Husband With Benefits-Chapter 613: Dead

"He’s committed suicide."

The words echoed through the silent courtroom, shattering the tense atmosphere that had been in the courtroom while waiting for him to arrive. Gabe stood up from his chair with a jerk, his face a mask of disbelief, while Autumn, gripping the edge of the table, almost fell down. "What?" Her voice was strained, barely above a whisper, wondering what she was hearing.

The police officer, standing with a solemn expression, nodded his head. "Yes, Your Honour. Gregory Savoy has committed suicide. He left behind a note, stating that he is too ashamed of his past misdeeds and cannot live with his guilt."

Murmurs spread through the courtroom like wildfire, but the officer continued, raising his voice slightly to be heard. "His body was discovered early this morning by the river. He was supposed to have been home, but his fiancée reported him missing last night. The note was found among his belongings at his house."

It was Gabe, who questioned the police officer then. This could not be possible. Gregory Savoy was not one to take his own life or accept guilt. In fact, he would rather believe that the man had faked his own death. "Are there any doubts about the identity of the body?"

"At this stage, we cannot completely rule out foul play. The condition of the body suggests drowning, but we are conducting a thorough investigation to confirm the identity and circumstances of his death. His face is not recognisable due to the bloating so we will be doing a DNA test... We are also going to send the note for authentication."

"Thank you, Officer. Given the uncertainty surrounding Mr. Savoy’s death, this court will adjourn until the results of the DNA test and note authentication are available. Until the identity of the deceased is confirmed, I am placing Arabelle in the temporary custody of Autumn Frost. This arrangement will remain in effect until further notice."

As Autumn heard the bang of the gavel, she bowed her head, still in disbelief. Could it all have happened so quickly. She had been prepared to expose everything tonight, to subject herself to all sorts of questions and glances. They’d been preparing for a long and lengthy legal battle which had ended even before it could have begun.

Autumn watched as Gabe hurried to talk to the police officer, talking urgently and felt her own heart race. Gabe returned to her side then, his expression a mix of concern and determination.

"They’re going to keep us updated on the investigation," Gabe said, his voice firm, even though he looked distracted. She caught his sleeve then," Is it really over?"

Gabe nodded and held her hand," For now, it is. We wait for the investigation result though..."

Autumn’s voice dropped to a whisper as she looked around at the now empty courtroom, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and suspicion. "It’s a fake, isn’t it? He’s faking his death. He has to be. But why would he do that? If he’s believed to be dead, he would lose all his wealth and power... At least here, he had a chance to keep all that. He wouldn’t... something just doesn’t add up..."

"I know. It is why I asked the officer. This is also the reason they are investigating. He believes that what Pierce revealed yesterday may have triggered someone. After all, not everyone in the police is corrupt."

"So they think it is someone from the police force?" Autumn asked wide eyed. freewebnσvel.cѳm

"Yes. But they do not have any evidence for the time being."

Autumn looked around and carefully leaned close to Gabe and whispered," I hope he really is dead. I know that is totally wrong of me, but he deserves that!"

Gabe gave her a look then and shook his head as he gathered her close," I agree with you, baby. But don’t say it here. You know they are going to investigate us too."

Autumn widened her eyes," They are?"

Holding her hand, Gabe started to walk out of the court," Yep. At the moment, we are prime suspects as we benefitted the most from his death."

Autumn nodded, "That is fair. So, I believe having a death party when we reach home won’t be a good idea... "

Gabe chuckled at this and looked at Autumn carefully. She looked relieved. In fact she looked as if she’d gained a new lease on life. He knew he should warn her that their first guess, that Gregory was faking it could also be true. But he didn’t want to burst her bubble

With a hand on her shoulder, he pulled her close and whispered,"I don’t know about a death party. But I’m sure we could have a small celebration about having Arabelle placed in our care."

As they left the courtroom, with their hands around each other, they failed to notice that their air of intimacy had caught someone’s attention.

He watched the way the man held Autumn close to her side. And sighed. So, she was now over the trauma that night had left on her. She could be close to Gabe Frost. As if nothing had ever affected her. He hated the hand on her waist though. It should not be Gabe who should be by her side.

But he could wait. Once the circumstances were back to what they had been, Autumn would definitely be getting rid of that man. And once she did, he would swoop in take what was rightfullly his. For what he’d waited for so long.

This death was a good thing. A good thing, indeed. And he would definitelt reap the benefits. As the car left the parking lot, the man whistled a happy tune as his eyes glittered. Killing Gregory Savoy had been painful, but it was just the right thing to do. Now, the next point of action was to handle the investigation. And of course take care of Arabelle. He couldn’t let that little girl get in the way of his plan, right.