Chapter 516 Outbreak (9) In-Depth Investigation
The next morning, Cecilia woke up at the crack of dawn.
She'd barely slept all night, her mind buzzing with thoughts of Alaric and a bunch of random stuff.
By 6 AM, she gave up on sleep and sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard.
She didn't want to wake Cassius and Augustus.
Today was going to be anything but chill.
She grabbed her phone and started scrolling through the news.
Ever since Alaric got nabbed, the headlines were all about him. For now, they were relatively objective, without malicious attacks, but with such an incident, there was no need for excessive defamation; Alaric's rep was already in the gutter.
Cecilia read for a bit but soon got fed up.
The more she read, the worse she felt.
Just as she was about to close the app, a news alert popped up.
Cecilia's eyes widened.
#Dominic and Lyra Spotted at Obstetrics Clinic, Possibly Getting Married This Month.
Seriously? Cecilia couldn't believe it.
Logically, Dominic should've been ditched by the Monroe Family.
How was Lyra still with him?
Cecilia gritted her teeth and clicked on the news.
The article had paparazzi shots of Dominic and Lyra, both masked up, entering the top private hospital in Astralton City, surrounded by bodyguards.
It looked like a sneaky shot, but it was definitely not.
If it was really candid and they didn't know, Dominic wouldn't have called last night to brag about it!
Cecilia clenched her phone, feeling a wave of anger.
She really shouldn't have underestimated Dominic.
When he lacked skills, he turned to schemes.
She almost forgot how good Dominic was at charming women.
A girl like Lyra, who grew up sheltered, couldn't resist his charm.
Dominic had probably seen his shaky situation coming and had been planning his next move for a while. Getting Lyra pregnant and making it public was his best bet to protect himself and even move up.
Getting caught living together and dating might just lead to a breakup and some gossip, but if the pregnancy rumors were true, in a traditional place like the Yakurosean Empire, breaking them up would cause a public outcry, and the Monroe Family wouldn't want their name dragged through the mud.
Was Dominic really planning to drag the Monroe Family into this?
If he played his cards right, it could help his future.
But if he messed up, the Monroe Family could make him disappear without a trace!
Cecilia gritted her teeth.
Dominic had backed himself into a corner.
Would this make saving Alaric even harder?
She even wondered if the Monroe Family had given Dominic one last shot to deal with Alaric!
Cecilia forced herself to stay calm.
She couldn't let the current mess shake her.
At 8 AM, Cecilia got up and headed downstairs.
Cassius and Augustus were already in the living room.
Cecilia was a bit surprised.
She thought Cassius would sleep in a bit longer.
Actually, there was no rush today.
But clearly, like her, Cassius couldn't sleep well.
"Morning," Cassius greeted her casually.
Cecilia gave a slight nod.
"Let's grab some breakfast," Cassius said.
She joined them at the dining table.
While they ate, Cassius asked, "Did you catch the news?"
"Yeah, I did," Cecilia replied.
"That jerk Dominic is really something else," Cassius grumbled. He'd always had a low opinion of Dominic.
Even when Dominic was riding high in public opinion, Cassius and Alaric never seemed to think much of him.
Did they always know what he was really like?
Cecilia didn't bother asking. It didn't matter now.
What mattered was Alaric.
So she switched gears, saying, "After breakfast, we'll split up. You head to the State Office and text me when the coast is clear. Augustus and I will sneak into Alaric's place to look for clues."
"Got it," Cassius said. "I've also got some people lined up to watch your back. Do what you need to do!"
"Alright," Cecilia nodded.
After breakfast, they left the nightclub's secret room separately.
Cecilia got into the car with Augustus, staring out at the unfamiliar city with a serious look.
Augustus wasn't much of a talker.
Since Alaric's incident, he'd gotten even more serious.
So the ride was mostly quiet.
Augustus parked the car a couple of streets away from Alaric's old place, waiting for Cassius's signal.
Around 11 AM, Cassius called Cecilia, "All clear."
Cecilia turned to Augustus, "Let's move."
"Okay," Augustus said, driving towards Alaric's old residence.
Cassius was more reliable than she had thought.
She didn't know the full extent of his resources, but the fact that he managed to get a car that could blend into this neighborhood overnight showed his attention to detail.
They drove straight into the underground garage and took the elevator up to Alaric's apartment.
Cecilia felt a bit nervous.
Augustus's stern face mirrored her own.
Cecilia kept an eye on the surveillance cameras, thinking, 'There are cameras in the elevator, so they wouldn't be dumb enough to use it.'
When they reached the floor, Cecilia stepped out and checked the emergency stairs, confirming there were no cameras. She was almost certain they used the stairs to move the money.
She walked up to Alaric's door.
Cecilia tore off the seal and punched in the code to get inside.
"Augustus, keep watch for me," Cecilia instructed.
Augustus looked at her.
"If anything goes down, you can cover for me," Cecilia explained.
Augustus nodded.
His job was to protect Cecilia.
Cecilia walked in, looking around the familiar home now covered in dust.
Thinking of the good times they had here, her heart ached.
The happier those times were, the more it hurt now.
She pushed her feelings aside and started checking everything bit by bit.
The more she checked, the more disheartened she felt.
The place had been searched more thoroughly than she expected, and anything that might have been suspicious was gone.
Had she underestimated their opponent's capabilities?
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