Chapter 131 - Mystery Man

Tom raised his head from the documents he was working on when he heard his office door being opened, "Inform Miss Perry that we would be leaving together for the meeting soon," Tom said informed Harry who had just walked into his office.

Harry arched a brow, "What's with the broad voice?" Harry asked when Tom spoke to him in a voice that was different from his usual voice.

"I'm trying to get used to speaking this way," Tom said, making Harry roll his eyes. 

"I wonder when this whole madness will come to an end," Harry said as he dropped some files along with Lucy's car key on the desk in front of Tom before taking the seat opposite him. 

"And what did you just say I should tell her? You want her to come with us?" Harry asked i

"Isn't she my personal assistant? She should attend meetings with me so that the others wouldn't think that she is merely occupying a space in my office. Besides, I want her to be there since Anita would be there too," Tom said, and Harry looked at him in confusion. 

"I don't understand. Why should she attend the meeting simply because Anita will be in attendance when Anita doesn't even know your true identity yet?" 

"It's only a matter of time before she finds out, and when that happens, I want her to be clear on the fact that Lucy is the only lady I always want to have around me. So can you just stop questioning me and ask her to get ready to leave with us?" 

"Are you sure she won't recognize you if she spends too much time in your company? And, is that the best you can do in disguising your voice?" Harry asked, looking Tom over once again. 

"You have known me far longer than she has, if you didn't know anything about this disguise, would you have recognized me in this costume? With this voice" Tom asked, and Harry shook his head.

"I don't know. Maybe not."

"Good. So ask her to get ready to leave with us. I suppose you have taken care of her car?" Tom asked as he picked up the car key which Harry had dropped on the desk.

"Alright. We will pick her up at the front of the company building while we take the elevator," Tom said after Harry gave him a curt nod, "Ask her to come in," Tom said as he dropped the car key in one of his drawers. 

"Have you been able to reach Jade yet?" Harry asked as he stood up to leave the office. 

"She didn't respond to my call. I guess she is busy at the moment. I will let you know once she gets back to me," Tom said, and Harry gave him a nod.

"I will get the car ready," Harry said before walking out of the office. 

Once again Lucy looked up when she heard the door open, and sighed inwardly when Harry approached her desk. What did he want this time? She wondered as she stood up.

"Mr. Hank has asked me to inform you that you will be leaving with us for a meeting in the next forty-five minutes, and you should get ready," Harry informed her.

"Meeting? What meeting?" Lucy asked with a slight frown. She had thought her position here was just so that he could monitor her, not necessarily because he needed an actual personal assistant, so why was he expecting her to attend a meeting with him? 

"We are heading to Ocean airlines for the official handover meeting. As his personal assistant, you are expected to be present during all his meetings," Harry explained, and Lucy gave him a curt nod even though a frown still creased her brows. 

"He also wants to see you in his office now," Harry added, making Lucy's heart skip a beat as her gaze moved from Harry to the office door, and then back to Harry again. 

"Now?" She asked, trying not to sound alarmed. 

"Right now," Harry said with a nod and walked away before she could ask him another question.

Lucy took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, as she was beginning to feel very nervous, "Calm down, Lu. It's not a big deal," She assured herself as she adjusted her skirt before stepping away from her seat. 

Walking over to the door she knocked on it once before turning the knob, "Good morning sir," she greeted politely without looking directly at him. Instead, her head was bowed and she was looking at her feet since she had heard he didn't like being stared at. 

Tom cleared his throat, "Good morning. Please have your seat," Tom said in his rehearsed voice, and Lucy raised her head to look at him. 

Looking at him now, she noticed that he didn't look as weird as she had thought he looked the first time she set her eyes on him. Apart from the mustache and beards, he seemed like a normal person, with his glasses on. 

"Do you intend to stand there all day?" Tom asked coolly, reminding her that he had asked her to sit down.

"Sorry sir," she apologized as she quickly went to take the seat opposite him. She folded both hands on her lap and bowed her head as she waited to hear what he had to say.

Tom watched her as she took her seat, and he could tell that she was nervous. He couldn't help but wonder why she always seemed nervous around him, "Do I make you nervous?" He asked, and Lucy quickly shook her head.

"Not at all sir," she lied and hiccupped almost immediately. Just great! 

