Finally, we've tracked down our target.
And our target is somewhere nearby.
Who among today's banquet guests could it be?
Dale looked at Cecilia Gu, uneasy. She no longer dared to show even a hint of disrespect to Cecilia.
Dale was terrified that Cecilia Gu would sell her out.
Cecilia Gu noticed Dale's concerns and smiled gently, saying, "You're a guest today, Miss Dale. Please enjoy yourself."
With that, Cecilia Gu stood up.
Dale asked anxiously, "Mrs. Yin, you won't tell the King Family about this, will you?"
Cecilia Gu looked at her, amused. "Do you really think you can keep this hidden for long? You've been used so thoroughly, Miss Dale. Shouldn't you think about yourself? Whether it's the mastermind, the King Family, or the wrath of the Monroe Family—can you really handle all that?"
"Mrs. Yin, please show me a way out!" Dale was truly desperate, grabbing Charles's sleeve and begging.
Several bodyguards immediately appeared beside Cecilia Gu, pulling Dale away to prevent her from hurting Cecilia.
But Cecilia Gu raised her hand to stop the bodyguards and said, "Since Miss Dale has been so cooperative today, I'll give you some advice. The mastermind paid you well, and the King Family gave you plenty of benefits to win you over. Why not take your family and leave for good? The world is big—there's more than just this region. In many places, neither the mastermind nor the King Family can reach you. As long as you act wisely, the Monroe Family won't make things hard for you."
After saying this, Cecilia Gu turned and walked away.
Dale stood there in a daze, unable to react for a long time.
It wasn't until Cecilia Gu disappeared from view that Dale finally snapped back to reality. She replayed Cecilia's words over and over, seemed to make a decision, and left the banquet quietly without saying goodbye to anyone from the King Family.
Wendy kept a close watch on the situation. Seeing Dale leave, she immediately reported it to Cecilia Gu.
Cecilia Gu, who was chatting with the other ladies, just smiled and nodded when she heard Wendy's report, then went back to greeting the guests.
"Excuse me, I'll be right back." Cecilia Gu nodded to the ladies and went to the lounge, where she instructed Wendy, "Pass this news on to Rona Muir and Sophie Mo. Since Dale is involved, David Zhou must be too. Have them find a way to get David Zhou to talk and see if his situation matches Dale's."
"Madam, do you also suspect that Melo is the mastermind?" Wendy couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Right now, she's the prime suspect," Cecilia Gu answered. "But we can't be sure yet. We're peeling back the layers, uncovering the truth step by step. Go on—solve this quickly so Sophie Mo can put her worries to rest."
"Yes, Madam." Wendy immediately turned to contact those back home, informing Rona Muir and Sophie Mo of what happened.
Coincidentally, Rona Muir was with Sophie Mo, so Wendy didn't need to make another call.
After hearing Wendy's report, Sophie Mo chuckled, "Looks like this person really can't stand Julian King and me. They went to great lengths just to split us up. Tsk tsk, it's enough to make the heavens angry!"
Rona Muir said, "What do you plan to do? Can you handle David Zhou? If not, leave it to me."
"David Zhou... He's still my classmate."
"Oh, please. Dale is Julian King's classmate too!" Rona Muir rolled her eyes elegantly. "Fine, let my husband Jiro Hirayama handle it! He's the only one who can cut to the core of the issue without worrying about feelings."
With that, Rona Muir got up to leave.
"So urgent?" Sophie Mo asked, feigning innocence.
"How can I not be?" Rona Muir teased, pinching Sophie Mo's cheek. "Someone's face says 'Go handle business now!'"
"Me? No way..." Sophie Mo laughed and started playfully bickering with Rona Muir.
That evening, Jiro Hirayama returned home, and Rona Muir recounted everything that had happened over the past few days.
Jiro Hirayama might be a bit eccentric, but he wasn't stupid. He immediately understood what Rona Muir meant: "You want me to pry the truth out of David Zhou?"
"Yes." Rona Muir never beat around the bush with her husband. "Do you have any drugs that can make people tell the truth?"
"I do." Jiro Hirayama's eyes flickered; he was thinking about more. After finally catching a test subject, maybe he could experiment with something else too?
Rona Muir patted his shoulder. "David Zhou isn't your lab rat. No playing around!"
"Alright." Jiro Hirayama visibly deflated. "Then I'll just ask about the truth."
"Thank you." Rona Muir generously kissed Jiro Hirayama on the cheek. He perked up instantly and pointed to his other cheek: "This side too."
Rona Muir: "..."
After a night of effort, the next day Jiro Hirayama was glowing and full of energy.
Compared to Cecilia Grant's elaborate banquet to lure Dale to the manor for questioning, Jiro Hirayama's method was much more direct and forceful.