Angel and Carly departed ways with Kim and Trina after looking round for event decorators for Leo’s birthday party. That was around four in the afternoon. The four of them even had lunch together, which didn’t turn out to be awkward, as the Barclay sisters thought it would. The good part about their interactions was that Kim didn’t talk about Leo, making it easy for both Angel and Carly to interact. The person Trina was supposed to meet canceled on her, so she was stuck with them visiting event decorators the whole afternoon. They visited the remaining stores, and soon afterwards, they parted ways. Before leaving, Kim admitted that she had quite an enjoyable time with the Barclay sisters.
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As Angel watched Kim and Trina go, she couldn’t help but wonder if Kim really had gotten over Leo. Or was Kim only pretending? She would never know.
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As for Carly, she was glad she could finally breathe again. Being around Kim was more intense than she thought. However, as they went on about their business for the day, she didn’t seem to mind at all. Kim hadn’t brought up Leo, so Carly could rest easy and be herself. She was careful not to talk about Leo, for she might bring out a topic that may raise suspicions.
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When she got into the car with Angel, she received a text from Red Lion telling her to meet him tomorrow. There was just no end to her troubles.
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When the two sisters got back to the McDonell mansion, they told themselves not to speak of meeting Kim and Trina at the mall to Leo. Kim would obviously tell Mrs. McDonell, who will in turn tell Diana. It was best not to mention it to Eric either. When Leo met them at the front door and asked how their day went, they replied enthusiastically that they had a lovely time together.
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The next day, Carly went over to meet Red Lion at Loren’s apartment. She decided to leave the house when everyone else was at church. The entire McDonell household and Angel had left early. Carly lied about having a stomach bug and stayed behind. When they left, she sneaked out of the house, making sure none of the helpers, especially Mandy, saw her. Red Lion wanted to have a brief meeting, and she knew she shouldn’t take too long away from the house.
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When she got to the apartment, she found Red Lion, Hugo, and Carlos waiting for her. They also had access to her apartment since it was very much theirs rather than hers. After all, she felt like a puppet living in their apartment, which felt more like a dollhouse.
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Carly brought down the black hoodie over her head as she approached them. Red Lion had his eyes fixed on her from the time she came in. A wide smile came across his face.
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“Here she is,” he said aloud. “The woman of the hour.”
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Carly rolled her eyes as she sat down on the couch, opposite Red Lion. Carlos was in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. Hugo, sipping on a bottle of beer, sat at one end of the living room.
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“I’m here,” she said, her eyes on Red Lion. “I’m guessing you want us to talk about André and going to Mexico?”
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“Yes,” he said as he leaned his back on the couch, making himself comfortable.
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“I’m guessing you would want me to go.”
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“Yep.”
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Carly and Red Lion looked at each other in silence. Hugo looked at the two of them, as if he was watching a staring competition to see who would blink first.
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“I’m not going,” said Carly.
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“I figured you would say that,” said Red Lion. “You have to. Refusing isn’t an option.”
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“Well, I simply can’t go because that week will be busy for me. I have tests to be worried about.”
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“Really? Is that all you’re concerned about?” Red Lion folded his arms.
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Carly had a feeling he knew about Leo’s birthday. She didn’t answer as she continued to look at him.
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“I know there are other things going on in your life right now, but dealing with André is of utmost importance. You’re going to Mexico.”
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“I’ll just ask André to change his mind so that we meet earlier or sometime in October.”
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“You don’t understand, Carly. André will know that something is wrong, and once he gets suspicious, he’ll want to know why. And you don’t want that happening, do you?”
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Carly knew he was right. She didn’t have to be told twice about André’s nature. “No, I don’t. If I have to leave, I need a perfect excuse. I can’t just go without saying a word.”
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“We figured that would be the case,” said Hugo as he leaned forward and placed a leaf of paper on the table. “This will be your excuse.”
