Mr. Fletcher, with a stern face, explained the whole situation to Mrs. Fletcher.
Mrs. Fletcher subconsciously defended Samantha, "Samantha is a child I watched grow up. I know her character very well. How could she possibly commit murder?"
Mr. Fletcher replied displeased, "If she were truly a good girl, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant out of wedlock four years ago, carrying a child even her father didn't know about. For these four years, she has been out of contact, and we have no idea where she has been or what she has been doing. The only recent news we got was from Justin. Four years is enough time to change a person."
Mrs. Fletcher fell into deep thought. Although she wanted to believe in Samantha, faced with the facts, she couldn't help but believe it.
"Your son is now infatuated with her. He even killed his own child for her sake. If he finds out that Samantha is a murderer, he will definitely try his best to exonerate her. With our family's status and power in the capital, we can naturally protect Samantha. But what about the future? If a person's nature has already been corrupted, what if they do something like this again? Do we want Justin to clean up after her for the rest of his life? Furthermore, she also had an improper relationship with Rex. She's already engaged to Justin, yet she's still involved with other men. Such a woman is not worthy of marrying into the Fletcher family."
Hearing Mr. Fletcher's words, Mrs. Fletcher felt dizzy, her vision darkening. A chill ran down her spine. The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.
"Yes, you're right. We can't let Samantha ruin Justin! He's our only son, raised with so much effort. We absolutely cannot afford any mishaps. We must separate them."
"I'll find an excuse to send Justin abroad and then find a way to keep him there for a while. We'll wait until he gets married and has children abroad, completely forgetting about Samantha, before we let him come back."
Mrs. Fletcher quickly agreed, "Okay, I'll listen to you, all listen to you."
Amidst the heavy atmosphere of waiting, Justin finally returned. He smiled warmly, evidently in a good mood.
Mr. Fletcher deliberately avoided mentioning Karen's miscarriage and Samantha's murder. He casually asked, "Have you set a date for your wedding with Samantha? When are you planning to get married?"
Without hesitation, Justin replied, "Within a month."
Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher exchanged a glance. They didn't object. They knew that now, even if they did, it wouldn't make a difference. Instead, it would only make Justin more rebellious.
Rather than causing a big fuss over a woman, it would be better to think of other ways.
Mr. Fletcher nodded calmly and said, "I'll leave the wedding matters to your mother. You go to New Zealand. There's been an issue with one of our company's projects there. Originally, I was supposed to handle it myself, but I'm getting too old for long-distance travel. You'll go in my place."
"What's the problem?" Justin asked without any suspicion.
"My assistant will be waiting for you there, and he'll assist you! Time is of the essence, so hurry upstairs and pack your clothes. I've already arranged everything with the airport. They've scheduled a private jet for you."
"I'll go right away, and I'll leave the wedding arrangements to you!" Justin didn't hesitate or question, simply nodding in agreement.
Being summoned back by his father in such haste meant that there was a serious matter to attend to. As his son, he naturally couldn't refuse.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher nodded in agreement.
Justin got up and went upstairs.
While packing his clothes, he called Samantha to inform her of the situation.
Samantha understood Justin's character well; he was a man with ambition and capability. With the company facing issues now, it was natural for him to handle them promptly.
After packing his luggage, Justin was driven to the airport by his chauffeur and immediately boarded the private jet bound for New Zealand.
After he left, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher sent a considerable sum of money to Karen.
Karen could hardly believe it, trembling with anger.
"What do they mean? Do they think they can buy my child's life with a check?"
The man who delivered the check had a stern face, showing no emotion. “Mr. Fletcher asked me to tell you that Mr. Justin has already gone abroad and won't be back for a short time. He doesn't want Mr. Justin to have any further contact with you or your friends. Mr. Fletcher suggests that you stop wasting your time and youth on him and find someone else to marry while you're still young.”
Karen was dumbfounded.
"Justin has gone abroad? That's impossible. You're just trying to get rid of me. Justin is about to marry Samantha. How could he possibly go abroad?"
When she went to the Fletcher family this morning, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Fletcher mentioned anything about Justin going abroad.
How could Justin suddenly leave in less than a day, and for a short period?
The man replied coldly, "Believe it or not, my message has been conveyed! Don't show up in front of Mr. Fletcher again, or Mr. Fletcher will make sure you can't stay in the capital."
With that, he left without looking back.
Karen felt as if all her strength had been drained from her body. She collapsed onto the sofa.
Justin had left?
Gone abroad?
Her child was gone too.
What was she going to do now?
After confirming that Justin had boarded the plane, Mr. Fletcher called Chief Kingston to express his stance.
"Chief Kingston, if Samantha is indeed involved in a murder, handle it however you see fit. She has no relationship with my son, nor does she have any connection to our Fletcher family. We won't meddle in this affair," Mr. Fletcher replied firmly.
With Mr. Fletcher's response, Chief Kingston had an idea in mind.
At the same time, the news of Justin going abroad reached Ethan and Albert.
Ethan furrowed his brows and asked in a deep voice, "When will he be back?"
Jade replied, "There's no news of his return for the time being. The Fletcher Group's project in New Zealand supposedly encountered some issues, and he went there to handle it. However, I've investigated, and their project seems to be running smoothly with no problems."
Ethan remained silent, lost in thought.
Jade continued, "I heard from Karen that Justin has indeed gone abroad and won't be back for a short time. This matter happened suddenly, and we haven't found out what exactly happened yet."
Ethan narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Continue the investigation and keep an eye on the Fletcher family, Justin, and Karen."
Jade left to carry out the orders.
Meanwhile, at the Davis Group headquarters, the investigation results were handed over to Albert.
Albert looked at the information, his deep eyes gleaming with coldness.
Childhood sweethearts?
Inseparable companions?
Deeply in love?
All of this should have belonged to him, yet it was stolen by Justin.
Albert stared at the intimate photos of Justin and Samantha in the file, then suddenly asked, "Did the Fletcher Group recently have a collaboration with our company?"
The subordinate nodded. "Yes, we just signed a contract for a resort project. Fletcher Group borrowed three hundred million from Davis Bank, and Davis Bank holds twenty percent of the shares."
A coldness flashed in Albert's eyes, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, "Justin went to New Zealand, right? When will he be back?"
The subordinate replied, "He shouldn't be back for the short term."
Albert leaned back lazily in his chair, his slender fingers lightly resting on his chin as he thoughtfully looked at the photo of Justin and Samantha.
After a while, he murmured softly, "Got it, you can go now."
The subordinate left the room.
Albert once again became lost in thought as he gazed at the photo. His childhood sweetheart not only had another lover but also had a four-year-old daughter.
What had happened over the past decade or so?
How had his childhood sweetheart turned into this?
***