Chapter 217 - Who is Edward Bayon?

Not wanting her sister to be all alone in such a dark period of her relationship, Alex called Jasper to check with him if she could bring Alex back to live with them for a few days. The CEO of Kiwi Cat didn't mind so the girls paid for the drinks, thanked the old lady and returned to Edward's apartment to pack what Scarlet needed for a sleepover.

Compared to what she had at her boyfriend's place, Scarlet barely had anything and Alex wondered if Jasper would mind if Scarlet simply brought everything over.

"No," Scarlet told her sister. "If I do that and Edward comes home to see that everything is gone, he would be worried. I'll just buy the toiletries that I need from a pharmacy near Jasper's apartment. I don't think I'd be there for long so I'll only pack two sets of clothes for now."

Alex looked unsure but she didn't stop Scarlet. While her sister packed her sleepover things, Alex decided to take a look around. Compared to Jasper's apartment, Edward's apartment was smaller but it seemed a lot more spacious. For starters, there was enough room to walk around without bumping into something at the doorway.

Scarlet was probably still crying in her room while packing but Alex didn't call her out on that. She knew that her sister needed some alone time. After hearing Scarlet's story, she could understand where her sister was coming from. To verify it, Alex went around looking for the listening bugs that Scarlet said she found and snapped a few photos, sending them to Claire to ask if the head maid planted them. Claire planted some listening bugs when she came over to Jasper's apartment to help Alex unpack and Jasper didn't know about them so Alex didn't say anything about it because she understood the severity of the situation for Claire to resort to such means. However, the places that those listening bugs were at made Alex believe in Scarlet's doubts. These bugs didn't look like something Claire could easily install in that one visit. Besides, the design was different from the ones Claire used.

Alex might not be a professional bodyguard but after living with Claire for long enough, she knew what to look out for in the first inspection of an apartment. Jasper's apartment was not safety approved and Claire knew all the security flaws. It was the reason why Claire assigned guards to stake out in rotation at certain exits of the building while monitoring them using the building's security system that she tapped into. Edward's apartment wasn't as secure as Jasper's because it wasn't a rich man's condominium with security measures. Yet, Alex found no obvious flaws in the arrangement.

The pathways were clear and there was always something to hide behind in case of a sudden attack. The exit ways were not obstructed and there were obstacles in between the attacker and the victim should someone break-in. If Scarlet wanted to nit-pick, she would find that there would always be a suitable household object within reach that she could use as a weapon. For instance, there was a heavy gold club set by the television that Scarlet said belonged to Edward's father. The kitchen was full of potential weapons. The laundry and toilet had metal extendable poles that weren't light that could easily be detached. Why would anyone use those poles indoors when there was a dryer? The more Alex looked around, the more suspicions she had about Edward Bayon.

It was a mistake not to check into Edward's background. He might be Elfie's friend but Alex didn't know him. Edward's story during the interview was very convincing and his reactions were flawless. They didn't suspect anything because he bought them over easily and understood their personalities very well. The model couldn't believe that it took her this long to even think about checking Edward's background.

[Where did you find these?]

Alex's nagging fears were confirmed when she received Claire's reply. Instead of telling Claire where she found them, she asked the head of security had done a background check on Edward Bayon.

Claire's reply was instantaneous and Alex found herself getting very worried.

[Edward Bayon is just a regular student. Nothing stands out about him. The doc.u.ments we received tallied with the system. Why?]

Alex texted back something that shocked Claire beyond belief. Then, she explained the things that Scarlet told her in a summarised form and asked Claire for her opinion on the matter. While there was no doubt about Edward and Scarlet's feelings for each other, Alex found the secrets that Edward was keeping to be rather dangerous. If they were from an ordinary family, this might still be alright. However, they were from the high-profiled Wilde family and there were people targeting their lives. If Edward truly worked in that kind of world... Alex hated to say it but Scarlet might be better breaking up with him for her safety. She was already so deep into Anastasia's case and the model feared for her sister's life daily. If Edward also had a target painted on his back like Scarlet, Alex couldn't imagine what she would do when their enemies caught up. She didn't care about Edward as much as she cared for her sister and all the model ever wanted was for her family to be happy together as one.

Wilmer hasn't returned home in years because of Anastasia and Scarlet might be doing the same thing following in their father's footsteps. Alex didn't want to be like her mother, unable to do anything except waiting. She wanted to do what she could to avoid that from happening. It was the reason why Alex tried so hard to convince Scarlet to attend school and participate in more social activities like a regular university student. She was only sixteen but Scarlet didn't know how to live willfully. Alex thought that it was a real shame and her heart ached for her sister who had suffered so much ever since they knew each other. She thought that Scarlet finally found her happiness with Edward and while that might be true, Alex feared that this happiness could be very short-lived.

[Please find out more about Edward Bayon. I don't think he is as simple as he lets us believe. Between Scarlet and Edward, I want to believe Scarlet more. She might sound paranoid but she has a point. None of these can be normal for a regular university student. Those listening bugs, even if they weren't planted by Edward, must belong to his father. I just want Scarlet to be safe and not end up like our dad. Claire, you must find out the truth no matter how difficult it is! Elfie might have a hint but he won't talk.]

As Alex waited for Scarlet, she was also lost in her thoughts. Why did fate have to be so cruel to Scarlet? All the girl ever did was exist and all she ever asked for was a place to belong and people who loved her. It didn't matter what she did, Alex watched her sister struggle in front of cameras, behind the scenes, at home and even in school. No matter what she did or how people adored her, there never truly was a place that Scarlet felt understood or wanted. It was why Scarlet constantly pushed herself to be better even though in Alex's eyes, she was fine the way she was. The same wasn't true for Scarlet and Alex knew because she peeked at Scarlet's personal diary. The girl constantly felt insecure and unwanted if she wasn't trying her best to be part of the family. She felt the need to contribute something in return for the love she was getting and that was just wrong.

Edward was the only person who was able to break through Scarlet's walls and make her accept the fact that she was loved no matter who she was or what she did. If this was just a regular argument about Scarlet's acceptance issues, Alex knew that everything would turn out alright after they talked to each other. In fact, Alex was confident that after this week, Scarlet and Edward will soon be able to move forward with their relationship after clarifying matters. She wasn't too worried about him finding out about her sister's celebrity identity.

What she did worry about was how Edward's secret identity and connections will affect Scarlet in the future as they take the relationship to the next step. Edward knew about the four bodyguards that Claire sent to follow Scarlet. That already hinted that he was in a similar line of work. Normal people would not react so calmly to it. Besides, the bodyguards that Claire sent were professionals who wouldn't be spotted so easily. For Edward to have known them for a while and was able to identify them individually, he wasn't a simple university student.

She didn't trust Edward even if she knew his feelings for her sister was true. Who was Edward Bayon and what is it that he was hiding from Scarlet? Alex needed to know. She had to test him. If he wasn't capable of protecting Scarlet, she would do everything in her power to tear them apart. She'd rather be hated by Scarlet than regret not trying to save her sister's life. Unless Anastasia was gone for good and Wilmer was back with them, she couldn't allow this couple to be together.