Pretending assistant
Alex’s assistant gave her a crude smile and turned to face her. “Mrs. Fuego, it looks like Mr. Fuego’s fall is bad. How about he spend the night here first?”
She folded her arms and twitched the corner of her mouth. “He can. But he have to stay and I’ll change rooms.”
“Oh!” Alex’s personal assistant shook his head and sadly stared at her. “I talked to the front desk earlier. They said there are no more vacant rooms, Mrs. Fuego.”
“Really?” she asked, turning to face Alex, who was staring at her silently as he lay like a king on her bed. “That’s it. That’s easy to solve. I’ll just change hotels!”
Alex and his personal assistant exchanged glances. The personal assistant grimaced, a worried expression on his face. “It looks like you’re going to have a hard time, Mrs. Fuego. The festival is coming up so many people from other towns have come to visit. All the hotels are already booked in advance.”
She raised her brow and took the phone from her pocket. She dialed the number for a local hotel. Before they got in town, Carlos had given her a list of hotels. He added that she might need it if they went out in town.
Jenica giggled quietly to herself. That one appears to be useful.
But her joyful attitude was short-lived because, as the personal assistant explained, there were no rooms available in another hotel. She hung up the phone and then gazed at Alex who just smiled at her. She knows it’s her husband’s intentions, thus there are no vacant rooms in other hotels.
“I’ll just call the ambulance, this time for real!” she gritted her teeth.
She had phoned Alex’s assistant earlier because she knew he would be looking after her husband. However, it appeared that they both agreed to make things tough for her. She was ready to call an ambulance while snorting, when the assistant immediately grabbed the phone she was holding.
Jenica frowned, and her body moved before she could think. Her hand yanked on the man’s collar and elbowed him in the stomach. She raised her palm and struck his critical spot, knocking him out. With a thud, the assistant’s body tumbled to the floor. Jenica bit her lower lip and blinked. Did she go too far?
“You hit my assistant,” Alex pointed out. “How should I punish you, wife?”
“Punish?” Her lips twitched, and she cast a peek at her husband. “You can’t even stand up on that bed. Just shut up, boy!” she blurted out. Alex’s face darkened, and Jenica’s brows came together. “What? Do you have anything else to say?” she asked, challenging him.
His lips formed a line, and he averted his gaze. He didn’t say anything further, so Jenica grinned from ear to ear before lifting up the assistant and placed him on the sofa. She walked up to the bed and grabbed Alex’s wrist.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a frown but did not withdraw his hand from her.
“I’m just checking to see if you can still walk. Maybe you’ll ask me for compensation later, huh?”
Alex’s lips curled slightly. “That’s easy. Just keep me company.”
“My time is precious,” she remarked before letting go of his hand.
She gave Alex a thorough check-up that lasted many minutes, while the man simply stared at her face in silence. She gazed up at Alex after the check-up. “Just rest tonight. You’ll be fine when you wake up,” she stated, turning to walk away when Alex grabbed her shoulder and drew her to lie down next to him. “What the–”
“Aren’t you tired? Sleep beside me,” he urged, drawing her closer to him.
Jenica grabbed her breath as her forehead contacted his chest, her heart racing. Her cheeks were hot, and she knew she was flushing like a ripe tomato even though she couldn’t see it.
“We shouldn’t sleep in the same bed,” she admonished, and while she intended to be stern, her words came out meekly.
Jenica waited for the man’s response but heard nothing. She noticed that he had closed his eyes and was breathing steadily when she looked up. Alex appears to have dozed off.
She couldn’t help but lift a finger and softly stroke her sleeping husband’s sharp nose and thin lips as she watched him sleep. Jenica suddenly realized what she was doing and hurriedly removed her finger. She lowered it and nibbled her bottom lip.
She should quit thinking about this man. She forced herself to sleep in Alex’s arms, closing her eyes.
Alex opened his eyes after Jenica eventually fell asleep. He lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms. He leaned down to plant a quick kiss on the top of Jenica’s head before closing his eyes again.
Jenica awoke the next morning without Alex by her side. She stood up swiftly and looked around. She noticed a letter from Alex on the bedside table. She took it, read it, and then ignited a lighter to burn it before going to the bathroom.
…
June Mondragon, the son of the Poblacion-based Mondragon couple. The toddler was kidnapped a month ago, and no one knew where he was until Jenica spotted him on the road after Sham shoved him out of the car transporting the two children to who knows where.
