Chapter 189 - 188: Asher Lost a Bet and Is Divorcing Me?

Chapter 189: Chapter 188: Asher Lost a Bet and Is Divorcing Me?

"Where did she go missing?" Asher asked.

Lucas Grant rushed forward to grab Asher, but Asher dodged him.

"If you have something to say, then say it. Don’t get physical," Asher said gruffly.

Lucas Grant scoffed and pointed to the evidence board. "Erin Whittaker went missing at 2:30 PM at IF Plaza. Before her disappearance, she was shopping with Julian Fletcher."

The images above were from the surveillance footage.

"Julian Fletcher left ahead of her and came to the hospital. He then received news that Erin Whittaker had disappeared from the plaza, after which he called the police."

Asher watched the surveillance footage. After Erin Whittaker entered the women’s restroom, she was never seen again. It was as if she had vanished into thin air, abducted.

"There are no secret passages or other exits near the restroom. The cameras didn’t catch anyone suspicious, nor did they capture Erin leaving. We’ve questioned all the janitors, and none of them saw Erin Whittaker," Lucas Grant said in a low voice.

Julian Fletcher snorted. "Is this the best the police can do?"

"Oh, you’re so capable? Then how did you end up leaving your precious ’white lotus’ all alone at the mall? Taking her shopping, buying her luxury goods... you really dote on her, don’t you? You scumbag." Madeline Quinn rolled her eyes. "Stay away from Cecil... I mean, Silvia Lynch. The sight of you is nauseating."

Julian Fletcher glared at Madeline Quinn, about to retort, but I stopped him. "President Fletcher, finding her is what’s important right now."

Julian Fletcher huffed, then turned to me to explain. "Cece, Erin Whittaker was just helping me pick out a gift for you. She said I should try to win you back, that I needed to get you something you’d like..."

I frowned, signaling for him to stop.

Julian Fletcher tried to explain further, but Asher childishly pulled me into an embrace, holding me as he shot a warning look at Julian Fletcher. "She’s mine. A married woman. What right do you have to pursue her? Shameless."

Asher’s dead-serious delivery made Madeline Quinn burst out laughing.

I wanted to laugh a little too, but I was supposed to be giving him the cold shoulder. I didn’t want to acknowledge him.

Asher looked at me with a wronged expression. "Cece, we’re legally married. He’s trying to seduce you. He’s not a good man; it’s immoral."

Julian Fletcher clenched his jaw, looking like he was about to explode from pure rage at Asher.

"Big Bro," Lucas Grant exclaimed, looking like he was about to lose his mind. "Can you please stop playing house for one second and help me find her? If anything happens to Erin Whittaker on my watch, I’ll end up directing traffic with Zeke Shaw!"

Zeke Shaw, who was on his day off and looking quite relaxed, raised an eyebrow and swung his leg. "The traffic police division would welcome you."

Lucas Grant ignored him.

Asher glanced at the monitor and said quietly, "She’s not dead. She left by herself."

"What do you mean?" Lucas Grant stared at the monitor, footage he’d already reviewed countless times.

"Freeze it at 38:47," Asher said.

Lucas Grant cued the video and froze the frame on a woman with long hair wearing the plain clothes of a middle-aged woman and a hat.

"That’s Erin Whittaker," Asher stated with conviction.

’It was Erin Whittaker. She changed her disguise and left on her own.’

’So there was no killer who drugged her and dragged her away. The investigation was heading in the wrong direction from the very beginning. The killer might not have made a move at all. This is all Erin Whittaker’s own scheme.’

Lucas Grant frowned. "How could you tell it was her?"

"Her fingers. Erin Whittaker’s fingers are slender and delicate, but this woman is dressed in frumpy, deliberately bulky clothing. Also, if you check the footage from before, you won’t see this woman entering the restroom." Once Asher saw something, he rarely forgot it.

’That must be the terrifying thing about a genius.’

"Aren’t you supposed to be the genius on the expert task force? You couldn’t tell?" Zeke Shaw deliberately goaded Lucas Grant.

Lucas Grant grunted, a hint of guilt in his voice. "My specialty lies in other fields, not this..."

"Alright, stop wasting police resources, Mr. Fletcher. Your little ’white lotus’ has grown a mind of her own and flown the coop," Madeline Quinn said, rolling her eyes in disgust.

Julian Fletcher frowned. "And you’re just going to close the case based on this? What if she was threatened? Where did she get those clothes to change into? Someone must have threatened her, forced her to change and leave on her own. She’s timid; she might have just done what they said. Shouldn’t your priority be to find her first?"

