At the Nichols family''s old house, Melody turned over a table. "Debra, how dare she do this? Control the media now. Don''t let this blow up."
"It''s toote," Joe faltered. "The news is all over the ce. An agency called New Age is behind it. I tried to negotiate with them, but they refused to take down the story."
"New Age? Who are they to cross us?" Melody fumed.
She had never heard of this news agency.
Joe looked worried. "The news is spreading fast. It''s unfavorable for Mr. Nichols. We need to find him and get his side of the story. If he was framed, we could hold a press conference to clear things up." Melody agreed, "Then what are you waiting for? Go."
"Yes, Madam," Joe said, rushing out.
Melody sat down, her mind racing. She couldn''t let the family empire crumble.
"Sophie, call the Buchans. If something happens to Juan, we must stand strong."
"But they..." Sophie hesitated.
"Just do as I say," Melody insisted.
Meanwhile, Debra arrived at the ruined Nichols Mansion, where she used to live with Juan.
The ce was in ashes, barely recognizable.
A police officer stopped her. "No entry allowed."
But another officer recognized her. "This is Mrs. Houston."
The first officer stepped aside. "Mrs. Houston, it''s not safe here. Please stay back."
Debra said, "I''m not going over. Has Juan been here?"
The officers exchanged a look. "We haven''t seen him."
Debra frowned. "Not even once?"
They shook their heads, but Debra wasn''t ready to give up. "Do you know what caused the fire?"
One officer exined, "It looks like
arson.
Someone doused the ce
with gasoline and set it on fire.
Debra''s mind raced. ''So, Juan really murdered Shelia. But why?''
An officer interrupted her thoughts. "Mrs. Houston?"
Debra snapped back. "It''s nothing. Thank you."
She
tried
g Juan, but his phone was
off. He was clearly avoiding her.
Back to the car. She had
She muttered to herself, "It looks like
he willingly gave up hispany to me. How am I supposed to repay him? Maybe he just wants me to owe him forever."