Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 130: What If He Jumped Out of the Car Before the Explosion?

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: What If He Jumped Out of the Car Before the Explosion?

Grace Quinn bit her lip, unwilling, but ultimately too afraid to confront Rhys Lennox directly, so she reluctantly waved her hand.

The servant immediately released Stella Sterling.

"We’ll see about that!" Grace Quinn glared fiercely at Stella Sterling, turned around, and quickly entered the main door.

Only then did Rhys Lennox walk up to Stella Sterling, looking down at her, "Are you alright?"

Stella Sterling rotated her wrist, which had been painfully squeezed, and shook her head.

She looked up at Rhys Lennox, in the night, her eyes seemed to flicker with two flickers of cold flame.

"Rhys Lennox," she stared at him, "do you know who tampered with your brother’s car?"

With Shane Donovan’s alertness, ordinary means wouldn’t get close to him at all; it had to be someone near him...

The evening breeze blew past, carrying the chill of early winter.

Rhys Lennox’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his gaze fell on the distant dark silhouettes of the trees, his voice deep, "Still investigating."

Stella Sterling’s eyebrows knitted slightly, considering that after Shane Donovan’s incident, besides Philip Donovan, Beatrice Donovan was the biggest beneficiary...

She didn’t question further, only giving him a deep look, "Alright, I understand."

She turned around, opened the car door, her voice unwavering, "I will continue investigating too."

The engine started, the taillights pierced through the darkness, quickly driving away.

Rhys Lennox stood there, watching the direction the car disappeared to, just feeling an inexplicable heaviness in his chest; he irritably kicked the nearby tree trunk, causing withered leaves to rustle down...

...

The next day, Stella Sterling went straight to Innovatech Bio.

The towering building still shot up into the clouds, yet seemed shrouded by an invisible gloom.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard heated arguments coming from the direction of the legal department.

"Elias Peyton! Don’t be ungrateful! President Donovan is no longer here, and now Innovatech is temporarily managed by Philip Donovan. Us taking over the legal department is justifiable!" A middle-aged man in a gray suit pointed at Elias Peyton’s nose, his tone aggressive.

Elias Peyton stood at the entrance of the legal department, several young lawyers with indignant expressions stood behind him.

His face was expressionless, only the icy coldness in his eyes behind his glasses.

"Justifiable?" Elias Peyton sneered, "This is President Donovan’s territory; it’s not your place to act wild here!"

"You!" the man’s face turned a deep red in anger, "Elias Peyton, don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! President Donovan is no longer; how long do you think you can hold out?"

"How long I hold out is my business." Elias Peyton’s tone was resolute, "As long as I, Elias Peyton, am standing here, this legal department remains President Donovan’s territory! If you want to come in, step over my dead body first!"

The young lawyers behind him also stepped forward in unison, their looks full of resolve and protection.

Those few people evidently didn’t expect Elias Peyton to be so tough, their faces alternating between blue and white.

"Fine! Fine, Elias Peyton! We’ll see about that!" The leader spat the harsh words and reluctantly left with his people.

The hallway temporarily returned to quiet, leaving only the murmurs among the legal department employees.

Elias Peyton tiredly rubbed his brow, raising his eyes to see Stella Sterling standing not far away.

He paused for a moment, then quickly walked over, "Junior Sterling? What brings you here?"

"I’m here to see." Stella Sterling’s gaze swept over the mess at the entrance, "Are they Philip Donovan’s people?"

Elias Peyton nodded with a grave expression, "Since President Donovan’s incident, they have been eager; today was already the third wave."

Stella Sterling’s heart sank.

No matter how strong Elias Peyton was, he was ultimately just the chief counsel hired by Shane Donovan. In the face of the Donovan Family’s justified takeover, how long could he resist?

"Counselor Peyton," she hesitated for a moment before asking, "regarding Shane Donovan... was he really in the car on the day of the incident? Is there any possibility..."

Elias Peyton looked at the faint glimmer of hope remaining in her eyes, silent for a moment, then led her into his office.

The door closed, cutting off the outside view.

Elias Peyton’s voice was hoarse, "President Donovan called me before the incident."

Stella Sterling’s head shot up, her heart clenched tightly.

"He asked me to retrieve a pill bottle and instructed me to immediately have it tested for fingerprints and components." Elias Peyton recalled, his brows tightly knit.

"And then?" her voice was a bit tense.

"But midway through the call, the signal suddenly became very poor, crackling..."

Elias Peyton’s voice lowered, "I heard what sounded like sudden braking on his end... possibly also... water sounds? Then... a loud explosion..."

Stella Sterling clasped her fingers tightly, nails digging into her palm just to barely maintain composure.

"So..." she raised her head, eyes uncontrollably reddening, her voice trembling slightly, "do you also think... that he’s really gone? That... even his body can’t be found..."

Elias Peyton sighed heavily, his eyes full of unease.

He averted his gaze, his voice dry, "Junior Sterling... my condolences, take care of yourself, President Donovan... wouldn’t want you like this."

Condolences... take care...

Even Elias Peyton had concluded he was deceased.

Stella Sterling stopped asking further questions.

She turned around, her back straight as she walked step by step toward the elevator.

Sitting in the car, Stella Sterling didn’t start the engine immediately; she only felt a chill throughout her body, her head starting to throb heavily.

She rubbed her temples, Elias Peyton’s words echoing repeatedly in her mind.

Pill bottle...

Explosion...

Water sound...

Wait!

Water sound?

Stella Sterling’s eyes snapped open—she remembered the explosion site was on a bridge, and there was indeed a river there!

What if...

What if he jumped out of the car before the explosion?

If that water sound was real, and he fell into the river?

Once this thought arose, it couldn’t be suppressed, a faint hope emerged from within her heart.

She couldn’t even think through how slim this guess was, just relying on an instinct, a nearly obsessive belief, she immediately booked the earliest flight to Crestfall!

The river was at the city outskirts, the water surface shimmering with cold ripples under the winter sun.

Stella Sterling stumbled and rushed down the riverbank, frantically searching along the shore, her gaze sweeping over every branch that might catch a person, every mudflat that might bear any trace.

"Shane Donovan!"

"Shane Donovan! Where are you?!"

She shouted hoarsely, only to be answered by the murmur of water and the howling wind.

Hours passed, the sun set, and temperatures plummeted.

She searched every possible landing spot nearby, questioned the occasional passing villagers, only to receive head shakes and sympathetic looks.

Nothing at all.

No bloodstains, no fragments of clothing, no trace of his presence.

Hope deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle, collapsing rapidly.

That flicker of light went out completely.

The mental strength she had been holding onto suddenly collapsed, followed by overwhelming fatigue and despair.

Standing by the icy river, she just felt the world spinning, her whole body cold, head heavy and feet light, her last strength seemed to be drained, as everything went black and she gently collapsed onto the riverbank.

Lost consciousness completely...