Day Three…
~~*****~~
"Master, is this really for me?"
*Silence*
Nathan didn't speak. He just folded his arms over his chest, observing Butler Li with his indescribable expression.
Butler Li scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. He marveled as to why Nathan was giving him this thing.
"Master, did you pick the wrong gift? Or Is this your way of telling me to get a woman and get married?" Butler Li said, adding humor in his tone. Deep inside, he felt really awkward as of this moment.
But Butler Li was very cautious with his words as he didn't want to offend his master. He thought it was a gift from him so it would be disrespectful if he would reject it blatantly.
And how was he supposed to accept it? It was a woman's lingeries for goodness' sake! What if his master was just trying to test him?
'I'm not a pervert,' he cried in his mind.
"Did you come into my chamber last night?" Nathan could no longer take Butler Li's silly remarks so he decided to confront him. He had the urge to facepalm when Butler Li had mistakenly thought he was giving him a gift.
Butler Li blinked, still clueless and confused. "No, Master," he replied, darting his gaze back and forth between Nathan and the woman's bra in his hand.
Nathan's brows pulled together in a fleeting frown, his mouth took on an unpleasant twist as his expression grew hard.
Butler Li suddenly felt the chill meeting Nathan's sharp gaze. 'Master is so scary. Why? Did I do something wrong?'
"W-Why, Master?" Butler Li asked in his trembling voice.
"If not, then why is it that your mobile phone and that piece of lingerie were found in my chamber… under my bed?" Nathan cocked his eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. He wanted a proper explanation from Butler Li.
Nathan would like to know as he felt like he missed something last night. And he had this weird dream… a dream which felt so real. But he knew that it wouldn't be real since Monica was gone. She was dead and she would never be coming back.
His heart, which he thought was already numb and incapable of feeling anything aside from hatred and anger, was suddenly reminded of the pain and longing he had for the woman he lost two years ago. He missed her so much.
It had been so long since the last time he saw her in his dream. Why now?
Meanwhile, Butler Li gazed at him with a dumbfounded expression, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in disbelief.
'Miss Abi was not lying. She succeeded in visiting Master Nathan in his chamber without getting caught. She left my phone in our master's chamber! Is she trying to get me in trouble? And what's the deal with this bra? Don't tell me this is Miss Abi's–" Another surprise gasp left his mouth. A wild imagination came flashing in his mind.
But Butler Li snapped out of his wild thoughts when he met Nathan's scrutinizing blue eyes. He was still waiting for his response.
'I'm doomed! How would I explain this to Master without involving Miss Abi?" Butler Li's face was covered with distress and fright.
He couldn't deny that it wasn't his phone because with just one press, his photo could be seen on the wallpaper of his screen. This was one of the reasons why Nathan recognized the owner of the phone right away.
'Miss Abi, I'm sorry. But I have no choice… but to sell you out to save my ass. Besides, you have a strong backing. Young Master Ethan will protect you from Master's wrath. I promise… I will fulfill your five wishes.' Butler Li was already apologizing to Abigail in his mind.
"I have no idea, Master. But I gave my phone to Miss Abi last night. She borrowed it. So I don't know how this phone ended up in your chamber. Who knows Miss Abigail dropped by your chamber to see you?" Butler Li spoke spontaneously without a stop. His heart was racing inside his chest, feeling nervous.
"Abigail?" Nathan mumbled, his expression darkened.
Butler Li bit his lower lip and nodded his head frantically. "Yes, Master. Miss Abi. Why don't you check the CCTV recordings and find out if Miss Abi indeed visited you last night?"
"But she was locked up in one of the guest rooms…"
"Eh? What if someone from the guard confiscated her phone and accidentally dropped it in your room?"
"And how about that? Don't tell me someone also left that accidentally in my room?" Nathan pointed his finger at the woman's bra which Butler Li was still holding.
"Well, Master… let's check the CCTV to be sure…" Butler Li insisted as he wanted this interrogation to end. His body was already covered with cold sweat.
Nathan picked up his phone and dialed the number of the facility. After a few rings, the call got connected and a personnel assigned in the CCTV Control answered him from the other line.
