The elevator walls are made of large sheets of transparent glass. Paige stands inside, watching as she slowly rises, and the entire downtown area of The Capital gradually comes into view.
The people look like an ant colony, and the buildings look like clouds.
She quietly fiddles with the candy wrapper in her hand, which makes a fine sound that seems to pass through her ears like electricity.
A few seconds later, the elevator door slowly opens in front of her.
Paige looked away and lifted her foot to step out.
This floor was a private service-oriented luxury hotel. Once inside, it felt as if the hustle and bustle outside had been blocked out, leaving only tranquility and the faint scent of sandalwood in the air.
“Hello, Mrs. Gustin, President and Mrs. Rafael are waiting in the room. Please follow me.”
A staff member wearing white gloves and a tuxedo was waiting at the elevator door. He immediately beamed when he saw her and said, “I am your butler today. Please call me Chuck.”
“Thank you,” Paige nodded lightly and followed him inside.
The floor was covered in carpet, and when she stepped on it, there was no sound at all, as if she had sunk into a soft cloud.
She rubbed the candy wrapper in her hand, looked around, and walked towards a silent and deep corridor.
“Knock, knock.”
Stopping in front of the door to Room 1250, Butler Chuck raised his hand and knocked twice, neither too lightly nor too heavily.
“I’m coming.”
The door opened.
This was a presidential suite.
Paige saw Carrie’s smile at first glance. Today Carrie wasn’t wearing a long skirt, and she had chosen the same casual clothes as her, even her wavy curls were tied up in a high ponytail, with light makeup, she looked very neat and tidy.
“Sister Paige, you’re here,” Carrie called out to her cheerfully, took her hand and walked inside.
“What on earth does Rafael want with me, time and again?” Paige said, displeased, as she let Carrie take her hand.
“If it’s nothing, why can’t we just invite you over as a couple?”
A deep, gentle male voice came from somewhere.
A tablecloth with hand-embroidered flowers was spread over the table, with delicious-looking appetizers already laid out. The lighting was soft, and two candle holders had been placed on the table.
Rafael stood in front of the table, lifted the transparent decanter, and elegantly poured red wine into the glasses.
The wine swayed in a seductive arc.
“You’re just in time, the wine has just been decanted, would you like a glass?” Rafael lifted two wine glasses and handed one over.
“I drove here, I’m not drinking,”
Paige said indifferently, and sat down directly at the table. She was not interested in the food on the table, and just said, “Just tell me, what is the important matter that you want to find me for?
“Don’t you want to eat a little bit first?” Rafael smiled at her.
“President Rafael, you have already asked me three times. Every time we meet, you either invite me for tea or drinks, and this time it’s become drinking. What is your focus?” Paige raised her eyes and looked at him coldly.
Obviously, after the previous two experiences, Paige had already become guarded towards him.
Rafael’s eyes darkened, and then he laughed, “It’s not wrong for me to invite you to drink something. You don’t think I’ve put something in this wine, do you? Then I’ll drink it for you.”
With that, Rafael lifted his glass and gulped down a glass of red wine.
“…”
Paige’s eyelashes twitched slightly, and she glanced at Carrie.
Carrie stood there with pursed lips, her face showing no abnormalities.
After finishing the drink, Rafael inverted the glass in his hand, not spilling a single drop. “Are you relieved now?”
“I don’t suspect you of anything,” Paige said indifferently.
Seeing this, Carrie sat down. “Okay, let’s get down to business. Didn’t you tell me to ask Paige out?”
As she said this, she realized something and turned to look at the butler Chuck, who was standing nearby. “You’re done here. You can go now.”
Normally, the real hotel butler would have sensibly withdrawn at this point, but this butler Chuck smiled and said, “I’d better stay and refill your drinks. The dishes will be served soon.”
“You…” Carrie looked at him strangely.
Rafael sat down opposite her and watched as Paige shook her empty glass. “You really aren’t going to have a sip?”
“I came here alone, and Enrico doesn’t even know that I’m here. How can I drink and drive,” Paige said.
“It’s fine, I’ll have someone drive you home,” Rafael continued to persuade.
“President Rafael, what do you really want?” Paige’s face was not looking good, and she looked at him coldly.
Upon hearing this, Rafael shrugged helplessly, leaned back, looked up at the butler Chuck, and said, “You see? I can’t persuade her.”
“…”
Paige listened, her gaze suddenly hardened, and she turned her head to look.
Butler Chuck had already taken out a pistol from the inside of his tuxedo and aimed it at Paige. “Don’t…”
Before the word ‘move’ could be said, Paige reacted quickly, sat back in her chair, and wrapped her thin arms around the other person like a snake, easily taking the gun away from her. She grabbed the butler and pressed him against the table, and without hesitation, shot him in both shoulders.
Two loud gunshots accompanied by screams passed by, and butler Chuck hung limp on the table, bleeding profusely and dripping down the table edge.
Her movements were so swift, so frighteningly swift.
Rafael stood up suddenly and took two steps back.
“What’s going on?” Carrie was also stunned and stood up, asking in disbelief.
“Can’t you see?”
Paige held the gun and slowly turned her head, looking coldly at Rafael and asking, word for word, “Do you want to touch me?”
“It’s all of us who want to touch you,” a somewhat smug voice said.
Paige turned her head and saw that the door had been opened from the outside, and a group of armed bodyguards entered one after the other, followed by the grand entrance of the protagonists.
Mr. Wilkie, Mr. Fentress…
One, two, three… A rough count revealed that there were fifteen major tycoons and five heads of major families.
They were all here.
Mr. Cruise stood smiling, leaning on his walking stick. He didn’t feel the tension at all, as if he were just meeting acquaintances at a banquet. He nodded to Paige, greeting her, “Mrs. Gustin, nice to see you again.”
Paige looked at Rafael with cold eyes and said, “You’ve gone over to their side?”
“You actually betrayed Paige?” Carrie stared at Rafael in disbelief, her eyes shaking with emotion.
Rafael stood there and sneered, “I wouldn’t call it betrayal, but I was just trying to save myself. Paige, if you want to blame someone, blame Enrico, he was the one who started it.”
“You really have a lot of nerve,” said Paige coldly, raising her gun and aiming it at him.
“Don’t move! Put the gun down!”
The bodyguards quickly surrounded the living room, dozens of guns trained on her.
Outnumbered, a head-on confrontation was useless.
The coldness in Paige’s eyes grew stronger. She placed the gun in her hand on the table and turned to look at Mr. Wilkie and the others, “What do you want by arresting me, to threaten Enrico? You are looking for death.”
“Mrs. Gustin, don’t worry, we have no ill will towards you, relax,”
Mr. Wilkie said with a smile, giving one of his subordinates a wink.