Chapter 99: Underground meetings.
The morning sunlight had barely begun to filter through the curtains when Scott felt the faint vibration of a phone beside him.
Flora was still asleep, her breathing soft, the warmth of rest and medicine lingering after the blackout she'd suffered. Her hair spilled across the pillow like a loose veil, and all night he'd been careful not to wake her.
The phone buzzed again. He frowned. It wasn't Flora's usual tone for business calls, and it certainly wasn't his. She stirred faintly, shifting against the pillow. Scott reached over, his palm brushing her arm, and quietly took the device from the bedside table.
Unknown Number.
His gaze lingered for a beat before he stood, slipping out of bed without a sound. He stepped into the hallway, leaving the bedroom door half-shut to keep the noise from her.
"Hello," he said, his voice low but edged-one he reserved for strangers who got too close.
The voice on the other end chuckled softly.
"Oh, Mr. Silver... good morning. Please, could you kindly hand the phone to your wife? I'd like to speak with her on some things."
Scott's jaw tightened. His eyes flicked to the bedroom door, as if even the suggestion of waking her was an intrusion. He let the silence hang, measuring the man's tone-too casual for his liking.
His brows drew together, his voice shifting to a controlled frost. "Don't give me a mouthy attitude. Who are you? And why are you calling my wife this early?"
The man gave another small, amused laugh before answering.
"Oh, it's just about some projects we're running in the company. She needs to attend a meeting this morning about the missing files-the message and... well, please do relay my messages. Thanks."
The call ended before Scott could reply.
He stood still for a moment, the phone warm in his hand. For a man to personally call Flora like that... it didn't sit right. It felt like an attempt to bypass him, to open a direct line to her.
When he returned to the bedroom, Flora was awake, hair tumbling over her shoulders as she pushed herself up. Her eyes, still heavy with sleep, found him.
"Phone... what happened?" she murmured. "Where is my phone? Did someone call me?"
"Yes," he said, casual but measured. "Said he was one of the people managing your new project. Something about missing files. There's a meeting this morning. Are you going?"
She nodded almost instantly, the determination in her eyes already set.
"You don't need to," Scott countered gently. "I can call your director. You should take a few days off."
"No, Scott," she said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "This is important. Those files have been missing for days. I have to be there. When I get back, we'll talk about everything."
He studied her, reading both the fatigue and the resolve. "Are you sure? You don't seem fine to me."
Her lips curved faintly. "If you want me to be fine, let me go. That's part of it."
His chest tightened at her stubborn practicality. Finally, he gave a reluctant nod. "Alright. But I'll escort you. You're carrying our baby."
Her smile softened. "Alright, love. You can. Thank you."
"I'll have breakfast brought up," he murmured. "Something light. You don't need to get up yet."
She gave him a small, grateful smile. "You're being too nice."
"There's no such thing when it comes to you," he said quietly.
He stayed by her side until her eyes closed again, the phone still in his pocket, the man's voice echoing faintly in his thoughts. For now, all that mattered was keeping her comfortable, protected-from anything or anyone that might disturb her peace.
But he would be watching. The missing files meeting might be important for her-but he intended to find out exactly who had called, and why.
~~~~~~
A few minutes later, Scott's car pulled up in front of the Firefold Entertainment Company. The tall glass skyscrapers loomed above them, sunlight striking off the windows like shards of silver.
Scott parked at the curb. Flora leaned over and hugged him, her scent warm in the morning air.
"Baby, I'll be back soon," she said softly.
He arched an eyebrow, smirking in mock seriousness. "Oh, my darling... do I not need to follow you up there?"
She laughed, shaking her head quickly. "No, no, no, honey-no need. You know what would happen if I brought my husband to my workplace?" She grinned.
Scott chuckled, catching her hand before she pulled away. "I might take all the attention, is that it?"
"Exactly," she teased, leaning in for another quick hug.
He kissed her lightly on the lips, lingering just enough for her to smile before she slipped out of the car.
Flora walked toward the building with her usual elegance. From the way she carried herself, no one could have guessed she was pregnant-except for the colleagues who'd visited her at home and knew.
Inside the lobby, she offered polite greetings as she passed.
"Hello, everyone."
"Hello, Manager," she added, approaching Mr. Williams.
"Oh, Flora," Mr. Williams said, a mixture of impatience and relief in his tone. "We've been waiting for you. Here-this is Mr. Andrea Hart. He's the co-sponsor of this project from Crea dé La Technologies. You can meet him now."
Flora's gaze followed his gesture-and her stomach tightened. The man who stood was a stranger, tall, neatly dressed, with eyes that watched her too closely. It took only a second for her to realize: this must be the voice from the call Scott had mentioned.
She stepped forward and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Andrea."
Andrea smiled-too smoothly. "Nice to meet you, Miss Flora. Or rather... Mrs. Silver." His emphasis on the title was deliberate, his smile edged with something almost mocking.
A faint chill crept along her skin. She drew her hand back sooner than she'd intended, as if shaking off an unseen weight. "Please, have your seat, sir," she said, keeping her voice professional.
Andrea sat, leaning back in his chair with an elegance that felt calculated, idly rolling it as though he were the one directing this meeting.
Mr. Williams began briskly, "Alright, so-the meeting. What are we going to do about the missing file? I had wanted to take certain disciplinary action against you, but Mr. Andrea here begged on your behalf. Said it wasn't your fault."
