Chapter 26
It would take some time for all the meat to be delivered to the warehouse.
Before leaving, Suzy also asked the factory owner for the contact numbers of the slaughterhouse and the fresh produce managers. If she ever needed freshly slaughtered meat, she could purchase directly from the source. Various fresh goods could also be arranged for delivery at any time.
She even considered that once her space upgraded, she might buy chicks and ducklings to raise inside it.
Unfortunately, the space currently couldn’t accommodate living creatures.
That plan would have to wait.
By the time she left the frozen meat plant, it was already afternoon.
An entire day had slipped by just like that.
Because it was Uncle Leonard’s birthday, she hadn’t scheduled any deliveries for today.
After leaving the plant, she stopped by a large electronics superstore and placed orders for a substantial batch of pinhole cameras, 360-degree surveillance cameras, and drones.
The store didn’t have enough inventory in stock, so she scheduled future deliveries instead.
Once everything was arranged, she returned home to shower and prepare for her uncle’s birthday dinner.
***
The celebration was being held at a private club.
After dressing simply but elegantly, Suzy drove there on her own.
She and Leonard were not arriving together; he would come straight from the office.
By the time she entered the venue, many guests had already gathered.
Her eyes immediately landed on Monica.
The woman was dressed to the nines tonight, flitting through the crowd like a dazzling butterfly, radiating the authority of a hostess.
Although she and Leonard were not yet married, she was already carrying herself as the lady of the house.
Suzy scanned the room.
The guests were all close business partners and long-time friends of Leonard. She didn’t recognize a single one of them.
The only familiar face was Adam Bennet.
Suzy found a quiet corner and stayed there.
Leonard knew she disliked socializing with strangers, so he didn’t drag her around for introductions.
Before long, boredom set in. Just as she was about to step outside for some fresh air, she spotted Adam.
Lifting her dress slightly, she walked quickly toward him.
"Adam!" she called, her voice clear and bright.
His gaze settled on her, and he gave a slight nod. "You’re here."
Seeing the only familiar person besides her uncle, Suzy felt a flicker of comfort. Without thinking, she edged a little closer to him. She was about to speak when a burst of teasing laughter rose from across the hall.
She turned to look.
Several guests were jokingly egging Leonard and Monica on.
The two stood side by side, smiling warmly, greeting guests as though they were the picture of a loving couple.
Suzy felt her temper flare instantly.
All fake.
Just this morning, Monica had been kissing another man in a car. And now she was playing the devoted partner so convincingly.
She snapped her head back toward Adam, only to find him already looking at her.
She froze slightly before blurting out, "Why can’t we tell him?"
Adam raised an eyebrow, asking instead, "Why didn’t you call me?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"I told you to call me."
"When did that happen?"
"Check your messages."
Suzy pulled out her phone.
Sure enough, Adam had sent her a message earlier—and she had read it without replying.
She stared at the screen, bewildered. Fragments of memory surfaced.
It must have been when she was touring the meat factory earlier. She’d seen the notification but hadn’t paid attention at the time.
Suzy felt a flicker of embarrassment.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Sorry. I was busy today, so I didn’t notice."
Adam narrowed his pale eyes slightly. "Busy with what?"
"It wasn’t anything important..." she brushed it off, then quickly redirected the conversation. "You still haven’t answered me. Why can’t we tell him?"
Adam let out a faint, humorless chuckle. "There is no ’why.’ Your uncle is hopeless when it comes to love. Even if he finds out, he’ll still forgive her."
There was a trace of coldness in his voice—and something sharper beneath it. Frustration. Disappointment. The kind reserved for someone you once tried to save from themselves.
Suzy stared at him, stunned.
"You mean... even if he knows she cheated, he’ll still forgive her?"
The corner of Adam’s mouth curved in a thin, sardonic smile. "Yes."
She went silent.
What kind of love was this? The kind that tolerated everything—even betrayal?
Her uncle’s devotion was bordering on terrifying.
Her thoughts spiraled.
If the apocalypse truly arrived and she planned to take Leonard with her, that meant she would also have to bring Monica along.
With Monica’s personality, she would absolutely cause chaos in a survival scenario.
That wouldn’t just be a liability. That would be a ticking time bomb at her side.
The thought sent a chill down Suzy’s spine.
But she couldn’t abandon her uncle either.
Part of the supplies she had painstakingly prepared were meant for Leonard.
And she could already imagine what would happen after the apocalypse began—Leonard receiving the supplies, then telling Monica.
And Monica, who already had another man on the side and treated Leonard with thinly veiled contempt, might very well siphon everything away.
Suzy could try to protect her uncle.
But as long as Leonard’s heart still belonged to Monica, everything would spiral back into the same dead end.
A closed loop. An unsolvable equation.
Damn it.
A love-struck fool is truly terrifying.
Right now, there were only two solutions.
One—Monica disappears.
𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Two—her uncle stops being hopelessly in love.
And somehow, the second option felt even harder than the first.
The more Suzy thought about it, the worse her expression became. Her delicate brows knitted together, her face turning noticeably pale.
She looked as though she had just been dealt a crushing blow, swaying slightly as if she might lose her balance.
"Are you okay?" Adam frowned, lowering his voice. "You look terrible. Do you need to sit down?"
She shook her head weakly. She didn’t have the mood for rest.
"It seems this hit you pretty hard," he observed.
Suzy let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Of course it did... Is there really no way to make him give up on her?"
"No," Adam answered without hesitation. "Your uncle is beyond saving."
Her lips twitched. She could hear the seriousness beneath his words. He wasn’t mocking Leonard.
He meant it.
Adam truly believed Leonard had fallen beyond redemption where Monica was concerned.
"Why?" Suzy pressed. "Did she save his life or something?"
That was the only explanation she could think of. If not for some life-saving debt, how could her uncle be so blindly devoted?
Adam gave her a long, meaningful look. "You’re smarter than you look."
Suzy’s lips twitched harder.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Did she actually guess right?
Had Monica saved Leonard’s life?
So that was why he tolerated everything unconditionally?
It made sense.
But somehow, that only made things worse.
Because now, the situation felt even more impossible to untangle.
Suzy felt the weight of it settle heavily on her chest. This really was a dead end.