To The Top

Butch was not in a hurry to inform Puck right away since the situation was quite delicate.

All that he could do in the present was to ask for the assistance of Tiffany.

The following days were spent spying on the boyfriend of Puck at different times of the day to collect information and to get a good understanding of his usual schedule.

It first started with him going to his usual job before returning home.

Everything seemed to be very normal on the surface almost like he was just an ordinary citizen that followed a peaceful life.

That was until he got home and made some suspicious phone calls with some people then headed out making some trips to the same meeting places he usually went to.

That was not all of his activities though since there was something else that stood out.

He met Puck a couple of times as they went on several dates but it seemed like the girls he was meeting were just her.

It seemed like he had been playing around with a couple of girls at the same time and he was quite skilled at playing with the hearts of such females.

Tiffany was doing her best to collect any information possible whether it was the locations he was travelling to or anything else.

There had been many times in the past when Tiffany got involved in the business of someone to manipulate things in her favour and Butch had played a role in that.

If it was not for her spying on some people then perhaps several women and men in high positions may have been cheated on and robbed of their vast fortune.

During those times, Butch or someone else was sent forth to provide extra support to allow the situation to be used to her advantage.

Butch had gained quite good instincts when it came to doing the kind of tasks that were expected of private investigators.

He followed the directions of Tiffany and headed to each location while setting himself up in a good position to take pictures that could be used as proof for such infidelity.

After getting them and getting the next stage completed using Butch or someone else to make a deal to help such people, there had been quite a lot of gains from it all.

Some came in the form of shares while others came in other forms that were just as valuable.

Butch was given clear directions as he kept tailing the boyfriend of Puck whenever he went out somewhere which ended up resulting in many different kinds of compromising photos.

What was most important of all of them was something else entirely.

After they left the meeting place, he managed to snap some shots of the person her boyfriend had been meeting.

After taking his time to collect as much information as possible, Butch could no longer leave things as they were.

It was no longer something that could be quietly handled.

Even if he tried to keep it quiet, someone would find out about it eventually.

The higher-ups would come to know everything which would create problems for him and Puck so he could not let it affect them.

The only option that he had was to go right to the top before proceeding forward any further.

If he came clean about it all early then it was a way to seek forgiveness for missing something like that and to provide some extra protection for Puck who was unaware of everything.

It was not about seeking credit for the results it produced but about protecting one of the people he cared for.

Max listened to the words of Butch while looking at the compiled report that was on his desk.

A deep look was sent toward Butch. "And you managed to uncover all of this in such a short time? How did you notice something like that?"

Butch decided to tell a small lie to protect Tiffany. "I was concerned about the changes my subordinate has been displaying so I looked into what she was doing. I found out that she was in a relationship so I thought to check out the guy to see if he could be a problem."

Max thought to himself. 'Although his explanation seems like he was looking out for a potential threat to the organization... the reason behind his actions does not seem to be that simple especially with a female involved.'

A smirk appeared on his face as he teased Butch. "You have done well to spot something like this but is this done to protect the organization and not just to protect your subordinate? Are you sure there are not any feelings of jealousy involved?"

The eyes of Butch widened upon hearing such a question. "Jealousy? What do you mean? How could I be jealous?"

Max rolled his eyes and then let out a laugh. "Two people of the opposite gender put into all kinds of situations together and overcoming death together many times. It is difficult for anyone put in those situations to not develop some closeness and other feelings too."

Even he was no stranger to such things since he had experienced the same when he was younger.

When tensions were high and he was forced into situations where adrenaline was high or bonds were forged through life-and-death battles, there was usually a time when feelings of lust or other forms of feelings could appear from those forged bonds.

Max had made his fair share of impulsive decisions in the heat of the moment and even the woman who gave birth to his children was one of those people so he already had enough experience to be able to guess that there could be something between Butch and Puck.

The main problem that existed was that Butch was probably too dense to realize his feelings.

It was not like Max would fault him for such behaviour since there were no rules about not having a relationship with those in the organization.

Butch answered as if denying everything. "It cannot be... I never thought that way. Really... I do care for her as a subordinate..."

Despite trying to deny everything with his words, there was a part of him that had already begun to question himself.

Some of the words that Max spoke had hit a nerve in some way.

Butch could not completely deny everything and doubts were already beginning to appear.

It was like someone had taken out a sledgehammer and started hammering away at his wall of ignorance causing cracks to appear before tiny gaps started to reveal what was hidden behind it.

Feelings that he never knew existed soon began to come through without warning leaving him feeling quite uncertain and confused.

Even when he tried to deny those feelings, it only made him think of Puck more. 'She is just like a sister.. a sister... she is family to me... right?'

Max watched Butch as he was undergoing various emotional struggles then sighed. "Well... whatever. It does not matter. What needs to be done now is for the problem to be dealt with. The boyfriend may seem like a big issue but I am more worried about who is directing him."