Chapter 682 Finding It Out
The tension between the two sides was escalating, and it seemed like the situation was about to get out of control.
Suddenly, a cell phone rang, and Lorcan answered the call. Whatever the person on the other end said immediately changed Lorcan’s expression. His subordinates noticed something was off and couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, what’s going on?”
Lorcan didn’t respond but instead fixed his sharp gaze on Catherine. “You can leave Styre University, but you need to cooperate with our investigation. You can’t leave Loxton for the time being. Understand?”
The Duncans didn’t pay any attention to Lorcan’s words. They wouldn’t let anybody get the chance to bully Catherine.
Catherine tilted her chin and stared at Lorcan. She didn’t seem to be affected by his words at all.
Marshall, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, immediately approached Catherine. “Catherine, are you okay?”
Lorcan could tell that Marshall valued Catherine very much. He instantly understood the current situation and realized that only Marshall could persuade Catherine. He repeated what he had just said to Marshall.
Marshall looked at Catherine and said, ” I think it works. We need to investigate the matter thoroughly. It wasn’t us who did it, and no one has the right to slander us.”
Out of respect for Marshall, Catherine nodded slightly. Her agreement made Lorcan breathe a sigh of relief. He was genuinely worried just now. If Catherine hadn’t agreed, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything, and the situation would have once again fallen into a deadlock.
Lorcan stepped aside, making way. Branden wrapped his arm around Catherine’s waist and swaggered out.
Watching their departing figures, Lorcan’s subordinates appeared very annoyed. “Sir, Catherine is the prime suspect. How can we just let her go?”
“What’s that guy’s background? He seems quite powerful!”
Listening to the chatter of his subordinates, Lorcan’s expression grew increasingly grim. “The man just now is surnamed Duncan. Got it?”
“Duncan?” His subordinates couldn’t help but murmur.
In Loxton, who else but Branden Duncan, who recently had a confrontation with the Breens, could have such a brazen attitude?
Their faces turned pale, their eyes full of surprise. As members of the procuratorate, they surely knew the Duncans’ power.
No wonder that man could easily take Catherine away. In Loxton, perhaps no one could afford to offend the Duncans.
Lorcan’s expression was exceptionally grim. He knew Branden’s identity, and he understood that when the Duncans wanted someone, no one could stop them.
However, Lorcan could tell that his immediate superior wasn’t succumbing to the pressure of power, but simply did not believe that Catherine could leak the data. “But why is he so certain?” Lorcan wondered.
At the apartment, Catherine turned on her phone only to find numerous missed calls. Despite the suppression of the news, many people still knew about the situation. They were worried about her.
Catherine glanced at the phone and casually tossed it onto the bed. Branden emerged from the bathroom and saw her sprawling on the sofa. He approached her slowly, his voice gentle and soothing as he asked, “Feeling tired?”
Catherine didn’t even want to open her eyes, responding to Branden with a weak voice, “Nah, just thinking about the data.”
Seeing her spending all her time in the laboratory and the little weight she had managed to gain being worn away, Branden felt a surge of anxiety. He bent down, lifted her from the sofa, and headed toward the bathroom.
“I’ve run a bath for you. Take your time and think. I’ve also made some soup for you. I’ll go tend to the fire. Call me when you’re done soaking!”
Catherine remained silent, her mind still preoccupied with the data. She allowed Branden to place her by the edge of the bathtub. There was no sign of her being affected in her response.
Branden secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Catherine would be upset about being framed, but now it seemed that she didn’t care at all.
Soaked in the warm water, Catherine closed her eyes, feeling relaxed.
In the kitchen, Branden stirred the soup in the pot with one hand while listening to Carlo’s reports on the phone.
“Boss, we can’t find any clues from Styre University! We’ve checked all the surveillance, and there’s nothing suspicious. We also found that Miss Swann’s bank account received five million dollars from an overseas account!”
Upon hearing this, Branden immediately furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowing with a chilling sense of unease. “Five million dollars?” he repeated. “Who do they think they’re dealing with?”
To think that someone would spend five million dollars to frame his beloved, Branden was furious. It seemed that these people didn’t even take him seriously.
Carlo hadn’t initially seen any issue with this, considering that five million dollars was indeed a substantial sum for a student. However, upon hearing his boss’s question, he realized something. Branden spent over 100 thousand dollars every month just on buying fruit for Catherine, and now these people were spending only five million dollars to frame her. It was outrageous.
“Boss, Francis has gone to investigate the team in Rexinheim. There are no leads from Styre University, but we can probably find something by starting there!”
“Sure.” Branden glanced at the time, set down the spoon, and turned off the stove. “Let me know if there’s any news!”
Branden hung up the phone, knowing the other party had come prepared this time, fully intending to put Catherine in a difficult position. If that were the case, he wouldn’t show them any mercy.
Suppressing the murderous intent in his eyes, Branden walked to the bathroom door and gently knocked.
Catherine slowly opened her eyes.
Okay, I’m coming.” Her casual tone carried a hint of hoarseness, tinged with weariness. Immersed in the bathtub, feeling the soothing flow of water, she had unknowingly dozed off.
As the bathroom door opened, Branden approached Catherine and covered her damp hair with a towel. Catherine never liked to dry her hair with a hairdryer, always allowing it to air dry naturally. Since being with Branden, whenever she finished bathing, he would be there with a towel ready for her, drying her hair with a hairdryer after absorbing the water droplets with the towel.
“The soup is ready. Would you like to have some and then rest?”
“Sure.” Since he had spent so long preparing the soup, Catherine didn’t want to disappoint him.
Catherine sat at the dining table, sipping the soup and scrolling through her phone, while Branden worked in his study. Just as she picked up her phone, a call came in. Glancing at the caller ID, she answered and put it to her ear.
A strange man’s voice came through on the other end of the line. “Rest assured. We will definitely give you an explanation for this matter. We won’t let you suffer unjustly.”
The man went on at length, but Catherine responded coldly with just one sentence. “Are you done talking?”
The man hesitated momentarily and then replied, “Yes, I’m done.”
Without hesitation, Catherine hung up the phone. She wasn’t a three-year-old child who needed comfort. She just needed results. Her patience was limited, and if this matter weren’t resolved by tomorrow, she would investigate it herself.
