Chapter 153 Well-Structured and Logical
Jordan being unable to speak had always been a sore point for Scott. After all, Alexander had entrusted Jordan into his care and the incident happened under his watch. It weighed down on his conscience for years. He kept blaming himself for not having made sure that Jordan was well taken care of.
When Courtney brought it up again, he also felt that there was something fishy about the incident that year.
After dinner, Harry went to see Courtney and the rest of them off at the entrance. Standing on the other side of the car door, he assured, “Don’t worry, Miss Hunter. We might have fired the nanny, but we still have her file in our records. I’ll search for it tonight and let you know when I find some clues.”
“Okay. Thank you for your trouble.”
She gave him a nod to express her gratitude.
On the way home, the two children fell asleep in the backseat. From the rearview mirror, Oliver noticed that Courtney looked troubled and asked, “Are you worried that you won’t be able to look further into the matter even if you get some clues?”
She came back to her senses and nodded. “Are you a worm in my body? You know exactly what I’m thinking of. I just want to volunteer my help and give myself something to do.”
His expression was subtle. “If you’ll let me, I can take over this matter.”
“You?” Courtney was dumbfounded. “How would you handle it?”
“Once I get information on all the nannies who had taken care of Jordan that year, I’m going to find those who might have possibly been related to the incident and find out how they are living now. I’ll also look into their bank accounts before and after the incident to see if there were any unusual transactions. You should know what comes next.”
It was well-structured and logical.
Only one thing remained that perplexed Courtney. “Oliver, are you starting to remember things?”
“A little bit. I think I used to have a career in this field.” He chuckled. “Maybe I used to be a cop.”
“No way.” She smirked. “You’re only twenty at most. You don’t even qualify for training. I’m sure you haven’t even graduated yet.”
He did not answer her. The darkness of the night kept the grim expression on his face well hidden.
The next day, Courtney did not go to work. She received Shay’s call early in the morning and agreed to meet him at his company to discuss the PR crisis they were facing.
“I’m sorry for giving you trouble again, Courtney.” Shay looked apologetic as soon as he saw her. “I think these journalists have lost their minds. They’re daring enough to write just about anything!”
She patted him on the shoulder then asked Shay’s assistant to take Jordan and Tina to go play.
“This wasn’t a big issue at first, but something else happened this morning.” Keith Knight, Shay’s manager, sighed heavily while looking despondent.
“Anna Hunter,” Courtney cut in. “I saw the news on my way here. It was quite bold of her to do something like that.”
In the early hours of the morning, someone on the internet who claimed to be the best friend of Shay’s girlfriend tipped off the media with information on Shay’s relationship. The person said that Shay and his girlfriend had a strong relationship going over the years, but Courtney kept anchoring him down. Because of his gratitude and how Courtney had a powerful background, Shay had no choice but to meet her halfway.
The revealed details and the truth were poles apart, but people on the internet chose to believe it and spread the article like wildfire on the internet.
“A lawyer’s letter has been issued, and the court has taken a look into this matter, but the outcome of the defamation lawsuit will still take some time. If we don’t do anything now, we will end up watching this issue destroy Shay’s career completely. He’s only just started out and hasn’t even gained a foothold yet.”
“Let them destroy me.” Shay looked dejected. “I’m not going to work in this field anymore. I won’t follow through with your plan either.”
“Plan?” Courtney frowned. “What plan have you guys come up with to resolve this?”
Shay looked at Keith. “Can you repeat what you said to me in front of her?”
Keith observed Courtney’s expression closely. “We figured that we might as well take this chance and admit to Shay and Anna’s relationship. We have contacted Anna, and she is willing to cooperate. She will also clear up the misunderstanding about the picture.”
“Maybe when I’ve gone insane.” Shay rolled his eyes at him.
After a brief hesitation, Courtney asked once more, “Are you sure she is willing to help?”
“Yes, we’re absolutely sure,” Keith beamed.
“Don’t tell me you’re okay with this, Courtney?” Urgency grew in Shay’s eyes.
Glancing at him, she asserted, “Why are you in such a panic? It’s not like I agreed. There’s another way to solve this problem.”
If Anna had agreed to it so easily and believed that she could clear the situation if she stepped up, then there was only one implication—she was behind the whole thing.
Now that Courtney knew who the mastermind was, things became much easier.
It was dark out. Oliver’s voice came through the earpiece. “I see her car. She will be up in about ten minutes. Hide yourselves well and don’t get caught.”
“Got it.” Courtney had a hand on her earpiece. Pulling up the mask on her face, she pressed on the doorbell.
Someone opened the door right away.
“Who are you?”
When the door opened, a head of chestnut brown hair and skin that was even more fair and silky than a woman’s entered her vision. The person looked very similar to Shay, but there was not an ounce of masculinity in his 180-centimeter-tall stature. The man had a bathrobe wrapped loosely around his body and was looking at Courtney warily. “I didn’t order room service,” he said with a frown.
“Compliments from the hotel. Red wine and a meal for two.”
“Does every room get this?”
“Certainly not. Only VIP rooms.” Courtney lowered her voice to make it sound more hoarse and solemn.
As soon as he heard the word ‘VIP’, his eyebrows shot up, and he gladly pulled open the door. “Come in. Your hotel knows a thing or two. This service isn’t bad! Be careful on your way in. Don’t step on my things.”
While she was pushing the serving cart inside, she saw the path lined with candles and rose petals. Through the gap of the bedroom door, she could also see a bunch of sex toys on the bed—whips, blindfolds, handcuffs, and the like. It was a truly shocking sight.
Is this what Anna is into? Goodness!
“Just leave it and go. Why are you still here?”
“I will decant the wine for you.”
Focusing on the task at hand, she took out the decanter and started pouring the wine out while she took in her surroundings calmly. When the man was not looking, she quickly fixed a pinhole camera onto the flower vase on the dining table.
Once everything was set up, she started pushing the serving cart out of the room. Shortly after she left, she saw a familiar silhouette in the corridor walking toward her. Despite wearing shades and a black mask, the person still gave off a presumptuous presence.
“Wait,” Anna called out abruptly.
Courtney stiffened. Gripping the handle of the serving cart, she turned toward her but did not dare to look up.
“Tell the waiter to send a bottle of red wine up later.”
Courtney let out a sigh of relief and quickly nodded.
With her head down, she went off while brushing past Anna’s shoulder.
Behind her, she heard the sound of a door opening. She waited until the door shut before pulling out a hotel key card and quickly pushing the serving cart into the room on the opposite side.
When she entered, Cameron immediately pulled her aside.
“That scared me to death. I thought Anna recognized you, but she only asked for a bottle of red wine. She’s really something. She can’t go one second without flaunting her high-class status and stepping on others.”
“Okay, okay. Stop making fun of her.” Courtney pulled down the mask on her face. “Do you have it all set up?”
