work.


    "Finally that bastard of a Tim stopped following us." Kira sighed, her eyes glimmering in relief.


    "Yeah. We can live freely now. I wonder why he was keeping an eye on us." Sasha added though she knew the answer to it.


    "To see what we were upto after leaving News4U," Ivy answered instantly and everybody turned to her. "Don''t look at me like that. I know you feel the same way too. Ah, yes. Before I forget, let me inform you guys. I have moved in with a friend temporarily. I''ll be staying with him for a while." Ivy did not take Joshua''s name and said that she would be staying with a friend as she did not want to face more questions from them on learning the truth.


    "Why?" Max asked raising an eyebrow, his hands still holding a bundle of papers.


    "Since Aria is not here with me, I thought it would be safe if I stayed with someone."


    "That''s good. We never know what Tim has in his mind. It is best to take precautions. But, why did you move in with a man? You could have stayed with Sasha or me." Kira queried, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Don''t tell me." Kira gasped loudly making everyone stare at her. "Is that man your boyfriend?"


    Now everybody''s eyes were on Ivy waiting for her answer.


    "Ivy, do you have a boyfriend?" Sasha squealed loudly and Cedric scowled hearing her high pitched voice. "Can''t you tone down your volume a little. Do you want to make us deaf?"


    "Why should I reduce my volume? If you find my voice annoying, you close your ears. I never asked you to listen to me. Anyway," Sasha''s gaze returned to Ivy. So, she did not see the adoration in Cedric''s eyes. But the other three did not miss it. "Answer us. Who is he?"


    "He is just a friend guys, not more. I''ll definitely tell you if I get a boyfriend. Now, shall we get back to work? We have a lot to do."


    They started working immediately and the matter about Ivy staying with a guy was all forgotten much to her relief.

 Chapter 235: The end

    The sky darkened quickly. It gradually changed its shade from light blue to orange as the sun set and finally, darkness arrived coloring the city with a beautiful black. It was the time many people preferred, especially the working class who had a hard time working their ass off during the day. It was time for family, for fun and most of all for sleep.


    However, not many people were happy with the arrival of the night. One among them was Jared as well as his men. Like other people he too was fond of the night but for other reasons. He could do all the things he wanted quite boldly at night as it was easy to hide and misguide. It was his favorite time of the day. But not today.


    Today, he loathed the night. His Godfather was coming to meet him along with his father and this was something he dreaded the most. He did not hate his Godfather as much as he hated his own father, but he did not like him too. The man was a nightmare even to him.


    Though it was his Godfather who made him the way he was today, Jared never forgot how strict he had been in the past. His Godfather never liked people who made mistakes. So, whenever Jared made even a small mistake, his Godfather would whip him until he almost bled while his father looked on. He never tried to protect his son nor did he voice a word against the man who was brutally hurting his child. This was one of the reasons why Jared hated his father more than his Godfather.


    Jared had no idea who his mother was. His father never told him nor did he even ask. The love and affection he expected from a parent was completely an unknown feeling to him. He too did not have any compassion for his father. As time passed, the distance between the father and son only increased until they became strangers. Jared did not speak to him nor did his father try to mend their relationship.


    Jared''s father would only contact him if he had any work for his son or from his gang. Now that the duo were going to meet after a long time, he did not know what to expect. Not to forget that his Godfather would be there with him.


    His assistant had informed him that they would reach his lair around midnight. So, Jared had made sure to order his men to be at their best behavior. He did not want any mistakes from them as he would be on the receiving end too. Even if it was somebody else''s mistake, since the gang belonged to Jared he was responsible for them. So, he would be punished too and just the thought of the punishment made him shiver. He could still remember all the punishments he had received and there were still marks branded on his body that reminded him of the beatings all the time.


    Jared had called back all his men whoever was in the city as he knew his Godfather would want to meet them in person. This was one of the routines the man practiced to make sure everything was in order. But only Jared knew that was not the case. It was to check if all their men were being wary of him or not and if not his Godfather would erase them completely. This was to serve as a warning to all those who tried to betray him also, it gave him some sort of wicked pleasure to have people following his orders.


    "Remember," Jared turned to look at his men again. "Behave well or your head will be chopped off and put up on that stake over there for everybody to see." He almost growled scaring his men completely. Only Margaret remained calm. She wanted to see this man who could scare even this sycophant Jared. She folded her hands and stood quietly at the corner which was her usual place. She gave a glance at the other men around her.


    They looked worried sick anticipating the devil''s arrival. She rolled her eyes seeing the fear on their face. These men were worse than rats when it came to facing serious and dangerous situations and they wanted her to leave the gang. She was bolder than them when facing these kinds of situations. She scoffed at the so-called Vipers gang. They were just a bunch of coward men in a gang.


    Jared walked back and forth his anxiousness increasing as the clock ticked closer to midnight. His palms had become clammy and he was sure if this continued, he would eventually lose his mind. He glanced at his assistant who averted his eyes and stared elsewhere unable to meet his penetrating gaze. He could sense how worked up his Master was even before his Godfather had arrived.


    Time passed and the clock struck twelve. Jared sucked in a deep breath. His Godfather would be here anytime soon. The time he was dreading had arrived and he waited for the satan to make his presence. However, even after waiting for long, there was no news of his father or his Godfather.


    How he wished they would be lying dead somewhere but he knew it was just a dream, a beautiful dream which would never come true. His Godfather was an iron man. It was not easy to kill him and death would not come to him that quickly. Even it was scared of him.


    An hour passed slowly and still, there was no news of them. At that time, a phone rang killing the deadly and haunting silence in the warehouse. It was Jared''s and his assistant answered it quickly. He listened to the person on the other side and after a long time, he ended the call.


    "Master," He slowly approached the man who looked nothing less than a raging lion that had not eaten for days. Seeing his angry look, his assistant was sure that he would be the first one to lose his life today. He had decided that his end was near and all that he had done since he started working for Jared flashed in his mind.


    "What?" Jared barked, his voice chilling the others to their bones. It was terrorizing.


    "I just got a call from their side. Your father and Godfather are not going to come today. They have been held up at work. So, they have postponed today''s meet." His assistant blabbered in one go and closed his eyes waiting for Jared to chop his head off. But even after waiting for a few minutes, nothing happened.


    He slowly opened an eye to make sure everything was alright. What he saw shocked him to the core, making him widen his eyes in disbelief. His Master was smiling happily and it was a genuine smile which he had never seen before. There was a look of relief, of happiness and most of all ease. His body relaxed visibly and even Margaret could see it from where she was and to the record, she was quite far away from him.


    "What did you say?" Jared held his assistant by his shoulders and shook him vigorously. His assistant became dizzy due to the effect and he remained mute for some time as he tried to get his stance back.


    "Are you dumb? Speak." Jared barked again and this time, his assistant started speaking.


    "They are not going to come here today."


    Jared released him and let out a breath. "That''s the greatest news I have heard in days. You will be rewarded accordingly."


    His words surprised everybody present in the warehouse. Even Maggie raised an eyebrow seeing him being this generous. Never had he rewarded anyone though they had carried out and survived many dangerous missions. However, now just by conveying a meager piece of information had made him happy to the extent that he was ready to reward him. This was a first.


    Jared sat heavily on the chair which he had reserved for his Godfather and he started laughing all of a sudden. However, it was a short laugh. He knew this moment would not last long and his Godfather would come to meet him in the near future. He was happy that at least for now he could rest in peace.


    He got up suddenly. "All of you are dismissed." He waved his hand and left the place with his assistant right behind him.


    Maggie sighed. She was looking forward to seeing the man who had got Jared so riled up. She wanted to see who he was, how he looked. Also, she wanted to see who Jared''s father was. But the opportunity had left as fast as it had come. ''Guess I''ll have to wait for a few more days.''


    She returned to her room quietly amidst the loud whispers that were being heard in the warehouse. She was in no mood to talk to those men who were rejoicing their fate of successfully evading the meet with satan. This was a waste of time. She had better things to do.


    However, she had no idea she had been extremely lucky that day. The two men delaying their meet had saved her life. Otherwise, that day would be the end for her.


    ------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    I am going to give a mass release on 31st August.


    The number of chapters released will be based on the number of votes this book will receive after the weekly reset.


    The votes will be counted from 24th August to 30th August (GMT+8)


    Less than 1000 - 2 chapters


    More than 1000 - 4 chapters


    More than 1500 - 6 chapters


    So, what are you waiting for? Start voting.

 Chapter 236: Swimming

    A week passed since Aria had gone to the border. The number of soldiers getting injured or killed had reduced drastically since the time Ethan had found out about the traitors. Using the handheld radio from the man he had killed first, he had lured around sixty more traitors and had killed them mercilessly. He did not feel even an ounce of remorse killing them. They deserved it and he had given them what they deserved. Now that he had eradicated a lot of them, he had to be careful to not raise suspicions among the others as he did not know how many more were in the army.


    On the other side, Aria would call Noah who was sulking like a little boy in her absence. He had lost his mind thinking about her every time, every moment. The distance between them was killing him. Time was crawling like a snail for him and all he wanted to do was to run to her and hug her tight. He did not want to stay away from her at all. It was killing him slowly. Aria''s calls every alternate day was what keeping his sanity in check. Otherwise, he would have gone berserk long ago.


    Ivy too had accustomed to staying with Joshua. It was surprisingly pleasant and she was slowly liking his presence around her. He was an amicable man and she never felt out of place. He had given her a tour of his house and she had been utterly blown away by its grandeur. It was simply an amazing place. Though at first, she had been very uncomfortable, she had come to like it gradually.


    Joshua too was enjoying his time with her. He had learned a lot of things about her. She had told him that she had started to learn cooking after watching her father cook for her mother. She had all the time in the world during her university days for her to do so, unlike Aria who did not even have time for herself. Unknown to him, a feeling of liking which was slowly turning into love was budding in his heart. Ivy too had taken a liking towards him. Whenever they were away from each other, they would look forward to the time they would meet each at the end of the day.


    While he was giving her a tour of the house, he had warned her to never enter the basement. It was his lab and he did not like anybody to come and go whenever they liked. Not that he minded Ivy taking a look at it. But he had a lot of data and information lying there and most of them were about her father and his mentor. Ivy too had respected his wishes and had never stepped a foot in there. She knew the meaning of privacy and had not given him any sort of trouble.


    Whenever she would leave the house, Kaito would follow her secretly. The only place she had visited during the week was Max''s house. Though she wanted to return home to get back a few things, she never had the time. The planning process would take up most of her day. By the time she would be finished with the work, it would be dinner time and she would rush home to cook dinner.


    It was Ivy who prepared dinner every day. At first, Joshua had denied her entry to the kitchen. He had maids to cook for him and he did not want to trouble her during her stay in his house. However, Ivy had insisted on doing so. She was grateful for his help and hospitality. So, she wanted to at least cook for him. Seeing her being stubborn, Joshua had relented to her wishes. However, she was only allowed to cook dinner while the maid would cook the breakfast. Their lunch was taken care of when they spent their time outside.


    That day, Ivy''s work had ended early and she had returned home before her usual time. She knew Joshua was not at home as she had noticed one of his cars missing in the garage. Since Joshua did not like his maids walking around when he was at home, they usually came to clean in his absence in the afternoon. Since it was evening, the house was empty. Ivy was all alone.


    As she climbed the stairs on her way to her room, her eyes fell on the luxurious pool. Since the day she had seen it, she wanted to go for a swim in it. But the opportunity had never come to her as she returned home the time Joshua came back.


    Now that she was alone, she wanted to take a dip in the inviting pool. Without wasting further time, she changed into her black swimsuit which she had brought along with her. She also did not forget to bring her bathroom just in case.


    The cool water against her body felt amazing. She felt all her worries and tension getting dissolved in water as she swam across the pool. The adrenaline in her kicked and she swam a few laps before she took a break. She got out of the pool and rested for a while on the pool resting chair. After taking a break for twenty minutes, she went swimming again. Only this time Joshua was watching her above.


    Joshua had returned home as he had to retrieve a file he had forgotten in his laboratory. It was a detailed documentation of his new project. He had been surprised when he had found Ivy''s vehicles in the garage. He wondered why she had come home earlier than usual. Thinking her to be in the kitchen, he had gone there first only to find it empty. He then searched the entire ground floor for her, but she was nowhere to be present.


    ''She must be in her room.'' He thought and then proceeded towards her room when his feet halted suddenly on noticing a figure in black on the poolside. On the first glance, he assumed it to be one of the maids. Only after taking a closer look, did he realize that it was not a maid, but Ivy. She was resting on one of the poolside chairs as she took a sip from the glass of juice. His feet automatically took him closer towards the glass window to take a clearer look.


    His eyes were fixed on her. Seeing her clad in the black swimsuit, his eyes widened in amazement. The suit was hugging her body closely and he could make out her amazing curves. She looked incredibly hot and alluring. He watched like a hawk as she stood up and jumped into the pool once again. Seeing her swim so fluidly, he had only one thought in mind. She was a mermaid who had come to take his heart away. His heart was thundering loudly as his eyes took in her swimming body. A feeling known to him erupted in his heart.


    Succumbing to those feelings, he padded towards the pool. His mind and heart were already not in his control. They had long stopped speaking to him the moment he had seen Ivy swim. He was right in front of the pool when Ivy swam towards him and rose up with her hair making a perfect flip when she stopped swimming.


    Ivy was shocked to see Joshua staring at her intently. His gaze did not waver even for a second as he watched her silently. The situation was completely awkward and she could not swim any further with him being here. The only option was to leave the pool silently. But the problem was she was clad just in a swimsuit and she was uncomfortable walking in front of him in just that.


    Clearing her throat, she closed her eyes before she started speaking. "Could you pass me my bathrobe?"


    But there was no response from Joshua. He stood still as a statue. Neither did he move from his place nor did he speak a word. However, his eyes were fixed on her. Seeing him not moving, Ivy had no choice but to retrieve her robe herself. So, she got out of the pool not having the courage to meet the man''s intense gaze. However, to her horror, he was standing right in front of the chair where she had kept her robe.


    ''Oh, God. How much more embarrassing could this be? Ain''t it enough already?'' She cried inwardly, yet she did not show any expression on her face. It was as blank as a canvas. However, Joshua could sense her anxiety and he stifled a smile.


    "Can you move a little?" She pleaded and prayed that he would. To her relief, he did just that and Ivy smiled faintly. His eyes followed her as she bent down to pick her robe. Without wasting any more time, she hurriedly covered herself with the robe and tied the sash tightly lest it should open suddenly. She had read a lot of novels where it had happened and she had found the scene to be romantic and hot at that time. However, this was something she wanted to avoid now. It was anything but romantic. She was in a hurry to reach her room. But there was another problem.


    The only door to the poolside was behind Joshua. So, if she wanted to leave the place, she had two options. Either she could walk past him which right now was impossible with the way the man was standing still in front of her blocking her way. The other option was to walk around the pool. Not wanting to prolong her stay any further, she turned around to take the longer route when Joshua held her robe sash from behind.


    Ivy''s breath hitched and she gasped loudly when he pulled her towards him suddenly. Her back was pressed against his front. Her heart was racing at a speed she could not comprehend while her mind had gone blank. Joshua made her face him and her eyes widened seeing the intensity in his eyes. She could not make out what it was. Lust, love, infatuation? She was not sure. His intense gaze made her avert her eyes.


    "I..I" She stuttered. "What are ..?"


    Before she could even complete her sentence, he pulled her closer to him. This time Ivy could feel his breath on her. Their lips were just inches apart from touching. Though she wanted to push him away, his strength on her was too strong. He did not even budge with her meager attempt to protest. Wanting to complain about it, Ivy met his eyes only to get lost in them. Before she even knew what was happening, his lips had met hers and they were kissing fervently at the poolside.

 Chapter 237: Last thing

    When Joshua saw Ivy looking at him perplexed on noticing him beside the pool, his lips quirked up unknowingly. His eyes took in her wet body and his Adam''s apple bobbed. The sight before him was very enticing, especially with the way water trickled down the valley of her breasts. Oh, how he wished to run his hands through her wet body.


    He waited patiently as Ivy walked towards him, her eyes not looking at him. He knew she was coming to get her robe which was lying on one of the chairs. He sauntered closer and he stood right in front of the chair. Now, if Ivy wanted the robe, she had to speak to him at all costs. He would not allow her plan to escape, which he had guessed long back seeing her flustered self, to be a success.


    He had been stunned and tantalized when she had bent down to pick her robe. The position had accentuated her curves and oh my god, he inhaled sharply, his hormones were going haywire. Seeing Ivy was about to leave him, something snapped in him and he pulled her by her robe. Before he knew what was happening, he had succumbed to his desires and had kissed her.


    Joshua felt her soft lips on his and his body caught up in flames instantly. How long had it been since he got laid? The lust and the hidden feelings in him for Ivy came gushing to him and he lost all his control on himself. He curled his hands around her waist and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss. Joshua nibbled on her lips before he bit her a little too hard making her gasp in pain. He took this opportunity and plunged his slick tongue into her hot cavern dominating Ivy''s mind, body and soul.


    When Joshua''s lips had met hers, Ivy''s mind had been blown away. She had never expected him to kiss her and damn it was so hot. It was not that she had never been kissed before. She had kissed a guy in her past, unlike Aria whose first kiss was stolen by Noah. But this kiss was different than all those past kisses, which was less than five, she had experienced before.


    Though she wanted to protest, her body had gone numb with the way he was kissing her senseless. She was clueless that she had given complete control to Joshua, which he happily took over. The moment his tongue met hers, she felt him pull her closer to him and she wrapped her hands behind his neck. Now they were stuck to each other like two pieces of magnet. Joshua did not even realize, his dress was getting drenched slowly, not that he cared about it.


    While his tongue explored her sweet yet hot mouth, he picked her up and supported her by her buttocks. Ivy wrapped her legs onto his waist and held onto him. He started moving towards one of the pool chairs and eased her slowly on it, not breaking the kiss. He secretly appreciated her breathing ability. She had lasted longer than the women he had kissed previously. She had not pushed him away nor was she having any difficulty breathing yet.


    As he lied her down on the chair, he hovered above her taking in her flushed face. At that moment, she looked so tempting and attractive, and never had he seen such a beauty before. Her eyes were closed as she kissed him back. Her wet hair was sticking to her face and it made him lose his mind all the more. He had never felt this way before. The beast in him had been unleashed and he knew that it would not get satisfied until he completely devoured the woman in his arms.


    Seeing her slowly get out of breath, he released her lips. But his lips did not leave her body and they attacked her neck making her gasp. His expert hands untied the sash and her robe was wide open for him to see what was being hidden beneath it. As he sucked on her neck, Ivy curled her toes. The pleasure was too much for her. He was making her feel so good, everything felt so good.


    Satisfied with the mark he had left on her neck, he then proceeded to her collarbone. But before that, he did not forget to take a look at her again. Her face was glowing brightly and her cheeks were tainted with a pinkish-red. The back of her hand was covering her mouth as she took in deep breaths and her eyes were still closed.


    He lifted her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers and bit on the skin just below her collarbone and this time Ivy moaned. This was the sexiest sound he had ever heard and his body reacted even more. He was already hard before the kiss had even started and now it had become painfully hard for him. He very badly wanted to thrust his erect little buddy into her body and the pleasure he was craving for, but he controlled himself.


    He sensed that Ivy was almost getting her breath back. But it was not time to leave her yet. He was not done with her. His lips left her collarbone and attached themselves to her lips again. Before he could deepen the kiss, his phone rang startling both of them. Ivy, who had lost all her senses, opened her eyes suddenly and on seeing the man before her, she pushed him will all the force she could muster.


    The sudden attack made Joshua lose his hold on her. Before he could comprehend what had even happened, Ivy had stood up and scuttled away from him. All he could see was the petite''s woman back as she disappeared behind the doors.


    Joshua cursed loudly. He was not done with her. His hunger was not yet satisfied. He still wanted to do a lot of things but the call had disturbed his amazing moment with her. Now he was all flustered and annoyed on not being able to find his release. He wanted to kill the person responsible for his misery.


    "What?" Without seeing who had called him, he picked the call and bellowed. He was irked and the person on the other side could feel his anger just by listening to him.


    "Wow, wow. Calm down, Jo. What got your pants twisted? Are you alright?" Noah asked, surprised with his friend''s unusual behavior. He had never behaved this way before and Noah was worried thinking what might have happened to him.


    "Why did you call?" Joshua asked, controlling himself a little. But Noah could guess he was still furious about being disturbed. He wondered what was he so busy in that his call had made him lose his mind.


    "Are you busy? I''ll call you later if you are."


    Before Noah could cut the call, Joshua stopped him. "It''s okay. Tell me what you wanted to tell."


    "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine."


    "If you say so. I just wanted to ask you if we could meet tomorrow. I have a plan regarding your video game release. Since our company''s hotel inauguration and your video game release dates fall within the same week, I was thinking of doing it on the same day. If you could come over tomorrow, I can discuss the plan with you."


    "Sure. I''ll be there tomorrow."


    "Okay. By the way, what were you doing? Why were you angry?"


    "I was not angry."


    "Don''t lie to me, Jo. I could detect the change in your tone easily." Noah said and smiled faintly.


    Joshua sighed. He could never lie to his friends as they read him like the back of their hands. "I was with Ivy."


    "And?" Noah prompted, his eyes gleaming with interest.


    "We kissed."


    "Wow. That''s unbelievable. I am so sorry for disturbing your sweet time with her." Noah''s smile had reached his ears and he wished Aria was with him to hear this good news. She would have been ecstatic about seeing this progress between them.


    "That''s okay."


    However, Noah stopped smiling suddenly when he realized something. He remembered the fear of commitment Joshua had due to his failed relationship. Now that they had kissed, he did not know what the future held for them. Though he wanted the best for both of them, he did not want to butt in their relationship either. He could not stop himself from speaking his next words as he was still worried.


    "Jo, what do you have in mind? Are you going to start dating her now that you have kissed?"


    "I don''t know." He said, running his free hand smoothly through his hair in frustration. This question had been bugging him too and he did not know what he wanted. He was scared, scared of commitments. But he did not want to lose her either.


    "Why did you kiss her then?"


    "It just happened at the moment."


    "Jo, please think it through. How long are you going to run away from serious relationships? Are you sure you don''t want her? Are you sure you can stay cool when she starts dating someone? Can you tolerate it? Before that, tell me honestly. Do you not have any feelings for Ivy?"


    "I..I.."


    "Jo, let me warn you before. If you just going to toy with her, if your relationship with her is going to end somewhere in between, please don''t take this step. I do not want her hurt. She is not like the women you were with before. She has a pure heart and I don''t think Ivy will be able to take it if you break her heart."


    Joshua listened to his friends'' advice and realized the seriousness in his words. It was true that Ivy expected a long term relationship and this was a step he was hesitant to take. He did not want to go through the heartbreak again. He had suffered enough before and he would not suffer again.


    "I understand," Joshua answered and cut the call. He had made up his mind. He would never allow any sort of feelings develop for her. He would never fall in love. He would never hurt her nor himself. Hurting her was the last thing he had in mind. Though he had resolved his mind to stop those budding feelings for her, they had a mind of their own. The seed was already planted and even if he wanted he could not stop it from growing and he had no idea about it

 Chapter 238: Start

    Meanwhile, Ivy had rushed to her room after the intense kiss and her face was scorching hot just thinking about it. The kiss had made her breathless and speechless and her entire body had turned upside down. Her brain was not working properly, her heart was not in her control and her lips were swollen to a great extent. She wondered what would have happened if Joshua''s phone had not rung at that moment.


    She paced back and forth trying to calm her hyperactive heart. She was still in her swimsuit and her body was still wet. There was something else for her to worry about than her wet dress. She did not know what to do. She did not know how to face him now that they had kissed. ''Will the things between us change now? What will happen? Are we going to date now? Are we in a relationship?''


    Feeling her thoughts to be ludicrous, she shook her head. There was no way Joshua would have feelings for her. It was a moment of weakness. ''Yes, it is a moment of weakness. Nothing will happen between us.''


    Ivy took a deep breath and relaxed assuring her soaring her heart. She then went to take a bath not caring about anything.


    After thirty minutes, Ivy came down. She had changed out of her dress and now she had changed into her usual casual pants and shirt. Joshua, who was watching the TV sensed her coming near him and his body stiffened automatically. He did not know how to face her. ''What if she expects a relationship from me? What if she is not willing to take it lightly? Will she be angry? Will she leave this house?''


    His imagination ran wild and his heart began racing. Though he was not ready for a relationship or a commitment, he was not ready to let her leave either. It felt as though she was meant to stay here, in his house, with him. Her presence made his mood better and he had a feeling that the day she left his house, he would definitely be sad and the house would be gloomy. He would miss her for sure and he realized the feeling to be miserable.


    Before he could even start speaking, Ivy stopped him. "Let me speak first, please."


    "Sure." He agreed, waiting to see what she had to say.


    "That kiss should not have happened."


    As soon as she uttered these words, he felt a pang in his heart. It felt as though someone had squeezed his heart and it felt utterly uncomfortable.


    "It was just a moment of attraction and it meant nothing. You don''t have to take responsibility for it as we both got carried away in it. We were both at fault. So, let''s not blame each other and make it awkward between us. I know this meant nothing to you. Am I right?" Ivy looked at him expecting a positive answer, but her heart wanted another answer altogether. She wished for a bit that he had some feelings for her and would deny her claims. But she knew that would never happen.


    When Ivy enunciated the words she had in mind, Joshua too was having a sense of suffocation. He did not want to accept her claims. He did not want this to end this way. He did not want to lose her. He was not liking the way she wanted to evade the situation. He wished the mysterious thing they had to continue. At this instant, he realized what he wanted and it was her. He had made a decision and he would stand on it till the end.


    "No, Ivy. You are wrong. I am not going to let this go. I am not going to forget what we did nor am I going to allow you to do so. The kiss was not due to a moment of weakness or attraction. It was supposed to happen a long time ago but it happened now. And it happened right. I am not going to accept your claims. No."


    When Ivy heard him, her heart skipped a beat. It was dancing in happiness while her mind was still unable to comprehend what he had just said. She was unable to believe that the kiss meant something to him given his flirty character. She was in denial and Joshua could sense it seeing the doubtful expressions on her face.


    "Ivy, I do not want us to be awkward around each other. Also, I do not want to let you go either. So.." Joshua reduced the distance between them while Ivy took a step back, alerted. He looked just like a predator who was ready to hunt down his prey which right now was her. Before she could take another step back, he pulled her flush by her waist and locked her lips with his.


    This time the kiss was different. It was gentle and slow, nothing like the hot kiss they had shared at the poolside. Joshua poured out all the feelings he had for Ivy in the kiss and she could feel it with how intense the kiss was. Her body shuddered involuntarily and she kissed him back with the same vigor.


    Joshua perceived how great this felt. The kiss with her was the best kiss he ever had and deduced how right this was. His mind was already ecstatic and he smiled as he kissed her passionately.


    The kiss did not last long. He let her go after some time, but his hands were still on her waist. Ivy was still gasping for air and seeing her red cheeks and swollen lips, he could not control himself. He leaned closer and bit her apple-like cheeks making her yelp. She tried to escape from his embrace but he did not allow her to. It felt just right and he did not want her to leave his arms. She belonged there, close to him, to his heart.


    "What are you doing?"


    "What did I do sweetheart?" He teased, his eyes glinting in amusement. She looked so cute that he wanted to bite her again and he did just that. He bit her other cheek and she squealed again.


    "Why are you biting me? Are you a dog?" She scolded him as she tried to pry open his arms around her.


    "What can I do? You look so delicious that I cannot stop myself from taking a bite."


    Before she could protest again, he nibbled on her lips and pulled back with a smirk. "So tasty." He whispered and licked his lips seductively. This gesture made Ivy''s heart speed up and she stood still admiring the handsome man before her.


    Joshua noticed her starstruck gaze and his smile widened. Though it was her admiring him, he too did not fail to appreciate her beauty. She was beautiful, no doubt in that. But her eyes were the most attractive. They were very expressive and he could detect the raw feelings she had for him. He could see that she too felt the same as he felt for her and he understood that his decision to take this step ahead in this relationship was the best.


    The loud sound from the TV brought her out of her reverie and she blushed, which Joshua did not fail to notice. "So beautiful."


    He then caressed her cheek while she tried to escape his smoldering gaze on her. "Let me go. I need to cook." She cried, but he only tightened his arms around her.


    "No."


    "Please."


    "No."


    "We need to eat." She stated and glared at him, but it did not affect him in any way. It only made her look all the more cute.


    "I can eat you."


    "Joshua."


    "Yes, sweetheart?" He asked, his hand caressing her face dearly. His eyes were brimming with love and tenderness which Ivy had never seen before.


    "I am hungry."


    "You can eat me. I am ready to serve you."


    "You.." She pursed her lips in anger and he chuckled bemusedly.


    "Fine. But remember we are not done yet." He released her reluctantly and she let out a small smile. She took one last glance at him before she dashed towards the kitchen. Joshua laughed out loud seeing her scurry like a little frightened lamb.


    Fifteen minutes later.


    "Joshua, let me go," Ivy whined. She could not push him away as her hands were smeared with flour.


    "Nope." He bit her ear and licked it to soothe the pain and Ivy sighed. But the next instant she realized they were in the kitchen and she started chiding him again.


    "Let me go. Otherwise, we will not have anything for dinner."


    "No way." He hugged her tight, not allowing to move even an inch away from him.


    "With you like this, I don''t think I will be able to do anything here."


    "I don''t think so. You do what you want, I''ll do what I want."


    Ivy sighed. She could not do anything with the way the man was being all touchy and clingy. She started kneading the dough while Joshua''s hands wandered around her waist. Occasionally, he would kiss her on the cheek and bite her ears. It took Ivy lot of her self control not to latch at him.


    Finally, after a lot of touching and kissing, Ivy was finished preparing the dinner. Satisfied for now, Joshua released her and Ivy could finally relax. But how wrong was she! This was just the start. The man was going to go all in on her much to her dismay, unlike the way she had thought him to be.

 Chapter 239: Come clean

    Ivy had presumed that Joshua would not do anything to her at least during dinner. But she was wrong. She had never imagined that he would be this touchy with her with the way he had refused to leave her even while she was cooking. He had only allowed her the time she set the plates and the dishes on the table to be away from him. As he sat at his chair, waiting for her he had an evil smile on his face which Ivy did not notice.


    Once she was done arranging the plates, Ivy was about to sit in her usual position when Joshua pulled her suddenly making her squeal in surprise. Ivy did not even know what had happened. By the time her mind was back, she was already sitting on Joshua''s lap and he was smiling at her devilishly.


    "What are you doing?" She started nagging him, though she was not angry.


    "What am I doing?" He asked back feigning ignorance. He was enjoying her plight thoroughly. He liked the way she was getting flustered with all the things he was doing to her and it made him want to tease her and do things of these sorts all the more.


    "Let me go."


    "Why?"


    "I need to eat."


    "You can eat here."


    "But.."


    "Why? Can''t you eat while sitting on my lap?"


    "No."


    "Why?"


    "I am uncomfortable."


    "But I am fully comfortable. I have never been this comfortable before." He stated, his face becoming serious all of a sudden. His sudden confession stopped Ivy from struggling and she stared at him to see whether there was any sincerity in his words or not. But she could not make out anything with the way Joshua was being expressionless except for his eyes that were brimming with love and care for her. This was enough for her to calm her anxious mind.


    Joshua too stared back at her and on noticing her not moving even after a few minutes had passed, his lips quirked up a little. "Am I that handsome that you are unable to take your eyes off me?" He asked, his voice filled with playfulness making Ivy scoff.


    "Handsome? In your dreams."


    "Then, am I not handsome?" He asked raising an eyebrow and tightening his hands around her pulling her closer to him. But Ivy was unaware of the increasing closeness between them. She was still thinking about how to retort back to his question.


    "Umm? Let me think." Ivy said and glanced at the man before her before she averted her eyes.


    "Sure. But let me tell you, I am not going to let you go before you give me a satisfactory answer. So take your time and think well. We have all the time in the world."


    "Can I eat before I give you your answer?"


    "Sure."


    Joshua opened the plate covering one of the dishes and yelled in surprise. "Noodles?"


    But Ivy did not answer him. She was staring at him, no almost glared at him intently until he looked at her to see what she wanted.


    "What?" He asked innocently when he knew what exactly she wanted.


    "Release me." She said raising her eyebrows.


    "Why?"


    "Because I need to eat." She answered and gave him a look that clearly read ''I think you have become a fool. Your mind has lost its thinking capacity.''


    "You can eat here. When did I stop you?"


    "Oh really?" Ivy asked folding her hands. When she couldn''t do so, it was only then did she realize how close they were.


    "Yes." Joshua did not wait for her and started serving food on his plate while Ivy tried all possible means to get up from his lap. But it was in vain. It made her wonder where exactly was the strength stored in his body. Though he looked thin, he was stronger than many hefty men. She had seen the way he had sent those hooligans flying in the club and unknowingly she pressed on his biceps, trying to squeeze them.


    Joshua stopped what he was doing with the ladle in his hand and his eyes darted to where Ivy was pressing on his biceps. He felt weird with the way she was squeezing them while she admired them. "What are you doing?"


    "I like your biceps," Ivy answered absent-mindedly before she comprehended what she had done. She retracted her hands immediately and turned away from him in embarrassment.


    "Well, thank you for your appreciation. I guess my hard work since childhood paid off today. If you want to admire them more, I can remove my shirt I am wearing for you to see to your heart''s content." Joshua placed the ladle back in the bowl and leaned closer to her before he whispered, "I can strip for you if you want and you can admire as much as you desire."


    Ivy shivered as soon as his hot breath fell on her ears and she pulled away from him at once. "No. No. I am fine. No need for stripping. I am fine."


    Joshua smiled seeing her get agitated. Unable to control himself, he held her head by her hair, strong enough to keep her in place but not strong enough to hurt her, startling her in the process, and forced her to look at him before he pecked her lips.


    He then returned his attention towards the delicious food before him while he waited for Ivy to get her senses back.


    "Are you not going to eat today? Are you in the mood to fast?" Joshua took the first bite and licked his lips happily. The food was as great as always. Since the time Ivy had started living with him, he was having the food prepared by her every night. After tasting such delicacies, he found everything else bland. None of the restaurants or the master chefs could produce any dish to his liking. It was Ivy and her cooking he liked the most.


    "I am very hungry. But how am I supposed to eat with the way you are holding me. Let go of me so that I can eat to my heart''s content." Ivy protested but failed miserably when Joshua''s evil gaze fell on her.


    "Well, I am not allowing you to leave from here. So, if you want to eat, eat in this position." Seeing her hesitate, he continued. "I have a solution to your dilemma. If you want, I will tell you."


    Ivy waited for him to speak but seeing his devilish smirk, she deduced that he had some wicked ideas in mind. She watched Joshua twirl a fork full of noddles before he put it into his mouth. As she waited, Joshua inched closer to her and before she could even object, he had pressed his lips on her, forced her to open her mouth to take in all that he had in his mouth.


    Joshua only pulled back when he had pushed all the noodles he had in his mouth and smiled in satisfaction. "How did you like this method? I loved it. The food tastes better this way. Don''t you think so?"


    He took another bite and leaned in for another kiss. But Ivy stopped him suddenly. Seeing that her mouth was still stuffed, he waited until she had chewed and swallowed everything before he proceeded with his attempt again, only to be stopped again.


    "Joshua, wait."


    "No."


    "Please."


    "No." It sounded weird and came out muffled with the way he was holding the noddles in his mouth.


    "It''s serious."


    He sighed and dropped the fork. He swallowed the food in his mouth before he started speaking again. "Fine. Tell me what you have in your mind?"


    "Why are you doing this?"


    "What am I doing?"


    "A few hours ago, we were just good friends who were staying in the same house. But now, you are kissing me, hugging me and even clinging to me like a koala bear. I am unable to understand you. What is happening? Please explain before I lose my mind."


    Joshua leaned back and he released his hold on her. He made her sit on the chair beside him and adjusted it such that she was facing him directly. He held her hands in his and gazed at her locking her eyes with his. "Ivy, I have some things I want to tell you and I guess it''s time for me to come clean."

 Chapter 240: Gem

    "What do you mean by you want to come clean? Do you have something you want to tell me?" Ivy furrowed her eyebrows wondering what Joshua wanted to tell. The sudden change in his behavior had been startling. Just a few minutes ago, he had been all loving and caring, and now he had become serious as though he was about to give someone a death sentence.


    "Yes. It''s about my past." Joshua answered after thinking for a while. He was hesitant to reveal all that he had hidden deep in his mind and body. But he knew if he had to proceed to have a good future without any remorse, it was best he told her everything about him, of course omitting the facts related to her father.


    Seeing Joshua silent as he tried to arrange his messy thoughts, Ivy pressed slightly on his hands. "It''s okay if you don''t want to tell me now. I''ll wait. You don''t have to force yourself."


    Hearing her words, Joshua sighed lightly. He decided it was best he told her now. "No, Ivy. I will tell you everything now."


    Ivy stayed quiet as she waited for him to speak. She did not want to rush through things and she realized that it was taking him a great deal of courage and strength to speak about things that he had buried long back.


    "When I first started my own company, it was not registered under our family business. I wanted to take over my Dad''s position only after I felt I deserved it, not because I owned it and it came to me by birth. I did not want people to have any sort of doubts about my skills and capabilities. With my parents'' support, I opened my company."


    Ivy listened to him intently without interrupting him as he continued his story. "I did not take much help from my father and started my work just like how any novice businessman would. I took financial assistance from banks instead of using my Dad''s money or the company''s money. It was very tiring at first when there were not many people who were supportive of the idea."


    "What do you mean by ''not supportive''? Did nobody support you other than your family?" Ivy stopped him suddenly when she heard his words.


    "They did. My friends, Noah and Ian supported me right from the start. There was my father''s assistant''s daughter who supported unconditionally too. She was the only one who had seen my skills in coding other than Noah and Ian. Her name was Margaret. She was like a younger sister to me." Joshua smiled as soon as he took Maggie''s name and Ivy could detect the brotherly feelings he had for her.


    "But the one person who I wanted the trust and support from was against my decisions. It was my then-girlfriend, Amber."


    "Amber?"


    "Yes. She was my first girlfriend and the girl who I loved the most once upon a time."


    Ivy felt a pang in her heart hearing Joshua proclaim his love to the woman she did not even know. But she realized that it was all in the past and it did not matter now. So, she did not say anything.


    "She did not encourage my decision and we used to fight a lot due to this. She never realized that it was my dream that I wanted to achieve. Since childhood, I wanted to be a game designer as I liked playing games. So, I wanted to make a career in it before I took over our family business."


    Joshua stopped suddenly and his eyes became sad when he remembered all the fights and quarrels they had when this issue had arisen in the past. Never had it ended pleasantly and every time Amber would leave crying and he would end up being frustrated and angry.


    Seeing his desolated look, Ivy handed him a glass of water which he took gratefully. He took a sip and placed it back on the table. "She wanted me to take over my Dad''s position against my wishes. She did not like the idea of me opening my own dream company and she always felt that I would be a failure without my Dad''s backing."


    Ivy narrowed her eyes suddenly listening to his words. Though Joshua had not noticed in all the years he had been in relationship with Amber, Ivy had deduced the woman''s character just by listening to him tell about his past. That woman was anything but good.


    Ivy stared at Joshua without blinking her thoughts running wild. ''How do I tell you that woman was not good for you? She was not with you due to love or the feelings she had for you. She was with you because of the surname you carried. You have no idea how much weightage it has. She was behind your money, not you.'' But she did not say anything. She did not want to hurt him more than he already was.


    "As my workload increased when I started to develop my first game, my time with her reduced. We started spending less time and our regular meets became occasionally meets. She started finding faults in me and even accused me of having a secret affair behind her back. She wanted me to go with her to the movies, shopping and go eat at the restaurants. But all I had in mind was to work hard and make my own money. I wanted my woman to get the best things in the world, but using my hard-earned, not my Dad''s or anybody else''s."


    Ivy smiled. The man before her was a gem. Who would think this way when they have been born with a golden spoon in hand? He had the resources and his life was set before him. All he had to do was to follow his father and take over his seat. But Joshua had chosen the hard route. He had first chosen to make himself capable before everything else. ''This man is incredible and that woman is a fool to think otherwise.''


    "The distance between us only grew and one day she left me without any reason. I searched for her for days when finally after a week, I found her kissing a man on the streets and entering a Porsche together. Then I changed. I started to believe that there was no true love. It was all bullshit."


    "Is this the reason why you became a flirt?"


    Joshua smiled suddenly. "Yes. Though I could not commit myself in a serious relationship, at least I could have my fair share of fun, and anyway, those women came to me themselves. You know how difficult it is to reject a pretty woman." Joshua winked and Ivy realized that he was back to normal. He was out of his grieving mode and a flirtatious smile was plastered on his face.


    "Yeah right." She scoffed, though her face was telling something else. She was smiling in relief. She did not like the serious and sad Joshua. She liked the man who always played around, teasing people around him. She liked his smile and the way his eyes shone when he was up to something mysterious and evil. She felt happy seeing him happy and she threw herself on him all of a sudden and hugged him tightly, surprising him.


    However, she pulled back when she heard his next words. "Preserve your hugs and kisses as there is more to the story."


    ----------------


    Hey guys,


    I am going to give a mass release on 31st August.


    The number of chapters released will be based on the number of votes this book will receive after the weekly reset.


    The votes will be counted from 24th August to 30th August (GMT+8) until reset.


    Less than 1000 - 2 chapters


    More than 1000 - 4 chapters


    More than 1500 - 6 chapters


    So, what are you waiting for? Start voting.

 Chapter 241: Different

    "What?" Ivy asked perplexed. "Is there more to your story?"


    "What do you think?" Joshua smirked at her stupefied face. Though the situation was different, he was actually enjoying her complete attention on him. He could see the care, worry and an unknown emotion which he presumed to be love in her eyes and his heart leaped in joy automatically. He was suddenly very happy, not because all the load he had on his heart was released, but because he had Ivy with him.


    "What more do I have to listen to?" She pretended as though she was already bored but her actions spoke otherwise. Unknowingly she leaned in closer to him waiting for him to continue speaking, which Joshua noticed.


    "After our so-called breakup, I started to work hard, harder than usual as I did not have to entertain her anymore, and now I have reached where I wanted to be. However,"


    Ivy blinked when this word called however rolled out of his mouth.


    "She leaving me left a huge hole and I couldn''t bring myself to into any serious relationship. I didn''t want to go through the same heartbreak again. I know I am partly at fault because I did not give her the time as other couples. We did nothing while we were dating. So, I don''t blame her much."


    Though Joshua did not blame Amber, Ivy had different things in mind. She blamed her, cursed her, and kicked her butt in her mind for breaking down such a wonderful man. It was understandable that they could not spend time due to his workload. But at least she could have been supportive. They could have talked it over and found a solution that benefited both rather than her leaving him without giving any valid reasons. She was planning on even killing her for leaving him. But on second thought, she also wanted to reward her for leaving. If she didn''t do so, Ivy would have never had the chance to get to know him and be with him.


    She came out of her thoughts when she heard Joshua continue. "I felt that I was incompetent in a relationship and if I started dating again maybe I would hurt the girl in the process. So, I did not get involved with any women until now."


    He stopped suddenly when he saw Ivy raise her eyebrows and he realized what he had said. Before she could point out the error, he corrected himself. "Other than sexually, of course. But nothing serious ever happened between us."


    "Then, what is happening between us? Is this only a sexual attraction or anything more?" Ivy asked, her voice almost coming out as a whisper and Joshua did not have to be a genius, which he actually was, to guess that she was insecure. He could practically see the gears turning in her head and before her imagination ran wild he stopped her.


    "No, Ivy. I agree that I don''t love you, not yet. But I am attracted to you, not only sexually but in other ways too. I like you being around me. I like that you take care of me, cook for me. I like that when I am home, I have someone who will be there with me and that someone being you. I feel happy when I talk to you. I feel my worries just vanish just by seeing you. My heart yearns for in your absence and my soul connects to you."


    "Is it true or am I hearing things?" Ivy said, unable to comprehend what she had just heard. Her brain was in a mush and all her thoughts were jumbled up. Though she was hearing the things she wanted to hear, she still assumed all of it to be her illusion, a beautiful dream which she never wanted to break.


    Joshua chortled and squeezed her hands. "It''s true. You are not dreaming. I agree that at first, I did not want to take this step. I tried to curb these feelings which I don''t know when they started developing. Even after we kissed by the poolside, I was skeptical. I wanted to tell you the same things you told me. I wanted to ask you to forget about whatever happened. I had made up my mind. But when you spoke those words first, I realized how bitter they were. They were anything but pleasing to hear. I did not want to forget whatever transpired between us. I did not want to end this just like that. I could not accept that you wanted me to just leave it as it was."


    Joshua leaned back and closed his eyes organizing his thoughts. It took him some time to calm down before he started speaking again. "It was then I realized what I wanted and it was you. If I did not take the step then, I knew I would lose something which is very precious and dear to me and it was not acceptable to me. So, I made a decision."


    "And that decision was to kiss me?" Ivy blurted out with a pout, making Joshua chuckle again.


    "No, to give this relationship a chance."


    "What if you regret it in the future?"


    "I won''t. Because I trust you not to leave me and this time I will make sure to give you all the time in the world."


    "Ahh," Ivy said as the realization hit her. "Is that why you were being clingy and touchy before? Is this your idea of giving time?"


    "Yes. Do you like it? I know you do. I can see it in your eyes." Joshua gave her a devilish grin to her, which Ivy failed to notice. She had other things in mind. Her thoughts were stuck on what he had said.


    "You don''t even know if I want this, if I want to be with you and you trust me not to break your heart. Aren''t you a little too overconfident? What if I don''t want to be with you?"


    Joshua started to panic listening to her. "What? Don''t you like me? I thought you did. I assumed that you responded to the kiss because you had some feelings for me. Am I wrong? Don''t tell me I am wrong. Please." Joshua begged and he got down on his knees. His eyes were anxious and he was ready to break down if she rejected him.


    Seeing his dejected yet hopeful gaze, Ivy couldn''t bring herself to lie or tease him about her feelings. She did not know when she started liking him but she did. However, she had been hesitant to approach him or even allow her feelings to grow. Now that she found out their feelings to be mutual, she was ecstatic. Her heart ached when she saw the man plead her to accept him and she hugged him tight immediately.


    "When did I say I don''t like you? I like you too. I thought you read my feelings like a book. Oh, how wrong was I?" Ivy whined while Joshua tightened the embrace.


    "Thank God. You scared me."


    "I am sorry."


    They stayed like that in each other arms for some time before Ivy spoke first. "I think the food is getting cold. We need to eat."


    "Yeah."


    "Before that, I need to speak to you about something."


    "Sure. Tell me."


    "I know that neither of us love each other right now. We have not reached that stage yet. So, let''s try to understand each other first. Let''s start from the beginning. Okay? We can take it slow before we..." She gestured both her forefingers back and forth between Joshua and her and he being intelligent understood what she wanted to convey immediately.


    "Are you talking about sex?"


    "Yeah," Ivy answered with a blush.


    "How cute." Joshua smiled seeing her flustered. He wanted to kiss her again. But he had to give her a reply before that.


    "Don''t worry Ivy. I will not have sex with you until I am a hundred percent that both of us love each other. Okay? Are you comfortable now? Also, don''t worry. I am a loyal man."


    "Thank you so much." This was what Ivy wanted to hear and she was very much satisfied with his reply.


    "Now that we are done with the talking, come let''s eat." Before Ivy could say anything, he lifted her from her chair and placed her on his lap again.


    "What are you doing?" She squalled.


    "What?" Joshua gave her an innocent look and kissed her cheek before he started eating again.


    "We were supposed to take it slow."


    "Yeah?"


    "So leave me."


    "We agreed not to have sex. Never did you tell me not to touch you or kiss you. It is not included in our agreement. Even if it was I won''t stop kissing you or touching you. You can forget about it. So, stop crying and start eating. I can feed if you want." Joshua picked a forkful of noddles and held it in front of her mouth and coaxed her like a kid to open her mouth.


    Ivy did not have any other choice than to do as he wished. She wondered what she had signed up for and how different would her life be from now on.

 Chapter 242: Fear

    The dinner went on smoothly with Joshua who had taken up the job of feeding Ivy to her full. He made sure she ate well while they shared the same plate and spoon much to Ivy''s dismay.


    The entire time while they ate Joshua did not allow Ivy to leave his embrace. She had to eat her food sitting on his lap which Joshua enjoyed very much. He was liking how close their bodies were that he could almost hear her rhythmic heartbeat. It was as though his lap was made exclusively for her to sit.


    After dinner, Joshua took up the job of cleaning the dining table while Ivy was watching TV in the living room. Since Aria had called her the previous day, she would not be calling her that day. As she changed the channels, she came upon a news channel that was still telecasting the Military Chief, General Moore''s death. Though a few days had passed since his death, the police had failed to produce any evidence or find the culprit. Even the members of Intelligence who were working on the case in secret had failed to produce any results.


    Ivy halted seeing the news and she frowned. Her hands were itching to take up this case. But she knew how risky it was. Max had warned her not to take any new missions right now as they did not have a platform to tell about it to the public. Even Noah had warned her to stay low for some time. So she gave up her idea reluctantly.


    Joshua had finished cleaning. All he had to do was to throw the used dishes in the dishwasher and clean the table slightly. And lo he was done.


    He stealthily walked behind Ivy and on observing that her concentration was completely on the news that was being telecasted, he bent forward and bit her ear stupefying her.


    "What are doing?" She whispered, her breath hitched when he licked her ear lobe. It was too sensual for Ivy and she tried to wriggle her way out of it.


    Joshua let her go and jumped over the sofa neatly and sat down beside her. He then pulled her by her shoulder closer to him as he too started watching the news. "What are you watching?"


    Ivy, who was trying to control her erratic heartbeat, failed to answer her making his lips raise a little. He loved the way she reacted to his touch. It made him want to touch her all the more.


    He suddenly had a thought that how comfortable they were with each other even though their relationship had just started. They were behaving as though they were in love with each other for long. Nobody felt weird or uncomfortable and he was genuinely happy seeing how this was going. It felt as though everything in his life was going to be peaceful and beautiful from now on.


    Ivy suddenly remembered something. Her gaze turned to him and he too turned to her when he sensed her intense eyes on him. His eyebrows raised wondering what she had in mind.


    "Umm. After your relationship ended with Amber," Ivy paused to see if he was comfortable with her starting this conversation. When he did not say a thing nor did he give any reaction, she continued. "Did she try to contact you at any time?"


    Joshua understood what she wanted to ask and what her concerns were. "I never contacted her even once. However, she tried to contact me a few times. But I did not want to speak to her. So, I rejected her. She even waited near my company to find a chance to approach me. I ignored her and since then I haven''t heard from her."


    "If she tries to contact you now or in the future, will you talk to her?"


    "Maybe no."


    Ivy twisted her body such that now she was fully facing him and Joshua had to release her shoulder much to his dismay. "Why?"


    "I don''t know. I never felt like speaking to her. She left me and that was it."


    "But why do I feel that you want to talk to her at least once? You want to ask her why she left you, why she hurt you. You want to hear her speak those words. Am I wrong?"


    Joshua was silent. Whatever Ivy was saying was the truth. He wanted to ask her a lot of things, but he was unable to face Amber. He knew he was being a coward. However, he did not have the courage to speak to her.


    "Joshua, listen to me. If she calls you again next time, speak to her."


    "But.." Joshua tried to interrupt her. However, Ivy did not allow him to.


    "Listen to my words first. Please."


    Joshua sighed in defeat. He did not have any other choice anyway. "Okay."


    "Speak to her. I can see that she still bothers you. You still think about her occasionally. It''s best if you get a clean breakup from her. I promise you, you will feel happy and light-weighted. Trust me."


    Joshua thought through her words and felt her to be right. He was surprised when she had read his mind correctly. It was true that he thought about Amber sometimes. It was not because he had feelings for her once upon a time, but because he wanted answers from her. He wanted to know why she left him. He wanted to know if what he had assumed the reason for her to leave him matched with hers or not. It kept bugging his mind even now and he realized how much the woman affected him. Ivy''s suggestion made him open his eyes and he finally made a decision.


    "Fine. I''ll talk to her if she contacts me."


    "Thank you."


    Joshua hugged her and kissed her forehead lightly thanking the Gods for bringing such an amazing woman, who right now was in his embrace, in his life.


    "By the way, what does this Amber girl do?" Ivy queried. Her voice came out muffled as she was still hugging him.


    "She is a jeweler designer. I think you might know her. Have you heard about Amber Jones? She is the owner of the jewelry brand AJ."


    "Oh my God lord. That woman is Amber? That explains it then." Ivy exclaimed in surprise.


    "Why? Do you know her?"


    "Not exactly. I had to cover one of my ex-colleagues work once as she was sick. It was an interview with Amber. I did not like her in the first meet itself. Sorry to say this. She has a very haughty character. Very arrogant and rude."


    "No offense taken. She means nothing to me now."


    "I hope so," Ivy mumbled softly but Joshua heard it nevertheless. He hugged her tight to console her. She did not have anything to worry about as he would allow no one to come between them. But he had one fear, the fear that even Noah had. It was the fear of losing her after she learned the truth of her father. Irrespective of what the future held, he would never allow Ivy to leave him. Never.


    -----------------


    Hey guys,


    Please don''t forget to votes. Based the number of votes this week, the number of chapters will be released accordingly (along with the daily release)


    Less than 1000 - 2 chapters


    More than 1000 - 4 chapters


    More than 1500 - 6 chapters

 Chapter 243: Suggestion

    While Joshua and Ivy''s relationship had taken a beautiful turn, the person who had made Joshua realize his love for her was having a hard time in his love''s absence. Since the time Aria had left the city, he was barely managing himself to stay sane. He missed her dearly and all his thought would be about her. Even during meetings, he would be absent-minded and he had to go through the minutes again to see everything he had missed.


    All his employees wondered what was wrong with their boss. The man who expected perfection and worked with utmost concentration seemed lost ost of the time. His body was here but his mind was elsewhere. Only Ronnie and Steve knew what the matter was and who was responsible for it.


    However, irrespective of his tremendous work, Noah would always manage to reach home by eight. Oliver would be waiting for him and since the time he had been staying at Noah''s house, he had made up his mind to cook for him as a token of gratitude. He had seen that though Noah had a lot of maids and servants in his house, it was he who usually cooked for himself. So, he had taken the kitchen work upon himself against Noah''s wishes. He did not want to freeload in his house and take Noah''s kindness lightly. Moreover, he was dying of boredom since he had no work to do.


    As usual, Noah arrived on time and saw Oliver in the kitchen cooking for him and he sighed lightly. His father-in-law was just as stubborn as his daughters. As it was said, ''The apples doesn''t fall far from the tree''. Like father, like daughters.


    He freshened up as fast as he could and came down to talk to Oliver. He had some good news to convey. He had successfully bought the news agency he had been eyeing for long and he had also applied for a license. All that was left was for his agency to start operating.


    Ronnie too joined them during dinner and Noah brought up this matter. "Mr. West, I have bought the agency now. What should my first step be?"


    Oliver stopped eating immediately when he heard Noah''s words and stared at him surprised. He knew what Noah''s plans were. He had not hidden anything from Oliver. He had briefed him all that he had in mind and had requested Oliver to give his ideas and suggestions too. Noah had laid all his strategy in front of him for him to analyze and scrutinize it and Oliver had taken up the job happily.


    It had taken Oliver just one day to go through his ideologies and he had come to admire the young man before him greatly. Though he knew nothing about how the mass media worked, he had done a good job, better than most people whose expertise lied in this field. He had also been surprised when Noah had told about his intention to buy a news agency which was about to go bankrupt than to establish a new one. And Oliver had agreed with his decision. They could cut down on the initial expenditure this way. Though Noah had so much money with him that he could open a company with ease, it was still better to reduce unnecessary expenditure.


    Their aim was to think smart, not to think in a hurry. Moreover, the equipment in their newly acquired agency was of top quality. So, why would they require so much investment?


    Noah noticed Oliver''s surprised expression and looked at him in confusion. He wondered what he had done wrong. "Mr. West, is anything the matter?"


    "Not at all. I am just pleasantly stunned on hearing your achievement. If I am not wrong, you told me that it would take at least a month to get our hands on the agency. How did you obtain it this early?"


    Noah grinned like a small boy on hearing his compliments. "That. Their stocks plunged to an all-time low yesterday. So, the chairman had no choice but to sell it to me."


    Ronnie coughed lightly hearing his Boss words. Though it was the truth, only Noah and he knew what had actually happened. With Joshua''s help, they had found some proofs against the agency Chairman who was involved in some shady dealings with some powerful men. All they had to do release the moderately effective dealings discreetly on social networking sites while keeping the severe ones with them for further use.


    It was news of the Chairman completely covering the proofs against one of the government officials'' son who was suspected of supplying and taking drugs. This news spread like fire and his agency''s stocks plunged to an all-time low. Next, Noah did not visit him personally. But sent one his trusted men with the remaining proofs to seal the deal and by the end of the day, Noah had become the owner.


    "That''s nice to hear. Well done." Oliver praised him wholeheartedly and again, Noah smiled like a little kid who had just been appreciated for getting the first rank in the school. "Now that you are the owner, what have you thought about the already existing employees? Are you going to keep them or are you going to hire new staff?"


    "That is one of the troubles I am having in my mind. What do you suggest, Mr. West? What is the best solution?"


    "If you ask my opinion, I suggest you keep them. It is tiring to hire new employees and you never know who they are working for. I am not saying there might not a rat among the current ones. With my years of experience, I am sure there are at least a few people who would have joined just to sabotage the actual news. It''s best to keep a lookout for them while we work."


    "Hmm. Fair enough."


    "Also, the new employees will need training and that will take some time. Retain most of them and fire all those who you feel are just there to create nuisance and disturbance. And, hire some new staff. It''s best to have fresh faces in the offices.


    "Hmm. I''ll take all your suggestions into consideration."


    Oliver started eating and Noah followed suit. But Ronnie stayed still. Seeing him not eating, Oliver blinked twice before he started speaking. "Is the food not to your liking, child?" Noah''s eyes too landed on Ronnie and he raised an eyebrow wondering why he looked so lost.


    Ronnie was startled with the sudden intrusion and he scratched his nape awkwardly. "No Sir. The food is really good."


    "Then, why are you not eating?"


    "I was thinking over your words and I suddenly had an idea."


    "Go ahead, son. Let''s see what you have got."


    Ronnie glance at his Boss who gave him a nod for him to speak. "Sure sir. But let''s finish our dinner first. I am a little hungry."


    "Aww. So cute. Let''s have his talk after dinner."


    Noah''s head snapped to Oliver when he heard the word cute again. What was with the West family calling his guard cute? He was anything but that. He sighed and chuckled lightly. They did not know Ronnie at all. Otherwise, the word cute would be far from what they would describe him. He made up his mind that one day in the future, he would show them live how horrible Ronnie could be and he would see if found him to be cute again.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please don''t forget to votes. Based the number of votes this week, the number of chapters will be released accordingly (along with the daily release)


    Less than 1000 - 2 chapters


    More than 1000 - 4 chapters


    More than 1500 - 6 chapters

 Chapter 244: Hire

    The dinner went on smoothly with Noah and Ronnie appreciating how good a cook Oliver was. They could see where Ivy inherited her skills from. After dinner, the three men were in Noah''s study waiting to see what Ronnie had in mind.


    "I have a suggestion, or an idea whichever category it fits." Ronnie stopped suddenly and turned to look at Noah who nodded for him to continue. "Even if we keep the exiting staff, we don''t know how loyal they will be or to whom they are working for behind the scenes."


    "Correct." Oliver clasped his hands and held them below his lips as he listened intently to Ronnie.


    "Even the senior-most or highly experienced employees might not be true to their work. So, why don''t we create positions that are above them and hire people we trust. These people will decide what news to telecast and what all to be discarded. So, people are trying to hide something related to some powerful person, then they will get to know immediately."


    Oliver thought for some time and Noah too pondered on this suggestion. This was a good idea to implement. Using this method, they could keep a check on all that would take place in the agency.


    After a lot of thinking, Oliver was the first one to speak. "Your suggestion is very good. But there is a problem with it."


    "And what might that be?" Noah asked. Though he liked Ronnie''s idea, he too felt that there was something missing in it.


    "This suggestion will work if the person leading the department gets all the news that has been collected. What if there is someone at the lower levels who try to manipulate with it? Then, we will never know about it."


    "Hmm. That''s a possibility. I did not think about it." Ronnie mused, his eyes narrowing slightly.


    "This is where we can make use of the new staff we hire." Noah chimed suddenly gaining the two men''s attention.


    "What do you mean?"


    "The new staff we hire will be trained to report to the department leader directly. He or she will be in charge of all the news that has been collected by their concerned department. Yeah, but if this person too turns out to be a mole, we cannot help it."


    "True. We cannot completely erase their existence. We can only reduce their number. This suggestion is good. We can implement it right away." Oliver agreed and clapped lightly thinking all problems to have been solved.


    "I have a concern. How do we hire those department leaders? We need people who have experience and who can take up this job confidently. They also need to be honest."


    "Do you know anybody who fits this criteria? We need at least some people." Oliver queried, thinking of all his past friends who might help him now.


    "How many departments there might be?"


    "See, there are sports, celebrity gossip and entertainment, politics, crime, international news, weather, business to name a few. These are some of them and in big agencies, the departments for each of these will be different. If you want I can make a complete layout. But I''ll need some time."


    "Sure, Mr. West. Take your time. We are not in a hurry. anyway" Noah agreed readily as they really had a lot of time. He had given Ivy and her team a month''s time to come up with a plan and barely ten days had passed now.


    "I think you know now how many people we will be needing. Do you have someone who can do this job?" Oliver asked when this issue was settled for now.


    "I know one man who can do this job. He is quite capable." Noah replied. He had immediately thought about Max when Ronnie had put forth this suggestion. He was the best man for this job. With his experience and skills, he could easily take over the position. Though he also had Ivy mind, he knew she would never do boring jobs like these given her character. She was more fit to collect the news rather than to take decisions. So, he had erased her name in the list instantly.


    "Hmm. That''s good. We have one person with us. I think I know a few people from the past who might be interested in this job, but I don''t know if they are alive or not. And even they are, I don''t know if they are still here in this city."


    "But there''s nothing wrong in contacting them right?" Ronnie added. "If they are interested in working for us, then that''s great. If not, then that''s fine too."


    "That''s right. Give us their names and we will contact them." Noah agreed with Ronnie at once.


    "Sure. I have their names in a dairy which is at my house. If I could retrieve it, then I could give you their details."


    Hearing his words, Noah immediately remembered something. When Joshua and he had gone to Ivy''s house, he had found a diary that was filled with names and their details. He had ignored it at that time as he had deemed them to be unimportant. Now he knew what it held. He had to talk to Joshua to see if Ivy had brought the diary with her or not. Else, they would have to make a trip to her house to retrieve it.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. West. I''ll take care of it. I think you must be exhausted right now. Take rest and don''t forget to take your medicines."


    Oliver bade him goodnight and went to his room while Ronnie and Noah stayed back. They still had work to do.


    "Ronnie, tell Shane to fix an appointment with Ivy and her team the day after tomorrow. I have somethings to discuss with them."


    "Okay, Boss."


    "Also, your ideas were good. Well done."


    "Thank you, Boss." Ronnie smiled cheekily and scratched his neck again.


    Noah pulled out his phone to make a call to Joshua to check about the whereabouts of the diary. But he stopped himself when he remembered what Joshua had told him over the phone in the evening. ''They must be solving their issues. I''ll talk to him tomorrow when he comes to the office. I hope everything is alright with him and Ivy.''


    Taking a deep breath, he and Ronnie started going through the plans for their hotel''s inauguration. The date was nearing and they had a lot of work to do.


    --------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please don''t forget to votes. Based the number of votes this week, the number of chapters will be released accordingly (along with the daily release)


    Less than 1000 - 2 chapters


    More than 1000 - 4 chapters


    More than 1500 - 6 chapters


    -------------------


    The next two chapters have been set as privilege. Please do consider buying it. It just costs 1 coin to unlock the the privilege.

 Chapter 245: Tricked

    The next day.


    Joshua was sitting in Noah''s office as he waited for the man to come back from his meeting. Noah had to attend a meeting with the executives at the last moment as there were some changes to be made in the hotel inauguration schedule. The hotel was the biggest and most magnificent hotel built by the Carter Enterprise in the country and Noah was making sure that everything was perfect. He did not want even a minute thing to go wrong as this hotel was one of his highly anticipated projects.


    Since he was already in the meeting when Joshua dropped by, he could do nothing but to ask his friend to wait for him. Having no other choice, Joshua could only follow suit and wait for him in his office. Tired and bored, Joshua had picked up Noah''s laptop and started working on it as he too had a deadline to meet.


    His fast fingers stopped suddenly when he remembered something that had transpired between him and Ivy the previous day. He remembered that they had cuddled all through the evening after dinner. However, the most interesting part happened when they were about to go to sleep. He had followed Ivy till her room and before he could take a step inside, Ivy stopped him right at the door.


    "What are you doing?" Ivy folded her hands and leaned against the door, raising an eyebrow.


    "I want to sleep."


    "Then go to your room."


    "This is my room."


    "Since when?"


    "Since the day this house was built." Joshua shrugged as though he was stating the fact.


    "Oh, is it? I didn''t know that. Thank you for telling me."


    "You are welcome. Now, move. I am very sleepy today and I have an important meeting tomorrow morning. I don''t wish to be late." Joshua lightly pushed Ivy such that there was space for him to squeeze inside, but not hard enough to hurt her. He then jumped on the bed like a cat and lied down and patted the space beside him.


    "What are you waiting for over there? Come here, your boyfriend is over here. Or, are you going to stand the entire night and wait for the sun to rise?"


    "Are you my boyfriend now?" Ivy asked with an innocent expression, but her eyes were shining in mischief.


    "Am I not? Then, what am I?"


    "I don''t know. You tell me what you are to me."


    "Let me think." Joshua pretended as though he was thinking seriously while he glimpsed at Ivy, who was still standing by the doorway.


    "I think I am your darling, your sweetheart, your love, or even better your man. Am I right?" Ivy''s heart hammered in her chest hearing his words and she blushed a magnificent glow of red. Even her neck had become red. Joshua saw her shy expression and his smile reached his ears.


    "I think you got your answers. Now, come. Let''s sleep."


    "You know what?" Ivy started and Joshua narrowed his eyes to see what tricks she had in mind now. "I was thinking of sleeping in your room. It is bigger than mine and it is more beautiful and cozy. So, you sleep here while I''ll sleep there."


    "You naughty girl," Joshua remarked with a devilish smirk. "When did you peep through the door and look into my room?"


    "I am not sure. Maybe when I was sleepwalking."


    "Do you have the habit of sleepwalking?" Joshua asked perplexed, with his eyes wide and jaws dropped.


    "Yes. Sometimes, I even carry a knife intending to kill anyone who comes in my way at that time. Even Aria is scared of me when I am sleeping. So, she always locks her room to protect herself from me. You never know which door would be opened by me and who would be at the receiving end of my knife. It''s better to be safe than sorry."


    Joshua gulped unknowingly. But when he saw the diablerie in her eyes he realized that she was trying to pull his leg all the while. He smiled at her flabbergasting her. "Hmm. Then from now on, I''ll remember to keep the door open whenever I am sleeping. Who wouldn''t want to get killed by a beautiful woman? It is a dream come true. On a second thought," Joshua paused suddenly. "I don''t think it''s necessary. I will be sleeping in the same room as you. So, it''s fine."


    Ivy stared at him in shock. ''What was this man even talking about? Who is sleeping with whom? Me and him, in the same room? No way.''


    "Aren''t you scared?" She asked after some time.


    "About what?"


    "About me hurting you with a knife."


    "Should I be?"


    "I guess," Ivy asked confused.


    Joshua chuckled seeing her cute expression and he got off the bed. He padded towards her slowly until he was right in front of her. Ivy had to crane her neck to meet his eyes as he was too close to her.


    "There is nothing to be scared of. If you try to attack me then," Joshua clasped both her hands in his and held them tight. He then pushed her lightly until her back was pressed to the wall. "I''ll do this and hold you tight so that you will not leave me or hurt me. How is the idea? Ain''t it awesome?"


    Ivy was so lost in his deep and gorgeous eyes that she did not hear a thing he had said. So, she first nodded and shook her head and then nodded again. She then furrowed her eyebrows when she realized what she had done. Seeing her adorable face, Joshua laughed out loud. It was not a meager chuckle but a sincere laugh that reverberated through the room. Ivy was once again starstruck by his deep and sexy laugh. It was very manly and just the sound of it made her feel tingles in her stomach.


    Seeing her in a daze, Joshua pulled her toward the bed startling her.


    "What are you doing?" Ivy asked trying to free her hand.


    "Umm, thinking of sleeping."


    "As I said, I want to sleep on your bed."


    "Is it? Are you sure?" Joshua questioned, his eyes shining brighter than the stars.


    "Yes. Give me a second. Let me brush my teeth." Ivy pulled away from his grasp and went to the bathroom. After ten minutes, she came out to find Joshua standing beside the door waiting for her.


    "Shall we go?"


    Ivy nodded and just when Joshua stepped out of the room, she rushed like a maniac and closed the door with a bang. She did not forget to latch it lest the wolf of a man should try to come in again.


    Hearing the sudden bang, Joshua turned back and saw the door closed. Only then did he realize what had happened. Ivy had tricked him.


    "Ivy, this is not fair." He yelled as he banged on the door.


    "What is?"


    "Ivy, open the door."


    "No. The door is not opening today. So, go back to your room and sleep. Good night darliiiiiingggg." Ivy purposely dragged on the darling much to Joshua''s dismay.


    Joshua knew now he could not do anything. So, he relentlessly went back to his room. But he made a promise that he would get back at her first in the morning. But the time never came. By the time Joshua came down to have breakfast, Ivy had already left the house with a note for him on the table.


    ''Good morning. How was your sleep? I hope you had a good sleep. Mine was awesome as I did not have a following puppy to disturb me. Have a good day. See you in the evening.''


    Joshua huffed reading the note and he made a note to take care of her at any costs later that day.


    Joshua, who right now was in Noah''s cabin, laughed out loud on remembering those events. And right at this moment, Noah walked in.


    "What is so funny that you laughing this loudly? Tell me I''ll join you too."

 Chapter 246: Arvy

    "What is so funny that you are laughing this loudly? Tell me I''ll join you too." Noah stated as he removed his suit jacket.


    "Umm, just remembering something that happened back at home."


    "Yeah, I wanted to ask about it yesterday itself. What happened between you and Ivy? Did you reject her?" Noah hanged his coat on the hanger stand and released his sleeve buttons before he folded them until his elbows. He then took his seat in front of Joshua and stared at him intently.


    "No." Joshua just gave a one-word answer and went back to work on Noah''s laptop.


    "What do you mean by no? Did you accept her?" Noah''s question and his tone changed on listening to his words. There was a hint of excitement on his face.


    "I decided to take this risk and yes I accepted her."


    "That means are you both in a relationship and you are dating her right now?"


    Joshua gave him a look that spoke that he had gone dumb after Aria left him. But Noah did not mind. His excitement level was too high to even think about his friend''s scrutinizing gaze. He was genuinely happy for him and Ivy, of course. His friend had finally decided to move forward and forget his painful past. Who would not be happy about it? Moreover, the girl he was interested in was an awesome woman. So, he was jubilant and over the moon.


    "How did this happen? I thought that after my call, you would reject her. I never knew you would take huge steps and now you are even dating her. That''s unbelievably amazing."


    "I know this might come out as a shock. But yeah we have started dating." Joshua then recapped all that had happened since the time Ivy had come down to tell him to forget about the kiss until he himself took the first step towards their relationship.


    "Hmm. So, to make you come out of your misery, you needed a headstrong and stubborn woman like Ivy. I have no words to express how happy I am for you too. I hope you are serious about this and not doing is just for time pass. If you are, then I am not going to spare you." Though Noah was threatening him, he had unconditional trust towards his friend. Joshua knew that he was just joking. So, he did not take his words to heart.


    "What do you take me for? Do you think I am such a man?"


    "No. But since Ivy had a bad past once, it would be better to confirm about it from you."


    "What do you mean by bad past? What happened to her?" Joshua stared at him confusion. Ivy had not said a word regarding this and now he was worried about her.


    "Did she not tell you anything about it?"


    Joshua shook his head and Noah sighed lightly. "Guess, I''ll have to tell you about it. Given her character, I don''t think she would tell you anything about it."


    "Noah, tell me what happened to her. You are scaring me."


    "Relax. It''s nothing serious. When Ivy was in college, she had a boyfriend. But later she found out that he was with her as he had made a bet with his friends. He had to get into her pants before the span of their bet ended. Since then, Ivy is a little careful about relationships."


    "Why did she not tell me about this?"


    "Maybe because she trusts you. So, it is my request. If you are not serious about her, please retrieve your footsteps back. I don''t want her hurt."


    "No way. I am never going to hurt her. I promise. By the way, who told you about this?"


    "Aria." A smile made up on his face as soon as Noah took her name. "I hope she was here, she would be ecstatic on hearing this news. She too wanted you two to get together."


    Joshua smiled, thanking the heavens for giving him such cooperative friends. "By the way, why did you call me here? What did you want to talk about?"


    "Yeah. Jo, my hotel''s inauguration and your video game release date fall in the same week. So I was thinking that we could merge the two and decide on a single date. You could release your game in my hotel. What do you say?"


    "That would be great actually. We could attract a lot of people and also we can cut some costs. I like this idea very much."


    "Me too. I''ll send you a detailed plan later. Just tell what all equipment you would need on the release day. I''ll arrange for it."


    "Sure. I''ll get my secretary to be in touch with yours. They can decide about it."


    "Very well. Also, don''t forget to give me your plan. This event must be the most magnificent event of the year."


    "I like the idea. But I have a doubt though."


    Noah nodded for Joshua to continue.


    "What is your hotel''s name by the way? I am yet to find out about it. Have you thought about it or is it still in the process?"


    "I have a name in mind."


    "What is it?" Joshua asked, his eyes wide in anticipation. "Are you going to tell me or are you going to keep it a secret?"


    Noah gave him a mysterious smile before he replied, "Arvy."


    "Arvy?" Joshua asked a little flabbergasted. "Ain''t it short for Aria and Ivy?"


    "Yes." Noah chuckled when something came to his mind before he relaxed again.


    "Wow, that''s quite an innovative name. How did you come up with it?"


    "Just like that. I wanted a name that would bind the sisters together forever and then I came up with this. I did not know there was a meaning to it until one of my employees told me."


    "It has a meaning?"


    "Yes."


    "What?"


    "Arvy means friends."


    "Wow. Though the name had been made on a whim, it has quite a meaning. It''s amazing, symbolizing our friendship. Great."


    "Yes."Noah then remembered about the diary and his face became serious at once. "And, before I forget, I have a request. Could you please look through Ivy''s belongings in your house to see if she had a diary. It has contacts of people."


    "Why do you need it?"


    "I don''t need it. But Mr. West does."

 Chapter 247: Cunning woman

    Mia Stevenson had joined Noah''s company a few days back. However, she had not had the opportunity to meet him at all. Every time she made up her mind to meet him, he would not be in the company, and by the time he came back, she would be busy in her work. Though she was the daughter of a businessman, she had to work very hard in Noah''s company, unlike the way she walked calmly in her father''s small company.


    In her father''s company, she was treated as a queen. She did not even have to lift a finger and everything would be in front of her. However, now she had to do all her work against her wishes. Nobody even bothered about her being a Stevenson. She was just a normal employee who got paid just like the others. Her colleagues respected her as a fellow colleague and nothing more. They did not fawn over her because of her status, neither did they give her special treatment because of background.


    When the employees first joined the company, they would be briefed about the company rules and protocols. And one of the main rules they were given was to never support nepotism. Everybody would be recognized by their work, not by their background. Nobody would be given preferential treatment irrespective of their status. Hence, even if everybody knew about Mia, they did care much about her.


    This normal treatment had irked Mia every time. But this was not her company to kick up a fuss. So, she did not speak a word about it. However, that did not mean she did not bear grudges. She started making a list of all the people who offended her and once Noah became hers, she would sweet-talk him into firing them mercilessly.


    As she worked on her drafts, she heard her department manager talking on the phone. She eavesdropped on him stopping all her work only to find out that he had to go to the top floor to get Noah''s signatures on some of the files. Usually, Ronnie would collect the files from every department and hand it over to his Boss. But today, he had to run an errand regarding the news agency. So, he was yet to reach the office and Shane was busy with the inauguration preparation. So, the Manager was asked to deliver the files personally.


    Mia''s eyes shone with delight on hearing this. The opportunity had come to her without her doing anything. How could she miss it? Since the time she had started working there, she had tried to go to the top floor many times. But every time she was stopped by Ronnie. Now that he was not here, this was her chance. So, she got up and sauntered towards the Manager who preparing all the files that he had to take with him.


    "Sir," Mia interrupted his work and the man scowled inwardly on seeing who it was. He did not have a good impression of her since the first day as he had seen her slacking off many times. He had also received complaints against her when she had tried to bribe her colleagues into doing her work. He had immediately reprimanded her for her behavior and had even given her warning. Since then, she had stopped her tactics and had started doing her work on her own.


    Sometimes, the Manager wondered how she made it into this company. She had neither the knowledge nor the skills, nor did she show any sort of dedication towards her work. However, he was not in a position to question anybody. So, he had remained silent.


    The manager''s face remained stoic as he stared at her when in actuality, he was being wary of her. He wanted to know what trick she had in her sleeves. "Yes, Miss Stevenson. What is the matter?"


    "I was about to go to the finance department. But I heard that you were going to the top floor to meet Mr. Carter. Do you want me to get these files delivered to him?"


    The manager immediately understood what the shrewd lady had in mind. Many people in the company knew about her futile attempts in trying to gain Noah''s attention. She was one among the many women who wanted him to notice her, fall for her and make her way into his life. All she wanted was a rich life and who could be better than their Boss, Noah Allen Carter. But he also knew that his Boss had never given her any face. Once, he had even humiliated her in front of everyone mercilessly. The manager even wondered if his Boss even remembered her existence.


    Hearing her audacious words, he smiled at her sweetly. "Miss Stevenson, thank you for offering your help. It''s fine. I''ll take these files to him. You do not have to worry about them."


    "But..."


    "Moreover, I need to speak to him about certain important matters."


    Mia huffed silently. ''What does this stupid man think of himself? How dare he stop me from doing my work? Doesn''t he realize I am going to be the future madam of this company?''


    If the manager had listened to her obnoxious words, he would have seriously puked blood. Her thoughts were highly amusing which would never become a reality. He was busy with his work. So, he did not notice her ''I am going to kill you'' expression.


    Mia noticed a bottle of water on the table and her eyes brightened with malicious intent. When his attention was not towards her, she unscrewed the cap and pushed it towards the edge. Just as he picked up the files to leave, Mia titled the glass of water on his table towards him and all the water fell on his pants.


    "What did you do?" He seethed as he dropped the files on the table and tried to clean the wet area. But Mia had been cunning in doing her work. She had poured the water right at a place which could cause people to misunderstand. The manager could not go to meet his Boss in this condition. So, he left the files on the table and went to the washroom. He had assumed that Mia would not be courageous enough to pick them up. But he was wrong. She had picked them up and had sneaked out of the cubicle when nobody was noticing her.


    She then went towards the general elevator.


    There were three elevators in the office. The two general elevators were used by all the employees and the other elevator was used by Noah and other VIP clients. Nobody else was allowed to use it. Though Mia wanted to use it, she did not have the permission. So, she had to wait for the general elevator.


    When the elevator boy heard the floor number she intended to go, he gave her one weird look only to receive a smug in return. He sighed and pressed the number.


    In no time, Mia reached her destination only to meet Shane on her way. ''How did I forget about this lowly man? Ugh, there are a lot of pests in this company.


    Shane was waiting for the Manager, but on seeing Mia, he gave her a condescending look. "What are you doing here, Miss Stevenson?"


    "I am here to deliver the files to Mr. Carter," Mia answered confidently with a proud look.


    "If I am not wrong, the Manager was supposed to bring these. So, why are you carrying these files, Miss Stevenson?" Shane asked her politely, though his face was anything but polite.


    "The manager had some urgent issues to attend to. So he sent me with the files." Mia answered, her expression not wavering even a little. She then smiled lightly thinking about the urgent issue he had to face.


    Though she had been quick in hiding her smile, Shane had noticed it and her furrowed his eyebrows. The woman in front of him was upto no good. He knew about her intentions and it did not take him even a second to deduce that she must have done something to come here without any hindrance. There was no way a manager would allow a new employee to come to this floor.


    "Miss Stevenson, hand over the files to me. I''ll deliver it to Boss."


    "What? No." Mia almost screamed when Shane tried to take the files from her.


    "What do you mean ''no'', Miss Stevenson? Is there a problem?"


    "Yes, I need to ask Mr. Carter some things related to a project. So it''s best that I give these to him personally."


    "What project? As far as I know, you have not been assigned any projects. So, what doubts would you have in mind?"


    Shane''s question made Mia curse under her breath. If she was given the opportunity, she would pluck out his observant eyes and chop off his wise tongue. He and Ronnie were nothing but a pain in the ass.

 Chapter 248: Female ghost

    Though Mia was cursing the lowly assistant, she did not show it on her face. It was not yet time for her to release her wrath on him. She smiled at him sweetly, making Shane raise his eyebrows wondering what she was up to now. Her sickeningly sweet smile was quite eerie and Shane could feel goosebumps rise on his hands. It was a smile which the female ghosts in movies gave when they were about to feed on their prey and for a moment, Shane had a notion that Mia, the ghost, had come prepared with a plan. He was worried that she would feed on him. At that moment, the only thought he had in mind was ''Why her?''


    Shane did not mind if those female ghosts were as beautiful as Jessica Alba, or as smart as Blake Lively. But the woman who wanted to hunt him down was worse than the female professor, Umbridge who was always behind Harry Potter and his friends.


    "Assistant Shane," She drawled. But all the man heard was a high pitched screech which made him fear if he would become deaf before she fed on him. But he kept a poker face and stared at her innocently.


    "Yes, Miss Stevenson?"


    "This is a project which my Dad wants to discuss with Mr. Carter. So, I was thinking of talking about it with him before my Dad came to him. We could get inputs from Mr. Carter that could be helpful to us."


    Shane was taken aback by her shamelessness. The woman was working in Carter Enterprise and she wanted to discuss a project from another company. How ridiculous! It was not uncommon for many people to work in other companies to gain experience before they took over their own company. But never had he heard anybody bringing a proposal this boldly.


    "Miss Stevenson, you do realize what you saying right? Do you have any idea how ridiculous your ideas sound?" Shane reprimanded her, his face stern and annoyed.


    "Yes, I know what I am doing. What is wrong with me talking about a project proposal? It''s not like I brought a marriage proposal." Mia blushed after saying the words and Shane was scared of her all the more.


    Sane huffed in anger. This woman was testing his patience and he was just short of snapping at her. Mia was nothing but foolish and stupid. He wondered if she was born with a roasted brain or if her father had sold her brain in the market when he was short of money in the past. He took a deep breath to curb his anger before he responded again.


    "Miss Stevenson, Boss is busy right now. You can come back later." Shane gave the most plausible reason and tried to shoo her away. But who she? She was Mia Stevenson who was more stubborn than a mule. Now that she had reached the top floor after a lot of thinking and planning, she would not leave before meeting Noah. No way.


    "Look, Mister. This is an important deal I want to talk about. So," She stopped suddenly when she realized what she wanted to say next. Though she was hesitant, she had to say the word to get her work done. "Please allow me to go in. If everything turns out well, I''ll give a percentage of profits we make. Or I''ll ask Noah to give you a raise."


    Shane scoffed listening to her. He wondered if this so-called rich lady even realized that she was nothing but a clown in his eyes right now with the way she was behaving. And what was with she giving him a percentage of from her company''s profits. The mere amount would not even accumulate to even one-tenth of his salary. Moreover, how dare she call his Boss by his name. They were not even that close for God''s sake. Just like the manager, he too wondered if his Boss even remembered who this woman was. He would have long forgotten about her existence, no doubt in that.


    Just when he was thinking about how to stop the haughty woman from going in, the elevator door behind them opened and Ronnie stepped out. Shane heaved a sigh of relief seeing his savior. Ronnie would take care of this troublesome woman. He was the best when it came to shooing unwanted flies and cockroaches away. If he was unable to shoo them, then he would trample over them and wash his hands and legs. Matter handled successfully.


    Ronnie was exasperated to see the woman he least wanted to meet on reaching the office. She was nothing but a leech in his eyes, money-sucking leech, completely opposite to his Madam. Seeing Shane''s pleading eyes, he could deduce the matter without even asking. Mia wanted to meet their Boss and Shane was trying his best to stop her. He padded towards them and without even asking anything, he smiled at Mia.


    Ronnie''s arrival had ruined all her plans. She wanted to get things done in his absence. But now she couldn''t. This man was like a strong wall that could never be demolished. Nothing could ever budge him. Compared to him, Shane was easier to move. But Ronnie''s next words surprised her beyond words.


    "Miss Stevenson, are you here to meet the Boss? You can go in and nobody will stop you."


    "But.." Shane interrupted them, but swallowed all that he wanted to say when Ronnie signaled him to stay quiet.


    "You can go in Miss."


    Mia gave him one skeptical look before she walked towards Noah''s cabin, her chin held high in the air.


    When Mia was far away from them, Shane whispered to Ronnie, "Are you sure this is a good idea? What if Boss gets angered by this?"


    "If Boss is angered, then so be it. We will put all the blame on her. She was the one who forced her way even though we stopped her. Let her face his wrath herself. Only then, will she learn her lesson."


    "You are right. But I highly doubt that even Boss would be able to fill some sense in her. I think her brain is missing or to be precise, her brain is filled with trash to fill any sense into it."


    Ronnie laughed out loud hearing Shane''s references. But what he said was the truth. She was really stupid.


    After getting Ronnie''s permission, Mia approached Noah''s cabin and knocked at the door. Only after she heard the order from him to go in, did she open the door and step inside.

 Chapter 249: Brain dead

    After hearing Noah''s orders to come in, Mia opened the door and stepped inside only to be blown away by the luxury of his cabin. It was completely different than she had imagined. Even though it was painted in black and white, it was screaming rich. Every object placed inside seemed to be of top quality, not that the quality in the other cabins in the office was any different. But Mia found them to be more amazing and attractive as it was Noah''s cabin. Just like how Ronnie and Shane had chided her, she was a fool to think so.


    She had assumed Noah to be alone in his cabin. But she saw a man who she was very familiar with. He was the handsome and suave Joshua Martin and seeing his eyes on her, she blushed unknowingly. He too was as incredible as Noah and she had known about them being friends for long. But she had her eyes fixed on the Carter boy. So, she was not that well versed in to Joshua and did not bother about him much. But now, only after seeing him in person, did she realize how dashing he was. Both Noah and Joshua were just perfect. However, she preferred Noah more.


    Just when she was fantasizing about him, the man in question turned his gaze towards the person who had dared to interrupt him. His assistant had informed him that the manager from the marketing department would be here and as far as he remembered, the manager was a man in his early forties. He wondered when he turned into a lady in her twenties.


    Shaking his absurd thoughts out of his mind, he stared, which was nothing less than a glare, at the woman. How dare she barged into his office without informing before? He then wondered who the hell she was and why she was even here. In his eyes, she was nothing less than an unwanted woman to keep her at a high position or even remember her. He had no place for trash in his brain. So, he had long forgotten about her.


    "Yes?" He asked still confused, but with a cold voice.


    Mia was stunned for a while and she tried to speak. But nothing came out of her mouth. Her mouth had run dry and she coughed twice to hide her awkward situation. Joshua chuckled seeing her embarrass herself. Mia tried to speak, but she couldn''t help stutter on meeting Noah''s intimidating gaze. "S-Sir, these are the files th-that," She cleared her throat again. "need your approval."


    If Ronnie or Shane had witnessed her behave this way, they would have laughed on her face. Outside the cabin, she behaved all haughty and arrogant and her tongue was running smoothly, arguing even with the two men. They had been so annoyed with the woman that they had sent her directly to Noah to avoid the headache. But the stupid woman had become a dumb mute on facing their terrifying Boss that she had lost her voice. This was hilarious.


    "Do you work here?" Noah asked directly, not even giving her face again. His words shocked her to the core and she stared at him dumbfounded. Though this was a very shameful moment for Mia, somebody who was watching her did not feel the same. For Joshua, this scene was rib-tickling. Though he wanted to pity the poor woman, his heart could not do so. He could sense that she had come here with ulterior motives with just the way she had dressed.


    Though she was dressed in a professional blouse and pencil skirt, the attire was too sensual for the workplace. The top two buttons of her blouse were open and one could see the outline of her cleavage even if she bent a little. And the skirt, what the hell was with that skirt? It was too tight and one could clearly see her ass bulging out of the skirt, trying to break free from the confinement and get some air. Her look was very provocative, nothing less than a high-class prostitute who charged more than the low-class ones.


    Though Joshua had seen many women dress more openly than this, it was the first time he was witnessing such vulgarity in an office environment. She was here seduce her Boss and it was evident on her face with the way it was screaming loudly, ''Bite me.'' He wondered if Noah even noticed the woman before him. He waited to see what would happen next, not wanting to miss the free and hilarious entertainment.


    "Y-Yes Sir." Mia stuttered again. "I am Mia, Mia Stevenson. Don''t you remember me? I started working here a week ago."


    "Is it? I don''t keep details of unwanted people in my memory. Sorry." Though he apologized to her, he was not one bit apologetic. His face was as expressionless as ever. Mia clenched her fists on being insulted in front of another man. But she did not retaliate lest she should appear uncultured in front of them.


    Noah was getting a headache with the strong perfume she had poured over herself. It was too pungent and smelled horrible. He wanted to ask her if she had taken a bath in the cheap perfume instead of water. But he controlled himself. The effect was too strong that he sneezed twice when she came near his table to place the files on the table.


    "Miss, whoever you are, could you please stay where you are? I am getting a headache with your strong presence. Hand over the files to Shane. I''ll take it from him."


    Joshua chortled when Noah thoroughly humiliated Mia. At one point he even felt sorry for her. But it passed the next second. He too loathed people like her. So, it was right what Noah was doing to her. If the woman had any self-respect, she would have left before being told. However, to their surprise, she remained in her spot. Joshua rolled his eyes. ''This woman is brain dead.''


    "But Mr. Carter, I had to hand over these documents to you personally." She stressed the words personally, to indicate something else altogether.


    "It''s okay. I''ll take these files from my assistants. You can drop them outside." Noah said, his voice coming cold and furious. He was losing his cool slowly. Seeing his friend''s distressed face, Joshua could tolerate no longer.


    "Miss, it''s best that you leave now."


    "But.."


    "Get out," Noah shouted, scaring her in the process while Joshua sighed. He had given her a hint to save herself. But she was an idiot to ignore it. Now, she was bearing the consequences of her actions.


    Seeing his daunting eyes, Mia left the room in a hurry not wanting to anger him any more. She wondered what she had done wrong for him to kick her out of his room.


    When she came out, she saw Shane and Ronnie deep in discussion. She wanted to escape without being noticed. But Ronnie had sensed her immediately as soon as she had come out of the room. He tapped on Shane''s shoulder and pointed towards Mia who was trying to sneak her way out of the floor. Shane gave Ronnie a knowing smile and then stood up. It was time for some fun.


    "Miss Stevenson, please wait."


    Mia stopped walking on being called out suddenly. She straightened her posture and turned to face the man. She tried to mask her humiliation with her arrogant attitude, but failed miserably. Anybody could guess what might have transpired inside and the proof were the documents in her hands.


    "Yes?"


    "Miss Stevenson, what did the Boss say about your project? Did he give you his approval?" Though Shane''s face did not reveal anything, Mia could sense his mocking tone and her anger rose to an all-time high. She clenched her fists again and turned to leave the floor only to be stopped again.


    "What?" She burst out and unfortunately, poor Shane was at the receiving end.


    "Files." He held out his hand and asked her innocently.


    Mia stuffed the filed in his hand and stomped out of the floor. She would get back at them for the humiliation she faced today. But first, she had to know what she had done wrong for Noah to treat her this way. ''Why did he not look at me when I was dressed this sexily? Was it not up to his liking? I need to come up with another plan to catch his eyes.''


    Mia returned to her department only to face a raging manager waiting for her.


    --------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do drop votes if you want a mass release. More the votes, more the chapters.


    Also, do consider buying the privilege for this book. It only costs 1 coin to unlock it.

 Chapter 250: Motto

    "You do realize that the woman who left just now harbors some intentions towards you, right?" Joshua questioned Noah the moment they were left alone.


    Noah pinched the space between his eyebrows and sighed. He had known about her tricks long back. Yet, he had ignored her as she was still useful for him. "Yes, I know why she is here and what her intentions are?"


    "You know? Then, why have you not fired her yet?" Joshua asked perplexed. He was confused as to why Noah was still entertaining her when she was openly seducing him and playing around. She was still a new employee. So, she was not allowed on the top floor without permission. Since she had come here in place of the Manager, she must have definitely used some dirty tactics.


    "I have received complaints against her from colleagues and her department manager. Why do you think I have let her off with just a warning?" Noah questioned back with a mysterious smile. Joshua narrowed his. He was well acquainted with his friend''s scheming smile and then it struck him.


    "Do you know something?"


    "What do you think?" He said with a smirk.


    "What is it? Tell me. I want to know too." Joshua leaned forward and he looked at him excitedly. He looked as though he was ready for any gossip that fell on his ears. Noah rolled his eyes seeing his friend''s similar behavior. Yet, he decided to reveal the truth lest his friend should pester him to death.


    "Why do you think she has not been assigned to work on any projects or being sent to train herself in the company matters? All she is being asked is to drafts the company''s records again though I already have them with me."


    "Is it true?" Joshua asked in surprise and received a nod from Noah in return. "So, basically she doing nothing and is getting paid the standard pay any new employee would get."


    "Who told you that she is getting paid the standard amount?" Noah smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes, making Jo think what evil plans he had in mind.


    "Then?"


    "She is getting paid less than the company''s guards."


    "That''s fantastic." Joshua chuckled but he stopped suddenly when he realized something. "What if she finds out about it?" Joshua leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. He looked at Noah curiously, just like a child who was receiving his first robot as a gift.


    "No chance. I don''t think my employees will speak about their salaries to anyone. Also, the amount she will be receiving is more than what a normal employee receives in her father''s company. I don''t think she will be suspicious about it and even if she is, who cares. Let her bring the issue to me and I will take care of her." Noah answered and gave Joshua a look that told everything was under his control. His company, his rules. Those who dared to defy him could get lost from here.


    "I don''t like that she is getting paid for doing nothing. Isn''t it throwing hard-earned money at her like garbage?" Joshua leaned back and commented with a defeated sigh.


    "Who said she not doing any work?" Noah said with a mysterious smile that his friend failed to notice.


    "Yeah yeah. I know she is drafting the already prepared records once again. But ain''t it a waste of time?"


    "Not at all. If I can keep an eye on the mole in the company, how is it a waste of time?" This time, Joshua lost his composure. He was shocked and no words rolled out of his mouth even after a long time.


    "What? Cat got your tongue?" Noah teased seeing the man''s flabbergasted gaze.


    "Mole? Is she a mole?"


    "Yes." Noah went to the water dispenser at the corner of the room and got himself a cup of water. Seeing Jo''s still shocked face, he decided to get him a cup too. The man needed it very badly.


    "Jo?" He called him to shake him out of his thoughts.


    "Yes?"


    "Water." Noah handed him the cup which the man in front of him emptied in one go.


    "Why did you stop the story halfway? Keep going." Joshua prompted and Noah glared at him for his remark.


    "Do you think this a storytelling competition? If you are just trying to play around, just leave. I am very busy."


    "What did I do?" Joshua asked in confusion. Though he had not done anything, Noah had scolded him. How was it his fault? "Forget it. Tell me more."


    Noah rolled his eyes. "Yes, she is a spy." He answered to the unanswered question.


    "Who is she working for? Her father? Wait a minute." Joshua exclaimed loudly. "Don''t tell me she is transferring secrets to her company."


    "You are partially right," Noah said after thinking for some time.


    "What do you mean?"


    "She is trying to get her hands on the company projects and secrets. But it is not for her father. She is working for somebody else, though her father is also involved in the plan."


    "Who is interested in getting to know about you?"


    "Jared Augustus," Noah replied and spun the paperweight on the table with his eyebrows furrowed. That man was everywhere and he had to do something about him. He was behind Rachel and had threatened her using Daniel. He had also placed a man behind Ivy and now, he wanted to get his hands on Noah. How bold was he!


    The room became silent at once. Joshua gaped at Noah while the man just smiled at him calmly. He was not even worried that somebody was trying to get his hands on him. Seeing his unwavering face, Joshua was worried. How could this man stay calm in a situation like this? But he had no idea that behind the calm facade, Noah was actually planning all possible methods to annihilate the problem called Jared permanently.


    Unable to stop himself, he voiced his question after a lot of thinking. "Why is she still here then? You should throw her out right away?"


    "Why should I? If her fire her, then Jared will resort to other methods to get to me. Ain''t it better that I know what he was up to rather than not knowing?"


    Noah''s question rendered Joshua thinking. What he said was the truth. He could use Mia to divert Jared''s attention while he can try to see what he is up to.


    "How did you find out about it?"


    "I saw Jared with Mia''s Dad in a restaurant and later Mia came to meet them. It did not take me time to guess that they were collaborating. Right the next day, she came to attend the interview in my company. Everything fell into its place automatically."


    "I need to kowtow to you. There is a lot to learn from you." Joshua said and it was the truth. He considered himself a novice in front of this scheming man. Noah could get himself out of any situation and his hawk-like eyes are scrutinizing everyone around him. Nevertheless, he never missed even a minute detail. That day Joshua realized the meaning of one important motto in life. ''Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer.''

 Chapter 251: Over worked

    "Why are we unable to find anything?" Valarie shouted for the fourth time in the day and she had lost count on how many times she had said the same words in the entire week. Since the day Simon Moore had been murdered mercilessly, the group of three were trying to find the murderer. But they had been unsuccessful in obtaining even a small clue, let alone finding the culprit.


    They had searched his entire house even though they had the reports with them. But there was nothing they could find. No fingerprints, no footprints, and even the cause of the death or the weapon they had used to kill him was not known, except for the knife the killer had used to chop off his feet. Also, there were no marks on his body that indicated him resisting or even trying to put up a fight with the killer. His forensic reports too came clean. Everything was as blank as a white canvas. If they had not seen the way he had been murdered and had not gone through the reports of people who died in a similar way before, they would have concluded him to have died naturally.


    However, while investigating, they had found out that Simon''s entire family was missing and nobody knew where they had gone. They had not even come to see him when the news of his death had been broadcasted on all TV channels over the entire country. Just like his death, his family''s disappearance was also a mystery. Also, Simon had not filed any missing report with the police. Everything was a mystery and Valarie did not know what to do.


    The investigation team from Intelligence, which had been handed over with the cases of a similar kind initially, had failed to reach their destination on their way as somebody had tampered with the breaks of their vehicle leading to an accident. One of them was had been seriously injured, though now he was out of danger. So, they could not make it in time to the murder site.


    By the time some of them tried to reach the area, the police had sealed the area and the body was sent for post mortem. So, they too did not get much information. Later, the case had been handed over to Preston, Ryder and Valarie.


    Though the team had the President''s backing as well as possible resources for their use, they were helpless. Nobody knew what to do, they were at a dead end.


    Also, since the day Simon had died, their Chief Frederick was behaving weird. He would come to the headquarters rarely and had started questioning everyone regarding the cases they were working on, especially Valarie and her team.


    Though Frederick did not have to do any work other than to report about the cases to the public and the government as he had his subordinates to solve the crime, he would at least be at his office previously. But now, he would come only on Fridays, meet each department personally and then leave right away. The people in the office would see him next on the next Friday only.


    This unusual behavior of his surprised many people including the President, Luis Truman. But he had not reprimanded him yet as the work was going smoothly, even though Frederick was not the one doing it.


    "Ryder, did you get the details?" Valarie asked after taking a deep breath. She had been taking a lot of stress lately and it had taken a toll on her health. Her head would ache at times and she would even feel dizzy. She was tired, yet she was trying to be strong. She had overworked herself, completely forgetting that she had just come out of a coma. Her friends, Ryder and Preston had warned her to take care of her health a lot of times. But she had ignored it completely as she immersed herself in her work.


    "Yes. Simon''s wife was last seen in the army supermarket almost two months before Simon''s death. After that, she was not seen anywhere. Even the guards who usually followed her did not see her in their house. The maids who came to clean every day were asked to stop doing their work somewhere around this time. They found the situation to be highly abnormal, but they did not give it much thought to it."


    "So, basically his family has been missing for almost two months and nobody knows about it?" Preston asked, folding his hands and his expression turned grave.


    "Yes. That is what I found."


    "How many people were in his family?" Preston asked again, his attention completely fixed on Ryder. Neither among the two noticed Valarie''s pale expression.


    "There was his wife, along with a daughter who is sixteen and a son who is eleven."


    "Hmm. So three people are on the missing list?"


    "Yeah."


    Valarie, who was sitting on her chair, tried to stand up when she wanted to speak a word or two, buts stopped suddenly. Now she felt exhausted. Even standing up took a lot of strength. Ryder was relaying his findings to her when she saw black spots before her. She tried to move, but the next second the world spun and she tumbled right in front of Preston.


    Seeing Valarie collapse suddenly, Ryder and Preston rushed to her, and Preston who was nearer to her caught her before her head banged the floor.


    "Oh my God. Valarie, what happened to you?" Ryder yelled, his face paling in fear. Even Preston was frightened seeing her faint.


    They called her out loud, trying to wake her up and get her attention. But she remained unresponsive. They even sprinkled droplets of water on her face. This time she woke up and blinked slowly. However, it was only for a short while. She fainted again right away, much to the two men''s horror.


    "Ryder, get the car ready. We need to get her to the hospital."


    "Yes." Ryder rushed out of the cabin towards the exit gates while Preston picked her up and carried her hurriedly outside.


    Seeing Ryder hurry out like a maniac, everybody in the Intelligence headquarters stopped in their feet to see what was wrong with him. Some even made way for him lest he should strike them like a hurricane with the speed he was running at. They stared at him perplexed and before they could even make out what had happened, he had already disappeared from the floor.


    They were standing like dumb statutes when Preston came out hurrying and this time he was not alone. He was carrying an unconscious Valarie in his arms. Her face had lost all its color and she looked sick. Some women gasped seeing the state she was in. It looked horrible. Now they realized why Ryder had rushed out like a speeding bull.


    Nobody came in Preston''s way as he made it to the entrance. But he met Frederick who was entering the office just then much to his dismay and the man stopped him immediately.


    "What happened to my favorite Deputy? Why are you carrying her in your arms?"


    Preston gave him a weird look hearing his dumb question. It was obvious that she was unconscious. Did he even have to ask about it?


    "Chief, she fainted suddenly. I am taking her to the hospital. So, if you will excuse me." Preston did not even wait for the old man to excuse him. He left him alone when he tried to speak, making it awkward for him. Many people were watching them as Preston was carrying an unconscious Valarie. So, they were curious to see what had happened.


    Now that Preston had left Frederick hanging, it made him utterly embarrassed and gave out a cheeky grin to hide the frustration he was feeling on being disrespected. Without waiting another second, he walked away from there, his mood worsening every second. ''How dare the lowly sub-ordinate treat me this way? Who does he think he is? I am the Chief of Intelligence and he dares to disrespect me this way. I am going to teach him a lesson for his rude behavior. Wait and watch.''


    Meanwhile, Preston was highly oblivious to what the old man was thinking. All he had in mind was to get Valarie to the hospital before it became late. He was very worried about her. Thankfully, Ryder had already driven the car out of the parking space and was waiting in front of the entrance. He immediately got inside.


    "Hurry up. She is not responding." Preston hugged her close to keep her body warm while Ryder sped up, trying to skip as many traffic signals as possible.


    "Valarie, hold on. We will be there in a minute. Please. Hold on." Preston spoke to her softly as he tried to wake her up. It bore results to some extent as Valarie moved slightly and she tried to open her eyes.


    "Yes, Val. Come one. Wake up. Wake up." He coaxed her like how a father would do to a small child, trying to keep her awake.


    As Valarie tried to force herself to wake up all she heard was Preston''s soothing voice beside her ears, though she could not make up what he was speaking. She heard only gibberish words and her head hurt like hell. She felt herself moving and she realized that they were in a car. Before she could gain complete alertness and get her thoughts straight, Ryder had reached the hospital. It was the same one where she had been admitted to when she had met with an accident.


    They rushed inside, calling the doctor frantically with Valarie still in Preston''s arms. Seeing them dash in, the doctor who was nearby the reception came to attend them.


    After half an hour of treating her, the doctor stared at the two men with a serious expression on his face. Valarie was deep asleep by then. "Did she happen to hurt her head sometime in the past?"


    "Yes, Doctor. She was discharged just ten days ago. In fact, she had been admitted to this hospital and Dr. Baker was the one who treated her."


    "I see. In that case, why did not take care of herself? According to my observations, she has not been taking her medicines regularly. Also, she has been over exhausting her brain and her body. Her body tolerated up to a certain limit. When it could not stand the stress anymore, it shut down automatically. This is the reason why she fainted."


    Ryder and Preston looked at each other perplexed before they turned towards the doctor. They never knew about her skipping her medicines. if they had known about it, then they would have scolded her for her carelessness.


    "Anyway, I have treated her and there is nothing to worry about. But I suggest a complete bed rest for three days. She needs energy and rest. And more importantly, make sure that she takes the medicines on time. She needs it to return to her healthy state. Any questions?"


    "No Doctor. Thank you so much." Ryder stepped forward and thanked him for his work.


    "My pleasure. Call if there is anything." The doctor smiled at them before he left the room.

 Chapter 252: Strict doctor

    Two hours later.


    Valarie slowly opened her eyes. Though her head was not throbbing like before, it felt heavy. It took a great deal of effort to even move. She noticed that she was in an unfamiliar place and the walls were painted white. For a moment, she feared to have been kidnapped by someone. But when she noticed Ryder''s anxious face before her, she relaxed a little.


    Valarie then realized that she was at a hospital. She tried to remember how she ended up here and all that happened in her office flashed through her eyes. She remembered how she had fainted and it did not take her long to deduce Ryder and Preston to have brought her here.


    She tried to get up and Ryder helped her. He placed the pillow behind her and made her sit comfortably. However, Valarie was not satisfied with just sitting. She wanted to walk around and leave the hospital as soon as possible. But Ryder was having none of her antics, he stopped her immediately. "Don''t Val. Please don''t move. You need rest."


    "But.." She tried to speak only to meet Ryder''s deadly gaze. Valarie gulped in fear. Though she was their Deputy and their senior at work, they behaved like overprotective friends outside the headquarters and she could not even retaliate against their commands. She would become a meek lamb when facing those monstrous lions. Even now, she became quiet when she noticed Ryder''s annoyed face.


    "How long have you been ignoring to take your medicines since you got discharged?" Ryder folded his hands and questioned her with a stern gaze. He wanted to know what was she was thinking when she decided to ignore her health. It was just like her. In the past too, she would ignore to take medications if she was sick and would continue to work until her body could not tolerate anymore. Though they had to commend her dedication, they were also angry at her foolishness. She did not care about her even a gram.


    Valarie was silent. She knew her answer would only add fuel to the fire and Ryder would only get more furious. She was grateful that Preston was not here. Other, she would have got an earful from him too, and boy, his anger was more terrifying than anything she had ever seen. It was as though his heart was filled with a lot of fury and all he needed was a chance to let it out.


    On a second thought, she wondered where he had gone. It was unlike him to leave her here when she was sick. He would be like a mother hen, overly anxious whenever she fell sick. So, his absence surprised her a little.


    On not getting any answer, Ryder was pissed and he seethed in a low voice. "Answer me." Given a chance, he would have shouted at her. But the situation and the location was not correct for him to raise his voice. So, he controlled himself. He would definitely have a long chat about it but not right now.


    "I haven''t touched the medicine bottle after you guys forcefully fed me the medicines last time. I don''t even know where they are." Valarie answered softly, her eyes looking at Ryder''s shoe. At that moment, she felt his shoes to be the most interesting thing on earth. She was nothing like the Deputy who could easily fight people with loaded guns and sticks. Now, she looked like a teenage girl who had been caught skipping school.


    "What?" Ryder barked. This time he was unable to keep his cool. The woman in front of him knew how to anger him to death. He had all the more reason to worry about her as she stayed alone without anybody to look after her. Unlike him and Preston, who were roommates, Valarie was staying alone. So, they were always worried about her and her safety even though she was skilled enough to tackle men on her own. To add to the list, she was even more worrisome when she forgot to take care of her health making them anxious to death.


    "Valarie," Ryder started after taking a deep breath. There was no use reprimanding her now. They would take care of her when she got discharged from the hospital. Until then, he decided to let her live her life in peace.


    "Yes?" She replied expecting him to burst like a pressure cooker, but nothing happened. He was frighteningly calm and this made her panic all the more because she knew she would be in trouble when everything went back to normal.


    "I wish that you get a strict doctor as your husband. He will take care of you when you are sick and if needed he will even treat you using those huge injections whenever you ignore to take care of yourself."


    "What? No. Don''t say that. I don''t want to be fed with pills instead of food every day. Spare me." Valarie objected at once, not liking his suggestion.


    "No way. You need someone who can control you, who can make you listen to him like an obedient girl. Also, he should be someone who can take can take care of you." Ryder poked her head softly from the side. "Who is better than a strict doctor? I hope you find one as soon as possible."


    "In your dreams." Valarie scoffed and she tried to change the topic. If given a choice, Ryder would go on and on about it for the whole day until her ears bled. "By the way, where is Preston. I haven''t seen him since I got up."


    "Yeah, he has gone to the canteen to have something. He might be here soon. Do you want something to eat?"


    "Yes, please. I am very hungry, something light though, and some apple juice."


    "Okay. I''ll give him a call."


    Meanwhile, the man in question had not gone to the canteen. Instead, his feet had taken him in search of the doctor who had occupied his mind since the day he had hurt her. As soon as he had stepped out of Valarie''s ward, he had gone in search of her. He wanted to see and if possible even speak to her. How long had it been since he last saw her?


    But he could not find her anywhere. Unable to give up, he had even approached the receptionist to ask her about the doctor''s whereabouts. But the problem was, he did not even know her name. He had wanted to know about her the last time he was in the hospital but he could not muster the courage even until the last minute and he finally left the hospital dejected. Now he had no idea who she was.


    Then, he remembered something. It was about the child who he had carried when the female doctor had found it difficult. He could ask about him. ''That''s a good idea.'' He thought and he went to the receptionist who right now was sulking. Since the time Ian had left the hospital, all the single women had lost the spirit and they had started finding their jobs boring. The receptionist being one among them.


    Preston tapped at the woman''s desk startling her in the process. She immediately masked her sadness. However, when she saw the man before her, her face bloomed and she smiled sweetly until her mouth hurt. "Yes? How may I help you?"


    "Hello. I wanted to ask you about a doctor."


    "Yes?" The receptionist prompted, her eyes twinkling in infatuation.


    "She is the doctor who treated the little boy who died of a brain hemorrhage a few days ago."


    As soon as he said that, the receptionist''s face changed. Not because of jealousy but because of anger. She expected the man before her to be one of those people who wanted to create havoc in the hospital. She glared at him and Preston was taken aback seeing the fury in her eyes. He wondered what he had done wrong to have triggered such a reaction from her.


    "Why do you need her?"


    "She is my friend''s personal doctor. I have tried calling her a lot of times, but she ain''t picking the calls. If you could tell me where she is, I''ll go see her personally." Preston lied conveniently. It was not like he would lose anything in this situation. He only wished that the receptionist would not call the doctor right here. If she ended up questioning her about him, then he would lose his face quite badly.


    "I see." The receptionist calmed down. She for slightly guilty for misunderstanding him. "I am sorry, Sir. Dr. Aria West is not in the hospital."


    "Is it?" Preston asked with a smile. He was very delighted on finding out the name of the woman he wanted and secretly applauded the lady before him for her slip of the tongue. ''Aria. At least, I found out your name today.''


    "Can you tell me any other way to contact her? My brother only trusts her treatment. So, it''s quite urgent for me to see her." He asked. He was not sure if the lady before him had noticed that he was tricking her into giving him Aria''s number and he hoped she didn''t.


    "I am sorry sir. Dr. Aria is not in town. So, even if I give you her address, you wouldn''t be able to find her."


    "Oh, can you tell me when she will return?" Preston questioned again, this time with a sad expression. He had been dejected that the doctor he had been looking for was not even in the town, let alone in the hospital.


    "Only the war can decide her return." Her answer confused him and he tried to speculate how the war was even related to her.


    "What do mean, Miss?"


    "Sir, Dr. Aria has gone to assist our soldiers in the war. So, until the war ends, she won''t be returning."


    Her answer shocked Preston until his legs gave away. Before he collapsed, he held onto the desk tightly. He did not want to look suspicious before her. Seeing his distressed expression, the woman assumed to be worried about his brother in Aria''s absence. "Sir, until she returns you could get your brother treated by any other doctor."


    Preston came out of his thoughts hearing her voice. "Thank you, Miss. That won''t be necessary." With that, he walked away from her. He looked as though his soul had escaped from his body. ''War? Aria has gone to the war. No.''


    Though he wanted to do something, he could do nothing. His hands were tied in this matter. He could only pray for her to return safe and unscathed. He chided himself to have lost his opportunity at their last meet. Now all he could do was to wait for her to come back.

 Chapter 253: Waiting and watching

    Darkness covered the city and it was almost time for Ivy to reach home. When she went inside, she saw Joshua waiting for her in the living room, his expression serious. He was in deep thought as leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs and his fingers intertwined. He was staring into space without blinking with his eyebrows scrunched up. For a moment, Ivy thought him to have been angry with the way she had thrown him out of her room, which in fact was his room, and her heart skipped a beat. Her mind ran a hundred miles and she couldn''t stop worrying about it.


    However, she was getting anxious over nothing. When he sensed her presence, he looked up and gave his enchanting smile, taking her off guard. It was a completely different scenario than she had expected and his face did not have even an ounce of anger. She sighed in relief and went to him and he took her in his arms affectionately before giving her a small peck.


    "Welcome home. How was your day?" He asked her gently as he caressed her face lovingly. He pushed back the strand of hair that had made its way out when she had removed her helmet. His touch made her feel at home and she let out a dazzling smile.


    "It was good. How was yours?" Though Ivy answered him, her mind was fixed on the word he had said. Her mind kept repeating the way he said home and her heart unknowingly became happy.


    "It was okay. Now that I saw you, I am sure the rest of the day will be amazing."


    Ivy''s smile widened hearing his sweet words. This man knew how to talk and he was an expert at cajoling women. Her heart would immediately go to him whenever he spoke such beautiful words. Ivy was feeling giddy inside her stomach when Joshua tried to gain her attention.


    "Do you have your father''s diary that has a lot of phone numbers and contact details in it?"


    "I think so. I have to check if I have it here or if it is at home." Ivy looked at him in confusion, unsure as to why he was asking about it.


    "Please do."


    "Why do you want the diary? Is there something in it?" Ivy thought, her eyebrows furrowing and her confusion reaching another level.


    Joshua smiled and pressed his thumb and index finger on her forehead trying to ease her eyebrows. "Don''t furrow your brows. You will get wrinkles in the future."


    "Are you calling me old now?" Ivy retorted back immediately, her confusion was replaced with rage.


    Joshua gave her a helpless look. He wondered when he had even called her old or if she misunderstood him completely. "When did I say that?"


    "Just now. You talked about me getting wrinkles."


    "That was in the future."


    "Does that mean you want me to get wrinkles in the future?" Ivy huffed and pushed him away and Joshua gave a defeated sigh. He did not know what to say to her. She was glaring at him like a hungry lion ready to pounce on him and have a good feast for the day.


    Thinking about a feast, he got an idea in his mind and smirked which Ivy did not fail to notice.


    "Why are you grinning now? What are you thinking about?"


    "Nothing. I was just imagining something. Stop being angry, okay? If it helps you in any way, I am ready to apologize."


    Seeing him apologizing, Ivy burst out laughing unable to control herself anymore. Though Joshua had realized long back that it was all an act, he still pretended to be shocked. He had to give his best if he wanted to have his feast thoroughly. "Were you acting right now?"


    "What do you think?" Ivy looked at him proudly and gave him a wink. "If I am going to get old, you''ll not remain young forever either. You will become a grandpa someday."


    "Is it? You, my dear, are very good at acting. Where did you learn it?"


    "It comes to me naturally. I was a born.." She stopped suddenly when she felt his hand caress her neck gently, just like a feather grazing her body lightly and it gave her tingles.


    "What happened? Please continue." Joshua beamed at her response to his touch.


    "I have to be care-careful in my pro-pro-profession." She stammered badly when his hands traveled down her neck and landed on her waist. She did not know when he had lifted her shirt and now his hands were on her waist as he fondled her thin waist.


    Ivy bit her lip when his hand traveled upwards inside her shirt and it landed on the lining of her bra. Joshua was thankful that she was wearing a loose-fitting shirt and he casually ran his hands across her cleavage. She shivered and goosebumps formed on her skin. His touch on her body was too much for her to bear and she closed her eyes savoring the moment. Seeing her lost and the way she was reacting to him, Joshua smirked devilishly. He had got her just where he wanted. But now was not the time for him to continue, so he pulled back and watched her beautiful face while he waited for her to come out of the daze.


    Ivy waited for a while. But nothing happened. She could not even feel his hands on her. Confused, she opened her eyes to see Joshua staring right at her with mischief in his eyes. His hands were folded and he was at an arm''s distance from her.


    "What happened to you? Where were you lost?" He asked her innocently and ended it was an evil grin.


    "I got it," Ivy replied after some time of glaring at the man before her. She could see that he was enjoying the plight she was in. It gave him a different kind of satisfaction and delight to see his woman flustered and fidgety.


    "Did you? That''s great." Joshua applauded her making Ivy''s lips to twitch.


    "I know you are getting back at me for kicking you out of my room and also for running away without meeting you in the morning."


    "Ouch. That''s a serious accusation against me, but I accept it. Bingo." Joshua said and stood up suddenly. "What are you waiting for? Come, let''s search for the diary." Without waiting for her, he walked away, angering Ivy all the more.


    "I''ll get back at you. You just wait and watch." Ivy simmered.


    "I''ll be waiting for it and I''ll be watching you. Don''t worry. My eyes will be on you, always." Joshua shouted back and her anger turned into shock. She had not said it out loud. So, how did he even hear it? Joshua turned to see her astonished face before climbed up the stairs with a mysterious smile plastered on his face.


    ------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Though we did not reach the expected vote count, I''ll still give you two additional chapters for today. So, enjoy reading.


    Please don''t forget to review the book if you have not yet reviewed it. It will help me to know what my readers feel about this book and their expectations, if they have any, from me. Also, don''t forget to vote and comment.


    To unlock the privilege chapters, go to the chapter contents and scroll down until the end. You will find the option to purchase the privilege. It just costs 1 coin to purchase it. But please remember that the privilege ends every month and you will have to purchase it again the next month.

 Chapter 254: Feast

    Joshua had already reached her room leaving Ivy behind in anger. But he waited for her to come up. He did not barge inside in her absence as it would appear rude and uncultured. Due to this reason, he had waited for her arrival rather than going on a search rampage in her room. He had all the time in the world as he had come home right after his meeting with Noah. But his mind was against doing anything that he was not comfortable with. The guilt of lying to her and hiding secrets from her was already eating him alive. Now, he did not want to invade her privacy too, and add to the list.


    Ivy came five minutes later and appreciated the fact that he had waited for her instead of going inside. She had calmed her heart and she gave him a sweet smile which rendered Joshua thinking. He gave her a suspicious look as he was getting used to the way her mind worked. If somebody tried to trick her, then she would not rest until she got back at him with interest.


    But the person here was not just somebody. He was Joshua Martin. If she was good at playing tricks, then he was a master in tricking the trickster and rendering her tricks useless. Now that he had got a strong player against him, he could unleash all the ruses he had up his sleeve. Only he knew what those pranks were, but the end result was fixed. Joshua would be the one to rejoice and have his feast and here the feast being Ivy.


    They did not have to search for long as the diary was in one of the boxes Ivy had brought along with her.


    "Why do you need this diary? It is useless anyway."


    "Why do say so? Joshua asked with a frown. "We could try contacting the people whose details are here and ask them about your father. We might find something." He blatantly lied to her again and apologized to her sincerely in his mind. When the truth would come forward in the future, he would apologize to her with all his heart and accept all the punishments she would bestow upon him. But not right now. Now they had other things to concentrate on.


    "I have tried calling all of them. Some numbers are not in existence anymore and the ones that got connected to have no idea about my father. They do not even want me to call them back again. It was frustrating dealing with them at first. But I got used to it later." Ivy sighed thinking about the rough days she and her sister had experienced in the beginning when her father went missing and her mother died of a heart attack. Everything was destroyed in the blink of an eye and the sisters were left alone in the world to fend for themselves. Their happy family was gone, but the good part was they had each other.


    It had taken them some time to get used to life without their parents. But later they had come to terms with it. They knew certain things were inevitable. Despite the circumstances they were in, they did not lose hope. They continued their attempt to search for their father while they gradually tried to stabilize their life. None of their family members from either side came forward to help them.


    However, there was one family who stood by them through their bad times. It was Daniel and his parents. They had helped the sisters a lot and had given them the moral support they needed especially when their parents were not around. Though Ivy fought with Daniel like he was her mortal enemy, secretly she was grateful towards him for being there for her and Aria when they needed them the most. However, this was something she had kept a secret and would never reveal it to him for life lest he should get puffed up with pride.


    Joshua noticed her blank expression and he could sense what she must be thinking right now. He hugged her tightly and patted her back trying to soothe her. "It''s okay, Ivy. Everything will be alright. Trust me. I''ll make everything alright. I promise." Joshua coaxed her gently and kissed her hair twice.


    Not wanting to sadden her more, he tried to change the mood. "Ivy, I like the position we are in." He started and looked down to see Ivy''s confused expression. He realized that she was oblivious to their position and he continued the tease. "We are both glued to each other and I can feel your heartbeat which is slowly picking up its pace right now. And most importantly, I can touch you to my heart''s content."


    Ivy pulled back and stared at him only to meet his scheming eye. She knew nothing good would come out of it if she continued to stay here any moment longer. He would surely eat her alive with the way his wolfish gaze was fixed on her face. She tried to push him, but the man was too strong for her and he tightened his hold around her waist. He was hell-bound about having his way with her and this time she could not escape.


    "Joshua?"


    "Hmm?"


    "Leave me."


    "No." He denied her request immediately and smiled at her.


    "I need to cook."


    "Sure, go ahead. Who is stopping you?" Joshua stated and leaned in for a brief kiss. Before Ivy could even respond, the kiss had ended.


    "You...." She was speechless by his attempts in sneaking a kiss from her every time. How can I cook this way?"


    "Why? Do you want my help? I can give you a demonstration." His words rendered Ivy dumbstruck and stared at him blankly.


    "But.."


    "Shh.." Joshua shushed her immediately and picked her up. He then carried her towards the bed. Ivy''s heart jumped out of her chest and it started beating quite vigorously. She was a little scared thinking about what Joshua wanted to do to her. She trusted him not to break his promise and do anything which she was not comfortable with. But she could not stop the anticipation she was having as she waited for his next move.


    "You can cook later. Let me have my appetizer first." With that, Joshua locked his lips with hers and time stopped at that moment. All Ivy could feel was the pleasant torture the man was showering her with. Her body had gone rigid, but she calmed down when Joshua grasped her hands on either side of her head and deepened the kiss.


    ''How long had it been since he last kissed her?'' He wondered. Although it had been less than a day since the last time they had gotten this intimate, he felt it to be days rather than just a few hours. Just the thought of not seeing Ivy made him lose his mind. He pondered how his friend, Noah was doing in his love''s absence and he wished never to face a situation like his in his life.


    As he deepened the kiss, Joshua also pushed himself slightly towards Ivy''s body. He wanted to make her realize what he felt for her and what she made him feel. His already hardened buddy pressed onto her just below her stomach and Ivy widened her eyes in shock. She wanted to speak, but the man did not stop his attack on her lips and her abdomen. Occasionally he would push himself closer to her entrance and she could feel his hardness even though they were thoroughly clothed.


    The man only let her go when he had savaged her lips rigorously to the extent they had gone red and swollen. He saw her glazed eyes and little amount of tears in them. The sight before him was a sight to behold and he almost lost control. All he wanted to do was to rip off her clothes and bury himself inside her. But he would not do so, not when he had promised her. He would take it slow, not as slowly as Ivy wanted it to be. But slower than the pace Joshua usually followed. Moreover, he had the entire life to love her and make love to her. She was his for life. So, he was not a hurry right now.


    Joshua took one last glance at Ivy who was still in a daze and was delighted that it was he who was responsible for her condition. Even in the future, it would be him who would bring her to this state again and pleasure her in ways he had in mind. He then let her go and waited until she came back to normal.


    "Let''s have dinner. Shall we?" Joshua asked after some time and Ivy nodded.


    "I''ll go and cook. Wait for some time."


    "There is no need for it."


    "What do you mean?" Ivy who was ready to head out of the room stopped to stare at him.


    "The maid has already prepared dinner for today. You don''t have to worry about it."


    -----------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do consider buying privilege for this book. It just costs 1 coin to purchase it.

 Chapter 255: Bet

    Ivy was stupefied. She stared at Joshua unable to believe that the man before her had tricked her again. She puffed her cheeks in anger and stormed out of the room without saying another word to him. Though she liked the kiss they had shared just now, she was agitated on getting tricked by him to do as she was told. So, she wanted to retort back and the best way to get back at him was to give him the silent treatment. And she did just the same.


    Seeing Ivy storm out in anger, Joshua realized that she was throwing a tantrum and he stifled a smile. His woman was too cute. He couldn''t help but tease her to see her cheeks get coated with a tinge of pink whenever she was angry or embarrassed. He had decided and signed a deal with himself to tease her at least once daily to see the beautiful apple colored face again and again. It was as though it was his birthright to do so.


    He casually got off the bed and went downstairs. He was already in his pajamas. So, he did not waste his time in changing his attire. He went to the dining hall directly. However, the scene before him made him halt in his tracks. Ivy had already started eating without waiting for him. Every time she took a bite, she would lick her lips. The way her tongue rolled on the lips made Joshua feel hungry again, not for food but her. The woman was seducing him without even doing anything. She did not even know he was in the hall in the first place.


    Joshua cleared his throat loudly to gain her attention, but Ivy ignored him clearly and continued savoring her food. She had to commend the maid''s cooking, it was really delicious. Even when Joshua sat beside her, she ignored him.


    "Are you ignoring me?"


    "What if I am?" Ivy answered halfheartedly.


    Joshua gave her a look that clearly said: I won''t let you ignore me.


    And she gave him a look of her own: Is this a challenge?


    Joshua: You wanna bet?


    Ivy: Sure, but no touching.


    Joshua: What? Why?


    If there was no touching, then there would be no kissing too. How could Joshua stop himself from kissing her when she was around him? It took him a great deal of effort to not do anything to her. Now, he was not even allowed to touch her, let alone kiss her. How could he control himself until the bet ended? He concluded that he had to win the bet as early as possible.


    Ivy: Rules, my dear boyfriend rules. I know your tricks by now. I don''t want you to have an advantage over me.


    Joshua: What does the winner get?


    Ivy thought for some time when finally a brilliant idea came to her mind.


    Ivy: The loser will do everything the winner says for a day.


    She raised her eyes, daring him to accept her conditions.


    Joshua narrowed his eyes on her provocation and he smiled evilly.


    Joshua: Are you sure you can handle it if you lose?


    Ivy: Who told you I''m going to lose?


    Joshua: Me.


    Joshua pointed to himself making Ivy scoff.


    Ivy: In your dreams.


    Joshua: I always make my dream become true.


    Ivy: Overconfident.


    Joshua: Thanks for the compliment. Now, are you ready to lose?


    Ivy: No. I am ready to win, you loser.


    Joshua: Let''s see about it. When''s the deadline?


    Ivy: How about tomorrow at midnight?


    Joshua: Sure. So, I''ll have to make you talk to me before tomorrow ends. Am I right?


    Ivy: Right.


    Neither Ivy nor Joshua realized that they had stopped communicating with their eyes long back and had started talking to each other. Every time they wanted to express something beneficial for them, the other party would end up getting frustrated.


    Joshua: When does the bet start?


    Ivy: Right now.


    As soon as Ivy said this, the room became silent at once. Now the bet was set and both of them were trying hard to win at all costs. Nobody exchanged a word as they ate silently.


    Ivy wondered why Joshua was silent. He could at least talk even though she would not be giving him any reply. She felt weird eating in a silent mood. After she had shifted to Joshua''s house, their dinners would be pleasant, with them teasing each other. The atmosphere would be jovial and friendly unlike now, where there was only tension and silence. She found it highly uncomfortable and wanted to say a word about it. But then, she remembered the bet they had just set and she shut her mouth.


    Unbeknownst to her, Joshua was finding it highly irritating with the awkward silence. He wanted to talk to her, but to make his plan work he had to sacrifice some things, only now it was his desire to hold her, touch her and talk to her. He fell into a dilemma whenever he thought about how miserable the next twenty-four hours would be until the bet ended. But then he thought about all the things he could get Ivy to do for him once he won, his mood became a little better. The best way to make her come to him is to ignore her until she could take it no longer.


    However, that was not the case with Ivy. Her thoughts were completely different than his. She was imagining a scenario where she had won the bet and Joshua was cleaning her bike and her car in the sun while she was sitting in the shade, sipping on some coke and munching on some fries. But soon she realized that this scene would be too problematic for her. With the body like Joshua''s she was sure instead of enjoying him following her orders, she would be enjoying and drooling over his naked his torso, that is if he decided to clean her vehicles without wearing any shirt.


    Ivy immediately shook her head, confusing Joshua with her sudden actions. However, he just glanced at her before he continued eating his dinner.


    Meanwhile, the scene in Ivy''s mind shifted to another one. Now, he was helping her with her nail paint while she sat in front of him like a queen as he worked as a servant. But this idea too was discarded when Ivy realized that was a golden opportunity for a man like Joshua who never left any possible chances that could help him get touchy with her. She realized that since the time he had kissed her near the pool, he had taken all liberties with her. So, she did not wish to give him any opportunities on her ow. This idea was discarded immediately.


    The scene shifted to another one and this time he was in the kitchen cooking dinner for her. But just the thought was enough for her to put a full stop on it. It was more horrifying than anything. She had no idea how his cooking was and if the food he prepared was even edible. She did not want to become a lab rat for his experiments and end up getting diarrhea. So, this thought left her mind as fast as it came to her.


    She could not think of any sort of punishment for the man before her and this made her a little frustrated. She decided to have a talk about it with Kira or Sasha the next day.


    Meanwhile, Joshua noticed her varied expressions and he stared at her in amusement. It was just like a kaleidoscope, not knowing when what to expect. Her expressions changed from delight to desire and then from contentment to surprise until it finally ended with a horrified look. But he did not ask her a thing. After emptying his plate, he got and left her alone without giving her another glance.


    This was a serious blow to Ivy. She could not tolerate his silence. But her mind had become stubborn. ''Don''t fall for his tricks. Endure it, just endure it.''


    --------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Thank you all for your great support. I am so happy to see that readers are liking this book. Love you all. Your comments boosted my confidence a lot.


    Sorry, I could not release the chapters as promised due to some issues with my Internet. Not to worry. I''ll be releasing those chapters today.


    Also, please read the author''s note. It has details about a fun event for the readers.

 Chapter 256: Ignoring

    After having his dinner, Joshua went to his lab downstairs without sparing another thought on Ivy. If she was hellbound on ignoring him, then he was hellbent on feeding Ivy her own medicine and he could see that it was working. Ivy was frustrated with the way things had suddenly changed between them. She was already missing him and now she had no idea what to do now.


    Barely a few minutes had passed since they had made the bet and she was already losing her mind seeing Joshua''s behavior towards her. She had no idea how she would survive one full day with this torture. She very badly wanted to go to him and take back the bet. But her stubborn and egoistic self stopped her from taking another step. Also, she did not want to end up losing the game and do as she was told. Who knew what the wolfish man had in mind and what he would make her do? So, she remained in her stance as she absent-mindedly watched the TV.


    Time passed and Aria called her as per her schedule. Ivy was very happy to receive her call at that moment as she had something to keep her mind diverted for some time. They talked casually, asking each how they were and about their work. Though Ivy very badly wanted to tell Aria about her and Joshua, she wanted it to be a surprise. So, she decided to tell her when she returned. However, she still gave her a heads up.


    "Aria I have a surprise for you."


    "Is it?" Aria''s voice raised an octave and her eyes glimmered in excitement. The voice operator who was listening to their conversation too raised his eyebrows on hearing Ivy''s words. In the past few days, he had listened to all the phone calls the civilians in the base made as it was his job and the one that interested him the most was the lady doctor''s phone call to her sister. Her sister was an intriguing character and every time she would end the call after flirting with him, though he never spoke a word to her.


    "Yes, but I''ll tell the day you return," Ivy said with a happy smile on her face.


    "Ivy, this is not fair. What if I don''t return? What if something happens to me here and I die?"


    Ivy''s smile faltered on hearing her sister''s words. Her blood boiled and she burst out immediately. "Don''t you dare say anything like that ever again. You are not allowed to leave me ever, not until we both see our grandkids and if possible even great-grandkids. So, don''t talk nonsense. I forbid you from saying like this ever again."


    Ivy''s sudden outburst startled not only Aria and the telephone operator, but also Joshua who had come up to retrieve his laptop. However, he did not stay for long. He walked right in front of her on purpose so that she would notice him and then went back to his lab.


    Ivy''s heart skipped a beat when she saw him and she smiled a little. But the smile dropped when she noticed him not even glancing at her and her mood worsened. She felt more horrible than the days she would suffer during her monthly cycle.


    "Calm down, Ivy. I was just joking." Aria coaxed her gently and peeked at the operator from the corner of her eyes. Though the man was not looking at her, she could guess what he was thinking. He might have been shocked too and she pitied him for his unusual job. Did people have any fewer problems in their own lives now that they were forcing themselves to listen to other people''s problems? "Anyway, please tell me about the surprise. The curiosity is killing me."


    Aria''s plead lessened Ivy''s annoyance a little. She took a deep breath before she continued speaking. "No way. I want to see your shocked face when you come home and don''t worry, it is something that will make you very happy."


    "Fine." Aria huffed. "Keep the secret to yourself. I am going to end the call now."


    "Wait a second. I haven''t spoken to the telephone operator at all. Tell the hot guy, I said him hi." Ivy''s words made Joshua halt in his place. When he had come to retrieve his laptop a few minutes back, he had dropped his phone intentionally. Ivy calling another guy hot made him jealous and furious. He wanted to go to her and punish her by kissing the hell out of her. But like before, he did not say anything and walked in front of her, gaining her attention her again.


    Seeing him come back, Ivy was spooked once again. She saw Joshua flare at her slightly and she lowered her head in guilt. She did not know when he had come up and how much he had heard. Seeing his jealous face, she was sure he had heard her calling another guy hot. She expected him to get back at her at least this time. But the man did not do anything to her and left the hall as silently as he had entered.


    "Ivy, the guy is listening to you. You can speak to him yourself." Aria''s words brought her out of her stupor. She shook her and usual spoke to the operator, keeping the flirting to minimal this time. The sisters then ended the call after bidding goodbye to each other.


    Ivy stared blankly into space. She wondered why Joshua''s ignoring and indifferent behavior was affecting her so much. She very badly wanted to speak to him. The silent treatment was killing her and she felt gloomy. Though the TV was switched on, she was not focused on it. Her mind was elsewhere.


    An hour passed and Ivy was still in the same position. She was deep in thought as she stared at the television which was now focusing on a game of basketball. When Joshua came back after an hour, this was the scene he saw. Seeing her absent-minded, he could guess that he was the reason for it and his lips quirked up slightly. He knew she was getting as aggravated as he and her situation was no different than his. He could see a meter in his mind with their names on opposite ends with a needle in the middle. Now, the needle was slightly inclined towards Joshua''s side, indicating his victory for now.


    To bring her out of her thoughts, he pulled out his phone and started speaking loudly. He had already placed his phone on silent so he did not have to worry about getting a call during his act before her. The sudden noise alarmed Ivy and she looked in the direction where Joshua was standing. She stared at him hopefully, but the man turned back as soon as he felt her eyes on him.


    "I have mailed the reports. If you have any queries, let''s discuss tomorrow. I''ll be going to sleep now. So, don''t disturb me today." With that, he climbed the steps and went to his room. He did not forget to take one last glance at Ivy before going up.

 Chapter 257: Dream

    "Mmm," Ivy moaned lightly as Joshua nibbled on her lips gently while he held her tight in his embrace. He did not allow her to push him away as he kissed her like his life depended on it. When he could not tolerate it anymore, he bit her lips hard making Ivy gasp in pain. This was enough for his tongue to dive into her hot mouth and explore it. It tasted sweeter than honey and Joshua was slowly getting addicted to it like drugs. His kiss had blocked Ivy''s thinking capacity. She had even become a putty in his arms as he continued his sweet assault on her. Their legs were entangled together and Joshua was absolutely loving the position they were in. They were stuck to each other like magnets.


    His kiss then went down on her collar bone as he sucked fiercely on it eliciting another moan from her. It made Joshua desire her all the more and he attacked her with a monstrous ferocity. After sucking hard on her skin until he had marked her, he proceeded further below to her waist and lifted her shirt until her breasts. His hands roamed freely around her body enjoying the delectable flesh while his eyes feasted on her beautiful curves. The flesh around her thin waist was too enticing to control himself anymore and he ended up biting it.


    However, it tasted completely different than he had expected. It was not soft and did not smell like Ivy at all. Instead, it scratched his face a little as he buried his head in it and smelt like detergent and when he took a bite, it tasted like some cheap cloth. Confused, the sleeping Joshua opened his eyes to see that he was canoodling his pillow, thinking it to be Ivy. Joshua realized that all he had was just a wet dream. It was not real.


    He scratched his head in confusion when he remembered how he had gone to sleep without a care in the world. He did not have anything to worry as the needle was slowly inclining towards his end. All he had to do was push her buttons more and she would come running into his arms. He could read her thoughts like a genius mind reader. He had planned the different ways of torturing Ivy for the next twenty-four hours and everything was under his control. His prize was just a room-length away. All he had to do was wait patiently with a sweet smile.


    He had no idea how he had got such a perverted yet realistic dream. The worst part was he had a hard-on due to this wet dream and he groaned in despair thinking about it. This was truly a torture for him, not for Ivy. He got off his bed and went to the bathroom to relieve himself, thinking about Ivy the entire time.


    Meanwhile, in Ivy''s room.


    The whole night, Ivy could not sleep properly as Joshua''s indignant behavior kept bugging her mind. Many a time she wanted to go and reprimand him regarding the same. But then she would remember the bet and cool down thinking it was just a matter a few hours. Her mind was not at peace and every few seconds it wandered into a faraway land thinking about Joshua.


    The next day, Ivy got up as early as possible and went down to eat her breakfast. She did not forget to take a look at Joshua''s room which was tightly shut. She did not know if he was downstairs or was still sleeping. When she went down, the breakfast was already placed on the dining table and the maid had left after cleaning the kitchen.


    Ivy waited a long time for Joshua to come down. But there was no news about him. She even decided to go and call him personally, but later decided against it when she remembered his behavior the previous night. She started eating, every now and then taking a glance at the staircase. But the man in question was nowhere to be seen.


    She finished her breakfast in a somber mood. Though the food tasted delicious, her tasted bud had committed suicide along with her appetite. So, she could feel nothing. Everything she ate was bland. Yet she forced it down her throat as she and her friends had to attend a meeting with Noah and did not know how long it would last.


    It was time for her to leave as Max had called her to meet him at his house before they left together to meet their new Boss. She took one last glance towards Joshua''s room before she left the house with a dejected expression. When she went to the garage to take her bike, she noticed one of the parking spots empty and deduced Joshua to have left early in the morning. This increased her gloominess significantly. She was unhappy that he had left without even informing her.


    Sighing lightly, she started her bike and drove towards Max''s house. In her worry, she did not notice somebody''s keen gaze on her from behind.


    Joshua watched her leave his house with a crestfallen expression on her face and his lips arced up slowly. He had been avoiding her intentionally to gain her attention and he could see it was working. Ivy was slowly losing the bet as well as her determination to stay strong. Though he did not wish to see her dejected, this was just momentary. After he won the bet, he would never allow her to be sad.


    The previous night, he too had tossed around in his bed thinking about his woman the entire night after the wet dream and the torment he had been through. He even wanted to accept defeat so that he could hear her voice again, touch her again, and most important of all kiss her again. Then, an idea had struck him. If he won this bet, he could use it to his advantage in the future when the truth about her father came before Ivy. He could probably and hopefully use it to persuade Ivy to forgive him. Though it was just his hope, he held onto it strongly. At least he would have something that could help him. But everything depended on Ivy.


    This hope had made him more determined to win the bet and he had carefully prepared a trap for Ivy to fall into herself. He had known her schedule for the day. Since she was going to meet Noah with her colleagues, he too decided to meet him. He also had to give him the diary and discuss some matters with him. "Ivy, don''t worry baby. I am coming for you."


    Meanwhile, Ivy did not know a thing about his plan and was riding her bike towards Max''s house with Kaito stealthily following her.


    -------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do consider buying privilege for this book. It just costs 1 coin to purchase it.

 Chapter 258: Slip of the tongue

    When Ivy reached Max''s house, she masked her sadness and anger brilliantly and mingled with them as though nothing had happened. So, nobody noticed any difference in her. They had already prepared everything for the meeting. Though they had not finished their complete plan, they had come up with a draft that they wanted to present before their future Boss today.


    Kira and Sasha were going bonkers again on thinking about meeting the handsome God. They had been swept off guard the last time they had met him and boy, he was more handsome than anything. Though their tongues and vocal cords would even dare make any sound in his presence, their eyes gave away their heart''s desire. They would clearly become love-struck fangirls on seeing him. They were not the type to dream about him or obsess over him. They did not even want anything from him. They were quite happy working for him and admiring from far. It was a respect they had for a well-accomplished person, nothing more.


    Max and Kira went through the draft carefully once again. They were the once to present it in front of Noah and Max wanted to make sure everything was perfect. It was a dream come true to get a sponsor like Noah and he did not want to lose this opportunity due to their carelessness.


    Ivy saw her team fretting over everything and stared at them perplexed. He did not know why they were being overly anxious. It was Noah. What was there to be worried about? She did not know that the Noah she knew and the Noah they had seen was completely different. The one she had seen was Aria''s boyfriend who was cool and friendly, who took care of her sister like a queen. While the one her colleagues had met was an emperor like a man who gave orders to his subordinates, who expected efficiency and perfection in work, and who did not even hesitate to fire people who did not do their job correctly. So, she could not relate to their nervousness.


    Seeing her sitting silently on the couch, Cedric sat beside and offered her a cup of hot chocolate. "What are you thinking about?"


    "Nothing," Ivy answered after accepting the cup with a smile.


    "Aren''t you nervous?"


    "Why should I be?"


    "Because we are going to present before Noah Carter."


    "Not at all."


    "You must be quite bold and strong to be able to stay cool in times like these. I am on tenterhooks right now just thinking about seeing the man again."


    "Why? Is he that scary?"


    "You do not know as you missed the last meeting. He is not scary but his presence is too overpowering that you start to sweat automatically. It was worse than the time we met the President, Luis Truman. Remember?" Cedric took a sip from his cup as his eyes landed on Sasha who was helping Max and Kira in their work.


    "Why did I never feel that way whenever I met him?" Ivy asked out loud and Cedric choked on his hot chocolate and started coughing non-stop. He stared at Ivy, his eyes filled with questions while he continued to cough. Only then, did she realize her slip of the tongue and she frowned lightly. She handed Cedric a bottle of water that was lying on the table and then started patting his back.


    As soon as Cedric calmed down, he fired his first question. "When did you meet Noah?"


    "What?"


    "I asked when did you meet Noah. How did you meet him? Do you know him personally?" Cedric asked, his eyes burning with curiosity. His intense gaze put an unknown pressure on her.


    "I don''t know him nor have I met him."


    "Then, what did you mean before?"


    "Nothing."


    "Is it?"


    "Yes."


    "Ivy." He stressed. Before he could continue, Max intervened, much Ivy''s relief.


    "Guys, I think we are ready to go," Max said as he picked up his files while Kira nodded.


    "Let''s go then." Ivy stood up immediately trying to avoid Cedric''s questions.


    Cedric gave her a look that said: We are not done talking yet. I''ll get back to you later.


    Ivy gulped and wanted to smack her head for her carelessness. The moment of thought had made her speak the truth and now she was being questioned like a prisoner. She thanked Max secretly for interrupting at the correct time. The group left the house and got in Max''s car. Ivy did not use her bike this time as they were all going to the same location. Also, it would seem unruly and wild to ride it to Noah''s office. She did not want people to speak anything bad about him because of her.


    Kaito, who had been waiting for Ivy in his usual place, saw the group leave and followed them discreetly. He noticed Ivy getting inside a car instead of using her bike and now he started following the car.


    Sasha as usual had prepared a lot of snacks to hog on during the journey. Whenever she was nervous, she would eat as it helped her calm down. Today too she was nervous about meeting her handsome Boss again. If she had known that she would also be meeting another handsome man, Joshua, she would definitely have fainted. She munched on her wafers happily as Cedric sighed in defeat seeing her eating habits.


    After finishing the wafers, she then pulled out a small sandwich and started hogging on it.


    "Sasha, you are so bad. Why didn''t you offer us before eating?" Cedric chided her while Kira laughed.


    "You guys just had breakfast before leaving. I thought you would not be hungry anymore. My bad. Does anybody want anything to eat?"


    Ivy, Kira and max answered a no. Sasha gave Cedric a ''See I told you'' smile.


    "You didn''t ask me." He complained when she was about to take her next bite on the sandwich.


    "Fine. Do you want some?" Sasha held her half-eaten sandwich before Cedric as she stared at him. What she did not expect was Cedric to lean in to take a huge bite of her food. Ivy, who was watching everything from the side, smiled knowingly and turned to look outside, giving the couple their time.


    Sasha gaped at him as soon as took a bite and she was momentarily tongue-tied. Cedric noticed her expression and smirked inwardly. "I am satisfied now. You can continue eating."


    Sasha narrowed her eyes. She could feel that something was different about him, but she could not make out what. So, she did not give a second thought and ate her sandwich happily. Cedric licked his lips and smiled thinking about the indirect kiss they had just shared, but the woman beside him was busy eating, highly oblivious to it.


    After some moments of driving, they reached the Carter Enterprise, and this time they did not have to wait. They were immediately led to Noah''s cabin directly.


    Mia saw the group of unknown faces when she was returning after taking a coffee break and wondered what they were doing. They did not seem like any company executives nor did they have their identity cards with them that told them they worked here. Their attire too was normal. So, she couldn''t stop herself from getting suspicious. She wanted to see why they were here. At that moment, her colleague called her not allowing her to find out more.


    The group went to the top floor and met Shane and Ronnie outside Noah''s cabin. Seeing Ivy here, Ronnie gave her a small cutesy nod which she returned with a smile. The small exchange did not go unnoticed by Cedric and his suspicions rose.


    Ronnie led the group inside Noah''s cabin after knocking at the door. Sasha and Kira had readied themselves to be blown away again. But they were pleasantly surprised and starstruck when they noticed another man, they were all too familiar with, along with Noah. It was none other than Joshua Martin.


    The person who was more chocked was Ivy. She gawked at him while Joshua gave her a wink. He was joyous with her response and his mood brightened like a sunny morning.


    Ivy too was happy on meeting him here. She had been distressed on not seeing him in the morning. However, the next moment, her happiness was replaced with anger. ''I was agonizing since morning on not finding you at home and here you are winking at me. How obnoxious!''

 Chapter 259: Experience

    Ivy glared at the annoying man. She even scolded him, cussed him, kicked and smacked his face against the wall and even killed him brutally without blinking an eye. But it was all in her mind. They were in the presence of an audience and she could not get violent with him even if she wanted to. She wanted to wipe off the cheeky grin of his handsome face. Yet she did nothing. She walked away with her head held high, making Joshua to chuckle lightly. He was amused with the way her expression changed in seconds from surprise to anger and then to a blank face. She ignored him completely.


    Ivy''s colleagues were clueless about the short exchange between the two. They waited for Noah to speak wondering what Joshua was doing here. Seeing the group, Noah ordered Ronnie to lead them to the small conference beside his cabin and Ronnie followed his orders diligently. Before leaving, Ivy did not forget to glare at Joshua once more.


    Noah sensed their weird behavior and he raised his eyebrows in question. "What is happening between you two? I thought you guys had made up and were fine. Why is Ivy angry with you now?"


    "Oh, nothing''s wrong with us. It is just a bet we made. I need to win it at all costs."


    "Bet?" Noah asked. His face scrunched up hearing something so childish.


    "Don''t give that expression alright. It might sound childish, but if you listen to what the winning prize is you will be amazed too. I am thinking about the future. So, I don''t care even if I make weird bets."


    Noah folded his hands and stared down at his friend who was casually leaning on his chair with a playful smile on his face. He was treating Noah''s office as his house with the way he was behaving casually. "What does the winner get in return?"


    "The loser has to do all that winner says for a day."


    Noah''s was pleasantly surprised hearing Joshua''s words. The bet did sound feasible and good. If his friend won, he could use it to advantage any time he wanted. Seeing his friend''s relaxed expression, Noah could guess that his friend had prepared for his victory. All that remained was for Ivy to fall for it. Also, he could make out what he would want from Ivy if he won it.


    He chuckled lightly and Joshua blinked at him wondering what he had in mind. "We are definitely friends as we think alike and Aria and Ivy definitely sisters to fall into similar traps."


    "Why do you say so?"


    "I have a gift due from Aria and if you win this bet, you have something against Ivy. So, in the future when everything becomes clear and the truth comes out, we could use this to our advantage. Am I right?"


    "You too, Brutus?" Joshua exclaimed dramatically making Noah sneer. "You are right. I have no problem obeying Ivy for a day, but I have my intentions as you clearly explained."


    "Do you want help?"


    "No. I have everything under control."


    "If you say so. Now, let''s go. The poor guys must be waiting for us. Let''s not scare them than they already are."


    "Sure thing."


    Joshua and Noah entered the conference room together and each took the end seats while the five members were sitting in between them. To Ivy''s horror, Joshua took the seat right beside her and she tried to avoid his burning gaze. ''Why did he have to sit beside me? Can''t he take any other seats?'' She cried inwardly though she maintained a poker face.


    Seeing Joshua follow Noah, the other four members were worried. They were astounded to find him here and Noah''s next words spooked them more.


    "This is Joshua Martin. He will be joining us in this meeting today and will give us inputs and suggestions, if he deems necessary. Also, he will be my partner in this company, though he will just be behind the scenes. So, whenever I am not in town and if you guys encounter any problems in your work, you can approach him." Noah stopped, taking a look at all the people around him. When he was sure that he had their complete attention, he spoke once again. "Let''s start the meeting. Before that, I have some good news for you guys. We have successfully obtained the news agency. Now we can make changes as we deem fit."


    Noah''s statement brought a huge smile on everybody''s face other than Ivy''s. She was in a dilemma due to Joshua and her concentrate was fixed on him. She had no idea what Noah was speaking.


    As soon as Joshua sat down, he had fixed his gaze in Ivy and she could feel him drilling holes on her head. Her cheeks burned and she was feeling hot even though the room was cool. She did not dare to see him lest she should lose control. Her eyes were on Noah while her mind was on Joshua.


    "That''s good news, sir. We can start work sooner than we had planned. When can we visit the agency?" Max was the first one question while everybody else waited for Noah to answer.


    "I am yet to receive the transfer papers. I''ll inform you when everything is finalized."


    "Fair enough," Max replied while everybody else nodded.


    "Shall we start the meeting?"


    "Yes sir." Max and Kira stood up and they started presenting their draft.


    "Sir, since there are employees already working in the agency, we cannot fire them without reasons and that would be unfair too. We could hire new people and train them." Max started and Noah listened to him intently. Occasionally, his eyes would drift towards the couple who were sitting at the farther end of the table and an enigmatic smile would adorn his face. He could see that his friend as trying his best to irritate Ivy and she was just short of snapping at him. She was trying her best to keep herself in check.


    Though his eyes were observing everyone, his ears were fixed on the presentation. Noah was quite impressed with their plan. It almost overlapped with his, except a few extra ideas they had incorporated. He could see the potential in each of them while Max and Kira presented before him without stumbling over their words or stuttering. They knew what they were doing and they did it with utmost confidence. He liked confident people. In this world where everyone was fighting to gain power and earn money, only confident and bold people would progress in life. The meek and cowards only hid in the shadows and admired the successful ones.


    He was impressed that in the short amount of period, they had come up with a full-proof plan. All that remained was for Noah to give this draft to his father-in-law for his opinion. He was sure that Oliver would approve it too and give his own suggestions and ideas. His experience was what Noah needed the most.


    ----------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do consider buying privilege for this book. It just costs 1 coin to purchase it. Also, support this author in this win-win event.


    Another chapter coming along shortly.

 Chapter 260: Compensation

    Throughout the entire time, Joshua''s eyes were fixed on Ivy. He had not heard a word anybody had said. He had observed her thoroughly and he realized that his woman looked beautiful even from the side. His hands were itching to caress her cheeks which by now had turned rosy. He could see that his presence was affecting her and she was yearning for his love just like him.


    He coughed lightly to gain her attention but in vain. His woman did not even react. She had made up her mind to ignore him. He was just a hanging on the wall meant for decoration, nothing more right now. Not getting the result he wanted, Joshua stopped coughing. He bit his lips thinking about what he should execute next and he got a brilliant idea. He pushed himself closer to Ivy such that their legs were almost touching. He leaned forward slightly and he breathed lowly on her face, startling her. His lips were too close to her ears and if she turned to him, she would end up giving him a peck.


    Her body stiffened due to this sudden proximity and goosebumps rose on her skin. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and ears and she blushed unknowingly. She tried to move away, but Joshua''s long legs held her chair in position. She could only bend her position forward to escape him.


    Joshua smiled seeing her trying to escape from him and he pushed himself even more close. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Noah giving him a smile before his eyes went back to Max. Nobody else noticed what was happening between the two as everybody''s attention was on Max and Kira and their attention was on Noah. So, Joshua could take full liberties with the woman beside him. He was doing what he wanted to do while he also followed Ivy''s condition. He was not touching her anywhere.


    Ivy glowered at him in anger. He was embarrassing her in front of everyone. What if someone saw them in this position and misunderstood them? She was not ready for it. No. She was not ready to announce her relationship to the world yet.


    Joshua looked at her innocently as though he did not know what she meant. She pleaded him with her eyes and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. He shrugged his shoulders indicating her he had no clue what she wanted.


    Ivy huffed and went back to listening to Max, trying to avoid the irritating man as much as possible. However, the man in question had other plans in mind. As soon as she turned her head, he pulled her chair towards him slightly and it collided with his with a loud thud. Max stopped speaking on being interrupted suddenly and everybody''s eyes darted towards the two. Ivy went rigid with the sudden attention on them and she blinked innocently.


    "Is anything the matter?" Noah asked even though he knew what was happening. Ivy saw the smirk on his face and she lowered her head in shame. She was caught and it was all due to this man.


    "No, nothing at all." She answered immediately and coughed lightly to hide her awkwardness.


    "Let''s continue then," Noah ordered and Max started speaking after getting the orders.


    Ivy took a deep breath. She knew what the man wanted and she had to give in. Else, she was sure that by the end of the day all her colleagues would know about her and Joshua. It was a win-win situation in any case for him, but not for her. She had her reasons for not wanting anybody to know about her and Joshua. Ivy wanted Aria to know about it before anyone else and second and most important of all, she did not have the courage to stand before everyone and claim herself to be his girlfriend.


    Joshua was a popular man. Almost everyone in the country knew him and once their relationship came to surface, people were bound to dig about her and her family. Her father''s issue would come out and she knew this would only lead to more problems. Since the time her Dad had gone missing, she had guessed the people behind it to be dangerous. She had managed to hide from them. Unlike her father who worked in the open, she put up a disguise whenever she went on a mission. This was her way of protecting herself and Aria from the dangers she would attract. Her relationship being exposed would attract more problems and she already had a lot to deal with right now.


    When Joshua was about to pull Ivy''s chair once again, she made up her mind and begged him with her eyes. He gave her a knowing smile that said, ''You know what I want.''


    Having no other choice, Ivy gave in and opened her mouth. "Please." She whispered softly so that only he could hear her and immediately the man moved away from her. He had attained his goal and had won the bet with a lot of time to spare.


    Ivy took a deep breath and thanked the heavens for sparing her today. The meeting then went on smoothly and Joshua did not disturb her anymore. Ivy could finally concentrate on what was happening around her while Joshua had no interest in it. He had come to the meeting with a different purpose in mind altogether.


    After Max finished with his speech, he waited for Noah to give his opinion with a hopeful gaze.


    "The draft planning in good. Send them to me and I''ll take a look at it once again. Also, I have certain modifications to make. I''ll inform you about it once it has been confirmed. For now, let me tell you that I am going to hire some experienced journalists and they will be the department leaders. Also, I have chosen Mr. Williams to be one of them, if he has no objections to it."


    Max gasped in surprise when he heard Noah''s suggestion. He had no reason to deny it, this was a dream come true for many and he was getting it this easily. So, he accepted it happily.


    "You can choose a department of your choice and let me know. While I get the transfer documents, prepare the complete plan and incorporate the ideas I''ll be sending you in a few days. Any questions?" He darted his eyes around the room, but nobody spoke.


    "I have one, Mr. Carter." Ivy voiced out loudly and everybody''s heads snapped in her direction.


    "Please go ahead."


    "What is the duty of these department managers? Is it as simple as it states or does he have another job in secret?"


    Noah praised the intelligent woman in his mind. She could see things which others could not and she had a mind that thought differently. She was the most capable woman he had ever seen and his admiration for her grew all the more. "Your analysis is correct. I have another objective in hiring them. But I''ll be keeping it a secret for now. Don''t worry, it''s not something bad or against your conscience. Rest assured, it is similar to the work of a supervisor. Any more questions?"


    When he did not get any answers, he stood up and buttoned his coat. "Good job everyone. I''ll be waiting for your email."


    With that, Noah left the room first. Max, Kira, Sasha and Cedric followed him outside while they were immersed in their own talk. Everybody was smiling brightly and they did not notice how Joshua had trapped Ivy and had prevented her from running away.


    When it was just Ivy and him, she seethed in a low voice, "What the heck were you doing?"


    "What did I do?" Joshua gave her an expression that said he was being wrongly accused.


    Ivy was tongue-tied seeing his shamelessness. She got up to leave, but he pulled her immediately and she stumbled and fell on him.


    "I won the bet fair and square. Remember, you now have to follow my orders for a day."


    "I..I.."


    Joshua placed his finger on her lips to stop her from talking. "Shh. Let me continue. I will decide the day when will execute this setup. But the problem is I can''t wait until then. So, be prepared. I will be taking a small compensation from you tonight."


    With that, he released her leaving a gaping Ivy behind.

 Chapter 261: Act

    Tim had resumed his work the day after he had gone to the warehouse to meet Jared''s Godfather as per his instructions. It had been an utter waste of time and energy as the man had not even made an attempt to come to them. So, Jared and the others had returned without meeting him. But this was something they were happy about. That man was a devil, more horrible than Jared. So, they never wanted to meet him, ever.


    But since then, Tim had not seen Ivy leave or enter her house, nor did he see Joshua. This was quite suspicious. A week had passed and Tim had been keeping an eye on her apartment from dawn till midnight. But he had never seen Ivy in the duration. His suspicions rose and he realized something to be wrong. Not wasting any more time, he placed a call to his Master who at that moment was sitting in his office, not doing anything.


    Jared was in deep thought when Tim''s call disturbed. He was devising a new plan to sabotage Regal Medical Hospital''s reputation. His previous attempt in destroying it had gone down the hill and the hospital had gained more recognition for its good work. People were praising it all the more. It was already quite a famous and preferred hospital in the country for its best quality doctors and reasonable and genuine medical fees compared to the other hospital in a similar tier. This puny attempt did not even leave a small scratch on their long history of good work.


    "Yes, Tim? What news do you have for me today?" Jared asked with a small sigh. He had been exhausted lately and was finding even a small disturbance irritating. His poor assistant was on the verge of committing suicide due to his Master''s wrath. He had become more terrifying and each day, it was only reaching new peaks.


    "Master, there is something wrong here. I have been keeping an eye on Ivy and for the entire week, she has neither left her house nor have I seen her return home. It''s a little suspicious now that I think about it."


    Tim''s words made Jared frown. He was suspicious, but it was for a different reason. He had an inkling that Ivy must have known about Tim following her to move out of her house all of a sudden. And Joshua''s involvement was another thing to be considered. What if she had moved in with him now that they were in a relationship? This was a possibility too. But Jared hoped that was not the case. If his assumptions were true and Ivy was the person behind vandalizing his plans, then it would become a problem to get to her. Joshua was not an ordinary person and Jared knew better about him than anyone. He had the information of all the people around Noah and Joshua was his best friend. So, this matter had become worse with them in the picture. He had to look into this issue thoroughly.


    "What about her friends? Have you asked your men to follow them?"


    Tim scratched his head in confusion. ''Was I supposed to keep a lookout for them too? Why didn''t I know about it? Nobody told me about it. Why?'' He cried inwardly. How was he supposed to convey this message to his Master was like a ticking time bomb ready to explode any moment?


    Jared could sense something to be not right from Tim''s silence. It could only mean one thing, he had not done the job he was given. "What happened, Tim?" He asked softly. Though his Master sounded very calm, only Tim knew that it was not the case. His Master was angry now and he was the one to be on the receiving end.


    "I haven''t been keeping an eye on the others. I don''t know what they are up to."


    "Why?"


    "Master, I was not informed in the change of plans. So, I did not know I was supposed to follow them too."


    "What do you mean by nobody informed. I clearly told you about it." Jared seethed. He was now utterly pissed and Tim could feel the monster''s anger even from where he was. It was nerve-wracking and cold sweat trickled down his spine.


    "No Master. I have not received any new instructions." Tim stayed with his words adamantly, not caring if he was to lose his life by the end of the day.


    "Are you telling me that I am lying now?" Jared stood up from his chair and hissed. His eyes were blazing fire in anger and if his assistant were to enter right now, he would have had a heart attack in fear.


    "No Master. I am not saying that. I am sorry Master. I failed to do my job correctly." Tim surrendered immediately. He was sure that if he continued and held on to his words, which was the truth, in fact, his head would be chopped off and his body would be lying in the gutter.


    "Wait a second. Let me call my assistant. We will sort this out right now." Jared called his assistant the next moment and the guy came running to his cabin. Seeing his Master''s furious face, his legs gave away and he had to hold on to the table edge to remain standing.


    "Yes, Master?" He tried to sound as polite as possible, trying to hide his fear. Yet, it still came out as a stutter.


    "Was Tim supposed to send his men to follow the girl and her colleagues?"


    "Yes, Master."


    "Didn''t I give him the orders to do so?"


    Jared''s question rendered his assistant speechless. How was he supposed to tell him that he had not issued any orders? This would only irk his Master more. He would only be risking his life. But he knew his lie would cost Tim his life and they were sworn brothers since the time they had started working for Jared. He had to save him at all costs.


    "Answer me." Jared roared making his assistant and Tim flinch.


    "No Master. No orders of such were given to him."


    Tim heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the man''s words. At least he had not lied blatantly. He secretly made a promise to return this favor some day.


    "Is it?" Jared asked, this time with a confused expression. His anger had subdued and he looked a lot peaceful now.


    "Yes Master."


    "I must have forgotten. My bad." Jared laughed loudly taking Tim by shock. He wondered if the man suffered from bipolar disorder for him to change his demeanor this quickly. This man was unpredictable.


    "Tim, then I give you the orders now. Find out what they are up to and also find out where that girl is staying right now. I want all the details. Another thing," Jared stopped suddenly making Tim wait in anticipation.


    "Since the girl is not at hime, break into her house and try to search for some clues. We might find something suspicious. But be careful. We do not want people knowing about us."


    "Yes Master." He replied courteously. He was happy to have been saved today and all the credit went to Jared''s assistant. He thanked him in his mind and went to follow his next orders.


    He first called his men and commanded them to follow the four people. When everything was set, he then proceeded to finish his next orders. He went towards the apartment building and tried to see any possible way to slip in without being noticed. But the gates were locked and it would open only if the person was a resident or if he was given permission to enter. Now, the problem was neither was he a resident nor did he know anybody here. So, how was he supposed to get inside?


    When he trying to find a solution, he noticed an old woman walking towards him and an idea struck his mind. As soon as the woman came near him, he acted as though he was feeling dizzy and fainted right in front of her, terrifying her. The woman was a kind hearted person. She rushed to the man and tried to hold him.


    "Oh my God. Dear, what happened to you?" He patted his cheeks softly trying to wake him up. But the man remained sleeping. He did not have any intentions of opening his eyes. The watchman came running hearing the old woman and he too was shocked on seeing a man lying unconsucious before him. He knew the lady as she was a resident of the apartment he worked as a watchman for.


    "Madam, what happened?"


    "This young guy fainted before me." The woman replied. "Do you have some water?"


    "Yes Madam." The watchman went back and returned with a bottle of water.


    The lady sprinkled some water on Tim''s face and this time he could not continue his act. He moved slowly and opened his eyes.


    "Are you alright dear?" The lady asked in concern and Tim smiled inwardly.


    ''Emotional fools.''


    "Yes. I am fine now. Thank you for your help." He said and tried to get up.


    "Can you get up, dear?"


    "Yes Madam." Tim got up with great difficulty.


    "What happened dear?"


    "Nothing madam. I haven''t eaten today and I have diabetes. So, this must be it. The low insulin content must have affected me."


    "Oh dear. Please have something then."


    "Yes Mam. I was waiting for my cousin. But she had to leave due to some emergency and now I can''t enter without her permission."


    "You can come again some other day right?" The watchman suggested.


    "No Sir. I don''t stay here. I travelled overnight to meet her and now she is not picking her calls. So, I was waiting for her."


    "What is the name of your cousin dear?" The woman asked picking up her bag, which was lying on the ground.


    "Ivy, Ivy West."


    "I know that young lady. Your cousins are sweet girls." The woman answered and Tim wondered who was his other cousin. Did Ivy have a sibling he did not know about?


    "Yes Mam. They are very sweet."


    "If you want you can come and stay in my house until your cousin returns."


    "No Mam. I don''t want to trouble you. I will be fine."


    "There''s no trouble dear. Come with me."


    "But Mam." The watchman tried to object. He was not sure if he wanted the man to enter before his identity was confirmed. But the old lady stopped him.


    "It''s okay. I trust him." The lady entered the building after pressing her finger on the scanner and Tim followed her with an evil smile on his face.


    He had entered the aparment. All that was left was to find Ivy''s flat number and break in.

 Chapter 262: Busted

    Tim walked behind the old woman as he surveyed his surroundings. He did not know what Ivy''s apartment number was. So, he had to be careful from now on to not to raise suspicion. Also, he could see that the security in the building was top notch. There were surveillance cameras in every corner of the floor, covering almost all the houses entrance doors. His job had become more difficult now. Not only did he have to find her house and break into it, but also had to be careful of being caught.


    He sighed in defeat. He had no idea how to proceed from here. ''Why am I here and what am I even doing? Killing people is easier than keeping an eye on people.'' He concluded as he followed the woman to her house. The lady kept chattering nonstop on her way, which Tim did not even heed to. It was as though he had gone deaf after he had entered the building.


    The woman led him to his house which was on the third floor and entered inside. Nobody was present in her house except for a maid who was mopping the floor. He looked around the house. It was quite cozy and homely, completely different from how he felt at that moment. He was not in no mood to appreciate the interior decoration. All he wanted was to escape from the woman''s clutches and complete his mission.


    "Please sit." The lady said and ordered the maid to bring a glass of juice and some fruits. She then smiled at Tim.


    "Please have these." She said sweetly and Tim did not deny her offer. He had nothing to lose on filling his stomach when the woman was offering it herself. He ate it heartily, every now and then looking at his watch.


    "Did you call your cousin? When will she return? Any idea about it?" Tim choked on listening to her questions. How was he supposed to know all these answers when he was not Ivy''s cousin in the first place? He coughed as he thought of an answer that could stop the gullible woman from speaking and also not raise any suspicions.


    "She told me that she would be back before lunch."


    "But it''s way past lunchtime right? Where could she be? Also, where did she go?"


    "She had some work to attend to."


    "You could meet her in her workplace right?" The woman suggested and Tim cursed at the overly nosey lady.


    "I called her to inform her about my arrival. But she isn''t picking my calls. If I go over there and she comes here in my absence, it would only become more tedious." Tim cooked a lie and then he gulped the juice. The maid gave him one look before she went back to cleaning.


    "That''s true."


    At that moment, Tim''s phone rang and he got up to speak, thanking the person on the other side. It was Jared''s assistant. He had saved him twice today and he couldn''t praise him more.


    "It''s Ivy." He said to the woman and the woman nodded in return, urging him to answer the call.


    "Hey." He chirped and Jared''s assistant was momentarily stunned by his enthusiastic greeting.


    "Hey. I called you to tell you Master wants to meet you tomorrow."


    "Okay. I got it." Tim said and cut the call immediately. He then looked at the old woman whose eyes were fixed on him.


    "That was Ivy. She has returned home."


    "Is it? That''s great then."


    "Oh, God," Tim exclaimed suddenly.


    "What happened, dear?"


    "This is my first time visiting Ivy and I forgot to ask her apartment number. Let me call her again." Tim unlocked his phone and acted as though he was searching for Ivy''s number while he waited for the old woman to take the bait.


    "She lives at 4B." The woman blurted out and the maid stopped working suddenly hearing her. She frowned and felt that something was wrong. As far as she knew, nobody was living in that apartment for almost a week. ''When did the sisters return?'' She wondered. But she did not give much thought to it and continued with her work.


    Tim smirked and praised the old woman for being such a fool. He lifted his head slightly, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you so much, Madam. And sorry for troubling you. I''ll take my leave now. My cousin is waiting for me."


    "Not a problem dear. Take care of your health."


    Tim left her house and smiled in delight. His plan was working fantastic and he could not believe how lucky he was today. He went to the next floor towards Ivy''s house and waited for some time, scrutinizing his surroundings. When he saw it to be clear, he made a call to Margeret.


    "What is it, Tim?" She asked. Tim heard her annoyed voice and rolled his eyes. He wondered when was she never annoyed. Whenever he met her, she would have a big frown on her face and this would make him avoid her like a bug.


    "I want you to hack the surveillance cameras of the apartment I am in and delete my parts in it."


    "Fine. Send me your address or your location."


    Tim sent her his location and waited for her signal. When he received her message, he proceeded with his plan. He went to Ivy''s house and tried to see if there was any possibility to enter her house. There was a fingerprint scanner attached to the door lock and Tim smirked. His work had been reduced significantly now. He took out a transparent sheet he had with him. He applauded himself for his quick thinking and deciding to bring this paper with him at this crucial moment. He placed the paper on the scanner and pressed his finger. This was a sure shot method he had learned from his Master.


    Many times, the scanner would have the fingerprints imprints and he used transparent sheets to render the scanner inactive. He had done this a lot of times and this time too, he was sure he would be successful. However, to his surprise, this method did not yield any results. The door did not even budge.


    He looked at the door with a strange expression and tried again, only to meet the same result. He frowned in confusion. If he thought he was smart, Joshua was smarter. He had cleared all the fingerprint imprints on the scanner as he knew a day like this would come soon. But this was something Tim did not know about.


    This method of his had been rendered useless. He had to find out some other method to get in. He looked around trying to see if there was any alternative. But he could not get any ideas. He gritted his teeth in frustration. How was he even supposed to enter her house with this top-notch security? After idling for some time, he then remembered that Maggie had hacked into a scanning device once and his eyes widened in happiness. He called her again, disturbing in her work.


    "What do you want now, Tim?" She asked impatiently.


    "I want you to hack a fingerprint scanner of an apartment."


    Maggie''s brows creased on hearing his request. Since the time she had joined Jared''s gang, she had been doing all sorts of crimes which she was against. Still, she did it as she had to follow the plan and gain Jared''s trust. Her Deputy had entrusted her with an important and dangerous mission and she had to do it at all costs.


    "Fine. I''ll do it." Maddie said and apologized to the resident in her mind.


    In a matter of five minutes, the work was done and the door opened a little. Tim smiled like a small kid and was in awe with Maddie''s ability. Her skills were beyond belief and she was one of the best programmers he had ever seen.


    Slowly and stealthily, Tim entered Ivy''s house and darted his eyes everywhere. It was clean and everything was in place and organized. The place looked very welcoming. Tim started with his work and went around searching for any clues. He first started with the living room. He checked all the drawers and cupboards. When he did not find anything there, he went to one of the rooms which he presumed to be Ivy''s.


    Meanwhile, the maid who worked in the old woman''s house could not stop the pestering thoughts in her mind. "Madam, I think there is something wrong here." She voiced her thoughts finally when she could tolerate it no longer.


    "What is dear?" The woman asked, pushing her glasses back on her nose.


    "The girls you were talking about with the man just now.." The maid stopped suddenly trying to put her thoughts together.


    "Yes, what about them?"


    "I have not seen them in the apartment for almost a week."


    "What?" The woman asked flabbergasted and her face paled in fear.


    "Yes, Madam."


    "How do you know that? Do you work for them too?"


    "No mam. But her neighbor told me that the girls have gone out and one of them has asked her to keep a watch on her house until she returns."


    "What?" The old woman stood up suddenly.


    "Yes madam. I think there is something suspicious about the man. We need to inform the security."


    "Yes, yes. If what you are saying is the truth, then I did a grave mistake." The woman called the security immediately. She did not want to be responsible for a crime she unknowingly committed. She did not know what the man wanted from the two girls and why he was even here in the first place.


    The security came running after getting the woman''s call and he gave her a look that said: I warned you about him before. The woman darted her eyes, unable to meet his gaze in guilt. Without wasting another moment, they went to the next floor and pressed the bell to Ivy''s apartment. But nobody opened it.


    Tim, who was busy in his work, froze on hearing the bell and his eyes widened in disbelief. He was spooked with the sudden turn of events and tiptoed towards the door to see what was happening.


    Hearing the commotion, Ivy''s neighbor came out. "What are you guys doing here? The girls are not at home."


    "Where did they go?" The security asked, sweat drops running down his neck and his back.


    "I have no idea. But they will not be returning any time soon."


    "Who told you?" The security asked again.


    "The elder twin, Ivy. She requested me to keep a watch on her apartment until she returned."


    That''s it. Tim, who was listening to their conversation from the other side of the door cursed his bad luck. He was busted now and he did not know what to do.


    ------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do consider buying privilege for this book. It just costs 1 coin to purchase it. Let this author gain some benefits from the win-win event.


    Hugs and kisses to all the lovely and amazing readers.

 Chapter 263: Escape

    Tim leaned against the door, trying to hear what the group outside was discussing. He had to get out of Ivy''s house before they barged inside and caught him here. Though he had no problem killing those weak and useless people, it would only complicate things. He would then have to take care of those bodies and that was a problem in this closed building. If anybody were to witness it, then it would only bring more problems.


    He started racking his brain to think of ways he could escape from here. The time he had was less and the work he had come here to finish was left incomplete. But that was an issue he could look into in the future. He now had to search for an exit route before the group saw him.


    He started searching in Ivy''s house to see if he could find an escape door or window. The windows in the living room were useless as they were fixed with grills and they led to the hallway outside the apartment, while the windows in the two rooms were facing the landscape outside the building. He could get out from here. But the problem was there was no support for him to stand or hold onto once he jumped off the window. He would only plunge to the ground directly. Seeing the height from above, he was sure that he would end up with some broken bones if he attempted this stunt.


    Meanwhile, the group of people outside were in deep discussion and they were trying to find out what to do. If the man had entered the twins'' house in their absence, then the old woman and the security guard would be held responsible. They had to check if he had actually broken into the house.


    So, without wasting any time, the watchman pulled out the keys of all the apartments and looked up for Ivy''s apartment key. He had the keys of all the apartment just in case of emergencies. He had been bestowed with the keys to all houses when once an unfortunate accident had taken place in the absence of the house residents. The neighbors had complained of a gas leak and to solve the issue, they had broken the house door. Since then, to prevent issues of these kinds and damaging the front doors, everybody had decided to hand over their house keys to the guard.


    He took the key and opened the door with ease. The houses in the apartment had fingerprint scanner locks that also had keys to open them. So, he did not have a problem with it. As soon as the door opened, the machine beeped and it alerted Tim who was on the verge of losing his cool. He had to decide fast. Either it was his life or it was his limbs. He had no time now.


    After making his decision, he jumped off the window, with his hands still on the sill. Now that he was outside, he took a thorough look around him and noticed a drainage pipe that was at arms-length from him and he sighed in relief. He had to perform the risky stunt with utmost care and precision as even a small mistake would lead him to lose his footing and he was sure to end up with broken limbs.


    He could hear the voices from the outside. They were searching for him and they were almost near him. He had to work as fast as possible. So, without wasting another moment, he leaned towards the left and stretched his left leg until he was clinging to the pipe. He then stretched his left hand and slowly moved his body. Now, he had to move his right legs and arms and he would be done.


    But to his horror, the old woman who had helped him to get inside peeked right outside the window and saw him clinging like a spiderman to the wall. His eyes widened and he cursed loudly. The woman shouted immediately, attracting the other two people who were accompanying her.


    They rushed to her hearing her scream and saw what she was looking at. By then, Tim had already held onto the pipe tightly and was sliding down slowly. He was trying his best not to alert anybody else while he tried to escape. He had already made a mistake of showing his face to the three people and he had no idea how it would implicate him in the future.


    The security saw him slide down and ran outside the door. He had to catch the man before he escaped successfully. He did not know what his intentions were and why he was even here. ''What if he had stolen something from here?'' He shuddered at the thought and feared for his job now. He cursed the old woman in his mind for putting his job at stake. It was her who had made a mistake and he would be the one to be blamed. He hurried down as fast as possible hoping he would reach the man before he left.


    Tim had almost reached the ground. He just had a meter or two to jump and he would be done. But just as his feet touched the ground, he saw a little girl shout. The girl was looking at him with fear while she stood frozen on the ground. Her eyes started to tear up and she wailed so loud that all the people nearby heard her. Everybody in the vicinity came bolting towards her only to see an unknown man in the apartment.


    Tim was surrounded now. He could see that many people were coming towards and he had to do something. He pulled out the mask he had brought with him and covered his face immediately lest the people should see his face. Next, he had to find a way to get to his car and what could be more befitting than keeping the girl hostage. Without further delay, he picked up the girl who was near him and held at her gunpoint.


    The girl''s mother came running hearing her daughter''s scream and she was horrified seeing her beloved princess behind held a hostage. She started to scream trying to call people to help her daughter as she requested Tim to leave her. She begged and prayed for him to let her go but the man did not even flinch. He stared at him coldly. He was carrying the crying the girl while he took slow steps in the direction of his car.


    By then, the watchman had come down and he saw the commotion going on. He could guess what must be going on. But never had he expected to see a little girl being held at gunpoint. It was the girl he liked. She was the daughter of one of the residents and every time she went shopping with her mother, she would get him warm milk or juice depending on the weather. He liked the cute little girl and treated her just like his daughter.


    He was shit scared seeing her situation and he did not know what to do. One of the onlookers tried calling the police and Tim who had seen his little stunt shot a bullet in the air attracting everybody''s attention. "Don''t you dare call the police or the next bullet will be put through here." He nudged his gun towards the girl''s forehead and the girl started crying harder. Tim was not interested in her cries though it was annoying him and giving him a headache. He had to get away from here before it became too late.


    "If you want to save her, everybody back off. I promise nothing will happen to her." He said loud and clear. "If anybody is interested to get some bloody entertainment, I''ll give you one hell of a bloody show that you will not forget for life. Don''t tempt me to do something so heinous."


    Everybody could grasp the meaning in his words and their eyes widened in disbelief. Some people even gasped, frightened to see the gun in his hand.


    "What do you want?" One of the onlookers asked boldly and Tim smiled. ''At least someone here was sensible.''


    "Everbody move towards the right. Move." He shouted loudly. All the people who were witnessing this scene shivered hearing his menacing voice. It was deadly terrifying. They had never encountered anybody as horrible as him. Not wanting to anger him any further lest he should harm the little girl, everybody moved to the right while Tim slowly moved towards the left.


    When he found the opportunity, Tim dashed towards the exit with the little girl in his arms as he kept a lookout for the people around him. The people followed him as soon as he was out of their sight. He dragged the girl with him till his car shocking the people on the roads. They halted in the place seeing a masked man carrying a little girl in his arms with a gun pointed at her head.


    This was the first time for them to witness something so gruesome and they could not help but shudder in fear. The locality they lived was quite peaceful and not many crimes took place. Everybody here was friendly. Seeing the masked man with a gun, they were mortified and they did not know how to tackle the situation. By then the little girl had gone berserk and her wails had reached a an all-time high.


    But Tim did not have the time to bother with her. He opened his car and almost jumped inside. Seeing that everything was under control and his path of escape was clear, he pushed the little girl outside and she fell with a loud thud. He started his car and drove away like a maniac. After he had reached a few kilometers away from Ivy''s house, he pulled over at the side and sighed in relief. This the first time he had ever made a mistake and he did not know how his master would take this. He was starting to fear his life now.


    On the other side, everybody went towards the little girl after the car zoomed out of the locality. Though she had suffered only minor injuries and scratches, she had fainted out of fear. This incident left a deep impression on her and the trauma was etched in her memory for life.


    ---------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do consider buying privilege for this book. It only costs 1 coin to purchase it.


    We are slipping in the ranks which is making me quite dejected. So, please vote for this book and help it rise in the rankings.


    Also, don''t forget to comment and give me your reviews regarding this book.


    Those who are interested to know more about the book can contact me on Instagram. Also, you can connect with other readers on my discord server.


    Instagram: prada_murthy


    Discord: https://discord.gg/HU4xe96

 Chapter 264: Truce

    The commotion that Tim had created spread far and wide. It caused a huge uproar in the country and everybody was speaking about it within a few hours of its occurrence. Tim was being largely criticized for his odious work and before dusk had even settled, major news outlets were issuing this report. However, Aria was completely oblivious to this. She was focused on her work, not caring about anything.


    Since the day Ethan had started eliminating the traitors, the number of comrades dying or getting injured had reduced drastically. The doctors and medical staff work had lessened, but not completely eradicated. The war still was going strong. But this time, Ethan and his men were having an upper hand. The other country was losing it slowly though they were not showing it openly. Their soldiers had gone berserk seeing the situation overturn and go out of control.


    They were trying to prepare new strategies to win the war. But every one of their tactics became a child''s play before their enemy. Country P''s soldiers could see their ploy easily and defeat them in their own game. They were unable to understand how Country P''s soldiers became dominant in this war, taking everything in their power. After a lot of thinking, the only answer they could come up with was their secret plan was no longer a secret. Country P must have known about the traitors in the group and now they were eradicating them completely.


    The realization brought a shiver in their spines and they trembled slightly. How could they win against the country whose soldiers were far better and were of superior quality than them? When they had waged a war against Country P the previous four times, they had been unsuccessful. So, they had come up with a plan to infiltrate their army. These people would carry out missions secretly and harm Country P soldiers.


    Now that this plan had been unveiled before their enemy, they knew they were bound to lose. They had been fighting for almost a month now and they had lost a lot of soldiers, more than Country P. But to save their faces, they were giving false statistics. If this continued without them taking any countermeasure, they were sure that they would be crushed by their opponent beyond redemption. They were already ridiculed by the world for starting a war for no reason and now they did not want to add to the flames by losing the battle.


    The enemy country made a decision after a lot of talking with all the officials and decided to come to a truce with Country P. Before that, they decided to contact the man who was responsible to start the war. It was on his suggestion, more like he threatened them for them to wage a war against Country P. But how many ever times they tried to contact him, they could not reach out to him. It was as though he had vanished into thin air. They had to make a decision fast without consulting him.


    On the other side, Ethan could predict how long the war could go on seeing the situation. If this rate continued, then the other country would be crushed to defeat in three days. He was very happy with the way things were turning out.


    Previously, when he had no idea about the traitors, he had been worried about seeing his men losing their lives and slowly the battle too. He feared the outcome of the war and more than anything, he feared the ridicule his country would face after losing.


    But now, he was assured that nobody could stop them from winning the war. The doctors and nurses were doing a great job in helping the injured soldiers. Many of his men had even returned to continue with their work after recuperating. He admired the doctors'' ability to work under these conditions where their lives were at stake. He greatly respected them and most importantly, he admired how calmly Ian could supervise over them and make sure everybody under him did their work correctly.


    The medical team had not given him any problems since they started working here. They abided by all the rules imposed on them without protesting. Nobody put up a haughty act or acted arrogantly.


    Though everything was under control, he still did not know how many traitors were left. Ethan also had a hunch that the remaining traitors, who were still alive, might have guessed about him knowing their presence. This might be one of the reasons why nobody was answering the handheld radios. They were neither receiving any messages over it nor was anybody replying to him. So, he too decided to remain low for now while he led his men in the battle.


    Aria had been catering to one of the soldiers when a bomb detonated somewhere. Its effect was so loud that she felt herself shiver. Since the time she had come here, she had been listening to these horrifying gunshots and bomb explosions. But she was unable to get used to it like Ian or Stuart. It had taken Stuart some time and now he was not that affected by it. Ian''s situation was completely different altogether.


    Ian had been so calm and unresponsive to these spine chilling sounds. It was as though he had spent all his life living at the borders listening to them every day. He was seemingly unfazed by it that even Ethan had been surprised at first.


    Ten days had passed already and almost all the soldiers knew who she was while she knew nobody other than Kevin and Ethan. There were so many of them in number. But that was not the case for those soldiers. There were very few women in the army. So, she was quite noticeable among them.


    Aria was pretty and a very capable doctor. Many men had tried hitting on her, but she had politely declined their advances by telling them about her boyfriend. The men had then respected her and had stopped pestering her altogether. Now most of them had become her friends, though she did not their names. She could only recognize them by their faces, embarrassing herself every time when she tried to remember their names.


    As she checked the pulse of one of the soldiers who smiling at her, she heard a commotion and looked up to see what was happening. She heard some people speaking about a gunman on the loose. Everybody was discussing it and her interest was piqued.


    "You are good to go, Sir. But make sure that you avoid contact with water lest your injury should get infected. So, be careful when you take a bath."


    "Thank you, Doctor." The comrade smiled at her gratefully and put his army shirt. He had been dying to resume his work since a few days and was waiting for the doctor''s approval. Now that he had got it, he ran away like he was sprinting in a marathon.


    After his departure, Aria went to the recreational room where they had a television. Here, the soldiers would relax when they did not much work, unlike now where they had to fight a battle. The TV was running at full volume and a news reporter was stating all that had happened that day. Since the war had started, the TV was used mainly to keep up the news and other things that were happening in the country.


    Aria saw Ian and Stuart along with a few other soldiers whose eyes were glued to the TV and stood beside them. "What happened guys?"


    "A man with a gun was found breaking into a house in Orchid Apartment," Stuart answered, not turning to look at her.


    "What?" Aria asked perplexed. Her face paled in fear and her heart leaped out of the chest. She immediately prayed for Ivy''s safety and hoped she was fine.


    "Yes." Stuart continued. "You can watch it yourself."


    Aria faced the TV screen with her heart beating like a drum. She heard the reporter relay the news. "An armed man was found breaking into apartment 4B in Orchid Apartment."


    Aria gasped loudly on hearing the words and this gained Ian and Stuart''s attention. They could reckon something was not right just by looking at her face. Her face was as white as a sheet and she was even sweating.


    "Aria, what happened?" Ian came to hold her immediately while Stuart looked at her in worry.


    "Ia-Ian. 4B is my apartment."

 Chapter 265: Emergency call

    "What?" Ian exclaimed out loud hearing her words.


    "Yes, that is our apartment. Ivy, Ivy what happened to her?" Aria was about to lose her mind in fear and Ian held her lest she should collapse. He could not help but start to worry too. But then he remembered something. The news did not mention anybody getting hurt. So, that meant Ivy was safe and sound.


    "Aria, Ivy is safe. Don''t worry. Nobody was hurt in the process except for a little girl who suffered some minor scratches. So, relax. I am sure Ivy is fine."


    While Ian tried to calm her down, Stuart handed her a glass of water which she took with a grateful smile.


    "I am sure everything is fine Aria." Stuart too assured her.


    Aria relaxed a little on hearing their words. Yet, she wanted to make sure of it herself by calling Ivy. But there was a problem. They were allowed to use the telephone only at a certain time after sunset and there was still an hour for it. She could not call her right now. But she was not the one to wait when her sister''s life was in danger.


    Aria ran out of the recreation room suddenly, startling Stuart and Ian. The next second, they too went behind her.


    Aria went around the camp searching for Ethan as the gunshot sounds increased with every step she took. She was slowly approaching the white line that separated the danger zone from the safe zone. However, her mind had completely forgotten about it. She only had Ivy in mind, everything else had gone into the drain.


    Ethan was deep in discussion with his subordinates when Aria noticed him. She did not even care that he was in the danger zone and sprinted even faster to reach him. She was about to step out of the safe zone when Ian pulled her suddenly with all his might. She tried to push him away, but Ian held her not allowing her to move.


    "Are you out of your freaking mind?" He almost shouted. His heart had come to his throat when he had seen Aria near the white line. They were given strict orders to not cross it else their lives would be in danger. He knew that Aria had forgotten about it completely in her hurry and worry. But he didn''t. So, he had sprinted towards her at full speed to stop her.


    "Aria, listen to me." When she did not heed to him and tried to push him away, he pressed on her shoulders and arms with force to stop her. He knew with the amount of force he was exerting it would leave his fingerprints on her fair skin. Though he did not want to hurt her, it was necessary for her to stay sane. So, he had no choice. He applied more pressure and this time Aria cried out in pain.


    "Aria, stop trying to push me away. I will not allow you to hurt yourself or put yourself in danger. Open your eyes and see that you are near the danger zone. Do you want to die?" Ian seethed in anger seeing her behave recklessly. He knew she was not at fault for behaving this way. However, he had no choice but to be strict with her, else the woman might try to put herself in danger again.


    After a few seconds, Stuart came to them. He was panting loudly as he took deep breaths. He had been shocked when he had seen Ian dash like a mad man. However, he had been shocked all the more when he saw Aria was about to cross the white line. He then saw a soldier nearby and went to him to convey a message to Ethan. The man nodded on hearing his request and he approached Ethan with the message.


    Ethan saw the trio involved in a discussion that looked more like an argument to him when the message was relayed to him. What was more astonishing was they were just a few inches away from the white line and his eyes widened in disbelief which in a few seconds was replaced by anger. He had ordered them not to cross the white line, but that did not mean they could linger nearby. There were supposed to be at least ten meters away from the line, they were not even ten inches away.


    "What the heck are you doing here and how dare you defy my orders?" He shouted, not giving them any face. All his subordinates stared at him for a second before they went back to their work.


    Aria was in no mood to entertain anybody''s anger. So, she did not heed to it. "Major Ethan, please allow me to make a call. My sister''s life is in danger."


    Ethan frowned on hearing Aria''s words. "What do you mean?" He led them away from the line towards the inner safe zone before he stopped to stare at Aria, his eyes questioning her silently. One could still see the anger in them on a closer inspection.


    "Have you heard about the armed man who tried to break into a house?"


    "Yes?" Ethan answered folding his hands. He had heard about it from the junior comrades during his break, but he had not given it much thought.


    "It was my apartment. My sister is living all alone. I need to make sure she is fine. Can you please allow me to make a call?" Aria did not know that Ivy was not staying in their apartment currently. Ivy had not informed her about her new living conditions as she did not want her sister to worry or end up assuming something about her and Joshua when she had moved in with Joshua in the beginning. But later when something did happen between them, it had completely slipped out of her mind.


    "Oh my God." Ethan now knew the reason for them to come near the danger zone and his anger subdued a little. "Sure. Go ahead. You have my permission." Ethan took a slip of paper from his pocket and wrote something on it. "Give this to the operator and he will allow you to make a call."


    "Thank you so much." With that Aria dashed towards the main building with the slip in her hands and Ian and Stuart were right behind her.


    Aria almost lunged at the operator when she reached the main building, startling him. He was about to scold her for her behavior when she handed him the slip Ethan had given her. On reading it, he knew that there was an emergency and he allowed them to make a call immediately.


    Aria thanked him and dialed Ivy''s number immediately. But nobody picked up the call. She tried again and prayed for her to pick up. "Pick up Ivy. Please." But again nobody picked up the call.


    Ian saw her place the receiver down and could guess what might have happened. "Try calling Noah." He suggested and Aria called him the next second. But he too was not picking her calls. She shook her head at Ian while she tried again.


    Meanwhile, the operator found out what the emergency was from Stuart and he too was scared now, though he did not show it on his face. He had listened to the sister''s conversation every time Aria called her and he knew how much they loved each other. He had also started to like Ivy''s cool character. Now that she was in danger, he could not help but fear for her life.


    "Let me call Joshua," Ian suggested and took the receiver from her hands. But he too did not pick up the calls. "Why is nobody picking up their phones? Damn it." He yelled. He then dialed Ronnie''s number hoping that at least he would pick up his call and to his relief, he answered.


    "Hello?" Ronnie answered, confused by the unknown number.


    "Ronnie, it''s me, Ian."


    "Doctor Ian." Ronnie was flabbergasted on getting a call from him and he straightened his posture subconsciously.


    "What happened there? Is Ivy safe?"


    Ronnie realized that the matter had reached the border zone too. He did not waste any time deviating from the topic and told Ian everything.


    "Yes, Doctor Ian. Miss West is safe and sound. She was not at home when the incident happened. You have nothing to worry about." He assured Ian and he sighed in relief. "Doctor Ian, it''s still chaotic here. I have.."


    "I understand. I''ll call you some other time. Take care." With that, he cut the call and faced Aria was staring at him intently.


    "Ivy is fine. She was not at home when the incident happened and don''t worry. Nothing will happen to her. Noah will take care of her."


    Aria finally smiled in happiness. Her soul which had almost left her body came back again. Seeing her smile, all the three men finally relaxed.

 Chapter 266: Three days

    Two hours back.


    After the meeting with Noah, Ivy had gone to Max''s house to plan their next step and had stayed there until four. Later, she had come home as Max had to go meet someone who would be of their help in planning. Not having any other work, the others too had departed one by one and Ivy too reached home with a mission in her mind. She had to take revenge on Joshua for his behavior in the morning.


    She waited for almost an hour when she heard the door open and Joshua entered with a smirk on his face. She glared at him without blinking, waiting for him to notice her. She saw him smile mischievously and she narrowed her eyes even further. He was about to say something to her when she stood up suddenly and punched him in his abdomen using all her strength, rendering him dumbfounded. She punched him again and gave him a proud look while she examined her biceps and blew on her fists. It was as though she had just won a boxing championship.


    Joshua''s jaw dropped on being punched out of nowhere. He was not hurt by her light punch. It was nothing but a feather falling on him. But he was shocked seeing her never seen aggressive behavior and was confused all the more.


    "Why?" He blurted out the question as he blinked continuously.


    If Ivy had not seen his shameless actions in the meeting room, she would have assumed him to be the most innocent boy in the world. But now, no way would she trust this man before her. He was a wolf who always trying to get to her and ever ready to eat her. She could feel his desires even if he was meters away from her. She could sense his burning gaze on her every time they were in the same room and it just meant one thing. His longing for her was increasing as the day passed and she had to be careful. He was just like a man in heat and there would come a day when he would devour her completely.


    "You shameless man. How dare you treat me that way in front of everyone? What do you take me for?" She punched him again and this time Joshua knew why she was angry and the reason for her to lose her cool. He grinned suddenly seeing her furious face.


    "Why Ivy? Did it affect you? Did you like whatever I did to you in the conference room?"


    Ivy could see what Joshua was doing here. Instead of apologizing to her, he was trying to flirt with her and get her to succumb to his wishes. But she would not relent to his wishes this time. He ought to be taught a lesson. Ivy gritted her teeth in anger and the next second, she kicked his right calf. Joshua''s smile faltered and he felt her kick to be painful, just like a mosquito biting him before sucking on his blood.


    "You cheater. You cheated your way into winning this bet." Ivy seethed. If she had the power, she would have smacked his face right against the wall or would have put him in the washing machine until his brain was washed off of the perverted thoughts he had in mind. If these two punishments were not enough, she wanted to chop him into pieces and grind him in a mixer. She had never been this embarrassed before and it was all because of this pervert.


    She remembered the knowing smile Noah had given her when he was walking out of the room and that was enough for her to find out that Noah knew everything about them. Also, his mischievous eyes clearly told her that he had seen what they were doing and Ivy had been agitated since then. She did not know whether to cry or laugh seeing the situation she was in. She could only sigh in relief at that time on seeing that none of her friends had noticed anything out of ordinary. Ivy had then made up her mind to get back at him later that day and now his time for retribution had come.


    "I get it now. I finally get it. You are angry because you lost the bet and here I was thinking that you were irked with my behavior this morning." Joshua smirked, his eyes twinkling in amusement. This only made Ivy want to wipe that smile off his face. It was highly annoying.


    "You cheated this time. You did not play fair."


    "Everything is fair in love and war, sweet Ivy."


    "Is it? Which category did this strategy of yours belong to, love or war?" Ivy asked with her hands folded and head held high.


    "Love war," Joshua answered immediately. "We are about to fall in love and we had our first war. So, love war. Coming back to the topic, now that I have won the bet, you will have to follow my orders for a day." Joshua grinned evilly and Ivy did not have to be a genius to guess that he had conspired against her. Nothing good would come out of it and she was sure everything he had mind would only benefit him.


    Ivy rolled her eyes seeing his arrogance. She had to retaliate somehow or else this man would definitely crush her beyond belief. She was thinking about how to handle the situation when she got an idea. But she did not divulge it before him yet. It was her trump card which she would lay before him at his weakest point.


    "We will decide a day for it. It should the day when none of us have any work to do. I do not want you to run off in the morning and skip the time we could spend together. No. The penalty was fixed for an entire day and it will be just like that." Joshua gave a long speech, which more or less seemed like he was talking to himself. "I have a lot of ideas for that day and I am not going to miss any of them."


    Ivy''s heart thundered in her chest when she heard his determined, yet lust filled words and she was sure all his ideas were nothing but sexual desires he had for her. Though he could not have sex with her for now, it did not mean he could not do anything else.


    Joshua suddenly raised his head and gazed at her, his eyes burning the side of her face. "But I cannot wait until that day and as I said earlier, I am going to get compensation in return. Are you ready for it?" He asked as he bit his lower lip. Ivy almost got seduced by his beautiful soul-sucking eyes. But she had made up her mind to stay strong. So, she did not give in.


    "Compensation?" Ivy asked and received a nod from Joshua. "Sure. I''ll give you a befitting compensation."


    Her words brought a huge smile on Jo''s face and he was already imagining what all he could do to her when she spoke her next words, throwing cold water on all his ideas.


    "As a compensation, you are not to touch me or kiss me for the next three days."


    ----------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do check out my new novel ''Trapped for Eternity''. It is a WPC entry and until the contest ends, please vote for that book from now on.

 Chapter 267: Complaint

    "What? Why?" Joshua cried out loud immediately and he tried to hold her in his arms. But Ivy moved two steps back, making him halt in his place.


    "That is the compensation for me, not you."


    "Why do you need compensation?"


    "I was the victim here. You were the one who broke the rules. So, I must get something in return which is of advantage for me. Don''t you think so?" Ivy asked, licking her lips and this action of hers did not go unnoticed by the man who''s eyes were gazing at her intently. He immediately felt something in his heart and wished that it was his tongue licking those sweet lips.


    "Ivy this is not fair." Joshua groaned and tried to approach her again and this time Ivy did not take a step back. Happy that Ivy had finally agreed with him, Joshua tried to hug her, but Ivy did something which he had never imagined even in his dreams. She pushed him away with all the strength she could muster.


    "A great man just thought me that ''Everything is fair in love and war''." She shoved his own words on his face and Joshua chided himself for his foolishness. "And right now, sweetheart." Ivy ran her fingers across his cheeks making him shiver in delight. "We are at war."


    With that, she left the living room with him standing with his eyes wide open. She smiled at her small victory. ''Joshua-1, Ivy-1.''


    Joshua came out of his stupor the next instant and ran behind Ivy, trying to convince her to give up. "Ivy, please. How can I stay three days without hugging you? Are you trying to torment me?"


    Ivy stopped walking hearing him and faced him, blinking as innocently as she could. "When did I try to even torment you?"


    "Now."


    "And how did I do that? Please enlighten me."


    "By your words. You want me to restrain from hugging and kissing you. Don''t you think it''s a little too much?"


    "Not at all. Compared to what you did to me in Noah''s office, this is nothing. So, bear with it. It''s just three days anyway."


    "Three days," Joshua whined. "Ivy, do you even know the meaning of three days? I almost died stopping myself for a day. Three days is too much."


    "Who asked you to break the rules? Now bear with it." Ivy gave him a sweet smile which almost made him melt and she started walking again.


    Joshua stomped his foot like a pampered girl and started throwing tantrums. "I am not going to follow your rules. They are very toxic for me."


    "Then, the compensation will be extended for ten days," Ivy shouted. She was almost near her room while Joshua was still standing at the first step of the staircase.


    "You... Just you wait and watch how I''ll get back at you once these three days end. I''ll not let you off without taking what I want and that too with interest."


    "We will see about it."


    Joshua huffed and went back to the living room. Barely ten minutes had passed after their banter when Ivy came running back.


    "What? Can''t stay away from your boyfriend even for ten minutes?" He teased seeing her hold his hand as she took deep breaths. Seeing her not give any sarcastic reply, he scrunched his eyebrows. ''Something was wrong here. She was not behaving the usual way.''


    "Ivy, what happened? Is everything alright?" Joshua demeanor changed altogether and he held her in his arms, patting her back in an attempt to soothe her.


    "No. My neighbor just called. Somebody broke into my apartment today."


    "What?" Joshua exclaimed and his mind wandered in thoughts thinking who it might be and the only face it showed was Tim''s. He then remembered Tim''s conversation with Jared and everything fell into place at once.


    "Yes. He was armed and he even harmed one the resident''s eight-year-old daughter, who right now is in the hospital."


    "Bastard," Joshua yelled and Ivy stared at him confusion.


    "It must be Tim."


    Joshua voiced out his assumption and Ivy understood immediately. She too agreed with it. "We have to go to the police station to file a complaint. This issue has blown up like crazy."


    "I''ll come with you. Also, let me call Noah. It''s best he knows about this matter." Joshua said and immediately dialed Noah''s number.


    After that, Ivy had gone to the police station along with Joshua, Noah and Ronnie. They were at the police station when Aria had called them. But all their phones were on silent mode. So, nobody picked their calls. Ronnie was the only one who heard his phone ring and since he was outside, he answered Ian''s call immediately. He assured Ian about Ivy''s safety before the call ended.


    Noah and Joshua had wanted Ivy not to take Tim''s name in front of the police as the man knew some people in the department. If he got a word about it, then things would become more complicated and it would only attract Jared''s attention which right now would only make it more problematic. It was best that they allowed the police to investigate the matter according to the protocol while they took care of Tim themselves in secret.


    Ivy wanted to protest at first, but she knew it would only be futile as the two men were very adamant about it. Also, their words made sense. If what Joshua said about Tim knowing people in the police academy was true, then he could easily get away with it. They had to give them proof or catch him red-handed to punish him according to the law.


    So, Ivy gave in and did as she was told. They filed a complaint and then went with the police to her house to see what damage Tim had done. The police surveyed the entire floor and were perplexed by what they found out. There were cameras everywhere in the building. But none of them had captured the armed man. Also, each apartment had a fingerprint lock. Since the man did not have a key with him, he had to have tampered with the scanner to enter inside.


    They were shocked by the way the man had meticulously planned his moves. There was nothing about him that could be of use to them. Neither the old woman who brought him inside nor the watchman was of much help too. Even the maid too was useless. They could only give them very few details about Tim.


    Also, Ivy did not have even a single picture of Tim''s to show the three people who had seen him. She could watch them getting interrogated while she stood at the side with Noah and Joshua.


    "Ivy, do you have Tim''s photo?"


    "No. I don''t have any of his photos. He is even missing from the group pics when he was clearly present with us when we were taking them."


    "Cunning, yet smart," Joshua commented as he scrolled through his phone. He then held out Tim''s photo which he had stored on his phone. "I have it."


    "What are you going to do about it?" Ivy asked Noah only to receive a mysterious smile in return.


    "Wait and watch."

 Chapter 268: Interrogation

    Hey guys,


    Please read my other book ''Trapped for Eternity''. It has entered the WPC. Your thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated. So, do give me your reviews about the book. Also, until the contest ends, please vote for Trapped for Eternity.


    -------------------------------


    Noah sent Tim''s picture from Joshua''s phone to a number and the next second he made a call to Ronnie.


    "Yes, Boss?" Ronnie answered immediately and listened to all the instructions carefully. He smiled hearing his Boss''s evil plan. As expected, only a devil of higher caliber can trap another low-class devil. He took note of everything that was told to him and proceeded to execute them.


    Joshua and Ivy looked on as they saw Noah walk away from them when he made a phone call. They wondered why he was being so secretive about it. What plan had he formulated in such a short duration? For the first time, Ivy felt that her brother-in-law was a very formidable man and he had a background that was not normal and well hidden from everyone, even from Aria.


    She got some dangerous vibes from him, something similar to how she had felt when Joshua had fought with the hooligans in the club. It felt as though they were masking something behind their handsome faces. There was more to what they showed to the world. When Ivy saw Noah walk back towards them, she did not know why but she felt him to be a demon himself gracing the earth. His wicked smile was beyond terrifying and she got chills just by being in his presence.


    Noah noticed Ivy''s doubtful yet perplexed gaze and his smile fell. He returned to his calm self. Gone was all the blood lust he had when he was speaking to Ronnie. He had been infuriated when he had received Joshua''s call. The man had some nerves for even daring to get inside his woman''s apartment. If Joshua had not taken Ivy with him what would have happened to her? Would they have harmed her? Just the thought of it made him all the more angry.


    Nobody was allowed to hurt Aria or her family. They had become his family now and in his presence, nothing would ever happen to them. He would make sure that they were safe until he was alive and even beyond. They had already suffered more than enough. He did not want to see them hurt anymore.


    This was the thought that even Joshua had in mind. He could not imagine what would have happened if Ivy was at home when Tim invaded her home. He had been thankful that he had decided to take Ivy with him. Tim was getting out of hand and he had to do something before it became too late. But he knew that it was better if Noah handled the situation as he was well versed with people like Tim. He was the best person to deal with them.


    Just like Ivy, he too had noticed Noah''s smile and for him, it was a smile of achievement. Noah had achieved something or was going to achieve something and he knew what it was. Noah had laid a plan to trap Tim and this time, nobody could save him not even Jared. He was happy secretly that Noah was his friend and not his enemy. Otherwise, even thinking about dealing with this monster made Joshua shudder in fear. He knew how ruthless he could be and he had seen it firsthand in the underworld base a few times and boy, they were nothing but terrifying.


    Noah came to them and smiled at the couple sweetly. "All done. Now let''s wait for the show."


    Ivy gave him a serious look and for a minute Noah felt as though she had seen through his soul. He could guess what she was thinking just by seeing her doubtful face. She was just as expressive as her sister and he was sure that she must be feeling wary of him now. Not wanting her doubts to increase any further, he tried to deviate the topic.


    "Congratulations." He said with a happy and mischievous smile and Ivy''s look of doubt changed into confusion.


    "Why are you congratulating me?"


    "Because of your newfound relationship." His answer made Ivy blush while Joshua had an adoring look as he stared at her. Noah could see that his friend was genuinely happy with Ivy and he sighed in relief. If Ian were to witness this, he would have first blood, and then later, he would have congratulated them. The man had changed drastically after meeting Ivy. He had stopped thinking about his past and he looked very delighted every time they met and this was all because of Ivy.


    "I am very happy for you guys and I assure you Ivy there can be none better for you than Joshua. Aria would have been too happy if she were here."


    "Wow, my friend is praising me." Joshua intervened suddenly and Noah gave a helpless sigh at his melodrama that was about to start in a short while. "I did not live this long for nothing. My life is contented and now I can die in peace." Joshua wiped his non-existent tears with a huge grin on his face.


    "Do you want help?" Ivy asked, her eye wide while she looked at him expressionless.


    "In what?"


    "In dying. I can give you a helping hand by killing you. I have various torture techniques in mind exclusively for you." Ivy answered, making Joshua to gasp in horror and Noah to chuckle in amusement.


    "Ivy, why do want to kill your boyfriend who in the future would become your husband? Can you bear to see me die? Can you live without me?"


    "Definitely. If you are gone, I''ll find a cute guy and marry him. What do you think?"


    For some unknown reason when Ivy mentioned a cute guy, the first name that came to the two friends'' minds was Ronnie and Noah laughed out loud immediately. However, Joshua did not find her words to be funny though he knew she was just trying to pull his leg.


    "I''ll see how will marry somebody else. If I am going to die, I''ll come back as a ghost and haunt you. I''ll never allow you to be with someone else."


    For a moment, Ivy was delighted to hear his possessive response. Before she could give him any befitting reply, the police came to her and reported her of their findings. Since she had already gone through her house and nothing valuable was missing, it was not a case of burglary. Only the three people knew what Tim wanted and why he had come to her house. He was behind the information she was collecting that was more valuable than any jewelry or money. But they could not say it to the police, lest there was a mole in their team.


    "Miss, we are done with our interrogation with the three people who saw the man. But it not of much help as we do not know how he looks. We do not even have his fingerprints in your house either. So, this case might be a little complicated." The officer said with an exasperated look. He really wanted to solve this case but he had no proofs with him.


    "I understand officer. Thank you very much for your help."


    "We will inform you if we find out anything."


    "Sure."


    They were on the ground floor near the entrance gate and they could hear the commotion caused by the reporters who were trying to get inside. Noah waited until the police left the area when he gestured for the other two to follow him. It was time for his show.


    The security guard was being interviewed by one of the reporters when the three people came outside. Noah looked around and saw the man he was looking for and he nodded at him curtly. The man noticed it and it was time for some action. He walked closer to the security and acted as though somebody tripped him. He fell right before the guard and the man held him to support him. However, the phone in his hand fell onto the ground, which the guard noticed. Before he could even hand the phone back to the man, he was gone.


    The guard looked around trying to see if the man was anywhere nearby. But since there were a lot of people around he did not know where he had vanished in the mob. The reporter was waiting for his answer when the watchman''s eyes fell on the phone and his jaw dropped. It was the photo of the man who had created all this mess.


    The reporter noticed his change of expression and asked him what the matter was. He could see that something in the phone had triggered the man to behave this way.


    The security guard gave one perplexed look before he turned the phone to the camera and showed the photo to the reporter before him. "This is the man who broke into our apartment complex today."


    As soon as he said that, the other reporters who were waiting for their chance to question him started to fight to get a good glimpse at the photo.


    Ivy saw the entire commotion and now he realized what Noah''s plan was. He had called one of his men to ''accidentally'' throw his phone before the guard and the man took the bait as expected. Not only that, instead of telling about the photo to the police first, he had told it before the media who were broadcasting the news live. Now, Tim''s photo would reach far and wide and everybody would know about him making it extremely difficult for him to live in the open.


    Also, now that his face had been revealed in front of everyone, the police could not dust it off as rubbish. Nobody would be able to save him, not even the police who secretly worked for him. He was done for the moment he had harmed the little girl. The entire nation was not angry with him for breaking into the apartment. However, they were furious with the way he had treated the little girl who right now was lying unconscious in the hospital.


    Ivy''s eye darted towards Noah who right now was appreciating the brilliant work his newly employed guard had done. This was the first time he was given a mission and there was no way the bodyguard would be tracked back to him. Also, he had made sure to avoid getting caught on the camera. The man was good and Noah decided to reward him later.


    Ivy saw the man beside her and for the first time in her life, she too felt the same way her colleagues had felt in Noah''s presence. She too sensed an unknown fear rising in her heart and a chill ran down her spine. None of the men saw her pale face as they were busy viewing the chaos before them.

 Chapter 269: My man

    Tim''s photo spread far and wide and now every news channel was broadcasting it. As soon as the watchman had seen his picture on the stranger''s phone, he had shown it to the media just like how Noah had expected. The old lady and her maid supported the watchman''s claim and identified the man in the photo to be one to have harmed the little girl. The news became a hot top and everybody was speaking about it.


    Noah had got what he wanted. He had used the media to corner Tim and Jared and there was no way they could escape from this mess. Now that everyone knew about the man who harmed the little girl and how he looked, the police could not try to trick the public and make somebody else take the blame. This was a routine the corrupt police officers followed and Noah was damn sure that some greedy pigs in the police department worked for Jared and Tim.


    This was how Jared and the Vipers gang operated. For all their crimes, they would use somebody else as a scapegoat and the actual criminals would escape unscathed. But this time Noah had made sure that it would not be the scenario. Tim would never get away with this and nor was he allowing him to do so too.


    Even if the police failed to do their job, he would not let Tim escape. He had already prepared all possible torture methods for him and all he had to do now was wait for his capture. His men were already on the lookout for him and it would not be long before Tim would end up in his den begging for his death.


    Ivy noticed Noah''s sinister smile yet again and was spooked by it. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she was having a bad hunch, a very very bad hunch. Joshua saw her sudden change in expression. She was way too expressive and she failed to mask her thoughts. After spending a few days with her and knowing her, he could read her like a book. He followed her line of sight and saw Noah''s smile and he realized immediately what had caused her to change her demeanor and became quite guarded.


    He coughed twice to get Noah''s attention and when his eyes met his friend''s, he pointed towards Ivy who was staring at him, deep in some thoughts. Noah too sensed that there was something wrong with the way she was looking at him. Her eyebrows were furrowed with curiosity as she stared at him hard. It was as though she was trying to peep through his soul to see what all he had hidden.


    Noah changed his expressions suddenly and smiled at her. Yet, she did not change the way she was looking at him. To save his friend as well as himself, Joshua butted in at the right time. "Ivy, are you falling for Noah''s handsomeness now?"


    Joshua''s loud voice broke Ivy''s chain of thoughts and she almost jumped in surprise. "What?" She asked as she not heard a thing he had spoken.


    "Ivy, where is your mind? Are you bewitched by Noah now? Have you fallen for him?" Joshua complained like a jealous boyfriend and Ivy gave him a confused look.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? Is your brain filled with trash?" She retaliated right away making Noah chuckle beside them. Ivy took one glimpse at the man and she found him to be normal right now. For a second, she thought all that she had seen was just her imagination. He was the same Noah who was her sister''s boyfriend and who treated her like a good friend, completely different from what she had seen just a few minutes ago.


    "Why were you looking at him as though you were ready to pounce on him and take a delicious bite?"


    Noah shook his head at his friend''s choice of words. This man was hopeless when it came to matters like these. But he appreciated the effort he had put to stop Ivy from getting any more doubtful. He knew the seeds of suspicion were rising in her mind and it would not be long before she would know about his another face. He was going tell it himself, to her and Aria, once Aria came back. He would come clean before them and let them decide how they wanted to deal with everything. By then, he would make sure that all possible dangers around them were completely eradicated.


    "When did I look at Noah that way?"


    "Umm, right now." Noah decided to give his poor friend a helping hand seeing him struggle against the feisty woman.


    "See, even Noah agrees that you were looking at him weirdly. So, I was not just assuming things here." Joshua said and winked at his friend when Ivy was not looking at him.


    "I did not do anything like that." Ivy tried to refute their claims but did not know how. She knew that Joshua was jealous and even Noah had misunderstood her now. It was her mistake for staring at Noah longer than necessary. But what could she do? The man was behaving completely different than his usual ways and she could not help but wonder if what he was before her and Aria was all a pretense.


    Seeing her flustered and agitated, Joshua and Noah burst out laughing and Ivy gave them one confused look for their sudden change in attitude. It then dawned to her that the two friends were trying to pull her leg and Ivy sent one cold glare in Joshua''s direction.


    "You are right," Ivy said suddenly and Noah and Joshua stopped laughing altogether. "Noah is such a formidable man. Why wouldn''t I be floored by him? I was admiring his abilities and his handsomeness and for a second, I even had a crush on him."


    Joshua and Noah stared at her shock and this time Ivy took pleasure in their misery. They wanted to pull her leg? Dream on.


    "Come again," Joshua said as though he had not heard what Ivy had just muttered.


    "I said I may have had a crush on Noah. Is it wrong?" Ivy gave him one innocent look for him to believe her completely and fall for the trap.


    "Absolutely wrong. How could you have a crush on him when you like me? I object to this."


    Ivy saw his getting angry. She knew the situation may get out of hand if she continued. So, she put a break to it and started laughing all of a sudden, startling the two friends. Seeing their perplexed face, she could not help but question, "Are you the only ones allowed to pull a trick on others?"


    "Was that a prank?"


    "What do you think darling?" Ivy said with a huge smile on her face. "Noah is formidable. I agree. But I find you more charming and handsome. No offense Noah."


    "None taken."


    "Why will I go after somebody else when I already have you? No way. I already have the best gem and one is enough for me. Noah will always be my brother-in-law and a good friend. But you are my boyfriend and my man. Keep this mind and never question my feelings for you."


    Joshua''s heart leaped in happiness hearing her sweet words. His mind was fixed on the two words she had said, my man. They had never sounded this beautiful and sweet before. Joshua wondered if she was confessing her feelings for him and it made him feel warm all the more. Without wasting another second, he pulled her closer and pecked her lips.


    "Get a room you two." Noah cried. He was already missing Aria quite bad and these two love birds were adding fuel to the fire by being all lovey-dovey before him. "Are you trying to torment single dogs here?"


    "Who is single here?"


    "Ivy, until Aria''s return Noah is nothing but a single man," Joshua answered her and faced Noah. "You were trying to annoy us by flaunting your love before us. Now it is my turn to do the same. How does it feel to be fed with the same medicine? I don''t know about you, but I am loving it." Ivy jabbed him trying to stop him from speaking but the man went on and on ignoring her subtle hints.


    "Wait until Aria returns. I''ll get back at you with interest." Noah challenged and the two friends had a strong face off until the three people burst out laughing.


    Meanwhile, the situation was not as peaceful as it was at Ivy''s side. Jared had lost all his smile and it was all because of Tim. The man had made a grave mistake and it was costing Jared in return. As soon he heard the news about an armed man in an apartment complex, he knew that Tim had fucked up big time. Tim had never been this careless before. So, it made him question how things had gone wrong. However, Jared was able to control the situation until Tim''s photo started circulating in the news channels.


    Now everybody knew how the armed man looked and it would just be a matter of time that he would get caught. Jared concluded that this issue would never end as the man who had ignited the fire would never allow the flames to die. He clenched his fists in anger and wanted to smash something or even better, kill the man behind all his misery. "Noah, just you wait and watch. I''ll not let you off easily."


    After a lot of thinking, Jared made a decision. He had to eliminate Tim now as he had become useless. If he was kept alive, there was no doubt he would be implicated someday. He was not a man who tried to protect his people. No. Once they become useless, he would cast them aside like trash. Not wasting another minute, he dialed a number. "I want you to finish Tim before the matter blows up."


    ---------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    I have entered the WPC with my book ''Trapped for Eternity''. Please do give it a read and drop your reviews and thoughts. Also, give your votes to Trapped for Eternity until the contest ends.


    Love you loads

 Chapter 270: Tim and Emma

    Hey guys,


    Please read my other book ''Trapped for Eternity''. It has entered the WPC. Your thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated. So, do give me your reviews about the book. Also, until the contest ends, please vote for Trapped for Eternity.


    --------------------------


    Tim had no idea that his Master had abandoned him completely now. The man had even ordered for him to be killed and it was just short of time that his men would come looking for him. He was still hoping that Jared would save him. He wanted to go to him for protection, but later decided against it when he realized that the man might be angry right now due to his foolishness. He would need some time to cool off the fury in him. But he could not wait until then. So, he decided to go underground till this news faded.


    Tim was still oblivious to the fact that his photo was being circulated in all news channels and everybody, by now, had got to know who the armed man was. While he was pacing back and forth in his overstuffed one-bedroom house, Tim received a call from Jared''s assistant. His call came at the correct time. He needed his Master''s help right now and he couldn''t be any more grateful. He answered the call immediately.


    "Tim, what the hell have you done?" Jared''s assistant asked in disbelief. He was whispering in the corridor away from Jared''s cabin while keeping an eye around him to see if anybody was eavesdropping on him.


    "I know I fucked up big time. I need help."


    "Tim, you are now a wanted man. Everybody is speaking about you and Master is furious right now."


    "I know. I know." Tim said in worry. He knew Jared would be raging by now. But he had only followed his orders, only that he had not been careful. He had made a huge mess that would take a lot of time to clean. "But we can still salvage the situation. The police do not know it is me. So, it''s that big a problem."


    "What do you mean? Not only the police, the entire nation know that it was you who harmed the little girl." The assistant said in one breath and looked back to check on his surroundings again. He was on pins and needles since the time he had made the phone call. He had heard Jared''s order to kill the man and had immediately decided to alert him about it. Though Tim was just a gang member like him, they were sworn brothers and he treated Tim just like family. So, he did not want anything to happen to him. Also, this was the first time he had messed things up. He felt that Jared''s punishment was too severe towards the man who had been loyal to him since the time he had started working for him.


    "How?" Tim was flabbergasted. ''How did they find out it was I who had created the mess?'' He had only shown his face to three people. None of the cameras had captured him, he was sure of it. Maggie''s skills were not to be doubted ever. He trusted her to have done the work well. Also, it was impossible for anybody else to have seen him as he had put on a mask once he had jumped off the building. So, nobody knew how he looked.


    "The watchman showed your photo to the media and now you have become a hot topic. Even Master cannot help."


    "What do you mean by Master cannot help me? No. No. He cannot abandon me like this. I have worked for him all these years and never had I failed a mission. This is the first time. He cannot do this." Tim shouted, not in anger but in panic. He was trembling now thinking about what the future held for him and all he could see was his death.


    "Tim, Master is not abandoning you."


    Tim sighed in relief hearing the man''s words but the moment he heard the next words, his world collapsed. His knees gave away and he fell to the floor heavily.


    "Master has given orders to kill you. Tim, your life is in danger now."


    "No. No. No. That cannot happen. No way."


    "Yes, Master has done it already. His men must be coming for you any minute. Leave your house right away. Escape from this mess Tim, save yourself."


    "But.." Tim tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth. His lips quivered and his body was shaking tremendously. He was having a mental breakdown. Everything felt hopeless now. If he stayed at home, Jared would come for him. Outside his house, the police were searching for him. He could not go to his secret hideout too as Jared would track him down within seconds. He did not want to die this early. No. He still had a lot of things to do and one of them was to find his daughter.


    Before he could speak anything, Jared''s assistant interrupted him. "Tim, I have to go. Please leave before it becomes too late. Please." The call ended and just like that, Tim''s last ray of hope too ended. He was devastated. All the hard work and the trouble he had taken till now was a waste. He wanted to question the man who did not even hesitate to kill once he was done using him. But that was something beyond his power. He did not even have the courage to face Jared, let alone question him in this matter.


    His mind drifted towards the woman due to whom he had joined the Vipers gang. He thought about the woman with whom he had had a one night stand four years ago. She was beautiful and had an air of innocence around her, just like a rose. He did not know who she was or anything about her. He had met her at a party. All he remembered was that one time they were flirting and the next moment they were undressing each other in a hurry. It did not take long for them to get entangled with each other and that night had been the best night of his life. Though it was just a drunken sex, it had been consensual. The woman too had responded to his touch and the most important fact here was, she was not drunk.


    Tim had fucked her in his intoxicated state, but his mind remembered her face clearly. He decided then and there to get to know her and if possible even marry her. He had never been this attracted to any woman until then. But when the morning arrived, the mysterious woman had disappeared into thin air.


    He searched everywhere to find her and even went asking in the hotel where they had spent the night. But nobody knew who she was and where she went. It was then he had joined the Vipers gang, not because he liked to kill, but to find the woman who had taken his heart with her.


    Years had passed since then and on one night, he finally found the woman who had been looking for. He saw her on the television when the reporter was reporting live from a celebration party. He saw the woman enter the hall with a man and a small kid and had been shocked beyond words. Tim had never expected to see her this way and especially with a man. Moreover, she also had a kid with him. This news had broken Tim and he wanted to throw the television away in anger. But he didn''t. He wanted to see more of her. How long had it been since he last saw her?


    The woman had changed. She had become more beautiful and the purple dress she was wearing made her look like a dazzling star at night. Tim could not take his eyes away from her. He had then found out that the woman''s name was Emma and the man beside her was Adrian King, her brother. She had thrown a congratulatory party to her brother when he had successfully closed a huge deal.


    Tim then wondered who the little girl belonged to. Was she not Emma''s daughter? He pondered on this for a long time, yet could not come to any conclusion. He wanted to take a clearer look at the little girl, but Emma and Adrian had made sure to keep her away from the reporters. So, he did not get an opportunity to see her face.


    Tim was not the one to give up until he got his answers. So, he started digging Emma''s past and went around asking about her to all possible people who he felt would know about her. Tim had been surprised by what he had found out. Emma was not married but the little girl, Ahana was her daughter. He had found out the girl to be around three or four years of age and his mind was blown away by the realization. He was the little girl''s father. She was his child, his princess. This realization was like a thunderbolt to him.


    "Ahana is my daughter. My daughter." He had cried in happiness. The entire day he had rejoiced thinking Emma and Ahana and he had decided to go meet the next day. He was not willing to stay away from them even a minute. He had found Emma after a long time and he was not ready to lose her, not when he had a daughter with her.


    But what waited that day was nothing but grief. He had gone to meet Emma to her house only to see Adrian holding his dead sister in his arms as he cried hysterically. He had seen them from far, yet he could see how brutally Emma had been murdered. She was lying in a pool of blood and though a lot of time had passed, Tim could still not remove the image from his mind. It still haunted him time and again.


    It had been even more shocking when he learnt that his daughter had gone missing that day and nobody, not even Adrian knew who was behind all this mess. Tim had made up his mind to find his daughter at all costs and only then would he come in front of Adrian. Since then, he had been searching for Ahana, but with no result.


    He could not die without meeting his daughter, without avenging Emma. He could not leave this world without killing the man who killed his woman and kidnapped his daughter. No. So, he made a decision, a decision that would help him and keep him alive. A decision that he should have taken long ago.


    Without further delay, Tim made a call. "Ivy, this is Tim. I want to meet Noah."

 Chapter 271: Know everything

    Hey guys,


    Please read my other book ''Trapped for Eternity''. It has entered the WPC. Your thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated. So, do give me your reviews about the book. Also, until the contest ends, please vote for Trapped for Eternity.


    --------------------------


    An hour later.


    Tim stared at Noah who in turn was glaring at him, making him squirm in his seat. Not only was Tim being attacked with cold daggers from Noah, there another man who was shooting bullets thorough his eyes. Tim did not even dare to meet the man''s eyes as he was guilty. He was guilty of trying to enter into his girlfriend''s house in her absence.


    "Why did you want to meet us?" Noah broke the silence and started the talk.


    It had come as a surprise when Tim had called Ivy wanting to meet Noah. Though Noah knew what Tim wanted from him, his anger towards him was for a different reason altogether. Tim could have chosen to approach him using any other method. But the stupid man had called Ivy to speak to him. He was right beside her when she had received the call and had seen her look of doubt and confusion. The seed of suspicion which he had tried to pull out from her mind had been replanted after this call. He wanted to smack Tim for his foolishness.


    However, Joshua''s anger was for another reason. He was furious thinking about Tim''s courage. He had broken into Ivy''s house even after knowing that she was his girlfriend. How bold was he! he had to applaud him for even thinking about it.


    Tim closed his eyes, took a deep breath before he started speaking. "I will help you."


    "Why would I need your help?" Noah asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.


    "To destroy Jared. I know you want to kill him."


    "We do want to kill him, but not with your help. We will do it ourselves." Joshua said in an instant making Tim shut up.


    The room became quiet at once. For convenience sake, Tim had gone to meet Noah at his office after the wee hours. He was in a disguise as he had to save himself from the police, the angry mob as well Jared''s men. To avoid him from being seen from the employees who were working overtime, Ronnie had escorted Tim directly from the underground parking to the top floor through Noah''s private elevator. While the two daunting men were interrogating Tim, Ronnie was savoring his caramel iced tea at the side.


    One of Ronnie''s favorite things other than killing men mercilessly was caramel iced tea and it was something he could drink all day. His colleagues and his team members had ridiculed him for his weird taste. But the man did not care. He loved the tea and he drank it, savoring every drop of it.


    "But I know about him more than you do. I can give you all the information about him and his work. Won''t it be beneficial to you?" Tim asked after a lot of thinking.


    "We can find out about Jared ourselves too, although that might take more time than it would with your help. But eventually, we will. So, why do we have to use your help?" Noah stressed the same question. He was waiting for the answer he wanted, not something he already knew.


    Tim was silent for a long time this time and Noah sighed. "I don''t have time for your meaningless tricks. If you have nothing to say, you may leave."


    Noah stood up to leave and seeing him stand, Joshua too followed suit. But they halted in their places when they heard Tim''s next words. "Don''t you want to know who killed your mentor?"


    The two friends immediately turned to him in shock. They had been dying to know who was the man who had killed their mentor. Their hands were itching for the man''s blood. However, they were helpless in this matter. They did not know who the man was or even what he looked like. Even Oliver who had witnessed the scene directly could not tell who had killed Theo. How did Tim find out about it?


    "How do you know about it?" Noah asked with a skeptical look while Joshua was still stupefied.


    "I know everything, Mr. Carter. I was right there when they discussed it and ridiculed your mentor after they killed him that day."


    Noah and Joshua went to their seats and waited for Tim to continue. "I know everything about your mentor and the reason why he was killed. Theo wanted to find the culprit behind the organ trafficking case. He was almost about to reach to that person when the man himself killed him."


    "Who killed my mentor?" Noah seethed, his hands clenching in fury.


    "I don''t know what is name is or how he looks. But he is someone who is more powerful than Jared. He is Jared'' Godfather. He was the one who killed Theo."


    "Do you expect us to trust you?" Joshua blurted out immediately when Tim had stopped speaking.


    "No. I don''t. You are right to suspect me. I worked for your enemy and now I have come to you. You have all the reasons to suspect me and I''ll not blame you either. If I were you, I would have done the same."


    Noah narrowed his eyes and observed Tim''s face for a long time. The man was answering every question without stammering and whenever he spoke his kept eye contact with him. His confidence surprised him a lot. Noah deduced that either Tim was being honest before them or he was an exceptional actor.


    "Why did you come to us? What do you want?"


    "I want protection. I don''t want to die yet."


    "Who wants to kill you?"


    "Jared. he has given orders for his men to kill me. I don''t want to die yet."


    "I see." Noah tapped his finger on the armrest while he pondered the situation. Keeping Tim with him would only help him to overtake Jared fast. The man knew a lot of things that could be of help to them. However, he was not sure if he wanted to risk trusting him. What if he turned out to be a spy? What if he had other intentions in mind and everything he told here was just an act to get their trust?


    Meanwhile, Joshua started to fire his own questions to Tim. "What do you know about Ivy?"


    Tim furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He wondered where did Ivy come from in this conversation and how was she even related to the matter. Not knowing what Joshua had in mind, he answered him honestly. "I know a little more than what everybody around her knows."


    "Care to elaborate?"


    "I just know that she is a journalist and she is your girlfriend." Tim started only to be interrupted by Joshua.


    "Not that. What do you know about her family?"


    "I know that she has a twin sister and her name is Aria." As soon as Tim took Aria''s name, Noah''s heart jumped out of his chest. He was now worried thinking how much Tim knew and how much he had told Jared.


    "She is a doctor and she words at Regal Medical Hospital."


    "And?" Joshua prompted.


    "That''s it," Tim answered.


    "Are you telling the truth?"


    "Yes," Tim answered still in confusion. He had tried to find out more about Ivy and that was all he had got. Even Maggie had been unsuccessful in getting more information about her. This had come as a shock to him and he had wondered for a long time about it. Why was Ivy''s information hidden and by whom?


    Now he got his answer. Ivy was Joshua''s girlfriend. He must have done something to keep her protected. That explained everything. He became curious thinking about it. What could they have possibly hidden and why were they worried if he knew anything about her or not? He was impatient to ask this question, but he knew he would not get his answer, not today at least. So, he remained quiet.


    "Hmm." Though Joshua had his doubts, he did not stress on it further. It was true that Ivy and Aria''s details were hidden and it was he who had done it. But that did not mean they were completely erased. Any hacker of top caliber with good skills would retrieve the information in seconds.


    After a lot of thinking, Noah made his decision. "I am giving you the benefit of doubt and trusting you for now. Don''t make me regret my decision. If you ever betray me, remember this clearly, I''ll destroy your family."


    Noah''s intimidating gaze and warning petrified Tim. He would never try to cross this man ever. He had already lost the woman he had loved dearly, he did not want to lose his daughter too as a consequence of his wrath. Going against him was the last thing he had in mind.


    "I understand. Thank you so much for your help." He replied and thanked him sincerely.


    "Ronnie, take him to UL2. Let him stay there for a few months and warn the kids not to speak about him outside the base."


    "Yes, Boss," Ronnie replied almost at once. By then he had finished his favorite iced tea. But he was not satisfied, he was craving for more. So, he decided to buy a few more cups on his way.


    Tim and Ronnie left Noah''s office silently. "Why do you want him to go to UL2? What if he betrays us?"


    "He wouldn''t dare and if he did, I''ll kill him personally. Let''s go to your home."


    "Why are you coming with me?"


    "We have things to discuss with Ivy. She has become suspicious of us and I don''t want you to get implicated because of me."


    "How long are we going to hide about us from her?"


    "Until Aria returns. I''ll tell her everything once she comes back. But you can go ahead and tell the truth. I don''t mind."


    "No, I''ll wait too. Let''s do it together." Joshua sighed and shook his head thinking about what the future held for them.

 Chapter 272: Three days

    Hey guys,


    Please read my other book ''Trapped for Eternity''. It has entered the WPC. Your thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated. So, do give me your reviews about the book. Also, until the contest ends, please vote for Trapped for Eternity.


    --------------------------


    As Noah had expected, Ivy''s mind was wandering in all directions. She couldn''t help but be suspicious of the two friends. They were hiding something from her and she was sure it was huge and important. She had seen the way Noah''s eyes had changed. It was as though he was a completely different person behind her back. She could now relate to how her colleagues felt as she too had felt the chills when he was talking on his phone in the apartment complex.


    She was deep in thought when the door opened and Noah and Joshua entered inside. Her eyes snapped in their direction and she looked at them in suspicion. She did not want to be reckless and question them out of the blue. But she couldn''t stop herself from asking about things which were highly unexpected in her eyes.


    "What did Tim want from you guys?" Ivy asked the question before they could even sit comfortably on the sofa. Noah and Joshua paused for a second before they sat down and gave each other a knowing look.


    "He wanted help from us," Joshua answered as he yawned loudly. Ivy could see that the man was tired with the way his eyes were drooping and how he was fighting to stay awake.


    "Are you feeling sleepy? Didn''t you sleep well yesterday?" Ivy asked, her voice laced with concern and Joshua smiled inwardly. Though Ivy was a tough woman, her heart was too soft and gentle. Her cold demeanor would change completely when somebody would act pitiful before her. But he wrong about her. If he thought that his actions could make her forget her question, then he was utterly mistaken.


    Ivy was as stubborn as a mule. If she had set her eyes on something, then she would not quit until she had finished it and was satisfied with the results. Now the mission here was to get answers to her questions.


    "No, I had work to do until dawn. So, I didn''t get much sleep." Joshua answered lazily and yawned again.


    "Is that so? You can go take a nap. I''ll call you when dinner''s ready." Ivy smiled at him and Joshua smiled back. He stood to go to his room but Ivy''s next words stopped.


    "Noah, I have something to ask." Ivy started and Joshua''s feet which had already reached the foot of the stairs retreated their steps. He could guess what Ivy was going to ask his friend and he could not leave him in this situation.


    "Why did you come back?" Ivy asked he came and sat beside her. She narrowed her eyes and her suspicions grew all the more.


    "I am not sleepy yet. I''ll wait until dinner." Joshua answered Noah shook his head in helplessness.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes. What did you want to ask Noah?"


    "Yeah." Ivy turned to face her brother-in-law who was staring at her expectantly. "How do you know Tim?"


    "I told him about Tim," Joshua answered instead of Noah.


    "Okay. How does Tim know Noah?" Ivy changed the structure of her question and asked again.


    "Duh." Joshua poked her forehead in ridicule. "Noah is a successful businessman. Everybody knows who he is. Why are you asking the obvious?"


    Ivy glared at him and her eyes were blazing in such anger that Joshua was taken back for a second. He then shut up immediately and started sulking like a lost puppy.


    "Now, you tell me. How do you know Tim?" Ivy''s question was directed at Noah this time and she sent a warning signal to Joshua to not open his mouth unless asked.


    "He and I are enemies. We go long back." Noah answered honestly.


    "Okay. What did he want from you?"


    "He wanted my help to solve the fix he was in."


    "And why would he do that? Why does he think you can help me?" Ivy folded her hands and asked him a domineering manner. Her gaze did not waver even when Noah gave her a small look as though he was calculating something.


    "He has something which I want."


    "Okay," Ivy said skeptically and her mind tried to sort the things she had just found out. But nothing made sense. Noah was speaking in riddles and she knew about it.


    "Why do I feel that there is something missing here? Are you hiding something from me?"


    At her question, Joshua''s eyes went to Noah only to find that he was sitting calmly, completely unaffected by her question.


    "Yes. I am hiding something from you." Noah answered honestly making Jo''s jaw drop while Ivy waited for him to continue. "But I''ll not tell them to right now. Let''s wait until Aria comes back."


    Noah''s ambiguous answer increased Ivy''s confusion. Her eyes darted back and forth between Noah and Joshua before she voiced her question again. "How is Aria even involved in this matter?"


    "Oh, she is very much involved. Both of you need to know somethings about us and as well as other things. I can only tell you this much and we, Joshua and I, apologize to you beforehand. There are some things that might hurt you and Aria while some might come as a shock to you. You can do anything you want with us, punish us even however you like. Until then please be patient Ivy. It''s a request."


    Ivy glanced at Joshua who he nodded at her in return, pleading her with his eyes. Ivy sighed. She knew she had reached the limit today and she could not get anything out of them anymore. So, she gave up in defeat. But Noah''s words had made their house in her mind. ''What is he talking about and how does it involves and Aria and I? What is he hiding from us?'' Her mind started to form a new set of questions and even after a lot of pondering, she could not come to any conclusion.


    "Fine. I''ll wait for the day." Ivy said after a while much to the two men''s relief.


    "Thank you for understanding," Joshua commented from beside and hugged her shoulders. "I told you my girlfriend is the best. She is a sweetheart." Joshua started boasting and Ivy rolled her eyes, though she was very happy hearing his praise secretly within.


    Unable to stand his friend show off his love while he was living like a single man, Noah decided to leave and stood up. "I am going to go now. You guys can carry on once I leave."


    "Wait." Ivy stopped him suddenly. "Why don''t you stay for dinner. It''s almost time."


    "That''s okay. I need to go home. There''s a guest waiting for me and he will not eat without me. So, I need to go home."


    Before Ivy could stop her tongue, she had blurted out the question. "Who?"


    Noah smiled at her and replied honestly this time. "My friends father-in-law."


    "That''s nice. You must go back then. It''s not wise to keep a guest waiting." Ivy said in all honesty that Noah and Joshua wanted to laugh out loud in amusement. She had no idea that he was talking about her father and the friend he was talking about was none other than Joshua. So, she did not know what was running through their minds at that moment.


    "Sure. I''ll take your leave then."


    Noah left the couple alone and went home. Joshua was still hugging Ivy and was relishing their closeness which he had missed a lot. The last twenty-four hours had been a torture to him when he could neither touch her nor kiss her even though she was right in front of him. He was glad secretly thinking that Ivy had forgotten to their modified bet and pulled her even more close. But his happiness diminished when Ivy, stopped him from doing so.


    "Did you forget our bet?"


    Joshua scowled hearing her words. Why did she have such a good memory? Why did she like torturing him? He wondered that she must be a sadist with the way she liked to torment him.


    "Ivy. this is not fair." He started only to shut up when he realized what her reply to his words would be. They had gone through it before and it was all his mistake. He had shot his own foot when Ivy had fed him with his own dialogue.


    "I think you got your answer. Now move away before I get a broom to shoo you away."


    "Do you take me for a cockroach to hit me with a broom?" Joshua asked perplexed. "By the way, where will find a broom in my house," Joshua smirked at her and leaned in to steal a kiss. It was true that there were no brooms in his house. The maids used the vacuum cleaner to clean the house. Thinking that Jo had won the war of tongues, he leaned closer. But smacked his cheek lightly much to his anguish.


    "If I cannot find a broom, I''ll find something else. So, don''t try to challenge me. Now shoo, move away from me." She swatted her hands and tried to push him away.


    "Fine. I''ll allow you to win this time. Remember you owe me a day." Joshua said and started sulking again.


    "And you remember, you owe me three days." Ivy giggled and gave him a victoriously look.


    ''Just you wait and watch, Ivy. You might be having your part of your fun now. But I am the winner and I''ll show you who will be having the last laugh. Just three days and after that, how are you going to escape from my clutches?'' Joshua thought inwardly and satisfied himself for now.

 Chapter 273: Little angel

    Hey guys,


    Until the contest ends, please give all your votes to Trapped for Eternity. Also, give it a read and tell me how you feel about it. Do drop your reviews and motivate me to write better.


    ----------


    The next day.


    Norman Litner was finally discharged from the hospital after staying for long. Since the time he had woken up, he had been recuperating well and was dying to leave the hospital. It made him feel sick all the more. But he was asked to stay until he recovered completely. He was in a critical situation and the doctors did not want to take any risk with his health. Now that he was fine, the doctor had given him her acceptance to leave. But he still had to come every fifteen days for a regular check-up and radiation therapy.


    During the time he was admitted to the hospital, his granddaughter, Violet and his assistant John would come to visit him every day and spend ample time with him. Every day, before leaving her house, Violet would look forward to meeting her favorite uncle, Ian only to end up disappointed. She had not met him even once and she was missing him a lot.


    As Norman waited with Violet while John was taking care of all the discharge procedures, he saw her dejected face and couldn''t help but sigh in helplessness. The girl was deeply attached to the doctor though they had only met recently. So, he could not help but pity for her. She had lost her parents at such a young age and she never received the fatherly love she needed. Norman adored his granddaughter, but his love could not even hold a candle to the love of a parent.


    At times like these, he sincerely wished that his younger son was around him. He could have provided the little girl with the love and care she was devoid of. But he would then remember how he had treated his own son and his heart would be filled up with remorse. When he had treated his own son as a stranger, how could he expect his son to take care of somebody else''s daughter, though she was his niece, and to treat her like a daughter? His wishes were absurd, yet he could not stop being hopeful. He did not have much time left.


    Although he was cured of cancer now, he was still old while Violet was just a six year old girl. She did not have anybody else to take care of her other than him and John. So, he wanted to find his son as soon as possible at least for Violet''s sake. He also had to apologize for his behavior back then before his son went missing.


    Violet was getting bored waiting for John. She slipped off her chair and started to walk towards the door. Norman was deep in his thoughts. So, he did not see her slip away.


    Violet went around the hospital, trying to see if she could find her favorite uncle. But the hospital was too big and there were a lot of people around. She could not see the person she was looking for anywhere. Not giving up hope, she dragged her body to all the wards she had not visited yet. She was walking along a small corridor, her mind completely absent. So, she did not see the two men who were walking in her direction. She smacked her head right into one''s of the men''s knees and she fell on her butt due to the impact.


    "Ouch." She cried and thought for a few seconds. She did not know whether to rub her forehead first or pat her buttocks as both the parts were paining. She stood up and her one hand patted her butt while the other rubbed her forehead. She then looked at the two men who were standing before her and glared at them. "Can''t you see where you are going?" She asked with her cute and adorable voice making the two men melt into molten wax.


    Ryder and Preston were on their way to meet Valarie when Violet ran into Ryder. He was busy discussing things with Preston and he had not seen the little girl who barely reached his stomach. Since the day Valarie was admitted to the hospital, Ryder and Preston had been in charge of all the work and they would occasionally discuss things with their Deputy. At other times, Valarie was not even allowed to mingle in their matters and was ordered to take rest.


    "My bad, dear. I was not looking." Ryder squatted down and apologized to her. "What is a cutie like you doing here? Where are your parents?"


    "I don''t have parents. They are dead." Violet said out of the blue and her happy face became sad at once. Ryder and Preston looked at each other and the next second, Preston carried her in his arms.


    "Who is with you, dear? Have you come here alone?"


    "No. My grandpa is here."


    "And where is your grandpa?"


    "He is waiting for Uncle John."


    "Okay, where is this Uncle John?" Preston asked, chuckling lightly. The little girl in his arms was very interesting and he had come to like her right away. She was just too cute.


    "There he is." Violet pointed towards John who was coming towards with a grave expression. But he masked it immediately when he saw Violet. He rushed to her and started to scold her gently.


    "Violet, why did you leave your grandpa alone? How many times have I told you not to wander away alone? Don''t do it again okay?" John reprimanded her gently and Violet nodded at him with his head down. "Sorry."


    "I apologize for the trouble she caused you and thank you for taking care of her." John thanked the two men sincerely. "Violet. come on. Your grandpa must be waiting for you."


    "Can''t I stay with the handsome uncles while you bring grandpa down?"


    "But Violet we need to leave."


    "Please." She pouted and begged with her sweet voice making the three men to stare at her lovingly.


    "It''s okay. She can stay with us. We will in the ward right here." Preston pointed towards the ward that was behind Violet and it was where Valarie was staying. He could take the cute girl to Violet and she could talk to her. The woman must be dying of boredom by now. She could as well get some company.


    "But.." John was not sure if he should leave Violet with these strangers. What if they were not good and had some bad intentions? What if they took Violet with them? You never know when what may happen.


    Ryder could make out what was running in the man''s mind and he was not angry at him for thinking this way about them. The man did not know them and it was highly dangerous to allow a kid to stay with an unknown person.


    "Sir, how about this? We will come with you and all of us could go and meet our friend who is in the ward. She might need some company right now. She must be dying of boredom." Ryder joked and this time Violet answered happily.


    "Yes, yes. Uncle John. Yes. Come." She chirped happily and John finally gave you.


    "I apologize for the trouble."


    "Not at all." Ryder smiled at the man and then looked at Violet. She vaguely resembled someone he knew but he could not tell who.


    Shortly after, they reached Norman''s ward to meet a panicky old man who was crying like a small child. John went to him and consoled him immediately. He knew why he was crying and it was all because of Violet. "Sir, Violet is back. Please compose yourself."


    Hearing Violet''s name, Norman looked up and saw her in a stranger''s arms and he limped towards her in relief. He had been worried when he had not seen Violet around him anywhere. He had even gone out of his ward to search for her and had banged his leg against the door in the process. Now that Violet was fine, he sighed in relief.


    "Don''t scare me like that child. Don''t ever leave grandpa alone." He gave his granddaughter a stern look that did not last long. The next second, he caressed her cheek lovingly. "Where did you find her?"


    John recounted everything that had happened and Violet''s wish to stay with the men. Though Norman was reluctantly to meet a stranger as it would be too awkward for him, he gave in when Preston, Ryder and Violet forced him to.


    The four men and the little girl went to Valarie''s ward who at that moment was curing Ryder and Preston badly. She had nothing to do for the past few days other than to take rest and read the boring magazines in the ward and that was making her hellishly sick. She was a woman who hated sitting idle even for a second and now she was spending her time doing nothing. This was making her angry and she even concluded she would even up being seriously sick if this continued.


    As soon as the door opened, she was ready with her string of curses to hurl them at her friends when she stopped on seeing Preston carry a cute girl in his arms. "Oh my. Who is this cutie?" She not only changed her words, even her tone and look had changed. Preston and Ryder secretly sighed in relief. They had been worried thinking about meeting their furious Deputy. But the little girl had solved their problem without even doing anything. She had come in as an angel to them.

 Chapter 274: Taking help

    Hey guys,


    Please, please, please give your votes for my new book TRAPPED FOR ETERNITY, and help me win the contest. Please, guys.


    Seeing the little girl, Valarie''s mood brightened up significantly. She was waiting for her friends to kill them mercilessly when they brought someone as a shield. So, the plan to kill them was postponed for now. She smiled at the girl who was looking at her curiously. "Who is this sweetie?"


    "This is Violet. We met her outside the ward just now." Preston answered.


    "Is it? Hello darling. How cute are you!" She exclaimed as she pinched Violet''s cheeks making her blush.


    "You too." The girl replied shyly and Valarie smiled in satisfaction.


    "See, she finds me cute," Valarie said, her words directed towards her friends. She then saw the two men behind them and she looked at them in confusion. "These are?"


    "This is Violet''s grandfather and this gentleman here is his assistant," Ruder answered and Valarie greeted them with a small smile.


    "How old are you sweetie?"


    "I am five years old."


    "Aww. So cute."


    "Miss, are you married?" Violet asked all of a sudden shocking everyone in the room. Valarie gave a confused look at Preston and Ryder before she went back to answering the little girl.


    "No dear. Why do you ask?" Valarie asked softly and Violet''s eyes brightened up after listening to her answer.


    "Will you be my aunt then?"


    "Aunt?"


    "Yes. I have my favorite uncle and you both make a cute couple." Violet''s answer shocked Valarie while Preston and Ryder were so amused that they started laughing out loud.


    "I-I-I," Valarie stammered, not knowing how to tackle the situation. Before she could come up with a satisfactory answer that would not hurt the little girl''s feelings, Preston interrupted her.


    "Sure Violet. Valarie will marry your uncle. By the way who is he?"


    Valarie giggled after getting the answer she wanted while Valarie sent one hard glare towards her friends. Even Norman and John were smiling as they silently looked on. This was pure amusement for them except for Valarie and Violet.


    "My uncle is Ian. He is a doctor here." Violet pointed towards the ground indicating that Ian worked here and immediately Preston and Ryder''s eyebrow shot to the sky. They knew who Ian was. He was the one who had helped them get the recording they wanted. As far as they knew about him, he seemed to be a good man and for a second, they felt Violet''s suggestion was not bad. He was a doctor and they were sure if Valarie and Ian were to get together, he would definitely put her in her place. With a doctor around, Valarie would never dare to ignore her health again.


    "Sweetheart, that''s a good idea. We would love it if your uncle and our friend could get together. That would make us happy too." Ryder said happily ignoring the daggers that were being thrown at him silently. "Where is he? We would like to meet him?"


    At this question, Violet''s face became gloomy at once, and seeing the change in her the three people looked perplexed. "I don''t know where he is. I haven''t seen him, I think he is avoiding me." Violet''s dejected expression made everybody sad too and John chuckled in helplessness.


    "Violet, your Uncle Ian is not ignoring you. He is not in the hospital right now. So, he is unable to meet you." John was the only one who knew where Ian had gone as he had the nurses speak about him in the corridor while he was filling up the discharge papers.


    "Then, why is he not meeting me? Is he angry at me?" Violet was close to tears as she spoke these words and this made all the five people''s hearts to shatter even more. She looked so sad and devested that John couldn''t control himself and spilled the beans.


    "No dear. Nobody is angry at you. Your uncle has gone to another city on work and it will take some time for him to come back. He promised me before leaving that once he comes back, he will come and visit you first."


    John''s answer brought a huge smile on Violet''s face and she bounced in Preston''s arms happily. "Really?"


    "Really."


    "Promise?"


    "I promise," John answered and mentally made a note to talk to Ian once he came back. They would be visiting the hospital for Norman''s follow-ups and he was sure he would find him one day. The girl had taken a liking towards the man and for the first time, he felt that there was somebody else who genuinely cared for too other than her grandfather and him. He had seen the way Ian behaved with Violet and the fatherly love Ian showed was not hidden to his eyes. The man adored her just like how a father did to a daughter.


    "So, Violet. Tell me, what do you like?" Valarie asked trying to change the topic. She was getting vexed with the way her name was being associated with a doctor she had not even met and with the way her friends were behaving, she was sure they would end up getting her married to him by hook or crook.


    "I like chocolates and ice creams. Also, cakes and pizza."


    "That''s cool. I like pizza too." Valarie said and took a small glance at her friends who were smiling at her mysteriously. She ignored them and went back to talking to Violet, not knowing that her behavior with the girl was exactly that of a mother''s.


    Norman was observing everything that was happening and he was seeing his granddaughter joyously chatting with the woman on the bed. He scrutinizing the three people who he did not know. Though they were behaving normally, there was something in them that made him feel weird. It was as though they were a different people in secret. His gaze then fell on Ryder who was standing closer to him and noticed the outline of a holster through his coat. The man here was carrying a gun. Norman''s eyes widened in shock and fear. He did not know if the man was a criminal of he was the police. So, he did not jump to conclusions immediately. He decided to give him a benefit of doubt as he continued observing.


    His eyes wandered around the room and they fell on a bunch of papers that were lying on the table. He could vaguely see the words written on some of them as the table they were lying on was right beside him. He could make out the word Intelligence and then it struck him. These people belonged to the Intelligence. The realization was beyond shocking but it was not abnormal to find them here as they too were humans who occasionally fell sick.


    Valarie noticed Norman''s absent-mindedness. But she did not give it a second. What surprised her more was that she found him to be familiar, very familiar. However, she could not tell where she had seen him.


    Seeing the people before him, Norman suddenly had a thought and he hoped that this time he could be successful. It was a foolish thought of a father who desperately wanted to find his son. Though the probability was very less, there was no harsh in trying. At least he would not have the guilt of not trying. So, he made up his decision.


    "John, take Violet outside. I have something to talk to these people." Norman said loudly gaining everybody''s attention. The three friends looked at him confusion, wondering what he wanted to tell them. It was the first time they were meeting him So, his words were a little surprising. John gave Norman one knowing look before he took Violet with him.


    The room became silent at once with the three friends staring at him with questionable gazes.


    "You must be wondering what I wanted to speak to you about. Let me introduce myself before we talk about it. I am Norman Litner." He smiled at them and this Valarie''s eyes widened. She finally found out who he was. He was Norman Litner, the man who had won the Nobel prize. She had read one of his books on psychiatry and she had learned a lot of things from it. Though she wanted to say something, she stopped herself allowing the man to speak.


    "I want help from you guys," Norman said, confusing them all the more.


    "How do you expect us to help, sir?" Preston asked furrowing his eyebrows.


    "I know you guys work for the Intelligence." Norman''s words turned the trio''s confusion into shock. ''How did he find out about it?'' Though they did not hide the fact, they did not openly declare about it too. Their minds started to think of all possible reasons, but they could find none.


    Seeing the gears in their heads turning, Norman could guess what they were thinking. "I am a psychiatrist. My observational skills are better than normal people. Not everybody is allowed to carry a gun, like this gentleman here." He pointed to Ryder who was still standing beside him, before his eyes went to the stack of papers on the table. "And, not everybody can get documents from the Intelligence. Am I right?"


    "I admire your ability, Sir. I have read about you and your achievements. It is my honor to meet someone like you. What would you want from us?" Valarie questioned him calmly, not masking her appreciation for the old man. He was truly a genius in his field and it was not every day that they got to meet someone like him.


    Preston and Ryder wanted to ask her how she knew that man. But they kept quiet, they could ask about it once he left. There were other matters to give importance now.


    "I want you to find my son."

 Chapter 275: Two love stories

    An hour later.


    Norman had left the ward with his granddaughter and John, leaving the three friends with a mission. Unable to tolerate the killing silence any longer, Preston was the first one to break it.


    "Val, how do you know him?"


    His words broke her chain of thoughts and she gave a reply not looking at him. "He is a famous psychiatrist. He won the Nobel prize for his contribution to Psychology and Medicine. I have read his books and truly, the man is a genius. He has also opened the National Institute of Psychology, where mentally sick people are cured for free."


    The revelation blew Preston and Ryder''s minds away. They were in the presence of such a dignified and great man and they did not even know about it. How shameful! But it was not their mistake too. They had only heard about him, unlike her who had read his books too. They had never had the opportunity to read his books or even meet him.


    "Now what do we do with his case?"


    "It is very complicated. His son went missing almost twenty years ago and that''s a long period to consider. It is very difficult to find clues in this matter, let alone find him. His childhood picture will not be of much use for us. Kids change as they grow, we cannot use his picture to track him."


    "You are right, Val. We don''t even know if his son is even alive." Ryder added, making the other two to nod in agreement. "I didn''t want to burst the man''s bubble otherwise, I would have told him about it."


    "True. His case is a little complicated. Let''s wait until he gives us all the details. Lets''s talk about something else." Preston said with a mysterious smile and Ryder understood what he had in mind, unlike Valarie.


    "What do you want to talk about?" Valarie asked, her mind going back to the old man''s pleadings when he requested them to find his missing son.


    "What do you think about Violet''s proposal?"


    "What proposal?" Valarie feigned ignorance even though she clearly knew what her friends were getting at. These two men were wicked and she had the strong urge to bang their heads against the walls.


    "What do you think about the doctor as your husband? He is a good man. We have met him and I am sure with him around you, you wouldn''t dare ignore your health. You see, doctors are health conscious." Ryder said with a grin that Valarie very badly wanted to wipe off his face.


    "No way. I am not going to marry him."


    "Why Val? Is he not good or do you like somebody? If so, please tell us. We will do everything in our capacity to bring you too together, even if we have to break his legs." Preston said determinedly. "Am I right, Ry?" He directed his question to his friend and the man nodded like a robot.


    "Definitely. You can trust us on that."


    "Look, I do not have any man in my life nor am I interested in getting married to a person I have not even seen. How do you expect me to get married to someone who I barely know?" She asked in frustration and she just short of losing her cool.


    "That''s fine. We can arrange for you to get together and you can find out all about him you want. I''ll do a background check on him if you want." Preston said with a poker face, seriously considering the words he just blurted out. "Now that I think about it, you two would make a cute, no, sexy couple. The man is quite good looking."


    "Pres, I am going to whoop your ass if you keep on blabbering nonsense. I am not interested right now. Let''s talk about it in the future."


    "So, you are to marry him in the future? We will wait for the future then." Ryder declared, not allowing Valarie to protest any further.


    "You are annoying me to death. I am going to kill you one day before I die."


    "Sure go ahead. We will wait for the day." Preston continued to tease her until her face flushed red in anger.


    "Let''s put this topic on halt right now. I have some things to discuss with you." Ryder said, stopping the two people''s bickering. "We have got new leads on this case."


    "Is it? What?" Valarie asked in excitement. She had been bored to death now and she could finally put her mind to work.


    "The Chief of Army, General Moore was in constant touch with a man for a few weeks before he died. Even the last call he made shows his name."


    "Is it? Who is he? Anybody we know?"


    "No. The number is registered under an alias, Jack."


    "Ohh."


    "Here''s the interesting part. He is a member of the Vipers gang."


    "What? How did you find this out? As far as I know, the gang members are very secretive."


    "The man was found dead just a few kilometers from Simon''s house. But nobody found out about it until yesterday. His phone has all the call records and this includes all the calls he made to Simon."


    "But why did the man who murdered him leave his phone behind? Ain''t it suspicious?"


    "It sure is. But the phone was not with the man or anywhere near him. It was found near the bushes a few meters away from him. This might the reason for the killer to miss it."


    "Maybe. This might be the case."


    "Yep. He had a tattoo of a snake and this explains the involvement of the Vipers gang."


    "But how are you so sure he is the one who killed Simon? It might be somebody else too. We cannot omit the possibility."


    "Yes. But the man had the knife that was sued to chop off the feet." Preston added. "However, I still feel he is not the murderer, and even if he was, who killed him and why?"


    "Why is this case getting more complicated?" Valarie groaned, clutching her head. After listening to her friend''s words, it was starting to hurt a little now.


    "Valarie, are you alright?"


    "Yes, why do you ask Pres?"


    "Did you take your medicines?"


    This time Valarie did not answer and lowered her head in guilt. She had forgotten to take her medicines after she had finished her breakfast. The nurse had come to her to give it to her, but she was still eating. So, she had asked her to leave the tray over and she would take it later. Who knew she would forget about it completely?


    "You forgot again?" Ryder bellowed, not trying to reducing his voice even an octave. He had had enough of the woman''s tricks who had no regard for her health. If this continued, then she would die of ill health one day.


    Valarie knew she had screwed up seeing Ryder and Preston''s pissed off expression. How was it her fault that she forgot about it? They should have come earlier to remind about it when they knew she was quite forgetful.


    "Take your medicines right now," Preston ordered and Valarie, being a good girl she was, did as she was told obediently.


    "That''s it. We need to find the doctor as soon as possible and make sure that he likes this stubborn woman. If he does not accept her then will find someone more strict. This woman will not learn until she is shown the hard way." Ryder seethed, startling her.


    "What? No. No. I know I am wrong. Please don''t do anything like this."


    "No way. You need someone who can take care of you as we will not be with you every second of the day. It''s best you find a man who can control you otherwise, you will be the cause of your death."


    "But.." Valarie tried to protest.


    "No arguments. Once the doctor returns from wherever he is right now, I''ll set up a date for you two and I hope you two will click."


    "But that will take some time. Nobody knows when he will return." Preston added, his mood turning melancholic all of a sudden.


    "What do you mean by the Pres? Do you know something we don''t know?" Ryder fixed his gaze on him while Valarie wondered why his mood changed all of sudden.


    "Yes, he has gone to the war to provide medical assistance to our soldiers. So, until the war ends, he will not be coming back."


    "Oh," Ryder could only mutter one word.


    "How do you know this?" Valarie asked, after some time.


    "I heard the nurses speak about it in the reception. Many doctors from this hospital have gone there."


    This time, Valarie and Ryder understood why he had become dejected out of the blue and could also guess who was responsible for it.


    "Don''t tell me Pres. Is the female doctor on whom you have taken a liking to included in this group?"


    Preston was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not realize his friend''s intention and answered honestly. "Yes, she has gone to the border too."


    "Wow. You do like her." Ryder exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.


    "What?"


    "You like the lady doctor," Valarie repeated Ryder''s words and smiled at her friend, ecstatic in this new development.


    "No, I don''t." Preston denied it right away, though he knew he was lying.


    "Yes, you do."


    "No."


    "Yes."


    "No."


    "No."


    "Yes." Preston did not realize what he had blurted out until his friends cheered for him. "Yes, I do."


    "Sigh, now I have two love stories to handle," Ryder said loudly only to receive a glare in return.

 Chapter 276: Amazing Boss

    Hey guys,


    Please, please, please give all your votes to my new book TRAPPED FOR ETERNITY and help win the contest Please.


    Three days later.


    Joshua was sitting in the conference room, attending a meeting with his skilled programmers. Their game was at the last stage and all that remained was the simulation. They had to test the game if it ran smoothly on all laptops and mobile phones. There were all brands of laptops and phones in the room and the tech lovers were having a match in the room under Joshua''s supervision. They had to come up with a report to see if there was a glitch in the game or if any of the laptops or phones were not supporting the game. They also had to rectify if there were any problems with the graphics. Only after the matter was solved, would the game be released to the public.


    Joshua waited in his seat as his employees tested the game on various devices one by one. Occasionally, his mind would go to Ivy and think about what she would be doing right now. It was not that he missed her, he missed her all the time she was not in his presence. But he was getting excited thinking all he would do to her once he reached home.


    Today marked the end of their three days challenge. Only Joshua knew how he had restrained himself from touching her or kissing those delectable lips that called out to him every time he saw her. Just a few hours and their challenge would end. He would then take his trophy along with the interest that was due for the last three days. He was not going to have sex with her, not until she was comfortable with him and both of them were in love with each other. He could see her insecurities and also her attempts to hide them from him. So, it was his duty to ease her of her unnecessary doubts. But he could do other things.


    "Sir, we have finished testing all the devices and the game works perfectly fine on all platforms. No glitches, no problems in the graphics and the game doesn''t consume much power too if the device is fairly new. Everything is smooth." One of the employees gave the report after all the devices had been tested. "We can now proceed with the marketing."


    "Perfect." Joshua clapped his hands in appreciation and the rest followed suit encourage and praising each for their hard work for the last few months. Only a few days more and they could relax once the game was released. "Guys, thank you everyone for your hard work and also for bearing my temper tantrums at times when things were not going out well. I know I had been a jerk some times and I am not going apologize for it. Everybody has a bad day, those days were mine."


    Everybody laughed hearing his words. Joshua was an extraordinary boss. He was jovial with them, unlike Noah who dealt with his employees stone-faced. Joshua was just like a friend and a generous employer. He only became demanding and a headache during work times and whenever they had deadlines to meet. Otherwise, he was super cool.


    "Yes, once the game is released, all of you can take a break for a week and you will be given a bonus of three months."


    As soon as he said, hoots and whistles echoed through the room and everybody''s tired faces lit up and they smiled in joy. "Until then, I expect you to work your ass off."


    "Yes Sir." Everybody said in unison and they waited for their next instructions.


    "You guys can leave now. We are done for the day." Joshua dismissed them early though it was only five in the evening. Usually, his employees would not leave before seven if they had a deadline to meet. Now that they had done their work successfully, there was no need for them to work overtime, at least today.


    Joshua too was dying to go home early. Ivy was at home, she did not have any work and had decided to stay at home. If he did not have this important meeting to attend, he too would not have taken a step out of his house. Given a chance he would spend all day, all night staying with Ivy and doing all the things he had in mind with her.


    Joshua reached his house an hour later and saw that Ivy was not in the living room. He went in search of her all around the house and it did not take him long for him to find her. She was in the kitchen preparing something god knows what. Most of the time, she would be mostly found in her room or the kitchen and very rarely at other places. The only rooms she had not stepped a foot into was Joshua''s room and his laboratory. Joshua had prohibited her from entering his lab and Ivy was not comfortable going to his room, much to the man''s dismay.


    Seeing her in the kitchen, Joshua''s feet automatically took him to her and he hugged her from behind startling her. She was too busy trying to a recipe that she did not see or hear Joshua enter. "When did you come?" She asked as she tried to handle the dish on the pan.


    "Just now. What are you cooking?" Joshua asked as he pecked her cheek and turned his gaze towards the delicious dish she was preparing. It smelt amazing and his mouth watered just on seeing it. "What is this?"


    "I was getting bored and I tried this new dish for the first time. These are quesadillas. This is the first time I have prepared this and I am not sure how they taste."


    "So, I am an experimental rat now?"


    "Yes." Ivy agreed immediately. "You are my experimental rat. Whenever I am going to try out a new dish, you will the first one to taste from now on until Aria returns."


    Joshua''s heart leaped in joy hearing her words. She sounded just like a wife who wished for her husband to taste her cooking and just the thought about him being the first one to eat all the dishes she prepared for the first time, made him all giddy.


    "Why? What will happen once Aria returns? Can''t I have your food then?"


    "No silly. Once Aria returns, I''ll be moving back home." Joshua''s happiness vanished after hearing her words. It was true that once Aria returned Ivy would be leaving this house. He hoped that their relationship would get stronger before then and she would move in with him permanently. But that was a topic they would discuss at another time. Now he was hungry and he wanted to taste the dish she had painstakingly prepared.


    "Are you done?"


    "Yes. Why do you ask?"


    "I am hungry."


    "Wait a second." Ivy placed two pieces of quesadilla on a plate and poured some mayonnaise on it. "Here, have a taste and tell me how it is."


    Joshua looked at the dish and without waiting another second hogged on it like a starved kid. The burst of various flavors in his tongue had his eyes rolling in ecstasy. "This is so good." He said licking his lips.


    "Really? Is it edible?"


    "Grab a bite." Joshua held the quesadilla for her to take a bite and Ivy ate it immediately.


    "Umm. Not bad for the first time. It could have been better."


    "For me, this is the best."


    "I am happy that you liked it." Ivy smiled seeing him eat the food she prepared happily and she too started to feel hungry. She had prepared five pieces. She gave Joshua another piece while she ate the other two.


    Joshua ate everything she offered him with delight, licking his lips. His woman had magic in her hands and he absolutely loved the food she prepared. He had eaten food at many hotels and restaurants and none of them could compare to her cooking. After getting accustomed to her cooking, he found those dishes to be bland. The only person who could rival his woman in cooking was his friend, Noah.


    Joshua had tasted his food and was not sure who cooked better. But that was a debate for another time. He now had other things to handle.


    Seeing that Ivy had licked her plate clean, Joshua chuckled before he held her hand. "Are you done?"


    "Yes," Ivy said dropping her plate on the dishwasher using her free hand.


    "Come with me then."


    "Let me wash my hand first."


    Joshua waited until she had washed her hands and dried them using the kitchen towel. He then held her hand again.


    "Where are we going?"


    Joshua did not give her any answer and led her towards the staircase. "Joshua, where are we going? Do you have something to tell?"


    "Ivy, do you remember what we had spoken about three days back?"


    "About what matter?"


    "About you prohibiting me from touching you for three days." Ivy now remembered the words she had told him and that explained the reason for him to behave that way for the last three days. Truth to be told, she had completely forgotten about it and would not have even remembered if Joshua had not reminded her.


    "Yes," Ivy answered her face marred with confusion.


    "Today marks the end of three days." Saying that, Joshua pulled her towards him and slammed his lips on hers.

 Chapter 277: First time

    WARNING: Mature Content ahead. Read at your own risk.


    The sudden kiss took Ivy''s breath away. It was too intense and rough that for a second, her heart skipped a beat. Joshua was sucking and nipping on her honey-sweet lips while he continued to kiss her. Gosh, how long had it been since he last kissed and why does it feel that those beautiful lips of hers have become all the more sweet? He wondered as he bit her lower lip. He pulled her closer and now Ivy was almost hugging him as Joshua started to kiss her fervently again.


    Ivy got so lost in the passionate kiss that she did not even realize when Joshua had taken her to his room, to his bed. It was only when Joshua released her lips to allow her to breathe did she realize that she was lying flat on his bed with Joshua hovering above her and by the looks of the room, she knew it was not hers. Ivy tried to push him away, but the man did not even budge on her puny attempt.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Joshua asked in amusement as he stared at her now swollen lips. Her flushed face, her chest heaving as she took her breaths, and her twinkling eyes made him lose his mind and he attacked her lips again, not allowing her to protest, not that Ivy wanted to. She welcomed his kisses wholeheartedly and this time she too kissed him back.


    Ivy pulled him closer as he held her firmly in his arms. She ran her hands on his back before they went to his silky hair. The kiss was filled with passion and want, Joshua poured all the feelings he had for the woman below him while Ivy reciprocated it by kissing back. The room temperature soared to the sky and it became hot at once. Ivy''s body heated up when she felt his hard member pressing on her thighs.


    Joshua released her reluctantly after kissing her until she was panting. While Ivy looked like she had run a marathon, Joshua seemed perfectly normal other than the fact that he was taking deep breaths and his eyes had darkened and was filled with lust. After ravishing her lips, he went down and bit her neck, eliciting a moan from her. He sucked on the spot until a hickey was formed while he pressed himself closer to Ivy.


    Ivy was so lost in the pleasure Joshua was giving her that she did not even know what was happening. All she could think that how amazing it felt and how she wanted to get more of it. Joshua pulled back after he was satisfied with his work on her neck and his eyes went down to her chest. He glared at the flimsy cloth that was covering her body and if looks could burn, he would have burnt the shirt that was between him and Ivy.


    Though he wanted to take the next step, he did not want to rush through things and definitely not without her permission. "Ivy, do you trust me?"


    Ivy, who was not in this world anymore, came back hearing his question. "What do you mean?" She asked in confusion as she propped herself on her elbows.


    "Ivy, I want to take the next step. I want to do things to you and with you that might be more than just kissing. Don''t worry we will not have sex right now, not until we are sure that we love each other. I think you know what I mean."


    Ivy understood what he wanted to tell and she averted her gaze away from him shyly. Her face was scorching hot and they had gone red. Her heart was dancing at a rate she could not even comprehend while her mind was sending warning signals to her.


    Seeing her expression, Joshua wondered if it was too early for what he had mind. ''Maybe she needs more time.''


    "It''s okay, Ivy. I understand." Joshua pulled back and seeing this Ivy panicked. It was not that Ivy was not ready, she was just too shy to give any answer. The next second, Ivy held him by his waist stopping his movement, surprising him.


    "I-I-" She stammered trying to come up with an answer. She cursed her existence for being a coward at times like these. But it was not her fault as this was the first time she was experiencing something like this. She trusted Joshua, more she thought she did. The man was a flirt, but he was devoted to her and loyal to their relationship. She did not have anything to worry about. The fact that he asked her permission before doing anything showed how good his character was.


    "Yes, Ivy. Do you have something to say?" Joshua asked in confusion as he noticed the myriad of expressions on her face.


    "Yes. I-I-I am ready." She said and immediately closed her eyes unable to meet Joshua''s scorching gaze. Still, she could feel her face burning and her heart was on a drum roll.


    Joshua''s eyes widened hearing her words and the next second, his face broke out with a wide grin. However, he still wanted to make sure if what he had heard was the truth, it was not his illusion. "What did you just say?"


    "I-I-" Ivy hugged him suddenly. "I am ready."


    "Are you sure?"


    Ivy nodded biting her lips. Joshua made her lie down and kissed her again. This time it was a gentle and sweet kiss, one that assured her that he was here and he would always be with her. "If you feel uncomfortable at any point, tell me. Okay?"


    Ivy nodded.


    "Words, sweetheart. I want words."


    "Yes."


    "Promise me that you will stop me if you feel it is going out of hand. It does not matter if I want it or not, you are more important. You should be comfortable."


    Ivy smiled at his words. The man before her was a gem and she was lucky to have found him. Now that he was hers, she would never allow him to leave her, never ever.


    "I trust you." That was all Ivy said and that was all Joshua needed. He slammed his lips on her lips again while his hands started to unbutton her shirt. Ivy could feel his hands on her body while her mind had gone numb with the overwhelming kiss. He pulled back to help her remove her shirt and then he stared her bra clad chest. Ivy could feel his gaze on her, but was too embarrassed to meet his eyes.


    "You are so beautiful." Joshua appraised the beauty in front of him and his hands started to wander on her chest. The touch sent tingles through her stomach and she felt goosebumps on her skin. Something started to build up in the pit of her stomach and she waited in anticipation for his next move.


    Joshua kissed her collarbone leaving a hickey on it before he went down and kissed her cleavage. Ivy moaned loudly on the sudden attack and she grasped the bed sheets tightly. The sensation she was feeling was too much for her to bear. She closed her eyes but opened them immediately when she felt the cold air hit her chest. Only then did she realize that Joshua had removed her bra and now she was bare in front of him from the waist and above.


    Joshua sucked in a deep breath seeing her twin peaks as he caressed them slowly. Ivy noticed his eyes admiring her and she felt utterly embarrassed. She had never been naked before anyone, not even her sister. Seeing Joshua''s heated gaze, she felt butterflies in her stomach and she covered herself using her hands but failed miserably.


    Joshua gave her an assuring smile. "Don''t hide from me, Ivy. You are so beautiful and I am one lucky man to have you in my life." He removed her hands on her chest and bent down to lick one of the peaks. Ivy moaned loudly when he latched at her breast.


    A bomb exploded in Ivy''s mind and she was lost in the pleasure Joshua was giving her, while the man in question did not ignore her other peak. He fondled it and pinched it lightly making Ivy arch her back. The pleasure was too much for her to bear. Joshua''s hand and tongue were doing wonders to her body and she did not know what she should concentrate on. Her mind had lost its thinking ability long back, she did not head or tail of what was happening to her. The strange sensation in her stomach started to build again and she felt herself climbing towards something she did not know.


    She was almost there and all she needed was to climb the last step and then she could get the release she desperately craved. Joshua noticed her flushed face, her dazed eyes and her hard panting and he guessed her to be close. He did not wait any further and give one flick to her right breast and sucked the other and Ivy was gone, she saw stars in her mind. She was gone out of the galaxy after her first orgasm. This was the first orgasm of her life and it was damn mindblowing.


    -----------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please give all your votes to my book Trapped for Eternity instead of Falling in Love until the contest ends. Please, guys. Vote for the book and help me win the contest.

 Chapter 278: Wicked idea

    The next day.


    Ivy was still blushing a deep shade of red as she silently ate her breakfast. Contrary to her flustered state, Joshua looked as excited as a kid on a Christmas day and he was brimming with energy. He was on cloud nine and it was all because of the things that had transpired in his room the previous day.


    Ivy''s hand shook as she tried to pick up the spoon and she was having difficulty eating the food on her plate. Noticing her uncomfortable situation, Joshua held his spoon before her, making her stare at it for a few seconds before her eyes went to him. "Let me help you."


    "I am fine." She answered blatantly and tried to pick up the spoon, but her hand shook again. They had become sore after what she had done yesterday.


    "Ivy, stop being stubborn and eat. After breakfast, I''ll massage your hand. You''ll feel better."


    "But.."


    "No buts. Eat it or we will repeat whatever we did yesterday. Your choice."


    That shut her up and Ivy started eating as Joshua fed her, thoroughly enjoying her plight. She looked absolutely adorable and if she did not have work to do today, he would have dragged her to his room and repeated everything they had done the previous night.


    After their breakfast was done, he held her sore arm in his and started massaging them slowly. But at one point, a wicked idea came to his mind and the next second he placed her hand on his trousers, making Ivy jump from her seat. She looked at him flabbergasted while the man in question started laughing seeing her cute face. Ivy could still not forget what had happened yesterday and the man here wanted to do it again. No way, never.


    She remembered what had transpired in the room between them and her face heated up all of a sudden.


    Flashback.


    Ivy was still reeling in the aftermath of her orgasm. So, she did not know what was happening around her nor did she notice Joshua smiling at her with love oozing out his eyes. He had never seen a woman so beautiful after having an orgasm. Ivy looked like a sex goddess lying beneath him with the way her hair was sprawled on the white pillow, her eyes dazed in ecstasy due to the post-orgasmic bliss, and her chest heaving as she took in large chunks of air.


    Joshua stared at the marks he had left on her body and was satisfied with them. He pecked her lips and waited for her to return to earth.


    "That was..." Ivy stopped not getting a word to finish her sentence.


    "Good or bad?" Joshua asked with a cryptic smile even though he knew the answer to it, but he wanted Ivy to tell it.


    "Amazing, if that is the word you are looking for. Thank you." Ivy said, giving him an alluring smile.


    "Welcome, sweetheart. Now it''s my turn." Joshua smirked as he said the words and removed his shirt slowly.


    "What do you mean?" Ivy panicked, seeing his bare torso not knowing what the man wanted to do next. However, she was sure that the man was full of wicked ideas and his smirk was the proof to it. His mysterious gaze and his ambiguous words sent her warning signals and she wanted to escape from his clutches. But the man''s legs were tangled with hers and he was pressing down on her. So, she could not move even if she wanted to.


    "I need a reward for all the hard work I have done today." Seeing her horrified expression, Joshua chuckled lightly. "Wait a minute. Did you think we were done?"


    Ivy nodded like a spring doll as she ogled at his naked torso. She never knew that the sweet-looking Joshua had a body that would make girls to get a nosebleed. He was damn hot and he was all hers. She could not take her eyes from his delicious body which Joshua too noticed.


    "Stop salivating. I am all yours and you can eat me anytime you want. And, we are not done, not yet. Oh no, sweetheart. This is just the beginning, we still have a lot to do."


    Ivy gave one confused look which changed to shock when Joshua even took off his pants. "What the hell are you doing?"


    "What? I am just removing my pants."


    "Why?"


    "I need to have my pants off for the next thing I have in mind."


    "What do you mean? What are thinking of doing?"


    "You just had your share and now its time for mine." With that, Joshua even removed his boxers and stood naked before Ivy. He grinned at her as her eyes wandered all over his body before it settled at his manhood. Man, Joshua was well bestowed in that area and Ivy could do nothing but stare at his little friend flabbergasted.


    "Don''t look at me that way sweetheart. I am all yours, including my little devil here. You can do anything you want with him that does not include chopping it off or hurting it you know. I am the only son to my parents and I have this huge responsibility of taking my family line to the next generation. Let me warn you beforehand about this and I think you know who would be the mother of my babies."


    Joshua''s shameless statement made Ivy to glare at him. Until this day, she never knew his shamelessness knew no bounds. The man was brazen and he did nothing to hide this personality of his, at least not before her. He presented all he had before her with pride and moreover, naked.


    "What babies? I ain''t gonna be making any babies with you. You are dreaming." Ivy said, averting her eyes in embarrassment. She had long forgotten that her chest was still bare before him, but Joshua didn''t. He enjoyed the view that was presented to him until his heart was satisfied.


    "Oh, sweetheart. Don''t worry. You might be against the thought of babies right now, I am sure you will be singing a different song altogether in the future. But that is something we will talk about later. Now, we have other things to attend to."


    "What other things?"


    "I need your help."


    "In what?"


    "In this." Joshua immediately held her hand and placed it on his bulging manhood and Ivy almost fainted with the sensation she was feeling in her hand. She tried to pull back, but the man was adamant to get what he wanted and held her hand tightly. The soft-touch of her hand on his excited body part was making him feel wonderful. He moved her hand slowly against Ivy''s wishes and he could see that she was getting uncomfortable. Seeing her scrunched up face, he stopped immediately though he did not want to. He was already in a difficult situation and releasing her hand made it all the more painful.


    "It''s okay, Ivy. I won''t do anything to you if you are uncomfortable. We will take this slow."


    But contrary to his expectations, Ivy did not budge this time. She placed her hand back on his erection. "I''ll help you." She said with her cheeks shaded with a color of deep red. Her breath came out short, but she looked at him determinedly.


    "But Ivy, I don''t want you to anything you don''t want to."


    "I am fine Joshua and I want to do this."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes."


    With that Ivy started to moved her hands on his manhood and Joshua took a deep breath. The small ministrations of hers was making him feel things he had never felt before and the sweet torture felt so good that he wanted it to go on forever.


    Joshua groaned as Ivy''s movements became faster. He could guess that this was her first time and she was nervous. But there was nothing to worry about as he was here to guide her. He stopped her fast movements immediately. "Not so fast, sweetheart. Take it slow." He almost ordered and Ivy nodded before her speed reduced.


    "Yes, baby. That''s it. You are doing so well. Yes. Perfect." He groaned and Ivy''s ears almost bled hearing his words, but somewhere in her heart, she felt proud of herself for being able to make Joshua feel this way. She was proud of what she was doing even though she was extremely shy and embarrassed.


    Joshua''s manhood bulged as her movements continued and with this, Ivy''s eyes too widened in disbelief at how huge it became. It did not take him long before he found his release and his juices were all on Ivy''s hand. He took a moment to come back to earth after the amazing orgasm he had after a long time. He then led Ivy to the bathroom and cleaned her hands completely.


    Joshua was still naked and Ivy''s chest was bare to his eyes. As soon as his gaze fell on her delectable breasts, his gaze darkened once again. Seeing his heated gaze, Ivy followed his line of sight and saw what he was looking at and her eyes widened once again. Immediately, she covered herself with her hands and before the man could start the session again, she rushed out of the bathroom, wore her shirt at an incomprehensible speed and ran away with her bra in her hand. She did even see Joshua who was watching her like a hawk with amusement dancing in his eyes.


    "Are you remembering what we did yesterday?" Joshua''s shameless words brought her out of her thoughts and she blushed even more. Seeing the state she was in, made Jo ecstatic. He could not help but want to tease her more. He had seen her go into a daze and he could guess what she was thinking. His lips curved up with an evil smile and he could not help but comment, "Don''t worry, sweetheart. We will do it again today."


    "Who wants to do it with you? I don''t want to do anything. No." Ivy panicked. She realized if she continued to stay here any longer, the man would surely devour her. She picked up her bag. "I''m leaving now. Bye." With that, she ran away as fast as she could without even looking back. All she could hear was Joshua''s laughter which sounded utterly sinister to her before she closed the door.

 Chapter 279: Fight

    The past few days had been quite hectic for Luis Truman. Being the President of a country was never easy. He had to deal with all kinds of people and all sorts of trouble, attend meetings every day, listen to everybody''s suggestions and most important of all try to find solutions to problems so as to keep the citizens safe.


    Since the war had started, he had been on tetter hooks thinking about the outcome of it and the possible destruction it brought with it. The opponent country was not ready to come to a truce with them at all. They had become unresponsive, not replying to any of their messages or responses. Seeing their animosity and uncultured approach, the government of Country P had made a decision and they had approached the United Nations to put pressure on their neighbor.


    Just as they had expected, with the United Nations'' involvement, their neighbor started to panic. The entire world was bashing them for their unruly behavior while they sang praises of Country P. Also, since the last few days, the Country P''s army was taking control of the war and it seemed that they were just short of winning it. This had created a state of chaos and immediately the enemy country had sent a request for a pact. They wanted to end the war before any more of their soldiers were killed.


    The sudden request came as a surprise to everyone, including the President. He had assumed that the issue would not be solved without a lot of bloodshed. Who knew that would not be the case? Their enemy had come to them seeking a truce to save their asses before it became too late.


    When Country P received the request, they immediately arranged for the meeting and the two Presidents met to come up with a solution. After a lot of discussion and arguments, it was decided that their enemy would pull out of the war and Country P would be declared victorious. Also, Country P canceled all its foreign dealings with their neighbor as they were the first once to breach the contract. All in all, it was a win-win situation for Country P while their enemy was the ultimate loser.


    Immediately after the meeting ended, the President sent the orders to Ethan to pull back their men only if their opponent surrendered first. He did not trust them even an ounce and did not want to take any risk. No sooner had Ethan received the message, the enemy army surrendered and the war ended officially.


