Liar Liar Billionaires

30. Miss me?

THE NEXT DAY…

Chloe felt different in a good yet almost strange way.

And, without thinking, her hand went to her lips.

Then she remembered.

The kiss.

Her smile.

His voice.

Chloe groaned. Nathaniel had now captured her with his annoying aura. Backing out now would be super hard.

Before she knew it, a dreamy smile was on her lips. In the next seconds, she was imagining his fine face and that sexy smirk of his. And those lips… she desired to feel them again.

A vibratory sound broke her out of it.

Almost shuddering in irritation, she reached for her smartwatch. A glance at the screen reminded her that she got tons of calls from the Agency the previous night.

Without wasting much time, she walked to the bathroom.

"Agent Pepper," she said once a click responded on the other side.

"Do you have a death wish, Pepper?" It was Agent Markings again. “Wasn't I clear enough when I said you shouldn't get involved in Mr. Cook's issues?"

“You know it takes more than a mere threat to stop me,” Chloe managed to remain calm. “Also, Agent Markings, if I recall correctly. You didn't scout me. I offered to work for the Agency. I-”

“You really want to play this game? You think-”

“I am not always obligated to do things by the book. If you have a problem with that… screw you, sir.”

Agent Markings' breath flared from where he was. “You really want to play with fire, Agent Pepper?”

“No.” She wasn't willing to back down. “You people are the ones playing with fire. Till now, I haven't heard a single update about my brother. You must think I'm daft.”

"Pepper..."

"You clearly just want to take advantage of me and leave me hanging dry.” She chuckled like a mad person. “Listen, sir… if I don't get what I ask for by the end of this mission, make sure you stay away from me. You’ve heard the rumours of my craziness, I'll prove those rumours.”

Perhaps it was the calm in her voice as she spoke, but at the end of all that, she felt like a renewed soul.

After many seconds, Markings said, “This is quite audacious, Chloe?”

“Do you need anything else, sir?”

“Uh…” Chloe snickered at his loss for words. “Just keep an eye out. Their shipment is arriving today.”

"I know that."

"And you know what you have to do?"

A loud knock came from outside her room.

"I do."

"Good. Once we confirm the contents, we’ll know what to do next."

“What if we don't find something incriminating?”

The knock came again.

As Chloe wondered who it might be, the thought that it could be Nathaniel made her smile. Then, she reminded herself to ensure she makes him apologise for his rudeness over the past few days.

“You sound hesitant,” Markings pointed out. “Don’t tell me the NAG brothers are softening you. Are you forgetting why you're there? You-”

“I'll get back to you, sir.” She ended the call and walked out to her door.

A lovely bouquet of light-purple flowers greeted her once she opened the door. And holding it was not the person she expected to see.

“Hello, Cupcake,” Gabriel's nice voice greeted.

It had been a while since she last saw him. And his finely suited appearance was quite unexpected.

So, she was struck with awe by his very handsome presence. She even found his differently styled hair fascinating.

“You good?” He called her out of her trance.

“Yeah…” With a casual shrug, she flickered her eyes to the flower. “I’m… I’m good.”

“I got these for you.”

To tame the little attraction she felt towards Gabriel’s handsomeness, Chloe tightly hugged the bouquet to her chest, and she wondered if she would be the reason a rift would exist between Nathaniel and Gabriel.

Unable to endure the thought of creating such drama, she looked up at him and said, “Gabriel, I really meant it when I said we should be friends.”

“Friends don't gift flowers to each other?”

“Oh.” Even his voice seemed more alluring. “I guess that can happen.”

They shared a smile, and she returned her focus to the flower.

Suddenly, a loud screech came from downstairs.

"What's that?"

"Oh," he looked towards the stairs. "We are receiving some new stuff today.”

"Oh. What stuff?"

He reached for her nose and pulled gently. "That's none of your business, Chloe."

Of course, he wouldn't tell her.

"Before I forget. The new stuff will be kept in Amir's basement, so don't bother to clean that today. Let Lucille know."

"Okay."

That statement reeked of suspicious activity.

He flashed another smile before he said, "Alright, Cupcake. I have to go. Business stuff."

Swiftly and skillfully, he leaned closer and placed a light peck on her cheeks.

And before she could react, his lips drew closer to her ear and he whispered, “I still think about our kiss. But I'll wait for the day you desire the same.”

He drew back, flashed a smile that revealed his dimples and with his hands pocketed, he sauntered away.

Chloe sighed.

Gabriel not backing down from his desires would definitely create a rift. And that easily meant more drama.

This was why she wasn't willing to lean into what her heart wanted.

Well, now that Nathaniel even appears in her dream, it was super clear that fighting her emotions would yield no progress.

It would be better for her to shift her focus to other things.

So, while biting into her lower lip, she went back to her room to scheme a plan to investigate the shipment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

According to her plan, Chloe left her room late at night to check out the shipment.

And fortunately for her, the house was mostly empty.

Apart from Amir, or so, others stepped out. And the last she checked, Amir was busy arranging his gaming stuff, which he had to move to another room.

As she stealthily moved, she discovered that her heart was unusually nervous. It seemed she was worried about finding something illegal in the shipment.

After all, if that should be the case, the men will be jailed and her identity will be revealed.

With a low groan, Chloe shook her head in self-pity.

And she wondered why the heck she ended up falling for one of the NAG brothers when they'd eventually hate her at the end.

After glancing at her uniform, which she didn't bother to change, she gently sped down the stairs.

She was nearly at the end when someone startlingly pulled at her left hand.

This person pulled her with him. Until they were both standing in a dim corner.

Then, her eyes were pulled into certain blue eyes that glowed even more as a husky voice asked, “Missed me?