Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 131

Chapter 131

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Of course, Damon was worried about her, but he also understood her responsible attitude toward her work. She was always stubborn and willing to challenge danger.

That day, she met Zachary at the police station entrance at 3:30 am, as planned. She thought Zachary would sneak her into the factory. Instead, he drove there in a police car, accompanied by two colleagues, in the pre–dawn light.

They arrived at the chemical plant right on time at four am. The factory’s sewage system was already running, and a dozen security guards and workers were working overtime under heavy guard outside the gates. The lights outside the factory were dim, and the main gate was rightly shut.

Zachary led Aubrey and the other officers out of the car. The security guard saw the police car and hurried to greet them. “Officer, it’s the middle of the night. The factory’s been closed for hours. What’s going on?”

Aubrey stood behind them, feeling anxious.

One of the officers pulled out his badge and flashed it in front of the guard. “We’ve received an anonymous tip about potential illegal activities on these premises, possibly involving environmental violations and illicit manufacturing, We need to conduct an immediate inspection. Open the gate, please.” “That’s impossible. There’s only one gate to the factory, and we’ve been guarding it the whole time. No one’s gone in.”

“Only one gate? That’s a fire code violation! Looks like we’ll have to call the fire department.”

The security guard panicked and quickly said, “Officer, our surveillance cameras are on 24 hours a day. Every entrance is clearly visible. No illegal activities are happening here. We’re off duty, and we can’t open the gate without orders from above.”

“What if I insist on going in?” the officer ”

“Wait a minute…” The security guard

said sternly.

at

a

loss. He went into the security room to make a call.

After a few minutes, the factory director police.

maintaining the same strong attitude and refusing to budge, seemingly stalling for time with the

Eventually, the factory director gave in and called for reinforcements. After an hour of stalling, a middle–aged executive in his forties, Mr. Vance, arrived. Mr. Vance pulled up in a luxury car, parked next to the police, and his expression shifted dramatically when he saw Aubrey Hayes step out. He immediately guessed that the police were there to help Aubrey, and his attitude became even more arrogant.

Seeing the situation become increasingly deadlocked, Aubrey nervously approached Zachary Blackwood and whispered, “Zack, will this method really work to get us inside?”

Zachary remained calm and collected.“It will.”

“But they’re being really stubborn.”

Zachary just smiled, unfazed. He’d seen this kind of thing countless times.

Mr. Vance was intimidating and didn’t even seem to fear the police. If they kept dragging this out, it would be dawn soon.

Zachary stepped forward and dropped a bombshell, “You keep obstructing a police investigation into potential illicit manufacturing. Is this chemical plant secretly a cover for illegal operations?”

Mr. Vance’s face turned stern, and he put one hand on his hip.“Officer, don’t make wild accusations. We’re a legitimate chemical plant, operating legally…”

“Then open the gate.

We’re here to investigate potential criminal activity. If you don’t cooperate, we’ll have strong suspicions that this place is a hub for hiding and producing illegal substances, and we’ll bring in federal agents.”

Mr. Vance flew into a rage, nostrils flaring as he roared, “What’s your badge number? What’s your name? Are you trying to lose your job? Do you know who protects this factory of ours? You dare to act up here?”

Zachary remained calm,“Oh? Who protects you?”

Mr. Vance lowered his voice, sneering each word with a chilling edge, “The Blackwoods of New Haven City, people you can’t afford to offend. If you dare to step inside today, your career is over.”

Zachary chuckled, “Oh? In that case, I really have to take a good look inside.”

After making his point, he pressed a hand to his holstered weapon, his cold, lethal voice cutting through the air like a razor blade. “Obstructing justice? I don’t have time to waste words with you. I’ll give you two choices: open the gate or face immediate charges for obstruction and a full–scale federal investigation into this facility.”

22.07

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Mr. Vance’s arrogance vanished the instant he saw Zachary’s determined stance. He timidly pulled at his phone,” I’ll make a call. You… you wait a

moment.”

