Four days later, I noticed something off about Dr. Felix.
He looked… devilish.
Curiosity got the better of me.
"I'm very sure Judy is still mad at you, right?" I asked casually.
Before he could respond, a maid rushed in.
"Sir, your father wants to see you."
He clicked his tongue and left immediately.
I walked over to the sofa, put on my headset, and tapped into the conversation.
"Felix."
His father's voice was cold.
"I don't want you to marry that girl, Judy."
Silence.
"I already have someone suitable for you."
I smirked slightly.
Of course.
"On one condition, you can marry her," the man continued.
"I can see you're in love. She's your weakness."
My eyes darkened.
"So you will complete the mission given to you at the casino."
Ah…
Now we're talking.
"Find the serial killer who ruined the Wellington family. The Don wants her on our side."
A pause.
"And bring the hacker known as Mee J to us."
I froze for a split second. Interesting.
"I knew you called me here to threaten me," Felix's voice came out low, controlled.
"I came so you wouldn't involve Judy."
His tone dropped further.
"But it seems I miscalculated."
The air turned heavy.
"If anything happens to Judy…" he continued,
"I will kill you myself."
Silence.
Cold. Dangerous silence.
"And I won't become like you," he added.
"I won't marry for power. I won't trade my happiness."
His voice cracked slightly.
"You already took that from me once."
A pause.
"You won't take her too."
That was when it clicked.
The "she" and "him"…
Judy.
And Dr. Felix.
Without wasting time, I sent him a message:
Don't worry. We'll find Judy.
He shouldn't act recklessly now.
Not in this state.
I've never heard him that angry before…
And I wasn't ready to see what he'd become if he lost control.
I stood up slowly.
This just became my problem.
Not because of him… At least, that's what I told myself.
I left the parlour and headed to my room, opening the link I had downloaded earlier.
If I could trace that call…
Then I could find Judy.
I clicked on the file I had downloaded concerning the call Desmond Mason my father made the other day. Mistakenly, the particular file I clicked revealed Elorah was the CEO of R&A Company. I had to double-check before exiting, but first, I needed to focus on Judy. I traced the location from the call my father received and immediately sent it to Dr. Felix with a warning: Don't act rashly. Send only trusted aides to confirm her whereabouts. We can't alert my father or fall into his trap.
For two weeks, we hunted for Judy. Thanks to my ability to listen, observe, and act oblivious, we finally pinpointed her location. Getting inside would not be easy. I called Dr. Felix to a room that was soundproofed, a place where no one could eavesdrop, and we began planning her rescue.
"I'll go myself," I told him. "I don't want you involved, even if no one knows you've been giving me information. I can't let anything happen to you."
He smiled. "Only if you know how many times I've survived death. But if joining me would be a burden, I'll step back. I'll let you lead this plan."
We agreed never to approach the location in the afternoon; night would be safer. Just as we were finalizing the plan, my so called biological father called me to dinner, after two weeks of silence. I accepted, using the meal to calm my nerves. The food was delicious, every sip of grape juice with mint a temporary paradise. I closed my eyes to savor it.
A clearing of his throat jolted me back. Irritated, I glared at him. Why disrupt my peace in this fleeting paradise? "What did you gain by disturbing me?" I asked.
He chuckled. "Every time I'm with you, you intrigue me. Tonight, you remind me of my late daughter, Catherine. She loved this flavor."
My heartbeat skipped. I remained composed, giving nothing away. "Oh really? Was she pretty? Do you have a picture?" I asked, feigning innocence.
He showed me a photo—little me. My heart clenched, but I stayed calm. "How old is she?" I asked.
He raised an eyebrow. "About your age. What's your name?"
I hesitated. "Cee J."
"That's a nickname, not your name."
"I mean… What is your name?" he insisted.
As a mafia and a consigliere to the Don, he should know everything about me already, if not everything my name. His question was suspicious. I realized he probably planned to use the cups, cutlery, or anything I touched for a DNA test. I had anticipated this. I had my assistant get me a thin skin-colored mask that could be worn on the hand to distort any sample what so ever.
After finishing dinner, I personally cleaned everything I had touched, carefully watching him the entire time."Why did you wash everything you touched?" he asked, suspicious.
"To stop you from running a meaningless test," I said lightly.
"Was that obvious?"
I laughed. "Yes. Which only makes you want to do it more, right?"
Satisfied, I left the dining room, changed into black clothes, dyed my hair black, and jumped out the window. I set a camouflage mannequin on my bed with a recorder triggered when the door opened. My instincts screamed: This is a trap. Why would he invite me to dinner while we were planning to rescue Judy?
I changed into black, dyed my hair to match, and prepared my escape. I jumped out the window, leaving behind a camouflage mannequin with my pillow and a recorder triggered if the door was opened. I needed to make my absence convincing.
Just as I moved past the last set of bodyguards, my ear-pod flashed red and white—the signal someone had called my father. I quickly hid, covering the ear-pod with my black mask. Through it, I overheard:
"He's taken the bait. We don't know if the other girl is aware yet."
My pulse quickened. Who was "the other girl," and what trap had they set? I grinned under my mask. Time to find out, and save Judy before anyone knows.