Chapter 1700

"Bullshit!" The phone rang incessantly. Fabian gritted his teeth. He knew Elijah was goading him, but this was no trivial matter. Even with his doubts, he couldn't believe Rhea capable of such a thing. Finally, he answered, placing the phone on speaker. "Ree, are you still experimenting? No matter how busy you are, remember to take care of yourself. By the way, the Fikes are here to see you. They have something to ask..." He intended to subtly warn Rhea of the others' presence, but a strange voice cut him short.

"Mr. Moore! It's me! Something happened to Ms. Moore!" Fabian froze, staring blankly at Elijah before realizing the voice emanated from the phone. He glanced down. "What did you say?"

"Something happened to Ms. Moore! There was an explosion at the factory—it was terrible. Ms. Moore… she didn't make it out. I called Mrs. Moore, but she didn't believe me…" The caller's voice was flustered, the background noise a cacophony of sirens and shouting.

Fabian felt numb, as if plunged into icy water. Maria rushed forward, screaming into the phone, "Liar! You're lying! You sent you?! Who told you to curse Rhea like this? Tell me! Tell me now…"

"Mrs. Moore, it's me. I…" The caller's voice was laced with distress.

"Mr. Moore, come and see. The police are already there…"

Even Elijah and Michelle were stunned, exchanging shocked glances. 'What a coincidence!' they thought. They had planned to confront Rhea, but this… Elijah's men had seen her return home. When had she left? How had the lab exploded? The Fikes were suspicious, wondering if the Moores had staged the scene. But Fabian and Maria's reactions seemed genuine, especially Maria's ashen face and trembling body. The outburst seemed to drain her; she fainted, collapsing to the floor.

"Hey!" Michelle called out, instinctively reaching out, then recoiling, remembering their animosity. The scene was chaos. Fabian, still reeling from the shock, saw his wife fall and urgently called for help. "Someone get the car ready! We'll let Mrs. Moore rest at home while I go to the factory."

A servant rushed to Maria's aid, but upon contact, Maria awoke, protesting, "No! I'm not staying! I'm going with you! I don't believe it. I don't believe it…" Tears streamed down her face. The shock had worn off, but disbelief remained. She insisted on seeing the factory for herself.

Fabian didn't argue. He took her hand. "Let's go, then!"