Flora blinked. She had never met this man before. Why would he speak for her?
She turned to Andrea with a measured nod. "Thank you, Mr. Andrea. I appreciate it." Then her attention snapped back to Williams, her tone sharpening. "And you, Mr. Williams-you never even sat me down to ask what really happened. You simply decided I was at fault because you're the manager?"
The room seemed to still for a moment. Andrea's brows lifted slightly, clearly intrigued. There was no outrage in his expression-if anything, he looked... entertained.
What a courageous woman, his eyes seemed to say.
Flora sat straighter, unflinching under both men's gazes. She wasn't about to let either of them, stranger or superior, decide her story without her voice in it.
Flora looked Mr. Williams squarely in the eye.
"Mr. Williams, you're someone I respect very much-but I never expected you to act in such an unprofessional way. How could you make that decision without calling my attention to it? How could you come to a conclusion without even having a single conversation with me?"
Mr. Williams shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. He wanted to defend himself, but then seemed to think better of it, remembering who he was speaking to.
"Oh, Flora... alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he admitted. "First, Tesly explained some parts to me. But I felt-"
"You felt what, Mr. Williams?" Flora cut in, her voice sharp.
He fell silent.
"Well, here's what happened..." she continued.
Flora recounted everything from start to finish. When she was done, she leaned forward slightly, her tone calm but firm.
"Now you see? I made sure everything was intact. I locked each one of them. By the time I returned to the company-when Tesly came to tell me-it had been opened. Some files were even scattered on the floor. That means you need to conduct a proper investigation into who's behind this. This is more like a robbery. Aren't you going to do anything about it? Or should I call Mr. Mareed Michael's attention to it?"
"No, no, no... we don't have to do that," Mr. Williams said quickly, almost pleading.
"Alright. No problem," Flora replied evenly. "Since we still have the files on the system, we can work with those."
"Let's proceed to the project work," Mr. Williams said at last.
Evie, who had been silent the entire time, let out a quiet sigh.
~~~~~
After a few hours, Scott took Flora home. Once they arrived, he prepared her favorite food, setting it down with that calm care he always had around her.
"I've got a meeting to attend," he told her.
"All right," Flora replied, a faint smile on her lips. "But don't come home late."
He hugged her deeply, the kind of embrace that lingered, and smiled against her hair before letting go.
When Scott left, he drove straight to the underground meeting hall. The place was already alive with low murmurs. Jann and Joan were present - for now, they were the only two women in the room.
Scott's gaze swept over the table as he took his seat. "How is everyone's investigation going?"
Jann shifted, her eyes flicking, as she stood at the far end. "Broe is already responding to my deception," she said at last, her voice even but her head lowered slightly. "I'll get him soon."
Scott gave a brief nod of satisfaction. "What about you, Royce?"
Royce, standing at the back, straightened immediately. "Sky Lord, my attack on Black Eye-"
Scott's gaze sharpened. "Black Eye? Arthur's right-hand man? What exactly are you planning to do?"
Royce met his eyes squarely. "I'll be using the same tactic, Sky Lord. Last time, I got carried away. That's the only reason he could harm me."
Scott didn't press him further. He turned his attention to Michael, who sat two seats away.
"There's a man I came across today," Scott said. "Andrea Hart. You know him?"
Michael leaned back, calm but visibly thinking. "No," he said, shaking his head. "Don't know anyone by that description."
Venom spoke up from his side. "Boss, what happened? Should I dig into him?"
Scott shook his head once, then changed his mind. "Actually, yes. We're going to make findings on him. The man's very, very suspicious. Believe it or not, he called my wife this morning.... Spoke as if he knew me personally. As if he knew Flora." His eyes narrowed. "When I tried to search him up, there was nothing. That's... off. Right?"
"Yes, Boss," Prum said immediately.
"Good," Scott replied. "Everyone stays alert. Our enemies - they're multiplying."
Roy nodded grimly. "Yeah... just like yesterday. You know what happened? Diana ran into my girlfriend, Beauty. Doesn't that feel suspicious too?"
Gad raised an eyebrow. "Really? Wow. People keep looking for trouble they can't finish."
Maxson's smile turned cold. "Then we'll help them finish it."
"Exactly," Gad murmured.
Michael tapped the table lightly. "I'll speak to Duncan about this. He's the one running our subsidiary company. I think there's a project he's managing right now... Crea dé La Technologies. I'll get more information."
Scott leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing as though replaying a memory in slow motion. "Alright, good to hear. I'll be expecting your response," he told Michael, though his mind was already pulling ahead.
Hack leaned forward from his corner. "So, boss, what's the next thing now?"
Scott's gaze didn't leave the table. "Act. Act, Hack. But carefully."
"Carefully? That's not you, boss."
"That's exactly why we're still alive," Scott countered with a half-smirk. "We just need to stay out of that... for now. Looking at that Andrea Hart-" He tapped the side of his head as though tracing the man's profile. "I think he's a secret mafia operator. Because his voice never seems too cold nor hot. Balanced. Too balanced. He knows how to refine himself."
Roy frowned. "Balanced is bad?"
"In this world? Balanced means practiced. Practiced means trained. And trained means dangerous," Scott said, his voice steady, deliberate - the kind of tone that could freeze a man mid-step. "If he's going to enter into our own jungle, then, he will never leave."
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