Chapter 191: THE RESULT
Hazel had been burning with fever all night. They needed to be careful due to her pregnancy.
"You need to look at yourself in the mirror; you are very scary. I will get a fever too, if I have to be in the same room with you," Lucian commented when he came to check on Ranon.
Ares was handling another problem, and couldn’t come to check on what happened in the factory. Ever since Ranon refused to deal with the company matters, the two of them were extremely busy to the point that they were contemplating resigning.
Why would they be there when Ranon was not? They only agreed to work with the company because of him.
All the board members were very dissatisfied because Ranon mixed family problems with the company, yet Ranon didn’t budge. They couldn’t even protest about it.
"Check with Roland; who is the dead body in the river?" Ranon ignored Lucian’s comment as he dragged him out so he wouldn’t disturb Hazel’s sleep. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, crossing his arms.
Roland was Ranon’s man in the police department; he was also the one who had been dealing with the previous case that involved Hazel.
"Is there anything I need to know more about this?" Lucian frowned; he became serious. He stared at the closed door. "Is it something to do with her?"
Ares had been very furious with Ranon when he learned about Hazel’s involvement and the fact that she could kill someone.
’She can kill you, too!’
That was his argument which was not wrong. Lucian also thought Hazel was very unpredictable, and it was no longer fun to figure her out, even though his reaction was not as strong as Ares’s.
"No." Ranon’s brows furrowed.
"Are you sure?" Lucian pressed the matter.
"No." He was not sure whether Hazel had any involvement in this case.
Seeing his reaction, Lucian could only sigh. "I used to think the two of you were very compatible with each other." There was regret in his eyes. "But I think you had better stay away from her." He grimaced when he continued. "It’s a relief that she doesn’t want the primary custody of your baby. Did she change her mind about this?"
"No."
It seemed Ranon’s vocabulary had reduced to one word, and Lucian saw how distracted he was. "Did you change your mind about this arranged marriage?"
This was the real question he wanted to ask. He had known Ranon for so long; thus, he knew how determined he could be when he wanted something.
And if he wanted her... He wouldn’t know any better.
If he had to go through fire, he would go for it once he wanted something. The same logic applied to the women in his life.
Ema was the proof of it.
Ever since that girl was angry with Ranon because he defended her and got himself into jail, Ares and Lucian didn’t feel comfortable with her upright morals.
But later on, they learned she had none.
"No."
"Good." Lucian sighed in relief. They could forget about Hazel once everything was over. They had prepared for the divorce since Hazel was going to give birth soon.
At the latest, the divorce would start by the end of this year.
They should have staged something so the divorce wouldn’t feel too sudden; but as to what happened, they couldn’t discuss it yet.
"I will go to check on it," Lucian finally said. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but the look on Ranon’s face told him that was not a good idea. "I will inform you right away."
***
Deryl had been staying in his study room. His conversation with Jack kept ringing in his mind.
Against his better judgment, he went behind Arthur’s back to see him. It could be a trap, and Jack could kill him, but he gave him an offer that it was hard for Deryl to reject right away.
His loyalty collided with his personal benefit.
’Are you going to stay in a sinking ship?’
That was Jack’s question. The analogy was right. Arthur had been very distraught since River went missing; and not only that, he was akin to a sword that had lost its edge.
The failed attempt to kill Ranon was a huge drawback to his reputation, and now Deryl was thinking about it.
In a common business, once you had a setback, you would only lose your money. But in this kind of business, there was a high chance you would lose your life as well.
Just like a predator that lost its strength, the small animals would gather to devour you up, and now Arthur was in that process.
He had lost his touch in his work.
Once the word got out, he was going to endanger people around him. After all, he had accumulated many enemies, which was expected.
Many would love to see him fall and get a few chunks of him, and Deryl was going to share the affliction as well if he stayed.
His sons would be an easy target, since they had gathered their enemies’ wrath along with every successful mission they had done.
The only way for Arthur was if he managed to get River back.
However, Deryl had a feeling the success rate for that was close to impossible. River would have appeared a long time ago and made her move if she really wanted to take revenge.
But it was not clear what she had been planning; and now this news about the dead body in the river...
Deryl was too preoccupied with his own thoughts until he didn’t realize his first son had entered the room. Kyle walked towards his father with a sour expression.
He was the second best after River, but because of the injuries from his last mission, he couldn’t take part in Ranon’s assassination attempt.
Even now, he was still recuperating and was still out of missions.
"The result is here," Kyle said. He sat down in front of his father. He had buzz-cut hair and a lean build. He had lost some weight over the last few months.
And if you looked closely, you would realize the missing pinky finger of his left hand.
Kyle put down a single paper on the table. "I got a copy of the result." He had pulled his connections to get this. It was not difficult, but it was always bothersome dealing with it. It would always be easier to kill in Kyle’s case.
"How is it?" Deryl stared at the paper; he didn’t even move to read it.
"The dead body is a woman around the age of early thirties or late twenties," he said lightly, but there was a complicated look in his eyes because he knew the implication behind it. "Do you think it’s her?"
Deryl didn’t answer his question immediately. He narrowed his eyes at the paper, as if it was going to disappear before his eyes, and then he decided to take a look at it.
"What is Arthur doing now?"
Kyle knew his father was going to ask, so he had looked into it beforehand. "He is going to conduct a secret, thorough check on the body."
Deryl nodded.
So, even Arthur had thought of the possibility too...
If the DNA matched, then there was no mistake; the body was River’s, since Arthur only had two daughters.
But when Deryl read the result, he frowned. There was something not right with the timing...
"Four months?"
The report stated that the death occurred approximately four months ago.
However, for the past few months, they were sure River was still alive. She had been in contact with Hazel and even gave them a hint that she would come.
"This is... weird."
***
The body was not in good condition when they found it. Therefore, it took them a longer time to get the result.
"The result is out, right?" Hazel asked Ranon in her hoarse voice. Her blood pressure spiked, and it was a dangerous condition for a pregnant woman.
Ranon handed over the paper, then Hazel skimmed through it. She saw the cause of death. It was from suffocation; she was drawn, and also there was a bullet that pierced through her chest.
The bullet...
She couldn’t believe this...
It was her body. Hazel felt a weird feeling. She knew she was dead. It was a miracle that she was still alive in a different body.
However, to see the result of it... She felt as if she was being killed once again.
There were a lot of emotions going through her mind at the moment. Should she cry? Should she be angry? But the result was as expected.
Ranon didn’t have any idea what was in Hazel’s mind, but he didn’t disturb her with her line of thought. He quietly observed her.
This news seemed to devastate her for no reason.
Currently, he was paying close attention to Arthur’s movement as he conducted a secret DNA test on the body, which was not a secret at all, since several people had already learned about it, too.
"I want to see the body," Hazel said.
The request was absurd, but she couldn’t help it. Without Ranon’s help, it would be impossible.
Hazel found Ranon staring at her, and then she shook her head. "Never mind." Her grip on the paper tightened.
"Do you want to see the body?" Ranon stood up. "I will take you if the doctor says you can be discharged."