The CEO's Lovely Twins novel Chapter 98

“Who else knows about this?”

Viola clenched her fists and asked after calming herself down.

Her manager frowned and said concretely, “Those from the black market always do their job properly without leaving any trace, furthermore they have burned down the house and have blood on their hands, so I doubt that they have the audacity to tell on us. This means that Lachlan is the only one left who knows about this, and since it is their mistake, they promise that they will find him and finish off the job. Our concern now is that we will run out of time before someone else finds out.”

“That won’t be possible.” Viola’s face darkened as she analyzed further, “If that detective is safe and sound, he would have gone to the police station to make a report long time ago. The absence of any news to date means that he has most likely gotten into some trouble too. Remind them to check the nearby hospitals, refuge shelter or hospice just to be sure.”

It was impossible for someone whom had been rendered unconscious by drugs to survive and remain intact from the huge fire that had destroyed all the houses in the immediate vicinity.

She gradually convinced herself with the only plausible thought that there should not be any miscalculation on her end as she released her tight grip, revealing her reddened palms due to her fingernails digging into them.

...

Early the next morning, Hayden set off on her expedition to GX Town which was two hundred kilometers away from Nanking and the first location that had been selected for the purpose of survey for the Youth Hostel program.

The first homestay that she had to conduct her research on came out first on the Best Recommended ranking list on the internet, and it was named as Maple Sugar Inn.

“Your check-in procedure has been completed, and your room will be the first one on the right on the second floor.”

After the clerk had registered Hayden’s details for the check-in, she returned her identity card to her and added, “Please follow me as I shall bring you up to your room.”

“Thank you.”

The clerk was a young lady whom seemed like she had not even reached the age of twenty and was bursting with liveliness and briskness. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and shorts, and her demeanor was full of refreshing youthfulness that felt like a spring breeze.

“Are you looking after the homestay all by yourself? Is it very busy here?”

“There’s still our manager so it’s not just me. However, he has gone on a trip a while ago and it’s been two months since he has left.”

Hayden furrowed her brows in disappointment upon hearing the girl’s remark.

One of her tasks during the survey of the Maple Sugar Inn was to inspect the décor and the refurbishment of the building for which she had already identified when she set her feet in the homestay. The furnishing of the homestay had exceeded her expectations which had directly strengthened her resolve to continue with her original plan to poach the homestay manager over to ST Hotel. She had deemed that it was more efficient for these experienced managers to participate in the design for the Youth Hostel program rather than for her to sum up her experiences slowly along the way.

“I see. When is he coming back?”

“I’m not sure as his whereabouts are always mysterious, so this homestay is managed by our landlady. What’s the matter? Why do you want to see him?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Hayden smiled as she continued, “I’m just curious about the brain behind the unique design of this quaint and picturesque inn, and I would love to meet him in person if it’s possible.”

“If you really want to, you can talk to our landlady as well. Both of them came up with the design and were involved in the refurbishment of this homestay, plus most of the ideas had originated from her.”

“Is that so?” Hayden’s eyes glinted with a simmer of hope as she asked, “This inn is managed by your landlady instead of the manager?”

“Yeah, this inn is the result of her blood, sweat and tears.”

After they had chit-chatted for a while, the clerk went downstairs to greet other guests that had arrived for their stay. Hayden was overcome with joy after getting hold of the information as she believed that women were generally much easier to be persuaded than men.

As the night fell, GX Town was shrouded in the soft, subdued light from the setting sun. A middle-aged woman was seated in a corner on the first floor of the Maple Sugar Inn, her long hair held up by a hairpin while she was brewing tea in a Yixing teacup with a tweezers. It was hard to discern her age from afar, or it could be said that she looked as if her age could encompass a huge range. It was believable for her to be thirty or fifty years old.

Hayden walked to where she was seated at and asked, “The tea smells divine. Is this white tea?”

The landlady raised her head with a gentle smile displaying on her face as she replied, “You’re right. Do you want to have some? It’s almost done.”

Hayden nodded and expressed her gratitude while she proceeded to take a seat beside her.

“Have you gotten accustomed to staying here?” The landlady initiated a conversation with her while her hand was still busy brewing tea.

“Yeah, I really like that the second-floor view offers a wonderful and breathtaking panorama of the roofs of the buildings in GX Town.”

“Please have some tea.” She handed a cup of tea to Hayden, and after thanking her and receiving it, Hayden took a sip of the fragrant tea which had left a pleasant aftertaste in her mouth.