Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Elaine pushed open Eris's door and placed a document in front of her.

Eris looked puzzled and asked softly, "You want to review all the past case files from the Criminal Investigation Department?"

"Yep. I'm sure I can catch them."

Eris signed her name on the document and looked at Elaine. "I hope so."

With what she needed in hand, Elaine hurried back to her dorm. She opened her laptop and logged into the Criminal Investigation Department's intranet.

Elaine now had full access. Her eyes were fixed on the computer screen. In a hidden folder, she found what she was looking for.

Deep Vision Initiative!

This was Elaine's real target. She took a deep breath and opened it, but a prompt popped up: [Insufficient permissions.]

Elaine was stunned. How could this be? Didn't she already have all the backend permissions?

Elaine sat on her bed. Now she understood why Eris had so readily given her access. Eris must have known her true intentions.

Elaine took out an old notebook from her drawer. 

This was the only thing he had left her. She held it carefully in her arms.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, in a hotel not far from Ethan's Café, Tate and Ewan were anxiously staring at the phone in front of them. 

Eris had promised them that their sons would be released today. So much time had passed, and there was still no news. They couldn't help but worry.

"Do you think Eris will really release our sons?" Tate asked, glancing at Ewan.

"Do we have any other choice but to trust Eris right now?" Ewan replied.

The phone suddenly rang. Both of them jumped and quickly moved to the phone. 

When they saw the caller ID, they were stunned.

"Hayes? Why is he calling?"

"Who cares? Just answer it."

They pressed the answer button and put it on speaker.

"Mr. Campbell, long time no see."

"Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Edwards, it's been a while. I've been waiting for that dinner you promised. Do we still have a chance to meet?" Hayes said with a smile.

Tate and Ewan exchanged glances. Could it be that Hayes didn't know their current situation? 

That didn't seem right; businessmen like him usually had accurate information.

"Sure, let's invite Mr. Evans and set a time. Same place as always."

After a few more pleasantries, they hung up.

Ewan rubbed his chin. "A trap, huh?"

Tate snorted. "So what if it's a trap? Don't forget, we're practically the Thompson family's dogs now. They wouldn't dare do anything to us."

"That's a pretty accurate description." They both laughed bitterly.

It was a full half-hour before Eris called. 

When they learned that their sons would have to stay locked up a bit longer, they fell silent. A bit longer, and they might be convicted. 

But since it was Eris delivering the news, they had no choice but to comply.

That evening, as agreed, they arrived at the restaurant. 

In a private room on the top floor, Hayes and Juan were sitting together. 

Juan looked at Hayes, surprised by the invitation.

Juan didn't believe Hayes hadn't noticed anything. Inviting him to dinner at this time was suspicious, very suspicious.

Watching Hayes play with his phone, Juan tentatively asked, "Mr. Campbell, any progress on your son's case?"

Hayes put down his phone, smiling at Juan. His voice was gentle. "Thanks for asking, Mr. Evans. We've found some clues."

After a few more words, the door to the private room opened. Tate and Ewan walked in with smiles.

"Mr. Campbell, Mr. Evans, sorry for the delay. Traffic was a nightmare."

"No problem, have a seat."

Hayes didn't even stand up. 

Once everyone was seated, Hayes called the waiter to start serving the dishes. 

In just a few minutes, all the dishes were on the table. The waiter closed the door and left.

Hayes raised his glass, looking at the three men. "Tonight, we have two reasons to drink. First, to celebrate Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Edwards' release."

Tate and Ewan smiled awkwardly. "That's all in the past."

"And second, for my son Henry."

The atmosphere grew tense. Juan gave Hayes a look, signaling him to be more discreet. 

Hayes ignored it and continued, "I almost forgot your current status. Don't take it personally."

Tate and Ewan's faces darkened. "Mr. Campbell, are you blaming us?"

Hayes waved his hand with a smile. "Of course not. In fact, I should thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have found clues so quickly."

"The drug trafficking case is closed. My son was sentenced to life."

"Mr. Campbell, we didn't..." Juan started, but Hayes interrupted him, his voice low. "But my son didn't kill anyone."

"The police are now accusing my son of murder."

Juan felt a surge of satisfaction but put on a concerned face. "What! How can they do that without evidence?"

Hayes coldly smiled inside at Juan's poor acting. Hayes stared into Juan's eyes. "I've found clues about the real killer."

"Really? That's great news," Juan said, a bit nervously.

The dinner was uncomfortable. Midway through, Juan found an excuse to leave. Hayes didn't stop him.

As soon as he left the restaurant, Juan angrily dialed a number. 

It rang for a long time without an answer. Juan threw his phone aside.

"Back to the office, now!" he barked at the driver.

The driver sped back to the office. Juan practically ran inside. He called his secretary. "Notify all senior executives to meet in the conference room in half an hour."

In less than half an hour, all the senior executives were in the conference room. 

Juan sat in his seat. "Sell all the Campbell Corporation stock we've acquired."

The executives were stunned. One of Juan's confidants spoke softly, "Mr. Evans, we've acquired a lot of shares from individual investors. Selling now might not maximize our profits..."

"Am I the boss, or are you? Do as I say."

"Meeting adjourned. Get to work."

Juan stormed out of the conference room.

"What's up with Mr. Evans?"

"Did something happen?"

"What could happen to Campbell Corporation? Henry's drug case has been dragging their stock down. Selling now seems crazy."