Chapter 1563 Murder Case
Chapter 1563 Murder Case
Iris and Jin Liwei heard what happened the next day. Ketchup informed them first thing in the morning. They were still in their bedroom, wearing pyjamas, with their twin sons.
The husband and wife looked at each other.
"This is a clear murder case," Iris said. "Someone wants to silence the curator that they even murdered an innocent nurse to use her appearance and credentials to do the deed."
Jin Liwei didn't say anything as he was busy herding their sons off the bed, but his expression showed that he, too, was shocked at what happened in Paris after they left.
"I must call Ashandra," Iris murmured. "I'm worried about her."
After only a few rings, Ashandra Knightson picked up the call. "Xiulan, have you heard what happened already?"
"Yes!" Iris replied. "I think you should leave France soon, Ashandra. What happened to your curator at the hospital ICU makes it clear that something more sinister is happening. This is not a simple case of hate crime anymore. It's a deliberate targeted murder case!"
"I know. I'm already packing."
Iris heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. I'll ask my husband to arrange one of his private jets for you."
"I won't reject your offer this time, Xiulan. I was so frightened and shaky that I could barely think straight. It's only thanks to the bodyguards you arranged for me that I managed to even function again in the first place. They're the ones who reminded me that I might be the real target. I don't know if that's true or not, but I sure as hell won't want to risk my life here in Paris. I already announced the termination of my art exhibition."
"Okay, Ashandra. Don't panic too much. If you're not sure about what to do next, just rely on the bodyguards for now. We'll figure out what to do next once you leave France."
"I'll do my best. Thank you, Xiulan."
Iris gave Ashandra a few more words of advice. After the phone call, Iris asked for her husband's help.
"No problem, love," Jin Liwei said after hearing about it. "Let me arrange the private jet now."
Iris took over changing the twins' clothes while Jin Liwei called someone on his phone to make the private flight arrangements for Ashandra Knightson.
"Done," he said after the phone call. "Someone will contact Ashandra to ask for her departure preferences."
"Thanks, darling." She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed the corner of his cheek.
He held her waist and squeezed it a little. Then he gave her luscious lips a quick peck.
"Chi chi yah yah!" (Mochi wants a kiss, too!)
Although Iris and Jin Liwei didn't understand what their son was talking about, they could guess by his actions.
Iris chuckled, instantly improving her mood. "Come, my little sweetheart. Mommy will give you a kiss."
She lifted the clingy baby and gave each of his cheeks a loud, smacking kiss. Little Mochi giggled, loving all the attention his mommy was showering on him.
Then she felt a light tug on her pyjama pants.
It was Little Matcha. "Mama, uh uh." (Mommy, I want a kiss, too.)
Of course, Iris had no reason to reject her son's request. She handed Little Mochi to her husband and lifted Little Matcha next. She also gave Little Matcha's each cheek a loud, smacking kiss.
The baby's reaction was more subdued compared to his lively elder twin brother, but there was still a clear smile on Little Matcha's face.
Afterwards, the husband and wife also freshened up and changed into appropriate day outfits. The family headed out of their bedroom for breakfast.
"Darling, I'm not comfortable staying here in France anymore," Iris said. "I'm sad that we have to cut our family trip short, but I just can't find it in myself to enjoy our next days here at the chateau after hearing what happened. I also want to meet up with Ashandra before Orchidia Germany's launch to check on her."
"Okay, love. I'll make the arrangements."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. I also still need to meet up with Jabar and Amira before we leave to tell them my decisions regarding their proposals."
"Do you need me to join you?" Jin Liwei asked.
"Only at the meeting with the director. I can handle the meeting with the sheikha by myself."
"En."
After eating breakfast, Iris announced to Dom, the nannies, and their other staff that they would be leaving France soon ahead of schedule. Dom and the others didn't mind especially after hearing about the reason why they had to depart earlier than expected.
"Oh no!" Dom also looked worried. "Will Ashandra be fine? If she's the real target, then she shouldn't attend Orchidia Germany's launch anymore! She should lie low for a while for her own safety."
