radicalducati Nutritious
Nutritious
"Roommate?!" Serena shook her head at once. "No need! I'm fine living alone. Besides, I already told you, I don't like dealing with strangers. If you bring in someone I don't know and make me live with them under the same roof, won't that just make things worse?!"
"Well then... what if it's someone you do know?"
"Someone I know?!"
The first person that came to Serena's mind was Vega.
She had recently had a falling out with her parents over work and moved out. Now, she was renting a place on her own.
If she moved in, it wouldn't be a bad idea. It could help Vega save some rent, and Serena would have someone to talk to.
Blinking, her tone softened a little. "That... could work..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Xavier's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Great! That means you agreed!"
???
Serena looked at him in confusion.
Why was he so eager to have someone live with her?
She remembered that not too long ago, didn't he say Vega was way too gossipy?
Before she could make sense of it all, the man had already walked over and sat down beside her.
He picked up the glass of water on the coffee table and took a sip, as if he were at home-not a trace of guest-like restraint!
"Mmm, this water tastes great. Sweet and refreshing. Serena, what did you put in it?"
Serena chuckled. "Is there something wrong with your taste buds? Taking too much medicine from the clinic lately? That's just plain water-how did you taste sweetness in it?"
"You didn't add anything?!" Xavier smacked his lips, unconvinced. "But it tastes sweet to me!"
"..." Serena didn't have the patience to continue this nonsense.
As soon as he finished the water, she shifted the topic to something she was actually interested in. "So? Can you tell me now-what have you found out?"
Xavier placed the cup back on the table and looked at her with exaggerated disappointment. "Serena, you're no fun at all! Can't we talk about something nutritious in such a lovely atmosphere?"
"Nutritious?!" Serena was speechless. "In my view, there's nothing more 'nutritious' right now than the case of Gaius' suicide!"
"Tsk! You're so unromantic!" the man grumbled, "Isn't this the perfect time to talk about love?"
"..."
She was so exasperated that she couldn't help but laugh.
"Can you be serious for a moment?! If you still don't tell me the investigation results, I'll kick you out!"
"Alright, alright! I'll talk! Happy now?!"
Xavier raised both hands in surrender. "You win-I give up!"
"Then spit it out!"
Leaning back on the sofa, he spoke lazily, "My people went to Clint's hometown and dug around about Gaius' suicide back then. From their reports, I do think there's something fishy going on."
"Fishy? What exactly?"
"Back then, the Becketts ran a machinery factory in that area. Business was booming-they were even the top taxpayer locally at their peak. But oddly enough, just a few years later, the factory suddenly shut down."
"Shut down? Was it because business started failing?"
Xavier shook his head. "Doesn't look like it! At the time, The Becketts machinery factory had just been named a local flagship enterprise. Why would it fail right after that?"
"Then... why did it shut down?"
"My people interviewed a few workers who used to work at the factory. But the moment Gaius' name came up, everyone clammed up. They acted like they were afraid of something and refused to say more."
"They spent a long time digging and finally got a lead. It seems the factory's abrupt closure might've had something to do with the local government."
"The government?!" Serena furrowed her brows, a chill rising in her heart.
She remembered that Clint's hometown was in Elaris. And her father, Bram, had worked as the director of the municipal office there a few years ago.
Could it be... the factory's shutdown and Gaius' death really had something to do with her father?
Suppressing her unease, she asked, "Then what else did you find?"
"Gaius had a happy family and good relationships with others. His sudden suicide seems tightly connected to the factory's closure. My people are now digging deeper into the real reason behind that shutdown. As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know."
"Alright... thank you," Serena replied weakly.
Seeing her pale expression, Xavier hesitated for a moment before gently asking, "Serena, I also found something else... do you feel up to hearing it?"
Serena pulled herself together. "Go ahead."
"It's about the Castano..."
"The Castano? Poppy?!"
"Mhm."
Serena curled her lips into a scornful smile. "I'm not really interested in her."
"That woman's not worth our attention, true. But... according to my people, something really strange came up."
"Strange? What's strange about her?"
"Her father's death might be connected to Gaius' as well."
"Her father... isn't he long gone too?"
Clint had told her that Poppy was an orphan-both parents deceased, no living relatives.
There were even times when Poppy bullied her, and Clint defended her, telling Serena to be the bigger person and not pick on someone with such a pitiful background.
"Yes. Her father did die a few years ago. But here's the weird part-according to hospital records, his time of death was very close to Gaius'. Just a few days apart."
"Just a few days?!"
"Right." Xavier nodded. "And back then, they were both taken to the hospital around the same time. Gaius had jumped from a building, and landed headfirst. The trauma was too severe-he had no vital signs upon arrival. The doctors still tried to save him, but it was no use."
"As for Poppy's father, he was also hospitalized after an accident. He survived for a while, staying in the ICU for a few days, but eventually passed away when his condition deteriorated beyond saving."
Leaning her chin on one hand, Serena frowned deeply, lost in thought. "What a coincidence... What's the hidden connection between all this?"
***