Unexpected Marriage With Mr. Leighton: Rebirth of the Villain
Chapter 31: FINALLY, MEETING THEM

Chapter 31: FINALLY, MEETING THEM

Arthur couldn’t understand how his daughter disappeared like that and no one knew where she had gone to. His and Arlo’s men had been looking for her for days, but there was not even the slightest sign of her whereabouts. It didn’t make sense.

If she were alive, she would need to use money to sustain her living situation wherever she was, but her money remained untouched. It was possible if she earned it by the deal under the table; still, it didn’t make sense for Arthur why she wanted to stay away from them all.

He could understand if River wanted to take revenge on both Arlo and Aubrey, because he knew his daughter well enough to tell that she was holding a grudge really well; but for her to give up and disappear, it didn’t make sense at all.

Arthur made a call. "Find out where Arlo and Aubrey were during the week the last time we saw River. I want to know everything: where they went, who they met, who they talked to on the phone, everything."

The other person assented to the order, and Arthur disconnected the call.

Right now, all Arthur could do was wait for any news about River. He was so angry, but also worried at the same time. If she were alive, she would have taken her revenge on Arlo and Aubrey. If she were alive... those were the key words here.

"No." Arthur shook his head. "She is the best in her field."

There was no way something like that could happen to her. There was no threat, and there was not even a sign that the enemy came after her; everything was fine. Everything was perfect.

"Where are you, River?" Arthur gritted his teeth; anger and worry were not a good mix. He felt like he wanted to scold that girl and simply hugged her.

When was the last time he hugged her?

***

Lucian came with Ranon’s secretary, Valerie; she dressed in a beautiful white dress with a V-neck that showed off her cleavage. She was wearing a pair of very high heels, but even so, she only reached Lucian’s chin. That man was tall, and then there was Ares, who was taller than him, but he was not here.

"You look beautiful." Lucian complimented her, and Valerie smiled sweetly at her. She was wearing glasses and putting on light makeup, which made her look fresh and young.

"You too, look beautiful," Hazel reciprocated the compliment, but Lucian made a face when he heard that.

"Mr. Leighton will be late because there is a problem with one of our factories," Valerie informed Hazel about her boss’s whereabouts.

"Thank you; he’s already told me by phone before."

If Velerie was surprised to see Hazel was there and why she was invited by her boss, she didn’t show it on her expression. She didn’t talk much, and most of the time, it would be Lucian who engaged with her in a conversation while she was listening to him.

Hazel touched her chin, thinking to herself. They could make a good couple.

"Let’s go inside; I think Ranon will be here in the middle of the auction. I will check our seats." Lucian went ahead while Valerie walked beside Hazel.

The event took place in the Royal Hotel; it was a famous hotel in Aspen City, and for Hazel to be back in this city again, it felt... weird, especially when she was in a different body, with a different face, and none of these people would recognize her as ’River.’

No.

No one really knew her, aside from her name, since her father made sure of that.

Hazel looked around, her eyes trained on all the people who went into the main hall where the auction would take place.

She knew most of the people here, since it was her job to gather information about them all. These were the public figures from Aspen City.

Corrupt politicians, hypocritical celebrities, dirty businessmen, and many more, and all of them came here to attend the charity event.

There were dozens of reporters on the sideline, but there would be fewer in the main hall when the auction began. Of course, they would air the process which only added to the publicity of the person who won the item.

"So, are you... Mmm, with Mr. Leighton?" Valerie asked in a low voice, trying to engage in conversation with Hazel.

"Yes." Hazel was still searching the room secretly for certain familiar faces.

"Congratulations," Valerie said with mirth; she smiled widely at Hazel. "Finally, Mr. Leighton found someone. I hope you will have a smooth relationship."

Hazel shifted her attention to the secretary and grinned. "Yeah, I hope the same." And an idea crossed her mind. "Tell me how he is at the office." Hazel was simply curious about how people around that man saw him.

"Mr. Leighton is..." Valerie looked for the right word to say to her boss’s new girlfriend. "Dedicated to his job."

Hazel laughed at her choice of words. "Is that a polite way to say he is a workaholic?"

Both of them talked as they entered the venue. The main hall was so big, and there were round tables that could be occupied by four people. On top of the table, there were name tags of the person who owned the seat.

Next to the main hall, there was the second hall; this was where the auction would be held. Instead of round tables, they made it like an auditorium seating, but they would move there later after they enjoyed the dinner.

When Hazel was talking with Valerie, she caught sight of her father. He came alone. From a little bit of snooping that she did, her father should have come with her stepmother, Elise, but that woman was nowhere to be found.

Yet, there was nothing strange about it; she must have a problem with something. It was either the color of her jewelry or the style of her hair. She could find something was wrong in everything.

Her father looked sharp like usual. Arthur Lozen walked towards his table, which was three tables from Hazel’s so she could get a better sight of him.

She wondered if her father knew about her death. Did he worry that she suddenly went missing? Hazel wanted to know how he felt right now. Did her disappearance worry him?

"Someone that you knew?" Valerie asked; she followed Hazel’s line of sight. "That’s Arthur Lozen; he is a businessman specialized in transportation, if I am not mistaken. He got into a few industries too."

Hazel knew that. She could recall all the small companies that her father owned. She knew everything about him.

"Hazel, sorry, but I think I need to leave you here alone; there are a few people that I would like to meet." Valerie looked apologetic.

Hazel waved her hands. "Don’t worry. I am fine here." She was glad that Valerie left her alone, because she didn’t need to be extra careful.

Once Valerie left, she stole a few quick glances at her father when two other people that she had been waiting for finally made their appearance.

It took everything in her not to grab a knife on the table and then go to Arlo and Aubrey to kill them. If there were no witness here, she would likely have exacted her revenge. Unfortunately, she didn’t wish to be caught; neither did she want to be a fugitive.

She needed to do it in her own way. This was her expertise. Killing her target secretly and quietly.

Arthur rapped his fingers on the surface of the table, his antics whenever he was agitated, even though he was talking to Arlo and seemingly enjoying their conversation.

Hazel knew that habit, and for a moment she was deep in thought with her eyes fixed on her father. She snapped back to reality when someone suddenly sat down on Ranon’s seat, which startled her, especially when she realized who it was.

"Why do you keep staring at my man?" Aubrey asked; she carried her arrogance like usual. She was wearing a purple dress that showed off her shoulders, but it was not a bodycon dress, the type of dress that she loved to wear at events like this because that accentuated her curvy body.

Of course. She was pregnant, and by now she must have started showing.

"Why should I stare at your man?" Hazel looked irritated, though her expression remained neutral. She was very tempted to grab the knife and stab it between her eyes, but she calmed herself down before she could relive her desire.

"I don’t know; you tell me." Aubrey was smiling, but her tone was sharp enough to cut butter. "Wait, I think I have seen you somewhere..."She scrunched her nose and looked at Hazel closely before she finally remembered. "Oh, you are the girl from the restaurant, right? We’ve met before."

"Oh, you are the girl that has accused me of staring at your man; what a coincidence, you just accused me of the same thing again," Hazel said cheerfully, which irritated Aubrey.

"You were staring at my man," Aubrey stated. "I saw you staring at him a few times. Do you know him?" She was being a little bit paranoid right now; maybe it was because of her pregnancy.

"I told you, I didn’t. Your man is within my eyesight; if you don’t like it, you can move your table to the back." Hazel didn’t know them, but River knew everything. "If you have nothing to say anymore, can you move? You are sitting on my man’s seat."