At half past ten, at a homestay inn on the east side of the little town. The location of the inn was very remote and the building did not face the road or river. To be precise, the inn was at the end of an alley with dim street lights.
At the door of the inn, a burly man stopped and turned his head. Jean's head bodyguard strained his ears carefully. Not long after, there was a sound of steady and strong footsteps coming from the front side of the alley. The tension in Clifford's body eased slightly as he watched the figure of the man walking over.
In the middle of the night, the temperature in this small town grew colder and colder. Amidst the misty air, Jean wore a black, knee-length coat that made his figure blend into the darkness of the night. The hem of his coat swayed slowly with each step.
Clifford lowered his head briefly to greet the man. "Young Master Jean."
"Where is that person?" Jean's dark blue eyes looked like the surface of the sea frozen in winter. He didn't bother hiding the anger in his voice.
Clifford glanced at the inn behind him. "He's in there. I just finished getting him to tell everything!"
Jean just nodded. "Show me the way,"
Clifford immediately turned and opened the front door of the inn. The head of Jean's team of bodyguards stepped in first, followed by Jean. The interior of the house was very simple and consisted only of two floors. There was a living room, dining room and kitchen on the first floor. All bedrooms were located on the second floor.
The two men stepped up the wooden staircase, which creaked with their every step. Her voice sounded so loud in this almost empty house. Jean frowned at the thought that Lilia would shoot at an inn similar to this place. Was this the inn where Lilia was going to shoot at this late? Should he step in to change the shooting location?
Jean was so busy worrying about unnecessary things that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. The man had just realized they had arrived at their destination when Clifford stopped in front of him. They were currently standing in front of the bedroom door which was located at the end of the second floor's hallway. The head bodyguard gave Jean a quick glance before opening the door.
When the door swung open, a faint smell of blood immediately greeted Jean's nose. The layout in the room was very simple. There was a bed, bathroom on the right side, and an old model heavy TV in the cabinet by the window.
At this time, a thin man was seated on a wooden chair in the middle of the room. It was the man who was caught stealing Lilia's previous photo. The man sat with his head bowed and his hands hanging limply at his sides. The man looked fine, except for the blood marks on the corners of his mouth and under his nose.
The wound was caused by his resistance when he was caught just now. Clifford's fellow bodyguards tried to catch the man without injuring him, but the man was much more agile than he thought. In the end, the bodyguard was forced to use a little force just to catch him.
Jean stood at the entrance, arms crossed. He gave the man in the chair a cold glance before asking Clifford, "Where is he?"
Clifford seemed to know who Jean was referring to. The head guard immediately replied, "Based on the information from this man, they agreed to meet here. Soon—"
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps from downstairs interrupted Clifford. A few seconds later, someone was banging on the door of this room.
Clifford and Jean exchanged glances for a moment, then Clifford stepped forward to open the door. The dim light in the room immediately streamed out the door. The light shone on the figure of a man wearing a leather jacket, black jeans and short boots.
The man was Mike Austin!
Mike stood at the door with one hand up to bang on it. When the door swung open, Mike's expression froze. His gaze immediately fell on the figure of a man who sat limply on a wooden chair, then slowly swept the entire room.
When Mike met Jean's eyes, the young man's eyes widened and his expression immediately wavered. He did not expect that he would meet Jean Widjaya in a place like this.
"Y-young master Jean…" Mike muttered with a pale face.
The contents of the short message that Clifford sent earlier crossed Jean's mind. The message contained only two simple words, Mike Austin!
Mike's first reaction was to turn to leave, but he immediately abandoned his intention. Jean's other bodyguards had blocked his way. With no other choice, Mike could only step into the room.
The man in the chair almost cried when he saw Mike. He pointed at Clifford with a pitiful expression, "Young Master Mike, help me!"
Mike's expression turned to disgust when he saw the man's pathetic figure. Didn't he boast about being the best private detective in Jakarta? What's the best detective if he couldn't even get a photo of Lilia?! Even worse, he got caught so easily and even let his client get caught too?!
Mike ignored the detective's pleading gaze and fixed his gaze on Jean. He slipped his hand in his pocket while wearing the demeanor he had learned from Mellisa.
"I didn't know Young Master Jean was also in Bekasi! What is a young master like you doing here?" Mike asked casually.
But Jean ignored Mike's attempts to play dumb. The man raised his eyebrows with a cold expression. "Why did you pay someone to investigate Lilia?" He asked.
The tension immediately spread throughout Mike's face. The young man touched his earring with his thumb and index finger. He thought about it for a moment before defending himself, "This isn't an investigation. After all, I haven't had much contact with artists. I just wanted to ask..."
Mike's voice grew weaker and weaker until it finally faded as he felt the pressure from Jean's gaze. The man was clearly pressuring him to stop uttering nonsense and start admitting the truth.
For a moment, no one spoke. The atmosphere in the room felt very stagnant. The private investigator took turns glancing at Jean and Mike, waiting for one of them to say something.
Mike was the same height as Jean, but at this moment, his momentum was far behind compared to the fourth son of the Widjaya Family. Mike felt Jean's gaze was stinging. The man did nothing but glare at him, but it was as if Mike was pressured from all around the room. The young man felt as if he couldn't breathe.
After a while, Mike unconsciously took a step back. He lowered his head and gritted his teeth. Mike knew that he couldn't win against Jean's silent pressure.
"Yeah alright, I'll confess! I was investigating Lilia! Are you satisfied?!" He snapped fiercely.
Jean was not provoked by the young man's harsh tone. "Why?" He asked short.
Mike took a deep breath, then he looked up to glare back at Jean. But as soon as he met the man's cold eyes, Mike hurriedly looked away. Jean's gaze told him that if he spoke just one wrong word, he wouldn't be able to come home safely.
Mike started talking with a heavy heart. "I suspect that she.... has something to do with the Irwan family,"
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