Chapter 326

Bianca Savigny twisted her fingers nervously, trying to change the subject. Evelyn Roland's gaze swept over her in silence.

The surveillance footage was unnervingly clear.

When Evelyn first took over Château Blanc, she spared no expense upgrading the entire security system. Now, every minute detail was captured in high definition.

The timestamp read 6:03 AM.

A man in gray athletic wear appeared on screen, his headphone cord swaying with each step.

"That's him."

Bianca bit her lower lip. She had personally interviewed this waiter. Her mentor had even teased her for being swayed by his looks.

"But his behavior is too normal."

The man jogged leisurely around the vineyard, completely unbothered by the cameras. His relaxed expression and natural movements showed no trace of ulterior motives.

Fast-forwarding revealed only two appearances—his morning run and later leaving the staff dormitory in uniform.

"Impossible!"

Bianca shot to her feet. How could someone vanish into thin air?

"Play it again."

She forced herself to focus, reviewing the footage three more times until her fingertips trembled.

The trail had gone cold.

The waiter had evaporated without a trace.

A chill crawled up her spine, making her shiver.

"Mentor, something's wrong here."

"Hmm."

"Could it be connected to the poisoned wine incident?"

"Yes."

Evelyn's reply was absolute.

Bianca's eyes lit up. "Did you find something?"

"What do you know about Sebastian Valdemar's uncle?"

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. Vincent Valdemar had lived abroad for years. His sudden return coincided perfectly with the wine competition.

Too perfectly.

Poisoned wine. A missing employee. Vincent's appearance. These weren't coincidences.

Why had the man shown her such unusual kindness? How had he become a judge? Why had even Sebastian been unaware of his travel plans?

Questions exploded in Evelyn's mind as her fingers clenched unconsciously.

"Mentor?"

Bianca worriedly clung to her arm.

"It's nothing."

Evelyn let her protégé lean against her while staring into the distance. "Did you fully vet that employee's background? Any ties to the Valdemars?"

"I checked his records. Orphaned, from out of town. No possible connection to them..."

"Interesting."

Evelyn's smile turned icy. Of all Château Blanc's staff, why had Vincent Valdemar chosen this one?