Chapter 84

"Is Joseph married?" I asked.

"Yeah, he is," Howard replied.

Howard took a sip of his coffee and started, "His wife is Evelyn Nguyen. She works in the Forestry Resources Department at the Silverlight City Forestry Bureau. She studied landscape design at Silverlight University."

"She's pretty average-looking and has a low-key social life. Mostly stays home watching TV shows and movies. She started dating Joseph in college; she's three years younger and was reportedly his first love. This guy's got it good..."

"Let me think, Evelyn's family is from the neighboring Border Ridge City. Her parents are both teachers, and they have a decent family background. She also has an older brother, and her sister-in-law is quite a piece of work. Apparently, her sister-in-law often gives her a hard time. I think Evelyn's a bit too soft."

"Why don't you ditch the Silverlight City Legal Journal and start a gossip magazine instead? You're wasting your talent here," I teased.

I was convinced that Howard not running a gossip magazine was a huge loss to the entertainment media industry. In less than a day, he had dug up everything about Joseph's family, including his wife's name, college major, and even Evelyn's family drama. He even knew about the issues with Evelyn's sister-in-law.

This was a skill not everyone had.

Howard shook his head, looking at me like I was the one missing the point. "You're too serious, not like a young person. I'm not doing this just for fun, at least not entirely. Actually, I'm trying to figure out if Joseph is gay and if he's had some major trauma from women that made him switch teams."

"So, what's your conclusion?" I asked.

"No conclusion. There's too much random info, and it's too exhausting," Howard said confidently.

"It's a good thing Zoey isn't like you, or she'd be led astray." I couldn't help but tease.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Zoey was raised by Howard. Luckily, Zoey didn't turn out like him, or the legal news journal would have turned into a gossip rag.

"Do you have some misunderstanding about Zoey?" Howard was stunned for a moment and then smiled awkwardly. "Actually, it was Zoey who told me the news."

Wait, how did Zoey know I was investigating Joseph?

I had just mentioned it to Howard, without going into detail. Only Leonard and I should know that Joseph was connected to this case.

How did Zoey find out?

"Joseph is connected to the True Love Entertainment Club murder case. You know how dangerous this case is. Lally wanted to tell me the truth and disappeared. Tony wanted to tell me the truth and also disappeared. Zoey can't get too involved in this." I stared at Howard seriously.

Howard, who had been joking around, suddenly got serious. He seemed to realize something and took out his phone, angrily shouting, "You bastard, you have a daughter and make me raise her, and now you're causing trouble for your own daughter. There's no father like you in the world. I'll burn your office today!"

Howard was clearly pissed, cursing and slamming the table. Judging by the sound of it, he was calling Zoey's father, Ronald.

Why would the head of the state criminal investigation team be looking into this? Could Zoey's father be involved too?

Howard was still fuming, and it wasn't the best time to ask him anything. Plus, his voice was so loud that people around us were starting to notice and turn to look.

"Everyone, get back to what you were doing!" Howard stood up and shouted at the onlookers with an authoritative tone. They quickly shrank back and resumed staring at their phones.

I've heard that the more capable a person is, the worse their temper, and Howard was proving that true.

I've known Howard for a long time, even before I graduated. I thought I knew him well. He had a great personality and never got angry, even when he lost money or got cheated. But when it came to Zoey, this was the first time I'd seen him so furious.

"Calm down, Zoey is still fine in the office," I said.

Howard took a deep breath, hung up the phone, and slowly sat back down.

Rationality was a basic quality that businessmen should have. Making key decisions and understanding market trends required a calm and almost cold-blooded judgment.

But being a businessman was just one of his roles. He also had another role, a somewhat unclear father figure.

"Find a way to keep Zoey busy during this time. Give her more work so she doesn't go out. I have a feeling this case will be resolved soon," I tried to comfort him.

Howard thought for a moment and said, "So, what exactly is Joseph's connection to this case?"

He frowned and suddenly said, "I remember you said that Alan went to the Entertainment Club alone because Joseph told him to. If Joseph is the only one related to the case who hasn't been transferred and now this comes out, the most likely scenario is..."

"Alright, Howard, don't overthink it," I interrupted his speculation and said seriously, "You can't get involved in this anymore. I can handle it alone. You and Zoey can't lose each other. I can't drag everyone down because of my issues. And keeping Zoey out of this is the biggest help. I'm her mentor, and I see her as a sister. She can't be put in any danger."

"Joseph's wife is standing at the courthouse entrance. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything for almost a day. She won't talk to anyone. You might want to check it out." Howard isn't one to be verbose; he gave the information straightforwardly.

At the courthouse entrance.

This was the first time in my life that I had seen such a stubborn woman.

Court staff were holding bottled water and bread, constantly trying to persuade her.

"Please go home and wait for news. It's uncertain."

"Joseph works diligently at our company. If this is all unfounded, don't worry, his personal reputation won't be affected. Our leaders have also said that if everything is fine, his promotion at the end of the year will be handled fairly."

"Please go home, or come inside and sit down. You've been standing all day. There's nothing that can't be explained."

Onlookers also chimed in, "Exactly, there's nothing that can't be explained. Trust in justice and fairness. Don't make things hard for yourself. Miss, please go home."

Evelyn didn't respond, her eyes fixed on the emblem symbolizing fairness and justice. Her legs didn't move an inch.

It wasn't that she had great stamina; her legs were numb, and she was standing purely on willpower.

She wasn't very tall, wearing a black trench coat with her hands in the pockets, standing at the courthouse entrance with many onlookers around.

"Are you bullying ordinary people because you can't bully the big shots?" Evelyn said coldly.