365: 7.55 Traitor

7.55 Traitor

Moshe summoned Kaede at the wee hours in the morning and Kaede, who hadn't gotten a wink of sleep at all, hastily made his way to the private room where Moshe had been waiting. Kaede had prepared himself for whatever he found there, afterall Moshe's private room and depravity were two things that couldn't be separated. He merely wrinkled his nose as the ventilator worked to filter the thick musky scent in the air.2

The water in the bathroom was running and Kaede took the advantage to take a peek behind the privacy screen. Aiden was sleeping soundly with the blanket pulled up to his chest, his expression serene. Kaede bet his entire fortune that the man was entirely naked underneath, save from the collar that was snug around his neck. 

Furthermore… Kaede clicked his tongue. Just from the little skin shown, he could already make out so many hickeys, little bruises and teeth marks. He was literally covered in blue and purple that it was hard to find a patch of intact skin. And what was up with that blackened bruise on his cheek? Were they having sex or fighting here?

Aside from his ruddy complexion, Aiden actually looked worse than when Moshe hauled him back earlier. Kaede almost pitied him. Almost, if he didn't know that this man was Moshe's willing prey.

The sound of water stopped and Kaede hastily withdrew his gaze. Moshe had never taken it as an offense when Kaede saw his toys at their filthiest but somehow, he had a hunch that it would be different with Aiden. Better not provoke the sleeping tiger. 

The bathroom door opened and Kaede instinctively bowed his head. "Boss, how are—" He choked on his words in the next second. Kaede had known Moshe for more than a decade but as far as he remembered, ever since Moshe took the mantle of leader from his father, he had never cut himself some slack. Even in his own house, he was dressed in a semi-formal dress shirt and comfy khaki pants with his hair pulled up either in a messy bun or high ponytail. 

But now…

Moshe was wearing nothing but a black silk robe. His hair was still wet, water dripping on its tip. He had let it hung over his waist and the end of it was curling due to the heat. He looked… so casual and soft. Through the low collar, Kaede's eyes instantly zeroed in on the circular teeth mark on the juncture of Moshe's neck and shoulder and the cluster of hickeys around it. There was no way he could put it there by himself, so the only possibility was—

"What are you looking at?" Moshe scowled, snapping Kaede out of his thoughts.

Kaede cleared his throat and hastily lowered his eyes. But then, he caught sight of obvious fingermarks on Moshe's bare ankle as well as a litter of blue and red hickeys trailing up his calf instead. Kaede closed his eyes as if it had been burned and cursed these two people's madness. Once again he wished he could bleach the obscene image off his brain! 

Moshe sat down on the couch. "What's happening? Say it with a softer voice," he didn't forget to remind. "Lu— Aiden needs to rest."

The corner of Kaede's lips twitched. He had a belly of complaint to be relayed but in the end, he decided to be the greater person here and put it on the back of his mind. As if a switch inside Kaede was flicked, he returned to work mode and reported all of the chaotic events following the charity auction. He also did not forget to add in everyone's grievance at having pass up such a golden opportunity. Moshe was listening without a word so Kaede thought that he was pondering on how to approach the problem but in the end, what Kaede got was,

"Where's the antidote? Do you have it now?"

Kaede almost choked to death due to exasperation. All the lengthy speech he had blurted out, had one word even registered into Moshe's mind?! He reached into his pocket begrudgingly and took out a wrapped syringe.

"Has it been confirmed?" Moshe's eyes turned sharp and frosty. "If they dare to play a trick on us…"

"Who do you think I am, Boss?" Kaede harrumphed proudly. "There's no way they would be able to come up with something under my nose!"

"I will hold you to your words." Moshe took the syringe and disappeared behind the privacy screen. There was a sleepy grunt followed by Moshe's hushed voice. Kaede decided to block his ears lest they got tainted with the two people's obscenity too. 

Less than five minutes later, Moshe returned and threw the empty syringe to the trash can. "If they have the antidote, does it mean that Zion's safety is secured?"

"Oh, that's also the thing I have been wondering, Boss. The entire clan really got into an uproar. Of course I didn't exclude the possibility that it was all a ruse, but it seemed too realistic. The people I have been ordered to watch over their basecamp reported that many external doctors have been invited from all over the place, and the majority of them specialized in internal organs, trauma and nerves. They didn't even bother to hide it anymore. It seems like Zion's condition is worse, much much worse than Aiden."

The more he thought about it, the weirder the situation was. Kaede couldn't help but wonder out loud, "Are they infected by two different drugs? Why did their reaction differ so greatly from each other?" 

"No."

"No…?"

Moshe switched the topic. "Have you gotten the surveillance footage inside the resting lounge yet?" 

"Boss, Mr. Agenor's assistant, Orion, insisted that they have placed no camera inside the lounge to give the attendees some privacy."

"Bullshit," Moshe snarled. "I know how those people worked. There's no way they would pass up on the opportunity to gather some material on us for future use. Go tell them that if they are still unwilling to hand it over, then the incident tonight will not merely stop at the entertainment news."

"Boss!" Kaede was horrified. To threaten Orion was the same as offending Mr. Agenor himself! To beat a dog, you have to ask its owner first. Everyone understood this basic principle. Kaede was flabbergasted. Moshe had been working to form a connection with the Wind Group for years and now, for one Aiden — alright, he had saved Moshe's life, but still! — he wanted to forsake everything?! 

"Boss, I must ask you to consider again," he advised solemnly. "If we show this kind of demeanor, then your relationship with Mr. Agenor—"

"This and that are two different matters." 

What was different?! Kaede cried out inwardly. Who was this crazy man and what had he done to the Boss?! 

"Go." Moshe ordered. "The sooner you come back, the better. Afterall, we have a lot of business to take care of. And also…" Moshe drummed his fingers on the armchair. Before Lu Yizhou succumbed to sleep, he had pulled Moshe close and whispered something in his ear. Moshe had noticed it early on and he was slightly surprised that Lu Yizhou could find out about it too. "... there's a traitor among us."

Kaede's eyes rounded in shock. "Say what?!" Moshe had been very, very careful when selecting the people who would work in close proximity to him. He not only demanded skill and competency, but also EQ and loyalty. Not to mention that Moshe often gave regular tests to confirm his men's loyalty. To have a traitor between them was… almost impossible, to say the least. 

Except… they had been hiding for a long, long time. Waiting for the exact moment to stab Moshe's back when he was the most vulnerable… so it would become the killing blow. As the thought sprung to Kaede's mind, he instantly broke out in cold sweat. "Who… Who's that?"

"We still have to find out." Moshe's eyes flashed in a cold glint as the corner of his lips curled into a smile that sent shivers down Kaede's spine. "It seems like we also have some purging to do."

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