Chapter 21

When I heard Tony had quit, my first thought was that he might be running from something, but that didn't make sense. There was no evidence linking him to anything, and I had just been at Tammy's place yesterday, so it couldn't have escalated that fast.

The exec asked, "When did he quit?"

James thought for a second, then looked at the exec and said, "It's been a while, like end of April, so about six months ago."

That was a pretty long time ago, so it seemed like his quitting had nothing to do with the case. But since I couldn't talk to Tony directly and I was already at his company, I figured his old coworkers might spill more than he would. Plus, James seemed a bit on edge around the exec. Asking too much in front of him might not get me anywhere.

I asked, "What kind of guy is Tony? What did he usually do around here? Can you fill me in?"

James said, "His job was pretty basic: handling company documents, maintaining the website, writing posts, stuff like that. It was a mixed bag, really."

"Yeah, our company's pretty open about promotions. If you bring value, the sky's the limit," the exec added.

The vibe was a bit off. Carol had only told them I was here to find someone, not why, so they probably thought I was here to blame someone. If I kept pushing, I might just get useless info.

"Don't worry. I asked Carol to help me look into Tony. I don't know him personally and have no business with him," I said with a smile, trying to ease the tension. "I just want to know what Tony was like at the company, so the more details, the better. Thanks for your help."

I thought for a moment. Since James was Tony's direct boss, there was no need for the exec to stick around. Plus, James might open up more if the exec wasn't there. After some polite chit-chat, the exec said he had something to do, told James to make sure I got satisfactory answers, and left.

"Mr. Robinson, now that the exec's gone, can you give me the full scoop?" I said, then called the waiter and ordered us some coffee.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. The exec told me to be straight with you," James said, looking around nervously. He made sure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice and asked, "Do you have any connection to him?"

"No, I'm friends with Carol, your company's investor. She got the exec to help me out," I said calmly, dropping Carol's name. After years in the business world, I deeply understood that without sufficient clout, merely asking questions wouldn't yield much. They wouldn't go out of their way for nothing.

Sure enough, James's attitude shifted. It was better to get in good with an investor than an exec. He said, "I know Tony well. He was under my supervision. I saw him every day and got weekly reports from him."

"What kind of guy is he? How did he do at the company?" I asked directly, seeing that James was ready to talk.

James replied, "Well, Tony was a bit of an oddball. He was really refined, didn't talk much, loved to read, and spoke like he was straight out of a classic novel. He was in his thirties, had no real ambition, and spent his days writing poems. Honestly, he seemed more like an editor for an old-school magazine than someone in the internet industry. Sometimes I wanted to tell him to switch careers. This job is fine for recent grads as a stepping stone, but not for the long haul."

When the waiter brought the coffee, James quickly stood up, paid with his work card, handed me a cup, and continued, "Work-wise, he wasn't super motivated, but he wasn't slacking off either. He got his tasks done on time but never went the extra mile. He hated working overtime, which is rare in this industry. His attendance was so-so; he was often late, so his performance score was low. If it were anyone else, I would've fired him ages ago."

"Anyone else? Did he have some special status?" I asked, remembering Anna had mentioned she recommended Tony for the job.

"Well..." James scratched his head, giving a knowing smile, and said hesitantly, "He... had some connections to get this job."

I said, "I also want to know more about Tony. If you help me out, I'll make sure to mention it to Carol. You can count on that."

This was about verifying what Anna had told me earlier. I needed to clear this up; otherwise, everything from Tammy, Anna, and the unseen Tony would be questionable.

"No need. I'll tell you everything straight." James smiled, thinking that all his hard work didn't compare to a few good words in front of an investor.

"Is it Anna?" I asked.

"You know about it." James's eyes lit up, and he gave a knowing smile. "Everyone privately calls Tony a cuckold, a man living off his wife's income."

"What do you mean?" I was puzzled.

James explained, "Well, his wife Anna is a signed streamer for our company. She's pretty, but her streaming income is average. It's rumored she's the mistress of a company shareholder. Even though she's married, the relationship supposedly continues. We didn't originally have a position for a new media editor in our content marketing department. It's said that Anna recommended him."

"Does Tony know?" I asked. For a man, this kind of thing was a matter of dignity.

James replied, "He probably doesn't. We never mentioned it in front of him, and he seems very devoted to Anna, reportedly handing over his entire salary every month, though it's not much."

I nodded and continued, "What was the reason for his resignation? You mentioned earlier that he had family issues. Did he specify?"

I needed to find out whether the family issues were related to the case.

James smiled awkwardly. "Family issues weren't the reason for his resignation. With the executive here earlier, I couldn't go into detail. It was an unexpected incident in our department."

"What happened?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. It seemed James really tailored his words to his audience. If I had just asked casually and left, this trip would have been in vain.

James looked a bit embarrassed and rubbed his hands together.

I reassured him, "It's okay. Go ahead. I don't know your executive, and I won't mention this to Carol. Besides, it seems the issue has already been resolved, right?"

James replied, "Alright. Tony got into a fight with someone at the company."