Chapter 82 Heartbeat
Benjamin had just turned off his car and was about to step out when he got a message from Rachel.
He glanced at the screen and frowned a bit, but didn't question how Rachel knew. He just replied, "Got it," and dialed Asher's number.
The phone rang for about thirty seconds before Asher picked up. "Hey, Benjamin."
Benjamin could hear the sounds of cheering and shouting in the background.
"Has the race started?" he asked, frowning again.
Asher laughed. "You heard about it? Not yet. It kicks off at 10:30. We're just warming up. I just did a couple of laps, feeling great!"
Benjamin kept it short. "Hestia's gonna be there today."
"Hestia?" Asher paused, still buzzing from the track, taking a second to place the name.
"Oh, Steven's cousin? I totally forgot about her. She hasn't shown up in a while; thought she bailed."
"Got it," Asher said. Then he added, "Hey, if you're free, why not come down and hang out? Landon Nelson is here too. He might have some info on that maritime contract mess. He was on the ship, so he could have some inside scoop."
Benjamin had taken on the case a few days ago. It involved the Nelson family and the Grey family, whose cargo ship had run aground.
There were 16 casualties, and most of the cargo, worth over $200 million, was lost. The two families were in a serious dispute over compensation and losses.
The police were still investigating, with no conclusions yet.
Benjamin thought meeting Landon might be useful, but he wasn't in a rush since he planned to head to Maple Grove City the next day.
Still, he needed to talk to Asher about Micah's situation in person. Otherwise, Asher might confront Micah, causing a scene at the racetrack with all those spectators, including Hestia.
He glanced at the time on the car's dashboard. "Send me the location."
Asher laughed. "Sure thing. I'll let the folks at the gate know. Just mention my name, and they'll let you in."
Benjamin acknowledged and hung up, restarting his car and driving out of the parking lot.
By the time he arrived, it was almost 10:30 AM.
Ignition Zone Racetrack was on the outskirts, at the northern edge of Dawnlight City, pretty remote.
Today was a friendly race involving several racing clubs from across the country, drawing a big crowd. The place was buzzing.
Even from the entrance, the sounds of speeding and drifting cars, along with the spectators' cheers and screams, were loud and clear.
Benjamin got in smoothly and called Asher, but there was no answer.
He decided to wait, knowing Asher would call back when he saw the missed call.
As he followed the signs toward the racetrack, someone bumped into his shoulder, and a soft, melodic voice apologized, "Sorry, it's so crowded. I didn't see you. Are you okay?"
The woman stopped abruptly, staring at Benjamin's handsome face, momentarily stunned.
Benjamin glanced at her, seeing a delicate face.
As they made eye contact for a couple of seconds, Benjamin noticed Asher waving at him from a distance, shouting, "Benjamin!"
Benjamin shifted his gaze from the woman to Asher, who was approaching him. "Where's Landon?"
"He's in the stands, super pumped for the race. Let's go, we'll join him," Asher said, putting his arm around Benjamin's shoulder. He then noticed the woman nearby and paused, surprised. "And you are?"
Hestia quickly moved her gaze from Benjamin to Asher, trying to keep her composure. She smiled, pretending to be surprised. "What a coincidence! You're here for the race too?"
Asher caught the "too" in her words and chuckled. "I didn't know you were into racing."
Hestia smiled shyly. "It's alright."
Benjamin figured out who the woman was from their conversation and decided not to interfere. He told Asher he'd go find Landon in the stands.
Hestia's eyes followed Benjamin's tall, commanding presence as he walked away, a smile spreading across her face that she couldn't suppress.
Her heart raced unusually fast.
Later that afternoon, back at The Martinez Manor, she asked Heather about Benjamin.
Heather answered briefly, quickly sensing something was off. She frowned slightly. "You ran into Benjamin today?"
Hestia nodded and expressed her thoughts directly. "Aunt Heather, since the Wright family is better than the Holden family, why not..."
"No way!" Heather interrupted, understanding Hestia's intentions from her shy demeanor. "Forget the Wright family. Let go of that fantasy. You can't marry up to Benjamin. He's a lawyer; he'd see right through you."
That was one reason. Another was that he was the nephew of the owner of Gemstone Beauty Parlor.
Lawyers were particularly sharp. If he sensed anything, the consequences would be dire.
When Heather selected potential matches for the girls in her gold-digger training classes, she considered many factors. It wasn't just about wealth.
Hestia stiffened, lowering her gaze, twisting her fingers without saying a word.
Heather's frown deepened at Hestia's reaction.
She guessed Hestia was attracted to Benjamin's looks.
Although she was somewhat displeased, she patiently explained, "Hestia, it's not that I don't want you to approach Benjamin. If there was a better choice, I'd support you. But Benjamin isn't easy to get close to. He's been loyal to his former fiancée for years. You don't stand a chance, so why waste your time?"
"Fiancée? Loyal?" Hestia looked up, confused and shocked. "He's engaged?"
Heather sipped her coffee. "They were engaged since childhood, with Claire Chase in the west of the city. But five years ago, the Chase family suddenly broke off the engagement, and Claire went abroad, never returning. The incident was widely talked about at the time."
"Why did the Chase family break off the engagement?"
Heather shook her head. "Who knows? Rumor has it Claire insisted on it. The two families aren't as close now. Some say Claire fell for a foreigner, others that they had no feelings and didn't suit each other, or maybe Benjamin's grandmother disapproved."
