Chapter 75

The sterile scent of disinfectant greeted Sofia as she entered the morgue. Harsh fluorescent lights illuminated the room, casting an unsettlingly cold blue glow. Stainless steel tables lined the center, each one draped in a white sheet with bodies lying beneath.

A tremor ran through Sofia as Alexander tightened his grip around her arm. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the figure on the closest table.

“It is her,” she tried to maintain her composure but was unable to. Fortunately, Alexander was already holding her in his arms. “It is Mrs. Phelps,” she mumbled, a wave of nausea washing over her.

“Are you sure?” one of the officers asked.

She nodded gently as Alexander rubbed her back.

“Unfortunately, we cannot tell you anything right now. We are trying to contact Mrs. Phelps’ family.”

“My secretary will provide you with everything that you need,” Sofia said. She had already called Miss Amores and even Karina.

“Shall we leave this place?” Alexander said. In response, Sofia looked at the officers who escorted them outside.

“Thank you so much for your help, Miss Lockhart. We found your calling card on Mrs. Phelps’ clothing, so we immediately called you. Please expect another visit from us in the next few days,” the officers said.

Sofia could only nod in response. She and Alexander then went back to his place.

A heavy silence clung to them as they entered the apartment. The warmth and familiarity of the space did little to dispel the chill of grief and suspicion that hung over Sofia.

Sinking onto the couch, she ran a hand through her hair, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Mrs. Phelps’ death felt like yet another cruel twist in the complex web she was caught in, a web spun by deceit and manipulation.

“It has to be Lawrence,” she finally broke the silence, her voice low and laced with anger. “Or maybe Mr. Oh. He has been too convenient in all of this.”

Alexander sat beside her, his hand resting on hers, offering silent support.

“I have already discreetly begun investigating,” he assured her, his voice firm. “My people are digging deeper into Mrs. Phelps’ past, her connections, and anything that might shed light on what happened. I also did an in-depth investigation of Mr. Oh.”

Sofia appreciated his efforts, but a knot of worry remained in her stomach. “Finding out who killed her won't bring her back,” she said softly. “But it will make sure they don’t get away with it.” Her voice trembled slightly as she recalled her last conversation with Mrs. Phelps.

At that time, she had asked her to gather evidence that could harm Mr. Oh. Sofia wanted something concrete against Mr. Oh, and Mrs. Phelps would have been the perfect pawn.

She never expected this to happen. Sadly, she didn’t have any specifics about Mrs. Phelps’ death, and she could only wait for the police to come up with something.

The very next day, the news of Mrs. Phelps’ demise had already spread inside the office. Sofia could not help but frown the moment she walked into her office.

Last night, she did not have much sleep as she thought about Mrs. Phelps’ death. In the end, she felt like a walking zombie.

Sofia’s mind reeled. The pieces just weren't fitting together.

“Then let me be honest with you,” she said. “This was something that I found out a while ago... I wanted to talk to Mrs. Phelps about it, but I never had the chance to.” She handed a folder to Agent Emily. “Those are the documents that Alexander gave me about Mrs. Phelps’ involvement in counterfeiting LH Design’s products.”

“Many of my designs have been sold on various websites even before we launched them. This prompted me to investigate, and this is what I found out,” Sofia added.

“And you have yet to confront her about this?” Special Agent Marcus asked.

“No. Not yet. I wanted to but... I have been very busy in the past few days. As you know, I just became the CEO of the company. My birthday was just a few days ago, and we encountered a few problems along the way.”

“Then may I ask where you were two days ago?” Special Agent Emily asked.

“It was my birthday two days ago, Agent Parker. I had more than twenty people with me at an event with my grandmother. As for where I spent the night... I was with Mr. Alexander Beaumont. In his flat. Just the two of us.” Sofia smiled.

Agent Parker and Agent Reynolds exchanged a brief glance, a silent conversation passing between them.

“Thank you for your honesty, Ms. Lockhart,” Agent Parker said finally. “We appreciate you coming forward with this information. The documents you provided will be included in our investigation.”

Sofia nodded. “Besides these documents, did you notice anything strange about her lately?” Special Agent Parker asked.

“Nothing really. Before I became the CEO, we used to interact a lot as she was the production manager; however, it was not on a personal level. I have been busy with my work, and since I was not overseeing everything at the time, I didn’t notice any problems in the company.”

The two agents nodded.

“Ms. Lockhart,” Agent Reynolds began, leaning forward slightly. “You mentioned you weren't close to Mrs. Phelps on a personal level. However, as the CEO and someone who recently uncovered evidence of potential wrongdoing within LH Design, we find it curious that you wouldn’t confide in your production manager, especially someone who’d been with the company for over two decades.”

“Perhaps,” Agent Parker added. “You could shed some light on your current relationship with Mrs. Phelps. Were there any recent disagreements or conflicts you'd like to share?”

“Of course, I told her about my concerns. In fact, I believe this was the reason why it took me a long time to discover the problem,” Sofia said. “As I mentioned earlier, our interactions were primarily professional. While I had no reason to distrust her, I also wouldn’t consider her a confidante in personal matters. When I discovered that she was involved, I stopped communicating my worries, and at that time, it seemed like a logical move as I just transitioned into my new role.”

“However,” Sofia continued, “I did notice a change in her behavior recently. She seemed stressed and worked late more often. But I didn’t think much of it at the time. If you have questions... feel free to ask anyone else in the company. I know a few people who have been working with her for more than ten years now.”

The two agents quickly thanked her. “One last thing...” Special Agent Parker said. “May I know the people who you sent to investigate Mrs. Phelps?”

Sofia already expected that the agent would ask something like that. So she smiled and handed her a card. “Mr. Alexander Beaumont of the Beaumont Empire. His connections are rather vast. Asking for his help was a very logical thing to do.”

Again, the two agents looked at each other. “Thank you so much for your cooperation. If you remember anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us,” Special Agent Parker said, handing Sofia her card.

“Thank you,” Sofia said in response.

Parker nodded. “Right, another question.”

“What is it?” Sofia asked.