Chapter 388: Predator in the Hallway
Aidan had sent the two Francis women away earlier, insisting that his driver see them safely back to their hotel. Once the car carrying them disappeared around the corner, Aidan turned on his heel and walked back into the restaurant.
"Are they still here?" he asked, voice low and sharp.
Alex Ford, waiting just inside the entrance, straightened immediately. "Yes, boss. Still inside," he replied quickly.
Aidan exhaled slowly through his nose. His fingers drummed against the back of his phone, deep in thought. His gaze flickered toward the hallway leading deeper inside. "Did you bribe the waitress?"
"Yes. She confirmed the girl never showed her face while the dishes were being served. No name was mentioned either. No clue who she is."
"Useless," Aidan hissed. His teeth ground together, jaw tightening. "If she won’t come out on her own, bribe her to spill wine, juice, anything on her, something that will force her to leave the room. I want her out where I can see her," he ordered with a merciless tone. "And get rid of CCTV."
"Understood." Alex Ford gave a nod, already turning to leave. His footsteps were brisk as he disappeared toward the staff corridor to give the order.
Alone, Aidan’s mouth curved into a faint, predatory smirk. La Riviere. That name was a thorn in his side, his rival in so many ventures, cutting into his markets, challenging his reach. To discover a weakness in their president... that would be a valuable bargaining chip.
When he saw the waitress enter the room with drinks and dessert, he positioned himself in the corridor, hiding his presence behind a pillar. His posture was deceptively casual while his eyes remained fixed with a predatory intensity on the door at the far end of the hall.
The sound came first: the hurried voice of a waitress stammering apology after apology. The door opened with a faint creak.
A tall girl emerged, and for a second, the time seemed to slow down. Silver. The strands of hair shimmered under the overhead lamps, catching Aidan’s eye like a hook. His pupils constricted sharply. Even with a mask and black-framed glasses covering her face, still, Aidan knew. He knew she was that girl. The one from the Royal Hotel, the one he had glimpsed at the charity gala.
His body reacted before his mind could catch up. The pounding in his chest drove his feet forward, silently following the girl. He heard her muttering under her breath, sharp curses spilling from her foul mouth.
She passed the restroom in the front, walking toward the one in the back, with fewer visitors. Aidan’s smirk widened. This worked perfectly in his favour.
Then the girl reached the more secluded restroom, oblivious that someone was following her. But before she could step inside, Aidan’s hand shot out, fingers dug into her arm, firm and tight.
Micah jerked violently, wincing as the pain shot to his head at the sudden pull. His breath caught in his throat, his broken ribs digging into his lungs. His head snapped around, ready to barge a string of curses at the uncultured person, demanding who the hell would grab a girl’s arm with this brutality, until recognition struck. His eyes widened in shock, body stiffened.
What was this motherfucker doing here?
Alarm bells went off in his head, shrieking like a banshee, warning of dangers ahead.
His lips trembled, parting as he finally found his vocal cords, ready to yell at this lunatic when Aidan spoke before him.
"Miss! Listen! I’m not here to hurt you. I just need one thing from you." Aidan’s words tumbled out in a rush. A rare crack in his usual arrogance.
For Aidan, this was not about La Riviere anymore. His only connection to that boy, the one who had slipped through his fingers online, the one who had crashed on his car roof, was standing here in front of him. That daring young man had blocked him on WeChat, having no way to reach him. It was right after posting his birthday cake moment when Aidan commented on it with congratulations. The boy didn’t even reply to his message before vanishing like smoke.
Aidan had lost his temper, tearing through his office, yelling at his subordinates, firing them as they failed, one after another, to trace the boy’s account. The humiliation had pierced his pride.
Now... this girl was his only hope to find that boy. He was sure she knew him.
"Do you know him?" Aidan demanded, stepping closer, his breath hot against the side of Micah’s mask. "The young man who passed you my money? Tell me. I need to find him." His fingers dug harder, using force to make her talk.
Micah’s lips moved without sound. His mouth went dry. He could see the glint in Aidan’s eyes, the gleam too sharp, too crazed, turning into madness. This wasn’t curiosity. This was an obsession.
A paragraph from the novel flashed in his mind. "Being denied what was rightfully his throughout his life, Aidan had learned to seize things with his own hands. Consequently, when he was faced with failure, instead of adapting, striking from another angle or letting it go, Aidan would become obsessed until he achieved what he truly desired. It didn’t matter whether it was a business deal or something utterly trivial. Like this dark-haired young man lying under him, refusing to budge. He would repeat it, over and over, until the young man yielded to him, until he begged him for more. That was his nature. Obsession until he got what he wanted."
Micah’s stomach twisted with revulsion, realising he had turned to Aidan’s obsession, yet his bruised body couldn’t just move. His ribs screamed under the tightening grip.
Micah wanted nothing more than to kick this man, sending him flying into the wall. The initial shock that had frozen his tongue had turned quickly to disgust and fear.
Then the second hand came, Aidan seizing both his arms, shaking him hard enough that his broken body cried out in agony.
The blood drained from Micah’s face, his vision spotting black.