EUCLID lowered his head and shifted to his side when he saw Maria get off from Connor’s car and walked towards the restaurant with him, ushering her as she walks. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he watched them enter the restaurant, with Connor’s hand on Maria’s back.
“The package is here,” he said as he pressed his earpiece.
“Copy,” Agent Stone answered from the other line. He was the assigned undercover agent that will look out for Maria while she worked at the restaurant.
Euclid waited for Connor to come out of the restaurant, but half an hour have passed, and he was not getting out. He puffed on his cigarette and waited for another thirty minutes. Still, when the doctor didn’t come out, he decided to go inside the restaurant and pretend to be a customer.
He found Maria seated on the table beside the counter. The doctor was beside her, and the restaurant owner, who was Connor’s sister, was in front of them and seems like asking questions to Maria.
Euclid occupied the table a few meters away from them. With his get-up now as a commoner guy, he’s certain that Maria won’t notice him. He took a seat, his back facing them, and from his direction, he could clearly hear their conversation with the help of a tiny Bluetooth microphone attached to Maria’s handbag.
“I’ll be honest with you, Miss Daza…” Connor’s sister said. “When my brother, Connor, told me about your ongoing case with the NBI, I had second thoughts on accepting you here.”
Euclid can sense that Maria was a little hesitant to answer. “I understand, Ma’am Claire… And, I know that this favor that I’m asking is quite hard to give. Still, I am hoping that you could at least give me a chance. I badly need this work for my daughter.”
“I know… Connor has told me about your daughter,” Claire said, then took moments before she spoke again. “As much as I wanted to help you—”
“Claire, Maria is just applying for a weekender position,” Connor butt in. “That’s just three days in a week.”
“Connor, I’m just starting with my business. And, I don’t want it to risk its image for this. What if somebody recognized her as…” she trailed off. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine, Ma’am Claire...” Maria said in a low voice. “Don’t be sorry. I understand…”
Euclid waited for the restaurant’s owner to answer. He doesn’t understand why Maria wanted to work here. As far as he knew, this area is where the aristocrats hang out… he paused. ‘The aristocrats,’ he repeated and remembered the businessman that bid half a million for Maria.
He shook his head. Mr. Fortuno might be just waiting for her around the corner. But how will she meet up with the man? Fred told him that Maria returned the phone that Wendy swapped with one of their undercover agents after finding out that it was their plan. Euclid knew that Maria is a clever girl, but he didn’t expect that she’ll use it against them.
He clenched his jaw as he remembered the CCTV footage that David let him watch yesterday. In that recorded video and audio, Euclid found out that Maria was different in front of Fred. She talked to him freely about their ruined plan before and after the bidding. She also admitted to him that planting drugs on Doppy’s possessions was part of their plan of putting charges on him. Those pieces of information are what she needed to hear from her, but she couldn’t open it up to him, even the small details.
Euclid felt jealous because Fred made her talk, and at the same time, he was hurt because Maria treated him as if she doesn’t need him, the way he needed her.
But because of the video, Euclid confirmed his suspicions that Maria is planning something on why she’s eager to get a job in this restaurant. What he has to do now is wait for her to lead him to their next target.
“Okay, I’ll let you work here on weekends,” Euclid heard Claire say. “But, you’ll stay at the kitchen, and in the meantime, I don’t want anyone from the customers to see you.”
“Claire, I think that’s too harsh—”
“Connor, it’s okay with me,” Maria cut off Connor. “It’s better for me if nobody will see me here…”
“But, no one knew about your job,” Connor said in a low tone. “You were masked, right? And, nobody knew your name and the face behind the mask. So it’s unnecessary if you’ll hide in the kitchen.”
Euclid smirked. The doctor is madly in love with Maria, but too bad for him. Maria is only using him to do his plans. Now that he knew why Maria is keeping his company, Euclid wouldn’t feel any jealous of the guy now.
“Good morning, sir. May I take your order?”
Euclid looked up at the smiling waitress beside him. “Ah, what’s your bestseller here?” he asked while keeping his ear focused on his back.
“Here’s our menu, sir.” The woman placed the menu card on his table and waited for him to check it out.
“Thanks, Miss…” He narrowed his eyes on her name tag. “Ann. I’ll call you when I have decided on what to order.”
As soon as the waitress left him. Euclid picked up the menu card and returned his attention to Maria’s bargain with the restaurant owner.
He heard Claire heave a sigh. “Okay, I gave up. You’ll work as a waitress. Connor wouldn’t let me sleep at night if I insisted on keeping you in the kitchen. After all, that pretty face should be in the front liner.”
Connor laughed. “Thank you, Claire. I know that you can’t say ‘no’ to me.”
“I regret having you as my twin brother,” Claire said. “You always use our ties to get favors from me.”
“That isn’t a favor,” Connor said. “Maria is a hard-working employee, I’m sure that she’ll become your restaurant’s asset.”
“Whatever,” Claire said with a laugh. “So, Maria, when are you willing to start?”
Euclid puts down the menu as he waited for Maria’s answer. “As soon as possible, Ma’am Claire.”
***