Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Pressure
"Hello, this is the situation. We have some questions for you. You don’t need to be nervous, just answer truthfully." The policeman’s tone was a mix of casual and serious.
Seeing Elliana Lyle nod, the policeman began questioning.
"Do you know Evelyn Dunn?"
"Yes, I do."
"What is your relationship?"
Elliana replied, "Classmates."
"Did any conflicts occur before?"
Oh, so it’s this matter. Did Evelyn call the police? She replied calmly, "Yes, in the library. I hit her."
"Reason?"
She explained the events of that day truthfully, without any concealment or embellishment.
The policeman looked up at her after listening, seemingly observing her expression, and then continued to ask, "Do you know Evelyn Dunn is dead now?"
...
-- South City Police Department.
"Hello, Norman, anything to discuss?" South City Police Department’s criminal investigation team leader, Galen Collins, answered the phone with his shoulder holding the phone, his hands busy with paperwork.
Hearing the voice from the other side of the call, Galen was immediately puzzled, "When did I take your person away?"
Only after saying this did he suddenly remember something. Elliana Lyle, right, she’s Norman Bennett’s fiancée. How could he forget that?
Galen quickly said, "Rest assured, I just brought her in for questioning. I can’t arrest someone without evidence."
...
Elliana was brought to this solitary interrogation room two hours ago, with a paper cup with a badge still by her right hand.
Under various police questions, she answered no less than a hundred questions, and the police meticulously made a series of records, stopping only when Norman Bennett arrived.
Sitting in the car, Elliana was somewhat dazed. The police told her that Evelyn Dunn had jumped to her death at midnight, from a girl’s dormitory seven floors high, discovered by the dormitory’s attendant.
"Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with you," Norman Bennett had already understood the circumstances and reassured the dispirited young girl beside him, afraid the young girl would feel psychological pressure.
Elliana shook her head, speaking gravely, "But this happened after I hit her at school. Even though there’s a few days in between, without finding the cause of death, I’m the main suspect. Moreover... There are so many people at school. I’m afraid there will be more incidents."
"This has nothing to do with you, don’t overthink it." The man smoothly pulled the worried young girl into his arms, his warm hand stroking her smooth hair, "I’ll handle it if anything comes up."
The man’s comforting voice was soothing and warm, inspiring trust and peace of mind.
According to Galen Collins, this incident was hardly known at school, as the school had blocked the information in time, and no news had leaked.
He had to be well-prepared.
"Okay." Elliana nodded slightly, but was still a bit unsettled. Could Evelyn Dunn really have committed suicide because of her...
The next day.
Elliana woke up at 5:58 AM, two minutes before the set alarm, to find Norman Bennett already gone, presumably to the company.
Out of habit, she checked her phone, unlocked the screen, and was greeted by a message from Norman Bennett: "Girl, just stay home and rest well these days. I’ll handle the matters outside. Be good."
Matters outside?
When she opened Weibo, the first thing she saw was her own name.
"Elliana Lyle forced female classmate to suicide" "Elliana Lyle murder case" "South University girl suicide" "Actress Elliana Lyle murdered her own mother"
All sorts of fabricated tales kept emerging.
She immediately sat up, clicked a few and looked, and a large number of videos had been released of her hitting someone, all edited with the beginning and end cut off, and dubbed over.
This all happened just overnight, and she suddenly became the target of public criticism.
Although she knew this was the result, she still couldn’t sit still. Amidst her turmoil, she knew she couldn’t just sit and wait. She must find out the cause of Evelyn Dunn’s death early to withstand this wave of public pressure.
Without hesitation, she flipped through her contacts and called Luna.
"Hello, the phone you dialed is turned off. Please try again later..."
Strange, why would it be turned off at this time?
-- Melody Harmony Group.
CEO’s office.
The man sat behind the desk with a sullen face, as at 3 AM last night, the South University matter had already shown its first signs.
He had immediately arranged for the topic about Elliana Lyle to be brought down, but this morning, the cooled-down topic was once again heated up.
"Boss, someone is pushing this public opinion from behind. It seems unfavorable to Miss Lyle, but I think someone is targeting Melody Harmony’s entertainment business," Raymond Wood said.
The man gazed at a few documents in his hand, seemingly having a plan, and said, "Ensure the security of the villa, no one is allowed to enter or leave at will, and put pressure on Galen’s side to move quickly."
"Yes."
Meanwhile, at Roland Brokerage Corporation.
Cari had just come out of the vice president’s office when she bumped into Eleanor Llyod.
And when the two met, it was as if enemies met, their eyes filled with hostility.
Only, the hostile was Eleanor Llyod.
"Miss Llyod."
Cari courteously greeted her, lacking the respect from before, knowing that she was no longer Shane Southwell’s lover, and that Nathan Dawn only saw women as playthings.
This was in front of Nathan Dawn’s office, so naturally, Eleanor Llyod didn’t dare to make it difficult for Cari, also realizing Cari’s position was much higher in Nathan Dawn’s esteem!
"Assistant Cari." Casually, Eleanor Llyod greeted back, then knocked on the door until the inside gave permission to enter.
Nathan Dawn sat behind the office desk, visibly busy, and didn’t even glance at her until she stood at the desk.
"Brother Dawn..."
"During working hours, call me Vice President."
Nathan Dawn showed Eleanor Llyod no courtesy, his tone and attitude icy, completely different from the passionate man in bed.
And... Nathan Dawn hadn’t touched her for a long time.
"Yes, Vice President."
After a long period, when Nathan Dawn finished stamping a document, he finally looked at Eleanor Llyod, saying, "This is your opportunity recently. I’ve arranged a few variety shows for you. Perform well."
Hearing this, Eleanor Llyod’s face didn’t show joy but seemed somewhat troubled, "Vice President, you’ve already got me a movie, won’t the schedule be tight?"
"You have 8 hours a day to rest. After this busy period, I’ll take you on vacation to Hainan." When Nathan Dawn said this, he gave Eleanor Llyod a pampering smile, as if they were a couple.
"Give me a shoulder massage."
"Sure." Eleanor Llyod’s mood eased a bit, and with a soft smile, she moved behind the man and placed her fair hands on his firm shoulders.
"A bit more strength."
...
-- 11:00 AM.
Elliana finally received Luna’s called.
"Hello, why so many calls? I just got off the plane. I’m in South City, didn’t Norman Bennett tell you?" Luna’s background noise was a bit loud, mixed with broadcast sounds.
Standing by the window, Elliana saw many reporters outside the villa, clamoring for her.
"Luna, something happened to me."
From Elliana’s tone, Luna sensed a hint of helplessness, as no one wants to be falsely accused of murder.
"Buddy, don’t be afraid. I’m coming to find you right away. Just stay at home and don’t go out. There’s no need for you to look at those things online. As a star, you need to have endurance." Luna, while comforting Elliana’s emotions, hurried out of the airport.
She was just afraid that Elliana wouldn’t be able to bear the public pressure, considering that depression and suicide due to public pressure is not uncommon among celebrities.
Elliana spoke in a mild tone, "Hmm, okay, I will wait for you."
Regarding this situation, she didn’t feel fear, and for what she did to Evelyn Dunn, her conscience was clear, but the immense public pressure and Evelyn Dunn’s death imposed an invisible pressure on her.
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