He then turned and walked a few steps away, made a call, and returned a few minutes later to ask, “What’s your name? What’s your badge number?”

“Zachary Blackwood, badge number is…”

Mr. Vance repeated Zachary’s words into the phone, then listened in silence. His face turned deathly pale, his gaze fixed on Zachary with a mix of bewilderment and fear.

The call seemed to have been cut off on the other end.

Mr. Vance swallowed hard, his imposing aura instantly deflating. He turned and muttered to the security guard,“Open the gate.”

Aubrey finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Vance Corp’s protective umbrella wasn’t all that strong after all.

And just like that, Zachary led Aubrey into the chemical plant, out in the open. Under the pretense of investigating possible illicit manufacturing, they collected samples of all the wastewater and soil within the plant, tracing the sewage pipes to track where the wastewater was flowing.

This time, they gathered even more comprehensive evidence than when she’d sneaked into the factory before.

The team worked tirelessly until dawn.

As they left with the evidence, Aubrey walked past Mr. Vance. His cold eyes bore into her with a fierce glare. “Ms. Hayes, you’ve got a few tricks up your

sleeve!”

Aubrey smiled faintly.“Mr. Vance, the feeling’s mutual.”

“Cutting off someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents. Aren’t you afraid of dying, Ms. Hayes?”

“You’re not afraid of causing health problems for dozens of nearby residents by illegally discharging wastewater for your own personal gain. What do I have to be afraid of?”

“Do you know who you’re messing with?” Mr. Vance spat out, grinding his teeth.

Aubrey, finally relieved, couldn’t help but retort with a calm smile, “Not sure who exactly, but I’m guessing someone with the last name Blackwood, right?” She remained remarkably composed. “My partner’s last name is Blackwood. My partner’s older brother’s last name is also Blackwood. My partner’s whole family is named Blackwood. So, tell me, who exactly have I offended?”

“You…” The CEO was left speechless.

“This time, my evidence will go directly to the courthouse. I won’t give you another chance to steal it. I suspect you have someone spying for you at our law firm, don’t you? Garrett Miller, perhaps?”

The CEO’s face was contorted with rage, veins bulging, eyes twitching.

Aubrey, done with the pointless banter, hopped into Zachary’s car, heading straight to the testing lab. She shadowed the process every step of the way, not daring to relax until the test results were in her hands.

Her colleagues couldn’t fathom how a small–time lawyer, just starting out in New Haven City, would risk offending a major local corporation for a mere few thousand dollars in legal fees. They saw it as reckless and arrogant.

Even before the Blackwoods stepped in to protect her, she’d taken on a company in Crestview City, digging up every dirty secret and driving them into bankruptcy over a few months‘ unpaid wages for a single employee. It was that fearless dedication that had earned her Vincent Hall’s respect in the first place.

Now, with the Blackwoods backing her, she was only emboldened to be even more audacious and uncompromising.

After ten days of relentless work, splitting her time between courtrooms, labs, the firm, chemical plants, and client meetings, while also juggling Sierra’s divorce and Alex’s business dispute, plus battling her own depression and insomnia, Aubrey’s body had finally given out. She collapsed in court during Alex’s second hearing.

She woke up in Alex’s bed. Gazing at the elaborate star–studded ceiling and the opulent, grand room, she shot upright. Her shirt and pants were still on, untouched, and Alex was sitting on a chaise lounge chair at the foot of the bed.

“You’re awake?” Alex said, rising slowly.“You fainted in court, so I brought you back here. I had a doctor look at you. The doctor said your body…” Aubrey threw back the covers, jumped out of bed, and interrupted him, her voice laced with frustration.“Why didn’t you take me home, or to a hospital? Where am I?”

Alex replied casually, “My place. My room.”

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Aubrey pressed her fingers to her throbbing forehead, took a deep breath, and glared at him, barelyontaining her anger “Alex, what the hell de gest Want?”