Legitimate Heir Of The Hunt Family

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The elderly cook scowled, his brows furrowed in anger as he demanded, "There are security cameras lurking in every corner of this hotel, right?" He seemed particularly irate at Jamie, who was supposedly his Young Master.

Emilia and the rest of the group sat at a table for four, deep in discussion about how to handle the current situation. She was brought along to bear witness to everything that unfolded.

The head guard nodded solemnly to the question. Though he held a higher rank than the head cook, he maintained a deep respect for the old man's authority.

"Then let's comb through all the footage. If Jeffrey indeed poisoned the food, as Jamie has accused him, there must be damning evidence captured in those recordings," the old cook urged, his weathered hands stroking his snowy beard. His eyes darted between the head guard and their young master, Jamie, tension thick in the air.

The head guard's stony expression remained unchanged, his features carved in a mask of unyielding resolve. Meanwhile, a subtle twitch of concern passed over the young master's brow at the suggestion.

"Old man Billy," the head security guard addressed the chief cook with a touch of formality, "I propose we try to settle this matter with diplomacy first. If resolution proves elusive, then we can resort to reviewing the camera footage as you suggested."

The chief cook's weathered face darkened with a frown as he heard his name uttered by the guard. Though the guard's expression remained indifferent, a simmering anger lingered beneath the surface. His habit of mentioning names only when upset was not lost on the observant cook.

With a weary sigh, the old man leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the guard. "Then you'll grant me permission to pose a few questions to the young master, won't you?"

The head guard nodded solemnly in response to the old man's request, his movements deliberate as he lowered his head, concealing his expression from the others.

In the dim light of the room, the chief cook could just make out the outline of the guard's features, a shadowy veil shrouding his intentions.

The old man had always sensed the head guard's steadfast allegiance to the young master, but concrete proof had eluded him until now. The guard's usual detachment from matters concerning the young master made his current involvement stand out starkly.

Turning his weathered face towards the young master, Jamie, old man Billy fixed him with a penetrating gaze before posing his first question. "You mentioned your food was poisoned by Jeffrey, is that correct?"

Jamie's response came in the form of a single nod, but it was enough for the old man to continue. Though Jamie's expression remained stoic, there was a tension in the air that hinted at the gravity of the situation.

"And you had a taste of the food before realizing it was poisoned. Is that so?" Billy inquired further, his voice edged with concern.

Jamie's brows twitched slightly, betraying his inner turmoil, but he still nodded in response to the question. Denying tasting the food would only complicate matters further.

"It's been over thirty minutes since the incident, and you're yet to show any signs of being poisoned. Are you absolutely certain the food was tainted?" Old man Billy pressed again, his concern evident in his furrowed brow and the intensity of his gaze.

Jamie's mind raced as he recognized the precariousness of his situation. With each passing moment, the lack of symptoms weighed heavily against his accusation.

"Drugged! Yes! He drugged the food!" Jamie blurted out, desperation evident in his voice. "I simply used the word 'poisoned' because I couldn't remember the right word. I was too furious to think straight."

His explanation hung in the air, and Jamie could feel the weight of uncertainty pressing down on him.

Jamie quickly cooked up a lie to cover up for his miscalculation but he seemed to have miscalculated again.

"And you know this food was drugged because you have vast experience with drugged foods, right?" the old man asked Jamie with a proud smile, sensing he had the young master right where he wanted him.

Jamie felt a bead of sweat forming on his brow as he struggled to come up with a response. Agreeing would imply that he had prior experience with drugged foods, potentially leading to serious legal consequences. Denying it would mean admitting that he falsely accused Jeffrey of drugging his meal.

"Uhm… I don't…" Jamie stammered, his voice trailing off as he found himself caught in a dilemma.

Noticing Jamie's struggle to answer the question, the head guard intervened. "Old man Billy, I'd like you to stop asking such questions. These are questions that should be addressed by us, the security guards, not you. This interrogation is over."

The old cook shook his head in frustration and rose from his seat. "Then we'll either have to check the footage for evidence or report to the boss."

At the mention of the word 'boss', Jamie visibly trembled, and even the head guard's expressionless face showed a flicker of emotion for a split second.

"We'll be doing neither of those. Are you suggesting we believe that nameless bastard who has nothing to lose from lying, rather than the young master who has everything to lose if he lies?" The head guard's fury began to seep through his calm facade. His anger was palpable, and the others could sense it.

"The best and easiest thing to do is to fire that boy and ensure he spends some time behind bars. That should correct his mentality," declared the head of security, asserting his authority.

With the boss and general manager absent, the head of security now held the highest position in the room, and he made his declaration known.

Jeffrey would not only be getting fired; he would also be spending time in a cell. Whether it was for a day or a month, he was sure to have a taste of life behind bars.

"Steve, you should as well fire me!" Old man Billy's hands crashed down on the table, his frustration boiling over.

"Don't push me to do this," the head guard, whose name had been called out by the old man, responded with a furrowed brow, his voice edged with tension.

In a swift motion, old man Billy removed his cap and white apron, setting them down on the table with a sense of finality. The room fell silent as he declared, "Never mind, I quit," his voice heavy with resignation.

"If the boss asks why, just tell him another lie," the old man muttered as he stormed out of the room, not bothering to look back.

Turning to the young master, Steve, the head guard asked, "Are you now satisfied?"

"Huh?!" Jamie was still struggling to understand everything that had just happened, his mind reeling from the whirlwind of events.

In a different location, the rising sun penetrated Jeffrey's eyelids with relentless insistence, dragging him out of his slumber.

Struggling to open his eyes against the bright morning light, he found himself in a room surrounded by glass walls that allowed the sunlight to flood in.

As he attempted to shield his eyes from the blinding glare, he realized his efforts were futile. With a growing sense of unease, he turned his head toward his hands and discovered them tightly cuffed to the bed's iron frame, the cold metal biting into his wrists.

Jeffrey was still trying to come to terms with why he was cuffed when the door swung open and someone entered.

"Oh, you're awake now. I guess we'll be heading to the station earlier than anticipated," the unfamiliar figure announced as he approached Jeffrey's bed.

As the figure drew closer, Jeffrey could make out the details of the police uniform, the cap, and dark shades shielding the officer from the sun's rays.

"Sorry, but how long was I out?" Jeffrey asked, his mind racing to recall the last moments before he lost consciousness.

The officer removed his cap, revealing very dark brown hair and a handsome face. "Two days. You were out for two days. I couldn't believe it either. You were brought unconscious to the station by guards from the Daystarr Hotel for attempting to poison their young master to death."

"It was Officer Baldwin who suggested we bring you here for treatment first," Officer Travis explained as he pulled a chair close to Jeffrey's bed, sitting with crossed legs.

Only now did Jeffrey notice the name tag on the officer's chest that read as Officer Travis.

"I must say, you're quite a hot topic on Yelp now," he added with a hint of irony in his voice.

"What do you mean?" Jeffrey demanded, his voice edged with urgency, his heart pounding in his chest.

The officer smiled cryptically, his gaze lingering on Jeffrey for a moment before the door creaked open once more.

"Let him go. I just got a call from the Lieutenant Colonel that he should be released as soon as he woke up," Officer Baldwin announced as he strode into the room, his authoritative presence filling the space.

"Huh?"

"Huh?!"

The officer in the room with Jeffrey was visibly shocked, but Jeffrey's own astonishment surpassed even that of the officer's.

What could have transpired to prompt a Lieutenant to order his release? Jeffrey's mind raced with questions, the uncertainty gnawing at him like a persistent itch.