Twenty-Four - Your own enemy

WASHINGTON D.C.

Simon Bennett sighed after he finished reading the latest report. It was about the latest security breached on an Alderige lab in the capitol. The company was a generous supporter to the government so the matter was considered top priority. Again, with much insistent from the Vice President. Bennett was very exhausted with this family alone. Nathalia Alderige's burial tragedy was ordered a full stop without any further explanation from their superior. Like the Davis murder, questions will have to remain unanswered. In the rise of these incidents, the Davis murder was surprisingly reopened. They are all running in circle. It was harder for him as the new lead to this case pointed to one of his former subordinate, Romeo St. James Alderige. According to the new leads, the party where senator Davis attended was hosted by Nathalia Alderige. The huge irony made Bennett laughed. Romeo was eager to pin down Aberdeen. Now, he has to defend her, given his new allegiance.

After fixing his crooked tie, Bennett walked to Richard Nelson. Another bitter irony. Nelson chuckled in amusement when he finished reading his new case. "You got to be kidding me!"

"He became the very person he swore to destroy. I know. Sounds like Anakin." Bennett snickered and left the problematic agent.

Nelson massaged his temple. He reviewed their old case, and he gave another playful laugh. He will be investigating his former partner. "You son of a bitch!"

There are new information added. Senator Chantel Davis was the puppet of Nathalia Alderige to the government aside from the other people that were strategically positioned in the hill. One of the attendee of the party described the scene between the two women as rather hostile than civil. The late senator had information that was lethal to the Alderige. They believed Davis was murdered for that reason.

Nelson quivered in fear as he read the list of accomplice to the murder. Viktor Samira, chairman of Samira Imperium Oil Company, Sonia Astor, CEO and President of the Astor Holdings, Magnus De Lutherbergh, CEO and President of De Lutherbergh Shipping Lines, Atty. Augustus Hawthorne II, grandson of the senior partner of Hawthorne and Co. Law Firm, Iñigo Constantine, chairman of Constantine Bank of France, and lastly, Romeo and Aberdeen Alderige, heirs to the multinational Alderige Corporation.

He blown a laborious breath of air. No one can comprehend his frustration. The entire high society will be on his watch. One wrong move and he, his family or anyone dares to support any possible wrong implication will be erased from history. The strongest lead was Aberdeen. In no time, Richard Nelson will be having a reunion with his former partner.

***

PARIS, FRANCE

Luthor woke up to an unfamiliar room. The coziness of his surroundings made him nauseous. He never knew such ambiance existed. A sense of contentment. Feels like home. A strike of pain drilled his head. He groaned in agony. Stubborn as he is, he forced himself to get out of the floral bedsheets. Disgusted to the feminine outlines.

He gasped in exasperation when he noticed his clothes were changed. Another strike of headache hit him. Floral pajamas. The pain subsided after he softly massaged his temple.

"How marvelous!" He glared at his pink bunny indoor slippers. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"

The door opened widely. A beautiful woman entered the room with a concern look. She immediately assisted him but he shoved her away. "I have a headache not a heart attack. Don't be dramatic. Who are you?"

The woman chuckled and clicked her tongue. Surprised to receive ungrateful attitude from someone who she aided for several days. She rolled her eyes.

"I believe I asked you a question, miss." He firmly reminded. Eyebrows huddled in irritation.

The woman gave a sarcastic curtsy, "My name is Hazel, my lord."

"I am not a lord nor would I want any courtesy. Now, where am I? Lucien?" He inquired impatiently.

Hazel ignored the attitude. Luthor was an exact opposite of his noble cousin. It's clear now who had a very warm upbringing.

"Lucien? The man you were with?" She clarified.

"My memory tells me that I was accompanied by one person when we reached this house then clearly it's the same person I am inquiring to you," Luthor strictly stated and started strolling inside the room. He glared again to the bed. "You have an impeccable choice of mattress."

"Oh, I'm very sorry for clarifying, sir." Hazel breathed hard. Trying not to smack the head of the gorgeous Spanish man in front of him. "I apologize if our accommodation did not meet your expectations."

Luthor shot the woman his unimpressed look. He grimaced at the sight of his footwear. "Do you have anymore of these other than bunnies?"

"Breakfast is served, monsieur," She left him, whispering to herself, "Ungrateful privilege folk."

"I did not dismiss you yet. Hey!" Luthor protested, following her to the small corridor of the house. "Goodness! Why are the walls so close to each other?"

Hazel laugh at his dilemma and went straight to the kitchen leaving the puzzled man behind. Complaining to the complexity of their small house. Luthor started peeking to every room and hallway he found. Starting to lose his patience. He found the kitchen after he got lost to the back porch. He stomped his way inside. A noise echoed in the room when he accidentally hit the pile of steel cutlery on the kitchen island.

"Hesus, Maria, Jose! What's wrong with this house?" He scanned the room. Lucien was already sitting comfortably on the breakfast nook. Amused to his troubles. Luthor glared at him then to hazel, and to the unfamiliar lady. "I'm not going to pretend that I did not live in the slums but this house is a pandemonium! For a house with a small space, it sure does have a lot of rooms, hallways and doors! Not to mention the floral decorations."

Lucien held his laugh but the two ladies did not. Luthor stood agape to their reactions. "I'm sorry. I don't find my experience funny."

"You are clearly a Drax." The woman in her mid fifties cheerfully stated. "Come on, monsieur. Have some breakfast."

"You must be?"

"Leonor de Pacelli, monsieur." The woman even curtsy to him.

"Pleasure. Luthor Drax, madame." He responded with no hint of enthusiasm then sat across his personal body guard, Lucien.

"I know," Leonor replied and placed a plate of scrambled eggs on the table. "What exactly happened at Sinister Palace?"

Luthor picked up the fork and scoffed. "I don't think there's a Sinister Palace anymore."

"What happened? What about Felipe Acosta?" Leonor panicked. She even moved a bit closer to the table.

"You know the old man?" He placed back his fork on his plate. "I have no idea what happened to him. We got separated during the siege."

"Siege? Sinister Palace was attacked?" Hazel joined the conversation, bewildered to the news.

"Don Hector will be very furious!" Leonor spoke in a low but firm voice.

"Oh, bless his soul!" Luthor muttered and chewed the eggs. "This is oddly familiar. I think Acosta made some of these before."

"I taught him to cook." Leonor smiled but remained sad. "Poor Sinister Palace. That's where your father and his father before him grew up. It has a lot of memories."

"The Order took it back."

"Order? Why did you mess with them? Don Alexander made sure not to stray from their good side."