The Urban Abyss

A Bolt from the Blue

In the dead of night, Vivienne was jolted awake by a call from Alex, a police officer stationed in Wellington to investigate the disappearance of chairman Maximilian. "Vivienne, we've found Maximilian!"

Vivienne sat up abruptly, "Really? Where?"

"At the bottom of Wellington's encircling lake."

A sinking feeling overtook Vivienne. "Is he dead?"

"Yes, he and his BMW have been at the bottom of the lake for about a week now!"

"Is the death report out yet?"

"Not yet, but preliminary autopsy results suggest an obvious case of drowning. His family has been notified."

Vivienne remembered yesterday's conversation between Rebecca and Jennifer. For Rebecca, this must be a bolt from the blue. For some reason, Vivienne felt sympathy for her: this strong woman was coerced by her father into marrying a man she didn't love, endured the humiliation of her husband's infidelity during their honeymoon, and bore the burden of running a major corporation, only to now face the agony of losing a loved one.

She knew a police officer must maintain a neutral stance and an objective mind, yet, as a young woman, she couldn't suppress her sympathy, even though the object of her sympathy might be a murder suspect.

Upon arriving at work, Vivienne transformed into Daisy. 

Rebecca, Jennifer, and Liam were all conspicuously absent. Daisy knew the reason, while her colleagues, oblivious to the situation, buzzed with speculation. Saleswoman Mira confided to Daisy that the sales center's performance was declining daily, leaving everyone restless.

Alex kept Daisy updated on the case's progress. Rebecca and her husband had arrived in Wellington for the body identification process. Rebecca was inconsolable, and Liam looked profoundly distressed. Rebecca insisted her father's death was murder, arguing he had decades of driving experience without major accidents and had given up drinking ten years ago due to health reasons, making it unlikely he'd accidentally drive into the well-marked lake. She demanded the police solve the case quickly to vindicate her father.

After identifying the body, Rebecca stayed to give her statement while Liam and Jennifer rushed back to Max's real estate company to address the plummeting sales.

Ten minutes before the end of the day, Daisy received a call from Nathan: "Vivi, after DNA testing with Ariadne's relatives, we've confirmed the female corpse at Max's property is Ariadne! Liam, as a related party to the victim, has been summoned for questioning."

Daisy hung up, just in time to see Liam staggering out of the meeting room.

The office staff exchanged bewildered looks. Chase remarked, "I've never seen Manager Liam so frantic. It seems the sales issues are putting too much pressure on the executives..."

Daisy didn't catch these remarks; she was lost in thought. Liam's calmness in the past few days might have been because he thought Ariadne had just gone off to clear her mind for a couple of days; he hadn't connected the dots between the woman in the water tank and his lover.

Daisy sighed. It seemed both members of this oddly matched couple had been struck by bolts from the blue today—one the father, the other the lover. With the bodies identified, related parties would soon be summoned, and the entire company would quickly learn of these developments, likely stirring significant turmoil.