Chapter 165: This Old Thing Really Is a Beast!

Stella stood up and opened the laptop on her desk.

She pulled up a folder right away.

"This is the hospital security footage from last night. Irene pulled out her own IV and ran out through the back door." Stella turned the screen toward the officers.

Then she clicked open a few more files.

"And there's this. These are Irene and Atticus's recent money transfer records, and screenshots of Atticus pressuring Irene to seduce Miles. Irene ran because she was scared the poisoning would come out, and she couldn't face the scandal either."

The officers looked at the detailed evidence and immediately understood what had happened.

"Sorry to bother you, Ms. Carter. This is more than enough to clear your name. We'll dismiss Atticus's report and bring him in for questioning."

The officers put away their notebooks and left.

Stella watched them walk out, her eyes going cold.

If Atticus wanted to play games, she'd play them all the way to the end.

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

After getting a warning at the police station, Atticus didn't back down at all. He completely lost it.

He rounded up a few street thugs, grabbed a megaphone and some banners, and showed up right at the front entrance of the AURE studio building.

"Stella is a monster! She drove my daughter to her death! She's using fake videos to slander us!" Atticus screamed into the megaphone at the top of his lungs.

A crowd quickly gathered around him, along with a bunch of influencers holding up their phones to livestream everything.

Kenna was so angry she was stomping her feet. "Stella, this crazy old man has no shame at all! Security can't hold him back. Should I call Mr. Wright's guys to come drag him away?"

"No need." Stella stood up, straightened her clothes. "You don't need Dennis to deal with trash like this. I'll handle it myself."

She walked out of the building in her heels.

When Atticus saw Stella come out, he got even more worked up.

He rushed toward her and pointed right in her face. "You witch! Where are you hiding Irene? You've destroyed the Palmer family, and you're going to answer for it today!"

Stella looked at his twisted face and felt a wave of deep disgust.

"You want answers?" Stella took out her phone and connected it to the large screen in the plaza below.

"Atticus, did you really think that one video was all I had?"

The big screen in the plaza suddenly lit up.

The footage was blurred, but the audio was crystal clear.

"Irene, be a good girl. After you get married, get that five million from Miles and squeeze ten, a hundred times that back from the Hudson family. After that, Daddy will do whatever you say."

"The baby in your belly is just a tool. All we want is the money."

Atticus's greedy, disgusting voice echoed across the entire plaza.

Then the screen showed records of Atticus embezzling company funds to gamble overseas, along with transfer records proving he'd paid people to smear Stella's name online.

Every transaction, every detail, laid out plain as day.

The crowd erupted.

"Oh my God, this old man is an animal! He sold out his own adopted daughter!"

"He's done all this filthy stuff and still has the nerve to show up here? Disgusting!"

"Call the police! Someone call the police! People like him belong behind bars!"

The crowd's outrage nearly swallowed Atticus whole.

Someone even threw their unfinished coffee right in his face.

Atticus completely panicked.

He dropped the megaphone and tried to cover his face and run.

But the crowd had already closed in around him and wasn't letting him go anywhere.

The sound of police sirens came from down the road, and a patrol car pulled up to the curb.

Several officers pushed through the crowd and put Atticus in handcuffs on the spot.

"Atticus, you're suspected of embezzlement and public disturbance. You're coming with us."

As Atticus was led to the police car, Stella watched him go. This rotten father and daughter had finally gotten what they deserved.

Stella turned around and saw Dennis walking toward her.

He pulled her straight into his arms. "I step away for half a day and you've already handled everything yourself. That's my girl."

"I don't want to always be hiding behind you." Stella looked up into his eyes. "I told you, I want to be strong on my own."

Dennis leaned down and kissed her firmly on the lips.

"Alright, do it however you want. I'll always be here to back you up." He put his arm around her waist and walked her toward the elevator. "Come on, Jared's waiting for us at the estate for dinner."

Just then, Dennis's phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen. It was Red calling.

Dennis hung up and looked at Stella.

"Red just found something. Miles has gone missing. Before he disappeared, he bought a knife and an unregistered van."

Dennis turned and pulled her into his arms, his large warm hands gently rubbing her back.

He leaned down and kissed her lips. "Red's taking care of it. Don't worry about it. Let's go pick up Jared and head home for dinner."

She didn't need to be bothered by these disgusting people anymore.

At the same time, on an abandoned road on the outskirts of Cloud City.

Miles gripped the steering wheel with both hands and floored the gas pedal.

The unregistered van tore down the uneven road, the whole vehicle shaking violently.

On the passenger seat sat a hunting knife, sharpened to a shine.

Miles's eyes were bloodshot and sunken. He hadn't slept in days. His mind kept replaying images of Stella and Dennis together.

He had nothing left.

The Hudson Group had gone under. The money was gone. Even that idiot Irene had failed to get him anything to work with.

If he was going down, he wasn't letting Stella walk away either.

He was going to drive straight to the estate gates. Even if he died doing it, he'd drag Stella down to hell with him.

"Stella... you can't run from me..." Miles muttered to himself over and over, his voice unhinged.

Then, without warning, a blinding pair of headlights flared up ahead.

A black armored SUV sat parked sideways across the road, completely blocking his path.

Miles slammed on the brakes.

The tires screamed against the asphalt, sending up a cloud of white smoke.

Before he could react, a massive bang hit from behind. Another black SUV had rammed hard into the back of the van.

The van skidded forward about fifteen meters. The windows shattered, sending glass flying all over Miles.

The airbag hit him in the face and left him dizzy.

He shook his head, grabbed the hunting knife from the passenger seat, kicked the door open, and stumbled out.

"Who the hell is blocking my way!" Miles waved the knife around like a complete madman.

Several big guys in black vests jumped out of the SUVs and surrounded him.

Red stepped out from behind them.

He had an unlit cigarette between his teeth and was turning a black handgun over in his hand.

"Mr. Hudson, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Red spat out the cigarette and stared at him coldly.

Miles recognized Red.

He was the most dangerous man in Dennis's crew.