The women exchanged glances but didn’t move to leave. Instead, they moved closer. “Don’t be so cruel! Sir, how should we address you?”
“I’ll say it again. Take your hands off!” Dave’s eyes flashed with anger.
Seeing Dave’s anger, Zane quickly stood up and shouted, “Get out!
My boss isn’t interested in women like you!”
The women noticed Dave’s gloomy expression and felt a wave of fear. They didn’t want to stay any longer and hurried out of the room.
As they stepped outside, they bumped into Natalie.
Natalie quietly pulled one of the women aside and asked in a low voice, “How did it go?”
The woman, remembering what she saw inside, replied, “There were just the two of them. The other man treated him with a lot of respect, calling him ‘boss.’ He really seemed important.”
Natalie pursed her lips, then took out several hundred dollars from her wallet and handed them to the woman.
“Keep this between us,” she said.
The woman smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
As the women left with their arms folded, Natalie walked toward Dave’s room. She was annoyed with Ashley for misleading her, painting Dave as just a user who relied on women for his own gain.
Natalie had always felt that Dave was special. His visit to Champs Le Bar, the respect he received as “boss,” and his last name, Evans, suggested he might be part of the prominent Evans family.
Still, she needed solid proof.
Returning to her private room, she pretended to feel unwell as an excuse to leave the bar.
After leaving the establishment, she didn’t go far. She stayed in her car, watching the bar entrance through the window.
After a long wait, Natalie finally saw Dave come out, helping the very drunk Zane.
“If you can’t handle your liquor, don’t drink so much!” Dave grumbled, giving Zane a frustrated look. Zane’s drunken state meant Dave had to help him.
What was going on?
Dave, clearly annoyed and upset, pulled out his phone and made a call.
Soon, a man in black arrived in a limited-edition Bugatti. After getting out of the car, he helped Zane into the passenger seat and then opened the rear door for Dave to get in.
Natalie took out her phone and snapped a picture of the luxurious Bugatti.
As she looked at the photo after the car drove away, she was momentarily captivated.
The rarity of that limited-edition Bugatti was incredible!
The thought of someone in the city owning such a lavish car suggested they might be connected to the Phoenix Alliance Group.
She quickly sent the car’s license plate number to a friend in the traffic department, asking for information about the vehicle’s owner.
Before long, she received a reply with the name Dave Evans.
The next morning, after Bianca finished her hospital discharge procedures, she called Blake and urged him to focus on his training instead of coming to see her.
Just as she hung up, police officers arrived at the hospital to investigate the fire incident. They explained that they had come yesterday, but Bianca was still in a coma at the time.
Staying calm, Bianca sat by her bed and answered the officers’ questions.
She gave the police all the details about what happened that day. Finally, she asked, “Officer, have you found out what caused the fire?”
The officer looked her in the eye and said, “Our investigation found that the owner forgot to turn off the gas valve after cooking, which started the fire.”
“So, was it my mother’s mistake?” Bianca asked for clarification.
“While it might be hard to accept, that’s what it looks like,” the officer explained. He continued as he took notes, “But there’s more to it. An employee from a cleaning service came to your mother’s home before the fire broke out to do some housekeeping.”
“A cleaning service?” Bianca frowned, feeling restless. She pressed, “Could it have been that person?”
The officer stayed calm. “We looked into that. However, our investigation shows that your mother specifically requested that employee for regular cleaning. They had a good relationship, with no issues between them. The cleaning company confirmed this. The employee said she noticed a slight smell of gas while cleaning that day, but she didn’t check it further or stay long because she was in a hurry to get home to care for her own child after work.”
Bianca clenched her fists, feeling something was off.
The officer said, “You mentioned Madison called an hour before the fire, probably to invite you back for dinner.” He said with a hint of sympathy as he looked at Bianca.
With her head bowed, Bianca shook it, clearly distressed. “No… Something doesn’t add up!”
Bianca said to the police officer, “I’m worried because my mom sounded so anxious on the phone. She had something important to tell me. I had already told her I wouldn’t be home for dinner, so why would she cook? And even if she did, why would she go straight to her room right after starting to cook? Something doesn’t add up!”
One of the officers responded, “We considered that. We found a stockpot on the stove with spareribs simmering. It seemed they needed a long time to cook, so she might have gone to her bedroom for a short nap. Unfortunately, the fire was put out, but the gas kept leaking, leading to the incident.”
“Simmering spareribs?” Bianca’s face grew troubled as she realized something. She stood up and said, “No, this doesn’t make sense! My mom… she never cooks stewed spareribs!”
The officer looked surprised and asked, “What do you mean?”
Bianca explained, “My mom specializes in French cooking. She’s never cooked stewed spareribs before!”
The police officers exchanged glances, realizing they hadn’t fully considered this detail.
“Okay, we understand the situation now. We’ll continue our investigation and let you know if we find anything new,” one officer said as he closed his notebook and stood up.
Bianca nodded quietly, remaining silent.
After the police left, Bianca walked out of the ward. She intended to visit her mother in the ICU but was stopped by Leonel, who had just arrived.
“Bianc!” Leonel rushed over, gripping Bianca’s shoulders. His eyes were red, his face was filled with pain, and he looked like he was about to break down. He repeated in shock, “How could this happen? How could this happen?”
“Leonel, calm down,” Bianca said, holding onto his arm to steady him.
“I stayed late at work and didn’t get home until this morning. When I finally came back, I saw the apartment… I’m so relieved you’re okay. How’s Mom?” Leonel asked worriedly.
“Let’s go see Mom,” Bianca said gently and began walking.