The young lady looked at the pitch-black camera behind her, her lips trembling before she finally said, “In 【Crime Analysis】, there are replicas made based on real cases, but we only select criminal cases that have been publicly reported, and we obtain the approval of the Ministry of Public Security, in accordance with national regulations. During the production process, we also adhere to the truth of the facts...”

　　Mrs. Thornton’s voice suddenly rose, her tone completely changed: “Facts? So you think you can just ignore other people’s feelings and wishes in the name of facts?”

　　The receptionist hurriedly said, “Please let me explain...”

　　·

　　Julian Grant was discussing with The Vault how to use artistic embellishment to tactfully urge Henry Harris to hurry up and retrieve the files, when a call came in from that little rascal Susan Scott.

　　“Boss!” Susan Scott shouted happily on the other end, “You’ve been complained about! I just received your complaint email. Oh dear, what should I do? Should I dock your pay?”

　　That smug tone was vividly conveyed even just through his voice.

　　“Do as you see fit. Weigh it carefully.” Julian Grant narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who’s complaining about me?”

　　Susan Scott was practically wagging his tail, but still tried to sound serious: “A lady said you went to her house this morning for an interview and investigation. You ignored the wishes of the victim’s family and caused her physical and mental distress. She even brought the media, and said if Trident doesn’t handle it or delete the replica storyline, she’ll pursue it legally.”

　　After saying this, Susan Scott got excited, his tone brimming with enthusiasm: “Boss, what did you do this morning? I thought you were slacking off these days, using the young lady’s illness as an excuse to loaf around and build relationships. I didn’t expect you were actually working! I’m really—so relieved, boss! I made the right choice following you!”

　　If the young master wants to be diligent, he’s all for it—anyone who tries to stop him will have to deal with him! Ideally, Julian Grant would do all his work too, and he could just handle complaints from the back office—what a wonderful life that would be.

　　Julian Grant had no patience for his nonsense, and as Susan Scott was about to launch into a long-winded speech, he mercilessly hung up.

　　The Vault, seeing his odd expression, asked out of camaraderie, “What’s up?”

　　Julian Grant briefly explained, then switched to social media to check the online buzz.

　　Sure enough, someone had filmed the scene in the lobby and uploaded it online. Although it was only the latter half and the footage wasn’t very clear, the background audio was loud and clear.

　　The outcome might disappoint Mrs. Thornton, as things were going in a completely different direction than she’d predicted. When she started making a scene at the front desk, nearby players and bystanders couldn’t help but step in to stop her and speak up for the receptionist.

　　Handling complaints isn’t something the front desk can do anyway, and a big company like Trident wouldn’t fire a valuable employee just because of one user’s complaint. Whether a project gets approved goes through multiple layers of review—why make things hard for a receptionist?

　　People suggested she bring out the surveillance footage so everyone could analyze together whether Trident’s staff had a bad attitude or violated customer privacy.

　　With so many people arguing, the scene became chaotic. Security arrived in time, worried something might happen, and invited Mrs. Thornton into a meeting room. The video ended there.

　　Trident has always had a great reputation, and since the launch of 【Live Crime Broadcast】, it has strictly followed regulations. All character models, place names, and company names are blurred, and the cases and character portrayals are basically unbiased.

　　Its longstanding good reputation played a role at this moment, and online opinion was almost unanimously calm.

　　“No way, no way! Does anyone still think they can pressure Trident with this kind of reason these days? So many people have failed before you—why waste your money? Why not just have a calm talk with Trident?”

　　“If Trident really wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have to work so hard. [Sigh]”

　　“To be honest, with absolute technical skill, who needs gimmicks?”

　　“Maybe this lady doesn’t really know this studio—they love to check every little detail to avoid mistakes, but that doesn’t mean they’ll publish everything.”

　　“If this lady’s husband really died in a simple accident, and it’s been over a decade, he’s probably just an NPC to flesh out the story, maybe mentioned in a single line as evidence in dialogue—no one would even know who he was. No need to be so nervous.”

　　The Vault casually scrolled through the online comments, unsure what to make of it, but found it a bit amusing.

