An Unusual Affair

Chapter 7

As dawn approached, Richard found himself unable to sleep, his mind consumed by the tangled mess his life had become since meeting Vanessa. Despite his wealth, all he had ever wanted was a simple life filled with love and family. Yet, here he was, grappling with complications and betrayals.

'How did it come down to this?  Why is it that whenever I am trying to rid myself of all these tangles, I am faced with more complications.' He said to himself, sitting in his room. 

Everyone had already gone to bed when he returned home. He did not even have anything to eat. But hunger was the last thing that was on his mind at that moment. He felt angry. He felt frustrated. 

'I'll not let Vanessa get out of this easily.' Richard muttered to himself, his fists clenched in determination. 'You have ruined my life, Vanessa. You have ruined my ability to trust anyone now. You have ruined my ability to love anyone anymore. I'll not let you have what you want.' 

He knew the first thing he would have to do in the morning was to talk to Emily and warn her of some potential danger coming towards her. 

'I don't know if she would even believe me or not. It doesn't seem like she is involved with Vanessa as yet but I'll have to confirm it as soon as possible. Then I'll sort Mr. Stener out.' 

Turning to his laptop, Richard began to sift through his emails It was Saturday so there weren't going to be any school runs that day.  

Without thinking he opened the folder which is always protected by high security. The detailed map of Rivertide appeared on his screen. Starting from his household, he saw Mrs. Swan preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Hayden was still sleeping in his room. 

He navigated his way to the Villa where Vanessa was staying nowadays. She was also sleeping. Zooming in he saw Robert sleeping beside her. Richard's gaze burned into the scene that was displayed on his screen. He took out his mobile and took pictures of them together. 

His head was pounding badly. Being sleep and food-deprived, he was feeling apprehensive about everything. 

He was about to turn off the map when he thought of Emily. He typed the name Tranquil Treats and immediately the Bakery came into view. He could see two dots indicating Lily and Emily were present in the house. His hand hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to intrude on their privacy but some part of his heart wanted to see her face. He was about to zoom into her house when he saw a man walking towards the bakery and stopping at its outer gate.

'Who could this be?' Richard muttered, his brow furrowing in confusion. 'He doesn't seem to belong to this town, otherwise his name would be displayed here.' 

Zooming in, he took in the man's features, noting his shabby appearance and seemingly aimless actions. Richard's suspicion deepened as the man began taking pictures of the bakery.

'Is he someone appointed by Vanessa?' Richard wondered aloud, his mind racing with possibilities. 'What is going on here?'

Richard watched as the man eventually retreated, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions. Determined to unravel the mystery, Richard made a mental note to investigate further, his instincts telling him that trouble loomed on the horizon.

With a sense of urgency, Richard turned off the laptop, picked up his coat and mobile, and left his room. Getting in his car he started driving towards Emily's home. The traffic was quite low because of the early hours of the morning so, he reached there in twenty minutes. 

After parking his car outside the bakery, a sudden thought came to him. 'What if Vanessa is keeping an eye on him? But then If Vanessa truly had eyes on everything, as she had suggested to Mrs. Swan, she would have known that had hired someone was following her everywhere.' He ruffled his hair, holding his face in his hands.