I glanced back at Julian Fletcher and let out a cold laugh.

’Back when I was abducted and murdered, he... he refused to believe I was actually dead. He insisted it was all my own scheme to mislead everyone.’

’He even obstructed the police investigation, which ultimately led to my death.’

’And now, he’s so certain that Erin Whittaker didn’t plan this herself, that she must have been threatened.’

’Heh. What a double standard.’

"President Fletcher, I seem to recall that when all the evidence pointed to Cecilia Caldwell’s murder, you were the one insisting that she was fine and couldn’t possibly be dead," Zeke Shaw said nonchalantly, taking a jab at Julian Fletcher.

Julian Fletcher froze, his eyes instinctively turning to me.

I gave a cold laugh and averted my gaze.

"Cece..." Julian Fletcher began, trying to explain. "Cece, Erin Whittaker saved my life..."

I rubbed my ears in irritation. I was so sick of hearing that story.

Saved, saved, saved. "Are you mental?"

’I wanted to tell him that Erin Whittaker wasn’t the one who saved him, but he wouldn’t believe me. I’ve told him before, after all.’

Done with Julian Fletcher, I turned to Asher. "Can you find out where she’s hiding? By deliberately distracting the police, she must be working with the killer from the dismemberment case, right?"

"Cece... what does this have to do with the dismemberment case? You can’t just..." Julian Fletcher started to defend Erin Whittaker.

I shot him an irritated glare.

Julian Fletcher fell silent.

"The victim from the dismemberment case is still in the hospital fighting for their life, and the police’s attention was diverted by her little disappearing act! That’s why Zeke Shaw got hurt!" Madeline Quinn said angrily, grabbing Zeke’s injured arm. "Look at this! The knife hit his arm. If it had been his chest, he’d be dead!"

Zeke Shaw winced, grimacing in pain. "Ow, ow, ow! Gentle, gentle! My arm!"

Madeline Quinn immediately let go, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Zeke Shaw rubbed his temples. ’What have I done to deserve this?’

Julian Fletcher frowned, still convinced it was all a coincidence. "It’s just a coincidence. In any case, the police need to find her first."

I looked at Asher. "Some people won’t believe it until they’re staring at the cold, hard proof."

Asher nodded. He looked over the evidence Lucas Grant had gathered, along with the surveillance footage from various intersections near IF Plaza, and zeroed in on Erin Whittaker.

Erin Whittaker had gotten into a black sedan on her own.

"Run it," Asher said, taking a screenshot of the license plate.

They started the search immediately.

"It’s a cloned plate," Zane reported back quickly.

Lucas Grant frowned. "So it was organized and premeditated, just as we thought."

Asher fell silent, studying a map of the traffic routes around IF Plaza. "A cloned plate. Fast-forward thirty minutes. Check the cameras near the overpass and find that car."

A moment later, Zane was back. "Found it! That’s incredible! Sir, how did you know it would take them thirty minutes to get over there?"

Asher looked at the car on the screen. "It’s a cloned plate. They wouldn’t dare drive around brazenly downtown. If a cop stopped them for a check, the registration wouldn’t match the plate."

Zeke Shaw watched the car. "Once they’re out of the city, they’ll probably swap the plates. There’s a blind spot in the surveillance network out there."

"Erin Whittaker is vain," Asher said quietly. "If she ran off on her own, she’d never be able to tolerate a demolition zone with no running water or electricity, especially since she left with nothing. That whole area outside the city is full of them. Go look there. A place with the sound of a generator... that’s where they’ll be hiding."

Zane was stunned and gave Asher a thumbs-up.

Lucas Grant gave Zane a nudge. "Go on, hurry up and find them."

Asher’s cold gaze landed on Julian Fletcher. "Let’s make a bet. Since you don’t believe Erin Whittaker is hiding on her own, what will you do if we find her in that demolition zone?"

Julian Fletcher frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"Stay away from my wife. Don’t you ever bother her again," Asher warned, his voice icy.

Julian Fletcher’s hands tightened into fists. "So, does that mean if you *don’t* find Erin Whittaker in the demolition zone, you’ll obediently divorce Cece and let me take her away?"

The tension between Julian Fletcher and Asher was so thick it was practically suffocating, ready to erupt at any second.

I was not happy. ’A bet is one thing, but what do they think they’re doing, dragging me into it?’

"Fine," Asher actually agreed.

I frowned. ’If they really don’t find Erin Whittaker, is he seriously going to divorce me?’