Amanda could not help but groan in pain as she made her way to the bed on the other side of the room.
She held onto her right shoulder until Gabriel rushed in and saw her holding it.
“What's wrong?” He asked, breathing heavily.
“My arm is injured. Everything nearly went smoothly but Ava was quite smarter than I expected.” Amanda explained as she used her left hand to wipe the sweat on her face.
“Really?” Gabriel said, blinking his eyes nervously.
“Detective Lawrence arrived with his team so I had no choice but to escape,” Amanda explained further while she moaned in pain.
Gabriel left his mouth open for a while before he asked, “Did he discover your identity?”
Amanda answered, “He did not. My face was covered. And they probably don't know where I went.”
Gabriel sat beside Amanda and rubbed her wounded shoulder gently. Amanda moaned slightly.
“I think it's a fracture.” Gabriel guessed.
Amanda asked, “Really?”
“Forget it. I'm more concerned about Lawrence. It may not be that easy to escape from him.” Gabriel expressed as he rubbed his chest gently.
“Why did you say that?” Amanda could not help but be curious.
Lawrence Lucas is the new detective who was just transferred to New York City to investigate corruption cases. He lived in Italy where he worked for the U.S. government.
Now that he's back, he would stop at nothing to find out the truth and eliminate all crimes.
Amanda kept Gabriel in the dark while she executed her plan.
Amanda hired more able-bodied men and herself to carry out her mission. The men have been following Ava for some days and have given Amanda all the necessary information about her.
Amanda knew Ava was going to her newly bought land on a deserted island, so she ambushed her earlier to force her to sign the property transfer papers.
The mission was almost successful until Detective Lawrence showed up out of the blue. Amanda had to lure him away by running into the bush while the hired men escaped with the cars.
She had a black mask on so he could not see her. She was lucky enough to disguise herself by wearing a short white wig and using an automated voice machine.
She almost escaped through the thick forest until Detective Lawrence threw a baton on her right shoulder. She barely managed to reach the Slade mansion after she was fortunate enough to get a cab when she got to the express.
“Mr. Slade, Detective Lawrence is here. He requests an audience.” Emily's voice echoed from outside the room.
Amanda let out a loud sigh but Gabriel patted her shoulders assuring her that he had everything covered.
“No matter what, don't leave the room.” Gabriel issued a warning before he left the room.
As soon as Gabriel descended the stairs, Lawrence greeted him with a sly smile on his face. “Mr. Slade, welcome!”
“What are you doing here?” Gabriel asked instead of returning the greeting.
Lawrence feigned ignorance of Gabriel's question. “Where is your wife?”
Gabriel smiled and said, “She is taking a bath so you can't see her.”
“To prove your wife's innocence, why don't you ask her to meet us here?” Lawrence questioned, staring at Gabriel in the eyes.
“Innocence! For what? You people never stop interfering with someone's private life.” Gabriel hissed venomously through clenched teeth.
“You know what I mean. Don't pretend. Why don't you call your wife down?” Lawrence insisted.
Amanda's voice boomed from upstairs before she sashayed down the stairs. “Emily, where have you been? Who will select a perfect dress for my date?”
Gabriel shifted nervously from foot to foot. He wondered what date his wife was talking about.
“Wife, you…” Gabriel said as he feasted his eyes on his wife who was in an extremely short bathrobe. Her inner thighs were nearly visible. One could measure about five inches from her knees. That tells the distance.
“Why is everyone here?” Amanda asked after she pretended as if she did not see them. No one answered her and she fixed her eyes on Lawrence and said, “This is…”
“Lawrence Lucas.” Lawrence completed Amanda's statement.
Amanda closed the gap between them. “Lawrence Lucas. I see! You are the detective who was transferred recently. Anyway, your name sounds nice. I am Amanda Slade.”
“You shouldn't dress out like this. Let's get you changed.” Gabriel said. He felt sick with the way Amanda was showing his property outside.
Amanda turned to his side and whispered but enough for everyone to hear. “Why can't I dress like this? Am I supposed to dress up at home? Besides, I never knew we had guests.”
Amanda asked another question after Gabriel gave her a long stare. “Why are you staring at me?”
Lawrence, tired of the couple's side talk, sat down and yawned. He looked at the center table and an idea popped up in his head. He wanted to catch Amanda red-handed since he knew he threw a baton at the woman. Given the stature Amanda has, she was a perfect suspect for the case. From what Ava told him, Amanda happened to be the prime suspect since they were at odds with each other. “Mrs. Slade, I need a cup of water. Please, get me some.”
Amanda turned sharply. “Really? We have someone to do that instead. Isn't she enough?”
“Why are you bothering my wife? Don't forget that this is my home.” Gabriel mentioned boldly, his voice — thick and manly.
Lawrence nodded his head, “I just want Mrs. Slade to serve me a cup of water. Is it too much to ask?”
“Yes, it is.” Gabriel rolled his sleeves and added, “I will serve you some.”
Lawrence stopped Gabriel. “No way. Your wife has to do it.” He smiled with his gaze fixed on Amanda. “Is that okay, Mrs. Slade?”
“Sure,” Amanda answered. She walked to the table and held the jug. She poured some water into the glass cup before she pondered, “So overwhelming!”
While Amanda poured the water into the cup Lawrence had his eyes fixed on her right shoulder to notice any uneasiness but he found none.
“Is she the one or not? Am I wrong?” Lawrence muttered.
Amanda walked over to Lawrence who remained seated. “Detective, this is your water. Have some quickly. I need to complete my dressing.”
Amanda stretched her hand which held the glass that contained water. She smirked before she willingly left the cup just when Lawrence extended his hand.
The water spilled on Lawrence and the glass shattered into pieces immediately it fell on the tiled floor.
“I didn't grip it firmly. It was an accident. Are you okay?” Amanda asked with a look of concern on her face however she was not a bit concerned.
Lawrence tried effortlessly to wipe the water off his yellow shirt. “Yes, it's okay.”
Amanda raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the right. “Look, that's also a warning for you. Don't boss people around. Having a woman you just met serve you water or anything may cause you an injury. Next time, be careful.”
“Fine. I was rude just now. I hope Mrs. Slade can forgive me?” Lawrence asked with an annoyed look on his face.
Amanda returned a smile, “Nothing serious. You can leave after taking a cup of tea or water. Anyone you wish.”
Lawrence knew instantly that she was the one who attacked Ava but he had little or no evidence to support it.
“Thanks for understanding, Mrs. Slade but I have a feeling that we will meet again. Very soon. And by then, I hope to leave a good impression on you.” Lawrence scoffed.
Amanda and Lawrence couldn't help but give each other a deadly stare.
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