CHAPTER 65
Golden University, New York.
"You're okay, right, Alicia?"
Alicia sat pensively in a corner of the campus cafeteria with Brittany after their classes ended for the day. Alicia had texted Brittany several times to see if they could meet up and it had worried Brittany.
Both of them had ordered their food fifteen minutes ago. Alicia asked for pasta with cheese sauce, while Brittany ordered honey waffles. But it seems, Alicia is reluctant to touch her food at all.
The Brooklyn girl continued to stare at her pasta without interest. Even the caramel ice, which had always been her favorite, meant nothing to her.
"You've been sitting here staring at your food like you're dying, Alicia," Brittany protested.
She had just finished her waffles and seemed a little perturbed that her best friend's meal was still completely intact.
"Speak up, Alicia." Brittany stirred her ice lonade and sipped slowly, instead of waiting for her best friend to react. "Did something happen to you?"
And after waiting from the start, the blue-eyed girl finally let out a long sigh that relieved Brittany a little. "Ace is going to Italy," she informed her. "And he intends to take me with him."
Brittany's hazel eyes suddenly looked at her enthusiastically. "Doesn't that sound like great news? You get to go on a free vacation with your favorite girlfriend, right?" Brittany then chuckled amusedly. "You're so lucky to be able to take a vacation in the middle of a busy class schedule."
"That's not what bothers me," Alicia said. And from the look on her face, we all knew that she was upset right now. "I can't just leave with Ace after making an appointment with Nicholas."
Then Brittany rounded her mouth like a big O. "Speaking of which, how's the case going? You guys are already moving forward, aren't you?"
"Yes. I made Nicholas discover a new fact about the first victim." Alicia shrugged her shoulders lazily. "But that doesn't lead me to hard evidence yet. I still need to stay here and help him." She rested her chin on the table. "You know I can't leave with this bad feeling, right?"
Then Brittany took another sip of her drink. With a short murmur, she said, "I think something has changed about you, Alicia."
"Changed?"
"Uh, hm." Then the blonde girl who that afternoon had deliberately tied her hair up in a ponytail with a peach-colored ribbon pushed her glass away. "You're no longer that warm with Ace."
"What do you mean?"
Brittany shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "I don't know if it's a coincidence or not. But ever since you got into this case and Ace got busy filling in for his father, you guys don't seem to be close anymore." She raised one eyebrow in curiosity. "You've also started checking in on each other less and less, right?"
It was true. Everything Brittany said was the truth. But Alicia was clearly reluctant to admit it.
"Maybe it's just a feeling you have because I rarely tell you about it." Alicia then gave a short laugh. "I was going to turn down Ace's invitation to go to Italy. But I didn't want to hurt his feelings."
"Then it will be difficult."
"What do you mean?"
"No matter how gentle, how sweet your words are when you reject someone. Deep in his heart, he will still be hurt. You studied psychology in your class, right? How could you not know?" Brittany pursed her lips in annoyance. "I think we all get hurt when we expect too much from someone."
"You worry me, Britt."
The chubby-cheeked girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I know your position is difficult right now, Alicia. You're caught between two handsome, seductive men who you want to kiss all the time. But at the end of the day, you have to choose what's most important to you. Prioritize first so you don't get lost."
But Alicia shuddered in horror at Brittany's words. "You sound like a pervert now." Then she pinched Brittany's cheek. "They're not that handsome."
"But they're still tempting. I'm even interested in taking them to bed every now and then." Seeing Alicia staring at her in horror, Brittany stopped talking and laughed amusedly. "Hahaha gosh, I was just joking. You were very serious today and I got scared because of that."
"You really are my horrible best friend, Britt."
But Brittany was not offended in the least by Alicia's words. Instead, she brought up a serious topic now. "I don't think turning Ace down once would be a big deal." She then let out a short sigh. "You just worry too much, Alicia."
"Yes, I know."
"You were together for two years and then Nicholas came back and fate brought you together through this case," Brittany continued. "Maybe this fate will also lead you to something more surprising in the future."
Alicia nodded in agreement with Brittany's words. Inevitably, the beautiful girl was overwhelmed with guilt for having lied to Ace in the first place. But somehow, she did not feel any regret for choosing to join Nicholas in his case this time.