    However, a lot of soldiers had died and a lot more had been injured, injuries varying from mild to gruesome. Many of them had even lost their arms and legs and some other their faces were wounded too. Seeing their injured bodies made Ethan''s blood to boil. He was angry with their distrustful enemies, but he was more angry with the traitors who killed and injured their own men. If not for them, the number of casualties would have been a lot less.


    However, there was something else that was bugging him. He was not sure if he had eliminated all those traitors or were there some remaining in the group. After he had killed some of them, he could not find out any more of them as the traitors had stopped communicating using the handheld radio. So, he had not had a chance to find out more about them. Now, it was highly impossible to find them since the battle had ended.


    Now that the war was over, it was time for them to give the salute to their martyrs who have up their lives while trying to protect the motherland. It was a customary salute they gave immediately after the war ended as a respect to the brave men.


    Everybody, all the soldiers, even the injured ones who could make it and the doctors and the nurses assembled on the huge ground as the soldiers paid their tribute, followed by a national salute. It was such a sad moment that many soldiers cried as they bid goodbye to their fellow soldiers. Even Aria could not stop crying and seeing her cry Ian and Stuart gave one helpless look before they started comforting her.


    An hour passed and Ethan was returning to his quarters after having a brief meeting with Luis on the phone when someone attacked him. He was held in a chokehold, making it very difficult for him to breathe. The man pushed to an empty tent as he pushed his hand further tightening his hold on Ethan''s neck.


    Ethan tried all he could to get out of his grip, but the man was well planned and the next second, he smacked his gun on Ethan''s head. His head spun for a second, before he resumed his attempts to free himself again. After a lot of attempts, he finally freed himself and stood face to face with his attacker who had covered his face with an army mask. Except for his eyes, nothing was visible. So, Ethan could not make out who he was. But he was sure of one thing, the man before him was also a traitor.


    The man lunged forward and tried to punch Ethan, but the experienced major had guessed his moves and avoided it swiftly. An intense battle ensued between the two with Ethan trying to unmask the man and man attempting to kill him. During the fight, the medical tray that was lying on the table toppled over and the loud sound echoed outside the tent.


    Aria, who was coming to her tent as she was on a break, heard the commotion and rushed to her tent only to see Ethan engulfed in a bout with a masked man. She gasped when she saw them and immediately knew that this was a serious issue. She had to bring help and she had to do it fast. However, before she could even leave the tent, the masked man who had seen her enter in, pushed Ethan and pulled her by her arms hurting her in the process. He held the knife he had picked up from the medical tray at her neck while Ethan stared at them in horror.


    Aria too was petrified to the core and she did not know what to do. She tried to wriggle out of his arms, but the man only pushed the knife further and she started bleeding. Aria winced in pain but she did not dare move, not when the man was armed and even had the intention of killing her.


    "Don''t hurt her. She is innocent." Ethan ordered, his voice came out controlled. But anybody could guess that he was trying to suppress his urge to punch the man. It was fine if he wanted to come at him, but why was an innocent doctor being threatened and for what purpose. However, his threats fell on deaf ears. The man chuckled lightly before he became silent again.


    Ethan took a deep breath. He realized that being angry was not going to help him and especially not Aria whose life was in danger. "What do you want?"


    However, he did not receive any response. The man only continued to glare at him and in a fit of anger, he pushed the knife a little deeper. Aria sucked in a deep breath due to the pain. Blood started to ooze out of her neck like molten lava and tears formed in her eyes. Ethan saw the state she was in and he knew he had to do something before the man actually killed her. He had promised the safety of the civilians and he would not allow them to get hurt at any cost. But he had visibly failed in his duty with the way Aria was hurt.


    Ethan was helpless. If he tried to do anything, Aria would be hurt and if he did not do anything, again Aria would be hurt. Any which was Aria was at the losing end.


    Aria saw the dilemma he was in and she was not angry with him for the situation he was in. She had to rely on herself to save her life. The next moment, Aria gave the masked man a back leg kick on his groin and he fell down in pain instantly. He released his hold on her and Aria moved away from him. She secretly thanked Ivy for teaching her the move although she had been hesitant to learn it. The teaching had come useful now and Aria was happy that she had listened to her sister.


    Ivy had mastered some of the kicks and moves due to her work and she had taught some of them to Aria. According to Ivy, everybody had to be prepared for the bad times rather than crying over things when it became too late. Aria now realized the meaning in her words and praised her sister for her foresight.


    Ethan was momentarily stunned with the little stunt Aria had pulled. But the next moment, he composed himself and went to the man who lying on the floor, groaning in pain. He tried to remove his mask. Realizing his intentions, the man tried to scramble away but he couldn''t. Ethan held him tight and forcibly removed the mask, only to go in shock.


    Even Aria was shocked on seeing who the man was. The sweet and jovial man who she had first met on the Military Grounds turned out to be a traitor and this sent chills down her spine. She couldn''t help but mutter his name, asking him as the questions she had in mind in just one sentence. "Why Kevin?"

 Chapter 280: Questioning

    "Kevin," Ethan exclaimed in shock. He was too flabbergasted to see his most trusted man here and never had he imagined him to be a traitor. It was beyond shocking and he just stared blankly at his friend and his comrade.


    Seeing Ethan go in daze, Kevin picked up the knife that had fallen down when Aria had attacked him and tried to plunge it inside Ethan''s heart. However, he could do nothing like that. Ethan had just gone in shock, he was not paralyzed. As soon as Kevin tried to attack him, Ethan punched him in the gut and at the same time twisted his arms. Kevin groaned in pain, not expecting his plan to backfire.


    Whenever Kevin tried to move, Ethan pulled his hand with more force making him scream in agony. Kevin felt like his soul was about to leave his body with the amount of pain he was in. He wanted to just escape the demon who was holding him captive, but he could not. The man was too strong, stronger than him and it was impossible for him to defeat him without any cheating as Ethan was more experienced than him in matters like these. And why not? The man had joined the military three years before Kevin, The experience was bound to come in handy someday.


    Kevin tried all he could to free himself, but Ethan did not even budge. He wanted answers from him and he was going to get it at all costs, by hook or crook. "Why Kevin? Why did you betray us?"


    Hearing his question, Kevin paused whatever he was doing and he started at Ethan first and then at Aria blankly before he started laughing like a madman. He laughed until there were tears in his eyes. However, to Ethan and Aria, this was not a humorous situation and they stood there watching him, with furrowed eyebrows. The man had gone crazy all of a sudden and a crazy man with weapons and who was out for kill was not a good situation.


    "Why?" Kevin started when he had calmed himself. Yet he had the devilish glint in his eyes which made Aria shiver. She had never seen him this way before, not as a cold-blooded murderer at least. She had seen him jovial and happy and strict and hardworking, nothing like the man who was sitting before her right now. He had changed altogether just in a matter of a few hours. Aria even wondered if Kevin suffered from dual personality for him to switch personalities this easily.


    "That is a question I ask myself every day."


    "What do you mean?" Ethan was confused with Kevin''s ambiguous answer and stared at him in anger trying to make him speak. But the man remained unfazed.


    "Why didn''t I kill you when I had the chance? Why did I allow you to live and wait until today to finish you off? Why?" Kevin said and his words made Ethan stare at him in horror. He had never expected his junior, his friend, his comrade to have such killing intentions towards him. What had he done to see such a day?


    Ethan remembered all the good days they had spent together and all the fun they had had whenever they were not working. Kevin''s sudden change was unacceptable to him who had known him for years, let alone Aria who had met him just recently.


    "Why do you want to kill me, Kevin? What did I ever do to you?" Ethan almost broke down by the man''s betrayal. It was unimaginable for him and he was still spooked by the sudden change in events.


    "You," Kevin gave him one accusing look, "You messed up all our plans and killed all our men. Though I knew about it, I could do nothing. I had to sacrifice some of our men in order to not make you suspicious of me. Who knew you would not only kill a few men but eliminate all of them. You are great, just great, Major Ethan, and I admire you for it."


    Kevin''s sudden outburst gave Ethan the answers he was looking for. Now he understood why he could not find the other traitors as they had got alerted and it was all because of the man who knew all his moves and who was watching him like a hawk, Kevin. However, what shocked him more was the fact that he had killed everyone and the only one remaining was Kevin. He did not expect that.


    "What do you mean by that? I did not kill everyone in your team."


    "Yes, you did. I am only one left."


    Seeing the two men deep in conversation, Aria tried to move towards the exit. But she was in a fix. The exit was just behind Kevin and she was standing opposite to him. In order to leave, she had to walk all the way around him and that was impossible without alerting him. He was bound to notice her actions who was darting his eyes back and forth between her and Ethan.


    She took nimble steps towards the exit. However, she had misjudged the man''s skills. As soon as she took a small step, Kevin''s eyes fell on her and he gave her a bone terrifying glare. "Don''t you even dare." He gritted his teeth, warning her in the process.


    "Aria, you leave from here. He will not do anything to you. Leave." Ethan ordered. It was only then did he realize her presence. He had long forgotten about her when he was busy dealing with Kevin.


    "She is not going to leave this room. No. After I finish killing you, I''ll kill her. Though I have no personal grudges against you Dr. Aria, I will have to kill you. It was nice knowing you although it was just for a short time. You are a great doctor and an amazing woman. But I am sorry, I must kill you. If only you had not come in and witnessed all this, I would have let you live." Kevin apologized to her sincerely and stated his intention clearly. He was sure that once Aria left the tent she would get help and then it would be impossible for him to kill Ethan and it would become even more impossible to escape after killing him.


    "Aria, you go. Go and call for help." Ethan ordered. As he was speaking to her, he was distracted and his concentration on Kevin loosened a little. This was all Kevin wanted and immediately, he pushed Ethan''s hands, picked up the knife beside him and held it at Ethan''s neck. The sudden change in the situation shocked both Air and Ethan. A few seconds ago, Kevin was at Ethan''s mercy and now Ethan was being held captive.


    Seeing the situation to be in his advantage, Kevin started laughing like a maniac again and to Aria it sounded like the laugh of the devil, chilling and petrifying. Goosebumps rose on her skin hearing his laugh. "I like it. Hmm, what shall we do now?"


    Aria and Ethan reminded silent. They were at a disadvantage and they could do nothing to free themselves. An idea popped in Ethan''s mind. But before he could even execute it, Kevin warned him against it. "Don''t even think of doing it. I know you want to shout for help. Let me tell you. By the time the people come here listening to your shouts, you and Aria would be long dead. If you want to still try, then go ahead. But that will only quicken my work."


    Ethan knew that Kevin was not just boasting or flaunting here. He would actually do whatever he had said. So, he shut his mouth immediately.


    "Good boy. Tell me your last wish before I plunge this knife into your throat." Kevin ordered as he pushed the further into his neck.


    Hearing his words, another idea came to Ethan''s mind. If he could not call for help, he could at least prolong the time before the man killed them. He just hoped that somebody would come to the tent by then.


    "I want to ask you some questions. May I?"


    "Sure. This is your last wish. I could at least do that much for you."


    "Why did you betray us?"


    "Let''s just say I was ordered by someone."


    "Who ordered you?"


    "I don''t have an answer for this."


    "Why did you join the enemy''s group? Aren''t you ashamed to do something this heinous against our motherland."


    "Who told I joined hands with the enemy? I was with them since I was born and to be honest, I joined you after they ordered me to."


    This revelation blew Ethan''s mind away. The man had joined the army with ill intentions right from the start and he was thinking here that Kevin had been swayed only recently. How naive had he been!


    "Now we are done with the question time. I am getting bored. It''s time for me to kill."


    While Kevin and Ethan were involved in the crossfire of questions, Aria was racking her brain to come up with something to save herself and Ethan. It was then she saw the gun under the table beside her. It had fallen from Kevin''s hands when he was fighting Ethan before Aria entered the tent.


    Aria was right beside the table and without wasting another time, she picked it up and pointed it at Kevin. "Kevin, let him go or I''ll shoot you." Aria all but yelled. She had never been in such a terrifying situation before and now she was spooked beyond imagination. She was losing it and desperately wanted to save herself.


    "Oh, the timid lamb has become bold all of a sudden. How cool. Aria, stop your act. I know you don''t know how to yield a gun." Kevin chided her and went back to concentrating on his original intentions, ignoring her completely. This time, he had not committed the mistake Ethan had done. He had made sure to keep Ethan in check.


    "Aria, don''t worry. Just fire. Aria."


    "No. No. No. I can''t." Aria started to cry. She did not know what to do now. "What if I hurt you? What if I shot you instead of him?"


    "Aria, listen to me. If you misfire and shoot me, the next moment please shoot him. It''s fine if I die but please save yourself. Please." Ethan begged and Kevin looked at the duo in amusement.


    "That''s it. Although I am thoroughly enjoying this melodrama, I am short of time and I need to kill you both. Say goodbye to all your loved ones and each other." Kevin said with a sadistic smile. He was now prepared to kill them.


    "Aria, I am ordering you. Fire."


    "No."


    "Fire."


    As soon as Ethan shouted, Aria fired.

 Chapter 281: Damage

    The bullet escaped the gun and the sound of recoil echoed through the tent. Aria had shut her eyes immediately after firing the bullet. So, she did not know who she had shot. But Ethan knew who had been shot and thankfully, it was not him. Aria had shot Kevin on his head and man, that was one hell of a good shot for a person who knew nothing about guns. Ethan had to praise her for her marksmanship. The woman was good.


    Kevin fell down dead and Ethan sighed in relief. Though he was sure about his death, he still checked Kevin''s pulse and then checked his shirt and pants to see if he had something that was worth it for him. But there was nothing he could find. Ethan then shifted his attention to Aria who was shaking like a withering leaf on a breezy day. Her eyes were still shut tight and she was grasping the gun with both hands using all the strength she had.


    Ethan rushed to her immediately and held her gently, trying to bring her out of the shock she was in. "Aria, Aria. Open your eyes. You are fine, everyone is fine. Aria, please open his eyes." He coaxed her gently as he gradually took the gun from her hand.


    Aria heard his gentle voice and opened her eyes and seeing Ethan stand before her, she stared at him dumbfounded. "You, you.."


    "Yes me. You did not kill me. The bullet did not hit me. I am perfectly fine."


    "What about Kevin?" Aria asked, her voice shook as she spoke and it was nothing more than a whisper.


    "He is dead, Aria. You are safe, we are safe. Okay?" Ethan looked at her concern as he soothed her, trying to calm her stiff nerves.


    "He is dead?" Aria asked and the realization hit her. She turned towards where Kevin''s body was lying on the floor and she burst out crying. "I killed him." That was all she said before she fainted in Ethan''s arms.


    "Aria," Ethan screamed, petrified on her seeing collapse suddenly. He tried to wake up her up, but nothing worked. Her eyes were shut tight. Having no other choice, he picked her up and went to the medical camp where the soldiers were being treated. As soon as he stepped out of the tent, everybody around him stopped, their eye-widening in horror. The scene they were seeing made their jaws drop.


    Ethan had stepped out of Aria''s tent with Aria in his arms and the lady was lying unconscious. Also, there was blood on her neck that had trickled down her chest. Ethan did not care about the questioning gazes, he had other pressing matters to attend to. He sprinted towards the medical camp as fast as his feet could carry him and Aria.


    Ian had been searching for Aria for some time. He had something important to tell her, but he had found her nowhere and he had forgotten to search for her in her tent. So, he had decided to stay in the medical camp hoping she would come there some time. Though she did come eventually, she was unconscious and was injured.


    Ian was horrified seeing Ethan carry an unconscious Aria in his arms and just by looking at Ethan''s face and Aria''s injured neck, Ian was sure that something serious had happened. Not wasting another moment, he went to them to treat her personally. Ethan laid her on the bed while Ian took over and checked her condition.


    Ian finally released the breath he was holding after doing a thorough check on her. Aria''s injuries were not severe and she had just fainted out of shock. She was not in danger and she would wake up in a few hours. He treated her wounds with utmost care. Aria was not only his friend''s girlfriend, she was also his friend and his junior. There was no way he would allow anything to happen to her, not in his presence at least. He cleaned the wounds and treated them before covering them with a bandage.


    Only after he had checked her again, did he turn his gaze towards Ethan who was silently observing him. "What happened to her?" He almost seethed. He was angry now, on Ethan as well as himself. How did she even get wounded when there were so many soldiers around the area and especially when the war had ended? Aria''s injuries were anything but accidental. Someone had inflicted them on her and this was making him angry, furious even.


    Ethan could also sense his anger and he had every right to get angry. An innocent person had got injured and it was his mistake to not have protected her. "I''ll explain everything later. How is she?"


    "She is fine. She is just tired, that''s it. Now, tell me what happened to her."


    "Can we talk in private?"


    Ian narrowed his eyebrows, but he still followed him to Aria''s tent. Kevin''s body was still lying on the ground and Ian did not have to second guess what might have happened here. "So, Kevin is one of the traitors, is it?"


    "Yes."


    "How did Aria get injured?"


    The next ten minutes were spent with Ethan recapping the scenes that had taken place in the tent and Ian''s expression changed from anger to horror. "What the hell!!" He exclaimed in desperation. He did not know what to do now, but he was having a bad feeling, a very, very bad feeling. He was sure that Aria would be affected by whatever that had happened here. What he did not know was how far it would affect her. He just hoped that she would come out of it eventually.


    Also, he had another problem to face and it was the devil himself, Noah Allen Carter. The man would go bonkers when he would find out about Aria''s state. There was no way he could hide the things from him, not when they were returning home in three days. Since the war had ended, the medical staff was called back and they were to leave the border after three days. There was no way Aria''s injuries would heel in three days. No.


    Ethan saw the situation Ian was in. He could only apologize to him. "I am sorry. It was my mistake."


    "I don''t blame you, Major Ethan. Whatever happened just happened. We just need to let go. I am more worried about the future."


    "What do you mean?" Ian words confused Ethan greatly. He did not get what future he was talking about.


    "I don''t know how Aria will take the news once she gets up. Though she might have killed a traitor, she still murdered a person and there are chances that this might affect her to some extent."


    "Oh no." Ethan now realized why Ian was this distressed. He had never thought about this aspect. All he was worried about was Aria''s superficial wounds, he had not given a thought about her emotional well being.


    "Yes and another thing to worry about is her boyfriend. That man will go berserk if he finds out that the woman he loves is injured."


    "Aria has a boyfriend?"


    "Yes and that man is very possessive and caring about her. I am not sure how to face him now that I have broken my promise." Ian pressed the space between his eyebrows thinking about the upcoming hurricane.


    "What promise?"


    "I promised him before coming here that I would look after Aria and that she would return unscathed."


    "I''ll take the blame for everything. It was my mistake anyway."


    Ethan left the tent and called his men to take Kevin''s body outside. It came as a shock to everyone to find out about the traitors in their squad and Kevin being one of them was even more shocking. Most of them found it to be just a dream, a very horrible dream. But no. It was no dream and Kevin''s dead body was the proof to it. The man had betrayed them and because of him and his team, they lost many of their friends and their country was almost about to lose the battle. This was unacceptable. Friend or not, nobody was allowed to harm their motherland. No.


    After Kevin''s body was buried, Ethan went back to convey the news to Luis Truman. A lot of things had happened in the day and he himself was not sure what more was awaiting them. Kevin''s involvement was a huge shock to him and he was yet to come terms with it.


    "I am worried about Aria." Stuart said as he rubbed his arms. He had taken a loo break when the incident had happened and he had been utterly spooked seeing Aria''s condition. She was lying unconscious with bandages around her neck. He had heard what had happened on his way back and now he was very worried about her.


    "Me too. I just hope she does not take it too strongly." Ian voiced with a loud sigh. Aria was completely different from Ivy. If it was Ivy in this situation, he would not have been this worried as the woman was quite strong. That was what he had felt from all the meetings with her. But with Aria, that could not be the case. She was also strong but in a different way and he just hoped that everything would be fine.


    "Doctor Ian, Dr. West is awake." A nurse came panting towards them. This was all they needed and the next moment, Stuart and Ian ran to meet her.


    Aria was sitting on the bed with her eyes spaced out. Ian and Stuart''s hurried footsteps gained her attentions and she turned to face them. As soon as her eyes met Ian''s, she broke down and started crying. "Ian, I killed him. I killed him Ian. I am a murderer. I killed him."


    Ian hugged her the next second, trying to assure her that everything was alright. But the woman continued crying hysteriaclly. Seeing her state, Ian confirmed his fears to have become true. The damage had been done.

 Chapter 282: Lying to Ivy

    Although Ian tried to comfort her, Aria was still crying hysterically. She was scared and the fact that she had killed a person was etched in her brain, heart, and soul. It was eating her alive and she was losing it quite badly. Killing a person was nothing to Ian, not when the man was a traitor. But that was not the case for Aria and he knew about it. Aria was an innocent soul and never would she thinking of hurting anyone.


    Ian could understand how she was feeling as he too had felt the same when he had first killed a person who had tried to harm his mentor, Theo when he was still young. But it was his mentor who had told him that it was nothing wrong in killing a person who was trash and an unwanted baggage to the earth. The man whom he had killed was a serial killer and a rapist. So, Theo did not scold Ian for what he had done. Instead, he had even praised him for his bravery and his skills.


    Since then, Ian did not get that affected whenever he did kill someone. He never took it to heart as the person he was killing was a criminal, a beast who had to leave this world for all the bad deeds he had done. But Aria was nothing like Ian. She had taken it to her heart and now she was unable to come to terms with it. As every second passed, Aria was having a panic attack and she would start screaming like a madwoman. She was getting too agitated and exhausted.


    Ian had to do something. So, without further delay, he induced a sedative in her blood and within minutes, Aria stopped screaming. She became drowsy and eventually fell asleep. The entire pavilion had got alerted with her screams and now everybody knew what had happened to Aria and why she was behaving that way. Just like Ian, they too did not hesitate to kill as they were soldiers and it was their duty to protect the innocent and their motherland. Their job called for them to kill. However, they could not help but sympathize with Aria and curse themselves for failing to do their duty correctly. Only if they had taken good measures and had found out about Kevin, Aria would not have suffered this way.


    The one person who was filled with remorse more than anyone was Ethan. He had witnessed the way Aria had broken down and his heart had shattered into pieces seeing her this way. The woman was as pure as snow and now she had been tainted with blood on her hands. The fact that he could not prevent the situation from happening was killing him from within and he wanted to slap himself for his mistake. Indirectly he had been the reason for her emotional breakdown.


    Ethan did not know how to salvage the situation. He could only observe the situation as Aria finally fell asleep after being induced with a sedative. Ian carefully laid her down and wiped her tears before he placed a consoling kiss on her forehead. Stuart too was heartbroken to see her this way and just like everyone else, he too was helpless. They could only provide her the moral support, but only she could fight and come out of it herself.


    Ian left the pavilion and went outside with Stuart closely behind him. He stared at the starry sky, deep in thought as he tried to form the next course of action. Stuart observed his face for a while before he spoke to him. "What are you thinking?"


    "Today, Aria was supposed to call her sister and her boyfriend. But seeing her state, I don''t think she will be able to speak to them properly without breaking down. I don''t know what to do now. It''s almost time and we cannot delay the calls too."


    "I understand." For the last few days, he had heard everything about Aria''s sister, Ivy and her boyfriend, Noah. Though he knew some things about Noah, Stuart did not how much he adored Aria. Aria had never missed even once and had talked to both of them every alternate day. How was she supposed to do it now while she was deep in sleep? And even is she was awake, it was highly impossible too with the state of mind she was in.


    "I guess I will have to talk to them." Ian sighed. "And I am sure that they are bound to panic after not being able to speak to Aria. Noah will definitely go bonkers."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s a miracle that he had even allowed her to come till here. If he had the power, he will never allow her to leave his sight. That man is very possessive and as far as I know, he has fallen for Aria deeper than I actually assumed him to. And given his skills, he will definitely guess something to be wrong."


    "Why don''t you tell that Aria is sick and she fell asleep after she took the medicines? If you see technically, this is not a lie." Stuart suggested although he knew that this suggestion would not work out.


    "Guess, that''s the only option available now. I am going to make the calls now."


    Ian left Stuart to stay with Aria while he went to the main building to make the calls. The phone operator did not question him on seeing him alone when every time there was another man and a woman with him. He knew what had happened and what condition the woman was in. Like all other soldiers, he too could not help but chide himself for his negligence.


    Ian smiled at him faintly and decided to call Ivy first. She was easy to handle and she would understand the situation compared to his devil of a friend. He waited for some time for her to pick up praying the heavens to be with him and help him not to lose his composure once the call connected.


    "Hey Aria, I was waiting for your call." Ian heard Ivy''s chirpy voice and he could not help but close his eyes and apologize silently for the lies he was going to tell her.


    "Hey Ivy, this is Ian." Ian tried as hard as he could to keep his voice in check.


    Ivy was stunned for a second, hearing Ian''s voice. She could not help but worry now. Something was amiss and she was not wrong, something must have happened to Aria.


    "What happened to Aria?" Ivy asked, her voice changing all of a sudden. Not only Ian, even Joshua who was sitting beside was startled by the sudden shift in her demeanor. He had never seen such a fierce yet panicked expression on her face. Even when she had got the news of Tim breaking into her house, she had not been this agitated. But now, just the thought of Aria being hurt brought of this unseen side of hers.


    Ian too was surprised at hearing her question. He had never expected her to guess everything this accurately and for a second he was envious of Aria and Ivy for having each other. They were so good to each other and loved each dearly and he too wished to have a sister on whom he could shower all his love.


    "Aria is just sick, Ivy. She is alright." Ian gritted his teeth and lied to her.


    "What do you mean by sick? What happened to her?" Ivy stood up suddenly and almost shouted on the phone. Aria very rarely fell sick and every time she did, Ivy had nursed her until she got better. However, now when she had fallen sick again, she was not with her sister and this was making her irked.


    "Aria has a fever Ivy. She has taken her medicine and is asleep now. So, I did not wake her up and called you myself to assure you. She is a little exhausted from overwork and this has affected her body, that''s it. There is nothing to worry about."


    After hearing his words, Ivy calmed down a little and she started believing Ian''s reasons. This had happened once before. So, it did not come as surprise for her to hear that Aria was sick due to exhaustion and overwork. Once, Aria had worked until her body could not take it any longer and had come down with a fever. It was the time when she was still working as an intern in the hospital.


    "How is she now?" Ivy asked, her voice lowering one octave. Ian could sense that she had bought her lie and for now, he relaxed a little. Though he did not want to hide the truth from her, he did not want them to worry about it either. They would be returning home in three days and until then he would try all he could to bring Aria back to normal.


    "Aria is fine, Ivy. It''s just a fever and will go once she takes a good rest."


    "Take care of her then."


    "Also, we will be returning home in three days from now."


    "Really? That''s great." Ivy got excited all of a sudden and she exclaimed loudly. Again, Joshua was startled by her sudden shift in personality. Her anger was gone and now she was excited like a small kid. "Aria and Ian are returning home in three days."


    "That''s awesome news." Joshua too yelled in happiness and his voice was so loud that Ian too heard him on the phone.


    "Ivy, may I speak to Joshua?"


    "Sure."


    "Hello, Doctor. What''s up?"


    "Listen I have something important to tell you and please try not to react or tell whatever I tell you to Ivy."


    Joshua could sense that something was wrong just by Ian''s serious tone. So, he got up and went away from her. "I''ll be back." When he was sure that he was far away from Ivy''s reach, he continued talking. "What happened?"


    Ian recalled whatever had happened to Aria and Joshua was too dumbfounded to even speak. Aria had gone through so much and the killing had affected her and now she was blaming herself for it. Joshua was stupefied beyond belief. He now realized why Ian had lied to Ivy and immediately, agreed with him for hiding the truth. It was not a matter that could be handled easily and they did not want an overly anxious sister and an extremely berserk boyfriend to worry about it, not until Aria returned at least.


    Joshua and Ian talked for some time and Ian thanked him for understanding him. He was relieved that he had not hidden this matter from one of his friends at least.


    "Best of luck." Joshua wished him as he knew that Noah was the next person Ian was going to call.


    "Thanks."


    The call ended and Ian took a deep breath to calm his raging heart. He then dialed Noah''s number, it was time to have a chat with the devil.

 Chapter 283: Noah wants a daughter

    Hey guys,


    I uploaded a wrong chapter yesterday by mistake. I have changed the content now. Refresh the chapter and the new content will be available for you. Also, those who have already unlocked the chapter, don''t worry you will not have to pay for it again. Just refresh it again and you are good to go. I apologize for my mistake once again.


    ----------------------------


    "Hello," Noah answered the call right away on the first ring. He had been waiting for Aria''s call since the last time she had called him. That was what he looked forward to every day and that was what kept him going. Otherwise, he would have become a broken man by now or even worse, a demon desperately waiting for his angel.


    "Noah, Ian here."


    "Why did you call? Where''s Aria?" Noah asked, disappointment flashing through his voice. Whenever he got the call every alternate day, it was always Aria he spoke to first. Only after they were done would Ian take over the phone. But today, Ian was the first one to speak. How could he not be disappointed?


    "Noah, you could talk to me, right? We are friends and we knew each other before you even met Aria. How mean of a friend are you!!" Ian playfully scolded his friend for forgetting about him after he had got Aria.


    "Don''t try to behave like Joshua with me. We both know that you can never be like him and stop acting melodramatic." That was all it took from Noah for Ian shut his mouth. His lips twitched and he rolled his eyes in despair. "Where is Aria?"


    "That.." Ian scratched his neck. "Aria is sick." He blurted out in one breath and the words came out muffled on the other side. Yet Noah heard them crisp and clear. He was sitting in his office when he had received the call and the next second, he stood up with such great force that his swiveling chair went rolling and crashed the window behind him. Panic started to fill his heart and out of nowhere his head started to ache. His migrane was acting up again.


    "What did you say?" Noah asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was scared now and his heart felt heavy, like a boulder was weighing down on him. Everything felt dark and gloomy and all he wanted right now was Aria.


    "Aria is sick. She is down with fever." Ian replied. He had heard the sudden outburst and had praised himself for deciding to tell him a lie. Just on hearing that his beloved was sick, a reaction so intense erupted from him. What happens when he learned the truth about her actual state? How would he react? Ian shuddered thinking about it. He was sure that Noah would go crazy once the truth was out.


    Ian could only hope that Noah would let him go once they met after three days. It was not his intention to lie in the first place. But he did not want him to panic thinking about Aria and her well-being. They would return three days later and Noah could do anything he wanted to him and before then, Ian vowed to do everything he could to make Aria feel better.


    "Aria was overworked and now she is down is fever. That''s it." Ian answered and apologized to his best friend in his mind just like how had done to Ivy.


    "Where is she now?"


    "She is sleeping now. I have given her medicines and by tomorrow morning, she will be perfectly alright." Ian hoped it to be the case and Aria would be perfectly well by tomorrow. He wished her to recover well and come out of the emotional breakdown she had just suffered.


    "How did she get sick all of a sudden?" Noah sighed. He knew Ian would not allow anything to happen to Aria. If he said that she would be alright by tomorrow, that meant she would be perfectly well by tomorrow. He relaxed a little and rubbed his forehead to ease the headache. He very badly wanted to go to her take care of her himself. But that was something not in his power, not when she was in a military restricted area. He could only put all his trust in Ian now.


    "She was overworked and exhausted. You know how it is here with the war and the soldiers getting injured. Her body could not take it due to a lack of rest. Don''t worry, she will be fine once she gets a good sleep."


    "I hope so. Please take care of her."


    "Noah don''t worry. I am here and I''ll take care of her." Though Ian assured him, he was still not sure if he could actually help Aria and make her feel better. All he could do was hope for Aria to be strong and fight this out herself and if she needed, he would always be there to help her.


    "Thank you very much." Noah finally relaxed and his stiff muscles eased a little. He walked towards the floor to ceiling window and looked out at the night sky. It was as though he was sending a silent message to his lovely girl to get well soon. He was missing her dearly and he did not know how long he could hold up.


    "Yeah, Noah. I had something else to tell you. We will be returning home after three days."


    This time Noah shook his head trying to see if his ears were playing games with him. But it was not. He had actually heard what he wanted to hear for a long time. "What did you say?"


    "Yes you heard it right. We will be coming back after three days now that the war is over."


    "This is such good news. You have no idea how much I have missed you guys." Noah was so ecstatic that he felt himself flying above the clouds. His happiness knew no bounds, not when he had received such good news. He could finally see Aria and he would never allow her to leave him. No way.


    "I know, Noah. I know." Ian smiled faintly. He knew everything and that was what scared him. "I have to go now, okay? Take care."


    "You too and take care of Aria."


    Noah stood in front of the window for a long time as he stared at the sight before him. It was not until Ronnie called him from the back did he come out of his reverie. After the call, he had completely forgotten about going home. He had forgotten about Oliver and also that he would be waiting for him to have dinner together. Only after Ronnie''s reminder did he remember about him and rush home as fast as he could.


    Just as he had expected, Oliver was waiting for him and he smiled him widely welcoming him home. "Did you have a lot of work today?"


    "Yes," Noah answered as he smiled at him in return. "I''ll be back in five minutes."


    "Mr. West, I need to speak to you about something," Noah said out of the blue, killing the quiet atmosphere. They were having their dinner silently when Noah started the topic he had in mind for a long time. It was now time to tell him the plan he had in mind.


    "Yes?"


    "I don''t want to drag this secret any longer. I want to come clean before your daughters and tell them about you. We don''t know how long it will take for us to track all those people who were responsible for my mentor''s death, nor do we know who is behind all this to put a full stop altogether and end this matter. I don''t want to hide things from them any longer, not when they have searching for you without even knowing the danger they are attracting. What do you say?"


    Oliver comprehended whatever he had heard and felt his words to have made sense. It was true that once the world knew about his presence, chaos would ensue again. But that did not mean he wanted to hurt his daughters and hide himself from them. He did not know what would happen in the future and if he would even be alive once the matter ended. He wanted to spend as much time as he had with them, not hiding from them just to make sure they were safe. He could do that and sure their safety even after being with them with Noah''s help.


    "I agree. When are you thinking about telling them?"


    "Aria will be returning home from the medical camp after three days. So, I was thinking abut telling everything to them after a week. What do you say?"


    "Fair enough. A week is it?"


    "Yes."


    "Okay. By the way, have you the caught the man who broke into my daughter''s house?" Oliver''s face hardened as he spoke the words. He had seen the news and had heard about everything that had happened. As soon as he had heard the apartment name and the number, he knew it was his house. How could he not remember the house he had bought when he was newly wedded to his lovely wife, Susan. That was their house until Aria and Ivy''s birth and they had moved to a bigger house when his daughters started growing up. That house was dear to him as it was where his wife and he had lived and his daughters had taken their first steps. It was where he had got his family, the best family he could ever wish.


    "No, Mr. Oliver. The police did not catch him, but I did."


    "What do you mean?" Oliver stopped eating and started at Noah without blinking as he waited for the answer.


    "That man belongs to a very deadly gang and even if the police caught him, it was easy for him come out. So, my men caught him before the police could. Anyway he will be of use to me as he knows a lot of information I want."


    "That''s great to hear then I hope you treat him well for the little stunt he performed to scare my child." Oliver said in anger and contiued eating. But what Noah said next made him stop again.


    "Mr. West. I have some good news for you."


    "And what could that be?"


    "Your daughter, Ivy is dating my friend Joshua Martin."


    As soon as he said it, Oliver stared at him dumbfounded before he started laughing loudly rendering Noah and Ronnie, who was silently eating with them, speechless.


    ''Why is he laughing like a madman? Did he lose his screws somewhere? Or did the matter make him lose his mind?'' Ronnie wondered and the next second his eyes widened in disbelief. ''Don''t tell me. Mr. West does not like Miss West being with Master Martin. Oh my God. Then, what will happen to Master Martin?'' Ronnie''s mind ran wild and he started assuming things even before he heard Oliver''s true thoughts.


    "I don''t know if I should happy or thankful towards you young people for coming into my daughters'' life. My Ivy would never find anybody better than him. I am sure about it and you have no idea how happy I am. My daughters have found good men for themselves and I am relieved now with you and him around them. I am so thankful to you." Oliver held Noah''s hands in his and cried, tears running down his face in joy.


    But Noah panicked seeing the tears and he assumed the reason to be something else altogether. "Mr. West, please don''t cry. Please. Nothng will happen to your daughters, nothing at all. I promise we will keep them happy."


    His words made Oliver to chuckle. "You stupid boy. These are happy tears and I am sure that my daughters will be happy with such good men as their partners. I have no doubt about it."


    "Then, why are you crying?" Noah asked in confusion. He wondered why Oliver was crying even though the news was anything but sad.


    "You will know the meaning of them when you have a daughter of your own in the future."


    Noah''s eyes widened and the next second, his ears became red in embarrassment. He had misunderstood the situation and had jumped to conclusions without even thinking. But Oliver''s words kept running in his mind. It was about him having a daughter in the future and the idea did not seem bad at all. His daughter, just the thought of it make him all giddy and the next second, he imagined carrying his beautiful daughter in his arms. He could not help but smile on thinking how lovely it felt. Now, he actually started to looking forward to have a daughter with Aria in the future.

 Chapter 284: Meet someone

    Three days later.


    Noah, Ivy, and Joshua were waiting in front of the Military Grounds for Aria and Ian to arrive. The previous day, Ian had called them and had informed them about the time of their arrival. Though Aria had recovered a little, she was still far away from her usual self and again, Ian had to lie to them that she was suffering from a severe cough and her voice was gone. His words had made Ivy and Noah lose their minds once again and Ivy was sure that something was wrong now.


    Ivy did not tell her concerns to anyone, not even to Joshua. The man would only call her delusional for assuming things that were not true. But somewhere in her mind, she was sure that Aria was not well and something had happened to her. Ivy could not help but worry about her sister and she was looking forward to see what exactly was wrong with her.


    As nobody was allowed inside the grounds without the authorized permission, they had to wait outside for them to come. As they waited, Joshua saw Ivy spaced out and he nudged her hands to get her attention.


    "What are you thinking?"


    "Just some work stuff?" Ivy answered absent-mindedly, but Joshua did not buy it. He knew what she was thinking as he had seen her spacing out a lot since the time Ian had informed her about her sister''s sickness. Only he knew what the actual matter was and he was feeling extremely bad for Aria. He could not imagine how Noah and Ivy would react once the truth came out. He was worried about them now and hoped that Ian to have somehow cured Aria.


    However, Joshua''s hopes had not become true. Though Aria had recovered slightly, she had become too silent and dull. Just by looking at her, anybody could guess that there was something wrong with her. Her eyes had become lifeless and it seemed as though her soul had left her body. Ian had tried all he could to bring her back or at least to see a smile on her face. But he had not got any response from her. She only stared blankly at him, nothing could evoke a reaction from her.


    Even the soldiers around them, Stuart and Ethan tried to cheer her up, but in vain. She had lost her smile and had started to talk less. Ian was very worried about her now, her mental state was not fine and ultimately, he decided to consult a psychiatrist once they reached home. He had to do something to bring her back to normal.


    Finally, the gates opened, and all the doctors and nurses left the grounds one by one. Noah, who was leaning against his car, straightened up seeing them walk out and the next second, his eyes fell on Aria who walking in between Ian and another man he did not know. He scrunched his eyebrows as he felt something to be out of place. Aria had grown visibly thin and what struck him more was that she did not look as excited as he hoped her to be on seeing him. She was looking at something god knows what instead of him or even Ivy.


    Now even Noah was sure that something was wrong, he could sense it from where he was. His feet took him to them automatically and he halted in his place when he saw the injuries on her neck. Those marks looked horrible on her skin and he did not have to be a genius to guess what might have happened to her. Somebody had tried to harm her and he had no idea about it.


    Noah rushed to her the next second and held her in his arms. Even Ivy was horrified seeing those gruesome knife marks on her sister''s neck and her eyes almost teared up. She dashed to her and hugged her with force. She had missed her a lot and now that Aria was back, she had returned with injuries. How could she not be sad? But what distressed her more was that her sister did not hug her back making Ivy pulled away in confusion. That was when she noticed her sister''s dull expressions.


    Ivy let go of her sister immediately and held by his collar. She was beyond furious now and all she wanted to do was kill someone or even punch the person responsible for her sister''s broken state until they bled to death. "What happened to my sister?" She seethed, as she glared at Ian.


    "I''ll answer all your questions one by one. First, let''s go to Joshua''s house." Ian gave Joshua one knowing look and the man pulled Ivy towards him.


    "Yes, let''s go home first. Let''s not create chaos here and attract attention."


    Though Ivy did not calm down, she stopped pressing the matter after listening to Ian and Joshua''s words and decided to have a serious talk with Ian once they reached home.


    "I am going to leave now," Stuart said suddenly. Though he wanted to stay and help Aria, he had informed his grandparents about his return and they would be waiting for him eagerly. He did not want to disappoint the old folks and moreover, his chauffeur was already here to take him home. So, he could not stay any longer. "Ian, take care of her. I''ll keep in touch with you."


    Ian nodded at him with a faint smile. His eyes then fell on Noah who was silently watching Aria. He had not uttered a word since the time they had come out of the ground and this was scaring him. Ian did not know how to face him. "Let''s go."


    Ian went with Joshua and Kaito while Noah led Aria and Ivy to his car. Ronnie, who was sitting inside the car, did not know what had happened outside. So, as soon as Aria sat inside beside his Boss, he greeted her like he usually did. "Welcome home, Madam." But he did not get any reply in return which was quite unusual.


    Every time he greeted Aria, she would give him a reply with a smile. However, this time neither did she smile nor did she greet him and for a second, Roonie assumed Aria to be angry on him. But when turned to look at her, he observed her blank look. He then realized that something was wrong about her. His eyes immediately darted towards his Boss, who was silently staring at Aria and then to Ivy, who looked angry for some unknown reason. Grasping the situation to be quite serious, Ronnie stepped on the accelerator and drove towards Joshua''s house.


    It did not take long for them to reach Joshua''s house and as soon as they stepped inside, Ivy took her sister with her to the guest room which was her room for now, and made her lie down. She patted on her forehead silently and waited for almost an hour until Aria fell asleep before she came down.


    "What happened to my sister?" Ivy stressed each word calmly, yet the men realized that she was just of losing her cool. They had been waiting for her for a long time as she had to know about the incident too.


    Ian took a deep breath before he started speaking. He told them everything that had happened three days ago, not leaving even a small event. As the words flowed out of his mouth, their expressions changed from horror to anger and then to sadness. Even Joshua who had heard the story before could not help but feel sad for Aria. She had gone through so much and due to this, she was in this state.


    When Ian stopped speaking, nobody spoke a word. Everybody was deep in their own thoughts unable to believe the turn of events. Half an hour passed before Ivy spoke first. "Is this the reason why Aria did not speak to us when you called? She was not sick, was she?"


    At her question, Noah finally lifted his head and stared at Ian only to see him nod. "I know I should not have lied. But I was helpless. Aria was mentally upset and I did not want to worry you guys, not when we would be returning home in a few days."


    "Are we not worried now?" Ivy shouted, her eyes blazing in anger at Ian for hiding the truth.


    "At least Aria is with you right now. Just imagine how you would have felt if I had told you right on the day the incident happened. Could you have tolerated it? Do you think you would have had peace of mind thinking about your sister? Ivy, I know I am fault but think in my perspective too. Please."


    Ivy understood what he wanted to convey. But before she could speak, everybody heard the sound of the footsteps and they immediately knew who it was. Aria had woken and was coming down the stairs slowly. At first, Aria had been scared of finding herself in an unknown place. But then she had heard her sister''s voice when Ivy had shouted at Ian and she relaxed slightly. She then followed the noises till the living room where she found her sister Ivy along with Noah.


    Not wasting another minute, she sprinted towards her sister and hugged her so tight that Ivy almost felt suffocated. Yet, she allowed her to do as pleased as her sister needed her. Aria vented out all the feelings she had as she hugged her sister and everybody''s heart broke seeing her cry so badly.


    It took Aria a lot of time to calm down and when she finally did, Noah held her hands. "Come with me." He then fixed his gaze on Ivy. "You too, Ivy."


    "But where?"


    "I want you two to meet someone and I am sure, he is the one Aria needs right now."


    --------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please read the author''s note.

 Chapter 285: Father and daughters meet

    "Where are we going?" Ivy asked for the nth time as they sped towards a place she was not familiar with. None of the men were answering her and she was slowly getting vexed. Her sister was in a terrible state and these men were playing with them instead of helping her recover.


    Noah could see Ivy''s annoyed face, yet he did not comment one word. He was more concerned about Aria who was silently staring outside the window as the trees and other vehicles passed by. She had not said a word since she had returned and he was dying to hear her sweet voice. He just hoped that the man whom they were going to meet in a few minutes would help his sweet girl to reduce her distress.


    Noah had been observing Aria since she had returned and his heart broke seeing her cry in her sister''s arms. It was then he had made a decision to let the family meet each other. Aria needed someone who was close to her heart to help her bear the pain and he was sure that only her father, Oliver was capable of making her feel better. She needed security and peace of mind and for a second his face fell when he realized that he was not the one who made her feel secure. But on a second thought, he also understood that to any child their father was the first person they would look at if they needed security. So, his sad thoughts vanished immediately.


    Noah sent a message secretly to Oliver informing them of their arrival before he held Aria''s cold hands in his. However, he did not get any response much to his disappointment. In another car, Joshua and Ian were following them.


    "I just hope this idea of his works. I cannot see Aria this way." Joshua commented.


    "Me too. I have never seen Aria this way since the time I knew her. She was such a happy lucky girl." Ian too added and they both sighed at once. Kaito, who was driving the car silently, heard them and wondered what had happened to her. He knew who Aria was as he was the one to guard her when she had gone to London. He was not inside the house when Ian was recounting the events that had happened to her. So, he knew nothing.


    They reached Noah''s house in a while and the entire route, Ivy had not stopped pestering him for answers. Finally, on seeing them entering a mansion, Ivy shut up. She saw a huge army of bodyguards stationed at each corner and for a second, she felt herself to be in the President''s house itself.


    She gaped at the beautiful mansion and silently followed Noah inside the house when she halted at her place seeing the person she least expected to be here. But before she could even react, her sister who was right beside her dashed forward and hugged him with all her might. "Papa."


    It was only after Aria cried loudly did Ivy come out of the shock and sprinted towards Oliver who was patting her little sister dearly. Ivy could not stop herself from choking and all the pent up emotions came out. She too started crying and the two sisters hugged their father lest this was all a beautiful dream and he should vanish into thin air.


    The two girls hugged him for a long time not allowing him to even move and Oliver could not help but chuckle in helplessness. "Ivy, Aria. I know you two are happy to see me but could you release me from your tight clutches? I am a little suffocated now." As soon as he said that, Aria and Ivy pulled back and Oliver chuckled seeing them.


    "How?" That was all Ivy said and looked back and forth between her father and the three men in confusion.


    Noah''s gaze was fixed on Aria and finally, he saw some color on her face. He let out a sigh of relief and was contented that he had taken the correct decision to bring her here. He padded towards them with Joshua and Ian right behind him. "I''ll answer all your questions one by one. But let''s tackle Aria''s problem first."


    "What problem?" Only then did Oliver notice Aria to be dull and silent. "What happened to my beautiful daughter? Who dared to hurt her? Noah get me my hammer. I''ll go and smash their heads." Oliver said and his words were quite effective. Aria finally laughed out loud and everybody smiled on seeing her smile. Her eyes too brightened up and Noah, for the first time, felt that he had achieved something so great that was inexplicable. All he wanted in life was Aria to keeping smiling this way and he would do all he could to keep her happy, even if it meant giving up his life.


    Oliver found out everything about Aria from Ian and this time he took her somewhere with him. He wanted to speak to her in private and the father and the daughter duo went to the garden behind the mansion. Aria was too lost to appreciate the beauty in front of her. She simply followed her father.


    Oliver sat down on the rocky bench and made her sit beside him. "Aria, you are not a murderer."


    That was all it took and Aria dived forward to hug him. Tears started to gush out again and Oliver started to soothe her. "There, there, don''t cry. Okay? You did nothing wrong. You are my brave girl and my girl does not cry. Okay?"


    Aria nodded silently as she tried to muffle her cries. "Good girl. Listen to me Aria. There are only two kinds of people in life, good and bad. The man you killed was a bad person. He was not worth living and if he continued to live, he would only hurt other innocent people. He was a traitor who sold his country. All this says he was unfit for living, you did the right thing by killing him. So, always remember this you are not a murderer, you are a soldier, my brave soldier." Oliver said with pride and Aria smiled faintly hearing him praise her.


    For the first time in three days, she understood that her actions were not wrong and she was not a murderer. She had in fact helped the nation and her countrymen by eradicating the garbage that would only create more problems if he was allowed to live. Her face bloomed again and Noah who was watching them from afar too smiled with delight seeing her return to normal.


    The father and the daughter duo stayed this way without speaking for a few minutes when Oliver opened his mouth. "Are you alright now?"


    "Yes, Papa. I am fine."


    "Good girl. Remember, I''ll always be there for you. Okay?"


    "Okay."


    "Good. Come, let''s go in now. Your sister must have gone crazy by now with all the questions she is desperate to ask and I am sure that the three men must be finding it a challenge to control her."


    Aria giggled hearing her father taunt her sister, but that was the truth. As they had expected, Ivy was demanding answers from Joshua who was the only one in the hall. Noah had come out to see Aria and Ian had gone to prepare something for his shouting stomach. Meanwhile, Ronnie and Kaito had slowly slipped away seeing Ivy pester the poor guy.


    Joshua was not as lucky as them and could not escape from Ivy''s clutches. He was stuck with her and was trying every possible way to dodge her questions. He silently cursed his friends for leaving him alone in this situation. Yet, he donned a charming smile that had no effect on the fuming woman beside him.


    "How did you find my father?" Ivy asked the question when she noticed Joshua''s attempt to avoid her question again. This time, however, she got an answer, not from the man before her but from her father. Oliver had finished his talk with Aria and had stepped inside the hall when he heard Ivy''s question.


    "They saved me, Ivy."


    "What do you mean Papa?" Aria asked from beside her eyes blinking in confusion.


    "Let me tell you everything. Joshua could you give us some privacy."


    Joshua nodded and left the family alone. He went in search of Ian who right now was eating some sandwiches he had prepared in a hurry. Seeing Ian enjoy his snack while he had to put up with Ivy''s questions, Joshua was vexed and snatched the last piece from the plate and gobbled it at one bite in revenge.


    Ian did not protest seeing him eat his food as he had already expected this outcome when he had seen his friend enter the kitchen. "Why are you here? Did you finally escape your girlfriend''s interrogation?"


    "Yes, thanks to father-in-law. He came right on time. Otherwise, Ivy would have eaten me alive not that I minded it." Joshua said with a smile. "Anyway, you have no idea how deadly she could be if she irked. Man, she was like a fire tank that would make me explode into pieces if she was provoked."


    "I am glad you found someone like her. You deserve it."


    "How could you do this to me? Are you even my friend?" Joshua whined as he plopped on the chair beside Ian.


    "Not at all. I am not your friend."


    "I knew it. I knew it."


    Ian shrugged and picked up the glass of juice. "By the way, how is everything between you and Ivy?"


    "It''s awesome. I never knew I could be this happy with her." Joshua answered honestly and he looked far ahead as he imagined his life with Ivy.


    "I knew it," Ian replied after noticing the genuine smile on his face.


    "What do you mean?"


    "We could see the way your eyes sparkled in Ivy''s presence. Only you two were blind to not see the spark between you. Anyway, I am so happy for you. You finally found your happiness."


    "Yes. Who knew the man we saved was destined to bring such a huge change in our lives?"


    "Definitely. Both his daughters are in a relationship with two out of three of us. If this is not fate, then what is?"


    "I just hope Aria and Ivy will understand our predicament and not be angry at us. I definitely do not wish to lose Ivy. She is my lifeline."


    "Wow, Jo. You have fallen deep for her. I never knew your feelings were this intense." Ian said in joy. His face lit up hearing his friend''s words and who would not be when his friend had been living a life a misery in the past.


    "Me too. Just the thought of her leaving me makes me want to kill someone."


    "I hope that day would never come." Ian wished sincerely and patted his friend''s back. "I hope the sisters will understand us."

 Chapter 286: Friendship at stake?

    More than two hours had passed since Joshua had left Oliver with his daughters and now he very badly to look to see how the situation was. He wanted to know if everything was fine and more importantly, if Ivy was angry with him or not. He wanted to make sure that the news had not devastated her as he could not bear seeing her sad. His soul had escaped his body when he had noticed Ivy''s dejected face on seeing Aria''s state. How could he bear to see her depressed?


    Joshua''s patience was wearing thin and Ian could see how desperate his friend was with the way he kept shaking his legs continuously. "Relax, everything will be alright."


    Joshua gave him one look that clearly told him to shut up. "Easy for you to say. You are not the one stuck in this problem."


    Ian glared at his friend for his mindless comment. "I knew Aria before you and Noah even got to know the sisters. Don''t you think our friendship at stake now? There are high chances of you losing your women as much as I am going to lose a friend."


    Only then did Joshua understand that even Ian was worried. He had completely forgotten about his friendship with Aria in his problems felt bad for lashing out at him unnecessarily. "I am sorry."


    "It''s okay. I understand your plight. You are just worr..." Ian stopped speaking when he noticed Ivy coming towards them with a livid expression on her face. Ian did not have to guess that the matters were going to get worse now. The sisters were angry and he was sure, this time it was not a small problem. Before he could even say a thing, Ivy flung herself into Joshua''s arms, surprising both men. Her reaction was beyond their imagination and they could not help but stare at her wide-eyed. And her next words dumbfounded them to another level.


    "Thank you very much for saving my father." With that Ivy started to tear up and hugged the man tight.


    "I think I''ll leave you two alone," Ian said as he tried to make a move silently. But Ivy held his hand stopping him in his place.


    "I need to thank you too. Thank you very much." Ivy said, her other hand still hugging Joshua.


    Joshua was at a loss of words. So, he did not even open his mouth to speak. Seeing his friend''s stupid expression, Ian sighed and scolded him silently. This man''s tongue ran loose when not necessary and it was important for him to speak, he stood like a dumb man. How insane!!


    "I am sorry Ivy. I really am. I know it is our fault for hiding the truth from you, but we were helpless."


    "I understand. You do not have to apologize. I am angry at you, all of you. But I know why you did that too. So, don''t worry I will not make it difficult for you."


    "Thank you so much, Ivy. You are the best."


    "I know," Ivy smirked though there were still tears in her eyes. Her eyes then went back to her man who was standing like a statue. "What happened to him?"


    "He is just stunned. Pinch him and he will be back to normal." Ivy followed Ian''s advice and immediately pinched him hard on his arm and Joshua started yelling in pain.


    "Ouch, that hurts." Joshua''s words made Ian and Ivy to chuckle. Joshua sometimes behaved like a cute kid, but what could Ivy do? She liked this man, more than she had even imagined.


    Joshua rubbed his arm while his eyes were fixed on Ivy. "So, you not angry at me, right? You will not leave me after this right?"


    "I am angry at you." Her words deflated Joshua''s hopes but her next words made him bloom like a flower. "But I am not going to leave you. I will take revenge and make you suffer for life for lying to me."


    Joshua smiled and he hugged her in joy. His woman was not going to leave him, his Ivy was not going to leave him. What more did he want? Joshua made up his mind the next instant. Ivy could do anything to him until her anger subdued and he would not let out even one word of protest.


    "Phew. Now, we can finally relax. You guys have no idea how worried we were thinking about your reaction. Thank you for being this understanding." Ian said, his body finally relaxing.


    "That," Ivy scratched her head in awkwardness and wondered how to reveal the truth to the two men. "The matter has not ended."


    "What do you mean?" Joshua stared at her confusion.


    "I am sure Aria will not be this understanding."


    "What?"


    "Yes. The one thing my sister hates the most is lies and you guys have done just that. She hates liars to the point that she detests them."


    "But you understood us right? Why can''t she?" Ian questioned again, his heart beating like a drum in fear. He had thought everything to have been over. But he was wrong, his friendship was still at stake.


    "Ian, I am a journalist. I have seen all kinds of people and have heard all possible web of lies. I know why you lied to us, to her. My Dad''s life was what mattered and you just wanted to keep him safe. But Aria is naive in this matter. She hates it when people lie to her and even I do not dare to do it. She might understand you for saving my father but she won''t forgive you for hiding about him even after you guys found about us being his daughters."


    "Is it going to be bad?" Joshua asked, his brows furrowing in thoughts.


    "Very bad, especially for Ian and Noah."


    "Why don''t you try explaining our stance before her? She might listen to you." Joshua advised after a lot of pondering.


    "Joshua, me not scolding you right now does not mean I am not angry at you guys. Just imagine how you would feel if I lied about something very trivial to you and hid the truth. What would you do? Put yourself in our shoes. Would you not be angry?"


    Joshua now understood what Ivy wanted to say. If he was in her place he would have shot down anybody who dared to lie to him. He should be happy that Ivy is even speaking to him and thinking of not breaking up with him. She was being magnanimous here while Aria''s reaction was completely normal.


    When she noticed that the two men had got her point, she continued to speak. "I am still furious at you, but I know you had good intentions at heart. The possibility of risks and problems once we found out about our father was more. So, I don''t blame you much."


    "Thank you so much." Joshua kissed her forehead but his mind was somewhere else. He was worried for his friend now, deeply worried.


    "Where is Aria?"


    "She is in the living room and I advise you to leave her be for some time until she cools off. She might say something hurtful when she is angry and I don''t want you both to regret once she blows off the steam. Let her collect her thoughts first." Ivy warned Ian who was about to go have a chat with his friend.


    Five minutes later, even Oliver joined them in the kitchen.


    "Dad, what are doing here? Where is Aria?"


    "She is in the living room. I left her to arrange her thoughts. She needed some time alone and don''t worry, I have warned Noah not to go to her right now, not when there are chances of her erupting like a volcano on seeing him. And I am here to prepare food for my daughters. They must be missing my cooking."


    "Dad, you are gonna cook? Great. I have been yearning for your food since you went missing." Oliver smiled at his daughter and patted her head.


    "Thank you, Mr. West," Ian said, when suddenly the kitchen had become silent.


    "Ah, you must be the guy my Ivy likes right?" Oliver held Ian''s hands and smiled at him as he took a thorough look. On noticing that Ian was about to object, Oliver gave him an evil smile which neither Ivy or Joshua could see. Ian understood that the old man wanted to pull the couple''s legs. So, he acted along.


    "Dad, I.." Ivy started trying to clear the confusion here. However, Ian interrupted her.


    "I am the one your daughter likes," Ian replied of a sudden and his answer shocked the couple thoroughly.


    "Ian, what are you saying? Why are you lying? I am the one Ivy likes and she is my woman." Joshua rebuked him, his eyes questioning him in confusion.


    "Now the cat is out of the bag. Excellent. How long were you two thinking about hiding this from me?"


    Only now did the two realize that Oliver had tricked them and the two people could not help but lower their heads in embarrassment.


    "Why are you averting you gazes? I am not scolding you or forbidding you two from being together. In fact, I am happy that you two are together. I Just hope Aria does not take this matter to heart and break up with Noah. The poor guy loves her very much."


    Everybody become quiet when they heard Oliver and hoped that Aria would it make it too hard for Noah.


    "Oh no. I forgot something important in this chaos. Ivy, how is Susan? Is she alright? She must be waiting for me, right? I want to meet her."


    That was all it took for the three people to stiffen in their places.

 Chapter 287: Anger? Yes. Hatred? No.

    It was only after hearing Oliver''s question did Ivy realize she had not told him anything about her mother. Nobody told him about her death and Ivy was in a fix now on how to reveal the news to him. However, she could not hide it from him too. It was something he had to know.


    "Dad, please sit down." Ivy held Oliver''s hands and made him sit on the kitchen counter chair.


    "What happened Ivy? Is everything alright?" Oliver stared at his daughter in confusion before his eyes settled on Joshua. He raised his eyebrows at him but did not receive any answer. Seeing all the three people silent, Oliver''s heartbeat spiked up and he was scared now. "Ivy, speak something. I am getting scared. What happened to your mother?"


    Unable to stand the tension, Oliver jumped off the chair and held his daughter''s shoulders. "Please tell me, Ivy."


    "Dad." A feeble voice was heard from outside the kitchen and everybody turned to look at Aria waiting outside the kitchen.


    Oliver left Ivy and went to his second daughter. "Aria, you tell me what happened to Susan. Please." Oliver was almost on the verge of crying and he was having a mental breakdown. He was losing it and was scared, very scared.


    "Dad, Mom is not with us," Aria said as she tried to control her tears.


    Her ambiguous answer made Oliver all the more agitated. "What do you mean by that? Where is she? Where did she go? Somebody, please tell me." Oliver''s patience was wearing thin and on not getting an answer, he shouted looking back and forth between his two daughters.


    Aria closed her eyes for a second and then looked at Ivy, who gave her a nod. They had to tell their father. He had all the right to know. "Dad, Mom died of a heart attack three years ago."


    That''s it. That was all it took for Oliver to fall to the ground in despair. His wife, his love had died and he did not even know about it. Why? Why was life being unfair to him? What had he done so wrong? Unable to bear the sorrow, Oliver started to cry, and seeing him so devastated, Aria and Ivy hugged him tight, trying to console him.


    The family of the trio cried for some time and Ian, Joshua, and even Noah, who had his sight fixed on Aria could not help but feel emotional. Aria''s heart-wrenching cries was shattering his heart into pieces, but he could do nothing. He did not have the courage to face her, not when he knew she would explode like a bomb seeing him anywhere nearby her. He had heard Ivy''s words when she had spoken to Ian and now he was scared, scared that Aria would be angry with him and would eventually leave him.


    Noah wanted to talk to her, badly. He wanted to apologize to her for his deeds but he did not have the courage. He smiled in despair when a ridiculous thought hit him. He was so well known in the underworld and the business world and he had made a lot of enemies as he crushed them and tore them into pieces. However, he had never been scared of them as he knew their weaknesses and for every plan of theirs, he would always have a counter plan.


    However, this man who everybody else was scared of did not have the courage to face his woman. He did not have the strength to meet her in the eye and apologize, not because it would hurt his ego or that he was a proud man. No. It was because he did not want to hurt Aria and more than that, he did not want to lose her. He knew he was being selfish, but what he could do? In just a short period, since the time he had got to know Aria, she had made her way into his heart, mind and soul. How could he allow her to leave?


    Oliver stood up suddenly, startling his daughters who were still sitting on the floor.


    "Dad?" Ivy voiced out in fear, lest her father should do something he should not. She slowly got up and glanced at Aria who looked as worried as her.


    "I want to visit the cemetery."


    "Okay, Dad. We will go tomorrow. It''s late now and the cemetery gates will be closed."


    Oliver nodded and slowly dragged his exhausted body towards the hall. "I am a little tired. I will sleep."


    Nobody stopped him as the man needed some time to mourn his wife''s death and he had to rest too. So, they stood in their places as they watched him walk away from them.


    Ivy turned to look at Aria, only to notice Noah standing behind the pillar trying to hide himself from Aria. She could see the sorrow in his eyes and sighed helplessly. She could do nothing for him as it was not her matter to interfere even if he had good intentions in mind. She knew her sister better than anyone and this time, she could feel that Aria was furious, damn furious.


    "I''ll prepare dinner today," Ivy said dejectedly and went inside the kitchen. She gestured Joshua and Ian to follow her. But they gave her a confused look not understanding her point. It was only after she discreetly pointed at Noah, did they get to know her actions. They nodded and followed her inside.


    "Let us help you, Ivy."


    With that Aria and Noah were the only ones present now. The woman was completely oblivious to it until she turned back. Her eyes met Noah''s desperate ones and her blood in anger. She did not say another word and walked away from him, much to his horror. It was not that she wanted to hurt him, no she didn''t. Hurting him was the last thing she had in mind. But every time she saw his face, all the lies he had conveniently told her would replay in her mind and it was his betrayal that she was unable to accept.


    "Aria, please listen to me. Please."


    Aria stopped walking, in turn making Noah to stop speaking. She turned to him and glared at him with so much anger in her eyes that for a second, Noah was taken aback. But he was happy that she was not glaring at him with hatred. Anything was better than hatred, even anger was fine.


    "What should I listen to, another one of your lies? Or the story that you are quite good at cooking up? Why? Only to fall for it and get betrayed again. Do you think I am a fool to you?"


    "No, Aria. No. Not at all. Please listen to me." Noah took a step forward and made an attempt to hold her hands. But Aria evaded his touch.


    "Don''t touch me. Stay where you are." She warned him and Noah stopped walking. His heart was breaking as every second passed by with her still being angry with him.


    "Aria, I had my reasons for doing this, for keeping this secret from you."


    "I know you wanted to keep my Dad and my family safe and I am grateful to you for doing this. But I cannot forget the fact that you lied to us after you got to know about my identity. I understand that your intentions were not wrong. But have you got any idea how dejected we were when we lost our parents at that time? Ivy and I had to get adjusted to the fact that our Mom was no more and Dad was still missing. We have searched for him day and night in hopes that we would find him. If I remember correctly, you yourself volunteered to help us in finding our father. And in the end, what do we find? My Dad is staying in your house and you did not even think how hurtful I would be."


    Aria vented out all the anger and frustration she had while Noah listened to every word she said silently. He was ready to get her scoldings and even her beatings if it made her happy. He was ready to do anything for her if that could make her stay with him forever.


    Aria saw Noah''s loving gaze on her amidst her scoldings and she stopped speaking the next instant. She noticed the sadness in his eyes and for a second she felt bad for blaming him. However, the next second her mind took control of her thoughts and made her realize the truth. She was not blaming him unnecessarily, he was at fault and she was the one who got hurt.


    Aria knew if she continued to stay in front of him she would eventually lose and give up. So, she walked away from him. She was angry at him but did not hate him. She needed time to cool her anger. Seeing his handsome face would only make things difficult for her and she was worried that she would say some hurtful words in the momentum.


    Noah panicked the moment he saw her walk away from him again. To him, it seemed as though she was not just away from him but also from his life. He immediately followed her and held her hand. "Aria, please. Please, listen to me. I know I am wrong. I am sorry. I am really sorry. You can hit me, scold me, slap me. Do anything you want, but please don''t leave me. Please."


    "Noah, please leave my hand."


    "No." Noah tightened his hold on her wrist as she tried to free herself.


    "Leave my hand before I slap you."


    "You can slap me all you want but please don''t leave me."


    "Noah, please don''t make me do things I don''t want to. Hurting you is the last thing I have in mind."


    "Why?" Noah whispered as he loosened his hold.


    "Because it hurts seeing you hurt."


    --------------------


    Hey guys,


    Thank you very much for helping my book ''Trapped for Eternity'' win the WPC. Please do give your support to that book too. Thank you very much and love you all.

 Chapter 288: Deaf ears

    A tear slipped down her face as she stared at Noah who looked as depressed as her. He was yearning to touch her, to hold her in his arms, and to wipe the tears that were running down her face. However, he could do nothing. If he took one step towards her, she would take three away from him. Noah realized that she wanted to avoid his touch at all costs. He smiled in despair seeing her in anger.


    "Aria, do you want to leave me?" He asked, his voice breaking although he tried to appear strong.


    "I don''t know. But I don''t want to talk to you right now or even see you. I need space from you." With that, Aria walked out of the house leaving Noah alone in the hallway. Tears fell off her eyes as she ran out and Noah saw how her body shock with every step she took. His eyes too reddened and he stared at the disappearing silhouette until Aria was no longer in the house.


    Noah stood in the same place for a long time, his eyes fixed on the entrance. It was only after Ian came out to talk to him did he budge. Seeing his friend''s face and red eyes, Ian was sure that the couple had a huge fight and Aria must be angry with him.


    Ian patted his friend''s back in sympathy. "Everything will be alright. She will come back to you eventually."


    "No, she won''t."


    "What?"


    "I know she won''t."


    "How can you be so sure, Noah? She is just angry right now. Once she cools down, she will come back."


    "You have no idea what she told me, Ian. She does not want to speak to me or even see my face. Tell me what it means." Noah said, his voice faltering at the end. Though Aria had told him all the things he was not ready to accept them. He was not ready to lose her or even ready to allow her to leave. But he did not want to hurt her more. She was already hurt by his lies, he did not want to add more salt to her wounds.


    "Noah, it is her anger that is speaking right now. Aria is not like that, she will not leave you."


    "Ian, I just want to stay alone for some time."


    Ian nodded at him and watched his solemn friend go back to his room. He looked so desolate and lonely that Ian felt very bad for him. He wanted to do something for him and the next instant he went in search of Aria to speak to her.


    Aria was sitting on the same bench where she had sat with her father a few minutes before and she was staring into space when Ian found her. She was deep in thoughts as she stared without blinking. Ian also noticed her tear-stained face and sighed lightly. He did not blame her for being angry, she had every right to be as they were the ones who lied to her. But he was dissatisfied that she did not consider her feelings in this matter. She was hurting herself without her knowledge.


    Aria only noticed Ian when he went closer to her. However, she was in no mood to talk to him, not when even he was also involved in lying to her. She got up briskly and tried to leave him, but she was unsuccessful in doing so. Ian stopped her immediately and held her wrist.


    "Aria, I know that you are angry at us and I am not blaming you for this. You can be angry as much as you want, but can you not break up with Noah? Please."


    This time Aria did not try to avoid him. She glared at him sternly and her gaze which was filled with fury made Ian to avert his eyes in guilt.


    "You ask a lot of things even though you are the ones at fault. Nobody even thought of me or my sister when you conveniently lied to us. Nobody thought about how hurt we would be when the truth would come out before us. Nobody cared for our feelings and now when I am angry, you are coming here to defend your friend. You are more worried about his feelings than mine. Why am I not surprised though?" Aria stated, her fury had gone beyond the sky now. She was so infuriated that she really wanted to strangle someone.


    Ian did not have to be a genius to guess that Aria had misunderstood his words. He was only trying to show that she being unhappy led to Noah''s being unhappy. He wanted to show her that her happiness greatly mattered to his friend. But his words had taken the complete opposite effect on her.


    "Aria, you misunderstood my words. I did not mean that."


    Before Ian could clear himself, Aria intervened. "No Dr. Davis, I understood you now." When he was addressed him by his surname, Ian felt a pang in his heart. She had never behaved this way before, not even when he had made her overwork when he had to deal with things after Noah''s surgery. At times, she would only scold him or curse him but that was all just a friendly banter. For the first time, she was treating him like a stranger rather than the friend he was and Ian felt miserable.


    "You go take care of your friend and his feelings." Aria burst out and Ian did not know how to counter her now. She freed her wrist from his grasp, pulled out her phone, and made a call to Ivy who at that moment was cooking for everyone. "Ivy, I am going to meet Danny. I''ll not come back for dinner."


    The call ended before Ivy could even respond to her and Aria walked away without sparing another glance at Ian. He stared at her dumbfounded, but he did not forget to inform Noah about Aria''s whereabouts. After the call, Ian plopped down on the bench where Aria was sitting previously and sighed in helplessness holding his head in his hands. He had come to help his friend and now he had sabotaged his friendship. How ironic!!


    As soon as Aria went towards the entrance, a car swooshed from behind her and stopped right in front of her. Ronnie came out and opened the back door for her to get in. Noah had ordered him to take care of Aria immediately after Ian had informed him about her intentions to go out of the mansion.


    While Ronnie waited patiently, Aria gave him one narrowed look before she started to walk away from him, much to Ronnie''s horror. "Madam, please get in. I''ll take you where ever you want to go. Please."


    Aria did not give any heed to words and continued to walk. However, she stopped when she heard his next words. "Madam, this is a restricted area. You will not get any cabs or buses here and you will have to walk two miles to catch one.


    Ronnie''s words were the truth and if Aria wanted to catch a bus or hail a cab, she had to walk quite a distance. Right now, her body was too exhausted to even take another step further than necessary. All she wanted to do was get out of the suffocating place as early as possible.


    Having no other choice, she reluctantly got in the car while Ronnie secretly sighed in relief. Aria could only curse her sister for not driving her car that day and for involving her in this helpless situation. Not long after, the car drove past the gates and exited the mansion.


    For the first time in hours, Noah let out a relieved smile. At least Aria was not stubborn enough to torture herself due to her anger towards him. He had been observing her secretly when he had received Ian''s call and hoped that she would take Ronnie''s assistance.


    Though he wanted to follow her, he did not. He did not want to go against her wishes and make her more angry than she already was. She needed space and he would give her just that until her thoughts cleared and her anger vanished.


    Meanwhile, in the car.


    Aria was silent all along the way as she stared outside the window. Ronnie did not have to guess what might have transpired between his boss and Aria. He had predicted this outcome when they had driven to the mansion from Joshua''s house. Anybody was bound to get angry if their dear ones lied to them in these kinds of matters. So, Ronnie did not blame her. He could not help bad for his boss whose intentions were not bad either. So, he tried to put in some good words for him before Aria.


    "Madam, please forgive my Boss. He lied to you only to keep you safe. Please, Madam. Please give him a chance. He loves you a lot and I am telling you the truth. I have been his guard for a long time and I have never seen him this serious with anybody. His feelings towards you is genuine, Madam. I know we have hurt you and you have all the reasons to be angry. But please don''t leave him and hurt yourself. I can see that even you like my boss as much as he likes you."


    Ronnie kept on blabbering for a long time and did not dare to take a look at Aria. When he finally did take a look at her from the mirror, he was rendered speechless. Aria was deep asleep in her seat and all he had said had gone into deaf ears. The day''s exhaustion had taken a toll on her and she could not help but drift off the sleep immediately when the car had started.

 Chapter 289: Will wait for you

    Ronnie did not know what to do now. They were still a few miles away from the destination and Aria was fast asleep. It would take him another thirty minutes or so to reach the Adler Law Firm where his Madam''s friend was working. He could take her there, but seeing her exhausted face, Ronnie was sure that more than meeting her friend, she needed rest. Aria was mentally exhausted and it would be best if he waited until she got up.


    So, he pulled over and parked the car in a cool area. He lowered the temperature slightly so that she could be comfortable and stepped out of the car. He had an idea in mind and he hoped that everything would be alright between his boss and madam.


    He immediately placed a call to his boss and informed him about them. He also told him about his plan and not long after, Noah drove to the location where Ronnie had parked the car. He saw his guard waiting outside the car and smiled at his gesture. Ronnie was thoughtful enough to leave the car when his woman was sleeping and for this, Noah''s respect for his smart guard rose another level.


    Noah gave a curt nod to him and the next moment, Ronnie punctured his own car tire. Noah could not help but sigh at the man''s ridiculous idea and hoped that his attempts would not go in vain. Now it was time for him to make his presence. He opened the back door of the punctured car and sat beside his lovely girl who right now was still fast asleep. Her head was tilted to the right due to which her ponytail had fallen over and was covering half of her face.


    Noah looked at her, his eyes oozing with love and tenderness. Though he wanted to touch her, he did not want to do anything against her wishes. He knew that she would not listen to him irrespective of what he wanted to tell. But he too could not stay without speaking to her all the thoughts he had in mind. So, he had chosen this option of apologizing to her while she was asleep. At least this way, he would have apologized to his heart''s content.


    "Aria, I know I have hurt you a lot. I should not have lied to you, I should not have hidden the truth from you. But trust me, I did all this to keep you and your family safe. Your dad was injected with a poison when we found him and since then he was in a state of coma. Only recently did he wake up from. If people found out about him or you two, your lives would be in danger, and you no idea how dangerous the people behind these crimes are. I know I am at fault, but I don''t regret what I did."


    Noah stopped suddenly to take a breath and Aria, who all this time had been listening to him, held her breath too. She had been awake since the time she had felt his presence beside her in the car. Though she was on high alert, she wanted to see what he would do to her in her vulnerable state. She wanted to know if he would go against her wishes and touch her. But when did not do anything to her, she was a little relieved. ''At least man had some conscience.''


    Aria heard him speak again after a long time. "I know I have messed up things and I apologize to you for it. I am sorry and I will always be. You can be angry with me however long you want, I will not stop you. But please don''t leave me, I don''t think I will be able to bear to see you leaving me. Because...Because.."


    Aria breath hitched when she realized what he wanted to say next. Still, she did not open her eyes as she wanted to see if he would actually say those words or not.


    "Because Aria, I love you. I love you a lot and I can''t bear to see you hurt. I can''t bear to see you leave me. Please don''t leave me Aria. Please, I am begging you." Noah almost choked on his words and Aria felt a pang in her heart when she heard his desperate plea. She very badly wanted to hug him and console him. But her anger got the best of her and she held herself.


    "I will wait for you. I will wait for you Aria until the end of the world." After saying whatever he wanted to say, he got out of the car. Ronnie who was waiting for him in the other car came out of it. "Change the tire and take her wherever she wants to go."


    "Boss..." Ronnie exclaimed in frustration. He had given a perfect opportunity for his boss to utilize it to his full capacity, but he had done nothing. Ronnie could only groan inwardly for the failure of his plan.


    Noah understood what the man wanted to say. he closed his eyes for a second before he gave him a reply. "I will not do anything against her wishes. If she wants me to stay away from her, I will not get close to her ever."


    With that, Noah went to his car and drove away. Ronnie could only sigh and took out the stepney and started to change the tires. Aria, who had been sitting inside the car until Noah drove away, came out and saw Ronnie busy at work.


    "What happened?" She asked stifling a yawn.


    "There was a puncture Madam. Please wait inside, it will be done shortly."


    "Okay." Aria went back in and sat down. Though there was peace inside the car, her mind was not at peace. She reminisced the words Noah had said a few minutes ago and could not help but feel touched. The man''s intentions were not wrong, but the path he had chosen was. Though her anger reduced significantly after hearing his words, she could still not accept that the man had lied to her.


    After changing the tire, Ronnie drove the car towards Daniel''s office.


    "You can go back. I''ll not be going to his place after I am done." Aria said, her face void of any expressions.


    "Where will you go Madam?"


    "I''ll be going to my house."


    Before Ronnie could even tell her about the incident that had taken place at their house, Aria had closed the car door and had walked away. Ronnie could only growl in frustration. He had heard that among the two sisters Ivy was the stubborn one and Aria was the calm and composed one. However, this time why did it feel like both their personalities had switched with each other?


    Ronnie again informed her decision to his boss and Noah allowed her to as she wished. Her apartment was now safe and nobody other than the residents were allowed to go in. If outsiders wanted to get inside, they had to get permission from the occupants. Right now, there was no danger and Aria was safe. If Aria needed time, Noah would give her just that.


    Aria went inside and spoke to the receptionist. It was only then did she find out that Daniel had gone to meet a client and would come back after an hour or so. It struck her mind that she had forgotten to inform him about her coming to meet him. She had decided on a whim when Ian had angered her and now she had to wait for her friend to return.


    The receptionist knew who Aria was and how close her friendship was with her Boss. So, she immediately brought her to the lounge inside the building and asked her to wait for Daniel to arrive. She even provided some refreshments for her and after making sure that she was comfortable, she returned to her work.


    Aria had to wait for a long time before Daniel arrived. He was pleasantly surprised to see his best friend after a long time and he hugged her tight. How long had it been since he last saw her? He had even missed seeing her off the day she had left for the borders. He immediately brought her to his cabin as they had a lot of things to talk about.


    "How are you?" He asked her again when they were inside the cabin.


    "I am fine. How about you?"


    "Aria, don''t lie to me. I know you are not fine. Tell me what is wrong." Daniel said with a stern gaze. He had seen her dispirited eyes though she was trying to be bold by putting a forced smile before him.


    "Everything is fine Danny."


    "Aria, I know you better than you know yourself. Don''t lie to me about it."


    Aria gave eventually. She knew she could not hide from Danny. She was going to tell everything about it to him, but she did not want to show how affected and sad she was. However, she had misjudged her friend''s understanding of her. he had caught her even if she had done nothing. "Danny, we met Dad today."


    Her reply made Daniel to widen his eyes. He was shocked which later turned to joy. That was such great news. Only he knew how badly the twins were searching for their father and now that they had found him, they had to be happy. ''But why did Aria look sad?'' Something did not add up here and he was curious now.


    "Why are you not happy then?"


    "I am happy Danny. I am very happy."


    "But?"


    "I am angry."


    "And why are you angry?"


    "Because of the man who kept my Dad with him and was lying to me about it on my face."


    Now Daniel was having a bad premonition hearing Aria''s words. He had a hunch on who she might be talking about, but he still wanted to confirm his doubts.


    "Who?"


    "Noah. He was the one who had kept Dad with him all these years."

 Chapter 290: Confused Aria

    Song Recommendation - Broken Girl by Matthew West


    "So, what do you want to do now Aria?" Daniel asked with a serious look on his face, Aria had told him all that had happened with her father and how the three men she had come to trust eventually were the ones who had taken him with them. As happy as she was on finding her father safe and happy, she was deeply saddened by their lies.


    "I don''t know Danny. Though I understand their motives, I cannot come to terms that they lied to us." Aria said, her face losing all its color when she thought about Noah''s face when she left him in the hallway after he had apologized to her.


    "Do you want to break up with him now?" Daniel threw the question at her carefully as he knew this was a very sensitive topic especially to Aria who was new to these kinds of things. It was her first relationship and it had only been a few months since she had started dating Noah and he had already hurt her.


    Daniel was in no position to ask her to break up or leave him as it was not his matter to interfere. Aria was a smart woman and she capable of handling things on her own. It was just that he did not want her hurt. If she wanted to go ahead with the relationship, he would support her completely and if she didn''t, he would always be with her. Now, it was her choice to make. However, he preferred her to stay with Noah as he knew that the man was the best and his friend would not get a man better than him. He may have some shortcomings, but who didn''t?


    Daniel had seen genuine love in Noah''s eyes for his friend and he was sure that Noah was the man with whom Aria would be the happiest. The man with his power and position could get any girl he wanted and even force the girl he loved. However, he had decided to give space for Aria and this showed how much he cared about her and her opinions. He might be a man of power, but before his friend the man was powerless. Noah was nothing less than a slave in front of his woman.


    "I don''t know Danny. I don''t know. I am so confused and angry and... hungry." She added when her stomach grumbled loudly embarrassing her in front of her childhood friend. The serious situation took a complete turn when her stomach rumbled and Daniel could not help but laugh out loud. Aria was too cute at times and he could not help but smile seeing her adorable self.


    "Let''s fill something in that stomach of yours or do you have plans with someone?" Daniel asked as he picked up his coat and his briefcase.


    "No. I have informed Ivy to not wait for me. I am not going back to his mansion even if Dad''s there. I might flip out seeing Noah there. What about you? Do you have any plans?"


    "No. I am perfectly free today. Let''s go."


    Aria and Daniel left his office and Ronnie, who was still waiting for his Madam in hopes that she would return with him to his Boss, could not help but feel unhappy. He waited until Aria and Daniel drove away when he too left the place. His job was done for the day and now it was up to Aria if she wanted to return home or not. His Boss could only do things and apologize to her, but it was her who had the right to accept his apology.


    Aria and Daniel went to a nearby restaurant and since there was still another hour for dinner time, it was empty. They did not have to worry about getting a seat and placed their orders.


    "So, Aria how was your stay at the border? Was it interesting or scary?" Daniel asked hoping to divert her mind from Noah for a few minutes at least. But the poor guy, who knew nothing about the incident that had taken place with his friend, only ended up making her more miserable. Seeing her crestfallen face, he realized something to have happened to her there.


    "What happened Aria?" The smile on his face vanished and he looked at her with a serious expression.


    "I cannot hide things from you, can I?"


    Daniel shook his head and Aria told him everything that had happened and how she had killed a man. Her words only made Daniel stare at her in shock, which was more of a pleasant admiration. "Aria, that is so cool. You killed a traitor and I need to salute you for your bravery."


    "I know, I know. I realize now that what I did was a good deed."


    "Don''t tell you freaked out after you killed him?" Daniel asked with a perplexed face. Seeing his friend nod her head, he started laughing out loud. He laughed until tears formed in his eyes.


    "You are laughing here right now, Do you have any idea how scared I was out there? Seeing the man dead and his blood everywhere, I was spooked and I had nightmares every time I closed his eyes." Aria said, her face turning red seeing her friend laughing at her face. It was true that she had been scared but after speaking to her Dad, her thoughts had cleared and she felt relaxed. Kevin''s death did not affect her as much as it did before.


    "Aria, do you have any idea how cute you are right now?" Daniel stopped laughing only when he got a deadly glare from her. "Okay, okay. I''ll stop. Aria, what you did was nothing but self-defense. It was either he was going to die or you would be killed by him. The man deserved to die and he died. Don''t you worry about it and make your life miserable. You are right in your place. So, don''t regret whatever you did. Okay?"


    "Okay."


    "Good. Now let''s discuss something else. What have you thought to do about you and Noah?" Daniel came back to the same topic again. He had to find what the woman before him intended to do and stop her from hurting herself.


    "I don''t know Danny. I am very angry at him but I don''t hate him. Even though what he did was wrong, he was doing good for my family."


    "Agreed," Daniel nodded. "Aria, the man may have taken the wrong route to do things, but he had your well being in mind. He loves you Aria and I can confirm on it. We men have some instincts when it comes to other men just like you women have and from what I know, his feelings for you run deep. This might be the first and last time for him to do something like this."


    "My heart and mind is a mess. My heart wants to accept him, but my mind is revolting against it and now I am having a headache." Aria groaned and held her head in her hands. Daniel chuckled seeing her state.


    "Aria, let me tell you something which your father might have missed out."


    This got Aria attention and her eyes fixed on Daniel. She wanted him to continue speaking, but the waiter arrived with their food and so the conversation paused until the food was served.


    "What do you want to tell?"


    "I think you Dad did not tell you somethings about the reason why Noah might have hidden him."


    "No, he told me. He said that his life was in danger and people knowing about him would only land him and even us in trouble."


    "Yes, but that is not the complete truth."


    "What do you mean?" Aria gave him one perplexed look.


    "Aria, when uncle went missing, people started to follow you and Ivy. I had noticed it a few times. They kept their eyes on you everywhere you went and if I am not wrong, Ivy must have noticed this too."


    "What?" Aria was shocked now. She did know not a thing about it and Ivy had not told her about it too. She wondered why Ivy her hidden this from her.


    "Yes, those men, if I am not wrong, might be the ones to poison uncle. They must have wanted to get to you both. But suddenly out of nowhere, they disappeared and coincidentally you guys shifted your houses at the same time."


    "Okay. How does this even relate to Noah and Dad?"


    "It does. If I am not wrong, it might be Noah and his men who were protecting you secretly. Also, there is one more thing that I found out just recently, after you left to join the war. Somebody had erased all possible details that relate you or Ivy to your Dad."


    "What?" Again Aria was startled by this newfound information. Nobody had told her about it and if her intuitions were right, even Ivy must not be knowing about it.


    "Yes, if those people got to know about you and Ivy being related to Mr. West, they would have killed you long back. It was Noah and his men who have protected you from the dark."


    It took some time for Aria to digest all she had learned. It was a lot for her and her mind was already dizzy. Daniel noticed the state she was in, but she had the right to know the truth. So, he did not stop halfway.


    "But he could have told us about it right? How will it affect My Dad or even us if we knew about him? It was not like we would go around telling about my Dad? Why would we try to endanger our lives ourselves?"


    "This is something only Noah can answer. But I am sure he must be having some reasons for everything he has done so far. Please talk to him and find out."


    "But.." Aria was very confused now. Her mind was fried and a lot of questions popped into her mind.


    "Aria, Noah is not a bad person. Take your time to think through it, but please do talk to him."

 Chapter 291: Ivys promise

    Music recommendation - Please Don''t Go by Joel Adams


    After dinner, Aria went back to her apartment as she had intended to rather than going back to Noah''s house. Though she wanted to accompany her father, she knew that her father would be crestfallen and he would need time. Just like him, even Aria needed time, she wanted to sit and think thoroughly about all that had happened. Her going to Noah''s house would only make her lose her cool and it was best that she avoided him for the time being.


    Her mind drifted to all that Daniel and her father had told her and somewhere she felt that Noah might not be that wrong she had thought him to be. Whatever he did was for her and her family and if she was not wrong, without his help, her family would be gone by now. The people behind her father would have come for her and Ivy ages ago.


    As Daniel had suggested, she had to speak to Noah about it and clear her doubts. There was something else that was bothering her greatly. She wondered why Ivy was so cool about all of this. Why her sister was not that angry at Joshua or Noah as she was? Did she really forgive them or did she have other intentions altogether? As far as she knew Ivy, her sister was not the one to tolerate this kind of betrayal. Never.


    Aria wanted to speak to Noah. However, she was in no mood to meet him right now. Her mind was still a mess and she needed some rest to clear her thoughts. Also, she had to report to the hospital the next day as she had a meeting with the management. She could only meet him in the evening. Since she had made up her mind, she sent a text to Noah immediately lest her anger should get the best of her and she changed her mind.


    "Need to meet you tomorrow.


    6 p.m. My apartment."


    After sending him the text, she lied down and drowned herself in a sea of thoughts. Unbeknownst to her, Noah was just outside her apartment. He had not eaten anything even though all his friends and Ivy had forced him to. He wanted to speak to Aria first or at least see her. He was losing his mind and his patience was wearing thin. He had this intense urge to kill someone, his hands were itching for blood. Noah was sure that if he visited the Underground base in the state he was in, he would end up killing a lot of people. So, the first thing he had done was go to Aria''s apartment.


    He had waited for a long time for her to come and finally he saw Daniel''s car pull over in front of her apartment. From where he had parked his car, he could clearly see her face and she looked a lot better than she had been when she was in his house. Noah could only let out a sad smile. If not him, somebody else could at least make her feel better.


    He waited in front of her apartment for a long time until darkness spread everywhere. He was in no hurry to leave for home. Though he was not with Aria, his mind was at peace here. He felt closer to Aria and that was all he wanted. He was so lost in thoughts that he did not realize anything until his phone vibrated. It was a message from Aria and that was all it took for Noah''s face to brighten up. His face bloomed in happiness and his eyes sparkled with happiness. Never in his dreams had he expected a message from the woman he loved at this time.


    It was short but her message was all he wanted. She was willing to meet him and Noah made up his mind to make use of this opportunity to persuade her to forgive him. Even if she was unwilling, he was contented with the fact that she was ready to talk to him. With a happy smile on his face, he drove home.


    Joshua and Ivy had not gone home and Ian too had decided to stay at Noah''s house for the day. Everybody, other than Oliver, was in the living room with a serious expression on their faces. However, their expressions changed when they saw Noah walk in with a huge smile on his face. It looked as though whatever had transpired between him and Aria had been solved and they were back to normal. But they also knew that it would not be the case. Aria was not the one to forgive someone this fast.


    Now everybody had only one question in mind. Why was Noah this happy and who was the reason for it?


    Before anybody could voice the question, Noah spoke first. "Ivy, could you please call Daniel and ask him if Aria had anything or not? I am worried that she might have skipped her meals in a fit of anger.


    Ivy could only nod at him and do as she was told even though she knew the truth. Aria was not the one to skip her meals and ruin her health. She might be angry or depressed, but she never did anything that would eventually hurt herself. Why would she skip eating just because she had a tiff with someone?


    Ivy called and confirmed from Daniel for Noah''s satisfaction. After getting the answer he needed, the man did not wait for any of them and went to have his dinner. His woman had eaten. So, why would he go on a fast now? Just like Ivy who was bewildered by Noah''s actions, even Ian and Joshua looked at each other in shock.


    "What do you think happened to him?" Ian was the first one to question.


    "His brain must have short-circuited in depression," Ivy answered her eyes fixed on the path that led to the dining hall.


    "That might be the case." Joshua agreed immediately. "Should we go and talk to him?"


    "I don''t know. I think I''ll stay out of it. It might not look good if I intervene in his things but I am sure you men can have a talk to him, like man to man talk." Ivy suggested and this idea seemed fair to both Ian and Joshua.


    "I''ll be with Dad," Ivy got up and went to her Dad''s room. Though she also wanted to be with Aria, she knew Daniel would have filled some sense in her sister''s brain. It was true that the three men had lied to them and Ivy was angry at them too. But things were not that simple as it looked. If they had not helped them in this matter, they would have lost their father forever and at least for this help, she had to thank them. Just like Aria, she too had some questions to ask them, but they could wait for now. There were other pressing matters to attend to.


    Her father was deep asleep when she entered the room and she sat beside him. There were some dried tears on his cheeks and she wiped them clean using a wet towel. To her relief, Oliver had at least eaten the dinner when she had brought it an hour ago. "I am sorry Dad. I am sorry for all that you had to go through. I will promise you that whoever was responsible for our misery will get a death so horrible that they will even curse being born. I promise." Ivy said with determination as she fixed her gaze on her father''s face.


    She knew how risky it was to go behind those monsters. However, if she did not do it, more people would be affected by them and that was something she was not ready to accept. They had to be punished and it had to be done sooner before those hooligans did something huge.


    Ivy''s resolve was fixed and she knew just what to do. She had to start disguising herself again and start her mission. She had to bring back the Ivy who right now was on a slumber since the time she had left the news agency. The new news agency under Noah''s management was almost ready and they did not need her right now for any other work. She was free to do anything she wanted for the time being and that was what she needed.


    Not wasting any more time, she sent out messages to all her sources to call her if there was anything they knew. She had a lot of contacts for use and most of them were reliable sources. They were the ones who helped her with her missions in the past and now that she was back, she was going to make use of them again.


    She did not have to wait long. One of her men sent her a message immediately. He sent her an address and the time she had to go there. Ivy went through it and immediately her eyes flashed in determination. Whatever was going to happen at the said address, it was scheduled after ten days. Now, she had ten days to prepare herself. Before that, she wanted to solve all the issues in her life, one of them being Aria and Noah''s love life. She was going to get them back together at all costs before she went on her mission.


    Ivy knew that just as much as Noah loved Aria, her sister too loved him dearly. So, what if Aria was being angry at him and ignoring him for the mistakes he committed, Ivy was there to guide her. Ivy would do anything to get them back as she was sure that her sister''s happiness was with Noah and him alone.

 Chapter 292: Giving answers

    Music recommendation - Thinking out loud by Ed Sheeran


    Noah was eating silently with a happy expression on his face. He looked like a small boy who had been given his favorite candy with the way he was beaming. Joshua and Ian went to him and sat on either side of him with questioning gazes which he did not even heed to. He was busy in his own thoughts and there was no need for him to entertain anybody else''s now.


    "Umm," Joshua cleared his throat trying to attract the indifferent man beside, but he did not get any response. "Ummm." He dragged on the sound and this time Noah gave him a glimpse before he went back to his food. However, he did not forget to push the glass of water in front of him towards Joshua. Seeing this Ian chuckled lightly. His friends were still the same. While one was cold and indifferent, the other was as mischievous as ever. He was the only sane person here and bless him for being here to control the other two.


    Joshua could only glare at his friend which went completely unnoticed. "Why are so happy? What happened?" He finally could not tolerate it any longer and fired the question that was bugging his mind since Noah had returned home.


    "Aria wants to meet me tomorrow." That was all Noah answered before he went back to eating.


    "That''s so cool," Ian commented. Though he was happy for his friend, he was still sad as Aria was still angry with him.


    "It sure is. I am going to make everything fine between us tomorrow. All misunderstandings will be cleared and we will be back together." Noah declared with a huge smile on his face. Even his friends were happy for him and wished everything to go well.


    However, when the time actually came for them to meet, Noah had to take a rain check. His dream project, which was Hotel Arvy faced some problems out of nowhere and he had to attend meetings the entire day. One of his employees had embezzled the company funds which were allocated solely for the hotel marketing purposes as well as for the final completion of the hotel. Now, they had to find him as well as get money for their work to continue.


    This matter was huge as Carter Enterprises had never encountered such a problem before. So, Noah was busy trying to allocate finds and reluctantly he had to cancel his meeting with Aria. The opportunity that fell into his hands vanished just like that.


    Aria, who had been looking forward to getting the answers she needed, could only console her heart. She would now have to wait for them some more time. They then decided to meet after his problems were solved. She did not want to rush through things especially when he was facing such a serious problem now.


    During this time, Aria missed Noah as much as he was missing her. She had not once met him and had restricted him from meeting her until the day she would get her answers. At times, she even wanted to forget her anger and just embrace him. She just wanted to bury herself in his warmth and drown herself in his soul-piercing kisses. Then she would remember the lies he had woven before her and her anger would take over her rationality. She had to be bold and she knew that her heart would waver if he came before her. Unbeknownst to her, the man who was dying to meet her would drop by her apartment every day and stay there for almost an hour before he would leave with a heavy heart.


    Ivy had also moved out of Joshua''s house back to her apartment much to his annoyance. He had tried all possible methods to make her stay, but the girl was as adamant as ever. She wanted to stay with her sister until she resolved her issues and had promised Joshua that she would return the day her sister got back with Noah. So, now the man could only hope for the two love birds to patch up as early as possible. Their love story was being a hindrance to his love story.


    Among all this, the person who was most affected and deeply saddened was Ian. Aria was giving him a cold shoulder since the time they had returned home and she had made up her mind to not speak to him until she got her answers from Noah. She would first talk to Noah and only then would she talk to Ian. Their friendship was almost ruined now and it was all his mistake.


    A week had passed since then and Aria had come to visit her Dad like she usually did. Oliver was staying at Noah''s house as it was the only place that had top-notch security. She only came to visit him whenever Noah was not around as she did not want to face him. She knew she was being stupid here, but what could she do? She was sure that if she saw him now, she would lose control. Noah''s hotel issue had wavered her confidence and she had become a coward all of a sudden. Every day she would build up some confidence that could help her the day she was going to face Noah. But who knew that the day would be today?


    Aria had gone to meet her father just like every day and the first person she saw when she entered the mansion was Noah. He knew she was going to come that day and had specifically cleared his schedule for the day. His problem was almost solved now and the man who had embezzled the funds had been caught by his men. The work that had been halted had progressed and now it was running smoothly. Since all his problems were solved, he now had to solve the most important issue.


    However, to his dismay, as soon as Aria saw him waiting for her with his eyes fixed on the entrance, she retraced her steps and ran away in fear. All the courage she had pent up for the week vanished in an instant. She became as meek as a lamb.


    Noah''s eyes widened seeing her run away and he got up instantly. If his woman wanted him to chase her, he would do just the same and this time he would not allow her to go without giving her the answers she needed. He had had it enough without her and he was not going to endure it any longer.


    By the time he came out of his mansion, Aria had already driven out. But he was not the one to give up, not this time. He got in his own car and gave her a chase until he reached her apartment. In his excitement to meet her, he had completely forgotten that to enter her apartment, he needed permission, and seeing Aria, he was sure she would not allow him to enter, not today at least. But that did not matter. He had someone who was more than willing to allow them inside the apartment. He just had to give a call to Ivy and she came to fetch him personally.


    Ivy was a smart woman. She knew that it was time for her to leave and without further delay, she left the two alone. If those two were going to makeup, it was better she did not come home for the day and the only place she could think of going was Joshua''s house. Imagining the man''s face when he saw the woman he loved coming to stay with him for the night made Ivy to crack up.


    Aria did not know that Ivy had sold her until she came out of the kitchen after chugging down a glass of water. She was stunned to see the man she wanted to avoid at all costs standing before her and her jaw dropped. "What are you doing here?"


    "Why are you avoiding me?" Noah ignored her question and asked a question of his own.


    "I am not ignoring you," Aria answered defiantly even though she knew he knew she was lying.


    "Oh really? Then why did you run away as soon as you saw me? Don''t tell me that you were chased by a dog." Noah sassed and folded his hands.


    Aria did not have an answer to his question. How could she say that she was a coward and she had no guts to face him? How could she say that seeing him made her lose all her rationality and she would even forget that she was angry at him? Seeing Noah waiting for her answer, she decided to change the topic.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "I am here to give the answers you need."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I know you have some questions to ask me. Ask me all you want and I will answer them honestly."


    "But.."


    "And don''t worry. I am not going to leave this place until the issue between us is solved. If you delay the time, I don''t mind. I can stay here forever until everything gets back to normal between us."


    With that Noah sat down on the couch and leaned back casually as though it was his own home. Aria could only gape at him with her eyes wide. She had never expected to face such a situation in her life and the worse part was her sister was the one who had sold her off at the wrong moment.

 Chapter 293: From the beginning

    Song recommendation - Trade Mistake by Panic! At the Disco


    Aria glared at the man who was sitting leisurely on the couch in front of her. Seeing him, she was sure that the man would not listen today and he had come here with a motive to end the confusion she was in. She could not evade him nor the questions she was having in her mind. So, be it. She could as well corporate this time and get things cleared.


    "Fine, let''s do as you say." She huffed and sat on the opposite couch. "But whatever you say better be the truth, otherwise you can say goodbye to forgiveness from me."


    Noah smirked seeing her compliant behavior. At least she had decided to listen to him and he was happy with it. He was confident that by the end of the night, their fight would be resolved and she would be in his arms.


    "Sure. I am not going to lie to you, not at this point when whatever I speak could sabotage my love life." Noah answered honestly and his answer made Aria''s mind to wander elsewhere. She knew what he was talking about and for a second she could not help but blush at his words. This man had such a glib tongue that at times she would lose herself to him completely.


    Noah saw the way she was staring at him with a dazed expression and his smile widened. Aria was affected by his presence as much as he was affected by her and this was a good sign. He could use this to his advantage completely when the time came which was just a few hours away. He did not say a thing but gazed at the woman before him, his eyes filled with love and affection for her until she herself blinked and looked away embarrassed.


    Though Aria was flustered about getting caught at being ogled by Noah, it was not her fault that he was this handsome. Why did he have to be this charming and sexy? She could have continued to be angry at him if he was at least ugly. But the man was incredibly lucky in that area to have been bestowed with a gorgeous face that could make women drool. She cursed the almighty creator for not being fair. Why did all the good things have to be this charming and evil?


    While Aria was silently complaining to God, Noah was busy admiring his woman''s features. Although he knew she was beautiful, he found her to be incredibly enthralling when she glared at him in anger. To him, she looked like a beautiful enchantress who had come especially to trap him in her invisible web, and he gladly willing to get trapped by her. He wondered if Aria knew how alluring she was right now that it made him want to just fuck the brains out of her. But it was not time for it, not yet.


    "Looks like you want me to stay here forever. I am fine with it." Noah spoke all of a sudden startling Aria. He had been waiting for her questions as he was thinking about her cuteness. But the words never flew out of her mouth. Noah was lying when he told her he had all the time with him. No, he didn''t. He was desperate to hold her in his arms and kiss her the way he wanted. He wanted to see her smile at him warmly rather than give him a cold shoulder. He wanted to hold her, talk sweetly to her, laugh with her and do all possible things he had in mind.


    Noah wanted to get over with this sooner, but the woman was being stubborn. If she was not willing to speak, then he was here to give her the push. He would make her speak at all costs and end the misunderstanding between them. He had made up his mind and nobody could stop him now, not even Aria.


    "Umm," Aria cleared her throat in awkwardness. She was so deep in her thoughts that she had forgotten about the main intentions they were here. "Right. I am sorry."


    "Oh no. No. Don''t apologize, love. I like it if you look at me that way with a lovestruck expression. It makes me happy and contented." Noah intervened and added his flirtatious words, rendering Aria speechless.


    It took her some time to comprehend what she had just heard. "I''ll just pretend that I did not hear that."


    "Your wish."


    "Let''s start with what we have met here today. Why did you hide the truth from us when you took Dad with you?"


    "Because your life was in danger," Noah answered to the point.


    "From whom?"


    "From the people who wanted your father dead."


    "Why would want to kill us?"


    "Though I am not sure about the answer, my guess is that they might have assumed you two to have known things about them from your father."


    "Okay, that seems acceptable. Why did you hide the truth from us when you found out about us after we met? Don''t tell me you didn''t know. We both know that you knew about us when you came to help us find Dad."


    "That.." Noah scratched his head thinking if he should tell the truth now or not.


    "Tell me the truth," Aria stressed her words seeing Noah hesitate and Noah could only follow her orders.


    "Fine. I''ll tell you everything from the beginning and if you have questions after I finish, you can ask me. Okay?" Noah suggested.


    "Seems fair to me." Aria shrugged her shoulders with an indifferent expression which was completely contradictory to how she was feeling right now.


    "Three years ago, my mentor went missing. He was the person who trained us, Joshua, Ian, and me. We were very close to him and to Ian, he was like a father. After he went missing, we searched for him everywhere but with no results. We then found out that he was acquainted with Mr. West and he was the last person my mentor contacted. We wanted to meet him. But the man himself was in a dangerous situation when we met him. Some people were trying to kidnap him and he was poisoned by them. Though we were successful in preventing Mr. West from getting kidnapped, we could not provide him the medical assistance and he went into a state of coma. We tried all we could to keep him alive as he was the only one who might have known about my mentor''s whereabouts."


    Noah stopped talking when he realized he was getting angry as he recapped everything that had happened in the past. He did not want to scare Aria. So, he took a deep breath to calm his raging nerves. Aria saw the way his eyes were glaring as time progressed. She could not help but worry for him. She went to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and brought it for him. "Here."


    Noah gave her a grateful smile and took a sip from the glass before he continued speaking. "After we took your father with us, we kept a watch over your family. We knew the men who were responsible for his condition would first come to you. But they did not have the chance to attack you guys as you were surrounded by people every time. They kept following you to make sure that you did nothing out of ordinary. The men behind this matter were dangerous. Though my men eliminated most of them who kept following you guys, we could not stop them forever. Also, it would arise suspicions to them if their men went missing every time they came at you. This would only make it more dangerous for you two. Unexpectedly and fortunately, you guys decided to move out of your house and taking this as the cue, I asked Joshua to erase all the records of your relationship records with Mr. West."


    "You could have told us once they stopped following us right?" Aria asked the question that was eating her head for long.


    "Yes, I could have. But the problem was your Dad was in a serious condition. His chances of living were was negative and we didn''t want to hurt you. With you not knowing him, you at least had hope of him being alive."


    "Noah, he is my father. It is our right to know about him and who are you to stop us from meeting him? What right do you have?" Aria could not control herself any longer and her anger took over her. "How dare you do something like this?" She seethed, her eyes narrowing in fury.


    "I know Aria. That was the mistake I did. I overestimated things and I apologize for it. I should not have done something like that." Noah said, regret taking over his expression. This was one mistake he could never forgive himself for. He did not want anybody else to find out about Oliver, not until he got the answers he needed. He had even kept Oliver away from his family when they had all the right to know about him, more than him.


    "Your apology cannot ease the situation we are in. You cannot bring back the three years we lost with our father. Do you have any idea how we spent those days when Dad went missing and Mom died, leaving us two sisters to fend for ourselves? We never felt this lonely before. We had a happy family and all of a sudden we two were the only ones left. Do you even know how miserable we felt and how difficult it was for us, those few days until we could start over once again?"


    "I am sorry Aria. I really am."


    "Sorry does not mend the mistakes you have committed. Though our Dad was not conscious, we could at least be hopeful that he was alive. We could at least be satisfied seeing him every day." Aria''s anger took a new level this time and Noah was scared that things might not go as he wanted. He might have annoyed her more than he had thought and now he was unsure whether things between them would go back to normal or not.

 Chapter 294: Fulfill your promise

    Song recommendation - Let me love you


    Aria''s sudden outburst was like an eye-opener for Noah and he could not help but gape at her like a fish. He was dumbstruck and it was only now did he realize how big a mistake he had committed. Whatever he had done was nothing less than kidnapping and he had no right to keep someone away from his family. He realized his fault and was filled with immense regret. However, what was done was done. He could not go back in time and rectify them, he could only apologize for what he had done.


    Aria was glaring at him, her eyes flaring like a dangerous dragon. She had thought of forgiving him for a second but all of it had evaporated when she had heard his ridiculous reasons for keeping her father away from her and her sister. His reason was definitely annoying and her hands were itching to slap him hard for his audacity. However, she controlled herself. There was more to the story and she was wanted to hear everything about it.


    "Continue." She spat at him and again Noah was surprised by her behavior. He started speaking again seeing the raging tigress before him.


    "After that, nothing significant happened. Ian continued to treat Mr. West, trying to alleviate the effect of the poison on his body. We had forgotten about you two and we were solely concentrated on finding my mentor and bringing your Dad to consciousness until Ivy approached Joshua requesting help in something related to her work. It was only then did we come in contact with you two. I found out about you being Mr. West''s daughter after we came back from London."


    "Okay, why didn''t you tell us then? You could have come clean before us, right? There was no danger to Ivy or me at that time." Aria fired her questions like a canon, making Noah cower in his seat. Nobody had treated him this way and it was always him who had made others shiver in fear. His woman was more domineering than he had assumed and he was unknowingly getting aroused by her dominating character. He now really wanted her. He had long known that she was a bold woman when she had scolded him at the hospital the time he was made to lie down all day. It was this personality of hers that had attracted him to her. She was really different than many women who come across and he was liking it.


    However, the situation right now was not in his favor and even a small mistake from his side would lead him to lose Aria forever. He had to tread carefully now if he wanted to salvage the situation and get back Aria. She could not be dealt with the same way he usually dealt. He had to come up with something else and the best thing he could do right now was to apologize to her sincerely and amend things between them by accepting any punishment she wanted to bestow upon him.


    "I know Aria. But this time, I had reasons. You know the guy named Tim, who was following Ivy, right?"


    Aria nodded, confused with his words. She wondered what Tim had to do with this case now. Noah could read her mind and sighed lightly. "He belonged to the gang who wanted your father dead three years ago. He was keeping an eye on your sister like a hawk and it was best that you two did not know about your Dad until he was taken care of."


    "How did he found out about us after three years?"


    "He was behind Ivy for a different reason. He still does not know about you two being related to Mr. West."


    "Okay. Is he that dangerous?"


    "You have no idea. It was not easy to trick him with his extraordinary skills. He is very deadly and I did not want to take risks. Though you two would never reveal about your father to anybody else, I could not have the same confidence about that man."


    "What do you mean? How will he even know about it when none of us are going to tell him?"


    "Aria, let me tell you this secret. When we came to your house to help you find your father, we found a listening bug in Ivy''s bag." Noah''s revelation rendered Aria speechless.


    "How did you know that?" Aria asked him dumbfounded. She had not expected something like this to happen. Why did they not know about it?


    "Joshua is a skilled hacker. He has some app on his phone that can indicate if there are devices like these in his vicinity. It like a detector app and he found out about it immediately. When you two sisters were not looking, he checked your house and found her bag. There was a bug as small as a button in her bag. Though it was small, it had high amplifying capacity and whoever was listening to it can eavesdrop on the conversation with ease."


    "Why didn''t you tell us then? You could have warned us, right?"


    "We did not want to scare you more and it was not that significant anyway. You were leaving in a few days and we did not want you to keep worrying about your sister."


    "What happened to the bug?"


    "Joshua took it with him." Noah shrugged lightly telling her that he had no idea what he did to it later. "After that, you know what happened."


    "Let me ask you one question and I hope you answer it honestly"


    "Aria, I have been honest with you since the time I have entered your house today." Noah declared, hurt flashing through his eyes which Aria completely ignored. It was not her fault that she was being skeptical and doubted his words. He was the one who lied to her first and he was only bearing the consequences.


    "When were you thinking of telling us the truth?"


    "I had told your Dad three days before your return that I would bring him to you and Ivy after a week of your return. You can ask Mr. West if you doubt my words. So, according to my plans, you were supposed to meet him today."


    Aria believed him this time and she could always confirm it with her father to see if he was lying or not. But seeing his determined gaze fixed on her, she was guaranteed that he was not lying. "I believe you this time." Aria''s words made Noah to smile. These were the words he was waiting to hear from her for a long time. Though her trust in him was just to a small extent, at least she trusted some words of his and he was happy with it.


    "Thank you."


    "What happened to the man who was following Ivy? There might be more chances to get to her."


    "Don''t worry about it. His matter has been taken care of and he won''t trouble you or Ivy anymore."


    "What if some other man pesters us? You cannot always be around us, right?"


    Aria''s innocent words brought an evil smile on Noah''s face. ''Who told her that I would not be around her? She might be angry at me now. But that would not continue for long and if she wanted to leave me, who would allow her to?''


    "Don''t worry about it Aria. Now Ivy is safe and she is with Joshua. He will take care of her."


    "What do you mean by that? What is going on between Ivy and Joshua?" Aria asked, her voice rising a level. Aria''s confused face revealed that she knew nothing about her sister''s newfound relationship and Noah could only curse his slip of tongue. It was a matter not related to him and he had no right to reveal it to her.


    "That.." Noah scratched his head. "It''s best you ask your sister."


    Aria narrowed her eyes at him, trying to make him spit out whatever he knew. But the man was as adamant as ever and he did not open his mouth anymore. She could only give up now and decided to thoroughly interrogate her sister later. "Will Ivy be safe?"


    "Definitely," Noah answered without hesitation. "I promise you that your family will be safe and nothing will harm them. You are completely safe with me Aria."


    Aria was deep in thoughts. So, she missed his last sentence. She did not notice his eyes flashing with some unknown determination before it went back to normal.


    "Thank you for keeping my father and sister safe."


    Noah raised an eyebrow when she expressed her gratitude. He was waiting for this moment and now that it had come to him, he was going to make full use of it. Also, he had the promise he had taken from Aria a few months back. If Aria was really the woman of her words, then she would definitely keep her promise.


    "Aria, do you remember the promise you have given me."


    "What promise?" Noah sudden question made Aria to stare at him questioningly.


    "Do you remember your promise that you would give me the gift I wanted whenever I asked you?"


    It then struck her and she remembered the promise she had given him. She now realized his intentions and she was suddenly having a bad premonition. Looking at the smirk plastered on his face, she was sure that he was going to ask something weird from her. He was using this situation to his advantage and chided herself for giving him such an obnoxious thing without thinking. She wondered how long he had planned this and could not help but secretly praise his devilish mind. If she was not angry at him right now, she would have definitely applauded him for his wicked thinking.


    "Yes," Aria answered, her guards now up against him.


    "It now time for you to fulfill the promise."


    "What do you want?"


    "Forgive me for what I did and let''s begin a afresh. Let''s start dating again."

 Chapter 295: Used?

    Music recommendation - Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato


    While Aria was thoroughly interrogating Noah, Ivy had reached Joshua''s house. Since the time she had found out about Joshua''s involvement in her father''s matters, she had been increasingly sweet and nice to him. It was completely contradictory to what the man had imagined. He had assumed her to go into a rage just like Aria and throw a fit at him. However, to his surprise, she was treating him better than he had expected.


    Though Ivy had moved back with her sister, they kept in contact with each other over the phone and had gone on dates whenever they were free. Sometimes, Joshua even wondered if it was all a dream and she was justing acting nice before him. He doubted all of it to be a pretense and someday, she would slap him in the face for the mistakes he had committed.


    What he did not know was Ivy was not pretending before him. She was genuinely happy and satisfied that her man had taken care of her father when she could not. She had been angry at first when she had found out the truth. But when she had analyzed it calmly, she understood their motives. Though their path was wrong, their intentions were not. There was no use throwing a fit at him when she knew neither he nor she would leave each other.


    Joshua had already apologized for his mistakes and that was all she needed. There was no time for her to prolong this matter as she had other matters to attend to. Even though she was not angry, she did not try to alleviate Aria''s anger either. She did not want to interfere with things that were not related to her. Ivy understood her sister''s stance and she was right. Aria had all the right to be angry and if Ivy had not been a journalist and had not seen those criminals and monsters with her own eyes, she too would have been in a state similar to Aria.


    Ivy''s rationality was not taken over by her anger and she could see things clearly. It was true that clearly the three men who were in the wrong and they had to be punished. But not right now, not when there were people who were behind her father. She had to first solve the issue and only then would she take care of her man.


    Ivy did not barge onto Joshua''s house like she used to do when she was staying with him. At that time, she stayed in this house too and it would have been perfectly fine. But now, although she was his girlfriend, she could not barge in like the house belonged to her. What if he had guests? It would only make things awkward and embarrassing.


    She waited a few minutes after signing the bell before Joshua opened the door for her. He was wearing a loose fitted shirt and cargo pants and he stared at her before his lazy eyes lit up seeing her. He opened the door wide and welcomed her in. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"


    Though Joshua was happy seeing her here, he could not help but worry and assume things. She had told him that she would move back only when Aria and Noah got back together and seeing the current situation, it was something that would take a long time. His thoughts ran wild and he immediately imagined something to have gone wrong.


    Ivy''s heart jumped hearing his endearing words. Whenever he addressed her as sweetheart, she could feel her legs go jelly and her ovaries bursting. The man''s sexy voice made her feel so good and satisfied. "Relax, everything is perfectly fine. It''s just that Noah came to speak to Aria and I did not want to be an intruder. So, I left them alone and came here."


    Her answer pleased Joshua greatly and the next instant, he pulled her into his arms. How long had it been since he last held her like this? It had been only a week, but to Joshua, it felt like ages and centuries. Since the time she had moved back, they had not touched each other and now that Ivy had delivered herself to him, he could not help but smile wickedly at her.


    Ivy could guess what the wolfish man had in mind. But the question was would she allow him to get what he wanted? No way. Even if she was not as angry as Aria, she could still get her revenge from him. The man deserved it in this case, so why not?


    "What are you trying to do?" Ivy raised her eyebrows, alarmed at his behavior. His overly enthusiastic hands were roaming all over her body, tickling Ivy in the process.


    "What am I doing?" Joshua asked innocently, yet his hands did not stop their work. His hands slipped inside her shirt and he caressed her waist making Ivy stiffen. Nobody was in the house and he could do anything he wanted and anywhere he wanted. But he knew Ivy would not be that cooperative with him with his second thought. So, he led her to his room slowly as he kissed her lightly on her cheek.


    As soon as the stepped inside, he pulled her closer and kissed her lips with a loud sound. Oh gosh!! How long had it been since he kissed her to his heart''s content? Every time they met in the last week, it would just be a small peck and that''s it. Nothing more. How could a man like Joshua who had finally found his love tolerate this and starve himself? Now that he had got the opportunity, he would grasp it tightly and devour the woman in his arms.


    The kiss was passionate and long. His tongue was playing havoc in her mouth while hers was trying as hard as she could to match up with his pace. Joshua''s hands were on her back and her hair, keeping her in her place while Ivy had her hands entangled behind his neck. The kiss was too good that nobody wanted to break it. However, the irritating thing called anoxia made them to stop their work and take deep breaths. A thin strand of saliva was connecting their lips as they panted heavily.


    The man attacked her lips when he saw that she had calmed down. Joshua led her to his bed slowly as he pushed her lightly towards it, not breaking their kiss. He then eased her ponytail before he attacked her lips again. However, to his surprise, Ivy stopped him. He pulled back with a questioning gaze on his face when he noticed her excited look. "Let me."


    That was all she said and the next second, she flipped him over and sat on top of him, startling him. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked at her with newfound excitement. He was thrilled now seeing her bold move and waited in anticipation to see what she would do next.


    Ivy leaned down to kiss him on his lips and slowly those delectable lips traveled south as she undid his shirt button before she removed them and threw them away. She then stared at his sexy body, her eyes shining with admiration. The man under her had body which she had dreamt of. He was more handsome than anyone she had known and was very delighted that this delicious meat belonged to her. How lucky was she to get a man of this caliber and gentlemanly?


    Joshua noticed her lustful gaze and smiled widely. He could see that his woman liked his body as much as he liked hers and what more did he need? He waited for her next step and the next instant he grunted when she attacked his neck. She bit it twice before he licked it to soothe his pain. She then peppered kisses all over his torso rendering the man in a blissful state. Joshua was flying high in the shy and it was all because of the woman who was on top of him.


    Slowly, both his trousers and boxers were off his body and the man groaned when he felt her hands holding his already slightly erect body part. It felt so good to have her soft hands caress his manhood and the next instant, he started climbing high.


    Seeing the man enjoying what she was doing, Ivy increased her pace only to be stopped by him suddenly. "Don''t. Take it slow sweetheart. Let me enjoy it more."


    Ivy could not help blush at his words and she bit her lower lip in embarrassment. But the man who saw her teeth biting her lips felt the temperature of his body rise and he could not help but kiss her as her hands continued to do their work. The man''s lust and desire had reached new peeks, especially after he saw her seductive look when she had bit her lip and he was thoroughly relishing what Ivy was doing to him. Her lips and her hands were making him lose control and he was just short of reaching the tip of the mountain when Ivy stopped suddenly.


    Ivy had felt the man to be close to his release and she had to stop before he reached his ecstasy. She was not going to give him what he wanted, not this time. This time, it was a punishment for him for all the lies he had told her. No punishment was as harsh as depriving a man of his release and she knew just what to do.


    Joshua gave her one confused look only get an innocent stare in return. He was sweating slightly as he pleaded her with his eyes. But nothing happened. "Ivy, why did you stop?"


    "Why do you think?" Ivy pulled back and stood before him with her hands folded. She stared at him with a devilish smirk and the man at once realized what she had done. She had taken her revenge this way. He was not angry at her, but did he feel so used?

 Chapter 296: Responsibility

    "Ivy, this is not fair." Joshua groaned in despair. He was being tortured with the way he was being denied a release and he did not know how long he could control. He was just an inch away from the peak and now he was helpless. His body was on fire and he was sweating profusely as he tried to control his desire. But the woman remained unfazed by his begging. She stared at her with an innocent expression. But he could still detect that she was mocking him right now.


    "Everything is fair in love and war." She deadpanned and for a second, Joshua was rendered speechless. But the next second, he smiled widely, his eyes gleaming in mischief. Ivy could see the sudden changes in his emotions and she was sure that his mind was planning something, something very evil. If she was not wrong, she would be one to be attacked by him. So, before he could put his plan into action, Ivy nimbly jumped out of his bed and sprinted towards the door.


    But Ivy had underestimated Joshua. Who was he? He was a man quite famous in the Underworld. Would he allow his woman to escape this quickly without getting back at her? No way. He would take revenge from her with interest and she could not blame him either. She had clearly told him that everything was fair.


    Ivy was just short of opening the door and escaping from the wolf''s den when the wolfish man pulled her towards him by her waist. Her back hit his front and even though she was fully clothed, she could still feel the man''s hardness pressing on her butt. The man behind her was completely naked and she did not have to guess what he would do to her next. She had provoked the lion and the lion had come to eat her. How foolish was she to think that she could escape from him unscathed?


    "Where do you think you are running off to? Do you think I would allow you to leave this room today? Umm?" Without waiting for her response, Joshua turned Ivy to face him with a woosh. All Ivy could remember was facing the door as she was listening to Joshua''s words with his hot breath hitting her neck and ears when the next moment, she was twirled around and now she was facing him.


    "Sweetheart, do you think you can escape from me?"


    Ivy was speechless. Her brain had gone haywire since the time the man had held her by her waist and all her thinking and speaking capability had escaped from the window. Joshua noticed her dumb expression and chuckled lightly. He never knew that the woman, who was bold and stubborn when it came to her work, was actually this dumb in his presence. But he was wrong in this matter. Ivy was dumb, but she had the capability to come out of it immediately.


    Seeing him chuckle, she pinched his waist harshly making him howl in pain. "Woman, it pains. Control yourself."


    "Oh, do you even know the meaning of pain? I was wondering that you might have forgotten the word in your brain."


    "Woman, I am a human too. What did you think me to be, a statue?"


    "Maybe. Who knows?"


    "Oh is it? Let me show you what this statue can do now."


    With that, Joshua pushed her head towards him and kissed her hard. He did not allow her to move even an inch and dived his tongue into her hot mouth as soon as opened a little space to take a deep breath. Her mouth tasted as sweet as he had expected. He loved kissing her and every time he felt it to be more delicious than the previous time. Her lips were very addictive and every time he saw her, he had the urge to kiss her long and hard.


    Ivy too kissed him back forgetting her thoughts completely. She too liked kissing him, his thin lips were very attractive. Since it was the first time Ivy was in a serious relationship, she loved everything they did together. Those experiences were very thrilling and she was eagerly waiting for what the future held for her.


    Ivy was so lost in the kiss that she did not even realize when they were back on the bed and Joshua was lying on top of her. He broke the kiss suddenly and he pushed her fringes off her forehead. She blinked as she stared back at the man who was looking at her eagerly, with some unknown emotion flashing through his eyes. She did not know what it was but whatever it was seemed to be quite strong. For a second, she assumed it to be love. However, the next second, she cleared her ridiculous thoughts. It was quite soon for them to fall in love.


    Ivy glanced at Joshua who was smiling at her softly. Though he wanted to do things to her right now, he saw the dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired and her eyes were droopy though they were shining brightly. Joshua kissed her forehead and left her side. Ivy looked at him in confusion while the man put on his clothes. She had assumed him to take things to the next level, but he didn''t.


    When he was fully clothed, he came back to lie down beside her. He pulled her close and hugged her before he pecked her lightly on her lips. "Ivy, is everything alright?" Joshua asked her when they were lying beside her.


    His question startled her and for a second Ivy was scared that he knew what was going to do after three days. She was worried that he might have known her plans to go on a very dangerous mission and now, he was testing her slowly.


    "Yes, why do you ask?" She feigned ignorance and stared at the ceiling even though she knew he was drilling holes on the side of her face.


    "Where are you going after three days?"


    That was it. Ivy''s brain short-circuited and this time she turned to face him. His words were like a thunderbolt and it struck her hard. How did this man know about her plans? Not even her sister or her colleagues knew about it. "How?"


    "What do you think? Did you think I would not know?"


    Ivy gaped at him with shock clearly taking over her beautiful face. "How?"


    "I know everything about my girlfriend. Do you think I would ignore her, especially when she has a knack for adventure and attracting danger?"


    Ivy did not say a thing and lowered her gaze, trying to stay as meek as possible and avoid his gaze. She did not know how to face him now that he knew what she was up to. What if the man asked her not to go? Would she be able to quit doing what she wanted to do?


    "Ivy, don''t worry. I will not stop you from doing what you want to do."


    This time, again Ivy turned to look at him, her eyes flashing in admiration and surprise. She had not expected him to say such a thing. It was completely contradictory to what she had thought him to do. "What?"


    "Yes, Ivy. I will not stop you from doing what you like. You have your own identity and that is was makes you different. I''ll never stop you at anything. You are independent and you can do anything you like."


    Ivy was about to thank him for his awesome thinking. She was very touched by his thoughts and her heart was filled with warmth. But before she could speak a word, Joshua interrupted her. "But.."


    Ivy gave him one look waiting for him to continue. "But?"


    "But, you will have to take a guard with you."


    "What?"


    "Take Kaito with you."


    "But.."


    "Please Ivy. I know how dangerous your mission is and even though I cannot give you company, he will keep you safe. Please, Ivy. Agree to it for my sake. He will not stop you from doing your work. He will just keep an eye on you. Please."


    Ivy thought for some time. She knew Joshua was worried about her and all he had in mind was her safety. She could understand his feelings and warmth filled her heart. The man was worried about her and if he wanted Kaito to keep her safe, she could as well entertain his thoughts. Kaito was however not going to be a hindrance to her job.


    "Fine." Ivy agreed after a lot of thinking, much to the man''s happiness. Joshua smiled hearing her answer and pecked her again on her lips.


    "Thank you very much, Ivy. You have no idea how happy your answer has made me. It is just to keep you safe and secure. I will not have to worry much about you. Thanks a lot, sweetheart."


    "How did you find out?" Ivy asked the question she wanted to for a long time.


    "I have my sources. It is my responsibility to keep my girlfriend safe. If I do not know what she up to and what dangerous missions she is taking, it is a waste of me being here."


    Joshua''s words made Ivy to smile widely. For the last three years, other than her sister nobody had cared about her safety and now that this man had taken it upon his shoulders to keep her safe, she was so happy and ecstatic. She was so exhilarant that she could help but kiss him. This man was a gem and he was all hers.

 Chapter 297: Confession

    Song Recommendation - Eternal Love by Michael Learns To Rock


    Two hours later.


    Though it had been two hours back when Aria was still furious at Noah for hiding the truth from him. But everything vanished when she recalled Noah''s confession. She could clearly remember the words he had conveyed to her. Aria stared at the ceiling as she recalled what he had said.


    Flashback....


    "Let''s begin afresh. Let''s start dating again." Noah almost pleaded as he fixed his gaze on Aria waiting for her response. He saw her eyebrows rise up in surprise and she blinked at him in shock. "What?" Aria asked again, thinking her ears to be ringing. She assumed to be hearing things in her state of shock and wanted to confirm his words again.


    "Let''s forget everything and start dating again, Aria, I don''t want to lose you," Noah stressed on the word lose to emphasize how much she meant to him.


    "But we are already dating right?" Aria blurted out without thinking and it was only after seeing Noah''s smile did she realize what she had done. She had spoken without thinking and now she was on the shorter end of the stick. ''Why did I have to speak without thinking? Why?'' She scolded herself when she heard Noah''s words.


    "I am glad to hear that we are still in the relationship. Here I was fearing that you had ended whatever we had the day we fought. I am happy that this is not the case. Now, rest assured I can sleep well today." Noah stood up to leave as he had achieved the purpose of his visit here. But he stopped walking when he heard Aria''s voice.


    "Why?"


    Noah turned to face her, his face filled with confusion. "I don''t understand."


    "Why do you want to be with me?"


    "Because I.." Before Noah could complete his answer Aria interrupted him.


    "Wasn''t your intentions to get to me and my sister so that you could use us to find your mentor? Now that you have fulfilled the purpose, why do you still want to be with me?"


    "No, Aria. You are wrong here. My feelings for you were genuine. I never approached you with other intentions. In fact, I got to know about your relationship with Mr. West only after we returned from London. By then, we had already started dating. So, don''t doubt my feelings for you."


    "Do you expect me to believe you?"


    "Yes, I do. You can scold me, hit me, curse me, do anything you want. But don''t ever doubt my love for you." Noah said, his eyes filled with sincerity. He did not like the fact that she was suspicious about his love for her and his heart was in pain when he heard her words. The one thing that was most genuine in his world was his love for her and it would never change, never.


    His words struck a chord in Aria''s heart. ''Noah loves me. He loves me?'' She questioned his words as she tried to see if he was lying to her. Though she had long forgotten him for the things he had done and the lies he had told her, there was some part of her brain which still wanted to test his sincerity and his feelings for her. "Do you love me?"


    "Yes, I do. I love you, a lot. More than anything in this world. And I know that you love me too." Noah said as he slowly approached the woman he treasured the most in his life.


    "No, Noah. I don''t love you. I hate you, Noah. I hate you." She shouted, her eyes filled with angry tears.


    "I love you, Aria," he replied, pulling her towards him.


    "No, you don''t."


    "Yes, I do. Falling in love with you is the best thing that ever happened to me. I will always love you; today and forever." With that, he sealed her lips with his, not allowing her to move. The kiss was filled with passion and love. Noah poured all the emotions he had in his heart for her: love, longing, respect, regret, and most important of all, promise. He promised her silently that he would always love her and she was his for eternity. Although he would not force her if she was not willing to be with him, in his heart he had already made up to have her as the only woman in his life. She was his lifeline and he would not allow any other woman to occupy the special place that was exclusively meant for her. She was the queen of his heart, soul, body, and mind and that was fixed for life.


    Tears fell down slowly as Aria tried to push the man away. But the man was adamant to make her realize his feelings for her and held her tightly in his embrace. He only released her when she stopped protesting. Seeing her crying silently, he kissed those tears away, his heart twisting in pain seeing the state she was in.


    "Aria, please forgive me, I am sorry. I know I have messed things up. Please give me a chance to rectify them. I promise I will not lie to you ever again. I love you, Aria. Please."


    Aria did not say a thing. She was still relishing the kiss she had just shared with him. She had sensed all the feelings he had tried to convey to her and her mind was muddled thinking about him and his words. She could see his honesty and sincerity when he confessed his thoughts to her. He was not playing with her and his words her genuine. He really loved her and she did too. She loved him too, although not as much as him.


    Noah noticed her confused expression and sighed lightly. "Aria, tell me your answer after two days. But please think it through and make a good decision. Please don''t hurt yourself or try to suppress your feelings for me. I know how you feel about me, don''t try to lie to me about it. Most importantly, don''t lie to yourself. You can punish me however you want but please don''t leave me. Please."


    Noah left her and took two steps back. Aria had lowered her head, unable to meet the man''s loving gaze. His words had touched her deeply and the little amount of anger she had vanished after the kiss and listening to his heartfelt words. She had forgiven him completely now, his mistakes could be taken care of later. She did not need two days to answer his question. She had made a decision on the spot. Her answer was yes loved him and she needed him in her life. Aria could not even imagine how her life would be without him and how miserable it would be. Just the thought of it made her cry again.


    When she looked up after using a lot of strength, she saw Noah walking away. He was just short of opening the door and leaving the room. Aria panicked seeing him leave and her heart was shouting at her to run to him and hug him. It was now or never. But her mind was sending her conflicting signals. It wanted her to take her time and think about it. Her love life was at stake and she should not be hasty.


    In the war between her mind and heart, her heart eventually won the game and without further delay, Aria dashed to him and hugged him tightly from behind. Her sudden action shocked Noah to the core. He had never expected such a reaction from her, not this soon at least. He knew what her answer would be, he had seen her emotions clearly on her face. Her eyes were filled with love and fondness for him. She just needed some time to realize them and understand them.


    "Noah, you won. I can''t do this any longer. I can''t." Aria surrendered. She was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. She could not be angry at him any longer even if she wanted to. This man was so good and he just deserved her love and pampering, not her anger and definitely not her hatred.


    "Don''t leave me, please." Aria sobbed as she hugged him tighter, leaning against his back. She felt safe and happy in his arms and it was then she realized that she could never stay without him. This man was her home, she belonged here, in his arms. He was her happiness and seeing him sad would make him sad too. She did not know when he had taken her heart away with him, and now even her soul wanted him. He was her universe and she could not stay without his presence.


    "I am not going anywhere, Aria. I am right here, I''ll never leave you." Noah released her hold on him slowly and turned to face her. She was sobbing like a little kid and he felt bad seeing her this way. "Aria, are you trying to entice me?"


    Her words made Aria to furrow her eyebrows. She wondered what she had even done to get such a reaction from him. "What?"


    "You are so cute right now that I want to take a bite from you," Noah whispered close to her ears and immediately, her ears became red. Her cheeks were splashed with a beautiful shade of red that spread to her neck. Aria was too flustered and punched him lightly on his shoulders. The man only chuckled seeing her behavior, she was just like a cute little rabbit, lovely.


    He then remembered something she had said and he held her in his arms before gazing at her intently. "Aria repeat the words you just told me."


    Aria did not have to guess what he wanted to hear. She averted her gaze and bit her lip, as she remained silent. Noah was having nothing of it. He wanted her to speak and if she was not willing to say those three words, he would make her say them. He held her chin and lifted her face so that she was now staring at him. "Aria, please. Tell me those beautiful words."


    That was all it took for Aria to melt and she said the words which Noah wanted to hear for long. "I love you, Noah."

 Chapter 298: Become one (DaRa Couple)

    WARNING: MATURE CONTENT AHEAD (DaRa Couple)


    Read at your own risk.


    Aria was still reminiscing the day''s extraordinary events when Noah returned with a glass of milk. He saw her staring at the wall in front of her and smiled lightly. He could see what she was thinking and he too was perplexed with the turn of events. He had never expected Aria to forgive him this easily, although he knew she would eventually. It was a dream come true for him and he made a promise to himself to never lie to Aria ever again. Or else, the woman he loved the most would flip out and he would be the one at loss. Aria when angry was scarier than he had thought and he never wished to see her side again. However, angry Aria was such a turn on, but he did not want to be at the receiving end. Never.


    Noah had decided to stay for the night as Ivy had already told him that she would not be returning home and the couple could do whatever they wanted. He thanked Ivy in his mind for her quick thinking and sat beside Aria, who was still oblivious to his presence. Noah finished half of the milk before he handed the glass to Aria and the woman drank it without even taking another look at it. It was only when the glass was empty did she realize Noah sitting beside her. Aria was startled for a second before she composed herself.


    "What were you thinking?" Noah asked her after he took the glass from her and placed it on the table beside the bed. He then made her lie down and he himself lied down beside her with his left hand around her shoulder and her head on his chest. After a lot of time, he had found peace in his life and he wished time to pause right here right now. He wanted to relish the time he was spending with Aria as much as he could. His life right now was blissful and he was extremely exhilarated.


    "Nothing much. Just some stuff." Aria answered as she yawned loudly and snuggled closer to Noah''s body to get some warmth off him. She rubbed her head on his chest, it felt extremely cozy and she liked the fact that it felt nice to sleep in his arms. He was better than her pillow and now he had become her favorite personal pillow. Noah smiled at her warm gesture and pulled her closer by her waist. When he looked down, he noticed that Aria was deep asleep. Her breathing had slowed down and her eyes were shut tight. Even her hands around him had loosened and she was drifting towards the dreamland.


    Noah kissed her forehead and his lips remained there for quite some time before he released her. He hoped no other problems to come in their life, but he knew that it was impossible until the man who killed Theo and poisoned his father-in-law was still at large. He had to be dealt with before the man became a danger to his family.


    Noah let out a deep breath, closed his eyes, and drifted off to a blissful sleep after a long time, completely oblivious to the upcoming storm in his life.


    While the two couples were having a blissful time in their love lives on track, there a couple in the other part of the city where everything was not going well. Since the time Daniel had found out about Noah''s involvement in Oliver''s disappearance, he was giving a cold shoulder to Rachel.


    The day he had learned the truth from Aria, he had demanded an explanation from Rachel. He did not care if Noah was involved or not. What he wanted to know was if Rachel knew about it to not. He wanted to know if she too had lied to them just like her brother. In this aspect, Daniel was just like Aria. He hated people who lied to him, he found it even annoying to even stay in their presence.


    When Daniel had learned the truth, he had been devastated. He had not expected Rachel to hide such an important matter from him. But he also knew she had her reasons. First of all, it was her brother, not she who had taken Oliver with her, and second, she had no control over this matter. She might have had her reasons to have kept it a secret. However, he was a little vexed and had told her that he would forgive her the day Aria got back together with Noah.


    Rachel had tried everything in her capacity to make him understand her predicament, but the man was as stubborn as ever. He did not want to hear a thing from her until the matter between Noah and Aria was solved. Rachel was not at irked by his behavior, she had expected to meet such a day the day she had found out about Daniel and Aria''s friendship. Her man was a good friend, he was quite protective of the twins. He was this caring and worried about his friends, her mood immediately brightened up when she imagined how good he would treat his woman.


    Rachel was satisfied with her boyfriend. He was a true definition of a gentleman and she did all she could to pacify the angry man. She would visit him every day at his office and bring him food cooked by her personally. Though the man was not speaking to her, he did not humiliate her at least. He would eat everything prepared by her and behave the way he usually did when there were people around him.


    Daniel saw her persistence and his heart melted a little. He saw the efforts she was putting to appease him and now, even if he wanted to he could not stay furious at her. She was his darling girl. How could he bear to see her suffer?


    As usual, Rachel had come to his house carrying the box of food with her and as usual, Daniel ate it without speaking a word. While eating, he had noticed Rachel dejected face and he had decided then and there to end the fight. The woman before him was innocent and it made no sense to punish her for things she had not even done. So, the next second, after he finished eating, he pulled her towards him and kissed her with all his might. His sudden action startled Rachel. She had assumed him to give her a cold shoulder for long. However, she was surprised to see that it had ended sooner than she had thought. Happy with the outcome, she too kissed him with all her passion.


    Daniel did not waste any second and walked towards his bedroom without breaking the kiss. She tasted just delicious and he wanted more of it, more of her. His tongue was already playing with hers as they fought for dominance. He pressed on her waist eliciting a moan from her as he kicked the bedroom door impatiently. The door opened with a thud, but neither of them cared. They were so deep in their kiss that did even know when they had landed on the bed.


    Daniel stayed alone in his house while his parents stayed at a villa closeby. So, he did not have anything to worry about, nobody would disturb him. He had long wanted to take the final step with her and now the time had come for them to finally claim the other person as theirs.


    Very quickly, the clothes were on the floor and they continued to kiss each other with their naked bodies pressing on each other. Rachel could feel the man''s sexy body on her and her body could not help but shiver in delight. Though she was not a virgin, this was the first time she felt this thrilled to have sex as she was with the person she loved.


    Daniel''s lips left hers and he went down to the hollow of her throat. He kissed her throat and Rachel curled her toes in delight. She clutched onto the bed covers tightly relishing the wonderful feeling Daniel was bestowing upon her. He then lightly nibbled on her collarbone before his eyes fell on her well-developed breasts. His eyes darkened on seeing the two beautiful mounds and his semi-erect body part stood up with excitement.


    Unable to control himself, he kissed her breast while his other hand pinched her other nipple softly. His ministrations made Rachel''s thoughts to go haywire and her body arched in pleasure. The man''s hand and lips were doing wonders on her body and she was slowly giving herself to him. She was submitting herself to the pleasure and she was not even sorry.


    The man continued to showers kisses on her breasts giving both her mounds equal attention. When he was satisfied with the work he had done, he then progressed to go lower. He kissed her navel before lips kissed her soft buds. Rachel could not control herself and moaned out loud. ''Why did this feel so good?'' She wondered and concentrated on what Daniel was doing to her.


    Daniel licked his lips before he licked her soft pink folds. He continued to latch onto them as he tried to control his urge to just thrust into her. Rachel covered her mouth using the back of her hand as she tried to control her breathing. She could feel the pool of heat that was forming in the pit of her stomach and juices were already running down her thighs. Her mind lost it when Daniel licked the juices clean. Rachel stared at the man and saw him lick his lips. The scene was too erotic for her already muddled mind.


    Daniel noticed that Rachel was ready. She was wet enough for him and he too was ready. His manhood with covered with precum. All that was left was for him to take the last step. He pulled the drawer by the bedside and pulled out a condom. He pushed it slowly with his eyes fixed on Rachel who was observing his every move. At this moment, Daniel looked so handsome to Rachel that she did not want anything but clench her muscles around his erect rod.


    However, before he could plunge his rod into her hot cavern, Rachel stopped him making him groan in frustration at being stooped at the wrong time. But he respected her decision and looked at her in confusion.


    "I-I am not a virgin," Rachel confessed and averted her gaze away from him, unable to meet his eyes. She had expected him to be a narrow-minded person who valued things like and expected his woman to give her first time solely to him. However, his next words proved her wrong.


    "I don''t care. Rachel, I love you and it does not matter to me if you are a virgin or not, and let me tell you something now that we are on this topic. This is not my first time too."


    "What?" Rachel was surprised. His reaction was completely contradictory to what Rachel had expected. Her reaction disappointed Daniel. He wondered if she was dejected by his words. What he did not know was that Rachel was surprised by the fact that he did not care if she was a virgin or not.


    Just like Danny, it did not matter to her if she was his first or not. She saw his depressed expression and realized that he had misunderstood her. She chuckled lightly before she pushed herself and kissed the man she loved. "Daniel, it does not matter to me too. I love you and that is more important."


    Rachel wanted to speak more, but the man stopped her by kissing her on her lips. He then dived to kiss her pink folds again, not allowing her to grasp the situation. He was very happy with her words and when he felt her to be ready, he thrust himself inside her with full force making her arch her body.


    "I love you too, Rachel." Now they had become one in every possible way.

 Chapter 299: Call at midnight

    Rachel and Daniel lay next to each other, their bodies spent and sweaty. They were breathing heavily as they tried to come down from the high they had just reached. The sex was just too amazing for them that they did not have any words to describe it. It might be so as they were doing it with their loved ones.


    Rachel snuggled closer to Danny as she ran her hands over his bare torso. Unable to control herself, she kissed his neck before she lied to beside him. Daniel, whose body had calmed down after a long time, stiffened once again and his body started to react actively.


    "Are you trying to entice me, honey?" He asked with a hoarse voice, his eyes darkening every second.


    "Not at all. I am clearly innocent here." Rachel replied with an innocent expression. However, her look screamed that she was anything but innocent. Her eyes were sparkling in mischief and Daniel did not have to guess what she was trying to do. She was clearly testing his limits.


    "I think you want to go for another round. If so, you should have just told me. I will never say no to you." With that, he immediately shifted his body and went on top of her as he caressed her cheek slowly and lovingly.


    "What are you talking about? I don''t understand." Rachel tried to feign ignorance, but her eyes gave away.


    "Acting ignorant is not going to help you this time. You will only entice me more and this time, I''ll make sure you will not try to come up with new tricks anymore." Not allowing the woman under him to speak any further or to object, Daniel kissed her fervently and their heated session started once again. Rachel did not even have the time to protest as Daniel had possessed her mind and body once again and she was dragged away into the storm.


    It was only an hour after midnight did Daniel take pity on the woman who was thoroughly drained and allowed her to rest. Rachel was too exhausted even to move her body and she just cuddled the man beside her and drifted off to sleep. Seeing her adorable face, the thoroughly satisfied man kissed her forehead before he got off the bed and took a bath to clean himself. He then brought a wet towel and wiped his sleeping beauty clean.


    Daniel was just about to lie down beside her when he received a call from prison. He was flabbergasted to see get a call at this time of the night and more so seeing the person who was contacting him. He took a look at Rachel who was still sleeping, completely oblivious to the phone call. Not wanting to disturb her, he went towards the window and answered the call.


    It was a call from the prison where his uncle, Jack was being detained. He was the same man who had tried to attack him in his own office and sow discord between Daniel and his parents. But to Daniel, he was the man who showed him the truth about him being an orphan and it was due to him that he found out how much his parents loved him.


    He wondered why the warden was calling him when he was completely unrelated to him. The man was nothing but a criminal in his eyes and was not even worth living. But what he heard stunned him. He did not know that the man wanted to meet him and had created huge chaos in the prison, in the middle of the night by threatening to kill himself using the knife he got from god knows where if he did not meet his nephew.


    Having no other choice, the prison warden had asked permission from the higher authorities and had called Daniel to inform him about the matter immediately. Daniel listened to the warden silently, his eyes darkening, this time in anger. Even though the man was in jail, he was still trying to create havoc in his life. What did the man even want? Why can''t he let him and his family live in peace?


    If he wanted a put a full stop to this matter, he had to visit the man personally. Daniel assured the warden that he would visit the man first thing in the morning. It was better to deal with him soon rather than allowing him to mess up his peaceful life. Daniel pressed his forehead as he ended the call and looked outside, his face masked with worry. ''What does the man want from me? Why does he want to me and not my Dad when he is the one he should be meeting?''


    Daniel shook his head thinking about the upcoming headache. He just hoped that nothing disastrous would strike his family and he definitely did not want Rachel to be pulled into his family drama. She already had a lot on her mind with the way Jared was disturbing her at the opportunity he got. Though Noah had made sure to keep the man as far away as possible by appointing guards for her, he still could not help but worry about his woman. The man was a threat until he was alive.


    Daniel padded softly towards the bed and lied down beside her. He pulled her closer to assure himself that the woman he loved was actually beside him and this not his hallucination. Only after his heart was calm, did he fall asleep with Rachel in his arms.


    The next day, Rachel rolled on the bed as she tried hard to open her eyes. Her body was in pain and she groaned in discomfort. She felt weary and his legs felt as though they had lost all their senses, she could not even feel them. She stretched her arms to ease off the discomfort on to hit something, rather a someone who was sleeping blissfully beside her. She then remembered what had transpired the previous night and she blushed furiously, her cheeks blotched with a beautiful shade of red.


    Rachel shifted her body to stare at the handsome man in front of her and gazed at him with love and fondness. The man was truly very charming and his face was quite attractive. She had seen quite a fair share of sexy and handsome men around her with Joshua, Noah and Ian who were in her life since childhood. But to her, her man was the most gorgeous and sexiest. Everything about him made her want to love him more. Unable to stop herself, she pecked his lips.


    Daniel who had got up right at the moment she had hit him with her arms, had been waiting to see what was she up to. But he did not expect her to sneak a kiss first thing in the morning. "Are you trying to seduce me again as soon as you got up, darling?" Daniel asked without opening his eyes, startling the woman who was still admiring his striking features.


    She stared at him wide-eyed as Daniel slowly opened his eyes to see her. He pulled her closer by her waist as he murmured in his sexy voice, "Are you still craving for more? Do you want a repeat of yesterday''s session?"


    Though Rachel was truly mesmerized by the man''s desirable voice, she was more startled by his words. The man was very shameless and she only found out about it yesterday. Why didn''t she notice it before? She panicked hearing his suggestion. Though she loved whatever they did the previous night, she could not go through it once again. She felt as though she had run a thousand miles with the way her body was sore all over and if the man wanted to do her again, she was sure she could not take it.


    "No, no. I don''t want to do anything. N-No." Rachel stuttered, trying to move away from the man who was staring at her with his wolfish eyes. She noticed that he was acting abnormal and followed his line of sight only to see that the man was ogling her naked chest. It was only then did she realize that she was bare before him. Rachel shrieked in panic and pulled the duvet to cover herself. She did not want the man to get the wrong signals and start with another session once again. She wanted a break, she was too tired.


    Daniel chuckled seeing his woman''s adorable face and he leaned towards her to kiss her forehead. "Relax, I''ll not do anything to you, not today at least." He smiled at her and his thoughts went back to the phone call he had received a few hours back. He wondered whether to tell the woman about it but decided against it when he noticed her tired face. He decided to first meet the man and find out what he wanted.


    "Rachel, are you going to work today?" Daniel asked after a lot of thinking. He wanted her to rest for another few hours. She looked like she needed some more sleep and he did not want her to go and work in this state.


    "Yes. But I''ll go after lunch hour. I am too tired to even move and anyway, there is not much to do today. If there is anything important, my assistant will give me a call."


    "Good, sleep for some more time. I have to meet someone. So, I''ll have to go. I''ll keep the breakfast ready for you." Daniel pecked her lips and got off the bed. He sighed and went inside the bathroom looking forward to his meeting with the man, who unbelievingly, was his uncle.

 Chapter 300: Prison visit

    Daniel drove towards the prison to meet the man who had once tried to harm him. However, before that, he had not forgotten to prepare breakfast for his beloved who at that moment was fast asleep. He knew she would be tired with the amount of exercise they had done the previous night and she would be in no mood to cook for herself. At least, he could help her in this matter for all she had to go through because of him.


    Daniel smiled as he remembered his gorgeous girlfriend. Her gentle yet confident smile was what he liked the most about her and it was she who made him want to give her happiness in the world. And why not? She deserved it.


    However, his expression changed as he approached the prison gates and a serious look masked his handsome face. He looked more serious than he would be in the court hall whenever he was fighting a case. The prison guards checked his identity and his belongings before they allowed him to go in. After making an entry in the register, he was led to the meeting rooms and was asked to wait for a few minutes.


    It did not take long for Jack to come to meet him. The man was led by two guards, his handcuffs still intact. He was in his prisoner uniform and Daniel concluded that this uniform suited him the most. Though the man had been in jail for months, he did not look like he was leading a miserable life. There was no remorse on his face and it looked as though he was living a life of comfort and happiness.


    This did not come as a surprise to Daniel when he saw him after a long time. He had known his criminal background and he knew that this man was a frequent visitor to the prisons for the petty crime he had committed. So, there was no doubt that this was just like a home to him, a very comfortable home.


    The man was smiling all the way from his cell this the meeting room. He knew that his little act the previous day would surely alert the guards and he would be allowed to do as he wanted. They would bring the man he wanted to speak and right now, all he wanted to do was speak to his nephew. His first attempt at getting his hands on his brother''s properties had gone in vain. But he would not admit this easily, not when he had a trump card with him.


    Jack knew that his good brother had not told the truth about his son''s birth. The man must have hidden it thoroughly. But there was nothing to worry about when he was here. He would make sure all the secrets his awesome brother had hidden to come in front of his nephew. His main aim was to destroy the family that sent him to jail. It was all that he was looking forward to.


    Daniel did not say a word when he saw his uncle in front of him. The man resembled his father a lot. They had the same facial structure and eye color. The only contrasting feature was their hair color. While Daniel''s father, Arnold had dark brown hair, Jack had pitch-black hair. Also, the man who was sitting opposite to him had cunningness oozing out of eyes his face while Daniel''s father was a very gentle and kind man.


    Just like Daniel, even Jack observed his nephew and he smiled when he noticed his familiar features. His smile broadened when he thought about the plan he had in mind and how in just a matter of a few hours, his brother''s family would be destroyed. He could not help but look forward to it.


    Jack was always jealous of his brother for his wonderful personality and his ability to make money. The man was better than him in all aspects and had made a name for himself in the country while he had been nothing but useless. He had wasted his time gambling and losing the money he had received as his inheritance while his brother had used to build a law firm. Arnold had got everything in life, from riches to a beautiful wife and a filial son while he had nothing with him except was a good for nothing wife and daughter who knew only to spend his money. What he did not realize was that his entire family was the same with him being a leader at being useless.


    Daniel waited for the man to start speaking but he sensed that he had no intention to do so even after a long time had passed. His patience was wearing thin now and all he wanted was to get out of this place. He never liked this wicked man. The two times he had met him had been a disaster to him. The first time, the man had tried to harm him and the second time he had tried to wreak havoc in his family. He hated this man who brought great grievance to his family. His patience was wearing thin and he realized that Jack would not start speaking until prompted.


    "Why did you want to meet me?" Daniel spoke after some time.


    "Ahh, the man speaks. And here I was wondering when my nephew would actually let out a word from his mouth." Jack said with a sarcastic smile on his family.


    "If you are here to entertain me with your nonsense, then it''s best I leave from here. I find you and your words highly annoying." With that, Danny stood up and turned to leave only to be stopped by the irritating man.


    "What''s the rush? Don''t you want to listen to what I want to say?"


    "No, I am not interested," Daniel replied curtly. He was done entertaining this nuisance of a man and he knew nothing good would come out in his presence. The man was a jinx to his family and it was best he stayed away from him.


    "Hey hey hey." Jack stood up suddenly, stunned by his nephew''s answer. He did not expect him to disregard his words just like that. He had things to tell him and he would not allow him to leave without listening to them. He had made up his mind to destroy the peace and happiness in Arnold''s family and he would achieve it at all costs.


    Seeing him get agitated, the guards pushed him back to his seat and the man howled in pain. It was no joke that the guards here were horrible and he had experienced their strength first hand whenever he had tried to go against the rules or had demanded something from them. He took a deep breath, he had to remain calm if his plan to work effectively.


    "Don''t you want to learn the truth about your birth?"


    This time his words caught Daniel''s attention. He stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to face the man who was smiling widely at him. Daniel''s face was filled with fury and if they were not separated by a glass window, he would have surely punched his face. This man was annoying as hell.


    "Do you have amnesia or something? How many times are you going to use the same trick on me? I know that truth and I know I am an orphan. You do not have to rub it on my face every time we meet and even if you do, it will not affect me anymore. My parents love me more than you can ever imagine and that is enough for me." Daniel spat, his eyes turning deadly.


    Seeing his angry face, even Jack was scared for a second. "Who told that you are an orphan?" He questioned with a slight glint in his eyes. They were shining with wickedness and Daniel was sure that man had become mentally retarded, or even worse a psychopath.


    Daniel did not answer his question, but just folded his hands and raised an eyebrow. Since he had already traveled this far, he decided to listen to what the man wanted of him. Jack smiled in glee seeing that Daniel was waiting for his words and he secretly rejoiced at his victory. He was close and all he had to do was give a push and Daniel would do everything he had in mind. It would not be him who would kill Arnold''s happy life, it would be his own son.


    "You are not an orphan nor are you unrelated to Arnold." Jack''s statement made Daniel to scrunch up his eyebrows in confusion. The man was speaking in riddles and now it was getting on his nerves.


    "Don''t twist your words. Speak directly or else, I am going to leave right away." Daniel warned him and gave him one look before his eyes went to the guard who was looking at the duo. He gave them a nod that said everything was under control and it was only then did the guard turned to look away.


    "Seeing your face and your honest reactions, I am sure Arnold has not told you about it. How wonderful! I wonder how your mother, my sister-in-law would react to this heartbreaking news. Will she divorce your father? I hope she does, there is nothing better than seeing your father lose the woman he loves." Jack said and laughed loudly like a maniac and this enraged Daniel all the more.


    "What are you trying to say?"


    "Oh Daniel, I pity you. Poor boy. You don''t even know about your birth. But there is nothing to worry about when I am here. I''ll tell you everything. You are Arnold''s biological son but Pamela is not your birth mother. Your father had a lover before he got married to Pamela and it was she who gave birth to you."

 Chapter 301: The truth

    The morning shifted to afternoon and even the sun had changed directions as it drifted towards the west as evening approached. But Daniel had not yet left the prison grounds. He was still in his car as his mind was lost in confusion and shock. The time he had spent with his uncle kept repeating like a broken record and each time his confusion only grew. He did not know how much truth it held, but again, his uncle had managed to shake his confidence and strength. He did not even feel hungry even though a lot of time had passed. It was as if he had lost all the feelings after he met his uncle.


    Daniel was so lost in his thoughts that he had not even realized the time until one of the prison guards, who had seen him sitting in his car idly without moving since the time he had come back, knocked at his window. Only after he was interrupted from his thoughts, did he realize that he was still in his car and had not moved an inch from the prison grounds. He forced a smile as he lowered the window and gave the guard, who was giving him a concerned look, a nod. He then started his car and drove away, his mind muddled with a lot of thoughts.


    Daniel knew that Jack''s words could not be trusted. But he still wanted to clarify it to stop the matter from blowing up and cause unnecessary problems to them in the future. It was better to be safe than sorry. So, he drove towards his parents'' house as fast as he could. He knew his father''s schedule and by now, he would be back at home.


    His parents were pleasantly surprised to see their son at this time of the day, especially when they knew that he had been busy at work for the last two weeks. Pamela pulled her dear son inside and hugged him tightly. She had missed him greatly and now seeing him home, she could not help smile widely. It was not his fault though. Since the day he had moved out of his parents'' house, he would visit them every alternate day or at least once every four days whenever he was busy. But for the past few days, he had been too immersed at work that he had not found time to meet them. It was no wonder that his parents missed him.


    Even Arnold was happy seeing his son, but his expression changed when he sensed something to be wrong with him. Though Daniel was smiling at his mother, Arnold could still see the worry in his eyes. It was as though he was concealing something deep within him and trying very hard to keep it that way. He knew his son well and he was an avid observant, he could see through things and it was not a surprise that he had noticed it which his wife could not.


    "Son, come inside," Arnold said as he waited for his son to bring the topic he had in mind. Immediately, Daniel gave him one look of astonishment and Arnold just nodded. Daniel realized that his father had seen through his facade which he had painstakingly donned before his mother to avoid getting her worried. He was here to confront his father, not to break his mother''s heart.


    "Dad, I have an important case to discuss with you. Can we go to your study?" Daniel said as he took one glance at his mother. Pamela was not surprised by their conversation. Daniel had sometimes visited his father to get help in cases he had difficulty in dealing with and the father and the son duo would lock themselves up for a long time in the study until they reached a suitable conclusion.


    "Sure, Pamela. Bring us some coffee." Arnold kissed his wife''s cheek and walked away with his son towards the study.


    As soon as they entered the study, Arnold''s expression changed and he narrowed his eyes. "What do you want to speak about, son? Is it something very serious?"


    Daniel did not give him an answer immediately as he did not know how to start the conversation. How could he ask his father if he was actually his birth father while he did not carry his mother''s blood? His tongue felt as though they had been weighed down by tons of lead and they refused to speak a word.


    Seeing his son''s reluctance to speak, Arnold sighed lightly. "Daniel. how will I know what the issue is if you do not voice it down? Please tell me what is bothering you. Don''t keep it to yourself." He coaxed his son to speak and this time it was quite effective. Daniel finally opened his mouth.


    "Dad, I went to meet Jack today," Daniel revealed slowly taking in his father''s expressions. But the man remained as composed as ever. He did not change his expressions nor were there any sort of changes in his eyes.


    "And?"


    "He told me some things."


    "What were they?" Arnold was still composed as he folded his hands.


    "That I am not an orphan and that you are my biological father." This time the calm face broke and shock took over his entire self. Arnold stared at his son dumbfounded as he pointed his hand towards.


    "You..You." He stuttered he took a step back and would have collapsed to the floor if Daniel had not been quick enough to hold his father.


    "Dad, Dad." He shouted when he saw his father''s pale face and led him to the couch. He made him sit down and handed him a glass of water before he patted his back, trying to soothe his father. "Dad, calm down. Don''t get agitated. Calm down."


    Arnold clutched onto the glass tightly as he took a sip from it. His eyes wavered as he thought about the words his son had just spoken and he could not help but shiver in fear. He was scared now, scared of what would happen if the truth got revealed to everyone, especially to Pamela. What if she left him after everything got revealed? Can he tolerate the heartbreak once again? Can he tolerate letting the woman he had come to love over the years go? Could he bear the loss of his woman once again? No, never. He did not want to lose his wife or his son.


    Nobody uttered a word for a long time until Arnold picked up his courage and broke the silence. "It was a beautiful day when I met your mother. She was like a breeze on a spring day making one feel warm and contented. She joined as my personal assistant after two years I started working as an attorney. We gradually became friends and later it slowly developed into love. Even my parents were happy with our relationship and our happiness doubled when we found out that she was pregnant with my child."


    Arnold stopped speaking and took a deep breath. He took another sip of water and started to speak again. "Your birth mother was ecstatic and my parents wanted us to get married as early as possible but your uncle started to create problems for our family and by the time we finished solving all of them, she was six months pregnant. Though we wanted to proceed with the wedding, she did not allow us to. She wanted to give birth first. So, we respected her wishes and pushed the wedding to a few months later."


    "But the day you were born, the doctors told us that she had suffered a lot of internal bleeding and they could not save her. She had died immediately after giving birth to you. This news devastated me and I broke down completely." Arnold could not control himself as he reminisced his painful past and he started to cry like a little kid. Tears ran down his cheeks and he trembled in his seat.


    Daniel hugged him tightly to console him. He never knew his father had gone through so much and had hidden such painful memories in his heart. Even he started to cry seeing his father cry. "After that, I was too depressed to do anything and my parents realized that it would not be good if I took care of you in the state I was in. I myself needed help, when would I take care of you? So, they took care of you more than me although we lived in the same house. After two years, they suggested me to get married and it was then I met Pamela."


    "At first, I was reluctant to proceed with the alliance. But your grandparents forced me and I don''t regret following their orders. I love Pamela a lot, more than your birth mother. She has given me everything that I could not have even imagined while I gave her nothing. She did not know the truth about you and my parents wanted to keep it that way. They did not want her to be depressed and they had decided to take care of you themselves."


    Daniel had not spoken a word since the time his father had started speaking and he continued to do so as he listened to his father silently. "By then, I was not that depressed anymore and I wanted to tell Pamela about you. But your grandparents were against it and they threatened me with their lives. They promised me that you would not hinder our lives and she would be their loving daughter-in-law. I was bound by their promise and I could do nothing. I think fate had some other things in mind. Pamela and I lost our child and you eventually became our son."


    "I am so grateful to have such a wonderful woman in my life. It was her who suggested to adopt you. Even though you are not her son, she has given you all the love and care a mother would to her child or probably even more. I am so happy to have met her." Arnold cried again as he smiled gratefully thinking about his wife. "It was she who brought me out of my depression and I will always be thankful for it."


    Arnold had revealed everything he had hidden for more than twenty-five years and he now felt that a huge boulder had been removed off his shoulder. But he had attracted a new problem and now his son knew the truth and what he feared the most was Pamela knowing the truth. He did not have any problem telling her everything. But he did not want to lose her. He had already lost his first love, he would not want to experience the same heartbreak again.


    "Dad, does Mom about it?" Daniel asked after a lot of thinking. He wanted to know if his mother knew the truth about his birth or if his Dad had been courageous enough to tell her everything.


    "I know everything." However, instead of getting an answer from his father, he heard a voice from the doorway and saw his mother carrying a tray with her as she stared at the father and son duo, expressionless.

 Chapter 302: Pamela knows everything

    The door to the study opened and Pamela entered with a tray in her hands. Daniel and Arnold stared at her in shock while the woman maintained an expressionless face. They could not make out what she was thinking but Arnold was sure that his life was ruined now. The woman who he had come to love gradually had found the truth he had kept a secret and hidden deep in his heart. Now that everything was out in the open, he was sure that his life was ruined and Pamela would leave him forever.


    "Pamela." Arnold stood up immediately and he went forward to hold her in his arms but his wife took a step back making him halt his attempts. Daniel too stood up and his gaze was unfathomable. He was trying to detect what his mother was thinking but he could find out nothing from her emotionless face.


    Pamela placed the tray on the table and took another step back. "Pamela, listen to me. Pam, please listen to me." Arnold tried to touch her again but she took another step back and held her hand in from of him to stop him from moving towards her. Her indifference broke Arnold''s heart and he could not comprehend how things had come to this way. He did not know how to salvage the situation but any which way he was not ready to lose his wife. No, he loved her dearly.


    "Pamela, please listen to me. I know I am in the wrong. I should have told you everything before, it was my mistake. But I did not want to hurt you or even lose you. Pamela, please don''t leave me, please. I love you, Pamela. Please." Arnold begged as he slipped to his knees and bent forward and apologized to her continuously. He wanted to do everything that would stop her from leaving him and even if it meant begging on his knees. He did not care if his state looked miserable or pitiful. He just wanted his wife, damn the pride and ego. They did not feed him or give him the love, it was his Pamela who he needed now.


    "Mom," Daniel too stepped forward to explain the situation to her, but the problem was he did not know what to tell her. How would any woman react when she found out that her man had another in his life before she got married to him and the worse part was that she was pregnant with his child? Moreover, now that child was now her adopted son. Will any woman take it kindly and brush it off that she was the mother of her husband''s child with another woman? No way. Not many women were that magnanimous enough to do something so great.


    Pamela folded her hands and took a glance at Daniel who stood dumbfounded before her eyes landed on her husband. He looked horrible with the way his eyes had puffed up with all the crying he had done and even now tears continued to leak down like a broken tap. His face was bent towards the ground as he did not dare to meet his wife in the eye. His heart was filled with guilt.


    "I was waiting for you to come clean for a long time and finally the truth came before me," Pamela stated, her voice steady and strong. The was still no change in her emotions but her words spooked Daniel and Arnold greatly.


    "What do you mean Mom? Did you know about it before?" Daniel asked, his eyes wide and mind completely muddled in shock. The sudden twist of events was too much for him to bear. How could he accept it that the man he had assumed to be his father, turned from his biological father to an adoptive father and again reverted back to his biological father? Was the universe playing a joke in his life? Was he a person who could be played with and did his feelings have no value in this world?


    On hearing Daniel''s question, Arnold lifted his head and stared at his wife waiting for an answer. He too wanted to know if she had known about before and if she did, why did she not confront him? Why did she stay silent all these years and how long had she known about it?


    "Yes, I knew about it long back. To be honest, I knew about it even before I got married to you." Pamela answered, her eyes boring into her husband''s head. She was still standing before him and made no attempts to make him stand up. He was on his knees as he gaped at her in horror.


    "How?" That was all he asked as his mouth had run dry in fear.


    "When I had come to visit you one day at your house, I overheard your parents speaking about Daniel. I found out everything then."


    "Why didn''t you confront me about it? Most importantly, why did you marry me even though you knew the truth?" Arnold finally found his voice and fired the questions at her. Daniel was still in shock and his mind had already lost it. He could not even comprehend what was even happening in the room. All he had in mind was that his existence was a joke to everyone and how messed up his birth was.


    He plopped on the couch the next instant and the sudden sound broke the eye contact between Arnold and Pamela. It was after seeing a pale Daniel sitting on the couch, his eyes losing all focus as he stared blankly, did they realize that he was still in the room. In the midst of the tiff between the husband and the wife, they had forgotten how much of a shock this would have come out to their son.


    Pamela was the first one to run to him and she hugged him tightly as hot tears flowed out of her eyes. She knew how devastated her son must have been and she had felt the same when she had learned the truth.


    Her alliance with Arnold had just been fixed and the wedding invitations had been sent to every relative and friend when she had found out the truth. Previously, she had only heard that Arnold''s ex-fiance had died in an accident and that was what the world knew too. But then, when she had gone to meet his parents to discuss the wedding preparations, she had overheard their talk and the truth had come forward this way before her. She had been too devastated and had shut herself down in her room for two days.


    Pamela had liked Daniel right on their first meet. She had come to like the serious man who had a melancholic aura around him when he had met her. He had been silent all the time and when they had gone to have a private talk, he had told her everything about his past leaving the truth about his son. His honesty had pleased her greatly and she had accepted to get married to him right away. Who knew her dreams would be shattered right away? So, she had decided to break the alliance with him and had gone to meet him again at his house.


    But that day, she met Daniel for the first time, and seeing the motherless child, her heart had ached and she rethought her decision. Arnold''s parents had seen her enter and had started to make plans for the wedding. The entire time, Pamela''s eyes were fixed on Daniel who at that time was just one year old. He was lying silent in his grandmother''s arms as his big eyes took in everything that was happening around him. To him, everything was new and he did not even understand how the adult''s world worked.


    Pamela''s resolve had shattered seeing the cute baby and she had decided to marry Arnold at least for Daniel''s sake. She wanted to give him the motherly love he was deprived of. But secretly, she was wishing for the Adler family to come clean in front of her. She wanted them to tell the truth themselves and she had to wait for a long time when finally, the truth came out in an unexpected way.


    It was not Arnold who had told the truth, but her son Daniel who had confronted his father and had brought it out. Arnold''s face was filled with pure shock when he heard her true thoughts and it later turned to admiration. The woman he had married was a true angel and he could not have gotten someone better. She was really a great woman, even better than his dead lover and he was blessed to have her in his life.


    Pamela noticed Daniel''s pale expression and she hugged him again. "Listen, Danny, irrespective of what happens, you are my son and nothing will change the fact. You will always be my son and you better remember that. I love my son the most even more than my husband." Pamela declared with a straight voice.


    Arnold: "...!!!!"


    Daniel, though he was sad, chuckled on hearing his mother''s words. He knew that his mother''s words were genuine and she had always loved him. She had doted on him and had taken care of him like a true mother would and he had no complaints against her. In fact, now his love for her had reached another level. There was something else in his heart that had occupied space along with love and respect for her, gratitude. He was grateful that she had accepted him as his son and he could not be any happier. His mother was truly the best.


    "Pamela, in that case, have you forgiven me for the mistakes I have committed?" Arnold asked when he noticed his wife''s serene expression. She looked to be happy and now was the time for him to beg for his forgiveness if he wanted to save his marriage.


    "You, Mister are sleeping in the guest room for a week."


    Arnold: "....!!!!!!!!!!"

 Chapter 303: Noah and Ivy join hands

    Aria was completely oblivious to the drama that was taking place in her best friend''s life. She was more concerned about mending her broken friendship with Ian. She had not spoken to him since the day she had met her Dad. Ian had, however, tried to talk to her a lot of times. But every time, she would run away before they could even meet, and at times, when they were in a group, she would give him a cold shoulder. The man had become a stranger in a few days and she was treating him as air, invisible. Even her colleagues had noticed their abnormal behavior and wondered what had happened between them.


    Now that Aria and Noah''s relationship had returned to normal, there was no need for her to stay angry with her friend. She had missed him a lot and wanted to just hug him.


    Early morning the next day, she had left to meet her friend after eating the breakfast Noah had prepared. It was the first time she was eating something prepared by him but her mind was somewhere else to acknowledge the delicious taste. She did not even realize that the food tasted different than she usually had and in a hurry, she rushed out of the house after giving a small peck on his lips.


    Noah could only blink his eyes seeing her hurry away like a hamster. Though he wanted to give her a drop till the hospital, he had not brought any new set of clothes and he had to talk about something important with Oliver. So, he did not offer her one, not that she needed it anyway. However, he was depressed that she had not complimented his food which he had prepared for her with so much love and care. There was no change in her expressions as she gobbled down the food on her plate like a baby elephant. His face darkened as time progressed and he was dumbfounded when she had not uttered a word even after licking her plate clean.


    Seeing her run away, he could only shake his head in despair and decided to get back at her later that day. He threw the plates in the dishwasher and was just about to leave the house when Ivy entered in. She had a huge smirk on her face as she raised her eyebrows playfully at him. She was grinning ear to ear and she folded her hands, blocking his way to the door. She stared at him like a school teacher who was waiting for the kid to admit his mistakes, only here she wanted him to admit something else.


    Noah saw her determined gaze and he was sure that the woman would not allow him to leave if he did not spit out the truth before her and anyway, he did not have anything to hide before her. So, he was fine with it. "We made up."


    That was all it took for Ivy to exclaim in excitement. She jumped in joy and punched her fist in the air. "I knew it. You guys had to reconcile when I was the one who planned everything." She boasted patting her back with pride and arrogance. She looked as though she had successfully cracked the solution for the most difficult on earth. Even nuclear physicists would not have been this happy after their inventions and experiments were successful.


    "Oh really? What did you plan?" Noah asked, suddenly intrigued by her words. He too imitated her and folded his hands as he gave her a questioning gaze.


    "I was the one who left you two alone yesterday. Otherwise, was it even possible for you to talk, let alone reconcile?"


    "You are right. I need to thank you for your quick thinking and help." Noah acknowledged her efforts this time and even smiled at her cheekily.


    "I don''t need your gratitude. I need something else." Ivy said mysteriously and Noah leaned forward to see what she wanted. He was interested to see what she had in mind now.


    "I want a cute and chubby niece or nephew as soon as possible. So, buck up and get to work immediately. Start producing them." Ivy said in all seriousness, her face remaining straight as she muttered those words. Noah was stunned by her demand and he could not help but let out a helpless chuckle. Ivy wanted the same thing which many people around him wanted. Everybody wanted him to make a baby as soon as possible. But nobody knew that he had not even had sex with Aria and with the speed, they were going at, he was sure that they would need at least another three years to reach the stage others were eagerly waiting for.


    Noah was yet to make love to her and these people were already demanding things as though they were a baby-making machine. How could he say that they were not vending machines that could push out babies if they inserted money into it? It was not that he did not want her, he was only making sure that she was comfortable with him before he took the step. He did not want to scare her, not when they had just got together. He would take his time with her and only when she was ready would he do all the things he had in mind with Aria and everything he wanted to do was nothing less than dirty.


    "What if I request you the same thing?"


    "What do you mean?" Ivy asked feigning naiveness when she clearly knew what the man was telling. It was better to act dumb at times when she would be the one with her neck on the guillotine.


    "I think you know what I mean. But if you want, I can elaborate it for you." Noah shrugged as though the topic was not at all embarrassing to him and smiled at her evilly. "What I meant was for you to give me and Aria a niece or a nephew. That sounds even better right?" He stressed, enunciating each word carefully as he observed Ivy''s face. Her expressions changed from ignorance to shock and finally, it settled on embarrassment. She was too shy to meet Noah''s eyes.


    Trying to ease the awkward situation, she diverted the topic the next second. "Where is Aria?"


    "She has gone to work."


    "This early?" Ivy asked perplexed. It was only eight now and usually, her sister''s day shift did not start before ten unless there was an emergency.


    "Yes."


    "Did she have breakfast?"


    "Yes, I made sure she did."


    "Good. My forgetful sister has the habit of skipping breakfast sometimes. So, I make sure that she completes her food every morning."


    "I''ll make note of that. Ivy, I wanted to speak to you about something important." Noah''s face became serious all of a sudden and seeing him, even Ivy''s playfulness vanished.


    "Sure. Tell me."


    "Shall we sit?"


    "Yeah, sorry."


    "Ivy, I needed your help in something." Ivy nodded for him to continue and Noah spoke when he noticed that he had Ivy''s complete attention.


    "I want to track down all the people who killed my mentor and poisoned your father. I want your help in this matter."


    "Sure. I can help you with this because this is the next case I am working on."


    "What do you mean? Do you know something?"


    "Not exactly. But one of my sources informed me something about organ traffickers. He has sent me a location where the local dealers are going to meet."


    "What do you mean by local dealers?" Noha asked suddenly making her halt from speaking. He did not know much about this issue and he wanted to make sure he had all the information he needed before he took the step to deal with this issue.


    "Local dealers are the ones who operate and work in that particular city. They are in charge of hospitals in that city and it is like their area. These people are the ones that kidnap people and send them to the hospitals which are involved in these kinds of crimes. Also, they are the ones who send all the information to the higher-ups. To put it simply, they are like the department managers in your company."


    "I understood now. What have you found out?" Noah nodded at her and her words sunk in.


    "My source told me that there is a meeting that will be held in the city and many dealers from other cities would be here too. There is a possibility that the mastermind might come here. But I doubt that."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "Put yourself in his shoes and think about it. If I were him, I would not want many people to know who I am and how I look, lest they should get back at me when the police or someone caught them. It is better to operate behind the scenes and have control over the situation. If I am not wrong, his trusted subordinates will be the ones to lead the meeting."


    "Hmm." Noah was impressed by Ivy''s analyzing skills and she was really an amazing person. Her mind worked better than he had imagined and he had to give credit for her keen observational skills and her knack for not missing even a small point.


    "When is the meeting taking place?"


    "In two days."


    "Two days? Are you going to go alone? No way. I am not going to allow you to go alone." Noah''s voice changed all of a sudden and he stared at her, his eyes sending out orders to not go against him.


    "Don''t worry. I am not going alone. Do you think your friend and my possessive boyfriend will allow me to do that? He has ordered Kaito to accompany me."


    "Good." Noah finally relaxed. If Kaito was going with her, then he had no worries. The man was quite talented and he was the one person Noah could trust to keep someone safe after Ronnie.


    At that moment, Ivy remembered something and she pushed herself straight from her slouching position. "Noah, I need your help with something."


    "Go ahead." He prompted, his eyes thinking about something she could not fathom, but she ignored it.


    "Can you help me to find someone?"


    "Who?"


    "When I was going through all the hospitals that were shut down after my Dad performed a sting operation on them, I noticed a person with the surname Grimes in every hospital''s management. It looked like he or she was a trustee. But what was confusing was, every hospital had a different person with that surname. Some were males and some females. I tried to search for their information, but I found nothing."


    "Grimes? Why does this surname seem familiar to me?"


    "Do you know them?"


    "I don''t know but I feel that I have heard that name somewhere. Anyway, I''ll try to find out about them." Noah furrowed his eyebrows thinking hard where he had heard it, but he could not remember anything.

 Chapter 304: Hurling profanities

    Meanwhile, Aria did not know a thing about Noah and Ivy''s intentions. Neither Ivy nor Noah had disclosed anything before her and she was interested in right now was to make up with Ian. She knew that her not talking to him had made him miserable and had seen it on his face when she had given him a cold shoulder whenever he had tried to speak to her.


    Though he was her senior at college and her superior at the hospital, he was still her good friend and she did not want to continue the cold war any longer. The man was truly yearning for her forgiveness and it was high time she forgave him. She had received the information that Ian was working the night shift that day. Although he was a surgeon and had the experience, he still worked as a resident doctor as it was his passion to treat his patients, unlike other surgeons who worked only for a certain number of hours per week.


    It was his passion for his work that had motivated Aria to do the same and she too was working like the other junior doctors who had to work longer hours than surgeons. Aria had still had an hour so before Ian''s shift ended, yet she rushed to meet him, lest she should miss him somehow. It was not that she could not speak some other time, but she wanted to get done with it as soon as possible. She did not want to prolong their misunderstanding.


    But to her annoyance, the first person she met on her way was Mason, the guy who had spiked her drink in London. Since the time they had known each other, she had tried to maintain a safe distance from him as she had sensed bad vibes from him. But after that day, she simply loathed. The man was worse than termites and she did not like seeing his face.


    Aria wanted to avoid him as always but the man blocked her way, not allowing her to leave him. How long had it been since he last saw her? He wondered as he stared at her with desire. He had not seen her for a long time now since the time she had gone to the borders and when she had returned, he had been on leave. So, this was their first meeting after her return and he did not want to let her go without taking a good look at her.


    The way Mason ran his eyes over her body disgusted Aria. She knew that the man was nothing but a hooligan but had assumed that he would at least maintain work ethics. Who knew that the man was this sickening. She just wanted to get out of his sight. His mere presence was making her puke.


    However, as soon as she took a step away from him, he closed in on her making Aria glare at him. But the man only returned a smile at her loving the way she looked right now. He had got her where he wanted.


    Aria and Mason were in the corridor that led to the cardiology department near the VIP wards and since it was still early, not many people were present around them. Once in a while, they would see a ward boy or a nurse at the other end. But nobody came to the place where Aria and Mason were standing.


    "What''s the rush sweetheart? Let me take a good look at you." Mason cooed as though he was talking to his girlfriend and this made Aria all the more nauseating. She just wanted to leave this place as early as possible now.


    "Mason, leave my way," Aria demanded, glaring at him with all the anger she had for him. But the man shook his head and grinned evilly. Aria could notice the man''s horrible intentions and she huffed in anger. "Let me go, Mason." She ordered and took another step back only to see the man taking another step towards her. "I said let me go." This time her voice and Mason panicked a little.


    The corridor was almost deserted and if she rose her voice, there was a high chance that people nearby could hear her. In order to stop her, he shut her mouth with his hand. Oops. Bad step. Now he had invaded her personal space and this something she could not tolerate. The next second, she smacked his hand and gave Mason a tight slap on his face. The loud smack reverberated in the narrow corridor and Mason looked at her in shock. He had never her expected to slap him not that she did not know how to.


    "You disgusting creature. Didn''t I tell you to stay away from me? How dare you cross your lines. I am going to chop off your balls if you come near me again next time." Aria seethed, her eyes raging in fury. She did not even care that she was spouting vulgarities to him. The man deserved it anyway. "You are only allowed to talk to me if there are matters related to work and maintain five feet distance from me. Otherwise, I will make sure you cannot make babies anymore."


    With that, she walked away, leaving a stunning Mason staring blankly at her. On the way, he also heard her grumble, "Now the need to sanitize mouth. How annoying!!!"


    While she still hurling curses at Mason, she noticed Ian who was observing her silently just a few steps away from where the duo had been standing. "Are you alright? Did he do something?" He asked, looking at her in concern. He had come out of the department and right the next moment, he had seen Mason covering Aria''s mouth with his hand. Just from the scene alone, he was sure that the man was harassing Aria and he was up to no good. He wanted to go and put some sense in him when Aria slapped him hard right on his face making Ian halt in his steps.


    Ian was surprised, unlike Mason who was spooked by the sudden change in Aria''s behavior. But his surprised face vanished when he heard Aria hurling profanities at Mason and the next second, he started chuckling. Who knew Aria could speak such words with a straight face at this time? But that not his mistake either. It was the first time he was seeing Aria in this situation and like any other person, Aria had done the correct thing by slapping the man.


    Aria stopped in her place when she noticed Ian standing closeby. "Did you notice whatever happened over there?"


    Ian nodded, his eyes shining in mirth. He could see that Aria was embarrassed now. Gone was the person who had threatened to chop off a man''s priced possession. She was replaced by a woman who was embarrassed about being caught by someone when she was cursing.


    "Don''t worry Aria. You did the correct thing."


    "I know. That man is a leech and it just gets on my nerves whenever I see him. I swear I am not joking when I threatened to chop off his treasure. If he wants to test me, let him come at me. I''ll show him what I can do and I''ll make sure he will end up as a eunuch." Aria''s fury which had curbed on seeing Ian, came back and this time it was a lot more fierce than before.


    "I am sure you will and I don''t doubt you on that. By the way, did he hurt you?"


    "No, he didn''t. He was just blocking my way and not allowing me to leave and then," Aria''s mouth twitched when she remembered the next thing he had done. "His hand touched my lips. Now I''ll have to wash my mouth at least ten times to make his repulsive touch go away, but I don''t even that will satisfy me."


    "What are you going to do about him? Are you going to leave him with just a warning?"


    "No way. I am not a fool to allow him to go without getting his retribution. I''ll report it to the management, though I doubt they will take strict actions against him."


    "Why do you say so?" Ian asked perplexed by her words.


    "Don''t you remember that the nurse who got harassed by him last time, complained against him and the management just gave him a warning? They did even say anything about it later. It''s like somebody out there is helping him secretly. Not sure, just a guess." Aria said as she pulled out a handkerchief from her purse and started to wipe her lips with it.


    She was so busy making sure that her lips were wiped clean that she did not notice Ian''s weird gaze. His hands were clenched in a tight fist and the man looked to be angry. He wondered why he did not know about this matter and why this issue was neglected to this extent. He could never tolerate such misbehavior, especially at his workplace. Now that he got to know about it, he would make sure that Mason would learn his lesson well, and also, it would serve as a warning to the others.


    He made a note in his and to look into this matter thoroughly and punish the disgusting man. After that, his gaze returned to normal and his eyes fell on the woman who was busy grumbling as she rubbed her lips until it had swollen a little.


    "Aria, I think you have rubbed it enough," Ian said with a chuckle.


    "What do you know how I felt when those filthy hands touched my precious lips? I felt like puking. Nobody, I repeat nobody is allowed to touch these. They are solely meant for Noah." She said with strong determination without realizing what she had blurted out. Her brain slowly comprehended her words after she had spoken and she realized that she had got carried away. She gave out a helpless laugh, tried to sway from the topic.


    "Umm, Ian, I need to speak to you." She said, this time her face becoming serious.


    "Aria, if I am not wrong, we have been talking for the last fifteen minutes."


    "Ohh, I need to talk about something else."

 Chapter 305: Impending doom

    "What did you want to talk about Aria?" Ian asked as he sipped his coffee slowly. He had been surprised to see Aria approaching him on her own rather than him running behind her seeking for forgiveness. This was a pleasant development and he was rather excited to see how it would go. He could also see that she looked way different than the Aria who was mostly angry and sulking since the last few days. Now, she was seemed happier and more enthusiastic. Even her tongue had become more fiery.


    Ian wondered what had transpired for her to undergo such a drastic change overnight. It was just two days ago that she was still angry at him and was not even ready to see his face and now, she was sitting with him, sipping coffee in the hospital canteen.


    Ian took a deep breath and decided to apologise to her again. Who knows she might just accept it seeing her good mood?


    "I am sorry."


    "I am sorry."


    Both of them said at the same time and Aria blinked twice before she burst out laughing. "We do think alike." She commented when she saw Ian chuckled lightly. Yes, they did think alike. A lot of times, their thoughts matched and they were in sync with each other. This explained why they were good friends and got well with each other. Oliver''s case was the first and the only time when Aria had quarreled with Ian and why not? He had done something bad and she was right in her spot for being angry at him.


    "Let me speak first," Ian said seeing that Aria was about to start talking. Since Ian had taken the initiative to start the topic, Aria nodded at him as she knew why he wanted to apologize. But she still wanted to hear it. She wanted to know what he had in mind and how he was going to justify himself.


    "I am sorry Aria. I know I did wrong by hiding things from you when you are a good friend of mine. But trust me, I did not have any bad intentions. It was out of goodwill and just like Noha and Joshua, I too found out that you were related to Oliver only recently. But let me tell you one thing. Even though I am sorry for hiding the truth from you, I am not sorry for doing what I did. Given a chance, I think I would still do the same if that could keep you and your family protected."


    Ian spoke without giving any break in between in words. He wanted Aria to know how genuinely sorry he was, but also how right he was at keeping the secret from her. He had done everything to keep Oliver safe. If the twins had known the truth, then there was a chance that the West family would have become extinct by now.


    "I know Ian. I know that you had goodwill at heart. Noah has told me everything and for this, I will accept your apology. If I think about it from your perspective, you are correct in some way and if I were you, maybe I would have done the same too. So, I don''t blame you now."


    "Are we good then?" Ian was excited to hear her words and he looked at her expectantly.


    "Yes, definitely." Aria smiled at him warmly and right now, there was nothing more reliving to Ian than getting his good friend back.


    "Thank you." He said sincerely, his eyes smiling at her for her big heart. But the next second, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Why did you apologize to me?"


    "For putting you through this misery and being angry at you."


    "In that case, can you take my next night shift? It will make me very happy and I will forgive you sooner." Ian suggested, with a wicked smile on his face. His eyes were gleaming in mirth and seeing his face, Aria was confirmed that her friend was back.


    "Sure, you take my night shift. I''ll take yours and we call it even. What do you say?" She threw back a suggestion of her own, making him lose his sanity. The Aria he had known had a fiery mouth, but right now it seemed like it had amplified by dozens with the way she was shooting words at him rendering him speechless.


    "Aria, why do I feel there''s something different about you?"


    "You do? Maybe I have become more charming, sexy and intelligent." She flipped her hair trying to appear like a woman with attitude.


    "The better word is narcissistic. You have become a narcissist." Ian scoffed as he folded his hands. The Aria before him had become more interesting and attractive and he wondered what had caused the change in her. He then thought of the answer and came to the conclusion himself. Maybe Kevin''s death and meeting her Dad had made her stronger and more confident.


    "You have to be a narcissist to be able to reach the top. Don''t you think so Dr. Ian?" Aria questioned with a playful smirk and seeing her attitude, Ian had a feeling that she knew something which he could not deduce from her quick reactions.


    "Why do I feel that there is something wicked running in your mind?" Ian asked, his face turning a little serious.


    "What do you think?" Aria threw the question back at him and raised her eyebrows.


    "I hope you are not thinking of doing dangerous."


    "Relax, I am not Ivy." Aria assured him and seeing that he was satisfied with her answer, she muttered under her breath, "I am Aria and I do things which no one can comprehend."


    "Did you say something?"


    "Did you hear something?"


    Ian narrowed his eyes trying to see through Aria''s motives, but the woman as ambiguous as ever and he could not deduce a thing. She only smiled at him mysteriously. "My shift is going to start soon. Are you going to leave now?"


    "Nope, not yet. I have some work to finish before I leave. In fact, I want you to come with me." Ian wanted to take care of Mason first. The man had done everything he wanted to by harassing women at his workplace and being the head of the hospital how could Ian take it lightly? No way.


    "Where?"


    "To the higher-ups. Let''s go and complain about Mason. He needs to be thought a lesson and I will make sure he learns a good one at that."


    "Ohh right. I forgot."


    Aria and Ian then went to lodge a complaint with the management and only after getting assured by them did Aria leave. She wanted them to take strict action and she was not going to settle for anything less.


    However, Ian did not leave immediately after. He got to work and issued a notice right away without asking anyone about it. He did not need the higher-ups'' opinions to make decisions especially when it involved the well-being of his employees. No. It was his responsibility to take care of them and he would make sure that everybody had a peaceful and happy environment around.


    He issued a notice right away and within a short moment, the entire hospital got to know about it. Mason was asked to report to the management and a thorough investigation would take place against him. Ian did not want people to get suspicious about Mason getting punished without anybody knowing about it. He wanted everyone to know what had happened and why Maon was being punished. So, he followed the normal protocols while issuing the notice. He wanted to make sure that Mason would be punished the regular way, only this time he would have to face his wrath. And since it was an issue brought up by someone who owned the hospital, the management could not ignore it too, not when Ian himself was the witness.


    After doing his work, he then ordered his staff to instruct Mason to report to the management within fifteen hours. Otherwise, he would be fired immediately. Though he had taken all these measures, he still had one step left. He had to inform Noah about it, he had the right to know what had happened to his woman in his absence. It was best he got to know before it was too late lest the man should release his beastly side and attack Ian for not informing him in time.


    The man answered his call immediately. It was as though he had predicted Ian to call him at this time of the day. "What do you want?"


    "Can''t you greet me properly?"


    "Don''t try to behave like Jo. It does not suit you." Noah deadpanned and this made Ian shut his nonsense immediately.


    "Fine, you win. I wanted to inform you about something. Take good care of your women. There is a guy named Mason who works in the hospital and has set his eyes on her. The guy is a rogue and he is not good news. Though I have filed a complaint against him and will make sure that he gets punished, I wanted to inform you lest you should get back at me for not taking care of your woman."


    Noah''s eyes turned furious after hearing Ian''s words. His face darkened and his anger had reached the highest peak now. Someone tried to harass his woman. How dare he? Was he courting death? It looked like it was time to get some blood on his hands. How long had it been since he last killed someone? He wondered and the next instant he realized that he had not touched anyone since the time he had met Aria. Wow, that was a first.


    ''Wait a second. Why does this Mason name sound familiar?'' He pondered and he did not have to think long. He remembered that it was the same mean who had made Aria drunk in London. This time his anger subdued and he let out a sinister smile. It was a smile that said that he was out for blood. "I got it. I will take care of him myself."


    On the other side, the guy in question did not know a thing and was busy traveling in his dreamland after his hectic night shift. He had no idea of the impending doom that he had attracted himself.

 Chapter 306: Who are the Grimes?

    Noah now knew that the man named Mason had ill intentions towards Aria and she being his woman, how could he just stay still and do nothing? When Ian had told him about Aria slapping the scumbag, Noah had been delighted. His woman was the best and she knew how to handle people like these even if he was not around her. However, he still could not sit back and watch her fighting those hyenas all alone. He had to do something and he knew perfectly well how to get back at the man who dared to touch his darling girl.


    His blood had boiled when Ian had told him how the man had touched her lips and all he wanted to do was to chops off those filthy hands that had even graced her beautiful lips. Her lips belonged only to him after her and only he was allowed to touch them and kiss them. How dare a lowly filth even think about her!!


    Though he wanted to go over and chop off his limbs one by one, he did not want to rush through the punishment. It would not be that entertaining and a man like Noah preferred hunting his prey slowly but precisely. He would give them a chance to think that they had an opportunity to escape only to end up right in his trap. Noah would make sure that the man learned a lesson but not right now. He would wait until the man has been issued a warning, or even better a pink slip by Ian. He would then strike at him adding another load on his misery.


    He had made a trip to the training arenas where Tim was being housed. He wanted to get some details from him about Jared and his next motives. However, before that, Noah had asked Joshua to find out anything about the people with the surname Grimes, but the man had ended up nothing. He could not find anything about them, not even a small detail or a word. It was as though there was no family at all with that surname who was associated with hospitals or the medical field.


    This only meant one thing. The people had come with an alias and their actual name was something else. He now wanted to know the truth and had come to meet Tim, expecting him to know something at least. The man was inside a fighting arena and was releasing his stress and frustration on a punching bag. From the way the bag moved with every strike, it was clear that the man knew how to fight. He had undergone hellish training and he knew exactly what to do. The man was not a novice to these kinds of things and just a matter of a few days, since the time he had arrived, he had earned everybody''s respect.


    All the men stared at him with admiration and this was something new to the man who had been trained under Jared where nobody appreciated anybody for their achievements. They were just treated as slaves whose work was to just follow Jared''s orders. Only after seeing Noah''s training center, he realized how different the two people were. While one wanted the men to follow him as slaves for life, the other wanted the men to help him in life.


    The life here was way different than he had imagined and or even seen. It was a complete contrast to what he had experienced before. Everybody here respected him even though they knew he had been a criminal once. They treated him as a brother and for the first time, Tim understood the meaning of brotherhood. He was relieved that he had made the correct decision at the correct time, or else his life would have been ruined.


    Also, there were many females trainees too with him and men respected the ladies just like gentlemen. They never spoke ill about them even behind their backs and every person would help each other out. If this was the same case at Jared''s den, then the females would have been harassed until they could not take it anymore. He had heard the lewd remarks some men had passed at Maggie when she had first joined Jared''s gang.


    Noah came to him directly instead of calling him to speak in private. Everybody here was trustworthy and had sworn their lives to protect the man who had given them new lives. He was their life savior and they would not do anything that would harm him. This was also against their morale to betray the person who saved them.


    "What do you want to speak about?" Tim asked curiously, his eyes blinking at Noah. They were right outside the arena and were sitting on the resting bench. Although Noah did not care about other people''s presence, the men had exited the room themselves giving them some privacy to have their talk without being disturbed.


    However, before Noah could speak to him, his phone rang. "What is it, Jo?"


    "I have tried everything I can, but I highly doubt there is anybody with that surname who seems to be suspicious. Are you sure you have got the name right?"


    "Yes, it was the surname Grimes. I am a hundred percent sure." As soon as Noah took the surname, Tim''s expression changed and his eyes widened suddenly. He was shocked to the core as though he was struck by lightning. But the next second, the man composed himself. However, Noah had seen his swift change of expressions and he cut the call immediately.


    "Do you know anybody who has the surname Grimes?" Tim was perplexed now not because Noah had asked him the question, but because Noah had asked about a name that had created havoc in the city. He knew everything about the surname. However, he could not tell why he was asking about it.


    Seeing his reaction, Noah was sure that he had got his answer. The man had expressed his emotions clearly on his face and now if he lied about it, then it would only make Noah suspicious of him. To his surprise, Tim came clean before him.


    "Yes, I know many people with that surname. Before I answer any of your questions, could you answer just one question for me?"


    Noah nodded at him and waited for him to shoot. "How did you find out about the surname?"


    Noah wanted to test the man of his loyalty. He wanted to see if Tim had actually become honest and good or if he was here with a motive. If all his words were a facade and he was here with other intentions. "I think you know Ivy, right?"


    "Yes. How does this relate to her?"


    "She is researching on this case now and she was the one who told me. Ain''t it surprising to find that all the hospitals that were involved in the scam had someone with the surname Grimes at the top level? How intriguing!!"


    "Wait a minute. Do you know Ivy?"


    "I do know Ivy."


    "How?" Tim asked a little confused by Noah''s words.


    "This is the third question you are asking me, but I will still answer it. She is my best friend''s girlfriend and also my girlfriend''s sister."


    "What?" Tim was flabbergasted to find out this crazy information. It was true that he knew about Ivy''s twin sister, he had done a background check on her. But he never knew that she was related to Noah. Wow, this was just amazing. He did not know how things had turned out this way. This was more conflicting and confusing than a never-ending maze. He now realized that the man before him had control even before the game had started. He had only shown his presence now, making the opponent to doubt his strength and intelligence.


    Noah only gave a small smile seeing the man''s dumbfounded face. He had only found out half the truth. What would happen to him if he were to find out about Oliver? Would he die of a heart attack? There was a possibility.


    "I have no words to say now," Tim whispered after a long time. His mouth had run dry, he chugged down a bottle of water at one go.


    "Then, you can answer my questions. I assume you have words for them."


    "Go ahead. I''ll tell you everything I know."


    "Who are these people?"


    "There is no one with that surname in reality. It was a code Jared had used when planting his men in those hospitals. He wanted his men to take control over the management slowly. So, he had created a family with that surname and had illustrated an act where these people were rich and were medically well acclaimed."


    "So, what you are telling me is that Jared is the mastermind behind this organ trafficking issue?" Noah queried, his eyebrows rising slightly but subtly. This information was shocking and what a discovery it was. But he was not that surprised by that. Given that how much of a cruel and wicked person Jared was, it was not unexpected.


    "Yes. He is the one behind this matter and many other issues."


    "What happened to those people who took up the surname? Where are they?"


    "They are dead now. Jared killed them the day the scandal broke out. He did not want anybody to track them to him. So, he did not leave even a single person."


    "You mentioned that he was the one behind a lot of destructive plans. Can you tell me more about it?"


    "Do you know about the deadly virus issue?"


    "Yes," Noah knew about it and how could he not? It was the news covered by his sister-in-law and in some way, she was the savior who saved the country and its people.


    "He was the one who planned it."

 Chapter 307: Spilling secrets

    It was not surprising to hear that Jared was the mastermind behind the virus given how the man was as vicious as a snake. He sure was evil and cunning to think about harming innocent people. If it were others, they would have been surprised to hear how horrible he was, but to Noah, it was not that shocking. He had personally witnessed how brutal the man could be.


    The one thing that he could not comprehend was why Jared was trying to bring about mass destruction in the country. What would he get out of hurting people he did not even know? Was it some sick fantasy of his or did he have a motive? If he did, what motive was it? His eyes fell on Tim who, at that moment, was still looking at him.


    "Why do you think he is doing this?"


    "I am not sure about the reason as to why he is doing this. But I know one thing." As soon as he said this, Noah''s eyes rose up in curiosity. He crossed his legs as he leaned back slightly to get a better view of Tim.


    "Although he is the one who issued the orders to his men to perform all these crimes and the mastermind behind it, there is someone above him who has issued orders for him."


    "Are you talking about his Godfather?" Noah asked, his interest completely piqued now. He wanted to know more about this man who Tim was talking about. He wanted to know everything about him and how he was even associated with Tim. Were they related by blood or was it just an unexpected relationship? He wanted to know everything, but Tim had already told him that he did not know much about the man and it was always Jared who met him in secret.


    "Yes. Jared once told me that his Godfather wanted him to use any method to end this country. Though he had not told him how, he had asked him to use whatever technique he wanted. It was then Jared heard about the deadly virus that was being created and he immediately ordered them to prepare bulks of canisters of the virus and be shipped to him. But the plan obviously got foiled after the secret video went viral and David Peters got caught."


    "Didn''t Jared try to make any other attempts to release it again?" Noah queried his brows furrowing further. Something was not adding up here and he was not sure what.


    "No. Not yet. When David Peters got caught, the police seized all the canisters he had. So, Jared had to buy again from the bioscientist, and manufacturing it again in bulks took a lot of time."


    "Took? What do you mean by ''took''?" Noah asked, his eyes becoming alert all of a sudden.


    "The scientist is done with his work and very shortly, it will be shipped to Jared. And this time, Jared himself is making all the plans and handling the process instead of trusting someone else. He wants the plan to be a success at all costs. Otherwise, his Godfather will not be happy and he being unhappy is not good news."


    "Why do you say so?"


    "That man is a nightmare. Although I have not met him or seen him personally, Jared had spoken about him sometimes and every time, it was horrible to hear. It is said that he is worse than Jared and it was he who nurtured Jared to become this way." As Tim recounted everything he knew, his body shuddered visibly thinking about what Jared had said. It sounded heinous to even hear let alone experience it.


    "I see." Noah saw the way the man had shivered visibly. So, he did not go deep into it. He had other questions to ask rather than finding out how horrible Jared''s Godfather was.


    "If Jared is the one behind the organ trafficking case, then why did he devise a plan to release the virus?" Noah immediately realized how dumb his question was. The answer was hidden right in the question and he had not realized it. How weird. But Tim did not give it much thought and answered honestly.


    "I don''t know what are the effects of the virus. But I am sure that once a person inhales it, he is bound to get an instant death. Since only Jared has the antidote and it a newly created virus, it would take some time to find the drug to curb the effects of the virus. By then, a lot of people would have died and after death, what is the use of organs in their bodies?"


    Noah only nodded at his words. He was still embarrassed at himself for asking such a foolish question. But seeing Tim not giving it much thought, he did not probe on it further. "Why is he involved in this organ trafficking? Is it just for money or are there any other motives?"


    "Although I am sure about the reason, I know it is not for money. Jared does not need the meager amount he gets by selling organs. It has to be something, but Jared never disclosed to me about it." Tim wiped the sweat drop that had trickled down his face using a towel and let out a deep breath.


    When he was working for Jared, he had just followed his orders and had never questioned a thing about it. He also did not care that if he was hurting people he did not even know in the process. Right now, as he recounted all the things, he realized how barbaric those acts of his was and his heart was filled with grief and remorse. He chided himself for his cruel acts even though he was not the one who had planned it.


    He was grateful to the person now to have recorded the video about David Peters'' involvement. Or else, by now, the country would be dead. As much as Jared and his Godfather would be responsible for their deaths, he too would have to shoulder the responsibility of killing innocent people which poked his conscience after he joined hands with Noah.


    "I am happy that David got caught and the plan failed. Otherwise, I can''t even imagine what the consequences would have been."


    Noah smiled hearing his words. It was true whatever he said and it was all thanks to Ivy. Now that the man had told him many secrets he knew about Jared, it would only be fair to tell him some secrets of his. But this was not out of courtesy, this was a test he was imposing on Tim. He wanted to know if the man was being sincere when he had joined him or was it all an act of his to get into his group.


    "Do you want to know about the person who recorded the video?"


    "Do you know him?"


    "I do and I think you do too."


    "I do?" Tim narrowed his eyes confusion and thought about Noah''s words carefully. But he could not imagine who it could have been.


    "You might find out the answer when you find out that the person is a she."


    As soon as Noah said this, Tim''s eyes widened in shock. He had never in his dreams expected his speculations to be true. "Ivy?" He asked once again to confirm it, to see if Noah was lying. But the man nodded affirmatively and Tim had got his reply.


    "Oh my God. Then it was true. It was Ivy who sabotaged his plans. Wow, that girl is awesome."


    "She sure is." Noah agreed instantly. There was nothing in it for him to deny. Buth the sisters were awesome and it was no wonder and the two men had fallen head over heels with them.


    "Though I had my doubts about her, I never got the actual proof to prove my point. She was always careful."


    "You want to know more."


    "There is more to this?" Tim asked perplexed. He was already dumbfounded by the first truth and he was not sure he could take any more.


    "Yes. Do you remember about the sting operation on the Good City Clinic?"


    "How can I not remember it? It was the first sting operation in three years after Oliver and this had come as a blow to Jared. I remember how he had so furious with it that he had shot five men from his gang to curb the anger. Don''t tell me that was done by Ivy to?"


    Noah just shrugged his shoulders as though it was nothing superficial for his sister-in-law. To her, it was just like a walk in the park. She was a magnet for explosive news and it came naturally to her. She was just brilliant at her work.


    "Wow, I don''t know what to say now. I am tongue-tied and blown away by the woman''s courage. She sure is better than most men I know. The men in the Vipers Gang do not even hold a candle to her. Brilliant." Tim did not hesitate to praise Ivy after listening to her heroic deeds. It was true that she was excellent and he could not help but admire her more. Since the time he had started to keep an eye on her, he had found out some interesting stuff about her. She was daring and quick-witted and was outstanding at her job.


    She was just too good and it was no wonder that Joshua had taken a liking towards her. Her character was so admirable that even he would have liked her if he did not have someone else in his heart.

 Chapter 308: Tims warning

    Noah observed every expression on Tim''s face, not letting go even a minute change. He wanted to see what he had in mind and whether there were any malicious intentions running in his brain. Now was a good time for him to execute his plans if he was just acting in front of him, given that he had found out a lot of interesting stuff right now, especially about Ivy who was responsible for drowning all of Jared''s wicked plans.


    If it was all Jared''s new attempts at tricking Noah by sending Tim to him, then Noah would find out now when Tim attempted to contact Jared by hook or by crook to relay the message. Of course, in this tactic of his nobody would get hurt, especially Ivy and he would make sure of it. He had just used her and her work as bait so that he could clarify the doubts he had about Tim. He wanted to make sure that the man was not playing with him and was not having any bad intentions.


    Noah secretly apologized to Ivy in his mind and made sure to increase protection around her for now, especially when she was going on a mission in a few days. Although Kaito was more than enough, he still did not want to take any more risks. So, he had ordered Ronnie too to go with Kaito. He could be of help when needed and with him around, there was no need for him to worry about Ivy. Ronnie was the best when it came to matters like these and he would not allow even a scratch to grace Ivy.


    "Is there anything else you want to know?"


    "Yes," Noah still had three more questions to ask and these were the most important ones. He needed an answer to them more than anything else.


    "Go ahead." Tim prompted leaning back just like the man beside him.


    "What do you know about the meeting between the local traders that is going to happen in a few days?" As soon as Noah let out the question, Tim''s calm expression cracked. He had controlled his poor heart after a long time as this had been a day for him to receive one blow after another. But Noah was not allowing any of it. He was still hellbent on shocking the man and Tim even wondered if he was planning on giving him a heart attack.


    "How-How do you know about this matter?" Tim was greatly perplexed and he could not control his tongue this time. He had asked the question without thinking.


    "Let''s just say I have men everywhere who keep their eyes and ears open." Noah lied bluntly. There was no change in his expressions, not even guilt. It was not his men who had given him the information, but Ivy who was a lot more resourceful than any person he could think of. She could get her hands on information like these within seconds which even he could not do although he was a lot more powerful than her. He wondered who her sources were and how they even found out about these matters in the blink of an eye.


    "Your sources a quite up to date and I must say I am impressed. I wonder how this matter even leaked outside our gang. This meeting was decided just two days before I came to seek your help and now you are asking me about it. How amazing!!" Tim sassed. This time he was not mocking Noah or his source, but Jared who had no idea about anything that was happening around him. Tim now realized how miles apart Noah and Jared were and also the reason why Noah was way better and well respected than Jared. It was obvious who the king was and why nobody could stand a chance against him.


    Noah was always a thousand steps ahead of everybody else and he thought about all aspects and all possible points of view, unlike Jared who only thought in the same way. If ever a day came when Jared would have a face-off with Noah, it was fixed that Noah would emerge victorious without even having to do anything. He had already prepared himself for the battle and he already had control in his hands. It was just a matter of time when Jared would provoke him head-on.


    Noah was waiting for Jared to strike first as it was not his style to attack without any reason. But once if he got a solid reason, there was no stopping him if the man had attacked him or not. For now, Noah was waiting patiently for Jared to fall into his trap slowly but surely and once he did, there was no saving him at all. He had already extended his stay on earth and it was time to clean the world of this scumbag.


    "Tell me everything you know about it," Noah said, although it came out order. But Tim remained unfazed by it.


    "Sure. This is a meeting between the traders who handle the hospitals in that city and they keep track of everything the hospitals do, like how many people they have operated on and how successful they were in doing their job. It is these people who collect the organs from the hospital and ship to Jared''s laboratory."


    "Jared has a laboratory?" Noah asked suddenly, interrupting Tim who still had things to say.


    "Yes, he does. But I am not sure of its location. It is a secret not many people know about."


    "I see. What are they going to talk about in the meeting?"


    "I am not sure. But from what I have heard, it must be a discussion of the statistics, and also now that the flame has been ignited once again after the exposure of Good City Clinic, they might even discuss the new course of action. They will have to prepare a backup plan now, in case things do not go their way. These are just my assumptions, I have never been to these meetings before. So, I cannot tell accurately." Tim breathed as he took another sigh.


    Once again, his heart was filled with regret for joining Jared''s gang where people did not even hesitate to torture their own people for their gains. They were monsters with no hearts. The gang had no rules except for one: Obey Jared at all costs. It was hell and Tim was happy to have left the gang before he invited his own doom. He got nothing in return even though he had worked loyally for the man he had started to loathe. The man had turned a blind eye to all that he had done and had issued a death warrant on him. Tim could only smile at his foolishness. How naive had he been to join the Vipers?


    "Does Jared know about Ivy? I mean does he suspect her like you did?" Noah asked his next question and this one question that was making him nervous as it involved Ivy''s safety. Already, his sister had caught the evil''s man fancy and he did not want another woman he cared about in his life to get entangled with him. He was worried about Ivy as much as he was worried about Rachel.


    To protect his sister, he had already ordered fifteen men to keep an eye on her everywhere she went and these were people who were well trained and well experienced. Yet, he was still anxious thinking about her safety and he did not want another woman to get noted by Jared. He hoped to get a negative answer, he sincerely wished that Jared knew nothing about Ivy. But the answer he got from Tim proved him wrong.


    "Jared knows about her and he is more suspicious of her than I was." Tim''s eyes then fell on Noah who was deep in thought. He could not help but reprimand himself for everything he had done. It was he who had reported every detail about Ivy and now her life was in danger thanks to him. Again, he was filled with shame and self-reproach. "I am sorry." He apologized but Noah did not give him any answer and Tim did not mind it. He knew he was in the wrong and it was right for him to angry at him.


    "What all does he knew about Ivy? Anything I should be careful about?" Noah asked after some time.


    "I don''t think so. He knows only more or less whatever I know as it was I who kept an eye on Ivy."


    "Do you think there is any threat to Ivy''s life? Is there any possibility for Jared to attack her?"


    "Hundred percent. Jared will only tighten safety now that I have left his gang. He would not want anybody out there to threaten his position and Ivy is one of them. He might want her killed even though he is only suspicious of her. So, I suggest you to increase the security around her. Also, let me warn you about something else. At any cost, I repeat at any cost, do not let any woman around you to get caught by Jared or his men. He is just a monster and no woman has made it out alive after being captured by him. He is a sadist and he gets sick pleasure in torturing women in his bed."


    This time Noah was visibly spooked and his heart was thundering wildly as though he had run a thousand miles. He could not even imagine how cruel Jared could be and what all he did for his own gains. Now that he knew almost everything he wanted to know, the first thing he had to do was to increase the security around the three most important women in his life.


    Since Rachel was still living with his parents, there was no threat to her, and the guards his father and he had appointed for her were more than enough for her protection. It was Ivy and Aria he was scared about the most. Ivy was the woman Jared was suspicious about and just the fact that Aria was Noah''s woman was enough for Jared to attack them.


    The best possible way to evade this danger was to bring Aria and Ivy to any of the three men''s houses where there were top-notch security and the next second, Noah made the decision. Aria would have to stay with him and Ivy would have to move in with Joshua. This was the only solution and he was sure everybody would agree to it, especially Joshua who would be as excited as he was right now. And why would they not when they could get their women to stay in their houses?

 Chapter 309: Lives in danger

    Noah had found out everything he wanted from Tim and now it was time to see what the man really had in mind. He left him alone in the arena as he had other things to do. However, he still made sure to keep an eye on him by asking his men to follow him closely and look out for him. The man may do things that he was suspicious of and if he did, Noah would not hesitate to kill him with a bullet through his skull.


    Tim sat in his spot for quite some time not knowing anything about Noah''s plans. His mind was filled with remorse and self-reproach thinking about all the bad things he had done and all the people he had killed. How ironic.! When he was working for Jared, never had he felt anything like these. He never thought about the people he killed nor about their families. All he was interested in was following Jared''s orders and finishing his work quickly.


    It was only after he joined Noah''s people did he realize how cruel he had been and how dumb he had been to have followed such a loser. The regret was killing him from within and he did not know how to face the people he had wronged. All these emotions were new to him. Yet, he was not unhappy to experience it. After a long time, he had made friends who would not betray him in bad times, unlike the people where he worked before. He understood the meaning of comradeship, of sharing and laughter. It was only after coming here, did Tim get some peaceful sleep. It was as though a huge boulder had been lifted off his shoulders after meeting Noah and if things were to go wrong, Noah would never leave his side, provided that Tim was faithful and honest to him.


    Tim finally got up from his place and stretched his body that had gone stiff from all the sitting in he had done. He then went to his room to shower as he was still drenched in sweat. On his way, he stopped suddenly, when he sensed someone''s presence behind him. But on turning back, he found no one. Finding it to be odd, he continued to walk and went to his room not noticing the man who had been keeping his eye on him on Noah''s orders.


    Meanwhile, Noah left the underground base and immediately went to meet Joshua. He had to discuss with his friend, the course of outcome even though he knew what his friend''s answer would be. He knew Joshua would want Ivy to stay with him just like how he would want Aria to move in with him. However, he still wanted to make sure of his decision and take him along with him to persuade the girls.


    He had called Joshua to meet him at Ian''s house as he knew that Ian''s work had just finished and the poor guy must have been exhausted by now. It was best that these two men went to visit him rather than asking him to meet him. As expected, Joshua was already waiting for him and as usual, he was eating Ian''s head while Ian was trying hard to not snap at him.


    Although Ian was not that tired, seeing Joshua had made him get a headache. As soon he had opened the door in his sleepy and hazy state, he had seen Joshua standing outside with a huge smirk on his face. He raised his eyebrows playfully at Ian. However, before he could enter, Ian had closed the door shut on his face. The man was in no mood to go through the annoyance, not especially when he all wanted was to get some peaceful sleep.


    "Hey, hey, hey, open the door, you lazy doctor. Open this door right now." Joshua shouted from outside, but Ian did not hear a thing and he went back to his bed, pulled the duvet over him, and drifted off to sleep once again.


    "Joshua banged at the door for quite some time until he realized that the man was not going to open it any longer. He then pressed the passcode and opened it himself. If he had known that Ian would smack the door on his face, he would have opened the door without ringing the bell. He was only interested in pissing off the man as he knew he would be fast asleep right now after his night shift. He found it entertaining to trouble Ian. Since the time he had met him, he had not stopped pestering him, irking him to the core and by now, it had become his favorite pastime.


    He noticed his friend''s absence and deduced the man to be sleeping in his room cozily. Not wasting another moment, he went to him and pulled the duvet off his body making Ian groan. "What do you want Jo? Get out."


    "Get up. I want to speak to you."


    "I want to sleep. Go speak with somebody else."


    "I am bored and you are the only one here."


    "Then, go play with Ivy. I am sure you will not be bored then."


    "I wish I could but she has work to do."


    "Then go do your work. Don''t pester me." Ian said and covered himself with the duvet once again, only to be stopped once again. "Why are you even here?"


    "Noah wanted to speak something with us."


    "Why did he chose my place? You go talk to him."


    "He wants to talk to both of us."


    "I don''t mind if I am not with you two when you two are discussing whatever it is to be discussed. Just tell me the end results. Now leave me alone."


    "No way. Get up. You can sleep after we leave. Get up." Joshua pulled Ian by his hand forcefully making him sit up and the man could do nothing but let out a groan in despair. Joshua did not stop at that. He pulled his friend to the living room and pushed him onto the sofa before he sat beside him like an overprotective brother not allowing him to move away from his seat.


    He then started to blabber some nonsense not even caring that Ian was not listening to him. He needed someone to keep him company to kill his boredom and Ian was the perfect person. He did not realize that the man beside him was already sleeping with his head lolling to the side. Joshua''s voice had been like a lullaby to Ian and he could not help but feel drowsy.


    It was then Noah had entered the house and he immediately broke into a chuckle seeing his two friend''s state. One of them was blabbering nonstop without a care in the world and the other was sleeping without caring about anything. These were definitely buddies seeing their situation. His laughter broke Joshua''s chain of thoughts and he stopped muttering.


    "Why are you laughing?" He questioned in confusion, his hands still high in the air in a melodramatic pose which he had used when he was explaining things to Ian.


    "Who are you talking to by the way?" Noah threw him a question of his own instead of answering him.


    "Noah, have you gone blind, or has Ian here become invisible to you? Can''t you see him?"


    Noah did not say a thing to him but pointed towards Joshua''s left. Following his line of sight, Joshua noticed that Ian was deep asleep and he had completely given deaf ears to whatever he had spoken.


    Joshua''s face scrunched up and the next second, he kicked his friend so hard in the shin that Ian woke up with a start. It was not the pain that woke him up but the kick that had broken his dream. He was still confused and did not know what had happened until he saw a furious Joshua and a smiling Noah.


    "When did you guys come here?" He asked scratching his head. He had completely forgotten that Joshua had come to his house almost an hour back and had tried to hinder his sleep.


    Hearing his question, Joshua huffed in anger like a little girl. "Ughh, I can''t believe this man. How annoying!!!!"


    "What did I do?" Ian asked perplexed by Joshua''s sudden outburst. He wondered if the man was suffering from premenstrual syndrome to have changed his emotions this quickly.


    "You.. you.. you." Joshua did not get to answer the question as Noah had intervened.


    "Stop it, you guys. You can fight after we finish with the important things we are here to discuss."


    "We are discussing important things here?" Ian asked again taken aback by the revelation. "Why was I not informed?"


    Joshua gave him one look before his eyes fell on Noah. "Don''t blame me. I told him but he was the one to forget."


    "Forget it. I went to meet Tim today and found out some things from him."


    "And?" Ian prompted curious about the way the conversation had started.


    "And, he told me some secrets about Jared. I''ll tell you about it later. Before that, I have some good news for you, Joshua."


    As soon as Jo heard the word ''good news'', his ears perked up and his eyes sparkled like a little kid. "What is it? What is it?"


    "We should persuade the sisters to move in with us. From today onwards, Ivy will live with you and Aria with me."


    These words were like wedding bells to Joshua and his face broke out into a huge smile. However, he still composed himself and asked another question. "Why?"


    "Because their lives are in danger."

 Chapter 310: Lovesick fools

    "Because their lives might be in danger." As soon as Noah uttered the truth, there was pin-drop silence in the living room. Nobody said a word for a long time, each of them carried away in their own thoughts. But all the three had only one intention in mind, to protect the girls around them at all costs.


    After a few minutes passed, Ian finally broke the silence. "What did he mean by that? And who do they have a threat from?"


    "Jared is suspicious about Ivy and he has a hunch that it was her who vandalized his plans. So, Tim wanted me to take care of her as there are chances that Jared would want to eliminate her before she brought more trouble to him. And Ivy being in danger is just the same as Aria being in danger as they are twins. He may use this blood relationship to get to her. Supposedly if he didn''t, there are chances of him finding out about me and Aria as we never hid our relationship. When that happens, he would definitely target Aria to break me."


    This time all the confusion the two men, other than Noah, had got cleared. Noah had revealed to them the entire situation and now it was up to them to come up with a solution where nobody would be harmed.


    "The man already had his eyes on Rachel and now, there are chances of Ivy and Aria becoming the next targets. That man is getting out of control. We need to do something before the situation blows up." Joshua suggested, his face completely serious, unlike the time when he had been jovial while he irked Ian. "Have you planned something for him? We need to stop him forever. We can not entertain his acts and ignore it as a small thing when it involves the lives of the girls around us."


    "My first step would be to get the girls to move into our houses. At least we will not have to worry about them consistently when they are not with us. Since Ivy will be working under me, I''ll make sure she will stay safe." Noah added, pondering over his thoughts carefully.


    "And I will take care of Aria at the hospital, although it might be a little difficult since it is a crowded place and there will a lot of people going in and out. But I''ll try my best. And to keep your heart at peace, I''ll adjust my schedule such that our shifts match from now on." Ian stated, his eyes unwavering. Since it was his hospital, nobody would question him in case he wanted to change shifts.


    "That could be done." Noah nodded although he had made silent plans to keep his woman safe. He would appoint guards to follow her everywhere she went even in the hospital in case Jared decided to approach her in a place, like was the hospital where they did not have any restrictions for entry. "And Rachel will be safe since she is staying at the Carter mansion and has a lot of trained bodyguards around her. I do not want any of the girls coming in contact with Jared lest he should do something to them. From whatever I heard from Tim, I am sure he is a monster and just the thought of it makes me shiver even now."


    Noah''s words were like hot molten lava poured on the two friends. Although he did not elaborate, they could guess what he was trying to tell and even they shuddered at it. At all costs, they had to make sure that the girls were safe.


    "What else did Tim tell you?"


    "Just that it was Jared who intended to release to the deadly virus as well as the mastermind behind the organ trafficking incident, although there is somebody else backing him. And the worst part was that all his doings were revealed to the public by Ivy or Oliver, completely sabotaging his plans."


    "Do they know about Ivy and Oliver or anything about their relationship?" Joshua enquired, his eyebrows furrowing in stress. Everything was becoming chaotic now and he was sure that trouble was just lurking around and very shortly they would be hit by a horrible tsunami.


    I don''t think so. It did not seem like Tim had a suspicion about it. Otherwise, he would have asked me right away?"


    "Jared has a backing? Isn''t he operating alone?" Ian asked the thing that was bugging his mind since the time Noah had spoken about it. It seemed weird to hear that a man like Jared had a backing and it seemed weirder to think that the man was working under his orders. It did not seem like Jared was a person to follow orders given the way he was an egoistic maniac and a horrible scumbag.


    "That was what Tim told me and the looks of it, the man seems to be terrifying with the way Tim was briefing about him. He finds the man to be a nightmare."


    "How horrible could this man be? Even more than Jared?" Joshua queried, curiosity flashing through his eyes.


    "Apparently yes. Jared became the way he is because of him."


    "What more did he tell?" Ian''s gaze, which had narrowed suddenly, fell on Noah and waited patiently for an answer. He too could feel the upcoming disaster and it looked like their life would become completely chaotic. ''Wasn''t their lives already not chaotic enough? Was there a necessity to add more to it?''


    "Nothing substantial. Just the crimes Jared has committed and the ones there is a possibility he could be committing in the future. Yeah, that reminds me. Jared has ordered another bunch of canisters of the virus to be manufactured from some foreign bioscientists. It looks like he wants to proceed with the plan he had initially prepared and this time he is handling everything himself."


    "Ohh, that calls for precautions then."


    "Definitely, I''ll order all the men to gather around and keep an eye on Jared. It''s best we strike first rather than waiting for him to strike."


    "What do you have in mind?" Ian asked, getting the hint Noah had thrown at them.


    "I am just going to repeat the things how it had gone the last time Jared had planned this virus attack."


    Ian and Joshua guessed what he had in mind immediately seeing his evil face. They were too well acquainted with him and without even him telling them about it completely, they could guess what was running in his brain. In fact, it was the same for all three. They could guess what was running in the other person''s brains and this was a result of their unbreakable bond they had since childhood.


    Although Ian and Joshua were equally capable of planning out the things just the way Noah had done, they had given up the job to him on their own. They felt that he was a better strategist than them though that was not how Noah felt. To him, Joshua and Ian deemed to be more capable than him and knew the actual reason why they had entrusted this work on his poor shoulders.


    While Ian was busier than Noah with him being an expert doctor, Joshua was a lazy bug who did not want to give more stress to his already exhausted brain. Now the only man who remained was Noah and since somebody among them had to step up and take up the job, he had done it. which the other two did not mind at all. They were in fact happy to have gotten the burden off their shoulders.


    "So, you are going to tip off the Intelligence?" Joshua was the first one to speak and his face was blooming as though he was happy to have guessed it right. Seeing his excitement, Noah and Ian could only let out a chuckle in amusement. If anybody were to ask who was the mood maker and the mood lifter in the group, they would not hesitate to point their fingers at Jo. He sure was gifted when it came to matters to like these and it was highly necessary to have a person like this around who could boost up one''s confidence and energy.


    "Well done, Jo. You guessed it accurately this time. You have become quite smart." Ian teased with a playful smile on his face only to get a punch on his right bicep in return.


    "I was born smart alright? Unlike some guys here who had to be inflicted with a drug to become smart. Otherwise, you guys would be dumb as ever." Joshua sassed and this time Ian did not have a comeback reply. The man was good at spouting nonsense and it was better he did not provoke him more. And what was with the drug thing? They were born intelligent. Okay!!!


    "Yes, I am going to inform the Intelligence and they will take it over from there. But the question is how am I going to contact them?" It was not a problem for Noah to find out about the people who worked at Intelligence. But the problem was, why would they believe him out of nowhere. It would only make him suspicious if he contacted them out of a blue.


    "I think I can help in this matter. I know people from the Intelligence. Last time, one of them had been admitted to the hospital and she was the one whose car bombarded into Rachel''s. They wanted some help from me and I think I still have their contact with me." Ian said remembering the two men who had come to meet him when he was recuperating after his bone marrow transplant.


    "Could you do that?"


    "Definitely."


    "That''s solved then. They will take over from there and we can wipe our hands off this matter." With that said, Noah stood up suddenly. "Jo, are you coming?"


    "Where?" He asked confused with the sudden change in the topic.


    "We are going to meet the twins to convince them to move in with us right now."


    "I am in. I am in." Joshua jumped up with joy. "How could I miss such a good opportunity that would make my sweetheart to be with me forever? No way."


    Ian again laughed out loud seeing his friends and he could not help but comment inwardly, "Lovesick fools."


    "Don''t fret over it. It will not be long before you will meet the girl you will like and I am sure, given your personality, you will be more lovesick than us." Noah mocked and Joshua gave him a thumbs up for his befitting reply.


    Ian did not have any good reply to his mockery. He could only push them out of his house in anger. "Get out. I need to get some much needed sleep now and don''t you dare disturb me. Otherwise, I''ll complain against you two to your respective girls." However, his words fell on deaf ears as the two had already left by then, not caring about what nonsense Ian was speaking.

 Chapter 311: Kiss at the doorway

    The two friends did not even think twice before walking away leaving a fuming Ian to stare at their backs. He then closed the door with a swift bang trying to send them a message that how angry he was at them. Although Noah and Joshua heard it, they did not give it much thought and left the house with great spirits. They were ecstatic to think that their woman would be staying with them from now and just by imagining it, it was making them all tingly from within.


    Although the situation was not that perfect to celebrate about it, nevertheless the men were happy as they could still twist it to their advantage. As it was said ''Everything was fair in love and war''. And when it came to matters of love, the three friends could be as shameless as ever. It was in their blood and they could do nothing about it, especially when the girls they liked were so alluring and sexy. How could they resist spending more time with them? Given an opportunity, it was a sure fact that they would spend their entire day staying with their loved ones on the bed not allowing them to leave the bed. And as to what they would do on the bed, it was up to the couples.


    Joshua knew that Ivy did not have work to do and she had informed him that she would be staying at home as she some things to prepare for her upcoming mission. However, that was not the situation for Aria. She had work to do and Noah did not deem it be correct to disturb her. So, the two men first went to meet Ivy and if she agreed with them, then they could convince Aria too. Any which way, they would eventually have to go to their apartment to pack their stuff.


    Since they had arrived uninformed, Ivy was pleasantly surprised to see them, especially at this time of a working day. She whistled like a hooligan at them ogling their bodies clad in casual attire. She had to give them credit as they had the ability to rock any style. And even though she had a boyfriend who was hot himself, she could not help but drool at Noah''s sexiness. The man surely knew how to show off his assets, especially his abs that were clearly visible from the body-hugging shirt he had worn.


    At first, Joshua was happy to see Ivy. How long it had been since he last saw her? He wondered although it had been just a few hours. But his happiness vanished when he saw Ivy ogling at Noah rather than at him. He narrowed his eyebrows dangerously, his expression turning dark as seconds ticked by with Ivy''s gaze fixed on the man beside him. However, the girl in question did not even know about it and continued to scrutinize Noah as though he was a tasty delicacy which she wanted to take a bite, completely forgetting that he was her sister''s boyfriend.


    "Ivy, I think you have forgotten that your boyfriend is me and not him," Joshua stressed on the word ''me'' to emphasize his fact. But the answer he received in return made him lose his face completely.


    "I know. I know." Ivy answered in a hurry and went back to staring at Noah.


    "Then, why are you gawking at him like an idiot?" Joshua asked, cleared annoyed with her behavior. By now, jealousy had clouded over his mind and he could not help but want to teach Ivy who she belonged to. Though he knew that Ivy did not have any sort of feelings for Noah, other than respect and admiration, he could help but become green with envy.


    Now Ivy was vexed too. The man whom everyone knew as her boyfriend was very annoying, not allowing her to do her job which was to drool at Noah. Despite the fact that Noah knew about what was going on, he gave a blind eye to it. However, he found it to be completely entertaining to see them banter. It was quite refreshing to see someone put up with Joshua and torture him, contrary to how he was the one who went around irking people. As expected, Ivy was the only one who could put a leash on Joshua.


    "Why shouldn''t I admire men who are hot and sexy? It is my right as a woman to do so." Ivy said righteously stunning both Noah and Joshua by the reason she had given them. At that moment, unknowingly even Noah had a thought running in his mind after listening to Ivy''s words.


    ''Does Aria to gawk at men in his absence too? Given the fact that Ivy and Aria are sisters, there is a possibility of that happening. No. No. No. I can''t let that happen. No way.'' Noah concluded in his mind, making a resolve to himself to speak to Aria about it once they returned to his house. He would make sure that she did not ogle at another man even when he was not present anywhere around her. He could accept staring and glaring, but not gawking or ogling.


    Meanwhile, Joshua''s jealousy reached another heights after listening to her reasons. He could not control himself and pulled her flush with her front pressed tight against his chest. Ivy was startled by the sudden pull and her eyes broke contact and settled on Joshua. Seeing their intimate behavior, Noah gave them some space and went inside to make himself comfortable. The couple could continue with their intimacy near the door if they wanted without obstruction from his side at least.


    "What are you doing? Let go of me." Ivy asked, flustered by the sudden closeness.


    "What were you saying just now?" Joshua asked, his voice taking a deadly tone. Ivy was taken aback by his sudden change. She had never seen him this possessive or jealous and she could not help but feel a little contented about it. She let a small smile, but to Joshua, it looked like she was jesting him and this time, all hell broke loose. He slammed his lips on hers without even caring that they were right at the entrance of the house and people could see them if they walked by the hallway.


    Ivy was not ready for the sudden kiss and she could not respond immediately. Her eyes had gone wide in shock and her thoughts were raging in the protests. But the next moment, she felt Joshua soft lips sucking on hers, and all the thoughts which were waging a war on being kissed without any warning committed suicide, leaving Ivy with a blank mind to face the issue on her own.


    Now that her mind was no longer speaking or protesting, her heart took over and she kissed him back immediately. However, she could not keep up with it. It was not a soft and gentle kiss which was how it had been the previous times when they had kissed. This time, the kiss was domineering and it seemed as though Joshua was punishing her for thinking about another man right in front of him. He did not give her a chance to cope up with him and kissed with all her might, sucking and biting the delicious lips that had made him go mad since the time he had tasted them. It was a drug that he liked to get addicted to. He could kiss her all day, all night, and not get enough of it.


    He bit her hard at one moment, making her cry out in pain. But all the sounds were swallowed by him as he deepened the kiss by delving his tongue into her mouth. Right now, they were stuck to each other like two pieces of a magnet and he could feel all her curves and crevices distinctively. His body reacted immediately and he was aroused. He wanted her now. He wanted to fuck her brains out until she forgot who she was. He wanted her to remember only him, nobody else.


    The kiss was making Ivy feel things and her body too reacted to it. She wanted things she was not sure what they were. The throbbing pain in her nether regions was making her ask for more and she wanted to do something to make it vanish. She could feel herself getting wet and it was all just a kiss that had made her aroused. But in her mind, she knew that it was not only the kiss, Joshua himself was another reason too for her body to react this way. He knew how to get her excited and also the method to make her lose her mind just like when he released her abruptly, again surprising Ivy.


    She stared at him expectantly with her eyes wide open and mouth wide as she gasped after their intense make out session. Her lips had become swollen and had taken a beautiful shade of red. She looked goddamn sexy that Joshua just wanted to tear her clothes off and have his way with her on her bed.


    "Fuck," He cursed loudly and entered her house. He left a frustrated and bothered Ivy at the doorway, knowing exactly what was running in her mind. She wanted more, but she would not be getting it any time soon. This was the punishment he had bestowed upon her and she would have to make do with it and get over it herself. He was not going to give in to her this time.


    Ivy realized what was happening only after seeing Joshua walk away gritting his teeth. But the naive girl assumed his tightened expression to be his fury and understood that whatever happened a few seconds was his punishment for her behavior. What she did not know was that the guy was equally frustrated and aroused, maybe even more than her and he had walked away to control himself lest he should do her right away.

 Chapter 312: Convincing Ivy

    Ivy was too embarrassed to meet Noah in the condition she was. She could still feel the sting from Joshua''s bite on her lips and she did not have to guess for it to have been swollen. She could still feel the pool of heat between her legs and she did not even have to look into the mirror to see how disheveled she might have become after the kiss. So, instead of going to the living room, she slipped back to her room sneakily trying to avoid Noah and Joshua. But still, the two men saw her and did not say a thing, allowing her to escape for the time being.


    Noah saw the grim expression on Joshua''s face and he shook his head. He knew why the man looked tortured. He too would experience the same torment whenever he was with Aria. So, he did not tease his friend, although his mind was itching to do so. He sat still and took out his phone to pass the time until Ivy returned. Although he still had work to do, the sisters'' safety was more important. So, he pushed back everything for the day and had ordered Shane to handle all the urgent matters for now.


    Meanwhile, Joshua took deep breaths to calm himself down. The fire that had been ignited in him after the kiss wanted to devour Ivy completely. But he had stopped himself right at the worst moment, tormenting himself like a masochist. He did not want to do anything in the presence of his friend. And since she would be moving in with him, he would take all the time in the world to satisfy his desires as well as hers starting today.


    After almost half an hour, Ivy emerged from her room. She was dressed in a different attire compared to the time when she had opened the door for them. She seemed to be better now and even Joshua had calmed down. However, one could still notice the light blush on her cheeks. Joshua only smirked seeing her making her avert her gaze away from him. And Noah did not say a thing.


    "Why are you guys here? Is something the matter?" Ivy started when she noticed that none of them were stating their intentions of coming to meet here.


    "Yes, Ivy. We have something to tell you." Since they had very little time and Ivy had already initiated the conversation, Noah did not delay any more.


    "Yes," Ivy nodded at him to continue.


    "We want you and Aria to move in with us," Noah stated and his tone was more or less commanding, not giving any room for her to reject him. Ivy could only gape at him in confusion with the sudden demand put forth before her. She did not know why they were forcing her and stressing on it out of nowhere.


    "But why? Why do you want us to move in like this? What''s the rush?"


    "Ivy it''s just for your safety. We want to keep you safe." Joshua replied this time, his face completely serious. He folded his hands to appear more intimidating and it sure worked as Ivy was truly taken aback by the change in his demeanor.


    "From whom do I have a threat?" Ivy asked still perplexed by the sudden turn of events.


    Noah and Joshua gave each a knowing look which Ivy could not comprehend. Noah knew that it was difficult to fool Ivy given her intelligence, not only Ivy even Aria. She would not be too willing to go along with them until she was provided with valid reasons. And there was nothing better than telling her the actual truth. It was best she knew about it so that she could keep a lookout for any possible dangers.


    "Ivy, do you know why Tim was keeping an eye on you?" Joshua asked after getting a signal from Noah. Ivy was once again flabbergasted by the topic. She wondered why Tim was even brought into the conversation. Nevertheless, she still answered him.


    "No." She shook her head waiting for them to continue.


    "Okay, do you know who Tim worked for?" Joshua continued. Noah remained silent. He had given the entire duty to Joshua to convince his girl. So, he would not intervene unless needed. It was better Joshua handled Ivy as he knew her better.


    "No."


    "Let me tell you everything then. Have you heard of Jared Augustus?"


    Ivy narrowed her eyes on hearing the name. Why did it feel like she had heard it somewhere before? She wondered if she knew the man as it sounded all the more familiar. "I guess so. But I am unable to recollect it now. Who is he by the way?"


    "He is the owner of a lot of resorts in the country. He is known as the resort king, if this can rekindle your memory."


    As soon as Joshua labeled the man as the resort king, it struck Ivy who Jared was. She now remembered reading about him somewhere. "Now I remember. What about him?" She queried still wondering how all of these were related.


    "Tim worked for him," Joshua revealed carefully observing Ivy''s change of expressions. But there was not much change in her. It seemed as though she was still muddled about all of these.


    "If that''s the case, why did he want to keep an eye on me? How did I offend Jared?" Ivy looked back and forth between Noah and Joshua waiting for someone to solve the dilemma her mind was in.


    "Because you messed up his plans big time. Although neither Jared nor Tim knew it was you, they had their suspicions. So, they wanted to confirm it."


    "That explains it. But what did I do and what plans of his did I sabotage?"


    "Do you remember David Peters?"


    "Yes, I do. He was the one who planned about the virus, right?"


    "Not exactly. He was just working under someone''s orders. The real mastermind was Jared."


    Now Ivy was seriously spooked after listening to the truth. Her calm expression cracked and she stared at the two men in horror. Though she had a hunch that there was somebody behind the mission and David Peters was just a pawn, she never expected a man like Jared to be involved in this, let alone be the mastermind.


    "What?" She asked after a lot of time.


    "Yes, and there is more. Do you want to know who is one behind the organ trafficking case?"


    Again, Ivy was taken away by a storm. Her eyes widened all the more. "Don''t tell that the mastermind behind it Jared again?"


    She got her answer when the men nodded at her and she held her head in her hands trying to comprehend everything she had heard since the time the two guys had started speaking. Everything was a mess and her mind had become chaotic, a lot of things running in her mind. She had never expected this outcome, never ever.


    Seeing the state she was in, Joshua sat beside and hugged her, trying to calm her down. He knew it was a lot for her to take in. Even he had been shocked beyond words when Noah had told him about it. Nobody said a word for some time and when finally, Ivy pulled back a little, still lying in Joshua''s embrace.


    "Is there anything more?"


    "Yes, that man is dangerous and we do not want to risk your lives. No. Ivy, we want you and Aria to move in with us. I know this to be too sudden for you, but it is for your safety. That man is a bastard and it''s better to be safe than sorry. We do not want anything happening to you two." This time it was Noah who spoke up and his tone was more or less pleading unlike before when he had been demanding.


    "I understand why he is behind me? But what does all of these have to do with Aria?"


    "Ivy, Jared and us are arch enemies," Noah replied pointing at Joshua and himself. "That man wants to destroy us and if I am not wrong, Aria being my girlfriend is enough of a reason for him to attack her just to spite me. Let me be honest about this matter. He has also set his eyes on Rachel and has been pestering her for a long time now."


    "Rachel? Your sister, Rachel?"


    "Yes. That is why we want you to move in with us. You already know what had happened a few days back with Tim trying to break into your house. We do not want the same thing to repeat once again. With you guys moving into our house, you will not have to worry about these issues and we too could be at peace."


    This time, Ivy had to agree with his reasoning. It was true that Noah and Joshua''s houses had the utmost security with a large number of guards watching out for even a minute possibility of danger. Even if she wanted to ignore her safety, she could not neglect her sister. Given that, there was a high possibility of Aria being in danger, Ivy could only agree to their suggestion.


    "Fine, I agree."


    Noah and Joshua smiled at her appraisingly for taking the best decision, especially Josuha was who highly jubilant to have his woman around him every day of his life from now on. "Go, pack your bags, Ivy. We will be leaving today itself. Also, pack Aria''s bags. We will leave as soon as she comes back."


    Ivy let out a long sigh before she went to her room. Since her bags were already packed, she did not have many things to put in them. She had kept herself ready as she had promised to move in with Joshua right after Aria and Noah had made up. So, she did not have much to do. After seeing that she had all the necessary things with her, she went to pack Aria''s belongings.

 Chapter 313: Ivys attack

    Five hours later.


    Ivy was done with packing both her and Aria''s bags and now the three people were waiting for Aria to return home. It was past the time she would get off work and she would be reaching home anytime now. In the meanwhile, as the guys waited for her, they also worked and attended to the company''s matters. Since neither had of them had their own laptop, they had to make do with the two sisters'' laptops.


    While Noah took his girlfriend''s, Joshua worked on Ivy''s laptop. To his surprise, the first thing he saw when he opened her laptop was details on some local thugs and he immediately understood what she was searching about. It was probably related to the meeting that was scheduled three days from now and just the thought of her going there made him all nervous from within.


    Although there were Kaito and Ronnie to protect her and she was quite skilled at keeping herself safe, he could still not stop himself from worrying. It was his right as her boyfriend and he wanted to do something about it. Given a chance, he would never allow to work in such a dangerous field where there was a threat to her life every day. She would have had to constantly live guarding her back from the people who were out to finish her and just the thought of it gave him goosebumps.


    Though Joshua himself was acquainted with dangerous situations and people, he did not want Ivy to get involved in these kinds of matters. But he also knew that stopping her would be nothing less than taking her freedom and that was something that was far from what he had in mind. Ivy loved her job dearly and it would be incorrect to stop her from doing what she loved. So, Joshua had come up with an alternative solution to keep her safe. So what if he could not stop her, he could take care of her from behind the scenes and look out for all possible risks around her. He would eliminate all the people who even had the thought of hurting her, before they even got to her.


    On the other side, instead of working, Noah had found a folder that Aria''s photos and videos from her childhood and her university days, and he was going through it one by one. It was as though he had found a treasure box and was carefully taking out all that was present in there. He stared at her photos for a long time, scrutinizing each of them until they were etched in his memory. He found a lot of photos with her family and he could the cute little girl as her father carried her with her smiling brightly at the camera.


    Noah suddenly had a desire. He wanted a daughter just like her, cute and adorable and he would make sure she would be treated as the princess as she was. Now he was looking forward to the day when he could actually hold his daughter in his arms. A gentle smile made its way on his face as he imagined it and he could not help but feel giddy in happiness.


    He continued browsing through her pictures and he saw many of her photos from her university days when she was still studying to become a doctor. There were a lot of photos and he saw many were taken when they had gone camping or on trips with her classmates. He could see how happy she looked as she enjoyed her youthful days and from these pictures, it was evident that she loved traveling. Noah made a note of the point and started to plan things out immediately.


    However, the next second his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed a photo of Aria with a boy who seemed to be her classmate. The boy''s hand was draped around her shoulder while Aria''s hand was on his waist as they posed to the camera with a peace sign. He immediately went green with envy seeing the two and he had the sudden urge to smack the guy. The only consoling point was that the boy was only average looking. He was not that handsome in his eyes, definitely not as handsome as him.


    Noah made another note to ask Aria about this picture once they reached home. He would make sure to get all the details from her about him. Thinking about it, his heart calmed down a little. But when he browsed through the next set of photos, he saw that there were many pictures like that with Aria and the guy being together. It seemed as though they were a couple from the university days and they loved each other dearly with the way they were smiling in each other presence.


    Noah was so angry that his veins were popping out now and he had the intense urge to kill someone. He was so busy glaring at the pictures that he did not notice Ivy sneakily tiptoeing behind him to see what he was looking at. She had seen the way his mood had changed significantly in a matter of five minutes and wondered what could have happened. But once she saw what he was staring at, she could not help but laugh out loud in amusement, startling both Noah and Joshua.


    Noah did not flinch nor was there a change in his expressions on being caught staring at Aria''s pictures. Why should he feel guilty? He had not done anything wrong and if there was any person who was at fault here, then it was Aria. Why did he not know about this guy who Aria was being so cozy with?


    Ivy laughed until tears formed in her eyes. She could now understand the reason for Noah''s behavior and instead of finding this situation to be annoying, she found the man to be cute.


    "You got angry just because of this picture?" Ivy asked when she noticed the man''s gloomy expression. Though she was greatly amused, she could see that man was angry and jealous. Before the matter blew up, she had to explain the truth to him lest it should affect her sister''s relationship with him. "Don''t worry. It is not as you think it to be."


    Her words did not cool the man''s anger and he was still staring at her with narrowed eyes. Ivy sighed lightly before she started speaking. "The guy here is a distant relative of ours and just like Aria, he is a doctor too. He had come as a transfer student to her university for one semester and I think it was then we met him."


    Ivy''s words brought some relief to Noah. However, he could still not get the picture of them out of his mind. Even if they were relatives, there was still a possibility of something to have happened between them, unless he was her brother.


    Ivy did not see his look and continued speaking. "If you go through the relationship tree, he will become a brother to us and he is older to us by a few months. So, technically he is our elder brother. And he too treated us our younger sisters during his stay with us. After his semester ended, he returned to his university."


    Now, Noah felt a little guilty for suspecting Aria without even learning the actual truth. He was filled with remorse and he did not know how to face Aria. "Also," Ivy''s words instantly pulled Noah out of his thoughts. "The guy got married recently and he even invited us. But we could not make it as we were busy with other things. So, my dear brother-in-law, don''t worry. My sister never had any past flames, you are the first and probably the last too." Ivy winked at him playfully and went back to her seat.


    The house was plunged into silence for some time. Nobody spoke a word, but Ivy could not control herself when she realized something. "Don''t you think it''s weird?" Ivy asked making the two men look at her. They waited for her to continue when she was silent as she arranged her thoughts.


    "You got jealous just because you saw her photo with a guy who was in fact our brother. But we never complained about your past flings and one night stands. Don''t tell me you never had one because I am never going to believe it." Ivy warned before anybody could speak up and her words were like a slap to both men. It was true that they had been a lot of women before they found their true love and considering those facts, they had no right to be angry or jealous. It was only then they realized that the girls were being magnanimous by not bringing out his topic before them.


    Now, not only Noah even Joshua was filled with remorse. He too felt it awkward to face his girlfriend and wished that the ground would swallow him up before she spoke anything else. But nothing like that happened and Ivy still continued with her talk. "I now realized how narrow-minded men can be. They cannot tolerate their woman hugging another man but expects the girl to understand about his past and him not being a virgin. Don''t you think that Aria should break up with you or at least be angry with you, considering the way you reacted seeing her photo, if we take into account the women you have been with before you met Aria?"


    Ivy''s sharp attack rendered Noah speechless. He felt as though someone had dipped him in ice-cold water and left him stark naked on cold land for him to suffer. He could sense the anger emerging from Ivy for the way he had behaved back then and he was not blaming her either. She was right. He had been too narrow-minded to blame Aria for things she did not even do while he done already done the deed with many women before her. He knew that Aria was a virgin given that this was her first relationship ever while he was already tainted. He chided himself all the more for his backward thinking and only hoped that Aria would not break up with him.


    Neither Noah nor Joshua said a thing and Ivy realized that she had put her point before them clearly. So, she too did not continue to dwell on this matter anymore. But she also did not forget to add another sentence as a warning to them. "I know it was your possessiveness speaking right now and I don''t blame you much for it. I just hope that you come out of the backward thoughts you have in your mind and learn to accept that we women too have freedom and are allowed to do things our way. You never asked us before having sex with other women and we will never ask you to explain it too. But I just hope that you do not reach nonsensical conclusions without even knowing the actual truth."


    The main door opened as soon as Ivy ended her speech and Aria entered inside bewildered to find the two men sitting on the couch with embarrassment and guilt written clearly on their faces. Aria could feel the awkwardness in the air and she looked at them in confusion. "What happened? Is everything alright?"


    "Everything is alright, Aria." Ivy was the first one to speak. She noticed that the two men''s expression looked horrible, but she could also feel that they had understood whatever she wanted to tell them. So, she did not think it to be wise to inform Aria about it. "Now, that she is here, let''s go."


    As soon as she said the words, both Noah and Joshua and turned to look at her only to get a wink in return. They understood her intentions immediately and smiled at her gratefully for her thoughtfulness. She truly was great to have forgotten the issue right after giving them a great lesson for life.


    "Where are we going?" Aria asked confused as her eyes darted back and forth among the three people around her.


    "You will be moving out of this apartment today," Joshua replied with a charming smile on his face.


    "Why?"


    "We will explain everything later. Let''s leave from here first."


    "Where will we be going?"


    "Ivy is coming with me." Joshua had the answer on the tip of his tongue as though he had predicted her next question.


    "And what about me?"


    Noah lifted her chin to make her face him before he dropped the bomb on her. "You, my dear, will be staying with me from now on."

 Chapter 314: Arias analysis (Unedited)

    Aria was pushed out of the house before she could ask anybody what was even happening. She looked confused with whatever was happening around her and the sudden changes that had been imposed on her without even being consulted. She saw that her bags were packed and all her important and necessary items were placed in there. She was all the more perplexed now. But it was Noah''s words that were bugging her. ''Did he say that I am going to stay with him from now? But why?''


    Before she could even voice her question, the four members had started walking with Noah pulling her softly with him by her waist. She stared at the bags that were lying outside the door with nobody to take care of them. "What about those?" Aria pointed out although that was not the question she had in mind.


    "Ronnie and Kaito will take care of them." As soon as Noah spoke the words, the two men appeared out of nowhere and took care of the luggage. Aria had not seen them in the house when she had entered. So, she wondered where they were all this time. The two couples took the first elevator while the two men took another.


    Aria was still muddleheaded, not knowing what was happening. She wanted to ask her doubts and turned to stare at the man who was busy wandering his mischievous hand around her waist. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not feel his touch on her body. Seeing that Aria had a lot of question marks in her mind, Noah shushed her right by placing his finger on her lips when she was about to fire her first question. "We will talk once we go home."


    Aria could only nod at him making him chuckle lightly at her cuteness. She looked like a small adorable girl just like how she was in her photos of her younger days. Just as Noah thought about the photos, Ivy''s words flashed in his mind and his gaze changed from amusement to regret.


    Ivy was right. He had been jealous and angry about something that was not even true while Aria was calm and collected about his past sex life. She did not care a thing about the women he had done previously, not one question was asked. Aria had been kind enough to ignore his messy past while she could have demanded answers from him. He wondered how she would react if he told her about his jealousy. Would she be angry and snap at him like how Ivy had? Or would she retort back at him and question him about his past?


    The elevator doors opened and Noah''s thoughts snapped. He let out a gentle smile at his darling girl before he led her to his car. However, he could still not forgive himself for being narrow-minded. While Ronnie, Aria, and Noah took one car, Joshua, Kaito, and Ivy took another. Aria was about to get inside when she remembered something. "What about my car?"


    "Don''t worry. I''ll get one of my men to drive it to our home. Now get inside, love. It''s cold outside." Noah coaxed her and got inside after she made space for him beside her.


    Meanwhile, Ivy and Joshua had already seated themselves in the car as they waited for Kaito to start driving. Ivy did not have to worry about her motorbike for now as it was in the garage. She had given it for regular servicing.


    The two men turned to look at each other and smiled happily on getting their mission accomplished. They had the girls they loved the most next to them and what could be more exciting than taking them home with them and stay with them forever? Aria and Ivy too looked at each and waved goodbye, and both the cars zoomed out of the apartment complex.


    Aria could not sit still anymore. She was dying to know what was happening and seeing the state she was in, Noah could not prolong the talk any further. So, without even her asking him, he started speaking. He told her the same things he had told to Ivy and waited for her to go in shock. But compared to Ivy, she seemed a lot more calm and composed. the information had not affected her much and now he seemed to be a little shocked.


    "This was a given. For someone to keep an eye on my sister, there can only be two reasons. One, he likes her and wants to know more about her. Two, my sister must have done something given her job and again he must have wanted to know about her. Though both the options were possible, it had to be the second one given the way you had described about him."


    Noah was perplexed by her analysis. This was the first he was seeing her different face with the way she was putting across her thoughts confidently and accurately. She had reasoned it out perfectly and Noah could not help but wonder how amazing the two sisters were. They were one of the most confident and smart people he had ever met and he felt grateful and ecstatic that one of them was his woman.


    "She had to have offended someone to have caught their fancy and it is no surprise that it had to do with the two missions she dealt with recently. If you analyze everything correctly, you can see that the man started following her after the incident at the Good City Clinic. So, that had to be it." Aria continued speaking, stunning both Ronnie and Noah. Ronnie had been listening to Aria since the time she had started speaking and was taken aback seeing how smart and practical she was. It was no wonder that they were Oliver''s daughter. If Aria had not been a doctor, she would have been an outstanding journalist or a strategist.


    "But yeah. It was quite shocking to hear that Jared Augustus was the one who was behind all these crimes. I did not expect that." Aria said after some time.


    "Do you know Jared?"


    "No. I just read heard about him on the news."


    "Hmm. That guy is a freak and it is better that you guys stay with us where you will be safe. There will be guards to protect you and I can be at peace."


    "I accept this arrangement. When one of his men had already broken into our house once, there is a high possibility that it might happen again. And listening to your words, the man must be frightening enough for even a man like you to take precautions. So, I will go along with the flow."


    Noah smiled at her thoughtfulness. She was not throwing a fit at him for doing things without consulting her. "Aria, I am sorry."


    This got her attention. She turned to face him and blinked at him with her head titled towards one side. "Why are you apologizing? What did you do now?" She asked with a playful smirk and Noah rolled his eyes at her teasing.


    "For two things actually. One, for taking decisions without even asking you."


    "What''s the second one?"


    "For being jealous."


    "What were you jealous about?"


    "I saw a photograph of you and your brother on laptop and ...."


    "And you assumed things."


    Noah nodded like a little boy as though he was confessing his mistakes to his teacher. "You were not wrong though." Noah, who had bent his neck, lifted it at an impeccable speed, his eyes wide with shock.


    "What?"


    "Yes. That guy is not my brother. Ivy must have pulled a prank on you." Aria giggled as she revealed the truth to him slowly. "He was my classmate and he liked me. But I was not interested in him and when he got to know about it, he stopped pursuing me."


    "So, Ivy actually lied to me?" Noah asked flabbergasted with the unbelievable revelation. He had been dying in guilt to have felt jealous of a relationship that had not even been existent only for him to find it to be true.


    "Not exactly. It is true that he is married now. I wonder why Ivy did that. She must have had a reason to have told you so." When Noah heard Aria''s words, he realized the reason for her do so. She wanted him to see things from a broad perspective and had just lied about it casually. Realizing that her intentions were good, Noah let it go. It would not be wise to think about things that would not matter them from now on. Whatever it happened was in the past and it was best to forget about them. They had to focus more on their present and their future.


    Just the thought about him and Aria staying in the same house made him all giddy and excited. He was more than happy about the arrangement and he could not wait for the days ahead from now on. "What are you thinking about?" Aria asked when she saw him smiling like a fool as he thought about something.


    His smirk widened hearing her question and he pulled her closer to him. "What do you think?"


    "Why do I feel that there are naughty things running in your mind?"


    "Ohh, you have no idea what naughty and mischievous things are running in my mind. But I am sure both of us would love it." Noah raised his eyebrows playfully as he licked his lips seductively trying to entice Aria. Her eyes took in the way his tongue ran over his sexy lips and she had the intense urge to kiss him now. But Ronnie interrupted right at the wrong time to inform them about their arrival.


    ----------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do give your support from my book ''TRAPPED FOR ETERNITY''. Do drop your reviews and comments. From now on, it will be updated regularly too.

 Chapter 315: Good news (Unedited)

    Aria alighted from the car and on noticing that she was right in front of Noah''s mansion, her eyes glistened in excitement. Her father was staying here and what could make her happier than accompanying her father from now on. She bolted at full speed to meet her father who at that moment was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner happily. Aria could smell her father''s delicious dishes from miles apart and her mouth watered just by its fragrance.


    She did not have to ask around for her father, her feet took her automatically to the kitchen, to the man who had his back towards the entrance and had no idea about the sudden change in the plans. Nobody had told him about it. So, he did not know that his younger daughter would be staying with him from now.


    As he added the salt while humming a tune to his wife''s favorite song, his hands stopped suddenly. He could not help but reminisce Susan''s beautiful face especially when she looked at him adoringly as he cooked for her. Just like his younger daughter, Susan too was a terrible cook. She could not make anything that could be eaten without making a scrunched up face. It was as though her hands and mind never cooperated when she cooked. However, she was excellent at baking. She loved to bake and on every happy occasion, it was her goodies they would eat to celebrate it.


    Oliver could only sigh deeply thinking about his lovely wife. Although she was gone, she was still in his heart, mind and thoughts and she would never leave them. It was where she was worshipped and it would always be the same. Oliver was so lost in thoughts that he did not realize where his hands were reaching too. He was almost about to touch the hot frying pan when Aria pulled back his hand. "Papa, careful." She yelled, her voice a little panicked.


    Her voice broke his chain of thoughts and he snapped from his reverie. He was startled to hear Aria''s voice and was surprised even to see her standing right in front of him with concern taking over her calm face. "Papa, are you alright?"


    "Ahh. yes. Yes. I am fine." He smiled at his darling daughter and hugged her tightly as he took another breath. There was no use thinking about the past. It would be more meaningful to lead a happy life so that his wife''s soul could rest peace and she too could be happy seeing her family happy if the fact that she would be watching them from heaven was true. Moreover, his wife was never actually gone. She would always be with him in his heart. So, she smiled brightly and hugged his daughter tightly.


    Aria who was enjoying her father''s warm embrace stiffened when his arms wrapped her tight making it ultra difficult for her to even breathe. She could sense the change of feelings in him and wondered what had happened. "Papa, are you alright?" She asked with great difficulty.


    "Yes, dear. Why do you ask?"


    "Did I annoy you somehow?"


    Her question made Oliver furrow his eyebrows, yet his hold on her did not loosen. He seemed to be confused by her question. "Not at all. My sweet daughter can never annoy me."


    "Then Papa, why are you crushing me? It''s suffocating me."


    As soon as Aria said the words, Oliver released her immediately and chuckled helplessly. "Oh sorry sorry. Did I hurt you? I am sorry."


    "Relax Papa. I am fine. What happened to you? In whose thought were you swimming?" Oliver did not answer her this and just smiled at her, his eyes losing its glint instantly and this was enough for Aria to guess the answer. She cursed herself for asking such a question when she clearly knew that it had just been a week since he found out about her mother''s demise. The next instant she changed the topic to brighten up his mood. "What are you preparing, Papa. It smells so nice. Are you done? I am starving."


    "Oh yeah. I am almost done." Oliver patted his daughter''s forehead affectionately went back to see if his dish was done. "That reminds me. What are you doing here at this time of the night?"


    "I have some good news to tell you. Guess what?" Aria jumped in excitement and she stared at Oliver with huge expectant eyes. Oliver could only shake his head at her behavior. Although his daughter had grown up to be a beautiful and independent lady, she still behaved as a little kid before him. It was as though all her independent nature was just for the other people and not for him. Here, she was just his daughter who relied on him completely.


    Oliver''s eyes fell on his daughter and he remembered the question she had fired at him. The next second, his eyes widened and he stared at her in disbelief. "Aria, don''t tell me. Are you pregnant? Am I going to be a grandfather?"


    Each of her questions came out like a gunshot to Aria and her excitement turned into a scowl. She could not help but question in her mind as to why everybody was wishing for her to get pregnant. She had not even had sex with Noah for damn''s sake, getting pregnant was impossible for now.


    Right at this moment, Noah entered the kitchen. He had been looking for Aria since the time they had arrived here. He had to receive a phone call as it was quite urgent and was related to the upcoming hotel inauguration. And by the time he had got down from the car, Aria was nowhere to be seen. On enquiring, he found out that Aria had already dashed inside to meet her father. For a second, he wondered if he should send his father-in-law away to Ian''s house so that he could have all the privacy. He did not want his own father-in-law to become a light bulb in his relationship.


    However, the thought vanished as fast as it had come to his mind. Aria would kill him if he did so. He went inside searching for her and just like his darling woman, he too was captivated by the delicious aroma that was lingering in the air. Now, he did not have to guess where she was and he went to the kitchen immediately. It was then he had overheard the father-daughter talk and he halted in his place immediately.


    Noah blinked twice to see if he was imagining things or if he was hearing things that had not even been spoken. Why was everybody eager for a kid from him and Aria? They had not proceeded further than kissing and getting pregnant was still far ahead. However, seeing everybody''s expectations and anxiousness, Noah wondered if he should do the deed with his woman and make her pregnant so that they would stop pestering them for kids.


    But the next second, he killed the ridiculous thought. There was no way he would make Aria pregnant right now. No. If they were to have a kid at this time when they were still in the stage which had not even crossed the first space, he was sure that he could never get sufficient time with his woman. And that was something he was not ready for right now. He still wanted to do a lot of things with her and that included having loads and loads of sex and fulfilling all his fantasies with her. The arrival of a baby would only hinder his plans and put an end to his desires. No. ''Baby, you will have to wait another two years to pop out of Aria.''


    "Who is pregnant?" Donning a calm expression, Noah entered the kitchen and looked back and forth between Oliver and Aria as though he did not know what was happening here. He looked completely innocent and nobody could guess seeing his face that he had overheard their talk a few seconds ago.


    Aria rolled her eyes. Did she have less of a headache with her Dad asking her about her ''right now no pregnancy'' that Noah had to enter right at this time? "Nobody is pregnant. Dad, I am not pregnant. And don''t worry, your first grandchild will be from Ivy, not me." Aria winked at her Dad, telling him silently that her sister was at an advanced level than her in their sexual life.


    Noah noticed her small act and he narrowed his eyes at her, his eyes questioning Aria''s intentions. Why did it seem like the father and the daughter were questioning his ability? If that was the case then he had to show what he was capable of. ''Baby, I summon you back. Your mother needs to know what I can do and I promise you that by the end of two years, no three years, you will be in your mother''s arms.''


    Although Noah''s resolution had started out strong in the beginning, his confidence faded when he realized that at the speed they were progressing in their love life, it would take months for him and Aria to reach the last step. He gave up his thoughts just like that. It did not matter who was the first one to make Oliver a grandfather. What mattered to Noah was the time he could spend with his darling girl before their lives became chaotic after the arrival of a baby.


    Oliver sighed in defeat hearing Aria''s denial. He had been quite excited when he heard that Aria had some good news to convey to him and was expecting it to be about his first grandchild. But it was fine. There was still for it and he could wait a few years to carry his daughter''s kids. "What is the good news then?"


    "We will be staying together from now on, you, Noah, and me."

 Chapter 316: Kitchen banter (Unedited)

    "We will be staying together, Dad," Aria exclaimed, her face bright with excitement. It seemed as though she had returned to her younger self when she would always tail behind her father whenever he returned home after his work. She would always cling to him and ask him questions about his work, although she would not understand a word he had spoken. Also, Oliver would only tell her some titbits and not what exactly he did the entire day. Aria was not even in her teens to understand his line of work. But she would still find it to be interesting even if she did not understand a thing. She would have the look of wonder and astonishment as she listened to him patiently and quietly.


    Looking at the grown Aria, who was staring at him in excitement, he could not help but reminisce about the little girl and a gentle smile settled on his face. How he wished to go back to those days when he was still not tracking down crimes or performing sting operations. He would be with his lovely wife and having the time of his life with his adorable daughters. However, time was something that never waited for none. He could only hope to have a better future and enjoy the present rather than thinking about his past.


    "What are you thinking about, Dad?" Aria asked curiously when she noticed his absent-minded gaze, as he stared at her without speaking a word. Even Noah was a little worried seeing him go into a stupor and he leaned closer to see if he was alright.


    "Nothing. Just remembering the good old time. Let''s talk about you. Will you be staying here from now on?" Oliver changed the topic, not wanting to impact the good mood his daughter was in.


    "Yes, Dad," Aria replied instantly, forgetting about her father''s weird behavior a few seconds ago.


    "That is great to hear. What about Ivy?"


    "She will be staying with Joshua," Aria said without thinking and when the realization hit her, she bit her tongue for her stupidity. The next second, she turned to stare at Noah. "You never told me." She accused him poking her finger at his chest.


    "What did I not tell you?" Noah was taken aback when she shifted the topic out of nowhere and now he was under her scrutiny. He wondered what he had forgotten to tell her.


    "You never told me about Ivy and Joshua and I would not have even realized if I had not spoken about them just now," Aria complained, her voice coming out as a whine. She glared at Noah as though she was throwing daggers at him. Oliver could only chuckle at the couple''s adorable relationship. He did not want to be a hindrance in their good time. So, he winked at winked and took his leave from the kitchen leaving the two love birds alone.


    "I never told you because it was not my news to talk about in the first place. Why are you blaming me?"


    "Because you are the one at fault. Ivy must have forgotten due to the things that happened in the last few days. She must have been stressed and the thought must have skipped her mind. But you could have at least given me a heads up. I did not even get to taste them, let alone congratulate them."


    "Aria, don''t you think I was stressed? I was on the edge of losing my love forever. Do you think I would worry about you knowing or not knowing somebody else''s relationship status?" Noah''s question rendered Aria speechless for a second. However, the next moment she came back without another unbelievable reason that now rendered Noah dumbfounded.


    "You should have still told me about it. I would have rejoiced for them even if I was angry at you. Why didn''t you?"


    "Would you have listened to me if I asked you to speak to me? You were not even willing to hear my voice or see my face. How do you expect me to inform you about your sister and her newfound love?"


    "You should have at least tried. Maybe I would have listened to you." Aria continued with the banter although she knew that she was being unreasonable now. She knew it was not Noah''s fault and she had to blame Ivy and Joshua for hiding things from her.


    Noah took a deep breath. He was now getting a headache with all the bickering. He did not have any answer to Aria''s questions now. Seeing him being silent, Aria opened her mouth again to chide only to be shushed by him when he attacked her lips with his. It was the only way to end the unbelievable conversation they were even having in the first place.


    Aria was too shocked on being interrupted that she did not even realize what was happening. She only came back to her sense when she felt a stinging sensation on her lips when Noah had bit her lips as a punishment for being unresponsive.


    Noah pulled her closer seeing her not rejecting him and angled her head so that he could get better access. He held her head in place as he ran his tongue on her lips to entice her more and this Aria got lost in the kiss. Seeing that Aria was responding, Noah did not waste another second and attacked her savagely. He deepened the kiss not allowing her to comprehend what was happening to her. They were close to each other that they could feel each other rhythmic heartbeats.


    Aria wound her hands around Noah''s waist as she responded back with equal vigor and strength. She clung closer to him trying to get more of him. Aria had been wishing to kiss those delectable lips since the time Noah had run his tongue over them on the car. Now that she had got the opportunity, she would not allow it to go a waste. She was not going to leave him until she was satisfied.


    She bit on his lips first and started to nibble on them, not waiting for Noah to take the action. This she was going to dominate the kiss and show the man what she was made of. She stood on her toes and on seeing that she was still a little short to reach him comfortably, she jumped onto him and wound her legs around his waist. Noah was initially startled to see her participate proactively. But the next second, his lips curled up into a smile in happiness. If his woman wanted to dominate him, who was he to stop her? He would do whatever she wanted this time.


    So, as soon as she jumped onto him, he supported her by her butt and lifted her with ease. During the entire time, the couple had not broken the kiss. Now that Aria did not have to crane her neck to meet his lips, she could do whatever she wanted. She ran her fingers through his hair while she licked his lips slowly but sensually. Noah was about to go crazy with the way she was taking charge and as soon he felt her tongue on his lips, his mind exploded.


    He now wanted to take over and rip her dress off and fuck her brains out. However, he stopped himself as he wanted to what Aria would next. He wanted to go through the sweet torture as this the first time Aria was trying to take control. As he waited, he felt Aria trying to get access to his mouth and Noah did not hesitate even a second to allow her what she needed. He opened his mouth and the next instant, he felt her soft and sweet tongue in his mouth. It just felt amazing to kiss her this way and it felt all the more mindblowing if his darling girl was the one to take control.


    Aria too was lost in the kiss. It felt just awesome and the right thing to do. She ran her tongue everywhere inside his mouth taking in his salivating taste. Her eyes closed automatically as her entangled with his and she let out a soft moan, making Noah lose his mind once again. The erotic noises she was making were torture to him and his self-control. He was not sure how long he could stay without following his way with her. His little friend had already gone rock hard by now and it was waiting for action, making it unbelievably painful for him.


    Noah knew that his father-in-law would not be coming in, not for now at least and none of his guards ever walked this way. The two were all alone for the time being. So, he placed Aria on the kitchen counter with his hands now on her waist. If wanted to take charge of the kiss, he could take charge of other things and he did just that. He lifted her shirt slightly and ran his hands on her waist. He did not even have to do anything much, Aria shivered the moment his hot hand touched her skin. It made her all the more excited and aroused.


    Her mind stopped speaking and her soul had left her body long back. All she could think about Noah''s lips and his hands that were now running on her waist. Noah forced himself between her legs, spreading them apart and pressed his body on hers.


    At first, she did not feel a thing. But as soon he pressed himself on her, she felt his rock hard manhood touching her right at her core and her eyes widened in shock. She stopped her attack on his lips and released him abruptly. But Noah did not stop what he was doing. In fact, he started to become more aggressive. He started to grind his manhood over her core and this time Aria lost it even though they were completely dressed.

 Chapter 317: Aftermath embarassment(Unedited)

    Noah saw the way Aria''s eyes dilated as he rubbed himself against her. He could see her getting aroused as every second passed by. Her body shuddered in delight automatically feeling the sensations she had never experienced before. It was something very new to her and unexpectedly she was liking it. It made her crave for it more and she unknowingly moved closer to Noah and pulled him closer to her by clamping her legs around his waist. Heat started to pool in the pit of her stomach and she could feel herself getting wet.


    Noah too was liking the way her body was reacting to his ministrations and he smirked with a devilish glint in his eyes. If they were not in the kitchen, but in his room, they would be doing to same things without any clothes on. He had not expected her to react this beautifully. If he had known about it, he would have taken her to his room before doing anything to her. As soon as Aria pulled him closer using her legs, he groaned as it was becoming too difficult for him to control now. Also, the fact that Aria looked so damn sexy was only making it all the more grueling for him to stop himself from tearing her dress off her delectable body.


    "Fuck," He cursed loudly when his hard manhood slammed hard against her core. I felt so good to just do things this way. He wondered how awesome it would feel when they actually took the last step and had sex with each other. Noah pulled his head back as he succumbed to the pleasure he was experiencing while he continued to grind his groin near her core.


    He could feel Aria''s heated breath on his neck and the next second, he smacked his lips on hers, taking Aria with him in the storm. He did not give her a chance to move, tacking her lips relentlessly while not stopping his assault on her core. His tongue dived into her hot mouth and started to take in her mesmerizing taste. This time he was in control and Noah had made up his mind to do things his way. He did not even care that they were in the kitchen and he could see that Aria was too lost to notice her surroundings.


    Noah sucked on her lips and when Aria moaned out loud that vanished right after it was let out, he bit her lips sharply. This the best feeling he had ever experienced in his entire life and he wanted more. The woman he was with previously before he met Aria had not enticed him this much as Aria had done. They were just meant for a casual fuck and nothing more. It was just a way for him to release his stress and those ladies too did not mind as long as they got to spend some time with him.


    However, now it was different. It was Aria and she was different than those women. She was his girlfriend, his lover, his woman and his darling wife. How could he not feel things differently now? This was the most pleasurable feeling for him, maybe because it was Aria.


    The temperature was already soaring towards the sky and now, sweat trickled down Noah''s face while he sucked on her lips. When he sensed that Aria was finding it difficult to breathe, he let her go. Aria panted loudly taking in as much oxygen as possible. But she did not have much time to take a break as Noah who was just rubbing his little friend on her entrance slammed it hard on her core and she sighed in ecstasy.


    However, before he could take things further, his phone rang breaking the beautiful moment. Aria immediately got disturbed by the blaring ring tone and she pushed him back. The embarrassment which had long flown away came to in an instant and her face became as red as a tomato. She now realized what they were in the kitchen and if not for the phone call, she wondered how far they would have gone.


    Noah was already annoyed about being disturbed and now when she that Aria too was pushing him away, his face darkened in displeasure. They were already at this high state and now he was just asked to stop and come down. How could he? His phone continued to ring and when Aria realized that he had no intention of answering it, she spoke up. "Pick up your phone, Noah."


    Her words were like ice water poured on him on a cold winter day. His desire evaporated into thin air and he glared at Aria as though she was the culprit who stopped him from doing what he wanted. Aria could only raise her eyebrows in confusion seeing Noah''s heated stare and she tilted her head slightly, asking him silently what had happened.


    This act of hers made Noah to realize what he had done and he averted his gaze away from her. The phone was still ringing and he was scolding the person who dared to disturb his precious time with his sweet girl. If the person was standing in front of him, the man would have him been dead meat by now.


    Noah stared at the roof as he tried to calm himself down. His pleasurable moment had turned into torture now and it was all because of the annoying phone call. Ten minutes passed and when he finally felt that he was a little better, he answered his phone which had continued to ring even after him not picking it up. Before Noah could speak, the other person started blabbering like a parrot.


    "Noah, did you guys reach home safely? Are you done with dinner? If so, I wanted to speak to you about your hotel inauguration. Are you free now?" Joshua blabbered on and on without even caring what Noah was feeling at that moment. He did not even sense how bad his friend''s mood was and how much he wanted to kill him right now. Once Joshua was finished with all his questions, he waited for the answer only to meet with silence. There was no response from the other person whatsoever.


    He glanced at his phone and saw that the call was still connected. But why was there no response from the other side? "Noah, are you there? Can you hear me?" He queried, his voice coming out so loud that Noah had to move his phone away to prevent his eardrums from getting damaged.


    "If you have nothing important to say, let''s speak later." With that, he cut the call and sighed lightly. His friend could be a nuisance at the wrong time, but he could do nothing. His eyes then fell on Aria who was still sitting on the counter. Even if she wanted to do, she could not leave the place as the man was standing in front of her like a pillar and she had no place to go.


    She was so flustered with what they had done a few minutes ago that she did not have the courage to meet his gaze now. Her flushed cheeks looked like ripened apples erupting a desire in Noah to take a bite. But before he could do what he wanted, Aria pushed him away. "Noah, Dad is waiting for us. We have to go."


    With that, she pushed him away and jumped off the counter before scuttling away like a scared rabbit. Noah could only chuckle seeing her hurry away from him. ''Looks like I will have to deal with my sweet girl later.'' His gaze deepened slightly remembering what sinful deeds they had done before it went back to normal. He put his hands in his pant pockets and put on an expressionless face as walked towards the living room where his father-in-law was chatting happily with Ronnie. It seemed that since the time Oliver had started loving in Noah''s mansion, he had become quite close to Ronnie and both of them would often be seen discussing things or joking around.


    However, Aria was nowhere to be seen. On seeing Noah looking around, Oliver smiled at him in understanding. He did not have to be a genius to guess what might have happened in the kitchen. He too had done mischievous things with his adorable wife during their initial days. "If you are looking for Aria, she is not here." He stated with a knowing smirk on his face.


    Noah pondered where Aria could be and went in search of her ignoring the playful smiles on his father-in-law and his guard. The woman in question had locked herself in the bathroom in one of the guestrooms downstairs. She was too shy to meet her father who was sitting in the living room and the worse part was, he was not alone. How could she now show her face to them? They must have known whatever they had done in the kitchen and now they must be making fun of her. Just the thought of it made her all the more flustered.


    She lifted her head and stared at herself in the mirror. It was only then did she notice how swollen her lips were. They had gone red and swollen and her uneasiness increased all the more. She then remembered how Noah had bit her and she covered her face in frustration. She blamed Noah for doing all those things even though he knew that people were around, completely forgetting how she had enjoyed the things they had done.


    While she was still wailing on her fate, there was a knock at the door and then she heard Noah''s voice. "Aria?"

 Chapter 318: Supporting son-in-law(Unedited)

    After meeting Oliver and Ronnie, Noah had a hunch that Aria would not have dared to face them given the state she was in. She would have been too embarrassed to meet them. So, she would not have come in this way. If that was the case, then where could she have gone? Noah wondered and the next second, his eyes fell on the guest room that was behind him. It was the room nearest room to the kitchen and if anybody wanted to escape from people in the living room, then it was the perfect option.


    Noah''s lips curled up on seeing Aria''s cute antics. How could not like her when she was this adorable and alluring? His feet took him towards the room. He did not have to struggle much as the room was not locked and he could get in with ease. However, Aria was not in the room. He frowned and was about to leave the room in search of her again when he heard a sound from the bathroom. His frown vanished and a smile took over his face. ''There she was.''


    He did not hesitate even a second and tried to door, but it was locked from within. Noah chuckled lightly and the people who knew him clearly would understand the true meaning of his laughter. It was not out of helplessness or amazement. It was a laughter filled with devilish glint. He was happy to have cornered Aria after being disturbed by the nuisance of a man Joshua. Now that he had found Aria alone and that too in a much safer place where nobody would intervene in his mindblowing time with his sweet girl, how could he not be happy? What could be a better place than the bathroom to do what he wanted to with Aria and who would disturb him here?


    With a huge smile on his face, Noah knocked at the door. "Aria." He called her out sweetly, trying to seduce her into succumbing to her needs. But to his dismay, all he got was silence. When he was about to knock at the door once again, he heard Aria''s voice. "I will be out in a minute. Set the plates on the dining table." That was all it took for Noah''s intentions to go down the drain. His excitement evaporated into thin air and his face fell.


    "Aria," He called out to her once again. But the reply he received made him heartbroken like an abandoned puppy.


    "Noah, I know what you want and let me tell you beforehand. I will not allow you to do anything to me right now, not when there is my Dad waiting for us to have dinner together. So, drop all your fantasies for now."


    Aria''s words made Noah pout and he badly wanted to break the door that was separating them. But he allowed her to do as she pleased as he had detected a loose end in her words. "In that case, can we resume it after dinner, in my room on my bed?" His words were met with silence for some time and he waited patiently for an affirmative answer.


    "No, we are not doing anything today," Aria answered, throwing cold water on his desires.


    "How about tomorrow then?" Noah asked when he found another loophole.


    "No. I have night duty tomorrow. Now stop this nonsense and go to the dining hall. I''ll be back in a moment."


    "Aria, this is not nonsense. This is the most basic, most necessary and most mind-blowing, and precious thing in the world. How can you demean it this way? It is the purest form of love and there is nothing wrong in me desiring it." Noah wanted to continue with his talk and coax his woman to come to his lane. But he was interrupted right before he could get to the most interesting part.


    "Noah, if you don''t stop talking right now, I am going to forbid you from touching me for a week. You choose now." She seethed and her words hit the bullseye instantly. Noah gave up immediately and he looked like a pitiful dog who had been abandoned by his master on the streets. He did not know where to go or what to do now in this situation.


    He was still waiting for her to open the door when he heard Aria''s voice again. "Noah, I can sense you outside. If you are not leaving..."


    "I am leaving. I am leaving." Noah replied in a hurry and left the room lest Aria should forbid him from touching her. How could he do that when he was had become a thirsty man who always craved for his woman, anytime anywhere? No way. He did not want to irk Aria and bring wrath upon himself. So, he left her to be following her orders this time and went to set up the dining table.


    After five minutes, when Aria did not sense any sort of movement or noise outside the room, she slowly peeked out trying to see if Noah had actually left the room was in fact, hiding somewhere waiting to ambush her. Only after she was confirmed the coast to be clear did she step out of the bathroom. Although her face was still pink with lips slightly swollen, she looked much better than before.


    Aria took a deep breath and she made up her mind. It was now time to jump to the battlefield and here the battlefield was coming face to face with her father after what she had done in the kitchen. She started out boldly as she had to meet him at any given time. But as soon as she reached the entrance of the dining hall, her pace reduced when she stopped altogether in her place. She lost all the confidence she had mustered up and now she wished to retreat so badly that she turned on her heels to escape from the room. However, to her horror, her father was standing right behind observing all her moves with a questioning gaze.


    "Da-Dad," She stuttered and retreated two steps, her eyes averting everywhere else other than her father''s face. She did not even have the confidence to meet his eyes now.


    "Why are you leaving? Don''t you want to have dinner?" He questioned her even though he knew what was running in her mind. Oliver did not have to be a genius to know why she was flustered. He had gone through the situation a lot more times than he could even remember or count. He could see that Aria was embarrassed. So, he did not dwell into the matter more nor was he interested in it too. It was a matter between the couple and even though he wanted to tease his daughter, he gave her some slack seeing how red her face had gone.


    "I-I-I am.."


    "Let''s go and have dinner. I am starving." Oliver did not give her time to even speak and pushed her inside with his hands on her shoulders. Now Aria could not get out of the predicament she was in. So, she could only succumb to her father''s wishes and go inside. She sighed in relief when she did not find Noah anywhere around. She then sat towards the left of the main seat while Oliver and Ronnie took the chairs opposite her.


    The three people started to serve for themselves without waiting for Noah when the man in question walked in without any care in the world. His hair had gone disheveled as though he had run his hands at least a hundred times through them and he was dressed casually. The tight-fitting shirt enhanced his manliness and his biceps. Oh my God. His biceps made Aria to squeeze her thighs together. This was the first time she was seeing him in this attire and that was all it took for her to get seduced. His demeanor made him look like a college hunk and Aria could not help but gulp looking at the sex god before her.


    Noah felt the heated gaze from his left. But he did not look at her even once, although a subtle smirk carved up on his face. He noticed her dreamy gaze on him and he patted himself in his mind for choosing the shirt he was wearing. It was a short-sleeved blue shirt that reached just above his biceps and he knew that it looked awesome on him. He had seen the maids ogle at him more especially when he wore the shirt and just like how he had expected, Aria was no different. She too was enticed now.


    Noah sat down casually at the main seat without any change in his facial expressions. However, his heart was doing acrobatics right now. He was getting jittery as every second passed with him this close to Aria and thankfully, Oliver came to his rescue when he enquired him about his work.


    The entire dinner was torture to both Aria and Noah as they very badly wanted to kiss the person they loved the most. But they had to hold up their desires as there were two other men with them and they could not behave improperly in front of them. So, they waited until the dinner finished, and when it was finally time for them to retire for the night, another issue popped. Where would Aria be staying from now?


    Noah wanted her to stay with him in his room. But Aria was not that willing given that her father was staying with them. It would not look good for them to share the room and she had no intention of offending him whatsoever. But to her surprise and to Noah''s happiness, Oliver had no issue with it. "You kids need to buck up with your life. With the speed you are traveling at, I don''t think I will be able to hold my grandkids even after ten years. Noah, take Aria to your room. She will be staying with you from now on."


    That''s it. Aria''s own father sealed her fate and pushed her to the wolf''s den. She was now sure that her father had shifted preferences now and was wholeheartedly supporting his son-in-law. Otherwise, who do would do something like this to his own daughter?

 Chapter 319: In the wolfs room (Unedited)

    Aria now had no other choice other than to follow Noah to his room. Her father himself had sold her for a grandchild and had completely given up on her much to Aria''s dismay. She wanted to protest and complain to him about his unfair treatment. But unknown to her, he had silently retreated away from them long ago when she had gone into a daze after listening to his orders for her. He knew his daughter would lash at him if he continued to stay here and he did not want to be at the receiving end of his daughter''s wrath which was quite scary.


    Although among his two daughter''s Aria seemed to be the calmest and more composed one, she was the scariest when irked. So, he had escaped from the battlefield and had pushed Noah to face his daughter. Only he could control her now. However, before leaving, he did not forget to send a silent signal to his son-in-law to take full advantage of the opportunity he was giving him today. And Noah did not miss his glowing eyes. He could sense what his father-in-law had in mind and he secretly cheered for himself for having gotten such a wonderful and understanding in-law. Who would knowingly send their daughter to stay in the room with her boyfriend before marriage? Not many people would and he deemed himself to be lucky in this aspect.


    Meanwhile, Aria was trying all she could to escape from the situation or at least delay it even if it was just for a few minutes. She knew that there was no way she could trick Noah as the man was standing right in front of her and she did not even know where her luggage was placed. So, she was completely stuck now. While she was contemplating on what to do, her eyes fell on Ronnie was at that moment was busy on his phone. He had no idea what was happening around him as he was dealing with some important stuff in the Underworld.


    "I want to talk to Ronnie for some time, I haven''t spoken to him clearly since the time I returned home. I am free now and he too seems to be having some free time. So, why don''t I talk to him?" Aria suggested as just when she was about to go to him Noah pulled her back. He could guess what was running in her mind and he smiled at him, which clearly told her that she was playing with fire by delaying the time. But by the looks of it, it seemed that he too was in rush. If she wanted to push and pull, he was glad to tag along where all the push and pull would only send her to his arms at the end.


    "If he wants to speak to you, then I have no objections," Noah said with a shrug as though he did not care about what she wanted to do. Hearing his name being mentioned out of nowhere, Ronnie lifted his head and noticed the couple''s eyes fixed on him. He could only stare at them in confusion as he had no idea what had happened between them. Only then did he realize that Oliver was nowhere around making him wonder what he was even doing here.


    Ronnie''s eyes met Aria''s hopeful gaze and he had to blink twice to confirm that he was not dreaming. She was begging silently to comply with her plan and help her and this confused Ronnie all the more. How could he even help her when he did not even know what she even wanted? His eyes then darted to his Boss who almost glaring at him for being a slowpoke. He could notice the warning Noah was sending him and it clearly said, ''If you don''t leave right now, your head will be on the guillotine.''


    That was all it took for Ronnie to understood what was happening. His Boss was luring his Madam to his room and Aria was doing all she could to save herself from being devoured by the big bad wolf. Ronnie was in a predicament now and he did not know who to support. While there Aria who was pleading with him desperately to help her, there was also his Boss who was warning him to not poke his nose into matters that did not concern him.


