“Why? Are you surprised?” Natasha asked with a tinge of coldness in her voice.
Boss laughed. “Yes, I am. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Theodore’s daughter does indeed stand out from the crowd!”
“Save your pleasantries,” Natasha insisted. “We may not know each other well, but there’s also no need for this show of courtesy!”
“Ms. Watson, you seem to be very good at rejecting the kindness of others!”
“I'll have you know that I never reject anyone's acts of kindness unless I feel they aren't being genuinely kind.”
For a few seconds, Boss was silent. “If that's the case, let's skip everything else and just talk about how we can work together, shall we?”
“I'm all ears!”
“Given how big Zaewora is, tracking down the truth of your father's death will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, it has been more than two decades since he passed. To put it bluntly, your chances of finding the truth are zero to none if no one helps you.”
“So?”
“So, I can take you to Vermillion Base to search for the truth.”
“In other words, you're hinting that the murderer is in Vermillion Base, and I can only get in there with your help, yes?”
“Yes!”
A smile crept across Natasha's face. “What about you, then? Are you only interested in that document?”
“Yes!” “Okay. I got it.”
“Well? Will you consider this deal, Ms. Watson?” Boss asked.
“There's no need for that.”
Naturally, that reply startled Boss.
However, before he could say anything else, Natasha added, “Contact me again when you're back in Zaewora.”
With that, she ended the call.
Boss still had the phone in his hand as he looked out of the window, a dark glint flashing across his amber eyes.
Moments later, he curled his lips and turned to his subordinates standing outside. “Book the flight tickets immediately. I want to head back as soon as possible.”
It was four in the morning when a car pulled to a stop outside Natasha's residential block.
Kenneth glanced at one of the units upstairs before opening the door and stepping out of the car.
Seeing that, Fabian quickly turned off the engine and joined him.
However, to his surprise, Kenneth didn't make his way up. Instead, the latter leaned against the car and stared wistfully at the building.
Although he was utterly puzzled, Fabian, too, lifted his gaze.
After a while, he turned to the man behind him. “Mr. Hamilton, what are you looking at?”
Kenneth glanced at Fabian after snapping out of his trance. “Do you have a cigarette?”
Kenneth rarely smoked, and the only times he did were when he had something on his mind or when he had been through a lot.
Even though Fabian was shocked, his lips quickly curled into a wry smile.
“Oh, I sure do!” he said as he retrieved a packet of cigarettes from the car and handed it to Kenneth.
The latter twirled the packet around his slender fingers and raised his eyes lazily at Fabian after taking one cigarette out. “Are these imported?”
“Yes!” Fabian replied with a nod.
“Well, well, well. Your standard of living is getting better!” Kenneth mused as he put the cigarette into his mouth.
Without hesitation, Fabian went forward with his lighter and lit the cigarette.
Kenneth merely glanced at him, a smile tugging at his lips.
“The company that asked for my help during the bidding exercise gifted me these cigarettes,” Fabian explained.
“Is that so?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: You're Out, Daddy novel (Natasha and Kenneth)