Chapter 292
The warmth and scent radiating from Theodore brought a sense of peace and comfort Elara had never experienced
before.
She could feel the slight tremor in his body and the tension beneath his skin.
“As long as my girlfriend is safe, that’s all that matters.”
The moment he saw Elara standing in front of him, unharmed, the weight that had been pressing down on his heart finally lifted.
Theodore loosened his embrace, making sure the duration and pressure of the hug were just right. It was probably not too sudden nor too overwhelming, allowing Elara to feel at ease.
But as his gaze landed on her face, he found himself reluctant to look away.
He had handled the embrace too well. When the warmth of his body and his unique scent gradually faded from Elara’s skin, she found herself unexpectedly lingering on the feeling, missing it before she even realized it.
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
Theodore immediately asked, “What about that so–called law–abiding citizen? Has he been taken away by the -police?”
His tone was as sharp as ever. Hearing the way he ridiculed Harvey, Elara let out a quiet chuckle through her nose.
She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s inside.”
Theodore frowned slightly. “Inside? Are you all just waiting for the police to arrive?”
Elara shook her head. “I locked him up.”
Theodore froze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise
Elara lifted a delicate finger to her lips, a teasing gesture. Theodore’s attention was instantly drawn to he: ight, soft features.
“Mr. Snapp, I’m counting on you to keep this a secret.”
Theodore narrowed his sharp, deep–set eyes, his voice deliberately low and drawling with playful ambiguity.
“A secret? Between us? What kind of relationship do you think we have for you to even be asking me that?”
Leonard and Finnegan were both present, and Elara’s cheeks burned with heat.
Theodore really did like her–so much so that he seemed desperate to wear his new title like a crown and parade it around for the world to see.
Who could resist feeding him a little sweetness in return?
“Please, honey, keep this a secret for me.”
Theodore turned his head toward Leonard. “Did you hear that? Who was she asking? Oh, Elara was asking me! Leo, you heard her, right?”
If Theodore were a peacock, he would have already spread has feathers wide, with each plume boldly emblazoned with “I am Elara’s boyfriend” in giant letters, circling Leonard and flashing them at every possible angle.
Before Leonard could respond, Theodore took it upon himself to formally introduce himself.
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Chapter 292
“Allow me to reintroduce myself–distinguished Prof. Fisher, sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Elara’s boyfriend.”
Leonard’s voice remained devoid of emotion. “Would you like to introduce yourself to the person locked up inside that room? He used to be Elara’s ex–boyfriend.”
Theodore shot Leonard a sharp look, the warmth in his gaze instantly cooling. “Are you trying to say Elara has poor taste?”
Leonard’s stare was as cold as ice, his gaze dissecting Theodore as if he were an inanimate lab specimen.
His assessment was blunt. “The last one was an idiot. This one is too much.
Theodore pointed at Leonard and turned to Elara. “Well, the last one couldn’t be too much, even if he tried!”
Elara then tugged on Theodore’s sleeve, guiding him to stand on her other side, effectively placing herself between the two.
She whispered a gentle warning, “You should show some respect to my mentor.”
Theodore straightened up in an instant, adopting an obedient and well–mannered expression. “Understood, honey. I will treat my girlfriend’s esteemed mentor with the utmost reverence.”
Elara figured Leonard was magnanimous enough not to take Theodore’s antics to heart. She then retrieved an old phone and handed it to Finnegan.
During Harvey’s earlier beating, the device had slipped from his pocket and landed on the floor.
“This is Niamh’s phone. Before Dawn died, she left a voice message for Niamh–one that involved me.”
Finnegan took the phone, and Elara pressed play on the stored recording.
When Dawn’s voice played, everyone in the room stiffened.
Finnegan listened to the recording, then scoffed coldly. “Harvey wouldn’t be stupid enough to pin Daw on you just because of a single voice message, would he?
death
if he is som
needs to drag him to the hospital and check if his brain’s been removed.”
Elara frowned. “I never arranged to meet Dawn alone. Someone must have used my name to lure her out.”
Theodore’s expression turned serious. “The person who luned Dawn out was Niamh.”
Elara turned to him sharply.
Theodore added, “But that’s only Wendy’s claim. She doesn’t have solid evidence to prove it.”
“Wendy?” Elara asked in confusion.
Theodore explained, “The female server you saw at the technological summit’s welcome banquet.”
Elara immediately followed up, “What’s her connection to Dawn?”
“When she was in middle school, she attended the same school as Niamh. She was a top student on a full scholarship, but she was constantly bullied by Niamh’s clique.”
The top private middle and high schools in Capitol weren’t places one could simply buy their way into. Moreover, the Jones family wasn’t wealthy enough to casually donate hundred million or two to fund a school building.
Niamh’s grades were poor, so the Jones family sent her to aprivate school with annual tuition fees of over 100
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Chapter 202
thousand dollars.
From middle school onward, Niamh and Dawn had attended different school
Elara asked, “If Wendy was Niamh’s classmate, why didn’t Niamh recognize her when she saw her?”
“She had plastic surgery. She went under the knife just so she could one day take revenge on Niamh with her own hands,” Theodore explained.
Then he added, “Wendy is at the Jones residence now.”
Seeing Elara’s confusion, he elaborated, “You probably don’t know yet–she’s with Benjamin.”
Finnegan took out a sealed plastic bag and placed the phone inside. His deep voice carried a weight of certainty.” I’ll investigate Dawn’s case.”
Although he was in business now, he still had connections within the military and police. That was precisely why Elara had handed Niamh’s old phone to Finnegan.
Then, Finnegan’s calm, dark eyes landed on Elara’s wrist.
Theodore’s sharp gasp broke the silence. “What happened to your hand?”
The area where the handcuffs had bound her was covered in bruises. None of them had noticed it earlier, but now even Leonard’s brows furrowed tightly.
Finnegan said, “I’ll rub some herbal oil on it. It’ll be better by tomorrow.
But Theodore immediately stepped forward, determined and possessive as he said, “I’m the boyfriend–I’ll do it!”
