Chapter 571 Good Citizen Oliver
The manager sensed trouble brewing with this customer, but the dominating aura of this problematic patron made him relent; reluctantly, he summoned his employees.
"Natalie, what the heck is going on?" Cadence whispered to Natalie, forgetting the cold, disdainful facade she had meant to uphold.
"Someone attacked me and Oliver."
"What?!" Cadence's shock was evident as she covered her mouth. Coming from a wealthy background herself, her mind raced to scary conclusions. "Could it be... a kidnapping?"
Natalie shook her head, uncertain, but it didn't seem like that was the case.
"They also passed out inside." After a while, the manager returned with three NPCs still in their ghostly attire, wincing and rubbing their heads.
They had worse luck than the others outside; they were knocked out.
Oliver shot a glance at one of his bodyguards, who nodded before stepping forward to examine the NPCs' costumes and neck areas. After his inspection, he signaled to Oliver — they indeed had been hit on the head, not pretending.
Shortly after, four bodyguards emerged, carrying a syringe with a broken needle, a milky white substance visible inside.
"Sir," one of the bodyguards said as they approached, "we found this."
Natalie recognized it instantly as the one used by the assailants on her and Oliver.
"Could that be poison?" she ventured.
"Yes," replied, his gaze careful.
Silvercrest bordered on shady territories where such contraband was smuggled often.
Everyone else caught on to the implication, their eyes widening in shock.
"Are you saying this is, is poison?" The manager's face turned pale with fear. "Buddy, we don't deal in that stuff! We're legitimate businesspeople; our shop has been here for three, four years, with branches! We wouldn't engage in such illegal activities - that's prison time!"
He was facing a group of clearly wealthy and influential people - individuals he couldn't afford to offend!
"All clear?" Oliver dismissed the manager's ramblings, turning to his bodyguard.
"Other than your dagger, we found a freshly chiseled hole in the wall of the room, big enough for someone to pass through. The culprit likely escaped that way," reported the bodyguard.
"Look into it."
"Yes, sir."
With orders received, the bodyguard stepped aside to make a call.
"Why not enlist my help, Mr. Windsor? In the southwest, my influence might be stronger than yours," Leonard approached, offering himself unsolicited.
Oliver glanced at him with a detached expression, "People are best when they mind their own business."
Leonard looked at him and slowly broke into a smile, "Then, Mr. Windsor, aren't you worried your people won't be able to handle things around here?"
"If they can't handle it, at least I can trust them."
Besides, whether they were up to the task was for him to decide.
Their exchange left everyone else in a haze of confusion.
After the incident, it was clear they couldn't stick around for leisure. The day's schedule came to an abrupt end, especially considering the injection was no trivial matter. Oliver instructed the store manager to call the police and sent his bodyguard to deliver the syringe to the precinct.
"I didn't expect Mr. Windsor to turn to the cops when things get tough," Leonard said, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
His use of "cops" sounded almost like a tease, as though he was comparing Oliver to a schoolkid running to a teacher after causing mischief.
Oliver cracked a smile that didn't reach his eyes and replied, "Well, I've always been a good citizen."
On the way back, Oliver's bodyguard no longer kept a low profile. In fact, Oliver dispatched four of them to guard Susan, Leonard, and Cadence Barrett individually.
Natalie was silent until she was in the car, surrounded by her own people, finally letting her guard down.
"Scared?" Oliver drove with one hand, using the other to soothingly ruffle Natalie's hair.
"Focus on driving!" Natalie evaded his touch, shooting him a small glare.
Caressing while driving, seriously?
She quickly glanced at the bodyguards in the rearview mirror.
The three bodyguards sat stiffly, their sunglasses removed out of respect.
Natalie sighed internally, feeling her role as the ex-wife growing increasingly odd, wondering what Oliver's subordinates must be thinking.
— Little did Natalie know, all of Oliver's close associates were well aware that their "divorce" had never been finalized!
The lady was still the lady, kind and sweet, able to handle business independently and "control" the boss with ease.
"Oliver, do you suspect Leonard?" Natalie decided to steer the conversation back to business to keep him from meandering off topic.
Oliver's eyebrows quirked with amusement as he asked, "Miss Watson, how did you guess?"
"First off, you've mentioned that Leonard's got roots down in the Southwest, in these borderlands. It'd obviously be easier for him to dig into this matter, but you didn't utilize your people - instead, you involved the cops. That's out of character for you. So, I'm thinking you're wary of Leonard."
"Secondly, since this is Ashford territory, any shenanigans he's plotting could easily be carried out."
Natalie paused, "Plus, when we were heading to the cabinet, I caught a weird look in Leonard's eye."
Oliver clicked his tongue, "The guy's never been normal."
Natalie was speechless.
Oliver's car was in the lead, with Leonard and Susan's car right behind them. Oliver's bodyguard seated in their car served not only as protection but also surveillance - to prevent Leonard from making any unexpected moves.
Natalie glanced at Leonard's car through the rearview mirror and asked Oliver, "So, what's the plan now?"
Clearly, Oliver had no intention of burning bridges with Leonard at the moment, or he wouldn't have maintained his composure during the undercurrents of tension earlier.
Taking a step back, the situation wasn't conclusive enough to justify an open confrontation.
"Why don't you take a wild guess, Miss Watson?" Oliver quipped, glancing at Natalie as they crossed an intersection.
Natalie pursed her lips, his tone all too familiar. It took her a moment, but she finally remembered him frequently saying things like "Indeed, Mrs. Windsor is smart" and "What's your guess, Mrs. Windsor?".
"I can't figure it out," she said, turning to face the window.
"Need a hint?" Oliver was clearly intrigued by the challenge.
Natalie started to deflect, "Even with a hint, I couldn't guess. I don't want to."
No matter how smart she was, Natalie was not on Oliver's level. She lacked the information he possessed, and Oliver's thoughtfulness was beyond her ken.
She refused to guess. Guessing would only make her look foolish.
Oliver sighed indulgently, aware that she wouldn't play along. "We could consider joining forces with the Foster family," he suggested.
"Joining forces?"
Natalie's sharp mind latched onto that term. It wasn't about seeking help from the Fosters – it was about forming an alliance.
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