Jenica peered down the road where June had indicated the abductor’s car had disappeared. She pressed her lips together.
“Agent J, that road leads nowhere. Two kilometers ahead is a cliff. There are no other housing establishments or communities within a one-kilometer radius of the cliff,” Carlos said as he scanned the intelligence acquired.
She took a deep breath. “Any other routes?”
“According to the map, there is one: an abandoned road 500 meters from the cliff. It takes around a hundred kilometers to get to the next town because it goes around a mountain. The administration forbids automobiles from using the road since it is prone to accidents due to landslides that frequently occur on the mountain’s side.”
“Those cretins,” she tightened her fist, “send me the specifics. All of it,” she said.
Carlos paused for a time before obeying Jenica’s command, then muttered, “Agent J, do you and Alexander Fuego know each other?” he inquired.
Jenica turned to June, who was munching and devouring her ice cream under the shade of an old tree, and to Carlos, who was standing under another tree.
“Didn’t I tell you we’re only business partners and not friends? Why should you be concerned about whether or not I know him?”
Carlos lowered the phone and gave her a serious look. “Agent, I’m not intruding into your private life,” he said. “But…” he paused, then groaned, “HQ is looking into the Fuego Empire. Our spies had previously been unable to enter the Fuegos’ den, so this time there was an all-out mission. Three high-level agents were dispatched to the country to investigate the Fuego Empire.”
Jenica was taken aback and swiftly turned to Carlos, “Top Agents?””
“Yes,” he said, turning aside. “Didn’t your assistant tell you?””
Jenica tightened her fist and contacted the assistant, asking why it hadn’t informed her of the all-out mission.
“I’m sorry, Agent J. The upper management prefers that you focus on your mission and not on others.”
Nosy? Those friggin old geezers! She was upset because they had kept it from her, but knowing that her assistant has hidden things from her, it’s difficult for her to fully trust this assistant.
“Fine. Is there any news?” she inquired, knowing that facing this cretin head on would be futile.
“Yes. Fortunately, we received information. Alexander Fuego is currently not in the capital. Our spies followed him south before losing him again.”
“Is that your news?”” Jenica’s eyes narrowed. When the assistant hummed to agree, she snorted. “Useless!” She remarked before hanging up.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
Giving her Alex’s general location? What a waste of time, knowing that she knew the specific location of that bastard husband of hers.
But why the all-out mission this time?
It just didn’t make sense that the more time she spent on her mission, the less credible her assistant became.
Jenica gathered all of the information about the road and the kidnappers and relayed it to Alex. She has provided all of the information needed to locate Sham.
Right now, the HQ wants her to focus on the assignment, so she won’t have time to hunt for Sham, especially since she’s being guarded by the HQ. She also can’t access HQ’s resources, thus she should put her trust in Alex.
“Agent J, we have to go,” Carlos reminded as he looked around at the many groups of individuals headed in their direction.
She nodded and headed straight to the car. June was scooped up by Carlos. Jenica got into the car and took the wheel, with Carlos in the passenger seat and June in the backseat. She drove to Poblacion, where the Mondragons lived.
Friendly guards and servants greeted them. Jenica lifted her brows under the mask before turning to Carlos, holding June in her arms. Because the child’s face was obscured, the staff did not recognize him right away.
And when she was greeted warmly, Jenica realized it had to be Jobert who had informed the Mondragon family that she and her assistant were on their way.
“Doctor, Ma’am said you understand our language and are kind, and Ma’am appears to be correct!” exclaimed the mid-50s maid.
The Mondragon and Jobert appeared to have told them ahead of time. When the maid stated the next thing, the corner of her mouth raised and then vanished.
“Your assistant also seems to be telling the truth that you are a beautiful beauty. Even though your face is covered, I know you are as beautiful as a goddess, Doctor!”
Jenica paused for a while and turned to face Carlos. Their gazes locked. She closed her eyes and took a long breath before turning to face the maid in front of her. escorting them inside. “Assistant?” she inquired.
“Yes, Doc. I’m talking about him!” the maid said gleefully as she pointed to a man wearing eyeglasses, cheap clothes, and a watch sitting calmly on the sofa. He, like Carlos, brought a suitcase.
Jenica’s pupils constricted. Who on earth would pretend to be Doctor Acinea’s assistant without her permission?