Chapter 106: Anthony and Giovanni

Emerald’s POV

Vera’s remains will be laid to rest tomorrow.

It felt like it was just yesterday we heard about her sudden death; now, soon, she will be buried and forgotten for good.

I let out a deep breath as I made my way towards the staircase.

I reached the upper landing when I saw my mother at the bottom of the stairs with Anthony and Giovanni.

She looked genuinely happy to see them.

She pulled them both into a hug, asked about college, and listened as they answered. The affection in her voice was unmistakable.

I stopped for a moment and watched them.

My younger siblings had always received that side of her. I could see it in the way she looked at them, the way she touched their shoulders, and how quickly her expression softened whenever either of them spoke.

I could not remember ever having that kind of relationship with her while I was growing up.

I was not jealous of them. They were my siblings, and I loved them. Still, watching my mother with them reminded me of something I had long stopped expecting from her.

I released a quiet sigh and continued downstairs. As soon as I reached the bottom, they both looked up.

"Big sister!"

Their faces brightened immediately.

I smiled and lifted a hand toward them. They came over without hesitation, and I opened my arms to receive them.

"How are you two?"

"We are fine," Giovanni said.

They stepped back, and I looked at them properly. They had grown again. "How are your studies?" I inquired.

"Good," Anthony replied.

I smiled. "I have missed you both."

It was true. I rarely saw them more than once or twice a year. They were both busy with college, and neither of them particularly enjoyed coming back home.

Giovanni suddenly frowned slightly. "I called you the other day, but you didn’t answer or return the call."

Before I could answer, my mother spoke. "Don’t you know, she has a terrible habit of not returning people’s calls."

I shifted my attention to her. This time, I had made up my mind that I wasn’t going to let her embarrass me in front of my younger siblings.

I smiled calmly. "Mum, how many times have you called me when I am in Larnard?"

She stared at me, so I continued before she could answer. "So how would you know whether I return calls or not?"

"Do I need to call you before I know the kind of person you are?" she retorted.

I almost rolled my eyes. Turning back to Giovanni, I apologised. "I’m sorry I didn’t call you back."

She smiled faintly.

"My phone died that morning. Before I could charge it and turn it back on, the family had already sent people to bring me here because of what happened."

I paused, then added, "I should have called or texted when I got the opportunity. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember."

Giovanni shook her head. "I’m not angry." She looked at me for a moment before adding, "I was actually calling to tell you about Vera."

I nodded. "I understand."

Mother stepped in before the conversation could continue. "You two should go freshen up. You need to greet your grandfather and your father, and then you should go and offer your condolences to Dante."

Anthony and Giovanni agreed. They waved at me before heading upstairs.

I watched them disappear. They were both a little taller than me now. Time really did move quickly.

I turned back toward my mother. There was something I had come downstairs to ask her about.

"Mum, what about the guest list for tomorrow?"

"There is no guest list," she replied.

I frowned. "How come?"

"The funeral is private. Only the Hugo family will be there, along with the priest."

"What about the Park family?" I asked.

"They are not invited," she scoffed. "Not unless they can give us some kind of explanation for what happened to Vera."

I nodded slowly. That was understandable, considering everything the family had learned about Lawrence.

Before I could say anything else, Mrs. Walters hurried into the room. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Hugo. Miss Hugo."

My mother immediately noticed the urgency in her manner and asked with curiosity laced in her tone, "Is there a problem?"

"The detectives are back."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"

Mrs. Walters spared me a glance, then looked toward my mother. "They said they need to see Mr. Hugo immediately. They said it is urgent."

My mother did not hesitate. "Go and inform him that the detectives have arrived."

Mrs. Walters nodded. "Yes, ma’am." Then she turned and hurried away.

I watched the doorway after she disappeared. The detectives had already spoken to us about Vera’s death.

If they had returned before the funeral and insisted on seeing my grandfather immediately, then they had found something new.

---

About five minutes later, the entire family had gathered in the large sitting room.

I sat quietly among them, watching as Grandfather took his usual seat.

Apparently, he had instructed everyone to come down and hear what the detectives had to say.

Whatever they had returned to tell us was clearly important enough that he did not want the information passed around in fragments.

The chief detective stood in front of us with the other officers beside him. His expression was serious.

"My apologies for asking everyone to gather again," he began. "But we have received new information concerning Mr. Lawrence Park."

The room became still as I felt my attention sharpen.

The detective continued, "Mr. Park has been found."

A few people exchanged glances. I experienced a moment of relief before the detective added, "Unfortunately, he was found dead."

The relief disappeared instantly. A murmur passed through the room.

I stared at the detective, completely confused. Dead?

The detective paused before continuing. "His body was discovered some distance from the vacation property. The circumstances surrounding his death are unusual, and we have not yet been able to determine exactly what happened to him."

Unusual? My stomach tightened.

"What do you mean by unusual?" one of my uncles asked.

The detective glanced at him. "His body was severely distorted."

I frowned.

The detective seemed to choose his next words carefully.

"By the time the body was discovered, it was difficult to identify him from his physical appearance alone. The clothing he was wearing, however, corresponded with what Mr. Park had been wearing when he disappeared. Further forensic examination and DNA testing have since confirmed his identity."

Nobody spoke. The news seemed too strange to take in. Lawrence had disappeared. Now he was dead.

And somehow, his body had been so badly distorted that the police could barely identify him.

The detective’s assistant opened a folder. "We have photographs of the body and the location where it was found. I should warn everyone that they are disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised."

Grandfather extended his hand. "Let me see them."

The detective handed him the photographs.

I watched Grandfather examine them. His face changed almost immediately. The hard lines around his mouth became more pronounced, and his eyes darkened as he looked through each photograph.

He said nothing. He simply handed them to the person beside him. My father took them next. His reaction was even harder to conceal.

His brows drew together, and his jaw tightened as he stared at the photographs.

One of my uncles looked next, then another. Their expressions grew increasingly disturbed.

When the photographs reached the women, the atmosphere changed completely. One of my aunts covered her mouth.

"Oh, my God!"

Another woman recoiled. "How is this possible?"

Someone screamed.

I stayed still, waiting for my turn while wondering what in the world was happening.

When the photographs finally arrived, I received them with reluctance. The first picture was enough to shock me; I gasped. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

The sight was so disturbing that for a moment I could not even process what I was looking at. I quickly moved to the next photograph, then stopped.

Fear settled inside me.

This was not simply the image of a dead man. Something about his body’s condition was deeply wrong.

I swallowed and passed the photographs to the next person.

My mind began moving in directions I did not want it to go. How could a person’s body become like that?

What could have happened to him?

I looked toward my mother. She immediately stopped Anthony and Giovanni from taking the photographs.

"No."

"But we are adults," Anthony protested.

"You don’t need to see that."

Giovanni glanced toward the photographs. "We want to know what happened."

My mother hesitated, then finally she handed them over. "Then don’t say I didn’t warn you."

They looked, then both of them fell silent. I watched their expressions change before they passed the photographs along.

Right then, Grandfather leaned forward slightly. "Detective, what caused his death?"

"We don’t know yet, sir."

"What was responsible for the condition of his body?"

"We cannot say."

My grandfather’s eyes hardened. "You cannot determine what happened to him?"