An Unusual Affair

Chapter 14

The next day, although it was the weekend, Richard left for his office to meet Jake.

As Jake entered Richard's office, Richard said, "You took quite some time finding a loophole, Jake. I almost thought you had escaped with my secret in your hands."

"Hahaha. Sorry for the delay, Mr. Sterling, but I honestly wanted to find a way where you would be harmed the least," Jake replied, taking a seat.

"So harm is going to be there, as per your statement," Richard said, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, you cannot call it harm as such, but yes, it will affect you gravely. I want you to abandon your map completely, deleting it from everything you have it on. We can hire someone to prepare evidence against Madam Vanessa and her boyfriend Robert. The abortion case is genuine since we have hospital records, so we won't have to change anything there," Jake said carefully.

"You think I haven't thought of these things myself, Jake?" Richard said, a little disappointed in the approach presented by the famous lawyer. "I could even hire someone to get her murdered if I wanted to, and no one would know about it."

"I know, Mr. Sterling, but no matter how much I try to find a solution to this mess, I can't see any other way out," Jake said helplessly. "Not that I am in favor of shutting this amazing thing off. I love it, if you ask me."

Richard scratched his head in frustration. "The pinnacle of my business is this feature, Jake. I am selling it overseas now. This is what is attracting people to my company. It's not that much of a secret, but the fact that I used it to spy on my wife is not known by anyone—not even Vanessa. But it was Vanessa who made me do it."

"The court will not accept this. As much as the people around Rivertide know that cameras constantly monitor this town, they don't know that the cameras are installed in their bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets. An uproar will erupt. This thing can turn your whole case against you."

They both fell silent. Richard knew that Jake's points made sense. This was what he dreaded the most: people finding out and shaming him and his family for the rest of their lives.

"Sir, I want you to win this case. The business you are selling overseas now—maybe one company has it, two companies have it, or even ten companies have installed this system—is still different from how it is being used here in Rivertide. And knowing how manipulative Madam Vanessa can be, she will create a whole scene to disgrace your name," Jake said, using a cautious tone to avoid irritating Richard further.

"It will take a maximum of a month to gather evidence that Madam Vanessa was after your money all along. We can bribe people to be on our side," Jake finished.

Richard was silent for a few minutes, then said, "And what if in this one month, she makes a case against me for having an illicit relationship with someone?"

"Illicit relationship? Is there something I am unaware of in this case?" Jake asked, sitting up straight.

"I have a detective tailing a few people for me, and he informed me that Vanessa is planning something like that," Richard said, feeling defeated.

"Is there someone you have in your life other than Madam Vanessa?" Jake asked.

"Not at the moment," Richard replied shortly.

"So there could be in the future," Jake said more to himself than to Richard.

"Okay. Leave the relationships aside. Give me some time to think about shutting this down. Then we can proceed with filing the case. I'll ask my detective to start taking pictures of Vanessa as much as he can," Richard said, standing up. He was feeling suffocated sitting in this room.

Jake took his leave, and Richard picked up his mobile to see if Emily had texted him. To his disappointment, there was none.

Vanessa's detective tracked down Charles and forwarded his number to Vanessa. On her way back to Rivertide, Vanessa sent a message to the number immediately.

Charles was sitting with Daniel at the pub again. He picked up his phone to read the message he had just received: "I can help you with what you want. Meet me at the following address alone and you will never regret it. This should stay between you and me."

"This seems insane. Looks like a spam message," Charles said, putting his phone back down.

When two days passed without a reply from Charles, Vanessa decided to use her special seduction skills to make him meet her. She dialed his number, and Charles answered on the second ring.

"Who is this?" Charles asked, sounding half-drunk.

"Hey, Charles. I'm Georgia. Why didn't you reply to me? It's been two days," Vanessa said in a coquettish tone.

"I don't know any Georgia. You have the wrong number," Charles said.

Vanessa quickly responded, "But I know you, and I want you. Want to spend a night with me? Just you and me in a luxury room. You won't regret it, I promise. And I have money. If you want me to pay for that night, then name a price." Her tone was irresistibly seductive.

She smiled to herself, thinking, "Anything can be bought with money and sex."

Charles, now more sober, considered the offer. The mention of money intrigued him. "Where do I have to come?" he asked.

Vanessa sent him the address of one of the houses Richard had gifted her on their first anniversary and told him to come on the upcoming weekend in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Emily was grappling with her thoughts about Richard's offer. She wasn't sure if she wanted to look for Charles anymore. The prospect that he might have been alive all this time terrified her. How could she accept him back after all these years? Would Lily accept him?

Her head had been throbbing with stress for days. She saw Richard's private number on the back of the business card he left on the dining table that night. She timed her trips to drop off and pick up Lily from school, to avoid bumping into him. Despite trying not to think of Richard, he was constantly on her mind.

As the weekend approached, Charles told Daniel he wouldn't be meeting him that evening as he had plans. He dressed well that day and tried not to drink, wanting to keep his nerves in check.

"Is it a date?" Daniel asked.

"Maybe just a one-night stand, but she's willing to pay for it. She must be desperate. And I haven't had a good time in a while, so wish me luck," Charles said, giving Daniel a wicked smile. "I hope she's pretty."

Richard had spent the entire week checking his phone countless times, hoping for a message or call from Emily, but it never came. "She's trying to avoid me now," he thought, sitting in his study. Suddenly, his phone rang, and he leaped to answer it, hoping it was Emily. His face fell when he saw Nile's name flashing on the screen.

"Sir, Charles is going to meet someone today. I'm following him. I'll let you know who he meets and where," Nile said urgently.

"Okay. Good job, Nile. And what about Vanessa? Did you ask someone to tail her as well? I need her pictures with Robert urgently," Richard asked.

"Sir, I have one of my trusted friends following her. He will update me soon," Nile said.

Hanging up the call, Nile sent an address to Richard after a while, which left him in a state of shock. "Why is he going to Vanessa's house?" was the first question that popped into his mind.