SEXY SCANDAL

TWELVE

“Hey!” He exclaimed, his voice cutting through the tension as he grabbed a nearby pillow and tossed it playfully, yet firmly in my direction. “Why are you smirking like that? That’s f*****g suspicious.” I didn’t respond, my silent deliberate as my gaze drifted back to the phone. My eyes scanned the details of the text, piecing together the piece of information.

Allen, growing impatient, stood up from the sofa, his curiosity getting the better of him. He walked over to me snatching the phone from my hand. His eyes darted across the screen, reading aloud as if to confirm his suspicions “…Samantha Martinez, daughter of Ted Martinez, the investigator who had died working on your sister’s case…” I knew she looked f*****g familiar…

“… She works at Blue Horizon Diner, 25 years…” he continued, his brow furrowing as he processed the details. “…What’s all this?” he said when he was done reading. I just smirked, letting the silence hang between us as I leaned back in my chair, unfazed. “Ellis…” he said looking serious this time. “You’re never interested in any woman… ever. So what happened?” I looked up, my expression deliberately bored.

“Just a weak little spy” I replied, my words dripping with nonchalance.

“Come to think of it, if she’s the daughter of Ted. She’d be a major key in figuring who did that to… you know…” my hands clenched. “I just need to get her into my public circle. And that wouldn’t be possible without suspicion”

Allen suddenly smirked, looking like an idea was forming in his head, “Actually it is, if she was your wife. Noone would question or suspect if she's your wife” my face twitched, my lips pressing into a thin line as I glared, clearly uncomfortable with where this was heading. “… wait, listen to me, That’s good. You’ll just have to get her to marry you. That way, you can do that without any difficulty.”

My eyes widened in shock, my jaw dropping slightly as I processed what he just said. I watched him intently, my gaze searching his like I was trying to determine whether he’d lost his mind. I shook my head, “Marriage can’t be an option. There must be something else…”

“And besides, marriage at this point would really work in your favor” I shut my eyes, as if trying to push the thought away. “I’m a genius, right?” his voice came again.

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If anyone told me earlier that I’d be here, at Blue Horizon Dinner, watching Samantha closely like I’m the hawk and she’s my prey, I would have dismissed it as utter nonsense with a scoff and the wave of my hand.. Yet here I was, sitting in the shadows of the diner’s dimly lit corner, my eyes trained on her every move as she balanced a tray of steaming coffee mugs and plates of greasy food.

I had put a tail on her earlier today, and already made sure to get my lawyer draft up a legal contract for the arrangement. I was going to marry her, whether she liked it or not.

I know I was totally against it yesterday, the very idea of tying myself to someone in such a calculated manner, but… circumstances have shifted. I need the identity of that serial killer more than anything. He struck again yesterday, killed ten innocent commoners, including three of my own workers. Their deaths carried out with the same method that had marked his previous killings.

I was tired of sitting back. This had to stop. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing this for the society. This is for my personal gain, for vengeance. I know that the incident with Courtney was a warning. It wasn’t going to end there. And I must get the upper hand before any of them involved. So for now, Samantha Martinez is my only hope.

I watched her carefully, her dark hair pulled back to a messy bun, a few loose strands framing her face as she smiled politely at a customer, her blue eyes catching the faint glow of the diner’s neon sign. Her eyes met mine for a split second and the look in her eyes made me smirk—Fear. It sent a thrill through me. She should be scared of me. That way she’ll obey without any defiance. That fear was my ally, my weapon.

Fear… It was a powerful emotion, one I had learned to wield like a blade. It kept people in line, made them predictable. And she wasn’t different. I needed her to be scared, to understand that I held all the power in this situation. She looked away immediately, hurrying into where I assumed was the kitchen, her movements jerky and forceful, as if she could escape the weight of my gaze by just retreating behind the swinging doors. But there was no escape—not from me.