Just as Jillyanna's car disappeared from Savannah's sight, Travis emerged from the convenience store, his face a mix of deep confusion and lingering disbelief.
"What's the matter, boss? Were you able to find what you wanted to buy?" Savannah asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of her coffee.
"No. I just... I really think she was just in there," Travis murmured, more to himself than to her, but Savannah still caught his words.
She took another slow sip before responding. "You mean the girl from the cemetery?"
Travis's brows snapped together as he looked at her. "How did you know?"
"Well, because I just had a conversation with her a few seconds ago. She actually gave me this." Savannah raised the canned coffee with a smirk to show it to him.
Travis let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair before turning toward the car where Hawk had been patiently waiting for them.
"I just found her incredibly familiar," Travis commented quietly once they were all securely inside the vehicle.
Savannah turned around in her seat to face him, an eager expression lighting up her face. But then, a sudden wave of realism hit her. She hesitated for a moment, weighing her thoughts, before deciding to lay out the facts.
"Her name is Jillyanna. Jillyanna Madrid," Savannah reported, listing her findings. "I managed to check her left hand, and she doesn't seem married—there were absolutely no ring marks on her fingers. And based on my brief encounter with her, she definitely doesn't strike me as the type who relies on men."
"You really are the best assistant," Hawk interjected from the driver's seat, earning himself a sharp, warning glare from Savannah in the rearview mirror.
Travis listened silently, but the surname crushed his sudden spark of hope; it wasn't the match he was desperately looking for. "Just tell the private investigators to hurry up with their background checks on the other prospects."
"Hai, wakarimashita!" Savannah responded in her native Japanese, giving him a crisp, professional nod of understanding.
Travis closed his eyes, leaning back into the leather seat, while Savannah began reviewing some digitized files on her laptop. Every now and then, Hawk would throw a comment her way, quietly keeping her company to ward off the late-night boredom.
In less than an hour, the car smoothly pulled into Beverly Hills, stopping before a massive, sprawling villa owned by Travis. It was just one of his many luxury properties scattered across the country.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sequential sound of the heavy car doors echoing through the quiet driveway brought an instant wave of relief to the two people wrapped up inside the house.
"We're back!" Savannah announced loudly to the empty foyer, kicking off her outdoor shoes and sliding her feet into a comfortable pair of house slippers.
Even though they strictly maintained a rigid boss-and-subordinate dynamic at the office, the moment they crossed the threshold of their private sanctuary—away from corporate clients and stiff business meetings—the hierarchy melted away. Here, they were simply a tight-knit group of friends.
"Let's all just head straight to bed," Travis announced, loosening the knot of his necktie as he began making his way up the grand staircase. "Let's take a collective day off tomorrow to relax our brains and bodies. I'm thoroughly exhausted from dealing with corporate idiots day in and day out."
"Hey, how about we hit up some clubs or bars tomorrow instead?" Valkyrie suggested, a flash of obvious mischief dancing in his eyes as he leaned against the banister.
"I'm going to sleep. Good night," Brown muttered with a thoroughly sour expression, instantly turning on his heel the moment Valkyrie brought up a crowded club.
"You went and irritated him again," Hawk commented dryly, watching Brown disappear. "We won't even be shocked if he decides to overdose you with anesthesia one of these days." He then turned, gently guiding Savannah toward the direction of her bedroom.
"Good night, Mr. Knight," Savannah whispered, a soft smile playing on her lips as she looked up at Hawk.
"Good night, princess," Hawk responded softly. He leaned down, placing a tender, lingering kiss on her forehead.
It was their own little secret endearment. Well, a poorly kept secret to the rest of the squad, though nobody truly knew the deep history behind why Hawk was dubbed her 'Knight' or why he affectionately addressed Savannah as his 'Princess.' To the rest of the household, it was just a silly, fond nickname they had coined for one another.
The following day, which fell on a quiet Sunday, Jillyanna woke up feeling thoroughly drained after pulling an all-nighter in front of her computer screen. She had finally finished editing, scheduling the official release of the recording for high noon before sending a quick confirmation text over to Cielo.
Cielo shot back an acknowledgment, confirming she had received the files and had already set a loud alarm to monitor the launch. With everything finally settled, Jillyanna crawled back into her bed and crashed, sleeping straight through the day until the late afternoon sun began to dip below the horizon.
The moment her eyes fluttered open, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand, greeted by a cascade of vibrant notifications congratulating her on the successful release. A satisfied smile spread across her lips. She tossed the phone back onto the bedside table, fully intending to bury herself back under the covers and sleep for another few hours.
However, three sharp, consecutive knocks suddenly rattled her bedroom door.
"Wake up, sleepyhead! You've been dead to the world all day!" Cielo's voice boomed from the hallway, dripping with sheer excitement. "It's time to get up and celebrate another massive milestone of success!"
"I still want to sleep..." Jillyanna groaned, her muffled shout barely intelligible as she curled herself tighter into the cocoon of her thick duvet.
"If you don't start getting dressed in the next three seconds, I'm barging right in!" Cielo threatened, her foot impatiently tapping against the hardwood floor.
