Chapter 141 A Pretty Good Figure
"Come on, Reese, you can't possibly have a thing for Malcolm, can you?" Calvin blurted out, shocked at the thought. In his mind, Reese had always been indifferent to men.
Plus, Reese's guard was always up. Getting close to her was challenging without her complete trust, and even then, you couldn't just assume you knew her well—it might just be a small slice of who she was.
Over the years he'd learned one thing about her—she was driven by the almighty dollar. Men were just passing clouds in her life, easily present or absent.
Louis was stunned, "No way. Maybe Miss Brooks just hasn't met many guys. Reese, don't tell me you've friend-zoned Malcolm."
Calvin laughed so hard he doubled over, "Ah, putting the hubby in the friend zone? That's rich. But honestly, I could see Reese pulling something like that off."
With a serious slap to Calvin's head, Louis reprimanded him.
"Quit joking around with Miss Brooks. What if she's misunderstanding her own feelings?"
Calvin's laughter faded as he turned to Reese with a sincere expression.
"Reese, let's put the matters of the heart on the back burner for now. These things have a way of sorting themselves out in their own time. We can't hurry love, but the main thing is, we're just worried about you getting hurt."
Reese harbored similar thoughts. Then came the sound of a doorknob turning; it must have been Malcolm coming out.
"I'll catch up with you guys later—I've got to head back home tonight. We'll talk business tomorrow, and I want to hit it big this time."
Calvin was already gearing up in anticipation.
"Got it, Reese. We'll await your lead."
After hanging up, Reese pocketed the phone and turned to see Malcolm stepping out from a steamy shower, clad in nothing but a towel around his waist, his hair dripping wet.
Reese's gaze zeroed in on his abs, mildly surprised.
"Didn't think you'd have such a fit body."
Malcolm's lips curved in a slight, self-satisfied smirk.
"Feeling tempted?"
"Not in the slightest." Reese appreciated his physique but wasn't quite drooling over it.
With a mischievous arch of his brows, Malcolm stepped closer, took her hand, and placed it on his stomach.
Reese could feel the warmth and the firmness of his abs against her palm. She instinctively pulled away, her heart racing.
This old lothario!
"What kind of guy makes a girl touch his abs? You must be a little twisted."
Malcolm's handsome face suddenly closed in on hers. "Am I just some guy? I'm your husband," he declared with possessive certainty.
If it had been anyone else, Reese might have been disgusted, but with Malcolm, she found it somewhat acceptable.
The atmosphere between them shifted slightly, less tense than before. Reese felt more accepting toward him now.
His phone rang, interrupting their newfound accord. He picked up to find a call from Justin.
"What's up?"
"Mr. Flynn, didn't you ask for an investigation on Reese? We've got an update. Do you want the information now?"
Malcolm glanced back at Reese, who appeared preoccupied with her phone and oblivious to the conversation.
"Sure, bring it to the study later."
"Will do."
After ending the call, Malcolm said to Reese, "Don't wait up for me tonight. I've got some business to handle with Justin."
"Like I was going to," Reese retorted offhandedly.
After all, she always slept better alone.
Malcolm quipped with a wry smile, “Talk about a poker face.”
He then changed his clothes and headed to his study, with Justin arriving shortly after. Before closing the door, Justin glanced around cautiously to ensure no one was around.
Lounging in his chair with his long arms casually resting on the armrests, Malcolm’s gaze was no longer as light-hearted as it had been when joking with Reese. Instead, a certain sharpness emanated from him.
As soon as Justin stepped into the room, he could feel the tension thick in the air — a tension that Malcolm alone was responsible for.
Malcolm’s voice was icy as he half-lifted his eyelids, “What did you find out?”
Considering the challenges of our current investigation, Justin believed that the information he managed to gather was reasonably substantial.
“All the intel we could dig up is here,” Justin stated.
He handed over several sheets of paper to Malcolm, who after scanning them, grew visibly more grim.
“Raised by his grandma and got into acupuncture, eventually took some exams to become a doctor at a holistic health clinic? That’s what my seven-figure investigation got me?”
With a flick of his long arm, the papers fluttered airborne.
Feeling Malcolm’s mounting anger, Justin hurriedly explained, “That’s all we could get from our sources. Anything earlier is merely about Reese’s school days, nothing consequential. Mr. Flynn, didn’t you want a thorough background check on Reese? These bits, although not exactly groundbreaking, do confirm Reese’s innocence.”
Malcolm rubbed his temples in frustration, “No, there's something off. If her background is that straightforward, how could she possess such composure and calm? Do you really think anyone can fake that?”
He pondered their interactions with Reese and all that he had learned about her.
No matter the challenge, there was never a hint of fear on her face. The calm and the commanding presence she exuded — could that really be attributed to merely studying alternative medicine?
Justin shared the sentiment of helplessness, “What do we do now, Mr. Flynn? I’ve exhausted all our available resources.”
He had never faced such difficulty in investigating someone; it was like he’d been turned inside out, yet he came up with nothing.
Malcolm stroked his chin, contemplating.
“Our investigative angle seems sound, but what if… Just think — if she’s been deliberately concealing her past from us, would we still be able to find anything?”
“It’s possible, depending on how formidable Reese really is. But honestly, I can’t imagine that girl being capable of hiding herself to this extent.”
Their network and connections were top-notch; there hadn’t been a single person Mr. Flynn wanted to investigate that they couldn’t uncover completely.
Suddenly, a girl in her early twenties had become an unexpected obstacle for them.
Malcolm made a decisive call, "No need to dig any further."
Justin, confused, asked, "Why? Wouldn't it be riskier not to know for sure?"
"She's my wife, what kind of risk could there be?" Malcolm replied with a chilling glare that sent a shiver down Justin's spine.
Justin mumbled under his breath, not quite satisfied.
"Wasn't it you who wanted to investigate? And now, like a weathervane, you switch to praising Reese all of a sudden. Men are so fickle."
Malcolm gave Justin a sidelong look. "What are you mumbling about over there?"
Justin quickly denied it. "Nothing... nothing at all. We'll stop the investigation on Reese, as you wish."
"And the project that was compromised last time, have the plans been changed? We have a meeting with the other party in a few days, don't botch it."
"It's been revised and ready for your review tomorrow."
"Send it now. If it looks good, set the meeting immediately. We can't risk someone else getting there before us and grabbing the prize."
He always prized efficiency in his work.
"Alright."
Within minutes, Malcolm had the revised plan in his hands. After making a few more adjustments, he instructed Justin, 'Schedule the meeting for tomorrow.
"Got it."
Unbeknownst to them, Reese had overheard everything while standing by the doorway with her glass of water.
Her eyes narrowed; it looked like she'd have to make the first move.
She promptly contacted Calvin and the rest of the group. Calvin inquired, 'Reese, are you concerned about encountering your husband tomorrow?
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. There's no room for family ties on the battlefield, let alone between spouses."
Calvin reacted with a shocked emoji. 'You're going all in, Reese. If your husband discovers, what will he...?' He supplemented it with a sly, suggestive emoji that left much to the imagination.
He followed up with a sly, suggestive emoji that could easily let the imagination run wild.
Reese had no patience for Calvin's gossip; despite being a guy, he was as chatty as any girl.
She played her trump card, "Keep it up, and I'll have Louis handle it."
Calvin surrendered instantly. "I'm on it, I'm on it."
Putting away her phone, Reese pondered how to avoid Malcolm the next day.
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