âI met someone out there in the past few days, and he told me he was the real Big Black Bear. He showed me some things which made me think he was probably not lying. So, who are you?âWinnieâs heart jolted, and she fell silent.Iâm planning to leave tonight, but I never expected the real Big Black Bear to appear at this time⦠Am I simply unlucky? Or is this what it means by searching for something high and low only to stumble upon it by sheer luck? Initially, I planned to return to the country directly since the situation is urgent and put off the mission Wilhelm entrusted me. But now, he has come knocking on the door himself, offering himself on a silver platter.She regarded Leandro nonchalantly, a faint smile tugging at her lips.At her utter calmness, Leandro couldnât help frowning. âWhy are you smiling? Shouldnât you be giving me an explanation right now?âSnorting a bark of laughter, Winnie relaxed and leaned back against the chair.âYouâve already made things all too clear just now. You said that person showed you something, and you felt he wasnât lying to you. Since youâve already drawn your conclusion inwardly, why do you still need an explanation from me? Would you believe me if I were to say Iâm the real Big Black Bear? And if you really trust me, why would you storm over and interrogate me with a dark expression?ââVivian! Iâm not interrogating you. Iâm merely reasoning with you. You claim to be Big Black Bear, but another person claiming the same appeared out of the blue now. Put yourself in my shoes. What would you do if you were me?â Leandro countered.Still, Winnie merely smirked without saying anything.Frustration swamped Leandro. âWhat exactly are you trying to say? I canât fathom your thoughts when youâre acting so cryptically.âWinnie arched a brow. âYou donât need to fathom my thoughts. Have that person come over for I want to meet him.ââOkay. That person said the same. He said heâd like to meet you and see who you are. But Vivianâ¦ââWhat is it?ââYou must realize one thingâyouâve never proved your identity to me, but this person who claimed to be Big Black Bear was able to tell me everything about him. He told me the formulation in your hands is fake.ââAnd you believed that?â Winnie snickered before she continued, âYou know how suspicious Harold is. What else is there for you to doubt when he has already acknowledged my identity? Besides, youâve seen the goods I produced. Yet, you believed someone who suddenly came and told you it was fake?âLeandroâs brows knitted together deeply. âHe also showed me his goods, and it was the real thing.âWinnie remained unfazed. âOh? Then, should I congratulate you in advance for securing another talented chemist for your lab, Boss?ââVivian, I know youâre indeed capable, but itâs also a fact that you were the one who burned down Haroldâs factory. If your identity is fake, and you intend to harm me, I will never let you off the hook!â Leandro pinned a sharp gaze on her.In response, Winnie shrugged. âIâm right here, so youâre free to do whatever you please to me. Have him come over. Iâd also like to see this person who successfully drove a wedge between us with just a few words.ââFine!â Leandro promptly waved a hand and summoned two men over. âGo and bring the man here. Be quick about it.âAfter having given his orders to his subordinates, he turned his gaze back to Winnie.âThereâs no outsider here right now, so tell me the truthâwhy the h*ll did you blow up Haroldâs lab? Donât tell me youâre Cabellâs spy?âHis greatest worry was that the cunning woman before him would use the same trick on him and ultimately destroy his place. Then, he would be left hanging.Winnie was just about to speak when the phone belonging to the person beside her rang. The ringtone volume was quite loud, so she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. Seeing that she had been interrupted, Leandro flew into a rage and roared at the man at the side, âTurn off your d*mn phone! Itâs so loud that it sounds like a trumpet blaring!âNo sooner had the man declined the call than another call came in.Leandro shot daggers at him. âAre you absolutely dense? Scram!âThe man alternated his gaze between Winnie and Leandro. âItâs a call from the hospital, probably meant for Ms. Vivian.ââNonsense! Scram!â To Leandro, nothing was more important than the matter at hand then.Reckoning that it was probably Christopher calling to talk to her, Winnie trained her gaze on Leandro and stated, âIâve told you this before. Harold promised me too little. On top of that, there was another chemistry professor working for him. He was already reluctant to promise me one-third of the profits, so he had been having that chemistry professor furtively research my technology. That professor was a prodigy. If he managed to figure out my formulation, I wouldâve been doomed. Since Harold didnât show me any regard, I naturally wouldnât show him any mercy. As for Cabell whom you mentioned, do you think heâd be willing to let me go if he had an expert like me? Think about it from another perspective. Even if I were plotting against you, could you bring yourself to kick me out when Iâve got the formulation in my hands?âWithout even thinking about it, Leandro blurted, âWhat a stupid question! I naturally wouldnât do that!ââWell, youâve got your answer right there.â As Winnieâs words rang out, Leandroâs subordinate led a man over.The man was unusually burly, tanned, and muscular, so he was indeed more fitting of the moniker of âBig Black Bearâ compared to her.While Winnie eyed him, her brain started whirring at warp speed.Noticing that she was spacing out as she stared at Big Black Bear, Leandro couldnât resist lifting his hand and waving it in her face. âWhat are you doing? Are you feeling guilty?âSnapping out of her thoughts, Winnie sneered, âWhy should I feel guilty?ââOkay! In that case, confront each other face to face then!â
Leandro leaned back against the chair, waiting to watch the show.When the man known as Big Black Bear had come over, he whipped out the gun he carried with him.Slamming it onto the table, he first looked at Big Black Bear before glancing at Winnie.âGo ahead and have a chat. If I were to discover which of you is a spy from my competitors, I wouldnât show any mercy.âWinnie threw a look at Leandro.
Subsequently, she motioned at Big Black Bear to have a seat.âHave a seat,â Winnie offered.Leandro cast a glance at her. âHe speaks a foreign language.âAt that, Winnie grunted in acknowledgment.
âWhatâs so great about that? I know a foreign language, too.ââGreat! I know some as well. Do you still remember me telling you back when we drank that Iâve been abroad for a few years? Therefore, donât try to fool me,â Leandro warned.Tapping the gun on the table, Winnie flashed him a faint smile. âI wouldnât dare.âBig Black Bear didnât bother with any pleasantries.After sitting down in front of Winnie, he asked bluntly, âYou claim to be Big Black Bear, so tell me thisâwho was the most notable figure you worked for back in South West Aploth? Also, there was a large-scale gang fight there two years ago.
Who were the parties involved, and who benefitted most in the end?âWinnie could understand every single one of his questions.Alas, she couldnât answer a single one of them.She wasnât âBig Black Bear,â
and she had never received any information about that from the very beginning.However, she didnât back down. She merely stared at him silently and said nothing.After all, she had never admitted defeat when it came to maintaining her composure.On the contrary, Leandro was at the end of his patience.
With his eyes fixated on her, he urged, âAnswer him. I happen to be discussing business there that year, so let me hear what youâve got to say.âWords eluded Winnie.