"That's what I'm thinking, too," Iris said, nodding. "She should return to Cross Academy. It should be safest there for her. I'll call her again later to tell her."
"I'll also call Sis Fei to let her know to start packing because we'll leave France soon," Dom said.
"Please do that. Thanks, Dom."
"No problem, Boss." He turned to the nannies. "We should also start packing soon." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The two nannies nodded.
Everyone became busy afterwards.
The chateau's head butler felt a little disappointed that he and his subordinates weren't able to show their best work performance to their new employers yet.
Iris was already preoccupied with arranging meetings with Director Jabar Wilkins and Sheikha Amira.
Jin Liwei didn't disturb his wife. He could take care of the other things by himself. No problem at all.
While making arrangements for his family's departure, he also took the time to speak to the chateau's head butler.
"There will be an interior designer coming in the next week or so to assess the entire chateau. My wife and I plan on improving the entire chateau's style. We haven't toured every single nook and cranny in this place yet, so if you have any suggestions for areas that need to be renovated, just let the designer know. He'll convey it to us and make arrangements with contractors if needed."
"Understood, Monsieur. Please leave everything about the chateau with me. I wish you and Madame Jin a safe trip."
"En."
Jin Liwei hadn't yet mentioned his and Iris' plan about renting out part of the chateau as a venue for special events such as weddings, photoshoots, etc. He planned to wait until all the renovations were completed before making arrangements to start a new income source for the chateau.
As for the possibility of ticketed tours, Jin Liwei would discuss it more carefully with his wife.
What happened at Ashandra Knightson's art exhibition made him more cautious about safety. Although he didn't know whether someone was really targeting Ashandra or not, he didn't want to risk his family's safety, especially since his wife was a close friend of the genius artist.
Ticketed tours were great and all but it was also quite risky. Vandalism and theft were usually the biggest worries for most ticketed tours, but Jin Liwei now also had to worry about premeditated attacks on his family.
Screening each of the guests who bought tickets might also be too much of a hassle especially if there were scheduled tours every day. Jin Liwei didn't want to waste Ketchup's bandwidth by assigning her this task.
At least, for venue reservations, there should be ample time, usually months ahead of the special event, to thoroughly screen not only the celebrants and their invited guests but also any staff involved.
Jin Liwei had everything planned in his mind. He would do what needed to be done to lessen the burden on his wife.
This period was extremely important to his wife. Her businesses were flourishing. At the same time, she was also preparing for her showbiz comeback. He wanted—no, needed to always be there to support her in whatever way he could.
This was what he discovered to be his real purpose in life.
And it always made him happy.
###
The next day, the weather appeared gloomy. The sun was nowhere in sight, covered by thick, grey clouds. There was a light drizzle and intermittent cold winds.
Iris bundled her twin sons in thick clothes, covering them from head to toe.
Little Mochi was annoyed by all the layers and tried removing them from his body. Unfortunately, his daddy gave him a scary look. Little Mochi whined at his mommy instead but he was out of luck this time. His mommy refused to remove the thick clothes.
"Don't be too naughty, baby," Iris said before kissing her fussy baby's smooth, chubby cheek.
Little Mochi behaved after getting a kiss from his mommy. He giggled and didn't bother trying to remove his annoying clothes anymore.
In contrast to him, Little Matcha wasn't bothered by his thick clothes at all.
Of course, Iris didn't forget to reward him with a kiss on the cheek as well. "My Little Matcha is such a sweet boy."
The baby grinned and smiled for a while before reverting back to his usual unbothered expression.
Jin Liwei came in to check on his family after confirming that everything was ready with the staff.
"Ready, love?" he asked.
Iris smiled. "Yes."
"Ready, boys?" he asked his sons next.
"Yah yah!" (Yes, I'm ready!) Little Mochi pumped his little fists in the air.
"Uh." (Yes.) Little Matcha toddled to his daddy and reached up to him.
Jin Liwei bent down and carried his son. Iris was about to carry their other son but Jin Liwei moved faster.
"Let me carry both of them," he said and carried Little Mochi with his other arm. "They're heavier with these thick clothes."