Fenella’s POV
I willingly got into the black van, leaving Jessy alone on the sidewalk. I was sure he would immediately contact Laird. Maybe he would explain the situation to him, and Laird would call me right away.
Sure enough, my phone rang just minutes after the van had driven away from Laird’s office building. I answered the call immediately.
“Hello, Laird.”
“Hey, Fenella. What is this about Jessy seeing you being abducted by a black van? He said you willingly got into the vehicle and mentioned it was my father’s men.”
Laird asked with tension in his voice. His breath sounded hurried on the phone, but I didn’t want to make him more anxious.
Well, yes, I was panicking too because suddenly I had been approached by men in black suits who resembled mafia. However, they mentioned Hugo Evans, Laird’s father. I didn’t want to give his father a bad impression, or I would lose the chance to prove myself to him.
“Yes, Laird. I think it’s okay. You know it’s your father, and he knows me too. I don’t think there’s anything to fear about.”
“Fenella, at least you could have waited for me to confirm this with my father. What if it’s a trap by criminals? What if it’s Peter’s mafia trying to eliminate a trial witness?” Laird sounded like he was growling lowly, as if holding back anger.
“Oh, yes, maybe you’re right,” I whispered with a pang in my chest.
Ugh, I had never thought of it that way! How could I be so careless about Peter’s and Alan’s case? They were being held in cells, and I could laugh freely in New York while starting a new modeling agency, but that didn’t mean the situation was safe.
“What should I do?” I asked in a whisper, avoiding the man sitting next to me in the back seat.
“Wait for me to call my father about this. Meanwhile, share your live location with me. Act as if you’re not going to run,” Laird instructed quickly.
“Okay.”
When the call ended, I hurriedly shared my live location with him. I suppressed my anxiety and maintained a poker face. If my acting could deceive Alan and Peter, then it should work on them too.
I waited in silence. Soon, the van began to slow down and entered the Financial District, which was getting busy as lunchtime approached. As soon as the van stopped, Laird called me again.
“Fenella, it’s really my father. He wants to take you to lunch.” His voice was still low, but the panicked breaths had been replaced by a long exhale.
Laird’s mumbling indicated he was stunned rather than ready to rush to my location. Something his father must have said had caused Laird to change his attitude so drastically.
“Oh, well. If that’s the case, everything will be fine.”
I spoke cheerfully, accompanied by a light laugh. For some reason, I didn’t want to make him more uncomfortable or guilty. I would do anything to boost his spirits again.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, don’t worry. Your father is still a regular human, not a monster, right? I know he’s called a shark in court, but I can even make Mr. Golden, the piranha, soften up towards us.” I chuckled softly, and my words made him snort.
“Yes, you’re right. Alright, if at any point you feel uncomfortable facing him, just leave him. We’ll talk about it later at home,” Laird said.
“Okay, boss,” I sang a little tune to make a joke, and he chuckled.
When the call finally ended, the man sitting in front of me got out and opened the door for me. I stepped into the lobby of the office building. We then took the elevator up to the thirtieth floor and arrived at the entrance of an upscale restaurant with a thick black carpet rolled out to welcome guests.
This restaurant was known to be busy and required reservations at least three months in advance. Since I wasn’t sure if Mr. Evans had booked a lunch table for me three months ago, I was certain that he was a VIP who could get a table at this restaurant on short notice. Indeed, he was a corporate lawyer with his name as a senior partner at several law firm branches worldwide.
I just didn’t expect him to be this wealthy and powerful.
Moreover, why would his father invite me to lunch at such an exclusive restaurant? Even going so far as to send three men to pick me up, as if they had been waiting for me to leave Laird’s office building.
As if they had been following me since morning.
The restaurant’s staff greeted me with a broad, friendly smile. The three men quickly mentioned Mr. Hugo Evans’ name. He immediately nodded, indicating that he understood the customer’s request.
Then he walked ahead of me and led me to a table in the middle of the room. The restaurant appeared busy with neatly dressed men and women, but Hugo Evans seemed to claim all the charisma in the room.
He sat alone at a small center table. His back leaned against the chair with a proud posture. His chin was slightly raised with eyes gazing far out of the restaurant’s window, which showed views of other buildings in the area.
His hair was dark blonde with brown eyes framed by thick eyebags under them. Although signs of aging were visible on his face, he still looked strong enough to punch and crush an opponent’s jaw. His sturdy hand lifted a glass of red wine, which he sipped slowly.
“Mr. Evans,” the restaurant staff greeted the man gently, “your guest has arrived.”
Upon seeing me, the man immediately gave a crooked smile. His hand rose without him bothering to stand or shake my hand. Then he gestured for me to sit across from him.
“Please, have a seat, Ms. Baxter.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I repeated in my mind not to make any mistakes. I had to be the woman who received approval from the narcissistic Mr. Evans. Somehow, no matter what, I couldn’t embarrass myself.
The man’s gaze remained fixed on my face. He judged me in silence. I dared to bet his mind was racing with various negative thoughts about me and Laird.
“How are you, Miss Baxter?”
“I’m great. Thank you. How about you, sir?” I asked with a broad smile.
“Well, nothing much. It’s a boring life for me anyway,” the man said quickly while glancing at a server pouring wine into my glass. Although I hadn’t requested it, I was sure this was Mr. Evans’ way of making me drink the wine he had chosen.
“Unlike your life, imagine my surprise when I saw your name in the newspaper next to Malcolm Golden’s. It must be hard to be the famous hero.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that, sir. I just helped the prosecutors a little, and the media happened to recognize me.” I raised my hand to cover my mouth as I nervously laughed.
Damn! I couldn’t calm myself!
“I heard from Lloyd that Laird also helped out and had to be treated in the Andover hospital. Is that true?” Mr. Evans asked, tilting his head.
“Yes. He played a significant role in solving the case. If you saw him yourself, you’d praise him as a national hero because he is literally the real hero.” I widened my smile with an enthusiastic tone.
“No. Exactly the opposite. I am disappointed with him.”
He emphasized his disappointment with a hoarse voice while shaking his head.