Twisted Ties of Love

Chapter 304

As soon as Presley and Lucas arrived in J City, Liam got the news and had to figure out a way to get them to take Izabella's body as soon as possible.

Brett went to the cold room again that night, guarding Izabella in the crystal coffin. The room temperature was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and he would end up joining Izabella in death if he kept going like this.

Liam sighed, knowing that persuasion was useless and simply let him go. As long as he didn't commit suicide, it was fine.

...

The next day, it was still dark, and Liam was worried about how to distract Brett, but then there were problems on the company's side.

The batch of private mines that were transferred from Starry Brilliance Island to J City had been looted, and they were extremely important as the foundation for Brett's foothold in J City. Recently, someone took advantage of their negligence and made them disappear without a trace.

Without even having to think about it, Liam knew who was capable of doing this in J City.

Liam sent someone to investigate, and sure enough, it was related to Nathaniel.

However, the news about the Starry Brilliance Island private mines had never been leaked, so how did Nathaniel know?

Liam suddenly remembered an incident in the past. Once when he was talking to Brett about the Starry Brilliance Island mines, Izabella had been in the rest area behind him.

Liam was filled with regret, fearing the worst had already happened.

The investigation into Izabella's death revealed that it was not an accident but murder. She had conspired with others to kill herself.

Liam organized the information he had found and went to the cold room. As soon as he entered, he shivered from the cold air that greeted him.

He tried to bear the cold and handed the file to Brett, "President Windham, this is the information about Madam's death..."

Brett's entire body seemed to be frozen stiff by the cold air. He slowly turned his head and looked down at the information Liam was giving him.

He paused for a long time, like a malfunctioning machine. He slowly took the information, his fingers trembling, maybe because of the cold temperature.

He flipped through the pages one by one and asked, "You're saying Izabella committed suicide?"

Liam nodded and replied, “President Windham, do you remember what Madam said to you on the phone? Additionally, I investigated Nathaniel, and it seems he is connected to the villa fire incident. His methods are too clean, making it difficult to obtain evidence. Perhaps you should personally try to extract some information from him? After all, he is your…” Liam’s voice abruptly trailed off, and without further words, Brett understood the implication.

The aura emanating from Brett was even more chilling than cold air.

Liam flipped through the documents and changed the subject, "The batch of mines on Starry Brilliance Island has also been robbed. They are currently suppressing our group. Additionally, Kaley has been planning to go abroad recently, but I have already arranged for someone to intercept her."

Brett showed no reaction when he heard about the loss of that batch of mines, as if it were a matter of insignificant value, worth just a few cents instead of billions.

Upon hearing the name "Kaley," he showed a clear reaction, with a cold gleam flickering in his sinister eyes.

"Take it to the basement." Brett tossed the documents in his hand aside and proceeded to sit next to the crystal coffin, reaching out to hold Izabella's hand.

The temperature was too cold, and hands couldn’t be warmed by covering them.

Liam nodded with an “Hmm” and lowered his head to organize those documents. As he was about to leave, he complexly took in everything with his eyes. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Brett stayed inside for the entire morning, and his body was already numb from the low temperature. His face was as pale and lifeless as death.

When Brett received a call from the Windham family, he had just stepped out of the room, and his fingers were so numb that he could barely hold the phone steady.

Liam felt heavy-hearted. In order to successfully take Izabella away with Lucas and Presley, it was necessary to get Brett to leave first. Otherwise, if he kept guarding here, it would be impossible to take Izabella away.

The police station called again, and Liam could only ask them to wait a little longer. Brett would eventually reach his breaking point. When he fell ill and was hospitalized, it would be the perfect opportunity to take away Izabella’s body.

However, there was no need to wait for Brett to get sick now.

Liam looked at Brett, who was holding his coat, appearing as if he was about to go out, and quickly asked, “President Windham, where are you going?”

Brett’s fingers trembled slightly. He did not answer but asked Liam to stay here.

"Keep an eye on Izabella for me, I'll be right back." He said.

He took two steps and suddenly turned around to look at the cold room. Izabella, inside the crystal coffin, had a calm expression.

She was still waiting there for him, and as long as he turned around, he would be able to see her.

Liam was worried about Brett's driving and quickly arranged for a driver to pick him up.

Brett did not persevere. His body had already exceeded its limits this week, and now he was swaying in the wind, ready to collapse at the slightest disturbance.

After watching Brett leave, he immediately contacted the driver to inquire about where he went and asked him to report back on the situation.

The driver didn't think much of it. Liam had been Brett's assistant for nearly ten years, so it was perfectly normal for him to be familiar with the itinerary.

Liam waited for ten minutes and received a navigation message from the driver, indicating that Brett went to the old mansion of the Windham family.

