Chapter 296 - I Had The Best
Chapter 296 – I Had The Best
Lina woke up in the morning with a throbbing headache. She only woke up to her housekeeper's gentle nudging and the sunlight peeking through her windows. She groaned, shielding her gaze.
"Not now, Auntie…"
"Madam, it is already one in the afternoon."
Lina woke up faster than a zombie. She shot out of bed, grabbed her alarm clock and nearly screamed in fright. She had less than one hour to get to the Academy of Fine Arts! Besides that, she was wondering why Estella wasn't calling her.
"My clothes, my clothes!" Lina cried out, hobbling around the room to desperately search for her underwear. She felt a chill between her thighs and wondered why.
"Already prepared," the housekeeper said.
"And my underwear—"
"On top of the pile," the housekeeper continued.
"Oh but my socks—"
"On the pile as well."
"O-oh."
Lina placed her phone down and quickly got dressed. Lina glanced at her discarded clothing, which was the same from yesterday night. The only thing missing was her underwear. She prayed to the high heavens that nothing happened. The bed smelled like her. There were no stains or sweaty smells.
Lina didn't know what happened, but the second she got dressed, she called Estella. When Lina informed Estella of the time, the secretary nearly screamed her head off.
"I'm already on my way," Estella choked out. "I don't know how much we drank last night to sleep this hard."
"Mr. Leur's manager's friends own the place, so request the security footage straightaway." Lina couldn't recall the events of last night. Horror filled her system at the thought of such terrifying alcohol.
Was Lina that drunk? She couldn't even think straight.
Lina rushed out of the house before eating breakfast. But her housekeeper chased her all the way to the elevators.
"You must eat a bite of the bread!" the housekeeper shouted at her.
"I don't have time!" Lina sobbed.
"You can chew on your way down," the housekeeper insisted.
"I—mmph!"
The housekeeper shoved the milky bun into Lina's mouth.
"If you have time to talk back, Madam, you can chew."
Lina reluctantly ate her breakfast. Sometimes, she wondered if her housekeeper was her mother in another lifetime. No one had cared for her wellbeing to this extent. It was precisely why Lina always sent her housekeeper on vacation with heaping bonuses so that she could enjoy her time off with her family.
"Thank you, Auntie," Lina sheepishly admitted whilst stepping into the elevator.
"Thank me by eating your lunch as well," the housekeeper scolded. "And dinner. You know I can't be there to monitor you eating both times."
"I will," Lina reassured.
"Hmph, only my empty plate tells the truth."
Lina smiled just as the elevator doors dinged close. By the time she made it downstairs, she only had thirty minutes to spare. The drive was forty-five to the other end of the city. Luckily for Lina, Estella lived only fifteen minutes away from the prestigious institution, so she could start the tour much quicker.
"What could it be?" Lina muttered to herself, getting into the car and mentioning the location to her chauffeur. She slipped him a hefty tip to step on the gas.
Sitting back in her chair, Lina contemplated deeply to herself. Her lips were drugged into a deep frown, her brows taut.
"Do you know of any drugs that can make a woman black out and not know what she's doing?" Lina asked her driver, who was young and wild with many club experiences.
"Almost every daterape drug can do that, Madam," her driver calmly responded whilst zipping through the traffic like the seasoned car racer he was.
"But one so strong that causes us to sleep in with no recollection of last night," Lina persisted.
"Well… that only gets rid of a handful of drugs—"
"What about…" Lina trailed off, forcing herself to remember something. She glanced at her leather seats, the color of champagne. Then, she jolted and recalled her alcohol. It bubbled slightly.
"What about the ones that don't take much mixing, they just bubble?" Lina pressed.
"Well, there is only a few as good, but I—"
"Wait, how do you know so much?" Lina returned.
"My close buddy sells—"
"Have him look around for any drugs distributed at the club I frequented yesterday, called Silver Bars," Lina told him.
"As you wish, Madam."
Lina leaned back in her seat and began to browse through all of the potential students' profiles. Lina doubted she had any more seats in her gallery for artists. But fresh eyes were never bad. So, she began to diligently review all of the different portfolios offered to her. As expected of the Academy of Fine Arts, each piece was perfectly organized in an advanced portfolio and the students' were promising.
"I can see you glancing at me from the rear view mirror," Lina calmly stated with her eyes glued to her tablet. She scrolled to a different student after the current one didn't meet the gallery's standards.
"Spit it out," Lina said.
"Well… there is a new drug on the market, produced by unknown sources. Word on the street is that they have a terrifying backer," the chauffeur whispered.
At this, Lina was intrigued.
"But I can't speak much of it, my friend—"
"I didn't know your sister was an artist," Lina said, pausing at the image of a woman who resembled the chauffeur. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Lina held up her tablet, where a familiar girl with the same surname could be seen.
"I-I didn't think she pursued fine art, I thought she was majoring in sculptures…" the chauffeur mumbled.
"Right."
Lina clicked the next page, where his sister's pieces were displayed. "She shows great management of contemporary art, no doubt from following her brother around the city when he used to race. How impressive, don't you think?"
The driver groaned. "Don't threaten me, kind madam. I'll have my friend look into the new drug as well, alright?"
"Introduce your sister to me," Lina said with a slight smile. "I'm not looking for new talents, but she sticks out a lot. It was not a threat, but good grace extended to your family."
"You know, there is a famous movie back in the days where a pitiful family starts infiltrating a rich family by having their son first become the tutor, then the father a driver and—"
"Just introduce your sister to me," Lina chuckled. "I have students to meet, a client to hunt down, and security cameras to check later."
"Security cameras?"
"Well, I obviously didn't make it home safely. I must know who my savior of the night is," Lina chuckled. "A knight in shining armor."
"In a world as dark as this, if you can find a knight, do let me know. I need some to fend off my sister's suitors."
"There are many worthy Princesses, but not many good knights.. I would know, I thought I had the best."