Suddenly There Are Three (Bailey and Artemis) novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50

“Yes. Someone had spiked my drink. After that, I somehow ended up inside this room where I ran into Ms. Rhonda. But I did not touch her, I swear.”

Narrowing his eyes, Artemis turned to regard Ken. “Get some people over to the scene and look into the beverages to see whether there are any issues with them.”

“Understood.”

Felicity walked in from the outside, and a frown appeared between her brows when her sights fell upon Rhonda. “What's up with you? How did you end up here?”

Rhonda's emotions became gradually settled through Beatrice's pacifying. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, the former then started choking up, “I've been set up. Mom sent me back here to pick up some clothes, and when I was passing through the side passage, someone knocked me out and forced some drug down my throat.”

With that, she lifted her head to regard Felicity with teary eyes. Then, she continued in a hoarse voice, “Laurence is Max's granduncle and my future uncle so how could I possibly... You have to be the judge of this, Mrs. Luther. I've been set up by some wicked people.”

Looking up at her son, Felicity asked solemnly, “How do you intend to handle this?”

While Artemis' gaze fell upon Laurence., his eyes betrayed nothing about his thoughts.

Considering how the two matters were intertwined, he reckoned that Luther Group's reputation would surely suffer if he should choose to do nothing about it.

Certainly, none of that really mattered to him, for his primary concern was with his son. What would others think about the boy should word of this spread?

Even if they would not say anything nasty to his face, what would they say behind his back?

He was positive that his son would be turned into a laughing stock.

As a father, he saw it as his responsibility to provide a conducive environment for his child to grow.

“Have the family doctor come over. If they had both been drugged, this matter must have been perpetrated by a third party.”

With that, he scrutinized the reporters all around him. His keen eyes conveyed an implicit look of deterrence and caution. “If they were set up, then they too could be considered victims. I trust that every one of you here is a reasonable person who would not seek to compound upon their misery.”

The masses exchanged knowing looks with each other.

Artemis' message to them was obvious. He was indirectly using his tone to hint that they were to surrender the photos that they had just taken.

“What are you suggesting, Mr. Luther? Are you forcing us to leave our film behind?”

Artemis' lips curled up while he turned his attention to the reporter with brows perked up. “If you do not wish to leave your film, you can always leave your camera behind instead. Rest assured that you will not stand to lose, for I am offering to acquire your equipment at three times its value. Of course, you also have the option of calling up your boss to get him to make a trip down to Luther Group's headquarters, as I'd be happy to have a chat with him in my office over his company's financing matters.”

That was as overt a threat as any and had that reporter so spooked that he shuffled back a couple of steps.

Scanning through the faces in the crowd, Artemis let out a subtle smile. “Luther Group has wielded influence in Hallsbay for many years, and I believe that all of you may yet continue to benefit from our presence here in the days to come. If we could all be discreet about the events that took place here tonight, I have no doubt that there would be more opportunities to collaborate abound. However, should anyone here cause a leak that affects my son's reputation, then do not blame me for being merciless.”

The crowd collectively shuddered.

How could they have forgotten about Maxton?

If word about the night's incident were to get out, the first person to be implicated would be the young princeling of the Luther family. As his father, there was no way Artemis would allow his own son to become embroiled in such a fiasco.

Clack!

Someone had already opened up and retrieved a roll of film from his camera which he handed over to a bodyguard at the side.

“I'm with Metropolitan News, Mr. Luther. Every shot I've taken tonight is in that roll of film that had been handed over to your bodyguard. I swear that I'll not breathe a word about anything that I've seen here.”

That yielded a smile from Artemis. “In the coming six months, you will be given access to Luther Group for your coverage of finance-related news. Send your company's representative to Luther Group to discuss the relevant details of this collaboration tomorrow.”