Eye of Sin

Chapter 6 Financial compensation

Jiajia sighed, giving Vayne's father ample time to vent his emotions.

Howard stood silently beside, watching the grieving old man with emotions that were somewhat hard to decipher.

Jiajia suspected she might be mistaken, otherwise how could she feel a hint of... envy in Howard's eyes?

She shook her head subconsciously, thinking her feeling was rather absurd, even downright ridiculous! Who would envy a father grieving for his deceased child? That was just absurd!

Vayne's father struggled to keep his emotions in check as he faced his deceased daughter. Unable to calm down, Jiajia asked Howard to stay a while longer while she accompanied Vayne's father to handle the procedures required by the forensic department. She decided to return to the office first as it wasn't good for him to be repeatedly distressed without calming down, which hindered effective communication.

Moreover, Vayne's aunt and uncle were still waiting at the office. Vayne's father mentioned that they had been assisting with her daily life, so if they wanted to get a clear picture, they would probably need to talk to them as well.

Upon returning to the office, Vayne's father's emotions hadn't completely settled. Jiajia led him and the other two waiting there to a meeting room. As soon as Vayne's aunt and uncle saw Vayne's father's reaction upon his return, they also understood that the deceased was indeed Vayne. Their expressions immediately became solemn.

Jiajia gave Vayne's father some time to adjust his emotions before she spoke, "How much do you know about Vayne's daily life? Could you tell me about it?"

Vayne's father wiped away tears from his face and shook his head, "When she was little, her mother passed away. At that time, I was just starting my career and had to focus on earning money to support the family and raise the children. I couldn't spare much energy."

"Economically, I gave her a lot of freedom, but in other aspects, I didn't really intervene much. Later, when she grew up, I did try to communicate with her, but..."

"Now I regret it. Why did I have to argue with her like a child? If she didn't want to talk to me, I should have respected that!"

"Brother, don't say that. Nobody could have predicted such things!" Vayne's aunt sighed, comforting her emotionally overwhelmed brother. "You were busy just to give Yulo a good life! If you hadn't worked so hard all these years, what would she have eaten and drunk! Being a father is already hard enough, don't overthink it! This child...she's not the type to get along well with elders! You say you didn't have time for her, but I did! Let me tell you, I never paid as much attention to my own daughter as I did to Vayne. When she was little, we argued so many times about this, she accused me of favoring my niece over my own daughter. But guess what? She still wasn't particularly close to me! That's just her personality, it's not like we as elders haven't put in enough effort! For so many years, almost everything you did was to indulge her, to accommodate her..."

Vayne's aunt didn't finish her sentence. Her husband nudged her leg with his knee, seemingly hinting for her to be mindful of her words. Vayne's aunt then realized that no matter what kind of temperament her niece had before, it was definitely not an appropriate time to critique her now that something had happened.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she closed her mouth and didn't continue.

Jiajia understood from the conversation that Vayne grew up in a single-parent household. While her family provided her with ample material comforts, they didn't give her much emotional care, leading to a significant gap between them.

"Do you live with Vayne regularly?" Jiajia confirmed with Vayne's father.

"We live together, but we don't see each other," Vayne's father shook his head. "I leave early and come back late, and she stays up late at night and doesn't get up early in the morning. Plus, in the past few years, we had some unpleasant disputes over certain matters. In a fit of anger, she installed a security door at the top of the stairs to the second floor, blocking me from going upstairs. Although we technically live under the same roof, it's not much different from not living together at all."

"And you?" Jiajia turned her gaze to Vayne's aunt.

Vayne's aunt felt a bit awkward being directly questioned. "I usually take care of the trivial matters in her life, like helping them clean the house or buying household items. I also cook meals for my niece and put them in the fridge. Oh, if she's at home, she agrees to let me clean her room upstairs. But if she's not home, she doesn't give me the key and doesn't allow me to go up to tidy up."

"Do you have any knowledge about Vayne's physical health?" Jiajia asked.

"Her health is fine!" Vayne's aunt responded without hesitation. "She had a check-up last month, and I even went to get the report for her. All her indicators were excellent, no problems at all!"

"Does she have any congenital heart conditions?" Jiajia inquired.

"No! Absolutely not. Otherwise, I wouldn't think you've got it wrong," Vayne's father replied.

"What about her job situation? Was there any significant stress or overwork?" Jiajia continued questioning.

Vayne's aunt quickly shook her head. "Absolutely not! You don't even need to ask my brother about this; I know it best!

She graduated from college over two years ago. Her dad wanted to arrange a good job for her through connections, you know, a stable one for a girl. But she refused, insisting on relying on herself and not her dad's connections!

She talked about taking the postgraduate entrance exam since before graduation. She took it twice, and didn't even come close to passing. I haven't seen her putting much effort into studying; she plays games at night and doesn't get up in the morning. She just keeps extending her enrollment in those exam prep classes.

Nobody in the family expected her to actually pass, and nobody pressured her. No one gave her any stress!"

After speaking, she felt puzzled, as if she still hadn't figured out the situation. She turned to her brother and whispered, "Brother, what's going on? What exactly happened to her?

One moment they're asking if she has a heart condition, the next moment they're asking if she's under too much stress from work and studies. It's all getting me confused! Could she be considering doing something foolish?"