Chapter 582 It's a Message from Mom
Elodie stared at the report. The doctor's name on it was indeed her family's doctor back then, but she couldn't tell if the report was legit.
Arthur shoved a pile of letters her way and said, "These are Gavin's last words to you. When he knew he didn't have much time left, he started writing letters. By the time of the accident, he had written eighteen of them."
With trembling hands, Elodie opened the letters. The handwriting was definitely Gavin's.
Every word showed Gavin's reluctance and worry for Elodie.
Gavin wasn't worried about himself; he was most concerned about how Elodie would manage after they were gone and if anyone would mess with her.
After reading all the letters, Elodie broke down, crying uncontrollably, like she was drowning in her own tears, the sadness just kept spreading.
Arthur couldn't quite grasp Elodie's pain and sneered, "I think they died happy. At least your mom didn't know she had cancer until the end."
Elodie looked at Arthur in disbelief, like he was some cold-blooded monster. "You killed them to make them happy, and I should be grateful?"
Arthur squinted slightly and said, "Shouldn't you be? Otherwise, you'd have to watch them suffer and be burdened by them. I did this to help you!"
Elodie couldn't take it anymore. She felt like she was the reason her parents died.
If she hadn't been so involved with Arthur, her parents wouldn't have been killed by him under the guise of helping her.
Even if her parents were really sick, at least there would've been a chance to say goodbye. Elodie would've had time to do things with them, instead of facing a sudden loss.
No words were left, only regrets that would never go away.
"Elodie, you're too fragile," Arthur said. "I told you the truth, and you still can't handle it."
Elodie crawled backward bit by bit, trying to get away from Arthur, muttering, "Arthur, you're a monster!"
Arthur walked closer step by step, then slowly squatted down, "Elodie, I'm doing this for your own good. Why can't you understand?"
He seemed really troubled.
Elodie suddenly noticed someone sitting in the chair on the other side of the glass behind Arthur.
It was Elodie's doctor, Elara.
At this moment, Elara wasn't breathing, her mouth torn open, eyes wide open.
It was clear she had suffered something really painful before she died.
Elodie pointed at the glass and screamed.
Arthur glanced back and then said indifferently, "My bad. I didn't check what kind of person she was."
"You..." Elodie felt like her throat was being torn apart, too painful to speak, the terror almost drowning her.
She was in so much pain that her body convulsed. Arthur would kill everyone around her.
"You shouldn't have let her help you. Her greed was her downfall. That sapphire necklace is now part of her body—consider it my farewell gift to her," Arthur said nonchalantly.
He savored Elodie's fear, wanting her to be so terrified that she wouldn't dare to run away again.
Elodie heard Arthur mention the sapphire necklace and looked at Elara's torn mouth, piecing things together.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her.
Elodie vomited uncontrollably, bile mixed with blood.
But Arthur wasn't done. He knew that psychological abuse was far more lasting than physical pain.
He wanted her to remember, never to betray him again!
Arthur said, "Jasper, your clever son, managed to find Elara. Unfortunately, by then, Elara was already dead."
"Don't hurt him!" Elodie lunged at Arthur, grabbing his collar and shouting, "I'll kill you!"
But Arthur easily subdued her, pinning her to the ground.
Arthur cruelly continued, "He got shot because he was looking for Elara for you."
Elodie couldn't even scream anymore; she was completely shattered.
Her parents were killed by Arthur to "help" her get rid of the burden.
Elara was dead because she helped pass messages for her.
And Jasper got shot looking for her, his fate uncertain.
Everyone Elodie loved and those who helped her suffered because of her.
They shouldn't have suffered; it was all because of her!
Elodie curled up, trying to lessen the heart-wrenching pain.
But it didn't help. The pain came from deep within, from her self-loathing.
Elodie began to wonder if she even deserved to be alive.
Arthur stood up, looking down at her, "Elodie, I believe if you have time, you'll figure out what's right, what's wrong, and what mistakes shouldn't be made!"
Elodie, with vacant eyes, muttered, "It's not your fault, it's my fault. I..."
She paused, then very softly said, "should die."
When Arthur realized something was wrong, he saw blood pouring from Elodie's mouth.
It was like a switch had been flipped, releasing a torrent of blood.
Arthur squatted down in horror, holding Elodie tightly in his arms, shouting, "Elodie!"
But the Elodie in his arms could no longer respond.
After a long silence, Arthur, like a madman, picked up Elodie and rushed out.
This was the second time he felt true fear.
The last time he was this scared was when Elodie jumped off the balcony!
Elodie was like a deflated doll, limp in Arthur's arms, her eyes closed.
"Elodie, don't sleep, talk to me." Arthur's voice trembled with nervousness; he had never been this scared.
Jasper woke up on the third day.
Just as Vincent had predicted, the person was only scaring Jasper, not trying to kill him.
