Chapter 298: Who

Jared Hawthorne’s thin lips formed a tight line as he waited silently for the rest.

When a long moment passed in silence, a hint of impatience surfaced in his eyes. He urged in a cold voice,

“Speak.”

“It was your second uncle, Kevin Hawthorne.”

The moment the words were spoken, the room plunged into a deathly silence.

Jared Hawthorne lifted his gaze to the window. The clear glass reflected his chiseled, unyielding profile. His jaw was clenched tight, and his aura turned heavy and frigid, a profound coldness swirling in his eyes.

‘So it was him.’

All these years, he had investigated every suspicious person, yet he had overlooked this uncle, who had always seemed so gentle and doting. When he was a child and his parents were often abroad, it was Kevin Hawthorne who had cared for him, buying him gifts year after year and always checking in on his well-being without fail.

He never imagined that the mastermind behind the plot that had nearly cost him his life was this very same elder, who had always been so affectionate.

Beneath that gentle facade lay a monstrous ambition.

“President Hawthorne?” Leon Quillan sensed the sudden oppressive shift in the air around him, a note of concern in his voice.

Jared Hawthorne suppressed the fury churning in his eyes. His voice was glacial. “I’m fine. What other leads do you have?”

“According to the suspect’s confession, Kevin Hawthorne personally wrote a letter instructing him to act. The letter is hidden in a metal box under the bed in his apartment. I am on my way to retrieve the evidence now.”

“Proceed with caution. Get the letter and return immediately.”

“Yes.”

…

「Meanwhile, in the bedroom of a villa in M-Country.」

Rick Shepherd paced back and forth, his fingers restlessly stroking his phone. He kept dialing Harry Sawyer’s number, only to be met with a cold, insistent busy signal.

A deep unease spread through him, and a nameless panic seized his entire body.

‘He was perfectly fine. How could he just disappear like that?’

Just as his anxiety peaked, his phone suddenly buzzed, shattering the room’s silence.

Rick Shepherd answered in a flash.

“President Shepherd, something’s happened! Harry and his men, along with Hector Garland, have been taken!”

Rick Shepherd’s expression darkened. “Who took them?”

“It looked like Jax Blackwood’s men. From a distance, I thought I caught a glimpse of Silas Chandler.”

Silas Chandler, Jax Blackwood’s most trusted right-hand man. He’d been a major player in the Middle East for years and was extremely recognizable.

The subordinate on the line was still shaken as he continued his hurried report.

“I stepped away for just a moment. When I got back, I saw their cars moving. The other side boxed them in with several vehicles, moving quickly and efficiently. They took the entire group. I was afraid of being spotted, so I had to fall back.”

Rick Shepherd gripped his phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. A vicious glint appeared in his eyes, and his voice was bone-chillingly cold.

“How could they have been so careless?”

“It’s not that we were careless! I think Jax Blackwood’s men were on us the moment we landed in M-Country!”

“They’ve been lying low these past few days, biding their time, just waiting for Harry to make a move! Mr. Rick, what should we do now?”

Rick Shepherd asked grimly, “Where did they take them?”

“I was afraid of being spotted, so I didn’t dare follow. I came straight back to report to you.”

‘They had so many skilled men. He was just a nobody. If he’d been found, he would’ve been captured just like Harry and the others.’

“‘Useless!’ Rick Shepherd growled. His irritation flared, but he quickly suppressed it and demanded, ‘Any news on Seth Shepherd?'”

“Seth Shepherd’s villa is heavily fortified, with multiple layers of security. It’s impossible to get close. Our men are still on stakeout, trying to find a way in.”

A knot of furious energy tightened in Rick Shepherd’s chest, leaving him restless and on edge. He had painstakingly orchestrated the ambush on Seth Shepherd, meticulously planning every step, all for the chance to absorb the Black Dragon Society and seize all its power and assets. He was just one step away from the summit, but he didn’t dare make a move without knowing for sure whether Seth Shepherd was alive or dead.

He plucked a cigarette from a pack and lit it. As smoke curled around him, his eyes grew dark and sinister.

“‘Forget Harry Sawyer,’ he ordered. ‘Pull everyone back and put them on Seth Shepherd. I want eyes on him at all times! Find a way to get someone inside to investigate. You must confirm whether he’s dead or alive!'”

“Understood!”

The call ended. Smoke shrouded his ruthless expression.

‘He’d never had any dealings with Jax Blackwood; they had no history, no grudges. Harry Sawyer and his men would suffer a beating at worst, but they’d be let go soon enough. After all, Jax Blackwood’s target had always been Hector Garland.’

