Chapter 556

They didn't dare to touch their lunch, hastily grabbing their kids and skedaddling out of there, scared stiff of retaliation.

With a lollipop clamped in his mouth, Skyler puffed out his cheeks and declared, "I hate mean kids." "Everybody hates naughty kids," Aurelia chimed in.

Every naughty kid was likely to have mean parents.

Although kids always speak their minds, adults must set the right example for them, not join in the chaos. It was better to discipline a kid at home than to have society teach him a harsher lesson later. Skyler's mood was as fleeting as a summer storm, and soon afterward, he had shrugged off the incident and happily dug into his meal.

After lunch, they began to climb the hill to the Rose Garden at the halfway mark.

Aurelia whipped out her phone and snapped photos of them along the hike.

They played until dusk before heading back down.

Passing by the lakeside, they noticed a crowd had gathered.

Police were dispersing the onlookers and maintaining order.

Bystanders were clucking their tongues. "People nowadays are stressed out, driving themselves mad."

"To think of ending your own life is one thing, but to take your kid with you..."

Aurelia wasn't one for rubbernecking. She could tell from a mile away it was nothing good. Keen to spare Skyler any frights, she quickly ushered him away with Leopold.

In the Internet era, news traveled at lightning speed, and the incident was soon buzzing online, complete with video footage.

The video showed a family of four on a suspension bridge when the man, as if possessed, suddenly shoved the boy beside him into the abyss. The woman, clutching a toddler, let out a blood-curdling scream before the man pushed her down. The man then followed them and jumped.

They were all breathless when they were pulled out of the water.

The police initially suspected that a sudden mental illness had caused the man to commit this tragedy.

Aurelia recognized them as the family who had mocked Skyler at the restaurant. While their behavior was deplorable, she had noticed no sign of mental illness or suicidal tendencies in the man,

Back at the hotel, Skyler trotted into his room, cheerfully picked up a watering can, and began tending to the flowers on the windowsill

"One, two, three little buddies, four, five, six little chums, seven, eight, darlings aplenty, hand in hand, we play with snowballs. Turn the page to eight in a book, sing up to the fourth line of a tune, half a candy left to munch, and now there are only five little buddies..."

The next day, Aurelia visited Leopold's office to show him the video of the family's demise.

"The family who insulted Skyler at the diner were all gone, including that one-year-old baby boy. Karma doesn't strike this fast, right? Sure, they were a nasty bunch. The kid was unruly, but it wasn't some heinous crime. It was like those keyboard warriors, all bark and no bite."

On hearing it, Leopold's expression grew contemplative.

Skyler had been with them all day yesterday, barely leaving their side except for bathroom breaks And from the video, it seemed like the man acted alone with no one else around.

As he mulled over it, Aurelia's voice broke through again, “At lunch, I didn't catch any signs of mental issues with that guy. Probably it was just too much pressure. Maybe depression.”

“Maybe,” Leopold mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Let's stop by the hotel later and check on Skyler"

Aurelia nodded. At noon, she joined Leopold on a visit to the hotel.

Hanson was tied up in a meeting at the branch office and hadn't returned yet.

Skyler sprawled out on the desk, scribbling in his journal. He lit up at their arrival.

Aurelia glanced at the notebook on the desk. "Skyler, do you keep a diary every day?"

“Uh-huh,” Skyler nodded, a gleam in his eye. He loved chronicling the day's little moments.

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