"Do you have any idea what you're saying, lady?" Ezekiel was getting annoyed. He knew for sure there was a mole in the family for leaking out the information to these women and he wanted to do nothing but beat up the bastard.
The older of the two women cocked her head to the side, eyeing him with an unidentifiable expression. "Do you think you can deny this, Mr Jiang?"
"I can," He said, leaning towards her, "I have the authority to do so."
She let out a chuckle, not bothered by his close presence. "Well, I hope we can meet again when half of the population has been wiped out."
She stood up, causing the other woman to follow her lead as they made their way towards the door and pulled it open.
Archer looked at Ezekiel with a troubled expression. Ezekiel would be lying if he didn't find the offer of help tempting in a situation as desperate as his. At the same time, he couldn't trust the objectives of these women. One look at them and he knew they were highly ambitious and wouldn't stop until they get what they wanted. Still, they were the best lead he could find.
"Stop," He sighed, mulling over his options in his head, "let's discuss this further."
The woman turned around, a knowing smile on her face which Ezekiel wanted to wipe out completely.
"Great," She said, as she grabbed a chair and settled comfortably in it, "I'm Irene, and that is my sister, Genevieve."
"You probably already know who we are, so let's skip that part." Ezekiel cleared his throat. "What do you know?"
Irene leaned back against her chair. "The Crown of Fire, an heirloom of the Jiang family that is said to possess magical powers, has been stolen. I think it is an insider job, someone who isn't satisfied with the way the crown has been locked away and stole it to realize their ambitions."
"You should be careful with your words, Ms Irene," Archer said, warning lacing his tone, "You're accusing a guardian of the crown of this theft."
"We're just speculating," Genevieve said, her sharp eyes fixed on Archer though she had an easy smile on her face, "why are you getting so worked up?"
Archer stopped, surprised by her words like he was caught in her trap.
'None of the sisters should be taken lightly,' Ezekiel thought to himself. Irene managed to deduce a very likely possibility from little available information, at least for her, while Genevieve could easily throw Archer off guard by twisting his words.
"Are you accusing me?" As Ezekiel expected, she managed to get on Archer's nerves.
She shrugged, "This is how we work, Mr Jiang. This is just a small example of what we can do."
Irene looked at Ezekiel, crossing her arms across her chest and an unreadable expression on her face. "Do we have a deal?"
"A deal?"
"You find out the information, we eliminate any obstruction to our goal--the crown." She said, a smirk playing on her lips.
Ezekiel thought about it. It was too risky of a plan. Besides, what was the guarantee that they wouldn't betray him in the end? What if they want the crown for themselves?
"Brother?" Archer said, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Prove it." He said finally.
Irene raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Prove that you're worthy of us relying on you." He gave her a challenging look that seemed to slightly catch her off guard but she composed herself quickly. "If you fail, you'll deal with the consequences."
"I bet you'd be disappointed, Ezekiel Jiang." She smirked, "Challenge accepted."
--------
Later in the evening, Ezekiel looked at himself in the mirror, smoothening out the non-existent creases on his Armani suit. The challenge he had posed to the sisters was very simple--they had to expose the actor Jamie Garcia of taking bribes and having illicit relationships with many women. It wouldn't do much harm to him but destroy his reputation, something Ezekiel had wanted to do for a very long time. He hated people like him who pretended to be someone else. Besides, he had almost messed with Ezekiel's cousin sister, Emily, and he had not forgiven him for that.
Jamie was a big shot in the industry, no one would easily dare to speak against him. He had many fans and had managed to maintain a positive and innocent profile in front of them so it was difficult to get to him without provoking nationwide hate. Besides, he was the son of Michael Garcia, a top businessman in the hotel industry so he could easily get away with his illegal activities.
"Brother, you ready?" Archer's voice called out from outside the room. "Genevieve, uh, is here."
Ezekiel smiled to himself, swirling the liquid in his glass as he stared out of the huge window. Things were about to get interesting.