Was it because Patrick wanted to see him, or was it because of Nathaniel?

But in either case, Brett would be delayed for a period of time.

Liam immediately contacted the Police Station to have Lucas and Presley come and take away Izabella's body. He informed them to have Lucas sign the death certificate as soon as possible and

ensure that Izabella was properly taken care of.

Presley and Lucas called the police station in the morning and were told to wait for further instructions.

They thought they would have to wait for a long time for this matter, but unexpectedly, they received a phone call from the Police Station at 11 o'clock in the morning, asking them to quickly go and process the procedures to sign a death certificate.

Upon hearing they were asked to claim Izabella's body, Lucas immediately froze. He became like a statue, needing someone to guide him in order to move.

Despite coming to J City specifically to see Izabella, when the moment to actually meet her arrived, he hesitated and dared not go..

The two went to the police station, with Presley standing by and watching Lucas sign with teary eyes and a shaky hand.

This name that he had written since childhood was now so painful and difficult to write, as if there were a knife against his throat.

Tears blurred his vision as he stared at the form on the table, and Lucas cried silently. The small room was filled with a thick atmosphere of sadness, making it more and more suffocating.

Tears streamed directly from his swollen eyes, smudging the signature he had just written.

The staff member beside them sternly reminded, "The handwriting is blurred. I'll get another one for you to sign again."

Lucas wiped his tears awkwardly and choked, "I'm sorry..."

Presley clenched his teeth and fists, suppressing the pain in his heart.

After the staff member brought a new form, Lucas signed much faster this time. After pressing his fingerprints, they were taken to the morgue.

Izabella was placed in a beautiful crystal coffin, with the cold air inside still lingering. She lay there as if she were just sleeping.

Her burns had been treated, but a dead person's wounds could not heal. Now, exposed outside the morgue, the terrifying injuries were revealed, and rotten flesh spread across a large area.

Presley closed his eyes and sobbed quietly. Izabella, such a good girl, had left this world in such a painful way.

He couldn't imagine how Izabella, who had been too afraid to undergo chemotherapy, had survived those two hours in the fire. H

e really wasn't a good friend, unable to even save her life.

He used to say that Izabella was like a sun, not needing anyone, shining alone to dispel the gloom of this world. But in the end, he found that she was just a speck of dust in the universe, fragile as if blown away by the wind.

Izabella was always optimistic, keeping her hope no matter what happened. But why did hope never favor her?

Such a good girl, at the age of 27 on Christmas, was ultimately consumed by the fire.

What was the meaning of the three years spent working hard on research abroad?

He meant to save more people, to save Izabella's life. But now, Izabella had become an empty shell, a lone soul, and he couldn't even save his favorite person.

Presley leaned forward, his hand resting on the crystal coffin, slowly approaching and lifting the half- mask on Izabella's face, revealing the rotten and gruesome wounds underneath.

"Is this her?" Lucas lost his voice, his tongue feeling as if it had been snatched away by an eagle.

In his memory, Izabella had always been glamorous and lively, with an unyielding tenacity in her bones.

But now, she was burned all over, her bones exposed, and a sense of fragility permeated everywhere.

She had become incredibly thin - thinner than he could even imagine. In just over a year since he last saw her, she had become nothing but a skeleton, as if even her internal organs had disappeared.

The once beautiful-loving Izabella was no longer pretty.

Standing there, memories of the various Izabellas flooded Lucas's mind – the little girl running unsteadily towards him with a pacifier in her mouth, reaching out for him, the breathless, tearful little Izabella, and the suddenly mature and stubborn one.

They were all so lively and weren't supposed to be the Izabella lying in this narrow coffin, with her flesh charred and face a horrific sight.

He watched her grow up and knew everything about her, how she feared pain and bitterness.

She would scrunch her nose while taking medicine and wail loudly after a fall, even when she had no broken skin, hoping for attention and comfort. But she only received indifference.

Standing up where she fell was what Izabella learned since she was little.

Gradually, she stopped expecting anything from anyone. When things got tough and she couldn't hold back any longer, Izabella would hide in the bathroom to cry.

Later, someone asked her why she cried in the bathroom.

She said, "I heard on TV that the only places you can cry are the bathroom and in dad's arms."

Her father didn't like her so she would hide in the bathroom and occasionally look enviously at her father hugging her brother.

Children would cry for candy, but Izabella seldom cried in front of her family. She was strong like a rock. She would be easily comforted by a single piece of candy, but no one ever gave her any.

Growing up alone, she not only learned to be strong, but also how to treat others with sincerity.

Yet, unexpectedly, she mistook the boy who carried her on his back, and she had given her lifetime of kindness to Brett.

See, a sweet donut could win a true friend, but now they tried their best and couldn't hold onto those precious moments anymore.