Chapter 42: Good News

Returning to the mansion late at night, only Fletcher was waiting for him as usual. It was only after a routine inquiry about Vilak's whereabouts and activities that evening that he was permitted to return to his bedroom.

Back in his bedroom, alone at last, Vilak felt no sense of relief. Perhaps he had already grown accustomed to the disguise; his performance throughout the day had been effortless and unforced, leaving him without any excessive tension or resulting fatigue.

Stripping off his clothes, Vilak planned his subsequent schedule while taking a shower in the bathroom.

There was no need to meet Colin during the day tomorrow. He only needed to see Diaz to check on the progress of his investigation. If a second round of screening still pointed to someone who might be Nord, Vilak would conduct a personal visit during the day; if not, Nord had likely met an unfortunate end...

As for the evening, the charity gala was merely a formality—he just needed to fulfill the spending quotas arranged by Carmine and Fletcher. It wouldn't take much time, nor was there any need to devise an elaborate plan.

The hot water cascaded from above, soothing his body.

"Hah..." Vilak only hoped that tomorrow, come what may, would bring good news.

...

Sunday, July 30th

Before the servant even came to wake him, Vilak had already washed and dressed. He had dreamt the previous night that Diaz knocked on his door in the middle of the night to tell him Nord was dead. After that dream, he had been unable to fall back asleep for the rest of the night.

As Vilak's last remaining best friend, Nord's fate—whether he was living or dead—tortured his soul. Dempsey's betrayal and death had already filled Vilak with immense guilt; if Nord were to die as well, even if he made a fortune and left Leezin, a vital piece of his heart would remain trapped here forever.

"Master Chris," the servant called out.

Vilak stepped forward and opened the door. "Let's go."

Bypassing the time usually spent on washing and dressing, Vilak was the first to arrive at the dining room. Ten minutes later, Carmine and his family trickled down one by one. The moment the family was gathered, the servants served breakfast.

After exchanging pleasantries with the family, Vilak began to eat.

"Any plans for today?" Carmine inquired about Vilak's schedule for the day while they ate.

Vilak could keep Fletcher in suspense, but he dared not play games before Carmine. He immediately answered regarding his plans for the evening: "I plan to attend a charity gala tonight and make a donation."

"Good." Carmine's eyes brightened, quite pleased with how Vilak intended to use the money. "But can you manage alone? You don't even have a female companion."

Vilak hadn't considered this issue. Attending formal galas typically required a partner, but fortunately, it wasn't mandatory. After weighing his options, he said, "It's a small-scale gathering, not all that formal. Just dropping by to show my face will be enough. I shouldn't need a companion."

"Very well, that's up to you. If you need anything, just let us or Fletcher know." Carmine pressed no further.

"Thank you, Father," Vilak smiled.

After breakfast, waiting until Carmine and the rest of the family had departed for their respective affairs, Vilak finally headed out, having Daniel drive him to the residence arranged by Colin for Diaz.

"I'm going to visit a friend. Wait in the car." Vilak patted Daniel on the shoulder, got out, and surveyed the street. It was relatively secluded, making it a decent living area for Diaz.

Entering the apartment building on the side of the street, Vilak found Diaz's room and knocked, saying, "Diaz, it's me."

The soundproofing of the building was terrible. Just as Vilak finished speaking, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from inside. The door swung open immediately, and Diaz—dressed in a white shirt and black trousers—invited him in. "Good morning, Mr. Chris. Please come in."

"Good morning." Vilak stepped inside, casually remarking on Diaz's attire, "You seem rather fond of simple black-and-white combinations, especially white shirts."

"Is it inappropriate? I'm sorry, Mr. Chris, I didn't pay much attention to my clothes," Diaz apologized hurriedly, fearing his dress might seem discourteous to Chris.

"Not at all. I was just making conversation. There's no need to be so nervous." Vilak surveyed the room. It was small; one side of the living room led to a bedroom and bathroom, while the other led to a kitchen and balcony. He walked over to the sofa and sat down. "How did it go?"

"Yesterday, I tested the twenty-four suspects according to your instructions. One of them indeed had a very strange expression upon hearing what you told me to say, and even grabbed my clothes, demanding to know where a person named 'Vilak' was," Diaz reported his results.

Hearing this, Vilak felt a mix of joy and shock.

To be able to call out his real name—it had to be Nord. Nord was still alive!

"Did anyone see the two of you scuffling?" Vilak suppressed his joy to ask the most crucial question first, worried that Nord's questioning might alert the watchers.

"He was the last person on my list. It was already the middle of the night when I found him, and there was no one else around. Although he was very excited when he questioned me, he kept his voice down. When I broke free and ran away, he didn't follow," Diaz recalled the details.

Vilak breathed a sigh of relief, though he was somewhat puzzled as to why Nord hadn't followed. Since no one was around, given Nord's temperament, he should have clung to Diaz to demand answers, yet he hadn't done so.

That left only two possibilities: either someone was still secretly monitoring him, or for some reason, Nord was unable to leave his room.

However, in Vilak's eyes, these were minor details. Learning that Nord was still alive, and that he had grown enough to lower his voice and avoid drawing attention while asking questions, filled him with genuine happiness.

"Where is this person?" Vilak asked, feigning casualness.

"He lives in Room 7 on the fourth floor of the Rovid Hotel in the North District." Diaz remembered it clearly.

Knowing Nord was still alive set Vilak's mind at ease. Because people from the Thomas family were still holding Nord under house arrest at the hotel, it was inconvenient for Vilak to visit him personally, so he had to instruct Diaz: "That person is a very important friend of mine, but someone is holding him under house arrest. I cannot go see him, nor can I explain anything to him. I need you to do something for me next: move into the Rovid Hotel, draw no attention to yourself, and protect him in secret."

Diaz had nothing pressing to do at the moment, so being assigned to protect Nord was a sound choice.

Without prying into the underlying reasons, Diaz only voiced a slight concern: "Don't you still need me to help you handle business?"

"Put the business on hold for now. But if Colin asks you about it, just tell him you've been working on it continuously, and if he wants specifics, he can come ask me directly," Vilak instructed.

"Understood." Diaz moved quickly, immediately beginning to pack his things. "I'll set off right now."

"Good." Vilak also stood up. "Also, remember that these matters are strictly confidential—only you and I know about them. You must never let Colin or anyone else find out."