The police officer grew tense, feeling that she was being too blunt.

Rachel Thornton stood there dumbfounded, her mouth agape, disbelief written in her eyes.

With a trace of cruelty in her voice, The Vault continued, “The incident with Meredith Stone was reported to the police at your mother’s request. The police didn’t make this public, and the hospital staff all chose to keep it confidential. The one who told Charles Linton was also your mother. She thought your father was having an affair, so she chose this way to get revenge.”

Rachel Thornton looked dazed, her lips moving but no sound coming out.

“You never had the chance to distinguish between good intentions and malice before, but now you should understand. The greatest conspiracies in this world have never come from the police, but from the human heart.”

Rachel Thornton pressed her phone to her chest with both hands, her wide eyes unresponsive.

The Vault said no more, nodded, and signaled the officer to let her go, then helped her back to her seat.

Chapter 102: Threat

Rachel Thornton finally calmed down, quietly sitting beside The Vault, her hands resting on her knees as she waited.

Because of their silence, the area outside the operating room fell into another bout of quiet.

The police officer sat directly across from them. Only after confirming they could get along did he relax. Bored, he let out a long yawn and wiped away the tears that had been squeezed out.

A nurse came over at the sound, glanced at them, saw nothing was wrong, frowned and gave a quick reminder, then hurried away.

Rachel Thornton used a tissue to wipe away the tears and snot from her face, but still felt a sticky film on her skin, making her uncomfortable, so she got up to go to the restroom. The officer followed at a distance, then escorted her back.

Rachel Thornton’s mind was still a mess, unable to make sense of things, but her emotions were no longer as turbulent as before. She felt that the heaviness and irritation swirling in her chest had been washed away by the water, and now she could face the news online more calmly.

Rachel Thornton sat down again, dried her hands, held her phone, and scrolled across the spiderweb-cracked screen. She clicked on related news links to check the details.

The content of Charles Linton’s interview could still be seen on the homepages of almost all major media outlets. Rachel Thornton skimmed through the text and the comments summarized by netizens. The nameless frustration began to build up again, and she wished she could tear everyone inside to pieces.

“He’s lying!”

Rachel Thornton shouted, instinctively turning to look at The Vault beside her.

A gaze, utterly calm yet piercing, met hers, and Rachel Thornton felt a chill run through her.

She unconsciously lowered her voice and said, “This Charles Linton claims my mom never had feelings for my dad, that she not only leaked negative information about him to others but also secretly encouraged them to spread rumors about his infidelity to push for a divorce. How is that possible? My mom would never do that!”

The Vault remained still, lazily asking, “Were your parents very close?”

“Of course!” Rachel Thornton said. “They never argued.”

The officer across from her commented with the tone of someone experienced, “What couple doesn’t argue? They just didn’t let you kids see it.”

Rachel Thornton insisted, “Really, they didn’t!”

The Vault added blandly, “Surgical work is busy. Harold Thornton often couldn’t come home, and their work schedules didn’t overlap. They probably didn’t have many chances to even meet, let alone argue.”

The officer nodded. “Makes sense. Actually, it’s the same for us when we’re busy. It’s tough.”

Rachel Thornton was left a bit confused by their words, then shifted in her seat to face them, trying hard to prove her point: “No, my dad seemed reserved, but he was actually very gentle. He would buy my mom flowers. When she was sick, he took care of everything… Anyway, their relationship was really good. It’s not only couples who are glued together every day that are close. After my dad died, my mom was devastated. I really think Charles Linton is lying about this!”

“Oh?” The Vault said. “Dr. Tian was that romantic?”

Rachel Thornton affirmed, “Of course. My dad even wrote poetry. My mom read it to me.”

The Vault’s eyebrow twitched; she finally sensed something was off. She asked nonchalantly, “So your dad was a bit of an artist?”

Rachel Thornton chuckled softly. “That’s romance between husband and wife.”

The Vault asked, “What about romance between father and daughter?”

“…Forget it. He was so busy, he could barely take care of himself. He thought buying me a few Barbie dolls would make me happy.” As Rachel Thornton spoke, she grew a little forlorn, reminiscing, “Later, there weren’t even any gifts.”

The Vault asked again, “Did the flowers or poems have a signature?”

