Chapter 508
Thus, Lucy found herself ensnared in the board's suspicions, even branded as a conspirator with the Pleasure Society, as the basis for Qiangyin's investigation was the belief that Lucy was colluding with them.
On one side were the doubts of various interest groups, and on the other, the need to protect Charles's secret. These days, Lucy was nearly driven to madness; the mental torment she endured was no less than being tortured by Qiangyin's subordinates.
What Lucy needed now was a person of considerable weight to vouch for her, to guarantee that she was absolutely not a member of the Pleasure Society, proving that Qiangyin's investigation was nothing but baseless harassment.
This guarantee... Charles could not provide.
In the eyes of organizations like the Dutton Group, Charles lacked the necessary weight; she was merely a "nameless pawn."
The only person she could think of who had enough influence was Eleanor.
Seemingly aware of Charles's predicament, Aivina turned to Eleanor and said, "I can have my father vouch for you... He and I were both present when Qiangyin died."
Charles Russell's weight was more than sufficient.
As a fourth-tier "detective," head of the Russell family, collaborator with the Order of the God of Order, and a staunch believer in order... he was one of the least likely candidates to be a member of the Pleasure Society.
Upon hearing Aivina's words, Lucy's eyes lit up. She turned to Aivina and asked, "Miss Aivina, is that true? The Duke of Russell is really willing to vouch for me?"
"I'll have a word with him," Aivina nodded and replied, "It's not a big deal. I can give you an answer tonight, or at the latest, by tomorrow."
"Thank you, Miss Aivina, you are my savior." Lucy was overwhelmed with gratitude, nearly dropping to her knees. "Thank you, Miss Charles, for not forgetting me."
Amid Lucy's heartfelt thanks, Charles and Aivina left her residence and climbed into the carriage.
Lucy seemed indifferent to whether it was Aivina or Charles who stepped in to help her, as to her, it made no difference which of the two came to her aid.
As long as the matter could be resolved, that was all that mattered.
"Is this really okay?" In the carriage, Charles looked at Aivina and asked, "Won't this put you in a difficult position?"
At this moment, Charles was unaware of the nature of the relationship between Duke Charles and Aivina, but seeing Aivina freely entering and exiting the Russell estate suggested that things were not as dire as before...
But that made sense.
The Russell family had previously maintained a position as a bridge between the royal family and Qiangyin, or the Order of the God of Order. However, with Qiangyin's death and the gradual disintegration of his faction, the Russell family's power would rise significantly.
Now, the Russell family could fully represent the royal family in communication with the Order of the God of Order, making their relationship more equal... or perhaps leaning towards competition.
Not to mention that everyone present at Qiangyin's death witnessed Charles's forceful entrance... Anyone who believed he was responsible would be wary of the cards he held...
Only Duke Charles himself knew the true reason behind Qiangyin's death.
The Order of the God of Order had yet to take action, still wary of Charles, and this caution had brought about a delicate balance in the extraordinary circles of Ansu following Qiangyin's demise.
"It won't be a problem," Aivina shook her head. "We know Lucy is innocent. Having my father help testify is just a favor. Engaging with the Dutton Group at this juncture will also make others more cautious about my father's connections and relationships."
"If the misunderstanding is cleared, Lucy can still rise to the board, which would be a good investment in her network... there's no real risk of losing."
For Aivina, this was merely a simple networking investment, and there was no chance of failure. The only condition for failure would be if Lucy were indeed a member of the Pleasure Society—but clearly, she was not.
Aivina trusted Charles, which was why she proposed this.
"Thank you," Charles shook his head. "It seems I need to think about how to compensate Lucy for this."
Charles's "thank you" made Aivina's lips twitch slightly, but with Tara sitting across from them, she refrained from undermining Charles's standing in front of others. Instead, she continued, "She doesn't need money; she just needs power. If you can help her return to the board, you'll be a god in her eyes."
"That part is quite simple..." Charles nodded.
At this point, the members of the Chaos Squad had not yet been hunted down by Qiangyin, and she could directly "hand over" one or two members to corroborate Lucy's innocence.
All that was needed was to remove the brainwashing from the Chaos Squad members and erase their memories of Charles, allowing others to believe that Lucy had indeed killed the key figure, and that the key figure was truly dead.
As for the other members of the Chaos Squad, an opportunity would need to be found to eliminate them, making it appear as though they were silenced after Lucy discovered them, thus avoiding leaving any loose ends.
In this way, Lucy would effectively eradicate the remaining influence of the key figure, balancing her merits and demerits.
"There's one more place we need to go... but I need your help, Aivina," Charles said, looking at her.
"Where?" Aivina asked.
"The Stuart Art Exchange," Charles replied, gazing into Aivina's eyes.
After Qiangyin's death, the most important person—Mond—who held information about Adele.
Now, Charles could only hope that during her days of unconsciousness, Mond had not left Ansu City.
She had a close relationship with Pikeman from the Chaos Squad... Charles could only hope that Mond's connection with Pikeman was even deeper than she imagined, making it easier for her to find Mond through Pikeman.
Soon, the carriage came to a stop at the Stuart Art Exchange, and Charles and Aivina stepped out, heading toward the magnificent building.
The news of Aivina's visit quickly reached the owner, Edward Stuart, who hurried down to greet the two young ladies in the reception room.
"Miss Aivina, Miss Charles! You startled me... When my father came to tell me, I thought he was joking!"
Isabella approached the two girls with quick steps, her smile radiant, much like the sun nearing its zenith.
Yet, there was a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Why would Miss Aivina come to find her at this time? She had heard about the gas explosion at their hotel and had worried for quite a while...
She truly wanted to leverage Aivina's status to gain entry into a more elite and mysterious circle, but this opportunity coming to her felt a bit overwhelming.
"We happened to be passing by, and Charles thought you might be here, so we decided to ask," Aivina replied with a formal smile meant for outsiders. "I didn't expect to actually find you."
"Oh, so it was Miss Charles," Isabella felt a bit relieved; it was just a casual visit. This eased her previous tension. She turned to the smiling Charles and said, "Long time no see, Miss Charles~"
"Miss Aivina, Miss Charles, have you eaten yet? If you don't mind, why not stay here for lunch?" Isabella seized the moment, inviting them to stay.
It was nearly lunchtime, and although they might not agree to stay, Isabella thought it was a great opportunity to strengthen their relationship.
"Do you have any urgent matters?" Charles asked Aivina.
"No," Aivina gently shook her head in response. "It's up to you."
"Then we would be honored to accept your invitation." Charles smiled at Isabella.
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