Chapter 588: Joshua is Dead
"Joshua!"
"Dad!"
A scream of pure terror echoed, and Aurelie froze in her tracks.
There was a heavy thud.
Chaos erupted downstairs.
Aurelie's ears buzzed, and for a split second, her heart stopped.
She turned her head slowly, eyes wide open, and saw that the figure standing outside the railing was gone.
In front of her were only Barbara, Nicole, and John, looking like their world had just ended. They collapsed to the ground, wailing non-stop.
John stared in disbelief, shouting, "Dad!"
No one saw this coming.
Aurelie stood there, taking in the different expressions on their faces—despair, pain, anxiety, regret, self-blame.
All these emotions hit Aurelie like a ton of bricks.
Joshua really jumped!
Aurelie didn't dare blink, eyes wide, holding her breath.
She didn't dare breathe, fearing that if she did, it would all become real.
Under the blazing sun, Aurelie felt a chill run down her spine.
Barbara wailed as she rushed over, grabbing Aurelie's collar and hitting her repeatedly, "Aurelie, why didn't you agree to him? Your dad is dead, are you happy now?"
"You bitch, you killed Dad," Nicole picked up a stick and charged at Aurelie.
John also glared at Aurelie, eyes filled with a murderous rage.
Barbara's face was a mess of tears, and she kept pulling and hitting Aurelie. Luckily, the nearby cops stopped the three of them.
Aurelie finally realized Joshua had really fallen.
They were on the twenty-something floor; falling from that height, the chances of survival were slim to none.
Aurelie turned her head, her face still blank. She turned and walked away, heading to the elevator. She walked faster and faster, her mind went blank during the few seconds the elevator descended.
When the elevator hit the first floor, Aurelie walked out, her pace quickening until she was running. When she got outside, she saw the bloody, mangled body on the ground.
Joshua had hit the ground hard, with nothing to break the fall. The ground was covered in blood, and his brains were splattered everywhere, a bloody mess.
Aurelie trembled all over, slowly walking over. Though it was only a few feet away, it felt like she was being dragged back, taking forever to reach him.
The arriving doctor rushed over and checked, then shook his head at the cops, saying, "No signs of life. He's dead."
The person lying in the pool of blood was then covered with a white cloth.
Aurelie forced herself not to go over, but her body didn't listen.
Step by step, she approached, the strong smell of blood hitting her. Her legs gave way, and she knelt in front of Joshua, feeling dizzy. Trembling, she reached out and slowly pulled down the white cloth.
When she saw Joshua's messed-up face, it was like all the strength just drained out of her.
Joshua was dead.
His brains were splattered, and blood was still oozing out, soaking his clothes and the white cloth.
"How could this happen? You were so scared of dying and selfish, how could you really jump?" Aurelie couldn't wrap her head around it. With a hoarse voice, she reached out and patted Joshua's shoulder, "Joshua, what are you doing? Are you pretending again? Do you think lying here, bleeding out, will make me pay your debts? I'm telling you, even if you do this, I won't. So, stop faking it, get up. I won't pay your debts. Get up and call me a beast. Didn't you love to scold me?"
Aurelie was talking to Joshua's corpse.
The doctor nearby, understanding the family's shock, kindly said, "Your father is really gone."
Aurelie stood up in a panic, grabbing the doctor's hand, trembling, "Please check him again. How could he die so easily? He has to live to torment me. You must be mistaken."
The doctor frowned, "He really has no signs of life. I'm very sorry, but there's nothing we can do."
Aurelie's eyes widened, bloodshot but dry, not a single tear.
Barbara, Nicole, and John rushed out, crying uncontrollably. They knelt in front of Joshua, wailing, "Joshua, how could you be so heartless, leaving us like this? What are we supposed to do?"
"Dad, wake up. Don't scare us. We can't live without you," Nicole and John shouted.
The three of them cried over Joshua's body, and the onlookers couldn't help but feel their eyes moisten, shaking their heads and sighing in pity.
Suddenly, Barbara stood up and pushed Aurelie, who hadn't shed a tear, "Bitch, it's all your fault. You killed your dad. If you hadn't been so heartless, he wouldn't have jumped. You're a murderer. I'll kill you."
Aurelie pushed away Barbara, who was hitting and kicking her.
With that push, Barbara cried out even louder, "Everyone, look! The heartless beast just forced her own father to death, and now she's beating her stepmother. Come and judge for yourselves. My husband was forced to death by this bitch. How are we supposed to live now?"
There were many onlookers. Although they couldn't see the real scene on the rooftop, there were reporters and live broadcasts, so everyone knew what had happened upstairs.
At that time, Aurelie didn't persuade Joshua not to jump. Instead, she spoke harshly, step by step provoking Joshua, even climbing over the railing, suggesting they jump together.
In the end, she didn't jump, but Joshua, in his anger, jumped down.
Seeing her now, not shedding a single tear for Joshua's death, she was truly heartless.
Calling her a heartless beast was not an exaggeration.
