"You don't need to worry about this matter. There won't be any reconciliation, and you're not allowed to privately meet that person," she stared at him, her dangerous eyes half-squinted. "Understood?"
Downey, under the piercing gaze of those ice-blue eyes, felt a chill creeping up from the soles of his feet, almost freezing him into an icicle. What could he say under such scrutiny? He quickly nodded to convey that he heard and promised to do as she said.
Laila, regardless of whether he truly understood or pretended, needed to make him realize her determination. "Downey, I'm not joking, nor am I speaking casually. Listen carefully, from now on, besides cooperating with me, you are not allowed to have any involvement with this matter or contact Cole personally!"
Seeing her resolute expression, Downey abandoned any thoughts of pleading and submission.
"I understand, BOSS. I won't do anything unnecessary!"
Laila, sensing his sincerity from his eyes, nodded. "I think everyone who knows about this incident will be preparing for an attack. After it's reported tomorrow morning, it's likely to have a significant impact. If there's nothing urgent, avoid reading the news or going online for a while."
She knew that the internet would erupt with opposing voices, and she didn't want him to be influenced by those opinions. She had invested a lot in him, and she couldn't let her previous investments be ruined by this incident. Moreover, she knew his potential for the future; even if he failed this time, he might be able to compensate in the future. If he was ruined here, her investment would truly be in vain.
"Laila, is there something wrong?" Roy finally couldn't help but interrupt. He felt something off since she came in, and her current attitude was even more unusual. If it weren't for something significant happening, she would never be so assertive.
For her to become like this, something must have happened when she went to the hospital just now. Could it be that the guy named Cole really upset her?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, with Laila's usual personality, how could she speak so assertively?
Laila's eyes darkened. "It's nothing, just that Cole annoyed me a bit earlier." She certainly wouldn't reveal the truth; otherwise, she would have to help Roy with bail procedures again later.
However, she couldn't swallow this anger. She didn't know how the saying "Revenge is a dish best served cold" originated, but she believed that revenge was best served as soon as possible. She had already noted Cole's account, and if she found an opportunity, she wouldn't miss any chance to strike back at him!
To prevent Roy from continuing to ask questions, she turned to Downey and asked, "What exactly happened at that time? Tell me all the details, and let me see if there's a way to work on this."
"Sure." Downey nodded and repeated what he had said at the police station. "Today, Roy and I arranged to meet at a bar. I arrived a bit early, ordered some beer on the side, and sat in a position close to the bar. There were often some attractive women chatting there, so I occasionally glanced in that direction."
Talking about such matters in front of the young female boss made Downey a bit embarrassed, but since the boss had said to reveal all the details, he could only try to be as detailed as possible.
"Later, that guy went to the bar, chatted with a girl, and then discreetly dropped a pill into her drink when she wasn't paying attention. I didn't need to guess what it was; I went over and knocked over the girl's drink. Then I got into a fight with that guy."
Laila looked at him in surprise, completely unexpected that the truth of the matter was like this. If he wasn't lying, not only did he not do anything wrong, but he also did something quite right.
"Did you tell the police about this?"
"I did." Downey spread his hands. "But they checked the bar's surveillance footage, and all they saw was me directly approaching and knocking over the girl's drink. They couldn't confirm what I said."
That was indeed a problem. Laila frowned; she had originally thought the surveillance would be a gamble for them, but it seemed that the footage wasn't very useful. Knocking over the drink could be framed as him saving the girl or provoking a fight. Without evidence, it was unlikely the police would lean in his favor.
Moreover, what worked against Downey was his past criminal record. Having been in jail before, even if he was a celebrity, judges and jurors were likely to distrust his testimony. Therefore, finding evidence has become the most crucial aspect now. The question was, where could they find evidence?
"Did you get the surveillance video at that time?"
"I did. I thought it might be crucial evidence, so I made a copy." Roy took out a USB drive from his pocket and handed it to her.
Laila glanced at him, somewhat surprised, and took it. She had only asked casually, not expecting them to have this level of awareness. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
After praising them briefly, she took out her laptop and copied the surveillance video onto it.
It was a complete video, recording everything from Cole approaching the girl, to Downey coming over and knocking over the girl's drink, and the ensuing "boxing match." Unfortunately, the act of Cole spiking the drink wasn't captured clearly, obstructed by the girl's body.
He had a motion of bending down towards the drink, but whether he actually spiked it couldn't be seen through the lens. In other words, no evidence!
For now, they could temporarily set aside the search for a breakthrough point in the video. Laila touched her chin. "Where is that girl now?"
"I don't know. She left after the incident, probably worried about getting involved," Roy also asked the police the same question and received an answer that they were still searching. This made him disdain the police's ability to work; they couldn't accomplish anything.
Laila nodded. Changing to any other girl, she would probably want to leave in such a chaotic situation. Logically, with the video recording of her appearance, finding her should not be difficult. However, the incident happened in a dimly lit bar, and the girl's appearance wasn't very clear in the video.
Moreover, at that time, it was quite chaotic, and the video never clearly showed the girl's face from the front. Trying to find her quickly based on a vague side view in a short time would be challenging.