    In this life-threatening, Ronnie could only take a decision that he deemed to be perfect, that was to support his Boss. Ultimately whatever was going to happen between the two, they would live happily with each and if his help was going to push their relationship to the next stage, he was happy to comply with it all the more.


    "I am sorry Madam. I have some urgent work to do. So, I cannot chat with you right now. But I promise you that we can talk some other time and I will be more than glad to oblige you with your wishes. But not right now." Aria''s face fell on seeing Ronnie''s leaving her to deal with Noah on her own. So, she did not notice the appreciative nod that Noah had given to his amazing guard. Truly, the man knew him better than anybody else and he could not him applaud more for his understanding.


    Ronnie did not wait even one second and escaped from the place lest he should get entangled in the couple''s dispute once again. Now, Aria and Noah were the only ones in the living room and Aria did not even have anything to use as her shield. Everybody had betrayed her and had led to surrender herself before Noah. She could sense the man''s heated gaze on her and she raised her head slowly.


    "I think your chat with Ronnie is on hold for now. So, why don''t we go to our room, love? You can chat with me." Aria could feel the mockery in his words as he started speaking, but when he stressed that they were going to their room, she started to hyperventilate. To make matters worse, Noah did not allow her to protest anymore and led her by her waist lest she should come up with any more tricks. He was not going to have any of it today. Although he did not have any intentions of doing things against her wishes, he could at least introduce her to the heaven she did not even know existed. He would slowly lure her in and make her comfortable and once she was adjusted to his mindset, he would gobble her up until he was satisfied.


    Sex was not the only idea he had in mind. He had other desires too and he would make sure that he got them fulfilled and in the meanwhile find out what fantasies Aria had. Although he was a very selfish man who never catered to others needs, this was not the case when it came to Aria. He would never do anything she was not comfortable with. If she needed time, he would give her all the time in the world, but not before letting her taste how it felt to reach euphoria which she had no idea about.


    They reached Noah''s room in no time and Aria took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves. She was worried now about her well being as had a feeling what would happen to her once the door that was just five steps behind her was locked. Her mind wanted her to run away from the room, from him. But her heart wanted to see what the man would do to her. It wanted to know what would happen if she continued being here and how far would they go along if things escalated quickly.


    In this tug of war between her mind and heart, Aria did not even know when Noah had even closed the door. She only came back when she felt Noah''s hands running on her shoulders until they traced down to her hands before they settled on either side of her waist. He held her safe on and secure in his arms, not allowing her to move an inch, not that she could. His grip on her was too strong making sure that she was locked in his embrace.


    "Were you trying to escape from me, love?" Noah whispered right beside her ear and immediately, goosebumps formed on her skin. His hot breath hit her skin and her heart thundered in her chest. She was tonguetied and did not have any reply to his question as both of them knew what her answer was.


    Seeing her being mum, Noah bit her ear eliciting a gasp from the woman in his arms. "I need answers, love. Were you trying to escape from me?" He asked again and this time he got a shake of the head as an answer. "So, you wanted to come to our room quite badly then. Am I right?"


    HIs question made Aria to realize that she had shot herself in the foot by lying to him. She scolded him in her mind for asking such a question even though he knew what her answer would be? Could he not pity on her and cut her some slack?


    "No." Noah answered immediately as though he could read what was running in her mind. "I will not allow you to escape anymore. You have had your fill by trying to run away from me. Now, let''s come back to the topic we had at hand." Next, Noah bit her ear lobe and licked it lightly making Aria shudder. He could feel the way her body was reacting to his touch and he was only happy to continue. He kissed her neck from behind and when he heard a gasp from Aria, he started to suck on the skin until the spot became reddish-purple. Satisfied with his work, he then put his next part of the plan into action.


    "Since we are already here, let''s continue from where we were before we got interrupted in the kitchen. Shall we?"


    The next instant, Noah turned her swiftly to make her face and without giving any chance for her to comprehend what was even happening, he slammed his lips on hers.

 Chapter 320: First impressions (Unedited)

    Noah did not allow Aria to let out even a word of protest as he kissed her fiercely, pouring out all the feelings he had for her and hoping that they would reach her heart through the kiss. He pulled her body close and now they were plastered to each other as he nibbled on her lips lightly. His hands wandered down from her waist to her buttocks and he groped them slightly, making Aria moan in the process. As soon as she parted her lips slightly, he delved his tongue into her mouth.


    The temperature in the room soared to an all time high even though the weather outside was quite chilly. Aria was slowly losing breath from the toe-curling kiss and she tapped on Noah''s shoulders for him to let her go. But the man was as adamant as ever. Instead of letting her go, he walked back with her still in his arms and his lips still sucking her swollen lips. With utmost ease and care he plopped onto the bed with Aria below him and only let her go when she was trapped completely in his arms. Now, there was no way she could escape from his clutches. She was trapped and even if she wanted to escape, the man would give her a chase until she was back in his arms, safe and secure.


    Aria panted heavily and it seemed as if she had just finished a sprint in the Olympics. Her face was flushed red and her lips were swollen making it all the more seductive and alluring. Noah pushed her bangs to the side before he started to caress her cheeks as he waited for her to come back to earth. Although his breathing was slightly rugged, he seemed perfectly fine, better than Aria at least.


    "Did you like the kiss, love?" He questioned, his voice coming out hoarse and all the more tantalizing. Aria was immediately lost in his sexy voice completely forgetting their predicament. She did not even realize that they were on the bed and she was lying right under him.


    "Your voice sounds amazing," Aria muttered, her eyes shining brightly like stars on a dark night. Noah was taken aback by her statement. Instead of answering his question, she had uttered something else. However, he was not annoyed with it. He was pleased with it all the more. His girl was coming out of her shy self and praising him and what could be more satisfying than getting compliments from the girl he loved the most?


    "Is it? Do you like my voice?" Now that Aria was opening up, Noah wanted to see what else she liked about him.


    Aria nodded as soon as he heard the question only to receive a peck on the lips from him. "Words, love. I need words. Although I know what your answer is, I would love it if you answer me with your sweet voice. Okay?"


    "Okay." This Aria replied to him obediently and Noah smiled at her in satisfaction.


    "Good girl. Now, let''s play a game. Shall we?" Noah adjusted himself next to her so that his weight did not suffocate her. But he was still hovering above her with her trapped in his warm embrace.


    "What game?" Aria stared at him confused. She was completely bewitched with him right now that she did not even what was happening. It was as though the kiss had hypnotized her she was now completely under Noah''s spell.


    "Just a normal question and answer game. Okay?"


    Aria nodded once again and once she saw Noah raising an eyebrow at her in dissatisfaction she answered immediately. "Okay."


    "Good. Here''s the first question. What was your first impression of me?" Aria was about to answer him, but Noah shushed her by placing his finger on her lips. "And, please answer me honestly. I want to know everything about the way you feel about me and it does not matter how bad your answer could be. Don''t worry about me getting hurt by your words. We need to have a strong foundation before I start doing the things I have in mind and it''s best we find out how we feel about each other before we proceed to the next stage. Okay, love? Are you comfortable?" Noah enquired about her well being to see if she understood his intentions for asking her these questions at such a crucial when they had just shared a passionate kiss.


    Aria who seemed to be in a trance a while ago, broke out of it when she heard Noah''s sincerity. Only then did she realize how compromising their position was. But she did not shy away this time. Whatever he said was the truth. They needed to know about each other''s feelings if they wanted to stay with them for their entire life and she could not agree to it more. Though both of them knew how they felt for each other, they had not been that wordy about it and now was the perfect time for them to confess everything they had in their heart.


    "I understand, Noah and the rule applies to you too. Okay? I''ll ask you questions of my own and I hope you answer them truthfully."


    "Sure. Will I get a kiss as a reward?" Noah asked with a devilish glint in his eyes and Aria could not help but smile at his excitement.


    "No, I will reward you something else once the questionnaire ends," Aria answered with a blush. Her ambiguous declaration made Noah curious and now he wanted to know what she was planning.


    "What are you going to?"


    "That, my dear, is a secret. But I am sure you''ll love it." Aria said with a wink. Aria did not reveal a thing about what she had planned for him as it was too embarrassing for her. She had decided it in the spur of the moment and now that she had made up her mind, she did not want to go back on it. She wondered how Noah would react when she put her thoughts to action and was waiting for all of these to end just to see his wonderstruck face.


    Meanwhile, the man in question had no idea about the things Aria had thought for him. If he had the ability to see the future, he would have known how erotic and exciting things would get once their questionnaire ended. If that was the case, he would he skipped it directly and had jumped to claim his reward from her.


    Now, Noah was more intrigued. However, he knew he would get nothing out of Aria even if he pestered her. So, he gave up. "You didn''t answer my question yet." He pointed out as he ran his fingers on her cheeks.


    "Which one?"


    "What was your first impression of me and be honest?"


    "I have two first impressions, one when you were unconscious and the one I had when you gained consciousness." Her answer made Noah to smirk wickedly. "When you were still unconscious, I sometimes had the urge to... to.." Aria stopped suddenly when she remembered how wild her thoughts had been when she was his doctor in charge. She was embarrassed by just reminiscing about. How could she tell them out loud to the man directly?


    Aria''s hesitation increased Noah''s curiously by ten folds and he now wanted her to complete her sentence. He could not wait any longer. "Urge to? Complete the sentence love." He prompted her only to get a glare from her. He could not help but chuckle at her as his mischievous hands settle on her waist. His intention was the question her while he did the things he had in mind at the same time. This was, Aria would not be too embarrassed and he could slowly introduce her to the things he in mind.


    "Nothing. I just wanted you to get up soon so that I could take a good rest. That''s it." She lied blatantly and hoped that Noah would not realize about her lies. However, the man was not that easily fooled. He knew that this was not the answer Aria had in mind and he would make sure she revealed the truth completely.


    "Aria, darling. We established rules before we started the game and not even the first question has passed, you are breaking them already. How rude?" He scolded her softly and he when noticed that she was completely distracted, he raised her shirt slightly.


    "It is the truth. I am not lying." Aria tried to counterattack only for it to backfire on her.


    "Aria, I want the truth and please if you start lying now, I will also hide my feelings for you. You decide." Noah said with a stern face and this time Aria surrendered. She could not fool him and it was she who had shot her own foot by revealing her thoughts. So, she closed her eyes, unable to meet Noah''s thoughts and took a deep breath.


    "I was seduced by how you looked in the hospital gown and wanted to run my hands on your chest muscles and biceps. I also wanted to take a bite of your body." Aria blurted out in one breath and she sighed in defeat. She waited for Noah to laugh at her or mock her for having such wild thoughts even before they knew each other. But she heard nothing like that. There was no response from him.


    Perplexed and surprised, she opened her eyes slowly only to meet Noah''s intense gaze. He was grinning at her, his teeth biting his lower lip seductively. Aria blinked at him confusion and before she could ask him anything, her lips were sealed with his. Completely taken aback by the sudden kiss, Aria did not have the time to respond. But before she could even relish the kiss, Noah had pulled back.


    "Aria, you just had to ask for it if you liked my body that much. I belong to you and it''s obvious my body belongs to you too." Noah got up suddenly and pulled his shirt over his head.


    "What are you doing Noah?" Aria was now alarmed seeing his behavior and could not help but get anxious at it.


    "I am satisfying your desires." Noah removed his shirt and now his bare torso was revealed before her eyes for her to feast upon.


    "What?"


    "You can now run your hands on my body and take a bite from anywhere you want." Noah declared making Aria''s eyes go wide in shock. Seeing her stare at him dumbly, Noah took her hands in his and placed them on his chest near his heart. Aria could feel his fast and powerful heartbeat and she marveled at how sexy he looked right now. His eyes were just about to move away from his face so that she could take a good look at her man when she heard Noah speak again.


    "Can you hear my heartbeat, love? That is how my heart feels for you. Although I had a heart before, it only started to beat this crazily after I met you."

 Chapter 321: Secret to tell (Unedited)

    Noah''s sincere proclamation of his feelings touched Aria deeply and her heart was filled with warmth. She noticed the deep longing in his eyes which could not be faked and this made her want to cherish the man she liked dearly. It was not every day she could chance upon such an incredible man and she considered herself fortunate enough to have met him. He was a gem in his own way and she had to treasure him at all costs.


    Aria smiled at him, her face glimmering in happiness and she leaned in to kiss his lips. Her man was the best and she did not need to shy away from showing her true feelings to him. They would be together for life and there was nothing to hide between them. Noah was not that surprised to be kissed by Aria. He had expected it even before he had expressed his thoughts. His feelings for her were as clear as the sky on a bright sunny day and nobody could change how he felt for her. The duo stared at each other for a few seconds, not breaking eye contact as they poured out all the feelings they had for each other through their eyes.


    Aria was still reeling in the heart felt words when Noah''s statement made her lose her calm instantly. "Aria, umm, I am still waiting for you to take a bite from me." She glared at him for his audacity and she snickered in anger. She did not until that day how shameless the man could be. It seemed as if the word shameless was coined only after seeing Noah''s tactics.


    "Shameless, shameless, utterly shameless." She scolded him but to Noah, it came as if she was praising him. His lips curled up in pride and delight and he pressed his bare torso on her body making Aria stiffen her body immediately.


    "How am I shameless?" Noah bit his lips seductively as he pulled her in his arms, closer to his body so that she could be near to his heart. "It was you who desired to run your hands over my body and take a bite from me. I am just fulfilling my sweet girl''s desires. If there is anybody shameless here, then that''s got to be you." He claimed innocently and his words only added fuel to Aria''s slowly igniting fury. She gritted her teeth at him and was ready to burst out in anger but got interrupted when Noah picked her right palm that was on his chest and ran it slowly over his torso.


    Aria gasped when she felt his scorching hot skin under palm and she shuddered lightly. It was unknown whether she was excited or utterly anxious. But whatever it was, she was blushing red and her cheeks were splashed with a beautiful color of red. Noah''s heated gaze did not leave her face as he forced her hand to wander over his body, starting from his chest. Their hands slowly descended down and Aria felt his rock hard abs that had gained her attention since the time he had removed his shirt.


    Now she was completely lured and even without Noah''s guidance and help, her hand started to move on its own accord. She slowly ran her hand over his irresistible body, admiring each and every crevice and curve. The Gods must have carved out such a fine man just for her and this made her all the more delighted. Who would not want a sexy and alluring man as their husband and unbelievably, Noah had the looks that could make girls drop to their knees and Aria was no exception.


    Noah smiled at the way Aria was marveling over his body. He could see the way her eyes were wonderstruck and this boosted his ego and confidence more. Which man would not be happy to get such a beautiful reaction from the girl he loved the most? Noah was more than happy to entertain Aria''s thoughts. If she wanted to run her hands on his body, then it was his responsibility and an honor to strip naked for her so that it could be easy for her.


    When Noah was lost in thought for a moment, Aria did something he had least expected her to do. He only felt pain near his abdomen. Aria too did not know what had gotten over her. She was still ogling at Noah at one moment and the next second, she had latched onto his body and had taken a bite on his abdomen. Both of them froze for reasons different altogether.


    Aria was not that flustered when the idea had popped up in her mind. But once the realization hit her, she was completely flustered. Meanwhile, Noah had a huge grin on his face. "Aria, I never knew you were such a naughty girl. Were you this eager to get your desires fulfilled. Now I cannot wait to see how the days will go from now on. I am sure that our sex life will be mind-blowing with your active and eager participation. I am thrilled just thinking about it."


    Noah''s blunt declaration made Aria to punch him lightly on his chest. She did not have the courage to face him after what she had done. So, she hugged him tightly. "Noah, I hate you. You monster."


    "Well, thank you. That''s the best compliment I could get from you. I am honored."


    The couple stayed this way for some time. Aria was still hugging Noah''s bare torso while Noah was enjoying their closeness. Why would he reject the opportunity that had come to him on its own? He made full use of it as he claimed it to be his right. When a lot of time had passed, Noah finally broke the silence. "Although I''d love it for us to stay this way, Aria we still have questions to ask."


    "Yeah right." Aria pulled back. Her embarrassment had reduced now and she seemed to have returned to her usual self. "Let''s continue."


    "Yes, you are yet to complete your answer. You told me how you felt about me when I was unconscious. What about later?"


    "That," This time Aria looked more confident than before and seeing her face, Noah had a hunch that he would not like the answer he would get. "I found you extremely annoying and infuriating. I just wanted to be done with your case. You have no idea how happy I was when Ian had returned. That day, I celebrated my freedom from you."


    Aria continued to blabber not noticing how dark Noah''s face had become. Her answer was like a huge blow to his pride and he was heartbroken. He wondered what he had done so wrong for her to have such an impression on him. His thoughts were voiced out immediately when Aria stopped talking. "Why Aria? Did I do anything wrong for you to have such an impression of me?"


    "Don''t you remember what you did? The first time I met you after you git up, you threw something at me. If I had not ducked in time, it would have smacked me in the face. What do you think about how a normal person would react in such a situation?"


    Her words made Noah to go back to that day and he vaguely remembered doing something like that. He had been furious as Caroline''s betrayal had come gushing back in his mind and he had kicked up a fuss with his guards releasing all his wrath on them. At that moment, he remembered Aria entering the room and right the next second, he had thrown something at her.


    He now realized how rude he was with her and his face was filled with guilt. Aria was not done yet. "Do you remember that you threw my phone for reasons I still don''t know? What did my poor phone even do to you?" Aria asked the question she had wanted to ask the day the incident had happened. But she had been too vexed to even look at his face. So, she had left his ward in a huff of anger.


    "I don''t know what happened either. One second, it was in my hand and the next second, I was irked and took my anger on your phone. I am sorry." Noah was too embarrassed to say that he had been jealous of the guy named Danny after the phone call. But now he could not help but chide at himself for his foolishness. Danny was nothing but Aria''s friend and right now, he was his sister''s boyfriend. There were also high chances that they would end us as in-laws in the future if all went well.


    Aria did not doubt him at all even the man had hidden some part of the truth. He assumed it to be better if she knew nothing about it, else she would tease him the entire life. "Now, my turn. Why did you like me?"


    "What kind of a question is that?" Noah asked in confusion.


    "I mean, what aspect of mine attracted you? Was it my beauty or my intelligence or both?"


    "Ohh, none."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I liked your straight forward nature first followed by your courage."


    "Ohh." Aria had not expected such a reply and she could not help part her lips slightly.


    "Yes, you did care about who I was. You were bold enough to scold me for my mistakes and I liked it. Unlike the other women who behaved all well cultured and kept buttering up to me, you were independent. If I remember correctly, you never behaved liked like those annoying women whom I have dealt with before. Meeting you was like a breath of fresh air and I liked the feeling instantly. I was attracted to you and asked Ian about you."


    "Did you ask Ian about me?" Aria was perplexed to find out this new revelation. She never knew Noah had inquired about her with Ian and Ian too had not told her a thing.


    "Yes, you both are colleagues. It''s obvious you know about each other well. When he informed me that you were a good girl, I decided to try my luck with you. Who knew things would turn out this well?"


    Aria again smiled at his answer. However, her smile vanished when she felt Noah''s lips on hers, although it was just a peck. "What was that for?"


    "That was your reward for my previous question. Now, here''s my next question. When did you realize you liked me?"


    Aria blinked at him on hearing the question. She had no idea when she had started to like him, but she had a feeling that it all started the day they had gone sightseeing in London. "I think it was when you accompanied me on the sightseeing after I got separated from the group. It was probably the first time I saw you in a different light. You were charming and friendly and approachable."


    Her answer made Noah tremendously happy. At least, the girl had not decided on a whim and he was just contented with it. She had taken her time to get to know before coming up with the conclusion. His heart was dancing in ecstasy and in return, he rewarded her with a toe-curling kiss instead of just a peck.


    Aria was still panting heavily while cleared her bangs from her forehead. "Now, it''s your turn." Although he had told her to ask the question, he waited for her to compose herself. His naughty hands that had stopped after his question, resumed its work once again and now her shirt was raised until her bra. He could clearly see her belly button and he gulped unknowingly.


    His darling girl had such a beautiful body that he was finding it hard to keep himself at bay. His white skin was evoking him desires he had no idea he could get. He had never felt like this before and he wondered if Aria was the reason for these profound thoughts and fantasies. Not wanted to alarm or scare his darling girl, he lightly brushed his hand over her stomach before it finally settled on either side on her waist.


    By then, Aria too had calmed down a little. Her mind was busy coming up with a question that she did not realize what Noah was up to. "Ah ha. I have a perfect question for you."


    "And what might that be?"


    "Is there anything else I need to know about you? If yes, do tell me right away. I hate it if people lie to me about trivial matters and it''s best that you come clean before I find out about it from somebody else. Next time, I am sure that I would not be this accommodating. It''s okay if it not that important. But if it something that would impact our lives anyway, I hope you inform me about it beforehand."


    Aria''s question made Noah to panic immediately. Yes. He had a secret to tell her and now it was time to tell her about it.

 Chapter 322: Silent vow

    Meanwhile at Joshua''s house.


    Joshua had been overly excited to have Ivy in his house and this time, he had decided to make sure that she would not be leaving him or his house now or anytime in the future. He had made up his mind to ensure that she would be staying with him in his room and this arrangement was final. But to his disappointment, Ivy had locked herself in the guest room and had refused to come out as she had a lot of work to do before she went on her mission. She did not want any disturbance from anyone, especially from Joshua who was a master at annoying people.


    Having been incredibly bored, he had decided to pester Noah instead. But here again, he was met with disappointment. The man had not even spoken to him for more than two minutes before he ended the call. And after that, there was no news from him and Joshua did not have the courage to call him back after seeing his previous reaction. He wondered what he had done so wrong for him to behave that way. The poor guy had no idea that he had disturbed Noah''s amazing moment with his woman. He next wanted to trouble Ian but gave up on the thought when he remembered that the man was working the night shift that day. He did not want to disturb him when he was at work.


    It was past dinner time now and Ivy was yet to come out of the room. Since Ivy had not had dinner, Joshua too had decided to wait for her. He had gone to call her once some time after eight but had received no response from her in return. So, he had returned to the living room giving her some time. Now, more than an hour had passed and she was still inside and it seemed that she had no intention of coming out. So, Joshua decided to call her again. He did not want her sleep with an empty stomach.


    However, to his surprise, as soon as he stood up, he saw Ivy walking down the stairs with a dazed look on her face. She looked utterly drained and it seemed as though there was no strength left in her body. Her body seemed fragile and she was almost about to collapse if not for Joshua holding her waist in time. "Careful, sweetheart." He held her gently as prevented her from tumbling down. "Are you alright, dear?"


    Ivy did not even have the energy to speak. So, all she could do was nod at the man before she let out a huge yawn.


    "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?" He asked her again as he slowly led her to the dining table. It was filled with food the maid had prepared and all that was left was for the couple to devour it. Once again, Ivy nodded. She famished by now and the delicious food on the table made her drool. Her stomach howled on not being fed on time and the next second, she tried to attack the dishes. But Joshua stopped her making her raise her eyebrows in confusion.


    He did not say anything to clear her confusion. Instead, he sat on one of the chairs and made Ivy to sit on his lap comfortably. "You take rest. I''ll feed you. Okay?" He cooed at her and gently pushed her to lie her face on his chest before he started to serve the food on his plate. The food was quite simple, nothing scrumptious. There was chicken rice and some porridge. Joshua first fed her the porridge spoon by spoon and finally settled on the chicken rice. Ivy did not resist him this time as she thoroughly exhausted with all the stressful work she had done. She allowed him to do as he wanted, not caring about anything else. All she wanted to eat to her stomach''s fill and have a good sleep.


    Ivy had no work to do the next day and the day after was the day when she was scheduled to go on her mission. So, she had finished her preparation beforehand and now, she had all the information she needed in the mission on hand. She had made use of the sources available to her as well as Joshua''s help to find out everything she wanted and now she had a comprehensive document about everything that was involved in the mission. She was ready now, ready to face those monsters and reveal the truth to the public.


    Joshua fed her patiently while he too took a bite in between. He could see how weary Ivy looked and his heart ached seeing her work so hard. Although he did not know what exactly she had done, he presumed the work to be related to her upcoming mission. Although he was not against her working, he did not like to see her pushing to her limits and forget about herself in the process. He was completely fine with taking care of her for the rest of their lives.


    But he knew that Ivy would never like the idea. She was an independent girl and her happiness lied in doing what she liked. If being a journalist was what made her happy, then he would support her wholeheartedly, at the same time making sure that the woman he loved would never face any sort of danger. He would give her all the help she needed just like how she had taken his help in finding out things she deemed relevant and important in the upcoming mission. And from this, he had found out some information about the people involved in the meeting.


    Joshua had also collected some more interesting information which he was yet to confirm if it was true. If found yes, then the content he had at hand was huge and once it was released to the public, it would blow up immediately. He did not intimate Ivy about it as he knew that the girl could become reckless and do things that could get land her life in danger. So, he decided against it and wanted to look into this matter himself.


    The couple silently ate the dinner with Joshua feeding Ivy until there was nothing left. They had not spoken a word at all, but the silence was not awkward. Both of them respected each other and their work and sometimes, it was necessary to give privacy and time for things to return to normal.


    When he realized that Ivy had recharged herself a little, he tried to stir up a conversation. "Are you done with your work?" Ivy nodded at him before swallowing the food from the spoon that was being held in front of her.


    "I am done finally." She answered after swallowing the food. "It was quite stressful but finally, I am done."


    "Do you need my help in anything? If so, do tell me okay? I don''t want you stressing yourself out. I cannot bear to see you this exhausted. It is a different matter altogether if I am the one exhausting you out." Joshua said with an expressionless face although there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. Ivy''s face snapped to glare at him. How could the man be so brazen at all times? She wondered as she rolled her eyes seeing him smile at her sweetly.


    Joshua noticed a grain of rice near her lips and he leaned to lick it off her face, startling Ivy. Her eyes widened as she gaped at the man in shock. However, Joshua did not react to her and held up the spoon filled with rice. He gestured for her to eat while he blinked at her innocently. Ivy narrowed her eyes unable to comprehend what the man was thinking. Nevertheless, she dropped the issue and ate to her fill. Why would she bring up the conversation again when the matter was something she was embarrassed about but something Joshua loved the most.


    Joshua too did not stress on it and decided to change the topic to a more serious issue. "What were you working on?" It was not that he wanted to probe into her life. He just wanted to know what she was dealing with in case problems arose in the future. Her line of field was not safe especially for Ivy who was an honest journalist and had gone against many people like Jared who was anything but civil. He did not how she had managed to stay safe until now. But with him around, she did not have anything to worry about. He would shield her from all troubles and make sure she would never get hurt.


    Joshua had just finished feeding Ivy when he sensed her leaning her head completely on his chest and in a split second, she was out. Her hot breath hit his neck as she snuggled closer to him seeking warmth from his body. Joshua could only chuckle helplessly at his woman''s actions. ''Do you not realize how dangerous it is to sleep this way before me? You are only adding fuel to the already ignited fire.'' He sighed and closed his eyes to calm himself down.


    He then picked his woman up carefully so as to not disturb her sleep and slowly took her to his room before laying her down on the bed. He then laid down beside her and hugged her to sleep, making a silent vow to protect her at all costs, be with her and face the dangers together.


    -----------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    The vote count crossed 1000 the last week and we also managed to stay in the top 150 in the rankings. So, there will be two bonus chapters released shortly. Thanking very much everyone for liking this book and supporting it.

 Chapter 323: Parting?

    Back at Noah''s mansion.


    Aria''s question got Noah thinking. He had a secret to tell her and it was something huge. She had to know about it, not because it was in any way involved with her but because it was his other identity that not many people knew about. He had inherited it from his family and that was something he could never give up. No. He could only wish Aria to understand him and accept who he was without kicking up much fuss.


    Aria observed his face for some time and on seeing him being silent, she understood that there were some things she was yet to know. Noah was still hiding things from her. But this time, she was not angry. No. She did not want to lose her cool without listening to his explanation. She wanted to know what he had in mind and why he had not told her about it. She did not want to jump to mindless conclusions and blame him once again for no fault of his.


    Aria held Noah''s face in her hands and made him look at her in the eye. "Noah, what is it? Tell me." She said, gently assuring him with her eyes that she was here and would not leave him until he explained everything clearly.


    Noah pulled back making Aria get up with him and he distanced himself from her. Aria frowned seeing him getting anxious and wondered what he wanted to tell her and why he was behaving weird all of a sudden. She could not help but fear the worst as every minute passed with Noah staying silent. Her heart was beating wildly as she waited patiently for Noah to speak up. But when she noticed that Noah had no intention of opening his mouth, she could not stop herself anymore. "Noah, please say something. You are scaring me." She pleaded as she held his hands in hers and pressed on them gently.


    Noah who had bent his head raised it slowly and the expression of helplessness was clearly marked on his face. She could see that he wanted to tell her everything but he was scared, scared of something she could not comprehend. "Noah, please tell me what is bothering you. If you do not want to tell me right now, it''s fine. I''ll wait. But at least tell me that it is not something serious." She begged waiting to hear his assuring words.


    Noah took a deep breath before he started to speak, trying to come up with an answer that would not shock Aria much. "No Aria. It''s best that I tell you about it right away rather than you finding out from somewhere else and misunderstanding me." Noah took a glance at the girl''s expectant face before he lowered his eyes and confessed softly. "I am the leader of the Underworld."


    Aria blinked her eyes twice wondering if her ears were ringing and if she was imagining things now. She even had the ridiculous thought that Noah was playing tricks with her and she tried to laugh it off. "Noah, are you trying to play here? If yes, then it was a good joke." She complimented him and chuckled lightly but on seeing Noah''s stoic face, she stopped laughing.


    "Aria, I am not lying to you. It is the truth. I am the leader of the Underworld and Joshua and Ian are also part of it too." Noah answered, his eyes not leaving Aria''s shocked face, He could see that her expressions changed from normal to horror in a fraction of seconds and that was all it took for Noah to lose all hope. He had assumed that she would be understanding even though it was just a good dream. His relationship was at stake once again and this time, he was sure that it was the end of it. There was no way Aria would come back to him. However, he still tried to explain himself trying out his luck for the last time.


    "Aria, please try to hear me out. I know this is shocking news but this is something I cannot ignore and hide from you forever." Noah shifted closer to Aria now and held her arms tightly lest she should leave without hearing his explanation. "Aria, this was something I had to do. It was started by my great grandfather and it has passed on for generations now. I cannot leave it even if I want to." He continued to blabber, his voice almost coming out as a plead in the end.


    "Aria, please speak something." He begged seeing her stay silent. He even tried to hug her but the girl backed off and held her palm at him ordering him to stop in his place. That was it. Her cold behavior broke Noah''s heart as well as the thin line of hope he had in his mind. He now realized that this was the end of the relationship and this time, there was no way Aria was coming back to him.


    Aria was silent for a long time and Noah was devastated by her reaction. He let her and moved to the extreme corner of the bed away from her. He wore the shirt he had discarded long back and lowered his head in dismay, unable to believe his luck. The one woman he had liked in his entire life was about to leave him and he did not know what to do now. Aria was the first woman he had been attracted to and presumably the last one too. Although at first, he had just been intrigued by her, slowly but surely he had fallen for her and now he loved her dearly. But seeing Aria''s face, he could confirm that this the end of his love life.


    Neither of them spoke for a long time and finally, Aria collected her thoughts when she started to feel something to be odd. She was feeling cold and wondered how it was possible when she was fully dressed. Only when she looked down, did she realized that her shirt was lifted to her chest and it had remained there even though she was in a sitting position. Her eyes widened and she pulled it down immediately before her eyes fell on the desolate man who did not even look at her even though he knew that she was staring at him.


    "What happens in this Underworld?" Aria finally spoke to him. Although she did not sound cold or treated him as a stranger, there was no warmth in her voice either. It seemed as if she only interrogating him to know more about what he did before she decided to leave him forever. Noah was reluctant to allow her to leave. But if that was what she wanted to do, he would not stop her this time and she was free to walk out of her own will. Since she had asked him a question, he too made up his mind to give her all the answers she needed and part on friendly terms.

 Chapter 324: Most perfect man

    "What happens in the Underworld?" Aria asked the question and lifted her eyes to meet Noah''s gaze. There was no emotion on her face whatsoever and it seemed as if she was treating him as a stranger now.


    Although he was hurt by her indifference, he still answered to her. "We train all the guards there. After intense training, they will have to undergo an examination and a skill test before they are appointed as private bodyguards."


    "So, the guards around your house have been trained over there before they took over the jobs here?" Aria asked, intrigued by this newfound information.


    "Yes. They are mainly in charge of providing security to the Carters, the Martins, and Ian''s family. But we also provide services to anybody who is on good terms with us and sometimes the government."


    "What else? Do you deal with drugs and weapons? Are you into that sort of illegal thing?"


    "Drugs no. Weapons yes. We need ammunition to keep ourselves safe. So, we do deal with it."


    "Do you kill people?"


    "Unfortunately yes," Noah answered honestly, not leaving even a minute information although he knew that it would only push Aria further away from him. He did not want to lie to her again and get on her bad side. "But we don''t kill innocent people. We deal with the ones who have tried to harm any of us or the rats in the society, like Jared and his men. This is the ethics we follow and nobody dares to break it, not even me."


    Again Aria went into a deep thought while Noah waited for her next question. "Doesn''t the government or the police do anything since you kill people?" Aria''s innocent question sounded quite harsh to Noah and to him, it felt like she was accusing him to be a serial killer.


    "No. Most of the time, we deal with these kinds of things secretly. Nobody interferes with it unless it is a mission handed over to us."


    "Do you have a place or a base where things like these happen?"


    "Yes, we do. It is on the outskirts of the city."


    "Can I visit it someday?"


    "What?" Aria''s sudden question made Noah widen his eyes and he wondered if he had imagined things. But when Aria repeated her question again, he could not help but stare at her in shock.


    "Will you take me there someday?"


    Noah furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and he blinked at her. "Why do you want to go there?"


    Aria sat silently for a few seconds before she crawled over to reach Noah. Before Noah could even speak, she had already settled herself comfortably on his lap with her legs straddling him. Her sudden shift in behavior stunned Noah and he could not comprehend what was happening. He had become speechless and now he could only wait for Aria to explain everything.


    "My man has such an amazing place under his control. Why would I not want to visit it? I would love to take a look at how things are out there. Will you take me there someday?"


    "What?" Aria''s words fell on deaf ears. Everything she said after the first sentence went out of the window. All Noah could remember were the words that made his heart race. Aria had called him her man even after she knew the truth and this made his so ecstatic that he felt as though he was flying in the sky.


    "I want you to take me there. Will you?" Aria repeated her statement once again, perplexed on being asked the same question again and again. "Why are you asking me the same question again?"


    Noah did not answer her. Instead, he asked her a question of his own. "Are you not going to break up with me then?"


    "Will will I break up with you?" Aria tilted her head to her right slightly in confusion and parted her lips. Noah narrowed his eyes to see if Aria was lying and when found her look to be pure and innocent, he realized that she was not lying. She was genuinely interested in going over to his base and this change in her surprised him.


    "Weren''t you angry with me?"


    "Why will I be angry with you?" Aria threw another question. Her question was the answer Noah was waiting to hear for a long. He had assumed her to be furious by now. But on the contrary, she seemed to be perfectly fine and moreover, she looked excited as though she had decoded a century-old mystery. ''Did this mean his relationship was no going to end?'' He questioned to himself and thought of confirming the safe from the woman who had scared the shit out of him a few minutes ago.


    "The, why did not reply for a long time? I assumed that.."


    "You assumed that I was angry at you. No way. I was not furious. I was only trying to arrange my thoughts so that I could understand what was happening."


    "Are you really not angry at me? Are you not going to leave me?"


    "No. Why will I leave you and if I do, where will I find a man better than you? You are an amazing man and the most perfect man I have ever met in my life. Why will I go around looking for someone mediocre when I have a high class and out of the world treasure with me?" Her words were like honey to Noah and he could not help but smile at her like a fool. His dead heart was revived by her simple statement and his happiness knew no bounds.


    "So, are we good now?"


    "Definitely." Aria nodded at him happily while she was still seated on his lap.


    "Awesome. Tell me one thing. Why did you stop me when I wanted to hold you in my arms?" He put forth the doubt he had that started to bug him out of nowhere and hugged her as he waited for the answer.


    "That," Aria scratched her head in awkwardness. She wanted to avoid responding to this question. But she knew that Noah needed to know the truth in case he misunderstood her. "As I said earlier, I wanted to collect my jumbled thoughts before I made up my mind. But your sexy torso was quite distracting and I could not concentrate properly. So, I had to push you away." Aria confessed and her checks and ears turned red in embarrassment.


    "Ohh," That was the only reply Noah could come up with.


    "Yes and I sorry for putting you through such a dilemm...." Aria had to swallow her words the next moment as Noah had removed his shirt once again, baring his torso for her eyes to feast upon.


    "Are you happy now?" His eyes gleamed with a devilish glint as he stared at Aria seductively. Aria subconsciously nodded at him, not knowing what she was doing. She was completely enticed by his hot body. But once the realization hit her, she averted her eyes away, mentally chiding herself for getting blown away this easily.


    "There is nothing to be shy about, love." Noah held her chin between his right thumb and index finger and made her face him. "This body is yours and you can ogle at it as much as you want. You can do anything you want with me. You can bite me, eat me, ogle at me..." Noah was about to continue with his brazen words which Aria did not have the courage to listen to. She came up with the only solution to shut his mouth and that was to kiss him until he forgot who he was.

 Chapter 325: Seductive dance (Unedited)

    Noah was stunned by the sudden kiss and also the force with which Aria threw herself at him. He had to support her weight due to the sudden attack lest they fell off the bed. He was still sitting at the corner of the bed with no support behind him when Aria had dived into his arms to steal a kiss. Nosh supported her by her waist to keep her in place while he responded to her kiss with equal vigor and passion. The kiss was different than all the other kisses they had shared previously. This time, Noah was relieved and he did not have any other secrets he had to tell Aria. He had come clean before her and the most important and happiest fact was that she had accepted him as he was.


    Now he had no tensions or worries in his mind and he could pour out all his honest feelings for her. Aria was straddling him, with her legs dangling on either side and this made it easier for Noah to pull her closer to him. He could feel her soft breasts pressing against his chest and he lost his mind the next moment. He was done with talking for the day and now it was time to get some action. He wondered how he was able to manage himself without going further than a kiss with her when she was this sexy and adorable. ''I must be having immense self-control or I must have liked to torture myself.'' He concluded in his mind.


    He had had in enough now and he could not go on without getting a reward for himself. The next second something struck his mind and he remembered Aria''s words. She had promised him a reward after their questionnaire and now that they were done with the questions, at least for now, he wanted to know what she had in mind. He stopped the kiss abruptly making Aria pout at the sudden loss of contact and he in turn chuckled at her cute face.


    "Patience, sweetheart." He smoothened her messy hair and his lips curled up seeing Aria''s eagerness. This would only make things easier for him to execute all the sinful plans he had in mind. But that could wait for a few minutes. He first wanted his reward. "Have you forgotten, love? You promised me a reward after this session." He reminded her as he caressed her flushed cheeks which turned redder after listening to his words. Her reaction surprised him and he could not wait any longer to see what she wanted to do.


    "Can I not do it?" Aria asked meekly averting her eyes away from his deep gaze.


    "Nope. You promised me and I expect you to keep it.'' Noah replied curtly providing her no room for negotiation. His ''I will not allow you to escape'' gaze made Aria to surrender and she decided to go ahead with it even though she was shy.


    "Fine. But you should not laugh at me or mock me, okay? This is my first time doing something like this. So, give me some slack."


    "Okay," Noah replied, his curiosity raising all the more.


    "Just a second. Let me get my phone." Aria slipped away from his embrace and went to get her phone. Noah''s brows narrowed in confusion.


    "Why do you need a phone for?" He questioned her as he watched her searching for her phone. Once she found it in her handbag, she smiled at him sweetly, melting his heart completely.


    "For this." She replied and the next instant, a slow seductive song started to play, filling the room with sensual music. "Remember, you are not supposed to laugh," Aria warned him and Noah gave her a nod in return. "This is for you."


    After uttering those words, Aria closed her eyes for a swift second before she started to sway her hips slowly but seductively. She removed the hairband and released her ponytail, allowing her hair to sway with each step she took towards Noah. She did not have the courage to meet the man''s eyes. However, she still took a peek at him only to meet his astonished face in return. The man was staring at her with eyes wide and jaws dropped. She could notice the delight in his eyes and that was enough an appreciation for her. She was relieved to see him not mocking her for her horrible attempt at something like this.


    Gaining more confidence from him, Aria sashayed towards him and held her right hand for him to take. "Let me start the actual thing." She led to the empty space in front of the bed and made him stand. "Don''t move, okay?" She requested softly and once again, Noah just nodded at her. he had lost his ability to speak after seeing her impressive attempt at a seductive dance. His throat had run dry the moment she had moved her hips and he wondered how long he could take it before tearing her clothes and having his way with her.


    Aria then held his hand for support before she hoisted herself on his legs. "Do tell me if your legs start to ache." She added. But Aria had a hunch that the man would not speak a thing even it hurt him. He would be more than glad to have her this close to him and she was spot on with it. Noah had no intention of telling her such a thing and who was she kidding? Why she hurt him when she weighed less than a paper?


    Aria ran her hands on his bare body making him shiver in the process before she kissed him right under his throat. Noah watched her intently and the next second his body stiffened when she licked him on the same spot. Before he could even comprehend what was even happening, Aria had left him and started to dance before once again. She swayed her hips, this time with more vigor, and did a beautiful hair flip that had Noah''s heart to skip a beat seeing how beautiful she looked at that moment.


    She lifted her shirt slowly, exciting the situation a little before she pulled it down. Noah could only grit his teeth. ''What a tease.'' Aria ran her tongue over her lips making sure that her eyes were Noah. She noticed that the man''s eyes had darkened slightly and he was getting aroused by her actions. There was a visible dent in his trousers and Aria could not help but blush seeing it. Once again, she padded towards him and this time, her mouth attacked his chest muscles and abs. Noah could only groan at the sweet torture while his heart was on overdrive. He could not believe that his Aria was doing these things and was trying to seduce him. He was losing his self-restraint slowly and his hold on his desire was about to snap any time now. But he controlled himself as he still wanted to see what else Aria was about to do.


    He stared at her expectantly and this time Aria did not fail him. After doing another round of captivating dance, she once again stood on his feet and without waiting another second, pressed her front onto him. She made sure that her pelvis was touching his erect body part and she felt the poke from below, she started to grind her body languidly. That''s it. Noah''s self-control snapped and he lifted his feet with her still standing on him. He was done controlling himself and now he wanted to do what he had in mind.


    He dropped her on the bed gently and he pulled back to see her flushed and absolutely delectable face. "Aria, I still have one last question for you. Do you trust me?"


    Aria''s face scrunched up at first in confusion. Nevertheless, she still nodded at him.


    "Words, sweetheart. I need words."


    "I trust you."


    "Thank you and I will not do anything to break it," Noah promised and without delaying any further, he tore her shirt into half right from the middle, startling Aria. She could only gape at him by his sudden aggressive behavior.


    "Why would you do that?" She questioned him, a little vexed by his sudden attack. Although she was surprised, she was not depressed about losing the shirt. It was not her favorite anyway.


    "I do not like it that much and I promise, I will buy a whole wardrobe for you. Now, let''s concentrate on something more interesting rather than your shirt."


    Aria could only cry inwardly on losing a shirt. ''Rest in peace. You served your purpose for some time and now it''s time for you to leave.''


    Noah''s gaze darkened in desire seeing her bra clad body. The nude bra was hiding those delectable breasts from his eyes although he could still see her cleavage. He wanted to just rip it into two and free those beautiful mounds for his eyes to feast upon. But he was sure that, Aria would chop his head off if he ripped any more of her clothes. So, he killed his thoughts as fast as it had come.


    Noah ran his hand on her cheeks before his hands slipped down her throat and her collar bones. His fingers gently brushed her cleavage and the contour of her breasts when he heard Aria sucking in a deep breath. "You have such a beautiful body, Aria." He whispered, his voice hoarse and his eyes darkening in desire. "I am fortunate to have you in my life." He leaned in and kissed her cleavage while his hands ran behind her back and snap. The bra was unclipped and Aria had no idea when he had even done that.


    "Noah," she whispered. But the man shushed her with his fingers.


    "I love you Aria and I will always love you." With that, he attacked her breasts, not giving her any time to reply.

 Chapter 326: Food poisoning? (Unedited)

    Aria did not even know what was happening to her. One second, Noah was looking at her, caressing her cheeks and speaking romantic words. And the next second, she felt his hot tongue on her breast while his hand made themselves home on her other breast. He sucked on her bud while his hand worked upon its twin by twirling it. His ministrations were too much for Aria who had no previous experience in sexual activities. She could not help but gasp and moan at the incredible feeling she was tasting for the first time.


    "Noah," She moaned his name when the man in question latched onto her breasts and bit onto before licking it to soothe the pain. He had to say that this the most amazing feeling he had ever encountered before. He had been with many women before and had spent the nights with them, letting out his pent up frustrations by indulging in sexual desires. But this was the first time he was finding it utterly exhilarating and thrilling. Maybe it was because he was with his sweetheart and he was doing the things with her or maybe it was something else that he did not care about. All he knew was the girl under him brought out feelings he had never existed in him before and she would be the only one in his life forever.


    Just like how Noah was naked from waist above, Aria too was bare before him and her delectable body was like a grand feast to a starving Noah. He could not help but kiss every inch of her body eliciting moans and gasps from the woman squirming under him. His mind was already not his control and his body was begging him to go ahead and plunge his erect manhood right into her hot cavern, but he knew he had to take it slow. They had come so far, he did not scare Aria by doing everything right on the first day.


    After feasting to his heart''s content on her breasts, he was about to go down when he remembered something he had forgotten to inform her. He pulled back suddenly, his desire clearly evident in his eyes. Aria had closed her eyes due to the pleasure Noah was bestowing upon her, but opened them immediately when she felt the loss of contact. The next instant, she shuddered seeing his dark gaze fixed on her.


    "Noah," She breathed and this only made Noah close his eyes. He wondered if Aria had any idea how sexy she sounded right now. With her absolutely enticing body laid before her and her equally enthralling voice that was seducing him completely, how could Noah not lose his mind? However, he still wanted to convey his thoughts.


    "Aria, I liked.." Noahs stopped suddenly realizing something to be wrong with his words. "No. I loved your dance. It was sure was surprising and unexpected. But.." He stopped again and noticed Aria waiting for him to continue with curiosity lingering in her eyes. "I would have loved it more if it was strip dance." He stated, his expression unwavering even for a second.


    Aria could not help but gulp at his words and she gaped at him like a fool trying to see if he was joking with her. But when she noticed that the man was absolutely serious and had not laughed it off as a joke, she blushed, her cheeks and neck tainted pink. Her heart jumped in excitement and she pondered over his suggestion. She speculated his words and found them to be absolutely exciting. She decided to give it a try in the future when something struck her. She remembered that Noah''s birthday was just weeks away and decided to give him a surprise he would remember for life.


    Aria did not give away her thoughts and Noah too did not sense anything different about her. All he could see was her embarrassment and her blushed cheeks. He smirked and he leaned in to give her a peck when they were heavily disturbed by a blaring ring tone. As soon as the sound filled the room, Aria pushed him away. It was her phone that was ringing and she had to pick it up at all costs. What if there was an emergency at the hospital?


    Poor Noah could only grit his teeth in anger. This was the second time he was being disturbed in his beautiful time with Aria and this was the second time he had the intense urge to throw her phone away, smash it even. He had a feeling that phones and he had a huge enmity since his previous lives or else why would they disturb his sweet moments with his beloved girl?


    He pulled back completely allowing Aria to get up and receive the call. He glared at the puny phone expecting it to blow up just with his irked gaze, but he knew that was just his wishful thinking. His eyes ran down and fell on her breasts that now had marks left by him. His lips curled up automatically seeing them and pride swelled in his heart seeing his artwork. Those marks and love bites looked alluring on Aria and his desire the throw her phone ignited once again.


    It was already painfully hard for him to control himself and now the phone call was delaying his time. He clenched his jaw taking in deep breaths while he tried to control himself. He did not hear a word Aria was speaking on the phone as his mind was elsewhere. Otherwise, he would have realized something to be wrong.


    Finally, after a long time, when it had been only a few minutes, Aria ended the call. Her expression was grave and she turned to face Noah. He was thrilled at first to see Aria ending her chat, but once he noticed her expression, his excitement vanished. He narrowed his eyes and held Aria''s hands. "Is everything alright, love?" He asked her as he patted her back.


    "No. I need to go to the hospital. Many people have been admitted to the hospital due to food poisoning and the situation is perilous. I have to leave." Aria jumped off the bed and picked up her bra that was lying on the ground after being discarded mercilessly by Noah. She could not wear her torn shirt. So, she pulled out a new one from her suitcase and smoothened her hair before she grabbed her purse and her phone. By then, Noah too had worn a shirt and was waiting for her.


    "Let me drop you." He said and held her hand while the duo stepped out of the room. Aria could only smile at him gratefully at his thoughtfulness. Ronnie, who was flipping through some documents in the living room, stood up immediately when he saw the couple hurry down the stairs. "Boss," He started and received a nod in return.


    "To the hospital." As soon as Ronnie heard Noah''s words, he darted out like a hurricane and prepared the car and in no time, Aria was at the hospital. The scene she saw made her flabbergasted. There was a huge crowd outside the hospital and chaos had erupted with all the pushing and pulling the mob was doing. the hospital staff could not control the people and it seemed as though a fight would start anytime now, between the staff and the people. This the second time Aria was encountering such a scene, the first time being when Noah was shot.


    Noah too was shocked seeing the commotion at the hospital. He had not realized that the situation was this horrible and he could not help widen his eyes. Ronnie''s state was no different from his boss. When he had seen Aria hurry down, he had guessed that there was an emergency at the hospital. But never had it crossed his mind that the emergency could be this chaotic.


    Aria got off the car along with Noah and Ronnie. "Aria, we will come with you. We don''t know how the situation and I don''t want you to get hurt in this commotion." Aria agreed to his suggestion immediately. Now was not the time to fight with him on these matters and she accepted Noah and Ronnie''s help.


    Ronnie pushed through the crowd making way for his Boss and his Madam while making sure that he was not hurting anybody in the process. The trio reached the hospital entrance safely as they gasped for air. It surely was stressful to deal with a huge crowd. Aria did not waste another moment and went to the reception to enquire what exactly was happening while Noah and Ronnie followed behind her as they took in the scene around them. They could clearly see a lot of people inside and most of them seemed to be ill. The staff was attending to them, yet there was a shortage of medical assistance.


    Aria was already in talks with the receptionist when they overheard their conversation. Apparently, a large was taking place in the city where more than four hundred people had attended. And shockingly, all the people who had eaten the food served at the event ad fallen sick immediately. Almost everyone, leaving a few people who had left the event early had tasted the food and now they were severely poisoned and had to be hospitalized immediately.


    The situation became now and Aria started to check one of the patients who were yet to be attended. Noah and Ronnie knew nothing about medicine, other than providing first aid. So, they could only look from afar while Aria did her job.


    Aria checked the man''s pulse while she pulled put his tongue to inspect it. But she frowned the next instant when she realized something. Noah had noticed her change in expressions and went to her to see what had happened. "Is everything alright?" He enquired seeing her frown.


    "I don''t know. But something is not right. The man''s pulse is dropping drastically and his tongue is turning blue."


    "Okay? So, what is the problem?" Noah queried as he had no idea what Aria was getting at.


    "This is not a case of food poisoning. Someone has actually poisoned the food served at the event."

 Chapter 327: Noahs speech (Unedited)

    "It is not a case of food poisoning but someone has actually poisoned the food served in the event." Aria declared, her frown not leaving the face. Her answer made both Ronnie and Noah to stare at each other in shock before they looked at Aria. If what she said was correct, it meant that all the four hundred people whoever ate the food was poisoned. This was a serious situation now and they could not help but shake their head in fear. Although they had dealt with death before and had killed people themselves, they had never seen anything this heinous and barbaric. Who would dare to poison these many people at one go?


    "My deductions may be wrong too. We will have to perform a test to get the actual truth." Aria added but suddenly she gasped loudly when the man she was looking at started to convulse heavily. His body started to twitch and foam started to drip down his mouth. Now was sure that he was poison. ''My God, the man is actually poisoned." Aria said with worry and the next second, she called for the ward boys who were nearby to assist the man to the emergency ward.


    Noah and Ronnie could not help her in any way other than giving her moral support. They knew nothing about medicine nor did have knowledge on how to remove poison from a human body. They could only stand and watch at the sides while Aria rushed with the patient to the ward. Ian was nowhere to be seen and they knew where might be. He too must be attending to patients seeing the commotion at the reception.


    However, they saw Ian coming from somewhere near the reception. He looked stressed and his face was filled with fatigue. Just like Aria, he too was frowning, his eyes completely serious no trace of warmth in them. He noticed the two men standing at the sides and went to them immediately. "What are you guys doing here?"


    "Aria." That was all Noah said and Ian understood him immediately. "How is the situation?"


    "Grave. Can you do me a favor?"


    "Go ahead."


    "Can you send some of our men? We need them to maintain order and peace here. I don''t think the staff here will be sufficient." Ian said rubbing his forehead. He could foresee the upcoming headache and just the thought of it was making him miserable. All he could do was sigh in his place.


    "Sure," Noah replied and sent a text on his phone before nodded his head at Ian. "Done."


    "Thanks."


    "By the way, Aria was telling me that this was a case of poisoning the food. Is it true?"


    "It seems like it. I have sent it for tests. We will have to wait and see. I am sorry, I need to go now. Are you guys staying here or will you be leaving?"


    "We thought of staying here in case you guys needed something," Noah replied almost instantly. He looked determined and even if Ian had asked him to leave the hospital premises, he would not have budged from his place. And he knew Ian would not do anything like that. So, he answered honestly.


    "Good. I think I would need your help. You guys come with me." Ian gestured to them and the two men followed behind without any questions although they did not know what Ian wanted of them.


    Meanwhile, Aria was tending to the man who was now severely twitching. She tried to stop his movements, but the man only became violent. She could not even induce any sedative in his body as she did not even know what he had consumed. There were chances of the sedative reacting with the poison and this could only make it worse. She had no idea how to deal with the situation and induced the highly used antidote for poison, atropine. She could only hope that there would be no side effects and the man would calm down at least a little.


    Fortunately, the antidote showed its effect and the man stopped moving. The man calmed down and the foaming stopped. Aria sighed in relief and even the nurses who were with her thanked the gods. One of the nurses cleaned the man''s face and removed the foam while Aria checked his pulse again. He seemed to be fine for now, but he was still critical and his life was still in danger.


    She could only monitor his situation for now as Aria was yet to receive the reports. She could not decide the treatment until she found out what caused the poisoning. She left the man in one of the nurses care and went to help the other patients. She would be informed about the poison once the results came out. Until then, she could do nothing.


    Meanwhile, outside the hospital, a huge mob was still creating a ruckus and it became highly difficult to control them. Everybody wanted to get inside as their kin was serious and wanted to find out how the situation was. Not only them, even the reporters were pushing and pulling trying to find out what exactly was happening. There was utter chaos everywhere and it seemed that the people were getting agitated slowly. If this continued, there were chances of them barging inside and wreaking havoc in the hospital.


    Thankfully, Noah''s men arrived on time and they controlled the situation. Noah had called a lot of men for help and they formed a barrier, not allowing anybody unauthorized to enter the hospital. Although they could not control the people fully, they at least stopped them from barging inside. However, this act of the guards riled up the people even more and they started to throw sticks and stones at the hospital.


    Noah had had it enough. Although it was Ian''s hospital and he was in charge of everything, the man was quite busy now and he could not address this issue. Nor there was anybody from the management who was willing to step forward and coax the angry mob. So, he took it upon himself set things rights. He could not allow the brainless people to hurt his men when they clearly innocent and were just following his orders.


    Noah stepped forward and stood at the entrance, his eyes wandering everywhere taking in the condition around him. He saw the people pushing his men as they tried to get in and one of them even bit his guard in anger. he could not control any longer. "Enough." His voice boomed loud and clear even in this chaotic place. Although the men at the back could not hear him, the people at the front heard him clearly and they stopped their actions for a second, trying to see who this man was and what he was even doing.


    When Noah noticed that he had got at least a few people''s attention, he continued with his speech. "What do you think you guys are doing? Is this the way to behave in a public place, causing riots and commotion like hooligans, especially in front of a hospital? Don''t you have basic common sense that people here might get affected by all the noise and disturbance and for what reasons are you guys even here?" Noah reprimanded the people, his expression grave and cold. By now, a lot more people had noticed his presence and were listening to him.


    One of the men who was standing quite close to Noah could not stop himself and spoke up. "Our families are in there. Who do you think you are to stop us from seeing our family members?" He scolded him, his eyes glaring at him as though he was the culprit who poisoned everyone.


    "I know somebody related must be inside and that is the reason you are even here," Noah replied, not bothering about the man''s rebuke and mockery. "But do you think that the hospital can house all the people here? Look around you and see how many are present here. There are hundreds or even thousands of them waiting to get inside and do you think that the hospital can house all of you? Just think about it and give me an honest answer."


    "Then, what do you think we must do?" The same man questioned again. It seemed as though the man had been elected as everybody''s representative as he was the only one daring enough to converse with Noah. As soon as Noah had started speaking, a lot of them had already recognized him and were now scared to open their mouths before him. To them, he was a deity they could never touch or even see, let alone speak.


    "Why don''t you guys form a line? We will take your names and the person who you are looking for and once we confirm that the person is indeed in this hospital, you can go in." Noah suggested. "There are chances that the family member you are looking for might not even be in this hospital. So, this is the best possibility we could come up with."


    Noah''s suggestion seemed fair to everyone. It was only right to allow the hospital and its staff to do their work in peace and not create a ruckus in front of them. So, they formed a line and one of Noah''s guards started to gather their information.


    Meanwhile, Ian and Aria were completely oblivious to the situation outside. They were more worried about the poison and were waiting for the results anxiously. As soon as the pathologist arrived with the report, Ian and Aria rushed to him.


    "What does it say, doctor?" Ian started.


    "I believe I have some bad news. The victims have inhaled the highly poisonous chemical, Sarin." That was all the doctor said but Ian and Aria knew what it meant. Now, not only the people who had consumed the chemical were in danger, even the hospital staff''s lives were in danger too, and that included even Ian and Aria, as well as Noah and Ronnie.

 Chapter 328: Press statement (Unedited)

    Aria and Ian blinked at each other in shock for a second, before they started to panic. The situation had turned all of a sudden and now, even their lives were in danger. But there was one thing that was bugging Ian. "What do you mean by inhaled, Doctor?"


    "The test reports show that the victims have inhaled the gas. Their food was not poisoned, but the air around them was poisoned." The doctor sighed trying to appear he was fine, while in fact, he was panicking from within.


    Sarin was a highly lethal poison, exposure to which even at low concentrations was led to the death of the person in just a few minutes, sometimes. It mainly attacked the nervous system and even just a minute of consumption would lead to the victim to coma. But that was not the reason why Ian and Aria were panicking. The reason they were anxious and scared was that sarin was a highly volatile gas and even a person''s clothing that had come in contact with the gas had the ability to release the gas for about thirty minutes. Now, everybody who had come in contact with the victims had the chance of being a victim themselves, including the doctors and nurses and the other hospital staff. Now, they had to check if their lives were at risk or not before treating any other patients.


    Aria and Ian looked at each other before they came to a decision. "Aria, inform everyone of the situation and tell Noah about it too. We need his help all the more now to save the crowd outside the hospital. There are high chances of them having inhaled the gas and we do and want any more patients. I''ll prepare the antidote as much as possible. We can use atropine to calm the person for now and once the situation comes under control we can try and test other medications. I have tested for atropine and it works for now." Ian barked a series of commands for Aria to follow and Aria too listened to him attentively.


    Many lives were at stake now and they had come up with a solution now as fast as possible. As Ian had said, they could not let anybody else come in contact with the poison, and the only way to stop it is to make the people wear masks. "I am on it," Aria replied once she received Ian''s orders and sprinted out of the pathology lab.


    Meanwhile, Ian too stepped out of the lab and made a call a call to someone. "I need as much atropine as possible within twenty minutes. Bring it to the hospital. It''s an emergency." That was all he said before he too went to warn the people around him. Why did something like this had to happen right now, putting everybody''s lives in danger? He wondered wh could be cruel enough to do such a heinous thing. Sarin was not easily available and it was banned under international law. So, there was no way it was unintentional. Somebody had to be behind the deadly plan, but who?


    Aria warned all the doctors and nurses she met on her way, putting everyone into a state of panic. Although she did not want to be the one to do it, she had no choice. They had to be informed of the complicated situation so that they could be careful. She even informed the receptionist about it before she stepped out to see Noah and Ronnie trying to control the chaos outside the hospital, and they had done a good job at it.


    Noah saw coming towards him and he went her himself, a frown making its way on his face seeing her worried expression. "Is everything alright?"


    "No. We have a problem. The poison used is sarin gas and now all our lives are in danger. We will have to perform tests on everybody whoever has come in contact with the gas and give them the antidote if they have been affected."


    Noah''s frown deepened. "Are we in that list too?"


    "Yes, one''s a person is affected, there are chances that his clothes can release the gas," Aria said and that was all it took for Noah to get anxious. He was not worried about the people who were affected by the chemical. No. The one person he was more concerned about Aria, followed by Ian and then Ronnie. These three people mattered more to him than the entire world. One was his girlfriend, the other was his best friend and Ronnie was his bodyguard who had been with him for a long time. How could he afford to lose any one of them? No way.


    "What is Ian doing now?" Noah asked after a lot of pondering. He had know what Ian had in mind and he was the one who called the shots here. Noah could only follow him and assist him to save as many people as possible.


    "Ian is arranging for the antidote. We need bulks of it and there''s a shortage here. I think he wants to speak to you about something."


    "Let''s go then." Noah turned to look at Ronnie only to see that the man had heard everything the couple had spoken.


    "Boss, I''ll monitor the situation here." Noah nodded at him before he left with Aria. Just as he had seen previously, there were many people whose health was deteriorating severely. Although the doctors and nurses were trying their best to help them, they had a shortage of manpower. Aria left him halfway when she saw a woman convulsing heavily while she was being unattended. So, Noah had to go in search of Ian alone and to his relief, he saw right outside one of the wards on the first floor. He was trying hard to save the patient who was twitching on the stretcher. But the man did not have the luck and he took his last breath in a matter of a few seconds.


    Ian took a deep breath before he shook his head. "The man is no more. Send him to the lab first before taking him to the morgue." He ordered the ward boys when he finally noticed Noah waiting for him at the side.


    "Were you looking for me?"


    "Yes, we will have to inform everyone about the poisonous gas so that they would take precautions from now. Is there any media company outside?"


    "Yes," There are many reporters as far as I have.


    "Just allow one of them to come inside. We need them to inform the public about it. We cannot risk any more lives."


    "What about the antidote?" Noah asked the question he wanted to since the time he had heard the complexity of the issue from Aria.


    "We are not too sure how bad the chemical can affect a human body as it was banned before. But we can control its effect for now using one of the antidotes and study about it once we gain control of the situation. I have ordered a bulk supply of the antidote. It will be here shortly."


    "Okay. I''ll prepare everything. Please be careful and take care of Aria." Noah said in seriousness and Ian nodded at him in understanding. He knew the man''s nature and he felt happy for Noah and Aria for having each other in their lives.


    "I''ll have to leave now. You too take care of yourself." The two men parted running off the finish each other''s work. Noah did not have much work to do. He had to select one of the reporters from the crowd that was trying to get inside and Ian would take care of everything. Given a choice, he would have released the public statement, not wanting to disturb Ian from his work. But he was no doctor and his words would not hold any value if it was not declared by a medical professional with substantial and valid proofs. So, he could not do it.


    In no time, Noah brought one of the reporters inside along with the cameraman to meet Ian and they started to question him. Not wanting to hinder the treatment of other people, Ian led them to a secluded area before he released the statement. "My name is Ian Davis and I am the head of the cardiology department at Regal Medical Hospital. We have found the source of the poison that has affected a lot of people and it is a highly deadly gas, Sarin. It not only affects the people who have inhaled, it also affects the people who have come in contact or even been near the infected person. We are trying to find the best medicine to stop its effect. But my suggestion for all the people who have high chances to have inhaled the poison is to get yourself tested and take the antidote if infected. Also, from now one please cover your noses and mouth until the situation returns to normal."


    Ian gave his statement and the reporters looked at him in shock, not because of the poison. But because there were high chances of them getting poisoned too. Seeing their expression, Ian held out two pills. "This is the antidote for the poison. I''ll give them to you right now and they have very few side effects. Please do consume them only after you cover your nose and mouth with a mask. Once we find the perfect medication, we will inform you all."


    The two reporters sighed in relief on hearing Ian''s assuring words and smiled at him gratefully, before leaving the hospital with the pills. Noah and Ian smiled at each in appreciation when they saw a nurse running towards them in hurry. She stopped right in front of the two men and gasped for air. "Dr. Davis, emergency. Dr. Aria has fainted. It seems she had been affected by the poison."

 Chapter 329: Ronnies request (Unedited)

    "Dr. Davis, Dr. Aria had fainted." The nurse said after calming herself down and that was all it took for both the men to go into shock. Dread took over their body and fear engulfed their souls, especially Noah''s. His heart was not filled with trepidation and he could not stop himself from trembling. It was the worst news he had ever heard in his life and his mind was not in peace. He wanted to see her now and make sure she was safe, even if it took him his life to save her.


    "Where is she?" Ian asked the nurse, seeing Noah''s unusually pale face. The man who had been calm in all situations seemed to be losing it and Ian had to make sure Aria was fine before his friend completely lost it. "Lead us the way."


    The nurse nodded and led them towards the ward where Aria was shifted to. A doctor was tending to her as she tried to stop her from convulsing. On seeing that Ian was here, she handed over the case to him and decided to assist him instead.


    Aria was his friend and it was given that his hands would shake seeing her in the state. But he to save her at costs. Noah had trusted her to him for now and he could not allow anything to happen to her.


    Meanwhile, the man in question was shattered to see his beloved in this state. Aria was drooling as her body twitched every few seconds. he had never seen her this way, sick and pale. His heart was crying seeing her in this state and he rushed to hold her hands trying to stop her from moving. "Aria," he cried as he tried to calm her down. But the girl had long succumbed to the poison and she could not hear anybody or anything, let alone Noah''s desperate cry.


    "Ian, please save her. Please." Noah begged and just as he let out the words, foam started to form in her mouth. "Ian, please." Noah could not control himself anymore and he shouted, begging his friend to save the woman he loved dearly. Ian did not waste any more time. he had already arranged for the antidote and he immediately induced it in her body. It took a few seconds for the sedative to work, but started to calm down eventually. She stopped twitching and she drifted off to a blissful sleep.


    Ian wiped the foam and the drool from her face before he checked her pulse. Although it was weak, there were no problems. She was out of danger at least for now. Only when he confirmed that everything was normal and she was fine, did he sigh in relief. "Noah, she is fine for now. Don''t worry. Let me give you the pill in case you have been infected with the poison too. And make sure to wear the mask after taking the pill. We do not want you too to fall sick and in that case, who will take care of Aria." Ian tried to ease the man''s tension and visibly, the man relaxed a little.


    It was true that he had to be safe in case he had to protect his woman and take care of her. So, he did not deny Ian''s suggestion snd took the pill without kicking up a fuss. he also covered his mouth and nose with a mask before he went to sit beside Aria, whose face had lost all its color. Ian smiled at the beautiful couple and hoped that nothing serious would happen to her later. They were yet to find out if there were any other effects of the poison even after taking the antidote. "I''ll leave you two alone. Take care."


    Meanwhile, the media channel did not delay in relaying the message they had got from Ian and this led to a widespread commotion in the city. Even the people who had not attended the event or were present anywhere around the area were panicking and were rushing towards the nearby hospitals to get themselves checked. The unbelievable crowd brought a bigger headache to hospitals and their staff. Some rational citizens took to the social networking sites to calm the people and explain what exactly was happening, asking the people not to get anxious. However, this still did not stop the people from worrying.


    Every hospital was facing the same issue as they were bombarded by people and nobody knew how to control the situation. As time flew, the crowd only grew and they started to demand the medical staff to administer the antidote to them first, not caring about the people who had actually been affected by the poison. Seeing their stupidity, Ronnie could only curse under his breath. he did not know what to do and neither his Boss nor Dr. Davis was nearby to ask them for suggestions. He wanted to go in search of them before he took any action, but he also could not leave the issue unattended.


    Ronnie was in a huge dilemma now and he had to do something. He could not waste any more time and closed his eyes trying to come up with a solution. At that moment, he remembered the words he had learned when he had first started his training in the Underworld base. ''If what you are doing is not wrong and not against your conscience and if it has to be done in the situation you are in, don''t hesitate to follow what your mind says.''


    Ronnie made up his mind and stepped forward and approached one of the reporters who was busy relaying the condition as she faced the camera. "Excuse me, Miss." He called out to her startling the poor woman completely. She turned to face him, her face filled with confusion. At first, she was not sure what the man wanted. But when she realized that he was the same man who the monitoring the crowd outside the hospital, she decided the enquire about the actual situation.


    "Yes, can you tell us what exactly has happened and how the hospital is trying to face the issue?" She pointed the mike towards him waiting for an answer.


    However, Ronnie did not give her an answer immediately. Instead, he wandered his eyes around the area first before he started to speak. "The doctors and the nurses are trying their best to save the patients and if I am not wrong, they already have the medicine with them that could stop the immediate effects of the poison. But we still have no idea what its long term effects are and that will require more time to find out. Right now, our main motive is to prevent people from dying."


    "Also," Ronnie faced the camera directly this time and his eyes turned cold all of a sudden, revealing the anger that was hidden in him. Even the reporter and the cameraman were petrified seeing his change of expression. "I request the people to stop panicking and rushing to the hospital. Is the crowd here not enough that everybody is rushing here and demanding antidotes? Why is everyone making it difficult for the doctors and the nurses? They already have a lot of people to treat right now. Please don''t try to make them even more stressed. We understand that you are worried about yourselves and we not denying you the treatment in case you are affected."


    Ronnie stopped suddenly to take a breather before he started to speak again. "We request you to visit the hospital only if you have the symptoms of the gas affecting you. Please try to be humane and understand the woos of the people who have been actually affected by poison." That was all the man said and his eyes and expression returned to normal. "I am sorry if I have come out as rude to anybody. But please try to understand our predicament and think rationally. Thank you Miss for helping e convey my message."


    With that, Ronnie walked away from the female reporter before she could even ask him anything. The lady could only stare at him star-struck, impressed by the way he had handled the situation, Although his words were rough and unpolished, it did have the ability to strike one''s nerve and make them listen to him.


    Just like her, even the people who had heard him speak were convinced by his words. Although the crowd did not reduce, it did not increase either. So, the situation did not go worse at least. Not only Regal Medical Hospital, every other hospitals would be thanking him later for what he had done.


    Ronnie now went in search of his Boss or Dr. Davis as he had not seen them even after a long time. he still had to ask them if there was anything else for him to do. But he found neither of the two men and surprisingly, even Aria was not found anywhere. He was just about to return to the reception when he overheard someone speaking. "Poor Dr. Aria. She too got affected by the poison."


    "What are you saying?" The other nurse gasped while the two women continued to hurry towards one of the wards.


    "Yes, she is in the emergency ward right now and I think Dr. Ian is treating her." The first woman continued, not noticing Ronnie''s horror-struck face. He now realized why he had found none of the three people. After enquiring, he went to the ward where was admitted to and the scene he saw made him halt in his place. He saw a pale-face and unconscious Aria lying on the bed with Noah''s holding her hand as a lone tear escaped from his eyes.

 Chapter 330: Gaining consciousness (Unedited)

    Ronnie did not have to guess what might have happened to Aria. It was easy to tell she too must have inhaled the poison for her to be lying on the hospital bed instead of helping other people. Ronnie had been with Noah for a long time now and knew the man and his habits. It was etched in his brain, but never had he seen his Boss this heartbroken and sad. It was the first time for him to witness something like this and Ronnie too could not help but feel for the man.


    He had known that what Noah felt for Aria was genuine love. It was the first time he had seen his Boss getting this close to any woman and taking interest in her. It was no wonder he looked miserable now. He did not want to disturb the man, not because he wanted to leave them alone but because he did not know how to console him.


    The only person who could talk to him right now and get him out of his misery was Aria and he could only pray that she could gain consciousness as soon as possible. Ronnie had known Aria for quite some time now and he too had started to like her and respect her. She was perfect for his Boos. Her headstrong personality was what his Boss needed and the man would be shattered if anything happened to her.


    Ronnie had to do something now to prevent his Boss from breaking down completely. Since Dr. Ian was busy treating the patients, the only other person he could turn to was Joshua. He was the only man who could console the man. So, he placed a call to him to inform him of the situation.


    Meanwhile, the couple had no idea about what had transpired in the city. They were busy cuddling each other as they slept blissfully until Joshua''s phone rang loudly destroying the silence. The man was lying like a log to even hear the sound. However, Ivy''s sleep broke and she nudged the man who was hugging her close. "Joshua, your phone is ringing." She muttered unhappily on being disturbed from her blissful sleep.


    "Ignore it." The man mumbled and pulled his girl closer to him and continued sleeping. But the phone did not stop ringing and even if it stopped, again it would start ringing a few seconds. By now Ivy''s sleep had committed suicide. So, she pushed the man away in anger. "Joshua, pick the phone. I believe it is an important call. Otherwise, who would call at this time of the night." She complained while she rubbed her eyes.


    Now, Joshua did not have any other choice but to answer the call. He was extremely annoyed at being disturbed. But when he saw that it was a call from Ronnie, his annoyance vanished. The man rarely called him and if he did, it meant bad news. His sleep had vanished now and he pulled himself up before answering the call. "Yes Ronnie, is everything alright?"


    Joshua listened to whatever Ronnie had to say and his expression changed from calm to fear. He could not help but shudder on hearing Ronnie''s words. Ivy who had been watching him closely and she frowned seeing him worry. "Is everything fine?" As soon as the man cut the call, Ivy asked him immediately.


    Joshua did not know how to spill the news to her. It was something that concerned her sister and even he wanted to, he could not hide it from her. But he did not know how to tell her either. His silence only made Ivy to frown harder. "Joshua, you are scaring me now. Please tell me that everything is fine. Please." She begged as she held his hand for assurance.


    Seeing her plead only made Joshua to lose his confidence all the more. But he had to do it. So, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath before he started to speak again. "No, Ivy. Everything is not alright."


    "What do you mean? What happened?"


    "Ivy there is a problem."


    "Joshua tell me clearly, please."


    "Ivy, do you remember the event that was going to be held today?"


    "Are you talking about the large scale charity event? I think it must be going on right now. What about it?" She asked, not sure what Joshua was getting at.


    "Yes, but somebody released a poisonous gas in the air at the event place, and now all the people who had attended it have been affected."


    "Oh my God," Ivy covered her mouth her horror. She had never expected the news to be a sister. She narrowed her eyes again when she sensed that the man had more to tell her. "There is still more, right?"


    "Yes, a person who has inhaled the poison can still affect another person who comes in contact with him."


    "And?"


    "And, Aria has been infected with the poison." That was Joshua said and Ivy jumped off the bed with a horror-stricken face. She gaped at Joshua unable to believe the words he had just muttered. "Joshua, please tell me that you are lying and the news is not true." She looked at him expectantly when she noticed him being silent, she got her answer. "No," She shrieked and dropped to her knees as tears started to spill out of her eyes.


    Seeing her state, Joshua too was depressed and he got off the bed to console her and hug her. "Ivy, please don''t cry. It pains to see you cry. Please, sweetheart. Don''t cry. You need to be strong now. Aria needs you and don''t worry, Ronnie told me that her condition is stable." Joshua did not add ''for now'' lest Ivy should panic once again. His words soothed her a little and she calmed down slowly.


    "Yes, you are right. I need to be with Aria. Let''s go." Ivy stood up suddenly startling Joshua. But the man composed the next second.


    "Sure, let''s go. But we will have to wear a mask to protect ourselves. Will that be fine with you?"


    "Absolutely. I will do anything to keep my sister safe." Ivy was so lost in her thoughts that she did not even know what she was speaking. Joshua shook his head and got ready to visit Aria. "And Ivy, do you want to tell this matter to your father?"


    His question brought her out of her thoughts and she shook her head. "No, Joshua. Not right now. Let us first find out how her condition is right now and then, I''ll talk to him."


    "Yes, but remember Ivy. At all costs, Mr. West should not come to visit Aria. His life will be in danger, along with yours and Aria''s if anybody finds out about him."


    Ivy understood his concerns and she nodded at him agreement. "I agree. We cannot risk him being seen. I''ll talk to him about it later."


    "Okay. Shall we leave?"


    The duo made their way towards the hospital and what they saw shocked them just like how Noah and Aria had been dumbfounded. The crowd made them widen their eyes and blinked at each seeing the chaos. Just like how Noah had brought Ronnie, Joshua had Kaito with him and the nimble man helped them to reach the hospital entrance safely without getting scathed by the huge mob.


    Ivy rushed inside and she enquired at the reception before she bolted towards the ward Aria was staying in without even waiting for Joshua. Joshua followed her closely making sure she was safe. He made sure to keep his eyes on her while also taking in the condition around him. The hospital sure looked messy and he wondered how many more people had been affected by the poison. "Ivy, slow down." He wanted her from behind when he noticed her running. But the girl was in a hurry to heed to his words.


    They reached the ward where Aria was staying and Ivy barged inside without delaying any further. She had to make sure that her sister was safe. What she saw made her heart clench in pain. Her sister was lying on the hospital bed, her face pale and dull. This was enough for Ivy to tear up. The twins had been together since birth and never had she seen Aria in such a miserable state. She had seen her fall sick with fever and other small diseases, but never had he seen in this state where her life had been at risk.


    She pulled one of the stools and sat beside Aria, right opposite Noah, who was still holding her left hand. Ivy had noticed him at all, her attention completely on her sister. "Ari, please wake up. See, it''s your sister. I am here, Ari. Nothing will happen to you. You cannot leave me, Ari. Not before you give me nieces and nephews and you will have to stay until you become a grandma at least. So, get up fast and give me big fat nieces and nephews."


    Ivy choked on her words and she could not continue anymore. Joshua patted her back trying to soothe. "Don''t worry, Ivy. She will wake up eventually and she will be fine. She is a strong woman and she will make it out soon."


    It seemed like Joshua''s words had magic. As soon as he spoke them, Aria''s fingers twitched. This caught Noah''s attention as he was holding her hand and his eyes widened. He wondered if he was imagining things when she moved her fingers again. His face was filled with joy and he could not hide his happiness. "Aria, are you awake? Aria can you hear me? Aria, please respond."


    His words caught Ivy and Joshua''s attention and they stared at him before their gazes fell on the unconscious girl. To their happiness, right at this moment, the girl groaned lightly before she opened her eyes.

 Chapter 331: Noahs declaration

    Aria opened her eyes slowly much to everybody''s happiness. Her eyes looked dazed and it took a while for her to adjust herself to the surroundings. While Joshua went out to call Ian to have look at her health, Ivy and Noah stayed beside her, happiness evident on their faces. The time when Aria had been unconscious was the worst time they had ever undergone, especially Noah who held her dearer than his life. Now that she had gained consciousness, he could not control his joy. It was then he made up his mind to cherish her even more than he was doing now. She was too precious to him and he could not afford to lose at. No.


    "Ari, can you hear us?" Ivy asked gently so as to not overwhelm her sister. She had just come out of her sleep and she did not want to frighten her. "Do you feel pain anywhere? Or are you uncomfortable?" She spoke with a soothing voice as she pushed back the stray hairs on her sister''s forehead. Her behavior was so touching and filled with warmth that Aria could not help but remember her mother.


    Her eyes teared up a little as she was happy to have her sister in her life. But to Noah and Ivy, her tears meant something else and they misunderstood her to be in pain. They started to panic and they tried to coax her all the more.


    "Aria, do you feel uncomfortable somewhere? Tell us. Ian is on his way. He will take care of you." Noah assured her holding her hand in his. His heart was about to jump out of his rib cage seeing her cry. It was the worst feeling ever and he never wanted to go through it ever again. Her tears made him lose his mind and he would do anything to keep her happy and safe. With a lot of effort, Aria shook her head and Noah and Ivy relaxed slightly.


    "Then, why were you crying, sweetie?" Ivy asked her again, her hand patting her forehead gently as though she was lulling her to sleep. However, before Aria could speak anything, Joshua returned with Ian right behind him. Ivy cleared her way for him to take a look while Noah stayed at his spot, not budging even an inch. He had decided not to leave her side until she was completely fine.


    "Hello, Aria. How do you feel?" Ian too spoke to her gently lowering his voice slightly, completely different than the way he used to speak to her during working hours. "Are you in pain? Does it hurt somewhere?"


    Aria shook her head again as an answer and Ian smiled at her as though he was speaking to a small girl. "Great. Let me check your pulse okay?" Now Aria did not say anything and allowed Ian to do his job. The man checked her pulse and her tongue to see if it was still blue. He inspected her health twice and only when he was confirmed of her condition did he pull away. "You seem to be doing great. The poison did not affect you much because you were given the antidote immediately. You will be completely fine once you rest for a few hours, okay?"


    Aria smiled at him in understanding. She opened her mouth to speak to him but all that came out was a croak. Aria''s pale face became red at once and she averted her gaze away from Ian in embarrassment. Ian chuckled at her, seeing her state. "Don''t worry. Drink some water before you speak, okay? Your throat must be parched due to the effect of poison."


    Ian then turned to the three people who were waiting for him to tell them the correct diagnosis. "Aria seems to be fine for now. We will keep her under observation for a few hours and if nothing happens, she can leave. I suggest her to get bed rest for at least a day. She is weak and sometimes, she might feel lightheaded and nauseous. But that''s okay. That only means she is slowly recovering." Ian assured them, his voice now changing to a professional tone. The man behaved like a strict doctor in front of them even though they were all his best friends.


    "Any questions?" Ian enquired after speaking and giving them assurance about Aria''s health. When he did not receive any reply, he took his leave as he had other patients to tend to. Aria''s absence had only increased the workload on the others. However, she was not the one to be blamed when she herself had become a patient. Also, he still had to repay his debts to her when she had taken charge of his patients during his absence when Noah was shot and also when he had undergone a bone marrow transplant.


    Even if he was not indebted to her, he would not allow a patient to work when there was a high chance of her getting sick again due to low immunity. Ian took his leave from them and did not see Ivy''s admiring gaze on him. But Joshua did not miss it. He saw her worshipping look when she was staring at Ian and he frowned lightly. "Ivy, are you alright?"


    "I am. Why do you ask?" Ivy responded without even looking at Joshua. Her eyes were still fixed on the door even after Ian''s back had vanished.


    "Then, why are you staring at the door?"


    "I was just admiring Ian''s back," Ivy answered honestly still not facing Joshua which irked him to the core.


    "Why?"


    "I never realized until now that Dr. Ian was this handsome. Wow." She said patting her cheeks as though she was dreaming about an ethereal beauty who had just appeared before her and had vanished before she could even take a good look at him. She sighed lightly in disappointment.


    "What?" Joshua asked, his voice raising an octave.


    "Yes, Dr. Ian sure is handsome and charming. But for the first time today, I found him to be very attractive especially when he was talking to Aria with that sexy voice of his. Oh my Lord. I would have definitely fainted if I was not concerned about my sister more." Ivy''s answer made Joshua to grit his teeth.


    "Ivy, you do realize that your boyfriend is standing right here, right?" Joshua''s tone took a deadly turn and even Ivy could feel the anger in his voice. It made her shiver involuntarily and it was only then she realized what she had done. She was now scared to meet Joshua''s terrifying gaze as she knew she had offended him severely. Ivy wondered what the man would do to her now that she had annoyed him.


    However, she could not avoid him forever. Even if she ignored him now, she could not avoid him at his house. So, she turned to him slowly and let out a cheeky grin. "Are you angry?" She asked lowering her voice as if she was trying to make her way into his heart using her voice.


    "What do you think?" Joshua did not change his expression and asked her indifferently, narrowing his eyes. He was unfazed by her smile as he had made up his mind to punish her for ignoring him.


    "Ian is sure a charming man. But to me, my dearest boyfriend is the best. There is no other man better than him for me. He is the sexiest man alive." Ivy tried to pacify the angry man and to some extent, she seemed to be successful. Joshua''s stance softened and his lips quirked up a little. But he was still not satisfied. He wanted to hear her praise him more.


    "Joshua, you don''t have to be jealous. I will belong to you forever and what I have for men like Ian and Noah is just admiration and respect. Nothing more. Why do I have to look at other men when I have the world''s most handsome man as my boyfriend? To be honest, I should be careful of other women who have a secret liking to you." Ivy uttered everything in one breath and this time, Joshua was completely satisfied. Although the man knew that she was just sucking up to him, he could not help but feel jovial hearing her words. They were honey to him, sweet and touching.


    "Good girl. Remember what you have told me today." He said as he patted her hair affectionately with a smile on his face and for a second, Ivy was lost in his charms. She only came back when she heard someone clear their throat.


    "How shameless you guys must be." She heard Noah''s comment and her eyes widened. She had completely forgotten about him and Aria and the fact that they were still the ward and were listening to everything that she and Joshua were speaking. Now, she was utterly embarrassed and she did not know how to face them.


    "We have a patient here and you two are more interested in displaying your love before us. How annoying!!!" Noah continue, displeasure evident in his voice. Now, Ivy wanted to dig a hole for herself and jump into it.


    ''Why? Why did I forget about where I was?'' She scolded herself mentally. Joshua noticed her awkward look and he smirked silently.


    "We can''t help it. Both of us like each other. So, it is a given that we will show off our affection to the world. Let them envy us and die of jealously." Joshua stated as though it was the truth and Ivy once again cursed under her breath, but this time it was all directed at Joshua. Why was this man so shameless? Can''t he at least stay still until they reached home?


    "Oh, are you provoking me now?" Noah asked, narrowing his eyes. It seemed as if Aria waking up from her slumber had revitalized the almost dead man. He was filled with newfound energy and all of it was directed at his friend, Joshua, and some at Ivy.


    "What if I am?"


    "Then, I''ll challenge you. Once Aria recovers, I''ll make sure that you guys will be suffocated by our display of affection." Noah''s declaration not only shocked Ivy and Joshua, even Aria stared at him dumbfounded. All she had in mind was that she had just woken up and what nonsense this man was spouting.

 Chapter 332: Deep impression (Unedited)

    While Aria was safe for now, it could not be said the same about the outside world. More and more people were getting infected by the poison and were falling sick. Not only Regal Medical Hospital, all the other hospitals in the city were running out of the antidote and they needed to do something quickly to salvage the situation. Already more than forty had succumbed to the poison and had given up the battle and the fatalities were only increasing as time passed by.


    The situation was only being worse and the matter had even reached the President, Luis Truman. He could not help but rub his forehead in agony. He had just finished dealing with a battle between his country and their neighbor and now, another issue had popped up out of nowhere.


    Luis called his assistant and ordered him to find out what exactly was happening. He wanted to get the exact details about how the people had been affected by the poison. Also, he had seen the two statements given by the two men, one from Ian and Ronnie from Ronnie and he was thoroughly impressed by Ronnie for he had stopped people from panicking. Already there were a lot of victims who needed immediate treatment and they did not want more people coming in contact with the poison.


    Luis Truman was thoroughly stressed dealing with all the matters which he knew no other Presidents had dealt with all at a time. He wondered if everything was somebody''s ploy to make him resign from his seat. But he shook his head thinking how abnormal his thoughts. How could a war and releasing poison in the air be done by the same person or group of people? Not possible.


    Luis''s assistant returned after making a phone call. "Sir, we are ready for the press conference." He informed him and just like the President, he too had been stressed dealing with all the crucial matters. Although it seemed that the President had a huge workload only a few people knew that, more than him it was his assistant who had a lot more to deal with.


    "Let''s go." Luis Truman took a deep sigh before he stood up and buttoned his coat. He now had to appease the people and the media, along with the opposition. The road ahead seemed to be exhausting and troublesome, but he knew he would make it out of it somehow.


    Luis Truman entered the conference hall in the Princep Hall and cast his eyes at all the reporters. He took the list of all the news agencies who were present even at this time of the night and sighed lightly. However, his weariness decreased when he noticed the name of the agency he was all too familiar with. It was the News4U agency and he instantly remembered the young lady who had impressed him the last time.


    Expectantly, he cast his eyes everywhere trying to see if she was anywhere in the hall. His face fell when he did not find a familiar face, yet he controlled his expression. He was expecting to see her here as the young lady was intelligent and way better than some of the top men in his team who boasted themselves to be smarter than everybody else.


    So, what if the lady he was looking for was not here? He still had her number and he could give her a call anytime and take her help if he needed it. With a resolve in his mind, he started the press conference. The questions were all based on the unfortunate event that had taken place in the city. Everybody wanted to know how the President was going to tackle the issue.


    "Sir, now that such a deadly event has taken place, what will the next measures taken by the government?" One of the reporters voiced out the question and started the meeting.


    This was a question Luis was expecting even before he had taken a step inside the hall. So, it did not come as a surprise to him. "My dear media friends, I know everybody here has a lot of questions in your mind. However, let me give the answer to the question of what this gentleman asked just now. We all know how bad the situation right now. It was highly unfortunate that a happy event ended up as a disaster and I hope that the people who have been affected by the poison would receive immediate treatment and they get well soon."


    Luis stopped a second to a breath before he started to speak again. "Also, my condolences to the families who have lost their family members. Although we cannot bring a dead person back to life, we can only provide monetary compensation. Our main priority right now would be to save as many people as possible and stop the number of fatalities from increasing. Along with it, we will thoroughly investigate the matter and get to the core. Now, I am up for questions."


    One of the reporters at the back stood up. "Sir, the poison that had been released into the air has been banned under international law. So, how was it even brought inside our country?" Although the reporter had not specified any more details, everybody present in the hall could guess what the man was hinting at. He had taken the same approach as Ivy when she had asked a similar kind of question.


    Luis could only smile helplessly at the question. He could see through the reporter even though he had not been as straight forward Ivy had been. She had asked him directly if anybody from the government had been involved with the David Peters situation. However, here the man had just asked a vague question which could mean anything. The President had to give a clear answer if he had to escape from a target of condemnation.


    "As I said earlier, we are yet to investigate the matter thoroughly and we will find out how the poison even entered our country. And whoever is responsible for this deadly attack will receive the punishment that he deserves. We will definitely provide justice to our people." Luis Truman''s gaze was filled with determination as he stared right at the camera and declared the words.


    The next reporter was just about to ask her question when Luis'' assistant intervened and whispered something in the President''s ear making him nod at him. "I apologize ladies and gentlemen. We will have to end this press meet right here as some urgent matters have popped up. Thank you all for coming here and please be safe."


    With that, the press meet ended halfway and Luis Truman had to take his leave before he could answer all the questions. However, he had conveyed the message he had wanted to relay to the public and that was all it mattered. "What do you have for me?"


    "Sir, we just found out that there had been illegal smuggling of goods fifteen days ago from our neighboring country."


    "That country again. Are they trying to provoke us once again? Aren''t they satisfied with the befitting reply we have given them in the war? Do they still want to provoke us?" Luis seethed, his fists clenching in anger. He could tolerate any kind of attack. But could he tolerate the attack on his nation and his people? No way. He was a patriotic man who believed in nationality. He would never allow anybody else to destroy his country. Never ever.


    "Sir, what do we do now?" The assistant asked, his voice coming out cold and furious. Just like the President, he too was angry with the way things were turning out. He had been with Luis since the time the man had joined politics and he was more or less influenced by Luis''s thoughts. At first, he was not that of a patriotic man although he loved his country. However, after meeting Luis and getting to know him, the man changed and become completely patriotic.


    "Find out who was the one to smuggle goods from our enemy. Also, try to find out what they brought inside the country. If our assumptions are correct, then it must be the poison we are talking about."


    "Yes Sir." The assistant nodded and was about to leave the President alone when the man called him back.


    "Do you remember the girl who we had met last met during one of the press conferences?"


    "Who Sir?" The assistant asked in confusion. They had met a lot of reporters since the time they had met ivy and he had forgotten about her long ago. So, he could not remember her that clearly.


    "The girl from the agency News4U. We had a private chat too after we finished the press meet." Now the assistant remembered who the President was talking about.


    "Yes Sir. Now I remember. What about her?"


    "Do you have her phone number?"


    "I think I do." The assistant replied still unable to understand what the President had in mind.


    "Call her."


    Though the man did not understand what the President had in mind, he still followed his orders. He pulled out the phone in which he stored the less contacted numbers and searched for the girl''s name. He had forgotten what her name was and tried to rack his brain to remember it. However, he couldn''t how much ever he tried.


    Seeing his assistant''s troubled expression, Luis chuckled lightly. "Ivy, her name is Ivy." His words surprised his assistant and wondered how the man had even kept her name in memory when he had a lot to deal with. What he did not know what that Ivy had left a deep impression on Luis that he could never forget her.


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    I am editing the unedited chapters one by one. Thank you for bearing with the mistakes and understanding my plight. Please do bear with it for some more time and in the meanwhile, do check out my new book ''Trapped for Eternity'' and do give me your reviews.

 Chapter 333: Presidents request (Unedited)

    Ivy was sitting beside her sister when she received Luis''s call. She had decided to stay with her sister until she recovered even though Noah had asked her to leave and he would be there to take care of her. However, ivy had denied his suggestion and had gone ahead to stay. Seeing hie darling girl not budging from her seat, even Joshua decided to stay for the night, and just like that, all the three Ivy, Joshua, and Noah ended up accompanying Aria.


    Ivy had no idea who was calling her as it was an unknown number. Luis''s assistant had taken her number on his instructions but she did not receive his number. So, she did not know who was calling her, especially at this time of the night when it was way past midnight.


    Noah and Joshua looked on seeing her receive a call in this highly unexpected time and could not help but wonder who it might be. More than anybody, it was Joshua whose thoughts were running wild and he narrowed his eyes in thinking.


    Ivy gave one look at the unhappy man as she knew what he might be thinking before she answered the call. "Hello?"


    "Am I speaking to Miss Ivy West?" A male voice sounded from the other side and she frowned, unable to comprehend what was happening.


    "Yes. May I know who this might be?" Ivy asked, taking another glance at her boyfriend.


    "I am President Luis Truman''s assistant. The President wants to speak to you. Just a second." As soon as Ivy heard the words, her eyes widened in disbelief and she stood up suddenly making the stool screech lightly.


    The two were startled by her sudden behavior and they too stood up, anxiety taking over them, especially Joshua. He raised his eyebrows asking her silently what was wrong when the girl herself surprised him by putting her call on speaker. This move of hers secretly made Joshua contented. He was not a man who liked to listen to what his girlfriend spoke about and with whom. But seeing the girl herself give him this much control showed that she trusted him and had nothing to hide from him. This made him ecstatic.


    He was just about to speak when he heard a male''s voice from the other side. "Hello, Miss West?"


    "Yes."


    "This is Luis Truman speaking." That one sentence was enough for all the three people to go into shock. Aria was currently in a deep sleep. Otherwise, she too would have been flabbergasted. Noah and Joshua blinked at each other, surprise, shock, and amazement clearly evident on their faces. They knew who Luis Truman was and who wouldn''t when he the President of the country.


    "Hello, Mr. President. I never expected to receive a call from you." Ivy said in honesty. She had never imagined to have received from the President himself. The man was the head of the country and he had many issues to deal with and many people to meet. He calling her was a matter she could never forget.


    A throaty laugh sounded from the other side. "Miss West, you flatter me. How are you doing?"


    "I am doing good, Mr. President," Ivy answered confusion taking over face. She could not understand why the President had even called her. But she could not ask him directly too as it would appear to be rude. "How about you, Sir?" She returned the question politely.


    "I am a little exhausted."


    "I understand, Sir." Ivy gave a curt reply and waited for the man to reveal his true intentions in calling her.


    "You must be wondering why I have called you at this time of the night. Am I right, Miss West?"


    "Yes Sir." Ivy replied honesty as she was on tether hooks to find out the answer to his question.


    "Before I begin, let me apologize to you for calling you at this ungodly hour. You must be knowing about the incident that took place in the city today."


    "Yes Sir."


    "I wanted to discuss some things related to it."


    "Me?" Ivy asked surprised by his request. Never had he imagined the President to have called her for this reason.


    "Yes, you Miss West. I still remember how you had deduced correctly regarding certain matters. So, i wish to know what you think about this issue." Luis replied honestly. He did not find it shameful or disgraceful to say that his team was not that efficient as Ivy. She was beyond smart and he wanted her to help him in this matter and provide her inputs. And if possible, he wanted to persuade to join his team. Given her intelligence, she would reach new heights.


    "What do you think, Miss West? Would you mind meeting me tomorrow in the morning at the Princep House?"


    Luis''s question had not only rendered Ivy speechless, even Noah and Joshua were dumbfounded. They had never known that Ivy was capable to get phone calls from the President himself. It was true that she had amazing skills and with her skills, she could achieve many things. They were not surprised that the President had called her for help. They were more shocked that Ivy was leading a simple life amidst the dangers she attracted even though she had many other opportunities. Both the men now had a newfound admiration for her, especially Joshua who found her all the more attractive.


    "Sir, I am honored that you thought about me for help. But I don''t think I will be able to make it tomorrow." Ivy rejected him straightforwardly not caring about anything. Her answer not only surprised the President, even the two men who were listening to her talk were taken aback.


    "Why?" Luis asked, disappointment evident in his voice.


    "Sir, I need to take care of my sister."


    "Why dear? What happened to her?"


    "Sir, she too fell sick after inhaling the poison."


    "Ohh. I understand. I wish she recovers fast."


    "Thank you, Sir."


    "In that case, can we meet the day after?" Luis fired another question.


    "No Sir. That is not possible." Again Ivy rejected. The day after was reserved for her mission and she would not allow anybody to stop her from going. She had made up her mind long ago and nobody, not even the President could prevent her from going on her mission.


    Again, Luis''s hope went down the drain. But he could not force her to do things against her will. So, he gave up forcing her into this. "In this case.." He had just started to speak when he heard a male''s voice from the other side.


    "Sir, sorry to interrupt you. Could you please give us a minute?"


    "Sure," Luis answered wondered who the man was. Nevertheless, he still allowed them to take some time.


    Joshua put her call on hold and made Ivy to look at him. "Ivy, what are you doing?"


    "What? What did I do?"


    "You are rejecting the President."


    "Yeah. So?"


    "Ivy, don''t do this. Go and help him. He has come to seek your help himself. So, don''t reject the man."


    "But Aria.."


    "I will take care of Aria. You go tomorrow. It''s just a small meeting. You don''t have anything to worry about." Noah added when he realized what her concerns were.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Definitely."


    "But.."


    "Ivy, just go." Joshua gave her the nudge and Ivy reluctantly agreed.


    "Okay fine." Joshua handed her the phone and gestured for her to speak. Ivy pouted lightly before she started to speak. "Mr. President?"


    "Yes, Miss West?"


    "I think we can meet tomorrow if that is possible," Ivy asked not sure what she was even speaking.


    "That''s great. I''ll be looking forward to meeting you. See you tomorrow and thank you for your help. Thank the young man too who helped to convince you." Luis added and Ivy could only smile helplessly at it.


    "Okay, Sir. Goodbye." She then ended the call and sighed lightly before her eyes fell on the two men and noticed their weird gaze. "Okay, spill it. What do you have in mind?"


    "Wow Ivy. You know Luis Truman." Joshua exclaimed, his voice clearly indicating that he was proud of his girlfriend.


    "I guess," Ivy answered unsure what else to say.


    "How did you come to know him?"


    "I had to replace Max at the last minute for a press meet and we met there."


    "Wow. I never knew my girlfriend was so capable."


    "Me neither," Ivy said rubbing her forehead. ''Why did I never know that the President was impressed by me last time? God, this might be stressful." She thought inwardly and felt like crying.


    Noah noticed her abnormal expression and could not help but ask her in concern. "is everything alright, Ivy?"


    "I guess so. Why do you ask?"


    "You do not have to go if you don''t want to."


    "No no. That''s fine. Let me see why the President is asking for my help when he already has a team of elites. It''s okay and thanks for taking for of Aria." Noah wanted to reject her gratitude as he was only taking care of his girlfriend and it was his right but Joshua interrupted him suddenly.


    "The President requested your help because he finds you smarter than those people who call themselves elites." He said with a proud look and this time, neither Noah nor Ivy had an answer for his statement. "Ah, my girlfriend is so capable. I am so fortunate to have her in my life and I will make sure that everybody around me finds out about her talents."


    Ivy could only grit her teeth, not at Joshua, but the danger she sensed she would be attracting soon.

 Chapter 334: Naughty things

    The entire night, Ivy, Noah and Joshua did not leave Aria''s side who had no idea about it as she had gone back to sleep right after having some porridge. She only opened her eyes when the first rays of the sun hit the city. At first, she was confused when she saw herself in an unfamiliar place. The sun was rising slowly, but her ward was still dark and if not for the fact that one of the lamps at the opposite side of the wall was kept on, she would not even have noticed where she was.


    Aria tried to move her head slightly and the next second, she let out a groan. Although she had taken good rest the entire night, her head still felt heavy and her sudden movement made her head to ache. Noah who had been nodding off right beside her, heard her groan and opened his eyes immediately.


    He saw the Aria was wide awake and she was looking around in confusion. Even though she was still white as paper, in his eyes, she looked so damn beautiful. He got up immediately and held her free hand as he gently spoke to her. "Aria, how do you feel now, baby?"


    Aria only nodded her head lightly while she tried to press her other hand on her forehead. However, she stopped half way when she saw a drip attached to her. Noah noticed her discomfort and immediately understood her problem. So, without her asking, he pressed his right palm on her forehead and started to massage it gently. His touch eased her pain lightly and she smiled at him gratefully.


    When Aria felt better, she tried to get up and Noah supported. He made her sit down and he brushed her bangs that had fallen over her eyes to the side. "Aria, you scared me. Don''t ever do this to me ever again. Do you understand? You have no idea how I felt when I saw you lying unconscious. My heart was about to stop beating and if something were to happen to you, what would happen to me?"


    Noah revealed all the pent up feelings in front of his woman. Only he knew how he had survived the time until Aria had woken up the previous night. This was a hundred times, no, a thousand times or even more worse than the time when Aria had been angry with him. At least then, there was no potential harm to her life. But yesterday had been worse than any nightmare he had ever seen and he would never like to see something like this again.


    Aria could see how worried was and she did not have to guess what he must have gone through seeing her in this state. She was filled with remorse for putting him in such a predicament although she was not the one at fault. She had been unfortunate to have inhaled the poison before they could even find out what exactly had happened.


    She could not help but lower her head and mutter in guilt. "Sorry."


    Noah held her hand in his and ran his thumb over them as though he was consoling her. "No baby. I am sorry. It was my fault that I did not take care of you well. Please forgive me, love." Noah bent his head in regret and shame and Aria choked up seeing the man she loved blaming himself for things he was not even responsible for.


    Aria was just about to console him when she heard the door to the ward open and Ian entered inside. He seemed to be exhausted and his eyes were slightly red. Aria could see how overworked the man was and she was filled with guilt once again. She was supposed to help and take care of the patients, but what had she done? She had fallen sick herself and pushed all her work to him.


    Aria did not say anything as she had no idea how to apologize to him. Even though she did not speak a word, Ian could guess what was running in her mind. So, he flicked her forehead making her hiss in pain. "Stop thinking about unnecessary things. What you should be thinking about is your health and also about how much work I am going to give you once you return after recovering."


    Aria gave him a helpless smile and whispered. "Sorry."


    "And why are you sorry?" Ian enquired as he checked her pulse while Noah looked silently.


    "For troubling you."


    "As I said earlier, stop having nonsensical thoughts. Only concentrate on taking care of yourself." Ian smiled at her gently. "You seem to be perfectly fine except that your is a little weak. Also, I have got the reports from the lab. There are no other side effects of the poison and you are good to go."


    "Then, may I take her home?" Noah spoke up suddenly when he heard that Aria was fine. He did not want her to stay here, in the hospital where there were high chances of her falling sick again. He did not want to risk her life again.


    "I''ll prepare the discharge papers and you may leave in the evening. We will keep her here until then just in case. And Aria, you are to take complete rest for two days and you may only join your duty on the third day, that is if Noah allows you to. Also, I request you two to restrain yourself from having sex or other exhausting exercises for at least a weak. Your body needs time to recuperate. We do not want you fainting right when you are in the middle of doing something naughty."


    Ian winked at her and Aria averted her gaze from him in embarrassment. However, Noah remained expressionless. Even if Ian had not warned him, he would not have indulged in sexual activity with her given her condition. Nobody said a word until they heard Joshua''s word from the door.


    "Who is doing naughty things here?" He asked as he and Ivy entered inside with two cups of coffee with each of them. While Joshua handed one of the cups to Noah, Ivy handed hers to Ian who took it with a grateful smile. He was in dire need of some caffeine. His head was throbbing slightly due to lack of sleep. However, he had not found time to go to the canteen due to work.


    Noah only rolled his eyes at Joshua and took the cup from him. When the man who had asked the question did not receive any response from anybody, he put forth his question before them again with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Who is doing naughty things here? Ian, you? Nah. It can''t be you. It has to be Noah and Aria. Am I right?"


    Nobody gave him any response again, but the man did not care. He was having fun teasing people and he continued with his work. The previous night had been extremely stressful and frightening and now that everything seemed to be normal, he could at least crack some jokes to ease the tension which was still hovering around in the ward and make everybody smile at least.


    "You guys. Can''t you control yourselves until you reach home? Do you have to make babies where you actually deliver babies? Tch, tch, tch." Joshua commented after taking a sip from his cup. Now it was Ivy''s turn to roll her eyes. What was this man blabbering this early in the morning? Can''t he just control his tongue? She scolded him silently in her mind. But she knew what the man was doing here and she appreciated his efforts wholeheartedly.


    "I know you guys are in a hurry to make babies. But Noah, please control yourself. Your wife has just gained consciousness and you are already trying to exhaust her. How inconsiderate!!!" Joshua continued to spout nonsense without a care in the world.


    If it was any other time, Noah would have reprimanded him severely for his mad tongue. But he had noticed Aria blushing lightly on Joshua''s words and her pale skin had gained some color. So, he allowed Joshua to continue what he was doing.


    Ivy did not give much heed to his words anymore. She finished her cup of coffee and approached Ian. "How is my sister, Ian?"


    "Aria is fine, Ivy. Although her body is weak, she recovering well. You can take her home this evening and take care that she does not do any strenuous work for at least a weak."


    "Thank you, Ian. Thank you so much." Ian thanked him, her eyes tearing up a little. Just like Noah, she too had been scared out of wits to see her beloved sister lie in this state. Now that she was fine, she felt her heart to have been revived.


    "No problem," Ian replied understanding the girl''s predicament. He seriously envied Aria and Ivy for having each other. The sisters were always there at every step of each other''s life and their bond was just amazing. He too was having the desire to have a sister now. But he was unlucky in that aspect and could do nothing.


    "If there is nothing else, I am going to go," Ian said looking at all of them.


    "Ian, don''t overwork yourself," Aria warned him as she knew how the man would forget about everything else once he involved himself in his work. He had to be reminded constantly to take care of himself. Otherwise, the man would not even consider his health.


    "Okay, Aria."


    So what if he did not have a sister, Ian had awesome friends and that was enough for him.

 Chapter 335: At Princep House

    Now that Aria was fine and ready to be discharged, Ivy could meet the President without any worries. Joshua pulled her with him towards his car and took her home so that she could get refreshed. Though Ivy was not that interested in meeting the President, she could not evade him either as she had already promised him to be present at the Princep House. Reluctantly, she got ready for the meeting and left with Joshua who had taken in charge of being with her the entire time, in case she were to meet with troubles.


    The entire time, Ivy could not help but grumble in dismay on being forced to do something she was not interested in. It was not that she did not like the President or that she was unwilling to meet him. The actual fact was that she liked to do things behind the scenes without anybody knowing about it rather than in front of everyone. Her path gave her more freedom and less speculating eyes. She was answerable to no one but herself.


    "Do I really have to go? Can''t I skip it?" Ivy asked for the hundredth time since they started their journey towards the Princep House.


    "No Ivy. You can''t. You are to go meet the President and give him some face. The old man remembered you and called you. Then, that means you have high respect in his heart. Don''t make him lose the respect he has for you."


    "What if I tell him I am sick?" Ivy suggested after a long time of thinking. "Then, I can evade this meet right?"


    "Ivy," Joshua gave her one look of warning and Ivy stopped talking completely. Joshua was right. It would not be wise to provoke the President when he clearly requested for a meet himself. So, she gave up trying to escape from the situation.


    The couple reached the Princep House in no time. Although Joshua wanted to stay in the car and wait for her, Ivy insisted on him accompanying her and the man eventually surrendered when she gave him a cute puppy face. How could he say no to her when she looked this adorable?


    The guards had already been informed about the guest. So, they did not stop the duo except for the time they had to go through checking. The assistant had got to know about their arrival and he was waiting for them at the entrance. "Thank you, Miss West for coming here at such a short notice." The man gave a nod and observed Joshua for a second when Ivy interrupted him.


    "He is with me."


    "Oh okay." He averted his gaze away from the man who seemed to be too familiar but he could not tell where he had seen him. "If you will follow me. The president is waiting for you." The man gestured and started to lead the couple towards the small conference which was closer to the entrance door.


    Ivy could not help but wonder her eyes around the Princep House even though she had been here before. It still amazed her looking at the beautiful architecture. But the man beside her seemed to be unfazed by it. He followed the assistant with an expressionless face.


    The three people reached the conference hall and the assistant knocked at the door before he opened it. "Sir, Miss West is here." He stated before he allowed the couple to step inside.


    Luis Truman was reading a file when Ivy and Joshua went to meet him. He gestured for them to sit down while he continued to read the document. "Please take your seats. I''ll be done in a few seconds."


    Ivy and Joshua did as they were told and took their seats while they waited for the president silently. It did not take long for Luis to finish his reading. When he was done, dropped the file on the table and took a good look at the girl who had caught his respect the first time he had met her.


    "Thank you very much for coming here on such short notice, Miss West. And I apologize for calling you in a hurry. Ah, that reminds me. How is your sister?"


    "She is doing well, Sir," Ivy replied with a smile and the man nodded.


    "Great. Was she attending the event where the poison was released?" The man enquired trying to start the conversation before he came to the actual point, the reason for them to meet today.


    "No, Sir. My sister is a doctor and she came in contact with a victim who had inhaled the poison."


    "Oh. That explains it. By the way, who is this gentleman?" Luis pointed at Joshua who sitting silently, observing the old man.


    "He is my fiancee, Sir. I was a little hesitant to meet you alone. So, I brought him here." Ivy answered honestly, without hiding anything from the President. She did not care that her words might offend the most powerful man in the country.


    Her reply not only astonished Luis, even Joshua was taken aback. He was gladly surprised at the word she had used to introduce him. She had called him her fiancee rather than her boyfriend, which made him closer to her. Her reply made him happy for some unknown reasons and his lips quirked up in joy.


    "I understand. But why do I find the young man here familiar? Have we met before?" He queried while he racked his brain trying to connect the dots.


    "Sir, he is Joshua Martin. Maybe the name might strike a chord now." Ivy prompted and then the man remembered.


    "Yes, now I got it. One of the successful entrepreneurs in our country. I am slightly surprised to meet you here, Mr. Martin. But I am happy to have done so, finally. Thank you for coming here." Luis Truman had heard about the young man and his achievements and why wouldn''t he when Joshua''s family were one of the oldest and powerful families in the country. Together with the Carters, they dominated the country''s economy and business.


    "Hello and thank you for inviting us here, Sir," Joshua replied curtly not wanting to prolong the unwanted talk. He wanted to get away with this meet so that he could take his girlfriend home. She was visibly getting uncomfortable.


    Luis too did not prolong the reason and came to the point directly. "You must be wondering why I have called you here, Miss West." Ivy nodded and waited for him to continue. "As you already know about the unfortunate incident that took place in the city yesterday."


    "Yes Sir. What about it?"


    "Do you have any idea why anybody would have tried to do something this heinous?"


    Luis''s question made Ivy''s eyes to go wide. It was highly unexpected and she wondered why the man was even asking her when she was a no expert when it came to matters like these.


    Seeing her speechless expression, Luis could guess what was going on in her mind and he tried to clear the confusion. "It is not that I am short of experts and elites. They are trying to find the source of the poison. But I still want to know if anybody else has other theories. Sometimes, somebody highly unexpected could come up with the most apt theory which might actually turn out to be true."


    Joshua scoffed in his mind when he heard Luis''s words. They sounded quite ridiculous to him. ''You have called my darling girl here because you cannot find the answers you are looking for. Admit it Mr. President?'' He thought inwardly. ''As expected, my girl is the smartest and the best.'' Joshua''s gaze darkened when he saw Ivy''s cute face. If only they were at home, he thought.


    "Sir, I am honored that you thought about me. But why me?" She asked, still unable to comprehend what was happening to her.


    "Because Miss West, I remember our last press meet. You had come up with certain conclusions and in the end, they turned out to be true. So, I was wondering if you could do the same this time and help us. You saved us from a great deal of trouble when you correctly pointed out about the possible attack from the north-east."


    "Sir, that was just a lucky guess. I never expected it to be the truth. But this time, I don''t have substantial proofs to come up with assumptions. So, I cannot be of much help for now." Her response was like a knife being plunged deep into Luis''s hopes.


    "So, you have no idea what might be the scenario this time?" Luis tried once again.


    "No Sir. I am sorry."


    "Oh. That''s okay. I was just testing my luck. You know how it is when you are in a position where you are answerable to everyone. Desperate needs call for desperate measures." Luis said. Although he was sad, he was not angry. It was true that they had nothing with them to come up with conclusions. So, he did not blame Ivy. "By the way, why didn''t you attend the press meet yesterday?"


    His question quirked up Joshua''s ear. Until now, he had not given much thought to what they were talking about. But right now, the old man was clearly crossing lines. Why was he this curious to find out why Ivy was absent from the meet? It was not like she was obligated to attend all the press conferences that take place in the Princep House.


    Luis noticed Joshua''s weird gaze and he realized his mistake. The words sounded wrong even to him. So, it was no wonder that the girl''s fiancee found them to be odd. "I am sorry. I think my words came out wrong. I was just asking casually. There is no hidden meaning behind it. It''s just that Miss West is one of the best journalists I have ever met."


    His answer was not satisfactory enough for Joshua. He still stared at the old man in suspicion. However, Ivy did not take it heart and gave him her reply. "I have resigned from my previous agency."

 Chapter 336: Furious father

    The President did not go deep into it as he knew that it would be an invasion of privacy. So, he gave up and decided to serve them tea. But the couple rejected his offer and decided to return home as Ivy would be going on a mission the next day and she had already warned Joshua about it. Although the date of her leaving was fixed, nobody knew when she would return home. This was one of the reasons for Joshua to sulk silently, not daring to voice out his thoughts in front of his woman. And even if he did, who would listen to him?


    Ivy had already prepared herself for the tough days ahead and Joshua''s pleading and begging would not work on her, not when she was going to track down those bastards who destroyed many people''s lives, including her and her families.


    The couple first returned home to prepare food for everyone and then they went to the hospital. The entire time, Joshua had been silent as though he was angry at Ivy. But that was not it and Ivy knew it. She knew that the man was throwing a tantrum because she had not given him much attention and she would be leaving in less than eighteen hours. Ivy was scheduled to leave at six in the morning and right now, it was one in the afternoon.


    Ivy chuckled seeing Joshua''s cute face. "Joshua, why are you sulking?" She asked directly waiting for the man to confess himself, rather than trying to pacify him. She found it entertaining to torment the cute man beside her. The man was as adorable as ever and she had the immense urge to bit his lips which right now were pouting in annoyance.


    "Ivy, I think you know why I am behaving this way. Do you even need to ask and add more to my misery?" Joshua whined while he continued to drive. He had asked Kaito to rest for the day just like how Noah had ordered Ronnie to as the men would be busy starting from the next day. So, he become Ivy''s driver for the day.


    "My baby, you must be feeling dejected." She patted his hair as though she was talking to a dog. "Don''t worry dear. Once we are done with Aria''s discharge and finished dealing with my Dad, I''ll be with you for an entire day." Ivy tried to appease him and the man seemed to be satisfied to some extent. He smiled lightly before he started to concentrate on his driving again.


    "You better remember your words. Once we reach home, I''ll not allow you to leave me until morning." Joshua warned, his voice taking a serious tone. "You better not leave me if anybody disturbs us."


    "Okay, sweetie. I won''t. Once we reach our home, my time is all yours." Ivy coaxed the grumpy man. But her words were not a lie. Just like Joshua, she too would miss the man dearly, especially when she had no idea when she would be returning. It was not that she was going to another city to carry out the mission. No. The issue was that she had made up her mind to follow the meeting until the end and find out everything she could. Although she had a hunch that she would not be finding out anything about the man behind the organ harvesting issue, even though she knew it was Jared behind all these crimes.


    Noah and Joshua had told her everything she had to know and Ivy had been shocked, terrified even to find out that a man like Jared was this horrible. She wanted to bring his true face in front of everyone and send him behind the bars. But the problem was she did not have substantial proof to validate her point and it would only attract more danger if she attacked him without any evidence. And that was something which everybody around her was against.


    "Great. Then. I''ll look forward to our day." Joshua winked at her. By now, they had reached the hospital and the crowd seemed to have lessened significantly. Ronnie''s words and the President''s recorded video which he had released after the press conference had done wonders and the crowd too had come to realize their foolishness.


    Even then, the situation was not completely under control as the number of deaths had increased and people were still getting affected by the poison. The area where the event had been held had been sealed and was off-limits to everybody. Even though the situation was under control, it was not under control.


    This time, Ivy and Joshua did not have to struggle much to reach the hospital entrance. They reached Aria''s ward safely and the girl seemed to be better than the time they had left her in the morning. Her face had gained some color and she seemed to be smiling at something Noah had said.


    "What are you guys smiling at?" Joshua enquired, as usual butting his head in between the couple''s talk. Ivy could only sigh in helplessness. The guy was as crazy as ever and what could she do when she liked him this much? She could only bear with his antics.


    "Nothing you should be aware of." Noah sassed, not giving him much face. The man had clearly invaded his sweet time with Aria. How could he not be vexed?


    "Calm down, hot shot. We have got you lunch and once you are done, let''s go home." Joshua said with a wink while Ivy silently handed a box each to Noah and Aria. She had prepared light and easily digestible dishes for Aria. Her stomach was still weak and she could not eat heavy food.


    The lunch went on with Joshua pulling the other couple''s legs with Ivy occasionally adding her comments, adding more fuel to the fire. Ian too had joined them after dealing with one of the patients. Since the man had been in the hospital for more than fifteen hours, he decided to call it a day. He needed rest too and any more work would only make him collapse. Now, they did not want another patient in the group. So, they dragged Ian with them and all the five people drove towards Noah''s mansion with Joshua taking over the role of the driver once again.


    The drive to Noah''s house was filled with laughter and fun. However, to Aria and ivy, it was not so. They were worried about how their father would react at finding out about Aria''s condition.


    Noah noticed Aria''s anxious face and held her hand in his. "Relax, Mr. West already knows about your condition. Ronnie has already informed him everything."


    Noah expected the girls to calm down. Instead, their expressions turned horrible and Ivy even turned pale on hearing his words. "Noah, please tell me you are lying." Ivy pleaded, his eyes staring at him in expectation.


    "Was I supposed to?" Noah asked in confusion, not understanding why the sisters were behaving this way. "Is something the matter?"


    "My Dad will kill me." Ivy wailed covering her face with her hands. "I am dead. I am dead. I am dead."


    "Calm down Ivy. Maybe Dad will not be that angry." Aria said trying to soothe her sister who seemed to have seen a ghost with the way she was behaving.


    "Aria, we both know what the truth is." Ivy glared at her and the next second, she started to act pitiful again. "You will escape this time. But I.."


    "Hold on. Hold on. What are you guys talking about? I don''t understand." Ian joined the conversation suddenly. He had been sleeping peacefully when he heard Ivy''s medium pitched wail, bringing him out of his sleep.


    "Our Dad can be scary at times, one of them being when we neglect our health and the other when we don''t tell him if we fall sick. Now, we are guilty of both crimes. Aria ignored her wellbeing and fell sick and I failed to inform Dad about it. What do you think will happen to us?" Ivy said, narrowing her eyes and acted as if she was crying.


    "I don''t think he would do something like that. He seemed to be fine and that was what Ronnie told me after he informed the man of the situation. You are worrying unnecessarily. He might not be that angry you are assuming him to be." Noah''s words made Ivy to wail all the more, rendering the three men speechless.


    "Did you say that Dad was calm?" Aria asked, her eyes wide and mouth open. "Tell me it is not the truth."


    "I don''t get it. Why are you girls going crazy when Mr. West seems to be perfectly fine?" Joshua added, still not understanding what was going on with the girls.


    "That''s because, Joshua, you don''t understand how serious the situation is. Dad is not calm about the issue. It''s the calm before the storm and this time, we are dead. Can you stop the car somewhere near the cliff? I''ll escape before we reach Noah''s house." Ivy asked, her eyes glimmering in hope.


    "Oops. Not possible now. We have already reached." Ivy was so lost in her worry that she had not realized that they had already reached.


    "No." Ivy and Aria said at once.


    "Joshua, turn the car. Turn the car right now." Ivy ordered panicking lightly.


    "Relax Ivy. Things might not be as bad as you deem it to be. Come, let''s go in." Joshua pulled Ivy out of the car while Noah helped a reluctant Aria. The five people reached the entrance, with each step being a step towards hell for the girls.


    They saw Oliver pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. "Oh uh. Ivy, plan abort. Plan abort." Aria whispered and they prepared to flee from the place when they heard a loud voice boom across the room.


    "Aria and Ivy, stop right there, and don''t you dare try to escape from me this time."

 Chapter 337: Brother Ian

    "Aria and Ivy, stop right there, and don''t you dare try to escape from me this time." Oliver''s voice was like a canon, fired on an empty, silent field, loud and terrifying. Aria and Ivy shivered in their places and they lost their ability to walk after Oliver''s command. They had turned their backs to their father when they had prepared to flee from the area. So, they could not see the old man''s expression. But they did not have to face him to know what his expression was. He must be furious now and they could feel his rage even from their spot.


    Noah and Joshua were perplexed to see Oliver''s unusual behavior. Never had they seen him behave this way before nor had they heard him speak in this tone. It was louder and more commanding than the tone Noah used on his men. It was filled with power and authority. Even the half-dazed Ian was startled at Oliver''s booming voice and his sleep vanished altogether.


    The men now realized why the girls were chickening out a few minutes ago while they drove towards the mansion. Not only the two girls, now even the three men were spooked and scared of Oliver.


    Oliver noticed his daughters back and commanded again. "I hope you two would be brave enough to face me when I am talking to you."


    The two sisters took one look at each other before they closed their eyes tight and turned to face their father. Oliver narrowed his eyes as he sent daggers at the two. "Where was this fear when you fell sick, Aria?" He asked his second daughter. "And you Ivy, why didn''t you think of informing about it? Your sister, my daughter fell sick and was almost about to lose her life and you did not think about informing me about her condition?" He rebuked his eldest daughter. But then, he noticed something and he relaxed his brows a little.


    "Before you answer me, I hope you are brave enough to step inside and stand before me." It was only then did the five people realize that they were still standing at the entrance. The men too had not realized that they were frozen in shock and had not taken a step inside the house. Now they were hesitant to go in, fearing Oliver''s wrath. Who knew what he would do to them when he had not spared his own kids?


    The five people carefully took small steps towards the raging man as though they were naughty kids who had been called to the headmaster''s room to get a good scolding. They stopped when they were at around ten feet distance from Oliver.


    "Aria, come here." Oliver''s voice sounded in the living room again and the girl did as she was told. She did not want to add fuel to the fire by going against his wishes. She went to him and stood right in front of him with her head lowered. Oliver patted her head suddenly, surprising her a little. "Are you alright, dear?"


    Aria''s head lifted automatically on hearing his gentle voice and she nodded with a dumb expression on his face. "I am fine, Dad." Not satisfied with her answer, Oliver took a thorough look at his daughter who had just returned from the death bed. Only when he was sure that she was fine, did he nod, finally.


    "Good. Do you have any idea how scared I was? Don''t you ever do this again to me. I have already lost Susan. I don''t want to lose you two or in fact, anybody among you." Oliver pointed at the three men toom emphasizing the fact that he considered them to be his family, even though he did not convey it through his words directly.


    His words touched all of them, especially Ian who had been long devoid of familial love. First, he was separated from his family when he was young, and then his mentor who had taken care of just like his father ended up getting murdered brutally. So, how could he not be moved with Oliver''s declaration when the man had known him only for a few days.


    Ian could not stop the two drops of tears that leaked from his eyes and he wiped them off before anybody could see it. However, Oliver had been quick enough to see his movement. He left Aria, forgetting all that he wanted to say to her, and went to Ian. "Why are you crying, child? Is something the matter?"


    Ian was surprised at seeing Oliver approach and even more so when the man questioned him about his tears. He had assumed nobody to have seen it. but he was wrong. The well observant Oliver had noticed it and he had questioned about it right away.


    "Nothing at all, Mr. West," Ian replied, trying to force a smile on his face.


    "Do you think I would believe you if you try to fake your sadness behind your smile? I have seen this world more than you have and I know what you are thinking." Ian widened his eyes at Oliver''s words and he stared at him dumbfounded. Even Noah and Joshua blinked in confusion, not knowing what was happening.


    "You are missing your family, right? More specifically, your mentor Theo." Oliver had now hit the bull''s eye and Ian could not help but gape him in horror.


    "How?" That was all Ian could say as he fixed his eyes on the wonderful man before him.


    "That''s a secret." Oliver winked at him before he became strict again, donning a serious face. "How dare you cry in my presence? With me around, nobody is supposed to be sad or depressed. You are supposed to be happy and enjoy life. I know my words may not heal the wounds you have in your heart and I cannot ask you to forget everything too. But let me tell you one thing, I will always be there for you."


    Seeing that Ian was about to protest, Oliver stopped him immediately. "Don''t assume that I am speaking such sentimental words just because you saved me. No. I am genuinely happy to have met you and if I ever had a son, maybe he would be just like you. You remind me of my younger self." Oliver expressed his hidden thoughts.


    That''s it. Ian could not control himself anymore and he dived his body to hug Oliver and the man embraced him without any hesitation. Sometimes, some words were enough to give someone hope and a sense of belonging, and this time, Oliver''s words had done it. When he had told Ian that he would be there for him, he was reminded of Theo even more as that was what the man had told him when he had first brought Ian with him to his house.


    Noah and Joshua smiled seeing the two men hug each and they could help become emotional. Among the three friends, they knew that Ian had experienced the worst. While Noah and Joshua at least had their families for their support, Ian had no one. He had been alone and the only people who kept him sane were his friends. If they were not his life, maybe he would not have made it until here.


    The emotional moment broke when Ivy intervened throwing a question at them suddenly. "Does that mean that I now have an elder brother?" She looked expectantly at her father and then at Ian waiting for them to answer.


    "Sure, if this young man is ready to accept you as his sister," Oliver added chuckling at his daughter''s cuteness. He always knew that his daughter wanted an elder brother to take care of her. Since she was the eldest, it had been her who took care of her younger twin. But at times, he had seen her wishing for a brother who could take care of her so that she could do as she wanted with the hope that her brother would be there for her.


    Ivy then turned her gaze to Ian and raised her eyebrows and Ian could only smile in delight. "I don''t mind having a younger sister."


    "Yay." That was all it took for Ivy to jump in delight and punch her fist in the air. Without wasting any moment, she ran to Ian and hugged him and the man returned her hug happily. Just a few hours ago, he wishing to have a sister like Ivy or Aria and fate granted him his wish. He now had a sister and a father-like figure. What more could he ask?


    "Aria, I now have a brother. I don''t need you." Ivy teased her sister and pulled out her tongue making Aria roll her eyes.


    "If he is your brother, then he is mine too. Moreover, he is my friend too. Taking this into consideration, I don''t need you. You get lost." The two sisters started to bicker with each with Ian right in the middle and the man could only shake his head in helplessness seeing the two.


    Meanwhile, Noah and Joshua approached him. "So, now you have two sisters. How wonderful!!" Joshua commented his eyes not leaving the two sisters who were still squabbling like school kids. "How does it feel?"


    "It feels great," Ian answered with a huge smile on his face. He then turned to face his friends. "Now that I am their brother, you two must be careful of me," Ian said with a smirk and that was enough for the two lover boys to go into a state of panic. They could see the man gloating about his new-found relationship and they gritted their teeth in annoyance.


    "Without my permission, you cannot marry them. So, beware." Ian stated with a straight face and walked away from them, leaving the duo alone. All the men could do was curse under their breath in anger seeing Ian walk away egoistically.

 Chapter 338: Noahs style of walking

    Even though the situation turned emotional all of a sudden, Oliver did not forget to give a good hearing to his daughters. He made sure that this would not repeat in the future and his girls would take care of themselves. Also, Oliver made sure Aria went to her room to rest rather than sitting around and taking stress. He did not want her to fall sick again and visit the hospital once again as a patient. To support him, Noah too did not allow her to leave the room, making sure that she was laying on the bed all the time except for the time when she had to use the washroom.


    She was getting stressed more from the two men''s behavior rather than her sick and weak body. She could recover well and good if she was allowed to do things as she pleased. But the two men were making it difficult for her by panicking at each and everything she did. They would become overly anxious even if she took one small step from the bed. By the end of two hours since she had returned to Noah''s mansion, she was slowly going crazy; all thanks to her father and Noah.


    Not even half an hour had passed since Aria had finished eating a full bowl of fruits when Noah returned with a glass of milk. Aria''s eyes widened seeing the huge glass and the amount of milk in it. "What the hell is this?" She asked dreading what was about to come her way.


    "This, my dear, is milk and I need you to finish the glass," Noah said with a charming smile on his face. But to Aria, it seemed as if Noah was plotting something in his mind with the way his smile turned evil as seconds ticked by.


    "What do you take me for?" Aria huffed, anger coursing through her veins.


    "You are my beautiful girlfriend who in the future will become my wife. Now, be a good girl and finish all the milk. Here." Noah held the glass before her and waited for her to take it. However, Aria only sent him a glare with no intentions of taking the glass, let alone drinking the milk in it.


    "I think you are treating me as a pig. Do you think I can devour everything you give me?" She questioned, her eyes narrowing in fury.


    "Not at all, Aria. Why will I think my beautiful girl to be a pig when she is my queen?"


    "Then, why are you making me eat this much? My stomach is going to swell up if I keep on eating without any exercise." Aria said innocently and her naive words made Noah smile inwardly. He wondered if Aria even realized what she had even spoken just now. But seeing her cute face, he was sure that the realization had not yet hit her.


    "I can make your stomach swell even after exercising, if you want," Noah replied with a suggestive look and it took Aria a few minutes to understand the meaning behind the words.


    "You monster. You devil." Aria shouted and threw the pillow at him in anger and the man evaded it with ease.


    "Who told you to be the girlfriend of a devil, baby?" Noah smirked and sat beside her. "Now, be a good girl and drink this up."


    "No." Aria turned her head away from him and folded her hands. She was not going to yield to him this time. Her stomach was already bloating from all the fruits she had eaten. She did not even have the time to digest them completely when Noah returned with a gigantic glass of milk. There was no way she could finish it.


    "Aria, finish it." Noah lowly threatened her, his voice turned a little dark. Aria shivered on sensing the change in his tone, but she did not give up.


    "Or else? What will you do?"


    "I know how to feed you," Noah replied, with a doting smile.


    "No, you don''t." Aria turned to face him and noticed the smirk on his face. She now realized that she was in danger with the way Noah gazing at her.


    "Do you want to try me?" Noah raised an eyebrow and taking it up as a challenge. Now, Aria definitely knew what the man had in mind. She had read a lot of novels and seen many romantic movies to not know what he was up to. She knew that the man would do just the thing she had in mind and that she was something she did not want right now.


    Although she had been daring enough to dance seductively in front of him before, she was not sure she could handle his passionate kisses right now. So, she gave up and took the glass. "Fine, fine. I concede defeat. I''ll drink it."


    With that, Aria started to drink the milk even though she hated it. She was so busy with emptying the huge glass that she did not notice Noah''s disappointed face. And why wouldn''t he when he had clearly missed an opportunity to kiss the girl beside him? He pondered when Aria turned this smart to understand what was running in his mind. But the next second, he shook his thoughts away. Aria was always smart. It was just that her wild side came out only recently.


    After a lot of internal battle and struggle, Aria managed to finish the glass and handed it to the shameless man beside her. "I am finished and now, don''t bring me anything to eat or drink until dinner time." She ordered and tried to get off the bed.


    Her movement brought Noah out of his depressed thoughts. So, what if he could not kiss her right now, she will be with him forever and he could kiss her all he wanted when she regained her strength. He watched Aria trying to step down the bed and he held her hand. "Where do you think you are going, my dear?"


    "After being fed until it reached my throat, do you expect me to sit around and do nothing? Let me walk around the room at least. My stomach hurts from all the eating I have done." Aria gritted her teeth and tried to wriggle her way out of his stronghold.


    "Let me help you," Noah suggested and without waiting for her to respond, he carried her princess style. His actions startled Aria and she wrapped her hands around his neck lest she should fall.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Aria questioned, her fury rising to another level.


    "I am helping you walk around. That was what you said a few seconds ago. Did you forget your words this soon?"


    "I think your brain''s processing unit has short-circuited," Aria commented and rolled her eyes at the man''s absurdity. By now, the man had started to walk with Aria safe and secure in his arms.


    "I told I wanted to walk and my words never indicated that I wanted to be carried around while you did the walking. Let me go now." Aria demanded sending another glare at Noah. The number of glares that Noah was receiving that day was only increasing as time passed by. But the man did not care. He found his girl''s glares all the more fascinating.


    "Is it? My bad then. I misunderstood." Although Noah apologized to her, he had no intentions of letting her go. So, he continued to take a stroll in the room with her still in his arms.


    Aria raised her eyebrows at his indifferent behavior. She waited for him to notice her annoyance and when the man finally did, she raised her eyebrows and blinked at him twice, questioning him silently.


    "What?" As usual, Noah feigned ignorance.


    "Noah, let go of me right away."


    "What if I don''t?"


    "Then, you are not allowed to kiss me for three months." This time, Aria''s threat worked and Noah dropped her to her feet gently. He only wanted to keep her closer to his heart. But if it meant that he could not kiss her, then he did not want to follow his mind anymore.


    "Ah, now I know how to threaten you in the future," Aria said with a wide smile and Noah pouted lightly. It was true that she was his weakness and now that she knew what could make him yield to her, he wondered how horribly she would misuse it in the future.


    Aria winked at him and started to walk on her own, trying to digest all that she had eaten in a span of two hours. Noah could only look at her from far lest she should forbid him from even touching her if he did something she did not want.


    On the other side, just like Noah, even Joshua was getting tormented by Ivy. But it was a different kind of torture. The girl had promised him her time after dropping Aria off at Noah''s mansion. However, her plan had changed once she met her father. She was now with her father in his room as the father and the daughter duo discussed the mission she was leaving for the next day.


    Ivy had ignored him completely and had decided to get some help from her father as he was more experienced at matters like these. The duo discussed all possible scenarios and Ivy even told him about Jared''s involvement in the organ trafficking case.


    This did not come as a surprise to Oliver as he had no idea who Jared was. When he was dealing with the case three years ago, Jared was yet to reach the stage he was at right now. Now that they knew who the man was behind the issue, it would be easy for them to tackle the situation and show the man''s true face to society.

 Chapter 339: Ivys promise

    It was somewhere around seven in the evening when Ivy finally came out and met a sulking Joshua waiting for her anxiously in the living room. It then struck her what she had done and she closed her eyes tight in guilt. She had promised him her time after sending Aria home and then what had she done? She had broken her promise. Now that she had completed her work, she did not want to delay their sweet time any longer. So, she went to him and pulled him up, startling him completely.


    "Ivy, what are you doing?"


    "I am taking you home. Let''s go home." She answered with a huge grin trying to mask her guilt, but it did not affect the grumpy man. He was still sulking and his face twisted all the more.


    "You want to go home? Where is it? I thought you had decided to stay here for the night. What made you changed your mind?" Joshua sassed, not giving any face to the girl he liked. He was seriously pissed now and Ivy had to appease the child-like man.


    "I am sorry. Please forgive me, baby." Ivy smiled at him cheekily again and held his hands in hers, trying to appease him. "My time is all yours starting now." Ivy declared as though she was the President who was making him a favor by giving him time in her busy schedule.


    "Ivy, do you think I''ll fall for it again? And thank you for even sparing this poor guy a glance. I am grateful and touched. You go back and do your work. I will not disturb you anymore." With that, Joshua tried to release her hold on his hands, as gently as possible so as to not hurt her. But Ivy only tightened her hold making him look at her.


    "Joshua, please. I know I am in the wrong. Okay, let me make it up to you. Once I return, I''ll give my one full day to you. How does this sound?"


    Although her words did coax the man a little, he did not show it on his face. He still maintained an expressionless face. Seeing that the man was not yet satisfied, Ivy added, "And you can do anything you want with me and I will not say no."


    Now Joshua was completely appeased. Yet he narrowed his eyes, observing her to see if she was only speaking in the spur of the moment. "What if you go back on your words once you return? I don''t trust you on this matter. You broke your promise today. There is no guarantee that it won''t happen again."


    His indifferent declaration rendered Ivy speechless for a second and she stared at him dumbly. Joshua too stared back at her trying to analyze what she would do next. "That won''t happen. I promise that I won''t go back on my words and if I do, then you can punish me as you please."


    "Ivy, do you even realize what you are speaking?" Joshua raised an eyebrow at her, stunned by her proclamation.


    "Yes, I do. Now, tell me. Am I forgiven? Please forgive me. Okay?" She pouted slightly and that was all it took for Joshua to melt completely.


    "I''ll take your words on it. You better not break your promise or the consequence will be dire." Joshua warned her with a low voice and Ivy nodded at him in understanding.


    "I promise. Now, am I forgiven?" She made a cute face time and again not caring about her image and finally, the stoic expression on Joshua''s face cracked. He smiled lightly at her and gave her a peck.


    "Of course. Are you done or do you have still have some things to attend to?"


    "I am done."


    "Then, shall we leave?"


    "Sure."


    Ivy and Joshua prepared themselves to leave Noah''s house only to be stopped by Ian who had just made his way out of the guest room. Immediately after the emotional moment with the West family, Ian had gone to the guest room to take a nap. He was too damn tired to even stand properly and he seriously needed some rest.


    After a good sleep of four hours, Ian finally felt less exhausted. But he was starving. So, he could not continue sleeping anymore with his hungry stomach hurling curses at him for not feeding it. So, he had got up and dragged his body out of the guest room only to see Ivy and Joshua about to leave the mansion.


    "Where are you guys going?" Ian asked letting out a small yawn.


    Joshua cursed under his breath on being interrupted. He was just about to leave this mansion filled with people and go to his heaven with his girl, where nobody entered inside without his permission. But no. Ian had to delay his time again. He wondered when he would actually get to be Ivy alone before she left him.


    "Home," Joshua answered with a darkened face.


    "Okay. Why is she going with you?" Ian pointed at Ivy while he ran his left hand through his disheveled hair. He knew how roguish he must be looking right now with his unkempt hair, completely different from his mature persona.


    "Because it''s her house too," Joshua answered the obvious and gave Ian a look signifying that the man had become an idiot.


    "Since when?"


    "Since the time she became my girlfriend."


    "I object. Ivy cannot and will not be staying with you."


    "And why would you be doing that?" Joshua folded his hands, getting pissed at his friend''s absurdity.


    "I will not allow it. No."


    "I don''t care. She is coming with me." Joshua held Ivy''s right hand and took a step towards the door.


    "No way. I will allow you two to stay in the same room."


    "Seriously Ian. What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this and that too all of a sudden?" Joshua was taken aback by Ian''s sudden change in behavior. Even Ivy was perplexed by his new face.


    "That''s because Ivy is my sister and I need to make sure that you do not harm her. You wolf of a man." Ian spat and Joshua now understood what the man was doing.


    "Ian you scared me. I thought there was something wrong with you with the way you spoke to me just now." Joshua let a deep breath in relief.


    "Serves you right. Who asked you to be a nuisance for everybody? I think you now realized how it feels when someone annoys you."


    "Were you acting just now?" Ivy was too late to catch up and when she finally did, she could not help but gape at him in shock.


    "Yes." Ian grinned at her and added, "It seems like you two are in a hurry. I won''t stop you. Go."


    "I''ll get back at you sometime later." Joshua gritted his teeth and started to leave the mansion.


    "Sure you will. But just remember that Ivy is now my sister." Ian shouted and let out a helpless laugh after the couple vanished from the living room.


    Although that night, nothing happened between the two couples, they were just happy and contented to have their loved ones in their arms.

 Chapter 340: Food packaging factory

    The next day, Ivy got up earlier than usual and noticed Joshua sleeping like a baby beside her. She smiled on seeing his cute face while he pulled the pillow closer to him as he continued to sleep. "I am going to miss you." She whispered beside his ear before she leaned in to sneak a kiss. However, before she could even pull back, the man had draped his hands around her waist and had pulled her closer.


    "Why did you stop kissing? Please continue." He muttered with a hoarse voice as he blinked his eyes to chase away the drowsiness he was still having.


    "How long were you awake? Why didn''t you tell me?" Ivy was bewildered to find that the man had caught her while she was committing her crime.


    "I woke up right at the moment you told me that you would miss me. And as to why I did not tell you is I wanted to know what you would do." Joshua winked at her making her roll her eyes.


    "Let me go. I need to get ready." Ivy tried to wriggle her way out of his embrace but the man only pulled her closer.


    "Wait, I am yet to give you a reply."


    "What reply?"


    "That I am going to miss you too and," Joshua pulled her flush and returned her peck with a deep kiss, not caring about their morning breath. Ivy did not even have the time to take a breather when she was kissed out of nowhere and when she was finally released, she could not help but take large chunks of air. "Now, you can go." Joshua patted her butt and released her, once again stunning Ivy. She stared at him dumbfoundedly until realization dawned on her and the next second, she scurried away from him like a rat.


    The last thing she heard before she entered the bathroom was Joshua''s charming laugh and the door closed with a loud thud. It was too early to have breakfast. So, Ivy just packed a small bag with some buns before she turned to face Joshua who at the time had decided to follow her footsteps all the way along until she left the house.


    "Are you leaving?" He pouted and held her hands in dismay.


    "I''ll be back soon," Ivy promised rubbing her thumbs on the back of his hands.


    "Stay safe and don''t forget to call me."


    "You too. I''ll miss you." Ivy hugged him all of a sudden and the man returned the hug.


    "Me too. Please take care and abort the mission in case it becomes too dangerous. Kaito and Ronnie will always be with you. Okay?" Joshua kissed her hair consoling himself more than coaxing her. How could he not be worried when the girl he had come to like was going on a dangerous mission?


    "Okay. I need to leave now." The couple parted from each other reluctantly and Ivy left the man alone. Unlike last time, she did not use her own bike. If what Tim claimed was true, then there were chances of other people knowing about her bike as it was not every day they could find a girl riding one. It would only be risky if people she was going to keep an eye on noticed her bike.


    This time, she took one of Kaito''s bike instead. The man had a collection with him and she chose the least striking model. It attracted less attention although it was not any less expensive. Ivy took off like a bullet with Kaito and Ronnie following her stealthily on their own motorbikes making sure that they would not be a hindrance to her.


    Ivy knew the place where she would be going first. It was a small food package industry on the outskirts of the city. She wondered why the people had chosen this industry and how it was even related to the case. Since it was no use racking her brain when she would be getting her answers shortly, she gave thinking eventually and concentrated on riding her bike.


    It was still early and the sun was yet to rise completely. The roads were still deserted. So, it was easy for her to spot her two bodyguards for the time being. They were following her from a distance, giving her the space she had asked for. Ivy smiled at their thoughtfulness and looked ahead following the route she had memorized the previous night. It took her more than an hour to reach the factory.


    Except for the two watchmen who stood outside, guarding the gates, she could find nobody. For a second, she wondered if she had come to the correct place. The place did not seem to be extraordinary. It looked like a normal packaging industry, nothing significant. "How are those people going to meet here when the workers are going to walk in and out of the factory?" She muttered and stared ahead, trying to hide from the watchmen.


    She had already parked her vehicle at some distance away and had walked on foot until the factory. She did not find anything suspicious about the place from outside. But as it was said, appearances were deceptive. So, she decided to go in and observe the area thoroughly.


    Ivy had chosen to come here early as she wanted to inspect the place first in case if she were to find clues that could help her. If the information she had gathered was true, then the meeting would start at eleven. So, she still had more than three hours or at least some time until the factory workers started to enter.


    Ivy could not enter the front gate as the watchmen seemed to be guarding it with full attention. So, she walked around trying to find any hole for her to crawl in and get inside. Although she could not find any suitable hole, she did notice that there was no mesh above the compound that surrounded the factory. She could jump over the compound and reach the other side.


    However, there was a problem again here. She did not know the art of climbing walls. What if she slipped and fell? It would definitely alert the two guards. Now, the only thing she could do was ask Ronnie or Kaito for help and she did just the same. She snapped her fingers, the code they had fixed for her to call them for help and the next minute, both the men were beside her.


    "I need help. I need to get inside and I don''t know to climb walls." Ivy said, without any shame. She had chosen the backside of the factory, far away from the watchmen. So, it was not that possible for anybody to notice her in case she jumped off the walls.


    The two men nodded at her in understanding and the next instant, Kaito climbed the wall with ease, making Ivy gape at him in horror. He was as agile as a cat and she did not even know when the man had even reached the top.


    "Miss West, may I?" Ronnie asked her permission before touching her and Ivy nodded at him, her eyes still fixed on Kaito. The man then lifted her with ease and Kaito pulled her from the top. In the blink of an eye, she was sitting on the compound with Kaito beside her.


    All that was running in her mind at that moment was, ''Where am I? What am I? And why am I even here?''


    Ronnie too made his way beside Ivy and both the men helped her to enter the factory premises without alerting the guards. She was about to thank the two men when she noticed that the two of them had vanished into thin air. ''Seriously, how long was I lost in my thoughts to not sense them disappear? Are they ninja reincarnated? These two are so damn skilled. Thank you sweetheart for sending them with me.''


    She smiled thinking about Joshua before her thoughts broke and started to concentrate on her mission. ''Now that I am here, let me decode why I am even here in the first place.''


    With that Ivy started to walk towards the factory, trying to hide herself from any possible eyes, with the two men keeping a close look at her. She did not know if anybody was inside the factory or not and if there were, she did not want to alert them. So, she tried to be as careful as possible, until she faced her next dilemma. Now, how was she supposed to enter the factory when it was obviously locked from the outside?

 Chapter 341: Picking locks

    Ivy once again went around the factory to see if she could find a window, or perhaps another door that was easier to open. Opening the main shutter would not be a wise idea when there were chances of workers coming to report for their daily work any time now. And to her happiness, she found a small door towards the left of the entrance gate. Although it still seemed to be a difficult option to open it when she had no idea how strong it was, she could at least try.


    "Come on, Ivy.'' Let''s get to work. Ivy mumbled under her breath and she tried to unlock the lock on the shutter using a hairpin. But it was of no use. The lock was of a different kind than she was used to. So, this attempt of hers went futile. However, she was not short of ideas. She had come prepared for her mission. She removed her backpack and dug inside, trying to find the tool she wanted.


    Ronnie had been observing Ivy struggle with the lock and he wondered if he should help her with it, just like how Kaito was wondering the same in his mind. They both gave each a look and then Ronnie nodded at him. He took a step forward with the intention of helping the girl when he stopped suddenly hearing Ivy exclaim.


    "Ah ha, found it." Although Ivy''s voice was not too loud, the two men were too close to her. So, they could hear whatever she was muttering to herself. Ivy had pulled out a lock pick set and a torque wrench. She checked the best suitable lock pick for the lock and then inserted it carefully. She then supported the lock pick with the wrench and when she got the correct grip, Ivy started to rotate it clockwise.


    At first, nothing happened and for a second, Ivy feared the lock pick to have bent inside. If that was the case, then it would only make matters worse. "Please, please, please. Open up." She begged softly and the next second, there was a small tick and the lock had opened. "Yes."


    Ivy then repeated the same procedure with the other lock and now she could open the shutter with ease. Meanwhile, Ronnie and Kaito could only gape at each other in shock seeing Ivy''s abilities. The girl surely knew her way and was always well prepared. Ivy pulled the shutter up just enough for her to crawl inside and left it open for the two men to get inside. Thankfully, the shutter did not make any noise. Or else, they would have attracted the two guards.


    There was absolute darkness inside the factory and Ivy could not even see her next step. Ronnie had closed the shutter as soon as he and Kaito had made it in safely and due to the auto-lock system, he did not have to worry about the lock again.


    Ivy pulled out a torch she had with her while she threw another one to Kaito. She knew that they did not have one and it was her fault, she should have informed them about it before. But, it was not a problem. She had brought three with her for precautions. Ivy could have used the torch in her phone, but she did not want to waste the phone charge this way. Who knew when she would be needing it, to take photographs or record a video perhaps?


    The three people took careful steps, this time, Ronnie and Kaito moving closer to Ivy than before. They had no idea what was in the factory and even if there was someone staying here. They did not want to take risks, not when there was absolute darkness around them.


    "Please be careful, Miss." Ronnie alerted from behind while he ran his eyes around the area illuminated by his torch. He was on high alert now as they were in an unknown territory.


    The three people toured around the factory, taking a thorough look inside. However, they found nothing extraordinary. It was a normal food package industry, nothing significant. They were only canned and packed foods around them and nothing weird. Ivy was secretly delighted on being here. If things got delayed, then she would not be starving at least with so much food around her.


    They toured the factory twice, thrice trying to see if they had missed something. But no. They could not find anything suspicious. However, Ronnie found something finally on their last try. It was a hidden stairway, that led to the underground. At first, the stairway was not noticeable at all. It was perfectly hidden behind a fake wall, which did not seem fake at all.


    It had been Ronnie''s sheer luck to have stumbled upon it when he had leaned against it for support. The wall behind him had moved with him and this raised suspicion in him. He knocked at it testing it only to find that it was a wooden partition. He searched around trying to find anything that would move the wall and he noticed a small knob which was right beside the conveyor belt. Ronnie turned it and the wall before him separated, leading to a hidden stairway.


    The sudden noise made Ivy to turn to him and her eyes widened in disbelief. Who knew there would be a fake wall and that the knob they had assumed to be one to run the conveyor belt was in fact the key to move the wall?


    Ivy smiled in happiness and gave Ronnie a thumbs up for finding it. She wanted to dash forward and take a look at where the stairs led her, but Kaito stopped her right in time. "Why?" Ivy whispered, frowning slightly at being stopped. It was not like she was not being careful.


    "Miss, there might be someone on the other side. Please follow our instructions this time. Please. We do not want to take any risks, do we?" Kaito whispered back politely.


    "But.."


    "Miss, he is right. Please stay in the middle and bear with us this one time. Please." Ronnie begged. The fact there was a hidden wall was enough to send them warning signals. They had seen a lot of cases of these kinds and usually, the chances of finding someone guarding from the other side was damn too high.


    Ivy reluctantly agreed to their words. Although she had no problems with going in alone, she did not act stubborn. Since the two were stressing on this issue this much, she relented to their wishes and allowed them to do as they wished.


    The three people now tip-toed down the stairs with Ivy in between Ronnie and Kaito. However, Ronnie had to stop halfway in the middle, making the other two behind him to halt, when he met two burly looking men looking at the trio with narrowed eyes.


    "Uh oh. Damn it." Ivy muttered under her breath. Ronnie''s fears had come true and they had people waiting for them on the other side.


    --------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please continue to give your votes and reviews. Also, do check out my other book ''Trapped for Eternity''.

 Chapter 342: Familiar smell

    The two burly looking men did not speak a word, but they straight away lunged forward to deal with Ronnie. Kaito who at the back pushed Ivy behind him and went forward to help his new friend, Ronnie. In front of those two hefty men, Ronnie and Kaito looked like school kids. Although neither of the two men were thin or seemed weak, in front of the two monstrous men, they looked tiny.


    Ivy could not help fear for the two men now who were in danger because of her. "Be careful," She warned them from behind which went completely unheard as the fight had already started.


    Although Ronnie was not sure, he had a hunch that the fight would not be easy. It was not because the men looked hefty. No. He had dealt with hefty men before and it had been easy for him to defeat them. But these two looked different. They seemed to be trained and well versed at fighting, and he warned the same to Kaito who already had made his assumptions.


    As expected, the fight was not easy. The men had strength and they attacked with full vigor. However, to Ivy what was more surprising was the way Ronnie and Kaito did not hesitate to show off their skills. They were equally strong, maybe even more as they had managed to injure their enemy while defending themselves. Ivy wondered where in their nimble was this immense power and strength stored.


    The situation was dangerous, it was not a movie where Ivy could experience it with full thrill and excitement. But to her, it sure was thrilling and exciting. She kept her eyes on her men and wished them luck secretly. The fight took an unexpected turn when Kaito held the man in a headlock and the next second, he drove his fist at full speed into his neck and hit the vagus nerve. The man fell unconscious and Kaito wiped his fist using a tissue.


    Ivy looked at the scene in horror, still unable to believe what she had just witnessed. The nimble looking Kaito had taken down the huge man just with his fist. How?


    Kaito did not stop there. He went to help Ronnie and used the same technique on the other man and in no seconds, the man was out. Now, not only Ivy even Ronnie was perplexed. He could not understand how Kaito had done that. "What did you do?"


    "I just hit him on his vagus nerve," Kaito replied honestly and Ronnie understood. Making a person unconscious by hitting on the vagus nerve was one of the most difficult tricks to execute. He had tried to master it for some time but had ended up failing. Even Noah and Joshua did not know how to do it. The only man whom he had seen doing it was Ian and now it was Kaito.


    Kaito winked at the two before he went back to his position behind Ivy. "Shall we move? We need to be careful as we don''t know how many more men are inside."


    "What about these two?" Ivy pointed at the two men who were lying on the floor, her voice barely audible. She was still stunned by what she had seen.


    "Don''t worry, Miss. They will not be waking up for a few hours at least." Kaito said with pride and the trio continued with their quest.


    However, before that, Ronnie took out a zip lock cover from his backpack and removed two pills from it. He made the two men swallow one each before he wiped his hands clean. "Done. Now, we can go."


    "What did you feed them?"


    "These are barbiturates in high concentration. This will cause short term memory loss and these people will not remember us once they get up."


    Ivy was once again spooked by what she had heard. "There is something like that too?"


    "Yes, Miss," Ronnie replied and did not go deep into it. He did not reveal that it was Ian who had prepared this pill and it worked in a different way compared to other barbiturates. He knew that Ian''s other identity as the owner of the Royal Group was still hidden from the girls and he did not want to reveal it to the girls. "Let''s go, Miss."


    Ivy nodded still in disbelief. She only started to walk when Kaito called out to her from behind. The trio reached down and then, they saw a laboratory-like room. It occupied the entire floor and they could get a glimpse of the interior. However, they could not make out clearly what was inside.


    Ronnie tried to get open the door to the laboratory which seemed to be sealed. But he could not. Even Ivy tried only to meet the same result. They wondered why they were unable to open the door when they noticed the passcode lock at the side. So, now they could not open the lock at all, not when they did not know the number combination.


    The three people gave up trying and started to go back. They had no idea how much time they had spent inside the factory. They had to leave before any more people discovered them. However, Ivy halted right in her place when she smelled something. "Do you guys smell it too?"


    "Smell what, Miss West?" Ronnie enquired seeing her bizarre expression and he started to sniff around when he too got the smell.


    "Doesn''t it smell like how a hospital usually does? Like I smell formaldehyde, if that is what the disinfectant is called. Can you guys smell it too?"


    "There is a faint smell, now that you mention it. I wonder why we are able to smell something like this?" Kaito added and frowned trying to come up with a possible answer.


    However, they did not have much time. So, they gave up thinking and concentrated on escaping from the place. The factory was still empty and they closed the fake wall again before they went to the exit door from where they had come inside. Opening it from inside was easier and the three people left the factory with ease.


    However, they did not leave the premises. They chose a convenient hiding spot from where they could observe their surroundings as well as the entrance gate. Now, all they had to do was wait for the people to enter and there was still another two hours for the meeting to start. So, she took out her bag and opened a box of sandwiches and handed it to Kaito and Ronnie and kept a smaller one to herself.


    "Here, have it. Don''t worry about finishing it. We are in a food package factory. We will not be starving at least." Ivy joked and smiled in merriment. However, the next second, she froze and her eyes widened in realization. "Package, that was it. Why didn''t I think about it before?" She mumbled loudly gaining the two men''s attention.


    "Miss West, is everything alright?"


    "Not at all, Ronnie. I now realized why we could get that weird smell in the basement. That is because this is the place where they deal with the organs they have harvested from victims and the laboratory downstairs is the place where they keep it temporarily. Oh my God." Ivy revealed her conclusions and her words stunned both the men and they stared at her horrified.

 Chapter 343: Not virus but poison?

    Ivy was horrified by her own assumptions. If what she thought was true, then this place was surely illegal. She now understood why the meeting was scheduled here. That was because this place was the temporary storage house for the organs before got shipped to who knows where.


    To believe that Ivy was happy to be in a food package factory made her stomach churn. ''Why did I even think about eating food packed here?'' She scolded herself and now her appetite had also committed suicide immediately after the realization had hit her. So, she gave up eating her sandwiches.


    Just like her, even Ronnie and Kaito had lost their appetites. So, they too gave up eating the food in their hands, although it looked delicious. They handed the box back to Ivy and the girl took it back without any questions. She understood how they were feeling right now as she too was in the same condition.


    The three people sat in silence waiting to see what would happen next and not a minute had passed when they heard a loud creak. The two guards had opened the gate and then, the factory main entrance was opened next. It was time for the workers to enter in.


    However, even after waiting for long, nobody entered and Ivy wondered if the meeting was actually taking place that day or not. She stretched in her place as her body had gone stiff from being in one position. "What do you think? Did we make a wasted trip here?"


    "Not at all, Miss West. There is still time for the meeting to start and even if the meeting does not happen today, we at least found important evidence about this place." Ronnie assured, his eyes fixed on the entrance gate. His words made sense. They had found out a significant clue and she was thankful to have the two men with her. Although she was capable of escaping danger herself, having them with her made her bolder.


    Another half an hour passed and then suddenly, they heard the screeching of tires. Four cars entered the factory premises, followed by two minivans and an ambulance. The three people sat up straight and kept their eyes fixed on the horde of vehicles.


    She saw many people get off the vehicles, but among them, she saw someone who seemed to be familiar to her. But she could not put a name to his face. "Do you recognize the man in the middle, the guy with the long brown trench coat?" Ivy asked the two men, her eyes not leaving the group.


    Ronnie and Kaito focused their eyes on the man Ivy was talking about and Kaito gave up immediately as he had no idea who he was. However, Ronnie continued to look at him and he too found him to be familiar. And just like Ivy, he too could not remember who he was. "I find him way too familiar."


    "Isn''t he? Why am I not able to remember who he is?" Ivy racked her brain to pull out the memory related to the man. But how much ever she tried, she could not recollect who he was.


    By then, the group had entered the factory and four armed guards stood outside the door. However, neither Ronnie nor Kaito were bothered by this, unlike Ivy who was coming up with her next course of action. They had already done what they had come here for. When they were inside the factory Ronnie fixed small mini cameras at all convenient places and he had even hidden voice recorders at places where the cameras could not be used. Joshua had given them to him and he had used them quite efficiently.


    Ronnie activated all the devices at once using a tab and the next instant they could see the areas the cameras covered one by one. Meanwhile, Kaito used another device that recorded all the voices from the voice readers.


    Ivy had no idea about this and she could only gape at them in surprise. "When did you even do this?"


    "When we were inside before," Kaito answered politely.


    "Why was I not informed about it? I was worrying about how to get inside now. If I had known, I would have relaxed too." She accused.


    "Didn''t Master Martin tell you about these devices?" Ronnie asked bewildered by her complaints. He wondered why the man had not informed Ivy about it.


    "Who is that?" Ivy asked completely forgetting about her boyfriend''s last name. Her question rendered the two men speechless and they blinked at her in disbelief. Their expressions were enough for Ivy to get her answer. All of a sudden she started to feel guilty at forgetting her boyfriend''s last name. But she did not show it on her face. "Of course, I know who it is. I was just joking." She tried to brush it off and it worked to some extent.


    The two men turned their gaze away from her and concentrated on the devices in their hands. When all of them were connected, Ronnie handed his tablet to Ivy while he and Kaito observed the audio recorder. "By the way, why are we still here? We could have left right after we came out, right? Things would be easier if we leave from here as soon as possible."


    "No, Miss West. The devices are shot range. So, we will not be able to get anything once we leave the premises." Ronnie answered.


    Ivy still wanted to ask something but stopped suddenly when she heard someone speak on the earphones. So, she stopped talking and concentrated on the video. From the looks of it, it seemed that the group was in the manager''s office which they had seen in the factory.


    "How many cases have we got till now?" The man in the trench coat spoke after he sat on the chair. The camera was placed right opposite to him. So, Ivy could get a good glimpse of him.


    "Sir, we have more than a thousand possible cases. But the number of people visiting the clinics under us is around ninety-two as of today." Ivy heard somebody speak.


    "Ninety is a good number. We might get another hundred or two in the next few days. Keep going. Also, keep a watch out. We do not want an hindrances." The man warned, his voice turning extremely scary all of a sudden.


    "Yes Sir. What are our next instructions?" Another guy asked.


    "There will be a national basketball tournament next week. Release the poison again there and this time, the effect will be more." As soon as the man said the words, Ivy gasped. This was completely unimaginable to her and she froze in her place. This was all a ploy the organ harvesters had used to send more people to the hospital and do their work.


    Everything fell into place now and Ivy remembered what Joshua and Noah had told her about Jared ordering the deathly virus in bulk. However, that was not the case. He had not used the virus this time. But had released a poison more horrible and effective than the virus. "Damn it."

 Chapter 344: Seeking answers

    The meeting lasted for a long time and Ivy and the two men stayed in the same place until the meeting ended. The men inside the factory had then left the office to go the laboratory downstairs and this was the cue for the three people to leave the place. They had got what they wanted for now and from the looks of it, they were sure that they would not be finding out anything else for the day.


    By now, they were starving since they had not eaten a thing since morning and it was already way past noon. They first escaped from the place without alerting anybody else just like how they had entered. Later, they found an isolated place and ate to their fill. Although what they had heard and seen was still lingering in their minds, they could not ignore their hunger any longer.


    "What are we going to do next?" Kaito queried as he wiped the bread crumbs from his lips after finishing his share of the sandwiches.


    "Do you have the video and the audio recordings right now or does it have to be processed yet?"


    "We have it here," Ronnie said and took another bite of the sandwich.


    "Then, we will send these clips to someone. If our agency was operating right now, we could have broadcasted it right away. However, that will take another ten days and we cannot wait until then. The basketball tournament is in a week."


    "Who do you have in mind, Miss West?"


    "Have you heard about Valarie Evans who works in the Intelligence?


    "No." Both Ronnie and Kaito shook their heads.


    "She is the Deputy Chief there. I know her and handing over the case to her seems to be the best option right now. She will take care of it and I will not have to do anything."


    Seeing the two men''s skeptical gazes, she added, "We can trust her. She is an honest person. Also, I''ll send another copy to the President." Ivy winked at Ronnie and the man smiled at her appreciatively. The girl was savage and she knew what she was doing. She had already made plans even before they had thought about it. Her respect for her grew all the more.


    Ivy transferred both the clips to her phone and she mailed them to Valarie and the President''s assistant using an anonymous email account. She then made a call to Valarie to inform her about the same. This was a matter of great urgency that needed her immediate attention.


    "Hello Valarie, Ivy here."


    Valarie was surprised by her sudden call. She had been discharged from the hospital now and she was back at work. Valarie, Preston and Ryder were busy trying to crack the death of General Simon Moore, but they had got no leads as of yet. They were getting a lot of pressure from the higher ups even though the President had assured them that he would take care of the things for them.


    "Hello Ivy, is anything the matter?"


    "I have sent you an email right now. Check it immediately. Also, don''t tell about me to anybody."


    "Okay. But tell me one thing. What does the email contain?"


    "It is about the recent poison issue. Have a look at it and you will find out everything. Please don''t reveal to anybody that it was me who sent it to you." Ivy then cut the call, confusing Valarie all the more.


    Ivy smiled after ending the call and sighed in relief. "My job is done."


    "What about the President? Aren''t you going to inform him, Miss West?" Kaito questioned when he saw that she had no intentions of calling him.


    "Nah. Informing him will only invoke more troubles for me. I am better off being anonymous."


    On the other side, Valarie was perplexed by Ivy''s sudden call as well as her ambiguous words. However, she still followed Ivy''s request and opened her email. There were two large files, an audio and a video file and she played the video file first.


    It seemed to be a camera recording of a place. There were a lot of cameras running at the same time, each focusing on a different place. From the looks of it, the area seemed to be some kind of a factory.


    Ryder and Preston entered her cabin at this moment. "What are you looking at?"


    "I don''t know. Do you remember Ivy? She had come to meet once when I was in the hospital."


    "Ivy, the journalist?" Ryder asked taking a seat beside her.


    "Yes, she is the one. She sent me an email and wanted me to take a look at it." Valarie did not hide anything from her friends as they were the ones she trusted the most. "Let''s take a look at it."


    At first, nothing happened. She could only see the factory interior. However, after a few seconds, she saw a group of men enter inside in one of the cameras and she followed it trying to see what Ivy had sent her. She could not make out who they were as their backs were facing the camera.


    However, the next second her eyes widened on seeing one of the men she was all too familiar with. Even if Ivy could not remember the man, how could she forget her Chief whom she was well acquainted with? Even Ryder and Preston could not hide their shock seeing their Chief, Frederick Clarke, in the clip.


    "What is this old man doing here?" Preston questioned, running his eyes back and forth between the screen and Valarie.


    "I don''t know. Let''s keep looking." Valarie shushed him and they continued to watch the clips. And as they did, their shock turned into horror and their jaws dropped. The truth they were viewing was too much for them to bear. The man they had called as their Chief, who was also the head of Intelligence was the one behind the poison leak. Not only that, he was the man behind the organ trafficking issue too.


    This was a big blow to them. Although the man was an egoistic maniac, they had never expected him to be a horrible creature. He was the one who killed many people and destroyed many more''s life. How shocking!!


    Nobody said a word for a long time, each deep in their own thoughts. The truth was too much for them to bear and what was even more stunning was that an incident similar to the attack a day ago was being planned again.


    "What the fuck is this?" Preston cursed and broke the silence. "I never expected the man to be a scoundrel."


    "Wait a minute," Valarie said suddenly interrupting Preston. She had remembered something and her already shocked mind froze further. "If this man is the one behind the scandal, then he must be the one who sent orders to kill my father." Valarie gritted her teeth and her hands clenched in anger. The man she had actually treated with respect was her father''s murderer. Her words spooked Preston and Ryder all the more and they remained speechless.


    "I need to speak to Ivy about this." Not wasting another second, she dialed Ivy''s number. She wanted answers and she wanted them right now.

 Chapter 345: Change of plans

    Meanwhile, the President''s assistant too received the message on his phone and he ignored it at first. However, when he saw the subject, he opened it immediately. Ivy knew that something like that would happen and the chances of her email being ignored was high. So, she had made sure to add a subject line that said - ''Poison attack evidence - Very important''. She hoped that this would gain his attention and he would take a look at the contents.


    Just as she had expected, the subject line worked its charm and the assistant viewed the file. He had assumed it be a hoax, but what he saw made his eyes go wide. The video clip shocked him beyond his imagination. Not wasting another minute, he whispered to the President who at that moment was having a meeting with his cabinet of ministers.


    Luis Truman gave him a curt nod before he addressed his ministers. "I apologize, ladies and gentlemen. We will have to cut short our meeting for now as I have something urgent to attend to. Let''s discuss the issue after we get a complete report from the police investigation."


    The cabinet too did not say a thing as they were already about to end the meeting anyway. A few minutes early would not have made any difference. The President accompanied his assistant to his office after everybody dispersed. "What have you got?"


    "Sir, I just received an email from an anonymous person and the contents are extremely shocking." The man handed over the phone to Luis and he played the video for him to view. Just as he had expected, the President was flabbergasted with what he was seeing. His face paled and he seemed to have lost all his senses.


    Time passed and nobody said a word for a long time. It was truly unbelievable to see the man they knew closely was the one behind the issue they were busy trying to resolve. "Do you think this video is authentic?"


    "Sir, as far as I know, the video does not seem to be fabricated. It is even showing the date and time when it was recorded, which by the way is today. But we can run this through an expert to confirm it."


    "Do it. I do not want to blame Frederick on baseless and fake proofs."


    "Right away, Sir." The assistant left the office to follow Luis''s orders, while he remained seated with his eyes staring into the distance. If the video turned out to be authentic, then Frederick was the man they were looking for. Luis had never expected the man he knew for a long time to be such a criminal.


    Not only was he the man behind the poisonous incident he was also the one behind the organ trafficking issue. The fact that he had done all of these so that he could get people to the hospital for his gains made Luis to grit his teeth. He wanted to punch the man who was playing with innocent people''s lives so badly. How dare he do something like this when it was his duty to protect them?


    Half an hour later, the assistant returned with a grave expression on his face. Luis could guess the answer already seeing him, but he was still hoping to get a negative answer. However, the words he heard next made him lose all hopes. "Sir, this video is authentic and we have also tracked down the place seen in the video. It is a food package factory on the outskirts of the city."


    Luis nodded pondering over what to do next. "Give a call to Frederick. Let''s see what he is up to right now."


    The assistant did not delay his orders and placed the call to the disgusting man who at that moment was still in the factory, discussing a few things with his men. It came as a surprise to the man to receive a call from the President at this time of the day. Nevertheless, he still answered the call. "Hello, Mr. President." He replied politely, his tone changing completely. The men before him blinked at the sudden change but remained silent.


    "At you at the office, Frederick?"


    "Yes, I am. Although right now, I have come out to attend a meeting. Is anything the matter, Mr. President?"


    "Frederick, I have an important mission at hand and I need your team''s help in it. So, I will be visiting the Intelligence in a few minutes." His statement made Frederick to lose his calm immediately. His expression turned horrible and his face scrunched up, startling the men in front of him. However, he did not care about them. He had other pressing matters to attend to right now.


    Frederick dismissed the men with the flick of his hands and went in the corner to speak to Luis separately. "Please do not take the trouble, Sir. I''ll send my team to you, they will handle everything. Sir must have a lot of things to attend to." Frederick kept on blabbering not realizing that he was only digging his own grave further.


    His words were enough for the President to doubt the man all the more. He was sure now that Frederick was still at the factory and that was why he was trying to evade the situation. "No, Frederick. I need to hand over the mission to your team right away and I''ll visit your office right now. Be prepared." That was all Luis said before he ended the call and threw the phone at the wall in anger.


    It was not abnormal for the assistant to see the man lose his cool. He did not even flinch when the phone broke with a loud crash. He pulled out a brand new one from the cupboard behind him and activated the President''s number in it. "We will be going to the Intelligence right away. Make preparations."


    "Sir, do you want to speak to the Deputy Chief, Valarie Evans? Maybe, she could help us deal with the situation fast?" The assistant suggested while he also sent a message to the driver and the head of the Presidential guards to get ready.


    "No. We are not sure if she is with Frederick or not. I do not want to take risks and alert the man. Let''s go to the Intelligence office and find out ourselves. I do not trust anybody right now. Let''s go."


    "Yes Sir."


    Meanwhile, inside the factory, Frederick would not stop cursing Luis for the sudden change of plans. He was far away from the city and it would take him another two hours or so to reach his office. By then, the President would already have arrived and would find out about his absence, when he had clearly told him that he was nearby. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Get the car ready. I need to go back to the city as soon as possible." He ordered one of his men and started to curse again.


    The driver drove towards the city at a full speed. But still, they would need some time to even enter inside. Frederick did not know how to salvage the situation now. He racked his brain to come up with a solution and the first person he thought about was Valarie. "Yes, she could help me. She could speak to the President and attend to him until I return. Yes, that will work."


    The man then dialed Valarie''s number which was answered on the first ring. "Valarie Evans, be prepared. The President is about to visit our office and he has an urgent mission for us. I''ll be there shortly. If the President reaches before me, attend to him. Your team will be in charge of the mission he is going to hand over."


    Frederick continued to bark orders on the phone not caring about his image. He seemed like a totally different person to not only Valarie even to the driver who was driving the car. The man looked like a hooligan on the streets as he continued shouting. "Do you understand Valarie? Do not make any mistake."


    "Okay." That was all she said before Valarie cut the call. Frederick was too worried over the unexpected situation for him to notice the indifference in Valarie''s voice. She had neither greeted him nor had she spoken to him with respect. She was disgusted to even speak to the man, let alone listen to his instructions and follow them.


    "Who is it?" Preston questioned, not looking up from his phone. He was still watching the video Ivy had sent them. He wanted to get more information from it that could help them in the investigation.


    "It''s that bastard." Valarie seethed, gripping her phone tight.


    "Why did he call you now?"


    "The President is coming here himself to hand over a mission to us and the disgusting shit wants us to take over the mission."


    This gained Preston''s attention. Valarie had already called her and had requested her to meet her. Although Ivy was reluctant at first, she eventually agreed when Valarie begged her.


    "Did that bastard inform what the President wants to tell us?"


    "No. But I believe it has got to do something with the video. Ivy revealed that she had sent another copy to him. Maybe the President now wants to confront the culprit himself."


    "In that case, is Frederick coming here?" Everybody had dropped the honorifics and they started to call Frederick with whatever name they found suitable.


    "He seems to be on his way. Shit." Valarie cursed suddenly when she realized something.


    "What happened?" Preston stared at her in alertness hearing her curse, wondering what happened to her.


    "Ivy is on her way too and she is not ready to meet anybody else other than us three. What if she comes here when the President is here?"

 Chapter 346: Arrested

    When the realization hit them, Valarie tried calling Ivy to inform her about the situation. However, the girl''s phone was unavailable and she could do nothing. Valarie could only go with the flow for now and apologize to Ivy later on. It was not her who had arranged for the sudden meeting with the President, but the President himself.


    "I guess we will have to handle the situation ourselves." Valarie sighed, her mind unable to process what was even happening around her. Everything was a mess until a few minutes and now, one call from Ivy and everything fell into place automatically. However, with it came more problems and more headaches.


    "I''ll take care of her. You can meet the President by then." Preston offered and Valarie nodded at him.


    "That''s the only option. Why is Ryder not here by the way? Has he gone to buy beverages or prepare the raw ingredients for it from the scratch?" Valarie lamented and just then, the guy in question entered with cups of hot coffee.


    "I was just now wondering who was the one scolding me and then I heard the scolding myself. How lucky am I?" Ryder commented as he handed over the cups to the two people. Valarie rolled her eyes at him and plopped on the chair with a loud sigh.


    Ryder noticed the grave expressions on their faces and could help but ask them about the matter. And just like Valarie, he too was surprised to hear about the President''s visit. But who were they stop him and why would they? They could only wait for the man as they sipped on their coffee and hoped that Ivy would arrive after the man left.


    Forty minutes later.


    The head office of the Intelligence got to witness a horde of presidential cars for the second time in just a span of few months. Other than Valarie and her friends, nobody else knew about the President''s arrival. So, it came as a shock to them to see him arrive unannounced. They could not control the shock even after they saw the bodyguards escorting him inside the building. It was as though they were dreaming about the things that were happening.


    The President looked around and on not noticing Frederick Clarke anywhere in his vicinity, his eyes narrowed dangerously. There was visible anger in them and even the guards who were protecting could feel it. Goosebumps rose on their skin seeing the usually calm man lose his cool. However, they still maintained their expressions and protected him.


    Everybody else was frozen in his spot and nobody came forward to receive him. It was not until a good five minutes had passed that they saw Valarie come down, followed by Ryder and Preston. She stepped forward with a professional smile on her face. "Mr. President, we apologize for our lack of hospitality. My colleagues are just shocked to see such a renowned person here."


    Luis looked at her indifferently, his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her every move. "Chief informed me about your arrival. Let me escort you to the meeting room." Valarie held her hand for the man to follow her. However, she did not receive any response from him other than his eyes staring at her without blinking. He was waiting for her to react to his cold behavior, but the woman remained unfazed and continued to maintain a calm expression.


    A few minutes passed before the President gave her a curt nod and Valarie led the man towards the room, with his assistant following him closely. When it was only the five people in the room, Luis broke the silence first. "Where is Frederick?" His tone clearly depicted that he was furious and Valarie''s assumptions came true immediately.


    She gave one look to her friends who nodded at her assuringly. "Sir, Chief is not here."


    "Is it? I wonder where he is."


    "Sir, it will take some time for him to arrive."


    "As expected." The man scoffed and folded his hands.


    Valarie did not know how to start the conversation, but she had to speak at all costs. So, she took a deep breath before she brought up the issue. "Sir, I know why you are here."


    Her words surprised Luis and he raised his eyebrows slightly. "You do?"


    "Yes Sir. I do. You are here to confront Frederick about his crimes." Valarie''s reply made the already surprised man to be stunned even more.


    "How do you know about it?" Luis stared at her in suspicion while he tried to analyze if the woman was only playing games with him. He wanted to know if the three people were also involved with Frederick.


    "Sir, I received the email just like how you did," Valarie answered honestly. She had nothing to hide from the man as she was not the one involved in the crime. She had nothing to fear. Now, Luis''s expression changed to something which none of them could fathom.


    "What video are you talking about?" The man asked trying to suppress his overwhelming emotions. He was testing Valarie and the woman knew about it. But she was not offended by it. Instead, she answered his questions politely.


    "The video about Frederick. I received one too and the person who sent it is someone I know." Valarie only allowed the President to know this much. She was not going to reveal about Ivy to him against her wishes. However, she did not want the man to be suspicious of her when she totally innocent here.


    Her answer was completely unexpected. But to Luis, it was good news. If Valarie was saying the truth, then he could hand over the case to her to deal with the situation. At least, he had somebody else to trust now and he knew that the woman before him was quite formidable. For the first time after entering the Intelligence, the man cracked a smile.


    "Are you telling the truth? Shall I assume that it was you who sent me the video then?" The man asked, still not satisfied completely. He did not want to take any risks, not at this time when it involved the lives of many innocent people.


    "Yes, Sir. Definitely. You could say that it was I who asked the person to forward the video to you." Valarie lied although she knew that she was nowhere related to the video. It was all Ivy''s doing. However, she also knew that Ivy would not mind and she would not make a fuss as the matter something that had to be dealt with as soon as possible.


    "In that case, I''ll hand over Frederick to you. You can deal with him however you want."


    "Yes Sir." That was all the three people needed. Now that they had orders from the President, nobody could stop them from taking the disgusting man into custody.


    More than an hour had passed since the President''s arrival when the man they wanted to catch came rushing in like a maniac startling everyone on the ground floor. As far as they knew, the man was on leave. So, seeing him here out of nowhere, the employees could make a guess why he was even here. He was here after hearing about the President''s arrival.


    "Where is the President?" The man almost shouted. He was sweating profusely and his hands and feet had gone cold. He had lied to the man blatantly about his whereabouts and now, he did not know how to overcome the situation. One of the employees directed him to the meeting where the President and his assistant were being attended to.


    Not wasting another minute, the man darted towards the room and opened it with a small thud gaining everybody''s attention in there. Luis seemed to be smiling at something while Valarie maintained a poker face. Meanwhile, Ryder and Preston were glaring at him which the man did not notice at all.


    "Mr. President, I apologize for my lateness. I was held up at some important work." Frederick lied not knowing a thing about the upcoming disaster that would wreck his life beyond his expectations.


    ''Yeah. At criminal work. We all know what you were up to, you disgusting piece of shit. You can save yourself some trouble and stop acting like an idiot.'' Prestin scoffed in his mind. Given an opportunity, he would have voiced his thoughts in front of the man. But that would only make him look like a man with no manners. So, he remained silent.


    "I had informed Valarie about your arrival. I hope she assisted you just the way you wanted." The man continued to speak, not knowing how much of a fool he was in everybody else''s eyes.


    "Calm down, Fredrick. You seemed to have come here in a hurry. Is everything alright?" Luis spoke calmly, his expression not giving away anything.


    Although the man was taken aback by the question, Fredrick only brushed it off with a smile. "By the way Sir, what was the mission you were talking about? Is it something important?"


    "Yes, very important. I just found out somethings about the recent incident about the poison attack." This time everybody''s eyes were on the man and they could clearly see the way the man''s face paled visibly. Meanwhile, Frederick''s heart had jumped a mile on hearing the mission the President wanted to hand over to his team.


    Before Frederick could even speak, Luis continued. "I received an interesting video clip today. Want to take a look at it?" When Luis did not receive any answer, he nodded at Valarie for her to take over from here.


    "Chief, let me show you the video too. You will definitely be interested in it and if I am not wrong, your mind will blow away after watching it." Now, Fredrick was having a bad premonition and he could not help but shudder in his seat.


    Valarie turned the laptop towards the man and pressed the button. The video started to play at once. The first few seconds, nothing happened. However, his eyes widened when he saw himself on the screen. Everything that had happened in the factory in the morning replayed as it was in the video.


    By now, he was sweating profusely and all he could think about at the moment was, ''Gone. Everything is gone. Where did things go wrong? How?'' The man came out of his thoughts when he felt a cold metal clasp on his hands. He looked down to see that Ryder was handcuffing him with a cold glare on his face. "What the hell are you doing?" He shouted immediately trying to release his hands from Ryder''s clutches.


    But the man only held him tighter. "Frederick Clarke, you are under arrest for planning a deadly attack and playing with the lives of innocent people. Also, you are guilty of your involvement in the illegal organ trafficking case. So, cooperate with us and let us escort you to the place where you truly belong, prison."

 Chapter 347: Cooperation

    "Frederick Clarke, you are under arrest," Ryder announced with a smile that was cold and bone chilling. He did not give the scoundrel any opportunity to speak anything and dragged him out of the room by his collar. The President had given the power to deal with the man however they wanted and he would do things his way now.


    Handing over Frederick to the police was the last thing he had in mind. Although there was enough evidence against him, there were still chances of him coming out on bail. So, the three friends and the President had discussed the issue and had decided to keep in one of the interrogation cells in the Intelligence. They would find all possible proofs and evidences against the man and file a case directly in the court. This way, Frederick would not have any chance to escape from his long due punishments.


    Ryder and Preston forced Frederick to cooperate with them and pulled him out of the room, while Luis and Valarie followed behind. They knew that once they left the room, the issue would blow up and everybody in the building would find out about it. They had no intentions of hiding it either and why would they when the man was guilty of so many people''s deaths?


    As soon as Ryder and Preston came outside, dragging Frederick Clarke behind them, the entire office stopped what they were doing and stared at the scene in horror. They could not believe their eyes and what was more, it was their Chief who was being handcuffed and dragged along. They could not help but wonder what had happened. This was especially so after they saw the President walking behind with an expression they could not decipher.


    Ryder and Preston pulled the man who was struggling hard to escape and took him to one of the most isolated interrogation cells. Meanwhile, Valarie and Luis stayed behind as they had to give answers to the confused people.


    "All of you must be wondering why we have detained your Chief. Am I right?" Luis spoke loud and clear making everyone face him. There was complete silence on the floor. Those who had not witnessed the scene had heard it from their colleagues and now the entire floor was filled with employees. More or less, everybody was here and their eyes and ears were fixed at the President.


    "I think the video I want to show you will give you the answers you have in mind." Luis nodded at Valarie and the next moment, she arranged for a projector, a screen and speakers. Her actions only confused the people even more. But neither the President nor Valarie tried to ease them of their confusion. When the apparatus was set up, she connected her phone and played the video. Sometimes, it was best to stay silent and let the proofs speak itself.


    Everybody''s gazes were fixed on the screen and as soon as the video started to play, their expressions turned into horror. They now realized why the man had been detained. He was a murderer, a criminal, n scoundrel and he deserved it. Some of the people here were more furious than others as their family members had fallen prey to his schemes and had ended being affected by the poison. Anger surged through their veins and if given a chance, they would have ripped him off to pieces.


    "I think now everybody has got their answers. But I hope that nobody will reveal this fact to anybody outside, especially to the media. We do not want the people who are also involved in this to find out about Frederick being caught. I do not want anybody to escape. Until I give out orders, nobody is supposed to reveal a thing." The President ordered. There was clear warning in his voice and everybody understood him immediately.


    "Sir, do you think there are other people involved in this issue?" One of the employees put forth the question when the murmurs died down.


    "Definitely. There is no way Frederick would have done this alone. There must be somebody else with him. Getting access to the poison they used this time is not easy. He must have sought some help." His words cleared some of the confusion and the people nodded.


    "I know everybody here is shocked to find out the truth. But what we should be more worried about is how to stop the next attack. We only have Frederick with us and we do not know how many people are working under him. So, I have decided to hand over this issue to Miss Evans and her team to take over the case. I hope everybody here will cooperate with them and help them."


    Nobody had an issue with helping Valarie out as they too wanted to catch all the culprits who were playing with innocent people''s lives. Also, Valarie and her team were efficient and they trusted her to do a good job. So, nobody had issues with the arrangement and agreed to assist her in case she needed their help.


    Everybody returned to the work, but they could not stop thinking about the terrifying crimes their own Chief had committed. When the area cleared, Luis turned to face Valarie. By then, Preston and Ryder had returned too after making sure that the bastard was safely locked in the cell. "I will have to leave now. I will leave the matter for you to handle. In case you find out anything, just tell me. Also, you can ask for my help any time, anywhere."


    The man said and Valarie nodded at him with a faint smile on her face. Luis left immediately after and Valarie sighed. They had arrested the man for now. They still had to follow up the case and find everybody behind it. "Thank God, Ivy did not come here when the President was here," Ryder exclaimed and as soon as he said that, Valarie''s phone rang.


    "It''s Ivy. I think she is here. Let''s go and meet her." The three members left together to meet Ivy and what they saw made them halt in their place for a second. Ivy was not alone. There were two other men with her. From the looks of it, they seemed to be her friends.


    Ivy saw Valarie and went to her immediately. "I just saw the President here. What happened?"


    "Let''s go to my cabin," Valarie said and held her hand. "Meanwhile, who are they?" She pointed at Ronnie and Kaito.


    "They are my guards for today," Ivy said in all honesty, not trying to lie.


    Her answer shocked the three people. The two men beside Ivy were not her friends, but her guards? They wondered why Ivy had such fragile looking guards. While one of them could pass off as a guard somehow, they seriously doubted the other guy who was short and thin. He seemed weak himself. How would he fight off other people?


    Kaito had no idea what the three people were thinking. However, even if he knew, he would not care about it. He was not here to impress anyone anyway. Valarie did not dwell into this matter more and led the three guests to her cabin. Since she was a Deputy Chief, her cabin was quite huge and all the six people could fit in easily.


    They had barely stepped inside when Valarie spoke up first, "We have detained Frederick."


    "Who is Frederick?" Ivy queried, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.


    "The man in the video. Ivy, don''t you know him?"


    "Do I have to? The man did seem familiar to me. But who is he by the way?" Ivy''s question rendered the three people from the Intelligence speechless. They could not help but gape at her in surprise.


    "Ivy, he is Frederick Clarke. He was the Chief of the Intelligence."


    "Oh," That was all Ivy said and after a few minutes of thinking, she continued. "That explains why I found him familiar. I must have seen him somewhere or on the television. To think that the Chief of Intelligence is such a big criminal. How ironic!!!" Ivy said straight forwardly. But nobody took any offence to it. It was true that it was the biggest black mark for their team.


    "Anyway, why did you call me here?" Ivy changed the topic when she realized that she might have crossed her lines.


    "Ivy, the man was also behind the organ trafficking case. Do you think our fathers were caught by him and he was the one who killed my Dad?" Valarie asked slowly. She was not scared of the answer. Her father was gone and she could do nothing about it. What she was more interested in was to find out who killed him. She wanted to torture him the same way her father had been tortured.


    "That, I am not sure. I just found out about this man only today. So, I have no idea how far along he was involved in your father''s death. You have the man with you. You can find out yourself." Ivy suggested. She then went into deep thought when she realized that she still had something else to say.


    "Valarie, I have something else to say. I apologize that I did not inform you about this before. It completely flew out of my head."


    Her words made Valarie to lean closer to Ivy while Ryder and Preston just watched from the sides. They did not want to involve in the two women''s conversation, although their ears were fixed on what they were speaking. Unlike the two guards who stood in the room as wall hangings.


    "Valarie, my father is alive and I found him a few weeks ago."

 Chapter 348: Search warrant

    "Valarie, my Dad is alive and I found him a few weeks ago," Ivy stated, her eyes fixed on the only other woman in the room. As soon as the words left her mouth, the three people from the Intelligence stared at her blankly, especially Valarie. Her expression then turned to joy at once.


    "That is great, Ivy. How is he now? Is he alright?" Ivy smiled at her concern. Instead of asking her what her Dad had told her about the organ trafficking scandal, Valarie was more worried about her Dad''s well being. This showed how good the woman.


    "He was in a coma for three years and he woke up just recently," Ivy replied honesty and the next few minutes were spent with her cooking up a story on how a stranger had taken care of her Dad for all these years. She completely omitted the three names behind the story. "You can meet him if you want. My Dad would be glad to meet an old acquaintance''s daughter."


    "That would be great." Valarie could make use of this opportunity to find out more about her Dad''s death and also the ones behind it. "I''ll have to trouble him then."


    "Not at all. Dad would be more than happy. What do you plan to do next now that the man is caught?"


    "We will have to interrogate him thoroughly to find out more about the people working with him," Valarie answered with a sigh. She could imagine how stressful the upcoming days would be. She knew the man well and he would never confess his crimes even if there was solid proof against him.


    "Then, I suggest you examine the factory in the video. You may find things of your use there." Ivy suggested. Since they already knew that she was the one behind the video, there was no need for her to stay still, at least not in front of these three people.


    "Do you suspect something about the place?"


    "I don''t suspect. I know. There is a hidden laboratory downstairs that acts as a temporary storage for the organs." Again, her words took the three already stunned people by a storm. They could only gape at her and their eyes were filled with respect for her. "It''s best that you search the place right away. We do not want people escaping after finding out Frederick''s capture."


    Ivy''s suggestion seemed valid and it was best that they struck while the iron was hot. They could save a lot of trouble in the future. However, Valarie still had a few more questions to ask. "By the way, how did you find out about this place?"


    Ivy smiled at her question. "I have my resources. Anything else?" Her answer was short and nobody probed into it further.


    "Do you have any idea who else might be involved in this issue other than Frederick?" This time Ivy went silent. She knew the answer for it as Noah and Joshua had already told her about Jared. But she did not have any substantial evidence to prove her point. So, she did not say the name.


    Valarie could guess what Ivy had in mind. "Who is it?"


    "I am sorry, I cannot tell you the name right now as I don''t have any valid evidences to prove his crimes." Ivy said straight forwardly and she closed her eyes shut for a second. "I''ll let you know once I am sure about his involvement." Valarie could only give up her hope and smile in helplessness.


    "Thank you for your help, Ivy. I owe you this."


    "Not at all. It is my duty." Ivy said with pride and stood up to take her leave. However, she remembered something she had forgotten to tell before. "By the way, did you know that the poison was a substitute for the virus that was supposed to be released a few months ago"


    "What do you mean?" This time it was Ryder who asked the question. His eyebrows were slightly narrowed as though he was thinking something.


    "What I mean is, the one who planned the deadly virus attack and the poison attack is the same team."


    Baam. As soon as Valarie heard the words, her brain short circuited. Everything fell into place now and she could more or less guess who Ivy was suspecting. Now, Valarie too got the answer she wanted. ''To think that Frederick was working with Jared. Oh Lord!!!''


    "I have to leave now. Good luck with your work." This time Ivy and her two guards left the Intelligence. Now that Ivy was done with her work, she delighted to go home, to Joshua. She had expected to mission to go on for a few days at least. Who knew she would get all she wanted right on her first day? She could now relax and enjoy her time with the man she had started to love slowly, but surely.


    Meanwhile, Valarie could only stare into space as Ivy''s words replayed in her mind. Her face paled and she covered it with her hands. "Ugh." She yelled startling both Preston and Ryder.


    "What happened, Val?"


    "I know who Ivy was speaking about, Preston."


    "Who are you talking about?"


    "The guy behind the virus issue. It''s Jared Augustus."


    "Jared? The resort king, Jared? How is he even involved in this issue? Preston could not help but question it more. He knew who the man was, but he was not sure if was capable of behind the mastermind behind such crimes.


    "Yes. He was the one behind the virus issue. Since his plan did not go accordingly, he resorted to this idea and used poison."


    "How do you know about it, Val?" Ryder could not stop himself and sat beside her with his right arm hugging her shoulder. The woman looked visibly shaken and he wondered why.


    "Maggie told me."


    Her reply rendered both the men speechless. After Maggie had left her job at the Intelligence, they had no idea where she had gone. She had just disappeared from the surface of the earth. They had tried searching for her, especially Ryder but with no results. "Do you know where Maggie is?"


    Valarie nodded slowly and she explained what had actually happened and How Maggie had ended up in Jared''s gang, The Vipers. Ryder completely lost it when he found about the gang that he was all too familiar with. They were involved in sorts of crimes and shady dealings and for a long time, his team was trying to track them, especially its leader.


    To think that Maggie was in the lair of such vicious people made his veins burst. He was now furious and he did not know what to do. He was also angry at his friend for hiding such a huge matter from him especially when she knew how he felt about Maggie. "How could you do this, Valarie? The girl must be suffering in there right now. What if she is in any sort of danger?"


    "No. That''s not possible. She is not in danger as far as I know. She seems to be fine. And I am sorry. Although it was her request to hide this matter from everybody, I should have told it to you at least." Valarie could only lower head in guilt and Ryder sighed in despair.


    He could neither blame his friend nor could stay still. He knew how stubborn Maggie could be and once she had made her decision, nobody could stop her. Also, in their field of work, sometimes they had to go undercover to not get exposed and not many people would know about it. So, he could understand Valarie''s dilemma.


    Meanwhile, Preston who was watching them silently had another matter running in his mind altogether. "If Frederick was working with Jared, didn''t Maggie and the old man never come face to face?"


    His question made the other two people to look at him. "I don''t think Maggie knows about Frederick''s involvement. Otherwise, she would have informed me about it when we spoke a few days ago."


    "Is it? But how is that possible?"


    "Apparently, there is somebody more powerful behind Jared and he controlling everything, although it is Jared who coming up with such cruel plans. Now that we are on this topic, I remember something Maggie had told the last time we spoke."


    "What did she tell you?" Ryder was quick to put forth his question. He was anxious to learn about the girl he was attracted to.


    "It seems there was supposed to be a meeting with the man behind Jared and the Vipers gang. But it got held up due to some reasons."


    "And?"


    "As far as she knows, nobody in the gang has seen this man they call as Godfather."


    "What kind of cringy title is that?" Preston commented his eyes narrowing in distaste. But his words were ignored completely.


    "This man who is the Godfather and apparently Jared''s biological father were supposed to meet the people. Now, I wonder who Frederick is. Is he Jared''s father of Godfather?"


    "I guess we will get the answer to it when we interrogate the disgusting pig. But before that, as Ivy suggested, we need to secure the factory first." Preston added after a lot of thinking.


    Ryder stood up suddenly, his eye still cold and furious. But Valarie did not blame him. She knew she was at fault, partially. She should not have allowed Maggie to go to such a dangerous place in the first place. She should not have given into the girl''s desperate pleas. "I"ll prepare the search warrant. Let''s leave right away."

 Chapter 349: Chasing in the garden

    In Noah''s mansion.


    Aria was going crazy as every minute passed by. Her man had decided to stick to her for the next two days and right now, Noah had become her slave. He had shifted all his work to his house and had made sure that Aria would not leave his gaze. What if something were to happen to her?


    Even Ronnie was not home and he could not allow only Oliver to take care of her. What if she fell sick again and she had to be taken to the hospital? Oliver could not step out of the house lest he got noticed. So, the only option left was for Noah to work from home.


    "Noah, I am fine. You can go do your work." Aria suggested for a hundredth time, hoping against hope that the man would agree and allow her some alone time. He had been her shadow since the time she had gotten up and this was getting on her nerves.


    "I am fine, love, and don''t worry. I am fine working here." The man''s eyes left the laptop and settled on Aria who could not help but fume at him. Seeing him smile at her, her anger rose all the more. However, she knew that it was no use convincing him. So, she gave up and stood up to leave their room.


    As expected the man went on hyper alert mode seeing her stand and he dropped his laptop on the bed. "Where are you going, sweetheart?" He immediately rushed to her support as though she was a fragile doll.


    "I want to take a walk in the garden." Aria declared trying to break free from the man''s clutches. But he only held her tighter, ignoring her weak attempts to push him away.


    "Let me help you then." Not waiting for her to respond, Noah gently led her out of the room, towards the garden downstairs. Meanwhile, Aria tried to think of all possible ideas to send the man away from her. Although she was touched that her boyfriend cared about her this much, she still wanted some space which Noah was clearly invading too much.


    Aria and Noah reached the lawn and nobody spoke a word. The man made her sit down and he sat down beside her. However, the next second, Aria stood up startling him completely. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Aria had dashed forward, away from him.


    Now that Aria had finally made it out of the mansion, she wanted to enjoy the fresh air. To her, even a few seconds would do. So, she had made up her to run away from Noah the moment he had made her sit.


    "Aria, what are doing?" He shouted from behind, panic taking over his entire form seeing her run. Laughter was all he got as his answer and he chased her to catch her before she hurt herself. Ian had advised her not to take much stress and Noah did not want her getting tired. "Sweetheart, wait for me."


    "No way," Aria shouted back with a giggle.


    "Why are you running away from me in the first place?" Noah yelled back, trying to find Aria in the huge garden. He had no idea where she was right now. But from her voice, he could deduce that she somewhere on his right. So, he changed his direction and went in the direction of her voice.


    "I am not running away from you. I just want to enjoy some fresh air."Aria replied moving away from her hiding place when she sensed Noah to be nearby.


    "You could have done that even when you were sitting. Why did you have to run?" Noah reprimanded her gently, his eyes observing everywhere around him. He smiled lightly when he saw the garden shrubs shake. He padded towards it without making another noise. However, when he looked around, he found nobody.


    Aria started laughing when she saw Noah''s stunned face. She had been watching him from where she was. Seeing him turn around, she could not help but speak up. "You cannot catch me that easily." She teased and she changed her spot once again.


    "Are you challenging me, love?" Noah questioned back, his eyes wandering around, trying to find where Aria could be.


    "Not at all. But if you are provoked, we can take it up as a challenge." Aria replied and again, she switched her hiding place. She was making sure to keep an eye on the man from where she was.


    "Then, I will take it up as a challenge. What do you want to bet?" Noah was now near her previous hiding spot and just as before, he could not find her. Just at this moment, he noticed a silhouette move behind him from the corner of his eye. But he did nothing. He stood in his place waiting for her to answer. He did not want to catch her this soon, not when it had become exciting all of a sudden.


    Noah wanted to see what Aria would put forth as the conditions. His eyes were trained on her movement while he made sure that she did not find out about him knowing where she was right now.


    "If you cannot find me within five minutes, then you will not follow me like how you are doing since morning."


    "Why? Does it annoy you?"


    "Not exactly. But you are being too overprotective and anxious and it is making me a little suffocated." Aria''s words stunned Noah. He had never known that he was suffocating her, but he could understand what she wanted to convey. Maybe he was going overboard with his concern. It was true that she was weak, but she was not fragile. He had to give her space.


    He made a note to correct himself when he heard Aria''s next words. "Are you up for it?"


    "Wait. You did not hear my condition." Noah complained while he went to her previous spot she had been before she had changed her hiding place.


    "What is it?"


    "If I win, then you will listen to me until you recover. Alright?" Noah suggested and Aria groaned in her place. She had no idea that Noah had realized his mistake, but was only playing along with her.


    "Fine." She agreed reluctantly.


    The duo continued with their game with Noah making sure that Aria did not know the truth. He dilly dallied until more than four minutes had passed. When he noticed that only a few seconds were left, he gave up playing and went to the spot where Aria was hiding right now.


    ''Only a few seconds more and then I''ll be done.'' Aria was secretly gloating in her mind when she felt someone pull her from behind. She crashed right into Noah''s chest and he held her securely in his arms. "Caught you."


    Aria was too stunned by the sudden pull that she forgot to even speak. She stared at him dumbly while man just chuckled seeing her cute look. "Now, that I have won the challenge, you will have to listen to me until you recover." Noah then leaned in to give her a light peck before he led the stunned girl back to their place where they were sitting before.


    He then made her sit down and covered her legs with a blanket. Aria noticed that there was a mat now along with a basket. She had no idea how these two things had ended up here when she had clearly seen Noah chase her around.


    Noah then peeled an orange and handed it to her which she took without any complaints. While she popped one into her mouth, she ran her eyes around. But could not see anybody in the vicinity. She was then reminded of their time in Kyoto Garden in London when she had gone with Noah. Just like now, there was no one around and she had had had a good time.


    Noah observed her lost gaze and he patted her lightly on her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"


    "Our beautiful time in Kyoto Garden. Doesn''t it feel exactly the same?"


    "It sure does," Noah replied wholeheartedly. To him, every day would be a pleasant day if Aria was with him. However, if she was not, then the day would be miserable for him.


    "I wish I had taken photographs. The place was beautiful." Aria sighed lightly, regretting not taking any good clicks.


    "I have pics with me. You can take a look you want." Noah handed her his phone along with a glass of apple juice.


    "When did you take them?"


    "Secret." Noah winked at her making her narrow her eyes. "There are a lot of photos."


    Aria started to go through his gallery and found the pictures he was talking about it. There were a lot of them, more than she could even comprehend and more than half of them were hers. Her eyes widened seeing her photographs and wondered why she did not sense him taking pictures. But then realization struck her and she stared at Noah. "Who took these pictures?"


    "My guards," Noah was honest this time as he had nothing to hide from her.


    "Your guards were following us?" Aria had an incredulous expression hearing the truth.


    "Yes. It is their job to protect me at all times. I cannot order them to leave me alone. I have enemies. It is better to be safe than sorry." Noah explained to her even before she could ask her next question.


    "Oh. I see." Aria went back to looking at the pictures even though the fact that somebody had taken her photos without her permission was not sitting well with her. But the next second, she found a photo in which she was sleeping soundly, and from the looks of it, she seemed to be on a plane.


    Her eyes widened automatically and something snapped in her. "Noah, what the hell is this?"

 Chapter 350: Lovely couple

    "Noah, what the hell is this?" Aria turned the phone towards him and questioned him, her face turned expressionless. The man, who had a calm expression, turned serious seeing her sudden change in expression. He did not know what she had seen for her to turn this way. Pushing himself closer to her, his eyes fell on her phone only to realize what she was talking about.


    It was a photograph of Aria which Ronnie had taken when they were on the plane. Noah sighed in relief seeing what she was talking about. For a second, he had been shit scared thinking that he had done something wrong. "That is you. Can''t you recognize yourself now, love?" The man had a smirk on his face as he teased his woman who seemed to be fuming up as time ticked by.


    "I know it''s me. But, why do you have this photo? When did you take it?" She demanded and this time, Noah could sense the anger in her tone.


    "Aria, calm down. It''s a photo of ours which Ronnie had taken when we in traveling to London."


    "With whose permission?" Aria fired her next question and this time Noah did not answer her. He was still not getting why Aria was getting angry at such a small thing.


    "I asked him to take it. Why Aria? Is anything the matter?" Noah pushed himself a little more close to her. But this time, Aria moved back stunning him.


    "Do you even realize what you did?" She spat and her behavior stunned the man completely.


    "Aria, calm down. This is just a picture." He tried to soothe her. Now, Noah was worried for two reasons. He had no idea how he had offended Aria and second, he was worried about her health. It was not good for her to lose control of her anger at this time.


    "Oh, this is just a picture. You still don''t get it, do you?"


    "What should I get? I don''t understand." Noah stared at her in confusion. He was really not getting what she wanted to convey and his mind was filled with question marks.


    Aria huffed lightly and closed her eyes. She had never expected something like this from the man she had come to love. Although it was not something horrible, it was not good either. She opened her eyes and fixed them at the man who was already looking at her. "Noah, you were clearly stalking me."


    "No Aria. I wasn''t..." He tried to refute immediately. But the girl interrupted him in the middle. "Let me finish first."


    "Noah, you took pictures of me when we were not even that close, and that too without my permission. Don''t you think this is wrong?" This time, Aria was relatively calm and she explained why she was irked at his behavior.


    "That was because I was intrigued by you and I wanted to know you more." The man replied trying to put forth his reason before her. Although he knew he was partly at fault, he did not want her to blame without knowing his reasons.


    "Okay. If that was the case, you could have come to me directly. Why did you take pictures of me without my permission?"


    "Would you have allowed me to if I had asked you?"


    "Not at all."


    "Then, you got your answer."


    "Noah, I barely knew you. You were just a patient of mine at that time and the only thing I knew about you was that you were Ian''s friend. What do you expect me to do? Allow you to take pictures of me even though we were not that close." Aria tried to put forth her thoughts before him, trying not to hurt him or scare him even.


    "But, I really liked you at that time and I was just curious about you," Noah argued again, but by the end, his voice faded into the air.


    Aria sighed seeing that Noah was not getting what she wanted to convey. She thought about it for some time and then an idea flashed in her mind. "Okay, Noah. Let''s try this way. Imagine that you have a daughter."


    As soon as Aria spoke the words, the man''s eyes gleamed and he smiled like a little kid. "Aria, are you ready to give me a daughter?"


    "Noah," Aria was completely frustrated now and she was to scream at him or even curse at him. She just wanted to leave him. But she also knew that the man had to know where he was wrong. So, she took deep breaths to calm herself. "Do not interrupt me until I am done. Otherwise, I am not talking to you for a month. Okay?" Aria compromised a little with a warning.


    "Okay."


    "Imagine you have a daughter and she is as old as I am right now. What would you do if somebody she barely knows takes photographs of her without her permission?"


    As soon as Aria uttered the words, something snapped in Noah. Baam. Just the thought of someone clicking pictures of his daughter in secret made him furious. There was a mad rush of bloodthirst in him and he wanted to break someone''s bones right now. He could not tolerate anybody harassing his princess this way. No. Never.


    Aria noticed the change in his eyes and she realized that the man had understood what she wanted to express. She held his hand and started to pacify him gently. "Noah relax. That was just a hypothetical situation. But I think you now realized what I wanted to relay to you. Now, you tell me if what you did was wrong or not."


    Aria was being patient with him unlike her usual self when she would have lost her temper if it was anybody else. Noah looked at her guiltily. He had realized his mistake now and he did not know how to apologize to her. "I understand your point of view right now, Aria. I am sorry, I was at fault. I did not realize what I was doing at that time. I liked you and I wanted to pursue you. I guess the path I followed was wrong. I am sorry, please forgive me."


    "It''s fine. You have learned your lesson, that''s enough for me." Aria embraced him and patted his back, trying to pacify him. She could see the guilt in his eyes when he had apologized to her. Although she did not want to see him this devastated, making him see the truth was necessary too. So, she had chosen to do it irrespective of how she felt.


    "Also, don''t encourage people to do it from now. It is a clear invasion of a girl''s privacy." Aria whispered and Noah nodded as he hugged her back. They stayed this way for a long time and nobody spoke for a while.


    Although it was quite romantic to embrace the man she loved, Aria was finding it difficult to breathe now. She tried to push Noah away meekly. "You are suffocating me." She complained and the man immediately pulled back.


    "I am sorry." Noah gave her a cheeky smile and rubbed his neck in embarrassment. Not knowing what to do, his eyes fell on the half-finished glass of juice and he finished it in one go.


    Aria could only gape at him in shock. "What are you doing? That was my glass. I had drunk from it."


    "Does not matter," Noah replied nonchalantly. "What''s mine is yours and what''s yours is mine." Aria could not help but blush at his words and she punched him lightly on his shoulders in embarrassment while Noah could only chuckle in amusement.


    Unknown to them, Aria''s father was observing all that had happened downstairs. The view from his room directly fell onto the lawn and he could see the two lovebirds enjoying their time with each other. Although he could not make out what they were talking about, he could clearly see how happy his daughter was with Noah. He could notice and love and the affection they had for each and his eyes teared up a little.


    "Susan, our girls have found happiness now. They had good men around them and they take care of our girls as queens. I hope wherever you are, you are smiling and showering blessing at our daughters." Oliver muttered and wiped the tears that had run down his cheeks. He then took one last glance at the lovely couple before he walked away from the window.


    Oliver still had a lot of work to do. Now that he was going to be the Vice President of his son-in-law''s news agency, he had a lot more responsibility on his shoulders than before. Unlike before, when he was answerable to none, he was now answerable to all his employees.


    Although he knew that Noah would protect his people at all costs, he as a Vice President too had his duties and one of them was to ensure his employees'' safety.


    Oliver had already come up with ideas on how to execute his plans this time. They had ten days of time before they would officially take over the news agency they had in mind and as far as he knew, even his daughter, Ivy was going to be a part of the team.


    After discussing with her the previous night, the father-daughter duo had come up with a plan to expose Jared and the first thing they had in mind was to take his interview live. They would create a good image of his in front of the people. And once he rose to the top, they would reveal his true colors one by one. The higher the one rose, the harder would be the fall.

 Chapter 351: Weird Joshua

    Meanwhile, on the other side, Ivy reached her home. She was in great excitement as she would be meeting Joshua sooner than she had expected. Her heart was thundering with joy with every second she reached closer to her house. Ronnie and Kaito were still following her even though there was absolutely not necessary for it. However, Ivy did not comment a thing about it. She only cared about reaching home.


    To her surprise, the moment she reached home, she was welcomed by an empty house. Joshua was nowhere to be seen. She searched every nook and corner, but to no avail. He was not inside. She could only sigh in distress and wait for his return.


    It was somewhere past evening and Joshua would be returning home soon. So, she decided to prepare dinner for him although she was quite tired. Ronnie took his leave right after she reached home and Kaito made his way towards the outhouse where he stayed. So, she was alone at home.


    Time passed and it was somewhere past dinner time. However, there was no news of Joshua and Ivy was getting impatient as seconds ticked by. She called him to check upon him. But no one picked up and this continued for a long time until it was past midnight. Ivy went into panic mode and she could not help but worry for him. Her excited heart was now beating loudly in fear and she did not what to do. "Joshua, please pick up the call. I hope everything is fine. I hope you are okay." She muttered lightly.


    When she was comprehending what to do next, the door opened and Joshua entered. He seemed to be tired and his eyes looked dull. Ivy rushed to him immediately, her face filled with concern. The man was surprised to see the girl home and he halted in his place.


    Before he could speak a word, Ivy started to bombard him with questions. "Joshua, where the hell have you been? I have been calling you for a long time. Why did you not pick the phone? Is everything alright?" Ivy went closer to him but stopped immediately. Joshua reeked of alcohol and she furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Joshua, did you drink?" Ivy asked. But that was a wrong move. Something triggered in the man and his expression changed altogether.


    "Why? Do you also have a problem with that?"


    "What? No, I was just.."


    "Listen, Ivy, I am not anybody''s puppet. I do what I want and I follow my heart, not anybody''s orders. Don''t you dare control me," Joshua warned and his sudden change in behavior stunned Ivy. She gaped at him in horror and wondered what was wrong with him.


    "Joshua, what are you talking about? When did I try to control you? I was just worried about you." Ivy tried to reason out with him. But the man only walked away from her and removed his tie and threw it onto the floor in anger. He then dragged his body towards his room only to stopped by Ivy.


    "Joshua, have something before you go to sleep."


    "I am not hungry." That was all he said before he walked away leaving Ivy all alone in the hall. The girl was heartbroken seeing his weird behavior. He had never treated her this way. Before they had started dating, he was a flirt and he would always try to flirt or annoy her. Once they started dating, the man would never leave an opportunity to be with her. He would cling to her like an octopus asking her for hugs and kisses like a little kid.


    Seeing his indifferent behavior today, Ivy was hurt. Although she was not angry at him, she could not help but feel sad. She had been hungry since the time she had arrived home, but her appetite vanished after Joshua returned home and she was in no mood to eat.


    Ivy dragged her body to the first floor and glanced at Joshua''s room, the door to which was closed. Devastated, she then went to the guest room. The man who would pester her to sleep in his room had not even looked at her clearly that night. Both of them slept separately, each drowning in their own thoughts.


    The next day.


    Joshua got up with a killer headache and he held his head in despair. It felt as though someone was hammering his head with the way his head ached. He searched for some Advil in the drawer and took two pills. It took him some time to feel better and slowly his headache reduced.


    The man then freshened up and went downstairs only to stop suddenly. There was a large number of dishes on the table, more than what he ate normally. His maid only prepared a few dishes for him and it would be Ivy who would cook more dishes. As soon as the thought came to his mind, his eye brightened up. He wondered if Ivy was actually home and if she was the one who had cooked the food.


    Joshua''s happiness knew no bounds now and just like how Ivy had done the previous night, Joshua went around the house searching for her. But he could not find her anywhere. It was somewhere around nine in the morning. "I guess she must have gone to meet Max on work."


    Joshua then sat down at the dining table and opened the dishes one by one. To his surprise, the dishes had gone cold and from the looks of it, they seemed to have been prepared a long time ago. Joshua''s face scrunched up in confusion and he wondered what was even happening.


    Things did not add up correctly and he decided to place a call to Ivy, but the number was unreachable. He tried again, only to meet the same fate. He then remembered about Kaito. The man was to guard Ivy at all costs and if Ivy was not at home, then he would surely know where she was. So, he called him immediately and to Joshua''s relief, Kaito picked up the phone.


    "Kaito, where are you?"


    "I am at the outhouse, Master."


    "Then, where is Ivy?"


    "Miss is at home, Master." The man replied in confusion.


    "She is not at home." Joshua gritted his teeth, his mind clearly unable to think properly now.


    "How could that be? She did not tell me about her schedule for today nor did I see her going out." Kaito jumped off his bed and rushed out of the outhouse towards the main house. Where could Ivy go without informing anybody? This was unlike her. She would usually leave a message to Joshua if she were to go without meeting him. This was the first time where neither Joshua nor Kaito knew where she had gone.

 Chapter 352: Ivy is missing?

    A few minutes later.


    Kaito had reached the main house by now and both the men searched for Ivy once again, starting from the house to the garden. They checked upon her vehicles and to their horror, all her vehicles were in place. Even the motorbike she had used the day before was in the garage. Now, Joshua could not help but get anxious and he worried for Ivy''s safety.


    "When did you guys return home?" He questioned Kaito after trying Ivy''s phone a hundredth time by now. But all he received was the same answer: unreachable.


    "Somewhere in the evening, Master. We returned before dinner."


    "Did something happen yesterday? Was she in a bad mood?"


    "Nothing like that happened, Master. In fact, Miss was in a good mood and she was even smiling brightly. She was happy to go home and meet you."


    "Then, where did she go all of a sudden? And most importantly, if you guys returned home yesterday evening, why don''t I remember meeting her?"


    "How could that be possible, Master? She was excited to have finished the mission early and was happy to meet you."


    Kaito''s words made Joshua frown and he tried to remember what had happened the previous night. However, all he could remember was getting a phone call and then chugging down glasses and glasses of alcohol. The realization hit him and hard and his eyes widened automatically. He rarely drank as he did not even know what he did in his intoxicated state. But the worse part was, he would not remember a thing he did once he became sober.


    Fearing the worst, Joshua bolted out of the living room to his laboratory downstairs to check the surveillance cameras. For security reasons, he had installed cameras at the entrance of the door and the living room. He could at least try to see what had happened using them.


    Joshua rewinded the video from the time when Ivy had arrived home. It was somewhere around six and she seemed to be in high spirits. He saw her going towards the kitchen and her silhouette vanished from the screen. He then fast-forwarded it, trying to see what had happened. He noticed that somewhere around midnight, Ivy had come rushing towards the door and he resumed the video in normal mode.


    But what he saw and heard, made his eyes go wide. He had treated Ivy so bad that he himself felt hurt. Why would the girl not feel depressed? He had pushed the girl away himself and he did not know why he had even done that. "Why? Why? Why?" He banged his hand on the table with so much force that his hand hurt. But he did not care about it. The way he had treated Ivy was worse than the pain he was experiencing right now.


    Joshua remembered why he had lost his cool and had surrendered to alcohol. It was all because of the damn phone call. If only he had not received the call. But there was no time for regrets now. His first priority was to find Ivy and make sure she was safe. He had to make sure that she was fine, especially when there was a psychopath who wanted her.


    "Shit." He cursed loudly and kicked the chair in anger. "I am sorry. It was all my fault. I am sorry." He apologized and gritted his teeth. The next second, something struck him and he remembered the Ivy had taken her phone with her. Using his skills he tried to track her phone. However, the result only made him astonished. The phone was right in the house. The location showed that Ivy was somewhere nearby.


    Once again, he searched for her, hoping against hope to find her somewhere. But in vain. He wondered where her phone was as the signal pointed to his house when she was clearly not here. He was still in Ivy''s room and his eyes fell on the drawer beside the bed and it was slightly open. Perplexed, he opened it completely only to find her phone inside.


    Joshua was spooked now. Ivy was nowhere to be found and her phone was here. ''Where could she have gone without taking her phone?'' Once again, he went back to his laboratory to view the complete surveillance footage. From it, he found out that Ivy had left the house at five in the morning without informing anyone.


    It was no wonder that Kaito did not realize her absence as it was still early to keep tabs. Also, unlike Noah''s mansion, Joshua did not keep guards around his house much as it was almost impossible to enter his house without permission. Also, he did not like the pomp and splendor of having bodyguards around him all the time.


    But for the first time, he regretted not having them around. At least, they would have stopped Ivy from leaving, and if they couldn''t, they would have informed him about it. "Damn it. Ivy, where are you? Please come back. I am sorry."


    Not knowing what to do, Joshua called Noah and as soon as the call connected, he started blabbering without greeting his friend. His patience was running out and this was no time to exchange greetings. "Noah, is Ivy in your house right now?"


    "No. Ivy has not come to meet me since the day before. What happened? Didn''t she go on a mission?"


    "Yes, but she returned home yesterday and now I cannot find her."


    "Try calling her."


    "No use. She has left her phone at home." Joshua replied, his eyes narrowing in helplessness.


    "Jo, did something happen?" Noah questioned, his mood changing all of a sudden. Aria was right beside him when he had received the call. She too frowned seeing his sudden change.


    "I hurt her unintentionally, Noah. It was all my mistake." The man replied, his voice barely audible over the phone. "I am at fault."


    "Joshua, listen to me. Now is not the time for that. We need to find Ivy and make sure she is safe. I''ll come to your house right away and let''s see what we can do. By then, ask Ian if he knows something."


    "What happened? Is Ivy fine?" Aria queried as soon as Noah ended the call. She had more or less guessed what might have happened from whatever she had heard.


    "I don''t know. Joshua hurt Ivy and the girl left his house in the early hours of dawn without informing anyone. And she has not even taken her phone."


    "What the heck!!!" Aria cursed loudly.


    "Yes. I am going to his house to search for Ivy."


    "I am coming with you." Aria jumped off the bed the next second and started to wear her shoes.


    "No way." Noah refuted immediately. She was supposed to be taking rest, not running around in search of her sister.


    "Noah, I am coming with you." Aria deadpanned and she continued. "Don''t you dare use yesterday''s bet now. I am not going to listen to it, not right now at least. She is my sister and I am going to search for her."


    Seeing Aria''s stubborn gaze Noah could only give and the couple drove towards Joshua''s house.

 Chapter 353: Cemetery

    Joshua was going berserk as time ticked by. He could not find out where Ivy was. He had even enquired about her whereabouts from all the possible people he knew. He had not even spared her colleagues Max, Kira, Sasha and Cedric as Ivy was frequently in touch with them. However, nobody knew where she was.


    He even sent Kaito to her apartment to see if she had gone there, just in case. But Kaito returned with negative results. Ivy was nowhere to be found. By then, Aria and Noah arrived and Joshua looked at the couple with guilt. He could not meet their eyes especially Aria''s after the way he had treated Ivy.


    "Did you find any news about Ivy?" Aria did not question him a thing about the reason for Ivy to leave the house. She instead focused on other matters. Joshua only shook his head, not knowing what to speak.


    "How about her friends?"


    "They haven''t seen her since three days."


    "Wait, let me check with Danny," Aria called her best friend and enquired him about her sister. But he too did not know where she was. Dejected, Aria could only end the call and stare at Noah. "Where could she have gone?"


    "Any relatives, perhaps," Noah suggested.


    "We are not that close to anybody. So, I don''t think she would have gone to meet them."


    "Jo, can''t you check the CCTV cameras around your house? Maybe we can find out where she has gone."


    "Why didn''t I think of that before?" Joshua smacked his head for his forgetfulness. He immediately rushed towards his lab and Noah led Aria behind him slowly.


    This was the second time Aria was coming to Joshua''s house. However, this was the first time she was seeing the interior in a sober mind. The last when she was here, she was not in her clear state of mind as she was still grieving over killing someone even though the man was a criminal himself. A betrayer who sold his own country and murdered his own countrymen.


    Aria could not help but gawk around her surroundings even though now was not the time for it. While Noah''s mansion had an aesthetic touch to it, Joshua''s was in a modern style. Noah led her downstairs and Aria''s brows furrowed in confusion. "Where are we going?"


    "To Joshua''s lab."


    "Joshua has a lab here?"


    "Yes." The duo were near the lab now and what Aria saw made her gasp in wonder. There were a lot of electronic devices some of which she could not even recognize. It looked like the laboratory of Tony Stark in Iron Man, more or less. For a gadget freak, this place was paradise.


    "Wow," She stared around her in wonder, taking in all she could. But she came back immediately when she realized they had other pressing matters to attend to rather than admiring this interesting lab. So, she followed Noah silently and stood behind Joshua who at that moment, was busy typing codes on his laptop.


    He checked the time when Ivy had left the house and from there, he tried searching for all the CCTV cameras around his house that might have tracked her. "Got it." He finally found Ivy in one of the cameras and he started to track her slowly, trying to find out where she had gone.


    Although he could not make out her face clearly as she was wearing a hoodie, he could still make out that it was Ivy. Her silhouette was etched in his mind. Aria too leaned in to see where she was going and wondered why she was walking along the streets at that time of dawn. They followed the CCTV footage until King''s Street and after that Joshua could not find out where Ivy had gone. There were no more surveillance cameras for him to follow up.


    "Shit," He cursed loudly. "I cannot track Ivy from here. The last she was seen was on King''s Street and after that, there are no more cameras." Joshua replied, his hands still not stopping their work on the laptop.


    "Great. We at least know that she has gone somewhere near King''s Street. We can go there and ask around. Maybe somebody might have seen her." Noah suggested and Joshua nodded. This idea seemed the most logical one right now.


    The two men prepared to leave only to find a frozen Aria, staring hard at the laptop screen without blinking. "Aria, is anything the matter?" Noah called her, but there was no response. She stood still as a statue.


    "Aria," He called her again and this time he nudged her lightly. The girl''s thoughts broke on his touch and she blinked lightly at him before collecting her thoughts. "Is everything alright?"


    "Did you say she was at King''s Street?" Aria questioned and directed her gaze towards Joshua.


    "Yes, that was the last record of her on the CCTV footage." Seeing Aria''s weird gaze, both the men looked at each other before they went back to staring at her. "Do you know something Aria?"


    "What is today''s date?"


    "What?" Both the men asked at once in confusion.


    "What is today''s date?" Aria raised her voice by an octave and Noah immediately told her the date.


    "Oh my God. How could I forget it? How could I?" Aria placed her hand on her head and blinked continuously, her eyes turning red at once.


    "What did you forget, Aria? What happened?" Noah held her lightly and seeing her eyes turning red, his heart ached. It pained him to see her this way and he wanted to make it go away. But the problem was he had no idea what Aria was talking about.


    "Noah, we have to go home right now. We need to get Dad. I know where Ivy is." Aria replied wiping the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.


    "Where is she?" Joshua stepped forward immediately and he asked the question, his eyes turning anxious and concerned.


    "There is a burial ground behind the King''s Street. I am sure Ivy will be there right now."


    Her answer spooked both the men and their eyes widened in shock. "Aria, what do you mean? Why will Ivy be at a cemetery?" Joshua held her tightly and shook her trying to get an answer.


    "Today is my Mom''s death anniversary and that is where she is buried."

 Chapter 354: Ivys indifferent behavior

    Joshua accompanied Aria and Noah to fetch Oliver with them, although Joshua was dying in anxiety. He wanted to make sure that Ivy was safe and given a chance, he would have driven over to the cemetery like a maniac. Until he saw Ivy himself, he was unable to stay still.


    The previous time when Aria and Ivy had taken Oliver to the cemetery, Noah had not accompanied them as Aria was still furious at him. And Joshua had decided not to tag along as he did not want to disrupt the family''s peaceful time. They needed to be alone and the three men had given them the space. This was the reason why neither Noah nor Joshua knew about King''s Street.


    Oliver was busy working on the issues Noah had handed over to him. Although Noah was the President of the news agency, he had no idea how to operate it. So, he had handed over all the work to Oliver and he was given in charge of all the things. Oliver had no idea when Noah and Aria had even left the mansion as he had locked himself in his room. So, it came as a surprise when he saw a distressed Aria and a serious-looking Noah coming to him.


    "Dad, we have to go," Aria said, her voice coming out low. She was gasping for air as she had come running from the entrance to her father''s room.


    "Where do we have to go?" Oliver looked at the duo in confusion.


    "Dad, today is Mom''s death anniversary. We have to go to the cemetery." Aria answered taking deep breaths in between and her words made Oliver stand up suddenly.


    "What?"


    "Yes, Dad. Today is Mom''s death anniversary. Let''s go and visit her in the cemetery." This time, Aria had calmed down a little. However, that was not the case with Oliver.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about it before?" He almost shouted at his daughter although he knew that it was not her fault. The last few days had been a lot stressful with Aria falling sick and Ivy going on her mission. It was no wonder that his daughters forgot to tell him. "Let''s go, then."


    Oliver picked up his coat and accompanied Noah and Aria downstairs to see Joshua already waiting in the car at the driver''s seat. What surprised him more was that he could not find Ivy anywhere around him. "Why is Ivy not here?" Oliver asked as he sat beside Joshua while Aria and Noah sat at the back.


    "Dad, she is already at the cemetery. Let''s go." Aria replied and the four people drove towards King''s Street with Joshua trying his best not to press on the accelerator hard. He tried to control his speed lest he should startle Aria or Oliver.


    It took them some time to reach King''s Street and from there, Aria directed them towards the cemetery. It was just a few minutes drive from the main road and once they reached the cemetery, Joshua was the first one to dash inside. His behavior stunned Oliver who had no idea what had actually happened. However, Aria and Noah knew the reason why he was like this. He wanted to make sure that Ivy was here, which Aria was sure that she was.


    Joshua entered the cemetery quickly and looked around. There was no one inside and he could easily spot Ivy who was sitting beside one of the gravestones, her eyes downcast. She seemed to be muttering something with the way her lips moved. Joshua felt as though someone had breathed life into him after seeing her. Only he knew how anxious he had been on seeing her missing.


    Before he could take a step at her, Oliver and Aria entered and they went to where Ivy was sitting. Ivy had not noticed them yet and she continue to blabber on and on. "Mom, I don''t what I did that has hurt Joshua. Do you think I am the one at fault? Is it something I did that triggered his anger?" Her voice was barely audible. So, neither Aria nor Oliver could hear her when they stood beside her.


    "Susan," Oliver breathed and he dropped to his knees. Startled by the sudden voice, Ivy turned to see her father and her sister beside her. Her thoughts broke and she stopped mumbling to herself. It was as though there was a switch and her meek and depressed expression turned expressionless.


    However, her eyes turned cold on seeing Joshua who was walking slowly towards her. She glared at him for a second before she averted her gaze away from him. Just by this small action of hers, Joshua realized how bad the situation was. He had seen her glare as well as the hidden hurt and sadness in her eyes and this broke his heart greatly. He could not help but reprimand himself for his actions. ''Why did I lose control of my emotions? Why did I hurt Ivy for something she was not even at fault?''


    Noah noticed his friend''s face and he patted his shoulders trying to pacify him. But he knew that nothing he said or did could salvage the situation. It was his friend who was in the wrong. Not saying another word, Noah went to stand beside Aria and held her hand.


    By then, Oliver had finished speaking to his beloved wife and he was standing at the side allowing his younger daughter some time with her mother. Aria glanced at Noah as soon as he held her hands and she smiled at him faintly. "Mom, I hope you are doing well. I am sorry I did not come earlier. Mom, I want you to meet someone."


    Aria pressed her hand on Noah''s hands and she took a deep breath. "Mom, this is Noah and he is my boyfriend. Mom, I lo-like him very much. I hope you will give us your blessings and wish us happiness." Aria whispered and Noah did not miss the way Aria had changed her words. He smiled to himself wondering why she had done so.


    When Aria became silent, Noah took over and started to speak with a soothing voice. "Hello, Mom. I am Noah. I am your daughter''s boyfriend. Thank you very much, Mom, for giving birth to such a beautiful and amazing daughter. I love her more than anything in my life and I wish to be with her forever. I hope you will give us your blessings and look over us from wherever you are."


    Noah''s words touched Aria and she felt warmth even in the cold weather. She had not missed the way he had declared his love for her and had also addressed her mother and spoke to her as though she was his mother. The couple knelt in front of the gravestone for a second before they stood up and went back.


    Now, it was Ivy''s turn. But she ignored the man who was looking at her expectantly and stood up. Even though Joshua felt depressed seeing her indifferent behavior, he still came to stand beside her. But the girl did not say a word, she just stood still. A few minutes passed and he realized that Ivy would not be speaking a thing. So, he took it upon himself to start speaking.


    "Hello, Mom. I am Joshua. I am your daughter, Ivy''s boyfriend. Thank you very much, Mom. You have given me such a beautiful life partner and I could not ask for more. She an outstanding person and I am more than happy to have her in my life. But it was me who did not know how to treasure her. I hurt her last night and I wish to apologize to her for my horrible actions. I hope she forgives me, Mom." Joshua bent his head and offered his silent words before he went and stood behind Noah.


    Ivy stood still in her place. "Mom, that was Joshua. He was the one I was talking about." Ivy smiled softly but it vanished as soon as she remembered his words he had said the previous night. Her back was facing the four people. So, they did not see the slight change in her emotions, nor did they hear her words.


    The five people stayed in the cemetery for another few minutes before they started to walk back. Joshua tried to walk beside Ivy but the girl evidently ignored him and even his attempts to speak to her. Aria sensed the tension in the air and she took Ivy with her. However, as soon as she held Ivy''s hands, she gasped. "Ivy, you are freezing."


    "Relax, Aria. I am fine." Ivy tried to assure her. But her sister was having none of it. It was the start of autumn and Ivy had arrived here even before dawn. It was no wonder that her hands were freezing when she was not wearing any gloves.


    Joshua, who was walking right behind his woman, heard Aria''s words, and the next second, he removed his gloves and handed them to Ivy. However, Just like before, Ivy just gave him one glance and walked away from him. Aria could only shake her head in helplessness seeing her sister''s cold behavior.


    Joshua''s shoulders dropped on seeing Ivy walk away from him. He slowly dragged his body towards the car and got into the driver''s seat. Meanwhile, Noah noticed Aria''s worried gaze and he hugged her shoulders. "They will make up. Don''t worry."


    "I hope so. My sister''s anger is the worst. I hope Joshua has the strength to bear with it."


    "Can it be worse than yours?" Noah tried to lift her mood by teasing her. But it clearly did not work.


    "Yes, Ivy rarely gets angry. But once she does, it''s a disaster."


    "I am sure Joshua can overcome the disaster. He will pacify her and they will definitely make up. Let''s go home. It''s cold here and I don''t you falling sick."

 Chapter 355: Accepting apology?

    After dropping Aria, Noah and Oliver at Noah''s mansion, Joshua drove towards his house with Ivy at the back seat. Although he wanted to, he had no idea how to start the conversation. Ivy too had not spoken a word to him nor had she looked at him. She was looking out of the window while she took in her surroundings as the car zoomed by.


    Ivy could feel Joshua''s eyes on her whenever he glanced at her from the mirror. But she did not even turn towards him. She was not angry at him. No. She was hurt by him, she was hurt at the words he had spoken to her when it was not her fault. She had been blamed for something she had not even done.


    The previous night, Ivy had only been concerned about her man. Who knew that her concern was a thorn to the man? If that was the case, she had decided to not show him any concern. At least, this way, she would not hurt him or make him lose his temper.


    Ivy did not even have her phone with her. Otherwise, she would have spent her time on it. She was dying to know how Valarie had resolved the issue with the factory. The previous night, she had been worried sick about Joshua and this morning, she had gone to meet her mother. So, she had no idea what had happened. ''Guess, I''ll have to wait until I reach home to find out.''


    She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not realize where they were going. Since they were already out, Joshua decided to take her out on a date. He knew Ivy had not eaten a thing since the time she had left home and now it was almost time for lunch. He was not sure if there was anything prepared at home right now other than the food that had gone cold. Also, this way, he could use his time to cheer her and make it up to her.


    The idea seemed fair to him and he decided to appease Ivy before the end of the day. Until then, he would neither allow Ivy to go home nor would he himself go home. He would make sure they entered their home with happy smiles on their faces.


    Taking a detour, he drove towards Ivy''s favorite restaurant. He remembered the time when Ivy had brought him here. It was when they had followed Linda to a club and they had come here to have dinner on their way back. It was a small cafe restaurant that made awesome pizzas and Joshua, who had tried a lot of restaurants, had been blown over by the amazing taste of the food prepared here.


    "We have arrived," Joshua announced startling Ivy. However, before he could even get off the car, Ivy had already got down and her eyes widened seeing where she was. It was her favorite restaurant which sold the best pizzas. She gave Joshua one questioning glance waiting for him to explain why they were even here.


    The man scratched his neck seeing her gaze and he smiled at her cheekily. "You have not eaten anything since morning and I thought you must be hungry. Then, I remembered this place as I was craving for some pizzas. So, I brought you here." Joshua answered on his own when he realized that Ivy had decided to go mute.


    He took it upon himself rather than telling her that he had brought her here to pacify her. Given Ivy''s character, if she found out about it, there was a possibility that she would leave him here alone and starve herself. And he did not want to take a chance. So, he conveniently lied to her.


    Ivy narrowed her eyes at him trying to find out what was actually running in his mind. She knew that his words did not hold the truth and he was trying his best to appease her. But she did not expose him. She wanted to see how far he would go and how long it would take for him to apologize to her.


    Moreover, as Joshua had said, Ivy was actually very hungry. Her stomach was causing a riot and she was losing her mind slowly. The delicious aroma from the restaurant was not helping her either. ''I am angry at Joshua, not at myself. Why should I torture myself and starve to death?'' She thought inwardly.


    Ivy then lifted her chin, averted her gaze, and went inside the restaurant much to Joshua''s relief. "Thank you, Ivy, for not harming yourself. I will apologize to you for sure and we return to the loving couple we were by the end of the day." He too followed Ivy and the couple settled at a table that overlooked the small street outside.


    As usual, it was Caleb who came to take the order. He had seen Ivy enter inside and seeing his friend after a long time, made him rush to her immediately. "Long time, Ivy."


    "Yes, Caleb. Been busy recently. How''s old Bob?" Ivy smiled at him and Joshua noticed that this was her first smile of the day. Although he was not the one responsible for it, he was relieved that she at least smiled.


    "Same as ever. Stubborn and crazy, but his sense of humor has deteriorated." Caleb joked and handed the menus to them. "I wonder why he even cracks jokes when he himself knows that they are lame."


    Ivy chuckled at his words and took a look at the menu. "Any new ones in the list?"


    "Try Pizza Carbonara or Bella Italia. They are the new additions and they sure seem to be running good."


    "Great. Get one of both and a diet soda please."


    "And what about you, gentleman?" Caleb stared at Joshua waiting for him to place his order. Although Joshua was going through the menu, his ears were trained at Ivy and he was listening to whatever she was telling.


    "I''ll have the same," Joshua replied with a smile and Caleb nodded at him.


    An awkward silence ensued between the two and there was high tension in the air. "Now is the right time, Jo. Buck up and apologize to her." Joshua muttered to himself and saw Ivy turning towards him seeing him mumble. She gave him one look as though he was crazy before she went back to looking outside.


    "Ivy, I.." Joshua started only to be interrupted by his phone which started to ring right at this moment. "Shit," He cursed softly and answered the call, his mood turning worse on being disturbed.


    "Master, did you find Miss West?" Kaito enquired, his voice soft and hurried. Joshua realized that in his rush, he had not informed the man about it at all.


    "Yes, I found her. We will be back soon." Joshua replied, not trying to reduce his voice at all. Ivy raised an eyebrow hearing his words. ''Were they looking for me? Was Joshua worried for me?'' Even though she had these doubts, she did not voice them out loud.


    Joshua ended the call and once again tried speaking to Ivy and this time, nobody interrupted him. "Ivy, I am sorry." He blurted out. Only Joshua knew how much courage it had taken him to utter these words; not because he was prideful to apologize to anyone. No. He was unsure as to how Ivy would take it after hearing his apology and if she will even willing to forgive him or not. He was more worried about getting her forgiveness than anything else.


    "Ivy, I know I hurt you greatly and it was all my mistake. I was not in a good state of mind and I took out my frustration on you. I am sorry, Ivy. I shouldn''t have done it. You were only concerned about me and I scolded you for it. I know I am at fault and you can punish me however you want. But please don''t leave me." Joshua pleaded, his eyes turning sorrowful and even Ivy was pulled in by his sincerity.


    She was just about to reply when Caleb returned with their orders and the delicious aroma made Ivy concentrate on the pizzas more than a sulking Joshua. Her stomach was more important than the man right now. She devoted herself to the pizzas and devoured them hungrily. Her stomach was starving for some food and she did not hesitate any longer to grab a bite.


    Joshua reluctantly took a bite when he did not receive an answer from Ivy and seeing her state, he knew that he would not be receiving one until she finished the pizzas. Although the pizzas were delicious, he was in no mood to enjoy them. Unlike Ivy who was savoring every bite she took.


    Ivy took her sweet time to finish her food and made Joshua to wait for her. Only when Joshua was sure that there would not be any more hindrances for the day, he started to speak again. "Ivy, you did not give me any answer. Am I forgiven?"


    For the first time in the day, Ivy looked at him in the eyes and replied. "No."


    Her words shattered Joshua''s heart. But he had expected it, yet, he did not give up. "Then, what should I do get your forgiveness? I will do anything."


    "Don''t say that, Mr. Martin. You may not be able to afford whatever I ask." Ivy replied with her hands folded. For the first time, Joshua found Ivy to be domineering with the way she sat and spoke to him. Although it was intimidating, it was such a turn on for him and he found her to be incredibly sexy.


    "You just have to ask. We will then decide if I can afford it or not. But please don''t leave me. I cannot afford to leave you."


    "Who told you that I am leaving you?" Her words stunned the man and he stared at her dumbfoundedly. The next second, a charming smile broke out on his face and he tried to reach out to Ivy only to catch the air. She had pulled back right on time. His smile had not worked on her.


    "I told you I am not leaving you. But that does not mean I have forgiven you." Ivy stated, her face cold and expressionless. Even though she seemed to not care about what Joshua intended to do, her heart was already waiting in anticipation. She wanted to know how far the man would go for an apology.


    "That''s fine. As long as you are willing to stay with me, I don''t mind you being angry at me. However, I will win over you by the end of the day. So tell me. What do you want me to do?"


    "You are the one asking for forgiveness. You decide how you want to win over me." With that, Ivy walked away from him leaving a shocked Joshua to take care of the bill.


    -------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please do read my other book, ''Trapped for Eternity'' and give your reviews.

 Chapter 356: Interrogating Frederick

    While Joshua was busy trying to appease an indifferent Ivy, Valarie had a lot to deal with. She was with Ryder and Preston, and the trio were supposed to interrogate the man who had once been their Chief, Frederick Clarke.


    The previous day had been quite hectic for them as they had to go to the factory to find out more about what was happening in there. Just as Ivy had suggested, she along with her team members had gone to the food package factory. Their sudden, uninformed visit along with an arrest warrant brought chaos among the people who were working there. However, they were not factory workers. Instead, they were Jared and Frederick''s men who had been waiting for Frederick''s return.


    Valarie had come prepared. She had brought along with her a lot of policemen, even more than the people who were in the factory. She did not want even one among them to escape. Valarie knew that the men would try to call someone for help. So, she made sure that each person was being watched by her men. Although she could not stop them from calling the person they wanted, she could at least find out what they would talk about.


    They had sealed the entire factory. Nobody was allowed to either enter or leave the premises. Valarie followed Ivy''s guidance and she took a thorough look at the factory. And just as expected, she found nothing. She then found the secret stairways and to their surprise, it was just as Ivy had described. There a huge laboratory that covered the entire basement of the factory.


    Although she could not get inside the laboratory, she could guess what she would find in there. Her eyes turned cold immediately and she surveyed the place once again. She could not help but chide herself for allowing a criminal to work with them and moreover, he was their Boss. How shameful!!!


    They had taken in all the people present in the factory under custody before they called for the forensics to find out more about it. They had waited the entire day to get the reports and just as they had predicted, this was the storage laboratory where the group temporarily stored the organs. Although there were no organs as of now inside, that did not mean it would not be the case once the doctors working for Frederick started their work.


    The entire day had gone with them trying to find out more about the factory and the workers, and the police were interrogating the people one by one. Valarie had had no time to rest and when she finally returned home, it was way past midnight.


    Unlike her who had at least returned home to take some rest, Preston had stayed back at the police station making sure none of the culprits could escape while he was also in contact with the forensics. The man was grumpy in the morning as he had not had much sleep. However, he was not ready to take a day off as he wanted to be present while Frederick was being interrogated.


    "Damn it. These monsters are doing this job this openly and we did not even know. I am going to kill those bastards." Preston cursed loudly and kicked the table with full force. It was somewhere around eleven in the morning when he had reached the Intelligence. After visiting the factory and being at the police station for long, he found himself stinking. So, he had gone home to change and take a rest for a few hours.


    "I wonder how they have been undercover," Ryder added, his eyes not leaving the video Ivy had sent them. He was trying to see if she could detect anything from it. "What if this factory has been under this use since the time your father starting investigating the organ trafficking incident?"


    "It might have been the case, though we cannot be sure about it," Valarie said, as she arranged the documents in order. She had received the reports from the police station as well as the forensics. Now, she had to go through all of them and reach the depth of the issue.


    "Do you think somebody is with him in this?" Ryder asked the question as the trio made their way towards the isolation cell. While all the other suspects were taken to the police station, only Frederick was held in the Intelligence. They did not want to take any risks with the man knowing that he was the one behind the poison attack.


    "We are going to get the answer to this right now," Valarie said with a smile which the two men were familiar with. It was chilling to the bone but to them, it meant business.


    Frederick was leaning against the wall with his head lowered when Valarie and her team entered the cell. As soon as the three people entered inside, the man glared at them as though he was trying to burn them to death using his eyes. But the trio remained unfazed. They had faced a lot of people since they started working for the Intelligence and Frederick was just one among them.


    "Hello, Frederick. How are you doing?" Preston was the first one to speak. His blatant disrespect angered the man and he glared at him once again.


    "Give me some respect. I am your Chief and your superior." The man seethed, gritting his teeth. He observed a small document in Valarie''s hands and he wondered what it was. However, instead of asking about it, he focused more on Preston who seemed to be trying to irritate him.


    "Correction. You were our Chief until yesterday." Ryder interrupted him suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "Now you are just a criminal who will soon be going to prison for your deeds, or better even executed."


    "How dare you?" Frederick left his place and came to stand in front of Ryder. It looked as though a fight may ensue any moment from now.


    "How dare you?" Ryder''s calm voice turned ferocious all of a sudden and the man was ready to punch Frederick if he was given a chance. "I never expected that a man like you would turn out to be a scumbag and what more? I am ashamed to think that you were my superior." Ryder gritted her teeth, his anger rising above the roof.


    "I did nothing." Frederick attempted to lie even though he knew that it would not work. Not when there was a strong proof against him.


    "That is the problem, Frederick. You did nothing..." Preston stopped suddenly, his mind contemplating his next choice of words. ''as the Chief as Intelligence. You did nothing."


    "What nonsense are you spouting?"


    "How is it nonsense? I don''t know how you ended up becoming the Chief of Intelligence and who helped you to acquire the position. But I am sure of one thing." Preston noticed the man waiting for him to continue speaking. "Will you not ask the next question?"


    Stunned by his words, Frederick could not help but mutter, "What?"


    "Exactly. That was the question I wanted. You took over the position of the Chief of Intelligence so that you could help your men do their work while you could suppress any issues related to them yourself. Am I right?"


    This time Frederick had no answer. The man had hit the bull''s eyes and he had deduced everything accurately. It was true that Frederick had joined the Intelligence so that he could help Jared in his work. But who knew that he would get caught before they could even complete their mission?


    "Ah, seems like I predicted it right," Preston observed the changes in Frederick and knew that the man had become speechless. By now, Valarie was ready with her questions and Ryder had fixed the cameras to record the session.


    "Frederick Clarke, please sit down." Although it seemed that she was requesting him, her tone was more or less condescending. It came out as an order.


    "Valarie, mind your tone. I am your senior."


    "If I minded my tone, you would not be sitting here," Valarie replied, her gaze not wavering even though the man was shouting like a maniac. "Now, will you sit down or.." She gave one look to Ryder and the next second Frederick howled in pain. Ryder had pushed him to sit on the chair and the force he was exerting on the man''s shoulders was too painful for him to bear.


    "I''ll take care of all of you once I leave this place." Frederick spat.


    "Sure. We will be waiting for you to get out of here first. Then you can take care of us." Valarie gave him a befitting reply and once again nodded at Ryder who moved back two feet. "Shall we start? I hope you will cooperate with us or we know how to make you cooperate. I suggest you don''t make us use the second option or else, I don''t think you will be having any limbs by the end of the day."


    Frederick could see that Valarie was not faking the threat. The two men accompanying her definitely looked like the ones to break bones if he did not follow their orders. So, she sat still without uttering a word.


    "Good. What is your name?"


    Her question made Frederick to laugh out loud. "Valarie, I think it''s time for you to leave your post. What kind of a question is that? Don''t you know what my name is? Or have you forgotten it? In that case, let me remind you. My name is Frederick Clarke."


    "Let me rephrase my question. What is your real name? I hope I will get the correct answer this time."


    "Okay, my name is Frederick Clarke."


    "That is not what the initial records say, Hubert Augustus."

 Chapter 357: Assessment report

    "That is not what the initial records say, Hubert Augustus," Valarie stated, her voice was calm and deadly. Her eyes were fixed on the man before her who right now looked flabbergasted. She could see the sweatdrops forming on his head as the light shone above his head. Neither she nor her two friends averted their gaze away from him, putting immense pressure on him.


    Frederick tried to calm his heart that was about to stop beating any time soon. As time passed by, his misery only increased. He had never expected Valarie or her team to find out his true name. And, why would he when he had painstakingly tried to create a new identity for his own benefit?


    "Who is Hubert Augustus?" Frederick tried to appear as calm as possible. But his voice still wavered at the end, giving away his state easily. One could easily deduce how nervous Fredrick was with the way his hands and legs were shaking. Ryder noticed it as he was standing right behind the man and his lips quirked up.


    "I guess you have lost your memory after you took over the role of Frederick Clarke. Let me refresh it for you." Valarie said, standing up, with her hands on the table. She leaned in slightly and her movement made Frederick cower back in fear. "Mr. Fredrick Clarke or if I must say, Mr. Hubert Augustus, you changed your name just three years before you entered the Intelligence. Before that, you were well known as Hubert Augustus, the man who everybody despised in his previous workspace."


    As soon as Valarie said that, something triggered in Frederick''s mind and he lost control immediately. "Who despised whom? Nobody despised me." Soon after, the man realized what he had done. He had fallen into Valarie''s trap. He had given away himself and his words had proven that he was Hubert Augustus.


    "Next question. Let me start with the simple ones to make you comfortable." Although she said that, Frederick knew that her questions would be anything but simple.


    "Who pushed you inside the Intelligence?" Valarie''s question had two meanings behind it and if one gave a closer look at it, they would find out about it. She was trying to find out who was the man who had partnered up with Frederick as well as the person who might have helped him within the government. There was no way Frederick could have made his way inside the Intelligence if he had not sought help.


    "What do you mean? I came in with my own capabilities." The man argued, his palm banging the table once. His eyes had turned wide in anger and he seemed to be in a mood to fight. And this was exactly what Valarie wanted. She wanted to agitate him as it was easier to make a person confess if he was not in his calm state of mind.


    "Ohh. Interesting, but I doubt that. Given how you have never solved any big cases yourselves, I cannot help but doubt your intelligence." Valarie mocked him and this made the man all the more furious. "Anyway, coming back to my question. Who helped you to get inside the Intelligence?"


    "I told you right. Nobody helped me. I entered in with my own abilities." Frederick stood up and started to shout. However, the next second he yelped in pain when Ryder pushed him down again.


    "In that case, why do the assessment reports of your initial days at the Intelligence say that you were highly incapable and that you were unfit to work here?" Valarie took out a paper from the file and looked at it as she spoke to the man. She made sure to stand at a considerable distance from him lest he should try to snatch the sheet away from her.


    Frederick''s eyes widened on hearing her words and his hands dropped to his side. He had known about the assessment reports she was talking about. It was true that he had failed to impress his superiors during his initial days and they had complained about it to the then Chief.


    The Intelligence had this policy where the new officials had to undergo a strenuous test that determined their ability to deal with any kind of situation and the case they were given to handle. Only those who passed the test were given a permanent position, else they were asked to leave as not everyone could handle the stress and the danger that came with the job.


    And Frederick had been one among those who had failed to pass the test and he was asked to leave the Intelligence by his superior in charge. Only he knew how he had convinced the man to change his opinions and allow him to enter the Intelligence.


    ''How did Valarie find out about this? This matter was destroyed along with the person who handled the assessment. There is no way she would have got her hands on it.'' The man wondered and Valarie observed the change in his emotions. It was as clear as bay, he was not even making an attempt to hide his true thoughts.


    "I am waiting for the answer." Valarie prompted him when she did not receive anything from him.


    Her voice brought him out of his stupor and he noticed Valarie''s keen gaze on him. He thought for a while and realized what was happening. Valarie was only feeding him lies while trying to find out the truth. ''I must not fall for it. She is only trying to manipulate me.''


    Suddenly, the man smiled, his eyes running over the three people who were once his juniors. "You are just spouting nonsense. I am not going to fall for that." Frederick leaned back and crossed his legs. Out of nowhere, his nervousness had vanished and his confidence had returned.


    "If you say so." Valarie shrugged as though she did not care about how Frederick felt. "I have proof with me and that will say for itself." And this time, she placed the paper right before Frederick for him to read. At first, the man assumed her to be faking it. But his expressions changed when he noticed that it was actually his assessment report his superior had written before it was changed in his favor.


    "What do you have to say now, Frederick Clarke?" Valarie smirked and her eyes fell on Preston who gave her an appreciative nod.


    "How did you get this?" The man blurted out without thinking and the next instant, he cursed himself for his slip of tongue. ''Why did I do that?''


    "So, you do agree that this is your assessment report. I was doubtful about it at first. But you confirmed it yourself. So, let''s return to our main question. Who helped you to get inside the Intelligence?"

 Chapter 358: Taking blame

    "Who helped you to enter the Intelligence?" Valarie repeated her question and when she did not receive any answer from the man, she gave Ryder one look. Taking it as his cue, Ryder pulled Frederick''s hand behind him and twisted it, and a sharp howl erupted in the cell. Ryder did not hesitate to twist it further making it more painful and Frederick yelled at the top of his voice, asking him to stop. Ryder did not have to be told twice. He stopped his actions immediately but he held Frederick''s hand in his.


    "Valarie, you are abusing your position. You cannot do this to me." The man threatened, his eyes turning vile and deadly.


    "Oh, I can. I can threaten you and do a lot more." Valarie looked at her fingernails and blew at them as though she was trying to clean the dust before she went back to staring at Frederick. "You can try me if you want. But it will not be pleasant for you."


    "Valarie.."


    "Enough." This time Valarie had lost all her patience and she yelled at Frederick, her gaze intimidating. Witnessing her this way made Frederick to lose his mind. He was rendered speechless seeing her domineering attitude. "I want you to answer me. Don''t try to stall for time as nobody will come for your help. It''s best that you confess everything soon. I don''t mind if you are being stubborn as I have my ways to make you speak. That will only make you lose your limbs. Your choice."


    With that, Valarie sat down on her chair and took a sip from the bottle of water beside her chair. ''This man is more stubborn than I thought him to be. I will have to deal with him carefully.''


    "Let''s start again. Who helped you to get inside?" Frederick knew that he could not evade the question any longer. So, he answered her. Anyway, the man he was going to talk about was dead already. So, there was no use in him not revealing it. "David Peters."


    His answer surprised all three people. But they could make out the situation more or less. "I see. Birds of the same feather flock together. So, David Peters was working with you even before you joined the Intelligence. How intriguing!!"


    Frederick did not comment a thing as his hand was still in Ryder''s hold and he did not want to end up losing one of his limbs.


    "Next question. Although I want to know who else is working with you, I know you will not answer me without creating more drama and dragging my time. So, I will keep this question aside for now. If David Peters was the one to help you smuggle the virus inside the country, who helped you to smuggle the poison? Sarin is banned by international law and there is no way you could have passed the customs officer. Who helped you this time?"


    Hearing her question, Frederick started to chuckle which slowly turned into laughter. He was laughing like a maniac now. But neither Valarie nor Preston and Ryder were affected by it. They waited until the man stopped laughing and Valarie raised an eyebrow seeing the man''s confident smile return on his smile.


    Now that, everything was out in the open, Frederick decided to go all in. He had nothing to lose anyway. He was already caught and nothing he said or did could stop him from getting punished. Also, the President himself was involved in dealing with his matter. So, nobody could save him, not even Jared.


    "You will not get an answer from me for this. You can break my limbs if you or even kill me. But I will not tell you. Anyway, what use it is for you to know about a dead man?" Frederick sassed and placed his hands under his chin.


    "Dead? If I am not wrong, you said that he was dead." Valarie repeated his words to confirm it once again and received a nod in return. "It is not possible to fool all the customs officers given that there will be a lot of checking when you import something. So, the man who helped you must have been in a powerful position."


    Valarie tried to deduce who it might have been while maintaining eye contact with Frederick. "Preston, can you tell me all the powerful people who died recently? Especially after the virus issue."


    Preston thought for a while, wondering what Valarie was trying to do. Nevertheless, he still followed her orders and started to name all the people he could remember who had passed away in the last few months. However, none of them seemed to match with the identity Valarie had in mind.


    "And there was General Simon Moore." As soon as Preston took his name, something snapped in Valarie''s mind.


    "Wait." She stopped him immediately. "General Simon Moore." She dragged his name slowly and observed the changes in Frederick. The man had clearly reacted when Preston had taken his name, although it was very subtle. "Don''t you think that the man died mysteriously and under usual circumstances?"


    Valarie''s question stunned Ryder and Preston and they stared at her in horror. They knew that she was only deducing it right now and they had not yet found any clues regarding his death. If what she said was the truth, then it was possible that Frederick was the one who killed him.


    Moreover, what was even more troubling was that the Chief of the Army was involved in such a shady dealing. How shameful!!! They had never expected the case to turn out this way and could not help but wonder what more they would be finding out by the end of the day.


    "So, it was Simon Moore who helped you in this. That''s a new twist we have in the story. But what I cannot comprehend is why did you kill the man? Wouldn''t it be more helpful if he was alive?"


    "Why do you think I killed him?" Frederick knew that everything that he had buried was coming out one by one and he could not allow anybody else in his gang to get caught. So, he prepared to face everything head-on and take all the blame himself.


    "I am not too sure. So, I am asking you."


    "He was becoming a nuisance in my plans. So, I had to remove him from my path. His love for the country was taking over his mind and he threatened me. So, I ended his life."


    "Hmm." Valarie nodded at him. However, seeing him give away the answers easily made her doubt him. She had a hunch that he was trying to do something. But she could not decipher what his intentions were. "So, you were the one responsible for the virus attack which got foiled because of us. And then, you decided to use poison to achieve your goals. Am I right?"


    "Yes. I did not know when your team had found out about the virus. If I did, then I would have stopped you from taking the case." Frederick answered honestly. He had no idea when his juniors had found out about the case. Otherwise, he would have suppressed the matter long ago.


    "Do you imply that you used these two techniques so that many people would get affected and you could then remove organs from them?"


    "Yes."


    "I see. In that case, shall I assume that you were the one who killed my father too?"

 Chapter 359: Contact details

    "Who is your father?" Frederick asked, trying to recollect who her father was. However, he could not remember a thing about him. "What are you talking about?"


    "Let me refresh your memory, Frederick Clarke. Do you remember journalist Evans? He, along with Oliver West, had performed a number of sting operations on some of the hospitals and its doctors. This issue had created a lot of commotion three years ago."


    Her words hit the nail now and Frederick remembered who she was talking about. How could he not remember the two men who had given him and his gang a nightmare? The two men had exposed everything about the hospitals working for them making it impossible for them to continue with their illegal activity for a while. He recollected everything he had long forgotten and he smiled suddenly.


    "Ah, journalist Evans. That man sabotaged all my plans one by one along with his good friend Oliver. I should have taken care of him before he even released the footage when I had the opportunity. To bad that he had a few more days to live. Otherwise, he would have died earlier." Although Frederick was shocked by the revelation, he still maintained a smile. Who knew that Valarie was his enemy''s daughter?


    Now, Valarie''s blood was boiling and she wanted to kill the man who had murdered her father. But she stayed calm and collected. The man would get his retribution soon. She did not have to get her hands dipped in blood. She had other pressing matters to attend to.


    "So, you killed Journalist Evans and poisoned Oliver West. In short, you were the mastermind behind the organ trafficking issue three years ago, killed my father, poisoned Oliver West, planned the virus attack which ended up becoming unsuccessful, and then decided to poison the people. Am I right?"


    "More or less," Frederick answered, giving it a second thought.


    "Okay. Now I will come back to the question I had asked you before. Who else is working with you?"


    His question made Fredrick to chuckle. "My answer would be that I am working alone. Nobody is with me."


    "Are you sure about it?" Valarie narrowed her eyes trying to penetrate his mind and see what else he had kept hidden.


    "Definitely." The man said confidently.


    "Okay. I''ll take that as your answer for now. My next question is not related to the crimes I have already mentioned before. It is about something else."


    "Go ahead. I''ll answer everything you ask."


    "I wonder why. Is it because you are trying to save someone?" Once again, Valarie had hit the bull''s eye and Frederick was spooked by the way the woman was deducing everything accurately. He now realized why she was one of the top investigators of Intelligence. Her deduction skills were no joke.


    "Who would I try to save?" Frederick made a poor attempt to laugh it off. But it did not work.


    "I''ll answer that question later. Now, tell me why were you in contact with the enemy government?"


    This question was something which Frederick had not expected. It was beyond his imagination that the woman had accumulated so much information in such a short interval. How long had it been since he was caught and she already had everything about him with her? However, this time he refused to agree to her accusations.


    "What nonsense are you blabbering? I was never in contact with any enemy." Frederick argued right away.


    "Denial will not change the facts, Frederick Clarke. Now, tell me why were you in contact with our enemy country?"


    "As I told you, I was not. I am not in contact with anybody from that country." Frederick raised his voice to prove his point. But it clearly fell on deaf ears as neither Valarie nor the two men listened to him. They already knew the truth and they had the proof with them.


    "In that case, why does your private call records show a number that belongs to that country?"


    "You must have got the wrong number. I have never been in touch with anybody from our enemy country." The man refuted immediately and he clenched his hands tightly. Ryder noticed this small action of his. But he did not comment about it. It was Valarie who was in charge of the questioning and she was doing a great job at it.


    "I see. I will check with the phone number and get back to you later about it. But if my hunch is not wrong, you and your team were the ones who instigated them against us to wage a war on our country right?" Valarie leaned in, carefully observing the man. However, unlike before, the man did not show any change in his emotions.


    "Your imagination runs wild, Valarie. You can quit your job and start writing crime thrillers." The man sassed, his voice dripping in sarcasm.


    "Oh, I sure will. Not a crime thriller though. A crime report about you and your deeds. You can keep denying your involvement in this matter. But we will surely go into the depth of this issue and find out everything." Valarie promised with a sweet smile that terrified Frederick.


    The woman then leaned back and folded her hands. "We found some interesting things when we went through your call records." Frederick was having a bad premonition now and he wondered what more Valarie had found out. "There were some contact details that intrigued us. Care to elaborate on who this Godfather is?"


    Frederick released a small breath when he heard her question. ''Looks like they had not found out much. I''m not in deep trouble then.'' "What Godfather?" Frederick queried feigning ignorance. He blinked innocently at Valarie and Preston, trying to make it that he was not faking it.


    "I don''t know. You tell me. That was what you had stored as the contact name. You tell us who he is."


    "As I told you before, I have no idea what you are talking about. And the number you are talking about must be somebody else''s. I do not have anybody''s contact details stored under such name."


    Although Valarie wanted to tell him that she knew everything about him and this Godfather, she did speak a word about it. She did not have any proof about Frederick and the man named Godfather knowing each other. And she could not use the phone number details here. Also, she could not disclose about Maggie right now. The girl had been fortunate enough to have evaded the meeting with Frederick and this man called Godfather. Or else, she would have been busted immediately and by now, she would have been dead.


    "Frederick Clarke, thank you very much for your cooperation. That is all for now. We will come back to you later when we have more questions. Until then, you can enjoy your stay here." Frederick glared at Valarie for her audacity. Who knew that under a span of a few hours, he would turn from a respected Chief to a criminal? But his expression changed into horror on hearing her next words. "In the meanwhile, we will take your son, Jared Augustus under custody."


    ----------------


    Hey guys,


    I am sorry I could not update in the last two weeks as I had some urgent issues to deal with. From now on, there will be daily updates and I hope you will continue to vote for this book.


    Also, there will be a mass release of 5 chapters on 1st Jan only if we are ranked in the top 100 by the end of this month.

 Chapter 360: Jareds misery

    "In the meanwhile, we will take your son, Jared Augustus under custody," Valarie stated, not looking at Frederick before she left the room with Ryder and Preston right behind her. There was a small satisfied smile on their faces, unlike Frederick who stared at them in horror.


    Before he could speak a word, the door was locked and he was left all alone in the isolated cell once again. "How did things end up this way?" Frederick shouted, his eyes turning vile in anger. "Where did we go wrong?"


    Frederick was so angered to death that he kicked the chair he was previously sitting on and toppled the table in front of him. The entire cell was filled with his curses and profanities for a long time. However, his anger did not curb. Instead, it only grew as time passed by.


    A few minutes passed with him walking around and from all the shouting he had done, his throat had run dry. Picking up the chair he had thrown away some time ago, he sat on it and pondered about what had happened the last twenty-four hours. ''It all started with the video and who the hell was it to shoot it? How did they find out about us, about the factory?''


    However, even after a lot of thinking, he could not deduce anything and he ended up staring at the white walls surrounding him. There was another thought running in his mind which he was sure to be the truth. That there was a mole in the gang and it was him who had done the work.


    Irrespective of who it was, they had been caught and it would not be long before his son, Jared and the evil Godfather would end up in the same state as him. "I am sorry son. I let you down." Frederick lowered his head, reprimanding himself for creating trouble for everyone.


    Meanwhile, on the other side, Jared had found out about the factory issue only after the wee hours of the morning. His assistant had been calling him the entire night to inform him about the same. But the man had been busy in seeking pleasure with the woman he had met at a party. So, none of the calls were connected through.


    It was only somewhere around ten in the morning did he notice the number of miss calls on his phone and immediately, he realized that something to have gone wrong. And the news he received made him grit his teeth in fury, even more than Frederick. He smashed his phone on the ground, waking up the girl who had been sleeping blissfully on the bed after their intense make-out session.


    "Jared, is everything alright?" The woman asked as she lifted her head slowly. She seemed to be tired but satisfied. Only then did Jared remember about her presence.


    "Get out." He ordered, his voice low and dangerous.


    "What?" The girl looked at him in confusion seeing his sudden shift in behavior.


    Jared was losing his patience slowly and the girl was only making his blood boil all the more. "I said, get out." He barked and this time, his eyes were so deadly and lethal that the woman was scared out of her wits. Not wasting another moment, she picked up her clothes and ran away like a frightened chicken.


    Jared pressed his forehead. If the woman was not the daughter of one of his partner investors, he would have killed her right away. She was just a nuisance for him, nothing more than a casual fuck.


    He picked his spare phone as he knew that the previous one was of no use now and called his assistant. "Call for a gang meeting at three. I need to come up with a backup plan. Also," Jared stopped suddenly, dread taking over his entire body. "Is there any news from Godfather?"


    "No Master. No news from him yet." The assistant replied only to hear a curse from the other side.


    "Damn it. Then it is bad news. We are in trouble, great trouble. What the fuck did this old man do? This man is nothing but a truck full of troubles." Jared took a deep breath trying to calm down. "Arrange for the meeting. I''ll be there shortly."


    "Yes, Master." The assistant replied.


    The call ended and Jared plopped on the bed that still smelt of sex. However, the man ignored it. He had other pressing matters to attend to. ''I hope Godfather would not be furious.''


    Jared was not scared about his father getting caught. But he was scared about his Godfather''s wrath. Irrespective of anybody''s fault, it would always be Jared who had to face his wrath. And the man was a nightmare when provoked. He hated it when things did not go his way and angering him was the last thing Jared had in mind.


    However, Jared could do nothing. The deed was already done and now, he could only face the terrifying man head-on. Just as he was cursing his fate, he received a message on his phone. ''Arrange a meeting with everyone. I want to have a chat with all of you.''


    As soon as Jared read the message, the phone in his hands fell with a loud thud and he shrank back on the bed in fear. He did not have to guess who the message was from. His Godfather had found out about the issue and he was coming for him. Just imagining the man''s cruel face was enough to form goosebumps on Jared''s body. He did not want to meet him at all, not in this situation.


    The news had spread faster than he had thought and he did not know how to handle the issue. His mind was a mess and now, even his hands were shaking. If given a chance, he wanted to escape meeting the man as much as possible. But he knew that it would never happen. Even if Jared tried to hide, the Godfather of his would hunt him down and peel his skin for his courage.


    Jared was yet to recover from the shock when his phone rang again. Dreading it be his Godfather, he picked it up immediately.


    "Master, we have a problem." Much to his relief, it was his assistant.


    "What?" Jared barked, unable to control his rage anymore. "What more could happen now?"


    "The people from the Intelligence have come to your office and they are looking for you."

 Chapter 361: Worst day

    To Jared, this was the worst day of his life as of yet. His father was captured by the Intelligence. His devil of a Godfather wanted to meet him and from the looks of it, he seemed to be a raging bull right now. And barely he could grasp the situation, the Intelligence had come knocking at his door looking for him. Also, the factory which he had made sure to hide from everybody''s eye was now sealed and closed forever.


    His stress level was only raising as time passed by and he was having a mad urge to kill someone. The devil in him wanted blood on his hands. But he calmed himself down. He had to now meet the people from the Intelligence and face his Godfather before he could deal with his blood lust.


    ''I swear whoever it is responsible for my misery, I will hunt you down and tear you limb by limb. You will even want to kill yourself for crossing me. Pray to God that I do not catch you. Because once if I do, you are as good as dead.'' He promised silently before he got up to get ready.


    At Jared''s office.


    An hour had passed since Valarie and Preston had come to meet Jared. They found it better to visit him in his office than his house as they were not sure where he stayed. The man had a lot of properties under his name and they did not want to go around the city looking for him at all his houses.


    The assistant had made sure to bring them to Jared''s cabin, instead of making them sit at the reception. The two people were attracting a lot of attention with the way they were looked imposing and serious and if the employees and the other people were to find out about them being from the Intelligence, it would make the situation more problematic.


    The assistant took one look at Valarie but averted his gaze right away. He remembered who the woman was. She was the same person his Master wanted dead and had even got his men to crash her car. But somehow she had survived and the man who had done the job carelessly had been shot dead by Jared.


    "How long will we have to wait?" Preston questioned impatiently. From the assistant''s face, he was sure that the news of Frederick''s arrest must have reached Jared by now and there was a high possibility that the man would have escaped and gone underground.


    However, they still came to visit him in his office before they took any other suggestions. Moreover, they had Maggie with them who could track Jared in case the man decided to go into hiding.


    "He will be here soon, Sir." The assistant replied politely praying secretly for his Master to arrive and end his misery. For the last hour, he had been in the presence of the duo and he was unable to tolerate it any longer. Although they were doing nothing but sitting still, he could still feel their scrutinizing gazes on him once in a while. And that was enough for his heart to go overdrive. Only he knew how terrified he was from within, even if his face remained expressionless.


    He did not have to wait long as Jared arrived in a few minutes. He was dressed prim and proper and there was no anxiety on his face. It seemed as if his father''s arrest had not affected him in any way at all. "I apologize for the delay. It is not every day that I get to meet people from the Intelligence. So, I had to make sure that I looked fine."


    Jared''s meek attempt at reducing the tension in the air had no effect. Neither Preston nor Valarie had a reaction to it. They maintained their professional faces as they stared at Jared from the moment he entered.


    "I heard that the people from the Intelligence were here to meet me. I wonder if everything is alright." The man said, sitting down on his chair. His eyes fell on Valarie and for a second, they narrowed when he remembered something. But the next second, they became normal.


    "We need you to accompany us to the Intelligence. We have some questions to ask you." Preston started speaking and he came to the point directly, not wasting any more time. They were already running late by an hour now.


    "And for what reasons, may I ask?" Jared raised an eyebrow and intertwined his fingers.


    "Your father, Frederick Clarke or Hubert Augustus has been caught with proof doing illegal activities and we want to question you about it."


    On hearing Preston''s words, Jared started to chuckle loudly. But neither of the other three people were surprised by his behavior. "Let me be honest with you," Jared said as he tried to control himself when he noticed their serious expressions. "I have not been in contact with my father for a few years now and we are not that close. So, I have no idea what he was up to in the last few years."


    "But that does not deny that you are his son." Valarie deadpanned making Jared shut up.


    "In that case, he was your Boss. Don''t you think you should be questioned too? What if you were working for him?" His question made Valarie smile instead of getting angry.


    "I am ready to cooperate if anybody wants to question me. However, I doubt that it is not the case with you seeing how you are trying to avoid being interrogated."


    Valarie''s words made Jared''s smile to vanish. He could see that the girl was not normal and she had a sharp tongue. It would take him much more than words to deal with her. She was smart and sexy. Now, if he did not cooperate with her, it would only make him guilty in their eyes. And that would only add more to his problems. So, he decided to go along and finish things as fast as possible.


    "I am ready to cooperate with you." Jared stood up with a small frown.


    "Good. Don''t worry Mr. Augustus. We are only going to interrogate you, nothing more. You are free to leave once we are done."


    Jared nodded, not knowing what to say and he ordered his assistant to handle the important issues for him. He then left the room first. Nobody saw the small victorious look Valarie and Preston exchanged.

 Chapter 362: Shopping and movie

    After paying the bill, Joshua followed Ivy outside and the couple got inside the car. Once again, there was an awkward silence in the car. And Joshua did not know what to do while Ivy sat silently just like before at the back.


    "Ivy, what do you want to do now?" Joshua tried to break the awkwardness between them only to get a blank stare in return.


    "I don''t know. You tell me."


    "What? Ivy, I am trying to make it up to you. If you don''t tell me what you want to do, how will I know about it?"


    "Exactly," Ivy retorted back. "It is you who is making up to me and not the other way round. Do something, impress me, and get your forgiveness. Put some sincerity in it." With that, she averted her gaze and Joshua knew that he would not be getting any answer from her anymore. He had to come up with a plan himself.


    Sighing lightly, he started the car and drove towards the destination he had in mind. Occasionally, he would take a look at her through the mirror only to find her eyes fixed on the scenery outside. She had not taken a look at him after their small chat before Joshua started driving.


    Not knowing how to pacify the girl, he brought her to the biggest shopping mall in the city. It was a mall that jointly belonged to his and Carter''s family. Ivy gave him one incredulous seeing where they were. ''Did he seriously think that I would give into him just because he brought me shopping? Haa, dream on. I am sure he does not know that I hate shopping.''


    Joshua saw the bored look on Ivy''s face and for a second, he wondered if he had done a mistake by bringing her here. ''What if she is not an avid fan of shopping?'' Just the thought itself made him lose his mind. ''Which woman in the world would not like shopping? I must be hallucinating. She will love it.''


    "Ivy, let''s go." He said gently, his eyes filled with fondness. However, the girl just gave him one look and she walked away from him without uttering one word. "Looks like it will be tough appeasing her. Please Ivy forgive me before the day ends." Now, he too followed her and the couple went inside.


    Ivy looked around the mall and took a look at all the shops, visiting none of them much to Joshua''s dismay. If she had gone inside, at least he could have bought her something. But the girl just saw what the shop sold before she walked away from it.


    The man could only follow her, shaking his head and cursing his luck. Ivy walked around, darting a glance at the shops that caught her fancy. However, her eyes did not linger on them for even a few seconds. She found nothing interesting here and she was feeling tired slowly. And a yawn escaped her mouth unknowingly.


    Joshua noticed her weary face and he felt bad for her. He had hurt her the previous night and he had an inkling that due to his words, Ivy must not have slept properly. Moreover, she had left the house even before the sun rose completely. So, it was no wonder that she was this exhausted.


    Giving up on his mission, he decided to take her home for her to get a good rest. He could pacify her some other time. She needed sleep more than anything. However, before he could speak a word, he noticed her eyes fixed on a spot and he turned to see what it was.


    Ivy was staring at the poster of a recently released horror movie and her eyes were shining in excitement. Seeing her sudden enthusiasm, Joshua suddenly had an idea. "Ivy, let''s go and watch a movie." He suggested and held her hand in his, gently pulling her with him and not allowing her to protest.


    The duo went to the floor where the theaters were located and Joshua bought the tickets immediately. If needed, he could have entered inside without any tickets. But he did not want that. He was here on a date with his girlfriend, not as the owner of the mall. So, he followed the steps instead of taking shortcuts. He even bought some snacks for them to munch on and when everything was set, they entered the cinema hall.


    He had bought the couple seats and they were right at the back where people could not disturb him. And from one seat to another there was a considerable distance, so he had nothing to worry about. Joshua and Ivy took their seats and immediately after ten minutes, the movie started playing.


    It was the same movie the poster to which Ivy was looking at a few minutes back. Ivy was pleasantly surprised to see that Joshua had noticed her wish to see this movie and a part of her felt happy and satisfied. "How?" She muttered, her eyes blinking at him in wonder.


    "Did you think that I would not notice it? I notice everything about my sweetheart." He boasted confidently only for Ivy to throw cold water on his head.


    "Yeah right. Says the man who brought his girlfriend on shopping when the girl is not even a fan of it." She scoffed and looked away.


    "What? Don''t you like shopping?"


    "Nope," Ivy answered putting popcorn in her mouth.


    "Oh," That was all Joshua said and the duo started watching the movie with awkwardness making its presence once again.


    Every few minutes, the man would take a look at the girl beside him only to see that she was completely engrossed in the movie rather than him. He had expected to make use of this opportunity to get close to her. But to his dismay, Ivy had not even flinched on seeing the ghost on the screen. She was completely normal and behaved differently than the girls he had known before.


    "Damn it." Joshua could only curse his bad luck and decided to give up for the time being and watch the movie, not knowing anything about how Ivy was feeling right now.


    Ivy was getting bored as the movie progressed. She had expected it to be at least watchable. But who knew that the movie was this bad? She could not stop herself from yawning every few seconds and finally when her eyelids could not tolerate the heaviness any longer, she gave up and drifted off to sleep.


    Joshua too was not that interested in watching the movie. Although his eyes were on the screen, he was in fact, in deep thoughts. He was making plans to conciliate Ivy rather than watching the movie.


    ''What should I do to get her back?'' He wondered. ''Shall I take her on along drive? Nah, seeing the way we are right now, I am sure that no words will be exchanged between us. How about the amusement park?'' As soon as the thought came, it vanished right away. ''I am sure Ivy will find it childish. What can I do that will her my sincerity?''


    Joshua thought when suddenly an idea struck him. ''How about I cook for her today? I think that will impress her, won''t it?'' He was giving it a serious consideration when he felt Ivy''s hot breath on his neck. His neck snapped to her to see that the girl was in deep sleep with her head on his shoulder and her arms loosely wound around his waist.

 Chapter 363: Sweet mistake

    Joshua had no idea when Ivy had fallen asleep. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had not given another glance at her. So, he was surprised to see her leaning her head on his shoulders as she continued to take slow breaths. Her breath tickled him and he found it extremely tantalizing to have her this close to him. However, he did not have any intentions to do anything to her right now. He could see the dark circles under her eyes. So, he allowed her to sleep and this time, he pulled her closer until she was almost lying on top of him.


    Joshua hugged her close and patted her back, lulling her to sleep deeper even though Ivy had not woken up. He kissed her forehead and muttered under his breath. "I must be an idiot to have spoken that rudely to you. I am sorry Ivy and I''ll do anything you want if that would make you forgive me."


    Joshua stayed this way for a long time until the movie ended and neither did Ivy wake up from her slumber. It seemed as though time had stopped especially for the couple who had no idea what was happening around them. Joshua too did not care about the possibility of others finding out. He was more or less worried about Ivy. Also, he had chosen a secluded spot due to which most of them just ignored the couple.


    The movie ended and everybody left the theater, except for Joshua and Ivy. While the girl was still sleeping, the man had no intentions of waking her up. They were having a blissful time and he did not want anybody to intrude upon them. So, he sent a message to the one in charge of the theaters to stop screening any other movie for the time being.


    An hour or so passed and Ivy finally stirred, alerting Joshua who was still hugging her. Seeing her wake up, he removed his hands from his waist and pulled back completely. An idea struck him suddenly and the man pretended to be asleep, with his head turned to the other side.


    Ivy blinked twice trying to adjust herself to the darkness in the place she was in. She had no idea where she was and for a second, her heart jumped in her chest. She feared the worst and she looked around trying to make out her surroundings. Only then did she notice Joshua beside her and she remembered where she was. ''I am at the cinema theater and we were watching a movie.''


    "Movie, what happened to the movie?" Ivy suddenly turned to look at the screen which was now completely white. Also, she noticed that there was nobody in the hall other than them and her eyes widened in disbelief. "How long was I sleeping?" She muttered and tried to move her body only to get startled once again.


    Ivy noticed that her legs were entangled with Joshua''s and not only that her hands were tightly wound around his waist. She was completely lying on top of him and her already widened eyes stared at the now sleeping man in shock. From the looks of it, it seemed as though she was the one who had rolled over to his side. ''When did I move over?''


    Carefully and slowly, Ivy started to free herself only stop suddenly on seeing the man move. She froze in her spot and hoped against hope for the man to not open his eyes. But all her wishes remained unheard and the man suddenly opened his eyes, staring directly at Ivy. "Did the movie get over?" He asked, trying to act as innocent as possible.


    Ivy realized that the man did not know their predicament right now and she nodded slowly. She then tried to move once again and this time, she could not hide their closeness anymore. Joshua looked down and saw their entangled legs and a charming, devilish smirk took over his face. "Ivy, were you waiting for me to fall asleep? Did you want to take advantage of me in my vulnerable state?"


    He asked, making a face in front of her conveying how used he felt right now. "What nonsense are you spouting? I did nothing you are speaking of. It was a mistake." Ivy tried to refute although she knew that somewhere it was her who had clung to him and not the other way round.


    "Yeah, it was a mistake. But a very sweet mistake and I hope you keep doing it every time." Joshua stated with a cheeky grin. "Also, you do not have to do things sneakily, sweetheart. You just have to ask and this slave of yours will be at your service. You can do anything you want with me or my body." Joshua winked at her making Ivy roll her eyes in annoyance.


    "Are you done or do you still have something to tell?"


    "Why do you ask, baby? Is something the matter?"


    "If you still have things to speak, please do it at once so that I can move away." Ivy glared at him making his smile widen.


    "I am done speaking but I don''t think you are not yet done taking advantage of me. If you are still not satisfied, we can continue with it. I don''t mind."


    "What are you blabbering?" Ivy asked raising her eyebrows and Joshua pointed to her hands that had somehow made their way to his waist once again. Highly embarrassed at being caught, Ivy pulled back immediately and struggled to get away from him. This time, Joshua did not tease her anymore and allowed her to move away although he wanted her to stay close to him as much as possible.


    Ivy stood up, her face flushed and eyes not daring to meet the man who now had a sexy smirk on his face. Without another word, he held her hand in his and led her out of the hall and Ivy followed silently. She was in no mood to argue with him as she was flustered with what had transpired a few seconds ago. ''How did things go this way? It was clearly he who was trying to win over me. How did I become the one to put my guard down first?'' Ivy wondered still unable to think properly.


    The couple silently went back home, each lost in their own thoughts. While Joshua was planning for the next course of action, Ivy was still pondering about the things that had happened in the cinema hall. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not even know when they had reached home. Only when she felt Joshua nudging her from the side, did she come out of her reverie.


    "Where are you lost, honey?"


    Ivy did not speak a word and Joshua did not stress on it as he could guess what might be running in her mind. He then continued, "Although I had decided to pacify your anger and get your forgiveness before I brought you home, I have changed my plans and now I will show you my sincerity in my style."


    His words made Ivy frown and Ivy blinked at him confusion. "What are you planning to do?"


    "That, my dear," Joshua tapped her nose with a doting look on his face, "is a surprise and I am sure you will love it. Now, be a good girl, go to your room and until I ask you, do not come out."

 Chapter 364: Rest in peace

    "I told you I have no idea what that old man of mine did the last few years. I have not been in contact with him at all," Jared argued, raising his voice a little. However, neither Preston nor Valarie flinched seeing his furious state. They were all too familiar with this type of behavior as they had come across a lot of similar people in their work. And it was people like Jared, who claimed to be innocent were the ones, who committed all sorts of crimes.


    "Reduce your voice, Mr. Augustus. This is not your home." Valarie warned, her gaze cold and indifferent. She knew how wicked the man before her was as she had solid proof against him. The day she had caught Frederick, she had asked Maggie to find out more about him so that she could use those details against him. Who knew that she would find a lot more than she had expected?


    The man she had assumed to be Frederick Clarke turned out to be Hubert Augustus and moreover, he was Jared''s father. She also got to know from Maggie that Jared was the leader of the most notorious gang in the country, the Vipers. If she added all the dots together, it was easy for her to deduce that the father and the son duo worked together while performing these deadly crimes.


    Although Valarie had proof against Jared, they were not strong enough to arrest him. Also, revealing him about these proofs would only make matters worse for Maggie who right now was still in the man''s horrible gang. She did not want to put her friend at risk. So, Valarie could only wait patiently until Maggie came back. However, that would not be happening any time soon as they still had some more information to collect. Also, even if Valarie insisted on her return, the girl herself had made a vow to destroy Jared and his gang before she came back.


    "Look, you have got the wrong person. I am not involved in anything that old man of mine is guilty of." Jared calmed down when he realized that his anger would only make things worse for him. The two people before him were not even flinching seeing his venomous gaze. So, he decided to deal with them differently.


    "I see." Valarie did not say anything for a long time making Jared fidget in his seat. Though the man was a devil in front of his gang members, right now he was not sure how effective he was at intimidating his opponents. Neither Valarie nor Preston seemed intimidated by him, especially with the way they were giving him a bored look. "You claimed that you had not been in contact with your father for a long time. But your call records say otherwise."


    "What?"


    "Have a look yourself." Valarie handed him a sheet and Jared saw that his father had called him two weeks ago, though he had not returned it. "What do you want to say about it?"


    "Miss, it is evident from here that it was a missed call and I have not called him back. How do you conclude from this that we have joined hands in doing something I have no hand in at all?" Valarie nodded. The man was quite smart and she knew even before the interrogation that she would get nothing out of him. Though it seemed like a formality, there was a plan behind calling Jared here.


    "Your reasoning is quite valid, but we''ll have to search your houses. I hope you will cooperate with us."


    "Definitely. When I have nothing to fear, why should I stop you from doing your work?" Jared replied confidently. He was sure that even if they searched all his properties and mansions, they would find out nothing. He had made sure to keep his meeting place safe and nobody could find it that easily. All his registered properties were legal and it was only the illegal ones that held proofs and evidences against him.


    Valarie did not have any more questions. So, she allowed him to go. They did not miss the small smile that had taken over his face as soon as he was allowed to go. And once the man left, it was the two friends'' turn to smile. "Ryder''s going to get a search warrant soon."


    "Yes, send our men to keep an eye on him. He is bound to make mistakes now, even though he knows that we will be looking out for him." Valarie stood up from her seat. "Let''s give Frederick a pleasant visit. I am sure that the man is anticipating our arrival."


    As they had expected, Frederick was getting jittery as time passed by and was looking towards the cell door. It was as though he was waiting for some hopeful news that would save him from the predicament he was in. Ryder could only chuckle seeing the man''s horrible state. Frederick looked nothing like the Chief he had been before. Right now, his haggard look made him seem like a beggar on the streets.


    Ryder had been in charge of searching Frederick''s house while Valarie and Preston had taken it upon themselves to interrogate his son. Unexpectedly, he had found out a lot of interesting things in his luxurious apartment. Although they were not significant enough to find out everything about Jared or this man called Godfather, it was enough to implicate Frederick''s crimes.


    Ryder had returned early and at that moment, Valarie and Preston were still with Jared. So, he had decided to keep a look on the criminal who had been his Chief once. And what he saw was nothing less than amusing. For the first time since he started working at the Intelligence, he was seeing the old man this anxious.


