Chapter 378
Chapter 378:
Asher turned his wheelchair slowly and fixed Colton with a hard stare. “What exactly are you trying to do p>
Colton raised the shovel and leveled the blade at Asher’s throat.
Tripp stepped forward instinctively. Colton’s eyes sliced to him. “If you want to see what happens next, keep moving. Otherwise, stay where you are p>
Tripp looked at Asher, waiting.
Asher gave a barely perceptible look, then turned back to Colton. “Mr. Yates — I’ll ask again. What do you want p>
“I’m the one asking questions.” Colton’s voice was low and glacial. “Is Kristine alive or dead p>
Asher held his gaze without blinking. “Didn’t you review the DNA report at the hospital morgue p>
“That’s your family’s hospital!” Colton’s grip on the shovel tightened. On the way there, he had confirmed that the hospital was an Edwards Group property — which meant Asher could have manipulated the results without any difficulty.
He couldn’t stop seeing Kristine’s eyes in the water, wide with fear, reaching for him.
He stared at Asher with something close to hatred. “Answer me. Is she alive or dead p>
Asher tilted his head back and met his stare. “You saw the body. Kristine had no mole on her collarbone. That woman did p>
𝘜𝘱𝘥𝘢t𝘦s е𝗏𝗲r𝗒 𝘸еe𝘬 𝗈𝘯 𝘨𝖺𝗅ո𝗈v𝘦𝗅𝗌.с𝗈𝗺
Colton gave a cold, humorless laugh. “A mole? You have more resources than most governments. You could have had a fake mole applied to that body whenever it suited you p>
Asher’s knuckles went white against the armrest. “Honestly, I don’t understand what you’re after. Before, you were convinced she was alive. Now I’m telling you the truth, and you still won’t believe it. What do you actually want, Colton? Do you want her to be alive — or are you hoping she’s dead p>
His eyes cut upward, sharp and unflinching, looking straight through him.
Colton held the shovel tighter and spoke one final time, his voice dropping to something barely above a whisper, hard as ice. “Stop playing games, Asher. Is Kristine alive or dead p>
Asher looked him directly in the face.
“She’s alive p>
Colton stared at Asher for a long moment before he suddenly burst out laughing.
The shovel he was holding shook with each wave of laughter, its sharp edge hovering dangerously close to Asher’s neck. Tripp stood nearby, watching the scene with barely concealed nerves. He thought several times about wresting the shovel from Colton’s hands, but he was afraid of provoking him further.
After a few minutes, Colton’s laughter finally died down. His eyes turned cold as they settled on Asher. “You almost fooled me, Asher.” He turned his head away, his voice thickening with emotion. “The person being buried here — that’s really Kristine, isn’t it p>
Asher gripped the armrests of his wheelchair so hard his knuckles turned white. “No,” he answered, his voice strained and unnatural.