Chapter 382 Familiar Scorching Heat
Eva couldn't help but roll her eyes again. "What's in it for me if I do this? If I had to put someone in a sack, it would be Winona, not you. We're all adults here; beating someone up won't solve anything."
Eva got angry just thinking about it and cursed in her mind, 'Such a good opportunity wasted by this idiot. Shouldn't she have taunted and mocked a bit before pulling hair, to lure Winona in, and then pretended to be enraged before making a move? But this fool, afraid others wouldn't know she had other motives, just grabbed the hair and ran away.'
Her people was on the scene and sent her a video, almost giving her a heart attack.
At the time, she was in Mode City and needed someone to help get Winona's DNA sample. She knew a stranger would definitely raise suspicion. She thought of two people, Rebecca and Layla, and after careful consideration, chose Layla.
She thought Layla, having fought under the same roof with Winona for so long, would have some skills. But she turned out to be brainless.
Layla was still skeptical, but her attitude was no longer as firm as before. "Then why did you have to put the money in such a remote dead-end alley? Couldn't you just transfer it?" she asked.
She was beaten so badly, and no one even called the police afterward. She had to struggle out of the burlap sack herself, crawl to get her phone, and call the police.
There were no surveillance cameras and no witnesses, and the group that attacked her still hasn't been found.
"We both go to the police station to explain why we conspired to pull someone's hair? Or leave it on the street, so everyone can see you pick up a big bag of money," if she could get close to Winona now, she would have blacklisted this idiot long ago. "I've already given you the deposit. When will you get me what I want..."
A loud door opening sound suddenly came from the other end of the line, followed by Layla's panicked screams. "Who are you? What are you doing? Let go of me."
"Miss Sullivan..." A man's voice came through the phone.
Hearing this voice, Eva's eyes widened. It was Rodolfo.
Rodolfo went to find Layla. Did Frank find out something?
Eva didn't dare listen any further and hurriedly hung up the phone, afraid of exposing herself in front of Rodolfo. Luckily, she had always used a virtual number to contact Layla and had never revealed her identity. Even if they investigated, they wouldn't trace it back to her.
After the meeting at the city museum, Winona went to a nearby hotel for dinner. Along with her were several appraisers participating in Monday's public 'treasure appraisal' event, as well as leaders from the museum and government departments.
The event aimed to encourage the public to actively and properly protect cultural relics, meet the needs for private appraisals, and raise awareness of cultural heritage protection.
Additionally, a foreign collector had contacted the organizers, wanting them to appraise some of his collections and possibly donate some items.
The leaders took it seriously.
A group of over ten people booked a big private room.
Winona, being the youngest and least experienced, walked in last and took a seat near the door.
The waiter started serving dishes from her spot. Everyone else was either older, more experienced, or held official positions, so it made sense for her to sit there.
She sent her location to Zachary and glanced at the bottles of wine on the table, trying to estimate the time.
Everyone else had already started chatting, except for Winona and another obviously introverted appraiser who sat there silently.
After sending the message, she put her phone back in her bag and sat upright, listening to the conversation. She had been freelancing before, then she joined View Studio, and later moved to the Dreamopolis Museum, where she worked on restoration projects. She had never attended such banquets and didn't know how to interact with officials.
Following the principle of "the more you say, the more mistakes you make," she chose to remain silent. As long as no one addressed her, she wouldn't speak.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the museum director looked at her and said, "Winona, you are truly talented. You wouldn't believe it, but when we went to recruit at schools recently, many students said they were inspired by the documentary you made and found our field prestigious and classy, which made them want to join. I heard that you made a name for yourself in this field at a young age, bringing great honor to your family."
Such flattering words couldn't be ignored. Winona quickly picked up her wine glass and humbly replied, "You flatter me. If it weren't for the dedication and persistence of the predecessors and pioneers in this field, making more people aware of the importance of cultural heritage protection and the significance of passing down cultural spirit, no matter how many documentaries I make, it wouldn't attract people."
No one disliked a straightforward yet humble newcomer. Unlike other industries, theirs had little infighting and no stepping on others to climb up. Winona's words instantly improved everyone's impression of her.
Halfway through the meal, Winona was already a bit tipsy. Amidst the laughter and chatter, she felt a bit bored and turned to look out the window.
She saw Zachary's car parked in a street-side spot, with a window rolled down an inch, letting out wisps of smoke.
Though it was far away and the car windows were tinted, making it impossible to see inside, Winona hadn't felt anything before. But now, seeing his car, she didn't know if it was just in her mind, but she always felt a pair of eyes staring straight at her through the glass, filled with a familiar heat and intensity.
Even though she couldn't see anything, she had the illusion that their gazes had met.
Winona feared that Zachary might step out of the car the next second, just like when she had dinner with Matthew, standing by the car like a scarecrow, staring at her.
That would be too embarrassing!
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