Accomplice(3)

A series of taps on Zaria's desk woke her up just as she was about to drift to sleep. She didn't know how long she had worked for, but when she was done, she couldn't hold it anymore and slumped onto her desk.

She woke up groggily, rubbed her eyes, and then looked up. Desmond was standing before her.

"Sir, is there anything else I need to do?" She asked, then suddenly realized that he was wearing a different set of clothes. It was morning!

The man frowned at her swollen eyes that were as red as a rabbit's. Her hair was in a mess as some of its strands stuck on her face.

When her mind finally cleared, she had the urge to find a hole to hide in. This was probably the most humiliating condition Desmond had seen her in. It was even more embarrassing than when he kicked her out of his house.

Still, she cleared her throat and brushed her fingers through her hair, then straightened her back and looked straight at him. "Good morning, sir."

"What's so good about it? I have a meeting with an important client at 9!"

She checked the time and found that it was 8:12 am. Recalling that the said client was Ava Sparks, she realized that it was indeed an important meeting. "I will get everything ready in time."

Although she promised that, he looked irritated. "Are you going to meet my partners looking like this? They might mistake you for a ghost!"

Her lips twitched. "Whose fault is that?"

He scoffed as he looked down at her. "Don't blame anyone for your incompetence. Go change your clothes or something."

He left her office, and if he had heard it right, she let out the breath she was holding when he left. Was she acting repulsed?

Not wanting to waste his time, he settled down and resumed the investigation that had made him stay up late the night before.

He had managed to retrieve her schedule for the past six months and compared it to Jaime's. When he checked all the places they had been to during this period, he was surprised that not only had they never crossed paths, they had never contacted each other either.

But if this was the case, when did she meet Jaime? Could it be that they discussed it through a third party? That didn't seem right either. Jaime was too wary to make a deal through a third party.

Thinking about it was on the verge of driving him insane. Sighing, he downloaded a file that had been sent to him by a private investigator he had talked to the previous night. It was everything about Zaria. His index finger hovered over the right button of his mouse. Should he open it?

It was not a question of whether or not he would get the answers he was looking for. He knew that he would know everything about Zaria as soon as he opened the document. However, it might include some secrets that she didn't want anyone to know. He didn't know why the hell that mattered, but he was yet to make up his mind when the door opened.

"I forwarded your emails. Your second meeting with Mr. Bryce is today." She reported in one breath as though she couldn't wait to leave his office.

When he looked up to study her, his gaze darkened. She no longer looked as angry as she looked the previous day, nor was she glaring at him accusingly. Instead, she looked sad and tired.

She had worked all night. Of course, she would be tired. Even so, it did not affect her efficiency. It was as though she was forcing herself to complete her work like a robot.

"Zaria." His lips parted before he could stop himself.

She turned and glanced at him. "Is there something else, sir?"

He studied her for a few seconds, and before he could say anything else, he reminded himself that she was a suspect of a major crime. Why would he be friendly to her?

He ended up giving a random instruction. "Bring me the documents for the meeting with Ava."

She nodded and left. Luckily, Ava Sparks was coming over to Preston and Fort Group. That would give her a few extra minutes to get into the right mood.

Just as she left his office, she bumped into Liam, who had just left the elevator.

She didn't want to appear to pass off as rude, so she politely greeted him and continued walking her way.