Chapter 616

Grace's brow instantly furrowed.

She lowered her voice. "Leo is one of the top fighters in the department. Are you... sure about this?"

Evelyn's tone was calm. "He shouldn't be a match for me."

But Grace was still worried. "If you were truly the First Senior Sister, of course there'd be no problem. But your current identity is special. What if..."

Before she could finish, Leo had already snorted with laughter. "What? Scared? Grace, when your grandfather was in charge of the Special Operations Division, he earned everyone's respect with real skill. How come when it's your turn, you don't even dare to let your friend spar a little?"

Grace's jaw tightened. "If you want to fight, I'll go with you. My friend, she..."

"You've never trained in martial arts. Why are you getting involved?" Leo cut her off directly, rolling up his sleeves and looking at Evelyn. "Shall we? The main hall up ahead is spacious, perfect for stretching our limbs."

Evelyn glanced toward the main hall, a slight curve at the corner of her lips. "Fine."

The two walked toward the main hall, one after the other.

Grace hurried after Leo, lowering her voice in warning. "It was agreed it's just a sparring match. You watch your limits!"

Leo grinned. "In a fight, it's hard to avoid losing control sometimes. Miss Ross is a trained fighter, she should understand that, right?"

Evelyn looked at him sideways. "The first thing a martial artist learns is how to control their strength."

The first lesson her master taught her, besides the horse stance, was how to release and retract power at will.

If you can't even control your own strength, wouldn't you easily injure ordinary people when fighting them?

Leo narrowed his eyes. "But it's easy to get carried away in a fight. If Miss Ross is afraid, you can just admit defeat directly."

Evelyn gave a light laugh and didn't respond.

Grace said urgently, "Maybe just admit defeat first! The important matter comes first! Afterwards, we can say you didn't want to bully the younger..."

Evelyn didn't answer.

Teaching Leo a lesson could wait.

But right now, there was something more important—

"Grace! Deputy Director Wright is looking for you!" A staff member hurried over, interrupting their conversation.

Grace was startled. "What is it?"

"It's about Nicole Sterling, who was captured yesterday. He wants to discuss the follow-up handling with you."

Grace frowned and looked at Evelyn.

Evelyn immediately said, "Go first."

She followed at Grace's side, turning toward Deputy Director Wright's office.

Leo, however, followed them, his tone mocking. "My father called for Grace, not you. You're not trying to slip away using this as an excuse, are you?"

Evelyn couldn't be bothered with him.

Teaching Leo a lesson could be postponed.

But the matter of Nicole Sterling was related to Fox's plan. She had to keep a close eye on it.

The two arrived at the door of Deputy Director Wright's office.

Grace knocked on the door and walked in with Evelyn.

Deputy Director Wright looked up and saw Evelyn, his brow furrowing. "Why are you here?"

Grace spoke first. "She's an inner disciple of the Cortez Sect and also a registered member of the department. I don't know martial arts, so I brought her to assist with the case."

Deputy Director Wright was about to say something else, but Grace cut straight to the point. "You called me here about Nicole Sterling's case? What's the specific situation?"

Deputy Director Wright glanced at Evelyn but didn't ask further. He handed a file to Grace. "This is the confession just obtained from the interrogation. Nicole Sterling herself admitted that she was involved in theft, attempted murder, and suspected weapons trafficking in Aldoria. Combined, these charges are much more serious than what she did domestically."

Grace took the file, and she and Evelyn looked at it together.

Evelyn's eyes turned cold instantly.

Nicole Sterling had actively exposed her crimes abroad...

Deputy Director Wright continued. "The case involves international crime. We've already contacted Interpol. They're requesting to take her away and handle the domestic and international cases together."

Evelyn and Grace exchanged a look.

They understood instantly.

This was Fox's "rescue" method.

Nicole Sterling actively took on major international crimes, drawing in the intervention of international departments.

Once she was taken away, Fox's inside contact in the international department could manipulate things—either release her directly or swap her out.

A clever trick to slip away.

Evelyn was silent for a moment, then looked up at Deputy Director Wright. "Who reported the case to the international department?"

Fox must have an inside contact in the Special Operations Division.

Otherwise, the case couldn't have been reported so quickly.

If they had just held it back a little, Nicole Sterling wouldn't have been able to escape.

She had suspected Deputy Director Wright and Leo were the moles, but upon further thought, it seemed impossible.

For these two to hold their positions, their backgrounds must have withstood scrutiny.

That was precisely why she had hidden her identity as the First Senior Sister, keeping it as a backup plan.

Deputy Director Wright snorted. "How would I know? Everyone in the department follows the rules. What, just because you have a personal grudge against Nicole Sterling, we're supposed to suppress the case?"

Grace immediately said, "Deputy Director Wright, the case hasn't been fully investigated yet. It's not appropriate to let her be taken away like this. Nicole Sterling must stay..."

Deputy Director Wright cut her off. "Grace, we have to follow the rules. The Special Operations Division isn't your family's private prison. Do I need to remind you of that again?"

Grace was speechless.

"With your grandfather's situation, I'm handling all major and minor affairs in the department now. If there's nothing else, you can leave first. The international department is coming to pick her up tomorrow. Make sure the handover procedures are in order." After saying this, Deputy Director Wright pointed directly at the door. "Out."

Grace and Evelyn walked out of the office.

Grace was so angry her face was pale. "This is the difference between caring and not caring. Nicole Sterling is irrelevant to Deputy Director Wright. He's eager to push the case off his hands. If Grandpa were still here... he definitely could have stopped the international department's people!"

She looked at Evelyn, anxious. "What do we do now?"

Evelyn lowered her gaze, a cold curve lifting the corner of her lips.

"Then let's see if they can really take her away."