Chapter 111: Is This The End?
Though Brianna had been preparing herself to leave Scott once Sol returned, she had not expected it to happen so fast.
Is this the end? Brianna thought. Am I to leave Scott now?
“Ha. Do you want to be with Scott for longer? If you do, then do as I say.” Chris smiled.
Brianna thought it over and said, “Where should I meet you?”
“If I remember correctly, you’ve once said that you would cook for me to thank me. Why don’t you come to my house in Green Valley Ranch?”
Brianna hesitated for a while.
“Alright.” She agreed. He seemed to show up whenever I needed help, and now he’s got me to do what he wants. But what does he really want? To use me to harm Scott? But if he has found Sol, he can use her as bait instead. She’s the one that Scott really loves, not me. She wondered and hurried downstairs.
Jeff, the bodyguard Brianna chose the other day, came to meet her. “Are you going out, Mrs. Anderson?”
“Right.”
“Does Mr. Anderson know?”
Brianna was going to meet Chris, and it was for the reason that he had found Sol. Surely, Brianna couldn’t let Scott know. She said, as casually as she could, “I’m just going out to see a friend.”
“I’m afraid that I can’t let you leave the house without Mr. Anderson’s permission.”
“Jeff, are you a jailer or my bodyguard?”
“I’m responsible for your safety, Mrs. Anderson. Please understand.”
Reluctantly, Brianna gave Scott a call saying that she had some errands to run and needed to go out. Scott happened to be in an important conference and muttered a quick yes and hung up.
Jeff drove her to the location Brianna showed him. The Green Valley Ranch was one of the best areas in Las Vegas, and Chris’ house was once surrounded by trees and gardens. It was pretty much a castle.
Brianna wondered how many houses he had and how much it would cost. What does he want from me, someone as rich and powerful as him?! Is it just for business that he wants to harm Scott? Or is there some secretive personal reason?
As soon as Jeff saw the fancy house they had arrived at, he sensed that something wasn’t right. He took out his phone and was about to inform Scott, however, two bodyguards came behind him suddenly, snatched his phone, and knocked him out. “Good day, Mrs. Brianna Anderson. We shall take care of your bodyguard while you meet Mr. Butler. He’s waiting for you in the living room.”
Brianna nodded. “Alright. Please don’t hurt him.”This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“We won’t.”
It was the same style of décor as the mysterious house that Brianna had been to before. As Brianna walked in, she saw Chris seated on the sofa listening to some mantra singing. He had his eyes closed and a content smile on.
“May I use the kitchen please, Mr. Butler?” Brianna walked up to him and asked directly.
Chris opened his eyes and pointed to the right. “Over there.”
“What do you fancy?”
“Surprise me.”
“Alright.”
“Oh, I’ve heard that you are an artistic chef. I would love to see some of your artwork.” Chris added.
“Sure.”
Brianna went into the kitchen, had a look at the ingredients in the fridge, and decided to make something Greek, tzatziki, a garlic-flavored cucumber dip, with pita bread as a starter, moussaka as a main dish, with a classic white bean soup, fasolatha, and a custard-filled phyllo pie as dessert. It was rather time-consuming, but as usual, Brianna enjoyed cooking and found it rather meditative.
When she suddenly looked up to see Chris standing by the door, watching her quietly, she was startled. “You gave me a fright!” She exclaimed.
“Am I that frightening?” Chris smiled.
“Well, you are more mysterious than frightening.”
“I’m not mysterious. I just don’t want too much attention from people. I don’t want many to know me or know about me.”
“Why?”
“Because I belong to Coraline only.” His smile grew to a playful grin, yet there was a hint of sadness in it.
“Hmm,” Brianna responded with a smile. “But you are someone of great success and wealth, possibly as successful as Scott, if not more. How is it possible that you don’t get attention from people?”
“I have people work for me and manage the business.”
“I see.”
“I look forward to our lunch,” Chris said rather cheerfully and walked out of the kitchen.
As Brianna brought out the food, Chris was very impressed. He nodded approval. “Can you cook Asian food as well? Chinese?”
“Yes, but I’m not very good at it.”
“Would you like to cook for me again?”
“Mr. Butler, I’ve only promised to cook for you once to thank you. Just once.”
“What if I can help postpone Sol Keaton’s return?”
“Huh? Where is she?”
“Not in the States yet. You have the chance to decide when I allow her to come back to Las Vegas.” Chris said, watching her closely.
“When did you find her?”
“A few days ago.”
If Brianna was to be selfish, she did hope that she could be with Scott longer, however, she was thinking sensibly, and she knew she should try to get as much information as she could about Sol and what Chris wanted to do, so she could inform Scott.
Chris enjoyed lunch very much, but Brianna didn’t have an appetite at all. After lunch, Chris took Brianna to the garden and sat outside for tea and sweets.
They chatted casually, and about half an hour later, Brianna realized that she wasn’t getting much information from Chris and decided that she’d better leave. “Mr. Butler, I’ve been here for a few hours now, and I should leave soon.”
“You are in a hurry to go back to him, aren’t you?”
“He’s my husband.”
Chris smiled. “Not for long, Brianna, not for long.”
“Mr. Butler, what do you really want? What do you want from Sol Keaton and me?”
“To defeat him and take over Las Vegas, of course.”
“Just as simple as that?”
“Simple? Do you think it’s simple to destroy The Anderson Corporation? Ha.”
So he does want to destroy The Anderson Corporation to defeat Scott. Brianna thought.