Chapter 616

Chapter 616:

Ashton groggily made his way to the door, only to find Abrial standing there, her face set with an intensity he hadn’t seen before. It made the room feel colder.

“Ashton, tell me honestly,” she said, her voice low and heavy with urgency. “Did you go back to see Craig last night?”

Ashton yawned, rubbing his eyes. “No,” he muttered, still caught between the veil of sleep and wakefulness. “I told him to reflect on his mistakes. Why would I go back to see him?”

Abrial paused, her eyes narrowing as if weighing his every word. Then, with an almost imperceptible sigh, she spoke again, her voice grave. “Craig is dead. The servant found him this morning. He’s… he’s dead in the reception room.”

Ashton’s world tilted. The sleepiness left his body in an instant, replaced by a sharp, cold awareness.

“It’s probably Red Jack’s move,” he muttered, his mind racing. “They killed him to prevent him from spilling any secrets. We need to get to the scene—now.”

Ashton’s mind raced. The Carter Manor’s security was nearly impenetrable, which was precisely why he’d chosen it for his temporary stay.

But if Craig had been involved with Red Jack—if they had ties—then it was easy for Red Jack to bypass the family’s precautions. Yesterday, in his anger, he’d lost focus and forgotten this crucial detail, which had allowed Red Jack to take advantage of the opportunity.

But no matter what, Ashton knew what he had to do. He couldn’t waste any more time.

Together, he and Abrial hurried to the reception room. By the time they arrived, the room was already swarming with members of the Carter family. Craig’s grandfather, Levi, stood in grim silence, his face etched with sorrow, while Craig’s parents knelt on the floor, weeping uncontrollably over their son’s lifeless body.

The police had arrived, led by Zane, the head of the criminal investigation team.

g𝒶𝗅𝑛0ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺, 𝗿𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓱 𝓷𝓮𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓬𝒉𝓮𝓢

Ashton’s eyes scanned the room, the weight of the moment settling heavily on his chest. But just as he entered, Zane’s sharp eyes locked onto him, and the air seemed to crackle with tension.

“You,” Zane barked, his voice a thunderclap that echoed off the walls. “You dare return to the scene of the crime? What are you guys standing around for? Get him! Arrest this murderer!”

At the sound of Zane’s words, every pair of eyes in the room seemed to converge on Ashton. The accusation hung in the air like a thick fog, suffocating the room.

Ashton? The murderer?

Though Abrial had felt a cold, murderous aura from Ashton the previous night, she could not believe he was capable of such a thing.

She knew that Ashton had been intent on extracting information from Craig about the Dark Night Organization, and during their encounter, Ashton had subdued Craig—but not with violence. It had merely been a temporary restraint, with silver needles hitting two acupoints.

How could someone like Ashton, who had shown no true malice, possibly be a murderer?

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