Chapter 690: Clues Found at the Scene

"That woman has never had any grievances with us, or with Chloe Alden and Fiona Vaughn...never."

Adrian Law crossed his arms thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over the serene moonlight in the sky, a cold, cold smile curving his lips.

"Does it feel like all the clues have been broken again?" Cecilia waited for the boss’s analysis. She really lacked the level for crime analysis. If she had such strong expertise, she would at least have made some progress in anti-detection. Unfortunately, she was just an ordinary person.

"Go on, don’t go around in circles."

Seeing his little wife looking so bewildered, Adrian couldn’t help but reach out and tap her nose, amused.

"Do you just want to hear the result? However, it’s more interesting to listen to the analysis first. Cecilia, the person who invited her to that party had a particularly special identity."

"Who is it? Someone we know?"

Cecilia Vaughn frowned, a strange ripple passing through her heart. She felt that Adrian wasn’t speaking carelessly; that this party’s inviter might have a significant connection to her.

"Not directly acquainted, but indirectly related..."

"Pfft... what kind of talk is that? Haven’t you heard a theorem? Anyone in the world can connect six degrees through the people you know."

Hearing Cecilia’s theory, Adrian wasn’t annoyed but rather smiled slightly.

"Cecilia, the party inviter is a Chinese person employed by the Orleanna Superior College of Fine Arts. This Chinese person is intricately connected in two ways: first, he invested in Fiona Vaughn’s film project, and second, he enjoys painting, especially traditional Veridian-style artworks."

"Round and round, and back to Fiona Vaughn again?"

Cecilia Vaughn stared at Adrian in disbelief, her heart chilled.

"Could it be that the mastermind is really Fiona Vaughn? That’s too terrifying!"

"Has no one ever told you to stay rational?"

Adrian tapped Cecilia Vaughn’s head.

"To this day, it seems that everything points to Fiona Vaughn, but how could Fiona Vaughn know that I custom-ordered that dress for you from Master Walter Sinclair? Fiona Vaughn has no connections there whatsoever."

"As for the timing of Fiona Vaughn’s wedding, it was known to the world. The evening party that French noblewoman, who bought the same dress as you, attended happened precisely three days after I confirmed your dress order. The timing is so clever, so accurate, proving that the opposing network is far more powerful than Fiona Vaughn’s. Otherwise, they couldn’t have obtained your dress purchase info from Master Walter Sinclair."

...

Cecilia Vaughn was already dizzy from Adrian’s analysis.

"So who is the murderer? Could the Chinese inviter to that party be our breakthrough clue?"

"He, like the waiter who damaged the dress, might just be a pawn, not even aware he was playing into someone else’s hands."

Adrian shook his head lightly.

"But one thing is certain, that waiter is now nowhere to be found, as if he vanished into thin air. He came in as an illegal immigrant, though he lived in Orleanna, he never got a legal status, and his relatives back home haven’t had contact with him for years. Such people, like an unnecessary cog, disappear one day and no one cares."

"..."

The chill down Cecilia Vaughn’s back intensified, her heart uneasy.

"Adrian... does this mean that, for this case, it’s possible more than just Chloe Alden has died?"

"Far more than that."

"Cecilia, your eyesight isn’t bad. You thought you saw your college mate Katherine North on the Isle of Whispers wedding ferry, but when you checked back home, you found out that Katherine North had already been dead for months. Doesn’t it seem too coincidental that everything lines up?"

Some small fry people were either dead or vanished, while others with significant status, like the woman in the same dress and the Chinese inviter they brought, likely didn’t know the full story.

If blame for the case had to be pinned on someone, it might really circle back to Fiona Vaughn.

Fiona Vaughn, selfish and ruthless as she is, doesn’t have the sprawling connections and influence required to move unrelated major forces."

...

Cecilia Vaughn felt her intelligence was insufficient, hesitantly reaching for Adrian’s hand.

"Adrian, what do you plan to do?"

"The web of justice is wide and the criminal can’t escape. In this world, there’s no perfect crime, Cecilia, I’m even beginning to suspect that the target wasn’t you. Though you’ve offended some people, their deep connections far outweigh the need to crush you. Even for the entire Radiant Group, they might not even consider them a threat."

"Adrian... are you suggesting that the real target might be you, or even the entire Law Family?"

Adrian nodded slightly, his perfect lips pressed tightly together, his handsome face showing traces of hidden worry.

"This possibility is much more likely than the former, but so many people want to take down The Law Group, I can’t determine where this malice comes from in the short term."

...

Cecilia Vaughn thought long and hard before finally speaking.

"Adrian, why don’t we try visiting that Chinese art collector? Do you remember during the last charity gala, that Vesperian philanthropist liked my painting and bid a high price? I checked, and they should have some relationship with the collector. We might connect through this introduction."

"Okay, then it’s worth a visit."

...

Things progressed incredibly smoothly.

Cecilia Vaughn quickly obtained the contact information for the Chinese individual named Shawn Wallace, a well-known Chinese entrepreneur in Orleanna. With age, he had lost interest in business battles, turning to collecting, art transactions, and earning considerable money along the way.

With a powerful introduction extolling Cecilia’s talent and Adrian’s prestigious identity, Old Master Wallace chose to meet these two juniors personally at his villa.

"Young Master Law, Miss Vaughn, I’ve long admired you."

When Cecilia entered and saw his smile, she returned it with one of her own.

Old Master Wallace loved collecting artworks; his living room resembled a gallery, filled with dazzling treasures. Cecilia swiftly scanned the room and recognized several familiar pieces.

But what astonished her was a painting with a jarring style.

The top depicted a clear moonlit sea, while the bottom showed sharks tearing into flesh.

Darkness at its peak.

"Isn’t this painting..."

Cecilia muttered, taking a step back...