Chapter 94
Noah’s POV:
My jaw tightened. “I have nothing to do with this. I haven’t even met the man.”
“They found his body this morning,” she continued, her voice low. “I was going to tell you, but… the authorities got here first.”
“This doesn’t make any sense,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “I never even saw him.”
“That may be true.” Natasha said. “But the authorities have evidence that places us near him. This isn’t going away, Noah. We have to cooperate.”
“Cooperate?” I repeated. “I don’t have time for this. I need to get back to my wife.”
“And I’m telling you that if you resist, things will only get worse.” Natasha said firmly. “We need to handle this carefully.” She added, crossing her arms
My eyes narrowed. “You said that Mr. Ali bailed out yesterday. You said that he was still in Hong Kong, so how exactly did you know about his passing?” I asked, genuinely confused.
What kind of game is this, Natasha? What kind of game are you playing?
“Stop.” She interrupted sharply, her eyes darting to the officers. “This isn’t the place to argue.”
I bit hard on my lower lip to control my anger. “Natasha, if you’re lying-”
“I’m not! I didn’t know anything about him being in Shanghai as well, I was also lied to.” She cut in. “Just do what they say, Noah. Let’s go back to the hotel and figure this out.”
The officers stepped forward, their patience clearly wearing thin. “Mr. Noah, please return to your hotel.” One of them said. “If you continue to resist, we will have no choice but to take you into custody.”
My chest heaved with suppressed anger. I looked at Natasha, then back at the officers. Reluctantly, I nodded. “Fine! I’ll go. But this isn’t over.” I yelled.
The officers stepped back, allowing Natasha to lead me toward the car. As I was escorted back to the car, my mind raced. Who was setting me up? And why?
The answer is clear-my decision to return to Mirabelle must’ve been delayed on purpose.
As the car pulled away, Natasha leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “We need to talk. Alone.”
I turned to her, my eyes narrowing. “You’d better start explaining, Natasha. Because if you’re playing games, I swear-”
“I am also a suspect, Noah. So can you please stop making this about you?” She said, cutting me off. “For now, just stay calm. We are going to need each other more than you realize.”
Her words did nothing to ease my anger. I stared out the window, my fists clenched, wondering how the hell everything had spiraled so far out of control.
One thing is certain-I can’t go back to the U. S. just yet. And whatever game Natasha was playing, I need to find out soon.
Upon arriving at the hotel grounds, I stepped out of the car angrily and slammed the door shut behind me. I didn’t wait for Natasha. I didn’t even glance back. Instead, I walked toward the entrance, my fists clenched at my side.
Inside the hotel, I ignored the staff’s polite greeting and headed straight for the elevator. By the time I reached my room, I was practically fuming.
Once inside my hotel room, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Samuel’s number again.
It rang. And rang. And rang.
Still nothing.
“What the hell is going on?” I muttered, pacing back and forth. Samuel hasn’t picked up my calls for days now. At first, I thought it was nothing, maybe he was busy looking after his pregnant wife who had an accident or was out of town.
But now I am starting to wonder if something is wrong.
I tried calling him a few days ago when I needed updates about America, and again earlier today when I found out about Mirabelle. Each time, the result was the same…
Silence!
I took off my wristwatch and tossed it onto the bed in anger. “Forget it. I don’t need him.” I muttered to myself. “I’ll call someone else.”
Scrolling through my contacts, I landed on Gary’s number and dialed it. Gary’s a private investigator I have worked with over the years. If anyone could help me, it was him.
He picked up almost immediately. “Mr. Noah.” Gary said on the other end of the line. “It’s been a while.”
“Gary.” I said, cutting to the chase. “I need your help. Something’s going on, and I don’t have time to waste.”
“Of course, sir. What do you need?”
“First, I want you to keep an eye on my wife-Mirabelle.” I began. “Make sure she’s safe. I don’t trust anyone right now, and I need someone reliable watching her.”
“Understood.” Gary replied. “I’ll assign someone immediately. Is there anything in particular that I need to look out for?”
“Yes.” I said, leaning against the desk. “Mirabelle’s company has been in the news recently-some kind of scandal. I want you to dig into it. Find out who’s behind it and what their motive is.”
“Got it,” Gary said. “And… What about you, sir? Are you in any danger?”
I hesitated for a moment before answering. “Possibly but I am not as important as my wife.” I stated, firmly. “I also need you to find a private investigator here in Shanghai. Someone you trust. I’ll send you a picture and details of a woman I want them to tail.”
“A woman?” Gary asked.
“Yes, her name is Natasha.” I said bluntly. “I need to know everything about her-who she’s been talking to, where she’s been going, and why the hell she keeps dragging me into her mess.”
“Understood.” Gary said. “Send me her information, and I’ll coordinate with our Shanghai contacts. Anything else?”
“That’s it for now. But Gary.” I added. “I want updates regularly. No delays.”
“Of course, sir.”
I hung up and immediately dialed another number-Simon, my assistant manager. He answered on the second ring.