Chapter 161
“Mr. Mason,” Charles said respectfully.
Sebastian tapped the desk with his index finger. “Keep an eye on the airport in the capital. If you spot anyone who resembles Maxine, report to me immediately.”
Charles looked astonished. “Sir, do you mean…”
Charles abruptly cut himself off mid–sentence. ‘When the boss gives an order, my job is just to get it done. Any further questions would be presumptuous,‘ he thought.
Three years later, on a beach in Valazands, Jessica, in her swimsuit, ran up to Maxine, holding two ice cream cones. “Maxine, hurry! They’re melting!”
Maxine bowed her head and lowered her sunglasses, the bandages still wrapped around her hand. The old injury still sent a dull ache through her hand from time to time, so she always kept it bandaged to ease the pain.
Maxine got up from the beach chair, reached out to take the ice cream cone, and teased with a smile, “Careful, don’t fall! Not getting one for your
William?”
“He’s not my William!” Jessica shot back indignantly, her cheeks flushing.
“Sophia!” William Dixon came running from the beach, a volleyball tucked under his arm. “Come play with us!”
When Maxine’s health had mostly recovered, Urban arranged for Jessica to enroll in a local school, where she met her first friend.
Jessica’s parents were quite attractive, and she had inherited all their best features. So, as soon as she started school, she quickly became popular with
her classmates.
William was blond–haired and blue–eyed. He was straightforward and outgoing. On Jessica’s very first day at school, he latched onto her and wouldn’t let go. Ever since, he’d been like her little shadow, following her everywhere.
Over the years at school abroad, Jessica had really blossomed into a much more outgoing girl. Maxine could tell that despite her constant complaints, she actually cared a great deal about William.
“Fine, let’s go,” Jessica said with a pout.
Maxine watched as the two children ran off to play beach volleyball. She let out a quiet sigh of relief, leaned back in her chair, and gently closed her eyes.
A man asked, “Everything alright? You’ve been under a lot of stress lately?”
He sat down on the chair next to her. “Maxine, if the workload is getting too heavy, you should take a proper break. After all, we’re partners, I don’t want to see you relapse again.”
Devault Reed sat down next to her, flashing a teasing smile.
Maxine reached for the juice on the table, took a sip, and said, “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Maxine thought, ‘I just need to go back to Hatholand.‘
She was in charge of a cross–border intentional injury case. The man was from Hatholand, and the woman was local. After a whirlwind marriage, frequent arguments escalated their conflict until, after one particularly heated fight, the man stabbed his wife.
Thankfully, the neighbors heard the commotion and called the police in time, saving the woman’s life.
The two sides had conflicting accounts. The woman claimed the man had a mistress back in Hatholand and tried to kill her over the affair.
However, the man’s testimony was that he acted in a moment of impulsive anger.
1/2
12:28 Sun, 22 JunGOD
Chapter 161
Currently, all the evidence favored the man. To turn the case around, they needed to prove he was indeed having an affair with someone in Hatholand.
The Foreign Ministry had already handled everything. Now, all Maxine needed to do was return to Hatholand, gather the necessary documents, and
bring them over.
“If you’re not feeling well enough, I can go in your place,” Devault offered.
Maxine had thought about that possibility, but this case brought someone to mind.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
