A pair of eyes watched Roseline from a distance the mont she stepped out of the hospital.
The woman stood near the far end of the parking lot, partially concealed behind a row of parked vehicles. Her gaze followed Roseline carefully as she crossed the street and disappeared into the dimly lit pathway with Collin.
Norma remained still.
Only minutes earlier she had left Daniel’s house and driven straight to the hospital after hearing about Hugo’s condition. She had intended to et Roseline personally and gauge the situation herself.
But the mont she arrived, Roseline had already walked out.
Norma had been about to step out of her car when she noticed another figure standing outside the hospital entrance.
Collin.
Her eyes had imdiately narrowed.
Daniel’s words from earlier echoed clearly in her mind.
Collin had been suspicious. Too many incidents were beginning to connect around him. Daniel had not said it outright, but the implication had been clear.
They could not trust him.
And now here he was, eting Roseline secretly outside the hospital.
Norma watched as the two figures disappeared toward the secluded pathway.
A cold expression settled on her face.
Her instincts sharpened. Sothing was wrong.
Without wasting another second she reached for her phone and dialed a number.
The call connected almost imdiately.
"Let’s et," Her voice carried a cold, distant authority.
She ended the call before the person on the other end could respond.
Then she slowly lifted her gaze again toward the empty street where Roseline and Collin had vanished.
Whatever they were planning, she would uncover it.
***
anwhile, several miles away, Derek sat across from Henry inside Daniel’s office.
The room felt unusually heavy.
Derek leaned forward slightly, still struggling to process the information Henry had just shared.
"That’s shocking," he said after a mont. "How is the boss now?"
Henry exhaled deeply.
"Thankfully nothing serious happened," he replied. "I reached the location almost imdiately after I got the call."
His expression remained tense despite the relief in his words.
"The car took the impact, not him. Daniel only suffered minor injuries."
Derek nodded slowly.
"That’s a relief."
But Henry’s silence told him there was more.
Henry leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temple.
"There is one problem," he said.
Derek’s brows furrowed.
"What problem?"
Henry’s eyes hardened.
"The driver who ramd the vehicle into Daniel’s car is dead."
Derek frowned instantly.
"Dead?"
Henry nodded.
"We found his body a few lanes away from BK Bar."
A brief silence settled between them.
"That’s strange," Derek muttered.
Henry folded his hands together on the table.
"That is exactly why Boss wants you to resu tailing Collin once you get a short break."
Derek looked up.
"Collin?"
Henry nodded again.
"Boss believes Collin might be the mastermind behind the attack."
Derek leaned back slightly, absorbing the information.
"That makes sense," he admitted. "But why would the driver end up dead?"
Henry sighed.
"That is where things get complicated."
He pulled out a file from the desk and slid it across the table.
"There was money found in the man’s pocket," Henry explained. "A decent amount."
Derek opened the file.
"Autopsy reports confird he died due to food poisoning."
Derek looked up sharply.
"Food poisoning?"
Henry gave a short nod.
"That is what the report says."
Derek closed the file slowly.
"BK Bar," he muttered under his breath.
Henry noticed the shift in his expression.
"What is it?"
Derek stared at the photograph clipped inside the file.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Do you have a clearer photo of him?" he asked.
Henry nodded and pulled out his phone before showing the picture.
The mont Derek saw it clearly, he straightened in his chair.
"It’s him."
Henry frowned.
"You know him?"
Derek nodded slowly, still staring at the photo.
"Yes."
Henry leaned forward imdiately.
"Where did you see him?"
Derek took a mont before answering.
"It was that day," he said. "The day Collin almost caught while I was tailing him."
Henry’s interest sharpened.
"Go on."
Derek rested his arms on the table.
"When Collin stopped near the alley, I had to slip inside quickly to avoid being seen," he explained.
His mory replayed the scene vividly.
"I thought I was alone in that alley."
He tapped the photograph lightly.
"But this man was already there."
Henry’s eyes narrowed.
"He was drunk," Derek continued. "Completely wasted."
"What was he doing there?" Henry asked.
"He was asking Collin for money."
Henry froze.
"What?"
Derek nodded.
"When Collin ca out of the alley, the man approached him and started begging for cash," Derek said. "At first Collin looked irritated."
He paused briefly.
"But then he gave him money."
Silence filled the room.
Henry’s expression slowly turned grim.
"And now that sa man is dead," Derek finished quietly.
The implication settled heavily between them.
Henry leaned back in his chair.
"Don’t tell ," Derek muttered slowly, "that Collin used him as a pawn."
Henry did not answer imdiately.
Both n stared at the photograph lying on the table.
If Derek’s mory was correct, then the man had already been in contact with Collin before the accident.
And now he was conveniently dead.
Food poisoning.
The explanation sounded almost too clean.
Henry finally spoke.
"Collin hiring him for the crash would not be surprising," he said carefully.
"But eliminating him afterward to erase the trail..."
His voice trailed off.
Derek finished the thought.
"That says a lot."
Henry’s gaze hardened.
"It was planned. So we were right"
Derek slowly leaned back in his chair.
"So the drunk man crashes boss’s car," he said. "Then soone ensures he never gets the chance to talk."
Henry nodded grimly.
"Exactly."
Derek rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.
"If that is true," he said quietly, "then Collin is far more dangerous than we thought."
Henry t his gaze.
They had already suspected Collin.
But Derek recognizing the dead man changed everything.
Now they had confirmation that Collin had been in direct contact with the attacker.
A long silence followed.
Finally Derek spoke again.
"So what is Boss planning now?"
Henry’s voice turned firm.
"He wants you to go back to watching Collin."
Derek nodded slowly.
"This ti," Henry added, "we cannot afford to lose track of him again."
Derek closed the file and stood up.
"If Collin really killed that man to cover his tracks," he said, "then he will make another move soon."
Henry looked at him.
"And when he does," Derek finished quietly, "we need to be ready."
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