He spotted this massive, sparkly moissanite in the shop, thinking no one could tell it apart from the real deal. But by the looks of Mr. Lariosâ reaction, he easily clocked that it was a fake in a heartbeat.
www At the Howard Group.
Balfour was eyeballing a hefty document. It was everything heâd asked Quinton to dig up on Thaddeus International Corporation.
Sophia, Thaddeusâ daughter, was sure as hell not going to let Ellinor off the hook because of Theo. And as Ellinorâs brother, he couldnât afford to drop the ball.
Quinton had just handed over the document and was about to duck out when he suddenly remembered something.
âMr. Howard, weâve got wind of someone snooping on Ms. Mendoza today; itâs probably one of Thaddeusâ henchmen.â
Balfour, engrossed in the Thaddeus International Corporation info, wasnât surprised. âDoes Theo know?â
Quinton replied, âProbably. He has a bunch of plainclothes bodyguards patrolling our turf. They are likely to protect Ms. Mendoza from any moves by Thaddeusâ people.â
Balfour snorted. âIf it werenât for him, Ellinor wouldnât be in this mess.â
Quinton kept his trap shut.
It was a tough call, but he could tell Theo didnât want anything to happen to Ms. Mendoza either.
âWe canât bank entirely on Theo. We need to beef up our own security at horne. For the next few days, keep Ellinor indoors and limit visitors.â
Quinton nodded. âDonât sweat it, Mr. Howard. Iâve got it covered. But the doctors said Ms. Mendoza needed to stay in the hospital because of the stress. Sheâs home now, but she might have to go back for the delivery. The hospital is a madhouse. Iâm worriedâ¦â
Balfour had already thought of that. âI know. When the time comes, Iâll be with Ellinor in the hospital.
You handle the company business for now. Alright, you can go.â
âYes, Mr. Howard.â
After Quinton left, Balfour rang up Theo.
The call connected quickly, but neither of the tight-lipped men said a word.
After a moment of silence, Balfour impatiently broke it. âWhatâs your plan for Thaddeus?â
Theo seemed to have expected the question, so he answered coolly, âDonât worry, Iâve got a game plan. Iâll meet him in person in the next couple of days.â
Balfour scoffed, âMeet him? Do you know what Thaddeus is like? Arenât you afraid he might keep you there and make you his daughterâs hubby?â
Theo caught the sarcasm in Balfourâs tone but didnât argue.
âYou donât need to worry about me. Iâve met Thaddeus before. Iâll be back in three days, tops: Look after Ellinor for me while Iâm gone. Iâll thank you return.â
when I Balfour retorted. âYou think Iâm worried about you? I donât need your thanks. If Ellinor didnât care about you, I would never let the two of you see each other again!â
Theo fell silent.
He was mocking Theoâs lack of finesse in handling relationships, which had put Ellinor in danger.
Theo had no comeback. It was his fault.
âIâm sorry. Because of me, Ellinor has been under a lot of pressure that she shouldnât have to bear. But believe me, Iâll sort out all the unresolved issues this time, and I wonât let Ellinor face any danger or attract any unwanted attention because of me. Balfour, please take good care of her during these few days; if anything happens, call me ASAP!â