Chapter 0402
Chapter 0402
Candice didn't stay outside for long. Alex said that Darius's vigilance was very high, and they couldn’t find anything substantial each time they investigated.
But even with just this little information, Candice could deduce a few things. Such as the subtle relationship between Darius and Henry.
However, she didn't mention these things to Alex. She figured Alex probably didn't need her to remind him.
She returned to the meeting room, but at the door, she saw Sonia.
Candice's steps faltered. She couldn't have a good expression when facing Sonia.
But Sonia stopped her. "Burning Star Studio won't have a chance." Her voice was not loud, but she sounded very sure.
The early winter sunlight wasn't harsh, but it made Sonia's already pale face look even whiter. Her lips, even coated with lipstick, appeared colorless, and there was an unmistakable fatigue in her eyes.
Candice glanced at Sonia's appearance. It was tidier compared to before, and a faint trace of mockery flashed in her eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
Candice’s scrutinizing gaze was too clear, and it panicked Sonia. But she remained proud on the surface, lifted her chin, and issued a final ultimatum to Candice. "If you have any self-awareness left, you should know that with me around, Burning Star Studio won't appear on Redshade Corporation's list."
She turned away triumphantly, the sound of her high heels echoing as she left.
Candice watched her back for a moment, her face expressionless, then turned to find Yondu.
At noon, Yondu had told her that she should go to the studio again in the afternoon as Abel had something for her.
When she found him, Yondu was chatting with others, so Candice didn't want to interrupt. She took out her phone, intending to call Jackson and ask about Darius.
But as soon as she lit up the phone screen, she saw a message from Henry. The contents were all apologies, saying he had been too impulsive before and shouldn't have laid hands on her.
She had received many such messages from Henry. At first, she had blocked his number, but then he changed his phone number and continued to send messages.
Candice ignored them as if she hadn't seen them, too lazy to block Henry again. Besides, she couldn't change her phone number, so she might as well treat them as if they were nothing.
She called Jackson instead. Jackson picked up quickly, "Candice?"
"Are you busy now?" Candice asked?
"What's up? I'm in Aston now."
Last time when Candice had contacted Jackson, he had vaguely mentioned Darius when he asked her to see Bella. But he had spoken discreetly, only saying that Bella was young and had made some bad decisions.
She didn't beat around the bush and asked directly. "Do you have much contact with Darius?"
Jackson remained silent for a moment. "It seems you bumped into him. But I've told you before, it's best to have less contact with him.”
“The actual controller of the Quimby family is now Darius,” Candice explained. “He just doesn't dare to act too blatantly, so it's not so obvious."
Jackson sighed worriedly. "Darius is very smart, but the smarter the person, the more antisocial they tend to be. Candice, I'm not kidding. It's best to have less contact with Darius. His mental state is not quite normal."
Jackson's words kept hovering in Candice's mind. She slowly frowned, her heart beating a few beats faster.
"Candice?" Yondu's voice behind her interrupted her thoughts. Candice turned back, and Yondu stood not far away, waving at her, "Let's go to the studio. I called you several times just now, what are you doing?"
Candice said, "I was making a call."
-
On the way to the studio with Yondu, Candice temporarily set aside the matter of Darius and focused on handling the affairs of Redshade Corporation. Things had to be taken one step at a time.
It turned out that Abel wanted to give her a new set of materials, which could be used to devise new plans for Redshade.
Candice took the materials and thanked Abel, but he waved his hand dismissively. "Hanley is considered my student, and Burning Star Studio has come this far under my guidance. This little favor is nothing."
Candice lowered her head in gratitude and said, "I will convey your kindness to Hanley."
Abel looked at her, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "You must have been frightened when the power went out last time."
Candice's eyes flickered with surprise. Abel had never mentioned the power outage incident before. It was always Yondu who dealt with it. Now he suddenly brought it up.
She looked at Abel, whose expression remained unchanged. "Luckily, nothing happened to you then. If you had stumbled and hurt yourself, Hanley would surely hold me accountable."
Candice smiled politely and bid farewell before leaving.
Yondu had initially offered to accompany her, but she declined. However, as soon as she stepped out, she saw Mrs. Parker sitting in the corridor, shelling peanuts.
Mrs. Parker stopped shelling when she saw Candice and grabbed a handful of peanuts from the basket, handing them to Candice. "Have some."
Candice hesitated for a moment looking at the peanuts, then crouched down in front of Mrs. Parker. She tasted one of the peanuts. It was slightly sweet.
Mrs. Parker had a kind face, and despite her age, she spoke clearly and logically. "Why have you come back again?" she asked.
Candice paused. "Have you seen me come here before?"
Mrs. Parker nodded slowly. "Of course, I sit here every day."
Candice's brow furrowed slightly. She probed further, "Do you remember there was a power outage in Abel's lab before?"
"There was no power outage." Mrs. Parker looked puzzled as she stared at Candice.
Candice's brow furrowed deeper. She tried to be more specific, "It happened when I first came here, and Yondu had someone come to fix it." She spoke slowly, keeping her eyes on Mrs. Parker, observing her reaction.
Mrs. Parker's wrinkled face showed confusion at first, but then she slowly realized. She shook her head. "There was no power outage. Stanley comes every month to inspect the circuits. It’s not possible for there to be a power outage."
She noticed Candice’s expression of disagreement.
She frowned, thinking harder, then suddenly brightened. "It was Abel who turned it off himself that day. I asked him why he did it, and he said it was for an experiment." Mrs. Parker grabbed a handful of peanuts and showed them to Candice. "These are grown by Abel's wife. They taste all right. I'm just sitting here for some sun..."
Candice didn't pay attention to what Mrs. Parker said afterward. She looked back in the direction of the laboratory, feeling uneasy.
Abel had turned off the circuit? Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
But Sawyer had been downstairs all the time and only saw Abel going downstairs, which seemed plausible.
With a heavy heart, Candice returned to the hotel. She wanted to find Alex and tell him about her discovery. However, just as she got out of the taxi, she saw Henry pacing at the hotel entrance.
As if sensing her presence, he looked up and his eyes lit up. "Candice, you're finally back?"