The moon was visible from the floor-to-ceiling windows of Xander’s ho office. The warm, soft lights of the lamps hanging on the ceiling illuminated the interior.
The room was quiet, save for the ticking of the wall clock and Xander’s faint breathing. Sitting on the couch, the man was dressed casually, a change from the usual tailored suits he wore during the day.
Xander opted for a sleeping robe in the color of black. The sash was loosely tied around his waist, the wide collar exposing his broad chest, narrowing down to his muscled abs.
Leaning sideways on the couch, Xander’s darkened gaze lingered on the phone in his right hand. Calix’s words from just now echoed again in his mind.
"Like how I handled the Li family before, I wanna do the sa to him. A quick and clean strike. That’s enough for ."
Even without a further explanation, Xander was aware of the aning behind Calix’s words.
His friend didn’t intend to play cat-and-mouse ga with Nicholas Wu, sothing Xander liked to do with his enemies. Cornering them after playing with their ntality satisfied him more than simply striking them at once.
Still, Xander decided to respect Calix’s wish. He had already learned lessons about not mindlessly imposing his values on his family and friends.
’We need sothing concrete.’
Xander shifted his gaze from the phone to the files and laptop sitting on the coffee table. He was analyzing the reports for the nth ti before ending up calling Calix.
’This is so troubleso.’
Xander exhaled a sigh, thinking how ssy this issue actually was.
When Belinda first introduced Nicholas to Xander, he simply thought that man was another one of his cousin’s many admirers.
At the sa ti, it wouldn’t be weird if Nicholas treated Belinda well because she was from the Qin family. By being her partner, Nicholas also could get close to Xander, the heir.
Sadly, this was common for most people who befriended Belinda. So of them even dared ask the young lady to play matchmaker by introducing them to Xander.
Now that the truth about Nicholas was out, Xander had another guess.
Nicholas wooed Belinda not simply because she was his, Xander’s cousin. Maybe, the forr thought he could approach him who was also Calix’s best friend.
In Xander’s mind, Nicholas perhaps assud he could get closer to Calix through him. Most likely to establish acquaintanceship.
After all, it was safer for that man to act harmless instead of blatantly showing his hatred for the Xu family.
’It’s easier because Calix is one step ahead. That Nicholas hasn’t caught a wind.’
Xander applauded Calix’s decision to monitor Nicholas discreetly instead of rushing to confront the latter. From his intelligence team, he learned that Nicholas was still oblivious to it.
’He has started approaching the people from Xu International.’
Putting the phone down, Xander placed his hand on the armrest, lazily tapping his index finger on the plush pad. He was thinking of Nicholas’ recent movents.
Nicholas could be found in most socializing events in the city, even in the neighboring ones. He and his partner, Daniel Yan were actively establishing their presence in high society despite being newcors.
Among the people they were acquainted with, half of them were related to Xu International, either the ordinary managers or people in higher positions.
’He’s playing safe. A slow yet risky ga.’
As for now, Nicholas was barely a shrimp in Xander’s eyes. The forr did not have the capability needed to take down the Xu family yet.
But, Xander didn’t deny the possibility of Nicholas suddenly transforming into sothing bigger and more dangerous. Especially with his history in the mob before.
The gang might be a small neighborhood one but, the possibilities were endless.
"Nip it in the bud," muttered Xander, his voice barely audible even to himself.
As Xander was sitting there, his intelligence team was actively seeking evidence against Nicholas. He believed he would get more soon, including the truth behind the mob boss’ death.
Still, Xander had a hidden card to get what he desired.
Grabbing the phone, Xander swiftly called a number—an international one. The receiver accepted the call within seconds, his voice echoing from the end of the line.
"How is it? Have you set up a eting with them?"
Instead of speaking in his native language, Xander shifted to Spanish. The man at the other end laughed upon hearing his question, earning a frown from him.
"Easy, boss. I’ve dealt with it. As for the other request, I’ll send it to you in three days."
A sneer curled on Xander’s lips, his eyes glinting with mischief. He knew he could trust his hidden card well for tasks like this.
"One more thing. Don’t forget to check..."
Xander passed more instructions to the man, which the latter accepted happily with the promise of more monetary rewards soon.
"Don’t worry, boss. Whatever is it, this guy won’t remain free for so long. I’ll directly report to you about it. Ciao!"
Before Xander could say anything in response, the man ended the call. He let out a sigh of helplessness, knowing how unpredictable the latter could be.
Still, that man wouldn’t disappoint Xander with bad results. Calix could already start his countdown to Nicholas’ ruin.
Xander glanced at the wall clock, seeing the needles pointed to ten-forty. He usually would stay up until midnight, mostly drowning himself in work.
’It’s still early, but...’
Rising to his feet, Xander intended to call it a night. The hem of his sleep robe fell below his knees as he stood.
The penthouse was as quiet as usual but, for so reason, the silence seed to gnaw more into Xander’s heart. He was left helpless in his own situation.
Pushing the bedroom door open, Xander’s eyes lay on the vast bed.
An adorable, big flower plushie in pink was a dissonance to the dark-colored bedding and the interior of the bedroom. It was one of Violet’s belongings in the penthouse.
’Has she returned ho? Can I... at least text her now?’
Standing still at the doorway, Xander lowered his gaze to the phone.
Could he?
Reviews
All reviews (0)