Arthur and the twins would stay the night at the Peace Mansion.
As per Arthur’s request, Qin Xiang had readied three rooms for their lot, one for Arthur and one for each set of twins.
Following that, Qin Xiang returned to Xia Lei’s office and placed a laptop on his desk.
“Is everything in place?” he asked.
Qin Xiang proceeded to unfold the laptop. She then hit the enter key twice which brought up three different displays.
She had installed the camera in the vent discreetly where it provided them with the nest view of the room.
Arthur and the twins were managing their luggage in their rooms. There was no conversation and there was no phone in sight.
“Lei Zi, I heard that you and Liang Siyao kissed in the factory, is that true?” Qin Xiang grinned.
“Where did you hear it from?” Xia Lei was shocked.
“Well, the employees of course! You two did it in plain sight. Surely something like that would make for hot gossip.”
Xia Lei could only muster an awkward smile. “Why are you still asking me this if you believe the gossip?”
“How does it feel like to reignite an old flame? Have you guys had sex yet?”
Xia Lei was at loss for words. Qin Xiang was very feminine, but her personality sure was classically nosey.
Qin Xiang furrowed her brows. “Oh, come on! You’re not going to tell me?”
“You seem like you have too much time on your hands. Should I delegate more tasks for you?” threatened Xia Lei.
She was unfazed. “Your father might’ve already agreed to have you marry Tang Yuyan when he went to Shu Di. But now you’re tangled in an affair with Liang Siyao, don’t you think Shentu Tianyin would plot a little something if she caught wind of this?”
Ah, Xia Lei could feel a migraine coming.
“Alright, I’ll stop reminding you about your messy life. If I were you, I’d definitely come out of the closet to scare them away.”
“Fuck off,” hissed Xia Lei.
Qin Xiang laughed as she exited his office.
With that, Xia Lei returned his focus to the laptop’s screen.
As soon as the ladies were done with their luggage, they left for Arthur’s room. When the last to enter closed his door, the five then kneeled on the carpet to begin their prayer.
Their voices came through the laptop’s speaker in unison. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I unite all my work with the Sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass that it may be pleasing to You and give You glory. I beg Your Blessing upon all my efforts. With Saint Joseph as my example and guide, help me to do the work You have asked and come to the reward You have prepared. Amen.”
It was a routine prayer before they start working.
They fell into silence upon its completion. “Rosa, Theresa, have you checked your rooms yet?” Arthur interrupted the pregnant pause.
“Giovanna, Stella, what about you two?” he turned to face them.
The twins all shook their head.
Arthur’s brows were furrowed. “Russo sisters, Grey sisters, I’ve reminded you before we came. How could you still be so careless? Our opponent is very strong and extremely sly. We have to be on guard Go, search every corner of your room.”
The twins soon left to their respective rooms. They searched high and low, around the bed frame, the closet, the gaps between the sofa and even the washroom. In another room, Arthur did the same.
It didn’t take long for Arthur to notice the sneaky camera hidden in the vent. He glared at its lens to make his fury noticeable. “What are you trying to do? Spying and lying are sins punishable by God!”
This was obviously directed to Xia Lei.
Xia Lei smiled bitterly as he shook his head, he had severely underestimated the freckled brunette. From that, he could tell that the four females were comparatively naive and less calculative. Arthur, on the other hand, was an experienced spy.
Soon, the Russo sisters, Rosa and Theresa located the hidden camera. The identical twins frowned at its lens. The Grey sisters, Giovanna and Stella had opted to leave him a message. “Oh misguided one, may God save your soul.”
Xia Lei shut the laptop, then left his office. He exited the office block in a flurry, running to the compound’s fence instead of the main entrance.
“Hello, Director Xia,” greeted a gardener that was busy tending to a bush.
“Focus on your work,” said Xia Lei as he started to sprint towards the wall. His foot came in contact with the wall, propelling his body upwards to reach the top of the three-metre wall in just two steps. He then raised his arms to lift himself over the fence before disappearing from the gardener’s sight.
The gardener stared at the footprints on the wall in shock.
