Chapter 1187:

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Gracie considered this for a moment, then gave a decisive nod. “Alright. Let’s see what you can do.”

“I’ll need a private room to apply psychological pressure,” Zane said.

Gracie gestured for him to proceed.

Since conventional investigative methods had yielded nothing, she had little choice but to allow Zane to attempt his unorthodox approach.

The household staff formed an anxious line and filed into the room one at a time. Those Zane cleared were allowed to leave without further questioning.

𝗡е𝗐 𝘸𝗲е𝗸𝗅𝘆 с𝗁𝖺р𝘵e𝗋𝘀 𝗈ո 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝘯𝗈𝗏e𝘭𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝗆

Before long, Zane dragged a man out and brought him before Gracie. “Go on, tell the truth.”

The man — a senior gardener — kept his head bowed in shame. “It was me. I got my nephew hired here as a driver, but Mrs. Stanley caught him stealing and fired him. I know my nephew’s character — he would never steal! So when someone approached me and asked me to apply a specific pesticide to the flower beds beneath her window, I agreed. I thought she deserved it.”

Valeria had always been passionate about her gardens, and her bedroom window overlooked elaborate beds filled with rare and exotic blooms.

The pesticide, aerosolized and carried on the wind through her open window, had been slowly poisoning her for weeks.

Gracie’s hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her sides. “I’m familiar with your nephew’s case. If it weren’t for Valeria’s mercy, he would have been arrested and prosecuted. Do you honestly believe she would terminate someone without ironclad proof? The vehicle’s security footage showed him stealing a designer handbag she’d left in the back seat.”

The gardener’s head snapped up, shock and dawning horror flooding his features.

Gracie rose to her feet. “Since you’ve confessed, both you and your nephew will face the full legal consequences of your actions.”

She turned to Zane. “Take both him and his nephew to the police station. One charge for attempted poisoning, the other for theft.”

Zane nodded and grabbed the gardener’s arm, but curiosity made him pause. “Your family is the most powerful and influential in all of Wafland. Who would possibly dare to orchestrate an attack like this against Mrs. Stanley?”

Gracie studied him for a long moment.

Given his role as her temporary assistant, Zane would inevitably learn the truth sooner or later anyway.

“Eaton Holt,” Gracie said quietly. “So exercise extreme caution if you have any future dealings with him.”

Zane’s pupils constricted with shock, but he was smart enough not to press for details. He simply nodded and escorted the gardener out toward the police station.

In the car, Zane glanced at the three men in the back seat through the rearview mirror. For his protection, Gracie had assigned two armed bodyguards to accompany him on the trip.

Once they pulled up to the police station, one of the bodyguards turned to him. “We’ll handle the paperwork from here, Zane. You can head back to the estate.”

Without waiting for a response, both bodyguards hauled the gardener out of the car and marched him into the station.

Zane remained in the driver’s seat, his mind racing.

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