Maisara's pov

Is it a coincidence that Ian is a representative of the company we are working in collaboration with? I'm pretty sure it's not. He's deceiving someone, though I don't know who.

Regardless of how long we have known each other, I don't know much about him. I mean I know a decent amount of information about him as my ex's best friend. But that's it. Specifically, I don't know what his job is. We went to the same school and later, I heard he went to a law school. He isn't practicing as far as I know. So, I have no idea if he is actually the representative of ExpoArt or not. But soon, we will figure it out.

He suggests that we have the meeting over lunch at a nearby restaurant. That's definitely a red flag. But according to the company's policy, we must agree to the client's terms and conditions unless they harm us or the company in any way. If he's being genuine, it can become an issue used against me later if I don't agree, even though ExpoArt isn't technically a client. Moreover, I want to see where he is going with it. So, I have agreed.

So here we are, at a fancy restaurant, sitting in front of each other for a pretentious lunch. Jenna is here with us too but Ian has asked her 'politely' to leave us alone. She is sitting at a different table a few feet away from us.

The first thing he says to me when we are alone is, "You look way more awful than I expected."

What he says is true but it infuriates me. I offer him a sweet smile and reply, "That's not a professional way of talking, Mr. Rivera."

He smiles as well. It's actually a smirk. "Interesting how you think this meeting is going anywhere professional."

The cat is getting out of the bag. I glance at Jenna once. She is keeping an eye on us. Good. I go for a sarcastic route. "It's not?"

"Nope." He shakes his head with feigned innocence, and as if on cue, a waiter approaches our table. He gives a menu to each of us. I order a salad and Ian laughs. "You can order whatever you want, Maisara. You should know by now that this is not a business meeting."

The waiter gives us an interesting look. God knows what conclusion he has reached. I give Ian a blank look. "You may do that. I don't have much appetite."

He doesn't go for that either. Ordering a Penne Alfredo, he dismisses the waiter. When he looks back at me, I ask directly, "So you aren't a representative of ExpoArt?"

He leans back in his seat observing me with a look that's borderline weird. "I never said I'm not." Then he gestures to my phone that's put upside down on the table in front of me. "You can check the message that your assistant sent to confirm my words."

Now this statement actually creeps me out. I have asked Jenna to send me the appointment details in a text earlier. I flip the phone up to see a new message from her has just arrived. It's the appointment details. Ian's name is on it. I lock the phone back and keep it in my pocket as I tell him, "It's creepy to keep track of one's phone, no?"

He shakes his head again rubbing his jaw subtly. "I'm not keeping track of your phone. It's just a conclusion I reached from your reaction when you first saw me."

"Interesting," I mumble though I can't shake away the weird feelings I'm getting from him. However, it's better to get this done quickly. I ask, "So what other business do you have to discuss with me?"

He smiles, for real this time, looking quite satisfied. Leaning forward, he quips, "Oh, there is plenty. I bet you have business with me too that you're dying to discuss."

He is right. He has answers to a lot of my questions. With everything else going on, this thing just left my mind. I nod at him. "I do. But I doubt that you are only here to fulfill my curiosity."

He throws his head back and laughs loudly as if I've said a very funny joke. That's a gesture of showing off and I hate people who do that. I scowl automatically. The waiter comes back with our food stopping me from saying something negative. However, Ian takes the opportunity to speak, "Oh, you are funny. Remind me to do business with you again."

The waiter glances between us with another dumbfounded look. I look away. After he finishes putting them on the table, Ian thanks him and turns back to me. "You are right. I figured the best way to do this is if we both share our knowledge with each other."

He offers a sweet smile which actually sickens me. I nod focusing my attention on my salad. "What 'knowledge' do you want me to share?"

He takes a second to ask the question, "How did you catch Oliver and Ryker?"

Picking a piece of lettuce and another piece of tomato, I glance up at him. "That's basically everything I know. I'm not giving all that without gaining anything. Start with something simple."

He shrugs, stuffing his fork with pasta, looking nonchalant. "Okay then. How did you know Oliver was involved?"

Jenna's eyes meet mine over Ian's shoulder. She has made a smart choice by selecting her seat out of his range of view. She has a questioning look. "Is everything okay?"

