Chapter 98



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“Who else knows about this?” Violet clenched her fists and asked after calming down.

Her manager frowned and said specifically, “Black market people always do their job well without a trace, plus they’ve burned down the house and have blood on their hands, so I doubt they’d have the nerve to rat us out. This means that Lachlan is the only one left, and since it is their mistake, they promise they will find him and finish the job. Our concern now is that we run out of time before someone else finds out.”

“That won’t be possible.” Violet’s face darkened as she continued to analyze, “If that detective is safe and sound, he would have long ago gone to the station to make a report. The lack of news to date means he’s most likely gotten into some trouble as well. Remind them to check nearby hospitals, shelter or hospice to be sure.”

It was impossible for someone who had been knocked unconscious by drugs to survive and remain intact from the huge fire that had destroyed every house in the immediate vicinity.

Slowly she convinced herself with the only plausible thought that there must be no miscalculation on her part as she released her tight grip, showing her reddened palms due to her fingernails digging into them.

…

Early the next morning, Hayden set out on his expedition to GX City, which was two hundred kilometers from N City and was the first location that had been selected for the purpose of conducting a survey for the youth hostel program.

The first homestay he had to investigate came up first on the Internet’s most recommended list, and it was called Maple Sugar.

“Your registration procedure is complete, and your room will be the first room on the right on the second floor.”

After the clerk had recorded Hayden’s details for check-in, she handed him back his ID and added, “Please follow me and I will take you to your room.”

“Thank you.”

The clerk was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties and was brimming with vitality and enthusiasm. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and shorts, her demeanor was full of refreshing youthfulness that felt like a spring breeze.

“Are you taking care of the house by yourself, is it busy here?”.

“There’s still our manager, so it’s not just me. He went on a trip a while ago though, he’s been gone for two months.” Hayden furrowed his eyebrows in disappointment at the girl’s comment.

One of his tasks during the inspection of the Maple Sugar Inn was to inspect the decor and fittings of the building, for which he had already identified himself when he set foot in the house.

The furnishings of the house had exceeded his expectations, which had reinforced his decision to go ahead with his original plan to move the house manager to the ST Hotel. She had felt it was more effective to involve these experienced managers in designing the youth hostel program rather than have her summarize her experiences piecemeal along the way.

“I see, when are you going to be back?”

“I’m not sure, since his whereabouts are always mysterious, so this place is managed by our landlady. What’s the problem, why does she want to see him?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Hayden smiled as he continued, “I’m just curious about the mastermind behind the unique design of this quaint inn, and I’d love to meet him in person if possible.”

“If you really want to, you can also talk to our landlady. They both came up with the design and participated in the renovation of this inn, plus most of the ideas came from her.”

“Oh, really?” Hayden’s eyes flashed with a boil of hope as he asked, “This inn is run by your landlady instead of the manager?”

“Yes, this inn is the result of her blood, sweat and tears.”

After chatting for a while, the employee went downstairs to greet other guests who had come to stay. Hayden was overcome with joy after getting hold of the information, as she believed that women were usually much easier to persuade than men.

As night fell, GX City was shrouded in the soft, dim light of the setting sun. A middle-aged woman sat in a corner on the second floor corner of the Maple Sugar Inn, her long hair held back by a hairpin as she brewed white tea in a cup. It was difficult to discern her age from afar, it seemed as if her age could span a huge range. It was very believable that she was in her thirties or fifties.

Hayden walked over to where she was sitting and asked, “The tea smells divine, is it white tea?”.

The owner raised her head with a gentle smile showing on her face as she replied, “It is. Would you like some? It’s almost done.”

Hayden nodded and expressed his gratitude as he proceeded to take a seat next to her.

“Have you gotten used to staying here?”. The landlady struck up a conversation with her while her hand was still busy making tea.

“Yes, I really like that the view from the second floor offers a wonderful and breathtaking panorama of the rooftops of the buildings in GX City.”

