Chapter 257: Purpose
At the police station.
The police immediately opened a case after Vivian Lowell filed her report.
Following an interrogation, Lawyer Donovan realized that resisting wouldn’t do him any good, so he confessed everything he knew.
Just as Vivian had guessed, Lawyer Donovan was indeed Rachel Faulkner’s appointed attorney. He had agreed to defend her not only because they were friends, but also for another reason.
Felix Faulkner had sought him out and paid him off.
Felix Faulkner. Hearing this name, Vivian’s heart couldn’t help but sink.
When Rachel confessed to everything, Vivian had asked her lawyers and the court if Felix could be convicted alongside her. However, the lawyers told Vivian that Felix was completely clean. He hadn’t been directly involved in any of it from start to finish; he had merely given Rachel some money and introduced her to a few friends.
Felix had extricated himself from the entire affair long ago. Even if they knew he was the mastermind, they had no direct evidence proving he had ordered Rachel to do those things.
In the end, they simply couldn’t convict him.
Felix had escaped the long arm of the law!
Rachel was just Felix’s pawn. He used her when she was useful and discarded her without a second thought now that she wasn’t! Of course, he hadn’t abandoned her entirely. Felix probably knew that if he completely ignored her, Rachel might say something detrimental to him. Therefore, he had hired Lawyer Donovan.
As long as Rachel believed Felix could help her—that he was her last lifeline—she would rely on him and keep her mouth shut.
Peering beneath the surface, Vivian saw the dark truths hidden behind the entire ordeal.
“Mrs. Faulkner?”
The police officer was still taking Vivian’s statement, trying to understand what Lawyer Donovan had been doing at the Faulkner villa. Seeing Vivian suddenly space out, the officer gently called out to her.
Snapping back to reality, Vivian apologized to the officer and asked, “By the way, how did Lawyer Donovan get into the residential community?”
“He used his connections to obtain a resident’s access card. We’re still questioning him to determine if he acquired it through illegal means or simply borrowed it from a friend.” The officer explained politely, “However, please rest assured, Mrs. Faulkner, we will get to the bottom of this. As for Lawyer Donovan, he will face detention and a fine.
“If anyone else harasses you or your family regarding this case during this period, please contact us immediately.
𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
“Serving the public is what we police officers do.”
Vivian nodded and thanked the officer. She then stood up and prepared to head home with Ms. Shaw before figuring out their next steps.
On their way back, several security guards in the community assured her that they would optimize the access control management to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“Thank you for your hard work,” Vivian said. After a moment of thought, she decided to buy the guards some drinks. Giving gifts or red envelopes wasn’t realistic, as the community had strict rules prohibiting them from privately accepting money from residents.
But regardless, they had helped her today and even waited outside in the sun for a while. Buying them a round of drinks was the least she could do.
A few minutes later, Vivian and Ms. Shaw arrived home.
Grandma Faulkner was already sitting on a lounge chair in the yard, brushing and bathing the golden retriever.
The golden retriever was incredibly well-behaved. It just stood there during the bath, adorably letting Grandma Faulkner pet its head and smooth its fur.
“Grandma, I’m back.”
Vivian sat down next to Grandma Faulkner, grabbed a brush, and helped squeeze out some pet shampoo to scrub the dirt out of the dog’s coat.
“Is everything sorted out?” Grandma Faulkner asked. A fleeting trace of sorrow flashed through her eyes, but it vanished in an instant. By the time she looked back at Vivian, her gaze was filled with nothing but tenderness.
“Yes, it’s all sorted.” Vivian nodded. Under the sunlight, the golden retriever’s wet fur gleamed brightly. “Lawyer Donovan took Felix’s money to help Rachel.
“However, they underestimated this case. Veridia isn’t like some foreign countries where you can commit a crime and just hire a powerful lawyer to get off scot-free.
“In Veridia, as long as you do something wrong, you will face justice!”
Grandma Faulkner remained noncommittal. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said, “As long as it’s resolved, that’s fine. I’m getting on in years, and I don’t want to deal with any more turmoil.
“My only hope now is that you and Julian live well together. And if I could get a great-grandchild a little sooner, that would be even better!”
At the mention of this, Vivian’s face flushed slightly. “Grandma, having a child still depends on fate.
“Let’s take it slowly. You’re in such good health, there’s definitely no need to rush!”
Grandma Faulkner chuckled at her words.
After chatting with Grandma Faulkner for a while, Vivian headed inside.
Inside the house, Ms. Shaw had already rooted out the maid who had secretly been in contact with Lawyer Donovan, having found the incriminating text messages on the woman’s phone.
“I’m very disappointed that you would do such a thing. The Faulkner family will no longer employ you,” Ms. Shaw stated coldly. “You can leave now. We will still pay you your wages for this month.”
As soon as Ms. Shaw finished speaking, the maid burst into tears. She pleaded that she hadn’t wanted to do it, but her family was struggling financially—the two elderly folks at home were in poor health, and her youngest was still in school. To make matters worse, her husband refused to work and spent all day out playing cards. She was at her wit’s end and only agreed to Lawyer Donovan’s demands to earn a little extra money.
“That is your own personal issue. If your husband won’t work, why don’t you just divorce him? What use is keeping a man like that around? Do you want to be his nanny too?” Ms. Shaw was both furious and baffled.
Hearing this, the maid frantically shook her head. “How could I divorce him? If we divorce, wouldn’t the children lose their father? Besides… my family would never agree to it.”
In her hometown, divorced women were treated like pariahs!
Ms. Shaw still couldn’t understand her reasoning. Seeing that it was impossible to get through to the woman, she decided not to waste any more breath. Pulling some cash from her wallet, she handed it to the maid and said, “Pack your things and go.
“You made a mistake, so I certainly can’t keep you here. The rules were established long ago, and I won’t make an exception just for you.”
The maid begged Ms. Shaw a few more times.
But Ms. Shaw simply ignored her. After crying for a while and realizing it was hopeless, the maid wiped her tears and returned to her room to pack. Vivian watched the entire exchange unfold but said nothing.
There were far too many unfortunate people in this world.
However, misfortune should never be an excuse to do bad things.