Chapter 478 I Understand, You Care About Me
The horrifying kidnapping case was a past that no one in the Wellington family wanted to mention.
Back then, the two sons of the Wellington family were kidnapped by a nationally notorious gang and held in an abandoned warehouse deep in the woods. They demanded a huge ransom from Byron and Patrick.
Edward couldn't remember how many days they were held. The place was filthy, damp, and stinking, with no sight of sunrise or sunset.
As a child, he was beaten and scolded every day, fed only once every three days to prevent escape, living a life worse than death.
Later, it was his older brother, Caleb, four years his senior, who found an opportunity to desperately hold off the guard, giving Edward a slim chance to escape!
In the woods, he stumbled and ran frantically without looking back for a long time until he finally collapsed and rolled down a slope.
Fortunately, he was rescued by a kind-hearted hunter. After waking up, he immediately contacted the police, providing clues about the kidnappers and eventually returning alive to the Wellington family.
But Caleb wasn't so lucky.
The vicious kidnappers, in a fit of rage, beat him severely and locked him in a narrow, cramped container for five days without food or water. Caleb survived by drinking his urine.
Three days later, after receiving the huge ransom, the kidnappers stripped Caleb naked, tied him up, and threw him at the gate of Riverside Villa in broad daylight before arrogantly leaving!
Caleb suffered from internal injuries during the beatings and severe hypoxia from being confined in a sealed space for too long, leading to early organ failure. The daily costs of treatment and hospitalization were enormous!
Over the years, Caleb's life had been sustained by money.
This incident has cast a lifelong psychological shadow over the entire Wellington family.
Because of this, Edward feels a tremendous sense of guilt towards Caleb.
It was also because of this that the usually strict and harsh Patrick was extremely fond of Caleb and harbored resentment towards Edward.
"But now you are the heir, he shouldn't interfere!" Bart was still indignant, "That time you didn't step in, the shareholders of the group, already had opinions about you. He jumped in to make decisions on your behalf and even secured a partnership. Now, there are many voices in the group supporting him, and even Mr. Patrick Wellington has been in frequent contact with him recently."
"Mr. Edward Wellington, I know you value loyalty and righteousness, but the Wellington family is not like the Taylor family. Blood ties are nothing in the face of power! You know better than anyone how you've come through these years!"
"Even if Mr. Caleb Wellington saved you back then, even if he was good to you, you are not children of the same mother. After all these years, can you guarantee he has no ulterior motives? No designs on the Wellington Group?"
Edward's breath caught in his chest, his eyes dark and brooding.
"And one more thing, don't you find it strange?"
"He's always talking about being indifferent to fame and fortune, not worldly-wise, but he knows all about our cooperation with Journey Group. What does that tell you? It means he hasn't been idle all these years; he's been monitoring you and the Wellington Group!"
"Not only that, during the meeting, Mr. Wellington was sitting right next to Mr. Wilson, the chairman of Journey Group, in the remote video! He had clearly arranged it all in advance, working behind the scenes!"
Hearing this, Edward remained expressionless, but his eyes grew deeper.
"Mr. Wellington, you must be cautious of him!"
"Bart. If, and I mean if, "Edward's eyelashes trembled slightly, "If one day, Caleb's health recovers, he returns from Mythorica to Mugden, and he wants to inherit the family business and take back the CEO position. What should I do? Should I have had over everything I have now?""He wants it, so he gets it? Why?" Edward's words were so immersive that Bart's fists clenched, "Without you, the Wellington Group wouldn't be what it is today! You've worked tirelessly for the group, almost ruining your health, personally inspecting projects on-site, and nearly losing your life! You haven't even enjoyed the fruits of your labor for long, and he wants to come back and take it from you? Why?"
"So what if he has Mr. Patrick Wellington's support? You have Mr. Byron Wellington's favor, we're not lacking either!"
"What are you talking about?"
Evelyn's charming and melodious voice came through before she was even seen.
Edward's brows furrowed, and he gestured for Bart to be silent, then replaced it with a gentle smile.
