Chapter 804 INTERVIEW (IX)
"I WAS at my room, detective," Daphne answered. "I was probably already asleep then.""Your mother told me that after dinner, the two of you were together. Is that correct?" Luo Yan asked.
"Yes, that's correct."
"What time did the two of you separate?"
Daphne was silent for a while, looking like she was thinking what time she and her mother separated last night. "I think just a little after 11."
Luo Yan wrote that down. If that was the case, then there could hardly be any time for the Cooper family to kill and burned a body. Unless, Daphne and Catherine were working together so they could have an alibi.
He stared at the young lady sitting in front of him. Although she didn't seem as nervous as she was during dinner. But she still seemed a bit fidgety, as evidence of the way she's clinging on her skirt.
Whether Daphne was working with her mother or if she was simply providing an alibi for her, he would know if he talked to the other further.
"Can you describe your parents' relationship to me?" he started.
Daphne showed a confused expression. But because she didn't have the confidence to refute, she could only answer at the end.
"Ahm, like any other married couple, I guess."
Luo Yan gave her a knowing glance. "Miss Daphne, it would be really helpful if you can be honest with me. Don't worry, whatever you tell me in this room will remain in this room." He controlled his expression to make it appear like he was full of sincerity and then looked at the other straight in the eyes. "I promise."
He was expecting Daphne to blush and stutter. After all, the other was a young woman and this skin he's currently wearing was very dashing. If the game devs programmed her right according to the character traits she had shown so far, then that should be her reaction. He swore this was not just because of his narcissistic tendency.
He could only think of two reasons for such a reaction. One – the character she had shown so far was not really the real her. Two – she wasn't really who she portrayed she was.
Just like Sofia.
If it was the latter, then it's better to not think too much about it. Because if he's right and they truly turned out to be one of his four team mates, then the game system might just consider this task as a 'failure'. Might as well not think about it just to be safe.
But if his guess turned out to be true, then this girl – whoever she was inside – would definitely be more open in helping her. After all, it's in their best interest to solve this case. Which would in turn help them solve whatever happened 20 years ago. Because there's no way the two cases were related.
"Please, Miss Daphne, your answer could very well help me solve whatever had happened here," he said with a pleading tone.
Daphne bit her lip like she was hesitating. Then after a few seconds, as if she had finally made her decision, she raised her head and said;
"It's… a very unusual relationship. Not- not like how normal married couples should be."
Luo Yan's interest was peaked by that answer. "Can you elaborate?"
"Can you promise that whatever I say would not go back to my parents?" Daphne asked worriedly.
"As I've said, our conversation will stay here," Luo Yan assured the other.
"I- I think you have already noticed that the one in charged of our family is my father," she started.
"Yes, he isn't really that subtle about it," he commented.
"One would think so, right? But that wasn't really the entirety of it," she said. "Although it seemed like my mother is the one at the disadvantaged position, I couldn't help but feel that wasn't the case at all. Of course, growing up, I've never really thought of such a notion. To me, Father is this scary presence that should be obeyed at all times. But as I grew older and understand more things, I noticed that that seemed to not be the case at all. On the surface, at least."
"You're saying that the one really in charge of everything was your mother?" Luo Yan asked, clarifying what Daphne meant.
The other nodded. "In a way, yes. It always seemed like Father is controlling Mother. But living with them, I could see things more clearly than others. It might seem like Father is the one doing all the decision making. But almost all the decisions he made have always been based on Mother's action. It's like… it's like Mother is controlling him without Father even noticing it."
Luo Yan was already expecting that that might be the case, so he wasn't really that surprised hearing it. "Can you give me an example?"
"Ahm, I don't know if this is this could be considered an example, but our trip here, Father really didn't want to go. It's because Grandfather always insults him whenever they meet and Father couldn't really do anything about it but stay silent. But then Mother started annoying Father, saying things that would attack his self-esteem.
"She did it in a way that made it seem like she didn't really know what she's saying. The way she delivered her words, stuttering in an almost inaudible voice, certainly made it seem that way. Then, Father lose his temper and hurt Mother. To compensate her for that, he finally agreed to go here and visit Grandfather."
"Does that happen often, your mother saying something, your father losing his temper and hurting her, and then as compensation, he would end up doing what your mother initially wanted?" Luo Yan asked to make sure.
"Well, if the detective put it that way, then, yes, I guess?"
If Luo Yan considered the things that Edward said about Catherine, then the things Daphne said were not really that hard to believe.
Oh Catherine, what a naughty girl you had been.
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