I retraced my steps back out. I dialed Senti's number while standing in the middle of the living room. His phone is ringing but he is not answering. I decided to call Otto instead.
"Have you seen Senti and Ms. McCrae?" I asked him when he took the call on the first ring.
"I'm afraid I have not Sir," he responded.
"Would you like me to find them for you?"
"No. I'll do it. Thank you Otto."
I ended the call and dialed Senti's number again as I climbed up the stairs. I decided to look in the studio first but I did not see them there. Instead, I saw Senti's phone buzzing softly on the couch he had sat on. I went out and brought his phone with me instead of the box I'm planning to give to Arina. I thought about looking for Ms. McCrae in her room first.
I walked through the entire length of the hallway and halted at the last room. I was about to knock on the door when I heard low voices from inside.
I don't know why but I decided to put my ears against the wooden door and listened. The voices were Senti and Ms. McCrae. I don't feel good about what I'm doing but I listened anyway. Why do they need to talk in her room?
"You will be safe here Dahl, I promise. They won't even think about finding you here in Kazakhstan and you will be traveling a lot with Arystan. Keeping track of you would be difficult. Don't worry about them and just concentrate on your work. Okay?"
There was no response.
Ohh. Is that it? Is she having financial troubles in New York or something?
I was about to get my ear away from the door and knock when I heard Ms. McCrae speak.
"Thank you for coming over today Sen. I was scared. I tried my best not to be but everything and everyone was so foreign. Seeing you here is really a relief."
"I did think you might need to see me," I heard Senti respond.
"You don't have any news about your father or Damien? It must have been chaos back there when they knew you were gone."
"No. I haven't seen anything on the news and that's an assurance that he had not killed my father yet. I know he still has a use for him. He will make him a bait one of these days to get to me."
My eyebrows furrowed. What are they talking about?
"I wonder if anything has changed with that deal. I'm sure by now your father already found a way to pay back his 5 billion-dollar debt to him."
I felt my jaw drop.
5 billion dollars??
I took my ears away from the door. I could not listen anymore. I'm sure I would give myself away if I stay another second.
What were they talking about? A murder threat? A 5 billion-dollar debt?
I walked away shaken.
Who is that woman Senti Ivanov?
I dialed Otto's phone.
"Please tell Senti and Ms. McCrae to come to the garden. They are in Ms. McCrae's room at the moment. And please bring some refreshments to the veranda," I said on the line after he picked up.
He responded okay and I thanked him before ending the call. My hands are still shaking.
I took the lift down and found my way back to the garden.
I sat on one of the wooden chairs of a four-seater table. I placed my arms on the table to try to relax my nerves. I'm sure my face would betray me the moment I see her. I'm not good at hiding my emotions.
A sudden idea occurred to me and I took out my phone. I typed her name on the search engine but nothing came up about her. However, a name caught my eye. Magnus James McCrae. I clicked on an image of him and my hand clenched around my phone. Except for the color of their hair, Ms. McCrae shares an almost splitting image of him.
CEO and founder of McCrae Holdings. A billionaire based in New York. Is married to someone named Daphne Yuchengco, daughter of a business tycoon in the Philippines.
There is no information about a daughter however.
I put the phone back in my pocket and tried to even out my breathing.
What kind of trouble did Senti cause me? He is crazy for bringing that woman here. To be my manager!
I made a slight jump in my chair when I heard someone but I felt relieved to see that it was Otto, pushing the refreshment trolley. However, behind him Senti also emerged with Ms. McCrae.
I steeled myself.
"I'm sorry brother. We got carried away with our conversation a bit," Senti greeted me when they reached the table.
"Ah. Here's the tea!"
He sat himself down opposite me with a bright expression on his face. As if they just talked about something normal and trivial.
"You may take your seat Ms. McCrae," I addressed her. She was standing next to Senti, unsure of where to sit. After a moment's hesitation, she took a seat between me and Senti.
Otto finished transferring the tea, teacups and cookies to the table and had taken his leave. When he disappeared behind the bend, I turned to Senti.
"Can we talk for a minute?" I said to him, standing up from my seat.
'Hm. What about?" he responded without looking up to me, pouring his tea with leisure.
"Come on."
"We can talk here while we have our tea," he looked up to me with a smile.
"Come on," I repeated, sounding more stern.
"You can drink my tea first Di," he said to Ms. McCrae when I dragged him by his shirt, out of his chair.
"Follow me," I told him as I took the lead on the pathway.
"What's the problem brother? Did I do something wrong?"
He caught up to my right side.
I walked on with a brisk pace and ignored his questions. I led him to the library.
"Please lock the door behind you," I told him when he got inside.
He obeyed.
"What is this about?" he asked, serious now.
I stared at him long and hard before speaking.
"I heard fragments of your conversation from outside Ms. McCrae's door."
He frowned. Then, realization dawned on his face.
"What did you hear exactly?" he asked, his voice low.
"What I heard is that she- she is..."
I massaged my nape, trying to rein in my anger.
"What are you doing brother?" I glared at him.
He stood rooted on the spot, pursing his lips tight.
"I'm still hoping you won't turn her away, Arys," he stared back, holding my intense scowl.
"No. Now I could not unless you can find me someone to replace her as soon as next week or you stay. Your choice."
"You know I can't. Arina--"
I sighed out loud.
"Then, the least you can do now is tell me her whole story."
He let out a sigh of relief then hesitated.
"I'll give you what you want but I have to ask that you won't let her know what you know. She will be uncomfortable around you. If she is willing to tell you someday, she will tell you. It means you have gained her trust. And once you do brother, I'm asking that you don't break it. She had already gone through so much."
I have never seen Senti look sad. I've only seen him angry or frustrated.
Who is this McCrae to him??
"Dahlia is the daughter of a businessman. He's a billionaire. He dragged his daughter to a business deal with a mafia lord a few years back. He made her the collateral for his 5 billion-dollar loan. He was supposed to return it with a 1.5 billion interest after two years but he was not able to generate that much profit in that span of time. If he pulls the money out, it will cripple his company. The-"
"What is collateral?" I interrupted him.
"It's a property pledged by a borrower to protect the rights of the lender. If the borrower can't deliver the amount he borrowed, the lender has the right to seize that property."
"What??"
Senti nodded, his eyes on the floor.
"What kind of a sick father does that?"
"I know, brother. You know you are her best shot. She is in hiding right now. Her father and the mafia lord must be looking for her everywhere."
"She's not a possession!"
"She suspects that the mafia lord is after his father's business. Their marriage is very advantageous to him as Dahlia is an only child."
My jaw clenched.
I've never imagined I would encounter such a surreal situation as this. Mafia? Billions of dollars of debt?
"Okay. You can go now brother. Please tell Ms. McCrae I won't be able to join the two of you for tea."
I need to sort out my thoughts. My head is spinning.
"Thank you brother."
He pursed a smile, reluctant to go.
"Will it be okay? Will she stay?"
I nodded, not finding the courage to assure him with words.
"Thank you brother," he thanked me again with a tap on my shoulder.
I watched him walk out the door and I just stood there, lost in a trance.
What should I do with you Ms. Dahlia Jade McCrae?
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