Evelyn had already walked in, carrying a tray with two cups of tea.
"Nothing."
They sat down on the sofa, and Edward naturally draped his long arm over her shoulder. Evelyn instinctively leaned into his embrace.
Bart almost felt like crying; he never thought he would see this scene of reconciliation!
"Peter called me. They started interrogating Lloyd today." Evelyn clenched her fists.
"Yes, Eric and I are also searching the entire city for Sebastian. Whether it's the airport, train stations, or docks, we have people guarding them."
"Since the incident, they haven't found any trace of Sebastian." Edward spread his fingers to cover her small fist, gently warming it to dispel the coldness in her body.
"Someone must be protecting him. Otherwise, with your influence, how could you not find him!"
Evelyn and Edward exchanged a knowing look; they both knew who was protecting Sebastian.
"As long as Sebastian is still in Mugden, he won't escape. It doesn't matter who is protecting him."
"Keep a close watch on Gilbert as well." Evelyn thought more comprehensively, "If he and Sebastian are indeed colluding, he wouldn't let this person stay in Mugden. If Sebastian falls into our hands and is strictly interrogated, he will definitely expose him, making his situation difficult."
"Isn't there another possibility? Gilbert might kill Sebastian to silence him," Edward's handsome brows furrowed deeply.
Evelyn's heart tightened, and she bit her lip. "No way, I checked Sebastian's background. He was a mercenary, served as a royal guard, and climbed to his current position with his excellent combat skills. He wouldn't be that easy to kill."
"Besides, he wouldn't come to Mugden alone; he must have brought people with him. Even if Gilbert wanted to make a move, it wouldn't be that easy, right?"
Although Evelyn said this, Edward's words still added to her worries.
Edward saw through her thoughts and slowly intertwined his fingers with hers, comforting her in a warm voice, "The enemy's power is considerable. Even if we can't catch them all at once, it doesn't matter. We have time. At least now, it's not them in the open and us in the dark, which is much better than before."
"Right now, we need to focus on dealing with Tiffany. For Kimberly, for my mother, we need to seek justice."
Mentioning Amanda, Edward's voice trembled, and his eyes reddened slightly.
But in front of Evelyn, he still tried his best to control his emotions, to be her protector, a stable partner who could reassure her at any time.
Evelyn felt heartbroken and hugged Edward, trembling slightly.
He immediately hugged her back, responding as if he had been waiting for this embrace.
"You don't need to say anything, I understand. I understand, you feel for me."
At night, in the police interrogation room.
Peter and his three colleagues had been interrogating Lloyd for ten hours straight!
They were all highly experienced in interrogation, but they couldn't make much headway with this man, who had extremely strong psychological resilience, thick skin, and was utterly evil.
Whether they threatened him or offered reduced sentences as bait, they couldn't get Lloyd to reveal who the mastermind was!
As the situation reached a stalemate, Evelyn and Edward rushed to the police station overnight.
"Evelyn, I'm sorry." Peter, frustrated, tugged at his hair, his refined face full of worry, "It's my fault. I haven't been able to get him to confess!"
"If he intentionally delays, even if the prosecution eventually convicts him, we won't have direct evidence to charge Tiffany with hiring a killer, and the trail will go cold!"
How could they talk about avenging Edward then?
"And there's an even more severe issue. Lloyd isn't a citizen of this country; he's from Torontow. According to our country's laws, foreigners can't be executed here, even for murder. The maximum sentence is twenty years."
"After twenty years, Lloyd will be deported back to Torontow, where their court will re-sentence him."
Peter was so angry that his gums ached, "Just thinking about this heinous man not being executed is unbearable, Evelyn!"
"Don't say that, you've done very well. It's Lloyd who is truly evil and cunning."
Evelyn took a deep breath, her eyes sharp as she asked, "Peter, can you ask your superiors if Edward and I can see Lloyd?"
"You two?" Peter was very surprised.
"Yes, let us see Lloyd. Let me talk to him; it might help the whole case."
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