Chương 16: [Bonus chapter]An Unsolved Case
A Tesla parked in front of the National Postal Museum, the driver went down in a hurry to open the backseat door, and a woman's leg appeared, she was wearing a Louis Vuitton Beverly hills sneaker finding it really hard to put up with wearing heels nowadays.
Cynthia went out of the car with the help of her driver, he was hired months ago after her ex's spies were kicked out of her mansion one by one. But since she wasn't going out at all back then, she was just getting to know him now.
"Thanks, Ben," she gave him a smile when he supported her out of the car. The man who looked and acted like a soldier blushed lightly.
"Ma'am," he nodded at her. "Would you like me to accompany you inside?" he pushed his sunglasses back to where they were over his eyes.
'It's a very cloudy day for those,' Cynthia thought to herself, she was amused that he acted this way though. Especially since he wasn't faking it.
"No, that won't be necessary," she winked at him. Ben's flushed face went a shade redder.
Cynthia walked inside the museum, she was cool and comfortable in a light green ribbed knit maxi dress. She had known Dimitri for about a year now, and she always dressed casually when she met up with him. He kept up with a very casual style himself.
It was different and refreshing.
She saw him sitting on their usual chair as soon as she stepped in through the doors. Cynthia had a big smile on her face that turned upside down into a frown as soon as she focused on his features.
The athletic guy who always seemed optimistic and ready to face life was very pale, and altogether he didn't look good at all.
'Oh, no,' Cynthia thought to herself as she slowed the pace she was walking at a bit.
She really had no spare energy to cheer anyone up. The baby was now settled in this weird position that he liked so much, and he kept kicking her in the ribs as if he was punishing her internally for a crime that she had not yet committed.
She was starting to feel the weight of the pregnancy pulling down on her now. And she had to wake up so many times in the night to go to the toilet that it was downright ridiculous to call herself sleeping.
'Napping multiple times' was a more accurate way of putting tags over what she was doing in the night.
And then there was George.
George who was sleeping in the room next to her, until they get married, that is. Was also a part of that insomnia she started experiencing lately. In one word. Cynthia was drained.
She sighed then picked up her pace again until she reached the detective. She sat down next to him immediately without saying a word.
"What took you so long over there?" He asked without looking at her.
"You're moping around in the wrong place, detective," she said. "Museums are a place to reminisce and wonder about the secrets of the past," she crossed her leg and then uncrossed it immediately. It was uncomfortable.
He looked at her and smiled.
"You're late," he said.
"I had to sign a few papers before I left,"
George and Cynthia were giving the suppliers' community an ultimatum. It was either cutting all interaction with Green-soft or Evans-soft. Of course, they would not approach them directly and act this bluntly in the business world, they were planning on doing it subtly. Which meant tons and tons of paperwork.
"Sorry about yesterday," he said, looking worse than sorry.
"Oh, no worries! You just did what you have to do,"
"Is that right..." he said in a low voice.
Cynthia decided to ignore his strange behavior and cut to the chase. She did that often when she felt that he was talking to himself.
"So, what's the latest report?"
He straightened up and grinned at her.
"Oh, it's juicy,"
She grinned back. "Just like I like it,"
The two stared at each other for a long moment. When Dimitri's eyes drifted to her lips, Cynthia's heart sank.
She wasn't an idiot, and she wasn't born yesterday either. Dimitri liked her, maybe a lot. And she thought that he was a good kid. But that was all.
She really did find him way too young for her.
He cleared his throat.
"She stopped laying low and tried to go back to her usual routine for two days in a row now,"
Cynthia scoffed. After leaking out the information about their daily lives, there was no way her ex-husband and his new wife ,aka her ex-best friend, would be able to go back to any routine they once had. Not immediately at least. The smart thing would be to come up with a new routine altogether and throw another bone paparazzi's way.
Create an event that would overshadow theirs.
It wasn't impossible. Cynthia who grew up under the spotlight knew these tricks by heart. But that girl was never smart enough to pick up on what Cynthia knew. The only quality that kept Cynthia her best friend for all these years was her supposed pure heart.
Cynthia scoffed again at that.
