Jodie nodded his head as Nita's statement seemed right to him as well but before he could voice his opinion, he heard her speaking up once again.
"Any suspects at the moment?" The young lady questioned the detective, assuming they should have someone in mind by now.
After all, it had been days since Detrim had disappeared and the police had been prioritizing this case thanks to his popularity and the Valken family's influence, as well as their timely contribution to the city's well-being and infrastructure.
"We've been looking into his business rivals or anyone who had a grudge against him." Detective Sam Mulligan disclosed, referring to those they had been keeping an eye on for the past few days.
However, their investigation had not progressed too far for him to give out any definitive names of these suspects.
"It could be anyone who had something to gain from his disappearance..." He added, his eyes fixing on the young lady.
She sat opposite him with her arms folded across her chest and her back straight as she looked at him with great interest thanks to what he was saying right now.
"And that includes you, Miss Valken." He uttered those words with a grim tone, unlike the jovial attitude he had first met her with.
Seeing the switch in his expressions as he now looked at Nita with suspicion evident in his gaze, both Jodie and Rowan felt a frown creeping onto their faces.
"Why would she harm Brother Detrim?"
Surprisingly, Jodie was the first to object, as he voiced out his annoyance at the detective for suspecting Nita in Detrim's disappearance.
After all, despite their little tiffs, he was among the few who knew Nita's true nature.
The adults always thought of her as the demure and obedient young miss of the Valken family.
He, however, had personally witnessed the monster hidden behind that innocent face on numerous occasions in the past.
Regardless of her attitude toward him, Jodie knew as a matter of fact that Nita never had a single bad thought about her elder brother.
If there was someone she liked more than her parents, then it would be Detrim who held that special place in her heart.
Therefore, he found it ridiculous when the detective was looking at Nita as though she were guilty for a crime she surely did not commit.
"Detective, you might not know this, but Nita returned to the city earlier today." Rowan spoke up next, patting his brother on the shoulder while coming to his aid before he lost his composure.
Nita had expected Rowan to jump in but had never thought that Jodie would be the first one to speak in her defense.
Therefore, she shot him an amused smile, which he scoffed at before she turned toward the detective.
Detrim was the heir to the Valken family business and the next Head of the family.
With him gone, a lot of business was put on hold, and there would be inner conflicts if her father had not been in the position of the family Head.
To an unassuming outsider, it may appear that the one to gain the most would be the next in line for this position, which in this case, would be the other child of the Valken family.
However, Nita never had any interest in any of these in the past, nor did she have any desire for the position now, and she was sure it would remain the same in the future as well.
Therefore, she did not flinch in fear or feel any trepidation as she looked right at the tall man before her.
"I understand why you may think I was involved, but I truly was not in the city at the time of the crime." Nita finally explained why she could not have been the one to orchestrate her brother's disappearance.
Detective Sam did not seem convinced as he continued to leer at her with his eyes narrowed.
"You do not have to be in the city to be the mastermind behind your brother's accident." He shot back, refusing to accept her alibi.
Considering the amount of influence and power the Valken family possessed, it was natural for her to get greedy for a position that would never be hers as long as her brother was around.
"She has her own business to run, so why would she want to compete with Detrim for the family business?" Rowan answered on her behalf, explaining to the detective that he was misunderstanding her entirely.
Nita was surprised to hear that Rowan knew about what she had been up to during the years she had been away.
'Maybe brother told him?' She could only think of Detrim, who might have shared information about her with this cousin of theirs.
She was right to assume so, as Detrim, in one of their conversations, had let it slip to Rowan that he had visited Nita in the past and that her business was flourishing.
He had intended to boast about his baby sister's business acumen, which had, in turn, given Rowan a piece of information that many others in their family had no clue about.
"Sure she might have a business..." The detective nodded his head in understanding but soon paused as he moved his attention to Rowan, who sat next to Nita.
"But is that business more profitable than the entire Valken family's business?" He tossed this question in a casual manner but smirked when he saw Rowan freeze as soon as those words left his mouth.
A silence spread throughout the conference room as neither Rowan nor Jodie had any way to refute the detective's question.
After all, Rowan only knew that she owned a business but he did not have any further details about it.
Whether the business was profitable, if she was she doing a good job, or even what the business was all about.
Detrim had never disclosed any of these details and hence Rowan had no idea how to respond to the detective's question.
While he was racking his mind on how to respond, he heard a sigh coming from his side and turning in its direction, he found his little cousin shaking her head.
"No, my business is not as profitable as the entire Valken family business." She finally cleared the detective's doubt.
Before Detective Sam could grin victoriously, she scoffed at his hasty attitude before continuing what she had to say.
"And that exactly proves that I do not have the power or influence required to act against the Valken family... While being away from the city itself." She disproved his theory as it made no sense to her.
While she could understand that he was covering all bases, she thought that he needed a better understanding of their family dynamics before suspecting her.
Since she had no interest in revealing anything unnecessary to him, she chose to explain how he was doubting the wrong person using simple logic.
To act against the Valken family, one was either supposed to be on equal social standing with them to have the same amount or have greater influence and monetary funds.
Nita, who had been away for so long, surely had neither to fit this criteria.
Not to mention that she had left the moment she turned eighteen to stay away from the politics that would have taken place if she had remained in the city and followed the path the Valken Clan elders had chosen for her.
However, Detective Mulligan, who was unaware of their family drama, had no way of knowing any of these details.
Therefore, she did not hold a grudge against him for suspecting her.
"I can provide all the information you need to clear me from your list of suspects." She gave in and assured him that he would receive complete support from her in this regard.
Detective Mulligan was surprised, as he had not expected her to cooperate in his investigation, yet she proved him wrong, which made him unable to react right away.
Before he could extend his thanks for making the right choice, his eyes sensed movement behind the three he had been conversing with until now.
In the next moment, a firm and authoritative voice was heard in the conference room, startling the three who had their backs turned toward the door.
"That will not be necessary." These words made everyone turn in the direction of this voice.