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Zuko smiled lightly. This was exactly what he wanted to say.
“That’s right, it was Fred who found it,” he said softly. “He has some expertise in this area, so investigating the
formula was a piece of cake.”
“But…” Lina blinked. “I thought someone would secretly dispose of the drinks to destroy the evidence after the
event that night. I never expected you could find a sample!”
“It wasn’t my brother who found it!” Toph grinned. “Guess who helped us this time, Pammy?”
Lina’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Could it be her again? Lena?’ she wondered.
“Someone did want to destroy the evidence.” Zuko smiled faintly. “But that’s a massive task. Just as that person
was trying to get rid of the remaining problematic drinks, Lena caught him.”
Toph continued. “It’s quite a coincidence. That person was trying to dispose of the evidence in the alley behind the
bar where Lena works!”
The subsequent events did not need to be explained further.
Lena was already quite skilled at dealing with men, so catching the person and getting the remaining problematic
drinks was a breeze for her.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtFred’s testing was also easy for him, and everything fell into place.
Lina heaved a sigh of relief.
This was a collaborative effort!
“Fred said that only people from his family, the Grists, could have this formula.” Zuko’s expression darkened slightly.
“The formula came about because the Grist Group was trying to cut costs. After taking over the company, Fred’s
first action was to recall and destroy all problematic drinks and this formula.”
“So, this is undoubtedly the work of the Grists!” Lina bit her lip and snickered.
The answer was already evident—Violet was the only Grist with whom she was acquainted.
“Violet never liked me back in university. I reported her family’s drinks, and then she accidentally used the face
cream that Gia got me in Southeast Asia, which caused her disfigurement. I can’t imagine anyone else who would
resort to such despicable means to harm me!”
“But…” Lina frowned. “The incident happened at the Thompson Group’s film studio opening ceremony, and the
targets were all major celebrities. There were so many people present that day. I doubt Violet would be capable of
poisoning anyone, even if she wanted to.”
Zuko rubbed Lina’s head and smiled tenderly. Lina was intelligent, quick-witted, and had exceptional analytical skills!
“So, there must be someone else behind this,” Zuko said in a low voice.
“Could it be the Thompson Group’s rivals?” Toph widened his eyes. “Or… did Uncle Nicholas offend someone in the
underworld?”
Lina fell silent, pondering, when her phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated a few times.
There were several unread messages from the same person: Desiree.
Subconsciously, Lina glanced at Zuko.
Zuko started to sweat, almost leaning back against the wall with both hands up.
Toph and Renee smiled and left, not wanting to witness Lina disciplining Zuko.
Once they were alone in the room, Lina began reading the text messages.
Desiree had sent old photos of her and Zuko at the beach during their childhood. In the pictures, they were building
sandcastles together. Desiree looked cheerful, while Zuko appeared more serious.
The beach in the photos was the Hamertons’ private beach, a place Zuko often took Pammy to when they were
young.
Looking at the pictures, Lina felt slight discomfort, like a thorn stuck in her heart. Though it didn’t hurt much, it
made her uneasy.
Just then, Desiree suddenly deleted all the photos and sent a message.
[I’m sorry! I sent them to the wrong person!]
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLina gnashed her teeth as she held her phone in a vice grip. As if she would buy what Desiree said!
First, Desiree sent these “childhood sweethearts” photos and then precisely deleted them at the right time. Lina did
not even know such tricks existed!
“Lina, I—” Zuko was just about to explain when his phone also received several messages.
Desiree: [Zuko, I was tidying up the drawer and found so many photos of us when we were kids… We were so cute!]
Desiree: [Zuko, I didn’t understand it when I was young, but I realized now that I grew up that the beach you took
me to was the same one where you used to take Pammy, right? So you took me there because you couldn’t find
Pammy…]
Desiree: [I feel really sad about what happened to Lina this time. I don’t know how to comfort you, but I hope you
eat and sleep well. Don’t be too worried. I’ll always be by your side!]
Desiree: [Zuko, if you’re feeling down, come out for some fresh air and have a couple of drinks. I’ll be waiting for
you at the bar!]
The last message actually read: [I’ll keep this a secret for you, so Lina won’t know… Men also need to relax! As your
good buddy, I’ll take you out tonight and help you relax. How about that?]
Zuko was quite straightforward and read the messages from beginning to end, even though he grimaced and
complained inwardly the whole time.
“Zuko!” Lina grinned and addressed him using Desiree’s tone, “Would you like some iced green tea to cool off from
the heat?”
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