“My friend, Sophia is coming over today” Rachel adjusted George’s tie and reached for his cufflinks. “You know how hard it is for outsiders to enter into this villa, so -”
“You want me to talk to the bodyguards again?” George asked.
“Yes. And if it’s possible, just tell them to always give her easy access anytime she comes by” Rachel fixed his cufflinks, stepped back and smirked at him. “Wow, you look so good this morning…”
“Really? I guess it’s because of your kisses” George winked at her.
“I guess I should give you more of it, huh?”
George chuckled. “Of course, give it to me anytime. I’m always ready”
Rachel leaned forward on her toes and kissed him sweetly.
“Ah, I feel so refreshed right now” George grinned at her. He still couldn’t believe that she was actually in love with him. It would take some time for him to adjust to that fact. “I have to get going now, I’m running late.”
“Alright. Don’t forget to remind the guards” Rachel said, waving at him.
“Sure, I will”
A few hours later, Rachel dropped the paintbrush down, preparing to rinse it clean. Staring at her simple painting of a bird, she wondered how she had been able to sit still for hours even though her mind was about to explode from curiosity. She didn’t know what to expect when Sophia showed up. Who could the real culprit be? Would she be able to handle the truth behind everything?
Rachel brought her hand to her face and dabbed on the bead of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Despite the air conditioner in her room blowing cold air, she was so nervous and all she felt was heat.
The door bell shrilled loudly in the hallway and Rachel jumped to her feet. Sophia was finally here. With her sweaty palms and shaky breath, she strolled over to welcome her. One of the maids had ushered her in and Rachel walked into the sitting room and joined Sophia on a couch.
“Whoa! You seem to seem to be glowing more anytime I see you” Sophia commented, winking at her. “I can see your husband is treating you well”
Rachel laughed. “Yes, he is. I could go on and on about everything he does for me.”
Sophia smiled “I’m glad things turned out well. I was always worried about how he was treating you. You know I don’t really like extremely wealthy people, most of them turn out to be very mean. Especially to people who are not up to their taste”
“Well, you have a point…” Rachel replied, nodding slowly. “… Though he is different. He’s not like that”
Sophia eyed her playfully. “Of course, you would say that. You are completely smitten by your love for him”
“You know me so well”
“So, you know what I came here for, right?” Sophia took off her leather jacket and laid it on a chair by her side.
“Sure…” Rachel sighed. “You have no idea how nervous I have been since I woke up.”
“First things first” Sophia pouted and glanced at her “I am starving. If I don’t eat something tasty right now, I’ll be too weak to say anything”
Rachel eyed her. “Really? You don’t look that hungry to me. Anyway, a bowl of salad and a plate of pasta should be fine, right?”
Sophia sighed dramatically, like she was about to die from starvation. “No, that won’t do. In order for me to have the strength to talk, that won’t be enough. I need something more”
Rachel stared in wonder as Sophia adjusted and stretched herself on the couch in a helpless manner, spread out her hands and opened her mouth in a i-am-about-to-die way. Rachel rolled her eyes and glanced at Sophia laying on the couch. “So what else do you need? A bowl of fruit?”
“Not just that” Sophia muttered in a fake shaky tone “Add a bowl of chicken wings, a plate of dumplings and a grilled full mackerel fish”
Rachel burst into laughter. Placing her hands on her waist, she glanced at ‘starving’ Sophia. “You are so weak but you suddenly have the strength to eat all of that?”
Sophia met her gaze and smirked. “Yes. Friends are for the bad times and the ‘food’ times”
Rachel shook her head in laughter. Turning towards the kitchen, she ordered the chefs to prepare a bowl of salad, a plate of pasta, a bowl of fruits, a bowl of chicken wings, a plate of dumplings and most importantly, a grilled full mackerel fish.
That mackerel fish was the most important thing. Sophia never joked with her fish.
~~~~~*~~~~~
“Absolutely amazing…” Sophia stretched her body after biting off the last piece of food on her plate. This was the most delectable and delicious meal she had ever eaten in her entire life. Really. Turning to Rachel, she muttered “You know, you actually have to give an award to your chefs. They are amazing”
Rachel, who was munching on her share of the food, eyed her “I see you are feeling refreshed now, right?”
“Yes….” Sophia pulled out a document from her bag and gave it to her. “… I have finished investigating and figuring out the nine letter code to encrypted file”
Rachel placed her cutlery down quickly and picked the document. She moved her eyes hastily, skimming through the details of the document. After a minute, she glanced at Sophia and whispered “THE JAGUAR?”
“Yes, that’s the code”
“What sort of name is that?” Rachel asked, confusion evident on her face “Isn’t that the name of an animal?”
Sophia chuckled “It is. Though from my experience in similar cases like this, I believe that is a nickname for the person behind this.”
“Ugh!!” Rachel exclaimed “What sort of unnecessary stress is this? After the stress of hacking into the encrypted file, now we have to figure out who owns this nickname? Ugh! Come on!”
Sophia sighed “I know right, so tiring. Well, there’s still a lot to be grateful for. I discovered the hidden details within the encrypted file”
“Really?” Rachel flipped the documents, peering at it trying to gather as much information as she could.
“It’s not advisable that you rush through information like this.” Sophia whispered, making Rachel glance at her “You have all day. Take your time and go through the details carefully. Don’t rush through it.”
Rachel sighed. “You’re right. So what are we going to do from here?”
“There are just three things”
Rachel placed the document on a table “What are they?”
Sophia leaned forward on her chair “First, keep that document hidden and safe. Not even a maid must set their eyes on that document. You are living in the lion’s den, protect yourself, the real culprit is definitely someone close by”
“I understand what you mean.” Rachel answered. “Secondly?”
“I’ll have to find a way to gather information about every board member and employee in this company, including George and his family. That’s the only way to find out the person behind that code name ‘THE JAGUAR’. I’ll hire some junior detectives to help me with this. When I get the answer, I’ll let you know. Till then, just stay safe.”
“Alright. Thank you so much” Rachel muttered, grateful for Sophia’s help. “And what’s the final thing?”
Sophia fixed her gaze on Rachel “Finally, you must never tell George about the progress you have made in your father’s case. No matter how tempting it is. No matter how much you love him”
“Why?”
“Because he is a suspect, Rachel. The same thing applies to his family. They are all suspects”