Chapter 311: The Cousin Obsessed with Dieting

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: The Cousin Obsessed with Dieting

Director Garland suddenly asked.

At that moment, all eyes were on Zoe Sawyer, as if waiting to hear her answer.

Zoe thought for a moment. ’Given my position, asking for money definitely isn’t appropriate,’ she mused. ’Besides, there’ll be a bonus after the mission is over anyway.’

Soon, Zoe gave her answer. "For a reward, how about you send over some of your local specialty snacks, Director Garland? I can’t visit in person, but the delicious food can."

Director Garland’s expression froze for a second; he clearly hadn’t expected Zoe to make such a request.

Then, the smile on his face grew even wider, and he agreed to Zoe’s request without hesitation. "No problem!" ℴℴ𝘮

Once it was clear there was nothing else, the director gave Zoe and the others their leave. "Alright, business is settled. You all head back and get some rest."

The group didn’t hesitate. As soon as the director finished speaking, they stood up, said their goodbyes to the two men, and left.

After the office door closed, the smile on Director Garland’s face became even more pronounced. "That Sawyer is a good kid. Capable, and not greedy."

A smug look appeared on the other director’s face. "Of course. And whose subordinate do you think she is?

"Let me tell you, even though Sawyer didn’t ask for anything, you’d better not skimp on what you write in your report!"

Director Garland rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Of course I will. I don’t need you to worry about it."

Zoe didn’t know what else the two directors discussed, but not two days later, a package of local specialty snacks arrived from Director Garland.

The team in the office was enjoying the snacks when a phone started ringing.

Hayden Shaw answered the call, but after exchanging only a few words, she hung up, her expression turning sour.

"What’s wrong?" Sean Hughes asked, sitting down beside Hayden Shaw with a questioning tone.

Hayden rubbed her temples and said, "My cousin. She called to ask if she could borrow money to buy diet pills.

"She even said I was fat and that these diet pills work really well, telling me I should take them with her so I could slim down quickly."

Hearing this, Zoe instinctively scanned Hayden from head to toe.

Her posture was as straight as a pine tree, her shoulders broad and strong. Her skin was tanned to a healthy wheat color from frequent fieldwork, and you could see the core strength in her abdomen and the muscle definition in her forearms.

’She’s the picture of health! Where is she fat?!’

"She’s become obsessed with losing weight. She hung up on me right after I refused," Hayden said, her expression vexed.

Sean couldn’t really comment on such a family matter, so he just patted her shoulder comfortingly. "She’s still young. Have her parents keep a closer eye on her. She’ll grow out of it."

Hayden sighed helplessly, opened a WhatsApp chat, and sent a few messages.

She thought that would be the end of it, but shortly after four in the afternoon, Hayden’s phone rang again.

When she saw the caller ID, Hayden, though a bit confused, still answered. "Second Aunt, what’s wrong?"

A frantic middle-aged woman’s voice came from the other end of the line. "Hayden, something’s wrong with your cousin! She says her whole body hurts, she’s dizzy and nauseous, and her temper is terrible—she’s smashing things at the slightest provocation."

Hayden frowned. "Is it because she’s been dieting too much? Second Aunt, you should take her to the hospital."

Her aunt’s voice was full of panic. "No, she’s been eating normally, but she keeps getting thinner and thinner.

"Hayden, is there something wrong with those diet pills? I told her back then, you can’t take those sketchy, unregulated products, but she wouldn’t listen. She said a major streamer was taking them, so they must be safe."

Perhaps afraid Hayden wouldn’t believe her, her aunt also sent over a photo of the diet pills she had secretly taken earlier.

Looking at the pills, which were simply packaged in a small plastic baggie, Hayden’s frown deepened.

"Second Aunt, when did she start saying she was in pain, dizzy, and nauseous?" Hayden asked, a terrible idea forming in her mind.

Her aunt answered almost without hesitation. "It started about a week ago. At first, she was just eating a little less and would get dizzy occasionally.

"I figured she was just eating less to lose weight. I happened to have a cold around that time, so I thought I might have passed it to her and didn’t pay it much mind.

"It wasn’t until yesterday, when she ran out of those diet pills, that she became like a completely different person. That’s when I started to get suspicious."

Hayden’s expression was grave. She switched screens and started scrolling through her cousin’s social media feed.

The most recent post, from two days ago, was the girl celebrating her successful weight loss. She had posted a current selfie next to an older one for comparison.

Even though the photo had a beauty filter on it, Hayden and Sean, who was beside her, immediately saw that something was wrong.

"She’s too thin. Her eyes are glazed, pupils dilated, her complexion is sallow, and her cheeks are sunken.

"These are classic signs of early-stage drug use," Sean said quietly to Hayden, spotting the problem in the photo at a glance.

Hayden clenched her jaw, her mind racing to connect her cousin’s current condition with the diet pills she was always talking about.

"Second Aunt, give her the money. Let her buy those ’diet pills.’ After she gets them, I need you to quickly bring a sample to the police station for testing," Hayden said, taking a deep breath.

The aunt, who had been panicking just moments before, quickly calmed down upon hearing her niece’s instructions. Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, she asked, "I understand. Is there anything else I need to be careful about?"

"Yes. Act normal. We can’t let her know what we suspect. It would be bad if we tipped them off," Hayden warned.

If those diet pills were really laced with drugs, they could follow the trail and take down the entire supply chain.

"Okay! I understand! Wait for my good news!" her aunt said, her voice firm as she glanced at her daughter’s closed bedroom door.

Then, instead of hanging up, she minimized the call window, kept the phone in her hand, and opened her daughter’s door.

Almost instantly, Zoe and the others heard the sound of a book slamming against the door panel, followed by a young woman’s voice. "What are you doing in here?! Get out!"

The aunt’s voice was full of heartache. "Sweetheart, don’t be like this. Have a bite to eat. Mom will give you money... money to buy your diet pills."

Hearing her mother finally give in, the girl shot up from her bed, her voice laced with a feverish excitement. "For real? You’ll really give me the money?"

"Mom’s thought it over. It’s normal for a girl to want to be beautiful. You can take them, but you have to eat properly, too." Remembering Hayden’s warning, the aunt clenched her teeth and played along with her daughter.

Hearing her mother’s condition, the girl frowned, a little reluctant.

But then she thought about her mother’s usual nagging and realized that it was perfectly normal for her to make such a request.