Chapter 546: Back up plan

"I don't trust Luis Truman," Noah did not hide his thoughts from Ivy. He gestured for her to sit inside the car, promising her to speak about it once they left the Princep House. The confused and stunned Ivy was just about to follow his silent orders when she remembered Cedric, who was staring at them dumbly.

"Ced, you are accompanying us. We have some things to tell you, especially Noah." She gave Noah a knowing look, and Noah returned a curt nod.

"Yes. I have some matters to discuss with you, and they need to be dealt with before we reach the office."

Cedric had no idea what Noah wanted to talk to him about. All he was interested in was the topic they were discussing, and he did not wish to miss out on anything, especially when it was such a huge and incredulous matter.

"What about our car then?" He pointed to the agency van they had driven in the morning to broadcast the press meet live.

"I am sure Rhys can manage. Inform him that we will meet at the agency directly, and he does not need to wait for us." Ivy commanded, and Cedric did as she was told, excitement rushing through him when he thought about the matter only he knew about in the agency. The mere thought that Ivy had trusted him enough to share this secret with him touched him and thrilled him at the same time.

"Shall we leave?" Noah was waiting for the duo to sort out their problems and once they were done, he held out the door for Ivy while Cedric took the seat at the back. He was in no state to sit beside his Boss. It was too stressful for him to even think about it, and he found his solace taking the seat at the back. This was where he was safe and sound and away from the truly intimidating man.

Noah waited until they were on the roads before he started speaking again.

"Cedric," As soon as he took the man's name, Cedric stiffened in his seat and cold sweat trickled down his spine. His face lost all its color, and Ivy, who had turned towards him, chuckled softly on seeing his state. He looked impossibly miserable and from his looks alone, she could deduce what was running on his mind. He wanted to be a part of their discussion but it was Noah's strong presence that made him a scaredy-cat.

"You must already know why I have allowed you in this car." Noah did not give a damn about the man's state of mind. He did not care about the fact that Cedric was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Cedric wanted to reply that he had no idea about it. 'Wasn't I allowed because they wanted to include me too in their plans?' He wondered but he did not voice out his notions, waiting for Noah himself to clarify.

"Since we have trusted you enough to join you in on our secret, we also trust you to keep this a secret forever. Irrespective of what happens and how impossible and deadly a situation you are in, you are not to give away what you know and what you will be learning today."

Noah was not only warning him, he was threatening him blatantly and Cedric could not help but shiver in fear. He gave a look at Ivy who was looking at him sympathetically before she nodded at him.

"Cedric, ignore him. It is his usual way of handling matters. What Noah intends to say is that this is an extremely important and serious matter, and we do not want it to leak out to the public or anybody else before the concerned men behind the crimes are punished. I hope you will support us and keep this matter with you forever. Even the possibility that you know the truth might put you at risk, and we do not want that to happen. Ever."

Cedric finally understood what Ivy was trying to convey. Even though he was still on tetter hooks after listening to his Boss's threats, Ivy's words comforted him a little. He relaxed in his seat and gave Ivy an assuring look. "Do not worry, Ivy. You know how I am. I will never betray you. You can trust me on that. Everything we speak here will remain here. I will not speak about it once I leave the car."

"Good." Noah gave him an appreciative glance, and Cedric almost could not stop himself from flying in the sky in pride. It was not every day that he got complimented by his Boss, especially if his Boss was Noah.

"You were speaking about the President. What happened?" Ivy focused her attention on Noah now, and Cedric too followed suit. 

"I do not trust him enough. He might give up on us at the last minute." Noah stated and took a glance at Ivy before he focused on driving again.

"Why do you think so? Did you notice something odd about him?" Ivy frowned at his words and wondered if something had happened when she was not concentrating on their conversation. 'Did I miss something while they were talking?' She thought to herself.

"Yes, I did. Though he did not vocalize his thoughts, I could read what was running through his mind. He did not conceal his expressions well."

"What did you find out then? Is he too involved in this matter? Is he somehow involved with Jared and Charles?" Ivy could not help but be shocked by the turn of events, and her voice rose an octave. Cedric, who was silently listening to them, was as stunned as Ivy and he gave Noah a questioning look from behind.

"Not at all. He is not involved in this, Ivy. The man is honest, at least for now. But we cannot say the same about him in the future."

"I do not understand." Ivy gave up, and Cedric nodded immediately, siding with her on this.

"Ivy, this is a serious issue and once it reaches the public, the first person they will question will be the President. It is under his governance that all these crimes happened, and none of them are less dangerous than the other. We even had to fight a war where we lost a lot of our military men just because of these two scoundrels. Do you think that the opposition will let Luis go?"

Ivy now discerned what Noah was trying to say. Given the circumstances and the gravity of the matter, the President's opposition party might pressure him to resign from the position. 

"From his looks and expressions, it was evident that he was considering his gains and losses if this matter blew up. He is more worried about his power and position rather than the people, though he has not done anything to prove it. But that does not mean he has not considered it." Noah continued.

"Do you think he would betray us at the last moment?" Ivy asked dubiously.

"I will not say it with surety but there are chances of it happening. I presume that he is taking time to consider this matter carefully so that he can find a method that would incur the least damages to him."

"What have you thought about then? How will we deal with this matter now?"

"I already have a backup. I need to have a word with the others before that. Until then, let us follow the President's orders. If he does not betray us, it is well and good. But if he does, he too will be going down with Charles and Jared."