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Carly looked at Hugo before looking towards the paper and leaning in to get it. She read what was on the paper, and a look of disbelief came upon her face. She looked at both Hugo and Red Lion.
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“How did you come up with this?” Carly asked.
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“Don’t ask,” said Red Lion, smiling at the look on Carly’s face. “We knew something like this was going to come up sooner or later, so Hugo came up with that. Now that we’ve taken care of it for you, we need to start making plans.”
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Carly scoffed. “Yeah, you make your silly plans.” She dropped the paper back onto the table and stood up from her seat. “I’m out of here.”
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“You know the plan involves you, right?” Hugo asked, raising an eyebrow.
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“Maybe. Nevertheless, I know you aren’t going to tell me the full gist of it. You’ll tell me my part later when you have it all figured out.”
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“Whoa, someone is feisty today,” said Carlos as he approached the living room area with a plate that had a tuna sandwich on it.
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“She’s in a bad mood because she’ll be missing her boyfriend’s birthday party,” said Red Lion, smiling up at Carly. Carly felt the sudden urge to slap him.
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“I can’t blame you,” said Carlos as he sat next to Red Lion. “I am one person who really likes birthday parties.”
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“Can I leave now?” Carly asked. “It won’t be long until the others get home from church.”
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Red Lion looked at her. “You can go,” he said. “We might meet at the end of the week to meet the crew.”
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“The crew?” Carly asked, as she thought she heard wrong.
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“Don’t think you’re going there all on your own, Carly,” said Red Lion. “I have a mission, and this trip to Mexico presents an opportunity to do something with you being there.”
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“And this crew is going to come with me to do what?”
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“You'll know when we meet next time. You better run along now and don’t worry about what you’ll have to do. Your task is simple. And it’s what you’re good at, for starters.”
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Carly didn’t have to be told what it was. She thought it best to keep whatever she wanted to say to herself as she turned around and made her way towards the door. Without giving the men seated in the living room a second glance, she walked out of the apartment, banging the door behind her.
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“Oh, she is really pissed,” said Carlos as he took a bite out of his sandwich.
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“Well, she won’t understand how much all this will benefit her one day,” said Red Lion. He turned to look at Carlos. “Let her be angry. Once she goes to Mexico, she’ll forget she ever had a life here.”
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“And what if she decides to bail out at the last minute?” Hugo asked.
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“She won’t.” Red Lion smiled at Hugo. “She knows the costs if she does.”
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“Then I guess we better start getting to work, then.” Hugo stood up from the couch and left for the living room area to head towards the bedrooms.
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“This trip couldn’t have come at a better time than this, don’t you think?” Carlos asked as he looked at Red Lion.
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“Yeah. It’s time to start laying down the cards. Everything has to go right. Any mistake will be costly.”
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Red Lion stood up from his seat and turned around to make his way towards the balcony. He started to imagine how he was to pull off what he wanted done in Mexico. After laying down the plans, he knew there was only one thing that needed fixing before the crew travelled there. And he had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be easy.
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***
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Angel approached her mother’s grave with white lilies in her hands. She stopped in her tracks when she saw another set of white lilies lying there. A thought came to her mind, and for a second, she felt her insides run cold. It wasn’t until the sound of footsteps behind her and the voice of someone speaking to her brought her back to the present.
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“I’m guessing he was already here.”
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Mr. McDonell came to stand next to her. He had already seen the lilies on Mrs. Barclay’s grave. When he turned to look at Angel, he couldn’t help but put up a sad smile.
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“Are you guessing it might be someone else?” he asked.
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“No,” she answered, still staring at the flowers. “It's definitely him."
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"Are you upset?"
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Angel sighed. "To be honest, I don't know what to think anymore. I simply can't stop him from visiting her. Mum wouldn't want that, no matter how much I would disapprove."
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Angel approached her mother’s grave and laid the white lilies next to the other bouquet. After a few moments of silence, Angel backed away from the grave and stood next to Mr. McDonell.
