In the interrogation room.


    Gordon sat silently next to Jason, watching him be an imprable fortress of ice, shielding him from the brunt of the storm, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.


    He''d be crying if it weren''t for the fact that he had a girl he fancied.


    If it wasn''t for her, he''d almost be falling for Jason!


    Jason kept his cool on the surface, but inside, his heart was racing.


    The whole situation reeked of something fishy. The cops seemed almost too eager to pin this on Gordon, as if they were afraid he''d make a miraculouseback.


    Drug possession, even as a buyer with a small amount, couldnd you in the mmer for at least six months!


    A conviction, even a minor one, would be like a nuclear st to Gordon''s career as the chief secretary of the Abernathy Group. His future would be destroyed in an instant!


    In another room.


    Harry, the S-Star Groupckey who sold the drugs to Gordon, was in a private chat with Hogan.


    "The S-Star Group strictly prohibits its members from dabbling in drugs, you know that. What you did has made Mark extremely angry," Hogan glowered at him.


    The thought of Mark, who was as strict as theye and not one to shy away from brutality, turned Harry''s face ashen, shaking so much that his chair squeaked in protest.


    "Mark''s given you two choices. One, you take the fall all by yourself. Tell the cops you pushed the drugs on Mr. Gordon. When he didn''t bite, you got pissed and slipped it into his suit pocket. From start to finish, it''s all on you, nothing to do with Mr. Gordon."


    Harry''s eyes reddened with anger, but he was too scared to speak out.


    They had even crafted his confession for him. Those S-Star Groupwyers were no joke!


    "If you don''t agree, well, whether you make it out of jail alive is another matter. And then there''s your elderly mother, and your brother back home still single. If you y ball, Mark will look after your family. If you don''t, he''ll make sure you''re all reunited down below."


    Upon hearing this, Harry''s world spun, and he nodded furiously,


    "I''ll take the fall! I confess! Please ask Mark not to harm my mom and brother! I''ll take whatever me there is!"


    Satisfied, Hogan nodded and then asked coldly, "Mark also wants to know if you were set up to frame Mr. Gordon. Who''s the puppet master behind you? If you confess, I''ll do my best to get your sentence reduced."


    "Truly there was no one," Harry rushed to confess, "The guy came to my joint for three days straight, didn''t partake in anything, just snooped around. I suspected he wanted to score, so I approached him. He was cautious at first, kept asking about the stuff. I watched him for a while before I made the deal. No one told me to do it. It''s just, why on earth did the copse busting in on the day of the deal? Talk about bad luck!"


    Hogan frowned, "The stuff? Is that ng for the drugs?"


    Harry clung to his hand like a lifeline, pleading desperately, "Please, exin it to Mark for me! I-I did use it to make a little extra on the side, but it''s medicine! It''s not drugs!"


    The cops handling the case couldn''t believe it.


    In just half an hour, Harry hadpletely overturned his previous statements, insisting that it had nothing to do with Gordon, that it was all him.


    Anyone could guess that hiswyer had said something to make him take all the me. Since the police couldn''t obtain the nightclub''s surveince footage from that night and the witness testimony waspromised, Gordon was sessfully released on bail. However, for the next month, he couldn''t leave Elmsworth and had to be avable for police inquiries at all times.


    Having narrowly escaped this predicament, Gordon stepped out of the interrogation room with an unchanged expression, but his legs inside his dress pants were trembling.


    Thaddeus had saved his hide once again!


    Oh, the emotional toll! He deserved a raise!


    To avoid suspicion, Evadne left through the back door of the station, while Thaddeus and Jason, acting as Gordon''s attorney, escorted him out the front.


    Strangely, they expected a horde of reporters to be waiting outside, but there was


    no one.


    Jason scratched his head, "No crowd? I had my spiel all ready."


    "Seems like someone got the tip-off that Gordon was released without charge, so no need to bribe the press toe for a free whitewash," Thaddeus said, his gaze sharp and his demeanor icy.


    "Damn vultures," Jason cursed, unable to contain his anger.


    "I''ve already notified the Abernathy Group''s PR department to work overtime tonight to pull the hot searches and manage public opinion, minimizing the impact."


    Thaddeus'' eyes were calm as he continued, "First thing tomorrow, the Abernathy Group''s legal department will issue a statement. Any media that reported on this tonight can expect a subpoena from the court."


    Gordon lowered his head in guilt, "Mr. Thaddeus, I''m sorry, it''s all my fault. I didn''t get the goods, and nearly got myself locked up."


    Thaddeus'' gaze softened and his voice deepened, "Let''s talk when we get back." Just then, a car honked.


    The three men looked up to see two sleek ck Mercedes-Benz cars speeding toward them, pulling up with authority.


    The lead car''s window rolled down to reveal Evadne''s face,


    "Thaddeus!"


    Thaddeus was taken aback, "Evadne?"


