Raina finished speaking, but Aunt Rivers didn’t act swiftly as usual; instead, she wore a troubled expression.
Confusion flashed in Raina’s eyes: "What’s wrong?"
"Young Madam, things are a bit chaotic outside. The security is handling it, but it might be a while before we can leave."
"Nothing much, just some people making trouble out of boredom."
Aunt Rivers clearly didn’t want to elaborate.
Raina didn’t intend to press further, said hello, and went back to her room.
Not long after, Casper and Shea returned, but their expressions weren’t very pleasant, with puffed cheeks that looked as if they’d swallowed eggs.
"Who upset the two little ancestors of our family?"
"I’m so angry, mommy! The witch is so mean." Little Shea was as angry as a pufferfish, thinking of the hateful witch summoning a crowd to distort the facts and speak ill of her mommy, yet with the media present, she couldn’t go out to argue, which was infuriating.
Raina’s brow twitched: "What’s going on?"
Casper walked over: "Mommy, the witch got out of the detention center and gathered a bunch of reporters at the gate, pretending to be pitiful to gain sympathy, it’s so infuriating."
"Claire North got out so soon?" Raina was somewhat surprised.
At that moment, the phone rang; Leila Foster called.
"Apothecary North, something big has happened! The anti-cancer drug we researched had a major accident in clinical trials, with several deaths. Somehow, this news spread throughout the city overnight, and a crowd is blocking the entrance to the Veridian Institute of Medicine. Director Woods advised you to stay home for the next few days and definitely not go out."
Raina hung up the phone, looking up to meet the gaze of the entering Old Mrs. Hawthorne.
"Grandma, is this the matter you all kept from me?"
"Raina, Grandma believes in you, you’re not someone who would take lives lightly. Elias and the others are investigating; results will come soon. In the meantime, just rest at home and don’t think about anything."
"I do want to rest well, but they’ve reached our doorstep, we can’t keep acting like cowards forever."
Moreover, she was curious about how Claire North managed to get out.
She had just gone in yesterday, and it was The Hawthorne Family who stepped in, even Elias Hawthorne’s own father, Vincent, obediently stayed in the detention center.
It’s not that she underestimated Claire and The North Family, but they really didn’t have the capability. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Also, today’s matter came fiercely, and spread faster than Claire could achieve.
With a belly full of questions, Raina walked out decisively.
A lot of people were gathered at the gate, with The Hawthorne Family’s bodyguards forming a wall, blocking the chaotic reporters outside.
The scorching sun burned, emotions on both sides were very tense, occasionally leading to pushing and shoving.
Though The Hawthorne Family’s bodyguards were strong, under the camera lens, mixed with a bunch of rogues in the opposing group, they appeared somewhat embarrassed.
Raina observed from a distance, these people weren’t causing havoc, just blocking the way and not letting you enter or exit, cursing a bit when in a bad mood, which was... quite disgusting.
Especially Claire North, looking pale, as fragile as a flower in the wind, swaying, looking pitiful and aggrieved as much as possible.
Compared to her usual arrogance, this time she clearly adopted a tragic route, saying nothing, just kneeling there dryly; with Evelyn Xavier’s commentary beside her, they managed to portray Raina as a vicious woman snatching her sister’s marriage and mistreating her sister’s child.
"Look, someone is coming out."
Someone in the crowd with keen eyes spotted Raina.
The war drums that had temporarily quieted now beat again.
Evelyn instantly regained her spirits, charging towards Raina, but was stopped by the bodyguards.
"Raina, you turtle finally came out."
Reporters also reacted quickly, rushing to Raina’s front.