24: Chapter 24 The Fox Spirit's Tail

The rain had not yet stopped, pounding against the glass curtain wall of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, as if countless hands were trying to squeeze in from the darkness outside.

Chen Mo stood at the door of Room 2306, not in a rush to knock.

He shoved his right hand into his trench coat pocket, gripping his glock 17, and gently flicked off the safety with his thumb.

"Click."

An extremely faint sound of metal engaging.

He raised his left hand and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened almost instantly, as if the person inside had been waiting right against the door panel.

Ava Rockefeller had changed her clothes.

A black silk bathrobe was loosely tied at her waist, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin, and she was swirling half a glass of red wine in her hand.

She didn't look at Chen Mo's face, turning to walk inside, her bare feet making no sound on the carpet.

"I thought you would bring handcuffs to arrest me." She sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs, the hem of her robe sliding down to reveal a portion of her calf.

Chen Mo closed the door and didn't move.

He stood in the shadows of the entryway, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the room.

The curtains were drawn tightly, the bathroom door was left ajar, and there was no sound of breathing or heartbeat.

She was the only one there.

"For someone whose father just died, your spirits are quite high."

Chen Mo walked over and sat in the armchair furthest from her, his hand still tucked in his pocket.

"Father?" Ava scoffed, tilting her head back and downing half the red wine.

"That old thing only treated me as a bargaining chip for marriage, or worse, a shield that could be discarded at any time."

She put down her glass, leaned forward, and stared intently at Chen Mo with her cat-like eyes.

"Stop pretending, Officer. When you were looking at that corpse downstairs, your eyes were sharper than a scalpel. You don't care about justice at all; just like me, you smelled the stench of money."

Chen Mo remained expressionless, but the [Advanced Deception] in his mind was running wildly.

Her pupils constricted slightly, her fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of the wine glass, and her neck muscles tightened.

She was nervous.

She was lying.

"Since we're going to talk business, show your hand first."

Chen Mo toyed with the gun handle in his pocket. "I know the password for that Switzerland account, but why should I trust that you can let me swallow the money safely?"

"Because I am a Rockefeller."

The air in the room froze for a second.

Ava stared into Chen Mo's eyes and said, word by word.

"Even though I am an illegitimate daughter who can't see the light of day, the kind who doesn't even have the qualifications to attend family gatherings.

But that old thing—my father—he was the white glove who managed the family's accounts. Now that he's dead, some account books are missing, and some people in the family can't sleep."

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes.

This woman was indeed a snake, but a young one that hadn't yet grown its fangs.

"You want the account books?" Chen Mo probed. He had only extracted asset clues from the corpse and didn't have any physical account books.

"I want the life-saving charm that the old thing left behind." Ava stood up, walked in front of Chen Mo, and looked down at him.

"As long as I get those things, I can go back to the family to negotiate.

As for the five million in cash in that account? That's your hard-earned fee, and I can help you launder it until it's cleaner than white paper."

Chen Mo didn't answer immediately.

He was weighing the options.

Five million is a piece of fat meat, but if one were to offend a behemoth like the Rockefeller family for it, that would be suicide.

But conversely, if he could establish a connection, this would be a ticket to the highest level of power.

Risk and reward are always twins.

"I don't believe you." Chen Mo spoke suddenly. "You know the password is fake; you don't even know where that money is. You're betting that I do."

Ava's expression changed.

She hadn't expected this little police officer's intuition to be so sharp.

"But that's not important." Chen Mo changed the subject, his body relaxing as he leaned back against the sofa.

"What's important is that I do know some things. If you can provide intelligence that I am also interested in, for example... regarding the movements of those big shots."

Ava stared at him for a full five seconds and then suddenly laughed.

This time, there was less calculation in her smile and a bit more genuine interest.

"It seems I underestimated you, Officer Chen. Or rather... Mr. Chen."

She pulled a room card from under the coffee table and pushed it across the tabletop.

"This is an apartment I have in the Upper East Side; no one knows about it.

In the future, if there is news, I will put it in the mailbox there. As for that five million, you'd better act fast; we aren't the only ones eyeing that money."

Chen Mo stood up, picked up the room card, his fingertips brushing against the cold plastic.

"Deal."

He turned and walked toward the door.

"Wait."

Ava's voice sounded from behind him.

Chen Mo turned back, only to feel a wave of fragrance rush toward him. Ava leaned close to his ear, her lips almost touching his earlobe.

"Watch out for that partner of yours named Murphy; although he's been locked up, his dogs on the outside aren't all dead yet."

After saying this, she gently touched his cheek.

It wasn't a kiss, but more like a mark.

Chen Mo pulled the door open and strode out. It wasn't until he stepped into the elevator and looked at his reflection on the metal door that he reached up to wipe the lipstick mark off his cheek.

This woman wanted to use him as a gun.

What a coincidence.

He also needed a decent gun rack.