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"You know, sooner rather than later, you will have to meet your father," said Mr. McDonell. "You might as well just meet each other here or while you're roaming around the streets of New York. It might be a big place, but the world is small for a reason."
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"I sure hope it doesn't come to that," said Angel.
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"Well, if it's meant to be, who are we to say no?"
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Angel knew Mr. McDonell had a point there. There was simply no hiding from the inevitable.
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"For my sake, and for Carly’s, it's best not to see each other at all. I fear if we do, it might just cause pandemonium," said Angel.
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Mr. McDonell sighed. "I really do miss your mother," he said. "If she were still alive and she knew your father were here, what would she do?"
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Angel had never thought about that. What would her mother have done? Would she have chased him away, or would she have liked to talk to him after such a long time?
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"What my mother would have done is a total mystery to me," said Angel.
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"You might not know what to do now, but I hope when you do see him, you will react accordingly," said Mr. McDonell.
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"What do you mean?" Angel raised an eyebrow.
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"The way you'll behave towards him shouldn't be too hostile."
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Angel scoffed. "I doubt if I will be calm."
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"Well, you just have to."
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The two looked at the grave in front of them in silence. It's a slightly windy day, and the tree leaves above them rustled with the wind. Angel got lost in her thoughts, still pondering over what she should do if she ever met her father. She wished her mother could just talk to her with the wind and show her the way to go. However, as soon as the wind stopped blowing and the leaves stood still, the quiet world around her made her realize that she was on her own on this one. That left her with a sinking feeling.
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“We can go back now,” said Angel.
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“Good idea,” said Mr. McDonell.
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They turned around to head back the way they came. Standing in the distance were Eric and Leo, waiting for them under a tree. The two men had been watching Angel and Mr. McDonell. They couldn’t help but feel they had been talking about Angel’s father.
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“What do you think Angel will do if she ever gets to meet him?” Leo asked, turning to look at Eric.
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“I don’t know,” Eric answered. “She would probably lash out at him like she did when she first met you.”
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Leo gave his cousin a grim look, not liking his answer. “That’s not cool.”
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Eric chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. To be honest, I don’t know what will happen. Angel is sweet and kind. But when she’s pushed over the edge, who knows what she might do?
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“Do you think her father will have that effect on her?”
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“You’ve seen how she looks whenever she talks about him. It’s something even I wouldn’t like to bring up even if I wanted to. Talking about him and meeting him are different scenarios, bringing up different emotions. So, yeah, how she’ll react is a mysterious, yet scary part.”
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“What’s worse is that I don’t know how Carly will react too.”
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“Good luck with her. Something tells me it won’t be easy for her to handle.”
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Leo agreed with a nod of his head as his father and Angel had stopped in front of them. Mr. McDonell suggested that they eat out for lunch today at a nice restaurant. Eric was up for the idea and knew that his mother, who was waiting for them outside the burial grounds along with Bertha and Amanda, would probably suggest going to an Indian restaurant.
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Before that, Leo noticed a sad look on Angel’s face. It was a sure sign that she had been talking about her father. When Mr. McDonell suggested eating out, Angel had agreed with a smile, and for a moment, her gloomy look had disappeared. Seeing her smile made Leo smile a little, too. Though no one around noticed it, for the first time, Leo acknowledged those feelings without any doubt or any rash thought to throw it away.
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***
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The following week was a disturbing one for Carly. Traveling to Mexico and Leo’s birthday coming up were two conflicting events that she couldn’t simply ignore. To keep her guise as Loren and to keep Red Lion’s plans in motion, she had to go to Mexico. Not only was her life at stake, but also the lives of those she cared about. Then, there was Leo’s birthday that was fast approaching. Even when she was helping prepare for the event, she couldn’t help but feel awful that she wasn’t going to be a part of it. If she had it in her, she would’ve told André that she wasn’t ready to go to Mexico just yet. But the thought of Red Lion coming to the McDonell’s to drag her to go to Mexico by force made her realize that she didn’t have much of an option. She was stuck in such a dilemma that for almost the whole week she wasn’t herself.
