Xylia had always turned down any invitation before—no way she would’ve gone. But today, she just wasn’t in the mood, so she gave in.
She pulled out her phone and saw a message from Joshua asking what she was up to.
She hadn’t checked her phone earlier, so she missed it.
She quickly called Joshua.
The phone rang and rang, but no one picked up.
‘He must be caught up in something,‘ Xylia thought, so she left a message for Joshua saying she was discussing work with a business partner and would be hometer.
Joshua didn’t reply right away.
Xylia’s phone was almost out of juice, so she just dropped Joshua another quick message and let it be–she figured she’d deal with itter.
Lily couldn’t help teasing when she saw Xylia glued to her phone.
“Reporting to your boyfriend?”
Xylia nodded. “Yeah, or he’ll worry.”
“That’s so sweet.”
Lily smiled and nced at Xylia.
“I just got out of a messy marriage, and now when I see people falling in love, I can’t help but feel a little jealous.”
Xylia responded, “Honestly, you look so young–I never would’ve guessed you’d been married already.”
“Look who’s talking, Xylia. You don’t look old enough to have a kid at all.”
Xylia’s smile froze on her lips.
‘Wait, how does she know I have a kid?‘ Xylia thought, suddenly on edge.
‘We’ve been chatting for ages, but I never mentioned anything about my personal life…‘ she mused, growing
wary.
‘Lily seems to know me pretty well,‘ Xylia thought, feeling a bit on edge.
Lily caught Xylia’s reaction and hurried to exin, “Sorry, Xylia. Since we’re working together, Mr. Shaw and I looked you up a bit. Hope you don’t mind?”
16:17 <b>Mon</b>, Sep 29 B…
Even Mr. Shaw didn’t know she had a kid.
So it must’ve been Lily who did a bit of digging into her past.
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‘I get it, but this still feels like a vition of my privacy, Xylia thought, feeling her impression of Lily slip a
little lower.
Xylia was clearly less lively for the rest of the ride.
When they arrived at the bar, Lily seemed genuinely surprised.
“Wait, I could’ve sworn this used to be some chill lounge. When did it turn into a full–on nightclub?”
It wasn’t like Lily misremembered.
Xylia grew up in Jupiton and knew this ce used to be a low–key bar. Guess it must’ve gotten a facelift–or just switched owners.
“Whatever, we’re already here. Let’s just rx a little,” Xylia said, as Lily pulled her in. <fnb797> For original chapters go to Find_Novel(.</fnb797>
At the entrance, Xylia’s phone was dying at just 2% battery, so she managed to borrow a power bank.
Once she got some charge, she saw Joshua’s text: “Send me the address. I’ll swing by and get you in a bit.”
Xylia sent him the location.
Then, she shot Joshua another message: “Hurry up ande get me!”
‘Something just felt off,‘ Xylia thought, her unease growing and her impression of Lily sinking lower and lower.
She was especially irked that Lily had pulled her inside without even bothering to ask how she felt about it.
Joshua shot back a quick “Okay.”
Xylia slipped her phone away.
Lily led her over to the door of a private booth.
“I went ahead and reserved us a booth at the front desk–it’s so loud downstairs. Let’s head inside so we can actually talk,” Lily said, gesturing for Xylia to follow her in.
Xylia stared at the booth door, unease twisting in her stomach–a voice in her head warning her that walking through that door could mean trouble.
Trying to y it cool, she memorized the booth’s location and told Lily, “Alright, I’ll head to the restroom real quick. I remember the booth number, I’ll find you in a minute.”
Lily didn’t suspect anything and went in ahead.
Through the crack in the door, Xylia caught a glimpse of shadows moving inside.
Without a second thought, she turned and made a beeline for the bar entrance.
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‘Never thought my innocent–looking business partner would actually try to hurt me!‘ Xylia thought, her heart thumping in her chest.
She couldn’t even let herself dwell on it–she just picked up her pace, hurrying for the exit.
Downstairs, the nightclub was wild–bodies spinning under the lights, deafening music crashing through the
air, and a haze of glitter and booze that barely hid the cold indifference and lurking danger.
