Chapter 11: Clever Ander Yale

Words : 2071 Updated : Jan 22nd, 2026

Alexis Juggins stopped the pen spinning between her fingers and said coldly, "It's no surprise she's involved, but do we have hard evidence?" George Stuttard gave a wry smile. "How could it be that fast? Right now it's only suspicion. I need more time for solid proof." Alexis sounded disappointed. "Lydia Juggins has already replaced me as acting CEO of Juggins Group. If I can't quickly get evidence that she poisoned me, once she cements the CEO seat, it'll be almost impossible to deal with her." George snorted, forceful. "President, you took a chance on me. If necessary, I'll sneak into Lydia's villa tonight and collect the evidence." Alexis hesitated. "Isn't that a bit too risky?" George lifted his chin. "Rest assured. We Ancient Martial Artists don't get spotted by those useless bodyguards around Lydia." Alexis was tempted and was about to nod. Ander Yale's voice cut in. "Alexis, don't let George Stuttard do something stupid. That'll only tip her off, and you'll end up with nothing." Alexis frowned, looking over in puzzlement. George was displeased. He had meant to show off in front of Alexis, but this ex-convict who married into the Juggins family actually dared doubt him? "Kid, do you know how many years I've been working the streets?" "Do you know that ten years ago I was Elite Special Forces?" "My experience handling cases, my stealth, my tactics-no offense, but you wouldn't catch up in ten lifetimes." He snorted and looked at Ander with naked contempt. "George Stuttard is the strongest Ancient Martial Artist at my side, a Minor Grandmaster," Alexis said. "He's helped me with plenty over the years. But Ander, if you have a better idea, let's hear it." George sneered. "This punk only leeches off you, President. What else can he do? Forget matching me-he's not even a tenth of my apprentice." Ander wore a cold, arrogant look. "Old man, for the sake of your years of loyalty to my wife-if not for merit then at least for effort-I'm not going to bicker with you. Listen up. Sneaking into Lydia's villa to hunt for evidence is the dumbest move possible, bar none." Ignoring George's blazing glare, Ander continued coolly, "First, you only suspect Lydia poisoned my wife. You don't have a direct lead. From a legal standpoint, innocent until proven guilty-you'd end up with nothing." "Second, you plan to break into Lydia's villa and rummage around blindly. What, you think Lydia is an idiot who keeps the proof of poisoning in the living room, turns on all the lights, and waits for you to pick it up?" George's face flushed. "You-" Ander cut him off. "Shut up and let me finish." "Lastly, if you tip her off and make Lydia wary, the first thing she'll do is scrub every trace clean. Then not only will you fail to find evidence, she'll probably turn it around on you." George had no retort and only stared at Ander with a cold smile. Alexis's eyes brightened; interest stirred. "I didn't expect your brain to be this sharp, Ander. At least your logic checks out. Keep going. If we follow your approach, how do we start?" Ander said mildly, "You don't need to think hard to see it's tied to Lydia one way or another. After you got hurt, the biggest beneficiary in Juggins Group is her. But Lydia isn't stupid; if she dared poison you, she has a way to shed all responsibility. So going straight at her is useless-it's putting the cart before the horse. The first step is figuring out how you were poisoned." George couldn't help but jump in. "Do we need you to grandstand about something that simple? The President is either at home or at the company. At home there's no chance for anyone, so it must have happened at the Group." Ander let out a cold chuckle. "And then what? If Alexis was poisoned at the Group, who did it? Through what channel?" George fumed. "You think of it, you think I don't? Since the President fell ill, I haven't stopped investigating. Right now, it's either someone put poison in the food, or in the coffee she drinks every day. The President doesn't fuss about meals and eats with the staff. The staff are fine while the President got hit, so we can rule out poison in the food. That leaves her daily coffee. But the President's coffee is collected personally by Secretary Eve. I asked to question her alone, and the President refused." Alexis shook her head. "Eve Balam has been with me for years. I trust she wouldn't harm me." George said, "President, you're young and kind. You don't understand how treacherous people can be. A young woman like Eve can be tempted and used." "It's not Eve," Ander said. George laughed angrily. "You keep contradicting me-so you think you're better than me? If Secretary Eve isn't a suspect, then who is?" Ander looked at him like he was an idiot. "You suspect Eve just because she brings the coffee every day? In that case, George Stuttard, you by the President's side are an even bigger suspect." George exploded. "You dare smear me? Damn it, come outside and duel if you've got the guts!" Ander didn't bother with him and spoke to Alexis instead. "I've only been at the Group half a day, but I've already taken a look around. The spot where Eve makes your coffee is crowded and under surveillance. There's no chance to poison it there." George ground his teeth. "Kid, I'm really at odds with you today. There are thousands of poisons. If there's no chance at the coffee station, there are plenty of chances on the way to the President's office." Ander lost patience and stood up in one smooth motion. George remained smug. "What? Out of words, so you're getting mad and want to trade blows with me? Look at that scrawny frame. I could cripple you with one palm." Ander walked up to him, blank-faced. "If I make a move, I wouldn't even need a palm. One finger would be enough to take your life. I'm saying it's not Eve for a simple reason: your coffee had to be freshly brewed, and you only drank it hot. Which raises a problem-the toxin in your case was heat-sensitive. Under high temperature, it would break down." George went silent. Alexis brightened. "Ander, since you could cure me, you must understand the toxin's properties. Do you think we can use that to find who did it?" Ander shook his head. "We can't find the person. I'm not a god who can divine names. But I can guess where the poison came from." Alexis startled. "Where?" Ander walked over, plucked the scented lily from the vase on her desk, and brought it to his nose. Then he tossed it into the trash and said, "Pollen. The toxin was hidden in the pollen. It's a slow-acting poison. It needs at least a week to trigger severe symptoms. Have George Stuttard check the flower shop that delivered these. There should be a lead." Alexis couldn't hold back her anger. "George Stuttard, go to that shop immediately. I've ordered from them for years. I can't believe they'd pull something like this." "Rest easy, President. I'll go there myself," George said quickly. Ander called after him, "Do me a favor and take out this trash while you're at it. Leaving it here only puts people at risk." George's face twitched. The kid had some smarts, but he was courting death. Asking him to carry trash-who did he think he was? Annoyed or not, he still obediently took the garbage out. Alexis drew a long breath. "Ander, thank you. If not for how sharp you were, I would've taken a heavy loss." "If you really want to thank me," Ander said, "let me into your room tonight. We'll sleep together." Alexis's cheeks flushed. She pointed at the door. "Out. Right now."

Chapter 11: Clever Ander Yale

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