A reporter angrily spat at Luca, “You think you can buy us off with ten thousand dollars? Are we beggars to you?”
“Do you think we’ll take any amount of money? This is an insult.”
“Yeah, just wait until we expose you!”
The reporters were furious. Who did he think he was looking down on?
Did he think they were desperate for money? Sure, families and celebrities often tried to buy their silence, but they offered much more.
The Hogan family thought they could get away with ten thousand dollars. It was an insult.
Did they think the reporters were paparazzi or beggars?
Luca didn’t expect the reporters to demand more. He was stunned, shocked, and then furious. “If you have the guts, go ahead and publish it!”
Mrs. Hogan quickly intervened, “Honey, what are you saying?”
She smiled apologetically at the reporters. “I’m sorry, he’s lost his mind. How about I add some more…”
“We’re sorry too, Mrs. Hogan, but it’s already been sent.” A reporter waved his phone, showing the message had been sent with the video of Dexter hitting a reporter.
Mrs. Hogan’s face turned pale as she saw the “sent successfully” message.
“You! How dare you frame my Dexter!” she screamed.
“Your Hogan family is truly despicable,” a reporter snapped back. “Your son hit our colleague first, and now you accuse us of framing him? We’re the victims here!”
“Film everything and expose it all. Let everyone see the true face of the Hogan family!” The scene descended into chaos as reporters began filming indiscriminately.
Their social media accounts exploded with updates, capturing Luca and Mrs. Hogan’s curses and Dexter hitting a reporter.
The news spread like wildfire online, causing an uproar.
The Hogan family never expected this. Not only were they in the headlines because of Olivia’s suicide attempt, but now they were being humiliated because Dexter hit a reporter.
What do netizens hate the most? Bullying.
The Hogan family was well-known and influential, and now their young master had assaulted a reporter.
It was terrifying.
Netizens began tagging the police on Twitter, demanding action.
“Hey, there’s clear evidence of assault. Why aren’t you arresting him?”
“Why isn’t the assailant being detained?”
“In Aettosa, shouldn’t he be detained for at least 15 days?”
“Are you afraid to arrest him because he’s a rich young master? Disgusting.”
The police’s Twitter account was flooded with messages.
The administrator was overwhelmed.
“Chief, should we arrest Dexter?”
“If this continues, we’ll lose public trust.”
“What should we do?”
The police chief looked worriedly at his team. “I don’t know! Offending Lucille isn’t worth it. She could ruin us with a snap of her fingers.”
“But… Dexter broke the law. If we don’t act, our credibility will suffer…”
He was torn.
“Maybe we should consult Mr. Maskelyne?” one officer suggested cautiously. “After all, Mr. Maskelyne is quite…”
The chief knocked him on the head. “Are you stupid? Mr. Maskelyne is clearly at odds with the Hogan family. The Hogan family is powerful, and Mr. Maskelyne might not even take over.”
Choosing sides now would be suicidal.
He was just a small chief, not a commissioner!
“Fine, arrest him. Go to the hospital and arrest him.” The chief stood up decisively. “We swore to uphold justice. No matter who he is, if he breaks the law, he must be arrested.”
Half an hour later, several police officers stormed into the hospital and subdued Dexter.
Mrs. Hogan screamed in terror, “What are you doing? What crime did my son commit?”
“Assault. Fifteen days of detention. Here’s the arrest warrant.” The lead officer showed the warrant and took Dexter away.
Luca nearly fainted from anger. “Do you know who my sister is? How dare you ignore the Hogan family!”
“Sorry, but everyone must face justice,” the officer replied coldly as they took Dexter away.
Dexter’s face was ashen, his eyes cold. He glanced at Bryce one last time. “Bryce… let me know when Olivia wakes up.”
Sylvia and Franklin watched the Hogan family’s drama from a bench.
“I didn’t expect this police chief to have such guts,” Sylvia remarked, raising an eyebrow. She thought they’d be too scared to act.
Franklin chuckled softly. “Maybe this chief isn’t so bad.”
If he remembered correctly, the chief’s name was Leon?
He might be worth befriending.
The reporters eventually left after causing a scene, united in their mission to expose the Hogan family.
Some posted immediately, while others needed to compile their reports.
But none of them backed down this time.
Twenty minutes later, Mrs. Hogan sat exhausted on a chair while Luca sat beside her. “Honey, what do we do now?”
“What else? Call Lucille! She’s your sister; if she doesn’t help, who will? Get her to bail out Dexter. My son can’t stay in detention! How will he face anyone afterward?” Mrs. Hogan fumed like an angry dragon.
Luca was equally furious. “Why are you yelling at me? Do you think I wanted Dexter to be arrested?”
He glared at his eldest son. “Why didn’t you do anything when your brother was taken away? You’re his brother; you should have stopped it!”
It was pure misdirected anger.
Bryce glanced at his frantic parents. “He did wrong by hitting someone; he deserves this consequence. Besides, Dexter didn’t try to shirk responsibility; he was just too worried about Olivia and acted impulsively.”
Bryce only cared about Olivia’s safety now; nothing else mattered.
Even if it was his brother, a few days in detention wouldn’t hurt him.
His gaze shifted back to the closed emergency room doors.
Just then, with a loud bang, the emergency room door opened.
They thought the surgery was over and rushed to the door, but it was just a nurse, sweating profusely. Bryce grabbed her arm. “How’s my sister?”
The nurse looked exhausted. “She hit her head hard; there might be brain damage. I need to get a neurologist!”
“Brain damage?”
Bryce’s face paled. “How could this happen?”
“She’s bleeding internally; we can’t control it and need more blood!” The nurse broke free and ran off.
Brain damage?
Sylvia hadn’t expected Olivia to be so determined to hurt herself so badly; she really intended to die without leaving any way out…
Without hesitation, she called Juan. “Professor, I need permission to enter the emergency room. A friend is undergoing surgery-yes, Olivia from the Hogan family.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for your update.”
She had just joined the hospital as a hematologist and faced many restrictions.
The nurse ran to neurosurgery but was stunned.
“What do you mean the chief isn’t here? They’re all at a conference? Only interns are left?”
Tears streamed down her face. “What do we do? There’s a patient in critical condition in the emergency room!”
“I’ll call the chief immediately,” said the head nurse of neurosurgery.
The nurse shook her head. “It might be too late!”
She ran back to the emergency room.
Inside, the surgical team received the news and was on edge.
“I thought it was just an external injury; I didn’t expect brain damage! The neurosurgery chief isn’t here! What do we do?” The lead surgeon was nearly in tears.
The assistants and nurses were equally anxious. “We can’t wait any longer!”
“Should we attempt brain surgery ourselves?”
“No! If we mess up, it’s murder! We have to be responsible.”
As they panicked like ants on a hot pan, a nurse entered with an unfamiliar female doctor.
The doctor was already in sterile surgical gear and approached the operating table confidently.
Her voice was calm yet reassuring. “I’ll take over.”
“You? Who are you?” The lead surgeon was stunned.
“I’m Sylvia.” She began assessing the patient’s condition immediately.
Sylvia… The name seemed familiar yet strange.
But there was no time for idle thoughts; saving the patient was paramount!