Chapter 349: I Don’t Believe It
"What about President Vaughn...?"
Ryan’s eyes darted around in a panic. He didn’t dare look at Cecelia Archer or ask the question hanging in the air. Cecelia rushed over and snatched the phone from him.
"Which car was President Vaughn in? Where is he now?
"President Vaughn was in the second car. I’m not entirely sure about the details. We were injured and the police put us in an ambulance. I only heard that the first two cars were in bad shape, and one of them even exploded. Haven’t you tried calling President Vaughn?"
Cecelia Archer tried to control her emotions, taking several deep breaths.
"Mr. Miller, President Vaughn is unreachable. You’re the only person on the team we can get ahold of. I know you’re injured and frightened, and this is hard, but for the sake of our Group, please find out what’s going on. Find President Vaughn as soon as possible and have him call me back, okay? And another thing—don’t panic. No matter what happens, tell me first. Otherwise, this stays absolutely confidential. All right?"
He was a lawyer, after all, and understood perfectly.
"Understood, President Archer. I’ll get on it right away."
After the call, they waited in the office, their hearts racing with anxiety. An entire hour crawled by.
A little after 10 a.m., Ryan finally received a call back.
Mr. Miller’s voice stammered on the other end.
"Ryan... is President Archer... is she there?"
"She is. Just say what you have to say."
"I’ve confirmed it. The vehicle that exploded... it was the one President Vaughn was in. The driver was killed instantly. The head of investments who was there for the airport pickup and President Vaughn were trapped inside... They didn’t last until the fire department arrived..."
So, what he was saying was that Damien Vaughn was one of the people in the news who had been blown up with the car.
A roar filled her ears as the blood rushed to her head again.
Just as Cecelia Archer was about to say something, her vision went black, and she collapsed backward.
"President Archer! President Archer!"
When Cecelia Archer woke up, the sky outside was already dark, and Ryan was still by her side.
"President Archer, you’re awake?"
Ryan wasn’t in much better shape than her. In just one day, he seemed to have aged several years.
His eyes were sunken, his face was sallow, and the usual spark of life was gone from his gaze.
He helped Cecelia Archer sit up as she propped herself up on her arms.
The two of them were in the president’s office lounge.
He hadn’t even dared to take her to the hospital, fearing it would start damaging rumors at the company.
"What time is it?"
"It’s after 11 p.m. I had a doctor come over in disguise. He said you’re suffering from severe emotional and mental exhaustion and need plenty of rest."
’After eleven at night?’ Cecelia Archer’s heart clenched.
"What about Candy?"
"Don’t worry. Mr. Grant heard about the crash and called to ask what was going on. I told him what happened, and he picked up Candy to stay with him."
Cecelia Archer breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, the crushing pain in her heart and the suffocating breathlessness swept over her once more.
She wanted to cry, but her chest felt empty, and she couldn’t.
"Was I just dreaming? Ryan, tell me this isn’t real."
Ryan didn’t want to believe it was real either, but...
"President Archer, I’m afraid you don’t have time to grieve. Having followed President Vaughn for so many years, saying this makes me sound heartless. But the Group needs someone to run it. Not only can you not show any sadness, you have to act as if nothing has happened. Once the news of President Vaughn’s accident gets out, the stock will plummet, many investors will pull their funding, and the banks will call in their loans. Not to mention the new orders we took on recently—90% of them are pre-sales. If public opinion sways everyone into canceling their orders en masse..."
The Vaughn Group’s Dominion Tower looked magnificent and imposing, but without Damien Vaughn, it could collapse in a single night.
Cecelia Archer understood what Ryan was saying.
But she couldn’t control the pain.
’I hadn’t even forgiven him. Just two weeks ago, I wanted a divorce. I hated him for lying to me. In just half a month, how could it...?’
"I can’t breathe, Ryan. Just... give me a minute."
"I understand how you feel. President Archer, you can take a moment, of course. But when morning comes..."
Cecelia Archer began to cry silently.
Only at this moment did she truly understand the pressure Damien Vaughn was under.
Why he chose to hide the news of his grandfather’s death.
’It’s so incredibly hard to prop up the entire Dominion Tower all by yourself, never letting a single emotion show.’
"I don’t believe he’s just dead. He’s Damien Vaughn! He promised me he’d come back. How could he die so absurdly?"
After crying for a while, Cecelia Archer suddenly didn’t want to cry anymore.
She remembered Damien Vaughn’s promise to Candy, she remembered his wisdom and courage, and firmly believed he wouldn’t break his promise to his daughter.
"Ryan, do you think the crash could have been a setup? That he wasn’t really hurt, or maybe... No! I have to go to Rivia right now and find him! He can’t be dead!"
Seeing the sudden determination in her eyes, Ryan felt his own spirits lift.
"But President Archer, you don’t have a passport to go to Rivia."
"Then get one expedited! As fast as possible! You have one, don’t you? Book a ticket right now and get over there. Meet up with Mr. Miller. The two of you need to investigate this properly and find him."
"I need to see him if he’s alive, and his body if he’s dead. I won’t give up until I do!"
「Rivia」
A black, unlicensed minivan sped through the night for over two hours before finally stopping beside a remote pond.
"Okay, this is remote enough. Nobody’s here. Get him out."
The rear doors of the van were flung open. Damien Vaughn, covered in blood, was grabbed by the ankles and dragged out onto the grass.
The dignified president of the Vaughn Group was now like a dead dog in their hands.
His head knocked carelessly against the van and the ground.
After dragging him onto the grass, they also stripped off his overcoat.
"Damn, this guy’s a bloody mess, but his clothes are still immaculate. This is some good quality stuff. I’m taking this coat."
"Are you asking for trouble? Taking clothes off a dead guy? You’re that desperate? Besides, it’s evidence! You wear his coat, and you might as well put up a sign saying you were here!"
Startled by his partner’s warning, the man immediately tossed the coat into the pond.
"I wasn’t scared, but now you’re giving me the creeps. Fine, fine, forget the coat. Just take the pictures quick. Once we’re done, we toss him in the pond, and the job’s finished."
His companion took out his phone and took two photos of Damien Vaughn’s bloody face.
A message quickly came back from their client.
"Take a video. Head to toe, front and back, get every detail. How is anyone supposed to confirm it’s him from just this?"
One man propped up Damien Vaughn’s body while the other filmed him again, focusing carefully on his wounds. This time, the client was finally satisfied.
"Excellent. Job well done. Now send me a video of you sinking him in the pond, and the 5,000,000 is yours. Remember, tie rocks to him. The heavier, the better. Leave no loose ends."
Looking at the message, the two men thought their client was truly ruthless.
’He’s already dead, not even a twitch, and they still want him sunk in a pond with heavy rocks. How much could someone possibly hate a person?’
’Heard this guy was a real big shot back home. Tsk, tsk... and now he ends up like this.’
Not their problem, though. They were about to get 5,000,000.
’That’s 5,000,000! After a lifetime of being broke, they were finally going to be rich!’
The two men exchanged a look, unable to contain their excitement.
"Hurry, hurry! I’ll do the filming. You drag him to the edge of the pond. There are rocks over there."