The pedestrians around stopped in their tracks, all eyes turned to the center of the road.
Zuri dashed out from the teahouse, sprinting toward Jonah.
"Hold on, I've already called for an ambulance."
Jonah looked at her, trying to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, large mouthfuls of blood poured out.
"What are you trying to say? Is it about Damian?"
Jonah blinked.
"The settlement agreement... it's real."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zuri noticed that his gaze started to become unfocused, and a chill ran through her heart.
"You can't die yet; your son is still waiting for you to come back. If you die, I'll tear up the settlement agreement," Zuri threatened.
Jonah's eyes widened, and his trembling hand pointed skyward.
"What are you trying to tell me?"
He opened his mouth, but his throat was clogged with blood, and only a broken sound escaped.
Suddenly, his hands fell, hitting the ground heavily.
The man on the ground stared blankly at the sky.
"He's probably not going to make it."
"With his head hitting the ground and all that blood, there's no way he'll survive. By the look of him, isn't he already dead?"
"Don't talk nonsense! He might just be in shock!" an elderly lady scolded.
"The driver of that truck just got out, reeking of alcohol. Drunk driving is really deadly."
"Who could argue with that?"
"This girl must be his daughter. Watching her father die in front of her like that, who knows what kind of trauma she'll be left with."
...
The murmurs from the crowd drowned out the roar of the cars.
Zuri reached out to check his pulse, but there was none.
Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance and police arrived. The police arrested the driver of the offending vehicle, while the ambulance took Jonah away.
A nurse looked at Zuri. "Are you a family member? Come with us."
"I'm not."
With that, she turned and left.
The nurse called out, but Zuri had already disappeared into the crowd.
---
Lin Family Residence
Dalia received a message from Graham. After reading it, she immediately deleted it.
Saira walked over with a smile. "Mom, what's making you so happy?"
"It's nothing. I'm just excited that you'll be graduating soon. Have you decided where you want to go to college?"
"I'm waiting to see if Arthur will study abroad or stay here."
At that moment, Zuri and Aaron entered together.
Seeing Zuri, Saira asked with a smile, "Zuri, are you planning to study abroad or stay here?"
She wanted Zuri to make a decision soon, so she could have a chance to separate her from Arthur completely.
"I'll stay here," Zuri replied, her gaze then landing on Dalia. "On my way back, I saw someone get hit by a car. The person who got hit looked a lot like our third uncle."
Saira was taken aback.
Aaron's expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction at all.
Dalia smiled. "Your third uncle is doing just fine. You must have been mistaken."
Seeing the smile on Dalia's face, Zuri felt a chill in her heart.
It was her. It must have been her who ordered the hit.
She's truly ruthless!
That was her own brother, and yet she didn't hesitate to order his death. What kind of heart lies beneath that gentle and obedient exterior?
The more she tries to hide it, the bigger the secret must be.
She would find out this secret.
Zuri's gaze swept back and forth between Saira and Dalia. What kind of secret could cause Dalia to lose her position as the lady of the Lin family?
She's not the daughter of the Lin family, so could Saira be the real daughter of the Lin family?
If neither of them is the Lin family's daughter, then where is the real daughter?
Or, perhaps, does the Lin family even have a daughter?
If not...
Countless thoughts flashed through Zuri's mind.
Just as Zuri was lost in thought, Aaron smiled and said, "Both of you should stay here. There's no need to go abroad. Zuri, can you get into a top university in the capital?"
"I'll try my best."
Although she said this, Aaron was very confident in her.
Dalia, however, interjected, "The capital is too far. There are good schools in Shanghai too, so why go all the way to the capital? I've just started getting close to my daughter."
Aaron shot Dalia a glare.
This short-sighted woman has been getting more foolish lately. She wasn't smart before, but she wasn't this dumb.
"She's going to the capital."
Even if she doesn't get in, he'll find a way to get her in.
Both the Ye and Feng families are in the capital. If Zuri integrates into that circle, it would be a big boost for the Lin Group.
Zuri smiled at Dalia. "I think the capital sounds great."
The phone in Aaron's pocket suddenly rang. He answered it.
"What is it?"
"Chairman Lin, something big has happened. I don't know which little bastard leaked the information, but now reporters and the local cultural relics department are all rushing over. The police are there too, surrounding the construction site."
Aaron's phone slipped out of his hand with a thud. The three people in the living room turned to look at him in surprise.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
Aaron picked up the phone and was about to leave when Arianwen walked in with two police officers. "Chairman Lin, there are two police officers here to see you."
Dalia's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the police.
Could it be that Graham left some evidence behind, and they're here to arrest me?
Aaron maintained his composure. "Officers, please have a seat. Arianwen, go make some tea."
One of the officers raised his hand to stop her. "No need for tea. Mr. Lin, we've received a report that you're suspected of illegally excavating cultural relics and private tombs. Please come with us to assist in the investigation."
Aaron looked puzzled. "Tombs? What tombs? Officers, you must be mistaken. I'm a legitimate businessman, not a tomb raider. How could I do such a thing? This report is obviously not credible."
One of the officers took out his phone and showed him a photo of the construction site.
"Mr. Lin, you're familiar with this place, aren't you? It's the tomb being excavated on Site No. 1 in the Harbor District that you're developing. If you have any questions, you can explain them at the station."
With that, the officer stepped forward and took out handcuffs.
"Mr. Lin, if you cooperate, we won't need these. But if you don't, we'll have to use them."
Aaron followed the two officers and got into the police car.
The family watched as the police car drove away.
Dalia was flustered. "What's going on? Quickly, call Secretary Zhang and have him find a lawyer."
That night, the Chairman of the Lin Group was taken away by the police, and news spread all over the internet about the Lin Group's illegal excavation of tombs and theft of national cultural relics.
Some media even claimed that when Aaron bought the land for 350 million yuan, he already knew there was a tomb beneath it. That 350 million yuan wasn't a loss at all—it was a huge profit.
True or false, the rumors kept spreading.
Whether it's true or not, the Lin Group will face trials and enormous fines.