"Good. You have nothing to be nervous about. I wanted to see you because I heard from my brother that you are his fiancee's best friend, is that right?" Tom asked without beating around the bush. 

"Yes sir," Lucy responded without looking at him. Her heart was beating really fast for reasons she couldn't explain.

"What a coincidence," he said, and Lucy winced at that. Coincidence was a word she had come to associate with just Tom since everything between them seemed like a coincidence. 

"Well, my younger brother wants me to take care of you, so I guess I have to know you better."

'Know me better? What for? No. Please don't know me better,' Lucy pleaded in her head. What had she been thinking coming up with that plan about getting close to the CEO? Now that she had sorted out things with Tom and didn't need the CEO's help to get rid of him anymore, she no longer needed to be close to him. 

"We don't have much time left before we leave for the meeting, so let's have lunch together after the meeting, is that okay?" he asked, and Lucy gave him a nod even though what she really wanted was to say no to him. 

"You can return to your office to clear up your desk. Meet us in front of the company in twenty minutes," Tom said, and Lucy stood up immediately and gave him a polite bow before walking out of the office. 

Watching her leave, Tom couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her head. Why had she tried getting close to him in the first place if she was this timid?

Twenty minutes later the private investigator who was still staying hidden at one end of the parking lot between two cars, sat up when he heard the ding of the elevator and he watched as Tom came within view. 

His brows furrowed in confusion when he saw Tom come out alone. This was Thomas Hank? Of course, it had to be. This person looked more like a responsible CEO than the first guy who had taken the elevator that morning. If this was Thomas Hank, when did he get in? Did he usually sleep in his office? And why was he alone? Where was the other guy who had gone in earlier? He wondered as he clicked on his camera, and captured several photos of Tom.

He lowered his camera when he saw Harry walking towards Tom from the opposite direction. It was confirmed that this was Thomas Hank, he thought as he took another photo of them both. 

"Did I keep you waiting for long?" Harry asked as he automatically unlocked one of the saloon cars parked close to the private investigator. 

Immediately the private investigator heard the car beep, he crawled on his knees to hide behind the next car as he kept his ears open to hear their conversation. 

"I just got here. Let's leave now so we don't keep her waiting," Tom said in his broad voice as they both approached the car. Once he opened the back door of the car to get inside, he paused when his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

He took it out to see if it was Jade returning his call but looked slightly surprised when he saw that it was a call from Lucy and he stepped away from the car. Why was she calling him when she was supposed to be outside waiting for them to pick her up? He wondered as he received the call.

He cleared his throat, "Sup, love?" He asked in his normal voice, and Harry who had gotten into the driver's seat of the car looked at him with a slightly raised brow. 

The private investigator narrowed his eyes when he heard the automatic switch in Tom's voice. Why was he using a different voice? And who was he talking to? Was he in a relationship?

Lucy felt butterflies flutter in her stomach when she heard his voice. Love? Why did that sound so good in her ear? She cleared her throat, "Are you at your workplace now?" Lucy asked, trying to sound unaffected.

"Yes, I'm busy with work at the moment. How are things going over there in the office?" He asked as he got into the car. Harry didn't bother to start the car since he knew Tom was speaking with Lucy. There was no need to be in a hurry to pick her up when she was busy on the phone. 

"Everything is alright. Uhm... I don't know if it's necessary but I'm just calling to let you know that I'm leaving with Mr. Hank for a business meeting, and we might go out to have lunch after that. You don't have to rush back to pick me up, I will find my way home. So you can take your time to do whatever you need to do, we can see when you get back," Lucy said in a rush, and Tom's lips curved in a smile. She might not know it, but she was gradually beginning to act like a girlfriend.

"Sure. Let's talk when I get back then," Tom said before hanging up with a grin on his face. 

"That was your girlfriend I suppose?" Harry asked in amusement as Tom returned to the car. 

"Yeah, she's calling to let me know about her movement. We should leave now so we don't keep them waiting," Tom said as he got into the car, and Harry drove off immediately. 

Once the car had left the driving lot the private investigator stepped out from where he had been hiding. One thing was sure from all he had heard, Mr. Thomas Hank had a lady in his life. However, there were only two questions plaguing his mind as he walked away from there.

Who was the other man who had used the private elevator earlier? And why hadn't he come out with Mr. Hank?