Chapter 189: This Is a Secret
Zachary was screaming like a madman, waking every guest on the fourth floor.
Everyone had been unable to sleep due to Isabella and Joseph's disappearance. At his shouting, heads popped out of doorways one after another.
Zachary looked deranged, clawing violently at his hair. "They came back! They were just whispering in my ear, saying they're coming for me!"
His guilty conscience was written all over his face.
Samantha and Zack hadn't slept all night. Hearing this, Samantha marched over and grabbed Zachary by the collar.
"I knew Isabella and Joseph's disappearance had something to do with you! What the hell did you do?"
Zachary's expression was manic. Under the combined assault of alcohol and terror, he couldn't even form a complete sentence. He could only tremble against the hotel wall.
A foul, acrid smell filled the air, accompanied by an odd trickling sound. The carpet beneath Zachary's feet turned dark with moisture.
A grown man, reduced to this.
William and his group were staying in the corner suite on the fourth floor.
When he'd first heard the news of Isabella's death, William had assumed it was another one of her manipulative games.
But today marked the second day of Isabella's disappearance.
The police had nothing. The search and rescue team had returned with devastating news. Everything seemed to confirm that Isabella was really dead.
William was shocked to discover he wasn't relieved at all.
If anything, he felt... hollow.
Nathan had been subdued ever since hearing his mother might be dead, even crying himself to sleep one night.
Watching Zachary's breakdown in the hallway, William strode forward, grabbed him by the collar, and drew back his fist.
He never should have trusted these people.
"I explicitly told you not to make a move! Why the hell didn't you listen?" William snarled, his rage barely contained as he confronted the mentally shattered Zachary.
Richard had just come up the stairs when he heard William's words.
His eyes turned ice-cold.
"What exactly did you tell them? Even if you hate Isabella, you wouldn't go so far as to want her dead, would you?"
Though Richard knew Isabella was alive, he couldn't suppress his fury.
If Isabella and Joseph hadn't been extraordinarily lucky, they'd be two bloated corpses frozen in that glacier right now.
William's eyes were bloodshot. When he turned to Richard, his expression was terrifying.
"What gives you the right to talk to me? The person who died was my wife! What right do you have to accuse me?"
Richard swore under his breath and swung his fist straight at William's face.
William didn't back down. The two tall men immediately grappled with each other.
The fourth-floor corridor erupted into chaos.
Samantha stepped back, watching coldly as the two men fought over Isabella.
What good did any of this do now? Isabella was dead.
Just as the brawl reached its peak, Snake team captain Wayne finally arrived.
He immediately had his people restrain the hysterical Zachary, then ordered his team members to pull Richard and William apart.
"Gentlemen, I can assure you that Snake Racing had nothing to do with this incident. We will fully cooperate with the police investigation."
After his explanation, Wayne turned to look at the unhinged Zachary.
"He's always been terrified of ghosts and supernatural things. Being frightened like this is completely understandable. This tragedy has devastated all of us. It's something no one wanted to see happen."
After ordering his team to carry Zachary into his room, Wayne left.
The hallway fell silent once more.
Samantha didn't move for a long time.
Zack maneuvered his electric wheelchair to the doorway, looking at Samantha's somber silhouette, and voiced what they both knew.
"You suspect they're behind it too."
Samantha nodded. "But suspicion doesn't help. If the police can't find evidence, we certainly can't."
After Zack's accident, he'd immediately hired a lawyer to file charges against Zachary, but even now, the federal court hadn't issued a ruling.
When faced with such injustice, they could only endure it.
There was nothing else they could do.
Day four in Canvia.
Six days until the race.
Isabella had contacted Richard and learned that since last night's scare, Zachary had locked himself in his room.
He must have sobered up by now, but the fear of ghosts had taken root in his mind.
Isabella was certain of one thing.
The moment he got in that race car, those terrifying memories would come flooding back.
Even if Zachary managed to finish the Canvia course, he wouldn't achieve any respectable result.
That was Isabella's calculation.
They'd tried to destroy Romantic Racing through underhanded means. Now they had to face the consequences.
She wouldn't let Snake Racing get away with it.
Not a single one of them.
Joseph felt like he was rusting. Though it had only been a day since he'd gone outside, he stared at the window like a caged bird.
"All right, I've told them. Mr. Spencer will bring them over soon."
Isabella had prepared herself for the reunion.
Joseph jumped up nervously, brushing off his clothes.
An hour later, someone knocked softly on Vivian's door.
"It's me."
Richard's voice carried clearly from outside.
Vivian opened the door and poked her head out.
"You're Richard?"
Richard nodded. Behind him stood the friends who'd spent two days consumed with worry.
Vivian led them inside, where they found Isabella and Joseph completely unharmed.
Olivia burst into tears and threw herself into Isabella's arms.
"Mommy, I thought I'd never see you again!"
Samantha walked over, eyes streaming, and patted Joseph gently on the shoulder. "You two nearly gave us heart attacks!"
Zack gripped his wheelchair armrests tightly, emotion flickering across his face.
"If you're alive, why didn't you come back? Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"
The concern in Samantha's eyes had crystallized into something almost solid as she demanded answers.
"This is a secret," Isabella said. "I've been calculating how to prevent Snake Racing from sabotaging us again. Now they've already made their move. They won't act rashly again for a while. Samantha, this is our chance. Victoria can make her entrance."