I nod subtly. At the same time, Ian pulls his head up to look at me. I answer his question next, "Well, it's more like the other way around. I was trying to get evidence against Oliver when I found out about Ryker's involvement."

His eyes widen for a second, surprised by my answer. That raises a question in me. He is sure that Ryker is the main culprit and Oliver has gotten involved. What does he know about Ryker that makes him reach that conclusion?

He leans forward, asking in a conspiring tone, "Why? What made you suspicious of him?"

I shake my head, putting another spoonful of salad in my mouth. "Nope. It's my turn."

Grimacing, he slumps back against his chair not liking the response. Nonetheless, he agrees to give me the chance. "Okay. Shoot."

I ask the question that has been nagging me since that day when he explained everything to me, "Why didn't you inform him of the whole thing?"

A plastered smile takes over his face that creeps me out. He stays like that for a few seconds before asking, "What do you mean?"

I turn my attention back to the salad. "You know exactly what I mean."

"I don't think so," comes his reply. Taking another piece of cucumber in my mouth, I give him a dead stare.

He jumps up dramatically making a fake act of shivering. "Yikes. Don't gimme that look." Then he shrugs acting like he has accepted defeat. "Fine. Yeah, I didn't tell him everything because, well, you know how he is. A little bit emotional. And he was already dealing with some other personal problems at that time."

It might be a trick of my eyes, but I think he gives me a look with the last sentence before continuing, "This would have just added baggage. He didn't need that."

I know what Ian means. Still, I think it's unethical to keep him in the dark. So, naturally, I disagree. "You don't get to decide what he needs or doesn't need."

"Maisara." He again gives me that weird-looking smile. Ian is one of those people who has a naturally smiley face. But for some reason, all of his smiles look so fake and weird today that they keep creeping me out.

He continues after the dramatic pause, "No disrespect towards you but you are in no position to tell me how to behave with a friend."

Wow. That........... such an insult!

On any other day, I may have just stood and left. But for serious reasons, I don't consider that today. I need answers. I don't say anything in reply either. What he said is not entirely false. But that's not the reason why I've decided to stay silent. I don't want to divert the conversation to another topic.

He goes on. "May I ask the next question?" I nod in reply.

"Why did you suspect Oliver?"

Now that's a genuine question. Wiping the corner of my mouth with a napkin, I reply, "He had rumors against him around the office. They were subtle and didn't involve many people. Some of them reached my ears. But that wasn't exactly it. He offered me to be his assistant even though he already had one. I agreed and worked as one too for............... Well, not a long time. But it was basically my instinct that told me something was fishy about him. And I listened. Later, it was proven right."

Ian listens attentively. After I finish, he thinks for a second before flashing a bright smile, not the creepy one. "Brilliant. Your turn."

I ask the most obvious question. "Why didn't you snitch on me that day?"

He chuckles to himself. "Well, now you are on the track. I expected this question much earlier." Then he gets serious all of a sudden and speaks in a low tone, "Because we need you."

"Wha-"

He cuts me off before I even get a word out. "Nuh-uh. My turn." Pursing my lips in annoyance, I gesture to him to continue.

"How did you gather evidence against Oliver?"

I think for a second about the answer. Vicky's face flashes in my mind. I reply, "Thanks to a friend."

"May I get the name?" He inquires, eyes abnormally bright. I shake my head choosing my next words carefully to avoid revealing anything about her. "That friend values anonymity. Now my turn. What did you mean by 'we' in your previous question?"

He flashes a lopsided grin in reply, turning his eyes to the pasta before him. Poking them with his fork, he replies, "I thought about going for anonymity too for this question but it doesn't seem necessary. 'We' entails me and James. Now answer mine. What do you know about Oliver's assistant?"

The back-to-back questioning is getting quicker. I take a deep breath to remember what I know about Edward. Honestly, I thought about him too when we were gathering evidence. All the deeds about Oliver and Ryker kept popping up but Edward was nowhere. Not even a trace. It looked like Oliver and Ryker did all the things. But I remember that record I got from Oliver's office. Edward is definitely in it.

