Dead end

A few minutes later, Liz and Will were both seated in a different cabin which was much more…normal.

There were two plush sofas facing each other, and the table in between was also much larger.

"That was probably my sister's doing. She loves to annoy me sometimes. This restaurant is one of her ideas which has seen great success here. There are two types of cabins: one for couples and one for those who are just looking to eat. The reservation I made was for the latter, but it was obviously changed. Anyway, apologies about that, and my sister will definitely be hearing from me. But right now, we have more important things to consider. The clue was all we needed; we've managed to uncover everything about Xander Sylvex's second family."

Hearing him say her name with such annoyance before, Liz had clearly understood that it was that woman's doing.

In fact, it had actually been funny to see the CEO's reaction, but Liz had held in the smile and the laughter after losing the blush that had come from seeing such an intimate scene.

However, she wondered whether Keren's only motive had been to annoy the CEO.

Resolving to ask her about it later, Liz nodded in response.

As for the matter of it being his 'second' family, she had already known about it as in the file she had about the man, it had been written clearly that he was married before he went to the US on that operation.

However, what the CEO said next made her raise her almost groan with frustration.

"Sadly, it seems to be a dead-end. There is a report of him leaving the harbor in the US with a wife and a kid, but the ship he was on sustained some sort of accident where half the passengers abroad were supposedly lost. His wife and kid were among those who drowned. Hence, Xander Sylvex came back alone."

Just when it seemed like they had gotten a break, it had turned out to be another dead-end.

Biting her lip, Liz thought for a bit before asking, "Could he have faked it somehow to protect them?"

"It's possible, but there is no proof whatsoever of that happening. Still, that's what I told the headquarters to inquire. But, for now, all signs point to the family being lost. We have to consider the possibility that this might not be it."

The CEO was someone who had been in this game for much, much longer than her, so Liz realized that he must have considered all the possibilities already.

Yet, Liz just couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something.

"I think all we need is a fresh perspective. What would you like to have? We can eat and discuss about the conversation you had with that man, and about all your thoughts regarding this situation."

Nodding, Liz got back into her professional mood while all the information she had read so far swirled through her mind.

Both of them ordered simple dishes, and the majority of the meal was spent talking about the Sylvex family and everything that Xander could want.

In this process, Liz found herself becoming more and more impressed by the sharp analytical mind of the CEO. Almost each and every possibility she brought up had already been considered by him, and countermeasures had already been put in place to address them.

Meanwhile, Will also found that Liz's mind was truly something to behold. Her intelligence was more in the sphere of out-of-the-box thinking and creativity, leading her to point out things that even he had missed.

In the end, both of them thoroughly enjoyed the lunch while also drawing up a very concise list of possibilities about what Xander might want.

Completely absorbed in their discussion, the two didn't realize that they had spent 2 hours in the restaurant.

KNOCK KNOCK

Thinking that it was the waiter. Will got up with a slightly annoyed look on his face.

Yet, the moment he opened the door, a frown came on his face as he remembered what had happened before.

However, before he could say anything, Keren, who was at the door, spoke.

"Brother, if you were going to spend so much time in the restaurant, you should have chosen the other room. There, you can stay for as long as you want. This one, though, needs to be vacated, but the waiters didn't want to disturb you. Would you like to shift now?"

....

At exactly 9:30 PM, Xander Sylvex walked into the same room as before, hoping that the CEO of Happle was truly as sharp as he was said to be.