Page 16 of Scarlet Embrace

AN UNUSUAL WOMAN

As a kid, I learned how being confident could be a game-changer. Most times, it worked to my advantage, but once in a while, it could land a person in big trouble. When Elena snapped at me, I was taken aback, not by her snapping but by the fact that she had risen to Linda’s defense even when she had no reason to.

I was just about to escort her back to her room when Linda suddenly showed up. My half-sister could be a pain in the ass at times, and despite how much I have expressed my displeasure at her trying to be nice toward me, she has never given up. Thomas and Logan had once asked why I behaved coldly toward her despite how warm she seemed to be, and I told them the truth.

“Hannah put her up to this.”

None of them knew Hannah the way I did. That woman would do anything in her power to get me out of the way, even if it meant using her daughter’s innocence to her advantage. I won’t deny the fact that Linda wasn’t entirely Cruz’s material. She was more like our uncle Rufus. Calm, collected, and disinterested in the family’s business. At the moment, she was under the delusion that she could have a life for herself, but I knew well enough that wasn’t possible.

In the end, she was most likely going to be married off to some friend or ally of our father in the name of forging a relationship. That was the fate of the Cruz’s women.

The sound of their laughter reached my ears, and I couldn’t help but grimace at the thought. I felt uncomfortable with both of them being together since Elena might spill details to her. I noticed Logan walked up to me, and I switched my attention to him.

“Tell me you have something on her,” I said.

“Yes. Elena Rodriguez. A lawyer with two siblings and dead parents,” Logan said as he handed me a file.

“Anything unusual?” I flipped through the file.

I had gone through her phone, which was filled with a number of odd contacts. Her phone had rung earlier that morning, and I had picked it up, hoping it would be someone who could lead me back to the mole I was searching for. It turned out to be a client of hers who was asking about some trial information. Out of curiosity, I told the caller that Elena was currently indisposed and that they’d have to find another lawyer to handle their case.

“Yes and no. Her father was murdered about fifteen years ago when she was twelve. Her mother died of cancer seven years later, and she’s putting her siblings through school. Her finances are pretty much okay, though she seems to be holding on. Most of her money goes to her sister Bianca, who’s in med school.”

Basically, what Logan had found out was that she was just an average lawyer who seemed to have a sense of justice. It didn’t explain exactly what she was doing outside that warehouse, as Desmond had claimed.

“Tell me, Logan? What do you think about her?” I asked as I looked down. She was chatting away with Linda, who seemed to be listening to everything she was saying with attention.

“Honestly? She’s beautiful. I mean, I’m more of the Asian type, but I can’t deny she’s hot. Those curves of hers and—”

“Logan!”

“You asked me what I thought of her,” he told me.

“As a person. Not her physical appearance.”

“I won’t mind spending a night with her or going out with her.”

I rubbed my head for a moment before taking a deep breath. Logan was definitely trying to rile me up. He was the only person who could do that since we’ve been friends for the past eight years. We went to college together and lived in the same dorm. That was how I got to know him, and after my MBA, I asked if he would be willing to work for my family. My father was pretty much impressed by him and had agreed to it.

“Do you think she’s a spy?” I finally asked.

“Nah. She doesn’t strike me as the type. I mean, she could charm any man with her look, so why bother to do something risky?”

He had a point. She was beautiful in every sense of the word, and only a fool would deny that. Those lips of hers were tempting, and as Logan said, those curves of hers were quite astonishing. She was just how I like my women, though not with the mouth and the attitude. In fact, if we had met under different circumstances, I might have indulged myself a little bit.

Wait a moment! What if that was the plan?

“Are you sure you didn’t find anything about her?”

“Nope. She’s as clean as a whistle. Though I think she doesn’t like guys like us, seeing how most of her clients are people who have either been affected by our business or our competitors.”

“A lawyer with a strong sense of justice for the weak. We don’t get to see them that much around here.”

Everything about her looked clean, which made me even more worried. Could it be that I made a huge mistake and she wasn’t a spy? If that was the case, that would mean I brought a total stranger to my home, but then, on the other hand, I had managed to save her.

“Look into her some more. She’ll be here for a few days, and that should be enough time for you to find something.”

Everyone has dirty laundry to hide, and Elena Rodriguez was no different. If she had something dirty to hide, Logan would find it, and I would definitely use that to get the answers I want from her.