Chapter 459: Vulnerable and desperate

"I don't know," Maggie replied, her face turning red in awkwardness. She scratched her head, narrowing her eyes in regret. "I could not find out why they had not informed about Tim to Jared. You will have to interrogate them thoroughly." 

Noah nodded at her, trusting her words. He knew Maggie was not lying and that there was no reason for her to do. She was working for the Intelligence, trying to trap Jared and his men, risking her life and her job. Why would she lie to him about such a trivial matter?

"Please check their phones. One of them must have sent messages to Jared." Maggie stated, giving the proof of her words, and immediately, Ronnie got to work retrieving the three mobiles. Just as the girl had stated, not one but all three men had sent messages to Jared, and they had informed him about Tim. Also, they had conveyed about the meeting that was taking place at Noah's mansion.

By now, Noah's fury had reached its peak, and he wanted to kill all the bastards who were working for Jared. 'Jared has the gall to send spies to my turf, to my base. How dare he?' He seethed, gritting his teeth. 

"This was one of the reasons why Aria had not told you about themselves as well as me. If you recognize one of the men here," Maggie pointed at the dead man who lay right beside Ronnie. "He was guarding Aria in secret, and you would know by now what would have happened if Jared were to know about her and my association with her."

Noah glared at the dead man, recalling that it was he who had commanded him to guard Aria in secret. 'What if something were to happen to her?' Just the mere thought of it made him shiver, and he got up from his chair, the beast inside him craving for blood. He was ready to hunt down Jared for even thinking of targeting his woman, his love, his life.

His sudden action startled everyone, even Oliver who was listening to Maggie. He had never seen the young man this incensed and domineering, and for the first time, Oliver realized why Noah was well respected by his men. His aura was no joke, for even he was intimidated by him.

"Since Joshua does not have any guards guarding him closely, there are no spies around him. Moreover, he is not Jared's target. You, Noah, are his target." Maggie continued, stunning everyone in the hall including Ivy, who had no idea about these things. "I have every record of his crime. I will hand it over to you once this meeting ends."

"But Maggie," Ivy pulled her hand, gaining everyone's attention on her. "Why aren't you handing over the proofs to the Intelligence? They will take care of everything, right?"

Maggie shook her head with a helpless smile. "Ivy, do you think Frederick Clarke is the only corrupt officer in our Intelligence?" Nobody needed further reasons, for they had understood what the girl was conveying. Another person was hiding in the Intelligence, and he worked for Jared.

"Who is it?" Ivy blurted out even before she could stop herself.

"I am not sure who he is. I will reveal it once I find out, though I do have a hunch." Maggie answered, remembering the man who had worked with her closely. 

Ivy did not probe into this further, deciding to drop the topic for now. "Ronnie, get the hall cleaned. We will start the meeting after half an hour." Noah instructed, and before leaving the hall, he gestured Maggie to follow him.

While Ronnie dealt with the dead bodies, his men helping him, Maggie followed Noah to one of the rooms beside the living room. "Close the door after you please." Noah requested hearing her enter, and Maggie did as she was told. Since she could not see his face, she did not what his expression and mood were. However, she was sure that they were anything but pleasant.

"Maggie," Noah turned back, his face impassive and cold. "Please tell me if there is any other danger to Aria or Ivy's life. I want to make sure they are safe and secure. Please." He almost begged, and Maggie was touched by the sincerity in him. He was deeply and madly in love with Aria, and she could see it in his eyes. And, he considered her family like his, trying to protect them from all the dangers they were subjected to.

Suddenly, the man who was the emperor of the business world and the king of the underworld seemed vulnerable and desperate to Maggie. He was just like a normal man who wanted to protect his family and ensure they had a good sleep at the end of the day.

Maggie smiled, seeing his concerned face, genuinely happy for her friends for finding such amazing men. "Noah, don't worry. Aria already knows about the spies, though she did not know who they were. She had been careful around them, and I assure you there is nobody else in the team of guards protecting her."

"Are you sure, Maggie? I do not want to risk her life. Please be honest."

"I can do a background check on your men again to find the spies. But I am sure I have found all of them. I will give you the list later so that you can deal with the remaining men." Maggie assured him softly, and Noah's face relaxed, a relieved smile landing on his lips.

"Thank you, Maggie. Thank you for being with Aria and Ivy. Thank you for protecting them." His words stunned Maggie briefly, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. Seeing her dubious expression, Noah sighed, deciding to come clean before her. "My men informed me about the guards that were keeping an eye on them. I know it was you who sent them."

"How?" That was all Maggie could say, for she was too dumbfounded to form any coherent words. 'How did he find out? My men were well trained, and they had been careful enough to stay well hidden from Noah's men.'

"Let's just say I have someone who can detect senses as well as people who are keeping an eye on us," Noah stated with a shrug, recalling Ronnie's unique but formidable ability. "I think we should go back. Everyone must be waiting for us."

Noah padded towards the door but stopped when he noticed Maggie rooted to her place. "Is something the matter, Maggie? Do you have anything else to say?"

"Noah, umm, I have a lot of things to tell you. But there is something important you must know first. It is about your mentor, Theo."

"What do you know about Theo?" Noah's relaxed expression stiffened once again, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously, his beast losing control again.

Maggie bit her lips, not knowing how to reveal the truth to him. But she had to, and she had to do it now. Seeing her hesitate, Noah almost lost control, and he yelled at her. "Maggie, tell me everything you know."

Noah's intimidating gaze flustered the girl, and she blurted out before she could even comprehend. "Theo was killed by Charles. It was he who had shot the bullet to his head."