Holden ran like a flash when he heard the news, sprinting to the spot. By the edge of the lake, there was a high heel on a rock, with a white handbag sprawled in the dirt beside it.

Holden's expression turned as white as a ghost when he saw Ariana's stuff. He quickly instructed, "Get every search and rescue team and all the divers from the Fredrick Group here, right now."

Mitchel also instructed his men, “Bring in all our people-the boats, the divers, everything."

Soon enough, both families' rescue teams showed up. They took turns diving into the lake, scouring the water over and over, but they still couldn't find Ariana.

As they rotated teams, with the first twenty-four hours ticking by after the accident and the rain washing away any clues, the harsh truth started to hit-if Ariana had fallen into the lake, the odds of finding her alive were slim.

Everyone understood what this meant, yet nobody wanted to accept it.

Holden stayed by the Lake. He appeared calm, keeping a close watch on the rescuers as they surfaced, coming up empty-handed each time.

But Devin and Shawn saw through Holden's calm facade. They knew it was just an act. They stood by his side because they could tell Holden was breaking apart inside. They didn't leave his side for a second, afraid he would crumble the minute they did.

Holden hadn't eaten or drunk a thing. Even when he tried, he would throw it all up. After a full day and night without sleep, he was running on fumes, and it was starting to show.

Devin watched Holden and felt a sinking sense of guilt.

From the moment they had found Ariana's stuff by the lake, Holden had been in a bad condition. Time kept ticking, and if Ariana had fallen into the lake, she was probably dead.

Devin couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if he hadn't been so wrapped up in work.

What if he had gone with Ariana to the banquet of the Chadwick family?

Shawn saw Devin's somber expression and sighed. "Devin, don't blame yourself. You can't control everything."

Devin let out a heavy breath and just shook his head, remaining silent.

At that moment, the police came over. They approached Holden and said, “We've finished investigating. The car lost control because of a brake failure."

Devin was stunned. "How could that be? That car was checked just a few days ago, and the brakes were fine. I even inspected them myself before they drove off. Brakes don't just fail like that!"

Mitchel and Rodney also frowned. Rodney spoke up. "So this wasn't an accident!"

Holden's expression turned cold as he instructed Shawn, “Find out everywhere this car has been."

Devin added, "The car was barely used; it had been retrieved recently. I checked it myself before Miss Edwards and the children went out. The only time it was used was to take Miss Edwards out."