The Lockwood Family Arson Shocks High Society–Again!
The Lockwood family estate fire sent shockwaves through the upper circles once more. When the police launched their investigation, they discovered, in addition to Saul and several of the family’s staff, a charred, unidentified body among the ashes.
DNA tests soon confirmed the grim truth: the body belonged to Neal, the fugitive who’d been on the run for weeks.
Security footage later revealed that the arsonist was, in fact, Neal himself.
But Neal had no known grievances with the Lockwoods–so why target their home?
For days, the Lockwood family arson became the single hottest topic among Northborough’s elite. With Saul dead, the head of the family title passed–undisputed–to Barrie. In just two months, Barrie had gone from an unremarkable illegitimate son to the powerful new master of the Lockwood estate.
Whispers spread through high society, suggesting Barrie was anything but simple. Some claimed everything that had happened to the Lockwoods recently had been orchestrated by Barrie himself. The story gained traction throughout the business community, and many began to treat Barrie with wary respect, if not outright suspicion.
The police, too, made Barrie a person of interest. Yet after a week of investigation, they found nothing to implicate him.
Since Neal was a career criminal, the authorities concluded that he’d set the fire for financial gain but lost control of the blaze, ultimately dying in the flames himself.
With that, the case was officially closed.
As the new head of the family, Barrie arranged a grand funeral for Saul. On the day of the service, Lauren wept uncontrollably, eventually collapsing and being rushed to the hospital.
When Lauren woke up, Rosita had just returned with her medical report.
“Rosita,” Lauren murmured weakly.
Her fainting spell hadn’t been an act–she’d genuinely passed out. Sure, the show of grief was for appearances, but even performative sobbing was exhausting.
Now, though she was awake, her head still spun and her limbs felt heavy as lead. Lying in the hospital bed, face pale and eyes swollen from crying, Lauren finally looked her age–worn and fragile.
Rosita, watching her, couldn’t help but feel a trace of satisfaction.
She walked over and handed Lauren the report. “Mom, take a look at this.”
Lauren frowned, forcing herself upright, and took the paper. When her eyes landed on the word “HIV,” she stared in disbelief.
“This… this can’t be-”
She shook her head, managing a brittle smile. “Rosita, you must have picked up the wrong report. This says HIV! That’s impossible… I can’t have this-”
“Mom, I got the results myself,” Rosita replied, her eyes filled with feigned sympathy. “I didn’t want to believe it either, so I asked the doctor. They said the tests don’t lie. If you’re not convinced, we can do another one…”
“No! Impossible!”
Lauren tore the report to shreds, her voice hysterical. “How could I possibly have this! I mean, it’s not like I’ve been reckless, I just…”
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19:01
Chapter 263
Suddenly, Neal’s face flashed through her mind.
Could it have been him?
“Mom, listen, if you start treatment early, you’ll be fine. It doesn’t have to get serious. Don’t be scared, I’ll keep your secret. I’ll help you get better, too.”
“Rosita…” Lauren’s composure crumbled. “What am I supposed to do? I waited so long for Saul to die–1 thought my good days were finally here. Why… why is this happening to me?”
She reached out to hug Rosita, but Rosita instinctively stepped away.
Lauren froze. “Rosita…”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Rosita said, lowering her eyes. “I’m just… scared.”
That was all it took–Lauren broke down, sobbing into her hands.
Rosita quietly watched Lauren collapse in tears, a cold, satisfied smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Suffer, then. You deserve it. And this is only the beginning.
Rosita arranged for a female caregiver to look after Lauren, offered a few token words of comfort, and then excused herself, saying she had filming commitments.
After two days in the hospital, Lauren was discharged. Her diagnosis was recorded in the hospital’s files. She returned to Lunar Heights Estate and spent three days in a haze of misery, growing more and more resentful.
After all, she’d only endured Neal in order to get close to Gavin and escape Saul. Now, because of Neal, she had this disease. Was she really supposed to give up on Gavin?
All her scheming had been for the chance to finally live as a true society wife–how could she let that slip away?
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became to give up. Three days later, Lauren pulled herself together. She slipped into a tight, alluring dress, did her makeup, grabbed her purse, and drove to the hotel where she and Gavin often met.