Five minutes later, he walked downstairs, fixing his cufflinks. He saw both Archer and Genevieve waiting patiently for him, dressed in proper evening wear. Archer was wearing a black suit, similar to his, and his messy brown locks were gelled back to perfection. Genevieve was dressed in a midnight blue dress with a thigh-high slit, her hair pulled into an elegant bun and her makeup minimal. She looked extremely beautiful, Ezekiel had to admit.
"Well, I think we should leave now," Genevieve said as soon as he approached them.
"Where's your sister?" Ezekiel asked, not being able to stop himself for some reason.
Genevieve only gave him a teasing smile. "I wouldn't want to spoil the plan so early lest you find it boring."
"Fair enough." He returned the smile with his own smirk, satisfied to see her squirm slightly under his gaze.
They were heading to an evening party organized by the Garcia's in celebration of Jamie winning the best actor award for the first time. Michael Garcia had invited many famous personalities to the party and Ezekiel had decided to attend only to see how Irene exposed Jamie's lies.
The ride to the venue was quiet with Genevieve typing away on her phone and Archer looking rather uncomfortable. When they reached, Genevieve stopped them from getting out of the car, looking at the swarm of reporters outside and back at them.
"The reporters should surround you totally, I need to sneak out unnoticed." She said.
"Why don't you just come with us?" Archer asked.
"And get myself exposed to your nosy fangirls who can't mind their own business? No thanks." She fired back immediately, before opening the door slightly to shield her own self from the crowd.
'Go!' she whispered urgently and managed to push them out of the limo and into the lion's den.
"This woman," Archer muttered in annoyance before flashing a smile to the cameras as he stood next to Ezekiel.
"Let's go," Ezekiel said, his eyes fixed on the doors in front of him as he walked towards them, ignoring the questions of the reporters. He just hoped that Genevieve had managed to sneak out, he was looking forward to a good show worth his efforts of putting up with people in a place where he would never go back to again.
As soon as he walked inside the hall, all conversations hushed and he noticed everyone looking at him and Archer. Not that he minded anyway, he was used to it all. The room smelled of expensive perfume and quality food, the lights basking the room in a soft golden glow that brought out the vibrance of the shades of dresses worn by the people present. Speaking of them, they went back to resuming their conversations, occasionally glancing over at brothers, surprised by their presence.
"Mr Jiang!" A manly voice called out, making Ezekiel glance at the man approaching them.
Michael Garcia was a man known for his strict discipline and polished business sense, a trait that made many investors trust in his knowledge and skills. He stopped in front of them, a polite smile on his face.
"It is a pleasant surprise, having you here." He held out a hand that Ezekiel shook firmly. "I knew it wouldn't be futile sending an invitation to you."
Ezekiel smiled politely at the man, already bored of the thought of having to discuss business with him. His patience was running thin, just where were Irene and Genevieve?
The lights dimmed suddenly, cutting off Michael from whatever he was saying. "Oh, it seems it's time for some dance. Please excuse me, my wife must be looking for me."
With a last polite smile directed at them, Michael walked away, making Ezekiel heave a sigh of relief. He was on good terms with Michael but he wasn't there for business. Besides, the two-faced people there made him sick, most of them interested only in showing off their wealth or wanting it.
He could see several women throwing him flirtatious looks but he conveniently ignored all of them. Archer, on the other hand, enjoyed the attention he was receiving from the women he was talking to. Their conversation, however, was something Ezekiel would never dare to repeat to anyone.
Just as he was about to walk out of the party in boredom and annoyance, his eyes fell onto the two people who just came into the room. Jamie Garcia stood with a proud look on his face and a sloppy smirk as people gushed over to congratulate him. That wasn't what Ezekiel was bothered about though, his eyes were fixed on the smiling woman standing next to him with her arm wrapped around Jamie. She looked ethereal wearing a soft blue dress with a plunging neckline, the material flowing down to her feet like a gentle breeze. Her hair was left open, cascading down her back in waves. She looked the most beautiful out of all the women present at the party and it wasn't just him who felt that. Every other woman was staring at her in either admiration or jealousy.