    Then the passenger window lowered, and Lionel''s roguish face appeared, greeting Thaddeus with a grin,


    "Mr. Thaddeus, if you''re not too tired, care to drop by my ce for a bit?"


    When Gordon was released, it was the wee hours of the morning.


    Thaddeus and Evadne apanied Lionel to S-Star Group as dawn approached.


    But with their minds set on unraveling the whole mess, sleep was thest thing on their minds.


    Two sleek Mercedes sedans pulled up to an unassuming but high-end members'' club.


    Lionel punched in a code and they stepped into an interior that took everyone by surprise.


    The ce dripped with opulence and the air buzzed with an indulgent decadence.


    Gambling tables were surrounded by high-rollers, men and women flirting openly, draped over each other in various states of dishevelment, their polished exteriors betraying a descent into hedonism.


    Evadne and Thaddeus appeared unfazed by the spectacle, but Jason and Gordon were positively gobsmacked!


    Gordon whistled in awe, "Sir, this joint must''ve set you back a pretty penny. Man, your racket sure pays well!"


    "Mine? Emma, you''re giving me too much credit. This is all Mr. Mark Griffith''s doing. Eventually, it''ll all belong to his darling daughter, Aviana," Lionel said, his eyes softening with a warm affection.


    "Mr. Lionel, we owe you big time for today."


    Thaddeus locked eyes with Lionel, visibly moved, "I am in your debt. I''ll make it up to you."


    Lionel waved off the sentiment casually, "Don''t mention it, Mr. Thaddeus. Look, I was just following orders from the missus. Besides, Harry''s one of our S-Star Group, and as a leader, it''s my job to clean up this mess. If you want to repay anyone, make it up to Ms. Aviana."


    They retreated to Lionel''s plush office, a quiet sanctuarypared to the chaos outside.


    The secretary ryed Harry''s message without missing a beat.


    "Medicine?" Thaddeus and Evadne exchanged puzzled looks. Gordon''s eyes lit up, "Yeah, yeah, that guy in the alley, he asked if I was ''looking for medicine''! Is that some kind of code?"


    Hogan chimed in, "The peculiar thing is, Harry insists what he''s dealing isn''t narcotics, it''s ''medicine''-a banned substance abroad that hasn''t gotten clearance from our FDA. They say it gives a high like the heavy stuff, but you can pass a drug test while on it. It''s all the rage in the Elmsworth undergroundtely. Word is, it''s making rounds in our S-Star Group, and not just us-other outfits, too." "Was that S-Star member who dropped dead in the street, was he on this stuff too?" Thaddeus'' eyes were piercing.


    Lionel nodded gravely, "Yes, he was not only using it but also peddling it among our ranks."


    "That''s one bad batch."


    Evadne, recalling the horrific scene of the man''s death, clenched her heart, "Whether it''s a narcotic or not is beside the point. It''s proven lethal."


    "Gosh, such a shame! I had just gotten my hands on the stuff when I got pinched.


    I failed the task you entrusted me with." Gordon began to wallow in self-me


    again.


    Thaddeus reassured him with a calm demeanor, "No harm done. Your safety is what matters most."


    Gordon looked like he was about to cry pearls of gratitude.


    Lionel, lips pressed together, reached into his suit and pulled out a small stic bag, setting it on the coffee table,


    "This here is the ''medicine'' they''re all talking about. Took me a hell of an effort to get my hands on it. This little bag costs more than street drugs!"


    Evadne immediately picked it up and examined it closely under the light.


    Deep blue pills with the letter ''d'' embossed on them.


    "I''ll get this analyzed when we''re back, see what''s actually in it. Uncle Lionel, make sure your people understand they need to steer clear of this stuff. Inform everyone in S-Star Group-this thing''s a ticking time bomb!"


    "Please don''t be so polite!"


    Lionel was quick to protest, the gang leader suddenly sheepish, "Ms. Evadne, please, just Lionel. If Ms. Aviana hears you, she''ll think I''m taking advantage of you and I''ll be in the doghouse."


    Thaddeus mused quietly, "The person who introduced it to Elmsworth must''ve touted it as a medicinal substance, not a drug. A perfect cover story for the cops, no legal repercussions. That''s why it spread like wildfire, so brazenly."


    "And there''s another odd thing."


    Lionel''s mind was racing, "When this ''medicine'' first popped up in Elmsworth, I


    sent my guys to sniff around. High-end clubs, those young celebs, even the big nightclubs under S-Star''s thumb-none of them had seen this stuff. It''s like it''s not even on the market, yet a bunch of our people have been exposed. Damn it, it''s not like we''re monopolizing it, right?"


    A drug, sudden deaths, a specific circle of people.


    Evadne''s mind whirred, and she gripped Thaddeus'' hand tightly.


    Thaddeus felt her icy palm and covered it with his,forting her, "Evadne,


    what''s wrong?"


    "Could it be someone''s using people to experiment with drugs in secret?"