“I am sure. Everything is only a matter of time. You will surely receive good news soon.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I say that not only because you are my grandchild, but I has to admit that you are really smart. I never thought that you could use the situation so well. Honestly, I never thought that you had everything prepared.”
“Maybe so. Maybe I am clever because I can take advantage of the situation, but with Vlora’s help, everything went smoothly and according to plan.”
“Oh, that’s for sure.”
“Nothing would work without her involvement.”
“You’re right, Reas. That’s why I have to say the same thing for the second time. You are really lucky. First of all, you have a wife who can help you; not every man can have that.”
“I know, Nana.”
“Still, I hope you won’t get arrogant. You know that, right? Your father was a lucky man, too.”
A knock on the door shattered Andreas’ thoughts of the conversation a few moments ago. He sighed deeply and found Frans at the door.
“Good morning, sir.”
Frans sat down in front of Andreas. His boss just nodded, remembering his words to Noelle earlier.
“Sorry, Nana. It seems I’m much smarter than Dad.”
There was one thing Andreas was slowly realizing these days. Although he still didn’t know the reason for Vlora’s phone tapping, the sympathy he was getting was the result of Vlora’s interference.
Without being arrogant, Andreas praised himself for making the right decision. Indeed, choosing Vlora as his wife was a step for which he was very grateful.
For that, Andreas hoped that Vlora felt the same way. Hopefully, because he felt that only Vlora could complete him.
Hmm. It sounds like we’re a real married couple, doesn’t it?
It was understandable that this question came to Andreas’ mind. Considering the history of their marriage, everything that is happening now seems to be unpredictable.
“Sir?”
Andreas blinked. A spark of surprise flashed in his eyes, which had lost focus for a moment.
Oh dear! Was I just dreaming?
Andreas cleared his throat, adjusted his sitting position slightly and then asked again. “Yes?”
An embarrassing answer, but what could be done? Andreas had no idea what Frans had just told him. He couldn’t pretend to listen when his focus was elsewhere.
“Is something bothering you, sir?”
A human question. Andreas wasn’t surprised at all, but he shook his head calmly.
“No.”
Frans’ look indicated that he doubted Andreas’ answer.
“Okay,” Andreas gave in. He took a breath and sighed briefly. “I’m actually thinking about something, but don’t worry. It’s not important. You don’t need to worry.”
It was impossible for Frans not to be worried. Andreas’ attitudes only made him endlessly anxious, especially after the surveillance he had experienced. Although Andreas didn’t explicitly mention the identity of the eavesdropper, Frans had his instincts. His intuition pointed to a name, and he was willing to bet that the culprit was Vlora.
It was simple. Wasn’t the next person the one who could easily eavesdrop? Especially since Andreas’ social interactions had been limited lately. He didn’t interact much with outsiders, and when he did, he was always careful.
Unfortunately, Frans had to keep his cool. He was in the middle, and he knew that provoking Vlora was something Andreas did not like. Frans couldn’t show any suspicion towards Vlora; he had to hide it as best he could, so that Andreas wouldn’t accuse him of being too judgmental.
Frans’ situation became even more difficult when Vlora really helped Andreas. No doubt it meant a lot to Andreas, and his caution would probably relax.
It was hard to admit, but Frans judged that Andreas was no longer able to judge objectively. When it came to Vlora, Andreas’ logic did not seem to work, and that was clearly dangerous.
Frans wasn’t going to stay silent. It was fine if Andreas ignored his concerns. He just had to prove the truth of his intuition.
An hour later, Frans had left Andreas’ apartment. He contacted someone on the road.
The call connected. Two seconds of waiting before a woman’s voice greeted Frans’ ears.
“Hello, sir.”
Frans scanned the road before answering. “Hello. Are you busy? It seems we need to meet.”
“Meet? Um. What for? Is something missing from yesterday’s tax files?”
“No,” Frans replied quickly. “Your work is good. There’s no problem at all. I just want you to do something else.”
“Is it important?”
Firmly, Frans replied quickly, “Very important. So, when can we meet? Is it possible in the near future?”
