Do I just send a report based on what I’ve observed to King to tell him flat out that there’s definitely some fraudulent activities going on?
What would happen to Celine and her team if I did that?
Will King believe us, and will Celine willingly admit to her wrong doings?
Endless questions flooded into my mine and none of them helped to make me feel any better about myself or the situation that I have found myself in. It was unfortunately, but it seemed like I didn’t have a choice but to make an honest report based on what we have discovered during our short investigation.
“I’m going to write up the reports based on the facts that we’ve observed and send it to King. Then we can do more digging here and there to find more evidence or other instances of fraud. I’ll send him another and more detailed report then…” I told Reiner decisively.
“Sounds like a plan. Don’t overwork yourself,” Reiner warned with concern.
“I think it’s better for us to let King know as soon as possible about this,” I told him what was on my mind.
“I agree with you, Natalia. Let’s do it your way,” Reiner readily agreed.
“Ok…” I murmured softly.
He probably didn’t realize how much his support truly gave me the courage and the strength to really push through.
…
That evening, I spent my time writing up the report that I needed to send to King. I was so focused on my work that I didn’t realize just how much time had passed by until Reiner approached me.
“Natalia…” he called my name tenderly as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Oh…R…” I whispered in slight shock.
My mind was so wrapped up in my work that I didn’t realize that he had sneaked up on me from behind. Reiner looked down at my face as I looked up at him before he heaved a sigh. He looked very worried, and I knew that he was worried about me. Suddenly, I started feeling very guilty. It was supposed to be his holiday, but he’s stuck here investigating a depressing fraud case with me and staying indoors for the majority of the day because I had to write up a report.
“I’m sorry, R…but I’m not done yet…” I apologized regretfully.
“You’re just working hard at your job, there’s nothing for you to apologize for,” Reiner said before he smiled warmly at me.
“Still…I feel guilty for getting you involved in this…and you’re supposed to be on a holiday and all…” I replied sadly.
“Do you need help?” Reiner asked with care.
It was just so like him to be thinking of me rather than himself. His gentleness and his kindness really knew no bounds and that only made me feel even guiltier than before. What can I do for him in return?
“I’m fine. Is there something that I can do for you?” I asked in return.
“There is,” Reiner replied after a short pause.
“Really?! What is it?” I asked, excitedly.
It wasn’t very often that Reiner would admit that he needed my help. He always ended up doing things for me so if there was a rare chance that I could do something for him then I would definitely jump at the opportunity.
“Have dinner with me. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Aren’t you hungry?” Reiner asked as he stared right into my eyes.
I should have known that that was what he wanted. In the end, he’s just worried about my wellbeing above all else.
“Oh…I guess I am a little hungry…” I replied before smiling sweetly at him in thanks.
I bet that he’d been cooking us dinner while I was busying myself with writing up the report for King. Now that I think about it, I could smell our dinner on him.
“You haven’t been paying attention to the time. Take a break and have dinner with me, Natalia,” Reiner invited me with a smile.
“Umm…sure. Let’s have dinner, R,” I agreed before smiling up at him in return.
…
“It’s amazing how you managed to cook all this,” I said as I stared in awe at all the dishes that he had prepared.
There was just so much food and judging by how the food was beautifully arranged in their plates, I could tell that Reiner really didn’t spare any effort. I turned to smiled brightly at him before making a ‘wow’ face.
“I was free…and I don’t like being too free…” Reiner muttered before he quickly looked away.
I laughed a little at his bashful reaction. It made me so happy that he went above and beyond to cook a great meal for us even though he said that he was just using it as an excuse to kill time.
“You work so hard even when it’s supposed to be your holiday,” I mentioned regretfully.
“I won’t call cooking for you exactly working. Eat up, Natalia,” Reiner said as he guided me to my seat and helped me down onto the chair.
“Thank you…so much…” I thanked him while looking up to smile up at his face.
After a while of stuffing his delicious homemade food into my mouth, I began watching him eat. Reiner always looked at me when I ate my food. It was probably a habit that he developed when he was working as my butler. I surely had many issues in my life back then and some concerning health conditions after the fire as well. He must have been so worried about me all the time.
“You should make sure that you eat enough too, you know. I’m also worried about you,” I said as I narrowed my eyes at him slightly.
“Why are you saying this all of a sudden? I’m very healthy, just so you know…” Reine replied casually.
“I don’t know. It just seems like you’re always worried about me and fussing over me. So, I just wanted you to know that I care about you too,” I replied a little stubbornly.
“Thanks for that but it would make me feel much better if you devoted more of that energy to looking after yourself,” Reiner replied with a grin.
–To be continued…