Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 280: The Hostile Heirs

"According to insiders, Mr. Owen and Jose Gillian, the head of Garuda Corp, recently had a heated bidding war over a rare collectible at an auction. Afterward, the two were seen arguing at a teahouse before leaving on bad terms. They've been life-long rivals in both business and romance for decades. Public speculation is rampant, and many are pointing the finger at Mr. Jose..."

The chaos at the scene was more dramatic than a press conference for a top-tier celebrity.

Nancy took a sharp breath. If the Lindtsville police don't break this case soon, the sheer weight of this public outcry is going to bury them alive.

She parked her car, pulled her hat low, and adjusted her mask. She shouldered her cat carrier, which held her little detective. She waited at the prearranged spot for the Lindtsville officer who was supposed to escort her through a private entrance into the Woods estate.

Her ears were filled with the conflicting theories of the reporters. Instead of finding it annoying, she listened with genuine interest, her eyebrows twitching upward.

This is way better than any soap opera.

She quickly pieced together the vital details from the fragments of gossip. The victim was Owen Woods, sixty-seven, the founder of Woods Corp, a giant in high-end commercial real estate. He owned countless shopping centers and prime retail spaces in top-tier cities. He had retired to his ancestral home in Lindtsville to live out his golden years, only to be struck by this disaster.

As for Jose, the prime suspect, his history with Owen was a mess of drama. They started as brothers-in-arms, building their empires from nothing, until Owen fell for the woman Jose was already planning to marry. Owen ended up stealing her away and marrying her himself. The brothers became enemies that day, and they had spent the last half-century trying to tear each other down in the business world.

Nancy was deep in thought when someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She spun around, alert.

A lean man in his early thirties quickly flashed a badge and lowered his voice. "Ms. Nancy? I'm Captain Roger, the one who called you. Follow me."

Roger’s voice was shaking slightly with excitement, like he was grabbing onto a life raft. "Thank God you're here! Hurry, this way!"

Just as he finished speaking, a sharp-eyed reporter nearby shouted, "Look! That guy in the black jacket is Captain Roger from Criminal Investigation!"

"Move!" Roger’s face tightened. He pulled his hat down and shielded Nancy as they hurried away.

They ducked through a hidden path at the back of the estate and entered the mansion through an inconspicuous side door. Once they cleared the narrow passage, the view opened up.

The interior of the Woods estate was a different world. It was a meticulously designed private royal garden. Pavilions and towers were perfectly placed among artificial mountains and flowing water. It was a serene landscape, but the peace was currently being shattered by a screaming match.

Owen’s children were gathered with their respective lawyers, arguing over the division of the estate. There were at least a dozen men in suits clutching briefcases. The scene was louder than a wet market.

Nancy had no interest in the family drama and got straight to the point. "What kind of poison was it? Have you found the source?"

Roger rubbed his aching temples and shook his head wearily. "To be honest, it's complicated. His symptoms look like poisoning, but the vomiting and the coma also overlap with the clinical signs of an acute myocardial infarction."

He lowered his voice further. "The doctors can't give us a definitive answer yet. We're investigating both potential poisoning and natural illness. We’ve checked everyone who had close contact and screened all of his food and drink, but... we haven't found a single red flag."

His expression turned grim. "The family, especially the children, are all pushing for us to close the case quickly as an acute stroke. That just makes us more suspicious."

Nancy caught the subtext immediately. Owen is old and weak. He’s in the ICU hanging by a thread, and he probably won't make it. The kids want a quick ruling so they can start carving up the inheritance.

She locked onto the most important detail. "Mr. Owen is still being treated, so who called the police in the first place?"

A look of respect crossed Roger’s face. "The head butler. He’s been with the family for nearly thirty years." Roger leaned in. "It’s thanks to him that we’re even here. He was right there when Owen collapsed. He saw the violent tremors and the vomiting before the coma. The butler was adamant. He said his own father died of a stroke, and the symptoms were completely different. He insisted it wasn't a natural illness and demanded we be called."

Nancy looked at him for confirmation. "Captain Roger, if I find the truth, my designer Quinny is free to go back to Townsville, right?"