Chapter 166 Inheritance?

Chapter 166 Inheritance?

In the police station, Azalea's hands and feet were ice cold, her heart pounding wildly.

She stared at the officer in front of her, her face a mess of panic.

"That is Olivia's car, but how can you be sure she was the one inside? You must have made a mistake! She's fine. Nothing could have happened to her!"

Tears kept streaming down her face, her eyelids swollen red and puffy.

The young officer couldn't bear to watch her fall apart. He handed her a tissue.

"We pulled the full surveillance footage. It's very clear. Ms. Ross got in the car and drove onto the overpass. There's no record of her getting out at any point."

He explained patiently, but Azalea couldn't take any of it in. She kept shaking her head, breaking down, pushing back.

"There are blind spots on that road! You didn't capture her on camera the whole time. She could have gotten out somewhere in between!"

"Ma'am, please calm down. The blind spot section is very short. Based on the vehicle's speed, there simply wasn't enough time for her to get out. Unless the car was doing 170 miles per hour, which isn't possible."

The officer cut her off, still patient, still gentle.

The words had barely settled when a figure came rushing in.

"Sir, I'm Olivia's ex-husband. I just got a call saying she was in an accident. Is it true?"

Ethan's voice was low, as if he was forcing down something enormous.

The officer looked up at him, his expression growing even more pained.

"The vehicle and the body haven't been recovered yet, but at this point we can say with reasonable certainty that Ms. Ross and the truck driver have both passed away."

Ethan's whole body went rigid. The color drained from his face. He stumbled back and sank into a chair, murmuring under his breath.

"That can't be right. This can't be real."

Tears slid down his cheeks, his face twisted with grief.

That was the scene Simon and the others walked into.

Ethan and Azalea sat in separate chairs, both hollow-eyed and stricken.

Simon had barely stepped close when Ethan shot to his feet and swung at him, a wild, uncontrolled punch straight to the face.

"Simon! You were always by her side. You promised you'd protect her! Why weren't you with her this time? How did you let this happen?"

Ethan screamed at him, eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed, completely falling apart.

Simon took the punch without moving. His cheek swelled up immediately. He didn't say a word. He just stood there, hollow, like something inside him had gone out.

A heavy, suffocating grief settled over the entire station. Everyone had their heads down, as if mourning Olivia in silence.

But if you looked closely, you'd notice there was no real sorrow in anyone's eyes. Instead, there was calculation. A quiet gleam of satisfaction, like pieces falling exactly into place.

Three full days after the accident, the police officially called off the search and recovery operation.

Ethan signed the death certificate, then showed up with a lawyer.

Azalea looked at him playing the grieving widower and almost laughed out of sheer anger.

"Ethan, do you have any decency left? Olivia just died. The news isn't even public yet, and you're already here to divide up her assets. This is pathetic."

Ethan looked pale and hollow, dark circles under his eyes, clearly running on no sleep for days.

When the accusation hit him, a flicker of pain crossed his face. He steadied himself and spoke.

"I didn't want to rush this either. But the board is pressing hard. Olivia had been planning to sell off her shares, and they're worried someone might take advantage of the situation and forge a transfer agreement. It has to be dealt with quickly."

It sounded reasonable on the surface. Underneath, it was nothing but selfishness and suspicion.

Azalea couldn't hold it together anymore. She let out a sharp, bitter laugh, her eyes full of contempt.

"So you're accusing us of forging documents? Ethan, not everyone is as cold-blooded as you are."

Ethan didn't argue. He just stood there with a look of carefully performed resignation.

The lawyer beside him stepped forward and spread a stack of documents across the table.

"Ma'am, please stay calm. I represent Mr. Wood. We extend our deepest condolences on the tragic passing of Ms. Ross. However, her estate must be handled in accordance with the law."

The lawyer pointed to the clauses and read them out in a flat, emotionless tone.

"The shares in Wood Corporation held by Ms. Ross will pass to her son Martin by law. As Martin is a minor, the shares will be managed by his father, Ethan, on his behalf. Ms. Ross has no other immediate family. We will be filing the necessary documents with the court to complete the transfer of assets. We are not here today to ask for your consent. This is a formal notification."

The lawyer's tone was cold, stripped of any feeling.

Azalea read through the documents, shaking with rage, but she had nothing to fight back with. All she could do was glare at Ethan.

"Ethan, I strongly believe Olivia's accident was no accident at all. You planned this. I will sue you."

A faint, thin smirk finally crossed Ethan's face. He still said nothing.

The lawyer answered for him again.

"Miss Gray, you are free to raise questions and file a police report if you choose. However, please refrain from spreading unverified claims online. If you make accusations without evidence, we will pursue defamation charges against you."

"Additionally, the villa you are currently living in belongs to Ms. Ross and is part of her estate, now under Mr. Wood's management. You have fifteen days to vacate the premises. If you fail to do so, we will proceed with forced removal."

Every word was a wall. No give, no room.

Azalea had no ground to stand on. She swallowed her fury, turned, and walked out.

Once everyone was gone, Ethan was left alone in the room.

He looked at the photo of Olivia on the table. The grief on his face dissolved completely, leaving nothing but cold contempt.

He spoke quietly to himself.

"Olivia, I warned you. Don't cross me. You just wouldn't listen. I didn't want it to come to this. But you kept pushing, kept making things difficult. You brought this on yourself."