It was just a warning to stop digging, or they'd pay the price!
But Jasper was pleased; it meant they were getting closer to the truth.
The hope of finding Elodie was growing stronger.
Seeing Jasper engrossed in studying Elara's social connections, Harper advised him to rest more.
After all, it had only been a few days since he was shot, and it would take at least three months to heal.
Jasper seemed to listen but kept discussing plans with Vincent in private.
They focused on the noble families Elara had treated, eventually zeroing in on Arthur.
However, they didn't know what connection Arthur had with Elodie.
Jasper called Clayton, and after a long pause, Clayton revealed an unknown story.
After hearing the story, both Harper and Jasper were shocked!
Arthur had such a deep entanglement with Elodie!
If that were the case, it was almost certain that Elodie's disappearance was related to Arthur.
Maybe, at this very moment, Elodie was being hidden by Arthur in Emerald Isle.
With this thought, Harper and Jasper were overjoyed.
Finally, they were getting closer to seeing Elodie.
But after the joy came the harsh reality: how were they going to search Arthur's villa?
Emerald Isle was not like Northfield. Even in Northfield, without solid evidence and a search warrant, they couldn't easily search a suspect's house.
The nobles of Emerald Isle were protected by laws that allowed them to kill intruders.
If they forced their way in, a confrontation would be inevitable, and the outcome would be unpredictable.
Arthur's strength was formidable, with many well-trained soldiers under his command.
Moreover, Emerald Isle had no restrictions on firearms and ammunition, and the nobles' stockpiles were comparable to a police station.
So if they went up against Arthur's armed forces, it would be a complete suicide mission.
After much thought, they decided to use cunning.
They planned to find a reason to lure Arthur out and then sneak into his house to search.
But this was also difficult. They didn't know whether Arthur would accept the invitation, and even if he did, the guards he left at home would be hard to deal with.
Moreover, Jasper's current physical condition didn't allow him to undertake such tasks.
They had to temporarily put these plans on hold. Clayton, upon learning of the situation, felt powerless.
Clayton wanted to save Elodie, but his health was deteriorating year by year, and he was constantly on medication, making it impossible for him to rescue anyone.
Additionally, Emerald Isle had very strict entry checks for outsiders. A few people might pass, but bringing a large group would fail the entry checks.
Clayton suggested they find Rhodes, who had been abroad for years and had many connections.
If it was to save Elodie, Rhodes would likely be willing to help.
Harper didn't quite get the relationship between Elodie and all these men.
But given Elodie's beauty, it made sense that so many guys would be into her.
Harper, having inherited Elodie's looks, sometimes felt that being too beautiful wasn't always a good thing.
The night they contacted Rhodes, he arrived in Emerald Isle as quickly as possible.
Rhodes had built significant connections abroad over the years, making the complicated entry procedures a breeze for him.
By morning, Rhodes showed up at Harper's temporary place. Harper didn't expect him to come so quickly, and Vincent wasn't there, almost exposing their fake marriage.
Luckily, Rhodes was too focused on Elodie to question why Harper and Vincent, as newlyweds, weren't living together.
After getting all the info about Elodie from Jasper, Rhodes disappeared.
Three days later, Rhodes reappeared.
He told Jasper and Harper, "I've checked out the villa. There's no sign of anything suspicious. Everything points to Arthur living alone, with no trace of a woman or any female belongings."
Jasper and Harper were stunned! It was just impossible!
How could a living person leave no trace at all?
Rhodes frowned, "Has anyone actually seen Elodie?"
Jasper shook his head, "No one has seen her."
Their investigation was mostly based on speculation, especially Elara's purchase of medicine.
No one had seen Elodie alive.
This meant they couldn't even confirm if Elodie was alive or dead, putting them at a standstill.
Arthur's villa was unlike any other place. Rhodes' first investigation went unnoticed, but that didn't mean he could come and go freely.
At that moment, Rhodes received a call from Francis in Northfield.
Rhodes put the call on speaker, "Francis."
Francis, knowing Rhodes was investigating Elodie, provided an important clue. "All of Arthur's houses have a large basement."
Harper was stunned to hear Francis' voice.
So he had been secretly investigating this all along?
Rhodes explained that the vagrant who had previously investigated Arthur's house abroad was arranged by Francis.
After the first failed investigation, Francis didn't give up and continued to stake out. Finally, he found an opportunity to send someone in again.
They discovered that the place was being dug up and the basement was being filled in.
Obviously, these basements must have contained something incriminating, and Arthur had destroyed most of them abroad. Now, the only one left was here in Emerald Isle.
However, the location of this basement was still unknown.
As everyone was at a loss, Harper's receiver suddenly started flashing.
She exclaimed, and everyone looked over. Harper was holding a small, button-like receiver that was flashing continuously.
Harper, with tears in her eyes, said, "It's Mom..."
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