Chapter 883
Ruby received no response.
Ronan stood there, stunned by the chaos unfolding before them.
Ruby was still in handcuffs, and the camera flashes were relentless.
Desperately, Ruby scanned the room and locked eyes with Kenneth, who stood frozen. She looked at him as if he were her savior.
"Honey! Honey, please tell them I'm innocent!"
Kenneth stared at Ruby in handcuffs, his mind racing with the police's words.
The police had said that Anouk had turned herself in at Miracalia, confessed, and accused Ruby of orchestrating everything.
How could this be possible?
Kenneth snapped out of his daze and rushed to the police, his face filled with urgency.
"There's gotta be a mistake! My wife is the kindest person. She rescues injured stray cats and dogs, treats Anouk like her own, and is incredibly tolerant of Lilian. How could she possibly instruct Anouk to commit such a heinous act as murdering Lilian? You can't just take her away like this. Are you from the local precinct? I know your chief well. Please wait, I'll call him."
He refused to believe it, thinking it was absurd.
But the police officer looked at him with a sharp, disdainful gaze.
"Mr. Castillo, the facts are clear. We are cooperating with Miracalia police to apprehend the suspect. Whether the two departments will jointly handle the case is a matter for later. Calling our chief now won't change anything. Besides, the victim is your own daughter. Don't you find it inappropriate to obstruct the arrest of the suspect? As a father, don't you want to uncover the truth and seek justice for your daughter? Or are you an accomplice, which is why you're protecting the suspect?"
The officer's words were sharp and loud.
Several media outlets crowded the doorway, their cameras focused on the scene, recording everything.
Kenneth's face turned grim as he instinctively stepped back.
"No, no, I'm not interfering with the investigation or protecting a criminal. It's just hard to believe this is all true. Of course, I care about my daughter."
He turned to look for Lilian.
When he met Lilian's eyes, filled with contempt, he shuddered and quickly looked away.
He said to Ruby, "Ruby, cooperate with the police investigation. If you're truly innocent, I believe they will clear your name."
Ruby's eyes lost their light, leaving only a bleak expression.
The police didn't give her any more time to delay and led her out.
The media went wild, their cameras flashing incessantly, bombarding Ruby with sharp questions.
"Ms. Lawson, do you plead guilty to the charge of attempting to murder Ms. Kelly?"
"Did you consider Ophelia, who is said to be like a sister to you?"
"Did Mr. Lawson know about your actions? Did Mr. Castillo?"
"Why did you want Ms. Kelly dead? Oberon treated you like his own daughter. Don't you feel any shame?"
"Ms. Lawson, do you have anything to say to the public?"
Surrounded by the barrage of voices, Ruby's face turned pale, and her ears buzzed.
Unable to bear it any longer, she glared fiercely at the nearest reporter trying to grab her and shouted angrily, "Shut up!"
Her outburst, so different from her usual gentle and intellectual demeanor, shocked everyone, causing them to step back and stop their questioning.
But Ruby's fierce expression was captured on camera and later sparked a huge controversy and backlash when the news aired.
While some media followed the police and Ruby, others stayed behind.
They seized the opportunity to flood the conference room, bombarding Ronan with questions.
"Mr. Lawson, did you instruct Ms. Lawson to commit these acts?"
"As a father, what do you have to say about your daughter's heinous actions?"
Facing the media cameras and the shareholders' strange looks, Ronan felt dizzy, almost fainting.
He struggled to stay upright, supported by Nathaniel, and bowed deeply to the reporters. When he stood up, he swayed heavily, tears streaming down his face.
"Ruby is my daughter. Regardless of the situation, I bear responsibility for her actions and the negative impact on society. I apologize to everyone. I believe this is a misunderstanding and trust Ruby's innocence. I will hire the best lawyer for her. However, if the police investigation confirms Ruby's guilt, as her father, I will not protect her. She must face the consequences."
He wiped his tears heavily and turned to Oberon and Lilian, bowing deeply again.
"Oberon, Lilian, I apologize on Ruby's behalf. I don't know what else to say."
He was about to bow again when Ambrose stepped forward and stopped him.
Ambrose looked at Ronan with a mocking smile.
"Don't say that. My grandfather and Lilian can't bear the weight of your bow. If you hold a grudge and do something to them, my grandfather's health and Lilian's innocence won't survive another incident."
Ronan's face was filled with innocence and shock. "Ambrose, what do you mean? I understand your suspicion because of Ruby's actions, but I've been friends with Oberon for years. I would never harm him. If I did, let me die a miserable death!"
He grew more agitated, his face reddening with anger and humiliation.
Ambrose scoffed and said, "Is that so? Then let's all watch a video and judge your sincerity."
Ambrose raised his hand slightly, and the conference room screen lit up.
A video began to play, showing Ronan, his son, and Oberon.
Ronan immediately recognized Oberon's study.
