“Who else knows about this?”
Viola clenched her fists and asked after calming herself down.
Her manager frowned and said concretely, “Those from the black market always do their job properly
without leaving any trace, furthermore they have burned down the house and have blood on their
hands, so I doubt that they have the audacity to tell on us. This means that Lachlan is the only one left
who knows about this, and since it is their mistake, they promise that they will find him and finish off the
job. Our concern now is that we will run out of time before someone else finds out.”
“That won’t be possible.” Viola’s face darkened as she analyzed further, “If that detective is safe and
sound, he would have gone to the police station to make a report long time ago. The absence of any
news to date means that he has most likely gotten into some trouble too. Remind them to check the
nearby hospitals, refuge shelter or hospice just to be sure.”
It was impossible for someone whom had been rendered unconscious by drugs to survive and remain
intact from the huge fire that had destroyed all the houses in the immediate vicinity.
She gradually convinced herself with the only plausible thought that there should not be any
miscalculation on her end as she released her tight grip, revealing her reddened palms due to her
fingernails digging into them.
...
Early the next morning, Hayden set off on her expedition to GX Town which was two hundred
kilometers away from Nanking and the first location that had been selected for the purpose of survey
for the Youth Hostel program.
The first homestay that she had to conduct her research on came out first on the Best Recommended
ranking list on the internet, and it was named as Maple Sugar Inn.
“Your check-in procedure has been completed, and your room will be the first one on the right on the
second floor.”
After the clerk had registered Hayden’s details for the check-in, she returned her identity card to her
and added, “Please follow me as I shall bring you up to your room.”
“Thank you.”
The clerk was a young lady whom seemed like she had not even reached the age of twenty and was
bursting with liveliness and briskness. She was dressed in a green T-shirt and shorts, and her
demeanor was full of refreshing youthfulness that felt like a spring breeze.
“Are you looking after the homestay all by yourself? Is it very busy here?”
“There’s still our manager so it’s not just me. However, he has gone on a trip a while ago and it’s been
two months since he has left.”
Hayden furrowed her brows in disappointment upon hearing the girl’s remark.
One of her tasks during the survey of the Maple Sugar Inn was to inspect the décor and the
refurbishment of the building for which she had already identified when she set her feet in the
homestay. The furnishing of the homestay had exceeded her expectations which had directly
strengthened her resolve to continue with her original plan to poach the homestay manager over to ST
Hotel. She had deemed that it was more efficient for these experienced managers to participate in the
design for the Youth Hostel program rather than for her to sum up her experiences slowly along the
way.
“I see. When is he coming back?”
“I’m not sure as his whereabouts are always mysterious, so this homestay is managed by our landlady.
What’s the matter? Why do you want to see him?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Hayden smiled as she continued, “I’m just curious about the brain behind the unique
design of this quaint and picturesque inn, and I would love to meet him in person if it’s possible.”
“If you really want to, you can talk to our landlady as well. Both of them came up with the design and
were involved in the refurbishment of this homestay, plus most of the ideas had originated from her.”
“Is that so?” Hayden’s eyes glinted with a simmer of hope as she asked, “This inn is managed by your
landlady instead of the manager?”
“Yeah, this inn is the result of her blood, sweat and tears.”
After they had chit-chatted for a while, the clerk went downstairs to greet other guests that had arrived
for their stay. Hayden was overcome with joy after getting hold of the information as she believed that
women were generally much easier to be persuaded than men.
As the night fell, GX Town was shrouded in the soft, subdued light from the setting sun. A middle-aged
woman was seated in a corner on the first floor of the Maple Sugar Inn, her long hair held up by a
hairpin while she was brewing tea in a Yixing teacup with a tweezers. It was hard to discern her age
from afar, or it could be said that she looked as if her age could encompass a huge range. It was
believable for her to be thirty or fifty years old.
Hayden walked to where she was seated at and asked, “The tea smells divine. Is this white tea?”
The landlady raised her head with a gentle smile displaying on her face as she replied, “You’re right.
Do you want to have some? It’s almost done.”
Hayden nodded and expressed her gratitude while she proceeded to take a seat beside her.
“Have you gotten accustomed to staying here?” The landlady initiated a conversation with her while her
hand was still busy brewing tea.
