Chapter 41 Private Detective
"Mom, who's Liliana? Is she Dad's sister?" Jasper suddenly asked me.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I nodded, "Yes."
For some reason, hearing Jasper ask about Liliana made me feel uneasy. I didn't want such an innocent and kind child to have contact with someone like Liliana.
But there was no way around it - this was unavoidable.
The only solution was for Tyler and me to divorce as soon as possible, so Jasper could get away from the Thompson family.
-
After putting Jasper to sleep, I went to the study. After thinking it over, I still sent Clio a message.
"Give me the private investigator's contact information."
Clio replied quickly, "I knew it! I knew you'd choose this path. What happened? Did the Thompson family bully you again?"
I sent back a head-shaking emoji, then said, "No, I just don't want to be tangled up with them anymore. Tyler's cousin Liliana is coming back. I think that'll make things worse for me. I need to find evidence as soon as possible and get Jasper away from the Thompson family."
"Liliana? I think I remember her - is she that girl who's always acting superior?"
Seeing Clio's description of Liliana, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I still replied, "Yes, she's graduating with her master's degree and coming back to the country, the day after tomorrow."
"So what are you worried about? She's not living with you guys."
"Actually, she is living with us."
Clio: "She's living with you? What's that about? A cousin living with her cousin? That sounds almost like incest."
I couldn't even find words to express my helplessness. Clio always came out with shocking statements.
"Don't talk nonsense. Apparently she's coming back to find a place to stay first, and will move out later."
Clio: "Do you believe that?"
I quickly replied, "No, that's why I need to find a way to divorce quickly. I'm afraid Liliana will be a bad influence on Jasper."
Clio: "Absolutely. Tyler's mother and Tyler are already trying to get someone else to be Jasper's mom. That Liliana is so scheming, she'll definitely be even worse than them. The investigator I'm recommending is totally reliable - he's never failed a case. But his fees are pretty high, though with his skills, it makes sense."
As long as it was for Jasper, as long as I could get divorced, money didn't matter.
"Money's not a problem."
Clio: "Actually, you could find an excuse to get more money from Tyler. I bet he'd give it to you. Then you use his money to hire an investigator to investigate him - how perfect would that be? It'd make him furious."
I had to admit, Clio's way of thinking was really different from normal people - both funny and shocking.
"I'll think about it. He bought me a sports car that's being delivered in the next few days."
Clio replied quickly, "Don't tell me it's that limited edition that just launched overseas."
I was a bit surprised: "How did you guess so accurately?"
Clio: "Of course! Someone as rich as Tyler wouldn't settle for an ordinary car. That car is so popular. I don't really know much about it, but a few days ago I was doing nails for a rich lady who really wanted that car but couldn't order it. You need certain qualifications to even pre-order that car."
I didn't really know about cars. Hearing Clio say this, I felt a bit flattered - Tyler was willing to spend so much for me?
But after just a second, I realized he was doing it for Ava. As long as it kept me quiet and obedient, accepting their oppression, giving me a limited edition sports car was nothing to him.
Me: "Don't forget to send me the investigator's contact information."
Clio: "I'll send it now. Set up a time to meet. The investigator won't communicate with you online - he refuses to leave traces."
"Okay, got it."
Right after that, Clio sent me a landline number. Since it was too late, I decided to call at noon the next day.
The next day, while no one was home, I avoided Mrs. Chen and went back to my bedroom, locking the door, and dialed the landline.
A few seconds later, a deep male voice came through, "Hello."
"Hello, someone referred me to you."
"Who referred you?"
I hesitated about whether to say Clio's name - I should have asked her yesterday. After hesitating a few seconds, I still said, "Clio."
"You need something from me?"
"Yes, can we meet in person today?"
"Yes, in one hour, Caffeine Haven." After saying that, he hung up directly.
I was completely confused - we set a time that quickly? And I didn't even know what he looked like, how would I recognize him when I got there?
Caffeine Haven...
That place seemed pretty remote, in a small scenic area in the suburbs.
I checked the time and looked at the GPS - it would take half an hour by car.
So I didn't dare delay. I quickly got ready and left.
-
Caffeine Haven
Because I didn't want to meet the so-called investigator with my real face first, I put on black sunglasses in the car and covered my mouth with a silk scarf. After confirming I couldn't show my real appearance, I nervously walked into the café.
As expected, I looked like a thief. Some customers all turned to look at me. I ignored the server's greeting and just scanned the café. Then my target locked onto a man in a suit in the corner, also wearing sunglasses and a mask.
My sixth sense told me that was the investigator I was meeting.
"My friend is over there," I told the server.
Then I quickly and nervously walked over. When I reached him, he stood up, "Please sit."
Although he was wearing a mask and sunglasses, from his dress and demeanor, he probably looked pretty good.
So I got straight to the point, "Are you the investigator?"
"Yes, it's hard not to look like one dressed like this, but I didn't expect you to be pretty smart too." The investigator's voice had a playful but magnetic quality.
My lips under the scarf smiled slightly, and I explained, "This is my first time hiring a private investigator to handle something, so until everything is confirmed, it's better not to show my real face."
"OK, you're absolutely right. That's also my reason for being fully disguised."
After chatting a bit, I briefly described my request, and the investigator just listened quietly. I couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses, but I could feel he was listening very attentively.
When I finished speaking, my throat felt a bit hoarse, so I picked up my coffee and drank half a cup, which made me feel better.
The investigator spoke then, "So in other words, everyone knows your husband is cheating, your husband's mistress is very arrogant, your husband's family all accept the mistress as their daughter-in-law, and they're currently building a relationship between your son and the mistress, preparing in advance for the mistress to become his mom in the future. Am I understanding this correctly?"