In the conference room, Lauren asked everyone else to leave, leaving only Andrew and Francesca behind.

"Lauren, did you know from the start that Paul was the culprit?" Francesca asked eagerly as soon as the room emptied.

Lauren rolled her eyes and said, "If I had known it was him, I would've just had him arrested instead of setting up these theatrics."

Francesca exclaimed in surprise, "So you didn't know who it was? But you acted like you did!"

Lauren smiled and explained, "I didn't know, which was why Dr. Lloyd suggested this trick to force their hand. All I had to do was claim one glass was poisoned, and Paul cracked under the pressure."

Francesca stared at Andrew, shocked. "I didn't expect you to be so cunning!"

She was impressed by his ability to devise such a trick, which left the culprit with no choice but to surrender.

"Although we found out it was Paul, we still fell one step short," Andrew remarked.

Lauren's beautiful face hardened as she agreed, "Indeed. Tha