Chapter 403: Chapter 403

"In an unfortunate turn of events, we sadly have not two, but four people confirmed dead from the accident over the cliff earlier today.... It is indeed a sad day for all residents of T-Vino Island!" A reporter recounted,

"Stay glued to your screens as our news team brings live footage from the skies of the scene..."

The shocked people of T-Vino Island watched on their media devices as a helicopter hovered in the air, scanning the crash site for the grim aftermath. Two crumpled cars lay not far from each other at the base of the cliff, a twisted heap of metal and shattered glass, bloodied waters and other gruesome stuff. This site was really not for the faint of heart.

The place was a buzz with cops and other fist responders, red and blue lights and many sirens.

Rescue workers swarm the scene like ants, their flashlights illuminating the wreckage in the dimming light of the day. The camera panned out, revealing the unforgiving terrain and the hauntingly steep drop.

Most people shivered at the sheer thought of dropping that hard and steep.

The news had been abrupt, catching most by surprise. It also left most of those who had been talking trash about Shelby just earlier remorseful.

They had started the day with the news of the faux marriage between Ian and his devastatingly beautiful wife, so how did the day turn out to be this way?

Various news vans were in sight as well, as they kept giving out diligent reports on what was happening....

"We have some updates, viewers. The four dead people have been identified. The first person is the most famous reporter for the new gossip column. This man is known to be a relentless person when it comes to getting the news. He is the most efficient at his work and it was a sad way for him to exit this world. At least we can say that he died doing what he did best... reporting!"

Before people could understand what that meant, a small clip of the reporter’s car chasing Shelby’s car was played briefly.

This was supposed to give the people more context, but it ended up doing the opposite. It enraged them. Even though there were no cameras at the scene itself and at the edge of the road that led to the cliff, this video gave people all the context they needed. Netizens started typing like crazy to vent their emotions.

"So, this is what happened? WTF! Is this how the news reporting is done? Chasing people!!!!?"

"Do you think that he is the one who chased the car off the cliff?"

"Well, the footage did not show that explicitly, but I bet everything that he did! What a scoundrel?!!!"

"I hope that our poor princess is okay!"

What was not reported was the state in which this reporter was found. It was rare for a dead person to have such fright literally drawn on their face, even after falling from such a height. His body was mainly mangled, and his corpse was barely intact after he was literally carved out of the wreckage. This made the first responders wonder what exactly he had seen to get him in that state, even after death.

The reporter, at the scene of the accident, was oblivious to these online comments as he continued,

"The second person is also confirmed to the cameraman and partner of this first reporter. The two have made waves after waves of breaking stories relating to the gossip columns. Again, our sympathies go to the family."

The reporter tried to keep his composure on what he had seen, but that was not easy,

"Let’s have a minute of silence for the departed...."

"Departed, my foot! I am so angry at these two! WTF!"

"Yes! What assholes! They deserve it!"

"Commenter above should be careful. No matter what they have done, you should not disrespect the dead!"

"Ha! Double standards are so easy to achieve. Your family member was not hounded to death, so you can sit behind your computer and write such nonsense! I bet you that they were hounding our Princess because of that story that broke out this morning.... I don’t know what is more ridiculous!

The fact that anyone believes such nonsense is beyond me! Do you know the Thornstons better than they know themselves? Are you the registrar of marriages? How do you know whether someone’s marriage is valid or not? Did the family ever tell the public of Chairman Ian’s marriage to the other supposed lady?

No one knows for sure, but these two stupid reporters decided to take it into their own hands and cause our Princess to fall off a cliff! A minute of silence for them? Respect the dead?! Pfttt!!!! Did they respect the living?

Did they live by the good ethics of their profession? Can they bring back the lives they have spilt? It’s even good enough that they are not here to answer us! Nonsense! I have never been so pissed in my life! I just turned on my sound system to the highest possible volume! If silence will give them peace, then I want the opposite for them!"

After the comment, the whole news forum fell quiet because no one could disprove this!

"We have confirmed that the other car belonged to the Thornston family and especially Chairman Ian...."

