Chapter 509 The Truth
After treating Nathaniel and his group, James reinforced their law enforcement team with members from the Glowing Oasis and Rosewood City Mystic Alliance.
With a few brief instructions, he left matters in Nathaniel and Seraphina's capable hands.
Tonight's events had changed the landscape—the Harbor Group would face no resistance now, and Uri wouldn't dare create obstacles.
Though James could have eliminated Uri completely, he refrained for two reasons: he couldn't yet control the vast Sovereign City Mystic Alliance and could only gradually weaken Uri's influence; and despite Uri's arrogance, there wasn't sufficient evidence to force him out.
At most, punishing people like Zane would only be considered negligence in personnel management.
For now, securing Harbor Group was enough. Having a stronghold in Sovereign City would better position James to investigate Uri's activities further.
With matters settled, he drove back to his villa to rest.
The next morning, James returned from his riverside training session just as he was about to have breakfast with his parents when Samuel came running in.
"James, there's a car outside—a woman waiting. She says her name is Jessica, and she's here to confess her sins to you."
James gave a faint smile. "Sooner than I expected."
Michelle looked concerned. "James, who's this Jessica? You shouldn't be getting involved with more women. Mary and Olivia are already giving your father and me headaches."
"Son," Virgil nodded in agreement, "greed may be human nature, but we have moral constraints. You can't just do as you please."
"Mom, Dad, you've got it all wrong," James said, leisurely finishing his porridge. "This Jessica provided evidence against the Garcia family for framing Mom. Her real name is Xanthe."
"Xanthe?" Michelle trembled, her spoon clattering to the floor. She immediately rushed outside, with James and Virgil following close behind.
At the front gate, they found Jessica kneeling stiffly beside a Porsche, afraid to move.
Compared to her confident demeanor the previous night, she looked haggard with dark circles under her eyes—clearly she hadn't slept.
Jessica didn't know why James had sought her at the bar, but she knew she couldn't afford to cross him. She'd hurried over to beg forgiveness, fearing she wouldn't survive the day otherwise.
Michelle didn't recognize her but asked tentatively, "Are you... Xanthe?"
Hearing that name, Jessica's mind went blank. She trembled and looked up, seeing a face distant yet familiar.
"Michelle?" she blurted out, instinctively averting her gaze and attempting to leave.
"You really are Xanthe?" Michelle grabbed her arm. "It really is you! How did you end up like this?"
Shame flashed across Jessica's eyes as she struggled for words.
"Jessica, Michelle is my mother," James said firmly. "I was looking for you yesterday because I wanted answers about the leaked formula from twenty years ago."
He continued, "Go inside with my mother and tell her everything. My mother is kind-hearted—after twenty years, she won't hold a grudge. She just needs the truth."
"Don't fabricate anything, but don't hide anything either."
Jessica felt relief wash over her. Compared to saving her life, revealing past shameful actions seemed insignificant.
"Alright, I'll tell everything," she nodded, rising slowly.
Once inside, she began, "Michelle, I'm so sorry. I betrayed your trust by stealing your formula, which led to the Garcia family driving you out."
She explained, her voice breaking, "I never meant to steal from you. The Garcia family trapped me in debt that I couldn't repay even if I sold myself. Those people came to my home demanding payment and kidnapped my sister."
"I had no choice but to follow Mrs. Garcia's instructions—photographing your formula, letting you take the blame, forcing you to transfer your shares and leave the family."
She couldn't meet Michelle's gaze. "I was truly despicable, betraying your kindness, but I had no choice."
Michelle staggered in disbelief. "What? Mrs. Garcia orchestrated this?"
"Yes," Jessica sighed. "After your parents died, you inherited most of the Garcia assets, which made Mrs. Garcia very uncomfortable. She especially worried that if you married, the family fortune would go to outsiders."
"She needed to take it from you, but couldn't just seize it outright—she had to play dirty."
Jessica continued, "I never actually sold that level-five formula. I only leaked about a tenth of it, then handed everything to Mrs. Garcia."
"She gave me a million dollars in return and told me to leave Sovereign City, but I couldn't—my family was here."
"So I got plastic surgery in Philadelphia, then returned to rebuild my life. Over the years, I've used my looks to make money, then used that money for more surgeries, becoming who I am today."
Tears streamed down Jessica's face as she slapped herself several times. "Michelle, I'm so sorry. Because of my selfishness, you've suffered for twenty years."
"Stop that," Michelle grabbed Jessica's hands, her heart heavy. "You say Mrs. Garcia put you up to this—do you have any proof?"
Virgil sighed. "It's been twenty years. How could she possibly have evidence now?"
"I do have some," Jessica said surprisingly, taking out her phone and searching through it before finding an audio recording.
"When I asked Mrs. Garcia for payment, I recorded our conversation. I wanted insurance in case she went back on our deal, and leverage if I ever needed more money from her. Twenty years have passed, and I've never had to use it."
She forwarded the recording to Michelle. "Now that you want the truth, take it."
Michelle didn't play the recording, just stared blankly at the phone, devastated by the revelation.
All this time, she had believed it was her own mistake, only to discover it was a trap set by the elder she had most trusted.
She turned and walked back inside, visibly heartbroken, when Jessica's voice stopped her.
"There's one more thing," Jessica said hesitantly, looking at James before finally forcing out the words:
"Your parents' car accident... it was very likely arranged by Mrs. Garcia as well."
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