Chapter 139 The Murderer
Ophelia steadied her nerves as the server brought her coffee. She picked up the mug, intending to sip it slowly, but nearly lost her grip when the heat seared her lips.
That was a misstep.
Wincing from the burn but maintaining her composure, Ophelia put the coffee back down and mustered a smile. "Ms. Celia, talking prices breaks all the rules. We're all young here, just having some fun. Who would take it seriously? If money gets involved, then ethics go out the window. Besides, if you turn around and accuse me of extortion, I'd be so wronged."
Celia was taken aback; she had expected a heartfelt proclamation of love between Ophelia and her son, an attempt to elevate the stakes, or at least a swift taking of money and departure.
Who knew Ophelia would claim it was all just for fun?
Immediately, Celia's temper flared. "You're just playing with my son? What's with girls these days, having no shame or modesty? I'll make sure my son sees your true colors."
Ophelia laughed. "Ms. Celia, that strikes me as a double standard. Men can play, but women can't?"
The color drained from Celia's face, leaving it ashen. In her eyes, Ophelia was an unreserved woman, a frivolous person who could never be a part of the Abbott family.
It was fortunate, she reflected, that she had pried the truth from Caspian, or else she might have been kept in the dark, and her son would be deceived by such a siren.
"You're despicable," Celia seethed. "Thank goodness I found out in time, otherwise my son would have fallen into your trap. Ophelia, listen to me, whatever your intentions, be they feigned or insincere, drop them now. My daughter-in-law will certainly be the heiress of Parks Corporation, not some nobody who appeared out of nowhere. The families have already agreed to a marriage."
Heiress of Parks Corporation?
At those words, Ophelia was shaken.
Was Celia's favored daughter-in-law-to-be Niamh?
The Parks family and the Abbott family were indeed well-matched.
Ophelia had long sensed that to join the Abbott family, one must be of equal social standing, and there was no way it could be her—a woman of no significant background who had even recently lost her job.
What she hadn’t anticipated was that Niamh would be the one.
Ophelia suddenly remembered the night of her birthday when Lina called Finnegan and mentioned Miss Parks. It turned out that Miss Parks in question was the same one she knew: Niamh Parks. It was also Niamh's birthday. There had been rumors that Niamh's boyfriend was going to propose on her birthday, and now it clicked: Finnegan was the boyfriend in those rumors. When Ophelia had brought it up with Finnegan, he must have known, but he didn't say a thing. Maybe he was just fooling around, perhaps he was always meant to return to his own social circle to marry someone of equal standing.
It was Celia's words that brought Ophelia back to reality. After Celia had left, Ophelia sat in the coffee shop for a long time, her coffee growing cold, and she was uncertain of what to do next.
Suddenly, it began to rain outside. Ophelia looked through the window, thinking that she was extremely unlucky that day. She had lost her job and was humiliated by her boyfriend's mother. She couldn't imagine things getting much worse, but they did.
When Ophelia got home, soaking wet, she had just changed her clothes when the doorbell rang. If it had been Finnegan, he would have used his key, not the doorbell. Confused, Ophelia went to the door only to find two police officers standing there. "We're from the North End Police Station, and we suspect you're involved in a murder case. Please come with us for an investigation," one of them said.
Murder? Ophelia was stunned.
"Hold on, officers, there must be some mistake. Why would I be involved in a murder? Who would I have killed? I haven't done anything," she protested.
"The heiress of Parks Corporation, Niamh, was in a car accident an hour ago. Her car's brakes were tampered with, leading to brake failure," the officer explained. "According to the victim, she had a dispute with you. She fired you, and then the accident happened soon after. There's reason to believe you could have sought revenge."
Ophelia wanted to curse Niamh. She harbored no revenge against Niamh – what kind of person did Niamh think she was?
"Officers, this has to be a misunderstanding. I swear I haven't done anything. It wasn't me; I don't have the guts for that," Ophelia explained.
"Please come to the station to assist with the investigation. Whether it was you or not, we will find out," the officer stated firmly.
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