Chapter 685
Nathaniel was still in bed when a loud knock shattered the morning quiet, and his door burst open. Yawning, he rose and went to get coffee. His hair was a mess; he looked tired. He mumbled sleepily, "What do you need? What's so important you had to barge in? Can't we talk at the office?"
Arianna kicked something aside and surveyed Nathaniel's apartment disapprovingly. "Can't you clean this place up? Better yet, hire someone! Look at this mess!"
"Who would clean it? I live alone; I don't need anyone's help."
Nathaniel sprawled on the sofa, propped his feet on the coffee table, and sipped his coffee. "Make yourself at home."
Arianna frowned, her gaze sweeping the room. Spotting a bar stool, she sat down. "Have you heard? Henry's been arrested."
"I figured," Nathaniel replied nonchalantly, pointing at Arianna. "Calm down. Don't worry about it."
"You're remarkably calm," Arianna retorted. "I wonder who assured me everything would go according to plan." Though her voice was even, she was clearly annoyed. They had worked tirelessly to support Henry Lodge's bid for family head, hoping to simultaneously undermine Lily. They had failed spectacularly.
Why was Lily so difficult? Two years ago, Arianna wouldn't have noticed her, but now Lily's name constantly surfaced. Arianna hated the name even more than Damian's.
"There's no such thing as a foolproof plan," Nathaniel drawled. "I received information the other day—information no one else at the Lodge residence knows. The people Henry brought with him also disappeared. Don't you find that strange?"
"No, I don't! I want results! Nathaniel, where are the results you promised?" Arianna yelled, extending a hand toward him. "Now what?"
"Results are important, but the process matters too," Nathaniel said, lowering his legs and sitting up. He placed his coffee cup on the table, lit a cigarette, and took a drag. "I'm still waiting for my informant. I need to know what happened, where Henry is, and what became of the people he brought—they were all trained kickboxers!"
"Does this mean there's another highly skilled kickboxer in the Lodge family we don't know about?" Arianna mused aloud.
Nathaniel remained silent, grappling for an explanation. He'd initially suspected Lily, but that seemed unlikely. He didn't know Henry had hired the infamous Light-Shadow Killers.
However, Henry's return to the Lodge residence, despite lacking kickboxing skills himself, suggested his hired help could handle the family. Henry, a former member, knew what he was up against. Besides the apprentices, every Lodge family member had some kickboxing training. He wouldn't have risked it without confidence in his mercenaries.
Yet, he failed to regain his position. This implied a hidden, highly skilled kickboxer within the Lodge family.
Who could it be? Justin?
"Enough speculation," Arianna snapped. "We're not even fighting anymore. Since Henry failed and disrupted our plan, everything might go down the drain."