Chapter 613: That Woman Must Die
The position used to matter a lot to Christian, but somewhere along the way, he lost interest in it. Alberto was still looking at him, waiting for a reaction, so Christian forced a smile and nodded.
"I’ll go take a look at the goods," Christian excused himself. He did not want to remain here.
"Go, go." In a good mood, Alberto gave him leave to go.
After Christian left, Alberto’s face turned serious.
He asked one of the men next to him, "Have you checked out Wendy Stewart?"
The man replied, "Wendy Stewart is being held in Christian’s private hideout. She’s being watched very closely. The moment my people comes near the place, they would be found out and killed."
"He actually kept that woman in his own hideout. Isn’t he afraid that she would get out or something and sell him out?" wondered Alberto.
"It seems this woman is more important to Christian than we thought."
"What do we do now?"
"If Christian is not as good as he used to be and has no contracts, we can just leave him be. Thing is, he managed to close deals worth two billion in just four days."
Alberto turned to look thoughtfully in the direction Christian went. "He is the best candidate to succeed me. I cannot allow my successor to have any weaknesses."
"You mean..."
"Continue keeping an eye on her. Kill her once you get the chance to," Alberto instructed. "Send out the S-grade killers."
"Eh..." Clement could not help but speak up when he heard Alberto’s instructions. "You know Christian has a weak spot for that woman. It might not be a good idea to kill her. If he finds out it’s an order from you and falls out with you."
Alberto’s gaze snapped to Clement and he immediately shut up.
"You can’t bear to see her die, either?" asked Alberto.
Clement quickly shook his head. "I’m just worried that Christian will lose all reason if Wendy Stewart dies. That woman is so very important to him, there’s a chance he would turn his back on the organization if anything happens to her.
"He’s been away for a while and yet managed to close deals, big ones at that, so soon after his return. There isn’t anyone else in our organization with skills like his. If he decides to leave again, it will be to our disadvantage too."
"In that case, don’t let him find out who killed her!" Alberto growled. "To go further, climb higher. That woman must die! I’m doing this for Christian’s sake."
Kennix immediately spoke up in agreement. "Alberto, you’re right. People in our line must not have any weak spots. If anything happens, Christian will not be the only one in trouble. The entire organization will be affected."
He was not about to let such a golden opportunity to put Christian down pass him by.
Clement gave Kennix a fierce stare. He knew Alberto would not change his mind no matter what he said.
"Christian must not know about this. If he finds out, you all know what will happen."
Alberto looked directly at Clement as he said this.
He knew Clement and Christian were on good terms.
"Yes." Clement nodded in acquiescence.
...
After checking on the goods, Christian passed by a florist on his way home.
Through the car window, he saw some lilies. They were coolly elegant and an image of Wendy’s aristocratic face flashed in his mind’s eye. Oriental lilies suited Wendy perfectly.
"Stop the car," Christian commanded. Then, he got off. The driver watched curiously as Christisn alighted and walked toward the florist. This was the first time in Christian’s life that he was visiting a florist.
...
"Sir, can I help you?" The shop assistant saw a customer enter and immediately approached him.
Christian hesitated before pointing to a big bouquet of oriental lilies. He asked, "These are suitable for..." He paused, trying to figure out what he should refer to Wendy as.
The shop assistant saw him at a loss and asked with a smile, "Are you getting it for your girlfriend? Or, perhaps, girlfriend-to-be?"
"Girlfriend-to-be" seemed to work, and Christian’s tightly furrowed brows eased up a little.
He did not answer. The shop assistant took it to mean she was right.
"Lilies are a symbol of elegance and purity, and means a lifetime of happiness. It’s a good choice of flowers for a girlfriend." The shop assistant continued, "If she’s not your girlfriend yet, you can give her a bouquet of flowers, then invite her out for a romantic candle-lit dinner and a movie. Women all go for that type of thing."
Christian was obviously happy with the shop assistant’s suggestion. He pointed at the biggest bouquet of lilies and said, "That one."
"Good choice, sir." The shop assistant fetched it for Christian and said, "That’ll be..." Before she could tell Christian how much the flowers cost, Christian took out a thick wad of cash from his wallet and gave it to her.
"It doesn’t cost that much, sir." She immediately tried to return most of the money to Christian.
"Keep the rest as tips." Christian then picked up the flowers and left the shop.
The driver’s eyes widened perceptibly when he saw Christian returning from the florist with a huge bouquet of flowers.
He had been Christian’s driver for many years and had never seen him buy flowers.
The bunch of lilies was huge.
The driver knew better than to say anything about it though. He started the car and continued home after Christian got in.
