Shantel and her six sisters had lived their lives under the shadow of their mother's notorious past.
As the daughters of a woman branded as a modern-day Jezebel, they had no right to innocence in the eyes of the world. They were assumed to be just like their mother—ruthless, cunning, and dangerous to any man who got too close. Afterall a fruit does not fall far from its tree.
Thus, everyone stayed away from them, the few who dared, got ensnared in their webs.
But Richard was sure he was one of the few men who wouldn't play into their hands... just like he'd proven when she'd pulled that stunt on him last year.
Right now, Richard's stormy blue eyes were still locked onto the space where Shantel's car had disappeared and though his expression remained unreadable, anyone close enough could sense the dangerous energy radiating from him.
Shantel Hale had just played with him and he was someone that did not take well to being played.
He forced his rising temper under control and finally turned back toward his car. "Let's go."
Gideon hurried to open the door. The moment Richard slid in, Gideon took his place in the front seat and signaled the driver to pull out of the airport parking lot.
The fleet of cars gilded onto the main road, cutting through Rovencia's bustling morning traffic which was a sharp contrast to the thick silence inside the sleek black Rolls Royce in front of the motorcade.
When he sensed the atmosphere was right enough, Gideon cautiously tested the waters. "You think that woman has something to do with Elsa?"
Richard didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled out his phone and handed it over to Gideon who read the two anonymous messages that had been sent within the space of just two encounters with Shantel Hale.
He had spent months trying to track down Elsa. And now, Shantel Hale—the one woman he would have least suspected—had appeared at the exact moment he was searching for Elsa?
Just when Gideon resigned himself to believing that he was all the answers he was going to get to his question, Richard's lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't trust that woman," he muttered.
Gideon smirked slightly. "That makes two of us," he lied blatantly. After all Shantel had never targeted him, not that he would have minded, anyways. But he needed to give his boss some moral support. He could tell that Shantel Hale had thrown him off balance by her daunting actions today.
Who in the whole of Rovencia has the gut to pull that kind of stunt on his boss? It can only take someone as daring as The Seventh Daughter of Jezebel to do so. Poor Mr Domango.
He could roughly guess that the days ahead were going to be packed full with enough intrigues and dramas to spice up his regimental life and he couldn't wait for it to start.
Unaware that he has become a charity case in his assistant's mind, Richard continued, "Find out what she's up to. If she has anything at all to do with Elsa, I want to know everything."
As usual, Gideon nodded in agreement. "I'll start digging right away."
He tapped quickly into his tablet, pulling up every file available on Shantel Hale.
Sure enough, there wasn't much or anything new to uncover. The woman was practically a walking enigma shrouded in her own secrets.
He reported his findings which he'd already envisaged to his boss who instantly became lost in thoughts.
Why is there nothing about her apart from the obvious. Surely the information about her shouldn't be that shallow, considering how robust her lifestyle is.
Born into wealth. Educated in elite institutions. A born socialite. Business investor (which in particular— nobody knows). Known for appearing at high-profile events but never staying in one place long enough to form lasting attachments.
No one knew exactly what she did for a living. Unlike her sisters, who had carved their identities through their marriages or public ventures, Shantel Hale had no clear role. No company officially under her name. No publicized business dealings, yet she lived more comfortably than top company CEOs.
There must be something she's hiding away and whoever is helping her is damn good at his job, because even Jack, the second best hacker, could not dig up anything about her.
She was almost like the mysterious personality—- Elsa that he's been trying to get for over a month now. Nobody knows anything about her too.
If not for her name, nobody would be able to tell if she was a woman or man. But then again, one can't really say she was a woman. Elsa could be a psodonym.. an alias had been floating around corporate circles for years.
She was known to be a phantom strategist—one who only worked with the most powerful and only through intermediaries, never revealing her true self. No one had ever seen her and no one knew her real name.
And yet…
A dangerous thought settled in Richard's mind.
No way. It wasn't possible. Shantel Hale and Elsa cannot have anything in common. The very idea sent an uneasy chill down his spine.
No, it can't be. Shantel Hale was just up to her many tricks of playing with men just to draw his attention like her mother and sisters had done to several unsuspecting and gullible men in the past.
Unfortunately, she chose the wrong candidate. He was not someone who can be swayed by such ridiculous acts… not even now when he needs to focus and get help for his company.
Gideon turned slightly while clearing his throat to attract his boss's attention. "Boss," he started carefully, "if you're looking for new information, I doubt there's anything that isn't already public knowledge."
Then he went on to report about a piece of information he'd seen in his search just now. "But there's going to be an event tonight at Three star… I gathered that Shantel Hale will be there… The Hale Foundation is hosting their annual gala…"
"Isn't that the one hosted by that woman?"