    "Ryder, we are going in. You coming?" Preston called out to him when he noticed the man''s eyes glued to the computer screen while they were walking by.


    "Definitely. How can I miss the opportunity to take a jab at the criminal who ruined many innocent people''s lives?" Ryder then saw Valarie standing behind Preston and he nodded at her curtly. Things had become between awkward them since the day he had found out about Maggie. Ryder knew that Valaire was more or less helpless in the situation and it was Maggie who had asked her to keep her whereabouts a secret. However, he still could not get over the fact that his friend had allowed the girl he liked to go to such a dangerous place.


    Valarie too did not know how to salvage the situation. So, she gave up on it completely and left it for things to become normal on their own. The three people went to the cell where Frederick was staying. "Look who is waiting for our arrival. I am honored that our once Chief is giving us this much respect by waiting for us patiently." Ryder sassed making Valarie to stifle a laugh.


    ''This man sure knows how to anger someone to death.'' She thought and waited for Ryder to continue. She wanted to see what more he was going to do. ''This seems fun.''


    "Why do I feel like a superstar who is being waited upon by someone over here?"


    "You.." Frederick''s anger rose as soon as Ryder let out the sarcastic words.


    "I know it''s me. You do not have to keep saying it. It will only make me more narcissistic and with the way you are looking at me, it will make me believe that you have a crush on me. But let me clarify something beforehand. I am not into men." Ryder held his hand in front of Frederick and this time Valarie lost it. She started to laugh until tears formed in her eyes.


    Frederick could see that the three people were having fun by teasing him and this made him all the more furious. "Just you wait and watch how I''ll get back at you for humiliating me." He seethed.


    "I wonder how." This time it was Preston''s turn to mock him. He did not want to stay behind in this and wanted to have his share of entertainment. "By asking your son to avenge you?"


    Frederick remained silent as any word he spoke could be used against his son. He had already lost hope for his survival. He did not want to drag his son into the mess he had created himself.


    Ryder chortled seeing Frederick''s flustered face. "In that case, I can only ask you to rest in peace. Your son, Jared Augustus has accepted his involvement in all your crimes and we have arrested him too."

 Chapter 365: Cross questioning

    "Frederick, your son, Jared has accepted to have been your partner in all your crimes. And now, he is being held in custody just like you. Tch, tch, tch. How pitiful the father and son duo are." Preston faked a pitiful look although he was staring at the man scornfully.


    "What?" Frederick rushed towards Preston to hold him. However, he stopped when he noticed the change in the expressions on the young man''s face. He did not want to add more to his long list of crimes but attacking Preston or anybody else. He already had a lot on his plate. "How can this be? There is no way Jared would accept this when he was not involved with this in any way. You are only bluffing." Frederick tried to analyze the things calmly, trying to put up a courageous front. Only he knew how worried he was and what state his already muddled brain was in.


    "Why would we lie to you? I can show you the video footage of our interrogation. You can check it yourself." Valarie then held the laptop for Frederick to see. There was no audio to it, but he could still see how agitated his son looked and from the looks of it, he had a hunch that his son had actually confessed to his crimes.


    "This cannot happen. No. We cannot lose this way." Frederick muttered dropping to his knees. "How did things got his way? Son, why didn''t you stay strong for long? Why did you confess everything?" Frederick looked shattered seeing the way he was crying for his son''s life. But the next second something snapped in him. ''How is it possible for them to arrest Jared when there is no solid proof against him? These people are only trying to manipulate me into believing things. I am sure that Jared would not have done so, he is a smart man.''


    Frederick''s gaze changed suddenly and he stood up, with a small smirk on his face. Valarie noticed the sudden shift and she raised her eyebrows wondering what the man was up to now. Even Preston and Ryder waited for the man to start his act.


    "Do you think you can fool me? There is no proof against my son. So, how can you hold him responsible for all the crimes I have committed."


    "So, you are claiming that your son is actually guilty and since I do not have proofs against him, I cannot do anything to him." Valarie folded her hands, her eyes serious and angry.


    Frederick immediately realized the loophole in his words. He had given away his son himself without thinking. "That is not what I meant. It was I who planned all those attacks. There is no way you can implicate him in this."


    "Oh is it?"


    Frederick nodded confidently. He sighed in relief when he realized that he had somehow made it through the first degree interrogation the three members were putting him through. The pressure they were putting him through was too much for him to bear.


    "What if I tell you that I have proofs? Will that make Jared guilty?" Valarie said and smiled mockingly at the man.


    "What proofs?"


    "Jared himself confessed that it was he who contacted David Peters and gave him the mission to release the virus, which unfortunately failed. We tracked the bank transaction details and it leads to one of Jared''s men''s alternate accounts." Valarie said and observed the change in Frederick''s emotions. They were as clear as bay. It was true that it was Jared who had contacted David. But he still did not believe Valarie''s words.


    "You are lying. It was I who ordered the man to do the transaction. Jared has no hand in it." Frederick stated trying to appear as bold as ever, only to fail miserably.


    "Okay. What about the fact that he is the leader of the most notorious gang, the Vipers? I am sure that this is not cooked up by me." Valarie said and this time, the man''s face paled in horror. She was correct. Frederick had not revealed himself that he was the one who led the gang and it was impossible for anyone to find out until someone from the gang revealed himself.


    "You are lying again. Jared has no relationship with the Vipers. I am the one who controls them."


    "I see. We have got the gang''s hideout. We will find out eventually if your words are true or not. Also, I have something else to tell you. Jared confessed that his Godfather was coming to meet him today at this hideout of yours. Don''t you think it will be fun catching the man red-hand?"


    Valarie''s words made Frederick to lose his calm completely. There was no way anybody would speak about the devil of a man other than his son and if what Valarie was saying was the truth, then it meant that his son had succumbed to the pressure. He held his head in his hands. "Over, everything is over. Jared, what did you do? Why did you confess to everything?"


    Valarie exchanged a secretive glance with her friends before her eyes went back to Frederick. "Yes, everything is over. Your son has confessed to everything. We are going to arrest your backer and I am sure with the number of crimes you have committed, you will be executed soon."


    "You scoundrels. How dare you try to harm innocent people and use them for your advantage. People like you must be stripped naked and handed over to the citizens so that they can avenge themselves. You are nothing but pests." Valarie shouted, her voice harsh and domineering. She had put so much mental pressure on him that the man broke down completely.


    "Yes, I am a monster. My son is a monster. So what? We did bad things for our gains. Doesn''t everybody do it? Everybody in this world is selfish and everybody wants power. We are one of them too. We killed innocent people, we released the poison, we colluded with our enemy country so that we could destroy this nation. Unfortunately, we did not succeed. You caught us before we could achieve our goal. But don''t worry. The Godfather you are talking about is not easy to catch. He will avenge us and he kill you mercilessly."


    Frederick gritted his teeth, banging the table like a maniac. He had no idea what he had done until he saw the smile of victory on Valarie''s face. Confusion took over him and he wondered what had happened to her.


    "Frederick Clarke, thank you so much for cooperating with us. We had no proof against your son as you had guessed correctly in the beginning. We just tricked you into speaking up. However, we are shocked to hear that you colluded with our enemy country to wage a war against us. How disgusting!!" Preston could not stop himself and punched Frederick black and blue until the man was covered with bloody wounds.


    "Preston stop it. He will get his retribution soon." Valarie and Ryder separated the duo when things turned ugly. If this continued, they were sure that Preston would surely kill the bastard and that was far from what they intended to do with him right now.


    "Thank you, Frederick. You revealed your son''s deeds yourself and we will get an arrest warrant against him soon." Valarie declared and pulled Preston with him.


    "Wait for a few hours. Your son will join you to keep you company." Ryder added and left the room.


    Frederick could only gape at the door in horror. He had no idea that his moment of weakness and Valarie''s amazing cross-questioning had pushed him and his son towards their death. When realization hit him, he could not control himself and yelled in despair. "What did I do?"

 Chapter 366: Last bullet

    The three people left Frederick''s cell and went back to Valarie''s office. They were silent all along. But once they closed the door to the office, they could not control themselves any longer.


    "What the hell did we just find out?" Preston was the first one to break the silence and shook his head, unable to make head or tail of what he had just found out. It was just too much information to take in, especially in the last two days.


    "I am not sure myself," Valarie said dropping her files on the table. Just like the other two, she too was perplexed by the turn of events and just to think that all the troubles their nation had to go through had been planned by the father and the son duo made her feel sick. The man she had respected as a senior once upon a time was such a scoundrel. The memory itself made her lose her mind and she now had an immense urge to kill the man responsible for all the problems.


    Ryder was the only one who seemed calm among the three. It was not that he was not affected by what they had heard. No. He too was spooked to think how cruel Frederick was. However, he was more worried about Maggie now. To think that she was undercover in a gang so vicious and horrible made him jittery and apprehensive. His mind was only filled with her thoughts and her alone.


    "What are we going to do next?" Preston enquired, not noticing Ryder''s weird gaze. However, Valarie did not miss it. She could decipher what he was thinking and just the thought of it made her all the more miserable.


    "Maggie has promised to contact me once the meeting with the man called Godfather ends. So, let''s wait until then before we make a decision." Valarie replied, her eyes not leaving her best friend. There were visible changes in his face and she could the slight sparkle in his eyes. "And this time, Ryder, you speak to her."


    The man blinked in confusion on being called out of nowhere. He looked back and forth between the two wondering what they had even discussed right now. "What?" His cute face made Valarie to giggle.


    "I said you will be speaking to Maggie when she will call me."


    "Can I do that?"


    "Definitely. At least you can make sure that she is safe. I know how badly you must be missing her."


    "Thank you, Val. Thank you so much." Ryder plunged forward and hugged his friend. The force he had used was too much for the girl to bear and she staggered back a few inches trying to support herself.


    "You are welcome." Valarie chuckled and patted her friend''s back in happiness. She had got her friend back and that was all she needed now. Although Valarie stopped patting him, the man did not pull himself away making the duo look at him in bewilderment. "Umm, Ryder. Is everything alright?"


    "Yes, why do you ask?"


    "Because you are crushing me."


    "Oops, sorry." Ryder released her immediately and scratched his neck letting out a cheeky smile.


    "Not issues. In the meanwhile, let''s take some rest. We might have to wait for an entire night to hear from her again." Valarie said and the other two men nodded. It had only been around an hour since Jared left the Intelligence and there was no way the meeting would have ended this soon. So, the three people decided to crash at Valarie''s house in case Maggie called them in the middle of the night.


    While the three friends, especially Ryder was fretting over Maggie''s wellbeing and safety, the girl in question was waiting calmly along with the other gang members in the warehouse. They had been called for an emergency meeting and she knew the reason for it. Jared''s ill deeds had been discovered although he was not the one to be caught.


    ''Who knew that Chief would be such a bastard? To think that the man was hiding in the Intelligence...'' Maggie thought and pushed her glasses up as she leaned against the wall beside her.


    Everybody around her seemed to be visibly nervous and she could even see the way their eyes were moving towards the entrance every now and then, as they waited. She could even hear hushed whispers of anxious words while they spoke among themselves. Neither Jared nor his assistant had arrived yet and that was all the more agonizing.


    Among the horde of nervous men, Maggie was the only one who remained unnerved. Other than the excitement and eagerness she had to know who this Godfather was, there was no other feeling in her. She pushed her glasses that had slid down her nose once again when she heard a commotion from outside. "It seems someone is here."


    Just like her, everybody''s eyes were trained at the entrance only to see an exasperated Jared with his scared assistant following him. Jared loosened his tie before he removed it completely and threw it to the ground with full force. "Fuck." He then kicked the only chair in the warehouse and the sound of it crashing with the glass partition behind it reverberated loud in the room.


    To the men, it was a sound of death. They had never seen Jared this irked and that was what made matters worse. They had no idea what lay ahead for them and that if they would even make it out of the warehouse alive that day. Cold sweat started to run down their spines and their hands turned clammy. However, they still tried to put on a brave front.


    Jared was so pissed to death by the turn of events that his hands were craving for blood and he was having a bloodlust. Unable to control himself any longer, he pulled out his gun and he shot the man who was standing in front of him, petrifying everyone in the room, including Maggie.


    The man dropped to the floor and he died within a minute. Still not satisfied, Jared shot the man beside his first victim and this continued until there was only one bullet left. By then, seven heads had rolled to the floor. Jared then pointed the gun and this time, it was directly aimed at Maggie. She raised an eyebrow at him challenging him to go ahead if he wanted.


    Although she was putting on a brave front, only she knew how nervous she was from within. She clenched her hands, her eyes not leaving Jared''s pitch black orbs. Finally, after a long moment of silence, the sound of a gunshot resonated through the warehouse. The last bullet had been fired through the gun.


    -----------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    You can join my discord server to know more about the book and chapter updates. Also, you can interact with other readers.


    https://discord.gg/rPCgMp9MCH

 Chapter 367: Forgiveness

    At Joshua''s house.


    More than an hour had passed since they had reached home and Joshua had shooed Ivy away from the ground floor. She was asked, more like ordered which later turned to a plead seeing her give him a death glare, to not to leave her room until the man himself came to call her. Although at first, Ivy had agreed with his conditions, she could not stop herself any longer as time ticked by. The curious cat in her wanted to just leave the room and go sneaking around, trying to see what the man was up to.


    Unable to stay still, Ivy opened the door only to see Joshua standing right outside the room, with his eyes closed. It seemed as if he was trying to make a decision with the way he was running his hands in the air. Ivy could only smile at the comic sight before her as she waited to see when the man would actually realize her presence.


    She folded her hands and leaned against the door while she continued to watch the humorous sight. The frustration and anger she had for him vanished seeing his adorable behavior. It was as though she was seeing a completely different man than the one she knew from before.


    A few minutes passed and Joshua took a deep breath. "You can do it, Jo. You can do it. The girl inside is your sweetheart, not a monster. She will not criticize you if things go wrong. You can do it." He muttered to himself, but it was loud enough that even Ivy could hear it.


    Joshua opened his eyes to see the girl he was thinking and talking about standing right in front of him with her eyebrows raised. "When did you come here?"


    "I think you have forgotten. This was my room, remember? Before we became a couple." Ivy answered, not bringing up the fact that they had slept in separate rooms the previous night after Joshua had banged the door on her face. She did not want to bring up those painful memories when the man was trying to repent his bad behavior.


    "Yeah, right. Sorry, I forgot about it."


    "What were you talking about right now?"


    "When?" Joshua asked trying to feign ignorance. He did not want to admit the things he had done outside her door as he trying to make a decision.


    "Just now, when you were giving a monologue with your eyes closed. What were you talking about and what is it that you can do? Also, why will I criticize you?" Ivy asked with a playful smile on her face, even though there was anticipation in her eyes. She pushed herself away from the door and stood straight.


    Joshua let out a small sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "As I told you earlier, I prepared a surprise for you and I hope you will like it. However, if things go wrong somewhere, I hope you will understand. This is the first time I am doing something like this."


    "What have you prepared for me?" Ivy asked skeptically, running her eyes behind him only to see nothing.


    "It is not here. You will have to come with me for it."


    "Okay, let''s go then." Ivy took a step forward only to be blocked by Joshua. She banged her head right into his chest. "Ouch." She mumbled rubbing her forehead. "Joshua, what are you doing?"


    "Not like this."


    "Then?"


    Joshua held to a blindfold and Ivy raised her eyebrows once again. "Please." He begged and the girl agreed after rolling his eyes at him.


    "Fine. I hope you are not playing any prank here. I better not find myself in a weird place like Antarctica or the Sahara Desert once I take them off." Ivy allowed the man to put the blindfold on her as she held his hand in anticipation.


    "You have a weird sense of humor." The man sassed and after making sure that her eyes were covered, he clasped his fingers with her. He led her slowly down the stairs to the living room and finally they reached the dining hall. During the entire journey that barely lasted a few minutes, Ivy had not stopped speaking, asking him questions continuously about his surprise.


    "Ivy, if you ask one more question, I''ll have to cover your mouth too and this time it will be my mouth doing the job." The man warned and that was all it took for Ivy to shut up completely.


    Seeing her sudden obedient behavior, Joshua chuckled lightly. "I now know how to shut your mouth. I''ll use this technique in the future."


    "You better not." Ivy threatened and the couple stopped walking.


    "Have we reached?" Ivy asked, forgetting about Joshua''s warning completely and the next second the realization hit her. "Oh no."


    "Ivy, I think it''s time to shut your mouth." With that, he pulled the blindfolded girl closer to him and locked her lips with his. The sudden kiss took Ivy completely off guard and she tried to resist him at first. However, she later gave in when she smelled his familiar cologne. With equal vigor, she too kissed him back.


    Unable to see a thing, she could only rely on her senses, and even if her eyes were not blindfolded, she was sure that they would have closed automatically by themselves. Joshua held her by her waist and pressed her closer as he deepened the kiss. ''Gosh, how I missed this!!'' He thought as he nipped at her lower lips.


    The sudden bite made Ivy let out a gasp and that was all it took for the man to delve his tongue inside her sweet mouth. Ivy too did not hold back and tried to dominate the kiss while her hands circled his neck.


    Joshua wanted to see how his girl looked in this situation. So, he took a peek at her and what he saw made him lose his mind completely. Ivy, in a blindfold, while she kissed him back, was such a turn on for him. She looked sexier than before and he wondered if it was because of the black clothing that covered her eyes. His jeans constricted and it started to become torturous for him as they continued to kiss.


    Seeing how beautiful and alluring his girl looked with the blindfold, he decided to use it someday while they were entangled on the bed. Right now, he had other things to concentrate on. So, he reluctantly pulled back with Ivy trying to catch up with his movements.


    The kiss had made Ivy''s lip swollen and she was gasping heavily as she leaned on Joshua. Her legs had gone jelly by the fantastic kiss they had shared just now and she was sure that, if the man was not supporting her, she would have been kissing the ground.


    ''It is time.'' Joshua thought to himself and removed the blindfold. Ivy had to blink a few times to adjust to the light and what she saw made her gasp. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in surprise. The entire dining hall was lit up using only candles and there was a sea of rose petals around her.


    The scene looked too amazing to be true and Ivy had no idea how to react. Her mind had shut itself down the moment she had opened her eyes and it was only her heart speaking to her. And right now, her heart was somersaulting in joy.


    "Do you like it?" Joshua asked, observing her change in expressions closely. He had seen her surprised look which immediately had turned to joy. Still, he wanted to confirm how she was feeling right now. Ivy had become tongue-tied. So, she only nodded at him.


    "Ivy," Joshua made the girl to face him. "I am sorry for what I did to you yesterday. I should not have hurt you and said those mean things. I am sorry, I really am. Will you please forgive me?"


    "Yes, Joshua I forgive you." That was all she said before she plunged at him to hug the man she had come to fall in love with deeply.


    -----------------------------


    Hey guys,


    You can join my discord server to know more about the book and chapter updates. Also, you can interact with other readers.


    https://discord.gg/rPCgMp9MCH

 Chapter 368: Dinner and cake

    "What have you prepared next?" Ivy asked as Joshua pushed the chair for her to sit down.


    "Patience, sweetheart. I''ll be right back. By then, you can have this glass of wine." Joshua poured her a glass and handed it to her and Ivy took it readily.


    "I''ll be right back." The man left her alone and Ivy started to wonder again about what lay ahead. Barely a few seconds had passed when Joshua returned with a bowl covered with a plate. He placed it on the table and pointed at Ivy. "Don''t you dare open it until I return."


    Ivy nodded at him like a small kid, although mischievousness was dancing in her eyes. She had made up her mind to see what it contained once the man left her alone. However, she had underestimated her boyfriend. He had read her thoughts clearly and leaned in closer to her. "Ivy, hope will you open it so that I can punish you for not following my wishes." His hot breath fell on her ear and neck and Ivy shivered in her seat.


    Joshua noticed the small blush making its way on her cheeks and he smirked in delight. He left her alone once again. Ivy thought about it. ''Should I see what he has prepared? I will just take a peek, he will not know anyway.'' Her hands had made their way towards the bowl when she remembered the words he had whispered to her and immediately, she retracted her hand. She did not want to provoke him more when she already had a hunch about the way the night was going to end. Things were definitely going to get hot as time passed.


    Joshua returned with a plate covered with a steel cloche this time and his face fell slightly, seeing that Ivy had not checked what was inside the bowl. This time, he sat down beside her. "I am a little depressed. I was expecting you to see what was inside the bowl. This way, I could punish you later. But you suppressed your curiosity. I am surprised as well as happy."


    "See, I did not remove the lid. I am a good girl." Ivy boasted, patting her shoulder with pride.


    "Yes, you are a good girl and for this, you will get a reward from me later."


    His words stunned Ivy and she stared at him flabbergasted. "What reward? I don''t need any reward."


    "So what if I cannot punish you, I can reward you at least." The man said and this made Ivy''s heart to beat in excitement, though her face said otherwise. She could only glare at him in frustration as she knew that the man was twisting the situation to his advantage.


    ''If I had known that this would happen, I could as well have taken a look.'' She thought and her eyes fell on the bowl as soon as Joshua removed the lid.


    "You made carbonara?" Ivy asked, her eyes gazing at her man in wonder. She had never expected such a thing from him, not when she knew he did not know how to cook. She had assumed the food to something simple that could be made with less effort. ''Who knew..''


    "Yes," Joshua said and served her to food he had painstakingly prepared. Only he knew that after three failed attempts, he had prepared something that could be presented to his girl. "I hope you will like it."


    "What is in that?" Ivy pointed at the plate


    "That is the dessert but I did not prepare it."


    "Then?" Ivy asked her eyes fixed on the other dish which right now was still kept a suspense.


    "I ordered it from a restaurant. I did not know how my food tasted. So, just in case, for emergency..."


    "Aww, so sweet. What is it?"


    "It''s caramel apple mousse cake." Joshua opened the lid and Ivy salivated just by looking at the delicacy. She could not wait any longer and took a forkful of the carbonara from her plate and the moment she tasted it, her eyes narrowed.


    Joshua was waiting for her reaction and seeing her frown, his heart lost all its spirit. "Is it that bad?" The man had not tasted it as he wanted Ivy to taste the food first. This was the first time he was cooking and he wanted his sweetheart to have the first bite. But seeing her reaction, he reprimanded himself. ''I should have tasted it myself before giving it to her. I think it tastes horrible. Her expression says it all.''


    "Wait a second." Ivy got up from the seat and went towards the kitchen. Even before Joshua could go behind her, she was back.


    Joshua noticed the two, small containers in her hand. "Ivy, what are these?"


    "Just a second, dear." Ivy poured back the carbonara into the bowl and added some salt and pepper before she started to mix them thoroughly. "Have a taste." Ivy took a forkful and handed it to Joshua and the man could look at her in suspicion.


    "Ivy, are you trying to poison my tongue by giving me horrible food just because I gave it to you first?" He questioned, eyes falling on the fork.


    "Joshua," The warning in her tone was enough for the man to forget everything and he ate whatever she was offering him. The moment the food touched his tongue, his eyes widened and it was due to wonder. "How is it?"


    "Delicious. Ivy, what did you do?" Joshua asked as he licked his lips. Although it was undercooked, it still tasted great and he wondered if it was all because of Ivy.


    "It was a little bland when I tasted it. So, I added some salt and pepper. Let me try it." Ivy took her share and she nodded in appreciation. "This is so good for a newbie like you. It''s a relief that there was less salt. If it was the opposite, then that would have made things difficult."


    The couple finished the food as they chatted along. An amicable atmosphere took over the dining hall, replacing the gloomy and anxious air that had made its way a few hours ago. After carbonara, it was time for the cake and the moment Joshua pushed it towards Ivy, she dived in to have her first bite, startling Joshua completely.


    "Umm, this is so good." She moaned as she licked her lips and took another bite.


    "Is it?"


    Ivy nodded and took another spoon not noticing Joshua''s gaze. He leaned in closer and without giving her a heads up, he licked her lips, tasting the mousse that had smeared on her lips. His actions startled Ivy completely and she froze in her spot, with her spoon hanging in the air.


    "Umm, very tasty."


    The next second, he picked her up making Ivy squeal. "What are you doing?"


    "Ivy, I cannot wait any longer," Joshua said, his voice filled with desire, and walked towards the stairs with her in his arms.


    "But my cake." Ivy looked at the abandoned cake before she went back to looking at her man.


    Unable to deny her request and her gluttonous puppy look, Joshua retraced his steps back to the table. "Pick up the plate."


    "What?"


    "Ivy, pick up the plate."


    Ivy did as she was told and Joshua almost sprinted towards their room. "What are you doing? I want to eat the cake."


    "You eat the cake, sweetheart. I will eat you."

 Chapter 369: Gaining trust

    For all the readers out there, who are asking about Ian and Valarie, let me inform you that there will a separate book for them. Also, there will be another couple with them, which right now will be kept a suspense. So, please anticipate the book. I am sure that you will like it.


    ------------------------------------------------------------


    "You eat the cake, sweetheart. I will eat you," Joshua stated with a devilish smile on his face. Ivy did not even have the time to react as Joshua had already started to walk, with her in his arms. And this time, he had decided to not stop until they reached his room. ''There is no way I am going to allow you to leave me this time, sweetheart.''


    Ivy could only gape at him in horror with the cake in her hands while Joshua sent her a wink. She had deduced that things would reach this step. But she never imagined it would be this soon. Joshua had picked her up even before she had finished her cake. ''And what did he mean by he would eat me while I ate my cake? What does he have in mind?'' She thought and even before she could come up with possible answers, they had reached their room.


    The door was already opened. So, the couple got inside with ease and all Joshua had to do was kick the door back and it closed with a loud thud. The man was as gentle as ever when he placed her on the bed and he looked at her lovingly, with adoration filled eyes. Ivy, suddenly, felt very conscious about herself seeing Joshua''s intense gaze on her and she averted her eyes, unable to look at him in the eye.


    "You are so beautiful and sweet. I must have been an idiot to have lashed out at you for no fault of yours."


    "Jos..."


    "No, Ivy. Let me continue. I am really sorry for what I did to you and I am grateful that you forgave me. Thank you very much, sweetheart, for coming into my life. As a punishment for my wrongdoings, this slave of yours will follow all your orders for our entire life." Joshua said, sincerity dripping in his voice.


    Ivy was so moved by his declaration that tears formed in her eyes. But the man''s next words, made her curse him in her mind. "And now this slave will serve his queen on the bed." The man smiled at her shamelessly while he bent down to be at her eye level. "Tell me, sweetheart. What do you want me to do first?"


    "What nonsense are you spouting? I don''t want you to do anything. I just want to eat my cake." Ivy tried to push the man away only for the man to move closer to her.


    "You eat your cake, dear. I''ll eat mine." Joshua whispered and just like before, Ivy shuddered. Pulling away from her, Joshua took a spoonful of the cake and placed it in front of Ivy''s lips. Suspicious about his intentions, Ivy gave him one doubtful glance only to get a smile in return. The man urged her to eat it and Ivy reluctantly did so. This continued for a long time until the cake was gone.


    Joshua took the plate from her and without giving her any warning, he slammed his lips on hers, taking the girl''s breath away. The taste of the cake in her mouth was still fresh and Joshua could relish on the delicacy without even having to eat it himself.


    Ivy was taken away by a storm by the sudden kiss. However, she responded to him immediately after calming herself down. She inched closer to him and Joshua too welcomed her warmly without breaking the kiss. Even though the kiss was not as passionate as the one they had shared at the dining table, it still made Ivy breathless. And she tried to push him away when she felt suffocated.


    Ivy gasped as soon as Joshua''s lips left hers and she bent her head without knowing what was awaiting her next. Joshua noticed that his girl''s concentration was somewhere else. So, he pulled out the blindfold he had safely kept in his pocket. And without giving her any warning, he covered her eyes with it.


    "Joshua, what are you doing?" Ivy yelped by the sudden darkness. She tried to struggle only for the man to hold her hands.


    "Ivy, do you trust me?" He asked, his voice coming out in a hush. Ivy reminded silent not knowing how to answer him. Although she trusted him, she could not rule out that not even a day had passed since he had hurt her. Joshua had expected this answer from her. Yet, his heart had hoped for some assurance from her.


    He sighed lightly and tried to move back. But Ivy stopped him immediately. "Joshua, I trust you." She said, her voice not wavering even the slightest. Her words made the man jubilant. However, he still wanted to make sure that she was telling him the truth and was not forcing it out just to pacify him.


    "Are you sure, Ivy? I don''t want you to lie to me. It''s absolutely fine if you do not trust me especially after what I did to you. But, let me tell you one thing. I will do anything and everything to gain your trust even if it takes a lifetime to achieve it."


    His words were enough for Ivy to believe him now and she smiled lightly. Her eyes were not yet covered as Joshua had pulled back right on time. So, she could see the sincerity and regret in his eyes. She held his hands in hers and made Joshua to look at her. "I trust you, Joshua and I am saying it from my heart. I believe you when you told me that you will not hurt me ever. I believe any word you say and you do not have to feel regretful for hurting me before. You asked for forgiveness and I forgave you. Let bygones be bygones and not think about it."


    Ivy stopped to take a breath. "Mistakes happen and it is good that you realized your mistake and apologized to me. That is all I need to trust you. So, don''t you even dare think that I am lying to you." Ivy''s emotional and sweet words took a sudden turn when she threatened him out of nowhere. Her sudden aggressive behavior made the crestfallen man to chuckle lightly, making him forget about everything he was worried about.


    "So, do you trust me?" He asked once again and Ivy nodded at him. "Good. And I promise you that I will not do anything to break this trust. Thank you, Ivy." Joshua hugged her, thanking the heavens for such a sweet and understanding woman in his life. He could not have asked for better. "Then, can I continue with what I had in mind?" The man queried and not giving Ivy any chance to protest, he tied the blindfold around her eyes.


    He pushed her lightly on the bed and the girl was now lying down in front of him. "It is now my time to eat the cake."


    -------------


    Hey guys,


    Do join my discord server to know more about the chapter updates and the spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 370: Innocent sin- Part 1

    Ivy did not know what to do now. She was now lying flat on the bed with her eyes covered. With her eyes now rendered useless, she could only rely on her other senses which, right now, were working with double efficiency. Ivy tried to pick up any sound in the room wondering where Joshua was. However, she could not sense anything. There was no sound she could catch on.


    She wondered if Joshua was playing a prank on her and Ivy tried to get up, only to hear Joshua''s tongue clicking. "Patience, sweetheart. I am right here. Do not worry. I''ll never leave you." The man''s soothing voice made Ivy relax slightly and she fell back on the bed.


    "Jo-" She started only to be shushed by the man using his lips. However, that was not the only thing that happened. She could feel a sweet drink being passed onto her from his mouth and just by the taste, Ivy could tell that it was wine Joshua had given her before dinner.


    Ivy could not take in all the wine. The excess amount trickled down her cheeks and that was all the man wanted. He leaned in and licked the small trail of wine from her cheek, stunning Ivy to the core. Her body froze at his ministrations and her mind had gone haywire by now. She had no idea what was happening and what Joshua was doing. But whatever it was, she was liking it.


    Next Joshua, lifted her shirt, exposing her naval region, and this time, he poured some wine on her belly button. The cool liquid made Ivy to arch her body slightly. But she could not move much as Joshua was holding her tight, restricting all her movements. Ivy had a hunch about what was going to happen next and even before she could prepare herself, she felt Joshua''s lips on her belly button, sucking all the wine on her body.


    Ivy''s toes curled and her hands held onto the blanket tightly. Her body was heating up slowly and Ivy did not know anything, including who she was. All she could remember was Joshua''s tongue which was now slowly inching upwards, towards her chest. Since she could not see a thing, she could only depend on other senses and that was what made everything more exciting.


    "I have never tasted a wine so sweet. Is it because I am drinking it off your body?" Joshua queried as he looked at the girl who seemed to be gasping for air lightly. Her cheeks had already gone red and with the blindfold, the girl looked nothing less than a goddess. Joshua''s jeans tightened just by looking at her.


    His desire to have her was kicking in. But he wanted to take it slow and make it enjoyable for both of them. He could not concentrate on his wishes alone, not when the girl he was with was the one he was falling for deeply.


    "Ivy, may I?" He asked her permission and the girl nodded at him slowly. Ivy knew what the man was asking for and she could not help but look forward to his next course of action. The next moment, Joshua supported her and her shirt was off her body. The cold air hit her body and Ivy shivered lightly.


    "I am happy you did not rip off the shirt," Ivy commented when realization hit her.


    "I would have, but I did not want to anger you."


    "Good, you didn''t. That was a gift from my sister. If you had ripped it off, I would have chopped off something you prided upon."


    "Woman, no violence on the bed. And if you chop it off, who will satisfy you. Also, I am the only heir in my family. I have the responsibility of bringing the next generation on earth. My parents are already anticipating for grandkids. What will I tell them?" Joshua replied, trying to make Ivy relax with his jokes while he slowly removed her jeans.


    Ivy did not say a thing as she was more concentrated on what Joshua was doing. Once her pants were off, she was now only in her undergarments before the man who took in the sight presented to him hungrily. The black garments were nothing special. But there was something so sexy about them that made Joshua want to do sinful things to his girl. She looked all the more innocent and Joshua had the intense urge to corrupt her.


    "Ivy, do you trust me?" Joshua asked once again and Ivy nodded at him.


    "Words, sweetheart. I need words."


    "Yes, I trust you."


    As soon as he got the answer he was looking for, Joshua unclasped her bra and discarded it away. Her chest was now completely bare for him to see and the sight was enough for the man to lose his mind. He wanted to see how they tasted and that was what he did. Joshua gave Ivy a peck before his lips inched down to the valley of her breasts. He kissed her before he sucked at the spot making Ivy to gasp at the sensation.


    Joshua''s attention, next, shifted to her breasts and he kissed her just about her left breast, where her heart was beating as loud as a drum. "I can hear your powerful heartbeat and I am in love with the sound of it," Joshua said and kissed her left peak and this time, Ivy moaned out loud. Joshua wanted to see Ivy''s eyes, he wanted to see the lust, desire and love the girl had for him. So, he removed her blindfold.


    Ivy had no idea that the blindfold had been removed as had her eyes shut tight. Her mind was only fixed on Joshua''s lips that was creating wonders and making her body behave in a way she had never known before.


    The man, then, went back to her mounds, his lips nipping on one of them while his hand took care of the other one. Ivy could not control herself any longer and she was sure that if this continued, she would start moaning out loud. So, to stop herself, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.


    Noticing this little action of hers, Joshua used his free hand to clasp both her hands and pushed them above her head. Now, Ivy had no other choice and when Joshua''s hot tongue touched her breast, she moaned out loud. The sensation was too much for her bear and as the man continued with his work, Ivy became a moaning mess. Heat started to pool in the pit of her stomach and she very badly wanted to do something about it. But her shy mind did not have the courage to voice out her thoughts.


    It was no less torturous to Joshua. His jeans had tightened to the extent that he was finding it difficult to bear with the pain. He very badly wanted to rip off her underwear and plunge his bulging manhood inside her hot cavern. But he knew that it was not time for sex, yet. He had just got her back and he did not want to scare her by going to the last level immediately.


    ''So what if we cannot have sex, there are other interesting things to do and I am sure you will love them, Ivy.'' Joshua thought and giving one small bite at her breast, he went down kissing her abdomen in the process.


    Joshua could see the small wet patch on her underwear and he smiled suddenly. ''You too want me as much I want you, Ivy. And I am happy that you are enjoying whatever I am doing to you.''


    Joshua kissed her entrance on her underwear before removing them completely. Now, Ivy was naked and what Joshua saw was a sight to behold. He had never seen anybody so sexy and alluring before.


    The man kept looking at the girl until Ivy opened her eyes when she did not feel his touch anymore. Seeing his lust-filled gaze, Ivy shied away and averted her eyes. "Don''t shy away, Ivy. You are goddamn hot and I am so lucky to have you."


    Ivy was just about to give him a befitting reply when the man plunged his index finger into her core, making the girl arch her body and forget everything she wanted to say to him.

 Chapter 371: Innocent sin- Part 2

    Joshua chuckled seeing how Ivy lost her voice as soon as he pushed his finger into her hot cavern. "Ivy, you were saying something." He prompted and pulled out his finger before he shoved it in once again, making the girl moan out loud. Ivy had already lost her senses. So, she had no idea what the man was asking her, and Joshua too did not question her further, seeing how she was lost in the pleasure he was giving her.


    He smiled seeing her flushed face and started to slowly move his finger inside her. Ivy squirmed in her place as she felt her muscles clench around his finger. Whatever he was doing to her felt so good that she wanted more of it. She started to climb towards the peak she had no idea existed.


    Joshua inserted another finger and immediately after, his lips made their way to her breast, licking and sucking on her bud. Ivy could only yelp as the pleasure intensified. She did not know what was more pleasurable, his lips on her breast or his fingers inside her. ''Maybe both.'' She thought.


    He increased the pace and now, the room was filled with Ivy''s moans and gasps. For the first time ever, Joshua realized how sexy a woman''s moan could be. Her voice made his jeans tighten all the more and an evident dent formed in them. He did not know how long he could tolerate his desire. ''Fuck.'' He cursed, not stopping his actions even for a second.


    After feasting to his heart''s content, Joshua shifted his attention to her other breast and continued with his ministrations, controlling Ivy''s heart, body and would like a puppet. Joshua could feel the wetness running down her legs and he took a look at her face. Ivy''s closed eyes and her labored breathing was enough indication for him. ''She is close.'' He thought. "Ivy, look at me."


    But there was no response from the already lost girl. "Ivy, open your eyes and look at me, sweetheart." He coaxed her softly as he reduced the pace of his fingers. Ivy mewled in despair. The slow pace was torturing her and she wanted to reach the peak as soon as possible. But the stubborn man was making it very difficult for her.


    She was yet to open her eyes when suddenly, Joshua pulled out his fingers. Her eyes opened automatically in shock and she stared at him dumbfounded. "Why?" Her words were sluggish as she took in deep breaths.


    Ivy noticed the beads of sweat on Joshua''s forehead and her eyes immediately drifted to his pants to see the large bulge in them. Joshua followed her line of gaze and he chuckled helplessly. "This is what you do to me, Ivy. I am so turned on right now. I don''t know what to do."


    However, Ivy was in no mood to listen to his words. She was left hanging by the man and she wanted him to finish what he had started. "Why did you stop?" She whined while Joshua removed his pants, slowly, keeping eye contact with the frustrated girl in front of him.


    "Patience, sweetheart. You will get what you desire. I will not leave you hanging" He answered and discarded his jeans and his shirt. Ivy wanted to roll her eyes at his absurd words, but her words got stuck seeing the stunning man in front of her. He was now only in his boxers and Ivy could see the prominent bulge. She averted her gaze in embarrassment and bit her lip. Joshua climbed on top of her and captured her lips once again, and Ivy forgot her anger completely. The desire which was reducing slowly, started to build up once again.


    Seeing Ivy''s dilated eyes, Joshua pecked her once more before he trusted his fingers inside her. Once again, Ivy''s moans and gasps filled the room and this time Joshua had no intention to stop it. He moved his two fingers slowly and Ivy started to climb towards the place called heaven once again. "Faster." She almost yelled. "Please."


    The man''s husky voice fell on her ears. "Your wish is my command." Joshua increased the speed while his thumb rubbed on her clit. Now, Ivy was almost at the edge and a small push was all she needed to reach heaven. The man too felt it and not wanting to prolong her release any further, he curled his fingers inside her and that was all it took for Ivy to reach the clouds.


    Ivy shrieked in pleasure and she could see a million stars around her at once. Her body shuddered and her juices coated the man''s fingers which were still inside her. Although this was not her first orgasm as she had already reached her peak once before, this was the most mindblowing one she had ever experienced.


    Ivy was yet to come down from her high when Joshua pulled away from her and licked the juices off his fingers. That was what Ivy saw when she opened her eyes and the scene itself was so sensual that Ivy''s lips ran dry. She licked them and pushed herself up until she was almost sitting. Joshua sensed her eyes on him and he looked up as he licked his fingers one last time. "Delicious." He muttered and Ivy''s heart skipped a beat at it.


    Ivy tried to get up only to be pushed back on the bed. "Where are you going sweetheart? We are not done yet." Joshua pounced on her immediately, supporting his weight on his hands, and pushed her down slowly.


    "But.."


    "Shh." Joshua placed his forehead on hers with their lips were almost touching. "This is just the beginning. We still have a lot more to do today."


    "Huh?"


    Joshua did not say a thing and went down on her again, confusing Ivy. She blinked at him wondering if he would repeat his actions again. ''If that is what he is going to do, I don''t mind.'' Ivy had loved whatever Joshua had done to her and she secretly yearned for more. But she did not have the courage to voice out her desires.


    However, she was wrong this time. Joshua took one glance at her and seeing her anticipated eyes, he smiled at her. ''Do you think I will be using my hands again? Wait for it, sweetheart."


    Joshua kissed her on her abdomen before he went down and kissed her lips. Ivy had prepared herself for his fingers only to feel his hot breath near her entrance. The next second, the man licked her folds making Ivy freeze in her spot.

 Chapter 372: Innocent sin- Part 3

    Ivy, who was waiting for his torturous fingers, was stunned when she felt Joshua''s tongue on her folds. However, she had no time to even speak as Joshua had taken control of her body once again. He ran his tongue, slowly but sensually, before he blew on her clitoris and fireworks exploded in Ivy''s mind. She had thought that his fingers had magic in them. Who knew that his tongue could do wonders and what more, she was liking every bit of it?


    Joshua spread her legs wide and he pulled her down and so that her core was right before him. The sudden pull made Ivy open her eyes wide and she stared at the man, who seemed to be lost in thoughts, blankly. Joshua noticed that Ivy had put her guard down and just when she was about to question him, he ran his thumb over her folds again and kissed her lips, biting them softly.


    Every word Ivy had in mind vanished immediately and once again, the girl became a moaning mess. Joshua had no intentions of letting her go and Ivy too did not want to stop the sweet torture. In fact, she wanted him to increase the pace so that she could reach the clouds she so desperately craved for.


    Joshua continued with his actions, licking her lips and blowing at her clit once in a while. And it did not take long for Ivy to climb towards the zenith once again. Her hands slipped down to run through his hair. Joshua pulled back suddenly, placed her legs on his shoulders, and dived in to continue.


    "Joshua," Ivy moaned. Her enticing and sexy tone pleased Joshua all the more. This was the first time she had taken his name during their steamy session and never had he felt his name to sound this alluring. Her moan encouraged him to continue and he pleased her by kissing, licking, and sucking on her folds and every time, he heard Ivy call out his name sensuously.


    The pleasure built up in Ivy''s abdomen and in no time, she was pushed off the edge, orgasming for the second time in the night. Her face was blushing furiously and lust and desire was evident in her eyes. Ivy panted and Joshua too took in deep breaths to calm himself down. It took a long time for Ivy to come down from the high and when she did, she noticed Joshua watching her intently.


    "How do you feel, sweetheart? Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" He questioned as he pushed her hair back that was stuck to her forehead. Ivy shook her head, her mind not in the condition to form any answer.


    "Good. Are you tired?"


    Once again, Ivy shook her head. "In case, would you mind helping me out?"


    Ivy did not understand what the man was talking about until her eyes fell on his boxers and this time, the bulge seemed to have increased a lot. She hesitated, not knowing what to do, and seeing her dubious look, Joshua sighed. "I guess it''s too soon, right? It''s okay." He tried to get off the bed only for Ivy to stop him.


    "I can try." She said shyly, her voice barely above a whisper, surprising Joshua.


    "Sweetheart, what did you say? Do you mind repeating it?" Joshua queried, unable to believe her words. Although Ivy had tried to pleasure him once before, she had left him hanging in the middle as a punishment for his lies. But this time, there was nothing for her to hold him accord to. So, Joshua could not help but pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.


    "I said I can try. But I don''t know what to do." Ivy bit her lip immediately and Joshua smiled seeing her flustered self.


    "Are you sure you want to do it, sweetheart? There is no hurry. We can take it slow." The man tried to coax her into giving up, although some part of him wanted her to fulfill his desires.


    "I am sure. But if you keep questioning me this way, I might change my answer soon." Ivy gave him a glare and Joshua immediately shifted aside.


    "When you yourself have made an offering to the devil, why will I not take it, sweetheart?"


    "But I don''t know how..."


    "It''s okay, baby. I will guide you." Joshua smoothened her hair with a gentle smile. "Could you please stand up?"


    Ivy nodded and did as she was told and Joshua came to stand right in front of her. He tried to ignore the girl''s bare body as much as possible. It was driving him crazy and his member throbbed all the more. "Now, could you please remove my boxers, sweetheart?"


    Joshua''s request made Ivy blush and she bit her lip, only for the man to kiss them. "Don''t bite your lips, baby. They will only make me want to gobble you up. You have no idea how tantalizing it is."


    Unable to form a coherent reply to this, Ivy focused on following his request. She dropped to her knees and tugged on his boxers, pulling them down slowly. By the time she was done discarding them, his member was standing tall in front of her and she gulped seeing how huge it was. She could see the veins on it and out of nowhere, she had the desire to touch it.


    Joshua sat down on the bed. "Now, sweetheart, if and only if you are willing, we will continue. So, answer truthfully. I will ask you one last time. Do you want me to stop right now?"


    Ivy shook her head and a light shade of pink blotched her cheeks. "Words, darling. I need words."


    "No."


    "No what, baby? No, you want to continue or no, you want to stop." The man teased and received another death glare in return. Joshua shrugged lightly. "You need to specify clearly. I don''t know to read between the lines."


    Ivy gritted her teeth and wished to stop what she intended to do after gathering all her courage. But she also knew that the man was expecting her to take the next step and she did not want to delay it any longer. "Let''s continue." She said meekly and Joshua patted her head gently.


    "Good girl. Now, hold it, baby." Joshua coaxed her softly, not wanting to scare her when he knew that it would her first time to pleasure a man. Ivy did as she was told and as soon as her soft hands touched his member, she could feel it pulse in her hand. "Move your hand slowly, my dear."


    Joshua held her hand and showed her the correct technique, their hands moving up and down. When Ivy got the grasp of it, he let go of his hand, allowing her to take the lead. Ivy continued to pleasure the man the way he had told her when she recalled her friend, Kira''s words. ''Men like it more if they are pleasured by the girl with her lips rather than her hands.''


    Wanting to test this theory, Ivy stopped her movements and pushed herself closer to him. Joshua, who had had his eyes closed, opened them immediately on sensing her pause and before he could even question her about it, Ivy wrapped her mouth around his member. The man took a sharp gasp when he felt her tongue on his manhood.


    Her actions had stunned him completely. He had decided to just go with her hands for the day. Who knew that Ivy would be bold enough to use her lips?


    Ivy licked her tongue over his tip and Joshua had to clench his hands to control himself. He had thrown his head back, enjoying the sensation Ivy was giving him. He was never this aroused before. ''Maybe it is because she is Ivy, the girl I love.'' He thought and the next second, he hissed when he felt her sucking on his member.


    Assuming him to be in pain, Ivy let go of his manhood. "Did I hurt you? Am I doing it wrong?" She asked and Joshua did not know whether to laugh or cry at her innocent question.


    "You are doing great, sweetheart. Please don''t stop." He gritted his teeth and guided her once more and Ivy resumed from where she had left. She continued sucking and licking while the man''s grunts filled the room. Joshua wanted to see how Ivy looked and he took a peek at her. What he saw made him reach his peak faster. Ivy, on her knees, as she gave him a blowjob, was a sight to behold. More so especially as she was naked.


    Joshua sucked in a sharp intake of air and when he felt himself to be close, he tried to push Ivy away. "Please move aside, darling." But he had overestimated his self-control. Before Ivy could shift aside, he had released himself and some of his sexual tension fell on her lips and chin.


    Ivy noticed how Joshua had his eyes closed as he reeled in the aftermath of his mind-blowing orgasm. She waited until he came down from his high and once he did, he saw the girl still on her knees. "Ivy, you did a great job, baby. Come, let me wipe your lips and chin." The man offered only to be stunned by Ivy''s next actions.


    Instead of accepting his offer, Ivy''s licked her lips and wiped her chin, before putting her finger into her mouth. This action of hers was enough for the man to get excited again.


    "Umm, it tastes weird," Ivy exclaimed with a frown. "Like musky."


    "Do you like it?"


    "I do," Ivy answered honestly and her answer delighted the man. "Go clean up, baby. I''ll change the bedsheets." The man offered, and Ivy accepted it gladly. She needed some time alone to comprehend what they had actually done.


    While she took her time to clear her thoughts, Joshua changed the bedsheets and took a shower in the guest room. He then waited for the girl patiently. After forty minutes, Ivy finally came out and seeing the man waiting for her on the bed, Ivy''s mind went back to whatever had happened before. Shaking her head to clear the scene, Ivy took slow steps towards him while Joshua observed her every move like a hawk.


    When she was near the bed, he pulled her, and Ivy fell on top of him. "I-I-" She tried to speak but the man shushed her immediately.


    "Let''s go to sleep, baby. You must be tired." Joshua flipped her gently and wrapped his arms around his waist. "Good night, baby. Sweet dreams." He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes. It did not take long for Ivy to close her eyes and fall asleep as the day''s exhaustion finally kicked in.


    -------------------


    Hey guys,


    You can join my discord server to know more about the book and chapter updates. Also, you can interact with other readers.


    https://discord.gg/rPCgMp9MCH

 Chapter 373: Mole..?

    Back at the warehouse.


    Jared had shot the bullet and the sound reverberated through the place. Everybody held their breaths in fear, especially Maggie. This was the first time she was facing death this closely. Although working for Jared was nothing less than chasing death every day, never had she been the object of his shooting victim. However, even after a few seconds had passed, she was still standing in her place, safe and secure.


    ''The bullet should have pierced me by now. Why do I not feel the pain?'' She wondered and opened her eyes which she had closed the moment the man had pointed his gun at her. To her surprise, the gun was pointing towards the floor rather than her. Her eyes widened and gaped at him dumbfounded. Not only Maggie, everybody in the warehouse was shocked to see Jared not killing a person he had aimed his weapon at, for the first time.


    Maggie''s stunned eyes were fixed on Jared, who seemed to be gritting his teeth in anger. He threw his gun in anger and silence engulfed the terrifying atmosphere, making it all the more eerie. While Jared took deep breaths to calm himself, the other members just stood still, not knowing what to do.


    After a long time, Jared looked up and faced his men. "Godfather will be here any moment now and I hope everyone here will be at your best behavior. I do not want Godfather to hold me responsible for your mistakes. If that ever happens, I will make sure that you curse your mere existence. Is it clear?" Jared''s voice rose at the end, making the men shudder.


    His voice was spine chilling and everybody stood frozen, none of them daring to even move, let alone speak. Seeing their dumb expressions, Jared''s fury only rose to an all-time high. "Have you lost your tongues? Why can''t you speak? Am I clear?" Jared roared and this time, everybody came back to their senses.


    "Yes, Jared. We understand." Maggie was the first one to speak and she was the only one who addressed him by his name.


    "You are the only sensible person here, Margaret. The men here are just morons." He commented and sighed lightly. Jared was about to continue with his anger-filled speech when he heard the screech of tires from outside. "Godfather is here." The man said, his eyes darting around in worry. His hands were clenched and Maggie could see the small lines on his forehead while he frowned.


    Hearing that the man their Master feared the most was here, all the man held their breaths. "Don''t you dare do anything that will get me into trouble." Jared threatened them once again and rushed out with his assistant hot on his heels.


    The men looked at each other, their hearts thundering loudly in fear. Even Maggie could not help fear the worst, especially when she had heard worse things about this man called Godfather. Although her curious mind wanted to see who this man was, she was also not ready to face him. ''If Jared himself is terrified of him when there were many people who fear him, how horrible could this Godfather be?''


    Ryder''s face flashed in her mind and she started to wish the man to be someone she did not know. Frederick proving to be Jared''s father had come out as a shock to her and she was glad that she had never encountered him after she joined the Vipers. Otherwise, she would be lying in a coffin right now. ''I need to stay alive, at least for Ryder''s sake.'' She thought, determination flashing in her eyes.


    She took a deep breath and faced the entrance as soon as she heard voices coming from there. The man who was walking at the front had dressed himself in a completely black attire supporting it with a black windbreaker. He was wearing a black hat with a small cigar in his mouth. Maggie could distinctively make out the man''s facial structure from where she was. His eyes were hidden under the hat, but she noticed his thin lips that held the cigar.


    He was tall, and from his facial features, he seemed to be in his sixties or late fifties. But Maggie was not sure. He seemed to be fit for his age and Maggie was impressed by the way he carried himself at this age. As soon as the man had entered the hallway, she felt the suffocating air taking over the warehouse and that was all it took for her to knew how much power he held. The man''s aura was too stronger, even stronger than Jared and this made the girl feel anxious a little.


    Instead of coming their way, where all the gang members were waiting for them, the group went to Jared''s office which was completely sealed from inside, making it impossible to see or hear what was happening inside.


    An hour or so passed and everybody was tired of waiting for the group to come out. They wanted to take some rest and their legs were aching from all the standing they had done. But they knew that once they moved out of their place even to take a break, it would only result in them losing their lives. So, they gave up on breaks or even making a trip to the loo. They stood still in attention waiting for their doom.


    Maggie too was getting tired from all the waiting and she leaned against the wall beside her to support herself. ''How long with the scumbags stay inside? Come out quick and finish off whatever business you have. My legs are killing me.'' She cursed and scolded. In her mind, she had already killed all the people who were inside Jared''s office right now. ''If you don''t come out in five minutes, I am going to sit right here. Don''t blame me for being disrespectful then.''


    Just as she was counting the seconds in her head, she saw the group come out. Once again, anxiety and fear filled the warehouse. Maggie wanted to take a closer look at the man called Godfather. But Jared was standing in front of her, making it difficult for her even if she craned her neck. So, she gave up on it. ''I can always take a look at him later.''


    The man took the only chair in the room and Jared stood beside him, facing everybody. Once again, Maggie tried to sneak a glance but failed miserably as the man had lowered his head. His hat was blocking him from everybody''s sight.


    "Vipers, this is our Godfather, the man who rules us, all of us including me. And he has informed me about some interesting things which have made me realize how easy I have been with all of you. Do you think you can trick me and lie to me this easily and escape unscathed?" Maggie was suddenly was having an ominous feeling hearing his words. Cold sweat formed on her forehead and her hands turned clammy.


    "Even if you can escape from me, you can never escape from my Godfather''s eyes. He is smarter than all of you combined." Everybody stared at Jared in confusion, wondering what he was talking about. Who would try to mess up with him or his Godfather when they knew what the outcome of it would be?


    "I see many of you don''t know what is happening here. Let me clear the confusion." Jared''s voice boomed across the warehouse. "We have got a mole and let me get rid of it right away.''


    -------------


    Hey guys,


    Do join my discord server to know more about the chapter updates and the spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 374: Death sentence

    "We have got a mole and let me get rid of it right away." Jared held his hand out and his secretary handed him a gun. The man checked the bullets and removed the safety, while he started to walk towards his men, with slow and lazy steps. It was as though he was the predator who had successfully caught his prey in his trap.


    "How dare you even think of betraying me and escape unscathed?" The man''s voice was deadly calm now and this was not a good indication for the men around him. Even Maggie was filled with trepidation and her hands were shaking slightly. However, she tried to put up a brave front in front of him.


    ''I should not give away to him myself. What if I am not the one he is talking about?'' Maggie pondered and stuck to her usual self, cold and indifferent. Even though there was no expression on her face, only she knew how she was feeling right now. However, that was not the case with some men in the group. They were visibly nervous and many had even broken out into a cold sweat.


    Jared observed everybody''s face and an evil smirk made its way on his face. "Let''s play a game, shall we?" He blinked at them innocently and smiled at everyone as though he was asking them to play poker. Everybody knew that whatever the man had in mind was not good for them. However, they had no option other than to remain silent. Objection was not a choice for them and acceptance only meant inviting their impending doom fast.


    "Why isn''t anybody thrilled? I am in the mood to play a game with you guys." Jared uttered, his eyes gazing at his gun. "What do you people say? Shall we start?" Jared rose his face and stared at the men, his expression turning serious all of a sudden.


    Maggie took a glance at the man who was sitting on the chair and immediately after, her eyes narrowed. Even though she could not see his face clearly, she found him to be familiar. ''Why do I find him familiar? Where have I seen him? Lift up your head. Lift up your head, old man.'' She thought and the next second, as if feeling someone''s strong gaze on him, the man lifted his head and turned in her direction.


    Startled at being caught, Maggie averted her eyes instantly, even before the man could catch her in the act. Her breath quickened and her heart started to pound loudly in fear. Now, she did not have to courage to take a peek at him lest he should be looking at her. "I hope he did not notice me staring at him. Please. Please. Please." She muttered under her breath and the man standing beside her turned to her, hearing her mumble.


    However, Maggie had other issues to take care of instead of worrying about the man''s questioning gaze. There was the crazy man who wanted a play a game out of nowhere and there was this Godfather who she found to be unbelievably familiar. But she could not put a name to him or even recognize him clearly.


    "Let me explain the rules to you." Jared''s voice brought her out of the stupor and Maggie shivered in her place. "I will point to a random person and that person has a choice of taking up the challenge or not. He can refuse, I don''t mind." His words shocked everyone and Jared chuckled lightly, seeing their stunned expressions. "I am not as bad as I look or you deem me to be. I am a kind-hearted soul. I will not feel bad if you are not ready to accept the challenge."


    ''Kind-hearted soul, my ass.'' Maggie pushed her spectacles up and rolled her eyes at the man''s choice of words. ''If he is kind-hearted, then I am the President of America.''


    "The game is simple." Jared continued. "Do you see the gun in my hand?" The man held his weapon out, swung it across his fingers, and emptied it, leaving only one bullet inside. "As you all can see, there is only one bullet here. The person I point out to must shoot himself, here." He pointed the gun at the right side of his forehead. "And, if you are successful at escaping the bullet in the first try, you are free to go. I''ll not kill you, not today at least. I promise."


    Jared smiled all of a sudden and chills ran down everybody''s spine. "How does the game sound? Interesting, right? Now," He clapped his hands loudly and shouted, "Shall we start the game? Who shall I call first?" Jared ran his eyes across the room trying to find his prey.


    ''There is something here. I am sure the man has a plan. He cannot be this cool. He must have something in mind. But what?'' Maggie wondered and folded her hands, trying to comprehend what the man was planning. ''It is not his character to allow someone to leave just like that.''


    Unexpectedly, her eyes fell on the gun in Jared''s hand and she saw him fill the cartridge sneakily. ''Oh my Lord.'' Her jaw dropped. ''He is not giving an option at all. He is giving the death sentence. He is only playing with us.'' Anger surged through her body and she had the intense urge to kill the man right away, but she knew she could do nothing. She was helpless. The man held the power here and she had to abide by his rules if she had to stay alive.


    "Any volunteers?" The man threw a question at them and the men started to look at each other. "No one? Let me choose then. You," Jared pointed at the man who was standing at the back, and he called him by his finger. "You will be first."


    Maggie turned to see who it was and she was not surprised on seeing him. She knew who the man was. He worked for a rival gang and he was here to send information to his people. Maggie had known about him long ago. But had hidden it from Jared as it was not something that concerned her. Also, she had wished the rival gang to take action so that at least some of the members of the Vipers would be killed if a fight between the two gangs broke out. ''Who knew he would get caught this soon?'' She sighed, pitying the man in her heart.


    The man whom Jared had pointed at dropped to his knees immediately. "Master, I am sorry. I am sorry. Please forgive me, Master. I will not betray you once again. Please forgive me this one time, Master." He begged, tears running down his cheeks. He looked as pitiful as ever and Jared clicked his tongue, while everybody in the room was dumbstruck by his sudden confession. They stared back and forth between Jared and the man.


    "Tch, tch, tch. Who asked you if you have betrayed me or not?" Jared shook his head as though he was reprimanding a child for his mistake. "We are just going to play a game. As I said, you may walk away if the bullet does not hit your forehead at the first shot." A small smile made its way on his face. "But if you are that scared, you can decline taking up the challenge. I won''t mind."


    Maggie''s eyes narrowed subtly and she titled her head in confusion. ''What am I missing here? Jared sure is not a person to allow the man to walk away freely. What will he do?''


    "Then," The man stood up making Jared raise his eyebrows in amusement. "I will not take up the challenge. I do not want to play the game."


    "Uh oh. Too bad. I wanted to play this game with you. It would have been fun. But, that''s okay. Now, you are free." Jared spoke and out of nowhere, a gunshot resonated in the room, terrifying everyone. With widened eyes, they looked around to see what had happened only to see the man, who had rejected to play with Jared, now lying dead, with a bullet in his head. Everything happened in a split second, that even Maggie could not cope up with it.


    "Oops, my bad. Didn''t I tell you? You can decide to not accept the challenge. But it is up to me to accept your decision." Jared stated and blew at the muzzle.


    Everybody now understood what the man was doing. He was not giving them any choice at all. It was either they kill themselves or die in the hands of Jared. There was no other option other than to play the game. Everybody could now only hope for them to be lucky and not be chosen. And even if chosen, they wanted to evade the bullet. Only, Maggie knew that there was no chance of escape. Jared had already decided everybody''s fates even before the game had started.


    ----------------


    Hey guys,


    Do join my discord server to know more about the chapter updates and the spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 375: Puny attempt

    "Who wants to go next?" Jared''s eyes wandered around the room and for a split second, they remained on Maggie before they moved away. And that one moment was enough for the girl''s soul to fly away from her body. Her face had gone pale in fear and she clenched her fists tight, trying to stay strong.


    "Any volunteers?" Jared asked the question and tilted his head innocently. "No? I guess I will have to choose our next player." He started moving around once again. "Who shall we choose?" Jared stopped suddenly and he pushed the man in front of him. "You, I choose you." And immediately after, the man closed his eyes, cursing his luck.


    Seeing the man, Maggie frowned. ''As far as I know, he has not betrayed Jared. Why is he selected? What is Jared playing at?'' She got her answer when Jared spoke up.


    "I hate people who think they are smarter than me and can outwit me. Too bad that you can never win me. Go and press the trigger." Jared ordered and the man, unwillingly, dragged his body towards his awaiting death. Maggie could see the fear on his face. He looked at all of the people in front of him begging for help. But nobody had the courage to even take a step forward and why would they when helping him would only make them lose their lives?


    "Who are you waiting for?" Jared barked, his expression turning solemn all of a sudden. "Nobody is going to take your place. I hope you will finish this fast so that I can catch my next target."


    The man picked up the gun on the table while Jared came to stand right in front of him. He pressed the gun towards the right of his head and closed his eyes.


    "Do you know why I have chosen you?" Jared''s voice startled the man and he opened the eyes at once. Unable to come up with any coherent words, the man just shook his, and Jared smiled evilly at him. "Then, I''ll tell you if you make it out alive. Now, come on press the trigger." Jared ordered and the man''s hand shook as he attempted to follow the orders. But he could not press the trigger and Jared sighed donning a bored expression.


    "I think the game is becoming boring and we are prolonging this way too much. The other players are waiting for their turn eagerly." Everybody cried in their minds hearing the words. "Make it fast or I can help you." Jared lifted his hand and pointed his gun at the man right between the eyes and at once, the man pressed the trigger. The next moment, his head exploded and Jared clicked his tongue.


    "What a bore? And you saved me from the trouble of telling the reason for choosing you." Jared wiped the drops of blood that had splattered on his face and turned to his men. "I was not the one to kill him. He chose the option himself." Jared cleared his stance making Maggie grit her teeth. "Don''t blame me for his death. Who will go next?" Jared loaded the gun once again and placed it on the table.


    In a span of five minutes, three more heads had exploded in the room and by now, all the men had understood what was happening. The gun did not have just one bullet, it was loaded and whoever was asked to play the game, surely would end up killing himself. There was no way out for anybody in the group. It was a sure shot and their delusion and wish to escape from the room unscathed and alive vanished just like that.


    The entire time, the man called Godfather had not spoken a word. ''Is he mute?'' Maggie wondered. ''Why isn''t he reacting for anything? What is wrong with that man?'' She thought in her mind and narrowed her eyes trying to a good look at him when nobody was looking. However, to her horror, she met Jared''s eyes right at that moment.


    "Okay, five down. More to go." Jared commented and immediately after, he gazed at Maggie, terrifying her. A smile made its way on his face. "Let me call the next person. You," He lifted his gun and pointed at Maggie and the girl''s heart thumped in trepidation. Just when she was about to react, Jared moved his hand and pointed at the man standing right beside her. "You will go next."


    ''I am saved. I was not his next target. I was not the one.'' Maggie heaved a sigh of relief silently. But immediately later, started to pity the man who was being called out.


    The man stepped forward. However, unlike other people who seemed visibly petrified, the man held an unfathomable expression. Even Maggie was confused and wondered what was going through his mind. Unexpectedly, the man who was watching everything silently, leaned forward in his chair to take a good look as though he found the situation to be oddly interesting.


    Jared raised his eyebrow at the man''s unbelievable confidence. "I guess this will be fun." He muttered and waited for the man to start begging to let him go. However, contrary to his expectations, the man picked up the gun, and instead of pointing it at himself, he pointed it at Jared. Nonetheless, even before the man could fire the bullet, his head blew up, with blood splattering everywhere.


    "What a puny attempt to kill me!! Do you people seriously think it''s easy to kill me or trick me?" Jared kissed the gun in his hand lightly and shook his head. "If you think so, then you will have to be faster than me. But I doubt anybody here is that good. So, I suggest you to give upon on the thought."


    Jared sighed lightly. "At least, this dead man made the game a little exciting. Don''t you think so?"


    Maggie noticed the man on the chair lean back as though the show he was waiting for had ended and there was nothing more for him to watch.


    ''How many more is this man going to kill? I hope I am not on his list. I do not want to die young, not when I am yet to confess how I feel to Ryder. I haven''t even had my kiss with him yet and for damn sake, I am a virgin and I do not wish to die one. Jared, don''t you dare call out my name. I am serious." Maggie spoke in her mind. But she knew that it was all an illusion she was trying to hide behind. Nothing she wanted or wished for was happening with her recently and that was what happened next.


    All her hopes and illusions shattered when she heard Jared''s voice crisp and clear. "I am done playing with the men for now. Let''s call the only girl in our gang. Maggie, darling, you are next."

 Chapter 376: Game on

    "I am done playing with the men for now. Let''s call the only girl in our gang. Maggie, darling, you are next." Jared''s voice fell on the girl''s ears and the next moment, she stiffened in her place. Somewhere in her heart, she had a hunch that Jared would call her some time and when the time actually came, she could see her soul escape in the sky. At that moment, Jared was just the Lucifer she never wished to meet.


    Seeing Maggie frozen in her spot, Jared licked his lips and walked to her. "What happened, darling? Are you scared?" He whispered to her, making the girl jump in her place. "If you are scared, you can disagree to the challenge. I would not mind." The man smirked and Maggie had the impulse to pick the revolver and shot the man in the head or even better, when the sun didn''t shine.


    "Maggie darling, I am waiting." Jared prompted and the girl started to walk, trying to come up with plans that could help her escape from the situation. She knew she could not evade the predicament she was in nor could she kill Jared. It was not that she did have the skills to shoot the man. No. She was equally skilled as him when it came to handling a gun, or even better. The training she had taken at the Intelligence was not for nothing.


    But the problem was the aftermath of killing Jared. ''I would then have to deal with this Godfather and his men and that is...'' She pondered as she continued walking. ''What shall I do? What shall I do? What shall I do?'' She racked her brain trying to come up with something and the next moment, she remembered the weapon she had with her.


    Secretly, she pushed her left sleeve up, making sure that nobody noticed this small action of hers Just when she was just a step short of the table, she pressed a button on the watch on her wrist and a loud blast reverberated in the room, stunning everyone. Even the man who was watching everything silently was perplexed by the sudden explosion.


    Although the blast was not significant enough to shake the ground, small debris still fell from the top, and immediately after, everybody started to scurry away from the place. Jared could not comprehend what had happened and he looked around, furious and confused. "What the fuck happened?" He shouted and glared at the men who were scurrying away like scared rats.


    Dust and debris continued to fall and now, Jared''s first priority was to leave the warehouse and make sure that his Godfather was safe. Not caring about the girl who had picked up the gun, the man rushed to his Godfather and ushered him out of the place. The warehouse was a mess right now with the way everybody was trying to save their asses from what they assumed to be a bomb attack.


    Only Maggie knew what had happened and she smirked, her confidence returning on her face. Not letting go of the revolver, she placed it on her forehead and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to face the bullet only to hear Jared''s roar. "What the hell are you doing, Maggie?"


    And before Maggie could press the trigger, the man had pushed the gun away from her. By then, Jared''s secretary had lead Jared''s Godfather away from the scene of the destruction. Maggie looked around and saw that it was only her, Jared, and a few men who were trying to get away from the place.


    "Have you gone crazy? What the fuck are you doing? Why are you shooting yourself when you should be escaping from this place?" The man barked and pulled her with him, and a smile made its way on her face.


    "Weren''t you the one who ordered me to play your game and now that I am doing as per your wish, why are you blaming me?" She argued back, her smile not leaving her face.


    "I only wanted to play the game. I never intended to see you die. I cannot lose you. You are one of my best comrades. I only intended to have some fun. You idiot." He scolded her and led her out of the place and Maggie''s face scrunched up in confusion.


    ''What the hell is this man talking? Why does he not want to see me die? Is there something wrong with his head? Why is he behaving abnormally? This is not the Jared I know.'' Maggie pondered and she stared at Jared''s back, who was trying to make his way through the crowd whilst he yelled at them.


    Maggie could not understand the man''s weird behavior. ''Has he fallen for me?" She wondered and the next second, she shook her head. ''What are you thinking, Maggie? The man likes Rachel and he is nothing but a devil who uses women for his pleasure.'' Maggie knew Jared''s ways and also about how the women who never made it out alive after giving a visit to his bedroom.


    "Why?" She questioned out loud and Jared who was walking in the front, stopped suddenly hearing her voice. They were already outside the warehouse and they were quite far away from the other men.


    "I have my reasons, darling," Jared smirked at her and suddenly Maggie was having a bad premonition.


    ''Something is wrong here. He knows something about me and he just playing with me. What the heck!!'' Maggie stared at him wide-eyed and Jared chuckled seeing her pale face.


    "My Godfather has taken a liking to you and I cannot allow you to die just like that. Otherwise, that man would skin me alive. Don''t assume anything else."


    "What?" Maggie''s mind could not make sense of whatever Jared was speaking. Everything felt like a mystery to her.


    "Apparently, my Godfather finds you interesting and he has a mission which only you could do. How can I allow you to die when you are the best hacker and computer expert I have come across? No way." Jared refuted and Maggie rolled her eyes at his reasoning. "Moreover, you are way better than many of those bastards in the gang. So, why would I want you to die?"


    ''Does this man suffer from bipolar disorder?'' Maggie thought and she frowned.


    "What was wrong with you? Why didn''t you escape when you had the chance? Why were you trying to shoot yourself?" Jared enquired, scowling at her.


    "How could I refuse your orders? Weren''t you the one who ordered me to shoot myself?" Maggie questioned back immediately and an appreciative smile made its way on the man''s smile.


    "This is why I like you, Maggie. You do everything I say without questions." Jared''s eyes then fell on the warehouse and his face turned cold immediately. "Maggie stay here. I''ll look into what happened just now."


    Maggie nodded while Jared left her alone to investigate the incident. The girl''s lips quirked up slightly. ''Jared now trusts me more and I am one step closer to the result. Valarie, just a few days more and we will achieve what we want.'' Thinking that, she looked at the bullets in her palm before pocketing them silently. ''Jared, you want to play a game right? Then, game on.''

 Chapter 377: Wrecked apartment

    Jared left Maggie to herself and went to inspect what had happened at the warehouse. Although almost everybody had made it out safe, he was not sure if anybody was trapped inside, not that he cared about them. He was more curious about the explosion that had taken place out of nowhere. ''It has to be someone from the gang.''


    Jared had scrutinized the area outside the warehouse and he could not find or sense anybody else''s presence. He gritted his teeth and snapped his fingers at his men who were waiting for his next orders.


    "Check the premises thoroughly. I want to know who was brave enough to provoke me." He instructed and made his way inside. ''I don''t trust anybody among these idiots. I need to find out myself.'' Jared''s assistant had already informed him about his Godfather being escorted back to his mansion safely. ''At least, that old man is not a nuisance now.'' He sighed and walked inside.


    ''The explosion is not that huge and it did not have much impact on anybody.'' Jared observed the place and tried to come up with possible conclusions. Other than small bricks and debris that had fallen off at the corners and the broken glass panes and windows, not much damage had been done to the warehouse. ''What the fuck is this?'' He wondered and made his way towards the quarters where his men stayed.


    The ground floor was perfectly intact, he could find nothing suspicious. He could find nothing on the next floor too. However, the destruction was comparatively more and a pillar had rolled to the floor. The roof too seemed to have cracked. But what made him curse out loud was the state of his weapons and devices.


    "Fuck. I am going to fucking kill the man responsible for this." He roared as he picked up the laptop that was now lying in pieces. Although the laptop was not expensive for him, the information it held was quite useful and it had taken him a lot of time, to retrieve them. Moreover, the problem was that he did not have a backup. ''Now, I will have to collect them again. Damn it.''


    Jared threw the damaged laptop to the ground and searched the floor thoroughly. Seeing his furious expression, none of his men dared to approach him lest he should shoot them in anger. They were yet to come out of the trauma they had faced a few minutes ago. Jared''s evil game had made men want to flee for their lives and many among them were secretly happy for the disturbance.


    However, they also knew that the outcome when everything settled would not be favorable for them. Jared would definitely unleash his wrath on them and the number of people who were going to die would be more than they could even imagine. Just the thought of it was enough to make the men gulp and shiver in terror.


    Oblivious to what his men were thinking, Jared continued to look around and when he could not find anything else on the first floor, he went to the next floor. "Could it be?" He muttered and made his way towards his floor. Jared had an apartment for himself on the second floor, where he would stay temporarily at times when he had a workload to deal with.


    ''Nobody other than my assistant dares to enter the floor without my permission. I am sure there is nothin....'' Jared stopped in his track when he saw the condition of the floor. Everything was a mess and unlike the other two floors where he could at least walk around, the second floor was completely destroyed. Being the last floor, the entire roof had collapsed and there was no space for him to even squeeze through. His apartment was completely wrecked.


    For the first time ever, Jared was dumbstruck with what he was seeing. He could not comprehend the head or tail of the situation. ''The explosion was from my apartment. How..How?'' He stood frozen in his spot. He did not even realize the presence of another human in his muddled state.


    A few minutes after Jared had left her alone, Maggie had followed him closely. She wanted to know how far he would be successful in finding out the culprit for the day''s event, although she was certain that the probability of it was zero. She had been careful in her ploy and even if people tried to trace back to the culprit, they would not be able to reach her. She smirked seeing the state the floor was in.


    ''Thank you, Valarie, for giving me the bomb.'' Maggie took her sweet time in taking in the shocked expression on Jared''s face. ''He gets shocked too? That''s a first.'' She thought and folded her hands enjoying the predicament the man was in. Maggie was sure that nobody would dare to enter the floor, especially after knowing how exasperated Jared was right now. So, they did not hide how she was feeling after wrecking the man''s place.


    Taking a deep breath and darting a bored look, she rolled her eyes. ''How long are you going to stand like a mannequin? I guess it''s time for me to make an entrance.'' Wiping the smirk off her face, she donned an innocent look and stood beside Jared. "Damn, what the hell is this?"


    The sudden noise brought Jared out of his reverie and he blinked, running his eyes everywhere. "The man sure is smart to have planted the bomb in my apartment and seeing the condition of the floor, we might not be able to find anything here." Jared sighed. "However, that does not mean the man can escape unscathed. I''ll make sure that he will get a death so horrible, he will kill himself for provoking me."


    "Maggie, can you check the surveillance on this floor? I am sure you can find something." Jared ordered and tried to find space to make way, but he couldn''t. "Vipers," He barked and immediately after, four men appeared before him. "Clean this floor as fast as possible. I need to find where exactly the explosion took place." Jared instructed and the men got to work at once.


    "And you," Jared faced Maggie, his frown not leaving his forehead. "Try to track the man behind this as soon as possible."


    "I am on it," Maggie replied monotonously and left the floor after giving one last look at it. ''Try as you may, but you will never find the person behind the blast.''

 Chapter 378: Hide the trails

    Jared and his men searched the floor from late night until dawn. But they could not find the source of the explosion. If not for the evident destruction and damage, there was nothing they could use to conclude that the problem had even cropped up. Meanwhile, Maggie observed the evil man losing his cool slowly, with her lips curled up.


    ''Jared, tch tch tch. Even if you spend an entire millennium, you will not find out the source of the blast.'' She continued working on her laptop, trying to find out something that she could present to Jared. Maggie could not stay still as Jared''s men were everywhere and it would only raise suspicion if she whiled her time away, especially when such a disaster had occurred.


    Maggie retrieved the video footage even though the cameras on the second floor had blown up. ''I can present this to Jared. There is nothing in it anyway.'' Maggie sighed and went in search of the hateful man who at that time was trying hard to find any clue.


    "Jared, take a look at this." She held the laptop before him and played the video she had just copied on it. In the entire gang, she was the only one who called him by his name and all the men were jealous of this privilege she had. They too wanted to cut calling the man as their master and address him by his name. But they knew that doing so would only mean an early entry ticket to hell. So, nobody dared to do it.


    "Did you find out something, Maggie?" Jared leaned in, hoping to find something, anything for the time being. He had been unsuccessful until now and Maggie was the only one he could pin his hopes on.


    "Not exactly. I am unable to track the man responsible for the blast. Take a look at it yourself." Maggie played the video and Jared viewed it with great interest. He had to find the man responsible for the state before the end of the day, Or else, he would be in another painful lecture from his Godfather and that was something he never wanted to experience. His back was already hurting by the beatings he had received from the man when his Godfather had arrived a few hours ago and he did not want to go through that hell once again.


    The video resumed and the two people watched it, closely observing what it held. "See the time. This is recorded a few seconds before the blast and immediately after..." Maggie did not have to continue further and elaborate on it. Jared heard the sound of the explosion and immediately after the footage went blank. "I can only retrieve until here. The camera must have shattered."


    Jared pinched the space between his brows and ran his hand through his hair. "I know, Maggie. I saw the pieces lying on the ground."


    "What do we do now, Jared?" Maggie put on an innocent face and questioned softly. "The man who was responsible for all of these did not enter the floor. That means..."


    "He had a remote or it was a time bomb and he had planned this incident long ago." Jared finished her words and Maggie nodded, trying to hide her smile. "Looks like the man was well prepared. But that does not mean he can escape from me. Maggie, try to find out who else entered the floor other than my assistant and me. Nobody is allowed to even take a step here and if the man has entered my apartment, then that man is either too bold or just plain stupid."


    "I am on it, Jared."


    Maggie got to work on the spot, her fingers flying on the device while a series of codes made their presence on the screen. Jared could only stare at her skills in awe. The only thing Jared could never understand was working with intelligent devices and Maggie had used his weakness to her advantage. Her skills were top-notch and nobody other than Joshua could beat her when it came to matters to these.


    ''What do I have to find this time? I have already deleted my part from it and other than Joshua Martin nobody can retrieve it for you.'' Maggie thought to herself. However, she did not stop her fingers. "How far behind do you want?"


    "Try the last six months," Jared suggested and Maggie nodded and retrieved the video. "Done, let me crop you and your assistant''s part. It will be easier."


    Jared remained silent as he did not understand what she talking about. He just observed her work, confusion and wonder taking over his form. "Done, take a look."


    "Done? What did you do?" He was still puzzled and intrigued by her work.


    "I just removed your and your assistant''s parts using face identification. Now, the cropped video will only show all the people, other than you two, who have entered the apartment." Jared gazed at her, marveling at her expertise and skills.


    "That was amazing, Maggie. I will reward you once we deal with the issue at hand."


    ''Who the hell wants your reward?'' Maggie so badly wanted to roll her eyes at him. But she controlled herself. ''Just get caught fast so that I can go back to Ryder. My man must be waiting for me.'' For a tiny moment, her gaze softened on thinking about Ryder. ''How long has it been since I last saw him?'' However, the next second, she remembered where she was and came back to her cold self.


    "Shall we take a look at this?" Maggie lifted her laptop and Jared nodded at her curtly, his eyes turning solemn in an instant.


    The video did not have much in it for a long time and Maggie had to fast forward it until she found a glimpse of a silhouette. "This," Maggie resumed the video at normal speed, and the man they saw on the screen made both the girl and Jared to widen their eyes.


    "What the fuck is Tim doing on this floor?" Jared barked suddenly and his loud voice made Maggie flinch.


    "Umm, Jared, as far as I remember, Tim too had access to this floor." Maggie reminded him and the man gritted his teeth, his anger rising to another level.


    "Could it be him?"


    "I am not sure." Maggie bit her lip wondering if she should push the blame on the man who was already on Jared''s hit list but decided against it. "He does not have any motive to do so. He was still loyal to you at that time."


    "I agree, it has to be someone else. What the fuck! Who is that smart to have hidden his trail this brilliantly?" Jared seethed and Maggie immediately screamed the answer in her mind. ''It''s me. It''s me. What will you do? You moron!!''


    "Wait a second." Jared paused suddenly, his eyes shining when something struck.


    ''Why do I have a bad feeling about this? What do you have in mind?'' Maggie wondered, heartbeat racing gradually.


    "Maggie, we have CCTV cameras on the ground floor too. We can see who was the one who pressed the remote to the bomb." Jared suggested with an evil glint and Maggie froze in her spot at once.


    -----------


    Hey guys,


    Do join my discord server to know more about the chapter updates and the spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 379: Wet dream

    Jared had no idea that his words had sent a chill down Maggie''s spine. He noticed her pale face and frowned lightly. "Maggie, are you alright? Is anything the matter? Are you feeling sick?"


    His concerned words broke her chain of thoughts and Maggie shook her head, not knowing what to say. "I am fine, Jared. It''s just that..." Maggie stopped suddenly and glanced at the man who was behaving weird since the time the explosion had occurred. "Nothing, it''s nothing."


    "Let me retrieve the video." With that, Maggie started with her work and in no time, she had got the video.


    Jared carefully observed the girl beside him, more worried about her rather than the video. Her face had paled in a second and he had no idea why. But now, it seemed as though it was all his illusion. Maggie seemed to be perfectly fine and there was her usual calmness back in place. He could not comprehend what had gone wrong with her, seeing her return to normal sooner than he had thought. ''I guess the blast must have scared her. Poor girl.''


    "I am done. Take a look." Maggie handed him the laptop and the man played the video from a minute before the explosion. However, he could find nothing suspicious. Everything seemed to be normal, nobody had moved out of place or acted weird for him to doubt them.


    "Dammit. We reached a dead end again. How are we even going to solve this issue? Who the fuck is responsible for this?" He cursed and Maggie smirked, relief taking over her entire form.


    ''Thank you, Jared. Your lack of knowledge in computers saved me this time.'' Maggie patted her back in her mind, praising her skills more. Without Jared''s knowledge, Maggie had cropped a few seconds of the video right under his nose and the man had no idea about it. And why would he doubt the girl, when she had done an excellent job at covering her crime? ''How could I have forgotten about this surveillance footage? Thank the Lords, I could delete it in time. Otherwise..." Just the thought of the outcome made the girl shiver in her place.


    "Maggie, can you try to find out anything about our men? Anybody who has acted suspicious..." Jared could not continue as his phone blared on the ruined floor, making the girl cringe at the loud sound. Before the man could answer the call, Maggie had taken a look and she had seen the caller: Godfather.


    ''Now, what the heck does this old man want?'' Maggie wondered and her question got answered when Jared ended the call sooner than she had expected him to.


    "I need to leave now. I have some work to do. Maggie, do you want to come with me?" Jared queried darting a look at the destruction in front of him.


    "I am fine, Jared. I''ll stay."


    "Be careful."


    With that, Maggie and Jared separated ways and the girl went to her room which was still intact and clean. Stifling a yawn, Maggie immediately sent an encrypted message to Valarie. ''Thank you for the explosive. Came handy today.'' The day''s exhaustion and stress took over her and she fell asleep the moment her head met the pillow.


    -------------------------------------------------------


    "You eat the cake, sweetheart. I''ll eat you." Joshua''s charming and sexy fell on Ivy''s ears and she shuddered slightly. His hot breath made her feel things she had never felt before and her face and neck had gone red as the man inched closer to her.


    "But.." Ivy tried to come up with something that would stop the man. However, he shushed her with his mouth, attacking her lips vigorously. Ivy did not even have the time to push him away and before she knew it, she was bare before him.


    "You are so beautiful and sweet, Ivy. I am fortunate to have met you and even more to have you as my girlfriend." Joshua muttered, running his eyes over her bare torso. "Thank you so much for accepting me and loving me back."


    Ivy felt the man''s heated desire and her eyes met his, which were oozing with love, adoration, and lust. "Joshua," She moaned when the man''s rough hand ran over her inner thigh. "What-what are you doing?"


    "I am worshipping my goddess. Don''t disturb me." The man said, his voice reducing an octave. Ivy had no idea when the man had discarded his clothes, flaunting his alluring body before her. Mesmerized by his delicious abs, Ivy wanted to feel those muscles under her palm, when the man held her hand, stopping her.


    "Ivy, are you ready, darling?"


    A frown took over the girl''s face and she blinked in confusion. "Ready for what?"


    "For what we are going to do next." The man answered and his fingers brushed across her petals slowly, making Ivy bite her lips. Not stopping at that, Joshua kissed the girl and when she was utterly lost in their passionate kiss, the man plunged his finger inside her hot cavern. Ivy squirmed in her place at the sudden intrusion, but all her movements were restricted as the man was holding her in his arms, with no place for her to run away. Even her moans were swallowed as he deepened the kiss while he added another finger inside her.


    Ivy had already lost all her reasoning and had succumbed to what Joshua was doing to her. His lips and his fingers were doing wonders to her body and she did not want it to stop, him to stop. Heat pooled in her stomach and slowly she started to inch towards the sweet heaven she very badly wanted to reach. However, the man was torturing her with his slow pace, not allowing her to get the edge she was craving for.


    Sensing that the man was playing with her, Ivy bit his lips hard and Joshua pulled back with a groan. However, his hands continued with their magic and Ivy had to use a lot of strength to concentrate. "You..You." She stuttered only to moan out loud when the man curled his fingers.


    "Yes, me, Ivy. You were saying something." Joshua teased and increased his pace gradually.


    Ivy''s eyes rolled back in her head and she took deep breaths while Joshua observed her carefully, taking in her beautiful form. Ivy just needed one last push to go flying in the clouds when the man stopped suddenly.


    "Why?" She whined, frustration and desperation taking over her anger and rationality.


    "Let''s take the next step."


    "What do you mean?" Ivy narrowed her eyes, fearing what the man had in mind.


    "Let''s have sex." And before the girl could even protest, the man had thrust his thick member inside her and Ivy screamed out loud. "No...No..."


    "What the fuck, Ivy!! Go back to sleep." Joshua groaned and turned his head away from her as he continued to hug his pillow. Ivy''s eyes widened and the next moment, she got up in a haste, looking around her.


    Joshua was lying peacefully beside her and both of them were still in the clothes they had worn before their sleep. Ivy''s jaw dropped on realization. ''What the hell happened just now? Was I dreaming? Did I just have a wet dream?''


    -----------


    Hey guys,


    Do join my discord server to know more about the chapter updates and the spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 380: Brilliant trick

    Ivy licked her lips, chiding herself for getting such a dream. ''Why did I get such a dream?'' She pondered on it and one by one, the events from the previous night flashed in her mind. She remembered how Joshua had prepared dinner for her and after dinner, how he had thoroughly eaten her. Just the remembrance made Ivy''s cheeks to redden and she fidgetted on the bed before she decided to get ready for the day.


    ''Ugh, I need to get a hold on myself. What am I even thinking first thing in the morning? Ivy, if this continues, you will end up becoming horny and insatiable.'' With that, she tried to get off the bed only to be pulled back by the man beside her.


    With a loud squeal, Ivy fell back on the bed, and immediately after, Joshua hovered above her. A devilish smirk made its way on his face and he raised his eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes. Ivy''s red cheeks did not go unnoticed by him, widening his smile all the more. "What were you thinking about, sweetheart?"


    Joshua questioned seeing the flustered girl and Ivy stopped struggling at once. However, instead of answering him, she countered with a question of her own. "When did you get up?"


    "The moment you shouted a no. Why did you do that by the way?" Joshua propped his body towards the side so that his weight did not fall on the girl who was lying underneath him. The position itself was so sinful and perfect that it made the man want to do her right away.


    "I just... I just." Ivy stammered and Joshua nodded at her, encouraging her to go on.


    "You just what, sweetheart? Did something happen?" He teased and pecked her cheek lightly only to receive a glare in return.


    "Nothing happened. Not at all. What could happen?" Ivy averted her eyes, unable to bear the man''s heated gaze. She had a hunch that the man knew what she had dreamt about and he was just pulling her leg right now. ''But I am not going to yield too, Joshua. I will not tell you about my embarrassing dreams.'' She made a vow and tried to push the man.


    "Joshua, move aside. I need to use the washroom." She tried but the man only inched closer to her, making Ivy''s breath hitch.


    "Answer my question, sweetheart. Then, I''ll allow you to leave." The man deadpanned and Ivy closed her eyes tight, cursing herself for the predicament she was in.


    "No." She refused at once and stared back at the man who only grinned at her answer.


    "In that case, let''s stay this way for the whole day. I won''t mind and I don''t think you do too. In fact, I believe you are liking the position we are in so much that you don''t want to let go. Am I right?" Joshua pushed her strands of hair that had fallen over her face and caressed her cheek.


    "What nonsense are you spouting?" Ivy was rendered speechless by the man''s shamelessness and she punched him on his shoulder which was nothing but a light pat for him. "Move aside. I have work to do." She glared at him only to receive a shake of his head.


    "No. Answer my question and you are free to leave." Not waiting for her response, he leaned in and licked her ear, stunning the girl completely. Her body froze in shock and she stiffened which Joshua did not miss. "Relax baby." He cooed and Ivy''s body automatically listened to him. She let her guard down and the moment she did, Joshua bit her ear earning a yelp from his victim.


    "Joshua," She started only to stop when she felt the man''s hand under her shirt, running on her waist. Goosebumps rose on his skin and she blushed a deeper shade of red. "What-What are you doing?" She bit her lip when she felt the man''s hand closer to her breasts.


    "I am doing nothing, sweetheart. Now, tell me what were you thinking?" He whispered near her ear and the girl tilted her head, allowing him to get closer. Joshua did not hesitate to grasp this opportunity and he softly bit the skin near her shoulder, eliciting a low moan from her. However, he did not get the answer he needed.


    So, he spread her legs apart and pushed himself closer to her, pressing his semi-erect member near her core and Ivy gasped at the sensation. Seeing her lost expression, he moved his hand towards one of her breasts and stroked her fingers lightly at the nip. "You did not answer me, baby? What were you thinking about?" He questioned and this time Ivy answered him.


    "You." Her reply brought a smile to his face and he lifted her shirt until the contour of her breasts were visible.


    "Good girl. And why were you thinking about me?" Joshua knew that Ivy was too lost to notice what he was doing and he kissed her just a few inches below her breasts. His hand did not stop its work while his lips moved closer to her mounds.


    "Because-" Ivy sucked in a sharp gasp of air when she felt the man''s hot tongue just below her right breast.


    "Because," He prompted and pushed his member towards her core.


    "I dreamt about you," Ivy replied honestly, her mind and body not making head or tail of what the man was speaking. All she could think about was his hand and lips which right now were making her hot and bothered.


    "Good girl." Her answer greatly pleased Joshua and he rewarded her with a light peck on her lips. "And what did we do in your dream?" Joshua reached the final part of his interrogation and waited patiently to know what she had seen. He had been startled by the girl''s shout early in the morning and had observed her varied emotions secretly. He sensed her abnormal behavior and had a hunch as to what she might have seen. So, he wanted to know more about her dream.


    "And why do you think I will tell you about it?" He heard Ivy utter and the man stopped what he was doing at once.


    "What?" He questioned, perplexed to see the girl smirking at him in return.


    "Why should I tell you about my dream?" Seeing the man to be distracted, Ivy pushed him aside and moved away from him. "Did you think I would succumb to your ministrations when I clearly knew what you had in mind? I know what you want and what you wanted to hear. But did you think I would tell you everything?" She tapped her finger near his lips and before the man could even comprehend what had happened, she jumped off the bed.


    "Nice try, Mr. Martin. But I am not the one to fall prey for it." Ivy smiled at him, victory and mirth filling her eyes, before she dashed off towards the bathroom. Joshua could only gape at the woman who had tricked him brilliantly. While Ivy had escaped the situation with ease, Joshua was left all hot and bothered.

 Chapter 381: Moving ahead

    During breakfast, Joshua glanced at the girl every now and then as he tried to find out more about her dream, only to receive her silence as the answer. "Ivy, could you please tell me about your dream?" When he realized that nothing would work on her, he resorted to pleading, and for the first time during breakfast, Ivy looked up to meet his eyes. However, it did not last for long and she shifted her eyes away from him.


    "No."


    "Please, baby. I want to know." He pleaded and held her left hand tightly in his making the girl roll her eyes.


    "Fine. Before that, answer one question of mine."


    "Anything baby." The man promised and Ivy narrowed her eyes, doubting his words for a second. "You do not have to doubt me. I will give you my word." Joshua added seeing her questioning gaze.


    "In that case, tell me. What happened to you that day?" Ivy put forth her question and folded her hands, putting on a solemn expression, and this time Joshua''s face lost its smile. He dropped her hand and retreated back, comprehending her question carefully. "Think about it and tell me. It is fine if you want to keep it a secret, I don''t mind."


    Ivy also gave him an option to back out and Joshua''s heart skipped a beat hearing her words. He knew how horribly he had hurt her and had not given her any explanation for his behavior. Joshua had been with a lot of women before and he more or less knew that this was not the way they behaved in such circumstances. Any other woman would have demanded an explanation for his rude behavior. But Ivy had not done so and that was what made her special.


    She had not asked him a word about it and had even given him time to tend to his matters. ''I cannot hide this matter from her anymore. She deserves to know the truth, more than anybody else. I cannot hurt her this way.'' Making up his mind, Joshua took a deep breath.


    "Ivy, do you know about my ex-girlfriend?"


    His question made the girl frown and she tried to remember the details she had heard about the woman. "I guess so. Why do you ask?"


    "Ivy, her name is Amber..."


    "Ahh, now I remember. You had told me about her. What about her?" She enquired and leaned forward, assuring him silently that she was still here and was listening to him.


    "That day, I had received a call from her for the first time in years and all my past came gushing into my mind. I could not control myself and I..." Joshua could not continue any longer and he stopped suddenly.


    "And you drank alcohol to relieve the pain. Am I right?" Ivy questioned and Joshua nodded. He was so lost in his remorse that he had missed the way Ivy had spoken to him. Her tone had softened considerably and she was not angry either.


    "Yes. I should not have done so. But I couldn''t control myself. It''s just-its''s just something snapped inside me and I.."


    "I understand Jo. You do not have to explain any further." Ivy held his hand and patted his biceps, trying to console him.


    Her words shocked the man greatly and he gaped at her, "You do?"


    "Yes, I do. I understand. Although I have no idea how close you two were in the past, she had been a part of your life and you liked her too." Ivy could not bring herself to say the love here. So, she decided to settle on like. Her heart hurt as she thought about the woman in her man''s life. Yet, she could do nothing. It was all in the past. "I am not sure if you still have some lingering feelings for her..."


    "No Ivy, I don''t. I don''t have any feelings for her. They died the day she left me." Joshua interrupted her at once and pressed on her hand trying to convey his true thoughts.


    "I know Joshua. I know. You might not have feelings for her and they may have vanished over time. But that does not erase the fact that she still affects you in some way." Ivy added and sighed lightly when her own words made her heart ache.


    "No Ivy. She means nothing to me and nothing about her affects me in any way." Joshua refuted her at once and Ivy did not know how to proceed, seeing the man on the verge of breakdown. She left her chair, went to the man, and sat on his lap.


    Caressing the man''s face softly, she held his gaze. "Joshua, sometimes we would have given a lot of control to someone that we will never realize how badly they affect us even if they are not present. I don''t know much about your past. But I can clearly see that she still affects you and don''t deny it. You were so vexed the day you got her call that you succumbed to alcohol."


    "But..." Joshua wanted to stop the girl from continuing. Although he wanted to refuse her claims, he knew somewhere in his mind that she was right. Amber had occupied a large part of his life and he still thought about her occasionally. Although it did not hurt him as much as it did before he got together with Ivy, his heart had not crossed the stage yet for him to completely forget the girl and move ahead.


    "Shh," Ivy placed her finger on his lips and shushed him. "Baby, it''s not your fault that the girl left you. She must have been blind to have ignored such a gem. But I am thankful that she did. Otherwise, I would never have found you and got together with you. You," Ivy pointed her finger near his heart and enunciated each word clearly, "Are a good person, in fact, the best. So, don''t doubt yourself."


    "Really? Are you telling the truth?" Joshua held her hand and asked the question again wanting to confirm her thoughts.


    "Yes. You can trust me on it. Ivy will not choose any average man as her boyfriend. I have high standards." Ivy winked at him and Joshua let out a helpless smile. His mood improved significantly and his smile widened.


    Unable to control himself, Joshua hugged the girl, startling her for a second. But she later reciprocated his gesture. "Thank you, Ivy. Thank you for coming into my life."


    Ivy patted his back. However, she did not forget to add, "I am not asking you to forget her completely, Joshua. That is not practically possible. But may I request you to stop giving her the control over your life? You are you and she is she. Nobody can control you, not even I. You will only hurt yourself if you hand over your life to somebody else." Ivy muttered and Joshua understood what she wanted to convey.


    "I understand, Ivy. I will not allow Amber to affect me from now on." Joshua promised and Ivy did not speak further as she sensed that the man had understood her.


    The couple stayed this way for a long time and the serious moment finally broke, when Joshua put forth his question again. "Now, tell me about your dream. What did you see?"


    Ivy pulled back instantly. His sudden question made Ivy grit her teeth and before she could try to evade it, Joshua shook his head. "You promised me, baby. I hope you won''t go back on your words."


    Ivy huffed, irked by his charming smile that had landed itself on his equally attractive face. "Fine. I dreamt that we had sex."

 Chapter 382: New colleague

    After a few days of rest, Aria had finally recovered and she was excited to go back to work. Staying at home, with Noah and her father supervising her every move had got on her nerves and all she wanted was to get back to her normal life, where she had the freedom she wanted. Although Noah wanted her to take a few more days off, she was done resting and it was time to get back on her feet.


    "Do you really have to go?" Noah questioned as they drove towards the hospital. "You know you can take two days off. I would not mind." Noah offered and stared at her with puppy eyes. However, it had no effect on her and she rolled her eyes at his meek attempts.


    "That is not going to work on me. I am not taking any more rest. I am done resting and rusting. Now it is time for me to get back into the battle." Aria deadpanned, allowing him no room for objection.


    "But..."


    Aria gave him one serious look with her eyebrow raised and Noah immediately shut his mouth and turned his gaze away from her, not wanting to anger her more. They reached the hospital soon and Aria got down, excitement and happiness evident on her face. However, her excitement only made Noah sulk and he stared at her in despair.


    "I''ll get going. Will see you at night." Aria pecked him on his cheek and left him even before the man could respond.


    Taking a good look at the hospital she had missed dearly, she went near the entrance. Seeing the people coming in and out of the hospital as well as the staff who seemed to be busy, Aria sighed lightly. "Ah, how I missed this!!"


    She was just about to enter when she heard someone call her from behind, making her eyes go wide. She was all too familiar with the voice and surprise took over her after confirming who it was. "Stuart." She exclaimed seeing the man grinning at her.


    "The one and only." The man bowed at her and spoke in a perfect British accent, and Aria laughed seeing his enthusiasm.


    "What are you doing here?" She queried as she pushed back her bag that had slipped off her shoulders.


    "I am here at work." Stuart raised his eyebrows, giving her a cryptic smile.


    "Work? What work do you have here?" Aria put forth another question which Stuart was eagerly waiting for. He knew that she had no idea what had happened in the hospital the past few days.


    "The same work you have at the hospital." His ambiguous reply made Aria frown and she looked around wondering what was wrong.


    "What do you mean? I am a doctor here and I work here."


    "What if I say the same? I am a doctor here and I work here." Stuart revealed and observed the girl''s expressions which changed from confusion to shock and finally settled on joy.


    "Really? Do you really work here? When did that happen? How? I mean that''s good news."


    Stuart chuckled at the girl''s excitement and scratched his head. "Umm, I got a call from Dr. Davis that there was a requirement for a doctor and he asked me if I was interested. And here I am." Stuart spread his hands in a cool manner. However, Aria was lost in thoughts to notice his sauce pose.


    ''There was a requirement for a doctor? When did that happen? And if I am not wrong, there is still time for the next appointment. Why did the hospital change its decision?'' She pondered.


    "Aria, Aria," Stuart snapped his fingers in front of her, and Aria''s thoughts vanished at once. "Aria, I guess you are not that happy to see me here." He donned a sad face and pouted.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? Why will I not be happy to have you as my colleague?"


    "Then, why do you look sad?" Stuart queried and Aria narrowed her eyes when she noticed the mischievousness in his eyes.


    "I was actually hoping for a sexy, dashing, and smart doctor as my colleague. Who knew it would be you?" She countered and Stuart''s face fell. "But it''s okay. I''ll make do with you for now." She replied as though she was doing him a favor and now, it was Stuart''s turn to glare at her.


    "Aria, you do realize that you have a boyfriend, right?"


    "So? How is this even related to him?"


    "What will happen when he will find out whatever you have spoken today?"


    "Oh then," The next second, her mind went back to the time when Noah had punished for calling Ethan hot, and tingles spread through her body just by remembering what had happened behind the closed doors in her room. "The man will become the king of vinegar," She muttered under her breath and Stuart missed it completely.


    "Did you say something?" He queried, he had heard her mumble. But he could not comprehend what she had spoken.


    "Ah, no. Nothing. Let''s go in."


    Aria and Stuart resumed their duties at once and separated at the reception as they belonged to different departments. Seeing Aria return to work, all the hospital staff welcomed her warmly, and their gesture touched her. Although she met Ian daily, Ian too welcomed her with a hug.


    "Welcome back, Dr. West."


    "Thank you, Dr. Davis. How I missed this!!" Aria sighed and wandered her eyes as though it was her first time at the hospital.


    "You could have taken a day or two more."


    "What!! No way. Was not my father enough, now even Noah has joined hands with him? With them around, I''ll go crazy if I stay at home."


    Ian chuckled listening to her exaggerated words. "It cannot be that bad."


    "Oh, you have no idea. They are too worried about me even though I am perfectly fit and fine. And the amount of food they have fed me in the past few days is enough to last me for a fortnight. My pants do not fit me now and I need to reduce weight." Aria huffed and Ian gave a helpless laugh.


    "I understand. Noah can be a little overbearing at times. But I cannot help it. You were the one who chose him. Bear with it for life." Ian sympathized with her and Aria could only cry inwardly at her fate. She could see her future clearly with the way Noah would be pampering her and loving her, while he fed her until she became chubby. And just the imagination was enough to give her a fright. But she was also glad to have found someone who loved her and cared for her dearly.


    "I wanted to ask you about Stuart. Why did the management decide to hire him this suddenly? There is still time for the next assessment, right?"


    "Yes, there was. But one of our doctors left us and we needed a replacement. So, we had no choice."


    "Who left us? Is it someone I know?" Aria frowned after listening to Ian''s words.


    "Oh, you know him well, very well indeed. You even punched him in the face for misbehaving with you."


    "Don''t tell me. Mason?"


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Do join my discord server to know more about the chapter updates and the spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 383: Welcome drink

    "Don''t tell me. Mason?" Aria''s jaw dropped and she blinked at the man before her in wonder. "How did that happen?" Her shock turned into happiness and a small smile made its way on Ian''s face seeing her joyous expression. Aria hated Mason as she knew about his womanizing behavior and she loathed him all the more after the way he had behaved with her.


    "Serves him right for being characterless. Bastard." She spat and Ian chuckled once again seeing her irked expression.


    "I lodged a complaint against him with the management and he was sent a notice immediately after. The management decided to investigate the matter and he was asked to be present before them. He was asked to provide the necessary evidence to claim his innocence or else he would be held guilty." Ian held his hand before him and the two started walking towards the cardiology department.


    "What happened? It must have been entertaining to see the man trying to defend himself."


    "Not exactly." Ian cleared his throat and nodded at the nurse who walked by him.


    "What do mean? Did something happen?" Aria glanced at him in confusion and tucked her hair behind her ear.


    "Mason did not make it to the investigation."


    "And?"


    "And he was dismissed from his job."


    Aria stopped in her tracks and faced Ian. "What? He was dismissed just like that?"


    "Why Aria? Weren''t you happy that he left the hospital just a minute before? Are you worried for him now?" Ian folded his hands and teased her, making the girl roll her eyes.


    "Worried, my foot. If I was in charge, I would have kicked him out of this hospital long ago. But what I am confused about is that he was asked to leave just like that. Wow, that''s amazing." Aria added and nodded her head, secretly praising the team for showing him the door.


    "There is nothing wrong with it. It was written in the notice that if he could not make it on the said day, he would be given a pink slip." Ian stated with a shrug.


    "Seems about right. He deserved it. Anyway, I''ll get going, Ian. See you later."


    "See ya." Ian stared at Aria until she went inside the cardiology department. "Aria, you have no idea how far your man can go for you. If you find out what he had done to remove the pest beside you, I wonder how you will react." He sighed lightly and recalled what exactly had happened.


    Although Ian had sent the notice to Mason, it was Noah who had made sure that the man would not reach the hospital on the said date. Noah had retrieved all his details and he had struck where it pained the most. Mason''s father had a small investment company of his own and Noah had made him go bankrupt just before the day Mason was asked to make his presence. He had given Mason no option out and that was not the only action he had taken against him.


    Annoyed and furious for even thinking about Aria, he had got his men to bring the man to him and he was now tied to a chair in the Underground base, awaiting his doom.


    "What wonders love can do!!" Ian sighed and shook his head, contented that he did not have anyone in his life, not yet at least.


    Meanwhile, the lover boy in question was heading towards the Underground base to deal with the scoundrel who had dared to trouble his sweet girl. Just the thought of it made Noah to clench his fists. It was the first time he was visiting the base after he was shot and he had to deal with a lot of issues. Although Joshua had managed to solve most of them, Noah still had to take a look as it was his responsibility.


    All his men were waiting for him already and Noah did not waste any more time to go to his first prey, Mason. His hands were itching for some blood and he wanted to torture the man until he could not even lift his finger.


    Mason was tied in an isolated room from where they could not hear a sound. The room was completely insulated. Noah glanced at Ronnie and the man immediately opened the door. Noah took slow, casual steps making them loud enough to gain the attention of his victim, who at that moment had his head bent.


    Seeing him lift his head, Noah sat on the throne-like chair and crossed his legs. "Ronnie, why haven''t you welcomed our new guest?" He questioned and Ronnie stifled a smile.


    "Who the fuck are you?" Mason roared and tried to wriggle his arms. But they were tightly bound to the chair making it impossible for him to even move. "Why have you brought me here?"


    "I''ll answer all your questions. But before that, let me serve you with a welcome drink." Noah snapped his fingers and Ronnie came forward with a glass of red liquid. "Give it to our guest. He must be thirsty from all the shouting he has done for the past few days."


    "Yes, Boss." A devilish smile made its way on Ronnie''s face. It was playtime for him and he was having fun, looking at his prey waiting to be tortured. ''Gosh, I missed this thrill!!''


    "Fuck you and your welcome drink. Look, whoever you are, get me out of here, right now." Mason bellowed and Ronnie clicked his tongue, shaking his head.


    "Tch, tch, tch. There is no use shouting here, Dr. Mason. I suggest you to stop shouting and cooperate with us. Things might not go the way you want if you keep yelling, especially when your voice is annoying and horrible." Ronnie warned with a low voice.


    However, Mason was too angry to care about his words. "You bastard. Get me out of here, right now." He ordered and tried to wriggle once again. A few seconds passed and Ronnie did not even move from his place.


    Mason looked up to see what was happening and met Ronnie''s bored gaze. "You pig, release me. You do not know who I am and what I can do."


    "Ohh, tell me who you are and what you can do?" Noah intercepted and leaned forward, putting on a curious face. Mason frowned when he saw Noah''s face, he found him to be familiar. But he could not put a name to his face.


    "What the fuck are you? You son of a bitch. Piss off." Mason cursed and this time, Noah''s anger reached his peak.


    "Ronnie, give him the drink." He ordered, his voice turning low and sinister.


    "I don''t want any drink. You pig head. Let me...Aghhhh." His tone and words changed the moment Ronnie threw the drink he had with him right on Mason''s face. "Aghhhh." Mason continued to scream as he writhed in his seat. His eyes were burning with pain and he did not have to be a genius to guess what the drink was. It was nothing but chili powder mixed with water.


    "You asshole. Aghhhh." He shouted and closed his eyes tight in pain. They were burning and tears started to run down his cheeks. He had never experienced such anguish before and he had the intense urge to kill the two men before him. "What do you want?" He struggled to get away with his eyes closed and seethed. He was still putting up a fight, but Noah ignored it.


    "Now the man cooperates." Noah mocked and tapped his fingers on the handrest. "How dare you misbehave with Aria!!"

 Chapter 384: Mason in lions den

    "How dare you misbehave with Aria!!" Noah gritted his teeth and leaned forward, his eyes blazing fire in anger. He clenched his fists, the veins protruding out due to the force. His hands were craving for the man''s blood and Noah did not know how long he could control himself.


    "Aria?" Mason frowned as he tried to open his eyes, only to cry out in pain. His eyes were burning and the pain made him lose his mind completely. ''Will I become blind? Why is it stinging even after a few minutes has passed?'' He wondered forgetting everything else for a moment, even Noah''s question.


    However, Noah was having none of his tactics. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "Ronnie," He just uttered his name and the man understood his Boss''s intentions. With a small nod, he lifted a small pipe and adjusted the control valve. Not wasting another moment, he turned on another valve beside the pipe and the next second, water started to gush out of the pipe.


    Ronnie pointed the pipe at the man who was still frowning with his eyes closed and at once, the man hollered, pain taking over his entire body. When he was drenched in water the previous time, it was only his face and some part of his face that had suffered from the chili powder. But right now, his entire body was in agony. He was now being showered in scorching hot water and his skin started to burn. The temperature was nowhere near what a human could withstand. It was scalding hot and his skin had begun to char as Ronnie continued with his torture.


    Wriggling and escaping was not an option for him. All he could do was bear with it and beg the man who was responsible for his misery. "Pl-Please." He cried out after a lot of effort and Ronnie immediately stopped the flow of water. To the man''s agony, the aftereffects were more horrible than he had even imagined. His eyes were stinging, his body was charred and he knew that blisters would form on his skin soon.


    The tears, which he had painstakingly forced to stop, started to flow out again and he was a mess. However, neither Ronnie nor Noah pitied him. The man deserved it, he asked for it himself. Who asked him to mess with Noah''s girl?


    "Will you speak now or do need to be instigated more?" Noah queried and this time, Mason was in no mood to bring his own demise.


    "I''ll speak. I''ll speak. Please don''t hurt me. Please." He did not delay time in begging him and Ronnie rolled his eyes at the man''s words. He was all too familiar with the scene. That was how it happened every time they tortured someone to speak the truth. At first, their victims would put up with all sorts of fights, cursing at them and kicking up a fuss. Some would even resort to threatening them when they knew it was all a waste. Who could possibly defeat Noah? No one.


    And when the realization finally settled in, they would have already been tortured enough by Ronnie. Their soul would have already vanished by then to even make out what was happening around them. Ronnie shook his head, clicking his tongue softly. ''Why can''t people answer our questions without putting up a fight? Do they like getting tortured this much? Are they masochists?'' He wondered and stared at the man on the chair who was taking in deep breaths of air.


    All of a sudden, Mason started to chuckle like a mad man and Ronnie scowled seeing his shift in behavior. He looked like a creep with the way he was grinning, his eyes closed and burnt skin. Noah just raised his eyebrows and leaned forward. "Aria," Mason sighed and licked his lips imagining her beautiful face and her equally beautiful body.


    Noah did not have to take a second look to guess what he was thinking and this time, his control snapped. He padded towards the man and without any warning, he punched him on the face. The force was too much for Mason to bear and he fell to the side, his head hitting the floor harshly.


    "How dare you!" Noah seethed and he pushed his feet on the man''s cheeks making it impossible for him to breathe, let alone speak. Blood started to trickle down his lips and cheek. But Noah did not care. His anger had reached beyond measure and he wanted nothing but to kill the man. The man was nothing but scum, garbage in the society. It was best he was discarded before it became late.


    Seeing the man trying to speak, Noah lessened the force. But he did not stop stomping him. "Now, I remember. Weren''t you the one who accompanied Aria to the pub when we were in London? It was you. Who the heck are you?" He shouted and licked his lips. This time, Mason could open his eyes a little and he stared back at the man who was hovering above him, his imposing manner making him shiver. Yet, Mason tried to stay calm.


    "Aria should never be with you. It was I she should be with. Only I should have the privilege of enjoying her. Her beautiful face, her body as she writhed under me when I pound into her..." However, before he could continue, Noah pressed his foot on the man''s cheek, and this time, there was an audible crack which both Ronnie and Noah heard clearly. Noah had made sure to break the man''s jaw for even daring to speak that way about Aria.


    "You disgusting bastard! You are a lowly scum, trash that needs to be disposed off at once." Masons heard Noah''s low voice and he tried to speak, but his broken jaw had made it impossible for him to even move his mouth. He could not even push the man away as he was still tied to the chair. All he could do was endure the pain silently.


    "What do you think the police will do if I hand over you to them along with the proof I have collected against you? And my, my, I must say, I am disgusted to read about your deeds. You are nothing but a rapist who molested women by drugging them." Mason was in too much agony to hear Noah. Otherwise, he would have been hell shocked to hear about his crimes from the man''s mouth. Mason had made sure to hide his deeds well. But he could never hide them from Noah or his friend, who was quite amazing at digging out the truth until there was a record of it on some electronic device or gadget.


    "Ronnie, he is all yours. Make sure he doesn''t die." Noah instructed and released the man. Mason heaved a sigh of relief with great difficulty on being released only to suck in a sharp breath of air when he felt Ronnie pull his hair. However, Ronnie stopped suddenly when his eyes fell on Mason''s left hand. His eyes narrowed quickly and he pushed the man''s shirt that was already showing his biceps.


    Ronnie''s eyes widened. "Boss, take a look at this." He called out to Noah who had returned to his seat.


    "What is it, Ronnie?" Noah was in no mood to be near the scumbag. It would only make him want to kill him soon and that was something he did not want to do. He did not want Mason to die early, there were still other torture methods to be used on him.


    "Boss, there is a tattoo on his arms and...and.."


    "And what, Ronnie?" Noah came forward to take a look seeing Ronnie''s weird gaze and he frowned when he saw the tattoo himself. He was all too familiar with it and how would he not recognize it when it belonged to the gang that was hellbent on killing everyone and destroying the country?

 Chapter 385: Life motto

    Noah stared at the tattoo with knitted brows, his thoughts running a hundred miles per hour. He tried to analyze the situation and put everything into place. However, he could not come up with any other possibility than the one he had right now. ''If Mason belonged to the Vipers, then Mason is not a capable doctor. Moreover, why did he choose Ian''s hospital and not any other hospital?''


    Noah thought about it and his eyes not showing any emotions even when his shoes were stained with blood. Mason was still trying to scurry away from his torturers, even though he had no energy left in him. Noah stepped back and took a last glance at the tattoo and the man before he left the room. "Make sure he stays alive. I''ll be back soon."


    Noah had a lot of questions in mind and he knew Mason was in no state to answer him, especially after he had broken his jaw, rendering him speechless. Now, the only person who could give him answers was Tim.


    For the past few weeks, since the time Tim had joined Noah, Noah''s men had monitored him carefully and diligently, trying to find out if he had any other motives behind approaching Noah. However, the man was determined to change for good and it was apparent in the way he behaved with everyone. So, Noah too softened his stance against him, although his men continued to follow him.


    Noah was not a man who allowed mistakes. Other than the time when he had trusted Caroline and had almost lost his life because of her, he had been cautious about the people around him. Though Caroline''s intentions had become evident to him right on the first day she had approached him, he had never expected her to hire a sharpshooter or to have joined hands with his father''s ex-wife and son.


    As always, Tim was practicing in the ring with a punching bag. He had become sturdier than before, and now he looked strong and capable even from far. Seeing Noah''s grim expression as he approached him, Tim knew that the matter was anything but small. Stopping his training, Tim held the punching bag as he waited for Noah to disclose the reason for his arrival.


    "Do you know Mason?" Noah cut the chase and came to the point directly. He did not have anything to lose from telling everything to Tim as he proved himself to be loyal and worthy. So, he did not hesitate to reveal what he had in mind.


    Tim frowned when he heard the name. He was familiar with a man by that name, but he was not sure if he was the one Noah was referring to. "I know someone by that name. But I am not certain if he is the one you are looking for." Tim replied in all honesty and observed Noah scowl.


    "Is the one you have in mind a doctor?" Noah fired his next question and this time, Tim nodded, wondering how had he found out about him.


    "Yes, why do you ask? Do you know him?" Tim''s question made Noah contemplate on certain things. He could not make out if the man was acting or if he genuinely did not know about Mason working with Ian.


    "I do actually," Noah stated and folded his hands as he observed Tim closely when he picked up a towel to wipe his face and neck.


    "How did you know him? I haven''t seen him for two years now and I don''t know where he has escaped to." Tim got down from the ring and took a slurp from his bottle.


    "Two years?" Noah''s confusion rose all the more and he did not know how to solve the puzzle he had been presented with out of nowhere. This matter was more complicated than he had even imagined. "You haven''t met him for two years." Noah continued not giving away about what he knew about Mason. He first wanted to get information from Tim before feeding him whatever he knew.


    "Yes, it was around three years ago when he had joined the gang. Jared had brought him personally. Unlike the other people who had to undergo a strict assessment to get selected into the gang, he was the only one who was given a green check without any procedure. He had become quite famous at that time."


    Tim stopped when he sensed Noah''s keen gaze on him. He knew that the man was still suspicious about him and he did not mind it. It was only sensible that he was doubtful about him, especially when he belonged to a rival and heinous gang, who resorted to any methods to get their things done in the past. Tim was an experienced man and he knew that Noah''s men were keeping a close look on him. Even though they had been careful enough to hide themselves before him, Tim could still sense them following him. And to an extent, he could guess why they were doing so and he was not irked by it.


    Seeing him stop, Noah raised an eyebrow and Tim continued. "It was later found out that Mason was a doctor and he had studied in the same university as Jared. Although I don''t know how far back their friendship goes, I know that it was Jared who helped Mason to get his certificate in medicine. Otherwise, the man would have never become a doctor."


    Tims'' words stunned Noah and this time, he did not hide his emotion. It was not the fact that Mason sought Jared''s help that shocked him. No. He was more astounded to find out that Ian''s hospital had appointed a man with no valid medical license and degree as a doctor. ''How did Ian do such a mistake? How is this possible? Who pushed him inside the hospital?'' Noah wondered when Tim''s voice killed his thoughts for the time being.


    "He stayed in the gang for two years and then one day, he vanished suddenly. Nobody knew where he went or what happened to him. Even Jared did not speak about him." Tim''s statement only added to the list of questions Noah had in mind and he stared behind the man, trying to come up with all possible scenarios.


    "By the way, how do you know Mason? Have you met him before?"


    "Yes, I have." Noah gave a short reply, making Tim nod at him, perplexed.


    "How do you know him?"


    "Coincidence," Noah answered, thinking about how circumstances led him to meet the man who was now lying in an isolated room with his jaw broken.


    "I see."


    After a long time, Noah decided to put forth his question, scrutinizing the man thoroughly. "Has Jared ever spoken about Regal Medical Hospital or Royal Hospital in front of the gang?"


    "Yes, I have him speak about them." Tim narrowed his eyes when he remembered how obsessed the wicked man was with these hospitals. However, he had no idea why. "Although I don''t know about the details and what he had with the two hospitals, I have heard him speak about them a lot of times."


    "Is it?" Noah leaned back slightly, curiously evident in his eyes. "What did he speak about? Do you remember?"


    "Yes, I do. It was not once or twice I have heard his declaration. It was as though he had made the declaration his life motto."


    "What declaration?"


    "He wanted to destroy Regal Medical Hospital and conquer Royal Hospital."

 Chapter 386: Tims warning

    "Jared wanted to destroy Regal Medical Hospital and conquer the Royal Hospital." Noah raised an eyebrow subtly after hearing Tim''s words. Although he knew of Jared''s crimes and his greed for power, he could not comprehend the reason for his behavior.


    ''Why does Jared want to destroy Regal Medical Hospital?'' He wondered and he voiced out the question, trying to curb his curiosity as much as possible. Noah knew that from Tim alone he would not be getting all the answers to the questions he had in mind. But he was sure that he would find something that would help him in his quest. ''Everything here is interlinked and I need to find out what else is involved in complicated matter?''


    "Although I am certain of the reason, it might be because he has a hunch about the owner of the hospital," Tim answered thinking through it carefully. "I have heard Jared speak about this matter and if I am not wrong, isn''t Dr. Ian Davis the owner of the hospital?"


    Tim''s question rendered Noah speechless for a moment. It was true that the hospital belonged to Ian. But this matter had been hidden to the public and nobody, other than the three friends and their families, knew about it. Even Ivy and Aria, who they were close to, were oblivious to the fact. It was not that they did not want to tell them. No. The matter was more dangerous and debauched than they had assumed and they did not want to drag the twins, whose lives were more precious to the men who doted upon them.


    "How did Jared know about this?" Noah''s question was the answer Tim needed and he was not surprised by the revelation. He had known long back how capable the three friends were and it was not a wonder that they had reached this level given their capabilities.


    "I don''t have an answer to this question of yours. I only know that Jared knows the truth about Ian''s background. He has tried many a times to defame Regal Medical Hospital but has been unsuccessful till now. Ian has been careful enough to avoid the man''s tricks."


    A frown made its way on Noah''s forehead and Tim did not miss it. "Did I say anything wrong?"


    "You said just now that Jared had attempted to defame Ian. But why don''t we know about it?" Noah asked, pondering over this issue slowly. ''If what Tim said was the truth, then why didn''t Ian tell me that he was facing problems in his hospital?''


    "If I am not wrong, these petty tricks of Jared must now have affected the hospital much. Or Dr. Davis must have handled all those issues brilliantly. So, maybe, none of you realized it to be a plot to find the mastermind behind them. Moreover, they were not planned properly and neither were they significant and destructive enough for you to be suspicious about it."


    Noah nodded and went into deep thoughts, arranging everything he had heard to form a coherent answer. He then remembered something Tim had told him. "What is his obsession with Royal Hospital?" If Jared had intentions of conquering the hospital, then his friend Ian would be facing some trouble soon. ''I need to alert Ian about it in case things go out of hand before we can even think about it.''


    "I am sorry again. I don''t know why he is interested in the Royal Hospital. However, I am certain that this has something to do with his Godfather. I have overheard him speaking on the phone when he took a call from his Godfather in front of me. They were discussing about the hospital."


    Although that was not the reply Noah was looking for, he did not blame Tim for not being of much help. He knew that Jared was a cyanic man and he trusted no one with his matters. There were high chances of him hiding the issues from his men in case things went wrong in the future. Noah secretly praised the man for his smartness, yet he could not help but scoff at the man who was being controlled like a puppet by this man called Godfather.


    Tim too thought about the matter and tried to rack his brain, wishing to find out anything he knew that could help Noah. "Ah yes," He exclaimed out loud, gaining Noah''s attention. "I know something that might be of your use."


    "And what might that be?" Noah leaned in, curiosity in him rising to another level.


    "Jared has men appointed in the management of all famous and top class hospitals. If possible, try to catch them before it is too late." Tim warned and Noah nodded. He already had a hunch about this matter as it was not easy for anybody to get inside Regal Medical Hospital as a doctor, especially not people like Mason. There had to be someone who had manipulated and pulled the man inside. Otherwise, with Ian''s supervision, it was impossible.


    "I understand. I will look into this matter thoroughly." Noah stated, slightly disappointed with the not so useful news.


    "Also, there is something else."


    This time, Noah did not put his hopes high. Yet, he listened to the man intently. "Jared is your arch-nemesis and if I am not wrong, he wants to get to you using your friends and sister."


    "What do you mean?" Noah narrowed his eyes, his calmness snapping suddenly at Tim''s words.


    "I mean what I am saying. Jared has taken a liking to your sister and I am not sure have genuine he is about her. But it all started as a plan to get to you. And, now he is aiming at Dr. Davis to hurt you. Though I have no idea how is he going to strike at Mr. Martin, I have a feeling that he has already set his plan into action."


    "And?" Noah prompted when he noticed that Tim wanted to continue.


    "And, take care of Ivy. By now, Jared must have found out about her relationship with Joshua and soon, he will take action against her. And maybe, Ivy might become the point for Jared to strike at Joshua."

 Chapter 387: Mia and the mole

    Noah returned to his office with a grave expression, his mind reeling in whatever he had heard from Tim. Although he had surmised and deduced most of the events on his own, he still was spooked to hear that Jared was about to strike at Ivy. Despite him making sure to keep an eye on her in case things went wrong, he could still not extinguish the nagging feeling that was eating his mind, unknowingly.


    ''Why do I feel something disastrous is just by the bay and waiting for the perfect time to strike us?'' He wondered, not noticing the girl who was swaying her way towards him. Noah had departed for his company after meeting Tim as he still had some work to finish regarding his hotel, which was to be inaugurated shortly. Aria''s sudden sickness had made him push all his matters for a few days and now he had to take care of the work as soon as possible.


    Noah was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice Mia sauntering towards him, swaying her hips seductively. Unlike him, his guard, Ronnie had been on alert and the moment he sensed the girl''s perfume from afar, he stood as a shield before Noah.


    Mia had seen Noah enter the office and immediately after, she had resumed her plan to speak to him. ''How long has it been since I last saw him?'' She thought to herself and pushed her hair behind her ear. Her eyes shone brightly seeing him and she rushed to meet him at once, not caring about herself. However, her excitement turned into annoyance when she noticed Ronnie walking in front of Noah, shielding the man she liked.


    A scowl made its way on her face and she narrowed her eyes hoping to burn the man who stood in between her and the man who had captured her heart. Although hesitant to proceed with her initial plan, Mia did not want to let go of the opportunity that had presented itself before her. However, to her surprise, even before she could take a step towards the man, Noah himself turned to her, looking at her in the eye.


    "Miss Stevenson, may I have a word with you in my cabin?" He asked, his face not revealing anything that was running in his mind. He had seen her the moment Ronnie had shifted to stand before him and he knew why he had done so.


    His words stunned the girl and she stared at him with starstruck eyes. This was the first time Noah spoke to her willingly and it was making her giddy and joyous. Her heart surged in happiness and she nodded her head in eagerness.


    "Good. Let''s meet after ten minutes and I hope you will be on time." Noah tapped at his watch, taking a small glance at the time. "I do not like people who are late for an appointment." He added and the girl nodded at him with elation.


    Not speaking another word more, Noah left the girl and got inside the elevator. "Ronnie."


    "Yes, Boss?"


    "Have you found out about the Stevensons and their new work?"


    "Yes, Boss and as you have predicted, Jared is helping them secretly," Ronnie replied at once. He had collected the information long back and he knew that Jared had joined hands with Mia and her father so that he could attack Noah.


    "I see. I guess it''s time to use the girl who does not seem as smart as her father." Noah muttered to himself, remembering what he had heard from Tim about the possible danger to Ivy''s life. ''I need to strike before the man does so first and Mia will be the chip that will help me in this mission."


    As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Noah called Shane and Ronnie. "Inform the marketing team that there will be a meeting at ten tomorrow. Also, make sure that they are ready with the final plan. We will proceed with the inauguration as decided before and I do not want any mistakes." Noah''s ordered and sat on his swiveling chair. "Also, don''t invite any media companies this time."


    "I understand, Boss." Shane jotted down all the instructions and replied politely. He knew why Noah had canceled the media involvement this time. Although inviting the media would only give them more exposure and praises, Noah had decided to use this opportunity to invite his own news agency. By doing so, he could grandly inaugurate not only his hotel but also his news agency.


    "One more thing." Shane was about to leave the room when Noah stopped him. "We have a mole working in our company. Find him, he is working for Jared."


    Shane stood frozen for a moment when he heard Noah''s words. Although the employees at the Carter Enterprise were capable and skilled, they could not rule out the possibility of having a mole who worked for their rivals. ''Who could be daring enough to compete with Boss and irk him?'' Shane thought to himself and took his leave, making up his mind to track the mole before he caused any destruction to his Boss.


    Seeing Ronnie''s question filled gaze, Noah raised his eyebrows. "Ronnie, do you have something to ask?"


    "Yes, Boss." The man answered. His mind was filled with questions and he was sure that he would not be able to rest until he got his answers.


    "Sir, why do you think there is a mole in our company?"


    "How do you think Mia Stevenson got inside our company if there was nobody helping her from inside?" Noah put forth a question of his own and Ronnie nodded his head, understanding what his Boss was hinting at. "Also, Mia is just a distraction Jared has sent to us. His actual work is being carried out by this mole of his." Noah revealed. Tim had detailed him about Jared''s plan to destroy Noah and also about the man in his company, who was secretly following Jared''s orders. Unfortunately, Tim did not know who the mole was. Otherwise, it would have been easier for Noah to remove the man from his company.


    Ronnie wanted to ask more. However, a knock at the door interrupted him. "You can ask me later, Ronnie."


    Mia entered after getting Noah''s acceptance, with a coy smile on her smile and she licked her lips lightly trying to entice the man before her. However, Noah''s eyes were fixed on the laptop before him to notice the girl''s attempts at seducing him. That did not mean, Ronnie had not seen it. Her little actions disgusted him and he had the urge to escape from the room. Her mere presence and her strong, pungent-smelling fragrance was making him nauseous.


    "Miss Stevenson," Noah started, his cold and distant. "I have some questions to ask you and I hope you will be honest with me."


    Mia''s powdered face brightened up and she smiled, showing off her teeth, waiting for Noah to see her. However, the man was busy, trying to get rid of the image he had seen when Mia had entered the room a few seconds ago. Her powdered face and her red lipstick made her a vicious witch and Noah was not ready to retake a look at her lest he should get a heart attack seeing her hideous face.


    "Definitely, Mr. Carter. I will reply to all your questions." Mia replied, not losing her smile even for a second.


    "In that case, tell me. Why did you join the Carter Enterprise?"

 Chapter 388: Noah interrogates Mia - Part 1

    "In that case, tell me. Why did you join the Carter Enterprise?" Noah questioned and this time, he painstakingly stared at Mia, trying to calm his heart. However, he had underestimated the girl''s unsightly makeup filled face. The moment his eyes fell on her, he had the urge to throw her out of the room.


    Mia''s frowned on listening to his confusing question. "I don''t understand, Mr. Carter. I joined here to gain knowledge and experience."


    "I see. But, why do I feel that you are lying to me? Are you hiding something from me?" Noah interlocked his fingers and glowered at her, his intimidating eyes making her fidget in her place. Noah had not even offered her a seat to calm her nerves down. So, she could not stop herself from trembling as the man''s domineering gaze was too much for her to bear.


    "No-No. Mr. Carter, I am not lying. I-I..."


    "You lying to me again, Miss Stevenson. I know the reason why you are here and on whose orders." Noah declared and immediately after, Mia broke out into a cold sweat. Her legs were about to give away in fear and she had to put a lot of effort to stay still and remain sober.


    ''Does he know about Jared and my father''s deal? Is he talking about this matter or I am thinking too far about it?'' Mia thought and darted a glance at Ronnie who raised an eyebrow at her, amusement lingering in his wise eyes. He folded his hands waiting for her to continue and he tilted his head slightly in a teasing manner.


    ''I must be paranoid. He must be talking about something else.'' Mia took a deep breath and tried to soothe her raging heart. But Noah''s next words poured cold water on her expectations.


    "What did Jared order you to do?" Noah threw his question at her and Mia lost her voice, unable to prepare a coherent reply to his accusation. "I hope you will not lie to me this time as I hate liars. So, think before you speak another word and think twice." Noah warned her and Mia gulped in fear. Noah''s menacing eyes made her avert her eyes and she stayed mum for a long time.


    Noah too did not force her to speak up and he continued with his work, not pitying her for her misery. She was the one who plotted against him and Noah was not a saint to forget and forgive people who tried to plot against him and his family.


    Mia glanced at Noah who seemed to have forgotten about her presence as he indulged in his work. Ronnie too was busy with his work. To them, she was nothing but the wall hanging. Her legs started to ache as time ticked by and after an hour or so, he stood up, making Mia look up at him hopefully.


    "Miss Stevenson, you can think through it here. Ronnie will stay with you until you give us an answer. You are not allowed to leave until you answer all my questions." Noah deadpanned, his eyes cold and furious. He buttoned his suit and took a step towards the door only to be stopped by Mia.


    "Noah-I mean, Mr. Carter, please wait." She held his hand stopping him from moving forward. The next second, she retrieved her hand back seeing the man''s vexed expression. "I am sorry."


    Noah patted his sleeves and took a step away from Mia. "Have you finally decided to speak up, Miss Stevenson? Although I have all the time in the world, right now, I cannot entertain you any longer. I have a meeting to attend, unlike someone who is as free as one could be, plotting against someone behind their backs."


    Noah''s harsh words made Mia flinch and she closed her eyes for a second. ''He is right. I am only deceiving him by plotting behind his back. I love him and it is not right for me to trick him this way.'' Thinking through it thoroughly, Mia made a decision and Noah saw how the expressions varied on her face.


    "Mr. Carter, I am willing to reveal everything I know. But..."


    "You are not in a state to negotiate with me, Miss Stevenson. Just answer my questions and if I am satisfied, I will not file a lawsuit against you." Noah resorted to his last trick and it took effect immediately. Mia''s face paled and she gaped at the man in shock. She had never been this horrified before, not even when her father had made her meet Jared to discuss his plan to ruin Noah.


    Noah could guess what was running in his mind and he sighed lightly. "I know why you are hesitant to speak up. Let me assure you something. I will not allow anything to happen to you if that makes you relived, but I cannot say the same about your father."


    Noah knew that unlike Mia, who cooperated with Jared so that she could get closer to Noah, her father had another reason altogether. The man was wicked and greedy and it was no wonder that he had sold his own daughter to the devil. Mia was a dumb girl, who was head over heels with and Noah already knew about her feelings for him. However, she was not a bad woman. She did not have ill intentions against anyone, nor did she try to harm anybody, not yet at least. So, he had no reason to torture her. But that did not mean he did not have his eyes and ears on her.


    People changed faster than the sun would rise and set and he did not want to take any risk, not when it involved his love life and his sweetheart, Aria. He would never allow anyone to harm the girl he loved the most.


    Mia took a deep breath before she stared back at him with confidence. "Mr. Carter, when I failed to sign the deal with your company, our company was already under loss. My father did not know how to salvage the situation and at that time, it was Jared who approached us. He gave a helping hand and signed the deal with us, providing us the funds needed for the new project as well as to keep the company afloat."


    Seeing the girl reveal everything, Noah stopped her suddenly. "This might take some time. Shall we take a seat and talk?" Noah held out his hand and Mia nodded. They took their seats and Noah pushed forward the unopened bottle of water towards her seeing her nervous state.


    "Ronnie, move the meeting to an hour later." He ordered and Ronnie immediately left to follow his orders.


    "Where were we before I interrupted you?" Noah then fixed his attention on her, this time, not that offended by her makeup filled face.

 Chapter 389: Noah interrogates Mia - Part 2

    "Where were we before I interrupted you?" Noah fixed his gaze on Mia and the girl fidgeted in her seat, trying not to stare at him. Although she was ready to reveal everything she knew, she was still unable to face him in the eye. The man was too domineering and intimidating for her to stay in his presence. She did not have the courage to face him, nor did she have the courage to run away from the room.


    "Miss Stevenson, I know it can be too overwhelming to divulge the truth at this moment. But I hope that you will be honest with me. You have no option out of it nor will I give you a way to get out of this. So, it''s best that Miss Stevenson speaks up and makes this less stressful." Noah suggested and Mia clasped her hands, which slowly turned clammy with sweat.


    Noah could sense her nervousness and he sighed lightly. "Miss Stevenson, if you are not going to speak up, then let''s..." He started only to be interrupted by Mia.


    "Mr. Carter, as I said before, after I failed to close the deal with your company, we did not know how to overcome the predicament we were in. I don''t know how Jared found out about our troubles and he offered a helping hand to my father." Mia started and Noah fixed his concentration on her, observing her closely.


    Noah was not a man who believed people that easily and he knew that trusting Mia''s words at this time was not something he could take a risk on. ''I need to be careful. She could make up a story to just convince me and escape from the situation. I cannot allow her to do so.'' He thought to himself. ''Also, she might just be acting on Jared''s orders and feeding me lies.''


    "My father did not have any other choice but to take his help and in return, he had a request for us to comply to," Mia continued and took a sip from the bottle of water.


    "And, what might the request be?" Noah questioned, as gently as possible. However, it still came out cold and distant. The only person who could evoke gentleness from him, other than his family was Aria and her family. Everybody else was just strangers and they held no significance in his life.


    "He wanted me to enter Carter Enterpirse and become his mole. Jared wanted me to relay the company secrets to him." Mia answered and the next moment, she saw the changes in Noah''s eyes. Although the man was trying hard to suppress it, she could see still feel his anger.


    "Did you follow his request and go against the company protocols?" Noah gritted his teeth and questioned, making Mia cower in her seat. The poor girl had no idea that the man was putting up an act as the situation asked for and it was all a ploy Noah was making use of to make the girl succumb to his pressure.


    The girl remained silent, her guilty eyes not daring to look at Noah. She knew that man would lash out at her for her actions and he had the right to do. She had done a crime by selling out the company secrets and documents just for her gains and she deserved her punishment.


    "Miss Stevenson, I would appreciate it if you would answer my questions honestly." Noah folded his hands and leaned forward, pressuring the girl all the more. "I have no intentions of hurting you. So, don''t make me change my decisions. I am asking you gently and patiently. Don''t trigger my anger, you will not be able to bear the consequences." He warned her, his voice calm and low. However, it was effective as Mia trembled in fear.


    "I am sorry, Mr. Carter. I apologize for I did." Mia lowered her head, agreeing to her Boss''s claims.


    "We will talk about this topic, later. Let me ask my next question." Noah observed the girl who was sweating lightly as she licked her dry lips in nervousness. "How did you get into Carter Enterpise? Who helped you to enter inside?"


    His question stunned Mia and she raised her head at once. "What?" She queried, her heart beat rising as seconds ticked by. ''How did he find out? Who told him? Did that person... No, no, no. That''s impossible.''


    "Miss Stevenson, I have checked your profile and I know better than anyone else if you are a suitable candidate or not. And let me be honest here. Given you skills and experience, you are nowhere near suitable for the position you are working in right now." Mia''s heart deflated on hearing his words and her eyes lost the spirit she had in them, even though she was under pressure.


    Noah observed this subtle change and he continued, "But that does not mean Miss Stevenson is not fit to work at Carter Enterpise at all." Mia raised her head at once and she gaped at him, shock and excitement evident on her face.


    "Miss Stevenson, although you are unfit for the job you are at right now, your profile is more than enough for the entry level jobs. You need to be trained thoroughly and once you gain experience, I am sure that you will excel beyond you can even imagine." Noah added, not wanting to scare the girl more.


    Noah was not a man who was stingy with praises, especially when his employees worked diligently. He had seen Mia''s working style. Although she lazed around, throwing tantrums at her colleagues, she still did her work. However, the only problem was that she had to be reprimanded thoroughly for her put her mind to work.


    Even though Noah did not tolerate such behavior at his work place, he was giving a way out for the girl who had decided to come clean before him. If she was willing to do as he wanted, he would allow her to stay and help her in her career. Otherwise, he would kick her out the moment he found her useless.


    "Now, tell me. Who helped you to get inside the company?"


    Mia stared at the man before her for a while, wondering what to do. She knew that nothing but truth would help in the situation she was in. So, she decided to tell him everything. "It was your grandfather, Jonathan Carter, who helped me enter the company."

 Chapter 390: Noah interrogates Mia - Part 3

    "It was your grandfather, Jonathan Carter, who helped me enter the company," Mia answered and this time, she made sure to keep her eyes fixed on Noah. She knew that her reply would come as a shock for a man. However, it was the truth, and she would not deny it even if she were threatened.


    Noah narrowed his eyes, glowering at her by her audacity. His demeanor had changed at once and Mia could sense the anger radiating from him. The man looked like a ferocious beast ready to rip off her head for her courageous stunt which was nothing but the truth.


    "How dare you!!" Noah seethed and Mia shivered in her seat. Although the temperature in the room was not too low, she could still feel chills run down her spine and goosebumps formed on her skin, all because of Noah and his fury.


    Although Mia wanted to clear her stance, she was rendered speechless seeing Noah''s raging face. She could only gape at him in horror hoping against hope to continue living by the end of the day.


    "Mr. Carter, I know you will not believe me. But it is the truth. It was Mr. Jonathan Carter, who helped me get my job. You can ask him..." Mia stopped immediately when Noah stood up suddenly. His sudden action caused his chair to slide backward and hit the window behind him.


    "Miss Stevenson, do you even realize what you are speaking? I must applaud your courage to lie and that too about my grandfather. You sure are seeking your death." Noah slammed his fists on the table and leaned forward. "How dare you lie to me?"


    Mia shrank in her chair and stared back at Noah in apprehension. "No-Mr. Carter, I am not lying. It was truly your grandfather who pulled the strings behind the scenes. You can ask him if you want. I am..."


    "Innocent?" Noah completed her words and immediately after, he let out a sinister laugh. By now, tears had formed on Mia''s eyes and they were on the verge of falling down. She did not know what words of hers had pissed him off and most importantly, how to calm him. The situation had gone beyond redemption and she could only hope for someone to help her escape from this suffocating place.


    "Mr. Carter, please trust me. I am not lying. It was really your grandfather..."


    Noah pressed on the intercom. "Ronnie, come inside. I have some work for you." Ronnie who had been working with Shane regarding their project, jumped up at once on receiving Noah''s call. He could detect the coldness in his Boss''s voice and he wondered what had happened for him to lose his temper.


    ''That useless woman must have triggered Boss''s anger. I am sure she must have done something dumb and brainless.'' He cursed her silently and after giving Shane a curt nod, he left to meet Noah.


    "Boss, did you call for me?" He queried, as soon as he entered the room, in anticipation. However, what he saw stunned him the most. He had already sensed his Boss''s anger to be over the roof on the phone. The scene before him confirmed the same. Noah was glowering at Mia while the girl in question was crying hysterically as she wiped her tears.


    "Ronnie, take her away. She is unfit to be here and let her witness what happens to people who lie to me." He ordered, not looking at his man. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Mia who was trying to stop making any sound in fear. But Noah''s words stupefied her and she sprang to her the next moment.


    "Mr. Carter, you cannot do this. You cannot be unjust to me. I am telling you the truth. Why don''t you believe me?" She questioned, her voice raising an octave. This was the first time Mia was raising her voice in front of Noah and Ronnie was stunned to hear her argue. Although he could not comprehend what was happening and question marks rose in his mind, it was his duty to follow his Boss''s orders. So, he approached her silently, ready to drag her away.


    But Mia was quick enough to move away from Ronnie, shielding herself from his grasp. "Mr. Carter, you are not being fair. I am being completely honest with you, and you are treating my words to be rubbish. Please give it a thought and allow me to explain." Mia begged and took a step away from Ronnie, who had stopped moving when she started to plead for her life.


    "Unfair you say? Say, Ronnie. Would you believe it if someone tells you that my grandfather helped Miss Stevenson to enter our company? Would you believe that grandfather pulled some strings for this woman to get a job?" Noah directed his gaze at Ronnie and the man shook his head as a reply.


    "Impossible, Boss. Old Master would never do such things and even if he did, he would never forget to inform us about it. This woman is clearly lying." Ronnie spat and Noah raised his eyebrow at Mia.


    "Do you want somebody else to prove you wrong, Miss Stevenson? Ronnie and I know my grandfather more than you do and it is impossible for him to do such things without informing me about it. So, cut your crap and stop acting. Nobody is going to buy it." Noah gritted his teeth and flicked his fingers and this time, Ronnie did not hesitate to hold the girl''s elbow.


    "Mr. Carter, please trust me. Stop pulling me." Mia shrieked and tried to push the man who was dragging her towards the door. However, his strength was more than she had imagined. She could not push him even an inch.


    "Mr. Carter, how about this? Why don''t you call your grandfather and ask him about it? We will find out everything after his testification. If he puts me in wrong, then you can do as you please with me. But I hope you will listen to me if he accepts my claims and let me warn you beforehand, I am not lying." Mia stated, her eyes unwavering and strong.


    This was the first time he was seeing such confidence in the girl and for a second, he wondered if he had wrongly implicated the girl. ''What if she is telling the truth? What if grandfather has really helped her?'' He thought to himself. His stupor broke when he heard the girl''s next words.


    "Mr. Carter, there is nothing harm in finding out the truth. It''s just a phone call and you will know the reality. Please." The girl''s stance softened as she pleaded and Noah decided to trust her this once.


    ''Why does it seem like the girl is saying the truth? If not, she would not have pressed on this issue this boldly.'' Noah observed Mia and from her actions, he could deduce that she was utterly confident about the outcome whatsoever. "Fine, Miss Stevenson." Ronnie stopped moving at once hearing Noah''s words and released his grasp on her. He took a step back giving her the space she needed.


    "I will place a call to my grandfather. Let us see how much truthfulness do your words hold."

 Chapter 391: Grandpas assurance

    "Hello," Jonathan''s strong voice reverberated on the phone. "You brat, have you forgotten me once you got a girlfriend? Why haven''t you come to meet me these past few weeks?" He jested, and Ronnie stifled a smile. Whenever his Boss and his Old Master met, it would be amusing to the onlookers. They behaved like small kids, pulling each other''s legs.


    Noah rolled his eyes hearing his grandfather''s mockery. He did not care much about the old man who loved to tease him. However, the one who was stunned the most was Mia. Since the phone was on speaker, she could hear every exchange between the two men. ''Girl-girlfriend? Did I just hear that Noah has a girlfriend?'' She clasped her fingers tightly and her gaze changed, which Noah did not notice. But Ronnie did not miss it, and his eyes rose subtly, observing her closely.


    "Grandpa," Noah tried to focus on the matter at hand. However, Jonathan interrupted him, not allowing him to speak further.


    "Tell me, quick. How far are you in making babies with that girl? What''s her name by the way? Ahh, Aria, is it? Tell me, tell me." Jonathan''s excited voice sounded from the phone and every word of his was a hard strike to Mia''s heart. Her face paled and tears formed in her eyes.


    "Grandpa," Noah sighed lightly, unable to believe his old man who was hellbent on ordering him to make babies with Aria. It was not like he could make her pregnant without doing anything. ''I have not gone beyond the first base, let alone infuse my sperm in her body.


    "Don''t tell me that you are still crawling when it comes to matters like these?" Jonathan roared on the phone and Noah rubbed his forehead, his head starting to ache slowly. "Have you done the deed with that girl or not?" His shameless words made Ronnie chuckle lightly and at once, Noah sent a warning glare to him. Seeing Noah''s angry gaze, he made an action of zipping his mouth and tried as hard as possible to stifle his laughter.


    "Grandpa, I have some important matters to discuss with you." Noah tried to bring up the actual topic. However, the old man was having none of it.


    "What could be more important than giving me great-grandkids? Don''t try to deviate from the topic. I need answers and I need them now. When will I play with your child?"


    "Grandpa, we are on speaker and everybody around me is listening to our conversation," Noah stated and took a look at the girl in front of him. Her complexion had gone pale and she seemed to be trying hard to control herself from breaking down. Noah knew why she was in this state, yet he did not do anything to console her. ''It is best she stops whatever she has for me before it becomes too late. She must know the truth today so that she can move ahead in life.''


    There was a moment of silence from the other side and Noah took a breath of relief, only to hear his grandfather chide him. "So what? Let them hear. They too must know how unfilial of a grandson you are and let them give you a good hearing on my behalf. I am getting old and my wish is to see great-grandkids soon. Being my grandson, it is your duty to fulfill my wish."


    "Grandpa, I am not the only grandkid you have." Noah reminded the old man and Jonathan chuckled lightly, making him wonder what had happened.


    "I know. I am not worried about Rachel. She is still young. It is you I am worried about, you unfilial brat."


    "Grandpa, I will talk about this matter later. I have something important to ask." Noah stopped him once again. But as usual, Jonathan was having none of it.


    "What? Don''t tell me you want to ask me how to make babies?" This time, Ronnie could not control himself any longer and he started laughing out loud like a maniac. Even a glare from his Boss could not stop him. "Listen you, unfilial brat. If you want more information on this matter, watch some videos. There are a lot of them on the internet. Use any method you wish, but I want results. And I want them soon. Do you underst..."


    "Do you know Mia Stevenson?" Noah threw his question before his old man could embarrass himself more and Jonathan stopped speaking at once.


    "Who?" Jonathan''s voice lowered significantly and Noah shook his head in disbelief.


    "Mia Stevenson. Have you heard about her?" Noah repeated and this time, Jonathan took a long time to respond. By now, Noah and Ronnie had guessed what might the answer be. But they still waited for the old man to contradict their guesses.


    "I know her. Why do you ask?" Jonathan answered and immediately, the two men glanced at Mia, who seemed absent minded. She was lost in thoughts to notice the weird expressions on the men around her.


    "Grandfather, were you the one who helped her enter the company?" Noah threw his next question and his worst fears came true when he heard his grandfather speak.


    "Yes, I helped her enter the company." His stoic reply stunned Noah and he was speechless for a long time.


    "But, why grandpa? Are you hiding something from me?" He queried, his cool demeanor cracking in disbelief. ''Why did grandpa help Mia? Is he related her or even worse, to Jared? Why did he not inform me about it?'' For the first time in his life, Noah was doubting his grandfather and the feeling left a bitter taste in his heart.


    "Noah, come home. I''ll tell everything you want to know." Jonathan said, his tone turning serious all of a sudden and Noah''s confidence fell even more. Jonathan realized that his words were sure misleading when he did not hear any word of protest from his grandson. So, he did not forget to add, "But I assure my son, I have not done anything for you to lower your head or feel ashamed of me. I have not done anything wrong. So, you do not have to worry."


    That was all it took for the glint to return to Noah''s eyes. And his sorrow and confusion vanished in a moment. ''If grandpa says so, then I am certain he must have had his reasons.''

 Chapter 392: Distracted Noah

    Although Noah wanted to rush over to his grandfather to know what he was hiding, he still had two meetings to attend. And he could not postpone them any longer. Aria''s sickness had stopped all his work and now, he had to deal with all the piled up work to get back on track. He was running behind schedule and he was done relaxing.


    After finishing his call with his grandfather, Noah had sent the absent-minded Mia away. Though he was guilt-ridden for blaming her, he did not apologize to her, not because it hurt his ego. No. He still had questions and until he got the answer to them, he was not willing to seek her forgiveness.


    During the entire meeting, Noah was distracted and his concentration wavered every few minutes. Even though the marketing team had come up with a brilliant strategy to promote their new hotel Arvy, Noah''s lack of response and pensive behavior made them apprehensive. They could not help but wonder if they had failed again at their job. This was the seventh proposal they had come up with and the previous ones had been rejected mercilessly by Noah before.


    Ronnie noticed the pleading looks the other employees were giving him while they waited for Noah''s reply. His gaze fell on his Boss and he sighed lightly. He could guess what was running in his Boss''s mind and he did not blame him for his lost thoughts. It was quite rare of his Boss to be distracted during a meeting and since it was an issue that mattered to Noah, it justified his behavior all the more.


    ''Boss is so distracted today. I haven''t seen him this worried before, not even when Madame had given a cold shoulder when the truth about her father had come out in the open. I hope everything is fine.'' He thought to himself and darted a small glance at the other members in the conference hall.


    The marketing team had done a great job and he himself felt their planning to be perfect and well thought. However, his lone acceptance was not what decided how the company worked. His Boss had to agree with it and accept it.


    "Umm, Boss." He cleared his throat, trying to gain his Boss''s attention. However, it did not work and Noah continued to stare far ahead. "Boss," He tried again only to meet the same result. Not knowing what to do, he thought of a plan and hoped against hope it would work. "Boss, Madam is here to meet you." He stated and at once, Noah''s stupor broke.


    Noah blinked and he looked around only to meet the curious glances of his employees. He was in a daze and he could not comprehend where he was. "Did you say something?" He questioned Ronnie, who seemed to be relieved on getting his Boss''s attention, when his eyes fell on him.


    "Not at all Boss. I was just calling you." Ronnie lied significantly. However, Noah''s next words stunned him to the core.


    "Then, why did I hear about Aria from you?" He questioned, with his brows raised.


    Ronnie''s eyes widened at once and he gaped at his Boss in wonder and awe, a small amount of fear lingering in the sides. ''How did he hear about Madam? He did not listen to anything else during the presentation. But as soon as I spoke about Madam, he reacted at once. Is Madam''s name an attention-seeking trick I must use from now on?'' He wondered and smiled to himself.


    "Why are you smiling?" Noah did not miss the time-lapse in Ronnie''s response as well as his subtle raise of lips. "Did something happen?"


    Flabbergasted, Ronnie was once again speechless and he wondered how to get out of the situation he was in. He then remembered the employees who were waiting for Noah''s approval and he cleared his throat, donning on his business smile. "Boss, about the business proposal...." Ronnie stopped suddenly, not knowing how to continue.


    "Send me the minutes and the recordings. I will look over them when I am free and review them. Thank you everyone for your hard work." Noah praised them, giving them a curt nod before he got up and buttoned his suit. "And yes, I have a surprise for all of you once our hotel''s inauguration is successful. I am sure all of you will love it." Noah smirked at them, throwing everybody off guard.


    Even Ronnie was stunned by the declaration and he gawked at his Boss for a few seconds, until Noah retraced his footsteps when he sensed his absence behind him. "Ronnie, I think we were supposed to be leaving the room. Or do you have other plans in the conference hall?"


    "Boss?" Ronnie was startled and he stared around in confusion. However, Noah did nothing to clear his doubts and he started walking. This time, Ronnie followed him immediately and all the employees in the conference room looked at one another, shock and excitement evident in their faces.


    They were shocked by Noah''s weird behavior, yet were excited by the surprise he had mentioned a few minutes back. But there was another emotion that was running in their minds, worry. They were worried about Noah''s approval and hoped for him to pass their plan at one shot, without throwing it back on their faces for lack of quality work.


    An hour later, Ronnie and Noah reached the Carter mansion where Noah''s parents and Jonathan resided. Ronnie had driven the car like a mad man seeing his Boss losing patience as time ticked by and he did not want to be the one to face his wrath, not when he had no idea what was happening.


    All the workers of the mansion greeted Noah seeing him enter and he nodded at them curtly. Even though he was impatient at that moment, he did not forget to greet them as they worked for him, and without them, he was sure that he could never reach the level he was in. Although he was not that great at expressing his emotions, except with Aria, he was still grateful to them in his heart.


    "Where is grandpa?" Noah cut the chase and asked the head butler who was ordering the maids around.


    "Old Master is in the orchid garden and he has a guest with him." The butler replied with a polite smile.


    "What about Mom and Dad?"


    "Madam and Sir are attending a charity ball at the City Council Hall."


    Noah did not waste another second and approached the orchid garden. This was the place his grandfather had personally designed for his grandmother as a gift of proposal. And it held a great place in Jonathan''s heart. It was where he had proposed and married the love of his life.


    However, Noah was in no mood to admire the beauty of the place as he usually did. This time, he was here on a mission, a mission to get answers. He heard sounds of laughter from the garden as he neared it and he wondered who his grandfather was talking to. But as soon as he approached the seating area, he halted in his feet when he saw the person sitting beside his grandfather, sipping on his tea. ''Why didn''t the butler inform me that Joshua''s father was here?''

 Chapter 393: Silent threats

    ''When did Uncle Martin return from Canada? Why didn''t Jo tell me?'' Noah wondered, while his feet took him towards the two men who seemed to be laughing over a matter he did not know. His sudden, unannounced appearance startled them and they stared at him for a few seconds before they burst out laughing again.


    "Ah, Noah, when did you return?" Jonathan chided in between his smiles as he pulled the young man to sit beside him.


    "A moment ago. When did you return from Canada, Uncle Martin?"


    "Two days back," Martin replied, taking a sip of his tea, his wise eyes observing Noah carefully.


    "Why didn''t Joshua inform me of your return? I would have come to meet you soon if I had known about it."


    "Don''t. My boy doesn''t know about me being here, yet." Martin replied in panic, his gaze turning serious all of a sudden.


    "What? Why would you keep your return a secret from your own son?" Noah was confused by the man''s words and he looked back and forth between the two older men.


    "My son wanted me to stay in Canada for a few more weeks and he had even warned me to not return until he said so. But..." Martin lowered his head guiltily and Noah let out a helpless chuckle.


    "But you returned against his words and now, you don''t know how to face him. Am I right?"


    Martin nodded and sighed lightly. "I couldn''t not go against Hazel''s words. She wanted to see her son badly and you know how bad her threats are." Martin looked like a lost kid, not knowing what to do. He was stuck between his wife and son and this time, Noah sympathized with him completely. "I don''t know how to face him now that we have returned to the country."


    "I might have a solution for that." Noah declared, his mind coming up with a wicked plan to torture Joshua. ''Why should I be the only one be pestered for kids? Let him go through the same treatment and demands I have to put up from my grandfather." A sinister smile made its way on his face and he looked at Martin calmly.


    "What solution do you have for this? Tell me fast. Tell me." The man seemed excited all of a sudden and Jonathan chuckled, seeing his strange behavior. But he did not stop him from asking. He too wanted to know what solution Noah had come up with that could help Martin deal with his son.


    The Carters knew why Martin and Hazel had gone to Canada. After Joshua''s previous failed relationship with Amber, he had gone into depression and unable to see her son this weak and miserable, Hazel had suggested moving to Canada until he returned to his happy self. Although Joshua did return to his usual self, he did not get into any serious relationships thereafter, nor was he interested in getting married.


    Every time, this topic was brought up, Joshua would end up getting frustrated and angry. So, the couple had decided to ward off the topic for a few months. But Joshua knew that this was a topic he had to face someday, and unable to gain the courage to do so, he had flown back to the city from Canada overnight.


    Although almost considerable time had passed since the issue, Joshua had prohibited his parents from returning home lest they should start pestering him regarding this issue again. Now that, his parents were back, Jonathan could not help but pity the boy as well as his parents for what lay ahead for them. While Jo would be pestered again, his parents too would have to face their son''s anger for ignoring his requests and returning without informing him.


    Seeing that he had both men''s attention, Noah poured himself a cup of tea and leaned back leisurely, his face cryptic, yet arrogant. Martin and Jonathan waited for him to speak up. But after seeing his arrogance and silence, they could not wait any longer, especially Jonathan.


    "Why aren''t you speaking? Tell us what idea do you have for Martin to tackle his son." Jonathan urged while Noah took a sip. Although he was not an avid lover of tea, he still loved the tea his grandfather drank. There was something different and unique in its taste compared to the other teas he had tasted.


    ''Why does this tea taste this excellent today?'' Noah''s gaze fell on his grandfather who seemed to be on tenterhooks to make him speak and get his answer. His grandfather''s irked face was beyond entertaining for him and Noah decided to put the matter related to Mia for some time and have his share of fun. ''What do you think old man, only you could tease me and annoy me? See how I will take care of you.''


    Jonathan did not miss the look of provocation in his grandson''s eyes and he blinked several times to see if he was imagining things. ''Why is he staring at me in a strange manner? Is he trying to incite some reaction from me?'' He wondered, and widened his eyes asking Noah silently, ''What?''


    Noah only chuckled, making the situation more mysterious, and finally, unable to control himself any longer, Martin snapped. "Noah, are you playing with us? Tell us if you have a solution to deal with ye son, or else..." He lowly threatened him, which did not affect the man in question anyway. He knew Martin was only vexed and he had no other intentions.


    "Or else?" Noah lifted his eyebrows and tilted his head innocently, his eyes not leaving Jonathan. This time, the old man realized what was happening. His grandson was targeting him, not Martin. ''Are you targeting me?'' He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes, questioning him silently.


    ''What if I am? What will you do?'' Noah shrugged his shoulders indifferently, annoying him all the more.


    ''You...Wait, let me teach you a lesson.'' Jonathan warned.


    ''And, how will you do that?''


    ''I will..I will...'' Jonathan looked around, trying to find something or even someone who could help him deal with his stubborn of a grandson.


    Noah smiled on realizing what was running in his head. ''You will do what?'' He raised his eyebrows twice at him playfully, adding petrol to the fire.


    Jonathan clenched his fists, breathing out fire through his nose. ''I will not back down. I need to... Wait a minute. I knew exactly what to do.'' He then pulled out his phone and scrolled through it.


    Noah observed the myriad of expressions that appeared across the old man''s face and he waited in anticipation to see what he was up to. ''Try as you may, old man. This time, you cannot win me.'' Oh boy, how wrong he was. As soon as Jonathan showed his phone to him, Noah''s expression changed completely and he pulled forward at once.


    ''How did he? When did he...When did he get Aria''s number?'' Noah raised his eyes and noticed his grandfather''s smug face, which was declaring war on him.


    ''If you will not speak even now, am I going to complain to Aria and she will take care of you.''


    ----------


    Hello everyone,


    I apologize for the long delay in the updates. The last month had been quite stressful for me. Some mishap happened back home and it became very difficult for me to write. I hope you will forgive me this once and thank you for your patience.


    Currently, I am preparing a stockpile for mass release. I will inform you about the same once I complete the chapters.


    Thank you very much for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience.

 Chapter 394: Strange banter

    ''If you will not speak even now, am I going to complain to Aria and she will take care of you.'' Jonathan smiled cheekily at seeing his grandson''s irked expressions. ''Now, what will you do?''


    ''Don''t you dare complain to her.'' Noah wanted him, shaking his head slightly and thought to himself, ''I don''t know how Aria will react to getting a call from grandpa. And, I don''t know what she will do to me once this old man complains to her. I need to be careful.'' Noah''s eyes lingered on his grandpa''s smug face and he gritted his teeth.


    ''What if she falls for his tricks and she actually... No.'' Noah screamed in his mind on imagining the scenario in his mind. ''I cannot allow it and I will not allow it.''


    ''See, I got you where I wanted.'' Jonathan stuck out his tongue and Noah rolled his eyes at his grandpa''s childishness.


    ''My sweetheart will not listen to your nonsense.'' He counterattacked.


    ''What if she did? Shall we test it out?'' Jonathan held his phone and was just a step ahead of dialing her number when Noah stopped him.


    "No, don''t." Noah stopped him at once. ''I cannot allow this old man to call her. I need to be careful. He is full of tricks. What if my darling falls for it?''


    "What is wrong with you two?" Martin intervened when things were going out of hand between the duo. He was oblivious to everything that was happening between the two, although he had not missed their strange banter. "Why are you behaving weird and abnormal?"


    "Nothing, Martin. I was just reminding someone of someone''s presence." Jonathan uttered, breaking his gaze away from Noah.


    "Who? What are you talking about? I don''t understand." Martin looked back and forth between Noah and Jonathan. "Leave it for now. Noah," He leaned forward and tried to pull the two back to the issue at hand. "What do you have in mind? How can I deal with my stubborn son?"


    His hopeful gaze made Noah soften up. "I''ll tell you about it and I am sure that the matter is going to make you happy and excited." His words only added more to Martin''s eagerness and he urged Noah to hurry up.


    "Now I can''t wait to hear what it is. Noah, stop keeping me in the dark and speak up."


    "Uncle, you could use the pretext that you found out about his girlfriend for you to return home," Noah suggested with a small shrug and leaned back, waiting for the bomb he had thrown at the two men to explode and for the dust to settle.


    Martin sat frozen in his seat while Jonathan looked as though he had been struck by a thunderbolt. Silence engulfed the garden and neither of them spoke for a long time. Seeing them speechless and stupefied, Noah pulled out his phone and checked the message Aria had sent him.


    ''I am working overtime today. Will be late.''


    Noah smiled seeing her text and he replied at once. ''Sure, I will wait for you. Did you have your lunch?''


    Surprisingly, he got his reply immediately. ''Yes, I did.''


    ''Good girl.''


    ''Canteen food sucks. After eating your delicious food all this while, I am finding all other food horrible.''


    ''I will cook for you tonight. Don''t worry, love.'' Noah replied and took a glance at the two frozen men before he went back to messaging.


    ''That would be great. Love you. Kisses and hugs.''


    ''I want those kisses and hugs in person.''


    ''You bully.''


    ''This is not bullying.''


    ''Then, what is this?'' Noah''s smile widened and ran his hand through his hair, reminiscing the peck Aria had given him before they had left home.


    ''This is just me asking for your love. Nothing much. And, wait for actual bullying to start.


    ''Should I be scared? Do I sense a threat here?''


    ''What do you think?''


    ''I am not sure.''


    ''Do you want a trailer? I show you what actual bullying is tonight.''


    ''Don''t you dare. I don''t know what this bullying you are talking about but I don''t want to be bullied by you.''


    ''Why shouldn''t I bully you? If I don''t bully you, who else will I bully?'' Noah questioned back innocently, although there was nothing innocent in his reply.


    ''I know what this bullying you are talking about.''


    ''What am I talking about? Please elaborate. I am completely clueless here.'' Noah teased and this time, he did not get Aria''s reply for a long time.


    As he waited for her message, he took another glance at the two men and sighed lightly. "Grandpa, Uncle, this is not such a huge matter for you two to show such extreme reactions. Calm down." Noah tried to pull them out of their reverie and it worked, thankfully.


    "Noah, are you saying the truth?" Martin was the first one to speak after Noah, his face brightening up with a smile. "Did Jo really find himself a girl?"


    "Yes, Uncle. He has found someone and you can be rest assured that she is perfect for him." Noah assured with a smile, putting all his faith in Ivy.


    "Are you sure about this? What if she is just like Amber? What if she leaves Joshua and breaks him just like how it happened in the past? My son will not be able to come out of it if that happens again." Martin voiced out his concerns and Jonathan nodded, agreeing with his claims.


    "No, Uncle. I assure you nothing like this will ever happen. The girl he had found himself is brilliant and she will not leave him ever. You can trust me on this."


    "How can you be so sure?" Martin was not convinced and he could not help but worry for his son. Although he was happy that his son had moved on, he did not want a repeat of the history. Because he knew it if that happened again, he might never get his son back.


    "I know the girl personally and she is amazing. You don''t have to worry about her being a trouble to Jo in the future."


    At that moment, Noah''s phone dinged and he knew who had sent the message. Yet, he focused his attention on the man who was concerned for his son. "She is my girlfriend''s sister and you can trust her with Jo''s life. She will keep him happy and you can trust me on this."

 Chapter 395: Shocked grandpa

    Although Noah tried to assure Martin, he was still not convinced by his words. Martin stared at him skeptically, his brows furrowing as he continued speaking. "Noah, you told me that her sister is your girlfriend, right?"


    Noah nodded at him wondering where he was going with this.


    "Then, what if they both approached you and Joshua with a purpose in mind? What if the sisters have malicious intentions in mind and they planned to trap you two?" His words made not only Noah, even Jonathan to smile which Martin gave a blind eye to. "I may be wrong in my assumptions and I hope I am wrong too. But as a father who had once seen his son go into a severe state of depression due to a girl, I hope you will understand my concerns."


    "I understand, Uncle. I completely understand." Noah held the old man''s hands and looked him in the eye. "You are right to doubt them in your place and I am not blaming you to think this way. Also, I know that any words of mine will not be enough for you to curb your curiosity and concern. How about you meet her in person and decide as to whether she is suitable for Joshua or not?"


    "That seems fair." Martin acknowledged his suggestion after thinking for some time. "I can meet her and find out more about her."


    "Before that, there are certain things you must about her and her family," Noah added, capturing the two older men''s attention once again. Seeing his serious gaze, Jonathan wondered why he was behaving strangely.


    "Noah, is anything the matter? Is there something wrong with Aria?"


    "No, grandpa." Noah shook his head at once, stopping him from proceeding any further. "I am not sure if you know about her background or not."


    "Background? Are you talking about her family?" Martin asked, his frown deepening.


    "Yes. Do you remember Oliver West?" He questioned them, carefully observing their expressions, and waited for their response.


    "Who?" Not only Martin, even Jonathan could not recollect who he was talking about and he leaned closer, trying to comprehend what his grandson was talking about.


    "Journalist Oliver West. He was the one we found at the said location when we were searching for Theo."


    This time, it struck the two men and they nodded slowly, remembering the journalist who Ian was trying to cure so that they could find Theo as soon as possible. "Yes, I remember him now. What about him? How is he even related to the two girls we are talking about?"


    "Grandpa, he is Aria and Ivy''s father."


    "What?" This was the second time for the two men to go into shock and seeing their expressions, Noah rolled his eyes again.


    ''I am certain they will take more time to come out of the shock. Let me text Aria by then.'' He pulled out his phone with a smile on his face. ''I wonder what reply Aria has sent me.''


    ''I will not comment about it.''


    ''No, please do. I want to know what you are thinking about.'' Noah''s smile widened as he sent the reply. "Will I get a reply from her? It has been more than fifteen minutes since she sent me her last response. Has she gone back to work?" Just as he was wondering about her, Aria sent him a message, surprising him once again.


    ''You are evil. You are pulling my leg.''


    ''Sweetheart, tell me what you wanted to tell. Be a good girl and tell me.'' Noah tried to coax her into revealing what her thoughts were.


    ''I forgot. I forgot. I completely forgot.''


    ''My liar baby. Are you trying to escape from answering me?''


    ''I am not a liar. I am very honest.''


    ''Then, be a good girl and tell me what you were talking about. Please elaborate as I have no idea about it.''


    There was a small delay in her response again and Noah took this time to look at the two men, who still seemed to be in shock. ''Why are the two men behaving this strange today? It is not that big a matter for them to go into shock, isn''t it?'' He wondered, completely forgetting that he too had behaved the same way when he had learned the truth.


    His phone dinged and he grinned seeing Aria''s message. ''My brain refuses to send an answer.''


    ''Hahahaha. You are so cute, sweetheart. But not a problem. Once you return home from work, I will make your brain answer me.''


    ''In your dreams.''


    ''Dreams come true, darling. And wait for me today. You will be answering me and this time, I will make sure your brain will cooperate and answer me. Otherwise....''


    ''Otherwise?'' Noah had stopped right before elaborating about his intentions, waiting for Aria to take the bait and she did just what he wanted her to do.


    ''Otherwise, I will bully you until you will be crying for mercy. Be ready.''


    This time, Aria did not reply and Noah knew that she would not be replying to him any time soon. So, he gave up on messaging her and focused on the two men.


    "Grandpa, Uncle, do you still need time to digest the information or shall we talk about it?" He tried to break their thoughts. His patience was wearing thin and he did not know how long he could bear with the two men''s weirdness. "We can talk about the issue some other day if you two still need time to comprehend this."


    Noah stood up and buttoned his suit, not waiting for any response from the two men. "I will be leaving now. Please take your time."


    Noah had just taken a step away from them when Jonathan held his hand. "Are you telling the truth? Is Aria Oliver''s daughter?"


    "Yes, grandpa." Noah nodded.


    "Then, does she.. does she..." Jonathan did not have to continue, Noah understood him at once.


    "She knows. And I have shocking good news for you."


    Jonathan raised his eyebrows. He was already hit with the thunderbolt twice. He wondered what more could be leftover for him to deal with.


    "Oliver has gained consciousness."

 Chapter 396: Sneak a peek

    While Noah was dealing with the two old men who were going into a state of shock every once in while, Aria could not stop blushing as she read through her messages. She scrolled through her chat and bit her lip as she wondered what Noah would do to her once she reached home, later in the day. ''What does Noah have in mind? Does he want to....'' She shook her head at once, her eyes widening, thinking about what lay ahead for her.


    Ian observed her myriad expressions and he blinked in surprise. ''Now, what is wrong with her? Why is she behaving strange?'' Not making any noise, he padded towards her, and unintentionally, his eyes fell on her phone.


    A smirk made its way on his face as he took a glimpse at the contents. "Best of luck, Aria." He wished her and his sudden interruption startled the girl. She jumped in her place, taking deep breaths when she found out that it was Ian.


    "Ian, you scared me." She patted her heart, trying to soother her scared heart. "Why did you sneak behind me? You could have talked to me directly."


    "Don''t blame me, Aria. You were the one who was behaving weirdly and abnormal. I just wanted to find out what was wrong." Ian defended himself, looking at her sternly, although amusement was dancing in his eyes.


    "I was not behaving abnormally. I was just...I was just..." Aria averted her gaze when the embarrassment settled in and she closed her eyes tight. ''What did I do? This is so awkward.''


    "You were just blushing and scrolling through your messages. Am I right?" Ian finished what she wanted to say and Aria had the sudden urge to bury herself in the ground.


    "What? Yes, I mean no. No. No." Aria shut her mouth when she realized that her words were not helping her and she was only making Ian''s suspicions come true.


    "It''s okay, Aria. I completely understand you." Ian smiled at her and Aria narrowed her eyes at once seeing his playful smile.


    "Are you teasing me?"


    "Not at all. How dare I tease you!"


    "You better not be teasing me."


    "I was just having my share of fun. Noah is not fun at all. At least his girlfriend is not as bad as him. Thank the Lords."


    "Ian," Aria lowly warned him which had no effect on the man. He just brushed it off with a chuckle.


    "You are bullying me too." Aria made a crying face and wiped her nonexistent tears.


    "Correction. I am only teasing you. Noah is the one who is bullying you. And that reminds me." Ian added, taking a quick glance at the girl who was waiting for him to continue. "Best of luck."


    Confused by his words, Aria blinked at him. "Why are you wishing me luck? Is something going to happen?"


    "Yeah," Ian whispered and held his hand out. Ian and Aria started walking towards the ICU. "You will be getting bullied today."


    As soon as the words left his mouth, Aria stopped walking. "How did you know that?" She whispered, almost squealed, her eyes wide in surprise. However, the next second, she realized what she had done and she gritted her teeth in frustration. ''Get a grip of yourself, Aria. What is wrong with you today?''


    Ian stifled a smile seeing her cute expression and he tilted his head slightly. Unable to meet the man in the eye, Aria hurried towards the ICU. Ian chuckled lightly and followed her closely. "I think you know why I was wishing you. And if I am not wrong, you need all the luck in the world to face Noah today."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You will find out about it after you reach home. I would not like to comment about it." Ian replied with a mysterious smile and Aria glared at him.


    "Tell me. What are you talking about."


    "No. It''s better I keep it a suspense. You will find out soon anyway." Ian did not elaborate more and the duo entered the ICU.


    "Dr. West," Ian switched on his work mode at once and Aria waited for her next orders. "This is the case I was talking about. The patient here has a hole in the heart and his left lung is completely infected, while his right lung is partially infected. Although we have stabilized him for now, he is still not out of danger. We need to operate on him soon."


    "But that will only add to the complications. His left lung has to be cleaned first." Aria added, taking over the report that was hung beside the bed. "This is bad." Aria read through the reports, a frown making its way on her face.


    "Yes, he has hypertension, and operating in him in any case is risky." Ian sighed lightly.


    "What are the odds?"


    "It''s twenty against twenty-five."


    "That bad? Can''t we first cover the hole and then operate on his lungs?" Aria questioned, her eyes not leaving the report.


    "No, there are high chances of him having a cardiac arrest and...."


    "And his lungs may collapse." Aria finished his words.


    "The report shows he was operated in the chest once. Reason?"


    "I am not sure though. Neither his family nor the patient himself is willing to reveal more about it."


    "This is bad."


    "Yes."


    "Give me his reports. Let me study it."


    "Will do."


    Aria and Ian left the ward, each lost in their own thoughts. "By the way," Aria was the first one to break the silence when she remember something. "Wasn''t Mason the one who left the job?"


    "Yes, what about it?"


    "Then, why did the management hire Stuart? I mean Mason was a heart specialist while Stuart is into neurology."


    "Ah that, the neurology was running short of good doctors. And moreover, our department has doctors for now. We can wait until the next assessment."


    "I see. That sounds fair." Aria smiled at him.


    "Aria, you can take the day off," Ian stated suddenly making the girl halt in her place.


    "What? Why?" Aria was flabbergasted and she gaped at him.


    "You are done with your work and I think you should not overwork yourself on the first day of your return."


    "But I had made all plans to work overtime. You are ruining all my plans."


    "Nothing doing. You are going home like a good girl and taking rest."


    "No. I don''t want to go home yet." Aria wailed and Ian let out a helpless laugh.


    "Then, what do you want to do?"


    Aria thought for a while. "I have an idea. I could meet my friend who I haven''t seen for a long time."


    "Who?"


    "Ah, someone. You don''t know her. I guess I will take my leave then." Aria winked at him and Ian shook his head helplessly.


    Aria packed her bag, a mysterious smile making its way on her lips. ''Let me send a message to Noah first. Otherwise, he will start to worry unnecessarily.''


    ''I am done with work. Ian let me leave early. I am going out to meet a friend. Will meet you at home.''


    Aria, then, sent a message to the number she was all too familiar with. ''Can we meet?''


    ''No, I cannot sneak out of work. Anything the matter?'' She got her reply at once.


    ''Yes, had somethings to discuss.''


    ''Can video call you if it''s urgent.''


    ''Great. I will text you once I reach home.''


    ''Okay. Take care, Aria.''


    ''Take care, Maggie.''

 Chapter 397: Secret call

    ''I hope Maggie has found something that could be of use for me.'' Aria sighed to herself and left for her apartment. Since she could not meet Maggie in person, she had no other choice but to return to her apartment. Going back to Noah''s house was not an option for her as the house was filled with servants and it was not wise to talk to her, especially when there were high chances of them stumbling upon her during her call.


    She checked her phone and on not finding any reply from Noah, she sighed lightly. She knew that Noah had appointed guards to keep an eye on her. Although they had made sure to stay hidden, she had detected long ago. Now that she was not meeting Maggie in person, she did not have anything to worry about them being a nuisance. ''Otherwise, it would be a problem to explain to Noah once he finds out about her.''


    Aria hailed a cab and sat thinking to herself about how things had come to this. ''I hope everything is fine on Maggie''s end.'' Although she was looking out of the window and her mind was elsewhere. ''I am sorry, Noah. I am sorry for keeping this huge secret from you. When the time comes, I''ll tell you everything. Until then, please bear with me.''


    Aria knew that the guards were following her and they would inform everything about her day''s activities to Noah once the day ended. So, she had stayed lowkey, not wanting to arise suspicion. But it had been a long time since she had spoken to Maggie and she wanted to find out some answers. Her patience was wearing thin and she knew she could not wait any longer.


    Aria was so lost in thoughts that she did not even realize they had reached her apartment until the driver called out to her. She had not returned home since the day the two men had taken her and Ivy to their respective houses. Not wasting another time, she sent a message to Maggie.


    ''Reached home.''


    ''Okay, wait a minute.''


    Immediately after, her phone started to ring and Aria was staring at her friend, Maggie. "You look tired."


    "Yes, Ari. Things have been hectic here lightly."


    "Anything serious?"


    "Jared has found out about the presence of a mole in his gang."


    "And?" Aria did not panic as she knew Maggie was an expert in taking care of herself in dangerous situations. Since she was calling her back, from her room in Jared''s warehouse, things did not seem not that troublesome, yet.


    "You know he will never get to me," Maggie added with a smile, making Aria smile in return.


    "I know about it. What was Jared''s reaction?"


    "He caught some other moles who worked for his rival gang."


    "I see." Aria nodded.


    "How''s your love life?" Maggie changed the topic with a teasing smile and immediately at once, Aria blushed a light shade of pink. "Ari, are you blushing? How cute!!"


    "How did you find out about him? I never told you about him before." Aria tried to look stern and calm, yet she failed miserably at it. ''As far I remember, I haven''t called her after Noah and I started dating. How did she find out?''


    "Ari, are you forgetting who I am? Do you think I would not know about you when I am keeping a track of you every second?"


    "Fine. You win." Aria rolled her eyes, her lips raising in a smile. "I am just worried that Noah might be angry when the truth comes out." Her smile vanished at once and she stared back at the girl with the spectacles.


    "Ahh, that is your concern. In that case, there is nothing to worry about." Maggie smiled, her eyes filled with amusement.


    "Why do you say so?"


    "If he gets angry once the truth comes out, just seduce him and take him to bed. I am sure he will forgive you once the night ends."


    "Maggie," Aria almost yelled, her eyes shooting daggers at her friend.


    "Jokes apart. Why have called me?" Maggie became serious at once and Aria too followed suit.


    "Did you find out anything?"


    "A lot actually. I''ll mail you the details, take a look at it."


    "How about my father''s case?"


    "I have found some interesting things about it. You might get the clue you want. And you were right."


    "About what?"


    "Jared was involved in your father''s poisoning."


    "I see." Aria remained silent for a few seconds, lost in thoughts. "Thanks, Maggie. "


    "Not a problem."


    "How long will you be undercover?"


    "No idea. Maybe until I find out who this Godfather is."


    "Be careful, Maggie."


    "I will and yeah, well done."


    Aria tilted her head, questioning her friend silently. "Kevin was your thirty-first kill."


    Aria rolled her eyes and let out a small sigh. "That man was a traitor. He deserved it. I hope Ian has not found anything suspicious about it."


    "Why will he?" Maggie fired back. "Who could imagine that you, Aria, who looks harmless and delicate know how to yield a gun and fight back? I guess, the revelation will be a big blow for everyone and that includes your sister too."


    "I know, Maggie. I know. I just hope they will understand me."


    "Oh, I am sure they will. Don''t worry. I will have to go now, Ari. Take care and yeah, before I forget, keep a lookout."


    "Why?"


    "I am not sure what enmity Jared and Noah have, but he has sent his men to watch people around Noah. If worse comes worst, Jared may be coming after you just to get to your boyfriend." Maggie warned her and Aria nodded, her lips twitching slightly.


    "Jared wants to harm my man. In his dreams. There is no way he will be able to get him."


    "I know. With you around, it''s impossible and Noah himself is capable. But you cannot say anything. Just be careful."


    "Yes, Noah has his men from Underground. So, I am not that worried about him or Ian and Joshua. But it is my sister I am worried about."


    "I know. Take care of her. Jared is looking for the journalist who spoiled his plans."


    "Yes, I will. Thanks for the heads-up. I guess it''s time for me to go."


    "Will talk to you later. See ya."


    "See ya."


    The call ended and Aria laid down on her bed, her eyes fixed on the fan above her. "Jared, you want to harm my sister and my man. Just you wait and watch."

 Chapter 398: Fair warning

    Meanwhile, the man in question had no idea what his darling was doing. He was focused on the two men while he revealed all that he knew about Oliver and his family. Martin and Jonathan were rendered speechless when Noah finished recalling all that had happened since the time he had met Aria.


    "Wow, I never expected we would be intertwined in this matter this way." Martin let out a breath and stared into space, trying to arrange his messed up thoughts.


    "Also, there is something else you must know. It''s about Theo."


    "What about him?"


    "He is dead."


    This time, neither Jonathan nor Martin reacted much. They were calm compared to the time when they had found out about Oliver. "I had predicted this outcome long ago." Jonathan sighed lightly, bowing his head, offering his condolence to his subordinate. "Theo would have made it to us if he was alive and well. He wouldn''t have waited for three years."


    Noah did not comment further, remembering the time when his grandfather had predicted the probability when they could not contact his mentor for days. However, at that moment, Noah was blinded by emotions and his thoughts were completely contradictory to what his grandfather had spoken.


    "How is Ian doing?" Martin queried. "He was the closest to Theo out of the three."


    "Better than I thought." And Noah was not lying about it. Although his friend had lost Theo, he had found someone equally good and caring in Aria''s father. Oliver had helped him get out of the misery he was in by making him his family.


    "That''s good, then. About this Ivy, what does she do?" Martin questioned, going back to his son and his life.


    "She is a journalist like her father."


    "I see. What about Aria?"


    "She is a doctor. She is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Ian''s hospital."


    "That''s great. The twins are more formidable than I thought them to be. I guess it''s time I visited them to familiarize myself. And as you said," A smile made its way on Martin''s face. "I could use this excuse to meet my son. Hazel will be exhilarated once she learns the truth."


    Noah did not speak any further, allowing the two men to continue with their chat. Although he was dying to find out why his grandfather had helped Mia, he could only wait until Martin departed. ''Grandpa would have brought up the topic by now if he wanted to. If he is staying silent, there was something important in this matter. I will have to wait until Uncle Martin leaves."


    Giving them the space, he got up and went towards the courtyard towards the right of the garden, reading the message Aria had sent him. ''Who is this friend she is talking about? Do I know them?'' He thought to himself. ''Why didn''t she call me if she was done with her shift?''


    Not waiting another minute, Noah called her. At that moment, Aria was still staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts. The sudden ringing of her phone brought her out of her thoughts and she shook her head, trying to erase all her concerns and worries for the time being.


    "Hello?"


    "Aria, where are you? Why didn''t you call me once your shift ended?"


    "Noah," Aria sensed the man''s panic over the phone and she rubbed her forehead. "Calm down. Ian allowed me to leave early. I didn''t know what to do. So..."


    "What do you mean you didn''t know what to do?" Noah interrupted her, his voice laced with anger. "You should have returned home like a good girl. You still need to take a rest."


    "But I am completely healthy, Noah."


    "No, you are not."


    "Yes, I am. I am a doctor. I know how my health is."


    "Aria, if I say that you need rest it means you need rest. And moreover...." Noah stopped himself before he uttered the words he wanted to keep a secret from her.


    "Moreover, what?" Aria frowned lightly wondering what he was hiding from her.


    ''Jared''s men are lurking around, trying to get to me. I cannot allow you to stay alone.'' Although Noah wanted to tell her the truth, he stayed mum, not wanting her to worry. "You need energy for what is awaiting you in the later part of the night." Noah changed the topic at once, his anger fading slightly.


    His words made Aria''s frown vanish and she blinked in disbelief. "What nonsense are you spouting?"


    "How is it nonsense, sweetheart? Don''t tell me you are not curious about what I am going to do you when we meet?" Noah teased, running his index finger over his lips.


    "What are you going to do?" Aria queried, biting her lips.


    "Do you want me to tell you about it?" Noah replied with a question of his own and when he did not receive any response, a devilish smirk made its way on his face. "I am going to take you in my arms the moment I return and I..."


    "And?"


    "And I am going to eat you up."


    "Noah," Aria squealed, her mind imagining the scenario where he would actually eat her up. Although she was new to relationships and dating, she knew how the human anatomy worked and what Noah was talking about. "If you are going to be this crude, I am going to cut the call."


    "What? I am just saying the truth. You have no idea what all I want to do to you. I just want to stay with you in the bed all day and.."


    Noah did not have to continue for Aria had understood what his intentions were. "Then. I will not come home tonight. I don''t know what you will do to me."


    "I will just make love to you, nothing much. And where will you go if you are not coming home tonight, sweetheart?" Noah''s smile deepened as he continued with his tease.


    "I will stay in my apartment. I need to be safe. A hungry wolf is about to eat me."


    "Nothing can save you, sweetheart. This hungry wolf will eat you up for sure tonight." Noah stopped suddenly when he caught up on her words. "Aria, are you in your apartment right now?"


    "Yes, why do you ask?"


    "Didn''t you meet your friend?"


    "No, my friend had a last-minute emergency." There was a moment of hesitance in her voice which Noah completely missed.


    "Then, what are you doing in your apartment?" Noah could not help but worry about her. Although her apartment was safe for now, he was not certain how far Jared would go just to get to him. He did not want his girl to face any danger.


    "I came to retrieve some things. Ivy forgot to pack some of my clothes." Aria came up with an excuse, apologizing to Noah in her mind for lying to him.


    "I see. In that case, bring some sexy clothes. You will need them tonight."


    "Noah," This time, Aria yelled out loud, making the man chortle. "I am going to cut the call. Bye."


    "Wait for me and be prepared to get eaten up by me." Noah managed to add before she hung up, giving her a fair warning of what laid ahead for her.

 Chapter 399: Owing a favor

    Noah did not have to wait for long as Martin left after a few minutes of talking with Jonathan. Nobody was in the garden except the two men, and Noah sat beside his grandfather silently, waiting for the older man to speak first.


    Jonathan ran his hand on the handle of his cane, while he glanced at Noah only to find him staring at him already, his eyes filled with questions and doubts. Noah raised his eyebrows, prompting him to speak. "Noah, I know I should not have hidden this matter from you when you are in charge of the company now. But I did not have the courage to tell you either. I am at fault here and you can.."


    "Grandpa, I am not here to blame you for what you did." Noah stopped him before the man could utter another word. "I just want to know why you offered her the job when you clearly knew that is not how we work. Moreover, the girl''s father is working with my rival. So, I was just stunned to find out the truth."


    "I understand your concerns, son. I am sorry I hid the truth from you. But trust me, I have not done anything that will bring harm to you."


    "I trust you, grandpa," Noah replied without hesitating and Jonathan realized that he could not drag the matter any longer.


    "Noah, that girl Mia once saved Hailey''s life."


    "What?" Noah stood up at once, his eyes widening in shock. "When did that happen? Why didn''t anybody tell me? What happened to Mom?" He fired his questions, panic and anger taking over his calm.


    "Noah, calm down. It was not a big deal. Hailey is fine now."


    "But grandpa, why was I not informed?"


    "Noah, Hailey was not even hurt and she was the one who forbade us to tell you. You were in London at that time and we did not want to worry you." Jonathan added before his grandson went rampant in worry.


    "But..."


    "Noah, it was just a minor accident that happened in a social gathering. Mia saved your mother in the nick of time. It was a fault from the management side." Jonathan pulled him by the hand and made him sit beside him.


    "I see. Did you offer her a job at our company for saving Mom?"


    "Not I. Mia herself asked your mother and I could not say no. Your mother rarely asks me anything. So..." Jonathan stopped suddenly hoping his grandson could understand him. "I could not reject Hailey and moreover, I knew you would keep an eye on her in case she is not that proficient at work."


    Noah remained silent as he looked at the orchids that moved along with the wind. The purple flowers looked beautiful and peaceful and he made a mental note of taking a bouquet to Aria. ''That would be a good present for her.''


    "I just wanted to return the favor we owed her and now that we gave her what she asked, it is up to her to make use of it and reach the mark. If you want to fire her, you can. I will not blame you."


    "No, grandpa. I will not fire her, not yet at least. I have some plans for her. It''s best she stays close to me so that I can keep an eye on her." Noah muttered to himself, his eyes losing focus from the orchids. ''The accident does not seem to be an accident. It seems to be intentional. I need to talk to Mom about it.''


    "What plans? Did something happen? Did the girl do something?" Jonathan queried, his brows furrowing in worry.


    "No, grandpa. Nothing significant. Just some minor issues. You can be rest assured your grandson here will take care of her."


    "That eases my heart," Jonathan replied with a smile and poured himself another cup of tea. He was just about to take a sip when he remembered the biggest issue he had to deal with. "That reminds me. Let''s get back to the most important problem we have at hand."


    Noah scowled lightly, guessing where the old man was going. His suspicions came true when he heard his grandfather''s next words. "When are you making babies?"


    Noah rolled his eyes at his grandfather''s nonsense. He buttoned his suit and got up, ready to leave. "Grandpa, I am going. Take care."


    "Hey, you cannot leave me hanging. Tell me. When are you making babies with Aria? I am getting old. I want to play with your and Rachel''s kids." Jonathan said, a small smile playing on his lips as he imagined the garden with his great-grandkids crawling around and wreaking havoc. This was something he wanted to experience before his time ended.


    "Grandpa, in that case, go pester Rachel. She must be ready to give you kids."


    "What do you mean?" Jonathan frowned, not getting the hint Noah was sending him.


    "Grandpa, it''s best you ask Rachel about it. She will tell you everything and if things turn out well, you might be hearing wedding bells soon."


    "What?" Jonathan dropped his cane in astonishment. "What are you talking about? Do you know something? Does Rachel have someone she likes?"


    "I would not like to comment about it. But I am sure you will like the guy. He is good." Noah gave a mysterious reply and that was enough for Jonathan to grin in excitement. ''I am sorry, Rachel. I had to sell you away to save my ass. But I am sure you will thank me for I did today.'' Noah apologized to his sister silently, a devilish smirk landing on his face.


    "Do you know him?"


    "I am leaving now. Talk to Rachel if you want to get more details about what is happening in her life." Noah took a step but stopped when his eyes fell in the purple orchids once again.


    "I am taking a bouquet of purple orchids." He declared instead of putting forth a request, not giving the old man to reject him.


    "Why do you need them for?" Jonathan was annoyed by his grandson''s behavior. "Those purple orchids are my favorite. I will not allow you to take them."


    "Not even when I tell that I am using them to put forth your wishes into action?"


    "What wishes?" Jonathan gave him a questioning look only to find Noah walking away from him.


    "Making babies."

 Chapter 400: Olivers decision

    "Making babies," Noah replied curtly and left the old man gawking at him, his eyes bulging wide in surprise. It was not until Noah''s figure disappeared from his sight did he smile wide, happiness evident on his face.


    "Yes," Jonathan whispered to himself in excitement, and at once, he imagined a cute baby that resembled Aria and Noah sucking her thumb while she lay silently on his lap. The scene was too beautiful that it made his smile widen. But the next moment, his face lost its smile when the reality hit him.


    Jonathan was well versed with his grandson. He knew that Noah would not accept his demands that easily. ''Why do I feel that he tricked me? What am I missing here?'' He wondered and tried to find out why he was suspicious of his own kin. ''Wait a minute.'' Jonathan thought it through and he gritted his teeth when he realized what his grandson had done.


    Noah was yet to reach his thirties and it was impossible for him to think about kids this early. He still had a long way to go and being an experienced man, Jonathan knew that Noah was excited not because of kids, but the process involved in making them.


    "Noah," Jonathan shouted, making the head butler who was nearby rush to him.


    "Master, Master, is everything alright?" The man asked in panic, while he placed the jug of water on the table. Jonathan''s shout had made the butler worry for him and he seemed panicked and anxious.


    "Where is Noah?" Jonathan did not reply and asked about his grandson.


    "Master, he has already left the mansion." The butler replied wondering what was wrong with the old man.


    "Did he take my flowers with him?"


    "Yes, Master. He took the purple orchids from the small garden."


    "What?" Jonathan stood up at once and glowered at the poor butler who cowered in his place. The purple orchids in the small garden were Jonathan''s favorite as it was planted by his wife. Although they were not different from the ones in the Orchid Garden, the ones in the small garden were closer to his heart. Jonathan his hand trembled in anger, his eyes sending daggers in the direction Noah had left.


    "That insolent child. If he asks for orchids ever again, break his legs right away. He is not allowed to take any orchids from my house."


    "But.." Without waiting for the butler to continue, Jonathan lifted his cane and walked away from the seating area. The butler could only gawk at the old man''s back, cursing his bad luck to have stuck with a temperamental master.


    Meanwhile, the grandson who was being scolded had no idea about it. He was more focused on what was about to happen later in the evening. Just the thought of it was making him excited and jittery. Since he was done with his work, he did not waste his time and returned home to prepare dinner for his girl. However, the moment he entered the hall, he found Oliver deep in work, making him pause in his place.


    Noah closed his eyes, remembering his father-in-law''s presence on then. ''Shit,'' He cursed in his mind and sighed lightly. ''How could I forget about him?''


    Oliver had sensed his presence the moment he heard him sigh lightly. "Is something bothering you?" He questioned as he removed his glasses. He dropped his pencil, his eyes fixing on Noah. Seeing Noah hesitate, Oliver narrowed his eyes. He could more or less guess what was running in his mind.


    "Noah, I have something to talk to you about. Shall we sit and talk?"


    Noah nodded and sat in front of him, questioning him silently through his eyes.


    "Noah, I want to move out of your house."


    "What?" Noah blurted out, blinking at the man in confusion.


    ''I said, I want to move out." Oliver enunciated each word clearly and folded his hands.


    "But why?" Noah could not help question him, anxiety and worry taking over him. "Did something happen? Did someone say something to you, Dad?" Neither Noah nor Oliver knew when Noah started addressing him this way and since Oliver did not object to it, Noah did not change it either.


    "Not at all, son. I am more than content being here. But this is my son-in-law''s house. I cannot continue staying here."


    "Who told you that? Isn''t a son-in-law a son? Why can''t a father stay with his son?" Noah''s words brought a smile on Oliver''s smile and he nodded lightly, confirming some of his thoughts.


    "Although I am touched by your words and happy that it is you my daughter has decided to spend her life with, I cannot continue staying here anymore." Seeing Noah open his mouth to protest, Oliver continued making him halt, "Aria and you are still young and need your space and privacy. You need time for yourselves and I don''t want to be a lightbulb. I can..."


    "Dad please don''t. You are never troublesome for us. In fact, I am more than happy to have you here." Noah interrupted, making the man lose his smile.


    "Noah, will you allow me to continue?" He looked at him, his expression serious and stubborn.


    Noah shut up at once. ''I now realize where Aria has got her stubbornness from. Like father like daughters.''


    "I am not asking your permission, I am stating my decision. I want to move out and that''s final. You cannot stop me, nor will I allow Aria to object to it." Oliver deadpanned, not allowing anyone to kick up a fuss.


    "I see. Now that Dad has already made your decision, how can I stop you?" Noah sighed and a smile broke out on Oliver''s face. "But I have a suggestion."


    Oliver raised his eyebrow. "What might that be?"


    "I cannot allow you to stay alone, at least not for now. Until this matter settles and all the danger dies, Dad must stay with Ian." Noah suggested and Oliver tilted his head in confusion.


    "Ian?" Noah nodded at him, thinking about it. "But why?"


    "As I said earlier, it''s still unsafe out there. Anyway, Ian is staying alone. He would love to have someone''s company."


    "What do you mean he is staying alone? Does he not have someone in his life?"


    Although Oliver did not elaborate, Noah guessed what the man was hinting at. "No. He is yet to find his special someone. So, Dad, please don''t reject this small request of mine. Please."


    Seeing Noah''s pleading gaze, Oliver gave in eventually. "Will Ian be alright with it?"


    "Oh, I am sure he will be happy with it. I know him."


    "Ask him once. I don''t want to be a burden to him."


    Noah understood what his father-in-law was saying and he nodded at him. "I''ll speak to him about it. Don''t worry Dad, he will be more than happy to oblige with this arrangement."


    A smirk landed on Noah''s lips when he perceived the things clearly. ''Grandpa wants me to make kids with Aria. Dad wants to move out so that I can have some alone time with Aria. What does all this hint at?'' He thought to himself and wondered how Aria would react when she would find herself trapped with him in the huge mansion, with no one to save her from the hungry wolf, that wanted to so badly eat her.

 Chapter 401: Cute Noah

    Noah respected his father-in-law''s decision and made it a point to speak to Ian later. Elation and joy were evident on his face and Oliver stifled a smile. He could more or less guess what was running in the young man''s mind. Finding the sudden urge to pull his son-in-law''s leg, he commented, "I too have been through what you are thinking."


    His sudden words were like a grenade being thrown at Noah and he widened his eyes, stupefied. "What?"


    "I know that feeling of having the woman you like alone with you, without anybody disturbing you. I have passed your age and I know what you are thinking right now." Oliver replied with a smile and this time, Noah did not have any come back at him. If it was Ian or Joshua who were pulling his legs he could have slapped their faces with a cold reply. But it was Oliver. So, all he could do was stay mum, while his ears reddened in embarrassment.


    Oliver chuckled out loud seeing Noah''s cute face and leaned forward, his eyes gleaming in mischief. "What is this?" He exclaimed, making Noah look up. "Am I seeing Noah Carter blush like a small boy? Is that right?" He gasped and Noah had the intense desire to run away from the hall. He had never experienced such a situation before and he did not know how to tackle it. "How cute!!"


    Hearing the word cute made Noah cringe. He had become allergic to it since the time the members of the West family had started calling his guard, Ronnie cute. To his dismay, right at that moment, Ronnie entered and Noah glared at him, shooting cold daggers.


    Ronnie halted in his place and blinked at his Boss in confusion. ''Now, what did I do?'' He wondered, unable to comprehend what was happening and why his Boss was glaring at him as though he wanted to send him on a trip to hell. ''Was I not supposed to enter right now? Is it because I heard Mr. West call him cute that he is annoyed?'' His thoughts ran wild, completely far away from the actual reason.


    Noah clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, and this time Ronnie was spooked beyond belief. Not wasting another moment, he retraced his steps and left the mansion, dreading for his life. ''What did I do? Why does Boss look like he wants to cut me into pieces and feed me to wolves?''


    Not knowing anything about how Ronnie was having a mental breakdown at that moment, Noah was still reeling in the embarrassment, while Oliver looked on. His teasing gaze made him fidget in his seat and when he could tolerate it no longer, Noah gave up. "I am going to prepare dinner, Dad."


    "Sure, go ahead son. Prepare a good, scrumptious dinner so that you can get to Aria''s heart through her stomach." Oliver also did not forget to wink at him and Noah averted his gaze, fleeing from the hall before the man could add more words to his embarrassment. This time, Oliver could not control himself and he laughed out loud until his stomach hurt. This was the first time he was seeing the man behave like a kid.


    Noah, usually, remained calm and composed, aloof even. Seeing him blush, Oliver found him cute and adorable. He stared in the direction where Noah had left for a long time before shaking his head and returning to focus on his work.


    Noah reached his room as fast as he could. Although it was not a big deal to get teased, Joshua had pulled his leg quite a few times before, Noah did not want to be flustered before his father-in-law. "Phew," He wiped the few droplets of sweat that had formed on his forehead and plopped on the bed. "Why didn''t I realize before that Dad could be this fun too?" He muttered, loosening his tie slowly.


    He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, his migraine making its presence known slowly. Noah shook his head and stood up. ''Aria will be back soon. I need to prepare dinner for her.'' With the thought in mind, he opened his wardrobe, only to find a piece of clothing greeting him happily. He stared at the black, skimpy, lace underwear and his Adam applied bobbed with desire.


    Noah''s stretched his hand forward and held the black clothing in his hand. And immediately at once, his hand burned, heat rushing through his body. His mind was a mess and his lips ran dry. Licking his lips, he blinked at it. ''What are you doing, Noah?'' He threw the clothing back inside and took a step backward. ''You are becoming a pervert. Agh,'' He groaned and removed his coat, throwing it aside. ''Focus, focus, focus.''


    Although his mind was telling him to focus, his evil side popped up. ''Yes, Noah. Focus on making love to Aria. Focus on getting her to your bed. Focus on eating her up.'' His evil mind spoke to him, making him nod at his suggestion. However, immediately after, his good side made its presence known. ''No, Noah. Focus on getting to her heart first. You need to first make sure she loves you. Make sure that she is happy with you before you make the final step.''


    ''Bullshit,'' His evil mind interjected at once. ''Make love to her and her heart will be yours.''


    ''Nonsense. Get to her heart, she will come to you on her own.''


    A war of words started between his good and evil side and Noah started to go crazy as seconds ticked by. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. When he could not tolerate it any longer, he shouted in dismay. "Get out, get out. Get the hell out. Leave me alone." He held his head and the next moment, his thoughts vanished, leaving his mind blank.


    He stayed that way for a long time before he calmed his raging heart and changed out of his suit, completely oblivious to the chaos his sudden outburst had created.


    An important phone call from one of the clients had made Ronnie come to meet him. He was already scared shit by Noah''s glare and after a lot of thinking and processing, he had taken the courageous step to meet Noah. But the moment he was about to knock on the door, he heard Noah yell and that was all it took for the man to run for his life. He did not want to face his Boss''s wrath for no fault of his. ''I am yet to experience a lot of things yet. I cannot die this soon. Sorry Boss. I need to save my ass first, work comes later.''

 Chapter 402: Protective shield

    Oliver was still working in the living room when he noticed Ronnie running away, his face mortified while he glanced back once in a while. Before he could even question Ronnie about it, the man had vanished and Oliver could only blink in confusion wondering what had happened. However, there was no one around for him to question about it. So, he swallowed his words and went back to his work, arranging the schedule of the news agency.


    He was so lost in his work that he did not realize Aria''s return. Aria stealthily peeked inside and darted her eyes around her, trying to find Noah. Since the moment Noah had warned her about what lay ahead for her, her heart had been thundering in her chest and she could not help but worry for herself.


    She knew Noah had controlled his desire for a long time and any time soon, all that he had for her would come gushing out. Now that it was actually happening, Aria did not know how to face the situation. Aria had seen Ronnie running out and she had deduced that Noah was back, her hopes of not wanting to see him washing away in the ocean. She could only pray for the man to have forgotten his words and wish for her well-being by the end of the day.


    As soon as Aria''s eyes fell on her father, they lit up, and a plan formulated in her mind. ''How could I forget about Dad? I can hide behind him, he will protect me from the big bad wolf. Yes, Dad, you are my savior.'' Standing straight, she pushed her shoulders back and after putting on a brave front, she entered the mansion. Although she seemed to be at ease, she was not. This was Noah''s mansion and she could never escape from him, not when she knew that at the end of the day, she would be sleeping with him on his bed.


    "Dad," She chirped, trying to curb her anxiousness. She forced a smile trying to appear as normal as possible. But being the observant man he was, Oliver could detect the abnormality in his daughter and he narrowed his eyes at her. He observed her carefully without saying a word and his scrutinizing gaze was enough for Aria to force her eyes away from him.


    "Is something the matter, Aria?"


    "Nothing. Nothing at all. Why do you ask, Dad?" She blurted out at once, adding fuel to his suspicions, and he shook his head slightly.


    "Why do I feel that you are behaving strangely? Did something happen?" Oliver could sense her uneasiness, especially when she wandered her eyes around them, looking in the direction that led to her room. He had a hunch about what might have transpired and why she was on tenterhooks.


    Oliver smiled, shaking his head at the couple who seemed to be so badly in love. Their clingy behavior and fondness for each other made his resolve to move out of Noah''s mansion stronger and he decided to do so as soon as possible.


    "Aria, I have something to speak to you about," Oliver stated, removing his glasses and placing them on the table in front of him.


    "Yes, Dad," Aria muttered absentmindedly, once again darting her eyes around the room, trying to find the man who had threatened to gobble her up.


    "I have decided to move out." Oliver came to the point directly and dropped the bombshell. But Aria was too lost in thoughts to comprehend his words clearly.


    "Okay, Dad." She agreed without thinking, making Oliver stare at her in disbelief.


    "Aria, are you even listening to what I am saying?" Oliver raised his voice and this time, Aria fixed her eyes on her father.


    "Dad, did you say something?" Aria questioned, seeing her father''s agitated face, pondering about it. ''What happened to Dad? Why does he look so vexed?''


    "Aria," Oliver called out to her and he sighed lightly. "I said I am moving out from this mansion." This time, there was an obvious reaction from his daughter and Oliver''s annoyance reduced a little, pleased by the look on her face.


    "But why?" Aria scooted closer to her father and held his hand. Her thoughts cleared and she forgot about Noah''s words altogether. "Did someone say something to you? Did Noah tell you to move out?"


    "Not at all, sweetheart." Oliver faced her daughter and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Noah himself asked me to reconsider my decision. However, it is I who is adamant about it."


    "Why, Papa? Why do you want to move out?"


    "Aria, this is Noah''s house, your house. You are still young and have a lot to see. You need time for yourselves and my presence here will only hinder your personal space and privacy. It will only serve as an obstruction to your love life and I do not wish something like that happen." Oliver put forth his reasons in front of Aria and waited for her to digest his words.


    "Look Aria," Oliver made her stare at him and smiled in assurance. "You and Noah are still a young couple. And I know how young couples prefer to stay alone. And," A mischievous smile made its way on his face. "You will thank me for it once things get heated up," Oliver smirked, and immediately at once, Aria blushed, shying away in embarrassment. She was rendered speechless and she did not have the courage to face her father.


    "But Dad," Aria faced him once again when she remembered the danger that was lurking around. "Where will you be staying, with Ivy?"


    "No. Why will I stay with Ivy when she is having her time with Joshua?" Oliver''s smile widened and Aria rolled her eyes at her father''s cheekiness.


    "Then, you are not allowed to leave from her. I am not allowing you to stay alone, especially when we know that it is unsafe for you." Aria declared, thinking about all possible dangers her father had to face when his truth came before the enemy.


    Oliver chuckled seeing his daughter''s stern face and he shook his head. "Don''t worry, dear. Noah wants me to stay with Ian for the time being. If things go well, maybe I''ll be staying with him."


    "That sounds fair," Aria nodded. ''If Dad is going to stay with Ian, I am sure he will be safe. I can trust Ian with Dad''s life just like before. He will take care of him for sure.''


    Aria''s thoughts slowly changed directions when a realization hit. ''In that case, Dad will be moving out soon. There is no way Noah will stop himself, especially when the opportunity is presenting itself before him and I cannot use Dad as my shield to protect myself. Then...'' Aria shivered thinking about all possible scenarios where Noah would eat up. ''No.'' She screamed in her and shook her head frantically, her strange actions making Oliver look at her weirdly.


    "What happened to you?"


    "Nothing Dad. Nothing at all. Umm, Dad, when have you decided to move out?" Aria queried carefully, hoping against hope that it would not be any time soon.


    "Why? Are you that desperate to send me away?" Oliver gave her one teasing look and Aria gave him an annoyed squint.


    "Dad," She cried out in dismay.


    Oliver chuckled seeing her pout and puffed up face. "Noah has promised me to speak to Ian. If things go well, I will move out in a day or two." Oliver''s words were like a thunderbolt to the poor girl and sat stunned in her seat.


    There was only one thought in her mind. ''I am dead now. Noah will eat me up daily for sure.''

 Chapter 403: Art of seduction

    Aria thought about her fate once her father moved out of the mansion and immediately after, her eyes widened, in mortification. She recalled Noah''s threat messages and at once, she concluded that the man would not allow her to leave his bed in the upcoming days. His lips quivered in fear and she was ghastly pale.


    Aria had not been this scared even when she was dealing with Kevin. ''At least I knew what his fate would be. Right now, I am not certain about my fate. Noah!!!'' She wailed in her mind and right at that moment, she saw Noah walking down the steps, with his hands in his pajama pockets from the corner of her eye.


    ''Speak of the devil.'' She cursed him in her mind and lifted her head, only to find a smiling Noah staring at her in return. Although the smile looked innocent and harmless, she knew that was not the case with the way his eyes gleamed in wickedness. A shiver ran through her spine and she averted her eyes once, unable to meet the man''s scorching gaze.


    Noah''s smile widened seeing Aria''s behavior and he held his chin high, with a smug expression. "Dad, I''ll prepare dinner."


    "Sure, son. Go ahead." Oliver prompted without looking up. However, he did not forget to add, "Aria, go help him." That was all it took for Aria''s worst fears to come true. She stared at her father in horror. But to her dismay, Oliver did not even raise his head to notice her silent protest. He continued working, ignoring his daughter''s pleading gaze.


    Noah tilted his head and raised his eyebrow, his smile widening as evil thoughts ran through his mind. "Aria," He held out his hand. "Shall we?"


    "No, I haven''t washed myself yet." She gave an excuse and patted her back in her mind for her quick thinking.


    Noah''s smile vanished and he narrowed his eyes, trying to intimidate her. To his amusement, she only blinked at him, provoking him silently.


    "It''s fine, Aria." Oliver was the one to respond, breaking the couple''s eye contact. "I don''t mind and neither does Noah. Isn''t it, Noah?"


    "Definitely, Dad." Noah went along with his father-in-law, thanking him silently. ''Dad, you are the best. You know me so well.'' He noticed Oliver encouraging him with a small smile, which Aria failed to notice.


    Meanwhile, Aria could only scold her father for personally sending her to the wolf''s den. ''Why do I feel that Dad is helping Noah? What are these two plotting?'' Before she could even think of the possibilities, Noah had pulled her up, stunning her. She did not even have the time to object as Noah led her to the kitchen silently.


    Seeing his hungry gaze, Aria had the sudden urge to run away from the living room. "Umm, Noah. I remember now. I have an important case to study. So..."


    "You can study about it later, Aria."


    "But," Aria was so lost in coming up with excuses to escape from Noah''s clutches that she did not notice they were already near the kitchen, far away from the living room.


    "Aria, are you trying to avoid me?" Noah stopped suddenly and held her shoulders, staring at her intently. However, unlike him, Aria did not have the courage to meet him in the eye and she lowered her head, focusing her eyes on her feet.


    "Not at all. Why would I avoid you?"


    "Who knows? Maybe because you know what is going to happen later in the night. Maybe because you know..." Aria covered his mouth, stopping him from speaking any further.


    "What nonsense are you speaking?" She glared at him, trying to burn him through her eyes. To her dismay, it had the complete opposite effect of what she had expected. Instead of dropping the matter, Noah smiled widely and Aria could feel his lips sucking on her palm.


    Aria blinked at him and when it registered what he was doing, she tried to withdraw her arm, only for the man to hold her wrist tight. He continued to suck on her palm and stared back at her, making Aria fidget in her place.


    "Noah, what are you doing?" She squealed at the end when she felt the man lick her palm and tried to withdraw her hand again. Only this time, Noah pulled her flush and twisted his body such that Aria''s back was pressed against the wall. Now, Aria had no place to move. She was sandwiched between the wall and Noah, with their fronts plastered to each other.


    "What am I doing?" Noah feigned innocence and pushed Aria''s hair behind her ears. "I am just kissing my girlfriend." He muttered and inched his lips closer to her, blowing lightly on them. His cold breath made Aria shudder and she was rendered blank momentarily. Gone was the Aria who had called Maggie as she discussed strategies to kill Jared. Now it was Aria who had fallen head over heels with the man who was slowly seducing her.


    "Noah, you cannot..." Before Aria could push him away, Noah dived in to capture her lips, swallowing all her words. The sudden interruption took Aria''s breath away and she tried to free herself from his grasp. But Noah was having none of it. He held her wrist to her sides, trapping her in his embrace successfully. He pushed himself closer to her such that their chests were touching while making sure that he was not suffocating her.


    Aria''s meek attempt at pushing him away was rendered useless as the man did not budge even an inch. His gentle kiss turned passionate, especially when he realized that she was not responding back. He sucked on her sweet taste, relishing it to his heart''s content.


    Aria closed her eyes, relaxing her body eventually as she succumbed to his sweet torture. She started to kiss him back, trying to savor his lips, lightly sucking on them. However, before she could proceed any further, Noah pulled back with a devilish smile on his face. The sudden loss of contact left Aria gaping at him in a daze and she blinked innocently.


    "What happened?"


    "What happened?" Noah questioned back, raising an eyebrow.


    "I don''t know. You tell me. Why did you stop kissing me?"


    Her words made him grin wider and Noah licked his lips, enticing her even more. Aria''s eyes followed his actions and she gazed at his lips wanting to have a taste of them again.


    "Do you want me to kiss you?"


    Aria nodded her head absent-mindedly and immediately at once, she shook her head, realizing what she had done. Her cheeks were tainted pink and she shut her eyes in embarrassment. "I did not mean that." She whispered, not having the courage to speak out loud.


    "Oh, so you don''t want to kiss me. Am I right?"


    "What? No." Aria opened her eyes and blurted out.


    "Then, do you want to kiss me?" Noah twisted her words making Aria unable to form any coherent response. Aria was silent and seeing her cute expression, Noah leaned closer to her ear, and breathed softly, making her shiver in delight.


    "Tell me, Aria. What do you want? I''ll do as you say." Noah licked her earlobe and Aria yelped at his sudden touch. "All you have to do is ask."


    With that, he pulled back and stared at her, waiting for her answer. However, he made sure to press himself on her, running his hands on her waist once in while. Aria had no idea when he had released her wrists. She glowered at him, his smile irking her to no extent. Her eyes fell on his lips once again and this time, without giving him any reply, Aria pulled his head down and attacked his lips, stunning the man momentarily.


    But it did not take long for him to respond back, his eyes shining in desire. He smiled into the kiss, praising himself for successfully executing the art of seduction. And thus, Aria was seduced without even knowing what had happened.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    Hello everyone,


    You can join my discord server to know more about chapter updates and spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 404: Fortunate

    Aria wrapped her arms around Noah''s neck as she kissed him with all vigor. An overjoyed Noah handed her the reins to lead the kiss while he allowed her to do as she pleased, responding to her ministrations. Although Aria was the one who was kissing him, he was actually the one who was leading from behind, urging her gently to do as he wanted.


    Noah wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed himself closer, forcing her to feel his desire for her. Aria''s breasts were pressed against his chest and the soft feeling of her body, although both of them were fully covered, was making him want to do sinful things with her. He wanted to do her.


    Aria sucked on his lips, angling her head in the meanwhile, allowing him more access. Happy to cooperate with her vigor, he deepened the kiss, responding to her actions. However. other than sucking and nibbling on lips, Aria did not proceed any further and Noah was losing his patience gradually. Deciding to take things in his hand, he parted his lips slightly, allowing her to plunge her tongue into his mouth.


    Her tongue entangled with his as she deepened the kiss, engaging in a sweet tango. Noah too took in her sweetness while he lifted her off her feet. Aria wrapped her legs around his waist and the next moment, she gasped, feeling his erection right at her entrance.


    She stared at him wide-eyed, and her momentary halt made Noah take the lead. He sucked on her lips, taking all her breath away. Aria did not have time to think about his poking manhood. His kiss made her lose all her senses and she surrendered to him, allowing him to do as he pleased. Barely a few minutes had passed that Aria was having trouble breathing. She tapped on his shoulders indicating the same.


    Noah, at once, released her, his hands still wrapped around her waist, with Aria still clinging to him. Her beautifully flushed face, her glazed eyes, and her swollen lips evoked a desire so hard in him, that he almost groaned in despair. A thin strand of saliva connected their lips and Noah observed her closely as she took deep breaths. She tried to soothe her raging heart while Noah showered her face with kisses.


    Noah inhaled her fragrance and kissed her hair before he bent down and kissed her neck. A low moan left Aria''s lips and Noah took this opportunity to suck at that spot. Aria closed her eyes and took in a deep breath when she felt him bite her skin lightly.


    "Noah," She breathed, running her hand through his hair as the man continued with his actions. He pulled back after a few seconds. Satisfied with his work, he pecked her lips again and stared at her intently. Aria had calmed down by then and she gazed back at him, and what she saw stunned her. There was love, lust, and fondness evident in his eyes.


    Her heart was filled with warmth and her eyes teared up the next moment. Not wanting to show her tears to him, Aria hugged him tightly, allowing her tears to fall down. ''I am sorry, Noah. I am so sorry.'' She cried silently. Her sudden actions stunned the man. Yet, he hugged her back, his hands clasped around her waist.


    Noah could sense that something was wrong with her and he frowned, worry and trepidation taking over his entire form. "Is everything alright, Aria?"


    His question stupefied, Aria and she controlled her tears, not wanting the man to find out about them. However, before she could wipe her cheeks, he had pulled back. Noah''s worry increased seeing the teardrops and he released her slowly, his hands supporting as she slid down. "Why are you crying, Aria? What happened?"


    Noah''s voice was laced with pain and he held her gently in his arms, allowing her to lean on him. "Did something happen? Did I do something wrong? I am sorry, Aria. I am so sorry." He whispered softly, wiping the tears off her face. "I am so sorry for hurting you Aria? Please forgive me." He pleaded and that was all it took for Aria to drown in guilt and fear.


    "Don''t cry, sweetheart. Please don''t cry." He begged, his voice turning hoarse and feeble as seconds ticked by. "I am sorry. I won''t do it again. I will not do it without your permission."


    "Noah," Aria breathed, holding his hands. "I am so fortunate to have you in my life." She interlocked her fingers with his and kissed his hands softly.


    "What?" Noah frowned, hearing her words and he blinked in perplexity.


    "I must have done something great to have found you in my life. Thank you, Noah. Thank you so much for coming into my life." Aria kissed him on his cheek, her actions adding more to his concern and anxiety.


    "What happened, baby? Why are you speaking this way all of a sudden?" Noah coaxed her gently, lifting her and placing her on the kitchen counter.


    "Nothing happened, Noah. I am just fortunate to have you in my life." Aria smiled, hiding the remorse and her fears. ''You are too good for me. I am sorry for hiding things from you. I am sorry for keeping you in the dark. I hope you will forgive me once the truth comes to light.''


    "Are you sure you are alright?"


    Aria nodded and kissed his hand once again to prove her point. "I am fine. Sorry that I made you go into panic."


    "Aria," Noah scrunched up his face, scrutinizing her thoroughly. "Are you hiding something from me?"


    His words made Aria''s heart skip a beat and she stared at him, unable to form any words. "I-I.." She stuttered, her mind refusing to cooperate with her.


    "Or, did you only realize only now that your boyfriend amazing and one and only in the world that are you this overwhelmed and overjoyed?" Noah teased and Aria''s lips rose in a smile.


    "Oh ho. So, this is the matter." Noah nodded and pushed himself closer to her, forcing her legs apart. "You must be fortunate to have me in your life. But let me tell you one thing." He stated with all sincerity and seriousness. "I consider myself luckier to have you. You have no idea how happy and contented I am to have you here with me, to share my joys and sorrows. I am so happy, Aria."


    He pecked her lips lightly with a smile and hugged her. "Don''t do that ever again, Aria. You scared me." He muttered after some time. "I was worried that it was my actions that made you react this way."


    Aria shook her head and Noah sensed her movements, even though he could not see her. "Then, shall I assume that you liked whatever we did just now and you did not find it repulsive?" Noah put forth his question, dreading her answer and when he did not hear her voice, a smile broke out on his face.


    "In that case, Aria," Noah continued, lifting her shirt and running his hands on her waist. "This is just the beginning. Wait for me after dinner. I''ll eat you for sure tonight."

 Chapter 405: Perverted Aria

    Aria watched silently, resting her head on her palm as Noah started to cook. He had folded his sleeves until his elbows, his veins on his arms bulging while he continued cutting the vegetables. Once in a while, he would look up and smile at Aria.


    Aria sighed lightly admiring the man before her. ''Who said a man did not look appealing when he cooked? If he looked this sexy and delectable, I would want him to cook for me daily. Ahh, I could stare at him all day.'' Aria thought to herself, smiling like a lovestruck fool. She licked her lips and continued to stare at him.


    Although Noah had taken up the duty of preparing a scrumptious feast for his beloved, he could not help but get distracted from seeing her strong gaze on him. He dropped his knife and turned to face her, making her raise her eyebrows in wonder. "Aria, please stop distracting me. Be a good girl and sit in the living room."


    "What am I doing? I am just sitting here and observing you prepare dinner. How am I being a distraction?" Aria questioned him innocently, although her eyes spoke something else altogether. They were glinting in mischief and Noah could not help but groan in despair.


    "Aria, darling, your mere presence here is making me lose control. Please be a good girl and stay with Dad." He almost begged, his voice turning soft at the end.


    "No way. I am here to admire my boyfriend while he is cooking. You cannot forbid me from doing so. It is my birthright." She argued and folded her hands. "I am not leaving from here."


    "Aria, please. If you don''t leave the kitchen, I am not sure if there will be any food for us to eat at dinner."


    "I trust you, Noah. I know you can bear with it and prepare an amazing dinner. However, if you can''t, it''s okay." Noah raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "You can eat me and I''ll eat you." Aria winked at him and Noah''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    "Is that so?" He took slow, careful steps towards her. Seeing him approach stealthily, Aria stood up and retreated back, her smile not leaving her face.


    "What do you think?" She questioned back, putting on a courageous front, although she knew she would regret it the moment the man caught her.


    "I am more than willing to eat you and you eating me. But this is not a suitable place to do so. Come, let''s go to bed and we can eat each other all day." Without waiting for her reply, he held her by her waist and pulled her with him gently. Aria could only gape at him in horror and tried to free herself from his grasp.


    "Noah, what are you doing?" She squealed when she felt his fingers run across her abdomen.


    "What am I doing, Aria. I am just satisfying your wishes. Weren''t you the one who made the suggestion?" He questioned her innocently, stopping right at the kitchen entrance.


    Aria nodded her head, at first, which later changed to a shake. "I mean, no. I did not mean that."


    "Oh!! Then, what did you mean? Do you mind telling me? You see, my brain is a little messed up and uncooperative today. I would like it if you could speak about it rather than asking me to deduce everything myself." His words were like a thunderbolt to Aria and she did not know whether to laugh or cry. It was all her fault that she provoked Noah and now, she had to deal with it.


    "But..but..." She struggled to come up with some excuse. "I am hungry." Noticing that Noah was about to talk dirty again, she added, "For food." That shut him and he moved back.


    "Aria," He spoke softly and pushed her hair back. "If you want food, then behave." His voice turned serious all of a sudden. "Go out of the kitchen. If you continue to stay here, I am not sure what I will do to you." Seeing her bewildered gaze, he continued, "But I can guarantee that you and I, both will like, in fact, love, whatever that might transpire here. Do you wish to take the risk?" He challenged her with a confident smile, which Aria so badly wanted to wipe off his face.


    Not wanting to provoke the hungry wolf any further, Aria sprinted out of the kitchen, allowing him to carry on with the cooking. Noah could only laugh at her cute and flustered and resumed his work, after shaking his head.


    Oliver was still working in the living room when he noticed a mystified Aria scurrying away like a scared bunny. He could guess what might have transpired in the kitchen, her flushed face, and her anxious eyes were enough proof for him to make a conclusion. Oliver wanted to pull his younger daughter''s leg, for he had missed teasing her. However, he knew doing so would only bring her more embarrassment. So, he stayed mum even though his eyes followed her.


    Aria, in her hurry, had completely missed Oliver and his look of amusement. She was more worried about reaching her room rather than facing her father. With swift steps, she reached her room and shut the door behind her. Panting loudly, she patted her heart, calming it down. Her heart had gone crazy the moment Noah had teased her by seducing her and till now, it was beating erratically.


    A few minutes passed and her heart finally returned to normal. She took a deep breath before her eyes fell on the bed that welcomed her openly. Her imagination ran wild and she at once, envisaged herself and Noah engaging in sexual activities on the bed. Her calm heart started to misbehave again and her face turned red.


    "What the heck are you thinking, Aria?" She reprimanded herself. Shaking her head vigorously, she tried to remove the perverted thoughts out of her mind. To distract herself, she sat far away from the bed, on the couch near the balcony, and opened the mail Maggie had sent her.


    ''Read the mail within 24 hours. Will delete it automatically once time lapses.'' Maggie had put a note at the beginning, warning her. Aria took a deep breath and opened the file, and what she saw first, made her eyes widen in shock. "Damn you, bastard."

 Chapter 406: Foot play

    Aria wandered her spoon in the plate, recalling the contents of the email she had seen an hour ago. Although she had been informed about some of the information before, she still could not clear her thoughts as she went through it thoroughly. Jared was a monster for sure, but she had never expected him to be this barbaric.


    Maggie had sent her the details of almost all his crimes of his she could find and that included the recent event when he had released the poisonous gas, sarin, into the air. Aria had expected this outcome when she remembered the similar disaster he had plotted to release a poisonous virus. However, what shook her the most was the number of females he had killed just for his pleasure.


    Maggie had sent her a detailed list, including the information of his victims, who had met a horrible end after getting caught by him. Just the thought of them being helpless and tortured by him made her blood boil and she grasped the spoon hard. Her knuckles turned pale due to the force she was exerting, her eyes blazing in anger.


    Noah sensed her sudden change in emotions and he stared at her, bewildered. He could see the anger in her eyes while she gripped the spoon tight. It was as though she was silently killing someone on her head, chopping them off piece by piece. He had never seen such an expression on her and for a second, he wondered if he was dreaming.


    Aria stared ahead, forgetting about her surroundings while she devised plans to kill the man who was nothing but trash, a waste to society. She did not notice Noah''s weird gaze on her, nor did she see Ronnie blinking around in confusion.


    "Aria," Noah whispered, inching closer to her, trying not to alert Oliver who was eating without looking up. It was only Ronnie and Noah who had witnessed the changes in her mood. Not getting any response from her, he tapped at her feet, using his leg and the sudden touch made Aria jump in her seat. She looked around trying to find the cause of the disturbance.


    Noah tilted his head slightly, as he placed his head on his arm waiting for the girl to reflect what had even transpired. Aria spotted his questioning gaze and she raised her eyebrow twice, asking him what had happened. However, all she received was a shrug with a lift of his head. Unable to perceive his weird behavior, Aria focused on her food, this time, making sure not to get lost in her thoughts.


    However, to her horror, she felt Noah''s leg rubbing on her feet, and immediately at once, she fixed her eyes on him again, questioning him silently. However, the man in question did not even face her and continued to chew on his food, licking his lips, savoring the taste. But that did not mean he stopped with his ministrations. His naughty feet rubbed on her ankle and soon after they moved up her calf muscle. To his joy, she had worn wide pajama pants making it easy for him to lift them with his feet.


    Aria coughed lightly, trying to gain Noah''s attention. However, it was Oliver who responded to her and passed her a glass of water. "Have some water, dear. The food is spicier than usual today," He commented, not finding anything out of the norms. He was completely oblivious to what was happening below the table.


    Aria took a sip under her father''s urging gaze before she averted her eyes to glare at Noah. The man only smiled at her, still not facing her, his foot not stopping exploring Aria''s leg. He rubbed on her calf muscles, gripping on her leg with his other leg, not allowing her to move away. Any amount of struggle remained futile as the man had gripped her in leg in between in his. Aria kicked his legs using her free leg. But it had no effect on him as he continued with his foot play, enticing her slowly.


    "Shameless, shameless, utterly shameless." She could not help but curse at him under her breath. Her voice did not go unheard. Not only Noah, even Oliver heard her and he lifted his head, frowning at her.


    "Aria, who is shameless?" He queried, darting his eyes back and forth between the couple. However, he could still not make out the tension between the two. He could only stare at them in confusion.


    His sudden question made Aria''s jaw drop and she was rendered speechless momentarily. While she was still trying to find a reply for her father, who was waiting for her to speak, she heard a low chuckle from beside her. Aria could only grit her teeth at the man''s thick-skinned actions.


    "Noah, why are you laughing? Did something happen?" Oliver focused his attention on Noah on seeing him laugh and his confusion grew all the more.


    "I just remembered something, Dad. Nothing significant." Noah lied conveniently and for the first time, since he held her leg captive in between his, Noah faced her. "Is everything alright, Aria? What happened?"


    Aria narrowed her eyes and glowered at him. Seeing him raise his eyebrows, trying to poke fun at her, Aria decided to fight back. "Dad, can you ask ...," She started, and immediately after, Noah''s smile vanished. His eyes widened and he released her leg, allowing her to move back. Not wanting to provide him another chance to tease her, Aria shifted her chair away from Noah, sighing in relief.


    "What should I ask and to whom?" Oliver observed her carefully, following her movements while she scooted away from Noah.


    "Dad, can you ask Ivy to not put her life in danger without thinking? Her impromptu actions bugs me sometimes." Aria continued and took a glance at Noah, only to find him gaping at her in shock. Sending him a playful wink, Aria pretended to be innocent while she chatted with her father.


    ''Noah dropped his spoon and clasped his hands together, observing Aria closely.'' So you think you can trick me. Tch, tch, tch. Poor Aria. Just a few minutes more. You will find out yourself what will happen to you once we are locked in our bedroom. Brace yourself, baby. You cannot escape from what I have planned for you and definitely, Dad will not be there to protect you."

 Chapter 407: Chase in the bedroom

    Aria could sense the heated gaze from the man beside her and she did not have to lift her head to find out who was responsible for it. She knew that her trick had added fuel to Noah''s desire and Aria was sure he would take revenge with added interest. She could only pray for the dinner, which seemed to be pacing swiftly for her liking, to drag for long.


    In the blink of an eye, the dinner ended and Oliver returned to his room, leaving Aria alone with Noah in the dining hall. Noah did not move from his place, his eyes fixed on the girl beside him. His intense gaze made Aria fidgety and when she could tolerate it no longer, she stood up suddenly. Noah raised his eyebrows at her, throwing questions at her silently.


    "I''ll clear the table," Aria muttered, immediately picking up her plate. Before she could reach for the other plates, Noah''s hand stopped her. She had no idea when he had stood up, for now, he was leaning beside her, his chest touching her right arm. He held her hand and Aria looked up at him.


    "Aria, you do not have to do this. We have servants, remember." He stated, his lips quirking up slightly seeing her nervous gaze.


    "Huh?" She mumbled, her mind turning into a mush when she felt Noah''s thumb run softly on her palm. She could feel the heat of his body and the effect of it was so strong that she shuddered in her place. Noah did not miss this little reaction and his heart leaped in joy.


    "Aria, drop the plate. The servants will take care of it." Without waiting for her response, he took the plate from her and placed it on the table. Aria was too lost to notice what was even happening and she allowed him to do as he pleased. "Come with me, darling." He coaxed her and gently lifted her in his arms. The sudden movement brought Aria out of her reverie and she squealed.


    "Noah, what are you doing?" She wound her hands around his neck to prevent herself from falling. "Put me down." Noah gave her a look and without a word, started walking towards their room. With every step he took, Aria''s nervousness rose and her heart thundered in her chest.


    Although the distance between the dining hall and the room was quite short, to Noah, it seemed to stretch forever. Unlike Aria who was wishing for it to go on. Finally, to Noah''s relief and Aria''s horror, they reached their room and Noah closed the door behind him. Giving a moment for Aria to stabilize her, he released her and locked the door, allowing no room for her to escape.


    Aria had just a few seconds for her escape. But she did not seize the chance and stood rooted to her place. It was as though her legs were weighed down by leads, not allowing her to take even one step back.


    Noah turned back and what Aria saw made her gasp. There was a raging desire in his eyes and he was on the edge of losing control. The moment she saw his state, something snapped in her and she took a step back, urging the man to take one step towards her. Nobody said a word, the silence in the room was unnerving. The atmosphere became tense at once and Aria could feel goosebumps rise on her skin due to Noah''s ardent gaze.


    Seeing the man inching towards her, Aria''s mind sent her a signal. The next moment, she turned on heels and bolted away from him, towards the bed, trying to avoid the man. However, this action of hers ignited a fire in him and he chased after her.


    Aria did not have many options to run to in the first place, in Noah''s room except for the bathroom. But the direction in which she had taken off was opposite to it and she could only groan in despair at her luck. However, she still had the chance to make it and that was only if she crossed the bed without being caught by Noah.


    Not wasting another moment, she jumped on the bed, wriggling her way through the sheets. ''Yes, Aria. You can do it. You can do it.'' Although Aria knew she could not escape from Noah forever, she could not help find the chase a thrill. Her heart was already looking forward to what would happen once Noah captured her. But she was sure of one thing, Noah would never do anything that would hurt her or force her to do anything against her wishes.


    Her feet had barely touched the ground when Noah pulled her back by her arms, gently and Aria fell flat on the bed, with a yelp. She did not even have the chance to move as the man immediately hovered above her, trapping her completely in his embrace. He locked her legs in between his, sending her a sweet, victorious smile in the meanwhile.


    "Had your share of fun, sweetheart?" He queried, pushing back her hair that had fallen over her face. Aria did not speak a word, pleading with him through her eyes to leave her. However, the man just ignored her pleas and pecked her lightly. "Aria, do you trust me?" He questioned her and pushed himself closer to her.


    Aria nodded her head without any hesitation. There was no reluctance and doubts in her eyes, only unconditional trust and sincerity. Her obvious answer touched Noah and a genuine smile made its way on his face. However, he was still not satisfied. He wanted to hear her proclaim it rather than convincing him through signals. "Words, darling, words. I need words. Do you trust me?"


    This time, Aria did as she was asked and she answered him with all her honesty. "I do, Noah. I trust you with all my heart and soul." Her answered greatly pleased the man and he rewarded her with a peck.


    "Then, do you believe that I will not do anything to you that might hurt you?"


    "Absolutely," Aria replied with confidence. "I am certain about you. Hurting me would be the last thing on your mind." After she answered him, she could feel the guilt enveloping her heart. Although he was not hurting her, nor did he ever hurt her, she was sure that the gruesome truth about her and the secret she was hiding would hurt him in the future. Just the thought of it frightened her and she prayed for him to forgive her.


    Seeing her slipping into thoughts, Noah blew his breath on her lips trying to bring her back. "Sweetheart, I am sad." He stated, licking his lips slowly. His hoarse voice brought Aria out of her reverie and she raised an eyebrow at him. "My darling girl''s focus is somewhere else when I am right in front of her. How can I not be sad?" He pouted like a cute kid and Aria could not help but roll her eyes at his mischievous antics.


    "But that''s okay." Noah continued, not allowing Aria to speak. "I know exactly what to do to bring my Aria back to me." Not giving her any time to comprehend his words, he kissed her, taking her breath away.


    --------------------------------------------------------------


    Hello everyone,


    You can join my discord server to know more about chapter updates and spoilers.


    https://discord.gg/RqgjUZcWtt

 Chapter 408: Love and pleasure - Part 1

    The kiss was nothing like the kiss they had shared in the kitchen. Noah''s actions were quite aggressive, giving Aria no room for objection or to even react. His kiss took her by a storm and Aria''s mind became blank at once. She could only whimper feeling his lips attacking her ruthlessly. But it was not something that she hated or felt disgusted with. Handing over the reins to her heart, she too kissed him back with equal vigor and want.


    Her response greatly pleased Noah and he tightened his embrace, pushing her closer to him. Aria opened her mouth, allowing the man the access he needed and Noah grasped this opportunity to dive in and taste her sweet mouth. Their tongues danced together, a tempo that was sweet as well as torturous.


    The temperature in the room soared as the kiss deepened. Noah lifted her by her waist and rolled on the bed until she was lying on top of him. The couple continued to kiss, each taken over by their desire and love for each other. Aria straddled his hips, her entrance right on top of his hardened manhood. She could feel the poke below her and a heat started in her stomach.


    Taken over by her desire, she pushed Noah''s shirt up, exposing his sexy and delicious abs. Sensing her intentions clearly, Noah withdrew and forced himself to sit up, taking Aria with him, before he removed his shirt, baring his torso to her. The sight before her was too much for her and Aria licked her lips, an action that did not go unnoticed by Noah.


    Aria''s cold fingers touched his abs and Noah sucked in a sharp breath, feeling her soft skin on his body. He pushed her close to him until her chest was pressed to his face. He pulled her close by her neck gently, once again attacking her lips, continuing from where they had left. However, this time, his hands did not stay still.


    Taking Aria''s lost and dazed state to his advantage, his hands went for the buttons on her shirt. Thankfully for him, Aria was still wearing the clothes she had worn in the morning, and her shirt made it easy for him to open them. In the blink of an eye, her shirt was unbuttoned and her white bra-clad breasts were exposed to his hungry eyes.


    Once again, he rolled over, taking Aria with him, and laid her underneath him, all the while not breaking the kiss. Aria had no idea what was happening to her and what Noah was doing. She had surrendered to Noah completely, allowing him to do as he pleased. But she was certain of one thing, whatever he was doing was making her feel good.


    Noah pulled back, stopping the kiss when he felt Aria tapping his shoulders due to a shortage of oxygen. The moment the man''s lips left hers, Aria took deep breaths and she tried to calm her hyperactive heart. But she did not stop wandering her hands over his bare torso, just like how Noah was wandering his eyes on her bra-clad chest.


    There was nothing sexy about the white garment she was wearing. Yet, it made him want to do sinful things to her and have his way with her. It became painful for him to control his desires for her and he was not sure how long he could stay without succumbing to his heart''s wishes.


    Noah leaned in and kissed her on the same spot where he had sucked on her neck before, followed by a lick. This time, Aria could not control herself and she let out a moan, a sound that sent blood rushing to his already hard member. Realizing immediately how lewd she sounded, Aria covered her mouth with the back of her hand to stop herself from making any more noises.


    However, Noah was having none of it. He was not going to allow her to stop herself from making the noises that he so badly wanted to hear from her. The next instant, his fingers entangled with hers and he pushed her hands away, locking them on either side of her head. He then continued to suck on the spot he had attacked before, eliciting another moan from his beloved.


    Noah did not stop until a blaring red hickey greeted him. Satisfied with his work, he lowered his head and kissed her collarbone. The sudden attack was too much for Aria and she arched her back slightly before she collapsed on the bed. Noah bit on her skin and Aria gasped when the pain registered in her mind. But the next instant, she sighed when she felt his tongue trying to soothe the pain.


    This continued until there was another hickey right below her collar, just above her bra. Noah pulled back to admire his mini artwork and his lips arched up seeing how beautiful and alluring Aria looked with his marks. His eyes then ran downwards and he frowned in annoyance when he saw the clothing that obstructed his view of what lay beneath them. He glared at them, wishing to burn them away so that he could have a peek at her chest.


    His hands took to action the moment the idea hit him and instead of unbuckling her bra, he tore it in the middle, separating the two pieces. Aria''s delectable breasts welcomed him and he salivated just on seeing them. Wanting to taste them, he leaned in and kissed the nib of her mound, followed by a lick, a sensation which was too much for Aria. She shuddered feeling his tongue wreck havoc to her body and she tried to wriggle away. But she was completely trapped in his arms and it was impossible for her to even move an inch.


    Noah did not stop his assault on her breasts, his lips feasting on one of them while his hand kneaded the other. He bit on the bud gently while his hand tugged on the other and Aria mewled softly, enjoying his touch completely. After feasting to his heart''s content, he then swapped his actions.


    Meanwhile, Aria too did not stop wandering her hands on his chest, exploring them to her heart''s content. A small sigh escaped her lips when she felt him bite her skin one last time before he pulled back.


    Noah''s lust-filled eyes took in her absolute beguiling form and his heart was filled with pride. "Aria, you are so beautiful." He ran his hands on her waist, his hands having a mind of their own. His words made Aria blush all the more and unable to look at him in the eye, she averted her gaze away from him.


    "Aria, look at me, darling." Noah held her by her chin and coaxed her to look at him. "You are beautiful. Don''t be shy to acknowledge it, love. I must be very fortunate to have you as my girlfriend." His honesty and sincerity touched her heart and she hugged him immediately, thanking him silently for waltzing in her life.


    However, her innocent move made Noah lose control completely. Their bare chests were touching each other and he could feel her softness pressed against him, challenging his self-control. His member was now fully erect and all he wanted to do was thrust himself inside her and find his relief. However, he knew that he could not have sex with her right on the first day. His girl was new to this and he had taken it upon himself to give her a pleasurable experience rather than concentrating on his needs.


    ''So what if I cannot have sex with her? I can do other things to my sweetheart, and slowly ease her of worries and pull her to my side."

 Chapter 409: Love and pleasure - Part 2

    Noah slowly eased her on the bed after removing her shirt and her torn bra. Her soft breasts were bare for him to see and he appreciated Aria''s beauty, worshipping her with his eyes. His hands descended down, attempting to remove her trousers while he maintained eye contact with her. His intense gaze made Aria blush and her ears and neck turned red immediately.


    He removed her trousers slowly, a pace that was too slow for her liking. Noah''s scorching gaze and his previous ministrations had already aroused Aria. She wanted him to just yank her trousers off and help her get the relief she needed. However, she controlled herself when her rationality warned her of her actions. She waited patiently and finally, she was just in her underwear, her beautiful body lying underneath the man who had captured her heart.


    Noah fixed his eyes on her innocent ones and they moved down to her swollen lips, courtesy of his fierce kisses. His eyes then descended further down and admired the two hickeys he had left on her neck and collar bone before his eyes fell on her delectable breasts. His erection throbbed, making it impossible for him to control himself any longer.


    Giving in to his desires, Noah leaned in kissed her on her naval and Aria ran her hands through his hair, getting lost in the pleasure he was bestowing upon her. Her hands dropped when she felt Noah run his tongue on her belly button and she clutched the bedsheet tight. Noah adjusted himself such that her entrance was right before his eyes and he kissed her lightly.


    Although Aria was still wearing her underwear, she could still feel his hot breath and his lips on her and she shuddered in delight. "Noah," A low moan escaped her lips, and this time, she did not cover her mouth in embarrassment. Encouraged by her moans, Noah kissed her again his hands holding her waistband of the skimpy garment and dragging them down along the contours of her sexy legs.


    Aria was aroused beyond his imagination. He could see her bud glistening in desire. Taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of sweet arousal that belonged to his woman alone, he trusted his finger inside her. The sudden intrusion made Aria''s mind explode and she arched her back. She panted lightly, adjusting to his finger. However, before she could even calm down, Noha started moving his finger slowly, keeping his eyes on Aria''s dazed and pleasured face.


    Aria could not help but moan and gasp while the man continued to pump his finger inside her. Deciding to take things further, he inserted another finger inside her and this time, he hit her spot accurately. Aria moaned out loud at the sensation and she curled her toes. Her mind had already stopped working, her heart was thundering at a pace she could not comprehend and her body was not even under her control.


    Noah was controlling her like the master he was and Aria could only surrender to him, allowing him to as he pleased. He did not allow her to calm down even a second, hitting her sweet spot every time and Aria had reduced to a moaning mess. She bit on her lip to stop herself from making any more noises. Noticing her small act, Noah dived in for a kiss, pulling her lips apart and forcing his tongue inside her mouth. Meanwhile, he did not stop his fingers from pleasuring her.


    Aria did not know what was even happening with her. Noah''s lips and fingers were doing magic to her. Liquid heat started to pool in her lower abdomen and she started to find herself climbing towards something she was not sure what. But she was certain that she wanted it. She wanted to reach the peak and touch the far away galaxy that was calling out for her.


    However, to her horror, Noah pulled back when the volcano in her was just about to erupt and Aria mewled at the loss of contact. "Patience, darling. Patience." He chuckled and licked his lips before he dived in to kiss her bud. Aria''s eyes widened in shock and immediately after, she sucked in a sharp breath when she felt his tongue lick her clit.


    The sensation was too much for her to bear and she tried to move away from him. But the man held her by her waist, stopping her from escaping while his tongue continued to feast on her sweetness. Aria felt him run his tongue slowly while he savored her to his heart''s content. She started sprinting towards the peak, trying to catch hold of the pleasure she so desperately craved for. She was so close. All she needed was a small nudge and then she would see stars, maybe even the Milky Way.


    However, right when she was about to combust into flames, Noah pulled back and rolled away from her. He released her completely, his body a few inches away from her. The sudden loss of contact made Aria blink in confusion and she gaped at the man in horror. "Noah," She called out to him, who had closed his eyes at that moment. Her voice stunned her, she sounded nothing like she usually did. It had gone husky but to Noah, it was the sexiest sound he had ever heard.


    "Yes, Aria?" He questioned without opening his eyes. His indifferent attitude irked the girl all the more. She was already frustrated from being denied and combined with his attitude, it only made her want to kick him in his rear. Yet, she took a deep breath shooing away her anger for the time being.


    "Why did you stop?" Her voice faltered at the end, embarrassment taking over her. Her blush intensified and she felt ashamed to have voiced out her desires.


    Noah opened his eyes and returned her stare, with amusement and joy crinkling in his eyes. He smiled seeing her uneasiness, a different kind of excitement filled him on seeing her frustrated and flustered self. "Why, Aria? Do you want me to continue?" He queried, teasing her into voicing out her opinions.


    His questions flabbergasted the girl and she did not know how to respond to him. She gritted her teeth in anger and glared at him. Forcing her heart to calm down, she decided to humor him this once. "Yes."


    Her answer exhilarated Noah and not delaying it any further, he got above her, pushing her down softly. "You just have to ask, sweetheart. I am all yours." He whispered, his hot breath seering her lips. Her vexation vanished at once and she swallowed her complaints as soon as Noah''s lips met hers. He kissed her gently, his lips sucking on her already swollen ones, licking them once in a while.


    Though he had kissed Aria before, this kiss was something of a different experience altogether. She could feel something different and alluring about it. She felt the man''s love for her, his yearning for her as well as his happiness. Her heart skipped a beat on being kissed with such emotions.


    She too kissed him back, proclaiming all the love she had for him as well as her guilt and regret in the kiss. She apologized to him silently while a drop of tear ran down her eyes. Noah was too lost to notice her strange reaction. He kissed her until he could feel her losing her consciousness before he pulled back.


    While Aria panted loudly, Noah once again went down on her and inserted his expert finger inside her, prompting her to climb the peak she wanted to reach. His fingers increased their tempo, pumping in and out of her at a tremendous speed and Aria had not time to adjust to his pace.


    Aria was right at the edge, the volcano was just about to erupt, she was just about to see the stars when Noah stopped moving his fingers once again. He pulled back slightly. However, unlike before he did not roll over and leave her alone. Instead, he watched her sending daggers at him through her eyes, murdering him silently.


    "This, my dear," He started, with a sinister smile on his face, "is the punishment for tricking me before."


    Aria''s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "This...this.." She stammered, her vocabulary failing her right at this moment. "Why?" She breathed.


    "Because you bullied me back then."


    "But I was just...I was just....." Seeing Noah''s smirk, Aria lost it completely. "Fuck you." She spat.


    Noah chuckled seeing her irked expression. He did not mind being cursed at by her. In fact, he loved the way her face scrunched up in anger, making her all the more adorable and alluring. "Oh, I will fuck you alright. But, not right now." He promised her.


    Aria was about to lose it completely and she tried to push him away. However, the man did not even budge and he held her wrists in his hands, securing her in his embrace. "Go away," She hissed and pushed him again. But the man only smiled and gazed at her, a gaze that was filled with love and tenderness.


    "Where do you think you are going?" He queried, kissing her fingers one by one.


    "Away from you. Go away. I don''t want you."


    "But I only want you." He whispered and pushed her closer to him, her entrance right on below of his erect member. Although Aria felt the poke, her anger had clouded her mind. So, she tried to push him away once again, but only to pushed back by him and she fell on the bed with him right on top of her.


    Noah was so close to her that she could feel his breath hitting her neck while his chest pressed hers, suffocating her gradually. "Noah," She started when she felt his finger enter her once again. Anger took over her entire form. "Are you trying to torture me?" She seethed, her eyes blazing in fire. But the next moment, her anger dissipated when he increased the pace, taking her towards the peak.


    "No, Aria. I am just making love to my beautiful girl." He replied with a gentle smile.


    "Then, then..." Aria gasped when she felt his finger hit the place she wanted. She swallowed all the words she wanted to say, losing control once again. When she was right at the edge, she opened her eyes, pleading with Noah softly to stop his torture. "Please, please." She begged and Noah assured her with her nod.


    He removed his finger and before Aria could complain again, he ran his tongue over her wet bud and that was all it took for Aria to come flying down. The volcanoes erupted and she screamed out the man''s name, her husky voice reverberating in the room. Never had Noah felt his name to sound this amazing and enticing. Aria''s eyes rolled back in her head and she saw stars in her mind.


    Noah could only admire her face filled with ecstasy after being pleasured and he waited for her to come down from the high. He watched with awe as his girl reveled in the feeling of the post-orgasmic bliss. He had never found any woman this beautiful and amazing before. And he was happy that she was in this state because of him. "Aria, you are mine forever." He breathed and sealed his promise with a kiss.

 Chapter 410: Love and Pleasure - Part 3

    Noah waited until Aria returned to him after being pleasured beyond words. Her cheeks were tainted red and her eyes were still dazed, as though she was still reeling in the aftermath of pleasure. A thin layer of sweat adorned her forehead while her damp hair stuck to her skin. It was a sight to behold and Noah was intoxicated just by looking at her. He could not help but marvel at her beauty, worshipping every inch of her body.


    It took a long time for Aria to come out of the heaven she had reached and the next moment, her eyes met Noah''s that held nothing but admiration and awe in them. Instead of averting her gaze like she usually did, she stared back at him and smiled at him lightly, a smile so innocent and pure that it touched Noah''s heart.


    He inched closer, pushing back her damp hair, and gave her a light peck. It was so quick that Aria did not even register it. She blinked at him, wondering if she was dreaming and her perplexed expression made Noah laugh out loud. "Aria, I love you." His breath fell on her lips while he caressed her face gently.


    Although Aria had already heard him profess his love for her before when he had come to apologize for hiding about her father''s whereabouts, she still felt her heart rejoice whenever he uttered it. It was as though he never got tired of repeating them and considering his personality, she was sure that he would proclaim his love for her every day, every hour, and maybe every minute in the future.


    On seeing Aria just shying away and not replying to him, Noah''s eyes narrowed dangerously. He gazed at her intensely, which Aria completely ignored. "Aria," His voice was shallow, and to Aria, it was the first signal of warning. However, she brushed it off and she raised her eyebrows.


    Her feigned ignorance made Noah''s frown deepen and he just a breath short of replaying the scene that had happened before Aria reached her bliss. He wanted to punish her once again for denying what he wanted to so badly hear. However, he still managed to stop himself from proceeding with the plan. "Don''t you have something to tell me, sweetheart?" He coaxed her gently, trying to covering his impatience and annoyance.


    "I don''t know. Was I supposed to tell something to you?" Aria questioned back maintaining a poker face, trying to read what he had in mind, to which she already had an obvious answer.


    Her reply killed Noah''s hopes and his face lost all its color and eagerness. Although he tried to hide his dejection, Aria could see it clearly and she realized that the man had started to sulk. Smiling to herself, she patted his back, attempting to gain attention.


    "Noah, I do have something to tell you." She muttered trying to sound as low as possible. Her voice was barely audible and if not for Noah lying close to her, he would have missed it completely. Her sudden declaration stunned the man and he widened his eyes, urging her through them to continue speaking.


    "But I will not tell them today." Aria continued, and the glimmer on his face vanished as soon as it had come. Aria could not help but pity for the man. She wanted to so badly tell him how she felt about him and what her feelings were. She wanted to confess how her heart was already with him, and even though she did not enunciate the words clearly, she always loved him and would always do in the future.


    "Why?" Noah almost wailed with a pout listening to her. He started to sulk, his face not hiding the fact that he was sad by her rejection. "Do you still not trust me enough to give me your heart?" Before he could put forth any more questions, Aria covered his mouth and stopped him.


    "No, Noah. It is not a matter of trust. I trust you, more than anything in this world. I trust you with my life, my heart, and my soul. I trust you will never hurt me." Aria declared how she felt for him even though she did not say the words he wanted to hear.


    "Then, why Aria? Why are you hesitant to tell me?" Noah was pacified by her words. His heart had already melted the moment she had started speaking. Her words were sweeter than honey and given the chance, he could listen to her all day.


    Aria smiled and ran her fingers through his hair before she interlocked her fingers around his neck. "Mr. Carter, please have some patience. I am sure you have heard the saying that Patience is Virtue.'' And I promise it will be worth the wait."


    Aria''s mysterious words made Noah stare at her blinking. His gaze held a lot of questions and Aria sighed seeing his doubtful gaze. "Okay, fine. Wait for a week. I have a surprise for you." She said, and this time, Noah''s confusion increased all the more. Seeing that he was about to raise a question, Aria interrupted him. "Give me a week, please. I am sure you will like whatever I have prepared for you."


    Noah eventually gave up seeing her silent promise. He sighed lightly and she hugged her tight, taking in her soothing scent. "Okay, Aria. I will wait for you. But please don''t prolong it more than that. I want to hear those sweet words from your mouth."


    "I promise."


    "Then, let''s continue from where we left before." Noah donned a devilish smirk, running his hands on the contours of her breasts and Aria shivered at once.


    "What do you mean?" She whispered, his mind unable to think properly, courtesy to Noah''s touches.


    "You had your turn. Now, it''s mine." Noah pulled back and left her alone, standing straight before her. Aria observed him carefully waiting for him to reveal what intentions he had in mind only to find him stripping himself. He was already bare from the waist above and all that remained were his pajamas and boxers. Aria''s blush intensified seeing him standing before her in just his boxers.


    Aria wanted so badly to shift her gaze away. But her eyes had a mind of their own and they started to wander around his body, taking in his sexy and tantalizing features before they fell on his boxers. What she saw made her gasp. There was an obvious tent and from the looks of it, it seemed to be huge. Noah followed her line of sight and he snickered lightly.


    "This is what you do to me, Aria. I have been controlling myself for a long time and you have no idea how difficult it is." With a quick push, his boxers fell to the ground and Noah''s proud member greeted Aria with pride. Now that Noah''s huge member was right in front of her, standing proud and tall, she did not know what to say. Her lips ran dry and she licked them, an action that Noah did not miss. It was so seductive that all Noah wanted was her lips to take his member and run her tongue on it while she pleasured him.


    Aria knew what Noah wanted from her. But her shy self got the best of her and she could not muster her courage to take the first step. "Noah, I don''t..." She stopped, not knowing how to tell him.


    "Shhh. It''s okay, sweetheart." He held face gently. "It''s okay. Your lack of experience only makes it easier for me. Don''t worry. I will guide you." With that, he sat in front of her and held her palm in his. "Follow my actions, okay." He smiled at her, a smile that was filled with adoration and love.


    As soon as her hand touched his member, Aria''s jaw dropped. She could feel the heat radiating and her palm burned. She tried to retrieve her hand only for Noah to tighten his grasp, not allowing her to budge. He forced her to wrap her fingers around his members and at once, his member pulsated at her soft touch. He moved her palm up and down, slowly trying to get her accustomed to his member.


    Aria''s soft hand ignited a spark in him and he gritted his teeth, suppressing his desire. He quickened his pace slowly, and once he was sure that Aria could take over from there herself, he released his hold on her palm. "Continue, darling." He said, which more or less came out as an order and Aria did as she was told. She moved her palm up and down, while she tried to control her heart which was beating as loud as a drum. "That''s it, good girl." Noah praised her and encouraged by his words, Aria quickened her pace, only for the man to stop her at once.


    "Let''s not be hasty, alright?" He questioned her and Aria became flustered at his teasing gaze. "Continue please."


    Aria started with her movements once again and Noah leaned back slightly, reveling in the pleasure. His erection grew big under her touch and she wondered how long it would take for him to release. His member was already coated in precum. No soon after did the thought come in her mind, Noah''s released his desire all over her hand with an audible grunt.


    Aria stared at her hand before her gaze fell on Noah, who seemed to have reached the euphoric bliss. Her eyes were transfixed on him, admiring his godly looks. ''How did I end up with such an amazing man?'' She wondered, her eyes not blinking even when Noah returned to his usual self. Noah saw her intense stare and he raised an eyebrow at her, but there was no response from her.


    "Aria, what are you thinking?" He queried while he reached for the box of tissues on the side stand.


    "I suddenly had a fervent urge to kiss you."


    "What?" Noah held her hand and started to clean her palm that was coated with his cum.


    Realizing what she had blurted out, Aria blushed furiously and stayed silent. Noah too did not stress on the topic. He knew that if he continued, a repeat of whatever happened a few minutes would ensue and he did not want to stress Aria right on their first day. He wanted to take time with her and he had all the time to quench his thirst for her.


    Making sure that her hand was clean of his desire, he let her go and pecked her lightly. "You did great, sweetheart. Thank you. Do you want to take a bath?"


    Aria nodded her him, her tongue losing its sense of speech after embarrassing herself.


    "Great, you take a bath while I will change the bedsheet."

 Chapter 411: Morning surprise

    The sun rays peeked inside the room through the curtains, spreading their light and warmth. Though it was a minute past seven, it still seemed to be dawn. It was the time of autumn and the cold was making its presence known slowly. Ivy, who was deep asleep, rolled on her bed, diving right into Joshua''s arms. And the man welcomed her with vigor and excitement.


    His sleep had vanished the moment his AI, Alvis had signaled him about an email from one of his clients that needed his immediate attention. After dealing with the message, Joshua had returned to bed to find Ivy lost in the slumberland. There was a small smile on her face while she continued to dream, which Joshua wished to be about him.


    Shifting to lie down beside her, with his weight on his left hand, Joshua watched her sleep, admiring her features as time ticked by. He pushed back the stray hairs that had fallen over her cheeks and caressed her soft cheeks, before pecking them lightly. His eyes then drifted down to her lips and his heart yearned to have a taste of them. However, he knew that this wish of his would wake up Ivy and that was the last thing he had mind.


    The previous night, Ivy had stayed up late, her work taking most of her time away. Joshua could not help sulk remembering about it. He had made full plans to spend some quality time with her, although that was what they every day, after work. He wanted to spice things up in the bedroom and take the next step. But all his desires went down the drain when he found Ivy focused on her work. He knew about her schedule and he did not blame her.


    The launch of Noah''s new news agency was just around the corner and given how all the responsibilities had been dropped on Ivy and her friends, he could not help but pity her and worry for her. Though he wanted to help her, he had no idea how the mass media worked. He could only sit at the side and watch her work while she arranged the information she had collected over time.


    It had been somewhere past two when Ivy had stopped working. Her neck had gone numb with pain and she tried to twist it, trying to soothe the pain. Her eyes immediately fell on Joshua who was sleeping on the chair behind her, with his head lolling to the side. Warmth filled her heart to find him supporting her and giving her the space she needed rather than imposing his desires on her.


    Ivy had guessed what the man wanted from her long ago and she knew that it was just a matter of time before they took the last step. Seeing the man control himself and giving her the choice to choose touched her greatly, and she thanked her luck for finding such a considerate man as her partner. Unable to stop herself any longer, she got up from her chair and went to him. Running a hand through his soft hair, she leaned down and pressed her lips on his.


    Ivy wanted to end it with just a peck but before she could back off, Joshua held her by her neck and deepened the kiss, stunning her. Her eyes widened in shock. Her hands were frozen in the air while Joshua deepened the kiss and pulled her to him. Ivy did not know how, but after a minute she found herself sitting on Joshua''s lap, with her legs straddling him.


    Ivy had no choice but to give in to him and allow him to kiss her. She started to kiss him back and pushed herself closer to him, her frozen hands getting into action at once. She locked her fingers around his neck and the couple kissed each other with want and passion. Other than nibbling and sucking on her lips, Joshua did not extend it any further. He knew that he was bound to lose control if this continued. So, he stopped immediately after having kissed her to his heart''s content, although that was not the truth.


    Joshua released her lips and hugged her, taking a whiff of her scent to calm his excited heart. "Finally," He breathed. "I was wondering when you would kiss me."


    "What do you mean?" Ivy tried to pull back and take a look at him but the man was adamant to hug her and keep her this way. So, she could only sit still in his embrace and run her hands on his back.


    "I could feel your heated gaze on me when you were done with work. It was as though you wanted to strip me naked and eat me, savoring me bit by bit." Joshua teased and kissed her neck. Ivy had tied her hair in a bun making it easy for him to access her beautiful neck.


    This time, Ivy forced herself back and hit him on his chest. "What nonsense are you blabbering? I never intended to do anything like you are claiming."


    "Don''t lie, baby. I know what was running in your mind when you gazed at him with your hungry eyes."


    "Then, you must have also read my mind when I cursed you and wanted to kick you in the shin." Ivy raised her eyebrow and folded her hand, still sitting on his lap.


    "Why would you do that?" Joshua almost cried and pushed her closer seeing her lean back so that she could have a clear look at him.


    "Because you are annoying as hell."


    "But you like this characteristic of me. Am I right?"


    "What can I do? I cannot ask you to kill your charms, right? I''ll consider your annoying nature as one of your charms."


    Joshua smiled hearing her words and he got up. He had noticed Ivy stifling her yawn as well as her tired eyes. She was struggling to keep herself awake. Ivy yelped on being lifted suddenly and she clamped her legs around his waist.


    "Joshua, what are you doing?" She patted his shoulders in protest. "Put me down."


    Joshua ignored her question completely. The door to the study was already open. So, he kept his eyes on her as he continued walking. "Do you find me charming?"


    "What?" Ivy stopped struggling and stared at him in shock, perplexed by his question. "Why are you behaving strangely today?"


    "Answer me, baby. Do you find me charming?"


    Deciding to be honest with him this once, Ivy stared at him in the eye. "Yes, I find you very charming. You are the most charming man on this earth and I am very fortunate to have you."


    "Ivy," Joshua said in all seriousness. "I did not know you were this head over heels with me. I did not expect it." His one statement was enough for the loving atmosphere to break and Ivy narrowed her eyes in anger.


    "And, all that I said just now was a joke. It was a lie." Ivy added and this time, she yawned out loud. By then, they had reached the bedroom and Joshua gently dropped her on the bed.


    "I''ll take care of you when you are well rested. Now go to sleep." He laid down beside her and pulled her into his embrace. Seeing that she was about to protest, he did not forget to add, "If I find you still awake after two minutes or if I hear one word from your mouth, I am going to assume that your filled with energy. If that is the case, let us exercise on the bed and I am sure after the session, you will be depleted of all the energy."


    Joshua threatened her and Ivy did have to be a genius to guess what exercise he was talking about. She did not want to provoke him, not when she was dead tired. She closed her eyes like an obedient girl and in the blink of an eye, she slipped into dreamland. Joshua peeked at her on not hearing her voice, only to find her deep in sleep. His lips lifted up and he kissed her forehead, a gesture which Ivy had no idea about.


    Returning back to the present time, Joshua continued to watch her, and the moment she rolled towards him, he welcomed her with open arms. ''It feels so great to have you in my arms.'' He sighed lightly and kissed her cheek. ''You will always belong in my arms, Ivy. I love you.'' He patted her back and embraced her tight.


    Joshua had no idea how long he had been staying this way. It was not until he heard Ivy groan that he let her go. "Joshua, you are suffocating me." She protested weakly and Joshua loosened his hold on her, still holding her in his embrace. "What time is it?" She spoke, her sexy morning voice igniting a desire in him.


    "Some time past seven. Sleep a little more." He coaxed her gently and his soft caresses lulled her to sleep immediately. Seeing her sleep like a baby in his arms, he too closed his eyes. However, right at that moment, the intercom rang, killing the silence in the house.


    The sudden noise made Ivy frown and she tried to move away from his embrace. Joshua ignored the ringing and held her in his arms. But the ringing did not stop and now, he too frowned wondering who had come to visit him this early. The maid only came to clean the house in the afternoon and none of his friends visited him unannounced.


    He could not ignore it any further when the intercom buzzed again. So, he released Ivy''s hands around his waist. After making sure that she was still sleeping, he got up. Not caring about his disheveled look and messy hair, he left the room and opened the door. He was ready with curse words, irked at being disturbed first thing in the morning. But what he saw made him lose his mind and his jaw dropped in surprise.


    "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"


    ------------------------------------------------


    Hello Readers,


    We have crossed 400 chapters. Please do drop a review about the progress of the story and tell me what you feel. It will help me to improve and write better.


    Thank you very much.

 Chapter 412: Fabricated truth

    Joshua dragged his body, cursing the people who were disturbing his sweet time with Ivy. He wanted to watch her more and adore her while she slept blissfully. But someone out there had other ideas in mind and had come to disrupt his plans. He ran his hand through his hair, combing his messy hairstyle. He had not even bothered to look at the mirror before he left his room for he was sure that he would be back in five minutes.


    In a fit to make the uninvited guests leave, he did not bother to check who was on the intercom. Instead, he opened the door directly, ready to hurl curses at them, preparing a list of all the bad words he knew. However, his mind stopped working the moment he saw the people who had come to visit him. His jaw dropped in shock and he stared at him wide-eyed.


    "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"


    His shocked face was nothing but comical to the couple who had decided to surprise him first thing in the morning. Since the time Noah had disclosed about Joshua''s girlfriend, Martin had not been able to control his excitement. And immediately after reaching home, he had relayed to information to his wife, Hazel. Just like him, she was too was over the moon and shed happy tears. Her son had finally moved on in life and gotten himself a girlfriend.


    They wanted to visit their son immediately, but seeing how late it was and how they did not want to attract their son''s anger, they had decided to visit him first thing in the morning. Joshua gawked at his parents, who stood before him with wide smiles and vigor. In his state of shock, he forgot to invite them in as he kept staring at the people, who he had last met a few months ago. If not for Noah''s sudden accident, he would have stayed with them for a month or two.


    Hazel grinned seeing her son''s dumbfounded face and she took a step forward to hug him, who was too frozen to return the hug. However, Martin had something else altogether in his mind. "Aren''t you going to invite us in, son?" He queried, putting a facade of being annoyed at his behavior, though it was far from it. He was reeling in the happiness of rendering his son speechless for the first time in his life.


    Martin''s stern voice brought Joshua out of his shock and he moved aside to make way for them. "I am sorry. Dad, Mom, what a pleasant surprise!" He chirped, a smile making its way on his face, even though he was still perplexed by their sudden return to the country without informing him.


    They made their way towards the hall, with his parents wandering their eyes in all directions hoping to find the glimpse of the girl who had taken their son''s heart. They already knew that Joshua and Ivy were staying together and this was one of the reasons for them to drop by this early. They did not want to miss out on her on the pretext of her work. However, to their dismay, they could find no one in the house, or the ground floor at least.


    A look of surprise flashed through their eyes when realization hit them and they blinked at each other. Barely a second had passed, their eyes drifted towards Joshua''s room, a smile landing on their lips. Joshua noticed their strange behavior and he frowned lightly, an ominous feeling spreading in his mind. ''Why do I sense something to be off here? Why are Dad and Mom behaving weird?'' Although the questions kept making their presence known one by one, he could not deduce the answers to them.


    "Dad, Mom, when did you return home?" He put forth the question again as they sat on the sofa.


    His question snapped their focus and they fixed their eyes on their son. Martin cleared his throat in embarrassment on being caught and their awkward behavior only added more to Joshua''s suspicion. He narrowed his eyes dangerous, an action which both, Hazel and Martin missed.


    ''I am definite now that Mom and Dad are hiding something from me.'' An answer popped up in his mind and his heart skipped a beat when he thought through it. ''Did they find out about Ivy? Is this the reason they have returned home?''


    "We returned three days back." Hazel was the first to answer and Joshua raised his eyebrow at her.


    "What? Why didn''t you guys tell me?" His voice rose, his frustration making its presence known. "I would have come to receive you."


    "Oh, really?" Martin scoffed, folding his hands. "Would you really come to receive us when you last threatened us to not take a step here until you told us to?" Although there was no change in his emotions, Joshua could tell that his father was furious at him. And Joshua too was infuriated with himself. He had uttered the words in a moment of anger. If not for his parents pestering to move on and find another girl himself, he would not even have spoken to them as such.


    Guilt and regret took over him and he lowered his head in shame. "I am sorry. I shouldn''t have behaved that way. I shouldn''t have spoken those words to you guys. I am really sorry."


    Hazel admonished her husband silently for bringing up the past when they clearly knew that Joshua had no intentions of hurting them. It was his rage and sadness that had spoken, not him. She shook her head, warning Martin to not continue with the matter and Martin sighed lightly.


    "Joshua, it''s okay. That was all in the past. You were upset and we understand why you said all those words to us. We were at fault too. We should have given you the time and space to put yourself together, instead of pestering you to find someone and move on." Hazel held her son''s hands in hers and pressed on them lightly. "We are sorry too."


    "No, no. Mom, Dad, you guys were not wrong. I was too lost and depressed to understand your concerns."


    "Ahem," Martin coughed loudly, stopping the mother and the son from taking a trip down the memory lane and talk about the past. "Why are we bringing up depressing matters when we should be talking about happy and good things?" He hinted at Hazel and she nodded at him, an evil idea popping in her mind.


    "Umm, Jo?" She tried to change the topic and Joshua faced her, waiting for her to continue. "We heard something about you when you were in Canada." She started and that was all it took for Joshua to put two and two together. From and their smiles and teasing gazes, he was sure that they had found out about Ivy.


    ''Is this the reason they are back to the country?'' Although he had guessed about their intentions, he chose to remain silent. ''What if they are talking about something else? I cannot allow them to have an upper hand, although I don''t mind telling them about Ivy. Yes,'' His eyes sparkled in delight. ''I can tell them about Ivy. There is nothing to hide from them. They will only be happy to know about her.''


    "And, what might that be?" Joshua did not show any signs of panic and Martin smiled to himself.


    "About your new girlfriend. We heard that you have found a girl for yourself." Hazel continued and the couple observed him closely for any changes in his expressions. However, the man''s expression did not waver, as though he had expected this outcome.


    "So, you guys have heard it," Joshua commented, nodding his head lightly. "It is true."


    "Ohh, Noah was not lying then. For a second, I thought that he was playing with us." Martin muttered absent-mindedly.


    "What? Noah revealed about it to you. When?" Joshua''s eyes winded and his voice rose an octave hearing his father.


    Realizing what he had done, Martin wanted to bite his tongue off. But he also knew that there was no harm in telling the truth, which was nothing but a fabricated lie. "Few days ago when I had contacted him."


    "I see. I will take care of him later." Joshua mumbled. "It is the truth. I have found someone I really like and I am sure she is the one I want to spend my entire life with." Joshua replied in all honesty, not averting his gaze away from his parents. Hazel and Martin could feel the sincerity in his words. There was no pretense or hesitation in them. He was really serious about the girl, unlike the times they had found him with other women with no intentions of taking things further.


    "Oh my God." Hazel cupped her mouth, his eyes tearing up in happiness. "Oh my God."


    "Mom," Joshua panicked seeing his mother cry. "I don''t think that me being in a relationship is a bad matter for you to cry." He joked, only to earn a small punch on his chest.


    "These are tears of happiness, you silly." Hazel scolded him and she wiped her tears, taking a look at Martin who was beaming in joy. "We are very happy for you, son."


    "Tell us about this girl. How is she like? Is she here? Can we meet her? Have you told her about us?" Martin leaned forward and fired his questions at his son, not allowing him to open his mouth.


    "Dad, Dad, Dad, relax. One question at a time, please."


    "Okay, okay. It''s just that I am unable to control my excitement thinking about my daughter-in-law. Tell us about this girl." Martin controlled his excitement even though it was too hard for him to do.


    "Her name is Ivy and she is a journalist and she..." Before Joshua could continue, a pleasant voice resonated through the hall.


    "Joshua, why were you not in bed? I wanted to see you the moment I woke up. The bed was cold and I missed your cuddles...." Ivy stopped suddenly when she noticed the couple who were scrutinizing her. Her eyes drifted between Joshua and the couple before it settled on her man who had a teasing smile on his face. She raised her eyebrows, asking him silently who they were.


    "Umm, Mom, Dad, this is Ivy. Ivy, they are my parents."

 Chapter 413: Sudden meeting

    Ivy rolled on the bed, wandering her hands around with her eyes still closed, trying to find Joshua. However, to her annoyance, she could not feel him anywhere. She lifted her head from the pillow, with her hair falling over her like a veil. She scrunched up her face, opening one of her eyes to search for Joshua.


    Usually, Joshua stayed on the bed with her until she woke up on her own. This had happened since the day she had moved in with Joshua into his room. She had been accustomed to his hugs and cuddles the moment she woke up and now that she was wide awake, she couldn''t help but miss his warm embrace. This was the first time she was finding herself alone on the bed.


    "Joshua," She twisted her body, her eyes searching for him. But the room was completely empty and she waited a few minutes in case the man was in the washroom. However, more than twenty minutes passed, but she could still not catch hold of his silhouette. She was now sure that he left the room.


    With a groan, she forced herself to get off the bed and pushed her messy hair behind her ear. She did not even care to brush her teeth as she went in search of the man who had vanished suddenly. Sniffling lightly, she walked down the stairs and found Joshua sitting on the sofa. His back was facing her. So, she could not see his face, and moreover, he was obstructing her view. She completely missed his parents who were sitting in front of him.


    In a half-dazed state, she spoke, rubbing her eyes softly. "Joshua, why were you not in bed? I wanted to see you the moment I woke up. The bed was cold and I missed your cuddles...." Ivy took a few steps towards him and blinked lightly when she found three pairs of eyes looking at her with curiosity.


    Ivy stopped suddenly when she noticed the couple who were scrutinizing her. Her eyes drifted between Joshua and the couple before it settled on her man, who had a teasing smile on his face. She raised her eyebrows, asking him silently who they were.


    "Umm, Mom, Dad, this is Ivy. Ivy, they are my parents."


    Fireworks exploded in Ivy''s mind and she gaped at the couple dumbfounded. She was rendered speechless and her mind too was unwilling to send her coherent and sensible signals. She stood rooted to her spot, her eyes fixed on the three people.


    Joshua''s parents were pleasantly surprised on being interrupted suddenly and they observed the girl, who had no idea of their presence. They silently took in her appearance. She was dressed in shorts that reached her mid-thighs and a sky blue shirt. Her hair was disheveled, resembling a bird''s nest. But they did not comment about it. No. They were not offended by her messy appearance for she was not at fault. It was them who had barged inside their son''s house early in the morning.


    Completely ignoring her appearance, they looked at her face. Even though she was bare-faced without even a speck of makeup, she was pretty. But what attracted them the most were her eyes. She had beautiful, clear eyes that were devoid of any malice. They could find her sincerity in her eyes and that was all they needed for their assurance.


    Hazel saw her dumbstruck face and she chuckled lightly. She dropped her son''s hands and she walked towards her. "Hello, you must be Ivy. We are Joshua''s parents."


    Ivy blinked at the woman who had come to her, her tongue refusing to speak, even though she knew that she was supposed to greet her. When she was still trying to arrange her thoughts and form a sensible statement, she remembered something that made her eyes go wide. She looked down and studied her appearance. Her eyes closed automatically when she realized that she was just in her shorts. Although her shirt could pass off, it was her shorts that made her frown.


    ''What the heck!! I am just in my shirt and shorts when I am meeting Joshua''s parents. What might they be thinking about me? They might find me indecent.'' She cried inwardly. ''Moreover, I haven''t even brushed my teeth. Oh, Lord.''


    Not knowing what was running Ivy''s mind, Hazel held her hands and Ivy opened her eyes at the sudden touch. "We are so pleased to meet you. Come, let''s sit and talk." Hazel prompted. But before she could turn around, Ivy stopped her.


    "No." She took a step back stunning the woman. Even Joshua was spooked by behavior. "I am so sorry. I look completely unpresentable." Ivy put up an embarrassed face. "Give me a few minutes. Let me change. I am sorry." Without waiting for Hazel''s reply, she bolted out of the hall, crying inwardly at the sudden turn of events.


    She did not stop until she reached her room and she closed the door behind her, lest she should find Joshua''s parents following her. She patted her chest that was on overdrive. "What did I do?" She wailed softly. "Their first impression of me must be horrible. They must find me indecent and obnoxious." Her face fell and she lifted her head in despair.


    "This is all Joshua''s fault. Why didn''t he tell me that his parents were visiting us? I would have at least been more presentable if I had been warned before. Now..." Ivy shook her head, dreading how his parents must be thinking about her. Not wanting to add more to her shortcomings, she rushed to get ready and greet them formally.


    Meanwhile, the family of three had no idea about the turmoil that was running in Ivy''s head. They were startled by her sudden behavior as they stared in the direction Ivy had run towards. Nobody spoke a word and Joshua had no idea what was running through his parents'' mind. However, he did not blame Ivy for what had happened. She was innocent and it was his parents who had come unannounced.


    When he was just about to think of a solution that could pacify his parents, he heard his father laugh out loud as though he had heard a good joke. And no sooner, his mother followed suit. The couple laughed until tears formed in their eyes, while Joshua stared at them, utterly bewildered.


    "Ivy is so cute." Hazel was the first one to speak. She tried to control her giggles while she continued with her words. "Did you look at her face when she was embarrassed? That was so cute. I am so in love with her."


    "I agree. That child looked so adorable when she stared at us." Martin added and now, it was Joshua''s turn to be surprised. He stared back and forth between his parents wondering what they were speaking about.


    Noticing Joshua''s lack of response, Martin raised his eyebrows, still smiling. "Do you have something to speak? Why are you looking at us that way?"


    "Are you not angry?"


    "And, why would we be?"


    "For Ivy''s lack of respect towards you and.."


    "When did she disrespect us?" Hazel interrupted suddenly with a frown and Martin nodded at her question.


    "When she bolted out of the room and when she came down improperly dressed," Joshua added, not sure if his words would only make his parents angry if they were not in the first place. He was ready to support Ivy for her behavior in case his parents were to blame her. It was not her fault in the first place.


    However, to his surprise, his mother just chuckled at him. "Why would we be angry? She did nothing that would deem disrespectful. First of all, it was us who came unannounced. Moreover, her attire was not indecent. I understand and I could see her embarrassed state when she ran away. Why would we be angry at her when she did nothing wrong?"


    Joshua could not help but feel happy at his mother''s words. Their understanding nature touched him and he hugged her in gratitude. "Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad. You guys are the best."


    "Hazel," Martin interrupted the mother and son emotional moment with a clear of his throat. "Why do I feel that our son was ready to argue with us in case we were to blame Ivy." He teased with a smile.


    "Yes. I was and why wouldn''t I? I have learned to defend my woman from my father. I have grown up seeing him protect his wife and I can''t help but follow suit."


    "Then, I must say you have learned correctly and that too from the best. You should always protect your wife at all costs if you find that she is not at fault."


    "Dad, don''t worry. Even if Ivy is at fault, I will defend her." Joshua added with a wink.


    Hazel shook her head with a sigh. Her son and husband were one a kind and she smiled seeing them smile in happiness. She secretly thanked Ivy for entering in her son''s life and giving him the happiness he deserved. That itself was a great feat and this alone was enough for her to accept the girl into their family.


    "Have you guys had breakfast yet? You came here early." Joshua queried once they settled down.


    "Not yet. We were too excited to meet you and Ivy. So, we did not eat anything." Martin replied.


    "The maid must have prepared the breakfast, right? Freshen up. I will heat them once you are ready." Hazel stood up to take a look at what was prepared for breakfast when Joshua stopped her.


    "That," He scratched his head not knowing what to say. "The breakfast is not ready."


    "What do you mean by not ready? Didn''t the maid come today?" Hazel frowned and she looked at Martin. Everybody knew that Joshua did not know how to cook, unlike his friends, Noah and Ian. He had no idea how to prepare even a basic dish and it worried Hazel all the time. So, they had appointed a maid who would cook for him daily.


    "No. She has stopped cooking for me. She is only in charge of cleaning the house."


    "What? Why did she stop preparing food for you? What happened?" Hazel could not stop worrying about her son after she found out the truth. Even Martin folded his hand, narrowing his eyes slightly.


    "Since the Ivy moved in, it is she is the one who cooked for me. After tasting her food, I find everything else bland." Joshua replied, licking his lips, an action that did not go unseen by the couple.


    "I see." Hazel nodded her head with a smile.


    "Yes, since you guys are here, you must try her food. I am sure you will love it too." Joshua jumped up from the sofa, excitement bursting through his body. He could imagine their satisfied faces once they tasted his darling girl''s food and his heart somersaulted in pride.


    "Will it be alright? I mean it''s the first time we are meeting her." Hazel looked at her husband before fixing her eyes on Joshua.


    "Why will it not be? I would love to cook for you guys."

 Chapter 414: First Impressions

    Ivy had gone berserk the moment she had finished changing her clothes. Although she was completely ready to face Joshua''s parents, it was only appearance wise. Mentally, she was scared and filled with anxiety. She did not have the courage to even take a step in the hall, fearing their reactions and impression of her. Her heart had not stopped beating wildly and all she wanted to do was escape the situation.


    ''Should I escape from the house until they leave? Will it save me?'' She wondered and thought of ways that could help her leave the mansion unnoticed. Although it was difficult, it was not impossible. She could climb down the walls or jump over the fence or even the compound, if needed. All she wanted was to avoid facing Joshua''s parents, who in the future would be her in-laws.


    She knew leaving the room only meant her doom. She stared at the window with her hand stretched towards them. "Window, you are the only one who came save me." She sighed and opened the window that faced the swimming pool. She stared down and tried to find any stand or platform that could help her descend down. However, she could find nothing that could be of her help.


    Ivy then tried the other windows and she met with the same fate. It was not easy to climb down and for the first time, Ivy found herself completely helpless. "Ugh, Joshua. Why do you have such a useless mansion? Can''t you have pipes of platforms that could help me get down easily?" She groaned and her eyes widened in realization. "Did he know that I would face such a situation in the future and he took countermeasures?" But the next second, she shook her head. "What absurd thoughts are you having, Ivy? Ahhh, I now realized. If you are in a tight spot, you will end up becoming dumb at that moment."


    She closed the window and returned to her original spot, right in front of the door, and banged her head lightly on it. "Ivy, what are you going to do? What am I supposed to do?" She cried and lowered her head with her palms stuck to the door. "Yes, why didn''t you think of it? You could pretend to be sick. Joshua''s parents might not be that cruel to condemn a patient, right? Yes, I could do that."


    Putting her plan into action, she immediately jumped on the bed. However, she stopped suddenly. "What are you doing Ivy? This is completely not you. Why should you hide when you are not wrong? And how long can you stay hidden? you will have to face them someday. It''s best you get over it today."


    Taking a deep breath, she hardened her frightened heart and stepped out of the room. Although she had boldly taken the decision, once she left the room, she could feel her hands turning clammy and her legs weighed her down, making it extremely difficult for her to walk. Yet, she tried her best to appear as calm as possible and face Joshua''s parents. While she took slow, careful steps down the stairs, she kept her eyes and ears open to chance upon their conversation. It was then that she heard Joshua suggesting his parents taste her food and an idea popped up in her mind.


    ''Yes, I could do that.'' She stopped, a relieved smile spreading on her face. One of the many things Ivy prided upon was her cooking abilities. She had utmost confidence in them and she knew that could use this chance to win over Joshua''s parents. ''Thank you, Joshua. Thank you so much. You gave me a way out of this.''


    Ivy walked down the stairs, this time confidently and head held high. She heard Joshua trying to lure them into having her food.


    "Will it be alright? I mean it''s the first time we are meeting her." Hazel looked at her husband before fixing her eyes on Joshua.


    "Why will it not be? I would love to cook for you guys." Ivy blurted out, loud and clear, making everyone look at her. This time, she was sure no one would criticize her attire. She was dressed in her usual casual clothes. But she had opted for a half-sleeved shirt rather than a tank top. She walked hastily and stood in front of Hazel. "Sorry for my behavior earlier. Let me introduce myself again. I am Ivy. It is a pleasure to meet you." She looked back and forth between Hazel and Martin with a smile on her face.


