Chapter 379: I Paid Your Penalty
A villa in the suburbs. Callum Maguire and Snow Judd, disguised as the Hugo couple, hurried inside. In the living room, Mr. Kim lounged on the sofa, holding a wine glass, his silver mask glinting under the light.
Callum Maguire and Snow Judd exchanged a glance before stepping forward. “Mr. Kim.”
Mr. Kim lifted his gaze slightly, giving them a brief look. “It’s been so long, and you still haven’t obtained the serum?”
“Since Tina’s last test, we’ve been cautious about making any moves. We mentioned the serum to her before, but she didn’t budge,” Callum Maguire said, trying to remain calm. “We’ve been busy setting up a perfume company, and it’s starting to take off. Yesterday, Tina handed us the perfume formula.”
Following Tina’s instructions, he and Snow Judd had been staying at Reed family but kept a low profile. They were often sent out to work on the company.
To avoid arousing Mr. Kim’s suspicion, they had to proceed with the company’s establishment as planned, which naturally slowed progress. Recently, Tina had ordered them to live in the fake company they were setting up. They hadn’t appeared at Reed family for nearly a month. Occasionally, they would show up briefly but leave right after dinner.
During this period, Mr. Kim hadn’t contacted them either. They were anxious to resolve this matter quickly since they had been poisoned. The excruciating pain during each poison attack was unbearable.
They had asked Tina several times if they should contact Mr. Kim to find his whereabouts, but Tina insisted she had her own arrangements. So they could only wait.
Recently, Mr. Kim suddenly messaged them to come over. They immediately informed Tina, who then allowed them to go.
“Oh?” Mr. Kim raised an eyebrow. “You got the perfume formula?”
“Yes.” Callum Maguire handed the formula Tina gave him to Mr. Kim. “Take a look and see if it contains the serum components.”
Mr. Kim glanced at the formula and suddenly stood up, eyes wide with shock.
Callum Maguire carefully asked, “Mr. Kim? Is there something wrong with this serum?”
He was only responsible for disguising himself and obtaining the serum but didn’t know its components or what Tina had given him.
Seeing Mr. Kim’s reaction left him puzzled and worried that Tina might have set him up, leading Mr. Kim to suspect and eliminate him.
“No problem!” Mr. Kim said sternly. “This is the serum!”
“What?” Callum Maguire and Snow Judd were stunned.
It was really the serum? No way! Wasn’t Tina supposed to capture Mr. Kim? How could she give him the real serum?
Callum Maguire was confused but quickly composed himself and said, “Tina’s mother actually wrote the serum components into the perfume formula? If we had known earlier, we would have disguised ourselves sooner and obtained it smoothly.”
Mr. Kim’s eyes narrowed as he pondered for a moment before asking, “How are Hugo and Jennie?”
“Eagle Flies is watching them; everything is normal for now,” Callum Maguire replied.
“Eliminate them and withdraw from Reed family!” Mr. Kim ordered coldly.
Callum Maguire’s eyes flickered briefly before he responded, “Understood.” He paused and then asked, “What about Eagle Flies’ arrangements?”
“I’ll assign her new tasks,” Mr. Kim said.
Callum Maguire nodded without further questions and left with Snow Judd.
After they left, Mr. Kim looked at the formula in his hand with a contemplative expression.
Half an hour later.
As Mr. Kim was preparing to leave the villa, Callum Maguire and Snow Judd rushed back in.
“Mr. Kim, bad news! Hugo and Jennie have been rescued!” Callum Maguire said urgently.
Mr. Kim’s face darkened. “What happened?”
“I’m not entirely sure; Eagle Flies called saying a group of well-trained people suddenly stormed in without saying a word and started fighting them off with weapons. Eagle Flies didn’t let anyone shoot to avoid exposing our people infiltrated in Ashbury; Hugo and Jennie were taken away smoothly.”
“Useless!” Mr. Kim roared angrily.
Callum Maguire looked anxious. “What now? If Hugo and Jennie show up, our fake identities will be exposed.”
Mr. Kim’s face was grim as he thought for a moment before saying, “Withdraw! Notify Eagle Flies to evacuate all personnel from Ashbury!”
“Understood.”
Callum Maguire was about to leave when Snow Judd suddenly spoke up, “If those who rescued Hugo are Tina’s people, it might be too late for us to withdraw now; even this place could be discovered soon.”
“Withdraw as many as possible,” Mr. Kim said sternly.
Callum Maguire and Snow Judd didn’t say more and quickly left.
Whispering Pines.
Although no one continued blocking Reed family’s entrance after police intervention, online criticism remained intense.
Except for sending Annabelle’s body to be cremated at the funeral home, no one from Reed family had stepped outside since then.
In Reed family’s main hall at this moment, the atmosphere was heavy.NôvelDrama.Org content.
Muff sat at the head of the table with an imposing presence.
Jasper and Garrett sat on either side while other grandchildren sat at the end of the table.
Muff glanced at everyone before speaking solemnly: “From today onwards I will take over Jasper’s position as head of household; Luna will handle housekeeping duties; Garrett & Damian you two will manage employee morale at our company.”
“Juliet your entertainment career may have come to an end; you should return home & help your father & brother manage company affairs.”
Juliet protested: “Grandfather! Acting is my passion I don’t want to give it up! Even if I can only play small roles now I’m willing!”
Muff paused before replying: “You are my eldest granddaughter; whatever you do I’ve always supported you but this incident has hit us hard not only your acting career but also compensations we may not afford.”
Juliet bit her lip without replying further; over years she earned numerous awards including Best Actress however falling from grace meant higher compensations which neither her earnings nor dwindling Reed family finances could cover amidst plummeting stock prices & terminated partnerships leaving them struggling already unsure how things would turn out next…
Suddenly a clear voice broke through: “I paid your penalty fee so you can continue doing what you love.”