Could it be that Brittany was right about destiny?
"By the way, do you have any assignments this weekend?" Brittany asked, trying to break the ice.
"Well, I have to make a portfolio about my human nature. What's wrong with that?"
"Want to take a walk with me?" Brittany made a cute face that Alicia knew was made up. "We could spend some "girl time" like shopping, going to the salon and watching Broadway together."
"But...,"
"Want to, huh?" This time Brittany blinked her eyes repeatedly and looked at Alicia expectantly. "Aren't you tired of only hanging out with those two handsome guys these days? My advice is that you should also mingle with beautiful and popular girls like me so that you can become famous on campus," she joked.
"That sucks." Alicia rolled her eyes lazily. "Alright. We can leave after I collect my assignment. But..."
Brittany's brow furrowed deeply. "But, what?"
"You bought the broadway tickets?" And Alicia laughed with satisfaction afterward. Brittany, on the other hand, grumbled at her best friend's request.
"Ah, by the way, are there any exciting shows this weekend?"
And quickly, Brittany nodded enthusiastically. "I heard that the theater center is already auditioning for a solo performance on the weekend. It's also going to be big because of all the sponsors." She then shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there, we can hunt for cheap accessories and local food, Alicia."
"That sounds like fun," Alicia thought.
"Of course," Brittany said proudly. "So, you'll come with me there, right?"
Then the blue-eyed girl nodded her head in front of Brittany. "Okay." []
Chapter 66New York City police station."So, can we start the interview now Mrs. Veronica?"Nicholas' room, which had been quiet, was now transformed by the arrival of a woman named Veronica Smith. The legal wife of the second victim, Mr. Rich Greek.The woman, who was wearing a black blouse and a long skirt of the same color, was only able to attend the police invitation given by Noel, as she was still in a state of grief and busy clarifying all the news about her husband in the media over the past few days.Indeed, as a successful medical device entrepreneur, Rich Greek's unnatural death has caused quite a stir in New York City. And as the heiress to a fortune, it was Veronica's responsibility to answer all the public's assumptions about her husband's horrific tragedy."Of course, the detective," she said quietly.Veronica Smith was a councilwoman in the city. She was thirty-four and was now the sole caregiver of her two sons, Jason and Anthony."Did you know that that day your hus
CHAPTER 67Alicia's flat, New York."I told you yesterday, you don't have to pick me up here!"But Ace laughed amusedly at his girlfriend's response. She then did her usual thing to Alicia, rubbing the top of the dark-haired girl's head and stroking it gently. Next, Ace looked deeply into his girlfriend's eyes. "You're so adorable when you're angry like that, you know," he said trying to tease Alicia.But Alicia only replied to Ace's words with a short snort.Ace had just arrived in front of Alicia's flat to pick the girl up a while ago. Because tonight, Ace was going to Italy and all he wanted before leaving New York was to see Alicia's face."We still have time here. How about a quick stop at Uncle Chuck's for some ice cream now?" Ace asked enthusiastically.But Alicia, who had not been able to shake off the annoyance caused by Ace's attitude earlier, just scowled and huffed without interest. "You'll get a stomachache if you eat ice cream now," she snapped sternly. "And a stomachach
CHAPTER 68Sunshine Cafe, New York."Nice to see you again, Alicia."Nicholas was now walking with Alicia towards one of the tables in the corner of the cafe. They had made a prior appointment to meet again and discuss the case further.And after they sat down, their eyes began to glance around.Sunshine Cafe itself looked very cozy and relaxed with its light blue walls. The building itself has two floors, the first floor is for indoor enjoyment while the next floor is quite distinctive with its outdoor feel. It's perfect for visitors who want to experience the air and the view of the busy streets in the Town Square area itself.But this time, Alicia and Nicholas chose to relax on the ground floor. A room filled with air-conditioning and several colorful paintings on each wall. Each table consisted of four chairs, which meant that the ground floor was reserved for guests who came with a lot of friends, or family."How was the case?" Alicia asked straight to the point.Honestly, meetin