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Angel was the first to notice Carly’s behavior. At first, she thought that after meeting Kim at the mall, it had put Carly on edge back then and still did up till now. However, for some reason, she couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than she realized. She just couldn’t point out what it could be. It worried Angel, and whenever she approached Carly to ask what the matter was, Carly would say there were just some tough assignments that she had to deal with back at school. Angel couldn’t ask her anything else at that point. However, there was no denying that she felt something was wrong with Carly.
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If Angel could notice the sudden change in Carly’s behavior, Leo did too. For almost the whole week, they rarely met late at night when everyone else was asleep. Carly gave the excuse that she had assignments to work on. Leo couldn’t help but feel she was avoiding him. He thought it was best to give her space and let her work on whatever was going on. Even when they met around the house with everyone around, they barely talked as they did before. To Leo, it felt like she was always in a rush. One time, he opened the door for her when she got home from college. There was no one around, but all she did was greet him and walk past him without another word. Angel happened to appear down the hall from her room and saw the whole thing. She watched Carly, who quickly bypassed and went up the stairs to her room. Angel and Leo shared worried looks with each other. Something was definitely wrong.
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On Saturday morning, Angel and Carly were supposed to go out with Mrs. McDonell and Diana to Diana’s spa. In the pretense of going out on a spa day, they were to sit and share information on the decorators they had met over the weekend and some during the week that were suitable to decorate Leo’s birthday party. However, when Carly woke up that morning, she checked her phone, and what she saw froze her insides. Red Lion had texted her saying that she should meet with him at his warehouse. She now had to come up with an excuse for not going to the spa.
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Angel couldn’t help but express her disappointment when Carly told her over breakfast that she couldn’t come. Carly came up with a lie that something had come up at the college and she needed to be there. Angel couldn’t do anything about it. She decided not to interfere, especially when it came to academic affairs. Leo and Eric, who were also there, couldn’t say much either. When Carly left the breakfast table, the three of them couldn’t help but share curious looks.
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“What’s up with her now?” Eric asked, after putting down his cup of coffee.
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“You heard her,” said Leo, his jaw clenching as he found it hard to open his mouth to speak. “She has to go to college since something came up.”
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“Yeah, but on a weekend? Those lecturers really need to learn to take a chill pill.”
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“We all experienced meeting up for classes on a weekend,” said Angel. “But it’s not only that. I feel she’s been avoiding me lately.”
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“Lover boy here feels the same too,” said Eric, grinning at Angel, who sat opposite him. Leo, who sat beside Eric, threw a stink eye at his cousin.
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“Well, it’s worrying,” said Angel. “I’m starting to think that she’s hiding something.”
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“Like what?” Leo asked.
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Angel shrugged. “I don’t know. I just hope whatever it is, it’s nothing too serious.”
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“Maybe you should try to talk to her. I would like to say I’ll try, but she doesn’t even let me say hello to her now.”
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Eric chuckled. “Yeah, this is pretty serious. Even for you.”
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Leo continued to look at Eric. “It’s not funny. What if Carly is going through some crisis, and we don’t know about it?”
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Immediately Leo spoke the word “crisis,” Angel couldn’t help but worry even more. What if for some reason she met our father and she doesn’t want to tell me? Angel thought to herself. She really did need to sit and have a talk with Carly.
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“I’ll make sure to give it a try,” said Angel as she stood up from her seat. “I need to get ready to go to the spa.”
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“Okay. If you really do get to talk to her, let me know,” said Leo. “If the situation isn’t too personal, I mean.”
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Angel gave Leo an assuring smile. “Don’t worry, I will,” she said. “You two take care.”
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Leo and Eric watched Angel leave the dining room, and she bypassed Oliver, who was coming in. The boy took a seat next to Eric and prepared his plate of breakfast while he listened to Leo and Eric talk about the football game that was to take place today.
