Chapter 8

“So, what now?” Juan asked, going to sit beside her. “You've succeeded in penetrating the company. What's the next line of action from here?” Juan asked, staring directly at her but Ivy did not respond. She was lost in thought.

The image of the strange man whose life she had technically saved hours ago flooded her mind but there was no explanation as to why she was concerned about him or even thinking of him. “I hope he’s okay,” she muttered, absentmindedly.

“You hope who is okay?” A frown formed on Juan’s face as he questioned her. He couldn’t think of anyone Ivy should be concerned about. As far as he was concerned, she was affiliated with no other person but him. So, it was a quiz in his mind.

“Huh?” She recalled her senses, realizing that she had voiced her thoughts out loud. She adjusted in her seat and reached for the half empty glass of water. She takes a sip, avoiding contact with Juan’s curious eyes.

“You just said, ‘I hope he’s alright’” He pressed. “Who are you talking about?” 

“Oh, that.” she shrugged casually. “Just some guy who almost passed out at the bakery I was at earlier today,” she replied, setting the glass back on the table.

“Ah, I see,” Juan said, his tone laced with sarcasm.

“Anyway….” Ivy turned to him, changing the subject. “I called you here because I wanted us to go over all the leads we got on Carlos.” She said, her tone more focused now. 

“For starters, being Carlos’ Executive Assistant gives me leverage and us, an edge in our plan. I have access to his schedules, movements, and everything within the office. But I do not believe that that is enough.” She continued, locking eyes with Juan.

“I need you to keep a close eye on him whenever he is out of the office. You can have your secret investigator guy handle this, I don’t mind. But what I need is to know who he meets, all the new places he frequents, everything. I know we have all that already but we cannot afford to miss out on any new detail that could be helpful in our plan.” 

“Of course, Ivy. I’ll make sure to look into it.” Juan reassured her. Ivy nodded, agreeingly.

“From what we know so far, R Holdings was barely keeping it together with all the embezzling of funds Carlos is involved in, all to fund his gambling habit. And if not for the money he was able to steal from me, the company would have long gone under” Ivy said, her voice laced with a hint of frustration. 

“However, it’s now our responsibility to expose his fraudulent activities to the authorities," Ivy added, her tone sharp with purpose. "While I try to look for evidence at the office, you can explore other angles on the outside.”

“Not a problem,” Juan replied. “I do have something that I’m working on but I haven’t quite gotten through to it yet. I’ll let you in on it when I’m certain.” He added.

“Alright. I’ll look forward to it,” Ivy responded, getting up from her seat.

“I guess I’ll see myself out then,” Juan muttered, grunting softly as he stood up as well.

“Thank you so much for coming, Juan. Unfortunately, I am way too tired to walk you out.” Ivy admitted, a small smile etched on her lips.

“It’s alright. I understand.” Juan smiled back at her as he began walking to the exit.

“Oh and Ivy,” He paused, as he turned to her. “I took the liberty to restock your groceries and prepare a meal for you. You had better eat it.”

Ivy was surprised and it showed. As usual. she had forgotten to go grocery shopping. “Juan, what will I ever do without you?” 

“Nothing.” He replied with a grin, and they both laughed. 

“I’ll be sure to enjoy the meal.” She assured him. “Thank you again.” 

“Of course.” 

******

Dylan was having a hard time taking in his environment. He had passed out on his way to the hospital but thankfully, he was stable now. As he sat up abruptly, the beeping of the heart monitor and the IV in his hand quickly made it clear that he was in a hospital. The events of the incident replayed in his mind. 

If anything, Dylan hated hospitals at the very least. It often reminded him of the one thing he struggled hard to forget. Desperate to get out of there, he yanked the IV from his hand and reached for his phone to make a call but before he could do that, a man entered the room and hurried over to his side.

“Dylan, It’s nice to see you’re finally awake.” The man said, his eyes scanning Dylan’s body with a mix of relief and concern.

“Hello, Tim, it’s nice to see you too,” Dylan smirked, seeing the worried expression on his face.

Tim was one of the very few people that Dylan was very fond of. They had been friends for years and because of how close they were, people often mistook them for brothers during college years. Tim had a charming personality, something that made him easy to dote on. The good looks though seemed to have been preserved solely for Dylan, with Tim having a fraction of it.  Dylan's deep-set blue eyes and facial features that resemble that of a Greek god made him the dream man of every woman. 

“Are you alright? You shouldn’t have taken off the IV just yet.” 

“It’s okay Tim. I’m okay as you can see.” Dylan assured him with a smile but Tim could not afford to return the gesture.

“This is not funny at all. You really had me worried.” Tim complained, a frown forming on his forehead. 

“I know and I’m sorry.” Dylan rose to his feet. 

“I keep telling you to always keep an EpiPen on hand and to be mindful of the meals you eat outside.” Tim chastised, his voice firm. “You, of all people, know that nuts are a no-go. I cannot believe……” 

“Tim, relax,” Dylan said as he walked up to him, and placed both hands on his shoulders. “I only ordered a Polvoron- without the nuts of course. What happened was only a mistake. The server must’ve mixed up my order or something.” Dylan tried to downplay the situation but Tim was not having any of it.

Tim scoffed, “Yeah, right. A mistake that almost cost you your life.” 

“But it didn’t right?” Dylan chuckled. “I’m here, right in front of you, very much alive and well.” 

Tim shrugged Dylan’s hands off his shoulders and rolled his eyes at him. “Besides, Tim, I am somewhat thankful that all that happened to me,” Dylan smirked and Tim raised a brow curiously.

“Thanks to that episode, I met the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on,” Dylan said, his voice softening with awe and his eyes sparkling as he spoke, clearly enthralled by his mystery woman. He sighed deeply as he stared into space, lost in the memory of her.

Tim scoffed, unable to believe the words that spilled out of Dylan’s mouth.

Here he was, worried sick about Dylan’s life and health, while Dylan seemed to have all the time in his hands to daydream about a woman. It was hard to tell whether Dylan was pulling a fast one on him or if he simply chose to ignore the seriousness of the situation.