Currey, on the other hand, was at a loss for what to do. He was acting as quickly as he could and had no time to look at his phone. He had, therefore, neglected to inform the family about the incident that was unfolding.

In fact, from Currey’s point of view, he did not have all the facts of what was going on to report back. As an efficient assistant, he was doing his best with what had been presented to him. It did not help that the accident was not enough to quash the initial news outlet, so it was all a mess out there in the news space.

The gossip reached Brad first.

"What the hell!" His eyes were red, as Brad browsed forum open forums and news outlets till he saw the news of the accident.

Brad’s heart dropped, as did his phone. Forgetting about the device, he rushed out of his room. Brad was not thinking straight, for he knew what car Shelby had gone out in that day.

Therefore, he was really flustered and did not even look when he bumped into someone outside his quarters. He rushed away without looking back. At this time, a few hours had passed since the accident. The person he had bumped into, Aliya, looked at his retreating back and smirked.

The expression was picked up by the new maid following her,

"Did you see anything?" Aliya asked quietly,

"No, ma’am... I mean, Miss!"

Aliya nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk away. It had only been a few hours since this maid had been by Aliya’s side, but she had been terrified in too many ways. She was not sure exactly what terrified her about Aliya, but the girl knew that she had to be careful around this person.

"What is it?!" Geneva snapped as Brad rushed into their chambers without knocking.

"Did you forget your manners?" Geneva snapped.

"Forget about manners! Have you seen the news?"

Sensing his son’s unstable emotions, Geneva did not snap at him again.

"No, I haven’t. What is going on?"

A knock sounded right then, and Suzie pushed in.

"Pardon me for the interruption, Ma’am, but we have a problem..."

At this, Alex took off his reading glasses and placed the book he had been reading down.

Brad only spared Suzie a look before he turned the TV on.

"... Keep tuned for more information on this budding story. ....We have also confirmed that two other people have passed away from the other car. The first one is an exclusive driver for Chairman Ian. He is popularly known as Albert, a forty-five-year-old man...."

Geneva’s hand flew instinctively to the back of her head as though trying to steady herself against the sudden dizziness that overtook her. Her knees buckled, and she stumbled backwards, collapsing into the chair she had only moments ago vacated.

Her breath came in shallow gasps, her eyes darting wildly as if searching for something solid to anchor her unraveling thoughts. Albert was an old friend, and the news was too sudden. Judging from both Suzie and Brad’s expressions, this was as startling for them as well.

Alex sat nearby, his face devoid of emotion, but his rigid posture betrayed his inner turmoil. His lips parted slightly as though to speak, yet no words came. The weight of the revelation seemed to press down on him, locking him in place. His eyes stared ahead, unfocused, his mind too startled to grasp the full magnitude of what had just been said.

"Albert will surely be missed. The next victim, who was identified by his fingerprints at the scene, had been identified as Royston. Royston was a high school graduate who made a living out of a mobile van. At the moment, we have no idea how he ended up in this car...."

The reporter continued talking, giving more details. To prevent controversies, the police had omitted the information that Royston was found in the trunk of the car or the state of his body, but that was their first point of investigation,

’How this man got into the trunk.... And what happened to his body.’

The room felt heavy with unspoken emotions, the silence only broken by the faint creak of the chair as Geneva gripped its arms, trying to steady herself. She did not know who this Royston person was, but Suzie did. She clenched her hands, trying not to give any details away.

Geneva’s trembling fingers pressed hard against the worn wood, her mind racing though no coherent thoughts managed to form. Everyone in the room was frozen in their respective states of shock. They seemed momentarily suspended in time, united only by the shared burden of the news that had shattered their world.

"We are still looking at large at the other occupants of the car...." The reporter added,

"Stay tuned for more information. This is ...."

"W-hat does he mean by that? Where is my daughter?! Wasn’t she in that car?!!!!" Geneva roared!

"Where is that son of mine? Brad, call your brother now! Get someone to the scene and find out what is going on!"

Alex pulled out his phone and started to make some calls right then.

At the scene of the accident,

"Over HERE!!!! We have found someone! Over here!!!!!!"

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