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As I stood in such close proximity to Ethan, it became increasingly challenging for me to control my emotions. However, we couldn’t risk the suspect becoming aware of our presence. The couple began to move forward, prompting Ethan to pull me aside and signal to someone behind him. A man stepped forward and started tailing the couple. “Rest assured, my team will trail them and inform us of their whereabouts. You need not worry,” Ethan reassured me, gazing deeply into my eyes. I found myself looking towards the majestic mountains, their peaks towering over the tranquil village of Ojai near Los Angeles.
As Ethan and I made our way back to our hotel, he expressed his suspicion that the woman we had been following might have been an escort. I nodded in agreement. The picturesque valley of Ojai, nestled near Los Angeles, had been the backdrop of our current investigation. We had arrived after completing our necessary preparations, accompanied by some of Ethan’s trusted team members. The beauty of the valley was breathtaking, with its scenic mountains and serene atmosphere. We were still unsure why our suspect had chosen to visit this particular location.
As we sat in our hotel room after dinner, I couldn’t help but ask Ethan, “What do you think his motive is for being here in Ojai?”
Ethan replied, “It’s possible that he has to meet someone or has other intentions that I’m not aware of yet. My team is closely monitoring his movements, and you need to be vigilant while following him. Let me know immediately if you observe any suspicious activity.”
Feeling a bit insulted, I retorted, “I’m not a child, Ethan. I know what to do.”
Ethan smirked, teasing me, “Oh, really now?”
I felt my anger rising and snapped, “You’re full of it!” and stormed out of the room.
As I stepped out of the room, my eyes caught sight of someone lurking nearby, keeping a close watch on us. Frustrated, I spent a few moments outside before finally deciding to return to our room. There, I found Ethan reclining in a chair, seemingly fast asleep. I shook his arm and called out to him urgently. He stirred and finally opened his eyes, admitting that he had almost dozed off.
“I think someone is keeping a close eye on us,” I informed him in a hushed voice.
Without missing a beat, Ethan calmly replied, “Well, then it’s a good thing you’re not a kid. Go and handle the situation.” He let out a chuckle, clearly amused by my growing agitation.
His words stung me, and I felt my temper flare. “Do you have that much confidence in yourself, or do you just think I’m a complete idiot?” I snapped at him.
“Actually, I think it’s the latter,” Ethan quipped, goading me further.
At this point, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Ethan…I will…” I began to yell, but he quickly cut me off.
“Relax, for God’s sake! We’ve been under surveillance since this evening, and my team has been keeping a close watch on our tails,” he explained, clearly enjoying the situation.
With a hint of concern in my voice, I asked Ethan where he was going as he rose from his chair and made his way towards the door. “I have some important tasks,” he replied, turning to face me. “Maybe I’ll come back late, so you can sleep if you want.” I couldn’t help but feel uneasy at the thought of him venturing out alone, and expressed my concern to him. “I’ll also come with you,” I said. Ethan wrapped his arms around his chest, regarding me with a mixture of amusement and affection. “What will you do?” he asked. “I mean, they may harm you. Don’t go alone.”
“I know how to handle the situation,” Ethan reassured me, his hand on my shoulder. “Keep the door closed. I have the key, and I’ll let myself back in when I return. And don’t worry, my team members are here.”
“I don’t need your security,” I declared, pulling myself out of his grasp. “I can protect myself.” With a smile, Ethan stared at me before finally turning and exiting the room.
As soon as Ethan left the room, I reached for my purse and retrieved the photographs of our fake engagement. Gazing at them intently, I was lost in a moment of emotional turmoil as my mind wandered. These pictures were so impeccably crafted that they appeared to be genuine. Overcome with a wave of intense emotion, tears began streaming down my face, blurring the images in front of me.
The stark contrast between the fabricated reality and our actual situation weighed heavily on my mind, prompting a deep sigh to escape my lips. The room felt stifling, and I struggled to draw in enough air. Deciding to step outside, I took several deep breaths before descending to the ground floor, heedless of our ongoing surveillance. The sight of carefree couples strolling and sharing intimate moments sparked a sense of loneliness within me, leading me to order a bottle of wine to dull the ache. As I sipped, time slipped away unnoticed. Suddenly, Ethan appeared, his countenance betraying his anger. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “I instructed you to remain in the room,” he added, his tone laced with irritation. As I tried to reason with Ethan about staying in the lounge area, he abruptly cut me off, his face contorted with anger as he retorted, “You are safe but our room isn’t. A man searched in our room and remained there for a long time. They were just waiting for us to come out of the room.” His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I immediately understood the gravity of the situation. With a sense of urgency, he instructed me to follow him back to our room. As we walked through the hallways, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, knowing that we were potentially being watched every step of the way.
