The Gilded Game

FIVE

I was in a dark red mini dress, with red soled black heels to match. I had a dark red purse with gold details.

"Where'd you get your clothes? They're expensive." Peter commented.

"Oh, I have my secrets. Every detective has their secrets, one of mine is how and where I get my outfits."

"Sassy, I like it." He whispered under his breath.

I whispered in his ear, "and I like you."

He blushed a shade of red that could nearly rival my dress.

"Tomato. Now stop blushing. No one, and I mean no one, can know about us. Except my parents and my friends." I warned him.

"How?" He asked.

I tossed him a bottle of water that landed straight between his legs.

"Sorry not sorry. Now drink all of it before we get there. You went to the bathroom before we went out so it should be fine." I tried reprimanding, clearly failing and laughing.

He snapped a photo of me laughing, and sent it to someone.

"Who's that?"

"Every heir has their own secrets too."

"I'm calling HQ and telling them to intercept your phone." I threatened, tapping on the contact "HQ" on my phone.

"Hello? Aria Tze speaking, please intercept all of Peterson Lee's texts, it's for the case. I want a computer file with all the information sent to my email before tomorrow. Thanks. Bye."

He was horrified.

"Get that expression out of your face, and practise the poker face. You'll need it."

I took the diary out of my purse, and went to the lawyer's office with Peter, Agent Wong following behind.
"Nice to see you again, Peter. Is this your girlfriend?" The lawyer asked.

"No, she's a friend, and the detective working on this case. I insisted on bringing her today, I think she got some very important evidence."

Peter, good save there.

"We still can't prove that you're the legal heir to your grandfather and father's assets, and your aunts and uncles are refusing to give us the recordings of the final words." The lawyer explained, a tinge of sadness in his tone.

I placed the diary on the table, and flipped to the last page.

"His dad's the heir, and he's his dad's only child. Which makes him heir. The evidence is right here, on the table." I announced.

The lawyer's eyes widened.

"Miss, where did you find this?"

"In his grandfather's study, on the desk."

"We'll take this for analysis. Peter, is that ok?" The lawyer tried to remain calm despite the breakthrough in this seemingly unsolvable case.

He nodded, a few tears forming in his eyes. He was looking at the floor, but nothing goes past me. Nothing, never.

"Uh, we'll have to go now, my dad would like to meet him." I said, standing up.

"Have a great day, miss."

Agent Wong and I ushered Peter into the car, and I handed him a mini pack of tissues.

He started silently crying into the soft paper while Agent Wong was driving to my dad's place, near the beach.

I took off my seatbelt and hugged him, my hands snaking behind him, rubbing soft circles into his back, my body flush against his.

Maybe the silence was comforting, maybe it was the fact that he was going to meet my dad, he stopped crying around ten minutes before we arrived at the house.

"So, do I tell them that you're my girlfriend or a friend."

"The first one. I like the sound of it. We're almost there, two more minutes." I smiled against the car windows.

He looked around, slightly shocked.

"Your dad lives around here? Repulse Bay?"

"Yes, he owns a house around here."

It was like the gears snapped together in his mind.

"So that's why you could afford to move out at 16 and have that gorgeous outfit."

I nodded.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled.