Chapter 22

In Scarlett's perspective:

He continued, but I couldn't hear anything.

In an instant, I felt my world crumbled. The phone slipped from my hand as the voice faded into the distance. 

"Ma'am, are you listening?" The voice on the other end of the line came through again, but I didn't dare to pick up the phone.

"Okay, we got it." Lucas must have sensed something was amiss with me and promptly reached for the phone.

He got the details from the man on the other end and then hung up.

But I was still immersed in the shock of Olivia's death, unable to snap out of it.

It was unthinkable. Olivia was alive and well yesterday, looking after me when I was unwell. How could she die overnight?

I kept wiping my tears, trying to stop crying, but they flowed uncontrollably, blurring my vision.

"Stay at home. I'll handle this." Lucas must have noticed that my state was a bit off. He helped me lie down on the bed and covered me with a blanket.

"No!" I immediately threw off the blanket and sat up. "I can't leave Olivia alone in the hospital!"

Olivia was like a mother to me, always looking after me. Now that she was gone, how could I rest peacefully?

"Alright. I'll go with you." To my surprise, Lucas didn't refuse me again. He nodded and helped me out of bed. I anticipated having to persuade Lucas further before he would allow me to depart. 

Upon our arrival at the hospital morgue, we encountered a large, disorderly crowd.

"What's going on?" I looked at them, feeling a bit puzzled.

Among them were police officers, doctors, and Alexander with his bodyguards. 

How was Alexander connected to this?

I became increasingly suspicious and looked around cautiously.

"Scarlett, I..." Alexander saw me and immediately walked over.

Lucas prevented Alexander from approaching me, quietly pushing him aside.

"Are you Olivia's family?" A doctor saw me and pushed through the crowd to approach.

"Yes. Where's Olivia?" I nodded immediately and asked.

The doctor just sighed and turned towards the morgue.

I followed him until I stopped in front of Olivia's bed.

Upon seeing Olivia covered with a white cloth, her face pale and bloodless, I felt weakness in my limbs and my vision began to blur.

"Can I see her?" I pointed to the shriveled body under the white cloth, my voice catching in my throat.

"You need to be mentally prepared," The doctor held a corner of the cloth and warned me repeatedly, "Her condition is quite tragic."

Then he lifted the cloth, and my stomach churned, almost making me vomit.

Olivia's body was covered in wounds, and some bones were twisted.

"Don't be too sad, ma'am." The doctor nodded slightly at me and helped me out of the morgue along with Lucas.

"Why? Why did this happen?" As I walked out of the morgue, I immediately rushed towards Alexander.

My gut feeling told me he must be involved. I grabbed Alexander by the collar, tears streaming down my face.  My other hand clenched into a fist, nails almost digging into my skin. 

Everyone urged me to calm down. But I couldn't. How could a perfectly fine person just die like this?

"It's not what you think." Alexander quickly explained, his face full of panic. "It was Olivia who tried to hit someone. That's why this happened."

"She wants to hit someone?" I sneered. "Are you saying that Olivia, as a single mother, could threaten you? So you beat her to death?"

This is ridiculous!

"Absolutely not!" Alexander quickly retorted, "Olivia accused me of impregnating you and not taking responsibility."

"I tried to explain to her, but she wouldn't listen," Alexander said, lowering his head slowly, "I was already having a headache from her shouting. When she got agitated and tried to hit me, I just wanted to push her away. I never thought that there would be a car passing by when she fell." Alexander's explanation made me almost faint.

He pushed Olivia into the traffic, watching her get hit by a car?

"Alexander, why did you push Olivia? Even if she approached you, could she truly pose a threat with her strength?" I yelled, realizing I could never bring Olivia back, "You had so many ways to make her leave. Why did you have to kill her?"

"Scarlett, don't be angry," Alexander seemed anxious and quickly apologized to me, "I was wrong. No matter how much money you ask for, I won't argue."

"How much do you think a life is worth?" I couldn't contain my anger any longer and grabbed him. "Are you just trying to shirk responsibility?"

Alexander truly was a Mafia family's child. Lives were cheap in his mind. He didn't care if Olivia was dead. Even if it were someone else, he would handle it the same way. He thought he could pay the victim and then move on.

Alexander would never realize his mistake, let alone correct it.

"I'm not." Alexander hesitated and looked at me. "You can't expect me to go to jail, can you?"

He was thinking about avoiding legal consequences. This bastard was beyond redemption!

I glared at Alexander in anger, not knowing what to say.

"Enough! Mr. Cole has explained clearly." Alexander's bodyguard suddenly stepped up, separating me from Alexander. "Stop bothering him!" With that, the bodyguard tried to push me away. 

But Lucas, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "Get lost." Lucas seemed very angry, his expression terrifying.

As he spoke, Lucas walked towards the bodyguard and grabbed him directly.

Alexander's bodyguard looked burly and strong, but Lucas pulled him to his side effortlessly.

"If you don't know when to shut up, I can teach you," Lucas said, forcefully pushing the bodyguard behind Alexander.

The bodyguard took several steps back before he could stand firm.

"How can you say such shameless words after causing a death?" Lucas said, walking up to Alexander.

Not a single bodyguard dared to intervene as Lucas confronted Alexander. 

Suddenly, Lucas glanced nervously at something in the distance before abruptly lunging towards me.

"What's wrong?" I was about to shout when I heard a splat, and blood splattered.

"Nothing." Lucas was covered in blood, yet he managed to offer me a faint smile.