Chapter 279: 24 Hours

Chapter 279: Chapter 279: 24 Hours

Inside the police station’s interrogation room, Mrs. Churchill and Hannah Churchill vehemently denied everything, insisting they had never drugged Chadwick Whitman. Beside them, Mr. Churchill also quickly distanced himself, claiming to know nothing about the matter.

After several rounds of questioning, the police couldn’t pry a single valuable piece of information out of the three of them. They could only call the Whitman family to explain the situation.

Meanwhile, Jenson Whitman had already had someone pull the complete surveillance footage from the banquet hall. The video clearly showed Mrs. Churchill and her daughter leading an obviously drugged Chadwick Whitman out of the main hall and towards the basement. However, the key footage of the two of them putting the drug into his glass was missing.

Without direct physical evidence, according to legal procedure, if ironclad evidence couldn’t be collected within twenty-four hours, the police would have no choice but to legally release the Churchill family.

Jenson Whitman immediately called Chadwick Whitman and informed him of the current situation in a grim tone.

"The Churchill family is cunning. Right now, there’s no direct evidence they drugged him. Once the time limit is up, the police will have to let them go."

The Whitman family had deep roots and a prominent status in Veridia. They wielded world-changing influence, yet they had always acted with integrity. They insisted on having reason and evidence for everything, never using their power to oppress others, unwilling to leave themselves open to criticism.

Moreover, everyone knew an old story. Years ago, the Churchill family’s eldest daughter, Iris Churchill, had died saving Chadwick Whitman. The incident had caused a sensation across Veridia at the time, and everyone took it as a given that the Churchill family had done the Whitman family a life-saving favor. If the Whitman family were to take forceful action against the Churchills now, the uninformed public would only condemn them for being ungrateful and bullying others with their power.

On the other end of the line, a sudden chill enveloped Chadwick Whitman. His voice was as cold as if it had been quenched in ice.

"Within twenty-four hours, I will get the evidence. I’ll make everyone see that family’s ugly true colors."

"I know you act with discretion, but what if we can’t find anything?" Jenson Whitman softened his tone. "Then we’ll expose all the dirty dealings the Churchill family has kept hidden over the years. Let the world see how they mistreated their own daughter and endlessly leeched off the gratitude owed to a dead girl for profit. If Iris Churchill knew, she would never blame you."

"I understand."

After hanging up, Vesper Grayson, who was beside him, saw his dark and grim expression and asked in a soft voice.

"Brother, what’s wrong?"

Chadwick Whitman recounted the predicament at the police station to her in full detail.

A glint appeared in Vesper Grayson’s eyes as she analyzed the situation calmly.

"The breakthrough has to come from the three of them. Start by checking their recent communication records. A potent drug like that can’t be obtained through legitimate channels. Veridia has black markets and underground drug trading networks. If you follow that trail, you’ll definitely find the source."

While Chadwick Whitman had been resting earlier, she had already contacted Renee Rhodes to learn the full story. It turned out her brother and Iris Churchill had shared a deep and unforgettable past.

’They must have been deeply in love. That’s why, at the critical moment, Miss Churchill was willing to sacrifice herself to save my brother!’

’But when a loved one dies, the one left behind is the one who suffers the most!’

’The Churchill family knew full well how my brother felt about Iris, yet they still had the audacity to dream of marrying Hannah into the Whitman family.’

Thinking of the disaster that had nearly occurred last night, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of fear.

’If I hadn’t noticed something was wrong in time and stopped them from taking my brother, they might have actually succeeded.’

’Drugging someone to climb the social ladder is a despicable method, but it’s a shortcut.’

’Once the matter blew up, even if my brother refused to marry Hannah Churchill, the Churchill family could still use the opportunity to demand a huge amount of compensation. If she managed to get pregnant from this, the Churchill family could use the child as a bargaining chip to extract a continuous stream of benefits.’

’By doing this, where does that leave Miss Churchill?’

Chadwick Whitman’s gaze toward Vesper Grayson held a hint of approval.

"What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing."

He immediately took out his phone, called a subordinate, and gave clear, methodical instructions for the investigation.

A short while later, Mrs. Warner came out of the kitchen.

"Young Master, Miss Prue, Mr. Hawthorne, the congee is ready. Time to eat."

Vesper Grayson nodded slightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Warner."

No one had eaten much tonight, and by now, they were all starving. This was especially true for her; being pregnant, she got hungry easily. Her morning sickness was severe, so she needed to eat small, frequent meals to provide nutrients for the baby in her womb.

Jared Hawthorne stood up and carefully helped Vesper Grayson walk toward the dining room. After taking a couple of steps, they noticed no movement behind them and both stopped.

Vesper Grayson looked back at Chadwick Whitman, who was sitting motionless on the sofa with a heavy aura around him, and said softly, "Brother, won’t you join us for a bite?"

"I don’t have an appetite. You two go ahead." Having been shamelessly plotted against by the Churchill family, Chadwick Whitman was completely agitated and had no appetite at all.

Vesper Grayson gently placed a hand on her slightly showing belly. "You have to eat to live. I know how frustrated you are, but you can’t starve yourself over people who don’t matter. Do you want your unborn nephew to laugh at you?"

Chadwick Whitman’s gaze fell on her small, barely noticeable baby bump. The gloom in his heart dissipated a little, and the hard lines of his face softened.

"Mrs. Warner, get me a bowl."

In the police station’s holding area, this was the first time the Churchill family had ever been brought into a police station in such a sorry state.

Their clothes were wrinkled and their faces were haggard; they could only sit awkwardly on the floor.

