Chapter 221: A Trail Of Evidence!

Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting warm patches of gold across the bedroom floor.

Nestled comfortably against Luca’s chest, Sophie lay on her side with a peaceful smile on her face. The room was quiet, filled only with the faint chirping of birds outside.

After a long silence, she suddenly looked up at him.

"Luca... do you think I might be pregnant?"

They hadn’t used any protection the previous night.

And with how relentless he’d been, refusing to let her go, it certainly wasn’t impossible.

Luca’s hand slowly traced along her waist before he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"If you are..." he said softly, "then we’ll keep the baby."

"Okay."

Her answer came without the slightest hesitation.

It was so quick that even Luca blinked in surprise.

"Aren’t you still preparing for your postgraduate entrance exams?" he asked, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

He’d expected her to worry about her studies first.

Instead, she simply smiled.

"I am."

She shifted closer until her cheek rested against his chest.

"But who says a stay-at-home mom can’t study for graduate school?"

She paused for a moment before speaking again, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"And..."

"I want a child that’s ours."

Luca couldn’t help smiling.

His parents had practically been dreaming about holding a grandchild.

Maybe... it really was time.

That thought had barely crossed his mind before his wandering hand slipped back around her waist.

"Eek!"

Sophie let out a startled squeal as he rolled over, trapping her beneath him once more.

"Luca!"

"You started this conversation," he said with a grin.

"I didn’t mean right now..."

Her protest quickly dissolved into embarrassed laughter.

...

By the time they finished showering, got dressed, and finally made it downstairs, it was already close to nine o’clock.

Mrs. Hale was sitting in the living room with Daisy, the television playing cartoons while the little girl giggled at the colorful characters on screen.

Without even looking back, Mrs. Hale casually waved toward the dining room.

"Breakfast’s on the table. Eat before it gets cold."

Just then, Daisy turned around and spotted them.

"Brother Luca! Sister Sophie!"

She tilted her head innocently.

"You both woke up so late. Teacher says sleeping early and waking up early is good for your health."

Luca simply smiled.

Sophie, on the other hand, instantly blushed.

Sometimes sleeping late wasn’t because you stayed up watching television.

Sometimes...

It was because someone had far too much energy.

Walking into the dining room, Luca looked over the breakfast spread before instinctively glancing toward the living room.

Egg and Avocado Toast.

Fresh oysters.

Grilled salmon with asparagus.

He almost laughed.

His mother wasn’t even trying to hide her intentions anymore.

She clearly wanted grandchildren as soon as possible.

Sophie naturally understood exactly why those dishes had appeared on the table.

Even the tips of her ears turned red.

When she caught Luca trying... and failing... not to laugh, she shot him a sharp glare.

’This is all your fault.’

If he hadn’t sneaked into her room halfway through the night...

None of this would’ve happened.

As for why she hadn’t locked her bedroom door...

That particular detail was something she’d decided to permanently erase from her memory.

She absolutely wasn’t going to admit that she’d secretly hoped he’d come.

The two quietly ate breakfast while Daisy happily chatted with Mrs. Hale in the living room.

Halfway through the meal, Luca’s phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen.

Patrick.

He sent a video.

Opening it, he immediately understood what the footage was.

Highway surveillance from the morning of the accident.

Rain had been falling before dawn, leaving the camera quality poor and visibility limited. The recording was blurry, but it was still clear enough to reveal the most important moment.

A sedan traveling at high speed suddenly slammed on its brakes.

There wasn’t another vehicle in front of it.

There wasn’t an obstacle on the road.

It simply stopped without warning.

The car behind had no chance to react.

It crashed directly into the rear of the vehicle with tremendous force, flipping it over.

The following vehicle then lost control on the rain-soaked highway, smashed through the roadside barrier, and was almost completely destroyed.

According to everything they’d uncovered so far...

The vehicle in front belonged to Jermaine Fark.

The one behind carried Daisy’s parents.

Luca replayed the clip twice.

Then a third time.

No matter how many times he watched it, the same question remained.

’Why did he brake?’

There had been nothing ahead of him.

Emergency braking under those conditions simply made no sense.

Of course, there was still a possibility that Jermaine had panicked or made a fatal driving mistake.

But after watching the footage...

Luca became even more convinced that something else had happened.

Someone had manipulated the situation.

And whenever something like this occurred...

The first person worth investigating was always the one who benefited the most.

Just as he locked his phone, Patrick called.

"Boss, did you watch the video?"

"I did."

Luca calmly picked up another bun.

"It matches our suspicions."

"So what do we do next?"

"For now, we wait."

"Justina and Mason are already digging deeper."

After a brief pause, he added,

"Tell Hernandez to investigate Patricia’s and Theodore Fark’s recent financial records."

Patrick immediately understood.

"You think they hired someone?"

"I do."

Luca’s voice remained calm.

"Neither of them knows enough about cars to tamper with a braking system themselves."

"If the brakes were sabotaged, they almost certainly paid someone else to do it."

He’d already reviewed both Patricia’s and Theodore’s backgrounds.

Neither had ever worked with automobiles.

Hiring a mechanic or someone familiar with vehicles was by far the most likely explanation.

Of course...

If the payment had been made in cash, tracing it wouldn’t be easy.

He wasn’t expecting a miracle.

Still...

Even the smallest clue might be enough to unravel everything.

"I understand."

Patrick ended the call.

Sophie looked over curiously.

"Any progress?"

"There is."

Luca handed her the phone.

"Justina managed to get the highway surveillance footage."

"Jermaine’s sudden braking was... strange."

Sophie quietly watched the video.

Her brows gradually knitted together.

By now, there still wasn’t enough evidence to prove anyone had deliberately caused the crash.

But every clue they uncovered...

Every suspicious coincidence...

Seemed to point toward Patricia and Theodore.

If his deductions were correct...

Then they hadn’t merely murdered Jermaine for insurance money.

They had also dragged an innocent family into their scheme.

Daisy had lost both of her parents because of them.

She’d become an orphan before she was even old enough to understand what death truly meant.

And after causing all of that...

Those two had shamelessly appeared at the hospital, pretending to be victims while demanding compensation from Daisy’s family.

The thought alone made Luca’s expression grow colder.

Could people that cruel really escape punishment forever?

He refused to believe it.

If the truth ultimately proved his suspicions correct...

He wouldn’t let either of them walk away.

No matter what it took...

He would make sure Daisy received the justice she deserved.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist beneath the table.

A cold glint flickered across his eyes before disappearing just as quickly.