Chapter 1390


    "Yes." Tom nodded with a serious expression.


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    "How did that happen?" Sonia frowned tightly and asked curiously, "What about the casualties?"


    He sighed and replied, "There were four people in the Acrees'' car, the three family members and the


    driver, while there was only one driver in the other car. Two cars collided not far from the Acrees''


    house. Because the Acrees'' car is more expensive, it has better anti-collision measures. Although the


    car was damaged beyond repair, the four people in the car were alive. The driver and Mr. Acree


    sustained severe injuries because they sat in the front. They are still in the hospital, receiving


    emergency treatment as we speak. Mrs. Acree and Miss Acree sat in the back, so their injuries weren''t


    as bad, and they did not suffer a great impact from the ident, but they still suffered some serious


    injuries. I heard that her leg might need to be amputated. I can only get the specific information once


    we receive the results of their diagnosis and treatment."


    After a beat, he nced at Toby before continuing, "The driver in the other car was not as lucky. He


    drove an ordinary car, and its quality couldn''t bepared with the Acrees'' vehicle, so not only was the


    car damaged, but the driver also died on the spot."


    "He died?!" She inhaled sharply in shock.


    Toby narrowed his sharp eyes. "You said that the car ident was man-made."


    "Yes." Tom nodded. "The men we sent to keep an eye on the Acrees rushed to the scene immediately


    when they saw the ident. ording to the police''s investigation, they heard that the brake of the


    Acrees'' car was tampered with, including the steering wheel. As a result, the turning sensitivity was out


    of control, and the car could only drive forward in a straight line."


    "The brake was out of order; the car could not turn and could only drive forward. It meant that whoever


    did this wanted the Acrees to crush straight into the other cars!" Sonia gasped in fright.


    "You''re right, Miss Reed." Tom gave her an admiring nce. "The mastermind intended to do so. The


    Acrees did not realize the problem earlier because the journey from the vi area where the Acrees live


    to the highway is in a straight line. Therefore, they did not need to turn at all, so they would not be able


    to find out about the faulty functions in advance."


    "In that case, there''s definitely something fishy about the car that hit them." Sonia rubbed her chin


    skeptically. "No matter how desperate the Acrees are, they can afford a luxurious car or two, let alone


    the rich families who live in the same area. The other families do not suffer any financial crisis like the


    Acrees, so they have better and more expensive cars than the Acrees. None of them will have an


    ordinary car in their possession. Even their servants drive expensive cars. These rich people are


    snobbish and proud. They will only prepare expensive cars for their servants because they do not want


    to be looked down upon by others. They will feel humiliated when their servants drive an ordinary car


    worth a hundred thousand while the servants of the other families drive a car worth a million or so.


    Thus, an ordinary car can''t appear in that area."


    "Your analysis is right on the money, Miss Reed." Tom approved of Sonia''s spection." Just like the


    Acrees, the residents of the vi area are nouveau riche, so they are motivated by vanity. They are so


    proud that they will prepare nice cars for their servants. The Acrees allowed their servants to drive a


    Porsche worth one million and eight hundred thousand. So, no one in the vi area owns a car that is


    worth only a few hundred thousand. Naturally, the driver who drove to the vi area is indeed suspect,"


    he asserted.


    Toby rubbed his temples impatiently. "Just tell me who the driver is."


    Tom cleared his throat and cut straight to the chase when he heard Toby''s agitated urging. "The driver


    was not the owner of the vi area, nor the servant, but a small captain of one of the Acrees'' fishing


    fleets. Three months ago, a moderate typhoon broke out in the outer sea. ording to thew and


    local fishing regtions, fishermen are not allowed to go out under such weather. But at that time, the


    Acrees received an order from a hotel that required the valuable yellow croakers. They would make a


    lot of money as long as they delivered the goods on time, and the delivery time was within a month. But


    ording to the weather forecast, the typhoonsted about two weeks."


    "It means the fleet must wait two weeks for the typhoon to pass before they can go to sea." Sonia sat


    back down next to Toby.


    "Yes." Tom nodded. "But yellow croakers are extremely rare and hard toe by. They needed more


    time if they wanted to reach the number that the hotel required, which was a thousand. If they were


    lucky and stumbled upon a school of fish, they could reach their target within a month or so. But if they


    were unlucky, they would not be able toplete the order in three months. The time the hotel gave


    them, which was a month, was already pushing it, to begin with. They might not be able to get anything


    and would lose the business opportunity if they had to dy for another two weeks. But the Acrees


    insisted on taking this job."


    "So, they forced the fleet to go to sea regardless of the local regtions and the danger of typhoons?"


    Sonia frowned in displeasure as she could deduce what happened next.


    "Yes." Tom sighed wearily. "The fleet went out to sea and drifted for a month. Not only did they not


    seed in fishing for yellow croakers, but they also lost several crew members, including the driver''s


    wife."


    "So, was the motive behind the car ident revenge?" Toby intoned deeply.


    "Yes." Tom nodded in affirmative. "After the police verified the driver''s identity at the scene, they


    immediately asked the butler, who rushed over, whether the driver knew the Acrees. The butler had


    seen the driver, so he told the police officers about the incident. Our men heard it and reported it back


    to me."


    "Wait a minute." A thought suddenly shed in Sonia''s mind. She looked at Tom and asked, "So many


    people died in the disaster. Did they not receive anypensation? Or were they not fairly


    compensated? Was that why the driver sought revenge?"


    The driver would not have retaliated against the Acrees had properpensation been made.


    "They do not have the money to pay forpensation." This time, it was Toby who answered her


    question.


    "Why not?" Sonia immediately turned to him. "How do you know? Their business was affected recently,


    not back then."


    Toby smiled faintly. "The investment in the marine business is usually in the fishing fleets and seafood.


    If they could not catch a reasonable amount of seafood, not only would they not make any money out


    of it, but they would have to pay more in terms of fuel and sries. So, they have little to no liquidity


    and often earn money afterpleting an order. This was the reason why the Acrees took the risk of


    letting the fleet out to sea. Unfortunately, so many people died, and they did not get anything in return.


    Thepensation for the deceased is at least a million or so. The Acrees could not afford to pay, and


    they wouldn''t pay even if they could afford it."


    "Mr. Fuller is right. The Acreespensated the deceased''s families, but it was far less than what they


    deserved. The driver came to see Mr. Acree several times, hoping they would pay thepensation


    ording to the regtions, but to no avail." When Tom spoke about this, he couldn''t help but release


    a dejected sigh.