Fortune Favors The Bold

CHAPTER SIX: UNCLE ELIJAH

Alaya stared at the stranger who’d just waltzed in without even knocking on the door. It was a good thing that she was standing a few feet from Adonis despite the sultry looks between them The interruption was right on time. For the olive eyes had been looking at her with such a hankering expression that she would have jumped on him a second time.

Even if the first kiss had meant to demean her. How desperate was that?

But Adonis’s attention was now fully on the newcomer, his eyes cleared of any trace of lingering desire as he straightened to welcome the man with a warm hug. “Uncle Elijah, what brings you?” he greeted with clenched jaws, trying hard to conceal his displeasure.

Alaya seemed puzzled over Adonis’s annoyance for he seemed pretty fond of his uncle. The only reason why he was bristling like a grizzly bear was because of her presence in the room, and she leapt at the opportunity.

“Elijah Fortune?” she asked politely, extending her hand for a shake. The man looked at her with a perplexed frown but caught her hand in a firm grip and moved it briskly in a vertical direction.

He was so like Adonis that it spooked Alaya, although there was trace of grey hair near his temples. Otherwise, his physical appearance was the total doppelganger.

“I’m sorry. You are?” he inquired with a polite smile, but there was no denying the curiosity lurking behind his olive-green eyes.

“Detective Petrov,” she introduced herself, flashing her badge in front of the man’s face. She did not miss the poignant look which transpired between the uncle and nephew, but she blatantly ignored it. “I’ve been trying to get into contact with you.”

“Have you?” his thick eyebrows c****d upwards quizzically. “I’m sorry but I am a nomad. Adonis must have told you that I am not even staying at the mansion during my brief stay.”

“You’re going back already?” Alaya was taken aback by his hurried departure. Surely, the man would want to find out who had murdered his only brother? “Isn’t that a bit hastened? Is there something more important you have to do than find out your brother’s killer?”

It was an uncalled question, and Elijah’s frown looked both unpleased and pissed at her intrusion. Adonis just gave him an innocent smile which suggested that he was powerless against her lack of tact. Again, Alaya didn’t miss the conspiratorial look which passed between the two men.

“I detect surprise, Detective Petrov. Is it really impossible for me to have things to deal with in my personal life?” he retorted back silkily.

Alaya flushed in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she apologized flustered. “I was just surprised that you would go back to Australia so soon. It’s been only two weeks since you’re in the states.” Plus, he was not even staying at the mansion. He’d booked a hotel for Christ’s sake.

“Anyway,” she said before Elijah Fortune had time to retaliate. “Can you please drop by the precinct before your departure? I would like to have a chat with you,” she smiled politely.

Adonis growled savagely. “Detective, I thought I was clear about you no longer pestering my family. I gave you all the necessary information which would allow you to progress with your case.”

Alaya smiled at him with saccharine sweetness. “A pity then that I don’t take orders from you, right?” she stated sassily, causing the other man in the room to burst into laughter. They both whirled towards the noise, having already forgotten his presence.

Elijah’s eyes gleamed merrily at Adonis. “That’s interesting,” he supplied enigmatically wreaking frowns from both of them for completely different reasons. Alaya was puzzled over the cryptic remark while Adonis bristled with indignation.

“Uncle Eli…,” he began warningly, but the feisty character ignored his nephew to turn an interested eye on Alaya.

“Detective Petrov, was it? I’m afraid I didn’t catch your first name?” he flirted outrageously with her, and Adonis reacted with bulging eyes towards his uncle.

“Alaya. Detective Alaya Petrov,” she supplied obligingly, not understanding what the mysterious interchange was all about.

“Alaya,” Elijah repeated dutifully, placing the palm of his hand at the crook of her back to guide her towards the other side of the room, somewhere far where Adonis couldn’t overhear them. “Don’t mind my nephew. He’s very overprotective of the family. Might I ask a favor?”

She could only nod her agreement. Exposed to such an expert level of charm and charisma, she was tongue-tied.

“Can we do the interrogation here instead of me going to the precinct? I am quite in a hurry and have no idea when I will fly back. Besides, I hate cops. Not you, of course. Anyone who can defy my nephew is amongst my favorite persons. God knows he needs people in his life who can tell him the truth instead of agreeing with him all the time.”

Puzzled at the ramblings of the old man, Alaya reckoned that the death of his brother might have struck harder than he’d been letting on. Sympathizing, she placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“Mr. Fortune. I am sorry for insinuating that you’re not mourning your brother. It wasn’t my intention. I just want to know what happened at the dinner, if there are any potential suspects from the announcement of Fortune Jewelries’ C.E.O post. Despite what everyone is saying, I can feel an underlying tension among your siblings.”

