Chapter 430 A Scam
“His medical report was not found. It’s assumed that Ms. Adams has bribed someone to omit those details. The garbage truck collected all the refuse and headed straight to the waste facility before burning all the disposed items. No one noticed that a child was in the midst…” Ethen choked.
He meant to say that the child must have been treated just like any other trash.
In other words, a precious life was gone, just like that.
The child could have grown up with his adorable brothers and lived a life of abundance. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Benjamin’s face turned grim as viciousness seeped into him. His horrifying gaze sent a cold chill down Ethen’s spine.
Ethen was surprised to see that a fearless and powerful man like Benjamin would suffer in anguish to the extent that his hands started shaking uncontrollably.
It took him an eternity to dig out the child’s photo.
Due to the long-distance shot from the surveillance cameras, the child’s face could only be seen vaguely.
Benjamin stared at it without batting an eyelid, exuding deep sorrows and grief.
It was a dreadful sight for Ethen to bear. He turned around and wiped his tears off.
This is too despondent to see.
Suddenly, he recalled the phone call that he received when he was on the way to Benjamin’s.
He thought about updating Benjamin to cheer him up. However, there were too many scam calls received recently, and none of them carried any weight. Hence, he dismissed the idea.
He could not bring himself to give Benjamin false hope. It would only crush the man more when he realized that it was all a lie.
After dinner, Arissa was surprised that both Benjamin and Ethen were still in the study. Out of curiosity, she took a peep at the door.
“Go and play by yourselves, okay Sweethearts?”
The five children were delighted to obey their mother’s instructions. Otherwise, they would usually stick around her like glue.
Arissa went upstairs and continued her investigation for her missing child.
No matter how challenging it is, I will find you. So wait for me, my sweet child!
Meanwhile, Benjamin commanded, “Get rid of all this information.”
Ethen looked at him and acknowledged in a low voice, “Understood.”
Benjamin did not want Arissa to discover the sad news, knowing that she would not be able to accept it.
Ethen queried, “Mr. Graham, do we continue searching for the child then?”
It would be a miracle if he was ever found.
With one arm on the desk, Benjamin replied after a slight pause, “Keep looking for him.”
What else can I do? I must at least give Arissa a glimmer of hope, for she absolutely can’t withstand another cruel blow of reality.
Ethen nodded. His heart sank as he saw the quandary that Benjamin was in.
Right then, his phone rang. He noticed that the call was from the same number as the one who called him earlier on.
Frowning, he hung up.
Unexpectedly, the phone rang again and caught Benjamin’s attention.
“It’s just a scam. Someone called claiming that his boy looks like the child that we’ve been searching for. However, when I asked him for a photo, he bargained for money first,” Ethen explained everything.
Benjamin narrowed his eyes and ordered, “Put him on speaker.”
Having no choice, Ethen answered the call.
“Hey, the boy at my house really does look a lot like the missing kid. It’s true. I’m not pulling your legs. I can bring you to see him as long as you pay me the money.”
All that was on Raphael’s mind was gambling and nothing else.
Ethen shot a look at Benjamin. He scrutinized the man but could not read his mind.
“I told you earlier that you must send me a photo for verification. But you’re asking for money instead without giving me what I need. Do you think that I’m a fool?”
“Calm your horses and listen to me first. I… I don’t normally take pictures of that bas… boy. That’s why I don’t have his photo with me right now, and I can’t send it to you. I don’t know where he’s gone with my mom. They were at home earlier. Anyhow, I can guarantee you with my life that he looks identical to the photo you published on television. I’m dead serious. You can come over and check it for yourself. Everyone here in the village can testify to that. If he’s really your son, you ought to pay me double the reward. After all, it wasn’t easy for us to raise him.”
Ethen found it to be utterly nonsensical.
This is unbelievable. How can one claim that the boy is still living under the same roof as him when the report states that the boy is dead?
Seeing how Benjamin had fallen silent, Ethen asked further, “How did you discover the child?”
“Um… This…” Raphael stammered.
He was not sure if he should reveal the truth.
However, he went all out for it when he thought about the money.
“All right, I’ll tell you. But let me make it clear first that we didn’t steal the child, instead, we found him. Well, actually, it was my parents who—”
“Raphael!” a voice interrupted their conversation, and the phone call was cut off abruptly.
