Chapter 124

Ingrid and Shaun’s faces fell. They had only just begun to suspect Derick of kidnapping Joanna’s son. Ingrid, however, was unreasonable and prone to arguing, even when she was at a disadvantage. She immediately defended Derick, shouting, "You can't just do what you want to my son, no matter what!"

"Who do you think you are? How dare you beat my son up like this?" she yelled, untying her distressed son.

Roxanne gently touched Bruce's arm. "Bruce, maybe this is just a misunderstanding. Derick is my younger brother. Can't we talk this out? Why did you have to beat him up?"

Shaun echoed her sentiment. "Joann, Derick is your younger brother too! How could you beat him so badly? We're family. Why can't we talk this out? Look at him! A sister shouldn't do this to her brother."

Joanna retorted, "Hmph. Derick wouldn't have done such a crazy thing if he treated me like a sister! Why don't you ask him what he did first?"

Shaun frowned but remained arrogant. "As long as Ingrid and I are here, you don't have the authority to discipline Derick, no matter what he did."

Joanna, speechless, simply thought, "I knew it. Dad is always biased."

Bruce sneered. "Your 'good son' is charged with attempted murder. That's enough to condemn him."

Ingrid's eyes widened. "That's impossible! Who did Derick kill? This is a ridiculous slander!"

Bruce replied, "We aren't slandering him. You'll see when the police arrive."

Ingrid's aggressiveness faltered. She immediately asked Derick, "Rick, what exactly have you done?"

Shaun anxiously added, "Did you take Joanna's son?"

Derick hung his head, his silence an admission of guilt.

Shaun shouted, "How could you be so stupid? Joanna is your sister, and her son is your nephew! Where's the child? Give him back and beg her for forgiveness!"

Derick stammered, "The child…" He was terrified; he believed the child had drowned. "Dad, Mom, I was just hotheaded. It was a lapse in judgment. I didn't mean to do it."

Shaun's voice rose to a shout. "What did you do to the child?"

Ingrid, frightened, exclaimed, "Why are you yelling? You're scaring Rick! Rick, tell me what happened."

Derick burst into tears, finally confronting the chilling reality of his attempted murder charge and the possibility of a death sentence.

[A section detailing Shaun's heart attack and the revelation of Derick throwing Irvin into a cistern is inserted here, based on the later parts of the original text.]

Shaun took several steps back and clutched his chest, suffering a heart attack. "You… did you kill Joanna's child?" he gasped.

Ingrid was dumbfounded. She struck Derick in exasperation, shouting, "Derick! Are you out of your mind?"

Roxanne was terrified. "Rick, did you really kill Joanna's child?"

Bruce sneered. "Derick threw Irvin into a cistern and almost killed him!"

The word "almost" brought relief to Ingrid and Shaun.

Ingrid said, "So the child is fine?"

Bruce replied, "The doctor saved him. But if we hadn't found Irvin in time, he would have drowned!"

Ingrid, calmer now, argued, "Then why hurt my son like this? I won't let you get away with it if anything happens to him!"

Shaun, also relieved, said, "Joann, let it go. Your child is safe. You've vented your anger. Let's just forget it."

Joanna replied, "Forget it? Dad, Derick threw Irvin into a cistern, and he was there for three hours! I can't even imagine what he went through!" Tears streamed down her face.

Ingrid said, "Then what do you want? You hurt my son too. Shouldn't you compensate us for medical expenses? Your son is alive. We didn't accuse you of harming my son. Why are you even here?" She glared at Joanna.

Shaun sighed. "Let it go. Rick is immature. He had a moment of madness. You're his sister; you should stop this. We'll take Rick home. You should take care of your son. Don't worry, I'll teach Rick a lesson." He tried to downplay Derick's actions.

Joanna sneered. "Derick committed attempted murder. I've already called the police. I'll let them handle this."

The promotional text ("Search the FindNovel.net website…") has been removed as it is not part of the narrative.