“All right, Stan, I think you’re right. What if Xyla hates us when she finds out later?” Sharon Lindt asked.
Stanley Batton frowned deeply, feeling mixed emotions. “I’d rather be hated by her than have her go through an emotional breakdown.”
Xyla Quest was already devastated. If she found out about her father’s death, things would only worsen.
The consequences might be dire if the emotional stress takes a toll on her.
He wouldn’t allow that to happen, even if Xyla ended up hating him.
He needed to protect his wife.
Sharon instantly nodded in agreement. “All right, Stan, I’ll do as you say. What do we do next?”
Stanley furrowed his brows. “Send his body to the morgue but don’t proceed with cremation just yet. Get an autopsy first.”
His mother's eyes widened in surprise when she heard this. “Do you suspect there might be something behind his death?”
He frowned again. “Just as a precaution.”
It was better to investigate Jeremy Quest’s death thoroughly since it happened a little too suddenly.
Sharon nodded immediately. “All right, I’ll do as you say.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle the rest,” he assured her.
“Okay, but how will I face Xyla when she wakes up? I feel like I’ve indirectly caused her father’s death,” she said.
“Do what you need to, but don’t be weird about it. And let's not jump to conclusions about the cause of his death.”
Since Betty showed up, Xyla had a premature delivery, and then her father died without a cause.
Perhaps there was a connection between those incidents?
The timing of these incidents seemed a little too coincidental.
The many questions in Stanley’s mind terrified him.
Sharon inhaled deeply. “All right, don’t worry. I’ll put on a good show.”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he silently hung up and called Zack Cassidy on the phone.
“My father-in-law just passed away. Keep this a secret, and don’t let anyone else find out. Also, send the body to the morgue and get an autopsy done.
“Make sure to hire more people to keep an eye on the morgue. Don’t let anyone modify the autopsy results. Other than the pathologist, I don’t want anyone else near the body, especially Betty Starmount,” he added.
With that, Stanley hung up the phone and continued searching for Yaksha, feeling like he had hit rock-bottom.
Every step he made felt heavy.
During the mid-winter season, the mountain was covered in snow that reached his calves, leaving behind visible tracks with every step he took.
The cold northern winds continued to bellow, sounding like it would tear the entire world apart.
This place used to look lush and lively, but now, wilted and lifeless trees were everywhere he looked with no green plants in sight.
Although it was cold amidst the snow, he continued to walk forward calmly until he arrived at the peak.
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