Freddy's POV
"Desmond, I'm sure you know how reckless your actions were" I scolded the fool sitting in front of me.
He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his hands "I'm sorry. I just got a little carried away"
I raised an eyebrow at him "a little? So little that you didn't notice when I left the bar"
"Come on,boss. Don't tell me you didn't have fun with any woman" He uttered with a knowing smile that got me irritated.
"What if those women you slept with were spies from another gang,you would have been dead by now" I snarled at him, trying to suppress the rage in me. The idiot was like my best friend so I could tolerate a bit of his misconducts.
"Well, I'm here now. No negative thoughts" He said absentmindedly which snapped the last thread of patience I had.
I threw a deathly glare at him
"That's it! You're banned from visiting the bar until I say otherwise and no frolicking or flirting with woman" I declared with a frosty voice to show him how serious I was and he got the message immediately.
"Come on,Freddy. You can't do this!" He screamed out and banged his fist on the table. Those things were like his lifeline and was indeed the perfect punishment for him.
"The more you plead,the long the term" I declared and stood up from my seat. I poured a glass of brandy for myself and dropped the bottle in front of him.
"Help yourself" I said and gulped down the whole content of my glass down. The room was silent for a while as Desmond gradually let the penalty sink into his brain. When I was sure he had accepted reality,I asked the question on my mind.
"Has there been any suspicious move from our rivals?"
"Nope. Nothing big for us to handle" Desmond responded and downed his glass in one go. He stood up and prepared to leave.
"Head to the base and check all the activities there" I said and walked out of the study room after him. We headed down the stairs and heard some people speaking in hush tones.
"Why does that sound like a woman?" Desmond smirked at me.
"Mind your business!" I snorted and trotted downstairs almost immediately. There,I met Reginald and... What! She's awake already.
"This one is new. How come I haven't seen her" Desmond said as he eyes the woman curiously which got on my nerves. I stood in front of him to block his site and faced the two suspicious people.
"What's going on here?" I asked only for me to noticed the nudge that woman was giving my butler. It was obvious she was hiding something.
"Speak! Reginald" I insisted.
Reginald gave her an apologetic smile and turned to me "Miss here was trying to leave the mansion without informing anybody. I was fast enough to stop her from having bullet holes in her head"
She gasped in shock, shivering in fear. Reginald was right,I hadn't informed all my guards of her presence and if they had sighted her running away,she would have been tagged as an intruder and killed on the spot.
"You wanted to run away? Have you forgotten your crime?" I berated and walked up to her with my gaze hardening to intimidate her but she refused to back down.
"I already told you I was going to pay your back but you can't keep me hostage" She shot back with bated breath. She stepped back a little to distance herself from me.
"You're not leaving whether you like it or not" I declared.
"No,you can keep me locked up like a prisoner" She argued with clenched fist.
"Don't worry. You won't be treated like a prisoner or do you want to wander around the city with nothing to lean on. Let me remind you that your passport and credit card is gone" I replied sharply.
"But I have a job and a life" She screamed.
I sighed and stared intently at her for a while
"What's your name?" I inquired and the next thing I heard were series of gasps from those with me and lurkers around.
"Aliana. Aliana Lionel" she replied after much hesitation
I heard an uncontrollable laughter from behind me and tilted her head to look at the culprit.
"Do you want your penalty to be increased?" I narrowed my eyes and tacitly warned him before turning to face the woman,Aliana.
"Don't you want to hear the reason why you blacked out?" I smirked, patiently waiting for her reply.
She shrugged and looked away "it must have been because of this stress"
"Yes,it is but not just that" I said,staring piercingly into her eyes as if I wanted to read her deepest secrets and her thoughts.
"What else?" She asked curiously
"The doctor will deliver the news to you himself. There's no way I'm telling you that myself" I turned away from her and faced Desmond. "Let's go"
A thought came to my mind.
"Reginald,make sure you doesn't step foot out of this house. If she causes trouble,lock her up in her room" I declared and signaled to Desmond to come with me.
"Boss, I'm surprised. How did that woman get into your house? You haven't let any woman in since_"
"Enough! I have my reasons so keep your loose mouth sealed" I cut him off with a warning glare and stepped out of the mansion. He followed after and stood beside me.
" Boss,you know you mustn't let the same mistake happen again" Desmond said with caution which made me reflect on his words. I still hadn't understood my reasons for keeping the woman who was with someone else child but I was still bent on not letting her go.
"Desmond,look into her background for me. I want detailed information about her family,fiance and best friend" I said and held my chin in thoughts.
"Aliana Lionel. I'll work on it" Desmond agreed and walked out of the gate. I took a look around the surroundings and turned to get back into my house.