Genevieve’s red lips curled up, and she let out a chuckle when she heard that. “Marilyn’s a world-renowned violinist, so this instrument must be of considerable value to her. I thought you might have to spend at least half an hour in negotiation.”
“She was afraid that Armand might find out about this.” While Cooper spoke, he observed for any change in Genevieve’s expression. “Seems like she really cares about Armand.”
Genevieve beamed even more brightly. “Yeah, it’s not hard to tell.”
As Cooper grew up with Genevieve, it only took one facial reading for him to decipher what was on her mind.
Once he had his doubts addressed, his mood became markedly improved.
Pulling open the car door, he said in a low voice, “There’s someone you’ll want to meet, Genev. Let me take you there.”
“Sure.” Clutching the violin, Genevieve got in.
She has no idea who she is to meet, and she didn’t even ask. She seems comfortable enough about leaving it to me to arrange things.
Cooper’s heart warmed up a little inside.
So long as Genevieve was able to continue to trust in him like that, he would give anything to have their relationship revert to the way it had been before everything went so horribly wrong for the Rachford family.
Fifteen minutes later, Cooper’s Bentley came up to the rear entrance of a club.
After he brought Genevieve inside, they were ushered to one of the private rooms on the second floor.
It was a karaoke room that was warmly lit, and inside was a middle-aged man in his forties. The man was bound to a chair with his mouth sealed with tape, and the right side of his face looked a little swollen.
The man strained his eyes to look when he heard the door open, and his pupils shrunk at the sight of Cooper making his way in alongside Genevieve.
Cooper pointed to that man in the chair and said to Genevieve, “This chap here is Cormack Oswald, Samantha’s driver. He was the one who located Maria’s family in Feston and also the one responsible for coercing her to act against you. My boys caught him just last night.”
“You have to know that this is Samantha’s guy.” Genevieve cast a sidelong glance at him. “Aren’t you afraid that she might come after you?”
That elicited a laugh from a solemn Cooper. “Over the past twenty years, Samantha had been using me like a pawn. She and I have unfinished business for turning me against the Rachford family! Besides, there are many in the Faulkner family, and not all of them are on the best of terms with her. So right now, she is the one who ought to be afraid of me.”
He then turned to Genevieve and went on, “This man was the one who instigated Maria against you, Genev. What do you want to do with him?”
Genevieve lowered her head briefly in contemplation. “Didn’t he enjoy breaking other people’s bones? Get someone to crush his limbs and feed him whatever it was that Maria gave me.”
The man in the chair struggled desperately upon hearing that. He glared at Genevieve as if to warn her against messing with someone who worked for Samantha.
From the look in his eyes, Genevieve more or less got the hint. Chuckling, she arched her head back to regard Cooper. “Help me record a video of this. I want to send it to Samantha.”
Cooper was stunned, but he promptly nodded. “Go on and wait outside. I got this covered.”
Waving his hand, he beckoned to the waiter on standby outside to take Genevieve to the rooftop garden above the club premises, where she would be served refreshments.
Leaning casually back into her chair, Genevieve only managed to have two sips of the tisane when a video attachment from Cooper came in.
Without even reviewing the multimedia file, she brought up Samantha’s number and straight up forwarded it to her.
A minute later, Genevieve gave Samantha a call.
“Genevieve Rachford!” The first thing that came through when the call connected was Samantha’s furious hollers. “How dare you mess with my people?”
“Seeing that your people have the gall to turn my own housekeeper against me, why wouldn’t I?” Genevieve’s brows quirked up.
That demeanor of hers set Samantha in a rightful fit. “Did you really think I don’t know why you married Armand? Hmph, do you think I wouldn’t dare lay a finger on a disgraced heiress like you just because you’ve made yourself Mrs. Faulkner now?”
“Take your best shot.” Genevieve traced a fingertip around the mouth of the glass, and the calmness of her eyes belied the daggers that were veiled beneath. “This will be my first and last warning to you, Samantha. If you dare to try anything against me again, expect to get it much, much worse than that driver of yours did.”