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Carly had left the house before Angel left with Diana and Mrs. McDonell. She found Alex waiting for her a few meters away from the house. When she got into his car, they drove off.
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Along the way, Alex looked over at Carly and said, “You’re awfully quiet today. Is anything the matter?”
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“No, I’m good,” Carly answered without a care in the world.
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“I’m guessing you’re upset about the whole thing of going to Mexico.”
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“I said I’m good.” Carly looked at Alex, irritated with him.
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“You don’t seem that way to me. When I met Carlos today, he told me to be careful with you. He wasn’t joking.”
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“Can we please stop talking now?” Carly looked out of the window. “I clearly am not in the mood.”
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“No kidding. Have you been acting like that with everyone around you this past week?”
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“What is it with you today?” Carly asked as she turned to look at Alex again. “Why don’t you just mind your business?”
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“I would, but if you’re going to go into this mission sulking like you are right now, you will ruin everything.” Alex had stopped behind a red Maserati in front of the traffic lights downtown. He took the chance to look at Carly.
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“I said I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
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“The reason why I ask is that right now you’re attracting everyone’s attention. I bet everyone at home is wondering what’s wrong with you. If that is the case, then rest assured, they might be on to you, and that is not good.”
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Carly hadn’t thought about it until now. Now that Alex mentioned it, she couldn’t help but replay what’s been going on the past week, and he was right. She had been moody and distant with everyone back home, especially Angel and, worse off, Leo. Eric seemed to be avoiding her because he already noticed the sparks and didn’t want to get too close. Carly sighed. Everything has had her so worked up that she was acting like a jerk.
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"Plus we also have this mission," Alex continued. "If you don't pull yourself together, we might as well stop it because it won't work without you. You might not know it, but you're vital."
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Carly found herself blushing at the thought. Did Alex just acknowledge how important she was? She found herself almost squirming in her seat at the thought. She was glad Alex wasn’t looking at her at the time as the lights in front of them turned green. Carly looked out of the window.
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"I'm sorry," she found herself saying. "It's just that things have been so rough lately that I don't know what to do anymore."
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Alex didn't say anything for a while as he drove. "I know you think I don't mean what I said earlier about you being important. But you are. And the other reason why I’m telling you this is because I need you to get ready for what's coming."
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Carly looked at Alex, realizing the sudden change in his tone. She had to be ready for what's coming. What did he mean by that? She wanted to ask, but knowing him, that was as much as he could tell her.
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"Do you think it's too late to bail out?" Carly found herself asking aloud.
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Alex briefly looked at Carly and sighed. "Well, the first time I told you to leave was the perfect time to do so," he said. "Right now, you're in too deep. Even if you bail out now, you'll have Red Lion breathing down your neck. And let's not forget André."
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Carly already knew the answer to that. She just felt she needed a little more clarity. Talking to Alex felt relieving somehow, and she knew why. He was the only person she could talk to about these things because he knew about her double life situation. Aside from Red Lion and his two trusted comrades, Carly only ever interacted with Alex more openly. She was glad she had this talk.
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"Yeah, you're right," said Carly. "It looks like there's no turning back now."
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Alex didn't say anything as he kept his eyes on the road. He knew the talk was necessary. He just wasn't too sure whether telling her what lay ahead was a good idea.
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They drove out towards the industrial areas of New York. They were going out of town. Carly was surprised that Alex didn’t stop to blindfold her like he did last time. She bet Red Lion thought it wasn’t necessary. It was different with the boat cruise incident. This time, she would be able to see where he and his people operated.
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They soon found themselves turning off the highway, and for a few miles, the place around them looked abandoned with no sign of human activity. The area also had fewer trees. There were no buildings nearby, and it was only until an industrial building came into view that Carly started to feel nervous. Their hideout is pretty far, she thought to herself.
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Alex’s car approached the barbed wire fence, heading straight for the gate. Two men stood with AK-47s slung around their shoulders. One of them approached the car, and when he saw it was Alex, he gave a nod to his comrade to open the gate to allow them in.
