The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 88

**TITLE: Dreams Rise Again**

**Chapter 88**

As the tension in the air thickened, Second Snake and Third Snake tightened their coils around Quentin, causing his shirt to crumple further. “He’s super rich! And he’s got a killer body!” the Second Snake exclaimed, its voice dripping with excitement.

With a mischievous glint in its beady eyes, Second Snake raised its head, flicking its tongue with eagerness. “Just go along with us later and help us drag him back to Forest Isle Zoo!” It gestured with the tip of its tail, making a binding motion that was both playful and sinister. “We’ll make him your hubby!”

Third Snake, not to be outdone, wriggled its slender form, its eyes curving into a flattering arc as it pointed its tail at Quentin’s impressive physique, then at the luxurious watch adorning his wrist. “Money, muscles, what more could you want?” it chimed in, its tone almost teasing.

Suddenly, it buried its head in its coils, peeking out with just one eye as if feigning shyness. “He can warm your bed and sponsor all our snacks. Best deal ever, right?” The enthusiasm in its voice was palpable, and it seemed to relish the idea.

The First Snake slowly raised its upper body, narrowing its eyes into a dangerously thin slit, surveying the scene with a predatory gaze. It looked down at Quentin, who was ensnared in their coils, flicking its tongue in a slow, menacing rhythm. “If he insists on resisting us—”

In an instant, it squeezed tighter, the sound of its scales brushing together filling the air with an ominous rustle. “We’ll just keep wrapping around him.”

With a glance at its two accomplices, it added, “Let’s get the whole crew in on this—” Its tail swayed with lethal intent. “We’ll coil all over him. Let’s see how long he can hold out!”

Nina stood frozen, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson as she listened to the shocking schemes of the water snakes. “Please, just stop!” she pleaded, her heart racing, secretly relieved that Quentin was blissfully unaware of their serpentine chatter.

*If he ever learns what these goofball snakes are saying, I’ll never live it down,* she thought, her mind racing with embarrassment.

Forget about water snakes—these three were practically highway robbers in disguise! How ironic that she, the so-called respectable zoo head, was now the unwilling boss of a band of animal bandits.

Grateful that Shadow was sound asleep, she took a deep breath. When it stirred at the commotion, she quickly soothed it with gentle pats, and Shadow snuggled back into a deep slumber.

If Shadow had actually woken up, it would have been a total disaster. No doubt it would have jumped in and started a brawl with those three snake crooks for trying to snatch its human!

“Nina Summer?” Quentin’s voice cut through the chaos, icy and sharp as he called out her full name, his left hand moving with pinpoint precision to grip the First Snake right at its weak spot.

“Care to explain why your zoo crew is mugging the customers?” he shot at her, his tone laced with irritation.

“This wasn’t my idea, I swear!” Nina fumbled desperately, trying to pry the snake off Quentin’s tie. “Come on, let go! You guys can’t just do this—it’s totally illegal!” she yelped, her voice rising in panic.

Before she could finish her protest, Shadow, still fast asleep, suddenly kicked out in its slumber, its furry paw colliding with Nina’s waist.

Caught off guard, Nina pitched forward, her hand instinctively planting itself on the luxury leather seat right next to Quentin’s car. In that split second, her nose hovered barely an inch from his sharp, handsome one—so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.

The three snakes gathered eagerly at the front, their tongues flicking in delight as they watched the chaos unfold.

The First Snake teased, “Oh-ho, so Ms. Summer thinks we’re cramping her style and wants to take matters into her own hands!”

“Gotta help her out, right?” Second Snake piped up, its voice filled with mischief.

Third Snake darted over, wrapping itself around Nina’s dangling wrist and looping it with Quentin’s large hand. “Tag-team assist coming up!” it declared, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Quentin glanced at their hands, now entangled by the snake, and shot Nina a narrow, chilly look. “Is this your revenge because I turned you down?” he asked, skepticism lacing his words.

“No way, that’s not it!” Nina protested, her heart racing as she felt the heat of embarrassment wash over her. She turned to scold the three chaotic snakes, “Kidnapping humans is a major felony! You guys want to land me in jail for bringing you snacks behind bars?”

The three snakes immediately slid off Quentin, their excitement dissipating. “No way—if we get caught, how are we supposed to work as guides and collect our paychecks?”

The First Snake zipped back into the backpack’s water tank, its voice echoing with urgency. “Word is, once you’ve done time, you lose your shot at those sweet state paychecks!”

Nina could only stare, utterly speechless, as disbelief washed over her.

*Seriously? They pull a crazy stunt, cause all this chaos, and then just vanish like nothing happened—leaving me to deal with the mess?*

*Why do they get to skip town while I’m left holding the bag?* she grumbled inwardly, frustration bubbling within her.

Finally, Quentin broke free from the snakes’ grip.

With a long, exasperated sigh, he reached over with one arm and gently pulled Nina off him, settling her back into her seat where she belonged.

He rubbed his temples with long fingers, while the watery streaks from the snake chaos continued to soak into the leather seat of his suit.

Nina couldn’t help but sneak a peek at his shirt, now wrinkled and disheveled from the snakes’ antics. “Quentin, I’m really sorry. Maybe the water tank for the case wasn’t sealed tight enough,” she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

Quentin cut her off, his voice low and cold. “I’m not letting this slide. No way am I forgiving you.”

As he meticulously combed through the details, Alex realized that the old man’s drowning wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill accident—it was something far more significant.

If that sunken wreck underwater truly was as massive as it appeared, and if even a few of those relics turned out to be national-class treasures, he would undoubtedly be in line for a second-class merit award and city-wide recognition.

“Sunken ship tombs?” Alex murmured to himself, staring at the information on underwater graves flashing across his screen. “Ship burials were super popular back in—”

A cold gleam flickered in his glasses as he rushed through his contact list and hit dial.

“Hey, Grace, you still messing with antique collecting lately?” Alex asked, striving to keep his tone casual.

He adopted a polite demeanor, “So, here’s the deal—I’m working on a case, and I was wondering if you know anyone who could help me check whether any old stuff has been floating through the black market recently. You know, the kind pulled out from underwater—”

Whatever she said on the other end instantly wiped the frustration off Alex’s face—hope flickered in his eyes. “Really? That’s awesome. Thanks so much, and let me know the moment you hear anything.”

After hanging up, Alex took a swig of coffee, his fingers trembling from excitement as he gripped the mug tightly.

“Simon, thanks a lot. You really let the big fish get away this time,” Alex mused, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.

“But now that fish is about to bite on my hook,” he murmured, determination flooding his veins.

With the Summer family’s backing, Alex had a built-in edge when it came to cracking cases.

For major cases, he could mobilize thousands of hired specialists to monitor surveillance, conduct field canvassing, and pursue every lead—a scale of manpower that even the city bureau couldn’t compete with.

But the real advantage lay in his access to resources that ordinary people could only dream of.

He could pull up port surveillance footage from any corner of the globe through the family’s shipping companies, have his corporate labs prioritize evidence analysis, and leverage the databases of international corporations for facial recognition.

While others had to wait three days to obtain bank statements through official channels, Alex could make a single call and have them in hand within minutes.

He didn’t lose sleep over people claiming he had an unfair advantage. As long as he cracked the case and brought the perpetrator to justice, they could label him however they wanted—he’d happily play with hacks.

Because the truth was, some doors simply wouldn’t open unless you possessed the key to the Summer family’s legacy.