    Although she looked like she was alright, Joshua could sense her anxiety from the way her hands were clenched, while she stared at his parents in anticipation. Not wasting another minute, he stood beside her and held her hand, forcing her to release her fist. "Mom, Dad, this is Ivy and she is my girlfriend."


    His proud declaration only made Hazel ecstatic and she pulled Ivy for a hug. The sudden pull flabbergasted the young couple and they could not react in time. Ivy''s hand was still in Joshua''s, while Hazel continued to hug her, putting her in an awkward position. She could not push Hazel away. The only option left was for Joshua to leave her hand. However, seeing the way he continued to hold her even after a minute had passed, she doubted if he had other intentions in mind.


    Ivy could not see him to send him the message silently. So, she tried to wriggle her hand. But the man only held her tighter, making it impossible for her to retrieve her hand. She huffed in anger, leaving the man to be for the time being. ''I will take care of you later.'' She promised herself and focused her attention on Hazel, who had not stopped talking the moment she had hugged her.


    "Thank you, dear. Thank you so much for coming into my son''s life. I am so grateful to you and I am happy that he has found an amazing girl." Hazel continued, having no intentions to leave her. Martin sighed seeing her enthusiasm and Ivy''s uneasiness.


    "Hazel, I think you are crushing the poor girl. Let her go. She must have been scared by your actions." He warned her and immediately, Hazel released her.


    "Oh, my. I am so sorry, dear. Did I hurt you? I am really sorry." She held her arms and looked at her in concern to see if she was hurt.


    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Martin. I am not hurt. I am completely fine."


    "Are you sure?" Hazel ignored the way she had addressed her. It was only the first time she had met her. There was no way she could ask her to call her Mom. It would only put her in a spot if Ivy was unwilling.


    "Hazel, are you done?" Martin queried from the side and Hazel nodded at him. "Then, move aside. Let me take a look at the girl who had captured my son''s heart." He teased and Ivy could not help but blush at his choice of words. Ivy''s behavior surprised Joshua. She rarely blushed and Joshua could count on fingers when she did so. And most of the time, it was when they engaged in physical activities. Ivy would be as red as a cherry and that look of hers was something he loved the most.


    Now that Ivy was blushing adorably, he found the situation amusing. He could not move his eyes away from her and Hazel observed how her son was completely captivated by her. She smiled in delight. ''I just hope Ivy is nothing like Amber. Let her be the one for him.''


    Martin did not speak much. But he did nod at Ivy with a huge smile on his face. ''Why does it seem like they are ready to push Joshua and me into a marriage if given a chance?'' Ivy wondered and blinked at the man who had not stopped smiling.


    Unable to stay any longer in their presence, Ivy decided to prepare breakfast to calm her heart. "Let me prepare breakfast." She stated, her voice losing their confidence completely.


    "Let me help you." Hazel offered only to Ivy shaking her head at her.


    "No, no. Mrs. Martin, allow me to do it. You just stay here. Let me." Ivy rejected her help.


    "Mom, the thing is Ivy does not like it if anybody disturbs her when she is cooking. She likes handling everything herself." Joshua took a jab at her and Ivy glared at him immediately. He wanted to continue but seeing her glare, he shut up.


    Her look clearly stated, ''If another word leaves your mouth, we will be separately.'' Her look of warning worked and Joshua stopped his nonsense. It did not matter if Ivy was vexed or annoyed at him. But he could not tolerate it if Ivy kicked him out of the room. He had been accustomed to kissing her and cuddling her. How could he do it if they slept separately?


    Hazel and Martin laughed out loud hearing Joshua''s words. Hazel did not force Ivy anymore and allowed her to do as she wanted. Relieved that she was finally free, Ivy made her way to the kitchen as fast as she could. "Uhhh," Ivy breathed and took deep breaths. "Oh my God."


    "My parents like you." She heard Joshua''s low mellow voice right behind her and she jumped in her place. Joshua supported her seeing her startled face and pulled her close.


    "Joshua, you scared me." She complained and rolled her eyes. "Couldn''t you make some noise while walking?" Her complaints died quickly when Joshua''s words registered in her mind and she pulled back with a skeptical look. "Really, do your parents really like me? I thought I embarrassed myself thoroughly today." Ivy''s voice faltered as she ended her sentence.


    "Are you kidding me? They really like you. My parents are straightforward. They tell what they feel and I am sure, by their actions and reactions, they love you." Joshua tried to appease and what he said was the truth.


    "That relieves my mind. I was worried. Now, go. I need to prepare breakfast." Ivy tried to push him away. However, the man did not even budge.


    "Do you want help?" Joshua offered. But his words meant something else altogether and Ivy had a hunch what it was. She had not missed the way he was fondling her waist. Asking Joshua to help her would only mean inviting a hungry wolf for lunch. She shook her immediately.


    "No, I can manage. No, go." Disappointment flashed through Joshua''s eyes. But he hid it expertly.


    "Call me if you need help." This time, he released her and Ivy smiled at him.


    Not waiting for him to leave the kitchen, she turned her back towards him. "Let''s see." She tapped her index finger on her chin. "What should I prepare for them?"

 Chapter 415: Three against one

    An hour later, Ivy and the Martin family sat together as they ate breakfast. Hazel and Martin had not stopped praising Ivy for her cooking, while Joshua watched them with a proud face. "Didn''t I tell you? Ivy''s cooking is amazing. Why should I eat somebody else''s food when I can have such delicious food every day?" Joshua said and this time, his parents too agreed with him.


    "Ivy, dear. Who thought you to cook? Was it your mother or did you pick it up yourself?" Hazel queried, after getting a small nudge from Martin. Although they had visited their son''s house to find out more about the girl he had come to like, they also wanted to know about her background. Noah had already informed Martin about her being Oliver''s daughter. However, Martin wanted to hear from her, lest his tongue should slip and he gave away the secret himself.


    "No, it was not my mother. To be honest, my mother was not good at cooking. Other than a few easy dishes, she could not prepare anything well. It was my father who thought me to cook." Ivy replied honestly, her mind recalling the days when she and her father would cook delicious food while Aria and her mother waited for them to be served. She smiled faintly thinking how good those old days were and how happy they had been.


    Joshua observed her closely and he noticed her sad smile. He shook his head lightly at his parents, signaling to not go further. And they understood his intentions at once. If Ivy was not ready to speak about her family, they would not probe further too.


    "That''s great, dear. I must say this is mouth-watering and even better than the food the restaurants serve." Martin commented, trying to change the topic.


    "Dad, don''t insult Ivy''s cooking. It is way better than the low-class restaurants you are talking about." Joshua immediately took the cue and he tried to divert the topic and he was quite successful at it. Ivy let out a small giggle at his words. She did not continue speaking seeing them not asking her anything further about her family. Although she had no problem telling them everything, she was still awkward with them.


    ''Maybe, I might become comfortable with them by the time they leave.'' She thought to herself.


    "What do you feel about Joshua, Ivy?" Hazel inquired, after a moment of silence. She was itching to find out what the girl felt for his son. After being married to Martin for long and being accustomed to his work and his background, she had come to understand that people often hid their true faces behind a mask. This had been proven true when Amber left Joshua without even telling him the reason. She had seen how forlorn her son had become after he was abandoned and Hazel did not want a repeat of the same.


    Ivy looked up to meet three sets of eyes staring at her, waiting for her to speak. Even Joshua seemed curious to know her answer. Seeing her stare at him, he raised his eyebrows, urging her silently to reply to his mother.


    "Mrs. Martin, although I cannot confirm if my feelings for Joshua are strong enough to call it love, I can definitely say that I like him. I like him very much. I am not sure why I like nor do I remember when I started to like him. Let me be honest. At first, I found him quite annoying," Ivy glanced at Joshua to read his expression. She wanted to see if he was angry at her. But all she was fondness and love and her heart was filled with warmth. His mere gaze was enough for her. She knew she had taken the right choice.


    "I later realized that behind his flirtatious character, there is a man who cares for the people around him. Over the days, I have come to trust him and now I know, I can place my utmost trust in him for he will never break it. I am sure he will never break my heart in any situation and that is all I want of him."


    Ivy''s honest words brought a smile on Joshua''s face. Though he had been disheartened when she cleared that she was yet to fall in love with him, he was happy that she did not hide the truth behind a lie. ''It''s okay, Ivy. I''ll wait for you. I will wait for the day you will fall in love with me and proclaim your love for me."


    Even Hazel and Martin were impressed by her. She had not sugar-coated her words. Nor did she try to fawn over their son, trying to get their approval. She had been honest and sincere and they appreciated it greatly.


    "I am certain about one thing though." Ivy declared suddenly and the three people looked at her once again. "It is Joshua I want to spend the rest of my life with."


    A huge grin spread over Joshua''s lips and he gazed at her intently. How he wished to kiss her lips and devour her whole right then and there. If not for his parents'' presence, he would have definitely kissed her senseless.


    Hazel observed Ivy, her sharp eyes trying to see if she was lying. When she did not find even a small amount of hesitation or anxiety in her, she relaxed her mind and rejoiced silently. ''Joshua, you have found yourself a gem. I am sure she will always keep you happy. I just hope.....'' She stopped her thoughts when she realized that Ivy was nothing like Amber. Ivy had an honest aura around her, unlike Amber who screamed of lies and facade.


    "That puts my heart at ease. Thank you, darling." Hazel smiled at Ivy, which she returned with a nod.


    "Now, Jo." Martin started the moment Hazel finished speaking. "What do you feel about Ivy?"


    Joshua was taken aback by his father''s question. He had never expected him to question him. Martin smiled at him lightly. "Don''t look at me that way, son. I am not going to let you go until you answer us. It is totally fair that we ask you too. What if you are not sincere and you leave Ivy after playing around?" Martin said, this time his expression turning serious. "I do not want that to happen. Let''s come out clean before things go out of hand."


    Joshua sighed and he shook his head. "Fine, Dad. I understand your concerns." Joshua glanced at Ivy for a brief second and noticed her amused smile. "I think I have fallen in love with her." Joshua did not twist his words and dropped the bomb on Ivy, without any heads up. His sudden declaration stunned the girl and she stood up at once.


    "What?" She asked perplexed, completely forgetting about Joshua''s parents. She stood bewildered, her mind unable to process Joshua''s words.


    "Ivy, relax. It is completely normal that I fall in love with you. It is not like we are going to stay this way, without revealing how we feel for each other, right?"


    "But...but..how?" She stuttered, unable to think clearly after being hit by a thunderbolt.


    "I don''t know when. But I am certain I love you. I wanted to confess to you, privately, when we were alone. But my parents ruined it." Joshua did not forget to glare at his parents, only to see them chuckle at his behavior.


    "You can thank us for this, Ivy," Hazel added with a wink and Ivy did not know whether to laugh or to cry, given the situation.


    "Why do I feel like I was tricked here?" Joshua frowned lightly, his mind trying to comprehend what had transpired just then.


    "Great realization. I was wondering when you would find out." Martin chaffed and Joshua rolled his eyes at his father''s absurd sense of humor.


    They were done with breakfast and Hazel pulled a frozen Ivy with her, giggling on her way out. "Joshua, where did you find such an adorable girl. She is so cute."


    "I know right. You must praise me for my choice. I am good at it."


    Martin slapped his son''s head lightly. "Idiot, your mother was praising Ivy, not you. She must be incredible for you to fall for her."


    "Dad," Joshua wailed and his high-pitched voice brought Ivy out of her stupor. She blinked her eyes several times to clear her thoughts. "This is not fair. You cannot take sides with Ivy. I am your son." He started with his pitiful act and Ivy burst out laughing at his equally pitiful face. "Why are you laughing?" He glared at her, forgetting about his act for a second.


    "Why are you glaring at her?" Hazel rebuked him at once.


    "You too, Brutus." Joshua held his heart and pretended to be in pain. "I am so hurt. Nobody in my family loves me. I feel abandoned. Ivy, this is not fair. How could you? How could you do this?" Joshua tried to push out a few drops of tears, but without success. "I am so pitiful."


    Joshua stopped for a split second when none of the three people came forward to console him. "Are you done or do you still want to continue?" Martin asked, putting on a bored face. Joshua was rendered speechless and he could not help but feel ignored. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Ivy, who immediately turned her face away from him.


    "I see. You three have ganged up on me to bully me. Am I right?"


    "Do you want us to answer to it?" Hazel replied with a question of her own and this time, Joshua did not have any comeback


    Ivy chuckled seeing Joshua remain silent. This was one of the few occasions when he did not have words to retaliate. She was just about to offer her sympathy to him when her phone rang. Her expression changed completely when she saw who it was. "Excuse me, I need to take this."


    Ivy moved away from the hall towards the corner and took a look at the family of three, before she received the call. "Hello."


    "Ivy, I have some news for you."


    "Yes?"


    "I have found the man you were looking for."

 Chapter 416: Coincidental findings

    "I have found the man you were looking for."


    "That''s great. What have you got?" Ivy queried, looking at the family of three to make sure they could not listen to her.


    "Ivy, I will mail you details about him. Take a look at it. I cannot talk right now. I am in hurry. By the way, I talked to your sister yesterday."


    "What? Why didn''t Aria tell me?"


    "I guess she got held up with her boyfriend. I have sent the information she had asked me to you too. Take a look at it. It will get auto-deleted by the end of this day."


    "No problem. I will check it."


    "Take care, Ivy."


    "You, Maggie."


    The call ended and immediately after, she heard her phone ding, indicating the arrival of the email. Though was eager to find out what it contained, she controlled her curiosity. Joshua''s parents were still in the house and she could ignore them for long. It would be highly disrespectful and rude of her. So, she stopped herself and returned to the hall.


    "Sorry about that." Ivy apologized sincerely and Hazel nodded at her assuringly.


    "Is anything serious?"


    "No, Mrs. Martin. Just some work-related issues. I will deal with them later." Ivy replied, relaxing her body, trying to ease her anxiousness.


    "I see. Ivy, I heard that you have a sister." Martin started and Ivy''s mind immediately moved away from the email.


    "Yes, Sir. I have a twin sister. Her name is Aria."


    "Interesting. What does she do?"


    "She is a cardiothoracic surgeon at Regal Hospital."


    "Oh, in that case, she is Ian''s colleague."


    "Yes, she is."


    Ivy had no idea why Joshua''s father was inquiring about her sister all of a sudden. Although she found it a little odd, she did not dwell on it much. ''I assume it is normal to talk about my family given how I am with Joshua.'' However, what she did not know was that Martin had asked about Aria with some intentions in mind which nobody knew about, not even Hazel.


    Joshua''s parents stayed with them for another hour before they decided to leave. "Joshua, bring Ivy to our mansion." Hazel held Ivy''s hands while she ordered her son and Joshua nodded at them happily.


    "Ivy, we will leave now. Call us if this son of ours troubles you. We will take care of him." Martin stated, his expression serious and determined.


    "Dad, this is not fair." Joshua wailed. "You cannot do this to me. What if Ivy is the one creating trouble? Who should I complain to?"


    "If such a situation arises," Martin looked at Ivy before he fixed his gaze on his son. "Swallow your complaints. Don''t come to us."


    "Dad," Joshua''s voice rose but nobody gave him any attention.


    "Moreover, you must be the culprit who initiated the trouble for her to trouble you back," Martin added without any change in his expression.


    "Dad, am I even your son?"


    Joshua glared at Ivy who had a smirk plastered on her face. He could read what was running in her mind. ''If you try to do something nasty, remember that I have awesome people protecting me." She smiled at him smugly and folded her hands, provoking in the meanwhile.


    Joshua narrowed his eyes dangerously. ''Really? Let''s see if you will have the opportunity to even lift your finger to complain to them.'' He warned her silently ad Ivy tore her gaze away before the man decided to add more to his threats.


    The couple left the mansion and the moment they departed, Joshua spun Ivy to face him and hugged her tight. "I am so happy today."


    "May I ask why?"


    "My parents accepted you. I need nothing more than that."


    "Why? Were you worried that your parents would not accept me?"


    "I would be lying if I say no." Joshua did not release her, his hands running on her back slowly. He started to walk along the way, making Ivy follow his steps. The couple started to move gently, making it seem as though they were dancing to a song their hearts were singing.


    "Don''t you have confidence in your girlfriend and her charms?" Ivy asked, pinching his waist harshly. But Joshua was not affected by it. He just smiled at her attempt to hurt him.


    "Not at all. I have the utmost confidence in my girlfriend. It''s just that my parents are concerned about me, especially after what happened when Amber ditched me. They are worried that there might a repeat of the same. So...."


    "I see. Don''t worry. I am so amazing and incredible. There''s no way your parents would not accept me. Moreover, you and I both know that I will never leave you. So, they do not have to worry about it." Ivy said with pride and Joshua chuckled out loud at her confident words. Seeing him not reply, Ivy pulled back. "Why? Do you have a problem with that?"


    "Not at all. I agree with you."


    "You better. That reminds me. Did Amber ever meet your parents?" Ivy asked, her voice sounding strange suddenly. To mask her difference and hide her jealousy, she hugged him again.


    "Yes, she did. Why do you ask?"


    "What was your parents'' opinion of her?" Ivy gritted her teeth and since she was hugging Joshua, the man could not see her. However, he did not miss the way her tone had changed and he grinned in joy.


    "Why Ivy? Are you jealous?" He chaffed and Ivy had the sudden urge to throw him away.


    "Jealous, my foot. Why would I be jealous of someone who doesn''t know to treasure people? She is just an idiot, a blind fool who did know the value of the gem she had with her."


    "Am I a gem then?" Instead of answering her question, he twisted her words and for a second, Ivy did not have any reply.


    "Who called you a gem? I am talking about myself."


    "Sure, sure. As you say."


    "Now, answer me. What was your parents'' opinion of Amber?"


    "They were not that impressed with her."


    "What do you mean?" His reply satisfied Ivy greatly and she smiled in contentment.


    "My parents found her to be odd. They had warned me about her."


    "But you ignored their warnings."


    Joshua did not utter a word and Ivy did not continue the topic. "You know why you never found the one before?"


    "Why?" Joshua leaned back looking at her in the eye, interested in her question.


    "Because I was meant for you. You were yet to find me or, in our case, I was yet to find you."


    "So, shall I assume that you are the one for me?"


    "Aren''t I?"


    "Definitely. How can I say you are wrong?" Joshua inched closer to her, trying to sneak in a kiss. However, Ivy twisted her body around and walked away from him, leaving him kissing the air.


    "I have some important work to deal with. Are you going to the office today?"


    "Yes, I have a meeting at two."


    "Great. I will see you around." Without sparing him another look, Ivy walked away from him, leaving him to sulk on his own.


    "How heartless!!!" He spoke to himself and sighed lightly. He shook his head, allowing her to leave for the time being. There were still three hours for his meeting and he had loads of work to do. So, he went to his laboratory downstairs.


    "Alvis, any new updates?" He questioned while he read the document he had brought with him from his office.


    "Sir, I have a new update for you. We have found the man you have looking for. He appeared for a few minutes at one of the cafes in Minn Alley."


    "I see. Is there a video footage?"


    "Yes, Sir. Let me get it for you." Immediately the laptop screen lit up and a video started to play. It showed a man dressed in a white plaid shirt and dark blue trousers, entering the cafe and Joshua recognized him at once.


    "Kane Bright." He seethed, clenching his fists. "You finally came out of your hiding," Joshua remembered the man clearly for he was the one his mentor had been following before he was shot by an unknown person. Kane''s face was etched in his memory for he had seen him in the footage Ivy had released of him when he was working in the Good City Clinic. He had become a hot topic for he had been caught in a scandal and since then, he had gone into hiding. Joshua had been searching for him and now that had shown himself, how could he let this opportunity go?


    "It''s time to have some fun now." Joshua smiled devilishly and sent a text on his phone.


    Meanwhile, Ivy locked her room door to prevent Joshua from chancing upon her at work. She did not want him to find out what she was dealing with, especially when it was a secret she wanted to hide. Ivy opened the two emails she had received from Maggie. One of them held a video footage while the other had a document attached to it.


    The document was huge, with a lot of pages. So, Ivy decided to first view the video. ''This was taken at Cafe Shelly''s at Minn Alley. He appeared only for a few minutes.'' Ivy read Maggie''s messages and she played the video. Immediately after, she saw the man she had previously captured on her camera. How could she not know who he was when she was the one who destroyed his life?


    "Kane Bright, we meet again."

 Chapter 417: Finally caught

    Meanwhile, the man in question, Kane Bright had no idea that his whereabouts had been captured by not one but two people, and they had found out about his presence. He had gone into hiding the moment his scandal had broke out. His illegal activities had been broadcasted far and wide, and everybody in the nation knew about him. His clinic had been closed, and all his staff and assistants had been arrested. He was the only one who had managed to escape, and the police were on the lookout for him.


    However, this was not what made him go into hiding and escape from the world. No. It was because he knew his doom was near, and he had offended the man he should never have offended. More than the police, it was Jared and his men he was afraid of, and coming out before him was nothing but inviting his own death. Jared was nothing but news of death for him, and to avoid the man who held the reins of his life, Kane had disappeared without informing anyone.


    Kane had no idea who was responsible for his doom or who was the one who shot the video of him. But whoever it was, Kane had made a resolve to find him and torture him until he begged for death. He had no idea about the trap he had fallen into, nor did he know that everything was a plan, a plan so devious and carefully designed that even Jared would have to think twice to understand it.


    Kane had been so fed up with staying in hiding and ordering food from the hotel that he decided to sneak out and breathe some air. His small and congested room suffocated him, and he wanted nothing more than to leave the place. Kane had taken shelter in a small hotel after the scandal had broken out. The hotel was nothing like the one he was accustomed to. It was a third-grade hotel where the rooms were smaller than his bathroom. The rooms were rarely cleaned and there was a putrid smell, that made him nauseous. However, he could do nothing.


    This was the only hotel he could find at his time of emergency. Going to a top-tier hotel was out of option, and leaving the city was impossible for the police was searching for him. He could only stay put for the time being, bearing with the constricted room. However, he had had it enough, and he had decided to take a breather.


    There was a small cafe a few meters away from the hotel, and he had decided to eat breakfast, skipping the bland and horrible hotel food for once. However, who knew that this reckless decision of his would only bring him to Jared.


    Kane had ordered a lot of food, trying to savor the delicacy. Albeit the food being not that great as he was used to, it was at least better than the hotel''s disgusting food. He ate everything he had ordered and licked his lips in satisfaction once his stomach and taste buds were satisfied. After paying the bill with the little amount of money he was left with, he had returned to his room.


    Having nothing to do to pass his time, he lied down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, regretting the way things had turned out. "I need to move of the place soon. I cannot stay here for long. It will only raise suspicion."


    He sighed lightly and cursed his bad luck as well as the person who brought him to this state. "Wait, how much money am I left with?" He got up at once when he remembered that he was running out of cash and soon he would be penniless. He pulled out all the money from his pockets, and they barely added to a hundred bucks. Kane then searched his luggage he had packed with him the day he had gone into hiding and went through all his clothes, checking them thoroughly.


    However, even after searching all his clothes and the bag twice, he could only find another hundred bucks. He was now down to just two hundred bucks. "Shit," He cursed out loud and kicked the table in front of him. "Fuck. I just have two hundred bucks. How am I going to survive?"


    Kane had been careful enough to withdraw a lot of money before he went into hiding. He knew that he needed money if he had to stay alive. He was well prepared. But what he did not know was that the money he had withdrawn would barely last a few weeks. He was now in grave need of money and he needed it before the hotel threw him away for not paying the rent.


    He had no idea how to deal with the predicament he was in. Although he had a lot of cards with him, withdrawing money from the ATM was as risky as going out bare-faced in the open. Every ATM had a surveillance camera and he was sure that they would capture him the moment he made an entry. Moreover, the police were tracking his bank account and it would only push him closer to them the moment he swiped his card.


    "I can ask the hotel assistant to help me," He muttered to himself. But the next moment he shook his head, discarding the idea as fast as it had come to him. "No way. Giving him my ATM card to withdraw money is like handing over all my savings to a thief. I cannot do that. What the heck should I do?" He shouted, anger and frustration eating his head slowly.


    He dropped to his knees and held his head in his palms. He was almost on the verge of giving up. "I cannot go to the police. I cannot surrender to them. I am sure they will give me capital punishment for the crimes I have committed and seeking help from Jared is impossible. That snake will shoot me the moment I come before him. What do I do? What do I do?" He cried, his head throbbing from all the thinking and stress.


    Kane sat in the same position for a long time, staring into space, not knowing how to overcome the problem he was in. The loud ringing of the bell startled him, bringing him out of his stupor. He knew who it was. The hotel manager had come to ask for the previous day''s rent and Kane had the sudden urge to kill him and escape from the problem he was in. He got up slowly and stumbled his way towards the door. His legs had gone numb after sitting for long and it took him some time to steady himself.


    Kane opened the door and just as he had predicted, the hotel manager had come to ask for rent. "Hello Sir, I am here to collect yesterday''s rent." The man uttered the same words Kane had been accustomed to since his stay in the hotel. Although Kane wanted to slap the door on the man''s face, he knew he could not do the mistake. Although the hotel looked horrible and broken, it belonged to a local thug, and annoying him and making another enemy out of him was the last thing he had in mind.


    He reluctantly handed the remaining money he had with him. The manager smiled at him before departing. Now, Kane was left with nothing. He had become a popper. "Now, I have no choice. I will have to go to the ATM." He sighed lightly. "After withdrawing the money, I will have to move to another location. Damn that bastard who brought me to this situation. If I find him, I am going to kill that bastard." He hurled curses in the air, not caring about the people around him.


    Kane''s voice was so loud that everybody could hear him. Everybody turned to stare at him with weird expressions, disgusted by him. It was only after a few seconds had passed that Kane realized what he had done and he gritted his teeth in anger. He shut the door behind him with a loud bang.


    Not wasting another moment, he started to pack his clothes. It did not take him much time to find all his clothes, for he had brought only a few shirts and pants with him, along with some underwear. He was done in no time and he searched the room once again to see if he had left anything by oversight.


    He did not forget to take the toiletries the hotel had provided for him. Although they were of the lowest quality, he had no other choice but to settle for them for the time being. He could not afford to be seen by anyone. It had come as a miracle when the hotel manager had allowed him to stay in the hotel even though he had recognized him.


    The man knew who Kane was and what he had done. But he had not reported to the police for which Kane was grateful. However, he did make use of this opportunity to make more money. Though the room rent was just a hundred and fifty bucks, he charged Kane two hundred. He knew the man had no choice, he would pay him even though it was not correct.


    Kane was ready and not sparing another minute, he opened the door, ready to leave the hotel. However, the moment he took a step outside, a strong punch came landing on his face. He staggered back a few steps and an obvious bruise formed on his face. "Who the fuck dares to punch me?" He seethed, ready to punch the man back. However, his stance and demeanor changed completely when he noticed who it was.


    "Running away once again, are we?" The man''s lethal and deadly calm voice spoke, amusement dancing in his eyes.


    Kane''s doom had come knocking on his door. His worst nightmare was here, Jared was here.


    -----------------------------------------------------------


    Hello guys,


    Please read the Creator''s Thought once you are done with the chapter.


    Thank you.

 Chapter 418: Taking care of Kane

    "Running away once again, are we?" Jared sauntered inside the room as though he owned it, his guards making way for him, after greeting Kane with a punch. Jared ran his eyes around the dirty room, and he frowned when the putrid smell hit him hard. "Tch, tch, tch. What have you landed yourself into? How did you end up in this state, Kane?" Jared''s eyes finally stilled on the man who was still on the ground, eyes filled with terror.


    "I love the look on your face," Jared inched closer to him and towered over him. Although there was a chair for him to sit on, he deemed it too dirty to even touch. He squatted down, meeting his prey in the eye. "This is the first time I am seeing such an expression on you, and I can''t deny that I am loving it. Did you never fear me before?" Jared averted his gaze away from Kane, thinking about it before he focused on him again.


    "Jared," Kane breathed, not daring to speak louder. He had no idea how Jared had found him. But he was certain of one thing, he was doomed.


    "Ah, so you remember me. I am touched." Jared touched his heart as though he was genuinely happy. "I thought you would have forgotten me after not seeing me for long. Did you miss me?" Jared smiled at him. Although to the others it seemed to be filled with happiness and excitement, Kane knew it was not so. Jared was smiling at his state, at his vulnerability. Jared relished in the fear he bestowed upon his prey. It gave him an evil satisfaction to see them dreading him. It made him proud to see the power he had over them, greatly pleasing his ego.


    "Tell me, Kane. Did you miss me?" Jared''s eyes glinted in evilness and Kane trembled on seeing him. "I missed you a lot. There has never been a day I did not think about you. I could not help but worry for you and your well-being. Why did you put me through such misery, Kane?" Jared admonished him like he was a small boy and shook his head in annoyance.


    "Look at you. Why are you in such a cheap and dirty hotel? I thought you would be living a lavish life, enjoying all the money you had made from your work as well as from the money I had given you. Who knew..." Jared sighed lightly, nodded his head in sympathy.


    "Jared, I..I.." Kane tried to speak but his mind and tongue refused to cooperate with him. His brain had shut itself down and his tongue had frozen the moment he had seen Jared.


    "Not to worry, Kane. Not to worry." Jared patted his head as though he was a dog. Kane was extremely humiliated by Jared''s behavior towards him. Although Kane was older than Jared by almost a decade, he could not help but fear him. He could only allow Jared to treat him as he wished as his life was in the man''s hands. His one ignorant action could lead him to more trouble and push him closer to death. So, he stayed mum, not retaliating even though he was vexed.


    "I will take care of you. Come with me." Jared stood up suddenly and took a step back. He glanced one last time at the man who was still staring at him in terror before he turned away. Kane did not have to guess what Jared was talking about, and what he meant when he promised to take care of him.


    "Jared, no. Jared, please let me." He scrambled towards Jared and held his feet, not allowing him to move any further. "Please, Jared. Spare me this once. I promise I will not trouble you anymore. I will find the man who is responsible for this situation, and I''ll bring him to you. Give me one last chance." He begged and Jared looked down at the man who was clinging to his feet like a sloth.


    "Kane, Kane, what do I with you?" He blinked at him innocently. "What''s done is done. We cannot go back and change it, nor can we nullify the troubles and problems that rose after your scandal broke out. We can only try to lessen the effect and rectify the cause of this issue."


    "What do you mean?" Kane queried but Jared was in no mood to answer him. He snapped his fingers at his men, and they pulled Kane away from him. "Jared, you cannot do this to me. Jared," Kane trashed and tried to wriggle out of the Guard''s arms. However, the men too strong for him to break free from their grasp. He could only shout after the man who had already left the room.


    The two guards hurled him with them as though he was rag. "Where are you taking me? Let me go. Leave me. I am going to kill you bastards. Let me go." He yelled, and his loud voice attracted the other people in the hotel. "Someone save. These bastards are kidnapping me. Someone, please help." He yelled at the top of the voice. But none of the onlookers came to his aid. They just stared at the commotion without taking the trouble to step up for his help.


    The guards watched the man shout profanities at them when nobody came to help him. Right at this moment, Jared turned back and glowered at them, scaring the shit out of them. One of them immediately pulled out a syringe, and before Kane could comprehend what had happened, he had pushed the needle, injecting the liquid into his bloodstream. All he felt was a sting before his eyes turned heavy, and in no second, his head lolled to the side.


    "We apologize for the commotion the man here has caused. He is a mental patient and a criminal, and he had escaped from our institution. He is a highly dangerous man. It is good that we found him before he committed another crime." The guard spoke, trying to explain the situation to the onlookers, and undoubtedly, everyone bought his story.


    While the guards were dressed decently in top-notch clothes, the man they were taking with them was dressed shabbily. Also, the man had threatened to kill the guards a few moments ago. So, nobody doubted the guard''s words, and they got back to their business, ignoring them completely.


    They pushed the unconscious man in the car with a guard on either side of him before they started following Jared''s car. Nobody pitied his state, for it was he who had brought his doom himself. He had been careless and irresponsible in his work, due to which someone could find out his bad deeds. However, his scandal had not only affected him, it had even pulled down Jared with him. Nevertheless, Jared was furious and vexed.


    Meanwhile, Jared did not have to turn back to know if his men were following him or not. He knew they would do their job. He had finally found Kane, and it was all thanks to Maggie''s ability. Since the time Kane had gone into hiding, Maggie had been on the lookout for him. She had activated face recognition software on her system. Whenever any camera or a device captured him, she would be notified at once.


    The man had remained hidden for a long time, and finally, he had come out of his hiding. But who knew that he would be caught the moment he took a step outside? Who knew that a small, careless, and greedy action of his would lead him to Jared directly?


    ''Kane caught. Job well done.'' Jared did not forget to inform Maggie about it. It was all thanks to her that he had caught her. Although catching Kane was not a big issue for him, he had to do so for the man knew a lot of his secrets. Kane knew a lot about him and his Godfather, and his staying alive was a threat to them. So, they had to take care of him before things went out of hand.


    "Godfather will be very happy to know about it. I should inform him too. He wanted to deal with Kane personally." Not wasting another minute, he dialed the number that was etched in his memory. "Godfather, I have news for you. We have caught Kane. I am bringing him to my turf right now."


    Jared listened to what the other man replied, nodding his head at every word of his, even though he knew that his Godfather could not see him. "I understand Godfather. I will keep him alive but I cannot promise to keep him unscathed."


    The call ended and Jared took a deep breath. Even speaking or conveying a piece of good news to his Godfather took a lot of his courage. He shook his head and returned to his usual self. "It''s finally time for some action." He smiled, his evilness making its presence known. The driver did not miss his sinister look, and he shivered in his seat. He was only happy that he was not the one to be on the receiving end of his wrath.


    Meanwhile, Maggie read Jared''s message, and she rolled her eyes at his appraisal. "Things are getting interesting now. Jared, you will meet your end soon, and whoever this Godfather is, I will meet you soon. Aria and Ivy will be happy to know about the progress. They must have been waiting for this day."


    Maggie smiled remembering her two friends'' faces while she continued to clear her tracks. She had sensed another device trying to track Kane''s whereabouts, and she knew who it was. She did not want to get caught by the man who was an expert when it came to hacking and tracking. Getting caught by Joshua was the last thing she had in mind. Him knowing about her right now would only mess up her plans.


    "I am sorry, Joshua. If everything turns out well, I will meet you someday."

 Chapter 419: Caught, but not caught

    Maggie started to clear her trails, deleleting her records one by one. She had no idea that someone, she so badly wanted to avoid, was in the midst of tracking her. While Joshua was taking a look at Kane, searching for his whereabouts, he had found some other device trying to track him. Astonished by the newfound information, he activated his double tracking system, without giving himself away.


    Joshua typed the codes as fast as he could, not allowing the other person to find out about him. ''Who could it be?'' He wondered, a smile spreading on his face. ''Who else is searching for Kane?'' But suddenly, his codes started to show an error, he could not proceed further for the person had cleared the track he was looking just a few seconds ago. "What the heck!!"


    Joshua pushed the chair closer to his laptop and started to type a new string of codes, attempting to find the man who was behind it. His new string of codes were stronger and they invaded through the other person''s layer of protection. "Yes, just a few seconds and we will find out who it is." He excalmied loudly, his excitement running through his entire body.


    Right at this time, Maggie realized something to be wrong. Her software notified her of a tracker and she immediately knew who it. Worried at being found out, she tried her best to stop him. But the man''s skills were extraordinary as always and he was just a seconds away from reaching her. "Oh my God. What do I do now?" She panicked, trying as hard as she could to hold him. "I cannot be caught by him. He should not know about me, not yet. What do I do? What do I do?"


    Her mind tried to come up with ways to prevent his attacks and it was then, she remembered on of the techniques Joshua had taught her. He had taught her an effective method to cover her trails without allowing her opponent to find out about it. It was impossible to track the person if he activated his software using this technique. Maggie activated it immediately, completely forgetting the most important fact about the technique. She forgot that this technique was created by Joshua and not many people knew about it.


    As soon as software loaded, activating the new string of codes, Joshua''s laptop froze. Apalled by the sudden attack, he was rendered speechless for a second. He did not know what had happened and why he could not invade the firewall. Anything or everything became useless, for his laptop stopped working for a few minutes. He picked up another laptop and tried to continue from where he had left, only to meet the same effect. This laptop too stopped working for a few minutes.


    "I knew it. It had to be you." He exclaimed, clenching his jaw. As soon as his first laptop froze, he had a hunch what had happened. He knew that somebody had used the technique he used to defeat his opponent usually. However, to confirm it, he had used another laptop. When he met the same result, he was now sure that he was right.


    As to who had activated the technique, he did not have to waste his brain cells to find out. He knew who it was. In the entire world, the only person who knew how to activate the technique, apart from him, was the girl he knew since childhood. She was the only one who was equally capable as him when it came to electronic devices and gadgets.


    "Margaret," He breathed, remembering the girl who had followed him around the mansion when they were young. He also remembered the time they had spent together in the lab with him teaching her how to code and introducing her to a world she did not even know existed.


    "Damn it. I was so close," He cursed out loud and banged his hands on the table. His phone rang suddenly and without even taking a look at the name of caller, Joshua answered it.


    "Sir, we have a meeting at two. I called you remind you about it." His secretary''s voice fell on his ears and he sighed lightly.


    "I know, Lucia. I will be there shortly." He replied and ended the call. He stared at his frozen laptops that were slowly starting to work. The screen lit up and just like how he had expected, his entire code had been washed out. His laptop was as good as new and the only relieving part was he did not have any important information stored in it. Otherwise, all of it would be lost.


    "Where are you, Maggie? Why did you not tell me before you left us?" He mumbled to himself before gaining his thoughts together. "Wherever you are I will find you soon. I have promised you father to keep you safe. I cannot allow you to be in danger." With a shake of his head, he picked up his phone and left the laboratory. He did not have to lock it as he trusted Ivy and it did not matter to him if she took a look at his work or any of his documents.


    Joshua wanted to meet Ivy before he left for work. However, he remembered her telling about an important assignment she had to complete. His hand that had risen to knock at the door stopped suddenly and he pulled back. ''It''s best I don''t disturb her. We can talk we I return in the evening.''


    With that he left the house, his thoughts unable to shift away from Maggie. Meanwhile, the two girls in question had narrowly escaped getting caught red handed. After having tricked Joshua and stopping him from getting to her, Maggie had immediately called Ivy.


    "Why do you look so troubled? Did something happen?"


    "Yes, I just escaped death. You have no idea how scared I was thinking I would be captured today." Maggie responded and took a sip of water from her bottle.


    "What do you mean? Who brought you to this state?" Ivy''s face scrunched up, while she stared back at her friend.


    "Who else, other than you boyfriend? If I was another second late in taking precautions, I am sure that he would have tracked me today. He definitely is an amazing programmer." Maggie sighed and bit her lip.


    "That''s a given. Whose boyfriend is he?" Ivy boasted with a grin and Maggie had the intense urge to get into the screen and go to her to slap the smile off her face.


    "Yeah, right." Maggie scoffed. "By the way. I forgot to tell you. Jared caught Kane."


    "I see. That''s good. We can find out a lot of things from him."


    "You bet. But I am worried." Maggie became serious at once and Ivy followed suit.


    "Why?"


    "We can only get information if I am present when they interroagte him. As far as I know Jared, he has never taken anyone with him for these kinds of matters. Usually, he deals with it alone." Maggie pushed her spectacles and leaned back on her chair.


    "Does it matter? You can install a recording chip or something on him."


    "It is not as easy as it sounds. I need to be careful. After the recent explosion at the warehouse, Jared has become more careful, paranoid even. If he finds anyone suspicious, he is not hesitating to kill them right away."


    "Poor souls. Must be torturous for you to stay in his presence."


    "You have no idea. Do you know what''s worse?"


    "What?" Ivy''s eyebrows quirked up at her question.


    "Our worries increase ten folds if the Godfather of his visits the warehouse. It''s like the number of people dying that day would only double or even triple."


    "Have you seen him? Is he someone we know or..."


    "No, I have not. I could not manage to take a clear look. He was hiding his face under his hat and it was quite dark. But I am certain about one thing though."


    "And, what might that be?"


    "If Jared is a viper, then this man is an anaconda." His spiteful words made Ivy laugh out loud.


    "What an unique way to describe him?"


    "Yeah, that man does not even have to do anything. His mere presence is enough to make people faint."


    "Interesting, I must meet him someday to test it out." Ivy joked.


    "Ivy, I am serious. That man is some serious danger and it highly annoying that I don''t even know how he looks. Anyway, did you read the reports I sent you?"


    "I was just going through it. And, why didn''t Aria tell me that she talked to you?"


    "I guess she was busy seducing her boyfriend." Maggie replied with a smirk and Ivy giggled at her dirty joke.


    "You, my dear, have some dirty thoughts."


    "What? Don''t tell me you are completely innocent. I know that this would be your weapon too when the secret about you two comes before the two men. Aren''t I right?"  Ivy had no response to Maggie''s question and she averted her gaze away from him. "Though I cannot guarantee that it will work, there is nothing wrong in giving it a try."


    "Maggie," Ivy warned her and Maggie held her hands up in surrender.


    "Ivy, Jared is suspicious about you. Be careful." Maggie switched back to her serious self and warned her. "I am not sure what is running through his mind. But don''t do anything that might push you into danger. That man is a monster, especially to women. It was not just be killing if that happens."


    Ivy did not have to hear further to know what Maggie was hinting at. She had gone through the initial pages of the document and her body shuddered seeing the list of women Jared had killed. Although it did not hold any further details, she knew how much he would have assasulted them before killing them.


    "I know, Maggie. I understand." A loud noise caught Ivy and Maggie''s attention and Maggie rolled her eyes at being interrupted.


    "Seriously man, give me some breather. I am frustrated with the drama and the thrill that happens here daily."


    "What happened?" Ivy voiced out, concern evident in her voice. She knew how dangerous the environment around Maggie was and she was fighting a battle, putting herself in danger. She could help but worry for her, even though Maggie was capable of taking care of herself. Aria and Ivy could not imagine what kind of trouble Maggie was dealing with everyday. She had to be on high alert lest Jared should find her truth and torture her. In case that happened, nobody would even find out about it.


    "I guess Jared is here. Will talk to you later, Ivy. See you."


    "Please take care, Maggie and leave from there if something bad happens."


    "Definitely. The girl here loves her life. Moreover, I am yet to confess my love of Ryder. I cannot die before that. Okay bye. I need to go before Jared barges in and finds me here with you."

 Chapter 420: Jareds intentions

    Maggie scrambled to her feet, shutting all her external devices, making sure to hide all the work she had started. She took a look at herself in the mirror to see if she looked alright. Although her hair was fine, she still looked tired. She had pulled an all-nighter trying to find out more about Jared''s crimes. Her eyes were red and her dark circles were quite prominent on her pale face. She also did not miss the way her cheeks had gone it.


    ''I have lost weight.'' She sighed, pushing her hair behind her ear. ''I wonder when I can have a hearty meal.'' Since the time she had joined Jared''s gang, she had not had a good meal. Although the food could pass off to be edible, she did not dare eat more for she was scared. She was scared that she would not resist temptation and moreover, Maggie had the tendency to become lethargic if she eat beyond what she could digest.


    Maggie rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. All she wanted to do was lie on her not so comfortable bed and jump into dreamland. But she knew she could not do so. Knowing Jared, he would soon come to her and right at this moment, there was a knock on the door. Maggie smiled, patting herself mentally for guessing it correctly.


    She opened the door and before she could even ask him, Jared pulled her with him. "Where are we going, Jared? What are you doing?" She almost squealed at the sudden pull.


    "Maggie, you are coming with me," Jared answered, not slowing down a bit and Maggie had jog to keep up with him.


    "Where are we going? Jared, please slow down." She queried. Now, she was almost running. Jared slowed down hearing her pant behind him, and Maggie almost rolled her eyes at him being considerate for once.


    "You didn''t answer me. Where are we going?"


    "We are going to meet Godfather." Jared''s answer spooked her and Maggie stopped walking suddenly, forcing Jared to halt in his place.


    "What? Why are we going to meet him?" Maggie''s thoughts ran wild and she had an ominous feeling out of nowhere. ''Did that old geezer find out about me? Did he find out that I am a spy? Why does he want to meet me?''


    "Maggie," Jared sighed and pushed her loose strands of hair had settled on her cheeks. His sudden action of affection stumped the girl she gaped at him in shock. She had no idea what to make of it, especially when he was being touchy with all of a sudden. But his touch only disgusted her and she had the sudden urge to puke. It felt as though a thousand snakes were crawling in her body. She tried hard to hide the disgust she felt for him and attempted to push him away.


    "It is because of you that we found Kane and I want you to be there when we interrogate him. We have no idea if he has anything that could be used against us and as far as I know him, I am certain he must be hiding something that could help him save his ass."


    "But why do you need me?" Maggie queried taking a step back, maintaining a distance between the two. Although she was thrilled at being taken with him, she could not help but feel suspicious of the arrangement. It was as though Jared was intentionally tricking her and taking her away.


    "Maggie, I don''t know what the man has hidden from us and it would be best if you are present. It might be easy for us to locate." Maggie understood what the man was conveying. Jared was asking for her skills. He wanted to make use of her skills to destroy any evidence that Kane might have gathered up over the years.


    She nodded in understanding and her approval only made Jared grin. However, to Maggie, that grin signified something else. ''Why do I have a feeling that the man has something for me? Why is he acting weird all of a sudden?'' She wondered and unable to control her curiosity, she voiced out her question.


    "Jared, may I ask you a question?" By then, they had reached the cellar where the torture rooms were located.


    "Sure." Jared released her hand and stared at her intently. But to Maggie, it seemed as though he was stripping her naked in her mind. Just the thought itself was enough to make her uncomfortable and run for her life. She stopped herself for her curiosity got the best of her.


    "Why are being strange all of a sudden?"


    "Strange?" Jared pushed himself closer to her and smiled faintly. "As in?"


    "You are being touchy and sweet and it is making me uncomfortable. I don''t know what to think about it."


    "Aren''t you getting my hints I am sending you? Aren''t they obvious enough?" He leaned towards her and this action of his was enough to send the poor girl crying for life. The next instant she shifted away from him and going far away, much to Jared''s annoyance. He frowned in displeasure at the long distance between them.


    "Why are acting this way? I thought you had a thing for Rachel."


    "Rachel, fine girl. Isn''t she?"


    Maggie did not answer him and Jared continued. "She sure is great and the fact that she is a Carter adds to it. However, I am not interested in her."


    "What do you mean you are not interested in her?" Maggie narrowed her eyes and looked at Jared''s assistant who had just come out of the torture room, which Maggie presumed to be the one where Kane was being kept.


    Seeing her eyes wander away from him, Jared turned to see what had caught her attention, and the next moment, his her narrowed into slits, blazing with fury. "Get out of here." He roared and his poor assistant did not know what he had done so wrong to face his Boss''s wrath. Not knowing what to do, he returned to the torture room from where he had just stepped out.


    Maggie did not pity the assistant for it was he who had chosen to be with Jared. If he had made the choice, he had to bear with the consequences himself. Jared returned his gaze to see an unimpressed Maggie waiting for him to continue speaking.


    "What I have for Rachel is mere infatuation. I just want to get to her brother through her and she does have a delectable body. It would be nice to fuck her." His words only made Maggie loathe him more. She had the urge to slap him in the face and better even, kick his balls and render him impotent for life. The way he described his desires made her mad with rage and if the circumstance were not against her, she would have shot him in the head.


    "Aren''t you being ridiculous?"


    "Am I?" Jared asked with a shrug. "A man has his needs and you know how I am."


    "Yeah, detestable," Maggie answered.


    Jared could not help but smile at her. "But if you are ready to be with me, I am ready to mend my ways. I am willing to stay true to you forever. I will not think about other women. What do you say?"


    Maggie was just about to reject him straightforwardly. Who in their sane mind would accept to be with a man like Jared? Definitely not Maggie. If she was not spying on him and if she knew the identity of this bastard called Godfather, she would have definitely walked out on him right away. ''To hell with him and his work.'' Even without being in his gang, she could find out about him.


    As she thought about it, she found it just right to leave the gang. ''I am almost done with everything. I know almost all of Jared''s secrets. I am just short of finding out who this Godfather is. I just need to find out who he is and once I do, I am leaving this place forever.'' Maggie glanced at Jared who was staring at her like she was a piece of meat.


    ''Ah, I cannot tolerate his hateful face. I must leave this place soon before things go out of hand.''


    Jared had no idea what Maggie was thinking. But he could visualize the gears turning in her head. He did not force her to give her reply right away. He had all the time in the world, not knowing about the escape plan Maggie was preparing. ''You will be here, I will be here. Let''s see how long it will take for you to agree to be with me.''


    Right at this moment, Jared''s assistant once again stepped out of the room. His eyes were filled with fear and he took cautioned steps towards the duo. "Boss, sorry to interrupt. Godfather is here."


    Jared nodded at him and left Maggie alone standing in the hallway of the cellar. She did not have to wait long. Jared and his assistant returned within a few minutes, followed by the man she was eagerly waiting to see. This time, he had not hidden his face under a hat and his thin face was visible to her.


    However, the moment she saw him, her eyes went wide with realization. She knew who the man was. She was extraordinarily good at remembering people''s faces. Although the man was not an important figure in society, she knew him. She had gone through his details when she had done a background search on Noah. ''Charles Miller.'' She breathed, finally matching the name with the face.

 Chapter 421: Shocked beyond words

    Charles followed Jared, his cane hitting the ground with every step he took. Maggie saw the obvious rigidity in Jared''s walk. It was as though he trying hard to keep himself sane in his Godfather''s presence. Although Jared had a poisonous aura around him, his Godfather sure had the aura of a demon. It was extremely suffocating to stay in the presence of such vile creatures.


    Maggie''s eyes did not leave Charles''s face. She wanted to make sure if he was actually the man she thought him to be. Although his face matched with the photograph she had obtained after doing a background check on Noah, she wanted to confirm it clearly before she jumped to conclusions.


    Jared did not miss the way Maggie stood frozen in her spot. Her eyes seemed to be blazing with curiosity, and he knew the reason for it. He sent her a smile to ease her of her nerves. But the girl was too lost to notice his little action. Maggie''s eyes followed the man closely until he was standing right in front of her, with his lips arched up.


    "Is this the girl you were talking about, Jared?" He queried, his gaze not shifting away from her. He was impressed by the way she presented herself. She did not cower in fear at being caught staring at him and she did not tremble in his presence. Her confidence pleased him greatly, and he nodded at her in appreciation.


    "Yes, Godfather. She is the one. It is because of her that we were able to track Kane. She is incredible." Jared spoke with pride. His words only made Maggie want to roll her eyes. Only her eyes were stuck on the old geezer before her. Her ears were still open and working fine. She did not miss the way Jared spoke about her, and she sure she would vomit if the man continued.


    "I see. If Jared holds you at such high credibility, then you must certainly be brilliant. I would like to test your skills out someday." His Godfather replied, with a smile. Although the man was smiling, to Maggie, it was a smile filled with warning. It was as though his atrocious eyes could see through her soul and read her true intentions like an open book. Maggie had no idea how to react to the man''s words. So, she just nodded at him with a pleasant smile.


    Jared was pleasantly surprised and satisfied with the way the conversation had rolled out between the two. Though Maggie had not spoken a word, it did not mean his Godfather was less impressed. The old man definitely looked fine, unlike the other times when he stared at everyone, cold and noxious.


    "Where is the man?" His Godfather turned to Jared, breaking his chain of happy thoughts. He did not waste time in leading him towards the room where Kane was being chained. After being with his Godfather, Jared had gotten to know that he despised it if he was delayed with his work, leaving an absent-minded Maggie behind.


    Watching the back of the man, who she had no idea was this deadly, made Maggie question her life and the people in the world. She had never expected to witness such a scenario in her life. ''What the heck!! Charles Miller, that man?'' She thought, still unable to connect the man, who seemed to be nothing less than a cockroach lying in some part of the city to a feral beast.


    Jared sensed Maggie''s absence and he immediately turned back. Not wanting to annoy his Godfather, he nodded at his assistant to bring her inside the room. The young man understood him, and he immediately retraced his steps and approached Maggie who seemed oblivious to his presence.


    "Maggie," She called her out and the next instant, the girl snapped out of her thoughts.


    "Huh?" She stared at him blankly.


    "Shall we go in?"


    "Huh? Yes, yes. Sorry."


    Maggie followed him, keeping herself alert. This was the first time she was entering the torture room after she had joined the gang. It was just as she had expected. There were a pile of instrument and weapons lying on a large table, and she could more or less guess what each could do. Though she was accustomed to blood and torture, given her field of work, Maggie was sure that she would be witnessing a new level of torture, courtesy to the instruments lying on the table.


    She turned around and saw Kane being bound to the wall with chains, and Maggie had the sudden urge to escape from this dreadful place. Her heart was not bold enough to see what lay ahead, and she did not end up being traumatic by the end of the day. "Umm, Jared." She cleared her throat, fixing in his eyes on man rather than his Godfather, who too had turned to her the moment she had started speaking.


    "Do I have to watch this? I don''t think I would be able to bear with this?" She queried, pleading in her mind for him to accept her request.


    "Maggie..." Jared was just about to speak when his Godfather interrupted him with a light chuckle.


    "You were awfully brave a few seconds ago. What happened to you suddenly, dear?" The man''s words were filled with mockery, and Maggie knew that he was questioning her ability. The one thing she loathed the most was when people challenged her. She loved to slap their faces with results, rather than speaking and arguing with such dumb people.


    "What will I be doing here?" Maggie queried, darting her eyes around her and finally settling on Kane who was lying unconscious, his head weighing in his left arm.


    "You will find out soon, Maggie." Right at this moment, Jared''s assistant handed her a laptop and placed a chair behind her. Maggie had no idea why she was even here with a laptop in her hand. Nevertheless, she took the device from him and sat on the chair. Her heart had not stopped drumming even for a second. Her mind was even sending her warning signals and red flags. Yet, she sat on the chair boldly, not giving her stance away.


    The assistant left the room right away after closing the door behind him. Now, there were only three people in the room with their captive, who no idea what his state would be once Jared started with his torture. It was obvious that the old geezer would not be moving an inch from his seat, given how he was sitting comfortably, and Maggie was certain she could never in a million years torture someone like the way Jared wanted and would. Kill? Yes. Torture? No.


    Maggie took a deep breath and hardened her heart, ready to face the horrible scene she would be presented with while Jared pulled Kane''s hair, making him scream out in pain. Maggie could only flinch at the ear-piercing scream. Kane had an abnormally high pitch for a man and Maggie was certain that by the end of the day, she would become deaf. ''Looks like I will be losing one of my senses after this session ends.''

 Chapter 422: Solution to problem

    Kane''s eyes fluttered open after his hair suffered some assault from Jared. He groaned in pain, his eyes to the sudden brightness. He tried to wriggle his hands, trying to cover his face. However, the chains and the binds stopped him. The restriction stunned him, and his eyes strained to see why he was unable to move. What he saw made his eyes go wide."What the fuck!!" He cursed and immediately, he heard a chuckle from behind him.


    Spooked to find someone''s presence at a place where he could not see, he tried to twist his body. But he could not even move, let alone see who was behind him. In his fit of fear, he had completely missed the man and the girl who were sitting right in front of him. "Who the hell is that? Show yourself to me."


    "Tch, tch, tch." He heard someone clicking their tongue, and his gaze snapped in the direction of the sound. Kane''s jaw dropped seeing the man he wanted to avoid the most. The memories came gushing back to him, and he remembered how Jared had invaded his room and had kidnapped him in front of everyone.


    "Charles," He whispered, his voice refusing to move past it.


    "Do you remember me, Kane?" Charales queried, leaning forward on the chair. Jared moved from to his side and folded his hands, showing himself before Kane. The only person who did not terrify Kane was the unknown girl who was watching him curiously, with an emotion he could not decipher.


    However, he ignored her completely. He was more worried about the two men rather than the girl who was no threat to him, not knowing anything about the skills she possessed that could ruin him forever. "Why have you brought me here?"


    "To rectify the problem you presented to us," Charles answered monotonously.


    "Charles, you know it was not me who released the video. If not for that bastard who shot the video secretly, I would not be here and everything would be good. If I find out who that bastard is, I will tear him to pieces." Kane growled, amusing Charles.


    ''In you dreams.'' Maggie scoffed in her mind. ''You will never find out who is one responsible for your doom.''


    "I don''t care who released the video. The problem is it is you who is the video, and that is enough of a reason for me to take care of you once and for all." Charles smiled at him, his sinister gaze not shifting away from the man''s petrified face.


    "No, Charles. You cannot do this to me. No Charles." Kane''s demeanor took a sudden turn on hearing Charles''s threats. "You cannot kill me."


    "Why can''t I?"


    "Because... because..." He stuttered, debating with himself whether to tell him the reason or not.


    "I have proofs against you." This perked Maggie''s ears up and her eyes sparkled.


    ''Wow, this was what I was looking for. If I can get a hold of the proofs he is talking about, I can leave from here right away.'' She thought to herself, rejoicing secretly. She see her long-awaited freedom and the happy world she had left to deal with Jared. ''I can go back to Ryder. The man must be waiting for me. I just need to get a hold of the proofs, and Valarie will take care of the rest. Wait a minute, is this the reason why I am even here? Did Jared know about this before?''


    His words made Charles narrow his eyes, and he gave Jared a nod. On getting the cue, the man picked up a steel rod, and without any hesitation, he aimed it at his knee. Kane howled in pain and his legs buckled. But the chains stopped him from dropping to the floor. He could only withstand the pain while standing.


    "You do realize that if not me, you would not have reached the level you are at right now." Charles seethed, and Maggie wondered what he had done to help him other than to destroy innocent people''s lives. Another strike landed at the same position, and Kane was certain that by the end of the day, he would be crippled for sure.


    "Yes, but I also know how to survive in this world. I need something against you that could help me in case we were to reach such a predicament." He did not back off and continue to stay level-headed. "Who knew we would actually face such a situation? I am smart. I know how to save my ass."


    Maggie wondered if he was actually that confident or was he just a stupid old man who did not know how to save his ass. She shook her head lightly, an action that did not go unnoticed by Charles. He smiled at her, reading her thoughts for he too had the same thinking a few seconds ago.


    "Looks like you do not love your life as much as I thought you to."


    His words sure worked this time, and Kane''s face lost all its color. However, he still tried to maintain a boldface. "You cannot do that and you will not do that."


    "And, why won''t I?"


    "Because the day you kill me is the day you will die too." Charles did not stress him to elaborate. he knew Kane would give away everything himself, given his impulsive nature. "Did you think I would not have a backup plan? If you kill me, I will destroy you right away."


    Maggie frowned at his words. ''What is this man talking about? How can he destroy someone after his death? How? How? How? Think Maggie. Think Maggie.'' She focused on finding the solution rather than listening to man''s hopeless threats. She knew none of his words would work any of the two men here. Why was he even wasting time?


    ''He could not have contacted anyone for I been tracking his phone since the time he went underground. Unless...'' Her eyes widened in realization. She stifled a burst of laughter thinking how foolish Kane was.


    "Jared, may I talk to you for a minute?" Out of nowhere, she interrupted Kane and all the three men turned to stare at her. Her sudden intrusion surprised Jared and he took a peek at his Godfather, who seemed visibly irked at her. Maggie followed his line of sight and she rolled her eyes seeing the old man''s annoyed face. "I think I have got the solution to the problem here."


    Her bold declaration gained Charles''s curiosity and she nodded at him affirmatively. Her confident face reduced his anger slightly and he tilted his head at Jared to find out what she had in mind. Maggie and Jared left the room, leaving Kane with Charles much the captured man''s horror.


    "What do you want to talk about, Maggie?" If not for the proofs she so badly wanted to get her hands on, Maggie would never have asked the vile man to meet her alone. She was beyond disgusted by him.


    "Jared, did you find any luggage in Kane''s room?"


    "Yes, we did," Jared remembered the small bag they had found with Kane while he was trying to escape. He frowned wondering what she was getting at.


    "Have you brought it here?"


    "Yes. Why?"


    "If my guess is correct, I think I got the solution for the problem at hand. And I hope it is what it is."

 Chapter 423: Kanes shield

    Jared could not understand what Maggie was trying to convey and neither did Maggie tell him what she intended to do with Kane''s luggage. He stared at her intently trying to decipher what she had in mind. But her expressionless face did not give anything away, even though there was excitement dancing in her eyes. Sighing lightly, he turned back and nodded at his assistant, who immediately got to work.


    Maggie had seen not seen Jared''s assistant standing at the corner of the hallway, sipping on his water. ''Have I gone blind to have not seen him standing over there? Why was that so?'' She wondered. ''Is it because I was too excited about the proofs?'' A frown marred her beautiful forehead and her mind went ashtray when another thought came to her.


    ''What if the man was lying and he actually has nothing that could be of my help? What if he was only bluffing in front of the old geezer and this scumbag so that he could save his ass? It could be a possibility too.'' She bit her lip and looked far ahead, completely missing the look of desire in Jared''s eyes.


    His gaze lingered on her lips, darkening with lust as seconds ticked by. His assistant returned right at this moment, much to his dismay, and he glared at him in annoyance. Maggie snapped out of her thoughts and ignored Jared completely. She took the bag from his assistant and placed it on the bench that lined along the wall of the hallway, before opening it.


    "Jared, you can go back to the room. I will tell you when I find something." Maggie waved him off and the assistant''s eyes widened seeing the way she treated Jared. She was the only woman who treated him that way and had the ability to get away with it without being unscathed.


    "I can stay here, Maggie. That''s fine."


    "Jared," Maggie turned to him. "You Godfather is waiting for you. I am sure he would be displeased if you waste any more of his time. I will inform you once I find something." Maggie assured him after warning him about the old man.


    ''She is right. That old man must be impatient right now and he must be going bonkers. It''s best that I go back to him.''


    "Sure, Maggie." He conceded and sent a silent order to his assistant to take care of Maggie in his absence. Taking one last glance at the girl, who had her back to him, he returned to the room. Maggie sighed in relief on sensing him return to the room. She wanted some distance from him given how bad he was and what his feelings for her were. Kicking her thoughts of him out of her mind, she opened the luggage and hunted for the item she wanted.


    She ignored the man who was watching her keenly and as she had expected, she found two phones and a tablet in his bag. "Aha, I was right." She exclaimed out loud, and the assistant watched her in suspicion wondering why she was this happy.


    Maggie sat down on the bench and opened the laptop she had brought with her and connected one of the phones first. Using her expertise and skills she searched his entire phone, only to find nothing in it. It was as empty as a barren land. Maggie then connected the other phone and this time, her efforts yielded the results she wanted.


    Maggie found a lot of videos on the phone and she opened just one of them, making sure to mute the audio. Just as she had expected, she found Charles and Jared discussing a mission with some people who she could not recognize. Happiness surged through her heart and before Jared''s assistant could take a peek, she closed the video.


    Not wasting another minute, she transferred all the videos to her drive. Jared''s assistant leaned in to see what Maggie was seeing. But all he could see was a progression bar. "What are you doing Maggie?"


    "I am trying to see if Kane has any hidden files that could of use to us." She replied, patting herself for her quick thinking and swift hands. She had managed to hide the transfer progression window, opening a search window, once again searching the files on the phones.


    Jared''s assistant bought her words and he sat beside her, his eyes glued to the laptop. "Did you find anything?" He queried after a few seconds passed.


    "Yes, I did," Maggie said with glee and the man''s curiosity rose.


    "What did you find?"


    "Just a minute. Let me check what the man has saved in this tablet." Maggie said and connected the tablet, searching for any files or video footage. The tablet too held the same files she had found in the phone and Maggie praised the man for creating a backup. However, he was extremely foolish to have carried the devices with him, especially when he knew that Jared was looking for him.


    Although the man had been careful enough to encrypt the files and put a passcode on them, decrypting it and finding the passcode was just as easy as eating a cake for Maggie. Now, all the files were transferred and all three devices had been checked. All that remained was for her to show the proofs to Jared.


    Although she could have hidden the fact that she found some videos against them, she wanted Jared and his Godfather to last few days without any worries. She would then destroy them once and for all, without allowing them to get up forever.  ''I want the two scoundrels to know that it was I who ruined them. And I will make sure of it.''


    Maggie entered the room, picking the laptop while Jared''s assistant carried the devices with him behind his back, making sure to hide them from Kane''s eyes. Maggie''s eyes fell on Kane and the next instant, she averted them for she could not see the condition he was in. His face was covered in blood and the droplets were dripping to the ground, forming a small pool at his feet. His eyes were closed shut and for a second, the girl wondered if he was dead.


    Jared dropped the rod the moment Maggie entered. "What have you found, Maggie?"


    "A lot actually. You would like to take a look at this." She beckoned him silently and the man walked to her like a lovestruck fool.


    "When Kane uttered that he had some evidence against you, I was skeptical at first. The phone he used normally was monitored by us for it was you who had given it to him. He would not have stored such important details in it. He knew that he was being monitored. So, the man had been careful enough to through away the phone. Otherwise, I would have found him long ago."


    "I am sorry, I am unable to follow you." Jared stopped her.


    "He stopped using your phone the moment his scandal broke out. I guess he threw it away or must have destroyed it to stop you from tracking him. He has two other phones with different phone numbers."


    "I see." Jared nodded, now understanding what the girl wanted to tell him.


    "Yes, you might want to take a look at this. The man has some awesome videos of you and..." Maggie could not utter the word Godfather. So, she just turned to the old man who was already looking at her.


    "What have you got?"


    "There are many actually. Let me show you."


    Jared''s assistant placed a chair in front of the old man, who had not moved an inch from his place. Immediately after, Maggie played one of the many videos. The laptop lit up and the video started playing. It was dated three years back and Maggie saw that it was before Aria''s father went missing.


    Sparing Kane whose back was facing the camera, it captured all the other men in the room. Jared and his Godfather too were visible and they were discussing a hospital that had been shut down after Oliver revealed a video of its shady and illegal activities. Jared''s eyes narrowed dangerously while the old man looked at it with an emotionless face. However, Maggie was sure that he was beyond furious with the way his knuckles at gone white.


    All of a sudden, he started laughing creating a menacing atmosphere in the room. The assistant shivered in fright and Maggie''s body stiffened. She took a peek at Kane who still had his eyes shut, presumably to have fainted after suffering from Jared''s hands.


    "He thought he could mess with us. With us." He snorted. "Who does he think he is? And how dare he threaten us with these videos? How could these be of any use to him once he is dead?" He stated, smirking at the man''s foolishness. But Maggie was ready to burst his bubble for she had information about it.


    "He could have destroyed you even after you killed him. This man had planned everything before." Maggie had no sympathy for Kane. He was a criminal and it was best that these pests were taken care of immediately. Although she wanted the Intelligence to deal with him and give him the punishment he deserved, it was better he met his fate in Jared''s hands, adding more to his list of crimes.


    "What are you trying to convey, Maggie?"


    "Jared, do you see the tablet here?" She pointed to the one in his assistant''s hand. "It is custom made and it has only one operation. All the videos are stored on it and there is a timer that starts every day at a fixed time. Kane has to stop the timer daily before it hits zero. It''s like his shield."


    "What happens if he does not stop it before the timer reaches zero?"


    "The videos will be uploaded on the internet the moment the timer touches zero. It has been automated completely."

 Chapter 424: Ready to leave

    "That bastard," Jared rushed to an unconscious Kane and punched him in the face, making him groan in pain. But he did not open his eyes. He just swayed on his feet, the chains keeping him intact.


    "How are we going to tackle this issue?" Charles held his palm under his chin and stared at Maggie, who was waiting for further instructions. "Can you stop the timer?"


    "Can do. Let me try." Maggie pushed the chair back and sat on it, typing on her laptop at a speed the three men could not comprehend. She then connected the tablet and activated an auto-launch code, while the three men just looked not knowing what she was doing. "Come on." She breathed and pressed enter. Her code took over the tablet''s operating system and in just a matter of few seconds, the system crashed.


    "Do you want the videos or is it fine if it is deleted?"


    "You can delete it permanently. I want no trace of it anywhere." Charles ordered, narrowing his eyes slowly.


    "Then, I am done. This tablet is as good as new now." Maggie handed the tablet to Jared''s assistant and she repeated the same procedure on Kane''s phones, wiping clean of all the data it contained. "Done with these two too." After finishing her job, she stared at Jared who seemed to be amazed by her skills before she turned to Charles, who nodded at her in appreciation.


    Maggie nodded back at him and stifled a yawn. "May I leave now? I am quite tired."


    "Sure, Maggie take care." Jared agreed even before Charles did. He had seen her exhausted expression and he did not want to stress her more. She was already overworked and tired. Jared''s eyes did not shift away from her until she vacated the room.


    "You like her," Charles commented, tapping his cane on the ground.


    "I guess."


    "Does she like you?"


    "No."


    "Oh, what do you intend to do then?"


    "Take it slow," Jared answered not sensing the dreadfulness that was filling the air. His GOdfather was getting furious and he had no idea about it.


    "Take her by force." He deadpanned and Jared''s eyes snapped to him at once, shocked at his suggestion. "You like something, possess it. What have I thought you all these years?" He admonished him and beckoned him with his finger.


    Jared, at once, shifted closer to him understanding what the man wanted to do to him. Although his heart and mind had gone numb with fear, he stood expressionless, not conveying how he felt. He knew his Godfather hated it if he showed his weakness. Without any warning, Charles struck him hard on his back, hitting his spine. Jared clenched his teeth, pain spreading through his entire body. He waited for the next strike and Charles was careful enough to him at the same place. This continued until Jared was struck fifteen times.


    The pain was too much for him to bear and his back was on fire. Yet, he did not flinch nor did he utter a word allowing the old man to do as he pleased. "I think you have learned your lesson. I am going to leave now. Keep Kane alive. I still have some questions for him and seeing his situation right now, I am sure I will not be getting anything out of him."


    Jared did not speak much, only nodding at him politely. Charles stopped when he was at the door and turned to see the man who stood rooted to his place. "And about the girl, I approve." That was all he said before he left the room. Jared was certain his assistant would escort him outside. For the first time, he did not follow him, not because he was angry at him and hurt by him. No. He was stupefied by him. Jared was stunned by the old man''s reaction when he had accepted Maggie and that itself was a miracle.


    Charles was a hard man to please and for him to accept Maggie right on their first meet, it only meant Maggie was quite exceptional. Jared could not control his emotions, his heart dancing with joy. At that moment, all he wanted to do was go to Maggie and hug her. But he stopped himself when he felt the pain in his back.


    ''I cannot go to Maggie this way. She should not see me in this state. I cannot show her my blood. I need to take a shower first.'' Taking a detour, he approached the elevator rather than the stairs and got inside. After the explosion that had destroyed his warehouse, he and his gang had moved to another warehouse of his. Although it was smaller than the previous one, they had to make do with it for the time being.  Jared smiled thinking about Maggie as he waited for the elevator to reach the fifth floor.


    Meanwhile, the girl in question reached her room in a hurry, not caring about the men who were giving her strange looks. She was shocked to even perceive their senses on her. Although she had put on a brave front with a calm heart, in front of the three men, the shock hit her the moment she left the room. It was only then she remembered that she had seen the disgusting man who Jared addressed as Godfather.


    She opened her room door and slammed it shut, stunning the men who were walking by. Not giving a damn about them, she plopped on her bed, her mind still in disbelief. "Charles...Charles Miller is the man behind Jared. How did this happen? How?" She breathed, his mind refusing to function this once.


    Maggie knew who Charles Miller was. As soon as she had found out about her friend being in a relationship with Noah, she had done a thorough check on him, albeit it being the second time. Though it was no easy as Noah''s files were encrypted and safe under Joshua''s monitoring, she bypassed him with ease and had retrieved his details.


    It was then she had found out about Samuel Carter''s, Noah''s father, first wife who had left him for money for another man, and that other man was none other than Charles. He was a small-time businessman and his status was nowhere near Noah''s. "How the hell did he become like this? Just how?" She wondered and Maggie held her head. The sudden revelation had taken her by a storm and combined with the fact that she had spent an allnighter trying to find proofs against Jared, her head was now throbbing in pain.


    Maggie needed sleep. However, before that, she had other things to do. She had to clean out all that she had done using the devices in her room. Her work here was done and she had made a decision. ''I am going to leave this place, once and for all. If I continue to stay here, I might end up crazy.''


    Maggie started with her work, ignoring her throbbing head, cleaning the devices that lay spread on the table. It did not matter to her if she lost content in them for she had saved all she wanted and she had found about Jared and Charles in the cloud, accessible only by her. Moreover, al the gadgets and devices did not even belong to her in the first place.


    It took more than an hour for her to finish her work and when finally she was done, she sighed lightly. "All done and all clean." He clapped her hands as though dusting off the trouble she had been through all the months since the time she had joined Jared''s gang. She yawned once again and she knew that she had to get some sleep. ''If I have to leave tonight, I need to well-rested.'' She shook her head and immediately after, she went to lie on the bed for one last time.


    Meanwhile, Jared stared at the marks that adorned his back, with blood oozing through the cuts. Although he was well accustomed to the way the old man behaved with him when he was pissed, he could not shudder thinking about his hits. Charles was the only one who could intimidate him and he was the only one he feared.


    Jared raised her hand to clean the blood off the cuts. However, his hands did not reach the said place and he ended up brushing the cotton somewhere else. He groaned in agony, clenching his jaw. Since childhood, there was no one who catered to his needs. His father was more or less involved at bootlicking Charles and his mother, he had no idea who she was or where she was right now.


    It was Charles who had taught him to take things by force and since then, Jared had done as he was taught. It was not because he wanted to, but because he would be punished if he did not. He could never hide from his Godfather. The man would find out about him somehow and if he did not follow his rules, he would be reprimanded greatly. Some days, the old man hit him until he could not even move. But there was no mercy in him.


    Whenever Charles hit him, he was all alone, with no one to take care of him. He was left alone to suffer and Jared had since then, become accustomed to it. He had adjusted and accepted his fate. yet, there was some hope in his heart yearning for the warmth he had never received from anyone. He wanted someone to love him, assure him, coax him and accompany him in his misery.


    Jared tried once again only to meet the same result. Frustration hit him and Jared threw away the medical kit in anger. The bottles landed on the floor and some even shattered to pieces. He did not care about them. Right at this moment, his assistant knocked at the door.


    "Master, I have some news for you."


    "Don''t enter the room," Jared ordered and his assistant did not dare disobey him.


    "Master, I have some information about you father"


    "Yes?" Jared did not give much interest to it. Yet, he continued to listen to him.


    "The President has ordered for him to be produced to court."


    --------------------------------------------------


    Hello Everyone,


    I made an error while writing Charles''s name. It was supposed to be Charles Miller but I wrote it as Charles Sommers. I have rectified it. I apologize for the mistake.


    Thank you.

 Chapter 425: Orders and more orders

    Jared stilled and looked back on hearing his assistant speak. "What do you mean? How can they produce him to court just like that?"


    "Boss, I am not sure. Our lackey in the Intelligence is not allowed anywhere near the top management. But this is the rumor that had spread like wildfire." Jared''s assistant took a deep breath and shifted his weight on his legs. His legs were aching from all the standing he had done since the morning. Although it was somewhere close to noon, he was already tired, and his legs were on the brisk of giving away. He leaned on the wall beside the door, pressing his forehead.


    Jared almost wanted to charge over the Intelligence, kill all the man, and free his old man. It was not that he was concerned about him. No. He was never concerned about him. Not in the past, not now, or not in the future. It was just that the man knew a lot of secrets about him and Charles, and there were some documents and details he knew that Jared wanted. ''That old geezer cannot stay calm under pressure. I am sure he would end up getting us all hanged if he continued to stay there.'' He seethed.


    Although he was angry at his father for his foolishness and getting caught by his own subordinates, he was surprised more by seeing his Godfather''s reaction. It was highly unusual especially when he was so calm regarding the matter, unlike him who was going bonkers just thinking about it.


    Jared frowned, and unknowingly his back touched the side stand beside the mirror when he moved a step. He hissed, pain shooting through his entire body. He clenched his jaw and tried to take deep breaths to soothe the pain.


    After a long time, he finally stopped gritting his teeth and observed his pale face staring back at him in the mirror. There was a thin bead of sweat marring his forehead and he could see his bloodied back making him recall the days he was hit by his Godfather. The old wounds as well as the newly inflicted ones were a ghastly appearance, sight which he did not want anyone to see, especially Maggie.


    The thought of Maggie brought a smile to his face and Jared shook his head wondering when he fell deep for her. Although he so badly wanted to see her, he had other matters to deal with, matters related to his father. So, he gave up cleaning his wounds and directly stepped into the shower, the cold water slapping his back hard. Jared''s eyes shut tight, blood mixing with water along the flow. His back was on fire. Yet, he did not flinch nor did he let out a gasp. He just allowed the water to clean his back, clenching his fists in pain.


    ''You old geezer. Just wait until everything ends and settles to normal. Just see how I will end you with these arms. You will get your retribution for all the anguish I had to go through all these years.'' Jared promised, adding Charles to his list of must kill people, ranking him first.


    Meanwhile, Charles sat in his car, his driver taking him towards his mansion. A sardonic smile made its way on his face and he stared outside the window, his eyes fixed on his manor he was slowly approaching.


    The house had a lot of memories, of him, his parents, his family, his wife, and his son, Eddie. However, immediately after, his smile vanished when he remembered Beth and her deception. The one thing he hated the most was lies and Beth had just done that. She had lied to him head on for years and Charles had assumed Eddie to be his son, until the recent turn of events.


    Charles''s eyes narrowed when his mind reeled to the days when he had painstakingly come up with plans to snatch Beth from Samuel, a man whom he considered to his enemy. He remembered how he had seduced her and had attracted her with his glory and richness. It had come as a surprise to him when Beth had come to him, not knowing anything about Samuel and his background.


    Charles scoffed at the foolish woman who did not even what was good for her. She had chosen a waste rock over a diamond and now she was reaping the result of her decision. Charles knew her greed had no bounds and it was this weakness of hers that helped him separate her from Samuel.


    However, who knew that he would only bring his downfall by marrying Beth and save Samuel from the disaster of a woman. If not for the fact that Beth had come to him, claiming to be pregnant with his child, he would never have allowed her to stay in his house, let alone marry her. That woman was selfish, caring only about herself and he did not want such trash in his life. However, he could not ignore the child in her, his child, his only blood relative. So, he had married her for he wanted to give his child a complete family.


    But who knew that the son who had adored and loved for life was not even his. Anger surged through his veins when he remembered the way Samuel had mocked him, thanking him even for saving him from the greedy woman. "Bitch," He seethed, his sudden low voice startling the driver.


    Although Charles wanted to punish her for her wrongdoings and her deception, he did not want to take the risk. Not when Beth was held captive in Noah''s turf. He knew it was highly impossible to invade his territory. The man was a master when it came it matters like these and along with his two friends, who were as proficient as he was, it was incomprehensible to even think about it.


    Charles had long perceived that he and Jared were nothing before the man who was young than him by three decades. Although he had created a gang of his own along with Jared, they were could not even compare to the support Noah his friends had. He had skilled and trained men beside who had sworn their loyalty to him, the one thing Charles never got in life.


    Charles was certain that given a chance his men would not hesitate to betray him to save their asses and that included Jared too. He had seen the rage and hatred Jared had for him. It was just a matter of time before he came for his head. ''Who does he think he is to come after him? Am I that easy to handle? I am Charles Miller. He can only dream about killing me.'' He smiled, mirth filling his eyes.


    ''Jared, boy. You have no idea what you have done today. You have shown me what is weakness is and I am going to show you what I can do using that weakness of yours.'' Charles recalled the way Jared gazed at Maggie, his eyes filled with an emotion he was all too familiar with. The man was deep in love with Maggie and it was this love of his that would help Charles to control Jared.


    He pulled out his phone and dialed the number of the man who was working for him. "Master," He heard him speak on the other side.


    "What is the situation over there?"


    "Master, Jared is in his room. He has not come out since you left."


    "I see. What about the girl he likes?"


    "Master, she is resting."


    "Tell Jared not to do anything about his father," Charles ordered and the man on the other side stiffened, clutching the phone tight.


    "Master?" He breathed, wondering what he was doing. He was already tired and drained and now this man was only adding to his frustration. He was just short of leaving everything and slapping their faces for their annoying nature.


    "Yes, these are my orders. It''s best he does nothing. I want Frederick dead. He is just trash for us now and try to delete all the records of me with him and Jared. Tell the girl to do it." He continued, not allowing the man to continue.


    "But..."


    "You are just Jared''s assistant. Do as you are told." Charles warned him lowly and the man shut up immediately. When it came to following orders, it was best he followed the old man for he held the supreme authority. He would save him from Jared''s wrath.


    "Yes, Master." He breathed.


    "And, another thing. Did Jared find out who was responsible for the explosion?"


    "No Master. Jared is still working on it."


    "I see."


    Charles stared far ahead while Jared''s assistant waited for him to speak, tapping his feet patiently. He was still outside Jared''s room. But he had shited away from the door so as to stop anybody from eavesdropping on him.


    "Another thing."


    "Yes, Master." The young man''s ears perked up and he stood still in attention.


    "Keep an eye on Maggie. She is not as simple as she looks."


    "What do you mean, Master?" His face scrunched up and he wondered what Maggie had done for him to doubt her.


    "She is not simple. I believe she is hiding something from us. Watch out for her."


    "Huh?" The assistant muttered, still unable to comprehend why the old man was wary of her. She was just a harmless girl, who only had skills when it came to gadgets and programming. Other than that she seemed to be a meek lamb.


    "That girl looks very similar to someone I know."


    "Who?"


    "A girl who once worked in Intelligence."

 Chapter 426: Romance at the hospital

    Aria''s phone dinged again, and she closed her eyes trying to avoid the person sending her naughty messages since the day had started. Nevertheless, she blushed reading what the man had sent.


    ''Can''t stop thinking about the previous night!''


    Memories of the previous night came rushing to her mind and she bit her lip, trying to calm her racing heart. Aria had never expected that such a feeling even existed. What she felt the previous night, what Noah had done to her and what she had done recapped like a repeat episode. She tried to shake her head off and immediately after, she received another message on her phone.


    ''I love you blush. Makes me want to bite your cheeks.'' His words made Aria''s eyes go wide and she looked around her, trying to find the man who she was sure was somewhere nearby.


    Aria did not have to search for long for the moment she lifted her head, she was met with Noah''s smirking face. ''How long was he sitting here? When did he even come? Why didn''t I know?'' She wondered and waved at him.


    Noah approached her and without caring about the crowd around him, he kissed her cheek, intensifying her blush. "So cute." He kissed her once again and sat on the chair beside her. "What are we eating?"


    Without even waiting for Aria to reply, Noah picked up the last bite of the sandwich on her plate and ate it, savoring it to his heart''s content. Seeing him eat her food from her plate, Aria remembered a saying Ivy always said and her heart skipped a beat at it.


    "What are you thinking, darling?" Noah observed her lost expression and he pulled her closer to him, startling her.


    Instead of answering him, Aria glared at him. "Why did you kiss me and most importantly, why are you even here? Don'' you have work to do?"


    No sooner had she questioned the man, his hand flew to heart. "Aria, I am hurt." He put on a pitiful face, flabbergasting Aria. Noah did not continue and Aria did not ask why, rolling her eyes at his acting. Noah took a peek at her and he realized that she would not be speaking any further, his lips only arched downwards.


    "I am so hurt." He whispered, trying to appear as miserable as possible. ''My girlfriend does not care for me. My girlfriend does not even welcome me when she sees me. My girlfriend abandoned me after having her share of fun yesterday. I feel so used right now. I am so upset. Someone come and shower me with love." He muttered. Although Aria was the only one who heard him, she could not help but feel scared.


    "What nonsense are you speaking? Stop your melodrama." She chided him and Noah blinked at her, pouting lightly. Aria could only grit her teeth in annoyance. "Why are you here?" She questioned him again and Noah started to sulk again. "Noah," She almost yelled and by now, they had gained a lot of curious eyes on them. Although there was nothing strange going on between the two for them to gape at them, Noah''s presence was enough for them to turn their heads and brazenly stare at them.


    Unable to tolerate it any longer, Aria pulled him by his hand surprising him, and led him to her office. This only evoked more people to look at her strangely and Aria''s scalp pringled in embarrassment. However, she did not back down and continued to lead the man, who gazing at her happily and lovingly.


    Aria closed the door after her and folded her hands, raising an eyebrow at him. Noah looked back at her, opening his eyes wide. Aria was just about to ask the reason behind his visit when Noah covered his front with his hands. "Aria, why you have such a strange expression? Like you are about to pounce on me and do me right here, right now." He queried and the girl''s eyes narrowed.


    Realizing that he had his girl was getting angry, Noah smiled at her and went to her. ''I need to appease her before she gets pissed.'' Aria did not back away on seeing him approach her. Instead, she stood still and lifted her chin, wondering what the man was up to now. However, she yelped the moment Noah pulled her by her waist gently and hugged her.


    "I missed you." He whispered and kissed the side of her head. Aria was momentarily frozen in her place and she did not know how to respond to the sudden hug. However, she came back to her senses when she felt Noah nuzzle his nose near her neck. Goosebumps rose on her skin and once again, she remembered the events from yesterday''s night.


    "Noah," She tried to wriggle away. But the man only pulled her closer.


    "Aria," He breathed.


    "Please let me go." Taking a deep breath, Noah released her, much to Aria''s relief, and kissed her forehead. "What are you doing here?"


    "I came to see my girlfriend. Why? Can''t I?" Noah mused, a smirk landing on his lips.


    "Noah," Aria warned him lightly and placed her hands on his chest and leaned back. Although the man had stopped hugging her, he had not released her. She was still in his arms with his hands around her waist.


    "What? Don''t look at me that way. I am saying the truth. I missed my girlfriend. So, I came to see her. Also," He grinned, making Aria look at him skeptically. "I missed what we did yesterday night. I could not stop thinking about it. And after seeing you, I am sure that you are in a similar situation." Noah shrugged as though whatever he was saying was normal.


    "Don''t you have any shame?" Aria punched his shoulders lightly and Noah chuckled out loud.


    "Why should I have shame to love my girlfriend? She is mine and I have all the right to love her. Am I right?"


    Aria did not have any comeback for his words. She could only sigh and let him be. "When do you have to get back to work?" Noah queried seeing her look at her watch.


    "I still have twenty minutes."


    "Only twenty minutes?" Noah made a mental note to talk to Ian about it. ''I should ask him to extend the lunch break for another hour.''


    "Yes," Even before Aria could speak further, Noah started to walk back, with her still in his arms, and sat on the chair, with her on his lap. "Noah," Aria almost shouted in embarrassment. "What are you doing?"


    "What am I doing?" Noah feigned innocence and positioned Aria such that she was now face to face with him.


    "Noah, let me go." Aria tried to push him and get off him, but in vain.


    "Not a chance." He shook his head and pulled her close. "What are you doing after our work?"


    "Nothing," Aria answered, distracted by his question. "Why do you ask?"


    "Let''s go on a date."


    "Date?" Aria was surprised and she looked at him with a questioning gaze.


    "Yes. After your surprise date, we have not gone anywhere. Let''s go." Noah suggested and Aria nodded at him, thrilled at the idea of going on a date. "Good. What do you want to do?"


    Aria wandered her eyes trying to think of an idea. But she got nothing. An idea popped into her mind and she ran her hands on his chest. "Surprise me, Mr. Carter."


    Noah raised his eyebrow at her. "Are you sure about it, Miss West?"''


    "Why? Is it something I should be wary of? Do you have something abnormal in mind?"


    "Not at all, Miss West. I would love to surprise you. Be ready then."


    "For what?" Aria frowned at his words.


    "For a mindblowing date."


    Aria smiled at him. "I''ll look forward to it, Mr. Carter."


    "Definitely."


    "I wanted to talk to you about something," Aria said out of nowhere when she remembered the matter that was bugging her mind.


    "About what?"


    "About Dad. Do you think it would be good to allow him to stay with Ian. I mean I not against it. I just don''t want to trouble him. He must already have his own problems to solve." Aria reasoned and looked at Noah without blinking. This matter was bugging her mind since her father had put it before her. She did not want to trouble Ian for she knew that she had already troubled him a lot, especially when he had to take care of her Dad when he was in a coma.


    "I don''t think Ian would mind. He is all alone and I am certain he would love to have someone''s company. Moreover, your father is a very good company." Noah was not lying about her father. When Aria had gone to the border, it was her father''s company that had stopped him from going crazy. Oliver was a good man and Noah had come to like his bonding with his father-in-law.


    "Are you sure? I-I..."


    "I don''t mind having Mr. West at my house." Suddenly Ian''s voice fell on the couple''s ears and Aria turned to see Ian standing by the door with a teasing smile on his face. Aria had no idea why he was staring at her that way. She had completely forgotten her predicament and that she was still sitting on Noah''s lap.


    "Noah, I think this is time for you to let her go and Aria, this is the time for you to jump put your man''s embrace," Ian suggested, and immediately at once, Aria realized what her state was. She pushed Noah, taking him by surprise at her sudden attack. He was not ready for it. So, he could not stop Aria in time. She was out of his embrace in a blink.

 Chapter 427: Ians suspicions

    Noah frowned feeling the emptiness and, he glared at Aria. However, the girl was busy smoothing her shirt to notice his look of annoyance. But that did not mean Ian did not miss it. He saw the obvious frustration in his friend''s eyes, and he chuckled lightly. ''Ah, love truly does change a person.'' He shook his head and folded his hands, waiting for the couple to notice him.


    "Why did you come here?" Noah directed his glare to his friend, not hiding his annoyance at being disturbed. If not for Ian, Aria would still be in his arms.


    "Don''t blame me." Ian held his hands up innocently. "I was just a passerby."


    "If not for you, my sweetheart would still be in my embrace." Noah shamelessly declared, and Ian scoffed at his words. However, Aria held a completely different expression than the two men. She was utterly bewildered, unlike Noah who did not seem to care about it. Instead, he looked irked as though someone had taken his priceless treasure away from him.


    "Noah," She chided him, only get his shrug his return.


    "Don''t blame me, darling. I was not the one to push you away from my embrace. If it is anyone to blame, it''s you and Ian." His shamelessness did not stop, agitating Aria all the more.


    "Hey, hey, hey. Don''t blame the innocent." Ian tried to object, only to be ignored by the couple once again. Ian rolled his eyes, unable to tolerate their over-flowing love. He was sure he would drown in it and die. "You guys continue with your romance. I''ll go away." Ian gritted his teeth and turned around to leave.


    "Good that you realized that you are not wanted here," Noah muttered, but both Aria and Ian heard it.


    "Noah," Aria warned him and apologized to Ian silently. "Come in, Ian. We wanted to talk to you."


    "I got it. It''s about your Dad, right. I don''t mind him staying with me. In fact, I would love to have someone to keep me company. It''s boring to stay alone." Ian agreed to help Aria at once.


    "Thanks. That means a lot to me." Aria hugged him, and Noah could only glare at his friend, one that did not go unnoticed by Ian.


    "Why are you looking at me like you want to tear me into pieces? What have I done wrong?" Ian asked, still hugging Aria by her shoulder.


    "I come here to meet my girlfriend, and she asks me why am I here, rather than welcoming me with a kiss and a hug. You come here and say some sweet words, and she gives you a hug. How wonderful!" Noah sassed, and Aria burst out laughing. He looked nothing less than a petulant child complaining to her about not receiving his candies.


    Ian had had it enough of his complaints, and he gnashed his teeth. "You are so annoying, more so after you fell in love. Do you even remember that I am your friend?"


    "What friend? Who friend? Who are you talking about?" Noah replied, not caring about Ian.


    "Oh, Lord. I never knew people would change this much once they fell in love."


    "Stop it, alright. I will see how you will be when you will fall in love. It''s not like it will never happen. Lets'' wait and watch."


    "You guys continue your childish banter. I have to get back to work. See you later." This time, Aria pecked Noah on his lips, much to his happiness. "Bye Ian."


    "Bye." Ian watched Aria leave the room before his eyes fell on Noah, who had not averted his eyes away from her, tenderness and love oozing through them.


    "Hello." Ian waved his hands in front of the man, who had not moved even though Aria was long gone. "Come to earth, Noah. Aria has left." He reminded him, and Noah nodded his head lightly.


    "Are you sure about Mr. West? I can find an alternative if you uncomfortable with his presence."


    "Not at all. I am more than happy to have him stay at my house. Why is he moving away all of a sudden? Did he witness you two love birds being all lovey-dovey too?" Noah did not give any reply, silently confirming Ian''s words.


    "Oh my God. That''s true then. Were you so excited that you could not keep your hormones under check in front of your father-in-law? Nevertheless, he wants to move out. I never knew you were this thirsty." Ian sighed and shook his head.


    "As I said before, I will be right here when you fall for someone. Let me see how you will be then. Don''t worry. I will make sure to feed your words back to you." Noah deadpanned, and Ian sneered. "Thanks for doing this. I owe you one." Noah became serious the next instant and smiled at him.


    "Not a problem." Ian then remembered something that was bugging his mind for a long time. "Noah I have something to talk to you about."


    "Yeah?"


    "Do you remember I time when Aria and I returned from the border?"


    "I do. What do you want to talk about it?" Noah recalled how he had to meet a forlorn Aria, instead of his cheerful girl.


    "Don''t you think it is strange?"


    "What is?"


    "Aria," Ian replied, unsure where he was going himself.


    "What?" Noah frowned at his words, and he blinked at him in confusion.


    "Yes, I don''t think you know what exactly happened that time."


    "I think I know. You have told me enough." Noah could not comprehend what his friend wanted to tell him.


    "No. I did not tell you the details. I just told you that Aria shot someone."


    "What are you hinting at Ian?" Noah was still unable to understand what he wanted to convey.


    "Shall we sit and talk? This might take some time."


    The two men sat, facing each other. Ian tried to recollect what had happened that day, and he tilted his head, trying to sort his thoughts. "Noah, something about Aria is bugging me." He started, still unsure if he was right about it.


    "Aria? What did she do?"


    "Noah, when Major Meyers and Kevin were involved in a fight, it was only Aria who had witnessed it. I had no idea about it. Nor did I know about her shooting someone until Ethan brought her back to the medical camp after she lost consciousness."


    "Oh," Noah muttered. He did not know the details of what had transpired that day. The situation had been extremely panicking the moment Aria returned home, especially after he saw a distraught and depressed Aria instead of his cheerful and lovely girl. It was as though she had lost all the glimmer in her eyes. All he was wanted to do was get his Aria back. So, he had not gone into details about what happened.


    "Yes, I had a chat with the Major before we departed, and he told me what had happened."


    "Is there more to it? Isn''t this a case of self-defense?"


    "No. Aria was not defending herself. She was trying to save the Major."


    "What?" Noah was flabbergasted by the revelation.


    "Yes, Kevin had held Ethan in a chokehold, and Aria was trying to save him."


    "Ethan? Who is Ethan?" Noah stopped him suddenly.


    "Major Ethan Meyers."


    "Oh, okay. Even if Aria was trying to save him, what''s strange in this? I am very proud that she decided to save him rather than running away like a coward. But I am angry that she put herself in danger." Noah could never forget her crestfallen face when he saw her after a long time. It was something he never wanted to see again.


    "Noah, will you please listen to what I have to say?" Ian was losing his patience slowly. He was just short of snapping at his friend.


    "Yeah, sorry."


    "Better. Ethan reiterated everything that had transpired in that tent that day. It was he who ordered Aria to shoot. But..." Ian stopped suddenly not knowing what to say.


    "But..." Noah prompted, his curiosity at the peak.


    "Aria shot Kevin right in his neck. It was an instant kill."


    "Wow, my girl is so amazing. She did well for a first-timer." Noah praised Aria, pride filling his heart. He completely overlooked what Ian was trying to convey.


    "Don''t you think it''s weird?"


    "What is?" Noah asked, blinking at him in confusion.


    "Aria did well, in fact, too well at her first shot. It was a bull''s eye. This is something that I am unable to get out of my head. Even Ethan was impressed by her."


    "Do you mean to say that this was not the first time Aria has yielded a gun?"


    "I think so. But I hope I am wrong. She hit Kevin accurately in the neck, even though he was saving himself by using Ethan as a shield. She could have misfired or hit him anywhere else. It was a one-shot kill."


    "What if she had been lucky?" Noah did not doubt Aria at all.


    "Maybe. But Ethan does not think so. He feels that she knows how to handle guns. According to him, she was extremely confident when she fired the bullet. It was as though she knew what she was doing."


    "This is all baseless suspicion." Noah defended Aria at once. I am sure Aria had just been fortunate to shoot him in the neck.


    "Let''s hope that''s the case." Ian sighed, closing the topic for now, even though his mind was still suspicious of her. "How''s the hotel inauguration coming along?" He changed the topic, lightening the mood that had become serious a few moments ago.


    Nobody noticed the person who had listened to their conversation secretly. Aria had forgotten to get her phone when she had left the room. So, she had retraced her steps only to chance upon Ian and Noah talking about her. The door was not completely closed. So, she could hear them speak clearly.


    ''Oh, Lord.'' She turned, closing her eyes tight. ''Noah trusts me so much. What will happen when the truth comes out?'' She dreaded the day when it actually happened. ''What should I do? How do I tell him this?''


    Aria took one last glance at the man who had the utmost confidence in her and started to walk away from the room. ''I cannot keep this matter a secret anymore. He trusts me beyond belief. I cannot hurt him by keeping this from him. I cannot keep this secret from him any longer. But how do I tell him? How?'' Aria was just short of crying at her miserable state. Her mind was a mess and she had no idea how to face the man who she had come to love.


    ''Yes, I could do this. Yes.'' A notion popped up in her mind. She recalled that it was Noah''s birthday after two days. She could use this opportunity to tell him everything. ''I will confess everything to him on his birthday. I just hope he will still be with me once I come clean before him.'' Aria prayed silently, leaning against the wall. ''Noah, please don''t leave me. Please. I just hope we will still be together after two days.''

 Chapter 428: Bittersweet feeling

    Four hours later.


    Aria was done with her work and she reached her room to retrieve her things before leaving for home. However, to her surprise, she saw the man she loved waiting for her in her room, as he worked on his phone. Aria stopped in her track seeing him and her mind recalled his conversation with Ian. She could not face him, yet, although he was far from the secret she was hiding from him. Her guilt was eating her from within.


    Before she could escape from him, Noah looked up. He had sensed Aria the moment the door opened and a lips quirked up in happiness. The four hours of wait had made him jittery and he was just short of going in search of her and dragging her back home. Noah just wanted to spend as much time as he could with her.


    "Hi," He breathed seeing her staring at him, without blinking.


    Aria just stood at the door without moving and Noah stifled a smile seeing her frozen state. "Aren''t you going to come in?" He mused, his smirk not leaving his face. This brought Aria out of her thoughts.


    "Were you in here all this time?"


    "What do you think?" Noah stood up and buttoned his suit jacket. This action of his was swoon-worthy that Aria was sure she was just short of having a nose bleed. She licked her lips, an action that did not go unnoticed by Noah.


    "Why are you this handsome?" Aria blurted out without thinking and she blinked at him innocently. If Noah had heard her speak, he would have assumed it to be his dream, for Aria looked like a naive girl with her beautiful, large eyes staring at him with such innocence. Her words filled his heart with pride and for the first time, he felt accomplished.


    "Do you find me handsome?"


    Aria nodded. It was only after a few passed, she realized what she had done. However, what she had said was the truth. So, instead of averting her gaze away from him, she stood firm. "I think you are. If you want me to be honest, let me tell you I have seen a fair share of handsome men of your age in my life, Danny, Joshua, Ian, Stuart, Ethan, and Ronnie."


    Aria did not forget to add Ronnie for she found him cute and handsome too. However, this was something that irked Noah greatly. He was just short of directing his anger at Ronnie. Out of nowhere, he had the feeling that Ronnie was his enemy. ''I need to keep Ronnie away from Aria. If this continues, I might soon have a competitor.''


    "However," Aria held his hand in hers and stared at him, sincerity and honesty evident in her eyes. "In my eyes, you are the best. You are the most handsome man in the world and the sweetest too." She hugged him suddenly, startling him completely. "I am so fortunate to have you in my life. I must have saved a country in my previous life to have met you."


    "I...."


    "Shh." Aria pulled back and shushed him with her finger. "Don''t stop me. I am saying the truth. I am very lucky to have you in my life. I just hope I can stay with you like this forever." Aria muttered and hugged him tight once again.


    Noah sensed something to be off with her. She was never this clingy nor did she say what she felt for him. However, today had been an exception. She was coming out before him and that made him jubilant as well as worried. "Are is everything alright?" He queried, hugging her back, liking the closeness of their bodies. He wanted her to stay in his embrace forever for that was where she belonged.


    "Yes, I am fine." Aria lied, burying her worries for the time being. She still had two more days with. Either all hell would break loose and Noah would leave her forever, or he would accept who she was and forgive her. And hoped and wished it to be the latter. "I wanted to tell you how I felt. That''s it."


    "Now that we are on this topic, please do tell me the three words I am dying to hear from your mouth." Noah bit his lip, hoping for Aria to fall for his trick. However, the girl just giggled and shifted away from him.


    "Let''s go home." She declared and smiled at him cheekily.


    "What?" Noah was dumbfounded. "Aria, that was not what I wanted."


    "How will I know what you want. You asked me three words. I gave you three words." Aria stuck out her tongue and teased him, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.


    "I see." Noah yanked her towards him before the girl could run away once again and held her firmly in his embrace. "Are you sure you do not want to tell me what I want to hear?"


    Aria remained silent and bit her lips. She tried to move away from him but his firm hold on her stopped her. "Noah, leave me."


    "Nope."


    "Please."


    "Nope."


    "Please."


    "No." He was as adamant as ever and Aria could only resort to her last option.


    "Baby, please." She begged, her voice sweeter than honey and that was all it took for Noah for Noah to melt completely. His resolve to have confess shattered and he let her go immediately.


    "Thank you, honey." Aria pecked him on his cheek and retrieved her bag and her phone from the table. "You are the best."


    It did not take long for Noah to realize that he had been tricked. However, by then, Aria was already at the door and she chuckled seeing his perplexed gaze. "Shall we go?" She asked sweetly, adding more to his frustration and Noah was now certain that the girl had been playing with him.


    "Aria, come back here." He warned her lowly, taking slow steps towards her. But she saw his movements and his intentions and she stepped back, maintaining the distance between them.


    "No way. I know I will not be safe."


    "Aria."


    "Noah." This time, Aria stepped out of the room, ignoring Noah''s threats. He could sigh in defeat at his lovely girl and follow her out. He had all the time in the world to get back at her.


    Noah and Aria got in the car and the moment she saw Ronnie at the driver''s seat, she greeted him eagerly. "Good evening, Ronnie." She chirped and the man too greeted her with a smile. But immediately after, he shuddered when he noticed his Boss''s frost-filled face. It was as though he had all intentions of murdering him right away.


    Ronnie immediately averted his eyes and he started the car. ''Why is Boss so scary nowadays? What did I do?'' He thought, trying to remember what he had done so wrong for Noah to consider him to be his enemy. ''Is it because I did not finish the presentation in time that he is angry?'' He wondered and the next moment, he shook his head. ''That cannot be. It was not my fault that the data given to us was not up to the mark and Boss too knows it. What else could it be?''


    Ronnie glanced at his Boss through the rearview mirror only to find him already glaring at him. At once, Ronnie shifted his eyes and concentrated on driving, fear engulfing his mind. He could only cry inwardly at his fate and pray the Lords to keep him safe.


    Ronnie was not worried about the enemies he had made over the years. He knew how to tackle them and defeat them. Being with Noah and following him sincerely had thought him everything he had to know in life. The only person who he could never go against was Noah himself and that was what scared him. Although he knew that his Boss would never skin him alive, he could still not stop dreading his fate.


    Meanwhile, Aria had no idea what had transpiring between the two men. She was more worried about the message she had received from Maggie. She had sent her a message an hour ago and Aria wondered if Noah saw it. After chancing upon Noah and Ian''s conversation, she had not returned to her office. Her phone was lying on the table.


    "Umm, Noah." She started her mission to extract information from the man who seemed to be glaring at something.


    Her voice broke his focus and he turned to her at once. "Yes, my dear?"


    "How long were you in my office? Did you wait long?" She put forth her question very discreetly, trying not to raise his suspicions.


    "Not at all, love. I did not have to wait long." His words made Aria sigh in relief. However, his next declaration made her gawk at him in shock. "I just did not leave at all. I was in your office all day."


    "What? Why?" She cried, fearing Noah to have found out her secret.


    "I wanted to wait for you. And I must say it was a bittersweet feeling." He confessed leaning towards her. However, Aria was in no mood to notice his approach. She was more worried about the text Maggie had sent him.


    "Did something happen while I was away?" She mustered her courage and enquired, waiting for his reply eagerly.


    "Why? Should something have happened?"


    "No, I am just asking. I was supposed to get a call from Ivy. Did she call?"


    "No. I don''t think so. Your phone did notify a message but it never rang."


    Aria''s heartbeat increased at his words. Yet, she tried to stay as calm as possible. "I think it must be Ivy''s. Did you see what she had sent?" She tested him and Noah looked at her as though she had grown three heads.


    "Aria, you know I don''t messages. That is so not me." Aria sighed in relief and thanked the Lords for saving her.


    "Thank you," She mumbled.


    "Did you say something?"


    "Nothing, nothing at all," Aria replied and her immediate response made Noah narrow his eyes. However, he did not question her further and shifted his attention to his work.


    Aria read maggie''s message and she frowned seeing what it held. There were not many details in it except six words. ''I am leaving the gang tonight.''

 Chapter 429: Curious Noah

    Aria stared at the message for a long time, trying to confirm that she was reading what her eyes were showing. It was as though her brain had momentarily stopped working. She could not decipher what had for Maggie to take such a decision. ''But I am happy you did.'' She mumbled, her sudden garbled voice gaining Noah''s attention.


    "Did you say something, sweetheart?" He queried, looking at her with his eyebrows raised.


    "Yeah," Aria replied absent-mindedly, not giving him a glance. She was lost in thoughts and Noah sensed something to be off about her.


    ''What happened to her?'' He wondered and pushed himself closer to her. "Is everything alright, baby?" He queried, his hot breath falling in her ears. The sudden invasion of privacy startled Aria and her head snapped in his direction.


    "Why are you this close to me?" She questioned, attempting to move further away from him, much to his amusement. However, she was already towards the end of her side and she had nowhere else to go, with the car door trapping her at the back. Her eyes widened in horror and she looked down at her phone only to see the screen have turned black. A sigh of relief escaped her lips and she smiled to herself.


    However, this action of hers only added more to Noah''s suspicions and he leaned dangerously close to her, his lips barely an inch away from hers. "What are you doing?" Aria was on high alert and she took a peek at Ronnie, who had turned a blind eye to everything that was happening in the back seat.


    "What am I doing?" Noah smirked, loving the way Aria''s eyes had widened in frustration. She looked so delectable, delicate, and alluring that he had a sudden urge to bite her blushing cheeks. And he did just that earning a yelp from his victim.


    "What the hell was that?" Aria held the cheek and stared at Noah in disbelief. She had never in a million years imagined Noah to bite her cheek. Her heart was already on haywire and her mind was a mess.


    "I am sorry, I couldn''t control myself." Noah shrugged, his apology anything but sincere. Aria glowered at him and shot invisible daggers. But the man remained unfazed, thoroughly enjoying her look of fury.


    "You are unbelievable." She scolded him, her voice loud enough that even Ronnie heard her.


    ''As expected, only Madam can control the Boss.'' He secretly cheered for Aria, betraying Noah completely. ''Sorry Boss. I am not sure why I feel that only Madam can save me from you and your anger, the reason to which I am yet to know. My loyalty always lies with you. But this time, it will be with Madam.''


    Ronnie glanced at the couple at the back through the mirror only to find them in an extremely compromising position. Noah was completely over Aria, hovering above her, his lips just short of touching hers, while Aria was stuck to the door, her body lying in Noah''s embrace. Ronnie immediately averted his eyes. He felt as though he was peeking at something he should never have seen and tried to focus on driving, which for the first time in his life, was becoming impossible and difficult.


    The couple at the back ignored the blushing Ronnie and continued to stay in the position they were in, with Aria trying to push the man above her, away from her. This time, Noah moved back slightly, much to Aria''s relief. She sat straight, still maintaining a distance from Noah, which he did not mind.


    "By the way, what made you so lost in thoughts that you even forgot my presence?" Noah asked the question, hiding his suspicious tone. He had seen the way her eyes had traveled to her phone when he had inched closer to her and he also did not miss the way she had breathed a sigh of relief on finding it locked.


    His question rendered Aria speechless. Though she knew that the man was overly observant, she did not know that he was this good. Aria could not help but curse the man''s extremely alert mind and senses. ''Why is he this good?'' She cursed her bad luck and tried to come up with an answer that could satisfy Noah who was staring at her intently.


    "I am not going to tell you," Aria replied, racking her brain for some quick answer. She knew Noah would not let go of the matter and just as she had expected, his next question proved her right.


    "And I am not going to let you off without knowing about it. So, tell me. What were you thinking about?" He pulled Aria by her waist and now, her breasts were almost touching his chest. The sudden pull made Aria let out a gasp, a sound that was too enticing and seductive to Noah''s ears. If not for Ronnie''s presence, he was sure that Aria would be on his laps and his lips would be devouring hers, engulfing her in a heated kiss.


    Right at that moment, an idea struck Aria. "Why do you think I will tell you about my surprise for your birthday?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow in defiance and her answer greatly satisfied Noah, whose heart was already leaping in joy.


    "Oh, what surprise? Care to tell me about it."


    "There is a reason why it is called a surprise." Aria refused at once and Noah could only sulk at being kept in the dark. He knew Aria would not tell him. But he still took a chance.


    "Please, give me a hint at least."


    "No."


    "Please."


    "No."


    "Pretty please." He begged and Aria rolled her eyes at his attempts.


    "No amount of begging will help you. I am not going to answer you. Wait for two days."


    "But I can''t. My mind is on overdrive thinking what might you be planning."


    "Patience, my dear. Patience." Noah tapped Noah''s chest and smiled at him sweetly.


    "Patience is one thing that I don''t have right now." He mumbled loud enough for Aria to hear and she giggled at his cute self.


    "Let me tell you one thing then." Aria decided to go easy on him and not torture him more.


    "What thing?" Noah''s excitement rose at once and he looked at her as though he was waiting for his Christmas gift.


    "You will love the surprise for sure. Be ready to get your mind blown away."


    His mysterious words only added more to Noah''s curiosity and now, he could not wait any longer to find out what Aria had in mind. "Are you going to offer yourself to me, my dear?" He asked with a smirk only to find Aria blush at his crude words.


    "Noah," She punched him lightly and buried her head in his chest, embarrassment flooding through her entire self. "How can you be this shameless?"


    Her reaction more or less answered Noah''s question and his heart was already dancing in ecstasy. "I was right then."


    "What? No." Aria pulled back at once hearing him tease her. "No."


    "Don''t worry, Aria." Noah pushed back her hair and held her face in his hands. "I don''t mind the surprise you have prepared for me. I would to have you as my gift and my surprise." He winked at her and Aria gritted her teeth in anger.


    "If you continue with your acts, I am going to cancel the surprise I have in mind." Aria threatened and it worked.


    "You can''t do this to me."


    "Oh, I can. Try me."


    Noah looked at her for a long and when he did not sense any hesitation from her, he was certain that she would stick to her words if he crossed his lines. So, he could only give up and control his curiosity, allowing her to do as she pleased. Right at this moment, Noah''s phone buzzed and he attended to it, his hand not leaving Aria''s waist. And Aria too did not try to wriggle away from him, even though she so badly wanted to send a message to Maggie.


    ''It''s good that Maggie finally decided to leave the gang. I was so worried about her.'' Aria thought to herself, remembering the day her friend had told her and Ivy her decision to join Jared''s gang to find out more about his crimes. At first, the twins had tried to stop her using all means. But the girl had been adamant as ever and they gave in eventually, when Maggie promised to stay safe and return home in one piece.


    Since the time she had joined the Vipers, Aria and Ivy were scared for her safety. The girl had put herself in danger without caring anything about herself. She was all alone in a wolf''s den and given Jared''s reputation and his long list of crimes, it was a given they feared for her safety. All they wanted was for her to leave the place as soon as possible. It was nothing but a hell hole and to think that Maggie spent so much time in that dangerous place with dangerous people around her made them shiver in fear.


    Now that Maggie had decided to leave, Aria could relax and get one problem out of her mind. At least, her friend would be safe. But her escape would bring a lot more trouble for Jared would find out about Maggie''s truth. They have to keep Maggie safe and Aria just knew what to do. She took a glance at the man beside her, who was still on the phone, and hoped he would help her in this matter.


    Meanwhile, her friend in question was ready to leave the hell hole that had come to be her home for quite some time. She had brought nothing with her when she had joined the gang and she decided to leave with empty hands. She wanted nothing that belonged to Jared. Maggie took one last glance at the room before she opened the door, only to come face to face with the man she was escape from badly.

 Chapter 430: Another spy

    "Jared," Maggie was dumbfounded to see Jared at this time of the day. Although it was not unexpected to see him in front of her room, she had not expected him to do so either. Her reaction made Jared chuckle and his heart turned giddy seeing the effect he had on her.


    "May I come in?" His strangely calm face made Maggie worry about herself and she did not know how to react. Never had he behaved with her this way before. The man did as he wished without asking anybody their permission. His sudden change in behavior was unacceptable and Maggie was having an ominous feeling all of a sudden.


    "Why are you being strange all of a sudden?" The words left Maggie''s lips before she could even control herself and Jared''s smile only widened at her confusion.


    "Strange? How am I being strange?"


    "It was never your style to ask permission. You did as you wished and if you wanted to enter my room, you would have done so by now."


    "That was before, Maggie. Now, I cannot behave as I want with you especially after..." Jared stopped suddenly and Maggie frowned at his words. She had already had enough of his nonsense for the day. But she could not stop him either. Jared would not leave until he had achieved what he had in mind and seeing his determined face, Maggie was sure that Jared was here on a mission.


    "Especially after what, Jared?" Maggie questioned back, folding her hands.


    Jared looked around him and saw his men staring at him with a questionable gaze. On seeing him glare at them for gawking at him, they averted their eyes at once. But their ears were still trained at the two who suddenly became the center of attraction.


    "Maggie, can we talk inside? This might take some time and I am sure you do not want an audience around you." Maggie wandered her eyes and saw the other men inching closer to her room, trying to catch on to what they were speaking. Although she did not want Jared in her room, she did not want many people''s eyes on her either. Reluctantly, she moved away, allowing Jared to enter in, much to his happiness.


    "What did you want to talk about Jared?" Maggie could not stop herself when more than five minutes had passed. Since the moment, he had entered the room, he had not spoken any word at all. Maggie was running short of time and it would be a matter of time since the dusk arrived, the time she had decided to escape from the hell hole forever.


    "Maggie, what do you think about me?" Jared questioned suddenly stunning the girl who was losing patience slowly. "Be honest."


    "Why are you asking me?"


    "I want to know what you think about me. It is very important for me, especially if I want to proceed further with what I have in mind."


    "Should I be honest?" Jared turned around to face her and nodded lightly.


    "Annoying." Jared smiled at her reply and Maggie had the intense urge to roll her eyes at him. Her answer was supposed to make him angry, not make him smile. She wondered if there was something wrong with his brain for he behaving completely different than usual.


    "And that is what I like about you. You are the only woman who has the courage to speak the truth."


    "Are you done?" Maggie was done listening to his nonsense and she wanted him to leave as soon as possible. It was time when the guards changed shifts, a time convenient for her to escape unnoticed.


    "Not at all. Maggie, I like you. I like you very much."


    "But I don''t Jared. I don''t like you." Her answer did not annoy Jared. He had expected it long ago.


    "Why?"


    "What do you want me to say?" Maggie stared at him as though he had grown a hundred heads. ''That you disgust me. Just your presence is enough to make me nauseous. You are loathsome. If I say everything I have in mind, I will not be leaving this place forever.'' She thought to herself.


    "Tell me, Maggie. Is it because of my womanizing nature?"


    "That is one of them," Maggie answered.


    "I can understand. As I said before, I will stop my habits if you are willing to be with me."


    "And if I don''t will you continue?" Jared remained silent and Maggie got her answer, not that she wanted one in the first place.


    "Look Maggie, that was all in the past. It was before I fell for you."


    "And what about Rachel? If I am not wrong, you were pursuing her before right?" Maggie asked, taking a glance at the time on the clock behind Jared.


    "Maggie, Rachel is a part of a plan I have for my mortal enemy. She is an interesting woman, there is no doubt about that. But she is not the one I like. Let me be honest here, I will not stop pestering her for she is the route for me to get to her brother. I am going to use her to defeat the man I hate the most."


    Maggie''s eyes widened for a split second after listening to him. ''Rachel''s brother? Noah? What enmity does Jared have with Noah and why does he want to destroy him?'' She pondered over it but she could not find any clue whatsoever.


    "But that is all. She is not the one I like. Rachel is just a toy in my game." Although Jared was being honest with his words, to Maggie they were nothing but the most disgusting declaration ever. She was amazed at the man''s brutality and shameless. He had the nerve to tell her he liked her when the entire city knew about his womanizing nature. Maggie also knew some things that nobody other than Jared and his assistant knew.


    She had a list of all the girls Jared had slept with and also, apprehended what had happened to them once he was done having his way with them. The man before her was the worst of a kind she had come across and she wished to never have any sort of relationship with him.


    "Look, Jared..." Maggie started only to stop when Jared held his palm at her.


    "Maggie, let''s talk about this matter some other time. I have come here to discuss something else."


    Maggie was relieved at the change of topic. However, she was not willing to hear what else the man had to say to her. She was running short of time and if she did not leave before the night fell, there was no way she could leave that day.


    "I want you to delete all the proofs the Intelligence has collected regarding my Dad," Jared stated the purpose of his visit and Maggie wanted to smack the man''s face for his audacity.


    "Why? Even if I delete them, there is no way we can save him. He has solid proofs against him." Maggie tried reasoning with him and Jared pursed his lips in deep thought.


    "Maggie, none of the proofs have come out in public and nobody other than a few people in the Intelligence and the President knows about the matter and what the proof is. It will be easy for us the delete the proofs given your skills. At least I can reduce his punishment, even if I cannot avoid it completely."


    His words stunned Maggie completely. ''How did he know that only a few people knew what the proofs held? If I am not wrong, nobody other than Ivy, Valerie, Ryder and Preston know about it. How did Jared know that nobody else has an idea about it?'' She wondered and her heart thumped loudly on realization. ''No way. There is another spy in the Intelliegnce. What the heck!!'' She cursed in her mind and tried to find who it could be. However, she could not suspect anyone.


    "It will be easy to tackle the case if there are no proofs." Jared stated, his eyes gleaming in evilness.


    ''You have got to be kidding me. Why will I delete the proofs myself when it was I who tipped Ivy in the first place? No way.'' Maggie thought to herself, her face not giving away anything that was running in her mind. ''You are just delusional.''


    "I''ll try, Jared." Even though Maggie had no intentions of following his orders, she had to put an act before him so as to not rise suspicions. "But I cannot guarantee that I can erase it completely."


    "What do you mean?" Jared frowned and he blinked at her in confusion.


    "It would be easier if they have just one copy of the proofs. I can hack into the Intelligence network and delete it. However, if somebody else has it, then that would become difficult."


    "That''s fine. Give it a try. We will see what we can do." Maggie smiled at him lightly. It did not matter to her if she followed Jared''s orders or not for she could always send it to Valerie once again. She had the copy of the video with her.


    "I''ll see you at dinner." Jared smiled at her, his feelings for her evident in his eyes.


    As soon as Jared left her room, Maggie closed the door and slumped against it. Only she knew how much energy she had used to stay sane in his presence. Jared was driving her crazy and angry. All she wanted to do was pull her gun out and shoot him in the eye. But there was a problem with that too. She did not have a gun with her in the first place.


    Maggie''s phone dinged suddenly startling her. She pulled out her phone and saw a message from Aria. ''Don''t leave from there today. Wait for my message. I''ll seek Noah''s help. We cannot risk your safety this time. And don''t you dare ignore my words, I will kill you myself if you put your life at risk once again. I am warning you.''

 Chapter 431: Seeking help - Part 1

    Maggie stared at the message, and she shook her head immediately. "No way. I am not going to allow you to put your life at risk for me once again. I cannot do that, Aria. I am sorry, Aria. I really am." She deleted the message, only to receive another the next moment.


    ''Call me when you are free. I need to talk to you and don''t you dare ignore me.''


    Maggie ignored her message once again, and she deleted it right away. "I am not going to call you, Aria. I know you will try to persuade me. But I am not going to put you or Ivy in danger. You are the only two people I have in my life. I am sorry."


    More than an hour passed since Aria had sent the message and she had not received any response from Maggie. At first, Aria had been skeptical about Maggie''s intentions. But after not getting any reply from her even after a long time had passed, Aria was now certain that Maggie was ignoring her on purpose.


    Right at this moment, she received a call from Ivy. "Aria, what the hell is this message? What is Maggie trying to do?" Ivy almost yelled on the phone, and Aria had to keep her phone away from her to save her ears. "What is wrong with her?"


    "Ivy, calm down. I have no idea what she is up to. But we cannot allow her to be careless." Unlike Ivy had gone bonkers with worry, Aria was relatively calm, and she tried to reason out with her sister. "We need to do something to save her. That girl does not know what she doing."


    "But what are we going to do, Aria? She has decided to put her plan into action today, and right now, she is not responding to my messages." Ivy was just short of losing her cool. She was in the mood for some punching and Ivy was relieved that there was nobody around her. Otherwise, they would have been at the receiving end of her wrath.


    "Ivy, I-I-" Aria licked her lips, picking up her courage to tell her sister the plan she had in mind. "Ivy, I have decided to come clean before Noah."


    "What?" Ivy shouted on the phone and Aria flinched, fearing for her ears.


    "We need help to save Maggie and there is nobody but Noah who can help us. Only Noah''s men can tackle Jared''s gang."


    "But-but.."


    "Maggie might escape from the gang unscathed. But we cannot rule out the possibility of danger either. I do not want anything to happen to her. It''s best we have backup."


    "Aria, are you sure about it? We might end up sabotaging our relationships with the men once the truth comes out." Ivy voiced out her opinion. She knew Aria was right in her place but she could not ignore what the future may hold for them once the men found out their truth. Ivy did not want to lose Joshua for she had come to love him slowly. Although she had hidden her feelings for Joshua in front of his parents, that did not mean she did not love him. She loved him, more than anything in this world, but after Aria of course.


    "Ivy, the truth has to come out someday or the other. It''s best we get over it sooner. I know what is running in your mind and why you are reluctant to go ahead with this matter. But we can''t stay hidden forever." Aria declared, trying to remain confident. Only she knew that it was not the case. Her confidence vanished the moment the idea had even come to her mind. However, saving Maggie was more important than saving her relationship.


    ''If my relationship with Noah gets vandalized, I''ll spend my entire life making up for it.'' She promised in her mind. When she did not get any reply from Ivy, Aria sighed lightly. "Ivy, if you are unwilling to tell Joshua the truth, it''s okay. I''ll take the blame for you too. Don''t worry. Let one of us be at peace, at least." Aria suggested only to hear Ivy object to her plan immediately.


    "No way. What do you take me for, Aria? I am not going to allow you to do so. Are you insane?" Ivy seethed, clenching her phone. "We were in this together and we will take the responsibility together. I will not allow my younger sister to take all the blame when I am equally at fault." Ivy stated, not giving her sister a chance to respond.


    "But.."


    "No buts. We are doing this together and we will face the consequences together too."


    "Thanks, Ivy. Thanks for understanding."


    "What do you have in mind, Aria?"


    "Let''s meet at Joshua''s house. Maggie is not replying to us and we need Joshua''s skills to track her. That stubborn girl has not even told us where she is right now." Aria wanted to curse her friend for putting them under stress. Maggie had been extremely stubborn and had not divulged any information to the twins regarding her whereabouts. Although the two sisters had threatened her a lot of times, she had ignored them, and now that her life was in danger, Aria just wanted to kill her for putting them in such a situation. She even cursed herself for not smacking her friend when they had the time.


    "I will wait for you, Aria. Let''s just hope that the men will be understanding."


    The call ended and Aria stared at the ceiling, wishing everything to be fine. ''Please, Noah. Please forgive me. I don''t want to lose you. I don''t to leave you. Please, don''t leave me.'' Her thoughts broke when she felt Noah hugging her from behind, his arms around her waist.


    "What were you thinking about, sweetheart?" He mused, kissing her cheek.


    "You. I was thinking about you." Aria did not lie, and her answer pleasantly stunned Noah. A satisfied smirk made its way on his face, and he narrowed his eyes teasingly. He made Aria face him, and he stared at her, his eyes filled with love and adoration.


    "Aria, what were you thinking about me?" He did not allow her to leave his embrace, and Aria too wanted to stay close to him and feel his warmth.


    ''I might not be able to hug him after this.'' She thought to herself, a lone tear slipping out her eye. Noah immediately panicked seeing her tears, and he held her face in his hands, cupping her cheeks.


    "What happened, baby? Is everything alright? Are you hurt? Why are you crying? Tell me. Did someone do something to you?" His thoughts ran wild, and he started to assume the worst possible situations.


    Aria shook her head to calm the man and sought to stop her tears. However, Noah''s concern and sincerity were making it difficult for her, and she burst out crying, adding more to his panic. "I am sorry. I am sorry. I am really sorry. I should not have lied to you. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Please don''t leave me. Please don''t leave me." She begged, hugging Noah tight, her actions and words shocking Noah greatly.


    "Aria, baby, what are you even talking about? Come with me." He tried to free her from his embrace, but the girl only hugged him tight and buried her face in his shirt. Sighing in defeat, he picked her up, his hands under her butt, and walked towards the bed.


    "Aria, what happened? Tell me. What happened?" He sat on the bed, and placed her on his laps, while he coaxed her to speak.


    "Please don''t leave me, Noah. Please. I don''t want to lose you. I like you very much. No." Aria stopped suddenly and pulled away from Noah, facing him in the eye. "No, I don''t just like you. I love you, Noah. I really love you. Please don''t leave me."


    "I am not leaving you, dear. I am never leaving you. Now, tell me what happened." Noah wiped her tears gently and cajoled her softly. "I am never leaving you, Aria. Don''t even think about something like this." Noah chided her, wondering what happened to her for her to behave this strange suddenly. Though he was delighted to hear her confession, he was also worried for her. This was the first time he was seeing Aria this broken and anxious. However, he could not make out what was wrong and why she was behaving this way.


    "Noah, there is something I have hidden from you." Aria made her mind and started to speak, her eyes not meeting his intense dark brown orbs. She knew that she would never be able to confess the truth if she looked at his deep and soul-sucking eyes. So, she lowered her gaze and stared at his blue shirt.


    "Yes, baby. Tell me." Noah continued to wipe her tears as he waited for her to speak.


    "In fact, I have a lot of secrets, and I want to confess all of them to you today." Aria took a deep breath and braced herself. "I just hope you will still be with me when this ends." She mumbled to herself but Noah too heard it, and he frowned at her words.


    "What are you talking about Aria?" Noah could not understand the head or tail of what she was speaking. Every word of hers was like a code word he could not decipher.


    "I''ll tell you everything, Noah. But not, not right now. We have something else to do." Aris stood up suddenly, starting Noah.


    "What do we have to do?"


    "We need to save someone and I want your help in this."

 Chapter 432: Seeking help - Part 2

    Noah had a lot of questions in mind. But Aria had shushed him and had asked Ronnie to accompany them as they drove towards Joshua''s house. He was confused beyond words, and nothing the girl had said or was saying made sense to him. It was as though she had thrown a puzzle to him, asking him to solve it on his own without giving away any significant details.


    Aria was busy staring at her phone to notice Noah''s confused gaze. She had still not received any response from Maggie and this making her apprehensive. She was worried for Maggie, for she knew what their enemy was capable of if she was caught while escaping.


    "Please, reply to me. Please." She mumbled to herself, completely ignoring the questionable looks of the two men. Her worry had gotten the best of her, and she was worried more about Maggie than herself.


    In no time, they reached Joshua''s house, courtesy of Ronnie speeding on the roads after Aria''s orders. "Ronnie, you too come inside," Aria ordered, and she bolted out of the car even before Noah could come to her side to open the door. Her strange behavior appalled the two men. However, Aria had vanished inside the house, the doors to which opened the moment the car had driven inside the premises.


    Noah hurriedly followed behind her, perturbed by his beloved''s weird actions. She seemed to be in some sort of trouble, he had deduced it long back, precisely the moment she had cried in his arms. But he could not make out what was bothering her. Aria had been mum amount it the entire time, not once sparing a glance at him, confirming his suspicions.


    Aria dashed inside the mansion frantically, and she sighed in relief on seeing Joshua and Ivy waiting for her.


    "Wow, wow, Aria slow down. We do not want an accident happening in my house. Otherwise, your over-possessive boyfriend will tear down my house, blaming it for your carelessness." Joshua joked. However, Aria was in no mood to smile at him. She stopped before him and panted heavily, taking in large chunks of air.


    "I..help... track..friend." She breathed swallowing words in between and Joshua had a hard time making out what the girl wanted to say. He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her, which Aria finished at one go. She wiped her lips and stared at her sister, who handed her another glass. Aria shook her head and she turned to face Joshua once again.


    "Aria, what is happening? Ivy told me that your friend is in danger and you needed help. What is the matter?" He asked, turning solemn after reading the seriousness of the situation. He raised his eyebrows at Noah, who had walked in by then only to see him shrugging his shoulders.


    "I need your help," Aria repeated her words, this time a lot calmer than the previous time.


    "Sure Aria. What do you want me to do?"


    "I want you to track someone. She is in danger, and she is not telling us where she is right now." Aria explained and Joshua nodded at her, understanding what the matter was.


    "I can do that."


    "Here, this is her number." Aria handed her phone and Joshua stared at it for a long time before he looked at her skeptically.


    "Sure, let''s go to my laboratory. Follow me."


    The five people went to Joshua''s laboratory, his high-tech gadgets welcoming them warmly. However, neither among them was in the mood to appreciate the sophistication and advanced technology the lab held. Everybody was lost in different thoughts to care about anything else around them.


    As Joshua got to work, Noah held Aria by her shoulders and made her face him. He lifted her chin and stared at her, concern and worry evident in his eyes. "Aria, now will you tell us what is happening? You are scaring us."


    "I-I.." She stuttered, not knowing how to start the conversation.


    "Let me tell you." Ivy interrupted her and shook her head when Aria sent her a silent warning. "Noah, our friend is in some danger, and we want your help to save her."


    "I see. Don''t worry. We will save her." Noah assured the two girls, thinking their friend''s problem to be minor. Ronnie alone would suffice to take care of the matter. There was no need for him or Joshua to get involved in the matter. He trusted his man to do the job perfectly well.


    Ivy read what was running in Noah''s mind and she shook her head. "It is not as easy it seems, Noah. We need you men''s help." She stated, confusing Noah. Even Joshua''s head snapped to her, wondering what she was even speaking.


    "What do you mean, Ivy? I am not able to comprehend what you are saying." Noah blinked at them, looked back and forth between the twins.


    "Let me explain. My friend is undercover in a gang and she might be in danger. We need to help her escape from the hellhole and I need you and your men to help us." Aria took over and explained the matter clearly. "To be specific, I need your men from the Underworld to help us."


    Her words stupefied the two men, except Noah. Ian gaped at her in disbelief while Joshua looked as though he had eaten a fly. As far as he remembered, he had never mentioned the Underworld to Aria or even to Ivy. His head snapped to Ian, who too shook his head before it fell on Noah, who seemed to be staring at Aria calmly. Joshua could more or less tell what might have happened and how the two sisters might have found out about them.


    "Did Noah tell you, Aria?" Joshua queried and darted a look filled with guilt towards Ivy. Noah had already come clean in front of his girlfriend while he hadn''t. And suddenly this thought did not settle well in his mind. The guilt kept gnawing his heart and Joshua did not know what to do now.


    "That is not important. I''ll tell you everything later. Ask your men to be ready. We need to save Maggie."


    "Maggie?" Joshua intervened suddenly on hearing the familiar name. He frowned, not liking the way things were going. He was having a bad premonition, and he was convinced Maggie was the same person he was thinking her to be noticing Ivy''s uneasy gaze.


    "Yes, Maggie. You are thinking about the right person. She is your childhood friend, Margaret." Ivy cleared his confusion and Joshua stood up at once, mortified by the sudden turn of events. He had been searching for the girl for a long time. But he could not, even though he had tried everything he could. It was as though the girl had vanished from the surface of the earth.


    "What happened to Margaret? Why is she in danger?" Joshua held Ivy and fired his questions at her. "How did she land in danger?"


    Noah too frowned at the unexpected news. He knew who Maggie was. Although he was not close to her, he knew about her and her close friendship with Joshua. Like Joshua, he too was astounded to find out that the twins knew Maggie.


    "She was undercover in a dangerous gang and now, she wants to leave to the gang because she is done with her work. However, as difficult it is to enter the gang, it is more difficult to leave it. She is risking her life and we are worried about her." Ivy did not mind Joshua''s fingers digging into her biceps. She perceived that the man to be worried for his friend.


    "What gang? Ivy, tell me everything clearly." Joshua was losing his mind at the information. His heart was beating erratically. He remembered the promise he had made to Maggie''s father before the man had passed away two years ago. He had promised to keep Maggie safe and now that her life was in danger, he could control his anger and anxiety.


    "Maggie is an officer at the Intelligence." Ivy started, and Joshua nodded immediately. He knew where Maggie worked. He had kept an eye on her until a few months ago when she disappeared without a trace.


    "She then joined Jared''s gang to uncover his crimes and collect all evidence against him."


    "Jared?" This time, Noah interrupted her. "As in Jared Augustus." Ivy nodded at him and Noah''s eyes were now as wide as saucers.


    "Ivy," Joshua''s voice was deadly low, and Ivy shivered at his serious expression. "Are you talking about the Vipers?"


    "Yes," Ivy breathed, and that was all it took for Joshua to lose his cool. He released her and kicked the chair he had been sitting on previously.


    "What the fuck!!!" He seethed and glared at Ivy, an expression so alien to her, especially from Joshua. She had always seen him with an affectionate and loving gaze. Never had she seen him this infuriated, especially with her. He was about to unleash his fury on her when his laptop beeped. "Ivy, we will talk about this later."


    That was it. His anger-filled promise was enough for Ivy to see what would happen once they finished dealing with the problem at hand. And just the realization was enough to send her mind on overdrive. She was now frightened, petrified even thinking what might happen to her and Joshua and what would Joshua do. Would he leave her forever or would he forgive her? Only the future would give her the answer.

 Chapter 433: Arias secret

    Joshua took a look at his laptop, while Ivy stared at his back, fearing the worst possibility. Joshua was angry, she was sure of it. She had read his body language and his eyes when he had lashed out a few moments out. To what extent he was angry, that was something she desperately wanted to find out. She did not want to lose the man, not now, not ever.


    "Damn it!!!" He cursed again, running his hands fast over the keyboard.


    "What is it, Jo? Did you track her?" Noah asked, his voice not giving away his disposition. He was the only calm person in the room. Aria was staring at him waiting for him to speak to her. However, the man had ignored her completely, not even bothering to look at the girl, who had not moved her eyes away from him. And this cold treatment of his was bothering Aria, a lot. She was fine if he was angry at her, if he had lashed out at her or even hit her. But his indifferent attitude was making her lose confidence about their future, slowly.


    "This number we have does not exist," Joshua answered, as he continued typing. "It is a randomly generated number, which Maggie used to contact you. Once the call ends, the number gets erased from the database."


    "So, can''t we track her?" Ivy inched closer to Joshua, forgetting about her problems for the time being. Her friend''s life was at risk, and she wanted to save her at all costs.


    "We can. But it will take more time."


    "How long?" Noah stared at Joshua''s laptop which was still tracking Maggie''s whereabouts.


    "Maybe ten minutes."


    Noah nodded at him and thought to himself for a moment, formulating a plan. He was still perplexed with the way things had turned out. He had a lot of questions for the twins, and more so to Aria. However, he knew now was not the time. They had to save Maggie before it became too late.


    "Ronnie, get the men on standby. As soon as we track the girl, we are leaving. Joshua, I need access to your weapon room." Noah did not hide his words from the two girls. They already knew everything about him, it would not be a surprise to them if they saw guns in the mansion.


    Joshua showed him a thumbs up and immediately after, the wall towards his right split into two, opening to a huge room. For the first time, since they had come to the laboratory, Ivy was stunned at what she saw. The entire room was filled with guns and weapons of all sorts she had never seen in her whole life. Her jaw dropped and she gawked at the place, wondering how formidable her boyfriend was.


    Noah had expected such a reaction from the twins. However, to his surprise, Aria did not even bat an eyelid at the weapons in front of her. It was as though she was accustomed to what she was seeing, and it was an everyday occurrence to her, to come in contact with the dangerous weapons.


    Aria and Ivy followed Noah and Ronnie, while Joshua continued to type on his laptop. As soon as Ivy moved past him, he glanced at her with a complicated expression on his face. Though he was angry at her, he was not angry at her the way Ivy was fearing him to be. He wanted to listen to her side of the story before he jumped to conclusions. He could not blame her when he himself hid a lot of things from her.


    Not bothering about the other weapons, Aria went to the rack where the guns were arranged, and she ran a hand over them. Noah had been observing her the moment they had entered the room and his heart skipped a beat seeing her careless action. He rushed to her and pulled her back gently by her waist. "Careful, Aria. They are dangerous." He warned, and his concern touched her.


    ''He still loves me. There is still a chance for us.'' Aria''s heart danced in happiness, and she gave him a tiny smile of assurance. Noah had no idea what was running in her mind. He had no idea how her mind was shifting gears as feared for their future and their relationship. He was more focused on the problem at hand, not perceiving that his since towards her was killing her.


    His sudden concern and worry had come as a blessing to Aria, whose thoughts were running wild. She could not help but be ecstatic at it as she secretly thanked Noah. "I know." She replied, still staring at him gratefully.


    "Let''s move away from them, shall we? We do not want anybody getting harmed." Noah held her gently by her waist and attempted to take her out of the room. However, the girl shook her head, refusing his idea.


    "I am coming with you guys." She stated, twisting her body so that she was now face to face with her man.


    "No, you are not."


    "Yes, I am." She was adamant and Noah glared at her, trying to intimidate her. "You cannot intimidate me. That will not work. I am coming with you. That''s it."


    "I am accompanying you too," Ivy added.


    "Not a chance." Not only Noah, but even Aria also rejected the idea.


    "Aria, why is it that you want to go but I can''t?" Ivy complained with a frown, and Aria realized that another explanation was in the line.


    "Because I know to fight, while you don''t." She replied with all honesty, and Ivy rolled her eyes at her sister''s unbelievable answer.


    "Aria, my dear. If you have forgotten, it was I who thought you some self-defense moves. If anyone among us should be allowed to go, it must be me." Ivy''s words made Aria smile.


    "Do you know how to yield a gun?"


    "No, I don''t. Do you?" Ivy answered with a shrug.


    "Yes, I do." Noah, Ivy, and Ronnie were stunned by her answer. Even Joshua looked up and stared at her, stupefied.


    "Aria, now is not the time to play pranks," Noah warned her, and Aria''s head snapped to him, her expression serious and resolute.


    "I am not lying. I know how to use a gun. If you want I can show you." Without waiting for his consent, she picked up the gun nearest to her. Noah''s eyes widened at her choice and he stepped forward to retrieve it back from her. However, Aria just moved away from him, maintaining a distance as she took at the weapon in her hand.


    "This," Aria caressed the gun in her hand as though she was caressing a baby. "Is Desert Eagle Mark XIX Pistol, one the deadliest handguns in the world." Aria then checked if the pistol was loaded and her perfect and top-notch actions mortified Noah. He gaped at her in disbelief as she continued with her performance. She then released the slide, and held the pistol right in front of her, aiming at Noah in the head.


    Her accurate grip and confident gaze were beyond Noah''s perception and he could not stop gawking at her in awe. However, before he could speak a word about it, Aria moved her hand and turned to the target that was towards her right. But she stopped herself before she started firing. "Do you have dummy bullets? I don''t want to waste the real ones." She lowered her hand and looked around her, trying to find the dummy bullets.


    It did not take long for her to find what she wanted and she changed the magazine, filling them with dummy bullets. She loaded them with ease, showing off her expertise brilliantly. Joshua too had left his desk to witness what Aria was doing, leaving his work to his devices. Aria, then, turned to her targets and without blinking, shot all the nine dummy bullets not stopping until the magazine was empty.


    Noah had stopped staring at Aria since the moment she had picked up the gun and he continued to do so until he heard Ivy gasp.


    "Oh my God," Ivy gasped and Noah turned to see what had happened. The score he saw made him question his entire existence. The girl had accurately hit the innermost circle with her shots, two bullets even striking a bull''s eyes. The total had added to a whopping eighty-eight, a score which he was unable to believe, even though he had seen it himself.


    "Now, do you believe me?" Aria smirked seeing the dumbfounded look on the four people''s faces. She raised her eyebrows at Noah, waiting for him to speak first.


    "How...When...Who..." Noah did not know what to say. His tongue and mind had given up on him and he was sure that his brain was frozen with what he was seeing. "Amazing." He then, settled on one word that his heart was screaming at him and his one-word praise was enough for Aria''s face to glow in happiness. That was all the assurance she needed from him.


    "Now, am I allowed to go?" She queried, hoping for Noah to agree. However, to his dismay, he shook his head once again.


    "No."


    "But why?" Aria almost wailed at being denied.


    "Just because you know how to use a gun that does not mean you know how to fight men. We are going to a place filled with criminals, who are more dangerous than anyone could comprehend. I do not want to put your life in danger, not when you are the world to me. No way." Noah was adamant and nothing she did or said changed his mind.


    "Fine, if you are not taking me with you. I''ll go on my own." Aria too did not back off.


    "Aria," Noah warned her, his voice turned low and deadly all of a sudden. But Aria ignored it, even though she felt the chills run down her spine after seeing the look Noah was giving her.


    Right at this moment, Joshua''s laptop beeped once again and everybody turned to see what had happened. "I have found her." He stated, checking the location his device was pointing.


    "Then, what are waiting for. Let''s gear up and kick some butts." Ivy clapped her hands, only to cower in fear seeing Joshua glower at her.


    "You are not going anywhere." He threatened her.


    "But..."


    "Ivy, don''t test my patience. I am already angry at you. Don''t make me angrier than I already am." That was all it took for Ivy to give up on her idea to accompany the men. She did not want to do anything that might trigger Joshua.


    "Aria, you too." It was now, Noah''s turn to warn his girl. "You are not coming with us and that''s final." Seeing that she was about to object, Noah narrowed his eyes, challenging her to go against his words. And just like that, Aria too gave up on the thought, much to Noah''s relief.

 Chapter 434: Joshua and Noah in action

    Ivy observed Joshua''s every move while he geared up, preparing for the battle that would take place in a matter of few hours. He knew Ivy was staring at him. Yet, he did not glance at her even once, much to the girl''s disappointment. His indifferent attitude was hurting her from within, and Joshua too understood what Ivy was feeling after seeing her crestfallen face. Although he did not want to hurt her, he could not control his anger.


    Joshua was not angry at Ivy. It was more directed towards himself, for it was he who had failed to protect Maggie. But Ivy had been at the receiving end, and Joshua sighed when he noticed Ivy''s dejected face. Ivy''s back was towards him, and he stealthily padded towards her, not alerting her. Without any heads up, he spun her around and crashed his lips on hers, taking her breath away.


    Ivy stood frozen on her spot, the sudden kiss jumbling her thoughts. She gaped at the man who was punishing her with his kiss. It was not a gentle kiss, Joshua was exerting a lot of pressure on her, as though he wanted to suck her soul. It was painful for Ivy; he was not giving her a chance to cope up with his actions. He nipped, sucked, and bit on her lips, tasting the metallic flavor of blood on his tongue, venting all his frustration, anger, and love in the kiss.


    It was painful for Ivy, her lips were slowly turning numb with pain, and Ivy too tasted her blood. However, the pain did not register in her mind. She was more focused on the man, her heart leaping in joy at his actions. Even though he was punishing her with the kiss, Ivy understood that he was concerned about her, and it was his way of showing that he cared for her more than anything in the world.


    Ivy wrapped her hands around her man and deepened the kiss, parting her lips. Joshua plunged his tongue inside her mouth, engaging hers in a heavy battle, not allowing her to dominate him. And Ivy gladly allowed him to do as he pleased. She was more than happy to do anything he wanted if he was willing to talk to her, forgive her even.


    Joshua pulled back with eyes shut tight, taking in deep breaths. His anger had diminished by now, and he hugged the girl tight, startling the already dazed Ivy once again. "I cannot lose you, Ivy. You are too precious for me. Don''t you ever dare to put yourself at risk like Maggie.  I will lose my mind, more than I did with Maggie." Joshua pulled her closer, diminishing the nonexistent gap between them. "I had promised Maggie''s father to keep her safe and finding her in such a dangerous place is something I had never expected. She is more like a younger sister to me and being the older brother I am, I will take care of her for life."


    Ivy understood what he wanted to convey and why he had been angry with her. He was not hurt because she had hidden things and kept secrets from him. He was angry because Maggie had put herself in danger, and Ivy could have put her life at risk too if things got out of hand. Just the thought of Ivy in such a deadly place made Joshua lose his calm.


    "I know, Joshua. I am sorry. I really am. Please forgive me this once." Although I should not have hidden the truth from you, I had my reasons for it. I''ll explain everything to you once you return home. And I hope you return in one piece. I love my man the way he is, and I wish him to be the same forever."


    Joshua was too lost in his fears to realize what Ivy had told him. He did not catch up on her confession, and Ivy too had not discerned what she had spoken as a word of assurance. The couple continued to hug each other until they heard a knock at the door, followed by Ronnie''s words. "Master Joshua, we are ready to leave."


    Joshua sucked in a sharp breath of air, taking Ivy''s hypnotizing scent before he released her. "I will be back." He pecked her swollen, red lips. "And you better stay at home and wait for me. Don''t try to test my patience Ivy. It might not end with just a kiss if I lose my cool once again." Joshua warned her and she blushed, dirty thoughts filling her mind immediately.


    A smile carved its way on his face seeing her blush, and he kissed her cheek. "I''ll take care of you once I return."


    Noah and Aria were already waiting for them when Ivy and Joshua walked down the stairs. "Are we ready to leave?"


    "Yes, Ronnie is instructing the men. Once they are ready, we will leave, and Aria," Noah rubbed his forehead, thinking. "Message Maggie that we are coming to get her. Ask her if she has made it out safely and if not, let her stay put until we rescue her. I do not want an alert army waiting for us if Maggie has already escaped."


    Aria understood what Noah wanted to say, and she did as she was told at once. ''Maggie, Noah, and Joshua are coming to get you. Don''t do anything rash. Stay in the warehouse.''


    "Also, tell her I will message her once we reach the place. It will be easier to communicate if I get her replies." Joshua added.


    "Okay," Aria added his words. ''And Joshua will contact you once they reach the place. Wait for them, Maggie. Don''t do anything reckless.''  Aria sent the message and immediately after, Joshua''s previous words ran in her mind. "Will this work? Will she receive the message?"


    "Yes, she will," Joshua answered.


    "How? You told me that this was a randomly generated number and that it changed every time she made a call."


    "Maggie has kept this line active while the other numbers have been closed and blocked. I don''t know why though. So, all your messages will go to her."


    Right at this moment, Aria received a reply from Maggie.  ''Why did you tell them? I told you I would manage.''


    ''Maggie, stay put. They are ready to leave.''


    ''No way. I''ll try my best to leave this place before they reach here. I do not want them to get involved and get hurt because of me. Moreover, their involvement would only put your and Ivy''s lives in danger along with theirs. I do not want that to happen.''


    Aria showed Maggie''s text to the two men, and Joshua took the phone from her. ''Maggie, this is Joshua. Don''t you dare ignore this message. You are going to wait for us, and I am not taking a no for an answer.''


    ''But I don''t want to put your lives in danger.''  Maggie''s response came immediately.


    ''I don''t care. You just wait for me.''


    ''What if I can make it out of here before you guys arrive without getting caught? That would save you a lot of trouble, and you cannot attack Jared right now. I have some things to tell you, listen to them first.''


    Joshua thought through her message and showed it to Noah who frowned lightly. "She is right. Jared will only be alerted if we attack him without any reason. I am not sure if we can even kill him today."


    "How about this then? Let Maggie try getting out of the hellhole. If she is successful, then you can bring her back without taking any action today." Ivy suggested, and Joshua and Noah found it to be the best possible option.


    "That would work." Noah folded his hands, thinking through his plan once again while Joshua conveyed his plan to Maggie.


    ''Okay, Maggie. I will send you a message from Aria''s phone the moment we reach you. If I don''t receive any reply within five minutes, I will assume you to be still at the warehouse, and you cannot stop us from attacking then. Don''t try to argue with me on this.''


    ''Fine.'' Maggie agreed this time.


    "I am taking your phone with me, Aria." Joshua pocketed her phone after getting her nod.


    "Boss, we are ready." Ronnie too was prepared for the war Aria smiled at him gratefully and the man returned her smile before leaving the mansion.


    "Aria and Ivy," Noah stepped in front of the two girls, his expression solemn and resolute. "Stay here until we return. I am warning you." Noah''s gaze was so daunting that even Aria, who was usually bold before him, cowered in fear. She knew that he was being utterly serious and provoking him would only lead to her misery. Moreover, neither Aria nor Ivy had the intention to do so either.


    "I promise, Noah. We will not leave this mansion until you return." Aria assured him and Ivy nodded.


    "Good." With that, Noah pulled Aria for a quick hug.


    "Stay safe," Aria muttered, and even before she could hug him back, he had let her go.


    The two men left the mansion while the two girls looked on. "I just hope everybody returns home safe." Ivy sighed and plopped on the couch. "Do you think we did a mistake by keeping this secret from our boyfriends?"


    "Not at all. You know the truth, Ivy. Telling them would only put maggie''s life in danger." Aria disagreed with her at once. "I just hope they would understand our point of view when we come clean before them."


    Meanwhile, Maggie shook her head reading Joshua''s message once again. "I am sure I will leave from here before you reach, Jo."


    Maggie took the phone with her, even though she was hesitant to do so. It was Jared''s property, and she wanted to take nothing that belonged to him with her. After Joshua''s message, Maggie had no other choice but the use the phone a little longer. She opened the door, ready to leave the place forever when she came face to face with Jared again.


    "Where are you going, Maggie?" He smiled at her, his expression ringing alarm bells in her mind. There was something different about him and Maggie knew what it was. There was a hint of bloodthirst in his eyes, and Maggie was certain something was wrong. And her words were proved right when she heard Jared''s next words. "Are you done sending today''s discovery to your friend? What is her name by the way?"


    Maggie frowned at his words, her heart drumming in fear and anxiety. ''How did he find out? Friend? Who is he talking about? Did he find out about Aria or Ivy?''


    "Ah yes. Valarie. Valarie Evans from the Intelligence. Am I right, Maggie or should I call you Margaret?"

 Chapter 435: Cornered and captured

    "Or should I call you Margaret?" Jared leaned forward, meeting Maggie in the eye. There was a hidden threat in his words, and Maggie realized she was screwed. "Did you send today''s finding to the Intelligence?" Jared did not move back, keeping Maggie frozen in her place. She was scared witless to even speak, let alone take a step away from him.


    "What happened Maggie? You are usually bold with me. What happened now? Why aren''t you responding?" Jared smirked, his evilness flashing like a medal in his lethal eyes.


    Jared took a step back and raised his height, towering over her, trying to intimidate her, and it was actually working. Although Maggie was trying hard to hide her fears, Jared could sense it. And why wouldn''t he, when he preyed upon his victim''s fears?


    He started to circle Maggie, maintaining a distance from her. "I must commend you for your bravery, Maggie." He uttered, his voice carrying a hint of appreciation and something else Maggie could not perceive. It was as though he was accusing her of doing something she was not supposed to.


    Maggie knew there was no chance of her escape, and only Joshua and his team could save her now. ''Why now?'' She complained in her mind. ''Why did he have to catch me when I was well prepared with my escape plan? Wait a minute!'' She stopped complaining when she realized something. ''How did he even find out the truth? Who told him? Who?''


    "Maggie, I never expected you to betray me this way." Jared continued, not stopping walking. He kept circling her while he reiterated how he had been impressed with her and her skills, and how he had slowly fallen for her. However, Maggie was in no mood to listen to them. She was worried about her life, and she knew it was best she alerted Joshua about her situation.


    When Jared was busy with his monologue, she sent a text secretly to Aria''s phone, in the hope that Joshua would see it. ''I am busted. Jared has found out my truth. Please save me.'' She then deleted the message immediately. She was yet to turn off the phone when Jared stood before her, stunning her by his swift move.


    "Tell me, Maggie. Why did you betray me? Why did you play with my feelings?" He queried, his face losing his anger and evilness for a split second. It was as though Jared was demanding answers from her as a lover, rather than a dangerous criminal, who did not hesitate to take people''s lives just for fun.


    "Betray?" Maggie''s fears vanished, and fury and disbelief replaced them. "Do you really think I betrayed you? You?" Maggie pointed at him with a sardonic smile on her face. "Says the man who does not even hesitate to take innocent people''s lives for his sick pleasure. Do not accuse me and hold me responsible for a small act of mine when you have a long list of crimes detailing your heinous acts."


    "Maggie," Jared warned her, his voice turning deadly low, not liking the way things were turning.


    "Do you think I don''t know what you have done? I know every crime you have done, Mr. Jared Augustus, and don''t worry, I will make sure that you will get your retribution." Maggie did not back off even after seeing his venomous gaze. She was already caught; what more could he do to her? She could only prolong her chat with him so that it could give Joshua and his team to reach her before Jared decided to punish her.


    "You are talking about your feelings for me, right?" She continued, her finger still pointing at him. "When did I even tell you that I have feelings for you? Did I ever say that I loved you, or liked you even? How can you accuse that I played with your emotions?" Maggie took a step closer to him, lifting her head with confidence to meet his eyes.


    "I never did, nor will I like you. You are nothing but a disgusting creature I loathe the most." Maggie''s words were like a huge slap that kept reverberating in Jared''s ears. His male chauvinist ego escaped from its leash, and his control snapped. Jared''s anger was at the highest possible level, and Maggie knew that she was done for. But she too was not scared of him, or for her life. Joshua would save her for sure, she just had to wait for his arrival.


    Jared glowered at her long and hard before he started clapping, while Maggie stood unfazed by his actions. She did not even flinch when the man got closer to her. "You know Maggie, I would never have found out your truth if my Godfather had not informed me about it. Let me be honest here. I had denied his allegations against you, crossing him for the first time in my life. But who knew Maggie that he was well prepared? He presented me proofs to show how foolish I had been with you."


    Jared started laughing like a manic all of a sudden. "Bravo, Maggie. Bravo. You are the first person ever to trick me, and I must say I am impressed. You are brilliant, as expected of the girl I like." Jared did not stop complimenting but his words only made Maggie want to puke. His mere presence was irritating her, and she did not know how long she could tolerate him.


    "My Godfather was right," Jared said, changing the topic suddenly. Maggie frowned at the way his emotions fluctuated as time ticked by. Her patience had reached its peak, and she was just short of lashing out at him. But she stood still doing nothing, although she had all the intentions of choking him to death. "He always told me never to trust anyone, not even my own shadow. Who knew that I would break the promise I had made him and would end up trusting the girl, who had all the intentions of ruining my life? How awesome am I!"


    Maggie rolled her eyes at the man''s obvious sarcastic words. However, she did not retort back, standing silently listening to his laments. "What do I do with you, Maggie?" Jared sighed, his switch in behavior shocking Maggie for the first time after her truth came out. Jared lifted his hand to caress his cheek, and Maggie moved away from him at once, avoiding his touch.


    Jared''s hand lay frozen in the air as he gazed at the girl who had captured his heart. "Your behavior towards me hurts me, Maggie." Jared sighed and dropped his hand. "My Godfather wants me to torture you and kill you slowly. He wants me to make you curse your entire existence and yourself for even crossing us. But do you know what I have in mind?" Jared tilted his head, his eyes gleaming in evilness.


    "I cannot bear to hurt you or inflict any pain on you. I love you so much, Maggie." Jared pouted and clicked his tongue. "We could have led a blissful life and have had a family of our own if you had not betrayed me."


    Maggie stared at the man as though he had grown three heads. She understood the underlying meaning behind his words. ''What the fuck is he talking about? He must be delusional to think that I would marry him and start a family with him. That is impossible even if he is the last man standing on earth. No way.''


    "But not to worry." Jared declared as though he had everything under control, and Maggie was having a bad premonition listening to his confident words. "We can still fulfill my dreams, and we will. So what if you deceived me? I am willing to forgive you."


    "What?" Maggie was perplexed by the sudden turn of events, and she gaped at the man, who seemed hellbent on making her his.


    "Yes. So what if I cannot inflict pain on you or torture you like I do with my enemies. I have other ways to punish you. And I assure you, Maggie, they will not be pleasant at all, not for you, my dear."


    Maggie shuddered at his words, alarm bells ringing in her mind. "What are yo-you talking about?" She stuttered, fearing the worst.


    "Oh, don''t worry, my dear. I am not going to kill you, not now, not ever. That is not your punishment. It is something else, something I loved doing the most in the past, and I would do that to you too. I mean, do it with you." Jared''s threats made Maggie fear for life. It was as though she was standing on a deserted road with a speeding bulldozer charging at her, with no way to escape from the disaster.


    "You brought this upon yourself, Maggie, and you will have the bear the consequences of your actions."


    "No freaking way." Maggie shook her head, her eyes widening in fear. "No way. You must be dreaming. I will not allow you to do anything like that."


    "And who will stop me?" Jared smirked, her expression turning sinister.


    "I will. I will stop you." Without another word, Maggie pushed him with all her strength and dashed out of the room, running for her dear life. However, she had barely taken a step outside the room when she stopped. Jared''s men surrounded her, not allowing her to move further. She was completely at his mercy, and Maggie realized that there was no way out of this until Joshua arrived.


    "Tch, tch, tch. Did you think you could escape from me, my dear Maggie? This is my turf. Nobody can enter or leave from here without my permission, and that includes you too.'' Having had enough of Maggie''s games, Jared held her hand, dragging her with him, his men making way for him at once. Maggie tried to wriggle her way out of his grasp, only for him to hold her tighter. He led her to his room, and he hurled her onto his bed.


    "I would love to have you right away. But I need to make an important call. Wait for me, my sweet Maggie. I will be right back." Jared cautioned her, his lips rising in victory. "Be prepared. I am going to fuck you today, by hook or by crook."

 Chapter 436: Well prepared

    Maggie did not flinch at Jared''s threat. Showing him her weakness was the last thing she had in mind, and allowing him to do as he pleased was impossible. ''No freaking way.''


    Jared stared, almost glared at her, taking in her silent, yet strong demeanor. Even though she was frightened beyond words, Maggie hid it too well for his liking. This impressed Jared all the more, and he was excited for what laid ahead for him. If he did not have to report to his Godfather about Maggie, he would have already pulled her to bed.


    He left the room, much to Maggie''s relief, and she immediately got to action. ''Huh.'' She scoffed. ''Do you think it is that easy to do things as you wish with me, you rapist?'' Maggie clenched her jaw in anger. The pictures of all the women Jared had been with and had his way with them before killing them flashed in front of her, and she seethed in anger.


    However, now was not the time for her to show her fury. She had to escape before Jared returned, and she barely had a few minutes. Maggie got up at once, formulating a plan to escape from the room. She knew the layout of the room like the back of her hand as she had memorized it the day they had shifted to this warehouse, after the explosion. Without anybody''s knowledge, she had installed cameras in every nook and corner of the warehouse where she could walk in out freely.


    ''Where is the revolver?'' She wondered, pulling another drawer. She knew Jared kept weapons in his rooms, and all she had to do was find them and escape from the room before the monster returned. It had to be in one of the drawers, for she had seen Jared place them inside when she had spied on him on her laptop.


    ''Where the hell are you?'' She cursed, and right at that moment, she opened the drawer she wanted. Two fully loaded guns welcomed her along with a magazine. Maggie was delighted at her discovery, and she did not hesitate to take them. Although she was disgusted to use anything that belonged to Jared, Maggie had no option. Now all that remained was for her to leave the room.


    Instead of leaving from the main door where Jared''s men were stationed, guarding the door to prevent her from leaving, Maggie walked to the back of the room. She took one last glance at the door before she tapped at the black glass wall. Immediately after, the sensitive screen lit up, prompting her to provide a passcode which she had memorized like alphabets.


    Since the time they had moved into the new warehouse, Maggie knew that if a day ever came that she had to escape from the hellhole, then she had only two options: the main entrance door, which was impossible to cross with all the security, and the second option was the secret exit that lay on the other side of the glass wall.


    Maggie had chanced upon the passcode Jared had entered when he was testing the glass case. ''Jared, let''s see how you will get to me.''  She entered the passcode wrong twice, a cunning plan formulating in her mind. She then typed the correct one, and the glass wall parted, opening to another room. The moment she entered the room, the wall behind her closed.


    Maggie sighed in relief, and she looked around the room, trying to find a path to her escape. The only place other than the washrooms where she could not install a camera was this room. So, she was unfamiliar with the layout. However, it did not take long for her to find another door that led to the secret stairways. Maggie cheered on finding the freedom she was yearning for since long and climbed down the stairs, yelling goodbye to the place forever.


    Meanwhile, Jared reported everything about Maggie to his Godfather, hoping for the call to end as soon as possible. He wanted to get back to the girl, who was driving him crazy, and do the things he had long wanted to do. "Yes, Godfather. I will not trust anyone from now on." Jared promised, now understanding why the man had repeatedly told so to him. "I''ll visit you tomorrow." He ended the call and pinched his forehead thinking about the punishment he would be receiving for his mistakes.


    Jared shook his head, pushing those thoughts away from his mind for the time being. He now had other issues to deal with, rather than focusing on something that would only hurt him. With a jovial mood, he returned to his room only to find it empty. A frown marred his face, and he shouted, irked by her absence. "Maggie, come out from your hiding." He started to search for her, not leaving even one spot unchecked. But to his dismay, Maggie was nowhere to be found. The room was empty, and Jared''s heart dropped thinking about the worst possible scenario.


    He bolted out of the room and faced his guards, who were startled by his sudden presence. "Where is Maggie?" He roared, scaring the shit out of them.


    "Bo-Boss," The guards stuttered, frightened by the man''s terrifying aura.


    "Where is Maggie?" Jared enunciated each word, his voice deviously low, and the guards realized that if they did not reply in a second, they would lose their lives for sure.


    "Boss, Maggie did not come out of the room." One of the guards answered, and Jared glowered at him.


    "Are you lying to me?" He seethed, pointing a gun at the man.


    "No, Boss, I wouldn''t dare. I am telling the truth. We have been guarding the door since the time you left. Maggie has not come out." He blurted out the truth as fast as he could in hopes that Jared would spare him. However, he was not that fortunate. Jared was too blinded by his anger to think properly. He fired at the man, piercing a bullet through his head and killing him at one go.


    Jared pointed his gun at another man. "You better tell me the truth. Where is Maggie? Did you help her escape from here?"


    "No, Boss. We did not see her leave the room. We are telling truth. Please trust us." He dropped to his knees and begged, praying for his life, and Jared gritted his teeth. He was just about to shoot him too when his assistant came running.


    "Boss, they are telling the truth. Maggie did not leave the room. I was right here with them."


    His words caught Jared''s attention, and he lowered his hand, thinking where Maggie could be. It did not take him long to put two and two together, and the realization hit him hard, harder than Maggie''s truth. Not sparing another minute, he bolted inside the room towards the glass wall and tapped at it. The screen brightened. But this time, instead of asking him the passcode like it usually did, there was a message displayed on the screen. ''System Locked. Three attempts made.''


    Jared''s eyes widened in horror. He guessed what had happened and who was responsible for this situation. "Maggie," His voice thundered across the room, and his men outside the room shivered in fear. The glass door had become inaccessible now. Even he could not use it, for it was designed in such a way that the passcode could be entered only thrice in a day, irrespective of whether it was inputted correctly or not.


    "Maggie," He punched the wall, maddened by her trick. "How did she find out?" This was not the time to think about it. They had to catch Magie before she left the place. Jared padded towards his men who were waiting for him. The dead man''s body had been disposed off to god knows where, and Jared was glad his men had taken care of it.


    "Maggie has escaped from the room. Catch her before she leaves the warehouse. Alert our men. I want her at all costs, and I want her alive." Jared ordered. To say he was furious would be an understatement. His face had darkened in rage, and his men shuddered thinking how many more among them would lose their lives at the end of the day.


    "Remember I want Maggie alive," Jared stressed on it, and his men got to work at once, leaving him alone in the hallway. "Maggie, you did a great mistake by defying me, and now, I will teach you what will happen if you cross me. You will get a punishment you will remember for life."


    Jared did not want to sit still and wait for his men to return with news for him. So, he decided to go in search of her himself. Only he knew some of the secret exits, and he perceived he would eventually find Maggie somewhere. He returned to his room and opened the drawer where he had hidden his guns only to find it empty.


    Jared was not surprised by it. He had expected it given how he had been receiving shocking news one after the other. It would have been a surprise if Maggie had not taken weapons with her. He then pulled out his laptop. "Do you think you can escape from me, Maggie? No chance." He smirked and opened the surveillance video of his warehouse. He had access to all the places except Maggie''s room, including the secret exits.


    He guessed that Maggie would not be returning to her room. So, he focused on the cameras installed in the secret exits. However, to his dismay, all the footages were blank. He could not see a thing except for a black screen. He could surmise what might have happened. Maggie had hacked through the system and had rendered all his surveillance useless.


    Now, he had no other option but to search every place. The girl was a step ahead of him, and for the first time, Jared understood the meaning of defeat. But he was unwilling to lose yet. "You want to escape right, Maggie? Now, I will give you a good chase, one that you will regret forever. Be prepared."

 Chapter 437: Step into the trap

    Meanwhile, Maggie had already started descending the stairs, looking around for lurkers, who were out for her life. She was on high alert, observing her surroundings keenly. ''By now, Jared would have realized my absence, and he would have mobilized his men in my search. I just hope I can stay hidden until Joshua arrives.''


    Maggie had already estimated how long it would take for her rescuers to come, and there was still a lot of time left. The distance between Joshua''s mansion and the warehouse was long, and it would take at least an hour for them to reach her, even if they sped and ignored all traffic rules. Currently, barely fifteen minutes had passed since Jared had caught her in her room. Maggie clenched her jaw profaning her fate.


    She quickened her footsteps when she realized she was safe and sprinted down the stairs with all her might. She did not want to get caught, not when she had already made it out till here. There was no way anybody would sneak up on her from above, as the path had been completely sealed by her after entering the passcode thrice. But that could not be said the same about the route from below. If she was attacked from down the stairs, then she had no option of escape. There was no other room where she could hide.


    ''What the fuck!! Jared is a moron to have built such a useless escape path. What if I got caught? Will my plan die just like that?'' Maggie shook her, trying to remove the negative thoughts out of her mind. ''Focus, Maggie. Focus. Where does this stairs even lead to?'' She wondered, not stopping walking even for a second. Her gun was pointed towards her front, ready for action in case someone were to attack her.


    ''How long is this staircase? Where is the end?'' She groaned, still not lowering her guards. She continued with her journey, hoping for Joshua to reach soon.


    "Are we there yet?" Joshua questioned again, losing his patience slowly. He had received Maggie''s message, and since then he had not stopped fretting for her safety. Her words had scared the shit out of him, and even Noah was anxious about Maggie. Getting caught by Jared was not what they wanted, and now that it had happened, they had to save her before the vicious man did something to her.


    "No, Master Martin. We are still far away." Ronnie replied, growing restless as time ticked. He had read the seriousness of the situation, even though he had no idea who Maggie was. "We need at least four minutes more."


    Noah held Joshua''s hands, assuring him silently while the man could only close in eyes, hoping to reach the place soon. The pilot maneuvered the chopper brilliantly, not daring to make a noise, lest he should face the already irked men''s wrath.


    Joshua was dying to find out Maggie''s situation. However, he knew that this action of his would only push her closer to danger. ''What if Jared is with her when I send her the text? I cannot allow him to hurt her. No way.'' He shook his head as he read through her message once again, hoping for the chopper to fly faster than it already was.


    Two minutes later, the pilot noticed the lights from the warehouse, and he nodded at Ronnie, who was sitting right beside him. "Master Martin we have reached."


    "Sir, I will be slowing down the chopper near the boundary gate." The pilot conveyed, and Ronnie got ready with his sniper rifle, preparing to attack the defenseless enemy. As soon as the chopper reached the premises, Ronnie and the four other men from the Underworld got to work. Ronnie aligned his rifle, searching for his prey in his telescopic sight, and to his delight, he found his first prey. Without any hesitation, he pulled the trigger, killing the man right away.


    However, this action of his did not go unnoticed by the other men, who were patrolling the warehouse. They got to their positions at once, alerting the other men about the danger they were about to face. But before they could even aim their rifles at the chopper, the seven men had taken care of them, killing them instantly. More than fifteen men were down in a matter of few seconds.


    Although the enemy had alerted their gang, it would take at least a few seconds for the men to come out. So, the pilot lowered the chopper so that the seven men could get off. When Ronnie was certain that they could off with ease, he signaled to Noah, and one by one the seven men got off the chopper. The pilot then took off at once for he still had to fly more men to the location even though two more choppers were operating with him.


    The seven men knew that the boundary was clear for now. So they took their positions, waiting for the enemy to walk out. The news of the invaders reached Jared''s ears soon, and he cursed under his breath in anger. The impromptu attack was not something he was not unaccustomed to. This had happened previously too, and he had dealt with them easily. However, what annoyed him the most was the coincidence of the situation.


    ''Is Maggie responsible for the attack?'' He wondered. However, he had no time to waste thinking about the possible answer. He had to face the enemy first if he wanted to save his life. Unlike everybody else who was searching for Maggie in the warehouse, he had decided to go for the abandoned corridor that led to the staircase from his secret room. So, he was completed isolated from his team. But that did not stop him from barking orders on his earpiece.


    "Men, stop searching for Maggie. We are under attack. Deal with them first. Kill those bastards. I want them all dead." His loud and terrifying voice startled his gang members, and they shuddered in fear. Hearing Jared''s voice on the earpiece was a nightmare for them, but it was one they could never escape from.


    Jared was lost, not knowing how to deal with the situation. His anger was at the peak, and he was filled with bloodthirst. He wanted to kill someone, anyone. Though he and his men were under attack, he prioritized Maggie. She was the trump card he had with him. If the attackers were here to save Maggie, then for sure she would be of great help to him.


    Jared dispatched all his men to defend the intruders while he alone continued in pursuit of Maggie, not knowing that he had stepped into the trap Noah had prepared for him. Noah had purposely ordered his pilot to fly near the warehouse so that the opponent could have a good look. This way, Jared would focus on them first rather than on Maggie.

 Chapter 438: One down

    Maggie had no idea about the commotion that was taking place outside the warehouse. She was more focused on getting out alive, and finally, after what felt like eternity, she descended the last step. "Phew," She wiped her sweat off her forehead and patted her heart, pleased at making it till here without getting caught.


    Unlike the stairways that had automatic sensor lights, the room she had entered was quite dark, and she had to use her phone''s torch to see her footsteps. Maggie had no idea where she was, and she had to rely on her senses to stay alert. There was a musty smell in the room, but Maggie remained unfazed by the suffocating smell.


    "Now, where should I go next?" She pondered, waving the phone before her, seeking to find any way that could show her the path out. To her dismay, she could not find any door that could help her leave the room. It was as though the room had no doors at all, in the first place. Also, there were no hidden glass walls too to test her luck once again. So, Maggie could only search the room thoroughly once again.


    "What the heck was Jared thinking when he planned this room? How am I supposed to get out of the damn place." She kicked the wall in front of her in anger, only for the wall to spring back with a loud noise. The sudden disturbance spooked the hell out of the girl, and Maggie stared at the door with her jaws dropped and eyes wide.


    "What the hell was that?" Maggie kicked the wall once again, this time softly, and once again she heard the sound of hollow wood. Pleased with her discovery, Maggie tapped on the wooden wall, searching for a way to open it. To her luck, she stumbled upon a knob at the side, hidden at a spot difficult to find. As soon as she twisted the knob, the door opened, and Maggie saw the night sky embracing her with open arms. She jumped in happiness and cried tears of joy, celebrating her sheer luck.


    "Finally, I am free." Not wasting another moment in the hell hole, she dashed out of the room, making sure to keep an eye on her surroundings. Maggie frowned finding herself in a strange area as she attempted to recollect the structure of the warehouse. She knew the place better than anybody else, as she had memorized it, ready to escape the disgusting place, when her time of stay was over. She knew every nook and corner in and around the warehouse except one area, and that was where she was standing right now. ''As far as I know, I have covered almost every spot in the warehouse except one.''


    Maggie remembered how Jared had prohibited his gang members from taking a step in the southwestern direction. ''Oh, so this is what Jared was hiding from us.'' Maggie shook her head, doubting the man''s intelligence. ''He is dumber than I assumed him to be.''


    ''I need to find a place to hide. I am sure Jared would be coming for me soon.'' Maggie then looked around for a place to hide from the monster, who was out to capture her. Unlike the previous warehouse, which was surrounded by barren land on all sides, the current warehouse was surrounded by trees. Maggie climbed a tree not far away from the warehouse, her fully black attire camouflaging her with her surroundings. Now, all she had to do was wait for Joshua''s signal.


    Right at this moment, she heard gunshots and explosions, and Maggie darted her eyes around her, perplexed by the commotion. It did not take long for her to realize who was responsible for the uproar. ''Joshua?'' She wondered. ''It has to be him. How did he make it here this fast? How?'' She racked her brain trying to find an answer. However, she could not settle for any possibility, completely forgetting the man''s status and power. It had slipped past her mind that the man owned a chopper, and he had a separate travel route for himself.


    While she was still pondering over the probability, Maggie saw a very frustrated and furious Jared hurrying from the other side of the ground towards the warehouse, and she chuckled seeing his state. She had made sure to close the door after her to mislead Jared, and just as she had hoped, the man took the bait and went inside the building.


    Taking this opportunity as her cue, Maggie jumped down the tree and left the spot, shifting closer towards the entrance gates from where the gunshots were heard. She made sure to stay concealed from her enemies'' eyes, walking behind the trees and using the darkness to her advantage, keeping her weapon ready in case someone were to see her. And just as she had feared, she came face to face with Jared''s assistant, who was directing orders to the gang in his Master''s absence.


    After barking out the orders at the gang, he had taken a detour, instead of taking the main path to the warehouse, only to find Maggie sneaking around in hopes of getting away. "Maggie," He pointed his gun at her, hatred bursting through his veins. What he hated the most was when people crossed his Master and Maggie had done just the same. She had not only deceived him and shared details of his crimes with other people, she had even escaped from his clutches, successfully making out till here.


    The ever-loyal assistant glowered at her in anger. But Maggie too did not back off. She too pointed her gun at him, the two people having a face-off in the midst of a huge chaos. Maggie''s hawk-like eyes did not miss his calculative moves while he unlocked his gun secretly. He was preparing to attack her. ''Do you think I would wait for you to attack me first? Huh? In your dreams.'' She scoffed, and without any hesitation pulled the trigger, aiming her gun at his chest.


    The man stared at her in horror, the bullet piercing through his body. Pain spread through his body like fire, and he dropped to his knees, lowering his guard for the second time, and Maggie fired another bullet instantly, hitting him in the neck. Blood started to trickle down, and he did not even have the time to comprehend what had happened. His eyes rolled back, and he fell dead at once.


    "One down. Let''s see how many more to go."

 Chapter 439: Losing war

    After killing Jared''s assistant, an idea struck in Maggie''s mind. In a hurry to escape from the warehouse, she had not seen the locking system of the room she had just come out from. An evil smile made its way on her face, and she retraced her steps back towards the exit room, hoping against hope that Jared was not anywhere nearby.


    Since the place was completely isolated from the main part of the building, there was no one in the vicinity. Maggie tiptoed towards the door and removed a bobby pin from her hair. With great difficulty, she bent the pin such that it now lay straight. She stared at the pin for a few seconds, and without any hesitation inserted it into the doorknob with ease.


    Maggie made sure to not insert the pin until the end. She only pushed it until it was more than halfway through the keyhole. Pleased with her work, she pulled back, the evil smile still not leaving her face. To test the result of her work, she twisted the knob and pushed the door inside. And just as she had expected, the door did not budge at all. It remained shut, and Maggie''s smile widened imagining Jared''s furious face when he would realize her smart plan. She even exerted some force on the knob to see if the pin would fall off. But when it didn''t, she nodded her head in satisfaction.


    Now, Jared would not be able to come out of the room until someone came to rescue him, or if he pushed the hairpin out of the keyhole himself, the chances of which were grim. "Tch, tch, tch, Jared'' I just hope you have your phone with you. Oops, also now that your assistant is dead, I wonder who you will reach out to rescue you." Maggie giggled softly, rejoicing at the success of her plan.


    Not wasting another minute in the place, she went back, keeping an eye out for danger. She had to take a roundabout way to reach the main entrance where the bullets were being fired at full capacity. Maggie slowed down when she realized that she was entering the danger zone and tried to find a spot to hide, and she found one immediately. She found a thicket, and with the darkness around her, it was impossible for anyone to catch up on her than easily, given her dark attire. She could hide behind the thicket until the time was right.


    Maggie did not forget to send Joshua a message, informing her of her situation.  ''I have escaped from the warehouse. I am not hiding behind a huge thicket. What do I do next?''


    Maggie had assumed Joshua to be busy with the fight. However, she was surprised when she received his message in a few minutes.  ''Stay wherever you are. I''ll inform you when we are ready to leave. And, are you anywhere near the warzone?''


    ''No. I am quite far away.''


    ''Good. Don''t come near the warzone. We are using grenades.''


    ''Okay.'' Maggie had no idea what Joshua had in mind. Since she trusted him with her life, she did as she was told and stayed where she was, waiting for his next orders.


    Meanwhile, Joshua got ready to put his next plan into action. Noah and he had already formulated plans considering every possible scenario, and one of them was Maggie making it out of the warehouse herself. When he had received her panic-filled message, Joshua had discarded this plan. Now, that she had made it out herself, all they had to do was get her away from the building where their chopper was on standby.


    Unlike Noah and Ronnie who were leading from the front, Joshua was at the back, for he had been waiting for Maggie''s message hoping to get one from her, even though the chances were less. Now that he knew that Maggie was out of Jared''s reach, he reached the front to finish the fight soon.


    He had no idea where Jared was and what the man was doing. And they had to leave before the man despatched more men. Noah''s men were considerably lesser in number and they would surely lose if Jared''s men outnumbered them. Also, this was Jared''s turf, and he knew the area better than they did. Taking risk here was not a wise thing, and Noah had already informed his men about the plan. They would only be fighting until they rescued Maggie.


    Noah saw Joshua sprinting towards the front, and he more or less guessed what might have happened. He nodded curtly at Ronnie, and the man immediately led a team inside, not stopping firing at their enemy. In a short time, they had managed to incapacitate many men, kill some even. Even Noah''s men were hurt, but nobody was dead yet.


    With Ronnie and his men in the lead, it did not take long before everybody was within the boundary of the warehouse. They had taken advantage of the fact that Jared''s men were yet to get into position. Although they were outnumbered, they still had an upper hand. Noah loaded his rifle once again, firing at the man who had just come out of the warehouse. He then searched for his next victim on his telescopic eye, aiming at him the moment his eye caught him.


    Noah''s team had barely managed to enter the premises when a large group of people rushed out to defend themselves. However, Ronnie was well prepared. The huge crowd did not affect him. Since he had already received permission from Noah, he got into full attack mode and threw grenades at them. In a matter of few seconds, the area became filled with sounds of explosions and smoke hovered above the area. The ground was filled with corpses of men, with blood spilled everywhere.


    Jared''s men had no idea what was even happening with them. They did not even have the time to attack, for their unknown enemy was charging at them at a pace they could not even comprehend. They were clearly ten steps ahead of them. With no one to command them, they had no idea how to tackle the situation. Neither Jared nor his assistant was anywhere in sight. All they could do was escape from the place when they realized that they were fighting a losing war.

 Chapter 440: Stuck forever?

    Jared smiled as soon as he entered the room. He had not seen Maggie anywhere outside the room. In fact, he had not seen anyone around him before he entered the room, for the place was secluded from the main part of the warehouse. ''I am sure Maggie is still inside, and now, I will catch her. Maggie get ready.'' He smiled wickedly, thinking about all he could do to her when he caught her.


    With that thought in mind, Jared started to climb the stairs. "Maggie," His low voice echoed through the closed room. "Dear, I know you are here." He chuckled, not knowing that the girl he wanted was already a step ahead of him. Jared knew the layout of the room, and there was no way out for anyone in between. The stairs connected his room to this secret exit with no other escape route in between. "There is no use hiding from me, Maggie. Show yourself to me, and I''ll be lenient with you. Otherwise," Jared stopped, stating his threat and intentions clearly.


    However, he did not receive any response from the girl who was driving him crazy. "Oh, so you want a chase. Am I right?" Jared licked his lips, liking the game he was playing. Although an unknown enemy had attacked him suddenly, he was more interested in catching Maggie as he was sure that the attackers were here for her. She was the bargaining chip he had at hand, and he would never let her go at any cost.


    "Then, I will give you one, Maggie. Be prepared, my dear, because you might not like what awaits you once I get to you." Jared warned and continued to climb the stairs. Unlike Maggie who had no idea where the stairs led to, Jared knew the room better than anyone did. So, he climbed them as quickly as he could, and within a few minutes, he had covered more than half the distance.


    However, instead of having a great feeling about his achievement, he was starting to worry about it. A bad premonition ran through his mind, and the realization made him bolt up the stairs at full speed. "Maggie," He bellowed at the top of his lungs, his mind already processing the undeniable truth. He had covered more than half the distance, and Maggie was still not in sight. He was now certain that Maggie had escaped the room before he made it to her.


    "No," He roared when the truth finally settled in, and he kicked the railing in anger. Maggie had escaped from his clutches even before he could get to her, and Jared had no idea how far Maggie was away from the warehouse now. Moreover, she was not alone. An unknown enemy had come to save her, and with their support, it would be easy for her to get away from him. And that was the last thing he wanted to happen.


    He wanted Maggie at all cost, for she had his heart. Also, his Godfather would skin him alive if he were to find out what had happened. Jared shook his head imagining what would happen to him once the matter reached his Godfather, and that was the last thing he had in mind. "This is not good. This is not good." He muttered, turning around and sprinting down the stairs. ''I need to get out of this room and get Maggie before she leaves from here.''


    "I am going to kill those bastards who dared to attack me. Maggie, you just wait and watch what I am going to do to you." He seethed, his speed not reducing, even though the man lost his footing at one of the steps. He reached the end in no time, and he twisted the knob in a hurry. However, to his dismay, the door did not budge. It refused to open for him.


    Eyes widened in shock, Jared tried the knob again only to meet the same result. Although the door shook lightly, it did not open at all, and Jared''s fury had reached the peak by now. He kicked the door in anger. "What the fuck!!!" He cursed loudly, and the next moment, he stood frozen in his spot when a possibility struck his mind. "No fucking way!!" He stared at the door in horror. "Maggie, don''t tell me you are behind this." He banged the wall in rage. But everything was useless. Noting he did worked and the door remained shut, prohibiting him from leaving.


    The bobby pin Maggie had inserted inside the keyhole stayed firm in its place, not allowing Jared to open the door. Jared was at wit''s end, not knowing what to do. His mind was trying to come up with a plan to escape from the room when remembered his phone. ''Yes, I could call my assistant. He will get me out of here. Yes, why didn''t I think of this before?''


    Jared did not care that his assistant would find out about the secret exit. It was more important to leave the place that was slowly starting to suffocate him. He cursed in his mind for not installing windows. At least, they could have helped him leave the place soon. He dialed his assistant''s number. However, nobody picked up his call. He tried again only to meet the same result. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up." He shouted over the phone, only for it to fall on deaf ears, for nobody was listening to him.


    Even after many attempts, nobody picked up the call, and Jared was losing his mind. "What the fuck!! Where are you? Pick up the damn phone." He roared. However, everything was useless, for the man he was looking for help was lying dead just outside the room, his body blocking the entrance.


    He then tried his earpiece, trying to connect to his men. However, to his horror, he could not find the device. His ears were bare of any earpiece, and Jared cursed himself for being careless. He had no idea when he had lost it and if it was even in the room of exit or not. Searching for the small, wireless device was impossible, given how dark it was around him.


    Jared now had no idea what to do. He could only be relieved that his phone was charged. Otherwise, the man would be stuck in here forever without having any access to the outside world. He scrolled through his contacts, trying to see if he had any gang member''s phone number. For the first time in his life, Jared regretted not having his men''s numbers in his phone. "Why? Just why?" He berated himself as he scrolled through the phone when his gaze fell on one of the phone numbers he was all too familiar with.


    Jared knew he had no other option. He had nobody he could approach at that moment, and only this man could help him leave the room alive. Taking a deep breath and stiffening his heart, Jared dialed the last man he wanted to talk to right now. "Hello, Godfather."

 Chapter 441: Aftermath horror

    Noah and Joshua''s team attacked Jared''s men with full vigor and strength, not giving them even a moment to breathe. Even though they were clearly outnumbered, Noah''s men did not back off, for they had experience dealing with these kinds of situations, and the men they were fighting were nothing but kids who had no idea what was happening to them.


    Unlike Jared''s men who had no cooperation and meticulous planning, Noah had come prepared. His men had divided themselves into two groups. While the larger group attacked from the front, the other group took care of the wounded members, escorting them to the chopper immediately. With their careful planning, none of Noah''s men were dead, while their enemy had reduced to a small number.


    The Vipers had no idea how to tackle the situation they were in. They had never met an opponent so formidable as the one they were dealing with. Even though they were considerably less in number, they were more powerful and well equipped, and above all, they had a better leader. Even though the fight had started, Jared was nowhere in sight, and his assistant too had vanished after barking orders at them briefly.


    Although the Vipers had no idea who their enemy was, they commended their careful plotting. Only an experienced leader could come up with such a master plan. They wanted to find out more about the man who was leading them. But it was impossible. They were being attacked strongly, and it was impossible to move ahead. Moreover, every one of them was wearing a mask, covering their faces, hiding their identity.


    The Vipers realized that they were now fighting a losing battle, and if they continued to do so, they would end up dead just like their fellow gang members. Making a decision, they retreated their steps, still firing at their opponent, not wanting them to find out their plan. Escaping from the main entrance gate was impossible, for their enemy was guarding it, and they were guarding it well. And hiding in the warehouse was out of the question. The enemy could get to them easily.


    The only option they had was to escape from the back entrance. While they continued to fire at their opponents, they took slow steps back, in hopes of escaping from the place quickly. Ronnie read through their intentions quickly, and he waved his palm at his men. It was not a signal to allow the men to go. But it was a signal to not allow the men to leave. Though they were here to save Maggie, they were also here intending to kill as many members from the Vipers as possible.


    The war between Jared and Noah was inevitable, and it was best they eliminated as many people as they could from his gang. Letting them go would only allow them to return, and why would Noah allow something like that to happen? They charged at them, firing their rifles, without sparing anyone on the ground. Their nemesis did not even have an opportunity to strike back, for Noah''s men had shot them dead.


    Seeing the situation of their team during the fight, the other members from the Vipers, who were ready to venture into the battle, gave up on the thoughts and stayed inside the warehouse. They gave up on their plan completely and decided to stay put inside the building. Taking a step outside would only lead to their demise. So, they locked the warehouse doors, hoping against hope that their attackers would not decide to come inside.


    After dealing with the last remaining viper on the ground, Ronnie''s men lowered their weapons, a victorious smile making its way on their faces. They had won the battle they had come to fight on such short notice, and damn, it was one hell of a fight. Although the men were well trained, their enemy was nothing less experienced either. However, they lacked a leader who could give out correct orders and execute their plan carefully. It was given that they would win under such circumstances.


    "Ronnie, send the men who need immediate medical attention to the base. I have already informed Ian. He must be waiting for us. And Joshua, call Maggie. We are ready to leave. We will take care of the remaining men some other day." Noah ordered, and Ronnie got to work immediately.


    ''We are ready to leave. Come to the front gate.''  Joshua sent her the message. He decided to settle for a text instead of calling her, for he did not know what situation she was in. It would be not good if she fell into danger because of his call.


    Maggie had been tired of crouching down behind the thicket. It was cold too, and her thin shirt was not helping her from the cold winds that were embracing her body lovingly. She was hungry, and her stomach was hurling profanities at her for not feeding it properly. Maggie was losing her mind slowly. However, she waited patiently and to her relief, when her phone vibrated. She knew who was texting her, and on finding the words she wanted to see, her face blossomed in happiness.


    ''I''ll be there right away.'' Maggie stood up. But she stumbled to the ground, her legs giving out on her. Her legs had gone numb with pain, and it took her some time to stand properly on her feet. And the moment she did, she sprinted towards the exit gate, happiness evident on her face. ''Finally, I am free. I am never going to return to this hell hole again.''


    Maggie''s hideout was quite close to the entrance gate, and it did not take long for her to spot Joshua, the man she had grown up with, and another man she was all too familiar with, Noah. Her heart leaped in joy seeing the familiar faces before her. ''How long has it been since I last saw someone I am close to?'' She wondered, her smile not leaving her face.


    Joshua noticed the girl who he had not seen for months, and he smiled for the first time after he had heard about her in the night. However, his smile vanished when he observed something else too behind her. One of the men who was not dead yet had lifted a gun, and he was pointing it at Maggie.


    Noah too saw the man, and he shot him at once. But it was too late, and the man had already fired at the girl. Maggie too heard the gunshot. However, before she could turn around and see what was happening, someone pushed her away with great force, and she faltered, the sudden push alarmed her. But what stupefied her more was Noah''s loud cry of shock.


    "Joshua."

 Chapter 442: In danger

    "Joshua," Noah screamed at the top of his lungs when he saw his friend push Maggie out of the way. His eyes widened in horror, and he rushed to his friend, who seemed to be in pain from the looks of his face. However, before Noah could reach him, Joshua dropped to the ground. The bullet had hit him in his left shoulder.


    Maggie too was petrified to see her savior fall to the ground, and she too sprinted to him, panicking the moment she saw Noah''s hand drenched in blood. He was holding Joshua in his arms as he tried to wake the man, who was slipping into unconscious. "Joshua, please stay awake. Please."


    Maggie knew the reason for Noah''s anxiety and why he looked so distressed. Although Joshua was not hit at any dangerous spot, the man had a condition. He suffered from hemophilia, that is his blood never clotted. Now, he had been shot, Joshua had to be admitted to the hospital, and Noah knew he could not delay time. The man''s eyes were almost shut, and it would take them more than twenty minutes to reach the hospital.


    Also, taking him to the warehouse where Ian was attending to injured Underworld men was not possible. The base lay farther away from the hospital; it would an additional ten minutes and, Joshua did not have that much time. Moreover, Ian would flip out to see Joshua in this condition. To him, Noah and Jo were his closest family, and any injury to them was something he could never accept. Noah still remembered how he had tortured the man who had shot him a few months ago.


    Keeping the matter from him was impossible, but asking Ian to attend to Joshua too was not a good option. That man would become a monster if something were to happen to him. So, the best choice right now was to call Aria.


    "Ronnie," He yelled, calling the man who had no idea about the disaster that had struck Joshua. He was outside the warehouse premises when the incident took place. After sending his men on the chopper, he was returning to inform his Boss about his personal chopper ready to depart when he heard Noah''s shout.


    What he saw shocked him to the core, and he dashed forward to help his Boss, who trying to support the man. "We need to leave soon. Joshua is bleeding heavily." Ronnie understood what the man was hinting at, and he helped his Boss to support Joshua as they led the unconscious man to the chopper.


    The pilot''s eyes widened seeing a bleeding Joshua. But he did not question it and started the chopper the moment everyone settled inside. "Call Aria and tell her to come to the Regal Medical Hospital soon. Tell her, it''s an emergency."


    Ronnie was already halfway following his orders. "What about Master Ian?"


    "Let''s inform him once we reach the hospital. He is needed at the base too. We cannot leave the men unattended." Ronnie understood what Noah wanted to convey and stopped mentioning Ian.


    Aria and Ivy were waiting for Noah and his team to return. However, more than two hours had passed, and they had no idea what had happened. The wait and the suspense were killing them, and they were unable to sit still. Every now and they would look at Ivy''s phone, hoping to receive some sort of news. However, there was nothing. Nada.


    "I hope they have rescued Maggie," Ivy muttered, and Aria sighed lightly. She was worried sick. All she wanted was to reach the warehouse and see the situation herself to make sure everyone in Noah''s team was fine, and that Maggie was safe.


    Right at this moment, Ivy''s phone rang, and the two girls jumped at the sudden disturbance. "It''s Ronnie." Ivy picked it up right away. "Hello, Ronnie. What happened? Is everything alright? Is everyone alright? How is Maggie? Is she with you? Are you returning home?" Ivy fired her questions, not allowing the man to speak a word.


    "Miss West, Maggie is with us. May I speak to Madam, please. It''s urgent." Ivy could sense the urgency in his voice, and she handed the phone to her sister without asking for further details. Aria frowned at her, only to receive a shrug in return. Aria had not missed the look of relief Ivy had given her, assuring her that Maggie was safe.


    "Yes, Ronnie? Is anything the matter?"


    "Madam, you need to reach the Regal Hospital as soon as possible."


    "Why?" Aria narrowed her eyes in worry, her relaxed expression vanishing as soon as it had come.


    Ronnie explained what had happened and what was Joshua''s situation currently before begging her to hurry up. The call ended quickly, and Aria turned to her sister who was looking at her expectantly. "Ivy, I need to go to the hospital. Joshua has been shot."


    "What?" her words were like a thunderbolt to Ivy, and she collapsed to the floor. Aria rushed to hold her, seeing her distraught expression. Barely a second ago, she had been relieved to find that Maggie had been rescued, only to find that her man had man been shot. It was given that Ivy would react this way.


    "Yes, they are bringing him to Regal Hospital. I need to go soon."


    "I''ll accompany you." Aria nodded at her, for she knew her sister would never stay back, not when her beloved was in danger. The sisters picked up their things, and they bolted out of the mansion to see Kaito waiting for them.


    "Get inside," He opened the door for them, and Aria and Ivy did not waste time in asking him how he knew where they were going. "Ronnie informed me." Kaito clarified before he closed the door and got into the driver''s seat. It was like a hurricane on the road with Kaito driving at lightning speed. However, neither sisters cared. They had to reach the hospital soon, especially Aria.


    "Aria, please save him." All of a sudden Ivy burst out crying, and this was one of the rare occasions Aria was seeing her sister cry. Ivy held her hand and sniffled softly. "Please save him. Please. I cannot stay without, please." She hiccupped when tears started to run down her face. She could not make coherent sentences, yet Aria understood what her sister was going through. That was exactly how she had felt before she confessed the truth to Noah. However, her sister''s situation was a lot more serious than hers.


    This was one of the reasons why Aria had not informed Icy about Joshua''s special condition. Otherwise, her sister would break down immediately.  Aria hugged Ivy, trying to console her. But she knew nothing she said or did would calm the girl down. Only Joshua could calm her, and it now laid on Aria''s shoulders to treat the man. Kaito drove like a maniac on the empty roads, and in no time, they reached the hospital.


    Without even waiting for Kaito''s help, Aria flung open the door and dashed forward. She had to get the operation theater ready before the men got here. The receptionist was surprised to see a frantic Aria running at full speed towards them. She did even have time to ask her to relax when Aria started giving out orders. "Get the operation theater ready. We have an emergency. Who is doing the night duty today?"


    The receptionist stared at Aria dumbfounded. This was the first time the woman was seeing Aria this flustered. However, she snapped back to her senses quickly. "Right away, Dr. Aria. We have Dr. Stuart Lee, Sr. Smith, Dr. May and..."


    As soon as Aria heard Stuart''s name, her shoulders relaxed slightly. "Inform Dr. Stuart Lee about the situation. We have a patient who has been shot in the shoulder. Dr. Stuart will be assisting me. Get the nurses ready, arrange for the surgery. And, prepare four extra bottles of A positive blood."


    "But.." Before the receptionist could remind her that Dr. Stuart was in the neurology department, Aria was gone. The receptionist could only do as she was told, for she had sensed the severity of the situation. If Aria had asked for Stuart, then she must be having faith in him. Moreover, it was Aria who would be leading the surgery. The nurse did as she was told, silently wondering who the patient was, for Aria had come down personally to arrange for the surgery.


    ---------------


    Hello readers,


    I have decided to participate in the WSA 2021.


    Please do check out ''The Lord''s Miracle'' and support me in this competition. Also, don''t forget to drop your comments and reviews. I would love it if you guys tell me how the book is.


    Love you all.

 Chapter 443: Broken Ivy

    The pilot maneuvered the chopper skillfully as they reached the destination. Unlike other hospitals, the Regal Medical Hospital had a helipad on the top, making it easy for them. As time passed, Noah was losing his cool, and Joshua was losing more blood. The man''s body was turning cold, and they had to get him to the hospital soon.


    "Ronnie?" Noah almost yelled, covering the man''s body with his coat, trying to warm him up, while Maggie rubbed Joshua''s legs. Since the time Joshua had taken the bullet meant for her, she had been cursing herself, her whole life. Her eyes had gone red, she was just short of breaking down completely.


    ''Joshua, please wake up. Please wake up. Please, don''t scare us this way. Please.'' She begged in her mind. However, nothing worked and the man continued to lay unconscious.


    "Boss, we will down in five," Ronnie informed, and nodded at the pilot. The hospital was visible from they were, and soon the chopper descended, slowing its motion. Aria and the other medical staff were waiting for them, and the moment, the chopper touched the helipad, the two ward boys, pushed the gurney.


    Noah and Ronnie helped Joshua onto the gurney, while Aria checked his pulse. She was spooked to see Joshua lying so motionless and pale. The man had lost a great amount of blood, and they had to operate on him soon. Joshua''s pulse was low, too low, and Aria checked his wound to see his condition. He was still bleeding profusely.


    Noah and Ronnie moved aside to allow her more space, and Aria tore his shirt open. His entire body was drenched in blood and cleaning it would take a lot of time, which they did not have. So, Aria climbed over the gurney, straddling Joshua while she took the cotton balls, cleaning the wounds, slowly and carefully. "Let''s go." She ordered the two ward boys, and they wheeled the gurney towards the elevator.


    Noah and Ronnie rushed behind the gurney, nobody noticing a distraught Ivy staring at the unconscious man she had come to love. She stared hard at the man before the doors to the elevator closed. Ivy dropped to her knees immediately, tears running down her cheeks.


    "Ivy," Maggie hugged her, patting her back, trying to soothe her. She was the only one who had seen the girl standing far away, while she stared at the man longingly. Maggie could see the broken girl, and her heart ached for her.


    "I am sorry. I am so sorry." Maggie had controlled herself for a long time. But the moment Ivy broke down, she too could not control herself. "It was all because of me. It was my mistake. I am sorry Ivy." Maggie too started crying, and the two girls stayed on the helipad for a long time, kneeling on the ground.


    "Ivy, get up. We need to go down. Joshua needs you. You cannot lose yourself like this. Please get up." Maggie pulled her up and dragged her towards the elevator when she realized how long they had been sitting on the ground. "You need to stay strong. Come one. Be a good girl."


    Her words did the trick, and Ivy stopped crying. She wiped her tears and stood straight. "You are right. I cannot lose hope this quickly. Joshua needs me, and I need to be there for him. He will survive. He will, and he must. I am yet to tell him how much I love him. He must live to hear my confession."


    By the time they reached the operation theater, Joshua was already wheeled in. Only Noah and Ronnie were waiting outside. Noah did not miss the girl this time, and he saw the way her eyes were swollen and how forlorn she looked. Only then did he realize that he had completely missed the girl in his hurry to get his friend the treatment he needed.


    "Oh dear," He did not hesitate another moment to reach her and hug her, giving her the assurance she needed. He could relate to her, for he had felt the same when Aria was lying sick after inhaling the poison.


    Ivy had somehow managed to calm down. But Noah''s warm embrace brought back her tears, and she started to sob once again. "It''s okay, Ivy. It''s okay. Jo will be fine. He will be. Trust you sister. She will cure him." Although Noah tried to assure her, he himself was not certain about his words. He had seen the amount of blood Joshua had lost and how pale and cold his body had become. Aria had to give her best if she wanted to save him.


    Noah looked at Ronnie, and he immediately brought a glass of water. "Drink this, Ivy, and calm down. Your man will be fine, and I guarantee you that you will lead a long and blissful life with him. I still need to carry his kids. He cannot leave without making Ian and I uncles." This brought a smile on Ivy''s face, and she giggled softly in between her cries. She drank the water and calmed her heart.


    "And you Maggie," Noah then directed his gaze on the girl who had been observing everything silently. When Noah took her name, her body stiffened, and Maggie looked at him in nervousness. "You need to go to Joshua''s mansion right away."


    Maggie frowned hearing his words. Before she could question him about it, Noah clarified it himself. "Jared''s men may be lurking around, and we do not want them to find you right after we rescue you. Joshua would not like it. So, please stay at the mansion."


    Maggie understood Noah''s concerns, and she nodded at him. "I understand your worries. I will do as you say."


    "Kaito," Noah called the man, who until then had not made his presence known to the girls. They were stunned to see the nimble man standing before them out of nowhere. "Take Maggie to the mansion and return soon."


    The man nodded at his Boss and led the girl who was staring at him in wonder. Ivy waited until Maggie''s silhouette disappeared before she turned to Noah. "How are you?"


    "I am fine, Ivy. Don''t worry."


    "Thank God." Ivy sniffled, and Noah smiled at her.


    "You need to change your clothes." Ivy pointed out, and Noah down looked to see his shirt stained with Joshua''s blood.


    "That I should. But it can wait."


    "But..."


    "Ivy," Noah''s one look was enough for Ivy to shut up, and the three people stood outside the operating theater, hoping for good news.

 Chapter 444: Still in danger

    "Doctor Aria, he is slipping. We are losing him," Stuart exclaimed, watching Joshua''s heartbeat decrease on the ECG. Although Aria was nervous, she tried to stay as calm as possible. Joshua''s condition was not that severe yet, and they could still revive him. The moment he had been pushed into the operation theater, they had provided him the blood transfusion, while Aria tried to stop his bleeding.


    The method to do so was very complicated, but she had come across a technique when she had visited London a few months ago. During the conference, they had discussed how to tackle hemophilic cases. "Doctor Stuart, monitor the blood flow and inject the antihaemophilic globulin," Aria commanded, and Stuart took over, injecting the globulin through Joshua''s veins, while Aria worked on removing the bullet.


    The moment she pushed the forceps inside, Joshua started to bleed profusely. The man had long slipped into an unconscious state. So, they had not used anesthesia on him. Aria, carefully removed the bullet, grateful that it had not penetrated deep inside. Once the bullet was out of his body, she stitched up his wounds, trying to reduce the man''s bleeding. However, just as they had expected, he continued to bleed.


    Aria nodded at Stuart, and once again the man induced another round of antihaemophilic globulin. They waited a long time, hoping for the animal blood to work on Joshua, and to their happiness, it did. Although he did not stop bleeding, it was not that severe as before. "It is working," Stuart exclaimed, marveling at Aria for remembering this technique, which he had forgotten completely.


    "Let''s close his wounds and see what would happen," Aria suggested, and Stuart nodded, assisting her with her work. Together, they cleaned his wounds once again and stitched them, making sure to be as careful as possible.


    "Nurse, heartbeat," Aria queried, and the nurse immediately reported the patient''s condition to them. "He seems to be okay for now. But until he opens his eyes, he is still in danger." Aria commented, and Stuart sighed, observing the man who had turned as white as snow. "Good work everyone." Aria sighed, hoping that her technique would work, even though the chances of failing outweighed it.


    "Nurse, keep an eye on him and keep me informed." Aria did not forget to add before opening the operation theater and coming face to face with the anxious people who had been waiting for her since the time the surgery had started. Besides, Ian too had joined them, and he looked at her hopefully, trying to gauge her reaction.


    "I have done my best. Now, it is up to Joshua." Aria relayed what she had prepared to tell them.


    "What do you mean, Aria?" Noah could not stop himself and held her by her shoulder, his hold on her strong and painful. But Aria did not flinch, for she knew that the man did not have any intentions of hurting her. It was only out of concern for his friend. "Please tell me he is out of danger."


    "I wish I could say that, Noah. But no. Joshua is not out of danger." Her words were like a huge blow to the three people, especially to Ivy, and she gaped at her sister in fear. She rushed to her and stared at her, pleading through her eyes.


    "Aria, please tell me this is not true. Tell me he is fine, and he would wake up soon. Please." Ivy begged, tears leaking out.


    "No, Ivy. I can''t. Joshua''s condition made it arduous for us to operate on him. Aria took a look at Ian, hoping that at least he would understand her, and thankfully, the man did.


    "What condition, Aria? What happened to him?" Ivy queried, looking back and forth between her sister and the two men. She could see that they were hiding something from her with the way they were hiding from her gaze. "For god sake, someone tell me what is wrong with him."


    "Ivy, Joshua is suffering from hemophilia. It is a condition where blood does not clot. I mean, the patient won''t stop bleeding." Aria explained and observed how her sister''s expression turned from confusion to terror. "Yes, until he gains consciousness, Joshua is in danger. But I am certain, he will. He responded to our treatment, and his bleeding was reduced. We will monitor him for a few hours to see how his body responds to our treatment."


    Aria''s last words reignited the hope that everyone had lost, and they stared at her in happiness, especially Ian. He knew how difficult it was to operate on patients with hemophilia, and he was grateful that Aria had given her best. Suddenly, Ivy hugged her sister, startling her, and Aria pushed her away at once. "Ivy, don''t. I stink of blood. Let me wash up first. Otherwise, we both will be smelling the same. I am sure the boys would not want that to happen."


    Aria tried to lighten the mood, and it worked. Ivy giggled while Noah''s lips cracked into a smile. Ian too did not look as depressed as before. Aria sighed in relief and pressed her sore shoulder. Noah saw her tired expression, the seven-hour surgery had exhausted her completely. ''Aria, thank you.'' He thanked her silently and watched her walk away from them, towards her office.


    When nobody was noticing, he slipped away from the group and followed her. Aria was just about to close the door behind her when Noah pushed it in, surprising her. "Noah," She exclaimed, patting her chest. "You scared me."


    Instead of apologizing for his behavior, Noah just padded towards her, closing the distance between them, and pulled her flush, hugging her tight. Aria at once tried to escape from his embrace. However, the man was having none of it. "Aria, thank you." He muttered, his soft and sincere words stopping the girl from fighting to get away. "Thank you very much for saving my friend."


    "Noah, it''s my duty," Aria replied at once, not hugging the man back. "Noah, will you please let me go? I stink of blood."


    "I don''t mind." The man deadpanned, not allowing her to move.


    "But I do. I don''t want you to smell like blood. So, please."


    "Can we just stay like this, please?" Noah''s plead made Aria melt, and she gave up. The couple stood still for a long time, hugging each other before Aria''s stomach rumbled loud, breaking the silent and calm moment.


    Aria closed her eyes, embarrassed by her stomach''s loud mating call while Noah chuckled, amused by his girl''s reaction. "Get washed. We will go eat once you do." Noah suggested, his eyes shining with mirth, and Aria ran away at once, unable to meet the man''s teasing expression. Before she closed the door to her washroom, she did not miss Noah''s laughter, reverberating loud in her office.

 Chapter 445: Kill count

    Aria and Noah sat facing each other as they ate in the hospital canteen. It was somewhere after five in the morning, and they had to settle for a quick sandwich instead of a full meal, even though Aria was starving. Noah observed her gobble her food, and he chuckled lightly, finding her antics extremely cute. Aria was too famished to care about his teasing chuckles. She needed to fill her stomach and replenish her energy.


    She glared at the man, her cheeks bulging, courtesy to the food in her mouth, and Noah''s laughter only increased. Aria huffed in annoyance as she continued to eat.


    "How bad is Jo''s condition?" Noah queried when Aria had licked her plate clean.


    "He is still in danger. But I am sure he will overcome this phase. His body accepted the medicine we gave him, and if things go well, he might wake up soon. It is due to his condition that he is in such a critical situation." Aria put forth everything she had in mind." Why didn''t you tell me before that he was suffering from hemophilia? We could have cured him before things escalated to this."


    "I did not know things would end up this way. I remember Ian telling us about the treatment once. But it was Joshua who was unwilling to go ahead with this." Noah sighed and folded his hands, oblivious to the way his words had smacked Aria, filling her with remorse.


    "I am sorry. It was because of me that Joshua is in this state." Aria hung her head down, and Noah held her hand at once, seeing her blame herself.


    "No, Aria. It is not. It is not your fault that Joshua got shot. It is not you who did it." Noah got up from his chair and sat beside her, turning her chair towards him. "Aria, look at me." He held her chin and raised her head only to find her eyes red with tears. "Please don''t cry, love. It was not your fault." He wiped the tears that started to fall off her eyes. "Please don''t cry. I can''t bear to see tears in your eyes."


    "I am sorry. I am at fault." Aria started sobbing, and her cries hit Noah hard, his heart clenching in pain. He was glad that the canteen was empty and nobody was inside. The chef too had escaped after preparing Aria''s sandwich, and they were alone.


    "Look at me, Aria." He held her face in his hands and ran his thumbs over her cheeks, trying to soothe her. "Look at me." He coaxed her to look at him, and the moment she did so, Aria was stunned. Instead of seeing anger or resentment in his eyes liked she had expected, all she saw was love and pure adoration. There was no trace of anger in them, and this made Aria cry harder.


    "Why are you so good to me?"


    "Because you deserve to be treated so." Noah''s sweet reply was instant, and Aria was rendered speechless for a minute.


    "I am not as good as you deem me to be."


    "Don''t worry. I am not any good either. We can be the bad couple." Noah tried to lighten the mood, and it worked. Aria smiled, although it did not reach her eyes.


    Noah noticed her regret and the guilt that was still eating her. He sighed lightly and kissed her forehead, his lips not moving away for a few seconds. "Look Aria, nobody knew that Joshua would be shot today. You were not at fault."


    "But this would not have happened if I had told you everything before. He would not have ended up in this state."


    "Aria, I believe you had your reasons for not telling us about this soon. So, I don''t blame you." Noah replied, his words dripping with honesty, and Aria was beyond touched.


    "What did I do to deserve you? You are too good for me." Aria''s words made Noah shake his head in disagreement.


    "Not at all. You are too good for me, and I am the fortunate one."


    "Noah," Aria did not know how to tell him everything. "You are not understanding. I have blood on my hands."


    "It''s a given, sweetheart. You are a doctor, remember?"


    "Noah," Aria groaned, wondering if the man was faking his ignorance. "What I meant was that I have killed people." Before Noah could connect it to her profession again, she added, "Intentionally."


    This shut Noah up, and he dropped his hands. Wrong move. ''I knew it.'' Aria''s tears that had stopped, started to flow once again. ''Noah now loathes me. He does not want me.'' Noah had no idea how wild Aria''s thoughts were running and that she was on the verge of having a mental breakdown. He was thinking about disclosing his true identity, about him being involved with the Underworld. Though he had already spoken to her about it before, there were many things she did not know about. There were dark secrets he had kept hidden from her."


    However, the moment he met her eyes after making his mind reveal everything, his heart shattered. The girl looked so lost and broken that his whole world submerged itself in despair and agony.


    "You loathe me," Aria mumbled, and Noah had to lean closer to her to hear what she was speaking.


    "What!! No. I don''t loathe you." He was shocked by her words. "Who told you that I loathe you? There is no way I will loathe you, ever." Noah stated with determination, and Aria gaped at him, trying to gauge the truth in his words.


    "Then, why..why..." Aria could not bear to say the words, and she bit her lip.


    Noah frowned before the realization hit him. ''Was she scared because I did not say anything and moved away from her?'' Unable to stop himself any longer, he hugged her, patting her back. "Oh, dear." He sighed, chiding himself for his mistake. He did not forget how hurt Aria looked a few seconds ago, like a wounded animal that had been abandoned to take care of itself.


    "Aria, love, I don''t loathe you, nor am I leaving you. I was thinking about how to tell you about my truth. I too have skeletons in my closest. I have killed people too, way more than you think. So, don''t ever think I will loathe due to this pathetic, puny reason. Nothing can stop me from loving you." Noah confessed, and Aria had the sudden urge to cry again.


    Nobody said a word for a long time and Aria continued to sob lightly in Noah''s embrace.


    "Aria, I have something to tell you," Noah stated all of a sudden, and Aria guessed what the man wanted to say. But she did not speak a word, waiting for him to continue. "I am involved with the Underworld." Noah waited for Aria''s reaction, but all he got was silence before he heard her speak.


    "I know. You had told me before." Aria said with a frown, wondering where the topic was going.


    "But, there are some things you don''t know. I have not told you about them."


    "And I know about them too."


    Her response stunned Noah, and he pulled back to see her. "How?" That was all he could manage to ask, for he was in disbelief.


    "Maggie did a background check on you when I told her about us after I returned from London."


    "I see." Noah''s bland response made Aria panic.


    "Are you angry?" She queried, softening her voice as much as possible, and that was all it took for the man to melt completely.


    "And, why would I be?"


    "Because I did a background check on you."


    "Not at all," Noah replied, picking a strand of her and twirling it around. "I am glad you did."


    "What?" His response was not what Aria had expected.


    "Yes, it saves me from an explanation." Aria rolled her eyes at him.


    "You scared me. I thought you were angry when I told you about killing people."


    "Why would I? I will be honest here. I am actually proud that you did and surprised too. Who knew that a bunny like you could kill people?" Noah teased, and Aria huffed lightly.


    "Beware, Mister. Don''t provoke me."


    "Or else?" Noah interrupted, amused by Aria''s sudden courage. ''How adorable!''


    "Or else, or else," Aria did not know what to say, and she ended up threatening him. "I will kill you too."


    "Gladly. It would be my pleasure to die by your hands."


    "Noah," Aria was at her wit''s end by now. "Can''t you be serious for once?"


    "By the way, what is your kill count?" Noah''s unexpected question stopped Aria from protesting.


    Since she had decided to come clean before the man she loved the most, she did not back off from the question. With the softest voice possible, she muttered, "Thirty-one after I killed Kevin."

 Chapter 446: Baby talk

    "Thirty-one after I killed Kevin," Aria answered, her eyes filling with pride for a split second. If not for Noah observing her expression closely, he would have missed it completely. Her quick shift in emotion surprised him. He had never seen such a familiar intent to kill people and pride upon it in anybody other than a few people from the Underground, and he too fell in that category.


    "That''s quite an impressive feat." Noah did not hide his amazement and praised her wholeheartedly.


    "Do you think so?" Aria''s expression returned to normal, and she stared at him skeptically.


    "Yes, killing even one person is an accomplishment. Not everyone can do it. It takes a lot of courage. I am not going to ask you who they were because it all happened in the past." Noah stated with a soft smile. "But I have other questions, and I need answers to them."


    Aria nodded in understanding. "Don''t worry. I will not hide anything from you. You can ask me anything, and I will answer them honestly. I am done hiding things from you."


    "Why did you hide them from me in the first place?" Now that they were on the topic, Noah could not stop himself anymore.


    "Maybe because I was scared." Aria lowered her head, voicing out her concerns.


    "And, what were you scared of?" Noah''s face scrunched up, her answer was not what he had expected. "Was it me? Did I scare you?"


    "No. No." Aria''s reply was instant. "It was not you. I was scared of your reaction. I was scared of losing you. I was...." She choked, swallowing a lump in her throat.


    "Why will I allow such an amazing woman to leave me?" Noah kissed her forehead, providing her the assurance she needed. "It does not matter if you have killed people or not. I love you, and that is all that matters."


    "But..."


    "Aria, for the record, I have killed more people than you can imagine. Are you going to leave me because of it?" Noah did not hide his cruel and dark side from her. Since Aria already knew about the Underworld, she would already know about his deeds too. So there was no use in hiding them.


    "Noah, the people you killed are all scumbags. They were trash to society. Why will I leave using such a puny and utterly nonsense reason?" Aria stared at him as though he had grown ten heads, and Noah got the answer he wanted to hear. Since the time Noah had started dating Aria, he had the fear of losing her when the truth about his dark background came before her. Now that girl herself had accepted him wholeheartedly without blaming him for his deeds, Noah was delighted beyond words.


    "I wish to say the same about you. I don''t think you would have killed anybody innocent. So, why should I push you away from me, my dear?" Noah held her by her chin and made her look at me.


    "Are you not angry with me?" Aria asked the one question she dreaded to ask him.


    "Why will I be?"


    "Because I hid things from you, kept this all a secret, and...and...I hurt you." Aria could not bring to face the man, and she averted her gaze at the last moment, her voice barely audible.


    "I will not deny that I was hurt." Aria''s head snapped to him, hearing his declaration. "I was upset to think that you did not trust me enough to tell me about you, Aria. But later, I realized that you must have had your reasons to hide them from me, just like how I hid the truth about your father. So, I am not that angry."


    Aria''s jaw dropped, and she did not know how to react. Noah''s honest proclamation had stunned her beyond belief. "You are so good. I am sorry, I am so sorry for lying to you."


    "That''s okay, Aria. You can beg for forgiveness when I punish you for your crimes." The highly touching moment vanished with Noah''s brute words, and Aria glared at him, a blush coloring her cheeks. Noah just winked at her, angering her even more.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? Don''t you even have shame?"


    "Why should I be shameful when I am talking to my girlfriend?" Noah did not back, and Aria''s blush only intensified.


    "Beware, Mister. I know how to fight. You might end up getting paralyzed if you dare provoke me." Aria warned, and Noah''s smiled widened, hearing her cute and not all threatening threat.


    "Then, I would love to provoke you all the more. I want to see how good you are at this." Aria was now frustrated, and she took the man''s words literally, not noticing the sinister smirk on his lips. She had no idea about the cunning plans the man was coming up with.


    "Is that a challenge?"


    "What do you think?" Noah set the trap for her, and the oblivious girl jumped right into it without thinking.


    "Then, you are going to regret this, Mister." Noah smiled cheerfully at his victory.


    "We will see. In fact, I do love the idea of getting paralyzed by you. This way, you can take care of me for life, and I do not have to worry about anything." Noah imagined Aria running around him making sure he was alright, her every second dedicated solely to him, and his face brightened up in happiness.


    "You are insane."


    "Only for you." Aria did not have any response to Noah''s comeback.


    "Aren''t you even worried about your friend? You are actively flirting here when you should be concerned about him more."


    "Why should I worry about him when I know he will wake up eventually?" Noah frowned and pursed his lips. "Anyway, he has Ian and you and with you two I am definite he will be out of this hospital in no time."


    "Yeah, he will. His response to our treatment is positive. I am sure he will wake up soon."


    "Also, I am yet to play with his kids. How can he leave without making us uncles and aunts? No way. I am not allowing him to. Also, he has to buy presents and toys for our kids and pamper them for life. How can he leave without doing so?" Noah replied in all honesty. If not for his serious face, Aria would have assumed him to be joking.


    Noah noticed her perplexed expression, and he raised an eyebrow. "What?"


    "Why are you talking about kids?" Aria punched him in the chest and wondered what was wrong with the Carter family. Everybody was fixated upon her and Noah, asking them to make babies at every given opportunity.


    "Why? Shouldn''t I?" Noah frowned, blinking at her in confusion. "I want to make babies with you. Is that wrong?"


    "Noah," Aria almost screamed at the man''s shamelessness. "You are crazy."


    "How is it crazy? I want you. I want a family with you. What is wrong with it?"


    "Nothing is wrong. Let''s go. The others must be waiting for us."


    "But..."


    "Noah, let''s go." She pulled him by his hand, and the couple left the canteen. However, Noah''s confusion still lingered in his mind.


    "Aria, don''t you want babies with me?" He queried, misunderstanding her words. ''Is this what she wants? Does she not want to have babies at all?'' His mind started to run in all directions, and the realization disheartened him. He had made all plans of having a family with her, and his dream broke just like that. ''If this is what she wants, I will never force her.''


    "What? When did I say that?" Aria stopped at her feet and stared at him, baffled.


    "You didn''t?" Noah too was bewildered, and his eyes widened, trying to remember what she had even told him.


    "No. I was just surprised. I never told you that I don''t want babies. Moreover, we are yet to get to that phase to even think about babies right now." Aria blushed as she spoke, and Noah immediately understood what she was talking about.


    "I see." His spirits rose, and his smile widened in apparent joy. Immediately, his mind displayed a scene where Aria was going crazy while he and his kids cooked up a storm in their house. "In that case, you are not avert to the idea of kids, are you?"


    Aria shook, and Noah smiled mischievously, sending alarm bells through Aria''s mind. "That''s great, then. Don''t worry about the last phase. We will reach there sooner or later, and trust me, we will be there soon." Without waiting for the girl to reply, Noah walked away, leaving a stunned Aria behind.

 Chapter 447: Foreboding

    The chair crashed the wall with a loud noise, the echo reverberating across the whole warehouse. It was eerily quiet inside, similar to the one after a thunderstorm. However, everyone knew that this was not the end. Contrarily, it was the silence of foreboding, sending sirens of upcoming catastrophe.


    Jared was incensed, and the man looked nothing less than the devil he was with the way he was glaring at the wall, his fists colored with blood. His stance spooked the hell out of all the men in the warehouse except his Godfather, who sat unfazed. But that did not mean he was not vexed. Charles was beyond furious, and he was just short of losing his cool.


    "Maggie escaped?" Jared seethed, clenching his fists tight, the blood from his hand dripping beside him, courtesy to the men he had killed. After he was rescued from the secret room, Jared had gone on a killing spree, killing the remaining men who had hid from their unknown enemy. He was vexed for a list of reasons, most important of all being Maggie''s escape.


    Nobody answered. Although they were standing still before the man who controlled their possibility of remaining alive in the future, their legs were almost on the verge of giving away. With their heads lowered, they stared at the ground, not daring to meet the monster in the eye.


    Their silence only added to his fury, and he choked the man who was, unfortunately, standing closer to him. The man started to wriggle his arms in the air, clutching Jared''s biceps, trying to escape his death. "How dare she!!" Jared bellowed, his harsh voice sending tremors through everyone''s body. They shivered in their places, hoping to run away from the place before they too met the same fate as their deceased brothers.


    A pile of dead bodies lay outside the warehouse, all belonging to Jared''s gang. Their unknown opponent had been smart enough to take away their injured men with them to not give away who they were. So, nobody from the Vipers knew who had attacked them, nor did they know if they had even managed to kill even one foe.


    The man''s face turned blue, and instead of letting him go, Jared''s only tightened his grasp, cutting all the possible supply of oxygen. In less than a few minutes, he stopped wriggling, and Jared threw his body like a piece of rag. The man was now dead. Jared had killed him in a fit of anger, but his anger only amplified as he remembered the way the girl had tricked him.


    He could not forget the way she had escaped from his grasp even before he could get to her. Moreover, the girl had trapped him in his own warehouse, rendering all his moves useless while she escaped unscathed, taking away all the pieces of evidence she had gathered over time.


    "Jared," Charles called out to him, and that was all it took for the man to drop his temper for the time being. He was scared beyond words, dreading what awaited him, and Jared took slow, careful steps towards his Godfather, who was glowering at him, his face giving nothing away about his disposition. If Jared was a monster, then Charles was the reincarnation of evil, the demon himself.


    Just like their Master, even the members of the Vipers gang were terrorized by Charles''s low and lethal voice, and they cried at their unfortunate misery. Since the time they had joined the Vipers, they had been dealing with danger daily. If not for Jared holding their''s and their families'' fate, they would have long run away from the devil''s lair.


    Jared braced himself for the man to unleash his wrath. However, to his surprise, Charles did nothing, staring at him with an unfathomable expression. "Have you checked her room?" His question threw Jared off guard. This was not what he had expected.


    "No, Godfather. I have not." Jared answered honestly, wondering what the man was thinking. "But it is of no use."


    "Why do you think so?"


    "The girl had nothing with her when she left, nor did she bring anything in the first place."


    "Are you sure?" Charles frowned, trying to find a solution to the mess they were in.


    "Yes, Godfather. But there is nothing harm in searching once again."


    Jared, Charles, and two other men from the Vipers began searching her room, in hopes of finding something about her. Although Charles knew that the girl belonged to the Intelligence, he was hoping to extract more details about her. However, as they had expected, her room held nothing that could be of use to them.


    "Check the devices," Charles ordered, an ominous feeling filling his heart. He was suddenly becoming restless, a feeling he had not experienced in the last thirty years. This similar sense of presentiment was making him restless and antsy.


    One of the two men who had knowledge about electronic gadgets took his seat and started devices only to find them all wiped out clean. There was nothing in them, nothing at all. Maggie had cleared everything, erasing all her work history, making it impossible for anyone to find out what she had done. The devices were as good as new, and Charles''s body shook, dread taking over him for what lay ahead for him.


    "Finished, everything is finished." He mumbled, his legs giving away. If not for Jared who held right on time, he would have dropped to his knees. Jared was shocked to see the man who had never feared anyone, scared out of his wits. It was the first time Charles had shown his weak state, and Jared had no idea how to deal with it.


    "Godfather," He shouted, trying to bring the man out of his reverie. Charles was lost as he kept mumbling about his end that was nearby. His mind had stopped working, and all he could think about was how everything he had built over the years would be ruined in a matter of few days.


    "Jared," Charles held the man''s arms, his eyes losing their focus, and the next instant, Charles''s head lolled to the side, his body collapsing completely in Jared''s arms.

 Chapter 448: Stuarts care

    Nobody had left the hospital, even though more than three hours had passed since Joshua''s surgery. Although Joshua had not stopped bleeding, it was not as critical as before. His bleeding had slowed down, much to everyone''s happiness. Ivy had not moved away from her spot, waiting outside the ICU where Joshua was being treated. She stared at the man from the glass pane, taking in his pale, unconscious form.


    "Please wake up, Joshua. Please." She begged, hoping for the man to hear her pleas. "I love you so much. Please wake up soon. I will never hurt you again. I am sorry for everything. I promise I will be obedient from now on. Please, baby. Please wake up." She continued to stand outside, watching Ian take of her man.


    When Joshua had been shifted to the ICU after the surgery, Ian had taken over his friend''s case, studying it thoroughly. Though Aria and Stuart had done a great job, he still wanted to make sure his friend was fine and had received the best treatment. So, he had not left the man''s side even for a second.


    Meanwhile, Stuart, who had been surprised by the turn of events, watched Ivy cry her heart out outside the ICU. Although he had no idea who she was, he could not bear to see her cry. Moreover, he knew that she was related to Noah, for she had been with the group when Aria had reported to them Joshua''s condition.


    There was nobody around, and Stuart frowned seeing her stand alone in the corridor. Unable to stop himself any longer, he retrieved a bottle of water and stood by her side. "Excuse me, Miss."


    Ivy was too lost gazing at Joshua to hear Stuart''s voice. Seeing her not responding, he followed her line and sighed seeing what the girl was looking at. Her tears were still rolling down her face, and Stuart did not know how to pacify the girl. He held the bottle of water before Ivy, obstructing her view, and Ivy frowned at the sudden disturbance.


    Her head snapped to see who it was, only to find an unfamiliar man in front of her. She glared at him, her annoyance getting the best of her. But Stuart remained unperturbed. He shrugged at her, showing her that he was unaffected. "Miss, if you are going to stand here all day, I recommend you to eat something."


    "I have already eaten," Ivy stated, stopping Stuart from speaking further. She remembered how Ian had forced her and Noah to eat while they waited outside the operation theater. Even though neither of them was willing, they had to eat to stay strong once the operation ended. Ian had almost threatened them, and only then, the duo had unwillingly eaten the food Ronnie had brought for them. Who knew how long the surgery would go?


    "That''s great, then. You must be tired from standing. Have some water at least." He held the bottle in front of her, and Ivy gritted her teeth in frustration.


    "Look, Mister...." She started, only to stop when Stuart held his palm at her.


    "Look, Miss. I understand the predicament you are in. It is painful to see someone close to you fighting a battle of life and death. But that does not mean you ignore your health and decide to end up just like him." Stuart did not stop even though he saw the girl''s obvious intent to kill him. "He will get up soon, and I assure you about it."


    Stuart was not making any hopeless promises. He had operated on Joshua, and he knew what exactly was Joshua''s condition. So, he was confident that the man would make it out alive, though nobody knew how long it would take for him to wake up. "Stay strong, and be positive. I am certain the man would not like to see you putting your health at risk. Am I right?" His words had the effect he wanted, and Ivy''s face softened, her gaze shifting to the man inside the ICU.


    "Will he wake up soon?"


    "Definitely. He will, and why won''t he when he has a lot of people waiting for him?"


    "You are right. Joshua will wake up, and he has to. He cannot leave me this way. And I trust my sister. I am sure she will not allow anything to happen to him." Ivy''s words confused Stuart before the realization hit him.


    "Are you Aria''s sister?"


    "Yes." Ivy gave a monotonous reply, and Stuart smiled, staring at the woman before him. Just as he expected, the girl was just like Aria, stubborn but strong.


    "In that case, you better drink some water. I don''t want your sister coming after me if something were to happen to you. I am sure she wants you healthy when your man wakes up." Stuart teased, and Ivy''s lips cracked into a smile. He had not missed the way Ivy was staring at the man inside the ICU, her eyes filled with love for him. He shook his head, pitying the girl''s state. ''It won''t last long.'' He thought to himself and lifted the bottle, almost pushing it into Ivy''s hands.


    Reluctantly, she took the bottle of water from Stuart and took a sip, smiling at him gratefully. "And, Miss. You look tired. Maybe you can sit for some time. I am sure your guy would not mind you taking some rest." Ivy''s smiled widened, and she nodded at him.


    Meanwhile, Ian had seen everything that was happening outside the ward. Although he could not hear them, he saw how Ivy had been standing for a long time, her eyes not moving away from Joshua. She was clearly not caring about herself, and Ian had the sudden urge to reprimand her foolishness. However, he stopped when he noticed Stuart talking to her, and after some time, the girl had taken the bottle of water from him.


    "Did you see that Joshua?" Ian stared at the duo outside the ward. "Someone is trying to woo your girl. Are you going to allow such a thing to happen?" He stated, hoping his words would wake the man up, even though he knew it would not be happening any time soon.


    Joshua had responded positively to Aria''s treatment. But that did not mean he was out of danger. He was still in a critical state until he gained consciousness. Ian knew that his friend would make it out soon, and he had to. "Get up, and take care of Ivy. Otherwise, other men might sweep her off her feet. And I am sure you do not want that to happen. Moreover," Ian''s looked at the unconscious man, his face turning gloomy at once. "I miss you pulling my leg. Get up, and get back to work. Or else..."


    Ian could not continue any longer, and he blinked hard trying to stop his tears. "I will not be talking to you ever."

 Chapter 449: Familiar patient

    It was the early hours of dawn, and nobody had left the hospital. They stood outside the ICU while Aria and Ian continued to monitor Joshua''s condition. There was a slight improvement in him, and Ian sighed in relief. "Thank you, Aria."


    Ian''s sudden gratitude surprised Aria, and she shook her head at him, putting on an admonishing expression. "Don''t thank me. It was my duty to save him, and I had to do it. I don''t want to say it lest the man should hear it even though he is unconscious and should his pride swell up, he is my family now. How can I see him hurt, especially when my sister is crazy about him?" Aria''s twisted logic made Ian chuckle, and he nodded, agreeing with her.


    "You are right? He is already flying in the sky. We do not want him wandering in outer space after hearing your words. Moreover, now is not the time to praise him. He needs to be scolded seriously." Ian glared at the man who could not hear a word he was speaking. He wanted Joshua to feel his anger and open his eyes, for he could not see him in the condition he was in. This man was better off blabbering all the sentences he could muster and frustrate the hell out of him rather than lying silently on a hospital bed with his face as pale as snow.


    "You guys are one hell of friends," Aria mumbled, smiling at the sleeping Joshua.


    "And, you have one hell of a sister." Aria lifted her head, frowning at his words when Ian gestured her to turn around. "See your sister. She has been glued to her spot in front of the ward. At one instant, I almost allowed her to enter, unable to see her state. Take her home, Aria. She needs rest and you too. I will stay here."


    "But..."


    "No, buts. Go home. Come back after you have rested well. Anyway, you will be taking the night duty." Ian winked at her, and Aria rolled her eyes at him.


    "Fine. Take care and call me if you need anything."


    "Definitely."


    Aria took a glance at Joshua before she left the ward to meet a crestfallen Ivy. "Oh Lord," She whispered, seeing the state her sister was in. Her eyes had gone red and puffy from all the crying she had done, and she looked so broken that it made Aria cry. "Ivy," Not knowing what to say, she hugged her sister tight, putting all her concern and love for her in the hug.


    "Aria, how is he?" Ivy had been dying to find out how her man was even though everyone had assured her that he was in a good state. She so desperately wanted to meet. But the hospital rules forbade her from entering the ICU, and only Ivy knew how she controlled herself from barging inside and hugging the injured man.


    "Ivy, don''t worry. Joshua is alright. He is responding positively to our treatment, and shortly, he will wake up."


    "Are you saying the truth?" Ivy pulled back to observe her sister, trying to read her. "Or, are you just trying to assure me even though it is not the case?"


    "Not all, Ivy," Aria replied confidently. She had taken a look at the man''s condition, and he was improving, although the rate was slow. "He is a fighter, and he is strong. I promise you that he will be speaking with you soon, and in no time, he will out of this hospital. But..." Aria stopped suddenly, her pause scaring Ivy.


    Ivy''s heart was now in her throat, and she was just short of having a panic attack. "But what, Aria? Is there any complication?" She queried, praying for Joshua''s wellbeing.


    "Not at all. I was thinking how long he should restrain from indulging in any sexual activities. His stamina would not be that great until he recovers completely. By the way, how is his stamina? Is he good?" Aria''s brazen words made Ivy blink for a few seconds before she sent her a death glare.


    Ivy''s red face made Aria giggle, and she covered her mouth. At least her sister had stopped sobbing. Noah walked towards the sisters, wondering what was so funny for Aria to be giggling while Ivy looked like she was about to burst out in anger.


    "Girls, what''s happening?"


    "Noah, control your woman. She is going out of hand, and if I am not mistaken, horny even." Now it was Aria''s turn to glare at her sister, her giggle vanishing completely. Noah stood perplexed, not understanding what Ivy was talking about.


    "What do you mean, Ivy?"


    Before Ivy could respond, Aria butted in. "Nothing, Noah. My sister is exhausted, and her fatigue is making her speak nonsense. Don''t listen to her. She needs rest."


    "No, I don''t." Ivy protested at once, forgetting about what she wanted to say before.


    "Aria is right. Both of you need rest, and I am taking you home. Let''s go." Noah looked back and forth between the two, his expression serious and firm.


    "But, what about Joshua?" Ivy stared at the unconscious man through the glass pane.


    "Ivy, don''t worry Ian is here. He will take care of him, and I assure you he is a better doctor than I am."


    "And, my men will take care of his safety. Nothing will happen to him." Noah added.


    "No, I...." Ivy did not have a chance to argue. Aria had already held her hand and was pulling her gently with her.


    "We are going home right now, and we will come back in the evening." She did not allow Ivy to object, and seeing Aria''s firm face, Ivy had no other choice but to give in. Noah followed them silently, a smile landing on his lips seeing his woman take care of her sister so well.


    However, his smile vanished when the group encountered a man he was all too familiar with lying on the stretcher as the ward boys pushed him towards the emergency ward. How could Noah forget the man whose wife and daughter-in-law had attempted to kill him just a few months ago?


    Noah glared at the man who was being wheeled to the ward. Although the man had done nothing to him, he could not forget what his wife had done to him. ''Charles Miller.'' He seethed, his eyes shooting daggers at him before the man vanished from his sight. His expression changed when he sensed something to be off. ''Why do the men accompanying him seem familiar?''

 Chapter 450: Happy news

    It was past six in the evening when Noah allowed the girls to return to the hospital. It had taken him almost an hour to convince Ivy that her man was fine, and they would be returning to see him in the evening. When Ivy was still not convinced, Noah had almost resorted to threats to make her go to sleep. Only then did the girl gave up arguing.


    "She is just like a child," Noah stated, watching Ivy sprint at full speed toward the ICU. "Stubborn and difficult."


    "Can''t help. It runs in the family." Aria added, walking beside Noah. "I don''t blame her though. If I was in her shoes, I would have lost my mind too." Although this was not a matter to smile about, Aria''s words made Noah''s lips rise.


    "Do you think our will daughter will be like this too?" Noah''s sudden question threw Aria off guard, and she stood frozen in her spot for a second. Seeing Aria stop, Noah too halted and stared at her, wondering what had happened. "Aria?"


    His low voice brought Aria out of her reverie, and she blinked at him in a daze. "Yes?"


    "Why did you stop walking?"


    "Ah, nothing." Aria was too embarrassed to speak about kids. So, she tried her best to not show him her flustered state. However, the man read her like an open book. By now, Noah was adroit at reading his girl, and he knew she was blushing. However, he did not continue the topic much to Aria''s relief. Instead, he held her hand and led her towards Joshua''s ward. Ivy was already near the ward, and she was staring at the man through the glass pane.


    Aria nodded at Noah before she went inside and checked on her sister''s man. Ian was nowhere to be found. But that did not stop her from checking on him, and she was pleasantly surprised to see how fast the man was recovering. His response to the treatment was amazing. ''If this continues, he might wake up by the end of this week.'' Aria presumed, excitement filling her. ''Ivy will be overjoyed to hear the news.''


    Just as she had expected, Ivy was ecstatic to hear the news. She hugged her sister, thanking her for her work while Aria just patted her back, consoling her. Noah too was happy, and he grinned like a small kid. But his smile vanished as quickly as it had come. "Shit!!" He cursed. alerting the sisters.


    "What?" Ivy looked at him in panic.


    "I forgot to inform Joshua''s parents about this. Fuck!!!"


    "Noah," Aria chided him, and Noah slapped his mouth, realizing what he had done.


    "Sorry," He smiled at her sheepishly. "Let me inform them about Joshua."


    "Could you also tell Maggie about Joshua''s condition? She must be worried for him." The moment Maggie had left the warehouse, she had discarded her phone. So, Noah could only dial Joshua''s landline to relay the information.


    He returned after a few minutes, and Ivy looked at him expectantly. "I have informed Maggie, and she will be moving in with us for the time being. You too, Ivy. You will be staying with us until Joshua recovers."


    Ivy was too exhausted to argue with him. She just nodded at him, and she could use some company too. "What did Joshua''s parents say?"


    "As expected. They are angry, worried, and beyond scared." Noah sighed, running his hand through his hair. "They will be here soon." Nobody said a word for a long time, each staring in different directions. "I hate this." Noah was the first one to break the silence. "In the last few months, many people close to me have become patients, and damn it. Each time, the severity only raises."


    Aria realized what he was talking about whilst Ivy stared at him in confusion. "Who else other than Aria and Joshua have fallen sick?"


    "Ivy, did you forget how I met Noah?" Aria''s question made Ivy recall Aria''s love story, and she nodded at her.


    "Who else?"


    "My grandfather and my sister." Noah pursed his lips, closing his eyes for a second. "I hate this."


    "Noah, calm down." Aria skipped to him and held his hand, clasping her fingers with his.


    "No Aria. I am having a bad feeling about this. I am not sure why?"


    "Noah, you are just overthinking this. All our circumstances were different."


    Noah did not have the opportunity to reply to Aria when Ian joined them. "Hey, guys." He chirped, his face blooming with a large smile. "I have some good news and seeing your relaxed expressions, I guess Aria must have already told you about it."


    "Is it about Joshua?" Ivy queried, and Ian nodded at her.


    "Yes. I have got the lab reports and we were able to cure his hemophilia, albeit not completely. But I am sure with our treatment, we will be able to cure him."


    Ian''s words made everyone smile in happiness, and Noah sighed in relief. "That annoying man made it."


    "He sure did. Lucky him." Although Ian''s words depicted that he was saddened by the news, his face said otherwise. His smile had not left him, and that was the case with others too.


    "When can I meet him?" Ivy stared at Ian hopefully. She so badly wanted to caress Joshua''s face and talk to him.


    "Soon Ivy. Once his condition stabilizes, we will move him to the VIP ward. You can meet him then." Ian assured he,r and Ivy once again put a leash to her slipping control.


    Right at this moment, Noah''s phone rang disturbing their happy moment. He moved to the side and picked up his phone. "Hello?"


    "Noah, it''s me, Maggie. I have something urgent to tell you."


    "Yes, Maggie. Tell me." He frowned, wondering what had happened now.


    "Noah, I have been monitoring Jared''s warehouse since the time I came here."


    "And? Did you find out anything?"


    "Yes, Jared''s Godfather seems to have fallen sick. I am not sure what has happened. But it looks serious."


    "And?" Noah''s eyebrows raised at this information, his smile vanishing.


    "And, he is admitted to the same hospital as Joshua is in right."


    "Is that bastard in Regal Medical Hospital? Where is he? Who is he?" Noah seethed, tightening his grasp on his phone.


    "Yes, and you know him too. He is your father''s ex-wife''s current husband, Charles Miller."

 Chapter 451: Arch nemesis

    Noah''s eyes narrowed dangerously as soon as Maggie finished speaking. "Are you sure about this, Maggie?"


    "Yes, I am, Noah. I have seen the man, and he is Charles Miller. I wanted to tell you everything. But I was in a hurry to leave the hellhole, and then Joshua was shot. However, now I cannot wait any longer, not when the dangerous man in the same hospital." Maggie continued to blabber, not caring about what the man would think about her. His knowing the truth was more important than her image before him.


    Noah then remembered the men who were accompanying Charles in the morning, and it clicked him where he had seen them. They resembled the security Jared always had around him. "I see. Thank you, Maggie, for informing me."


    Observing his grave expression, Ian came to him, leaving the girls to themselves. "Is everything alright?"


    Noah shook his head, and instead of answering him directly, he sent him a message and gestured him to read it. The hospital was not a safe place for them to talk about matters like these, especially when the enemy was lurking right around the corner. What if somebody were to hear him? ''No, I cannot allow it. This is our turf, and I will not allow that Jared or his damn Godfather to touch us.''


    Ian''s eyes widened on reading the message, and Noah nodded at him in confirmation. "Maggie just called to inform me."


    "What a horrible coincidence is this!!!" Ian gritted his teeth, his hands craving for the man''s blood whose men tried to kill his best friend. However, his rationality stopped him, and he put a leash to the monster in him that was ready to let loose, thirsty for blood. The only two people who mattered to him were his friends, Noah and Joshua, and both their lives had been in danger, and it was all somehow related to one man, who now lay in his hospital seeking treatment.


    Aria and Ivy observed the two men and their stern expressions. Ivy gave a questioning look at Aria, only to receive a shrug and a shake of her head. Unable to stop themselves, they approached the two men who were discussing silently.


    "Is everything alright?" Aria queried, concern and care evident in her eyes. Noah shook his head and sent a message to the group chat.


    "Read the message." He replied, his serious face making Aria frown.


    The two girls opened the group chat and what they saw made them freeze. "Here?" Aria pointed towards the ground and mouthed her question, trying to confirm the man''s words.


    "Yes," Noah rubbed his forehead, clenching his jaw. Just like Ian, he was just short of losing his cool.


    "Who is his doctor, by the way?" Aria asked, putting a stop to their texting.


    "I am not sure. I need to check at the reception." Ian sighed, frustrated by the turn of events.


    "I''ll go with you. Ivy, stay with Noah." Aria and Ian then proceeded towards the reception to find out what had happened to the man who was responsible for almost all their miseries.


    "Ian," Aria''s voice garnered Ian''s attention, and he nodded at her, waiting for her to continue. "Do you think this man was responsible for Noah''s injury too?" Aria moved closer to Ian and reduced her voice as much as possible. Although her voice was anything but loud, she did not want to invite danger, knowing that there were dangerous men in the hospital.


    "What do you mean, Aria?" Ian stopped suddenly, and seeing him halt, even Aria stopped walking.


    "I am not sure. I have this hunch that this man was somehow responsible for it, although I don''t know how." Aria frowned, trying to arrange her thoughts clearly. However, something was missing, and she did not know what.


    "Aria, what are you hinting at?"


    At that moment, two nurses walked by, and Aria shook her head at him. "Can we talk about this later? Let me sort my thoughts first."


    Ian stared at her for a few seconds before he gave up. "Aria, we will talk about this later." With that, the duo walked towards the reception.


    "Excuse me," Ian tapped at the desk, his actions gaining the receptionist''s attention. Seeing him stand before her, the receptionist stared at him starstruck. Ian was one of the eligible bachelors among the doctors in Regal Medical Hospital, and many nurses and female staff had a crush on him. Seeing him stand before her, the receptionist could not control the spike in her heartbeat.


    Aria chuckled seeing the woman''s lovestruck expression while Ian ignored it. "May I take a look at the register?" Ian queried, and the receptionist nodded at him, her tongue refusing to help her speak at that moment.


    Rolling his eyes at her, Ian went around the desk and cleared his throat, his voice making the woman move away. He checked the entries on the computer, trying to find the man he wanted. He did not have to search for long. The moment he opened the day''s records, his eyes fell on Charles Miller''s entry.


    Ian''s eyes narrowed seeing the man''s name, and he clicked on his name, opening his file. He went through it thoroughly, trying to find what had happened to him. When he returned after reading his report, Aria raised his eyebrows at him only to find Ian shaking his head. He gestured Aria to turn around with his eyes, and Aria did so secretly, only to find Charles''s men walking by.


    Even though Aria did not know them, Aria could guess who they were after Ian''s warning. Just like Noah, Ian too had recognized him at first glance. "Let''s keep walking, shall we?" Ian smiled at her, and the duo started to walk. "I''ll send the details to the group. We don''t know how many from his gang are around us."


    Aria nodded at him and heard her phone ping the next minute. It was best they conversed through messages lest someone from Jared''s gang should chance upon them.


    ''Minor brain stroke due to high blood pressure.''


    Ian''s message reached the other three people, and Noah ran his fingers through his hair in annoyance. ''I need to be careful from now on.'' Noah contemplated. ''This man is more powerful than Jared, and I must keep an eye on him.'' Although Jared and Charles were his arch-nemesis, Noah was not the one to strike someone at their lowest point, especially when he was sick. Moreover, if something unusual were to happen to him in the hospital, it would be his friend who would be facing the consequences. ''I now need to come up with a careful plan to defeat him once and for all.''

 Chapter 452: Take care thoroughly

    Noah''s mind was already drafting a plan to destroy Jared and his Godfather. They were done playing with innocent lives, and it was now his turn to play them. He had the pawn, and that was the man who was now lying in the hospital, unconscious. ''What if I cannot harm him inside the hospital?'' He smirked, evilness flashing through his eyes. ''I can always end him the moment he takes a step out of this hospital once he recovers. He is on my turf, and here I am the master. Nobody will go unscathed after harming my friend.''


    Aria furrowed her brows, noticing the man''s strange expression. She had never such a countenance on him, and for a moment, she was rendered speechless. He screamed of pure evilness. ''But why do I find him so sexy? Why does he have to look so handsome in everything he does?''


    Unable to stop herself any longer, Aria intertwined her hand with his, leaning closer to him. There were fewer people near the ICU, and Aria did not have to worry about being seen, not that she cared about it in the first place. Ivy was staring at Joshua through the glass pane while Ian attended to him once last time for the day before he handed over his responsibility to Aria.


    Aria''s sudden action interrupted Noah''s thoughts, and he stared at her, wondering what was wrong with her. He raised her eyebrows at her, questioning silently, only to find her gazing at him star-struck. "Aria?"


    "Hmm?" She titled her head, smiling at him.


    "What is running in your small head?"


    "I was wondering what my man was thinking."


    "Oh, really? Did you get your answer?" Noah scooted closer to her and pulled her by her waist.


    "Maybe, maybe not."


    "Tell me about it."


    "My man is planning revenge, and from his sinister smile and devilishly handsome expression, I am certain things are going to become chaotic soon."


    "Do you think I am sinister and a devil?" Noah mused, his lips rising in amusement.


    "Aren''t you? Gosh, I love this devilish side of yours." Aria''s words surprised Noah, but the monster in him was beyond happy. It was dancing in joy, and all Noah wanted to do at that moment was to kiss her, until she forgot who she was. "You look so sexy and charming that I don''t know what to do."


    Noah was just about to give her a befitting reply when Ivy interrupted them. "Can''t you two control yourself? This is the hospital, and Joshua is still unconscious. How can you two be this brazen and bold?" She chided, her words making Aria blush.


    However, Noah remained unfazed, and he stared at his sister-in-law, smiling at her sweetly. "Ivy, wait for Joshua to wake up. I am sure you guys will be horrible than us. You will not be able to control even for a second." Ivy glared at him, cursing him in his mind for blurting out the truth.


    "By the way, I am glad that you have stopped crying. I couldn''t bear to see a cry baby as my sister." Aria teased, and the next instant, Ivy''s glare shifted to her.


    "Yeah right." Ivy scoffed, embarrassed by her sister''s words. It was true that she had not cried this hysterically after her mother had passed away. The two sisters were strong, and they rarely cried. "As if you have never cried." Ivy''s sassed, and Aria rolled her eyes, deciding to keep mum.


    Noah did not comment a word, for he was staring at Ivy, formulating another plan to bring Jared down. ''This is not the time to ask her for help. She is clearly affected by Joshua''s injury. I need to wait until he wakes up.'' He sighed lightly and shook his head. ''Joshua, wake up soon. All my plans are on hold because of you.''


    "By the way, what were you thinking?" Aria changed the topic and shifted her gaze to the man beside her.


    "I was plotting someone''s downfall." Noah lowered his voice as he leaned forward, clasping his fingers. His face was devoid of any expression. But his eyes were filled with anger and wickedness. His words caught Ivy''s attention, and she sat beside him, curious to find out more about his plan.


    "What plan?" Aria''s eyes glowed in excitement, and she held Noah''s arm tight, revealing her eagerness. However, the man refused to reveal anything further, much to their dismay.


    "I will reveal everything later. I cannot speak about it here." He shushed Aria, and just like that, her curiosity vanished.


    "When will Joshua''s parents visit him?" Ivy asked after some time.


    "Soon. They will be here soon. I just hope they will forgive us for informing them this late." Noah pressed his forehead, thinking about all the problems he would be facing soon. ''I just hope we can tackle the man and end this once and for all.''


    Aria noticed Noah''s exhausted face and guilt took over her, eating her from within. ''It is all my fault that Noah is in this state. I should have told him soon about my secret. At least, then Joshua would not be lying in the ICU in such a critical situation, and we could have prepared a better plan to deal with Jared and his army.''


    "I am sorry, Noah." She breathed, lowering her head in regret. "If I had told you everything before, we would not be meeting such a situation. It is all my fault."


    "Hey, hey, hey," Noah turned to face her and cupped her cheek. "Don''t blame yourself for things that were not in your hand. Joshua''s injury was not your fault, and neither he nor any of us will blame you for the state he is in, for you are not responsible for it. Maybe the situation might have been different if you told us about Maggie before. But we say it with confidence." Noah ran his thumb over her cheek, and Aria had the sudden urge to cry.


    "But.. but..." Aria did not know what to say, and Noah understood her problem immediately. Not knowing how to console her, he pecked her lips, assuring her silently.


    "Don''t worry, Aria. Even though we do not blame you for all of this, I will make sure to punish you for keeping such a huge secret from me." Noah whispered the last part, his promise evident in his voice. "And wait for it, my dear, for your punishment will not let you leave my bed for days." He smirked, and Aria wanted to slap him for his shameless declaration, her rage replacing her grief.


    Tired of seeing their display of affection, Ivy cleared her throat. "Guys, please don''t forget I am right here."


    "Yes, Ivy. We know. We know and let me give you a heads up. I have known Joshua for long, and given his character, he would take care of you well too, thoroughly until you forget everything else." Noah winked her, making Ivy''s jaw drop.


    Right at this moment, the door to the ICU opened, and Ian rushed out, his face beaming with happiness. "Guys," His sudden thrilled voice garnered everyone''s attention, and they stood up at once. "Joshua is awake."

 Chapter 453: Familiar woman

    "Joshua is awake." Ian''s stated, happiness and excitement dancing on his face. At once, the three people rushed to him with Ivy in the lead.


    "Ian, is Joshua really awake? How is he? Is he alright? He must be tired and weak. Is he out of danger, or is his condition still critical?" Ivy fired questions at him, and Ian chuckled seeing her relieved yet anxious face. After a day of suffering, finally, there was a twinkle in the girl''s eyes. Though her eyes were still red and puffy, it could not hide her joy and relief.


    "Ivy, please relax, and I would prefer it if you ask me one question at a time." Ian held her by her shoulder, smiling at her in helplessness.


    "Yeah, sorry. It''s just I was nervous." Ivy bit her lip, making Ian chuckle lightly.


    "I understand, Ivy. You do not have to apologize for it. Joshua is awake. Though he is weak and pale, he is out of danger. But we will keep him under observation for the next seventy-two hours."


    "Can we meet him, Ian?" Noah questioned, his shoulders relaxing after listening to Ian''s assurance.


    "Currently, no. Joshua fell asleep immediately after he woke up. We will be shifting him to the VIP ward tomorrow. You can see him then. Anything else?" Ian knew that his friends had a lot of questions to ask, and he answered them patiently.


    "Thank you, Ian. Thank you so much." Ivy hugged him all of a sudden, stunning him. He was momentarily frozen by the girl''s actions. However, he immediately hugged her back, patting her to soothe.


    "Don''t thank me, Ivy. It was my duty, and Joshua is my friend. I would do anything to save him. Moreover, it was not me who saved him. It was Aria. So, all the credit goes to her." Ian smiled at Aria, and she returned it with a nod.


    "As expected. My girlfriend is the best." Noah wrapped his arms around her shoulder, his face filled with pride.


    "She sure is," Ian mumbled. "And she has to be because she is your girlfriend. It takes courage to be in her place." Nobody but Ivy heard him, and she giggled in response while she continued to hug him. Hearing the girl''s laughter, Ian shook his head at her in alarm. "Do you want Noah to kill me? Don''t." He chided her softly.


    "What are you two whispering?" Aria had seen the small interaction between the two, and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.


    "Wow, you scold the devil, and his girlfriend comes out to defend him. Surely, their hearts are united." Ian muttered before he pulled away from Ivy. "Nothing at all Aria. It was just a casual talk between Ivy and me."


    "Why can''t I believe it?" Aria was quick to respond.


    "Then, don''t. It''s a secret among us. We will not be telling you. Anyway, there are some tests to be performed on Jo. Aria, I need your assistance." Ian successfully diverted the topic, and Aria forgot what they were talking about. She followed Ian inside the ICU, leaving her sister with Noah.


    Now that Joshua was out of danger and things were getting back to normal, Noah decided to put forth his plan to action. Not wasting another moment, he sent a text to Ronnie to be ready for the next step, and stood beside Ivy, observing Aria and Ian check Joshua.


    Their focus snapped when they heard footsteps hurrying towards them, and they turned in the direction of the sound. Joshua''s parents were walking towards them, and like Ivy, his mother''s eyes too had turned red from all the crying she had done. Seeing Noah and Ivy standing outside the ICU, Hazel quickened her pace.


    "How is he? How is my son now? What did Ian say?" Hazel panted as she shot her questions.


    "Mrs. Martin, please calm down. Relax. I have some good news for you. Joshua has gained consciousness." His words made the couple widen their eyes.


    "Is it true, Noah? Did Jo really gain consciousness? Ivy, is it true?" Martin queried holding Noah''s hands as he looked back and forth between the duo.


    "Yes, Mr. Martin. Joshua was awake for a few moments before he went back to sleep again. However, the good news is he is out of danger." Ivy stated whatever Ian had told them and observed the way the couple''s expression changed from hopeful to happiness.


    "Did you hear that Martin? Joshua is fine, our son is fine." Hazel turned to her husband, tears of glee running down her face.


    "Yes, yes dear. Our son is out of danger, and he will be out of this hospital soon. I told you to stay strong. Our son cannot leave us just like that." Martin hugged his wife and coaxed her gently to calm down, and it worked to some extent.


    Ivy just watched from the sides as the couple hugged each other in happiness. "I apologize for our rudeness. We did not inform you about him soon."


    "It''s okay, my dear." Martin smiled at her assuringly. "We understand. You must have been worried too to think about it. Don''t worry."


    After checking Joshua thoroughly, Ian and Aria prescribed some tests for the nurse to carry out on him before they left the room. Aria frowned, seeing a middle-aged couple she had never met before standing beside Noah, and she stared at him with a questioning gaze.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Martin, let me introduce you to my sister." Ivy saw the small exchange between them, and she came forward to do the introduction. "This is Aria, and Aria they are Joshua''s parents."


    The couple looked at the girl standing beside Ivy, and they greeted her with a smile. "Hello, dear." Martin was the first one to greet, for Hazel was still sobbing quietly even though she smiled at her.


    "Hello, Sir. I am Ivy''s twin, Aria." She greeted them politely. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, though the circumstances we are meeting at are not that great."


    Aria''s words made Hazel chuckle. "It''s okay, dear. All the matters are everyone is safe."


    Noah smiled, hearing the light conversation between the people he was close to before his gaze shifted on the woman, who was bolting towards them with a panic-filled face. His expression turned rigid at once, and he froze in his place. Anger surged through him, and he clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fire with every step the girl took towards them.


    How could he forget the girl who hurt his friend? How could he forget the girl who pushed Joshua to an extreme level of depression? How could he forget the woman responsible for his friend''s agony for years until Ivy came into his life? How could he forget Amber?

 Chapter 454: Utterly delusional

    Seeing Noah''s strange reaction, Aria followed his gaze only to find a woman dressed in a light blue floral dress approaching them with hurried footsteps. She was strikingly attractively, and her black hair moved with every step she took. However, her beauty did not faze Aria, for she saw something in her that told her to be wary of her. She screamed of trouble, absolute trouble.


    "Noah," Aria tugged on Noah''s shirt to make him face her. Although he turned to look at her, he kept glancing at the woman, who was bolting towards them.


    "Hmm?"


    "Who is she?"


    Before Noah could answer her, Amber had reached the group, stunning the others, who were yet to notice her. Their shock was immediately replaced with annoyance, while Ivy looked at her in confusion. Everyone stood frozen for a few seconds as Amber gasped for breath.


    "Amber, what are you doing here?" Martin was the first one to break the silence, and immediately after he glanced at Ivy, who was staring at the unannounced visitor wide-eyed.


    "Uncle, I am here...here to visit Joshua." She panted, holding her waist. "Why didn''t anybody tell me Joshua was injured?"


    "And, why should we even tell you?" Noah spat, his anger coursing through his veins. If Amber was not a girl, he was sure he would have punched her face. Just her presence was enough to send Ian and Noah berserk and lose their rationality. Only they knew how despondent their friend had become when she had left him. It had taken them a lot of time to get him over her, and finally, it had been Ivy who had made him revert to his old self.


    Amber shivered, noticing the look of animosity on Noah and Ian''s faces. She had barely interacted with them when she was with Joshua. Every time, she shuddered in their presence, for they were completely hostile to her even if they were not against their friend being with her. However, they now stared at her in resentment and fury.


    "Noah, you cannot do that to me. I am Joshua''s girlfriend." She argued, her shameless words stunning everyone, including Ivy, who was yet to come out of her thoughts.


    "I am Mr. Carter to you. And let me make a small correction, which is quite necessary. You are not Joshua''s girlfriend, you are Joshua''s ex-girlfriend." Every word of his hit Amber hard, and she was rendered speechless for a long time.


    "Go away from here, Amber. You are not needed here." Hazel glared at her, wishing to give her a brutal death for leaving her poor boy.


    "No. Mrs. Martin, I am not leaving here. I left once, and I regret doing so even now. I really want to reconcile with him. I can''t leave him once again."


    Now, even Ian was pissed hearing seeing her absurdity. "Don''t you think it''s a little too late to regret your decision? You are not needed here, nor are you needed in Joshua''s life. He has moved on, and he is living well. Don''t pester him anymore." Ian narrowed his eyes, his intimidating gaze making Amber cower in fear. However, she stood in her place, not moving an inch.


    "No. Joshua loves me. I know, he does. And I am not going to leave ever. My baby is hurt. How can I leave when he is injured to such an extent?" Ivy had the sudden urge to puke when she heard Amber address her man with such endearment.


    Ivy was done staying silent. She had not spoken a word, for she did not want to deal with the girl who had come here out of nowhere. Moreover, it was the first time she was meeting her. So, she chose to stay silent while the people who were familiar with her dealt with her. However, Amber was crossing her limits. ''If I don''t step in now, she will just ruin everyone''s mood. Only now, we were able to have some relief. I don''t want everyone to lose their minds again.''


    "Excuse Miss," She stepped forward, her chin held up high. Her confident stance and her domineering height made Amber take few steps back, panicking the way the girl she did not know was staring at her. "I suggest you leave the place before someone here loses their cool first. I assure you if that happens, it will not be a sight to behold. I am not telling you this for your good. It''s just that we do not want to spoil our moods seeing your face."


    "Excuse me." Amber''s shrill voice fell on Ivy, and she closed her eyes in disgust. "Who do you think you are to ask me to leave from here? You have no right to do so."


    "Trust me, Miss. I have all the right to do so, for I am Joshua''s girlfriend." Ivy''s revelation made Amber''s jaw drop.


    "No, it''s impossible."


    "And, why do you think so?" Ivy queried, folding her hand, her face stoic and cold. Other than Aria, nobody else had seen such an expression on her, and they were floored by her immediately. They stood silently, admiring the way Ivy was dealing with the obnoxious girl, who seemed to have sold her brains in the market.


    "Joshua will never love anybody else. He only loves me." Amber was in denial, and she shook her vigorously.


    "Wel, news flash, and things change. Joshua is with me now, and we will not be breaking up, not now, not ever." Ivy did not conceal the hatred she felt for the woman in front of her. She remembered the time when Joshua had lashed out at her for no fault of hers, and her anger grew all the more. "Don''t try to butt into our lives ever again. Nobody here wants to see your repulsive face. So, get lost before we throw you out of here ourselves."


    Ivy''s every word was like a slap to Amber''s face and heart. She turned to face Joshua''s parents to clarify the matter, only to find them looking at the girl, whose name she did not know yet, with admiration and gratitude. She clenched her fists in anger. ''Why weren''t they this welcoming towards me? Why did they not look at me with such an expression? What has the girl done to them for them to behave this way?'' She recalled how they had examined her thoroughly before they accepted her.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Martin, please ask this ridiculous girl to leave from here. I am getting a headache hearing her speak. She must have lost her mind to think that Joshua loves her." Amber still tried to catch onto the last straw of hope. However, Hazel''s next action shattered all her hopes.


    Instead of replying to her, Hazel held Ivy''s arms and made her face her. "Dear, you must be thirsty after speaking for long. Let me get you some water to soothe your throat." She then turned to her husband, who nodded at her happily. Seeing the old man ready to retrieve a glass of water, Noah stopped him.


    "Mr. Martin, allow me." He smiled at him and walked towards the water dispenser, keeping an eye on the girl who was creating a ruckus in the hospital, spoiling everyone''s mood.


    Though Ivy was not thirsty at all, and neither was her throat aching, she still took the glass. Ivy realized what Joshua''s mother was trying to do, and she cooperated with her thoroughly. Hazel wanted to clear everything to Amber, and who was Ivy to go against her future mother-in-law when the older woman was favoring her in front of her man''s ex-girlfriend?


    "Mrs. Martin, you cannot do this to me, to Joshua. What will happen to him once he finds out that you are siding with someone else other than me?" Amber gasped, tears filling her not at all innocent eyes.


    "Listen Amber, and listen clearly." Hazel gently pushed Ivy behind her, protecting her from the girl who was becoming more and more delusional as time passed. She did not want the crazy woman to hurt her, nor did she want Ivy to stay in her presence any longer. Amber was just polluting the air around them, and Hazel was done entertaining her.


    "Joshua is over you, and get this in your head. My son is done with you forever. He is now with Ivy, and he is more than happy with her. Even though I am furious with you, I should thank you. If you had not left him, my son would not have met such an amazing girl." Hazel''s words were like a blanket to Ivy, warming her heart and filling it with sweetness. Unknowingly a smile made its way on her lips, even though the situation did not call for it.


    "Even if you return, nothing will change. My son has moved on, and he will not bat an eyelid seeing you. It''s best that you save yourself the trouble and leave from here yourself." Hazel huffed, and Martin hugged her shoulder, running his hand on her arm to calm her down.


    Amber lost all her words seeing the two women gang up against her. However, she was still not convinced. ''Joshua only loves me and me alone. He cannot move on. I am the only one for him. I will not allow someone else to snatch him from me.'' Amber glared at the two women, wishing to burn them to death before she walked away from them, much to everyone''s relief.


    The moment she did so, everyone sighed lightly, happy that the girl was gone. However, everyone also knew that this was not the end. "Ivy, you need to be careful from no, dear," Hazel warned her, her voice filled with concern.


    "What do you mean, Mrs. Martin?" Ivy frowned slightly in confusion.


    "Amber is not the one to accept defeat this soon. She might come back soon to create chaos between you and Joshua. I hope..." Hazel stopped not knowing how to continue.


    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Martin. If she wants a drama, I will give her a drama. If she wants a punch, I will punch her. She will not be able to do anything. She will only be asking for it if she tries to bother either Joshua or me."

 Chapter 455: Double trouble

    "That was Amber?" Aria whispered, her eyes still unable to believe what she had seen and heard a few minutes ago.


    "Yes," Noah sighed, rubbing his head in frustration. He was already having a headache thinking about what lay ahead for them.


    There was Jared and his Godfather on one side, and there was Amber. All three people had the same target, and they were people he loved the most. He was beyond annoyed to think that Amber decided to return right at the moment when he was planning an attack on Jared. Joshua was in a vulnerable state, and he could not move around much. Everything was in Noah and Ian''s hands, and they had to deal with the troublesome people thoroughly and cleanly.


    Aria sensed Noah''s frustration, and she held his hand, clasping her fingers with his. "I will always be with you. Don''t worry."


    Noah smiled, hearing her words, and he hugged her by her shoulder. "I know, Aria. I know. You are my strength, and I am glad that I have you. Thank you for being here."


    "Tell me about Amber," Aria mumbled after some time, and Noah pursed his lips.


    "What do you want to know about her?"


    "Everything."


    "Amber was an acquaintance Joshua knew from his university. They had not interacted much during his studies. The girl had a crush on him since the time they had met. On the day they graduated, she confessed her feelings to him. But Jo rejected her right away, for he had other things in mind. He had to take over his father''s company, and he was not looking for a serious relationship."


    Noah sighed, clenching his jaw as he reminisced the days which not many people knew about. "But Amber remained adamant, and she started to visit his office daily, where Joshua''s Dad was training him to take over his seat. Though she was not allowed to go beyond the reception, the girl did not kick up a fuss, waiting to catch a glimpse of Joshua. She never requested anything from him nor asked him to spare time for her. Touched by her sincerity, or that was what Jo thought, he decided to give her a chance.


    They started dating, and eventually, Jo fell for her. Although I was not against their relationship, I did not like her either. Something in her did not sit well with me. But I did not want Joshua to leave his love just because of my baseless assumptions. If I had warned him the moment I had got this feeling, maybe we could have prevented him from the misery."


    Noha stopped talking, staring at the wall in front of him. Ivy was accompanying Joshua''s parents while Ian was inside the ICU. So, Aria and Noah were alone. "While he trained to take over his father''s seat, he also opened a small video game company, and he became incredibly busy with work. But every week, he would make time for her and meet her, take her out on dates."


    Aria pressed her hand, giving Noah the support and assurance he needed as she continued to listen to him. "We don''t know what happened. Amber left him suddenly without even informing him. We could not reach her, and Joshua did everything he could to search for her. However, all his attempts went futile when he finally found her in the arms of another man, kissing him. By then, Joshua had fallen too deep for her."


    Aria''s calm stance broke, and she was now breathing fire, recalling the woman''s loathful face.


    "Joshua went into an extreme state of depression, and it took him a lot of time to come out of it. Since then, he was scared of long term and serious relationship, for he was not ready to hand over his heart and control to someone else lest they should do the same to him. And, Ivy entered, and you know what happened from there."


    Aria nodded, staring hard at their interlocked fingers. "I should have killed the girl right then and there." She muttered, making Noah pull away from her in shock.


    "What?" He asked, chuckling lightly.


    "Yes. How dare she do this Joshua? How can she break his heart and leave him in such agony? How can she do this to such a sweet man?" Noah decided to ignore the way Aria had praised his friend, even though he was getting jealous slightly. "And now, she has the nerve to come back and ask about Joshua and his well-being. I should have killed her and ended this matter once and for all."


    "Aria?" Noah let out a helpless laugh.


    "What? I am saying what I am feeling right now. My hands are itching to slap that woman''s irritating face. At least, I am entitled to slap her. Right?" Aria stared at Noah, putting on an innocent look while her eyes said otherwise. There was clear mischief and anger in them, and Noah rolled his eyes at her.


    "Fine, you can do as you please."


    "Yes," Aria grinned cheekily, making Noah wonder if he had done a mistake giving her permission. "Now you wait and watch, Amber. If you even think about intruding in Ivy and Joshua''s life, I will kill you myself." Aria said with all resolve, and Noah flicked her forehead, making her come out of her stance.


    "Ouch," She rubbed her forehead, glaring at the man beside her. "What was that for?"


    "I don''t think you need to do anything. Seeing the way your sister dealt with Amber, rendering her speechless and making her question her existence, I am sure Ivy can handle Amber on her own. I have never seen such a tough look on Ivy."


    "Wasn''t she sexy?" Noah stayed silent, waiting for Aria to continue. This was not a question he wanted to answer. "Ivy had to step up to burst Amber''s bubble, and as you said, my sister did great. She alone will suffice when dealing with Amber in the future. By the way, I had this one question running in my mind."


    Noah raised his eyebrows at her, wondering what she was getting at. "Did you have anyone like Amber before me?"


    Aria''s question made Noah smirk, and he leaned closer to her. "Why Aria? Are you jealous?"


    "Jealous no. Curious yes." Aria replied without any change in expression, and Noah doubted if she was not actually jealous or if she was putting up an act.


    "What if I had one? What would you do?"


    "I will not do anything because it''s your past. But if she were to create troubles in our lives, then I''ll put a bullet through her head. Problem solved."

 Chapter 456: Showtime

    While Noah was planning ways to destroy Jared and his Godfather, the man in question, Jared was pacing back and forth in his apartment, waiting for his men to inform him about his Godfather. Jared was scared witless when the old man had collapsed in his arms. His Godfather was a tough man, and rarely had he seen him in such a vulnerable situation.


    Jared had no idea what had agitated him and why his health went to such a drastic condition. But he knew that it had something to do with Maggie. She was the one who had caused all the ruckus, landing them in this mess. "Maggie," He bellowed, furious that the girl had betrayed him this way. He had loved her, and the girl had chosen to deceive him in return, almost destroying him and his gang.


    Now, some of his gang members were dead, and among them was his trusted assistant, who had been with him for years. And his Godfather, whose condition he still did not know, was at the hospital. If not for the fact that people would find it suspicious, especially Ian, who worked in the hospital where his Godfather was admitted, Jared would never have left the man who had nurtured him.


    Though the man was strict and a monster to him, he had been with him when he needed him the most. Now that his father was caught by the Intelligence, Charles was all he had had, and he did not want to lose him too. Jared continued to walk back and forth in his apartment, now and then staring at his phone, waiting for someone from his gang to call him.


    Finally, when his phone rang, he picked it up quickly. "Where the fuck have you been?" He roared, causing the other man to flinch in fear. He shivered hearing his Boss''s furious voice. Yet, he had to relay the message. So, he strengthened his heart, using all the courage he had in him.


    "Boss, I apologize for not calling you soon." He tried to sound as bold as possible. But failed miserably. When he did not receive any response, he continued, "Boss, Godfather had a minor brain stroke. But he is not in danger, though he is still unconscious. The doctors have kept him under observation, and he will wake up soon."


    The man blurted out everything he wanted to say. Only he knew how much energy he had to use to do so. None of the gang members, who were at the hospital, were willing to speak to their Boss, and they had pushed him towards the front to become the scapegoat. Jared was a ticking time bomb they never wanted to trigger.


    "What did you say?" Jared gritted his teeth, clenching his phone. That was the cue for the man to realize that he was doomed. His Boss was angry now, and he was sure he would be lying in a coffin soon. "Repeat your words," Jared ordered, and the man spoke again, this time his confidence flying out of the window. His voice was reduced to a whisper but Jared heard him loud and clear.


    "Did you say that Godfather is not in danger?"


    "Yes, Boss." The man replied and nodded frantically at the same time even though Jared could not see him. "The doctors said that there was a fluctuation in his blood pressure due to which he fainted. They had warned us not to agitate him once he gets discharged."


    "I get it. Continue to guard him. Nothing should happen to him." He commanded, his voice low and filled with threats.


    "Yes, Boss." The man replied at once.


    "Anything else?" Jared queried when he heard the man hesitate.


    "Yes, Boss. I saw Noah Carter and Ian Davis at the hospital."


    Jared narrowed his eyes on hearing him. "What''s different about it? Ian worked at Regal Medical Hospital. So?"


    "No Boss. Apparently, someone they are close to must be sick for they have been here for a long time." This caught Jared''s attention, and he tilted his head, trying to analyze what might have happened.


    "Who did you say you say are at the hospital? Tell me their names again." Jared ordered, and the man frowned, wondering what his Boss was getting at. Nevertheless, he followed his instructions and repeated the names.


    "Did you see Joshua Martin with them?"


    "No Boss. I didn''t. It was only these two, and there were two girls with them, who have not left their sides even now." The man did not know who Ivy was nor did he know that Noah had a girlfriend. Otherwise, he would have conveyed about their presence immediately.


    "Interesting. Noah and Ian are at the hospital, and Joshua is not with them. So, is it Joshua who is sick?" He mused while the man waited for his next set of instructions. "Did you say there were two girls with them? Was one of the journalist girl, who is also Joshua''s girlfriend?"


    The man frowned, not knowing what Jared was talking about. "Boss, I don''t know if one of the girls is his girlfriend are not." He replied cautiously to not irk his Master.


    "I''ll send you her photo. Try to find if one of them is her, and also, try finding out what happened to Joshua. This might be my chance to attack them." Jared fired his orders one by one. "Make sure nobody finds out that you belong to the Vipers and that Godfather knows me, especially Ian and Noah. Also, keep an eye on them and inform their every move to me. Understood?"


    "Yes, Boss. Understood." The man''s response was instant, though he had missed half of his words.


    "Good. Now get back to work and take good care of Godfather. If something were to happen to him..." Jared did not have to continue, for the threat had reached his man. Without another word, Jared ended the call and stared at the view of the city from his apartment.


    "Joshua, I wonder what happened to you." He muttered, not knowing that it was his man who had shot him. Maggie had made sure to render all the CCTV cameras useless, and Jared had not found anything from them.


    "It''s now my chance to attack." He chuckled, his eyes glinting in evilness. Noah, brace yourself. It''s finally showtime. Brace yourself, for you will be facing your death soon."

 Chapter 457: Meeting

    Aria took over the night shift while Ivy was forced to return home. Though she protested and requested to stay at the hospital beside Joshua, nobody listened to her and brought her home. Ivy could only grumble in annoyance and hurl profanities at the two men, who did not seem to care about her language.


    "I still can''t understand why I can''t stay at the hospital," Ivy complained once again as Noah drove towards his mansion. Though he was listening to Ivy''s complaints, he was worried for Aria. Though the hospital was a safe place and he had stationed his men to guard her, he still could not evade the fear that was eating him from within. Jared''s men were walking around in the hospital, and Aria was all alone with danger lurking close to her.


    But he also knew that his woman was strong enough to defend herself. And if things were to go wrong, his men would be there for her. He had allotted some of the strongest men from his base to take care of her, and with them around, nothing could happen to her. ''Aria, please be safe.'' He prayed in his mind and steered the wheel towards the lane that housed his mansion.


    "Ivy, what will you do staying at the hospital? You will not be allowed inside the ICU, and you will have to spend the night outside. You should return home and take some good rest. You can meet him tomorrow when he will be shifted to the VIP ward." Ian reasoned, and Ivy did not have any words to object.


    "You are right," Ivy mumbled, pouting in helplessness.


    "And Ivy, you can help us with our plan," Noah added.


    "What plan?" Ivy''s focus was all on Noah now, and she stared at him wide-eyed.


    "That, my dear sister-in-law, I will tell you in once we are inside. Come on." Noah parked the car in front of his mansion and got out, stupefying Ivy.


    "When did we reach? Why didn''t I realize it?" She queried, running her eyes around her.


    Ian chuckled, hearing her confusion while he removed his seat belt. "Ivy, we reached the moment you accepted that it was the right decision to come home. And you did not realize it because you were busy whining."


    Ivy''s lips twitched in annoyance, and she got off the car with Ian following suit. "By the way, what was the plan Noah was talking about?" She queried as they walked inside the mansion.


    "That," Ian stopped suddenly and flicked her forehead. "I will not tell you."


    "Why?" Ivy almost whined again, and Ian shook his head.


    "Patience, dear Ivy. You will find out everything soon." Without elaborating any further, Ian walked away, leaving Ivy glaring at him.


    "I wish you find a woman who will frustrate you to death. Then you will know how exasperating you are and how much I am angry at you right now."


    Ian just shook his right index finger at her, not once turning back. Having no other choice, Ivy followed him with a huff. However, she was stunned to see many people in the main hall. There were many she recognized while she did not know some of them.


    Maggie was chatting with Oliver when she saw Ivy rooted in her place. With a wide smile, she skipped to her and hugged her. "I am so happy, Ivy. Joshua is out of danger."


    "Ah," Maggie''s hug brought her out of her stupor. "Yes, I am happy too. But Maggie, what are all these people here for?"


    "Ivy, don''t you know?" Maggie queried with a frown which only deepened when Ivy shook her head in puzzlement.


    "Noah has called all of them. He wants to discuss the plan to bring down Jared and his Godfather."


    "Huh? What?" Ivy was still in shock seeing so many people around her that she missed Maggie''s words. Her eyes widened when she noticed the familiar man who had once given her chills. However, the man she was seeing looked nothing like the one who had stalked her and her colleagues and had even broken into her house. Tim was waving at her with a smile, welcoming her warmly.


    On not getting any response from her, Tim approached her, his smile diminishing slightly. "Hello, Ivy. I presume you remember me." He grinned at her, and Ivy observed him with a frown. Compared to the last time she had seen him, he looked better and fitter. There was a healthy glow on his face, and Ivy wondered what had happened for him to change this suddenly.


    "Hi, Tim. It''s quite surprising to see you here." She blurted out, still trying to comprehend everything that was happening around her.


    "I think shocking would be a better word. You must be shocked to see me here," Tim stated, and Ivy nodded at him absentmindedly. "I know, Ivy. I have sided with the monster previously. But now I have changed. You can trust me on that." Seeing that the girl had not bothered to reply to him, Tim sighed in desperation. "Also, I need to apologize to you, Ivy."


    "Why?"


    "For many reasons. If you want me to list them, it will take all day, and we will be here forever, instead of listening to Noah''s plan." This time, Ivy smiled, and Tim followed suit. "I hope you will forgive me, even though I know you won''t."


    "I''ll try, Tim. It''s not easy for me to see you here all of a sudden, declaring that you are not with our enemy. It will take some time."


    Tim nodded at her in understanding. "I will wait, Ivy. You can take as much time as you want. Shall we go? And before that I must say, I was spooked to see your Dad alive. Nobody told me about it, and the moment I reached here, I saw him sitting with Ronnie. He almost gave me a heart attack."


    Ivy chuckled at his words. "He sure has that ability. Beware of him." She joked. When Tim himself had held out a hand to forget everything that had happened in the past, Ivy did not have any reason to not do so. Though she was still suspicious of him, she decided to give him a chance and see his sincerity herself.

 Chapter 458: Spy hunting

    "Everybody," Noah''s voice boomed across the mansion, his voice gaining everyone''s gazes on him. When he was certain that he had everyone''s undivided attention, he continued, "Please gather around. I have you called you all here on a purpose."


    "Shall we?" Tim held out his hand, allowing the two girls to take the lead. Ivy sat beside her father, who was as confused as her. Oliver too did not know what was happening and why these many people had assembled here.


    Once everyone had settled down, Noah started speaking again. "As we all know that Joshua got injured when..."


    "Noah, just a second." Maggie stopped him before he continued.


    Noah''s men stared at her in horror, for this was the first time someone had stopped him when he was talking. Though their Boss was a good person, he did not tolerate disrespect, and cutting him in the middle of his speech was one of them. Just as the men had expected, Noah frowned at being interrupted. However, he controlled his annoyance and turned towards Maggie, who was sitting beside Ivy.


    "Yes, Maggie? Is something the matter?" He queried, his frown not leaving his place.


    Seeing his irked face, Maggie chided herself for her actions. However, she had to do what she had in mind, and for that, she willing to do anything, even angering Noah. "Yes, Noah. I have something to deal with before we start this meeting."


    "Can''t it wait until the end?" Noah''s frown deepened, and all his men sucked their breaths, giving out the girl their condolences, for she would be meeting her end soon.


    "No, Noah. It had to be done before we start, and it has to be done, now."


    Noah sighed in resignation. "Fine. What do you want to do?"


    Once again, Noah''s men went into a state of shock. Their Boss had agreed to as the unknown woman wishes without lashing out at her. This was something new for them. The only other woman who they had seen control their Boss was their Madam, Aria. ''Just who was this lady?'' They wondered, amazement filling their eyes.


    "Do you have a gun?"


    Noah''s expression changed from annoyed to perplexed, and he tilted his head, trying to comprehend what was Maggie was getting at. "Why do you need a gun, Maggie?"


    "I need one, Immediately. Please." Maggie begged Noah through her eyes, and Noah sighed in defeat.


    ''What is this woman up to now?'' Why does she want a gun?'' Even though a lot of questions were running in her mind, he decided to entertain her. He turned to Ronnie, who was standing beside him, and nodded at him. Immediately the man handed her his gun, and Maggie thanked him with a smile.


    "Mr. West, I don''t think you should be seeing this." Maggie turned to Ivy''s father, who still could not comprehend what was happening. "I am going to do something you might not like."


    Oliver just folded his hands and smiled at her. "Girl, I have seen a lot of things you have no idea about, and nothing you do will faze me now. Don''t worry. It will not affect me anyway."


    By now, everyone had understood that Maggie had the intention to kill, and who were the ones she wanted to kill was the question that filled their minds.


    "Noah, I should have warned you about them before." Maggie started, preparing herself to shoot the men she had in mind. "I apologize for not telling you about them before, for I did not know who they were until recently."


    "Maggie, what are you talking about?" Noah''s face scrunched up, and he lifted his head, questioning her with his eyes.


    "Noah, Jared has spies everywhere. And since you are his arch-enemy, there is no way he would have left you alone."


    "Are you saying we have spies among us?" Noah was baffled by her revelation, and he ran his eyes around the hall, meeting his men in the eye. But he could not deduce who it might be.


    "Yes, Noah. There are a lot of spies around you, and three of them are right here." Without any warning, Maggie raised her gun and fired the bullet at the three men, who were sweating profusely as they looked at her. Noah stared at the three men, who dropped down after being shot by her. It was a clean precise shot, leaving no room for mistakes. The men were dead in a few seconds.


    "There are more. I will give their names once this meeting ends." Maggie then handed the gun back to Ronnie, who stared at her in bewilderment.


    "But Maggie, are you sure that they were spies?" Noah still could not believe that there were spies around him. "What if you were wrong?"


    "I am not, Noah. Don''t worry. I have been keeping an eye on them since the time we assembled here. And," She turned to face Tim, who was gaping at her. Though Tim was well acquainted with her, he had never seen her shoot anyone. Seeing her this confident and handle the situation this brilliantly he could not help but appreciate her skills in his mind.


    "Jared already knows that Tim has joined hands with you," Maggie added, and Noah closed his eyes in anger. However, they fluttered open when a thought crossed his mind.


    "In that case, Jared must have found out about you too."


    "I don''t think so. I had their phones monitored, and they only mentioned Tim. Moreover, these people have not seen me. So, they don''t know about me." Maggie explained, and on seeing that Noah was about to put forth his next question, she continued. "They are not familiar with Tim too. But they overheard him talking about Jared with Ronnie, and they must have grasped it."


    "In that case, why did they not attack me when I first joined Noah''s men. The spies must have found out about me by then, right?" Tim questioned, and Noah nodded.


    "Yes, Maggie. Why?"


    "That," Maggie scratched her head. "I don''t know. You should ask one of the spies."

 Chapter 459: Vulnerable and desperate

    "I don''t know," Maggie replied, her face turning red in awkwardness. She scratched her head, narrowing her eyes in regret. "I could not find out why they had not informed about Tim to Jared. You will have to interrogate them thoroughly."


    Noah nodded at her, trusting her words. He knew Maggie was not lying and that there was no reason for her to do. She was working for the Intelligence, trying to trap Jared and his men, risking her life and her job. Why would she lie to him about such a trivial matter?


    "Please check their phones. One of them must have sent messages to Jared." Maggie stated, giving the proof of her words, and immediately, Ronnie got to work retrieving the three mobiles. Just as the girl had stated, not one but all three men had sent messages to Jared, and they had informed him about Tim. Also, they had conveyed about the meeting that was taking place at Noah''s mansion.


    By now, Noah''s fury had reached its peak, and he wanted to kill all the bastards who were working for Jared. ''Jared has the gall to send spies to my turf, to my base. How dare he?'' He seethed, gritting his teeth.


    "This was one of the reasons why Aria had not told you about themselves as well as me. If you recognize one of the men here," Maggie pointed at the dead man who lay right beside Ronnie. "He was guarding Aria in secret, and you would know by now what would have happened if Jared were to know about her and my association with her."


    Noah glared at the dead man, recalling that it was he who had commanded him to guard Aria in secret. ''What if something were to happen to her?'' Just the mere thought of it made him shiver, and he got up from his chair, the beast inside him craving for blood. He was ready to hunt down Jared for even thinking of targeting his woman, his love, his life.


