Listening to Isabel's tone, this seemed like a not-too-serious matter, but Alex was curious about what he needed to know. "Go ahead and tell me.""Today, when I was talking to my girlfriends, I overheard some news." Isabel's tone dropped, revealing a gossip-like demeanour. This made Alex burst into laughter."I heard that today, at the nursing home, someone used the money to bribe the staff, and that money turned out to be counterfeit."Isabel's tone was playful, but it carried a different sound to Alex's ears. Hearing the mention of a nursing home, he immediately thought of someone, and as if prompted by some force, he immediately asked, "Do you know the name of that woman?"Isabel, perhaps surprised by Alex's sudden interest and questioning about a matter that wasn't his own, fell silent for a moment as if pondering the issue he brought up. After a while, she replied, "I don't remember the name, but I heard my friend say her last name was Andrew or something like that."Andrew... Mr
The cashier hesitated momentarily at Alex's action, but she eventually reacted and handed him the newly acquired bills. "Here you go, sir," she said."Thank you, have a great day," Alex replied."Have a great day," she echoed.After speaking, Alex left.He went to the parking lot and drove away. However, instead of heading straight to the company, he chose a nearby parking lot, parked there, and walked to the Forest Corporation.Upon returning to his office, he immediately picked up the landline phone and called Jowley."Come to my office right away. I have something to delegate," Alex instructed."Yes," Jowley replied.While waiting for Jowley, Alex laid out the bills he had just obtained from the supermarket and examined them with his naked eyes. He held one of the bills up to the light, simultaneously taking out another one-hundred-dollar bill of his own and placing it next to the newly acquired one, comparing them side by side.Indeed, they were identical, down to the smallest det
"Surveillance, huh?" Jowley exclaimed in astonishment, realizing that Alex had asked him to buy an old car for this purpose.Alex nodded."That's right. I waited outside the Blacklabell casino for a while and saw Loki driving out. I followed him from there. I saw him go to a woman's house, and it wasn't an affair because I had suspected that before and confirmed it. He went there for a different purpose. And not long after Loki left, I coincidentally passed by that house and overheard a conversation between her and her husband. She had been continuously buying expensive household items, returning them, and paying in cash. Then I followed her to a supermarket and exchanged money she had just returned. And now, I want to verify it."After Alex finished speaking, he pushed the money towards Jowley. Jowley, who now understood, immediately took it and said,"I understand. I will immediately verify it and inform you of the results as soon as possible.""Okay."Jowley left, leaving only Isab
Jowley's words made both Alex and Jessica extremely nervous and curious. Then, Jowley spoke, "Those are indeed counterfeit bills, made with great craftsmanship and attention to detail."The result was not surprising to Alex and Isabel. Alex was already about seventy per cent sure of this, and Isabel, through Alex's account, also sensed the unusualness of the situation and was confident that these were counterfeit bills.With the result, Isabel immediately asked Alex, "What do you plan to do next?"In reality, Alex had already thought about the next plan while waiting for Jowley to examine the bills. He had thought about what and how he would do it. So, at this moment, he just needed to voice it out.Alex placed his hands on the table and said, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch its cubs."Upon hearing Alex's answer, Isabel and Jowley had their thoughts and speculations. But to be sure, Isabel asked again, "What do you mean?""I mean... of course, we can't directly ap
The question from the salesperson caught Isabel off guard, and her mouth froze like someone struck by the wind. On the contrary, Alex appeared utterly calm and composed as he replied, "That's right, both of us. I'm buying clothes for both my parents and grandparents.""Oh, yes, please come in. We just received some new arrivals," the salesperson said.After speaking, the salesperson enthusiastically invited Alex and Isabel inside. Alex eagerly followed her, while Isabel felt a bit... different. The salesperson immediately presented various dresses, cardigans, shirts, pants, shoes, bags, and accessories for middle-aged individuals. Alex looked them over, and it was confirmed that he had experience selecting women's clothing. With whatever money he had in the past, he would always spend it on buying clothes for Jessica, Mrs. Andrew, and Mr. Andrew. So, when it came to middle-aged fashion, he was even more knowledgeable than contemporary youth fashion.Alex picked out a few outfits and t
In Jack's mind, Alex couldn't be charismatic, kind, sophisticated, protective, weak, or cowardly. If Alex possessed any of those qualities, they would only be a pretence, not the person Jack knew. So, when Jack saw Alex defending Isabel, he felt furious and resentful. He would think he was deceiving himself, believing Alex was trying to appear brave and heroic to impress others.Jack refused to acknowledge the reality. At this moment, Alex and Isabel were furious and dissatisfied with Jack's arrogant behaviour. She wanted to step forward and push him away, but Alex anticipated her actions and stopped her. Then, Alex stood up and did something unimaginable to Jack – he made him away swiftly with his arm. The move seemed gentle, as it only impacted Jack's right shoulder, but the force behind it was unexpectedly powerful, causing Jack to fall backwards onto the ground.Jack's buttocks hit the ground hard, causing a painful sensation that left him dazed. What shocked him, even more was th
Alex took Isabel's hand, and they left the shopping centre, heading towards the parking lot. It was only after they sat inside the car that Alex finally felt relieved as if he had just managed to shake off a persistent dog biting at his pants.Meanwhile, Isabel still felt annoyed. In fact, she wanted to say more, but seeing that Alex didn't seem to want to confront or talk much with Jack, she remained silent."Next time, before leaving the house, I'll say a prayer," Isabel said, fastening her seatbelt.Meanwhile, Alex burst into laughter."Let him be. The more he acts crazy, the more it shows others what kind of person he is. We don't need to worry. I feel sorry for the clothing store earlier."Then, Alex looked at Isabel's hand, which Jack had grabbed earlier."Is your hand okay? Does it hurt?" he asked.Isabel waved her hand dismissively."No, it doesn't hurt. I feel disgusted," Isabel said. That's all she said, but deep down, she knew that Jack had ulterior motives. In his mind, Al
Isabel startled herself, wishing she could slap herself hard enough to snap out of the beautiful dream in her heart. How could Alex want... to have a child with her? Not to mention their current relationship was just a facade, not actual. Isabel had overthought things too much.But she couldn't prevent herself from feeling embarrassed and losing face in front of Alex. Even though she knew he was unaware of her inner thoughts, she still felt he knew something. Isabel awkwardly turned her face away, then closed her eyes and said, "I'm a bit tired; maybe it's because of the sunlight. Sunstroke, perhaps.""Is that so?" Alex noticed and reached out to remove the sunshade in Isabel's spot. This action made her even more flustered, wishing she could dig a hole to hide in. She felt ashamed and disoriented, forgetting to take down the sunshade herself, all while claiming to have sunstroke. Alex was naturally wise, and Isabel's actions were like crying foul, revealing her unusual behaviour.But