Chapter 85
Urban’s voice was soft and gentle. “Are you free tonight?”
Maxine narrowed her eyes, a hint of danger in her gaze. “Spit it out.”
She always had a feeling he was up to something, and sure enough, Urban let out a low chuckle. “Why so distant? I wanted to invite you to Horizon Oasis tonight. There’s something I need to discuss with you in person.”
The memory of what happened at the racetrack was still fresh in Maxine’s mind. The moment she heard “Horizon Oasis,” her first instinct was to turn him down. But then Urban added, “It’s not just about me.”
That caught Maxine’s attention, and she agreed.
Maxine asked Cleo to pick up Jessica from school, then grabbed a cab straight to Horizon Oasis.
Sebastian must had given them a heads–up, because the attendant at the door led her right upstairs to a private room. He’d been waiting for a while already, and when she walked in, he stood up with a bright smile. “Mrs. Mason.”
Maxine smiled back. “I’ve already started working on your documents.”
But Sebastian just waved it off. “No rush. I actually wanted to talk to you about something else. The paperwork at the firm is all ready, just waiting on you.”
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Maxine’s face. “My resignation from the Noxen Group… still isn’t finalized.”
Urban frowned a little, but quickly caught on. “Is it because of Sebastian?”
Maxine didn’t say anything. If she answered now, it’d feel weirdly like she was tattling. But Urban had already figured out most of it from her reaction.
He let out a mocking laugh. “People who can’t hold onto anything always end up using cheap tricks.”
Maxine frowned. “So you made such a big deal about calling me here tonight just to talk about this?”
Urban handed her the glass by his side and opened a fresh bottle for her. “Not just that. You’ve worked hard helping me organize those files, and you even bailed me out at the stables the other day. As a thank you, I did some digging into your old case.”
Maxine didn’t even have to think. “Gabriel?”
Urban nodded. “Yeah. I just heard. This place-”
He tapped his index finger on the table and went on, “The owner of Horizon Oasis might be from Marastriar, but he actually knows Gabriel.”
Back in the day, Gabriel was a wild one. He made friends everywhere. The owner of Horizon Oasis was one of them. Opening Horizon Oasis in the capital was Gabriel’s idea, and the reason was pretty obvious.
Maxine’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively glanced up at the ceiling.
Urban caught her look and chuckled. “Relax, I bought and renovated this whole members‘ floor myself. I’m the only one with the key. It’s completely safe.”
Maxine almost couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. At this point, Urban was clearly just messing with her.
She stood up, sounding a bit annoyed. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
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Chapter 85
Urban didn’t say a word, just watched her leave the private room.
Maxine let out a long breath as she opened the door. This entire floor of Horizon Oasis was reserved for VIPs, and the silence was almost unsettling. She hadn’t noticed it when she first arrived, but now the quiet felt almost cerie. None of the noise from downstairs made it up here at all.
Thinking back to what Sebastian had just said, she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been trying to warn her about something Urban Soto
Maxine wanted to find a restroom to splash some water on her face, but after wandering through the twisting hallways, she just couldn’t find it anywhere.
It was hard to tell what kind of bizarre taste Urban had, designing the hallway like a labyrinth with not only floor–to–ceiling glass at corners but also fake doors mounted on the walls.
By the time she’d opened the fourth fake door, Maxine’s patience had run out. She turned around and headed straight for the elevator, taking it down to the first floor.
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