    His sudden action startled everyone, even Oliver who was listening to Maggie. He had never seen the young man this incensed and domineering, and for the first time, Oliver realized why Noah was well respected by his men. His aura was no joke, for even he was intimidated by him.


    "Since Joshua does not have any guards guarding him closely, there are no spies around him. Moreover, he is not Jared''s target. You, Noah, are his target." Maggie continued, stunning everyone in the hall including Ivy, who had no idea about these things. "I have every record of his crime. I will hand it over to you once this meeting ends."


    "But Maggie," Ivy pulled her hand, gaining everyone''s attention on her. "Why aren''t you handing over the proofs to the Intelligence? They will take care of everything, right?"


    Maggie shook her head with a helpless smile. "Ivy, do you think Frederick Clarke is the only corrupt officer in our Intelligence?" Nobody needed further reasons, for they had understood what the girl was conveying. Another person was hiding in the Intelligence, and he worked for Jared.


    "Who is it?" Ivy blurted out even before she could stop herself.


    "I am not sure who he is. I will reveal it once I find out, though I do have a hunch." Maggie answered, remembering the man who had worked with her closely.


    Ivy did not probe into this further, deciding to drop the topic for now. "Ronnie, get the hall cleaned. We will start the meeting after half an hour." Noah instructed, and before leaving the hall, he gestured Maggie to follow him.


    While Ronnie dealt with the dead bodies, his men helping him, Maggie followed Noah to one of the rooms beside the living room. "Close the door after you please." Noah requested hearing her enter, and Maggie did as she was told. Since she could not see his face, she did not what his expression and mood were. However, she was sure that they were anything but pleasant.


    "Maggie," Noah turned back, his face impassive and cold. "Please tell me if there is any other danger to Aria or Ivy''s life. I want to make sure they are safe and secure. Please." He almost begged, and Maggie was touched by the sincerity in him. He was deeply and madly in love with Aria, and she could see it in his eyes. And, he considered her family like his, trying to protect them from all the dangers they were subjected to.


    Suddenly, the man who was the emperor of the business world and the king of the underworld seemed vulnerable and desperate to Maggie. He was just like a normal man who wanted to protect his family and ensure they had a good sleep at the end of the day.


    Maggie smiled, seeing his concerned face, genuinely happy for her friends for finding such amazing men. "Noah, don''t worry. Aria already knows about the spies, though she did not know who they were. She had been careful around them, and I assure you there is nobody else in the team of guards protecting her."


    "Are you sure, Maggie? I do not want to risk her life. Please be honest."


    "I can do a background check on your men again to find the spies. But I am sure I have found all of them. I will give you the list later so that you can deal with the remaining men." Maggie assured him softly, and Noah''s face relaxed, a relieved smile landing on his lips.


    "Thank you, Maggie. Thank you for being with Aria and Ivy. Thank you for protecting them." His words stunned Maggie briefly, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. Seeing her dubious expression, Noah sighed, deciding to come clean before her. "My men informed me about the guards that were keeping an eye on them. I know it was you who sent them."


    "How?" That was all Maggie could say, for she was too dumbfounded to form any coherent words. ''How did he find out? My men were well trained, and they had been careful enough to stay well hidden from Noah''s men.''


    "Let''s just say I have someone who can detect senses as well as people who are keeping an eye on us," Noah stated with a shrug, recalling Ronnie''s unique but formidable ability. "I think we should go back. Everyone must be waiting for us."


    Noah padded towards the door but stopped when he noticed Maggie rooted to her place. "Is something the matter, Maggie? Do you have anything else to say?"


    "Noah, umm, I have a lot of things to tell you. But there is something important you must know first. It is about your mentor, Theo."


    "What do you know about Theo?" Noah''s relaxed expression stiffened once again, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously, his beast losing control again.


    Maggie bit her lips, not knowing how to reveal the truth to him. But she had to, and she had to do it now. Seeing her hesitate, Noah almost lost control, and he yelled at her. "Maggie, tell me everything you know."


    Noah''s intimidating gaze flustered the girl, and she blurted out before she could even comprehend. "Theo was killed by Charles. It was he who had shot the bullet to his head."

 Chapter 460: Destruction

    Noah sat with an inscrutable face as the people around him looked on. Though they could not decipher what was running in mind, they could sense his anger from where they were. Noah was beyond furious, and his eyes said it all. He was glaring at everyone, even though they were not at fault.


    Maggie''s words kept repeating in his mind, making it impossible for him to concentrate. ''Charles, that bastard.'' Noah clenched his fists, anger surging through, making his men shiver. Taking a deep breath, Noah tried to calm himself down. He had to be sane if he were to deal with his enemies. Losing control would only give them an edge over him.


    "Hello guys, you might already know the reason why we have met here today." He started, keeping his temper in check. He did not want to unleash his wrath on people who had not done anything to him or his family. "As you all know that Jared is my arch-nemesis, and he is using all tricks possible to bring me down."


    There was pin-drop silence as everyone listened to what Noah was speaking. Everyone present in the hall knew the enmity Jared had with Noah. Jared wanted the ultimate power, and he could only get it if he defeated Noah and took over his position. But it was impossible, for Noah was not a man who could be defeated that easily. Moreover, he had Ian and Joshua as his support. The three men ruled the country, and they were undefeatable.


    "From Maggie''s words here, you would have already grasped the situation we are in. He wants to destroy me, and he has already put his disgusting plans into action. So, before he gets to me and hurts anybody around me, including anyone from the Underworld, we need to deal with him and take him down once and for all." His men nodded at him, while Ivy and Maggie looked at him with a frown. The only person who did not show any sort of reaction was Oliver. He sat calmly as though he was watching the regular news instead of being in a meeting, where people were discussing the plan to bring down one of the dangerous men alive.


    Noah observed his expression. But he did not comment about it. He knew his father-in-law had a plan in mind. Yet, Noah wanted to finish what he had in mind before he asked for his insight. "As we have found out, Jared does not operate alone. He had a Godfather backing that man, and currently, this man is in the hospital."


    "Boss, why don''t we just kill that man in the hospital? Nobody will find out about it." One of the men suggested. But Noah shook his head at once, discarding his plan completely.


    "No. I never attack someone at their lowest point. We need a proper strategy, and killing the old man when he is sick is not my style. It is completely against my moral obligations. Also, this might only lead to more problems if he were to die suddenly in the hospital when all he had was just a small fluctuation in his blood pressure."


    "I need a better plan to remove the trouble as well as its root so that it won''t grow again. We will attack them when this man gains consciousness. Jared will have to bow before us when he finds out about his Godfather." Noah frowned, wondering if Jared would even budge if he were to abduct this old man. "Or that is what I hope. But even if he doesn''t, it''s fine. This Godfather is one of the people I was searching for. I have some scores to equal with him." Noah gritted his teeth when he remembered the way his mentor Theo was shot dead by the scoundrel.


    Although nobody knew what Noah was talking about, they could grasp his mindset and his intentions. The man did not have any desire to let those people go. It was time for war, a war that would destroy Jared if executed well. But if things backfired, then Noah would be ruined beyond repair.


    "Nobody is to speak about the plan or this meeting once you leave this mansion. I do not want the spies to know about them. So, until they are taken care of, I do not want anybody else to find out about it." Noah warned, running his eyes across the hall, the threat evident in his tone. "Also, I need to know about all the warehouses of the Vipers gang. Until this Godfather wakes up, we will deal with Jared. If you find anyone from that gang, shoot them without hesitation."


    After receiving Noah''s orders, the men left one by one. Tim glanced at Maggie, who was talking to Ivy before he nodded at Noah and took his leave. Now, it was only Ivy, Oliver, Maggie, and Noah, along with Ronnie in the room. Though Ian was in the mansion, he had not joined the meeting, for he was exhausted from his work, and he had gone to sleep the moment he had entered the mansion. Anyway, Noah would brief him about the plan when he woke up.


    "Mr. West, I presume, you had something to tell me." Noah directed his attention to the man, who had not spoken a word during the meeting. Noah had been scared to think that his father-in-law would be disgusted after finding out his dangerous side. But the man had not reacted in any way, increasing his trepidation as time ticked by. No reaction was horrible than an unfavorable reaction.


    "Ah," Noah''s voice brought Oliver out of his stupor. "I am sorry. Did you say something? I am sorry I missed it."


    "Mr. West, I was wondering if you wanted to say something to me. It looked like you had a plan at hand."


    "Yes, I do have a plan." Oliver placed his hand below his chin, comprehending his next words. "Noah, when will the news channel start operating?"


    Noah''s brows furrowed, wondering why the old man was asking this question again when he already knew the answer. Yet, he replied to him. "Mr. West, it was supposed to start operating next Monday, the same day we had the hotel inauguration as well as the game release."


    "I see. Do you think we can still do it? Will Joshua be able to release his game on the scheduled date?"


    "I am not sure, Mr. West. I will have to enquire about it. He might be able to do it. We still have five days." Noah answered, still unable to comprehend what the man wanted to do.


    "Noah, if we can go ahead with our original plan, can you keep a spot open? I might have something that might help you destroy Jared." Oliver raised his eyebrows, and Noah tilted his head, a wicked gleam passing through his face. His lips rose in amusement, unable to believe his father-in-law''s evil side which he had hidden brilliantly.


    "Don''t look at me that way, son. I have seen a lot of things in my field of work, and I have realized that only a more powerful person can deal with a powerful person. Moreover, Jared is a scumbag, trash. It is no use handing him to the police, for he will escape easily if as Maggie says, there are people supporting him within the system." Oliver did not hesitate to show his displeasure in the authorities that dealt with such people. "Every place is filled with corrupt people, and Jared knows how to make use of them."


    "I agree, Mr. West. I will keep a spot open if we were to follow the initial schedule." Noah smiled wickedly, and Oliver returned it with a smile of his own. "Get ready, Jared. Your destruction is awaiting you."

 Chapter 461: Confess everything

    Aria stared at Joshua, sighing lightly as she sat on the stool beside his bed. "Get up soon, Joshua. It''s disturbing to see you lying here this silently when all you must be doing is wreaking havoc and teasing all of us." Aria pushed his hair back and patted his forehead gently. "My sister is waiting for you. Don''t leave her waiting for long. She is a very impatient woman. She might barge in tomorrow and curse you for putting her through such misery. Think about it. Do you want her to come here and admonish you, or would you prefer she kissed you when you woke up?"


    Aria held Joshua''s hand, a small smile gracing her lips. "You know, I have never seen my sister this happy. I can see how much she loves you. Her eyes say it all. You have no idea how broken she was to see you in this condition. Get up soon so that we could punish you for putting us through this agony." Her voice rose at the last sentence, glaring at the sleeping man with a pout.


    "Before I forget, I need to tell you that your ex-girlfriend came here to create a scene. But my sister gave her a befitting reply, her words slapping that girl in the face." Aria grinned, remembering Amber''s stunned and distraught face when Ivy attacked her without hesitation. "You should have been awake to see the mind-blowing drama. You would have loved it too. That girl was left in tears at the end. Ah, I am so proud of Ivy. She did well."


    Even though Aria kept mumbling, there was no response from the man. He continued to sleep peacefully. He was breathing freely devoid of any oxygen mask, and Aria saw the way his chest rose and fell with every breath he took.


    "Do you remember what day is tomorrow? It''s Noah''s birthday." Aria pouted and took a look at her watch. There was still more than three hours for the day to end. "I so badly want to scold you for putting me in this situation. I wanted to celebrate his first birthday with me with vigor. But look what you are making me do."


    Aria stifled a yawn, and she rubbed her eyes to kill her sleep. "Get up soon so that I can fight you for keeping me away from my man on his birthday." She complained with a pout and rubbed her forehead, recalling how excited she had been a few days ago as she prepared for Noah''s birthday in secret. "By the way, what do you think I should gift him? I have been thinking about this for a long time. But I am unable to decide on any gift. He has everything he needs. What can I give him?"


    Aria yawned again. But she froze when she heard the man she had assumed to be sleeping, reply to her question softly. "You can give yourself to him. Noah would not mind."


    Aria stood up with a gasp, gaping at the man who was looking back at her. "You are awake?" She blurted out without thinking and slapped her mouth when she realized what she had said.


    "Of course I am. Do you think I would continue to sleep after hearing your threats? No way. I do not want to face your wrath, especially after I know what you can do." He attempted to shake his head. But stopped suddenly when pain shot through his shoulder. "Damn it." He cursed, closing his eyes as he tried to bear the pain.


    "Are you an idiot? Don''t move." Aria scolded him and took a look at his wound. Fortunately, he was fine, and his wound had not ruptured again. "How do you feel? Do you feel pain anywhere else other than your shoulder?"


    "Yeah." Joshua licked his lips and stared at her innocently.


    "Where? Where does it hurt?" Aria leaned closer to him to check where else he was injured.


    "My heart. My heart hurts to see you here on your man''s birthday. I am sorry." He pouted lightly. Although he looked innocent, his eyes said otherwise. There was mischief dancing in them, and Aria narrowed her eyes at him.


    "If you were not a patient, I would have made you one. You are so annoying." She glared at him, only to make Joshua smile.


    "Didn''t you complain that you were missing me teasing you? Why did you change your stance in the blink of an eye?" Joshua grumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. Aria had had to lean closer to him to hear what he was speaking.


    "For a man who just gained his consciousness, you sure have a lot of energy to argue with me." Aria did not hold back, and Joshua''s grin widened.


    "What can I do? I have been silent for a long time I presume. So, my mouth is running, trying to make up for all the lost hours. By the way, how long was I asleep?"


    "If we ignore the few seconds you were awake before you fell asleep again, then it would be two days since you got shot."


    "Thank God that was not long." Joshua tried to keep his eyes open. But the high dosage of medication was making it impossible for him to not sleep.


    "Sleep Joshua. If you rest well, you will get out of here soon."Aria patted his forehead gently, lulling him to sleep slowly.


    "Aria, you were wondering what gift to give Noah on his birthday, right?"


    "Joshua, get some sleep. We will talk in the morning." Aria''s whispered sweetly, coaxing him to sleep.


    "Aria, just confess what you feel for him. That will be the best..." Joshua did not continue, for he had fallen asleep. His breathing slowed as he lost himself to what his body needed the most.


    Aria checked his conditions again to make sure everything was fine with him before she called the nurse to change the saline solution. She then stared at the man, recalling his suggestion.


    "I know, Joshua. That is what I intend to do. He needs to know everything about me and why I became like this. I will confess everything to him." Aria mumbled, her gaze fixed on the man, who had no idea what was happening around him. "Get well soon. Good night, Joshua."

 Chapter 462: Pre planned

    Noah could not stop thinking about what Maggie had told him before the meeting had started. Everything, every damn thing was being orchestrated by Jared and his Godfather, creating havoc in not only his life, in everyone''s life. Although she had not given him the details, she had briefed him on what the duo had done, and how they killed many people using their disgusting tactics.


    He sat on his bed, trying to sort out his messed up thoughts. Though he was unsure about it, he had a hunch that Charles had been attacking his family even before he was born. ''Or else, why would he go for someone else''s wife?'' He wondered. ''Was Dad his target when that bastard got together with his wife? Or was it a mere coincidence?'' As soon as the thought came to his mind, he shook his head, discarding it right away.


    "There is no way it would be a mere coincidence. There must a ploy here too. He must have been deliberate when he went behind that woman." Noah accessed, folding his hands. "If that is the case, Charles might be the one to plan an attack on me given how dumb his wife is." Noah patted his fingers on his elbow, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "But why is he doing this, and what enmity does he have with me or my family?"


    Even though he tried to come up with a satisfactory answer, he couldn''t, for he had no idea why Charles was behind him and his family. "I will have to talk to Dad and Grandpa about this. They must know something." With that thought, he took out his phone to make the call. However, he stopped when he noticed what time it was. There were barely ten minutes left for the clock to strike midnight. "Guess, I will have to talk to them tomorrow." He sighed and dropped his phone on the bed.


    "Jared," He yelled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. A knock on the door brought him out of his anger and calmed him a little. He tried to smoothen his ruffled hair before he opened the door, only to find Maggie waiting for him.


    "Noah, do you have a minute?" She queried, and the man observed her before he nodded at her.


    "Do you want to come in?" He moved aside to allow her in. But the girl shook her head at once.


    "That''s fine. It will barely take a moment. I wanted to hand over this hard disk and pen drive to you." Maggie held out her hand, and Noah took the two devices with a questioning gaze. "They contain everything Jared and Charles have done. I thought this might be of help to you."


    Noah''s eyes widened in surprise hearing Maggie''s words, and his eyes immediately slipped to the two devices in his hands. "Well, thanks, Maggie." He was grateful that the girl had decided to trust him with these, even though it was the first time they were meeting each other.


    "No problem." Maggie turned around to leave. But stopped when she remembered another issue she wanted to tell him.


    "Noah, there was something else I wanted to tell you." She started and stopped suddenly when she did not know how to continue.


    "Yes, Maggie. Tell me." He promoted seeing her hesitate and waited for her.


    "Noah, Jared wanted to use your sister to harm your family. He told me personally when I asked him about it. All he wanted was to get to you, and in the process, even sleep with her if possible." Maggie did not stop even though she saw the man''s face turning red in fury. Although she had seen him angry before when she had told him about his mentor, he was not this incensed. But now, she could see the beast in him fighting for control.


    "So, I recommend you increase the security around her. That man is insane. You have no idea how many girls'' lives he has destroyed." Maggie warned, but Noah was too angry to hear her.


    Seeing him silent, Maggie sighed lightly. She knew that the man had found out a lot in a day, and it was too much to bear. She too found it difficult to digest the news when she had learned about it. But she had to tell him, for it concerned his family and their safety.


    "Noah," She waved her hands in front of him when the man did not respond, and this brought him out of his stupor.


    "Yes, Maggie?" He enquired, his voice low and threatening, and this should have made Maggie run for her life in fear. However, she didn''t, for she knew that the man would never hurt, and it was not her he was angry at.


    "Are you alright?"


    "I am not," Noah replied honestly, making Maggie nod.


    "I understand. You should calm yourself down before I tell you another important issue that I forgot to inform you about before. I''ll meet you in the morning." She was just about to leave when Noah stopped her.


    "Maggie, tell me what you have in mind."


    "But, Noah..."


    "Maggie," Noah''s warned her, and Maggie sighed, succumbing to the pressure from the domineering man.


    "Noah, you do remember the issue where a lot of people were poisoned right?" She asked, carefully observing the man''s expression.


    "Yes, what about it?" He returned with a question of his, even though he knew where this was going. "Was this done by Jared too?" Maggie''s nod was enough for him, and now his fury was at the peak.


    "It was he who released the poison in the air when his plan of releasing the virus did not work. He was indirectly responsible for...."


    "Aria''s sickness." Noah finished the sentence, gritting his teeth.


    "Yes, he was."


    "That man played with the lives of almost all the people I am closed to. I am not going to let him go. He will get a death so brutal that he will curse his existence." Noah vowed, clenching his hands, his stern gaze making Maggie tremble. However, she was not scared. She was excited, ecstatic even to see the man she loathed the most approaching his doom.


    At that moment, his phone rang, and Noah took deep breaths to calm the raging beast in him. His anger almost vanished when he saw who it was. "Aria," He breathed as soon as he picked up the call, and Maggie took it as her cue to leave. She did not forget to close the door after her, giving him the privacy he needed.

 Chapter 463: Forever and beyond

    "Aria," He murmured, his smile widening when he saw the time on his phone. ''So, my girl remembered my birthday, and she is right on time to wish me.'' A giddy feeling filled him, and he was already on cloud nine even before he heard her voice.


    "It''s me," Aria chirped from the side as she stared at Joshua from her chair. The man was sleeping peacefully, and compared to the last few hours, he seemed better. The medication was working on him, and Aria was sure that he would be out soon. He had good recovering ability, his training since childhood helping him to recover quicker than most people.


    "I know." Noah laid on the bed, his left hand supporting his head. He stared at the ceiling, anticipating what his girl had prepared for him.


    "Did you miss me?" Aria asked coyly, something she had never done before, and Noah was pleasantly surprised to see such a side of her. Although he was stunned, he did not hate it. He felt happy when she acted this way with him. It was as though she wanted him to spoil her, and that was all he wanted to do, spoil her rotten and love her for life.


    "Will you come back if I say I am missing you?" He asked a question of his own, wishing for her to say a yes.


    "Depends, Mister. If I like your reply, I might come back and surprise you." Aria bit her lip, wondering why she was even doing this when this was completely out of her character.


    "In that case, let me tell you I am missing you a lot. I look at the bed, and all I think about is you. My hands are itching to hold you and cuddle with you." Aria blushed at his crude words, her mind wandering in a different route altogether. She covered her eyes with her free hand, embarrassment taking over her entire form.


    "But I am only gone for a few hours. I will be back in the morning." Aria replied, still covering her eyes. She took another peek at the sleeping man, even though she knew that he would not be waking up anytime soon. His dosage of medication was strong and effective. Ian had prescribed him a strong dosage, for he knew that his body could take it, and he would recover quickly with their help.


    "Love, even a minute away from you feels like a lifetime. All I want to do is take you away and look at you forever while I cuddle you." Noah revealed his desires, and Aria''s face bloomed in happiness. Since the time they had got together, he had not stopped confessing his feelings to her, and now it was time for her to reciprocate the same. The man deserved it. However, before that, Aria was in the mood for some fun, and her eyes twinkled in mischief.


    "Too bad. Your wish will not be fulfilled today." Aria sighed, biting her lip as she waited for Noah''s reply.


    "Why, sweetheart?" Noah frowned, wondering what had happened. "Is something the matter?"


    "Yes, dear. I have a meeting with the administration at noon. So, I might have to stay back for some time." She masked her mischief with a dejected voice, and Noah almost bought it if he had not remembered that Ian called the shots at the hospital, and he would never call for a meeting in such a situation. Noah was well versed with the way Ian worked, and he shook his head, smiling at the girl''s attempt to tease him.


    "Too bad, dear. I had some plans for us. I will have to cancel them now."


    "Don''t." Aris almost shouted on the phone, and Noah''s grin widened. She cursed herself for almost giving herself away. "I mean, please don''t cancel. I will return by evening."


    "Is it? But don''t you have the evening shift again?" Noah pulled out the actor in him and put up a depressed tone, trapping Aria in her own ploy.


    "I can take some time for you. I don''t want..." Aria did not have the chance to continue, for Noah stopped her.


    "Please don''t, Aria. Don''t skip your work for my sake. Your work is more important than me." Noah rejected her words at once. "I don''t want you to get distracted from your work."


    Aria''s eyes widened hearing the man''s words. However, they immediately narrowed when she sensed something fishy in the situation. ''Looks like Noah has already found out what I am doing, and he is doing the same with me. Ah..'' She tapped her fingers on her knee, her lips raised in a smirk. ''This would be fun.''


    "You are right, Noah. I guess we will not be meeting today. How will I survive without seeing you for a day?" She let out a deep breath as though she was already aggrieved at the predicament she was in. "I am going to miss you."


    Now, it was Noah''s turn to widen his eyes in shock. "What are you talking about, Aria? How can you not meet me today, when it such an important day? I will not allow you to hide from me."


    "Ahh, yes. You are right. It is an important day today." Aria''s words kicked Noah''s doubt out of his mind, and his shoulders, which had tensed up, relaxed.


    ''Finally, she remembered. I knew it. How could my darling girl forget my birthday?''


    "I forgot to tell you that Joshua woke up, and this time, he spoke to me," Aria stated, trying to stifle her laugh, imagining the poor man''s face at being tricked.


    Though Noah''s hopes died hearing Aria''s words, he still smiled, for it was good news for him. His friend had not only woken up, he had even spoken to Aria. This was great. His happiness soured, even though a nagging feeling started in his mind. ''Does Aria really not remember what day is today?'' He thought to himself. ''Should I remind her?''


    "Aria.." He started but stopped when he did not know how to continue. How could he say that it was his birthday and ask her to wish him himself?


    "Yes?" Aria mused, biting her lip again.


    "Nothing." Noah sighed, giving up the topic. "How is Joshua now? What did he talk to about?" He queried, and Aria smiled at his attempt to divert the topic.


    ''Wait for it, dear.'' She promised, her heart filling with excitement, thinking about the plan she had prepared for him. "Joshua is good. We will be shifting him to the VIP ward in the morning. You can meet him."


    "That''s great to hear." Noah was still restless, and he wanted Aria to wish him. Just when he thought that the girl would not be saying the words he wanted to hear, Aria''s sweet voice chimed from the other side.


    "Noah, I want to say something to you." She stood up and walked towards the door. Noah did not have high expectations this time. Yet, he waited for her to continue. "I had to thank you."


    "For what, Aria?" He frowned, pondering what he had done recently for her to thank him.


    "For entering my life. You are the best thing that ever happened to me." Aria''s words brought a huge smile to the man''s face. Though this was not what he wanted to hear, he could make do with them, for they sounded better and sweeter than everything else.


    "Please continue. I want to hear more." He urged her to continue speaking when he did not hear a sound from her.


    "I will. But let it be a surprise until we meet. Please be patient until then."


    "Aria," Noah almost whined when the girl stopped at the best part.


    "Don''t worry, dear. I have something else for you that will lift your mood." Noah''s curiosity was piqued, and he raised his eyebrows, wondering what the girl wanted to tell him. And as Aria had said, her next words lifted his spirits, and all he wanted was to hug her and kiss her sweet lips.


    "Can you please repeat it?" Noah almost begged, wanting to hear her again and again.


    "I will, Noah. I will say them as many times as you want." Aria smiled, her cheeks blushing a dark shade of pink. "Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I love you. I will always love you, forever and beyond."

 Chapter 464: Blank promise

    Noah could not stop smiling as Aria repeated what he wanted to hear. They were like music to his ears, and he wished to hear them all the time. Noah cursed under his breath for not recording them. He could have used them as his ring tone, his notification alert as well as his alarm tone. What a lost opportunity!!!


    "Noah," Aria mused, waiting for the man to reply to her.


    "Hmm," He hummed softly, still recalling how amazing her words sounded.


    "Don''t you have something to tell me?" She queried, biting her lips and twirling her strand of hair.


    "Do I?" Noah sensed what Aria wanted to hear. Yet, he did not say a word, for it was now his chance to tease her.


    "Noah," Aria almost whined, wondering if the man was playing ignorant or if he actually had no idea.


    "Yes, baby. Tell me."


    "Noah," Aria gritted her teeth, ready to explode if the man continued with his act. However, Noah had no intentions of uttering what she wanted to hear from him. She had played him before, now it was his time.


    "Baby, you will have to explain. I don''t know what you are talking about." Noah could imagine how frustrated Aria would be, her cute face turning red in anger as time ticked by.


    "Are you sure because if you prolong your act, I will prolong my stay here, and you can forget your birthday?" Aria threatened blatantly, and Noah raised his eyebrows at her, pondering over it.


    ''Aria will not deny me my surprise. I am sure she wants me to surrender first.'' Noah smiled, his devilish mind plotting a scheme to trap his girl. "Aria, I really have no idea what you are talking about. Would you mind telling me?" His tone changed drastically as though he was accusing her of blaming him while he was completely innocent.


    Question marks popped up in Aria''s mind, and she wondered if the man really had no idea what she was talking about. Biting her lip, she decided to give him a clue. "Noah, I wanted to hear the three words from you."


    "Three words?" Noah almost burst out laughing, finding his girl alluring and cute. "What three words Aria?" He continued to feign ignorance, and now Aria was sure that the man was acting.


    "Noah," She yelled on the phone, and immediately she turned back, fearing that her shout had woken up Joshua. To her relief, the man was deep asleep. "Are you playing games with me?"


    "Not at all, baby. Why did you think so?"


    "Fine. You can go ahead and keep up with your act. I''ll take Ian''s shift today. See you tomorrow."


    Noah realized that he had taken the fun quite far. Although he was in the mood to continue, he could not do so right now. Not to worry, for he knew he had all the time in the world to have his share of fun with his sweet girl. His priority was to apologize to the girl who ruled his heart. "Sweetheart," He stopped her right before she could cut the call. "I love you."


    That was all it took for Aria''s anger to vanish, and she smiled immediately, her eyes twinkling in joy. "Finally," She sighed, pushing the strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought you would not tell me."


    Noah''s eyes widened, hearing her words. "Aria, did you just trick me?"


    "What do you think?" Aria smirked and walked back to the chair beside Joshua.


    "Aria," The man growled. Though there was a slight warning in it, she knew that he was just being playful.


    "Yes, Noah?"


    "Come back home. I will take care of you thoroughly today." Noah promised, making Aria''s heart skip a beat. Subconsciously, she clenched her thighs, recalling the surprise she had prepared for him.


    ''Oh no. What do I do?'' She pondered over it, absent-mindedly listening to Noah''s words.


    Having no idea about the turmoil running through her mind, Noah continued to blabber everything he had in mind. "Aria, since it is my birthday, I can ask anything from you. Am I right?"


    "Umm hmm," Aria answered, his question bouncing above her head. She had not heard a word he had said. She was lost in thoughts, wondering if it was the right time to give the man his present. It had taken a lot of courage to prepare herself for the day, and with Joshua lying unconscious after being shot and after all the chaos that had happened in the past few days, Aria''s courage had deflated like a balloon. Now, she was unsure if she wanted to go ahead with what she had planned.


    A grin spread on Noah''s face, imagining all that he could do with his girl. "I will take it as a promise then. You cannot go back on your words later. Alright?"


    "Umm hmm," Aria replied again, and for a second, Noah wondered if Aria even realized what she had gotten herself into. But he shook his head, for that was what she wanted, a blank promise. He would later fill the blank himself.


    "Great then. I will hold onto your words." Noah stated, and his excited voice brought the lost girl out of her reverie.


    "What?" She quizzed, frowning in confusion. ''What were we even talking about?'' She wondered.


    "Oh sweetheart, I cannot wait to see you. You will love whatever I have in mind for us, and I will love it even more." Noah''s mysterious words increased Aria''s confusion even more.


    ''What is Noah talking about, and what did I even promise him that he is this elated?'' Even though Aria tried to replay their conversation, she could not remember a word. ''Did I promise something weird to him?''


    Aria wanted to ask him about it. But she gave up, deciding to give into him this once. It was his birthday, and she would give him anything he wanted. He deserved it anyway, after everything she had done to him, after keeping a lot of secrets from him.


    "I will be waiting then," Aria added, surrendering to the man she loved the most.


    "Although I want to keep talking to you all night, you need to take a rest. I will see you tomorrow. I love you." Noah ended the call after Aria''s reply, and he smiled, giddy with happiness. "Aria, you have no idea what you signed up for. But don''t worry love. I will make sure you will love every second of it."

 Chapter 465: Prepare a blast

    A knock at the door brought Noah out of his devilish thoughts, and he opened it to find Ian standing outside his room. "Am I disturbing you?" Ian queried, bending over to see if Noah was in the midst of some work. Although his voice was genuine, there was mischief lingering in his eyes, and Noah''s lips twitched, seeing his friend tease him.


    "Now that Joshua is temporarily on leave, have you taken his job of being a jester?" Noah walked back and plopped on the bed, keeping the door wide open.


    "Someone has to fill his shoes to keep life balanced. Otherwise, what use is it to stay serious all the time?" Ian followed Noah and sat on the couch beside the door. "Before I forget, happy birthday."


    "Yeah, thanks." Noah nodded at him, and Ian narrowed his eyes, seeing the man''s cold response.


    "What kind of differential treatment is this?" Ian complained, folding his hands. "I am sure when Aria wished you, you were all smiles and chuckles. But when I wish you, all I receive is a cold response. Looks like Noah is forgetting friendship after he got into a relationship." Ian commented in all seriousness, and Noah rolled his eyes, giving him a bored look.


    "Looks like you have officially taken over Joshua''s job. Even your jokes as bad as his. You need to improve a lot, Ian."


    Ian just scoffed at him, crossing his legs in the meanwhile. "Don''t change the topic."


    "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to hug you and thank you for your wishes? Or do you want me to stare at you with a love-filled gaze for wishing me on the birthday?" Noah raised his eyebrows, and Ian almost coughed out blood hearing him. His friend was as brazen as ever, sparing no one, not even him.


    "Oh, please." Ian shook his head frantically. "Save all your acts for Aria. I am sure she would love them. Spare me."


    "Definitely."


    "Ah, my friends are becoming lovesick fools. God save them." Ian looked at the ceiling as though he was praying for his friends sincerely, and Noah shook his head as he stifled a yawn.


    "We will see how lovesick you will be when you find the one. Given your character, I am sure you will fall deep into it compared to any of us." Noah sassed, and now it was Ian''s turn to roll his eyes.


    "We will see when that day comes. But I am sure my case will not be a severe as yours. Joshua and you cannot even keep your hands off your women. If this continues, I am sure within a year, babies will be crawling in your houses."


    "You cannot blame us for it. Aria is so cute and sexy. I cannot control myself around her."


    "See I told you. You are a lovesick fool."


    "You are right. I am."


    "I am always right." Ian shrugged as though it was not a big deal for him.


    "But you are wrong in the babies'' part. We will not be having babies any time soon. I don''t want them to come in between us soon. I wish to spend more time with my woman before we start a family." Noah said with a straight face as though he was discussing the weather, and Ian nodded at him, understanding his perspective. Noah was barely thirty, and it made no sense that he had kids soon. The young couple needed some quality time with each other. So, it was best they started a family when they were comfortable and ready.


    "Your grandfather will be annoyed at you. You know he has a lot of expectations from you." Ian hinted with a smirk.


    "I am not the only one who can give him grandkids. I am sure my sister would be more than willing to. Let him ask her." Noah stated, and Ian chuckled at hearing his amusing response.


    "Sure, sure. We will see what will happen when Grandfather finds out your intention. Anyway, did Aria tell you about herself?"


    "Not yet. Although she has given me bits and pieces, she is yet to reveal everything. But it does not matter to me if she wants to keep it a secret forever. It is her choice if she wants to do so."


    "Are you sure? Don''t you want to know why she became that way?" Ian questioned, blinking at the man, who seemed a lot more mature than he used to be.


    "I want to. I want to know everything about her. But if she wants to keep it a secret, I will not force her to reveal them." Noah shook his head, showing his determination in his words and his trust in his woman.


    "Aren''t you angry that she hid such a huge matter from you?" Ian could not stop himself, for he was curious how Noah felt about Aria''s lie. "Do you remember how Aria had been furious when she found out about her father? She hadn''t spoken to us for days."


    "I was angry but it was just at that moment," Noah said, recalling the day Aria had asked him to save Maggie. "I realized that Aria never did anything that hurt me. She has secrets that are nowhere related to me. They don''t concern me or my family, or their well-being. Whereas I kept her father''s whereabouts a secret from her. The twins have been searching for him for years, and if my hunch is right, that might be one of the reasons why Maggie joined Jared''s gang. So, if we consider in this aspect, Aria''s secrets are not that big a deal."


    "You are right," Ian understood what Noah wanted to convey. It was true that neither Aria nor Ivy hid anything substantial from the men, unlike them who had kept them away from their father for three years. "Aria''s lie is nothing in front of what we have done, and I am still amazed that she forgave us that quickly. If I was in her place, maybe I would have not been that understanding."


    "I agree. I am quite fortunate to have such an amazing woman in my life, and Joshua is one lucky idiot." Noah added, a small smile making its way on his lips.


    "Yeah, unlike Aria, Ivy did not even blame him for our mistake. For this, I envy you two. Both of you found amazing life partners. I am sure they will keep you happy forever."


    "What about us? Don''t you think we will keep them happy?"


    "Oh, I did not say that. I am sure you guys will treasure them for life. Honestly, I am glad for you guys."


    "Oh, don''t worry Ian. You will find someone amazing too, and she will treasure you for life."


    Ian did not comment about it, for he was scared. He had already lost a lot of things in life, and he did not want to fall in love, only to lose her too. "I will leave now. You need to take good rest. Otherwise, how will you be prepared for Aria''s surprise?"


    "Did Aria tell you about it?" Noah was flabbergasted to hear his friend speak about it when he himself did not know a word about it.


    "Nope. But I guessed. Otherwise, she would not have applied for leave tomorrow. I presume she must have prepared a blast for you. So, birthday boy, take good rest and wait for your surprise."

 Chapter 466: Contradictory thoughts

    Noah could not sleep the entire night, for he was busy thinking about Aria''s surprise. Every few minutes he checked the time, hoping for the sun to rise soon. He had had never felt this way before, for there was no girl with whom he wanted to celebrate his birthday. For the first time, he was happy to have someone who he loved dearly to celebrate his birthday with her.


    Noah checked his phone again, only to grumble in annoyance. Barely ten minutes had passed since the last time he had checked his phone. "Why is time running slow today?" He sulked, twisting his body to find a comfortable position on the bed. After being accustomed to sleeping with Aria in his embrace, he was finding it difficult to sleep the last few days. Only he knew how he had forced himself to sleep, keeping himself awake until he fell asleep in exhaustion.


    Finally, at the crack of dawn, Noah succumbed to what his body was craving for and fell into a deep sleep. By the time he got up, it was past one. Seeing the time on his phone, he jumped off the bed with a start. "Shit!! How the heck did I sleep for so long?" He mumbled, running his hand through his messy hair.


    He glanced at his phone to find a lot of missed calls from his parents, his grandfather, Rachel, and some of his business partners. Immediately, he called his grandfather, who bellowed from the other side as soon as the call connected. "You unfilial grandson. How dare you not pick up my phone?"


    "Old man, please don''t shout. I can hear well, and I don''t want to become deaf, like you." Though Noah tried to mutter the last two words to himself, his grandfather had heard them clearly.


    "What do you mean? Am I deaf?" Instead of reducing his volume, he only increased his voice, stunning the butler who was passing by him. The man gave him a strange look before he walked away, shaking his head. Whenever his Master spoke to his grandson, he argued like a small kid. And though the butler had been accustomed to it, he still found their conversation hilarious and peculiar.


    "Aren''t you?" Noah shot back, irking Jonathan all the more. "If you are not deaf, you would have reduced your volume by now." He rubbed his forehead, smiling helplessly at the childish argument they were having on his birthday.


    This shut his grandfather, and he stopped arguing. "Why didn''t you pick up my phone earlier? Before I forget, Happy Birthday. May you make lots of babies for me to play with." He wished, his words making Noah roll his eyes.


    "I was sleeping. And thank you for your wishes" Noah''s answer was short, and he pulled out his towel, preparing to get ready for the day.


    "Why were you sleeping until now?. It''s already lunchtime. Don''t tell me..." Jonathan paused when the realization hit him, and he smiled wickedly, his eyes gleaming in delight. "Were you busy with that girl? Is this the reason why you got up late?"


    Though his grandfather had not mentioned it explicitly, Noah knew what the old man was talking about, and his lips twitched, wondering how his brain even worked. Every time they met, all he talked about was asking him grandbabies or lewd topics like this. Noah contemplated if his grandfather had studied the topic and has a doctorate in it.


    "No, I was awake until dawn, and Aria is not with me."


    "Not with you." Jonathan narrowed his eyes, grasping his cane tightly. "Where is she?


    "She is on night duty," Noah answered, his eyes falling on a purple lace bra that was peeking from under the folded clothes on the table. His eyes widened suddenly, seeing the slinky piece of clothing, and he wondered why Aria had left the clothes on the table instead of arranging them in the closet.


    Slowly, he inched towards the pile of clothes, his eyes not leaving the purple bra. Noah was so focused on it that he had not listened to a word his grandfather had spoken.


    "Are you even listening to me?" Jonathan growled when he did not get any response from his grandson even after a minute had passed. This got Noah''s attention, and he blinked several times, looking around to see where he was. "Noah? You unfilial grandson, are you there?" Jonathan queried again.


    "Grandpa, I will call you later." Without even saying goodbye, Noah ended the call and dropped the phone beside the pile of clothes. His hands automatically stretched towards the bra, and before he knew it, the skimpy clothing was in his hands. Noah swallowed, his body turning hot all of a sudden. An image popped up in his mind where Aria was wearing only the purple bra with a matching undergarment. And just his imagination was enough to send him on overdrive.


    He had seen Aria naked once but still, he could not control his raging desire for her just after seeing her freshly washed bra.


    "Do you think this a hint she is giving you?" A tiny voice popped up in his mind, and a demonic Noah in black clothes sat on his shoulder, swinging his legs slowly. "Is this the surprise she has prepared for you?"


    "Do you think so? Is this what she wants to surprise me with?" Noah could not control his excitement, thinking what lay ahead for him if his suspicions were. "Is this what Aria wants to give me?" He mumbled only to be interrupted by another voice.


    "I don''t think so. I think she just forgot to place her clothes back in the closet." An angelic Noah in white clothes sat on his other shoulder, trying to balance himself to stay seated. "It was a genuine mistake."


    Noah''s excitement vanished hearing these words, and he became crestfallen at once. "Is that so?" He mumbled, running his fingers through the soft material that regularly caressed his girl''s skin.


    "Why are lying to him? It is definitely a hint Aria has left him." The demonic Noah glared at the angel, who pouted lightly at being scolded. "Otherwise, why would she forget to place the clothes back in the closet exactly on this special day? This is her surprise."


    Noah nodded at once, his excitement returning on his face. "Yes, he is right. Aria never leaves her clothes unattended. I am sure this is an indication. She is giving me a glimpse of what I can expect later in the day." Noah mumbled, tightening his hold on the bra.


    "No, it is not. You are thinking too far ahead. Don''t get your hopes high. As I said before, what if it was a genuine mistake? You will regret it later if my words turn out to be true." The angel spoke again, and this time even Noah glared at him, scaring the angel.


    "There is nothing wrong in having hopes. It''s his birthday. Even if this is not the surprise Aria has prepared for him, he can still try it out. Who knows she might accept to give him what he wants?" The demon continued.


    "Don''t try to feed him ideas, you demon." The angel stood up, placing his hands on his waist. "You are a bad influence on him."


    "I am just saying the truth. It is up to him to think what he wants."


    With a poof, both the angel and the demon disappeared, leaving Noah to suffer from contradictory thoughts.

 Chapter 467: Eager Ivy

    Noah got dressed for the day with great difficulty, his mind still trying to decipher Aria''s intentions behind leaving the clothes unattended. On one side, he wanted her desperately. He wanted to kiss her, caress her and make love to her. But on the other hand, he did not want to do anything Aria was not ready for.


    Noah sent out the day''s orders to his assistant with conflicted thoughts, though more than half a day had passed. Since the time Joshua had been shot, he had not attended his office, throwing all his work to his assistant, Shane. Though the poor man was overworked, he could only swallow his complaints, for he knew the situation his Boss was in. Moreover, Shane knew that his Boss would give him the long overdue vacation once everything returned to normal.


    Noah was dressed in just a pair of black jeans and a dark blue shirt, and it was enough for Ivy to drool at him. She was setting up the dining table when she saw the birthday boy walking down looking like a model straight out of a fashion magazine.


    Noah noticed his sister-in-law''s star-struck gaze, and he chuckled lightly. "Ivy, control yourself. What will happen if Joshua finds out?" He teased, taking his seat.


    "I can''t help it. You look so suave and sexy, and hey, I have my right to ogle at charming men." Ivy winked at him, making Noah shake his head. "By the way, a very happy birthday. May you give me lots of nieces and nephews soon."


    Noah sighed as soon as he heard her words. They were no different than what his grandfather had asked him. He wondered if everyone had joined hands to tease him about babies. "No duffer. This is the hint as to what you should do next. It is time you take your relationship to the next level and make love to your woman." A voice echoed in his mind, and this time, there was no angel of demon advising him.


    "You want her. Accept it and take her to bed. I am sure the girl wants it too." The voice continued, garnering Noah''s attention. "Take the lead. But if your woman is not ready, you can always back off." Noah nodded, accepting the advice at once.


    Ivy frowned seeing the man''s strange behavior. She snapped his fingers before him, startling him. "Hello, Earth to Noah. Are you alright? Where are you so lost?" She queried, placing a plate in front of him.


    Noah''s eyes widened seeing the dish on the plate. Instead of answering her, he returned with a question of his own. "Ivy, what is this?"


    "I did not know what to gift you on your birthday. So, I thought of preparing a small cheesecake just for you. This is one of my best dishes, and Aria loves them. Take a bite and tell me how it is." Ivy urged, and Noah did as he was told, only to moan in delight.


    "This is so good, Ivy. I have never had cheesecake as good as this before." He chimed, taking another bite of the delicacy.


    "Isn''t it? I knew it. Aria loves them like crazy. So, I thought of preparing this for you. I knew you would like it."


    "Yes, it is very delicious." Noah looked around him when he found Oliver and Maggie missing. "By the way, where are Mr. West and Maggie?"


    "Dad and Maggie are working on something."


    "And, didn''t you join them?"


    "I was waiting for you. Hey, hey, you need to eat lunch too. Don''t fill your stomach with just the dessert." Ivy added, and Noah nodded at her.


    "Why were you waiting for me?" Noah queried with a frown, filling his plate with the fried rice Ivy had prepared.


    "If you remember, Mister, we were supposed to go to the hospital in the morning. But the birthday boy decides to be late today." Ivy glared at him, making Noah chuckle. "I could not even leave on my own. Your guards forbade me from leaving without you."


    "They did a great job. They deserve a raise." Noah commented, licking his lips. "Where is Ian? You could have gone with him." He shrugged as though he was mocking Ivy for not thinking about this option.


    "I would have if he had come down. Just like you, he too is yet to come out of his cozy room." Ivy muttered, and just on cue, Ian walked out, stifling a yawn. "Here comes the lazy man."


    "Was someone scolding me just now? I could hear it even in my sleep." Ian muttered, pouring himself a glass of water. "Her curses were so loud that my sleep broke." Noah chortled, hearing Ian tease Ivy, while all Ivy could do was glare at the man.


    "Very funny." She scrunched up her face in anger, and this only left the two men in splits. "Noah, can you finish your dinner soon? I want to go to Joshua as fast as I can."


    "That reminds me." Noah swallowed the food in his mouth before staring at Ian questioningly. "Why didn''t you go to the hospital today?"


    "Did you forget what I told? I am taking Aria''s shift today until the day after tomorrow. I need rest to survive a day and a half in the hospital." Ian sat on the chair beside Noah and helped himself to some fried rice.


    "I see. So, Aria is on leave tomorrow too." Noah mumbled to himself in glee, once again his thoughts running wild, thinking all he could do to her. But he shook his head at once, clearing them when he realized where he was.


    Ivy waited until Noah finished eating, and without even waiting for him, she stood up. "Let''s go." She chirped, picking up her bag she had prepared beforehand, and even before Noah could respond, she was out of the dining hall.


    "Looks like someone is eager to meet her man," Ian commented, seeing the girl run, and Noah nodded at him, for he too was in a similar condition. Just like Ivy, he too wanted to meet his woman.


    "I''ll see you later." He nodded at Ian and walked behind Ivy, a smile gracing his lips.


    "Come fast, lover boy." Ivy waved at him. "We are already late. Your woman is eagerly waiting for you." Her last words were enough for Noah to pick up his pace and hurry towards his car.

 Chapter 468: Crazy woman

    Aria checked her watch again as she waited for Noah. She had expected him to be at the hospital in the morning. But to her surprise, it was past lunchtime, and his whereabouts were still unknown. She had already informed Ivy about Joshua''s condition, and when she had called her two hours ago, they were yet to leave the mansion. ''Where are they?'' She wondered, clasping her fingers.


    Her phone was dead, and Aria had to go all the way to the reception or her office to make a call. Though she wanted to enquire his whereabouts, her laziness got the best of her, and she sat beside Joshua, who was now in the VIP ward.


    His condition had improved significantly overnight, and they had shifted him to the VIP ward for his recovery. His breathing was stable, and his face had gained color. Unable to control her impatience, Aria got up and started to walk back and forth, taking a look at her watch frequently. Though she wanted to go to the reception, she did not want to leave Joshua alone, not when there were Jared''s men lurking around them. She had to be careful. Noah''s men were keeping an eye on them in secret, but she did not want to take any risks.


    "Can you stop walking already? You making me dizzy." Joshua mumbled, watching the girl move around in anxiety.


    "Oh, you are awake." Aria stopped pacing around and approached him. "Good afternoon. How do you feel now?"


    "Lethargic." Joshua groaned and tried to move even though pain shot through his body.


    "Do you want to sit?" Aria queried, and when the man nodded, she helped him to sit. "Other than lethargy, do you feel anything else?" She checked his vitals, making sure that everything else was alright.


    "My shoulder aches."


    "That is a given as you were shot. Anything else?"


    "How about weakness?"


    "You lost a lot of blood. So, you are bound to be weak. You need to rest more." Aria replied, adjusted the pillow behind him.


    "Am I going to die?" Joshua asked out of the blue, and Aria stopped writing on the notepad. If not for the mischief lingering in his eyes, she would have assumed him to be serious.


    "Joshua, your level of jokes has reduced after you got shot." She sassed and continued with her task.


    "Can''t help, Aria. My humor ran in my blood, and due to the blood loss, I lost my humor too. So, I am yet to adjust to the unknown blood coursing through my body." He came back strongly, and Aria glared at him.


    "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Not only were you shot, but you also suffered from hemophilia. Do you know how critical your condition was?" Aria could not control her anger, and she burst out, stunning Joshua. "Don''t pull this stunt ever again. Otherwise, I will not allow you to marry my sister."


    Joshua was about to apologize to her when her last words stopped him. "What? No. You cannot stop me from marrying my Ivy." There was a swift change in his voice, and Aria was all too familiar with it. It was how Noah behaved when he went possessive over her.


    "Oh, I can. You should have seen the way she had broken down seeing you struggle to live. If you do this to her again, I will not allow you to be with her." Aria huffed, and Joshua had the sudden urge to laugh after seeing her cute expression.


    "Aria, are you trying to guilt-trip me the first thing I wake up?"


    "So what if I am? And how do you have so much energy considering how weak you are?" Aria frowned in confusion. "Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something?" Even before the man answered, she poured a glass of water and handed it to him.


    "What can I say? Maybe I am just strong." Joshua shrugged and took the glass with a smile.


    "Says the man who was feeling weak just a moment ago."


    "Touche, Aria. Touche. By the way, where is my darling? Why isn''t she here yet?" His word of endearment made Aria raise her brows.


    "Darling? Since when did you start to show off your love?"


    "Since the time I said a quick hello to death. I realized how short our life is. Anything could happen in the next instant. Since I have come back, I should do things I always wanted to, and this is one of them." Joshua said with pride, licking his lips after emptying the glass.


    "I see." Aria took the glass back from him. "Your darling is yet to arrive. I called her two hours ago, and they were yet to depart then. Maybe they are on the way."


    "Well, call her again. I want to see her. She must be going berserk on not seeing me. I cannot keep my love waiting." Joshua winked at her, and Aria was surprised to see the drastic change in him. It was as though he had become a new man. But at the same time, he was not.


    Joshua noticed the girl''s gaze on him, and he shook his head at her. "Aria, what are you waiting for? Call her."


    His voice brought her out of her reverie, and Aria''s face scrunched up. "My phone is dead, and I will have to go to the reception to call her. Don''t worry, she will be here soon."


    "She better be." He mumbled under his breath. Joshua wanted to see Ivy first the moment he woke up. But both times she had been absent. Though he understood the reason for her absence, he could not hide his displeasure. The moment he had been shot, her face had flashed before him. It was then he realized how important she was for him, more than he had thought her to be.


    "You are unbelievably talkative, given your situation. I must say I am surprised. "Are you sure you don''t want anything? What about some soup or porridge? You must be famished by now."


    "I am not hungry, yet. I will wait for Ivy."


    "You are in luck then. I have asked her to prepare some soup for you. You will get to taste it."


    "Yes. Good job, Dr. West. I am craving Ivy''s food." Joshua applauded her, and Aria shrugged as though it was not a big deal.


    "Ah, yes. Your parents visited in the morning. They will visit again in the evening." Aria did not forget to inform him about them, and Joshua nodded with his lips pursed. He sighed lightly, worrying about what laid ahead for him. His parents would nag him for sure for ignoring his life, and Joshua had no choice but to put up with them.


    A commotion attracted Aria and Joshua, and they looked at each other in confusion. "What is happening?" Joshua questioned, taking a look at the door.


    "I have no idea. Let me take a look." Aria opened the door to the ward only to find Amber quarreling with the guards stationed outside Joshua''s ward.


    ''What the heck!'' Aria cursed in her mind. ''Why is this troublesome woman here again?'' She was just about to close the door when Amber noticed her.


    "You," She pointed at her, making Aria stop. "Ask these men to step aside. I need to meet my boyfriend." She commanded, and Aria raised her eyebrows at her, seeing her audacity.


    "Look, Miss. This is a hospital. There are some protocols you will have to follow, and one of them is to not disturb the patients. Please mind your manners." Though Aria had the urge to kick the woman out of the place, she controlled herself.


    "You," Amber narrowed her eyes, observing Aria closely. She found her to be familiar. But she could not remember where she had seen her. "How dare you! Don''t you know who I am? You cannot stop me from meeting my boyfriend. Now, ask these men to move away before I complain to the authorities about your disrespectful behavior."


    "Oh, please do. I would like to see who the authorities will support." Aria was amused by the girl. She was completely insane, and Aria wondered how Joshua had put up with her when he was dating her. "I would like to know if they will support a madwoman on the loose."


    Aria''s words made the guards laugh, and Amber glared at her. Aria was covering the entrance to the ward. So, Amber could not see anything behind her. "Look, the man inside the ward is my boyfriend, and you have no idea how powerful he is. Step aside before I get you suspended from your job." She threatened, donning an arrogant expression.


    Aria was just about to retaliate when Ivy beat her to it. "Why is the crazy woman here again?"

 Chapter 469: Warning

    "Why is the crazy woman here again?" Ivy glowered at the woman, who she had come to loathe slowly.


    Since her sister was here to deal with her man''s ex, Aria stepped aside, smiling widely at Noah. The man did not hesitate to go to her, choosing to ignore the disgusted woman. Ivy would take care of her, and if things were to go wrong, he was here to help her.


    "Happy birthday," Aria mouthed and pecked him lightly, not caring what other thought about her actions. Noah grinned at her. Although he wanted to kiss her back, he controlled himself. They were at the hospital, and the situation was not favorable for him to do as he pleased.


    "Who did you call crazy?" Amber seethed. Was one woman not enough that another decided to join hands to humiliate her?


    "I did not know you were crazy and deaf. My bad." Ivy tilted her head in apology, irking Amber all the more. "Now, if you will excuse us. You are polluting the air around us, and I prefer to breathe clean and pure air." Ivy did not hold back, her savage reply causing chuckles to erupt from people around her. Since they were in front of the VIP ward, not many people were walking by them, and Ivy was glad that they did not have a huge audience.


    "Ivy is cool," Noah commented, hugging Aria from the side.


    "Whose sister is she?" Aria lifted her chin in pride, and Noah nodded, accepting her words without any hesitation.


    "How dare you! Don''t you know who I am?" Amber gritted her teeth, and Aria rolled her eyes, wondering if the girl even knew other words than these.


    "No, I don''t. Was I supposed to know who you are?" Ivy asked, donning a confused face.


    Ronnie had been late in joining his Boss and Ivy, and the moment he arrived at the VIP ward, he was presented with a hilarious scene. Ivy was bashing Amber black and blue, and her words slapped the girl hard. Even he could not control his laughter after hearing Ivy''s ridicule.


    "You are committing a grave mistake." Amber''s anger was at the peak, and she was just short of exploding.


    "Is it? Why didn''t anyone inform me about it?" Ivy shrugged, taking a look at her sister and Noah. "And Miss," Ivy fixed her gaze on Amber again, her frightening expression alarming Amber. "If you want people to know who you are, then I suggest you wear a name tag. It will be easy for them."


    "You will regret crossing me." Amber threatened. "You don''t know who my boyfriend is and what he capable of. Once you will find out, you will beg me on your knees to spare you. Let me warn you one last time." Amber took a step closer to Ivy, haughtiness evident on her face. "Apologise to me, and I will let you go. Otherwise..."


    "Oh, I am scared. Mommy, please save me." Ivy lifted her hands in mock surrender before she scoffed lightly. "Your threats will not work on me. And which boyfriend are you talking about? There is no one here."


    "Don''t you know Joshua Martin? He is my boyfriend, and we will be getting married soon." Amber replied as though she was already married to him, and Ivy had the sudden urge to puke.


    "Miss, I think you got the wrong address. This is a normal hospital, not a hospital for mental patients. I presume your driver made a mistake when he was delivering you here." Once again, Ivy''s words left everyone in splits, and Amber had had it enough. She was beyond furious, and in a fit, she raised her hand to slap the girl who had blatantly insulted her in front of everyone.


    However, Ivy was quicker, and she stopped her, glowering over her. She threw her hand away, the force making Amber stumble. "If you are done with your drama, get lost from here. We have dealt enough of trash for today."


    "Aria, who is it?" At the moment. Joshua''s voice fell on everyone''s ears, and Ivy''s expression shifted from being annoyed to ecstatic. She completely ignored the woman beside her and entered the ward, her face brightening up as soon as she saw her man.


    She dropped the lunch box she had brought with her on the table before she rushed to the man, who was equally delighted as her, and hugged him, making sure not to press on his wounds. "Joshua," At once, she teared up. How long had it been since she last hugged him? How long had it been since she was this close to him? When was the last time she had held him close to her heart? She did not remember them, and it felt like a century had passed. Now that Ivy was in Joshua''s embrace, she felt safe, happy, and contented. She was finally home.


    Joshua too was joyous to have the girl he loved in his arms and he welcomed her happily. However, their moment of bliss was short-lived, for Amber had pushed herself through the small gap, forcing herself inside the ward when neither Aria nor Noah was looking at her. The woman saw red when she Joshua hugging Ivy, and she yelled at the top of her voice, stunning everyone in the room. "Joshua, what the heck are you doing?"


    Her shriek startled the couple, and Ivy pulled back, gritting her teeth in anger. ''What the fuck is wrong this woman? Can''t she understand my words?'' Her face turned cold at once, and she stared at Joshua, only to find him gazing at her. He had not even glanced at the intruder, focusing all his attention on Ivy. He pushed a strand of hair, behind her ear and smiled at her, liking their current position.


    "Sweetheart, I missed you." He stated, his heartwarming words making Ivy giddy. "I am sorry for putting you through this agony. I promise this will never happen again." He accepted his mistake even before Ivy could complain about them, and just like that her complaints vanished. The man''s innocent and loveable look had melted her heart, and she could not help but kiss his cheek.


    "I hope you will hold onto this promise," Ivy spoke with a serious face, and Joshua nodded at her frantically.


    "Joshua," Once again, Amber whined, and Ivy was done entertaining the woman. She was ruining her sweet moments with her man, and that was something Ivy was not ready to tolerate.


    Ivy pulled away from Joshua and stood up, facing Amber. "Look, Amber. I am done tolerating your nonsense. Leave from here before I lose my mind. Joshua is my man, and he will be in the future too. Get out of your hallucinations. And I hope this is the last time I see you here. I don''t want to ruin my mood seeing your repulsive face."


    Ivy then glanced at Aria, who was observing everything silently. She nodded at her, and at once both the sisters inched towards Amber, terrifying her. "What are you doing? You cannot harm me." She cried, taking a step away from them. "Joshua, why aren''t you saying anything? You..." She shrieked when Aria and Ivy picked her up on either side, and before she knew it, they threw her out of the ward.


    Ivy dusted her hands, her gaze stern, and cold. "Stay away from Joshua. Otherwise, you will have to face my wrath." She snapped her fingers, pointing them at Amber. "I am warning you."

 Chapter 470: Curiosity kills

    Noah and Joshua observed how Aria and Ivy threw Amber out of the ward in shock. They could not mask their surprise by the way they had dealt with the disgusting woman, who had lost all her morales. Just her mere presence was suffocating them, especially Joshua, who did not want to be bothered with her. And he had the urge to puke whenever she had addressed him as her boyfriend.


    Joshua was not her boyfriend and never was. It was all a delusion he had been in after falling for Amber''s schemes. He was just a use-and-throw boyfriend for her, and he realized it only after he met Ivy. Amber had never cherished him how Ivy did. She had never cared once for him. Heck! She had never even bothered to be by his side when he had fallen sick.


    Joshua realized the harsh truth late. But he was happy that he did. Otherwise, he would still be stuck up in the past even though he was with Ivy. "Wasn''t Ivy sexy right now?" He commented, his eyes fixed on her. "It was so hot to see her argue with Amber. I loved every word of hers."


    "She sure was excellent. But I think Aria was better." Noah could not move his mind away from the words Aria had told Amber before Ivy took over. Both the sisters had dealt with such finesse that the men could not help but love them more.


    "We are blessed to have them in our life," Joshua added, gazing at Ivy with love. "I am falling in love with her all over again."


    "You are right. I still don''t know what I did to deserve Aria." Noah added with a warm smile. "I could not love her more even if I want to."


    "Joshua is my man, mine. Period. I will never allow anyone to come in between us." Joshua''s brows raised at her words. He had never seen such a side of hers, and he could not deny he was loving every second of it. Possessive Ivy was the best Ivy, and he wanted to hear more of such words from her. Unlike before when Aria had kept her voice low, Ivy did not even bother about it. So, he could hear every word clearly.


    "Bitch, Joshua was my boyfriend and will always be. Now get out of my way. My boyfriend is waiting for me." Amber tried to push Ivy, who was blocking her exit. But Ivy defended herself quickly, making the woman stagger on her heels. Amber held the door to support herself. Otherwise, her butt would have kissed the ground, and from the force of it, she was sure it would have been painful.


    "How dare you push me!!" Amber seethed, clenching her fists.


    "Oh my!! Did I? I am not sorry then." Ivy''s come back was strong, and both Joshua and Noah were amused by her, let alone the guards who had not stopped laughing since the time the hateful woman had made an appearance.


    "You..you.." Amber did not have any idea how to retaliate. The woman before her was too smart for her to deal with. "I will complain to Joshua."


    "Sure, go ahead. As if he will listen to you." Ivy scoffed. Without waiting for Amber''s reply, she slammed the door on her face. ''How annoying!!'' She took a deep breath to calm her fury before she turned to face the two men. "Yes, where were we before awful woman disturbed us?" A relieved smile replaced her furious face, discarding all the anger she had in her.


    Her swift change in personality stunned the two men, and they gaped at her, unable to comprehend how she was able to do it this quickly. Aria just chuckled seeing their surprised faces. She had been long accustomed to her sister''s antics.


    "Ivy, did I tell you how sexy you were just now?" Joshua uttered, unable to take his eyes off her.


    "Aren''t I? I know I am charming." Ivy flicked her hair, and Aria shook her head in helplessness.


    "Noah, it''s best we leave from her. Otherwise, these two will drown us in their sweetness." She picked up her bag.


    "Correct. It is our retribution for acting all lovey-dovey in front of me when Joshua was unconscious. It''s your turn to experience misery." Ivy stuck out her tongue in playfulness.


    "I would have stayed back to show you how sweet we could be with each other. But I have other plans. You see, I need to celebrate my man''s birthday. So, I''ll get going."


    "What?" Joshua was stunned to hear her. "Is it Noah''s birthday already?"


    "What do you think?" Noah raised an eyebrow at him.


    "Damn it!! I had a gift to give you which you could use on your birthday. I am sure you would have loved it. Never mind. I will give it to you once I get discharged. You can use it some other time. It has lifetime validity." Joshua winked at him, and from his words, Noah could more or less guess what his gift might be. He glared at him, though he was secretly delighted from within.


    Though his face said nothing, Aria could sense the excitement from him. She could not help but wonder about the gift Joshua was talking about. But before she could ask the man about his gift, Noha ushered her towards the door.


    "Be careful. Amber might still be outside." Ivy voiced out, taking her seat beside Joshua, who welcomed her with glee. And just as she had claimed, Amber was right outside the ward.


    "Haven''t you gone yet?" Aria frowned, loathing the woman for her brazen behavior.


    "Why will I leave? It is you people who must leave." Amber spat.


    Noah was done entertaining the woman. He sighed lightly before he pulled out his phone and texted Ian about the problem. Within minutes, two guards arrived, and they stood in front of Amber. "Excuse me, Miss. You will have to leave the hospital right away." They stated politely.


    "Why should I? I am here to meet a patient. You cannot ask me to go." Amber argued, glaring at Aria.


    "You are disturbing the atmosphere of the place. The patient in this ward has complained to the authorities, and if you will not leave on your own accord, we will have to force you to." The two hospital guards closed in on her, making her take a step back.


    "You...you... you cannot force me." Amber stuttered, clutching her purse in fear.


    "We will not if you leave on your own, Miss. The choice is yours."


    Amber glowered at the couple who had shown no mercy on her before she stomped on her foot and walked away.


    "Thank you for your help." Aria thanked the two guards, who nodded at her.


    "She is so annoying," Aria mumbled, closing the door after her once Noah and she was out of the ward. "I wonder how Joshua put up with her when he was with her."


    "Forget about her. She is not worth our time." Noah held Aria''s hand and clasped his fingers with hers. "Joshua has moved on, and he has found the best girl he ever could. Let''s focus on us. What are you planning to do today? Where is my gift?" Immediately, Aria''s bra popped up in his mind, and he could not control his excitement.


    "That, my dear, is a surprise. We have to be somewhere soon. Let''s leave before it''s too late." Aria did not hint at what she had planned for him, keeping Noah in the dark. And all Noah could do was pout, the curiosity killing him.

 Chapter 471: Weak? No way!!

    Ivy held the spoon in front of Joshua, waiting for him to drink the soup. Though Joshua was capable of drinking it on his own, he liked the attention he was getting from his girl. He liked how she was fretting over everything related to him and how she cared for him. Even though Ivy had not revealed her emotions, he could grasp what she felt for him. She loved him more than he had thought, and her eyes said it all.


    Ivy noticed Joshua observing her, not making an effort to drink the soup. Her hand was still in the air, the spoon right in front of his lips. She frowned as she stared back at the man in confusion. "Is everything alright? Don''t you like the soup? Is it not to your liking? Do you want me to prepare something else?"


    Ivy blabbered, without thinking and Joshua''s lips quirked up in amusement seeing her flustered self. With answering any of the questions, he leaned forward and drank the soup, licking the spoon clean. His actions stunned Ivy, and she could not avert his gaze from him. Joshua held Ivy''s hand as he licked the spoon slowly, his tongue darting out sensually, igniting a desire in Ivy. She wriggled her hand out of his grasp but Joshua tightened his hold on her and pulled her close.


    "Joshua, what are you doing?" She narrowed her gaze, raising her eyebrows questioningly.


    "What am I doing, darling?" Joshua mused, throwing her question at her.


    "Let me go."


    "And, why would I do that?"


    "Because you need to finish the soup."


    "But I prefer to drink something else." Ivy blinked at him in confusion and stared at the man, who was smirking at her devilishly. Her eyes widened when the realization hit her. But she quickly composed herself, donning a teasing smile on her face.


    "But to do that you need to be strong. And currently, you are not. You are weak. So, listen to me and finish the soup like a good boy." Ivy ruffled his hair using her free hand, and Joshua glared at her making her smile wider.


    "Are you doubting my abilities?" He clutched her wrist tight, but not to the point of hurting her


    "Oh, no, no, Not all I. How could I?" Ivy shook her head at once, putting on an innocent face. "I am just saying that your current situation is unfavorable for you to do anything like you want to. You must eat and rest well so that you can recover quickly." Although Ivy did not say it directly, Joshua could hear her teasing him from the tone she was using.


    "Ivy, take back your words." He threatened lowly.


    "Did I say anything wrong? Why are you getting agitated?" Ivy questioned, tilting her head in confusion. Her face was an epitome of innocence as though she had no idea what they were talking about. But her eyes said otherwise. There was mischief lingering in them, and Joshua pursed his lips before he pulled her to him with force.


    Ivy gaped at him on being pulled suddenly, and she was now leaning over him, her lips barely an inch away from his face. Her one hand was still in Joshua''s grasp while the other was on his chest as she tried to support her body.


    "Joshua, what.."


    "You asked for it." That was all Joshua said before he slammed his lips on hers, taking her breath away. Ivy did not even have the time to pull away, for Joshua held her head, pushing her closer to him. If not for Ivy grasping Joshua''s bicep at the right moment, Ivy would have fallen over for sure.


    She stared at the man in shock as he nipped on her lips. ''Gosh! I missed this.'' He sighed in bliss as he continued to kiss her, coaxing her gently to open up for him. However, Ivy''s mouth remained shut, for she was still stupefied as she stared back at him with her eyes wide.


    Joshua released her head as he continued to kiss her and wrapped his hand around her waist. Even before Ivy knew it, she was sitting on the bed, with her front pressing Joshua''s chest. "You.." She tried to open her mouth to protest. But the man swallowed all her complaints as he plunged his tongue inside her mouth.


    Now, Ivy had no way to move away. Except for her left hand, Joshua was restraining her, forcing her to succumb to him, and Ivy too did not have the heart to break the kiss. She had waited to hug him, kiss him, and be this close for a long time. Now that she had got the opportunity finally, she did not want to lose it.


    Ivy closed her eyes as she kissed him back, tilting her head slightly as she adjusted to a comfortable position. Joshua''s heart flipped in joy, and he deepened the kiss, running his tongue inside her mouth before he wrapped them over hers. She tasted exactly as he remembered. Sweet and addictive, and Joshua could not get enough of her.


    They continued to kiss, their tongues involved in a fierce tango as they fought for dominance. Finally, Ivy relented to him, letting the man do as he pleased. Even though she was lost in the kiss, she made sure to keep herself away from his injured shoulder, putting no pressure on him.


    Joshua kissed her until he had sucked all the breath away from her, and finally, when he felt Ivy mewling in protest, he let go. But he made sure to keep her close as he watched her gasping for breath. A thin line of saliva connected their lips which broke the moment Ivy took in a deep breath.


    Her eyes were glazed, her lips swollen and her cheeks were tainted with a beautiful shade of pink. Joshua could not look away from her. He had never seen anyone this beguiling, and just her face was enough to take his breath away. "So lovely!!" He mumbled as he pushed the strand of hair that had fallen over his face.


    Joshua did not want to stop. Her beautiful face made him want to kiss her again, and he did just that. Once again, his lips attacked hers, taking Ivy with him again.


    Right at this moment, the door to the ward opened, and Ian entered. The scene he saw made him freeze in his spot, his smile vanishing from his face. Ivy was completely over Joshua while the man''s hand was wrapped her waist as they kissed each other without a care in the world. His eyes widened before he snapped out his stupor and he yelled in distress.


    "My eyes, my eyes, my eyes!!!"

 Chapter 472: Dramatic Ian

    "My eyes, my eyes, my poor eyes," Ian shouted at the top of his voice, startling Ivy and Joshua, who were lost in the kiss.


    Unlike Ivy and Noah, who had left right after eating their lunch, Ian had stayed back for some time. He knew Aria and Noah had plans, and Ivy would be all alone with Joshua. So, they had ordered Ronnie to stay behind until he arrived as a precaution. Ian had taken his good time to reach the hospital, for it would be his home for the next two days.


    But to his horror, Ian stumbled upon such a scene that corrupted his eyes. Joshua and Ivy were almost eating each other''s mouths. He covered his eyes at once, cursing his timing for entering at the wrong time. "What the hell guys? This is not your bedroom. This a hospital ward. Control yourself." Ian almost shouted, and Joshua glared at him for disturbing him at the wrong time.


    Joshua was liking his private session with Ivy as he kissed her to his heart''s content. But Ian interrupted him right when things were getting heated up, much to his dismay. He was frustrated and did not hesitate to show his state to his friend. "Why did you come here?"


    "Why shouldn''t I come here?" Ian asked with his eyes still closed.


    "Couldn''t you have come a little later?"


    "I am thinking the same. Why didn''t I come after an hour?" Ian mumbled, and Ivy closed her eyes in embarrassment. She did not have the courage to face Ian after being caught kissing by him. She did not show her face, burrowing her face in Joshua''s chest. "I did not want to see an R-rated movie. Correction: I do not want to see any R-rated movie. Now, I will have to sanitize my eyes."


    Ian peeked from in between in fingers to make sure that the couple was done kissing, only to find Joshua glaring at him. Ian dropped his hands, smiling widely at his friend as he approached him. "Thank God, you are done. I don''t think I would have been able to watch it any longer."


    "You are always welcome to leave the ward. We never called you here."


    "Ouch!" Ian touched his heart as though he was in pain. "I am hurt. I am really, really hurt." He stressed, making a pitiful face. But Joshua remained unfazed by it.


    "I am glad you are. You deserved it for disturbing us."


    "As I said before, this is a hospital. You will have to control yourself. Please wait until you are discharged if you want to make babies." Ian teased, grinning widely at the irked man. "And Ivy, how long are you going to hide your face from me? I have seen everything that you offered for me to see."


    Now, it was Ivy''s turn to glare at him. But Ian ignored her completely. "Where are Aria and Noah?" He queried, picking the notepad on which Aria had written about Joshua''s condition.


    "We have no idea where the love birds have gone," Joshua answered, smoothening Ivy''s shirt that had raised us a little.


    "Yeah. It''s their day, today. Who can stop them from getting all cozy and romantic?" Ian sassed as he read through the pages. "I never knew my friends had this side to them."


    "We will see how you will be when you get a woman. I am sure you will be worse than us." Ivy did not hold back and scrunched up her face in frustration.


    "By the way, I heard Amber visited you again. Am I right?" Ian asked as he placed the notepad back. "Did she create any problem?"


    "Again?" Joshua was stunned by the revelation. "What do you mean by again? Did she visit before too?"


    "Yeah, she did," Ivy answered, fury taking over as soon as she remembered the girl''s claims about Joshua.


    "Why did she come back all of a sudden now? She was done with me long ago." Joshua mused, taking a look at Ivy, whose anger was evident on her face.


    "Maybe she realized how wrong she was in leaving you. Maybe she found out that you are such an amazing man and there would be none who could match you. Maybe she is regretting her decisions." Ivy blurted her absent-mindedly, and Joshua raised his brows at her words.


    His lips raised when he realized that this was how she felt about him. He leaned closer to her. "Do you find me amazing, baby?" He teased, his low sensual voice falling on her ears, startling her.


    "Huh, what?"


    "You just called me amazing." He smiled, and Ivy was immediately lost in his eyes.


    "Oh, Lord! Not again, please. Guys, please wait until I am out of this ward before you two start flirting again." Ian commented from the side, snapping the couple''s sweet moment.


    Joshua gnashed his teeth, annoyed by the man who he called his friend. ''When did Ian become this insensitive?'' He wondered. "In that case, you are free to leave. We never stopped you."


    "Joshua," Ian made a pitiful face as though he was ready to cry any moment. "Is there no value for our friendship? Are you going to neglect me now that you have a girlfriend?" He wiped a non-existent tear, and Joshua rolled his eyes at him.


    ''Why is everyone being melodramatic after I got up? Have they contracted any disease when I was asleep?'' He wondered, taking a look at Ivy who was giggling at him. "Are you two done, or do you still have more to show me?"


    Ian smiled at him. "We are done for now." His smile slipped the next instant when he remembered about Amber. "On a serious note, you need to be careful. Amber seems to have lost her mind, claiming herself to be your girlfriend. I am not sure what she intends to do and why she has even come back."


    "I understand. I will keep my distance from her. She sounds trouble." Joshua added, recalling the day when Amber had called, and he had yelled at Ivy for no mistake of hers. That was the first time he had hurt his darling girl. Never did he want a repeat of the same. So, he wished to stay away from Amber. That girl seemed to have come back with a motive which he did not even intend to find out. Ivy was his life, and he did not want to do anything that might take his lovely girl away from him.

 Chapter 473: Erase the doubt

    Ian left the couple to themselves, giving them their moment of privacy. Though there were not many patients for him to check that day, he did not want to disturb the couple who seemed to be filled with passion. "It''s best I knock on the door before I enter the ward next time." He mumbled, closing the door after him.


    Ronnie was instructing the guards outside, and as soon as he saw Ian come out, he stopped talking, waiting for his orders, if any.


    "Add one more instruction to the list."  Seeing their confused gazes, Ian chuckled helplessly. "At any cost, I repeat, at any cost, don''t enter the room without knocking. Or you might be presented with an adult movie, live."


    The guards immediately understood what Dr. Davis was conveying, and they widened their eyes in disbelief. "But unlike me, who was lucky enough to leave the room unscathed, you might not make it out alive." Ian did not forget to add the possible threat and walked away, leaving a gaping Ronnie and his guards to continue to their job.


    "Come here," Joshua reached out to Ivy as soon as Ian left the ward. At some point in time, Ivy had moved away from him during their conversation with Ian. Though Joshua had not liked the distance between, he had not reacted except for letting out a frown. But he could not control himself any longer once Ian was gone.


    "Why? Do you need something?" Ivy queried, staring at him dubiously.


    "Yes, you. I need you. Now, come here." He shifted slightly, making space for her, and patted the spot with a smile.


    Ivy was not convinced. She sensed the man to be planning something, and by the looks of his face, she was certain that it was disadvantageous to her. Instead of taking a step towards the bed, she took a step away from him, making the man narrow his eyes. "No, I won''t," Ivy replied defiantly. "I don''t know what you will do to me."


    "I will do nothing. darling. I just want to hold you closer to me. Now, please come here and don''t make me wait any longer." Joshua almost pleaded, hiding his true intentions behind his innocent face.


    "Is that the only thing you want to do?" Ivy was still skeptical but she decided to trust him this once, and as soon as the man nodded, she walked towards the bed.


    "Please lie down beside me." Joshua patted, smiling lightly. If not for his injured shoulder, he would have pulled her to him at once and embraced her. Ivy did as she was told and quietly lied down beside him, making sure to stay away from him. However, even before she knew it, Joshua swiftly pulled her to him using his uninjured arm, and Ivy squeaked in surprise.


    "Joshua, what are you doing?" Ivy tried to wriggle her way out of his grasp. But Joshua held her tight in his embrace, and Ivy could not use much force, courtesy to his injured shoulder.


    "What am I doing?" He mumbled and hugged her, making sure to keep her away from his wounds.


    "You are injured," Ivy stated.


    "Yes. So, sweetheart, I recommend that you stop moving. Otherwise, you might open up my wounds." As soon as she heard Joshua''s words, Ivy stilled. She did not want to see him hurt again, and if her surrendering to him stopped him from exerting pressure on his shoulder, she would do so.


    Joshua''s lips arched up on seeing Ivy not moving, and he kissed her neck. "Good girl." He muttered before he kissed the same spot again, eliciting a moan from the girl.


    "Joshua, what are you doing? We are at the hospital." Ivy chided him even though she did not move away from him, allowing him to do as he pleased.


    "So what? Nobody will disturb us. Don''t worry." He replied before he sucked on the spot he had kissed before, and Ivy held his bicep to stop herself from trembling.


    "But you are hurt." She whispered, losing her mind as her man assaulted her neck.


    "You are doubting my strength, sweetheart. Now it is my duty to prove you wrong." Joshua was just about to kiss her lips when Ivy covered his mouth.


    "Please, can we not do this now? You need rest, and how the hell are you not exhausted by now? You must be sleeping like a baby after being awake for long." She voiced out her concerns, and Joshua chuckled out loud hearing her words.


    "I am awake because of you, dear. As soon as I saw you, I was revitalized. And to your request, I just wanted to kiss you. We will not be doing anything else here. Don''t worry. This is not the place where I would want to do anything to you. No." Joshua shook his head, and Ivy blushed at his crude words. "My queen will always get the best treatment from me, especially in the matters. I will not do anything that makes you comfortable."


    Now, Ivy was touched by his words. Though she saw the burning desire in his eyes, he had not done anything to her. Moreover, he respected her wishes and put her as his priority. This was enough for her to fall for him all the more.


    "You are right." She gazed back at the man''s questioning eyes. "I deserve to get the best, and that''s why I got you."


    Ivy did not bat an eyelid when she uttered the words, showing her sincerity to Joshua. Otherwise, he would have assumed her to be flirting with him. "Well thank you, darling. You are good yourself too." He added with a smirk, making Ivy roll her eyes at him for breaking the sweet moment.


    "By the way, I am happy that you did not react to seeing Amber here." Ivy lowered her eyes for a brief moment before she fixed them on him again.


    Joshua had long expected this topic to arise, and he was waiting for it. He knew that Ivy still had her doubts about him and his feelings for Amber, and he did not blame her for it. It was he who had broken her trust when he had lashed out at her just at getting a call from the girl, who had sent him towards the gates of depression.


    Just a mere phone call had rendered him to that state. Ivy feared what he felt about seeing the girl after a long time. Though she trusted Joshua, she could ignore how Amber had affected him the last time.


    "Don''t worry, Ivy." Joshua stared back at her, trying to show his sincerity and honesty. "Amber means nothing to me. After having a quick chat with the grim reaper, I realized who matters to me the most, and it is you. I agree that Amber was a once significant part of my life. But I am over her. Now, we are mere strangers. I don''t feel anything for her, not even hate."


    "But.."


    "Shh." Joshua shushed her at once. "Listen to me first, Ivy." And Ivy did as she was told, waiting for the man to continue. I don''t even want to resent her for what she did to me as it will only keep her in my thoughts. I wish to erase her from my mind and my life."


    Ivy smiled hearing his words.


    "On second thought, I am glad that she left me. Otherwise, I would never found myself such an amazing girl."


    That''s it. Joshua had successfully erased all the doubts Ivy had in her words. His words were filled with sincerity and love, and Ivy could not stop herself any longer. She immediately locked her lips with him, pouring out her feelings in the kiss, and Joshua kissed her back with equal vigor.

 Chapter 474: Surprise Trip

    "Aria, where are we going?" Noah asked again, and Aria glared at him again.


    "I told you to have patience. I will not answer you even if you keep asking me." She uttered and concentrated on driving instead of on the man who had not stopped asking her about her plans.


    The moment they had left the hospital, Aria had taken over the driver''s seat, pushing Noah to the side, stunning him completely. When asked, all she did was to point to the passenger seat, silently ordering him to not question her. Noah did not have any choice but to do as he was told. However, he could not stay still. The excitement and the suspense were killing him, and he wanted to find out what Aria had planned for him.


    But the girl beside him was adamant to keep her surprise undercover. Even after asking several times, she had not disclosed a word about it, and Noah''s curiosity had reached the peak. They were now driving away from the city, and Noah frowned seeing the route they were driving on.


    "Aria, are we going on a long drive?" He questioned, elated by the thought. A long drive with Aria was definitely an amazing surprise, and he could not ask for something better. He could have Aria to himself without anyone interfering in their matter. What more did he want?


    "Noah, I can hear your thoughts till here," Aria commented, taking a look at the man who was gazing at her with such intensity that Aria feared that he would eat her right here.


    "Is it? Tell me about them, dear." He leaned closer to her, startling her. But Aria composed herself right on time. Although the path she was driving on was empty, she did not want to take risks.


    "I don''t want to," Aria replied quickly.


    "Then you are bluffing. You don''t know what I am thinking." Noah pouted and moved back. Although he had expected this outcome, he was still dejected, for he wanted Aria to reveal what she knew about his thoughts.


    Aria glanced at the man who was pouting like a little kid, and she shook her head in helplessness. He was just like a kid at times. But she found this trait of his extremely cute and lovable. "You want this to be a long drive so that you could spend more time with me. Am I right?"


    Aria decided to entertain the man this once, for she did not want to see him disheartened. Moreover, it was his birthday, and he deserved some happiness on his special day. And just as she had expected, Noah''s head snapped to her as he stared at her in surprise. But eventually, it turned to a smirk, the one that told Aria that she was in danger. He did not hide his wolfish gaze, and Aria realized that this was all his ploy to get her speaking.


    "You are wicked," She huffed, gritting her teeth for falling for his schemes.


    "You know me so well, darling." Noah smiled, seeing her complain. It was lovely to see her all frustrated and agitated, and he loved it more when she grumbled like an adorable kid. "And you are right. I want you all for myself. Imagine what all we could do with no one to interrupt us." As soon as the words left his lips, Noah''s mind reeled back to the time when he had seen Aria''s purple bra, and at once, his eyes lowered to look at her breasts.


    Although Noah had not given her a direct indication, Aria grasped what the man was saying, and her face turned red at once. She recalled the surprise she had prepared for him, and her heart thudded erratically in her chest. She peeked at the man, and she followed his line of gaze only to find him staring at her chest. Her eyes widened in shock, and Aria was almost about to lose it.


    "Noah," She seethed, her voice low and dangerous.


    "Hmm?" The man responded, not moving his gaze from her body.


    "What are you looking at?" Aria stressed, and this time Noah sensed the difference in her tone. At once, his eyes shifted to meet hers and saw the annoyance in them. But he did not apologize to her, for he presumed to have nothing wrong.


    "I am looking at you." He replied ambiguously, not revealing the truth.


    "Why are you looking at me?" Aria shot back, frustrated at the man. They were almost nearing their destination, and Aria made sure to keep the man occupied.


    "Why can''t I look at my woman?" He questioned as though Aria had asked a ridiculous question.


    "But you were staring at my breasts." Aria decided to go bold with him. She knew Noah wanted her to speak the words he wanted to hear, and she decided to entertain him.


    "Yes, I was. Is that wrong?" Noah''s question rendered Aria speechless, and she did not know what reply to give him. It was true that he had the right to stare at her just as much as she had to stare at him.


    "In that case, remove your shirt so that I can stare at your gorgeous body too," Aria replied, burying her shame in the deepest part of her mind. It was not the time to be shameful of her actions.


    Her words made Noah''s lips quirk up in amusement. "Aria, sweetheart, are you sure you want me to remove my shirt? I don''t want you distracted. Or else, we might end up in an accident." Noah maintained a poker face when uttering the words, and Aria did not know if he was being serious or was just pulling her leg. She just scrunched up her face in response, and Noah chortled in merriment.


    They drove for another five minutes before Aria glanced at Noah, who was looking at the place in confusion. He was familiar with the place even though he had never been here, and he gave a questioning look to the girl, who had now stopped driving.


    "Aria, why are we here?" He queried as he watched Aria kill the engine and get out of the car. He frowned on seeing her leave him alone. But his frown turned into perplexity when Aria opened the door for him to step out. Even though he had no idea, he held her hand and stepped out of the car.


    "Aria?" He questioned again, only to find the girl shaking her head at him.


    "No questions, please. Lets''s go." Aria pulled her with him, half excited, half anxious, wondering if the man would even like her surprise.


    By now, Noah had more or less guessed what the girl had planned. But he still showed his obliviousness. He followed the girl, who suddenly became excited as they inched closer to the gates.


    At the entrance, a guard was waiting for them, and as soon as he saw Aria, he nodded at her.


    "Is everything ready?"


    "Yes, Dr. West. We have prepared everything as you have requested." He replied, and Noah wondered what she had prepared for him here, keeping his expectations low.


    "Great. Thank you for your help." The girl smiled at the guard, and even before Noah could ask, she started to drag him again.


    They entered a large clearing, and Noah''s eyes widened on seeing what lay ahead of him. "Aria, is this the surprise you have prepared for me?" He queried, stunned by what he had seen earlier. Even though he had anticipated it when he had noticed the location, he could still not believe it.


    "More or less." Aria held his hand and clasped her fingers with his. "Noah, let''s take a trip on the hot air balloon."

 Chapter 475: Revelation - Part 1

    "Noah, let''s take a trip on the hot air balloon." Aria was beyond elated, and Noah could not help but chuckle seeing her state. Though he was surprised at what she had prepared for him as it was completely not what he had expected, he willing to accept it. Moreover, this was his first time on the hot air balloon, and being with Aria only added more to the experience. Why would he say no to it?


    "Sure, darling." He agreed, and Aria cheered up, joyous that the man liked her present, or at least that was what she felt on seeing Noah''s astonished face.


    An instructor was waiting for them, and as soon as he saw the couple walk towards the balloon, he greeted them with a warm smile.


    "Hello, Dr. West. How are you?"


    "I am good, Mr. Scott. How is Mrs. Scott doing?" Aria queried with equal vigor.


    "She is doing great. Thank you doctor for saving her life."


    "Not at all, Mr. Scott. Her condition was not critical. So, you do not have to worry about it." Aria brushed it off and looked at Noah, who was listening to their conversation with a small smile on his face.


    "Yes, Mr. Scott. This is my boyfriend, Noah Carter and Noah this is Mr. Andrew Scott." She introduced the men to each other, and Mr. Scott''s reaction was a sight to behold. He knew who Noah was and what he did. However, he had never expected the man to be Aria''s boyfriend. The moment the couple had entered, he had found the young man beside her familiar. But it only hit him after Aria introduced them.


    "Hello, Mr. Scott." Noah held out his hand, and the man shook his hand with glee. It was not every day that he got to meet Noah, the man who was well known in the business world and it was not every day that he got to shake his hand.


    Aria stifled a smile on seeing the man''s reaction. "Mr. Scott, is everything ready?"


    "Yes, Dr. West. I have checked the balloon, and it is perfectly fine. Let me explain the controls for you." The three people entered the balloon, and the man explained to the couple how to operate the balloon. Once he was sure that they knew everything they were supposed to know, he got out and closed the door.


    "Have a great trip!" He wished them and released the rope that was tied to the stake before he waved at the couple.


    Slowly, the balloon rose as Noah followed the instructor''s words. He controlled the heating mechanism until they were significantly high in the air, and then he stopped, allowing the wind to maneuver the balloon.


    Aria was watching him keenly, her eyes not once moving away from him, and Noah chuckled seeing her star-struck gaze. "I must say, Aria." He wound his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Aria tilted her head as she waited for the man to continue. "I was not expecting this. It surely was a great surprise."


    "Did you like it?" Aria''s smile widened, and she looked at him with such passion that Noah had to use a lot of self-control to stop himself from kissing her.


    "Yes, sweetheart. I like it. Thank you so much for such a memorable present." He pecked her forehead lightly, and the couple watched the view of the city from above. It was peaceful, calm, and beautiful and Aria did not want to break the tranquility of the moment. However, she had to tell him even if the man would be angry at her. At least, he would not storm out and leave her alone given the predicament they were in.


    Moments passed and finally, Aria started speaking. "Noah, I met Maggie when I was still an intern at the Regal Medical Hospital."


    Her sudden words startled the man who was enjoying the solitude with her. He stared at the girl who had her eyes fixed at the sky that was slowly turning orange as the sun moved towards the horizon. It did not take him long to realize what was happening. Though he wanted to know about her, now was not the time.


    "Aria..." He started, and the girl faced him at once, moving away from him.


    "Let me speak, please." She almost begged, and Noah did not have the heart to stop her, especially after seeing her eyes. He could see that Aria had mustered all the strength in her to reveal everything, and if that was what she wanted to do, he would allow her to do as she pleased.


    When the man did not utter a word, Aria took it as her cue to continue. "I was on a night shift that day, and the girl had come to me with a gunshot. She was shot in the abdomen. It was not life-threatening but it was not an easy case either. The people who had shot her had followed her until they lost track of her. They started to search for her in the hospital as they presumed that was where she would be."


    "They were unwilling to give up searching as they claimed her to be a convict. But I knew she was not as I had seen her badge when I had removed her jacket. She was from the Intelligence. How could she be a convict?"


    Aria stopped and took a deep breath before she started again. "There was not much staff at that time, and it was a difficult task for us to control the men. So, I took Maggie with me from the back gate and drove her to our apartment."


    Aria had her head lowered. Yet, Noah could see every expression of hers clearly. Not once did she show regret for her actions. Not once did she falter in her words. There was a hidden pride in every statement, and Noah was happy to hear it.


    "After we had moved to the new house with our parents, the apartment had been empty. So, I took her there and nursed her to health. It was a coincidence that Ivy once stumbled upon her when she had visited the apartment to check if everything was fine, and since then, we have been close."


    Aria licked her lips as she tried to gauge the man''s reaction. However, she could not read him whatsoever. His face remained stoic and blank. "Although Maggie did not tell us in-depth about the case she was working on, she did give us a few details. She was tracking one of the first cases of organ trafficking, and the men had found out about her. Fortunately, the men had not seen her face as she had her face covered with a shawl."


    "Maggie stayed at our apartment until she recovered but remained in touch, occasionally going out on lunch and shopping with us. It was Ivy who suggested that Maggie train us some combat skills and the basics of self-defense. Ivy was already a journalist by then, and given how adventurous she is, she needed them."


    Noah chuckled as soon as Aria called Ivy adventurous. It was the truth, and considering how Ivy had faced some life-threatening situations, she needed to learn some life-saving tricks. And for the first time, since Aria had started speaking, her face broke out into a smile on seeing Noah smile.


    "How is it that you know to operate a gun while your sister doesn''t?" Noah asked the one question that was bugging him.


    "We used to meet whenever we had free time, and Maggie would train us. But there were times when Ivy would be away on her mission, and I would be training alone. So, Maggie herself suggested that I learn to operate a gun. Although it was purely for fun at the beginning, everything changed when my Dad disappeared and Mom died of a heart attack."

 Chapter 476: Revelation - Part 2

    Noah saw the myriad of emotions in her eyes, and he realized that her father''s disappearance was the trigger point for Aria, and he more or less blamed himself too. Only if he had informed Aria about him taking her father with him, things might have turned out differently. Maybe they would have gotten to know each other sooner and fallen in love quickly. However, his hands were bound, and he had to keep his whereabouts under wraps to save the two girls.


    "When Dad went missing, Ivy and I had to deal with a lot of things. Mom could not bear the shock, and she had a heart attack. She passed away even before we could make it to the hospital." Noah''s eyes did not leave Aria''s face.


    At one point in time, she had turned away from him, and he could only see her left side profile. Her hair was flying with the wind making it messy. There was sadness and aggravation on her face. She looked forlorn but that did not hide her strength or her confidence. Noah was truly in awe at the wonderful woman in front of him. She had dealt such a critical situation with such finesse that his heart swelled up with pride. Also, he was thankful that she had her sister with her all this time.


    "At that time, none of our relatives were willing to help us or support us, not that we needed anything from them. But we would have appreciated it if they gave us some emotional support. It was Daniel and his family who helped us come out of the trauma." Although her eyes were brimming with tears, she managed to keep them at bay.


    Noah wanted to just hug the girl and end her agony. It was not easy to remember the painful memories, and all he could do was curse himself for putting the girl through such pain. Indirectly, he too was responsible for it. But he knew that Aria would end up crying if he were to even touch her. So, he maintained his distance, and Aria was glad he did so.


    "We could not stay in that house. So we moved back to the apartment, and once we returned to our normal selves, Ivy started to track the men responsible for our father''s disappearance. Dad had already created a file about all the doctors and hospitals in the shady dealing. So, Ivy took it over from there. Ivy returned to her usual self. It was not her who was damaged in this. It was I."


    Noah realized what she wanted to convey. Aria was slowly getting to the part how she started to kill people. Albeit his interest to find out about it, he could see that the girl was on the verge of a severe breakdown. He took a step forward, only for the girl to move back, making him halt in his place.


    "Don''t, Noah. Please. I need to let this out. I will not be able to control my tears if you were to touch me." Aria stopped him before he could get to her. She wanted to let out everything she had in her heart for years, and this was the perfect opportunity. Nobody knew what she had been through, not even her sister or her best friend. But Aria did not want to hide anything from the man she loved the most.


    Noah too understood what she wanted. If Aria wanted to release her pent-up frustration, he would allow her to do. He would listen to her forever if that helped her relax and calm her heart.


    On seeing that Noah had stopped walking, Aria took a deep breath. "I started to assist Maggie in her mission. At first, she was unwilling to take my aid. She eventually gave when I begged her. We started to locate the men who were involved in this while Ivy did her own share of work. All we could find were men at the lower levels who just took instructions to lure people to the small clinics or hospitals involved in such dealings."


    Noah observed how the girl''s eyes twinkled in pride, and his eyes too gleamed immediately. It surely was a matter of delight and contentment to kill the men who were nothing but scumbags and harm to the society.


    "While Maggie tracked the men one by one, we hunted him down whenever we could. She also made me use them as my targets so that I could improve my shooting skills." Noah''s eyes widened at her words. But he did not comment, for that was how even he dealt with people in the Underworld. His men would capture and use their victims as their targets to enhance their skills. Noah was beyond impressed, for it was not easy to deal with matters like these.


    "That was how I was able to kill thirty people. We did not want to alert the enemy, for it would raise suspicion if we were to kill more people at one go. So, we took our time and started eliminating from the weakest link. But later, Maggie joined Jared''s gang on her superior''s orders, and we stopped with our mission."


    Aria stopped suddenly and looked at her hands, and Noah followed her line of sight. He more or less guessed where this was going. But he did not stop her even though he knew she was hurting from within. "Nobody but Maggie knows about this, not even my sister. I have blood on my hands. I have killed people, and they are not on the operating table. I..I.."


    Aria''s lips trembled, and Noah now could not stop himself anymore. He hugged her tight, and the moment Aria felt the man''s warm embrace, she broke down. She had been hiding everything in her heart for years, and although she wanted to come clean before Ivy, she feared her response. She feared that her sister would resent her for her actions. She feared losing the only family she had.


    Unlike her who had lost her sanity after her mother''s death, Ivy was still morally upright. Finally, she found someone with whom she could share her darkest secrets, and Aria felt at ease. Her heart was calm, and all the frustration that had accumulated over the years vanished in a blink. This was what she wanted, this was what she needed, a man who would understand her without judging her, and Aria was glad that she had a man like Noah in her life.

 Chapter 477: Revelation - Part 3

    Aria continued to cry for a long time, and all Noah did was hug her as he rubbed her back gently. He did not say a word, console her, or even kiss her. She needed to let out all that she had tolerated, and Aria was glad that he was giving her her time.


    They stayed in each other''s embrace for a long time until Aria''s cries died and were reduced to hiccups. She wiped her cheeks and pushed herself closer to Noah''s chest, taking more of his warmth. "Once Maggie joined Jared''s gang, we could not continue with what we doing." She hiccuped softly. "But that did not stop us. We pulled in Ivy to our plan, and then we started to use the media to pull them down."


    Noah recalled how the matter first came into full view before the public, courtesy of Ivy''s brave work. It was only after the video went viral that people started to take note of the problem again. Though the matter had already become an issue when Mr. West was investigating it, it had not become a nationwide problem.


    "We stopped Jared''s men from releasing the virus. We stopped our country from facing a huge disaster. We stopped people from dying. But we could not stop the war. By the time, Maggie found out about it, the war had already started, and we could do nothing. Even Dad was poisoned because of him as he was close to finding out the real mastermind behind the organ trafficking case.." Aria was yet to continue when Noah stopped her suddenly.


    "What do mean the war had started?" Noah pulled back at once and stared at her in shock. His mind immediately went back to the recent war that had taken place between the two countries and how Aria had added her name to the list of medical staff assisting the soldiers. "Did you know about it all along?" He narrowed his eye dangerously, and his look was enough to send chills down Aria''s spine.


    Aria did not have the courage to face him and his menacing gaze. So, she lowered her eyes and nodded meekly. Something snapped in Noah''s mind after getting her response. He was pissed now, and Aria could sense it without even looking at him. He was radiating a cold aura around him, and Aria realized what she had done.


    "Aria, you only added more to your punishment." Noah gritted his teeth, and his words made Aria''s head shoot up.


    "Punishment? What punishment?"


    "Let''s just say you will be punished for everything you have put me through." Noah''s reply was vague. But Aria understood what he was implying, and her jaw dropped at once.


    "Noah, listen to me. It is not how you think it is." She held his hand, and fortunately for her, Noah did not move back.


    "Then, please enlighten me, Aria."


    "Maggie could not leave the gang, and we had to do something about the traitors who wanted to destroy our country."


    "She could have informed her superiors in the Intelligence," Noah remarked, his eyes not leaving Aria''s face.


    "No, she couldn''t. There were spies in the Intelligence. Jared''s men working undercover. Moreover, his father was the Chief of Intelligence. How could we approach them?" Aria revealed the dilemma they had faced, and Noah''s stance softened. It would have been a disaster if Jared''s men were to find out that Maggie was working against them. And that would lead to them finding out about his beloved.


    But he was still not convinced. "Why didn''t you tell me? We could have sorted out this together."


    "I don''t know Noah. I don''t know why I feared revealing the truth to you. Maybe because I assumed you to become angry once the truth came out. Or it might be that I did not have the confidence to face you. I didn''t want you to loathe me." Aria replied and lowered her head.


    A cool breeze blew past them, and her loose strands swayed with the wind. The couple was too busy to notice how beautiful the weather was and how mesmerizing the sky had turned as the sun inched closer to the west.


    Noah sighed in defeat. This time he did not any words to rebuke her with, for he too had done the same. He had hidden his identity and about her father on fearing Aria''s reaction. So, he was in no position to blame her. Yet, he could not stop thinking about the possible danger Aria would have been in if things were to go wrong in the warzone.


    "Maggie knew about the traitors in the army, and you signed up to accompany the medical staff so that you could deal with them. Am I right?" He bent his head slightly so that he could meet Aria in the eye. Aria just nodded her head in response.


    "Did you also know who they were?" Noah questioned, and Aria''s once distraught face flashed in his mind. He recollected how broken she had been once she returned from the war. Noah frowned, a lot of questions popping in his mind.


    Aria shook her head frantically. "No, we did not know who they were. So, I could not take anyone''s help. I had to search for them myself. I did not even know how many they were in number."


    "Noah nodded in understanding. In that case, why did you fall sick after shooting the last guy?"


    Aria bit her lip as she tried to arrange her messed up thoughts. "Kevin was the last traitor remaining, and somehow Major Ethan found out about the traitors in the army. He started to tackle them one by one, making my job easy. But I guess he was not discreet in eliminating them. So, Kevin found out about it. I happened to stumble upon their fight when Kevin tried to kill the Major."


    Aria took a glance at the man who was waiting for her to continue. "I could not kill him right away as that would alert the Major. So, I tricked them into my ploy."


    "Are you saying that you waited until you had no other choice but to kill the man? Is this how you escaped from the Major doubting you and your abilities?" Noah read between her lines and understood her plan at once.


    "Yes, I did. But I could not pretend as though nothing happened after killing the man. I could not let the others know that I was not affected after killing someone. So, I had prepared for a situation like this."


    "And what had you prepared?" Noah found it incredulous as Aria revealed her plans one by one. He was still stupefied to know that his woman had risked her life to protect the nation. Although his heart swelled up in pride, he was livid too. Her carelessness irked him, and he made it a point to punish her for putting her life in grave danger.


    "I don''t think you know that I am allergic to pears." Aria bit the side of her cheek, and Noah did not have to be told any further to know what she had done.


    "What the fuck!! Aria, you ate pears so that you could not raise suspicion on your actions. Are you insane?" His voice rose significantly, and Aria flinched hearing him. She had never seen him this incensed, not at her at least, and suddenly, she was having an ominous feeling.


    "No, I did not eat pears. I ate a pear candy."


    "There is no difference, Aria." Noah ran a hand through his hair in frustration.


    "Noah, listen to me." Aria stepped closer to him, hoping for the man to understand her point of view. "I am just mildly allergic to pears. They are not life-threatening. I just get a fever and my eyes turn red."


    Noah did not speak a word, and on seeing that Aria was about to coax him, he glared at her. This eventually shut her up. Nobody said a word for a few seconds, and finally, Noah gave up when he saw how pitiful his sweetheart looked.


    "Aria, what do I with you?" He sighed lightly and pulled the girl to him before he embraced her tight. "You make me worry for you."


    "I am sorry, Noah. I really am. Please forgive me." She hugged him back, her shoulders finally relaxing. She had got all her secrets out, and her heart felt light and at ease.

 Chapter 478: Revelation - Part 4

    The couple stayed in each other''s embrace as they observed the sun shifting closer to the horizon. The sky was painted with hues of red and orange, and Aria had never felt the sunset to be this beautiful before.


    Is it because I am with Noah that I am finding everything to be captivating? Or is it that my heart is finally at peace that I am feeling this happy?'' She wondered, her smile widening in joy. But it soon vanished when she remembered a question that was bugging her for a long time.


    "Noah, I have something to ask you." She pulled back slightly but did not leave his embrace.


    "Yes, love?"


    "Since you already had my father with you, I presume you had investigated about us. How did you not identity who I was when we first met? I wanted to ask the question to Joshua too as he was the one Ivy met first." Aria queried, and Noah bit his lip, wondering how to tell her the truth.


    He stayed silent for a few minutes before he started to speak. "Aria, when we rescued Dad from the men who wanted to kidnap him, it was out of our selfishness because he was the only one who could guide us to our mentor. I did not want to send him back because people were looking for him, whom I presume to be Jared''s men. Although they had injected the poison in him, they had not seen him die."


    Aria nodded in understanding. It did not come as a surprise to her to know Jared had ordered his men to keep looking for her father.


    "I discerned that your family would be in trouble, and those people will come to you to ask about your father. So, I had ordered my men to protect you and your family in secret." Noah took note of how Aria was completely focused on him before he averted his gaze away from her.


    "But when we dug out more information about you two, it showed two other girls who had the same name. We mistook them to be you and Ivy, and my guards kept following them in secret." Noah revealed what had happened.


    The three men had discussed this matter for a long time. It was impossible for anyone among them to forget about the twins if they had seen them or their photographs before. But the girls they had seen in the photos and the real West sisters were completely different, and Noah only realized recently what could have happened.


    "I think Maggie did it to protect us. But I did not know about it." Aria stated with a frown. She did not know if she were to be happy or sad about her friend''s actions. If Noah and she had met each other earlier, they could have spent more time together. But she was also glad that her friend had saved her and her sister from any trouble.


    "I do so after listening to you now. Joshua was spooked when he first met Ivy, for he remembered your faces clearly than any of us. It was he who had collected your information and destroyed them so that they would not be available for the enemies. Who knew that he was only destroying information of fake Aria and Ivy?" Noah shook his head in helplessness, and Aria giggled in response.


    "Why didn''t you question us about it then?" Aria tilted her head, trying to comprehend what might have run through their minds the moment they had found out the truth.


    "Why would I arise your suspicions by questioning about it? What do you think would have happened if I were to ask you as to why your photo in your information does not match with your face?" Noah raised an eyebrow.


    "I would be spooked for sure," Aria replied, and Noah gave a knowing look. "But you could have asked us about it later right?"


    "When we found out that you and Ivy were Mr. West''s daughters, we connected the dots and assumed you to have sought out someone skilled in computers, only that we did not know it was Maggie. Everything about Mr. West was changed, all his information was different from the truth. So, I did not know the truth until Joshua informed your identity when we were in London."


    "I see. That explains everything. I am sorry that you had to go through so much because of us." Aria apologized. She knew how hard it had been for the three men to keep her father safe and away from the men who wanted him dead. Moreover, not once had Noah complained about it. He had even silently taken her anger when she had found out about her father.


    "No, I should be the one apologizing to you. I hid the truth about your father, and somewhere I am responsible for your mother''s demise. If I had told you about it, maybe Mrs. West would have been alive and happy." Noah replied, the guilt of his deeds eating him alive. ''If only I had informed the family about Oliver, they might not have gone through such misery.''


    His words made Aria chuckle lightly. "If you had done that, you would be meeting an Aria who is not me. I wonder how that family would have reacted when you intimated about someone who they did not even know." Now, even Noah started chuckling.


    "Noah, it does not matter now. I understand why you did so. You were worried for us, and you were worried about your mentor. Mom''s death has nothing to do with you. She had already had a mild heart attack once. I don''t think she would have been able to tolerate it if the news of Dad''s poisoning got to her. So, stop blaming yourself for it."


    Noah did not know how to thank the girl he loved the most. Words failed him at this moment, and all he could do was lean down and catch her lips with his, pouring out all the feelings he had for her. Aria too did not hesitate to kiss him back, and she wrapped her hands around his neck, pushing herself closer to him.


    Noah did not deepen the kiss and pulled back after a few seconds. "Aria, darling. Let us watch the sunset. We do not want to miss the beautiful view after we came here. Right?"


    Aria nodded her face that was red as the sky. The couple watched the beautiful view in front of them as they hugged each other. Never had they felt this happy and satisfied. The view before them was one of a kind, maybe because they were watching from a hot air balloon. To Aria and Noah, it was one of the best moments of their lives. More so, because they were watching with the person they loved the most.

 Chapter 479: Charmed by Noah

    "Aria, I loved the surprise," Noah remarked as soon as they got off the air balloon. They had waited until the sun completely set and darkness settled in the sky before they returned to the opening. The instructor was already waiting for them, and he helped them to reach the ground with his skillful guidance. Aria nodded at him, thanking him silently for his assistance before she faced Noah.


    "Who told you that this is the end of the surprise?" She queried with a wide smile, and Noah''s eyes widened mildly in surprise.


    "Aren''t we done yet?"


    "No. Did you think that this was all your surprise?" She blinked at him for his incredulous thinking, and Noah did not know how to respond to her. How could he say that he was expecting something else from her? Something sensual, and that involved more than just a kiss. He chose to remain silent to not irk the girl who looked less than impressed at his expression.


    "Well, the surprise is not over yet." Aria did not let Noah''s silence ruin the night''s fun. She had prepared a lot for him, and she was unwilling to allow her preparation to go to waste. "The night is still young, my dear." She held the man''s chin and forced his head down. "There are a lot of surprises waiting for you. Don''t give up so soon."


    Without giving any other clue about what lay ahead for him, Aria winked at him and dropped her hand. All Noah could do was stare at the girl, who suddenly seemed different than the one who had been in the air balloon with him. Gone was Aria who was in grief and was apologizing to him for hiding her secrets from him. In her place, there was a bold and stubborn girl who seemed to be challenging him.


    Noah did not know which Aria he preferred. While he liked the girl who clung to him whenever she was aggrieved, he also loved the strong and level-headed Aria who was ready to take on the world. And boy, did he say that he loved challenges? Yes, he did, and he loved every bit of Aria.


    With a grin, he pecked her cheek, startling her with his sudden action. "Then, I will be waiting for it. I hope it will live up to my expectations."


    Aria stood frozen for a few seconds, her cheeks flushing red as she recalled the kiss. But she snapped out of her thoughts immediately and watched how Noah was observing her with amused eyes. It did not take Aria to realize that man had charmed her, and she had fallen for him. Aria glared at him for tricking her, and Noah chuckled seeing her adorable expression.


    "Aria, where is my next surprise?" Noah asked, raising her brows at him playfully.


    "It is not here. We will have to return to the city." Noah gave her a questioning look but Aria did not elaborate any further. "Surprise, darling. Surprise. Let''s go before the day ends."


    Aria pulled the man with him, and Noah followed her silently, a doting smile landing on his lips as he stared at the girl''s back. He pulled her gently, stopping her from running away, and Aria blinked at him in confusion. Noah stood beside her and clasped his fingers with hers. This intimate action of his made Aria blush but she did not push him away. She averted her gaze away from him and looked down at their intertwined fingers as Noah led her to their car. This time, she allowed him to drive the car.


    Once Noah hit the main road, he turned to Aria, who was staring at their surroundings. "Aria, where are we going?"


    "Oops, sorry. I forgot to inform you about our next destination. Drive us to my apartment please."


    "Your apartment? Noah was surprised by her next choice of location. He had assumed it to be somewhere similar to where they had been just now.


    "Yes, your next surprise is waiting for you in my apartment." Aria''s mysterious response made Noah stare at her for a few seconds before he focused on his driving. His curiosity was now at the peak, and he wanted to know what she had planned next.


    "Aria, can you tell what I will be encountering once we reach your apartment?" Noah queried when he could not control his curiosity any longer. "Give some clue, any clue." He almost begged. But Aria was in no mood to entertain him.


    "Mr. Noah Allen Carter, it is a surprise, and I will not reveal what it is until we reach home. Now, please concentrate on driving, and if possible, could you please drive faster?"


    "Why, Aria?" Noah queried again in hopes that Aria would fall for his trick and reveal her plan. But the girl just smiled at him, seeing right through his intentions. Noah could not help but sulk at her response, and his face fell. His excitement vanished just like that, and Aria bit her lip on seeing the man behave like a cute kid. She shook her head in helplessness. Not wanting to see the man disappointed in his birthday, she decided to say a few words that would keep his hopes high and excited.


    "Noah," Her voice was barely a whisper, yet Noah heard it loud and clear. His head snapped to hers at once. He had never heard her call him in such a sensual way before, and an unknown excitement rushed through his blood. Goosebumps erupted on his skin. "You will not be disappointed with your surprise."


    There was a weird sexiness in her voice, and Noah was taken aback by her seductive behavior. He wanted to continue watching her but he had to focus on driving too. For the first time, Noah cursed himself for not taking the passenger seat. If only he was not the one driving, he could have gazed at Aria all he wanted.


    Their sensual moment was disturbed when Noah''s phone rang. It completely broke the delirium in the air, and Noah once again cursed under his breath, only this time they were directed to the caller. Reluctantly, he connected his phone to the hands-free and answered it.


    "Speak," That was all Noah said. But it was enough to send tremors down the caller''s body.


    Ronnie could detect the fury from his Boss''s voice, and he wondered what crime he had committed for him to be this incensed. Now that he had already poked the sleeping lion, he could not run away just like that.


    When Noah did not get any reply from the other side, he narrowed his eyes, and even Aria felt his annoyance. She did not stop him from his work, nor did she ask him to stay calm. Instead, she just prayed for the man who dared to call them in their private time.


    "This better be worth it, Ronnie." Noah lowkey threatened him and Ronnie gulped a mouthful of saliva.


    "Boss," Ronnie struggled to speak. But he knew the more he delayed, the more his Boss would be incensed. He got talking at once. "We have tracked down all the traitors in our team and have killed them all."


    Noah''s fury reduced on hearing his words. "Good. Even though we have eliminated the ones already present in the team, we cannot rule out the possibility that new ones may join us. Watch out for any suspicious people. Make sure none of the spies escapes unscathed."


    "Understood, Boss." Ronnie''s reply was instant.


    "Anything else?"


    "No, Sir. Have a good night." Ronnie did not even wait for his Boss''s reply before he ended the call and sighed in relief. "I made it out alive today. I seriously wonder how Madam puts up with Boss. She is the only one who can control him."

 Chapter 480: Cake and kiss

    "Come on. Tell me." Noah asked again, only for the girl to shake her head. His curiosity was at the peak now, and he was unable to tolerate the suspense that was killing him. They were close to Aria''s apartment. But the girl stayed silent, not giving away a word about her plan for him.


    "Drive to the parking garage. We will be staying here for the night." Aria''s words surprised Noah, and he raised his brows at her. However, he could still not comprehend what she had planned and how she intended to surprise him. It was beyond his cognition what was running in the girl''s mind currently. She had kept everything under wraps, keeping him on his toes the entire drive.


    He drove towards the parking garage, and Aria nodded at the security who smiled seeing her after a long time. The two passed a knowing look which Noah completely missed. Even during the ride to her apartment on the elevator, Aria decided to stay mum, and eventually, he gave up asking her.


    Aria picked up the packets that were lying outside her apartment, and Noah frowned at her, puzzled by her behavior. This time, Aria gave a reply much to his relief. "As you know I don''t know how to cook, we will have to manage with delivery food. But don''t worry. This is one of the best restaurants, and the food I have ordered is delicious, though not as delicious as the ones Ivy makes. I am sure you will love it too."


    Still confused, Noah followed the girl inside the house which remained the same as he had last seen. He had expected it to have been decorated to celebrate his special occasion. However, the apartment was completely devoid of any kind of decoration. His frown deepened, and he stared at Aria, who seemed to be oblivious to his gaze.


    Noah''s spirit died seeing her indifference. He had expected a lot, hoping for a surprise that would blow his mind. The bland celebration hit him hard. However, he did not show his true emotions on his face to not hurt the girl he loved more than anyone in the world. He was happy that at least he was celebrating his birthday with her.


    "Shall we eat dinner, first?" Aria placed all the packets on the dining table, and Noah nodded at her. Aria stifled a smile on seeing his dishearted face. Although the man tried too hard, extremely hard to mask his feelings, Aria could catch onto quickly. ''Wait for it, Noah. You will love whatever I have planned for you. Be prepared to get your mind blown.''


    Noah helped Aria set up the plates, and they were just about to start when the bell rang. "Ah, right on time." Aria clapped her hands and rushed to the door, leaving a bewildered Noah to follow her. His confusion vanished when he saw the box in her hands. From the design of the box alone, he could guess what the girl was carrying. He broke out into a smile, his complaints about her lack of preparation vanishing completely.


    Aria''s eyes were twinkling, and she raised her brows at him playfully. "Let''s cut the cake first." She chirped, and Noah nodded at her, words failing him at this overwhelming moment. He just followed her silently and waited for her to arrange the cake for him to cut it. Again, he was surprised the moment he saw the flavor of the cake.


    "Blueberry cake?" He asked, unable to control his excitement. Not many people knew the cake he preferred to eat, and he was astonished to see it. As far as he remembered, he never mentioned his preference to her. ''How did she find out?''


    Aria smiled at him and handed the knife to him. "Come on, birthday boy. Cut the cake." Noah chuckled hearing her way of addressing him. He just shook his head and held her hand in his. Aria gave him a questioning look.


    "Let''s cut the cake together." He stated and without waiting for the girl to reply, he pulled her close to him. Happy to comply with his request, Aria too did not push him away.


    "Happy birthday, honey." Aria held the cake for Noah to eat, and the man ate it happily, his eyes gleaming in joy. Although Aria had not prepared a grant event for him, he was more than content with what she had done. He realized how stupid he had been a few moments ago. He did not need a grand celebration. He did not need a huge surprise. This small, thoughtful celebration filled with love was enough for him. His heart was bursting in joy, and he did not know how to express it.


    Aria was eating the half-eaten slice of cake when Noah pulled her to him and slammed his lips to her, startling her completely. She did not even have the time to prepare herself when she felt his lips on hers. She even forgot to eat the cake in her mouth as she felt the man kiss her with all his might. Her hands were in the air as she gaped at Noah, who did care about her lack of response. He was ecstatic, and he wanted to kiss her. That''s it.


    Noah pulled her close until their chests were touching each other, his hands were wandering on her back before one of them reached her hair. He angled her head so that he could deepen the kiss. He smiled into the kiss when he did not feel Aria struggling, and he bit on her lips gently, coaxing her to open up for him. However, the girl remained frozen as ever.


    Aria had no idea what was happening. When she felt Noah nip on her lips, only then did she come back to earth. She gasped when she felt him bite her, and Noah took this opportunity to delve his tongue inside her mouth only to taste the sweetness of the cake, which she was yet to swallow. With ease and deft moves, Noah attacked her tongue, forcing her to submit to him, and Aria did exactly what he wanted.


    Aria did not even have the time to respond to the kiss when Noah pulled back and licked his lips. "Now the cake tastes even better. Thank you, darling, for such a delicious cake."

 Chapter 481: Young night

    Noah again licked his lips and sat on his chair while Aria was still frozen in her place. Her mind had short-circuited the moment Noah had kissed her and had stolen her cake right from her mouth. Her lips felt numb, and her brain was in a mush. Though they had shared kisses before too that ranged from being passionate and deep to gentle and slow, this was the first time Aria felt herself lose control. The man completely dominated her body, mind, and soul in just one kiss.


    Aria touched her lips, and a smile made its way on her lips. She was now blushing furiously, her cheeks blotched pink. Noah had been observing her, and the moment she touched her lips, a fire ignited in him. Her reddened cheeks and glazed eyes only added more to his desires. All Noah wanted to do was take her to bed and have his way with her.


    But he controlled himself, for he was still not sure if Aria was ready for him or not. The girl was giving him mixed signals that confused him more. At times, she would lose herself and succumb to him, allowing him to do as he pleased, just like the kiss they had shared now. There were some rare instances where Aria herself would initiate a kiss, forcing him to allow her to dominate him and Noah would gladly relent to her wishes. But there were also times when Aria would run away from him.


    Noah was confused, and he did not know if he were to take the last step or not. Judging Aria''s reaction, it at least confirmed that she did not hate whatever he did to her. ''Let me take a level up. After that one instance, we have not indulged in anything sexual. Let me try something today if Aria is willing to." Noah thought to himself and looked at the girl again.


    An idea popped up in his mind, and he smirked evilly at the girl who had no idea what was awaiting her. Aria was still in a daze when Noah gently wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her to him. She stumbled on her feet and landed on his lap. Aria''s first instinct was to move away from him. But Noah held her in her place, not allowing her to even protest.


    "Noah," Aria stared at the man, flustered.


    "Hmm?" He mused, gazing at her as he brushed her cheeks with his finger.


    "What are you doing?"


    "What am I doing, darling?" Noah twisted her question and threw it back to her.


    "Let me go." Aria tried to get up again. But his hold on her was firm, she could not even move.


    "And where do you want to go?" His other hand was wrapped around her waist, and Aria was feeling tingles as he ran his fingers lightly along her waist. She was now hot and flustered, and she wanted to get away from him before the man found out her disposition.


    "We have to eat our dinner." She racked her brain for an answer, and she found one for her relief.


    "We can eat like this. Don''t worry." The man''s reply was instant, and Aria was lost. She did not know how to come out of the predicament he was in.


    Without waiting for Aria''s response, Noah opened the packets and opened the boxes in them. He did not waste another moment to place the food on his plate. When Noah was busy pouring the carbonara on his plate, Aria tried to get up. But Noah was quick to stop her, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing, darling?"


    "Noah, don''t you think it would be easier if we were to eat separately?"


    "We are eating separately, dear. It is not like I can eat for you and me. Right?"


    Aria rolled her eyes at his ridiculous attempt to crack a joke. She glared at him, and Noah just chuckled at her cute face. He picked another packet and retrieved a box of ravioli from it.


    "Noah, what I meant was that we eat on separate seats, not like this..." Aria pointed back her forth, stumbling on her words, and Noah stifled a laugh after seeing her trying so hard to move away from him.


    "I like the position we are in. I like the closeness." Noah answered shamelessly, without batting an eyelid. Aria''s jaw dropped, and at once, she tried to wriggle away as far as possible from him. Wrong move.


    Noah''s grasp tightened, and he gritted his teeth. Aria''s innocent move was making him lose control, and he was just short of devouring her whole. Aria did not see the changes in Noah as she continued to move, pressing on a particular place that was slowly getting excited.


    "Aria," Noah hissed, and this time, the girl felt the danger she was in. She met Noah in the eye and was shocked to see his darkened eyes. There was an obvious desire in them, and at once, Aria stopped moving. She did not want to take the risk, not when Noah had all the intentions to eat her alive.  Noah took deep breaths to calm himself down, his grasp on her not loosening even a bit.


    "Noah, please let me go," Aria begged, hoping that the man would let her go. However, it was all her wishful thinking. Noah had no intentions to let her go.


    "No, Aria. We will stay this way." Even though it was agonizing for him, he did not want her to be far away from him. He was liking her body pressing against him.


    Aria now had no idea how to refute him. So, she gave up and moved again to find a comfortable position. But stopped the moment Noah hissed lightly. ''I should not provoke the man further. I don''t know what he will do to me. I should stay still.'' Aria decided and waited until the man was back to normal.


    "Shall we eat, darling?" Noah picked up the forks and handed her one. Although he wanted to feed her, or even better Aria fed him, he decided to let the poor girl. She was more than flustered, and he did not want to scare her more.


    However, nothing as Noah intended to do happened, and this was not the end of Aria''s problems. The night was still young, especially for this couple, and they realized it when they started eating.

 Chapter 482: Lap dinner

    Aria and Noah started eating the carbonara, with Aria still on his lap. She did not dare move, lest she should provoke the man who was already on the verge of losing control. She still could not comprehend why Noah had insisted on her sitting on his lap when they could have their dinner in peace by sitting separately.


    ''Oh, Lord. How am I going to survive the night?'' She wondered as she recalled the last surprise she had prepared for her man. She glanced at her bedroom, the door to which hid everything she had prepared for the night before she resumed eating.


    Noah looked down and observed the girl who was lost in her thoughts. He took this opportunity to slowly and stealthy lift her shirt using his free hand and brushed his fingers on her waist. Aria shivered at once, and her fork clattered with the plate. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to turn back to look at the man. However, Noah leaned closer to her until she could feel his breath on her neck. She had no idea when Noah had stopped eating, for his fork was lying neatly beside the plate.


    "Noah," Aria breathed, and that was one of the sexiest sounds the man had ever heard. He continued to wander his fingers on her waist as Aria bit her lip. She shuddered at his touch, and goosebumps erupted on her skin. Slowly, his hand moved up, and he was just an inch away from her bra-clad breasts when Aria held his hand suddenly. She turned to face him, forcing the man to pull back. She shook her head, pleading with the man to stop.


    Her response was not what Noah was looking for. It was a big blow to plans. He had expected to use this opportunity to show what he wanted. But Aria''s rejection threw cold water on his intentions. ''She is still not ready.'' He sighed lightly and was just about to retrieve his hand back when he heard Aria''s words that stunned him completely.


    "Let''s eat peacefully first. We can do this later." As soon as words slipped out of her lips, Aria bit her tongue. ''What did you do, Aria? She chided herself. ''How could you reveal everything to him?'' She averted her gaze, not having the courage to meet Noah in the eye.


    "What did you say, Aria?" Noah gave her an incredulous look, wondering if he was imagining things now. Aria''s words were exactly what he had wanted to hear, and now that she had spoken them, he was bewildered beyond imagination. "Please repeat it, darling."


    Aria knew that denying to comply would only make the man tease her more. So she decided to outrightly reject to have spoken whatever she actually did a few seconds ago. "What did I say? I did not say anything." She looked at him, making sure to not show him her nervousness. His intense gaze was sending butterflies in her stomach. But she sat still, trying to hide the effect he had on her.


    "Are you sure you did not speak anything, sweetheart?" Noah''s voice was dangerously low, and Aria was having trouble keeping her composed self in check. She was just short of losing her mind.


    "I did not say anything, Noah. You must have been hearing things."


    "Oh, really?" Noah was now amused by her response. He could now more or less guess what was happening. Aria was beyond flustered, and she was trying to deny having ever spoken her words. Aria nodded her head and shrugged softly before moving her eyes away from him.


    Her response confirmed the man''s thoughts, and he smiled faintly at her. Although he was in the mood to tease her more, he was more interested in whatever she had spoken just than. If what Aria had blurted out was true, then he could finally have some action tonight. Noah''s excitement spiked to an all-time high, and he just wanted to get with the dinner.


    "Shall we finish our dinner, darling? We don''t want you staying hungry for long." Though Noah''s words did not carry any other meaning, to Aria, they seemed anything but innocent.


    ''Why do I feel that he is not speaking about dinner but something else?'' However, Aria did not have the time to dwell upon it. Noah held a forkful of carbonara for her to eat, and Aria was glad that he did not go deep into the topic. She ate the carbonara and picked up her fork while Noah ate a piece of ravioli.


    Silence ensued in the dining hall, and the couple finished the dinner until only a spoonful of carbonara was left. Noah scooped the last remaining bit and held it before Aria, and the girl ate it without complaining. But the last bite was the biggest, and she could not devour everything at once. She slurped slowly until a lone noodle was hanging from her lips.


    Aria tried to slurp it in but Noah quickly bit the other end, startling the girl. Aria forgot to swallow her food after seeing his sudden action. But she came out of her thoughts immediately once she remembered what had happened before they started their dinner. She did not want a repeat of the scene lest Noah should steal her carbonara too.


    Aria pulled back at once, and the noodle broke. Noah smiled at seeing her jittery self. She was behaving strange of all a sudden, and he narrowed his eyes, his instincts trying to deduce the reason behind so. ''Has Aria prepared another surprise for me?'' He thought, and his eyes followed hers when she looked at the closed door of her bedroom.


    ''Wait a minute! Why is she looking at the bedroom? Is she...?'' His eyes widened when the realization hit him. Noah''s eyes glinted in surprise and elation. He now had a hunch what was going to happen in a few minutes, and his patience was wearing thin suddenly. He remembered Aria''s purple bra at once, and his member became excited, ready to get some action.


    "I have..." Aria cleared her throat that had gone dry. "I have another surprise for you. I will be right back. Give me ten minutes." She stood up suddenly, and this time, Noah did not stop her. Aria scuttled away from him like a scared bunny. Just as he had expected, she went to her room and closed it after her, blocking him from seeing anything.


    Noah was not affected by it. He gave her the time she needed as he waited patiently for her to come out again. He was ecstatic, and in a fit of his joy, he punched his fist in the air.


    Fifteen minutes passed but Aria was yet to come out of her room. Noah was slowly getting anxious as time passed, and when he could not control it any longer, he padded towards her room. He was just about to knock when the door opened and out came Aria. Noah''s eyes widened in astonishment seeing the girl in front of him.


    His heart thumped widely seeing the way Aria was dressed. She was wearing a thin-strapped, red silk dress that barely reached her thighs. But what shocked him the most was the top part of the robe. Her cleavage was on display, and Noah''s desire was ignited again just on seeing her.

 Chapter 483: Game of dares - Part 1

    Aria held Noah''s hand and pulled him with her. Her sudden courage surprised the man who had not stopped staring at her. Unlike the scared and meek Aria, who was trying to move away from him in the dining hall, the Aria before was bold and confident, sexy even. It was as though the girl''s demeanor changed the moment she changed her dress.


    Noah walked in, his eyes not leaving her. Once they were inside, Aria closed the door and faced the man, her face brightening up with a sweet smile. "How do you like the surprise?" She whispered as she licked her lips.


    "Charming, utterly charming." Noah''s replied instantly. His gaze had not moved away from her. So, he had no idea that Aria was speaking about something else.


    "Noah," Aria almost cried on seeing him oblivious to what she had prepared. "Look around you, not at me." Aria held his hands and made him face the room, and the moment Noah saw the decoration in the room, Noah''s jaw dropped in astonishment.


    The entire room was lit up with aromatic candles, and they were shining brightly in the dark giving out a romantic yet sensual vibe. The bed was covered with red and golden drapes. But that was not what caught Noah''s attention. It was the rose petals that had been scattered on the mattress that surprised him. The entire room''s decoration matched with Aria''s outfit, and Noah''s face was now blooming with joy.


    ''Does this mean that Aria is thinking of taking the final step too?'' He wondered, his eyes reflecting the lights from the candles in the darkroom. The ambiance was so sensual that the couple could feel the tension in the air. Aria shivered when she felt Noah''s intense gaze on her. His desire was evident in his eyes, and Aria knew that nothing could stop him. And she did not want him to stop either.


    But before the actual action started, she had other intentions in mind. She had painstakingly prepared for the day, and she did not want to skip anything on her list. Aria wanted to give Noah a perfect birthday, and she would give him one.


    Aria traced her fingers on Noah''s arm before she locked her fingers with his. "Come with me, Noah." She purred, and Noah did as he was told like a man under a spell. He was so lost in her that he did not even know what was happening. And even if he was not lost, he did not care what was happening. All that mattered to him was that he was with his sweetheart.


    Aria did not lead him to the bed. She knew that it would ruin her plans, and they would be reaching the last stage sooner than she had expected. So, she led him to one of the chairs she had arranged in the room. She pulled out a chair for him and gently pushed him to take his seat. When he was seated, she took the chair opposite to him.


    Noah frowned, not liking the distance between. Although Aria was just at an arms-length, there was still a table separating them, and he did not like it. "Aria," He started, only for Aria to shush him immediately.


    "Noah, let''s play a game." Her sexy voice fell on the already excited man, and he was itching to just touch her.


    "Game?"


    "Yes, game. Have you heard of the game Truth or Dare?" Aria leaned forward and folded her hands. The moment she did so, her dress lowered a little, and the contours of her breasts were now visible for the man''s eyes to feast on. Noah gulped on seeing the girl tempting him and seducing him without even trying. His mouth ran dry on seeing her alluring body. He could not muster any response. So, all he could do was nod at her.


    "Great. But let''s change the rules this time. We will only be giving dares to each other. Is that fine?" Once again, Noah nodded at her, and Aria cheered, silently rejoicing at her plan running smoothly.


    "I will start then. Sing any song which you deem perfect for me." Aria''s dare made Noah smile. She had given him the answer herself. As soon as Noah started singing the song, Aria grinned widely. Noah''s version of Ed Sheeran''s Perfect sounded amazing to her even though he was offbeat. Her heart hummed in happiness, and she tilted her head as she gazed at him with love.


    Noah too poured out all the feelings he had for her as he looked at her with fondness. "Darling, you look perfect tonight." He ended the song, and Aria clapped for him at once.


    "It''s my turn now." Although Noah wanted to skip everything and reach the final destination, he perceived that this was what Aria wanted. She had planned such a beautiful surprise. How could he let it go in vain? So, he went along with her and her plan. "Dance with me for three minutes."


    Aria sighed in relief, an action that did not go unnoticed by Noah. He stood up and pulled out his phone. He tapped on it, and a few seconds later, slow sensual music started to reverberate in the room. He held out his hand, and Aria took it without hesitation.


    Noah pulled her close and wrapped one of his arms around her waist while his hand grasped her hand. The couple slowly started to groove to the music, enjoying themselves at the moment. At one point, Noah pulled her flush, and Aria''s chest hit him hard. Aria gasped softly, and it was at this moment that Noah discerned that she was drunk. He could detect a faint smell of alcohol on her, and at once realization hit him. It was the alcohol that made her bold and confident.


    Aria''s eyes were already dazed. But there was something that made Noah frown. ''How come Aria is still sober? Why has she not started going crazy and started with her shark song?'' He wondered but his thoughts broke when the music ended, and Aria moved away from him.


    "Now, it''s my turn again." By now the alcohol had kicked in her system, and Aria''s sanity and rationality had escaped her body. She was completely intoxicated but still in control.


    Aria pulled out a red silk blindfold, and at once, Noah''s brows shot to the sky. His lips rose on one side as he stared at the girl. Contrary to what the man had expected, Aria tied the blindfold to herself, covering her eyes. Her actions stunned him. But it was her next words that made his brain go haywire and short circuit. "You can do anything you want to me for the next five minutes."

 Chapter 484: Game of dares - Part 2

    "You can do anything you want to me for the next five minutes," Aria stated and pressed the timer on her phone. Her body turned rigid in nervousness. But she tried to hide it as hard as possible, and she was fairly succeeding at it.


    Her dare made Noah''s jaw drop. This was another shock he had never expected to receive. Aria had been surprising and shocking him the entire day, and it took a lot of time for Noah to comprehend it. The girl was being mysterious and secretive. Yet, he found all her words and surprises amazing. The girl had been nothing but alluring, sexy even, especially now.


    ''Aria, darling, do you even realize what you are doing?'' He wondered, gazing at the girl who had her eyes blindfolded. To him, the girl before him looked so alluring and beautiful that all he wanted was to look at her forever. Even though he had other intentions in mind, the intentions that were anything but pure, his wish to look at her overpowered them.


    Aria was getting jittery as time passed. She had given him such a dare on purpose so that he would take the initiative for what she had in mind. Though she was willing to give herself to the man she loved the most, she was still nervous. To ease her anxiety, she had sipped on some wine, and it helped her to relax her nerves greatly. However, when the time actually came, she was still anxious.


    But time passed, and nothing happened. Aria was just waiting in anticipation. Neither did she feel his touch on her, nor did she feel Noah anywhere close to her. Aria frowned, and she licked her lips, not knowing that Noah was observing her like a wolf. He did not miss any of her expression, and the moment she licked her lips, Noah''s self-control snapped. His member was throbbing to get what it sought for the most, and Noah was just about to take action when a phone ringing stopped him.


    Aria pulled her blindfold and stared at the man in confusion. Nothing as she had expected had transpired, and Aria''s shoulders sagged in sorrow. "Noah, why didn''t you do anything?" The question left her mouth even before she could control herself, and the next instant, Aria''s face heated up in embarrassment.


    Noah smiled at her, liking this new and bold side of hers. "Aria, the dare was for me to do anything to you, and I did. I looked at you the entire time, and this had been the best five minutes of my life." Noah replied in all honesty, and Aria smiled at his words. She had never felt this touched before, and she was thankful that she had found a man like Noah as her life partner. He was more than what she deserved, and Aria was glad that he was all hers.


    "Is it my turn now?" Noah queried, and Aria nodded at him. Noah thought for a while, and a perfect dare came to his mind. He had long known where this was going and why Aria was doing all this. He knew what she wanted and what she wanted to offer him, and he was more than willing to comply with her wishes. But he wanted to spice up the atmosphere before they jumped to action, and his next dare would do just that.


    "Do a striptease." Noah''s expression did not change even a bit as he gave Aria her next dare. Just as he had expected, it was now Aria''s turn to go into shock. But she composed herself quicker than he had anticipated.


    She stood up slowly, and Noah eyed her, not moving his gaze from her even for a second. Aria picked up her phone and searched for a song before she placed it back on the table. Seductive and catchy music started to fill the room, and Noah was surprised by her choice. Yet, he did not comment about it.


    Aria licked her lips, observing the way Noah''s eyes darkened in desire. She then swayed her hips and moved enticingly towards him. But she moved back right before Noah could catch her. The tempo of the music changed, and right at this moment, Aria pushed one of the straps of her dress down, revealing half of her left breast. But before Noah could take a good look, she pulled it back.


    Noah closed his eyes for a second and gulped, remembering the girl''s face and body when she had pulled the strap down. ''Damn it!!'' He cursed under his breath. His throat had run dry, and his eyes snapped open before they looked around the room. He could definitely make use of some alcohol that could quench his thirst, which was for a different reason altogether.


    Noah had just calmed himself down, when Aria held the hem of her silk dress and lifted it, stunning him completely. Before he knew it, the girl had removed her dress, and she was now just in her red, see-through lingerie. The scanty piece of clothing did not hide anything, and Noah was blown away by this bold move of hers. He was now beyond aroused, and his control snapped. He stood up, only for Aria to shake her head at him.


    She turned off the music, making sure to put all her barely covered assets on display for the man who was eyeing her hungrily. His eyes were filled with love and lust, and it would be anytime soon, Noah would pounce on her and devour her whole. But Aria was not done yet. She had one last dare to give him.


    "I have one last dare for you."


    Noah lifted his brows at her, not liking the way Aria had stopped him. He was beyond aroused now, and all he wanted was to plunge his thick hot member into her core. It was becoming hard for him to control himself, and Aria''s merely clad body was only making things difficult for him.


    Aria too knew that she was testing him. So, without wasting another time, gestured for him to sit down. "Please sit down, Noah. This is my last dare for you." Noah had no choice, and he did as she had asked, deciding to entertain with her plan one last time, even though it was testing all his limits. He watched Aria saunter towards him, and the next moment, he felt the blindfold that Aria had donned a few seconds ago, covering his eyes.


    "Aria, what.."


    "Shh," Aria shushed and tied the blindfold, making sure that it would not slip away halfway. She then leaned down and whispered, her lips barely an inch away from his ears. "You will have to catch me within one minute. If you succeed, you can do anything you want to me, and how many ever times you want, I will allow you to do. You have my permission. But.." Aria stopped and took a look at the man, whose hands were clenched in a tight fist. "If you don''t catch me in a minute, then we will end everything right away."


    ''Tease.'' Noah thought.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t step out of this room, nor will I hide in the closet or the bathroom. I will be around you, and you just have to catch me."


    "Are you game?"


    Noah did not even think twice about his response. He was more than willing to go ahead with this. "Be prepared, Aria. I will not hold back once I catch you. You might end up with sore legs and waist by the end of tomorrow."


    "For that, you will have to catch me first." With a giggle, Aria moved away from him, walking towards the farthest point from him. "Three, two, one." Aria smiled at the man who was sitting still, ready to hunt her down, and just as she had expected, he sprang to his feet on her next word. "Start."

 Chapter 485: Cravings satisfied - Part 1

    "Start."


    Noah sprang to his feet at Aria''s command. However, he did not move from his place, making Aria frown in confusion. She was just about to question him when Noah beat her to it.


    "Aria, are you sure you want to do this?" His husky voice reverberated in the room, and Aria shivered in her place. Even though the man was a few feet away from her, to her, it felt as though he was breathing the words just near her ears, sending goosebumps on her skin. The alcohol in her system was only adding more to her sensations and she gazed at him, her eyes filled with lust.


    "Once I catch you, I will not be holding back. You might not be leaving your bed until the day after tomorrow." Noah did not hesitate to state his desires, giving Aria one last chance to back off, although that was not what he wanted in reality. "So, think well and make your choice."


    Aria licked her lips, his words hitting her right in the core. Unknowingly, she pressed her legs, trying to stop the sensation she was feeling down there. ''How is he even doing it?'' She wondered. Just the man''s sexy voice had left her hot and flustered. She was now aroused beyond measure and all she wanted was the man to touch her and soothe her body. But she stopped herself before she closed the distance between them and pounced on him.


    Aria was in the mood for some game and she wanted to play it, even though that only delayed what she so desperately craved. "Noah, darling..." She slurred, eyeing her man like the feast he was. By now, she was slightly intoxicated but her rationality was still intact. "Catch me first. We will see everything else later."


    Her response was the cue to get the man bolting in her direction. But Aria evaded him right on time. He flung his hands in the place where Aria had been standing before only to catch air. He frowned lightly at the failure of his plan.


    Aria giggled as she saw Noah''s hands swim in the air. She had guessed the man''s plan as soon as he asked her a question. ''Did you think you can catch me that easily?'' She thought and moved away from him, keeping an eye on him. Aria did not even remember that she was barely covered. She was more involved in teasing Noah and playing the dangerous game which would soon turn out deadly to her.


    "Aria, you are such a tease." Noah almost whined when he could not find the girl in the place from where he had heard her.


    "That I am," Aria replied, and just like before, Aria escaped before Noah could catch her. He gritted his teeth at his failure once again. But he did not lose hope yet. Space for Aria to moved around was constricted and she was somewhere around him. All he had to do was think ahead of her and catch her.


    "You only have twenty seconds now," Aria stated and moved away from her place again, leaving Noah to catch air once again. Aria watched the man''s blindfolded face, her face blooming with joy and elation. ''Does this man have any idea how sexy he looks when he has his eyes covered? He is such an eye candy and he is all mine.'' She thought as she ogled at him.


    ''Calm down, Noah. Aria is just playing with you. She is moving away from her spot immediately after she finishes speaking. So, I will have to catch her once she starts moving, not before.'' He drafted his plan carefully. ''Which way will she go, right or left?''


    "How many seconds, left Aria?"


    "Five." The moment Aria answered him, Aria moved to her right while Noah jumped to his left. His calculation was accurate, and with just two seconds to spare, he had caught Aria in his arms. His hands snaked around her bare waist, a smirk landing on his thin attractive lips. Aria gulped lightly as she saw the man leaning down. Even though his eyes were covered, Aria felt him boring his gaze on her.


    "Caught you, darling." Noah laughed deviously, sealing the girl''s fate for the day. She would not be getting out of bed for the next few hours and he would make sure of it. He was just about to pull his blindfold down when Aria stopped him. By now, Aria was completely intoxicated and her rationality had flown out of the window. But she knew she wanted this, she wanted him and that was all that mattered.


    Aria stood on her toes and pulled Noah''s head down until his blindfolded eyes were right in front of her lips. She then reached forward and pulled down the piece of clothing, slowly with her teeth, making sure to take her time as her lips graced his eyes, followed by his nose before she let go of the silk material and attacked his lips.


    Noah had never expected such a move from Aria. Never had he thought that Aria was such a temptress behind closed doors. He was more than surprised and excited now, and the moment she kissed his lips, he lifted her by her waist. Aria wrapped her legs around him and Noah took this opportunity to run his hands on her semi-naked body. It had come as a shock to him to know that Aria was just in her lingerie all this time and he had missed such a delightful sight.


    Noah''s hands slowly inched up towards her bra before they landed on her neck. He pushed her head close to deepen the kiss and Aria gladly obliged, running her hands through his hair. Her breasts were pressing onto his chest and Noah detected the faint taste of wine from her. He did not even have to do anything, for Aria herself opened up for him, allowing him to thrust his tongue inside her mouth.


    While he continued to ravage her mouth to his heart''s content, he marched towards the bed and gently he eased Aria on it without breaking the kiss. Aria only felt the soft mattress underneath her. But Noah''s kiss pulled her back to him and she was lost once again.


    Aria felt the man''s excited member poking her and she gasped into the kiss. Her eyes widened in shock and Noah chuckled seeing her reaction. He kissed her one last time before he pulled back and pushed the hair that had fallen over her face. "This is what you do to me Aria. Do you have any idea how much I want you?"


    His words made Aria blush furiously. But she did not avert her gaze from him and pulled him for a quick kiss. It was so swift that Noah did not even know when the kiss had ended. He watched her baffled by what had transpired a few seconds ago.


    "I want you, Noah. I want you too." Aria replied in all honesty and confidence.


    "Are you sure, Aria? I might not stop once I get going. Think about it."


    "Then don''t stop." Aria was challenging his self-control and she knew it too. All Noah wanted to do was plunge his throbbing member deep inside and find his salvation. But he wanted to confirm that it was her decision and not the alcohol speaking.


    "Are you sure, Aria? We can..."


    "Oh, put your thing in me now before I lose control and do something myself." Aria was beyond pissed now. Noah was only prolonging what she so desperately craved. Her crude words rendered Noah speechless for a moment before he started laughing.


    "You asked for it Aria. Don''t blame me for what happens next." With that, he leaned down and captured her lips again, taking her by a storm.

 Chapter 486: Cravings satisfied - Part 2

    *WARNING: Mature Content Ahead*


    While Noah kissed her deeply, his tongue tasting her delicious cave. It tasted just like Aria but with a tinge of wine, and damn, what a taste it was. Divine!! Noah was already intoxicated by the kiss. He wondered what would happen when he actually plunged his hot member inside her. What would happen when they got to the last step and had sex? It would definitely be heavenly, and the desire to skip to the last step made Noah almost lose control.


    But he knew that this was Aria''s first time and he had to be careful with her. He did not want to give her a painful experience. So, he took his time, arousing her and getting her excited. While he continued the kiss, his hands roamed around her body, igniting a fire in Aria''s heart and mind as she registered his touch. Liquid heat pooled in her stomach, and she wanted the man to keep going.


    When Aria was lost in the kiss, Noah deftly unbuckled her bra and pulled down the bra straps, freeing her beautiful breasts which he loved the most. Aria sighed into the kiss when she felt the cold air hit her chest and she shivered lightly. But soon her body heated up when she felt his hands messaging her chest, slowly and gently.


    ''Oh my God!!! Aria''s eyes rolled and she moaned lightly, relishing the man''s amazing touch. Now she did not know what to focus on, Noah''s mind-blowing kiss and lips that were slowly sucking her breath or on his hands, that was fanning the flame of desire in her and pushing her closer to something she so desperately wanted. But did not know what.


    Aria wanted more of him, more of the kiss. So, she pulled him closer only for the man to pull back and break the kiss. Even his hands stopped moving, and Aria''s eyes blinked open in confusion. The loss of touch made her whine softly, and Noah chuckled with a devilish glint in his eyes. He stared at the girl under him as he licked his lips. He had never seen anyone so alluring and beautiful, and he was glad she was all his.


    "All mine," He stated before he leaned down for a quick kiss. Aria did not even have the time to respond as Noah had pulled back quickly. She blinked at him in confusion before her eyes widened when Noah swiftly removed his shirt and discarded it. He did not waste any more time in removing his pants, and in no time, he was just in his boxers.


    Aria ogled at the man''s perfectly chiseled body. ''Ahh, such a delicious man!! And is he all mine.'' Aria ran her tongue over her lips sensually, not noticing the way Noah''s eyes darkened in lust. He was already on the verge of losing control, and Aria''s seductive act only added more to it.


    Slowly, he crawled on the bed, until Aria was completely trapped under him with no place to go. He stared at her long and hard, making the girl blush and avert her gaze away from him. But Noah was having none of it. He held her chin and forced her to look at him. "Aria, do you have any idea how sexy you are?" As soon as he spoke, his right hand traveled down her throat before stopping on the valley of her breasts. He then removed her bra and threw it away.


    "I love you so much, Aria."


    "I love you...Ahh," Aria did not even have a chance to complete her words as Noah''s lips attacked her breast, sucking and nipping on it, while his right hand messaged the unattended twin. While his mouth latched onto her breast, pulling on the soft bud gently, his hand made sure to keep its twin satisfied and happy by pinching and messaging. A myriad of sensations traveled through Aria''s body, and her eyes rolled shut as she succumbed to the pleasure the man giving her.


    Noah swapped hands, giving her breasts equal treatment. In the middle of pleasuring his girl, he lifted his head to find Aria moaning lightly into her hand with her head tilted to the right. Noah stopped his ministrations, and his free hand went up to force her hand away from her mouth.


    "Aria, don''t cover your mouth. I want to hear every word, every moan, every gasp, your shouts and shrieks. Don''t hide them from me." Noah ordered. "Do you understand?"


    Aria was too lost to even comprehend what the man had asked her. All she knew was that he had asked a question and she had to reply to him. So, she just nodded at him, her eyes still closed. Contented by her response, he kissed her throat before licking and sucking on the spot until he was satisfied. He then continued to do the same until the skin above her breast was painted with numerous hickeys.


    Noah smiled in happiness on seeing his marks on her. He then removed the only garment left on her. Now Aria was completely naked under him, and he stared in awe at her bud glistening in arousal. Aria was dripping wet, and Noah was ecstatic that it was all for him. He spread her legs to take a good view of her arousal, the musky scent making his mouth water.


    Unable to control himself, Noah leaned closer and took a whiff of her arousal, her scent so unique to Aria, and at once, he became drunk on it. He wanted to taste her now, and he did just that. He licked her on her clitoris, and Aria''s body arched up at once. Noah had to push her down to keep her in place. It was barely a lick, but it was enough to send Aria closer to her peak.


    "Noah," She gasped.


    An evil idea popped up in Noah''s mind on seeing her reaction. He now knew what to do that would make Aria see stars. ''Aria be prepared to get your mind blown.'' He pushed himself up and started eating her breast again while his left hand kneaded her other breast. At the same time, Noah pushed a finger inside her.


    "Oh My God!!!" Aria shrieked in delight, and her sexy cry sent all his blood rushing to his member. Aria was already in heaven even before she sought her salvation. Noah''s hands and lips were making her feel so many emotions at once, emotions she never knew even existed. Her body was on fire and her lust only intensified.


    Noah did not hesitate to push another finger inside her as he started pumping in and out of her, and a low, appreciative moan escaped from the girl''s lips. Aria did not care about the lewd sounds she was making. She did not care how sultry she sounded. She did not care about anything but the divine sensation she was feeling. She was close, so close. All she needed was a small nudge and she would go flying in the sky. She was so close to tasting nirvana when Noah stopped everything he was doing, making her whine in frustration.


    "Noah," She cried. She was right at the peak when the man stopped everything.


    "Aria, what did I say about covering your mouth?" He chided her with his brow raised. Only then did Aria realize that she was covering her lips with the back of her hand. She moved her hand away from her face at once. "If you cover your lips once again, I will stop everything."


    "No," Aria''s eyes widened in fear. She was at the edge. She did not want to stop now, not when all that remained was to taste the absolute pleasure. She was drunk on whatever Noah was making her feel. She would die if he were to stop at this moment. So, she shook her head vigorously as she clutched his hand.


    Content that the warning had been registered, he continued what he was doing before, and once again, Aria became a moaning mess. When Noah too realized that the girl was right at the peak, he bit her nipple, while his hand pinched on the other. And at the same time, he pushed his fingers deep inside her, hitting her right at her spot, and at once, Aria combusted into flames.

 Chapter 487: Cravings satisfied - Part 3

    Aria came down with a loud cry, her orgasm washing through her like a wave. She was in heaven, and her body trembled as the volcano continued to erupt. Her body spasmed in ecstasy. While Aria gave in to what she was seeking for a long time, Noah''s mouth took in everything she had to offer. He greedily drank the lava from her, tasting her delicious juices. ''Oh fuck!'' He groaned, loving the taste of her exotic honey.


    Noah did not miss even one drop of her intoxicating honey, and only when he had licked her clean did he pull back. Aria was reeling in the aftermath of her release that she did not see the way Noah was gazing at her. Her flushed face, her swollen lips, and her glazed eyes as she gasped softly were enough to send Noah into overdrive, and he released his member from his boxers. It was already dribbling with precum.


    Noah knew it was time for him to take it up a notch. But he still wanted to confirm it with Aria. "Aria, shall I?" He asked her, and the girl waited until she had calmed herself before she nodded at him.


    Noah''s face broke out into a wide grin. He did not waste any time in pulling out the condom from his jeans pocket, and Aria''s eyes widened when she realized that the man had come prepared. "You..you.. you..." She stumbled over her words, not knowing what to speak, and Noah chuckled out loud at her expression. But he did not give her any explanation whatsoever.


    "Aria, darling, would you mind helping me?" Although he gave her an option to back off, he had already pushed the condom in her hand, and Aria''s hand burnt as she held the foil. She gaped at the man who was smiling at her in deviousness. But Aria was not willing to back off either. She glared at him for a second, before she ripped the foil open and retrieved the condom from it. She then held the man''s already excited member in her hand.


    Noah hissed when he felt her soft palm holding his excited member. He glowered over her, his eyes clouded with lust and desire. When Aria was done helping him with the condom, he pushed her onto the bed and hovered above her. The monster in his was ready for action, and it was finally going to get what it wanted.


    Noah ran his thumb over her clit for a few seconds before he plunged two fingers at once, stretching her walls again. Aria moaned out loud at the sudden sensation and unlike last time, she tried to focus on the man who was giving her all the pleasure in the world. Noah added another finger and slowly pumped in and out, making sure that the girl adjusted to the sensation. When he was sure that Aria was ready for him, he removed his fingers and aligned his member at his entrance. He then glanced at Aria, who had her eyes shut.


    Without any warning, he eased into her slowly and was immediately met with resistance. Aria''s eyes fluttered open when she felt his girth. Noah gritted his teeth before he pushed himself inside her slowly, and this time, Aria cried out in pain, making Noah stop his movements.


    Noah realized that taking it slow would only bring more agony to Aria. So he captured her lips to swallow her cries and distract her, and when he accomplished what he was aiming, he plunged his member inside her without holding back. Tears dropped from her eyes at the pain but it was not as painful as she had expected it to be.


    Noah did not wait for her to adjust. He started moving immediately, and the next instant, the pain was replaced with intense pleasure Aria never knew even existed. Her complaints vanished, and all that was left were compliments. She forgot about everything else and focused on what the man was bestowing on her. The intense pleasure, the amazing feel of his member twitching inside her, and the way her body greedily accepted all of him, that was all she could think of.


    Noah perceived that Aria was now accustomed. So, he did not hold back anymore and started thrusting into with such force that Aria''s eyes flew open. She had never expected him to go crazy all of a sudden. The man was using such brute on her as pulled back and plunged his manhood into her hot cavern. But Aria did not hate this side of his. In fact, she was loving what he was doing to her. However, she needed time to adjust to his frightening pace.


    "Noah, slow down. I...I...Let me, Noah." She screamed when the man reached her most pleasurable spot. There were no signs of him slowing down. He only increased his pace and was now thrusting and moving at a thunderous pace.


    "Aria," Noah breathed as he continued to pound into her with all his might. "This is me, Aria." He stated, wiping the thin layer of sweat on her forehead. "I don''t do slow. I fuck hard and deep." Noah did not look like himself any longer. It was as though he had changed into a completely different person, and Aria''s eyes widened on seeing the man''s intense gaze. There was something beastly about the way he was looking at her that Aria found him to be extremely attractive at that moment.


    Noah''s domineering nature at such a time surprised her. But she did not despise it one bit. To heck with gentleness if Noah could make her feel this amazing every time they had sex. She did not mind the force he was using on her, she did not care about his pace, nor did she think about how crude his words sounded. All she could feel was how intense the sensation was and if going hard would make her feel this good, then to hell with gentle sex.


    "Please, don''t stop." She cried as she held the blanket underneath her. She did not want him to stop at all. It felt amazing to have him inside her.


    "Your wish is my command." Noah continued his movements, releasing the blankets from her hands and locking his fingers with hers. Now Aria had nowhere to hold onto and she could only rely on Noah. The man continued to fuck her hard until the girl was a moaning mess. He did not allow her to move away and shy away from the intensity of the pleasure, and when he realized that she was on the peak again, he nipped on her throat, eliciting a moan from her. "Let go, Aria. Come for me."


    Her body was under Noah''s command, and the moment he gave the orders, Aria jumped off the cliff again. She saw stars in her mind, and her body was floating amidst the clouds. She had never felt anything so amazing, and the orgasm shook her entire body. Noah kept going as he observed the girl''s enchanting face which was reeling in the post-orgasmic bliss and soon, he too sought his pleasure, releasing his seed inside the rubber sheath.

 Chapter 488: Cravings satisfied - Part 4

    Noah pulled out of Aria and removed the condom on him. Even though he had just sought his release, he was still painfully erect, and since Aria had permitted him to go for as many rounds as he wanted, he would do just that. Moreover, he did not have to worry about Aria not being able to go to work the next day as the girl had taken the day off. So, Noah had all the time in the world, and he would make use of it to his heart''s content.


    ''I need to speak to Ian about a better contraceptive method.'' Noah thought as pulled out another foil from his pant pocket. ''I cannot be pulling out each time.'' Noah decided to have a chat with Ian about this matter after their day was done. Even though Aria herself was a doctor, he perceived that Aria might not be that comfortable speaking about these things to him.


    When Noah was ready for action again, he looked at the girl who was watching him keenly. "Aria, are you ready for another round?" He questioned, grinning like the devil he was, and Aria glared at him. It was only their first round, and Aria was already spent. She wondered what would happen to her by the end of the day.


    ''God!! Why did I permit him to go as long as he wanted?'' She cried inwardly. But she could do nothing now. Words had already escaped her lips, and now it was time to keep them. She had barely prepared herself when Noah entered her swiftly, and Aria sucked in a deep breath at the sudden intrusion, all her thoughts flying out of the window.


    Aria was lost once again, and all she could feel was Noah''s sheathed member hitting her hard and perfectly on spot. Once again, the room was filled with moans and sighs and grunts as Noah moved in and out of her. "Let''s try something new." He stated wickedly even though he knew that Aria was in no condition to listen to him. Her body and mind were in his control just the way his heart was in hers.


    Noah wrapped his arms around her waist, and quickly, he pulled her with him as he leaned back. Aria''s eyes flew open at the sudden movement, and she gaped at him, confusion filling her face. However, the man, as usual, did not speak a word about his intentions. He just made her sit on his lap, with her legs straddling him and Aria''s lips took a perfect shape of a circle when she felt him.


    In this position, she could feel him deep inside her, and the sensation was more than what she had experienced before. Now their chests were touching, and Noah made sure that Aria was comfortable before he started moving again. Aria gasped out loud, the fire in her consuming her completely. Her breasts jerked with every movement, and in this position, Noah could see the girl''s expression distinct and clear.


    Noah lifted his hips as he slammed hard inside her, stretching her muscles with every move of his. The passion was too much for Aria to bear, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Every move, every hit, and every touch of his spot on. Noah gritted his teeth when he felt her close. But he did not want Aria to let go, not yet. He wanted her to come with him. He wanted her to reach to peak together with him. So, he slowed down his movements causing Aria to blink at him in confusion.


    "Aria, darling, listen to me and listen to me carefully." Noah''s voice changed all of a sudden, and Aria shivered on seeing him in such a dominating mode. It was the first time she had heard such a commanding tone from him, and she loved every bit of it. The man made it so sexy and enticing that she came just on hearing his voice.


    "You are not to let go until I say so." He ordered her, making sure to keep her eyes on him. He had not stopped with his ministrations as kept moving slowly. But the impact was not enough to send Aria to the moon, and she was slowly getting frustrated. "You will not come until I tell you to. Understood?"


    At the last word, Noah thrust himself inside her with such force that Aria almost came. She cried out in ecstasy as her nails dug into the man''s shoulders.


    "Aria," Noah''s voice turned dangerously low and threatening, and Aria shuddered lightly. "Did you hear me?"


    Words failed her at this moment, and all she could do was nod at him. But Noah was having none of it. "I need words, darling. Speak up."


    "Yes," Aria breathed, not knowing what she was agreeing. But she knew that whatever it was, it would make her reach heaven.


    "Good girl. Hold onto it. Don''t let go." Noah''s tone turned soft, and again, he slammed hard inside her. He did not slow down or let Aria get adjusted to his movements. He started hitting her hard, his pace turning monstrous yet perfect for Aria. She was now dangerously close, and just one flick was enough for her to leave the planet. But she recalled Noah''s words, and she clenched on his member tight. That alone was enough to trigger Noah to his release. But he held back, for he knew that delaying it would make it phenomenal for Aria.


    Noah observed the girl who was trying hard to not let go. With one last push, he bent forward, his lips touching her ear. "Let go, Aria." He whispered, and at once, Aria came for him with a shriek. The next instant, Noah too reached his peak and found his release.


    Noah waited until the girl calmed down before he laid her back on the bed. Although he still wanted to go for another round, he discerned Aria could not take it. A wave of exhaustion took over her, and she was on the brink of going into a deep sleep. So, he pulled out of her and removed the condom.


    Aria was taking deep breaths as she reveled in the post-orgasmic bliss. She was completely spent, and all she wanted was to go to sleep. Even her hands felt heavy to lift, and she was just about to close her eyes when Noah kissed her on her cheek. "How was it, darling?"


    "Incredible." That was the only word Aria could manage to utter before sleep took over her, and she succumbed to what her body needed the most.

 Chapter 489: Relationship and love

    "Incredible." Aria breathed before she succumbed to a night of deep sleep. Noah chuckled hearing her response, and his heart swelled with pride. What more could he want than to see his woman lying beside him satiated and happy after their intense intercourse?


    At first, he had been skeptical and feared if Aria could take his desires. Unlike other men, he did not do gentle and soft. He liked it hard, and this had made him hold back his desires for Aria many times. Now that Aria had accepted and enjoyed what he had to offer, his heart sighed in bliss. He observed the girl, his eyes twinkling in joy as he saw the various marks he had left on her.


    Noah had never felt this contented and at peace before, and he knew that it was all because of Aria. "Thank you, love. Thank you so much for coming into my life." He kissed her lips lightly before he got off the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he was done, he brought a wet towel and wiped Aria''s entire body, making sure that he did not wake her up in the process. She needed to sleep as he knew Aria had stayed up the entire night during her shift, and he had tired her out with their intense workout.


    After cleaning her body, he jumped on the bed and laid down beside her. With ease, he slipped his hand under her neck and made Aria roll over to him. He then wrapped his hands around her waist and hugged her sleep. "Thank you, Aria. Thank you for everything." He sighed and kissed her forehead before he too joined her in her dreams.


    Back at the hospital.


    Ivy glared at the man who had not stopped wandering his hands on her body. "Joshua, please." She whined when she felt his hand on her waist. Ivy had just closed her eyes when she felt the man lift her shirt and run his hand on her waist.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about, sweetheart." Joshua feigned ignorance as his hand inched closer to her breasts.


    "Please let me sleep." She begged, pleading with him through her eyes.


    "When did I stop you? You can go to sleep, Ivy. Good night." Joshua kissed her forehead. Even though he gave her permission to sleep, his hand did not stop their exploration, and Ivy was slowly losing her mind.


    "Go to sleep, Joshua. You must be tired by now." She tried to coax the man to sleep. But Joshua was fully awake and excited. The four-hour nap he had taken after lunch had replenished his energy, and he was now in high spirits, unlike Ivy who could not keep her eyes open.


    "I should have gone home after dinner." She muttered as she sent another glare towards the shameless man.


    "Why do you say so, darling?" Joshua smiled, reveling in the feel of the girl''s skin under his palm.


    "At least, I could have slept well then. I wouldn''t be tortured by you." Ivy revealed, cursing herself as she remembered how she had begged Noah and Ian to allow her to stay at the hospital for the night. She was excited beyond measure when she found out that Joshua had gained consciousness. Who knew that she would end up getting her own legs shot?


    "How are you in such high spirits? Aren''t you weak? You should be sleeping like the dead by now." She complained, and Joshua chuckled hearing her words. She was right but the man was well-rested, and he was not sleepy at all. So, he was wide awake and in the mood for some amusement. But he also realized Ivy was dead tired. The last few days had not been good, especially for her, and given her character, he knew she would not have slept well.


    Joshua stopped running his hand on her waist and pulled her shirt down. "Sleep, Ivy. I will stop teasing you." He assured her softly. But Ivy was not convinced. She gave him a skeptical look, blinking at him in suspicion. "I promise, sweetheart. I will not do anything. Sleep well." He kissed her eyes, forcing them to close, and soon, Ivy had slipped into a deep sleep.


    As soon as he saw Ivy succumbing to her sleep, his smile vanished. He remembered how Amber had barged into the ward, claiming herself to be his girlfriend. He would be lying if he were to say that her presence did not affect him. But there was nothing but resentment for the girl who had made an entry after a long time. There was nothing but bitter feelings for her, which were slowly fading away.


    After he fell in love with Ivy, he forgot what he had felt for Amber. The girl just became a distant memory. She was nothing but his mistake now. Joshua realized only now that what he had felt for Amber was never love, and also what the girl claimed to be her love for him was not at all love. They had been in a relationship but never in love. Period.


    Joshua only now realized what love was and who he truly loved. He gazed at the girl sleeping in his embrace and pulled her closer to him. "I am sorry, sweetheart. You had to deal with Amber in my absence. Please forgive me." He kissed her forehead before he rubbed her back gently.


    "I will rectify everything and make sure that Amber does not hinder our life again. I know why she has come back and what she wants. Rest assured, Ivy, she will not disturb us from now." Joshua wrapped his hands tight around her and sighed lightly.


    ''Amber, you have already destroyed my life once. I will not allow you to do it again. I will never allow you to come into my life.'' Joshua made a resolve to speak to her once he was discharged and explain everything to her. If she was willing to leave him on her own accord, then it was well and good. Otherwise, Joshua knew exactly what measures to use that could make her leave the city or even the country.

 Chapter 490: Mess in the room

    While the two couples were having a blissful time in each other''s presence, Amber was seething as she threw the items around her hard on the floor. The flower vase shattered into pieces the moment it touched the ground. Next, she swept all the items on the dressing table, sending tremors down the maid, who was standing just outside her room.


    Since the moment she had returned home, Amber had locked herself up in her room. Although nobody could see what was happening inside, they could guess from the shattering noises they could hear. The entire house was filled with noises of glass breaking or items falling and, nobody knew what to do.


    "Who the fuck do those bitches think they are?" She cursed as she destroyed another vase. "Who gave them the rights to stop me from meeting my man? My man. Joshua is my man." Amber stared at the mirror as she enunciated each word slowly. "Those bitches don''t know who I am. I am Amber. I need to teach them a lesson. How dare they stop me, Amber, from entering Joshua''s room!!" Her fury rose again, and she searched for an item to smash. But by now all the possible destructible items were now lying dead on the floor, and Amber could not find anything else to appease her anger.


    Her eyes fell on her phone, and she picked it up to hurl at the ground when the device vibrated, stopping her in her place. She glared at her phone for disturbing her. But her eyes widened when she saw who was calling her. She did not waste another moment to accept the call.


    "Hello," Her demeanor changed all of a sudden.


    "What the fuck are you doing? Why am I receiving complaints from the butler?" The man on the other side roared, making Amber flinch and shudder. She cursed under her breath, wishing to kill the butler for ratting out on her.


    "No, no, you must have heard it wrong." Amber tried to coax the man and his anger. But the man was having none of it.


    "Amber, don''t you dare lie to me. You are here on my orders, and you will do as I say. If you don''t follow my words, it is very easy for me to discard you." The man threatened, and Amber clenched her free hand, her fury spiking up at his every word.


    "I understand. I will not cause any more trouble." Amber forced the words out even though she was unwilling. The man she was talking to held the power to end her life in a blink, and she did not want to test his patience on this matter. Following his words was the only option she had, and if that saved her ass from him, then she would do it.


    "And don''t you dare insult the maids or the servants. They are not working for you, they only listen to me. If I get a word about your irresponsible and rude behavior towards them, the butler has my order to shoot you on spot. Don''t test me on that."


    The man warned her, and Amber''s hands shook the next instant. She perceived that he was not joking about this matter and the butler really had his orders to shoot her if she were to misbehave again. Amber gritted her teeth, wishing to kill the man who was controlling her life like a puppet. If not for him helping her to get Joshua, she would have long left his prison, disregarding his orders like the trash they were just like him.


    "The butler told me that you smashed the things in your room. Am I right?" Amber gulped as soon as she heard his low, deadly voice on the phone. She glanced around the room and immediately regretted losing herself to her anger.


    "But I was angry."


    "It was my property that you destroyed." The man''s reply was quick. "You will have to compensate for it."


    "What do you mean?" Amber realized that she would not be liking whatever she be hearing next.


    "You will clean your room, and for the next fifteen days, you will be in charge of yourself. Nobody in the mansion will cater for you."


    "What?" Amber shouted on the phone. "You cannot do that."


    "Oh, I can and I will. Remember that your life is in my mercy. I can end you in a blink of an eye, and you will not even notice." The man did not back off. He knew that Amber would surrender eventually, and that was what happened next. "Nobody will help you in your work. You will cook for yourself, you will wash your own clothes and you will do all your work by yourself."


    Amber did not say another word, for she knew that the man would only twist her words and put her in a disadvantageous situation and punish her all the more. And that was the last thing he wanted. ''I am only enduring you because of Joshua. Otherwise, you would be dead meat by now.'' She thought to herself. ''I not forget the humiliation I suffered today. Once I get back with Joshua, I will teach you a lesson.'' She made a vow as she stared at the litter she had to clean after the phone call.


    "By the way, what happened to our main mission at hand? Did you get back with Joshua?"


    "No. I didn''t."


    "Why?"


    "The two sluts are not allowing me to meet him in private."


    "Who are you talking about?"


    "I am talking about the two sluts who keep guarding him and keeping me away from me. You have no idea what happened today. Those two girls threw me out of the ward, and I could do nothing." Amber vented all her frustration and sufferings to the man who gave a deaf ear to them. He knew what kind of a woman Amber was, and he was in no mood to entertain her. If not for the fact that she was useful for him in his goals, he would have shot her dead already. She was nothing but a brainless bitch who was only foiling all his plans.


    "Amber, listen to me and listen to me carefully. I brought you back not to hear your complaints. I want results, and I want them soon. I don''t know what you will do or how you will do it, you must separate Joshua from his girlfriend. Otherwise, let''s assume that you are as good as dead." Without another word, the man ended the call, leaving a pale-faced Amber staring at her phone in horror.

 Chapter 491: Tears of blood

    Amber plopped on the bed as she stared at the ground. The man''s warning kept running in her mind like a broken tape recorder, and she knew he was joking when he threatened to kill her if she were to fail in her mission. Amber had seen him kill people when he had first sought her out, and the scene was etched in her brain. She even got nightmares about the day and the dead body lying at her feet with blood all around.


    Amber''s lips quivered just at recalling the dreadful day, and she made a vow to not cross the man ever again. But that did not mean she would sit still and watch him command her as he pleased. No. ''Just you wait and watch, you asshole. Once I get back to Joshua, I will take my revenge. I will make sure to return every suffering you have given me by tenfolds." She clenched her fists as she stared hard at the ground.


    Amber was startled when the door to her room opened and the maid entered with cleaning tools in her hand. "What are you doing? How dare you enter the room without knocking?" Amber unleashed all her pent-up fury on the poor maid who stood expressionless before her. Her anger did not affect her as she turned back and waited for the butler to enter the room. And the moment Amber saw the butler, her lips sealed tight.


    "Master has ordered you to clean this room." He pointed at the cleaning tools and folded his hand, his face stoic and impassive. Amber''s arrogance evaporated into thin air, and she was at a loss of words. Although she wanted to throw the tools on the man''s face and hurl curses at him, she knew he had orders to kill her if she were to step out of the line. So, she swallowed her anger and smiled sweetly at him, making the man wonder what she was up to now.


    "You can keep the cleaning tools over there. I will clean the room in a while." She stated, wishing the man to leave the room as soon as possible. But the butler guessed right through her act, and he shook his head at once.


    "No, Miss. I am to watch you clean the room myself. I will not be leaving the room until the room is back to normal." He did not budge from his place, and Amber had the sudden urge to kill the man right away.


    "I told you I will clean the room. You can leave now." Amber forced the words out. But the man stood rooted to her place, irking her all the more. "Why aren''t you leaving?"


    "Do you think you can bribe the servants in the mansion once I leave from here?" The butler narrowed his eyes, his question sending chills down Amber''s spine. "Let me remind you, Miss. We do not work for you. So, unless the Master orders us nobody will help you. None of the maids or the servants in the mansion will fall for the meager amount you throw at us. So, you better start cleaning the room or I will not hesitate to shoot you." He pulled out the small pistol from his waistband and aimed it at Amber.


    Amber''s face lost all its color as soon as she saw the pistol, and at once, she picked up the broomstick. "Can''t you just give me a vacuum cleaner? Wouldn''t it be easy for me and I can finish it soon?" She complained, and the maid stifled a laugh.


    "No, Master has ordered you to clean using the broomstick. You will not be provided a vacuum cleaner or any other advanced cleaning devices. Since you had the audacity to break things that did not belong to you, now face the consequences." The butler spat. He knew how valuable most of the things were and how much money his Master had spent in collecting them. Although the money did not matter to his Master, that did not mean he allowed people to do as he pleased.


    "Fine, at least provide me the gloves."


    "No, you will clean the room with your hands bare."


    "What?" Amber dropped the broom to the floor and glared at the man who was smirking at her. "Are you playing games with me? How can I clean all this mess with my bare hands?" He wriggled her hands in the air, pointing to the mess she had created.


    "You were the one who created this mess, Miss. So, you must have been prepared to face what lay ahead for your actions."


    "You... I am sure this is not what your Master has ordered you. This is your plan to humiliate me. I am not going to tolerate this." Amber stepped away from the mess and sat on the bed with her legs crossed.


    "Are you sure you will not follow my instructions?" The butler narrowed his gaze when Amber nodded at him.


    "And don''t threaten me with your pistol. I know you will not kill me." Amber had no idea where she got the sudden courage from. It was as though she was confident that the man would not kill without his Master''s permission.


    "You are right. I will not kill you."


    Amber smirked as soon as he heard his words. But I can do other things that are more painful than killing you. He tilted his head and nodded at the maid beside him. Amber watched the maid walk towards her with raised brows, and even before she knew it, the maid slapped her hard.


    "What the fuck!!" Amber jumped to her feet and glowered over the girl who had dared to hit her.


    "Again." The butler order and the maid slapped her again.


    "What are you doing? How dare you slap me?" Amber raised her hand to slap the maid back. But the girl was faster than her. She blocked her hand and slapped her again, rendering Amber speechless.


    "If you want her to stop slapping you, you will start cleaning the room without complaining. Otherwise, you can say goodbye to your beautiful face." The butler''s voice resonated in the room, and Amber realized that he was serious. She could not play her games now. Her cheeks were already throbbing, and she could taste blood on her lips. She knew that her face was now swollen and red, and if the maid continued to slap, she would be bruised for sure.


    "I give up. I give up. Stop hitting me." She relented finally.


    "Stop," The butler ordered and the maid walked back to him. "Start cleaning now."


    Without another word, Amber picked up the broom and started to sweep the floor. She wiped the stream of tears that had started flowing due to the pain she was in. But more than the pain it was the humiliation she had suffered that had made her let out her frustration. ''Just you wait and watch you stupid bastard. I will not spare anyone. Joshua will avenge the injustice I have suffered. That day, I will laugh at your state while you will cry tears of blood.''

 Chapter 492: Pathetic

    Amber cried out in pain when one of the glass pieces pierced her fingers and blood started to leak out. She stared at the two people who were watching her move without doing anything. "Can''t you see I am bleeding? Get me the first aid." She ordered, completely forgetting that they never listened to her orders. Just as before, the two ignored her orders as they continued to stare at her.


    "Why aren''t you moving your asses? I said get me the first aid." He gritted her teeth and enunciated each word.


    "We are not allowed to leave until you finish cleaning the room, Miss. It is our Master''s orders." The butler shrugged as though Amber''s blood was not a big deal for him.


    "Are you blind? Can''t see my wounds? You.." She pointed her finger at the maid who was watching the drama silently. "Go get the first aid right now." She snapped her fingers at her as though she was her slave, and the butler''s smile vanished on seeing her behavior.


    "Miss, nobody is going anywhere. You are to clean the room in our presence, and the Master has ordered us not to treat you if you are to get injured in the process." Although that was not his Master''s words, the butler knew the man would not reprimand him for saying so. The girl was more arrogant than the sun, and she had to be thought a lesson for treating people around her as slaves.


    "What the fuck do you mean that I will not be treated? Do you want me to bleed to death? Wait a minute." Amber stopped speaking when the realization hit her, and the butler wondered what absurd theory she had discovered suddenly. "You want to kill me, right? Is that the reason why you are not bringing the first aid?"


    The moment the question left Amber''s lips, the maid started laughing, and even the butler looked at her like the fool she was. They had never seen anyone as stupid as her.


    "Why are you laughing, bitch?" Amber was livid when she saw the two people laughing at her and mocking her.


    "Language, Miss." The butler''s cold voice fell on her ears, and Amber became speechless for a few moments. "A few droplets of blood from your body will not kill you. Don''t you think you should compensate for the loss our Master has incurred due to your childish tantrums?" The butler pointed at the mess she had created, showing her the reality. "You had the audacity to destroy the precious collection that cost him more money than you have ever seen in your life. But you can''t even bear the minor injuries after what you have done. I must commend your hypocrisy. It is beyond my comprehension."


    The butler''s words were a huge slap to Amber''s face and ego, and she glared at him, wishing to burn him alive. He was testing her patience that was already wearing thin after meeting the two annoying women in Joshua''s ward, and more so because they had stopped her from getting close to Joshua. And now the butler was irritating her.


    "Miss, it is best that you finish cleaning the room soon. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can get your injuries treated." The man advised, and Amber now had no choice. She started to clean the room while bearing the cuts and injuries that came along whenever she picked up the pieces of glass on the floor.


    Finally, after two hours of complaining and crying, she was done cleaning the room, and by then it was already past midnight. She plopped on her bed, exhausted from all the work she had done and she wiped her hands with the towel. "Get me the first aid kit now." She barked out her orders, and for once, the butler nodded at the maid who retrieved the first aid kit and helped the arrogant woman to clean her wounds.


    The entire time Amber had not stopped grumbling and whining making the poor maid''s ears bleed due to the torment. The moment she was done treating her wounds, she scurried away from her and sighed in relief.


    "Get me my food. I am hungry." Amber gave out her next order. However, both the butler and the maid were done listening to her. So, they just walked out of the room and closed the door after them.


    More than fifteen minutes had passed, and nobody had returned with her food. Frustrated and famished, Amber walked out of her room to the kitchen, only to find the entire mansion empty. Nobody was in sight. "Where are the servants? Why didn''t they get me my food?" She seethed.


    Although she wanted to scold them for their negligence, she was too tired to even speak to them, let alone fight them. Her hunger was making her lose control. So, she decided to fill her stomach first. However, to her disbelief, the kitchen was completely clean, with all the dishes empty. There was nothing for her to eat, and this time, she could not control herself anymore. Her hunger got the best of her and she saw red.


    Amber was done tolerating the humiliation, and she kicked the chair in the dining room, the loud noise echoing through the silent mansion like a blaring horn. At once, the maids who were resting in the nearby room came running to see what had happened, and the moment they saw the woman who had turned their life hell since her stay, they groaned in despair.


    "Where is my food?" Amber shouted on seeing the maids standing in front of her. "Get me my food."


    "Miss, we were ordered not to give you any food. You..."


    "What do mean? How could you not give me food?" Amber shrieked, her high-pitched voice rendering everyone speechless. They clenched their fists in anger. They were already tired from the day''s work, and this woman was making it difficult for them by not allowing them to rest.


    "What is happening here? Why is there a commotion?" The butler''s strong voice fell on everyone''s ears, and the maids turned to him, sighing in relief. As soon as the butler saw Amber in the middle of the dining hall, he frowned. "You? I should have thought that it was you behind this chaos. What do you want now?" He was vexed by now that he even dropped all the formalities and spoke to her without giving her any respect.


    "I am hungry," Amber stated with her hands folded.


    "So?"


    "I want food."


    "Then, go prepare your food."


    "Why should I prepare?"


    "Because you are hungry, not us." The butler''s reply was instant.


    "But it is you who do the work, not I. You are the servants here." Amber''s words were dripping with ego, and the butler narrowed his eyes.


    "We are the servants here, yes. But we are not your servants." His reply pleased all the servants who were watching the drama, and they wanted to applaud him for showing the woman her place. "You are hungry, you prepare your food. If you have forgotten, let me remind you that Master has ordered you to do your own chores for the next fifteen days. Nobody will be helping you in anything."


    ''What the fuck!!'' Amber cursed under her breath. She had really forgotten about this matter, and she closed her eyes as she controlled her fury. An idea popped up in her mind suddenly, and she opened her eyes, his lips raising in wickedness. "Are you sure you want me to enter the kitchen? What if I were to destroy it just like the room?"


    Her question made the butler laugh. He had anticipated these words from her, and he was prepared with his befitting reply. "You can go ahead and do anything you want. You will only be punished for your actions, and let me assure you that the consequences will be dire. Moreover, I have the option to kill you or even better, kick you out of his house."


    This shut Amber up, and her face paled in fear. The butler did not stop at that. "Let me remind you that you are surviving only because our Master has taken you in. If he loses his mind and kicks you out, I presume you know what will happen to you. You do not want to return to your pathetic self again, do you?"


    Amber recalled the time when she had lost everything and was reduced to do part-time jobs to survive, and her heart thudded in fear. Those were the days she wanted to forget the most. Now that she had tasted the lavish life again, she did not want to return to her poverty-stricken self.


    Contented that the warning has been registered, he nodded his head at the servants, and they returned to their rooms at once. "You may cook whatever you want or eat whatever you want. You can even go on a hunger strike or order from outside. But nobody will help you to do your work anymore. Also, if you order food from outside, you will have to pay for it yourself. Now, it''s up to you what you want to do."


    The butler snapped his fingers, and Amber looked at the man who was nothing less monstrous than his Master. "Whatever you do, keep the kitchen clean. If you create a mess again, you can say goodbye to your life or your lavish life." With that, the butler left the dining hall, leaving a trembling Amber glaring at his back.

 Chapter 493: Discharged

    Amber now had no choice but to prepare her food herself. However, she was in no mood to do so and her hands were wrapped with bandaids. With a deep sigh, she pulled out her phone and ordered her food for the night. Her eyes bled on seeing the amount of money she had to pay for the food herself. However, she did not have any other way out either. The meager amount of money she had painstakingly saved over years was gone in a blink.


    Fortunately for her and her stomach, her food arrived in time, and she could soothe her hunger before she went berserk. Amber sat on the chair in the dining hall all alone as she chomped on her food. Although it was delicious, it tasted bland and hopeless, and she had the urge to spit it out. However, her hunger got the best of her, and even if she did not want to eat it, she had to force it down her throat.


    ''How did I end up this way?'' She thought as she swallowed another bite of her food. ''Where did I lose?'' Amber was crestfallen as she recalled how her glorious days had vanished over the years and how she had ended up in poverty. It all started the moment she left Joshua, and Amber realized what a grave mistake she had committed by leaving such an amazing man. Her life had been blissful when she was with him, and everything went downhill the moment she left him.


    ''Not a problem. I will reclaim whatever I have lost. Joshua, wait for me. I''ll get you back soon.'' She promised to herself and finished eating her food before she threw the delivery box in the dustbin. She slowed walked back to her room, changed out her dress, and laid down on the bed as she thought her next course of action.


    ''Even if the girls do not allow me to enter the room, they will not be able to stop me for long. I will drop by every day and make their lives a living hell. They do not know how horrible I am and what I can do.'' She thought to herself. ''And to the girl who claims herself to be Joshua''s girlfriend, let''s see what you will do after I deal with you.'' Amber decided to visit Joshua first thing in the morning and surprise him when there would nobody to disturb them. ''Wait for me, Joshua. I will meet you soon.'' With that thought, she closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep.


    But she had no idea that instead of her surprising Joshua, it would him surprising her. The man had already anticipated her shameless actions, and he was prepared to show her her place in his life.


    ''I want to get discharged tomorrow.'' Joshua sent a message to Ian on his phone while he watched the sleeping beauty in his embrace.


    ''Why?'' Ian''s reply was quick. ''I will come to you. Give me a minute.''


    Joshua did not have to wait, for Ian came to him within five minutes. And again, he started with his drama on seeing the couple coddling in front of him. "Can''t you guys control yourself? Why are you trying to annoy this single man?" He spoke, making sure to keep his voice low. He saw that Ivy was deep sleep, and he did not want to wake her up. Like Joshua, he too knew that she had not had a good sleep the last few days and she needed it more than anything.


    "Who told you to stay single? Find someone soon, and you will not be annoyed with us."


    Ian chose to ignore his remarks. "Why do you want to get discharged? You do realize that you are still weak and you need lots of rest, right?"


    "Why is everyone pointing out that I am weak? I am perfectly fine." Ian raised his eyebrows at him, and Joshua frowned on seeing his deriding gaze. "Do you want me to fight you and show you how strong I am?" Joshua teased, and Ian rolled his eyes at him.


    "Yeah right. If you want to stay in bed for a long time and force yourself into abstinence, you can give it a try." Ian suggested with a smile, and this shut Joshua''s lips. He did not have any comeback now. "Now, will you answer my question? Why do you want to get discharged this soon?"


    "I don''t want Amber troubling Ivy again. I don''t want her to suffer because of my past." Joshua turned serious at once, his face stern and stoic. "Amber has already caused a lot of problems. I don''t want her to get in touch with Ivy. We should leave from the hospital so that she does not trouble us again."


    "I agree with you. After learning the events that happened today, I don''t think she will be giving up on you this soon. Although I could blacklist her from the hospital, she can enter with a fake ID and get up." Ian agreed with him at once, and knowing Amber''s shameless mind, he perceived the couple would not be having any peaceful time until they are in the hospital.


    "When do you want to leave?"


    "As soon as possible. How quick can you make it?"


    "You can actually leave even now. Your shoulder is injured and you are weak. Other than that you are fine. You need bed rest for a few days, and then you will be good to go." Ian checked his reports as she stated his condition. "It does not matter if you take rest here or at home. Although I prefer you stay here until your recuperation, you should go home to avoid Amber. You will be at peace."


    "I agree. So, what do you suggest?"


    "I will prepare the discharge papers. You can leave in the early hours of dawn. But I have some orders you must follow at any cost. If you fail to do so, I will readmit you here myself. Did you get it?" Ian warned his friend, and Joshua nodded his head at once. If obeying Ian could repulse Amber from his life, then he was willing to obey him for life.


    "Good. Sleep for a few hours. I will wake you up when it time for you to leave."

 Chapter 494: Tormenting Ian

    Noah stirred in his sleep when he felt a hand fall on his waist. He blinked his eyes and looked at the girl in his embrace. Aria was deep asleep, and after what had transpired last night, Noah was sure that she would not be getting up anytime soon. It was only four in the morning.


    Noah twisted his body so that he was now facing the girl, and the moment he did so, the blanket slid down Aria''s body, baring the contours of her breasts for his eyes. The scene before him was so enticing that Noah gulped, and all his blood rushed to his member, ready for some action again. Before he could lose control and wake up Aria to start exercising again, he pulled the blanket up and covered her. The girl needed to sleep so that they could continue from where they had stopped later.


    He slowly and gently pushed the girl away from him and made her lie on the bed before he got up. Fortunately for him, he had some of his clothes stacked at Aria''s place and had forgotten to take them back with him when Aria had moved in with him. He pulled out a pair of boxers from the closet and wore them before he picked up his phone.


    Although Noah knew Aria would not be waking up anytime soon, he did not want to disturb her. So, she stepped out of the room and called Ian, who at that time was taking a nap in his office.


    "Hello," He slurred without taking a look at the person who had called him. He was annoyed at being called at the wee hours of dawn and disturbing his sleep.


    "It''s me."


    "Who?"


    "Ian?"


    "Noah? Is that you?" Ian still had his eyes shut as he continued to speak. "Why are you calling me at this time of the day? Are you that free?"


    "I called you to ask something." This caught Ian''s attention, and his eyes flew open.


    "What do you want to ask?"


    "Are there better contraceptive methods other than using a condom?" Noah did not shy away from asking what he wanted to ask.


    However, that was not the case with Ian. His eyes widened, and he sat up straight on his chair. "What?" He almost shouted over the phone. "Why are you asking about contraceptive methods? Did you and Aria...." Oh my God!! What the heck is happening? Why are my friends hellbent on making my single life torturous?" Ian started with his drama again, and this time, Noah was his victim. "Do you have any idea how tormenting it is to see Ivy and Joshua acting all lovey-dovey and now you asking about contraceptive measures? What should a single soul like me do?"


    Noah pressed his forehead as he listened to Ian''s complaints. The man had truly taken over Joshua''s character since the time Joshua was shot, and his jokes were as pathetic as his other friend''s. "You can always find yourself someone. Job done, deal over."


    Noah remarked, and Ian wanted to cry at his friend''s heartless words. Joshua had said the same words to him earlier, and Ian wondered if the two men were ganging up against him in secret. ''Do these two have a grudge against me? Did I do something to them? Why are they torturing this innocent soul?''


    "Are you done or is there more to this?" Noah asked calmly, not fazed by his words. "Will you answer my question now?"


    "Fine. What was your question again?"


    "What are better contraceptive methods than a condom? It is very inconvenient to change condom after every round."


    Noah''s words made Ian''s ears bleed, and he almost spat a mouthful of blood. "How many rounds did you do that you are asking me this? Is Aria alright? Could she bear with your stamina and go along as long as you wanted? Is she not dead yet?" Ian now was genuinely worried for the girl who had to bear with a monster for life.


    "Ian?" Noah''s voice was low, and Ian stopped himself from continuing.


    "If you are unwilling to use a condom, Aria can always use pills. In fact, a female researcher in my company has produced a pill that had little to no side effects. They are better than the ones available in the market." Ian suggested.


    "Is the pill certified?"


    "Noah, do you think I would suggest the pill if it was not certified and approved?


    "Yeah right. Sorry."


    "They are really good, and we are receiving positive responses. Aria must take it within forty-eight hours and you are good to go."


    "It will not affect Aria''s body, right?" Noah was still skeptical even though Ian had assured him. He did not want Aria to suffer and if using a condom was the only option, then he was willing to bear with it.


    "Don''t worry, Noah. I assure you that Aria will not face any problems. You can trust me on it."


    "Great. When can I get the pills?"


    "I ask someone to deliver them to your mansion. Aria has to take them within forty-eight hours." Ian warned him, and Noah made it a note to remind her once they reached home.


    "Thanks, Ian. How''s Joshua?"


    "Irritating."


    "Then he is fine."


    "Yes, he will be discharged in an hour." Ian pinched his forehead and sighed lightly.


    "This soon? Why? Is everything is fine?"


    "Joshua will be fine once he rests well, and he can do it even at home. He just needs to be checked regularly, and with Aria and me around, he can be treated even if he is not at the hospital."


    "Why can''t he stay at the hospital? He can recover faster." Noah could still not comprehend why Joshua was being discharged even before he had recuperated well.


    "Yeah, but you know who he will be facing every day if he were to stay at the hospital."


    Noah now realized what Ian was talking about. "Amber."


    "Yes. Joshua does not want that annoying woman to disturb him and Ivy. Though we can stop her from entering the ward, we cannot stop her from the hospital. So, they should stay away from her lest she should create more troubles for the couple." Ian shook his head, wondering how troublesome Joshua''s ex was. That girl was like a leech who was stuck to their lives, slowly sucking their blood until she was satisfied.


    "I agree. Her presence will make everyone angry and frustrated. Joshua took a great decision this time."


    "Yes, anything else I can help you with?"


    "That''s all for now. Thank you."


    "Then I am going to end this call. I need to prepare Joshua''s discharge papers."


    Noah sighed lightly and returned to the room. He climbed on the bed and laid down beside Aria as he watched her sleeping peacefully. He pushed back the few strands of hair that had fallen over her face. His eyes were filled with happiness and love for the girl, and he pulled her back into his embrace. "Rest well, sweetheart. Once you wake up, you will not be having a moment to sleep, and this time, it will be more exciting and thrilling."

 Chapter 495: Not holding back

    It was somewhere around seven when Aria finally woke up. At first, she could not decipher where she was and what happened. She looked at the familiar room, and slowly, the events of the last night flashed in her mind and her face turned red. She bit her lip as she recalled how Noah had trusted into her and how she had responded with equal vigor. She covered her face as she squealed into her hands.


    ''Oh, Lord!! How can I face Noah now?'' She wondered, and at once, her brows narrowed when she realized that the man was not in the room. ''Where did he go?'' She wondered, and slowly, she dragged her body towards the edge of the bed. The moment her legs touched the ground, they gave away and she closed her eyes in agony.


    Aria''s legs were sore, and her waist was aching quite badly. She closed her eyes. "Beast." She scolded the man for being a beast to her the previous night, completely forgetting that it was she who had allowed him to fuck her hard. Taking the support of the nightstand, Aria pushed herself up and walked towards the bathroom.


    She stared at the woman in the mirror, who seemed to be glowing for some reason. Her eyes looked at her lips that had been completely assaulted by her man until he was satisfied. It was as though he wanted to devour her and her lips to his heart''s content She touched her lips before she pushed her hair that resembled nothing less than a lion''s mane, unruly and wild.


    Aria did not have to think twice to know the reason for it, and she lowered her head, unable to meet her reflection. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw a shirt on her. ''Did Noah make me wear this shirt? Why didn''t I know about it?'' She wondered.


    Unknown to her, Noah had made her wear the shirt just an hour before she had got up. She had been sleeping naked until then. ''This is Noah''s shirt, and it is so comfortable.'' She sighed in bliss before she started to brush her teeth, recollecting everything that had happened the previous night. Noah''s touch, his lips, his fingers, his member, their bodies slamming against each other as they reached the peak together ran in her mind, and Aria closed her eyes shut.


    ''What are you thinking about, Aria? Just brush your teeth.'' She chided herself, forcing her thoughts and memories away from her mind. With great effort, she finally finished with her morning chores but skipped taking a bath. She then went on search of Noah, and as she had expected, the man was busy cooking in the kitchen.


    Aria sat at the dining table and observed his every move as she leaned on the table. ''Noah is so handsome. He is more delicious than the food he prepares.'' She thought and ran her eyes on the man''s gorgeous back. ''How lucky I am to have found such an amazing and gorgeous man!'' She sighed lightly and smiled widely, and right at this moment, Noah turned to her, startled to see her here.


    "Good morning," He chirped, and Aria raised her brows at him, surprised by his enthusiasm.


    "Morning. Someone looks excited and happy." She commented as Noah brought the breakfast he had prepared for her.


    "Someone sure is happy, and he has his reasons for it." Noah sat on the chair beside her and placed a plateful of omelet and bacon in front of her.


    "May I know the reason for the same?" Aria clasped her fingers under her chin as she stared at the man who was serving her.


    "What can I say? He is completely revitalized and ecstatic after what happened the previous night."


    "Ohh," Aria did not know what else to say. ''I should have known.'' She thought. ''Noah would not miss an opportunity to talk about what we did yesterday.'' She lowered her head, trying to avoid the man''s gaze, and Noah for once did not tease her for her behavior. He knew she was shy and he was loving the way Aria was trying to hide from him.


    ''How long will you hide from me, darling? We will resume from where we stopped once we are done with breakfast.'' He smiled wickedly at her, and Aria could sense the man''s wolfish gaze on her. It was as though he was waiting for her to finish eating so that he could start eating her.


    Aria ate her food as slowly as possible, delaying the time. Even though the breakfast was delicious, she was in no mood to enjoy it. The man was sending her signals about what lay ahead for her once she finished eating and Aria was apprehensive about the same. Her body was still aching, and she wondered if she could take more of it, more of him.


    Noah realized what was happening when he noticed Aria eating slower than normal. But he did not comment about it, allowing her to do as she pleased. At one point in time, she will have to finish the food on her plate, and he would take care of her then.


    Now, only the last bite was left, and Aria gulped it down as slowly as possible. The moment she finished eating, she sprang to her feet. "Let me wash the dishes." She stated and picked up the dirty plates. However, Noah stopped her before she could run away from him.


    "Aria, darling, did you forget that you have a dishwasher at home?" He snatched the plates from her with an evil smile and dropped them in the dishwasher. "I think we are done eating, right?"  Aria stood still, not giving him any response. "We can now do what we are supposed to be doing."


    "Wh-What are you talking about?" Aria took a step back when she noticed the man''s eyes turning dark with lust, and Noah took a step towards her.


    "Sweetheart, I guess you forgot what you told me. You granted me the permission to go as long as I wanted, and I am yet to satiated."


    Aria''s jaw dropped on hearing his brazen remarks. "But that was only for yesterday."


    "Let''s just say my yesterday is not over yet," Noah smirked at her and spread out his hands to catch her. But Aria was quick this time, and she bolted out of the dining hall before the man could catch her.


    "Aria, come back here."


    "No," The girl shouted from where she was. "Catch me if you can." She boldly stuck out her tongue at him before she vanished from the dining hall.


    "Are you sure you want to play this game, Aria?" Noah followed her, watching the girl distance herself from him. "If I catch you, it will not end up with just two rounds like last night."


    Aria just gave him a provoking look, and that was enough for the man to take this challenge seriously. "Fine, you asked for it. Don''t blame me for whatever happens next. Brace yourself for a day without any rest or sleep. I will not be holding back this time."

 Chapter 496: Punishment time - Part 1

    Aria knew that Noah was not joking when he promised not to hold back this time. She only realized her mistake and regretted provoking the man once Noah caught her and carried her back to their room. Though Aria had given a tough fight and had escaped from his clutches every time, the man had not given up, and she was in his arms within no time. It did not take him more than four minutes to catch her.


    Noah carried her back to their room and closed the door with his feet. Since no one would be entering the room or even the house, it did not matter if he locked it or not. "Are you done playing around, or do you still want to play?" Though Aria could not decipher what the man was talking about, she knew that there was an underlying meaning in his words, and they were anything but decent.


    "I will take your silence as your no. Good because it is now my turn to play."


    "What.." Aria did not even have the time to complete her question as Noah had dropped her on the bed, and he had caught her lips with his. He hovered on top of her, pushing her back on the bed, and Aria had no choice but to surrender to the kiss. He made her feel so good that her body melted the moment he touched her.


    Noah had been dying to kiss her since the time had got up, and now that he had got his chance, he ravaged her mouth to his heart''s content. He did not allow the girl to lie on the bed. Instead, he held her by her neck gently and continued to kiss her while his other hand wound around her waist for support. In this position, Aria could feel him take her breath away, and without him doing anything, she opened her mouth for him.


    Noah took this opportunity to push his tongue inside her mouth while his knees pushed her legs wide, pressing his erection on her core. Aria gasped when she felt the man''s hardened length. She stared at him even though they were still kissing each other.


    Noah just smiled into the kiss and without any heads up, he flipped them, pushing her on top of him without breaking the kiss. Aria''s eyes widened in shock at the sudden action. Everything happened in a split second that she had a hard time processing. Noah held her head down, not allowing her to break the kiss while he slowly lifted her shirt, exposing her naval to his hands.


    Aria shivered when she felt the man''s hands running her waist, and she was pleasantly surprised when she felt him tie a knot using the ends of his shirt under her breasts. The shirt had now become a crop top, and her waist was completely accessible to the man who did not stop running her hands on them as he continued the kiss.


    Noah only let her go when he felt Aria losing her breath slowly. Although he had stopped kissing her lips, he did not stop kissing her body, and from the position they were, he could easily gain access to her waist and her navel area. He pushed himself up and kissed her just below the point where his shirt was tied, and Aria moaned at the sudden kiss.


    He did not stop just at that. He sucked on the spot until a blaring red hickey formed on her skin. Satisfied with his work, his lips attacked another part of her waist, this time closer to her belly button. By the time he was done, he had left hickeys all on her waist while the girl was rendered to a moaning mess.


    Noah ran his fingers on her underwear and touched the spot that had become moist over time, and just as he had expected, Aria was aroused and ready for him. But this time, he wanted to play for some more before they had sex.


    "Aria," His tone turned dangerous all of a sudden, and the girl who was still reeling in his kisses was startled by the shift. She looked at him, wondering what the man had in mind. "Do you remember that I promised to punish you for your recklessness?" He questioned her, observing the changes in her expression.


    Aria nodded at him, recalling the words he had said with conviction when they were in the hot air balloon. ''I thought he had forgotten about it? How did he remember it?''


    "Did you think I would forget about it?" Noah saw right through her and voiced out her thoughts. "No," He clicked his tongue at her and smiled wickedly. "I will never forget anything related to you, darling." He stated softly and continued to run his fingers on her waist, making her clench her stomach in anticipation.


    Aria did not know whether to concentrate on his words or his hands. But were equally sensual and arousing her at the same time. Liquid heat was already polling in her stomach, and slowly she was getting frustrated. However, the man had no intentions of helping her, and all he was interested in was teasing her and getting her excited.


    "Do you know what your punishment would be?" He queried softly and inserted a finger in her underwear as he started to tease her nub slowly. A low moan escaped her lips, and Aria shut her eyes, enjoying the feel of his fingers on her, although it was not exactly where she wanted them to be.


    Noah did not stop. Instead, pushed one of his fingers into her core, and Aria could not sit straight any longer. Her body sagged, and she fell on him as she bit her lip. Noah had hit her right on her spot, and Aria was sure that in no time, she would reach her peak. Her bud was already sensitive from yesterday''s activity, and the current stimulation was only pushing her closer to her edge.


    "Your punishment is," Noah hit her sweet spot before she pulled his finger out of her, making Aria''s eyes go wide. "You will give me a head before you get what you want."

 Chapter 497: Punishment time - Part 2

    "You will give me a head before you get what you want," Noah stated with a wicked glint, his eyes darkening in desire. Aria''s jaw dropped on hearing his shameless orders. Although they had crossed all paths the previous night, she was still shy around him and her face heated up at once. The redness on her cheeks turned a shade darker, and she looked just like a rose ready to be plucked.


    "You..you. what nonsense are you speaking?" Aria knew what the man wanted of her, and she stammered slightly when she realized that there was no way for her to escape from what he had in mind for her.


    "How is it nonsense, honey? I am just asking you the most normal thing in the world. Since it is your punishment, be a good girl and take it." Noah replied nonchalantly.


    "What if I don''t want to?" Aria pushed herself away from him until she could see his face clearly. She folded her hands and glared at him. However, her expression did not faze Noah even a but. To him, she looked as cute and adorable as she always did, only this time, she even looked sexy. With her shirt tied under her breasts, exposing her naval to him and her lower body clad in just underwear, she looked exceptionally enticing.


    ''Does she even realize how seductive she looks right now?'' He wondered staring hard at her and his intense gaze made Aria jittery. She wriggled on top of him only to stop suddenly when she felt his hard manhood hitting right on her spot. Aria was already frustrated when the man had stopped whatever he was doing before he stated her punishment. Now that man''s member was right at her entrance, separated just by their thin clothes, she almost lost her mind.


    ''If Noah is not going to help me, I will help myself.'' With that thought, she started to grind on him slowly. However, the man stopped her right on time.


    "Uh-huh, not so soon, darling." He clicked his tongue, chiding her softly for her lack of patience. "You want me, and you know what I want. So, choose well." Although Noah was giving her an option to choose, she had no choice at all. It was a dead end for Aria and she glowered at him.


    Though Aria was hesitant to go ahead with his wishes, somewhere in her mind, she knew she wanted this too. ''Noah will only prolong this further if I waste my time. So, why don''t I have some fun instead?'' Aria suddenly smiled, mischief lingering in her eyes, and Noah raised his eyebrows at her.  "Fine, I will do as you want."


    Her sudden acceptance did not sit well with Noah, and he knew that there was mischief brooding in her brain. She was up to something, something no good. But he did not care. He had Aria where he wanted, and she could not escape even if she wanted. If she were to play games with him, Noah had a lot of tricks to reverse them on her. He raised his brows and challenged her to go ahead if she dared.


    Aria pouted lightly on seeing his provocative gaze, and she decided not to test him more. What if it backfired on her? So, she sighed lightly. She leaned down for a quick kiss before she pulled back, smiling widely at the man who was giving her a questioning look. She slowly got off the bed, confusing him all the more. Noah was just about to question her when she shushed him softly.


    "Since I have decided to take a lead now," She pulled him with her and made him sit towards the edge of the bed. "You just have to sit back and enjoy."


    Noah was pleasantly surprised, and he did as she instructed him, excitement coursing through his heart and mind. He watched Aria drop to her knees, and even before he knew it, she leaned forward and kissed his member through his shorts. He let a groan of approval. Though his clothes were still obstructing her lips from meeting his member, it still felt good.


    Aria held the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down slowly, and Noah lifted his hips to aid her in her task. Once his shorts were completely off his body, he waited for Aria''s next move. He watched her lick her lips before she kissed his member directly, and Noah held the bedsheet tight. Aria moved closer to the man, spreading his legs, and settled just a foot away from him.


    Without giving any notice, she wrapped his hands around his member, and Noah grunted in delight. Her soft hands had fanned the desire in him even before she had started with her task. Aria slowly started to move her fingers, running them over his manhood, teasing him as she watched his member grow. Her eyes widened on seeing the man''s response while Noah stifled a laugh on seeing her lovely reaction.


    However, his laughter turned into a low groan when Aria increased her speed. She smirked lightly on seeing the man close his eyes as he embraced the pleasure the girl was bestowing upon him. Her soft hands were doing magic to him, and slowly, he started to inch closer to his peak. His eyes snapped open when he recalled that this not what he had ordered her to do.


    "Use your mouth, darling? Come on." He urged her gently. But Aria just winked at him playfully as she continued with her actions. She had no intentions of following what the man desired, and Noah was at a loss of words as to what to do. He was just about to reverse the trick on her when Aria suddenly licked the head of his member, stunning him completely. He had never expected a sudden attack from her and was taken aback by her unexpected move.


    Noah gulped all his complaints as he watched the girl run her tongue on his erect member. His throat ran dry as lust filled his eyes. He lost it when Aria''s mouth completely engulfed his member as she started to suck on it while her tongue continued its onslaught. Aria observed the man losing himself in the pleasure, and her smile widened while her heart swelled with pride.


    Noah pushed his head back, reeling in the pleasure. Aria''s fingers and lips were doing wonders to him. While her fingers held his base for support, her lips kissed and sucked on the head until the man unleashed himself in her mouth.


    Noah was yet to come down from his high when he watched the girl swallow his seed completely and lick her lips. This erotic scene alone was enough for his flaccid member to stand proud again. He pulled her to her feet and made her straddle him while his lips attacked hers as he tasted himself.


    He pulled back suddenly, ending the kiss quicker than Aria had anticipated. She did not even have the time to question him as Noah had flipped their positions, and he was now on top of her. "Thank you, darling, for your hard work. Now, it is my time to return the favor."

 Chapter 498: Returning the favor

    "Now it is my turn to return the favor," Noah stated, and even before Aria could comprehend his words, he tore her shirt, exposing her delectable body to his eyes and hands.


    "What did you do? Aria almost screamed at him. "Why did you tear this shirt? I liked it very much." She complained softly, not noticing that Noah''s hands were slowly inching towards her underwear. Although she too was desperate for what Noah intended to do to her, she never wanted him to tear the shirt she was wearing. She liked the shirt, it was very comfortable and soft.


    "I''ll buy you a hundred shirts as compensation," Noah stated as though it was not a big deal for him, and Aria rolled his eyes at the profligate man. Aria agreed that the man was loaded. But it did not mean that he could waste money unnecessarily.


    "I don''t want a hundred shirts." She uttered, and her remark stopped Noah from what he was doing. He gave her a confused looked, urging her to explain herself. "Why would you waste money on them? Just don''t tear my shirts from now on." She ordered him with a stern face, and Noah chuckled softly.


    "If I remember correctly, that shirt was mine," Noah stated as he stared at her breasts that were inviting him to taste them.


    "And what''s yours is mine." Aria declared with a smug face, leaving the man no room for any objection.


    "I agree." He mused softly, fanning Aria''s pride. "What''s mine is yours, and soon you will get what belongs to you," Noah replied mysteriously as he smirked at the girl, and Aria understood what the man wanted to convey. She blushed furiously at his words, unable to meet the man in the eye. Suddenly, the lack of clothes on her body ignited her self conscious, and she closed her eyes in despair.


    Noah just smiled at her, and he removed her underwear, leaving her naked under him. Not wanting to make her more uncomfortable for her nakedness, he removed his shirt exposing himself to her completely. Aria still had her eyes closed as she bit her lip, waiting for the man''s next moves. She clenched her stomach in anticipation while her toes curled.


    A gasp left her lips when she felt him kiss her feet before he lifted her leg and trailed kisses along her thigh. Noah did not forget the other leg, giving it the same attention it deserved, leaving love bites on his way. Noah had barely started his work but Aria had already become a moaning mess, and she held the blanket underneath her for support, which Noah allowed her to do this time.


    He pushed her legs apart to get a clear view of her bud, and he licked his lips wishing to taste the sweetness unique to his girl. However, before delving in for what he had in mind, he decided to tease the girl like the way she had teased him. Noah glanced at Aria before he touched her core with his fingers. The sudden touch made Aria arch her back, and she took a deep breath to calm her raging heart.


    Slowly, he started to massage her sweet bud as he glanced at the girl. Aria was lost, she had her eyes closed and her fingers held the blanket tight. Soft moans escaped her lips as Noah increased his pace. He pinched her petal but not hard enough to hurt her before he rubbed her clit. Liquid heat started to pool at the pit of her stomach, and Aria started to wriggle, pushing herself closer to him, wishing to get more of what Noah was giving her.


    But Noah stopped all her movements by pressing his other hand on her waist, keeping her in her place. Without any warning, he inserted one finger inside her, and Aria took a deep breath at the sudden intrusion. However, Noah was not done yet. He added another finger and started to pump them in and out of her, controlling her body the way she had done to him a few minutes ago.


    Aria''s eyes rolled back, and she accepted everything the man was making her feel. It was nothing less explosive than their sex. His expert hands continued their ministrations, pushing Aria closer to her peak. She was close now, very close, and all she needed was one final strike, and she would reach the ultimate haven.


    When Noah realized that Aria was close, he started to pump at a faster rate, making her go crazy with every move of his. At one point, he inserted the third digit, and this time, Aria hit a home run.


    "Noah!!!" She released with a shriek, a sound that was nothing less than music to Noah. Every sound from her lips was the sound of an angel for him. He waited for the girl to come down from her high before he licked her juices on his fingers and her thighs.


    Aria gasped for breath, and her face was glowing in the post-orgasmic bliss. Noah had never seen anything so divine, and he kept admiring her for who she was. Aria looked absolutely stunning, and he was glad it was him who brought her to this state. He was not done yet though. He leaned forward and kissed her thigh, his lips slowly moving closer to her bud, and finally, when he could not control himself any longer, he kissed her lips down below.


    Aria was still reeling in the after-effects of her orgasm when she felt the man''s tongue on her most intimate part. He brutally started to eat her out, not giving her any time to adjust to his actions. His lips attacked her core, his tongue licking it until Aria was taken away by a storm called Noah. His hot breath on her sensitive clit and his equally hot tongue were pushing her closer to the edge, and even before she knew it, she was climbing towards the peak that led her to heaven.


    ''Fuck!!'' Noah groaned when he inhaled her tantalizing smell, and with a final lick, Aria came tumbling down. This time, Noah was ready, and he drank her juices like the thirsty man he was, savoring every drop of hers. He had never tasted anything like that before, and he was sure that this would be his favorite delicacy from now on, a delicacy which he would like to have every day if Aria permitted him.

 Chapter 499: Just the beginning

    Noah was contented with his delicious breakfast, and now it was time for him to fulfill his other desires. Since the time he had tasted what it felt to be at heaven, he had discarded the notion of taking a cold shower. Until the last night, it had been a difficult time for him as he had to lead a life of abstinence, patiently waiting for Aria to accept him and open her heart to him.


    Now that Aria had accepted him completely and loved him dearly, he did not resort to what he did before whenever he was aroused. ''From now on I will never take a cold shower again.'' He promised to himself as he stared at the girl who was looking at him with lust-filled eyes. He also did not miss her love for him, and Noah smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with joy.


    "I love you, Aria." He did not blink as he declared his love for her. Noah had expected the girl to reciprocate his words. However, Aria remained silent and bit her lips in response. "Are you not going to reply to me, darling?" He raised his brows at her, and Aria smiled at him mischievously.


    "Are you sure you want to play this game?" Noah''s fingers were close to Aria''s core. But Aria scurried back even before he could touch her. Her lips rose, and she gave him a provocative look.


    "If you can tease me, I can tease you too."


    "Oh really?" Noah raised his brows at her, loving the girl''s dominating look. Although she was completely naked, her boldness and dominance did not shy away. And they only added more to her charms, making Noah fall harder and deeper for her. "Are you sure you can bear with the consequences?"


    Aria recalled how exhausted she was after their two rounds of sex last night. Noah had not held back at all and had fucked her hard and fast, not giving her a moment to even think. And Aria had loved every part of it, and she craved more of it. However, she was too shy to ask him, and all she could do was pretend to be unaffected.


    "Are you sure you can bear with the consequences?" Aria threw his words back at him, and Noah narrowed his eyes, an intimidating aura spreading around him immediately. His dangerous look was enough to send alarm bells ringing in Aria''s mind. Before she could scramble away from Noah and save herself from him, Noah pulled her under him by her legs.


    Aria shrieked at his sudden actions, which turned to light giggles when Noah started to tickle her. "No, no, please stop." She pleaded in between her breath while Noah continued to tickle her. Aria was so lost trying to save herself from the man''s assault that she did not notice Noah preparing his next move. He lined his erect member at her entrance.


    "No way. Tell me what I want to hear, and maybe I will let you go." He teased her back, and Aria glared at him, her lips jutting out in a cute pout. "Pouting and pleading will not stop me, darling. Try something else. Maybe you could say the words I want to hear." Noah did not stop tickling, and Aria realized that he would not be letting her go until she surrendered.


    When Noah noticed that Aria had stopped fighting, he stopped his tickling. "Will you tell me, darling?"


    "Yes, yes, I will. Please stop tickling me." Her eyes lashes were wet with tears.


    "Good, tell me."


    "I love you, No...ahhhh," Aria shouted at the end when she felt the man thrust into her suddenly, without giving her a heads up. Her core was already moist, and Noah could easily slide in without using much force.


    "Thank you, darling. That was the best declaration of love ever." Noah stated and leaned down for a quick kiss before he lifted her legs and pulled her closer to him, not once stopping in his actions. Aria too pushed her hips towards him until she fell him deep inside her. However, Noah was not done yet. He then placed her legs on his shoulders, and in this position, he could access the deepest part of her with ease.


    "Oh my God!!" Aria''s eyes popped out of her sockets when she felt his girth stretching her muscles deliciously, and her lips parted as she took deep breaths. Unlike the last night, she could feel the skinship, and she frowned lightly. "Noah," She breathed, trying to stop herself from losing control and giving in to the pleasure. "Contra..cep..tion." She forced the word out as she tried to focus on him.


    "Don''t worry, Aria. I have it all covered. Ian will send us the pills, and I assure you they have no side effects." As soon as Aria received the assurance she needed, she crossed her legs around his neck, giving him the cue to continue. And Noah was more than delighted to follow her command. He did not hold back whatsoever as their hips met while he continued to pound into her at a thunderous speed.


    Without the condom, Noah could feel her hot cave clenching on his member so magnificently that he was in heaven even before he sought his release. All he wanted was to stay buried inside her forever.


    Noah pulled out his member before he plunged it deep inside her, and Aria''s body arched up beautifully in response. Her breasts were right in front of him, and Noah could not stop himself from attacking them with his mouth.


    The stimulation was too much for Aria to bear. His member was hitting her at her most pleasurable spot while his lips were kissing and sucking on her breasts without allowing her a moment of peace. Aria had never expected sex to be this mind-blowing. Noah made her feel so good and cherished at the same time while he pleasured her until tears formed in her eyes.


    Noah felt closer to his release, and Aria was just a step behind him. While his mouth ravaged her breasts, leaving new marks on her skin along the way, Noah thrust himself with such force that Aria stars in front of her. No sooner had she found her release, Noah too let go when he felt her walls milking his member.


    Aria tried to catch her breath after their explosive sex, and Noah smiled on seeing the girl''s face glowing in post-orgasmic bliss. She was yet to come down from her high when she felt his member twitch inside her again, and Aria''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Did you think we would be done this soon, darling?" Noah questioned softly as he pushed her hair that had stuck to her forehead and neck. A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead and her neck. "No way. Today, I will be going all out, and since you have taken a day off, don''t expect even one moment of rest until night. This is just the beginning darling, just the beginning."


    "But what about lun-lunch?" Aria forced her words in between her pants.


    "Oh, I have a solution for it too, darling." Aria suddenly had an ominous feeling about what lay ahead for her, and it was proven true with Noah''s next words. "You eat me, while I will eat you."

 Chapter 500: Amazing Noah

    "Noah, slow down," Aria begged when she felt the man hitting her spot amazingly well. But the man just ignored her words and continued to pound into her, although it was her who was on the top this time.


    After their first round for the day, Noah had flipped them and made Aria straddle him while he laid down on the bed. His member was still inside her, and it came to life with such vigor that Aria could only stare at the man in horror. "All for you darling, all for you." He chuckled at her amusing reaction.


    "It better be." Aria had a comeback this time, and Noah''s grin widened.


    "Definitely, sweetheart. Do think I would even think about other women? No way. I have the world''s best woman with me. Why would I think about anybody else?" Although it seemed like Noah was trying to flatter her, Aria knew that he was saying the truth. Her heart was singing a song of its own in happiness while her mind had decided to shut itself down at this moment. All that remained was her body that was under Noah''s control.


    "Now if you would start moving, darling." Noah urged Aria, and she did as she was told, moving her hips slowly as she felt the man under too raise his hips to meet her movements. Aria closed her eyes when as she continued to rotate her hips. She lifted herself before she lowered herself on him. Her face showed how excited and aroused she was.


    However, Noah was not satisfied. In fact, he was far from it. The pace was too slow for his liking, and he wanted her to go faster. "Aria, go faster." He ordered, and the girl obliged. But it was still far away from the speed he was expecting.


    ''I guess I need to step up now.'' He thought to himself and held Aria''s waist before he started to pound into her at such speed that Aria could not stay upright anymore. Her body tumbled forward, and Noah had to hold her.


    Aria held onto the headboard for support as she gave into the man''s incredible dominance. "Good girl, hold onto it." He praised her and continued with his vigorous actions, every move of his hitting Aria like a tsunami and taking her away like a storm.


    Aria forgot everything about herself. She forgot who she was, where she was, and how she even got here. All she could remember was Noah and his incredible moves that made her feel ecstatic. Her body was not in her control, and soon she was climbing the stairways to heaven.


    When Noah realized that she was close, he slowed down, and Aria''s eyes fluttered open at once. She gave him a questioning look, and this alone was enough to send Noah into madness. Her eyes were glazed with tears, and her entire body was drenched in sweat. Her chest and legs were filled with hickeys and love bites, and every part of her screamed of him while his body screamed of Aria.


    The beauty before him was a sight to behold, and Noah was in awe at the girl. He was so lost in her that his movements slowed down until they came to a standstill altogether. "Noah," Aria almost whined when he stopped his actions, and her sexy voice brought the man out of his reverie.


    "Yes, darling?" Even though he was out of his stupor, he still did not start moving, holding onto his self-control with a leash. He wished to hear what Aria wanted. Noah wanted her to ask for it.


    "Why did you stop?" Her voice was barely a whisper, and it was seductively innocent.


    "Do you want me to continue, sweetheart?" He smirked at her, hoping for her to answer honestly, and the girl did just that. She nodded at her as her cheeks were blotched with a mesmerizing shade of red.


    "Words, love. I want to hear words." He ordered. "I will ask you again, and I hope you will reply to me this time. Do you want me to continue?"


    "Yes." Aria breathed, and that was all it took for Noah to start with his monstrous actions again. "Hold onto your orgasm, Aria. Don''t let go yet. Let us reach the galaxy together." His crude words added more to the excitement, and Aria held onto her orgasm that was threatening to let go. Her legs quivered, and her inner walls clenched tight around the man. Noah gritted his teeth at her unexpected move that had pushed him closer to his peak.


    Noah smiled at her cunning move, and he continued to thrust into her until Aria combusted into flames. Her body shook with the intensity of her release, and Noah too let go immediately after. The couple''s breathing was short and erratic while their hearts were beating to the same rhythm. Their body was smelt of each other, sweat and sex, an intoxicating scent that was enough to make them high again.


    Although Noah wanted to go ahead, he knew Aria was too tired and she needed a break. His moves had rendered her exhausted, and he did not want her to faint in the middle of their next session. Without pulling out of her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rubbed her back softly, cajoling her tired body.


    His hands relaxed her tense muscles, and Aria subconsciously leaned forward until she was almost sleeping on him. Her breasts were pressing on his chest. But oddly, they did not arouse him this time. He was more worried about Aria and her well-being. He continued to rub her back as he coaxed her to take a nap before they continued with what he had planned for the day.


    "Thank you, Noah," Aria mumbled as she stifled a yawn.


    "Why are you thanking me, darling?" He gave her a confused look, although he could not see her face in the position they were in.


    "For making sex this good. I never knew it could be this enjoyable. It was..you were...I mean..." Aria yawned, and Noah chuckled at her feeble attempt to praise him.


    "It''s okay, darling. I understood what you wanted to convey. Go to sleep. I will watch over you."


    "Thank you. You are amazing." That was all Aria could say before she fell into a deep sleep.

 Chapter 501: Bullying

    "Can you please tell me again why you were discharged from the hospital this soon?" Ivy grumbled as she fed the soup she had prepared the moment they had returned to their mansion. The clock was yet to strike five in the morning when Joshua had woken up the sleeping beauty and had got himself discharged. Even after asking several times, Joshua had not given her an answer, frustrating the girl.


    She had not stopped glaring at him all the while when they had driven back home. Though Ian had requested for Joshua to return to Noah''s mansion, he had insisted on returning to his own, for he wanted some privacy and lone time with his girl. With the number of guards around in his mansion, nobody would dare to barge in and attack him or Ivy.


    Joshua smiled at the girl in amusement as he drank the soup from the spoon. Though he was capable of drinking the soup himself, Ivy had prohibited him from doing all strenuous work, and eating was one among them. Why would Joshua miss such an amazing opportunity to stay close to Ivy and get her complete attention on him?  All Joshua had to do was stay on the bed and enjoy Ivy''s utmost attention and love.


    "Are you still not going to tell me what is happening?" One moment, Ivy had been sleeping peacefully, and the next instant, Joshua had woken her up and had forced her to leave the hospital with him without giving her any reason.


    "I wanted some privacy with you, darling. Isn''t this reason enough?" Ivy narrowed her eyes at the man who had become shameless after he had woken up from his coma. It was as though he was hellbent on showering her love and affection and make her diabetic with his sweet words ad gestures.


    "Oh, it''s more than enough." Ivy gave him a smug smile, and Joshua was suddenly having an ominous feeling about it. "Since you are alright, I can return to work too. Some issues have popped up, and my colleagues need my help."


    Ivy tried to scramble away from his bed. But Joshua was quick enough to stop her, and he pulled her back. The next instant, Ivy fell on him, her lips just above his chest. Joshua gave her a knowing smile and a wink. "Ivy, naughty girl, are you that desperate to kiss me and..."


    Ivy slammed her palm on his lips, shushing him from speaking any further. "What nonsense are you spouting?" Joshua knew how to get on her nerves, and he used this knowledge to his advantage to rile Ivy up. "I am not interested in kissing you, nor am I interested in..in.."


    "In what, darling?" Joshua mumbled even though Ivy had covered his mouth.


    "Ah, nothing. Nothing at all." Ivy pulled back her hand when she felt his hot breath on her palm. Also, the man had licked her lightly, making her shudder in excitement.


    Ivy tried to move away from him again. However, Joshua pulled her close, not allowing her to budge even an inch. "You are not leaving until you tell me what you were talking about. You are not interested in kissing me, nor are you interested in..." He urged her to continue, coaxing her softly with his low, seductive voice. And to his delight, Ivy fell for his trap.


    "Having Sex." She whispered, her cheeks heating up in a frenzy. She did not have the guts to face the man whose eyes were shining with amusement. As soon as Joshua heard Ivy''s reply, he started laughing, stunning the girl who was blushing furiously. She lifted her head as she stared at him in confusion.


    "Ivy, darling, did you think I was talking about having sex with you?" Joshua teased, and Ivy''s jaw dropped when she realized that she had overthought. She had shot herself in her foot, and all she wanted was to bury herself. She did not have the courage to show her face to him.


    "I was talking about you touching me. I never expected that you were this bold and a step ahead of me. You want to have sex with me. Sure. Wait for me until I recover, and we will have sex as much as you want, all day all night, without any breaks. Even if you squeeze me dry, I will not complain. I will comply with all your wishes and try to satisfy you with all my might. Don''t worry, darling. I will satiate you completely."


    Joshua continued with his shameless talk, and Ivy did not know how long she could take in his words. Her ears had turned red after listening to his brazen words, and she was sure that soon, they would start to bleed. She glared at him, silently ordering him to shut up.


    "Oh, are you still not satisfied with my services, sweetheart? Do you want me to do anything else?" Joshua gave a puzzled expression as though he was seriously thinking about what more he could offer.


    "Are you done?" Ivy asked coldly and folded her hands as she donned a domineering attitude. "Or do you still want to continue?"


    "I am not done until you say we are done, and I will continue as long as you want me to continue." Joshua winked at her, making Ivy roll her eyes in frustration.


    "You are unbelievable." Ivy raised her hands and gritted her teeth in anger.


    "Thank you, darling. But I would love it if you say the same when we are having sex. It would make me more energetic and happy."


    Ivy was done entertaining the man. So, she briskly moved away from him, avoiding him completely. "You can continue with your fantasy. I am leaving from here. I cannot hear any more of your words." With that, she pretended to leave the room, and this time, it was Joshua''s turn to fall for her trap and he fell in it brilliantly.


    "Ivy, don''t go. Please don''t go. I was just joking. I was just..." Joshua panicked as soon as he saw Ivy leave the room. "I was only teasing you. Don''t leave me alone. Don''t..." He did not have the opportunity to continue, for Ivy returned and burst out laughing.


    "Did you just trick me?" Joshua jaw''s dropped before he composed his expression. However, he could not stop himself from narrowing his eyes at her.


    "Do you have any idea how cute and adorable you look right now, sweetheart?" Ivy did not go anywhere near the bed as knew that the man was ready to eat her alive for playing a prank on him. "Just like a small, puppy abandoned by its master." She returned his long-overdue wink with a playful smile.


    "Do you find it amusing to play with an injured man?" Joshua sneered, trying to guilt-trip Ivy. However, the girl was not falling for his schemes again.


    "Injured man? Who are you talking about?" Ivy searched around her, trying to find an injured man before her eyes fell on Joshua. "Are you talking about yourself?" Joshua just nodded at her. "Are you sure you are injured? If I am not wrong, you are fully capable, and your injury is not as worrying as you claim it to be."


    "You are right, darling." All of a sudden, Joshua smiled, his eyes twinkling with unknown joy. "I could easily devour you. Do you want to give it a try?"


    "If you don''t stop with your nonsense, you will live the life of a monk until I say otherwise." This shut Joshua up, and he gave her a pitiful look.


    "Do you like to bully me, Ivy?"


    "Who started it?" Ivy''s came back strongly.


    "Weren''t you the one who wanted to kiss me?"


    "Weren''t you the one who pulled me back?"


    "Who was the one who wanted to leave me and return to work?"


    Ivy threw daggers at him through her eyes after hearing his absurd words. "If you had replied to my question, I wouldn''t have thought of leaving."


    "I just wanted to have fun with you. Was that wrong?" Joshua did not stop with his pitiful act.


    "And I just wanted to tease you. I think we are even."


    "I guess so too."


    "Now, tell me. Why did you get discharged this early?"


    "Because I did not want you to deal with Amber and spoil your mood. After seeing Amber''s behavior yesterday, I am definite that she will visit the hospital again, and I do not want her to interfere with our time."


    "Oh," Ivy did not know what to say. The man had definitely kept his promise, and she was touched by his thinking.


    "Yes, rest assured I will never let Amber come between us."

 Chapter 502: Blacklisted

    Just as Joshua had predicted, Amber had visited the hospital in hopes of meeting him. However, she had been extremely late in her arrival, five hours late, and by then, the couple had left the hospital.


    The previous night''s incident had made Amber sleep for a long time, even past the alarm she had set. By the time she woke up, it was already close to noon. Amber was already frustrated about getting up late, and the servants in the mansion only irked her more when they did not provide her with breakfast. All she got was a good scolding from the butler when she tried to create a scene. He also did not forget to remind her that she would be responsible for herself for the next two weeks.


    Amber was livid at the treatment she was receiving from the mere maids and servants. However, she could not retaliate either. To begin with, the mansion was not hers, and if she was sit down and calculate all the savings she had, they would barely amount to half of the maid''s salary. So, she was not even worthy of being a maid given the condition she was in. However, the arrogant woman could not digest this matter, her ego and selfishness had taken over her completely.


    As she was already running late, Amber decided to eat on her way. Just the thought of spending money on food outside made her cry inside. Her hard-earned money was slowly reducing in number, and if this continued, she would be reduced to a pauper. ''I need to come up with a plan before I become penniless.'' She thought as she approached the car that was given to her by the man who had taken her in, using her as a pawn in her plan.


    However, unlike the previous time when the driver would be prepared for her, this time, the man was lazing around as he sang along to the song playing on the music player. Even on seeing the woman walk to him, he did not start the car, nor did he unlock the car door for her to get inside.


    "What are doing?" Amber had already had enough of drama for a day, and all she wanted was to satisfy her growling stomach. "Get the car ready. We need to leave."


    Even though the driver had heard her clearly, he feigned ignorance and continued to sign loudly, not giving her any face. Amber''s nails dug into her palm in anger. "Did you not hear me? Open the door." She almost shouted, and her voice was loud enough to even attract the people walking on the streets outside. However, the driver did not give a damn about it as he had got strict orders not to entertain the woman''s words. He just raised the volume and continued to enjoy his song.


    "You bastard." Amber was now beyond furious, and she shouted at the top of her lungs. All her pent-up frustration, rage, and arrogance came out at once. However, there was nobody but the driver in front of her to entertain her tactics. She was merely a clown putting on a single-man show which nobody was interested in. Even the driver gave a blind eye to her, despising the woman all the more for her disgusting behavior.


    Amber''s shout did not affect anyone in the mansion. The driver too rolled the window, canceling all the noise from outside. Now, Amber did not know what to do. Time was ticking by, and she had to reach the hospital and speak to Joshua before her girlfriend stopped her again. All she could do was glare at the driver before she walked out of the mansion.


    Time was less, and the money she had was even lesser. Booking a cab was not an option for her as she would soon be reduced to nothing if all her money got used up. So, the only way out was to use public transportation. However, to Amber''s horror, she realized traveling via public transport was not as easy as taking a walk in the garden. It was the first time she was hopping on a bus, and the moment she did so, she was pushed inside by the woman behind her.


    "Hey, watch out." She shouted. However, the woman just gave her a cold look before she took the only seat available. Amber''s momentary loss in focus had also lost her the only seat available. She looked around her only to find the bus devoid of any empty seats. Even before she could voice out her complaints, more passengers board the bus, and she was pushed back until she was sandwiched between two women.


    Amber did not even have the time to yell at them for their behavior as the bus had already started moving, and the sudden jerk made her lose her balance. If not for her holding for support handle immediately, Amber was sure she would have kissed the woman''s butt in the front. Amber felt disgusted and horrible. However, she had no one to complain to. She knew she could not win over the women around her, and it would only tarnish the reputation she had built over the years. She had completely forgotten that she had no reputation, to begin with.


    Finally, after a long battle of push and pull in the crowded bus, Amber reached the stop near the hospital. A loud rumble from her stomach reminded her of her hunger, and she looked around her for a perfect spot to dine. However, all she saw were restaurants that she could not afford, given her current predicament. Though their food was not that expensive, it was not cheap either.


    All of a sudden, her eyes lit up when she remembered the canteen at the hospital. ''How could I forget the hospital? The canteen food must taste good as the hospital is one of the best in the country. I bet the price of the dishes is low too. I could save some bucks in the meanwhile.''


    With a triumphant smile, she walked all the way to her hospital in her six inches heels, putting up with the pain that came by. By the time she reached the hospital, her feet were bruised, and Amber''s eyes were red with tears. But it was not the end of her misery. As soon as the guards at the hospital entrance saw her, they stopped her immediately.


    "What do you think you are doing?" Amber glared at the men. Her hunger and her anger from the day''s humiliation were getting the best of her. So, she did not realize how rude and indecent she sounded, especially at a place like a hospital.


    "Sorry, Miss. You are not allowed to enter the hospital." The man was extremely polite even though he had orders from the higher authorities to throw her out if she were to show her face again.


    "What do you mean by that? Do you have any idea who I am? I could get you removed from your job? Get lost before I lose my patience." Her high-pitched screech made the guard close his eyes in dismay.


    "Miss, please leave before we use force against you." The other guard stated. Although he tried to be polite, he did not conceal his dislike towards. Amber was just about to shout at him for his impudent behavior when his next words shocked her, rendering her utterly speechless. "Regal Medical Hospital has blacklisted you, and you are forbidden from entering in."

 Chapter 503: Paranoid woman

    Amber was in disbelief to think that Regal Medical Hospital had blacklisted her. Her gaze was filled with confusion as she stared at the two watchmen who had stopped her from entering the hospital mercilessly. Although they were at the entrance of the hospital, they did not hinder the people from their work, while they keep their guards up. They even kept an eye on the woman whom the authorities had decided to ban from entering even the premises of the hospital.


    "How dare you?" She screeched, and it sounded so horrible that the two watchmen closed their eyes, fearing for their ears. "Don''t you even know who I am? How dare you blacklist me? Do you want to lose your jobs?"


    The two men gave her an incredulous as though she was a lunatic. Did she not realize that it was not they who had banned and blacklisted her? It was the hospital management. If she were to show her arrogance, it was not in front of them but before the people who had taken this decision against her. They were just conveying the orders they had received and were following their duty.


    However, Amber did not think so. She was utterly humiliated by the two men, and all she wanted was to end their lives for being impudent and disrespectful to her in front of everyone. She did not miss the looks the people around her were giving her. Though the people were only curious to find out what was happening and why she was prohibited from entering the hospital to Amber, it was as though they were giving her a scorned look and were mocking her directly.


    On not getting any response from the men whom she deemed not even worthy of carrying her shoes, Amber flared, and her grip on her clutch increased. "Are you two deaf? Can''t you hear me? Do you want to lose your jobs? Now get out of my sight and let me in before I lose my mind. You have no idea who my boyfriend is and how capable he is. If he wishes, he can buy this hospital and throw you two trash out."


    One of the guards was incensed by her words. Although the woman before them was dressed to the nines, she did not have any etiquette that belonged to a well-educated person. She was rude and extremely arrogant. And her tongue. Oh, Lord!! The two men despised her for her tongue was dirtier than her face, and the words she spoke were nothing less than what an idiot would be. It was not hard to tell that something was wrong with her brains.


    The guard stepped to throw her out just like how the orders had been given to them but stopped when the other man shook his head at him. "We need to be polite." He whispered. Although his fury was still at its peak, he controlled himself after being stopped by his friend. He would only be falling to her level if he were to resort to inhuman means.


    "You...you.. what are you doing?" Amber lost all her words as soon as the guard took a step closer towards her with anger swirling in his eyes. She was scared, and she took a step back to keep their distance. "How dare you threaten and harass me? I am going to sue you for your actions. Wait until I complain to my boyfriend. He will take good care of you."


    Amber''s threats fell on deaf ears as the two guards had started to ignore her. As deduced, the woman in front of them had some serious problems with her brain, and they even wanted to send her to the asylum for her treatment. She needed special care and be under supervision forever.


    "Now, let me go. My boyfriend is waiting for me." She ordered as though she owned the hospital as well as the guards. However, the moment she took a step towards the entrance, the guards stopped her again, infuriating her all the more.


    "Why did you stop me? Haven''t I warned you before? Don''t you know who my boyfriend is?"


    ''He must a lunatic just like you.'' One of the guards thought silently. ''Otherwise, why would he take a liking to such a despicable and annoying woman.'' He gave her a cold glance before he turned his face away.


    "What''s with your attitude? Wait until I complain to Joshua. He will take care of you for ill-treating me." She said with pride, waiting for the two men to realize who she was talking about. Contrary to her expectations, there was no change in their expressions, and the two watchmen stood still, ignoring her like the fly she was.


    They did not even bat an eyelid on finding out who her boyfriend. All Amber wanted to do was shoot the men for their disrespect. But she controlled her anger and attempted again, changing her tactics this time.


    "Oops," All of a sudden, her voice turned soft and gentle, and the guards gave her a questioning look. They wondered what drama she was up to now. "Did I forget to mention who Joshua is?" Amber smiled as soon as she took his name. "He is Joshua Martin, the one and only successor of Martin Industries. You must have heard about him, right? And you might even know how powerful and capable he is."


    Amber gloated as she waited for the guards to grovel at her feet once they found out about her man. But the guards just scoffed at her as they continued with their job. To them, she was just a joker who was pulling up a dramatic act.


    Amber''s smile slipped when her words did not affect the men whatsoever. "You must be brave to ignore Joshua Martin. Let us see if you will be brave enough once I inform him about the humiliation I have suffered here. My boyfriend will avenge you for sure."


    The guards were done dealing with her. The man who had previously lost his cool glared at her. Her annoying voice was giving him a headache, and he was sure if they did not deal with her soon, he would end up becoming a patient at the hospital he worked.


    "Miss, don''t bite more than you can chew. Everybody here knows who Joshua Martin is, and we also know who his girlfriend is and that is definitely not you."


    The two guards had been present when the man in question had been discharged early in the morning. They had seen the girl who had been with him, and from the looks of it, it was evident she was his girlfriend. Not once had the man stopped showing his love and care for her even though he was the one who had been injured. And the girl too loved him equally.


    Just as they had thought, the woman before them was crazy and paranoid.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? Joshua is mine and mine alone. Did that bitch pay you off so that you two could keep me away from my boyfriend?" Amber made an expression as though she realized something. "I now get it. This is all her plan to keep me away from my man so that she can steal him from me, and you two are helping him. Am I right?"


    The guards were truly dumbstruck by her imagination. Even the man who had previously stopped his friend lost his cool, and he glowered over her at her audacity. However, even before he could reprimand her for her hateful behavior, a domineering voice boomed from behind him stunning everyone present in the vicinity.


    "What is happening here?"

 Chapter 504: Ians warning

    "What is happening here?" A voice boomed from behind, and the guards turned around to see who it was. Their eyes widened on seeing the man saunter towards them, his eyes flaring with anger. But they knew that the man was not angry at them, and it was the girl in front of them who would be receiving his wrath. So, they made way for him at once.


    Meanwhile, Amber too was stunned, and she froze in her spot in fear. "Ia...Ian," She stuttered, cold sweat dribbling down her rigid spine. Though she tried to maintain a strong front, she failed miserably. Amber clenched her hands, wishing to run away from the predicament she in.


    She had already known that neither of Joshua''s friends liked her, and they were only tolerating her for their friend''s sake when they were together. But the moment she left him, they did not have any obligations towards anyone and did not conceal their sheer hatred towards her. She took a few steps back to keep her distance from the man who seemed in the mood to rip her head off.


    "Dr. Davis," The guards greeted him, and Ian smiled at them in response. Although he was livid, it was not at the two guards who were doing their job obediently. It was Amber who had caused the commotion in the first place, attracting everyone''s attention towards them.


    Ian did not stop until he was standing in front of Amber as he towered over her. He glared at her, furious for ruining the peaceful decorum of the hospital. He would not have even come anywhere near her if the news of her commotion had not spread everywhere in his hospital.


    Although the people were praising the two guards for dealing with her patiently and humanly, it was still irritating to hear about her disgusting actions. He had also heard the words she had spat regarding her and Joshua, making him ridicule her for her stupidity.


    "I will take over. Thank you for your hard work." Ian smiled at the two guards, who nodded at him before they moved away from the two people. Though the man was just a doctor in the hospital, the guards knew that he held another position that nobody knew about. He was always present whenever the administration took decisions, and that was enough for the two men to know how capable and powerful he was.


    Since the esteemed doctor had decided to deal with the frustrating woman himself, the guards were more than willing to leave them alone. The short span of interaction with her had rendered them with a headache, and they were sure that it would not leave until they took medicines.


    Ian waited until the guards were out of hearing distance before he gritted his teeth. "Would you mind following me? I do not want to gain more attention than we already have."


    Ian''s low, threatening voice sent chills down Amber''s spine, and she gulped softly. She had always known Ian to the calmest among the three friends while Noah was deemed to be cold and reticent. The man always had a menacing air around him, and Amber had tried not to be in his presence as much as possible. But after seeing Ian''s dark and frenzied face, Amber was sure that he was more frightening and domineering. He knew how to hide his true character and maintain his cool, unlike Noah.


    Ian did not wait for the girl to reply. He was sure she would follow him, especially after seeing how the guards respected and obeyed him. He was her only way to meet Joshua. He walked to a secluded area but made sure to stay within the sight of his guards. He did not want people to speak about him, or worse even, allow Amber to make false allegations. Moreover, the spot he had chosen was under CCTV surveillance. So, there was no way Amber would play tricks on him.


    Although reluctant, Amber meekly followed Ian as she held her purse tight. All her boldness and arrogance had vanished the moment the man had appeared, and she did not know how to come out of the situation she was in. He was furious, she had seen his eyes filled with rage. All she could do was hope for the man to take pity on her and let her meet Joshua.


    Ian waited until the girl approached him before he folded his hands and narrowed his eyes. "Amber, what are you doing here?" His voice was exceptionally calm but there was a tone of danger underneath it, and Amber sensed it immediately.


    "I-I am here to me..meet Joshua." She mumbled, not lifting her face even once.


    "And why do you want to meet him? He is nothing to you." Ian spat, and immediately, the girl''s head snapped to him.


    "He is my boyfriend," Amber replied, her tone changing all of a sudden.


    "Is it? When did that happen? Weren''t you the one who left him?" Amber was just about to speak when Ian raised an eyebrow at her, threatening her silently to shut her mouth. "Weren''t you the one who dumped him for your own benefit? Where were you all these years? Where were you when he needed you? Where were you when he went into depression after you left him?"


    "I...I..." Amber did not know what the reply. Leaving Joshua was the biggest mistake she had done, and she had realized it only after she had been reduced to nothing. She was now living on the streets, and all she wanted was to get back to her old life with Joshua.


    "You did not give him any reason for breaking up with him. You are selfish and greedy and disgusting. If I am not wrong, you only came back because you realized that you cannot live a luxurious life without him. Am I right?" Amber bit her lip in nervousness. Ian had hit the bullseye with his prediction, and she was worried that Joshua would despise her if he found her truth.


    Ian could read what was running in the girl''s mind, and he scoffed in dismay. "Don''t think that Joshua does not know what intentions are. He already found out what you want and why you are back, and now he loathes you."


    "No, that can''t be." Amber''s eyes widened in horror. She had only expected Joshua to be furious at her and she was prepared to cajole and coax him to accept her again. She had never wished for the man to resent her. ''What will happen to my plan? How will I get back with him now?'' She wondered.


    "Yes, it is the truth, and accept it. He does not want you, nor does he need you. He had moved on, and I am glad he did. He has now found an amazing girl who will love him and cherish him the way he should be. Don''t intervene in their lives, or you will face dire consequences. I am warning you."


    Ian turned to leave but stopped when he remembered another message he wanted to convey to her. "And stop visiting the hospital. You created as much mess as you wanted, we will not allow you to do so anymore. You are blacklisted and prohibited from entering this hospital, and let me reveal to you that it was I who did it."


    Ian smiled at her cunningly, and Amber was taken aback on noticing the man''s terrifying expression. But her anger and annoyance got the best of her, and she pushed her fear to the back of her mind. "How could you prohibit me from entering the hospital? I need to speak to Joshua. He will listen to me, and once he finds out the truth, he will accept me eventually. Joshua is mine, and he still loves me."


    Instead of being vexed at her words, Ian found them to be amusing, and he let out a sarcastic laugh. "Joshua does not even want to see your face. Otherwise, he would not have forced me to discharge him right the next day he woke up."


    "What?" Amber was flabbergasted. She had never expected Joshua to leave the hospital this soon.


    "Yes. It is no use even if you enter the hospital now. The man you want to see is not here. Don''t waste your breath anymore. Leave." Ian did not hesitate to humiliate the girl who had almost destroyed his friend''s life. He gave her one last glance before he left her standing all alone under the sun.

 Chapter 505: Planning a disguise

    After being thoroughly humiliated by Ian, Amber could not stay at the hospital anymore. The guards were looking at her in resentment, and she did not want to give them an opportunity to ridicule her all the more. Her stomach was now rumbling every few seconds, hurling profanities at her for not providing it with food. All her plans to meet Joshua and also eat the food in the canteen went down the drain the moment the watchmen stopped her.


    ''Ian, I know you are lying to me. Joshua is inside the hospital, he has not left yet. How can he leave when he is injured severely?'' She stared at the two guards, who were glancing at her every few seconds, making sure that she would not sneak in without their knowledge.


    ''Wait a minute!!!'' Amber''s eyes widened as a weird realization hit her. ''Is Ian with the girl who stopped me from entering Joshua''s ward? Are they working together on this to keep me away from my man?'' Amber clenched her hands as she recalled the girl''s face, who had claimed herself to be Joshua''s girlfriend.


    ''I now get it. It is all the girl''s ploy, and Ian is helping her in this. He hates me anyway. That bitch has made a good plan.'' She glared at the two guards, who had not once budged from their places. ''But she can never stop me from doing what I want to do. She can never stop me from meeting my man. Joshua must be waiting for me.''


    "Fuck!!" She cursed under her breath when she felt the hot rays of the sun hit her skin. She was now sweating, and Amber was sure that if she stayed any longer in the sun, she would end up becoming a roasted potato. But she did not know where to go either. How was she supposed to sneak inside Joshua''s ward when she could not even take a step inside the hospital?


    ''I don''t even have Joshua''s number to inform about the injustice I have suffered.'' Amber wanted to cry at the situation she was in. However, no tears flowed out, and she had the sudden urge to kill all the people who were prohibiting her from doing what she wanted.


    Since she could not stay at the hospital premises any longer, Amber retraced her steps out of the hospital. By now, she was famished, and she gave up on the thought of having her food in the hospital canteen. ''I need to fill my stomach first. I don''t know how long I will be able to stay hungry.''


    With that thought, she entered the small restaurant opposite the hospital and stared at the menu. The price of each dish made her cry. They were more expensive than the restaurants that were away from the hospital. However, Amber had no choice. She knew she would not be able to make it until then. So, she ordered three sandwiches, grumbling to herself as she watched the number of bills reducing in her purse. She only had a few hundred in total, and Amber did not know how long she would be able to manage with them.


    As she waited for her simple breakfast, she started to formulate a plan to meet Joshua. ''Since I am forbidden from entering the hospital, I can only enter with a disguise. But how do I disguise myself?'' She wondered and looked around her but could not find anything that could help her in her plan.


    ''What do I do? What do I do?'' She pondered. ''I need to meet Joshua. A day delayed is a day wasted. I need to latch onto him before the girl brainwashes him and makes him loathe me.'' But even after thinking for long, she could not come up with any solution. The waitress arrived with her sandwiches and placed them on the table.


    "Do you need anything else, Madam?" She queried, and Amber just waved her hand at her, shooing her from her table. The waitress frowned at her arrogant behavior before she proceeded to leave. However, even before she could take a step away from the table, Amber stopped her.


    "Wait. Tell me if there any shops that sell wigs in this area." Amber ordered, and her tone made the waitress frown deeper. However, she was more perplexed by her words.


    "Wigs?" The girl thought for a while before nodded her head slowly. "There is a shopping complex where they are selling costumes for Halloween which is just a week away. Maybe you might find something."


    "Where is this shopping complex?"


    You need to walk down the street and take a right at the dead end. You will find the shopping complex easily. The entire street is selling costumes for the event."


    "Great." Amber''s eyes lit up at her suggestion, and she gave her a small tip in appreciation. The waitress''s lips twitched on seeing the meager amount. Yet, she took it without complaining and left the arrogant woman to herself.


    Amber gobbled her sandwich quickly, finishing her breakfast in a blink. She was beyond hungry, and although the sandwiches were not the best, they tasted great, especially since she was famished.


    Once she was done, she picked up her purse and prepared to find her disguise for the day. She took a glance at the hospital in front of her. Although she could not see the entrance door, that did not conceal the hatred she felt for all the people who had stopped her from entering the building.


    ''Joshua, wait for me. I will be back soon.'' She promised and started her journey down the street in search of the shopping complex with great spirits. She had barely started walking for more than five minutes when she started cursing at her fate. Her feet were killing her, and Amber was sure that that they were injured. Yet, she continued walking, bearing with her pain.


    However, even after walking for a long time, the dead-end the waitress had spoken about never came. The street stretched on forever, and Amber was exhausted by her trek in her heeled shoes. Sweat covered her forehead, and her dress clung to her body. She was now thirsty, and all she wanted was to lie down on her comfortable bed.


    But the thought of meeting Joshua kept her going, and she continued walking until she could not take it anymore. By then, she had reached the bus stop and fortunately for her, the place was empty. She sat on the chair as she panted lightly.


    It was past noon, and Amber was drained of off all her energy. To make matters worse, the dead-end she was looking for was nowhere to be seen. Amber wanted to rip off the waitress''s head, who had lied to her. ''What the fuck!! How dare she lie to me? Who does she think she is?'' He scolded in her mind, killing the girl a hundred times over for her audacity.


    "Excuse me." She scooted closer towards the teenage boy who was lost in his phone.


    The boy was startled by the girl''s voice, and he gave her a surprised look. "Yes?" He questioned the moment he composed himself.


    "Can you tell me how far the shopping complex is?"


    "Oh, you need to go down this street." The boy pointed in the direction Amber had started walking after leaving the restaurant.


    "I know. I need to walk until the dead end and take a right. But I am asking how far away the place is." Amber was frustrated by the turn of events, and her pitch rose at the end.


    The boy frowned at her behavior. "It is around five miles from here. You need to go five miles if you want to reach the shopping complex."


    "Five miles." Amber almost shouted. "What the fuck!!!"

 Chapter 506: Counter plan

    Amber did not have the patience to walk all five miles and getting on the bus was beyond her acceptance. She had already experienced how horrible it was to travel through a public bus. All she could do was hail a cab even though she would be left with less money in the end. The only consoling factor in this was that everything was for Joshua, and once she got together with him, she would be able to lead the luxurious life she always craved for.


    While Amber was busy planning her next course of action to enter the hospital to meet Joshua, the man in question was on a conference call with his friends and Ivy.


    "Joshua, your ex has become a psycho," Ian stated as he took a look at a patient''s report.


    "I realized it long back. Thank my brain for thinking quickly and getting out of the hospital before she got there." Joshua boasted, and Ivy scoffed at his self-appraisal. Ignoring her looks, he continued, "Otherwise, it would have been difficult for me to bear her nonsense. It''s as though she has lost all her sense of reasoning."


    "I agree," Ian added. " Why isn''t Noah speaking a word?" He lifted his head with a frown.


    "Noah, where is Aria?" Ivy asked another question to the man who was gazing at Aria. He caressed her cheek as he observed the sleeping girl beside him.


    "Aria is sleeping." He replied softly, making sure to keep his voice low to not disturb Aria even though he knew that she would not be waking up any time soon. He had drained her out after their intense sex.


    "Why is she sleeping until now? It''s past noon." Ivy frowned, not getting the hint in his words, and gave Joshua a questionable look. But all she got in return was the man''s devilish smirk.


    "Ivy, do you really want to know why Aria is still sleeping?" Joshua raised his brows at her, and this time, Ivy got the hint. She bit her tongue for asking such a question. How could not know what might have transpired between the couple, especially after she was the one who had helped Aria in her plan? The last few days had been quite hectic for her that she had completely forgotten about what Aria had prepared for Noah.


    "Noah, did you torture my sister now that you finally caught her alone? I am telling you..." That was what she could muster to say before Joshua shut her mouth with his palm. Ivy closed her eyes shut in embarrassment. ''Oh, Lord!! What was I doing?'' She wondered to herself when the realization hit her, and all she wanted to do was hide under the blankets forever.


    "Ignore her, Noah. I presume you were a beast in bed. Otherwise, why would Aria still be sleeping when it is already noon." Joshua teased, waiting for his friend to respond. But the man chose to remain silent, for he wanted to hear the words from Aria, not from anyone else.


    "What the heck!! How long will you people torture me? Spare this single man, please." Ian cried and shut the report in his hand in frustration. "I can''t tolerate this torment anymore."


    Ivy just chuckled at his words while Noah rolled his eyes as he continued to run his fingers over Aria''s cheeks lovingly. His gaze turned soft on seeing her, and he pulled the duvet until her chin in worry. Although it was sunny outside, the room was quite cool as they had lowered the temperature during their intense workout. He picked up the remote and raised the temperature by a few degrees.


    "Ian," Joshua spoke with a satirical tone. "We have already told you to find yourself someone. It does not matter if it is a girl or a boy. We don''t judge people on their sexual orientation." Ivy jabbed his chest and shook her head at once.


    "Oh yeah. Joshua, when you visit the hospital next time, I will keep in mind to change your sex for you. Be prepared." Ian lowkey threatened him, and this shut Joshua for a few moments.


    "Ian, are you trying to make Ivy a widow?" Joshua gritted his teeth and took a look at the girl who was laughing until tears formed in her eyes.


    "Why will Ivy become a widow?" Ian queried in confusion.


    "If I am unable to satisfy her, I am as good as dead. Wouldn''t that make Ivy a widow?" Joshua winked at Ivy, who was now glaring at him.


    "Don''t worry, Ian," Ivy interjected. "You have my full permission. You can do what you want with Joshua. I don''t mind. If it comes to a state where Joshua cannot satisfy me, I will find another boyfriend."


    Now it was Joshua''s turn to glare at her while Ivy stuck out her tongue at him playfully. "I will take care of you later. Wait for it." Joshua threatened but it did not have any effect on the girl.


    "I wonder how. You are prohibited from involving any strenuous activities until I say so, and that included sex too." Now it was Ian''s turn to pour oil to Joshua''s raging misery, and Ivy gave the man a thumbs up for helping her.


    "I will remember this. I will get back at you two when I recover." Joshua promised.


    "Guys, can we get back to the topic at hand? If not, I will end the call. I have better things to do." Noah spoke after listening to their banter.


    "Yeah, you have better things to do. Or should I say that you want to do Aria?" Ivy glared at the man who could never stop spouting nonsense, and this time, Joshua shut up.


    "Are you done? Do you still want to continue?" Noah questioned, losing his patience slowly.


    "I am done. I am done. Ian, what were we speaking about before?" Joshua shifted the topic.


    "You ex made an entry again. But she was stopped by the guards, and I must say it was a sight to see her getting humiliated in front of everyone."


    "Serves her right. Who told her to pester my man?" Ivy remarked, making Joshua smile at her possessive words. "What happened then?"


    "I have already informed her of your discharge. But I don''t believe her to trust my words. I am sure that she would try to sneak inside somehow." Ian continued.


    "What are you going to do now?" Ivy asked, worried that the woman would cause more chaos than she had already created.


    "I am already tired of handling her. I am done with my shift for the day. I will be coming home soon. If she were to disguise herself or pull tricks to enter the hospital, I can''t help it. Anyway, she will return once she finds you gone." Ian sighed and started preparing to leave for the day.


    "Wait a minute!" Noah interrupted him. "Wasn''t your shift until the end of the day?"


    "It was. I only extended the shift because Joshua was at the hospital and Aria had taken leave. Otherwise, why would I stay here for almost a day and a half without resting."


    "I see."


    "And Noah," Ian stopped suddenly and smiled wickedly. "I have applied for Aria''s leave extension. She can take tomorrow''s morning shift instead of tonight''s."


    A brilliant smile landed on Noah''s lips, and he leaned forward to peck the sleeping girl''s forehead. "Thanks, Ian. I owe you this."


    "My, my, the birthday boy must be beyond happy now. You can now have your cake and eat it too. All of a sudden, I pity Aria. She must be beyond exhausted now and will be more so by the end of the day." Joshua stated with a mischievous glint. "Lucky guy."


    "If there is nothing else, I am going to end the call. Tell the guards to keep an eye on Amber in case she were to disturb the peace of the hospital. She should learn it the hard way." Noah expressed, ignoring Joshua''s playful words, and the other three agreed with him.


    "Yes. Though I could have allowed her in and let her learn the truth about Joshua''s discharge, I wanted her to feel how it felt to be embarrassed and humiliated in front of everyone. This time, I will not stop her. I want to know how far she can go with her tricks." Ian pinched his forehead, worrying about the upcoming headache the hospital guards would be facing soon.


    "Ian, another word. How is that old geezer, Charles Miller? Has he gained consciousness?"


    "He is still unconscious. Don''t worry about him. He won''t be waking up for another two days at least. Our men are keeping an eye on his men, and it will take him a few days for him to be discharged." Ian stated, his eyes turning deadly and vicious.


    "Great, I will execute the first step of the plan by then. It''s time we destroy the two men beyond redemption."

 Chapter 507: Good joke

    Amber was back after an hour, and this time, she managed to disguise herself brilliantly. Though she was crying tears of blood to see her cash balance reduce slowly, she consoled herself using Joshua as her excuse for her actions. ''Once I get together with Joshua, I will have nothing to worry about. I can then go back to the luxurious life I once led.'' She thought as she walked towards the hospital entrance.


    Amber made sure to change her walking style to not raise the watchmen''s suspicions. Her disguise was perfect, and she was sure that no one would recognize her. She was now wearing an ash grey wig to cover her brown hair and had donned sunglasses to hide her eyes and half of her face. Also, she was wearing a suit that matched her high-heeled shoes. All in all, she looked like a perfect professional in her eye-catching attire.


    Just as Amber had hoped for, the guards let her go this time and she smiled to herself. ''Stupid guards. Did you think you could stop me?'' She scoffed and pushed her sunglasses up. ''I am Amber, and I always succeed in getting what I want.'' The corner of her lips lifted as she continued to walk towards the ward where Joshua was staying. She completely missed the expressions of ridicule on the guards'' faces in her arrogance.


    The moment Amber was out of sight, the guards started laughing out loud. "Did she really think she could fool us?" One of the guards queried, and the other nodded at him.


    "Did you see her ridiculous disguise? She looks so scary. I wonder if I can sleep at night today." He replied, making his friend chuckle lightly.


    "I agree. I might be suffering from nightmares starting today. I wonder how horrible the lady''s face would be when she realizes that the man she is looking for is not even here."


    "It would be a sight to behold, only if I was not scared of having nightmares of her. Dr. Davis must have predicted this possibility already. Nevertheless, he ordered us to allow her to go in." The first guard added.


    "I just hope we would not have to see her after today. Otherwise, I don''t think I will be able to tolerate the torment anymore."


    Their chat was cut short when an ambulance drove in, and they rushed forward with a gurney to help the patient.


    Meanwhile, Amber sauntered towards the VIP ward where she had last seen Joshua. Her face was blooming in happiness, and she was excited to finally meet the man who she had not stopped thinking about for a long time. ''Joshua, you must have missed me. Don''t worry, I am here, and nobody will stop me today.''


    Amber''s smile vanished the moment she walked into the corridor that had the VIP wards. Unlike the previous day, there was not one guard in sight, and she was suddenly having a bad premonition about it. She frowned lightly and quickened her steps. ''No, no, no, this can''t be.'' She cried in her mind, and her heart broke when she found the ward empty. There was no one inside, and she shook her head, unable to accept the outcome.


    She looked around her and stopped the nurse who was walking past her. "Hey, where did the patient in this ward go?" She asked arrogantly, and the nurse frowned on hearing her tone.


    "The patient was discharged in the morning."


    "What? How could it be? How could he be discharged this soon? He was yet to recover from his injury. It''s impossible. You are lying." Amber lost her patience at once, and she held the nurse''s hand tight until her nails dug into her elbows.


    "Miss," The nurse pushed her away in annoyance. She had seen a lot of people like her, and she knew why the girl was even here. ''The man who been in the ward previously was quite handsome and from the looks of it, this woman seems to be his admirer. I now realize why Dr. Davis has sent out orders to blacklist her.''


    "It was the doctor''s decision to discharge the patient, and if you were to ask anyone, ask him. Spare me." The nurse walked away from the woman, cursing her for leaving bruises on her arms. ''What a disgusting woman!!'' She thought.


    ''How the fuck can Joshua be discharged this soon!! This must all be a ploy. Yes, this must be a ploy. The girl who claimed to be his girlfriend must have joined hands with Ian to keep me away from Joshua. They must be trying to trick me. I know Joshua is somewhere around here. He must be in another ward. They must have shifted him to another ward to keep me away from him. What a bitch!!'' She cursed under her breath, wishing to kill the girl who was responsible for her problems.


    ''I will deal with you soon.'' Amber promised and returned to the reception. She tapped on the desk as she looked around her and sighed in relief when she noticed the guards looking away from her. "Can you tell me which is Joshua Martin''s ward?"


    The receptionist gave her a weird look before she composed her expression. "Miss, Mr. Joshua Martin was discharged today morning."


    "What?" Amber almost screamed, and the receptionist was stunned by her behavior. She blinked at her, taken aback by her strange gaze. "How is it possible? Wasn''t he gravely injured? How could he be discharged this quickly? Are you lying to me?" Amber glared at the woman, trying to intimidate her. However, she failed miserably.


    "No, Miss. Dr. Davis deemed him fit to be discharged. He could recuperate at his home. All he needs is abundant rest. So, he was discharged in the morning." The receptionist conveyed what Ian had told her to say.


    "Is Dr. Davis you are talking about Ian Davis?"


    "Yes, Miss." The receptionist replied politely, even though the woman in front of her being rude towards her. She could see the ego and pride in her eyes as though she held herself in high regard while everyone else was not fit to even stand in front of her.


    ''Ian,'' Amber gritted her teeth in anger. ''So, it is true that Joshua has been discharged. Ian himself can treat Joshua if things were to go wrong suddenly. Joshua is not at the hospital.'' She clenched her fists as recollected as the trouble she had taken just to meet Joshua, only to find the man gone.


    ''What do I do now? How can I contact Joshua? How do I meet him?'' She thought for a while until an idea popped up in her. "Excuse me." She tapped at the desk again. "Tell me Joshua Martin''s address."


    The receptionist stared at her. ''Is this woman stupid? Does she think this is her house where people will do as she orders? What bullshit!!'' She had the intense urge to roll her eyes, and she did just so. "Miss, we cannot give away any patient''s details. It is against our hospital rules." She recalled that Dr. Davis had prohibited her from giving away any other details, and she did not want to disobey him.


    Amber was about to argue when she saw one of the guards who had stopped her before she put on a disguise walk towards the reception. ''I need to escape before he gets to me. I cannot allow myself to be humiliated again.'' Without that thought, she fled from the place, not sparing another look at the receptionist, who seemed to be on the verge of laughing at her state.


    Amber had no idea that she had become a good joke in the eyes of the hospital staff that day.

 Chapter 508: Played

    The moment she stepped out of the hospital premises, Amber threw her wig in anger. "How could Joshua leave without meeting me? How could Ian do this? That bastard! How do I meet him now?" She gritted her teeth and immediately pulled out her phone.


    "Jared, you better pick up the call" She was now fuming, and the moment the phone connected, she started complaining, not even waiting for the man to speak to her. "Can you believe it? Joshua was discharged, and I don''t know how to contact him anymore. That bitch, I am going to kill her once I meet her. Who does she think she is to keep my man away from him?"


    "Amber, calm down. Tell me everything calmly."


    "Jared, don''t ask me to calm down. You have no fucking idea what happened here. You don''t know how humiliated I was and how they treated me at the hospital. You are just as useless as your words." Amber''s anger got the best of her, and she started to vent out her anger on Jared, not knowing the danger she had attracted.


    Jared pressed his forehead in annoyance. Her grumbling was giving him a headache, and he already had a lot to deal with. Amber was only making it more difficult for him. "Amber," His low voice fell on the girl, and Amber shut her mouth at once. She had sensed his menacing tone and instantly realized what her mistake was.


    "If I did not have any use from you, you would be dead by now. Don''t you dare raise your voice at him? Remember who brought you out of the gutter you were in." Jared continued. "If I can give you a life of the riches, I can send you back to your old life and make it even more pathetic. Don''t test me on that."


    Amber gulped on hearing his threat, and she clenched her fist. ''If you were not useful in helping me in reconciling with Joshua, I would have shoved your words up your ass. Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you think you have a chance against Joshua? My man will kill you in an instant like the fly you are. I will remember every threat you have given him and avenge myself once I get back with Joshua. Just you wait and watch.''


    "I presume you have got my warning. Now, tell me slowly what happened. Where is Joshua?"


    Even though Amber was beyond vexed, she calmed herself down. Provoking Jared was not a good idea, especially when he held control over her life. "Joshua was discharged this morning. I did not even get to meet him clearly. That bitch must have planned this to keep me away from Joshua. Otherwise, my man would never leave without speaking to me. She must have planned all this with Ian."


    Amber continued to curse, and Jared closed in eyes, wishing to kill the girl immediately. She was not being useful to him, and all she had done was cause trouble for him since the time he had brought her back to the city. ''This woman is as useless as Mia. Neither of them has been successful in separating any of the men from their girlfriends. What kind of idiots do I have around me? How were Noah and Joshua able to find smart women. All the women I know are nothing but dumbasses, except Maggie.''


    ''Amber is of no use to me. If Joshua''s relationship with his girlfriend is strong, she cannot break them even if she hangs herself upside down. I need to come up with an alternative plan to destroy the three men.''


    Jared was going crazy as time passed by. He was still unable to destroy Noah. The man was still going strong and undefeatable. So, he had planned an attack on his friends. But they too were not affected by him or his schemes. His Godfather was at the hospital and was still unconscious, and Maggie had escaped from his clutches with all pieces of evidence that could put him behind the bars for life.


    Moreover, Maggie was not operating alone. Someone, other than the people from the Intelligence was helping her. His assistant was dead, and more than half of the men at the warehouse had been wiped out by the anonymous gang.


    Jared had been frustrated for the past few days, and all he wanted was to kill someone. He was losing his mind for not having killed anyone in the last few days. All he wanted was to pull out his gun and shoot someone, and after listening to Amber''s irritating voice, he had the urge to finish her once and for all. But he controlled himself before he lost it completely.


    Amber was a lunatic, and seeing how she was crazy about Joshua, he had an inkling that the girl would surely destroy Joshua''s life if she did not get what she wanted. Even though she was useless now, she might be of use to him sometime in the future. ''If she continues to be useless, I will kill her and throw her body to my dogs.'' He scoffed.


    "Amber, Joshua has already left the hospital, and we cannot do anything about it. But you know where his office is. You can visit him there and meet him." Jared suggested, hurling profanities at Amber for her stupidity.


    "Yes," Amber''s eyes lit up as soon as she heard him. "I can visit him at his office." She was beyond excited now. But her excitement died when a notion popped up in her mind. "Jared, I don''t think Joshua would be visiting his office any time soon. I heard that he was asked to recuperate at home. In that case, I will not be able to meet him for a few days until he recovers."


    Jared realized what Amber was asking him, and he rolled his eyes at her. She wanted to know Joshua''s address. Although Jared did not know where Joshua lived, it would not take him much effort to find out where he lived.


    "I''ll send his address to you, and you better succeed in our plan. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to discard you like trash. Remember my words." Jared warned before he ended the call.


    Amber sneered at his words. "Do you even think that you could touch me? Joshua will take care of you even before you realize what has happened." Her phone vibrated, indicating the arrival of notification, and Amber smiled on seeing the address in the message.


    "Joshua, I am coming for you right now. Wait for me. This time, I will not let you go. I hope that bitch is not around you. Otherwise, I will kill her for putting me through all this misery."


    Amber was jubilant to find out where Joshua lived, and this time, she took a cab to his home, instead of using a public bus. She wanted to impress the man with whom she wanted to reconcile. However, neither Jared nor Amber knew that the address they had found was fake, and Joshua had never stayed at the said place. They had no idea that Joshua had played them big time.

 Chapter 509: Fake address

    "Master Martin, someone suspicious tried to access your address. I have redirected them to your fake address. Do you want me to check who it is?" Alvis''s voice reverberated in the room, and Ivy jumped in surprise. She had never expected to hear his AI speak to him the moment they entered his house.


    Joshua chuckled on seeing Ivy''s reaction. She looked cute with her eyes wide and lips parted. Only if she was sitting beside him, he would have kissed the hell out of her. "Yes, Alvis track the person," Joshua ordered and smiled widely when Ivy turned to him.


    "What was that? How did you do it?" Ivy queried as she kept blinking in disbelief.


    "Do what, sweetheart?" Joshua gave her a mysterious smile and raised an eyebrow in pride.


    "When did you activate your AI? I don''t recall you using any device or ..." Ivy stopped speaking suddenly. "Wait a minute. Did you use your phone? Can you use your phone to activate it?" Ivy''s eyes sparkled with excitement, and Joshua let out a deep sigh on seeing her beautiful face.


    "Yes and no."


    "What?" Ivy was confused by his answer, and she folded her hands, waiting for him to explain more.


    "I will tell you if you only if you come here." Joshua patted the space beside him, urging the girl to come close to him. Although he was liking the view in front of him, for he could stare at his charming Ivy as long as he wanted, he preferred her in his embrace. He wanted her close to him, to his heart.


    Ivy''s lips twitched, and she narrowed her eyes. "What if I don''t come over there? What will you do?"


    "Then, I can''t do anything. I am a sick person, and you are supposed to help me and take care of me. But my girlfriend does not want to take care of me. What can I do then? I am such a miserable person. The girl I love the most is giving me a blind eye. My heart aches thinking how unfortunate I am."


    Ivy rolled her eyes at the man. She realized that Joshua had become more dramatic since the time he had woken up. Also, he had become incredibly touchy. He would never miss an opportunity to touch and hold her in his embrace, kiss her even. Although Ivy liked this clingy side of him, she was also frustrated by him. Only she knew how much energy it took her to calm her raging heart every time he gave her a toe-curling kiss.


    "And," Ivy raised an eyebrow when saw the evilness lurking in the man''s eyes. She was sure whatever he would say next would force her to go to him even if she did not want to. "If you want to know how my AI was activated, you need to come here, sweetheart. Otherwise, I will not tell you a word."


    Ivy sighed in dismay. Now she had no choice but to go to him. She was incredibly curious and wanted to find how his intelligent system. It was the same as the one she had seen in the Avengers movie. Never had she expected to witness such a marvel in real life.


    "If I was not interested in your AI, I would not have come to you," Ivy grumbled and sat beside Joshua. Though she maintained an arms distance, she had underestimated Joshua''s capability. He pulled her to him at once, making Ivy yelp in surprise. He did not stop until Ivy was in between his thighs. When Ivy tried to move, he pushed his legs closer, forcing her to stay where she was.


    "Perfect. This is where I wanted to you." Joshua commented and pecked her cheek.


    "Are you out of your freaking mind? What if you were to tear your wounds? Wait, did you tear your wounds? Did you hurt yourself?" Ivy tried to turn around. But Joshua stopped her immediately.


    "Relax, darling. I am fine. My wounds are fine too." He tried to assure her but Ivy was not convinced.


    "Why would you do such a stunt? Have you lost your mind? Are you an idiot?" She kept mumbling. "What if something..." She did not have the time to complete for Joshua had kissed her ear while his hand pushed her closer to him, forcing her to lean back and turn her head towards their right. Now, Ivy''s enthralling neck was easily accessible to him, and he bent down to kiss her.


    When Joshua kissed her sensitive spot, Ivy sighed lightly. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the other side, giving more access to Joshua. Though he wanted to keep going, the pain in his shoulder was restricting him. With one final kiss on her neck, he pulled back. "I would love to go ahead and kiss you, Ivy. But I have other matters to attend to."


    Ivy''s eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him in a daze. The sight before him was so bewitching that Joshua almost lost control. But before he could kiss her brains out, Alvis spoke again. "Master Martin, I have tracked the person who tried to find your address. It is a man named Berry, and he sent the address to Miss Amber Heard."


    Joshua cursed Alvis silently. He wondered if his system was waiting until now to report to him. Why couldn''t Alvis speak after some time? Why could Alvis wait until he kissed his darling girl?


    As soon as Ivy heard Amber''s name, she came out of her reverie and narrowed her eyes at the man who was pressing his forehead. "I see." Joshua stared at Ivy, who was glaring at him, her neck was twisted to face him. He gave her a cheeky grin and thought for a while. "Do a background check on Berry."


    "Will do." Alvis went silent again.


    "Your ex-girlfriend is sure persistent." Ivy seethed, and Joshua took a deep breath.


    "It does not matter how persistent she is. She does not matter to me anymore. All I need is you, and my life will be complete. She is nothing but exhaust gas in my eyes, unwanted and harmful. Why would I want her in my life?"


    As soon as Joshua compared Amber to exhaust gas, Ivy started laughing; and Joshua too smiled on seeing her laugh. He was relieved that he had saved the situation. Though Ivy hated Amber as much as he did, he did not want the girl to direct her anger on him when he was just a poor victim.


    "What are we doing? What did Amber do now?" Ivy queried and blinked at him. She was unable to see the man clearly in the position she was in. But Joshua had no intentions of letting her go. So, she could only stay still and lie in his embrace.


    "Amber must have found out about my discharge. She contacted someone to find out my address, and now she is headed over there to meet me." Joshua revealed, amusement dancing in his eyes.


    "Will Amber come here then?" Ivy moved forward, startled by the news. But Joshua did not allow her to move. He pulled her back and wrapped his hands around her, making sure to not apply much pressure on his injured arm. Ian''s analgesic medicines were working like a charm on him, and he did not feel much pain, though it was highly uncomfortable for him to move.


    "Not at all. I don''t allow people to find my address that easily. Other than the people I am close to nobody knows where I live exactly. And the address Amber is going to is a fake one I have put in my details to divert stalkers from me. Amber will not be able to find our home until I allow her to.


    "Smart man," Ivy was impressed by his thinking, and Joshua smiled widely on hearing her compliments.


    "I was born smart, baby." He boasted.


    "Yeah, right." Ivy scoffed.


    "And I became smarter after I met you." He added, and Ivy smiled at him in delight.


    "What is happening now? Has Amber reached the said address?" Ivy shifted the topic, unable to stand the man''s intense gaze on her.


    "I am not sure. Let me check." Joshua lifted the laptop beside him and placed it on Ivy''s thighs. He then pushed himself forward until his chest was touching her back, and Ivy was securely wrapped in his embrace.


    "Umm, Joshua." Ivy was flustered by how close they were. Although she did not mind the position they were in, she was worried about him and his wounds. It had been only a day when he had woken up, and he was in amazing spirits which she could not comprehend. Was it even possible for someone to be this excited after being unconscious for long?


    "Joshua, I can move if you want." She offered.


    "Shh, don''t move. Stay still." He reprimanded her softly and started to type a string of codes in his laptop until a screen opened. Ivy was in awe to see the speed of his fingers on his keyboard. She had never seen anyone type this swiftly.


    "What''s this?" She pointed at the screen that was showing surveillance of an area she could not make out. She could not make out what kind of a building it was. But from the looks, she deduced it to be a small manor. It did have a rich feel to it, especially after seeing the beautiful garden.


    "I am viewing the surveillance video of the address Amber will be soon going to. This is the recording of the CCTV installed in front of the house."


    "Wait a minute. How do you know that there is a CCTV installed in front of this house?"


    "What do you think?" Joshua smiled at the girl and pressed his cheek to hers.


    "Do you know the people who stay at that house?"


    "I have no idea."


    "What?" Ivy was stunned by his revelation.


    "I don''t know who stays there. I keep changing my address every few months to be safe. All I know is that the manor belongs to a retired army General, and he lives with his wife. And the best part is that they have an amazing dog that can scare the shit out of anyone."


    Ivy started laughing as soon as she heard Joshua''s words. She already found it hilarious to think that Amber would be going to the wrong address. On top of that, the manor belonged to a soldier. What would happen when an idiot would meet a disciplined soldier? It sure would be a disaster for Amber. She could not even imagine the scenario. She was already laughing even before Amber had reached the place.

 Chapter 510: Smart Jo

    Amber was yet to reach the said address and Ivy was getting bored as time passed. So, she held Joshua''s hand in hers before she intertwined her fingers. "You did not answer my question."


    "Which one, darling?" Joshua mused and placed her chin on her shoulder as he observed her play with his fingers.


    "About your AI. I still don''t know how you did it." Ivy complained and Joshua stifled a laugh on seeing her alluring pout.


    "It is called Alvis."


    "Alvis? Just like Jarvis from Avengers?" Ivy was surprised to see the uncanny similarity in the names.


    "Yes, just like Jarvis. I created this system after I watched the movie. I was impressed with their technological direction. Although some of the aspects they have shown in impossible to do as of yet, my system can at least do more than half of what Jarvis can do. I am almost there."


    Ivy was impressed with her man and her face was filled with awe. "You are so amazing and smart."


    "That I am."


    "What a narcissist!!"


    "Haven''t you heard, sweetie? Narcissism prevails." Joshua said with such pride that for a moment, Ivy thought him to be saying the truth. She lightly jabbed his abdomen, making the man groan in pain.


    "Violence, woman." He groned and Ivy rolled her eyes at him.


    "Serves you right."


    "You do know I am wounded, right? How could you treat me this way?" He grumbled like an old man and Ivy was on the brink of losing herself. She was controlling her laugh so hard that her eyes had become teary.


    "And you do know that I did not touch the place you are wounded, right? Stop with your act. Now, tell me how did you activate Alvis?" Ivy scolded him and now, it was Joshua''s turn to pout.


    "Alvis will be online always. The system just needs to be connected to the internet to work. When I am not at home, only a few functions are activated."


    "Like?" Ivy stared at his long fingers and ran her thumb over them.


    "Like the CCTV cameras, voice recognition system to name a few."


    "I see."


    "When I am at home, I can either activate more options using my phone or even my voice will suffice. Alvis recognizes only my voice. But I will add yours too once I recover so that you too can make use of it when you want."


    "Really? Is it possible to do that?" Ivy became excited all of a sudden and Joshua smiled in happiness.


    "Yes, why not? You are my girlfriend. You have all the privileges to make use of Alvis."


    Ivy''s smiled slipped as soon as she heard him. Why did it sound so suggestive and erotic? She wondered but shook her head to clear her dirty thoughts.


    "What can Alvis do?" Ivy changed the topic before she got carried away again with some dirty thoughts.


    "Anything. If whatever you ask is accessible on the internet, it will do it. Don''t ask it to make it coffee or tea. It can''t." Joshua teased and Ivy gave him a glare even though it was hard to face him given the position they were in. "But it will give you a recipe to prepare coffee or tea."


    Ivy was just about to ask another question when they saw a movement on the laptop screen. "Looks like Amber is here."


    "Yes, let''s have some fun," Joshua added and the couple started watching the video intently.


    Amber got of the cab in front of the manor and she stared at the magnificent building in front of her. She was pleasantly surprised to see the place. ''When did Joshua chan get his style? This is completely not him? He prefers modern buildings. This is so aristocratic and retro-styled.'' She wondered before she paid for the cab.


    Neither Ivy nor Joshua could see her expression for her back was facing her but they had a feeling that the girl was irked for some reason. It was proved true when Amber turned back with a dark expression.


    "Why is her expression so dark? I am not complaining though." Ivy queried.


    "I have no idea." Joshua shrugged lightly.


    "Does this have audio or..."


    "Don''t worry. We will be able to get some good drama."


    Amber was just about to take a step inside the manor when a guard stopped her. From his uniform alone, one could say that he was military trained. However, Amber gave a blind eye to it in her enthusiasm to meet Joshua.


    "Excuse me, Miss. May I know who are you looking for?" The guard asked politely.


    "I am here to meet my boyfriend," Amber said with arrogance, taking the guard to be a speck of dust and she tried to move forward. But the young guard stopped her at once.


    "Miss, may I know do you have an appointment?"


    As soon as the guard asked the question, Ivy turned to Joshua. "What is he talking about?"


    "Did I forget to tell that the retired General has a son who is also a Major. He is in his late twenties or early thirties. I am not sure though." Joshua winked at her and Ivy''s eyes sparkled at the turn of events.


    "Oops, this will only add more to the drama. What if the man actually has a girlfriend and this implicates their relationship?" Ivy was incredibly worried and she feared that their mischief would affect someone else''s life.


    "Don''t worry, darling. It won''t happen. Amber will definitely take my name to emphasize her words. I will not allow her to create any misunderstandings. Once her matter is solved, I will personally visit this family to pay my respects." Joshua said with sincerity and Ivy nodded at his thoughtful gesture.


    They were already making sure of someone''s address to keep Amber at bay, causing stress to those people. Ivy was feeling guilty for putting them through such misery. Amber was a tough nut to crack and she was sure that by the time they finished dealing with her, someone would end up mad and furious. Joshua''s words calmed her a little. However, she had underestimated the old General.


    "Why do I need an appointment to meet my boyfriend?" Amber glared at him. But it had no effect on the guard. "Are you insane?"


    "Miss, I was not informed of your arrival. Let me ask first about you. May I know your name, Miss?" The man was extremely polite to her. However, his words riled Amber up and she clenched her fingers in anger.


    ''Is he asking me because that bitch has warned him to keep me away from my boyfriend?'' Ivy thought. ''Yes, it has to be it. It must be her. I am going to kill her.''


    "That bitch ordered you to stop me here. Am I right? Tell her these petty tricks will not work on me." Amber''s words shocked not only the guard but even Ivy and Joshua were also stunned. They stared at the screen mortified by the girl''s unbelievable behavior. She had lost all her sense of decency.


    "What is wrong with her? How can she speak this way?" Ivy was still in disbelief and she turned to Joshua and gave him a look.


    "I know. I know. I was ignorant back then. Hey, don''t blame me. She was nothing like this in the past. She hid her true character well in front of me. She was always well-mannered and sophisticated. I had never heard her curse even worse." Joshua stated with a frown, recalling his time with Amber when he had been with her.


    "You were blind in the past to fall for such a girl." Ivy shook her head as though the man had been hopeless in the past.


    "Yes, I was." Joshua did not deny it. He really had been blind to not have seen Amber''s true character. "If had been a little awake and sober, I would have found you sooner and made you my girlfriend."


    Ivy was just about to retort when she heard Amber speak from the laptop. "Move away. My boyfriend is waiting for me." She ordered.


    "These cameras are good. The audio and video are amazing." Ivy expressed with awe.


    "They have to be. The devices they are using are from our subsidiary company and my company never sells crap stuff." Joshua said with pride.


    "Yeah right." Ivy scoffed. But she too was filled with pride thinking about how incredible her man was.


    Meanwhile, the guard was having a bad time and he was just short of losing his cool. "Miss, mind your language. Civilized people live in this locality and you are humiliating yourself by using such demeaning words."


    "Civilized and you? Bullshit." Amber sneered in disgust. "Don''t you think I know what your plan is? You want to keep me away from Joshua. But don''t worry. Your plans don''t work on me."


    As soon as Amber took Joshua''s name, both Joshua and Ivy sighed in relief. They had been waiting for her to take his name and now that she did, they were less worried.


    "Joshua? Who is Joshua?" The guard gave a confused looked, making Amber lose her mind all the more.


    "Heh, now you have forgotten the owner of this place too. How amazing!!" Amber''s voice was filled with sarcasm and she clapped at his attempts to stop her.


    "Miss, I think you have come to the wrong address. No Joshua stays here." The man controlled his temper and replied to her politely.


    "Don''t lie to me. I know this manor belongs to Joshua Martin."


    "Joshua Martin? Who is that? This manor belongs to Major General Rupert Meyers."

 Chapter 511: Advance payment

    "This manor belongs to Major General Rupert Meyers." The guard was done entertaining the stupid girl, and his tone turned harsh. If the person in front of him had not been a lady, he would have thrown her out already.


    "General Rupert Meyers, who the hell is he? Are you trying to drive me away from here? Stop with your bullshit and allow me to go in, or I will ask Joshua to fire you once I speak to him." Amber glared hard at the man, not knowing that she was being watched by the man she was here to meet.


    While was Ivy was laughing until tears formed in her eyes, Joshua was completely regretting ever going out with a woman like her. She was only with him for his money and nothing else. But what surprised him was that if she was with him for his money, why did she leave him in the first place? Wouldn''t she be living a life of riches if she stayed with him?


    "This girl is dumb and egoistic. I wonder what gave her the courage to be egoistic in front of a military-trained man. He can throw her away even before she knows about it." Ivy commented, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen. It was only when she did not get any response from the man behind her did she realize something to be wrong.


    "Are you alright, Joshua? Is something wrong?" Ivy''s voice was soft, and she was worried for him at once. "Are your wounds hurting? Are you in pain? Are you bleeding? Do you want me to call Aria or Ian? I told you not to move in here. If we were at the hospital, we could have doctors to treat you. Even Noah''s mansion is better. Both Aria and Ian are staying over."


    Ivy tried to face him. But Joshua stopped her at once. "I am fine, Ivy. Relax. I was just thinking." He tried to assure her and wrapped his arms from behind.


    "What were you thinking about?" Ivy was still not convinced, and Joshua could sense it from her tone. However, he chose to ignore her questions for the time being.


    "Ivy, say, from Amber''s tactics and actions, I am sure that she only wants to get back at me for money. She seems to be in a miserable state than the time I last her." Joshua''s words made Ivy frown and she pursed her lips.


    "Why do you think that way? Did you sense something off about her?" Ivy was not jealous of Amber, for she knew that the crazy woman was not worthy of her jealousy. Instead, she was curious about what Joshua had discovered, for she too had been thinking about it lately. The girl had been absent for a long time, and she just made an entry the moment Ivy got together with Joshua. This sure was troubling Ivy, and she wondered if there was a ploy they had no idea about.


    "I did. Everything about this situation seems off. She came looking for me as though she was waiting for an opportunity, and she got it the moment I was shot. Don''t you think it is absurd? Moreover, nobody knew about my accident. Ian and Noah would have made sure to keep it under wraps. I am not sure why but this is not sitting well with me."


