Chapter 9 Caught Peeping

Julia was totally caught off guard and stumbled back, her high heels betraying her. She twisted her left ankle and hit the ground hard.

Alice pulled her foot back and smirked, "Just stretching my leg, girl. Why you freaking out? But hey, next time you see me, better take a detour." With that, she stepped over Julia and swaggered out the door.

Julia couldn't believe Alice was just messing with her. She struggled to her feet, leaning on the sink, her lips quivering with rage.

She whipped out her phone and dialed, "Simon, tail Henry's car and see where they head."

"Got it, Ms. Diaz."

Outside Bernardin Restaurant, Alice spotted Ethan by the car and strolled over. He quickly opened the door as she approached.

"Thanks, Mr. Ross."

"No problem, Miss Savoy."

Alice slid into the car, leaning against the door, leaving a gap between her and Henry.

Henry glanced at Ethan as he got in, "To the Savoy Villa."

"Yes, Mr. Howard."

The car cruised down the wide road. Alice kept sneaking peeks at Henry, who was chilling with his eyes shut. The dim streetlights cast shadows on his chiseled face, highlighting his sharp nose and thin lips, making him look like a freaking model.

Suddenly, Henry's eyes snapped open, catching her in the act.

Alice's heart skipped a beat, feeling a bit embarrassed for getting caught.

Ethan broke the awkward silence, "Mr. Howard, there's a car tailing us."

Henry's face turned serious, "Stop the car!"

Ethan hit the brakes hard, the tires screeching as the car came to a sudden halt.

The car behind, caught off guard, slammed on the brakes, nearly rear-ending the Maybach.

Ethan got out and knocked on the other car's window, "You got some nerve following Mr. Howard!"

The driver, Simon Miller, was sweating bullets, his hands shaking on the wheel. He didn't dare say a word, just took Ethan's scolding.

Ethan adjusted his glasses, "Tell Ms. Diaz that she should know her place. Next time, we won't be play nice!"

Once the Maybach drove off, Simon pulled over, shaking, and made a call.

"Ms. Diaz."

"What happened? Where'd they go?"

Simon wiped the sweat off his forehead, "I got busted. Mr. Ross came out and chewed me out, and he had a message for you."

"What did he say?"

"He said you should know your place, and next time they won't be play nice."

On the other end of the line, Julia screamed, "How dare he! And you, you idiot! Get back here and pick me up!"

"Yes, Ms. Diaz."

In the Maybach.

Henry rubbed his brow, "Is there something on my face?"

Alice quickly realized he was talking about her sneaky glances.

She shook her head calmly, "No, I was just about to say it seemed like someone was following us. Didn't expect Mr. Ross to catch it so fast."

Henry chuckled, "Quick on your feet, huh?"

Alice wasn't sure if he meant her quick response or her noticing the tail.

She just smiled and looked out at the passing streets.

Soon, the car pulled up in front of the Savoy Villa.

Henry said softly, "Whenever you're ready to move into Bluewater Bay, just call Ethan."

Alice nodded and hopped out of the car.

Watching the taillights fade into the night, she turned and strolled into the villa.

On the sofa, four pairs of eyes locked onto Alice.

Lester looked puzzled, "Alice, did you say something to Henry?"

Alice grinned, "What do you think?"

Elodie shot her a glare. "You're part of the Savoy Family. Know your place and keep your mouth shut!"

Alice crossed her arms, "Just speaking the truth. What's got you so scared?"

Zoey chimed in coldly, "What kind of attitude is that? As a Savoy, you should know your duty to the family!"

Alice laughed, "Relax. I can't wait for Clara to marry Oliver."

Seeing Clara's relieved face, Alice walked past them and headed upstairs. At the second-floor corner, she turned back with a smirk, "After all, as jerks, they deserve each other!"

Ignoring the angry shouts from downstairs, Alice went to her room.

She pulled out her laptop and logged into the Dark Web, scrolling through a bunch of high-reward tasks.

[Wanted: Bounty hunter 'Ink'. Reward: 500 million dollars.]

[Wanted: Bounty hunter 'Dark'. Reward: 500 million dollars.]

[Wanted: Antiques. Reward: 50 million dollars.]

[Wanted: Tomb raider expert 'Dragon Slayer'. Reward: 100 million dollars.]

After browsing, Alice picked the most low-key task: [Wanted: Tthe kidnapper. Reward: 1 million dollars.]

She accepted and replied: [Will locate the kidnapper in three days, but capturing them isn't my job.]

The other party quickly replied: [OK!]

Alice: [Send me the info.]

The other party uploaded videos and virtual account details.

Alice chuckled and sent an OK emoji.

She grabbed her phone, found Calvin's number, and dialed.

"Madam!"

"I took a job."

"Finally! I've been bored out of my mind with you globe-trotting for the past two years."

Alice laughed, "This time, I'll keep you so busy you won't have time to be bored. Five million dollars once it's done."

"Sounds awesome."

"Where are you staying these days?"

After giving Alice the address, he asked, "Are you coming to see me?"

Alice replied, "I'll call you before I come."

"Alright, see you then!"

After hanging up, Alice grabbed a pen and paper and started sketching clothing and jewelry designs for the summer collection.

Since starting Galaxy Design Studio, she'd always been the mysterious boss, not managing anything directly.

Esme handled all the day-to-day stuff, while Alice just focused on designs and watched her bank account grow.

She felt a bit guilty about it.

It was late at night when Alice finally felt sleepy.

She stretched and suddenly remembered she hadn't messaged Henry tonight.

She opened Facebook, found Henry's chat, and typed: [Uncle Henry, good night.]

Alice glanced at the time, thinking it might be too late. Henry might already be asleep, so she deleted it.

But after a moment, she decided she needed to stay on Henry's radar.

So, she sent: [Uncle Henry, good night.]

After waiting a couple of minutes with no response, Alice got up to wash up.

What she didn't know was that Henry was typing a message but hadn't hit send yet.