Chapter 117

Scarlett’s POV

I jumped in fright, instinctively stepping back, my fingers digging into the blanket.

"What are you doing—"

The words died in my throat as my eyes met those of a stranger.

A man in his fifties stood in the hallway.

His brightly colored silk shirt was open at the collar, revealing a thick gold chain that gleamed under the lights.

But what truly made me gasp was the grotesque scar on his face.

It began above his left eyebrow and followed a jagged path all the way to his right jawline, essentially dividing his face in two.

The moment I saw him, my throat felt as if someone was choking me.

The sensation of impending death was overwhelming!

"Alex!" The man's face broke into a wide smile, revealing a gold tooth.

He stumbled forward with outstretched arms, about to embrace Alexander.

Alexander quickly stepped back, causing the man to grasp at empty air.

The man's jowls quivered, but he wasn't angry. He responded in broken English with a heavy accent, "Rare to see you. Come to third floor later to play?"

The third floor housed the casino, which would only open once we reached international waters.

At our current sailing speed, we would anchor in the designated area before midnight. I had no interest in their conversation and reached for my clothes, hoping to find a private corner to change.

As soon as I moved, the man's gaze shifted past Alexander and landed on me.

"Miss Morgan, why are you here?"

"What?" I blinked in confusion, as the man seemed to be speaking Spanish.

I could vaguely understand only the name at the beginning.

Morgan?

"You've mistaken her for someone else," Alexander replied in Spanish, which surprised me.

The two men then engaged in rapid Spanish conversation. Though I couldn't understand the words, occasionally I caught glimpses of delight on the man's face.

His glances toward me from time to time made me extremely anxious.

Alexander maintained a serious expression throughout, even appearing somewhat detached.

Each time his eyes fell on me, a chill ran down my spine.

After they finished talking, the man gave me one last, lingering look and said a single word before turning to leave.

"Similar!"

Just this one word left me with endless speculation.

I might be somewhat slow at times, but I'm reasonably intelligent.

Hadn't Violet hinted at something similar before? And hadn't Alexander rarely shown anger because of it?

It must be because of this Miss Morgan.

Watching the man leave, I caught my breath and began dressing.

By the time I was dressed, Alexander had stretched out on the massage table again to rest.

His face turned away from me, he asked, "Is he gone?"

"Yes."

"Vernon is interested in you," he said with a lazy yawn.

I whirled around to look at him, but his face was hidden, and I couldn't see his expression.

My nails dug into my palms. I wanted to ask if he would simply give me away whenever someone else showed interest.

"Aren't you leaving?"

I gathered my belongings in silence and retreated behind the changing screen.

Leaving the massage room, I walked toward the elevator, my thoughts churning like the waves beneath the yacht.

Just as I passed by, a hand reached out from the stairwell and pulled me into the emergency exit.

When I regained my composure, I realized it was Camila.

"You and Alexander spent quite some time in there. Is it always so exciting?"

Her finger traced an invisible line on my neck, stopping just above my collarbone.

Despite my attempts to cover them, the marks on my body were still visible.

Being reminded of this by Camila was somewhat embarrassing.

I still maintained a sense of shame about these matters, while Alexander seemed to particularly enjoy stripping me of this aspect.

"You didn't actually go to the massage room for me, did you?" I asked, carefully observing her expression. "Why did you deliberately send me to meet Alexander? Was it because of Vernon?"

The subtle change in her expression confirmed my suspicion.

"Yes," Camila admitted directly.

"He's the target of your current mission."

Camila lowered her voice, "Mr. Thomas said you only need to complete this task here. As for Edwin Ortiz, leave him to me."

I straightened my shoulders. "What are the terms? What do I get in exchange?"

I no longer wanted to place myself in any dangerous situations.

Dealing with Richard and Alexander was trouble enough.

Camila's expression grew serious. "Mr. Thomas didn't say."

She reached into her pocket and took out a small glass vial filled with clear liquid.

"Scarlett," she pressed the vial into my palm and closed my fingers around it, "the responsibility is great. Endure a little longer, and we'll soon achieve our goal."

I looked down at the vial in my hand, its contents glistening in the light.

"What is this?"