Chapter 284: Chapter 282: The One-Year Agreement (Part 2)
This harrowing scene played out live on camera.
Countless viewers witnessed it with their own eyes.
Fortunately, as the rescue plane went down, the pilot and co-pilot managed to parachute to safety. The aircraft itself also crashed into the sea.
News of the heart-stopping scene instantly spread from across the country to around the world.
The helicopter exploded. It was obvious to anyone watching that no one on board could have survived.
Ethan Ellsworth watched the screen, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot as tears streamed down his face.
Zeke Marshall was even more frantic, shouting like a madman, "My sister! My sister isn’t dead, right? Right?!"
But no one answered him. Everyone knew she couldn’t possibly be alive.
With the plane crash, the search and rescue operation was halted, and the case came to a close.
Because the kidnappers were all dead, there was no one left to hold criminally responsible.
All that remained was the salvage operation.
As for Chloe Marshall’s only living relative, the Valiant Club proactively compensated Zeke Marshall two million through their lawyers.
To Ethan Ellsworth, two million was a trivial sum. He just wanted her back. But she wasn’t ever coming back, was she?
They didn’t know how they got back. All they knew was that everyone was now gathered in the house where Chloe Marshall had lived.
Quentin Grant spoke, his expression grave. "Young Master Ellsworth, my condolences. And to you as well, Zeke."
Mrs. Ellsworth dabbed her eyes with a tissue and sniffled. "That child, Chloe... My heart just breaks for her."
Zeke Marshall’s gaze fell on Jean Grant. He strode forward and struck her. "You murderer! What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in prison? Can you even sleep at night? You killed my sister! You definitely can’t sleep, can you? She’s going to come for you. This is just the kind of game you rich people love to play, isn’t it? Two million? Heh, you think two million can pay for my sister’s life? I’m not taking that money. Taking it would be the same as selling my sister out. I will never forget that my sister was killed by Jean Grant!"
Jean Grant let him grab and shake her, her expression indifferent.
He let her go, turned, and walked into Chloe Marshall’s bedroom. He took out a suitcase, packed Chloe’s things neatly, then packed his own and left.
Zeke Marshall was gone.
No one knew where he went.
Ethan Ellsworth looked at Jean Grant, his voice utterly soulless.
"That’s right. What is a murderer like you doing here? Shouldn’t you be rotting in a prison cell? How dare you come to her home?"
"Ethan, I’m sorry," Jean Grant said.
Seeing the look on Ethan’s face, Mrs. Ellsworth stood up, her heart pounding with fear as she grabbed him. "Son, just get some sleep, okay? Please don’t scare your mother."
Just as she finished speaking, the sound of high heels echoed from the doorway. Zoe Ellsworth stood there, her purse slung over her shoulder, looking from Ethan to Jean Grant.
She looked absolutely furious.
She scoffed. "Auntie, after everything that’s happened, how could you dare bring her here? Do you think my brother hasn’t suffered enough?"
Mrs. Grant felt a bitter taste in her mouth as well. "Zoe, Jean is young and foolish. Please, just forgive her this once. Besides, Chloe Marshall’s brother has already left. There’s no one left in their family."
Zoe Ellsworth felt as if her chest would explode. Her eyes were fixed on Jean Grant. "There’s no one left in their family? Is that why you dared to bring this murderer here and say something so shameless, Auntie? Because you think no one’s left to care? Jean Grant, are you even human? Do you deserve to be called human? Someone like you still wants to marry my brother now? Where were you before? Everything you say just contradicts yourself. You say you love my brother, but when you were busy screwing that loser ex-husband of yours, you didn’t seem to love my brother then, did you? Now that my brother doesn’t love you anymore, you shamelessly try to break them up! Being young is no excuse. You’re older than I am, and you’re still using youth as an excuse!"
Jean Grant raised her head. "I did it. I admit it. Do whatever you want to me; I’ll accept it."
"Your Grant Family is so rich, what can anyone do to you? Now that this has happened, I hope you lock your doors and windows tight when you sleep at night. It would be a shame if my sister-in-law’s ghost came looking for you."
Although Mrs. Grant was angry at her own daughter for being so disappointing, she wouldn’t allow others to criticize her child in front of her.
"Zoe, you little brat, how can you say such nasty things! No matter how wrong Jean was, you two grew up together like sisters. Compared to your sister Jean, do you think we don’t know about all the messy things you got up to abroad? You just happened to marry Herman. Yes, our Jean has bad taste in men, picking someone like Marlon Marshall, but does that mean she can’t be happy for the rest of her life?"
Mrs. Ellsworth snorted and stood up. "To commit such a terrible mistake, and instead of being reprimanded and taught a lesson, she’s being coddled. Just keep spoiling her."
Mrs. Grant was furious and about to retort when Ethan Ellsworth, who hadn’t slept in days, finally collapsed.
Zoe Ellsworth, with her quick reflexes, caught him.
Quentin Grant carried him on his back and rushed to the hospital.
First Chloe Marshall’s accident, then Ethan Ellsworth’s relentless search, and now his hospitalization... The media already knew the two had a deep connection, and it had even been exposed that they were planning to get married.
So they specifically sought out Mrs. Ellsworth for an interview.
"I’m in a terrible state of mind right now and am not available for an interview. I have nothing to say." Mrs. Ellsworth hurried out of the hospital.
A horde of reporters surrounded the hospital entrance, waiting for the latest news. What they didn’t know was that the man lying unconscious in the hospital bed was shedding endless tears even in his sleep.
Zoe Ellsworth sat there, her heart aching for her brother while a fire of frustration burned inside her with nowhere to go.
At that moment, Bianca Rhodes, a patient in the same hospital, foolishly had a reporter come looking for Zoe.
"Mrs. Hawthorne, the female patient in VIP room 616 claims to be in an inappropriate relationship with your husband. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
Zoe Ellsworth waved her hand dismissively and stepped out of the hospital room, her expression composed and her bearing graceful.
"She really said that?"
"Yes, it’s absolutely true. We have a video right here."
Zoe Ellsworth watched the video and then laughed. "A woman like that is involved with my husband? How credible do you think that is? I won’t even mention how many women want to marry Young Master Hawthorne, but you should understand that even a man with the worst taste wouldn’t choose such a low-class woman. She is severely harassing me and disrupting my life. I hope you won’t report on this. In fact, I’m planning to call the police and have her arrested for disturbing the peace, alright?"
She took a card from her purse and discreetly slipped it into the female reporter’s hand. "Go back and tell your editor-in-chief that if he wants to run a story in the future, he should talk to me first. That way, we can have a good working relationship."
The reporter immediately understood. "In that case, Mrs. Hawthorne, you should hold on to this video. I’ll go back and tell my editor-in-chief right now."
"That’s more like it. Go on."
Although she was only nineteen, her sharp gaze and exceptional ability to handle situations already made her stand out.
She put the video in her purse and headed for room 616.
