Chapter 76

“Dr. Mulach is the one who took it,” Sofia answered.

“Did you know that Dr. Mulach...”

“I am not aware,” Sofia calmly said.

However, on the inside, she was already fuming. Dr. Mulach poisoned her mother at the request of Lawrence. However, she could not tell these people that.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Special Agent Parker smiled. She got up and shook Sofia’s hand, and the two agents left her office without saying another word.

“Did you have to say that?” Special Agent Reynolds asked his partner.

“Did I lie?” Emily asked.

“We cannot prove that Lawrence is involved in this smuggling ring,” Reynolds said.

“We cannot find anything on Sofia Lockhart. However, clearly, she has been distancing herself from her stepfather and stepsister. She even moved her mother into an unknown hospital. I believe she knows something. Baiting her was the best course of action.”

“You really...” Agent Reynolds shook his head before he started the car.

Meanwhile, Sofia was still sitting on the couch as she thought about everything that Lawrence did. Sadly, she could not find any tangible evidence. A voice recording is not enough!

She needed something that she could touch. She needed Dr. Mulach to confess, but that man was a dead end. The government is already working with him because of his knowledge of poisons.

She needed something more.

After a while, Sofia got up and went back to her computer where she finally had the chance to examine Mrs. Phelps' files. However, just as she expected, there was nothing noteworthy in those files. She knew that Mrs. Phelps would be smart enough not to put anything important on her computer.

But... what about her laptop? After a few minutes, she sent another text to Alexander asking him if he was busy tonight. The reply was only a smirk, which for some reason made her check her heart.

“When you asked me if I would be busy, I didn’t think you would want me to drive you around...” Alexander said the moment he drove out of the parking lot of Sofia’s building.

Sofia looked at him. “You could easily say no.”

“Do you really think I would say no to you?” he responded. Sofia smirked in response. “I need to go to Mrs. Phelps’ house...” she said. “And distract the people.”

“Huh?”

“I meant her family.”

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I want to get her laptop.”

“Just borrow it,” Sofia said while staring out the window.

“And that’s why you need a distraction?” he asked, incredulous.

“Yes. I just need to copy some files. Then I will return it immediately.”

“You can easily distract someone,” Sofia was almost certain about this. This guy looked like a celebrity. He was handsome and tall, and his car was pretty nice. He could easily attract anyone’s attention while Sofia sneaked inside Mrs. Phelps’ house to copy the files.

To her surprise, however, Alexander stopped the car at the side of the road. “Why did you stop?” she asked.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Well...”

“Do you realize how attractive you are?” Alexander said. “Do you really think that people will not notice you?”

A wave of frustration washed over Sofia. Alexander’s words were true. Her initial plan, while seemingly clever in her desperation, was riddled with holes. She had been so focused on finding a solution that she hadn’t stopped to consider the practicality or even the legality of her actions.

She met his gaze, defeat evident in her eyes. “I don’t know what else to do,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. “There has to be something I can do to take Lawrence down, to prove what he’s done.”

Alexander sighed, the amusement fading from his eyes

Here is the corrected version of Chapter 76 of the provided text:

“Dr. Mulach is the one who took it,” Sofia answered.

“Did you know that Dr. Mulach...”

“I am not aware,” Sofia calmly said.

However, on the inside, she was already fuming. Dr. Mulach poisoned her mother at the request of Lawrence. However, she could not tell these people that.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Special Agent Parker smiled. She got up and shook Sofia’s hand, and the two agents left her office without saying another word.

“Did you have to say that?” Special Agent Reynolds asked his partner.

“Did I lie?” Emily asked.

“We cannot prove that Lawrence is involved in this smuggling ring,” Reynolds said.

“We cannot find anything on Sofia Lockhart. However, clearly, she has been distancing herself from her stepfather and stepsister. She even moved her mother into an unknown hospital. I believe she knows something. Baiting her was the best course of action.”

“You really...” Agent Reynolds shook his head before he started the car.

Meanwhile, Sofia was still sitting on the couch as she thought about everything that Lawrence did. Sadly, she could not find any tangible evidence. A voice recording is not enough!

