"I will call Brandy right away, " said Benard nervously.
"There's no need. I already have a backup plan in place, " replied Zayn while waving his hand.
"Huh?" blurted Benard in confusion.
It didn't take long before Brandy called and reported, "We have rescued her. What do we…?"
"Take her to Southridge and lock her in a room on the farm for now, " instructed Zayn.
"Understood, " replied Brandy, before he started working on the matter right away.
"Ah, so you've already anticipated this, " blurted Benard as the revelation hit him.
"I had it in place to prevent Carla from doing anything. Who would've thought that my backup plan will be up and running so soon?" said Zayn as he put a concerned expression on and added, "Daemon is truly powerful. I guess I have underestimated him."
"I don't understand, " asked Benard carefully, "Shelley is Ms. Lierger's enemy, right? So what's so bad about Shelley being taken by the Lierger family? Won't it be more convenient to just have them solve the matter between themselves?"
"You're not seeing the big picture. Think about it. What will happen to Shelley if the Lierger family catches her?" said Zayn in an annoyed tone.
"Naturally, they would kill her, " replied Benard.
"Then tell me something. Why did Daemon let Shelley go when he could have killed her in T Nation? Moreover, why did he hide the truth and keep her safe?" challenge Zayn again.
"Uhm… I thought about this earlier. I think Daemon let Shelley go because he wanted to inspire Ms. Lierger to become stronger. He wanted her to exact revenge on her own, " replied Benard after thinking about it.
"That is just one of the reasons. The most important bit is that Daemon wants to take advantage of the hatred Carla has for the Giblo family. He wants her to come after me so that he can bankrupt the company while I am distracted. He might even acquire the entire company, " said Zayn as he frowned deeply.
"Ah, I see. That is why we can't let Daemon have Shelley. If he gets his hands on her, he would make her claim that the mastermind behind the incident wasn't just Solara. She would name you and Mr. Jombo as the accomplices as well!" blurted Benard.
"You're finally seeing things clearly. Shelley will say anything Daemon told her to in order to survive. She might not name me as a mastermind though, because Carla is smart enough to see through that lie. However, Carla will definitely believe the lie if Grandpa is dragged into the mess, " replied Zayn with a complex expression.
"That's true. If Shelley lies and claims that Jombo worked with Solara to kill Ms. Wigston in T Nation, " muttered Benard as a chill ran down his spine, "Given Ms. Wigston's current temperament, she will surely go after Mr. Jombo, and you can't ignore that."
"Grandpa made a mistake as well, but his eyes were blinded by love, " said Zayn grimly, "Besides, he doesn't have much time left, so I don't want anyone to hurt him."
"Then… why don't you let Ms. Lierger and Shelley talk things out in person?" asked Benard, "I'm sure Ms. Lierger already knows the truth after her encounter with Solara yesterday."
"Let them deal with the matter in person? What if Carla kills Shelley, and Solara makes up a story when she is caught afterward? No one will be able to refute Solara's story or tell the truth once that happens, " replied Zayn.
"I see. I understand now. Every witness and every piece of evidence must be in place to show the whole truth, " said Benard while nodding.
"Sh_t!"
Zayn suddenly thought of something even more important. He called Carla right away.
No one picked up, so he called Naya instead.
"Hello?" greeted the woman on the other side of the line after she picked up.
Naya spoke softly and didn't even dare to greet Zayn by his name.
"Don't worry. Just answer yes or no, " informed Zayn calmly. "Are you with Carla?"
"Yes."
"Is Daemon there?"
"No."
"Are you on your way to Northridge?"
"Yeah, " replied Naya. Venus was sitting on the side and the girl suddenly asked, "Is that Daddy on the line?"
Naya was stunned. She stared awkwardly at Carla.
"You don't need to be on guard. It's just a call, " said Carla, who was rather civil and understanding.
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