In response, Larry shook his head and said nothing. Every time Larry remained silent, Caspian only felt more resentful towards Joan. Did he drink a potion instead of the alcohol yesterday? He was hysterical the previous day, but he seems calm and reserved today.
“Boss, you are abusing your health like that. From as far as I can remember, you have never had this much alcohol before. Here, let me reheat the hangover soup while you lay down and get some rest in the meantime,” Caspian suggested.
Despite what Caspian had said, Larry did not move an inch. He was looking out in the distance and watching the greenery outside the window. Seemingly deep in thought, it was difficult for anyone to get through to him.
Caspian could only sigh and leave the room with the half-filled bowl of soup. To his surprise, he saw Nancy hiding behind the door when he went out. Grabbing her arm, he quietly dragged her away.
“How did it go? Did he open up to you? How about his state of emotions?” Nancy shot him with a flurry of questions.
With a bitter smile, Caspian stated, “He’s doing more than okay, and there are no traces of the heartbreak he had last night. However, he seemed to have lost his spirit. Earlier, he barely responded to whatever I said.”
This made Nancy worried. “Oh? Is it that serious? I guess he is really devastated by what Joan has done.”
“He is not just devastated… it broke him. I think he has lost his willpower to even live on.” Abruptly, Caspian thought of the photos taken, and he hurriedly ran to the study to enter his email address and search for the sender ‘S’ on his laptop.
Curious about what was going on, Nancy followed him into the room and read the email sent by ‘S’. Sure enough, the person left nothing but his nickname in it. Caspian was baffled by who it might be and what to do next, but Nancy stepped in to take the lead. She smacked her forehead and exclaimed, “I know what to do, the IP! Search for this IP address right now, and we can trace it back to him!”
“Oh yes, why did I not think of that?” At the speed of light, Caspian’s fingers began dancing across the keyboard. It did not take him long before he found the IP address of the sender.
However, how could it be this easy for them to track the anonymous sender down? Even though Caspian dug out the IP address, he realized it was different for every photo sent. How could the person exist in more than twenty over places?
Nancy and Caspian exchanged glances. Was this how they were going to end their investigation? Messaging his temples, Caspian closed his laptop.
“Why would someone use these photos to blackmail others? Caspian, do you think that the perpetrator is doing this for money?” Nancy thought out loud.
Glancing at her, Caspian calmly explained, “No, that’s highly unlikely. If he is after money, he will take these photos to Joan instead because she would likely buy them to protect her marriage with Boss. Besides, the mastermind can only maximize his self-interest by going to Joan, and not Boss.”
“So he is not motivated by money…” Nancy pinched her chin and continued, “Is he trying to break up their relationship?”
Rather than replying to her hypothesis directly, Caspian threw her another question, “Nancy, have you ever considered the possibility that Joan might have really done something to let Boss down? As you know, his company has been closely monitored by various media outlets, and all its stocks and related products are heavily affected by Boss’ every move. In the case where they expose the couple’s emotional discord, do you know how much impact it would have on the company’s stock prices?”
It was one of the rare moments where Nancy did not argue with him. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Caspian finally revealed the things he had been keeping mum. “Nancy, you insisted that you are certain about Joan’s character and her love for Boss. However, in the face of so many photos and evidence, have you ever asked yourself if you truly believe in Joan’s story? Has it never crossed your mind that she was only doing it to please Boss?”
