Reyona told the staff to leave the array of refreshments on the table.
"It is fine. You can go." she almost snapped in her anxiety.
The kitchen help bowed to them and left.
"Is this about the call you just received?" Reyona asked immediately. "Who was it?"
"Officer Guy," Maxwell answered instantly.
Reyona's heart kicked as she knew who Officer Guy was. And his call could mean anything.
"What…?"
"They were finally able to reverse the funds back to your account," Maxwell said as she listened to him with rapt attention. "It was a bit tricky to get the source of the dummy account that the dead guy used. It was an offshore account and, thankfully, it had not been transferred to the intended account. After some back and forth with the bank, they were able to reverse it. He called to ask if you had seen it."
Reyona patted her trouser pocket before she remembered that her phone was in their room.
"My phone is inside," she said tersely.
She was glad that the money was returned.
That meant she would be able to pay Sehima's money earlier than she thought.
She was happy. What she didn't understand was why that would make him have that pensive look he was trying to hide from her though.
That was good news, wasn't it? Unless…
"What else did he tell you?" she asked directly.
He looked at her, reached for a grape and brought it to her mouth.
She automatically accepted it, crunched it and asked anxiously "Tell me."
"So, I was thinking of the issue of Allysyn's rare blood type and how difficult it was to get it." he started.
"Okay?" she prompted.
Why did she feel like she might not like what he was about to say?
"So, I thought of what we can do to prevent this from happening again. Of course, I do not think something like that is going to happen again, but we didn't know this was going to happen either, you know."
"Yeah?" Reyona answered automatically.
"So I asked Guy," he said simply with a shrug.
Reyona's eyes widened as she understood what he meant. "You want to have a deal with that criminal?"
Maxwell gave her a resigned look as he said "That criminal is her father. He practically saved her life."
"He almost killed me!" Reyona snapped. "What happened to talking to me first?"
He gave her a look as he said "I haven't made any decision about this. I was just asking, you know?"
"But you have a plan already. Don't you?" Reyona folded her arms as she narrowed her gaze at him. "What is it?"
"I thought we could discuss…"
"Don't give me bullshit, Rohan. You know he wouldn't just hand over whatever you want to ask without something in return."
Maxwell sighed "I don't want you to get angry."
"Me angry? Pfft, I am nothing of such." Reyona said with a thin smile. "So?"
"Guy suggested we could tell him we would let go of the case."
"Oh, okay. Simply forget the fact that I almost died in the fire that he caused. A fire that your damned stepsister asked him to cause. Okay, what else? A free license for him to finish the job the next time?"
"Don't talk like that," Maxwell said in a low tone.
"And now he is telling me how to talk," she said as she threw her hands upward in exasperation. "That criminal deserves nothing but to be thrown in the darkest jail for the rest of his life, along with that sick woman!"
"I agree with you," he said simply.
"Then why are you thinking of this… this… insane idea?!"
"Because it might be needed in the long run. If we take the initiative now, we get the upper hand, and we get to make him indebted to us. Also, it would be official. He wouldn't dare to go back on any agreement drawn because he would be made known of the fatal consequences of doing so."
Reyona knew he was right. She knew he was only thinking of the long term.
Which she should be thinking too, but then the main cause of her agitation was stopping her from thinking about anything else.
Whatever the plan was to be, she was sure it would have something to do with him being around and…
"How did he even know?" she contemplated loudly.
Maxwell understood what she meant and said "He figured it out."
"But how? He couldn't have possibly known that…"
"He knew who I was. Blabbermouth Susan told him how I am a good-for-nothing shit who had everything yet never thought of her." he nodded at her expression and said "Yes, he used those exact words. Then, in one of her desperate modes, she told him about the kids. He said she pretended not to know what he was talking about when she sobered, but then me calling him for blood donation must have made him figure it out. I guess I can see where the kids get their smartness from in a way."
"They are nothing like him," Reyona said staunchly.
"Of course not. Of course not. Anyway, he had already made it clear that day. If what he was thinking was correct, then he wanted nothing to do with any kid. He was going to New York. The money I gave him was more than enough to get him going."
Reyona sighed as she said "I guess he never did get far after all. He must hate you for that."
"He knew of me but not enough to know that you are my wife. I am sure he wouldn't have told me that part of his "favours" for her. You can't imagine how hard it was for me not to pounce on him right there while he casually talked about how he did it."
"I still can't believe someone would out themselves just because of money. He must have thought he was about to leave anyway, and it wouldn't affect him."
"Which is why I was consoled by the little surprise I had waiting for him at his place. I wish I had been there to see the asshole's face when they picked him up."
Reyona smiled slightly as she said "He would hate you right now. Why would he believe any deal you want to have with him?"
Maxwell leaned forward and held her hands as he looked into her eyes and said, "I wouldn't be the one handing him the deal."
Reyona's eyes widened, "Me? You want me to make the deal with him?"