Chapter 3
1697 Words
“Ethan,” Mattias burst into his office with a panicked expression. “There is a problem. I just got news from Daniel that the IAA is withholding our certification.”
“How is that possible?” Ethan’s expression flickered with a tinge of concern. “When I talked to Mr. Parker yesterday, he said that they had already approved the documents. Why would they change their decision overnight?”
“I don’t know. They have classified this case. So, Daniel couldn’t find out anything.”
“Alright, tell him to keep trying.” Ethan hummed as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Also, Invite Mr. Parker to La Palace. I will deal with this matter personally.”
Mattias made the arrangements, but Alexander Parker never turned up for the dinner.
“What is going on, Mattias?” Ethan gritted through clenched teeth. “I have been waiting for Alexander Parker for the past thirty minutes. Why hasn’t he turned up?”
“I… I don’t know.” Mattias stuttered as he dialled Alexander’s number for the hundredth time. “He isn’t picking up the phone. Just give me one more minute. I will contact Aurielle.”
With that, Mattias scurried to a corner to avoid Ethan’s scorching gaze. When he returned, his face was paler than a ghost.
“Alexander Parker has forbidden everyone from contacting us. He announced in the office today that anyone found talking to us will be fired on the spot.”
“What?” Ethan’s eyes lit up with a dangerous glint. “Seems like I have treated him a bit too kindly. Make arrangements. I want him to disappear within three days.”
The aura that Ethan exuded at this moment was so terrifying that it could make anyone shudder. Mattias poured a glass of water with trembling hands and gave it to him.
“Mr. Martinez, Ethan, My King, please calm down. It hasn’t been easy for you to reach where you are. If you lose control at this juncture__”
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath. “Don’t worry. I just want him to disappear from the panel.”
Mattias let out a sigh of relief. He was always on tenterhooks around Ethan, worrying that he would relapse, resorting to violence to solve everything.
“It isn’t difficult to remove Alexander from the panel. All we need to do is leak the evidence__”
Right at that moment, Ethan’s phone buzzed with a mail notification from Alexander Parker. Mattias frowned as he peeked over Ethan’s shoulder and read the content.
‘I wanted to have dinner with you, but I am helpless. The only thing I can do right now is forward the evidence we received. Please don’t try to contact me in the future because I am resigning from my post.’
“Mr. Parker is resigning?” Mattias gasped. “Seems like the matter is more complicated than we had imagined.”
Ethan’s expression darkened as he went through the evidence. “Do you remember how Brian became our chief designer?”
“Umm… I think we had conducted an in-house contest.”
“I want all the details of that contest; process, grading analysis; Everything. Also, tell that girl what was her name again, Aria Smith, to come to my office tomorrow morning.”
Aria was sitting on the floor of her apartment with her sketchbook. Brushes, pencils, and stationery were scattered all around her, and she was drawing something with great concentration.
The shrill tune of her phone rang all of a sudden, startling her. She glanced at the caller id briefly but then ignored it. Humming a soft tune, she continued to draw. It was only when the phone rang for the twentieth time that she finally picked it up.
“Mr. Mattias,” the corner of her lips twitched with disdain. “You don’t know when to quit, do you? If someone doesn’t pick up your call, it means that they are busy.”
“I am sorry for bothering you, Miss Smith, but I really need to talk to you.”
“Why?” She snorted. “Are you not satisfied with the way your so-called other method played out?”
“NO! Yes… I mean sorry…” Mattias’s voice grew flustered. “I know we started off on the wrong footing, but can you please give me one more chance? As long as you agree to come to the office and meet Ethan, I am willing to….”
“Sorry, but I am not interested in anything you have to offer,” Aria cut him off in a bitter voice and disconnected the call. Putting her phone on silent mode, she continued drawing again.
By the time she was done, it was almost midnight. Settling for a bowl of noodles, she finally checked her phone again. There were about fifty missed calls from Mattias.
“If nothing else, this guy is persistent,” Aria mumbled as she typed out a message and send it to him. ‘Seeing how desperate you are, I will swing by. But remember, this is your last chance. If you mess up this time, there will be no room for negotiation.’
‘Thank you. Thank you so much, Miss Smith. You saved my life.’
Aria snorted and shook her head. This guy. He is so dramatic.
***
“Ethan,” Mattias greeted, handing him two files. “This is the information you had asked for. The blue one contains the details about the contest and the black one has all the information we could gather about Miss Smith.”
Ethan merely grunted in response and started flipped open the black file. “This only says that she is from Yukon, stays in a mansion with someone named Dallas Liverpool and is a fashion designer. Why is there no information about her family and educational background?”
“This is all Denver could find about her. It is as if someone has deliberately wiped out all the data related to Aria Smith.”
“Seems like this woman is not so simple after all. Not many people can pull off something like this.” Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Send someone to Yukon to investigate her thoroughly.”
Ethan’s gaze drifted to the clock, and he asked, “Why hasn’t she arrived yet? It’s already eleven.”
Mattias’s expression turned gloomy, making him look like he would burst out crying at any moment.
“Ethan, I think someone has jinxed me. Nothing seems to be going my way. It is as if I have lost all my ability.” He clasped Ethan’s hand over the table. “If you don’t want to get affected by the curse… you should… you should replace me with someone better.”
“Stop spewing nonsense!” Ethan snapped, pulling his hand out of his grip. “Call that girl and ask her why she hasn’t arrived yet. Never mind, just give me her number. I will call her myself.”
Aria didn’t have Ethan’s number. So, she picked it up on the first ring. “Hello?”
“How long before you finally make an appearance?”
“Sorry?”
“I think we had agreed to meet at ten in the morning.”
“Who is this?” There was a brief pause. “Ethan?”
“Yes. Now tell me why you haven’t arrived yet,” Ethan snapped, struggling to keep his voice from shaking with anger. “Do you have any idea how busy I am? My every minute is worth thousands of dollars.”
“Just because you earn more money, it doesn’t make your time more valuable. Everyone’s time is equally important.” Faced with an arrogant man like Ethan, Aria couldn’t hold back her temper. “Do you ever try to get the facts straight before running that snobbish mouth of yours?” Her voice turned hoarse as she continued. “I arrived at Shengri La at dot ten in the morning. It was your security that didn’t let me in.”
She disconnected the call without waiting for an answer. However, the next moment, she called him back again only to shout, “Don’t you ever call me again! If you do…. If you do… I don’t know what I will end up doing!”
This was the first time an outsider had talked to Ethan like this. He was so furious that he couldn’t even speak for an entire minute. His expression darkened and his aura turned so cold that Mattias felt a chill run down his spine.
Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he asked in a hesitant voice, “B… Boss, what is the matter?”
“Find out Aria’s current location. We are going to meet her right now.” His steely expression turned colder. “Let me see if she can keep up her arrogance when we are standing face to face!”
“But boss….”
Ethan shot him such a glare that he froze. “I… I will make the arrangements right away.”
Aria was sitting in a café when a group of about fifteen men marched inside and surrounded her table.
The sight of the men in their black suits, their stern expressions and imposing presence, sent a shiver down her spine. She could sense the tension in the air as a palpable unease enveloped the entire café.
The customers and employees scurried further, not daring to make even a single sound. Some of them left without making payments while the others hid behind the cabinet.
Clenching the fabric of her skirt with her fingers, she stuttered, “W… What is going on here?”
“You will find out soon.” The man standing to her right replied in a gruff voice, “Our boss is right behind us.”
The sound of footsteps echoed in the now empty café and a man dressed in a grey suit came into view.
A flash of annoyance flickered through Aria’s features. ‘It’s you.”
- Writer