"Get me the copy of the CCTV recording of the camera located in my chamber. Make sure to send the footage from 3:00 pm yesterday until 9:30 pm of last night." That was the time he was unconscious and the last hour he found those items under his bed.
The staff immediately worked on the task. Five minutes later, Nathan received the footage via email. He went to his study desk and switched on his laptop. He clicked several icons and opened his email. Nathan was so focused on the monitor screen as he was skimming the video.
Butler Li simply walked closer, moving behind Nathan's back. He wanted to take a peek and find out if the camera captured Abigail or not. Both of them were silent, just watching the video. After a few minutes of scanning, there was no sign of Abigail entering Nathan's chamber.
"Eh, Master? Could this item belong to Dr. Veronica? She's the only person who has entered your room several times." Butler Li suddenly blurted out after they were done checking the footage.
He heaved a sigh of relief that Abigail was not captured in the camera. But he was certain that Abigail entered his Master's chamber.
Nathan clenched the mouse in his hand. A deep frown flitted across his handsome features with cold fury and he pressed his lips together in displeasure.
"Master? C-Can I leave now?" Butler Li asked Nathan anxiously. He wanted to flee before Nathan took his anger on him.
The devil was not in the mood. He was furious and Butler Li wasn't sure if he was mad at Veronica or Abigail. Butler Li had already proven his innocence and he had a valid alibi so Nathan would no longer suspect him.
Nathan just waved his hand, dismissing Butler Li as he leaned his back on his chair. He massaged his temples and exhaled deeply.
Butler Li slowly and quietly traced his steps towards the door. He was about to leave when he recalled something. He turned around and asked Nathan for one last time. "Ahem, Master, what do you want me to do with this?"
Butler Li raised his hand that was gripping the lace of the bra.
Nathan glared at him sharply, giving him an are-you-seriously-asking-me-that look!
Butler Li immediately bowed his head, grabbed the paper bag, and left the room in a rush. His heart was still beating so fast when he closed the door. 'I almost had a heart attack!' Butler Li mumbled, rubbing his chest while trying to calm his racing heart.
He headed straight to the dining area. He couldn't wait to ask Abigail about the full details of what transpired last night. How was she able to do that? She was just an actress. How come she was able to escape from her room and visited Nathan without getting caught by the guards and the security cameras?
Upon reaching the dining area, Butler Li waited for Abigail and Little Ethan to finish their breakfast. Meanwhile, Nathan continued watching the CCTV recordings over and over again as if he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Twenty minutes later…
Little Ethan bade goodbye to Abigail and went to see his father before going to school. Butler Li grabbed this opportunity to talk to Abigail alone.
"Miss Abi!" He called out, motioning her to follow him. The two went to the garden, making sure that no one was around.
"What's up, Butler Li?" Abigail asked him, lifting an eyebrow.
Without further ado, Butler Li showed her the paper bag and the item inside. Abigail's eyes went round as soon as she recognized her own lingerie.
"Holy Crap! I knew it! It's yours!" Butler Li blurted out exasperatedly. Abigail's expression was enough to confirm his assumption.
"Where did you get that?" Abigail snatched the paper bag from him.
"Master Nathan brought this with him," Butler Li said matter-of-factly.
"WHAT??!" Abigail felt like her heart jumped out of her chest when she heard that.
Butler Li let out a soft chuckle and said confidently, "Don't worry, Miss Abi. Master thought it was Dr. Veronica's bra, not yours."
"Are you sure?" Abigail was doubtful.
"Yes! Master saw the CCTV footage. It's clean. It didn't even capture your shadow!" Butler Li said, reassuring her.
Abigail could only sigh in relief. She was glad that she immediately deleted the footage.
Meanwhile, in Nathan's study room, the devil had finally stopped watching the video and it seemed that he noticed something was off.
"Something is missing… The time recorded jumped several minutes. This only means… someone deleted a portion of this video," Nathan mumbled. There was a gleam in his eyes, his lips curling up in a mysterious but dangerous smile. "Gotcha!"