Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 98: The Turning Point

Nancy burst into laughter as she stared at her phone. "That won’t be necessary! But I was wondering—did that whole scene at Cuties Petting Zoo cause any trouble for your brother?"

Lars had been a huge help, and she worried that his involvement might have backfired on him.

Mandolin paused for a moment before replying. "Actually, Lars should be the one taking you out to dinner! The kid ended up benefiting quite a bit from the whole ordeal."

"Oh? How so?" Nancy asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Well," Mandolin explained, "a lot of people saw how much money Cuties Petting Zoo was raking in, and several investors were lined up to sign contracts. But because Lars caused such a stir, all the shady behind-the-scenes stuff came to light. The other investors are actually thanking him for helping them dodge a bullet!"

Mandolin sounded increasingly impressed by her brother’s luck. "The clip of his livestream exposing the alpaca’s condition went viral, and netizens are calling him an animal savior. His public image has skyrocketed, and even that old bubblegum pop song of his is trending again. He just got an invite to a music festival last night—the kid is absolutely cleaning up!"

Nancy was genuinely happy for him. "He has a good heart. He deserves it."

"If you ask me," Mandolin countered, "our family is the one benefiting from knowing you. You're our lucky charm!"

Nancy flushed at the sudden praise.

A moment later, Mandolin sent over a screenshot of a trending topic. "Look, Ginnie issued an apology!"

Nancy checked the post. Ginnie had posted a formal statement on Twitter, proactively announcing that she was donating the animals to Loren Zoo.

@Ginnie: "As the person in charge, I am deeply saddened by the lapses in management. My heart breaks to see these animals harmed. I am grateful to Loren Zoo for stepping up to take them in, and I hope these precious babies receive the very best care."

Nancy smiled as she read it. It was a clever piece of PR—playing the victim to save face.

However, Ginnie was now quite literally confined to a wheelchair. According to Mandolin’s reliable intel, the alpaca’s "shadow kick" had caused a herniated disc. The doctor’s orders were strict: at least three months of bed rest. Now, even a sneeze made her clutch her back in pain, leaving her with no energy to cause further trouble.

Inside the Summers family villa, Ginnie sat in her wheelchair, weeping.

"The animal breakout must have been orchestrated by Nancy... isn't she supposed to be some kind of animal communicator?" Ginnie’s eyes were red and watery. "Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?"

"Woodpeckers, golden eagles, peregrine falcons—all those raptors stormed the zoo at the exact same time. And it happened right when I was live!"

Jack also suspected Nancy had a hand in it. He frowned. "Did you check the surveillance footage? Did the cameras catch anything linking her to this?"

Ginnie felt even more frustrated at the mention of the footage. "They caught something, but..."

She showed the video to Jack.

When the Master Crow had slipped into the zoo, he had been draped in a black plastic bag. Jack watched the screen as a "black plastic bag" flew in through the window, hopped around the floor, and wandered throughout the facility. It was impossible to tell what kind of bird it was. And even if they could identify the species, there was no way to prove it belonged to Nancy.

"How could a bird be this smart?" Jack muttered.

Ginnie clenched her fingers. "Those animals... I raised them myself when I first started the business. Now, because of an unreliable team that let me down, I have to give them all to Nancy..." Her voice broke. "I couldn't even protect them."

She looked up with tearful eyes. "Is it because I’m not good enough? Is that why she hates me so much?"

Seeing his sister in such a state made Jack’s heart ache. "Ginnie, we have no evidence that Nancy planned this." He gently wiped away her tears. "Public opinion is against you right now. If you point the finger at Nancy, people will just think you're trying to smear her."

Ginnie waited, her tears still clinging to her lashes, expecting Jack to make a move to take Nancy down. Instead, he just stopped there.

This wasn't right.

When they were kids, if she told Simon someone had bullied her, that quiet boy would immediately go settle the score, even if he didn't say much. A powerful brother like Jack should have been even more ruthless than Simon. Was he still soft-hearted when it came to Nancy?

Just as Ginnie was about to speak, Jack’s phone rang.

"What? An emergency?" Jack’s expression turned serious. "I’m on my way."

He turned back to Ginnie. "There’s been a homicide down by the river. I have to go. I’ll bring you that chocolate mousse you like when I get back."

With that, Jack grabbed his coat and rushed out the door. After losing several cases to Simon recently, he was desperate to crack a major one to prove his worth.

The Ninesmokes River was a major waterway that cut through Townsville.