"So, Mr. Virell… are you trying to manipulate me against him—The Northern Dark?" I asked, standing with my back against the wall, facing him.
"First hear, then speak, Ariadne Oak," he said, his expression darkening again.
"Go ahead."
"Here's some evidence. Against you."
"Against me?" I repeated, astonished.
"Yes. Do you know the maids assigned to come here early every weekend?"
"Yes… so what? And I do carry my own evidence with me, as you all know."
"Have you ever thought," he leaned in slightly, "that though you carry your evidence carefully, and the maids come here in your presence, you never questioned why—on the day you asked him to assign maids—he agreed so easily? A man who's always cautious… yet he assigned forty maids here. One of them is tasked with cleaning the room holding your evidence."
"So?"
"One day, one weekend, she's going to find it. And then… what will you do, dear Ariadne?"
"Is this a quiz? Of course I'll kill— wait, what? What do you mean?" My eyes widened in shock.
"Good question," he said slyly. "Here's the thing: even if you discover she's found it, there are thirty-nine other maids. You can't kill her immediately. And what if she's the extroverted type? She might rush off to tell the others. If she's an introvert, you might be lucky—she'll hesitate, take time to think. If you act before she talks, maybe you'll get the chance to kill her. Do you see the trap now?"
"Oh, for God's sake! Stop playing riddles and come to the point."
"Fine. He's planning to cut ties with you after his mission is complete. You think he's protecting you from us? Yes, he is. But we've ordered him to kill you as soon as his task is done. And he can kill you—but he won't. He's looking for a normal life for himself and his daughter. He'll send you to prison instead—and try to sacrifice us too."
"Ohhh, so that's why you're telling me all this." I smirked. "You want me to help you break free and deal with him. In short… you need my help."
His face tightened. "Well, yes."
"And you also want me to draw a line between him and me, work for you, and once I've served my purpose, you'll kill me too. Isn't that right?"
He flushed. "Y-yes."
Haha… he's actually kind of cute.
"Well, I think it's time for me to leave."
He kicked off his shoes, stood, and walked toward the gallery of windows. But before he could step out, I grabbed his collar from behind. "Who's going to clean the room filled with shattered glass?"
"You want me to clean it?" He half-turned to me.
"Yes. Or pay to repair it. What's it going to be?"
He turned fully, pried my hand off his collar, and stalked toward me. I backed up until my shoulders hit the wall. He slammed his palms on either side of my head, caging me in.
"Listen. I can't pay you. But I can offer payment in the form of a physical arrangement between us. Do you want that, sister?" He leaned close, his breath warm on my face.
I shoved him back, blushing furiously. "No. Just leave!"
He smirked, his eyes glittering.
"When I asked why Thomas Oak gave you this mansion, you said it was to hide you from other heads and undercover agents—including Sexy Night. Right?"
"Sexy Night? Who—wait. Crimson Night?"
"Yes."
Oh god. "You must've misheard. Quick slip of the tongue," I lied smoothly.
"Really?"
"Yes. Really."
"Mm-hmm. Well… see you soon."
"You seem to see me every damn time."
"No, not every time. Only evenings and nights. Night shift, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah."
He left.
"I need to be careful. Very careful," I whispered to myself.
Three Days Later
The day of departure to India…
At Paris Airport.
"I'll miss you, darling. Don't do anything foolish that might worry me—or my sweet mother-in-law," Nari cooed, smothering David in kisses.
What an annoying wench, I thought, watching her from a few feet away.
"My son, when you arrive, let us know immediately," Yuneci Charlotte said coolly, standing nearby with her bodyguard.
"Call me every day so I know what you're doing—and especially who you're with." Nari turned sharply to glare at me.
I instinctively stepped further away from David.
Nari stalked over and grabbed my wrist, pulling me six feet back.
"Stay six feet away from my darling. Always," she snapped.
She gestured, and a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black suit and sunglasses stepped forward.
"This is my personal bodyguard. He's under strict orders to ensure no woman gets close to my sweetheart."
I stared at her with blank annoyance.
"Any problem?" she demanded.
"Ah… n-no."
"I didn't think so."
David interjected nervously, "There's no need for this, Nari. Who would dare go against my strong future wife?"
"Oh, David…"
"My wife," he corrected proudly.
"Gross," I muttered.
Nari shot me another icy glare. "Six feet. Remember?"
"Yes, yes," I said, stepping back.
They embraced again.
Disgusting.
Later, aboard the plane…
I was typing on my laptop when David called out. "Miss Caroline Garnier."
"Yes, sir?"
"Why don't you sit beside me? There's an empty seat here."
"Actually, sir, I would—but your wife installed a proximity detector on you. It senses when a woman gets too close and records conversations."
"What? Where?" He reached for his neck.
I pointed. "Just below your collar."
He felt for it and found a small device embedded in his suit. He struggled to remove it.
"Don't waste your time, sir. It's fixed tightly."
"That damned termagant!" he muttered.
I laughed, then quickly stifled it behind my hand.
"You know why she did this?" he asked.
"Why?"
"Once, I had a female secretary like you. She tried manipulating me—using her body and charm. But I don't respond to that. One day, she pushed too far. Nari walked in, caught her red-handed, slapped her, and threw her out. Since then, Nari insists I only have male secretaries. You're the first exception because of your interview score."
"Hmm. So I was chosen only because I outscored every male candidate?"
"Yes. You scored 98%. The HR pleaded with Nari to approve you."
So… they switched the original name to mine under Thomas Oak's order. Interesting.
"But still—you could sit here. She can't do anything from this distance."
"If you don't mind, sir." I stood, but before I could take a step, another tall bodyguard blocked my path.
"Sorry, ma'am. Madam Park forbade any woman from approaching him—even for official work."
"Excuse me. Isn't he your boss?" I asked icily.
"No. Sir Charlotte and Madam Park signed an agreement—they share rights over each other's staff."
She's gone too far this time, I thought.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated.
"Yes, Monsieur Oak?"
"Where are you?"
"I'm still on the flight. Why?"
"That bitch Crimson is en route to India too."
"What?!" My pulse spiked.
"Yes. Virell spotted you from a tall building beside Velvéra, you were booking your flight and he reported it to the boss. Boss ordered Crimson Night to track your details and so she boarded her own flight yesterday. But she doesn't know the purpose of your going there with him. She's in the game now. Ariadne Oak… what will you do?"
"Interesting." A slow smile spread across my face. "Let's not take the coward's path. Watch me, Father. Watch what I can do."