Mr. Churchill was the first to lose his composure, harshly scolding the mother and daughter.

"You two are more trouble than you’re worth! How could you mess up something so simple!"

"How can you blame us?" Mrs. Churchill felt utterly wronged, her eyes red. "Who could have predicted that the Whitman family’s newly acknowledged Prue Whitman would pop out of nowhere and catch us in the act?"

Last night, they had already gotten him to the car. Once they drove out of Whitman Tower and got to the reserved hotel, Hannah could have used the drug’s effects to seal the deal, and everything would have been perfect.

"In the end, it’s because you weren’t careful enough!" Panic flickered in Mr. Churchill’s eyes. He knew better than anyone that the Churchill family had enjoyed the Whitman family’s favor all these years entirely because of the life-saving debt owed to the late Iris Churchill. But Iris had been dead for two years, and it was anyone’s guess how much of Chadwick Whitman’s affection for her remained.

If this scheme had succeeded, the best outcome would have been Hannah successfully marrying into the Whitman family. Even if it failed, they could have extorted a huge sum in compensation.

But now, not only had it failed, they’d been caught red-handed and had angered the Whitman family. The Churchill family wouldn’t get a single benefit. Instead, they would have to pay a terrible price for their actions tonight.

Mrs. Churchill forced herself to remain calm and tried to soothe him. "Relax. We didn’t leave a shred of evidence. Hannah made sure to avoid all the cameras when she administered the drug. There’s no footage that can point to us. As long as the police can’t produce solid proof, they have to let us go after twenty-four hours."

"That’s right, Dad. I was extremely careful. They’ll never find any evidence," Hannah chimed in hastily.

Mr. Churchill shot her a vicious glare, full of disappointment. "You have the nerve to speak? You can’t even handle one man! If you had half the ability of your sister, Iris Churchill, you wouldn’t have ended up being dragged to a police station!"

"How is that my fault?" Hannah bit her lip hard, jealousy surging within her. "The Whitman family never took me seriously! I tried everything to please them, but they were always lukewarm toward me. I just don’t get what kind of love potion Iris Churchill gave the Whitmans that made everyone so biased toward her!"

She had exhausted every means to curry favor, but she could never compare to the dead Iris Churchill. Two years had passed, and the only one in the Whitman family’s hearts was still that dead woman.

’So what if Iris Churchill won everyone’s hearts? She’s still dead!’

"Stop making excuses for your incompetence!" Mr. Churchill snapped. "You two had better pray the police don’t find any leads. If they find conclusive evidence, you and your mother will take full responsibility for what happened tonight."

Mrs. Churchill was instantly incredulous. Her voice shot up, filled with fury. "You clearly nodded and agreed to this plan! Now that things have gone wrong, you want to throw us under the bus and save your own skin?"

"I may have tacitly approved, but the whole idea was yours," Mr. Churchill said, his face cold and hard. "One of the three of us has to be protected. Only if I get out of here safely will I have the chance to use my connections to get you out."

Mrs. Churchill’s eyes instantly reddened, and she covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably. "I did all of this for our family! And now that there’s trouble, you’re only thinking of saving yourself and pushing me and Hannah out! How did I end up marrying such a spineless man!"

Mr. Churchill, agitated by her crying, barked at her to stop.

"Enough! Stop crying! I’m asking you, what channel did you use to buy that knockout drug? Did you show your face during the transaction?"

Mrs. Churchill’s face paled, and her tone became hesitant.

"I... I don’t think so. I was wearing a hat and a mask, and I kept my head down the whole time. I bought the drug on the underground black market. The sellers there are discreet; they don’t just leak customer information..."

"Who did you go through to contact the black market seller?" Mr. Churchill pressed.

"It was my cousin, Saul Linton. He knows a drug dealer there. I had him set up the contact for me before the operation."

"Saul Linton?" Mr. Churchill’s voice shot up, full of rage.

Mrs. Churchill instinctively flinched and answered in a low voice, "Yes."

"How could you possibly rely on that degenerate gambler? How dare you entrust something so critical to him!" Mr. Churchill was so angry he felt his chest tighten.

"He won’t sell me out. I just helped him pay off his gambling debts a while ago," Mrs. Churchill argued softly.

Her words, far from appeasing Mr. Churchill, only stoked his fury, making him tremble with rage.

"You went behind my back and used our family’s money to cover his gambling debts? Do you think my savings grow on trees?!"

"He’s my aunt’s son! He was in trouble, so what’s wrong with me helping him out?" Mrs. Churchill said, lacking confidence. "Otherwise, how would I have been able to contact the black market seller?"

Mr. Churchill pointed at her, speechless for a long moment.

Hannah’s brow furrowed. She also felt that their cousin, Saul Linton, was unreliable. He was greedy, lecherous, and a coward. He’d sell someone out with the slightest intimidation or the smallest bribe!

...

After finishing their congee, the three of them sat in the living room, waiting for news.

Around ten o’clock, Jenson Whitman and Renee Rhodes returned after seeing off their guests.

"How is it going? Any news?" Renee Rhodes asked eagerly.

Just as Chadwick Whitman was about to speak, he received a call from his assistant.

"President Whitman, I’ve checked the movements and call records of the three Churchills over the past week. I found that Mrs. Churchill has been in frequent contact with her cousin. Five days ago, Mrs. Churchill also paid off two million in gambling debts for her cousin, Saul Linton. Three days ago, Saul Linton appeared at the underground black market, and the woman with him... she looked a bit like Mrs. Churchill..."

"What do you mean, ’a bit like’?"