Chapter 187 - 186: A Dog That Bites Doesn’t Bark

A dejected air hung about Cole. "Falcon, if it were you, what would you have done?"

Yvonne Lowell didn’t answer him, asking instead, "After all these years, have you never thought of finding the person who actually murdered your father?"

’If it had been me, I most likely wouldn’t have left.’

’If it had been me, even if I had chosen to leave back then, I wouldn’t have left behind any loose ends that would lead to so many assassination attempts later.’

’If it had been me, the moment I discovered she was the mastermind, I would have killed Vena.’

’But all of this was possible only because she had a bird’s-eye view, the perspective of an outsider. That’s how she could find the optimal solution to avoid every danger. It was all just empty talk, though. In real life, you don’t get so many "what ifs."’

’Yvonne’s maxim of the day: Don’t tell Cole to be fierce unless you’ve suffered as he has. If I had suffered as he has, I’d be far fiercer.’

A bitter smile touched Cole’s lips. "I did look into it. Once I had the means, I thoroughly investigated all of the Jones Family’s rivals, but I never found any clues."

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure it was a rival? Your family isn’t exactly a picture of harmony, is it?"

Cole froze for a moment, then shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. "To be honest, I’m not sure. I was just following the lead they gave me. As for the family... I never looked into it."

"Back then, besides my grandfather, no one tried to stop me from leaving. They were all hoping I’d die out there, leaving one less person to fight them for the inheritance. My grandfather and I were still in contact at first, but I was the one who eventually cut things off."

"Vena and I used to get along reasonably well. She was only eleven when it happened. She looked at me like I was her mortal enemy and demanded to know why I had gotten her father killed."

"But my father died, too. She told me to get out of that house, and I did what she wanted. So why won’t she just leave me alone?"

Yvonne Lowell pinched the bridge of her nose. ’This is giving me a headache.’

’This guy... Is he really a fallen noble from an old aristocratic family?’

’Anyone who’s watched even a couple of episodes of a palace intrigue drama, or read a few of those popular novels about the backstabbing schemes of wealthy clans, shouldn’t be this naive, right?’

’One can only say his old man did too good of a job protecting him. That’s why, even though he’s decisive and efficient now that he’s out in the world, the moment something involves that messed-up family of his, his brain still flies off to the Glimmersea to feed the polar bears.’

Seeing her silence, Cole seemed to slowly catch on. His voice was strained. "You mean... my father’s death might be linked to a family member?! But... my father was a kind man..."

Yvonne Lowell sighed, cutting him off. "It’s not clear yet. But whether that’s the case or not, we’ll have an answer soon. Let’s go eat. I’m hungry."

With that said, she turned and walked out without waiting for his reaction.

’In a family with waters this murky, what good is kindness? The moment you touch someone else’s slice of the pie, it’s useless—even if you’re lethally "kind."’

Cole scrambled to catch up. "Falcon, hey, don’t just leave me hanging!! What do you mean we’ll have an answer soon? Did you kidnap Vena to torture a confession out of her?!"

Finn Knight reacted instantly, clamping a hand over Cole’s mouth. "I suggest you shut it. If you make the boss late for her meal, we’ll see who you get your answers from."

Cole nodded frantically. ’Right.’ He’d almost forgotten he was dealing with a person who turned into a monster if she didn’t eat on time.

After Finn let go, Cole still couldn’t resist muttering under his breath, "I suggest you be k—MMPH!" —ind!

’This time it was Felix Knight’s hand, wasn’t it?! Fine, fine, fine! So we’re not being kind at all today, are we?!’

’Ha,’ Cole thought. ’My life of constantly having my mouth covered is just fantastic.’

...

That afternoon, just as Yvonne Lowell was getting so fed up with Cole’s pitiful stare that she was about to give him a pair of black eyes, a notification sounded.

DING-DONG.

Yvonne Lowell pulled out her phone and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow. "Turn on the projector. It looks like Scorpion has a lead."

"I’ll get it, I’ll get it."

Cole scrambled over to turn on the projector. Once the video call connected, Zachary Jacobs’s large face immediately filled the screen.

"Long time no see, Coley-boy! Did ya miss me?"

"Scorpion, cut the crap! Do you have something or not?!" Cole demanded.

Zachary Jacobs clutched his hands to his chest, his tone full of mock disappointment. "Am I not your favorite anymore? We haven’t seen each other in ages, and you don’t even want to catch up a little?"

Yvonne Lowell glanced up, her gaze cold. "Get to the point."

"Ahem, fine." Zachary Jacobs’s expression sobered. "I found a lot of information. I figured you wouldn’t have the patience for a wall of text, so I’ve graciously decided to give you the oral report. Think of it as a free audiobook."

"Let’s take this one piece at a time. First, let’s talk about that ’dear’ cousin of yours."

"The reason she knew you were in Continent N and had founded North is that your cousin, Henry—your aunt’s son—had someone leak that information to her on purpose."

"His goal was to make you two kill each other so he could swoop in and reap the benefits."

"No matter which of you won the struggle, he’d only have one competitor left. It would be even better for him if one of you died. He’s got a whole smear campaign ready to launch at the survivor."

Cole’s aunt married a commoner who joined their family, so her son also carries the Jones surname and has a claim to the inheritance.

"The Henry I remember was always insecure and timid," Cole recalled. "Probably because his father married into the family, he never really dared to hang out with us. Even Vena, who’s two years younger, would boss him around."

"It’s always the quiet ones. You thought Dawson was a good guy at first, too, didn’t you?" Yvonne Lowell said matter-of-factly.

Cole’s mouth twitched. ’No need to twist the knife like that,’ he thought. Every word was a dagger to the heart.

Zachary Jacobs continued, "Dawson was, in fact, a mole that Vena planted using a honey trap. His purpose was to track your exact movements and sabotage your business."

"But aside from her, at least a third of the assassination attempts you’ve survived over the years were orchestrated by Henry."

Cole’s expression grew cold, and a sneer touched his lips. "Looks like they really do want me dead. Are they that afraid of me going back to fight for the inheritance?"

"How is a verbal declaration of leaving the family and renouncing your inheritance supposed to be convincing? You know better than I do what kind of person puts people’s minds at ease the most," Zachary Jacobs said, pursing his lips and looking at Cole like he was a complete moron.

"Besides, your grandfather hasn’t relinquished his power yet. Even though Henry and Vena have started getting involved with the family’s businesses, they’re only in minor roles, nowhere near the core. So they all assume your grandfather is still waiting for you to come back and take over."

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and Yvonne Lowell whipped her head around to look at Cole.

"Country A doesn’t have a family planning policy, and even if it did, it wouldn’t apply to your family. Your grandfather had three children, so why was everyone in your father’s generation an only child?"