Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts novel Chapter 457

Things were more serious than Ines had anticipated. The following day, just as she was settling into her office, Silas walked in, with a grim expression on his face. “Izzy, some inspectors are here. They want to discuss something with you.”

Ines paused in her writing. “They are more prompt than I expected. Silas, could you ask the reception to allow them to come in?”

“Izzy, what’s going on?”

“Silas, don’t worry. They just want to discuss the Galeana Group project acceptance issue. They want to understand the role Jacob played in it.”

Jacob’s arrest was not public, but news had a way of getting around. After a night, it had landed in Silas’ ears. “I see.”

The visitors were two middle-aged men, dressed formally. One was older, and the other was slightly younger. Ines could tell who held the power in their duo. She invited them to sit down and asked for two cups of coffee to be brought in. Both showed her their employee cards. The older man began in a formal tone, “Ms. Galeana, we are specifically investigating Jacob Meyer’s abuse of power. You can call me Ronin, and this is Blake. We have some matters to discuss with you.”

Ines nodded, taking a seat across from them. “Of course, I will assist you in any way I can.”

“Before we get started, there are two things I need to tell you. First, we ask that you treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. It’s every citizen’s duty to cooperate fully. Any attempts to mislead or withhold information will be taken seriously. Second, due to the time-sensitive nature of the investigation, we will be recording this conversation and taking notes. You will be asked to sign them to confirm their accuracy later.”

Ines glanced at the recorder in his hand and smiled. “No problem.”

“Great. Let’s get started. Is Jacob Meyer your relative?” asked Ronin.

“Yes, he’s my husband’s relative.”

This was a well-known fact, so Ronin did not press further. Instead, he moved on to the main topic. “About 9 months ago, the Galeana Group had a problem during a real estate inspection. Could you explain how that was resolved? Did it have anything to do with Jacob?”

Ines thought for a moment, and then said, “Ronin, I’ll answer your first question now, and the second one later. Indeed, there was such an incident. We were about to deliver the properties, but the inspection report was not issued. Without it, we could not proceed with the property transfer and other procedures for the clients. We were going to default. We contacted the responsible department and were informed that our project had certain safety risks. Normally, if a problem arises during an inspection, they would point out where the problem lies. But they didn’t. The Galeana Group has a great reputation in the real estate business. We knew our properties had no safety issues.”

“So Jacob helped you solve this issue,” Blake interjected.

Ronin nodded and turned to Blake. “Verify Ms. Galeana’s statements.”

Ines added, “Silas, cooperate with Blake in his investigation.”

Silas nodded. “Understood.”

“Ms. Galeana, according to the information I have, your company did not default in the end. How did that happen? Did Jacob help?” asked Ronin, unable to contain his curiosity.

Ines chuckled. “That will be answered in due time, Ronin.”

“Ronin, I bet you’re more in the loop than I am. I am just an outsider in this case. I only came to know about the specifics when someone called. He claimed a staff error caused such an unexpected incident, which nearly messed up our operations at the Galeana Group.” Ines paused, and her expression was turning severe as she continued, “Speaking of which, Ronin, I need to file a complaint about the respective authorities taking advantage of their positions for personal gain. They’ve been casually throwing punches at our Galeana Group. For many years, we’ve been law-abiding, making significant contributions to the government in taxes. It’s disheartening, to say the least. I hope you can investigate this matter thoroughly. We can’t let this slide.”

While Ronin was still contemplating the implications of Ines’ words, Ines added, “Ronin, our projects at the Galeana Group are there for all to see. You can have your experts verify the quality and other aspects at any time.” Ronin, being a sharp man, had a rough idea of what was going on. However, these weren’t the issues he was concerned with. “Ms. Galeana,” he retorted, “we’re discussing Mr. Meyer’s involvement in this matter. Please let’s not get off track.”