Chapter 165
It all started last year.
Back then, Cleo took photos of a company boss bribing government officials. When she posted them, she casually remarked, “These people are disgusting. Maybe Maxine’s dad was brought down by people like them.”
Hearing what Urban said, Maxine closed her eyes and raised a hand to her forehead. “Is that all?” she asked.
Urban shook his head. “That’s all I heard from her. When I pressed for more, she wouldn’t say anything else.”
Maxine thought, ‘Cleo probably doesn’t have enough evidence yet. If she tells Urban too soon, she might get herself into trouble.
‘Maybe Cleo’s disappearance is related to this. While she was helping me investigate Dad’s old case, she must have caught their attention and got kidnapped.”
Urban said, “We can’t confirm it’s a kidnapping yet. But now that you’re back in the country, be extra careful when you go out. I’ll arrange bodyguards for the two of you.”
That reminded Maxine of Jessica, who was still resting at Cleo’s apartment. If those people really were after Cleo because of the past fraud case, then her place wouldn’t be safe either.
At that thought, Maxine’s expression darkened and she started to rise from her seat. Urban immediately recognized her intention and reassured her, “Don’t worry. I’ve already had people keeping an eye on Cleo’s place. If there’s any news, they’ll let us know right away.”
Urban raised his hand and rapped on the table. “Stay out of this,” he said firmly.
“Are you serious? This has everything to do with my dad, how can you tell me to stay out of it?” Maxine protested, disbelief written all over her face.
Urban rapped his knuckles on the table and said, “Someone like Cleo just vanished into thin air. That shows the people behind this clearly planned it in advance. Even if you don’t care about yourself, at least think about Jessica, who’s with you.”
Urban said firmly, “I’ll get Sebastian involved, and we’ll handle this together.”
Before she could refuse, Urban stood up decisively and said, “I’ve got other things to attend to, so I’ll be heading out. Take your time, the bill’s taken care of. I’ve packed some takeout for Jessica. Bring it back to her later.”
With that, Urban stormed out of the private room before Maxine could even respond.
Maxine sat there, her fists gradually clenching. She thought, ‘I really did want to leave it all behind. Now that I’ve chosen to live abroad, nothing back home should concern me anymore.‘
But whenever she remembered those bullies from when she was eighteen, she just couldn’t let it go.
She thought, ‘My dad was such a good man, but he was falsely accused and branded a con artist for no reason. Even after he died, he was condemned by his own family and had to carry that stigma to his grave.
‘Cleo was kidnapped because of my business. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.’
Back at Cleo’s apartment, Maxine found Jessica, still visibly shaken, sitting in the living room with two men she didn’t recognize.
As soon as she walked in, Jessica’s eyes lit up as if she’d found her lifeline. She leapt off the sofa and dashed into her arms. “Maxine!” she cried.
The two men also stood up and nodded at Maxine. One of them said, “Ms. Hudson, we’ve been assigned by Mr. Soto to provide security fo.
Still clinging to Maxine, Jessica finally told her what had just happened.
Jessica woke up to find the apartment empty. Stepping out of her room, she noticed a note on the table.
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Chapter 165
Seeing the note and realizing Maxine was out on business, Jessica headed to the kitchen on her own to find something to eat.
She had barely taken a few bites of bread when a sudden knock at the door startled her.