Frans didn’t get an immediate answer, but a short pause. It seemed that his interlocutor needed a moment to think.
“Perhaps we can meet in a few days. I’m out of town right now, having some fun. I hope you understand, sir.”
Frans sighed deeply. There was nothing he could do but wait. He only hoped that he would have time before it was too late.
“All right, Viska. I hope you can contact me as soon as possible.”
The call ended. Frans took off the wireless earpiece and put it aside. Now there was only one thing he could do-calm himself.
Frans had to be patient while he waited. Unfortunately, no one liked to wait.
*
It was not unusual for Bryan to be different that morning. His aging face reflected the ravages of time and seemed tense. His expression was a mixture of weariness and anger. It was only natural that everyone who interacted with him was cautious; they didn’t want to trigger his emotions.
Jonas approached Bryan at exactly ten in the morning. With no one else in Bryan’s office but the two of them, the aftermath of the general meeting would undoubtedly be the topic of discussion.
“Andreas, damn it!”
Jonas started to speak, but Bryan cursed his second son first. With his fists clenched on the table, Bryan’s face looked intimidating.
It seemed that Jonas didn’t need to say anything. He and Bryan were clearly experiencing similar anger over Andreas’ actions.
“That boy is always causing trouble. Damn troublemaker.”
Bryan’s cursing continued. Jonas remained silent and Bryan looked in his direction.
“Calm down, Jon. Things may be a little heated right now, but don’t worry. I will make sure everything is okay.”
As embarrassing as it was, Jonas was objective enough to realize that his position was not favorable. Even before the general meeting, he was on the ropes because of the continuing decline in sales, and now?
As if that wasn’t enough, Jonas’ plan to trap Andreas ended up trapping himself. Everything was a mess. Jonas hoped things wouldn’t get any worse and that was why he came to Bryan. He swallowed his pride and acted like a small child complaining to a parent when fighting with a playmate over toys.
“I really didn’t think it would all fall apart like this,” Jonas said, rubbing his face. He closed his eyes briefly, the heaviness of last night’s alcohol still lingering. “Everything is chaotic.”
“We should never underestimate Andreas. The boy is cunning. He wouldn’t have dared to come so confidently if he hadn’t planned something beforehand.”
That was one of Jonas’ regrets. He was so focused on trapping Andreas that he forgot that Andreas could do the same to him.
“True, but I still didn’t think that Andreas had anticipated my plans. He really seems to know what I was going to do. It’s completely baffling”.
Bryan furrowed his brow. His gaze focused on Jonas with a questioning expression. He was instantly curious, but also concerned.
“What do you mean, Jonas? Is there a traitor in your midst?”
Jonas didn’t answer right away. Instead, he remembered Alan’s words from yesterday. Now that he thought about it, everything seemed to make more sense. No wonder he had always failed to thwart Andreas. No wonder he had always failed to embarrass Andreas. No wonder, because there was a traitor standing right next to him.
“I think so, Pa. Because it seems impossible that my plan could have failed yesterday, when I had arranged everything as well as I could. The only plausible reason it could have happened is that there’s a traitor.”
“Then you know who it is?”
Jonas didn’t answer; instead, he remembered Alan’s words.
“Do you really believe in Mr. Alex?”
Bryan narrowed his eyes. Jonas’ expression gave a hint; besides the elusive answer he hadn’t gotten.
“Jonas,” Bryan called, snapping Jonas out of his reverie. “Tell me. Who is it? We need to get rid of him as soon as possible before things get even more chaotic.”
Jonas took a deep breath. “I’ll take care of it later, Dad. Don’t worry. I have my own plan.”
Jonas’ decision was final. Bryan could sense the seriousness in Jonas’ words and expression.
“Very well then. You take care of the traitor and I will take care of the rest. You don’t have to worry about the shareholders. Your position won’t be shaken.”
That was the only thing that made Jonas uneasy. Bryan clearly knew, and now his priority was to reassure his beloved son.
“I know that the current situation is very difficult for you, but we will overcome it. Just focus your mind on strategizing Progun’s future and finding a way to get rid of Andreas’ ally. You don’t need to think about anything else. Everything will be fine.”
*