CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 222 - 174: Punish Her

But Jean Coleman’s answer disappointed him. "I’ve never been. Charles Donovan despised me, so how could I have ever had the chance to go there?"

His heart sank. ’Right,’ he thought. ’Jean never had a chance to set foot in the Donovan Residence.’ Seeing that he had gone quiet for a while, Jean Coleman couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

He answered her, holding out little hope, "I’ve run into some trouble. I need to know if the Donovan Residence has any secret rooms or hidden places."

"Oh, you should have said that’s what you were asking about! I know about that!"

Jean Coleman laughed on the other end of the line. "There’s a secret tunnel in the Donovan Residence. It leads to the Wincastle port!"

Julian Donovan was so stunned he stood frozen for a long moment, unable to react. Then, ecstatic, he asked, "You—how do you know that?"

Jean Coleman’s reply was calm. "Back then, when Charles Donovan put your father under house arrest, your father escaped through that secret tunnel while Charles was away. I was waiting for him at the port, and we left by boat!"

That was how they eloped from Wincastle. Otherwise, with Charles Donovan’s power at the time, it would have been impossible for them to leave openly. He had all the stations and airports locked down.

Charles Donovan thought his son didn’t know about the tunnel, but his son had known all along. He had waited until Charles was out of the country on a business trip, packed his things, and left through the secret passage.

"That’s great!"

Julian Donovan said only that one excited phrase to Jean Coleman before hanging up. Her words confirmed it: the Donovan Residence was indeed Sean Donovan’s drug production site. A secret tunnel implied a basement. The finished drugs could then be transported directly to the docks and shipped out. No wonder the flow of drugs on the market hadn’t decreased at all, even though Sean Donovan hadn’t left the house recently.

Seeing his expression, Ivan Warren quickly asked, "What is it? A new lead?"

Julian Donovan composed himself, waiting until he was calm and rational before telling Ivan Warren what Jean Coleman had just told him. Ivan was even more excited. "Fantastic! Our efforts weren’t in vain after all. To think we searched high and low, only for the answer to fall right into our laps!"

They had cautiously arranged for Naomi Shaw to get close to Sean Donovan, but they never expected her illness would cause Sean to slip up. They had originally thought that with Naomi’s gentle temperament, this undercover war could drag on indefinitely.

At this thought, Ivan Warren asked Julian Donovan, "So what’s our next move? Even though we’ve confirmed the Donovan Residence is his drug production base, we can’t just barge in and search it without evidence!"

Julian Donovan stood by the window, pondering for a moment before saying, "Then we need to find that evidence as quickly as possible. Sean Donovan is producing such large quantities; he can’t be relying solely on shipping. Have your men watch the main entrance of the Donovan Residence. Do your best to search every suspicious vehicle going in and out. Keep it subtle. Don’t alert Sean, or he’ll start preparing his escape! We need to wait until we have concrete evidence, then catch him completely off guard. Don’t search the port for now. We need him to think we don’t know about the secret tunnel. When the time comes, we’ll block it off and net him and his entire operation at once!"

After hearing this, Ivan Warren said, "Hmm, that’s a good idea. I’ll go back and discuss it with my superiors!"

Julian Donovan looked at him, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "You can go back and discuss it, but the port must be handled entirely by my people. Your police force will only be responsible for surrounding the Donovan Residence!"

Ivan Warren disagreed. "How can that be acceptable? This is obstruction of official business!"

Julian Donovan gave him no chance to protest further. "I’m not negotiating with you. You’re in no position to bargain with me. I will protect and rescue my own woman myself. If you don’t agree, you can withdraw from this operation entirely!"

"You..."

Ivan Warren was speechless with anger. Julian Donovan walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "I don’t trust the way you people handle things. So please, go back and relay that to your superiors!"

Ivan Warren finally let out a cold snort, pushed his hand away, and turned to walk out.

After Ivan Warren left, Julian Donovan took a moment to compose himself before striding toward Naomi Shaw’s hospital room. He had been heartbroken by her sudden heartlessness, but now that he knew the truth, he was angry—angry that she had taken on such a dangerous task alone without discussing it with him.

’What did she think he, Julian Donovan, was to her? Was he really so unworthy of her trust?’