Chapter 168 Alison's Counterattack

Chapter 168 Alison's Counterattack

Willow insisted that Alison had imprisoned Francesca.

The reporters excitedly kept clicking their shutters, hoping for an even more intense confrontation.

"Do you have any proof?" Alison asked.

Willow replied, "Francesca's distress message said she was at the orphanage. I asked the phone company to check Francesca's phone location, and it also showed she was here."

She glanced at Oliver. His attention was completely focused on Alison. Feeling dejected, she raised her voice and asked Alison. "Do you dare let the police search inside?"

"I've got nothing to hide." Alison easily stepped aside.

William had come with two police cars. He looked at Oliver, who waved his hand. "I'm pursuing Alison, so I should avoid any conflict of interest. I won't participate in the search."

William had been worried Oliver would stop them, so he breathed a sigh of relief. The eight officers with him entered the orphanage.

"Wait." Alison said.

Willow immediately asked. "Are you backing out? Scared?"

Alison ignored her and said to William. "Could you get those drones to leave? Reporters can come in if they want, but it's better not to film the children's faces."

This gesture earned William's approval.

"Don't worry, I won't allow innocent children to be exposed in this kind of news." William stood firmly at the gate, blocking reporters from barging in and demanding they recall their drones.

Under pressure from him and Oliver, the reporters had no choice but to comply.

Willow felt frustrated. The small-time reporters she'd hired were completely useless, and she'd wasted money again!

The police began their search. Alison asked Willow. "I'm a bit curious—are you and Francesca close?"

Willow answered cautiously. "We haven't known each other long. We're just acquaintances."

Alison asked, "That's strange. Why would she ask you for help? If she could send a distress message, wouldn't it be better to just call the police?"

People murmured in confusion after hearing this.

Willow couldn't answer and felt annoyed.

She couldn't mention her collaboration with Francesca. If she wasn't afraid of Francesca exposing her, why would she bother trying to rescue her?

Several reporters boldly pressed for answers. Willow had to say. "I'm also curious why she specifically asked me for help. We'll know the answer once we find her. But it's been a week since the distress call, and Francesca hasn't sent any new messages in five days. The situation probably isn't good."

She looked worried, as if she really cared about Francesca, when in fact she wished Francesca was dead.

The police weren't making fast progress. While waiting, everyone chatted.

Alison asked Oliver. "How did you get here?"

Oliver replied, "I have some friends in the media. They tipped me off, so I came."

Alison scratched her head. "Fine, you came, but how did all these onlookers show up?"

Oliver had orchestrated this whole spectacle because he wanted to make it big.

He said calmly. "Too many people follow me. They probably all came for me."

Alison was speechless. Why did Oliver sound a bit proud?

Just then, an officer rushed out. "We found her!"

Behind him, two officers were carrying an unconscious Francesca out.

The whole place erupted. They'd actually found her!

The reporters instinctively raised their cameras, capturing the expressions of each main character.

Alison took a small step back in surprise, her brows furrowed, looking startled.

Oliver put his arm around Alison's shoulder, looking gravely at Francesca.

Willow's expression showed shock mixed with a strange excitement. "Is she dead? Is Francesca still alive?"

William gripped his cane tightly, sighing angrily. "This is outrageous, to torture someone like this! Call an ambulance!"

Francesca's hair was messy, her clothes wrinkled—clearly worn for many days—and she reeked of urine and feces. Most striking were the injuries on her face; there wasn't a patch of unblemished skin.

The reporters exchanged glances with their colleagues. This was big news!

The lounge chair where Alison had been sunbathing was brought over by police for Francesca to lie on.

William asked. "Where did you find her?"

Everyone held their breath. An officer said. "In her office. Behind the full-length mirror, there's a hidden room. Inside we found some torture devices, irregular medical equipment, and many photos of abused children."

The officer paused for a few seconds, his tone very harsh. "The abuser was Francesca."

Everyone was stunned. Wasn't Alison supposed to be the one abusing the orphans?

The officer handed a stack of photos to William. William's hands trembled as he flipped through a few. When he looked at Francesca again, his eyes held no sympathy, only disgust and hatred. "This Francesca is an absolute monster!"

"This—maybe there's some misunderstanding." Willow tried to defend Francesca.

William glared at her. "Misunderstanding?"

Willow flinched and didn't dare speak further.

William snorted and looked at the children hiding in the house. A few brave ones were peeking out from the windows.

William noticed that several of the children by the window were in the photos. He took a deep breath and beckoned to them. "Can you come over here? I'd like to ask you some questions."

Those bold but young children, accompanied by temporary staff, came out. They glanced at Francesca and quickly looked away in fear, running to huddle close to Alison, Chloe, and the others.

The children affectionately called Alison "Ms. Gray" and clearly depended on her. Anyone watching could tell Alison wasn't someone who would abuse them.

William bent down and pointed at Francesca. "Do you know her?"

The children answered timidly. "That's Francesca."

William asked, "Was she good to you?"

Several children shook their heads together.

"No, she was mean and always yelled at me."

"We were hungry every day, and she wouldn't let us cry."

"She hit us. It hurt. She stuck us with needles. It hurt."

The children's words were jumbled, but everyone understood.

Willow's face turned ashen. She knew Francesca wasn't a good person, but she hadn't expected her to be this terrible!

While cursing Francesca in her mind, she frantically tried to figure out how to clear herself.

William looked with heartache at the tender young faces before him. Then a little boy smiled. "But we've been eating really well these past few days! After Ms. Gray came, we get full meals every day, no beatings, and we play games and have classes every day!"

"Today Chloe bought lots of yummy food! We were having a party!" The little boy finished, then dropped his shoulders in disappointment. "And then you all showed up."

William felt terribly sorry. Today had almost been the happiest day in these children's memories, but they'd ruined it.

Alison felt the timing was right and confronted Willow. "Why did you frame me?"

Willow hadn't figured out what to do yet. "I didn't mean to. Francesca misled me."

Alison asked, "Didn't you say earlier that you had proof?"

Willow gritted her teeth and pointed at Francesca. "How do you explain her injuries? Did she beat herself up?"

Alison said coldly. "I didn't hit her. I don't need to explain."

An officer suddenly interjected. "We can't rule out the possibility that Francesca self-harmed."

"The lock on that hidden room can only be opened from the outside, not from inside, and the key was on Francesca. Her phone was on the desk outside the hidden room. One possibility is. she accidentally locked herself inside while self-harming in the hidden room."

Willow was sweating profusely with anxiety. "But why would she send me a distress message? That makes no sense!"

Of course it was to lure you in—Alison thought to herself.