Chapter 222: A Child’s Goodbye
A day later, Sophie received a notification from both the hospital and the police informing her that Daisy’s parents could finally be taken home.
Luca arrived at the hospital with Mason Reid and several others. Daisy wasn’t brought along.
Together, they carefully placed the couple’s bodies into the crystal coffins that had been prepared in advance.
Back at Daisy’s house, the living room had been transformed into a quiet space for the family visitation. White lilies and roses surrounded framed photographs of her parents, while candles flickered softly throughout the room. The air was thick with grief, broken only by the occasional muffled sob.
With Sophie’s gentle encouragement, Daisy was finally led to the front of the room.
“Mom… Dad…”
The little girl stood before their photographs, clutching a small bouquet of white flowers in both hands.
“Brother Luca and sister Sophie told me you had to go to somewhere far away… but I still don’t really understand why.”
She sniffled, struggling to keep her composure.
“Don’t worry. I’ll listen to brother Luca, sister Sophie, my teacher, Auntie… and Grandpa Candy.”
Her tiny voice began to tremble.
“Mom… Dad… please keep watching over me from heaven. I’ll be a good girl… I promise.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she broke down into uncontrollable sobs.
No one in the room could bear to watch.
Even people who had been to more funerals than they could count quietly looked away, blinking back tears.
Sophie’s eyes were already red and swollen. Beside her, Rachel covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
Neither sister could hold back their grief any longer.
The visitation and funeral services stretched over the next three days.
On the afternoon of the burial, after everyone had said their final goodbyes at the cemetery, Daisy fell asleep in Sophie’s arms during the drive home.
Faint tear tracks still stained her cheeks.
Even in her sleep, she whispered softly,
“Mom… Dad…”
Those fragile, broken words pierced everyone’s heart.
Even Luca felt an ache settle deep in his chest.
Beside him, Sophie quietly wiped away another tear as she held the sleeping little girl a little closer.
…
After waiting another two days, Luca finally received the update he had been expecting.
Inside the conference room at Stone Free Grand Hotel, Hernandez Farce stood before the whiteboard with a determined expression.
“Boss, I’m about ninety percent certain this man is responsible.”
He tapped the photograph pinned to the board.
“Quincy Patel.”
Quincy had dropped out of college, but possessed exceptional computer skills.
Theodore Fark had been his high school classmate.
After graduation, the two reconnected by chance and had remained in contact ever since.
More importantly, their communication had become unusually frequent over the past month.
“Because of that, I made him my primary investigation target.”
Before anyone else could speak, Justina adjusted her glasses while typing rapidly on her laptop.
“It really is him.”
She rotated the computer toward everyone.
“I traced Quincy’s recent financial activity.”
Her finger pointed at a highlighted transaction.
“A payment of forty-five thousand dollars appeared recently.”
Luca leaned forward slightly.
“Theodore transferred it?”
“No.”
Hernandez shook her head.
“The money never entered Quincy’s personal account.”
She enlarged another page.
“It was transferred directly to Ashford First Hospital and used to pay for his mother’s medical bills.”
Everyone in the room fell silent.
According to Hernandez’s investigation, Quincy had always lived paycheck to paycheck.
Whatever money he earned disappeared almost immediately.
When his mother became seriously ill, he couldn’t afford the enormous treatment costs.
He had already borrowed from nearly every relative and friend he had.
For someone like that, forty-five thousand dollars appearing overnight was anything but normal.
Luca folded his hands together.
“What are Theodore and Patricia doing now?”
He looked toward Mason.
“They’re selling Jermaine Fark’s property,” Mason replied.
A mocking smile slowly appeared on Luca’s face.
“So… they’re preparing to run.”
“Should we bring them in first?” Mason asked.
Luca slowly shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes turned cold.
“Let them run.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Sometimes the farther someone runs, the harder they fall.”
…
Two hours later…
Ashford First Hospital.
A black sedan sat quietly inside the parking lot.
Luca rested in the back seat with his eyes closed.
A moment later, Mason’s voice came from outside.
“Luca.”
He opened his eyes.
Across the parking lot, a skinny man in his early thirties emerged from the hospital entrance carrying a worn thermos.
His dark skin, messy hair, and wrinkled clothes gave him the appearance of an artist who hadn’t slept properly in weeks.
Luca raised an eyebrow.
“That’s Quincy Patel?”
“It is,” Justina confirmed.
Luca couldn’t help finding the contrast amusing.
’With a name like Quincy Patel, I expected someone dressed like a programmer.’
’Instead… he looks more like a wandering painter.’
Still, appearances weren’t important.
He gave a slight wave.
The black SUV parked nearby immediately started and quietly tailed Quincy as he left.
Meanwhile, Luca, Mason, and Justina entered the hospital.
After asking around, they learned Quincy had recently upgraded his mother from a regular ward to a VIP room.
The three stopped outside the ward.
Through the small window in the door, Luca saw an elderly woman with gray hair sitting quietly on the edge of the hospital bed.
Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
Luca pushed the door open with a warm smile.
The elderly woman looked up in confusion.
“…Who are you?”
She had assumed another doctor had arrived.
Instead, three unfamiliar faces stood before her.
Her gaze naturally settled on Luca.
She could tell at a glance he was the one leading the group.
“Ma’am.”
Luca smiled politely.
“I’m Quincy’s friend.”
He gestured toward Mason and Justina.
“These are my friends.”
As he spoke, he placed the fruit basket he’d brought onto the bedside cabinet.
The elderly woman looked surprised.
She had never heard Quincy mention wealthy friends like these.
Still, her son had attended university.
Perhaps he’d met people from better backgrounds there.
After all, the young man standing before her certainly didn’t look ordinary.
“Quincy just stepped out.”
She pointed toward the hallway.
“If you hurry, you should still catch him.”
Luca chuckled softly and pulled over a chair.
“It’s alright.”
“I’m not in a rush.”
“I actually came to visit you too.”
The old woman immediately smiled.
She rarely had visitors.
The conversation quickly became lively.
Luca was polite, patient, and knew exactly how to keep an elderly person talking.
Within minutes, she was smiling warmly.
She couldn’t help thinking how fortunate her son was to have such a thoughtful friend.
Halfway through their conversation, Luca’s phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen before standing.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Walking outside the ward, he answered the call.
“Boss.”
Hernandez’s calm voice came through the speaker.
“We’ve secured Quincy.”
In the background, an angry male voice could be heard shouting continuously.
Luca smiled faintly.
“Turn on the camera.”
“Point it at him.”
“Understood.”
…
Quincy’s apartment was now crowded with people.
He sat tied to a chair, both hands and feet restrained.
His face was bright red as he struggled and shouted.
When these people had first appeared, he’d thought they were police officers.
Ever since sabotaging the car, he’d barely slept.
Every knock at the door made his heart race.
Now that he’d realized they weren’t police, some of his panic had faded.
But another question replaced it.
’Who exactly are these people?’
Hernandez raised the phone toward him.
Quincy squinted at the screen.
A handsome young man appeared.
He didn’t care who the man was.
“What gives you the right to break into my house?”
“Who the hell are you?”
Luca looked at him through the screen with an amused smile.
“It seems…”
“You still haven’t figured out your situation.”
He looked toward Hernandez.
“Help Mr. Patel wake up.”
“Yes.”
The next second, a bucket of icy water crashed over Quincy’s head.
Splash!
He gasped violently, coughing as freezing water dripped from his soaked hair and clothes.
When the phone camera was raised again, his arrogance had already disappeared considerably.