Chapter 527 The Hitman's Identity
Harper didn't catch Vincent's furrowed brow as she grabbed his wrist, all hyped up. "It's him! I remember those eyes. He's the dude with heterochromia!"
This was the same guy who, right before the rescue team showed up, shoved her and her car off the bridge.
She had it burned into her memory. Even though he was rocking a baseball cap and a mask, his eyes were a dead giveaway—one light blue, one light red, thanks to the light hitting them just right.
In this pic, his eyes were the only weird thing, making him super easy to spot.
Five years later, Harper still got the creeps seeing those eyes. They screamed evil and treachery. The guy's eyes were like a rattlesnake's; one look and she felt marked, like he'd haunt her forever.
Harper's hand, clutching Vincent's arm, shook with excitement. "Vincent, do you know who he is?"
Vincent's frown deepened. "This guy's from the Charles family. He was sent on a mission recently, but we don't know where he went. I'll drop the photo in the Perry family group chat and have them keep an eye out. Once he's back in Emerald Isle, we'll nab him and get to the bottom of this."
"It's not just about back then," Harper said. "He was also in on the bombing."
The man had admitted it himself during the hell of a ride, not bothering to hide his identity at all.
Vincent had heard Jasper talk about Chloe kidnapping Harper. Back then, a hacker had messed with the car's system. After checking the satellite system, he sent the code to Vincent, asking him to find someone who knew the signal's origin. In the end, Vincent traced the signal back to Northfield.
But when Vincent confirmed it was the guy with heterochromia, his face got serious. Vincent didn't want Harper to stress, so he kept his suspicions to himself and comforted her, "I get it. Don't worry, I'll have someone keep tabs on him."
Harper nodded. "Thanks, Vincent."
She knew that after all this time, even if they found the killer, getting evidence would be tough. Plus, this guy was from Emerald Isle, making things even trickier. Without solid proof, the cops couldn't just waltz into Emerald Isle and nab him.
So, for now, Harper mainly wanted to know who hired him back then. Was it Chloe? Or Audrey?
Chloe was already dead, and among the people Harper knew, only Audrey had the power and motive to hire a hitman from abroad. If she could get this guy's testimony, she could definitely nail Audrey and make her pay.
"Don't sweat it, it's no big deal." Vincent smiled at her.
Vincent saw the strong wind outside and shielded Harper from it as he walked her to the door. "Get inside quick, I'll head out now."
After Harper went inside, Vincent got back to his car and zoomed in on the photo of the guy with heterochromia. He hadn't mentioned the guy's identity earlier.
This guy was Stanley Charles, the youngest son of Armando Charles, the head honcho of the Charles family. Stanley was the apple of his grandpa and dad's eyes, making him a big deal.
No one would ever buy that Armando's kid would turn into a bounty hunter. But if it was Stanley, well, that'd be a whole different story. Totally believable.
Stanley got his mom's crazy genes. She was the infamous beauty and nutcase of Emerald Isle, Nora Baker. Nora was the daughter of a corpse transporter for the Charles family. When she came to visit her dad, Armando took a shine to her and made her his tenth wife.
In Emerald Isle, polygamy was cool and part of the culture. Armando was head over heels for Nora. But she was a total whack job and did some seriously messed-up stuff. Nora once shaved a servant's head in the dead of night, stripped her naked, and tossed her into a freezing field just to watch her freeze to death.
Servants working for Nora rarely lasted more than three months, and their deaths got weirder and more tragic each time. Armando, blinded by love, covered up all these deaths.
But Nora didn't hold back and got crazier. After having Stanley, she set herself on fire one night and burned to death. Armando was devastated and even put up a monument for Nora, calling her the "Love of My Life."
As Nora's kid, Stanley naturally got Armando's deep affection. By six, Stanley was already showing his violent and crazy side. When a chef's cooking didn't suit him, he pressed the chef's head onto a hot griddle, searing it over and over.
But unlike Nora, he didn't like quick kills. Stanley got a kick out of torturing people, like a cat playing with a mouse, savoring every moment. Once he had his sights on someone, there was no escape.
For now, Northfield was the safest place, and Stanley knew it, so he kept a low profile. Plus, current immigration records showed Stanley wasn't in Northfield but in Auroria.
Vincent stared at the photo on his phone, looking serious. If it was Stanley, things would get super complicated because of his unique status. Pissing him off would be like declaring war on the whole Charles family.
Even though the Perry family and Armando had beef in Emerald Isle, they were in a shaky truce right now. But if Harper went head-to-head with Stanley, the Charles family might come down hard.
Vincent was really worried. If it was just him, no big deal. But he had the Perry family to think about. Even if he hated the brutal Charles family, he couldn't risk his family because of a rash decision.
In the end, Vincent didn't send Stanley's photo to the group. He put his phone away safely. No one could act impulsively on this, and he couldn't tell Jasper, only to watch him get trapped. They needed a long-term plan.
After Vincent's car drove off, Victor looked up and asked Francis, "Mr. Getty, should we tail him?"
"No need," Francis said coldly.
Victor thought Vincent and Harper's interaction at the door seemed like they didn't want to part. Victor couldn't figure out why Francis was so obsessed, watching like he was torturing himself.
In the past few days, Victor had figured out Francis's true feelings. Francis often followed Harper, watching her from afar for ages, but when they actually met, he was cold as ice.
Victor really couldn't wrap his head around it, but after watching them, he figured maybe staying single wasn't so bad after all.
Serenity Manor was glowing warmly as usual. Francis stared for a bit before the car turned and left.
