Richard felt as though a bucket of icy water had been poured over him–after all these years, the guilt- he had carried toward Paul had been nothing more than a calcted scheme by Paul and Eric.
Andrew sneered, “So, how do you feel now, Richard? This is your so–called ‘benefactor.” He put extra weight on the word “benefactor.”
Richard was kicking himself now. He just wanted to distance himself from them as fast as possible. Hel blurted out, “It’s all a misunderstanding. I barely even know them.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow and said, “Then I’ll just go ahead and kill him.” As he spoke, he raised his dagger, about to plunge it down, his eyes icy and ruthless.
Olivia tapped her earring, ending the livestream right on cue, her smile growing wider. She thought, ‘Andrew is downright ruthless. I like that.‘”
Ava stepped in, her expression serious. She said, “Sir, Paul hasmitted a major crime and should face thew. Please hand him over to me, and I’ll take him in for justice.”
Andrew replied, “Alright.” But as soon as he finished speaking, a glint of murderous intent shed in his eyes. His wrist twisted, and he drove the dagger straight into Paul’s left hand.
Blood sttered everywhere. Paul screamed in agony.
Some of the more faint–hearted vigers passed out right then and there.
Ava froze, her face full of shock.
Ethan was used to this kind of thing. He handed over a towel to Andrew.
Andrew sheathed his knife, took the towel, and wiped the de clean. Then he said, “You can take Paul now<i>.</i><i>” </i>Right after, he pointed at Steven lying on the ground and added, “But he stays with me.”
Ava frowned but nodded. She ordered, “<b>Arrest </b>them.”
At hermand, all the inclothes officers sprang into action.
The vigers<b>, </b>already terrified<b>, </b>huddled on the ground, covering their heads.
The officers moved quickly, rounding up all the vigers involved.
Those vigers never would’ve imagined that all those cars were actually there to take them away.
Ethan said to the lead officer, “Anyone who needs to be sentenced, sentence them. Anyone who needs
08:28 Tue, 9 Sept
to be detained, detain them. Seize all their assets and get ready topensate the victims.
“And track down everyone who ran or is still hiding. Don’t let a single one slip through<b>.</b><b>” </b>
Richard thought, ‘I am screwed. They are investigating Magnolia Town now, and I will definitely be next. With everything that has happened, there is no way the Evans family would protect me anymore. I have to save myself.“‘
He had no clue who Andrew and others were, but after years in politics, his gut told him they had to
be connected to Ivy, the missing heiress of the Summers family.
So he quickly said, “I have info on the missing heiress of the Summers family of Kingtonelle.”
That one sentence struck a nerve with Edward. He couldn’t care less about his state now. He asked
anxiously, “What did you just say?”
Richard couldn’t help but feel smug, thinking, ‘I knew it.‘
Andrew raised an eyebrow, then quickly called Charles and gave him the rundown.
Charles could barely contain his excitement, but then he asked, “Wait, howe you always said had nothing before?”
you
Richard stammered, “I had to keep an ace up my sleeve. Besides, they’ve been trafficking people in Magnolia Town for years–I can’t possibly remember every single case.” But Ivy was one name he could never forget.
The Summers family came down on everyone like a ton of bricks when they were searching for Ivy. Richard didn’t dare mention Ivy. He was afraid that if he did, the Summers family would destroy him.
But <i>now</i>, with his back against the wall, he had no choice but to give up something valuable if he wanted to survive.
Edward coughed twice, then yanked Richard up by the cor, his eyes zing red. He threatened, “If you’re lying, you’re dead meat. I swear I won’t let you off.”
Funny thing was, he’d never been that close to his sister, but with ivy–the Summers family’s little cousin–he’d always felt <b>a </b>special bond, cherishing her as if she were his flesh and blood.
“Edward, keep an eye on him. I’ming over right now,” Charles said urgently on the phone. He had no clue why Edward was even there, but with things this serious, he didn’t have time to worry about <ol><li>it. </li></ol>
He grabbed his coat and hurried out the door.
08:28 <b>Tue</b>, 9 Sept 6 ti
Richard stammered, “I’m not making this up. <b>The </b>girl you’re looking for was trafficked here by Gina and her crew. As for where she ended up after that, only they would know.
“All I know is, the girl was kept here for more than a year after being sold, and then she vanished during that big fire. For all I know, she might already be…” His voice faded, leaving the rest unsaid.
Edward gasped, his chest heaving. He roared, “Shut up. She’s not dead. She can’t be.”
He thought, ‘Ivy’s always been sharp–even if she was taken, she’d figure out a way out. She just hasn’t made it back yet, that’s all.”
Olivia’s brow furrowed as she unconsciously clutched the pendant in her hand. She pondered, ‘The fire? I escaped with a few other girls who’d been trafficked. Was one of them Ivy?‘
Even though she and the missing Ivy shared the samest name, Olivia had never really thought
much about it.
From what the Shadow Syndicate had found out, she’d been snatched from inville by Gina and her crew. There was no mention of any link to the Summers family of Kingtonelle.
Besides, Olivia never had any fondness for the Summers family. Not long after Ivy went missing, her father brought home a little girl from elsewhere, adopted her, and spoiled her rotten.
To Olivia, this kind ofpensation was nothing but a performance–just putting on an act. She thought, “If they cared about their missing daughter, why would they go and adopt another girl?<b>” </b>
Most people, if they lost their child, would search high and low, never giving up, even after decades. But the Summers family? They lost their daughter and instead took in someone else’s <b>kid </b>to raise. Olivia just couldn’t understand it.
She tried to imagine it from Ivy’s perspective. A kidnapped child would be desperately hoping her parents woulde for her, only to find out they’d already adopted someone else and poured all their love on her. How was Ivy supposed to cope with that?
Nearby, Edward could tell Olivia wasn’t too fond of the Summers family. He couldn’t help but feel a little down about it. But he was way more focused on finding Ivy right now, so he didn’t dwell on it.
He looked at Andrew and said, “Mr. <b>Shea</b>, give Richard to me. I want to interrogate him myself.”
Andrew nodded. Anything involving Ivy, he was all for it–no objections at all.
Olivia found herself having someplicated, hard–to–exin feelings about Edward. She thought, ‘Maybe it’s because we went through all that crazy stuff together? Is that why I feel like we’re friends
<b>now</b><b>?</b><b>‘ </b>
08:28 Tue<b>, </b>9 Sept
Olivia was deep in thought, openly staring at Edward the whole time.
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Andrew caught Olivia staring at Edward, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. On his usually rxed face, a sh of cold sharpness mixed with irritation flickered for a moment. He grumbled inwardly, “What’s so special about Edward anyway?”
?
<b>AD </b>