Chapter 147: Identity

I pulled back from the kiss and stood up, offering her my hand. She took it, her fingers still trembling slightly.We walked to the bathroom attached to the room.

Charlotte took off her lingerie and we washed up.

Getting out of the shower, we stood in front of the mirror.

Charlotte stood in front of me, rinsing her hands and face, her wet copper hair falling loosely around her naked shoulders as she met my eyes in the mirror.

I handed her a towel, and we dried off.

We slipped back into our clothes. Charlotte was forced to put her slightly sweaty lingerie back on.

She fastened each of my buttons and I helped her pull the zipper of her dress up.

Once we were both ready, we put our masks back on, I opened the door, and we stepped back into the ballroom.

As soon as we left the room, one of the models approached me. She was stunning, with sharp features, high cheekbones, and wavy blonde hair. Her dress hugged every curve, and her lips were painted a deep red. She stopped in front of me, "The operator is expecting you in one of the backdoor rooms," she said.

I nodded, "Yes, I'll go right away."

Charlotte and I made our way back into the same room on the second floor that I had made the deal with Arnold earlier.

This time, it was a bit different.

There was a woman already sitting on one of the couches.

I recognized her immediately as the actress who was a huge star in the '80s and '90s. Kirstie Allen. She was around 50 now, with her once-blonde hair darkened and her face showing signs of age, but still beautiful in a seasoned, glamorous way.

Her green eyes had a weary depth to them, and she held herself with dignity, though there was an edge of nervousness.

Lily was once again seated at the redwood desk, her eyes scanning over us.

Her long midnight hair framed her face as she smiled at me.

I was a bit confused. "Lily, is there a reason you're the one handling all of my deals?"

"I simply asked to handle all your matters," she said, the corner of her mouth twitching into a playful smirk. Her gaze shifted to Charlotte beside me. "I'm surprised you bring your companion to every deal. That's... rare."

"She knows everything about me and she can be wherever I am." I said, as I took a seat across from Kirstie.

Charlotte sat down beside me, her legs crossing casually.

We weren't taking off our masks, I wanted to keep our identities hidden from Kirstie for as long as we could.

I looked across at Kirstie and got straight to the point. "Why do you want to disappear? And why offer as much as 15 voting points?"

Kirstie sighed. "I'm offering all my points because as soon as I change my identity, I'll no longer be part of this club. I need a new identity; I also need to change my looks significantly, for obvious reasons. Sir. how do you plan on going about it? You need to fake my death too...

Can you really do that?"

"Miss. Kirstie... I can have a new identity for you right away; the fake death, on the other hand, will take a little longer to set up."

I could see her getting more and more nervous. "I don't have much time. That needs to be set up fast!"

I studied her for a moment, my fingers tapping lightly on the arm of the couch. "Why the rush?"

She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the floor, before meeting mine again. "Someone wants to get rid of me."

My fingers stopped tapping. My brow furrowed, irritation creeping into my voice. "That wasn't mentioned in the favor request." Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"I couldn't specify it," she admitted, her tone hushed. "The person is part of this club... that's why my name wasn't revealed during the bidding."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Miss Allen... what exactly did you do?"

Her eyes darted around the room before focusing back on me.

She exhaled before speaking. "I got involved with someone in this club... it was an alliance that forced me to use my voting points only to benefit one person. I wasn't allowed to fulfill favors for anyone else, and my own favors... were meaningless. I was just here to feed him points.

And if I dared to go against him, he'd destroy my life."

She paused, her voice wavering slightly. "My career's already over. No one's offering me roles in any major films anymore. He's made sure of that."

"And who is this person?" I asked.

Her lips pressed into a thin line before she finally answered. "Gerald Soros."

I run a hand through my hair. Soros... the 6th richest man in USA. the kind of name that comes with consequences. Wasn't he a fucking philanthropist? A good guy? Ha...

how can a billionaire be a good guy.

I sighed deeply. "So, by giving you a new identity, I'm going to upset Gerald Soros. Even if he doesn't know my identity yet, he will most likely find out who I am soon enough..."

Did Warren Bufford know about it and that's why even he didn't want to bid below ten points?

I turned to Lily. "Is it possible to refuse a favor in a situation like this?"

Lily leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against her lip thoughtfully. "Well, technically, since she withheld critical information, you could refuse. However, the penalty for refusing would be one voting point." She paused, eyeing me carefully. "And, Mr. Somnus, you currently have no points to spare."

I laughed dryly under my breath. Of course.

Just when the hacker with knowledge of the future seemed to have withheld himself from attacking me for some unknown reason... there is another enemy that I will be making for myself...

At this pace, I might need to actually become a mafia mob to keep myself safe...

I locked eyes with Kirstie. "I'll accept the favor."

She visibly relaxed, letting out a breath she had been holding. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I would have refused it first thing if I could. You are lucky that I am not lucky..."

"What do you need from me?" She asked.

"I need you to be reachable through letters. Give me your address. I'll send you instructions as soon as I have everything set up. Do nothing until then."

"I understand."

Kirstie wrote something down on a piece of paper and slid it across the table, neatly folded.

I picked it up and stood up from the couch, slipping the folded note into my jacket.

As I straightened up, I turned to Lily, there was something I really needed to ask her. "Lily, can I ask who that man in the bright blue suit was? The one acting like

She looked at me, then tilted her head slightly with a knowing smile. "That man? No..." She paused for effect. "She is one of our scientists."

I froze for a moment. "She?" I echoed.

Lily chuckled softly, clearly enjoying my surprise. "You couldn't tell from the bun and the high-pitched voice?"

I was confused, and then I heard Charlotte speak up next to me. "Her face structure was... kind of manly, though."

I glanced over at Charlotte. "So, I'm not the only one."

Lily smirked. "I'm just messing with you."

"So is it a guy or not?" I asked.

"Nope. She's a woman. But, yeah, everyone thinks she looks like a man," Lily said with a casual shrug, still smiling. "The more you know."

I blew out a breath. "Yeah, well... I think I'm done knowing things for today."