Liar Liar Billionaires

15. To Find A Strong Lead Or Not

The ride to the clubhouse, named Club NAG, was a very fast one. Chloe guessed they moved that fast to stop the news of Amir’s crimes from leaking.

While she thought it was very likely that the news was already out there, she wondered if she would find any strong evidence at the scene. It was high time she got her hands on a very, very strong lead that would accelerate the game of her mission.

“Does she have to come along?” The grumpy man asked Nathaniel, who waved off his question. “But we hardly know her.”

“You hardly know her,” Nathaniel replied as the car stopped in a very crowded car park. “I am not leaving her out here. It’s too dangerous.” He then got down and helped her out of the car.

While Chloe inwardly appreciated his protective gesture, she wished to tell him that she could take care of herself. But that, of course, wasn’t a detail he needed to know.

As she waited for the men to make a move towards the grand building, her eyes swept the surroundings. And she noticed two police vehicles positioned in a corner. While she debated within her mind if Amir would be arrested or not, Nathaniel’s familiar presence pulled her closer to him.

“Stay next to me,” he whispered. “It can get wild in there.”

She smiled and allowed his contact to lead her in.

And he was right. It was indeed very wild.

Once they reached the core of the building, they met loud music that threatened to make her ears bleed. Apart from that was the mix of many scents among the many people who recklessly danced and made out while the DJ thrilled the space with music.

Once the three of them were away from that intoxicated space, Chloe released a sigh of relief, her soul glad that the music had been blocked out.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nathaniel asked softly as they approached another floor where some numbered doors were spread apart.

She nodded. “Yeah. I am.”

“Just-”

“I said I didn’t do it!” That interrupting voice was undoubtedly Amir’s, and it came from one of the rooms.

Nathaniel left Chloe’s side and rushed in that direction.

“Stay right here,” the other man ordered Chloe, and she watched as he walked away in the opposite direction, his broad back swinging with every step he took.

“Let me take over from here,” Nathaniel’s voice echoed from the room he entered, so Chloe followed that voice.

Once she located it, she noticed that the space was occupied by a regular-sized bed with roughened sheets. Clearly, something crazy happened in the room. And there was no way she was going to stay away from hearing the details of the situation.

“Amir,” Nathaniel’s legs shifted closer to the seated man, “what’s going on?”

Amir, shirtless and profusely sweating, lifted his eyes to Nathaniel. With a hardened gaze, he strenuously replied, “I didn’t do it.”

Nathaniel sighed and faced the two men inside the room. “What happened?”

One of the men who seemed to be a worker answered, “We heard a scream a few minutes ago while cleaning the room two doors away. The sound came from room 006. The lady we met there was in serious pain. When we asked her what happened, she said the man in 005 forced her to sleep with him. When we checked, we met Mr Cook in this room.”

“Where’s the lady?” Nathaniel returned his stern gaze to Amir.

“She was taken to the hospital.”

“Was it that bad? God…” Nathaniel slapped his face and slowly dragged his hands down, his frustration growing even bigger. “Amir, what the heck have you done?”

Amir’s anger was no longer hidden. “ I told you. I didn’t do shit.”

“Sir…” Their bodyguard ran in, his shoulder slapping Chloe out of the way. “It’s been taken care of.”

Chloe frowned, her hands clenching.

Taken care of? What? The situation? Just like that, they’ve swept this issue under the carpet?

“Good. The lady is in the hospital. Take care of that too. And…” Nathaniel sighed. “Don’t forget to tighten loose ends. “

“Noted, sir.”

“And you two,” he spoke to the workers who were both gripping the hems of their black shirt uniform, “if a single word of this gets out, I’ll have to deal with you.” His steps inched closer, and the duo did not hide how fearful they had become. “Again, not a single word.”

“Y-yes, sir.” After that feverish response, they rushed out.

“Amir…” Nathaniel sighed again. “Let’s go home. There’s a lot to talk about.”

"Dude, you've got to believe me."

"The truth will be out eventually. Let’s go.”

It was as though Chloe was invisible, the way they both walked past her, while heavy silence preceded their steps.

Now super curious about how things would play out from that moment, Chloe, for the first time, found herself gladdened by the fact that she was living in the same house with the NAG brothers.

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

TWO DAYS LATER…

Everyone was about to disperse after dinner when Nathaniel commanded all of them to wait behind.

He clearly wanted to address Amir’s issue.

It had been two days after that incident, and since then, the vibe in the mansion was very off. The men hardly conversed with each other like before. They didn’t even meet in their conversation room to discuss business.

“Amir.” Nathaniel adjusted his posture. “For the umpteenth time, I am asking you. Did you ot did you not r**e that lady?”

Amir, whose head was ducked, sprang out of his seat in fury. “Really, Nathaniel? Really? Even if you’re going to insist on asking me that damn question, do you have to do it in front of the maids?”

Chloe didn’t mind Amir’s statement. But Lucille did look quite uncomfortable.

Nathaniel, who didn’t bother to look at Amir, then replied, “Embarrassing you in front of them might push you to confess.”

“Wh… Wh…” Amir’s breath raged as words failed him. His hands gripping his head, his feet staggering backwards a little, he firmly watched Nathaniel. “I can’t believe this.” He dropped his hands. “I can’t believe that you, of all people, don’t believe me.”

Nathaniel looked at him. “I want to.” He then slammed an envelope onto the table. “But inside this envelope is information that tells me otherwise. It gives a reason to doubt you.”

“What the heck do you mean by that?” Amir’s eyes searched for answers in Gabriel’s direction. But Gabriel was quietly seated, his arms folded and his eyes closed. “What’s inside it?”

“Proof that they found your sperm inside that lady,” Nathaniel dropped, and Chloe wished she could butt in to tell Amir how dirty his character was. “Do you care to confess now?”

"How many times do you want me to repeat myself?! I did not do it!"

"Don't dare raise your voice and tell the truth."

Amir stomped his feet on the ground and insisted firmly, "I didn't do it."

"I guess you don't mind going to jail then."

"Uh?"

"Amir." Nathaniel got up and walked to Amir. "This is the third time. With this, the police will definitely want to probe. Despite the patches we’ve used to hide this, they will investigate. So..." He gripped his shoulders. "Do yourself a favour and please confess. That way, we can help you.”

Amir shrugged Nathaniel's hands away. “I have never forced a woman to sleep with me.”

“Then explain to me why your sperm was found in every woman you’ve been accused of forcing?”

“I am clearly being framed,” Amir replied.

And Chloe noticed that she was considering the innocence in his body language. She just couldn't ignore it.

Nathaniel sighed and backed out. "This is useless."

"Why don't you believe me? I can't… This is…" Amir seemed to be hyperventilating. It took him many seconds to regain his composure. "You know what, I am going to show you all. I will prove my innocence. Then, maybe you would believe me." He stormed out.

Chloe sighed as the crazy tension he left behind plunged them all into a different kind of silence.

No one could look at anyone. No one could say anything.

Now feeling worried for Amir because of his outburst, Chloe began to wonder if there was a chance the Agency didn’t give her complete information about his issue. If that were a possibility, that could spell huge problems because working with diluted or wrong information could lead to events that might hurt innocent people.

Clearly, the only way to sort out the complexity of this issue was to investigate it at its root. She would have to set aside their differences and help Amir’s desire to prove whether or not he was innocent.