‘What he hadn’t expected was that Jax Blackwood’s men would reject his gesture of goodwill, follow his people, and find Hector Garland.’

‘And they had succeeded so quickly.’

‘Hector Garland knew all his schemes. He knew about his ravenous ambition to take over the Black Dragon Society.’

‘If Hector Garland broke under interrogation and confessed everything, all of his plans would be exposed. And if Jax Blackwood happened to be in contact with Seth Shepherd’s trusted men, or cut some private deal with them, wouldn’t all his efforts be for nothing?’

‘A bunch of useless bastards, more trouble than they’re worth!’

…

「Inside Hector Garland’s studio apartment.」

Leon Quillan bent down and easily pulled an old metal box from under the bed.

He opened the lid. Inside, beneath an assortment of expensive jewelry and luxury watches, lay a yellowed, old envelope. The paper was weathered with age.

He quickly pulled out the letter and scanned its contents. After confirming it was what he was looking for, he secured the envelope and swiftly departed from the apartment.

「Half an hour later, in the hotel suite.」

Leon Quillan handed the sealed envelope to Jared Hawthorne.

Jared Hawthorne stubbed out his cigarette. The ashtray was already littered with several butts. He had made a point of quitting ever since Vesper became pregnant. But tonight, after learning the identity of the person who had tried to kill him, his mind was in turmoil, and he’d had a few.

“Did it go smoothly?”

“‘Everything went smoothly. No complications,’ Leon Quillan reported with a slight bow. ‘Silas Chandler stayed behind to handle the loose ends.'”

Jared Hawthorne lowered his gaze and opened the envelope. The handwriting on the paper was familiar yet jarring. It was Kevin Hawthorne’s distinctive, sharp, and flamboyant script. The five short words radiated killing intent.

[Eliminate Jared Hawthorne at once!]

His trip to Ashmore that year had been a last-minute decision. Very few people knew his itinerary or his route. The assassins appeared halfway, their target clear. They had obviously been lying in wait on his path, intending to eliminate him completely.

If it hadn’t been for his highly trained and skilled driver, they would have crashed and died.

In the end, the driver had still died protecting him.

If he hadn’t been lucky enough to run into Prue and her grandfather, death would have been his only fate.

At this thought, his eyes darkened, and an arctic chill settled within them.

‘But after that assassination attempt, why did Kevin Hawthorne suddenly back off?’

‘Whatever the reason, it couldn’t have been a change of heart or a pang of guilt.’

‘After returning to Northolme, he was sent abroad to recover, far from the center of power, leaving Kevin Hawthorne with no opportunity to strike. Or perhaps his absence from Northolme made his uncle believe his own opportunity had arrived.’

‘Fortunately, Grandfather had long seen through his uncle’s hypocritical facade and petty nature. He knew Kevin Hawthorne wasn’t capable of leading. If Forrester Corporation were ever handed over to him, it would inevitably decline and crumble.’

“‘President Hawthorne, what are your orders?’ Leon Quillan asked quietly, watching his boss’s stern, silent profile.”

Jared Hawthorne stroked the yellowed paper, a bone-deep chill in his eyes. His voice was toneless, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

“Have Maxim Chandler track Kevin Hawthorne’s movements and bring him to M-Country to see me.”

“I’ll see to it at once.”

…

「Back in the country, outside an underground casino.」

Kevin Hawthorne had fallen on hard times lately, living a life of squalor and decay.

He was unlucky in love, betrayed by the woman he’d placed on a pedestal. His repeated attempts to win back Nancy Linton had all failed. With nothing going right in his life, he had completely given in to despair, holing up in underground casinos and numbing himself with gambling and alcohol.

He no longer possessed the power and prestige of his former days. The sycophants who once flocked to him now watched from the sidelines with cold indifference, secretly enjoying his downfall.

Nancy Linton, in contrast, was thriving. After leaving him, she had built her own career, and she was more radiant than ever, with no shortage of excellent suitors.

But now, he was just her pathetic, washed-up ex-husband. He didn’t even have the right to question her.

‘Even if he did, it would only be a self-inflicted humiliation!’

At two-thirty in the morning, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the world was utterly still.

Dead drunk, Kevin Hawthorne staggered out of the casino. He braced himself against a cold wall, bent over, and vomited violently. He was a pathetic mess.

After heaving up the contents of his stomach, he dazedly lifted his head. His eyes suddenly caught a dark figure standing in the shadows nearby. The sight terrified him. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground with a choked cry.

“Who’s there!”