Chapter 293: Death Penalty

Shortly after Felix Faulkner made a full confession to his crimes, a verdict was handed down in his case. Felix, along with several of the ringleaders he had partnered with, had all been arrested and sentenced to death!

Additionally, among Felix’s partners, there were a few who permanently resided abroad, as well as those who had fled the country the moment word got out—that is, right when Felix was arrested. These people were immediately put on a blacklist and targeted for capture.

In short, anyone who posed a threat to the nation had to be dealt with. Not a single one could slip through the cracks, and the authorities’ response was swift and merciless.

Generally, the timeframe from a death sentence verdict to its execution would not exceed a week.

Vivian Lowell had just finished her routine blood tests for her prenatal checkup when she heard the news. Gripping the medical forms in her hands, she softly acknowledged it. “Mhm, I understand.”

Vivian nodded and glanced at Julian Faulkner. Julian narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze undeniably complex.

They left the hospital half an hour later after finishing the checkup. Seeing that Julian seemed a bit distracted, Vivian offered, “Why don’t I drive?”

Julian didn’t refuse. The two got into the car and returned to the company.

Julian got off work very early that day. While Vivian was still drafting her designs, he came to look for her in her office.

“Are you still busy?” Julian sounded somewhat exhausted.

Vivian quickly had Julian take a seat and said, “There are still a few adjustments I need to make on this draft. It’ll be done soon. Are you ready to head home?”

“Just give me a moment. I can wrap it up within twenty minutes,” Julian softly agreed. He pulled a chair over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and sat down, staring out at the scenery.

Seeing Julian sitting there so quietly, Vivian breathed a slight sigh of relief. Her thoughts drifted back to the message Vance Wyatt had sent her earlier today.

Julian’s unusual behavior had been noticeable enough that even Vance had picked up on it. Concerned, Vance had reached out to ask Vivian what was going on. When Vivian replied that it was about Felix Faulkner, Vance immediately understood.

At the end of the day, no matter how devoid of affection their relationship was, they were still bound by blood as father and son. With a father about to be executed, a son would inevitably feel some emotional turbulence. Because of this, a meeting Julian was originally scheduled to attend this afternoon had been pushed back to tomorrow afternoon.

Twenty minutes later.

Vivian carefully reviewed her revised draft. Feeling quite satisfied with it, she saved the file and sent it off to the client, asking them to review it and let her know if anything else needed tweaking.

“I can clock out now.” Vivian tidied up her desk and went over to call Julian, only to find him still sitting there in a daze. “Julian?” she called out again.

Julian finally looked up. He took Vivian’s hand, gently pulling her down to sit beside him. “When I took a nap at noon today, I dreamed of my mother.”

Vivian gave a soft nod. In truth, Julian rarely brought up his mother. In his heart, his mother had been driven to her death by his father. For someone as gentle and kindhearted as her to ultimately choose such a resolute way to end her own life was proof enough of just how much she had hated Felix.

“What… what did you dream about?” Vivian wasn’t quite sure what to say, but she resolved to simply be a good listener.

“I dreamed that she took me to the marine park. Just me, her, and Grandma. She bought a bubble machine and blew bubbles with me, and we watched the dolphin show together. And then…”

The end of the dream had not been pleasant, because the image of his mother at the time of her death had materialized before his eyes.

She had died by jumping from a building.

The hospital building hadn’t been very tall. Her physical condition had been terribly weak—getting out of bed was a struggle, and she barely had any strength left. He never knew where she had found the sheer willpower. Wrapping her body in bedsheets and pillows, she had dragged herself inch by inch to the window, climbed over the sill, and ended her life.

It was winter, and it had been snowing outside. Julian thought that when his mother died, her heart must have been just as freezing cold as the snow.

Her husband had betrayed her. Even though she had an adorable son, she had no chance of surviving; her illness was incurable. Her remaining days would have been nothing more than a lingering agony. It was better to end it on her own terms—to spare herself the torment, and to prevent the illness from reducing her to an even more unsightly state.

“It’s okay, Julian,” Vivian said, understanding his heavy heart. “I think that for someone as gentle as her, seeing you living such a good life now would definitely make her happy!

“I’m a mother myself now, so I can understand what she must have been thinking back then.

“If it weren’t for the fact that she truly had no chance of surviving, I don’t think she ever would have chosen to end her life that way!”

