Chapter 33
Lucius raised an eyebrow. “Five thousand dollars?”
“50,” Valerie replied. “That’s the standard rate at massage parlors back home. If you think that’s too much, I can give you a 20 percent discount, but nothing higher than that.”
Lucius’ lips twitched in helplessness. Valerie was testing his limits every second. Since when did Lucius of the prestigious White family in Windmere bargain over massage prices?
Valerie quickly finished her milk and wiped her mouth. After standing up, she grabbed her bag and announced, “Gotta run. I’m late.”
“Wait!” Lucius called out to her, and she turned back, puzzled.
He’d meant to offer her a ride, but when the words came to his lips, they shifted. “Don’t forget
our agreement.”
“Relax. Once I step out that door, you and I are strangers.”
He was going to reply, but she was already gone.
Five minutes later, Keane arrived in a rush. “Mr. White, is Ms. Collins here?’
“What’s wrong?” Lucius rarely saw him so unsettled.
Struggling to stay calm, Keane pulled out a small plastic bag from his pocket, which contained a handful of paper ash.
Confused, Lucius frowned. “What’s this?”
“Yesterday, I helped Ms. Collins move as per your orders. She gave me a folded note before I
left.
“When I was on my way to pick you up at Azure Bay just now, something burned me right here, “Keane said, pointing to his chest as his voice grew more urgent.
“I was driving, and the sudden heat was so unbearable that I pulled over. Barely two minutes later, an oil tanker truck exploded on the road I should’ve been on and killed seven people on
the spot.
“When I searched for the source of the burning sensation, I found nothing but ash in my pocket. The note she slipped into my pocket last night had burned away.”
As the implication sank in, Lucius asked, “Are you suggesting the note Valerie gave you is a protective talisman that saved your life?”
Forcing his tone to sound calm, Keane replied, “I don’t know, but it was in my pocket all
along. If not for the burning sensation on my chest while I was driving, I’d have forgotten all about it. And if that searing pain hadn’t forced me to pull over, the death toll might’ve been eight.”
Having brushed past death, he couldn’t help but credit the miracle to the note Valerie had given him.
Lucius picked up the plastic bag and studied it. There was nothing else he could see other than
ash.
“Do you know what she wrote on it?” he asked.
Keane fell deep in thought, murmuring, “Not the words, but I recognized the pen she used.”
“Is it the one she always fiddles with?”
Keane nodded. “The strange thing is… the pen wrote in black when she used it at The Golden Chalice. But when she used it last night, it had red ink. I swear I’m not mistaken.”
Finding it suspicious, Lucius had Keane pull up the villa’s security footage from the previous night. The recording showed Keane meticulously explaining the villa’s layout to Valerie, who listened attentively and politely thanked him.
Just as he was about to leave, she stopped him and took out a notepad. With the pen brought everywhere, she drew a strange pattern on it.
she
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