Chapter 119: Leveling Up by Fighting Monsters for Experience

Half an hour later, they arrived at Comandie Manor.

"Vito, Vanessa, stay on guard outside. Luca and I will go in and check things out," Ms. Della calmly instructed after stepping out of the car.

"Understood!"

Vito opened a silver briefcase, took out two shiny handguns, handed one to Vanessa, and kept one for himself.

As soon as they got their guns, their demeanor shifted, transforming from simple assistants into fierce bodyguards.

Luca raised an eyebrow. This trip seemed more complicated than he had expected.

"Della, are we expecting someone to try and steal the evidence?" he asked, following her out of the car.

"Look over there," Della pointed at a road a few hundred meters away. "That car has been following us the entire way. You didn't notice?"

Luca glanced in the direction she indicated and saw a Toyota SUV in the distance. "People from Balmain?"

"Of course," Della replied as she adjusted her glasses and knocked on the manor's gate.

*Knock knock knock!*

The large iron gate was rusty, and the knocking sound was harsh on the ears.

*Click!*

Not long after, the gate opened, and an elderly man with gray hair emerged. He was dressed in a neatly pressed wool suit with a red bowtie, his hair perfectly combed, and his face stern and formal, much like a British butler in a movie.

"Ms. Cobell, welcome to Comandie Manor," the old man greeted politely, bowing slightly.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Della returned the greeting and stepped into the manor, which had an old-fashioned design.

The manor was vast, covering over an acre. There was the main villa, a winery, a botanical garden, and a long stone path leading to a distant stone fortress, giving the place a sense of historical weight.

"Is Mr. Crowley not here?" Della asked casually.

"Mr. Crowley is visiting Lafite Manor," the butler hesitated before answering.

"How unfortunate," Della smiled faintly as she entered the villa's grand hall.

"Butler, is this where the party took place that night?" she asked.

"Yes," the butler replied, pointing to a dense area of greenery in the east. "The fashion show was held in the botanical garden, and the wine-tasting party took place in the villa."

Della nodded slightly and turned to Luca. "If you had to find evidence here, where would you start?"

Luca frowned. It had already been five or six days since the event. What evidence could they possibly find now? According to Kate, Miranda had been drugged at the party and taken away afterward.

If there was evidence, it would likely be from that glass of wine or the cup itself. But that was an obvious clue, and the other party would have made sure to get rid of it. To find strong evidence, unless...

"Do you have security cameras here?" he asked.

"Impossible!" The butler shook his head. "The guests who were invited that night are very prestigious, not just in Bordeaux but across France. Everyone values their privacy highly. Installing security cameras would have been an extreme breach of etiquette."

Luca shrugged. He was just speculating. Parties like this, especially with privacy-conscious foreigners, wouldn't have surveillance cameras. If it became known, not only would it ruin their reputation, but they could also face lawsuits.

*Tap tap!*

Della suddenly knocked on the table and said coolly, "Butler, Luca only asked if there are cameras here, not whether they were on that night. Don't you think your reaction was a little too intense?"

The butler froze for a moment, then shook his head. "I must be cautious when it comes to the manor's reputation."

"Really?" Della smirked slightly. "Old Jim, stop wasting time. Get Crowley down here. I don't have time for his games."

"Ms. Cobell, Mr. Crowley is a Knight of the Legion of Honor. Please watch your tone," the butler said sternly.

Della just laughed, unconcerned. She pulled a photo out of her bag. 

"Someone told me that Mr. Crowley has a certain hobby. He loves photography and always brings a camera with him, no matter the occasion. The party at the manor was probably the biggest event here in the last decade. Don't you think Mr. Crowley would have wanted to document it?"

The butler glanced at the photo and nearly stumbled in shock.

Luca curiously looked at the photo, then couldn't help but chuckle. It was quite an embarrassing picture.

"This is just one of the photos. Want more? Trade it for the tape. You have three minutes. Otherwise, Crowley's photos will be on the front page of the papers," Della said impatiently, tapping the table.

"Fine. Please wait here, Ms. Cobell," the butler said, hurriedly running upstairs with the photo.

"Della, where did you get those kinds of photos?" Luca asked, intrigued.

Della smiled softly. "We have plenty of resourceful women in our beginners' group. If you dig around enough, it's not hard to figure out what Crowley's into."

Luca nodded, thinking that a group of elite women working together could take down someone easily enough.

*Clack clack*

A short while later, the butler rushed down, holding a videotape. "Ms. Cobell, here is the tape from that night. The lighting wasn't good, so the footage is a bit blurry."

"That's fine," Della said, taking the tape and playing a portion of it on the villa's screening equipment. The footage was indeed from that night, though the lighting was poor. The people in the video were barely discernible, but Luca could make out Kate, Lima, Miranda, and Raul.

"Let's go," Della said, putting the tape away and preparing to leave.

"Wait!" the butler blocked the door. "Ms. Cobell, what about the rest of the photos?"

"What photos?" Della asked, feigning confusion.

The butler's face darkened. "You said you'd exchange the rest of the photos for the tape—Mr. Crowley's private photos."

"Mr. Crowley's?" Della gave a sly smile. "Look at the photo again. Is that really Crowley?"

"What?" The butler hesitated.

Suddenly, someone upstairs shouted angrily, "Jim, get that tape back here now! Damn it, the person in the photo isn't me. We've been tricked!"

The butler stood frozen, mouth agape, about to call for help.

"Shut up!" Luca quickly grabbed the butler, holding him in a chokehold. "Old Jim, we're leaving. Kindly escort us out."

"Smart move," Della smiled as she walked out.

Luca, still holding Jim, followed behind.

"Stop!" A middle-aged man with a group of people chased after them.

*Bang bang!*

Vito and Vanessa fired warning shots into the air.

"Damn it, you're robbers!" the man shouted.

"And what if we are?" Della smirked, climbing into the car.

*Vroom vroom!*

The car started slowly driving away.

Luca sighed in relief. "Della, how did fake photos fool Crowley?"

Della chuckled dismissively. "Crowley's obsessed with his appearance and status. If his privacy was exposed, he'd be too shaken to even notice who was in the photos. All we had to do was find an actor who resembled him, apply some makeup, and take blurry enough pictures. He was bound to fall for it."

"Was this one of your trump cards?" Luca asked, glancing at the tape.

"No," Della smiled. "This one's just for making money."

"Money?"

"Professor! The car from Balmain is catching up," Vito warned from the front.

"Get rid of them!"

"Yes!"

(End of chapter)