The police officers noticed Deanna and greeted her by nodding before continuing with their work. Deanna headed straight to the basement. The scene in the basement was even worse than the living room. There were signs of explosions everywhere, and shards of glass littered the floor.
"Missus, tell me what you're looking for, I'll find it," Shannon said as she saw Deanna rummaging through the tables that had fallen to the ground. She approached cautiously, worried about the glass shards and the sharp edges of the specially made broken tables that could easily cut Deanna. If Missus got injured, Shannon feared her bonus might be docked.
Hearing this, Deanna didn't insist on searching herself and explained, "I'm not exactly sure where it is, just that it's in one of these drawers, taped to the top."
Shannon moved to another lab table to start searching. Meanwhile, Deanna didn't stop. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Shannon felt something odd under one of the tables.
"Missus, I think I found it," she said as she pulled out a thin file folder sealed with tape.
Shannon shook it slightly, puzzled, "Is there something inside? It feels so light."
"Of course, there's something inside, otherwise why would I come looking for it?" Deanna replied with a chuckle, relieved to see the file was still there.
Deanna had known that someone was after the special medication and that there might be spies around her. She and Lionel had discussed privately; since they both had good memories and could remember the details of the actual medication formula, they hid the real data and placed a partially true document out to lure out the enemies. However, they hadn't anticipated such a drastic attempt to steal the documents.
Taking the file from Shannon, Deanna didn't look at it but turned to leave the basement with Shannon.
She didn't leave immediately but found the police captain in charge of the search in the villa and handed over the file. "Officer, this is the method for producing the special medication my colleague and I decoded. We intended to submit it after completing our research to help those across the nation who can't afford medication. But some couldn't wait to steal it , so I can't keep this data with me any longer. I hope you can pass it on."
"Miss Jones, your nobility is commendable. I'll submit it, though we might need you to come in for a discussion soon," said the captain, not surprised by the data but rather impressed with Deanna.
Deanna nodded in acknowledgment and then left with Shannon.
Shannon, following behind her, was puzzled. "Missus, since you and Mr. Grant hid the real data, why submit it now? Once everything is settled on Mr. Mercer's end, you can resume your research without anyone targeting it again."
"I know, I just want less trouble and also want to do something for Lance," Deanna said, looking up at the sky.
Lance had confronted the four secretive families for her. Although she never fully understood these families, from her master's capabilities, she knew they had connections with high-ranking officials.
If those officials decided to protect them, Lance and her master would be at a disadvantage.
So she needed to increase their leverage.
Shannon didn't quite understand Deanna's words but didn't ask further. As a competent bodyguard, she knew what questions were appropriate.
On their way back, Deanna checked the news on her phone and found almost no mention of herself online. She knew without guessing that either Mercer Group or someone higher up had suppressed the information.
Just as she was about to relax, a call from a collaborator came through.
"Mrs. Mercer," said Mr. Brent on the phone, "starting tomorrow you're taking over all matters at the research institute. Give me a straight answer-are the drugs produced there legitimate? They aren't some experimental drugs, are they?"
"If they weren't legitimate, do you think you'd still be able to call me? I'd have been arrested by now!" Deanna replied jokingly.
Perhaps finding her reasoning sound, Mr. Wheeler on the other end chuckled dryly after a few seconds of silence. "Missus, you're quite humorous. But with incidents happening every other day, it's tough on us; each incident causes significant losses for the hospital."
"I understand your concerns, Mr. Wheeler," Deanna replied smoothly. "The recent incidents are due to our institute's latest drug research affecting some people's interests. If you're worried, we can pause our collaboration unilaterally until you feel ready to resume."
Deanna spoke soothingly to her collaborator.
However, such calls continued in the days that followed.