Chapter 377


    Calista''s heart hammered against her chest as the formidable agents from Vanguard Agency closed in


    around her. Memories of that ustrophobic interrogation room flooded her mind, and panic spread like


    wildfire through her veins.


    She took an involuntary step back, her voice trembling as much as her body. "I...I thought you cleared


    me. I had nothing to do with that virus. Why are you taking me in again?"


    She was terrified.


    The thought of being back in that room was unbearable.


    The team leader''s face was a stone mask of seriousness as he said, "You are suspected of attempted


    murder against the captain of Vanguard Agency. You''reing with us under thew."


    He presented the arrest warrant.


    Calista''s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "What are you talking about? When did I ever attempt to


    murder the captain of Vanguard Agency? I was after..."


    She had meant to target Vivienne. How could Vivienne be the captain of Vanguard Agency?


    The leader remained unppable. "Percival Ellington is our captain, and you positioned that rebar to kill


    Captain Ellington with premeditation. You’reing with us."


    "What!" Calista and the entire Brooks n were stunned.


    Percival was the captain of Vanguard Agency!


    Whoever called him a loser was dead wrong. Could a loser helm the elite Vanguard Agency squad?


    Standing at a distance, Scott''s eyes narrowed. Percival''s identity had caught him off guard; he had


    been so focused on Vivienne that he had overlooked this guy.


    "No, I didn’t..." Calista''s panic resurfaced as she faced the leader, but before she could plead her case,


    she was whisked away by two armed agents.


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    M wanted to intervene, but the sight of the Vanguard Agency''s operatives withered her resolve.


    Once the agency''s team had departed, the Brooks Mansion returned to its eerie calm.


    Richard rose slowly from his chair, his gaze cutting through Baron''s dazed state. "You always said you


    were better than me, always trying to one-up me. But what do you have over me, apart from your taste


    in women? What kind of person have you married? How could you not see her true, wicked nature?"


    Baron slumped into his chair, for once not countering Richard''s words.


    Richard could not care less. “Though it wasn’t by my hand, Judith got what she deserved. I need to


    light a candle for Dahlia and share the news with her.”


    At that, Baron stood abruptly. “I’ll go with you!”


    Richard grunted in response and left. Baron quickly followed.


    The rest of the Brooks family was slowlying to terms with the situation.


    The bloodshed visibly shook K and her siblings.


    Scott and Timothy were silent, not a word between them.


    It was Ronald who first regained hisposure. “We should start nning the funeral arrangements.”


    Though the police had taken the body, it would need to be returned sooner orter.


    No matter what Judith had done, they were her family, and it was their duty to see to herst rites.


    Scott finally looked up, his voice grave as he instructed Ronald, "See to it."


    Then, turning to Vivienne, he said, "We need to talk. In private. Come to the room."


    His face betrayed none of the sorrow of losing a mother.


    Vivienne nced at him coldly. "We''ll talk, but not now."


    She approached K, and her lips pressed into a thin line. "Do you me me?"


    Vivienne had never felt a kinship with the Brooks family. Her quest was solely to unearth the truth


    behind her mother''s death. She was not one to show mercy in her dealings, and the Brooks family was


    no exception. She had never intended to stay.


    Yet, for K and the others who had stood by her, she harbored a different sentiment. Even if their help


    was unneeded, she could not bring herself to be callous to those who showed her kindness. As people


    said, only one with a cruel heart could achieve great sess in life, and she was not one of them.


    K, tears welling in her eyes, struggled to speak. Finally, she mustered a wry smile. "Morally, I don''t


    me you. Judith killed ten people; she deserved to pay for her crimes. But on a personal level, I can''t


    understand. She was your grandmother, too. Even if she was guilty, you could''ve reported her to the


    police. Instead, she was killed on the spot."


    K sobbed, her voice breaking. "I don''t know how to go on. Everyone in this house has changed,


    hiding behind masks. I can''t stay here anymore. I''m leaving."


    With that, she turned and ran.


    Vivienne''s gaze softened briefly before she looked at Ronald and the others. "me me if you must.


    Wrongdoers must always pay the price for their actions. No one escapes justice."


    With these final words, she left with Percival.


    Hourster, the Rivenwood Police Department announced the resolution of the decade-old case of the


    ten people killed in a fire. The culprit was identified as Judith Brooks from the Brooks family. She had


    resisted arrest, attackedw enforcement, and was fatally shot in the confrontation.


    Though the police had not intended to go public, the incident at the Brooks estate had attracted


    attention, and Judith''s body had been seen by many as it was removed from the premises. Soon, the


    inte was aze withmentary and spection.


    Judith had everyone fooled. To the public, she was the sweet olddy with a heart of gold, the kind of


    grandmotherly figure who would be the first to bake a batch of cookies for the local fire department or


    knit scarves for the homelesse winter. So, when the news broke out that she was gunned down in


    broad daylight, the inte was in an uproar, demanding answers and justice on her behalf.


    The police had no choice but to release a statement.


    The moment the statement hit the web, it was like dropping a bombshell at a Sunday barbecue.


    [Judith, a murderer? Are you kidding me? She''s the kindest soul around. There''s no way she could hurt


    a fly! She must have crossed paths with some high and mighty bigwig, and this is what she gets?


    RivenwoodPD, you guys owe Judith the truth!]


    [I''m standing up for Judith! Even Mrs. Brooks, the sweet old bird from the renowned Brooks family, isn''t


    safe from being a scapegoat. What chance do the rest of us stand? RivenwoodPD, we demand a


    straight answer, or we''ll seek justice for her!]


    [Holy smokes! Are some of you blind? Can''t you see this case is as old as the hills? This woman killed


    people and hid behind a facade of charity for twenty years, and you all bought her act of kindness? I


    knew right from the get-go something was off about her.]


    [Yeah! The statement is from the RivenwoodPD. Who the heck has enough clout to make them their


    personal umbre? If Mrs. Brooks was innocent, why hasn''t anyone from the Brooks familye


    forward? Don''t any of you have a brain?]


    The onlinemunity was split down the middle.


    Some believed in the olddy''s innocence, while others put their faith in the Rivenwood Police


    Department.


    The controversy grew so heated that the RivenwoodPD finally decided toy all their cards on the table


    and release the evidence.