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The car drove into the industrial premises, and it didn’t take Carly a minute to realize that it was nothing but an old abandoned industrial plant. Red Lion was already putting it to good use for his business. They were approaching a warehouse where she found two white lorry trucks by the loading bay, waiting to be loaded in. Alex stopped beside one of the trucks and signaled to Carly that this was where they had to walk out. They both got out of the car, and Carly couldn’t help but look around. For an abandoned place, it sure was busy. She noticed guards around the perimeter, watching over the place. There were men and a few women helping load whatever was in the warehouse into the trucks. She didn’t want to ask what merchandise they were loading onto the trucks. She had a good guess of what it might be.
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Alex led the way into the warehouse. Carly followed him, making sure not to get in the way of those carrying the merchandise. On one end of the room stood a group of people. There weren’t many. Carly felt there were close to fifteen people. On the other end were cart boxes waiting to be loaded into the truck.
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Alex led Carly to where the people stood. As they slowly approached, in front of the small gathering was a long table with papers and what looked to be like a map spread out on the table. Surrounding the table were Carlos, Hugo, and Red Lion. Carlos sat at the corner of the table, smoking a cigarette. Hugo sat on a wooden chair, looking through some papers. Red Lion stood as he was looking down at his phone. When he looked up to see Carly and Alex approaching, a huge smile came across his face.
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“Ah, the woman of the hour is here,” said Red Lion. Those who stood in front of Red Lion turned to look at Carly.
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Carly blushed at the sudden attention she got. She looked at the people staring back at her, and she guessed this was the crew she would be working with. Red Lion approached Carly and placed his hand on her shoulder. He dragged her with him, taking her towards the table. She didn’t like that Red Lion dragged her to the center, making her feel exposed.
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“Everyone, I would like you to meet Carly,” said Red Lion. “She’ll be our main key to this whole operation, so I would like you and her to get along.”
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“Oh, hell no!”
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Everyone turned to the source of that comment. When Carly turned her head to see who said that, she couldn’t believe her eyes when on the other side of the warehouse, Miranda appeared, approaching the table with quick pace. Walters was scrambling to catch up behind her. Carly’s eyes grew wide with surprise. This cannot be happening right now, she said to herself.
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“Oh, good, you’re here,” said Red Lion, turning to look at Miranda as she made her way through the people standing by. “You’re a little late, Walters.”
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Miranda stood looking at Carly, and she was surprised and fuming at the same time that Carly couldn’t make out her expression. Carly was just about to approach Miranda when Red Lion stretched out his hand, preventing her from moving any further.
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“Sorry for being late,” said Walters when he finally caught up with Miranda. “We had a slight delay.”
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“What the hell is she doing here?” Miranda asked. “You didn’t say that the plan involved her.” She turned to Walters.
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“If he told you from the start, you wouldn’t have come,” said Red Lion. “And I would’ve definitely killed you for it.”
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Carly couldn’t help but feel the chill that ran down her spine when Red Lion spoke those words. He wasn’t joking. Everyone present must have felt it too because they all had scared looks on their faces. As much as Miranda tried to look tough, even she couldn’t deny that Red Lion stayed true to his word.
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“This is going to be interesting,” Carly heard Carlos mutter to Hugo.
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“Now before we begin, there’s a crucial matter I want to tackle,” said Red Lion. “It involves you two ladies.” He looked at both Carly and Miranda.
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“If you think I’m going to get along with her because of your plans, then I’m not going to do it,” said Miranda, sounding strong and firm.
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“She’s right,” said Carly. “I wouldn’t want to work with her either. It’s either she goes or I go.”
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Red Lion chuckled. “You two don’t get it, do you?” he asked. “If either of you decides to quit, none of you is walking out of here alive. That’s how badly I want this mission to work. So it’s either you get along or you’re carried out of here in a body bag.”
