It must be true... this photo is personally taken by him and he had only given it to Javier Zhong.
"..."
"Two weeks. Give me another two weeks and I will let him know of this man's whereabouts." Albert Liu replied in a confident tone.
Hearing his response, Stephanie Ruan felt that this is the most she could get out of him at the moment.
If she were to push any further, she would be behaving too suspiciously...
With a slight nod, she put on her pair of black sunglasses and proceeded to leave the place.
Back in the car, Stephanie Ruan replayed the voice recording of Albert Liu's words and many questions began to flood her mind...
Who exactly is this man in the photo? Why is Javier Zhong looking for him so urgently? Does the man have anything to do with the accident?
And more importantly, how does this accident concern Javier Zhong??...
Though Stephanie Ruan does not know him that well yet, she could tell that he isn't the type of guy who would waste his time and resources on something meaningless.
So there has to be a correlation somewhere!
Unless...
He was actually involved in the accident?!...
...
Right after his subordinates sent Stephanie Ruan out, Albert Liu received a call from a familiar number.
"When are you giving us the information?" The man asked over the phone.
Albert Liu responded to him, almost with a pleading tone, "Please stop chasing me already... I just told you guys that I will deliver the details in two weeks' time."
"Told us? Who did you speak to?"
In which Albert Liu quickly replied, "Didn't you guys send the lady over to my office earlier?"
The man on the phone remained silent for a few seconds before ordering him, "Send me the surveillance footage of her immediately."
...
Over at the villa, Javier Zhong is busy reading the business news on his tablet while having his breakfast.
-Knock knock-
"Chairman Zhong, I have some important matters to report to you." Isaac Wen rushed in and quickly communicated with him.
Hearing his tone of urgency, Javier Zhong switched off his tablet and walked out to the open deck which is situated just outside the living room.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
Isaac Wen immediately reported, "Back at the Tudor Clubhouse, you have asked me to do a full investigation on Director Ruan. I have the results here."
He handed a file over to Javier Zhong as he continued to speak, "There is nothing out of the ordinary about her background, except that... she is from the prestigious Ruan Family."
"From what I have found out, she is the only survivor from that car accident." Isaac Wen added.
Facing Javier Zhong's calm expression, it seemed as though he had already guessed it from the very beginning.
Isaac Wen then took a quick glance at their surroundings, ensuring that no one is eavesdropping, before speaking to Javier Zhong in a low voice.
"I contacted Albert Liu earlier. He said a woman came to find him and is looking for the same man whom we are searching for."
Upon hearing that, Javier Zhong raised one of his eyebrows and stared at him. "Woman?"
"I asked him for the surveillance footage and I saw that the person is actually Director Ruan." Isaac Wen switched on his tablet and played the videos that were sent over to him.
"??!!..."
Holding onto the tablet, Javier Zhong looked through every single video with his deep eyes.
What exactly is she trying to do??...
...
Putting on matching diamond earrings, Stephanie Ruan is finishing her final touches before leaving for the important event.
"Mia, I'll be heading out for the event tonight and will be back quite late! Don't wait for me!"
"Okay, got it!" Mia Xue raised her head and acknowledged Stephanie Ruan before returning to work.
Although Mia Xue is her personal assistant, she has never once treated her poorly.
In fact, Stephanie Ruan is always concerned about Mia Xue's well-being, which has led to them sharing a closer relationship.
Even though Mia Xue has yet to find a suitable place to stay in Country C, she feels comfortable enough to take up Stephanie Ruan's offer of living at her penthouse for the time being.
Also, since it is only the two of them moving here from the headquarters, there is no need for an office space at the moment.
As such, they have specially dedicated a large room in the house to be their workspace.
However, in the following months, Stephanie Ruan spoke about plans to open a regional office for Helix Publishing in Country C.
By then, having an office would be necessary. And this also means that they would have to start looking for a space very soon.
...
As soon as Stephanie Ruan reached the lift lobby, she received a call from an unknown number.
"I'm waiting for you downstairs."
Just by hearing the voice, she could immediately recognise that it is Javier Zhong who had called.
So this is his number?...
When she reached the entrance of the building, she spotted Javier Zhong leaning against the car, in his black designer satin suit.
Since the weather is relatively cold tonight, she also wore a formal black blazer on top of her gown.
Looking at his dressing today from head to toe, Stephanie Ruan patted his shoulder lightly and gave him a satisfied smile. "Hmm... not bad!!"
With a smirk, Javier Zhong carefully opened the car door for her before walking over to the driver's seat.
"..."
Within a few minutes into the ride, Stephanie Ruan had unknowingly fallen asleep.
Although the main reason for her fatigue is from running around the entire day, Javier Zhong's sturdy driving must have contributed to her sleepiness as well.
Knowing the reason for her tiredness, Javier Zhong shook his head lightly and waited for the next red light to help adjust her seat so that she could rest more comfortably.
...
Upon arriving at the well-known Chinese restaurant located inside a heritage mansion, Javier Zhong looked at the woman beside him who is still in a deep sleep.
He really could not bear to wake her up...
"Sir, do you need a valet service?" One of the staff walked towards the shiny Bentley car in dark sapphire and knocked on the window politely.
Winding it down just a little, Javier Zhong waved his hand at him - signalling that he did not want the service, and proceeded to drive towards the open space car park.
Five minutes have passed...
Ten minutes have passed...
Fifteen minutes have passed...
Javier Zhong is just sitting in the car with Stephanie Ruan, patiently waiting for her to get enough rest.
Feeling that the car is no longer moving, Stephanie Ruan finally woke up from her sleep.
Wait a second... what are they doing here at the car park??
"We just reached?" Stephanie Ruan asked him with a soft yawn.
"No, thirty minutes ago." He casually responded.
"!!..."
"What??!! Are you crazy? Why didn't you wake me up?? We really shouldn't be late for this event!"
She began to touch up her make-up frantically while Javier Zhong is busy getting amused by her preparation speed.
"Alright, I'm ready." She checked her face in the mirror once more before putting everything back into her pouch.
But just before Javier Zhong could switch off the car's engine, Stephanie Ruan suddenly recalled that she has to do one last thing!
"Oh, wait!" She tapped his arm and casually put her pouch on his lap for the time being.
"??..."
Curious as to what she wanted to do, Javier Zhong looked over and caught the scene of Stephanie Ruan unbuttoning her blazer and removing it... right in front of him!
"!!!..."