Chapter 206 Dead
These past weeks, Declan had been coming home late every night, and Celeste had been dropping by frequently under the pretense of concern. Erica had been too naive to suspect anything was wrong. Now, thinking back, those seemingly innocent touches, those lingering glances—it had all been naked betrayal!
Thirty minutes later, Erica stood outside Celeste's temporary apartment, pounding on the door. "Celeste! Get out of here! You homewrecking bitch!"
The door opened quickly. Celeste's face went pale the moment she saw Erica's flushed, furious expression, though she tried to maintain her composure, "Erica, what are you doing here? You..."
"You slut!" Erica shoved past her into the living room, slamming her phone down on the coffee table. "Look at this! Look what you and Declan have been doing! How could you do this to me? How could you betray the Johnson family like this?"
Celeste stared at the photos, her body trembling uncontrollably. Knowing she'd been caught, she dropped the act entirely and sneered, "So what if we did? Declan loves me, not you! All you ever do is complain. What else are you good for? He stopped loving you a long time ago!"
"You're lying!" Erica shook with rage, raising her hand to slap Celeste. Celeste instinctively blocked the blow, and the two women grappled with each other. In the chaos, Celeste found herself pinned beneath Erica. Panicking, she grabbed a fruit knife from the coffee table, only meaning to scare Erica away. But in their struggle, the blade plunged into Erica's back.
The sickening sound of metal piercing flesh filled the air. Blood instantly soaked through Erica's shirt. Erica turned back in disbelief, staring at Celeste's horrified face before her body went limp and she collapsed.
Celeste stared at the knife in her hand and the body on the floor, her mind going completely blank.
Several minutes passed before she snapped back to reality, realizing she had killed someone. Terror washed over her like a tidal wave. She scrambled to her feet and began frantically cleaning the scene.
No one could ever know that she had killed Erica.
At 3 PM, the Western Police Department received a call reporting a female body discovered on the rocky shore below the cliffs.
The area was a steep precipice where the victim had apparently fallen onto jagged rocks below. Erica's body was so mangled from the fall that facial identification was impossible. The police had to rely on DNA testing to confirm her identity before notifying the Johnson family.
When the family arrived at the precinct, Lauren took one look at the sheet-covered body and collapsed in hysterics, "Erica! How could you die like this! It must be Emily—she drove you to this!"
Declan stood nearby, his face ashen and eyes evasive. He'd been with Celeste just last night, and now Erica's sudden suicide felt wrong somehow.
Lucy threw herself over Erica's body, sobbing heartbrokenly before whirling toward the door with venomous eyes, "Emily! It has to be you! You killed my mother!"
The attending officer naturally caught the name.
Was this more than a simple suicide? Was there something else going on here?
"Who is Emily?" the officer asked.
Lauren latched onto his arm like a lifeline, "She's the murderer! Erica would never suddenly kill herself! Someone must have driven her to it! Emily has always hated our family—she must have killed Erica! Yes, I want to file a report! I'm accusing Emily of murder!"
While mere suspicion wouldn't normally warrant a summons, Lauren's accusations forced the police to bring Emily in for questioning.
Soon, Emily arrived at the station with her lawyer in tow.
She'd been discussing military training preparations with Charles when she received the summons, and news of Erica's suicide had caught her off guard.
The moment she entered, Lauren lunged at her like a madwoman, trying to strike her while screaming, "You murderer! You monster!"
The lawyer quickly intervened, stepping between them, "Please control yourself! You cannot make accusations without evidence. My client is here to cooperate with the investigation, not as a suspect!"
Lucy's eyes were red with tears as she shouted, "If not her, then who? My mother killed herself because Emily stole Mirage Fashion and orchestrated that cyber-bullying campaign! It has to be her!"
Declan joined in, his voice shaking, "Emily, if you had issues with us, you should have come to me directly. Why did you have to frame Marshall first and then drive Erica to her death?"
Celeste stood in the back, clutching her clothes tightly, unable to meet anyone's eyes. She could only steal glances at the Johnson family's reactions, silently praying this suicide story would hold up.
Officer Rivera, who'd been handling the case, had just received the latest autopsy results. He cleared his throat and announced gravely, "Everyone, quiet down! We've examined the scene and completed the forensic examination. Erica Johnson was indeed murdered!"
The room fell silent instantly.
Lauren stared for a moment, then resumed her accusations, "It has to be Emily! She hates our family more than anyone!"
"Ma'am, please watch your language. According to the autopsy, Erica's time of death was between 10 and 11 AM today. Security footage shows that Ms. Emily Johnson was in meetings at Obscura Fashion from 9 AM to noon, with multiple employees who can testify to her presence. She had no opportunity to commit this crime."
The lawyer added, "We have meeting records, employee testimony, and surveillance footage that definitively prove my client was not at the scene during the time of death. The police have already cleared her of suspicion, so please stop making baseless accusations."
The Johnson family stood stunned. Lauren refused to accept it, continuing her tantrum, "Impossible! You must have conspired together! Emily is the killer! You have to arrest her!"
Lucy joined in the wailing, "It's her! It has to be her using some kind of scheme! My mother can't have died for nothing!"
Declan watched Lauren and Lucy's emotional outburst, then glanced at Emily's calm demeanor, his heart churning with conflicted feelings. He knew Emily had an alibi, but thinking about Erica's death made him want to blame someone else.
Perhaps that would ease his guilt.
Celeste's body visibly trembled when she heard "murder" and "time of death." She hadn't expected the police to determine it was a homicide so quickly. She stole a glance upward and met Emily's gaze directly—those eyes were sharp and cold, as if they could see straight through her thoughts. Terrified, she quickly looked away.
Emily watched the hysterical Johnson family members with no sympathy, only cold amusement.
These people always blamed others for their misfortunes, never reflecting on their own mistakes. She approached Officer Rivera calmly, "Officer, I'll cooperate fully with your investigation. I hope you find the real killer soon."
Charles arrived at the station just then, moving to Emily's side and gently taking her hand, "Are you alright?"
Emily shook her head, "I'm fine."
Officer Rivera nodded and addressed the Johnson family, "We'll continue investigating, focusing on anyone who had conflicts with or contact with Erica. Please cooperate with our inquiry and provide relevant information instead of making groundless accusations against innocent people."
Lauren tried to protest again, but Simon pulled her back.
Simon looked down at the covered body, his expression heavy, "Mom, stop making a scene. Let's just cooperate with the police investigation."
He was the only rational member of the Johnson family left, understanding that evidence-free accusations were meaningless and would only make them look foolish. Besides, he completely believed in Emily's innocence. She might despise Erica, but she would never commit murder.
Her kindness, her moral boundaries would never allow her hands to be stained with blood.