"What?" I opened my mouth in shock.


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


    Nichs 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 udia 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 use me like this!


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


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


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


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


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


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


    tears.


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


    "Well..." Chief Jefferson approached me and said, "Mrs. Hawk, would you kindlye 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 Nichs, "Nichs, go and clear up the mess outside. Even the police are here at the hospital. This is ridiculous."


    As she sobbed uncontrobly, Daniel pulled her into his arms and gentlyforted 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?" Nichs'' sharp eyes swept over me, filled with undisguised disdain and hatred.


    +25 RONUS


    "You scoundrel! What kind of talk is that? Do you want me to step in and solve this myself?" Daniel''s anger red, 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 Nichs doesn''t support you, I will!"


    Once they had left, udia, with red-rimmed eyes, lifted her head from Nichs'' 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." Nichs gently patted her head in aforting 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?"


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


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


    She didn''t answer me directly. Instead, she said, "I''ll ept 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?"


    Nichs couldn''t stand my defiance. He walked over to me, blocking my view of udia, and said coldly, "Apologize to udia, and I''ll protect you."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.