The Heart System

Chapter 886: Chapter 886

The sound of a door opening behind me made me glance back.

The master bedroom door opened, and Jasmine stepped out. Her hair was slightly messy, and she looked like she had barely managed to convince herself to leave the bed. She rubbed one eye before noticing me sitting on the couch.

"Couldn’t sleep?" I asked.

"Yeah." She yawned. "I woke up again."

She walked over and sat beside me. Without saying anything else, she shifted closer and leaned against my shoulder, resting her head comfortably against me.

I adjusted myself slightly so she could get comfortable, then pulled the blanket lying beside me over her legs.

"Better?"

"Mhm."

Her eyes settled on the television.

Neither of us really cared about what was playing anymore. The morning program continued in the background, the hosts talking about something neither of us were paying attention to. Jasmine stayed tucked against my side, occasionally shifting slightly whenever she got more comfortable.

I looked down at her for a moment.

She looked peaceful now, her messy hair resting against my shoulder while the pale morning light from the window illuminated the side of her face.

Outside, snow continued to fall.

Inside, the television murmured quietly, and the warmth of the house made it easy to forget about the nightmare for a little while.

I leaned my head gently against hers and watched the snow through the window with her.

"Carrie came yesterday," Jasmine said. "After you left. She apparently asked for you."

"We left together, no?" I asked. "You and the others."

"Mmh." She nodded. "She met with Dr. Raj, the chief scientist."

"Oh, really?"

"She wanted to know more about the project." Jasmine shrugged. "But she’s less of a headache than Anotta. That I can say for sure."

The master bedroom door opened again, and this time Nala stepped out with a sleepy look on her face. She was holding my phone, which was buzzing in her hand. I guess whoever was calling me at this hour had managed to wake her up. Looking at the screen, I saw that it was the receptionist.

But why was she calling me this early?

"Hey," Nala yawned. "Thanks to your phone, I woke up early."

"Good morning," Minne said with a smile.

"Morning, hon." Nala smiled back before holding the phone out toward me. "Here, take it, Evan."

"Thanks."

As she stepped closer, I took the phone from her and answered.

"Mr. Marlowe? Sorry to bother you," the receptionist said. "Um... you have a visitor."

"Who?"

"A-Anotta..." she whispered. "She’s super scary. I wouldn’t have called you at this hour, but..."

"Anotta?"

Jasmine and Nala both looked up at me.

Yeah, just my luck. We had literally been talking about her, and now she was here. Man, I wished I’d talked about super-thick Latinas instead. Maybe my luck would have finally turned around. But no, instead, I got an emotionless bitch showing up at seven in the morning. Just what I needed.

"Send her up."

"Okay..."

She hung up, and I got to my feet. Jasmine immediately mirrored me.

"Anotta’s here?" she asked.

"Yeah..." I rubbed the back of my head. "Alright... uh, okay. She probably came because she wants to do business?"

"At seven in the morning?" Nala asked. "I don’t think so. This sounds more personal."

"Hmm."

Nala looked toward Minne.

"You go into your room, honey."

"O-okay."

"Thank you."

Minne nodded and hurried toward her room. She stopped long enough to turn off the television before disappearing inside.

A few seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

I walked over and unlocked it before opening it.

Anotta stood on the other side.

There wasn’t a single bodyguard with her this time. She was dressed in a fitted black coat over a dark blouse, with matching trousers and polished boots. Her silver hair fell in thick curls, framing a sharp face and those equally sharp eyes that always seemed to be studying everyone around her. Even at seven in the morning, she looked completely put together, while I was standing there wondering if I had enough caffeine in the house to survive the day.

"Anotta." I crossed my arms. "Why are you here?"

"Someone, for some reason, is investigating you." Her voice was as cold as ever. "They’ve been asking around about you. And because of you, some of my... side businesses are on the verge of being exposed."

"Someone?"

"Cops."

That got my attention.

"I think there’s a quiet investigation going on about you. They’re looking into people you’ve talked to, and I happen to be one of them." She narrowed her eyes. "I don’t like being picked out, Evan."

"I’m not a criminal."

"I know." She exhaled. "That’s why I’m here. Find whoever is investigating you and put an end to this."

"You said cops." I shrugged. "How am I supposed to find out who? It’s the police. The whole department!"

"I don’t know." Her expression remained cold. "Think very carefully about your past actions and find a reason why they would be actively investigating you. Then put a stop to it."

"Easy to say."

She paused for a moment before adding, "You can ask for my help in this matter. Free of charge."

"You? Doing something for free?"

"If it somehow touches me? Yes." Her voice stayed completely emotionless. "I’ll be in contact."

She turned around and walked toward the elevator without waiting for another response. I watched her disappear down the hallway before the elevator doors closed behind her. Jasmine and Nala, who had been silently listening from the side, finally stepped forward.

"What was that?" Jasmine asked. "Why are the cops looking for you?"

"I don’t know." I exhaled and turned toward Nala. "Do you think it’s because of Guy?"

"My brother is... a hateful person, sure." Nala crossed her arms. "But I doubt he’d call the cops on you. Even if he did, what dirt would he have on you? Nothing."

"Hmm."

Maybe it was because of those Russians. The ones with the safe, where I had to prove I actually had powers by using Time Stop.

Or maybe it was that BDSM-loving woman whose dirty videos I exposed at that gala.

Or hell, maybe it was the woman I’d tricked into believing I was a porn creator before convincing her to have sex with me in a bar bathroom.

Maybe... Rich?

Man, the list was getting ridiculous.