Cielo held an extra set of keys to Jillyanna's house since she was the one who supervised the cleaning staff whenever her friend was away on business, so sneaking inside was never a challenge for her.
"Wait! I'm putting on clothes right now!" Jillyanna called out frantically, throwing off the covers and grabbing an oversized t-shirt from her closet. She was the type of woman who strictly preferred sleeping completely naked whenever she was within the safe confines of her own home.
"That wild habit of yours seriously needs to change," Cielo sighed, leaning her back against the wall beside the door frame the moment Jillyanna opened it. She stood with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, a playful scowl forming on her face. "When are you finally going to start sleeping with actual clothes on?"
Jillyanna offered her best friend a completely helpless look. "I don't think that's happening anytime soon. I'm just way too comfortable sleeping without them," she responded, turning around to lead the way back into the room.
Cielo stepped in behind her, firmly gripping Jillyanna's shoulders and forcing her to sit down on the edge of the mattress. "The sheer success of your latest recording demands a proper celebration, Yanna. You poured way too much blood, sweat, and tears into that project to just sleep through it."
"Where are we even going? I'm really not in a celebratory mood this time," Jillyanna sighed, looking up. "I honestly wanted to spend my free time filtering through candidates to find someone who actually matches my qualifications."
"Heh! You're still obsessing over that?" Cielo's lips curled into a mischievous, wicked grin. "How about we head to a high-end bar tonight and find a gorgeous guy for you to hook up with?"
Jillyanna burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity. "If Lucian ever hears the kind of terrible influence you're trying to be right now, he'd literally lock you in the house for a week."
Cielo rolled her eyes dramatically. "Excuse me, I am a fantastic influence. I am such a supportive best friend that I stand by every single one of your wild decisions. Since you want to find someone, then let's go look! I'm not here to hinder your happiness, Yanna. I'm here to be the shoulder you lean on until you get exactly what you want."
"Jeez! What is with the sudden melodrama?!" Jillyanna rubbed her forearms mockingly, pretending to shiver. "Look, you're giving me actual goosebumps. Stop being so incredibly cheesy."
"Me being cheesy is an essential lifestyle choice," Cielo retorted, laughing as she grabbed Jillyanna's arm, pulling her off the bed and pushing her relentlessly toward the master bathroom. "Now go take a shower and clean yourself thoroughly. Who knows? You might actually meet your Mr. Right tonight."
As Jillyanna vanished into the bathroom to turn on the faucet and prepare her bathtub, Cielo pulled out her phone to shoot a quick text to Lucian, letting him know about their spontaneous girls' night out.
She never changes, Cielo thought fondly, a soft murmur escaping her lips.
She vividly remembered the very first time she had convinced Jillyanna to have a sleepover in her room. Cielo had told her to go take a quick bath while she queued up a drama episode on her laptop. Incredibly, even after Cielo had finished an entire forty-five-minute episode, Jillyanna still hadn't emerged. That was the day Cielo learned her best friend's unyielding routine: fifteen minutes to brush her teeth and shower, followed by a strict, non-negotiable forty-five minutes to soak and unwind in a scented, warm bath.
True to her words, nearly an hour later, the bathroom door clicked open and Jillyanna stepped out. A plush bathrobe was tied securely around her waist, and a thick towel was expertly wrapped like a turban around her damp hair.
"What do you think I should wear tonight?" she asked, glancing over at Cielo, who was currently buried in her phone, texting her boyfriend.
Cielo tossed her phone onto the bed and immediately marched over to Jillyanna's walk-in closet. She rummaged through the neat rows of clothing until her eyes landed on a striking, fiery red dress featuring a bold metallic ring as a high collar.
"You would look absolutely lethal in this," Cielo decided, pulling the hanger from the rack and presenting the dress to Jillyanna before spinning around to look for a matching designer bag and a pair of killer heels. "It fits the celebratory vibe perfectly."
"You are a lot of trouble, you know that?" Jillyanna murmured playfully, reaching into her drawers for her undergarments.
She dried her hair, pulling the sleek locks up into a high, flawless ponytail to highlight her striking facial features and her elegant collarbones.
"Hurry it up, Yanna. Lucian already booked a private table at a restaurant for us, but he won't be joining. Tonight is strictly our night to cause some trouble," Cielo said with a stylized wink, lightly dabbing some facial cream onto her cheeks.
"Sure, sure. Just let me put on my lipstick," Jillyanna joked back, carefully tracing a vibrant, bold red lipstick across her full lips. "Who knows? I might actually find someone interesting enough to leave a stain on his collar tonight."
"Please. Everyone at the club is going to look at you and think you're some dangerous, untouchable bitch, and I'll be the only person in the room who knows you're still an absolute virgin," Cielo laughed, giving her a smug, knowing look as she grabbed her phone and handbag.
"Well, isn't that half the fun?" Jillyanna laughed, lightly punching her friend's shoulder as she stepped out of her room, her heels clicking against the floor. "Let's go enjoy ourselves tonight. Let's hit the bars and the clubs!"