Chapter 271 Death

Chapter 271 Death

Alice couldn't tell if Samara was just stupid or asking for trouble.

She'd been swayed so easily by just a few words.

And now she was taking the blame for everything, practically handing it over with both hands.

A flash of satisfaction crossed Stella's eyes. She hadn't expected Samara to actually take the fall. She supposed the woman still had her uses.

On the surface, she kept up the act — dabbing at tears, eyes red and swollen, hands trembling.

"You can't keep making mistakes like this! My adoptive parents are good people. My sister was abandoned because of you, and then you tried to have her killed. You're absolutely heartless!"

The corner of Samara's mouth twitched. Her nose burned and her throat tightened. A tear slid from her clouded eyes, then another, then another.

She stared at the wall beside her, then slowly turned her head toward the phone livestream and forced a smile. "Yes... it's my fault. I did all of it. I never thought I'd raise an ungrateful daughter like you. Since you love the Hall family so much, then I... then I'll just go die."

She took one last look at Stella. Something settled in her expression — a decision made. She pushed off hard and threw herself headfirst into the stone wall.

A dull, heavy thud.

Her skull hit the wall dead-on. Blood sprayed instantly. She crumpled to the ground, body convulsing, mouth working open and shut like she was drowning on dry land.

Stella screamed. The phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.

She stumbled backward, hands clamped over her mouth, face drained of all color, eyes wide with something that looked almost like genuine horror.

"No — I didn't do it! I didn't know she was going to do that!"

The woman on the ground used the last of her strength. Her hand reached out toward Stella, trembling.

Alice was close by. She calmly wiped the blood from her cheek and leaned in to catch what Samara was saying. "Stella... come here. Let me get a good look at you..."

Sidney's expression shifted for just a moment, then settled back into cool detachment.

Police sirens wailed outside.

The iron door was forced open.

Officers poured in. Stella screamed again and threw herself at the first one through the door. "Help! Someone's dead! It's horrible — I didn't do it, she killed herself, she's completely crazy —"

She was shaking, barely coherent, words tumbling out in broken pieces.

The officers had already seen the whole livestream. "Ms. Hall, please calm down. We know it was suicide. Everything was caught on camera."

Stella nodded, glassy-eyed. "Right. I didn't kill her. I didn't know it would go this far. She couldn't handle it — that's not on me..."

Alice looked at her and said evenly, "Get her to the hospital first. She needs a psychiatric evaluation."

She didn't buy for a second that Stella had genuinely fallen apart over a dead body. But since Stella was still running the performance, Alice saw no reason to pull the curtain back just yet.

Two officers guided Stella toward the exit, her voice still trailing behind her. "I didn't know it would turn out like this. I didn't do it. Why did she die?"

As she passed Alice, she glanced up — and for just a fraction of a second, all the venom she'd been suppressing surfaced in her eyes.

Alice held her gaze, watching until Stella was loaded into the ambulance.

"Ms. Baker, we'll need you to come with us."

The officer's voice brought her back.

She nodded at him. "Of course."

Sidney fell into step beside her. He leaned in slightly and murmured, "That woman could win an award."

Alice glanced at him. "Looks like our day just got longer."

They arrived at the station and were shown into an interrogation room.

The officer across from them ran through a few questions, then told them to sit tight.

Alice sat back, eyes moving around the room. She had planned to let the two of them tear each other apart and simply watch. She hadn't counted on Samara actually loving her daughter — not after everything.

She felt she'd let Samara off too easily.

Her knuckles tapped a slow rhythm against the table. She had no idea where any of this was heading now.

About half an hour later, the officer returned, noticeably more courteous than before. "Ms. Baker, thank you for your cooperation. We're all done here. You're free to go."

Alice thanked him and stepped outside. Sidney was already waiting.

Robert and Evelyn were standing at the entrance.

Robert pressed his lips together. He still had an audience, which meant he still had a role to play. "My poor girl — you've been through so much. We had no idea the truth was like this. Come here, let me look at you."

Evelyn's concern was harder to fake. "Alice, are you all right? How are you holding up?"

Alice's tone was even. "Let's go see Stella. She's still at the hospital. I don't know what her condition is."

She turned away from their warmth without a second glance, addressing Sidney instead.

Sidney made a quiet sound of agreement. He looked at the two figures by the entrance, something sardonic in his expression.

"Mr. Hall, if you don't mind my asking — where were you just now? You've kept us waiting quite a while."

That landed.

Alice caught it immediately. She finally understood why someone had worked so hard to delay them earlier — the whole point had been to engineer this reunion at the station entrance, right in front of the cameras.

The reporters outside were already shooting.

Alice stepped forward and smiled. "Shall we?"

Evelyn had been hoping for more time with Alice. She nodded, reluctantly.

Seeing that his earlier display had fallen flat, Robert switched gears without missing a beat. "Let's go. It says a lot about your character that you're still thinking of your sister right now. I'm proud of you."

Alice deliberately stopped near one of the reporters. She looked back at Robert's carefully arranged expression and said pleasantly, "Of course. You've already stepped back from the day-to-day. I'm running things now — it's my responsibility."

Robert's face tightened. He had arranged for the press to be here to rehabilitate his own image. He hadn't anticipated Alice turning the cameras on him.

He manufactured a look of paternal emotion. "How can you say something like that after a day like this? You should be resting. I'm still here for this family."

"You've earned your retirement, Mr. Hall." Alice's smile didn't waver.

The reporters around them smelled blood and leaned in closer.

Robert was afraid of what she might say next. He pivoted fast. "Weren't we going to the hospital? Let's not keep your sister waiting."

They got into the car. The moment the door closed, Robert's expression collapsed.

"There were reporters everywhere and you wouldn't play along! Today we've got the scandal of Stella's birth mother killing herself on a livestream. Do you have any idea what that does to the company's image?"

Alice looked at him. "Is it worse than the fallout from you keeping twenty mistresses? If you think today's headlines aren't damaging enough, I'm happy to give them something more interesting to write about."