'Her pure heart was pure alright, pure scum.' Cynthia thought to herself. Then she directed her attention back at Dimitri.
"How many pictures did they get of her while she was out?" Cynthia asked.
Dimitri smiled at her widely.
"Too many! And they're going to use the worst ones of course,"
"Make sure to intercept it,"
"Already on it,"
Just like the two of them made sure that paparazzi were on the Greens' backs. They made sure that Cynthia was not mentioned anywhere there. She was the sacred victim that was off limits to even the merciless press. What her ex did was unforgivable. Plus, the Evans influence was everywhere, no one wanted to antagonize them or dared to.
No one, except for Sylvia. She was arrogant enough to do that.
There was something else Cynthia wanted to discuss with Dimitri, "George might be running a background check on you," she warned.
"Not might, is." he smiled, and his eyes crinkled on the side. He sounded and looked amused. "He'll just reach the same result you did, won't he,".
Cynthia shook her head, she remembered that day when her security team brought her the envelope with the classified information about Dimitri. That was all that the envelope said.
Classified information.
She smiled.
"I fired the entire useless team and hired you that day."
He chuckled, "It wasn't their fault you know, my hands are just everywhere,"
Cynthia laughed out loud, "It was an easy task to block information from my own team, I'm sure. But this is different. George has access to Evans-soft resources. If he wants to dig dirt on you, he can."
She could too. Except that she wanted to keep everything to herself back then. Her ex would've found out if she asked for the background check through the company.
"Ouch!" Dimitri faked heartache. And Cynthia noted that he didn't look concerned.
"Look, I was very impressed with you that day and hired you on the spot, you are a good ally. What George finds won't change that. I'm just giving you a small heads up." She warned once more.
"What makes you so sure he's going to find anything?" His question had an edge to it.
"Because he's George Robinson,"
"And I'm Dimitri-"
His eyes widened when she placed her index and middle fingers over his lips to silence him.
"Now, now, your mystery is a part of your charm!" she smiled wickedly at him.
Dimitri's mystery was also his biggest regret.
It was a way to get her attention, and that was true at first. He was the one to approach her in this museum where she sat on that same bench one year ago after all. But now, the fact that she did not know his surname backfired on him.
He closed his eyes and savored her touch.
She retreated her fingers then, and Dimitri's opened eyes now lingered on her engagement ring a second too long.
It was now or never for him.
"Cynthia, is this engagement going somewhere," he said, pointing with his chin towards her ring.
"Yeah, it's going where most of them do." She answered honestly.
His face darkened, "So, you mean you'll break it off?"
She rolled her eyes. "I mean I'm getting married,".
His eyes hardened some more but he nodded once. "Then, is it a part of your revenge plan?"
She looked at him with icy green eyes. "You know better than to ask questions. We've known each other for a year now."
He closed his eyes once again. She still didn't remember him from before that. And it was still painful yet understandable at the same time. He still didn't know exactly how he felt about the whole thing. But it wasn't important right now.
"...Does it have to be him?" He asked the million-dollar question.
This was an easy question for Cynthia to answer this time. "Yes," she said.
It was exactly how Dimitri had imagined their conversation to go. George had a long history with Cynthia, he was so many things to her. The only way Dimitri can compete with that would be for him to give her something that George could not.
"Cynthia..."
"Hm?"
"Do you remember what I told on this seat a year ago... My first words to you?"
She smiled mischievously then cleared her throat. She prepared herself to give him her deepest voice, "I have a lead," she said.
He smiled. She remembered, and overall, she seemed and sounded a bit better than before.
'Somehow, she's starting to heal...' Dimitri thought with conflicting emotions.
His face was suddenly serious, "I have a lead," he told her.
"Of course you do! Your report isn't done yet,"
He didn't laugh at her joke.
"What is it about?" She was concerned now.
"I want you to hire me for another investigation." He said.
"Detective..." Her tone was exasperated. She didn't want to play anymore. She wanted to hear his report and go out.
"It's about your parents,"
For a moment, Cynthia thought the walls of the museum from around her were turning around.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
MerrySweet
MerrySweet I smell drama in the air. Ready for it?
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