Chapter 430 The Man Isn't Dead
Darwin pondered for a moment.
"It's because of Ken," he said, turning to Fiona. "After all, he's your biological father, and Grandma Rhoads didn't want to drag you into this mess. It was probably too late to do anything when she realized the danger."
Fiona's brows furrowed even tighter, and her eyes began to redden.
"But even if she couldn't reach out to you in time, knowing her, she wouldn't have just sat there waiting for doom. She must have left something behind that could be a fatal blow to the Kelly couple," Darwin said gently, trying to provide her with the utmost sense of security and comfort. "We'll find it!"
Fiona looked at him, her lips twitching into a faint smile, and nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, the press conference the Kellys held this morning finally made waves on the internet after spreading throughout the day.
"Holy smokes! I knew Janna would never want to marry off her carefully groomed heiress to someone like Darwin, a scoundrel from a notorious financial empire! If I put myself in Janna's shoes, after spending so much money and effort only to raise someone obsessed with romance, I'd cut ties too and avoid all further contact!"
"Even I'd sever ties and spend a fortune to have her taken out. I won’t accept it if someone I've raised can't serve my interests and ends up marrying some deadbeat!"
"Seriously? Are there people who believe the sob stories this couple has been spewing? Whether Janna likes Darwin or not is another thing, but the scandals they've been accused of haven't been admitted or denied by them—they always try to muddle through with legal threats. I think their entire interview is just hot air; not a single word is credible!"
"I couldn't care less who likes whom, who doesn't, or who's cutting off ties with whom. It's all about joyfully gorging on drama from the rich and famous for me. Keep tearing into each other! The uglier it gets, the happier I am!"
"And the leaks keep coming! Chelsea brought Darwin to her father's—or maybe her uncle's—funeral, causing a scene by dragging a highly respected executive of the Rhoads family right out of there. What a bully that was at her uncle's funeral! Chelsea's behavior is outrageous, and stop saying Darwin's not fit for a financial empire's princess. They're both as bad as each other!"
Accompanying the drama were nine photos of the said executive being carried out of the funeral home, limbs dangling, looking both pathetic and disheveled, which made the stern-faced bodyguards appear all the more menacing.
The comment section immediately exploded.
"As a neutral onlooker, I can't help but feel for the guy—he looks about the same age as my dad. Just imagining the scenario makes me furious!"
"It's always been clear that the tycoons don't see us regular folks as equals, but I never imagined it would go this far. This guy is the vice president of the Rhoads family!"
The comments section was overwhelmingly sympathetic towards the VP, condemning Chelsea's high-handed tactics.
No worries.
Charles would take action.
Sure enough, a video was posted by the same account, leaking information.
The footage was from the funeral, showing surveillance of the scene.
It clearly showed how the vice president had been making a scene, provoking Chelsea.
At first, they ignored him, but he kept pushing his luck.
Eventually, Chelsea had enough, leading to the VP being thrown out.
In the beginning, the security guards were quite polite to him.
But then the VP started spewing profanities, enough to make anyone cringe.
So, the guards gagged him, lifted him, and tossed him out.
"Dude, what's wrong with you? Can't you handle a bit of a scuffle?"
"Wait, who just said he looked frail?"
"He was asking for it. Well, in that case, he got what he deserved!"
The debate was fiery and spirited.
Some happily analyzed the facial expressions and the psychology behind them from the surveillance video.
Just then, the account owner discovered the video and quickly deleted it, claiming their account had been hacked and that they didn't post it.
But in the digital age, everything leaves a trace.
Many had saved the video and shared it rapidly.
And just like that, public opinion had a massive turnaround.
The funeral ended shortly after the explosion.
Alice and Ken returned to their mansion, and she watched wave after wave of online commentary with a disdainful smirk. "Mom's lost her touch. And you, daughter, you're just so-so."
The online narrative was spiraling out of control.
Chelsea even hired a hacker to breach the account arranged for leaks and to release useless surveillance tapes.
It seemed like Chelsea was winning battles on the internet, but what good did it do?
Winning the hearts of the Rhoads family's top brass was what mattered.
Meanwhile, Alice was happy to have Chelsea waste her energy on these internet games.
This gave her time to do much more important things.
"We've got a call from the local police department," Ken said, shaking his phone with a smug look. "It’s probably about the explosion."
"They're informing us to identify a body, I suppose?" Alice frowned, looking irritated at the mere thought. "You handle it. If the press asks, tell them I've been overworked. I received the terrible news and fainted on the spot."
"Got it."
After ending the call, Ken slid over from the other side of the sofa, weighing down on Alice. "Honey, why do you look so stunning today? At the funeral, you outshone all those rich widows!"
Time hadn't been kind to Ken. His good looks had withered, and indulgence in cigarettes, alcohol, and women had left him weak and overweight. His whole being exuded a greasy vibe that was sickening.
"Let's go identify the body and get the death certificate sorted out quickly," said Alice, gently pushing him away.
Ken planted a forceful kiss on her cheek.
"Listen to the wife, clean up, and wait at home like a good husband!"
"Mhm!"
Ken left humming a tune; his mood lifted as if in high spirits over some good fortune.
Alice got up, her disgust evident as she wiped her face furiously. Feeling that wasn't enough, she called for her assistant and rushed to the bathroom, wishing she could scour off the skin Ken had touched with a face scrubber.
Ken's relationship with the local police was one of mutual back-scratching. They had arranged in advance to produce a fake paternity test confirming that among the deceased were Jannie and her child before Ken even stepped foot in the precinct.
Nevertheless, Ken was hit with the grim news only upon reaching the station.
"Ken, about the house you mentioned, there were no bodies. Are you sure you got the right place? No one was inside!"
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