Trouble in Paradise

"What?" I opened my mouth in shock.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

"Stop trying to trick me. There's no one else in the world like you who could falsely accuse me so baselessly, let alone the police."

Nicholas thought I was scared. He looked at me with a detached, god-like perspective and said, "We have ten minutes until we reach the hospital. Either apologize to Claudia or be detained by the police. Your choice."

He started the car again. I began to realize that he might be telling the truth. The police might really be waiting for me. But so what? I hadn't done anything wrong. No one could accuse me like this!

I never expected to see Chief Jefferson again so soon. He had personally brought his team to the hospital to take Claudia's statement and to take me in for questioning.

The homeless man had accused me of hiring him to murder. Chief Jefferson, sweating and clearly uneasy, said he had no choice but to follow procedure.

Nicholas didn't even spare him a glance. Chief Jefferson, being just a local police chief, couldn't possibly interact with someone of Nicholas' stature.

It was no surprise that Nicholas ignored him-he rarely showed respect to anyone.

It was as if how Chief Jefferson dealt with me had nothing to do with him. Nicholas pushed open the door to the hospital room and went inside.

I saw his parents sitting on the sofa with stern faces, while Claudia was on the hospital bed, wiping away

tears.

As the door closed tightly behind them, a sense of helpless isolation washed over me, leaving me frozen for a long beat.

"Well..." Chief Jefferson approached me and said, "Mrs. Hawk, would you kindly come with us?"

"Alright, Chief Jefferson, but could you give me ten minutes? I need to say a few words before I leave."

He nodded and replied, "Of course. I'll wait for you outside."

When I pushed open the door, Frances was dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief.

She sighed and said, "Ari, don't be afraid. This must be a misunderstanding. Daniel and I would never believe you would do something as terrible as hiring someone to kill."

Then she said to Nicholas, "Nicholas, go and clear up the mess outside. Even the police are here at the hospital. This is ridiculous."

As she sobbed uncontrollably, Daniel pulled her into his arms and gently comforted her.

I knew Frances was kind to me, but I hadn't expected her unconditional trust. Sometimes, she understood. me even better than my own mother.

T

"How am I supposed to clear it up? The witness is right there. Should I kill him too?" Nicholas' sharp eyes swept over me, filled with undisguised disdain and hatred.

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"You scoundrel! What kind of talk is that? Do you want me to step in and solve this myself?" Daniel's anger flared, and after speaking, he leaned back in his chair, taking deep breaths to calm himself. After a moment, he stood up and said, "Frances, help me out of here! Ari, don't worry. The Hawk family won't abandon you. If Nicholas doesn't support you, I will!"

Once they had left, Claudia, with red-rimmed eyes, lifted her head from Nicholas' embrace like a delicate, helpless rabbit.

"Ariana, are the police telling the truth? Did you really hire someone to kill me? If you truly dislike me, I can stay away from you. I'm really scared. If I die, my parents and Nick would be heartbroken." Nicholas gently patted her head in a comforting manner. "Don't say such things. I won't let anything. happen to you."

Feeling reassured, she started crying even harder, her voice muffled and tearful. "Nick, what did I do wrong that Ariana would hate me so much, to the point of wanting to kill me?"

Nicholas' face turned cold. He frowned as he looked at me. "Apologize to Claudia now! Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

Apologize?" I looked at Claudia and asked, "Do you seriously want me to apologize to you?"

She didn't answer me directly. Instead, she said, "I'll accept your apology if you really did something to harm me."

"By saying that, aren't you implying I'm the one who tried to kill you?"

Nicholas couldn't stand my defiance. He walked over to me, blocking my view of Claudia, and said coldly, "Apologize to Claudia, and I'll protect you."