"So you are telling me that you found out such important details within one hour, which we couldn't find in three weeks?" Taehyung asked when he found about the newly discovered information as both the detectives sat in a French restaurant, feasting on steak and wine.

The restaurant walls were engraved with historical pictures, slow jazz music strumming in the background with orange lights installed in the corner. A waiter passed by, carrying a tray full of baguettes, their aroma mixing with the atmosphere. The brunette always loved discussing cases in that particular place, it made her feel like she was a historical figure during the French revolution, hoping to find out what Louis XVI was planning.

She tapped the table lightly, her diamond ring clashing against the wooden table, "Apparently, yes. I am still a bit in shock, because, how come we didn't hear of Jieyang from anyone? Jisoo, Aran, her parent and Ten? No one mentioned her to us."

Taehyung hummed, scrolling through his iPad, "From what I am seeing, this lady is not the biggest fan of the public. There are barely any pictures of her and the socials she owns, are only for talking about business," his eyes squinted, reading a webpage about her, "damn... Jieyang's net worth is twice the net worth of Manobans."

"Her hospital is the best in entire Asia, I am not even shocked," Jennie replied, taking in another bite of the meal. Keeping his wine glass on the table, the male detective nodded, "We have to meet her. She is probably the only one who could know one of Lisa's secrets. I am going to ask Chaeryeon right now, to book a flight to Shanghai tomorrow, and fix an appointment with Jieyang."

Picking up a napkin, to wipe the corners of her mouth, Jennie silently agreed to the plan. Her facial expressions had made it obvious that she was thinking about something else, that wasn't so pleasant. Taehyung finished typing a text before finally being able to notice that. "What's wrong?" he asked, leaning back on the chair.

The corner of Jennie's mouth twitched, staring at the empty plate, "Don't you think we should tell Ten?" Crossing his arms in utter confusion, Taehyung asked, "Tell him what?"

Jennie left out an audible sigh, that made it seem like she was irritated, but her tone just kept getting sadder she spoke, "Tell him that the girl he cries for daily just thought of him as a way to get the business. Tell him that to Lisa, he was only a handsome and rich boy who she could marry to get her own family's wealth and tell him that his feelings and state of mind was used as an advantage by a girl, who he thought genuinely loved her."

In the middle, her voice cracked, as if she was imagining herself in Ten's shoes, "It's so fucking disgusting to even think of... It's not about how she used him to get the business, but it's about how she took the advantage of his emotions and a broken heart."

"I understand what you're saying. It's really sick to play with someone's feelings. Let's tell him about this when we return from Shanghai," Taehyung responded, before bringing up another topic, "by the way, do you remember that anonymous number messaging Lisa? The one Roseanne found out to be in Thailand?"

Chuckling in a tone of mocking, "Of course, how can I forget the number of hours I spent working on it, only to see it hacked? What about it?" the brunette asked.

Taehyung kept scrolling through his iPad while answering, "I asked Chaeryeon to download every single message in decoded format and also track where exactly this number was located in Thailand with its owner's name. It will be done by tomorrow, I believe."

Clapping her hands twice, the brunette dramatically exclaimed, "That's wonderful." Before the other could speak something, a notification bell sound ringed in the air from their respective friends. And they were the messages confirming their flight to Shanghai; after all, it was the next stop after Barcelona and Seoul.

***

The international Shanghai airport was as crowded as a mall when an extremely large sale was going on. Of course, the paparazzi had made sure to be present, with even commoners snapping pictures of the two well-known figures stepping out of their private jet with their assistant and guards following. Hustles and bustles, people shouting and others were making announcements about flights, classy people sitting in the lounges while many others glueing themselves to the gates, the airport was defining the word 'busy'.

Ignoring every single question they were asked about their presence in the Chinese metropolitan city, the two settled down in a car, making sure to not miss out on the gorgeous scene of Shanghai historical buildings which were present right in front of the modern airport.

A man who looked like was in his fifties, drove them to a mansion, with thick walls surrounding all four sides. On the nameplate, it read "Cao Manor," which highlighted who it belonged to. After a few minutes of verification and showing appointment letters, the duo finally managed to get inside, and saying the house was stunning in appearance, was an understatement.

Painted in all white, with black furniture, decorations made of pure silk wrapped around glass and a huge chandelier with hundreds of candles hanging from the top; it looked like those exact houses which one can find on Pinterest, after searching 'luxurious houses.' The air smelled like incense stick and cocoa at the same time, making it bizarre.

After fifteen minutes of sitting on the couch, another unfamiliar voice became audible, "What? You cannot tell me that Dr Xiaojun wants to leave! Mei, do you know what you're saying? He is the best neurosurgeon in the entire country. Tell him we'll raise his pay by thirty thousand more dollars, but I need him in the hospital. Do you get it? Call him now and make sure to convince him. I've to go no. I'll get in touch with you later."

Immediately swinging their heads towards the direction, the two detectives finally spotted who they had come to talk to. Dressed in a sky blue trouser-suit, Jieyang had mid-length auburn hair, pale skin, pink lips and she walked in heels that were higher than two inches.

