Chapter 42 Case X Mystery

Chapter 42 Case X Mystery
ALEXANDER

The morning sun had barely risen when I arrived at my office. My black Aston Martin roared into the underground parking lot, and the screech of tyres sounded in the cavernous space. I stepped out of the car with sharp movements. My expression was darker than a storm cloud. My tailored suit clung to my powerful frame, and the air around me was charged with an unspoken warning—today was not the day to test me.

Everyone got the message instantly.

Not that anyone dared to, but they soon learned that staying out of my way wasn't enough.

As soon as I entered the towering glass building of Harrington & Co., the atmosphere shifted. Employees straightened their postures, and some even held their breath. My secretary, Monica, didn't even have enough time to rise from her seat before I was barking out my first order of the day.

"Cancel all my morning meetings. Reschedule the board review for next week." My voice was clipped and demanding.

Monica blinked twice. I had been looking forward to the board review.

"Sir, the board review—"

"Did I sound like I needed a reminder?" I didn't stop walking.

"No, sir," she murmured, scrambling to take notes.

The elevators had slowly begun to close before I was already pressing the button for the top floor, my jaw clenched and my fists tightening at my sides.

I was in my full subscribed asshole mode, and every one of my employees knew that.

I'd barely slept the previous night.

Not because of business, not because of any financial crisis, not even because the press was hounding me for statements on recent acquisitions.

It was Elena.

The damned woman.

She still wasn't answering my calls.

She hadn't been at her house. I'd been there, and it was to my relief that she wasn't there, considering the danger she'd been in when she last was there.

And the worst part? She was intentionally ignoring me. She kept her phone on and received my calls but ignored them and wouldn't call or text me back. It was freaking frustrating.

The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped into my office, where my senior staff had already gathered for the morning briefing.

"Morning, Mr. Harrington—"

"I don't need pleasantries," I cut off, walking straight to my chair. "What do you have for me?"

My managers exchanged wary glances between themselves. They were used to seeing me this way but wished they wouldn't see it often. And it had looked like recently I'd been a little more tolerable.

Why the sudden switch now again?

One of them, Ethan Cromwell, who happened to be the company's lead acquisitions manager, cleared his throat.

"Mr. Harrington, I wanted to update you on the negotiations with Latham Industries. We're closing in on finalizing a deal with one of New York's biggest corporations. It's a strategic partnership worth—"

I barely looked at him.

"So, you're telling me you're almost done?" I barked, startling the young man.

Ethan hesitated.

"Y—Yes, sir, but—"

"I don't pay for almost finished deals, Cromwell. Either you close it, or I find someone who will."

I meant every word. I was looking to fire someone and was looking for the perfect scapegoat. That would ease the boiling anger inside me.

A tense silence stretched across the room.

Ethan swallowed.

"Understood, sir."

I didn't care. Normally, I would have. A partnership with Latham Industries was a hell of an achievement; it was a power move that would solidify Harrington & Co.'s hold on the East Coast.

But today?

I didn't give a damn.

My mind was too preoccupied with Elena to think of anything else, which frustrated me more.

I could tell there were bags under my eyes as I hadn't slept adequately the previous night. But I couldn't be bothered by that.

I could only be bothered about Elena's whereabouts.

Where the hell was she?

And why wasn't she answering her damned phone?

The moment the meeting ended, I dismissed them all with a flick of my wrist and leaned back in my chair, staring at my phone screen.

Call after call—voicemail after voicemail.

I clenched my teeth. If she thought ignoring me would make me stop, she was wrong.

That was only making me more riled up.

Then—my office door opened.

Prescott.

I didn't even look up.

"Tell me you have news."

Prescott stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"We have a situational report on Case X."

That got my attention.

I sat up, my eyes narrowing as they met Prescott's.

"Go on."

Prescott took a folder from under his arm and flipped it open.

"We've been digging deeper, and according to recent findings, our primary target might still be alive."

My fingers tapped against my desk.

"Might?"

"We don't have concrete proof yet, but there have been whispers—sightings that align with the timeframe we've been tracking."

I let out a breath and rubbed my jaw.

"And where do these whispers lead?"

Prescott hesitated.

"That's where it gets complicated."

I gave him a sharp look.

"I don't pay you for complications. I pay you for answers." I still hadn't forgiven Prescott for letting Elena go.

Prescott slid the folder across the desk.

"You'll want to see this for yourself."

I picked it up and scanned the pages. My eyes darkened with each line.

"According to the reports, the criminal we've been looking for…" Prescott exhaled while I perused the document. "It's not a man."

Then, there was a tense silence. It was heavy and suffocating.

My eyes flicked up.

"What did you just say?" I'd heard what he said, but I wanted to ensure my ears heard correctly.

"The one responsible for attacking and riling up John West—the one tied to Case X," Prescott said carefully, "is a woman."

I stilled.

My mind reeled.

A woman?

That didn't make sense, at least to me.

A woman had beaten John West that badly? A woman had left him freaked out and threatening to spill out information about Case X.

Surely that wasn't possible.

I frowned. My instincts screamed at me while my analytical mind raced through every possible angle.

This changed everything.

And yet… why did something about this feel familiar?

There was just something familiar about everything.

My grip tightened around the folder.

"Find out who this criminal is," I ordered.

Prescott nodded his head.

"Already working on it."

"Good," I said in a dismissive tone. I knew Prescott was good at his job.

Prescott turned to leave but paused at the door.

"One more thing."

My gaze lifted.

Prescott hesitated for the first time that morning.

"If this woman really is our target… then John West wasn't just attacked." His voice was grim. "He was hunted, and us killing him meant that we'd given her a lead to discovering everything about Case X."

After Prescott had spoken, he exited, and I was left alone with my thoughts.

A woman.

A hunter.

A ghost we all thought was dead.

I leaned back in my chair and let out a sharp breath.

Things were getting more and more complicated at the moment.

This wasn't just a case anymore.

It was a storm waiting to break. Things were about to get uglier, and it looked as if I'd just gotten the answers to some of the questions I'd been asking. I would only need to confirm them first.