RISE OF BETRAYED SON-IN-LAW

7. A Suspicious Suspect

BOOM!

"Mr. Liam! There's a Mr. Liam in that car!" Oliver shouted with the rest of his strength.

Meanwhile, Raphael, Mr. Liam's personal secretary who was also limping in pain, tried to hold Oliver's body. Raphael and Oliver stared at the huge explosion of the car.

Several motorists helped Raphael and Oliver to retreat further away.

BOOM!

The explosion was once again bigger. The flames raged higher, burning almost the entire surface of the car with Mr. Liam inside.

Oliver covered his face with one hand. As his body relaxed even more, he stared at the burnt-out car.

"Mr. Liam..." Oliver muttered softly.

Oliver was stunned for a split second without being able to say anything. Right at that moment, the firefighters arrived.

People automatically moved back while carrying Oliver and Raphael. The situation became very chaotic as the firefighters tried to put out the flames.

Meanwhile, Oliver's condition became so weak that his body just fell down. Oliver's body was held by the residents who helped.

In the midst of his weakened body, Oliver felt a dizziness in his head. Oliver's vision blurred as he lay limp on the asphalt.

"Mr. Oliver!" A familiar voice called out.

Oliver looked over to Michael, his personal secretary who had just arrived. Michael looked at Oliver very worried.

"Oh my, let's go to the hospital," Michael said in a worried tone.

"Michael... Mr. Liam..."

Michael grimaced at Oliver. He glanced at Mr. Liam's burning car.

"Hopefully we can still save Mr. Liam's life. Now, I have to save you and Raphael," Michael replied.

Oliver was already speechless. He obeyed Michael who helped him up slowly.

In the midst of his condition, Oliver vaguely saw the figure of a man among the residents. All of Oliver's attention was focused on the familiar-looking man with glasses.

Oliver squinted his eyes to clear his vision. After a while, he realized that the man with glasses was the journalist who went with Lily's secretary.

Before Oliver's consciousness dissipated, Oliver saw the journalist smiling with a grin.

Oliver's feelings became uncomfortable.

'Why does he seem so satisfied with my condition?' Oliver thought as he walked away from the accident scene.

***

Oliver opened his eyes slowly with a small groan. As his blurry vision cleared, Oliver saw Michael waiting for him.

Michael looked worried about Oliver behind his sharp eyes.

"Sir, how are you?" Michael asked.

Oliver tried to get up into a sitting position, but Michael held Oliver back.

"Wait. Don't move too much. Rest properly," Michael said firmly.

Sighing heavily, Oliver leaned his head back against the pillow. Oliver winced in pain.

"Michael... how is Mr. Liam?" asked Oliver as he closed his eyes.

Michael didn't answer immediately.

Oliver, who didn't hear Michael's answer, opened his eyes. He looked at Michael with a suspicious look.

"Michael? I asked how Mr. Liam was," Oliver reprimanded Michael.

Michael's face looked a little awkward to answer. Michael just looked at Oliver with a reluctant look in his eyes.

Seeing that made Oliver feel that something bad had happened. Oliver then gripped Michael's hand.

"Michael? Why are you silent? Where is Mr. Liam now?"

"Mr. Oliver..."

Oliver raised both eyebrows.

Michael then replied softly, "Mr. Liam's life cannot be saved."

"He died?" Oliver was in shock. His body almost collapsed.

"That's right. Just as Mr. Liam was about to be taken to the hospital, he died on the way," Michael replied.

Oliver's heart sank. For a split second Oliver froze, looking at Michael in disbelief. Oliver had never thought that Mr. Liam's life could not be saved.  

Oliver let out a soft breath.

"Let me see Mr. Liam's condition!" Oliver immediately exclaimed firmly.

Without thinking, Oliver was about to climb down the hospital bed. He didn't even care about the IV tubes in his hands.

Michael quickly pressed the button near the bed three times. After that, Michael held Oliver's body from going down the hospital bed.

"Mr. Oliver, restrain yourself! What are you doing?" Michael protested to Oliver in the midst of his efforts to block Oliver's body.

Oliver didn't listen to Michael's words.

"I want to see Mr. Liam, Michael! I have to make sure I'm next to him!" Oliver babbled.

"No, you have to rest, Mr. Oliver! Mr. Liam is dead!"

The more he heard the fact that Mr. Liam was dead, the more Oliver's heart sank. Oliver kept trying to break away from Michael. Several times Oliver struggled to remove the IV tubes in his hands.

"Mr. Liam has to live! No, he can't just leave me!" Oliver grumbled again, his voice beginning to tremble with tears.

Michael continued to hold Oliver's rebellious body. Even though Michael had a problem supporting Oliver's body.

"Mr. Oliver, wake up, Mr. Liam can't be saved anymore!" said Michael.

Shortly after, three nurses and a doctor entered the room. Seeing Oliver's rebellious and chaotic condition, the nurses and doctors panicked.

"Sir, calm yourself!" The doctor said as he helped Michael restrain Oliver's body.

Unfortunately, Oliver could not be stopped. One of the IV tubes came off and blood spurted from his veins. This shocked everyone.

"Mr. Oliver! Don't be silly!" Michael reprimanded Oliver.

"Mr. Liam... he can't leave me alone," Oliver said softly. "What should I do then?"

After trying to restrain Oliver's rebellious body, the doctor finally quietly administered the injection. The doctor approached Oliver and injected a sedative into his hand.

Slowly Oliver's body relaxed. Oliver felt his vision foggy, then blurred by the second.

At that moment the doctor and the nurses laid Oliver's body back down. In just a few seconds, Oliver had closed his eyes. He was fast asleep.

***

Four days of Oliver's hospitalization passed.  

Oliver was unable to see his father Mr. Liam during the funeral process. Today, Oliver came with Michael and Raphael, Mr. Liam's personal secretary.

Beside Mr. Liam's grave, Oliver stared intently. He had been silent for fifteen minutes watching the name Liam Moore Hermingways on the ceramic tombstone.

Oliver remembered his last moment with Mr. Liam. It seemed like only a short while ago that Oliver felt a strong bond of affection with that man. But finally, this tragic incident happened.

"Did someone intentionally cause that car crash?" asked Oliver, finally speaking up.

Michael replied quietly but firmly, "It is not certain, Mr. Oliver. There is no CCTV around the accident scene. Even the license plate of the truck that hit your car cannot be traced."

Oliver let out a long sigh. "I don't know why I feel there's something wrong. Why did the accident happen right when I was announced as the heir?"

Raphael then interjected, "Are you saying that someone is trying to get you and Mr. Liam killed so that Moore NYU Hotel & Resort will not be managed?"

"To go bankrupt," Oliver corrected.

"Who do you suspect of doing that, Mr. Oliver?" Michael asked.

Oliver was silent. In his mind, he suddenly pictured the eyeglass man who had asked the question at the investor meeting.

The man with glasses whose name was unknown and who left with Lily's secretary. Why was that man at the scene of the accident, watching her condition while grinning?

"Do you remember the man with the journalist's glasses who asked questions during my presentation at the investor meeting?" Oliver asked Raphael.

Raphael nodded his head.

"I remember. What is it, Mr. Oliver?"

"Find out about him in more detail, give me the information. Also find out where he went when the investor meeting wasn't over," Oliver ordered.

Raphael and Michael looked at each other confused.  

"You suspect him?" Michael asked.

Oliver replied, "I have a bad feeling about him."