Chapter 86 - Prank

"Marquess, I released the man as you told me to and I hired some men to still keep an eye on him," Fabian reported to Lexus who was sitting in one of the rooms of his family villa.

"What about the number that you tracked?" Lexus asked right away.

"I think the phone was discarded. The last connection that I could track was in the middle of some streets. There are no residence or even CCTV in the area."

"Seems like someone is well prepared." Lexus rubbed his tired eyes that had suffered the effect of consecutive sleepless nights. His pale and tired face made his right-hand man worried about him.

"You should take some rest. Lord Philip can take care of the things in the hospital." Fabian opined with a concerned face. Being a perfectionist, the Marquess never need to be reminded to take care of himself. So, it made Fabian more worried about him as he was never like this before.

"It's okay. I will briefly visit Gina and let's start our investigation today. I can't make Felix wait for long." Lexus paused a while when something crossed his mind. "How are my parents?" He asked Fabian.

"The Duke of Morham is very busy these days but every day, he asked me how you are doing. The Duchess is very worried about you and she even tried to come with me. I barely hold her back." Fabian told him.

"Okay. Good job. Let's leave for the hospital after I talked to my parents." Lexus picked up his phone which was placed on the right of the desk while Fabian left the room.

Calling his family home, his mother was very quick to answer the phone.

"Mom, how are you?"

"Lexus! Is everything okay, son? You didn't call for days and I am so worried. You even brought Fabian there!" The Duchess of Morham exclaimed from the other line.

His mother's usual worried yet loving voice warmed up Lexus's heart as always. "Mom, I'm fine. You should look after yourself. You know that being over-worried will take a toll on your health, right?" He said to his mother in a gentle voice.

"I know. I will do that. But is everything really fine? You know you can tell me if you have any problem." Lexus's mother was always a loving and affectionate mother who never stopped supporting her only son no matter what path he chose. It was the reason why Lexus always longed for his mother's reassurance whenever he had a hard time.

"Mom." He muttered on the phone. "What will I do?" His eyes become red as his mother's warm voice made him emotional! 

The mother didn't fail to notice the sadness and desperation in her son's voice. "What's wrong? Shall I come to where you are?" She patiently asked him though she was very curious. Her son was a strong person! What made him desperate to this extent?!

Not wanting to make his mother more worried, Lexus instantly shook his head. "No. It's fine, Mom. It's just that I really miss you. Don't worry. I will return to Edeladon soon."

Before the mother could even respond, he continued. "Mom, I have to go. Have a good day, okay? I love you." He put down the phone and take a deep breath to calm himself right away. It's not the time to be weak.

He prepared himself and go to the hospital right away. When he reached the floor where Gina room was located, he saw a familiar face sitting on the bench beside the door. He also met her yesterday but he was too occupied with Philip and Gina, so he didn't have the chance to talked to her.

"Sophie." He called the woman's name as he walked towards her. 

Sophie Marley turned her head around to see who was calling her name and when she saw Lexus, she smiled. "You're already here?"

"Why are you sitting there?" He asked and sat beside her.

Briefly glancing inside the room, she replied, "Philip is still inside. He told me to go to the hotel alone, but I can't just leave him."

Her words made Lexus smiled. "You're still the same even after many years." He remarked.

"How?" Sophie asked with a playful smile.

"I mean your love for him." Lexus simply replied. "Is he good to you? I heard that you don't want to take part in managing the company though you founded together." 

Sophie nodded her head. "I have no interest in management. I only stay beside him to take care of him. You know, he has a weak heart. Nothing is guaranteed."

The Semar Group was established by the couples as soon as they finished their studies. Even the name was taken from their two surnames combined. 'Se' as in Seymour, 'Mar' as in Marley and that made up the Semar Group.

"I wonder how will your employees react if they find out that the anonymous co-founder and the second-biggest shareholder of the company is none other than you, who pose as the Chairman's personal assistant?" Lexus said to Sophie.

The two along with Philip used to be friends and Lexus knew that much though it was a secret of the couple.

