Chapter 15: Bad News

"Has he confessed anything yet?" Eric leisurely sat down on the chair, a distance away from the other guy in order not to reveal his identity and appearance to him.
"We are waiting for your arrival." The leader of the group said: "Please slowly question him, he doesn't dare to refuse. If he keeps quiet, we will teach him a valuable lesson, he will have to keep his mouth shut for the rest of his life."
Eric gestured for the person who just said to keep quiet, then turned his sharp gaze to the man sitting huddled like a pitiful dog surrounded by fierce wolves.
"David Henry?" Eric sternly called out the full name of the person who dared to oppose Egan: "Do you know why you were brought here?"
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" The guy named Davin looked at Eric, showing his confusion, he said a series of babbles: "We have no enmity or hatred, I never offended you, did I. precious, have never lost anyone's heart."
At David's feigned stupidity, Eric clicked his tongue in annoyance. Before Eric's unsatisfactory reaction, someone immediately replaced Eric to deter David.
"Shut up man." The leader of the group shouted loudly: "You do not have the right to speak here unless authorized. Answer the boss's question correctly, don't give it a hang. Be careful with your mouth or your life is in danger."
One agent threatened while the others expressed agreement. The killing intent of the people surrounding David really made him shiver.
David immediately fell silent, gulping in fear at the aggressive behavior of the people surrounding him. They showed a spirit of readiness to teach David once Eric allowed.
"Who ordered you to attack Egan Robert?"
Eric spoke to break the tension, he began his investigation. No one has enough time for trivial things like questioning an ignorant man like David. So Eric was a little impatient to finish it quickly so he could leave. This place is smelly, dirty, not designed with too strong miasma, linger for a long time lest it makes Eric uncomfortable and frustrated.
"I don't get what you mean, who is Egan Robert?" David innocently asked again.
Immediately a blow hit him in the face. Of course, the pain was too unbearable for him to let out a groan.
"Don't pretend to be stupid." He has scolded again: "If you are wise, then obediently tell, otherwise don't blame. The pain will be many times more than the punch just now."
"I really don't..." David stubbornly protested. But actually, he thought he was wrong, in fact, he was not impressed with the name Egan Robert. The incident that night David did not remember in detail.
Another blow quickly landed on his face. David was in so much pain that he kept his mouth shut to avoid further injury. Knowing nothing is better than being silent. There's nothing wrong with that, David thinks.
Eric patiently observed David's reaction and quickly made arguments and analyses. After confirming that David did not appear to be lying, Eric continued to speak:
"About seven days ago, you got into a fight with someone at a bar. Then out of a personal grudge, you let someone attack that person. As a result, he died. Am I right?" Eric slowly hinted at David about what had happened.
At first, David's face showed bewilderment at the information but then as the memories flooded back he changed to a look of surprise. Exactly what Eric said about him fighting Egan. However, about the following details, David was completely unaware.
"You're..." He stammered as he remembered that night: "Who really are you? Who is Eric Robert anyway?"
"Egan Robert is the heir to the Robert Corporation." Eric opened up David's mind: "The man you had a fight with that night at the nightclub."
David looked panicked when he heard the news about Egan Robert. Now he remembered who Egan Robert was. Oh this bad luck, David silently cursed what he did when he was drunk.
"You have feuded with Robert's family." Eric said loudly: "Now that Egan Robert is dead, you will have to bear the consequences."
Eric's words, though simple and gentle, carry great weight and very serious meaning.
"Not me." He exclaimed: "I did nothing to Egan Robert. After leaving the nightclub I went home and I did not see him again. Please believe me."
David knelt down begging, he even crept closer to Eric praying that Eric would believe him. Unfortunately, no one is satisfied. A strong kick sent David falling backward, further away from Eric.
David groaned, clutching his wounded body.
"Watch your actions." The leader of the group shouted at David: "Don't be rude to the boss. Don't let the soul move."
That person pointed his finger directly in David's face and threatened further: "Know your identity."
As soon as the words finished, two people immediately walked over to David to lie on his back, pinning David's head to the floor.
"He was seen in the car chasing Egan Robert." Eric remained calm, looking at David with a bored look, Eric said: "Tell me, why are you in the car if it's not for personal revenge?"
"I have no reason to attack Egan Robert." David tried his best to escape from the strong hands that were holding him, he constantly cried out for justification: "He's a man of high status, I can't be foolish to do that..."
David was arguing with his mouth when he was interrupted:
"In fact, you did." Eric emphasized: "And if you don't honestly declare it, today will be your death anniversary."
Eric finished his words and immediately signaled for the other people to hit him. A groan echoed throughout the soundproofed room. Outside, no one will be able to hear your cries for help.
"I didn't do it for real..." He shouted loudly for Eric to hear: "I don't remember what happened that night. I just know when I woke up I was lying on the corner of a deserted street. Other than that I don't know anything. more. Please believe me, I'm telling the truth..."
