Chapter 104 The Price of Growth
Joanna's face turned red, and she couldn't speak.
"Stop talking nonsense." Angelo had to glare at Peter, then turned to Joanna and said, "Don't feel pressured. I want you to choose to be with me because you like me, not out of guilt. Joanna, I've waited three years already, I'm not in a hurry."
Joanna kept her head down while eating, nodding randomly.
She needed to think carefully about her feelings for Angelo.
In the afternoon, the police did come.
They first verified Joanna's equity information at Jones Corp, then began discussing the case.
"We've found Chad, but his situation isn't great. He seems to be hiding. We've narrowed down the area and hope Miss Jones can help us lure him out."
Joanna was stunned. "But he knows he's on the run with the money. He probably won't come out just because I say something, right?"
The police said, "According to our investigation, Chad received an email earlier from someone using a virtual email address with transaction details, asking Chad to take the compensation money and give it to them, and in return they would get Henry out of prison. So I think Miss Jones should know how to provoke Chad into making a mistake, making it easier for us to arrest him."
Joanna understood.
But Peter was more cautious and asked, "What about the person controlling Chad from behind? Could this put Miss Jones in danger?"
The police looked serious. "We're responsible for Miss Jones's safety and won't let anything happen to her. This arrest has over an eighty percent success rate, so you can rest assured. Just cooperate normally."
The three of them stopped hesitating and took the police car to where Chad was hiding.
Surprisingly, it was the same abandoned factory where Sandra had been hidden before.
Joanna didn't have time to wonder how Chad knew about this place. She just followed the police instructions and stood in the most visible spot to call out.
"Chad! Mom is waiting for you to come back. If you need money, you can tell us. There's no need to take the victims' compensation. They also lost their parents and children. This is what Jones Corp owes them. As for Dad, Mom and I will try our best to help. Don't do anything stupid."
The abandoned factory was very quiet, with no sound.
Joanna glanced at the police and was signaled to continue.
She cleared her throat and spoke louder. "Mom had her first new drug surgery yesterday. It reduced the cancer risk and was a successful operation. Before going into the operating room, she said she hoped to see you get married and take over the company. Chad, we're family. We can sit down and talk about anything, right? Mom and I won't hurt you."
An angry shout soon came from inside. "You're lying! You and Mom are the ones who sent Dad to prison, and then you pretended to be nice by arranging a job for me, letting the company employees bully me! Joanna, you never treated me like your brother. You women are heartless and cruel. I won't believe what you say!"
Joanna saw the police moving toward where the voice came from. She steadied herself and continued speaking.
"I'm not lying to you. Sending Dad to prison was my idea. Mom is innocent. Chad, Dad did bad things and killed people. He should be punished. We didn't do anything wrong, and you shouldn't help him do evil. Those victims are innocent. If the person who died from fake medicine was our mother, you would never have a mom again. Wouldn't you be sad?"
Chad was silent for a long time, then saw the police uniform before he could give in.
He quickly hid in a small space, cursing angrily. "Joanna, you said you weren't lying! You brought the police to arrest me. You want to send me to prison too. Do you hate Dad and me that much?"
Joanna didn't speak, her nails digging into her palm.
Even though Henry had treated her badly, she had hesitated about whether to report him.
But she didn't think she had done anything wrong.
While Joanna was feeling sad, the police had already found Chad. After a violent struggle, they brought him out in handcuffs.
This coordinated arrest could be called very successful, but Joanna wasn't happy.
She saw the hatred in Chad's eyes.
Siblings shouldn't be like this.
When they were young, Chad would grab her sleeve and act cute, begging her to play with him.
He would also stand up to protect Joanna when Henry was about to hit her.
When did Chad start becoming more and more like Henry?
Joanna felt confused.
She felt that during these three years of marriage, focusing entirely on Chris, she had actually missed a lot of things.
Joanna walked up to the police and said, "Can I say a few words to him?"
The police hesitated, then agreed.
Under the police's watch, Joanna wiped Chad's face clean.
She spoke calmly. "You can resent or take revenge on me, but Chad, Mom is innocent. She's always missed you. You say I'm heartless, but in all these years she's been in the hospital, how many times have you visited her? You haven't cared about whether she lives or dies. Isn't that even more heartless?"
Chad's hatred diminished a bit, replaced by confusion.
He seemed unsure if he had done something wrong.
It was just that there were always voices around him saying bad things about Joanna, and he started to think Joanna had become bad.
But actually, was he the one who had changed?
The police didn't give much time, so after just these words, Chad was taken to the police car.
Joanna and Angelo drove away separately, somewhat silent on the road.
Angelo felt he should comfort Joanna, but worried that she needed to be alone right now.
Finally, Joanna broke the awkward atmosphere herself. "When he was little, Chad really loved Mom and me. But people can change, I guess. If Mom knew what he's like now, she'd be heartbroken."
Angelo thought for a moment and said, "During the years when he most needed his values corrected, you got married and Mom became a vegetable and couldn't wake up. Under Henry's influence, his values have become twisted. Making mistakes isn't actually scary, as long as he can still realize his mistakes and is willing to correct them."
Joanna smiled slightly. "You must be an only child, with no experience in educating younger siblings, right? But you're right. Chad does need correction. I hope it's not too late."
Seeing her finally smile, Angelo didn't explain anything.
The two followed the police car to the station.
The police were still questioning Chad about where he had put the money.
Joanna was also taken to a separate room to give her statement.
When she came out, the interrogation results were already in.
"The money has already been taken by the person who sent the email. It will be difficult to recover, at least seven days. Those victims' families are still hoping Miss Jones can find a way to calm them down. We police will do our best."