They soon arrived at the villa. When Christian arrived, Wendy and Zen were having dinner. Both of them looked up when they heard footsteps entering the dining room.
They saw Christian with a bunch of flowers so big it obscured his face. Exchanging looks, Wendy and Zen frowned, but did not say anything.
Christian walked to his seat at the table and sat down, placing the bouquet down on the table next to him. As gently as he could, he asked, "Do you like it?"
It wasn’t the first time he had asked Wendy if she liked something. It was as if he was worried she would not like what he was doing.
However, if Wendy told him she did not like it, he would get angry again. Not understanding what was going through Christian’s mind, she pursed her lips and said she liked it, her tone flat and emotionless. Then she looked down and continued eating.
"I’m glad you like it." Christian smiled. The maid had laid out a place setting for him when he returned and he picked up a fork. He then started eating with Wendy and Zen.
He did not speak again during the meal. It seemed he was very satisfied with Wendy’s answer to his earlier question and decided not to irritate her with talk during the meal.
With Christian at the table, both Zen and Wendy finished their food in double time.
"We’re done. Enjoy your meal, Mr. Lucas. Please excuse us," Wendy announced before standing up and helping Zen to her feet, then turned to leave.
Christian remained silent, allowing the two women to leave unimpeded.
He looked at Wendy’s retreating back, then at the bunch of lilies on the table. Picking up the flowers, he stood up and decided to bring them upstairs personally.
Wendy had thought herself lucky that they managed to leave the table without being stopped. She returned to her room and closed the door behind her, feeling relieved that she would not have to see Christian again that day.
To her consternation, before her door closed fully, Christian appeared.
...
Wendy felt disgust well in her as she regarded Christian with the big bunch of flowers.
"You forgot your flowers." Christian walked into her room without asking and looked around for somewhere to place the bouquet. It took a while, but he found a location he thought suitable and placed the flowers on a side table.
"Since you’ve brought them here, shouldn’t you leave?" Wendy asked, "I’m tired and I want to rest."
Christian glanced at Zen, who was in the room with Wendy and asked, "What about her?"
Wendy blinked and replied, "She’s staying with me."
"My house is big. It’s not like I don’t have a room for her. Why do you two need to squeeze in one room?" asked Christian.
"The injury on her leg has not fully recovered and it’s easier for me to take care of her if she stays with me," Wendy explained.
"I have maids and doctors. You don’t need to take care of her." Christian did not want the two of them to stay together.
If they stayed in the same room, Christian would not have the opportunity to talk to Wendy alone.
"I repeat, I want to stay with Zen. Of course, if Mr. Lucas does not allow it, there’s nothing I can do." Wendy’s tone became more icy.
As he gazed upon Wendy’s expression, Christian’s fingers twitched. He seemed to be deciding if he should agree to Wendy’s demand. After a while, he smiled calmly and said, "Do what you like."
Christian suddenly remembered what the shop assistant at the florist had told him.
He blinked and focused his gaze on Wendy. "Are you free tomorrow night?"
Wendy frowned and burst out laughing. She sputtered, "Is that question even necessary, Mr. Lucas? Aren’t you the one who decides if I will be free tomorrow?"
If Christian wanted her to be available, she would be available. If Christian wanted her to be busy, she would be busy.
He didn’t respond to her sarcasm and instead asked, "Let’s watch a movie tomorrow night."
"What?" Wendy suspected that something was wrong with her ears. She hadn’t expected Christian to ask such a question.
Christian wanted to watch a movie with her? Christian knew Wendy had heard him loud and clear, but repeated himself anyway, "I’ll have someone to get a list of the movies we can watch. You pick one."
"I..." Wendy wanted to tell him she did not want to watch a movie.
However, she had a sudden thought. Would they have to go out of the villa to catch a movie? If she could leave the villa, did that mean she might be able to find an opportunity to escape?
Although the probability was not high, another chance to leave the villa meant another chance to escape. She had to take whatever opportunity presented itself, otherwise, under normal circumstances, she would not even get a chance to leave the place.
Wendy asked, "Where are we watching the movie? Don’t tell me at home. I’m not interested in watching a movie at home with you. I can turn on the projector and watch one whenever I feel like it."
Christian knew what Wendy was driving at, but he did not expose her. He did not mind letting her out as long as she was willing to watch a movie with him.
She was just a woman. If Christian did not allow it, she would not be able to escape from him, especially when she was in an unfamiliar place.
It was ok to let her think she had a chance to leave and be happy.
"Do you want to go to a movie theatre?" Christian asked deliberately.
"Yes. I’ve not watched a movie in a theatre for a long time," Wendy replied, outright lying.
"In that case, we will catch a movie at a movie theatre." Christian’s tone was indulgent.
