The Rebirth of a Scorned Heiress

The lively rhythm of the club’s music resounded through the air as Frederick leaned in towards the man sitting beside him, his voice barely audible over the deafening beat.

“How was the investigation? Any response yet?” he asked, his eyes briefly flicking towards his companion before settling back on the mesmerising dancer on stage, twirling seductively around the pole at the centre of the stage. He took a slow sip of his wine, fingers toying with the stem of the glass as he continued following the dancer’s every movement.

“I’m afraid we found nothing. I already told you it was an impossible task without a name or any mode of identification.” Devon, his companion, and one of his few friends replied casually with a grin while he played with the woman on his arm.

Frederick frowned at his response; this was the third person who had told him the same thing that very day.

As promised, he had started looking into the identity of the hacker or programmer working with Mark on his newest projects. To get a quicker and more accurate response, he gave the task to three different people, only for all three of them to come back with similar responses.

“Nothing about the hacker or programmer could be found.” The hacker he had employed with a lot of money had even told him such a person did not exist in their local circle, nor had he heard about them on the international board.

“You didn’t find anything about them? Not even a trace?” Frederick asked, trying to make sure he got it right. Noting his friend’s change in mood, Devon sighed and pushed the hostess away.

“I know how important this is to you, and I don’t have any reasons to lie to you. Why don’t you try getting a name or their codename, and then we can try again?” he suggested calmly, and Frederick heaved a heavy sigh in frustration.

“That bastard is protecting their identity like a rare trait, and I could not find anything; even the spy I placed in his team knows nothing about the programmer or where they got him from,” he complained heavily.

“Why are you talking like an amateur? You sound like a naive little young master who hasn’t seen the world!” Devon teased, earning him a glare from Frederick.

A mischievous glint flashed in Devon’s eyes as he smirked at his friend’s frustration. “Don’t you know there’s more than one way to skin a cat?” He asked slyly, leaning in closer to keep their conversation private amidst the chaos of the club.

Frederick raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Devon’s tone. “What do you have in mind? Come on, you can’t keep watching me get pushed down by the favourite bastard,” he urged impatiently.

Devon’s grin widened as he snapped his fingers, signalling the return of the hostess he had pushed away earlier.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close, a stark contrast to Frederick’s brooding demeanour. “Why not send a beautiful woman to seduce him and get the information you need? He is a man, and what man does not fall under the spell of beauty?”

Frederick’s eyes widened at the plan, and he chuckled at the outrageous idea, his mood lifting slightly. “As absurd as that sounds, it might just work. I’m not entirely sure it will, since I’ve never seen him with a woman before. But it’s worth the shot. Do you have someone trustworthy among your girls?” Frederick asked, already imagining how good his life would be if the plan succeeded.

The thought that the programmer might not agree to work with him never crossed his mind. After all, there was nothing that money could not solve.

Devon’s gaze shifted to the woman in his arms, his grip on her waist tightening suggestively. “I’m sure my lovely angel here would be more than happy to oblige. Wouldn’t you, sweetheart?” He winked seductively, making the hostess giggle as she batted her lashes at him.

The hostess, seemingly used to Devon’s whims, simply nodded, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “I’m always up for a little adventure, young master Devon. As long as it involves good pay,” she purred, her eyes darting between the two men.

It wasn’t the first time she had been asked to do such a task, and after mingling with these scheming aristocrats for a long time, it became the norm for people like her to make money doing their dirty work.

Frederick, still uncertain about the plan, looked at the woman with scepticism. “Are you sure you’re up for this? Mark’s not a fool, and I need that information; it’s really important, and you should know you can never be caught, and if you do get caught, we can’t afford to have it traced back to me,” he warned.

She stepped away from Devon, squaring her shoulders as she met Frederick’s gaze head-on. “I assure you, I can be quite persuasive when I need to be. No man has ever not fallen for my charm and grace,” she assured with a flirty smile.

Frederick nodded, his eyes raking all over a woman’s body to see if it met the standard of the supposed richest bachelor in the country. Finally, he sighed, a resigned smile forming on his face. “Alright, we’ll give it a shot. But you have to remember, I don’t want Mark to catch wind of our little dealings.”

