Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 281: The Nineteen-hour Countdown

Captain Roger nodded. "Exactly. Once we clear this up, your designer is free to go."

"Right," Nancy said, remembering a detail. "You mentioned Owen has an Abyssinian. Where is the cat now?"

Roger looked frustrated. "The nanny saw it this morning, but with all the people coming and going, it probably got spooked and hid. Should I have the butler get some people to look for it?"

"Don't bother," Nancy said, waving him off. She gave the cat carrier on her back a quick pat. "The fastest way to find a cat is to send another cat."

She unzipped the bag and let out the Tabby King. She held up a photo of the Abyssinian on her phone.

The Tabby King stretched, his tail twitching. "Great. We're looking for the foreigner."

The Abyssinian, with its lean, desert-cat look, was basically the foreigner of the local cat world.

The Tabby King looked at Nancy with total confidence. "Stay put. I’ll be back."

He vanished into the garden like a streak of fur.

Just then, heavy footsteps approached from the hall. The rhythmic thud of a cane hitting the floor echoed through the room. An elderly man with silver hair and sharp eyes burst in, flanked by bodyguards. He had an intense, commanding energy about him.

The local officers moved to stop him but hesitated when they saw who it was. The man clearly had enough pull to make them think twice.

Captain Roger stepped forward. "Mr. Gillian, what are you doing here? This is an active scene. You can't just barge in here."

Nancy realized who it was immediately. This was Jose Gillian, the man the media was currently pinning the poisoning on.

Jose ignored the warning. He slammed his rosewood cane onto the floor. "How is this department being run?" he boomed. "It's been days and you haven't found a thing! People out there are saying I'm the one who poisoned Owen!"

He was visibly agitated, his cane tapping the floor repeatedly. "I’ve spent my life building a reputation. Now I’m being labeled a murderer, and Garuda Corp’s business is taking a hit because of it!"

He let out a cold laugh. "That old man almost ruined me when we were younger. Now that he’s on his deathbed, he’s still found a way to screw me over. It’s pathetic."

Captain Roger tried to keep him calm. "Mr. Gillian, please. We just started. We need time to investigate."

"Time?" Jose snorted, slamming his cane again. "My company is losing money every minute this hangs over us! Is the department going to reimburse me for that? Tomorrow is our fifteenth anniversary and the opening of our flagship store. If this scandal ruins that..."

Roger wiped sweat from his forehead. "We’ve brought in a special consultant to speed things up."

Jose’s gaze snapped to Nancy. He sized her up and wasn't impressed.

"Her?" His voice was full of doubt. "This is your special consultant?"

Nancy gave a calm nod.

Jose narrowed his eyes. "I’ve heard of Jack, the guy from Townsville. He helped me with a fraud case years ago, but he had the Summers family backing him and a lot of resources. You’re a specialist too? You’re standing here without even an assistant."

Nancy’s eyes were steady. "If I can do this job without a team or an assistant, doesn't that make me more qualified than Jack?"

Jose blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "You’ve got a sharp tongue, kid."

He waved his hand. "Fine. If you can find the truth today and clear my name..." He checked his pocket watch. "Our store goes live tomorrow morning at nine. It’s 2:00 PM now. You have nineteen hours."

He locked eyes with Nancy. "Listen. For every hour you break the case before nine tomorrow morning, I’ll give you an extra hundred thousand dollars."