Hestia couldn't believe Claire would throw away such a great fiancé. If it were her...
Benjamin's distinguished, poised figure flashed through Hestia's mind, making her heart race.
She asked again, "Aunt Heather, what do you mean by 'loyal'?"
"Benjamin's turning thirty-one soon, and he's never married or had a girlfriend. He's likely waiting for Claire, his childhood sweetheart," Heather explained, hesitating. "Besides, marrying him wouldn't be easy. You'd have to deal with his mother's mental illness. Trust me, Benjamin isn't right for you. Focus on Asher instead. You'd have more success with him than trying to win over someone as tough as Benjamin."
"Mental illness?" Hestia was shocked. In wealthy families, having someone with such a condition would be a source of ridicule. How could Mrs. Wright be like that?
She wanted to learn more about the Wright family, but Heather cut her off. "Tell me, what happened when you met Asher today?"
Hestia felt a pang of dissatisfaction. Although Asher was attractive and came from a good family, seeing Benjamin's superior demeanor today had made her waver.
She was instantly drawn to Benjamin's cold yet elegant presence.
On the way back, she was confident she could win Benjamin over. Even after hearing Heather's warnings, her confidence had only slightly diminished. She still wanted to try.
What if she succeeded?
Just imagining standing next to Benjamin as his girlfriend made her heart race with excitement.
But Heather was urging her to abandon the idea.
Previously, when she wanted to invest in a Radiant Beauty Spa branch, Heather had also refused.
Thinking about it increased her resentment towards Heather.
For the first time, she felt irritated with Heather.
However, she couldn't let Heather see her emotions. In Dawnlight City's elite circles, she was just a small speck, relying on Heather's support to climb up.
Suppressing her displeasure, she smiled and shared her pleasant conversation with Asher, including exchanging WhatsApp numbers.Meantime, Rachel didn't know how things progressed between Asher and Hestia and didn't ask Benjamin. She was busy with the Stargaze Gallery exhibition for two or three days.
On the fourth day, which was the eighth day since Radiant Beauty Spa was inspected, the quality control department issued a notice.
All Radiant Beauty Spa products were deemed compliant, and the closure order was lifted.
Rachel frowned slightly. The spa's business would undoubtedly be affected by the temporary closure, but the underground operations might not be.
However, her branch might not open anytime soon.
Her phone buzzed again with a message.
[Starting this afternoon, rumors will spread that Radiant Beauty Spa was inspected because someone had an allergic reaction to improper products used at home, tried to extort the spa, and reported them out of spite when negotiations failed.]
The message interrupted Rachel's thoughts.
She pursed her lips, knowing this was Heather's doing.
With the closure order lifted, Radiant Beauty Spa would resume business. Heather would want to restore its reputation and provide a suitable explanation to customers.
The only way was to shift the blame, making Radiant Beauty Spa seem completely innocent. This could even help regain lost or potential customers. Heather was indeed clever. She had easily navigated through Radiant Beauty Spa's two major crises.
Rachel's frown deepened as another message appeared at the bottom of the screen.
[The shareholder dividend meeting for Radiant Beauty Spa's underground operations is scheduled for this Friday at 9:30 AM in Heather's office. The gold-digger training class cycles are between three to six months, with five graduates next month. Heather will select targets for them. She has a file on wealthy men and rich ladies from Dawnlight City and Harborview City, stored in Radiant Beauty Spa's office, disguised as an employee policy document in the cabinet behind her desk.]
Employee policy document?
Rachel's eyes narrowed. She remembered seeing such a file in that cabinet while searching for the underground employee roster. In her haste, she hadn't paid attention to other files.
As she thought about it now, why would an employee policy document be locked in a cabinet? The most dangerous place was often the safest. Like the true ledger disguised as a book on the top shelf, as mentioned in a previous message. Heather was good at hiding things.
Rachel sat in her office chair, contemplating her next move. She couldn't attend the dividend meeting on Friday. Even if she did, Heather would find a way to send her away, possibly suspecting her. But this was the best chance to obtain audio evidence. She couldn't miss it.
After much thought, she called her private investigator, getting straight to the point. "Do you have a small recording device?"
The man, in his thirties, replied, "Ms. Davis, do you need it for eavesdropping or something else?"
Rachel didn't hide her intentions. "Eavesdropping."
"I have a suitable listening device that can connect to a phone app, automatically uploading backups every ten minutes. However, it's pricey. Can you accept that?"
He laughed twice.
Rachel knew from the start that his prices were high, but his efficiency and useful evidence were worth it. He never blackmailed her despite holding sensitive information. She could accept the high price. "I can."
The man sighed with relief, laughing. "Alright. I'll send it by courier. It wouldn't be good if someone saw it. I'll email you the instructions."
"Okay."
Shortly after hanging up, she received the instructions video from the investigator. It seemed straightforward. When the package arrived that afternoon, she tested it.
The device worked well. It was black, the size of a coin, controlled by a phone app. If placed under a black table, it wouldn't be easily detected. The sound quality was clear, with no background noise, and backups were uploaded every ten minutes.
However, it had a flaw. The recording would be distorted if the voices were more than 15 feet away. She could manage that by placing it closer.
Now, she just needed to figure out how to plant the device in Heather's office.