Upon entering the room, everything seemed to be in its place, but Ethan was not taking any chances. He pulled out a device from his pocket and explained, “I’ve already installed mini cameras in the room. This device is attached to the cameras, and it can show all the recordings. I turned them on before going out of the room because I can’t trust you.” I was taken aback and tried to say something, but he interrupted me, “Now, we will see CCTV recordings through this, and this way, we will come to know who entered our room and what they did.”
Confused, I asked, “But why didn’t your team members interrupt when someone entered the room?” Ethan calmly replied, “It was my instruction. We didn’t want to let them know that we were keeping an eye on them. Also, I wanted to know their plan. Why were they searching our room?” He turned on the screen of the device and started reviewing the recordings.
13
ETHAN
As the recording began,I heard a man’s voice speaking through a small earpiece. “Hey! I’m in their room,” he said. A woman’s voice whispered in response, “Be careful. I’m outside, keeping an eye on things. The girl is still sitting there enjoying her wine. I can’t find anyone else around. There are some couples in the lobby, but they’re just enjoying the moonlit night. Did you find anything?” The man continued to search through the cupboards in the room, frustration apparent in his voice. “No, not yet.”
The woman replied, “Maybe they’re following us. The boss asked us to keep a close eye on anyone who tries to come around us. Also, there’s a significant age difference between the two of them. They don’t seem like a couple to me.” The man rummaging through the cupboard suddenly spotted Mia’s purse lying on the bed. His eyes widened as he quickly shut the cupboard doors and opened the purse. “Well, well, what do we have here? A romantic couple,” he exclaimed as he pulled out pictures of our fake engagement from Mia’s purse. The girl monitoring outside asked, “What did you find?” “I found some pictures from their engagement. They both looked so happy in the photos,” the man explained. “Really?” the girl exclaimed, her curiosity piqued. “That’s strange,” she added. Just as the man was about to take a closer look, the girl interrupted, “Stop! Come out of the room immediately. A man is heading towards their room with the manager. They might be suspicious.” “Why is he coming here with the manager?” the man asked, confusion etched on his face. “Perhaps someone saw you enter the room or noticed that it was locked from the inside while the couple was out,” the girl replied. “Damn it,” the man swore. “You said you were keeping an eye outside,” he added as he hastily put the pictures back in the purse and made his way out of the room.
As the recording ended, I made my way towards Mia, who was looking perplexed. “Why did a man come into our room with the manager?” she inquired. I paused for a moment before responding, “Actually, he didn’t come into our room.” Mia looked at me quizzically, “But the girl outside said she saw a man heading towards our room?” I nodded and began to clarify the situation, “Yes, my team member noticed that a man had been spending a considerable amount of time in our room. He didn’t want to raise any suspicion, so he brought the manager with him to report a phone service issue in his own room, and just pretended that he was bringing the manager to our room. When the man came out, my team member went with the manager to the room next to ours.”
“Did you recognize that man and girl? The ones we saw earlier discussing a deal?” Mia inquired.
“Yes, I did,” I responded. “Things are becoming more complicated; it seems like they’re not the main leads and are working under someone,” I continued, the crease on my forehead deepening with concern. Mia nodded in agreement. “Furthermore, they mentioned it was difficult to convince someone, which means that someone else is also involved,” she added. “Thank goodness that the man only saw the pictures and didn’t take any photos with his camera or mobile from our fake engagement photos. They might have wanted to do so. So, please put these pictures somewhere else, not in your purse,” I urged. “Pictures?” Mia looked bewildered. “Yes, if they took photos, they might send them to their boss, and I don’t know who their boss is. Perhaps it’s someone who knows me, as I’m a billionaire a well-known personality in some circles. I can’t afford to be blackmailed by someone because of our fake engagement, and I can’t risk it becoming public,” I explained with a serious tone.
“Despite not finding anything incriminating, these pictures may have given them the impression that we are just an ordinary couple. Nonetheless, we must remain vigilant.”
“Understood,” Mia replied, a serious expression etched on her face. “I’ll make sure to keep these pictures safe.”
