Chapter 56: A Certain Death


    Hearing Stephanie''s name, Jennifer frowned suddenly.


    It would be more polite if Hans called her "Aunt Stephanie". However, even disregarding the politeness


    issue, his question was still somewhat confusing. Was he asking about Stephanie''s death or about how


    she felt?


    Perhaps it was because she was used to analysing Hans''s every word and every action, his


    straightforward question sounded like a trap to her.


    Hans slowed down the car and looked at her calmly as if he was just asking casually.


    "It felt like the whole world was copsing in on me." She answered honestly.


    When Stephanie was alive, her rtionship with Hans was not that close, but it was amicable. When


    he didn''te home for dinner, she would ask Jennifer to pack up the food and send it to him. During


    the festive season, she would also call him toe home for dinner.


    Jennifer personally felt that Hans had no hatred for her mother. After all, her mother was not a mistress,


    she only married into the Miller''s family half a year after Alice died. It was not easy being a stepmother


    and Jennifer felt like Stephanie had tried her best.


    It would really be something else to have Hans call her Aunt Stephanie.


    When Thomas and Stephanie had a car ident, Hans was the first person to receive a call. At that


    time, Jennifer was in thepany, sorting out documents in Thomas''s office. Hans called her, asked


    her to take a taxi to the hospital, and don''t panic.


    His ''don''t panic'' made her feel as if it was all going to be okay.


    She didn''t say this to Hans. At this moment, Hans''s eyes were a little cold. It seemed that he was not


    interested in her narrative. He asked lightly, "What kind of person do you think your mother is?"


    "My mum?" Jennifer hesitated for a while.


    "My mum was a nice person, maybe a little bit vain, but she worked hard herself to afford the branded


    bags and other luxurious items. She was a workaholic, she was passionate, and she danced very well.


    I remembered that at that time Uncle Thomas liked to y some music at home with my mom, and


    they would dance. I walked in on them a few times, it was quite embarrassing."


    "I used to think that Thomas was a good person too. He was smart, talented, and ambitious. He


    managed Joy Group very well. When he handed it to me, it went very smoothly. Some of the other


    branches and some of the shop fronts he rented out were also very reliable. There had never been any


    legal disputes."


    It was rare for Hans to speak with such sincerity, Jennifer was not used to it. She chimed in and said,


    "Uncle Thomas was indeed a good person. He took me and my mother in and he was very good to


    us..."


    "What you see is not necessarily the truth." Hans suddenly nced at her. "My father was not a good


    person, so you should not naively think that your mother is a good person either."


    Jennifer frowned at his words. Did he have something against Stephanie? Or even Thomas?


    She didn''t want to ruin the rare harmony between them so she held back her argument. She pursed


    her lips and said, "There are two sides to everyone. No one in the world is absolutely perfect."


    Hans frowned and held the steering wheel tightly, not saying anything.


    After arriving at thepany, Hans sat in the office, opened the drawer, and there was a photo on top


    of a stack of documents.


    In the picture was an innocent girl with a ponytail and she was in a school uniform. There was a crack


    in the middle of the photo. Even though it was glued, it was not perfect. A crack split the girl in half from


    the top of her head to her waist. Hans felt uneasy after looking at it for a long time.


    James came in with a stack of files in his arms, and said with a serious look, "Mr. Hans, about the


    driver who caused the ident you asked me to investigate. The driver owed about fifty or sixty


    thousand dors to an underground casino. He''s an alcoholic who would hit his wife every time he


    drinks at home. Last year, his wife left him for a rich man. By the way, the driver has many records of


    driving under influence and causing minor idents over the years. But his ex-wife secretly handled


    the issue for him. It''s quite strange."


    Hans nodded. "You meant that what happened back then was an ident?"


    James frowned when Hans mentioned this.


    "I was about to get to this. I visited his neighbours and they said that he was a teetotal ten years ago.


    He was just an ordinary truck driver. However, his ie was not stable and his son had congenital


    heart disease. They had been saving up for a heart bypass surgery. Ten years ago after the ident,


    he was detained for a while and after he was released, his son had the surgery. However, the child was


    unlucky. The surgery failed and he died on the operating table. This is why he became an alcoholic."


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    There was a strange look on Hans''s face. "You said that the child had the surgery after he was


    released? Where did he get the money?"


    "I haven''t found out yet. This man lives in the old alley. His neighbours are all old. Some of them have a


    bad memory and some have moved away. This is all I have found so far and I reported back to you


    right away."


    "Go and find out who paid for the operation."


    Hans''s face darkened. He had a hunch that the answer was going to turn his life upside down again.


    Eleven years ago, after Alice was diagnosed with terminal stage cancer, she couldn''t get out of bed for


    a long time and she didn''t want to see anyone. Somehow, she suddenly felt better for a while. The


    doctor said it was terminal lucidity and they should be mentally prepared for the worst.


    Hans hadn''t told Thomas about the cancer and Thomas seldom went home, often spending the night in


    thepany. During that time, Alice suddenly changed into a different person, she delivered packed


    lunch and dinner to him every day. She was delivering dinner when she was hit by a truck.


    She didn''t have much time left anyway at that time but she perished instantaneously.


    At Alice''s funeral, Thomas''s cries touched everyone who attended the funeral. Even Hans also thought


    that although his father didn''t seem like he care about his mother all these years, he still had feelings


    for her deep down. It was the first time that he saw his stoic father crying like that. He felt a little sorry


    for him, so he changed his mind about wanting to make his father feel guilty and tell him about the


    cancer.


    "Mom had terminal stage stomach cancer. She was diagnosed half a year ago but I haven''t told you


    about it. Although this was an ident, the doctor had already said that she couldn''tst till the end of


    the month. So don''t me yourself too much."


    After a short pause of surprise, Thomas cried louder and louder. After the funeral, he locked himself in


    the bedroom alone and didn''t leave his room for half a month.


    At that time, Hans thought that his mother''s love for his father was not in vain seeing how deeply he


    loved her. Too bad that she couldn''t see it herself.