Chapter 147 Wrong Handshake

Chapter 147 Wrong Handshake
The man who walked into our hotel suite had tattoos covering both arms. His eyes darted around the room, taking in every detail before his gaze settled on Alexander sitting on the sofa. He extended his hand.

"Phoenix family's godfather, hello. I'm Carlos, godfather of Vanguard Kingdom."

Alexander stared at the outstretched hand without expression, making no move to take it.

James sighed, stepped forward, and gently redirected Carlos's hand toward me.

"Vanguard Kingdom's godfather can't afford glasses?" James asked with a hint of mockery.

Carlos looked at his own hand in confusion, then at me.

"You're... you're Phoenix's Donna?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't look the part?" I replied calmly, my expression neutral.

Carlos froze, turning to Isabella for confirmation.

"We never said our boss was a man," Isabella remarked, her lips curving into a slight smile.

"My sincere apologies, Phoenix's Donna. I'm Carlos of Vanguard Kingdom," he quickly corrected himself, turning back to me.

I rose slowly from my seat and briefly shook his hand.

"Donna, Carlos just informed me this hotel is actually a Vanguard Kingdom property," Isabella said, giving me a meaningful look.

"Oh, so this is your hotel?" I let out a cold laugh.

"Had I known Phoenix's Donna was coming to Mexico, I would have made more thorough arrangements," Carlos said, apparently thinking my displeasure stemmed from inadequate preparation.

"Your arrangements were thorough enough."

"Finding over two hundred bugs in these two floors? Most hotels can't manage that level of service," I said, staring at Carlos with an expressionless face.

Carlos looked down at the listening devices piled on the table. His expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to worry.

"These were found in your rooms?" he asked, pointing at the pile.

"What do you think?"

Carlos's face darkened. "Miss, please have a seat. I'll investigate this immediately."

He turned and hurried out of the room.

"Donna, that was brilliant," James said admiringly.

"I didn't do anything," I replied, though the flicker of satisfaction in my eyes betrayed me.

Alexander watched my little display with an indulgent smile.

Carlos returned minutes later, slightly out of breath, followed by a hotel manager clutching a laptop.

"Phoenix's Donna, we've identified the culprits," Carlos set the laptop in front of me.

"They climbed up the side wall using the drain pipe position during last night's downpour," he explained, pointing to the screen.

"Regular security cameras can't capture the side wall area, but we have a hidden camera in the trees there that few people know about. That's how we caught this footage."

"Alberto?" Isabella suddenly perked up.

"You know him?" I looked up at her.

"He's been to the States. I think he worked with Marcus Ricci before," she explained.

"Marcus... Alberto..." I mulled over the names thoughtfully.

I knew Marcus was involved in weapons smuggling. I personally stayed away from that line of business, but that didn't mean everyone I knew did the same.

"Take me to your headquarters," I said, looking up at Carlos.

"Of course, no problem. We can go right now," he replied eagerly. "May I ask what I should call you, Donna?"

"Emma North," I replied simply.

Carlos made a welcoming gesture. "Ms. North, please!"

I walked to Alexander's side and took his hand, and we left the room together.

"And who is this gentleman?" Carlos whispered to Isabella.

"Mr. Sterling, our donna's husband," Isabella explained quietly.

When we reached the hotel parking lot, I noticed people still watching from the trees nearby. I stopped walking.

Carlos noticed my hesitation and extended his hand toward me. I stared at it for a moment before realizing what he was offering. He pulled a handgun from his waistband, barrel pointed toward himself, and offered it to me.

I took the weapon, tested its weight in my hand, and aimed at a distant tree. With a subtle pfft sound, I fired a shot.

"You're quite proper, bringing a silencer," I said with a small smile of approval.

I handed the gun back, but Carlos shook his head. "Keep it, Ms. North. You can return it before you leave Mexico."

He knew I couldn't have brought weapons through airport security.

Several black SUVs pulled up in front of us. Men exited the vehicles and lined up behind Carlos.

"Ms. North, your men can take these for protection," Carlos walked to an SUV's rear and opened the trunk, revealing neatly arranged weapons cases.

"Thoughtful of you," I said, glancing at Isabella.

She jumped into the SUV, opened one case, inspected the contents, and nodded to me. She then directed our men to distribute the equipment from the weapon cases.

"Ms. North, Mr. Sterling, please!" Carlos gestured toward a black Maybach parked ahead of the SUVs.

Alexander and I got in, while Isabella and the others quickly boarded a van. Carlos's men took the SUVs, and our convoy of more than a dozen vehicles headed toward Vanguard Kingdom's headquarters.

In the car, I leaned against Alexander's shoulder, feeling the fatigue catching up with me. Carlos spoke quietly with Alexander, clearly trying to gauge his status and influence in America and Italy. Alexander handled the conversation with practiced ease, knowing exactly what to say and what to keep to himself. I had no worries about what he might reveal, so I dozed off against his shoulder.

I only woke when we arrived at Vanguard Kingdom's headquarters. Alexander gently roused me, and I stepped out of the car, still a bit groggy. I noticed all of Vanguard Kingdom's senior staff standing at the entrance wearing simple T-shirts and shorts.

"Carlos is definitely showing his sincerity," I thought. He had armed my people while having his own men wear T-shirts and shorts—anyone could see they weren't concealing weapons.

Carlos led us through the main entrance.

"Let's see the basement," I said directly.

Carlos paused, surprise flickering across his face. His lieutenants behind him looked equally shocked.

"Of course, this way," he pointed in a specific direction.

"Wait for us here," I calmly told Isabella and the others, then followed Carlos toward a concealed staircase with Alexander at my side.