Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Someone Was Here
The celebration of Lariette’s birthday ended around two in the morning. She didn’t let Declan and Rafael’s brief appearance, including her eldest brother’s cryptic note take her attention away from the celebration.

Lariette escorted the sleepy Chairman Delaney to his room while Ruediger and Madelyn packed the unfinished food and cleaned the necessary spots.

“Grandpa, Mr. Brian and your doctor will nag at you if they knew you stayed up so late.”

Lariette said jokingly as she covered Chairman Delaney’s body with the blanket. Her teasing earned laughter from the elderly man.

“Don’t tattle on me. Shh!”

Chairman Delaney drew a smile on his lips as his blurred eyes looked at Lariette. Grabbing one of her hands, he gently squeezed it.

“My dear, happy birthday. I hope you enjoy this year’s surprise celebration. Please know that I’ll always be by your side. Don’t hesitate to come to me.”

Lariette’s face softened hearing Chairman Delaney’s sincere wish for her. Nodding, she reassured the old man, “I do, Grandpa. It’s the best birthday party for me. I also know I can count on you.”

Relief flooded Chairman Delaney’s heart, conflicting with the existing remorse. He blamed himself for not doing much to Lariette all these years.

Thankfully, it was not too late. At the very least, he was still breathing and healthy enough to be by his granddaughter’s side—defending her from her own parents.

“Good night, Grandpa. See you tomorrow.”

Lariette kissed Chairman Delaney’s cheek, silently conveying her gratitude to the man.

“Good night, Lari. Happy birthday again, my dear.”

Soft chuckles slipped out of Lariette’s lips, amused to hear the continuous wishes. She quietly walked out of the bedroom, hoping that her grandfather would sleep soundly.

Lariette returned to the room where the party was held, finding only Ruediger was there. The decors were still up because he and Madelyn only cleaned up the food and whatnot.

“Maddie said she’ll put the cake in the pantry fridge,” said Ruediger, referring to the half-eaten cake he made for Lariette.

“That cake is so good!” Lariette’s face brightened at the mention of the cake, “What did you say? Strawberry rose buttermilk cake, right?”

Smiling, Ruediger nodded, “Yes.”

Lariette still remembered the divine taste of the pink-colored cake, and how soft and airy it was. Also, the rose-infused strawberry jam paired very well with the buttermilk cream.

Upon learning Ruediger made the jam himself, Lariette couldn’t resist asking for a jar to be kept at their apartment. She chuckled when her grandfather asked for it too.

Lariette and Ruediger returned to their bedroom, their footsteps faint in the quiet hallway.

“I’ll check it before I go to bed,” said Lariette once she entered the room.

Ruediger asked nothing as he understood what she meant. His emerald eyes trailed after her figure. She headed straight to the walk-in wardrobe.

After locking the door, Ruediger went in the same direction as Lariette. He saw her standing opposite one part of the wardrobe.

“How is it, Lettie?”

Without turning to look at Ruediger, Lariette answered, a trace of coldness lacing her voice.

“Someone was here.”

Ruediger paused, displeased by what he had just heard. This meant the other party—Stephanie—did go to a length to make sure her plan would succeed.

Lariette’s sapphire eyes stared at the small white paper lying on the inner part of the white closet, the same one she hung in the gold dress.

Before Lariette and Ruediger left the room unoccupied this afternoon, she deliberately slipped the paper between the closet doors. It would fall if someone opened it.

In this case, it wasn’t Lariette.

“The paper was still there before I took my nap,” Lariette shook her head, feeling bad despite anticipating this, “I think whoever it was, came after Maddie and I left earlier.”

“Thank goodness for the cameras,” Ruediger stated, earning a hum of acknowledgment from Lariette.

Ruediger had scoured the room, checking for any cameras or listening devices right after they were assigned to the room. After making sure there were none, he set up his own secret cameras.

Ruediger suggested Lariette install a few to which she agreed. He proposed it during yesterday’s lunch after she told him about Chairman Delaney’s findings.

Ruediger went out after getting Lariette’s approval. He returned with a few high-quality ones, saying he got them from Nathaniel.

Thus, the plan was commenced.

Aside from the ones in the main bedroom area, Ruediger also put one inside the walk-in wardrobe. He could access the videos through his laptop.

“I’ll grab my laptop,” Ruediger turned around, walking toward the exit of the wardrobe, “It’s better to check now.”

“That’s right.”

Lariette sank herself on the couch while waiting for Ruediger to retrieve his laptop from the bag. He sat next to her, placing the equipment on his lap.

Soon, Ruediger logged into the account where the videos were kept in a cloud. The cameras allowed real-time upload, allowing immediate storage and accessibility.

“You and Maddie reached the party room five minutes after midnight,” muttered Ruediger, his eyes focusing on the laptop screen, “Let’s start from here.”

Lariette glanced from the laptop to Ruediger’s side profile. She couldn’t help but let her gaze linger on him a moment longer than necessary.

The bright lights above basked over Ruediger, casting faint shadows on his face. His crimson bangs fell loosely over his forehead, framing his emerald eyes that concentrated on the screen.

Lariette’s eyes slowly traced from Ruediger’s face down to his hands. She noticed how his long fingers moved deftly on the table, clicking the mouse when needed.

The quiet confidence in his voice and behavior unexpectedly lured her attention to him.

“Found it.”

Ruediger’s remark pulled Lariette out of her trance. Biting her lower lip, she felt heat emanating from her cheeks.

Thankfully, he was so focused on the screen that he didn’t realize she was assessing him.

“Let me see.”

Lariette moved her eyes to the screen, watching the minute when someone—one of the villa helpers—entered the room. She leaned forward, wanting to take a closer look.

The female helper looked rather young. Lariette didn’t recognize her but, she believed it wouldn’t take her long to inquire about the former.

“She looked around the room and… went to the wardrobe,” commented Lariette as she continued watching, “Oh, that’s the wardrobe camera. Haa… She really opened the closet.”

The helper opened the closet one by one until she found the one where Lariette kept the gold dress. The former also took out her phone, taking a few photos of the gown.

Seeing how the helper immediately left the room after finding the gold dress, Lariette knew her guess was correct. The helper was there to confirm which color she would wear for the wedding tomorrow.

“Haa… This is so childish,” murmured Lariette.

“Childish indeed,” Ruediger agreed.

As Lariette’s focus was still on the video, Ruediger’s gaze subtly shifted to her. His eyes lingered on the soft movement of her hair cascading over her back before moving away.

A trace of blush faintly colored the man’s cheeks. He still couldn’t forget the intensity of the lady’s stare as she assessed him earlier.

If only she knew that he actually noticed it.