Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 412: Chapter 303: Setting Off

Soon.

The sound of a car was heard outside the denim shop.

It drew closer, finally coming to a stop right at the entrance.

The wind chime on the door let out a crisp tinkle, sounding especially pleasant inside.

Hearing the commotion, Feng Shan and the others quickly stood up. Their gazes shot in unison toward the door, all eager to see what the renowned Lawyer Peyton looked like.

Just then, two women in business suits walked in from outside.

The woman in the lead wore a pair of rimless glasses. She was rather attractive and looked to be about forty years old. Her every move exuded the air of a powerful career woman.

Following close behind her was a younger woman carrying a briefcase, who appeared to be an assistant of some sort.

"Lawyer Peyton, hello!" Seeing them, Feng Shan put on a warm smile and stepped forward, extending his hand in greeting.

However, the woman with the glasses didn’t immediately reach out to shake it. Instead, she first looked Feng Shan up and down, her eyes filled with a hint of scrutiny, before finally speaking.

"Mr. Feng, you’re a bit different from Frank’s description. Is the western cowboy look popular in Alaska these days?"

The woman’s tone was neither warm nor cold, clearly carrying a professional distance.

"No, I’m just interested in western cowboys." Feng Shan smiled and shook his head, not at all displeased by her attitude. He then turned to the side and introduced the clients, Yves and his daughter, to Lawyer Peyton. "Lawyer Peyton, this is Mr. Yves and his daughter, Fiona. This case is about Fiona’s custody."

"Alright, let’s get started so we can wrap this case up quickly."

Lawyer Peyton gave a slight nod and turned to scan the denim shop.

Spotting a table and chairs in the corner, she walked straight over, her high heels CLICK-CLACKING on the floor. She pulled out a chair naturally and sat down gracefully. The series of movements was crisp and efficient; she was clearly a decisive and vigorous person.

The young assistant deftly followed suit, sitting down before skillfully opening the briefcase. She took out a laptop, placed it gently on the table, and turned it on, preparing to record the relevant information. Her every action was methodical and orderly.

Lawyer Peyton adjusted her glasses and looked at Feng Shan and the others. "Is all the evidence ready?" she asked in a steady voice.

Feng Shan was just about to pull out his phone to call Nash.

Just then.

A sharp screech of tires was suddenly heard from outside the shop.

Immediately after, Nash rushed into the shop, clutching a thick stack of documents. Cook, on the other hand, had a gleeful look on his face and started shouting the moment he pushed the door open.

"Boss, all the evidence is here! The stuff in here is absolutely explosive! God, I can’t even believe it! Did you know Valerie actually dared to..."

But before he could finish, Cook noticed the unfamiliar faces in the shop.

He realized he’d almost said the wrong thing, especially when he saw Yves holding Fiona.

He swallowed the rest of his words, an embarrassed look instantly appearing on his face.

"Xia Li, can you help me out?" Seeing this, Feng Shan shot Cook a glare before turning to Xia Li, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Of course." Xia Li had already guessed the reason.

Feng Shan smiled slightly, looked at Fiona, and said in a gentle tone, "Little angel, I hear you really like the fruit pies Auntie Xiaoli makes. Would you like to go have some dessert?"

The meaning behind his words was already obvious.

He wanted Yves to leave the shop for a while. After all, the things they were about to discuss concerned Valerie, and some of the content wasn’t appropriate for a child Fiona’s age to hear.

"Fiona, want some fruit pie?" Xia Li nodded, picked up Fiona, and gave the reluctant Yves a gentle push. She whispered, "Let’s go outside for a bit. We’ll let them handle things here and come back later."

With that, she led Yves and Fiona out through the shop’s back door.

The shop instantly grew much quieter, and the atmosphere became serious.

Everyone’s attention was now focused on the evidence that was about to be presented.

Feng Shan looked at Cook with a serious expression and said in a steady tone, "Go ahead. Take out the evidence you collected and give it to Lawyer Peyton."

"O-Okay."

Cook froze for a moment, then looked toward the two unfamiliar women sitting in the corner of the shop. When his gaze fell on Lawyer Peyton’s stern face, an inexplicable sense of fear rose within him.

He quickly wiped the usual goofy smile off his face, turned to take the thick stack of files from Nash, cleared his throat, and began his presentation.

"This is a certificate from the school, along with a statement from Teacher Mary." As Cook spoke, he rummaged through the files, found the corresponding papers, and handed them to Lawyer Peyton before continuing in detail.

"Fiona dropped out of school during the second grade. While she was enrolled, Teacher Mary often noticed that Fiona’s clothes were dirty and her grades had dropped drastically. To make matters worse, Valerie was also delinquent on the school bus and activity fees."

"Not only that, but the school nurse also found that Fiona showed clear signs of malnutrition." Cook took out another document and continued, "This is a report from the school’s counseling center. Through conversations with and observation of Fiona, the school counselor discovered that Fiona has potential psychological and trauma-related issues."