    "I agree too. I too feel that something is not right. She had a lot of time to get back to you. But other than the time when she had called you, did she contact you again?"


    Joshua shook his head at once. "No, she did not. I did not even know she was around. Although I am not certain, I feel someone is behind her and wants to get to me or you or even both of us."


    "But why?"


    "Ivy, I have a lot of enemies. Enemies I know about and enemies who are lurking in the dark. They want me gone for many reasons, and one of them is that we have control over the Underworld."


    "Underworld? Tell me more about it."


    "Although we are not clean for we do kill people, we never kill anyone innocent. We are not involved in bad aspects like drug dealing or human trafficking."


    "Then, what are you involved in?" This was the first time she was hearing Joshua speak about Underworld, and she was more interested in this rather than a fight with a foul-mouthed Amber and an extremely patient guard.


    "Ivy, as you know that the Carters and the Martins occupy the major business market in this country. Some people want us gone to take over our spot. We have a lot of competitors, nationally and internationally. We need men to keep our families protected. We need people to keep a watch on those who wish to harm us or our loved ones."


    Joshua revealed the truth to Ivy without any hesitation. She had to know what he was and what he was involved in, for she would soon join his family too. He did not want to be secretive with her and hide her from his true self. Though he was scared about her reaction, he was more worried if she would consider him a monster now.


    But to his surprise, she gave him a look filled with awe and admiration. Her eyes were gleaming in delight, and for a moment, Joshua could not comprehend her thinking. "You are so amazing." She breathed. "I never knew that my boyfriend was this capable."


    "Ivy, aren''t you angry?"


    "Why would I be?" Ivy frowned at his words and gave him a confused look. "Did you do something that would make me angry? Did you keep in touch with Amber behind my back?" Joshua started chuckling as soon as he heard her obnoxious claims, and Ivy glared at him.


    "I love your possessive side. Raawr..." Joshua growled suddenly, and Ivy was startled by the sudden sound. She gave him a stunned look, only for the man to peck her lips happily.


    "I thought you would be angry after finding out about my background." Joshua turned serious the next instant and stated his deepest feelings without hiding them from her.


    "Although it might be scary to others, I am not scared of it. I have met a lot of criminals and psychopaths in my profession, and sometimes, I too have the desire to kill them for the barbarous side. I don''t know why but if I did not have the fear of getting arrested and being convicted, maybe I would have hunted down those people who are nothing but scumbags."


    "Wow, wow, wow, calm down my little tigress. What got you all riled up?" Joshua sneakily closed his laptop for his conversation with Ivy was more interesting than seeing Amber behave like a lunatic.


    "Oh, you have no idea. I was once covering the news about a rape victim, and you should have seen how brutally she had been assaulted and murdered. I get nightmares every time I remember the girl. That was the most barbaric thing I have ever seen." Ivy shivered as soon as she thought about the girl, and Joshua ran his thumb over her fingers to calm her down.


    "Were you allowed to go near the victim? As far as I recall, nobody but the police are allowed at the site of the crimes." Joshua''s brows narrowed, his expression stiff and cold. He was worried for Ivy, for she had to deal with news regarding such inhuman crimes. Psychologically and emotionally, it could traumatic for many people, and he respected and admired her courage and her professionalism.


    "I would not have been allowed if it was other times. But it was I who found the girl and reported the matter to the police. I was the first one to see her."


    "Oh," Joshua did not know what to say next. He just stayed silent and thought about it.


    Ivy noticed him lost in his thoughts, and she smiled lightly. "What are you thinking about?"


    "I was thinking how dangerous your job is. You will have to encounter a lot of dangerous situations, especially when you are bold enough to do sting operations. So, I was wondering...."


    "What? You want me to quit my job?" Ivy almost shrieked at him. "Listen, Mister, I will not quit my job. You get that in your brain."


    "Will you please listen to what I have to say? I will never stop you from working. You can do what you want to do as long as you will keep yourself safe."


    "Ahh," Ivy''s mouth widened, and she snuck out her tongue in guilt.


    "What I was suggesting was that you start training to keep yourself fit."


    "What?" Ivy was taken aback by his suggestion.


    "Yes. You need to learn how to fight and how to yield a gun. I will teach you once I recover." Though Joshua''s men protected Ivy discreetly, he was still worried for her. So, he had come up with such a solution. At least, his girl would know how to defend herself if she were to ever face a dangerous situation. "I know you have learned fighting from Maggie. But I want to teach you advanced techniques that could really help you."


    "Really, could you do that?" Ivy was beyond ecstatic to hear about this, and she was just about to hug him. But she stopped suddenly, much to Joshua''s dismay when she recalled his injury.


    "Sure, why not? But I will be charging fees from you."


    "I won''t mind paying you. My boyfriend is rich. He can afford your fees." Ivy sassed, and Joshua''s lips curved up in humor.


    "Is it? But I will be charging your fees from you, and let me take the advance first." Joshua started to lean in and puckered his lips, ready to kiss his girl when Alvis''s voice reverberated in the room.


    "Master Martin, I have found out about Barry. Would you like me to tell more about him?"

 Chapter 512: Infuriated Ivy?

    "Master Martin, I have found out about Barry. Would you like me to tell more about him?" Alvis''s voice reverberated in the room, interrupting Joshua right before he could kiss the girl senseless. Joshua gritted his teeth in anger while Ivy stared at him for a few seconds before she burst out laughing.


    Joshua glared at her in anger before he pulled back quickly. "Alvis, you disturbed my sweet moment. Were you waiting for this moment to make your presence know?" He sassed.


    "Master Martin, I informed you the moment I was done searching for what you had asked me to." Alvis''s reply was instant and filled with sarcasm even though it was AI that had no feelings. Ivy, who had just controlled her laughter, started laughing again until tears formed in her eyes.


    "Joshua, you and Alvis are made for each other." She gave him a thumbs-up, and Joshua shot daggers at her.


    "I will take care of you later. What have you got Alvis?" He questioned as he leaned against the headboard.


    "Master Martin, Barry is the owner of an Internet cafe, and he is registered in the black market as a hacker. According to the data I have found, he is quite skilled at it. Recently an anonymous person contacted him and offered him a contract to work for him indefinitely. But I am unable to track who it is."


    "I see. When did that anonymous person contact him?"


    "The day after you were shot."


    Joshua and Ivy looked at each other with their eyes wide open. It sure was shocking to hear about the coincidence, and for a moment, the couple wondered if it was Jared who had contacted Barry. He needed a strong hacker to help him, especially after Maggie betrayed him brilliantly.


    "Do you think Jared is involved in this?" Ivy queried and watched the man''s brows narrow into a frown. He was deep in thought, and from his expression, she realized that he too was thinking the same.


    "I am not sure about it." Joshua shrugged lightly.


    "There is a high possibility though. His Godfather, that is Charles Miller, was hospitalized, and Jared''s men have been keeping an eye on him. What if they informed him about you?"


    "Godfather?" Joshua gave her a confused look, and Ivy recalled that the man did not know all that they had found when he was at the hospital. Joshua listened to her, not interrupting her even once as she reiterated the events that had transpired when he was unconscious.


    "If Jared is a smart man, he would put pieces together, especially after seeing Noah and Ian together while I was absent."


    "Do you think he found out that it was you and Noah who helped Maggie?" Ivy gave a worried look and held Joshua''s hands in hers.


    "I don''t think so. Otherwise, he would have taken drastic measures by now for destroying his warehouse and killing people around him. I have done a background check on him, and I need to say that he is a monster, a barbarian. He would not be silent after finding out about us."


    "In that case, could it be that the men relayed your absence and he presumed you to be sick? If Amber is actually working with him, then this would be a good opportunity to send her to you."


    "This could a possibility." Joshua nodded lightly and tried to arrange his thoughts. "Jared is a scumbag. He is trying the same trick he used on Noah. Only this time, he has a better trump card with him."


    "What do you mean? What happened to Noah?" Ivy gave him a confused look. "What did he do to him?"


    "There is this girl Mia who works in Noah''s company, and she had joined hands with Jared, helping him in his plan though she had no idea that he was only fooling with her," Joshua revealed, and before Ivy could ask him about it, he started to elaborate about it. "Mia likes Noah, and she had been trying to gain Noah''s attention."


    Joshua disclosed how Mia had come up with a project proposal only to be rejected by Noah. Since her company was on the verge of bankruptcy, her father joined hands with Jared who ready to sign a contract with him.


    "What was the catch?" Ivy interrupted him, curious to find out how Noah had dealt with such an issue.


    "Smart girl," Joshua''s lips arched up, and he gave her a nod in approval. "She was the spy Jared had planted. Amber had to revert the details of the projects Noah''s company was working on."


    "What a disgusting man!!" Ivy cursed loudly, and Joshua chuckled hearing her growl.


    "He sure is disgusting. But it is not that easy to trick Noah. He knew about the girl the moment she joined his company. Since then, he had been keeping an eye on her."


    "I am impressed. Nevertheless, Noah is considered one of the best businessmen of our times." Joshua''s smiled slipped in jealously, and he was just about to reprimand her about it when she added, "Along with you." Now, he had no words to refute, and he stayed mum.


    "I guess his intention was for Mia to break Noah and Aria''s relationship because, from the looks of it and how deep Noah has fallen for your sister, Noah sure would be left devastated if that happens."


    Ivy understood what the man wanted to convey. Jared wanted to use Noah''s weakness against him. But the man he was dealing with was too smart for him. "So, the despicable man wants to use the same trick on you, that is if he is the one orchestrating this drama."


    "I guess so. The timing of Amber''s entry is impeccable. He might be making use of her to break us apart." Joshua pointed at him before his finger directed to Ivy. "Alvis, check what is Jared Augustus is up to recently."


    "Will do, Master Martin."


    "He sure is hateful and cunning." Joshua sighed, thinking about the disaster they would be facing soon. "Amber is quite difficult to get rid of, unlike Mia. She would not relent that easily, considering how idiotically bold and dumb-headed she is."


    "Ohh, does that mean Mia is not the picture anymore now? How did Noah get rid of her?"


    "I am not sure about it. But he has dealt with her. She will not be a problem to him or your sister. Don''t worry. Noah has taken care of it."


    "That reduces one of my worries. At least my sister does not have to deal with her boyfriend''s annoying ex." She sighed in relief.


    "I am sorry, Ivy. You had to deal with such a mess because of me. I never knew Amber was like this. She had hidden her true character well. I am sorry. I really am." Joshua apologized and lowered his head. He was filled with guilt for putting his girl through such misery. He realized what a nuisance Amber was and how much Ivy had to bear while facing her.


    "Joshua," Ivy sighed helplessly and wrapped her arms around his neck, making sure to not apply pressure on his wounds. "Everbody has a past. While some have pleasant memories, others do not. You cannot blame yourself for something you were not even responsible for. Amber was wicked, and she played smart. Now that we know her truth, nothing she does will affect us anymore. She is just a headless chicken, running around trying to gain your attention."


    Joshua chuckled lightly as soon as she compared Amber to a chicken.


    "And, who would dare to steal Joshua from Ivy? They will have to face my wrath. Beware, Mister." Ivy warned, and Joshua raised a brow at her. "An infuriated Ivy is never good news."

 Chapter 513: Love rival?

    "Master Martin, I have found out about Jared Augustus," Alvis spoke, and this time, Joshua was not angered on being interrupted, for he had been waiting for this.


    "What have you got, Alvis?"


    "Master Martin, Jared is currently involved in constructing a resort at the..."


    "This was the project Noah rejected which now Jared has taken over." Joshua did not allow Alvis to continue and explained the situation to Ivy. "I see. What else?"


    "Master Martin, he seems to be in contact with a bioscientist from Japan, and they have been in constant touch for three weeks now."


    "Wait a minute. Why does he need to contact a bioscientist? I don''t think he is in any way involved in such kind of matters or research." Ivy stated.


    "Unless he is thinking of executing his failed plan again." Joshua analyzed, and Ivy''s eyes widened the next moment.


    "He is such a scoundrel." She hurled profanities without hesitating. The man sure knew how to destroy people and the world around him for his benefit.


    "Yes, he is. If he really succeeds in releasing the virus this time, it would be a disaster to our country. We need to stop him before that."


    "I agree, and I presume Noah is preparing a strategy to deal with Jared and his shithead of a Godfather," Ivy revealed what they had discussed during his absence. Joshua had never heard her curse this much. Heck, he had never heard her curse at all. To see her this riled up, Joshua could not help but chuckle at her.


    "What else do you have, Alvis?"


    "Master Martin, Jared is trying to find details about you and your friends. His list includes Noah, Ian, Ivy, Aria, and among the group, he is most interested in Noah and Ivy."


    "What the fuck!!" Now, it was Joshua''s time to curse. How could he sit still when a scumbag was targeting his girl. Jared was a venomous snake who did not hesitate to destroy people, and considering all that he had found about him before, Joshua was sure that he was planning something against Ivy. ''I need to increase the security around her. I need to make sure she is safe and away from that disgusting man.''


    "A few months ago, he brought back a woman from the slums of Leval, and she goes by the name of Amber."


    This caught the couple''s attention, and Ivy raised an eyebrow immediately. "How did Alvis find out about this?"


    "Alvis, please answer her."


    "The moment he brought her back, they were captured together on one of the surveillance footage recorded in the system. I ran an image search on them, and it popped up."


    "Alvis is amazing. I love you, Alvis." Ivy chirped happily, and Joshua glared at her.


    ''Is my own creation my rival in love?'' He wondered and had the sudden desire to kill Alvis. It seemed as though his intentions were showing on his face, for Ivy shook her head at once.


    "If you do anything to Alvis, I will stop talking to you. Mark my words, Joshua Martin. Mark my words." She lowkey threatened him, and Joshua gave up on his thoughts instantly. He sulked lightly and pouted in annoyance, waiting for Ivy to pacify him. However, the girl just gave him a look before she scoffed at him.


    "Aren''t you going to appease me?" Joshua could not tolerate her teasing smirk anymore and wailed like a kid.


    "Why should I?" Ivy caught onto his act at once. It was as pathetic as ever.


    "Because I am wounded, and you promised to take care of me," Joshua complained. "For life."


    "When did I promise you? I don''t recall speaking such words ever." Ivy frowned and tried to recall if she had ever spoken such words. However, she could remember it whatsoever.


    "You promised me in my dreams, and a promise is a promise. It does not matter where you did it." Ivy let out a helpless chuckle at his excuse and rolled her eyes in exasperation.


    "Are you serious? You are such a drama king."


    "I know. Now come and appease me or..."


    "Or? What will you do?" Ivy lifted her chin and provoked him with utmost confidence.


    "Or, I will not let you go." The words had barely left his lips when he pulled Ivy towards him and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her in his embrace. Even before Ivy could think, Joshua''s lips came down on hers, taking her by a storm.


    At first, it was slow and gentle. However, in the blink of an eye, Joshua turned wild, and he started to kiss her fervently, not giving her any chance to breathe. Their chests were pressing each other while their saliva created a mixture of their as they deepened the kiss. All of a sudden, Joshua hissed into the kiss, and Ivy pulled back at once, forcing him to stop their passion.


    "Joshua, what happened? Are you alright? Did your wounds open? Did you strain your shoulders?" She started to question him, and at the same time, unbutton his loose pajama shirt.


    "Ivy, what are you doing?" Joshua crossed his arms in front of her, stopping her from going any further. "Are you sure you want to do this now? I am hurt. I may not be able to satisfy you completely." Although the man said the words seriously, his face barely giving away any expression, Ivy was certain that he was enjoying the fun in his mind. His twinkling eyes said it all, and she had the sudden urge to kill him. Sometimes, Joshua tested her patience until Ivy went mad.


    Ivy glared at him, and Joshua dropped his hands after a wink, allowing her to take a peek at his wounds. Fortunately for him, the wounds had not opened and the bandages were still clean. Ivy sighed in relief and shook her head lightly.


    "You idiot!" She punched him in his thigh. "Who does that? Do you have any idea how scared I was?" Ivy gritted her teeth and reprimanded him, even though she knew that it would not affect him.


    "Then, why didn''t you appease me? If you had tried your best, you wouldn''t have ended up in such a situation." Joshua replied nonchalantly, driving Ivy crazy.


    "Are you saying that it was my fault?"


    "Isn''t it?"


    "Please elaborate." Joshua did not know what to say now. How could he say that he was jealous of Alvis, of his own creation? Ivy would only laugh at him, and that was the last thing he wanted. The only option he had now was to lie, and he did just that. "I forgot."


    "What?"


    "I forgot why I wanted you to appease me." Joshua gave her an innocent look, and Ivy realized that it was all an act. But she did not dwell on it more. They had other issues to think about first.


    "What do we do now? How do we deal with Amber?" Her face turned serious and Joshua too stopped his mischief.


    "The easiest way to deal with Amber is to deal with Jared first. Once Jared stops supporting her, she wouldn''t dare to act on her own."


    "How can you be this sure?"


    "Amber cares a lot about her image, and if she is this desperate to get back with me, she would want to appear regal and flawless before me. Considering how she had been living a pathetic life, I don''t think she would have much savings, and all her necessities are being sponsored by Jared. Either we need to end Jared first or end whatever their deal is." Joshua knew how Amber was, for he had been with her for a long time. He could easily analyze what her thought process was.


    "I agree. I hope everything goes back to normal soon. I was to live my life peacefully." Ivy was already tired of everything that was happening in her life, and she wanted to take a break. She wanted a vacation and go on a trip with Joshua. She wanted to be with him, only him without being disturbed. Of course, she kept her intentions a secret, for she knew that once Joshua learned about it, he would set to execute it the next moment.


    What could be more exciting to Joshua than having Ivy all for himself?


    "Soon, darling soon. Jared will pay for his crimes soon, and Amber too for her stupidity. All we need is to execute our plan as quickly as possible."

 Chapter 514: Reality check

    Meanwhile, the girl in question did not know that she had been busted. Her plan was exposed in front of the man she was eyeing, and he was preparing to deal with her and end her chapter from his life. Amber was more worried about getting inside the manor than anything else. The guard in front of her was getting on her nerves, and she was just short of slapping him in the face.


    "Do you think you can lie to me and stop me from entering the manor? I know this is all that woman''s ploy to keep me away from my man. She is such a bitch. I am going to kill her once I meet her." Amber shouted like a mad woman, and the guard was getting frustrated as time passed. She had lost all her manners and was lashing out at him like a lunatic. He was sure that by the time he finished dealing with her, his ears would be swollen and bleeding.


    ''She is dressed in expensive clothes but her mouth is filled with gutter water.'' Although the guard tried to stay civil with her, it was becoming impossible to control himself any longer. She was outright humiliating him for no reason, and his pride was wounded. His countenance changed suddenly, and he held his rifle tight, ready to shoot the girl if she were to speak another word of nonsense.


    Amber took a step back when she noticed the man''s sudden shift in demeanor. He looked furious and ready to kill her if she were to speak another word. "I...I.. want to meet your Master." Her tone softened considerably, and she made a pitiful face, trying to evoke the man''s sympathy and protectiveness. This always worked and she hoped it would work too.


    However, she was wrong. The guard had seen through her act clearly, and he remained unfazed. There was no change in his whatsoever. She was clearly a drama queen, and he wondered who would be in their right mind to be her boyfriend. ''I really pity the man named Joshua. Either she is a good actress and has put up an act in front of him, or he blind stupid to ignore her irritating character.''


    "I have already told you, Miss. The man you are looking for does not stay here. This is Major General Rupert Meyer''s manor." He replied patiently one last time, and he was just about to close the gate when a car drove towards them. "Miss, please move." He ordered and opened the gate wide, allowing the car to enter inside.


    Amber''s eyes twinkled when she saw the car, and instead of moving away, she stood in front of the vehicle, stopping it from moving any further. The guard now had enough of her drama, and even though it was against his morals, he did not have another choice. The girl had been shameless enough to stop the car and even more shameless to give him a smug look.


    "Miss, what do you think you are doing? Get out of here before I call the maids and get you thrown out of here." He threatened. But it did not work on the girl, who suddenly seemed to have become more confident. She was grinning in joy, and the guard had a feeling that he was dealing with a mental patient.


    "What is happening here?" A woman who seemed to be in her mid-fifties stepped out of the car and looked at the girl who had stopped her. She was dressed modestly, and Amber could not recognize any of the items she was wearing. They looked cheap. However, she could not ignore her strong aura. It was utterly domineering and confident. "Who is this lady?"


    "Madam, the Lady here came to the wrong address. I was just directing her away from here." I guard replied, and the woman nodded at him before she smiled at the girl. She then got inside her car. She was just about to close the door when the girl stopped her. She had been so fast in approach her that the guard could not stop her in time.


    "May I help you?" The woman asked, her smile not leaving her face. However, Amber gave her no face, and she just stared at her rudely.


    "Who are you?" She blurted out, without caring about her image or manners. She was perturbed to see the woman here, and she wondered if she had come here to meet Joshua.


    The guard now had the sudden urge to slap her for her impudence. He cursed himself for not sending her away in time. ''This woman is serious trouble. My head will explode if she stays here any longer.''


    "Young Lady," The woman''s smile slipped, and her face turned serious. "Aren''t you being a little rude on our first meet? I don''t know you. Shouldn''t you be speaking politely to me?" Although the woman''s face was devoid of any mention, she was still polite and patient with her.


    "Oh, yeah?" Amber stopped suddenly when a notion hit her. ''What if she were Joshua''s relative? I cannot showcase myself to be bad in front of her and ruin my image in front of Joshua. I need to be careful.'' With that thought, she pushed her arrogance away and smiled at the old woman.


    ''What is this crazy lady up to now?'' The guard wondered. Her sudden change in expression sent him on high alert, completely creeped out by her smile.


    ''Please forgive me, Madam. I was wrong to have spoken to you this way. I was just stressed at not being able to meet my boyfriend." Amber reasoned and waited for the woman to reply.


    Although she tried to appear as gentle as possible, the woman was not convinced. However, she did not point it out either. "It''s fine, young lady. Please be mindful of your manners from now on."


    Without another word, she got inside and closed the door. Amber''s face turned red in anger, and even though the woman had noticed it, she did not care about her. It was she who had been rude in the first place. She drove the car in, not giving any face to the girl, and the guard secretly cheered at him Madam''s strike. She had smacked the girl on her face and her arrogance without even lifting her hand.


    He did not waste another time to close the gate, forcing the girl to stay out of the manor. "Lady, let me give you a reality check. You are at the wrong address. Your boyfriend does not live in this area, and as far I remember, I don''t think there is any person living by this name around this area too. This is a military-owned area, and all the people who stay here are in the military. Let me ask you a question."


    The guard tried to be humble one last time. "Does your boyfriend work in the military?"


    Amber shook her head immediately.


    "I guess you got your answer then. You can ask around the area if you want if you do not believe me. Please don''t waste your time here. The man named Joshua does not live here."

 Chapter 515: Obsessed

    After giving the hateful woman a reality check, the guard closed the gates, leaving her abandoned on the street. Fortunately for Amber, the manor was in a secluded area and not many people were around her. Otherwise, she did not know how she would put up with her humiliation and distress.


    Amber was lost. All her plans had gone down the drain, and now she was reduced to pennies. Her excitement died the moment she was shown out of the gate. But she was still not convinced. Even after being berated by the guard and the old woman she had met for the first, she was still unconvinced. Her delusional mind started to run wild, and she suddenly had a hunch that it was all a ploy devised by the girl she so badly wanted to kill.


    ''Is this all her plan? Did she hire these two to stop me from entering the manor?'' She wondered and took a look at the beautiful house in front of her. Though it was completely different from Joshua''s style and preference, it still screamed of money and aristocracy. All Amber could think about was owning the manor and becoming the Madam of the place with servants at her beck and call.


    However, her impossible dream shattered to pieces when her phone rang, and even if she did not want to answer the person, she could not ignore the man who right now held authority over her.


    "Did you meet Joshua?" Jared''s voice fell on her ears and she shivered lightly. She could already imagine how deadly his face would become once he learned the truth. But she did not have the intention of hiding anything from him either as she needed his help desperately. Her rival was too smart and strong, and she needed a strong backer to deal with her.


    "No, I could not." Amber let a pitiful sigh at the end to evoke the man''s sympathy. However, she had completely underestimated the monster she was dealing with. The man never once cared for anyone woman, other than Maggie. But after being betrayed by Maggie, he now trusted no woman. To him, women were just toys he used for his pleasure and his gain. Once his work with them was over, all he did was dispose their bodies off, leaving them for the scavengers to feed.


    "Why didn''t you?" Jared''s patience was wearing thin. Amber had been testing his sanity since the time he had brought her back, and until now, she had been successful in only foiling his plans. She had not even spoken to the man she claimed to be in love with, let alone destroy his sweet relationship with his girlfriend. He now realized why Joshua might have left Amber even though the girl had told him that it was the other way round.


    Amber was seriously sick in the head and utterly useless. ''Should I just discard her now that she is of no use to me? I am just wasting resources on her. I might as well invest in other plans that could provide me with sure shot results.'' He wondered, his brows narrowing in deep concentration.


    But he shook his head at once. ''On a second note, Amber''s persistence might help me. She is a lunatic, and she will not let go of Joshua until she gets what she wants. Let me entertain her for a few more days. If I don''t get any result, then I can eliminate her any time I want.''


    Jared was so lost in his thoughts that he had not heard a word Amber had said. All he could hear was the girl''s high pitched voice that was slowly giving him a headache. He was already under a lot of stress recently, and Amber was only adding more to it. "Amber, will you stop speaking?" His voice was barely audible over the phone and Amber''s complaints. But the girl detected the change at once, and she stopped speaking.


    "Since you could not meet Joshua today, return home. We can always find another opportunity to force you to him." Amber was too infuriated to listen to the words he had used for her. She just shook her head as she eyed the guard who had returned to the gate to keep an eye on her.


    "No way. I am sure Joshua is at the mansion. I need to meet him. Time delayed is time lost. What if that bitch fills Joshua''s mind with words against me and forces him to leave me forever? No way."


    The guard of the manor was quite close to her, and as soon as he heard the words, chills ran down his spine. Coupled with her lunatically terrifying face, he could more or less guess how obsessed she was with the man named Joshua, and he shook his head in fear. This was the first time he was meeting a girl this obsessed with someone that he was now scared for the man. ''Although I don''t know who you are, I will pray for you. Just don''t get caught by her. Otherwise, you are in some serious trouble.''


    Amber gave him a blind eye and walked away from him before she continued to discuss matters with Jared. "I will never allow her to separate us. I need to stop her before she sows discord between us and ends our relationship forever." Amber gritted her teeth, and Jared did not know whether to laugh or cry.


    ''Did they even have any relationship in the first place to think that Ivy is forcing them apart? How delusional!!'' Although he realized that Amber was only dreaming, he did nothing to burst her bubble.


    Jared needed people like her, delusional and crazy. Delusional people could to any extent to get what they wanted, and Jared wanted to see how far she would go for Joshua. He wanted to see her limits and push her to the ultimate. In this evil game he was playing, either Amber would be destroyed or Joshua would be destroyed, and Jared would have to do nothing. ''It is not a loss for me anyway.'' He thought inwardly and let out a wicked smile.


    "What are you going to do then?" Jared raised an eyebrow and twirled his pen in his hand, wondering what plan the girl had come up with.


    "I am thinking of sneaking inside the mansion. I am sure I can do it given my skills." Amber said confidently, and Jared did not doubt her. Before he brought her back to the city, the girl had become a burglar, robbing food and money from people''s homes. If she still had the skills in her, she might be able to break in and meet Joshua.


    "That bitch thinks she can keep me away from Joshua. Who the heck is Major General Rupert Meyers? This is all an act, and I am sure her truth will come out once I meet my man." Amber continued to blabber; and this time, she made sure to keep her voice lest she should get busted by the guard. He clearly worked for that woman.


    ''Major General Rupert Meyers,'' The name sent alarm bells in Jared''s mind. But he could not remember where he had heard about him. Something was wrong, something was definitely wrong. But he could decipher what. Before he could ask Amber about it, the girl had ended the call, ready to get into action.

 Chapter 516: Headstrong women

    Major General Ruper Meyers. The name kept sending alarm bells through Jared''s mind. But he could not comprehend where he had heard his name. However, the bad premonition only rose in him as seconds passed. He pulled out his phone and searched for the man, and the moment he saw his pictures, everything came to him in a flash.


    Though Jared had not met him in person, he had heard about him from his Godfather. He recalled the time when his Godfather had asked him to be wary of the Major, for he was a sly fox and it was quite impossible to trick. He had not understood why his Godfather had spoken about him back them, nor did he understand it even now. They did not have any reason to cross each other. Is it?


    What surprised him was that Amber took the man''s name, who claimed to be the owner of the manor which they assumed to belong to Joshua. ''Was this all a coincidence, or was someone playing a game with them?'' He wondered. ''Or are we wrong and the manor actually belongs to the Major?'' However, even after thinking for a long time, Jared could not come up with any answers. Joshua had played him too well this time.


    Since it was not his matter to think about in the first place, Jared gave up on it. He had other matters to think and stress about. His Godfather had not yet gained consciousness, and his spies in Noah''s team had not sent him any messages. More than a day had passed, and he had not received any word from them.


    Jared had learned that Tim had joined hands with Noah, and Noah had called for a meeting with his men. But he had no idea what the meeting was for. After all his spies had only sent him a message before the meeting had started. And there had been no news from them even after hours had passed. Jared was slowly getting frustrated, and all he wanted was to smack some sense into his men. Didn''t know Jared was waiting for news from them?


    ''Wait a minute!'' Jared stopped thinking when a bad feeling hit his heart. ''Did Noah find out about my men in his team? Is this the reason why I am unable to reach them?'' He wondered, and immediately after, he called all his men only to receive no response from them, confirming his suspicions.


    Jared was livid. His opponent was too smart and cunning. All his plans to defeat Noah had been foiled expertly ruined by him, and Jared did not know what more to do. He had first planned to use Rachel to get to her brother. However, the girl in question was too smart to fall for his acts. She had blatantly ignored him, and to make matters worse, she had a boyfriend.


    Though this did not affect Jared whatsoever, he had pushed the plan to use her to destroy Noah aside after he started falling for Maggie. He at least wanted to be sincere towards the girl he had started to like. However, Maggie had ended by betraying him brilliantly, running away with all pieces of evidence that could straight away send him to the execution chair.


    Neither did he get the girl he had started to love slowly, nor did he get the girl he wanted to use as a chess piece in his plan. He had then teamed up with Mia and her father, saving them from the brink of their bankruptcy while pushing the girl towards Noah in hopes of forcing him to break up with his girlfriend. However, this plan too had not worked in his favor.


    Though Mia had not foiled his plan, she had not executed it well too. Noah was well and happy with his girlfriend or that was what he had heard from his men who had seen the couple in the hospital. All he could do was put his hopes on the delusional woman, Amber. So what if he could not destroy Noah, he could as well start with his friends.


    ''Joshua, I just hope you will be able to stay strong once I finish dealing with you.'' Jared smiled, cunningness filling his eyes. Not only did he hate the man, but he also hated his girlfriend too. ''Ivy, tch, tch, tch, you foiled all my plans and got me into trouble many times. I am yet to take revenge on you for all that you did. Be prepared, darling for you will face a consequence worse than you can imagine.''


    Jared ran his tongue over his teeth before he licked his lips. He now knew what to do and how to destroy Joshua easily. So what if Amber could not break the couple apart, Jared had a perfect plan to could do the trick. He was already a monster to women, and all he had to do was bring back the monster in him that gone into slumber after he fell for Maggie.


    ''And what should I do with you, Valerie?'' Jared had been frustrated by her since the time she had arrested people around him for all the crimes he was involved in, starting from David Peters to his father, who right now was waiting for the court to sentence him to death.


    ''Maggie, Ivy, Rachel, Noah''s girlfriend, and Valerie, who shall I deal with first?'' He wondered with a wicked smile as he stared at the dartboard in front of them. The dartboard held the names of the women he had just taken, and Jared''s smile widened as picked up the dart and twirled it on his fingers.


    "I like it." He mumbled to himself before he let out a demonic laugh. If his secretary was alive, he would have peed in his pants for sure. Jared looked nothing less than the demon he was, ready to ruin the women on his list. "It will be fun dealing with such headstrong women. Should I go with Noah''s girlfriend first? She must be capable since she is with the man I despise the most." He pondered.


    Jared had no idea that all the women he wanted to deal with were related to each other somehow. If he had known about it, he would have puked blood in shock.


    ''Hmm, who will be my first prey?'' He mused before he threw the dart at the board. The object flew in the air for a few seconds before it hit the board hard. "Ah, that is an unexpected outcome." Jared chuckled softly before he started laughing evilly. His eyes were twinkling in wickedness, and slowly, he stood up before he walked towards the board.


    With a gentle pull, he removed the dart from the board and knocked his finger on the girl''s name the dart had chosen. "Be prepared, darling. Jared Augustus is coming to destroy you."

 Chapter 517: Queens slave

    Aria finally woke up after a small nap. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, and she stretched her hand to look for her phone. But the moment she raised her hand, all she felt was a muscular chest and Aria frowned in confusion. "Am I dreaming?" She mumbled and patted lightly on the chest to confirm her thoughts. "Who does this chest belong to?" She wondered.


    "I see that you have forgotten who your boyfriend is the moment you woke up." Noah''s voice reverberated from above, and Aria''s eyes snapped open at once. She raised her head to see the man smiling sarcastically at her.


    "Noah, what..." Aria stopped speaking when she recalled all that had happened in the morning. She remembered how the devil had tortured her until she could not lift her arms any longer.


    "Ah, now you remember. I am glad you did. Otherwise, I would have resorted to other methods to make you remember me." Noah sassed and wrapped his arms around the girl''s waist. Only then did Aria realize that she was sleeping beside Noah, naked with their chests touching each other. One of his legs was over hers, securing her firmly in his hold, not allowing her any space to move or even escape.


    "On a second thought, don''t you think you are at fault to forget me this soon after taking advantage of me?" Noah mused, his eyes narrowing dangerously with an evil glint.


    "When did I take advantage of you?" Aria''s head popped up at once and she looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.


    "Are you sure you didn''t? Take a look where your hands are running and you will get your answers yourself." Noah pointed at her hands that were placed on his chest, and Aria blushed at once, her cheeks turning hot in embarrassment. But she came out of her state immediately, not willing to admit defeat in front of the big bad wolf.


    "After what happened last night and this morning, after you sucked all my energy from me until you were satisfied, don''t you think I am entitled to have some pleasure myself?" Aria raised an eyebrow at him that said, ''You cannot beat me this time.'' However, she had underestimated the man beside her. He knew how exactly to twist the situation to his advantage, and he did just that.


    "Oh sure, sure. You are entitled to have as much pleasure as you want. All you have to do is ask and this slave of your will be available to satisfy you, anytime, anywhere you want." Aria gaped at him in disbelief. Noa''s crude words rendered her speechless for a long time. If not for her noticing the amusement in his eyes, she would have assumed him to be serious.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? Don''t you have any sense of shame?" She glared at him before she tried to wriggle out of his embrace. She pushed herself up with her hands still on his chest. But as soon as she did so, the bedsheet slipped, exposing her delectable collarbone and the contours of her breasts. She was still leaning on Noah while she tried to release her legs from his hold.


    However, the man in question just pushed her closer to him using his legs until her lower half of the body was completely pressed against. The sudden movement made Aria gasp, and she stared at him in shock. Her eyes widened all the more when she felt his member twitching ever so lightly. ''How large is his sexual appetite?'' She wondered and blinked at him, sensing the changes in him immediately.


    Noah''s eyes darkened in desire. He was already aroused the moment the contours of her breasts were exposed for his eyes to feast on. He lost it the moment her core touched his member. Aria had barely done anything. And he was already very excited and ready to start another battle with her.


    "Noah, no." Aria attempted to wriggle her way out of his hold but the man just held her tight, ready to get some action. Aria sensed the danger, and she pushed him away with her might. "Noah, please no." She made a pitiful face when she could barely move an inch away from him. "I am very sore and I think you already had your fill."


    "But what about your pleasure, darling? Didn''t you just say that you are entitled to some pleasure?" Noah raised an eyebrow at her and pulled her close, not allowing her to get away from him.


    "To hell with pleasure. Noah, please. I don''t think I can handle it. Please." She begged him. Aria was thoroughly spent. Although she had just woken up after taking a much needed nap, she still felt exhausted and lethargic. She was sure that if Noah insisted on having sex with her again, she would end up going into a slumber for weeks. Her body would not be able to take it.


    "Relax, Aria. I won''t do anything you don''t want me. I know you will not be able to handle it." Noah assured her with a smile, and Aria finally relaxed. Her tense shoulders dropped and she sighed lightly. Only she knew how scared she had been to think that the man would attack her again. Though their sex was intense and she loved every bit of it, she was too sore and did not have even an ounce of energy to keep going at it.


    "Thank you," Aria breathed, and Noah hugged her at once.


    "Silly girl. What do you take me for?" He chided her softly. "You are my woman, and it is my duty to take good care of you as much as it is yours to cater for me. I do have a large sexual appetite. But not at the cost of your health." Noah kissed her forehead. "You do not have to thank me for anything. I know your abilities and I know my limits."


    Aria stared at him, her eyes filled with love for the man who was effectively making her fall in love with him more as days progressed. Noah smiled on seeing her love struck gaze. "You are my Queen. All you need to do is give out the orders and this slave of yours will do as you want."


    "Correction please." Aria stopped him before Noah could continue with his heartfelt words. "Who told that you are a slave? You are not a slave. You are my King, the man who rules my heart, my life, and my whole world. Don''t you dare call yourself a slave again." She warned him with a glare, and Noah chuckled softly.


    "But I prefer to be your slave. You can order me around as much as you please." Noah shrugged lightly, keeping the option open for her to decide.


    "I can still order you around even when you are not my slave." Aria came back strongly, and Noah did not have any reply this time. "You will still do all I ask you to. Am I right, my handsome King?" Aria held Noah''s chin in her fingers and made him face her. Her face was glowing in merriment and her eyes were twinkling in joy.


    "You are right, my Queen. I will do everything you say irrespective of whether I am your slave or your King. Tell me, my Queen. What do you want me to do now?"


    "Oh, after having mind-blowing sex with my amazing man," Noah grinned at her words and waited for her to continue. "I am starving right now. I need to fill my stomach that is causing riots in hunger. I would love it if my King would prepare something delicious for me."


    "Your wish is my command, my Queen. I will be right back." Noah pecked her lips before he reluctantly left her. Aria watched his enthralling back and his cute butt, which soon disappeared when he pulled out a pair of boxers and trousers. Now that his butt was not in sight, Aria started to ogle his naked back.


    Sensing Aria''s intense stare on him from behind, Noah''s lips curled up in delight. However, he did not allow her the pleasure to keep gawking at him. He retrieved a t-shirt and covered his torso, stopping Aria from enjoying the sight any longer. Aria gritted her teeth when the man turned to her with a wicked smile. He did not forget to wink at her before he left her in the room.


    "Beast," Aria mumbled before she dragged her body towards the bathroom to take a long overdue shower.

 Chapter 518: Time for retribution

    "Joshua was discharged this morning." Noah disclosed even before Aria could take her first bite.


    "Noah, let me eat first. Okay?" Aria gave him a displeased look, complaining through her eyes about his wrong timing. "I am starving."


    "For me," Noah added shamelessly, and Aria glared at him as she took a huge bite of her fried fish. All Noah did was wink at her playfully.


    "I never knew you were this shameless before." She mumbled as she chewed on the delicacy in her mouth. "And this is good." Aria moaned, savoring the taste slowly. Once she was done, she licked her lips and took another piece of a fried fish to munch on.


    "Thank you and thank you. I became shameless after I met you." Noah added, mischief taking over his entire form. He too started to eat, his eyes not leaving the girl, who was wearing his shirt and her shorts, looking all endearing and cute.


    "Should I say that you are blaming me for you becoming shameless?" Aria huffed, and Noah had the intense urge to laugh at her cute puffed up cheeks.


    "You can say so. I was born innocent and I was innocent until I met you." Noah stated with such an innocent expression that Aria, for a moment was really convinced by his innocent words. She soon shook her head, scolding herself silently for getting carried away. How could Noah be innocent? Impossible.


    "Innocent and you?" Aria pointed her fork at him, and Noah nodded at her immediately. "Oh, please. Innocent and you don''t belong in the same sentence. You both are two poles, far away from each, impossible to meet." Aria replied wittily, and Noah did not have any response for her. He just stared at her blankly before his lips curled up.


    "Then, what belongs in the same sentence as I am? Tell me." Noah lifted his chair and scooted closer to her.


    All of a sudden, Aria regretted changing the topic. They could have as well spoken about Joshua and his reason to be discharged early, though she had a hunch already for his actions. She stayed mum and lowered her head, focusing all her attention on her delicious food, instead of the delicious man in front of her. However, Noah was having none of it. He was not done with her yet.


    "Tell me, Aria." Noah probed, not giving her the chance to escape from the predicament she was in. "You know you are not getting out of this. Right?"


    Aria sighed lightly and dropped her fork. "What can I say?"


    "Say whatever you have in mind and heart." Noah raised an eyebrow at her and Aria rolled her eyes at him.


    ''How annoying!!'' She bit her lip, contemplating what she could say to brush the man off her back. "As I said before, shameless."


    "Then?"


    "Then?" Aria thought for a while, forcing out her limited vocabulary to find words that could describe her man. However, other than calling him shameless, she had no other word that could show off his weakness or negatives. She even liked his shameless self. So, was it even a negative? She wondered, her eyes staring at the man who was waiting for her response.


    "So?" He prompted again and Aria gave up.


    "How about handsome?" She changed her route immediately, smiling at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Or amazing, maybe even incredible. Wait, I forgot to add fantastic."


    "Aria, I would love it if you say the same words while we are having sex. It would only charge me up for sure and I can satisfy you all day." Noah said with such excitement in his voice that Aria''s legs trembled. Though she had taken a comfortable bath until her muscles relaxed, her legs still felt sore and wobbly.


    "I was right." Noah raised an eyebrow at her. "You are the master of shamelessness. Nobody can beat you at it."


    "I love your compliment. Thank you, darling."


    Aria could not take his shamelessness any longer and she decided to change the topic. "Why did Joshua get discharged? Is it because of Amber?"


    "Yes. She would only be a nuisance and Joshua will never be at peace if she were to disturb him and Ivy daily. It''s best if he recuperates at his house, with no one to disturb him." Noah became serious all of a sudden, and Aria wondered if it was only her hallucination. Only a minute ago, he was teasing her and now, his expression turned cold and austere.


    "What happened, Noah? Is something the matter?" Aria could sense his distress just by his sudden switch and she moved closer to him to comfort him.


    "Don''t you think it''s weird?" He expressed his concern after thinking for a while.


    "What is weird?"


    "About Amber. Her timing was impeccable and she made an entry right at the moment was Joshua was the most vulnerable." Noah continued, his frown deepening with every word that left his lips.


    "Elaborate, please. I don''t understand what you are trying to say." Aria held his hand and ran her thumb over his palm.


    "Aria, Amber needed an opportunity to enter his life again and given how Joshua is, he would have neglected her, ignored all her attempts to get close to him. I presume she used this opportunity to enter his life again." Noah iterated all that he had in mind.


    "Does Amber know Joshua''s address?"


    "She does not know where he lives. Joshua switched places after he broke up with her and he is quite secretive about it. Nobody other than people he is close to has access to his address."


    "That''s interesting." Aria was impressed by Joshua''s abilities and thinking and she praised him wholeheartedly, ignoring Noah''s jealous expression.


    "But that cannot be said the same about his office. Many people know where his office is."


    "Considering all that you have said and given how suspicious the girl, it sure is not a coincidence. She must have come prepared. Is there any possibility that she is working with someone? Someone who wants to harm Joshua, perhaps?" Aria queried.


    Aria''s words made Noah think and the first person he could ever think about was Jared. If he had the audacity to push Mia to him, it did not come as a surprise if he were behind Amber''s reentry into Joshua''s life too.


    ''Why is he targeting Joshua? Is it because he is related to me or is he even attacking Ivy in the process?'' Noah did not forget the feud between Ivy and Jared and if his hunch was right, which Noah was sure it was, it was both. Jared was attacking Joshua and Ivy at the same time.


    "This is bad." He mumbled and this time, Aria did not ask him to elaborate. She had more or less guessed what he had in mind for she too had thought the same.


    "Should we warn Joshua about it?"


    "Joshua is smart, Aria. Don''t worry about him. He would have already found about Amber and Jared and by now, he would have even started a plan to deal with them." Noah assured her and Aria relaxed visibly.


    "That''s great then. But we need to act before Jared strikes us first."


    "Don''t worry. Our plan is ready. Once father-in-law gives a nod, we will send Jared and Charles straight away to the execution chair."


    Aria''s lips twitched once she heard the way he addressed her father. But she chose to remain silent about it. "What are you thinking of doing?" Noah was yet to fill her in about the plan they had come up with during the meeting.


    "Oh, it''s all simple. Maggie had loads of evidence against Jared and we will just make use of them to destroy the man. It''s time he got his retribution for all that he has done."

 Chapter 519: Waiting and more waiting

    Hours passed and the sun moved towards the horizon closely. But Amber still had not managed to sneak inside the manor to meet the man she was looking for. The guard had not budged an inch from his place, keeping an eye on her. Even when it was the time of lunch, he had stayed in his shack, staring at her without any emotion on his face.


    Though she did not stay put right outside the manor, roaming around the place to shred the suspicion away, the guard could guess what she wanted. It did not take long to decipher what she was up to and what she was waiting for. Such a hateful woman! He thought, his resolve to guard the manor rising all the more.


    Amber had waited for him to leave during lunch hour. However, to her horror, a maid had approached him with his food, and the guard did not even have to leave his place. Amber was at her wit''s ends and she did not know what to do. The manor had only one entrance and there was no way she could sneak inside without alerting the man who resembled nothing less than a watchdog.


    Just like Amber, even the guard was frustrated. The stubborn woman had not left his sight even for a second, and he wondered what plan she was formulating. All he could do was sit still in his place, keeping an eye on her lest she should trespass in his absence.


    But a time came when he was tired of sitting at the same place. He wanted to take a walk around the manor and check if everything was alright. And leaving the girl without any guard was quite risky. However, that did not stop him from doing what he wanted to do. He stood up from his seat and left his shack, letting his muscles relax.


    Amber''s eyes lit up at once. Her steps slowed and she looked at him, wishing for him to leave the place as soon as possible so that she could get into action. The guard did not miss her excited and anticipatory look and he scoffed in disgust. Instead of leaving, he whistled so loud that even Amber could hear it from where she was.


    ''What the heck is he doing? Why can''t he just leave?'' She wondered, her forehead wrinkling with a frown. She was already exhausted, hungry and sleepy. Amber had lost it the moment the maid had brought out his lunch. While all she could do was watch him eat, the man ate his food heartily, enjoying it to his heart''s content.


    Amber''s legs were killing her. She cursed herself for choosing to wear high heels on such a dreadful day. Her stomach was protesting due to lack of food, and she felt immensely tired after standing for a long time. All she wanted was to find a restaurant nearby to rest her body and fill her stomach. But her heart kept screaming at her to not leave the place in case she were to miss out on an opportunity to enter the manor.


    Just like that, she had stayed in her spot until four in the evening, watching the guard intensely, wishing to burn him alive for not allowing her in.


    Amber frowned as soon as heard his whistle. But the next moment, her frown vanished and she was mortified. A German Shepard came running towards the gate and obediently sat in front of the man who seemed pleased all of a sudden. He gave Amber a provocative look that screamed, ''Go ahead and come inside if you dare.''


    Amber trembled on seeing the beast in front of her. She was never a dog loving person. Dogs scared the freak out of her. Now, seeing such a ferocious animal, she was frightened until her face turned pale. Instead of taking a step closer to the gate, she backed off in fear.


    The guard was satisfied with her reaction, and he patted his friend on its head in appreciation. "Hey buddy," He did not keep his voice low whatsoever. He had nothing to hide from the annoying woman anyway. "Guard the manor well. I will take a break. Okay?"


    The dog barked in acknowledgment. Satisfied by its response, the guard patted its head again before he glanced at the intruder in triumph, only to find her glaring at him.  He just raised an eyebrow at her before he walked away, leaving the girl all frustrated and annoyed.


    Amber was now out of options. Though it was quite a feat to trick the guard and enter the manor, it was impossible to do so with a dog guarding the entrance; especially when the dog looked nothing less than a wolf, ready to hunt her down if she were to take a step towards it.


    Amber clenched her fists in anger. As time passed, she realized that her chance to meet Joshua was slim, and she had to find another way and time to do so. ''My opponent is quite strong. I underestimated that bitch.'' She seethed as she took a look at the manor in front of her.


    Amber now did not have any reason to stay at the place any longer. She could not sneak inside with a dog on watch. One bite and she would be disfigured for sure. Amber did not wish to take that risk, not when she wanted to appear impeccable and perfect in front of her man. Also, her hunger brought back her unused rationality, and she eventually gave in.


    Reluctantly, she dragged her body away from the manor, cursing all the people responsible for separating her from Joshua. Right now, her priority was to deal with her hungry stomach, and she found a small restaurant nearby, much to her relief. She did not have any choice this time and ordered a lot of food to satisfy herself.


    Amber ate until she was full and got the leftover food packed when she remembered that she was responsible for her dinner and lunch. She was in no mood to cook after losing her spirit with all that had transpired in the day. She had suffered enough and was unwilling to go through more of it. Amber did not even care when she had to pay the bill.


    ''This is all temporary. Once I catch hold of Joshua, I will never have to suffer again.'' She comforted herself before she left the restaurant. Amber had no idea that this was just the beginning of her miseries, and she would soon face a day that would send her straight to the gates of hell.

 Chapter 520: Wish come true

    The next day, early in the morning, a piece of news started to spread on social media. All it said was:


    ''Breaking news:


    Who is the mastermind behind the crimes at the hospitals?


    Who is the heinous monster sucking people''s blood for his own greed?


    Who is the cannibal who has lost all his humanity?


    To know, more tune in to Channel 475 at 8 p.m.''


    The message was not elaborate. It was crisp and concise and to the point. It was structured in such a way that one would be forced to read it again and compel them to find out what was happening. But it was still in the wee hours of the morning and it would take more than half a day to find out the truth.


    Many people were on the edges of their chairs, especially the ones who had undergone unfair treatment and suffered injustice at hospitals which right now were shut down forever. They had nowhere to lament their griefs and miseries. The one who was responsible for their states had long gone into hiding, and they had no idea who the mastermind behind this was to unleash their pent-up frustration of them.


    With no concrete evidence to support their woes, they had been living their lives, trying to get past the dreadful incidents in their lives. However, this piece of news evoked the person who suffered the injustice in them, and all they wanted was to find out the truth.


    Out of anticipation and curiosity, many people tried the channel specified in the message. However, all they got was a blank screen for it was still not open for broadcasting. This led to people grumble in dismay, and some even wondered if this was all a prank. Why would someone send a message with a channel that did not even have any existence?


    Annoyed by the incredulous prank, people started to curse and lash out at the media, especially at the person who posted the message. But all they got in return was a short message.


    ''Be sure to watch the news at 8 p.m. The truth will be revealed.''


    There was nothing else. Nada. The person did not even give any sort of justification or explanation. They did not reply to any of the comments or slanders, leaving the public to conjure their own thoughts. Now, it was up to the people to watch the news or not.


    Comments kept flooding and people started to speculate about the matter. At first, nobody knew about the post. It was posted somewhere around seven in the morning. However, soon after, one of the popular news agencies, Everyday, reposted it on their account. Since a lot of people followed the news agency, the news spread like wildfire, catching everyone''s attention in the process.


    What astonished everyone greatly was the fact that the name of the agency had changed. Although the account still belonged to Everday, it went with a new name called ''Truth'', making one wonder what was happening.


    People''s imaginations started to run wild, and they started to come up with their own assumptions. Other than a few insiders who knew that the news agency Everyday was now under someone else''s Presidentship, nobody else had an idea about it. Neither the news agency nor the new owner had revealed the truth to the public. So, they too zipped their lips as they waited for the drama to begin.


    Meanwhile, the people behind the message were now glued to the screens as they read through the messages one by one. They had got the public''s attention towards them just as they had wanted, and they were sure that people would tune to their channel once the clock struck eight.


    "Our first step was a success," Ivy commented as she read the next comment on her phone.


    "Yes, it is. But we need to be careful from now on." Joshua added as he wrapped his hands around her. "Jared will now be alert and he might try to sabotage our hard work."


    "No way. I trust Maggie. Didn''t you see the evidence she has collected over the time she was undercover? They are explosive, and I am yet to come to terms and accept them." Ivy shook her head as she recalled the video clippings Noah had sent them the previous night. Ivy had spent the entire night watching them, cursing the man responsible for the crimes while Joshua just accompanied her helplessly.


    "Who will be relaying the news?" Joshua looked at the girl in his embrace, whose eyes were twinkling in delight.


    "It will be Max for sure. Only he can handle such pressure on him. I''ll have to visit him during the time of the broadcast. I have some things to tell him." Ivy turned to the man who was staring at her with a frown. Although he was unwilling to send her without him accompanying her, he had no choice. He knew what Ivy wanted to convey to Max. He just pursed his lips, agreeing to her silently.


    "Don''t worry. I will take Kaito with me. With him around, do you think anyone would dare hurt me?" Ivy understood Joshua''s concerns. With a monster at large, they could not lower their guards at all costs until he got the punishment he deserved. And for once, Ivy did not object to Joshua''s wishes to have a guard accompanying her.


    "I am still not assured."


    "Joshua," Ivy tried to convince him but to no avail.


    "I will always be troubled if I am not the one accompanying you." He added, his face losing its spirit instantly. "I am sorry, Ivy. I will not be able to protect you myself for the time being."


    "What nonsense are you talking about?" Ivy turned to him at once, glaring at him in anger. But Joshua did not miss the warmth and happiness in her eyes behind her anger. "You do not have to apologize for anything. You being here is the greatest form of protection for me. And have trust in your people. They will definitely keep me safe."


    Ivy did not stop at that. "In fact, I should be the one to apologize. If I had told you the truth sooner, you might not have met with the mishap." Ivy lowered her head, guilt eating her heart and soul. She could never forgive herself for keeping such an important secret from him and blamed herself for Joshua''s injury.


    "Ivy, I am the one allowed to talk nonsense here. Let me do it. Don''t venture into my territory." Joshua scolded her softly and held her hand. His words made the girl laugh out loud and she pouted lightly. "So, don''t use your smart brain to dwell on such unwanted matters. You have other important issues to deal with and you need your brain for that."


    Joshua''s words eased Ivy''s heart and she smiled in relief. "You are right. You are in charge of all the nonsensical talk. I will let you do it." She obliged without protesting, and Joshua smiled in content.


    "I presume Dad must be busy now. He has a lot on his plate."


    "Ohh, I bet he must also be thrilled to return to what he loves doing the most." Ivy''s eyes sparkled with an unknown excitement that Joshua could not comprehend. "I always wanted to work with my Dad. Finally, my wish is coming true. You have no idea how happy I am, and I am certain Dad too feels the same."


    Ivy kept blabbering while all Joshua did was gaze at her, his eyes filling with fondness for her.

 Chapter 521: Waiting for a proposal

    Ivy did not notice Joshua''s tender gaze on her until she was finished with all she wanted to say. For a moment, she was stunned to see the love he had for her in his eyes. They were too intense to ignore and Ivy could not help but blush. Her cheeks were as pink as strawberries, and Joshua had the sudden urge to bite them. However, before he could take action, Ivy moved away from him.


    "I am going to call Dad. Let me check what he is up to." Ivy shifted the topic before Joshua could pounce on her and eat her up. Joshua had no opportunity to do as he pleased and he started sulking quietly. Though Ivy caught onto his expression, she just brushed it off with a laugh. Her man was a master at acting, nobody could beat him to it.


    "Hi, Dad. I was just going through the responses to your post. We have successfully gained the public attention on us." Ivy chirped and snuck out her tongue at her man, who had put on a pitiful gaze. He resembled nothing less than an abandoned puppy, waiting for its master to pick him up and hug him. All that remained was for him to start mewling to gain Ivy''s attention.


    "We have the public''s attention. So, we need to be careful. We cannot allow Jared to manipulate people and force them on his side. I just hope this plan of ours will not backfire." Oliver uttered with worry.


    Although he was sure of this plan for it was Noah had formulated it, carefully after considering every aspect of possibility, Oliver was still worried. The people they were dealing with were not ordinary or petty criminals. They were involved in a lot of illegal activities and were even powerful enough to force a country to wage a war on their country. They had to tread carefully if they had to evade Jared''s reverse attacks on them.


    "I agree, Dad. But I have this one question. Why did you start with the hospital issue? We could have as well started with the matters related to war." Ivy queried. This thought was bugging her mind for a long time.


    "Silly girl. Although we do have proofs that show that Jared and his Godfather instigated the war between the two countries, we cannot directly release it to the public. It is a matter related to national security. We need to be careful with it. It will be going against the nation and law if we were to release such confidential information without any permission from the President or the military. Let us start with the man''s crimes according to their dates. By then, we can submit the proof we have to the President or the military. They will take care of it."


    Ivy understood what her father was trying to convey and she nodded her head in understanding. They could not act recklessly when it came to matters related to the military. The sudden war had rendered the nation in a state of frenzy, and they had to be careful in releasing any information about it.


    "I have one question for you. I am not sure how to ask you." Oliver started after thinking for a while.


    "Yes, Dad. What do you want to ask me?" She urged, sensing her father''s hesitance.


    "Can we trust your colleague, Max with this news? Will he be able to do justice to it?" Oliver had been in a coma for almost three years and was yet to come to terms with how things worked. He now had a fresh set of people working under him and above him. Even though he was the Vice President of the agency, which he had taken after being forced, threatened even by his ''gentle'' son-in-law, he was still worried about the people who were directly under him.


    Though he trusted Noah and Ivy and their judgments, he could still not help but be wary of the people he did not know, especially Ivy''s colleagues. Sometimes it was the people close to them who usually betrayed from the back. And Oliver did not want to take this chance, not when his daughter was involved with it. Moreover, they were dealing with a diabolical criminal who had to be dealt with long ago.


    "Dad, don''t worry about Max. You can trust him to do the job well." Ivy assured. She understood what her father''s concerns were and why he was worried. And she did not blame him for it. She too had experienced such a predicament when she had been in her previous agency. "He is a sincere journalist. You can trust me on that."


    Ivy''s words put Oliver''s mind at ease and his shoulders relaxed. This matter had occupied his mind since the time they had come up with the plan to ruin Jared and his army. Now that Ivy had vouched for her colleagues'' character, he had nothing to be wary about.


    "Dad, I will be meeting Max in the evening before the broadcast. Do you have anything for me to convey to him?"


    "Noah has already informed him all that I wanted to tell him. If there is anything else, I will tell you once I remember." Oliver tried to recall if he had missed anything in the meanwhile. But he could not remember anything significant.


    "If there is nothing else, I will end the call, Dad. See ya." Ivy took a deep breath and turned to face the man who had not once shifted his gaze away from her. "Why are you looking at me that way?" Ivy narrowed her eyes, looking at the man who resembled nothing less than a predator ready to hunt her down.


    "Have you ever told you how charming you look when you take over the authority?" He mused as he placed his palm underneath his chin. "You look so sexy and alluring that makes me want to kiss you."


    Ivy rolled her eyes at her man''s brazen words. Since the time he had woken up, he had not stopped showering her with love and affection, drowning her with his concern and care. Ivy was sure that he would soon start preparing a proposal, a proposal she would never reject with the way things were now.


    Ivy shook her head when she realized what she was thinking about. ''Did I fall so deep for him that I am thinking about a proposal? I must be crazy to think so.'' She thought. But her heart still felt happy just imagining the day when Joshua would actually propose to her. Unlike before when she found the thought ridiculous, she now eagerly waited for it as unknowingly. She was completely head over heels with her man. She had started to love him more than she ever imagined and only realized it when she almost lost him.

 Chapter 522: First attack - Part 1

    The post on social media spread like wildfire, reaching all the parts of the country in just a span of few hours. Everybody wanted to know the culprit behind the heinous and nefarious act. They wanted to know who was daring enough to hide behind the scenes and perform such brutal crimes just for their selfish gains.


    The matter of organ harvesting had become such a trivial matter three years ago when one of the journalists had performed sting operations. However, barely they had revealed a few hospitals and doctors involves in such crimes that the channel stopped airing the news completely. The people behind it too had disappeared and just like the issue had been swept under the rugs.


    Now that the matter had surfaced again, everyone was curious and anxious to find the truth and the culprit.


    Ivy reached her office to speak to Max before their news aired. Though there were more than three hours before the said telecast, she still had to help her team with the last minute preparations. Except for her team who she and Noah both trusted, nobody in the agency knew much about the first news their news channel would broadcast. Except for the topic, they had no idea whatsoever about anything else, especially about the pieces of evidence Maggie had handed them.


    They had been kept in the dark about the matter. But nobody dared to complain about it. There was some experienced staff who had more working knowledge than Ivy and her team. They too were oblivious to what would happen at eight in the evening. Everyone was waiting for the clock to strike eight so that the suspense would be unveiled.


    As soon as Ivy entered her office, she saw people running around, preparing for their first telecast after the management changed. After Noah bought the news agency, they had changed the format of the agency completely, assigning and creating new departments so that people could work with ease and comfort.


    Though the people who were already adjusted to the old format complained at first, they soon got adjusted to the new format, especially when they realized how efficient and easy the new format was. Previously, all the departments were under one group, making work hectic for the person who managed them. He had to deal with all sorts of news, starting from politics, crimes, sports to entertainment himself.


    Now that department heads would deal with the news based on the category it belonged to, reducing his work significantly, he had less trouble handling it. Although there was no new addition to the staff other than Ivy and her team, work became a lot less stressful and efficient. They were now prepared and were waiting for the time when they could start broadcasting news.


    Ivy did not forget to greet the people around her. Though she was new to the agency, it had been barely a few months since they started their new, she was already familiar with almost all the staff. And why not? She was quite acquainted with many people even before she had started at the new agency, and it did not take her long to get acquainted with the others.


    Ivy chatted with them for a few minutes before she went in search of Max and the others. It had been a long time since she had seen them. After Joshua had been hospitalized, she had not visited the agency even once, leaving it for Noah and Ronnie to handle. Though she knew what the plan was for she too had attended the meeting, she had only contacted Max on the phone.


    Ivy entered the conference room where Max had asked all his teammates to assembles. The meeting was yet to start, and Max was nowhere in sight. However, Kira, Sasha and Cedric were already in their seats and with four other people she was already familiar with. As soon as the group saw Ivy, they welcomed her with vigor.


    "Gosh, Ivy. I thought you would ditch us even today." Kira cried, reprimanding her slightly for her negligence. Ivy did not miss the look of relief on her face, and she wondered what had happened for her to behave this way.


    "Why? Is there a problem?" She queried and looked around, puzzled by everyone''s reaction.


    "What do you think?" Cedric tapped on the desk and sighed lightly. "Until two days, we were still waiting for Mr. Carter to give a nod to start our channel. But two days back, what happens?" Ivy almost wanted to roll her eyes at Cedric''s animated actions. He was making it seem as though it was a great deal.


    Ivy could understand his sentiments though. To them, it sure was a great deal when they had no idea what exactly was happening. All they got was a message from Noah to start preparing for their first telecast out of the blue.


    "Mr. Carter not only gives us the acceptance, but he also gives us the news to publish; and damn, what news it is!" Everybody nodded at him. Noah had provided them with such sensational and mindboggling news that they were yet to come to terms with it. They were yet to understand and grasp what was happening and what they were even doing.


    Ivy just smiled at his words. The news they had at hand was just a small fraction of what Maggie had collected. Noah had been careful enough to give Max only a small portion, feeding him tidbits at a time. Though he trusted Max and the other three, for they were close to Ivy, he did not trust the other people in the team. This was the first time he was officially working with them, and neither Ivy nor Max could affirm their professional ethics, which he valued the most.


    "How did Mr. Carter manage to find such explosive news?" Sasha almost squealed as soon as she recalled the footage she had seen. Never had she been this terrified before, and to think that the culprit who had destroyed many people''s lives and was still doing so was still walking among them, hiding his true and heinous self from the public made her tremble.


    "I really admire Mr. Carter for this. I thought we would officially start with the news of the inauguration of his hotel. Who knew we would start with a bang!" Kira added, her eyes blazing with fury. She was livid to think that such a monster was still living a comfortable life while the people who suffered due to his acts barbaric acts had to live in misery.


    Ivy did not speak a word, allowing the people around her to vent out their anger and frustration. She too had behaved the same way the first time she had seen the pieces of evidence, and her hatred for Jared had been amplified for it was due to him that Joshua had been injured.


    Barely a few minutes had passed since Ivy entered the room when the door opened and Noah, Ronnie and Max entered. While Ivy smiled at her brother-in-law, whose face was expressionless only to receive a curt nod in return, the others stiffened in their places. It was the first time the other four were meeting Noah. They could not control their anxiety and worry at seeing him.


    But Ivy''s friends, who had already met him before too were nervous in his presence. The man sure had the aura of a leader, and unknowingly, people around him already succumbed to him and the pressure he put on them, leaving Ivy. She was the only one who sat still without cowering in his presence. Only she knew who could control the domineering man in front of her, and it was none other than her sister, Aria.

 Chapter 523: First attack - Part 2

    Noah occupied the seat solely meant for him while Max sat on his right. Ronnie locked the door to the conference room before he took the chair in front of Max. There was complete silence in the room, with everyone looking at the powerful man in front of them.


    "Let me introduce myself first. I am Noah Allen Carter." Noah''s domineering voice boomed across the room, making everyone stiffen in their seats. Even Max, who was already well acquainted with Noah for he had met him before, could not help but be intimidated by him. Noah sure had such a formidable yet dignified aura that compelled people to listen to him.


    ''How did Noah and Joshua become friends?'' He wondered. ''They are completely different from each other. Jo is all warm and energetic and completely shameless.'' Max sighed when he recalled the man''s brazen actions. Though he was not that close to Joshua, he could not forget how mischievous the man was.


    ''And, Mr. Carter is...'' Max did not dare call him cold even in his thoughts. It just sent him chills to see his reticent face, and every time, he glanced at him, he had a feeling that his Boss could read what was running in his mind. Though Noah''s face hid his thoughts, his wise eyes said it all, and Max was not a fool to ignore it.


    ''Mr. Carter is aloof and...'' Max secretly peeked at him again only to meet Noah in the eye. ''Scary.'' His word switched from composed to scary the moment he met his intimidating gaze. Max averted his eyes at once, focusing them on Ronnie who too was looking at him and to his horror, Ronnie''s eyes too scared the shit out of him.  Albeit it was not as severe as Noah''s, Max felt Ronnie suppressing him for a reason he did not know.


    Max had the sudden urge to cry. ''Where am I stuck?'' He wondered. While the man beside him was menacing even though he had done nothing to him, the man in front of him resembled a psychopath, although he was far from it. Both of them terrified him, and neither of them had an idea about it.


    Unable to tolerate the torture any longer, Max looked at his colleagues and his heart was relieved sightly to think he was not the only one who was frightened. His colleagues too shared the same sentiment as him, and Max was just about to sigh in relief when his gaze finally landed on Ivy, who was sitting beside him, calmly.


    To his shock, Ivy was neither scared nor was she worried. She had a huge smile on her face, and he could even see her watching Noah playfully as though she was teasing him silently. She was the only one who was unaffected by the two men who resembled nothing less than the King of the Underworld and his trusted man.


    ''Wait a minute! Why is Ivy looking at Noah that way?'' He wondered. ''Why does it feel like she knows him and she is teasing him?'' He peeked at Noah again only to find him speaking to Ronnie and go through the file in his hand. At first, Max could not comprehend the look on Ivy''s face. But slowly, his mind started to work and his eyes widened in disbelief.


    ''What the heck! Does Ivy have a secret crush on Noah?'' His thoughts ran wild, reaching the line of utter impossible. ''No, no, no, it can''t be. How can Ivy have a crush on him?'' Max shook his head, trying to convince himself. But he knew it was in vain. ''Ivy sure looks like...'' His thoughts broke when Noah''s continued speaking again.


    "I have already met some of you while this is the first time, I am meeting the others."


    Max could only cry to himself and curse his bad luck for being surrounded by such crazy people before she focused his attention on Noah.


    Ivy had no idea about the conflict Max was going through. She was more interested in teasing the man who had spent his birthday and the next day with her sister. Ivy wanted to tease him but the man ignored her completely, and she just pushed her thoughts away from her mind for the time being. They had other important matters to attend to.


    "Though this is the first time I am meeting some of you, I know everything about you." Noah tapped on the file in front of him to emphasize his words. "Don''t worry. This file contains details regarding your work experience and your work ethic which Mr. Maximus had submitted to me. I am not immoral to look into people''s private lives."


    Noah assured them even before anyone could raise objections. Though they had not been articulate about it, he could read their expressions clearly. Those who were silently complaining in their minds sighed in relief. They now understood why their Boss had taken a break after introducing himself. He was going through their profile to familiarize himself with them.


    "Since you all are already in this team, I trust you to keep this matter honest and showcase it as it is to the society and the public," Noah warned, his eyes threatening them directly, and for a second, even Ivy trembled in fear. "We need to send the man behind the crimes to the execution chair, not help him escape from the punishment he deserves."


    Everybody understood what Noah was trying to convey. It was not a hidden fact that shady dealings happened at all places, and it happened more at places that people usually trusted. It was not a hidden fact that there had been cases where people manipulated the news just for their benefit, feeding lies to the public. Any news had to be reliable and trustworthy, and Noah was putting his trust in the people around him to make it trustworthy.


    "After today''s broadcast, we might be attacked by the man behind this, behind this game of crimes. But I will trust you to uphold the integrity of your work and do it diligently. You might have to face dangerous situations as the man we are dealing with is not just a petty criminal, he is a monster."


    Other than Ivy and Ronnie, nobody else knew the depth of his words. They did not have any details of the crimes Jared had committed, not even the fact that it was Jared himself who was behind all these barbaric acts.


    "This is an important factor and I do not want the criminal to get away. This is one of the reasons why I have not handed over the proofs to the police or the Intelligence. We cannot allow him to escape his punishment, and what could be more effective than revealing his ugly to the public?"


    Everybody nodded at his suggestion. Noah sure had it all planned. He just needed people to execute it without making any mistakes, and even if they did, he could always come up with a counter plan.


    "Since I have trusted you with the news," Since nobody had asked him the source of the news, Noah too did not say a word about it, not that he would have revealed it if anybody had queried about it. "I trust you to be honest and in return, I will guarantee your safety."


    Noah finally addressed the issue that was harping everyone and the moment his words left his lips, everyone''s expression changed drastically, including Ivy''s.

 Chapter 524: First attack - Part 3

    Noah ran his eyes across the room, observing everyone''s actions. He could more or less discern what was running in their minds. Everyone had their own fears, and the one common fear all of them in the room had was the fear of risking their lives when the man behind the crimes found out about them.


    It was not a hidden fact that honest people were subjected to merciless torture from people who had power and money and were especially evil and selfish. Instances of some journalists losing their lives in their attempts to reveal the truth to the public had emerged quite a few times, and the one who was famous on the list was Oliver and his colleagues.


    Oliver and his friends had been the first group to follow the case closely and reveal the truth behind the shady dealings and crimes in the hospitals. No sooner had they started with their work, they vanished from the surface of the earth without any news. Nobody knew what had happened. But everyone could guess what might have happened. Surely, the mastermind behind the crimes had been responsible for their disappearance.


    Now that they were reopening the case again, how could they not fear for their lives? How could they sit still and wait for the man to come for them?


    Noah had long guessed what was running their minds. He had read them clearly even before he had entered the room, for that was how any normal person would react in circumstances like these. Although the people before him were honest and sincere with their work, they were scared. They were worried for their lives. Not everyone was as daring as Oliver and Ivy to risk their lives to seek justice.


    Noah understood their mindset and he accepted it too. They were right in their place to fear the man, for he was nothing less than a monster. So, he took it upon himself to protect the people who would be directly involved in the news related to Jared. At least, that way they would work well with nothing to stress about.


    "What do you mean, Mr. Carter?" Kira was the first one to break the silence. Though she understood what Noah had meant, she was still in disbelief to think that the man was ready to ensure their safety when he was not even obligated to do so.


    "I mean exactly what I am saying, Miss. I will ensure that nothing happens to any of you present here until the man we are dealing with is behind the bars." Noah''s gaze did not waver, and everyone caught onto the sincerity and promise in his words. He was not lying and this touched all the people present in the room. They were pleasantly astonished to think that their Boss was willing to provide them security.


    "You might be attacked any time, anywhere once we start airing the news. And I do not wish for that to happen. Although I cannot guarantee that I can stop him from attacking you, I can guarantee that none of you will die." Noah did not make baseless promises. He did not know when Jared would strike and what plans he would come up with. So, he did not make any such promises which he was sure he could not keep.


    "What is Mr. Carter planning to do? How will you ensure our safety?" One of the men who Noah was meeting the first time spoke.


    "Each of you will be given a watch which you must wear at all times. In case, someone were to attack you, just press on the button and it will alert my men. Also, you will be followed by two guards until we solve this mess. Does anybody have a problem?" Noah looked around, waiting for their responses while Ronnie passed on the watches to everyone in the room, including Ivy, though she did not need it.


    Providing security was not a big deal for Noah, for that was what his men were trained for. And he took it upon himself to safeguard his employees as he knew what might happen once they broadcasted the news today. Jared was not the one to stay silent and given how he had been betrayed by Maggie once, he would never take the risk and allow people to take advantage of it.


    Jared would definitely strike immediately after to stop invoking trouble upon himself. Noah had more or less studied how his mind worked, and he was sure that tonight would not be a peaceful night for many.


    "I appreciate your efforts, Mr. Carter. But what will happen to our other colleagues? They too work in the same agency. Although they are dealing with this issue at the moment, they too might be subjected to danger." Another woman pointed out, and Noah shook his head at once.


    "I disagree. The culprit behind this is a smart man. He will not attack the ones who are not involved in destroying him."


    "How can you be so sure, Mr. Carter?" Cedric leaned forward on the table, and for the first time, he was not scared of Noah.


    "I presume you remember the situation three years when Mr. Oliver West and his companions were dealing with the same case." Noah glanced at Ivy who stared back at him in confusion.


    Everyone nodded at him, wondering where this was going.


    "If you recall it, you might remember that only he and his colleagues suffered from the man. Nobody else in his agency faced any problems." Noah pointed out. He was sure that Jared would never attack the people not involved in this matter. It would only complicate the situation for him because they were not ordinary people he was dealing with. They were journalists and reporters, people who could influence the entire country with their words.


    Though attacking the people here too would create troubles for him, he could at least save himself first and come up with a plan, later on, to stop people from finding out about him.


    "Max, you will be the one subjected to the danger most."


    "I understand, Mr. Carter. I will be careful." Max knew what he was talking about, and he had already braced himself for any situation. After Noah assured him and his colleagues, ensuring them of their safety, his courage soared high. He was now prepared to enter the bloody battle and reveal the truth to the public, the truth which he too did not know completely.


    The video clips he had been provided with only pointed out a few powerful men who had joined hands to satisfy their selfish desires. None among them pointed to the main culprit. Though Max was curious to know who it was, he knew he would not get his answers soon, not today at least. Noah had discussed the plan already with him and he would only find out the complete truth the next day.


    "Good." Noah nodded at him, appreciating his courage. Not everyone had the capacity to stay calm in such dreadful circumstances and Noah was impressed. "I think we all are ready to start our first broadcast and our first attack. Good luck everyone!"

 Chapter 525: Tongue tied

    Max went through the script he had prepared again while he waited for the clock to strike eight. There were another thirty minutes, and then, chaos would erupt in the country. However, Max was oddly calm. Even though he would be the news reader for the 8 p.m. news from now on, he did not have an ounce of fear or worry. All he felt was pride and satisfaction.


    He had everything ready with him, and Kira and her team were ready with the video clippings. All they had to do was start the news at the scheduled time.


    Unlike Max whose composure had not wavered even for a moment, other people were nervous on his behalf. Sasha had not been able to sit calmly in her place. She was beyond nervous and excited at the same time. This was the first time she was dealing with such an important piece of news and her heart was unable to control her anxiety.


    She walked back and forth in the production room with a packet of chips in her hands. With every step she took, she took a bite of the chip to ease her anxiousness. All the time, Cedric was watching her, and he shook his head when Sasha gobbled a few chips in one go. Although he sighed in helplessness, his eyes were filled with fondness for the girl who had no idea about it.


    Sasha just kept mumbling to herself while Cedric kept staring at her, completely oblivious to the two pairs of eyes that were observing them.


    "Say, when do you think Cedric will reveal his feelings to Sasha?" Kira folded her hands and almost glared at the man for having a dumb head.


    "I am not sure. After seeing his condition, I don''t think he would be taking any step towards her on his own." Ivy shook her head in dismay, silently scolding Cedric for not taking action. "I presume we need to push him towards her. Otherwise, that idiot will just keep staring at her, and one fine day, a young chap will sweep his dear girl off her feet."


    Ivy''s comment made Kira laugh, and she gave her a thumbs up. "You are right. Ced needs a good beating so that he can open his eyes and see what his true feelings are. Anyway, what''s with you? Is something the matter?"


    "Not that I could think of. Why do you ask?" Ivy gave her a confused look.


    "I just asked. You were visiting the office daily before, and you just stopped coming until today. I was just worried." Kira stated and looked at the papers in her hand. It held the sequence of the time when they would telecast a video clip to support Max''s claims.


    Ivy did not say a word about it and coughed lightly. She just pushed her hair back, biting her lip for hiding the truth from her friend. Ivy had no idea what to say to Kira and her other friends. The last few days had been quite hectic for her, from saving Maggie to almost losing Joshua. She was still emotionally shaken, and Ivy did not wish to revisit the memory. So, she just let the silence answer itself, unwilling to lie to her friend who stood in front of her.


    "I must say I am impressed with Mr. Carter. He was able to dig out the truth from three years ago and provide it to us. He sure is formidable and invincible." Kira praised her, and Ivy smiled at her, letting go of her uneasiness temporarily. "But I wonder how he was able to do it? How did he find the truth behind the crimes at the hospital? Moreover, why is he even interested in it?" Kira voiced out all the questions that were giving her a headache.


    Ivy closed her eyes in defeat. For the first time, she was unsure as to how to face the situation she was in. She had answers to all the questions Kira was asking her. But she did not know how to tell them.


    Ivy was the only one who knew how Noah was able to get all the pieces of evidence and why he was interested in destroying Jared, the man behind most of their miseries. Jared had been responsible for a lot of pain the group had suffered. So, there was no way that anybody would allow him to go unscathed.


    Though Ivy knew the truth, it was not solely related to her. Even though she was certain that Noah would never berate her for revealing the secrets, Ivy''s conscience did not allow her to. All she could do was zip her lip and stay quiet.


    "I presume he used his connections," Ivy stated after searching for a reasonable response.


    "I assume so too. But the important question is, why is he doing this? I am not blaming him for trying to put the culprit behind bars, but I cannot brush this question off my mind. Is he that good actually, or is there a motive behind it?"


    ''He is really good, Kira.'' Ivy sighed lightly. ''But he also has a motive behind. How do I tell you this?''


    "Mr. Carter sure is a mystery. I don''t think I will be able to get my answers, not from him at least. I presume I should just settle with my assumptions." Kira turned to face Ivy, and the sudden action stunned Ivy for a moment. She stood frozen in her place.


    Kira did not notice Ivy''s weird stance and she continued speaking. "Whatever the reason behind Mr. Carter''s actions is, I still admire him and respect him. If not for him, nobody would have found out the truth. Or it would have taken a lot of time, maybe even years for the truth to be unveiled." Kira lifted her head and smiled at her.


    Fortunately for Ivy, right at this moment, Max entered the room and Kira''s focus shifted on him. The topic was dropped immediately.


    "Are we ready to go live?" Kira queried and looked at the time. There were less than five minutes, and soon they would telecast with the biggest news they had ever handled in their lives.


    "Yes. Is everything prepared?" Max nodded, his eyes sparkling in excitement.


    "We are ready. Where is Mr. Carter by the way?"


    "He is at his office. He is going to wait until we finish our first segment." Max nodded at Ivy, who was looking at him absent-mindedly. However, Max did not dwell on it. Cedric and Sasha entered the room, followed by the four other people in their team.


    "Listen, guys," Max clapped his hands to gain everyone''s attention. "We will be going live in a few minutes. Let us all hope for the best and give our best. We are doing this for the people who suffered injustice and also to save many people from suffering any more injustice in the future. Let us all be honest to our work and get that bastard behind the bars."


    Max ran his eyes around him, meeting everyone in the eye. They were all riled up and ready for some action. It was time to kick some ass. It was time to pull of the facade the criminal had put up in society. It was show time.

 Chapter 526: Strike out - Part 1

    Max was facing the camera as he waited for the clock to strike eight while Kira and the others worked on their equipment in the production room. Cedric was operating behind the lens, and they were all set to broadcast their news for the first time on their new channel.


    Just like Max and his team, many other people were waiting for the channel to open up so that they could tune into it. Discussions and arguments had surfaced on social media the entire day  as the public tried to come up with what could the news be about. Though they had a rough idea after reading the no-less-than-an-explosive message on social media, they were curious to know more.


    The waiting was killing them, and it had annoyed them to such a level that they had left hate and threatening comments on the agency''s social account. However, it had no effect whatsoever, for they did not receive any reply from them. All their warnings and threats were ignored, and now the people could only wait until the channel went live.


    More than half the country was staring at the blank screen, waiting for it to open up. The moment the clock struck eight, the channel was activated as promised. Many people who had the habit of surfing the news channels were shocked to see a familiar face. Many viewers knew who Max was, and they were pleasantly surprised to see him on a different platform.


    "Good evening, everyone." Max started as soon as the camera switched on, and he proceeded to give a small introduction about their channel. He did not say more words than necessary lest the viewers should skip the channel in disinterest.


    "Three years ago, a scandal broke out which caused chaos in the country." Max jumped to the topic at hand immediately. "A scandal so brutal and barbaric that it is impossible to forget." Max placed his left elbow on the table in front of him, showing his seriousness and fury. "Many hospitals were found to be involved in shady dealings and illicit removal of organs."


    Max listed out all the hospitals that had come to light three years ago and the TV screen split into two. While one part showed Max, the other part showed the hospital and the relevant clips they had with them. Once he was done listing out the hospitals involved in the past, he started listing new hospitals from the proofs Noah had handed him, and the first clinic he spoke about was the Good City Clinic.


    People were waiting for the truth, and Max provided them exactly what they needed. He listed out the next hospital, and it was quite a well known hospital, unlike the Good City Clinic.


    "It is shocking to know that the hospital we have next on our list is quite a famous one which was once considered to be the best in the nation. But right now..." Max stopped speaking and clicked his tongue, and immediately after, a video clip started playing.


    A man wearing a brown coat was seen entering a room. Even though there was only one source of light in the entire room, his face was clearly visible, and the moment some people saw who he was, their eyes widened in disbelief.


    Max took this opportunity to speak. "I presume many people who visit the City Central Hospital might be familiar with him. He is, Trevor Lewis, the Chairman of the hospital and the owner of the BioLife Pharmaceuticals." Max pointed out sarcastically. "It is sure is dreadful to think that the man who should be responsible to save lives or at least try to do so is, in fact, killing them."


    Max stopped speaking again, and the video clip which had paused in the middle resumed. Although it was not of brilliant quality, Trevor''s face was captured perfectly. It was impossible to argue about the quality of the video. Soon, two men entered the room and they sat beside him. Though the video became shaky, the two men''s faces were visible.


    The video paused again. "The two men here are the local dealers who deal with hospitals in the city involved in the crime. Likewise, there are a lot of dealers in other cities too, who are in constant touch with hospitals that are ready to commit such inhuman crimes."


    Max''s face turned cold all of a sudden, and the viewers could see the anger in them. His expressions exactly mirrored theirs, especially the ones who consulted the City Central Hospital. How could they not be angry when the hospital they had trusted with their lives had betrayed them this brilliantly?


    The video resumed again, and Trevor started speaking. Compared to the video, the audio quality was top notch, and they could hear every word they spoke clearly. What they heard left the public in shock, and they were now beyond terrified. Trevor Lewis, the Chairman of such a large hospital had completed a deal with the organ dealers for a huge ransom, promising them his and his hospital''s utmost cooperation in their crimes. It was impossible to call the video fake as it had the time setting switched on, showing the date and time when the deal had been done.


    It did not take long for chaos to erupt, and people started to bash the hospital on social media. All sorts of curse words and scoldings were posted, and the ones who stayed close to the hospital even rushed forward to kick up a fuss.


    The hospital which was once peaceful became a mess, and it had been a few minutes since their true and evil intentions were revealed to the public. Neither the doctors nor the other staff who were working at that moment had any idea as to what had transpired and why people were flooding past their gates.


    Stones and sticks were thrown at them, and it became completely disorderly in seconds. Though the number of people was quite less, it still attracted everyone''s attention, and the crowd density only increased.


    The entire nation was sent into a state of frenzy as soon as the evil truth of the country''s one of the best hospitals were revealed. And the one among the people who was mortified the most was Stuart. He too had switched to the channel, curious to find out what the news would be about, and the second he heard about the hospital he had previously worked at being involved in such a big scandal, he completely lost his composure.


    Stuart stared at the screen, focusing more on Trevor Lewis, who he had met a lot of times at the hospital when he first started his work. ''Did I work under such a scoundrel?'' He pondered, his hand holding onto the remote tight. He could not control his temper, and his knuckles turned white due to the sheer force he was exerting.


    ''Oh, my dear Lord!'' It was only after a few seconds passed that his anger faded and reality set in. To think that he worked at such a hospital started to consume his mind, filling it with guilt. Though he was in no way related to the shady dealings, he still could not stop himself from being regretful. ''I am fortunate to have switched hospitals. Otherwise, my life would be completely ruined.''

 Chapter 527: Strike out - Part 2

    Max had barely touched the surface of the issue. He still had a lot to reveal. His Boss had provided him a lot of information, and he had to justice to all of it. Max did not stop at the City Central Hospital. He revealed all the hospitals in the list he had, providing sufficient pieces of evidence to support his claim.


    There was no way the hospital or its management could refute their involvement after watching the video clips. Even without any video authentication, it was easy to deduce that all the clips were not fake or that they had been altered, and the content they were playing had happened in real.


    Just as Max and everyone had expected, the nation which had once been calm, enjoying the peaceful night, lost its peacefulness immediately. The news had stunned everyone, including all the people who did not even belong to the country. Now, the entire country was awake as they stared at the television, watching the video clips showing the criminals'' faces clearly.


    Even President Luis Truman had switched to the channel as soon as the clock had struck eight. He too had read the message that was spreading like wildfire on social media, and his curiosity got the best of him. To say, he was spooked was an understatement. He was mortified to think that such big and renowned hospitals were involved in such cheap and disgusting acts.


    The matter that had been subdued three years ago had become such a huge issue, and he did not have any idea about it. This itself was a matter of shame for him, and he doubted if he was even worthy of the position he was in.


    Luis Truman called his secretary and despatched the police to handle the situation. It was impossible for him to get some rest now as the chaos had already started, and people were going berserk everywhere. The place which was supposed to cure patients had become the place to hell. How would anyone trust the hospitals from now onwards?


    Luis pressed his forehead in worry. This commotion would not be ending soon, not when there were valid proofs against the people involved in it. What surprised him the most was the evidence the channel had produced. They had been careful enough to not reveal a word about it to anyone. They had not even approached the police or the Intelligence for help and had instead telecasted it directly across the nation.


    Luis understood what they were trying to do. By releasing the disturbing content for the nation to view, instead of reporting against it, the channel was compelling the government to take action against the people involved in the crimes. Also, Luis himself knew that the system itself was trustworthy and what if their complaints were directly ignored and backfired on them?


    Though Luis was angry at the channel for disclosing such an important matter without consulting anyone, he could do nothing. He understood their sentiments, and he was also impressed by their quick thinking.


    With a deep sigh, Luis stood up. He now had an issue to deal with and had to address the public who would soon come to him seeking justice. However, before he could take another step away from his couch, he heard Max speak again.


    "The first scandal broke out three years ago when our fellow journalists started to investigate this matters by performing sting operations in the hospitals. But who knew that the matter would end even before we found the criminal involved in the organ trafficking mafia?"


    Luis stared at the man on the screen, who was unusually calm yet furious. From his expression alone, Luis was definite that there was still more to what he would be seeing, and this was just the beginning. He stood silently as waited for the next set of shocking news, which he was sure he would be hearing soon.  And just as he had expected, Max started with the news piece of information he had with him.


    "Who could be vicious enough to perform such detestable and inhuman actions? Who is the monster behind all the crimes, the master mind who is controlling this organ harvesting mafia?"


    Luis waited, his forehead marring with a frown. He more or less had an idea whose name he would be hearing from the reporter''s mouth, and he clenched his fists in anger. He had tried all he could to suppress this matter until the court proceedings started. It was not because he wanted to save the man or protect him from the public''s wrath. No, never.


    Luis never intended the nation to go into a state of frenzy this soon. He just wanted to wait until he had substantial evidence to provide before the citizens. Moreover, he was yet to find out the other people who were potentially involved in this matter. Once the chaos erupted, it would be impossible to do so. What if the other men went into hiding, making it impossible for him or the team in Intelligence to find him?


    "It is shameful and disgusting to think that the person responsible for our safety and provide justice to us is the one behind all these crimes." The voice from the television broke his thoughts, and Luis closed his eyes in dismay. "The man who was crowned to be the Chief of the Intelligence himself is involved in such crimes. What more do we expect from others?"


    Luis let out a deep breath and opened his eyes to watch the same piece of evidence he had already seen. This was the video he and the people from the Intelligence had seen, and he was now stunned to see the same clipping being aired live on national news.


    ''How did this video leak? Who leaked it?" Luis saw red, and the first person he thought about was Valerie. But he shook his head when he realized how ridiculous it sounded. She would never resort to such schemes. It had to be someone else.


    Luis continued watching the news, trying to come up with a plan that could appease the crowd. He was now pushed into a mess, which he was not even responsible for, and he had to clean all of it himself.


    "Fredrick Clarke, who had been the Chief of the Intelligence has been involved in this organ-trafficking mafia and to think that this man had led the Intelligence...." Max stopped speaking. But the point had been made, and everyone understood what he was trying to convey. He was pointing fingers at the government and the government aided bodies, and Luis did not blame him for doing so. He was right in his place.


    "But what is left to be found out is if Fredrick Clarke''s son, who is well known in the business world, who has a major influence on the economy in the country, who is considered to be the crema la da creme, is he too involved in this matter? Is Jared Augustus too a criminal just like his father? Only he can answer."


    Though Max had not provided with any evidence against Jared, for Noah had given him only so much, the damage had been done. The nation already considered him a criminal, pushing him closer to his awaiting death.

 Chapter 528: Livid Jared

    Jared had no idea what happened and how the entire nation had started to suspect him. He was still trying to come up with plans to deal with Maggie and the other women who were out to destroy him, and at the same time, handle the men with whom he had an enmity. He was also trying to catch hold of all the men in Noah''s group, who all of a sudden had stopped contacting him.


    Though he had an inkling as to what might have happened to them after not being able to speak to them for long, Jared was still hoping to get hold of at least one man, someone, anyone who could give him the status in Noah''s team. But there was no response from them whatsoever.


    Also, his search for Maggie was not giving him any fruits. The girl had run away with proof that could destroy him forever, and his priority was to get to her before she struck him first. However, to him, she just seemed to have vanished from the surface of the earth. Neither was he able to find out where she had gone nor was he able to get any of her background details. It was as though Maggie had never existed in the first place.


    Jared had been frustrated for the last few days. Even Amber had not been of any help to him. She was only adding more to his agony, and he was just short of shooting her for foiling all his plans.


    Jared chugged down another glass of whiskey when his phone rang, the blaring sound disturbing the silent atmosphere. He had all the curtains drawn, not allowing even a speck of light to fall on him. Only the bed lamp was switched on, casting a mysterious light all around the room. It was completely eerie, matching with Jared''s cruel character.


    Jared ignored the call and stared ahead in the darkness. The sound died but within seconds, the phone started to ring again. Jared was now beyond frustrated. Livid, he picked up the call, ready to unleash his wrath on the man.


    "Master, we are finished!!" The man spoke first, and Jared blinked his eyes in confusion. He looked at the caller ID and frowned slightly when he saw that it was his new assistant. Though he was not as proficient as the previous one, he at least knew his job and had been in the Vipers gang for a long time. He knew how things worked and what Jared wanted. And he was loyal.


    "What the fuck are you speaking?" Jared shouted on his phone, and his assistant pulled away to save his ear.


    "Master, please switch on the television. Master and you...your father are on the news. The entire nation has found out about our involvement in the or..organ trafficking issue. We cannot even evade or escape now." His assistant was too scared to even speak. He was trembling and sweating profusely, and his devastating future flashed right in front of his eyes. All he could see was the execution chair, and the thought of it was enough to send him running for his dear life.


    Jared came out of his drunken stupor as he listened to his assistant. He gritted his teeth, clenching on the phone hard in anger. The dreadful event he so badly wanted to stop from happening eventually happened. Immediately, he picked up the remote and switched on the television, turning to the channel his assistant had told him.


    Though Max had finished with his segment, the reporter after him had taken over him and was discussing the same issue with her fellow mates, giving the insight about how the hospitals had been crowded, the furious mob demanding answers from the management. The video clips that served as proofs kept playing in a loop one by one, and Jared was mortified to see his own father on television, albeit this time showing himself as the criminal instead of the man who upheld justice.


    Jared clearly had no idea when the video had been taken. Unlike the other videos where he had ordered his men himself to install a camera to record all that happened in the room, he did not know that his father too had been captured by one of them. It was the video footage he did not even know existed.


    Jared''s hold on the remote loosened, and it fell to the floor with a light thud. But he was too lost to hear it. He even became deaf to the noise from the television. It had now become a video without any audio to it.


    Jared had never expected Maggie to take action this quickly. She had destroyed him just as he had feared. Though there was no substantial evidence that could prove him to be guilty, his blood relation with Fredrick was enough to ruin him forever. Now, who would trust him? He and his business were sure to be doomed.


    "Aghhhh!!!" Jared was infuriated, and he swept everything on the counter in front of him. The bottle of whispy and the glass tumbler crashed to the floor, the alcohol drenching his shoes and pants. But he was too mad to give a damn about it. "Maggie!!!" He bellowed, and his assistant, who was still waiting for a response from him on the other side of the phone, was petrified.


    Jared picked up his phone, which fortunately was still working. "Alert our men. We cannot risk getting caught. Tell them to go underground for some time. I will deal with this issue." Although Jared barked out the orders, he had no idea how to deal with the issue. He was completely in a fix, impossible to get out of it.


    "Also," The assistant stiffened as he waited for Jared''s next orders. "Keep the search for Maggie on. I want her at all costs."


    "Yes, Mast..."  The assistant did not even get to complete his words. Jared had disconnected the call heartlessly.


    "Maggie," Jared seethed, staring at the television screen. "You better make sure to hide properly. Once I catch hold of you, I will make your life a living hell. You will curse your life for crossing me ever."

 Chapter 529: Investigation - Part 1

    Jared''s assistant got to work immediately and ordered all the men he could get in touch with to go into hiding. The matter had become a nationwide issue, and things would only get complicated if even one among them got caught. Jared was already under fire, his relationship with Fredrick Clarke becoming his Achilles'' heel. He did not want to add more to his misery, not when the Intelligence was already keeping a close eye on him.


    The only glimmer of hope for him was that there was no substantial evidence that could prove him to be guilty. But Jared knew that Maggie had the evidence with her, and it would be soon since the police would come knocking at his door. And he had to take precautions before that happened.


    However, to his dismay, Jared did not even have the time to plan his way out of the fix he was in when the bell rang. Jared cursed under his breath. He was already distressed over the matter and he was now irritated on being disturbed.


    One of the servants rushed to him, his eyes widening in fear as soon as he saw the glass shreds around his master. His pants were soaked in whisky, and the man looked nothing less than a raging beast, ready to kill anyone who came in his way.


    "Mas...Master," The servant stuttered, frightened by the man in front of him.


    "What?" Jared snarled, annoyed by the turn of events.


    Though the servant had the sudden urge to run away from the room, he stood still, praying the Lords to save him. "Master, the people from the Intelligence are here to meet you." He stated without stumbling over his words and sighed in relief as though he just completed the biggest mission of his life.


    Jared pressed his forehead in dismay and gritted his teeth. The dreadful outcome he so badly wanted to avoid had happened eventually, and he could not do anything to get out of it. Escaping was not an option for him as it would raise more suspicions about himself. And he might also end up being a fugitive on the run.


    "Tell them to wait. I will come down shortly." Jared did not even stay courteous, giving out orders blatantly.


    The servant scrambled away, sighing in relief after escaping the devil''s lair. He had already assumed it to be his last day. He rushed down and stared at the three people who were looking around the living room, their eyes taking in everything as though they were searching for something.


    "Master will be here in a moment." His voice caught the three people''s attention, and they looked at him immediately. "Please take your seats. Would you like something to drink?" The servant asked but all three of them shook their heads and continued standing until they heard the sound of the footsteps, filling the living room.


    "Deputy Chief Valerie Evans, what a pleasant surprise!!" Jared chirped as though he was genuinely surprised to see the group here. However, the three people knew otherwise. He was anything but surprised and happy. He was more in shock and fearful of their arrival.


    "What can we do, Mr. Augustus? The situation forced us to come here." Valerie shrugged lightly as though it was not their intention to come here unannounced.


    "What can I do for you, Deputy? Please take your seats. Why hasn''t the servant served anything yet?" He smiled courteously, unlike the way he had behaved back in his room.


    "We are in a hurry, Mr. Augustus. There is no need to serve us anything." Ryder was the one to reply, and Jared gave him a look, his smile slipping for a moment.


    "In that case, how may I help you?" Jared too cut the chase and got to the topic.


    "We need you to accompany us. We need to interrogate you." Valerie stated, her face devoid of any emotions, and finally, the amicable expression on Jared''s face vanished. His face scrunched up and he looked at the three people thoughtfully.


    "May I ask the reason why I am being interrogated?"


    "You might have already seen the news, Mr. Augutus. We need to interrogate regarding this matter." Valerie folded his hands as she observed the man before her. Though he was trying to put up a brave in front of her, in which he was succeeding brilliantly, she had a hunch that somewhere in his heart, fear had taken its place. He seemed too cautious and amicable towards them as though he was trying to paint a gentlemanly image in their eyes.


    "But I am in no way related to that matter. I have already told you everything I know the last time." Jared smiled helplessly at them, trying to show his pitiful side but nobody bought it.


    "We now have other questions to ask you, and if you remember clearly, I had already informed you that we would come knocking at your door again and again until the matter settles completely," Valerie smirked at him, and Jared had a bad premonition about it suddenly.


    Seeing him hesitate, Valerie''s smile widened. "If you are not involved in this organ trafficking mafia, there is nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Augustus. This is just an investigation. We are not accusing you of it and we will not do it until we find the concrete evidence against you."


    Jared''s eyes narrowed dangerously at once, and Ryder and Preston took a step forward, pushing Valerie behind them. They were ready to take him down if he were to attack them. Seeing their quick and protective action, Jared started chuckling.


    "Deputy, I am willing to cooperate with you. There is no need for you to look at me that way. It breaks my heart to see the accusation in your eyes." Jared smiled sadly, showing how hurt he was but nobody cared about it.


    "We better get going then. The sooner we finish it, the sooner you can return home." Valerie added.


    Jared nodded at her and took a step forward, only for Valerie to hold her hand at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what she wanted from him now.


    "Mr. Augustus, we need to speak to your assistant too. Would you mind asking him to come to the Intelligence?" Valerie questioned and examined him. However, there was not much change in his expression whatsoever.


    "As you say, Deputy." Jared rang his assistant at once and ordered him as Valerie wanted. "Shall we leave now?"


    "Surely," Valerie smiled at him before she walked in front while Jared followed her with Preston and Ryder on either side of him. Jared completely missed the smile of triumph on Valarie''s face. ''Maggie, we caught the man. You can now finally return to Intelligence.''

 Chapter 530: Investigation - Part 2

    "Deputy, I have told you many times already. I have nothing to do with the crimes you are speaking of. I am not a monster to kill people or use them for my personal gains." Jared almost yelled, frustrated by how things were turning out. More than an hour had passed since he had entered the interrogation room, only to be forced with all kinds of questions that he did not want to answer.


    Jared had no idea if Maggie had contacted the people in front of him. Not once had Valerie or the two men with her had spoken about her or the proofs she had with her. So, he too did not take her name, lest he should give away his secret himself.


    "If you are in no way related to the crimes we are talking about, then why are you worrying, Mr. Augustus? This is just an interrogation. We are not accusing you of the crimes, not yet at least." Valerie smiled at him, and Jared narrowed his eyes, suspicion rising in his heart.


    All of a sudden he had a bad feeling, and this time, he could not shake it off even after trying for long. It was as though he could sense his impending doom closing in on him, making it impossible for him to escape or evade it. Jared stared at the three people in front of him in doubt. They were smiling at him in ridicule and victory, and for a moment, he wondered if they knew all his truth and were just playing around with him.


    ''Did Maggie contact them? If that were the case, I should have been arrested long ago. Why did the Deputy wait until now?'' Jared wondered, trying to find out what they had planned for him. ''Why do I feel that there is someone else helping Maggie and it is not Valerie behind all the misery I have gone through? Who is helping Maggie?'' Jared tapped his fingers on the table as he tried to decode the puzzle he had been forced to deal with.


    "What are you thinking about, Mr. Augustus?" Valerie raised a brow at him, her playful smile irritating the hell out of Jared. All he wanted was to kill the woman for putting him through his miserable state. "Care to tell us too so that we can help you analyze your thoughts better." She offered, and Jared scowled in his mind, making a silent vow to deal with her brutally once he got out of the place.


    "Mr. Augustus, I must thank the person who provided the video footage to the media. Don''t you think so?" Valerie started, and Jared''s ears perked up at once. This was what he too wanted to know. Now that the Deputy herself had brought the matter up, he stayed silent, waiting for her to continue and give him more insight on it.


    "Thanks to them, the court proceedings of your father have quickened, and soon you will hear the news of his execution," Valerie remarked and looked at her nails as she leaned back on her chair. From the corner of her eye, she noticed how Jared''s face turned white and he seemed visibly shaken. "I must thank the person who handed over the proofs to the media, instead of the court or the police. Who knows what would have happened to the proofs if that would have been either of the scenarios?"


    Valerie sighed and looked at Jared, who was staring back at her, with his lips pursed. "By the way, Mr. Augutus, do you have any idea who might have provided the proofs to the media?" Valerie leaned forward and folded her hands, placing them on the table. Her smile vanished and she glared at him in anger.


    "How will I know who provided the proofs, Deputy?" Jared got riled up at once, and his voice rose to an all-time high. "Do you think I know about the crimes you are talking about?"


    "Don''t you?" Valerie tilted her head, challenging him to deny his involvement in them instantly. But her gaze was too strong and compelling that for a moment, Jared was at a loss of words. So, he could not deny her claims immediately. It was only after a few seconds had passed, did he realize what he had done.


    "No, I do not. I do not have anything to do with my father''s crimes. It was he who took the wrong path. Why am I being held here against my will?" Jared was completely agitated and furious.


    "As I said before, Mr. Augustus. If you have nothing to do with the crimes, then you have nothing to worry about. We are just asking for your cooperation with the investigation. We will let you go once we find you innocent." Valerie gave him an innocent smile.


    Jared now understood what was happening and what the woman was trying to do. She was playing a game of cat and mouse with him, forcing him to reveal everything himself without having to do anything. She was torturing him mentally, making him lose his will slowly. She was attacking his weakest point, his patience. Once he lost his patience, he was sure to give away some information that could be of great help to them.


    "I know what you are doing here, Deputy. I will not say a word from now on. I will see how you will keep me here against my will." Jared gave her a triumphant look, and Valerie raised her brow at him, deriding him with her eyes.


    "I must say you are quite smart, Mr. Augustus." Valerie smiled at him, making Jared narrow his eyes at her. Her smile was never good for him. "Or absolutely foolish. If you had cooperated with our investigation, we would have let you go quickly. We would have sent you away ourselves. Since you insist on remaining mum, you can do so too. We will not stop you."


    Valerie stood up and pulled on her jacket. "You can stay mum as long as you want. We will wait for the day you will speak up."


    "Wait, what do you mean by that? Where are you going? Stop." Jared yelled as he too stood up.


    "We are going to have dinner. And you, Mister, are to stay here and wait for our return." Jared did not even have to approach them, for the three people had already left the interrogation room and locked the door after them.

 Chapter 531: Trap plan - Part 1

    Jared banged on the door in anger. He had never been this frustrated before, and he did not know how to get out of the predicament he was in. "Deputy, get me out of here right now." He yelled, completely oblivious to the fact that he was in a soundproof room. Not a word he said passed out of the room. But all that he was speaking and doing was captured on the cameras in the room.


    "Deputy, get me out of here. You have captured the wrong guy. I am in no way related to crimes you are speaking of." Jared shouted the same words he had not stopped repeating since the time he had stepped inside the room. But there was no response whatsoever from the other side. It was completely silent.


    Annoyed by the treatment he was receiving, Jared kicked the door hard in anger. He held his forehead, unable to believe how bad the situation had turned. While his father was caught in the act while trading organs illegally, proving him to be a criminal, his Godfather had lost his consciousness and he was yet to wake up. And Jared was here, suspicious of his involvement with his father in his crimes. All the skeletons in his closet were coming out one by one, and Jared did not how to face the situation.


    All he could do was blame Maggie and the other girls for the predicament he was in. If not for them, he would still be the King like he was and rule over the country just as he had dreamt of.


    Jared walked back and forth in his room, trying to think of a solution that could help him escape from his dreadful situation. But he could come up with nothing. Threats and bribes did not work on the Deputy. Valerie was a headstrong and honest woman, and she would never bend to anyone''s will. Jared had realized this fact the first he had met her. So, he could not use the same tactic he had used with others. It would only backfire at him and push him closer to his doom.


    Jared had already anticipated such a day in the past, and since then, he had started to find something, anything against Valerie that could be of use to him. But he had found nothing about her. She neither had a family nor did she have anyone she was close to other than the two men he usually saw her with. And dealing with them too was equally difficult. They too were just like Valerie, making it impossible to find out the woman''s weakness.


    "Shit," Jared cursed and kicked the door again. He started to walk back and forth, completely ignorant to the fact that the three people he was cursing just now were observing him through the cameras.


    "Did his assistant come here?" Valerie looked at Ryder, who was eating his fried rice happily, and just one glance was enough to send Valerie''s stomach rumbling. She was starving by now, and the smell enticed her to give up her work and attack her food, just like how Ryder and Preston were doing.


    "He already did. I locked him in the other investigation room. But he was not the man we met the previous time." Preston added before he took ate another spoon of his delicious food.


    "What happened to the old assistant?" Valerie lifted her head to look at her friends, who seemed to be as famished as her. The day had been quite exciting, especially after the news about the organ trafficking issue had broken out. Since then, they had been dealing with a lot of people, having no time to eat their dinner. It was only now that they could find time to fill their stomachs.


    "I am not sure. He is not replying to me. That man is a bigger douche bag than Jared." Preston continued. "I was too frustrated to deal with him. So, I just punched him before I left him to himself."


    "Great work. These people need to be punched in the gut to get them speaking." Ryder looked at the man in the camera, letting out a sardonic smile. "By the way, how did you get the proofs against Jared and his men? Was it Maggie?" He bit his lip, waiting to get an affirmative response from her friend. It had been a long time since he last saw the girl he liked, and all Ryder wanted was to meet her and hug her. He missed her a lot, and there was not one moment when he had not thought about her.


    Valerie stared at the man, who was begging him desperately to reveal the truth to him. Finally, after a long delay, she nodded at him, giving him the answer he needed. When Maggie herself had given her the nod to reveal the truth, who was she to keep it a secret?


    "Where is she, Valerie? When is she returning to the Intelligence? Is she alright? Is she fine?" Ryder fired a series of questions at her, happiness and relief evident in his tone. Since the moment he had found out about her going undercover to get proof against Jared and his team, he had been unable to sit still and relax. Every moment of his day had been filled with worry for the careless girl, who had not once contacted him after she left the Intelligence.


    "Ryder, calm down. Maggie is fine. She has gone into hiding after she left Jared''s team. She will only meet us when everything ends and Jared is behind the bars. His men are out hunting for her. So, she needs to stay hidden until everyone is taken care of." Valerie iterated the same words Maggie had told her, and Ryder nodded at her understanding.


    "Yes, Maggie should not risk her life anymore. She has already done a lot now. We will take care of everything." Preston commented after thinking for a while. She needs to take a break and stay low for the time being until everyone is behind the bars.


    "Yes. I too don''t know where she is. But she is safe. You can stop worrying about her. And," Valerie stood up before she looked at Preston, who was already smiling at her in mischief. "Keep your phone switched on tomorrow. Maggie might surprise you with a call."


    Valerie and Preston stepped out of the room, leaving an ecstatic Ryder to himself.

 Chapter 532: Trap plan - Part 2

    After putting Jared through a hell of mental torture, it was now his assistant''s turn. The man looked petrified, and the moment he saw the three people enter the room, he sprang to his feet in fear. He did not have the same confidence and boldness Valerie had seen in Jared''s previous assistant, and she wondered why Jared had even chosen him in the first place.


    "Why have you brought me here? What did I do wrong?" He questioned, holding onto his courage that kept slipping away every once in a while.


    Though Valerie already had the evidence that could send Jared and his men to the execution chair for good, she still had a few matters to find out which Maggie had been unable to during her stay at Jared''s gang. All Valerie wanted was the man who had killed her father, for she wanted to kill him herself instead of pushing him towards the execution chair.


    Also, Maggie had indirectly given her a hint about one of the men in the Intelligence working for Jared in secret, and she was yet to find out who he was. Until then, she decided to play the game of cat and mouse with Jared and his men to keep herself entertained.


    "You tell us why you think we might have kept you here." Valerie threw the question back at him, smiling at him playfully. But the man was in no mood to play along. He was shit scared, and all he wanted was to go back home. He was still unable to comprehend how he had ended here when he was busy packing his bags to escape for the time being after the big bang that shook the entire nation at 8 p.m.


    The assistant watched the woman in front of him take the chair opposite him before she gestured for him to take his seat. Frightened and baffled by the turn of events, the assistant looked at her for a long time before he eventually took his seat.


    "Now, will you tell me why I am being detained here? What have I done? And where is Master Jared?"


    Valerie chuckled all of a sudden on hearing the man''s question. "Do you still not get what has happened here?" She sassed, her lips quirking up in amusement. "The master you are talking about has pushed you to take all the blame, making you his scapegoat."


    "What? How is it possible?" The assistant was stunned to find out what had happened and why he was being detained here. "Master would never do something like that. He wouldn''t." He shook his head in denial.


    "Are you sure? As far as I know, he pointed to you, blaming you for all the crimes while he has escaped unscathed. If your crimes are proven, you will be sent to the execution chair." Valerie stated with such an innocent face that the assistant eventually ended up believing her.


    "No, no, no, this cannot happen. How can he do this? How could he do this to me? I was loyal to him all these years. He cannot push me to take the blame all by myself when he was the mastermind."


    Valerie smiled at her friends in victory, and they nodded in return with equal vigor. Though they had visual proof with them to prove Jared a criminal and send him behind bars, having an accomplice as a witness would only fasten the court proceedings and help them deal with him quickly.


    "What mastermind? What are you talking about? But before that, what happened to Jared''s previous assistant?" Valerie questioned slowly, lest the man should stop confessing the truth and return to denying everything, just like Jared had done. "Did you kill him?"


    "What? No way. It was not I who killed him. It was Maggie who killed him." The assistant blurted out without thinking, and even when he realized what he had done, he did not regret speaking the truth.


    "Maggie?" Valerie frowned as she wondered why Maggie had hidden this from her. Even Preston and Ryder were stunned to hear what she had done. But soon, their surprise turned into astonishment and admiration. Maggie sure knew the art of survival for her to have escaped from Jared''s deadly gang without being unscathed.


    "Who is that?" Valerie continued, lest the man should be suspicious of her for not catching onto the new lead he had given them.


    "She worked for Master or that was what we thought. It was only recently that we found out that she was a secret agent."


    "I see." From his words and expressions, Valerie perceived the man to not know who Maggie actually was and her link to the Intelligence and her team. So, she too did not bring it up.


    "She killed Master''s previous assistant when she was trying to escape." He added.


    "Let''s get back to the topic at hand. Now, tell me all the crimes you have committed. Since we already have Jared blaming you for everything, it does not matter even if you do not accept your involvement. Jared will be your accomplice while you will become the mastermind." Valerie observed how the assistant''s face paled in fear, and she was sure that he was just at the brink of losing his calm. All he needed was a push, and he would come tumbling down, revealing everything she wanted from him.


    "While Jared will only face a few years of imprisonment, you will be sent to the execution chair directly." This did it. The man eventually broke down and shouted in fear.


    "No, no. I did nothing. I am not the mastermind. It was Jared and his Godfather who plotted everything. It was they who did all the crimes. It was they who planned to destroy our country."


    "Destroy our country? How?" Valerie leaned forward on the table, intrigued by the man''s words. Though she had evidence against Jared, they were not detailed. It was only a few clips that Maggie had sent her. She was yet to receive all that maggie had collected during her stay at the gang.


    "It was they who started the organ trafficking mafia, and to aid this scheme of theirs, they came up with a plan to send more people to the hospital. So, they contacted a biologist to create a virus that could push more people to the hospitals, especially to the ones that had signed up with Jared and his team. He also planned the poison attack a few weeks ago, trying to poison all the people using Sarin gas. Also..."


    The assistant stooped suddenly, and Valerie raised an eyebrow at him. "Also?" She gave him a look that compelled him to reveal all that he knew about Jared and his crimes.


    "Also, it was Jared''s Godfather who instigated our neighbor to wage a war against our country but for what reasons, I don''t know. They wanted our country to lose the battle. So, they had sent traitors within the army who would kill our men secretly. But that plan did not work and eventually, our country won the war. The entire plan was formulated by Jared''s Godfather and Jared carried it out on his instructions."


    The man revealed all that he knew about Jared, not leaving even one minute detail. ''Since the man had already pushed me to my death, I will not spare him too. Let us die together. Jared, just you watch out.''

 Chapter 533: Trap plan - Part 3

    Though Valerie did not show any expression whatsoever on her face, only she knew how terrified and shocked she was from within. As the assistant continued revealing Jared''s misdeeds one by one, her heart only shuddered in fear. ''How could anyone be so despicable and horrible to destroy their own country?'' She wondered.


    Valerie turned back to see and was secretly relieved that she was not the only one who was mortified by the truth. Ryder and Preston too were stunned. They had only assumed Jared to be involved in the organ trafficking mafia. Who knew that he had a long list of crimes? And what''s more, each crime was deadlier than the other. It was enough to instill fear in them if one were to hear it, and Valerie''s situation was no less.


    In her entire career, she had seen a lot of cases, varying from different levels of torture. She had dealt with rapists, serial killers and even terrorists. But this was the first time she was dealing with someone who fell under all the categories of the criminals she had dealt with. Though she did not have the proof with her, from Maggie''s words alone, Valerie knew about the long list of girls Jared had been, and she more or less had a hunch what might have happened to them once he was done with them.


    Valarie was in disbelief to think that such a monster was walking around them in society. And what petrified her more was that Maggie had spent months in his lair, trying to save herself from him while she collected proofs against him. Valerie could not even imagine what she must have gone through all these months when she faced the monster almost daily. She was in awe at her capabilities and could not help but commend her greatly in her heart.


    Valerie was not the only one who thought that way. Ryder and Preston too had similar thoughts. They too could not help but applaud Maggie''s bravery. She was more courageous and confident than them, and they were filled with pride to think that Maggie was their teammate, especially Ryder who was head over heels with her.


    Nobody interrupted the assistant, allowing him to disclose all the secrets he knew. When he was finally done, he sighed deeply. "It was not I who planned all these crimes. It is that Jared and his bastard of a Godfather. I just followed his orders. He should be the one sent to the execution chair, not I."


    Valerie started chuckling as soon as she heard his words. She shook her head at the man''s stupidity. "I am impressed by your foolishness. You have worked for a brilliant criminal all these years, and you still don''t know what to speak and what not to speak." Valerie placed her palms on the table and stood up slowly. "Thank you anyway for revealing the truth yourself."


    "What do you mean?" The assistant''s face lost all its color as soon as he realized what he had done. But he still denied it, unable to accept his stupidity. He was still in denial to think that he had easily fallen for the trap the officer before him had laid out for him.


    "You perfectly jumped into the trap we laid out for you, and we did not even have to do anything. Thank you very much for your cooperation." Valerie smiled at him but the smile was filled with ridicule and anger. She turned around to leave the room but stopped short when she recalled something she had forgotten to tell him.


    "And for the record, not only Jared, you and all his men who followed his orders will be going to the execution chair. So, brace yourselves and count your days. You never know when it might be your last day on the planet."


    "You cannot do this to me, Officer. Help me out of here." The man shouted and tried to move away from his chair. But his hands were cuffed to the desk. So, he could not move much. All his shouts and yells and curses fell on deaf ears. He could only watch the three people leave the room and lock the door after them in horror.


    As soon as Valerie left the interrogation room, her legs buckled and she almost fell to the floor. If not for Ryder and Preston holding her in time, she sure would have dropped to the floor. "Oh my God!!! What did I just hear?" She mumbled in shock.


    "I know. What the fuck is that man!! He is a monster." Preston was seething in anger, and Ryder was no less furious. He too was livid to think that someone like him was still alive, and they could not kill him, not yet at least. All he wanted to do was unload all bullets in his gun in the man''s head. But he deemed this punishment to be far less painful for all the crimes he had committed. He deserved a death so painful that he would beg them to kill him soon to relieve him of his pain.


    "What the heck!! It was his Godfather who instigated the war. Who does this? What enmity does he have with our country?" She was still in shock that Jared and his people were directly responsible for the war. And to aid their enemy, they had even sent spies to kill their own men. Anger coursed through Valerie''s veins, and she too wanted to chop the man into pieces.


    "What do we do now, Valerie? Now that the country is involved, we will have to consult the President and the military. This case has now become a military case too." Preston stated, visibly worried by the turn of events. In just one day, they had found a lot more than they could digest, and they wondered what more was left for them to know.


    "I will have to speak with the President. But before that, I need to speak to Maggie. I need to know if she had more pieces of evidence that can aid us to prove Jared''s crimes. It will help us deal with him quicker." Valerie pressed her forehead, wondering about the huge headache she would be facing soon. It would surely become chaotic when the nation would find out the dark truth about Jared.


    "I agree. I am still amazed to think that Maggie survived all these months in that hell hole." Ryder was now even more desperate to see the girl who had risked her life just so that she could send the criminal to prison.


    "I''ll talk to her and see what she has in mind. There must be a reason why she has not sent all the proofs she has to us and has kept them to herself."

 Chapter 534: Ivys call

    The night was still young even though it was already approaching midnight. And to many, it was a sleepless night, and one among them was the President, Luis Truman. Since the news about organ trafficking matter had broken out, he had been forced to attend a lot of meetings. And despite the time of night, a lot of reporters had swarmed to the Princep House to get his opinion of the matter.


    Neither could he ignore the reporters, nor could he skip the meetings. Luis had to face the people''s wrath even though he was in no way involved in the scandal. Frustrated by the sudden trouble that had come by his way, Luis almost had the intention to curse out loud. But his position and dignity stopped him from even raising his voice. He could swallow all the profanities that were ready to leave his lips if given a chance.


    The meeting with his ministers and advisors had not been fruitful. They were unable to come up with any decisions. The matter was too serious and devastating to not take any decisions quickly. But it was also important to take a good decision rather than a reckless one. Some of the top hospitals had been involved in the scandal, and it was impossible to let them get away without punishing them.


    However, it was also difficult for them to close more than half the hospitals in the country. Luis was in a dilemma, and he did not know how to salvage this situation. Even his ministers had been futile in producing a satisfactory solution.


    "What do we do now, Sir?" Luis''s assistant queried from the side as he watched the President stare into space, lost in thoughts. "The reporters are still waiting outside for an interview. And they might wait all night given the seriousness of the issue."


    "Tell the reporters that I will be addressing the nation tomorrow morning at seven. I will answer all their questions then." Luis sighed. Though he did not have much time to find a solution for the problem, he could as well find answers to their questions.


    Luis was the only one present in the meeting room. All the ministers had left the Princep House once the meeting had ended. And now, his assistant had gone to inform the reporters about the President''s message to them. So, Luis was all alone, and right at this moment, his phone rang, startling him completely.


    Luis frowned on hearing the ring tone. Not many people knew his personal number and the ones who knew never called him at this time of the night. He was puzzled and wondered who was calling him. He was pleasantly surprised to see who it was and even more so because this was the first time the girl had taken an initiative to call him on his own.


    "Hello," He answered, still in denial to think that the girl who had impressed him during the press meet last time was calling him out of her own accord. But soon, his surprise turned into annoyance when he realized what her profession was. His voice unknowingly turned cold and harsh when he discerned what her intentions would be.


    "Hello, am I speaking to President Luis Truman? This is Ivy West speaking." Ivy''s voice fell on his ears, and Luis''s gritted his teeth in frustration. He understood what the girl wanted of him. Just like the other reporters, she too wanted his interview, and she was using their past connection for her work. Though he did not mind giving her an interview, he still did not appreciate the way she had approached him.


    "Miss West, I remember you." Luis hid his annoyance and tried to appear as courteous as possible, completely oblivious to the fact that Ivy had perceived what his thoughts would be before she had even placed the call.


    "Sir, I apologize for calling you at this time of the night. I have something important to speak to you about." Ivy did not beat around the bush and brought the issue she wanted to talk about.


    "Tell me, Miss West." Though Luis appeared enthusiastic to listen to what she had in mind, he was secretly not that curious for he already knew about it.


    "Sir, you have already seen the news about the organ trafficking mafia. What I wanted to tell you was that it was my team and agency that published the news."


    "Oh," Luis was shocked to hear her words. It was completely different than what he had anticipated. Never had he expected her to accept that it was her team who had broadcasted the news. It was out of his expectations.


    "Yes, Sir. And from the evidence we have, we even know who the mastermind behind this matter is." Ivy stated as she looked at the people around her. While Noah and Aria assured her to continue, Ian just put on a poker face, not giving out any expressions. She had no idea what had got his pants twisted for him to put on such a cold expression. This was the first time she was seeing him this irritated. Ivy made a mental note to speak about it with him later.


    "Who is the mastermind, Miss West?" Luis was now intrigued, and he too wanted to know who that bastard was. Many people''s lives had been destroyed by him. While people were suffering due to his actions, he had been filling his pockets using their sufferings.


    "I will tell you everything, Sir. But before I need to list out all his crimes, for they are more horrible than this."


    "What could be more horrible than planning the harvesting of organs from people without their consent?" Luis let out a satirical laugh as he thought about it.


    "There is, Mr. President. There is. Once you find out, you too will be mortified to think such a man even exists between us. I will send a video clip to you. Please have a look at it. You will find out everything from it. Let me tell you that clip is just a small gist of what the criminal has done. Take a good look at it, Mr. President. I will wait for your call."


    Luis ended the call and waited for Ivy''s message, and the moment his phone vibrated, he opened the message and played the video in it. What he saw made him drop his phone in shock. Ivy had sent him a video clip that proved Jared guilty of all the crimes he had committed, and Luis was stunned to even think that the man he had once assumed to be a good businessman was such a bastard. Not only did he find out about Jared, but he also found out all the crimes he had committed. Just as Ivy had stated, each crime of his was way too terrifying than the other.

 Chapter 535: Put an end

    Luis was in disbelief to think that just one man planned mass destruction in the country. And another man gave him all the help he needed to carry out his plan. Two people. Two people were all it needed for the country to go into chaos and almost get destroyed. Luis shivered in fear as he recalled the contents of the video.


    He went through the video again to see if he was dreaming, only to find that he was not. The video was real, and the conversation he was hearing was also real. The men had planned to ruin everything just for their gains.


    Luis''s assistant returned after finishing dealing with the reporters. He was surprised to see the President sitting still as he watched a video play on his phone. He could not see the man''s expression from where he was. But he could still make out his worry, and the assistant wondered what had happened now.


    The assistant walked towards the man and silently watched the video, and what he saw made his eyes widen. "Oh my God!!" He mumbled, his voice startling Luis. He turned back to his assistant, staring at his phone screen in horror. "Sir, this...this....what is this?" He pointed at the video, and Luis sighed lightly.


    "This is the proof that there is a monster walking among us, and we had no idea about it," Luis remarked, and his assistant agreed with him immediately. They sure had no idea that they had such scoundrels living in their country who wanted to destroy the land they were staying in.


    "Who sent this video, Sir?" His assistant queried once he was done watching the video completely.


    "Do you remember the journalist Ivy West?" Luis turned his chair so that he was now facing his assistant completely.


    "Yes, Sir. I remember her. Wasn''t she the one Sir spoke to the last time you had called for a press meet just before the war started?" Just like Luis, his assistant too had a good impression of Ivy, and he remembered her immediately. She was smart and confident, and most important of all, she was courageous. She did not hesitate to take the risks when necessary, and this was what impressed both men.


    "Did she send this video, Sir?"


    Luis just nodded at him, and his assistant once again went into a state of shock. "How?" That was all he could muster say and stared at the man, who was sitting with his head lowered. However, he did not get any response from him. Luis himself was pondering the same question.


    ''How did Ivy get the video clip? Did someone give it to her or did she shoot this herself?'' Luis wondered, admiration filling his eyes for the girl once again. ''But,'' His smile vanished when he recalled what Ivy had told him before she had ended the call. ''What did Ivy mean when she said that this was just a small part of the video? Is there more to this?''


    Luis thought about it, stunned by the recollection. ''Does she have more videos then? Does she know more than what she had told me and showed me?'' Luis could not believe anything that was happening to him, and the next moment, he took his phone away, startling the assistant who was still staring at the now blank screen.


    His assistant gave him a baffled look. But Luis did not say a word, keeping him in the dark as he dialed Ivy''s number immediately.


    "Hello," Ivy answered on the first ring much to his relief. "I was waiting for your call, Sir. Did you see the video completely?"


    "I did, Miss West. I saw it completely, and I am spooked to know that such a felon was walking among us. But I have this one question I want to ask you." Luis''s voice turned low at the end, and Ivy more or less had a hunch what the man would ask her next.


    "Ask away, Sir. What do you want to know?" Ivy lifted her head and looked at her friends again, who were listening to their conversation keenly.


    "Miss West, you told me that you have more video clips to prove Jared''s crimes. Are the crimes you are referring to different from what you have sent in the video clip?" As soon as Luis asked the question, his assistant leaned closer towards the phone, for he too wanted to know the answer.


    "Yes, Sir. I have more and detailed clips proving Jared''s involvement in the crimes you have already found out from the video before. And I also have evidence to prove him guilty of crimes you have no idea about, Sir." Ivy said with such anger in her voice that for a moment Luis was shocked. He had no idea why she was angry. But he knew that her fury was not directed at him.


    "What other crimes are you referring to, Miss West?" Luis now wanted to know what more the dangerous man was involved in. He wanted to find out everything he had missed.


    "Sir, though I would like to speak to you about now, this is a confidential matter. So, I suggest that we speak in person." Luis immediately understood her hint, and he did not force her more to reveal everything on the phone.


    "I agree, Miss West. When shall we meet?"


    "How about we meet after the press meet tomorrow morning? I will be visiting the Princep House for your interview. We can speak at that time." Ivy suggested, and Luis accepted this arrangement. Though he wanted to call her over right now to find out all he wanted to know, he knew that Ivy had a plan in mind for her to suggest a few hours later. So, he gave up on persuading her.


    "Miss West, I have another question I have to ask you." Luis started after thinking for a while.


    "Yes, Mr. President?"


    "How did you get all the video clips and the pieces of evidence against Jared Augustus? Did you shoot them yourself?"


    "Not at all, Sir." Ivy smiled faintly as soon as she heard him and turned to look at Maggie, dozing off on her chair. The poor girl had been working all day to make sure that the video clips were organized and at the same time observe Jared''s movements closely. She was now too tired to even keep her eyes open, and all she wanted was to cuddle on her bed and hibernate for days.


    "Let''s just say a friend of mine went undercover, risking their life to get the proofs. And they do not wish for the world to know who they are." Ivy did not speak directly. Yet, Luis understood the meaning behind her words immediately.


    "I got it, Miss West. Though I would like to know more about this friend of yours, I will not force you to reveal who they are. Please thank them on my behalf for risking their lives to show the truth to the world."


    "Surely, Sir. Anything else you want to know, Sir?"


    "Not that I can think of at the moment. Maybe, I might bombard you with questions when we meet tomorrow."


    "Then, I will answer all your questions without fail, Sir. This is a matter of national emergency, and I cannot do anything without your permission, Sir. So, I did not release the matter completely on the news."


    "I understand. I will meet you tomorrow. It is time we put an end to this monster and his crimes."

 Chapter 536: Bait or shield?

    Ivy took a deep breath as soon as she finished speaking. Though she did not fear speaking to the President, she did not like handling such serious topics and conversations. She preferred staying behind the scenes, collecting all the evidence instead of dealing with things head-on.


    Aria gave a thumbs up, smiling at her widely while Noah nodded at her, appreciating her and her work. Though it was Maggie who had collected all the evidence against Jared, Ivy had been pushed forward to take the credit. They wanted to keep their association with Maggie a secret as long as possible until they dealt with Jared.


    "Tell me again. Why am I doing this?" Ivy glared at Noah, who just gave her a knowing look.


    "Because you are the courageous one among us." He replied, and Ivy rolled her eyes and scoffed lightly.


    "Yeah, right. If we list out all the heroic deeds all the people in this mansion have done, I would have the least number of achievements." Ivy stated, and the couple narrowed their eyes at her.


    "Do you want me to reveal all that you have done? I know all your secrets." Aria queried, her voice low and mischievous.


    "I forgot you were here." Ivy immediately backed off. "But why am I taking all the credit? We could as well keep Maggie''s involvement a secret."


    "That is what we are going to do," Noah explained, and Ivy pursed her lips as she stared at him questioningly.


    "Would you mind elaborating?"


    "We will make it seem as though an anonymous person sent us all the evidence. But we need someone who can mediate between the government and the media." Noah stopped speaking, and Ivy''s eyes widened in realization.


    "And you want me to take that credit?"


    Noah nodded at her innocently, irking her all the more. "You are my Boss. Wouldn''t it be better if you handled all these things?"


    "But you know the President and the people from the Intelligence too. It''s better that you dealt with them. And I want to keep my involvement in this a secret. We do not want Jared to know about it, yet." Noah just shrugged at her, and Ivy had the sudden urge to bang her brother-in-law''s head against the wall.


    "But after your grand entry at the office today, I presume everyone would have already known about it." Ivy pointed out, and Noah nodded in acceptance.


    "Yes, they do. But I have already checked the details of all the people working for me. As far as I know, though there are some dishonest employees, nobody has connections with Jared. And wouldn''t it raise suspicion if I were to personally meet the President regarding this matter without your involvement? I am just eliminating all the possibilities to raise suspicions on us. The moment Jared finds out that I am one behind releasing the news concerning him, it will not take long for him to find the truth about Maggie and us."


    "Are you using me as the bait?" Ivy finally realized what was happening, and she bit her lip as she thought about it.


    "Not as a bait. But a shield."


    "What?" Ivy gave him a confused. Even Aria was puzzled by his words, and she turned to him for clarification.


    "You are a journalist. It is easy for you to say that an anonymous person contacted you and sent you the evidence. But if I were to say it, it would only make it dubious. Why would any anonymous person contact me? Not many people know that I now own a news agency." Noah disclosed what he had in mind, and Aria looked at him in awe, her eyes filled with love for him.


    "This is a brilliant plan, Noah. You are so amazing." She chirped, and Noah raised his brows at her in joy and pride.


    "Aria, you will only support your lover. I am the one stuck in this issue here." Ivy directed her anger at her sister, who just ignored her words.


    "Don''t worry, I will accompany you tomorrow. You can introduce me as your Boss." Noah added, and Ivy pressed her forehead in worry. "The anonymous person contacted you and sent you all the evidence, and you submitted them to me before broadcasting them. This is the truth we will say to the world."


    "Why didn''t I know before that you are this annoying?"


    "What would you have done if you had known about it?" Noah provoked her with a smile.


    "I would have prohibited my sister to be with you."


    "Tch, tch, tch. Too bad, We are past that time now. You can''t separate her from me." Noah only added more to her frustration, and Ivy could not stop glaring at him.


    "Stop messing with my sister." Aria held his hand and pressed on it hard.


    "Yes, Aria. Come on. Support me."


    "I am just teasing my sister-in-law. Can''t I?" Noah gave Aria an innocent look as though he was accused of things he had not done.


    "Aria, I guess you two had a good time yesterday. I have never seen Noah in such a pleasant mood before. I presume he went full bang on as he finally got what he was waiting for." Ivy tactically changed the topic of conversation, pushing the spotlight on the couple instead of her.


    While Noah just smiled softly as he looked at his girl beside him, Aria could not stop blushing and lowered her head in embarrassment. She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and bit her lip, not having the courage to face her sister, who was smiling at her mischievously.


    "Looks like you two had a good time playing the game of push and pull." Ivy''s dirty words made Aria lifted her head to glare at her while Ivy just winked at her playfully. "Nevertheless, you two look this amazing. While my brother-in-law looks satiated and happy, my sister is glowing in joy."


    "Ivy," Aria could not bear to hear her sister talk anymore, and she growled at her in anger. But to Noah, it came out as a soft complaint, her tone evoking desires in him again.


    "I will have my time soon. We will see how you will be able to escape then." Aria challenged, and Ivy, for once, shut her lips as she knew that her sister would take revenge on her for sure.


    Ivy''s gaze fell on Ian, who not once had spoken a word since the time he had entered the mansion. His face was stoic and he seemed to be lost in thoughts. His worry was evident on his face, and Ivy could not help start worrying for him.


    "Ian, is everything alright?" She queried. But the man sat frozen in his seat, not saying a word in reply. His eyes too were fixed on the spot in front of him. "Ian," She called him again, only to meet the same result.


    Aria, who was sitting beside him, held his hand and Ian came out of his reverie. "What happened?" He gave them a confused look, and Ivy sighed lightly.


    "That is what we wanted to ask you. What happened? Where are you lost?" Seeing that Ian was about to shake his head, Ivy stopped him immediately. "And don''t say that nothing happened. Your worry is clearly evident on your face."


    "I know what has happened." Instead of Ian, Aria replied, and Ian looked at her in surprise. "After this issue came out, even our hospital has been affected and we are being scrutinized by the health department. Somehow, even our hospital''s name is getting tarnished in this, and if things become serious, we might have to shut it down until proven innocent."

 Chapter 537: Under scrutiny

    "We might have to shut Regal Hospital down if things become serious until we are proven innocent," Aria stated, and Ian gave her a perplexed look.


    "How?" That was all he could manage to say before he shut his lips.


    "I know everything, Ian. I know how the Health Department works, and I know about the trouble we might be facing soon." Aria clasped his hand tight, smiling at him in helplessness, making him smile at him in return.


    Aria then turned towards Noah and Ivy, who were staring at them in shock, and for the first time since Ian had entered the mansion, he chuckled softly after seeing Ivy''s expression.


    "How is it possible?" Ivy blurted out, still in disbelief. She looked back and forth between Ian and Aria, her eyes clearly showing her fear.


    "Relax, Ivy. It is not that big an issue." Ian tried to assure her but Ivy was having none of it.


    "Why is the Health Department targeting your hospital? You were not even on the list we released on the news today." Ivy pointed out, and Noah nodded after hearing her. He too was baffled to think that his best friend''s hospital too had come under scrutiny. Unlike the twins who only knew about Regal Hospital, Noah realized that both the hospitals under Ian were now being observed and examined. He now understood the reason for Ian''s worry, and his frown deepened as he thought about it.


    "Ivy, just because you did not take our hospital name does not mean we are innocent. This issue has spread far and wide, and people are now complaining and crying about the injustice they have suffered at the hospitals. Nobody knows how many more hospitals, other than the ones on the list are involved in the scandal, neither you nor me and definitely not the people." Ian sighed deeply, showing his inability to control the situation.


    "As far as I know and have heard, the hospitals that were mentioned on the news will be handled first. The Health Department will take first take care of them while we will be under scrutiny. If they find anything against us, only then we will be in trouble. We are safe for now." Ian tried to assure the girl who seemed to be lost and in fear.


    Ivy now more or less understood what was happening. But she was still in denial to think that this matter had now affected her sister and Ian. Even though she was not responsible for it, she considered herself guilty for it. She lowered her head, unable to meet Ian and her sister in the eye.


    Aria noticed Ivy''s behavior and she smiled softly. "Ivy, please don''t blame yourself for it. You were in no way responsible for what happened. Moreover, we are just under scrutiny, not in trouble. Our hospital is good honest, and we are not involved in such criminal activities. The Health Department will soon provide us the certificate. Don''t worry." She tried to comfort the girl whose face was filled with remorse.


    "Yes, Ivy. We were already prepared for this day long back when we came up with the plan. You are not at fault. This soon will pass, and we are good people. Okay?" Ian tried to cheer her up, and it worked to some extent. Ivy smiled even though it did not reach her eyes.


    "Moreover, I don''t think your sister would have ever continued to work at this hospital if she had found out something like this happening here. Given her character, I am sure she would shot all those criminals first." Ian teased, and Aria rolled her eyes at him. This time, Ivy could not help but chuckle at his words and she nodded lightly, agreeing with him silently.


    "Don''t give me that look, Aria. I know you very well, especially after I found out your truth." Ian sassed. "If given a chance, I am sure you would have gone hunting all those men who are involved in this illegal activity."


    "Isn''t that a better option? We wouldn''t have had to deal with other issues at all? One shot, one kill. Job finished." Aria shrugged her shoulders lightly, and Noah just shook his head.


    "Anyway, how long will you be under scrutiny?" He queried looking at Ian. Even though he was not sure, from Ian''s expression alone, he could deduce that there was something else weighing him down. This matter did not look as simple as he had thought it to be. Something else was troubling his friend, and he made a note to speak to him in private.


    "Until they issue a pass certificate," Ian answered and before anyone could continue on this topic, he tactfully changed it. "Where is Joshua by the way?"


    "He is in his room. I forbade him from walking around." Ivy replied, recalling the small argument they had had before. While Joshua too had wanted to join the meeting and enjoy the fun, Ivy had forbidden him from moving around and exert pressure on his wound. This had led to a verbal argument between the two. At one point in time, it became too much that Ivy had resorted to threatening him, eventually compelling Joshua to follow her words and obey her.


    "I see. So, Joshua needed an Ivy in his life to control him. Otherwise, that idiot would now have been running around, not even caring about his wounds." Ian''s lips rose in sarcasm, and Ivy nodded at him in agreement.


    "He is an idiot."


    "But your idiot," Aria added with a playful smirk, and Ivy glared at her, cursing at her silently.


    "What are we going to do next? What news will we be publishing tomorrow, Noah?" Ivy focused on the important matter, pushing aside their banter for the time being.


    "I am not sure, Ivy. I need to speak to Dad about it. We are following his advice, and he will decide what we will do next." Noah did not hide his naivety in this matter. He seriously had no idea what he had to do next and had pushed all his work for his father-in-law to take care of. His only duty was to follow his father-in-law''s instructions and carry them out without any hindrances.


    "I see. I am sure Dad must have already formulated a plan by now. He knows what to do in this situation better than all of us." Ivy placed her hand on the table and stifled a yawn which the three people did not miss.


    "Yes, I will speak to him once I reach home and inform you about it. You must be tired, Ivy. We will take our leave. I will talk to you tomorrow." Noah and Aria stood up, and Ian followed suit.


    "Yes, we will have the prepare the segment accordingly. I need to inform Max and the others too about it and get them prepared mentally. You have no idea how spooked they were today." Ivy stated, recalling her friends'' horrified expressions.


    "I will call you in the morning once I find out what Dad has thought about the next plan." Noah held Aria''s hand and smiled at her.


    Ivy just nodded at him and saw them off before she decided to face the annoyed man, who she knew was waiting eagerly to get back at her for what she had done to him earlier.

 Chapter 538: New discovery?

    Ivy walked back to her room, worrying about the childish man who was waiting for her. Though they had argued a few minutes before Noah and Aria arrived, it was not a huge matter. And from Joshua''s looks alone, she was sure that he had not taken her threats to heart. He was just throwing a tantrum at her to gain her attention.


    But Ivy was pleasantly surprised when she saw Joshua working on his laptop instead of waiting for her with a sulking face. He was focused at work, and Ivy could not help marvel at his charming face. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she saw his side profile, and she sighed softly in awe.


    Her sigh did not go unheard, and Joshua lifted his head and stared at her. His serious expression broke and a wide smile landed on his lips. He raised an eyebrow at the awestruck girl, waiting for her to come out of her trance, enjoying her attention on him. He folded his hands as he too stared back at her, admiring her pretty face to his heart''s content.


    It was only when Ivy''s eyes started to sting that she blinked and came out of her stupor. She cleared her throat in embarrassment and lowered her head, awkwardness hitting her when she noticed her man''s intense gaze on her. It was too overwhelming, and she did not know what to do and where to go.


    "Are you done gawking, Ivy?" Joshua teased as soon as he saw her lower her head and fidgeting in her place. "I am honored and delighted to know that you consider me handsome and worthy of your gaze." He beamed, and Ivy almost rolled her eyes at him.


    "What were you doing?" Instead of answering him, she decided to change the topic. She crawled on the bed and peeked at his laptop, trying to find out what he was up to. But Ivy did not even have to take the stress. Joshua pushed his laptop towards himself to take a look, and Ivy frowned when she saw the confusing words on the screen.


    "What are these?" She queried and went through the programming codes which she could not understand.


    "I am trying to crack an application which Maggie found on Jared''s laptop. Apparently, she found this information in Jared''s computer, and she is unable to crack the password to unlock it. I am wondering what he has stored in this application to have it safeguarded with high-level security. I presume it must be something helpful for us to deal with."


    Ivy nodded after listening to Joshua''s words. Why would Jared safeguard his files if they did not concern with some important matters? "I presume it has to be something related to what he wanted to do in the future. Perhaps, his next plan?" Ivy said with a dubious tone.


    "Maybe. We do not know about it yet. I am yet to decode the password, and the security walls are quite strong to open up the application." Joshua sighed as he typed a string of codes on his laptop.


    "Can''t you try cracking the password?" Ivy gave him a confused look, only to find him shake his head.


    "No, I can''t. Jared is smart. He has only allowed only one attempt. If we input a wrong password, the application will crash completely and we will lose the data in it forever."


    "Oh, in that case, this file must have been extremely important for him."


    "I assume it to be the case. So, I am trying my best to crack the code and break through its security."


    Ivy could not make a head or tail of what he was doing. So, she just laid down and closed her eyes. "Joshua."


    "Hmm?"


    "Go to sleep." It was not a request but an order and Joshua smiled in joy.


    "As you say, darling." He placed his laptop on the table beside his bed and laid down beside her. But before he could hug her sleep, Ivy turned away from him.


    "You are hurt. You will have to recuperate first before we hug." She stated, making the man let out a whine pitifully.


    "Why? Why should I not hug you while sleeping?"


    "Because you are injured. Now, go to sleep. I will have to get up early. I have a meeting with the President in the morning."


    "Are you going to the Princep House in the morning?" Joshua queried, excited by her revelation.


    This time, Ivy turned around and faced him. "Yes, we need to disclose the truth to the President first before we decide what to do. This is also related to the military. We cannot act on our own without consulting them."


    "What time is your meeting?"


    "Some time in the morning. The President has a press meet tomorrow. I will meet him after that." Ivy stifled a yawn, and Joshua chuckled before he patted her tired face.


    "Go to sleep, Ivy. I will watch over you."


    "What about you? You need to sleep too." Ivy protested and tried to get up but Joshua stopped her.


    "I slept in the noon until you returned home. I am not that sleepy yet. Let me work on the code. We might find something useful to us." Joshua did not allow her to complain. His reason was enough to coax her to sleep, and Ivy eventually gave up. No sooner did she close her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.


    Joshua kissed her on her forehead and focused on his work, trying to crack the code. ''Who made this application?'' He wondered with a frown, his face losing its smile immediately. ''The security wall is too strong. What is he hiding in this?''


    Joshua waited for a long time, almost until the wee hours of dusk when he could finally break the security and invade the application. He sighed in victory and started checking its content. And what he saw made his eyes widen in shock. There was a folder that held details about the Carter and Martin families as well as a lot of photographs that had been taken without their knowledge. But that was not what shocked him. It was one of the photographs in an album that spooked the hell out of him.


    Noah''s grandfather, Jonathan Carter was dining with Charles Miller, and both the men had blissful smiles as they stared ahead while posing for the photo.

 Chapter 539: Sleepless night

    Joshua was too stunned to see Noah''s grandfather''s pictures along with Charles Miller. His mind was a mess, and his thoughts ran wild as he went through the album. There were not one or two but more than twenty pictures where Charles and Jonathan were sitting beside each other. Other than the two, he also found many other important and powerful people in the group.


    In one of the pictures, Charles was conversing with Simon Moore, the previous Chief of the Army who had been murdered brutally and whose murderer was still at large. ''How does Charles know the Army Chief?'' He wondered as he kept scrolling through the pictures in disbelief.


    Charles was captured in almost all the pictures. He looked so innocent harmless in them that it was impossible to associate him with the brutal crimes he had committed. Joshua checked each picture thoroughly as he studied all the people in it carefully.


    Other than Noah''s grandfather and Simon Moore, he also found Charles with David Peters, the man who had aided Charles and Jared in his deadly plan to release the virus in the country. Unfortunately for them, the Intelligence had intervened before they could even take action and had arrested David, confiscating all the canisters of the virus.


    Joshua leaned back on his bed as he tried to analyze all that he had found out from the pictures. Though he could not make a head or tail out of the clue he had found out, he had a hunch that this piece of evidence held significance to the case they were dealing with. He turned to stare at the girl beside him, who was deep asleep before he got off the bed.


    Joshua''s mind was completely a mess. He stared outside the window while contemplating his next step. ''Why is Grandpa Carter with Charles Miller? How does he know him, and what work did he have from him?'' He wondered and pressed his forehead in worry. ''Is Grandpa too involved in this crime?''


    As soon as the thought came to his mind, he shook his head. ''No way. It''s impossible. Grandpa Carter would never do anything that goes against his morals. This must all be a coincidence.'' Though he tried to assure himself, he was not convinced. It was not one or two photographs he had seen. There were many in which Jonathan Carter was with Charles Miller, and this matter kept bugging his mind, driving him crazy.


    Joshua let out a deep sigh, his mind trying to sort out his messed up thoughts. ''What do I do now? Should I tell Noah about it? I cannot hide it from him either. It''s his grandfather.''


    Joshua was too lost in his thoughts that he did not notice Ivy stirring in her sleep. She rolled over towards Joshua''s side, patting her arms only to find him absent. She forced her eyes open, trying to suppress her sleep, which was forcing her to give up everything else.


    Ivy got up and looked around before she spotted Joshua by the window. He seemed to be lost in thoughts. Even from where she was, she could see the dilemma on his face, the worry lines on his forehead quite evident and eyecatching.


    Ivy too could not help but frown at his state and pushed herself off the bed before she padded towards him. "What is bothering you, Joshua?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, making him turn to her. "What happened?"


    Her voice was too gentle, and it more or less eased the worry off the man''s mind. Joshua observed Ivy for a few moments before he pulled her towards him and hugged her tight.


    "Joshua," Ivy almost shrieked in fear. But she did not struggle, lest she should hurt him all the more. His wounds were yet to be healed, and she did not intend to add more to his agony.


    "Let me go, Joshua. You are hurt." She patted on his shoulder gently. But the man did not move an inch. He stayed still as he took in the fragrance of her body wash. It smelt pleasant and calmed him down for a while.


    Ivy sensed the fear and worry in him, and she stopped moving completely. She realized that he was not only worried, he was also scared. Something was bothering him greatly.


    "What''s wrong?" Her tone softened, and she patted his back to comfort him. His behavior was completely unordinary, and she did not know what had made him this restless.


    "Let me stay this way for a while," Joshua mumbled and took a deep breath. He had no idea why but his intuition told him that something disastrous would happen soon, especially after he saw Noah''s grandfather''s pictures.


    His mind kept sending him warning signals, and the first person that came to Joshua''s mind was Ivy. Even though she was in his arms right now, he could not stop the nagging feeling that kept occurring in his heart. A sense of foreboding filled him, and he could not comprehend why it was happening to him.


    Ivy waited patiently until Joshua himself let her go. Though his worry was still obvious in his eyes, he seemed better than before. Yet, Ivy could not help but fret over it.


    "Joshua, what happened? What is bothering you?" Her voice was extremely calm as though she was cajoling a kid. She did not show her nervousness whatsoever in front of the man, lest he should start worrying again.


    "I will tell you once I sort this matter out. I cannot reveal it to you before I speak to the person in concern." Joshua did not hide his trouble from her. Yet, he could not reveal it, for it was not his issue in the first place. He had to speak to Noah first before he took any action. Ivy understood what he wanted to convey and she did not force him anymore.


    "I understand. Take as much time as you want. And even if you do not tell me, it''s fine since it is not your secret in the first place." She rubbed his back gently. "I will wait. But are you alright?"


    "I am. I am alright." Joshua lied but Ivy saw right through him. She discerned what his actual emotions were and how troubled he was. But she did not coax him, for she had also realized that he was worried about something important.


    "Shall we sleep? It''s late already and you need to rest too. How come your medicines have not kicked in? You should be asleep by now after having the painkillers." She pulled back, and Joshua immediately averted his gaze, not daring to meet her in the eye.


    "Wait a minute." She grasped onto his guilt in his eyes and she narrowed her eyes. "Did you not take your medicines?"


    Joshua remained silent, and Ivy got her answer.


    "How could you not take your medicines? Didn''t I remind you before?" She glared at him, shooting daggers at him for his ignorance. "Don''t you want to recover quickly? Do you want to stay with your wounds for a long time? And," Ivy knew that none of her words had registered in her man''s mind. So, she resorted to the last strategy, which she was sure would work on him. "Do you want to lead a life of abstinence?"


    This caught Joshua''s attention, and he stared at her in surprise. "Ivy, you..."


    "I presume it be to the case. If that is what you want, I won''t stop you from not having your medicines on time. You can do as you wish." She moved away from him but Joshua pulled her to him quickly.


    "What did you just say?"


    "What did I say?" Ivy feigned ignorance even though she already understood what he was referring to.


    "Did you just say that we could take a step ahead if I were to recover quickly? Shall I take it as your consent to have sex with me?" Joshua''s eyes twinkled in delight and he looked happy all of sudden. His worry vanished, and Ivy was relieved to see him less stressed.


    "When did I agree to have sex with you? You are being delusional." Ivy scoffed lightly.


    "Don''t feign ignorance, Ivy. I heard your words clearly. Didn''t you say that if I don''t take medicines on time, I would be leading a life of abstinence? Doesn''t that show your consent to have sex with me?"


    Joshua''s gaze was so intense that Ivy did not have any words to refute his claims. She just stayed silent for a few seconds before she conjured up a reply. "You will have to recover first and recover completely for us to have sex. Until then, you will lead the life of a monk, and considering how you do not intend to recover quickly, shall I assume that you want to stay a monk for a long time?"


    "No way. Why should I lead the life of a monk when I have my darling girl with me? Get me my medicines. I will have them immediately."


    "It''s been hours since you had dinner. You cannot have your medicines on empty stomach. Let me make some porridge for you first."


    Ivy did not heed Joshua''s words and left him alone, causing the man to reprimand himself for making her cook at this time. ''I should take my medicines on time from now on. Otherwise, Ivy will only worry for me.'' He sighed lightly.


    That night, even though he had taken his medicines, it was only when the sun rays penetrated through the curtains that Joshua eventually succumbed to sleep, his worries disappearing for the time being.

 Chapter 540: Press meet - Part 1

    Ivy sat beside Cedric while they prepared themselves for the press meet. She closed her eyes, wondering how she could escape from Cedric once the meeting ended.


    "What are you thinking about?" Cedic leaned closer to her and whispered as he looked around him to see which other news agencies were with them. On noticing two familiar faces from his former agency, he just smiled at them before he averted his gaze away from them.


    "I was thinking how to get rid of you once this meet ends," Ivy replied honestly.


    "Sassy reply but I am not convinced. Tell me. What is bothering you?" Cedric had not missed her absent minded look since the time they had left the agency. She seemed lost and silent all along the journey, barely replying to his questions with just a few words.


    "It''s the truth." Ivy finally turned to face the man and gave him a serious look.


    "Stop joking." Cedric focused on his camera as he started to check its condition.


    Ivy sighed lightly, not knowing what to do. Even though she was unwilling to take up the press meet, Max had pushed her, and Ivy had no choice but to listen to him. ''If not for Max having a meeting with the other department heads, I would not have had to deal with Ced. What do I do now? He would surely be suspicious if I were to ask him to leave without me."


    Ivy thought about it for a while, not knowing what to do.  The President had given her the appointment time right after the meet, and Noah had promised to meet her at the Princep House and accompany her during her talk with the President. There was no time for her to leave and return to the Princep House. Ivy was in a dilemma, and eventually, she decided to bring Cerdirc along.


    ''Ced is an honest man, and if things were to go wrong, Noah will take care.''


    President Luis Truman and his assistant entered a few minutes prior to the scheduled time. Just like the previous time, this time too the reporters were allotted numbers according to which they had to ask their question, and each reporter was allowed to ask only two questions.


    "My dear friends from the media, we all know why I have called for the press meet. It is to shed more light on the issue we are dealing with currently. It sure is shocking to know that just for their selfish desires, the medical staff is willing to sell their conscience and play with their patients'' lives. And it is even more abhorring to find that some of the top hospitals of our country are involved in such disgusting activities."


    Luis ran his eyes around the hall before it settled on Ivy for a few seconds. While he did not show any sort of reaction, Ivy understood him immediately, and she greeted him back with a professional smile.


    "We have already taken actions against these hospitals and clinics that are involved in such crimes. Soon a team from the National Medical Association will inspect all the hospitals in question, and the ones that are actually found to be having shady dealings will be shut down forever." Luis faced the camera and stated what he and his Council of Ministers had come up with the previous night.


    "The management and all the people involved in this crime will be punished accordingly. At the same time, all the other hospitals too will have to obtain a pass certificate from the National Medical Association. They will only be issued the certificate if we find nothing wrong with these hospitals or clinics. Until then, all these hospitals will be under scrutiny."


    Ivy closed her eyes for a moment, once again her heart filled with guilt, and recalled what Ian and Aria had told her the previous night. She could comfort herself by saying that it was all temporary and Regal Medical Hospital would not face any problems. Though she did not much about the Regal Hospital, she trusted her sister not to work in unfavoring environments that had no regard for patients'' lives. When she opened her eyes again, she was back to her usual self.


    "Also, we will be handing over this matter to the Intelligence. They will take over this case."


    Ivy understood why he was doing this. Valerie already was dealing with this matter, given how the Chief of Intelligence himself was involved in this crime. It was no wonder that they got this case, instead of the police. Even though Frederick was involved in such a disgusting act, even though she did not trust anybody from the police department or even in the Intelligence, Ivy was certain that Valerie would not let the criminals to get away. She trusted her to do her work diligently.


    Luis was yet to continue with his speech when one of the reporters raised their hand, and Luis nodded at them.


    "Sir, we already know that the Chief of the Intelligence, Frederick Clarke, himself was involved in this matter. In such a scenario, can we trust the other members of the Intelligence to do the job honestly?"


    Luis had already expected this question, and he was ready with the answer. "I know that the people of the nation will now not trust anyone from the Intelligence. But let me assure you that the team I have selected is honest and true to their work." Luis looked at Ivy for a moment, who nodded at him in return.


    "It was they who found out about Frederick Clarke''s involvement in this matter. They have already started taking actions against him and soon, the court proceedings will start." Luis expressed exactly what they had discussed the previous night. It sure was a headache to deal with the reporters, especially when the matter was laid out before them clearly.  Luis had to think of ways to keep the Intelligence away from public scrutiny.


    "Sir, in that case, shall we presume that the Intelligence had already known about this matter for a long time and they intentionally hid it from the people?" The reporter was smart, and Ivy acknowledged every word of his with a nod. But the President was smarter, and he was prepared for the questions that were thrown at him.


    "The Intelligence only found out about Mr. Clarke''s involvement recently, and since then, they have been trying hard to obtain concrete evidence against him. All they had was just baseless information, with no evidence to prove it. He was already dismissed from his duties and was held captive. Now that we have evidence against him, we will not delay this more and punish him accordingly."

 Chapter 541: Press meet - Part 2

    Although the reporter still had questions to ask the President, he sat down immediately, allowing the others to take over. Luis smiled at him in appreciation before he focused on the next reporter who had raised her hand.


    "Sir, if the Intelligence already knew about this matter, they could have warned the public about it. We could have been wary and taken precautions against such scenarios. Why didn''t they do so?"


    Luis just raised an eyebrow for a moment at her question. "We could have warned the people but this would only lead to two complications. First, we did not have evidence to support our claims. Other than the time when we had caught Mr. Clarke red handed for being involved in this trafficking, we did not have any proof against the hospitals or their medical staff. And what would happen if the people were to find out, would they stop going to the hospitals?"


    Luis darted his gaze around the hall and realized that everyone had the same doubt as to the reporter who had raised the question. "At the time when Frederick was caught, we did not even know the names of the hospitals involved in this matter. How could we issue a warning?" Luis stated his helplessness, not hiding how he had felt back at that time.


    "As far as I know, we have not received any complaints after Frederick was caught. So, there have not been any cases as such for the time period. The people behind this must have gone into hiding in fear."


    "In that case, wouldn''t it be difficult to find them now that they have disappeared?" The reporter continued.


    "Yes, it would be difficult to find them. But we are trying our best, and most importantly, we have got leads on this matter and we are working on it. There is somebody else operating from behind the scenes, and we are in the midst of finding out who it is. Frederick Clarke is just a shield they are using to protect themselves."


    "Does the President or the Intelligence know who the man behind the scenes is?" The reporter fired her next question.


    "Not yet. We do have our own speculations and suspicions. We cannot confirm them until we have solid evidence to prove our claims. So, I would not wish to take anybody''s names until I am sure about it." Luis answered, and the lady nodded in understanding.


    "We did not alert the public for we do not know which all hospitals were involved in this issue. We had started investigating the hospitals one by one, and we will send a list of the hospitals that have already got the pass certificate. I understand what might be the problem now. It would be difficult to trust any hospital given the scenario. But if the hospital already has a pass certificate, you can trust them. We will also issue the list of hospitals and clinics under investigation. They will be unavailable for public service until they are proven innocent."


    Though this did not ease the worry, it was the only solution they could come up with for the time being. So, the reporters did not raise any questions against it.


    "We can begin with the questions," Luis stated, and the reporters started asking the questions they had prepared as per the number they had picked up. When it was Ivy''s turn, she stood up, and immediately Cedric zoomed his camera on her.


    On seeing Ivy stand up, Luis looked at her in anticipation. He recalled the previous press meet when Ivy had stumped him with her questions. Even though she had taken him by surprise, he was also impressed by the way her mind had worked and analyzed the issue. It was due to her smartness that their army could evade the danger lurking in the dark and prepare for the battle before the enemy caught them off guard.


    "Sir, this problem has now become a national issue. The people have suffered injustice, and it now lies with the government and the court to provide them justice. The criminals behind this issue may be punished as per the law. But how does the government intend to compensate and provide justice to the people who have already suffered and are still suffering even now?"


    As expected, Ivy did not disappoint him. Unlike the reporters who focused on the issue and the people behind it, Ivy was the only one who had focused on the people who had suffered in the matter. Though the question was tough, for he was yet to think about the people who had already endured the misery all these years, Luis did not back off from the question.


    "Though we are yet to come up with plans to compensate the victims of this crime, I assure everyone that we will handle the matter as it should be handled. To the people who have suffered under those criminals, I declare that they will be compensated monetarily. Though I cannot reveal how much the compensation would be, we will make sure that everyone will get the justice that they so badly seek. And this compensation will be provided using the criminals'' money."


    Not only Ivy, but even the other reporters were also surprised by the President''s declaration. They could not help but stare at him in awe for his sudden yet fair decision.


    "The criminal made profits using these people. So, it''s only fair that we compensate them using his money. I know this will not alleviate the pain they have gone through." Luis pursed his lips, showing his helplessness and grief on the camera. "But at least, this will soothe the wounds they have been bearing all these years."


    Ivy had picked the next number too. So, she continued with her next question. "Sir, even though some of the hospitals are involved in this issue, not all the medical staff working there would have a hand in this matter. There might be innocent people too. What will happen to them once the hospitals are shut down?"


    Luis was impressed by Ivy''s choice of questions. She sure knew what question to ask and when. "All the medical staff involved in the crime will have their medical license canceled if found guilty by our team. If the hospital management itself is not involved and if it is just a doctor alone incriminated in this matter, then the hospital will not face any consequences." Ivy listened to him intently.


    "But if the hospital management is guilty, then the innocent workers will be allocated to work at hospitals accordingly. This is only a temporary solution for them. We will come up with a detailed plan once we resolve this matter completely."

 Chapter 542: Blanked out

    The live press meeting ended peacefully. President Luis Truman answered all the reporter''s questions tactfully and patiently, not once losing his cool even when certain questions raised suspicions against his governance. He stayed composed, and his calm demeanor impressed Ivy greatly, for she knew that the man was furious and anxious from inside.


    Ivy had seen him clench his fist a lot of times, when certain illogical questions were thrown at him. But he controlled himself and faced them with a smile.


    "Ivy, you rocked at the press meet as always." Cedric flashed a smile of appreciation and awe as he packed his camera. "Max would be happy with today''s recording." He stated, and Ivy bit her lip as she thought about her next step in the plan. Now that she had Cedric accompanying her, she could not take him to meet the President and Noah directly without shocking the hell out of him. So, she decided to give him a heads up first.


    "Ced, do you have work now or are you free?" Ivy queried and narrowed her gaze as she waited for his reply.


    "I am free right now. Why do you ask, Ivy?" Cedric stopped a moment and stared at Ivy before he continued to pack up.


    "The President has asked to meet me. Do you want to accompany me?" She pouted slightly and scratched her chin, not knowing how to face the man who was giving her a suspicious stare.


    "When did the President ask you to meet him? I do not recall him or his assistant calling you separately." Cedric pointed out, still confused by her words.


    "That," Ivy pressed her nose before she lifted her head and stared at her friend. "This meeting was decided just yesterday night. I have some matters to discuss with him, and he has asked me to stay back."


    "What matters?" Cedric narrowed his eyes and gave her an intense look, trying to fork out information from her. He was now curious to find out what was happening and why the President had asked Ivy to stay back.


    "You will find out once the meeting starts. Do you want to accompany me or do you want to leave?" Ivy looked around her to see if anybody was in their vicinity. Fortunately for her, the hall was almost empty, and except for the Presidential guards, there was no one around them to listen to their conversation.


    "Your top secret and curiosity piquing meeting with President? Why will I not accompany you? I must be an idiot to lose such an amazing opportunity." Cedric looked excited all of a sudden, and Ivy did not know what to reply for a moment. He looked nothing less than a hungry kid who had been provided with his favorite food.


    "I have something else to tell you too and I hope you will keep everything you have heard and seen today a secret." Ivy tilted her head and started walking beside Cedric.


    "Wow, is today my lucky day? I am getting all the free food today without doing anything." He remarked, and Ivy stifled a smile.


    "Let''s say it is what it is. Today is your lucky day. Try buying a lottery ticket. You might win big." Ivy teased. Yet it had no effect on her friend, for his expression told that he was seriously considering her suggestion.


    "Anyway, what I wanted to say was our Boss will accompany us to the meeting." As soon as the words left Ivy''s lips, Cedric halted in his feet and he gave her a stunned look. Ivy, who had taken a few steps, stopped on sensing his absence.


    "Did you just say that our Boss will accompany us to the meeting?"


    "I think that was what I said." Ivy frowned lightly as she waited for him. Cedric rushed to her at once and looked at her in shock.


    "The Noah Allen Carter?"


    "Yes, the Cedric."


    Ivy''s affirmation snapped him out of his trance, and Cedric narrowed his gaze suddenly. "How do you know Mr. Carter personally? When did you two plan all this?" Cedric was just about to ask her his next question when he stopped speaking and gasped in realization. "Don''t tell me that you and Mr. Carter are in a relationship?"


    Cedric''s words made Ivy roll her eyes. ''Wasn''t one drama king enough in my life? Did I need another one?'' She thought to herself.


    "Noah and I are not in a relationship but we do have a relationship between us." Ivy''s confusing words made Cedric looked at her in puzzlement.


    "What do you mean? Explain clearly."


    There were still ten minutes for their meeting to start, and Noah was yet to arrive. So, Ivy did not mind explaining what Cedric intended to know.


    "Let''s just say Noah will be my brother-in-law in the future."


    Cedric''s next reaction was one of the funniest Ivy had ever seen, and she had to control herself from laughing out loud. His eyes had widened significantly, and it looked as though they would pop out of their sockets any moment.


    "What?" Cedric was still in disbelief and he asked her to repeat her words to confirm the same.


    "Noah is my sister''s boyfriend, and they will be getting married in the future," Ivy said in all innocence, not understanding her friend''s state of mind. To her, it was just a normal scenario. But to Cedric, it was a super shocking revelation. His gossip antennas were activated instantly and he was thirsty for more information. He was just about to ask more about it when Ivy''s phone rang, interrupting him right on time.


    Cedric waited for Ivy to complete her talk on her phone. But the moment she ended the call, Ivy just looked at him for a moment, without quenching his thirst for more information.


    "Noah is here. I need to bring him inside. Do you want to come with me, or will you wait for us here?"


    "I will come with you." Cedric did not hesitate to give his reply. "I need to confirm if it is actually the Noah you are talking about or you are just pulling pranks on me like you usually do."


    "Fine, do as you please." Ivy did not heed his suspicious words and walked towards the entrance with Cedric following her closely.


    ''This must be Ivy''s new prank. I am sure there is no Noah. Heck, even the meeting with the President must be a lie. Let''s see how you will....'' Cedric did not even have an opportunity to continue his thoughts, for the moment he saw his Boss at the security check, his mind became blank.

 Chapter 543: Shocking exposure - Part 1

    Cedric could not believe his eyes as he stared at the man who held authority and power over him standing in front of him. "Bo...Boss." He mumbled in shock, his words failing him at the most critical moment.


    Ivy chuckled at his horrified face while Noah just gave him a glimpse before he nodded at Ivy with a smile. "Am I late?" He queried gently, the softness of his tone stunning Cedric greatly.


    ''Is this my almighty Boss? What has happened to him? Why is he speaking in such a gentle tone?'' He wondered, his face resembling that of a kid who had just encountered a terrifying ghost.


    "Not at all, Noah. I had already informed the President''s assistant about your arrival. There are still a few minutes for our meeting to start." Ivy chirped, glancing at Cedric, who had not said a word since the time he had finished greeting Noah.


    "Looks like you scared the hell out of him." Ivy pointed it out, and now it was Noah''s turn to chuckle.


    "I have that effect on people." He shrugged lightly before he took a look at Cedric, who still was gaping at him.


    "Do you, now? As far as I remember and from what I have heard, I presume it was only Aria who could stand you without fearing you."


    Noah recalled the day he had first met Aria and the way she had scolded him without holding back after seeing the mess he had created in the ward. Only she had the courage to defy him, and this alone was enough to garner his interest in her. She did not care about who he was and how powerful he was.


    Aria had not spared him, bashing him black and blue for destroying the hospital property, and unlike the other women, she was not doing it to gain his attention. It was purely out of rage and it was her character, and being the good judge of character he was, Noah had realized right at that moment how amazing the female doctor was.


    "You are right and if I am not wrong, even you were quite daring to meet me and flirt with me to test me." Noah sassed, and Ivy''s smile widened.


    "Hey, hey, hey, in my defense, I was just looking out for my younger sister. She has no experience in these things and I had to make sure that you were not some psychopath or some idiot." Ivy had no idea why she was having such amusing conversation in the hallway at the Princep House while they waited for the President''s assistant to fetch them.


    "And I am glad you did. Otherwise, I would not have had the chance to get together with such an amazing girl." Noah mused and pointed at Cedric. "Is he going to stay this way all the time, frozen and in shock?"


    "He is just stunned to see you here and more so to hear that you are my brother-in-law."


    "Since you trust him enough to allow him to accompany us to the meeting, I presume he will keep his mouth zipped." Noah leaned closer to Ivy and spoke in a low voice, making sure to keep it between them. "Or else I know how to keep his lips sealed forever."


    Ivy understood what Noah was trying to convey and she shook her head immediately. "You do not have anything to worry about. He is trustworthy. He will not betray us."


    Ivy stopped speaking as soon as she noticed the President''s assistant walk in their direction.


    "Miss West, Sir is waiting for you." It was only after he finished speaking to Ivy did he notice Noah, and he was pleasantly surprised to see him here. He had only heard about her Boss who would be joining them during the meeting when she had approached him, asking him permission to allow him inside the Princep House.


    The assistant was a smart man and he immediately understood what was happening and why Noah was here.


    "Please follow me." He masked his surprise and put on a poker face before he tilted his head and started walking. While Noah followed him immediately, Ivy had to drag the still stupefied Cedric with her, startling him out of his reverie.


    "Are you out of your stupor?" Ivy noticed his gaze on her and she questioned him, her tone filled with mockery.


    "Ivy, this is great news. No, this is breaking news. I never expected Boss to be your brother-in-law. When did this happen?" Cedric could not conceal his excitement, his childlike cheerfulness making Ivy giggle.


    "Let''s just say Noah could not avoid falling for my amazing sister and her charms."


    Cedric did not doubt it. He was just about to fire his next question when Ivy shushed him. "We are here. You can ask all your questions when we are alone."


    Cedric nodded at her immediately, and the duo followed Noah inside the conference room where the President was already waiting for them. Just like his assistant, Luis too was surprised to see Noah here. Though it was not the first time he was meeting him, he had not expected to be here. His assistant had already informed about Ivy''s Boss, and Luis understood the reason why he was here.


    "I am surprised to see you here, Mr. Carter." Luis held out his hand to the businessman who solely had a lot of assets to his name and who was responsible for the economical productivity in the country.


    "I had to meet as the Boss of the agency, Sir. I cannot allow just an employee of mine to meet you when it concerns some important yet dangerous aspects of our country. I cannot allow Miss West to shoulder all the responsibility alone." Noah shook his hand with him, his tone polite and controlled.


    "I see that you have a very protective Boss, Miss West and I think you are quite right, Mr. Carter. Even though I am yet to find out the complete truth, I can say I will be shocked and mortified by what I will be finding out. And since it is your agency that holds the pieces of evidence, I had to have a word with you as well. Please take your seats."


    Luis sat down first while the other three followed suit immediately after.


    "I am still unable to come out of the shock since the time I watched all the video clips Miss West sent me. Is it true that there is only one person behind all the miseries and dangers our country has faced recently?" Luis looked back and further between Ivy and Noah, glancing at Cedric too as he waited for his answers.


    "Yes, Sir. It is actually the same people behind all the dangers and pain we went through recently." Noah affirmed, and Luis sighed lightly, pressing his forehead in worry.


    "Mr. Carter, did you just say people? Am I to presume that there is more than one person behind this?" Luis did not miss the clue in Noah''s words.


    "Yes, Sir. There is not one but two people who plotted all these heinous disasters. While some plans failed, some were efficient enough to take the lives of the innocent for their own gains." Noah answered again.


    Ivy had handed all the reins to Noah while she sat back, listening to the two powerful men converse.


    "May I know the name of the two criminals? Is Fredrick Clarke one among them?"


    "No, Sir, Fredrick Clarke is just a pawn in the plan. The masterminds behind it are his son, Jared Augustus and the small-time businessman Charles Miller."

 Chapter 544: Shocking exposure - Part 2

    Luis Truman, the man who had dealt with a lot of problems, some extremely serious, some barely considered to be serious in his entire life, especially after he became the President, was in disbelief the moment he heard the two names. Luis was familiar with the two men, and to think that they were involved in such crimes made him feel disgusted.


    Even though he had already seen Jared''s involvement in this matter, he was yet to come to terms with it. Now with Charles'' involvement only added more to his fury, and he sat still for a long time. Ivy, Noah and Cedric just watched him silently, waiting for him to speak up regarding this matter. But they had not missed his abnormal reaction. He was shocked beyond belief, making them suspicious about it. But the President masked his expression before anyone could question it.


    "Mr. Carter, I have already seen videos pertaining to Jared''s involvement in these crimes. But do you have any proofs that point to Charles association in this too?" Luis already knew and understood that without any evidence supporting their claims, Ivy and Noah would not have come to him. This was a big matter, one that threatened the security of the country as well as the people, and they had to handle it carefully.


    "Yes, Sir. We have all the proofs with us, and all we need is your suggestion as to what our next step would be. We cannot decide on our own as there are matters related to the military as well as the nation. Even though we would like to broadcast the news for the people to know what kind of monsters Jared and this Charles are, I would like to take your permission before doing so. Your opinion matters to us, and we do not want to do anything that might bring troubles to the government or the military."


    "I understand your concerns and I am glad you did not reveal anything another major news. I am yet to digest what I saw yesterday. And knowing all that you have with you against Jared and Charles, I am sure I will be having sleepless nights for a long time." Luis commented as he pressed his forehead.


    Ivy had completely given up on speaking to the President, and Cedric was staring at the two men dumbly, too stunned to speak a word. It was only Noah who held the conversation with the President. And being the observant man he was, he had seen the way the President had addressed Jared and Charles with familiarity, and he could not help but wonder to himself about it.


    "Sir, I presume you are quite familiar with Jared and Charles for your tone says so. Am I right?" Noah did not beat around the bush and asked him directly. Though surprised by his directness, Luis was more impressed. His lips arched up sarcastically, and Noah raised his eyebrows at him, waiting for his reply.


    Even Ivy who had been bored out of her mind was intrigued by the topic, and she subconsciously leaned forward. She had never expected such a turn of events. But it was given how Luis Truman was the President. He would be well versed with a lot of people and businessmen like Jared and Charles. Even though Charles was a small-time businessman, he could have used Jared''s influence to be acquainted with the President.


    "Let''s just say I know Charles from a long time back even before I became the President. He used to fund my campaigns during the elections." Luis had a solemn look on his face, and both Ivy and Noah realized that there was more to his story and it was anything but good. With a disgusting man like Charles around, how could any story be good?


    "He was a small-time businessman. Yet he was smart enough to run a local mob and was involved in illegal activities, which I had no idea about. Before the elections, he visited me regularly. At first, it seemed normal as many other businessmen too visited me since I was certain to be the President. I had the public''s favor. But it became too much when he started visiting me regularly, almost daily, in fact."


    Ivy and Noah were no fools, and Cedric too could more or less guess what was happening. Why would Charles visit Luis Truman if he did not have any work from him, which could be deemed to be illegal and needed coverup from the government?


    "Charles wanted me to allow his gang to operate peacefully without any intervention from the government. And that was when I lost it. Even though his gang was yet to flourish, they were already notorious and well known for their inhuman crimes, one among them being the smuggling of drugs. I had a fallout with him at that point, and he withdrew all his funds immediately."


    "Sir, why didn''t you inform the police about it? They might have caught him?" Ivy queried, her forehead narrowing in a frown.


    "I did. I did complain to the police the moment I found out about his illegal activities. But they did not take any action against him for many reasons. He had the backing of a powerful man who was in power at that time and I do not know who it was exactly. And all his crimes were just word of the mouth. There was no substantial evidence to prove it. It was impossible to convict him in court, and the case was closed."


    Luis closed his eyes and leaned back before he let out a deep sigh. "Fortunately enough, I became the President, making it impossible for him to come for me for filing a complaint against him. And I don''t think he even knows that it was I who did it. I never knew he and his gang would grow up to become this brutal. He had completely disappeared for some time and I could not track him until eventually, I gave up. Moreover, I never knew that Jared and Charles are even together in this."


    Luis pressed his forehead and removed his glasses. "How are they related?"


    "Sir," Noah took a look at Ivy, who nodded at him in return, an action that did not go unnoticed by the other three men in the room. "Fredrick Clarke is Charles''s friend or that is what we think, and Jared is Fredrick''s son. Charles was the one who trained Jared to be the heir to his gang after him." Noah felt disgusted to even speak about the two men. But he had to reveal the truth to the President. So, he swallowed his resentment, forcing his hate to the back of his mind.


    "This makes Charles his Godfather, and that is how he is addressed in his gang." Noah continued and Luis nodded at him. "Sir, are you well acquainted with Jared too?"


    "Not at all. I have only met him at some social events, and I believed him to be an honest and smart businessman. Who knew that it was not his hard work and his achievements were a result of his crimes, one that still gives me shivers?"


    Luis stared at Noah whose face remained impassive since the time the meeting had started. Not once had he given away what he was thinking and what he was planning to do next. Yet he had an inkling about what Noah wanted of him and what he would ask him next. And that was what he too wanted to do.

 Chapter 545: Untrustworthy

    "What will our next plan be, Sir?" Noah initiated the topic himself, not wasting any more time. They had already allowed the culprit to do as much damage as they wanted to, and they did not intend to give them more opportunity to continue.


    Even though Charles was still at the hospital and Jared was already locked in the Intelligence, he was unwilling to allow them to stay in peace. Not when they were the reason for all the troubles his family as well as Aria''s family had faced, and every one of them was no less than terrifying, pushing them to almost lose their lives.


    Noah wanted to send them to the execution chair as fast as possible and kill the two pests that had contaminated the society. Given a chance, he even wished to chop them into pieces himself and avenge his mentor and all the people close to him who had suffered due to them.


    But the thought of the public stopped him from doing so. They too had suffered immense pain under the two scoundrels, and he did not intend to take away the opportunity for the people to seek justice themselves. So, he left it upon the government to take care of the two men and hoped for it to be over as quickly as possible.


    Luis thought about the matter carefully, weighing the pros and cons of revealing the complete truth to the public. Though the nation had the right to know the truth, he could not help but fear for himself too. Once the matter became public, people would definitely start to suspect him and his governance and it would only lead to more problems for him.


    ''I might even have to vacate from my post.'' He thought. ''But I cannot hide this matter from the public either. They deserve to know what has happened and how the monsters have betrayed their country for their selfish desires.''


    Luis was now stuck in a dilemma, one from which he did not how to escape. While his conscience compelled him to do what was right and reveal the truth to the nation, his greed and selfishness to stay as the President of the country until at least his term ended pulled him down, begging him to think carefully again.


    Noah was a smart man. Even though Luis had not been verbal about his intentions, he could read him clearly and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He more or less knew what the President was thinking about and what got him all worried and flustered. But he still waited patiently, giving him the benefit of doubt for he had heard how honest and upright the man was from the tabloids. He did not intend to blame him on just baseless assumptions.


    However, that did not mean Noah trusted Luis completely. No. He was now wary of him. Even though the man was yet to come up with a suitable plan, Noah had already come up with a backup, one that would wreck not only Jared and Charles but Luis too if he were to deviate from their plan and succumb to his selfish wishes.


    "Sir?" He probed, forcing the President to come out his thoughts, and Luis snapped out of his reverie at once.


    "I was just thinking about our next step. Though I would wish for the public to know the truth, it would only cause nationwide riots if they were to find out all the crimes Jared and Charles have committed. The news from yesterday is still fresh, and the people are yet to accept it." Luis comprehended.


    "Then, what do you suggest, Sir?" Noah guessed where this going and his body relaxed slightly. He was glad that the man had not asked to stay calm about this matter forever and deal with it silently. He had already understood the President''s intentions and the reason why he had chosen this path. Noah did not blame him for doing so, for everyone first catered to their own needs. Very few people in the world thought about others prior to them.


    "Let the people calm down. Once the situation is under control, we can reveal the truth about the virus and the poison attack." Luis stated his plan, and neither of the three people seated in front of him had any objections to it.


    "What about the issue regarding the military?" Ivy spoke for the first time since they had entered the meeting room.


    "This is quite a serious case, Miss West, and I am not obligated to take decisions alone without consulting the Chief of the Armed Forces and the Defence Minister. I will speak to them soon and get back to you immediately." Luis showed his helplessness in this matter, and the three people understood his problems at once. So, they did not probe into this matter anymore.


    "Miss West, I would need all the pieces of evidence you have against Jared and Charles. Frederick Clarke''s case will be presented before the judge soon, and I would like to combine the three people''s cases and deal with them at once. It will save us time and effort."


    "Fair enough. I will mail all the evidence to you today, Sir." Ivy nodded with a smile.


    Silence ensued in the room for a long time. While Cedric was yet to come out of the shock he had received for the day, Ivy and Noah were blissfully calm. They just looked at each other before focusing their attention on the President, who seemed to be lost in thoughts.


    After a long time, Luis finally spoke up, breaking the silence that Cedric was unable to tolerate any longer. "Since we have already decided to show the truth to the public, I will let the concerned authorities handle it. They will take care of Jared and Charles." He stated and looked at Noah and Ivy, who just nodded at him in return.


    Neither among the duo gave away their secret. They did not reveal the state Charles and Jared were in nor did they divulge how much the two knew about them, more than the President himself did. It would only add more trouble to them, and that was the last thing they wanted.


    "Sir, if you do not have any more orders for us, we will take our leave." Noah stood up and buttoned his coat while Ivy and Cedric followed suit.


    "I will contact you soon regarding our decision after my meet with the military. At the same time, please do keep me updated." Luis did not stand on ceremony and requested them, which Ivy obliged to immediately while Noah just remained silent. His lack of response did not go unnoticed by Ivy, and she gave him a cryptic look but did not question it in front of everyone.


    "My assistant will show you the way out." Luis smiled at the three people before he got back to his work.


    The assistant showed them to the exit, and nobody spoke a word until they reached the parking lot. It was only when they were away from people''s reach that Noah turned to Ivy with a solemn expression on his face. "Ivy, we need to prepare a backup plan. I don''t trust the President anymore."

 Chapter 546: Back up plan

    "I don''t trust Luis Truman," Noah did not hide his thoughts from Ivy. He gestured for her to sit inside the car, promising her to speak about it once they left the Princep House. The confused and stunned Ivy was just about to follow his silent orders when she remembered Cedric, who was staring at them dumbly.


    "Ced, you are accompanying us. We have some things to tell you, especially Noah." She gave Noah a knowing look, and Noah returned a curt nod.


    "Yes. I have some matters to discuss with you, and they need to be dealt with before we reach the office."


    Cedric had no idea what Noah wanted to talk to him about. All he was interested in was the topic they were discussing, and he did not wish to miss out on anything, especially when it was such a huge and incredulous matter.


    "What about our car then?" He pointed to the agency van they had driven in the morning to broadcast the press meet live.


    "I am sure Rhys can manage. Inform him that we will meet at the agency directly, and he does not need to wait for us." Ivy commanded, and Cedric did as she was told, excitement rushing through him when he thought about the matter only he knew about in the agency. The mere thought that Ivy had trusted him enough to share this secret with him touched him and thrilled him at the same time.


    "Shall we leave?" Noah was waiting for the duo to sort out their problems and once they were done, he held out the door for Ivy while Cedric took the seat at the back. He was in no state to sit beside his Boss. It was too stressful for him to even think about it, and he found his solace taking the seat at the back. This was where he was safe and sound and away from the truly intimidating man.


    Noah waited until they were on the roads before he started speaking again.


    "Cedric," As soon as he took the man''s name, Cedric stiffened in his seat and cold sweat trickled down his spine. His face lost all its color, and Ivy, who had turned towards him, chuckled softly on seeing his state. He looked impossibly miserable and from his looks alone, she could deduce what was running on his mind. He wanted to be a part of their discussion but it was Noah''s strong presence that made him a scaredy-cat.


    "You must already know why I have allowed you in this car." Noah did not give a damn about the man''s state of mind. He did not care about the fact that Cedric was on the verge of a mental breakdown.


    Cedric wanted to reply that he had no idea about it. ''Wasn''t I allowed because they wanted to include me too in their plans?'' He wondered but he did not voice out his notions, waiting for Noah himself to clarify.


    "Since we have trusted you enough to join you in on our secret, we also trust you to keep this a secret forever. Irrespective of what happens and how impossible and deadly a situation you are in, you are not to give away what you know and what you will be learning today."


    Noah was not only warning him, he was threatening him blatantly and Cedric could not help but shiver in fear. He gave a look at Ivy who was looking at him sympathetically before she nodded at him.


    "Cedric, ignore him. It is his usual way of handling matters. What Noah intends to say is that this is an extremely important and serious matter, and we do not want it to leak out to the public or anybody else before the concerned men behind the crimes are punished. I hope you will support us and keep this matter with you forever. Even the possibility that you know the truth might put you at risk, and we do not want that to happen. Ever."


    Cedric finally understood what Ivy was trying to convey. Even though he was still on tetter hooks after listening to his Boss''s threats, Ivy''s words comforted him a little. He relaxed in his seat and gave Ivy an assuring look. "Do not worry, Ivy. You know how I am. I will never betray you. You can trust me on that. Everything we speak here will remain here. I will not speak about it once I leave the car."


    "Good." Noah gave him an appreciative glance, and Cedric almost could not stop himself from flying in the sky in pride. It was not every day that he got complimented by his Boss, especially if his Boss was Noah.


    "You were speaking about the President. What happened?" Ivy focused her attention on Noah now, and Cedric too followed suit.


    "I do not trust him enough. He might give up on us at the last minute." Noah stated and took a glance at Ivy before he focused on driving again.


    "Why do you think so? Did you notice something odd about him?" Ivy frowned at his words and wondered if something had happened when she was not concentrating on their conversation. ''Did I miss something while they were talking?'' She thought to herself.


    "Yes, I did. Though he did not vocalize his thoughts, I could read what was running through his mind. He did not conceal his expressions well."


    "What did you find out then? Is he too involved in this matter? Is he somehow involved with Jared and Charles?" Ivy could not help but be shocked by the turn of events, and her voice rose an octave. Cedric, who was silently listening to them, was as stunned as Ivy and he gave Noah a questioning look from behind.


    "Not at all. He is not involved in this, Ivy. The man is honest, at least for now. But we cannot say the same about him in the future."


    "I do not understand." Ivy gave up, and Cedric nodded immediately, siding with her on this.


    "Ivy, this is a serious issue and once it reaches the public, the first person they will question will be the President. It is under his governance that all these crimes happened, and none of them are less dangerous than the other. We even had to fight a war where we lost a lot of our military men just because of these two scoundrels. Do you think that the opposition will let Luis go?"


    Ivy now discerned what Noah was trying to say. Given the circumstances and the gravity of the matter, the President''s opposition party might pressure him to resign from the position.


    "From his looks and expressions, it was evident that he was considering his gains and losses if this matter blew up. He is more worried about his power and position rather than the people, though he has not done anything to prove it. But that does not mean he has not considered it." Noah continued.


    "Do you think he would betray us at the last moment?" Ivy asked dubiously.


    "I will not say it with surety but there are chances of it happening. I presume that he is taking time to consider this matter carefully so that he can find a method that would incur the least damages to him."


    "What have you thought about then? How will we deal with this matter now?"


    "I already have a backup. I need to have a word with the others before that. Until then, let us follow the President''s orders. If he does not betray us, it is well and good. But if he does, he too will be going down with Charles and Jared."

 Chapter 547: Entrusting Ivy

    Noah drove straight towards the parking at the basement instead of dropping the two people at the entrance of the building. Cedric was too overwhelmed to get such treatment from his Boss, and he was almost on the verge of shedding tears in happiness. Ivy rolled her eyes at his dramatic expression and walked beside him while Noah stayed back to answer a call from Ronnie.


    Though Ivy wanted to ignore the impatient and excited man beside her, he made it impossible for her to do so. Cedric was too thrilled from the turn of events and all that he had discovered for the day, and it was evident from the way he was walking. It was as though his legs had gone numb, and they refused to coordinate with him or his mind to walk properly.


    Ivy could not tolerate it any longer and she stopped walking, forcing Cedric to stop with her. "Spit it out."


    "What?" Cedric gave her a questioning look, wondering what she wanted of him.


    "I know you have many things to ask me. There is no one around us here. You can speak all you want before we enter the building. Once we are in, keep your lips sealed." Ivy looked around her to make sure that no one was in the vicinity. Only when she had made sure of it did she face Cedric again.


    "Ivy, this is crazy. Where did find this explosive news, and how did you find out about those two bastards?" Even though Cedric was excited, he made sure to keep his voice low lest he should attract an audience unknowingly.


    "Let''s just say I am very resourceful. I have a lot of sources who inform me about these kinds of things." Ivy did not reveal a word about Maggie and maintained an air of mystery around her.


    "Ivy, please tell me. I promise I will not tell anyone about it." Cedric supported his camera bag in one hand while he held Ivy''s hand in the other as he pleaded with her. "You can trust me to keep this matter to myself. I will tell no one about it."


    "I am really sorry, Ced. I have promised my sources that will not speak a word about them to anyone. I trust you. I do. But I do not want to put their life in danger in case someone were to eavesdrop on us by chance. I cannot risk their life due to my carelessness. Please try to understand." Ivy showed her helplessness in this matter, and Cedric gave up forcing her, understanding her plight.


    "I understand, Ivy. I too do not want to put their life in danger. They have helped not only us but the entire nation. They are our saviors. I do not want to harm them intentionally or unintentionally. You do not have to apologize for it." Cedric stated and pushed his bag back on his shoulders while Ivy gave him a grateful smile.


    "My mind is a mess today. I get to find out surprises and shocks on the same day and every one among them is more explosive than the other. I don''t think I will be able to sleep today."


    Ivy chuckled at his words and shook her head. Cedric had returned to his usual playful self, and she was glad that he had not probed more into this matter. Though she trusted him with her life, she did not trust the situation they were in and did not intend to put Maggie in danger due to her momentary slip of the tongue.


    Ivy was just about to comfort him when she noticed Noah walking towards them, and was grinning in happiness and triumph. Ivy raised her eyebrow at him and folded her hands as she waited for him.


    "You seem happy. Did something happen? Did Aria call you just now?" She teased and once again, Cedric stiffened in his place, the pressure of Noah''s presence hitting him hard.


    "I have some great news for you." Noah completely ignored Ivy''s tease, making her pout in dismay. "Our hotel, which was yet to be inaugurated, is finally completed and we can go ahead with the inauguration. We have got all the legal papers and acceptance." Noah exclaimed in delight, his face reflecting the joy he was feeling from within. Only he knew how desperate he was for the hotel to be inaugurated and how much it had been delayed by now. If not for Joshua''s accident, their news would have dominated their channel first instead of Jared''s and Charles''s.


    "That''s great. You must finally be relieved now." Ivy too could not conceal her happiness and relief. She had seen how much effort Noah and his employees had put into the project, and it was all due to Maggie''s rescue plan and Joshua''s injury that they had to put off the inauguration for the time being.


    "Yes, I am. I need to speak to Joshua first. If he is prepared too, we will go ahead with the inauguration of our hotel and the release of his video game this Friday."


    "I am sure he is waiting for your signal. He must be prepared by now." Ivy added while Cedric gave her a cryptic look which Ivy ignore completely.


    "I will speak to him later. I need to meet Max first. I have a few matters to discuss with him. Do you want to accompany me?" Noah offered, and Ivy accepted his offer immediately. She had long realized that once Noah left her alone, Cedric would only bombard her questions, ones she was not yet ready to answer.


    "Sure. I have to speak to Max too. We could go together." Ivy nodded at Cedric, and the three people started walking. Even though Ivy had feigned ignorance, Cedric had not missed her little ploy and he shook his head. So what if she had escaped now, he would have a lot of chances to catch hold of her and ask her the new set of questions that had started to bug his mind.


    "I will not be visiting the agency the next few days. I have other matters to attend to." Noah whispered such that only Ivy was able to hear him.


    "Got it."


    "I will leave it you and father-in-law to take care of all the matters here. If anything, you can mediate between the agency and Dad. You can do this, right?"


    Ivy stopped walking as soon as she heard Noah''s question. She gaped at his back in disbelief. Dealing with a complicated situation was never her forte and now, Noah had pushed her to become the mediator between her father and the agency, and this was the last thing she wanted. Nobody in the agency knew who the Vice President was, and her being the mediator would only raise suspicions, putting her in a spot, which Ivy never wanted.


    Ivy wanted to kill him for pushing into such a predicament. But Noah did not stop even though he had seen Ivy halt in her steps. He just chuckled softly as he kept walking towards the entrance, leaving a frustrated Ivy to deal with her problem as well as the question bank called Cedric.

 Chapter 548: Loved to tease

    Max sat beside Noah as he waited for him to reveal the next step in their plan to be executed. However, all Noah did was sit silently as he stared at his interlocked fingers. His face was completely unreadable, and for a moment, Max wondered if something had gone wrong after their splendid broadcast the previous night.


    "Mr. Carter, what do we do now? What should we telecast today?" Max took a breath, mustering all his courage to ask the question that was bugging everyone''s mind, while Ivy just sat with a carefree expression.


    She was the only one who did not stress this matter, for she trusted Noah to take care of everything diligently. She was more worried about the task Noah had handed over to her as it was quite difficult to brush off the seeds of suspicions from the others when they would find out about her knowing the identity of their Vice President. How could she reveal to them that he was none other than her father, who to the world is currently missing or expired even?


    Noah bit his cheek before he lifted his head and stared at the people in front of him. "Although I would like to go ahead and reveal all the crimes Jared and his men have committed, I have got orders from President Luis Truman to stay put for the time being. Until we receive any word from him, I cannot go ahead and reveal anything else about Jared."


    This caused a commotion to erupt in the meeting room. Although the others seemed confused by President Truman''s words and orders, they did not question about, waiting for Noah to continue. It was he who decided what to do next, especially when the matter was huge and explosive, dangerous even.


    "We will continue with the news we are broadcasting currently at 8 p.m. slot."


    "What about the other slots, Mr. Carter?" Kira questioned. The previous night''s heavy disclosure about the crimes at the hospitals had kept their channel running, constantly keeping tabs on what was happening at all the hospitals and how frantic the people had become. Also, the President''s live press conference too had reduced some of their burdens. But they could not continue with the same news forever. Or else, it would only bore their audience, and the matter would die even before Jared received his retribution.


    "I will speak to the Vice President of our agency and see what he intends next. By then, we can interview some of the victims of this crime so that we can pressure the government into dealing this matter quickly lest the public should start doubting them." Noah stated with a solemn expression.


    As soon as Ivy heard his plan, she sat up straight. She realized his intentions and what he wanted to obtain by putting pressure on the government. This was the quickest method they could use to force Luis Truman to make a decision, and if he was wise enough, he would choose the correct decision. Also, Noah wanted to see what the man''s choice would be. Would be selfish and decide to give up on his people, or would he sacrifice himself for the justice that has been delayed for a long time?


    Ivy secretly praised Noah for his quick thinking and was certain her father too would approve of his decision. The man sure knew how to get work done. He was too smart for anyone else to compel him into submission.


    But Ivy knew one person who could force him into a corner and make him drop to his knees, and that was her sister, Aria. She was the only one who could defy him and get away without getting anything else but his unconditional love in return from him. And the man too loved her defiant self to give a damn about it, indulging and pampering her until she was spoiled rotten. Though helpless, all Ivy could do was bless the blissful couple with wide smiles.


    "With the chaos that had erupted, we can easily find the people who are willing to give us interviews. Find the ones who have suffered greatly and make sure that they are not lying. We do not want to be criticized for not being professional and honest." Noah warned, and the first person Ivy could think about was Linda, who right now was still in jail or that was where she assumed her to be.


    ''I should have kept an eye on her.'' Ivy cursed herself for not keeping herself updated about the woman who had played her well. Though she still did not trust Linda, she hoped to find out a few things from her; and this time, he made a vow to not let her play her like she did the previous time.


    "And I have another announcement to make." Noah''s eyes immediately snapped to Ivy''s, who started to have an ominous feeling about what lay ahead for her, even though she already knew about it. Her sweet and absolutely not innocent brother-in-law was pushing her towards a mob that would rip her apart with a series of questions for which she had no answers.


    Ivy was never the one who craved attention. But her situation would not only pull all eyes on her, she would even have the spotlight on her from on. She glared at her devil brother-in-law she was stuck with, only to see him smirk at her.


    "I will not be attending the agency next few days. All my work will be handled by your Vice President. He will take all the decisions from now on." Noah deliberately gave away whom to expect to be their Vice President. Now they knew that it was a ''he'' who held the authority. But they were still far from knowing who he actually was.


    "If you have any concerns, you can contact him directly. He will guide you through the next set of plans. I will share his number with all of you."


    Ivy was just about to sigh in relief on finding Noah not take her name when the devil''s eyes glanced at her, making her body go rigid in worry. ''Did I sigh in relief too soon?''


    "And if you have anything important that you want to convey to him and he is unavailable, you can take it up to Ivy. She will convey it to him." Noah raised an eyebrow playfully at her.


    ''Definitely too soon.'' Ivy gave him a threatening look, promising to take care of him later. But all Noah did was shrug his shoulder lightly, not caring about his look of fury. He found it absolutely amazing to tease her. Both the sisters gave incredible reactions to being teased, and he loved doing all the more so just to get them riled up.


    While Aria looked freaking endearing that was enough to turn him on and make him want to eat her up, Ivy''s furious face reminded him of a hamster. Irrespective of how annoyed she was with him, he found her cute and amusing. And being the big brother he was, all he wanted was to tease her more just to evoke more reactions from her.


    All pairs of eyes shifted towards Ivy, and they had the same questions swirling in them. If not for Noah''s imposing presence, they sure would have jumped to question her.


    "Does anybody have any questions?" Noah queried, and Ivy was just about to raise her hand when he got up and buttoned his suit. "If there is nothing else, I will be leaving now. Ivy will share the Vice President''s details. Have a good day everyone."


    Noah smiled at them and left the room, leaving Ivy to deal with the curious crowd herself.

 Chapter 549: Coincidence?

    Just as Ivy had expected, as soon Noah left the room, all the people around her surrounded her, ready to fire their questions at her. Their curiosity knew no bounds, and Ivy saw the suspicion in their eyes. Seeing their countenance, she was sure that they would not let her go until they got the answers they needed. But how was she supposed to answer them when she herself was not prepared with an answer for them?


    Ivy closed her eyes, hoping for someone to get her out of her predicament. No sooner did she wish for a miracle, her prayers were answered in the form of a phone call. Her phone rang, and Ivy immediately sprang to her feet, sighing in relief and thanking the caller for their incredible timing.


    She sent an apologetic smile at her colleagues before she ran out of the room. "Thank you so much, Ari. You saved me in time. Otherwise, I would have been dead meat by now."


    Aria giggled softly at her words, already knowing the reason why Ivy was thanking her. Noah had informed her about what he had done, and even before he could continue and ask her to praise him, Aria had ended her call with him to save her sister from the trouble Noah had pushed her into. Her impeccable timing had saved her sister on time, and Aria could not help but compliment herself for her quick thinking.


    "Aria, I am going to kill your boyfriend and I don''t care if you are going to hate me for it. He is annoying as hell." Ivy mumbled as she walked further away from the meeting room. She smiled at one of her new colleagues who walked past her.


    Ivy did not stop walking until she was in front of the window that overlooked the other buildings. Even though her new agency was not a skyscraper, she still could see small buildings and cafes from where she was.


    "Do you want my help? I can help you kill him." Aria offered, and Ivy chuckled lightly at her sass.


    "What did he do to you? He is your boyfriend, sister."


    "Let''s just say he is a little irritating at times." Aria''s reply did not surprise Ivy, and she nodded in agreement. "And not to say extremely devilish."


    "Why Aria? Does he always look for ways to get to you eat you alive?" Ivy teased as she twirled her hair in her fingers.


    "Yes. He is a beast in bed. You have no idea, Ivy." Aria did not hide the truth, startling Ivy for a moment. She had not expected her to agree to her words. But soon, a smirk replaced her shock and she coughed lightly.


    "I see. Aria, what do you think would happen if Noah were to listen to what you have told me?"


    "Let''s just say if that were to happen, I will join him next time to bully you more." This shut Ivy up, and she pouted in frustration.


    "This is not fair. You are joining hands with your boyfriend to bully me. Wait, then I will too do the same. Joshua will seek revenge on my behalf." Ivy threatened her, and Aria could not help but laugh at her words.


    "Sure, sure, sure. I will be waiting. Anyway, I have called you to discuss another matter with you." Aria turned serious at once, and Ivy frowned at her sudden shift in tone. "Do you know anyone by the name Linda?"


    As soon as Aria took the girl''s name, Ivy''s frown deepened. Her eyes turned solemn. As far as she recalled, she had never mentioned the girl''s name or her real name to her sister. How did she find out about Linda? Ivy wondered.


    "From your silence, I presume you know her. Do you mind coming down to the hospital? She was admitted today, and apparently, she tried to commit suicide or that was what the prison guards told us. But the signs and marks show something else. Someone must have tried to kill her. It was she who asked me to contact you."


    "How did you know about her? Did she ask for you specifically or were you her doctor?" Ivy was in disbelief to think that someone tried to kill Linda right on the day she had thought of approaching her for an interview. How coincidental was this!


    "Yes, she did. Stuart was her attending doctor. But she asked specifically for me. How does she even know me?" This question had been bugging Aria''s mind for a long time. Even though Ivy was a journalist, her background and other details were thoroughly hidden by Maggie. So, it was impossible for anyone to find out about her family. It was shocking to think that Linda knew about her when Ivy would never bring her family into her work.


    "Aria, something is wrong here. I have a nagging feeling about this, though I am not sure about it. I will be at the hospital in a while. Wait for me. That girl is serious trouble." Ivy warned, her mind trying to conjure what Linda''s plan maybe but she could not come up with anything.


    ''How did Linda know about Aria and her relationship with me? Wasn''t she in the prison all these days? How was she was able to find out about Aria?'' Ivy thought to herself. ''Unless someone specifically sent her to the hospital to get to us.'' As soon as the thought entered Ivy''s mind, her eyes widened in fear. She shuddered visibly and suddenly had a horrible premonition about all of these.


    "Aria, listen to me and listen to me carefully." Ivy''s tone switched suddenly that Aria too felt it. She raised her eyebrows subtly. "Irrespective of what happens, please don''t go to her ward alone. Take Ian or Stuart or anyone you trust with you. I do not know what Linda''s intentions are, and it is impossible for her to know about you and me unless someone who knows us has told her. Please be careful until I arrive."


    Though Aria did not know what was happening, she sensed the urgency in her voice. It was anything but she had heard from her before, and she realized how serious the situation was. "Okay, Ivy. I will do as you say. I will wait for you."


    "Great, I will be there shortly." Ivy ended the call at once. Even though Aria had assured her, she was not convinced. Not wanting to risk her sister''s life, she called Ian the next instant.


    "Ian, where are you?" As soon as her call connected, she fired her question, completely skipping her greeting.


    "Well, hello to you too. I am at the hospital right now. Why do you ask, Ivy?" Ian had just returned to his office after going on rounds when he had received Ivy''s call. He did not miss the seriousness and worry in her tone, and he wondered what had got her all riled up and anxious.


    "Great. You might have heard of the new patient, Linda. She was admitted on the pretext that she tried to commit suicide in prison."


    "I have heard about her. Is something the matter, Ivy?" Ian''s face scrunched up in confusion, wondering where this was going.


    "Yes, I have no idea how but she knows about Aria being my sister when not many people know about it. Please make sure Aria is safe. I don''t know what Linda is playing at but she sounds of danger." Ivy blabbered, and she swallowed some of her words in fear. But Ian understood what she was trying to convey. Just like Ivy and Aria, he too was now stunned to learn that there was some foul play happening here.


    "Ivy, I will take care of Aria. Please don''t worry. Until you arrive, I will try to find what the girl''s intentions are." Ian''s eyes narrowed dangerously as he enunciated his words clearly.


    "Thanks, Ian. I will be there shortly."


    Although he did know the story behind Linda, it did not take him long to realize that whatever it was was not pleasant, and someone out there was trying to use Linda to get to Ivy and Aria. He clenched his fists and the next moment, he rushed out of his office towards the direction where Linda was. He now had a task at hand, and he had to find out what Linda wanted of the twins.

 Chapter 550: Questioning Linda

    Ian was not surprised to see Aria just outside Linda''s ward. There were also two female prison guards guarding the ward. It was only after seeing Aria safe and fine that he sighed in relief. Aria had not missed the panic on Ian''s face, and for a moment, she wondered if it was Ivy who had called him to inform him about the situation.


    ''It has to be Ivy. Otherwise, why would Ian come here running with a panic-filled face?'' Aria thought to herself. ''Ivy,'' She sighed. ''Why did you have to pull Ian into this? Do you not trust your sister to stay safe?'' She shook her head in disbelief at her sister''s attempts to keep her away from danger even though Aria was more capable of taking care of herself than her elder sister.


    Aria did not wait for Ian to come to her. She went to him with a confirmed expression on his face. "Did Ivy call you?"


    Ian''s nod was all she needed to know that her sister had been worried for her beyond she could even imagine. It was to the extent that she had called Ian just to make sure she was safe.


    "What''s the matter, Aria? What''s happening?" Though Ian more or less had guessed what was happening, he still needed clarity about it.


    Aria looked at the two female guards who were already looking at them. She gestured him to follow her and the duo went to a secluded place where no one would be able to listen to their conversation.


    "Ian, Ivy would never allow anyone to find out about her family irrespective of what happens, and even if someone wants to find out, Maggie has made sure to keep it under the wraps. So, how was Linda able to know about me and Ivy? She specifically asked for me when Stuart went to attend to her, and she asked me to contact Ivy for she has some matters to disclose to her."


    Aria stated everything in one breath, and once she was done, she took a deep breath to calm her raging heart. Although she was not frightened by the way things had turned out, she could still not brush off the uneasiness that was slowly making its place known to her. It was as though something huge and disastrous would strike her soon that would eventually wreak her or Ivy''s life for sure.


    "This is disturbing. How is it possible for Linda to know about you? As far as I know, only people authorized by Maggie can find out the link between you, Ivy, and Oliver. Even Jared himself does not know the connection between you three. How did Linda find out?" Ian too could not stop himself from expressing his opinion.


    Just like Aria, he too was distressed over this matter and the only way to find out was to interrogate Linda thoroughly. "I presume we speak to Linda herself about this. We wouldn''t want her changing perspectives by the time we question her, would we?"


    Aria too had the same thought, and the two friends finally entered the ward after nodding at the two prison guards. Linda was asleep or that was how it looked from where they were. But on a closer look, it was evident that the woman was pretending to be asleep. Her eyes were closed tight as though she was trying hard to stop herself from meeting the two people who had come for her.


    Aria glanced at Ian, who nodded at her in return before he folded his hands.


    "Linda," Her voice was stern and filled with an amazing commanding power that Ian''s head snapped to her in astonishment. He had never heard such a domineering tone from the girl he had known since high school. For the first time, he felt the intensity in her eyes and her stance that was enough to send chills through his spine. She was as scary as he or his other two friends would ever be when their bottom line was questioned.


    "We know you are awake. Stop pretending." Aria did not notice Ian''s astonished gaze as she was focused more on the troublesome woman on the bed.


    Linda peered through her lashes, focusing first on the handsome man she was seeing for the first time before she looked at the female doctor beside him. She was pleasantly surprised to know that she was Ivy''s twin when she did not have that many attributes that matched with Ivy''s. They must be non-identical, she deduced.


    "You must be Aria." Linda''s voice was dry. But neither Ian nor Aria helped her with her. They just stared at her waiting for her to speak more.


    "How do you know me?" Aria''s voice was cold, and Linda too felt the heaviness and seriousness in her. She was all business and anything else would not be appreciated.


    "I found out from the man who wanted me dead." Linda too did not play around anymore and jumped straight to answering her.


    "Please elaborate."


    Linda''s eyes looked back at Ian before it settled on Aria again. She gave her a dubious expression only to receive a raise of eyebrows.


    "He is staying here. We do not trust you." Aria did not hide her true thoughts, and for a moment, Linda did not know what to speak. How could she harm her in the state she was in? But she did not comment about it, allowing them to suspect her as they wished.


    "I am not sure what is happening outside, for I have been in the prison for months now, courtesy to your sister and her friend." Linda almost spat in anger, and Aria had the sudden urge to slap her face for reprimanding her sister. Who the hell did she think she was to blame Ivy? If she was in prison all these months, then it was her fault, to begin with.


    Linda noticed the change in her expression, and she toned down her anger. But she did not conceal it completely. Ivy was one of the many people she hated, for if not for her and her quite formidable companion, she would not be in the state she was in right now.


    "Out of nowhere, I am being attacked and for what reasons, I don''t know." Linda continued, keeping her gaze fixed on Aria. Even though she was tempted to take a good look at the handsome man in the ward, she compelled herself to stay in position and focus only on Aria.


    "As we had thought, it was not an attempt to suicide. It was an attempt to murder you." Aria mused to herself but it was loud enough that even Linda heard it.


    "What do you mean by suicide? I never tried to commit suicide." Linda shook her head fervently. "Someone out there wants me dead."


    "And why is that so?" Aria''s cold gaze did not change whatsoever. It still was intense, forcing Linda to answer her immediately.


    "Maybe because I know their truth." Linda''s eyes widened in realization, and she sucked in a deep breath in fear.


    "Whose truth?"


    "All the people who destroyed my life."


    "And might they be?" Aria did not stop, for this was what she wanted to know.


    "Jared, Charles, and..." Linda stopped speaking and a frown marred her forehead.


    "And?


    "I do not remember the other person''s name." Her frown only deepened as she tried to recollect who the other person was. Only to no avail.


    "Was it Fredrick?" Aria probed while Ian watched the woman shake her head immediately.


    "No, it was not. It was a powerful name, a name that could shake the country. He sounded like a businessman. Who is the top businessman in the country currently?"


    Now it was Ian and Aria''s turn to frown, and they gave her a suspicious look, wondering what she was up to. Even though none of her words made sense, they continued to entertain her to see where this was going.


    "Noah Carter?" Ian spoke for the first time since he had entered the ward and just like Aria''s, it was intimidating and forceful.


    "Yes, he was a Carter. But he was not Noah. It was someone else. What was his name? What was his name?" Linda tried to rack her brain to find out who the man was. "Yes, it was Jonathan. Jonatha Carter, who is as responsible as the others for destroying my life."

 Chapter 551: Truth or lies?

    "It was Jonathan Carter who destroyed my life." Linda spat, her face scrunching up in hatred. It was as though she was ready to battle him out if Jonathan were to be standing in front of him. Her entire being screamed of her resentment towards the old man for what he had done to her.


    Aria and Ian''s calm and cold composure cracked as soon as they heard Noah''s grandfather''s name. But their shock barely lasted a moment, and they got back to their calm state immediately. It was evident that Linda was lying. Why would someone as amazing as Jonathan resort to such evil and criminal means and destroy people''s lives? It was impossible to even imagine it let alone accept it.


    Even though it had been only a few times when Aria had met the eldest Carter, from these meetings alone she had found out how simple and down to earth the old man was. Nothing about him showed him to be involved in such matters and even if someone were to show her evidence against, she was certain not to believe them.


    "You are lying." Ian gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. If Linda had not been a woman, he was sure that his fist would have met her face. It was one thing that she blamed Jonathan Carter for her miseries. But it was another to blame the old man in front of him when Ian had nothing but admiration towards him.


    "Do you think I am in a situation where I can lie? I am practically at the end of my life. People either want me dead or in prison where I can keep my mouth shut and say nothing. I have secrets with me, valuable secrets that could destroy not only my life as well as the people about whom I have secrets. Why do I have to care about them when I am on my death bed?"


    Linda was filled with so much anger that neither Aria nor Ian knew what to speak for a second. "If I am going down, I will take them down with me. Since they were the cause of my destruction, I will be theirs." She exclaimed with resolve.


    "Would you mind telling me what Jonathan Carter did to you for you to accuse him?" Aria folded her hands, returning to her intimidating self. She had no idea what Linda was playing at and why she was targeting Noah''s grandfather. But whatever it was, she did not trust the woman even for a moment. Her ill intentions were as clear as bay, and she would be a fool to even believe one word of hers.


    "Jonathan Carter," Linda scoffed in disgust as soon as she took his name. "Although he did not do anything to me personally, wasn''t he the person behind all these crimes? Isn''t he the mastermind behind Jared and his men?"


    "You are wrong." Ian stopped her before she could continue. He had had enough of her nonsense. To him, it was incomprehensible to even put Grandpa Carter with Jared and Charles, let alone believe him to the man behind all their plans. "Jonathan Carter is an upright man. He would never resolve to such lowly methods."


    "That is what even I had thought until I saw Jared and Charles with that old pig." As soon as Linda addressed Noah''s grandfather as a pig, Aria had the sudden urge to slap her face hard. But Ian held her hand, stopping her from losing control in time. He himself was not in a better state, and he too was just short of losing his calm. But they were on a mission, and they had to find out what Linda wanted of them, what plan she was conniving and with whom.


    "Did you see Jonathan with Charles and Jared?" Ian inquired in disbelief. Though he was still skeptical about the girl''s words, he could not completely ignore them either. There were high chances that eldest Carter did meet with Jared or Charles given how they were all into business. But that did not mean he was actually the man who planned the mass destruction in the country.


    "Yes, I did. Otherwise, why would I be loathing him with all my life." Linda''s eyes narrowed as she shot daggers at Ian. Even though she was charmed by the handsome man before her, her hatred towards the three men got the best of her, clouding her rationality and other senses.


    "Where did you meet him?" Ian probed further, wanting to find what exactly had happened for Linda to accuse Jonathan.


    "At a conference, I presume." Linda''s brows narrowed as she thought about it, and the moment her words left her lips, both Aria and Ian caught onto her lie. Her face clearly showed the uncertainty in her words.


    "I see." Ian stifled a smile while he nodded at Aria. "When did the conference take place, and where?"


    "A year ago."


    "Okay. Where did it take place?"


    This got Linda thinking for a few seconds. "In Australia."


    Ian was now sure that the girl was spouting lies blatantly, not knowing the truth at all. Her words completely contradicted reality. Jonathan had stopped attending any conferences since the time he had passed on his business and all his work to his son and grandson almost four years ago. Even if he were to participate in any conference, either Noah or his son, Samuel accompanied him.


    It was highly possible that Jonathan did meet Charles and Jared. But it would not have happened without Noah or Samuel''s knowledge. Moreover, as far as Ian remembered, he did not recall the elder Carter ever attending a conference in the last year, let alone a conference in another country. The man had stayed at his warm home, enjoying his blissful life doing what he loved to do, gardening.


    "I must commend you for your bravery. You sure are courageous to be spouting lies right in front of us when you already know that we are familiar with Noah and his grandfather." As soon as Ian spoke, Linda''s eyes grew wide. She could not conceal her guilt and shock. But soon, she put on a poker face, reverting to her previous self.


    "Why do you think I am lying? I knew you would not trust me and why would you when I am nothing but a criminal? You are more well-versed with Jonathan Carter than me. But it was worth a shot." Linda shrugged lightly, her gaze unwavering. "But I am not lying. If you are unwilling to believe me, I can not do anything. I do not have proof with me and I cannot force you to trust me. The only thing I can suggest is to speak to Jonathan himself. I am sure you will find the truth from him."


    Linda yawned, her eyelids turning heavy slowly. She pulled the blanket until her chin and looked at Aria and Ian for a moment before she closed her eyes. It did not take long for her to succumb to the effect of drugs, leaving Ian and Aria to deal with the mess she had thrown them into.

 Chapter 552: Liar Linda

    "What do you think about Linda''s words?" Aria was the first one to break the silence as Ian sipped on his coffee. They were completely shocked to find out Linda taking Granpa Carter''s name, especially when both of them knew the man''s character. So, neither of them believed her or her malicious words against the man, who they both respected and admired.


    Ian tilted his head and placed his cup on the saucer as he stared at Aria, who was waiting for his thoughts on this matter. "I do not trust her, not one bit. She is lying for sure. What I want to know is why she is lying to us? What will she get out of it?"


    Aria nodded in agreement. This was exactly how she too was feeling. But a small seed of doubt had still taken its place in her heart, and she could not pull it out even if wanted to. It was as though her brain was screaming at her to check Grandpa Carter and find out the truth about him herself.


    Ian did not miss the way Aria was looking blankly at him, and he discerned what was running in her mind for he too had had the same thought a few moments ago. He too had felt suspicious about it and wanted to find out what the actual truth was from Grandpa Carter himself. But as soon as the thought had entered his mind, he realized how absurd it was and had brushed it off immediately, reprimanding himself for even having such notions.


    "Are you thinking of investigating Grandpa Carter?" Ian did not hide what Aria was thinking.


    "Yes. Although I trust him, I just want to make sure that he has no involvement in this matter or with even Jared or Charles so that situations like these will not arise in the future. What if we meet other people who start claiming and blaming Grandpa in the future? Isn''t it better that we are prepared first? We can slap their faces with the proofs when it happens?"


    Aria did not conceal her thoughts at being exposed. Instead, she revealed her plan to Ian, waiting to find out what he thought about this.


    "You are right, Aria. There are only two possibilities now. Either Grandpa Carter is in no way involved in this matter, and someone out there wants to frame him for things he has not done. Or..." Ian stopped speaking and bit his lip. He was unable to continue with his words, hoping for this part of his thoughts to never be true.


    "Or, he might actually be involved in this and has hidden brilliantly from everyone all these years." Aria completed his sentence for him, and Ian slowly nodded at her. "What do you think we should do now?" She brushed her finger on the rim of her cup, pressing her forehead in worry. "We cannot reveal what we learned from Linda to Noah. He will just kill her."


    "Yes, Noah admires his grandfather more than he admires his parents. I don''t think he will be able to control his rage if he were to listen to Linda''s accusations. If we were to investigate it, we will have to do it against his knowledge."


    Again silence engulfed the duo, and it continued until Aria''s phone rang. "Ivy, we are at the canteen."


    Barely a few minutes had passed, Ivy came running towards them in a hurry. She was gasping for breath, and from her stance alone, Aria guessed how fast she must have ridden her bike to get here.


    "Calm down, hurricane." Aria pushed a bottle of water towards her, and Ivy gulped it down immediately. "Did you rush here on your motorbike?" Aria chided her softly, and Ivy just nodded as she continued to empty the bottle in her hand.


    "Idiot." Aria smacked her hand lightly, and Ivy just pouted and took the seat beside her. "Don''t you ever do that again."


    "I will not make any promises I can''t keep." Ivy''s reply was short and she turned to Ian, who was looking at the sisters in amusement.


    "What did Linda say?" She did not beat around the bush and jumped to the topic immediately.


    "How are you certain that we met Linda?" Aria queried from the side, and Ivy turned to her, her face filled with a bored expression.


    "Aria, I know you better than you do. Why do you think I called Ian? You will never be able to sit still in matters like these. Your inquisitiveness would have got the best of you and the moment you called me, I realized what would do next." This shut Aria''s lips and she took a sip of her coffee.


    "Smart," Ian commented with an impressed smile.


    "That I am. Now tell me what happened. What did Linda tell you guys?" Ivy could not sit still any longer, and she wanted to find out everything that had happened and all that Aria and Ian had found from the woman in her absence.


    Aria took a deep breath while Ian spent the next few minutes divulging all that they had heard from the woman. Ivy just had one word on the tip of her tongue when Ian finished speaking. "Liar."


    "What?" Ian bent forward to hear her clearly.


    "I said that woman is a liar. Don''t believe anything she says."


    "How are you this sure?" Aria gave her a questioning look, asking her to continue.


    "Since the time I have met her, all she has done is lie to me. Heck, she even lied about her name to me. Apparently, Linda is not even her name and I don''t remember what her actual name is. She must have lied about everything to me, and I doubt there is even one ounce of truth in what she has told about Grandpa Carter. Why would grandpa Carter be involved in such matters?"


    Ian and Aria let out a sigh of relief as soon as they heard Ivy''s words. Their restless minds were now at peace, and they got the answer they were looking for. Jonathan Carter was in no way involved with Jared or Charles, and someone out there wanted to frame him for reasons unknown to them.


    Aria was just about to ask her more about Linda when her phone rang. Her eyes widened in shock when she heard the person on the other side speak, and she stood up at once, her sudden action startling the two people with her.


    "Is everything alright, Aria?" Ian gave her a worried look once the call ended, only to find Aria shaking her head at him.


    "Linda is dead."

 Chapter 553: Suspicious death

    "Linda is dead," Aria announced, and it was Ian and Ivy''s turn to stand up in shock.


    "What?" Ivy was too mortified to speak further while she waited for Aria to reveal more.


    "Yes, Stuart called me just now. We need to get going." Aria mumbled in a hurry, and the three people left towards the ward where Aria and Ian had last talked to the now deceased woman.


    "How can Linda die? Didn''t you and Ian speak to her just a few moments ago?" Ivy whispered to Aria as they hurried towards the ward. They had to push themselves through the crowd to make their way. A small crowd had accumulated near the ward, making it impossible for anyone to walk by without forcing themselves through, and all the crowd was speaking about was the woman''s sudden and unusual death.


    Stuart waved at Aria as soon as he saw her and he greeted Ivy with a smile.


    "What happened, Stuart?" Aria panted lightly as she looked at the ward where the guards were nowhere in sight.


    "I am not sure either, Aria. I was on rounds when one of the nurses came running to me. The patient was having trouble breathing and her mouth was swelling as time passed. But by the time I came here..." Stuart just shook his head with his lips pursed and let out a deep sigh.


    "What is happening now? Why are you outside?"


    "The nurse is preparing for the post mortem. We need to see what caused her death. But according to the symptoms and her body state, I assume it to be a case of anaphylaxis." Stuart folded his hands and stared hard as the nurses wheeled the now dead woman towards the lab to conduct the post mortem.


    Ian''s eyes too followed the woman, who was alive and filled with hatred a few minutes ago before he turned to Stuart. "I need to have a word with you. Would you mind following me?"


    It was not a request but order and Stuart did not have any problems following it. Although he was uncertain, he had already found a thing or two about Ian. Ian was not only a cardiothoracic surgeon, but he also held an important position in the management of the hospital and its board of directors.


    "Aria, Ivy." Ian tilted his head, asking the sisters too to follow them, and the group of four went to his office where there was complete privacy. Ivy made sure to lock the door after her, lest someone should interrupt them in their conversation.


    "Stuart, could you repeat the symptoms you found in Linda when you saw her last?" Ian folded his hands while his face scrunched up with a frown.


    "Sure. When I reached her ward, the patient was already dead. Her mouth was completely swollen, and there were blisters near her lips and eyes and rashes on her hands. From these severe reactions, I presumed that her to have been suffering from anaphylaxis." Stuart stopped speaking once he was done and waited for Ian''s opinion, while Ivy looked at the three people in confusion.


    "What is anaphylaxis?" She did not hesitate to ask even though she knew how odd her question sounded when they were involved in such a serious discussion.


    "Umm, anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction. From Stuart''s analysis alone, it is evident that Linda had anaphylaxis. She must have consumed something that triggered the reaction." Aria explained, and Ivy took in her words with a frown.


    "Shall I presume that it was a case of intentional poisoning or was it a blunder from the medical staff?" Ivy continued, and Ian''s frown deepened in frustration.


    "We cannot say it to be a blunder, Miss West. I had the patient''s previous medical reports where all her allergies were stated. We made sure to not give any of the medicines to the patient she is allergic to." Stuart affirmed, ruling out the possibility of errors completely.


    "Someone deliberately poisoned Linda." Ivy continued. "Did anyone enter the ward after Ian and Aria did?" She mused, and Stuart shook his head immediately.


    "No. I asked the guards. After Dr. West and Dr. Davis, nobody entered. It was only when they heard the patient groaning and screaming in pain did they call the nurse."


    "Now, I am completely lost." Ivy raised her hands and plopped on one of the chairs, her face scrunching up in annoyance. "How long does it take for anyone to start having allergic reactions?"


    "It depends on each person, Ivy. Some may show the symptoms as soon as they consume the allergen while it takes an hour or more in other cases." Aria elaborated.


    "It must be the second scenario with Linda. If no one entered the ward after Aria and Ian, I am sure someone injected the chemical inside her before she met them. Is there any possibility that she consumed the allergen while she was still in prison?"


    "That''s not possible. We performed tests on her when she was admitted here but did not find any medications in her body. If she had consumed it, we would have known about it." Stuart stated.


    "What if her allergy was not a cause of medicine but something else?"


    "We will have to wait for the post mortem report to confirm what has happened. Until then, we cannot conclude anything about this." Ian dropped his fierce stance and leaned against the table as he pressed his forehead.


    "And there goes my opportunity to interview this damn woman," Ivy mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear it. "What are the chances!" She could not help but groan at the predicament she was in. How coincidental it was that Linda died right on the day she thought of interviewing her!!


    "By the way," Ivy sat up straight when a notion hit her. "Why was she admitted to the hospital? What had happened to her?"


    "The patient tried to cut her wrist or that was what the prison guards told us. But we do not think so." Stuart answered and took the other empty chair. He did not conceal the truth for he knew with Ivy being Aria''s sister, she would never use this information in the wrong way. And Ian himself had not stopped him when the man had a say in the matters related to the hospital.


    "Why?"


    "It is not that difficult to find out if a person has slit his own wrist or if anyone else has done it. It sure looked like suicide but the depth of the blade says otherwise. Also, we cannot ignore the marks on her hands and legs. Someone forced her down to keep her still while they attacked her. There are obvious finger marks on her body."


    "Ohh," Ivy did not know what more to say. She just sat still, staring at her sister blankly.


    "This case does not seem to be that simple. There must be something else which we are unable to see." Aria spoke after a few minutes of silence.


    "Why do you think so, Aria? Did you sense something odd about it?" Ian gave her a puzzled look.


    "Not exactly, Ian. But my intuition strongly says that we are missing something, that she came to our hospital on a purpose which, right now, we are unable to decipher."


    Ian was just about to probe further into it when a knock at the door interrupted him. A nurse was waiting for him and she was surprised to see the other three people in his office. "Dr. Davis, the police are here and they want to speak you and Dr. West."

 Chapter 554: Background check

    Aria, Ian and Stuart followed the nurse to meet the police while Ivy decided to stay in Ian''s office. Though she too wanted to find out what was happening, she knew she would not be allowed to hear the conversation between the trio and police. They would make sure to keep the press out of it as much as possible, and Ivy herself did not intend to make it difficult for her friends until they found out the cause of Linda''s death.


    Ivy watched the three people leave the office with a deep sigh. But before leaving, Aria did not forget to hand over her phone to Ivy, who took it from her a puzzled look, not understanding what her sister had in mind.


    "Open audio recordings." That was all Aria whispered before she left the office, and a still confused Ivy did as she was told only find the recording of the conversation between Linda, Aria, and Ian. Though she did not know why her sister had handed over her phone to her, she listened to it to see if she could find out anything else from it.


    But there was nothing else significant other than what she had already learned from Aria and Ian. Except for Linda''s shocking words regarding Noah''s grandfather, everything else was completely what she had already known. So, she was not that affected by it.


    What mattered to her more was Linda''s unusual death and her accusations regarding the old Carter. Now, Ivy wanted to find how everything was connected and who wanted the woman dead. How would anyone benefit if she were gone from the surface of the earth?


    ''I need to find out everything about this woman. I need to know what had happened to her and how she got involved with Jared. And I know just the person who can help me.'' Ivy smiled softly before she placed a call to her boyfriend. Though it was Maggie who had first come to her mind, she recalled how the girl had been exhausted beyond imagination. She had been on a vacation since the time she had escaped from Jared''s den. Moreover, she was now assisting her father with his work, spending her time fruitfully.


    On the other side, Ivy knew how bored to death Joshua was. She remembered the man begging her to allow him to work from home, for he had nothing else to do. It was only after Ivy threatened him did he relent to her wishes and gave up his desire to work in the condition he was in. ''Joshua, be ready for an exciting assignment.''


    Without wasting another minute, Ivy called the man who at that time was staring at his laptop with such intensity that the lifeless object too felt itself crack and shatter in fear.


    "How did Grandpa Carter meet Jared and Charles? What has happened that I do not know about?" He mused and continued scrolling through the ambiguous pictures that had kept him awake and his thoughts occupied since the time he had seen them. "What mystery is this? How do I reveal these pictures to Noah?"


    Joshua was so lost in his thoughts and in observing the pictures that he did not see the caller ID when his phone rang. He just answered it, his tone coming out quite bland and listless.


    "Joshua, why do you sound weird?" Ivy being the attentive one, did not miss his usual tone and her face scrunched up in anxiousness. "Did something happen? Is it your injuries? Did they rupture again? Are you bleeding again?" Her mind went berserk as soon as the notion hit her and as a result, her tone rose an octave in worry.


    "I will be there soon. Wait for me!" Ivy could not conceal her panic and she picked up her bag, ready to bolt out of the hospital when Joshua stopped her.


    "Ivy, stop." His voice came out as a command, and Ivy halted in her place automatically. It was as though her mind was willing to do anything he was telling her to make sure that he was fine. "I am perfectly fine, sweetheart." He tried but Ivy interrupted him immediately.


    "I don''t think so. You sounded strange just now. I am afraid you are lying to me. I will be there shortly. Wait for me. Let us visit the hospital and get you checked." Ivy rushed out of Ian''s office and almost ran towards the entrance gates.


    "Ivy, stop. I am perfectly fine and my wounds are fine too. In fact, they are healing right now. You do not have to worry about me."


    "Then, why did you sound off? What happened?" Even though Ivy was not convinced, she slowed down but did not stop moving towards the entrance.


    "I was working on a project, and I was stuck at some problem. I was trying to solve it. Maybe that caused a little stress and my voice sounded different." Joshua lied conveniently. Even though guilt embraced him immediately after, he did not back down.


    Ivy was not the person he wanted to discuss the matter that was eating his head first. He did not intend to reveal everything to her before he spoke to Noah about it. All he could do was apologize to her silently for his mistakes and vow to make it up to her in the future.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to take much stress? See how sickly you sound." Ivy grumbled, and Joshua could not help but laugh at her words. He shook his head lightly and placed the laptop on the bed before he got off it.


    "I am alright, Ivy. It was just menial work that needed my attention." Joshua glanced at the photographs on his laptop before he moved towards the window. "How did your interview go?"


    "It went well. I have called..." Ivy stopped speaking suddenly. Her idea of handing over the task to Joshua did not seem reasonable all of a sudden. He was already stressed, and she did not intend to add more to his work.


    "You have called? Continue, Ivy. Why did you stop?" Joshua probed. He had caught onto the sudden seriousness in her tone, and he now wanted to know what had happened.


    "I just wanted to check on you What if you were over-exerting yourself in my absence?" She tried to change the topic but Joshua did not believe her. He knew there was something else bothering her, and she had called him to discuss it with him. But had stopped speaking when she heard about his workload.


    "Ivy, will you start speaking or shall I make you to?" Joshua lowkey threatened her. This was the only way she would reply to him honestly and just as he had expected, Ivy gave up lying.


    "It''s fine, Joshua. It''s just a small matter. I will look for Maggie. You need to take a rest. I won''t stress you more."


    "Ivy."


    Ivy did not even have the opportunity to continue when Joshua intervened suddenly, his low, commanding voice stopping her from speaking any further.


    "Tell me. I am here."


    That was all it took for Ivy to break her resolve, and her mouth got running at once. "I wanted to find out about a woman. Do you mind looking at her information? She is damn suspicious. I want to find out everything, every small thing about her."


    "That''s it? This is an easy job for me."


    "But all I have is her photograph. Although I know her name, I don''t know if it is her actual name."


    "That''s fine. Send me her picture. I will find out all you want."


    "Amazing. Joshua, you are incredible."


    "I know. But save it for the time when you are thoroughly satisfied by me."


    "I am done listening to your nonsense. I have other work to do. Find out everything you can about her." Ivy did not even wait for Joshua''s response and ended the call while all he could do was chuckle to himself.

 Chapter 555: Ridiculous questioning - Part 1

    Meanwhile, Aria, Ian and Stuart sat in front of the police, who had come to interrogate them about Linda''s death and what followed after they visited her ward. Although they were not explicit in their words, the police more or less were forcing the blame on Aria and Ian as they were the last ones to enter the ward before Linda died.


    All they needed was proof that Linda had been injected with poison or any other chemical that triggered her allergic reaction. Even though they did not trust the staff at the hospital in this matter, they did have any choice either. The police could only wait for the post mortem report to find out how exactly Linda had died.


    "Would you mind telling us why Dr. West and Dr. Davis went inside the ward when the deceased was not even your patient?" The policeman queried. His voice was filled with a viciousness which neither Aria nor Ian missed. Even Stuart felt the hostility and evilness from the man, and he could not help but frown at this. It was as though the man had come here with a reason which Stuart could not discern.


    "We are doctors, Sir. It is our duty to make sure our patients are recovering well." Ian replied with a cold face, and for a moment, the policeman did not know what to say in return. All he could do was glare at them for cutting his flow of interrogation.


    "Well, I appreciate your sincerity in your work. But since the deceased woman was not your patient, may I ask you on what grounds did you visit her?" He probed further, not hiding his rudeness towards them. Even his face was filled with ridicule as though he was looking upon the two people.


    Aria was just about to reply to him when Stuart beat her to it. "Sir, I was the one who asked Dr. West and Dr. Davis to take a look at the patient. I wanted their opinion on her condition before I performed other tests on her."


    Though surprised by Stuart''s cover up in this matter, neither Aria nor Ian reacted to his words and they stared blankly at the policeman and colleagues, provoking them silently. By now, everyone in the room had understood what was happening. The policeman was hellbent on pushing the blame on Aria and Ian even before he could catch hold on solid evidence to prove his claims.


    "I see." The policeman nodded as he stared at Stuart with a condescending expression. "But I was told that Dr. West and Dr. Davis entered the ward themselves without Dr. Lee. I wonder how you were able to seek their help without following them inside."


    All the three doctors in the room had the sudden urge to laugh at the man''s obnoxious words. They could not help but doubt his intelligence, for all he had shown them was how stupid and brainless he was since the time they had started the interrogation.


    "Sir, would you mind coming to the topic directly instead of beating around the bush?" Ian could not control himself any longer. The policeman was not only holding up their time with his ridiculous questions, but he was also testing their patience which by now was nowhere in sight.


    All the three doctors were just short of banging the man''s head against the wall for his idiocy. Stuart even wanted to study his dumb brain to see where all his thinking and reasoning capabilities had gone. He wanted to find out what brain disease he was suffering from.


    "I am not beating around the bush, Dr. Davis. It is you three who are unwilling to answer my questions, and I wonder why." The man smiled, his crooked teeth showing themselves clearly. His eyes were filled with cunningness, and it did not take long for Aria and Ian to perceive what was happening here.


    "Sir, we would answer the questions if they made sense. But all your questions are nothing but nonsense, and we do not entertain stupidity here." Aria''s words were laced with sarcasm, and Stuart stifled a laugh hearing them.


    Even the lady constable who had accompanied the policeman chuckled to herself at the doctor''s words. She too had felt the strangeness on the questions. It was too weird, raising suspicions in her. Since the time they had started interrogating the three doctors, her superior had not stopped with his ridiculous questions. And she could clearly see what he trying to achieve.


    "Dr. West, why are you trying to blame me when all I am doing is my duty? Is this your guilty conscious speaking?" The policeman''s smile only widened, instead of getting annoyed at Aria''s sass.


    "Why would I be guilty?" Aria''s asked calmly.


    It was too calm for his liking, and the policeman could see how controlled the three doctors were of the situation. Nothing he did or said could break them. He was at his wit''s ends, and he finally resorted to accusing them blatantly.


    "Well, you should say. You are guilty of what you did to the deceased."


    "And what might that be?" Ian leaned forward as he clasped his fingers. His fury was evident from the way his countenance had changed instantly. His calmness exploded, and the anger which Aria had seen only a few times in her life took its place. "Would you mind telling us what we are guilty of now that you have already accused us?"


    Stuart too sensed the changes from the man beside him. Though stunned, he did not react much for he too was angry with the policeman''s behavior. He had crossed all his limits now by accusing two of the best doctors in the hospital.


    "If you are not guilty of anything, then you will have nothing to worry about." The policeman did not give them a direct reply. Instead, he started to dawdle and play mind games with the trio.


    "Since we have nothing to worry about, I assume our interrogation is over. We will get going now." Ian stood up, and Aria and Stuart followed suit.


    "I never told you could go, doctors." The policeman remained seated, his crooked smile not leaving his annoying face. "You are not to leave this room until I get satisfactory answers."


    "If you want satisfactory answers, ask questions that make sense. Otherwise, I will seriously have to doubt your intelligence, Inspector." Stuart retorted, irked by the man. His sudden outburst surprised Aria and Ian but they just smiled at him in appreciation for his splendid reply.


    This time, the policeman could not sit still. Stuart''s words directly hit his ego, and he stood up at once as he pointed his finger at the trio. "How dare you call me dumb!"


    "Ah, ah, ah, you are mistaken, policeman." Aria stopped him before he went ahead with his words. "We never called you dumb. You called yourself dumb."


    The policeman glared at Aria, his eyes filled with anger. All he wanted was to rip the three doctors into pieces for their insolence towards him. But his expression changed the next instant and he started laughing all of a sudden, which did not faze the three people. They just gave him a bored expression in return.


    "I now realize what you three are trying to do."


    Aria raised her brows, waiting to see what ludicrous theory he had come up with now.


    "You three are trying to get away from the crime you have committed. You want to escape after killing Linda. But let me tell you one thing, with me around, it will never happen."

 Chapter 556: Ridiculous questioning - Part 2

    "You three are guilty of murdering Linda and now are trying to escape from taking the blame." The policeman accused without holding back.


    This time, neither of the three people could stop themselves from laughing. As soon as the policeman threw accusations at them, they burst out laughing, startling him for a moment. The policeman had no idea what was happening and why the three people were laughing. He just stared at them blankly in confusion.


    "Now I really doubt your intelligence, Inspector," Ian stated once he stopped laughing. "You have crossed all levels of stupidity for blaming us without thinking. Why would we even kill a woman we do not even know? We met the patient only today, and you think we will kill her for no reason whatsoever."


    Ian''s face turned cold at once, and the sudden shift in him made the policeman tremble lightly. His heart skipped a beat and he could not help but cower in his place. He took a step back to keep his distance from Ian. But Ian did not him that privilege. He closed in on him, towering over him domineeringly.


    "Do not test our patience, Inspector. We will not accept everything you throw at us blindly." He gritted his teeth before he walked back to stand in between Aria and Stuart.


    It took a few seconds for the policeman to return to his calm state after being utterly intimidated by Ian. His face had gone completely pale, and nobody could ignore his obvious scared expression.


    "Are we done, or do we still have to answer any absurd questions?" Ian queried, still not giving up his domineering aura.


    It was only when he heard Ian''s voice did the policeman snap out of his fear. He blinked a few times to catch hold of his sanity and his sense. "You cannot leave, doctors."


    "May we ask why?" Ian continued.


    "You are not allowed to leave until we get the post mortem reports. What if you are guilty of murdering Linda and are trying to run away?" Though he did not smirk like before, his words did not change and he kept accusing them.


    "Are you going to make us wait until the report comes out?" Aria asked in disbelief. She could not hide her irritation and raised her hands in helplessness. The policeman had lost it completely.


    "Yes, you will have to stay in this room until the report comes out. And I just hope the report is not falsified for I will get another post mortem report after this. If I find anything untrue in the report, I will make sure this hospital shuts down forever." The policeman threatened without thinking. His fear had vanished as quickly as he had felt it, and now he had returned to threatening them foolishly.


    Ian just shook his head at the man''s obnoxious threats. ''I would like to see how you will shut this hospital down. I will make sure that you will not be holding your post before you can even start your plan to get my hospital closed.'' He vowed in his mind before he took his seat again.


    Ian realized that it would be impossible for them to leave the room without kicking up a fuss. He had seen the three constables move towards them as soon as he and his friends had stood up. And creating a ruckus was the last thing he had in mind. He did not wish to destroy his hospital''s name just because of some idiot.


    "You want us to wait for the reports, right? We will wait until then. Dr. West, Dr. Lee, let us wait until then." Ian gestured for his colleagues to sit down, and they followed his request without complaints. They too had realized what the policeman was getting at, and the only way to shut him up was with the reports.


    "And let me tell you, Inspector." Ian gave a mysterious nod to Aria and Stuart. "If anything happens to any of our patients while we are here, you will be held accountable for it is you who had held us here. I hope you are ready to bear the consequences that might fall on you if such a situation arises."


    Aria''s lips curved upon realizing what Ian was doing and she too joined in immediately. "Yes, Inspector. Moreover, everyone in the hospital knows that we are here. So, we do not mind staying here. But do not blame us if they blame you and if the hospital management complains against you to your superiors for stopping us from working without any reasons."


    "Also, I have a surgery consultation in a few minutes." Stuart looked at his watch and added. "I just hope the patient is not in an emergency."


    That was all it took for the policeman to give up. He glowered at the three people in anger. He let out a deep breath, giving up for the time being. "You can all go now. I will speak to you once I get the reports. I hope you will cooperate then. And don''t even think about leaving the hospitals. The police will be watching the hospital entrance and the premises."


    He warned but none among the three were in the mood to listen to him any longer. Aria just pulled open the door and walked out, not even caring about giving the policeman any face while Ian and Stuart followed.


    Nobody spoke a word until they entered Ian''s office where Ivy was waiting for them. It was only after Stuart closed the door did Aria broke the silence.


    "Can you believe that man?" Aria''s eyes widened in disbelief. "I am still stunned to think that he blamed us for what happened to Linda without any evidence."


    "I agree. Although I do not blame him for suspecting us for even I would have done the same if I was in his place, he was wrong in accusing us outright." Ian''s brows narrowed as he recalled all that had happened a few minutes ago.


    "Guys, what happened?" Ivy had no idea why the three people looked so vexed. She stared at them in worry, wondering what had happened for them to lose their cool.


    "The police are now blaming us for the patient''s death," Stuart answered.


    "He is not just blaming us, Stuart. He is blatantly accusing us, making us the culprit. In his eyes, we are already the criminals who killed Linda. I am having a bad feeling about him."


    "What do you mean, Aria?" Ian walked towards her with his eyes narrowed.


    "Don''t you think that it is all coincidental that Linda called to meet me exclusively, and she dies immediately after we leave her ward? And the police now hold us responsible for her death without even seeking evidence. It is as though they are damn sure that we killed her. If I am not wrong, I feel that this is a plan to trap me."


    "Do you intend to say that someone wants to get to you using Linda, and they killed her to frame you?" Ian''s frown deepened at her words. Even Stuart and Ivy narrowed their gazes as they thought about it.


    "Although I am not certain, I think this has to be it. Also, didn''t you notice the way the police addressed Linda?"


    "I did." Stuart intervened. "This was an interrogation, and he called her by her first name. I too felt something to be off when he just took her first name. Isn''t that strange?"


    "Something fishy is happening here. If what you said is the truth Aria, I think we might soon be in serious trouble."

 Chapter 557: Cause of death - Part 1

    "If what you are saying is right, then we might be in serious trouble, Aria," Ian stated as he stared at the wall, anger emanating from him once again. His face turned dark at once, making Aria and Stuart, who were standing near him to take a step back in caution.


    Aria had never seen this side of him, and for the first time since he had known Ian, she felt him be a completely different person. It was not the Ian she knew. It was somebody else, somebody who could make people cower in fear and run for their lives.


    Ivy too did not miss the changes in Ian, and she recalled the time when she had seen similar changes in Noah and Joshua when Tim had intruded her apartment. The darkness and his bloodthirst were evident on Ian''s face, and she had an intuition about what would happen soon. The man was just about to go berserk, and they had to stop him before it became too late.


    "Ian, let us wait for the reports." Stuart tried to appease him but the man was too infuriated to listen to him. Even Ivy did not know what to say in the situation they were in. All she could do was stare at Aria, pleading with her to pacify Ian before he lost his composure completely in his anger.


    "Ian," Aria held Ian''s fingers, mustering all the courage in her. She was familiar with what Ian was feeling, for that was how she had felt before she had killed Kevin. She knew the feeling of the bloodthirst and the desire to kill all the people who had put them in the predicament they were in. But the situation was not at all in their favor, and now was not the time to be reckless and irrational.


    "Stuart is right. We need to come up with a plan to tackle the problem we are facing instead of losing our composure. Please calm down and Dr. Davis," Aria glanced at Ivy, who gestured for her to continue. "We prefer the cool and suave Ian instead of a furious and cold one."


    This appeased Ian a little, and his anger faded lightly. He closed his eyes to calm his raging heart when he heard Ivy continue.


    "I can ask Joshua to come here. He will entertain you until you are not angry at the policeman anymore. But I cannot guarantee you that Joshua will not divert all your fury towards himself, given how he is damn skilled at irking anyone and everyone."


    This time, Ian could not control himself, and he burst out laughing. Even Stuart too started laughing on hearing Ivy''s words.


    "Finally, charming Ian is the best. I think we need to have Joshua on back up so that he can stop Ian from going bonkers in situations like these," Aria uttered.


    "Hey, what do you take my boyfriend for? He is not a stand-up comedian, alright? Don''t make him one. I prefer him the way he is." Ivy placed her hands on her hips and glared at Aria, only to find her sticking out her tongue at her playfully.


    "What can I do if he is an entertainer?"


    "Thanks, Aria and Ivy. I am fine now. And Stuart, thank you too." Ian intervened before the sisters started with their playful banter.


    "Since the calm monster is back, we now need to see what the police is upto and why they are hellbent on pushing the blame on me." Aria plopped on the chair and let out a deep sigh, frustrated by all that was happening to them. In just one day, a lot of things had happened and none of them made any sense.


    "Will you guys be implicated in this?" Ivy queried, worried for her sister and Ian. Since they were the last ones to visit the ward, there were high chances that the two held suspicious until proven innocent.


    "That won''t happen. Don''t worry. I will retrieve the CCTV footage and see if anyone has actually slipped inside the ward after us. We cannot trust the prison guards now that they are playing games with us. If they are hellbent on making us the scapegoats, I am hellbent on proving them wrong. I will make sure to slap their faces with evidence to prove them wrong."


    "Ian, did I ever say that you are so sexy when you get all worked up and become serious? It sure is attractive to see you this way."


    "Exactly. You have no idea, Ivy. He is the most handsome doctor I have ever seen, and once his work mode switches on, he becomes even more charming." Aria added, her eyes gleaming in admiration.


    "Girls, you do realize that your boyfriends are my best friends. Right? I might divulge all that you have told about me today. I wonder what would happen to you two then." Ian mused and walked around the table to take his seat behind his computer.


    "What will happen? While Aria will be wolfed down by her man, Joshua will only threaten to eat me up once he recovers." Ivy shrugged lightly, not caring about the pairs of eyes that had immediately turned towards her. Her brazen words took everyone by shock, especially Stuart, who was new to this kind of bickering.


    "Then I will make sure to inform your men about all that you have said today. Let me see if you will be able to survive the apocalypse." Ian said with a chuckle, only to receive a glare from Ivy in return.


    "Wait until the day you find a girlfriend, Ian. I will make sure she will torture you well." Ivy too did not hold down and pouted in annoyance, not noticing how Ian''s face had changed at her words. His smile slipped and he put on a poker face, hiding his current feelings from his friends.


    "What are you doing, Ian?" Aria too missed the changes in him and walked around the table to see what he was up to.


    "I am checking the CCTV footage."


    "Great. Let''s see what we can find out from them." Aria leaned forward while Ian played the video from the moment he and Aria had left the ward. But as the guards had stated, nobody had entered the ward after them. And it was only after a few minutes when the guards entered. And barely a minute after, they exited it only to enter again with a nurse following them.


    "How did Linda die then? This clearly shows that we were the last one to enter the ward, and this alone will be enough to hold us suspicious." Aria muttered while Ian looked on.


    "We can only wait for the post mortem report. Until then, we are bound and helpless."

 Chapter 558: Cause of death - Part 2

    An hour later, Ian went through the post mortem reports which he received just then from the lab, and what he saw made him narrow his gaze.


    "What does the report say, Ian? How did Linda die?"


    "Aria, this is bad." Ian sighed and handed the report to her. "Her body has some traces of aspirin, and she is severely allergic to aspirin." He closed his eyes tight and pursed his lips in worry. Although Ian knew how exactly to get out of the situation, one among the three would still be implicated by it, and he knew who exactly would be facing troubles soon.


    "Aspirin?" Stuart bent over and read the reports in Aria''s hands. "I did not give her an aspirin. When did she consume it? As far as I recall, there was no aspirin in the ward either. We got it all removed lest someone should give it to the patient by mistake."


    "Ian, what do you think must have happened?" Aria passed the folder to Stuart, who went through it again.


    "I presume Linda must have consumed it when she was in prison, and the reaction must have only taken effect after she was admitted to the hospital." Ian analyzed but Stuart shook his head immediately.


    "That is not possible. We performed some tests on her to see if she was drugged by any chance, and she came out clean. There were no traces of aspirin in her whatsoever." He stated, and his words only made Ian frown harder.


    "This is only getting complex. If she did not consume the medicine in the prison and nobody entered the ward after us, there leaves only one possibility then." Ivy expressed her thoughts from the side. "She must have brought the medicine with her and consumed it the moment Ian and Aria left the ward. She had come prepared."


    "Yes, Linda had already made plans to trap Aria. She was already prepared to give up her life. Nevertheless, the police were questioning us and accusing up without even going through the reports. They must have planned all of these together." Ian agreed and pressed his forehead in worry.


    "What are we going to do now, Ian? How are we going to escape from this situation? Not only will I be blamed, but you have also been implicated by me." Aria bit her lip in worry and stared apologetically at him.


    "I am sorry, Ian. It''s all because of me that you got dragged into this." Ivy could not stop the guilty from filling her after finding out how horrible the situation had turned out to be. She had wanted to keep her sister safe. But now, along with her sister, Ian too was impacted quite badly.


    "Please do not apologize, Ivy. You did the right thing by contacting me. Otherwise, we do not know what Linda might have done to Aria. It could have been worse than this. At least, Aria has me now." Ian assured with a smile. Even though the situation was completely not in their favor, Ian stayed calm, which greatly surprised the other three people.


    "What do we do now, Ian? How are we going to escape from this situation?"


    "Aria, we will not face any problems," Ian stated and opened a tab that connected to the CCTV footage of different wards at once. "Aria, you do remember that all the wards in our hospitals have cameras. Right?"


    "Oh yeah. I completely forgot about them. We can use the CCTV surveillance to find out what had happened."


    "Let me find the video, and we can see what exactly happened at that time." Ian took his chair again while Stuart, Ivy and Aria stood behind him. They watched him work on his computer while he tried to find the video they were looking for.


    "Got it." Ian played the video from the beginning and accompanied the other three to find out clues regarding Linda''s death. However, they could not find anything of their help. Not once did they see Linda moving out of her bed or consuming any pills in the absence of any nurse or doctors, neither did they see anyone entering the ward before Aria and Ian did.


    "What the heck!!" Ivy cursed out loud and rolled her eyes in dismay. "We found nothing in this. What the heck did even happen? When did the woman consume aspirin for her to die moments after you two left the ward?"


    Ian replayed the video again. But just like last time, he could not find anything substantial from it. Linda had not once moved her hands, let alone touch her lips for her to have consumed the aspirin pills orally. And no nurse or doctor had entered the ward to give her an infusion. So, they could not find out what had happened and how Linda had ended up dead.


    "Ian, play the video from the time when Linda was being treated," Aria commanded from the side, and Ian followed her orders without any objections. "Look at the screen."


    Her voice compelled the three people to stare at the screen with a frown as they tried to identify what Aria was hinting at.


    "Linda did not consume any pills since the time she entered this ward. The only injection she received was given to her by Stuart. Stuart, what did you ask the nurse to give her?" Stuart stared at himself on the computer screen in shock as he took the injection from the nurse and injected the drug inside Linda''s body.


    "I asked for an antibiotic since the patient''s had her wrist slit. It was....."


    Stuart did not even have to continue when they heard him speak from the computer. "Rocephin"


    "I made sure that she was not allergic to it before I asked for it."


    "This is bad," Ian commented as he stared at the video that was still playing on his computer. "Stuart, there were no traces of Rocephin in Linda''s body. All she had was aspirin."


    "What do you mean, Ian? Will Stuart be in trouble?" Ivy clenched her fists as she waited for Ian to deny her claims. But all she got was silence.  "But Stuart did nothing to Linda. We can clearly see that it was the nurse who gave the wrong medicine."


    "Since we did not even get close to Linda''s bed, there is no way in hell the police can blame us for this matter." Ian continued. "But we cannot say the same about Stuart and the nurses who accompanied him. They did touch her and give her some drugs to stabilize her health when she was admitted, and the medicine they gave was exactly the one that triggered the reaction."


    "What are you trying to say, Ian? Please tell me Stuart will not be implicated in this." Ivy almost begged, fearing the worst possible scenario.


    "I am afraid to say that Stuart might be held responsible for Linda''s death. Even though it was the nurse who gave him the wrong medicine, it was he who injected into her."


    "But how is it his fault? Didn''t he ask for an antibiotic? We can hear it clearly in this video." Ivy argued.


    "Yes, Ivy. We can hear what they are speaking. But there are still chances of Stuart being held responsible for this. Ian, we will have to catch hold of the nurse to find out what happened." Aria tried to comfort her sister and glanced at Stuart who stood frozen in his place.


    Ian nodded curtly and placed a call to the reception, asking for the nurse who had assisted Stuart in the ward. But the response he got from the other side made him bang the receiver hard on his table.


    "The nurse had submitted her resignation in the morning, and she left the hospital once she finished her shift."

 Chapter 559: Stuart in a fix

    Tension filled the room as the three people gaped at Ian in horror. Ian''s words only pushed them closer to feeling despair, and the one who was affected the most was Stuart. Though it was not his mistake in the first place, he had killed someone and it was not because the patient was on her deathbed. No.


    Someone had used him brilliantly to get their plan in progress, and he had ended up murdering Linda accidentally. He held his head and pulled at his hair, unable to believe the turn of events. Just a few hours ago, he had been completely happy and everything in his life was working out well. He was even relieved to have left his previous workplace and joined Regal Medical Hospital.


    But his happiness and relief had been short-lived, and he was now filled with the guilt of murdering someone. Though he was not at fault, he still deemed himself responsible for Linda''s death.


    "Stuart," Aria pressed on his shoulder to comfort him. But any amount of comfort was unable to relieve him of the agony he was going through. His medical career was at risk, and he had no idea how to save himself from the situation he was in.


    Ian clasped his fingers and stared at the capable doctor in front of him. The man was young and still inexperienced. But he had a lot of capability and Ian did not wish to lose such a gem. He needed doctors like Stuart, and Ian vowed to protect him at all costs.


    Ian was astonished himself at the trust he had in the young man, for it was quite difficult for him to trust people that easily. He had some serious trust issues as his own family had given up on him when he needed them the most. The only people he had ever trusted were his friends Noah and Joshua and their families and his mentor, Theo. And somehow, Aria and her family had joined the list too without his knowledge.


    But he had no idea when Stuart had made himself trustworthy in Ian''s heart. ''Maybe it was when he alone decided to join us when our country and our army needed him the most.'' He thought as he recalled the time when Stuart had decided to go along with them to the borders, not caring about his life, unlike his colleagues from his previous workplace.


    "What do I do now, Aria? I am finished, I am finished." Stuart exclaimed, devastated by the ''impossible to get out of'' problem he was in. He could clearly see what the future had for him, the cell in the prison waiting for him and how much he would be suffering, completely different from the life he was living currently.


    But it was the fact that he would lose his medical license that worried him the most. His dream of becoming one of the best neurosurgeons went down the drain even before he could start towards his ambition. His eyes teared up, and Stuart could not control himself from not crying out anymore.


    His state not only broke Aria and Ivy, even Ian felt the pain the young doctor was going through. Ian had long perceived Stuart''s intentions. He was not here for fame or money. All he intended was to be a doctor and cure people of their diseases. His heart was pure and he did not have any ill intentions towards anyone whatsoever.


    "Stuart," Ian stood up from his seat and went towards the man who still had his head in between his hands. "Nothing will happen to you. Nothing will ever happen to you." The determination and firmness in his tone made Stuart stare at him. "I will not allow anything to happen to you. I will save you at all costs and if things come to worst, I will take the blame for you."


    Ian had already grasped onto the situation. The people behind this had targetted Aria and considering the predicament they were in, they were either Noah''s enemies or Ivy''s. But most of Ivy''s enemies were also, Noah''s enemies. So, Aria was a pawn they wanted to use to deal with both Noah and Ivy.


    And Noah''s enemies were his enemies too, and Ian was not the one to lay low and see his friends be targetted by some bunch of criminals whose death was just around the corner. He was hellbent on saving his loved ones, even if it meant he had to give up his own life.


    But he did not have to put a lot of effort, for he was unwilling to give up his life just so that some lowly bastards could fulfill their satisfaction. Ian was planning mass destruction, one that would wreak the people behind this disgusting ploy for sure, and all he needed was Aria and Stuart''s support.


    "What nonsense are you spouting? The one who will take the blame if things come to worst will be me. I will not allow anybody else to be implicated by this." Aria reprimanded with a soft glare. Ian was just about to protest when Aria''s glare turned serious, and he shut his mouth so as to not irk her all the more.


    "But I doubt that will ever happen. With Noah around, who dares to lay a hand on me and blame me?" Aria pushed up her sleeves, ready to battle it out if needed. "Nothing will happen to anyone other than the people behind this. I will make sure that the people behind this will pay for sure."


    "That''s my sister." Ivy cheered from the side.


    "And Stuart," Aria directed her gaze towards the man who was already looking at her."You are an amazing doctor. Don''t you ever doubt it. You did not kill Linda. It was somebody else, somebody who wanted to use you to get their work done. If you doubt yourself and feel guilty about Linda''s death, you are only helping the bastards behind this plan. We need you to fight, for us, for you. You are not a murderer, and that is what you should know."


    Aria''s encouraging words did the work, and Stuart stopped grieving about his situation. He was now determined to find the culprit behind this and clear his name. A wide smile graced his lips, brightening his face and he hugged Aria immediately.


    "Thank you, Aria. Thank you very much. I am glad I have friends like you and Ian who are willing to believe me. Otherwise, I do not know how I would have survived this."


    "Stuart, we believe you and your morals. You do not have to thank us." Aria patted his back after coming out her shock by the sudden hug.


    "Yes, Stuart. We are with you. The hospital and the management are with you. You have nothing to worry about. We will protect you at all costs come what may."


    "Stuart, I suggest you let go of Aria before her possessive boyfriend finds out that you hugged her," Ivy commented from the side. "Although nothing will happen to you, I cannot say the same for Aria. Her devil of a boyfriend might just eat her alive. So, beware."


    Stuart let go of her with a chuckle. Even Aria giggled at her words while Ian just smiled along.


    "We now have a long battle to fight. And the first person we will have to deal with is the police. I hope all of you are mentally prepared." Ian ran his eyes, making sure that the three people were listening to him. "He has some serious mental problems and we will have to be careful around him.  And Ivy."


    Ivy raised her brows as soon as Ian took her name. "I need your help in this. I hope this will keep the matters low until we find a solution for this problem."

 Chapter 560: Reverse interrogation - Part 1

    "What do you say now, doctors? Take a look at the reports yourself and tell me." The lady constable handed the post mortem report to Aria after getting a nod from her superior.


    The policeman smirked at the three people as he rejoiced at their misery in his heart. Even though he tried to be as discrete as possible, none among the three missed the slight gleam in his eyes, conveying his state of happiness. His reaction only added more to their suspicions, and nobody believed him not to be involved in this matter. He had to have a hand in it somehow to be hot on their trails and accuse them even before he had any proof.


    "The report clearly says that Linda died of anaphylaxis and the reason that triggered her allergy was the dosage of aspirin given to her by you."


    Aria smiled at the stubborn yet stupid man, unable to believe how she had missed such an important matter about him. His foolishness knew no bounds, and the man was adept at giving away secrets himself, making it quite easy for them to handle the matter.


    "You sure know how to read a report." Aria mused, closing the report even before she finished reading it completely. "May I know what you majored in, Sir, during your studies?"


    The policeman frowned in confusion at her question. Even the other constables in the room could not help but give her a puzzled look. They sure had not expected her to ask such a bizarre question. Even Stuart and Ian did not know where this going. Yet, they stayed calm, handing over the reins to the formidable woman with them.


    "Do not try to deviate from the topic, Dr. West. We are talking about your misdeeds, not about my educational qualification." The policeman gritted his teeth, not quite understanding what was happening. His eyes squinted in anger, and Aria realized that he was just short of snapping his thin thread of control.


    "You answer a few questions of mine before I answer yours, Inspector. They won''t take much of your time, and I insist you do so for your own good." Aria persisted, unfazed by the man''s frost-filled glare. She had seen and dealt with a lot of people of his kind, and every one of them was nothing but dirt in her eyes.


    The police inspector''s gaze dimmed for a moment as he stared at the trio in wonder. He could not comprehend what game they were playing. Their faces did not show any traces of anxiety, nor did they seem to be apprehensive about the situation they were in. It was as though they were more in control of everything than him. And just this thought alone was enough to frustrate him all the more.


    "But if you do not have the guts to go ahead and answer my questions, I cannot do anything."


    This was a hard blow to the arrogant man''s ego, and even if he wanted to, he could not back off from what the three doctors had planned for him. Somewhere in his mind, he had an inkling that he would regret going ahead with this. But his ego was wounded, and he now wanted to show who held the control ultimately.


    "Fine, ask away, doctor. Let me see what you have in mind."


    "I have already asked you, Inspector. You are to give me an answer for it." Aria folded her hands and leaned back on her seat. Her mere stance screamed of regality and power, and for a moment, everyone was entranced by her.


    It took some time for the policeman to gather his wits and recall what her question was before he answered her with a confused expression. "I studied political science before I took up the exam to join the police force."


    "I see." Aria placed her hand under her chin and nodded in response. "How knowledgeable are you in chemistry or biology or any similar subject?"


    Again Aria''s question rendered the police speechless and they gaped at each other, unable to decipher the context of the matter.


    Seeing the man hesitate, Aria leaned forward, her smile not leaving her face. "I just have three more questions after this. I suggest we get over with it soon, Inspector, so that we can continue with your work."


    "No." The man gave her a skeptical look before he answered her. "I do not have much knowledge in these subjects."


    "How about the other people here? I would like to know if anyone here has studied these subjects in-depth, not just briefly." Aria continued, still not giving away what she upto.


    Ian and Stuart just stared at her, wondering what was running through her mind. This was completely not what they had discussed and how they had planned to handle the matter for now. Yet, they did not stop her, allowing her to do as she pleased, trusting her to maneuver the situation well.


    Everybody shook her heads in reply, and Aria''s smile only widened at this. "Let me ask my next question. Can anybody among the police tell me what 2-Acetoxybenzoic acid is?"


    This time, both Ian and Stuart understood what Aria was up to, and they could not help but marvel at her intelligence. She had trapped the cunning policeman in his own plan, and the poor man did not even know what was happening to him.


    "What the heck is that? How would I know what it is? I told you I do not have much knowledge in chemistry." The policeman cursed in anger while the constables nodded in agreement.


    "I see." Aria did not probe further into this matter, giving the man a breather. "How about acetylsalicylic acid? Do you know what that is?" She asked her next question calmly, only to agitate the policeman all the more.


    He stood up in anger, pointing his finger at the three doctors. "Are you fucking playing with me, doctors? You know what? I am done wasting my time. I am done answering your questions. Now it is my turn to interrogate and you better answer them honestly." He spat but none among the three reacted to his nonsense.


    "So nobody knows what the two chemicals I just mentioned are. Am I right?" Aria continued, taking a look around the room, making sure to look at each policeman in the eye.


    "Stop this nonsense, doctor. Fucking hell!" The Inspector continued to curse in anger.


    Aria stood up immediately, her eyes blazing in fury. "If neither of you knows what acetylsalicylic acid or 2-Acetoxybenzoic acid is, how did you know that Linda died after consuming aspirin when they are nothing but the other names of aspirin? Moreover, nowhere in the report has aspirin been mentioned for your reference."

 Chapter 561: Reverse interrogation - Part 2

    "How did you know that Linda died after consuming aspirin when it is nowhere mentioned in the report?" Aria folded her hands as she raised her eyebrows, intimidating the Inspector completely. Nobody noticed the phone in her hand, given the condition they were in. "Who told you that she died after consuming aspirin?"


    The policeman did not have any response to Aria''s question, and he stared at her dumbfounded. Even the other constables were stunned at her reverse interrogation, and all they could do was gape at her in disbelief.


    While the police were too shocked to speak a word, Ian and Stuart just smirked to themselves on seeing Aria render their current enemies speechless and completely under her control. She had single-handedly pushed them to the corner, not allowing them to even retreat, forcing them to just surrender or die a brutal death.


    "What do you have to say now, Inspector? How did you know that Linda died after consuming aspirin?" Aria probed and right at this moment, Ivy entered the room with a bang, startling everyone, including Aria. Her entry was too dramatic and unbelievable, and Aria stifled a smile on seeing her.


    "What the heck is happening? Who the fuck are you? Get out. Get out of here." The policeman roared but it had no effect on Ivy, who was here on a mission. She sent a silent signal to Aria, who pocketed her phone and waited for her sister to take over from here.


    Ian too was stunned to see the Ivy turning on her journalist mode. Though it was all pre-planned and he already knew why she was here, he was still impressed by her perfect timing. She had entered right at the moment when Aria was forcing the man to a dead end, and her entry only made matters worse for the police.


    Ian then turned towards the man behind Ivy and nodded at him curtly, sending him the orders to tag along with them, and the man immediately understood what was wanted of him. He held onto the camera and stood behind Ivy, waiting for her to start with her interrogation.


    Before they had gone to meet the police, Ian and the group had come up with a plan, and to execute it, they had looked for one of the medical staff in the hospital who Ian trusted. Though the man was young and new, he was diligent and he knew what was wanted of him.


    He had agreed to be a part of the plan without understanding what was happening. All that mattered to him was the man he respected wanted his help, and he was willing to do it at all costs.


    Unlike Aria, who had not even bothered to look at the Inspector''s badge, Ivy did not miss it for that was what she wanted in her video. She had to take his name to make it more effective.


    "Inspector Hudson James, we have received information that Miss Linda, who had tried to commit suicide in prison this morning, was admitted to the Regal Hospital. But barely a few hours after when she was finally stabilized and out of danger, she passed away mysteriously."


    Ivy made sure to stress the word ''mysteriously'' to show that it was not a simple case, and Linda''s death was anything but normal. "Would you tell us how did Linda die?"


    "Who the fuck are you and how did you even enter the room? Get out of here." The policeman shouted, completely disregarding Ivy and the man behind her.


    On seeing that violence was about to erupt and Ivy might be injured in the process, Ian and Stuart moved closer to her to protect her while Aria was right beside her, ready to slap the man in the face if required.


    "Inspector, please refrain from using profanities. We are the media and we deserve respect." Ivy too did not back off, showing the man his place. He seemed too arrogant, and Ivy liked playing with him, especially when it gave her immense pleasure to punch and demolish their ego until they were left with nothing to even brag about.


    "Media?" The man scoffed in disgust. "Do you think you can fool me? How dare you lie to me and claim to be the media?"


    "It is not my problem that you do not believe us. But I can provide you with the proof, and for that, you will have to tune into the news channel which started operating right a day before." Ivy started and smirked as soon as she saw the changes on the egomaniac''s face. He was now horrified, and Ivy reveled in the feeling of having him under her foot.


    "Now would you mind telling us what happened here and how the patient died?" She asked patiently, controlling all her urges to set the man straight using her usual strategies.


    The man, this time did not speak any vulgarities and changed his stance in front of her. Although he was still skeptical about her identity, he did not intend to ruin himself by showing his true colors to the woman in front of him. He had already seen the man with the camera behind her and his fear only rose as he wondered what all had been recorded in it.


    By now, a lot of people had gathered near the room where they were. Ivy had made sure to attract people not only inside the room, but even the people outside it were also intrigued to find out what was happening. She had made sure to open the door loud enough to gather an audience.


    The Inspector stared at the people who were trying to peek inside and see what was happening. So, he could not even smash the camera and stop all that he had said and done once the woman had entered the room. He did not know how to tackle the situation in.


    The Inspector had to fulfill the part of the plan entrusted to him. But with his audience and the media and the way the female doctor had twisted the situation to her advantage, stumping him completely, his brain had completely stopped working.


    "Inspector, please tell us how Miss Linda died?" Ivy probed further, not giving the man a breather.


    "I am yet to receive an answer from you. How were you so sure that Linda died after consuming aspirin? None of the reports say so. How did you deduce it?" Aria fired from the side.


    The man was now completely under the two sisters'' control, and all Ian and Stuart could do were look at them in pride. They had never seen anything so amazing and stunning before, and they could only watch it with twinkling eyes.

 Chapter 562: Case transfer - Part 1

    Ivy and Aria did not allow the policeman to escape from their clutches, pressing him for answers. The sister asked him questions, taking their chances to force him into submission, making it impossible for him to come out of the predicament he was in.


    Speaking even one word became difficult with how the people kept pushing themselves in, trying to find out what was happening and why the police were here. He glared hard at the two women in front of him, unable to believe how horrible the things had turned. He wanted to be in charge of the situation. But now, he did not even know what the situation was.


    Ivy knew what would happen with her involvement in this matter. People would surely find out about Linda''s death, and the news would soon spread everywhere. So, she had taken this chance to record all that she could by using Aria''s help, and all that remained was to revert it to Max to take care of it.


    "What are you doing?" The policeman did not have any patience to deal with the trouble he was thrown into. He just wanted to get out of the place and end everything that had gone unexpected in his plan. But it was impossible to push through the crowd, without getting himself smacked in the head.


    Moreover, he was yet to deal with the three doctors who right now were looking at him innocently as though they had no idea about his sufferings. Not knowing what to do, he thought of the only way to escape from here, and that was to call his superior and inform him about his situation.


    But before he could even place the call, someone among the crowd had slapped his wrist and, making him let go of his phone.


    "What the fuck!!" He shouted, trying to find out who had hit him. But there were a lot of people close to him, and it was impossible to find out who had been daring enough to slap his wrist.


    Right at this moment, another commotion attracted the crowd and they turned to see what was happening now. Even the policeman raised his eyebrows, wondering what disaster was about to strike him next, only to find his eyes widening in disbelief on seeing the two people walk towards him, especially the lady in the front.  How could he not know the Deputy Chief of the Intelligence?


    The crowd made way for the two people on their own, without even being forced or shouted at, and Valerie and Preston walked towards the people at the center. Ivy''s smile widened on seeing the backup she had called, and she almost narrowed her eyes in victory at the policeman, who still had a confused expression on his face.


    Valerie had no expression on her face, making it impossible to find out what was running through her mind. She just stared at the bulky policeman in the front, who looked nothing less than a gangster without brains.


    "Inspector Hudson James, would you mind telling us what is happening here?"


    Valerie''s voice was deadly calm, sending tremors through the man''s body and heart. He froze in his spot on seeing the formidable woman in front of him, and even more so, when he realized how smart she was, smarter than most people he knew.


    "I am waiting." Valerie probed when she did not get any reply from the man in front of her. The brutish Inspector was just about to speak when Valerie stopped him, confusing him again. "Before we go ahead with this, I would all the people who are not involved in this matter to leave the place."


    Valerie ran her eyes around her, making sure to keep her stance clear and show everyone what she wanted. She did not even spare Ivy, who immediately got her message and left the room immediately, forcing her way out.


    As soon as they saw the girl and her cameraman leave the room, the others too followed suit even though they were still intrigued by what was happening in the room. Their minds still wanted to find out more, watch the drama that was taking place inside. But Valerie''s strong and unbelievably intimidating gaze had compelled them to follow her orders, and they left the room one by one.


    "Preston, close the door." Valerie did not look back even once, staring hard at the policeman in the front. Ivy had already briefed her about the situation though she was yet to find out more details. Sensing the situation to be completely fishy, she had immediately applied for the case to be transferred to them before she left for the hospital.


    "Now, would you mind telling us what is happening, Inspector?" She questioned again, folding her hands. Her eyes were completely cold, and for a moment, Hudson wondered if she holding him responsible for all that had happened here.


    "I am sorry, Miss. I cannot reveal the details of the case to you." He tried to appear as bold as possible only to fail miserably.


    "Why so? Don''t we both work for the same purpose?" Valerie shot back. "Moreover, I have every right to find out what has happened, for this case belongs to us and we will do all the investigation and interrogation from now on." She revealed the truth herself, saving herself some time.


    "What?" Hudson stood stunned at this newfound information. "How is it possible? When did this happen?"


    "Why would it not be possible? It happened just half an hour ago. So, will you tell me and cooperate with us, or will you leave and let us do our job in peace?" Valerie almost lost her control at the stupid and obnoxious man in front of her. Although he was yet to do anything greatly suspicious, her intuition already told her to be wary of him. The man did not seem normal or upright.


    Nobody spoke, waiting for Hudson to take his next step towards his doom, and the brainless man did exactly as they wanted. He completely disregarded the facts and handed the report to Valerie who took it immediately.


    "Miss Evans, one of the prisoners tried to commit suicide early in the morning."


    Valerie noticed the way he had addressed the deceased, taking only her first name as though he was quite familiar with her. But she did not comment about it, allowing him to continue while she went through the reports.


    "But her condition had stabilized and she was out of danger. When there was no danger to her life, how is it possible for her to even die? Also, the cause of her death is due to consuming aspirin."


    For the first time, since she had entered the room, her expression changed and Valerie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Aspirin?"


    "Yes. Linda is allergic to aspirin, and the doctors here gave it to her even though we had already given them a list of medicines she was allergic to. I wonder if it was all a medical accident or was it an intentional murder."


    Valerie''s eyes jumped to Hudson at once as soon as she heard him. She did not miss the way the man''s voice had changed. Albeit subtle, he sounded dark and cunning, something that did not sit well with her. Everything about him made her suspicious, and she did not know why she felt the man was here on someone''s orders.

 Chapter 563: Case transfer - Part 2

    Valerie waited for the man to finish speaking before she turned towards the three doctors who were standing beside her silently. Her sudden attention on them made them raise their brows immediately. But nobody spoke a word, looking forward to what she had in mind.


    This was not the first time Aria was meeting Valerie. Though she had treated her once when she had been unconscious, this was the first time they were initiating a conversation with each other. She wondered if Maggie would flip once she found out all that had happened with her in the hospital and that she met her superior, who had no knowledge about her being friends Maggie.


    Valerie too was pleasantly surprised to see the female doctor. She knew who she was, for she had done a background check on Ivy, one that held selected files sent to her by Maggie. Unknowingly, a smile broke out on her face, the sudden change making Aria look at her skeptically.


    But Valerie continued smiling, not caring about her unusual behavior, her eyes observing the three doctors closely. Even Preston too was focused in the direction she was looking at, only that he was looking at the female doctor, completely ignoring the male doctors by her side.


    ''How long had it been since I last saw her?'' Preston wondered. Even though he remained impassive, his eyes were sparkling in delight. She was the first woman who had even intrigued him, and she still did even now.


    There had been a lot of times when his mind had wandered off in her thoughts, forcing him to leave everything and go to her to at least see her from afar. Only he knew how much strength he had used to stop himself from carrying out his heart desires. Now that he had finally met the interesting woman after months together, he could not help but gawk at her.


    To Preston, Aria looked more beautiful than he remembered. There was a strange glow around her, which attracted him all the more. Compared to the last time he had seen her, she seemed more powerful and confident, and Preston could not help but admire this change in her. He wondered what had happened for she sure looked different.


    But he was not complaining though. Preston had no idea when or how but the female doctor had slowly made her place in his heart, making him feel different kinds of emotions he had never experienced before.


    His heart skipped a beat as soon as he met Aria''s gaze. And it started to thump madly when she smiled at him, acknowledging his presence. ''Her smile is so pretty!'' He sighed in his mind, completely giving a deaf ear to what Valerie was saying. His eyes were completely transfixed on Aria, not noticing a pair of eyes that were now eying him suspiciously.


    Ian had not missed the way the man was staring at Aria, and this did not sit well with him. He was well versed with the look the young man was giving Aria, for that was how Noah looked at her, only that it was more intense. Although he did not know how it had happened, his smart brain already understood that the man in front of him had feelings for Aria.


    ''Should I warn Aria about it?'' He thought to himself and glanced at the girl who was frowning lightly while facing the female officer. As soon as the thought came to his mind, he shook it away. ''It is a matter between her and this strange man. She will know how to handle it better. Let me not interfere in this unless required.''


    "Hello, I am Valerie Evans and this is my colleague, Preston Walsh. We are from the Intelligence." Valerie introduced, making sure to pass the hint to Aria, and Aria was not a fool to understand it. She had heard the tone with which the woman had introduced herself, and from this alone, she could infer that Valerie wanted to get to know her on a personal level.


    "I am Aria West and these are my friends, Ian Davis and Stuart Lee." Aria too did not stand on ceremony and took it upon herself to introduce the men too. Valerie smiled at them in greeting, unlike Preston who did not budge his eyes from Aria whatsoever.


    "Would you mind telling us what happened here?" She queried, taking a glance at the policeman who stood silently a step behind her. His face was filled with obvious panic while he clenched his fists in worry.


    "Umm..." Aria took a look at Ian, who nodded at her lightly. "Shall we take this somewhere else? I have something crucial to discuss with you."


    Aria trusted Valerie for she had heard only words of praise for her from her good friend, Maggie. So, she did not hesitate to involve her in their plan and seek her help. If Linda''s case was now to be handled by her and her team, she had to take her assistance to save Stuart and find the actual culprit.


    As soon as the Inspector heard Aria''s words, his panic rose all the more. He took a step forward to stop them, only for his words to fail him at this critical moment. His tongue felt heavy and his mind refused to cooperate with him.


    "If that is what you want, Dr. West. Lead us the way." Valerie acknowledged her request, and Ian sighed softly in relief.


    "Please follow me." He led the group towards his office with Valerie and Stuart right behind him.


    Before leaving, Valerie did not forget the policeman and his team, who now looked vexed and scared. "You may leave now. I will contact you if I require your assistance."


    "But..." Hudson tried to negotiate. However, even before he could speak a word, Valerie had left the room, leaving him with a mind filled with frightening thoughts. He now did not know what to do and where to go, especially when he had failed to do his task.


    Hudson felt like crying when he remembered the man who had sent him here. His fierce stature only made him tremble. Even though he was nowhere in his presence, he still felt fear sucking his soul away, and he was just short of having a heart attack.


    Right at this moment, his phone rang, startling him more than he already was. With a dreadful gaze, he picked up his phone, which was lying on the ground, and the name he saw on the screen made him want to throw the device away himself.


    Hudson so desperately not wanted to answer the call. But he knew the consequences of not doing so. This would then become the last day of his life, and no one would be able to save him from the person who was ready to hunt him down.


    Reluctantly, he picked up the call, and even before he greeted the man on the other side, he heard him speak.


    "I see that you failed your task." The man''s voice was deadly calm. But Hudson knew otherwise. He was livid and disappointed in him.


    "But Master..."


    "No issues. Come back right now. I will fix this right."


    The call ended, and Hudson collapsed to the ground immediately, staring at the door blankly. He knew what exactly the man meant and what would happen to him if he were to go to him. He was now done for sure, and his butcherer was waiting for his arrival.

 Chapter 564: First step

    Ian led the group towards his office. While Valerie and Stuart were right behind him, Aria was two steps behind them, with Preston following her closely. He was too excited to see her. Even though she was in the front and he could not see her pretty face, he was just contented to being this close to her. It had been a long time since he last saw her, and now that she was right near him, he did not let go of this mind-blowing opportunity.


    Preston hurried to catch up with her, and he cleared his throat to gain her attention. Aria was taken aback to find the man suddenly walking beside her and she gave him a confused look.


    "Hello." Preston greeted her with a wide smile. He was beaming in delight. Even his eyes were twinkling in joy, and Aria blinked at him, wondering what had got him all exhilarated.


    "Hello." She replied with a smile of her own, still perplexed by the man''s abnormal behavior.


    "You might not remember me."


    "Ohh, I do." Aria let out a laugh. "I have a good memory and I definitely keep those people in mind who would shove me aside in anger." She teased, and Preston''s face scrunched up in embarrassment. He scratched his neck, not knowing what to say to the girl when he knew that was his fault in the first place.


    "I am sorry for what I did that day. It was rude of me to have pushed you, Doctor...." Even though he knew her name, he wanted her to say it out loud to him.


    "Aria West. And that''s completely fine. I understand your sentiments. You were worried about your friend. Maybe I would have done the same if I were in your place." Aria remarked, and Preston let out a relieved sigh.


    "By the way, I am Preston Walsh." He continued.


    "I know."


    As soon as he heard Aria''s reply, his heart soared with happiness. Just the thought of her knowing his name made Preston all giddy and thrilled. He could not stop himself from smiling even if he wanted to.


    "You seem a little different, Doctor."


    "Different? How?" Aria stooped walking, forcing Preston to stop walking too.


    "I...Yes. It is as though you have grown more courageous if that makes sense." He added, not knowing if his words irked the girl in front of him. Contrary to his expectation, Aria started chuckling, taking him by surprise completely.


    "People do change when they say a quick hello to death," Aria replied mysteriously, not wanting to give away the details of what had happened. She started walking again, only for Preston to stop her immediately, startling her in the process.


    "What happened, Doctor?" His face was tense, completely different from how flustered he had been a few moments ago, and Aria did not know what had changed in him.


    "Just a small mishap. Nothing significant." Aria brushed it off, not wanting to involve the strange man in her personal life.


    Preston was just about to ask her more when he realized that he was crossing a boundary. He pulled back at once, not wanting to leave a bad impression in her mind again. He had already done it once and regretted it doing so even now. He did not wish to have a repeat of it when all he had in mind was to leave a good and favorable impression of him in her mind.


    "I am sorry, Doctor. I got carried away. I was just worried." Preston tried to explain his behavior even though he had a hunch that Aria would not believe it.


    "Should I believe you on this?" Aria narrowed her eyes, teasingly. "Why would Mr. Walsh be worried for me when we are nothing but strangers?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "At least, we were until now. Let''s go. We have something important to tell you."


    Aria tilted her head, gesturing for him to accompany her before she started walking in the direction Ian and the others had gone.


    ''Strangers.'' Preston thought to himself with a sigh. ''I do not just want to be a stranger, Aria. I want something more, something that lasts forever. And what did you mean when you said that you almost died. What had happened?'' He wondered with a frown.


    Aria stopped walking when she realized that the man was still where they were before. "Mr. Walsh, the meeting is in the other room as far as I remember, not in the corridor." She joked, her voice bringing Preston out of his reverie, and he smiled at her attempt to joke with him. He walked to where she was standing, the gleam in his eyes returning immediately.


    "Since we have started joking with each other, shall I presume that we are past the stage of being strangers?" He queried, hoping for the girl to agree with him and to his relief, Aria did.


    "I think so. Maybe now we are acquaintances." Aria replied with a mischievous tone, and Preston let out a helpless laugh.


    "Acquaintances?" He pouted, making Aria giggle softly.


    "Yes. I think that is what we are right now."


    "But what if I want something more, Doctor?" Preston''s face turned serious all of a sudden, and Aria''s smile too slipped when she heard his question.


    "Something more?" Aria gave him a suspious look and from her expression alone, Preston understood that her thoughts were running wild. Before any misunderstanding could happen, Preston jumped in to clear his stance.


    "I want to be your friend, Doctor. Can I not be?"


    "Ahh, I see." Aria''s eyes widened in realization. She wanted to smack her head for thinking wrong even though she had an inkling that she was not. The man seemed to have some feelings for her, which were quite obvious in his eyes. But she did not probe further into it, for she was yet to confirm it.


    Anyhow she did not mind having Preston''s friendship. She had heard about him from Maggie and from her words, she knew that he was an honest and upright man. She was only glad to be his friend and hoped that it was all he wanted of her. She did not wish for it to become awkward later if it was anything otherwise.


    "Friends?" Aria went back to her mischievous self, her smile returning on her face. "Are we friends now?"


    Preston realized what she was doing and he continued with their interesting conversation. "I think we are. Otherwise, we would not be standing here in the corridor, joking with each other instead of going to the meeting."


    "Oh. You are a bad friend. You made me late for the meeting. Now, Ian will kill me for being late." Aria complained and smiled at the nurse who was walking by them.


    "Guilty as charged, Madam." Preston raised his hands in mock surrender, and Aria could not help but glare at him.


    "Let''s go before our Bosses come searching for us." Aria almost ordered him, and Preston did not mind being ordered by her. If it were in his hands, he wished to get ordered by her for his entire life.


    "Yes, Ma''am." He obliged, and the duo started walking again, only this time, Preston could not stop smiling.


    ''I have taken the first step. Let''s see where this goes.''

 Chapter 565: Charming Ian

    "Finally," Ian remarked as soon as Aria and Preston entered his office. "I was about to come looking for you, Aria. I thought you were lost." He teased, and Aria rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt.


    Ian then glanced at the man beside her with a frown, not understanding what he was planning. But more or less, he had an inkling of the feelings he had for his friend and colleague. It was as evident as the bay in his eyes.


    Unlike Ian who had a skeptical gaze, Valerie smiled at her friend mischievously. She raised her brows playfully at him when their eyes met, exactly understanding what the man wanted. Preston too smiled back at her, his eyes rejoicing at the first step he had taken.


    Aria had no idea about the silent conversation that was taking place between the man beside her and the only other lady in the room. She just wanted to escape from Ian''s teasing. So, she tactically changed the topic of conversation.


    "Miss Evans, we have something to discuss with you." Aria started only to be interrupted by a knock at the door.


    "Let me in too. You guys completely forgot me." Ivy barged in before she closed the door after her. She greeted Valerie and Preston with whom she had become quite acquainted before she nodded at Ian to go ahead.