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Both Miranda and Carly glared at each other like two angry lions ready to pounce on each other. If Red Lion hadn’t stood in between the two of them, they were going to do so regardless of who was watching. For now, it was best to keep to their best behavior.
Carly was still trying to take in what was going on. How could Red Lion bring someone like Miranda on board this operation? For starters, she wasn’t trustworthy, and second of all, she was her enemy. Now that she will know what Carly’s role in all this is, she’ll most likely use it to blackmail her in a way, or else she might reveal the truth to the whole world. This wasn’t looking good for Carly, and she couldn’t help but stare at Red Lion, hating him for putting her in such a position. What was she going to do with Miranda now?
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She turned to look in the crowd and noticed Alex standing amongst them, and what he said back in the car dawned on her. Was this what he meant? It made sense to her now. She wished he could’ve told her, but it wasn’t going to make a difference regardless. She noticed Alex look at her almost unapologetically. She couldn’t blame him. He was trying to give her a heads up, and she had to be prepared for anything.
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Miranda scoffed as she turned to look at Walters. “From the very beginning you should’ve told me that I was going to work with that bimbo,” she said. She turned to look at Carly. “I see that you really haven’t changed at all, Carly. What was all that talk earlier about you being a changed person? I should never have known not to take you seriously, you hypocrite!”
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“Oh, shut up,” said Carly, turning to face Miranda. “You don’t know how I got to be in this mess. And don't think you’re better than me in any sense.”
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“Before you two start biting each other, you better watch your tongues,” Red Lion warned. "You don't want anyone around here knowing too much, do you?"
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Carly realized he was right. Now wasn’t the time to argue. If there was anything that needed sorting out, it will have to be behind closed doors. Still, there was no way she wanted to work with Miranda. How did things turn out this bad for her?
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When the two women were silently looking at each other, Red Lion chuckled, feeling pleased with himself.
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"Good, now that that's over, we better start working on our plans," said Red Lion. "But before that, I just want to let everyone know that we have a special guest who has decided to help us out with all this."
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Carly didn't like where this was going. Who was this special guest? She looked among the people in front of her, and they were looking at each other, clueless like she was.
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"You didn't have to introduce me like you did, Red Lion," came a male voice behind her. "And I was enjoying the fight between Carly and Miranda. It should've gone on a little longer."
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That voice! Carly felt she had heard it somewhere before. But where? This couldn't get any worse than it is. Is this the special guest Red Lion was talking about?
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Carly slowly looked behind her, and behind a set of metal shelves, she saw men stepping out of the shadows, coming into the light. How long have they been there, she wondered. Worse of all, who was this person who felt so familiar to her?
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Four men of Asian descent and dressed smartly in black suits approached the table. It was only when one man dressed in a neatly pressed navy blue suit stepped out last. Carly's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down her spine. This cannot be happening right now, she said to herself, screaming in her head.
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"Long time no see, Carly," said the man as he came closer to the table. "Who would’ve thought we would meet under these circumstances?"
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Carly didn't know what to say next as she felt tongue-tied. What could she say? He was the last person she would've expected to see here.
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"I forget you two know each other," said Red Lion as he grinned. "Sorry to make all of this a surprise, Carly, but I didn't want to spoil it for you."
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"I'm sure she understands," said the man as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose while looking at Carly with so much intent.
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Carly gulped. "How?" she managed to ask. "How is it that you're...?" She didn't know what to say next as she continued to look at the man in front of her.
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Mr. Chang, Mr. Cho's trusted comrade and CEO of Cho Industries, smiled at her this time. "I've a lot of my backstory to tell you, Carly. But for now, let's focus on the task at hand."
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Red Lion couldn't help but smile at what was going on as Mr. Chang went over to the other side of the table to take a seat reserved for him.
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Carly remained frozen in place, everything and everyone around her fading into darkness until she felt she was alone in the middle of nowhere. She felt as if she was in a deep black hole, with no way of getting out.
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