The Problem Is Solved
As soon as we entered the private room, Dominic and the others immediately started ordering food and
drinks while I walked around by myself and checked out the room.
The room looked like a regular private room in any other karaoke bar. There was nothing remarkable
about it.
After the waiter had left the room, I turned to look at the others sitting on the couch and said, “I’ve
checked out the room. There doesn’t seem to be anything peculiar about it. I don’t think there’s any
problem here.”
Benjamin chuckled and said in a rather patronizing tone, “There’s nothing wrong with this room, but
when I casually asked them for a room, they immediately brought us here. Isn’t that a tad bit
suspicious?”
I was speechless at his remark. For God’s sake, what are we doing here then? Are we really going to
eat, drink, and sing ourselves silly?
“Patience is a virtue. Do you understand what I’m saying? Go and chill out with Louis. Relax, okay? We’ll
talk more when Mitch gets back.”
I only realized that Mitch was not in the room when Benjamin said that. I did not even know when he had
left.
I recalled that Dominic had mentioned something about surveillance footage. He probably went to get
those… The police should’ve been able to get the footage though, right? So, what if something had really
been caught on camera? Wouldn’t somebody have noticed it earlier? Ah, there’s no use for me to think
about it now! I’ll just wait until Mitch gets back!
Dominic and Benjamin were lounging casually on one end of the couch while I sat next to Louis on the
other end. My brother was very anxious.
Half an hour later, Mitch returned.
Without needing us to ask, he immediately announced that there was no surveillance footage available.
The cameras in that particular area had been damaged.
What a coincidence. This sounds exactly like a scene from a TV show. I thought secretly to myself.
Although I had already expected it to go this way, I still felt a little disappointed, and Louis, too, looked
upset by the news.
At that moment, a knock sounded from the door. Mitch stood up and walked over to open it.
I leaned over to peek outside. The man at the door was unfamiliar, and from the way he was dressed, he
did not seem like a waiter.
I was beginning to wonder if the man had walked into the wrong room when he began to speak to Mitch.
His tone was exceedingly courteous.
“Mr. Lucas, please accept my sincerest apologies! I was not aware that you were here. Otherwise, I
would have welcomed you personally.”
“It’s fine. You came just in time. I happen to have something to ask you,” Mitch said casually as he
walked back to the couch to plop down next to Louis.
The man nodded earnestly. “Of course, of course! Please ask away. As long as it is within my
knowledge, I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Mitch motioned the man to come closer, then he pointed at Louis and asked, “Do you know this guy?”
I was sitting across the man, and from the expression on his face, even the blind could see that
something was wrong.
When he caught sight of Louis, a look of surprise flashed across his face. Then, after a few seconds, he
shook his head and said in a panicked voice, “I have never met him before.” The guilt in his tone was
obvious.
I wanted to question him further but stopped myself after glancing at Mitch. Mitch will know how to deal
with this man.
Mitch stared unblinkingly at the man for a long time. In a deliberately slow voice, he said, “I came here
today to resolve a problem. It’ll be all right if you are honest with me and tell me everything you know.
Otherwise, you may find that your karaoke bar will have to be closed for inspection.”
The man’s eyes widened in fear. He rubbed his forehead nervously as if wiping away his sweat. His
anxiety was palpable.
“M-Mr. Lucas, I’m genuinely trying to carry out a business here. How can you simply close down my
premises for inspection on a whim? A-Anyway, I don’t know what you want me to say…”
“You don’t know? Let me jog your memory a little. What happened on the night before the last?” Mitch
asked in a deceptively calm tone. The man was really starting to sweat from fear.
“Oh, and,” Mitch gestured at Louis before continuing, “I forgot to mention to you that this is my brother.”
The man had already been struggling to answer Mitch earlier, but when he heard the second half of
Mitch’s remark, his face completely collapsed. He looked as if he were about to break down and cry.
“I was only following a certain Mr. Stone’s orders! He wanted to check out the surveillance cameras, so I
sent a few of my staff with him to help him out. That’s all I know! I swear!”
The man had nothing else to say after that, but he confirmed that Queenie was among the few staff he
had sent to help him out.
“Are you talking about that punk, Hayden Stone?” Mitch asked, frowning.
The man nodded vigorously and said bitterly, “You understand my dilemma, don’t you, Mr. Lucas? You
know Mr. Stone’s family background… I couldn’t say no to him. I had no choice!”
From their conversation, it was clear that Hayden came from an influential family.
I nudged Louis and asked him, “How did you manage to cross a brat like that?”
Louis looked puzzled before he replied in a rather disgusted tone, “He’s my classmate at university. A
real cocky fellow. I’ve never even given him a rat’s ass. I don’t know how I could’ve possibly offended
him.”
My head was starting to hurt. Perhaps this was all because of Louis’ attitude.
If Hayden Stone was really the spoiled brat they had described him to be, he must be used to being
worshipped wherever he went. Meeting someone like Louis, who had not immediately tried to kiss his
feet, must have seemed like a slight to him.
Still, there was no need to accuse Louis of such a crime over it.
Since we had already learned what we came to find out, Mitch sent the man on his way. All of us then left
the Happy Hour Karaoke Bar and returned to our hotel.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Mitch ordered all of us to go to bed early.
“Everything else can wait until tomorrow when we speak to Queenie. It doesn’t matter that the man at the
karaoke bar had witnessed Hayden setting Louis up. It’s more important that Queenie confesses the
truth. As long as she drops the charges, Louis will be fine.”
After listening to Mitch’s rational plan of action, I exhaled a sigh of relief.
All of us woke up late the next day. After lunch, I brought them to Queenie’s house.
Mitch wanted to meet her alone. So, the rest of us went to the café across the road to wait for him.
I stabbed the smoothie bowl in front of me with a spoon absent-mindedly as I thought about the way
Queenie had treated me. I wonder how Mitch will be able to get through to her…
“If you keep stabbing the smoothie like that, the bowl will break, and we’ll have to compensate the café.”
Dominic’s voice sounded in my ear, pulling me away from my thoughts.
This man will never miss an opportunity to poke fun at me! Benjamin is much more of a gentleman; he
senses my anxiety and tries to comfort me.
“Queenie is just a girl. Mitch will be able to handle her,” Benjamin said in a reassuring tone.
In truth, I had faith in Mitch, too. I had seen the way he had acted at the Happy Hour Karaoke Bar; he
was both clever and perceptive.
Yet, it was my beloved brother who was at stake. I could not help but worry.
At that moment, I was more concerned about Hayden. Even if we manage to bail Louis out this time,
won’t Hayden try to attack him again by some other means?
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