    "Linda''s death is not as normal as it seems to be." Ian started, taking charge of the situation this time. He had completely shed his calm demeanor, and now he had become intimidating and fierce. The sudden shift did not bother Aria or Ivy, for they had been well accustomed to the way he behaved. However, that could not be said the same about Valerie.


    She was visibly stunned by the shift in him, and for a moment, she stared at him in awe. This was the first time, she was meeting him. Yet, she did not know why she found him likable and attractive. The man had a certain charm to him that made Valerie give him special attention.


    Valerie took a good look at the doctor. Standing tall and proud with a height she preferred, Ian sure was a charismatic man. Since the time she had begun working at the Intelligence, Valerie had met a lot of people. But none carried a torch to the man she was seeing before her, and for the first time, she felt her being attracted to someone of the opposite sex. The feeling was weird but she did not dislike it.


    "Would you mind telling us all that you know, Doctor?" Preston took a step forward, his face now completely serious.


    "She was admitted to the hospital early in the morning, and it was our colleague here who attended to her." Ian pointed at Stuart, who nodded at the two people he was meeting for the first time. "We do not know why but the patient asked to speak to Dr. West. It was completely unexpected that she asked for her when Dr. West does not even know her."


    Now it was Aria''s turn to nod, and she took over from there. "Yes. I haven''t met her before. Heck, I had not even heard about her before for me to know about her."


    Preston stifled a smile on seeing Aria''s agitated expression and her choice of words. ''How cute!!'' He thought to himself, staring at her a little longer than necessary.


    "It was only when she mentioned my sister''s name to Doctor Lee here that we found out how she knew it. But it was still suspicious that she approached me when she did not even know me before, and as far as I know, my sister never pulls me into trouble due to her work. Not many people know that I am her sister."


    Valerie nodded at her, understanding what Aria was trying to convey. But she was still not sure how this was all related to Linda''s death.


    "We did not know what the patient wanted off me. So, Dr. Davis accompanied me, and barely a few moments after we left the ward, Linda''s allergic reaction triggered."


    Everything clicked. The puzzle in Valerie''s mind settled, and she immediately discerned what had happened. "Doctor West, are you trying to say that Linda wanted to frame you for her death?"


    ''Smart.'' Ivy thought to herself, not once butting in the conversation that did not belong to her. She just watched Ian and Aria handle it.


    "Either the patient wanted to trap me or there must be somebody else who is behind it. Any which way, the first person who would be doubted would be me. I mean us." Aria pointed to herself and Ian. "For we were the last ones to leave the ward."


    "Ivy, do you know the patient?" Valerie now shifted her gaze towards the girl, who had been silent since the conversation started.


    "Yes, I do. Do you remember the scandal regarding the Good City Clinic, the one that brought this matter regarding organ trafficking issue to the public''s eyes again after almost three years?"


    "Yes, I do." How could Valerie forget that matter? It was from that day onwards that things started changing and their country started to face a lot of troubles, which kept occurring one by one.


    "I was the one who captured the video regarding the head of the clinic involved in these matters," Ivy revealed to the people who did not know about it.


    Valerie and Preston were visibly surprised to know about it. But to them, it was not that shocking for they had seen her skills in matters like these. She sure knew how to do her job, and every time, it had been splendid and explosive.


    Stuart was the only one who was shocked beyond belief. Although at the time this issue had popped up, he was not in the country, he still had heard about it and to think that Ivy had single-handedly divulged the crimes happening in that hospital made him look at her in a new light. He could not help but be proud of her even though he barely knew her.


    "As admirable it is to learn about it, I still do not understand where this is going, Ivy."


    "It was Linda who revealed about the Good City Clinic. Apparently, she had become a victim of their schemes, and she wanted to seek justice using the media for the police refused to hear her plants."


    "I see." Valerie mused. "From your expression, I presume there is more to this."


    "Yes, there is. We scheduled an interview with her the next day but she did not make it in time. She just disappeared suddenly, and after a lot of days, I found her in a cafe. But she ran away the moment she saw me for reasons I do not know. When we finally caught up with her, she was in some strange club. She was inhaling drugs due to which the police arrested her."


    "That explains why she was in prison," Preston remarked from the side.


    "I went to meet her to ask her why she had not made it to the interview. But all she did was cook up a story regarding her deceased sister being a victim of the organ trafficking mafia and her intention to provide justice for her, only to be threatened to give. I haven''t spoken to her after this."


    "Hmm. Aria," Valerie dropped the honorifics completely.  "How did Linda die? What triggered her allergic reaction?"


    "Linda is allergic to aspirin, and her body has traces of aspirin and aspirin alone. We did not find anything else during tests."


    "Were you informed of her allergy?"


    "Yes, we were. We had a list of medicines she was allergic to."


    "Then, who gave her aspirin? Did you do it by mistake or did she consume it herself to frame you?"


    Aria was just about to speak about this matter when Stuart stepped forward. "I did. I gave her the medicine that triggered her allergy."


    Valerie and Preston were at loss for words at Stuart''s revelation, and they did not know what to make out of it. This was the first time in their career they were seeing the culprit accept his crimes without being forced to.


    ''Was that even possible?'' They wondered. Why were all the criminals not this cooperative?


    "I don''t get it." Valerie finally admitted her defeat.


    "I think you would like to see this video to get a clear picture of what might have happened, Miss Evans." Ian turned his computer towards her and played the video footage.


    Valerie and Preston watched it carefully and finally, they understood what the problem was. Someone had brilliantly trapped the doctor over here, and it was now a difficult mission to get him out of it.

 Chapter 566: Uniting for a cause - Part 1

    From the footage, they had found a lot of things and one among them was Linda''s conversation with Aria and Ian. From the gist of it, it seemed that Linda knew about Jared''s involvement in this matter. But what they could not understand was who was the other man she was referring to? Who was Charles and what connection did he have in this matter? Moreover, why did she take Jonathan Carter''s name when the man was considered nothing but a ruler in the business world?


    A lot of questions popped up in Preston and Valerie''s minds, and they did not know how to tackle the situation they were in. It was completely different than what they had anticipated it to be. Linda''s murder had now become a case that could help them find answers to some complex problems and what remained was to solve the case first.


    They started with the easiest question first. "Doctor Lee, we do not know if you were involved in this matter or not. Since you were the one who administered the medicine to the patient, that triggered the reaction, you might be proven guilty until proven otherwise. Do you have any objections to this?"


    "I understand, Miss. I will cooperate with you." Stuart replied immediately after getting a nod from Ian. He had already discussed with Ian the best possible solution, and the only way of escape they could come up with was cooperating with the Intelligence.


    "I still have another piece of evidence for you," Ian stated and switched the tab on his computer, and it now showed the room where they had been before and had met Inspector Hudson and his team. He started to rewind to the time when they had first met him for the day and played it until Valerie entered the room, skipping the parts in between when they had been waiting for the reports.


    Now, Neither Valerie nor Preston had no doubt that this was a master plan created to trap Aria, and just the thought of someone harming Aria made Preston boil in fury. He was now livid, and all he wanted was to kill those bastards who had even dared to plot against her to harm her.


    Though Stuart was still suspicious for there was no conspicuous proof to show that he was somehow not involved in this matter, they more or less had an inkling that he was set up in this. He was an innocent who fell victim to the plan when Aria had been their prey, and this proved them right when they heard Ian''s next words.


    "I presume you guys are doubting Stuart and his intentions, and you have every right to do. But let me remind you that every ward and room in our hospital has a hidden camera that can record almost everything happening in the room, and not many people know about it." Ian stated as he walked around the table to stand in front of Valerie.


    "Stuart too did not know about it until today. And I don''t think the master mind behind this had an inkling about this. Otherwise, he would not have used such a plan to trap Aria. If we did not have cameras installed, the ones who would be doubted would have been Aria and me, for we were the last ones to visit her. Linda''s reaction triggered only after we left the room. It was all a calculated plan."


    Ian laid out all that he had noticed and analyzed in this matter, and Valerie was impressed by his thought process. He sure was smart and observant, and once again she was floored by him, only this time it was due to his intelligence.


    "I agree with you on this, Doctor. We did doubt your colleague here, I will not deny it. There are chances that they might have collaborated with the other party to kill Linda, and maybe, just maybe, he knew about the secret camera before and planned all this. If we take the circumstances and the evidence, he is at fault and we might have to take him to custody."


    Valerie explained her stance while everyone else listened to her intently. "But the Inspector''s behavior only adds more to the suspicion. If the doctor here had collaborated with the other party to kill the patient, then he would not have blatantly accused him too. As far we can see, he has no idea about the secret cameras, and he first started with accusing you and Aria before he pulled in your colleague too."


    Valerie thought about it carefully, and the pieces began to fall into their places one by one. Also, Stuart seemed too innocent to perform crimes of this sort.


    Being in a field so dangerous and troublesome as hers, Valerie had more or less learned to read faces and from the young doctor''s face, he seemed nothing but a victim in this deadly ploy. He was at the wrong place and wrong time to get caught in this matter when it was not he the mastermind was aiming at.


    "I trust your colleague here. He was innocent in this matter. But I will still have to take him to custody. He and the nurse were the only ones in the room with Linda when she was injected with the drug. So, we will have to question both of them."


    "In that case, you would be disappointed to know Deputy that the nurse has resigned from her work right after her shift ended in the afternoon. You will only have to take Stuart with you."


    Valerie was not surprised by the turn of events. This was a common occurrence that she had been familiar with. Many times, the one who committed crimes at the workplace as a part of a plan would usually escape or resign so as to not get caught by the authorities.


    "Was Linda already dead when she resigned from her work or was she still alive?"


    "The receptionist informed us that her shift ended somewhere around twelve-twelve fifteen. At that time, Aria and I were still speaking to Linda."


    "I see. This sure is complicated. We still do not know why they wanted to trap Aria in this matter. And before everything else, I need to catch that Inspector before he escapes for good. He might know something about this."


    Valerie pulled out her phone and dialed Ryder, who at that time was watching Jared seething in anger in the cell room.


    "Yes, Val." He picked up his phone as he continued to munch on his apple.


    "I need you to track Inspector Hudson James as soon as possible. I will contact Maggie to find out everything about him. If you were to find him, keep an eye on him. But don''t arrest him. I repeat, don''t arrest him. I need to find out who he is in contact with."


    "Sure. I am on it." Ryder dropped his legs from the table and pushed his chair closer to him before he started to search for the said Inspector in their records, and it did not take him long to find the man on their police employee register software.


    Immediately after, he sent a message to his source and a picture of the Inspector, commanding him to find him as soon as possible while he waited for his positive reply.


    Meanwhile, Valerie pursed his lips and looked at Aria when she remembered all that Linda had told her. "Does anybody here know who Charles is and why Linda was speaking about him to you?"

 Chapter 567: Uniting for a cause - Part 2

    Other than Stuart, the three people pursed their lips as soon as they heard Valerie ask them about Charles. It was not that they did not want to comment about this matter to them. But the problem was that they did not know how to disclose the truth to them when it would only bring more problems to them in return.


    But they had no choice either. They had to have someone from the Intelligence, someone who held authority and command as their support, and Valerie was the best choice they had. Keeping things a secret from her when all they wanted was her help was not what they had in mind. It would only ruin their plans.


    So, eventually, they decided to pull Valerie and Preston into their plans, and just like that, Stuart too entered their group without any knowledge of what was happening around him.


    "There a few matters that you are yet to find out Miss Evans. But we would not reveal them to you here, for the walls have ears and we do not anybody else to find out about it. How about we meet elsewhere?"


    Valerie sensed the seriousness in Ian''s tone, making her narrow her eyes skeptically. All of a sudden, a strange feeling entered her mind. But she brushed it away as quickly as it had come to here. She trusted Aria and Ivy to be honest and just, and she trusted the people they trusted. So, for once, she pushed back all her suspicions and decided to follow Ian''s suggestion.


    "Fine. I''ll follow your plan this once. And I hope it is worth it." Valerie did not hide her suspicion from the team, and Ian nodded at her in understanding.


    "I will text you the address, although you might already know Noah Carter''s address," Ian stated, making Valerie and Preston frown at him in confusion.


    "Noah Allen Carter? How is he involved in this?" Preston''s frown deepened as he tried to comprehend what was happening, only to end up with a blank mind.


    "You will find out everything this evening. And I am sure that you will not regret it. We have to lot to tell you and a lot more to reveal to you. All we need is your cooperation." Aria explained, and Preston just stared at her blankly.


    "We will cooperate with you if we deem you to be trustworthy." Valerie made her stance clear, and none among the three objected to it while Stuart just look at all of them puzzled.


    "I presume you would like to know one thing before that, Miss Evans." Ian folded his head, his eyes filled with a strange confidence which Valerie could not discern. It was as though the man was sure that they would cooperate with them and join hands with them by the end of the day.


    "And what might that be?" Valerie too folded her hands, not backing off in the presence of such a domineering man. Her aura was no less strong than Ian''s, and both of them gave such a powerful vibe around them that their audience kept blinking at them in wonder. They resembled nothing less than a power couple, one that could handle and support their partner in any situation or problem thrown at them.


    "It is about the man you are speaking of, Charles. Miss Evans might know him to be the businessman Charles Miller."


    "Charles Miller?" Valerie found the name to be familiar. But she could not put a face to it. Her face scrunched up as she tried to recall him. But in vain.


    "He is a small time businessman. But he is quite resourceful and more powerful than Jared himself. He is the man behind Jared, instructing him behind the scenes, and apparently, to Jared he is his Godfather."


    As soon as Ian addressed the familiar man as Godfather, it struck both Valerie and Preston. They had heard about the so-called Godfather and now they remembered the man''s face clearly.


    "Is Charles Miller Jared''s Godfather?" Valerie asked in disbelief.


    Charles was a businessman too. But unlike Jared whose net worth was more than anyone could comprehend, Charles did not have much in his name. He could not even hold a candle to Jared, and to think that he was the Godfather they were looking for rendered her speechless and lost.


    ''How did Jared get accustomed to Charles?'' She wondered and was just about to voice her question when Ian beat her to it.


    "You will find out all about Jared and Charles in the evening, Miss Evans. But before you need to know where Charles is right now."


    Valerie raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue, and for the first time since he had met the woman, Ian found her reaction to be adorable. A smile replaced his pursed lips and for a moment, he remained silent before he regained his composure.


    "Charles is right in our hospital and currently, he is in the ICU, waiting to gain his consciousness."


    Preston, who had not shown any of his reactions until then, finally, could not control himself and his jaw dropped in shock. It was completely not what he had expected, especially when it was the first time he was hearing about Charles''s involvement in this organ trafficking mafia.


    To think that the man was right here, in the hospital, the man who commanded Jared to carry all those dreadful and heinous activities made Preston giddy with excitement. All he wanted to do was find that old man and drag him, showing the world how much of a criminal he was before hauling him inside the prison, for that was where he belonged, at least until he was strapped to the execution chair.


    "This was unexpected." Valerie too could not handle the shock and she held the table edge for support. Seeing her condition, Ian handed her a bottle of water which she took with a grateful smile. She really needed to calm her nerves, for the day had been more than surprising, with unbelievable events happening one by one at a pace she could not even comprehend.


    Right at this moment, a knock at the door broke the silence that had filled the room after the shocking revelation, and Ian opened it to find a nurse waiting for him outside.


    "Dr. Davis, the patient in ICU III has gained consciousness."


    "I understand. I will be there in a moment." Ian nodded and closed the door again. "How coincidental!!" He did not reduce his volume, allowing everyone to hear him.


    "What is it, Ian?" Ivy, who had been silent for quite some time, asked him immediately.


    "Amidst all this drama, Charles has finally chosen to wake up. He has chosen a perfect time indeed to make his presence known."

 Chapter 568: Noahs concern

    Ian and Stuart entered the ICU while the others waited for them in Ian''s office. Though Aria wanted to tag along with them, Ian stopped her even before she could take a step.


    Charles was a dangerous man, and Ian did not wish for him to find out about Aria and her relationship with Noah. Although Noah could protect her well and keep her safe all the time, he did not intend to put her life her risk, especially when people already were targeting Aria and pushing her into all sorts of troubles.


    Stuart had no idea what was happening. Heck, he even had a feeling that he was floating in a dream, one that was filled with suspense and action. Nothing made sense to him, and all he could do was follow Ian and Aria, who seemed to know almost everything that was happening around him.


    "Aria, I think you should inform about this matter to your boyfriend," Ivy whispered to Aria, and the moment she did so, Preston''s eyes snapped to them. Although he did not hear much, he still caught onto the word boyfriend and his eyes widened subtly.


    Preston could not make out what they speaking. But all of a sudden, he turned jittery. He could not brush off the ominous feeling he was having. ''Does Aria have a boyfriend?'' He wondered, and as soon as the thought entered his mind, his heart shattered into pieces. His face lost all its brightness and he turned gloomy at once.


    ''She must have. She is an incredible woman, and any man would be fortunate to have her as his girlfriend.'' He thought to himself, his eyes still trained on the girl who was speaking to her sister.


    Neither Aria nor Ivy noticed the pair of eyes on them as they continued with their conversation. "He might be going bonkers right now. Although I did stop him from rushing over here like a hurricane, I am not sure how long he will be able to control himself."


    "Why did you tell him? I did not wish to worry him. This was just a small matter."


    "Aria, this is anything but a small matter. You would be in Stuart''s place if not for Ian supporting you and accompanying you to meet her. And the video footage saved you two. Otherwise, you two would be a goner by now."


    Ivy reprimanded her, not giving her sister any leniency. Even though she had come to realize that her younger sister was stronger and more capable than her, that did not stop her from worrying for her. Only Ivy knew about the worries she had in her mind regarding her sister and only she knew how she was suppressing her anger on finding out about the trouble that might have fallen on her sister.


    "Call him now before he blames me for everything." Ivy glared at Aria, and at once, Aria forgot all the complaints that were right at the tip of her tongue. Her sister''s glare was enough to make her follow all her instructions without another word.


    "I am surprised that he had not left all his work to rush to me. I wonder how he controlled himself until now."


    Aria had barely finished speaking when her phone started vibrating, and she showed it to Ivy who just wished her in pity. "I wish you will be alive by the end of the day. Best of luck!"


    Now it was Aria''s turn to glare at her before she moved to a secluded spot in the room. Aria did not even have the chance to greet the man when she heard him firing questions at her.


    "Aria, is that you? Tell me you are safe. Are you alright? What happened? Why didn''t you call me all this time?"


    "Noah, Noah...." Aria stopped him before he could fire more questions at her like a canon. "Hold on, hold on. Let me answer one question at a time, please.


    "Are you alright, Aria? Please tell me you are fine. I cannot and will not allow anything to happen to you." He almost begged, and Aria could not stop the warmth and happiness from spreading in her heart. It had been quite some time since she got together with Noah and every time, every day, every moment, she felt cherished and love.


    Noah had not stopped showing the love he had for her, pampering her until she forgot everything else. Even now, he was worried about her and was willing to leave his important meeting just to make sure that she was fine. How could Aria not feel touched? She smiled in joy and twirled a start of hair, unable to conceal her joy.


    "I am fine, Noah. I am perfectly fine. Nothing happened to me." Aria assured him but she knew that it was not enough. "I agree that whoever it is wanted to target me and trap me in their plan, but I am perfectly fine. But..."


    "But?" Noah was too anxious to notice anything else. He did not even care about his employees, who had stopped to look at the nervous and worried man.


    This was the first time they were seeing their Boss with such an agitated expression, and they could not help but wonder about it. Their ever calm and cold Boss had completely shed his usual demeanor and was anxious beyond words.


    "But Stuart got implicated in this when he is the most innocent one among us."


    Noah understood what Aria was trying to convey. He had already heard about this matter from Ivy about how Stuart had become the victim to the devious plan that was initially targeted at his darling girl. Unlike Aria and Ian or even Ivy, who somehow had reasons for enemies to target them, Stuart was completely innocent in this and got dragged into this unnecessarily.


    "I understand, Aria. I will do everything in my capacity to save him. I will not allow anything to happen to him. Although I am guilty that he was implicated in this, I am also glad that you are safe, Aria. I do not know what I would do if something were to happen to you."


    Just the thought of Aria being harmed by those bastards made Noah''s blood boil in anger, and all he wanted was to hunt them down and chop them into pieces.


    "Noah, we now have the Intelligence joining hands with us, and Valerie and her team will be visiting us in the evening."


    "I got it." Noah nodded to himself. He had already decided to approach Valerie and use her help in matters related to Jared. Now that the situation had made it happen, he had no complaints whatsoever. "Their support is necessary for what I have in mind. We cannot act on our own without anyone backing us up. Otherwise, we will be in deep trouble."


    Aria did not hear what he was saying for her focus was elsewhere. She recalled what Linda had spoken about Noah''s grandfather, and now she did not know whether to reveal it to him or now.


    Noah noticed the lack of response from the other side. "Aria, are you there?"


    "Ah, yes. Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts."


    "What were you thinking about?"


    Aria bit her lip, comprehending what to do, and eventually, she decided to speak to him about it in the evening. This was not a matter they could discuss on the phone.


    "Guess who finally decides to wake up."


    "Did Charles Miller wake up?"


    "Yes," Aria answered, cursing him in her mind for guessing it on his first attempt.


    "Brilliant. Now we can proceed with the next part of our plan. I was waiting for this day all this time."

 Chapter 569: True self

    "Plan? What plan?" Aria queried, not quite understanding what Noah had in mind. Although she quite knew of the plan they had come up with to deal with Charles and Jared, she was certain that the one he was talking about did not fall into what they had discussed.


    Noah''s voice sounded unbelievably dark, sinister even as though he was planning to kill someone, and Aria could not help but shudder even though she herself had blood on her hands.


    "Oh one that will kill those bastards who tried to harm you today. I will spare no one. I already have my men tracking the Inspector and the others, and once I find them, they sure would realize what a grave mistake they did." Noah promised, and his evil voice only excited Aria and she too wished to see what her man did usually to his captives and how he tortured them."


    "May I accompany you on this?" Aria''s voice was soft, too soft that Noah at first assumed that he was overhearing things. But it was only when he heard her plead that he realized that he was hallucinating it and Aria had actually asked him.


    "Aria?" Noah''s voice was especially cautious, something that Aria had never heard before. He had not said anything other than taking her name. But she had already got her answer, and her face fell immediately.


    "Please." She begged. "I would like to see how you handle them." Aria had chosen her words carefully, and for once, Noah did not know why she was this insistent on seeing his monstrous side which he so badly wanted to keep away from her.


    Although his girl had killed people before and would do so if required in the future, Noah did not wish to pull her towards what he was into. It was a completely dark abyss, one that could potentially consume one''s mind like his.


    Not only he, even his friends Joshua and Ian shared the same sentiments as him. They were not innocent, never were they. They killed people, tortured them, extracted blood from them until the monster in them was satisfied. And only this way could they curb their anger and stop it from consuming them whole. And only this way, could they stop from going berserk.


    Compared to him, Aria was definitely innocent. She had no knowledge of how bad he could be when irked, and he wished to keep it that way for life. He only wanted her to know what he could do for he did not wish to lie to her ever. But was unwilling to show them to her and taint her innocence.


    Noah''s delay in response made Aria bite her lips. "I got it." Though she was hurt that he was hiding his true self from her, she understood what his intentions were. So, she did not hold onto it, allowing him to have the final say in this. It did not matter if she saw the true devil in him. All that mattered was she loved him and he loved him equally or even more.


    Noah noticed her dejected tone and he sighed softly, running his free hand through his hair in frustration. He did not know how to explain his feelings to her in this matter. Yet, he knew he had to try and make her understand his stance.


    "Aria, I am sorry. I cannot show you what I am. I can be more horrible than you can ever imagine and I am worried, actually scared. I am terrified that it might frighten you. You, my darling, are what I need in my life. I cannot allow you to see that dark part of me, not now. Not ever."


    "I understand, Noah. You do not have to apologize for it. You are you irrespective of how horrible you could be, and I love you. It does not matter to me, though I am disappointed that you did not trust me enough to show this part of you, I will not force into this. I clearly know what is holding you down for that was how even I had felt before you found the part of me which nobody but Maggie knew about."


    Aria did not hide how she was feeling currently, showing him her deepest thoughts, the ones that she had never told anyone. He was the man she loved, and he had every right to know what she wished and wanted. But he also had to know what she wanted and how much she cared for him.


    Showing his true self to her was his choice just like how she had chosen to do so out of respect and love towards him, though the timing of her revelation was completely not in her hands. That was not how she had intended to tell him about herself.


    Aria did expect him to be transparent with her. But if he was unwilling, she understood it too. Everybody had their fears, and Noah''s fear was his dark side, even more than losing Aria after pulling her with him into the dark side.


    "So you have nothing to apologize for. Are you done with your meeting?" Aria changed the topic deftly.


    "Yes, for now. Although I still have another an hour later." Noah too did not go further into the topic, even though his mind was already filled with what Aria had said.


    "Hmm, Ivy tells me that you will not be visiting the agency any time soon due to your work and have pushed her to be the mediator between Dad and the others."


    Noah smiled, recalling how Ivy had almost wanted to beat him to death for putting her through this. He had forced her to be in the spotlight, making it quite difficult for the girl who had never liked being in one. He had definitely pushed her from her comfort zone, and for the first time, he regretted what he did. But soon, his regret vanished when he realized his intentions for doing so.


    "I think I owe her an apology," Noah said in all sincerity that Aria did not have any words to say. "I should not have made this decision without consulting her."


    Aria''s eyes narrowed and she looked at Ivy, who was lost in her phone. "Why do I feel that there is something more to this than it looks?"


    "Because there is. I will explain it to you when the time is right. For now, it is best that Ivy is in the dark. Although nothing much would happen if she knows about my intentions, it is best she stays out of it. I will make it up to her somehow."


    Aria was just about to ask more when the door opened and a nurse came running in, startling everyone inside. "Dr. West, it''s an emergency. The patient in bed nine in the general ward is having a heart attack."


    "Noah, I have to go. I will call you later." Aria did not even wait for his response and ended the call while Noah did not hold her back. He had already heard the nurse''s words.


    Noah''s hands dropped to his sides as he stared out of the glass window. Even though the street was bustling with life, his gaze and mind did not register any of it. His mind was still reeling all that Aria had told him. ''I am sorry, Aria. I really am. I will show you the true me someday. But right now. I just need a little more time to muster my courage. Please be patient until then.''

 Chapter 570: Concerned friend

    Aria did not even care about the other people in the office before she ran after the nurse while Preston followed her closely. He did not know why but he wanted to be close to Aria at that moment. It was as though his heart would only be calm in her presence and his turmoil would end on seeing her pretty face.


    Valerie smiled at seeing her colleague and friend running behind Aria with a lovestruck gaze while the girl in question had no idea about it. She could not help but wonder if liking someone seriously changed people to that extent or was it all within them and only gushed out when they found the person they desired to be with.


    "I wonder how I would be when I fall in love." She mused out loud, gaining Ivy''s attention on her.


    "I am sorry. Did you say something, Valerie?" Ivy lowered her phone and stared at the woman, who seemed to snap out of her thoughts after listening to her voice.


    "What?" Valerie gave her a confused look, and Ivy let out a giggle.


    "I thought you spoke something."


    "Did that come out loud?"


    "I guess so. But I did not hear a word. Anyway, how has work been?"


    "Kinda stressful, especially after the blockbuster news yesterday night." Valerie sighed and took one of the chairs in front of Ian''s desk while Ivy occupied the other.


    Ivy''s smile widened at her words and she bit her lip, wondering if she should tell her the truth. Eventually, she settled to do it, especially when Valerie would soon be finding out everything about them as well as their plans.


    "I think I would be guilty of it then." Ivy sighed, and Valerie narrowed her gaze in wonder, urging her silently to continue. "It was my agency that released the news and I am in that team. So, more or less I am responsible for your stress."


    "I should have thought so. Only you are capable of giving me headaches." Valerie complained but her tone gave away her state of mind. She was far from complaining about it.


    "Can''t help it. We are more resourceful than you guys are. We need to grab the opportunity before anyone else does. After it is business even though we are revealing the truth to the public." Ivy shrugged as though it was not a big deal, and Valerie nodded immediately.


    "Can''t deny that. It is always early bird catches the worm. By the way, when did you collect all this information? It sure seems that you have been into this for a long time to have collected such abundant pieces of evidence." Valerie probed, her curiosity now piqued.


    "Let''s just say I have a courageous friend who did the job for us. You would be meeting them tonight, and I am sure you would be surprised to find out who it is." Ivy said, not so mysteriously and Valerie had to tilt her head to show her bewilderment.


    "Is it someone I know?" Valerie questioned, already having a hunch about who Ivy was talking. ''Who else could it be other than Maggie?'' She wondered, her eyes quivering in perplexity. ''How does Maggie know Ivy? Is Maggie staying with Aria and Ivy right now?''


    A lot of questions popped up in Valerie''s mind as she waited for Ivy''s response.


    "Maybe." Ivy just shrugged, keeping the suspense continued.


    "How do you know her?" Valerie could not stop herself now and her eyes widened in shock.


    "She is a friend of mine and Aria''s."


    "Is she staying with you?"


    "You can say that." Ivy mused.


    "Why didn''t she tell me where she was staying? I was worried for her."


    "That, I do not know. You will have to ask her yourself."


    "Wow," Valerie mumbled, still reeling in shock. "This sure is a terrific surprise. I now realize how you know a lot of secrets, a lot more than I do."


    Ivy just smiled at her, allowing her to have the say her. She was glad that Valerie was not blaming her or her group for what they had done, neither had she chastised Maggie for helping them instead of the Intelligence for which she once worked and was still working in secret.


    "I wonder how Ryder would take it. He has been going crazy since she disappeared."


    "Ryder? Is he the one Maggie likes?" Ivy raised her brows playfully and Valerie nodded. "Ahh, nevertheless, Maggie kept mumbling about some man whose name she never took before us. So, there is a Ryder in her life. And from your previous words, I presume he too has the same feelings as hers. This is interesting."


    Ivy commented more to herself than to Valerie. "Tonight, the lovers will me and boi, what a meet it would be. I will bring out my popcorn and cola."


    Valerie chuckled at her words and shook her head. "I wonder if it will be more explosive than the news your agency released yesterday."


    "Hmm, I wonder too. Ahh, young love." Ivy sighed and once again, Valerie chuckled.


    "You speak as though you have either been love forever or you are yet to find a man to your liking."


    "Neither." Ivy did not mind speaking about her love life to Valerie. "It''s been only weeks since I started a relationship and my man loves me."


    "What about you? Do you love him too?"


    "Yes, I do. But please do not tell him once you meet him. He is already in another galaxy, I do not want him to have his head high even more. I am yet to confess to him."


    "Is it someone I know?"


    "I think so. It''s Joshua Martin."


    "No wonder. From your words, I assume that I will be meeting him tonight."


    "There are chances of it happening. But I am not sure. Joshua is injured currently and that stubborn man refuses to recuperate. If he finds out what is happening tonight, he will come flying over to attend the meeting. It''s like where there is drama and action, there is Joshua."


    Valerie burst out laughing at her words. "You both make an interesting couple. What about Aria? Does she have someone in her life too?" She inquired, hoping against hope for her answer to be negative. She wanted her friend to get his first love.


    Preston had not once been in any relationship, and Aria was the first girl who had caught his eye. And Valerie wished for him to get what he desired.


    "Yes, she has a boyfriend too." As soon as Ivy revealed, Valerie''s heart dropped, and she suddenly felt too bad for the man who right now had no idea about him. "And it is his house we are going to tonight."

 Chapter 571: Preston in despair

    Meanwhile, Preston''s gaze was fixed on the girl, who right now was barking orders at the nurses to carry them out. Aria did not even see him, her focus completely directed at the patient, who she was trying to resuscitate. He had suffered a major cardiac arrest and had lost consciousness immediately. His face was utterly pale, resembling nothing less than a dead body. If not was the slow rise and fall of his chest, one would assume him to be dead.


    Preston watched Aria performing CPR on the patient. But it did not work. The man was completely gone, and his heartbeat was now moving towards the midline. Aria tried again to revive him. Again in futile. His heart had stopped beating, and eventually, all that they could hear was the flat beep from the ECG.


    Aria pulled back and wiped her forehead, staring at the now dead man for a few seconds before she turned towards the nurse behind her. "Inform the patient''s family. He is no more. Prepare for the next procedure."


    Aria walked out of the ward only to find Preston waiting outside, and she was pleasantly surprised to see him here. He just pursed his lips, not knowing what to say in this situation. Although it was just a patient, to any doctor, every life mattered, and it would be a lie to say that their death did not affect them.


    Aria too let out a helpless smile before she walked towards the washroom. "I will be right back." She uttered before she vanished behind the doors while Preston just stared at the door. He took a deep breath, sympathizing and commending Aria and all honest doctors for their stressful job. It was not easy to be a doctor, and even more so if they were a surgeon.


    Preston paced back and forth as he waited for Aria to come out. Although he did not know why, he wanted to be with her at this time and comfort her. Barely five to ten minutes had passed when Aria emerged from the bathroom, pushing a strand of wet hair behind her face. She looked better than how she had before she had entered the washroom, and Preston was glad that the patient''s death had not affected her much mentally.


    "Are you alright?" He handed her a bottle of water which Aria took gratefully.


    "Yeah, I am fine. It''s just that even though we are senior doctors who have seen and been accustomed to patient''s death, we still feel the guilt of not being able to save them." She let out a deep breath before she chugged down the water and wiped her lips.


    "Woah, Woah, Woah, calm down, Doctor. That bottle is yours. I have no intentions of stealing it from you." Preston tried to lighten the heavy mood, and it worked. Aria smiled at him and rolled her eyes.


    "I didn''t know it. You never mentioned that you did not want the bottle back. I assumed that you too wanted a sip from it." Aria too teased back, and Preston could only chuckle at her words.


    "You have a weird sense of humor," Preston mumbled and although he had not intended to, Aria still heard it.


    "Hey, Mister." Aria stopped walking, forcing the man beside her too to stop walking. "I have a good sense of humor. Alright? It''s just that people don''t appreciate it."


    Aria had no idea why but she was enjoying the conversation she was having with the man who had once shoved her aside. He was smart and charming and quite amicable too. He gave her a sense of security and a vibe she was all too familiar with. Even though she was not that experienced in romance, she could read people, and Preston''s eyes alone conveyed his liking for her.


    ''But why does he like me? We did not even have any conversation until today? Was it love at first sight?'' Aria mused and as soon as the thought occurred to her, she shook her head. ''It cannot be love at first sight. He was blatantly annoyed by my presence. In that case, what is it?'' She wondered, taking a peek at the not so oblivious man.


    Though Aria wanted to clear her stance and reveal about her having a boyfriend so as to stop Preston from having any lingering feelings for her, she did not know how to bring up the topic without him starting the conversation. Despite her speaking to him this much for the first time, she had long learned that Preston was a good man, and she did not intend to lead him on and give him false impressions.


    An idea popped up in her, and she pulled out her phone immediately. "Blimey, I forgot to call my boyfriend. He had asked me to call him after I finished dealing with the patient."


    As soon as Preston heard her, he stood frozen in his spot while his eyes were fixed at the girl beside him. His smile slipped, and it was as though someone had punched him hard in the gut, forcing all his breath away. His lips parted in shock, and more in despair as he stared at the girl he had slowly come to like over time.


    "Do you have a boyfriend?" He queried, his voice hoarse and completely low.


    It was so soft that Aria wondered if she had even heard it. But Preston''s expression confirmed that she had and she now pitied him. ''Maybe,'' She wondered. ''Maybe, if I was alone and not with Noah, I may have given you a chance. But now....'' She let out a sigh and nodded at him, crushing all his feelings for her.


    Though guilty, she was relieved that Preston would now not harbor thoughts for her anymore, and given his character, he was not the one to pester her and obsess over her for her love.


    "I guess I was a little late," Preston mumbled to himself, and even though Aria heard it, she did not comment about it.  "Is he a good man?"


    "Yes, he is. He is amazing. I just love him and he loves me more than I do. I am fortunate to have met him." Her words completely shattered all his possibilities with her. Preston had to force a smile to face Aria.


    Even though he was in grief, Preston was glad that Aria was honest with him and had divulged about his relationship. His feelings for her were still not that deep to fall into depression over her indirect rejection. He could get over it and he knew he would.


    "I am happy for you," Preston stated, and Aria sensed the sincerity in his words. They were neither superficial nor were they filled with jealousy. He was genuinely happy for her, and she smiled at him warmly, her appreciation for him growing ten folds. He truly had an excellent character.


    "Well thank you. I am sure you will find someone she would eventually love too, and I hope it happens soon." Aria too wished with all sincerity.


    "Do you think so?" Preston bent his head a little, enquiring her with a questionable gaze.


    "Definitely. Any single lady would be an idiot to reject you if she learns how good you are."


    "I see. I wonder where that girl is."


    "You will meet her soon. You can trust your friend on this." Aria patted her chest, and Preston let out a chortle.


    ''At least, I still have your friendship.'' He let out a sigh. "In that case, I will hold onto your words, friend. If I am unable to find someone I like, I will pester you to find me one."


    "Definitely. But be aware that once you do so, you might find your details on all dating apps and matrimonial websites. Be sure to keep your phone on alert and fully charged. You might end up with a lot of girls attacking you right away. After all, who wouldn''t want such a delectable boyfriend or a husband? The competition will be fierce and more bloody than an actual war. It is once in a lifetime that they will find a fine and decent man." Aria winked at him as they neared the ICU.


    "Why are Valerie and Ivy here? Did something happen?" Preston, who was looking ahead, was the first one to detect them, and Aria followed him towards them with a perplexed expression.

 Chapter 572: Disappeared

    "Val, what happened? Why are you two here?" Preston queried as he and Aria approached them. He gave the two girls a concerned look, only to find Valerie smiling at him faintly to comfort him. He saw her expression and he understood that she had learned the truth about Aria and her relationship. He could only smile at her sadly in return and shake his head in despair.


    Preston glanced at Aria, who was staring at her sister, his eyes filled with love and indulgence. But soon, he shook his head, giving up on this blissful dream he had created over days. Aria was not meant for him, and he was glad that he found out about her before he fell deep into the pit.


    Although he knew that it would take him some time for his feelings towards the girl to vanish for she was the first girl he had ever liked this much, Preston knew that over time, he would come out of it. Aria was meant to be his friend, a good friend and he decided to keep it that way.


    "We were bored inside Ian''s office. So, we just came out." Ivy shrugged lightly, and Aria let out a sigh.


    "What about Ian and Stuart? Did they come out yet?"


    Ivy was just about to shake her head when she saw the two men in question come out of Charles'' ward. "They are here." She gestured behind Aria, watching the two men approach them with a grave expression.


    "Ian, why do you look so angry?" Nobody missed the way Ian''s face had darkened. It was as though he was ready to punch someone hard in his anger. Even Stuart looked vexed, completely unlike his calm and relaxed self.


    "Charles is just unbelievable." Ian huffed and gnashed his teeth.


    "What do you mean? What did he do?" Ivy stepped forward and frowned lightly.


    "He isn''t cooperating with us and complaining non-stop. It''s as though he deems us responsible for him staying in a coma all these days. He is a lunatic, Aria. I tell you, a complete lunatic."


    "Why is he blaming you guys when he knows that he had fallen sick?" Valerie queried, frowning hard.


    "I have no idea, Miss Evans. That man is just ridiculous. I just want to kick him out of this hospital."


    "We can discharge him if he alright." Aria offered, and Ian shook his head.


    "Not in the next few hours at least. He is too weak to even get up, let alone walk out of the hospital."


    Ivy looked around, her frown deepening as soon as a realization hit her. She continued to look around and to confirm her notions, she even took a walk in the corridor they were, confusing the people with her bizarre behavior.


    "Guys," She spoke when she returned to her group. "Did you notice something strange?" She looked around her once again before she focused her attention on Ian and Aria, for they were only one might know what she was speaking about.


    "Strange?" Aria too followed suit and looked around to see what Ivy was hinting at. "What are you speaking about?"


    "Didn''t you guys notice that all the men who were guarding Charles are now nowhere in sight?" Ivy stated her observation, and again another round of looking around followed suit to confirm her words.


    While Stuart, Valerie and Preston had no idea what she was talking about, Ian and Aria''s expressions turned solemn at once.


    "Would you guys mind involving us too in your conversation?" Preston enquired, and Valerie let out a chuckle listening to his words.


    "Since the time Charles was admitted to the hospital, his men have been guarding him. Although they haven''t made their presence known, we all realized their purpose right on the first day. But I am unsure as to why nobody is here to guard him today. What might be the reason?" Aria answered him and cleared the doubts the three people had.


    "Are you sure that they were men guarding him and not just random people who were not involved with him?" Valerie queried, finding the situation to be fishy. Why would his men stop guarding him all of a sudden?


    "Positive. They were his men." Ian replied immediately. "They kept wandering in this corridor all these days."


    "I see. In that case, there something seems to be wrong here." Valerie too could not stop the suspicions from raising in her mind. "Even though Jared is in cell currently, I do not think his men know about it. So, they might not have left the hospital on their own."


    "Yeah, he and his assistant are both in the Intelligence interrogation cell currently. And as far as I can say, his men his yet to find out about it for." Preston added.


    "What if Jared himself made a call before he was held captive by your guys?" Ivy mused.


    "That''s not possible. We arrested him without any warning. If he really cares about this old man, he would not have asked his men to return and why would he do so when Charles is one in power?" Preston objected immediately. "Moreover, we have Jared''s cell phone with us. So, he could not have called his men back after he came to the Intelligence."


    "What if he informed someone to do it before he was arrested?" Aria continued.


    "That might be a possibility. But again, why would he do so if Charles is his Godfather? I presume he would want to take care of him and make sure he is alright. As far as I can say, Charles is the only one who can save Jared, that is if he is not arrested before then." Preston continued.


    Everyone turned silent at once and nobody knew what had happened for Charles'' men to abandon him like this.


    "What are we going to do now?" Ivy started, unable to tolerate the silence any longer.


    "I cannot keep this stupid man any longer. He seems fine for now, except for being a little weak. Let him stay in the hospital for a day and if necessary, I will discharge him tomorrow night." Ian stated and everyone found this to be the best possible solution.


    Valerie too agreed with him. "Good. That will give us ample time to plan our next course of outcome. Maybe we might find out why his men have stopped guarding him."

 Chapter 573: Better off as friends

    "I am sorry." Valerie breathed as Preston drove beside her. He was focused on the road. So, he did not see the expression on Valerie''s face. Her heart ached for him. But she did not know what more to say.


    "Why are you sorry, Valerie?" Although Preston understood what his good friend was trying to do, he still feigned ignorance with an idea to tease her and loosen the mood. "Did you do something behind my back that might potentially harm me? Or what secret are you hiding from me?"


    Valerie rolled her eyes at his pathetic attempt to joke with her. But she was still glad that Preston was not too in despair after he failed to get the girl he liked. His friend was smart and strong, and she smiled lightly, praising him for not falling too deep in sadness.


    "You guessed it right. I was short of money. So, I was thinking of...." Valerie stopped, allowing the mystery to settle.


    "Thinking of?" Preston probed, glancing at her for a moment before he returned his gaze on the road.


    "I was thinking of taking it out of your piggy bank?" Valerie''s smile widened as soon as she saw the confused look on Preston''s face.


    "Piggy bank? Val, I do not have a piggy bank and why would I have one? I am not a child." He gave her an incredulous look, and this time, Valerie could not control herself anymore. She burst out laughing, adding more to the man''s puzzlement.


    "Are you sure you do not have one? Ryder and I both know about your secret account where you are storing money to buy your favorite car, and you are almost close to reaching the amount you have in mind." Valerie winked the moment Preston''s face snapped to hers.


    "How did you know about it?" Preston could not hide his shock even if he wanted to for as far as he could remember, he did not recall revealing it to anyone. It was a secret he had maintained all these years, and to think that it was not a secret anymore, turned his face red in embarrassment.


    "We know all your secrets, dear friend. Otherwise, how do you think I would have the notion of stealing some money from your treasure trove?"


    "Don''t you even dare." Preston warned. Even though his voice was low and threatening, Valerie did not take it heart and brushed it off with a chuckle. He was definitely not serious with his threats.


    "Are you sure I wouldn''t?" Valerie continued, and Preston eventually gave up when he realized that she was just teasing him. Why would she even eye his treasure when she herself had a lot of savings?


    "As if you can." He just scoffed lightly to have the last say.


    "How are you feeling?" Valerie''s expression turned solemn all of a sudden as she stared at the man beside her who had his eyes fixed on the road. He did not dare look at her this time for he knew she would find out his true feelings if she were to see his eyes.


    "I am fine." Preston took a few seconds to answer her, composing his distressing feelings.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I am. I am fine, Val. It was best that I found out the truth about Aria before I got too carried away with my feelings for her. I can now suppress them and come out of it as soon as possible." Preston let out a deep sigh.


    "Did you confess to Aria about your feelings?"


    "Not at all, although I have a hunch that she might have found out about it. It was her who brought up her boyfriend first. So, I stopped myself quickly. We are now good friends and I did not intend to make it awkward between us and lose her friendship too." Preston stated as they entered the parking lot of the Intelligence building.


    "That''s great. Do you know friendship is deeper than a relationship?" Valerie released her set belt and turned towards Preston completely. "So, I assume that whatever happened was for the best. You now another friend other than us."


    Preston just shook his head and got off the car while Valerie followed suit. "I am saying the truth. Any relationship will be a success if they start by being friends. So, my dear friend," Valerie walked beside Preston, making sure to keep his attention on her. "You have a stronger bond with her. So, what if she could not be your girlfriend, she is now your friend. Moreover, you might lose a girlfriend, but you will never lose a true friend. And as far as I can feel, Aria is a true friend."


    "Val," Preston stopped walking, forcing Valerie to stop too.


    "Yes?" She gave him a pleased look and folded her hands, smiling brightly at him.


    "Are you done preaching? If so, let''s go. Ryder must be losing control now with our prolonged absence." Without another word, he started walking while Valerie followed him with a chuckle. She did not speak any further about Aria or any topic related to friendship or relationship, allowing Preston to take his take time to get our his feelings himself.


    Meanwhile, Preston smiled to himself when he realized that what Valerie had said was the truth. He preferred being Aria''s friend, rather than have a relationship with her. At least that way, he was sure he could be with her and keep her in his life. Moreover, he valued friendship more than anything in the world and now, Aria had entered his short list of friends, one he wished to keep happy and safe forever.


    "Finally," Ryder raised his hands in exaggeration. "I thought you guys forgot me or had abandoned me."


    "We forgot you after we decided to abandon you." Valerie''s reply was instant, and Ryder threw a glare at her.


    "Then, why did you come back? Leave and abandon me again."


    "Ryder, if you have forgotten, we work here. We will have to come back here even if we decide to abandon you." Preston answered, and Ryder now almost had the urge to kill his friends.


    "What took you guys this long?" He changed the topic and frowned lightly as he ran a hand through his hair.


    "We will tell you about it later. Let''s meet Jared first." Valerie started walking, not giving the man any heads up about what was to come.


    "Why are we meeting Jared? Did you guys find out more about him?"


    Preston draped his hand around Ryder''s neck. "Yes. So, come and watch the drama and maybe some action too. You might not want to miss this. This is just unbelievable." He did not say more, keeping his friend in suspense while the two men followed their Deputy towards the interrogation cell where Jared was being held captive.

 Chapter 574: Playing with minds - Part 1

    "How are you doing, Mr. Augustus?" Valerie rolled up her sleeves as she took the chair opposite Jared. She stared at the now haggard man. From his looks alone, she deduced him not to have slept even an ounce the whole night. His eyes were bloodshot and dark circles were quite evident on his face.


    In just one night, he had fallen from his grace, making him the criminal he was, and Valerie did not pity him whatsoever. Jared deserved the misery he was going through, maybe even more. And that would happen quite soon. After meeting Aria and Ivy and from their mysterious words, she had more or less guessed how innocent Jared was and what kind of a man he was in actuality.


    "You have the wrong person, Deputy. You are going to regret arresting me ever." After staying in the Intelligence for almost one full day, Jared was nowhere near being cool. His patience had snapped long ago and he was too irked to even think rationally. All he wanted was to kill the people who had brought him to this state.


    "Ah, ah, ah," Valerie stopped him immediately. "Threats will not work here, Mr. Augutus. It will only add more to your crimes."


    "I am not a criminal." Jared almost shouted, unable to conceal his fury anymore.


    "That is for us to decide, Mr. Augustus. But as of yet, everything, everything damn thing I have at hand proves that you are guilty. How will you explain it?" Valerie leaned forward on the table and clasped her fingers, her eyes narrowing slightly. And for the first time, Jared felt fear course through him and it was all because of a woman.


    The only person he had ever feared was his Godfather. Just his mere presence was enough to keep him alert at all times. Valerie was the first woman to instill terror in him, and he had no idea why. Even Maggie, the girl he loved dearly, had been unable to frighten him when she had escaped from his clutches with all evidence she could collect from his own den.


    There was something in the way Valerie was looking at him that made Jared apprehensive. It was as though she had found a secret about him that might end him for sure, and just this thought was enough to make him clench his fists in worry. He could not brush off the feeling even if he wanted to.


    Unable to meet Valerie''s intimidating eyes anymore, he stared at the two men behind her. But unlike her, there were no expressions of any sort on their faces. It was impossible to read them. All they did was pressure him more, making him fidget on his chair in uneasiness.


    Valerie smiled on seeing the man''s distress. But she did nothing to ease him of it. She wanted him anxious, worried and at the edge of his seat on pins and needles as that it would then be easy for her to extract information from him.


    "Anyway, I have some explosive news for you. Do you want to hear it?" Her eyes gleamed in delight as she spoke softly. At first glance, it seemed as though she wanted to convey a piece of joyous news to him. But Jared knew otherwise. Any happy news from Valerie was never a piece of happy news for him.


    Jared stayed silent, wondering what Valerie had in mind. Though he was desperate to find out what she had found out now, he stayed calm, not giving away his predicament to the three people. Showing his weakness and his troubled state would only give more power to his opponents, and that was the one thing he did not intend to do.


    "Looks like Mr. Augutus is not in the mood. In that case, should I reveal to him or not?" Valerie turned behind to see her friends, who just smirked at her in return.


    While Preston gave her a knowing look, all Ryder could do was stare at her in confusion. He had no idea what was happening and why Valerie was so excited all of the sudden. But whatever it was, Ryder realized was not good news for Jared. Just like the criminal in front of him, Ryder too was desperate to find out what had happened but all for a different reason compared to him.


    "Now, I am suddenly not in the mood to speak about Charles." She uttered and stood up immediately, her eyes not leaving Jared''s face. And just as she had anticipated, Jared''s composed expression cracked. He was visibly stunned and his face paled immediately.


    ''How did Valerie find out about Godfather? Did he wake up? Is he alright? I hope he is.'' All sorts of questions entered Jared''s mind, and he could not sit still even if he wanted to. Giving away his disposition was also not possible for that would only add more to his troubles. How would he then answer to how he knew Charles and what their relationship was?


    Jared was at his wit''s ends and he did not know what to do. From Valerie''s expression, he was sure that she more or less had an inkling about who Charles was to. ''I should not reveal the truth myself at all costs. This might all be a trap laid out for me. I need to be careful. What if it is all just her assumptions and she is waiting for me to take the bait? But I need to find out how she knows Charles too.''


    Jared let out a deep sigh, deciding to take the risk this time. "Who is Charles?" He masked his shock as much as possible, making it seem like he had no idea who Valerie was speaking about.


    Ryder too did not know who Charles was and he gave Preston a questioning look, only to meet the man smiling widely at him. All he did was nod at him to be patient, and Ryder gave up even looking at him for answers. He realized that Preston was having fun and he too decided to join in. He would eventually find out the truth anyway.


    "Are you sure you do not know who Charles Miller is, Mr. Augutus?" Valerie folded her hands.


    "No. Is it someone I should know?" Jared continued to feign ignorance, even though his palms had turned clammy and his heart was beating at a rate he could not even comprehend. He was just short of losing himself completely to fear.


    His Godfather was his only hope of him getting out of this place, and he did not wish for Valerie and her team to find out about him. The old man had to stay out it, away from the eyes of the Intelligence if he were to leave from the place unscathed. Jared had pinned all his hopes on his Godfather to save him.


    ''I should not disclose anything about Godfather at any cost.'' He thought as he waited for Valerie to speak up.


    "I assume so. Don''t you and Charles have a good relationship, Mr. Augustus?" Valerie kept the mystery in the air, not allowing Jared to even deduce what all she knew about him.


    "I am not sure, Deputy. Maybe he is a business partner of mine that I have forgotten. You see I deal with a lot of people. I cannot remember all of them, can I?" He put on a poker face. But Valerie had seen through his act.


    "It''s funny to hear that you do not recollect the man who is none other than your Godfather, the man who controls your gang and is equally as responsible as you are in your list of crimes."

 Chapter 575: Playing with minds - Part 2

    "It is interesting to know that you do not remember the man you address as Godfather and who is equally as responsible as you are in your list of crimes, perhaps even more so." Valerie''s lips twitched as she kept staring at the man in front of her. "Am I right, Jared?" She dropped all the honorifics, not giving him any respect, and why should she when the man did not deserve respect?


    "What are you speaking about, Deputy?" Jared still did not break down. But the slight tremble in his tone had given away his predicament. "You must be mistaken. What the heck is a Godfather? Are we shooting a movie here?" He tried to calm down and steady his tone, regretting losing his composure a moment ago.


    Valerie stayed silent for a few moments as she kept her gaze locked on Jared before she walked around, not stopping until she was right behind him. "You tell us, Jared. What kind of story are you trying to create here."


    From her voice, Jared sensed her to be right behind him. But he did not turn around for he did not know if he could keep his face straight on meeting her questioning and intense gaze. He also did not look at the two men in front of them. They were no less than Valerie with the way they kept their eyes on him. He instead, focused his haze on his hands as he tried to form an answer to Valerie''s question.


    "Deputy, what are you trying to play at? Do you think you could trick me into accepting things I have never done?"


    "Nah, Nah." Valerie shook her head as she folded her hands. She remained standing behind him as she studied his back. "I am not tricking you to accept the crimes you have never done. It is the other way round actually. I am tricking you to accept all that you have, Jared." She did not hide her intentions from him, startling him for a moment. But Jared returned to his calm self immediately, and this time, he even smiled as he looked up at Ryder and Preston.


    His sudden change surprise Preston and Ryder. Even Valerie sensed his shift in demeanor and she raised her brows in wonder.


    All of a sudden, Jared started chuckling and he turned in his chair to face Valerie. "I am impressed, Deputy. You were able to find a lot of things that nobody has been able to. But it is even more fascinating to know that all you have found out will not be able to punish me." He said with conviction, and Valerie narrowed her eyes immediately.


    But she did not speak a word, waiting for Jared to continue and he did gladly. His smile widened and he gave her a challenging look. There was something odd in his eyes that made Valerie raise her guards against him. His eyes which previously held fear were now gleaming wickedly, and she could not comprehend what had happened for him to change this suddenly.


    "Do you know, Deputy," Jared started, his smirk not leaving his face. "Who is a good player?"


    Valerie frowned at his words. But she did not give him any reply and continued to stare at him.


    "A good player reads his opponent''s minds before he pulls his next move," Jared remarked, his face turning sinister at once. "And do you know who is a smart player?" He continued.


    Again he got silence in return, and Jared gave her a mysterious look, one that Valerie could not comprehend. It was as though Jared had this all planned out and they were under his control, instead of it being the other way round. All of a sudden, she started to have an ominous feeling about it.


    "A smart player plans his opponent''s moves too." Jared laughed wickedly again, and this time, none among the three could react in time.


    A chill went down Valerie''s spine, and for the first time since Jared had been locked up in the Intelligence, Valerie found herself fearing him and she had no idea why.


    "And Deputy, you have done the same thing I have wanted you to do all along." Jared leaned back on his chair lazily, his mere stance making Valerie want to slap him in the face.


    "You were so busy in finding out about me that you failed to protect the country or that is how it will be after," Jared held her hand, and the moment he did so, both Ryder and Preston stepped forward, ready to protect their friend. "Two hours or even less."


    "What do you mean?" Valerie frowned. Even Ryder and Preston could not control themselves any longer and their composure evaporated.


    "You were quite successful in finding out about my Godfather and I will give all credits to Maggie. If not for her, you would not have found anything about me or the man who the world thinks to be the one in control."


    Valerie''s eyes widened in horror. She could not believe what she was hearing and for a moment, she stood frozen in her spot. Even Preston was stupefied to learn the truth and he too had a similar reaction to hers. Ryder was the only one who did not react much for he was yet to find out everything.


    "Although I would like to tell you more, you do not have time Deputy." Jared changed his attack suddenly. "You have an important task to complete before that."


    Valarie almost glared at him in anger and she had the sudden urge to put a bullet through his head. He was too infuriating.


    "What have you done?" She gritted her teeth and Jared nodded lightly.


    "This was the question I was waiting for all this time. I knew the Intelligence would come to me the moment Maggie escaped from my clutches. So, I was prepared." Jared smiled widely. "All your eyes were on me, and I presume even on the man who calls himself my Godfather." He spat in anger and Valerie sensed his anger towards the man from his tone.


    "What have you done?" She iterated again.


    "Nothing much, Deputy. I put my plan into action, the same plan which you foiled brilliantly when you arrested David Peters."


    ----------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please vote for Whisper of Hearts instead of Falling in Love starting today. That book has entered the Warewolf and I competition and it would be helpful if you could read the book and give me your opinions. I would love to know your feedback.


    So, please vote for Whisper of Hearts guys.


    Thank you.

 Chapter 576: Playing with minds - Part 3

    "I put my plan into action, Deputy. The same plan which you foiled when you arrested David Peters." Jared grinned when he saw the change in Valerie''s expressions. Not only was she stunned by his revelation, but she was also terrified to even think about the consequences of his actions.


    Valerie was just about to probe for more details when a thought popped up in her mind. ''Is he telling the truth? What if he is deceiving me to use this opportunity to get out of here?'' She wondered and stared at the man who held an evil glint in his eye. It was as though he knew what exactly was running in her mind. Her face said it all.


    "You can choose not to believe me, Deputy. But you will soon learn what the truth is and you will eventually believe me." Jared said with such confidence that Valerie was now certain that he was not lying.


    Anger got the best of her and she lunged forward and pulled him up by his collar. "What the hell did you do?" She gritted her teeth, wishing to kill the man who was smirking wickedly at her. However, he completely ignored her behavior with him.


    "I did everything that would save me, and now it up to you to save the nation, Deputy." He was oddly calm, and now both Preston and Ryder too were furious beyond belief. "I was prepared for this day, Deputy, while you were not."


    Every word from his mouth only made Valerie lose control, and unable to stop herself anymore, she punched him in the face. "You bastard." She shouted and kicked his stomach and Jared took all her punches and kicks with a smile. Not only did he not hit back, but his face was also oddly calm and composed.


    "Umm, Deputy," He spat out blood after receiving another punch from the livid woman. "I would not mind being your punching bag. But you have other matters to attend to, and you need to attend to them quickly to save the nation. Otherwise," Jared opened his fists to exaggerate what lay ahead for them. "Boom. You will only hear cries and more cries everywhere."


    "Bastard." Even Preston could not help but curse out loud. "Don''t you know what will happen to you after this? You will go to the execution chair directly and we will make sure of it."


    A low chuckle erupted in the room as Jared wiped his lips. "Do you think I am worried about it? I have come prepared." Jared tilted his head as he stared at the three people in front of him. He looked nothing less than the psycho he was, and the dim lighting in the interrogation room and the blood from his lips only made him more creepy.


    "As soon as Maggie escaped from my clutches, I had already anticipated this day and I had prepared for it. I knew you would soon come to me. So, I had to create a way out for myself and I did." So..." Jared took a chair he was sitting on before and licked his lips, tasting his own blood on his tongue. "Deputy, now is the time for you to decide."


    "What do you want?" Valerie clenched her fists in anger, controlling her urge to kill the man in front of her.


    "All I want is my freedom in return for information you so desperately seek. I am sure by now you must be dying to know what my plan is and what my target locations are." Jared crossed his legs, showing his dominance in the predicament they were in.


    Valerie did not miss the subtle hint he had given her and her fury only rose all the more. He had planned large scale destruction and was targeting people in different places to get his purpose solved. He had played her well, and Valerie for once did not know what to do. While one part of her was reluctant to believe him, the other part did not want to take any risk. What if Jared was actually saying the truth and he had planned mass destruction in secret?


    "It is up to you, Deputy. Take your time to decide. Oops." Jared clicked his tongue as soon as he realized what he had spoken. "Time is the one thing you do not have right now. Tick tock, decide fast." He did not speak anymore and watched the myriad of expressions that passed through Valerie''s face with amusement.


    Valerie could not stay in the cell anymore and she walked out in anger with her friends following her. They too were too pissed to stay in the psycho''s presence. His presence only serve to irk them all the more, and they were sure they would chop him into pieces if they stayed in the cell any longer.


    They did not stop until they were in the surveillance room from where they could keep a watch on Jared.


    "What do we do now, Val?" Ryder was the first one to break the silence. In just a few minutes, the situation had gone completely out of their control. The man, who they had assumed to have finally surrendered, had bounced back stronger than before. He now held an advantage over them, one that could end the lives of many innocent people.


    "I need to speak to Maggie. She must know something about this. Something, anything." Valerie mumbled and dialed the call without another moment. She was running short of time and had to get to the core of the matter before it became too late.


    "Deputy," Maggie picked up the call much to Valerie''s relief.


    "Maggie, do you know anything about Jared''s plans?" In her frustration, Valerie completely forgot that Jared had planned this disaster after Maggie betrayed him.


    "What plans, Val? I do not understand."


    "Jared is going to release the virus today, Maggie. Do you know anything about it?" Valerie rushed with her words but Maggie understood her without any problem.


    "What? How is it possible? I have been monitoring him and I haven''t seen him contacting the bio researcher again, at least not after I left his side." Maggie was too shocked by the turn of events.


    "Could you please check again, Maggie? Jared has planned massive destruction and I have less than two hours to stop it. Please."


    Maggie did not miss the desperation and helplessness in her Deputy''s voice and for the first time, she understood the pressure her superior had to bear daily.


    "I am on it. I will call you back shortly."


    Valerie closed her eyes as she let out a breath. Though the two men had not heard what Maggie had told Valerie, they could more or less guess what might have happened. So, they did not question her about it.


    "Val, I recommend we interrogate Jared''s assistant. Perhaps, he might tell us something." Ryder suggested and as soon as Valerie heard him, she opened her eyes.


    "You are right. Why didn''t I think about him? He has been with Jared for quite some time now. He might know some of his secrets. Let''s go." Valerie started walking even before the two men could speak a word. "We need to find out what is happening. I cannot allow Jared to kill innocent people anymore."

 Chapter 577: Furious Valerie

    Valerie could not control her anger even after trying for long, and her irked expression was apparent as she left the surveillance room to now interrogate Jared''s assistant. On her way, she met her colleagues, who stared at her in astonishment on noticing her dark expression. Even her friends, who were beside her, seemed to be frowning, making everyone wonder what had happened now for them to be this serious.


    It was not a hidden matter in the Intelligence that Valerie and her team were favored by the President himself. Frederick Clarke, their once Chief, was now under arrest and she was handling his case. Moreover, all the important cases that concerned the nation were handed over to her to solve them, and this had led to a fit of widespread jealousy and envy among her colleagues, especially those who were senior to her and more experienced than her.


    But Valerie had never given them a damn for she knew what she was worth and why the President had handed this case to her. This was the proof of her ability. She knew what exactly to do and when, while all others could do was admire her and envy her for sweeping away all possible opportunities into her kitty.


    Even now, all they could do was stare at her as she entered the interrogation cell with her fury obvious on her face. But to others, it seemed that she was showing her attitude, boasting her greatness in front of them.


    Valerie had no idea what her colleagues were thinking behind her back, and even if she did, she did not care about them. She was more worried about what Jared was plotting and how to stop the disaster from taking place if he had planned any.


    On seeing the three people enter the room, Jared''s new assistant was quite stunned for a few moments and he did not react for quite some time. It was not until he saw Valerie stand right in front of him that he came out of his stupor.


    "Tell me. What is Jared up to?" Valerie did not beat around the bush and asked him directly. She was running short of time and she had to find out what Jared''s plan was before it was too late. Many innocent lives were at stake, and she had to save them before Jared won the game, who unbelievably had turned to his favor.


    "What?" That was what the man could manage to say, not understanding what the woman in front of him was referring to.


    "Cut the crap and tell me what Jared had planned for today." Her tone alone was enough to show how annoyed and frustrated she was. But the assistant could not make out the reason for her annoyance.


    "I have no idea what you are referring to, Miss." He replied with a frown, not noticing the two men taking a step towards him.


    "Are you sure you want to take this route?" Valerie threatened, completely not showing him any mercy. She was now pressing for time, and she had to find out what Jared''s plan was.


    "I..." The assistant stopped immediately when he saw the two men walk towards him. He gulped in fright, taking a good look at them. "I don''t know what you..." He flinched when he noticed that the men were rolling their sleeves up.


    "Continue. Why did you stop?" Valerie was now beyond angry.


    "I don''t know what you..." The assistant let out a cry of pain when Preston twisted his hand behind his back and kicked him in the shin, making him kneel in front of her the next instant. He did not even get to continue what he wanted to say. The pain consumed him and his body turned numb immediately.


    "You were saying something." Valerie folded her hands and looked at him with her brows raised.


    "I really don''t know what....Ahhh." He yelled again when Preston pulled his hand, making him almost lose his mind in pain.


    "Are you sure you do not want your hands?" Preston chuckled evilly and continued to twist his hand behind his body, adding more strength, and the man in his hold howled in discomfort.


    "I really don''t know what you are talking about." He mumbled in between his cries.


    Valerie squatted in front of him to meet him in the eye, her face devoid of any other emotion other than rage. "What has Jared planned for today? Tell us." When the man was about to speak, she interrupted him immediately. "If you tell the truth, I will appeal to the court to charge you with less punishment. You will be jailed only for three years. Otherwise, I will personally make sure that you end up on the execution chair. Think about it."


    As tempting as it sounded, the man did not know what Valerie was speaking about and he gave her a baffled look. "I really do not know what you are talking about."


    "Are you sure you do not know that Jared has planned to release the deadly virus in the city today?" Valerie enquired.


    "What? How is it possible? When did he meet the bioscientist? Why didn''t I know about it?" He uttered in shock, and his words were enough to raise alarm bells in Valerie''s mind. She too was equally stupefied as him, albeit for a different reason altogether.


    From the man''s reaction, Valerie now started to suspect if he even knew about Jared''s plans. He did not seem to be faking his shock, and she did not know if she should believe him or not.


    "Then, should I assume you have no idea that Jared plans to release the virus today? You have no idea that he put you equally as responsible as he is in this matter and that you were one of his advisors when he planned this deadly attack."


    "What?" The assistant tried to get up but Preston pushed him down forcefully, rendering him immobile. "It''s impossible. Why is Jared lying? I have no idea about this plan of his. This is the first time I am even hearing about it. How can he pull me into this?" He started to complain, and Valerie now got the answer she was looking for.


    "In that case, do you know about the bioscientist Jared was in touch with?"


    "No." He denied it at once. "It was always Jared who spoke to him. I have no idea about who he is and what their deal was."


    "I see." Valerie stood up and smiled at him sardonically. "Thank you for your cooperation. Since I did not get the answers I was looking for, I will now make sure that you get the capital punishment for all your crimes."


    With that, Valerie walked out of the room, completely ignoring the pleas and complaints from the man. He was a criminal in her eyes, and she had no mercy for him whatsoever.


    When the desperate man tried to follow her, Preston kicked him in the shin again, making him cry out before the two men too walked away after locking the door to the cell, stopping his shouts and wails from leaving the room.

 Chapter 578: Secret guests

    "What do we do now, Val?" Ryder queried the moment they reached her office.


    "Bastard." Valerie kicked the chair hard and it went spiraling towards the wall.


    Fortunately for them, neither Ryder nor Preston was in its way. They had never seen Valerie this furious before, and for a moment, they were stunned to find her fuming. Among the trio, Valerie was the calmest and she had stayed this way even at the most crucial times. But today, it was not so.


    They were running out of time and they had to find the truth somehow. After listening to Jared''s assistant, they were now sure that only Jared knew about his plan. He had kept all his men in the dark lest they should betray him as his assistant had done. Moreover, Jared was already prepared for this day, and given his confidence, it seemed as though he had everything under control.


    "Maggie, I hope you find something about Jared. Please." She begged as she walked back and forth in her office, and neither of the men dared to come in her way. Their Deputy was beyond furious, and they did not wish to be the reason she exploded, neither were they interested in dying from her hands.


    "Do you think we should ask Jared again? Maybe he might disclose some secrets if we use force on him." Preston suggested. But Valerie shook her head immediately, rejecting it right away.


    "Jared will not speak a word about it until we give him what he wants. He will die but will not say a word about his plan, and seeing his confidence and his annoying smile, I am sure he is not lying to us about his plan. He had it all prepared." Valerie let out a huff and rubbed her forehead.


    "And we cannot let him go. What if he uses this freedom and starts with his plans to destroy our nation again?" Ryder added and both Preston and Valerie agreed with him.


    Letting Jared go was the last thing they had in mind. He was a danger to society, to people and he had to be restricted, confined, and executed before he harmed anybody else. Now, all they could do was pin their hopes on Maggie, who right now was using all her knowledge about Jared and his men to find out what he was planning.


    Preston and Ryder called all their sources to find out if they had found any suspicious activities recently. But all they got was a negative response. None of their sources had any idea about what Jared was up to. Either Jared was lying to them blatantly or had worked out everything in the dark so as to keep this matter a secret from everyone.


    "Jared, could not have worked alone in this. No way." Valerie continued to walk back and forth as she tried to discern all that she had heard and learned from Jared.


    "Yes. Otherwise, he would not have waited until we arrested him to put his plan into action. He must have ordered someone to carry out the plan. We now need to find who Jared was in contact with to find out more." Preston agreed as he read a message from one of his sources.


    "Ugh, Valerie, Jared is not lying in this matter. Apparently, two scientists from Japan visited our country five days ago and they returned home just yesterday."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, one of my sources told me. They were here to attend a conference regarding their research." Preston continued.


    "But that does not prove that they were the ones Jared had been in contact with," Ryder stated his opinion.


    "Yes, it doesn''t. But these two researchers study viruses and other deadly microorganisms. I am suddenly having a bad feeling about this."


    "What are their names?" I''ll ask Maggie to find out more about them.


    "I''ll forward their details I have with me. You can send it to Maggie."


    Every time they spoke about Maggie, Ryder''s heart skipped a beat. He was missing her badly, and all he wanted was to go to her and hug her tight, kiss her even. He had a lot of things to tell her and confessions to make. He had to let her know how much he loved her, and most importantly, he had to make sure she was fine. Months of separation was driving him crazy and only he knew, how much effort he had to use to retain his sanity.


    Although he wanted to speak to her, he stopped himself, allowing his Deputy to take over. They had important matters to attend to first, and Maggie did not need any distractions before they solved everything. She was their only hope in this matter.


    "Maggie, any progress on this matter?" Valerie completely skipped her greetings and asked the girl what she was dying to find out all this while.


    "I am on it. But Jared has been discreet in his work for a few days. So, I am unable to find any leads. Don''t worry, I have asked Joshua Martin to help me. We will find something soon. How much time do we have?"


    Valerie could hear the clicking of the keys from the other sides and she realized that she had disturbed her friend in her work. But she had no choice either.


    "We have less than two hours, Maggie. Either we will have to release Jared in exchange for information or we will be putting innocent lives at risk. He has played us well this time."


    "I see...." Maggie did not have the chance to continue for Valerie interrupted her.


    "Maggie, listen to me. I will send you the names of two researchers who visited our country for a few days. Check if they had any contact with Jared. We might find something using this."


    "I am on it. Send them to me. I will see what I can find. Also, Val, I am checking all his call logs from the last few days. I will call you back the moment I find something."


    The call ended and Valerie closed her eyes for a moment. "Maggie will revert to us once she finds anything."


    "Val," Ryder bit his lip as he a notion hit him. "Since Jared has planned a large-scale disaster, he must be targeting events which have more people attending. If we can stop these events from happening."


    "We cannot intervene without absolute proof, Ryder. We will have to bear the public''s brunt and questions and it would only make matters worse if we are wrong about it. Maggie has promised to call back in a few minutes. Let us wait until then before we take any action. To be on the safer side, let us make a list of all the events that are happening in the country today." Valerie remarked.


    The nation was already in a state of frenzy from the chaotic news that was revealed the previous night. If a matter like this spread, then it would only become difficult for them to control the people.


    Valerie''s plan was the best option they had at hand. So, the three people started to make a list of all the group events that were happening in the country as they waited for Maggie''s call.

 Chapter 579: Taking actions - Part 1

    "Joshua, I will forward you two people''s information. Find out all that you can about them." Maggie did not move her gaze away from her laptop as she waited for Valerie''s message. And the moment she received the message, she immediately directed it to Joshua.


    Since the time she had received Valerie''s call, Joshua and she had been working their asses off to find what Jared had done. Fortunately for her, Joshua had arrived to attend the meeting Aria and Ian had scheduled with her colleagues from the Intelligence somewhere after evening. Immediately, they started their work while the other four people looked on.


    "These two are bioscientists from Japan. Why did they come to our country and why did your Deputy send this information to you?" Joshua continued to type the string of codes on his laptop as he glanced at Maggie, who was in the midst of finding out who had been in contact with Jared the past few days.


    "Jared was prepared for this day, Jo. He has planned to release a deadly virus tonight on a large scale, and if that happens, it will only be a massacre in the country." Maggie finally revealed what was happening, making everyone stare at her in shock. They knew what virus she was speaking about. This matter had blown up after Ivy''s secret video, causing the first wave of chaos to erupt in the nation.


    Maggie too knew about it, and the moment she had received Valerie''s call first, she had started to dig up information on Jared, pulling Joshua in for her aid. She had not understood what was happening at first and why her Deputy had asked her about Jared''s plans when the man was already arrested by her. It was the second call that made her realize what was happening and why her usual calm Deputy was going bonkers.


    "Are you sure he is not lying?" Noah asked skeptically. Though he did not doubt Jared''s words, he was still unable to discern why he would do something like this when he was already arrested. Wouldn''t it only push him closer to his punishment?


    "I am not sure. Either he is lying to gain his freedom or he is saying the truth to gain his freedom. Any which way, his motive at the end is the same." Maggie stated as she waited for the results to load.


    "Are you trying to say that he asking for his freedom in return for information about the virus?" Noah now understood what was happening and why the people at the Intelligence were tensed and in distress.


    "It has to be the case. If he is lying, he is taking a chance at gaining his freedom by playing mind games, leaving the option for Valerie to choose. She could either choose not to believe him. But if she does believe him, he will get what he wants." Maggie answered as she glanced at Noah briefly.


    "But if he is not lying and if Valerie does not choose to believe him, then a lot of lives are at stake. Again, he will not be losing anything. It is a win-win situation for him. He has played well this time." Aria reasoned, and a suffocating silence filled the room.


    "Maggie, you know Jared better. Do you think he is lying?" Ivy queried from the side after thinking for some time.


    "As far as I know, I don''t think Jared is lying. He will never miss any opportunity to harm people if that will help him fulfill his gains. He must be have been prepared for this deadly attack and given his thinking, he must have more than two target locations."


    "How can you be sure about it?" Ivy continued.


    "There can be two outcomes. If Valerie chooses not to believe him, then he will get his men to release the virus in one of the locations, and Valerie will then be forced to let him go for she would not want to harm more people by ignoring his warnings. Jared is a suspicious and cautious man. He would want his freedom assured. So, he might have planned another attack as a backup in case Valerie and her team were to follow him."


    "Got it," Joshua exclaimed suddenly, putting a halt to the conversation that was going around. "The two scientists did enter our country a week ago and they returned home just yesterday."


    "Did you find anything suspicious about them?" Ian who had been silent all this time spoke suddenly.


    "Yes, I did. Apparently, they were here to attend a conference regarding some viruses and other microorganisms. And as an experimental analysis, they had brought with them some of the microorganisms in containers kept at freezing temperatures."


    Joshua read out the report he had found from his search while the others stared at him wide-eyed. "Here''s the confusing part."


    "The scientists entered our country using a private plane. So, it was not that big a problem for them to bring in the testing tubes and other canisters that held the virus." Joshua lifted his head and stared at his attentive audience, who had a blank expression on their faces, and for a moment, he wondered if they had even understood what he was even pointing at.


    "Do you think it might be Jared''s private plane that brought them here?" Noah was the first one to break the silence, and Joshua was glad that someone among the group had caught onto what he wanted to tell them.


    "That, I am not sure. It is not mentioned here."


    "How did the government agree to this?" Ivy queried, unable to believe what she was hearing, and the moment the words left his mouth, Noah stared at her for a few moments before he turned to Ian.


    "What do you think, Ian? What might be the possible scenario?" Among the people present in the room, Ian and Aria were the only ones who he deemed to have some idea about his matter.


    "Just as Jo said, they need to constantly maintain a low temperature for the viruses to survive, and to do so, you need special cabinets and labs for the temperature must never change. Maybe the scientists used this reason to ask for a private jet...." Ian just shrugged, not knowing why the government had allowed them on a private jet when they were here as guests.


    "Oh, wait, wait, wait." Joshua interrupted before anybody else could come up with any more analyses. "I found another report that says that the conference was being sponsored by a bioresearch company and the private jet belongs to the owner. So, he had specially got it modified so that these two men could bring in whatever they wanted. It was this company owner who took permission from the government, and since it was for research purposes and a good cause, he was granted permission right away."


    "Or someone might have pulled the strings," Aria added and nobody objected to it for everyone too felt the same.


    "But you know what''s the best part?" Joshua continued. "There is no report about how the scientists returned home and but apparently, someone who had attended their conference spotted them on the passenger plane and took pictures with them. They are now on Twitter."


    Everyone completely ignored the last part and focused on the key point in his words. While entering the country, they had traveled in a private plane. But while leaving, they had opted for the passenger plane.


    "The researchers left all the virus they had brought with them before they boarded the plane home." Aria summed up what everybody else was even dreading to think about.

 Chapter 580: Taking actions - Part 2

    For a moment, silence filled the room while the people in it held horrified expressions as they tried to comprehend what they had just learned. It was anything they had expected, and nobody knew how to proceed next. Jared''s brutal plan had stumped them all completely when all they had expected was for him to now end up on the execution chair.


    It was not until they heard a phone ring a few seconds after that they came out of their stupor. While Noah left the room to take the call, Maggie immediately called her Deputy to inform her about the matter. And Joshua started to find out who all were in contact with Jared, allowing Maggie to speak to her superior.


    If what they had found out was the truth, they now had only an hour or so to stop the deadly attack. And they had to get to work soon for nobody knew what Jared''s target locations were.


    Valerie was anxiously waiting for Maggie''s call, and the moment her phone vibrated, she picked it up immediately. "What have you found out, Maggie? Please tell me I am wrong about this." She almost begged desperately even though she knew that it was not the case.


    "I am afraid that you are right, Val. We need to act soon. Jared has planned an attack this time to save his ass from you." Maggie sighed, unable to believe the turn of events. The man who they had expected to now stop all his acts had returned with a bang and what a bang it was. Now, all of them were in a fix and they had to stop this before it became too late.


    "Could you find the locations or anything else that might help us stop this attack?"


    "I am afraid not. We are still on it. Jared had been careful this time. I assume that he had a hunch that I would be keeping an eye on him. So, he has been discreet in his work. Joshua and I are working on it. We will call you back once we find out anything."


    "Keep me updated, Maggie."


    "Will do." Maggie leaned over and watched what Joshua was working on before her gaze shifted to Noah, who returned after taking his call.


    "That was a call from our men." Noah started, garnering everyone''s attention on him. "Some of our men have gone to watch a basketball tournament."


    "And..." Ian prompted even though he already had an intuition about what he would be hearing.


    "And they saw Jared''s men in disguise. They were carrying something with them but our men could not make out what it was. They had it covered." Noah pursed his lips, waiting for his friends to respond, especially Maggie.


    "Maggie, I think you need to call your Deputy again. I am not sure if I am allowed to intervene in this matter without her permission." Noah added.


    "You can go ahead with what you have in mind, Noah. I will take full responsibility for it. I will explain it to my superiors. Since your men are already at the stadium, it will save us some time. Will they be able to take down Jared''s men?" Maggie asked skeptically.


    Even though she did not doubt Noah''s men, she was still unsure if they could tackle Jared''s men for she had witnessed how powerful they were firsthand. Some of them were just monsters, and only she knew how she had survived in a place filled with them.


    "Don''t worry about it. They are only three while we are around twenty. I don''t think three can outwit us." Noah smirked at her and Maggie smiled at him in relief.


    "Ask them to be careful. We should not allow to them release the virus at any cost. Since the basketball stadium is closed, almost all the people in it will be infected by it once it is released." Aria warned, and Noah nodded at her before he placed a call to his men, ready to give out his orders.


    "If we can subdue his men in time, we can find out the other target locations are and stop this massacre from happening," Ivy mumbled, only to find Maggie shaking her head in denial.


    "I don''t think that would be happening. If I am not wrong, the men involved in this plan must be the ones Jared trusts the most and his gang follows the Code of Omerta. They will never give away anything about their Master. I am sure they would kill themselves before we can force anything out of them."


    Maggie revealed all that she knew about Jared and his gang, rendering the people around her speechless. They wanted to use Jared''s men to fight him. But who knew that it would not be happening ever?


    "What do you suggest, Maggie? You know Jared better." Aria questioned, reading what Maggie was hinting to them subtly. She was the only one who had seen the look of uncertainty in her eyes and she knew what exactly Maggie wanted to do.


    "I want to meet Jared."


    "No way." All the men in the room denied her request at once, with Joshua''s voice being the loudest.


    "I will not allow you to face that bastard again." He snapped at her, his anger coursing through his veins when he imagined what kind of life she might have led when she was undercover in his gang.


    "But I have a feeling that he will only tell the truth to me. Even if Valerie agrees to his conditions to set him free, he will not reveal a word about his plan until it is I who he is speaking to."


    Maggie had long understood who Jared''s mind worked and she knew what game Jared was playing. He was delaying his time brilliantly, allowing his opponents to think that they could still salvage the matter when he had already decided the fate. Though she was not confident about it, she had an inkling that Jared was waiting for her and it was her who could save the nation from this attack, if at all anyone could.

 Chapter 581: Meeting the enemy - Part 1

    Half an hour later, Maggie stared at the place she had not entered for a while. When was the last time I was here? She wondered and stared at the building. All the memories of her last day at the place came back to her, especially how Frederick Clarke had humiliated her and argued with her before she had submitted a resignation letter to her Valerie.


    While on the surface it seemed as though she had resigned, she was still an employee for Valerie had not accepted her resignation. Maggie''s name was still in the Intelligence employee database, stating her position and her achievements over the years for everybody else to see.


    "Do you really want to do this?" Ian stared at the girl beside him with a skeptical gaze, gaining Maggie''s attention on him.


    It had taken Maggie a lot of effort to convince her friends to let her go, especially Joshua. The stubborn man was adamant to let her meet the criminal who almost killed him in his attempt to save her, forbidding her to even leave the mansion.


    But Maggie knew what she wanted, what Jared wanted, and she did not intend to delay this matter any longer and put innocent lives at stake. Though Noah''s men had successfully captured the three men at the basketball stadium, confiscating the canister with the virus, they still had to find the other target locations Jared had in mind.


    So what if Valerie agreed to let go of Jared in exchange for information? Given the man''s character, Maggie knew that he was waiting for her. And he wouldn''t speak a word until he saw her. So, instead of wasting her time waiting for her Deputy to call her to the Intelligence, Maggie had taken the initiative herself.


    After a lot of reasoning and assuring, Joshua had let her leave but not without Ian, who had volunteered to accompany her. While Joshua himself wanted to go with her, his injury forced him to back off and Noah and Ronnie still had matters to deal with at the base. And neither among the twins were even allowed to leave the mansion.


    Maggie had no idea why Ian had chosen to follow her when she was safe and secure as Jared was locked up for now and she would still have her friends with her when she met him. But she was still touched by his gesture.


    With a sigh, Maggie nodded at him and started walking towards the entrance while Ian followed her, keeping a watch around him. This was where Jared had been locked, and his hunch told him that his men were somewhere around, keeping an eye at all that was happening here.


    Maggie had already texted Valerie about her arrival, and fortunately for her, her Deputy came to her right away. She had even informed her of the weapons she and Ian were carrying for safety measures. So, she did not dare take a step inside for she knew that they would surely be stopped during the security check.


    Valerie was beyond happy to see Maggie here safe and fine. Although she wanted to speak to her, this was not the time and definitely not the location to do so. So, she just smiled at her and nodded at Ian before she led them inside, completely skipping the security check, stunning everyone on her way.


    This was the first time someone who did not work at the Intelligence had entered the office without going through the security check, and this matter alone sufficed to start whispers immediately. But what shocked them more was the woman behind Valerie. Never in their minds had they expected to see Maggie here, like this.


    Maggie ignored the shocked expressions on other people''s faces. She did not even stop to greet them for she had other pressing matters to attend to.


    Ian just followed her silently. Even though he knew that she was safe here with her colleagues taking care of her if matters were to go wrong, he could ignore the warnings and pleadings Joshua had given him. Moreover, he was strongly having an ominous feeling about this, as though something bad would happen here for sure. So, he did not dare let his guards down, observing everyone around him quietly.


    Valerie directly led them to the surveillance room, not once questioning Maggie about Ian''s presence. Though she was surprised to see him here, she understood that he knew more than she did about this matter and his inputs might help her to solve this matter quickly.


    Preston and Ryder were deep in discussion as they laid out the list of all the locations they assumed to be Jared''s target. But they did not miss the sound of the door opening and the footsteps that followed after, and they immediately turned, assuming it to be Deputy. But the person they saw made them freeze, and they could stop the astonishment from taking over.


    While Preston came out of his stupor quickly and beamed on seeing Maggie, it was Ryder whose reaction surprised Maggie. The man just kept staring at her without even blinking, and she did not know what to make out of it.


    ''Is he unhappy to see me here?'' She wondered and just the thought alone sent her depressed. She could not believe that the man she loved secretly, the man who was yet to know about her feelings for him was not that ecstatic to see her here, and her face fell immediately.


    But all her nonsensical thoughts vanished when the man who had not moved from his place rushed to her and hugged her tight, taking her breath away from his sudden actions. He hugged her with such force that Maggie stumbled on her feet to carry his weight on her. But that did not faze her whatsoever for she was too consumed in her happiness on being embraced in Ryder''s arms.


    All her complaints and her misery after staying at Jared''s hideout for months vanished just by being hugged by the man she loved the most.


    Ryder did not speak a word for he was still unsure if it was all a dream or if Maggie was actually in his hold. He did not wish to break this moment and continued to hug her.


    "Ugh, Ryder. You are suffocating me." Though Maggie was jubilant at his reaction, she was still being suffocated by his hug and she tried to push him away gently. And fortunately for her, Ryder moved back, allowing her the space to breathe.


    "You are real?" Ryder mumbled, and his words made Maggie laugh at him helplessly.


    "Of course I am real. What do you take me for?" Maggie retorted, only to find him staring at her in shock.


    "You are real? Maggie, are you really here?" She understood the sudden shift in his demeanor and nodded at him in response.


    "I thought I was dreaming. Where were you all these days? Why didn''t you speak to me? Do you have any idea how worried I was thinking about you?" Ryder''s voice rose an octave as he started to reprimand the girl for whom he could not stop being worried since the time she had left Intelligence.


    "I will answer all your questions. But not now. We have other matters to attend to before that."


    "Since you are here, you must be here with a plan. What are you thinking of doing?" Valerie folded her hands, her face turning serious at once.


    "I am here to meet Jared."

 Chapter 582: Meeting the enemy - Part 2

    Ryder was observing the man behind Maggie skeptically, wondering what he was doing here when he heard Maggie''s words. And immediately after, his eyes snapped to hers.


    "No way." He objected to it immediately, unlike Valerie and Preston who just stayed silent.


    "I will not allow you to meet him. Do you understand?" Ryder held her by her shoulders and enunciated each word, forcing her to look at him in the eye. Even though his face looked serious and harsh, his hold on her was anything but it. He was as gentle as ever, treating her with utmost love and care.


    Months of separation had rendered him lovesick and muddled, and he had no idea what he was speaking. And even if he did, Ryder was sure that he would still not allow Maggie to meet Jared again. Though he had no idea how much Maggie had suffered under Jared''s scrutiny, he did not wish for her to see him ever again. She was done suffering, and Ryder intended to keep her at least a mile away from Jared, hidden and secured, away from his reach.


    "Ryder, please try to understand."


    "No, Maggie. You try to understand. He is a criminal and you have suffered enough already. I will not allow you to suffer more. Please, listen to me this once." Though Ryder wanted to scold her and be stern with her, his heart was completely against it. So, all he could do was beg her to listen to him.


    But Maggie was having none of it, and not wanting to argue with Ryder, she directed her gaze towards Valerie who was just staring at her, lost in thoughts. Though she was filled with warmth on seeing Ryder''s concern for her, she still had work to do, work only she could do.


    "What do you say, Deputy? I need to meet him. Please." Maggie pleaded with her to allow her to meet him and for once, Valerie did not know what to do. Though she did not understand Maggie''s objective behind her actions, she trusted her. And on the other side, just like Ryder, she too did not have any intentions to allow them to meet. She was now in a dilemma and she looked around, only to find Ian staring at her.


    Valerie raised her brows, asking him to help her silently, and Ian''s stance softened on seeing her. He smiled at her in assurance, not knowing why he even decided to help her.


    "Excuse me, Sir." He spoke, interrupting them and gaining all their attention on him. "I know why you are unwilling to allow Maggie to have her way, but I suggest you oblige with her request this time. She might be the only one to get any information out of Jared."


    "Who are you?" Ryder did not even show him any respect, directing all his fury at the man who had followed Maggie inside the room. Though he did not know who he was, he considered him to be a rival in love, one he wanted to kill and bury to keep his Maggie with him forever.


    "Ryder, calm down. He is my rescuer. He and his friends saved me from Jared. I am staying with them right now." Her words not only stunned Ryder, even Valerie and Preston too could not stop themselves from gaping at the man who did not have any expression on his face.


    All of a sudden, Valerie started to see Ian in a new light, and a feeling of assurance rose in her heart which she could not discern completely.


    "Did he save you?" Ryder was flabbergasted by the revelation.


    "Yes, he did. I will tell you the details later. I need to meet Jared before it gets too late. We still need to find out what his other target locations are."


    "What do you mean by other? Did you find any target location then?" Preston did not miss the meaning behind her words and he asked her about it immediately.


    "Yes, we found one of the locations and Jared''s men have been subdued by now. Ian will give you more details about it. Val, please. Let me meet Jared and if it assures you more, you can join me, Ryder."


    Since Ian had suggested her to go with Maggie''s wishes, Valerie had no choice but to do so, Unknowingly, she had started to trust Ian even though it had only been a few hours since she had met him. The man seemed more reliable and upright, and Valerie had no idea why she found herself attracted to him.


    "Maggie, Ryder and Preston will accompany you. And Ryder," Valerie faced him when she saw him ready to argue with her about it. "Please. This once." A silent conversation ensued between them, and eventually, Ryder relented.


    "Fine. But only this once." He glared at Maggie, who just smiled at him in response.


    "Thanks, Val. Now, will you two lead to the cell where Jared is being held?" Maggie turned serious at once, and Preston and Ryder got to work immediately, leaving Valerie with Ian.


    An awkward silence filled the room after the three people departed but it all dissolved when Valerie took the initiative to speak first.


    "Thank you for saving Maggie."


    "Not at all, Deputy. She is a friend of a friend, and to be honest, it was he who saved her." Ian smiled at her in return.


    Though she wanted to ask him more, she knew that it was not the time. So, she concentrated on the issue at hand. "Is it true to you have located one of the target places?"


    "Yes, we did. It was at the basketball stadium."


    Valerie was not stunned by the revelation for they had considered the stadium to be one of the possible locations after all it was not every day that a tournament was played and many important and powerful people attended it.


    "But how did you know about it?" Valerie narrowed her eyes as she waited for Ian to answer.


    "You do know what kind of security services we offer. Right?" Ian gave her a look which Valerie could not understand. But she understood what his words meant and she nodded at him immediately. It was not a hidden fact that Noah and his friends had top notch security with them and sometimes, many important fraternities approached them for their services.


    "In this field, our men have met all kinds of people, and one among them is Jared''s gang. They had gone to view the match when they noticed Jared''s men, and they immediately called Noah, sensing their suspicious activities."


    "Where are they now?"


    "Safe and sound. Our men have subdued them and they are being held captive in our training base. We did not know where to send them and thought of speaking to you first."


    "What about the virus?" Valerie could not stop herself from dreading the worst even though Ian had a peaceful expression on his face.


    "Completely intact and confiscated. You have nothing to worry about, Deputy. Our men have taken care of this matter. All we need to find out is the other locations Jared is about to target before it becomes too late."

 Chapter 583: Meeting the enemy - Part 3

    "Do you think Maggie can make Jared speak?" Valerie queried as she sat on one of the chairs in the surveillance room while pointing the one beside her for Ian to take, and he did so immediately. Even though it was a restricted area, Valerie trusted the man beside her and she knew she would need his help in this matter. So, she did not hide anything from him, allowing him in on her plan.


    Ian gave her a probing look, asking her silently to elaborate as he folded his hands. Even though he was speechless by the amount of trust the woman beside him was having in him, Ian did not take it for granted. Not once did he wander his gaze away from her and take a look at the room he was in.


    It was a restricted room, and the general public like him was never allowed to even take a step near it, let alone enter it. He understood the meaning behind her actions even though she had not said a word about it. She was trusting him by allowing him to enter this place and hoped for him to keep the trust.


    And Ian in return vowed in his mind to never do anything that broke her trust. To him, trust was more important than anything in life, even more than his life. So, not once did his gaze linger away from Valerie''s face, studying her until he had already memorized it.


    Ian was surprised by the level of hold Valerie had on him. Even though they had only met a few hours ago, she was already trusting him, forcing him to be considerate of her actions. It was completely out of his character to even care for matters and people that did not concern. But with Valerie, he could not do so and did not intend to do so either. Something in her forced him to follow her words and do as she wished.


    "Dr. Davis?" Valerie''s voice brought him out of her stupor, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts.


    "Yes?" He gave her a questioning look, completely forgetting the question she had asked him before.


    "I am still waiting for your reply." Valerie was now puzzled by his behavior. All of a sudden, Ian had gone silent as he kept staring at her without blinking, and she did not know the reason for it. His intense stare was making her fidget and fluster. But she calmed herself and spoke up, breaking the silence.


    "Oh, I apologize. I got lost in my thoughts." Ian snuck out his tongue, embarrassed for getting lost in his thoughts momentarily. "Would you mind repeating your question, Deputy?"


    Valerie gave him an incredulous look. Nevertheless, she repeated her question, still wondering why the man was behaving weird all of a sudden.


    "Will Maggie be able to get information out of Jared? I am afraid she will fail in her job." Valerie pursed her lips, pushing her thoughts about Ian to the back of her mind for the time being.


    "I do not think so. Maggie is smarter than you give her credit for, Deputy, and trust her to do her job well." Ian stated his opinion on this matter, disagreeing with Valerie immediately.


    Even though it had only been a few days, Ian had already learned how smart and capable Maggie was. And given her abilities, it was impossible for her to not trick Jared into giving away the information. Ian was certain that Maggie would extract some useful information after her meet with Jared.


    His confidence in Maggie surprised Valerie. But she did not comment about it.


    "I presume you are still doubtful about your junior''s capabilities, Deputy. Don''t worry." Ian had not missed the skeptic look Valerie had given him, and his smile only widened on seeing it. "Maggie has a trump card with her that will only aid her to get better results."


    "Trump card? What trump card?"


    "Jared''s feelings for Maggie," Ian revealed, observing how Valerie''s expression changed into shock. Her jaw dropped as she stared at him in disbelief. Though Ian wanted to chuckle after seeing her adorable expression, he controlled himself in time, not wanting to embarrass her by laughing at her face.


    "Jared has feelings for Maggie?" Her tone made it seem like a question, and this time, Ian let out a chuckle, unable to stop himself anymore.


    "Yes, he does."


    "How do you know about this?" Valerie was still in disbelief to think that Jared had feelings for Maggie. But soon, a frightening notion took over her shock and fear replaced her entire form, which Ian did not miss.


    "Maggie told it herself." Ian''s voice turned low as he watched the now fearful woman, wondering what had terrified her. He could still not brush off the sudden shift in her demeanor, and just the thought of her fearing something did not sit well with him.


    "This is bad. This is really bad." Valerie stood up at once and walked back and forth, unable to stop herself anymore. All she could do now think about was the consequence of this meet and how bad it would turn out.


    "Calm down, Deputy." Ian tried to comfort her but Valerie was having none of it, and she just kept walking back and forth in worry.


    "This is wrong. This is so wrong." Valerie stopped walking and stared at Ian. "Jared is a monster, and now that he has feelings for Maggie, he will not sit still and take her betrayal kindly. He will definitely seek his revenge. I am now scared for her."


    Ian''s expression finally cracked as soon as he heard Valerie and realization settled in his mind. He too stood up in stunned by the thought that had entered his mind, unable to believe that Maggie had put herself into danger again just to get the information out of Jared.


    "We need to stop her right now." Ian barked, his temper getting the best of him, and Valerie nodded at him immediately, ready to dash in the direction Maggie had gone, only to stop at her feet when she heard Jared''s voice from one of the monitoring computers.


    "Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Jared exclaimed. "I was waiting for your arrival, Maggie. Now that we are here, let''s get this game this started."

 Chapter 584: Meeting the enemy - Part 4

    "Are you sure you want to do this, Maggie?" Ryder asked her again when they were standing just outside the interrogation cell. He still was against her meeting the monster on the other side of the door. Just thinking of her miserable days when she was undercover in Jared''s gang was enough to irk him.


    All he wanted was to put a bullet through Jared''s head and seek revenge. But he knew he could not do so, not when Jared had the control here. His death would only add more to the chaos, especially when nobody but him knew about the location of his attacks. He had to be alive until they found out all the target locations.


    Maggie took a deep breath before she nodded at Ryder. The moment she had made her decision, she had come prepared. It was now or never, and she knew only she could save the nation from Jared''s madness.


    Ryder unwillingly opened the door to the cell and entered in first with Preston following him. Maggie was the last one to enter.


    Jared''s eyes had immediately shifted towards the door when he had heard it open and watched the two men enter with a bored expression. But soon, his eyes gleamed the moment he saw Maggie right behind them. A smile broke out on his lips, and he could conceal his excitement anymore.


    "Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" He uttered, taking a good look at the girl who had escaped from under him brilliantly. "I was waiting for you all this while, Maggie. Now that you are here, let''s get this game started."


    His eyes were filled with a sinister mirth which Maggie was well accustomed to. Working under him for months together had rendered her capable of reading his mind, and she now knew she had made the right choice by coming here.


    "Tell me what your target locations are." Maggie did not beat around the bush and cut to the chase immediately, her face completely devoid of any emotion.


    "Your treatment towards me disheartens me, sweetheart. Did you forget the feelings I have for you?"


    As soon as the words escaped his lips, Maggie glanced at Ryder, who had a stunned expression on his face.


    "Did you forget my love for you, dear?" Maggie was unable to hear the man''s confession for she only felt disgusted by it. It was as though ants were crawling on her body, making her extremely uneasy and annoyed.


    But what bothered her more was Ryder''s reaction. Other than his expression of shock, there was no other reaction from him whatsoever, and she was now worried about him.


    "Did you forget how you meant the world to me?" Jared continued, reveling in the uneasiness of the girl in front of him. His lips broke out in a devilish smile. Everything was falling into place one by one. He was already having the upper hand in the situation, and all that remained was for him to leave the place, with Maggie of course.


    Something snapped in Ryder as soon he heard Jared this time, and he took a step forward, ready to smash his head. His fury was at its peak, and it was anything like ever before.


    Maggie stopped him the moment she saw him rush out, his face now livid.


    "Let me go, Maggie." He stated calmly but Maggie knew otherwise. He was anything but calm. He was fuming from within, and all he wanted was to kill the man who had succeeded in infuriating him as well as her.


    "Ryder, don''t."


    "Maggie," His furious gaze shifted to her but Maggie did not budge from her place as she stared back at him with equal vigor, only that hers held love and request.


    Ryder''s stance softened on seeing her pleading with him and he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in anger.


    "Should I say I am touched by the public display of affection here?" Jared scoffed and leaned back on his chair, a sarcastic smile taking over him.


    He had not missed the way Maggie had held the man''s hand, and immediately after, anger burst through him. And what irked him more was the raw emotions he saw in her eyes for the man beside her. Her eyes declared how much she loved him and just the thought of it was enough to send Jared crazy.


    If not for the handcuffs that held Jared to the table, he was sure he would have rushed out to kill the man who held Maggie''s affections. He was filled with jealousy and rage, and he clenched his fist tight until blood marks appeared on his palms.


    Ryder''s eyes snapped open at his words. But this time, he stayed composed, burying all his fury for the time being. It was not the time for him to let go of his emotions and show his anger at the man he despised the most.


    "What are your target locations, Jared? Tell us so that we can get over with it quickly." When she was sure Ryder would not lose his control anymore, she turned to face the resentful man who was almost glaring at her.


    "And why should I do so?" His smile returned on his face, one that Maggie so badly wanted to slap. "What will I get out of it, Maggie? Why should I reveal my plans to you when they are the ones who will save me from my punishment?"


    "You know this will only add more to your punishment." She reasoned.


    "Do you think I have any less right now? How does it make any difference?"


    Maggie did not have any words to refute him this time. It was true that nothing he did could change what was destined for him. He was bound to receive capital punishment for what he had done and what he had planned to do.


    Maggie narrowed his eyes at him, studying his face for a few seconds before her lips arched up. "Jared, I sure am impressed by your wicked plan this time. But you forgot to instruct your men well. Do you think I would not keep an eye on you? We have already secured one of the target locations."


    Jared''s smile vanished at her words and he turned serious at once as he waited for her to continue.


    "You forgot that I still keep track of your men and there are devices at places that capture their faces if they need to enter it."


    As soon as Jared heard, he could only think of one target location of his where people had to show their IDs and get their photos taken to enter.


    "We have already secured the place now." Maggie continued, waiting for Jared to take the bait.


    "So what if you have secured the club, there are still other places my men are prepared to attack."


    "Club, is it? Deputy?" Maggie turned to one of the cameras and stared right at it. "We have got one of the target locations, Deputy."


    It was only after he heard her speaking to one of the cameras that Jared realized Maggie had tricked him. His face turned dark in fury, yet there was an odd glint in his eyes which Ryder did not miss.


    All of a sudden Ryder started to have an ominous feeling which he could not brush off even if he wanted to.

 Chapter 585: Decoding Jared - Part 1

    "Smart girl," Jared commented, his eyes not leaving Maggie. Even though he could only see her side profile for she was still staring at the camera in the cell, he did not miss the small smile of triumph on her lips.


    ''What do I do, darling?'' He sighed lightly, his gaze turning gentle at once. ''Why can''t I hate you as much as I want to? Why does all my hatred for you vanish in your presence?'' He wondered, a small smile landing on his lips which Ryder did not miss. His fury was already at his peak, and Jared''s expressions were only pushing him close to losing his mind completely.


    "Thank you, Jared." Maggie turned him once she was done conveying her message. "You were very helpful in this."


    "My pleasure, dear. I am glad that I was of help to you." Jared beamed, not at all worried that one of his target locations had been discovered. He folded his hands and leaned back, his stance only showing that he was still in the game and he was still standing strong.


    "It would be of great help if you revealed the other target locations too." Maggie sassed, and Jared chuckled at once.


    "Why didn''t I know that my Maggie had such a sharp tongue before? Oh, how much fun I would have when I will tame it." He mumbled, and this was enough for Ryder''s control to snap. He rushed forward and punched the man in the face.


    "Ryder," Both Maggie and Preston rushed to pull him back. But by then, the livid man had rained punches on Jared.


    With great difficulty, Preston and Maggie managed to pull him away.


    "Ryder, please curb your anger." Maggie too was as furious as Ryder was with Jared. But she could not allow Ryder to punch him due to this. Jared still had the information they wanted. Moreover, from Ryder''s countenance alone, Maggie was certain that he just did not want to punch him, he wanted to kill him for good.


    Ryder gritted his teeth when he saw Maggie in front of him trying to stop him from beating the annoying man. Though he was still infuriated, he stopped himself and controlled his rage, putting a halt to his madness. It was only when Preston was assured that his friend would not go berserk again, that he let him go.


    "I must say your lover is quite impressive, Maggie." Jared licked the blood off his lips, the action nothing less sinister and eerie. But Maggie had seen more gruesome acts when she had stayed in his gang. So, it did not affect her much.


    "Why didn''t you tell me you already had someone before?" He spoke gently as though he was scolding her for keeping this matter a secret. "I would have killed him immediately, ending this bastard from interfering in our lives."


    Now it was Maggie''s turn to lose her calm and she glared at him, wishing to kill him right at this moment. All her anger and resentment for the man that had accumulated over the months came gushing back on seeing him and her hands were itching to put a bullet through his head.


    Both Ryder and Preston sensed the change in her, and they stood on either side of her. Ryder even forgot his own fury after seeing the fire in Maggie''s eyes. He had never seen her this furious before, and he had no idea why she was this irked.


    "Maggie, don''t." Ryder made her face him and looked at her in the eye. "He is not worth it."


    As soon as she met Ryder''s concerned eyes, all her anger vanished. He was right. Jared was not worth her anger for she realized that this was what he wanted. He wanted her to lose her calm and do things she never wanted to, ever. Maggie understood Jared''s goal at once, and she took a deep breath to calm herself.


    He was just trying to rile her up and had succeeded at it too if not for Ryder stopping her on time. She let out a breath as though she was letting out all her anger before she stared at Jared again, only this time, her gaze was extremely calm but cold. It immediately sent chills down Jared''s spine, making him put his guards up against her.


    Maggie took the chair in front of him smiled at him, and Jared at once understood the meaning behind her smile. She had something up her sleeve that might soon make change things in her favor.


    "I wonder how you are able to sit still even when you know that your plan is about to fail." Maggie smiled and leaned forward slightly, not once moving her gaze away from him.


    "Why do you think I will fail, Maggie?" Jared raised a brow at her, his lips arching up on one side.


    "Because we have detected two of your target locations by now." Maggie did not mind revealing the truth to him for she knew that this would help her trick Jared.


    As soon as Jared her, his smile slipped just as Maggie had anticipated. His expression turned grave and he gave her a look which she was all too familiar with. But soon, he composed himself and his smile was back on his lips.


    "You have become a brilliant liar, Maggie. I was still in the illusion that you were being honest with me." He sassed.


    "And why do you think I am lying? Didn''t you send your men to the basketball stadium?"


    This time, Jared''s expression changed drastically and he could not calm himself down even if he wanted. He gave her an incredulous as he clenched his jaw in anger.


    After seeing Jared''s expression, a notion entered Maggie''s mind and she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. ''His expression did not change much when he let out one of his target locations. But it changed significantly after he found out about the stadium. Why so? Did he have only these two targets in mind or...?''


    She stared at Jared for quite a few seconds, waiting for him to give away something. But just as she had expected, he was still frustrated and anxious even though he was trying hard to hide his actual state of mind. Maggie immediately understood what was troubling him and why he was only anxious and not terrified.


    "Jared, did you think I would not be able to read you?'' She scoffed, discerning his plan at once. ''All I need to do now is to find your last target location and you are done for sure.''

 Chapter 586: Decoding Jared - Part 2

    Valerie immediately despatched her trusted team to some of the famous clubs in the city after Jared''s slip of the tongue. Though they were yet to find the exact location, this small error of his helped them narrow the search. And considering the man''s ruthlessness, she was certain that he would have targeted one of the biggest clubs in the city.


    "I wonder how many more locations the man has kept as his targets." She mumbled with a sigh as she stared at the now silent criminal through the computer.


    "One." Ian too was staring at the man just like Valerie, and he had not missed the way Jared''s expression had changed when he heard her reveal his plan. He had gone into a state of horror and worry at once, unlike the time after he had revealed one of the places on his own by mistake.


    This time, there was fear and anxiousness on his face, which sent Ian thinking. Jared was not smiling. But he was not calm either. So, that only concluded that they now had only one target place to locate, and Jared would be under their control again.


    "How did you come to this conclusion, Dr. Davis?" Valerie was surprised to hear him answer her, and even more so to think that he had heard her when all she did was mutter to herself. His excellent hearing stunned her and she was in awe at it.


    "After reading his expression," Ian replied, taking a glance at her in the meanwhile.


    "Do you know to read expressions?" Valerie''s expression turned into one of shock, and she gaped at him for a few seconds. She knew people who were quite good at reading expressions, and she herself was one among them.


    But this time, she too had missed the subtle reactions Jared had let out since the time Maggie had entered the cell. He was careful not to reveal much, and Valerie was having a hard time decoding his mind and secrets. Ian''s words made her doubt her abilities for a moment, and she kept staring at him in wonder.


    "I learned a little of it just out of interest."


    ''Was this a little?'' Valerie''s lips twitched at his words. But she did not reveal his lie, choosing to stay silent about it, and Ian too, who knew that she had seen through his lie, did not clarify about it anymore.


    Ian recalled the sessions he, Noah, and Joshua had to attend under Theo''s stern eyes, who was adamant to teach them psychology. Though it was not in-depth, they at least knew to read their opponents and draw conclusions based on the situation.


    "I just hope we find the last target location and end this madness quickly. I am already tired of it." Valerie''s voice fell on his ears and Ian gave her a look which even he could not understand. The woman had chosen to trust him again this time without asking more about it. And this trust she had in him touched him greatly.


    This was the first time he was feeling this way, and he did not know what to make out of it. Other than his friends and their families which included Aria''s too, he did not care for anybody else''s trust, not even his patients''. But for the first time, the wall around his heart cracked, making him frustrated and at a loss. He could not discern what was happening to him, and this annoyed him greatly.


    Maggie''s voice from the computer brought him out of his stupor, forcing him to push back his thoughts at the back of his mind. He looked at the computer screen, focusing more on the people on it rather than on the intriguing woman beside him.


    "Hmm, we are now two down. I wonder how many more you have added to your plan." Her voice was steady as she hid all that she had perceived a few moments ago. She had to be careful now for this was the tricky part.


    Now that Jared had learned about them knowing of his target locations, he would make sure to keep his last location a secret as much as possible. Only this could save him out of here, and forcing him to disclose it would be even more difficult than climbing Mt. Everest.


    Maggie pursed her lips as she waited for Jared to speak up. But he was abnormally silent, and she wondered what he was up to now.


    "Jared, we now have another crime added to your long list," Maggie stated and Jared lifted his head at once. "Linda is dead, and we know that you were the one who ordered for it."


    As soon as Jared heard her, his countenance changed completely and he stared at her with such shock that it surprised all the people looking at him. His reaction was anything they had expected, and this time, they understood without even him having to voice it out that he was not the one who had sent the orders to kill Linda.


    This only rose more questions in everyone''s mind, especially Ian. He could not brush off Linda''s words from his mind now. All that she had disclosed about Jared, Charles, and Noah''s grandfather came back to him, and he could not stop the ominous feeling from taking over him.


    "Great. This is just great. Do you think I killed Linda?" Jared questioned, his voice raising an octave. But nobody missed the slight tremble in his tone and his fear that was quite evident in his eyes. Something in him had changed completely,y and he looked as though he was now wary of everything.


    "I never told that. But from your words, I presume you are acquainted with Linda." Maggie''s expression returned to normal immediately. She was now more curious to find out why Jared had shown such a drastic reaction when she mentioned was Linda''s death.


    Jared remained silent at this as he stared at her. He did not know how to respond now. His mind was a mess, and all his plans to save himself were being ruined one by one. Even two out of three target locations had been secured by his opponents, and he now had only the third target location. It was his only shield and his only way out of here, and Jared relaxed at this thought.


    He realized that this was not the time for him to lose his calm. He had to get out of the cell first before he started with his other plans to save his life from someone who was already taking steps to eliminate all the visible traces he and Charles had left behind.


    Jared took a deep breath to calm his anxious nerves as he kept his eyes fixed on Maggie.


    ''You will never be able to find the third location, Maggie. I will not allow you to even know about it. You have already ruined all my plans before. Not this time. So what if you have secured the two locations? You will not be able to imagine what the third location is, and I will make sure I get out of here today with you.''


    Jared stared hard at the girl in front of her as he made his vow in his mind.

 Chapter 587: Countdown - Part 1

    "Who do you think killed Linda, Jared?" Maggie repeated her question, her face devoid of any expression. She neither looked intimidating nor did she appear fierce or furious. She was exceptionally calm. But this calmness alone was enough to send Jared into a state of frenzy.


    Although he was already well acquainted with Maggie and her unique traits, one being her composed nature in all situations, he could still not comprehend why he felt her be different this time. Something in her had changed. She had become more courageous, cold and exceptionally beautiful, and Jared could not tear his eyes away from her face even if he wanted to.


    Ryder observed the man''s gaze but he stood still behind Maggie, glaring at him as he suppressed his fury. Jared''s feelings for the girl he liked came as a surprise to him. But soon, he brushed it off when he realized that Maggie would never fall for someone like Jared. To her, he was a criminal who was bound to reach the execution chair sooner or later. Nothing more, nothing less.


    "Why do you think I would know about it, Maggie?" Jared''s voice was low and in control. But none among the people around him missed the way his voice shook as he spoke to them.


    "Let''s just say Linda met some of our people and revealed a few secrets." Maggie did not have any intentions of hiding all that had transpired in the hospital. She only made sure to hide Aria and Ian''s involvement in this.


    Already, Ivy, Valerie and she were under his scrutiny. ''I do not want Aria too to join the list.'' She thought to herself as she stared at the man in front of her.


    "And do you think that those secrets concern me?" Jared questioned her back, and Maggie immediately understood what he was trying to do here. He was using her questions back at her to find out what Linda had disclosed before she died.


    "I presume so. That is what the cameras in the room say. She took your name as well as Charles Miller''s." Maggie clasped her fingers as she leaned against the table.


    "And you believed her words?" Jared started chuckling all of a sudden. But his reaction did not stun anybody who was watching him. It was as they had expected him to behave. "What if she had taken your name? Would you have believed it? Would you have doubted yourself instead of suspecting me?"


    Jared''s argument impressed Maggie. ''As expected, he had still not lost his mind after getting caught. He is playing around with me. Now, watch Jared how I will twist your words on yourself."


    "So you claim that you do not know Linda. Am I right?" Maggie probed, not answering any of is previous questions.


    "I think that was what I answered before and I am not going to change it."


    "That''s fine by me. You can stick to your words. But would you not like to know the name of the third person she mentioned when she spoke about you and Charles?"


    Maggie''s lips curved up immediately while Jared''s face lost all its color. This time he could not come up with any sarcastic comment even if he wanted to. All he could think about was what Linda had told them and how badly it would affect him.


    But soon he came out of his stupor for he realized that there was no use being terrified. The matter had got out of hand, and he get out of the cell to save his life. Even if he was not punished by the law, there was someone out there who might kill him to keep his mouth shut forever.


    "And why would I want to know about him?" He questioned back, changing his expressions immediately, and Maggie frowned at him the next instant. Even his eyes had now turned cold and lethal, just like how he was in front of his men and how Maggie had seen him when she had been undercover in his gang.


    "Because that man now is now being investigated and soon, he might join you too while you get punished." Maggie tilted her head, wondering what the man was doing now. Something in him had changed suddenly, and he had returned to the monster she knew him to be. All his fears had vanished, and he now seemed to be in control of the situation.


    "Oh, then that person is more than welcome to join me. I do not mind having company. But that won''t be happening in this lifetime." Jared smiled, and this time, even Ryder and Preston frowned in apprehension.


    "You will only be able to punish me if you can produce me to court. But that will not be happening anytime soon for I will be escaping from this place by the end of tonight."


    "In your dreams, Jared. In your dreams." Maggie scoffed and Jared startled chuckling at her words. Even though she was putting up a brave front, she realized that her plan to trick him into speaking had failed miserably.


    "And dreams do come true, dear. We will see who will be standing tall and proud at the end of the night. You are yet to find the other target locations. Do you think you will be able to find them without asking me about it?"


    Maggie narrowed her eyes when she understood that the man had planned exactly how she had deduced and even the two men behind her caught onto his intentions this time. They could not help but gape at Maggie in shock when they realized the reason why she was here.


    "What do you want, Jared?"


    "Maggie, don''t." Ryder intervened immediately. Even Valerie stood up, ready to stop her friend from making reckless decisions. But Ian held her hand, stopping her from taking another step any further.


    "Hear him out first." He stated with his brows scrunched up. He too was tensed after the way the events had turned out. Just like the others, he too wanted to stop Jared from executing his plan. But they had to find out what he exactly wanted before they started with their plans.


    "You know what I want, darling. I want to leave this place, with you of course and nobody...." Jared stared at the two men behind her before he looked at the camera in the room. "I repeat nobody is to follow me. Only when I reach a safe place, away from everyone''s reach, I will reveal the last target location."


    "Do you think we will trust you on this? What if this is all a ploy and you do not keep your end of the promise?" Ryder seethed. He clenched his fists in anger when he saw how Jared had broken through Maggie''s attempts to force him into submission. He had outwitted her this time, defeating her in her own game brilliantly.


    "It is your choice, Maggie. You can choose to trust me or not trust me. It is up to you. But darling," He smiled softly when he glanced at the watch on her right hand. "You have less than forty minutes to decide what you want to do. Don''t blame me if you see a massacre after the timer drops to zero."


    Jared tapped on his hand as his grin widened. "So, think well and think wise. You do not want people dying, do you?"

 Chapter 588: Countdown - Part 2

    Jared smiled faintly as he observed Maggie and the two men behind her glaring at him, wishing to kill him and end all the agony they were going through. But it was impossible to do so, not when there were lives at stake. His smile widened when he realized nobody would have even guessed what his last target location was.


    "Tch, tch, tch." He clicked his tongue and leaned forward on the table, pitying the girl in front of him.


    "Although I am sad to see you in distress," He started, gaining everyone''s attention on him. "I am thrilled too. I have been for this day all this time, Maggie." He muttered so that only Maggie could hear it.


    "You betrayed me and I took revenge this way." He winked at her, and this time, Maggie could not control herself anymore.


    "You bastard," She got up with such force that her chair toppled over. Without even caring about it, she rushed to him and held him by his collar, forcing him to stand up.


    A harsh punch landed on Jared''s face. But he did not care about it and kept smiling, allowing Maggie to do as she pleased. This was the first time she was holding him on her own accord, and he could not stop the joy from bursting in his heart. Even though all she did was punch him, contrary to what he wanted her to do, he did not care about it.


    Ryder and Preston had to force her away from him to stop her from punching him. Although they did not know what Jared had told her, they understood that it was anything but pleasant, especially for Maggie.


    "Maggie, calm down please." Preston tried to pull her away. But Maggie was too incensed to listen to them. Jared''s words had triggered her fury, and she wriggled out of their holds to punch the man again.


    "Let go of me. I will kill this man today. How dare he!!" She seethed and rushed towards Jared, only to be pulled back by Ryder, and this time he hugged her tight, not allowing her to move an inch.


    "Maggie, please calm down. He is only trying to rile you up. Calm down." He patted her back to soothe her, and Jared''s smile vanished on seeing Maggie hugging the man back. He glowered at them, wishing to chop the man into pieces for even touching what belonged to him. But he was helpless. His hands were still bound to the table and the couple was far away from his reach.


    Right at this moment, Valerie entered the room, her face completely cold and furious. "Ryder, take Maggie away from here. I will deal with him."


    Ryder nodded at her and forced the girl in his embrace to leave the room with him while Valerie waited until the door closed after them.


    "You must be having a lot of fun right now." Valerie gnashed her teeth, completely annoyed by the man in front of her. Even though he was in a sorrowful state after receiving all the punches from them, she felt nothing but contempt towards him. All he had done until now was destroy people''s lives and even now, he was targeting innocent people just to have his way.


    "I cannot agree more. I am having fun watching you all in this pitiful state." He could not wipe the blood trickling down his lips and chin, and he resembled nothing less than a monster from the way his face had swollen after the repeated beatings.


    "I have given a way out for you guys. Think about it. I guess you have half an hour or so before the city gets destroyed." Jared forced the words out of his mouth. It was even painful to even take a breath let alone speak. But he still had to convey all that he wanted to say to them and get away from the cell as soon as possible.


    "You will not get away with it if even one person is harmed." Valerie was at her wit''s ends and she did not know how to stop the man from his madness.


    "I already have a list of crimes to convict me. Do you think this mere addition will scare me, Deputy?" Jared chuckled and took his seat again. "Think about the number of people who will be dying after half an hour. If you do not care about their deaths, then I shall assume that you are as heartless as I am."


    Every word of his was provoking Valerie but unlike Maggie, she restrained herself from losing her calm.


    "I am already a monster. You will also join me when people start dying one by one, Deputy." Jared''s voice was no less sinister, and for the first time, Valerie felt so helpless and lost. Her mind had gone blank and she could not come up with any possible solutions whatsoever.


    Jared had singlehandedly dominated them, destroying all their plans and forcing them to a dead end. Other than agreeing to Jared''s wishes, they had no choice.


    "What do you want?" Valerie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.


    "I have already told you. I want to leave this place."


    "Fine. We will allow you to go." Valerie relented.


    "And nobody is to follow me."


    "Agreed."


    "If I find anyone following me, I will send out the order to release the virus immediately."


    "I promise nobody will follow you."


    Preston wanted to stop his Deputy from allowing the man to leave the place. But he knew that other than allowing him to go, they had no other choice. Innocent lives were at stake, and they had to take action before it became too late.


    "But what if you do not keep your end of the promise?" Valerie placed her hands on the table and leaned forward to stare at him in the eye.


    "I cannot do anything if you are unwilling to trust me. It''s all up to you." Jared shrugged, not promising a word about what he intended to do.


    Valerie realized what Jared was trying to do. But all she could do was take the gamble and trust him this once. Moreover, she already had backup plans to control Jared if matters were to go wrong somewhere.


    "Fine. I will let you go. I need you to tell me your last target location."


    "I will, only after I reach a safe place."


    "Anything else?" Valerie closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them again.


    "Yes, I want Maggie. Without her, I am not leaving this place."

 Chapter 589: Countdown - Part 3

    "I will leave with him," Maggie said with resolve as soon as Valerie and Preston returned to the surveillance room.


    "No way." Ryder was the first one to object, and Valerie and Preston followed suit immediately. Sending Maggie with Jared was the last thing they had in mind, especially when they recalled how hard it had been for her to get away from him.


    "Maggie, I will not allow you to go with him. It''s dangerous." Ryder held her by her shoulders to make her realize what she was getting herself into.


    But Maggie remained as adamant as ever, not willing to listen to Ryder or anybody else. She already knew what Jared wanted, and only she could save the people from dying due to his cunning schemes. It was either her or the innocent people and she had already made her choice.


    "In that case, do you have any other solution for this issue? Anybody else for that matter?" Maggie pushed Ryder away and looked around the room, waiting for someone to answer. But all she got was silence. Even Ian too was silent as he pursed his lips in worry.


    Tension filled the air as no one had a reply to Maggie''s question, and she nodded her head immediately.


    "See, nobody knows what to do and we do not have time to create a concrete plan. We need to decide fast, and I have made my decision. We need to find the last target as soon as possible before we regret it forever."


    "But Maggie I do not want you to go with him." Ryder made her face him again and let out a helpless sigh. His eyes were filled with longing and emotions that completely stunned Maggie, and she did not know what to speak for a few moments. She just kept staring at him, wondering what she had seen in his eyes.


    "If only we were not this helpless." Valerie gnashed her teeth from the side and immediately after, Maggie came out of her stupor.


    "I do not want to leave either. But...." Maggie did not even get the opportunity when Ryder hugged her all of a sudden, startling her completely. It was utterly unexpected of him to hug her, especially when he was considered to be the least expressive person among her teammates. Never had he shown what his true feelings were, keeping everything about his emotions a mystery.


    If it was any other time, both Valerie and Preston might have rejoiced at the scene they were witnessing. But right now, all they could worry about was Maggie and what Jared might do to her.


    "Don''t worry, Ryder. I will find a way to get away from his clutches somehow." She rubbed his back to comfort him. But in vain. Nothing she said or did consoled him, and he kept hugging her until it became too difficult for her to breathe.


    "Ugh, Ryder." She groaned in dismay. "You are suffocating me."


    The moment Ryder heard her, he let her go. His eyes were now filled with tears, and Maggie''s resolve almost shattered on seeing them. But she hardened her heart and turned to face Valerie and Preston.


    "I will have to leave now. I will make time and contact you somehow. Wait for me."


    Something flashed in Maggie''s eyes when she stared at Valerie, and for a moment, Valerie blinked at her questioningly. She stared at her for quite a few seconds, trying to read what she conveying to her silently.


    Maggie''s eyes held a conviction, a secret which Valerie detected and she now understood that she was here with a plan. All she needed was her cooperation, and Valerie blinked at her in return, giving her the reply she need.


    "I will try to save you from that bastard, Maggie. Do not worry."


    "We will save you, Maggie. I have already informed Noah. Our men have secured the area and we will follow you secretly." Ian added with a frown. Though he did not like where this was going, he had to agree that this was the best plan they could come up with for the time being.


    "Be careful not to be seen. Jared already has his men stationed around the Intelligence. We do not want getting caught and ruin this." Maggie warned and Ian nodded at her solemnly.


    "And do not do anything before we find out our last target location. Jared is a lunatic. He might end up killing all those people if we piss him off. I do not want my sacrifice to be a waste." Maggie tried to lighten the mood. But it did not work even a bit and she gave working on it after seeing their grave expressions.


    "Relax guys. I will escape from him somehow. Trust me on this, I promise I will come back to you soon." Maggie ran her eyes, lingering on Ryder for a few moments longer than compared to others.


    Every time she saw him, her strong resolve started to melt. So, she looked away from him, unable to see his pleading gaze anymore.


    ''I might end up giving up on my plan if I stay here anymore. I need to leave from here as soon as possible.''


    With that thought, Maggie walked out of the room without speaking another word while Valerie and Preston followed her right away. It took Ryder some time to calm his heart. But he too followed her, ready to protect her at all costs from the man who was out to destroy their lives.


    Ian waited until the group was out of sight before he made a call to Noah, informing him of the situation and how horrible the matters had turned out.


    "I have already despatched out men, Ian and they are not the ones Jared or his men has seen before."


    "Where are you?"


    "I am almost near the Intelligence office. I will be there in five. I will not allow Maggie to leave with that man. No way." Noah seethed while Ronnie drove as fast as he could to reach the place in time.


    "I just hope we can save the day. I do not want more people dying or allow Maggie to leave with Jared. We just have one last target location to find." Ian pressed his forehead as he stared at the computer that showed the cell Jared was staying in.


    "We will, Ian. We will." Noah interrupted him, his anger now at its peak. "Jared will not get away this time. I am going to kill him the moment we find his target location. He is done wasting oxygen on earth. It is now time for him to die."

 Chapter 590: Taking a gamble

    Jared kept tapping his fingers on the table as he stared at the camera in the interrogation cell. His face held a smile so sinister any normal person would have been scared for life for sure. But not Ian. He glared at the man through the computer for playing with lives as though life was just a mere game for him.


    Jared had ruined a lot of lives, and a lot more were at stake, considering the deadly trap he had laid for Maggie and her teammates. Even if she went along with him, following his wishes completely, there was no guarantee that he would reveal his actual target location.


    Given the situation, there were high chances that he would misguide the Intelligence, especially after what had happened with him the past two days. Jared was a vengeful man, and this was his perfect opportunity to avenge all that he had borne after getting caught.


    "Oh my God!!!" Ian held his head in dismay when he realized that this was Jared''s plan and he predicated this day all along. He had come prepared and he was waiting was for the perfect time.


    Ian''s eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at the man who was smiling in victory at him. He was still in disbelief to think that Jared had played them well. He had not only planned a brilliant escape, he had even planned to take Maggie with him at all costs.


    Ian''s gaze turned especially dangerous when he noticed Jared mouthing the numbers in a countdown.


    "Three," Jared''s lips arched up on one side as he continued tapping his fingers.


    "Two," He raised an eyebrow at the camera before he turned towards the door.


    "One."


    As if on cue, Valerie entered first along with Maggie, with Preston and Ryder following them.


    "Bingo," Jared exclaimed loudly and his smile widened on seeing the girl who he come to love over the months.


    "What have you guys decided?" He tilted his head playfully, knowing exactly well what they had decided.


    But he deemed it to be more fun to tease them this way. After all, they were under his control and he had flipped the situation in his favor. They had to agree to his demands if they wanted to citizens safe, who he was unsure if they would be or not. Everything depended on his volatile mood.


    Maggie took a deep breath and stepped forward. "We agree."


    "Brilliant. I am glad that you took the correct and perfect decision." Jared gave her an appreciative glance before he knocked his bound hands on the table.


    "If you would not mind, I would like to be out of these cuffs. They are damn annoying and I am not sure if I would be in the mood to reveal my target location once I lose my mind." Jared stated and gave the people in front of him a condescending look that almost made Preston pull out his gun to end the man right away. But he controlled himself in time.


    Valerie clenched her fists as she glared at the scoundrel before she nodded at Ryder to do as he asked.


    For a moment, Ryder just stood still, wishing to kill the man who was out to destroy his life. But soon, he started walking and removed the handcuffs, freeing Jared''s hands eventually.


    "Ahh, how I wanted to this thing off me," Jared exclaimed and rubbed his wrists. Even though this was not the first time when his hands had been freed, he still felt it to be the first time. He could not stop shaking his wrists and he ran a tongue over the now dried blood over his lips.


    The next moment, he punched the man beside him startling everyone, especially Maggie. She instinctively stepped forward on seeing Ryder bearing Jared''s brunt.


    "That felt great." Jared mused and smiled wickedly at Ryder, who clenched his fist in anger. Though he wanted to punch him back, he knew the consequences of doing so. Since Maggie was leaving with Jared, he did not wish his actions to affect her whatsoever. He just gritted his teeth and bore the pain.


    "I wanted to punch you since the time you touched my Maggie. How dare you!!" Jared''s smile vanished and he glowered at him, his eyes so wicked that everyone felt chills run down their spine.


    Ryder was beyond frightened. Now that Jared wanted Maggie, he could not even imagine what would happen if they failed to rescue her in time. He was now on tetter hooks. But all he could do was stare at the girl he liked longingly, not daring to stop her from following her decision. He was in a dilemma.


    While there were a lot of lives at risk on one side, his dear girl was in danger and in the hands of a demon. And they could only choose to save one among two this time. Though his heart wanted him to save Maggie and stop her from leaving, his duty towards his nation got the best of him, allowing him with no choice but to stay rooted in his place.


    "Shall we leave Maggie?" Jared held out his hand for the girl to take but she just blatantly ignored him, throwing daggers at him. Jared was unaffected by it and he dropped his hand, allowing her to have her say this time.


    ''Don''t worry, darling. Once we reach a secure place, I will put you in your place. You will get the punishment awaiting you for betraying me and running away from me.'' He promised with a smirk.


    Nobody missed the way he was staring at Maggie and the solemn vow that had flashed past his eyes. It was as though he was going to butcher Maggie alive once he got away safely. This only added more to their distress and fear as they stared at the monster helplessly.


    "We better leave soon, dear. Otherwise, I will not guarantee the safety of the people around you." Jared stated, and this time, Maggie started walking on her own accord, without giving him any face.


    Ian, who was watching all that was happening in the cell through the computer, informed Noah about it immediately.


    "Great." Noah breathed in fury." I am waiting for him near the Intelligence and our men will keep track of him starting now. Once we find out what his last target location is, I will start executing my plan."

 Chapter 591: Plan in action - Part 1

    "When will you reveal the last target location, Jared?" Valerie queried again, unable to tolerate the disgusting man''s antics anymore.


    The moment he had been released, he had walked out of the cell towards the entrance as though he owned the place, smiling devilishly at everyone. His unexpected entrance made all the people at the Intelligence stop and stare. Though not many people were working at this time of night, there were still a few working overtime to solve some important cases.


    Valerie closed her eyes as soon as she saw colleagues giving her weird glances. Jared had not even cared to blood on wipe his lips and face, allowing everyone to see his injuries while he sauntered towards the entrance, keeping an eye on Maggie as he did so.


    "What is the hurry, Deputy?" Jared turned around to smile at her. "We still have some time, and as I said, I won''t be speaking a word about my plans until I am far away from here, in a safe place." He winked at her, irking Valerie all the more.


    By now, they had reached the entrance, and barely five minutes after, a black car stopped in front of them, startling everyone except Jared. He smiled widely as he turned around and waved at the group behind him.


    "It was nice being here, though I did not like the treatment you guys gave me. But don''t worry, I am not a vengeful person. I will just make sure that you receive what you deserve. Now, Maggie, darling, if you would follow me." He opened the door for her and stepped aside, and Maggie rolled her eyes at him in anger.


    Her hatred towards him had reached its peak, and she did not know how long she could bear his presence. Maggie was just about to enter the car when Jared stopped her immediately.


    "Uh-huh," He shook his head as though he was reprimanding her gently. "Wait a minute, dear. Hand over your gun and your phone."


    Maggie''s eyes widened as soon as heard him. Even Ryder was shocked for he had no idea about the gun Maggie was carrying.


    ''How did Jared find out?'' He thought himself and the next moment, fear engulfed his heart and mind. Without any phone or gun to save herself, Jared could do anything with her and nobody would find out about it.


    Just the thought of it was enough for Ryder to step forward and intervene. "Maggie, you are not leaving." He pulled her behind him and glared at the man who just stared at him in surprise.


    "Ryder, have you gone crazy? Let me go." Maggie attempted to wriggle out of his hold but the man remained adamant, forcing her to stay where she was.


    "Jared will only hurt you, Maggie. I will not allow you to go with him." Ryder tried to reason with her even though he already knew that it would not work. And just as he had expected, Maggie shook her head immediately.


    "I don''t care about myself, Ryder. If I do not go with him, people will die. Are you ready to watch innocent people die right in front of you?" Maggie argued, not caring about the crowd around her. All she wanted was to stop Jared from executing his dreadful plans, even if it meant that she had to give up her life.


    "But Maggie, Jared is a dangerous man."


    "Yes, he is. He is a scoundrel." Maggie did not hesitate to scold him even though he was right beside her, and Jared raised an eyebrow at her immediately.


    "Maggie, you do know the consequences of pissing me off, don''t you?" His voice was filled with wickedness and warning, and Maggie swallowed all the list of insults she had prepared for him. They were already unsure about Jared''s motives and she did not intend to trigger his anger and be the reason for innocent people''s deaths.


    "I am sorry, Ryder. I will have to go. Innocent lives are at stake. I will have to save them." Maggie managed to wriggle out of his hold and handed him her phone and her gun before entering the car without looking back.


    Jared smirked at her actions and gave a provocative look to Ryder. "Although I am touched by your concerns for her, Maggie is now mine. You will soon get what you deserve for even thinking about what belongs to me." He threatened him blatantly, not even caring that the people were watching him.


    "And Deputy." He then turned his attention to Valerie who was glowering at him. "I hope that you will be smart enough to not follow me. Otherwise, I will never reveal the last location and you will soon find people dying around you. May we never meet again."


    Jared winked at her and entered the car. The moment he closed the door, the car zoomed out of the premises, leaving a crowd behind it. Nobody except Preston and Valerie noticed a car lingering nearby and soon after, it started following Jared''s car, making sure to maintain a good distance so as to not get noticed.


    The crowd had barely dispersed when another car stopped in front of the three people, and Ian lowered the window. "Get in, Deputy. We need to save Maggie."


    For a moment, Valerie stood frozen to her spot on seeing Ian here. But immediately after, she rushed to join him while Preston and Ryder took the seats at the back.


    "Was this your plan all this while?" Valerie was still in shock to see him taking action this quickly.


    "Not mine. Noah''s. He and our men are trailing Jared''s car. Once we find the target location, we will ambush them and save Maggie." Ian disclosed the plan they had come up with at the last minute and continued driving, following the direction in which Noah''s car was going using the GPS."


    Ryder, who had felt his soul leave his body on seeing Maggie leave with Jared, felt himself being revived. Only he knew how scared he had been when he saw her leave with the monster. Though she was in danger, he at least hoped to save her in time and kill that bastard for even thinking about Maggie.


    "What if Jared notices us following him?" Preston queried with worry and Ian shook his head immediately.


    "I don''t think he will notice it for our men are stationed at all the routes he could possibly take once he reaches the junction. It will only seem like normal people are driving in the same lane as him. Don''t worry, every car is different."


    Ian assured them. "I have already informed them of the car plate number, and they will keep an eye on it. Moreover, with Joshua watching over from the surveillance camera, Jared can''t escape from our eyes."


    Valerie let out a sigh in relief and she stared at Ian gratefully. Even though it was not his duty, he was helping them greatly and for this reason alone, she was filled with gratitude towards him.


    "How do we call him now that I do not have his number? He did not take his phone that we had confiscated from him before leaving." Ryder asked from behind, and it was only then that Valerie realized the problem they had completely ignored.


    "Jared is a smart man. He knew we would have placed a tracker in his phone. So, he left it here." Valerie gritted her teeth in anger and glanced at Ian before facing her friends. "But not to worry. Maggie will not allow him to get away with this. She will somehow make sure that he calls us."


    "Yes, she will. And if I am not wrong, he will be calling you in a few minutes." Ian had barely finished speaking when Valerie''s phone started ringing.

 Chapter 592: Plan in action - Part 2

    Valerie gave Ian a surprised look before she answered the call immediately. And just as Ian had predicted, it was a call from Jared.


    "Tch, tch, tch, Deputy." He clicked his tongue while Valerie switched on the loudspeaker for everyone around her to listen to him.


    "Tell her the target location right now." They heard Maggie yell at him, and hearing her voice, everyone let out a breath of relief. Even though it had been barely a few minutes since they saw Maggie, they were awfully worried about her, especially Ryder. He was on tetter hooks since the time Maggie had refused to stay behind. Now that he heard her voice, he was relieved, albeit not completely.


    "What''s the rush, darling?" Jared chided her gently and Ryder clenched his fist, fury bursting through him as soon as he heard him. "I have already told you that until I reach a safe place, I will not speak a word about my target location."


    ''In that case, why did he call us?'' Valerie wondered and looked at Ian, who was holding onto the steering wheel tightly until veins popped up on his arms and biceps.


    "Jared," Maggie warned him. But all they heard in return was his chuckle which sounded terribly evil. It was as though he had called them with other intentions.


    "All I want to know is who helped Maggie escape from the warehouse, from me. If you reveal the truth, I will reveal my target locations immediately."


    Even though they could not see him, Valerie and her team were sure that the monster was smiling triumphantly as he spoke to them. They were in shock to find that he had already deduced it was not they who had helped Maggie escape.


    "Did you think I would not know the truth, Maggie?" Jared continued speaking. "You have not visited the Intelligence since the time you escaped from me and have been hiding from everyone''s eyes. And it is interesting to learn that you have only stepped inside the building today. But do you know what the surprising fact is?"


    Jared''s words made everyone apprehensive and they started to have an ominous feeling about it. It was as though he knew a secret about them and they were about to get busted.


    "Why did my men find the famous and dignified Doctor Ian Davis beside you when you entered the Intelligence? Why was he even here today?"


    As soon as he heard Jared, Ian almost steered the car towards another lane in shock. If not for the man behind him honking at the right time, he was certain that they would have ended in an accident. He pulled over at the side immediately, unable to drive anymore in his state of mind.


    Valerie''s face paled, and even Ryder and Preston were beyond scared. They just stared at the phone in horror, silence engulfing them. Right at this moment, the man in the car behind them honked and grumbled something at them.


    "Are you following me, Deputy?" Jared''s voice was extremely low and filled with anger which nobody missed. "Didn''t I warn you not to follow me?"


    "I am not following you," Valerie stated, and it was the truth. They were still far away to follow him. All they could do was follow the route Noah had taken through the GPS and right now, he too was getting further away from them.


    "Are you sure, Deputy? You do know the consequences of lying to me. Right?"


    Valerie narrowed her eyes at his threat and she looked at Ian immediately. "I am not following you. I am still searching for you."


    "Is it?" Jared immediately looked behind him and smiled widely in satisfaction.


    "You must be saying the truth. I do not see any car behind me."


    Ryder frowned immediately and he gave Ian a questioning look only to find him staring at Valerie. He chose to remain silent and question him about it once they finished the call.


    "Now, let''s get back to my initial question. Shall we?"


    Valerie pursed his lips, not knowing how to answer him. They could reveal how Maggie knew about Ian or else, he would find out about Noah''s involvement in this matter. And this would only make things complicated to her as well as her dear friend.


    Not knowing what to say she raised her brows at Ian and the man immediately mouthed her the answer. For a moment, Valerie was stunned at what he had told her to say. But the next instant, she did just as she was told.


    "Ian is my boyfriend and he had come to the Intelligence to meet me."


    Silence ensued inside the car again and Valerie was unsure if Jared believed her. Since she had chosen this path, she stuck to it irrespective of the outcomes.


    "And it was a coincidence that Maggie and Ian arrived at the same time." She continued, waiting for Jared to speak something, anything.


    "I am not sure if I should believe you on this, Deputy."


    "Cut the crap, Jared. Tell us what your target location is." Valerie''s tone changed all of a sudden. She realized that this was leading to nowhere and all Jared was doing was delaying their time.


    "Although I am unwilling to believe you, Deputy, I will give you the benefit of doubt. But I am yet to find out who saved Maggie. If you answer me I will disclose the location right away."


    "Jared," Maggie warned from beside, her fury now at peak. But she could do nothing. He held control here, and one small mistake could lead to the death of a lot of lives.


    "It was us who saved her." Valerie lied without any change in her tone. Even Ian was surprised to hear her convincing lie.


    "In that case, why did my men find choppers and grenades. How did you have access to them?"


    "Let''s just say I know people not only from the Intelligence."


    "Ohh, so you do know someone from the military too. Mind telling me who it is. Since they were able to use choppers to help you, I assume them to be holding important ranks."


    Valerie realized that Jared was trapping her in her own lie. But she knew how to get out of the predicament she was in.


    "Are you sure you want to know who it is Jared? You do know that if I know about your involvement in the war that happened weeks ago, they must already know about it too." She threatened him. "Either you tell us the location or wait for all your warehouses to blow up."


    Valerie was done tolerating Jared''s cruel antics and she warned him blatantly, not giving him a way out this time.


    "Do you really think that you could get away after threatening me, Deputy?" Jared too did not back off.


    "I don''t think I would. But you are in no situation to harm me. After today, you are now a fugitive on the run, and I will issue an order to kill you on sight. So, choose well, Jared."


    "Patience, Deputy. Patience. I will tell you the location. But only after I reach my safe place and if I am in the mood. Until then, see ya." Jared was just about to end the call when he stopped suddenly. "Also, Deputy. You have successfully managed to annoy me today and I do not know what I will do as revenge."

 Chapter 593: Plan in action - Part 3

    Valerie gnashed her teeth in anger and closed her eyes as she tried to calm down. But it became too impossible for her to do so after how Jared had threatened her. She had been unable to control her fury and her hatred for the man got the best of her, making her lose her calm completely. It was only after a few seconds passed that dread started to settle down and her eyes snapped open immediately.


    "What did I do?" She exclaimed in terror and her eyes widened as she looked at the man beside her. "No, no, no. What have I done? I put Maggie as well as the other people''s lives in danger."


    Her eyes quivered, unable to believe how her momentary loss of self-control had resulted in her putting a lot of lives in danger. Her hand lost its strength and she let go of her phone immediately, which Ian caught right away.


    "Relax, Deputy." He tried to assure her but Valerie was too petrified to listen to him. She shook her head, still hysterical about what she had done.


    "No, no." She almost yelled. "You are not understanding, Doctor. My lack of self-control has infuriated Jared, and I do not know what he will do next."


    Her sudden outburst not only stunned Ian but even Ryder and Preston were also surprised to hear her yell. It was completely unlike her, and they did not know how to comfort her.


    "You did nothing wrong, Val. Jared deserved it. He is a bastard." Ryder tried to console her but Valerie was having none of it.


    "What did I do?" She covered her lips in distress while Ian just stared at her with his eyes narrowed.


    "Deputy, this is not the time to think about matters like these. What we should be concentrating on is how to save Maggie and the people whose lives are in danger."


    "Doctor Davis is right, Val. We have other matters to focus on. Get a hold of yourself. Please." Preston begged, and Valerie gave him a look that changed a moment after.


    "You are right. I cannot lose out this way. I need to catch hold of myself. I need to stay strong."


    As soon as they heard Valerie, all the three men nodded in acceptance.


    "Stay strong, Deputy. We need you." Ian added and handed her her phone. "And, don''t worry about Maggie. All we need to focus on is Jared''s target location."


    "What about Maggie? And how was Jared unable to detect any car behind him? Didn''t you say that your friend and his men are keeping an eye on him?" Ryder queried immediately. This matter had been bugging him since the time he had heard Jared. Now that he had got his chance, he questioned it right away.


    "There are other ways to keep an eye on someone other than to follow them." Ian gave them a mysterious smile and the trio understood the meaning behind his words the next instant.


    "Joshua is observing him through the CCTV, and it is still considered following if you were to watch someone who is driving behind you. Ain''t it?"


    Ian winked at them and the realization hit them at once. Noah''s men were not trailing behind Jared''s car. Instead, they were ahead of him on the roads, making it seem as though it was Jared who was following them.


    ''Brilliant.'' That was all Ryder could think of. ''Jared has no idea about the number of eyes on him. Is this the reason why Maggie was willing to go with him? Did she trust that someone among us would save her for sure?'' He wondered but came out of his thoughts the moment he heard Ian start the car.


    "Let''s go. We cannot lose Jared." Ian started driving. On his way, he passed by the route that led to one of the hospitals that had been caught up in the scandal. A huge crowd had accumulated in front of it, making it impossible to navigate on that road.


    Ian''s face scrunched up on seeing the huge crowd and he wondered how Noah was able to pass by without getting caught in the traffic. But even before he could process more about it, something caught his eye and he focused his gaze on the suspicious man who was carrying a bag with him.


    What surprised him more was that among the huge crowd, he was the only one wearing a mask. Although the recent poison attack had made citizens wary about their surroundings, it was not to the extent that they kept wearing masks even after weeks had passed since the incident. The man''s strange actions did not sit well with Ian and he stopped the car by the roadside, realization hitting him hard.


    "Oh Lord!!!" He exclaimed out loud and the three people gave him a strange look.


    "What''s the matter, Doctor? Why did you stop driving?" Preston enquired.


    They were already pressed for time and Ian''s sudden actions only made them frown in displeasure. Not only did they have to find out what Jared''s last location was, they even had to save Maggie. They were already behind, and Ian''s actions were only delaying their time.


    Even Ryder was vexed. But unlike Preston, he stayed silent, observing the man closely.


    Valerie was the only one among the three who trusted Ian. Though she did not know why he stopped suddenly, she presumed him to have a reason for it and she gave him a questioning look.


    "Is something the matter, Doctor? Why did you stop suddenly?" She too asked him and her voice brought Ian out of his shock.


    "I think I discovered what Jared''s last target location is." He mumbled softly. But all the three people had heard it and they leaned closer to him instinctively.


    "Really? What is his last target? How did you find out, Doctor?" Valerie gave him a hopeful look and Ian gestured towards the large crowd nearby them.


    "Deputy, Jared is only targeting locations that have a lot of people accumulated at that time."


    "Yes. He wants to strike large and it would only benefit him if a lot of people were to be harmed at once." She agreed immediately while Ryder and Preston sat still, still wondering where this was going.


    "And after the recent scandal, where do you think large crowds have accumulated?" He fired the next instant and realization hit the three people right away.


    "Oh my God!!" Preston exclaimed in disbelief and his eyes followed the crowd out their car. A chill ran down his spine and he gave Valerie an incredulous look.


    "If my intuitions are right, Jared must be targeting all those hospitals that were involved in the scandal. People are protesting and fighting in front of all these hospitals and the crowd accumulated in no less compared to his target locations." Ian reasoned and Valerie too followed his line of sight.


    "Did you find anyone suspicious?" She understood him clearly. If he had not found anyone suspicious, he would not have come to this conclusion. So, she decided to trust him once again and listen to what he had to say.


    "Yes, I found a man wearing a mask in the crowd. If I am not wrong, I presume him to be here on Jared''s orders. This must be one of the many hospitals in Jared''s last target location."

 Chapter 594: Final target location

    "You have got to be kidding me!" Noah almost shouted on the phone as he continued to discreetly keep an eye on Jared.


    Even though Joshua had him covered, he still wanted to make sure that he was available in case Maggie were to fall into danger. Jared was never a man to be trusted and he did not intend to risk Maggie''s life by believing the lunatic to not hurt her, physically, emotionally.


    Taking turns, he and his team had been following Jared''s car, making it seem a coincidence, completely fooling the oblivious Jared. From the looks, he realized that Maggie herself too had not discovered their presence and Noah desired to keep it that way lest the monster beside her started suspecting something.


    "Not at all," Ian answered as he watched Valerie and her team taking action immediately. Though he too wanted to accompany them, he realized the consequences of him doing so, especially when there was media in the crowd, capturing all that was happening, live. And involving in this would only put him into scrutiny from not only the public but from Jared as well.


    So, he stayed in his car, allowing Valerie and her friends to find the man who was here to kill people while he placed a call to his friend to inform of him the newfound information.


    "How vile is that man to target hospitals again!!" He barked, startling Ronnie who was driving beside him. Although it was not the first time he was hearing his Boss''s furious shouts, this time, it sounded more vexed and demonic and he discerned the reason for it.


    "I need men, Noah. I do not know which hospitals are on his list. But I presume he intends to target mine too?"


    "Which one? Regal Medical Hospital or Royal Medical Hospital?" Noah frowned and looked at the car behind him, his eyes turning murderous immediately.


    Every time he watched Jared, he had the intense urge to kill him, and given his marksmanship, he was certain that he could kill him easily. But the thought of the unknown target locations kept him still. Now that he had gained the information, all he had to do was wait for his men to secure the places and catch hold of Jared''s men before they actually completed their part of the plan. Jared would then be his prey.


    "Maybe both. Jared''s enmity with you and me might have provoked him to target my hospital too and I cannot allow him to do so. I need our men Noah."


    "I have the Team Alpha and Team Charlie with me. You can use Team Tango."


    Ian smiled as soon as he saw one of Valerie''s friends whose name he kept confusing with the other man''s name, subduing Jared''s men and stopping him from executing the plan here.


    "Thanks. Will you give them orders right away? I hope we can stop this deadly attack right on time." Ian sighed as he observed how Valerie and her friends shielded him from the public''s eye while they brought him towards their car, making Ian frown in displeasure. But he had no idea why.


    "We will, Ian. We will. Jared just has a few more minutes of his life before he will leave this world for sure. I will inform the team of your plan."


    "I will call you later. We have captured one of Jared''s men." Ian ended the call, and his frown deepened when Ryder opened the door behind and pushed his victim inside before taking the seat beside him while Preston took the other side, completely trapping him from escaping.


    "Deputy?" Ian gave her a questioning look, one which had the woman return an apologetic look of her own.


    "I apologize, Dr. Davis. I do not trust the police who are stationed here for we never know they might be working for our enemy and it would take some time for the officers from Intelligence to get here. I decided to bring him along with me while I phone in my colleagues and ask them to assemble at our next location."


    Valerie noticed the solemnity on Ian''s face and her expression went downcast. Though she realized the risk she had taken by not asking his choice beforehand, she still expected him to understand her, only to find him completely not having the same thoughts as hers.


    "I am sorry, Dr. Davis. I should have asked your opinion before making this decision.


    Ian gave her a blank look. Though he still did not appreciate the criminal sitting in his car and staining the air around him, he understood her concerns.


    "No need to call your colleagues, Deputy. I will give orders for our men and they will take care of him." Ian gestured towards the man behind him, who had not once spoken a word. His mouth had been gagged and his hands were cuffed. Other than him struggling to move around, there was nothing much he could do.


    The coldness in his voice startled Valerie, and she realized how much he loathed having a criminal in his car. But something in her mind kept nagging her which she could not comprehend and she gave him a confused look, one that Ian ignored.


    "I am sorry, Doctor. I really am." She apologized, this time sincerely and Ian''s stance softened, unlike her two friends who just stared at her in shock.


    "I understand, Deputy. You do not have to apologize for it. It''s just that I have severe resentment towards men like these and I prefer to keep them a few meters away from me."


    Ian had no idea why he was even giving her an explanation. Maybe it was her apologetic and guilty expression that made him soften his heart or maybe it was his intentions alone to make it clear to her how much he disliked the current setting.


    Any which way, this was the truth. He despised people like Jared and men like him and he preferred to stay far away from them. Even at the base, it was always his men who followed his orders, and never did he touch them personally and dirty his hands.


    "I am sorry once again."


    "Apology accepted. Now, shall we leave? We have our next location to cover and if I am not wrong, my men would have already secured the place and captured the man we want."


    Ian gave the criminal behind him a hard stare, making him shudder before she drove towards the next location he had in mind.

 Chapter 595: Disaster - Part 1

    As Ian had expected, Noah had already instructed his men to take charge even before he could send out orders and the efficient got to work at once. While they covered the other hospitals, Ian drove towards his hospital, confusing not only Valerie and her friends but also the man they had caught.


    "Umm, Doctor Devis," Valerie cleared her throat when she realized where the man was driving towards. Other than Regal Medical Hospital, there was no other hospital in the vicinity and for a moment, she could not understand his reason for driving this way.


    "Why are we here?" She queried and took a look at Ryder who was diagonally behind her, unlike Preston who was right behind her.


    "Because I am sure he is targeting this hospital too, Deputy." Ian did not hide the truth from her as he drove inside the premises.


    "But wasn''t Jared''s target the same hospitals that were involved in the scandal? And as far as I know, Regal Hospital is clean." Valerie voiced out only to get a glance from Ian in return.


    "Deputy, do you know about the enmity between Noah and Jared?" Ian questioned back and pulled over in the parking space reserved for him.


    Valerie was taken aback to hear Ian and she gave him a bewildered look. "Aren''t they rivals in business?" That was what she had heard and she blinked at him in confusion.


    "That is not the only rivalry they have," Ian said, letting the mystery linger in the air. "Since Noah is a good friend of mine, Jared and I become enemies and he will use all the opportunities he has to harm Noah and me."


    Valerie remained confused and she looked around before she focused her attention on Ian again.


    "Although I would explain more, we are short of time and we need to find the man here before he releases the virus. And, my men are already here. Hand over this man to them. They will take care of them."


    Ian gestured towards the van that was parked at the other side of the parking lot and Ryder and Preston immediately got to work, dragging the man with them. Not once did they doubt Ian''s intentions for he was already helping them a lot. All they had was utmost confidence and courage in his decisions.


    "How are we going to search this man, Doctor? He might be anywhere in the hospital." Valerie stated her concerns as they waited for her friends to return.


    "Some of my men are already inside the hospital searching for him. We can still check for any suspicious people on the CCTV. Don''t worry Deputy, we will find him for sure. Trust me."


    Ian gave her an assuring smile and Valerie had no idea why all her worries disappeared at once. Something in him made her want to trust her completely and just the thought alone surprised her. Never had she felt this way for anyone who she had known for such a short time and she wondered why it was so.


    Ryder and Preston returned soon and the four people entered the hospital together with Ian taking the lead. Ian did not give a dan about the looks he was receiving while Valerie was keeping an eye around her to find any suspicious among the crowd.


    Ian led the team to his office and switched on his laptop at once. "As far as I know, my men have not found anyone suspicious yet. I presume he is yet to reach the hospital."


    "In that case, we can watch from here and catch the man once he enters the hospital," Preston exclaimed and Ian nodded at him, opening the surveillance footage.


    "And if I am not wrong, it would be more beneficial to them if they were to release the virus where there is more crowd and there is no better option than the reception of the hospital, near the entrance," Ryder spoke and Valerie narrowed her eyes at once.


    "In that case, we better stay at the reception." Although Valerie did not continue, everyone understood the meaning and immediately after, the three members from the Intelligence left the room while Ian stayed behind keeping an eye at the entrance.


    Nothing happened quite some time and all Ian saw were some patients who were waiting to pay for their treatment. It was only after a few minutes had passed when he finally saw someone enter the hospital and unlike the man they had captured, the woman had her face uncovered.


    Ian frowned when he saw her suspicious activities. In the beginning, he assumed her to be a patient or a relative of a patient. It was only after he saw her looking around her and clutching her bag tight that he found her suspicious.


    What surprised him more was that he found her awfully familiar. But he could not place where he knew her from.


    Not wanting to give the woman a chance to complete her work before Valerie and her team got to her, he called Valerie immediately.


    "Deputy, it''s a woman this time. She is mingling with the crowd in the waiting area." Ian informed her as he kept his gaze on the laptop screen. She is wearing a brown shirt and black pants and she seems to be in her late teens or in the early twenties."


    Valerie got to work at once and she reached the waiting area, her eyes searching for her prey. But she was stunned to see the girl. She was awfully young and from her looks, she did not seem to be here to harm anyone. She looked like an innocent rabbit and for a moment, Valerie doubted if Ian had got it wrong this time.


    But she soon realized that appearances were deceptive and she shook her thoughts and kept her gaze fixed on the girl as she moved closer to her, watching her carefully. Her expression changed completely when she saw the girl open her bag and pull out a canister which she was all too familiar with.


    Before Valerie could catch her, the girl too saw her and her face paled instantly. She recognized the powerful woman in front of her. Her master had already shown her this woman''s picture. She took to her feet at once and started running, with Valerie right on her heels.


    "Shit," Valerie cursed in anger for wasting her time in doubting Ian''s suspicions instead of taking action immediately.

 Chapter 596: Disaster - Part 2

    Chaos erupted among the people as soon as they saw the two girls, and everyone halted in their places to see what was happening. Preston and Ryder came running to Valerie''s aid as soon as they saw the commotion. Even Ian, who had been watching all that was happening through his laptop, rushed out of his office immediately.


    ''Dammit. Why didn''t I attack the girl right away?'' Valerie cursed herself as she continued to chase the young girl who was clutching the canister tight. Fortunately for her, the girl was focused more on escaping from her, completely forgetting about her mission.


    Her reaction only made Valerie frown and she wondered why the young girl was even here in the first place. She did not seem to be a trained gang member. Otherwise, she would have released the virus right away on seeing her instead of running away from her.


    Seeing the girl rush towards them, the people in the hospital made way for her, unable to understand what was happening. All they could do was stare in disbelief silently.


    Valerie realized that she was gaining an audience. Though she wished to pull out her gun and stop the girl, she thought otherwise. There were innocent people around her, and she could not risk hurting them. Moreover, the girl still was yet to realize the reason she was here which she had completely forgotten in the first place in her desperation.


    Valerie frowned as she noticed the girl run out of the hospital from the side entrance, and for a moment she was relieved that she had left the hospital. But the moment she proceeded in the direction the girl had gone, Preston stopped her immediately. He shook his head at her, forcing her to stay back.


    "What..." She started, only to find him shaking his head at her. He gestured her to stay silent while he pointed Ryder to take his place.


    Preston then led her from the other side, confusing Valerie all the more. She gave him a questioning look but all she got was his silence in return.


    It was only when they were away from the side entrance that Preston let her go. But he did not stop walking while Valerie followed him closely.


    "What is happening, Preston? Why did you stop me?"


    "Val, when Ryder and I were inspecting the premises we saw a gang of people here, and the girl had entered the hospital after speaking to them. If she is who we are looking for, then I presume she must have gone to them for protection."


    "Ahh, I see."


    The realization hit her and Valerie understood why Preston had stopped. The girl had run towards the right, and since it was a blind spot for Valerie who was following her, it was impossible for her to know if anyone was waiting for her on the other side. Although it was a public space, that did not stop them from being wary of their surroundings.


    "Yes, although we do not know if the men are still here or not. I do not want to take any risks." Preston and Valerie were out of the hospital and they moved towards the side entrance that overlooked the lawn.


    "I understand, Preston. Thank you." Valerie smiled at him which Preston completely missed and he pulled out his gun, ready for any situation.


    "Don''t fire unless necessary," Valerie warned him as she took the lead and moved closer to the spot where Ryder was waiting for them. All that remained was for them to take a turn and they would find out where the girl had gone.


    But this was where the problem lay. Since it was already night time, it was quite a dangerous feat for them to search for the girl without knowing where exactly she was. Moreover, she was probably not alone.


    Valerie took a deep breath and nodded at Preston who nodded at her in reply before he stepped forward with his gun pointed in the front. But there was no one in his vicinity, except for a few nurses and some patients and he lowered his gun immediately lest he should scare them.


    "Shit, Val. I cannot find her." Preston grumbled while Valerie stood beside him surveying the place.


    "She must be somewhere here. Ryder is keeping an eye near the side entrance. It is impossible for her to have crossed it without him noticing her."


    "What if someone from the girl''s group has left with the canister of virus?"


    Valerie''s eyes widened in fear as soon as she heard him and she rushed to where Ryder was hiding. Startled by their sudden presence, Ryder was almost prepared to strike them near their necks. But he stopped himself in time when Valerie dodged him briskly.


    "Val, you should have given me a heads up. What if I had struck you?" Ryder complained and sighed in relief which Valerie ignored completely.


    "Ryder, did anyone walk by this place?"


    "No. I was right here. Nobody crossed this line." Ryder drew a line in the air and Valerie let out a breath.


    "The girl is here. We need to find her before she or her teammates take some drastic measures."


    "Where is she?" Ian almost gritted his teeth in anger, unable to believe how things had turned out to be. Danger was still lurking in the dark and they had to seize and get hold of the canister before it became too late.


    "She is hiding, Doctor Davis. I need your help."


    Although Valerie did not reveal her true emotions, Ian sensed her anxiousness and he gave her a cryptic look which only served to frighten her all the more. She knew why he was irked and she blamed herself for it. If not for her hesitating to capture the girl, they would not have been in this predicament. And Ian''s silence only added more to her guilt. How she wished for him to lash out at her and let his fury out.


    "How may I help you?" Ian controlled his emotions and stared at her.


    "Is there any other way to enter the hospital from this way?" Valerie pointed in the direction the girl had gone.


    "No. They will have to enter from this entrance or the main entrance. What do you intend to do, Deputy?" Ian narrowed his eyes as he waited for her to continue while Preston scanned at his surroundings.


    "I want to secure this part of the hospital. No one is allowed to enter here. This way, we may be able to capture the girl and her teammates without harming anyone."


    "Teammates? Is she operating in a group?" Ian was perplexed to find this information and he clenched his fists in worry.


    "That is what we think. I do not want to take any risks." Valerie licked her lips in helplessness while she waited for Ian to cooperate with her.


    "Fine." Ian relented after thinking about it for a few seconds. "I just hope nobody innocent is hurt."


    Even though Ian did not show it on his face, Valerie sensed the warning in his tone and she nodded at him immediately.


    "I already messed it up once, I won''t do it again."


    Ian nodded at her with a frown. "My men will help you. You might need reinforcements.


    With that, Ian started to call his men to where he was while Preston and Ryder started to evacuate the lawn while keeping an eye around them.

 Chapter 597: Disaster - Part 3

    While Preston and Ryder kept a watch around them, Ian and Valerie evacuated all the people in the garden, sealing it completely and avoiding anybody from entering or leaving. Their actions only served to pique everyone''s curiosity and whispers erupted in the hospital. Some overly excited people even posted about all that was happening, spreading the news far and wide even though they had no idea about what exactly was happening.


    Ian clenched his fists, unable to believe how his hospital was being pulled into a scandal and he cursed Jared black and blue in his mind. If not for him, he would not have faced such a day.


    Valerie sensed the fury bursting through him and she gave him an apologetic look which Ian ignored. All he wanted was to finish the task and catch hold of the criminals before it became too late. He even ordered his men to aid Valerie and her team to finish it before he lost his cool.


    "I hope you will not make a mess, Deputy. I do not want any more accidents and more patients to deal with. The virus is not just any normal one. I have studied the reports and once it is released, it spreads like wildfire. Even the people who are not in this place might be affected once it infects the air. Please be careful."


    Although Ian''s voice was commanding and Valerie felt the pressure on her, she understood the meaning behind his words. He was neither worried about himself, nor about what she or her team would do to the criminals. He was more about how disastrous the virus would be once it was released into the air, and this thought alone made her capture the severity of the situation.


    Her expression changed completely and she narrowed her eyes, a glint of resolve passing through which Ian did not miss.


    "I promise, Doctor Davis. Other than the criminals here, you will not have any other patients to deal with from our end."


    Her confidence made Ian smile and he believed her. He nodded at her lightly and took a step back, allowing her to take the reigns and do the job she was brilliant at.


    Although Ian wanted to help her, he trusted her skills and her intelligence, and he knew that with her around, the criminals would not be able to execute their plan. Valerie had made a mistake once, she would not be repeating it.


    Moreover, it had been years since he last killed someone or wielded a gun and he intended to keep it that way as long as possible. He watched Valarie enter the lawn, taking careful steps while Ryder and Preston surveyed from the side. Ian''s men were already in position and they were just waiting to find out where the criminals were hiding.


    The garden was huge. But there were not many hiding places available for them. The criminals would be found soon and Valerie had given orders to shoot at sight if needed. So, neither man cared about the danger they would be facing. This was nothing compared to what they had faced in their lives.


    The lawn had less lighting compared to the other parts of the hospital. But that did not stop Ryder and Preston from inching closer to where the criminals could have hidden from them. They could not waste any more than they already did as they had no idea how far the criminals were and what was the progress of the plan.


    Valerie had barely taken a step forward when one of Ian''s men fired a bullet. A loud groan and a thud followed immediately after. She glanced behind her but could not find the man who had shot one of their enemies.


    Secretly praising their marksmanship, she continued walking further with her hand stretched forward while she held onto her gun tight. She reached one of the possible hidden corners in the lawn and the moment she turned to her left, she heard a bullet being fired.


    Valerie had no time to even duck. She could barely manage to save herself. Yet, the bullet had pierced through her bicep. Not caring about it, she fired immediately after, glaring hard at the man who had managed to harm her, killing the man right away.


    Bullet sounds filled the air and one by one, all the members of the criminal gang were taken down. With the help of Ian''s men, Valerie and her team managed to catch hold of everyone but the girl.


    "Find the girl." Valerie gnashed her teeth as she tolerated the pain. Her hand had turned numb with pain and her sleeve was drenched with blood. But she endured it for the mission was yet to be completed. Until they captured the girl and seized the canister from her, the situation was still perilous.


    The men started to follow her orders immediately. But the girl was nowhere to be seen. It was as though she had vanished into thin air completely.


    Valerie''s heart sank when she could not find her and for a moment, she did not know what to do.


    ''How could she have escaped from here?'' She wondered. ''It is impossible to do so with Ryder guarding the entrance. She must be somewhere here. But where?''


    Valerie looked around her. But she could not find her anywhere. The lawn was devoid of anybody else other than her team members and Ian''s men. She bit her lip as worry filled and she glanced at Ryder who was already looking at her. He shook his head at her, making Valerie curse under her breath.


    ''If she is not in the lawn...'' Valerie subconsciously raised her head only for her eyes to widen in fear. They had only been targeting the hiding places in the lawn, completely forgetting another possibility.


    "Shit," She cursed loudly, garnering Ian''s attention on her and he rushed out immediately to find out what she was staring at, only to freeze in his feet. The girl he had seen on the laptop screen was now on the third floor as she stood outside one of the window sills with the canister in her hand.


    "How did she get there?" Valerie mumbled, unable to believe what she was seeing.


    Ian was in no way interested to find out how she had got there. He was more worried about what would happen if the girl let go of the canister.


    But even before he could think of a plan to stop her, the girl jumped from her position with the canister in her hand, stunning everyone who was watching her.

 Chapter 598: After effects - Part 1

    "No," Valerie shouted in fear as soon as the girl jumped off from the third floor. Even Ian could not help but stare in shock, petrified by the turn of events.


    ''Danger.'' That was what he could think of at that moment as they watched the girl fall to the ground. The virus was deadly and Ian had studied the effect it would have on the people. Its ability to replicate itself and spread far and wide scared him all the more.


    Things had not gone how they had wished, and all they could do was watch the young girl jump to her death while pulling everyone along with her to hell. It was not the girl''s decision to kill herself to execute the plan that terrified them. But it was the impact of the virus she had with her that mortified them until they stood frozen in their spot.


    In the blink of an eye, the girl had fallen to her death. But unfortunately for her, she did not die. Although her head was severely wounded and her legs were fractured, she was still alive but unconscious.


    However, nobody cared about it. As soon as she fell to the ground, all the people on the lawn rushed to her. Even though the canister was intact with barely any visible marks on it, the lid covering it had been opened. The virus had been released and Jared had succeeded in his plan.


    "No, no, no." This can''t be happening. "No." Valerie was still in disbelief. Even Ryder and Preston were in distress while Ian could not stop the fury bursting through him. After a long time, he felt such intense anger and he did not know how to calm himself down.


    Right now, his priority lay elsewhere and he curbed his anger forcefully even though it was becoming impossible to do so. He was angry at almost everyone but more at himself for not taking action quickly. He now had to reduce the impact of the virus on the people around him.


    Ian beckoned one of his men whispered orders to him before he closed the side entrance from where the girl had escaped to the lawn. He then made a call to the reception, barking orders at them, startling Valerie who was still frozen in her spot.


    "Irrespective of what happens, don''t allow anyone near the lawn and most importantly, provide all the people in and around the hospital premises with masks. I repeat provide everyone with masks. Everybody is in danger."


    "Step back, Deputy." Ian let out a breath and pulled Valerie behind her. Although he was angry at her too, this was not the time for him to lash out at her. So, he did not reprimand for not stopping the girl. Moreover, he had an inkling that he too would have behaved the same if he was in her place.


    "What are you going to do?" Valerie''s voice was barely audible. She was still spooked by what had happened. Although she had seen a lot of deaths and killed people herself, this accident had traumatized her for a lot of innocent lives were at stake. And she had no idea how to salvage the situation.


    "I need to check her condition. We need to keep her alive to prove our claims against Jared." Ian kneeled beside the girl and checked her pulse. Just as he had expected, the girl was alive but unconscious. She had some broken ribs and her forehead was wounded. Even her legs had been fractured."


    At that moment, the man who had been sent away to execute his orders returned with a bag. Ian nodded at him while he pulled out a mask for himself and handed one to Valerie. He then started to observe the girl''s conditions with a frown marring his forehead.


    Ian even despised touching the girl for what she had done. So, he looked at his man who was waiting for his orders. Understanding what was wanted of him at once, the man picked the girl while Ian entered through the side entrance again.


    However, he stopped walking when he remembered a matter he had forgotten to address.


    "Deputy, I would recommend that you inform all that has happened here to the nation and our President. Maybe take Ivy''s help. Also, make sure to warn the people to wear masks at all times. We might be in grave danger and I am yet to find out how disastrous the virus is."


    With that Ian started running towards the operation theater with the man right behind him. To his relief, the receptionist had executed his orders brilliantly and almost all the people were now wearing masks as they whispered to themselves in wonder and curiosity. They were yet to find out what had happened and why they suddenly asked to wear masks.


    On his way to the operating theater, he even heard some people mention the gas attack. But he did not address the issue whatsoever for he had a life to save, a life he so badly wished to end himself. That girl was not as innocent as she looked, and he more or less had a hunch that it was she who had led the group here. She was the one who ordered the men around who right now were nothing but mere corpses.


    "Prepare for an operation. We right now a severely wounded criminal and we need to save her to help the police with the investigation." Ian did not hide the fact that the young girl was a criminal. It would be revealed to the world sooner or later and moreover, he wanted everyone to be wary of her lest she should try to implicate them somehow.


    On the other side, Valerie got to work immediately. The virus had been released and they could do nothing about it. All they could do was minimalize its effects on the people and stop them from getting infected by it. Lives were at stake and she had to send a warning about it immediately.


    "Ivy, I need your help." Valerie had lost all her confidence the moment the girl had jumped to death. Yet, she tried to compose herself.


    "What happened?" Ivy had sensed the change in her tone and she understood that whatever she would be hearing next would never be pleasant.


    "Jared''s people managed to release the virus at one of his target locations and I now need you to inform the people. We need to spread awareness about it." Valerie breathed as she rubbed her forehead in agony.


    "Sure. By the way, where was the virus released?" Ivy stared at Aria and Joshua who were listening to her conversation with Valerie.


    They had already found out how Jared had managed to get out of the Intelligence, taking Maggie as his captive. Since then, they had been on tenterhooks, hoping for everything to be alright. But to their dismay, Jared had managed to do what he wanted to and Maggie was still in his grasp.


    Silence ensued for a few moments while Ivy and Aria held their breaths.


    "Valerie?"


    "It''s the Regal Medical Hospital. The virus was released at Regal Medical Hospital."

 Chapter 599: Sisters in action - Part 1

    "One of Jared''s target locations was the Royal Medical Hospital."


    As soon as Aria heard Valerie, she stood up in shock. Not only her, even Ivy and Joshua were in disbelief to think that Jared had dared to target the hospital Aria and Ian worked at. But other than Joshua, neither Aria nor Ivy realized the actual reason behind it. They just gaped at Ivy''s phone while they continued to listen to Valerie.


    "Ivy, I want you to help me alert the public. We might be in grave danger and the immediate precaution we can take is to wear masks at all times whenever we are outside. We don''t know how strong and effective the virus is. It is better that we are careful."


    Valerie almost begged Ivy to help her this time. She had already erred in her judgment before by not arresting the young girl the moment Ian had alerted her about it. "I do not want people to die due to my foolish mistake."


    Nobody understood the meaning behind her words and neither did they probe further into it. They were more worried about the danger everyone would face and how it would impact their lives from now on.


    "Valerie, I will take care of this matter. But you will have to inform the President about it for he will have to address the nation. People will believe his words more than ours." Ivy stated and glanced at Aria who was frowning in dismay with her fists clenched.


    "I will. I still have other matters to attend to. I will speak to you later." Valerie ended the call while Ivy let out a sigh, unable to believe how the situation had turned out to be. Even though she had expected this outcome considering the monster they were dealing with, she had still hoped to tackle him and foil his plan before it became too late.


    But to their fear, he had eventually succeeded to get what he wanted. All they could do now was accept the bitter truth and take precautions for the danger that was now lurking around, ready to kill them if they neglected their health.


    "Damn that bastard." Joshua cursed under his breath. He was already furious when Maggie had decided to go with Maggie to save the people, putting her life at risk. But all her sacrifice had gone down the drain and he could do nothing but curse him. All he wished was to kill Jared for what they had endured due to him and his goddamn godfather.


    "Will you be going to the hospital now, Aria?" Joshua queried, taking a look at the still frozen girl. His anger evaporated and concern filled him for she and Ian would be a hell lot busy if they could not control the situation in time.


    Aria snapped out of her thoughts as soon as she heard Joshua asking her a question and she nodded at him. She had to go. It was time for what they had planned, what Maggie had asked her to. Although she wanted to assist Ian in taking care of the patients after this disastrous event, she still had another responsibility to fulfill. Her friend was waiting for her. But Joshua did not have to know about it.


    Joshua''s expression turned grim and his lips formed a straight line. Noah had cautioned him to not allow Aria or Ivy out of the mansion. Although Jared was far away from them with Noah and he keep an eye on him, that did not eradicate the danger that might be lurking around them.


    But he could not stop them now that they had work to do, important work. He could only give up and allow the sisters to leave while he kept a watch on the CCTV cameras, following Jared''s movements carefully.


    Ivy had observed the change in her sister''s expression when she was speaking to Joshua and she realized that something was up with her. She was planning something, something huge and definitely deadly.


    "Ivy, may I have a word with you?" Aria tilted her head and her actions only added more to Ivy''s suspicions. She followed her sister to her room, with a frown marring her forehead.


    "Tell me, Aria. What are you hiding from me?" She jumped to the topic as soon as she closed to door.


    "I will not be going to the hospital." Aria was surprised by her sister''s questions. Given how observant she was, it would have been a shock if she had not asked her about it.


    "Then?" Ivy''s frown deepened and she gave her a confused look. She did not understand what was happening here and why Aria had even called her here.


    "I am going to save Maggie."


    "What?" Ivy gave her a stunned look while Aria pulled out two guns from a backpack in her cupboard. She also did not forget to take some cartridges with her.


    "What are you doing, Aria? Why are you going to save Maggie? What about Noah? Did he ask you to help him? Does Joshua know about it?" Ivy watched her sister change into an all black attire and tie up her hair into a high pony.


    "It was Maggie who asked me to. And no, neither Joshua nor Noah knows about it. I have no idea why but she wants me to save her instead of Noah." Aria sighed and pressed her forehead.


    "But why? Wouldn''t it be better if Noah saved her? Why is she asking you to do it?"


    Though Ivy did not doubt Aria''s skills after finding the truth about her, she was still worried about her. Jared was not a normal man and with him around, they could not be certain as to what would happen.


    "I have no idea, Ivy. Listen, we do not have time for this. I need your help. Do you want to join me on this?"


    Aria pulled up her hoodie and stared at Ivy who still stood with her eyes wide. She was yet to receive any signal from Maggie as they had discussed. But Aria could not wait until then for the matter about the virus made her extremely cautious. She wanted to save Maggie before Jared got away with her.


    "Definitely. I will not allow you to go alone. What do you want me to do?" Ivy remarked right away. She already did not have the intention of sending her sister into the battlefield alone. Now that Aria had asked for her help herself, she did not hesitate to do whatever she wanted of her.


    "I want you to accompany me in this. I do not know anybody else better than you." Aria''s cryptic reply made Ivy blink at her dazedly.


    "I do not understand, Aria. How will I be of your help? I am still a novice at operating guns and I do not think I will be able to help you defeat Jared."


    "Who told anything about defeating Jared?"


    "Then?" Ivy still was perplexed and waited for her sister to reveal her plan.


    "We are going to save Maggie and necessity arises, I will do all the killing. I want you to drive me to where Maggie is. I do not know any better than you and with your skills, I am sure we can evade Jared''s men if we were to encounter them mid-way."

 Chapter 600: Sisters in action - Part 2

    Joshua had no idea what the sisters were upto. The moment he saw the two come down, he glanced at them before he returned to his work. Although he kept a watch on Jared''s car by hacking through the surveillance system, it was becoming increasingly impossible as the man drove further away. The path he was driving towards did not have any cameras, and this made Joshua grit his teeth in anger.


    "Where the fuck is Jared going? This place leads them out of the city." He exclaimed startling both Aria and Ivy.


    Already they were on tether hooks whenever they thought about their secret mission. Joshua''s words only served to add more to their dread. But oddly, they were not that terrified. Apprehensive? Yes. Terrified? No, never.


    "Joshua, I will drive Aria to the hospital before I go to the agency."


    Ivy''s heart was filled with guilt. But she did not have the courage to tell him the truth. First of all, Joshua was still injured and she did not have the heart the tell him what she was up to. She knew what the outcome would be. Moreover, Maggie herself had prohibited them from telling anybody else about their plan although they had no idea why.


    Ivy and Aria could only swallow their guilts as they lied to Joshua.


    Joshua gave Ivy a mysterious look, making her worry all the more. Her palms turned clammy and she so desperately wanted to tell him everything. For a moment, she even had an inkling that the man had seen through her and knew exactly what she was up to.


    "Come here, Ivy." Joshua beckoned her with a finger and Ivy''s heart sank at his expression. His face was completely serious and she could not detect his state of mind. Even his eyes were cold and Ivy started to have an ominous feeling all of a sudden.


    Ivy stood rooted to her place. Her legs felt as though they were weighed down by lead balls. She gave Joshua a pitiful look but the man was having none of it.


    "Ivy." His tone held a warning in it and this time, Ivy started walking towards him. She just moved a step closer to him and stopped right after.


    "Closer," Joshua commanded and Ivy took another step towards him.


    Completely disheartened by her actions, Joshua glanced at her and this one look of his was enough for Ivy to start walking until she was right in front of him. She was barely able to register what had happened next.


    The next moment, she found herself being yanked by the man sitting on the couch. She tripped and fell over him with Joshua catching her quickly. His warm lips touched her cold ones, taking Ivy by a storm. Ivy''s eyes widened instantly. But even before she could comprehend what was transpiring, Joshua released her.


    "Now you can leave, my darling." Joshua rubbed her head dotingly and gazed at her lovingly. If not for Aria''s presence, he would have kissed her long and hard.


    Ivy was still in a daze even after she walked out of the mansion. Aria had to nudge her quite a few times to bring her out of her reverie.


    "Though I would love to tease you right now, I prefer we get going. We still need to divert Noah''s guards away from us." Aria took the passenger seat while Ivy started the car.


    Both Aria and Ivy had long known that Noah had appointed guards for their safety. Every time they left the mansion, these guards would follow them stealthily and keep an eye around them, protecting them secretly until they returned home.


    "You are right. But how are we going to find Maggie? We do not know where exactly she is right now." Ivy stated her concerns as she drove out of the mansion with two cars following them closely.


    "Maggie will send me a signal shortly. You do know I have another phone which I used to contact her before. Right?" Aria turned around and stared at the two cars behind her and pressed her forehead.


    It was not a great deal for them to find out where Maggie was currently. But it was quite stressful to handle the guards following them. Noah''s men were not easy to fool, and it would not be long when they would realize that something was wrong and report it to either Noah or Joshua.


    "But before that, how are we going to tackle the guards?" Ivy drove at a moderate speed, making sure to keep the guards in sight until they came up with a plan.


    Silence ensued between them until an idea struck Ivy. Her eyes glinted and she glanced at Aria who was still lost in thoughts. Not wanting to disturb her, Ivy increased the speed of her driving, forcing the two cars behind her to accelerate too. But they still lagged behind.


    With narrowed eyes, she steered the car towards the road that had the highest traffic at this time of the night. With slow-moving traffic, the guards almost lost them until they found the car with the two sisters waiting for the signal to clear.


    "Okay baby. Gear up." Ivy exclaimed and the moment the light turned green, she zoomed at such speed that Aria was forced to come out of her thoughts.


    "What are you doing? Why are you driving like a hurricane?" Aria was baffled by how reckless Ivy was driving. But she did not doubt her sister''s skills and sat still as she watched the buildings pass by in a blink.


    "Didn''t you notice, Aria? I managed to escape from the guards. We will not have to worry about them for now."


    Ivy winked at her and Aria immediately turned behind, only to find the two cars still stuck in traffic.


    "As expected of my brilliant sister." Aria praised with a smile.


    "Fortunately, I drove my car today." Ivy sighed and took a turn, shifting lanes to confuse the guards lest they were to catch up somehow.


    "Why do you say so?" Aria queried and looked at her phone.


    "All other cars in Joshua and Noah''s mansions have a tracker, dear sister. If we were to use it, they would have found us quickly."


    Right at this moment, Aria''s phone beeped and Ivy stopped talking.


    "This has to be, Maggie. Are you ready, Ivy? It''s time to kick some ass."

 Chapter 601: Who is the spy?

    "This route seems to lead out of the city." Aria frowned as they followed the direction on her phone.


    As soon as Aria had received the signal Maggie, the GPS on her phone had started to track her and Ivy started to drive in the direction the map was showing her to follow. The guards who had been following them were nowhere in sight, and Ivy and Aria both knew what would happen to them once all of this ended.


    Neither Joshua nor Noah would let them go and punishment was awaiting them for their reckless actions. But none of the sisters cared about it at that moment. They were more worried about Maggie, who right now was in Jared''s hands.


    "Do you think we should have informed Noah or Joshua about what we were up to?" Ivy queried as she drove on the deserted road. Although the road was empty and the darkness made it all the more eerie, neither sisters were afraid.


    While Ivy was long accustomed to all these kinds of things given her field of work, Aria had trained herself to become immune to it after seeking help from Maggie.


    "Do you think so too? But why did Maggie ask us not to inform them about it?" Aria frowned as they neared the point where the roads were completely dark. They could only make the route using the car headlights.


    "I presume Maggie feels that someone around us is still working for Jared. Other than this reason, I cannot think of anything else." Ivy''s expression turned solemn when the notion hit her, and she glanced at her sister in worry.


    "Someone among the men in Noah''s mansion or who is participating in the rescue operation must be a spy and working for Jared." She continued.


    "This could be a possibility. If that is the case, then Noah''s plan will be foiled soon." Aria mumbled while nodding in agreement. "I will send him a message about it and ask Joshua to track me secretly. We need to be careful from now on."


    While Ivy continued to drive, Aria sent quick messages to Noah and Joshua, informing them of their situation as well as about the possibility of a spy in their group.


    "I just hope Noah will be able to find the spy if there is one." Aria sighed, not at all scared by her sister''s rash and fast driving.


    "Are you worried for him, baby?"


    "Not at all. I trust his skills. It will not be easy for Jared or his men to take him down. Moreover, he has Ronnie with him."


    "Umm, Aria," Ivy hesitated to continue and took a glimpse at her sister, only to find her already staring. "Do you think Ronnie might be the spy and Maggie did not say a word as he was right there at that time before she left?"


    "No way." Aria''s expression changed completely as soon as she heard her sister and she gave her an incredulous look. "Impossible. Ronnie would never do that. He will never betray Noah."


    "I was just saying. I do not know him as well as you do." Ivy shrugged lightly and looked forward, dropping the topic right away.


    But Aria could not remove Ivy''s words from her mind. Even though Ivy was not that familiar with Ronnie, she was and she knew how he was.


    ''Ronnie will never betray Noah. He wouldn''t.'' She shook her head to remove the thought from her head and eventually, forced it at the back of her head, forgetting about it for the time being.


    "Did you inform your agency about the virus?" Aria changed the topic of conversation even though images of Ronnie kept popping up in her mind.


    "All done. Max will take care of it. He might have already telecasted the news." Ivy sighed, still in disbelief to think that the virus which they had stopped from being released had somehow been released and now all the lives were in danger.


    "Will we have to wear this mask from now on?" Ivy mumbled, still not used to the mask she was wearing.


    "If you want to stay alive, you will have to. We do not know how deadly the virus is and we still do not have an antidote for it. So, for now, we are stuck with the masks." Aria took a look at her phone and stared at the road ahead.


    "Ivy, we are almost nearing the location. We will have to be careful now for we do not know how many people are with Maggie."


    "I understand, Aria. You do your work, I will do mine. Let''s save our friend from that bastard."


    Although Ivy did not say much, Aria understood the underlying meaning and she nodded lightly. Even though the worry and apprehension filled the sisters, neither disclosed it lest they should affect the other''s mood.


    Meanwhile, back at Noah''s mansion.


    Joshua was going crazy as time passed. The moment he had received the call from the guards about the girls tricking them and escaping from their sight, he had understood what was happening and he lost his cool completely. Their reckless and inconsiderate action only served to make him lose his control, and all he wanted was to capture them and lock them forever.


    But what ignited his fury all the more was the message from Aria. Though it was sent from an unknown number, he realized who it was the moment he read through the contents.


    ''Dammit. Who is the spy among us?'' He gritted his teeth, still unable to believe Aria''s message. ''Why didn''t Aria or Ivy inform me about it?'' He wondered and read through the message again.


    "I need to inform Noah before the girls end up in danger. I cannot allow them to deal with Jared on their own. No way." Joshua shook his and pulled his phone, only for it to ring right at that moment.


    "What the hell is this message, Jo? Where is Aria?" Noah hollered even before Joshua could speak a word and Joshua immediately understood what had happened.


    "She has gone to save to Maggie, Noah." Joshua ran his hand through his hair in frustration.


    "How could you allow them to leave the mansion?"


    "Do you think I wanted to? They lied to me, alright?"


    "Dammit. They better be safe and unscathed. Otherwise, I do not know what I will do myself. I cannot believe.... Ronnie, watch out." Noah shouted at the end.


    Joshua did not even have the time to speak a word when he heard Noah''s frightened shout and the line went dead immediately after.

 Chapter 602: Attacked

    "Hello, Noah. Noah." Joshua shouted. But he got no response and the line went dead immediately after.


    "What the fuck!!" He cursed in anger and stood up at once. But the sudden movement sent a gush of pain through his body and he sat down immediately. He sucked in a deep breath as he tried to soothe in pain.


    Ignoring the numbing pain, Joshua dialed Noah''s number only to find it not reachable. An ominous feeling filled his heart and Aria''s message popped up in his mind.


    ''Did someone really betray us? Do we actually have a spy among us?'' He wondered. ''But why didn''t Maggie speak a word about it? We could have dealt with him before this?''


    Joshua barely had time to think about it when he saw the location Aria and Ivy were at and immediately his eyes popped out in shock and fear. They were right on the road where Noah and his men were. In fact, they were even ahead of Noah and in a few minutes, they would catch up with Jared and Maggie.


    "Oh, dear Lord!!" Joshua was going crazy by the turn of events. He barely had time to comprehend matter when another would pop up and he had no idea how to deal with all of them.


    "No, no, no. This can''t be. How did Aria and Ivy reach Jared even before Noah did? How is it even possible?" He mumbled as he continued to track the sisters and Noah.


    Noah and Ronnie''s phones were unreachable and Aria and Ivy were not picking his calls. Joshua had no idea what to do, and all he could do was watch his laptop and keep an eye on the GPS. Neither could he leave the mansion, nor could he help them in any other way. Utterly helpless, the man just prayed everyone to be alright by the end of the night.


    Joshua continued to monitor his friends while he tried to contact them at the same time. It was only after a long time that he could reach Ronnie and the moment he did so, all he heard was the heavy firing of guns.


    "Master Martin, we have been ambushed. I will contact you soon. I am sorry." Ronnie stated and ended the call before Joshua could even speak a word. He then kept a watch, firing at his enemies, not letting go of anyone in sight.


    "Boss, nine." He alerted and Noah immediately fired a bullet in the direction, brilliantly hitting the man who was trying to hide from them.


    "How the fuck did this happen??" Noah filled his gun with the bullets and ducked to avoid being seen.


    Everything had been going according to their plan and they had been keeping a watch on Jared from afar. But right after they received a message from Aria, informing him about the spy in his group, Noah and Ronnie were surrounded from all sides and the car behind them even banged against theirs, sending their car tumbling over.


    Fortunately for them, Noah''s men were right around and they attacked their enemies, taking them down one by one. They could only manage to get out of their cars once his men arrived for his help.


    "Boss, do we really have a spy? Is Madam''s intuition right this time?" Ronnie muttered as he looked around him, his eagle sharp eyes trying to detect his enemy.


    "I presume so. Otherwise, how will you explain this sudden attack, Ronnie? There must be a spy among us."


    "Who could it be, Boss?"


    Since their men were here, Ronnie and Noah stopped firing and stood still. But they did not let their guards down lest someone should attack them from behind. They were still in disbelief to think that they had a spy among them, and the worst part was that they had no idea who it was.


    Noah ran his eyes, observing his men silently. But he could not decide who among them was working for Jared. He knew everyone like the back of his and none among them seemed to be a betrayer. Stuck in a fix, Noah could only clench his fists in anger.


    "Boss, what do we do about Madam and her sister?" Ronnie frowned and asked the man who had gone silent all of a sudden. Even though he could not see his expression, he more or less had an inkling about his state of mind.


    Noah was angry, livid even. Not only did he have to deal with a spy now, he even had to make sure that his sweetheart and her sister were safe and fine. Just the thought about Aria being in danger was enough to make him lose his mind.


    "Ronnie, we have to leave. I cannot allow Aria and Ivy to deal with Jared on their own." Noah stood straight and glanced at his trusted man before he started walking.


    "I agree, Boss. What do we do about the men here?" Ronnie followed him closely, even though his eyes were roaming around him, keeping a look.


    Barely had the two men come out of their hiding when one among their enemies mustered his courage to shoot them. But Ronnie was quicker than him and he managed to kill him even before he could fire a bullet at them.


    Noah was far away from his car and he had to run for a few seconds to get to one of the cars. Seeing him come out of his hiding, his men formed a protective shield around them immediately, stopping any attacks on him from the enemy side.


    Sending his men a grateful smile, Noah rushed towards one of the cars.


    "Ronnie, I will leave this matter for you to handle. Take care of all of them and make sure that they do not leave this place alive. Also, if possible find the spy. Aria, Ivy, and Maggie are already in danger and I need to save them before Jared does something to them."


    Noah barked orders at him, losing his composure completely. His fear only rose as time passed and all he wanted was to teleport to his dear girl and save her and the other two girls as soon as possible.


    "Tch, tch, tch, do you really think you can leave this place and save your sweetheart, Noah?"


    Noah was yet to give more orders to Ronnie when someone stopped him and the familiar voice made him freeze on his spot.

 Chapter 603: Betrayal

    "Do you think you will be able to leave from here safe and sound?" The man continued, and Noah''s face turned dark as soon as he heard the familiar voice. Never had he expected that one of the men who he considered to be trustworthy would dare to betray him this way.


    He turned in the direction from where he had heard the sound and his eyes narrowed dangerously on seeing him, his secretary, his once trusted man, Shane White, smiling at him wickedly.


    Ronnie too stood frozen to see Shane in front of him as he blocked Noah''s path. It was beyond his imagination to think that the man who knew almost all secrets related to his Boss was betraying him this way. How amazingly he hid his identity and trails.


    Ronnie could not control his fury and he stepped forward to kill the man for what he had done. Even though his Boss was quiet and unresponsive at that moment, Ronnie discerned how heartbroken he must be from this deception.


    "Ah, Ronnie." Shane chuckled on seeing one of the men he loathed the most. "I have all the men I want to kill here. What a nice and eventful night it is!'' He mumbled and locked his hands behind his back as he took steps towards the man who had once been his Boss.


    "Why?" That was all Noah asked him before he stopped Ronnie from acting on his emotions. He was still unable to comprehend why Shane had backstabbed him. He could not remember anything he had done to him that made him take his revenge this way.


    "Why am I not shocked that you do not remember what you did, Noah? Given the number of crimes you have committed, it is no wonder that you do not recall how you wronged me." Shane scoffed and took a look at Noah''s men behind him.


    Just like their Boss, they too were stupefied to find Shane here, battling with the man who once treated him as his own. Almost all of Jared''s men were taken down. Only a few managed to escape from their clutches and the men knew that they would not be able to get away from what lay ahead for them.


    Noah had despatched a lot of men to save Maggie and almost all were in and around the area. It would not be long when the escapees would get what they deserved. The men just stared at Shane, wondering what on earth had happened for him to deceive their Boss.


    Even though Noah wanted to ask Shane the reason behind his actions and how he had even wronged his once loyal assistant, he choose to stay mum for he had other matters to handle. Aria and Ivy were putting themselves in danger by choosing to tackle Jared on their own and he had to go to them before Jared hurt them.


    "Shane, I have no time for this. Ronnie, take care of him." Noah''s face turned sinister and he ordered Ronnie to handle the traitor but even before he could open the car door, Shane pointed his gun at him.


    "Didn''t I say you are not allowed to leave from here? Do you think I was joking?" Shane sneered, his eyes turning cold all of a sudden. Neither Noah nor Ronnie missed the hatred in his eyes and for a moment, they were stunned to see it. It was too intense to turn a blind eye.


    Again, Noah ignored him. Every second wasted here was pushing Aria and Ivy closer to danger and he had no time to waste his time on an unfaithful and dishonest man.


    "Ronnie, handle this matter. I need to go to Aria." Noah was done entertaining Shane''s nonsense. But before he could even finish with his orders, Shane fired the bullet right in front of him, missing his legs by a few inches. His unexpected actions surprised everyone, and Ronnie instinctively pulled his Boss behind him protecting him from the maniac.


    "I told you I will not allow you to leave. You may only leave from here once you become a corpse and I take my revenge for what you did to me." Shane gritted his teeth, his eyes shooting daggers at Noah.


    On seeing that Noah was about to speak to him, Shane held his hand in front of him and stopped him right away.


    "I know you are about to give orders to shoot me down. But I suggest you first find out where your dear sister is before you act recklessly." Shane grinned at him and lowered his gun, waiting for Noah''s reaction.


    "What do you mean? What did you do to Rachel?" Noah''s voice was dripping with fury and he was just short of unleashing the beast in him. "Where is she?"


    "Somewhere safe."


    Noah took a step forward as soon as he heard and Shane took a step back subconsciously in fear. The terror he had for the man before him was rooted deep and he could not help but cower in worry. But soon he realized who held the power here, and he stopped moving, forcing his fears away and putting on a bold front.


    "At least for now," Shane added. "Her safety depends on you Noah. Her life and death lie in your hands."


    "Why should I believe you? What if you are..."


    "Lying?" Shane completed his words and let out a snort in amusement. "Do you think I would be lying about such a matter when I know what will happen when the truth will come out?"


    Noah clenched his fists tight while Ronnie glared at the man who had dared to kidnap his Boss'' sister.


    "Oww, I am scared, Ronnie." Shane pretended as though he was really scared and lifted his hands in mock surrender before he turned serious again. He then approached Noah and stopped when he was barely a few feet away from him.


    "I know that a smart man like you will not believe my words without proof and I still have a lot of matters to speak to you about. So, let me ease your anxiety this time for the time being."


    Shane pulled out his phone and played a video before he showed it to Noah. While he smiled in mirth at him, all Noah was saw was red as he stared at his unconscious and bound sister who had no idea where she was.

 Chapter 604: Revenge

    "What do you say now, Noah? Do you believe me now?" Shane smirked, reveling in Noah''s agony. "How long had I been to see this expression from you?" He mused and let out a hearty and satisfied laugh.


    "Don''t you think Rachel is poor and unfortunate to have a brother like you?" He clicked his tongue the moment the video ended. "She has to bear the consequences of being your sister."


    "Shane, don''t go too far." Noah gnashed his teeth. Images of his wounded sister kept flashing through his mind. Even though the video was short, he had seen the state Rachel was in. Her left cheek was swollen and she had no consciousness. She was not even aware of her surroundings, neither did she know the danger she was in.


    Since childhood, Rachel had been the most pampered in her family. Everyone doted on her and being the only girl in their group, both Joshua and Ian too treated her well. Even though they bullied her and teased her, it was all out of the love they had for her. Never had they hurt her anyway, let alone slap her until her cheeks were swollen. Just a small wound on her was enough to send the three men crazy.


    Now that his beloved sister lay unconscious and in the hands of the traitor, Noah could not control his fury and he held Shane by his shirt''s collar, pulling him with him.


    "How dare you touch my sister!! I am going to kill you. You bastard." He roared and even before Shane could grasp what was happening, Noah punched him in the face.


    Shane was unprepared and he stumbled on his feet, his head swirling due to the sudden punch. But he did not even have the to prepare for the next attack. Noah did not allow him to breathe, punching him as he let out his anger and pain.


    Noah was beyond annoyed and he did not stop punching the man he had once trusted. He could still not decipher where things had gone wrong and why Shane had decided to betray him. He kept punching until Shane''s cheeks and lips were swollen and blood started to trickle down his chin.


    Instead of retaliating and defending himself, Shane took in all the blows with a smile. He licked his lips, savoring the taste of his blood before he spat a mouthful of blood. A sudden punch from Noah almost knocked him down and he saw stars due to the impact.


    "I now understand why people fear you, Noah." He smiled and wiped the blood off his lips. "You sure uphold your name as the ruler of the Underworld."


    Although Shane''s words seemed to be a compliment, both Noah and Ronnie perceived the tone of mockery he had used and they immediately understood what he was trying to do. Shane was trying to rile him up for reasons they could not discern. All they could do was wait for the traitor to slip up and give away his plan.


    "By the way, why did you stop punching me, Noah?" Shane tilted his head in confusion, even though his eyes said otherwise. They were filled with evilness and provocation and another emotion that Noah could not make out. It was as though he was challenging him intentionally, waiting for him to harm him again.


    "Wait a minute!" Shane stopped speaking and pretended as though he was thinking to himself. "Did I forget to tell you that every punch you bestow upon me is being counted?" He smirked but it came out as a grimace, the pain in his jaws making it impossible for him to smile properly. He coughed lightly and ran his tongue on his teeth.


    "And it will be your sweetheart or your sister who will on the receiving end." He chortled as soon as he saw Noah glower at him. "Every strike of yours will be returned twice on the two women who hold dear to you. So think twice before you even harm me."


    "Don''t you dare!!" Noah threatened him but all he got was a shake of his head in return."


    "Why wouldn''t I? I have finally got the opportunity to defeat the great Noah. Why shouldn''t I grasp it? By the way," Shane stepped forward and smiled to himself. "I did not know that your darling girl had gone to Jared until I came here. Jared would be thrilled to know about it. Don''t you think so? I should inform Jared about it."


    "You..." Noah pulled him by his shirt, his eyes narrowing dangerously.


    "Ah, ah, ah, I suggest you let me go right away. Otherwise, you know what the consequences of irking me would be." He tapped on Noah''s arms and the man reluctantly let him go.


    "Intelligent boy." Shane dusted off his shirt and tapped his gun on his forehead while he walked around Noah, pushing Ronnie away from him in the meanwhile. "I presume you asked a question before which is yet to be answered."


    Shane stood right behind Noah and watched the man in front of him in envy. Not only did he have a noble birth, he even had almost everything that Shane could not even dream about. He also had a beautiful and smart girlfriend. Noah''s life was the life of his dreams and he could not help but envy him for having received everything without even him having to try anything to obtain it.


    "Would you mind repeating your question?" Shane kicked Noah on his shin the moment he finished speaking and Noah dropped to the ground with a groan.


    "Boss," Ronnie shouted on seeing Noah kneel. Even the other men who had not dared to breathe rushed on seeing their Boss groaning in pain.


    "Stay back," Shane growled. "You do not want your Boss losing his leg, do you?" He threatened and the next instant, all the men stopped moving.


    "Boss," Ronnie watched helplessly.


    Noah shook his head at Ronnie who almost was on the verge of crying on seeing the man who saved him in such a miserable state. He could not see Noah being kicked and beaten and he averted his gaze away from him immediately, despair and agony filling his heart.


    "How heart touching!! Your men sure respect and admire you. I was almost moved by their loyalty towards you."


    Shane walked forward and looked at the man kneeling in front of him. "This feels nice, isn''t it? How long I waited to see this day. Or should I say this night?" He pondered and squatted beside Noah.


    "I am still waiting for you to speak, Noah." he placed the gun under Noah''s chin and raised his face to make him meet his eyes. "What was your question?"


    "Why did you do this, Shane?" Noah''s voice held pain. The pain of his trusted man deceiving him and for a moment, Shane forgot why he was even here.


    But he came out of his stupor quickly and he stood up, clearing his distracting thoughts immediately.


    "Because of what you did to me my brother, Noah."


    "Brother?" Noah frowned, not understanding who he was referring to. "Who?"


    "Mason Smith."

 Chapter 605: Calling for help

    "Mason Smith? Who the hell is he?" Noah had no idea who he was talking about even though the name felt familiar to him. He narrowed his eyes, trying to recall who the man was.


    It was only after a few seconds that he remembered who Shane was referring to.


    "Are you talking about the scum doctor?" Noah spat and Shane punched him hard on his face in retaliation to his humiliating words.


    "Don''t you dare!"


    Noah clenched his jaw as he endure the pain before he returned his gaze on Shane."Don''t you know what kind of a man your brother is? And is he even your brother?"


    Noah frowned slightly when he noticed the difference in their surnames and for a moment, he could not help be confused about the situation.


    "Although I am not in the mood to answer you, let me entertain you this once. Mason is my cousin, my only relative alive."


    ''That is how it is!'' Noah discerned. But he did not pity him or feel any emotion other than anger and hurt towards Shane.


    "Look, we can deal with this later. Let me go and I promise I will come to back you." Noah attempted to compromise. He was running short of time, and he had to get to Aria before Jared captured her. That was the last thing he ever wanted to happen.


    "Heh, do you think I would fall for your words and let you go?" Shane clicked his tongue his eyes gleaming in delight on facing the man who he had come to hate eventually. "If not for you capturing my only brother, I would never have dared to go against you."


    "Don''t you know why I did it? Don''t you know what a scumbag your cousin is?"


    While Noah and Shane were having a confrontation, Ronnie secretly dialed Joshua''s number for he was the only one he could contact right now. From their previous conversation before they were ambushed, he had already learned that Ian was busy dealing with the problematic situation in his hospital. So, it was impossible to seek his help at these difficult times.


    "Where the hell are you, Ronnie? I am telling...." Joshua stopped speaking as soon as he heard another voice from the phone.


    "I am telling you, Noah. Shut your mouth. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to inform Jared about your woman and her sister. By the way," Shane''s lips rose and an unknown excitement filled when he recalled a matter he had failed to address before.


    "Oops, I remember another issue I was supposed to report to you. I am sorry, Boss, I mean," Shane lifted his arms in mock surrender and twirled the gun in his hand. "Noah."


    Even though he had just taken his name, to Noah and Ronnie, it deemed as though he was insulting him. Ronnie could not tolerate the way Shane was humiliating his Boss and he prepared himself to shoot the man in the eye.


    Sensing the movement from beside him, Noah glanced at him and his eyes quivered, silently ordering Ronnie to stay put and not let loose. Rachel was still in Shane''s grasp and they could not vex him lest he tried to harm her in his fit of anger.


    "Shane, what the fuck do you want?" Ronnie could sit still. Even though his Boss had ordered him to not give in to his emotions, he could not watch Shane target him. So, he took this moment of silence to butt in and speak up.


    "To avenge your brother, you joined hands with that bastard Jared and kidnapped Miss Carter. What more do you want?" Ronnie reiterated all that Shane had done, making sure that he was loud and clear.


    While Shane looked at him as though he was an idiot, Noah''s eyes widened for a moment on seeing the way Ronnie was behaving. It was completely contradictory to his character and he stared at him for a few seconds before the realization hit him. How could he not know what his trusted man was up to?


    The tacit understanding between him and Ronnie made him discern what he was up to and his eyes immediately dropped to his pant pockets. Though he did not know who he was calling, he certainly appreciated and admired Ronnie''s wit at this precarious time.


    "Shut up!!" Shane roared and he glared at Ronnie before he punched him in his gut, knocking him off his feet. "Don''t you dare interrupt me when I am speaking. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire." He bellowed and in his madness, he fired a bullet at Ronnie.


    "Ronnie," Noah''s eyes widened in terror and he crawled towards him who was clutching his left bicep in pain.


    Even Joshua who was listening to their conversation was terrified beyond belief. His blood ran cold as soon as he perceived what was happening. One of Noah''s trusted men had betrayed him and had joined hands with their enemy. Now not only Noah and Ronnie were in danger, even Rachel was dragged into this mess.


    "I told you not to annoy me. See this is what happens." Shane made a face as though he was pitying him while the smile on his lips said otherwise. "I hope you have learned your lesson and you won''t be interrupting me anymore. Otherwise, next time, it will not be your hand, dog. I will put the bullet right through your head."


    Noah glared at Shane as soon as he heard him insulting Ronnie. But it had no effect on the lunatic for he had already crossed all limits of madness. He had completely lost himself in his thirst for revenge.


    "Where were we before this dog interrupted us?" Shane tapped his chin with the gun in his hand and how Ronnie wished that he would press on the trigger and kill himself. That would save them a lot of trouble.


    "Ah, yes. I was about to disclose another matter which you have no idea about. You had managed to keep this a secret from Jared for a long time, Noah. But I didn''t. I made sure that Jared learns about this mind-blowing secret."


    Noah frowned, not understanding what Shane was speaking about. He had no idea which secret he was referring to for there was quite a little information that even Shane did not know about.


    "You might have kept this fact under rugs, but Jared knows that Aria, your girlfriend is the sister of his eternal enemy, Ivy. Now, what do you think will happen when he meets the two girls? On one side, there is his enemy and on the other, there is his enemy''s girlfriend. Isn''t it amazing and exciting?"

 Chapter 606: Furious Noah - Part 1

    "Four girls. Four girls who you and Master Martin have vowed to protect for life are in Jared''s hands. What a wonderful life!!" Shane sighed and this time, Noah could not sit still anymore. He got up and twisted the man''s hand until his hand turned numb in pain and he let go of the gun.


    "Bastard, let go of me." Shane howled as the pain registered in his mind.


    Noah was so quick and agile that he could not even grasp when he had actually made the move. Even before he could comprehend it, he had already twisted his hand and the breaking of bones accompanied Shane''s cries of pain.


    "Let go of me." Shane barked unable to tolerate the pain anymore. "You bastard. You just wait what will happen to Rachel and your dear girl now. They are dead meat. I will make sure Jared destroys..."


    Again, he did not get the opportunity to continue for Noah kicked him in the shin and pressed his leg on Shane''s knee. Noah''s eyes resembled the dark night, sinister and cold. Other than violent anger there was no other expression and for the first time, on this night, Shane was mortified.


    Previously when he worked for Noah, all he had for him was respect. Even though his Boss was a terrifying man, never had he ill-treated or showed the other face which he had no idea about. Although he knew Noah''s association with the Underworld, never had he witnessed this devilish face of his before.


    It had always been Ronnie who accompanied Noah to deal with such dark matters while Shane had been allocated to handle the matters related to business. But that did not mean he had no idea what took place in the Underworld. Now that he had provoked this hidden beast, Shane was sure that if he did not come up with a plan by the end of the night, he would only be left with broken limbs.


    "Don''t you...you....ca..care about your sister?" Due to the immense pain, it become impossible for Shane to speak coherently and he stumbled over his words. Tears were leaking down his face and for the first time since he had known him, Ronnie found him to be such a wuss.


    "Ronnie, ask whoever you have called to inform Joshua. He might be able to track Rachel''s whereabouts."


    "Boss, it was Master Martin I called. He is the one on the phone." Ronnie replied instantly and both the men stared at him in obvious surprise.


    While Shane''s gaze held shock and trepidation in them, Noah looked at him in appreciation. Ronnie had done exactly what he had wanted to do. If not for Shane''s complete focus on him, Noah was sure he would have placed a call to the only man who could track his dear sister.


    "Great, now I do not think we need this scum anymore. I was only keeping you alive in hopes that you would reveal where Rachel is."


    Noah held the man by his collar and glowered at him, sending tremors down Shane''s spine. He had never seen such an expression on his Boss before, not directed at him at least and he could not help but worry for his life.


    "What did you say just now? You will send my Aria, the girl I love the most to Jared. How dare you even think about it? And how courageous of you to lay your hands on my sister?" Without even caring about how the men around him would view him to be, Noah twisted Shane''s hands with such force that everyone heard the sound of bones breaking and they shivered in fright.


    They were only fortunate that it was not them in Shane''s place. Otherwise, just the consequences of betraying their Boss was enough to give them nightmares for years. It was not a hidden fact Noah hated traitors the most and he preferred people who faced him boldly rather than stabbing him from the back.


    "Do you think I will not be able to save my sister? Your cheap tricks will not be able to stop me from doing what I want."


    Noah had gone completely crazy in fury and desperation. While on one side his stubborn girl had gone to deal with Jared without even informing him about it, on the other hand, his sister was in his enemy''s hands. Even though the situation was not in his favor, he knew that with Joshua and Ian''s help, he would be able to handle things correctly.


    "Ronnie, call Ian. I need his help this time. We cannot delay this matter anymore." Noah ordered, his eyes not moving away from the traitor. "Also, ask Ian to inform Daniel. Now is the time to find out if he really loves my sister or if all his feelings are shallow and superficial. I do not want such a man to be with Rachel if he is unwilling to come to her rescue."


    Ronnie immediately got to work and fortunately for him, Ian was free. He discarded all other work as soon as he heard how precarious the situation was and rushed to join Joshua in this rescue operation.


    "And you," Noah spat, not averting his gaze even for a moment. "Weren''t you being all courageous a moment ago? Where did all your boldness go? What happened?"


    "I...I..." Shane had no idea what to speak about in the situation he was in. Not only was he under Noah''s mercy, he even did not know how and where he would end up at the end of the day. He already had two broken arms and a broken knee. He did not know what more would he be losing by the end of the night.


    "Ahh, now the man''s tongue refuses to work. You know I would have emptied all the bullets through your head for what you did to the people I love the most." Noah especially took a glance at Ronnie to emphasize his words and Ronnie was touched by this gesture of his.


    His Boss was seeking revenge on his behalf and Ronnie did not know what to say in this situation. His heart was filled with warmth and gratitude for the man who had given him everything in life.


    "But I will not do so. You will not get such a simple death."


    Noah pushed to the man who was nearby. "Take him to the Base. I will deal with him personally. Nobody is to touch him. I want him alive and conscious by the time I return."

 Chapter 607: Furious Noah - Part 2

    "I will take care of this bastard myself. He will find out what will happen to those who betray me." Noah hurled Shane towards one of the men as though he was a rag doll, not caring that he had just broken his limbs, making it impossible for him to even crawl let alone walk.


    Shane had chosen this outcome himself and he was bearing the consequences of his decisions. Noah had no problems with him being Mason''s cousin, for he treated people based on their characters, not their family members.


    If Shane had stayed within his limits while being loyal to him, he would have enjoyed all the benefits of being Noah''s assistant and maybe more. But it was his choice to betray the man when he already knew that it was his brother who had been in the wrong in the first place. So, why would Noah pity him and let him go?


    Moreover, not only had he provoked Noah by joining hands with his enemy to avenge his brother, but he had also abducted Noah''s sister while pushing Aria''s life in danger. It did not come out as a shock to Ronnie and other men that he was this vexed.


    "Ronnie, return to the base and get yourself treated. You are injured." Noah ordered, not allowing Ronnie to object.


    Though Ronnie was the best when it came to supporting him and assisting in what he would be doing next, his injured hand would only make it difficult for the poor man. And Noah did not intend to pull him down and injure him all the more.


    "Boss..."


    "No arguments. You are going back with them to get yourself treated. I will take Kaito with me." Noah stared at him for a few seconds and a silent conversation ensued between them which the other did not men understand.


    "Okay, Boss." Though Ronnie appeared to be reluctant to leave the place and his Boss, only he knew that it was not so. He had received secret orders to deal with other important matters and Noah was only sending him away to get himself treated first.


    Shane glared at Noah, wishing to kill him for putting him in the predicament he was in. Everything had been in his control. Noah, the man everyone feared and admired, was kneeling at his feet and he was just short of getting what he wanted.


    But the situation had changed drastically, even before he could grasp it and now he was under Noah''s mercy which he knew would never be imparted on him. He had sinned and he would receive the same fate as his cousin had.


    However, Shane was not yet prepared to give up. He still had a bargaining chip at hand or that was what it had been a few moments ago until Noah went berserk in anger.


    "I am really surprised, Noah." He started, gritting his teeth as he endured the pain.


    The anguish from his broken bones rendered him breaking out into a cold sweat. The pain was so intense that he felt light-headed and impossibly terrified. Only he knew how he managed to stay upright and speak to the man who had pushed him to the point of no return.


    "You are willing to give up on your sister just to save your girlfriend. As expected, your girlfriend matters to you more than your family. I wonder how Rachel and your family members would react if they were to find out about it."


    Although Noah was in no mood to listen to his nonsense, he had a faint idea what Shane''s mental state was. He was completely beyond cure and hopeless, and in this kind of desperate situation, many people he had encountered had slipped some important details which had been of help to him.


    "Ohh, you are talking about saving Rachel. You need not worry about her. My men will save her somehow. I will not allow anything or anyone to hurt the people I love. What you need to concentrate on is yourself." Noah sneered, putting on a facade that Shane could not even decipher.


    "I would suggest that you prepare yourself mentally. You will not be to even speak a word once I start dealing with you for what you did to me."


    Noah lowkey threatened him and Shane shivered immediately at his words. His eyes dilated in fear as soon as he imagined what would happen to afterwords and that was enough to make him hysterical.


    "Huh," He scoffed, pushing his fear aside for the time being. "Do you think it would be easy for you to find where Rachel is?"


    There was an evil glint in his eyes and Noah stifled a victorious smile that was threatening to break out. This was the moment he was waiting for, and he would soon find out where Shane and Jared had hidden Rachel.


    Though Noah did not know what kind of a plan Shane and Jared had come up with, he still did not let his guards down. Obviously, they would have abducted Rachel to a faraway and impossible-to-find place.


    Given Noah''s abilities and connections, it would not be a surprise if he uncovered the hideout easily.  So, they had to come up with a devious plan and a better place to hide Rachel.


    Shane grinned wickedly when he recalled the place where they had hidden the woman and he let out a soft chuckle. He eyed Noah who seemed to be staring at him without any expressions as though he was looking at a clown.


    But this did not faze Shane whatsoever, for he knew who would be trampled on by the end of the day. So what if he could not avenge his brother on his downfall? Noah would definitely meet his end given how both his sister and his girlfriend were in Jared''s grasp.


    "I pity you, Noah. I so damn pity you for you will never even know where your sister is. Moreover, your girlfriend is rushing to meet her doom herself. How convenient!!"


    Noah remained silent waiting for the man to continue with his act, keenly observing him with his narrowed eyes.


    "You will never find out where your sister is and by the moment you do, Jared would have dealt with all of you. So close yet so far!"

 Chapter 608: Finding Rachel - Part 1

    Noah''s eyes narrowed as he tried to discern the meaning behind his words. Even though Shane had not given a direct clue, his words had somewhat ignited suspicion in his mind. He flicked his hand and Ronnie and two other men from the group dragged Shane with them.


    "Remember this, Noah. You will get what you deserve and soon, you will lose everything you have gained." Shane shouted.


    Unable to tolerate the man''s disgusting voice and unbearable words, Ronnie smacked him hard on his head while he pressed on his neck and Shane fainted immediately. The two men then dragged Shane towards one of the free cars while Ronnie looked on. After getting a nod of approval from his Boss, he took the passenger seat and the car drove away, leaving Noah to deal with the matter at hand.


    ''What did he mean by his last words?'' Noah frowned as he took another car while Kaito occupied the driver seat. He was so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to instruct his men what to do next.


    But being proficient as they were, the men got to work immediately. Even though Noah had not given out any orders to them, they knew what to do next. While more than half among them followed Noah to assist him to handle Jared, the remaining took care of bodies lying before them.


    Kaito observed his Boss who was lost in thoughts while he proceeded towards the direction they were initially going in. Though he now worked for Joshua, to him Noah was still was his Boss and he treated him the same way as he did before.


    "Umm, Boss." Even though he was reluctant to disturb him, he still had to for he had something important to remind him.


    "Yes, Ronnie?" Noah replied absent-mindedly and it was only after the words left his mouth that he realized what he had done.


    "I am sorry, Kaito. Were you saying something?" Noah frowned and chided him for his mistake. Since he was long accustomed to Ronnie driving him around everywhere, he could not help making the error.


    "Boss, we have not informed Master Martin and Doctor Davis about this matter. They might be waiting for your call."


    "Ahh yes. How could I forget about them? Let me call them while you follow the path Aria and Ivy are taking."


    "Yes, Sir." Kaito nodded and checked for all the cars the two girls might have driven but all he got was nothing. He could not detect any other car other than the ones following him and his face scrunched up immediately.


    "Boss, bad news."


    Noah was yet to call Joshua when Kaito''s voice interrupted him and he stared at him in confusion.


    "I presume Madam has taken her own car this time instead of yours."


    Kaito did not have to explain further for Noah understood the meaning behind his right away. Every car of his or the ones belonging to the other two men were all equipped with trackers, making it easier to find their location when the situation arose.


    But unfortunately for them, Aria had chosen to drive her own car that did not have any tracker in it and just the thought of her careless and inconsiderate actions was enough to rile him up all the more. He cursed under his breath and quickly placed a call to Joshua who at that moment was trying to trace Rachel''s whereabouts.


    "Noah, dammit. What the fuck is happening today?" Joshua roared from the other side and Noah had to move his phone away from his ear so as to not end up being deaf.


    "I am telling you I am incensed right now and I don''t know who I will end up killing." He continued, not caring how loud and irritating his voice was.


    The day had been anything but good and they were facing many life-threatening and dreadful situations one after the other. All the four girls who mattered to him were now in danger and it now fell on the men to save them.


    Although they knew where Jared and Maggie were right now and even Aria and Ivy, it was Rachel''s whereabouts they were yet to find out. Joshua had tried all possible places, all of Jared''s warehouses and properties he could find, and even Shane''s house to search for Rachel.


    But unfortunately for him, it had been a vain attempt. There were no traces of Rachel''s whatsoever. She even did not have her phone with her, making it all the more difficult for him to find her.


    "If I catch hold of that bastard, I am going to rip him apart and feed to my dogs." Joshua continued to yell and Noah pressed his forehead. His head started to throb lightly. But he ignored it and replied to Joshua, stopping him eventually from shouting any further.


    "Did you find Rachel?"


    "Not yet. I am on it. How many people do I have to keep an eye on? While there is Maggie and Jared with Aria and Ivy right behind them and there is you and your men. Now I even have to find Rachel. I am going crazy with all this shit."


    Joshua was going mad with all the frustration and Noah pitied him even though he too was going through the same sort of emotions.


    "Where are Ian and Daniel? Are they with you?"


    "Ian is on his way while Daniel is already here and he is contacting all the men he had allocated to protect Rachel. How was Shane even able to kidnap Rachel with so many people protecting her in secret?"


    Joshua exclaimed as he continued to type a string of codes on his laptop while he kept glancing at another laptop beside him.


    "Jo, it was Shane who had come to her. I presume she left with him on her own accord. Who would have known that Shane would turn out to be a traitor?"


    "Did you find out anything from Shane? Did he speak a word?" Joshua queried. Even though all he had heard was some muffled sounds when Ronnie had called him secretly, he could still make out what had transpired between Noah and Shane and given his friend''s character, it was impossible for him to surrender that to in front of a man like Shane.


    Shane must have received the short end of the stick and his plan would have been completely foiled by now.


    "I did find something but I am unable to decode the meaning behind his words."


    "What did he tell you?"


    "He gloated that I would never be able to find Rachel and even if I do, I would then be close to my death. He told me that I was so close yet so far."


    As soon as Joshua heard Noah, he stopped typing and he stared at his phone in shock.


    "What did you say at the end, Noah? Repeat it."


    Noah frowned at his request. Nevertheless, he repeated his words for him. "So close yet so far."


    "Noah, I think I might know where Rachel is."


    "Where?" Noah''s eyes gleamed as soon as he heard Joshua and he clenched his fist tight.


    "If my intuitions are, Rachel must be somewhere close to you. Otherwise, Shane would not have said those words."

 Chapter 609: Finding Rachel - Part 2

    "Rachel must be somewhere around you, Noah," Joshua stated his opinion, and Daniel who was close by stopped talking for a moment. He gave him a questioning look, asking him silently what the meaning behind his words was, only to find Joshua nodding at him lightly. He silently promised to explain everything later and focused on Noah first.


    "Do you think so too? Where could Rachel be and how could she be around me?" Noah pondered. "I am currently on this isolated road and how could she be here. I think...." He stopped speaking as soon as a notion hit and his eyes widened immediately.


    "Oh my God!!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "Kaito, stop the car." He almost shouted in fear.


    His sudden yell startled not only the poor Japanese man, even Joshua too moved back on the couch in fright.


    "What happened? Did Jared''s men attack you again?" Joshua frowned as soon as the words left his mouth while Daniel just stared at him, waiting for him to end his call give him updates about Rachel.


    He had been having dinner with his parents, finally mustering all his courage to reveal his relationship with Rachel to them. Their feelings for each other were almost unbreakable and he wanted to take the next step and take her to meet his parents. He wanted to propose to her and marry her.


    But all his plans had evaporated as soon as he received the dreadful call from Joshua. It was as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him, waking him up from his blissful dream. He was still in disbelief to think that Rachel was kidnapped and nobody knew where she was.


    At once, he had left the dinner in the middle, shocking his parents at his strange behavior. He did not even state his reasons for his behavior before he rushed out in a hurry, utterly distressed to find Rachel missing. Only he knew how difficult it was to stay sane and not lose his calm all this time while he waited for any information about his dear girl.


    He had driven at an insane speed, jumping all the signals to reach Noah''s mansion within less than fifteen minutes. He did not even care about the number of times the camera had flashed at him, ready to bear all the fines and cases against him. All he wanted was to find Rachel and make sure she was safe and unscathed.


    Now that they had some information about her whereabouts, Daniel could not help be curious about it and he perched beside Joshua in hopes of finding out what they had dug up.


    On finding Daniel right beside him, Joshua pitied the poor man. While Aria and Ivy were putting themselves in danger as every second passed by, Rachel was already in danger. And the man behind all of these was their eternal enemy, Jared.


    He patted lightly on Daniel''s back and pressed on the handsfree, allowing Daniel too to listen to their conversation.


    "Shane told me that Rachel is around me. And now I am in an isolated and far away place. If she is right around me, don''t you think her to be in one of the cars or maybe we could find some clue about her?"


    Even though he did not explicitly explain his thoughts, both Joshua and Daniel understood the meaning behind his words and they stared at each other in shock.


    "Kaito, open the trunk and instruct the others too to check their cars," Noah instructed and rushed out of the car to check the trunk of the car only to find it empty.


    On seeing their Boss run out of the car in a hurry, the men behind him too stopped with them wondering what had happened now. They then heard Kaito convey their Boss'' instructions and they started checking the cars only to find them empty. They even sent messages to the others who had stayed back to clear the dead bodies at the junction behind.


    One by one, all the men reported back the same result and Noah''s face fell in dismay. Now all that remained was for Ronnie to report back and he suddenly started to have an inkling that it was in his car they would find some clue about Rachel.


    "Please, please, please let us find something about Rachel. Anything." Noah prayed while he waited for Ronnie or anybody else who was driving the car to call him.


    Fortunately for him, he received a call quicker than he had thought and he answered it right away.


    "Ronnie, did you find anything?" Noah did not allow Ronnie to speak and questioned him the moment he heard his voice from the other side.


    "No, Boss. I did not find anything." Ronnie''s voice was filled with helplessness and Noah the tire of his car in dismay.


    "Dammit," He cursed under his breath and his face darkened in fury. "I am going to kill that bastard." He roared and the intensity in his voice and darkness in his eyes made all his men take a step back in fear. They had never their Boss this incensed before and they could not help be frightened about what lay ahead for them even though they were not the reason for his fury.


    Gritting his teeth, he called Joshua again and conveyed the failure of his search to him.


    "Jo, keep searching. I will ask Ronnie to deal with Shane and force out the information from him. I need to stop Aria and Ivy before he they do something foolish and end up in Jared''s hands. Jared already knows about Aria and Ivy''s relationship and given his despicable nature, he would only be...."


    Noah did not even have to continue for all the men listening to him understood what he trying to say. Just the thought of Jared laying hands on the three women sent a mad burst of fury in them. Even Noah''s men who were listening to him could not help the anger rising in them.


    Since the time they had started to work under Noah''s command, the one thing expected of them was to respect women. Now that four women were in danger, and all four of them mattered to their Boss, how could they not be furious?

 Chapter 610: Rescuing Rachel - Part 1

    Noah pressed his forehead as Kaito continued to drive towards the location Joshua was guiding him towards. Since it was impossible for him to track Aria''s car himself, he could only rely on Joshua who at that moment was multi-tasking, focusing on a lot of matters at the same time with Daniel helping him.


    Joshua retrieved the CCTV footage from Rachel''s company and started to view it carefully, observing all that had happened to Rachel since the time Shane had approached her. Though he could not make out the reason why Shane had approached her, it did not come out as a surprise to him that Rachel trusted him and accompanied him out of her cabin.


    He then switched to the video of the parking lot of her company and just as he had expected, she had got inside Shane''s car. Joshua started to track Shane''s car, trying to find out where he had taken Rachel, only to find him switching cars in the middle.


    Though he could not see clearly, he could make out Rachel''s silhouette and the girl seemed to be unconscious. Two men helped her into the car while they nodded at Shane before they drove away.


    Joshua did not even have the time to react for the man beside him kicked the table in anger, startling him completely.


    Daniel gritted his teeth as he glared at the laptop screen, wishing to force himself inside and save his dear girl from her abductors. The poor did not even seem to be awake to know what was happening to her and Daniel clenched his fists, unable to control his fury anymore.


    Joshua gave Daniel a worried look. Though he had known him only recently, from all the conversations they had had, he had come to understand his character and the man was just like Ian. It was not that easy to annoy the two men and never had he seen Daniel in a bad mood, unlike Ian who he was well versed with.


    Now that he saw Daniel losing calm on seeing his beloved being abducted by their enemies, he discerned the depth of his feelings for Rachel. Joshua could not stop the smile from spreading on his face even the situation did not call for it.


    Joshua was genuinely happy for Rachel. She had found a gem of a person who knew how to cherish her and love her with his whole heart. Taking a deep breath, he continued to follow the video, this time focusing on the car that had Rachel in it.


    "Calm down, Daniel. We will find Rachel for sure. Please be calm until then. You can take all your anger on the men responsible for this." Joshua attempted to calm the man down even though he knew that it would not work.


    Who in their sane mind would sit still and watch their beloved being taken away by a bunch of scoundrels? Though Joshua could not understand what Daniel was going through, he was still in a similar situation. While Rachel was already in Jared''s hands, his girl, Ivy was almost falling into the same danger even though there were chances of getting out of it unscathed. Yet, he could not ignore the fear that consumed his mind and heart, waiting for the seconds to pass and hoping for Noah to bring Ivy back safe and secure.


    "We first need to find Rachel." He reminded the furious man and Daniel snapped out of his anger and focused on the video that still kept playing.


    "Rachel better be unscathed. Otherwise, I do not know what I will do them." Daniel seethed and Joshua patted his back.


    The intense anger and the bloodthirst from the man beside him surprised him. But he did not resent it. In fact, he was only happy that Daniel felt this way and was willing to avenge his girlfriend for all that she had gone through. Though the man was not as capable as Joshua himself and anybody among the three friends, his desire to protect Rachel was enough for Joshua to give a nod to his relationship.


    Joshua did not speak a word about it but they did hear Ian''s voice from the entrance.


    "What the fuck is happening today? I am going to kill that bastard Jared." He bellowed in anger.


    Not only had Jared targetted his hospital and had been successful in releasing the virus. Even though he was yet to find out if any people had been affected by it, the damage had been done.


    "You are only one left out to tell this to me. Join the line. Everyone here wants to kill him." Joshua responded without looking up from his laptop. He had already heard what had happened at the hospital, the reason why Ian was this vexed.


    "Have you found Rachel? What about the other girls?"


    "I am tracking Rachel right now and the girls are..." Joshua glanced at his other laptop and he cursed under his breath. "Dammit, the girls are quite near to where Jared is and if my calculations are right, they will reach him within ten minutes."


    "What about Noah? How far away is he from them?" Ian frowned, unable to control the anxiousness.


    "Damn far. He will need at least another thirty minutes. How the heck did the girls reach Jared this quickly?" Joshua shouted in anger and banged his hand on his laptop in frustration. Fortunately for him, it did not break from the sheer force he had exerted on it.


    "Noah will have to hurry up to catch up with them. I just hope Aria and Maggie will be able to hold Jared off until help arrives. It will be great if they can even kill him. That would be the best outcome." Ian commented, his frown deepening in worry.


    "Joshua, take a look at this." Daniel pointed to the video with a frown and Joshua immediately returned his attention to the car that had Rachel, fast-forwarding it in the meanwhile.


    The car stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse and the three men got out of the car. But there were no signs of Rachel whatsoever.

 Chapter 611: Rescuing Rachel - Part 2

    "Where''s Rachel?" Joshua yelled as he stared at the three men walking leisurely towards the warehouse, without any care in the world. Even the car looked to be empty, and for a moment, an unknown fear filled his heart and his eyes widened in panic.


    "What do you mean? Weren''t you tracking her?" Ian leaned over to see what had happened. Both Joshua and Daniel were frozen and in shock, and he wondered what had happened for them to behave this way.


    Although not a word had been spoken yet, Ian could sense it to be bad and extremely unpleasant. He frowned slightly as he stared at Joshua''s laptop. Other than a few cars near a warehouse, he could not find anything else worthy of his attention.


    "Jo, what did you find out?" Ian looked back and forth between the two men in front of him, his brows furrowing further.


    "Rachel was right in this car all this time. How could she have vanished all of a sudden?" Daniel answered him as he kept staring at the laptop screen. "How is it even possible?"


    "We must have missed something crucial. Let me rewind the video and see what we can find out." Without delaying any further, he started to check the CCTV on the path the car had driven, tracing back from the warehouse until he found a part where the car had taken an underpass.


    "Dammit," He gritted his teeth and almost threw his laptop in fury.


    "They must have switched Rachel into another car again while they were here," Daniel commented after seeing Joshua pause the video. "But how are we going to find out what has happened and in which car Rachel was in?"


    Unlike the other roads where they could track the car using the CCTV that were installed on them the car had driven on. But this time, they could not find any camera in the underpass, making it impossible for them to find out in which car had Rachel been forced to travel.


    "Can you check all the cars that took the underpass at the same time the car Rachel was initially in?" Ian questioned hopefully, even though he knew how tedious the task would be for Joshua.


    Without Maggie or anyone else helping him, the poor man was taking care of a lot of matters and each one among them was important, considering how the lives of their loved ones were at risk.


    "That would take a lot of time, Ian. Quite a lot of cars passed by at the same time. We do not know which one among them had Rachel." Joshua sighed. But he did not accept defeat and started to check all the cars that had been on the same lane as the car in which Rachel had been initially.


    "Is there any way I can help you?" Ian queried, and Joshua nodded at him and recalled the conversation he had heard when Ronnie had called him.


    "I think it would be better if you could go to Noah''s help." Joshua frowned and bit his lips as he thought about it. "I do not know how many people are on Jared''s side. Even though Noah has Kaito, he would still need someone among us to shoulder the trouble he would be facing soon."


    "What about Ronnie? Isn''t he with Noah?" Ian stood up and prepared to depart on hearing Joshua. He pulled out his gun and started to check its condition.


    "He isn''t. Ronnie was shot and Noah sent him away, though I am thinking that he has issued him a secret mission."


    "What? Who shot him? Was it Jared?" Ian stopped moving and stared at Joshua, unable to believe it.


    "Shane." Joshua sighed and started to follow another car that had passed by at the same time through the underpass.


    "Who Shane? Noah''s assistant Shane?" Ian was stupefied when Joshua nodded at him and he blanked out for a moment.


    "Why the fuck did he shoot Ronnie?" Ian could not comprehend what was even happening here. His mind was already a mess from all that had happened in the day and now, he had more to deal with. How convenient!!


    "Shane''s cousin is Mason." On seeing that Ian was about to interrupt, Joshua continued. "The one that kept pestering Aria and apparently, they only had each other as family. So, to seek revenge on Noah he joined hands with Jared."


    "Dammit." Even without Joshua continuing, Ian understood what was happening and he let out a sigh. "I''ll leave right away. Keep me updated on Rachel and the girls."


    A silent conversation ensued between the two men and Daniel more or less guessed what was happening. While Ian and Noah were going to save the girls from Jared, Joshua and Daniel were responsible for rescuing Rachel. For a moment, he was touched to think that the two men had allowed him on their plan, not hiding anything from him.


    Though he was surprised by their words, especially when they were prepared to kill Jared for what he had done, it was only momentary. Being a lawyer for years and after dealing with a lot of powerful people, he had come across many who had men willing to kill for them and protect them. So, he was not shocked to find Noah and Joshua having an army with them, especially when they belonged to the creme la da creme of the rich.


    But what shocked him greatly was Aria''s involvement in this. He was still unsure why Aria and Ivy had decided to join in this mission, and he vocalized his thoughts gaining the two men''s attention on him.


    "Joshua will fill in the details, Daniel. I will have to leave now." Ian gave him an apologetic look and rushed out of the mansion even before he could get a response.


    Daniel diverted his gaze on Joshua who was staring at his laptop with his lips pursed.


    "Your friend is not as innocent and gentle as you assume her to me, Daniel. She is tough and damn amazing."


    "What do you mean?"


    "She is well versed in the art of fighting and using a gun, and she along with Ivy have now gone to save Maggie, one her friends, who is now in Jared''s grasp. Got it?"


    Daniel was just about to question him more about it when Joshua shouted at the end.


    "Found her. I found Rachel."


    "Where is she? Where have they taken her?"


    "I now understood the meaning behind Shane''s words. Rachel is in her home, and Jared''s men are keeping a watch over her."


    ----------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please vote for Whisper of Hearts instead of Falling in Love starting today. That book has entered the Warewolf and I competition and it would be helpful if you could read the book and give me your opinions. I would love to know your feedback.


    So, please vote for Whisper of Hearts guys.


    Thank you.

 Chapter 612: Rescue Mission - Part 1

    Joshua, Daniel and a few of their men drove towards Rachel''s house as they kept their eyes around them. They were still in denial to think that Jared and Shane had hidden Rachel in her house. She was right nearby and it had taken a lot of time for them to track her, and just the mere thought was enough to rile up the two men.


    "Park the car right here. We do not want to alert the men of our arrival." Joshua gestured for Daniel to stop as soon as they reached the locality where Rachel stayed.


    Although it was closer to Noah''s mansion, it was considerably isolated and Joshua wondered how the men were able to pass through the security. But he got his answer as soon he reached the gates. There was no security nearby and the gates to the locality were wide open, allowing anyone to enter.


    "These people had come prepared." He mumbled under his breath as he waited for Daniel to park the car.


    "We will have to be careful from now on and make sure no innocent is hurt in this." Joshua frowned and stared at the manor where Rachel had moved into recently. He narrowed his eyes, sighing lightly as he pulled out his gun and checked its condition before he handed another to Daniel who had his eyes fixed on the manor.


    "Do you know how to use a gun?" He queried as he stared at the man beside him, who just nodded at him before he focused on the manor again.


    "I do. Dad thought to me. Apparently, he believes that I need to be prepared for all sorts of situations."


    "Good preaching. It will come in handy today." Joshua handed him the gun and observed him handling it with expertise.


    Giving him an appreciative nod, Joshua got out of the car with Daniel following suit, and the two men waited for the others to assemble before them. Fortunately for them, there were not many people in the path they had parked their cars. So, they did not gain any attention from anyone except for the old lady who was taking a late-night walk with her dog.


    Even though she saw such a large crowd, she ignored them just like her dog, who did not even bark on seeing them here. It was as though it knew their character well and deemed them to be here on good purpose.


    Joshua''s countenance changed as soon as he left his car. While the men were accustomed to his sudden switch in personalities, it was Daniel who gave him a surprised look. To him, Joshua had become an entirely different man. Gone was the playful man. He was now replaced by a blood-thirsty beast who was ready to hunt all his enemies down.


    Daniel shivered at his dark aura. But he came out of his stupor as soon as he realized that Joshua was staring at him questioningly. He shook his head when Joshua raised a brow at him and forced his thoughts out of his mind. Their priority was to save Rachel and they had to stay focused until the end of the mission.


    Dismissing all his other thoughts, Daniel stood beside Joshua, waiting for him to give out the orders, watching in awe the way the men respected him even though he was only meeting them for the first time.


    "We will be dividing into two groups. Group A will follow me from the front and they will try to take care of all the captors while Group B will enter from the back door." Joshua ordered and ran his eyes around, trying to find a suitable candidate who could lead the second group.


    Joshua understood that Daniel was not in the state to take the lead. He had no experience in it. Moreover, his men too would not be comfortable with someone they did not know much leading them. So, he had to find someone capable and suitable and one who knew how to lead others.


    Joshua''s eyes immediately stopped moving when they fell on Tim and surprise flashed through them on seeing him here.


    ''Will Tim be able to lead the group?'' He wondered and bit his lip before he decided to trust him on this.


    "Tim will lead Group B and Daniel here," Joshua pointed to the man beside him and nodded lightly. "will follow Group B. Does anybody have any objections?"


    Nobody spoke a word as they waited for his next set of orders. Among them, Tim was the only one surprised. He had never expected Joshua to trust him to handle this mission and he gaped at him without blinking. But all he got from him was a curt nod and he beckoned him.


    "Our mission is to save Rachel. But you are allowed to kill the captors if you deem necessary. We do not know how many people are inside the manor. Make sure to stay alert and stay safe. Any questions?"


    Again nobody responded to him and Joshua discerned their silence to be their acceptance.


    "Good. Group A follow me and Tim," He stared at him to take charge and Tim took over immediately, taking this opportunity to return the favor he owed to Noah.


    "Group B, let''s cooperate to rescue Miss Carter and end this game right here." His voice had changed and from his countenance, many people saw how serious was he on this. Nobody doubted his abilities and they were only glad to be led by him. While some men in the group had their doubts, they kept it to themselves, believing him this once to see if he was really trustworthy.


    Joshua led one group towards the front door, making sure to keep a look around him for any residents while Tim led the other group towards the backdoor. They had no idea how many people were guarding Rachel''s house. But they were prepared and even before Tim and his men could jump over the fence running around the garden, they heard the sound of a gunshot resonating in the air.


    --------------------------------------


    Hey guys,


    Please vote for Whisper of Hearts instead of Falling in Love.


    Thank you.

 Chapter 613: Rescue Mission - Part 2

    The sound of the gunshot was exceptionally terrifying and numbing in the silent place. But since Rachel''s manor was separated from the other manors by quite some distance, not many people heard it, and even the ones who could hear it, never in their minds did they assume it to be a gunshot.


    So, neither Joshua nor his men cared about it and a gunfight ensued between the two groups of people.


    Joshua had not been discreet in his entry, forcing almost all the men in the manor to rush towards him. This way, he could leave a gap for Tim to enter in rescue Rachel. His friend''s safety was his priority. Even though Noah had said nothing to him, he clearly knew what was expected of him.


    Not only Joshua had to rescue Rachel, he also had to take care of Daniel while making sure that he stayed careful himself. Otherwise, not only Noah and Ian there would be another person willing to chop him into pieces for his negligence.


    Brushing the thoughts of Ivy from his mind, Joshua took a step inside and watched his men handle their enemies with ease. Though their opponent was anything but weak, it did not take long for them to subdue them.


    But to their shock, more men arrived to stop them and Joshua wondered just how many were here in the manor.


    ''Did Jared and Shane already guess that we would come here? Were they waiting for our arrival?'' He wondered and waited for his men to take care of them.


    The men did not even need his instructions to carry out the mission. Though Joshua had ordered them to shoot their opponents if required, they understood the meaning behind his words. He wanted them to shoot them and end the people who even dared to touch Rachel.  Even bringing their pathetic selves before her was a sin in his eyes. So, how could they not discern Joshua''s intentions?


    Joshua just stayed behind and watched his men take action. Even though he too wanted to jump into the fight, he knew his men would not allow it. Someone among them was keeping an eye on him, reporting his state of health to Noah every moment. So, he just stayed still and enjoyed the battle like a King.


    Meanwhile, Tim led his group towards the backdoor, and fortunately for them, they had Daniel. Since his fingerprint was registered with the locking system, he opened it with ease and the group entered the manor with ease.


    With Joshua''s grand entry near the front door, the back part of the manor was almost empty and they did not face any troubles in venturing inside further. It was only when they reached one of the rooms that they found two men and even before they could attack them, Tim had shot them right near their heart, rendering them incapacitated.


    They then moved to another room and this time, it was completely. It was only when they reached the study that they found a group waiting for them and an intense battle erupted between them.


    Tim and Daniel exchanged looks with each other and a silent conversation ensued between them for a moment. Following the plan they had come up right at the instant, Tim and the other men lured their opponents away from the study while Daniel stayed behind.


    However, he had underestimated his enemy and the moment he opened the door, he froze in fear. Rachel was unconscious and was tied to a chair. But that was not what terrified him. It was the man behind her who had his gun pointed to his head that scared the shit out of him.


    Daniel did not know what to do and just stood still watching the man smile at him wickedly.


    "You sure were quick to reach here." He commented and looked at his watch. "But you were not smart enough. Tch, tch, tch. I wonder what will happen to this poor girl due to your dumbass decisions." He clicked his tongue and tapped Rachel''s forehead with the gun''s nozzle.


    His actions only served to ignite the fury in Daniel and he took a step forward only to stop short when the man removed the safety.


    "Don''t you dare," Daniel warned only for the man to chuckle at him in return.


    "Oh, I love challenges. You know whoever you are, I was not interested to take this mission. But who knew I would be meeting such a beautiful woman." He ran a finger over Rachel''s cheeks and Daniel took a step forward only to stop on hearing the man warn him.


    "Uh, uh, uh, stay right there if you want this lady to stay alive. Otherwise, I will not guarantee what will happen next." He cautioned him and Daniel swallowed his anger and stood still, hoping to find a way to save Rachel.


    "But who knew not only will I get to meet such a sexy woman, I would also be facing some challenges here. How thrilling!!" He continued and Daniel at once realized that the man had some serious problems in his head. Every action, every word of his just like how a psychopath would behave and he was now tremendously scared for Rachel. One mistake and she would be the one to bear the consequences.


    Daniel could not stay still either. Rising the gun to shoot him was not a good idea for the man seemed to be keeping an eye on him and he had quicker reflexes than him. He would only be incurring his wrath sooner than necessary. He was at his wit''s ends when Joshua too joined him and he too was rendered speechless by what he was seeing.


    Just like Daniel, he too did not know what to do and he just stayed silent, observing the man for any weakness.


    "Ohh, we have another man here. How convenient!!" The man chortled and his hand nudged Rachel''s head only for her loll to the other side.


    "You know I am suddenly having another brilliant idea. How amazing it would be if I were fuck her right now right in front of you for you to watch?"


    As soon as Daniel heard him, he could not stop the fury surging through and before the man could even comprehend his moves, he raised his gun and shot him right in the head.

 Chapter 614: Rescue Mission - Part 3

    The gunshot reverberated in the room and the man fell to the ground at once, his eyes wide open in shock. Not only him, even Joshua was surprised at how accurate Daniel''s aim had been. It had been an instant kill with no hesitation in between. He suddenly was in the mood to clap and applaud the man beside him for he too was not sure if he could have killed Rachel''s captor this quickly.


    Joshua understood the mental state Daniel was in. Who in their sane mind would listen to a psychopath having desires about their girlfriend? Not him at least and not anyone in his group and unknowingly, he considered Daniel one among them.


    Letting out a sigh of relief on finding Rachel safe, Joshua stepped forward and patted Daniel''s back. "Well done." He mumbled and moved forward to release Rachel from her binds.


    It was only after he heard Joshua''s voice that Daniel came out of his trance. He stared at the weapon in his hand and then at the dead man and his widened in shock. His jaw dropped and fear engulfed him.


    Although this was not the first time he had shot someone, this was the first time he had killed someone and just the thought of it sent chills down his spine. He kept staring at the dead man as his eyes dilated in terror. Eventually, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, gaining Joshua''s attention on him.


    "Daniel," He shouted in worry and rushed to him, leaving Rachel for a moment. Though he did not know what had happened, he could not help but panic.


    Barely had he reached the man when he heard him mumble, "I killed him."


    Joshua stopped walking and for a moment he did not know what was happening. He had no idea why Daniel was behaving this. It was only when he heard him mutter again that the realization hit him and he sighed softly.


    ''Is this the first time he killed someone?'' He wondered. ''That has to be it. He must be in trauma after what he did.''


    Joshua was not that great at consoling people and he did not know how to bring Daniel out of his state. He kneeled beside him and held his shoulder, shaking him gently to gain his attention.


    "Listen to me, Daniel." His voice was serious yet calm and consoling. "You did it for Rachel."


    That was all he said and that was all it took for Daniel to stop mumbling. He gaped at Joshua for a moment before his eyes gleamed, the fear and sorrow disappearing entirely.


    "Yes, it was for Rachel. I did it to save the girl I love. I did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong." With that thought, Daniel pushed himself up and rushed towards Rachel who was still unconscious.


    "Rachel, Rachel." He spoke softly as he removed her binds. He cupped her cheeks and tried to wake her up again. But there was no response from her.


    "She is still breathing. I presume they drugged her to make her faint." Joshua commented. "I will get some water."


    Daniel did not even hear him as he tried to wake Rachel up. But in vain. There was no response from her whatsoever and dread start to settle in his heart slowly.


    "Rachel, darling, please wake up. I am here. I am here. Please wake up." He continued, now utterly terrified for her.


    "Rachel," He patted her cheek and fortunately for him, she responded. Although she did not open her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath.


    "Rachel, it''s me, Daniel. Wake up, dear." He continued and Rachel groaned in pain. Her head was throbbing as though it was about to split and shatter into pieces. Even opening her eyes became quite difficult, let alone answer him.


    "Yes, yes, Rachel. Good girl. Wake up, dear." He continued and slowly but finally, Rachel forced her eyes open.


    For a moment, all she could see was blurry images and she had to blink a few times to see where she was. But soon, her eyes were trained on the man in front of her. Rachel was in shock when she saw him in tears and she was just about to question him about it when she recalled all that had happened to her, how she had been kidnapped by Shane and how she had been drugged the moment she entered his car.


    Unable to stop herself anymore, she threw herself at him with tears running down her cheeks. Only she knew how scared she had been when she had been injected with the drug. She did not even have the time to fight when her eyelids turned heavy and she felt drowsy suddenly. An unknown terror surrounded her but before she could call for help, she had lost herself to darkness.


    Now that Daniel was here to save her, Rachel could not stop her tears and she embraced him tight for the fear that it was all a dream and she was still in the hands of her captor.


    "I am here, darling. I am here. Don''t cry. No one will hurt. No one." Daniel comforted her as he rubbed her back gently, whispering and assuring her of her safety.


    "Everything is fine. You are safe. I am here." He continued and waited for her to calm down.


    Rachel was too frightened by the day''s events. So, she stayed in his embrace not caring about anything in the world.


    A long time passed and if not for Daniel''s legs that were slowly turning numb after squatting for long, he was sure he would have continued to embrace her.


    "Rachel, though I like hugging you, can we continue after we stand up? My legs are about to lose sensation." He muttered, his voice filled with grievance and Rachel burst out laughing amidst her tears. She let him go and helped him up and she too stood up.


    "How..." That was all she could manage to say and she shut up immediately. Her throat was parched and her voice came out as a croak.


    Daniel chuckled softly at her and kissed her forehead.


    "Tch, tch, tch, can you please stop flaunting your love in front of me? I am going to turn blind otherwise." Joshua interrupted them and entered with a glass of water. "Here."


    Smiling at him gratefully, Rachel emptied the glass in one go, the cold water soothing her dry throat.


    "How did you find out I was kidnapped?"


    "Not here." Joshua stopped Daniel from answering her. "Let''s get out of here first. We do not know if Jared has sent any more men for precautionary measures. We will tell you everything on the road."


    With that, the three people left the manor while some of the men stayed behind to take care of the bodies.

 Chapter 615: Ryan Zee

    "What''s the status, Joshua?" Noah queried as he and Kaito continued to chase Jared, keeping a watch out for Aria and Ivy. He was now close and he could feel his heart thumping in fear and worry. It was as though Aria was somewhere close to him and he would soon be reaching her.


    Noah was still in disbelief to think that Aria and Ivy had escaped his sight and had reached Jared and Maggie before him. But it was not impossible considering how the path they were on had a lot of connecting routes and considering how Ivy was familiar with situations like these, he had an inkling as to who was behind the wheel.


    "We rescued Rachel. Do not worry." Joshua assured him as he sat on the passenger seat while he continued to monitor Noah, Aria and Jared''s car. He was done solving one problem and they now had another and a huge one at that to face.


    "Thank you so much." Noah breathed in relief. "How is she?"


    "Weak but fine. She was drugged when we found her." Joshua stated and Noah held onto the phone, his fury ready to erupt like a blazing volcano. "She is fine now. Don''t worry."


    Joshua looked behind and smiled on seeing the scene. Rachel was sleeping soundly as she hugged Daniel, seeking more comfort and assurance.


    "I would have handed over the phone to Rachel if she was awake." He sighed and turned his gaze back on his laptop on his thigh.


    "Where are you now?"


    "We are heading home. Daniel is with her and he will take care of her." Joshua assured and stared at the laptop screen, his eyes narrowing dangerously when he realized the path Jared was going on. If he followed the same route, they would soon be reaching a private harbor.


    "He better. Otherwise, I will skin him alive." Even though he trusted Daniel to take good care of Rachel, he could still not help but worry for his dear sister and the words left his lips even before he could control himself.


    But Joshua was too focused on his laptop to perceive his words. He kept silent for a second before his eyes flashed and an unknown fear settled in his heart.


    "Noah, Jared is heading towards the harbor. What do you think he intends to do?" He asked, his sudden voice interrupting Noah and his focus returned on Jared from his sister.


    "Fuck!!" Noah cursed and stared ahead to see how far they were away from the harbor. He more or less knew what was happening and he gritted his teeth.


    "Do you think he wishes to escape from the country?" Joshua continued and Daniel who had kept his eyes closed opened them immediately on hearing him.


    "It has to be the case. Otherwise, why would he even take this path?" Noah frowned. "Kaito drive faster. We need to stop him from leaving."


    "Yes, Boss." That was all the Japanese man said before he pressed hard on the accelerator, driving at an incredible speed on the deserted road.


    "How far away are the girls?"


    "I am trying to track them but I am losing them, Noah. But they seem to be just a few miles away from Jared. Oh no." Joshua almost screamed in fear, scaring the poor guards beside him, making him lose control of the steering wheel for a moment.


    "They are almost there. They are...." He had barely started speaking when the two dots indicating the position of Jared and Ivy''s cars vanished on his laptop.


    "Fuck, I lost them." He cursed and put the call on hands free before he started to type a string of codes. But in vain. He could not track them whatsoever.


    "Dammit," Noah too hurled profanities, unable to control himself anymore. This was the second time he was feeling this helpless, the first being when Aria had inhaled the poisonous gas and slipped into a state of coma.


    Daniel stared at Joshua''s incredibly swift hands before he leaned forward. "Do you guys know that the private harbor you were talking about has been closed temporarily?" He queried, unable to stop himself.


    "What?" Joshua''s head snapped to him immediately and he looked at him in shock.


    "Yes, the harbor was involved in some smuggling case and until the court hearing, the harbor has been forced to stop operating. And from the situation, I presume the court would shut down the harbor forever. The proofs are strong and impossible to overlook." Daniel revealed all that he had read about the case.


    Even though he was not handling it, the case had been the topic of discussion among the other lawyers. Even his father was following it up regularly to see how it would turn out.


    "What?" Joshua''s head snapped to him immediately. "Why did we not know about it?"


    Even Noah who heard him had the same question in mind.


    "Quite a few prominent people are involved in this case. So, the matter has not escalated that much. They are putting pressure on the media and others to keep it a secret. The rule to temporarily close the port was passed only three days ago." Daniel answered and looked at Rachel who was stirring slowly. He patted her back and lulled her to sleep before he focused on Joshua again.


    "That explains it. But why is Jared driving this way?" Joshua mused before a notion entered his mind. "Daniel, who owns this port?"


    "This port is registered under the name Ryan Zee."


    "Who the heck is that?"


    "I too do not know. The police are trying to get a hold of him. But I presume that he has escaped the moment his crimes came to the surface."


    "Noah, why is Jared driving this way?" Joshua fumed, his obvious fury not surprising anyone. Three of the women they cared about were in danger due to Jared and he had all the reasons to be furious.


    "I have no idea. Let me catch him first. By then, Joshua, try to find out who this Ryan Zee is. We need to know what his connection with Jared is."


    "I am on it. By the way, Noah. You are reaching the point where I had lost Aria and Jared''s location. Be careful."


    "I will. Take care of Rachel and..."


    Noah did not even get to continue. The line went blank and Joshua lost his location immediately after.

 Chapter 616: Questioning Maggie

    Aria and Ivy continued driving in the direction pointing on Aria''s phone, not caring about the danger they would soon face. The moment they had stepped out of the mansion with the intention to save Maggie, they had prepared themselves for all the dangers they could possibly face. All they wanted was to save Maggie and if possible, even kill Jared.


    "Aria, we are heading towards the ports. Are you sure this is the right direction?" Ivy queried, suddenly worried about seeing the darkness around her. Though the headlights from her car illuminated their path, they could still not brush off the creepiness that was slowly settling in on them.


    "Yes, Ivy. This is what the map shows. We are almost close to them." Aria mumbled but soon, a frown marred her beautiful face as she stared at her phone.


    "Why is Jared''s car not moving? What....." She had barely spoken her question when the signal on her phone disconnected and she lost Jared''s car completely.


    "Dammit." She gritted her teeth and looked around her. "My phone signal stopped working here. We will have to rely on ourselves to track them down." Aria muttered and Ivy sighed lightly.


    Though all the windows had been and the heater was turned on, they could still feel the cold and Ivy was only glad that she had worn a jacket before leaving the mansion.


    "Aria, do you think that''s Jared''s car?" Ivy pointed her chin at the car she could see in the front. Though the car was too far away from them, they could still see the tail lights from where they were.


    "It has been. This is a deserted area and we are entering private property. Either it is Jared or it might someone who works for Jared." Without wasting any time, she held her gun and prepared herself to shoot if necessary.


    "Ivy, can you pick up speed? It is the only car on this road now. It is better that we stop it before we reach the port in case Maggie were to be in that car. Otherwise, once we reach the port, we do not know how many people we will have to deal with before we get any help from Joshua.


    Ivy nodded at her and she changed gears before pressing on the accelerator hard while Aria covered her face with a black mask and wore a hat. Other than her eyes, her entire face was covered and now, it was impossible for anyone to point out who she was if they were now familiar with her. She did not bother about Ivy for she was already in disguise.


    Ivy picked up speed and they dashed on the road as she tried to catch up with the car in the front while Aria held onto the seat, hoping for Maggie to be in that car to save any more trouble.


    Meanwhile, Jared gazed at Maggie who had her eyes fixed on the road and he smiled softly.


    "You know, Maggie, after today, you will never be able to leave me. And I will make sure that you will not even think about leaving me." He held her hand but Maggie pulled it out of his grasp immediately.


    But Jared did not complain about it. Instead, he was only thrilled and delighted to see her fight him. "Don''t worry, dear. Once I deal with you tonight, you will never fight me in the future. I am yet to punish you for betraying me in the first place."


    Chills went down Maggie''s spine and she stiffened slightly in her seat. Yet, she did not give away her preposition to the cruel man beside her for it would only excite him all the more. Jared was a monster who relished on people''s fear and showing her true emotions in front of him was the last thing Maggie wanted to do right now. She did not wish to give him that joy, the joy of seeing her being affected by his words.


    "After today, nobody will be able to catch me. Not you, not your Deputy and definitely not Noah."


    As soon as Maggie heard Noah''s name, her heart thumped madly in fear and her serious expression cracked for a moment.


    ''Does he know about Noah and me? Does he know that it was Joshua and Noah who saved me?'' She wondered, not once glancing at him.


    "You know," He spoke to her and scooted closer to Maggie only for the girl to move away from him until she was sticking to the door. "I have a lot of people I am yet to take revenge on. Do you want me to give you a list?" He mused and Maggie clenched her fists, for once, waiting for him to continue speaking. She had to find out what Jared knew and what he intended to do.


    "First, there is your Deputy. She tortured me a lot when I was in the interrogation cell. But not to worry. She will get her retribution soon."


    Again, all he received was silence. But Jared was not disheartened by it. His smile only widened and his gaze on her deepened.


    "Since I am dealing with your Deputy, I should deal with the two men who work for her too. Shouldn''t I?"


    Maggie''s head snapped to him the moment she heard his wicked intentions and she glared at him, forcing out all the fury in her on him.


    "Ah, I am finally able to see your beautiful face." He exclaimed in happiness. "Is it because of the men that you reacted this way? Or more specifically one man?" He continued and raised an eyebrow at her and Maggie had the sudden urge to smash his head against the window.


    "May I know what relationship you have with that officer?" He questioned, his smile vanishing immediately and an intense rage replacing his calm face. "Do you like him?"


    Maggie just glowered at him, not speaking a word to him. But Jared was having none of it and he held her jaw, pulling her face close to him. He did not even care that he was hurting her. He did not even care that his nails were digging into her smooth skin. All he had in mind was the scene when the man had hugged Maggie, his Maggie and that was all it took for him to lose his rationality completely.


    "Answer me, Maggie." He threatened and Maggie gulped on seeing the dreadful expression on his face. Though this was the first time she was seeing his sinister side, she had never been on the receiving end until then. So, she had no idea how to deal with him.


    "How does it matter to you?" She spat, forcing her words out of her mouth, only to elicit a low, cold chuckle from the man beside her.


    "Oh it does not matter to me. No. But I am sure it will matter to you once you find what I will do to him."


    "What do you mean?" Maggie interrupted him, terror filling her entire form and she panicked at once.


    "What do you think what I mean, darling?" Jared shot back.


    "Don''t you dare, Jared. I am warning you."


    "Do you think I will back off?" He raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to continue with this banter and Maggie realized at once that she had lost the game.


    "Fine. I will ask you a few questions. If you give me answers that satisfy me, I will not do anything against your wishes. Okay, dear?"


    Jared relented. But Maggie knew that this was his ploy to trap her. He had nothing but his own interests in mind and he would not stop until he get what he wanted.


    "Let''s start off with a simple question. What is that man''s name?" He turned his body until he was facing her completely.


    When he did not get any response from her, he grinned to himself. "Your silence will only push him closer to his death. I will ask you for the last time. Next time, I will not repeat my questions. What is his name?"


    This time, Maggie could not stay silent even if she wanted to. Every action of hers would only push the man she loved to danger and she had tread carefully in front of the demon.


    "Ryder." She replied honestly. She did not take any chances with him for she already understood that Jared would investigate the people around her, in case he has not done so already.


    "Ryder. That was not hard, was it?" Jared spat and nodded lightly. "Fine. How long have you known him?"


    "Since the time I started working at the Intelligence."


    "Good girl. Does he love you?"


    Maggie hesitated to answer this question, fearing for her beloved life and Jared received the answer he was looking for. Yet, he wanted Maggie to answer him.


    "Maggie, do you..."


    "I do not know." Maggie answered him before he could finish his threat.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I do not know if he loves me or not."


    ''So, that puny man has not confessed his feelings for her. Great.'' He chirped in his mind. ''This only eases my work.''


    "What about you, Maggie? Do you love him?" His voice dropped an octave and Maggie sensed the danger in the air. "Choose well before you answer, dear. We do not want your friend to lose his life due to your inappropriate actions. Isn''t it?"


    Though he had spoken blatantly, Maggie understood the meaning behind his words. Jared wanted her to deny his claims. Otherwise, it would not be her but Ryder who would be facing consequences.


    "Please forgive me for interrupting, Master." The driver lowered the partition and interrupted their conversation much to Maggie''s relief and Jared''s dismay. "I am afraid to say that we are bing followed, Master."

 Chapter 617: Intense fight - Part 1

    Maggie''s heart skipped a beat as soon as she heard the driver. Yet, she stayed still not giving away her predicament to Jared for that would only raise suspicions when that was the last thing she wanted. She more or less had an intuition as to who was behind them. It had to be Aria. Other than her, nobody else knew where she was unless her Deputy sent someone in secret to follow her.


    Maggie was frightened for a moment. But she composed herself quickly when she recalled how skilled Aria was. Though Aria was not as good as she was in fighting, she sure was brilliant at wielding guns and that was enough for them to deal with Jared and the driver, whose skills were still unknown to her.


    ''Thank you, Aria.'' She expressed in her mind. This was the second time the girl was coming to her rescue and Maggie was more than touched to see her put her life at risk for her when she was in no way inclined to do so.


    Not knowing the thoughts running through Maggie''s mind, Jared turned behind to see the flashlights of a car. Although it was quite some distance away from them, he could still see the lights on the deserted and dark road and he smiled to himself.


    "Looks like someone is here to rescue you, Maggie." Jared turned to her and gave her a mysterious look. But Maggie was in no mood to appreciate it. All she was focused on was the car she was in.


    Since the time she had entered the car, she had been trying to find out if there were any weapons inside. While she knew that Jared had no weapon with him, that could not be said the same about the driver. He might be possessing something and that would be disadvantageous to them when Aria caught up with them.


    "I wonder who it might be." Jared mused and held his fingers under his chin. "Is it that lover boy of yours?"


    Maggie felt the anger gushing through her when she heard Jared insulting Ryder. But she was in no position to rebuke him. All she could do was swallow her fury and search for a way to assist Aria in dealing with the demon.


    Jared assumed Maggie''s silence as her affirmation and his wicked smile widened. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent and he pressed his wrist, his itch to dip his fingers in blood increasing as seconds passed. Now that the prey was coming to him himself, he had no reason to stop himself from achieving what he wanted.


    "We will end this matter today." He exclaimed. "I can end him and his fantasies about you. We will not have any pests interfering us in the future, not that he has any chance even if he was alive." Jared continued and Maggie''s rage reached an all time high.


    Ryder was her bottom line and hearing anything bad about him was enough to send her into a state of absolute madness, let alone listen to someone hatching plans to kill him. Yet, she was helpless. She was in Jared''s hold and any small reckless action of hers would foil her plan of escape.


    Moreover, she was not alone. Aria would soon be reaching to her aid and she had to make sure that her actions did not implicate her whatsoever.


    "Poor guy. He does not even know what is awaiting him." Jared sassed and reached behind his seat to pull out a case and Maggie''s eyes followed him skeptically. She noticed him picking up a case and she understood at once what the case held.


    She watched him pull out two guns and she narrowed her eyes while Jared started to check their condition as he prepared for the unavoidable fight. Maggie was just about to come up with a strategy to misguide and escape from Jared during his fight with Aria when she saw him pick up a handcuff from the box and her eyes widened in disbelief.


    At first, she did not know what the man wanted to do. But when she saw him smile at her creepily like a freak, she understood his intentions at once and she held her hands behind her back and moved away from him.


    Jared''s smile only widened on seeing her alarmed expression and he scooted closer to her until her arms were in reach.


    "I need to make sure you will not run away from me, darling." He commented and gazed at her lovingly. Yet, Maggie only felt nauseated by his stare and she pressed her arms tight behind her back, not allowing Jared to get to them.


    "Come here, dear. Let me bind you to me so that you will not escape from me again. I cannot afford you leaving me again." He stated and moved his arm around her back.


    Maggie only felt sick in the stomach to have him this close to her. His chest was almost pressing onto her body and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. She struggled to move away from him and keep her hands away from his reach, only to fail miserably.


    Jared forced his weight on her, stopping all her movements. Since she was already pressing to the door, Maggie had no way of escape and his weight on her only suffocated her all the more in the closed space.


    "Don''t struggle, Maggie. You can never win against me. I will dominate you before you even know it." Jared''s words held a lot of meanings and Maggie understood that he was not speaking only about the current predicament they were in. His intentions towards her were clear and she cursed in her mind, unwilling to surrender before him.


    But Jared was too strong for her and soon her left hand was cuffed to his right hand and Maggie could only grit her teeth in frustration. He then pocketed the key and smiled at her in joy.


    Maggie did not even have the time to hurl profanities at him when the driver forcefully pulled the car over, almost forcing Maggie towards the seat in the front.


    Jared stared at the car that had now stopped them from moving ahead and he grinned evilly. "It''s time, Maggie dear. Let''s end your lover boy once and for all."

 Chapter 618: Intense fight - Part 2

    Maggie let out a smirk after listening to Jared''s overconfident words. He had no idea what was awaiting him and who his opponents were.


    Maggie believed in Aria''s abilities for it was her who had trained the doctor. The woman, at first, had been quite difficult to train. Not only did Aria have to bear with her intense workload, she even had to submit her reports and study for her exams to get a permanent posting in the hospital.


    It was in this midst that she had decided to train and practice and it was her determination that compelled Maggie to help her learn and master the art to handle guns. Aria had balanced her work and her training with such finesse that Maggie herself was rendered speechless. All she had was admiration and respect for her.


    Once she finished her learning, Aria had even surpassed her in handling guns and Maggie knew what the outcome of the unavoidable fight would be. But what worried her was she did not know how many men among Jared''s group were lurking around them.


    Maggie already had an inkling that was close to his turf and this added more to their troubles for they did not have much manpower with them. All she could do was hope for Aria to have been smart enough to alert Noah and anybody in her group, without alarming the spy among them.


    Maggie waited for Jared to take action. But to her dismay, he just sat still as he waited for the people for the other car to take action. He just glimpsed at Maggie before he stared at the waiting for the fight to begin.


    However, even after waiting for long, he did not detect any movements from them. It was as though the occupants had no intention of moving away from the place whatsoever. Neither did they intend to fight him.


    Jared was losing his calm slowly and he held onto his gun tight, unable to bear the situation he was thrown into suddenly. Every time he had been the man in control and this unexpected detour was getting onto his nerves slowly. His frown deepened and he tapped his thighs in restlessness.


    Maggie''s stifled a smile when she noticed Jared''s condition and she realized what Aria was trying to do at once.


    ''Brilliant!'' She cheered in her mind as she too waited for the man beside her to have a mental breakdown in anticipation and commit errors.


    ''Well done, Aria. Let the bastard suffer in anticipation and suspense.'' She humphed and looked at the car, her eyes twinkling in delight.


    Fortunately for her, neither man in her car noticed her strange reaction as they stared at the car ahead of them.


    A long time passed and when nothing happened, Jared lost it completely. He could not sit still anymore and wait for his prey.


    "What scoundrel is driving that car!! If you want to attack me, just come to me directly. Why do you need to play around?" He barked and Maggie flinched and covered her ears on hearing him roar. She gave him a sardonic and averted her gaze away from him before the man''s eyes fell on her.


    Jared was now beyond redemption. He was livid and all he wanted was to kill the man for even daring to follow him all till here, let alone force him to stop his car before he reached his destination.


    Unable to sit still anymore, Jared looked around him first to make sure there was no one lurking in the dark. He then gestured for the driver to get out of the car and take action.


    Barely had he stepped out of the car when they heard a bullet shot from behind them and the driver fell dead to the ground immediately. It was a clean shot and one kill.


    Maggie was too stunned to speak at the sudden but thrilling attack. For a moment, she could not comprehend what had happened before realization dawned upon her. She had misunderstood Aria''s plan. It had never been her intention to wait for Jared to attack first. She was waiting for him to leave the car before she attacked him.


    Who knew it would not be Jared but the driver who would be hit first? Yet, Maggie was not disheartened by it. With their driver gone, Jared would now have to step up and jump to the battle field himself. And to make matters worse, Jared had no idea where his hunter was while Aria''s prey was lying out in the open.


    Maggie now had the chance. The doors were unlocked and Jared was distracted. Aria would not fire at her, Maggie trusted her on this. Without hesitating anymore, she opened the door and jumped out of the car, utterly startling Jared.


    In the blink of an eye, his driver had been shot dead and Maggie had escaped from his clutches and Jared had been unable to do anything. Moreover, he was all alone and it would take a few minutes for his gang members to appear.


    Jared barely had barely prepared himself mentally to fight the battle alone to stall for time when he heard a gunshot again and he ducked in time to avoid being its victim.


    "Dammit," He gritted his teeth and cursed at his state. "Where the fuck are my men? They must have been here by now."


    Just as he was about to scold them for their languid actions, he heard a car reversing and he lifted his head immediately to see what was happening. He saw red when the car started moving and without caring about anything else, he lowered the window, pointing his gun at the unknown victim.


    He could only make out a silhouette at most for it was too dark around him and the driver had been too fast for him to even see clearly. In his desperate attempt to stop his opponent, he fired a shot. But the bullet that swooshed in the air, not even anywhere near his victim.


    Jared again, heard a bullet shot and this time, he was not quick enough to dodge it. It accurately hit his arm and Jared gnashed his teeth in pain. However, he did not let go of his gun and fired recklessly again, in the direction the car had driven only to miss his target again.

 Chapter 619: Intense chase

    Maggie was quick to enter Aria''s car while Ivy carefully maneuvered towards where Aria was hiding, making sure to keep an eye on Jared and stop him from following them. A series of gunshots rained in the creepy night and immediately after, they heard the bursting of tires.


    "Smart!" Ivy commented and smiled at Maggie who was searching for Jared. But the man was nowhere in sight.


    "I hope Aria gets Jared today and we can end this misery." She muttered and Ivy nodded in agreement.


    "Yes. I am already tired of his antics." Ivy let out a sigh. But soon, a frown replaced her calm face. "Do you hear that, Maggie?"


    "Shit! Jared has called for reinforcement. They must be here." She looked back to see a series of lights turning brighter as seconds passed. "Let''s leave from here, Ivy. We might not be able to deal with all of them given our circumstances."


    Ivy pressed on the accelerator and reached Aria, who was hiding in the range from Jared''s car. She stopped brilliantly in front of Aria and she entered the car quickly, not delaying their escape any further.


    "Ladies, brace yourselves," Ivy exclaimed. "We will be going on a race."


    Ivy did not even allow them to prepare themselves for what lay ahead for them. She stepped on the accelerator hard and Maggie had to hold onto her seatbelt to stop herself from lurching forward due to the impact.


    Ivy''s driving was beyond anything Aria and Maggie had imagined. It was as though they were on a race track as they watched the trees zoom past them even before they could take in the scenery around them.


    "How long has it been since I last raced like this!!" Ivy sighed as she shifted gears and increased her speed.


    "Ivy," Aria gave her a stern gaze and Ivy snuck out her tongue in guilt.


    "I am not guilty, Ari. Had to race if I were to save my ass from the criminals." She reasoned and Maggie could not help but chuckle at her even though the situation did not call for it.


    Aria turned back and noticed the lights behind them. Although the cars were still far away, they could still see them following them.


    "I had hoped to kill that bastard today." She let out a sigh of regret. "Who knew that he would call for backup?"


    "Not to worry, Ari. We might not be able to end him but maybe we could lure him to Noah or anyone else who can end him." Ivy stated and glanced at the rearview mirror, letting out a scoff on seeing them trying to catch up with them.


    Meanwhile, Jared glared in the direction Maggie had gone, directing all his hatred at the people who had saved Maggie and helped her escape from his clutches again.


    "Dammit, who fuck helped her again??" He shouted in despair as he stared at his bleeding hand. He was still in disbelief to think that the shooter had been precise and impeccable at fixing on the target.


    In just a blink of an eye, his driver was dead and he lost his weapon. Maggie had escaped from him and he had no idea who had attacked him out of nowhere. He did not even have the time to pick his weapon and shoot anyone or get the man who had shot his hand. They were too quick for him and Jared could only gape in dismay.


    Jared could only hide from them to save his life and wait for his men to arrive. And by the time they arrived, his attackers and Maggie had already gone far away from him.


    "Master, what do we do now?" Jared sat in the car, his previous car now impossible to drive for the time being. His attacker had made sure to puncture both the back tires, making it impossible for him to chase them himself.


    "Are we going to follow them?" The driver queried as he waited for the terrifying man to reply. The moment his Master had sat in the car, he had sensed a menacing aura around him and he shivered in terror. His Master was already a demon when he was normal and calm. Now that he was infuriated and bleeding, he did not know what the outcome would be.


    The driver could only pray for his safety and wished silently to stay alive after all this ended. He did not even dare glance at his Master for he sensed the darkness and bloodthirst from him. He just gripped the steering wheel tight until his knuckles turned white.


    "Don''t follow them." He spat and the driver trembled, his heart pounding madly in worry for his life.


    "This might be a trap for us. What if they were to lead me back to the Intelligence? This time, I will not be able to escape from their clutches easily."


    "But what about our men, Master?"


    "Let them follow them and keep in touch with them. I want to catch Maggie at all costs. Time and again, she has challenged me by escaping from my side. I want her. I want her." He yelled in fury at the end and the driver almost had a heart attack on hearing his roar.


    "I want to find the scoundrel who saved her today." Jared gnashed his teeth and the driver at once started the car as he drove towards the harbor.


    He kept glancing at the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following them, not once looking at the monster behind him. Silence engulfed them for quite some time. While Jared was too incensed to speak a word, the driver was too scared to even breathe.


    But his mind kept worrying about the men who had followed Maggie and her rescuers and eventually, he gave into his apprehension.


    "Master, what about th...the men who...who are following the car?" He spoke with much difficulty.


    "What about them?" Jared growled.


    "What if they get into danger by following them?" He forced the words, making sure to not irk his Master than he already was.


    "I don''t care. Since they work for me, they have already signed their lives for me. If I order them to die, they are to die without questioning me. If I order them to follow them, they are to follow them." Jared stated and a chill ran down the driver''s spine. He was frightened to think that his Master did not have any concerns for their lives.


    "All I want is Maggie and even if they have to die in the process, it''s worth it."

 Chapter 620: Grave misunderstanding

    Aria and Maggie held onto their seat belts while Ivy zoomed past the trees with a devilish smirk on her face. She kept her gaze fixed on the road while she made sure to check the people who were following her every now and then.


    Though at times, the cars behind her did close in on them, Ivy made sure to increase the distance immediately after, forcing them to stay far away. Her driving was fast but smooth and neither of the other two women complained to her asking her to slow down.


    Despite being scared, they trusted her and Ivy''s smile widened when she saw her sister frowning lightly while she kept her eye on the side mirror.


    "Darling sister, don''t worry. Those pigs will never catch us. I am an expert at avoiding and escaping from my chasers." Ivy said with confidence and neither Aria nor Maggie doubted her. They believed in her abilities as they watched her drive brilliantly.


    But barely had she taken a right at the end of the road as she followed the path they had taken before, Ivy''s eyes narrowed. Even Aria and Maggie frowned when they noticed a fleet of cars driving towards them.


    "How the hell did they reach us from the other end? Isn''t this a single lane? When did they overtake us?" Aria pulled out her gun and filled the cartridge while she threw another to Maggie.


    "They must have been driving towards the port even before we tricked Jared. Otherwise, it is impossible for them to reach us this quickly if Jared had called for backup." Maggie reasoned and prepared herself for a fight while Ivy slowed the car for a moment.


    She glanced at the rearview mirror and the cars that were following her were nowhere in sight. They were yet to take a turn on the road.


    "What are you going to do, Ivy? We are trapped."


    Though they were surrounded by enemies in the two possible directions of escape, the ladies were exceptionally calm. They were not scared of the danger they would soon be facing. Instead, they were brimming with confidence and courage. They were willing to fight the enemy and show them what they were worth.


    Ivy glared at the fleet of cars in front of her as she slowed down even more. "Ladies, gear up. We have a fight to finish." She seethed and Aria and Maggie prepared themselves to end the nuisance Jared had put them in.


    Taking a deep breath, Ivy stepped on the accelerator and the car picked up speed with a screech. An array of dust sprang in the air the moment the car sped. But none of the women cared about it. They kept their gazes fixed on the cars that were approaching them while Ivy made sure to watch out for the people following them.  Neither woman lost their focus and they maintained their composure.


    Meanwhile, Kaito blinked twice to make sure that he was not hallucinating while he glanced at his Boss who too had his eyes fixed ahead of them. They could not make out who was in front of them for the car was quite a distance away from them.


    "Boss?" Kaito''s frown deepened when the car that had slowed down for a moment, sped up as though the driver had gone crazy all of a sudden.


    "Keep going," Noah ordered. Even though he did not know who was in the car, he could not stop right now. He still had to save the women who had put their lives at risk recklessly, without even seeking his advice before.


    "But Boss, the driver seems to have lost it," Kaito warned even though he followed his Boss'' orders. "Is that one of Jared''s men, Boss?"


    Noah narrowed his eyes and stared at the car that was racing towards them and his eyes widened immediately. Jared was not careless to send just one car if he knew about the people who were coming to get him. He needed time to escape and the only way to do so was to send more men to hold off his enemies.


    ''And there are no other buildings in this area. In that case....'' Noah''s eyes widened and he lowered the window immediately, startling Kaito completely.


    "Kaito, that must be Aria''s car. Order the men not to do anything unless I say so." He barked and Kaito followed as he was told.


    "Boss, the car is speeding towards us. I presume Madam does not know that it is us." Kaito stated as he observed the car. "If they do not slow down now, we are bound to collide at this rate."


    Noah''s frown deepened as he stared at the car. He could not decipher what Ivy was up to. Though he could still not see who was driving the car, it was easy to guess for, among the sisters, it was only Aria who knew how to handle guns while Ivy was an expert at escaping from people.


    ''Why is she racing this way? What does she want to do?'' He wondered before his eyes widened in disbelief and his body froze in fear. "What if Aria and Ivy have been caught and it is Jared''s men who are here to trick us"


    "That might be a possibility, Boss." Kaito acknowledged and barely had he finished speaking when they saw lights blinking at the further end of the road far away from the car in front of them.


    "Boss, this is a trap." Kaito almost lost his composure when he realized what was happening and he glanced at his Boss instantly. "Jared must have learned that we were following him. What do we do now?"


    Noah''s face paled for a moment when he thought about Aria and he could not accept that Jared had caught her. Moreover, the man had dared to use her car to bait him. How brave of him!!!


    "Kaito, is that Aria''s car?"


    Kaito waited until they were close enough to read the number plate and he nodded immediately. "Yes, Boss. It is."


    "Dammit." Noah gritted his teeth. "Jared is seeking his death. I am going to kill him today. Hammer into the car."


    "Boss?" Kaito was shocked but he did not show it on his face. "Okay, Boss."


    Neither man was scared for they knew who would be the one be wounded at the end. Noah''s car was custom made and it was impossible for anyone to harm him. If anyone were to hammer into his car, it would be the other person who would be impacted by the accident.


    With that thought, Kaito drove towards the car startling Ivy and Aria. And even before the ladies could comprehend what was happening, Kaito slammed into their car hard, throwing them off their seats due to the heavy impact.

 Chapter 621: Wrecked

    Neither of the girls had expected the car ahead of them to ram into them. They were unprepared for it and so the impact of the accident was huge. They were almost thrown off their seats and Aria even hit the dashboard hard.


    "What the fuck!!" Ivy cursed when she composed herself. Compared to the other two, she was quick to come out of her shock and she noticed the car reversing immediately after slamming into them.


    Ivy''s eyes widened when she realized what was happening and she immediately started her car. But to her horror, the engine refused to start and she could only watch the car in front speeding towards them.


    "Aria, Maggie, jump." That was all she could say before she removed the seat belt and jumped out of the car.


    By then, Aria and Maggie too had composed themselves and they too had realized the gravity of the situation. Though barely a few seconds, they too managed to jump out of the car before the other car rammed into them again.


    Meanwhile, Kaito had pressed on the accelerator hard after reversing the car when he noticed the driver jump out. His eyes dilated in fear when he realized who it was and his terror only rose when he saw the two other women jump out of the car immediately after. But it was too late for him to stop his car.


    Kaito slammed into the car with a bang and the impact was so huge that the other car moved back before it toppled over.


    "Boss, that''s Madam and her sister. I...I..." Only Kaito knew how scared he had been to see them here and to think that he had almost hurt them, kill them even. He turned back to face the man who had given him the orders only to find him staring ahead in horror. His face depicted how terrified he was and Kaito let out a deep breath in relief.


    What if the ladies had not jumped out of the car in the nick of the time? Just the thought of it was enough to send chills down his spine. He sat still for a few seconds to calm his racing heart.


    Noah blinked a few times and when reality hit him, he opened the car and ran outside in panic. He was sweating profusely and his worry only rose when he saw Aria''s condition. She had wounded her forehead and blood was trickling down. She seemed to be in a daze for a moment.


    It was only when she sensed someone''s gaze on her that she came out of her trance and turned her head. Her lips parted in shock when she saw who it was and she looked at him in astonishment.


    "Noah, why...." She did not even get to complete her words when the man rushed to her and pulled her into her embrace, hugging her tight.


    Bewildered, all Aria could do was blink in confusion.


    "I am so sorry, Aria. I...I..." He stammered, not knowing how to apologize for his mistake. He was still petrified to think what the outcome of the second collision would have been if the girls had not left the car.


    "I did not know it was you and I ordered Kaito to...to..."


    "Wait," Aria pulled back at once. "We need to leave from here. Let''s talk at home."


    Noah gave her a puzzled look as he helped her to stand up. He could not comprehend Aria''s reaction, not when he was too muddled to make sense of anything that was happening around him.


    Aria pressed on her wound to stop it from bleeding turned towards the fleet of cars that was approaching them.


    "Jared''s men are following us. We need to leave now." She exclaimed and Noah finally understood what was happening. He held Aria and brought her to one of the cars while Kaito just looked on. Though his Boss did not speak a word other than nodding at him curtly, he understood what was wanted of him and he nodded back at him immediately.


    "Is Jared too following you?"


    "I don''t think so." Aria shook her head slightly. "But I am not sure."


    "Okay, wait here. I will bring Maggie and Ivy."


    Aria stayed silent and pressed on her wound while Noah ran towards the other two girls who were frowning in disbelief as they stared at Kaito. Ivy was especially vexed when she saw the state her car was in. The front bumper and headlights were destroyed and her car would not even start. She glared at Kaito who just gave her a sheepish smile in return.


    "Ivy, don''t blame him. I was the one who misjudged the situation." Noah stood in front of her, obstructing her view and Ivy''s gaze snapped to him immediately. She gave him an unimpressed look before she looked at Maggie.


    "You can scold me all you want. Let''s leave from here before Jared''s men get to us."


    Though Ivy was furious, she swallowed her anger and followed Noah towards the car, taking the back seat while Maggie sat beside her. Noah sat behind the wheel and glanced at Aria in concern before he started the car.


    "What about the others?" Aria stared at Kaito and the other men who were frozen in their spots.


    "They will return once they finish dealing with the pests."


    The women understood what was bound to happen once they left the place. But nobody said a word for they trusted Noah''s men to take care of Jared''s men easily. They were clearly stronger and more skilled than them.


    Noah just nodded at Kaito and left the place even before Aria could drop her next question.


    "Are you alright, Noah?"


    "Are you okay, Aria?"


    The couple asked at the same time and Ivy rolled her eyes immediately after. Even though she had a belly full of fury, she stayed mum and observed the man who had wrecked her car.


    "I am so sorry. I thought it was Jared. I..I..." Noah bit his lip and looked at the two women behind him through the rearview mirror in remorse.


    Aria was just about to stop him when Ivy beat her to it.


    "Noah," Her irate voice made him glance at her again.


    "I am sorry, Ivy. I am really sorry, Maggie."


    "It''s fine." Maggie brushed it off as though it was nothing. Even Aria did not speak a word but Ivy was far from accepting his apology. She glowered at him and Noah cowered in his place, not liking her look of accusation.


    "You owe me a car, Noah. Until then, do not expect my forgiveness."