Chapter 452 Her Intelligence Is Hopeless
"They checked, and the money came from overseas, all at once, but they haven't figured out who sent it yet."
Ryan paused and whispered, "I mean, Rupert doesn't know anyone abroad, right?"
Katniss knew exactly who Rupert was connected with. He started out delivering food in Velvet City and now ran a noodle shop there. He kept in touch with his old delivery buddies.
Forget about abroad, Rupert didn't know anyone outside Velvet City and Harmony City.
"Rupert has no clue the apartment was bought. This has to be Jessica's doing."
After all, Ember was quite old and wouldn't dare to deal with foreign affairs; she simply didn't have the capability.
But where could Jessica have gotten the money?
"Keep an eye on Jessica and Ember. If anything happens, let me know right away."
As an outsider, this was all Katniss could do.
Ryan quickly responded, "Got it, Ms. Grey."
After hanging up, Katniss returned to the dining room, where lunch was already prepared.
Sophia and Tristan were sitting with Evie, playing with her while waiting for Katniss to join them.
She couldn't help but be mesmerized by the scene. It had been so long since she dared to even dream of such a moment.
Suddenly, Tristan's sharp eyes glanced over and saw Katniss standing at the entrance. He got up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to sit down.
"There will be many more moments like this in the future. It's not too late to accept reality. You can't stay stuck in this moment forever."
Tristan's calm voice, tinged with a bit of teasing, instantly dispelled the sadness in her heart.
Katniss raised an eyebrow and retorted, "You talk a big game, but you come home for lunch during your one-hour break just like me."
It always felt like a dream, and not seeing each other made them uneasy.
Tristan chuckled lightly and admitted, "Yeah, you got me there."
Winning this round, Katniss felt a bit more grounded and started eating lunch with Evie.
Tristan, who handled all the work, was very busy, but he insisted on coming home for three meals a day, without fail.
Ryan had complained to Katniss a few times that Tristan should attend certain business dinners, but Tristan always sent Ryan instead.
Fortunately, Tristan's reputation was soaring, and Ryan managed to secure contracts just by showing up and leveraging Tristan's name.
Katniss also experienced her first sense of accomplishment since she stopped working: Evie started walking.
Evie, standing at just 2.95 feet tall, wobbled as she walked, scaring the adults who both wanted to protect her and keep their distance.
Tristan covered every sharp object in the house with foam.
But outside, things were stirring. Whenever Tristan appeared, Katniss stayed out of sight.
Whenever Tristan had time, he took Evie out, and the media captured many moments of him with the child.
Then Katniss discovered that the media had written her off as 'dead.'
Rumors of cancer, divorce, running away with someone else, and broken relationships were rampant.
Katniss didn't care, enjoying her time at home with her daughter and recovering from the nights Tristan exhausted her.
Tristan was glad she stayed out of the spotlight because White Corporation kept trying to get Katniss back to work.
And Samuel was always lurking, so Tristan ignored the rumors.
Katniss was almost completely disconnected from the outside world, but Ryan occasionally updated her on Rupert's situation.
Jessica had recovered and left the child with the nanny, going to the shop every day to collect money. The noodle shop was doing well.
But trouble followed, specifically Ember's trouble.
Ember was arrested by the police for fraud and extortion.
That afternoon, Jessica and Rupert went to the police station to understand the situation. The police slapped the apartment's property deed on the table, leaving the couple speechless.
But Jessica refused to explain, claiming ignorance, and left Ember at the police station.
The police continued to interrogate Ember, seeing Rupert was clueless, and sent him home to wait for news, planning to get Ember to talk.
"Ms. Grey, where do you think the money came from?" Ryan asked Katniss, looking puzzled.
In the living room, Tristan was playing with Evie by the floor-to-ceiling window. Katniss sat on the couch, her brows furrowing as she listened to Ryan.
Tristan glanced over, "If you want to know, you might need to focus on Jessica."
Clearly, he was certain Ember wasn't smart enough to pull off a $2 million scam.
She'd be lucky not to sell herself.
"I've had people following Jessica, but nothing's come up," Ryan said.
Before Katniss could respond, Rupert called.
She quickly answered, hearing Rupert's anxious voice.
"Katniss, Mom was taken by the police. She somehow got money to buy an apartment, and they're accusing her of fraud. But it must be a mistake; she's not smart enough for that!"
Rupert knew Ember well and didn't believe it.
Katniss was silent for a few seconds before reminding him, "Her intelligence is hopeless, but think about who around her could pull this off and make her follow orders?"
Rupert suddenly understood.
Since Jessica got pregnant, Ember had been increasingly obedient to her.
They often whispered together, clearly hiding something from him.
"Sit down and talk it out. Don't scare the child," Katniss said, knowing Rupert had realized it was Jessica.
Rupert, more impulsive than she expected, hung up without a word.
Given the seriousness, if they didn't clear things up, Ember could spend the rest of her life in prison.
Rupert rushed upstairs, pushing open the bedroom door, startling Jessica, who was holding the child.
"Come out with me," Rupert said, his tone angrier than ever.
Jessica refused, frowning, "I'm watching the child. Whatever it is, we can talk later!"
"The nanny can watch the child. Come out now!" Rupert signaled the nanny to take care of the child and forcibly dragged Jessica out of the bedroom.
The child was startled and began to cry. The nanny quickly came over to soothe the child.
Rupert dragged Jessica downstairs and threw her onto the couch.
"Jessica, tell me the truth. Where did Mom's money come from?"
He glared at her, his anger making Jessica a bit scared.
Jessica sat up straight and retorted, "How should I know? Your mom found this place, and said it was $2,000 a month. I thought it was cheap rent. How was I supposed to know she bought it?"
"Are you still lying to me? Do you want me to beat you?" Rupert's eyes were red with anger.
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