However, I don't think it will be a wise decision to share all the details of Edward with Ian. I'm still unsure if he is on my side or not. So, I choose my words carefully again. "Nothing much. Some basic stuff. He worked for Oliver for more than five years if I'm not wrong. Oliver was almost never seen without his assistant in public. The rumors said that his assistant was also his bodyguard. I'm sure you aren't asking for physical details about him, so I'm skipping that."

Let's not disclose my doubts about his involvement. But I remember another thing. "He resigned since Oliver was gone."

Again he listens with utmost attention. After I finish, he points out, "Oliver was almost never seen without his assistant in public, huh? The assistant wasn't present at the wedding by the way."

Now I'm intrigued. "Where are you going with it?"

Sensing my interest, he grins. "Is that your next question?"

"Well, no." Rubbing a hand over my face, I move on to the actual next question because it's more important. Also, it might have the answer to the previous one and more. "You said that you need me. For what?"

"Well, that's actually a big answer." He thinks for a second before continuing. "Long story short, the whole situation is much more complex than either of us can guess. I fear that Oliver and Ryker getting caught is just the beginning."

Well, actually I have guessed something similar. Still, when Ian says it out loud, I feel a shiver running down my spine. Something big is going on which I have little to no idea about.

"I'm not sure I'm understanding what you mean," I say it randomly hoping that he will give me a little bit more idea about what's going on. That is if even he has the idea.

It seems like he has it. "I didn't want to go into details solely because it's kinda exhausting. But James specifically told me to inform you about it. So, we will do it. Now tell me how much you know about Felix and Ryker's parents. Or more specifically about their past."

Now I definitely feel more confused. However, I try to remember. "Well, Ryker told me a bit. If I'm remembering correctly, they changed their whole identity and started a new life when they had........ his older brother, came here, got married and all. Before that, they did some sketchy stuff. It was messy, I guess, and they kinda flee from it? I'm not sure about this part. Neither of them told me about it either."

I'm avoiding his name and I hope Ian doesn't notice it. He takes the last spoonful of pasta before leaving the fork with a 'clink' and leaning back on his seat. "You are partly right. They were into, you know, gangs and mobs? That kinda stuff. They didn't move away when they had Felix. They moved after something big happened with the......... businesses they were involved in. They finished everything and moved into a different place, changed identity and all that. This is the shorter version of the whole thing. The details are so broad that even we don't know lots of it."

I get it but I still don't understand how this is involved with the Oliver-Ryker case. "What does this have to do with-"

"With the Oliver-Ryker thing," he finishes my sentence before continuing with the answer. "Because it seems the gang stuff is involved here. As I said Felix's parents finished it. But I think someone is trying to start it again. And Oliver's former assistant, Edward is the clue here."

What the fuck?

That definitely doesn't sound good. It feels illegal and sketchy. How am I even getting involved in it?

"I don't exactly know what 'it' means. But more importantly, why do you think I will agree to help you knowing that helping you possibly means getting involved in all these shady businesses?" I ask the genuine question.

He looks satisfied after I ask, well, almost happy. Leaning forward with interest, he states, "Because if our assumption is true, your Felix might be in trouble. Maybe not now or at this moment but in the near future."

Oh my God! What the hell?

I jerk up in response, my instincts kicking in with alarm. I'm about to get up and rush out of the door when I realize Ian might be playing with me. Keeping my feet planted to the ground so I don't actually rush out of here, I say, as nonchalantly as I can, "That's............ none of my business anymore."

Ian, however, completely ignores me. He acts as if he has just remembered something. "Oh, speaking of him, he is leaving in......" He trails off, briefly looking down at his watch. "In half an hour."

My heartbeat skyrockets. What is he talking about? I didn't hear anything about leaving on his part. Leaving what exactly?

I realize that I've said it out loud when Ian gasps dramatically. "Oh, sorry, you didn't know? He is leaving the country in half an hour, back to his place. Probably for another decade or something."

No way in hell is he doing that!

Without wasting another second, I get up and rush out of the restaurant to catch him before he leaves. I should have done that earlier. Will I get to him in time? I don't know. But the idea of not seeing him forever is kicking in so hard all of a sudden. And I can't bear the thought of it. Anyhow, I need to meet him before he is gone forever.

Ian's voice follows me as I rush out of the door. "Guess this is the end of the meeting."