Chapter 51

The internet exploded. Some people even called the insurance company for information. Sophia was unaware of this, but seeing the cameraman following her, desperation surged. "It's over," she thought. "Once this airs, my reputation will be ruined, even without solid evidence."

Sophia glared at the insurance company employees, wishing she could attack them.

"Did you make a false report?" an officer asked, stepping forward with a stern expression.

Atlas moved to protect her, but then he saw the officer produce handcuffs. Sophia recoiled, whispering, "It wasn't me! Someone must have used my phone."

"I didn't call! I know nothing about any accident insurance," Sophia insisted, distancing herself from the situation.

Seeing her reaction, Atlas gritted his teeth and whispered, "The deceased was a background worker from my company, the Bennett Group. We always provide insurance for our employees. I made the call."

Sophia's eyes filled with tears. The officer smirked, producing a video clip. "This is footage from the livestream. The person who made the call was you. Are you trying to fool the police, too?"

Sophia froze, staring at the undeniable footage of herself making the call. Her body trembled.

"But the cameraman wasn't with me, and the livestream wasn't even on! How could this have aired?" she cried, on the verge of a breakdown. She'd assumed the cameraman's absence meant no one would know. She hadn't realized the entire island was covered in hidden cameras, broadcasting everything. Her image was shattered.

"What are you all standing around for? Why aren't you going down?" Odalys' voice rang out, confused.

A chill ran through Sophia. Turning, she saw Odalys approaching, casually dressed in high-waisted black pants and a white shirt.

Sophia staggered back in shock. "Y-you I thought you were dead?"

"Did you want me dead?" Odalys asked, her tone amused and mocking. "You bought me a hefty accident insurance policy? But I haven't heard that the Bennett Group provides such insurance for employees. And I've never heard of this policy either. Ms. Bennett, are you in such a hurry to make an insurance claim because you invited me to the beach last night and tried to push me into the water?" Odalys asked with an icy smile.

Sophia recoiled in horror, stumbling backward. She tried to flee but was stopped by the police. "Please come with us to the station to give your statements. Thank you," the officer said politely but firmly, ushering everyone into the car.

After giving their statements, Lucian was immediately detained. Footage from the previous night, clearly showing Lucian sprinkling powder on Sophia at the beach and then shoving her into the water, had been broadcast.

Lucian stood stunned. "How could they be streaming at that time? No, officer, this has nothing to do with me!" he panicked, his words tumbling out as he saw Selah approach.

(Time stamp: 19:10 Mon, Jan 6 BB)

Selah began. "Officer, Lucian contacted me. He used his influence to pressure me into getting Odalys to meet him. He planned to take advantage of her. I set up the meeting, but when I realized something was wrong, I worried about Odalys and stopped her halfway." Selah's voice quivered, her eyes reddening. It had almost been too late.

The cameraman, excited, continued filming, permitted to livestream at the police station. Viewership was exploding. Every trending topic concerned the events from the variety show. Despite only being live-streamed for two days, it had become a massive hit.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lucian snapped, frustrated. He hadn't expected Selah's betrayal. He'd thought he could manipulate her.

"I'm not lying. To preserve evidence, he asked to meet, and everything he said was recorded. Here's the audio," Selah said, handing over the recording.

She hesitated. "Officer, I suspect this isn't the first time he's done something like this."

The officer took the recording, nodding. "We'll continue the investigation."

"Selah, you bitch, how dare you betray me!" Lucian exploded, jumping up, but the officer quickly restrained him.

Desperate, Lucian looked around for Sophia, but she and Atlas were gone. Panicked, he shouted, "Officer, I need to see Sophia!" The officer simply handcuffed him and led him away.

"Odalys didn't die, did she? We were just playing a game last night. You have no right to arrest me!" Lucian struggled as he was dragged out.

After giving their statements, Freya and Stellan arrived.

"Odalys, you're amazing. You knew they'd try to expose everything today, so after you disappeared last night, you didn't show up again. You were on the boat before anyone else this morning," Freya whispered.

"I didn't expect them to try to harm you, but you're fine. Looks like Sophia didn't actually commit a crime," Freya added.

Odalys smirked, stroking Freya's hair. "Even if something had happened to me, the Bennett family would have covered for her. Besides, I didn't plan to deal with her right now," Odalys replied coldly.

Before her time travel, Odalys had been driven to suicide by Sophia's actions. This was her revenge. She would slowly torment Sophia, making her wish for death but unable to escape it. Sending Sophia to jail now would be too easy. "Since Sophia cares so much about her reputation, I'll destroy her good name completely," Odalys thought.

"Odalys, I'm sorry," Selah said awkwardly. After Selah's confession the previous night, Odalys had gone through with the plan, pretending to fall into the sea. When Lucian left, she swam back to shore. Freya and Stellan arrived soon after, and they planned to fool everyone.

In the morning, they kept Group A waiting while Odalys boarded the boat first, creating the illusion of her death. That's why Sophia called the insurance company.

"What are you apologizing for? Right now, the most important thing is to grab a bite to eat and then head back. We're all clear anyway," Odalys said softly.

(Time stamp: 19:10 Mon, Jan 6 BB)

Stellan raised his hand. "I know a place with great spaghetti."

"Let's go!" Freya agreed.

Selah never imagined dining with Stellan and Freya. After Odalys forgave her, the four quickly ordered a car and went to eat spaghetti.

The livestream ended once they left the police station, leaving viewers on edge, as the cameramen had finished for the day.