Chapter 216: Too Hard To Believe

As soon as Luca Hale reached the entrance of the villa estate, he spotted the young driver who had brought him home the previous night. The man had clearly been waiting for quite a while.

"Good morning, Boss."

He hurried over and respectfully opened the rear door.

Luca smiled and nodded.

"Morning. Thanks."

"It’s an honor to serve you, Boss."

The driver’s face lit up with genuine excitement.

Before today, he’d heard countless stories from colleagues about the hotel’s owner. According to the rumors, Luca was cold, decisive, and almost impossible to approach unless you were someone like the general manager.

Now that he’d met him personally...

None of it seemed true.

The man standing before him was polite, easygoing, and surprisingly approachable.

The frightening reputation surrounding Luca wasn’t entirely baseless, though.

Most employees still remembered the day he fired former general manager Arthur Vale without the slightest hesitation.

Even more unforgettable was watching Arthur’s son, Adrian, get beaten until he could barely recognize himself.

As for Arthur...

After losing everything, he’d reportedly gone back to working in a garment factory, spending his days hunched over a sewing machine, desperately trying to pay off the mountain of debt he’d accumulated.

Ever since the Vale father and son fell from grace, every senior manager at Stone Free Grand Hotel had been walking on eggshells.

No one dared make a mistake that might catch Luca’s attention.

Even so...

Not a single executive chose to resign.

The reason was simple.

After taking over the hotel, Luca had significantly increased everyone’s salaries.

The pay still couldn’t compete with places like San Fierro, but within this small city, their income had already reached the upper limit for ordinary workers.

Even the wages of frontline employees had risen considerably.

Life became easier.

Some finally had enough money to enjoy themselves after work instead of worrying about every expense.

So although many staff members feared their boss...

They were also sincerely grateful to him.

After all...

In this world, money spoke louder than empty promises about the future.

The driver sped all the way to Stone Free Grand Hotel.

With a sharp turn of the wheel, the car slid neatly into a parking space.

"Boss, we’ve arrived."

He immediately unbuckled his seat belt, rushed out, and opened the door for Luca once again.

The moment Luca stepped out...

A wave of dizziness hit him.

For a second, it felt as though he’d just downed an entire bottle of cheap whiskey.

After steadying himself, he patted the young driver’s shoulder.

"You’ve got good driving skills."

He paused before adding with a faint smile,

"But try not to drive like that next time."

The driver’s proud smile instantly collapsed into one of disappointment.

Without saying anything else, Luca walked through the hotel’s glass entrance.

Patrick Halloway and the Farce siblings were already waiting in the lobby.

Together, the four of them headed to the conference room Mason Reid had prepared.

Everyone took their seats.

Luca looked toward Justina Farce.

"Let’s begin. Tell us everything you’ve found."

"Yes, Boss."

Justina stood up, her expression becoming completely serious.

"This accident resulted in four deaths."

"Daisy Kennedy’s parents..."

"And the occupants of the other vehicle, Jermaine Fark and his lover, Deborah Heart."

When she finished speaking, silence settled over the room.

Luca gently tapped his index finger against the table.

After thinking for a while, he finally spoke.

"So you’re saying..."

"Three years ago, Jermaine’s wife, Patricia, purchased a high-value accidental death insurance policy covering both herself and her husband?"

"Yes."

Justina nodded.

"I verified it."

"If either spouse dies in an accident, the surviving spouse receives a payout of three hundred thousand dollars."

Luca slowly narrowed his eyes.

"What does Patricia do for a living?"

"She’s an insurance salesperson."

Patrick raised an eyebrow.

"Boss..."

"You think she’s hiding something?"

"I don’t know."

Luca leaned back in his chair.

His brows knitted together.

An expensive accidental death policy...

Purchased three years ago.

If Patricia really was behind this accident...

Then she’d been planning it for an incredibly long time.

Not only had she schemed against her own husband...

She’d waited patiently for three years.

’Could someone really think that far ahead?’

’Or are some people simply that terrifying?’

After a long silence, he suddenly asked,

"Did Patricia know her husband was having an affair?"

"I can’t confirm that."

Justina shook her head.

"But she definitely knew Deborah."

"The two women almost became sisters-in-law."

Luca looked up.

"Sisters-in-law?"

"Deborah used to date Jermaine’s younger brother, Theodore."

Justina continued,

"They broke up three years ago."

"After that, Deborah left Ashford."

"She only returned six months ago."

"And not long after returning, she started an affair with Jermaine."

"Three years ago again..."

Luca’s voice unconsciously rose.

Deborah broke up with Theodore three years ago.

Patricia bought the insurance three years ago.

The timing...

Was simply too perfect.

"Are you certain Deborah and Jermaine only got together within the last six months?"

"I’m certain."

Justina answered without hesitation.

"I investigated Deborah’s background."

"She was the one who pursued Theodore first."

"When they broke up, she was devastated."

"According to several friends, she locked herself inside her house for almost six months."

Luca blinked.

"So she was actually that devoted?"

For a moment, even he found it hard to believe.

’She couldn’t become the younger brother’s wife...’

’So she ended up becoming the older brother’s mistress?’

The thought was so bizarre it almost sounded like a joke.

Just then...

The conference room door opened.

Mason stepped inside.

"Luca."

"My people just reported back."

"The Fark family has gone straight to the Kennedy family’s neighborhood."

Everyone instinctively turned toward Luca.

He looked back at Justina first.

"Continue investigating."

"I want the traffic camera footage from the accident scene."

"Without it, all we know is that Daisy’s parents rear-ended the other car."

"That puts us in a very passive position."

Being forced to react to everything the other side did...

Wasn’t a position he enjoyed.

"Understood."

Justina immediately left the room.

Luca then looked at the remaining three.

"Patrick."

"Mason."

"Hernandez."

"Come with me."

"Let’s meet the Fark family."

"I want to hear exactly what they want."

"Understood."

The three answered almost simultaneously.

Patrick and Hernandez exchanged a subtle glance.

Both knew their boss’s real objective wasn’t the compensation issue.

He wanted to meet Patricia.

Only by speaking to her face-to-face could they determine whether she was merely an unfortunate widow...

Or someone hiding something far more sinister.

Mason, however, knew nothing about those suspicions.

He quietly leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Luca..."

"Are you really planning to compensate them?"

"You don’t know Patricia."

"That woman’s obsessed with money."

"I’ve never seen anyone so greedy."

Mason genuinely disliked her.

Every conversation with Patricia eventually circled back to money.

She acted as though the whole world owed her something.

Luca’s eyes sharpened.

"Then I have even more reason to meet her."

Ever since yesterday...

Something about this entire incident had felt wrong.

Now, after hearing everything Justina uncovered...

That feeling had only grown stronger.

Whether Patricia was innocent or not...

They wouldn’t know until they met her in person.