Someone shouted, "She forced her own father to his death. How despicable! How can a daughter be so vicious?"
"Her dad wanted to end it all by jumping, and instead of stopping him, she egged him on. That's just terrifying," another voice chimed in.
"Exactly! It's a tragedy for the parents to have raised such a daughter," someone else agreed.
"The other three will probably be haunted by this for the rest of their lives."
The crowd sighed and cursed. Aurelie had already stood up, her face blank, seemingly deaf to their words.
She didn't shed a tear or show any sadness, which only fueled more attacks against her.
The people around her scolded even more fiercely, "Look at her, she's heartless. Her own father is dead, and she still looks so cold, not a single tear. How can someone be like this?"
"She was standing outside the railing just now. Why wasn't it her who fell? Someone so heartless, who forced her own father to death, how does she have the face to live?"
"If I were her dad, I would have slapped her to death long ago. How could he let her ruin the whole family?"
Barbara heard the voices attacking Aurelie and cried even harder, "Everyone, please help us. Our family owes a huge debt, and she not only refuses to help but also forced the pillar of our family to death. How are the three of us supposed to live now? Joshua, I might as well die with you. It's better than staying here and being bullied by your daughter, and having to pay off the debt with two children."
Barbara's voice was loud, and even in the noisy surroundings, everyone could hear her clearly.
Barbara seemed about to faint from crying, taking a deep breath and falling backward. Fortunately, John caught her, crying out in pain, "Mom, don't scare me. Dad is already gone. If something happens to you, how will my sister and I live?"
"Aurelie, it's all your fault. You ruined our family." Nicole got up from the ground and rushed over, pushing Aurelie hard.
Aurelie, lost in her thoughts, almost fell, but a strong hand quickly reached out from behind, firmly supporting her waist, preventing her from falling.
Nathaniel frowned at Aurelie, dissatisfied, "Are you just going to let them bully you like this?"
Aurelie seemed to snap back to reality, her gaze slowly turning to Nathaniel, but she said nothing.
Nathaniel's frown deepened.
He had rushed over after seeing the news online, but he was still too late.
The surrounding curses against Aurelie were particularly harsh. Nathaniel held Aurelie tightly, "Let's go."
As Nathaniel tried to take Aurelie away, Nicole rushed over, spreading her arms to block them. She shouted, "You can't leave. Aurelie killed my dad. She must give us an explanation, or she can't leave."
"Who do you think you are? Get out of the way!" Nathaniel snapped, his patience wearing thin. He could feel Aurelie trembling in his arms and just wanted to get her out of this hostile mess ASAP.
Nicole, intimidated by Nathaniel's stern voice, lost her bravado but knew that if Aurelie left, and with Joshua dead, the debt collectors would come after them.
So, Aurelie couldn't leave.
Barbara and John, having recovered, immediately stepped forward to help. Barbara, her voice hoarse, continued, "That's right, Aurelie can't leave. She killed her dad, how dare she leave?"
Barbara, not caring about anything, acted like a shrew, grabbing Aurelie's arm, "You can't leave."
"Joshua wanted to die himself. What does that have to do with her?" Nathaniel was even more annoyed. He freed one hand, grabbed Barbara's hand from Aurelie, and pushed her away.
Barbara stumbled back a few steps but still rushed forward, "Everyone, look! The heartless beast forced her own father to death and now wants to run away. How unlucky I am to have such a person in my life. She killed her own father and now wants to force us to death too."
Barbara was relentless, and with Nicole and John helping, Nathaniel found it difficult to move with Aurelie.
Nathaniel glared at their shameless faces, a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
Fortunately, Cecily arrived with people in a hurry. She knew that no matter the outcome today, the Miller family would entangle Aurelie, so she specifically called Gary and brought people along.
When Cecily saw Joshua, she was also shocked.
Joshua really jumped.
Cecily looked at the pale-faced Aurelie, worriedly calling her, "Aurelie."
Aurelie seemed not to hear, her empty eyes lost.
"Take her away first. The Miller family is difficult to deal with. Staying here will only cause more trouble," Cecily said to Nathaniel.
Seeing that Cecily had brought people who could handle it, Nathaniel nodded, "Okay."
Barbara was still relentless, but Cecily stepped in front of her.
Barbara glared, "What are you doing? Are you all helping Aurelie? You are not good people at all."
"Whether we're good people or not is not for you to judge. The dead can't come back to life. Mr. Miller has just passed away, and his body is still there. Why not handle his funeral first and then deal with today's matters? After all, there are reporters recording everything. We can talk about it later," Cecily said.
"No, you're all helping Aurelie. I know you're powerful and influential, and I know I can't fight you. If we talk later, you'll threaten us in private," Barbara refused.
Cecily said calmly, "What can I threaten you with? I said everything was recorded, and everyone saw it. I just think it's pitiful to leave Mr. Miller's body there while you all argue. But if you insist, I can't stop you. Please continue."
Since Nathaniel had already taken Aurelie away, Cecily's goal was achieved, and she didn't want to continue arguing with the family.
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