“Okay, but you only have five minutes,” Allie reluctantly agreed. She cautiously placed the computer bag on the table, unzipped it, and retrieved the laptop from inside.
As soon as the laptop powered on, Natalie immediately began searching through its contents. Unfortunately, Charis had wiped everything clean. Not even a single file remained in the trash bin.
Natalie’s attention then turned to the browser history. A peculiar website caught her eye, and she clicked on it, relieved to find that it logged in automatically. Suddenly, a chat box popped up, revealing the last message from a mysterious individual selling drugs. The message expressed a desire for Charis to succeed.
“Succeed in what?” Natalie furrowed her brow, scrolling upwards in hopes of finding their previous conversation.
“I think you’ve found what you want,” Allie sneered, abruptly shutting the laptop.
Natalie felt that the answers she sought lay within that website, but she had barely scratched the surface. Allie packed up the laptop with confidence and looked directly at Natalie.
“Give me the money first, Mrs. Larson.”
Natalie’s determination grew as she sensed she was nearing the truth. She believed that the information on Charis’s laptop would help restore Brandon’s memories. However, there was a problem: she didn’t have two million dollars to pay Allie at the moment.
Frustrated, Natalie clenched her teeth and said, “I don’t have two million in my account right now. I’ll have to step out and make a phone call to see if anyone can lend me the money. Just because I come from a wealthy family doesn’t mean money magically appears for me.”
Allie responded disdainfully, “Wow, the White family’s daughter still needs to borrow money? Fine, go ahead and make your call.”
Helplessly, Natalie sighed and left the room to make the call. After four to five minutes, she returned with her phone in hand.
“Check it. I’ve asked my family to transfer the money to your bank account,” Natalie said, closing the door behind her and taking a seat across from Allie.
Allie glanced at her phone and saw that the money had indeed been transferred. Her excitement quickly turned into anger when she realized it was only 500 thousand.
“What does this mean, Natalie?” Allie fumed. “You said you’d give me two million! Do you no longer want the documents on the computer?”
Natalie calmly sipped her tea and replied, “Relax. This is just a deposit. I’ll hand over the remaining 1.5 million after I’m done making the copies. What if I send you all the money at once, and you just escape with the laptop?”
Allie realized that Natalie wasn’t as naive as she had thought. Charis had described Natalie as easily manipulated and unintelligent, but meeting her in person shattered those beliefs.
“Well, go on,” Allie reluctantly said. She switched on the laptop again and inserted the flash drive she had prepared.
With raised eyebrows, Natalie smiled and said, “There’s no extra charge for the flash drive. Consider it a free gift.”
Natalie remained silent as she began copying the documents, while Vivian stood outside in the shade of a tree, spying on everything through the window. Vivian was convinced that Natalie was still as clueless as Charis had described.
A confident smile formed on Vivian’s face as she observed the scene unfold.
Inside the private room, Natalie finished copying the documents. As soon as she unplugged the flash drive, Allie started making demands.
“You’ve already copied the documents. Give me the rest of the money now!” Allie demanded.
Natalie calmly placed the flash drive in her bag and casually sat back down. “Aren’t you afraid of getting caught by the Turner family if they find out you’re stealing Charis’s belongings, Allie?”
Allie hesitated, unsure of what Natalie was thinking. After a moment, she replied, “Of course not. Charis has left behind many things. Even if a few items go missing, it’s highly unlikely her family will notice. Once I have the money, I’ll secretly return the laptop and move to another city. I won’t be coming back.”
Tapping her fingers on the table, Natalie drawled, “Okay.”
Just seconds after she finished speaking, chaos erupted outside the room. Heavy footsteps and commotion filled the air as other guests reacted.
“Why are the police here all of a sudden?” someone exclaimed.
“They must be here to catch some criminals,” another speculated.
Upon hearing this, Allie immediately stood up from her seat, staring at Natalie in shock. She asked, “Why are the police here? What did you do, Natalie?!”
Natalie maintained a calm smile as she looked at Allie, who appeared bewildered. She began to explain the situation, “Allie, there’s no other criminal here. The police are here to arrest you because I called them. You stole and sold the Turner family’s business secrets shortly after Miss Turner’s passing. Don’t you realize that’s a crime? I was merely calling the police to assist the Turner family.”
Allie’s heart raced, and she stammered, “Natalie, you haven’t thought this through! Aren’t you afraid the police will take away the information you want?”
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Confidently, Natalie replied, “My husband will find a way to obtain the information I need. But what about you? Is there anyone in your family who can save you from prison?”
Allie’s face drained of color instantly. She knew Brandon held significant power in both Seacisco and Barnes, while she had no such influence. She realized she would be at the mercy of others.
“Natalie! You’re such a conniving person! You’ll pay for this!” Allie shouted angrily.
Frantically scanning the room, Allie spotted an open window in the corner. With her computer bag in hand, she swiftly made her way toward it.