Chapter 948 Vincent Gains Without Effort
Beck had been taken away by the police. Tom emerged from the bushes, his face covered in mosquito bites.
Glaring at Beck's residence with barely contained rage, Tom thought bitterly, 'Lucky bastard, getting arrested before I could get to him.'
With a grunt, Tom slipped the pocketknife into his pocket and reluctantly headed back. He'd only gone a few steps when he spotted Connor jumping anxiously out of his car.
Their eyes met. Tom immediately looked down, guilt written all over his face.
Connor sighed with relief and approached him. "What are you doing here?"
He'd meant to scold Tom, but seeing his face swollen with mosquito bites, he couldn't help but feel amused.
"I was just... taking a walk," Tom lied, refusing to admit he'd come to stab Beck.
"A walk that led you to someone else's neighborhood?" Connor shook his head and pointed to his car. "Get in."
Tom obeyed like a chastised puppy, climbing into the passenger seat without protest.
In the car, Connor searched for anti-itch medication but found none. He drove to a pharmacy to buy some.
"So you came to feed mosquitoes?" Connor asked while applying the cream to Tom's face. "Couldn't find your target?"
Tom scratched his once-handsome face, now a mess of red welts. "The lucky son of a bitch got arrested. Don't know what laws he broke, but I hope he rots in prison."
As he spoke venomously, Tom sat down hard on the knife in his pocket and yelped in pain.
Connor sighed, covering his face with one hand while extending the other. "The knife. Hand it over."
"Fine." Tom placed the pocketknife in Connor's palm.
Connor set it aside and drove Tom home.
"You're not a child anymore," Connor said. "Before doing anything, consider the consequences. If you had killed Beck, you'd have thrown your life away. Is someone like him worth that price?"
Tom shook his head. "Definitely not."
Connor smiled slightly. "Then stop doing thoughtless things like this, okay?"
Tom stared, surprised. Connor rarely smiled.
Downstairs, Ethan waited for them in his shorts and slippers. Despite claiming not to care, he'd come down to check on them.
Connor smiled. "You two really are cousins."
Ethan frowned at Tom. "Were you trying to stab someone?"
"No..." Tom cowered behind Connor.
Connor shielded Tom. "Beck was arrested. Tom just got eaten alive by mosquitoes before I found him."
Ethan's expression darkened. "You're a grown man. Can't you use your brain before doing something?"
Tom huffed defiantly.
"Make that sound again, I dare you!" Ethan threatened, stepping forward.
Tom clutched Connor's shirt. "Ethan! I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
Connor suppressed a laugh. "Ethan... for my sake, let him off this time. I don't think there'll be a next time anyway."
Ethan grunted. "There won't be. Beck's been arrested for statutory rape and organizing sex parties. The evidence is solid."
Vincent had been collecting evidence against Beck for years. Now that Beck was in custody, he wouldn't be getting out anytime soon.
Rhett was also arrested. Lily had orchestrated a devastating revenge against the Murray Group.
Vincent had barely lifted a finger himself, yet he'd managed to destroy the Murray family. The man was ruthless.
"Keep him in line," Ethan said, pointing at Tom. "He's not my cousin anymore. He's yours now." With that, he turned and headed upstairs.
Connor gave Tom an exasperated look. "Why do you always have to provoke him?"
Tom followed Connor upstairs, noticing that Connor seemed to be smiling more than usual.
Once inside, Tom asked sheepishly, "Connor... are you hungry?"
"A bit," Connor nodded.
"I'll make something." Tom hurried into the kitchen.
Standing in the living room, Connor smiled to himself. He finally understood why Ethan had sent Tom to live with him.
It wasn't to torment Connor. It was to heal him.
Tom, raised in a loving family, was a sun Connor could only dream of. He lit up Connor's world and showed him a life he'd never imagined.
Despite his bad habits, Tom lived openly and carefree.
For a moment, Connor felt that redemption might be within reach.
Sometimes, salvation works both ways. Connor had once helped Jasmine out of kindness or perhaps because of his feelings for her, pushing her toward Ethan.
Now Ethan was returning the favor by giving him Tom.
"Want some wine?" Connor surprised Tom by offering him some of his prized collection.
Tom was shocked. "You hid this so well! I searched everywhere and couldn't find it."
"If you had, it would've been wasted," Connor replied wryly.
"I won't mess with your things anymore," Tom promised.
"Does that mean you'll do whatever I ask?" Connor raised an eyebrow.
Tom considered this. "As long as it's not too unreasonable."
Connor smiled. "Then move out."
"That's definitely unreasonable," Tom refused immediately.
"You don't plan to live with me forever, do you? Eventually you'll find a girlfriend, get married, have kids."
"Nope, marriage is too much trouble. Let's just be together. When we're old, we'll take care of each other."
Connor chuckled, thinking Tom was just joking. Still, having someone to share his home with made it feel less empty.
Meanwhile, Beck couldn't escape prison. The evidence against him was overwhelming, resulting in a ten-year sentence. When he got out, living would be worse than death.
With no one to inherit the Murray Group, Lyanna emerged the winner.
With Rhett imprisoned and Beck being naturally suspicious with no trusted confidants, Avery helped Lyanna bribe Beck's lawyer.
The lawyer convinced Beck to sign his shares over to Lyanna temporarily, supposedly to keep the company from falling into outsiders' hands.
Lyanna seized the opportunity, took control of the shares from both Beck and Rhett, and promptly sold them—to Vincent.
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