CHAPTER 69Sunshine Cafe, New York.Nicholas' forehead couldn't stop wrinkling in surprise as his eyes clearly saw scene after scene appearing on the monitor in the Sunshine Cafe manager's room right now.The cafe manager, Mrs. Donn, had finally agreed to the detective's request to view the CCTV footage in order to be considered as a cooperative citizen in assisting the investigation into the death of one of her patrons on the day of the Town Square massacre a few days back.Mr. Donn also explained to Nicholas that the man named Rich Greek came alone before his five colleagues followed and sat with him. He also added that all the food and drinks they ordered were checked for quality before being served on the table."Do you still remember what food or drinks they ordered that day?" asked Nicholas.Mr. Donn quickly nodded his head. "Mr. Greek's secretary ordered the same food for them. Salmon pasta and americanos.""They had a pasta with a cup of coffee?" Nicholas stared at Mr. Donn in
CHAPTER 70Greek's House, New York."Why are you two only here by the way?"Nicholas and Alicia were immediately invited to sit with the owner of the house in her living room with a cup of hot tea and gingerbread cookies as a treat. They didn't do much for a few minutes, other than watching Veronica sip her tea which was still occasionally puffing hot steam from its surface repeatedly.Both of their eyes were also presented with an incredibly luxurious view once they entered and sat there.The polished white walls seemed to match the expensive furniture around them. There's no denying that the spacious living room is one of the most luxurious with expensive electronics and other displays of high artistic value. One of them, an original painting of Les Femmes D'Alger by Pablo Picasso, was sold at Christie's New York auction house for five hundred million dollars last year. Veronica can even own it easily.Not to mention, the gilded urns that are neatly lined up with several award certi
CHAPTER 71Greek's house, New York."I did hate him, but that doesn't mean I killed him."Veronica clearly did not accept it when a secretary accused her of being the mastermind of her own husband's death. It made no sense to her.But Rose also repeatedly said that she received threatening messages sent by Veronica. She could even prove her point with successive messages asking her to poison Mr. Rich Greek or else her life would suffer."But these messages were sent through your cell phone, Madam," Nicholas snapped."I've told you several times, I never sent him such messages," Veronica screeched. She was now sitting on the sofa with her two bodyguards at the back, while Nicholas interrogated her.The broad-shouldered detective had also contacted Noel and asked him to come immediately with a police officer from his team to arrest the two women."Didn't all the property and inheritance rights go to you after your husband's death?" Nicholas asked suspiciously. His eyes also scrutinized
CHAPTER 72Golden University, New York.Alicia was waiting for Brittany in the main corridor of the campus in her knee-length floral dress. The dark-haired girl had been standing behind the bulletin board for the past five minutes because she was going to the movies with Brittany today."Holaaa, Alicia," Brittany greeted happily.The chubby-cheeked girl was wearing a red off-shoulder blouse and a black knee-length skirt paired with dark ankle boots. She also immediately embraced Alicia, who was now on the same level as her because Alicia was not wearing her usual high-heeled shoes. "I look better when you wear those flat shoes, Alicia," he said.Which made Alicia smile slightly. "Are we leaving now?""Oh, sure," she replied quickly. Brittany also handed Alicia a gold-colored ticket. "A special ticket for my best friend."Alicia just snorted in amusement and nodded her head. "Thank you, Brittany."Afterwards, Alicia and Brittany headed to the theater in Town Square, New York. Brittany
CHAPTER 73Alicia's flat, New York."You should at least eat something to keep from getting sick, Alicia."Another long sigh ended Brittany's words, which Alicia took for granted. The girl remained silent, curled up under her blanket and staring at the large window in front of her with a sad look. The blue irises no longer glowed. Only sadness and deep sorrow emanated from her dim eyes. Her eyes that were puffy from not being able to stop crying also made her state look alarming."It's been three days since you've been silent like this. You know, you're starting to worry me, Alicia," Brittany said again. She then placed a bowl of homemade carrot soup on the nightstand. "I told Ace and he's going back to New York today."Alicia furrowed her brow and turned around. "You told him?"And the blonde haired girl just shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "I can't keep seeing you like this." Brittany's brown eyes glanced briefly at the soup bowl on the nightstand before returning to Alicia. "