Irene caught Ezekiel's eye and whispered something in Jamie's ears, his eyes widening slightly in realization. He kissed her cheek swiftly, making her smile gently and leaving his side. She walked towards where Ezekiel was and he cocked his head to the side. This woman was definitely up to something.
"Pass me the tissue." That was the first thing she said when she reached his side. He reached out to the box of tissues on one of the counters and handed it to her, raising an eyebrow.
Her smiling face dissolved into one of annoyance as she faced him directly, her back to the crowd. She wiped the skin where Jamie's lips had touched, making Ezekiel chuckle.
"Was this your master plan?" He asked, "Seducing Jamie Garcia to a point that he reveals his wrongdoings to you?"
Irene paused, her lips twitching and eyes swimming with mirth. "Seduction is a skill, Ezekiel Jiang. It gives a woman the power to bring any man to his knees."
"Is it? Did Jamie come down on his knees?"
"You seem to underestimate my abilities." She raised an eyebrow. Crumpling the tissue in her hand into a ball, she placed it on the counter behind Ezekiel, leaning closer to his ear in the process.
"Seducing, Mr Jiang," her hot breath fanned the skin near his ear but he maintained his composure, "doesn't need to be sexual. Words almost tend to be enough."
She pulled back, an easy smile on her face. "The real fun is about to begin now and I hope this will allow you to trust in me."
She turned around and walked away, disappearing in the crowd that made up the dance floor, causing Ezekiel to smile to himself.
Jamie Garcia stepped onto the small stage in the front, addressing everyone as the music stopped and the lights brightened.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," He started, an innocent look on his face that Ezekiel wanted nothing but to wipe off his face, "I would like to thank you all for attending the party tonight to celebrate my first win. I assure you, I will continue working hard to improve my acting skills and be the best version of myself that you all admire so much. I am humbled--"
He was cut off by the huge tv behind him switching onto life. Everyone muttered among themselves, wondering what was going on. Jamie looked flustered as he glanced back and forth from the tv to his father.
Ezekiel straightened his back, suddenly interested. In no time, a video started playing on the screen, an obscene one at that. It was CCTV footage where a man, who could be easily identified as Jamie, sat on a sofa in what seemed to be a private room in a bar, surrounded by half-naked women who threw themselves at him. From the expression on his face in the recording, Jamie seemed to be enjoying the attention. He had a bottle of alcohol in his hand and white powder, possibly drugs, lying on the table in front of him.
The Jamie who was watching the video play, however, was not amused. In fact, he had turned red in embarrassment as whispers broke out in the entire room, though not loud enough to mask the sinful voices from the video.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Michael's voice boomed, furiously stepping onto the stage. "SWITCH OFF THE TV IMMEDIATELY!"
The damage was done, however. Reporters had managed to break into the hall and cameras were capturing every moment of Jamie's huge scandal. Ezekiel watched, amused, as Michael slapped his son, fury written all over his face. Jamie desperately tried to shield himself from the crowd of people who had surrounded him, his persona of a humble celebrity broken to pieces as he gripped the collar of his manager, yelling at him for not taking care of the recording.
"Damn," Archer breathed out, "these women are amazing."
Indeed. Ezekiel's eyes flitted to the two approaching them, a smirk on their lips. Irene's words constantly rung about in his head and he knew she wasn't ordinary. He watched her every move, the grace with which she carried herself. He couldn't help but admire her intelligence, her stealth and her ability to turn a situation in her favour with no mistakes. It was easy to expose Jamie but turning the entire world against him was very difficult, yet these two sisters managed to accomplish the task with ease.
At that moment, Ezekiel knew that with the help of these sisters, he could make his own situation advantageous.