Chapter 198: Chapter 198

Chapter 198

Herman was getting all up in Anastasia’s grill, could she not detect his drift?

Anastasia deliberately turned her face away, nearly cracking up. “Not quite there yet. I’ll let you know when I’ve figured it out.”

“Well, then I’ll take matters into my own hands…”

As Herman leaned in for a smooch, Anastasia dodged, giggling. “No can do, no can do.”

They were fooling around when someone knocked on the door.

The cops were back. Upon seeing the officer, Anastasia immediately turned serious. “Officer, have you figured out who’s out to get me?”

The cop glanced at Herman and said, “After our investigation, we’ve nailed down the perp.”

“Who?” Anastasia pressed.

The officer replied, “It was Hailey from AL Jewery’s design department. She confessed to the crime, mainly driven by jealousy.”

“How could it be her?” Anastasia was stunned. Hailey had been with the design department for five years, a seasoned employee. She was always low-key and by-the-book, not the type to draw attention to herself.

Herman questioned, “Okay, so we have the motive, but what about the timing? During your initial investigation, you questioned everyone in the department, none were at the scene of the crime when it happened.”

“Hailey admitted that she knew Anastasia was headed to Cloud Mountain, so she had her boyfriend Max, who works at the Cloud Mountain Resort, tamper with things. Both Max and Hailey have now been arrested and confessed to their crimes.”

Another officer added, “We’ve checked their statements, and they’re telling the truth. Hailey was just acting out of jealousy because Anastasia got promoted to head designer, and she couldn’t stomach it.”

With the case unfolding this way, Anastasia felt a pang of sorrow. She never expected this twist

Herman looked over Hailey and Max’s testimonies, which matched up perfectly with the facts of Anastasia’s accident.

With motives, timing, and substantial evidence, it was a wrap.

But Herman was still frowning. Even though everything seemed to check out, something didn’t sit right with him. Not wanting to worry Anastasia, Herman kept his misgivings to himself.

With the culprit of Anastasia’s accident was found, Selena was immediately off the hook. When she was released, she looked pale and all her usual arrogance had vanished. She had originally intended to harm Anastasia in the parking lot, but she didn’t get the chance.

When she heard about Anastasia’s accident, she was secretly pleased. Now that the truth was out, Selena was still a bit shaken. She had asked the police and was told that due to the severity of the case, Hailey, who framed Anastasia, could face at least twenty years in prison. Thinking about it, Selena was even more shaken. Had she gone through with her plan, she’d be the one behind bars now.

The news about Hailey orchestrating the accident quickly spread throughout AL Jewery’s design department.

Lauren visited Anastasia in the hospital, fuming. “It’s always the quiet ones. Look at Hailey, she always kept to herself at work, but harbored such malice. To stoop so low just because of your promotion.”

Anastasia said, “After Selena left the company, Hailey was the most senior and most likely to be promoted to head designer. Maybe that didn’t sit well with her.”

“But that’s no excuse to hurt others. It only ends up hurting herself,” Lauren said. “If she were really capable, she’d have been promoted already. Her design skills and popularity are just so-so, she wouldn’t have been next in line.”

“How’s the company doing?” Anastasia asked.

“Everything’s under control with Christine there. Besides, who would dare kick up a fuss at this critical time? Victor’s been in a bad mood lately, and if anyone tried to stir things up, I’m afraid he’d crack down hard.”

Anastasia was curious. “Why is Mr. Victor in a bad mood?”

“Isn’t it because… Lauren almost let it slip but switched gears at the last moment. “Maybe his personal life isn’t going so well. He’s already in his thirties and still single, which might be making him a bit restless.”

The truth was, Anastasia’s accident had dragged Victor into this, and Herman had vented part of his anger on him.

Victor was in a tight spot. If Anastasia didn’t wake up, given Herman’s cold demeanor, Victor might’ve ended up being the scapegoat.

Lauren’s words made Anastasia laugh. She was about to respond when she noticed two people standing at the door. She immediately signaled Lauren to be quiet.

Lauren didn’t catch on and asked blankly, “Anastasia, what’s wrong with your eyes? Oh, right, while you were unconscious, Victor was really upset, and so was Herman. He had this keep out’ look on his face. I think he might be having some personal issues too. Watch

Anastasia’s face turned beet red. She laughed awkwardly and called out loudly, “Hello, Mr. Victor.”