Chapter 166 - A Terrible Friend

Mana paced back and forth in her room. She had gone straight home after she left Tresor. Had everything gone to plan, Lila would have protected her and Lina's credibility would have been sullied. 

But the situation had gotten out of hand, and Lina's reputation was in tact, and Lila had abandoned her. She would be the only one connected to the event! The gangster was dead, so she would be the only one held responsible. 

On top of that, her head hurt so bad! The gangster had thrown her off with so much force, she had flown off and collided with the wall, hitting her head and falling unconscious for a few minutes. 

As tears swelled at the side of her eyes, she looked up and looked at herself directly in the mirror. She saw a face that was easily forgotten in the crowd and a body that was unshapely and awkward. 

Hating herself and every fiber of her being, she threw her phone directly at the mirror, breaking it into a thousand pieces, her image shattering along with it. 

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At the hospital Ayu was being examined by Dr. Yoshi himself. 

Her arms were turning blue with the bruising. Ro-kun looked on gravely, a mixture of disappointment and a tinge of pain in his eyes.

Ayu was too reckless. Especially around the boss' wife. She had to pull herself together before she lost everything she had worked so hard for. 

"You're going to be very sore for at least three days. Don't exert yourself, walk too much or lift heavy things. Use this ointment on your arms twice a day for a week. I mean it, missy" Dr. Yoshi warned. 

He sighed under is breath. He was treating too many serious injuries from the Moshi household lately. He wished they wouldn't take their lives so lightly. 

Ayu nodded with a frown on her face. She had been lucky not to have fractured herself anywhere. She grit her teeth as she looked at the rugged, tall man waiting for her with judgment in his eyes as he waited for her by the door. 

As she walked past him, his hand circled around her arm. Loosely, as to not hurt her, but she cool feel the heat radiate from his skin onto hers. 

"Don't pull that shit again, Ayu" he growled in a low voice. 

Ayu hated him for knowing her biggest weakness but also knew he was right. She just couldn't think straight around Lina. But had she not been there, Lina could have been in more danger. 

"Please just take me home" she responded quietly. 

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~At the Consultancy~

Lina entered her office building, as Mei rushed to be by her side, chirping along about all the recent developments. 

Their case with Country A had been difficult. The body of their informant had been found, disposed in a reservoir, but had been washed ashore. He had also been identified by his poor wife.

Lina's people had gotten wind of this information through their allies in the police force, even though politicians in Country A from the mutinous faction were trying to keep it quiet. 

"Takashi wants to talk to you, boss" Mei added, as she finished her briefing, bouncing along trying to keep pace with Lina. 

Lina nodded and headed into her office where the elegantly dressed, tight-lipped man was sitting. 

"Morning, Takashi. How are you?" Lina greeted, formally, but pleasantly. 

She was a difficult and demanding boss to please, but she was hardly known to be a demon like Shen. She was always pleasant and cordial with her staff. She had hired very intelligent people, and she respected them as equals. 

It was a wonder they hadn't figured out her double life, knowing just how cunning and sharp they all were. 

"Doing well, boss" came Takashi's short reply. He didn't talk much, but said what was only necessary. 

He laid a file on her table. 

"We have a problem" he said quietly. 

Lina walked over and opened the file, a troubled expression on her face as she looked through the details. 

"It has already started" she whispered, biting her lower lip. 

Takashi nodded in agreement. 

"They're calling it a 'terrorist attack' by an extremist group from Country J, but I'm sure you know, they got the Browning from the illegal arms import from here" he said, knowing full well what this meant for the future of the two countries. 

A group of people from Country J had just open fired in a busy city park in the capital of Country A using a lethal Browning machine gun. 

The perpetrators had been caught and brought in for questioning but had only stated one thing: 

"They say they attacked the people of Country A as revenge for suppressing Country J's economy" Lina read out loud from the file. 

"The news is going to break world wide later today about the attack, we need to be ready to field communications and analyze all the incoming information from multiple sources" Takashi proposed, getting down to business without further ado.

Lina nodded, thinking about what more they should be doing. 

"Takashi, make sure you have all the translators and analysts prepared for this task. We cannot miss a single clue. Influential people from Country A living here in our country are susceptible to attacks from deluded individuals who buy into this extremist group's claims about Country A being responsible for our economic troubles. They will reach out to us, and we need to be prepared." 

He nodded quietly, making notes as Lina spoke. He word was absolute. His boss had proved herself on various occasions. He trusted the brilliant woman standing in front of him. 

But the next thought in Lina's mind was only to protect her husband. If anyone pieced together that innocent lives had been claimed because her husband's shipping vessels were used to transport the deadly weapon of mass murder, he would be ruined. 

Immediately after Takashi left, she picked up the phone and called him. 

"Darling, we have a problem. Something terrible has happened" she spoke quickly into the phone, before allowing her husband to even say hello. 

Shen's heartbeat quickened, was his wife okay? Was she safe? 

"What is it? Are you in trouble?" he asked, in a panicked voice. 

"No, but you might be" she answered, speaking in a low, but frantic voice. 

"Why? What has happened?" a terrible feeling washed over Shen. 

'Are we too late? Did they already make a move?' he wondered, his fists clenching hard. 

"A group of Country J terrorists open fired in a public park using a god damned Browning. They claim to be taking revenge for Country A causing economic problems for Country J. Twenty-five killed, thirteen injured" her last words were chilling to the bone. 

"The Browning...it was shipped by Moshi Corporation to Country A, am I right?" he asked, knowing full well what Lina's answer would be, but not wanting to hear it. 

"Most likely, yes" she finished, a sadness in her voice. 

Shen's heart clenched tightly in his chest, as he loosened his tie and tried to breathe. 

How much innocent blood had he unknowingly spilled?