The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 231

Nora Hayes rushed into the villa right on the heels of the panicked crowd. The first thing that hit her was the sheer amount of blood coating the floor.

Then, she saw the woman lying in the center of the crimson pool.

Despite the countless bodies Nora had examined in her career, the sight still sent a shockwave through her system. It wasn't because the gore was particularly horrifying.

It was because less than half an hour ago, this exact woman had arrogantly slapped her across the face.

Now, in the blink of an eye, she was nothing more than a lifeless corpse, blood still pooling out from beneath her.

"Rosalind!"

The wealthy socialites who had been mingling with Rosalind Lowe widened their eyes in horror, recklessly surging forward in a panic.

"Stop!"

Nora stepped up immediately, whipping her badge out of her purse.

"Nobody move! Stay exactly where you are and keep quiet until the police arrive. Anyone who tampers with this scene will be treated as a suspect destroying evidence."

Mr. Devereaux and several other executives hurried over. The moment the older billionaire saw the bloody scene, his face drained of all color.

"What the hell is going on here!"

No one could answer him.

Nora approached the body, quickly checking Rosalind's vitals.

She stood up, her expression somber. "She's dead."

The collective gasp that ripped through the grand hall was deafening. Most of the elites in attendance had never even seen a dead body, let alone such a gruesome aftermath.

Rosalind's lavish gown was spread out around her like a decaying flower. Her limbs were twisted at unnatural angles against the marble, making her look like a discarded marionette whose strings had been brutally snapped.

"How could this happen..."

A prestigious charity gala had morphed into a horrific murder scene in an instant, leaving every face in the room stark white.

"Has someone called the police?" Nora asked a nearby waiter.

The waiter pointed up toward the second-floor balcony. "I saw Mr. Devereaux standing right up there. I thought they were just having a conversation, so I glanced away and went back to work. But then there was a scream, followed by a loud thud. When I looked back, Ms. Lowe was on the floor covered in blood... and he was gone."

"Impossible!" Mr. Devereaux snapped defensively.

But his denial was immediately shot down by the murmurs in the crowd.

"Why is it impossible? Mr. Devereaux, word on the street is that your son absolutely refused to marry Rosalind, right?"

"When Rosalind arrived today, Nolan wouldn't even look at her. But earlier, a bunch of us saw him storming off to find her!"

"They must have gotten into a fight, and he shoved her over the railing!"

Mr. Devereaux looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He desperately wanted to clear his son's name, but with a witness standing right there, his arguments felt entirely weightless.

In the end, all he could do was mutter a futile, repetitive chant: "My son would never kill anyone."

Watching the powerful CEO crumble, Nora finally understood why Leonard Hayes had been willing to burn bridges and use her own mother to force her into courting Nolan. Mr. Devereaux genuinely adored his son. There was absolutely no acting involved in his devastation.