"Dad, this…"
Tobias recognized the scene from the day he and Ronan visited Oberon and deliberately revealed Lilian's accident, causing Oberon's illness.
Tobias also remembered that they had delayed Oberon's rescue.
To think there were cameras installed in his own study—it was infuriating.
If this video were played, everyone would see their malicious intent.
Tobias couldn't hold back, his expression urgent as he tugged at Ronan.
Ronan knew all too well what was happening. His head throbbed painfully, but he was helpless.
It was over. They were finished.
He closed his eyes briefly, and Tobias, seeing this, grew even more anxious.
On the screen, Oberon had just taken the phone from Ronan and was about to collapse in anger.
Tobias, in a panic, rushed toward the screen, shouting, "Turn it off! Turn it off now!"
But no one listened. He stood in front of the screen, trying to block it.
"Oh my God, Mr. Kelly was angered to the point of collapse."
"Look at Mr. Kelly slumped in his chair. Mr. Lawson was smiling! How vile. How could they do this?"
"They were trying to kill Mr. Kelly, pretending to look for medicine just to delay calling a doctor!"
"This is no different from murder. This family is terrifying."
The crowd pointed at the screen, their discussions growing louder and more agitated than when the police had taken Ruby away. Seeing was believing, and it stirred their emotions even more.
Tobias heard the murmurs and felt the disdainful, condemning stares.
Realizing he couldn't block the projection, his face reddened as he shouted, "It's not true! We didn't do it on purpose. Stop the video! Turn it off!"
He yelled, trying to explain, and turned to unplug the projector. But as he moved, Ambrose tripped him.
Tobias stumbled and fell.
The crowd around him, though capable of helping, stepped back.
Nathaniel screamed as he hit the ground hard, and in the chaos, someone even kicked him a couple of times.
The video continued, showing Oberon convulsing in his chair while the Lawson family father and son pretended to be shocked, doing nothing to help. Even though Lilian knew Oberon was acting, seeing how the Lawson family used her to provoke Oberon, watching him in such a helpless state, made her feel as if Oberon had almost died that day.
Her face turned pale, and her limbs felt cold.
At that moment, a familiar warm hand took hers, holding it gently.
Jackson's right hand rubbed her cold hand, while his left hand covered her eyes. He leaned in and whispered, "Don't waste your emotions on scum, especially two scum about to be slaughtered."
Jackson's deep, raspy voice brushed against her ear.
His presence enveloped her, bringing warmth and calm. But she also became aware of their surroundings.
So many people were around. What was he doing?!
She struggled slightly, and Jackson, sensing her discomfort, removed his hand from her eyes.
But he didn't let go of her hand, holding it even tighter.
He wouldn't let go, and Lilian didn't want to struggle too much, drawing more attention.
Glancing around nervously, she saw that everyone's focus was on the screen, not on her and Jackson.
Relieved, she gave Jackson a playful glare and let him be.
Lilian thought no one noticed, but Oberon, sitting beside her, had seen everything.
Watching their small gestures, Oberon's mustache twitched in irritation.
After a moment, the video ended, and Tobias got up, returning to Ronan's side, looking disheveled.
Oberon finally turned to Ronan and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"
Ronan's face was ashen, but he maintained his composure, smiling calmly. "Oberon, I don't understand why you had Ambrose show this video. I visited you out of concern that day. When you fell ill, Tobias and I were terrified and panicked. What does this prove? If you think Tobias and I intended to harm you, call the police. Let them investigate us. I just didn't expect that after all these years of loyalty to the company, you would doubt my intentions like this."
Ronan shook his head, clutching his chest, looking deeply hurt and wronged.
He didn't care if others believed him.
He would insist it was an accident, that he had no ill intentions. The video alone wasn't enough to prove anything.
That's why Oberon played the video here instead of calling the police.
Ronan knew this well. He was confident that as long as he didn't admit anything, Oberon couldn't do much.
Seeing his shamelessness, Oberon's expression didn't change.
He looked at Ronan and nodded. "Ronan, if you can believe your own words, that's fine. Now, let's discuss how you deliberately spread rumors about my illness, causing the media to sensationalize it and leading to a drop in Kelly Group's stock price."
Oberon's words caused another uproar among the shareholders.
This directly affected their interests.
Ronan, agitated, said, "Why would I do that? I hold the most shares in the company. It would harm my own interests. I know you're unhappy that I was temporarily chosen to take over the company. If you want me to leave Kelly Group, just say the word. There's no need to slander me."
Ronan's words were a blatant reversal.
He implied that Oberon was uncomfortable with him being chosen as the new chairman and wanted to drive him out, even if it meant slandering him.
Ronan glanced at Atlas and a few others.
They were the first to support him and had their own secrets in his hands.
If Oberon dealt with the Lawson family, he would come after them next.
Ronan was signaling that they were in this together, to stand united.
Understanding this, they stepped forward to defend Ronan.
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