Reclaiming Her Heart
Chapter 889 Kissing Her While Swimming

Vistalia was all lit up, night in full swing. Raymond hung up the phone and took a swig of his drink, feeling kinda jittery. Man, what a view. It'd be awesome if Selena was here.

There was a pool, a killer view of Vistalia's busiest spots, drinks, and some fruit.

He could be swimming with her, sneaking in kisses.

And if things got heated, he could even get a little wild on the pool's edge.

He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. His hand trembled a bit as he held the wine glass, so he set it down.

The phone buzzed again. This time, it was Paul.

When Raymond headed to Vistalia, he had his crew dig into the guy who tried to off Selena that night. They probably had some dirt by now.

And with Paul calling, it had to be about Christopher.

Just thinking about that name made Raymond wanna crush the glass in his hand.

He hit the answer button.

Paul's voice came through, "Raymond, we found Christopher's prints again. I'm pretty sure he's still kicking and hiding out in Silver Bay City. I finally got some leads on what he was into back then. Vistalia's been doing some hush-hush research for years. It's a weapon, but not your usual kind. This one messes with the brain, and they've been using live humans for experiments."

Raymond's brow furrowed, "Using live humans?"

Paul replied, "Yeah, you know Vistalia loves chaos. They're still at war with a bunch of countries. This research is a total humanitarian nightmare. Over twenty years ago, some countries tried to step in and stop it, even sparked a protest. But the Vistalia researchers just moved it underground. They haven't stopped, and word is they've made some headway."

Raymond lit a cigarette, looking down. "So, the data Christopher had was tied to this research?"

Paul said, "Maybe."

Raymond asked, "You got any idea what kind of research it is?"

Paul spoke up, "The higher-ups are super tight-lipped. Just knowing this much puts the whole Adams Family at risk of getting booted."

Raymond shook the water from his hair and flopped back on the lounge chair.

If Christopher was still alive, he'd show up eventually. If he was laying low, he had his reasons.

Paul, not hearing a response, kept going, "Raymond, I was thinking, when Christopher supposedly died abroad, could it have been because these secret research folks found him? You think he might've been taken for their experiments?" Raymond's body went stiff, a chill running down his spine. "What are you getting at?"

Paul broke it down, "Think about it, if these guys are doing live human experiments and they nabbed Christopher, with his genius brain, why would they let him go? If he's laying low, it might be because of the experiment's results. And with all the recent smuggling, it's possible the experiment messed him up, making him too scared to show his face. I even think the data he took is super important to them, like, game-changing. So they know he's alive and are hunting for him in Stellaria."

Raymond couldn't shake the thought that the experiment might've messed with Christopher's head.

Paul added, "Raymond, I still think the key is replaceing the girl Christopher was into back then. He probably gave her the data." Raymond just stared out at the vast view, not saying a word.

Paul asked, "You in Vistalia?"

Raymond replied, "Yeah."

Paul pressed, "When you coming back?"

"Tonight." Raymond hung up and rubbed his temples.

Suddenly, he heard the click of high heels behind him and caught a whiff of perfume.

He turned and saw a familiar figure.

The woman looked kinda like Olivia, but only about halfway.

She called out shyly, "Raymond."

Raymond's face darkened. It was Olivia, but she'd had some work done.

He stood up and called the bodyguards to take her away.

Then he went to see Helen.

Helen was glued to her computer, crunching cash flow numbers, when Raymond covered the screen with his hand.

Helen yelped, "I worked on that forever!"

Raymond, a bit ticked off, said, "Stop setting me up with random women."

Helen looked confused. "What's wrong with Olivia? Didn't you say you wanted to marry her?"

Raymond couldn't argue. Olivia was his official girlfriend back then.

His take on relationships was simple: if she was his girlfriend, they'd eventually get hitched.

Raymond said, "I like someone else now."

"Who?" Helen raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often he admitted stuff like this.

Raymond muttered, "You don't know her."

Helen's face fell. She'd known Raymond for years.

Raymond had been running this place for a long time. People thought he took over the underground fighting ring as an adult.

But truth was, he took it over as a teenager.

For a fifteen-year-old to call the shots here was no small feat.

Helen wanted to say something, "Raymond..."

Raymond cut her off, "Don't try to talk me out of it, Helen. I'm not like you."