The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Chapter 160

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Wilfred said, “Did you do something to hurt that red-crowned crane? A bunch of people took pictures of it passing out right next to you today!

“And now those photos are all over the internet-people are blasting you for supposedly hurting a nationally protected species just for a stage effect!”

Nina’s eyes widened in shock, and she nearly dropped her lunchbox.

She grumbled inwardly, ‘Just my luck! I tried to help the crane out, and now I’m getting dragged through the mud for it- someone’s twisting everything and blaming me for no reason!’

“Mr. Sullivan, I’d never dare mess with a nationally protected species!” Nina protested, feeling totally helpless.

She thought, ‘Does he think I will ask for trouble?’

“Mr. Sullivan, I can’t disclose anything about the crane at the moment-it’s tied up in a police investigation,” Nina replied steadily.

She was never bothered by online drama anyway. She calmly said, “Just wait for the official notice.”

Wilfred nearly spat out his coffee. He grumbled inwardly, ‘Wait for the official notice? Are you kidding me?’

He said, “Right now, a bunch of clueless netizens are spamming Jelasburg University’s official page, accusing us of staging a show with a protected animal just to hype up our veterinary department.

“The public pressure is insane! I’ve been getting bombarded with calls from the media!”

Nina munched on her shrimp, sounding super chill as she said, “Don’t worry, Wilfred. Online drama always blows over. Just ride it out for now.

“If it gets too overwhelming, just flop down.

“It’s better for spreading out the stress.”

Wilfred nearly choked on his own spit. He said, “Don’t you think you should at least give some kind of explanation?”

Nina fired off, “Just tell people the crane got sick after eating something weird out in the wild-the symptoms only showed up at the event.

“It’s already been handed over to the city’s wildlife rescue station.

“Okay, I’m busy with some big stuff here, so stop calling-bye!”

Wilfred had never been brushed off like this before. Frustrated and fuming, he sputtered, “What huge thing could you possibly be working on, huh?”

He’d thought letting Nina fill in for Claire’s speech would bail them out, but now she’d somehow made the whole disaster

even messier!

Nina had already hung up.

The sky kept getting darker-it was fast approaching 2 a.m.

The village was dead quiet, with nothing but insects chirping and the occasional bark from a dog echoing through the

silence.

18:40 Tue, Jan 6 d.

Chapter 160

Two squads of cops had already set up an ambush out on the outskirts of Oakridge Village.

With all those winding paths crisscrossing Oakridge Village, the team had no choice but to rely on whatever intel the creatures of the night could give them.

At 1:55 a.m., Mr. Crow swooped in with the latest intel.

Gary stepped out into the night, a hefty backpack hanging from his shoulders.

He slipped through a concealed forest trail, heading southwest out of the village.

Nina immediately radioed the officers, instructing them to set up an ambush and surround the area.

She joined Simon, and together they made their way toward the southwest.

Nina stuck close to Simon, both of them so tense they could practically hear their own hearts thudding in their chests.

Simon kept a steady grip on her hand, leading her carefully past roots and rocks, murmuring quiet warnings in her ear.

The forest was eerily quiet.

Every so often, the sharp “hoo-hoo” of an owl broke the stillness, making the silence somehow creepier.

The owl said, “I am single-open for love!

“Single and ready to mingle! Who wants to flirt with me?”

Hearing those silly owl calls, Nina actually felt her nerves settle. She almost burst out laughing right there.

Owls hooted at night for two big reasons: Sometimes they were just staking their claim, like. “This is MY turi-back off, you random birds!”

Other times, they were basically throwing a musical pickup line, belting out their best love songs to impress the lady owls and prove they’d got the loudest call in the forest!

Right then, the owl’s hoots switched from silly to full-on alert mode.

He called out, “Hey, Mr. Crow spotted another person out here!

“Looks like he rode in on a motorcycle-super tall guy!”

This owl’s night vision was better than any high-end camera.

He was out here just yelling all the juicy criminal details, totally flaunting the fact that the bad guys have no idea what bird- speak means.

The owl continued, “He just hopped off his motorcycle, and he’s got a rope in his hand.

“He’s heading into the woods! I’m on his tail! This way, this way.”

Nina sent out an immediate signal to the squad.

At the same time, she nudged Simon, telling him to head towards the source of the owl’s calls.

Nina thought, ‘What’s that tall guy want with a rope?

“Wait, is he actually about to kill someone just to shut them up?”

Nina felt her heart leap into her throat: she sped up. nerves wound tight like a spring.

18:40 Tue, Jan 6 J.

Chapter 160

The whole squad started closing in, zeroing toward the spot where the owl was hooting, tightening the circle.

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In a matter of seconds, Nina saw a tall guy looming under the moonlight-he was right behind Gary, suddenly yanking him back with a vicious arm around his neck.

He looked like he was straight-up trying to choke Gary to death on the spot.

Simon didn’t hesitate-he rushed in to intervene as fast as lightning.

Nina flicked on her flashlight, blasting the scene with light.

She quickly signaled the rest of the team, urging them to move in.

The moonlight painted Simon’s figure against the night, and for a heartbeat, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Simon shot forward, then leapt-his legs snapping open like iron shears and locking tight around both guys’ necks in one slick, badass move.

The impact slammed both the guy and Gary down hard onto the ground.

As they hit the dirt, Simon’s core muscles fired-he twisted his whole body mid-fall, using the momentum like a pro.

The two criminals were instantly dizzy, their necks skillfully locked by Simon’s flying scissors hold-he snatched away all their strength in one lightning move, leaving them utterly helpless.

Their backs crashed onto the ground with a heavy thud.

Simon quickly pulled out a pair of handcuffs, preparing to cuff their hands together.

Another officer arrived just in time to help out.

Just then, the owl called out, “The tall guy’s got a needle!

“Get out of there!”

Nina screamed the second she heard it, “Stay away from the tall guy!”

Simon reacted instantly, rolling off the two criminals and dragging Gary away from the tall

guy.

At the same time, he used his shoulder to shove the officer helping with the handcuffs out of harm’s way, keeping everyone clear of the tall guy.

Nina was totally floored-Simon’s reflexes were lightning-fast, like a supercomputer kicking into gear.

The tall guy looked utterly stunned when his hidden weapon was discovered.

He didn’t even have time to process how Nina knew-he scrambled up and took off, practically stumbling as he tried to

escape.

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