Frustrated with that stubbornness, Eric decided not to continue this interrogation.
"Take care of him as long as he remembers." Eric turned to his men: "Report me as soon as he does."
"Yes, sir."
Eric stood up and brushed the dust off his expensive vest, then haughtily turned on his heel, quickly leaving. There was no rush, it was clear that the other David was just a pawn being used while drunk.
"Please forgive me." His voice begged pitifully. It's true that I was more cowardly than a rabbit, but I just went out to show myself. Now you have to face the serious consequences yourself. Eric didn't care about David anymore, even when David implored Eric to turn his head to look at him.
Eric decided to go back and report to Egan the current situation. It seems that even if we can find David, who was in the car like Egan said, it will be impossible to find the mysterious person behind pulling the strings. Eric thought it was necessary to wait and see the opponent's next move on the news of Egan Robert's death before having a solution. Right now he needs patience and time.
...
Unbeknownst to Vera, the police are still investigating her kidnapping. They even went to Vera's house to talk to her current guardian. And that person is none other than my stepfather. What Vera didn't expect the most was that she deliberately didn't give her real identity, including the address where she lived, but somehow the police investigated it all. The police even know Vera's name on the paper. Vera Mark, the name Vera hated so much. Vera really didn't want anything to do with her stepfather's family anymore, but it seemed fate was inevitable.
The doorbell rang the second time the new family member showed up to open the door:
"Who's going to do something? Do you know that you're disturbing other people's rest?" Vera's stepfather asked in an exasperated voice. He hadn't even opened the door before mumbling a few curse words. He was sleeping and was awakened by a sudden, unannounced visit. For this rude man, the harassment is really annoying.
As soon as the door opened, the stepfather's eyes caught the image of two policemen wearing neat uniforms, guns at their sides. According to inertia, anyone feels wary when facing the police, let alone a bad guy who commits violence against Vera. Having a habit of being startled, he looked a little frightened at the two guests.
"May I ask what you two need?" His voice changed from irritated to tentative, gentle.
"Hello, are you Enoch Mark?" A policeman stared at him and questioned him.
"Yes, I." The old man swallowed nervously and pretended to be calm: "May I ask what you came here for?"
"We came here with some questions." The officer replied, rolling his eyes inside the house before suggesting, "Can we go inside and talk?"
"Yes yes of course. Please come in." Enoch warmly welcomed the two unexpected guests. In fact, he doesn't know what's going on. Enoch guessed whether the matter was serious, but what it had to do with him or not? What if it was revealed that he beat and sexually harassed Vera? Enoch is currently very insecure and worried. But he kept it all a secret to avoid detection by the police. Let's just calmly investigate for now, then move on, Enoch thought, so he tried to control the situation.
"I'll get you a drink. Please wait a moment."
He said and walked into the kitchen. While the old man made tea, the two policemen sat down in their chairs and waited.
Very quickly Lao brought water to serve the two guests wholeheartedly.
"Welcome to the tea." Enoch said and sat down across from the two policemen. With years of experience in lying and deceiving, Enoch easily caught everyone's eyes, including the police.
"May I ask what you two want from me?" Enoch nervously spoke first. He didn't want to put himself in a passive position. That is not beneficial at all, and it is easy to create suspicion from others.
"Vera Mark lives here?" The policeman sitting to the right immediately asked questions.
Vera? Enoch's brain began to think about Vera, he really didn't know what the problem was. He was afraid Vera had denounced him. However, first, you have to find out carefully, lest you bow to my grandfather in this bush and make your own mistakes, making the police suspicious.
In a calm voice, he said: "Yes that's right, Vera Mark is my daughter, what's wrong with her? Did she do something illegal?" Enoch exclaimed, pretending to hypothesize to avoid suspicion.
"It's not like that, please calm down." The policeman on the left reassures him.
"Then why? What's the matter with Vera?" The old man continued to ask questions.
"I came to tell you that we found your daughter in an accident at the edge of the woods." Without hesitation, the police informed him of the news: "She is currently being treated at the hospital."
"Really? Oh my god, my daughter." He panicked, pretending to be worried about Vera.
"We are very sorry for what your daughter has gone through. But please stay calm." The police sincerely asked. He knew his acting was a bit too much, so he restrained himself.
"According to the results of the investigation, she was diagnosed with a violent injury." Seeing that he had calmed down, the police continued: "We have taken Vera's testimony and learned that she was kidnapped, she was lucky to escape. Currently, we are trying our best to track down the group of kidnappers. "
"Kidnap?" This was a complete surprise to Enoch, who these days believed that Vera's disappearance was due to her voluntarily leaving home. He had no intention of letting people find Vera. She left as soon as possible, anyone who asked him would make up slanderous stories, accusing Vera of being unfilial and rude to him. Unexpectedly, Vera was kidnapped, that sounds unbelievable.