“Please have some tea.” He held out a cup of tea to Hayden, and after thanking him upon receiving it, Hayden took a sip of the aromatic tea that had left a pleasant aftertaste in his mouth.

“You’re not here to travel, are you?” She asked.

Hayden’s expression stiffened for a second, “How did you find that out?”

“If you were really on a trip, you’d be out exploring the city instead of staying home all day.”

Hayden smiled after hearing her comment. “Even though I didn’t come down, you’re still able to sense and see through all the guests who have checked in. I’m impressed with how attentive you are.”

The landlady smiled and remained silent after Hayden complimented her.

“Aren’t you curious as to the reason for my visit?”

“There are too many cases where curiosity killed the cat, hence I’m not interested in probing into other people’s affairs. However, if you are willing to reveal your secret, I will lend you my ears.”

Hayden was surprised by her disinterest and indifference, for he had never met anyone like her, detached from material pursuits and worldly interests.

After a moment’s pause, Hayden decided to reveal his purpose for coming all this way. She passed her card to the landlady and began her introduction, “Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Hayden Downey and I am the Director of the ST Hotel, ST Group.”

As soon as the landlady heard the word ‘ST Group’, her serene countenance suddenly froze as she looked at Hayden in awe, repeating after her, “ST.”

“Yes, I’m from ST.” Hayden let out a sigh of relief, as it would make things a lot easier now that the landlady in front of him had heard of ST Group, despite GX City being in a remote area.

“From what I have heard, you have been involved in the design and remodeling of this inn, as well as overseeing its operation once completed. The reason for my visit is to offer you the opportunity to join our group. Would you be interested in taking over the development of a new chain of inns under ST?”

The landlady frowned worriedly as she lost herself in thought and looked intently at the card with her name on it. After a few moments, she finally said, “Who is it that made you come all the way down here to offer me the job opportunity?”

“It was a proposal from the strategy department and was personally approved by the CEO of our group.”

“The CEO of the ST Group, Joseph Beckham?”.

“You’ve heard of Mr. Beckham?” Hayden asked cautiously, as his instinct had told him that the landlady’s reaction was suspicious in some ways.

“I just heard about him.” The landlady stared at Hayden as she asked puzzled, “Are you, are you a close acquaintance of Mr. Beckham?”

Hayden was dumbfounded as she could not understand the purpose of this question.

“No, not really.”

“Is he in good health? I hear he has a son now and is married.”

“He seems healthy enough, and he has a son, but he hasn’t married yet. Maybe he will soon.” Hayden replied absently as his countenance fell at the mention of his son.

“Oh yes, and the state of Mr. Harrison Beckham’s health – have you ever seen him?”

Hayden snapped out of his thoughts and cast a suspicious glance at the landlady as he asked, “You seem to be very concerned about Mr. Beckham’s family matters…”.

The landlady looked nervous at being put on the spot and quickly denied, “Am I? It’s just that I’ve been piqued, as there are a lot of rumors about the Beckham Family floating around in the air. It may not seem like it, but I’m quite the gossip monger despite my age.”

Hayden was not at all convinced by her explanation, as skepticism and suspicion began to grow in his heart.

The first time Hayden had asked the landlady if she was curious about the reason for her visit to the inn, the answer he had gotten from her was an indifferent attitude. It was as if, even though the world was ending right now, the landlady was still unconcerned about everything. The same person who had previously shown her disinterest was now curious about the Beckham Family, which didn’t add up at all.

…

“Is it true that you have sent Hayden on a business trip?”.

Joseph was having dinner with his grandfather at the Beckham residence when Harrison suddenly brought up the subject of Hayden’s business trip.

Joseph shot a glance toward Noah, who was seated next to Harrison, as his action of picking at his food with his chopsticks came to an abrupt halt. Noah immediately grabbed at Harrison’s clothes as his ‘Yes, I was the one who told him and I’m not afraid of you’ expression was on full display.