Rachel Thornton finally sensed something was wrong, eyeing The Vault warily and with hostility. “What do you mean by that?”

Seeing her bristle defensively, The Vault hesitated, then decided she should treat her as an adult and have an honest conversation.

“Couples who are truly close wouldn’t have no reaction after discovering infidelity.”

Rachel Thornton retorted, “How do you know my mom didn’t react?”

The Vault said, “Then, before your father was killed, did your mother act out of the ordinary? She wasn’t exactly calm or timid. If she knew her partner was cheating, wouldn’t she have made a scene?”

Listening to her, Rachel Thornton searched her not-so-clear memories. Her heart thudded with suspicion, but she forced herself to stay calm. “I was young then. It’s normal if she hid things from me. You never even met her—how can you be so sure what kind of person she was?”

The Vault just curled her lips noncommittally and closed her eyes again.

Rachel Thornton turned away gloomily, her back to The Vault, saying nothing more.

When Julian Grant returned with their clothes, the atmosphere between the two was nearly frozen, the two seats between them like a dividing line. The young police officer looked at him as if he were a savior, putting his hands together in a gesture of thanks.

Julian Grant raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s getting late. Everyone must be hungry. How about we take turns to eat? We won’t last if we don’t eat.”

The Vault stepped forward and took the bag from his hand. “Thanks. I’ll go change.”

Julian Grant nodded to the other two and followed The Vault out.

Five minutes later, The Vault had changed and was straightening the sleeves wrinkled by her coat as she walked out of the restroom.

Julian Grant had just pulled out a cigarette, ready to enjoy one after a long time, but seeing how quickly she finished, he put it back. He asked, “What happened just now? Did you argue?”

“No. There was a subtle feeling, but I didn’t get to the bottom of it.” The Vault shoved her hands into her trench coat pockets and sighed regretfully. “She’s uncooperative, won’t accept it. Too naive.”

Julian Grant laughed. “Isn’t it normal for a young girl who hasn’t really experienced society to be naive? Their world is their own. Reasoning with them doesn’t work; you have to use reality to convince her.”

The Vault thought to herself, Am I not realistic enough? If she were any more realistic, Rachel Thornton would probably jump up and smack her.

Julian Grant held up two fingers in front of her, making a money-counting gesture and grinning wickedly. “That kind of reality.”

The Vault: “……” It’s been a long time since I cursed like this. Damn rich people.

·

The surgery ended a little after seven in the evening. At this time of year, it was already pitch dark outside.

After Sean Hall was wheeled out, she was taken straight to the ICU. Rachel Thornton wanted to go in and see her, but the nurse stopped her. She followed the group in a daze, not knowing what to do next.

At that moment, she was nearly overwhelmed by helplessness. She realized clearly what it felt like to have no one to rely on.

Julian Grant went to find the doctor for an update. The lead surgeon had been standing for hours and his calves were trembling. He drank some sugar water and explained the report to them. Sean Hall had multiple broken bones and internal injuries, but fortunately, she was brought in quickly and the surgery was successful. For now, her life wasn’t in danger. However, it was uncertain whether her brain would suffer any aftereffects from blood loss, so further observation was needed. When she would wake up was also unclear; they’d have to wait a couple of days and see.

Rachel Thornton’s most humble hope was simply for her mother to survive. Hearing this, she was deeply grateful, feeling as if her shackles had shattered. Her body went limp and she nearly collapsed in tears.

The doctor had seen many such scenes. Seeing how young Rachel Thornton was, he still felt moved and offered her a few words of comfort: “Go eat something and get some rest. Leave the patient to us. Family members need to take care of themselves. Go home.”

The young police officer went to the side to report the situation to Henry Harris. Rachel Thornton took a moment, got up from the floor, and leaned against the wall to rest.

Julian Grant came back from the front desk with a thick stack of medical bills, rolled up in his hand, and gestured toward The Vault.

The Vault shook her head, indicating she really didn’t want to get involved.

Julian Grant insisted, repeatedly signaling toward Rachel Thornton, leaving The Vault no choice but to play his sidekick.

“Rachel Thornton!”

Julian Grant called out and waved to Rachel Thornton. After a moment’s hesitation, she followed the two of them to a quiet little balcony.