"You're right. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps! The media won't leave me alone if they heard that and I prefer a quiet life." She tried to act normal and feign ignorance though she knew that Lexus was not okay.

Lexus simply smiled and rose from his seat. He looked inside the room through the glass door and saw how Phillip took care of his cousin. After staring at Gina who was laying on the bed for minutes, he finally shifted his gaze back to Sophie. "I won't disturb them. I have work to do anyway."

He gave Gina one last glance and bid goodbye to Sophie before leaving the hospital.

* * *

The atmosphere in the Arista family mansion was quite lively. It was all thanks to their guest who was none other than Felix. Now that he was in Silveren, he decided to pay a visit to his future in-laws, so he went there first thing in the morning.

Yesterday evening, he already visited Vanessa Arista in her office and the woman was very thrilled to meet him. She had no idea that her future son-in-law had visited their country and the Prince took her by surprise. The family had already heard about the engagement of the couple.

Fortunately, all the Arista's except Yelena were at home and they all sat in the main room to have a chat. Glancing at her husband who was sitting beside her with a grumpy face, Mrs. Arista scoffed. "What has gotten into you today? Didn't you already approved of Felix?"

Lately, the Major General heard that some of his colleagues were introducing their daughters to some of the elite young Army Officers. It made him wondered why he didn't think of that!

Now that he spends some days thinking about it, he was envied of his colleagues! How great would it be to have an elite Military Officer as a son-in-law!

When her husband didn't respond to her, Mrs. Arista laughed. "Are you still thinking about that absurd thing your comrades told you?!"

"What is it?" Felix curiously asked.

"It's funny. His comrades might be having Army Officers as their sons-in-law. He feels jealous." Mrs. Arista chuckled. "How childish!"

Major General Ethan finally spoke up when he heard his wife's provoking words. "I didn't say that I don't want Felix for my daughter. They are already engaged and they are happy. That's good enough. I only say that it would be nice to have a son-in-law who has the same interest as me." He explained while repeatedly glancing at his wife. He was quite afraid to upset the woman!

"Do you have someone in mind, Father?" Felix calmly asked which made everyone stunned. Even the old General couldn't suppress his amazement.

Staring at Felix with a confused face, Major General Ethan replied, "Well, if it's someone from a foreign country, I think a young elite officer like the ambassador of the Edeladon Army for the joint training project will be a great choice. I heard that he is only 29."

Earning a displeased face from his father and a sharp glare from his wife, the Major General instantly shut his mouth and turned his head around. The room was very quiet for a while until Felix suddenly burst out into a laughter.

He tried hard to suppress his laughter but he gave up. It's too hard! When he saw the curious stares of the elders, he deliberately cleared his throat and maintained his composure. It would be great to play some game!

"You mean Brigadier Lexus Jivaro?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

"You know him?" The Major General was almost surprised but he realized that he was the Crown Prince, so it's normal for him to know the Representative of his country's army.

"Yes. Yelena idolized him so much and I even feel jealous at one point." Felix sighed, faking an upset face.

The father seemed to feel guilty when he heard the Prince! He only thought that it would be nice, but he was okay with having Felix as his son-in-law. His daughter was so happy with him!

"Don't mind that, Felix. I know my granddaughter well. She won't look at any other men." The General calmly reassured him. He inwardly sighed. His son was a good soldier but he's more than dumb in other things! How can he say that even if the Prince asked him?!

"Father is right, Felix. Yelena only loves you." Mrs. Arista added when she saw the Prince's insecure face. Little did she know her daughter's lover was just putting up an act!

While they all stared at him with a concerned face, Felix's lips suddenly curved into a smile, making all of them bewildered. Had he gone crazy?!

"Of course, I don't have to worry." His smile grew wider when he saw that the father's face is confused more and more. "Because Brigadier Lexus is my maternal uncle's son, my cousin." He enunciated the words 'my cousin' more clear than any words just to have some fun!

The three Arista's dumbfoundedly exchanged glances with each other. Why did he feign ignorance before?

When they saw the Prince's playful smile, they finally understand. Did he just play a prank on them?! They find it hard to believe that they were completely fooled by their future son-in-law!