Chapter 208 077
HAZEL leaned in, her curiosity instantly piqued.
“Shouting?” she repeated. “Like arguing with someone or just… shouting?”
Amaka shook her head.
“That is the weird part. I didn’t hear another voice. It sounded like he was yelling at someone, but I couldn’t tell who. Or maybe he was on the phone? I don’t know.”
Hazel frowned.
“Was he drunk or something?”
“That was my first thought,” Amaka admitted. “But it didn’t sound like drunken slurring. It was clear. Angry. Like… furious.”
Hazel’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“What was he saying?”
“I couldn’t catch everything,” Amaka said, frustration creeping into her tone. “My mom kept telling me to mind my business and close the window. But I heard him say something like, ‘I have told you, next week, I will send the money’ And then something about getting on with a job.”
Hazel’s heart gave a small, involuntary jump.
“Money? A job?” she repeated.
“Yeah. It was suspicious.” Amaka hugged herself slightly as if remembering the chill of it. “He even came outside at some point. I peeked through the curtains and saw him pacing near his bushy driveway, running his hands through his hair like a madman.”
Hazel let out a sharp breath.
“Ugh! I would have seen everything.”
Amaka gave her a sideways glance.
“Exactly. And you would have seen what he is like. You always have front-row seats to the drama.”
Hazel hissed under her breath.
“If not for this boarding nonsense.”
Amaka laughed lightly.
“Here we go again.”
“I’m serious!” Hazel insisted. “If I was home, I would have noticed earlier. I could have seen what he looks like, what human would keep his environ so unkempt.”
“You sound like you are investigating him.”
“Maybe I am,” Hazel muttered.
Amaka raised an eyebrow.
“You are too nosy for your own good.”
Hazel ignored that.
“What time was this?”
“Around five-thirty in the evening.”
Hazel groaned.
“I was probably stuck in prep hour, pretending to study while the matron walked around like a prison guard.”
Amaka giggled. “Hazel.”
“I’m telling you, this boarding thing is ruining my life,” Hazel said dramatically. “I miss all the important things.”
“Important?” Amaka echoed, amused. “Since when is a random neighbor screaming outside considered important?”
Hazel shrugged, but there was something sharper in her expression now.
“You said he mentioned money and a job. That doesn't sound random to me.”
Amaka tilted her head.
“You think something is wrong?”
“I don’t know,” Hazel replied honestly. “But I would have liked to see his face while he was yelling.”
“You are unbelievable,” Amaka said, though her voice held admiration. “You miss one day at home and suddenly the world becomes mysterious.”
Hazel sighed again.
“I hate this place.”
“You will survive, my love.”
“Barely.”
They both fell quiet for a moment, the noise of students around them growing louder as teachers began appearing at classroom doors.
Then the sharp ringing of the bell pierced through the courtyard.
“That is our cue,” Amaka said, straightening up.
Hazel groaned. “Already?”
“Unless you want another warning note.”
Hazel rolled her eyes but adjusted her backpack.
“Fine. But you are telling me everything when I come home this weekend.”
Amaka grinned.
“If the weird neighbor explodes again, I will record it.”
Hazel’s eyes lit up slightly.
“Do that.”
They both laughed.
“See you at break?” Amaka asked.
“Definitely.”
Amaka gave her a quick side hug before turning and hurrying toward her classroom.
Hazel watched her go for a second longer than necessary, her earlier irritation about boarding school mixing now with something else— curiosity.
Then she turned and walked toward her own class, the echo of Amaka’s words lingering in her mind.
Shantel sat in the driver’s seat of her sleek black Corolla, the engine idling softly beneath her as the late afternoon sun filtered through the windshield. Her manicured fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel while her phone was pressed to her ear.
“Yes,” she said calmly, though there was an unmistakable edge beneath her voice. “I know what is going on now.”
A pause.
On the other end, the man she had stationed at Amelia’s resort muttered something defensive.
“Oh, relax,” Shantel cut in smoothly. “You didn’t fail. You just didn’t have all the information.”
She adjusted her rearview mirror, catching her own reflection— perfect hair, perfect makeup, controlled expression. Always controlled.
“She didn’t show up because she is not in town,” Shantel continued. “She left for a trip. Some luxury getaway. Probably calling it a ‘well-deserved break.’”
A faint scoff escaped her lips.
“Vacation?” the man asked.
“Yes. A vacation.” She let the word roll slowly off her tongue, as though tasting it. “That explains why she hasn’t stepped foot in her resort yesterday. I made a few calls.”
She smiled faintly.
“People talk when you ask the right way.”
The man on the other end hesitated.
“So what do you want me to do now?”
Shantel leaned back against the leather seat, crossing one leg over the other.
“Nothing for now. Keep your eyes open. If she returns unexpectedly, I want to know immediately.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“She will,” Shantel replied confidently. “Amelia doesn’t run from her territory for long. She loves control too much.”
A silence stretched between them before the man spoke again.
“Do you think she suspects anything?”
Shantel’s lips curved into a slow, deliberate smile.
“No,” she said softly. “If she did, she wouldn’t have left so casually.”
Her fingers drummed once more against the steering wheel.
“Besides, even if she suspects something, she won’t know where it’s coming from.”
Another pause.
“Should we change tactics?” the man asked cautiously.
Shantel’s eyes hardened slightly.
“We don’t change tactics. We refine them.”
She glanced through the windshield at the bustling street ahead, her mind already racing several steps forward.
“She thinks she is ahead of everyone,” Shantel continued. “Calm, collected and untouchable. Let her enjoy that illusion a little longer.”
The faintest chuckle slipped from her lips.
“People are most vulnerable when they believe everything is under control.”
The man exhaled audibly.
“Alright. I will stay alert.”
“Good.”
She lowered her voice, almost to a whisper now.
“And listen carefully. Once she gets back, I want something more… personal.”
“Personal how?”
Shantel’s smile deepened, her eyes gleaming with quiet mischief.
“You will know when I tell you.”
She pulled the phone slightly away, ready to end the call.
“I will reach out soon,” she added.
The line went silent as she disconnected.
For a moment, she remained still in the car, staring ahead, her expression unreadable. Then slowly, deliberately, she began the engine properly and shifted the car into gear.
Her lips parted in a satisfied murmur.
“I have a plan,” she said, smiling mischievously.