She needed something that she could touch. She needed Dr. Mulach to confess, but that man was a dead end. The government is already working with him because of his knowledge of poisons.

She needed something more.

After a while, Sofia got up and went back to her computer where she finally had the chance to examine Mrs. Phelps' files. However, just as she expected, there was nothing noteworthy in those files. She knew that Mrs. Phelps would be smart enough not to put anything important on her computer.

But... what about her laptop? After a few minutes, she sent another text to Alexander asking him if he was busy tonight. The reply was only a smirk, which for some reason made her check her heart.

“When you asked me if I would be busy, I didn’t think you would want me to drive you around...” Alexander said the moment he drove out of the parking lot of Sofia’s building.

Sofia looked at him. “You could easily say no.”

“Do you really think I would say no to you?” he responded. Sofia smirked in response. “I need to go to Mrs. Phelps’ house...” she said. “And distract the people.”

“Huh?”

“I meant her family.”

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I want to get her laptop.”

“Just borrow it,” Sofia said while staring out the window.

“And that’s why you need a distraction?” he asked, incredulous.

“Yes. I just need to copy some files. Then I will return it immediately.”

“You can easily distract someone,” Sofia was almost certain about this. This guy looked like a celebrity. He was handsome and tall, and his car was pretty nice. He could easily attract anyone’s attention while Sofia sneaked inside Mrs. Phelps’ house to copy the files.

To her surprise, however, Alexander stopped the car at the side of the road. “Why did you stop?” she asked.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Well...”

“Do you realize how attractive you are?” Alexander said. “Do you really think that people will not notice you?”

A wave of frustration washed over Sofia. Alexander’s words were true. Her initial plan, while seemingly clever in her desperation, was riddled with holes. She had been so focused on finding a solution that she hadn’t stopped to consider the practicality or even the legality of her actions.

She met his gaze, defeat evident in her eyes. “I don’t know what else to do,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. “There has to be something I can do to take Lawrence down, to prove what he’s done.”

Alexander sighed, the amusement fading from his eyes. He reached out, gently taking her hand in his. “I understand your frustration,” he said softly. “But what you’re proposing could put you in even more danger. We need to be smart about this!”

His words resonated with her. She knew he was right. Rushing into things, fueled solely by her anger and desperation, could lead to disastrous consequences.

“So... what do we do?” she asked, a flicker of hope rekindling in her voice. “If I can’t get into Mrs. Phelps' house, is there anything else we can try?”

Alexander pondered for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. “We need to approach this strategically,” he finally said. “Instead of focusing solely on Lawrence, we might have better luck investigating the company itself. Perhaps there are financial irregularities, hidden transactions, or discrepancies in the company records that could point towards his wrongdoings.”

Sofia’s eyes widened. The company records? But wouldn’t Lawrence have covered his tracks? Besides, she already checked this and came up with nothing! Lawrence would be smart enough to hide everything! After all, he had been doing this for years!

“Lawrence is undoubtedly cunning,” Alexander acknowledged. “But even the most meticulous criminals leave traces, especially over an extended period. We just need to know where to look and how to interpret what we find.”

“While a direct approach like examining surface-level company records might not yield immediate results, there are other avenues we can explore. I already talked to a forensic accountant, someone specializing in uncovering financial fraud. They have the expertise and tools to analyze complex financial data, identify hidden patterns, and potentially unearth discrepancies Lawrence might have missed.”

Sofia pursed her lips. No. She needed something more than that. “Thank you,” she uttered. Alexander had been very helpful since this started. “However, I have something else in mind...” she narrowed her eyes.

“You know William Crone?” she asked.

Alexander nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Then you know he has been hanging around my stepfather a lot recently.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed.”

“William knows that you and I are working together. In exchange, perhaps he’s buying out shares from smaller shareholders of LH Group.”

Sofia paused, looking at Alexander. “If he secures enough shares, he would have the margin to challenge my leadership on the board.”

Alexander's face turned serious. “You’re right. We need a clear picture of who the shareholders are and who might be working with Lawrence.”

Sofia sighed, feeling the weight of the situation. She needed a plan to dismantle Lawrence’s web of deceit. The forensic accountant was a good step, but it felt like she was up against an invisible wall.

She needed to be more strategic.