Xylia swore someone was watching her.
She kept moving, never pausing for a second.
Only when she made it to the front door did she finally allow herself to exhale, just a little.
She nced back–no one was following her. She called Joshua right away.
This time, the call connected almost instantly.
‘Where are you?‘ Xylia blurted out, her voice tight with nerves.
“What’s going on?” Joshua asked, concerned.
They spoke at almost the same time, their voices ovepping in a rush.
Joshua heard the urgency and a hint of panic in Xylia’s voice. His chest tightened, and he replied in a low, steady voice, “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Xylia said, keeping her voice as steady as she could.
Xylia slipped across the street and settled by a nter, keeping her eyes trained on the bar entrance, nerves taut as she waited for Joshua.
Just then, her phone buzzed–it was Lily calling.
Xylia forced herself to sound calm as she picked up.
“Where are you, Xylia? I checked in the bathroom but didn’t see you,” Lily said, her voice just a bit too sweet.
Xylia felt like she’d wandered straight into a scene from a horror flick–Lily sounded sweet as pie, but there was something about her voice that made Xylia picture a devil hiding a knife behind her back, all friendly on the surface but danger lurking underneath.
‘Better y it cool,‘ Xylia told herself, keeping her tone steady as she replied, “Something came up at home and I had to rush out. I sent you a text about it–didn’t you see?”
“Didn’t see it,” Lily said, her voice sounding a little anxious.
“Maybe my signal was bad just now. Sorry, Lily, let’s catch up next time I’m really in a rush,” Xylia said, doing her best to sound apologetic even though she was anxious to get off the call.
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On the other end, Xylia could hear Lily’s breathing turn a little heavier–she could sense the irritation beneath that calm exterior.
But Lily was clearly used to handling scenes like this; her voice smoothed out almost instantly, sounding polite and professional.
“No worries, Xylia. We’ll do it another time. Go handle your stuff.”
“Alright,” Xylia said, and with that, the call ended.
Cold sweat prickled down Xylia’s back, the chilly night air making it feel like ice shards stabbing into her skin –she couldn’t help but shudder.
“There’s just no way I can keep this project going now,‘ Xylia thought, her nerves still strung tight.
Joshua showed up in less than five minutes.
Joshua didn’t spot Xylia at the bar entrance and was about to rush in when a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Joshua!”
He whirled around to see Xylia walking toward him from across the street. He hurried over, reaching out to steady her, concern etched on his face.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
Xylia shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s just get in the car.”
Joshua could sense just how shaken she was–his brows knitted with concern.
Once they were both in the car, Joshua drove away from the bar.
Joshua’s car had barely left the bar entrance when Lily and Richard stepped out.
Richard red after the car, his face as dark as a thundercloud.
‘She escaped again! Xylia slipped right through our fingers!‘ he fumed.
Lily bit her lip hard, her face clouded with unwillingness and simmering frustration.
“Mr. Shaw, Xylia must’ve sensed something was off. She made up that story about family just to get out–I’m sure she realized I was trying to set her up,” Lily muttered, barely able to hide her irritation.
“She really <b>is </b>sharp,” Richard said coldly.
Richard’s tone was frosty.
It was the first time Lily had ever heard Richard say anything that sounded like praise, so she couldn’t tell if he meant it or was just being sarcastic.
16:18 <b>Mon</b><b>, </b>Sep 29 B
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After a moment, she muttered, “Looks like the deal with Xylia is off.”
Richard’s lips curled into a cold smile. “It’s all in ck and white–her signature’s there. There’s no way she’s backing out now.”
Holt pulled up to the bar entrance just then.
Richard climbed into the car without a word, and they sped off.
Lily stood there alone, lost in thought.
On the drive home, Xylia filled Joshua in on everything that had happened at the bar.
“I’m not sure if I was just imagining things, but I swear I saw someone moving around in that booth. If I wasn’t seeing things, it looked like a man. It gave me the creeps,” Xylia admitted, her voice still a bit unsteady.
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