254: A Comedy of Errors and Egos

As Bauer launched into his defense, his reasoning wavered like a tightrope walker in a breeze. "As businessmen, our primary love language is profit. I wooed Emma with the finesse of a corporate merger. Harmless, really, if you overlook the lack of romance." Wayne, embodying the skepticism of a seasoned detective, wasn't buying the sales pitch. "Oh, how noble. Using 'business tactics' to investigate a person's identity. What's next? Declaring love in a PowerPoint presentation?" Bauer, caught in the headlights of scrutiny, shifted uncomfortably. "Regarding today's debacle, let's just say Henry was more interested in job stability than in Emma's well-being. I didn't anticipate he'd go from LinkedIn to criminal mastermind." His earnestness might have softened their stance, but their trust was as fragile as a house of cards in a wind tunnel. "Your heartwarming tale of accidental villainy is touching. We'll send flowers to your cell if it doesn't pan out." The mentio