The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Nina’s phone suddenly vibrated, signaling a new email from Tommy. She quickly unlocked the screen and opened the message, her heart skipping a beat as she read the words.

The email began: “Dear Dr. Summer, your reputation as a compassionate and skilled veterinarian is well known. You even founded an animal rescue charity that has earned widespread respect. Forest Isle Zoo is hemorrhaging money, and I simply cannot keep it afloat any longer.

Most of the animals are ill, and no other zoos are willing to take them in. Honestly, I’m at a loss. I can’t stand to watch these creatures starve or perish. I heard you’re searching for work, so I’m offering you Forest Isle Zoo—completely free of charge.

If you can’t take it, these poor animals will be left to fend for themselves.”

Nina blinked, trying to absorb the weight of the message. She thought to herself, “So, Tommy’s broke and can’t manage the zoo, but he can’t just abandon the animals either. He knows I’m soft-hearted and good at nursing sick animals back to health, so now he’s passing this huge responsibility to me? At least he’s showing a hint of conscience… barely. It feels like classic guilt-tripping.”

Before she could mull over it further, Alex’s sharp voice cut through the tension as he barked orders to his team. “Find the missing head. Now.”

His gaze then swept over the paying crowd with a cold, hard stare. “Forest Isle Zoo is officially closed. No visitors allowed until we catch the killer. Lock it down. No one in or out.”

He added without even glancing at Nina, “Round up all staff for questioning.”

Nina looked up, her mind still reeling from Tommy’s email. According to him, the zoo’s lease didn’t expire until next year. That meant she had a whole year to run the place rent-free. She had already made up her mind to take the risk.

With a $200,000 reward for capturing the fugitive, combined with her rare ability to understand animals, she believed she had a real chance to turn Forest Isle around. She could secure enough funds to treat the sick and nurse them back to health.

And if, after a year, things still didn’t improve, she could reach out to her network in animal welfare and find safer homes for the creatures elsewhere.

But now, with Alex shutting the zoo down until the killer was caught, Nina felt a surge of frustration. “Seriously? Does that even make sense?” she thought, torn between disbelief and irritation.

From what Alex had said, this killer might be the same one from last year’s unsolved case. And that person was still out there, roaming free. If this continued, Forest Isle Zoo might end up closed for good.

Unable to hold back any longer, Nina voiced her concerns. “How long do you expect us to wait while you hunt down this killer? What if it takes a whole year? You want Forest Isle Zoo to just sit closed the entire time? How is it supposed to survive?”

She gestured toward the giraffes, who had already stripped a nearby tree bare, and the thin tiger pacing restlessly in its cage. “These animals still need to eat.”

Alex gave her a frosty glare. “If the animals go hungry, that’s on you. My job is to catch the killer. What happens to the zoo isn’t my problem.”

“To feed the animals and pay the staff,” she said firmly, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside. “I swear, once the PawGuard Vaccine hits the market and I start receiving royalties, I’ll pay you back.”

The PawGuard Vaccine was Nina’s pride and joy—a single injection packed with protection against a range of nasty diseases.

Alex let out a cold, bitter laugh. “You seriously don’t know? Your precious PawGuard Vaccine crashed in phase three. The cats that received it started seizing and even went blind.”

Nina felt as if she had been struck by lightning. “No way. The earlier tests were flawless.”

PawGuard meant everything to her. She had obsessed over every detail, triple-checking until it was perfect. A failure that big was unimaginable.

“You know damn well if the data was faked or not,” Alex sneered. “Lucky for us, Claire’s a vet too and well connected with people at the testing lab. She pushed for another round of clinical trials, and that’s when this disaster came to light.”

Alex’s fists clenched, rage flashing across his face. “If this thing had hit the market and caused a disaster, you would have destroyed the entire Summer family for good!”

Hearing that Claire was the one who uncovered the vaccine’s fatal flaw sent a cold shiver down Nina’s spine. She could feel a dark scheme unfolding, and it terrified her.