Chapter 288 He Bolted

• While the police were combing through leads, they found that a coworker who was tight with Xiao Li vanished right after the incident. Other workers said the two were middle school classmates who came out to work together and were usually glued at the hip. By common sense, with Xiao Li hurt, his buddy should’ve gone to the hospital to help. The crew at the site all thought the suspect had followed Da Li to the hospital, while Da Li figured the suspect stayed on-site. It wasn’t until the officers finished taking statements from both the hospital staff and the construction workers, then sorted through them, that they realized—there was no statement from the suspect. That’s when they knew something was off. The officers then searched the suspect’s place. He was gone. His bags too. They asked around. No one knew where he went. Clear as day—he fled out of fear of being caught. The police immediately filed for an arrest warrant. So far, no leads. Da Li and the crew couldn’t believe that kid did this to Xiao Li. “Someone must’ve paid him to do it,” Da Li snarled. “The kid’s family is broke. Still single, no girlfriend. Seeing my brother getting a girlfriend probably set him off. And for cash he’d hurt my brother? My brother treated him like a brother. He’s a freaking animal.” Xiao Li still hadn’t made it past the danger zone. Maybe he knew who hurt him. Johanson Group, chairman’s office. “He ran?” Fabian’s face gave away nothing. Zavier lowered his head, sweating bullets. “Yeah. The kid’s got no spine. Bolted right after it happened. The police are already after him.” Fabian tossed the file in his hand. “Yeah, no spine. If he’d held out for two more days… forget it.” Zavier couldn’t read him at all, so he asked, “Mr. Fabian, what do we do now? I sent people to ask around at the hospital. Those doctors and nurses keep their mouths shut. I’m guessing the guy didn’t die.” Fabian: “If Fantasia Club’s site restarts work, how long will it take?” Zavier: “Ms. Ainsworth has been moving on it already. If that worker named Xiao Li wakes up, they can finalize the case right away. The police notice will be out soon. Fastest, four or five days and we can resume.” Fabian nodded. “All told, a shutdown of about ten days. That’s enough.” Zavier: “…” Before Zavier could figure out what that meant, Fabian asked, “Where’s Mr. Johanson?” Zavier froze. “No idea. Haven’t seen him.” Right then, Matthias had just woken up in the marital home he once shared with Sienna. He hadn’t planned to drink, but his mood was a mess, and the wine cabinet still had a few bottles of rare vintages. So, naturally, he got himself drunk. When he finally came to, it was already six in the evening. Matthias scrubbed his face and grabbed his phone. He saw Sienna’s video from last night, and only then did it hit him—he didn’t have to agonize over it anymore. Looked like Sienna had pulled herself free for now. He couldn’t even tell what he was feeling. Relieved he didn’t have to keep struggling over whether to marry Lu Tian, and at the same time ticked at himself for not helping. He always seemed to be late where Sienna was concerned. He trudged back home, head down. Fabian, Janette, and Loretta were eating. “Matthias is back.” Loretta hurried over to take his coat, sniffed, then glanced toward the dining room. She dropped her voice, careful: “Go freshen up first, okay? If you walk in like this, Mr. Johanson will be mad.” Matthias yanked the coat back and headed upstairs without a word. Janette called from the table, “Why isn’t he coming to eat?” Loretta rushed to smooth things over. “Mrs. Johanson, he’s a bit tired. He’ll shower and change, then eat. The kitchen saved him food anyway. You and Mr. Johanson go ahead.” Janette nodded, satisfied. “Loretta’s thoughtful as ever.” Then she shot Fabian a look. “That Lu Tian doesn’t know the first thing about taking care of people. This engagement—yeah, we need to think it over again.” Outside, Janette would never challenge Fabian’s stance. In her heart though, she still favored Loretta as her daughter-in-law. Loretta kept her head down and just ate, saying nothing more.