Most mothers in this world loved their children dearly. Even though Vivian hadn’t personally experienced that kind of maternal bond—Sharon Galahad hadn’t exactly been abusive, but Sharon had only ever forced Vivian down a life path dictated by her own selfish desires.

As for her own biological mother whom she had never met, Vivian figured she must have been a truly gentle soul. After all, with someone as kind as Mr. Drake around, her mother couldn’t have been any less wonderful! It was just a pity that Vivian didn’t have the blessing of knowing her.

Julian fell silent for a long time before he finally spoke. “Speaking of which, after my mother passed away, she was buried abroad. Later, when I returned to the country, her grave was relocated back here as well. I haven’t taken you to visit her yet. But since you’re pregnant now…”

“I want to go!” Vivian said earnestly. “Who says pregnant women can’t visit graves? That’s your mother; we should go see her!”

Julian nodded. People of their generation didn’t really hold taboos about these things. Even in death, they were still family—loved ones who were deeply missed. There was nothing to fear or avoid.

“Alright. Let’s go, it’s getting late. We should head home first. The date of Felix’s execution is in three days. The police station has already notified me,” Julian said quietly. “He’ll face the firing squad, while Rachel Faulkner will receive lethal injection.”

In Veridia, the death penalty was divided into two methods: traditional execution by firing squad, and lethal injection administered intravenously. The former was generally reserved for the most heinous criminals. After all, even though a firing squad might seem instantaneous, it was still excruciatingly painful. The blinding agony the second the heart was pierced, coupled with the overwhelming terror of impending death, was a form of sheer torture for the condemned.

Rumor had it that many vicious criminals remained stubbornly defiant when first captured, only to end up wetting their pants and begging for mercy right before their executions.

As for lethal injection, the suffering was significantly less. Once the drugs entered the body, the person would gradually lose consciousness, drifting off as if falling asleep without feeling any physical pain. Compared to Felix, Rachel’s method of death was slightly more merciful.

After the executions were carried out, Julian, as their next of kin, would be allowed to collect their ashes from the crematorium once their bodies were cremated.

Death extinguishes all. It was true that Felix and Rachel had committed many grievous sins, but Julian would still choose to give them a proper burial. Of course… there was no way those two would be buried anywhere near Julian’s mother. Having a plot to rest in was good enough; they were in no position to ask for more.

Five days later.

Two days after the executions, Julian received a notice that he could go pick up Felix and Rachel’s ashes. It happened to be a Saturday, so Julian brought Grandma Faulkner along with him. Vivian didn’t accompany them because Grandma Faulkner insisted it was bad luck for a pregnant woman! Left with no other choice, Vivian stayed home.

Vivian later heard that when Grandma Faulkner and Julian were handling the paperwork and burying Felix and Rachel, the elderly woman had still broken down in tears.

The elderly were softhearted. Even though Grandma Faulkner had known exactly what she had to do when Lawyer Donovan came pleading to their door, she couldn’t help but feel heartbroken now that everything was truly over. That was her son, and the granddaughter she had raised for twenty years. Seeing them meet such a tragic end—how could anyone not grieve?

Fortunately, Grandma Faulkner still had Julian by her side, along with Vivian and her unborn great-grandchild at home. After mourning for a while, she slowly pulled herself together.

Life had to go on. After all, it was always better for people to hold on to some hope. With something to look forward to, getting through the days wouldn’t feel quite so agonizing.

As for Vivian and Julian’s plan to visit Julian’s mother’s grave, the arrangements had been finalized—they would go next week!

The day they paid their respects to Julian’s mother happened to be just before the Ghost Festival. There were many people visiting the cemetery to sweep the tombs, bringing along fruits, fresh flowers, and offerings.

Vivian brought his mother’s favorite tulips—red ones, specifically. Quite a few people at the public cemetery cast them strange looks upon noticing that Vivian carried tulips instead of traditional chrysanthemums, but Vivian completely ignored them.

Julian’s mother had loved tulips, so why should she blindly follow the crowd and bring chrysanthemums? The person was already gone; couldn’t the dead at least receive what they truly loved? Vivian was someone who hated being constrained by rigid rules, and she figured Julian’s mother must have felt the same way.

Standing before the tombstone, Vivian quietly bowed several times. It wasn’t until a light, pattering drizzle began to fall from the sky that she and Julian finally took their leave.