Chapter 139 - Coincidental Encounter

"What are you smiling about?" Halia asked as she arrived at the teahouse where Sean was waiting for her.

Sean quickly snapped out of his daze and blushed shyly. Halia didn't know that he kept in contact with Natalie, nor did she know that Natalie was in Macau, but he was too embarrassed to tell her about it.

"It's nothing. Come, sit. Let's discuss everything we know so far," Sean said as he poured Halia a cup of tea.

Halia sat down with suspicion but did not question the man further, even though he felt a little strange.

Sean then proceeded to tell Halia everything he witnessed the day before while he was following Everett.

"Is that why you said Carol was possibly the mastermind?" Halia asked after hearing about how Carol caught Everett cheating and the things she said to him.

Sean nodded his head. "But, she did mention something about a godfather. I think she has support from someone in the gangs. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so brave as to tread into the field of money laundering."

Sean then paused for a second and continued. "By the way, I spotted a familiar face at the casino this morning, but I'm not sure if he is related to this case," Sean said mysteriously.

Halia stared at the man and had a feeling she knew who he saw.

"It was Jackson Wu!" Sean revealed.

Halia tried to hold back a smile. Sean had no idea that Jackson was her boyfriend, nor did he know that Jackson was actually an Interpol agent. But, she couldn't tell him either. At least, not for now. The more people that knew about Jackson's identity, the more danger he would be in. 

So, with a surprised expression, she asked, "Really?"

"Yes, he was actually speaking to Everett Pang at one point. I wonder how they are related," Sean said.

"Don't worry, I'll look into it," Halia replied.

But, just as she said this, Sean peered out the window of the teahouse and spotted a familiar figure stepping out of a hot pot restaurant across the road. 

"Speak of the devil," he said.

Halia glanced in the direction that Sean was looking and saw Jackson with Amelie. What a coincidence. Next to them, stood Everett, Carol and a bunch of mean-looking men.

"Something's definitely going on over there," Sean said as he squinted his eyes to look carefully. "That's Rawson Zhang, a famous gangster from Shanghai."

Halia looked over in surprise. She had suggested that Jackson look into Everett and Carol as a possible link to the hit that was made on him, as well as his mother's death. But, why was he with this man called Rawson Zhang?

Halia and Sean watched as Jackson and Amelie waved goodbye to the people they were with and started crossing the road; they were headed for the teahouse that they were in. Halia immediately fell into a panic. If Jackson saw her with Sean, she couldn't pretend not to know him. What was she to do? Jackson didn't know that Sean was her handler and Sean didn't know that Jackson was her boyfriend.

But, Jackson needed a private space to call Alexander so he could discuss the situation with him before Rawson contacted him. So, when he saw the teahouse across the road, he immediately headed over.

He did not expect to see Halia inside. Nor did he expect to see her with another man. Especially not a man that was so good looking. The man opposite her was dressed in a grey buttoned shirt and a pair of suit pants. Plus, his hair was neat and his build was fit.

Jackson suddenly felt a pang of jealousy.

He glanced at Halia questioningly but didn't know how to react. Amelie also froze. They both knew that Halia was in Macau for a mission. So, was this man related?

At that moment, Halia smiled and said, "Jackson? I didn't expect to see you here. Aren't you supposed to be in France?"

Jackson immediately took the cue and played along, "My name was cleared in France, so I came back to China. It's nice to see you here."

"Oh, that's great. I'm working here now," Halia said. "This is my colleague, Sean."

Jackson looked at Sean. Working? Colleague? Was Halia hinting that this man was also an SPU agent? 

Jackson quickly shook the man's hand, but couldn't resist gripping it tightly. 

Halia sensed some jealousy coming from Jackson, so she quickly tried to clear the air.

"Oh, there's an empty spot over there. You should grab it before someone else does. We'll see you around," she said as she pointed to an empty table.

Jackson glanced over and unwillingly took the hint. This woman had a lot of explaining to do.

So, after he sat down, he glanced at Halia and gestured for her to meet him at the bathroom.

A short moment later, Halia excused herself and Jackson quickly followed.

But, as soon as they turned the corner, Jackson wrapped his arm around Halia's waist and pulled her into a toilet cubicle with him.