　　“If she could get in touch with the other party for instructions, she wouldn’t have to resort to such a dumb move.”

　　Julian Grant agreed.

　　She didn’t even know the progress of the replica’s production, yet rushed over to stop it. This anxious, urgent attitude just exposed her true thoughts.

　　She was afraid Trident would dig deeper, afraid someone would discover the truth from back then.

　　Julian Grant said in a low voice, “Could it be that the two of them have been out of contact for a long time? Like that mysterious spiritual mentor of Xavier Daniels—after achieving their goal, or finding a new one, they slowly drifted apart and disappeared.”

　　Quinn Foster was idly loafing on the side.

　　“Hmm...” The Vault replied vaguely, “Who knows?”

　　Julian Grant silently sorted through the clues, helplessly realizing that with the information they had, all they could do was speculate—and their guesses were pretty far-fetched, not even worth sharing.

　　At that moment, his phone rang again.

　　Julian Grant flipped his wrist, saw the screen, and realized it was Henry Harris calling back. He put it on speaker.

　　The first thing Henry Harris said was, “How did you get yourself into trouble? In the service industry, you have to be careful about complaints.”

　　Julian Grant thought, so I’m definitely taking the blame for this? Aren’t you all a bit too cold-blooded?

　　Henry Harris quickly changed the subject, his voice as cold as ever: “The files are still being negotiated, but I found the police officer who handled the Harold Thornton sexual assault case back then. You can meet him first.”

　　She then gave them a number.

　　“He’s not in City A, he’s on a business trip. Just contact him by video.” Henry Harris let out a low chuckle, “This case is pretty interesting. The Vault’s hunch was right after all.”

　　Julian Grant: “??” So the compliment goes to The Vault?

　　The Vault sat up straight, leaned over, and said modestly, “Not at all.”

　　Henry Harris sounded unusually friendly: “I’ll let you know if there’s any further progress. You two be careful as well.”

　　The Vault: “Thanks for your hard work.”

　　The two politely ended the call. Julian Grant held his phone, still a bit thoughtful.

　　The Vault repeated the number as a reminder.

　　Julian Grant looked down and dialed, stating, “I can remember it, thank you.”

　　The Vault shamelessly replied, “You’re welcome.”

　　Julian Grant shot her a glance, turned the computer on the table, and connected it to the screen.

　　The other side picked up quickly, and a face appeared on the computer.

　　The man on the other end wore a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, sitting behind a desk. He nodded at the screen: “Hello.”

　　The scene had a real report-giving vibe.

　　The Vault smiled and said, “Hello.”

　　“You want to ask about the Harold Thornton sexual assault case, right?” The police officer clasped his hands on the desk, looking serious as if reading from a script. “All the team members who handled this case back then remember it well, because the people involved acted a bit strange, and in the end, the case didn’t have a clear resolution—Harold Thornton died first. Unsolved cases always leave a deep impression on us.”

　　“Oh?” The Vault asked in a theatrical tone, “What was strange about it?”

　　The man on the other end was amused by her tone, unable to keep a straight face.

　　“It was my first time on a big platform like Trident.” The officer rubbed his forehead, looking a bit shy. “To be honest, I’ve never done publicity work before—I’m not used to being on camera.”

　　Julian Grant laughed, “Don’t worry, after we organize the script, we’ll confirm it with you first. Anything said unintentionally won’t be included.”

　　The officer let out a breath: “That’s a relief.”

　　He relaxed a bit, leaned closer to the desk, and said, “Actually, back then, it wasn’t Meredith Stone herself who called the police.”

　　Their speculation was confirmed, but they managed to stay calm.

　　The officer continued, “We first went to question Meredith Stone, and at the time, Sean Hall, who is Harold Thornton’s wife, was with her the whole time. The two didn’t talk much, but seemed quite familiar. It was also Sean Hall who persuaded the doctor to call the police. That relationship surprised us. When Meredith Stone saw us, she didn’t deny the accusation, and since there was a paternity test report, we summoned Harold Thornton to the station for questioning. Such a serious accusation, right? But neither of them was very cooperative, and they didn’t even want to explain.”

Chapter 98: The Truth