Chapter 651 The Calm Before The Storm
The policewoman exchanged glances with her colleague before revealing. “It’s your grandmother, Mrs. Lazuli.”
With a light furrow of her brows, Christina asked, “What happened to her?”
“Earlier tonight, there was a significant car accident near the Gibson residence involving Mrs. Lazuli,” the policewoman said solemnly. “Based on the evidence found at the scene, there were no signs of braking. and the driver responsible for the accident has fled. The initial investigation points toward it being an intentional homicide. We understand that there have been some recent unpleasant interactions between you, Ms. Steele, and Mrs. Lazuli. Therefore, we need to gather further information from you to accelerate the progress of the case.”
Azure was a decisive and cautious woman and had a knack for manipulating people’s emotions. In her daily interactions, she always maintained an elegant and graceful demeanor. Apart from herself, Christina couldn’t think of anyone else whom her grandmother might have offended in the past.
Christina, having done nothing wrong, maintained a calm expression as she looked into the policewoman’s eyes. The relationship between my grandmother and me deteriorated due to disagreements over dividing the family a*sets. Although we had a few unpleasant arguments, it never reached a point where I would harm her.”
The policewoman continued to inquire, “Could you please share your schedule for today?”
“I was at the hospital visiting my father this morning until this afternoon. There are surveillance cameras at the hospital that you can check…
Christina meticulously recounted every place she had been and everything she had done throughout the day to the policewoman, sparing no details. She even called Lyle over to be her witness but deliberately concealed the interaction that took place between her and Yerek.
“Could we look around your garage, Ms. Steele?” the policewoman suddenly requested.
“Of course. Please come with me,” Christina responded. Without further inquiry, she personally guided the two police officers to the garage.
As they entered the garage, they were greeted by a collection of luxury cars, all acquired by Timothy for Christina. Besides the regularly-used black Mercedes-Benz, the rest of the luxury vehicles remained untouched, and each car was meticulously covered with dust covers, preserved in pristine condition.
Christina instructed the butler to remove all the dust covers, enabling the police officers to inspect the vehicles more easily.
The two police officers carefully searched the vehicles but did not discover any significant evidence. They bid their farewells and promptly departed.
After instructing the butler to escort the guests out, Christina returned to the living room. There, she directed Lyle, saying, “Find out exactly what happened with Mrs. Lazuli’s car accident. I expect to have all the details within half an hour.”
Lyle wasted no time and swiftly embarked on his task.
During the wait, Christina replied to Rayne’s message, rea*suring her not to worry.
She then proceeded to persistently dial Nathaniel’s phone number but to no avail. His phone remained unreachable, and none of her messages received a response.
Christina tried contacting Sebastian instead. While her call did go through, there was no answer from the other end.
This heightened Christina’s anxiety even more. She made a firm mental note, resolute in her determination to extract information about Nathaniel’s whereabouts from Lyle as soon as he returned.
A popular romance drama played on the television in the living room, but Christina had no interest in watching it. Her mind was consumed by other concerns, leaving her unable to focus on the show.
Half an hour later, Lyle returned with the information. “Mrs. Lazuli had a car accident near the Gibson residence. The car involved in the incident is the same make and model as the Mercedes-Benz you regularly use. Due to the poor lighting conditions at the accident site and the ongoing adjustments to the surveillance equipment in that area, the nearby surveillance cameras were unable to capture the identity of the hit-and-run driver. However, the police gathered information from individuals who revealed that Mrs. Lazuli had visited you several times, and there were witnesses who saw her being a*saulted in your office.”
Christina tapped the armrest of the couch rhythmically as her thoughts raced.
The individuals most likely to harbor ill intentions toward Mrs. Lazuli, aside from Nigel and his son, are Anya and Macy. However, Nigel is in custody, unable to save himself, let alone orchestrate such a plot. Moreover, Mrs. Lazuli is his mother, making it highly improbable for him to be driven to the point of madness where he would hire someone to commit murder.
Christina had just reached an agreement with Yerek, and the man wouldn’t be so foolish as to create trouble for himself. Therefore, the primary suspect, who not only had the strongest motive to harm Azure but also stood to benefit from framing others, was none other than Anya
Mrs. Lazuli’s misfortune is not a mere coincidence. Her relationship with Anya has changed, and there’s a possibility that Mrs. Lazuli possesses undisclosed knowledge of certain secrets about Anya, which could have led to her being silenced. On the other hand, Macy is simply a woman who enjoys a life of wealth and luxury, and it seems unlikely that she would have the audacity to cause harm to Mrs. Lazuli.
With those thoughts in her mind, Christina instructed Lyle. “Find out what Anya has been up to recently.” Her eyes were fixed on him unwaveringly as her words hung in the air. As the silence stretched on without any response from Christina, Lyle’s confusion grew, accompanied by a growing sense of unease.
Lyle, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, mustered up the courage and asked, “Mrs. Hadley, is there anything else you need?”
“There is,” came Christina’s blunt response. “What are Nathaniel and Sebastian doing overseas? If you can’t provide me with a clear answer today, I’ll simply drag this out and keep you here until I get what I want.”
She refused to give the man a chance to dismiss the matter.
Knowing that this day would come sooner or later, Kyle carefully considered his words before responding, “The Hadley family is involved in a wide range of businesses overseas, including military and arms trade. Two weeks ago, our shipment was hijacked in Erihal. The perpetrators not only demanded a substantial ransom of one billion in Anglandurn currency but also requested for Mr. Hadley to personally negotiate
with them.
“Erihal is technologically underdeveloped, especially in remote areas where communication facilities are often damaged. The chosen negotiation venue is situated in the mountains. Our team experienced a loss of contact with Mr. Hadley due to poor signal.”
A sudden pang of tightness gripped Christina’s chest, causing her voice to tremble slightly as she anxiously inquired. “And what about now? Did something happen to Nathaniel and Sebastian?”
Lyle furrowed his brow, remaining silent for a long while before continuing. “Our people who are stationed in Erihal are working diligently to investigate the situation. Please try not to worry too much, Mrs. Hadley. For those who frequent Erihal, no news is often considered good news,”
It was then Christina finally realized that Nathaniel had kept this from her because of the inherent risks of the mission.
“Before leaving, Mr. Hadley instructed me to keep a close eye on you and prevent any interaction between you and Mr. Stone.” Lyle pondered for a moment before adding, “Mr. Hadley and Mr. Stone are business competitors, and the most evident proof of their discord lies in the rivalry of their respective businesses in Erihal.”
“Are you suggesting that the issues encountered by the Hadley family could potentially be orchestrated by the Stone family?” Christina daringly speculated.
“We can’t rule out that possibility. After all, if the Stones manage to push the Hadleys out of their position. as the top business in Erihal, the Stones can take their place,” Lyle didn’t provide a definite answer but rather spoke in a vague manner.
The newfound knowledge forced Christina to weigh her options. “I can’t completely cut ties with Sheridan at the moment. If I want to deal with Nigel and Yerek, Sheridan will be of great a*sistance to me.”
“Mr. Hadley is aware that you intend to use the Stone family to deal with Nigel and his son, which is why he isn’t insisting on you staying away from Mr. Stone. Also, he left you something.”
