Chapter 596 The Truths of Those Years (2)
"Then, I reached out to the Vale family, who were thousands of miles away. Back when I was making a name for myself, Stuart was a nobody. I helped him out of a jam once, and I have dirt on him. It was like a murder swap; the Vale family and the Storm family had no connections, so no one would trace anything back to the Vale family. Because I had leverage over Stuart, he had no choice but to agree. I instructed him to find someone absolutely capable of infiltrating the Storm Group, gaining Brennan's trust, and acting as my top corporate spy. He sent his youngest son, Ambrose, who was indeed smart. Not only did he gain Brennan's trust, but he also won over his daughter. My plan was for him to rise to an executive position, fully grasp the Storm Group's trade secrets, and then he would have the power to switch partners behind Brennan's back, allowing me to profit immensely. The only downside was that it took a bit of time, but that was fine because I was really busy those two years. I had to manage my people to deal with you while keeping an eye on the Storm Group. Any slip-up and I would be exposed, so I couldn't rush things. As expected, my organization was eventually taken down by you, but fortunately, everyone thought the real Tiger was dead, and you were severely injured and in a coma. Mrs. Marigold Knight brought you back, and you were right under my nose. Do you know how many chances I had to kill you? But you were lying there, half-dead, and killing you would have been pointless. Plus, Ambrose was making great progress with the Storm Group, so I thought I'd wait another year or two, then I'd be happily counting my money. By then, you'd either still be in a coma or dead. Then I could leave Arizona City and live a carefree life. But fate had other plans. Ambrose was doing well initially, but just as he was about to succeed, Brennan found out. And then, as if things couldn't get worse, he discovered I was working as a butler in your house. He came to confront me, demanding I turn myself in, and when persuasion failed, he threatened to report me. Wasn't he just asking for death? At that point, I didn't want to complicate things by killing him, but he insisted on provoking me, so I had no choice. Since I had already infiltrated the Storm Group with the Vale family, the killing had to be done by them. Stuart's youngest son was exceptionally capable, and his eldest son got excited at the thought of killing, so that's how it happened."
"So, you were the one on the rooftop that night."
"Yeah, I knew him for a while. He was about to die, so I had to see him off. I didn't push him; I just told him that if he didn't die, his daughter would. Then he jumped on his own."
Hearing him say this so nonchalantly, Alaric was filled with hatred. An innocent person, with no grudge against him, was killed just like that!
"Don't look at me like that. I've killed many people; one more life means nothing to me," Joe continued. "I successfully bankrupted the Storm Group, but at the same time, I lost my way to make money from them, and my organization was gone too. Suddenly, I had no income. Who's to blame for that? You! If it weren't for you, I don't know how carefree I'd be. In the end, I was forced to become a butler, losing all my other identities. But how could I be content with just being your family's butler? I decided to go back to my old ways. The butler identity was a great cover, so I started secretly reorganizing. But at the same time, how could I let you off easy? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been in such a miserable state. So, I had to find ways to keep you busy. When the Storm Group went bankrupt, Stellan became a fallen heiress. She wasn't a threat to me, but she was still Brennan's daughter. If I could bring you two together, keeping you both under my watch, I'd feel more at ease. So, I had that fortune teller tell Mrs. Marigold Knight that you needed a woman to bear your child to wake you up. Mrs. Marigold Knight first approached Orion. I was worried she might agree, but she didn't. Then I smoothly introduced Stellan to Mrs. Marigold Knight. Stellan had a good background, was beautiful, and educated—good genes, as they say. Mrs. Marigold Knight liked her for that, but she disliked her fallen heiress status. Mrs. Marigold Knight did everything very secretly, planning to keep the child and kick Stellan out after she gave birth. But how could I let your family have a good heir? The doctor who was bribed by Griffon to fake the DNA test later disappeared. You suspected Griffon killed him, right?"
"He was your guy?"
"Yep. Mrs. Marigold Knight hid Stellan well, and the pregnancy was kept under wraps. If someone hadn't deliberately leaked it to the Nash family, how would they have known? Orion, that airhead, was easily provoked into causing trouble with Griffon. The Nash family fell right into my trap, and I used them to pull off the fake DNA test. But I did miscalculate one thing: I didn't expect Stellan and the twins to survive. They vanished from my radar, but Caspian stayed. Caspian being at the Knight Manor was all thanks to me. The fortune teller told Mrs. Marigold Knight that Caspian was the Knight family's lucky charm and should stay. Later, you miraculously woke up. I thought about killing you for revenge, but seeing you suffer from the aftereffects, with each episode worse than the last, I decided not to. I wanted to watch you suffer and die slowly."
Joe's grin was wide, his joy evident. After a moment, he continued, "Even if the DNA was fake, Caspian looked so much like you. Mrs. Marigold Knight should have suspected something, but I subtly brainwashed her, telling her Caspian was someone else's kid. So, Mrs. Marigold Knight tormented her grandson, and your relationship with her grew more distant because of Caspian. Orion was also there to annoy you. Watching the drama unfold every day was so satisfying. But I didn't expect Stellan to reappear in your life. It didn't matter, though. With Mrs. Marigold Knight around, you two would never be happy. She trusted that fortune teller too much. The fortune teller said Stellan was a curse, so Mrs. Marigold Knight would never let her marry you. Later, when you hinted to Mrs. Marigold Knight that Caspian might be her grandson, I started speaking up for Stellan. I said she couldn't have deceived you and that the DNA test must have been tampered with. I encouraged her to do another DNA test. I was afraid you'd suspect me, so I diverted your attention to the Nash family, causing a rift between your families. The Nash family fell apart, too. Like I said earlier, I didn't want to kill you. I wanted to watch you suffer and die slowly from your illness. But you wouldn't let go of the Storm Group case. You insisted on investigating. And with Stellan treating you, it seemed like a medical miracle might happen, and you could be cured. I started to worry. How could I let you get better? So, I changed my tactics, constantly badmouthing Stellan to Mrs. Marigold Knight, urging her to kill Stellan. Only if she died could you live. Mrs. Marigold Knight listened. She conspired with Ambrose to kidnap Stellan. Ambrose did an excellent job. I was sure you'd die. Once you were dead, I could fully control the Knight family because Mrs. Marigold Knight's thoughts were entirely under my control. But I never expected you to survive. You survived!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
