I Am The Queen

Asher inwardly cursed. See! His true self is finally showing!

"What are you talking about?" Asher pretended, still not looking at the demon sitting beside him. He would rather look and sat beside a true demon than with his older brother who hid his wicked intentions behind that saintly disguise.

Alvaro"s tone didn"t change. His face remained smiling yet beneath his eyes held lethality with unknown depths, promising endless punishment. "Hm?"

Asher was drenching in cold sweat by now. "I told you I don"t know what you"re talking about."

"Hmm...?"

Asher clicked his tongue and closed his eyes tight. His hand brusquely brushed his hair in surrender. "I didn"t find anything useful. All the people link to that woman didn"t have anything useful to say except for one that said she and her brother had suddenly disappeared when she was sixteen and came back after six months. But he didn"t know where they went. When her brother"s wife was pregnant they moved out and was never seen again. I think they moved to a province or something. It was just like the last years" we investigated. There is no new information. I don"t know how long the investigation team can track down the places they went. It"s been years after all."

"Hmm….?"

The more Asher tried to explain, the more threatening the tone of his older brother while the latter"s arm continued to extend his way.

"….."

"….."

Asher could only sigh in exasperation as he grabbed his bag and brought out a file and gave it to his brother unwillingly.

Alvaro opened the file and scanned its contents.

"You have found one of the men that is linked to that woman," Álvaro muttered after a while, his eyes stayed glued on the files.

Asher looked at the scenery outside yet his mind was elsewhere while he unenthusiastically answered. "Yeah. My sources said that he was in Apricot and since my mission coincides with the family, I went to Apricot. But that guy is also clean like the rest."

"….."

"….."

Asher clicked his tongue while he shut his eyes and scratched his head forcefully. "Agh! We have been investigating this for years, yet there is still no lead whatsoever! All the people linked to that wh.o.r.e are either rich married men or disgusting b.a.s.t.a.r.ds in the alley and all of them, if not dead, were clean."

Asher paused, then sighed. "It"s either Aunt Emerald really died due to complications or that those people are excellent in erasing their dirt."

"I don"t believe that they can hide their dirt for long. With it being so rotten, the smell would eventually come out."

Asher looked at Alvaro, frowning. "What do you—"

Snap!

Alvaro closed the file and gave it back to Asher. "Compile the files and give me a copy." Then he stared outside while his lips quirked upward in a smile which made people screaming in fear. "We have looked at this in a broader perspective that sometimes... we forgot… we have a lead that is very close to us."

Asher raised an eyebrow. Couldn"t comprehend his brother"s line of thinking. "Huh? What are you—"

Then his face darkened and abruptly grabbed Alvaro"s collar, forcing the man to face him.

"Don"t you ever involve Evangeline into this!!"

Álvaro was unfazed by his brother"s outburst. In fact, he was enjoying it.

Asher"s anger and irritation only set ablaze by his brother"s nonchalant att.i.tude and the grip of his arms against his brother"s collar tightened. "Evangeline already said she doesn"t know anything."

Álvaro"s smiling face gradually froze as it cracked, revealing a stern face emanating bone-deep chill. "And you believe her?"

Asher snapped and shouted without a second thought. "Of course! She"s my cousin! What reason does she have to help those people who killed her mother?!"

The gripped on his older brother"s collar tightened by the second as he brought his contorted face nearer to the man. "I"m warning you if something happens to Evangeline, even if you"re my brother, even if it"s a Cole, I"ll make you all pay."

"….."

"….."

Álvaro"s face broke out into soft chuckles, returning to its former gentlemanly façade like the devil draped in sharp freezing lethal halo was but an illusion.

His arm gripped Asher"s wrist that was gripping his collar. It might appear light on the surface, like a touch of a feather on a pillow, but Asher only knew how much force his older brother was gripping his wrist that it began to numb and quaked. He winced in pain like his bone was about to break while his strength gradually left him, releasing his older brother"s collar in the process.

And at the same time, Alvaro freed Asher"s wrist while the latter immediately crunched in pain, holding his injured limb.

Alvaro didn"t pay Asher any mind while he fixed his collar and suit. "Don"t forget, Evangeline is my precious little cousin too… It goes without saying… I won"t let anything happen to her."

----

The whole ride was smooth and quiet while the two men didn"t continue the topic anymore.

However, after a series of twist and turn, Álvaro let out a question.

"As I remember, this isn"t the way to Evangeline"s unit."

Asher furrowed his brows in irritation, yet he still answered while rubbing his injured wrist, not looking at his older brother. "I"m going to check something first."

In response, Alvaro"s head just leaned against his hand, elbow resting on the car"s window. "Hmm…."

While Asher could only smack his lips tightly to contain his annoyance. The truth was, he really wanted to go home to see Evangeline… but he had something bothering his mind.

I need to check out that place. It"s been a month since I last visited. Gotta keep everything under control so that Eva doesn"t have to do a thing.

Just have to get the report and check the place, and then I"ll be on my way to her. Reporting about that place always kept her in a good mood. Yep, no better present to make her happy than this.

While Asher was basking in the happiness of his bright idea, smirking and chuckling like an idiot, Álvaro just raised his brow and resumed looking at the scenery outside.

Two hours later, the car finally stopped.

Álvaro casually fixed his lapel and roamed his eyes all over the place.

They were in an area that was in the outskirt of the city of Blue River. A place that was known as agricultural lands. There were vast greeneries all over the place, forest, rivers, and mountains as well as Burberry"s famous farmlands, orchards, and ranches.

In front of him was a modern organic building with its flowing style, soft and curvy lines made of steel and gla.s.s reflecting the natures all around. Making it one together with the environment.

A pet shop?

Such an expensive and state of the art looking building was a pet shop?

Álvaro heard of it before and known of it, but this was the first time that he saw it up close and personal.

It was the only building that Evangeline ever erected. It was built two years ago, and only the Cole"s main line of the family knew that Evangeline was the owner of the establishment.

It"s a …. How do you put it… it"s not just a mall for pets... Accurately speaking… it is more like a paradise for animals?

Besides the extensive selections of animals" needs and accessories, there were also spas and grooming shops, restaurants, hospital, and hotel inside the building. They were also countless dogs and cats that were being sheltered inside as well as other animals that were injured and strayed.

However, it was more famous for its features. At the back of the building hid thousands of kilometers of vast Greenland"s complete with artificially made exercise equipment"s for pets, rivers, ponds, lake, gardens, forests, walking paths, arch wooden bridges, and the likes.

Besides from the celebrities and famous persona that frequented the place to have their pets pampered to the max, the most popular features were, the kids could spoil and play with the pets. And maybe at the end of the day, the family would adopt a pet home.

It was a top-rated attraction for families not just for pet lovers.

Álvaro thought that Evangeline could really splurge. Building an establishment that didn"t rake her any monetary returns. He wagered that most of his cousin"s money went in this establishment to operate to world cla.s.s level. Not to mention that she had to pay the staffs, specialists, maintenance and all the animals foods and all other things to continue its operation.

If not for the many facilities and shops and entrance fees inside, Evangeline might be broke in the future just to keep the building operating.

Alvaro didn"t care though. The Cole would invest all their resources to keep this place running just to make her happy, no questions asked. With their family"s resources, splurging with something like this wasn"t a big deal. Just the income of one of their many businesses was enough to keep this place operate for years to come.

After checking out the place, Álvaro followed Asher inside the structure where a tall, gorgeous lady clad in a formal shirt and skirt greeted them.

Then the two of them followed the lady all the way towards the private, restricted area.

But at this moment, a voice stopped them.

"Let go of me!"