Chapter 174 Investigating Anne
After two days in the hospital, I couldn't get a moment's peace. Deep down, I knew I might not be able to protect the baby I was carrying. So, I decided to let the baby help me this time. A wild idea popped into my head: I'd use this child to make one last desperate stand against Edward. Aria lost her baby, and the one in my womb was about to be indirectly killed by Edward. I was dying to see how Hayden would react when he found out.
This crazy idea kept spinning in my mind. My dear daughter, I couldn't protect you this time, so I needed your help. To make sure my plan went smoothly, I cooperated with the doctors, trying to keep the baby in my womb for a few more days until it was time to act.
Meanwhile, I sped up my investigation of Aria. In this world, besides the Howard family, no one knew Aria better than Joshua. He was the one who told me that Aria was part of the Veridian international fraud group. He also revealed that Aria's target this time was the Howard family.
So, could her planned pregnancy and miscarriage be part of her scheme against the Howards? Thinking of this, I quickly dialed Joshua's number. "Joshua, I need a favor. Got a minute?"
Joshua seemed surprised I was asking for help. He raised his voice a bit and said, "Diana, just tell me what you need. I've always promised to protect you, and I mean it. What's up?"
"Do you remember Aria?" I asked.
When Joshua heard the name, his voice instantly turned serious. "What happened, Diana? Is she causing you trouble?"
I sighed and replied, "Sort of. She was raped and had a miscarriage recently, but she claims I hired someone to do it, which I absolutely did not."
"I believe you," Joshua interrupted without hesitation.
"But Edward doesn't believe me, which is super frustrating. And he keeps threatening to have me arrested. I don't even know if they reported this to the police." I tried to stay calm while voicing my concerns.
"Hold on a sec, let me check for you." Right after that, I heard the sound of typing on a keyboard from the other end of the line. After a short while, Joshua's voice came through again, "Diana, you still there?"
"I'm here," I responded quickly.
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," Joshua said. "They didn't report it, so Edward's words were probably a threat. I've done some private investigating, which is why I can confidently say I believe it wasn't you."
"You investigated?" A glimmer of hope sparked in my eyes, and my voice involuntarily rose a few notches. "Did you find any valuable info?" I asked eagerly, grasping at what felt like my last hope.
Joshua's voice grew even more serious. "Diana, do you remember when Anne tried to have you kidnapped and raped, but ended up getting herself hurt instead?"
I frowned, and snorted coldly, eyes simmering with disdain and anger. "Of course, I remember. How could I forget such a thing!"
"I found that Aria's situation this time is eerily similar to that incident, so I suspect..." Joshua didn't finish his sentence.
I bit my lip, my eyes gleaming with sharp intensity, as my suspicions were about to be confirmed. I couldn't help but blurt out, "Are you saying this might have been Anne's doing? How dare she!"
My eyes widened in shock as I felt both furious at Anne's shameless actions and relieved that I had narrowly avoided being framed again.
Joshua quickly reassured me, "Diana, this is just a suspicion. But this is the direction my next investigation will take." His tone was steady and firm, trying to calm me down.
Grateful for this crucial lead, I said, "Joshua, thank you so much. How can I help with your investigation?"
I knew that in this complex and chaotic situation, he always brought me hope. But I was also a bit puzzled about why he was privately investigating Aria.
Noticing my silence, Joshua said earnestly, "Diana, I told you I would protect you for life."
Hearing this, I felt a tingle in my nose, my eyes reddened slightly, and my throat tightened with emotion. This was what he told me when I was an intern lawyer. After all these years, he remained the same loyal and dependable person, silently protecting me no matter how the world changed.
After hanging up the phone, I couldn't calm down for a long time. Joshua's words kept echoing in my mind, deepening my gratitude towards him. At the same time, I was filled with anticipation for the upcoming investigation. The truth had to be uncovered, and these people could not be allowed to act recklessly any longer.
Since Joshua suspected that Anne might be involved, I decided to use her as the key to unraveling this complex situation. To uncover the truth, I knew I had to start with the devious Anne. I immediately went to Melissa to ask about Anne's whereabouts.
Melissa thought for a moment and said, "Recently, Anne has been attending a lot of class reunions, usually at some bar..."
Hearing this, I formulated a plan. Her so-called class reunions were likely meetings with her equally unscrupulous accomplices to discuss their heinous activities.
Following Melissa's lead, I went to the bar where Anne and her friends gathered. I steadied myself and approached the bar owner.
The bar owner was a portly middle-aged man with a greasy face and sparse hair plastered to his scalp, looking like it could be squeezed for oil. He wore a wrinkled shirt with some unidentified stains around the collar, and his belly strained his belt. His pants were too short, revealing a bit of his chubby ankles.
I pretended to be panicked and tearfully said to him, "Sir, I lost something valuable here a few days ago. It means a lot to me. Please, you have to help me."
The bar owner frowned and brusquely shook off my hand. "The surveillance footage isn't available to just anyone," he said impatiently. "It involves customer privacy. If everyone who lost something wanted to check the footage, how could I run this bar?"
He then looked me up and down, his gaze scrutinizing me like a scanner, seemingly trying to find a flaw in my story.
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