Disappointed

"Hey Paul, I need you to find something for me. I'll send you a clear picture ASAP" Mr Han said as soon as he entered the comfort of his Ferrari. His driver started the ignition and they drove off.

"Done. I need everything you can get on her. Her full name, age, school, parents, you know the drift. Find me everything. How soon can I get it?" Mr Han sounded anxious.

"How soon do you want it sir?" A voice replied to him on the phone. "If you need it as soon as possible, I'll need more men to do the work for me," his investigator said

The more the men, the faster he'd get what he wanted. Mr Han shifted in his chair, he couldn't wait for too long. It would cost him nothing more than 1000 dollars to find out about her. This was about Alistair, no amount was too much to spend for his grandson.

"Paul, if I can get it today, I don't mind. Send out as many men as possible. I'll pay. Do you need anything else?" he told him.

"No sir. I'm on it" he said. "Her name is Arianna. I just thought that would aid the search. I'll be waiting, '' Mr Han said.

"Alright sir. Good Day" Paul hung up to attend to his duties fast. Mr Han had sounded so curious he wondered who the lady was as he stared at the picture on his phone's screen.

"Hmmm she's beautiful, '' Brad , his best friend, commented. "You had better take your eyes elsewhere. For Mr Han to be this interested in her, it means something. I'm sorry Brad, this one can't be one of your many flings. Mr Han would plug your eyes out of their sockets. That man shouldn't be trifled with" Paul stuck out his tongue as he moved to contact one of his men.

"Ouch! You just hurt my ego. She doesn't fit into the flings category. I seem so interested in this lady for reasons I can't explain. If possible, I might marry her. She looks responsible. Hit me up if the man doesn't find her as interesting as I do" Brad said, staring at Arianna's beautiful image on the screen.

"You are disturbing me, man! Let me focus. There are so many women out there. Go take one. This one is off your radar. Now I need to do my job" Paul repeated. His best friend must have developed deaf ears in less than five minutes.

"Alright man, catch you later at the club. See ya" Brad bid Paul bye as he stepped out of his apartment.

Mr Han sighed as he rested his head on the backseat. The day had been a stressful one for him. He had to go to the office first before calling Reginald. His migraine set in.

"Please drive faster, Jake. I need to rest, '' he said tiredly. "Yes sir" Jake moved to increase his speed a little bit. His mind dwelled on the incidents in the Huffington's mansion.

Why had Reginald stuttered when he asked that question? He had obviously wanted to say something different from what his wife intended.

Han caught the expression on his face after Vanessa's lie. Then he had smugly nodded but he was smarter than they thought.

A maid? That had taken them some seconds to say? If she was truly a maid, it would be so easy to say except they had lied about her identity.

There was something else he didn't know and he would certainly know before the end of the day. The power of money.

He had taken a picture of her when Reginald left him to go do something in his room. Mr Han had pretended to need some water when Reginald left so he entered the kitchen in disguise.

His curiosity had been piqued. He couldn't go home this way. There was something about the girl that promised him she'd fit Alistair.

In just a few minutes, she had managed to get his attention. It wasn't just about beauty, he wanted a smart lady too. Someone who would help and love Alistair.

Arianna had been singing. "Excuse me" Mr Han cleared his throat to get her attention. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry sir. I was lost for a while" she smiled at him. She hadn't notice him enter at all.

"It's nothing, I needed water and had to was wondering where to get it myself. What's your name?" He had asked her using that ruse.

"I am Arianna" she revealed as she moved to get him water. Vanessa's lie had irked her. How dare she reduce her to a maid? It marveled her how Vanessa could easily say these things without a pricking conscience. That sly bitch!

She was the sole heir to all the properties they had taken control of. Arianna was pissed off.

"Arianna Huffington" she had almost corrected herself. That way, the man would know her real identity . However, she knew the repercussions of crossing Vanessa.

She would be locked in the room and starved of food for days. The last time she was locked there, it had been hell for her. Arianna promised to try her best to please Vanessa.

"No, I won't risk staying in that thick darkness for just my name. The man may never show up here again. I'll suffer the consequences alone." She shook her head as she held the tumbler before him. This wasn't the time to cross her. There were days ahead. She'd be ready for them then. Now, she would play along and dance to their tune.

When she seemed lost in thought, he brought out his phone. Mr Han pretended to check the time when he took four slides of hers. "I'd send any clear one to Paul. At least I have her name already, ``Mr Han had thought.

"So what do you do apart from working here?"

They were on the verge of starting a conversation when Vanessa appeared in the kitchen suddenly.

He didn't miss the cold glare she gave Arianna who had been chatting with him. Arianna had quickly faced her chores.

It was too late for her to mask it with her smile. Her husband's stuttering, her sudden reply and this cold glare all told him that there was something more to the story just like he had suspected.

"Can we move to the parlor, Mr Han? I'm sure you would like to see some pictures of my daughter. You would marvel" Vanessa had said, leading him on. The nerve of the cunning woman!

She knew what she was doing. "How didn't he see it all these while?" He wondered as they walked to the parlor. "I would really love to see those pictures but there will always be a next time. For now I need to go home. My rest waits for me" he had said lightly, trying to put an end to her disgusting behavior. It nauseated him.

Vanessa's countenance changed immediately but like a pro that she was, she had masked it with another charming smile while she said "Always. Thank you for today Mr Han" she curtsied when Reginald strode into the parlor.

"We shall meet next week to discuss the wedding plans" he had purposely added that to lighten the effect of his chats with Arianna. Who knew what they'd do to the poor girl when he left?

"That would be awesome sir!" Vanessa's mood was lit up.

They had gotten home already. His driver held the door open for him as he alighted. Mr Han moved to the house. His phone rang at that moment.

The caller ID read Paul. He smirked. "At last, I have something," he said before picking up the call.

"Yes Paul. Speak, I'm listening" he urged him to go on. "Thank you Mr Han. It wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. I have all you need to know about her. You might be surprised" Paul paused before continuing.

"Give it to me immediately," Mr Han urged.

"She is Arianna Huffington, the daughter of Stephen and Mirabel Huffington who died some years ago. At present, she isn't schooling and also she'd be twenty three by December" Paul completed.

"Really? So she's an orphan and the daughter of the renowned business mogul?" Mr Han said. "Yes sir. Her parents died when she was a teen, leaving the company to her uncle, Mr Reginald Huffington according to my sources" he continued.

"Thank you Paul. My secretary will forward the money to you immediately" Mr Han was pleased with Paul's quick response to this job. "I'm impressed, I'll add more money to it," he added.

"Thank you so much Mr Han. Bye " Paul was happy as he hung up.

"So they lied to me? What the hell!?" Mr Han muttered. How had they taken over the company like that? He had known Mr Stephen for a while. He didn't look like someone who wouldn't have a will for his only child.

"What is going on here? Something is fishy" he smelt it. He couldn't do business with people like that. They could turn against him or Alistair later on. If they were like that, their daughter could be worse.

"I can't believe that I almost subjected my dear Alistair to those people! I have to do something real quick about it before they start the marriage plans" He thought.

He sent a message to his secretary.

Then Mr Han dialled Reginald's number. "Hello Mr Han. Thank you for today. We would definitely love…" he was interrupted immediately.

"Hello Mr Huffington, I'm so sorry to bother you but after much thought, I would no longer be interested in the company and the marriage proposal. Thank you for your time" Mr Han had managed to keep his anger under control as he broke the sad news to them. He hung up on them.