“Yeah, I really like that the second-floor view offers a wonderful and breathtaking panorama of the roofs
of the buildings in GX Town.”
“Please have some tea.” She handed a cup of tea to Hayden, and after thanking her and receiving it,
Hayden took a sip of the fragrant tea which had left a pleasant aftertaste in her mouth.
“You’re not here for travelling, aren’t you?” she asked.
Hayden’s expression went rigid for a second, “How did you find out?”
“If you’re really here for a tour, you will go out to explore the town rather than staying in all day.”
Hayden smiled after listening to her remark, “Even though you have not gone downstairs, you are still
able to perceive and see through every guest that have checked in. I’m impressed by how attentive you
are.”
The landlady smiled and stayed silent after Hayden had complimented her.
“Aren’t you curious about the purpose of my visit?”
“There are too many instances where curiosity killed the cat, hence I’m not interested to probe into
other’s matters. However, if you are willing to disclose your secret, then I will lend you my ears.”
Hayden was startled by her disinterest and indifference as she had never met anyone like her whom
was aloof from material pursuits and worldly interests.
After a moment of pause, Hayden decided to reveal her purpose of coming all the way here. She
passed her name card over to the landlady and started her introduction, “Let me start with introducing
myself. My name is Hayden Downey, and I’m the hotel manager for ST Hotel under ST Group.”
As soon as the landlady heard the word ‘ST Group’, her collected countenance froze suddenly while
she looked at Hayden with astonishment, 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 her had heard of ST Group despite the fact that GX Town was located in a remote
area.
“From what I’ve heard, you have participated in the design and refurbishing of this inn, as well as
overseeing the operation of the inn after it has been completed. The reason for my visit here is to offer
you the opportunity to join our Group. Will you be interested to be in charge of the development of a
new hostel chain under ST?”
The landlady wore a worried frown on her face while being lost in her thoughts as she stared at the
name card intently.
After a few moments, she finally uttered, “Who is the one whom has arranged for you to come all the
way here to offer me the job opportunity?”
“It was the strategy department’s proposal and it was personally approved by our Group CEO.”
“ST’s CEO, Joseph Beckham?”
“You have heard of Mr. Beckham?” Hayden asked in a careful manner as her instinct had told her that
the landlady’s reaction was fishy in some way.
“I’ve just heard of him.” The landlady stared at Hayden while she asked in a disconcerted manner, “Are,
are you close with Mr. Beckham?”
Hayden was stunned as she could not comprehend the purpose of this question.
“No, not really.”
“Is his health in good shape? I heard that he has a son now, and he’s married?”
“He seems healthy enough, and he does have a son, but he’s not married yet. Maybe he will soon.”
Hayden replied absent-mindedly as her countenance fell when she mentioned his son.
“Is that so? How about Mr. Harrison Beckham’s state of health? Have you ever seen him before?”
Hayden snapped out of her thoughts and shot a suspicious gaze towards the landlady as she asked, “It
seems that you are very concerned about Mr. Beckham’s family matters…”
The landlady looked flustered when she was put on the spot as she quickly denied, “Am I? It’s just that
curiosity has gotten the better of me since there are a lot of rumors regarding the Beckham family flying
around in the air. I may not seem like it, but I’m quite nosy despite my age.”
Hayden was not convinced by her explanation at all as skepticism and suspicion started to grow in her
heart.
When Hayden had first asked the landlady whether she was curious about her motive of paying a visit
to the inn, the response that she had gotten in return was only a couldn’t-care-less attitude from her. It
was as though if the world were to end right now, the landlady would still be unconcerned about
everything. The same person whom had shown her disinterest earlier was now curious about the
Beckham family which did not add up at all.
...
“Is it true that you have sent Hayden away on a business trip?”
Joseph was having dinner with his grandfather at the Beckham’s residence when Harrison suddenly
brought up the subject of Hayden’s business trip.
Joseph shot a glimpse towards Noah whom was sitting beside Harrison as his action of picking up food
with his chopsticks were halted abruptly. Noah immediately grabbed onto Harrison’s clothes while his
‘Yes, it was me whom had told him and I’m not afraid of you’ expression was on full display.
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