Devon laughed, clapping Frederick on the back in triumph. “Leave it to her; she is not a novice, Frederick. You won’t regret it. Trust me, alright?”

***

Mark walked into the large hall with a practised, stoic expression. With his hands buried in his pockets, his eyes scanned the lively atmosphere. Businessmen and women dressed extravagantly stood around in groups of two and three, mingling while making connections for their businesses.

Mark let out a groan, wanting to be anywhere but in such a place full of daggers hidden behind smiles, but his responsibility as the president of the most prestigious tech company would not allow him the chance to avoid such occasions.

He walked deeper into the hall and towards his father and grandfather, who had organised the dinner party. As a waiter passed in front of him, he helped himself to a glass of wine before proceeding. “I thought you would not be able to make it here tonight,” Chairman Watson voiced after receiving Mark’s greetings.

“You sent the invite yourself; how could I not be in attendance? How have you been lately?” Mark asked, and the old man glared at him playfully. “If you were truly worried about my well-being, you wouldn’t always wait until a general gathering to ask about it, you ungrateful child,” he countered, and Mark smiled.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“That’s because I know you are still so fit you could fight in a war again,” he replied, earning a chuckle from his father. “Even then, you should still check up on your grandfather often.”

“Fine, I will. Not that any week goes by without him calling me anyway. Why the sudden dinner party, though? Is there any occasion I forgot about?” Mark asked curiously.

“My children and grandchildren are way too busy to have my time; why can’t I organise a party to entertain myself?” Chairman Watson was questioned with a huff.

As the three were discussing amongst themselves, Frederick, his father, and a beautiful lady dressed elegantly in an expensive-looking cream-coloured dress that matched her skin tone walked up to them. “Good evening, Chairman Watson,” the lady greeted politely as she curtsied towards the older man.

Chairman Watson hummed, his eyes squinting as he gave the woman a once-over. “It’s been so long, so you might not remember her, but this is Fiona; she’s grown up alongside Frederick and Mark. I’m sure you remember her, don’t you?” Ethan asked as he turned to Mark, whose eyes were glued to the lady.

Seeing him look at her, Fiona blushed and turned away timidly. “Hello, Young Master Mark. It’s been a while.” she greeted and Mark hummed, finally taking his eyes off her.

Somehow, seeing her reminded him of Sinful.

With a shake of his head, he bowed curtly towards her, “It’s good to see you again Miss Fiona. When did you return to the country?” He asked politely, but the dullness in his tone could be felt by those closest to him.

Chairman Watson sighed heavily, Mark’s relationship has always been a major concern to him and one of the main reasons he always organised these parties every once in a while was to help his grandson look for a suitable partner.

“It wasn’t so bad. But being home is the best. You should know better. I miss home and decided to come settle here,” she replied calmly.

“Why don’t we leave the kids to talk? They probably have a lot to catch up on,” Ethan suggested and the older men readily agreed. However, before they could excuse themselves, Mark’s phone went off.

“It was nice seeing you again Miss Fiona and please enjoy the party,” he bowed and left.

As he picked up the call, his assistant’s voice echoed through the phone, “We got an appointment for next Tuesday but she wants you to be there in person,” he reported.

“And is my schedule clear for Tuesday?” Mark asked curiously, he felt like he had an important meeting scheduled but he could not remember the details.

“You have a meeting with Sinful on Tuesday for Lunch,” Ted reported and Mark frowned. “Council the appointment with the federal representative, we can’t afford to miss the meeting with Sinful,” He instructed coldly.

“But…”

“There are no buts. If the appointments are going to clash cancel the less important ones,”

“And you think bagging a deal with the federal government is the less important one?” Ted asked in exasperation. He understood Mark’s reaction to Sinful but putting the two together, Sinful was definitely the less important one in his opinion.

“The person I’m scheduled to meet is not in charge of the tech project. She’s just one of the senator’s people. Meeting her will change nothing. You can cancel if it can’t be rescheduled,”