Chapter 192

"Why are you so stubborn?" Elisa's frustration was clear as she glared at Christina.

She just couldn't wrap her head around it.

William wasn't bad-looking, he was young and successful, the kind of guy most women would dream of marrying. Plenty of women would jump at the chance to be with him.

But Christina had to be different.

"Especially now, with everyone saying you're a murderer. Only William can protect you. If you don't stick with him, what are you gonna do? Keep being stubborn?" Elisa's anger grew with each word.

She clutched her chest. "Even if you don't care about yourself, don't you care about me? I'm a terminal cancer patient. How can you let your own mother, a cancer patient, worry about you?"

Christina felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.

When everyone else was giving her a hard time, she could stand up to them. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong and wouldn't let anyone slander her.

But facing Elisa, she was at a loss.

If she tried to reason with her, Elisa wouldn't listen. If she spoke too harshly, Elisa was a terminal cancer patient.

She couldn't ignore that.

"Anyway, the family's busy with Nicholas's funeral, and I've said all I can. Think carefully and don't do something you'll regret." Elisa added a few more words before finally falling silent.

She stopped talking, but the family issues were far from over.

Given Nicholas's status, neither William nor the rest of the Cavendish family would allow a hasty burial.

After the coroner's report, the funeral was set for the next day.

Christina and Elisa rode over, but the Cavendish family wouldn't let them out of the car.

Zaid was firm. "William, we've already made concessions because of you. We didn't immediately send Christina to the police, but letting her attend Nicholas's funeral is out of the question!"

Bringing the suspected murderer to Nicholas's funeral? That was unthinkable.

"Besides, Nicholas didn't like her. If he knew she was at his funeral, he'd probably rise from the grave in anger!"

William didn't want Christina to face hostility, so he didn't argue.

Elisa stayed in the car with her.

The car was cramped, and thinking about the looks they received earlier, Elisa felt a heavy weight on her chest. She couldn't stop sighing.

But worse was yet to come.

News of Nicholas's death hit the internet, and initially, netizens didn't pay much attention.

Then someone anonymously posted that Christina married into the Cavendish family for money, and when she couldn't get the inheritance, she killed Nicholas in a fit of rage.

She was the murderer!

The news spread like wildfire, and netizens were in an uproar.

"Oh my God, what kind of high-society drama is this? She killed for money? That's ruthless."

"I heard she's a student. She wouldn't do something like that, right? This must be a rumor."

"Are you kidding? If she were that innocent, she wouldn't have married into a wealthy family so young."

"Even if she doesn't get the death penalty, she should face legal consequences. Spending the rest of her life in prison would serve her right. A gold digger ends up with nothing."

"She's lucky if she only goes to prison. The Cavendish family isn't ordinary; they have ways to deal with her."

By the time William got a call from his assistant during the funeral, the online backlash was intense.

"Mr. Cavendish, the entire internet is condemning Ms. Windsor. I tried to suppress the news, but they bought trending spots, and the public interest is too high. What should we do?" The assistant sounded desperate.

Today's netizens were sharp and rebellious. The more he tried to suppress the news, the more they discussed it.

"Contact the entertainment media. If they don't want to offend me, they should stay out of this. Do whatever it takes to suppress the news." William was determined to protect Christina.

They had known each other in two lifetimes.

He knew Christina's character better than anyone and knew she couldn't have done this.

Moreover, he felt he owed Christina and her mother from their past life.

This time, he would protect her at all costs and clear her name.

"Yes, Mr. Cavendish. I'll handle it." The assistant hung up and sighed.

William had sacrificed so much for Christina.

After the funeral, William wanted to rush home to see Christina.

He wanted to tell her that he would handle everything and she didn't need to worry.

But Zaid stopped him again. "Have you seen the news online? We can give you some time, but the public won't. If Christina stays with the Cavendish family, it will affect all of us, even the company's stock price!"

The company's stock price was crucial to everyone.

They held shares, and a high stock price meant their assets appreciated. Conversely, their assets would plummet if the stock price fell.

This was real money coming out of their pockets. It wasn't just Zaid; everyone else couldn't tolerate it either.

"Nicholas favored you when he was alive, giving you the most assets. You don't lack money and don't care about the stock price, but we do."

"If you insist on protecting Christina, fine. Share your stocks with us to compensate for our losses, and we won't say anything."

"We won't fuss over the properties Nicholas left you, but the company shares are a different matter."

William knew exactly what they were up to.

They were taking advantage of the situation.

But they had him by his only weakness, Christina.

"If you don't want to share, then send Christina to the police. When you find evidence of her innocence, you can bring her back, and we won't say anything." Zaid added.

William couldn't accept sending Christina to the police.

But he had no choice. Before the guests left, the police arrived and asked, "We received a report. Where is the suspect, Christina?"

"She's in that car over there." Zaid immediately led the way.