What could I say to that? I only nodded in response.
I had nothing to do in the afternoon, so naturally, I did not go to the office. However, what surprised me was Armond. He had called me and went straight to the point—he wanted to meet me.
I pursed my lips before replying, “There’s no point for us to meet. Mr. Murphy, what you’re looking for is not with me.”
His chuckles traveled out of the speakers. “You’re overthinking this. I just want to invite you to a meal. Nora is here in K City, and you were once close friends. Are you not going to have a meal with her now that she’s here?”
Sensing something else lying behind his friendly tone, I frowned before answering, “I’ll invite her another day. I won’t interrupt your meal with her.”
“Scarlett, I heard you’ve rented a small place for Shane’s parents. I’ve met with the two today, and they told me they want to thank you personally by inviting you to a meal. Is that inconvenient for you? If you reject, the two might be upset.”
His words made my heart skip a beat. Why did Armond go to see Sasha’s parents? Did Shane cross Armond?
“Armond, they’re old. What are you trying to do?” Until now, I still could not figure out to what extent of cruelty Armond could tolerate.
“Nothing, really. I’m just free recently, and I was thinking of getting a meal with someone. Scarlett, will you join me? Should I come and pick you up or are you going to drive?”
Tamping down the fury in my heart, it took me a while of silence before I uttered, “Send me the address.”
Once again, I heard him laughing. “Hahaha! Scarlett, aren’t you an exceptionally nice girl? I really like that about you.”
My lips pursed as I ended the call. Then, I called Ashton.
It took a few rings before the call went through. “What’s the matter, Scarlett?”
“Armond called me. It seems like he has found Sasha’s parents, and he has gotten Nora to come to K City. I don’t know what his aims are, but I’ve agreed to meet him. How are things on your side?”
Ashton inhaled sharply. “Brandon’s been in a foul mood ever since he found out about how his daughter has been treated. He’s hesitating. Something seems off about Abe. It’s as if he’s been drugged. When I saw him, he’s only half-conscious, so I couldn’t get anything from him.”
I frowned. Thinking of Hailey, I said, “Ashton, perhaps there’s someone who can help. Look for Hailey. Her father should have seen Armond in the past. As long as Hailey’s the one to talk to her father, things will be much easier.”
After a moment of contemplation, I added, “By the way, before meeting with Hailey, look for Fawn, Amy, and Jody Falker. They’re all victims among the children. Hailey can’t come to a decision. If you ask them to come with you, she might be able to make up her mind. Also, will you be able to come up with a plan to protect Hailey’s father? At the end of the day, he’s still involved with the organ trafficking incident. Once the investigation is done, I don’t think he’ll be able to say that he’s innocent in it.”
After a moment of silence, Ashton replied, “I’ll try my best. Armond should be looking for you for that box. Hold on to it. If you have to, then give him the box. The box is useless to us, so it’s best if you don’t get into a conflict with Armond.”
I understood why he said those words, so I hummed in agreement. After ending the call, I was about to leave the house.
When Holden saw me about to leave, he darted to my side. “Where are you going? Why aren’t you bringing me along? You can’t be dating another man behind my back, right?”
I nodded as I looked at him. “That’s right. I’m going to have a secret date with another man. Do you want to join me? It’ll be exciting.”
For reasons beyond me, he blushed. “No way, Scarlett. Are you really that shameless to do something like this behind Ashton’s back?”
Rendered speechless for a moment, I then asked, “Are you coming with me? If you’re not, I’m going to leave now.”
Promptly, he nodded and entered the car before I did. When he turned back to look at me, there was a smug expression on his face. “How can you possibly leave me out of such a thrilling matter? Just the mere thought of it makes my heart race.”
Ignoring his excitement, I started the car. The address that Armond had sent to me was a villa in the suburbs.
Bringing Holden with me was part of the plan. If anything did happen, he would be useful.
When he realized we were heading toward the suburbs, Holden muttered, “Wait, why are you driving toward the suburbs? Shouldn’t we be going to a hotel?”
I pursed my lips for a moment before replying, “We’re going to a villa in the suburbs. Only fools go to the hotels.”
“Holy sh*t! Scarlett, you’re one brave girl. Does Ashton know about this? When did you start doing this? Aren’t you afraid of contracting some disease? How many men are there? Are their figures as good as mine? Why didn’t you ask me to come along to such a fantastic gathering before today?”
Irritated by his rambles, I shot him a glare. “Shut up or get down from the car. Also, things aren’t what you think they are. Armond has invited me to a meeting in the suburbs. I’m a little worried, so I brought you along. Don’t be a coward later.”