In the Peace Mansion, Arthur had gathered the camera they found on the floor. He then stomped on it, destroying it effectively.
“How could he do something like this?!” Giovanna was furious.
“I wasn’t expecting his soul to be so corrupted,” commented Stella.
“Thank goodness he rejected us. I’d rather die than to sleep with a man like this,” said Rosa.
“I was prepared to offer everything in exchange for our sacred relic. But God has spoken, He didn’t want us to service such a lowly man. That’s why He made the man reject our advances,” reasoned Stella.
The four females were in a heated discussion while Arthur slid his phone out to make a call.
Thirty seconds later, Arthur uttered, “Our respected Sir Angelo, I’ve finally met Xia Lei. He had proposed a difficult request. He wants us to capture a woman named Dark Mona. She’s a member of the FA organization. Aside from that, he wants us to help locate its headquarters…”
The Russo and Grey sisters kept quiet, keeping their attention on Arthur. At the mention of Sir Angelo, their eyes had glimmered with reverence.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Xia Lei. While the twins had their eyes glued to Arthur, Xia Lei was watching them from another room.
Having Qin Xiang install the hidden cameras was just the first part of his strategy. The five members of the Knight Hospitaller were bound to check their surroundings if they lived in his compound. If Arthur and the girls had not found anything, they would surely stay vigilant throughout their stay. However, they would be fooled into dropping their guard if they had found something during their search. That was why he had ordered Qin Xiang to do so. It was all part of his plan. After all, the only things he could really trust were his eyes.
Arthur’s words piqued Xia Lei’s interest. He thought to himself. “That’s weird. Why did he call this Sir Angelo instead of Walton? Was Walton only a figurative leader while Angelo is their true leader?”
He continued to read Arthur’s lips. “No, I have yet to see our sacred relic. He rejected our initial offer. The Russo and Grey sisters are our most gorgeous girls, yet he didn’t take interest in them at all. No, he doesn’t want money. He’s a billionaire in China and his organization is very profitable. He’s not interested in women and money, do we agree to his request? Yeah, we don’t have any conflict with the FA organization. But once we capture their member and provide Xia Lei with the intel, it would mean that we’re waging war against them. I’m afraid this might bring us more harm than good. Alright, I’ll wait for the meeting outcome and protect the sisters in the meantime. May God bless us. Amen.”
The call ended.
Arthur stashed his phone away, averting his gaze onto the twins. He spoke after a brief moment of silence. “What I’m about to tell you will bring you some hardships in the near future. As long as you hold on to our faith, I’m sure you’ll achieve success.”
“Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum” The sisters chanted this in unison.
That was the Knight Hospitaller’s motto since medieval times.
Arthur continued, “Xia Lei’s request is too much for us. We cannot risk a war with the FA organization. Though we’re not afraid of battle, it would be best if no blood was spilt over the relic. Drawing blood in war is a man’s forte while seduction and deception is a female’s forte. That man is despicable. His soul is corrupted and I know that you’ll feel uncomfortable in his proximity. But remember, we are God’s warriors and we need to sacrifice our all to Him. Your bodies may be deflowered but your soul shall be purified under His watchful glance. May God guide you through this, May God bless us all. Amen.”
The sisters drew a cross in front of their chests. “God bless. Amen.”
“I’m expecting Xia Lei to invite us for a feast tonight. By then, I’ll light a special Requiem Candle that will temper with one’s emotions. That will be your cue to drag him into your room. YOu know what to do from there, right?”
The twins nodded.
Arthur couldn’t help but remind them. “Don’t let your sacrifices be in vain. You must gauge where our artefact is hidden then work separately to distract him while the other sneaks it away.”
“What if he hid it somewhere far away?” asked Giovanna.
He answered, “Then you shall inform me right away. I’ll then head over myself.”
Once again, the sisters chanted in unison. “Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum”
“May God bless us. Amen.”
Xia Lei decided to stop spying on them. He was conflicted, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at their firm belief while plotting to take him down. It was rather bizarre.
He averted his gaze to look at the sky through the window. There was still some time before night but it was time for him to begin his preparations for tonight’s ‘war’.
