The Secrecy✔

Chapter 42

Liz Collins

Today has been like usual. The kiss has never been mentioned again and we're back to normal.

The bruise is still hurting and I'm trying my best to avoid any contact that came to it.

Sam was frustrated lately and I wondered why.

"Come to the penthouse." Sam ended the call and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Tori and I are now in his office talking about things.

"Several of our men were killed in these two weeks and we are investigating who they were or who's their leader."

"So any information about them?" Tori asked him.

"Asher just called and told me what they have discovered." Sam was getting ready to go to his penthouse.

"You're meeting them at your penthouse?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He quickly replied.

"Can we come? Maybe we can help you with the research." Tori offered and I nodded.

"Hmm... Alright. Let's go." Tori went out and I decided to go after her.

"Hey, Sam." Asher spoke to him as soon as Sam came into view. "Oh! You girls are here, too."

"Yeah." Tori said and took a seat.

"So, what did you find out?" Sam went straight to the point.

"Me and the guys did some further research and found out that these men were being ordered by someone." Asher started. "And as we assumed, he's not ordinary."

"They were trying to get some files, but strangely those files aren't the business ones. They are your employees' documents and resumes." Jack continued. "We still don't know whose file they are targeting for."

All of us listened intently. A part of my mind was in the conversation and another was thinking about the encounter Sophia and I had that night with those guys.

"Were you able to find who's behind all of this?" Sam asked them.

"Carson Ledwell." Asher said and my whole attention perked up at the presence of his name. Tori turned to me with subtle big eyes and slightly parted lips as I did the same.

No...

"What does he want with my employees' files?" Sam was thinking hard with gritted teeth and a grunt.

My mind was still stuck on the name.

"Who is Carson Ledwell?" I asked them, making sure I was being clueless about who the guy is.

"Sam's biggest rival in the business world." Jack said.

"Yeah. The Ledwell is our worst enemy." Asher told me. "But one thing is that we don't know what he wants with the files?"

Tori and I know the perfect answer to your question, Ash. We want to help, but we just can't.

Tori eyed me and I also was being worried. This can't be happening. It's too fast.

"He has tried to take Sam down, but has never succeeded till now." Jack was sitting, holding the files they had discovered.

"We are trying to get him back for what he had done to our men. I know that him and his family have committed a lot of corruptions and those bad crimes, but we just need to find the evidence." Sam stated and the three guys nodded.

"That's the only thing we have found out." Asher informed us. "You have never heard of him before?"

"No." My voice was a bit shaky, but I'm sure they didn't notice it. I wish I hadn't brought them those troubles, but sadly I already did.

"Oh. Well, that's it for the news." Asher said and stood up.

"You can have dinner here." Sam told the four of us and we nodded.

I was holding a plate in my left arm and a glass in my right arm with my thoughts flying in the recent information when my left arm bumped into Asher.

The sharp sound of a shattered plate filled the whole room and everyone turned to us. I can't say it was Asher's fault because I was the one who was spacing out and didn't pay attention to my surroundings.

"Liz, are you okay?" Asher grabbed my left arm, making me winced in small pain due to the bruise.

"Ow." I silently hissed and Asher quickly took his hands off me.

"Liz?" Tori came and put her hand gently on my left arm, almost on the spot where I got hit.

I quickly took my arm away from her and tried to stood up with a steady balance.

"I'm fine." I told them and smiled which was convincing to each of them, except for one.

"No, you're not." Sam's deep voice spoke when he was walking to me.

He held my left arm gently and looked for any injuries. I know he couldn't find the bruise since it was covered by my big long sleeve shirt.

My skin burns and I'm feeling weird inside my stomach. I'm just hungry, aren't I?

He was inspecting with concentration.
"I'm fine." I told him and about to grab his right hand off of my left arm when his left hand caught my right wrist without him even looking.

"What's this?" He suddenly held my left arm up and pulled down the sleeve, revealing a black/purple bruise.

"It's nothing." I mumbled. "I accidentally hit the door frame when I was coming out of my room a few days ago."

How did he find this? I'm sure he has tricked me, looking like he hasn't inspected anything.

"Come with me." Sam let go of my arm and ushered me to go after him. "I'm getting the ointment and the medication to treat this."

I looked at Tori and she signaled me to go, but she was also sending me a look that says 'You'd better tell me' which was something I know I couldn't refuse.
"I'll call the others to clean this up." Asher said and went off. I was walking behind Sam, making sure I wasn't close to him.

"Sit." He demanded. Great... Now he's treating me like his pet, husky.

"I'm not going to ask you how you get this, but at least take care of it." Sam sighed and started applying some ointment on my bruise. "You're really clumsy sometimes."

I stayed silent because I didn't want to talk about anything right now. It was still painful, but it's bearable. He kept holding my arm gently as if I might get hurt.

"Done."

"Thanks. I thought you would never be nice enough to help treat someone's injury since the last time it happened." I genuinely thanked him with an ad-lib of an eye roll.

"That's what I get for helping you." He clicked his tongue and walked out.

What's with him and leaving me behind all the time?

We had dinner and it's time to go home. However, before I left, I heard Asher said something to Sam.

"You'd better be careful and alert of your employees, Sam. Anybody could be Ledwell's victim."

"Bye guys." I spoke loudly and walked out with one statement in my head that I really wanted to tell him.

That anybody who is one of your employees and also their victim is much more closer than you think.