Damian Blackwood sat in his luxurious villa when his phone suddenly rang. He was the heir to the Blackwood empire which was a very successful conglomerate but it wasnʼt as successful as the Montgomeryʼs. He was wearing a nude colored suit. He had on an exotic wristwatch which had his initials D.B engraved on it.
"Hello." He picked the call making sure he sounded as formal as possible. He only reserved his playful voice for his family or whoever happened to be his wife. Unluckily, he had not found her yet.
Every woman he had been interested in seemed to only be after his money. Recently, he had begun to consider a contract marriage but he hadnʼt found a suitable client.
"I have news." The voice on the other line said. It was the private investigator Damien had hired to keep tabs on the Montgomery family. Both of them had history. An history that had been left untouched but Damien was ready to open up healed wounds at the moment.
"Spill it." He said rashly.
"I canʼt discuss this on phone. We need to discuss this in person. Itʼs highly confidential and who knows? Your phone might be bugged." The investigator explained.
"So how do you suggest we meet? Damian asked.
"I could come to your villa."
"I donʼt want to be seen with you." He didnʼt want to sound rude, even though he did. He just wanted the business they had to remain a hidden away, even from his family.
"I have a private suite at the emerald canopy. Do you think you can meet me there?"
"As long as I get a pass." The investigator replied.
"You donʼt have to worry about that. I would inform the security men about your arrival." Damian said as he cut the line off.
~**~
The Emerald Canopy was one of the best hotels in the city. It was a romantic luxurious resort with stunning views of the ocean. As long as you had nothing on your mind, you could get lost in its luxury.
Damian Blackwood adjusted his tie as he got out of his sleek Ferrari.
The security men paved the way for him as soon as they saw him coming. He was one of the most feared men in Ivory City.
"Tell your boss, I have a visitor coming. When he comes, just ask him who he is here for?" He said to one of them as he passed beside them.
"Yes sir." The guard replied but Damian had already left the spot.
A guard helped him open the door as he walked inside. He didnʼt waste time as he immediately called his private investigator.
"I have arrived. When will you be here?" He asked, his voice thick.
"Iʼm at the main door, I would soon be in."
Damian cut the line off as he leaned back into his seat. Whatever information Pete had had better be worth his time.
The door clicked open as Pete Lockwood entered the suite.
"Itʼs a pleasure to meet you in person." Pete said as a form of greeting but his words only got Damian annoyed as he asked.
"Did you bring me all the way to this place just so you can feed your eyes?"
Pete chuckled. "Of course not, like I said earlier. I have news. That's why we're here."
"What is that news?"
"The Montgomery heiress went missing." He started. Damian hissed slightly.
"That is no news." He had been aware of this probably two weeks ago.
"It isnʼt but the real gist is that she didnʼt just go missing. They attempted to kill her."
Damian adjusted in his seat when he heard that.
"Iʼm listening, go on." He encouraged.
"Like you ordered me to. I have been keeping tabs on their family for a while now. Her fiancé and her step sister Lila tried to kill her but fortunately for her, she survived and at the moment. She is in my hands."
"In your hands?" Damian raised an eyebrow.
"They threw her body into the coast and she washed up at orchard hills. I was able to find her there. We talked, I discussed with her and sheʼs not willing to spill any information. I even got a badge to convince her..." he paused as he took out the fake badge from his pocket.
Damian looked at it scrutinizingly.
"What did you get it for?" He asked sharply.
"To convince her as I said earlier. At the moment, she thinks that Iʼm one of the authorities of orchard hills."
"Does she have all of her memories?"
Pete nodded. "Yes, she does."
Damian bit his lower lip thinking.
"You said she is at orchard hills?"
"Yes, presently at the hospital. She would be discharged today and they recognize me as her guardian there."
"You were the one who took her to the hospital?"
"Exactly, Yes."
"Keep this information a secret. Now we would see what the Montgomerys are up to."
As Pete left the suite, Damian sat back in his chair thinking. The piece of information Pete had given him proved useful. As long as he could gain more of their secrets, he would have everything he needed to take Cassandra Montgomery down.
He returned to his villa late in the night, as he took his shirt off, his little girl came running towards him.
"Daddy." She called out in excitement. The four year old had her hair tied up in pigtails with bejeweled hair clips.
"June." He called out in surprise. "Is your mum here?"
When the girl shook her head, Damian sighed a sigh of relief. He never wanted to have any encounter with his ex wife nor did he want anything to do with her. Unless it concerned Juniper, he was less than concerned.
Damian crouched down to her level, stoking her auburn colored hair.
"Is mum coming back to pick you up?" He asked concerned that she might miss school if she was here. June shook her head.
"She said I would be here for two weeks."
"Really?, how about school?"
June shook her head again. "We are only a week away from vacation. So..." the girl trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore.
Damian hissed slightly in annoyance. He knew that line very much so and that was the only thing that bothered him about his ex wife keeping custody of June.