Chapter 261
1314words
Acting shocked, I stared nonchalantly at Rylee and blinked a couple of times as though I was in deep confusion before I asked, “What do you mean, Princess?”
Rylee, utterly unfazed by my question, turned to face me and crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned her weight on the right side of her body and gave me an amused smile. “No need to play coy, Your Highness. Mr. K owns this bar. When he was leaving earlier, he happened to see you and recognized you immediately.”
Tilting her head, she added, “He has a sharp eye for details, doesn’t he?”
My heart froze in panic, but I kept my physical demeanor as unbothered as I could.
Mr. K? Him again? Why was it that no matter where I went, he seemed like a ghost attached to me, always lurking around?
What’s most frustrating was that even though I tried hard to act as low-key as possible and disguise myself outside, he still could recognize me.
Was it all an actual coincidence, a fate, or something maneuvered in the background?
“Don’t overthink it, Della. I’m sure it’s all just a coincidence. Besides, if you look at it, Mr. K helped you hide your identity. If he wasn’t giving us aid, we’d probably be in bigger trouble,” Trish reasoned out in a comforting voice, calming my palpitating heart.
Focusing back on what was in front of me, Trish’s words were only proven. Rylee was still standing in front of me with some of the bar’s guards around us, waiting to guide us.
Calming down, I swiftly looked around and asked Rylee, “This bar isn’t exactly bustling. Why would a shrewd businessman like Mr. K invest in such a place?”
“In fact…” I gestured to the bar shelves far in front. Though it might look full, its expensive bottles could only be counted by hand. Proving a point, I added, “It looks like it’s losing money.”
Rylee chuckled. Her voice was lilting but evasive. “Appearances can be deceiving, Princess.”
With a knowing look, she gestured for us to follow her to what I presume was a safer place, but she kept talking as we walked, gesturing around now and then, “This bar may look small and humble, but it’s perfect for certain... discussions. No public CCTVs are installed in the surrounding areas, and no cameras are allowed in private rooms.”
Momentarily stopping, she glanced at me, smirked, and pointed out, “We provide complete privacy. People with secrets come here to either break lose or, in most cases…”
Rylee looked at Sapphire and me meaningfully, adding, “Those people who want to keep secret transactions.”
Sapphire and I instinctively looked at each other, feeling cautious.
Did she know something?
Probably seeing the hint of panic in our eyes, Rylee smiled, “Don’t worry, though. I made sure nothing from tonight would leave this place.”
Shrugging, she added, “And like I said, there’s no cameras here.”
Upon reaching the back door, we all halted when a loud sound echoed from inside. Looking over her shoulder, we saw at least ten people causing trouble inside.
Rylee rolled her eyes and motioned for the guards with us. “Handle those, and it’s a mess in here.”
Once they left, she opened the door. As soon as we exited the bar, we stepped into the cool night air. The street was quiet, bathed in the pale glow of streetlights.
“You’re also leaving?” I asked, noticing Rylee coming with us.
With that situation, is she actually leaving?
Raising her brows at me, she shrugged and waved her head to dismiss my thoughts. “Don’t worry about it. My bouncers are well-trained. This place is always a mess, with many underground transactions happening. It’s no big deal.”
Shrugging, I continued walking with Sapphire, but Rylee also kept walking with us, having conversations now and then.
After a while, Rylee glanced at me.
My brows narrowed when I noticed her demeanor was becoming more casual than her hostile earlier demeanor. At least, she was pretending or trying to be.
“You know, I’ve always wondered… what kind of history do you have with Mr. K? He’s not someone who takes notice of people easily,” she asked.
Merely tilting my head and feigning mild amusement, I asked with a raised brow, “Shouldn’t you be asking him that question instead?”
How would I know what’s going on in Mr. K’s mind? He’s so much of a puzzle even to me.
Her lips parted, and she looked like she wanted to discuss the topic further, but her phone in her pocket suddenly rang.
She glanced at the screen and answered quickly, her tone shifting to nervous politeness. “Yes… Yes, I’ve escorted them out safely… No, of course not, I wouldn’t dare… Please, believe me, I only wanted to ensure everything was handled smoothly...”
I narrowed my eyes. Who was it that made her so submissive?
When the call ended, she hid her phone and gave me a respectful bow. “I’ll leave first, Princess. I…”
She cautiously looked back at the bar and added, “Seems like I am needed back there after all.”
I exchanged glances with Sapphire after we watched Rylee run back to the bar. Shrugging, we walked back to our car. Since I had a few glasses of drink, Sapphire drove us instead.
For a while, neither of us spoke, and we let the comfortable silence surround us as we gathered our thoughts.
The low hum of the car was the only thing that filled the silence as we drove through the darkened streets. After a while, Sapphire finally broke the silence.
“Mr. K… he’s indeed dangerous, Princess,” she said, her voice low but firm.
I leaned my elbow on the car’s door and my head against the window as I watched the blurred lights of the city pass by.
“I know,” I murmured in a distant tone. “But we don’t have the luxury of avoiding him right now.”
After a few seconds, I let out a deep breath and straightened in my seat. Regaining my thoughts, I sharply ordered, “Take me to the office. We need to review the recording tonight, and we still have preparations for the mine tomorrow.”
Sapphire nodded, gripping the wheel tighter as I felt the car drive fast.
Leaning back on my seat, I gathered my thoughts as I was reminded of Rylee’s words. That bar wasn’t as humble as it seemed.
It’s a place where secrets are hidden and shown freely simultaneously. Even Mason had revealed his crimes carelessly in front of a massive crowd, thinking himself untouchable.
Realizing something, my brows furrowed. If that bar witnessed countless secrets, Mr. K holds them, too. He knows too much about Wakeland and every influential member here – including me. And that makes him even more dangerous.
Frustrated, I raised my hand and rubbed my pulsating temple her temples as my head started to ache from the racing thoughts brought by Mr. K in my life.
Then, as if snapping out of it as I remembered something, I sat back up and asked Sapphire, “How are the preparations for the drug laboratory coming along?”
Sapphire hesitated momentarily before glancing at me through the rearview mirror and responding. “The location has been secured, but we’re having trouble screening personnel. Finding people we can trust has been… difficult.”
My gaze hardened as I felt even more determined.
The longer and the better I know Mr. K, the more I find him dangerous, which fueled my desire to free Wakeland from its dependence on him as soon as possible. The longer we kept things as they were, the longer we’d lose the capability to escape his grapes, and that laboratory was our first step to freedom.
‘I won’t let anything stand on its way to success. Not even Mr. K himself,’ I thought with conviction.
