Chapter 128: Chapter 128
As Michael quietly opened the door, the sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of flowers that his mother had left behind in a lovely-looking vase on the nearby table.
He took a deep breath before approaching the bed, his feet padding against the cold linoleum floor.
He stopped before his sister’s body, the sight of her looking so pale and vulnerable sending a sharp pain through his chest. Her normally vivid face, though often wearing a serious expression, was now bruised and pale.
It stirred up a myriad of emotions within him: guilt, anger, sadness, and helplessness.
Michael pulled up a chair and sat down at her bedside, his arms unconsciously gripping the armrests. He watched her face, longing for some sign of consciousness. Anything at all.
But she remained still, the steady beep of the heart monitor the only sound in the dimly lit hospital room.
He hadn’t watched her for this long before. Everything had happened too fast, honestly.
Now, he noticed that her body was covered in bruises and cuts, yet she looked almost peaceful amid the tangle of tubes and wires that kept her alive.
Michael rubbed his eyes wearily, the chaos of recent events weighing heavily on him. One moment he was working on documents, and the next he received a call about his sister’s car accident.
Shortly thereafter, he was arrested in his own office for attempted murder… of his own sister.
Remembering his father’s anger and suspicious look during the interrogation, Michael felt a deep sense of disappointment. Perhaps also a twinge of sadness.
Despite their strained relationship, he had never considered harming his sister. It was unfortunate that his own father could even think that Michael could do such a thing.
His mind drifted back to the interrogation room where the revelation of Grady’s unexpected accusation had left him reeling.
‘Did they somehow break Grady?’ Michael wondered. He still couldn’t believe that the older man could betray him like this.
Then again, after 19 hours of interrogation, maybe they had.
And he couldn’t shake the feeling that Grady had been coerced.
The mere thought made the simmering resentment inside him grow.
“I’m going to find out who did this to you,” he promised Joanna’s sleeping form, clenching his fists in determination. “Whatever the cost, whatever it takes, I swear I will make them pay.”
***
When he finally left the hospital room, he suddenly received a text message. He pulled out his phone and checked it.
To his surprise, it was from someone that he probably should’ve expected.
Come to think of it… she had been trying to reach him for the past 24 hours, hadn’t she?
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Camille: Noah, this is urgent. I need you to stop a man as soon as possible today. The man has red hair and brown eyes with a scar on his chin. He’s about six feet tall and has a thin build. He may try to disguise himself. Please hurry. He is the culprit.
Camille: And please don’t tell anyone that I’m the one who gave you this description. Please.
-
The contents of the text message were so unexpected that Michael had to read it twice to make sure that he was seeing it correctly.
While he was still trying to process this information, Camille suddenly sent him two more texts.
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Camille: I know it isn’t you.
Camille: You would never do such a thing.
-
Her words struck a chord inside him, and Michael suddenly felt as if all the tension had been released from his body.
His shoulders slumped, and his eyes softened as he typed out a simple reply.
-
Michael: Thank you for believing in me.
-
He knew that it would be strange of him to suddenly follow her words without solid evidence, but something about this just spurned him into action.
Camille was never the type to play pranks or cruel jokes on him, especially in a serious situation like this one.
Which meant that she was telling the truth, and he needed to hurry.
Just like she believed in him sincerely, he did the same.
***
Michael got right to work. Since Grady wasn’t around, he had to take care of everything from now on.
At his family’s house, he walked into Will’s room, startling his brother.
Will stared at him in surprise. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked, obviously startled.
The look in Michael’s eyes was something that Will hadn’t seen in a long time.
Ever since Michael had decided to take over the family business, he had worked hard, but there had been no real drive or passion.
And ever since they found out about Joanna, Michael had become even more closed off and cold than before.
But now, there seemed to be hope and determination in his little brother’s eyes, and Will realized that something important must have happened.
“I need your help, Will,” Michael said suddenly. “Can you help me out?”
“Of course. Just tell me what you need,” Will replied immediately.
Michael looked slightly relieved, as if he had expected his brother to refuse, which was not something Will would do at all.
“I need your help contacting all the airlines in town,” Michael told him. “I found a lead in the case.”
Will’s eyes widened. “What lead? The police haven’t told us anything.”
“The suspect is said to have red hair, brown eyes, and a prominent scar on his chin,” Michael explained. “And he’s planning to leave the country as soon as possible today, so we have to hurry.”
“Hold on, hold on,” Will said hastily, taking him gently by the arm. “How do you know this information is legitimate? Are you talking about the unknown man who spoke to Grady that day? Who told you about it?”
Michael was silent for a moment.
Will continued, “CCTV didn’t get a good angle on the man’s face, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t a redhead. Grady’s refusing to give a description to the police, so how—”
“The person who told me is very trustworthy,” Michael said quietly. “So don’t worry. It’s definitely credible.”
Will made no response. A weighty pause followed, and then he said slowly, “The one who informed you… they should be involved in this somehow, right? Otherwise…”
“No,” Michael said immediately, shaking his head. “That’s not possible.”
Will looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, we can think about that later. We need to get ahead of this before the trail gets cold. Now tell me what you need.”
Michael exhaled slowly. “Contact every airport, airline, cab company. Anyone who can keep an eye out for a man like the one described. Detain him if possible until I can get there. Tell them it’s urgent and that there’s a potential suspect on the loose. Even if he’s wearing a face mask, as long as the hair and eyes are the same, he’s suspicious. He might be hiding the scar.”
“Consider it done,” Will said, his tone brooking no argument. “I’ll have my people spread out within the hour. Since you’re being watched right now, I’ll be in charge temporarily. But I’ll go with you if you ever leave—”
Suddenly, at that moment, the door slammed open to reveal John McGregor with a thunderous expression on his face.
“Where do you think you’re going?” John demanded without further ado.
Michael gave him a cool look. “I’m going out, and I’m taking the car with me. I have a lead to follow, and Will is helping me.”
“The hell you are!” John erupted. “You’re not going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this attack on your sister! The public is watching your every move. You can’t just run off like this!”