Capítulo 953: Chapter 953: Please, Show Us the Video
Lewis Family.
Christopher Lewis and Alitzel Williams were nearly breathless when they saw the news online.
The elder looked at their angry and worried faces and asked, “What’s with your expressions? What’s happened?”
Alitzel Williams put down the phone, forcing a smile, “Nothing, Dad, we just saw a video that’s extremely infuriating.”
Alitzel is not skilled at lying; whenever she lies, her eyes involuntarily avoid contact, which the elder noticed immediately.
“Someone, bring my phone over here.”
Since they weren’t telling, the elder decided to check for himself.
“Dad, there’s really nothing.” Christopher Lewis shot a glance to stop the servant’s actions.
The elder’s authoritative gaze fell on him, saying sternly, “I’m your father; do you think I can’t tell if something’s bothering you? Speak up. At my age, I’ve been through everything, it’s not like I’m unable to handle it.”
“Dad…”
“If you don’t tell me, I can find out myself.”
“…It’s about Wyatt.”
“What happened?”
“…”
“Speak up.” The elder slapped his thigh in urgency, “I’m seriously going to be worried sick if I don’t find out soon.”
After Christopher Lewis and Alitzel Williams explained the situation to the elder, he was furious, “This is outrageous, Owen Winton has simply lost his mind.”
Christopher Lewis was equally angry, with veins bulging on his forehead, “He’s totally insane, his company’s stock prices have plummeted because of this scandal, and he wants to drag the Lewis Family down with him.”
The elder, overwhelmed with anger, raised his hand to support his head, feeling faint.
“Dad.” Christopher Lewis and Alitzel Williams quickly stood up, “Dad, are you alright?”
With eyes closed, the elder waved his hand, “I’m fine, I can hold on. You two don’t worry about me, hurry and think of a solution. This matter absolutely cannot be confirmed.”
Everyone knows how powerful public opinion is; if this matter is confirmed, how can Wyatt Lewis stand in this circle in the future?
“We understand, we’re going now. Dad, try to calm down.”
The elder waved his hand, signaling them to hurry up.
…
Hope Williams, Waylon Lewis, and Aria Richardson didn’t stop for a moment, and because there were many people, they split up to ask around.
Hope Williams and Aria Richardson were together, and Aria gently inquired at each place she found, terrified that the reporters might have the video but claim not to. If that were the case, they’d have no recourse.
“Knock knock knock.” Aria and a few others stopped at the door of a rented house and knocked.
There was no response from inside.
Hope Williams looked at the list in hand; the female reporter they were seeking this time was Scarlett Summer. Based on Zoey Sanders’ video, Hope Williams found that this reporter was standing relatively close to Aria Richardson and the others, making it more likely she had recorded something.
After Aria knocked for a long time, the door finally opened from inside, and they were greeted by an elderly lady with white hair and a bent frame. She slowly opened the door, looked up at them, and asked in a frail voice, “Who are you looking for?”
Aria Richardson bent down, speaking gently, “Grandma, we apologize for disturbing you. We’re looking for Scarlett Summer. Is she home?”
“Scarlett went to buy groceries. Do you need her for something?”
Aria thought for a moment and said, “We’re her colleagues and have some work-related matters to discuss with her. Since she’s not back yet, we’ll wait outside for a bit.”
The elderly lady, hearing this, warmly invited them in, “Then come inside and wait; she will be back soon.”
Aria Richardson and Hope Williams exchanged a glance and nodded. Aria politely bowed, “Thank you, Grandma.”
The two followed the lady into the house, which wasn’t large, with clutter piled around the living room, and an old coffee table covered with medication boxes. A quick glance from Hope Williams revealed what kinds of treatments they were for.
Without drawing attention, she shifted her gaze, unconsciously landing on a corner of the room where there was a faint red light.
That should be a hidden surveillance camera.
These cameras are hard to spot normally, but because the lighting in the house wasn’t bright, the small red glow stood out in the dark corner.
Hope Williams raised her brows, moving her gaze away.
The elderly lady judged from their attire that they were not ordinary people.
The lady, somewhat nervously, began tidying up the sofa, which was covered in clutter. Aria quickly moved forward to stop her, “Grandma, please sit down; you don’t need to bother.”
“Please, sit down. I’ll make some tea for you.”
“No need to bother, Grandma.”
The elderly lady insisted, taking out paper cups and pouring tea for them.
Hope Williams and Aria Richardson accepted, “Thank you.”
Aria looked at the lady and asked, “Grandma, is it just you and Scarlett normally?”
“Yes, Scarlett’s parents passed away early, leaving just her and me, this old woman depending on each other.”
Hope Williams glanced at the medicine boxes on the table, “Grandma, are you sick?”
The lady slightly nodded, “Yes, it’s an old condition. I said I wouldn’t treat it anymore, but my granddaughter refuses to give up. Over these years, I’ve been a burden to her.”
Saying this, the lady’s eyes reddened a bit.
Hope Williams furrowed her brows slightly, “This isn’t an incurable disease; it can be treated with surgery.”
“I know, but surgery is expensive, and not just any hospital can treat it. There’s also the risk of recurrence. I’m old now, and it’s uncertain how much longer I’ll live, so why spend so much on this?” The lady waved her hand, “It’s not worth it.”