On the way back, Victor got a call and then said seriously, "Mr. Getty, they've met."
Francis said coldly, "Patch it through."
Victor quickly pulled out a black metal box that looked like a radio, and a woman's annoyed voice came through Francis's Bluetooth earpiece.
"What do you want from me?" the woman snapped.
At the Hernandez Villa, Audrey was on high alert, eyeing the well-dressed Keith warily. Who would've thought he'd climb in through the window?
Audrey said bluntly, "I have nothing to say to you. Leave now, and I won't call the cops."
As she spoke, she moved to open the door to force Keith out. But Keith didn't budge; he lazily plopped down on the cushioned sofa. "What's the rush?"
"Keith!" Audrey's face twisted in anger when she saw him sit down. "I'm about to marry Francis soon. Is it appropriate for you to be in your future sister-in-law's room in the middle of the night?"
Keith let out a mocking laugh. "Are you really sure you can become Francis's wife?"
"Of course I can," Audrey said firmly. Francis needed her now, and she was confident she could become his wife.
"I heard your dad's in a coma?" Keith said suddenly.
Audrey's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "What do you mean?"
Keith clasped his hands together, his thumbs tapping lightly. "You're smart; do I need to spell it out for you?"
Audrey felt a chill from his cold gaze but insisted, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Very few people knew about Felix's coma. Although it wasn't publicly announced, it wasn't surprising that Keith had found out. As for anything else, Audrey believed Keith was likely trying to deceive her, and she wasn't going to fall for it!
But Keith came prepared. Not flinching at her denial, he tapped his shoe heel rhythmically and said nonchalantly, "As far as I know, Felix's coma was caused by a medication error."
His words were crystal clear. If Audrey kept playing dumb, it would be pointless.
But Audrey refused to admit it, coldly saying, "I already said it has nothing to do with me. If you have proof, show it."
This matter was handled by Jonathan himself, and now that Jonathan was dead, there was no evidence left. So, Audrey wasn't intimidated by Keith and grew more confident.
Keith wasn't in a hurry. He chuckled, "Audrey, stop pretending. Working with me isn't a bad deal. If I don't want you to become Francis's wife, you won't. Understand?"
"Really?" Audrey sneered coldly. "Do you have that kind of power?"
Audrey's disdain was almost palpable. This wasn't the first time Audrey had looked down on Keith. In her eyes, only someone like Francis was worthy of standing by her side.
Keith, who had been sitting calmly, suddenly stood up and pushed Audrey down, grabbing her by the throat and shouting, "Want to see my power?"
Audrey's hands flailed wildly, her voice barely a whisper, "Let go of me!"
Just as she was about to lose her breath, Keith finally released her throat, straightened up, loosened his tie, and exhaled lightly.
The feeling he just had was exhilarating! If he could strangle Audrey to death, it would be perfect, but unfortunately, he still needed her.
Audrey's eyes teared up from coughing, her throat seemingly injured, and she rasped, "I won't let you get away with this. You broke in and attacked me; I'll call the police!"
"Call the police?" Keith laughed. "When the cops come, they'll arrest you, not me."
He tossed an analysis report at her and said coldly, "Felix's medication list didn't include any banned substances. This particular banned substance, when mixed with his meds, can cause fatal reactions—ranging from prolonged unconsciousness to death. Yet, this substance was found in Felix's system."
Audrey looked at the report, her eyes filled with fear. She hadn't expected Keith to have someone run tests on Felix right under her nose. Her subordinates were such a bunch of useless idiots!
At this moment, Audrey missed Jonathan. If he were here, this wouldn't have happened.
Keith smiled. "Why don't you explain this to me?"
Audrey knew Keith had ulterior motives, so she wasn't too worried about him exposing her. She stared at him and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Keith replied slowly, "I want to take back everything that belongs to me."
Audrey didn't believe Keith had the ability, but given his madness, she didn't dare provoke him. She said softly, "Even though you hold a portion of the Getty family assets, so does Francis. He has a greater claim to the inheritance than you do."
Keith's smile grew more sinister. "Audrey, since we're alike, I'll share a secret with you."
He then leaned close to Audrey's ear and whispered something. Audrey's mouth dropped open in shock. How could that be? If what Keith said was true, then Francis and his identities would be completely reversed.
Seeing Audrey's stunned expression, Keith laughed. "When the time comes, you'll see that I'm actually helping you. Because..."
His eyes turned vicious. "The one who will end up with nothing will be Francis."
Audrey was confused and looked at Keith. "What do you mean by 'when the time comes'? Are you saying you'll reveal this at the wedding?"
"Exactly," Keith said, raising an eyebrow.
That day would be the last time Francis had anything to do with the Getty Group.
Keith could have revealed it before the wedding. But he enjoyed watching people rise high only to fall hard. Francis thought marrying Audrey would solve all his problems, but Keith wouldn't let him have his way.
Audrey, her eyes vacant, sat down heavily on the bed. Keith found it amusing and mocked, "Audrey, you never intended to save him, did you?"
Audrey's eyes showed horror. How did Keith know everything?
"I know you injected him with a toxin but didn't have the antidote." Keith smiled. "I also know that your so-called antidote only prolongs his life as a 'living dead.' Once taken, his brain will slowly atrophy until brain death, making him no different from a dead person, except for a breath."
Audrey's lips trembled. "What else do you know?"
"Audrey, actually," Keith said slowly. "you and I are quite similar."
Audrey looked at Keith in confusion. Keith's smile was gentle, like a mask welded to his face.
He continued, "We're both selfish and malicious. Even if we don't want something, we'd rather destroy it than let others have it."
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