Leaving the neighborhood, Zuri took out her phone and called a private detective she had worked with many times. "Do you handle surveillance and tracking?"
The man on the other end replied coolly, "If the price is right, we can handle any job as long as it's legal."
"How much?"
"Since you're an old client, I'll give you a discount. Five thousand for half a month, eight thousand for a full month."
"Deal. I'll send the target's information to your email. Keep a close eye on him. I need to know his every move."
"No problem. You can count on us."
Zuri hung up and glanced back at the third floor. That secret was crucial.
Meanwhile, after parting ways with Jonah, Dalia was deeply troubled. She knew her brother too well. If she didn't act, he might really choose to destroy everything, dragging her down with him. She was the precious gem; he was just a shard of pottery. She couldn't afford to clash with him.
Dalia had no choice but to start pulling strings for Damian. However, the amount of money involved was enormous, and the public was watching closely. No one dared to take the risk.
After a week of efforts and continuous rejections, she was finally thrown out of a house along with the gifts she had brought. As she walked away, she heard the lady of the house mocking, "Bringing such a small gift and expecting my husband to break the law. What a joke. Does she think we're beggars?"
Standing outside, Dalia's face burned with humiliation. It was the first time she had been so insulted, and it was by someone as insignificant as a councilman's wife. She picked up the gifts, threw them in the trash, and retrieved the checks hidden inside.
Just as she stepped out of the elevator, Jonah called.
"What is it?" Dalia asked, holding back her anger.
"How's it going? When will my son be released?"
Dalia's anger erupted. "You keep pushing! Do you have any idea how serious your son's crime is? Do you think it's easy to get him out?"
"What do you mean? Are you giving up?" Jonah's anger matched hers. "Dalia, if you don't get my son out of prison, we'll go down together."
Dalia felt like smashing her phone, but she suppressed her anger for the sake of those secrets. "I'm sorry, that was my fault. Please give me more time. I promise I'll find a way to get Xiao Yu out."
After hanging up, Dalia's face remained dark with anger.
Ten days later, Dalia was still stalling, making Jonah wait.
Zuri, timing her move, called Jonah. "Mr. Qin, have you thought about my proposal?"
Jonah flatly refused, leaving no room for negotiation.
Zuri remained calm and patient. "Mr. Qin, if Dalia could get him out, you would have heard good news by now. But look, it's been over two weeks. If you cooperate with me, I promise you'll be reunited with your son within a month."
"Why should I trust a young girl like you?"
Hearing this, Zuri knew she had taken the first step. He was interested, beginning to waver.
"My identity must be known to your son by now. With my status, I can use the stock market to pull him out. Damian's fate is in your hands."
Jonah fell silent. He knew her capabilities but didn't trust her as a person.
After a long pause, Jonah finally spoke. "Let me think about it."
The call ended, and Zuri fiddled with her phone.
In Oceanic City's harbor district, workers were bustling about. Seven or eight excavators were working hard, supervised closely. The surrounding area was desolate, with this patch of land being the only lively spot.
One excavator operator took a sip of tea and wiped the sweat from his brow before resuming work. Suddenly, his machine hit something solid underground. He tried pressing the buttons, but the shovel wouldn't move.
He shouted, "Something's stuck down here!"
Workers gathered around, and the supervisor directed a few men. "You, go down and see what it is. Maybe we hit a big rock."
The selected workers jumped into the pit and carefully dug around the object. Soon, they uncovered something covered in mud.
"What is it?" someone above asked.
"Looks like a rock, a big one."
Two workers struggled to clear the mud, revealing a seemingly endless stone slab.
"This stone is huge," one exclaimed.
"It looks like a bluestone slab," another observed.
The workers above began to speculate. The supervisor, seeing the slow progress, called more men down. With a group of four or five, they finally uncovered the full extent of the stone.
"It's covered in writing," one of the workers shouted. "There are carvings all over it."
Everyone gathered to see the spectacle. The supervisor ordered the excavators to clear the surrounding soil. Soon, a small part of the underground structure was exposed.
"It's an ancient tomb!" someone exclaimed.
The site buzzed with excitement as everyone crowded around the pit.
"If the tombstone is this big, the tomb must be enormous."
"There must be a lot of antiques inside."
The workers exchanged looks, turning their eyes to the supervisor.
"What do we do now?" someone asked.
The supervisor, an old hand at this, had dealt with unearthing bones before, but this was his first ancient tomb. This wasn't Xi'an, where historical tombs were common. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
Twenty minutes later, Aaron received the news.
"What did you say?" Aaron asked, dizzy with shock.
Secretary Zhang repeated, "An ancient tomb was found at the harbor construction site. It seems to be a large one."
Aaron felt faint. "Director Lin," Zhang said, concerned.
If word got out about the tomb, the project would halt, costing thousands daily. He knew how slow archaeological digs were; they could take years.
"Aaron gritted his teeth. "Notify everyone to secure the site and keep this quiet."
Zhang hesitated. "Director Lin, if someone finds out, we can't cover it up."