Chapter 8 Attempted Murder

Maria had always been a favorite of her teachers. She was recommended for a prestigious chemistry competition and excelled, even achieving a perfect score in a physics competition, making her the youngest contestant in Los Angeles to win in both fields. People called her a genius. Cruz knew every milestone in Maria’s life, witnessing each of her proud moments. He had always been like a guardian angel in her life. Maria rushed back to her room, leaning against the door as her heart continued to race. She closed her eyes, recalling all the moments she had shared with Cruz. Meanwhile, Cruz stood downstairs, staring at Maria's room, filled with complex emotions. He had seen everything about her, including the intense love she once had for Johnson. Maria tried to calm her nerves by drinking water, but before she could finish, her phone began buzzing incessantly. She glanced at it. It was Jackson calling. And it wasn’t just one call. As she hesitated whether to pick up, the phone rang again. Maria finally answered and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello?" Jackson’s voice was frantic on the other end, amidst a lot of background noise. "It’s bad, Maria! Something happened! Aunt Angela found Johnson and Catherine, and she pushed them both down! But Johnson doesn’t recognize Aunt Angela anymore, so he’s pressing charges for attempted murder!" Maria’s mind buzzed with shock. "Why was Aunt Angela even there? No, wait... Aunt Angela…" Aunt Angela, so timid and gentle, would never do something like that. Why would she? Maria quickly put on her coat and dashed out of her room. "I’m going to the police station to see Aunt Angela." Jackson hurriedly warned her. "I wouldn’t advise that. If you do, Johnson might think you and Aunt Angela are connected somehow. He already dislikes you, and if he sees you there, who knows what he might do to Aunt Angela? He’s lost his memory, so he might think you two are in cahoots." "I think you should go to the hospital to check on Catherine first. That way…" Before he could finish, Maria hung up. No matter what, she had to see Aunt Angela first. On the way to the police station, Maria saw a video clip. In the video, Catherine’s detractors and her bodyguards were in a heated fight. Johnson had sent his men to intervene, but the situation escalated. Johnson tried to protect Catherine, but the crowd was too overwhelming for him to ensure her safety. Then the video showed a figure highlighted in red—Aunt Angela. She was frantically calling out to Johnson. "Johnson! Johnson!" But with the chaos around them, her voice went unheard. Desperate, she was suddenly shoved from behind, causing her to fall onto Johnson and Catherine, sending all three tumbling down the stairs. The video ended there. It was clear. Aunt Angela had been pushed into the situation. Knowing Maria would head straight to the police station, Jackson waited for her at the entrance. When he saw Maria get out of the car, he rushed over. "Maria, you really shouldn’t go in there. If Johnson finds out that Aunt Angela has been helping you for months, he’ll assume you put her up to this. Do you think he’ll forgive either of you?" Maria’s gaze was firm as she looked at Jackson. "I need to find out what really happened." Jackson tried to argue further, but Maria furrowed her brow. "Johnson and I are already divorced. I have no reason to harm Catherine, okay?" She walked straight into the police station. Inside, Aunt Angela sat anxiously on a chair. When she saw Maria, a mix of surprise and guilt flashed in her eyes. She instinctively stood up, but a police officer immediately barked at her. "Sit down!" Aunt Angela nervously complied. She explained to Maria that she had run into Catherine at the airport. When she saw Catherine in danger, her instinct was to help. But she hadn’t expected things to turn out so badly. "I was framed! Really, I didn’t mean to push them. Someone shoved me! Someone pushed me!" Maria could see how distressed she was, so she gently urged her to explain what had happened. "Aunt Angela, don’t worry. Just tell me what happened, okay?" Aunt Angela nodded. "Seven days ago, I arrived in Los Angeles. Your family found me and said that your brother was getting married, so they wanted me to find your mother and ask for the dowry money. But I told them I didn’t know where she was. Then someone suggested that your father go on a TV show to search for her, and they insisted on dragging your mother’s name through the mud on that show!" Her voice grew quieter as she continued. "I didn’t want you to suffer because of this, so I came to Los Angeles. I knew you were here, and I was worried about you, but I didn’t dare contact you. Then, they really did go through with that show, ‘Searching for the Missing Her.’ They asked me to come on the show, and I thought I’d speak up for you, so I agreed!" Hearing this, Maria’s heart skipped a beat. Aunt Angela continued. "Later, I brought photos of you and Johnson, thinking that if Johnson saw them, he might remember you. I really didn’t mean to harm anyone! I just wanted to show him the photos when I saw him…" Aunt Angela wasn’t an educated woman. She only knew that everything she did came from a simple, pure desire to help. She never had any intention of causing harm. Maria nodded, understanding, and softly reassured her. "It’s okay. I know what happened. Don’t be afraid." "No matter what, I’m here for you." Hearing Maria’s comforting words, Jackson, who had been listening, asked curiously. "Maria, shouldn’t you call Mr. Cruz? Otherwise…" He hurriedly added. "I understand you’re worried that involving Mr. Cruz might drag the Kardashian family into this, but if we don’t tell him and that show finds him, won’t it be even worse?"