Kelsie Friesent?
Alia’s eyebrows quickly knitted themselves together as she stared at Dimitri’s reply, chewing on her bottom lip as she did so. She wasn’t exactly the best of friends with Kelsie — in fact, it was quite the opposite seeing as to how Kelsie was Alia’s ex-husband’s new partner — but this ssage didn’t seem like a threat.
No matter how she looked at it, Kelsie seed to be warning her.
But of what?
Why would Kelsie Friesent bother to warn her of such things when she surely wanted her gone as much as Emline did?
Before Alia could think much of it, the phone on her desk let out a blinking red light. Alia jumped in surprise before pressing the receive button, picking up the phone at the sa ti.
"Miss Kentwood, there’s soone at the front desk requesting to see you," the receptionist said the mont Alia answered the call.
"?" Alia asked, confused.
She cast a quick glance in the direction of Aiden’s office. The door was closed but through the frosted layer, she could faintly see his figure hunched over the desk. She would rather believe he was taking a nap than working tediously through the mountain of docunts she placed there for him this morning.
"Who is it?"
"He didn’t leave a na," the woman on the other end said. "He did leave a slip though, and I was told to pass it to you since he had no access to the building. He left before I could page you."
"I’ll be down shortly," Alia replied.
With that said, she placed the phone back and stood from her desk.
Peeping through the door of Aiden’s office, Alia saw him sprawled over his desk. True to her assumptions, Aiden was sound asleep. There was even a light snore coming from him, and Alia raised an eyebrow as she noted the dribble of saliva that had soaked into the docunt he was resting on.
She gently knocked against the table surface, and waited patiently as Aiden jolted awake from his nap, blinking his sleep away.
"I need to head downstairs for a mont," Alia said as Aiden rubbed his eyes. "Just to the front desk. I’ll be back soon."
Aiden nonchalantly waved as he yawned loudly, stretching his arms far over his head.
"Just take the rest of the afternoon off," he said. "It’s almost the end of work anyway. There’s nothing else scheduled for today."
"Are you sure?" Alia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Will you be able to finish up your work? We need the docunts signed and done before the eting tomorrow afternoon with Smithworks."
"Who do you take for?" Aiden asked, rubbing his eyes so hard that tears had already ford.
When he noticed how silent Alia had gotten, he finally peeked through his fingers just to see her staring at him with a deadpan.
"Fine!" he yelled, huffing. "I’ll finish it before tomorrow if it’s the last thing I do."
"Good," Alia said. "Otherwise, you’ll be burning the midnight oil tonight at Isaac’s and I will not be helping you."
Alia left Aiden’s office after he playfully shooed her out. Her heels clicked against the marble floors of the main lobby as she made her way to the front desk. The woman on duty quickly straightened when she noted Alia approaching.
"Miss Kentwood!" she said, standing up.
"Charlotte," Alia greeted. "Where’s the note?"
"Here," Charlotte said, handing Alia the note she was referring to earlier. It wasn’t anything too fancy― just a piece of foolscap paper that had been folded multiple tis to conceal the note inside.
Alia muttered a word of thanks as she received the note. Unfolding it, her eyes glanced through the note.
’Steamy Beanery, 48 Pavilion Avenue, 5 PM.’ The location was paired with a string of numbers which Alia assud was a phone number.
"Who left this?" Alia asked, frowning. The address wasn’t too far out of the main city district, but it was still located quite a drive away. She checked her watch― it was already almost four in the afternoon.
"He didn’t leave a na," Charlotte answered. "Redhead, pretty tall. He looked fairly young― a late teen?" She pursed her lips, deep in thought. Then, Charlotte brightened up as her lips ford an ’o’. "Right! He ntioned he knew Carlo. I asked if he wanted to let Carlo know, but he said not to."
"Carlo?" Alia’s frown rely deepened. She had an idea who it might’ve been but she couldn’t be for sure.
Leaning over the counter, Alia reached for the desk phone that was situated there and keyed in the table code to Carlo’s desk. He picked up only after a few short rings.
"Yes?" Carlo’s voice ca through the phone.
"Carlo, it’s , Alia," she said.
"Alia!" he exclaid. "Is there anything wrong? I can co by your desk―"
"There’s no need," Alia said hurriedly. "I’m not at my desk. I’m calling from the front desk."
There was a pause before a sheepish chuckle could be heard. "Oh, right. What is it?"
"Are you expecting anyone at the office today?" Alia asked. "Like a friend from the orphanage, maybe?"
"Not that I can think of―" Carlo cut himself short all of a sudden. "Oh, wait! Leo did ask for X’el’s address the other day and if I would be at the office. I told him no― I wasn’t feeling too well last night, but had a change of mind and didn’t apply for dical leave in the end."
"Is this his number?" Alia read out the string of numbers left on the note, and Carlo’s confirmation ca soon after.
"That’s the one," Carlo said. "Seriously though, I have no clue why he asked. X’el’s office address can easily be found online. What a lazy ass." He huffed. "Why? Is he downstairs right now?"
"No," Alia replied. "But he left a note for asking to et. Did he ntion needing anything recently? Maybe so troubles at school?"
"Leo hardly shares anything about his life if not for the fact that we attended the sa classes," Carlo answered. "But ever since starting my internship here, I’ve not really kept in touch with him. Co to think of it, his birthday was last week. Maybe he needed so help finding a new place, since the orphanage would have him leave once he turned eighteen."
"I see," Alia humd understandingly. "Thanks, Carlo. I’ll call you back later."
She ended the call then.
"Miss Kentwood?" Charlotte asked unsurely.
"Thanks, Charlotte," Alia said with a smile before she turned to leave. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, keying in the string of numbers as she walked to the door.
It rang a few tis, but no one picked up. In the end, Alia decided to drop Leo a text instead.
Outside the office building, she quickly hailed a cab.
"48 Pavilion Avenue, please."
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