Two full days...For forty-eight hours, I tried to find out and track his whereabouts. But there wasn't a single clue leading to him. I had checked everything related to him, even asking for Dean's help to track him. After finding the initials left in his encryption program, I decided to postpone the first CTD launch for a week.Tonight is the Crossfire Inc. charity night. An annual event held to raise charitable funds that will later be distributed to various charity organizations owned by Crossfire Inc.As the CEO, I have to attend it with Mr. Oswealth, who is the organizer. This is the only upscale social event that I regularly attend.Or rather, I am obliged to attend.I don't mind events like this, except for the first two hours. Socializing with the upper class is not my favorite job. Their conversations always revolve around money, sports cars, botox, gossip, and other things that almost make me think that spending time with Humbert Bale would be better."Mr. Lancaster!" a scree

"Did you get it?"This morning, I visited Paul and Dean's office. After last night, I realized that I still had no information about Alice. None at all.I didn't have a chance to ask her directly last night, or rather, I don't remember. Like most men, my brain stops working when I'm near a beautiful woman. Plus, I doubt she would answer my question. So, I hoped that Dean would get some information about her.Dean yawned in his seat, while Paul hadn't arrived yet. It was still 7 in the morning."No, the bug isn't harmful," he replied while yawning again. Sometimes, I think Dean lives in the office, and I think my guess is right."I need information about the owner, I don't care about the bug," I replied, leaning against the door."Well, you know getting it won't be easy, Lancaster," he replied sarcastically. I could clearly see the bags under his eyes."Rest, Dean. You need it," I muttered before leaving his office.I tried to focus all my attention on the Crossfire Tracking Device pro

I never expected Alice to live in a place like this. The apartment looks old and... uncared for. We even had to take the regular stairs since the building's old elevator is broken. Yet I pay her thousands of dollars for her services every time I need saving, I thought while following her up to the 5th floor."You know... my apartment is safer than this place," I said again as Alice opened the door with a regular key."Your apartment is too flashy," she replied shortly.Even though I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on my apartment and its security system. I half-heartedly followed Alice into her apartment.Its simple and neutral interior really suits the owner's personality.The dull white walls were adorned with a few flower paintings, and the only striking color in the room was the fuchsia sofa in the middle.And it seemed like Alice didn't have a TV, but rather several large bookshelves covering part of the walls. On one side of the room, a desk with a sophisticated computer

The black-eyed man shouted in Russian, a long string of curses that I didn't understand. Alice responded with a calm and...bored expression. Only she could maintain such a demeanor in the midst of this situation."Where is Eirik?" Alice calmly asked, ignoring the black-eyed man's profanity."He's with Carleon!" the black-eyed man replied with a heavy Russian accent."So Carleon is really here," Alice muttered, her previously calm expression fading into a cold one. "For what?" she continued slowly."Not for you," the black-eyed man replied before spitting to the side.Alice raised her katana towards the man, blood still dripping from the tip."If that's the case, then for whom?"The black-eyed man looked at her with full of hatred, making me shiver a bit. "For him," he replied, pointing at me without looking at me, his gaze still fixed on Alice.Eh? So he had known about me from the beginning. How pathetic."And for Shaw," he added suddenly."...so Gregory," Alice's words were inaudibl

"What?" I repeated in disbelief, looking at my half-naked body and then back at her. So, she took off my clothes last night not just to have them laundered? But for insurance so I couldn't leave?I shook my head in confusion as I looked at her beautiful face, now smiling, really smiling, not just pulling one corner of her lips like before."Did you just confess that you're kidnapping me right now?" I asked, turning on my phone. Fortunately, this was still the weekend so there weren't many messages coming in. I looked up from the screen, pulling one of my eyebrows at Alice, who still hadn't answered my previous question.But Alice's gaze was fixed on my body, specifically on the wounds on my chest and stomach. Her smile had faded and was replaced with an expression I had never seen on her before...A sad expression.I placed my phone on the small table next to the bed, then knelt beside her. Alice was already sitting on the bed, white sheets covering part of her body."What's wrong?" I