“Grandma, you two?” The girl named Scarlett returned with groceries, looking warily at Hope and Aria.
“Scarlett, you’re back. Quick, your colleagues are here to see you.”
“Colleagues?” Scarlett looked at Hope and Aria, walking over somewhat awkwardly. Being a journalist, she was very familiar with people who frequently appeared in interview lists and recognized them at a glance.
But she quickly responded, “Right, colleagues.”
Hope and Aria stood up.
Scarlett glanced at her grandmother beside her and said, “Grandma, please go back to your room first. I have something to discuss with them.”
The old lady nodded and cooperatively went inside, “Okay, you all have a good chat.”
“Please, have a seat.” Scarlett swiftly tidied the table and chairs and made a gesture to invite them.
“Mm, thank you.”
“You’re here about the video, aren’t you?” Scarlett asked directly, getting straight to the point.
Aria nodded, leaning forward naturally in her urgency, “Yes, we wanted to ask if you captured anything at that time.”
“No!” Scarlett answered Aria firmly, “There were so many people, it was crowded. I couldn’t even hold my camera steady. The videos I took are of no use to you. You’ve already sent people to check twice. I really don’t have any other videos.”
Aria got anxious, “Can you let us watch the videos you shot before? You were relatively close to our position at that time, probably capturing something useful. This is really important to us, please.”
Scarlett’s hands tightened on her knees, her gaze wandered uneasily, looking at the two of them.
Hope and Aria didn’t miss her hesitant and uneasy expression.
Scarlett pressed her lips tightly and shook her head firmly, “Really, there is none. If there were, I would have handed it over already. Keeping those videos doesn’t benefit me; I’ve deleted them. Please leave, don’t disturb me anymore.”
Aria wanted to say something, but Hope interrupted her with a thought in mind, “Don’t trouble her anymore. Let’s go for now.”
Aria looked at Hope in surprise.
Seeing Scarlett’s nervous demeanor, it was clear she wasn’t telling the truth.
Aria couldn’t believe that Hope didn’t notice, and thought if they left, next time Owen Winton might approach her, forcing her to delete the video.
By then, they would have no chance.
Thinking about Wyatt Lewis still at the police station, with entertainment news flooding online, she grew anxious.
They can’t.
They can’t just leave like this.
This was really the last chance.
Aria, eyes reddening, pulled Scarlett’s hand, “You have the video, right? You have it. Could you bring it out? What do you want? Money? I can give you a lot of money, as long as you’re willing to bring out the video, whatever amount you want.”
Scarlett’s expression grew more anxious, hastily withdrawing her hand, “I really don’t have the video. Please leave. If you keep pestering, I’ll have to call the police.”
“Aria, let’s go back and talk, shall we? Calm down.” Hope reached out to hold Aria’s shaking hand.
Hope understood how Aria felt now, with Wyatt still in the police station, and no evidence yet to prove his innocence.
Anyone would be anxious.
But this room wasn’t the place to talk.
Aria, ignoring Hope’s hand, stubbornly held onto Scarlett.
“Do you have concerns? If you have concerns, speak out, and we’ll help you, truly, we promise not to let anything happen to you, please, bring out the video. My lover is still in the police station. If he can’t prove his innocence, he’s finished. Please, I’m begging you.”
Scarlett’s face was full of complicated emotions: fear, hesitation, anxiety, as if she made a difficult decision, but still unhesitatingly shook off Aria’s hand.
“I really don’t have a video, don’t cling to me, get out.”
“No, your expression just now clearly showed you’re hiding something.”
“You have a video, but have concerns, tell us your concerns, and we’ll try our best to help you solve them, okay?”
“Scarlett, I’m begging you, perhaps the video in your hands could save someone’s life…” Aria’s voice rushed, her body involuntarily trembling.
Scarlett looked at Aria, her eyes more conflicted, but finally said, “I’m sorry, I really can’t help.”
“For someone like me, just living is hard enough, I don’t want to get entangled in your grievances, neither do I want to be a hero, I just wish for my family and me to be safe and sound, could you please let me be?”
Aria’s eyes trembled.
She didn’t want to make things difficult for anyone.
But she had no other way. If there was a video, it could directly prove Wyatt Lewis’s innocence.
Without a video, it would be hard to explain.
What could she do, what else could she do?
Aria closed her eyes in pain.
Hope frowned deeply, giving Scarlett a profound look, then gently squeezed Aria’s hand, “Aria, let’s go.”
Aria was pulled away by Hope with an expression unwilling to leave.
Scarlett sighed heavily, lowered her head, and saw a business card on the sofa.
Scarlett walked over, picked it up, glanced at it, and trembled slightly, then gathered a bag of garbage, calling out to the old lady inside the house, “Grandma, I’m going out to throw the trash.”
After saying that, she immediately chased after them.
Outside, Aria shook off Hope’s hand, her tone urgent and annoyed, “Why did you have to drag me out?”
“Couldn’t you tell that Scarlett has a problem? Now that we left, what if later Owen Winton’s people find her and force her to delete the video? Hope, did you ever think about what that video means for Wyatt?”
Aria was nearly frantic as Hope not only didn’t help her speak inside but kept dragging her out, making things even more chaotic.