Odie couldn''t do anything to Sophie, even if he wanted to.


    "I''m just here to remind you that the person behind all this is gunning for you, not me. I can stay out of it and be just fine, but you and Colby? Not so much."


    "Mr. Odie, do you know why someone moved your Mintons'' machinery? And who called the cops at the beach? Do you really think it has nothing to do with you? I remember you being pretty sharp before. What happened? Lost your edge?"


    "You saying I''m slow?" Odieughed, frustrated. "That person calling the cops was just a distraction aimed at you. The Mintons have a lot of enemies, but none can take us down. If there was really someone like that, I would''ve found out by now."


    "Wow, Mr. Odie, that''s some big talk. If you could really figure it out, would you have been set up like this? Would you need to personally smash and move the machinery if you were that capable? Don''t boast if you can''t back it up. It''ll sting when you''re proven wrong."


    "You!"


    Sophie chimed in, "Hey, if Mr. Odie is so capable, why don''t we see who can uncover the person behind this? How about it?"


    "Fine, bring it on. I''m not scared."


    Sophie extended her hand, and Odie, after a brief hesitation, asked, "What''s this?"? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "A promise. If you win, I''ll admit you''re the best. If I win, you give me ten million. Deal?"


    "Deal."


    Odie hadn''t fully wrapped his head around it before his hand met Sophie''s in a firm p.


    Sophie grinned, "Mr. Odie, until next time. Don''t forget our bet!"


    Sophie left quickly, and Odie didn''t realize anything was wrong.


    Jonah, standing nearby, stepped up. "Boss, don''t you see a problem here?"


    "A problem? What problem?"


    "If Ms. Sophie wins, you owe her ten million."


    "Just ten million."


    "But if you win..."


    Jonah couldn''t bring himself to finish.


    That''s when it clicked for Odie.


    Sophie was getting a free ride, making him investigate without offering anything in return!


    Odie turned and gave Jonah a light kick. "Why didn''t you remind me?"


    "Boss, you agreed too quickly! I didn''t have time to warn you!"


    "Alright, let''s pack up and leave."


    Odie felt incredibly unlucky.


    He should never have attended Nichole''s funeral.


    Who was Nichole to him anyway? Did he even know her?


    It was like running into bad luck the moment he stepped out. Not only did he not find James, but he also didn''t catch any breaks.


    In the car, Sophie nced at the medical aestheticspany card in her hand.


    If she remembered right, all of


    Mintons'' machinery was made in the


    same factory. This included the


    medical devices used in beauty treatments, with allponents manufactured under Mintons subsidiary factories.


    Mintons'' medical beauty machines were supplied through Summerfield, processed in their factories, and distributed through official channels. If someone was embezzling, diverting thousands of machines to Devonport illegally, there would be traces to follow.


    This time, Odie failed to catch the person behind it. They''d have to look for another opportunity to see how the machines were still being smuggled into Devonport.


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