The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Julie managed to slip away right under everyone's watchful eyes.

Upon seeing the surveillance footage, Monica couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, she's way too cunning. Jason, are you sure that was Julie? Quick, check the cameras at the hospital entrance!"

All the hospital's surveillance footage had already been reviewed, and if not, Jason could easily get it with a single phone call.

Jason immediately dug through the files for the surveillance video of the hospital entrance to spot the 'young couple' who had left. Eventually, it was confirmed that they had caught a taxi.

Jason's expression grew serious, "We've been looking in all the wrong places. Who would have thought Julie would escape in a taxi?"

The most dangerous way was indeed the safest.

It had been nearly six months since the incident. Now, trying to get information from the taxi company could be tricky.

Initially, the investigation hadn't considered the possibility of an ordinary person being involved. Even after watching the surveillance footage multiple times, no one noticed that the seemingly ordinary 'young couple' was actually Julie, and the man helping her was her accomplice. But now, it was too late. Even if they wanted to get information from the taxi company, they had to wait until morning.

The next day.

As soon as dawn broke, Jason personally went to the taxi company, using the surveillance footage to track down the driver who had picked up Julie.

Too much time had passed, and the driver couldn't remember his passengers from that day.

Unfortunately, the car's dashcam was broken at the time and hadn't been repaired, so there was no record of where Julie had been dropped off.

To find out which route the taxi driver had taken, they'd have to sift through all of Riverdale's traffic surveillance, which was a huge task.

Jason thought of a workaround: using the fare on the taxi receipt to estimate the distance.

Transaction records were available.

Finally, Jason determined that Julie had been dropped off about thirty miles south of the hospital.

That narrowed down the search considerably.

Amid a sea of information, Jason sought to figure out where Julie was last seen.

He also called Anastasia to update her on the case's progress.noveldrama

Anastasia was focused on Pattie, spending every day at home, comforting and supporting her.

Herman was busy with company matters and dealing with Flynn's situation. It had cost Herman quite a bit to get Flynn temporarily bailed out.

At Salstrom Manor.

Flynn was full of regret, "Herman, I'm sorry, I messed up again. That Kayleigh, she was too clever. I walked right into her trap."

Katelyn said, "As long as you're okay, that's what matters. Look at you, you've lost so much weight. Tomorrow, I'll make you some hearty chicken soup to help you recover."

Feiman scolded, "To be this foolish, and you still have the nerve to eat? Herman outshines you in every way. You can't even match Joseph. You let a woman deceive you and landed yourself in trouble. What were you thinking?"

It was the first time Feiman had lashed out at Flynn so harshly. Knowing he was at fault, Flynn hung his head in silence.

Katelyn glared at Feiman, "Our son is finally home, can't you ease up? Flynn is kind-hearted and naive; it's not his fault he was deceived."

"That's naive? That's stupidity. How did I, Feiman, end up with a son like you? Thank goodness we have Herman. If it were up to Flynn, the Salstrom family fortune would be gone."

Herman, who had been silent, finally spoke, "Flynn, come with me to the study."

Herman's face was stern; the hope he'd placed on Flynn had been dashed.

Flynn wasn't cut out for business.

He couldn't pin his hopes on him anymore.

Feiman's scolding didn't bother Flynn much, but Herman's grim demeanor made him uneasy.

With his head down, Flynn followed Herman to the study, bracing himself for a telling-off or worse.

Herman sat on the sofa, smoking, and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me what happened. How did that Kayleigh deceive you? I met her once at a wedding. She's in medical equipment sales. I've looked into her background: she's just a regular college grad, not long into her first job. There must be someone behind her, probably Asher. I warned you again and again to be careful."

Flynn explained, "Herman, she told me she needed money for her grandfather's surgery. I felt sorry for her, so I decided to do business with her company and let her earn the commission on that deal. The signature, I realized later, the second contract was tucked inside the first one, and I signed it without looking closely."