Elijah looked at her for a long time, his eyes roaming over her face with such an intensity that she had to fight not to cringe. What had she said so wrong now?

“You’re a little lamb, aren’t you?” Elijah commented pensively. “It’s just so disheartening that you’d be caught in such a mess. I can only provide my sincere sympathy that you’d be obliged to deal with the Fortunes and whatever baggage which comes along.”

“I’m tougher than I look,” she replied ferociously, and for the first time he bestowed a smile towards her. A furtive glance towards Adonis showed that he was standing with his whisky glass, watching them with a curiously detached expression. She reverted her attention to the other Fortune. “So, tell me what happened.”

“The usual. We were summoned by my mother to this family reunion, and there’s something you should know is that we can never refuse Aurora Fortune,” he started, patting the seat beside him on the couch, which Alaya promptly occupied.

She felt like an avid child about to listen to a phenomenal story.

“I flew down to America and my brother announced that Adonis would take over. It created quite a havoc with our dysfunctional family. Athena was already furious with my mother for leaguing the reign to Mason instead of her. She was the eldest child regardless of the gender.”

Again, she just nodded, another fleeting glance towards Adonis indicated that he’d dropped any pretense of not being interested and was watching them with his hawk intensity.

“But…,” Elijah went on and her eyes riveted back to her interlocutor. “…my mother is orthodox, and she gave the entire kingdom to her first-born son. Poor Mason. There was so many expectations from him at an early age. I was never part of the fanfare, thank God! So, to cut the story short, Athena and Mason never got along. In came Maddox Gallagher who created a greater rift between the two. But neither has the chutzpah to kill – they’re both cowards.”

Alayah didn’t want his opinion, he was biasing her. It had been a bad idea to conduct this operation outside the precinct. “What happened that night?”

“Well, a fight erupted. It was expected. Athena wanted her husband to be at the top, and Helen contested her. In the end, nobody gave a damn about what they thought, and the control was passed to Adonis.”

“What about your other sister? Artemis Kingsley? Doesn’t she want her share?”

Elijah shook his head. “Neither me nor her had ever wanted to be part of that greed race. She married for love, and as far as I know is happy in her life. Her son is getting married next year, so they’re quite settled.”

“Victor Alexander?” she asked, the question obvious in the name itself.

Elijah wrinkled his nose childishly. “Personally, I don’t like him. Comes from a rich family and wants to take over ours with his ambition. He’s the pariah of the family if you want me to be honest. Aside his wife and children, nobody likes him very much.”

“Okay,” she acquiesced, her mind racing with the information. Her next step would be to send him a legal notice to visit the station. She really needed to meet with that person. To her, he was the prime suspect for the moment.

“Anything else you want to know?” his voice had dropped to a murmur. “About Adonis?”

She blinked. “Why would I want to know anything about him? Do you suspect him as well?” she asked seriously.

Elijah grinned. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s been a while since he’s been so hooked to a woman, if at all. Is it mutual?”

Outraged, her mouth hung open, and she directed her gaze towards Adonis. “I’ll take your leave now. Thanks so much for your collaboration Mr. Fortune,” she smiled sweetly at Elijah Fortune who was by far her favorite.

Adonis glared menacingly at her, and just as she was about to make a quick exit, the mahogany door burst open with a flustered Nora coming in, her chest heaving breathlessly like she’d sprinted in the room.

Nora’s eyes darted towards the man behind Alaya, and the latter stood frozen when she read desperation and loneliness in the bottomless pools of pale brown color.  There it was! Love!!!

With her heart beating rapidly in her chest, Alaya directed her gaze towards Adonis who stood watching her expression in a rigid posture. When she allowed the question in her eyes, his eyebrows knitted in a perfect pattern and his lips pursed in extreme displeasure.

It was true! Nora Fortune was in love with her own brother-in-law Elijah Fortune. The shock which rocked her was enough to make her stagger, but she gritted her teeth and excused herself. What kind of weird family was that? How the hell had that happened?

When the initial surprise abated, she leant against the wall to allow herself time to process the information. Was that why Adonis so fiercely wanted her out of his heels? What about Nora and Elijah? Did they have an affair? If it were the case, that meant that she had another trail which had nothing to do with the Fortune inheritance.

A crime of passion was as good motive as any. Her breath stabilized and she straightened from her position with resolution.

Whether she liked and sympathized with them was not the issue here. She had a job to do and wouldn’t fail to do so. But that information was a game changer. For the first time, she had the upper hand over Adonis Fortune.