Chapter 30 George’s Worries Deepen

Ellie had already given Mr. and Mrs. Baker the lowdown about the Director promising George fewer business trips, but during dinner, they just had to double-check.
Once they got the confirmation, Mr. and Mrs. Baker were finally able to chill.
Usually, Mr. Baker stuck to two drinks, but tonight, feeling all happy and stuff, he went for a third.
George's job never really involved schmoozing, and he wasn't much of a drinker.
Normally, two drinks would get him a bit buzzed, and three would make him feel pretty floaty.
Tonight was no different.
After dinner, he plopped down on the sofa and shut his eyes to rest. Even though his head was spinning a bit, he still had that important stuff on his mind.
Thinking about the surveillance cameras at home, George wondered if he should just roll with his tipsiness and crash at his in-laws' place for the night.
But then he thought, would it look sketchy if both he and Ellie didn't go home? He was totally torn.
Mr. Baker, sitting on the other end of the sofa, noticed George with his eyes closed and a serious frown on his face, and called out to him.
"George, George—"
"Hmm?" George snapped his eyes open and looked over at Mr. Baker.
"If you're not feeling great, you should go crash in the room for a bit."
He was actually thinking about calling the Director again. Just as he was about to say "okay", Ellie's phone started ringing.
George instinctively glanced at the phone on the coffee table, while Mr. Baker hollered towards the kitchen, "Ellie, your phone's ringing—"
"Oh—I'm coming."
Ellie quickly came out, just after helping clean up the dishes in the kitchen.
George's eyes followed her, and the white hem of her dress swayed like a wave as she walked, stirring up ripples in his restless chest...
Ellie bent over and grabbed the phone from the coffee table. She hit the answer button and said with a smile, "I'm not going today... Heh, my husband just got back this afternoon, and we're having dinner at my mom's place..."
As she talked, she glanced over at George beside her, who was leaning back on the sofa with his head tilted back. She chuckled lightly and nodded, "If I have time tomorrow, I'll give you a call. Alright, that's it for now, goodbye..."
She hung up the phone and asked George, "What were you looking at?"
George smirked a bit and asked, "Who was that?"
"It was Allie. She invited me to some training class."
As soon as she mentioned the training class, George's foggy head suddenly cleared up a bit. "Will skipping it mess with your progress?"
Ellie couldn't help but laugh. "I'm just doing it for fun. It's not like I'm training for the Olympics or something. How could it mess with anything?"
"Heh, the main reason is that I kinda want to check it out." His gut was telling him there might be something fishy about that training class...
Ellie hadn't really been in touch with her cousin before, but this time, after George went on his business trip, not only did they reconnect, but they also signed up for a training class together, and even Linda joined in.
These things were totally off-script from their usual routine.
"With your current state, what can you see? Just go crash in the room and rest up. I'll take you to my classes soon. Let me whip up a strong cup of tea to sober you up. You can see it tomorrow."
Mr. Baker sat next to them, chuckling as he listened. George stood there, a bit stunned, before joining in the laughter.
After Ellie finished talking, she headed to the kitchen to help with the dishes, while George leaned on the armrest of the couch and got up to rest in her room.
He gently closed the door and called the Director to discuss his suspicions.
The Director moved fast and said he already had someone lined up to come over.
They were expected to arrive tomorrow, and he'd also loop in the criminal investigation team on this side to help check out the training center.
He also advised George to keep things low-key and not raise any red flags.
As soon as the Director said "not raise any red flags," George knew he had to head back today... everything had to look normal, no weird vibes...
With a sigh, he agreed.
The Director knew George was feeling uneasy and tried to reassure him, saying, "I know it sucks being watched. Just hang in there. Deputy Director Smith and I have already cooked up some countermeasures."
George, still a bit tipsy, didn't hold back and said straight up, "Director, I can handle it, but... I'm not alone at home, there is Ellie."
The thought of that surveillance being in the bedroom, not knowing when it was placed there, and Ellie being alone at home, changing clothes, made George squeezed the phone tightly because not only the bedroom, but also the living room, kitchen, and even the bathroom... he didn't know if they were bugged too!