The duo stood up, returning the smile which she passed at first glance, and she indeed looked prettier up close. Making an apologetic face, the doctor spoke first, "I am really sorry for being late, please take a seat. Would you like some tea or coffee?"

 "Coffee sounds great," Jennie replied, taking a seat as the host signalled to a maid. Placing his phone on the table, recording the conversation without letting the other know, Taehyung questioned, "I am sure you must have heard about Lalisa Manoban's death. What exactly was your relation with her?"

It didn't take more than ten seconds for Jieyang to respond, "She was a good friend to me. We met in the first year of college itself but clicked better during the third year. We were in the same clique, with Nicha Yontarark, Kara Minjy and Park Sooyoung."

Jennie nodded, before a maid entered the room, bringing the three coffee cups arrived a lot sooner than they expected. As she took her exit, Jennie interrogated further, "What were your honest thoughts on Lisa?"

Unlike anyone else, who took hours comprehending their answers, the lady was quick to reply, "She was sometimes overwhelming and her presence along with her friendship felt like a burden. Sometimes, she was great, the friend you would ask which dress you should wear to a coffee date or if Netflix's latest series is good or bad. At times, I didn't understand her, because she wanted a pitch-perfect image of herself, and she was extremely selfish but then, I couldn't let go of her friendship, because it was enjoyable at times."

Taehyung nodded, able to figure out the honesty in the answer, before bringing up another question, "From what we heard, one night brought a lot of change in your friendship. Can we get some details?"

"Sure," the auburn replied without any delay, "It was a typical college night after some tests ended. We were in a club, and Lisa had broken up with another guy, she dated for fun. We both were in a VIP section, which was totally empty. Being the heavy drinker she was, alcohol was ruling her system, unlike me who was sober. Suddenly, she changed the topic, and next morning, when she could only remember bits of what the previous night was, she started following me, doing everything I said because she was scared that she said some stuff."

Jennie leaned forward, "Elaborate what topic she talked about."

A humourless chuckle escaped Jieyang's lips, "She kept saying that she had something to regret. She didn't speak what it was, but she kept sobbing silently and saying she hates herself for some deeds. She whispered to me that she will always feel guilty and stuff."

The two detectives couldn't be any more confused, as Taehyung asked, "Wait, what guilt and regret? What was the reason behind her hate?"

Jieyang sipped her coffee, "I don't know. She never said the reasons, and just kept blabbering about her feelings, but not what caused them. It was strange, but I kept hearing, waiting for her to tell me the reasons but they never came, and never will."

"You're telling us, that for years, Lisa thought that you knew what she regretted when in reality, you knew nothing. You made it seem like you did?" Taehyung asked, astonished. 

Nodding, the auburn ran a hand through her silky hair, "Yes, I did. Sometimes I do regret that because it installed a fear of me in her, but sometimes, I don't. She was really selfish, always being cruel and not listening to anyone, so it feels okay that I sometimes made her get her on the right path, instead of the cruel one, by using the advantage she herself offered."

Jennie took a sip of her beverage, speaking with a little playfulness in her tone, "We can trust you on this right? The part where you said that you really have no idea about what Lisa regretted?"

Joining her hands in her lap, Jieyang responded, "Of course you can. What will I even achieve by lying? Lisa is dead, and giving her justice by finding out who did the murder is the only good deed we can do."

One thing both the detectives noticed easily was that the lady they were currently interrogating was unlike any other they had met before. Her replies were immediate, full of surety and her body language said the same words. Boldness had filled her voice, which made her seem pretty honest. 

Taehyung finished his drink, "Is there anything else we should know about Lisa? Anything, really. Friends, secretive relations, enemies, things that scared her, insecurities? Anything, really." This time, it took the lady some minutes to remember, as she kept fiddling with her fingers. 

"Yeah, I think I do remember one," Jieyang responded slowly before getting sure of her response, "suicide was a mention that always triggered her. Whenever someone brought it up, she got all flustered and asked to change the topic. She never seemed comfortable with that. I and Nicha tried to ask her often about the reason behind it, but she never answered. That's all I can remember."

The two detectives exchanged glances, with one being shocked and the other smiling because of the information they just got to hear. Standing up together, both of them shook hands with the doctor, before Jennie thanked her, "Jieyang, thank you very much for taking out time for us, and being helpful." The auburn was quick to return the gesture, "You're welcome and feel free to contact me whenever needed."

As the two detectives walked out of the huge manor, getting ready to discuss, Taehyung's phone rang, as he picked up. Chaeryeon's voice was quick to buzz, "Sir, there is a problem with this number you asked me to track. Please be at the hotel soon."

author's note: I wrote 2k words in less than 2 hours. I'm so iconic oml 🤡✨

joking, joking, and congratulations! we're back at cliffhangers and thank you very much for 16k+ reads! I love ya'll! Enjoy the cliffhangers 💞🤪