Before I could utter a word, Neil had already left.
I glanced around the relatively clean kitchen and shook my head helplessly.
It was around nine when Harold came back, looking stern and serious. An uneasy feeling crept up on me.
"Rena, someone's pulling strings behind the scenes on your dad's case, and they're pretty powerful," Harold said.
This took me by surprise. I couldn't imagine my dad having such formidable enemies at work. Weren't his troubles all manufactured by Bonnie?
Could Bonnie possibly have an even bigger backer?
Or maybe it was Gloria!
"Your dad's been detained and is under investigation. Proving his innocence will be complicated. I'm worried that this might affect your family's business, so we need to secure the company first," Harold added.
I immediately told him I planned to seek help from my uncles.
Harold agreed with my plan. His own company mainly operated overseas, so he might not be able to provide much help.
For my dad's sake, Harold would stay in the country for a while. I was immensely grateful for his help. His presence made me feel much safer.
Next on the agenda was to find my uncles. I couldn't handle the company affairs alone.
After a long day of hustle and bustle, I returned home, exhausted.
"You're back?" This time, Neil was waiting for me at my front door with two middle-aged men and a bunch of renovation tools.
Seeing those tools, I was agitated. "Are you really having my kitchen repainted?"
"What else?" Neil retorted.
I rubbed my forehead. He was really idle, doing such boring things.
Judging from Neil's attitude, I figured he wouldn't rest until the kitchen was repainted, so I just let them in to get it over with.
Harold was home that afternoon but didn't know Neil was now my neighbor. He was taken aback when I walked in with Neil and the two workers.
On seeing Harold, Neil didn't seem surprised. He had probably known all along. He just greeted him politely, "Hello."
Then he took the workers into the kitchen and got busy.
Harold looked at me puzzled. "Rena, isn't that Neil? Didn't you guys get divorced?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. We're just neighbors now. He accidentally set my kitchen on fire and brought people to fix it. That's all," I hastily explained.
This explanation was odd. My ex-husband turned neighbor had accidentally torched my kitchen. It didn't make sense.
My dad hated Neil, and Harold must've known that, so his expression got stern as he looked towards the kitchen.
Neil had already come out from the kitchen by then. He just sat at the dining table, not coming over even after seeing me and Harold.
Harold didn't look too pleased, but I couldn't explain everything with Neil nearby. I just told him to rest.
"Rena, he's not a good man. Don't make the same mistake again," Harold warned me before heading upstairs.
"You're so annoying. I'm swamped right now and don't have time for this. Are you doing this on purpose to annoy me?" I snapped.
Neil finally closed his book and looked at me. As usual, he was unfazed. "I'm just dealing with the mess I made. I'm not trying to annoy you."
It was already late, and all I wanted was to go upstairs and rest. "Do whatever you want. Just remember to lock the door when you leave."
"Aren't you going to ask me about Russel?" Neil's question stopped me in my tracks.
Russel seemed to have vanished into thin air these past few days. He wasn't reachable by any means. Mitch even went to the Dawson family's company looking for him, only to be told he was on a business trip.
In short, there was no news of him from any channels.
"Did you find him?" A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart.
Neil looked at my hopeful face and gave a cold smile. "Are you missing him, or do you need his help?"
Both reasons were true, but in the current situation, my biggest concern was my dad. I admit I was being a bit selfish.
I had no idea how Russel got hold of certain information. All I knew was that Stella and I felt helpless in reaching out to Russel, but he succeeded.
"If you're willing to help, just say so. There's no need to question me like that," I replied coldly.
Neil was always doing as he pleased. If he was just here to mock me, then there was no need.
Hearing my words, he seemed even more peeved, but he held his tongue and didn't question me anymore. Instead, he just spilled some beans, "Russel's no longer in Rosemont. Where exactly is still in the air, but what's certain is that his folks kicked him out of Rosemont."
Sure enough, my hunch was spot on, and the info Mitch dug up wasn't off. Russel had indeed left Rosemont, but it wasn't for a business trip, but because his parents had given him the boot.
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