“I bet the Damaris family has spent a fortune on these medicinal herbs,” Colby commented inadvertently.
Hearing so, Roxanne instinctively gazed at Jack.
When the latter brought it up during conversation the night before, she was sure the Damaris family would pay a lucrative amount for the herbs. However, she did not know how much exactly.
Now that Colby mentioned it, she felt a strong urge to find out more.
Jack laughed it off. “It’s just a favor. Money is secondary. Please receive it gladly with open arms.”
Frowning, Roxanne replied in a serious tone, “I’ll make full use of these medicinal herbs, and I won’t let the Damaris family pay for nothing.”
For a big and prominent family like the Damarises, relationships and ties were far more important than money.
Therefore, Roxanne knew she had to utilize the herbs to their maximum value.
Jack nodded satisfactorily as he patted her shoulder in hopes of comforting her. “Don’t pressure yourself too much.”
Roxanne remained solemn and said nothing.
Exasperated, he went on, “Didn’t you say that you wanted to treat me to a meal as a token of appreciation?”
There was a slight change of expression on Colby’s face when he heard that. Instantly, his eyes were fixated on Roxanne. She wants to treat Jack to a meal? Since when? How come I know nothing about it? Did they contact each other privately?
Intrigued, he blurted, “Really? When was that?” Roxanne replied, “I made that suggestion when Mr. Damaris and I were talking about the medicinal herbs last night.”
Turning to Jack, she added, “Mr. Damaris has helped our institute fix a huge mess. This meal is nothing significant compared to the favor received.”
In other words, she made it clear that the meal was not meant to pay Jack back for his generosity. Jack did not seem bothered by her words.
He glanced at Colby and teased Roxanne, “How then does Ms. Jarvis plan to return me the favor?” Jack’s gaze, coupled with his question, made Colby’s heart sink.
He quickly turned to Roxanne, impatiently waiting for her response. Putting on a serious expression, she stated, “I’ll definitely make your sacrifice worthwhile.”
Jack raised an eyebrow and gestured for her to continue. “I’ll use them to achieve our desired research outcome,” Roxanne promised.
Upon hearing that, Colby heaved a silent sigh of relief. Jack smiled placidly. “I believe in you, Ms. Jarvis.” Subsequently, the trio checked the herbs sent. When it was nearly noon, Roxanne suggested going for lunch, to which Jack agreed happily.
“Do join us, Dr. Galloway.” She turned to Colby. Taken aback, the latter subconsciously looked at Jack, who gave an indifferent response.
“Let’s go together. You’ve worked hard throughout this project, Dr. Galloway.”
With that, Colby nodded. They did not go far but simply settled in a nearby restaurant. After taking their seats, the gentlemen let Roxanne do the honors.
She did not reject the idea and placed orders for all of them before handing the menu back to the server.
“By the way, how’s the fire investigation coming along?” Jack brought up the matter like a bolt from the blue.
No one noticed Colby’s body stiffen briefly as soon as Jack popped the question.
Furrowing her brows, Roxanne said, “We only know that an internal staff was bribed to do that, but nobody knows who’s the mastermind.”
At that thought, a headache started assailing her.
Colby slowly recovered his senses and took a sidelong glance at Jack. He relaxed further upon realizing that the latter was not focusing on him.
This is supposed to be a lunch between Jack and Roxanne, but he let me tag along and even bring up the matter in my presence in a seemingly casual manner.
At first, Colby suspected Jack had discovered the truth.
But after those words, it seemed his concerns were unwarranted. Jack was just genuinely concerned about the case.
At that thought, Colby chimed in, “I’ve checked all the staff at the research institute, and I can guarantee this won’t happen twice. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the medicinal herbs.”
Jack quirked his lips and nodded. “I hope so. Anyhow, it’s best we catch the culprit as soon as possible.”
Roxanne nodded in agreement.
After that, a long pause ensued. When the dishes were served, they started eating. As Colby observed the two sitting next to him, a strange light glinted in his eyes.
“I was thinking we might need Mr. Damaris’ help in catching the one who orchestrated the fire.” His sudden remark caught everyone by surprise. Jack stopped eating and inquired with an arched brow, “What do you mean?”
Colby explained, “The staff who was bribed encountered some family issues. Though the matter was only made known within the research institute, the culprit was able to find that out and take advantage of his weakness. It goes unsaid that the person has investigated the background of everyone at the research institute.”
His tone of voice grew to become more serious. “He must have done his homework before selecting that particular employee.” This was the first time Roxanne had heard of this speculation, and it caused her heart to skip a beat.
The fire happened one day after the medicinal herbs were delivered to the storage. If the person has carried out a thorough investigation on all the staff, then… How powerful is he to identify Jason within such a short period?
Roxanne fell into a slight daze when she recalled her earlier suspicions. Amused, Jack asked further, “So, Dr. Galloway, what are you saying?”
“The mastermind is no ordinary person to achieve all these. I doubt we could locate him with the mere resources available at the research institute. Hence, we most likely need some help from you, Mr. Damaris.” Colby’s tone was resolute.
At that, Jack stared at him meaningfully. Just when Colby thought his trick was working, Jack posed an unexpected question. “Is there a possibility that the fire was started by someone who works in the research institute? That’s why it was done so effectively?”
Colby’s expression stiffened imperceptibly at that. Judging from his words… Does he really not know the truth? “That’s impossible,” said Roxanne.
The gaze she shot Jack was one of utmost confidence. “No one at the institute would commit such a crime to harm others without benefiting oneself unless one was desperate.”
Jack then looked away from Colby. “I was just taking a wild guess, Ms. Jarvis. Forget what I said since you’re very sure about that. I’ll help to investigate further.”
Roxanne grinned. “Thank you, Mr. Damaris.” Jack bobbed his head in response. Those short minutes of conversation had Colby breaking out in a cold sweat, thinking that he might have been exposed.
Fortunately, he was saved by the bell.
Had it not been for Roxanne, he would have shot himself in the foot.
As he recalled Jack’s words, Colby was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.
Could it be that Jack has noticed something? Was he trying to test me?
He forced himself to stay calm and await the next chapter to unfold.
However, Jack never mentioned the fire anymore, whereas the troubled Roxanne did not initiate any conversation for the rest of lunch.
In the end, the trio left the restaurant harboring different thoughts.
Roxanne assumed Jack would take his leave after eating. On the contrary, he stayed back at the research institute till evening.
Throughout the afternoon, they engaged in discussions about the usage of the medicinal herbs.
Thankfully, they arrived at a satisfactory answer before knocking off work.
The three of them left the research institute at the same time.
Upon bidding goodbye to the two men, Roxanne made her way to her vehicle.
As she tried to start the car, she realized the engine would not turn on.
“What’s wrong?” Jack and Colby were both gentlemen. They wanted to wait for Roxanne to leave before leaving. However, Roxanne’s car was still parked at the same spot even after they had waited for some time. Thus, they went up to check on her.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.