Chapter 286: This Time, I Wish to Do It Myself

「Falling Valley Mountain Villa.」

Leo Grant and his friends were busy decorating the backyard.

Zachary Jacobs was inflating a balloon, not forgetting to show off his skills.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing and vibrating like crazy in his pocket.

BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT

He fumbled to pull the phone from his pocket. When he saw the caller ID, Zachary Jacobs was so shocked he sounded like a strangled duck, his voice cracking as he shrieked,

“Holy shit!!!”

Everyone’s attention immediately snapped to him. Zachary Jacobs quickly pressed a finger to his lips.

“Shhh! Everybody, shut up! It’s Lowell calling!”

Leo Grant paused, a flicker of emotion rippling in his eyes as he motioned for Zachary to answer the phone.

Zachary first cleared his throat, then his expression turned groggy, as if he had just been woken from a deep sleep.

Only then did he swipe to answer, his tone impatient. “Yeah? Who is it?”

“It’s me. Where are you right now?” a cool, female voice came from the other end.

Zachary Jacobs seemed to jolt awake, his voice instantly turning sycophantic.

“Lowell?! I’m at home, sleeping. Did you need me for something? Just give the word!”

His seamless performance was an eye-opener for everyone watching.

Damn, so you could act like that? They had learned a new trick!

“Get your ass up. I sent you a file. I need you to investigate this person thoroughly.”

“Hold on, let me take a look.”

Zachary Jacobs opened the chat message on his phone, and the file he saw left him completely stunned.

“The deputy director of The Lowell Group’s tech department? Why are you investigating him? Don’t tell me he’s a mole for… wait, this file doesn’t look right. What’s the situation?”

Zachary Jacobs noticed something odd about the file, realizing this was probably more complicated than just a corporate mole.

The voice on the other end sounded a bit hoarse. “Do you remember Lance Young?”

Zachary Jacobs froze on the spot, his mouth opening and closing several times without a single sound escaping.

Nolan Crawford, who was beside him, quickly nudged him, trying to snap him out of it.

When Zachary Jacobs finally came to his senses, his expression was incredibly grim.

“You mean… that Lance Young? But isn’t he dead?”

Hearing that familiar yet distant name, Nina Jennings’s expression seemed to go blank for a moment.

The balloon in her hand dropped to the ground as she stared at Zachary Jacobs in astonishment.

Silas Lynch hurried to her side, his gaze filled with concern.

Leo Grant caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, and his gaze toward the phone darkened.

“Lance Young disappeared suddenly back then. He vanished without a trace, and we never had direct evidence that he was dead.

This guy Andy, whom I saw at The Lowell Group today, has a circular, penetrating scar on the palm of his right hand, of a similar size, covered by a newer scar.

His face is different, and there are no signs of injury, but he just gives me a very familiar, very strange feeling.

Plus, he submitted his resume to The Lowell Group last year, about a month after our reality show aired. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

Zachary Jacobs’s expression was a complex mix of anger, sorrow, and disbelief.

“So you suspect this Andy could be Lance Young, that he never actually died back then?!”

“I don’t know. But whether he’s Lance Young or not, there’s something wrong with him. First, we need to find a way to uncover his true identity and motives.

Specifically, check if he has a history of plastic surgery and find out the origin of those two scars on his right hand. And do it quickly.

He’s in charge of several projects at The Lowell Group. I’ll start digging from my end and see if he’s tampered with anything else.”

“Okay, I’m on it. But Lowell, if it really is him, I want to handle it myself this time.”

Zachary Jacobs’s knuckles were white from gripping his phone, and his voice was so cold it could freeze water.

“I know what you’re going to say—that you were the one who hurt him, and since he chose to join The Lowell Group, he must be coming for you. But you weren’t the only one involved back then. Let me handle him personally this time, can you?”

The other end of the line fell silent.

Zachary Jacobs raised his voice. “Yvonne Lowell! Say something! Are you planning to take this all on by yourself again?!”

Leo Grant’s fingers curled slightly, his inquisitive gaze fixed on him.

After a long moment, a sigh seemed to come through the phone.

“Just investigate first. I’ve already sent Leon to check out the orphanage mentioned in the file. Also, tell Felix to come to Kingsland personally with more men. Double the protection on the Lowell and Sutton Families.”

“Okay, I got it.”

‘No matter how it goes down,’ Zachary Jacobs thought, ‘I’ll be the one to deliver the final blow.’

After Zachary Jacobs hung up, before he could say a word, Leo Grant spoke first.

“There’s a computer in the study. William Lynch will help you.”

“Thanks, brother-in-law.”

Zachary Jacobs gave him a grateful smile, then turned to Nina Jennings. “Nina, have Felix come to Kingsland himself. And tell him to bring plenty of backup.”

“Okay.”

Nina Jennings knew this wasn’t the time for questions, so she took out her phone and walked aside to make a call.

Watching the two of them walk off in different directions, Nolan Crawford was completely baffled. He walked over to Leo Grant and asked quietly,

“Bro, what the hell is going on? I don’t understand any of that.”

Leo Grant shot him a sidelong glance. “Are you done with your work? If so, you can do everyone else’s too.”

‘He just babbles on and on all day,’ he thought, ‘as if I understood what was happening either.’

“Nope, not done! I’ll get right back to it.”

Nolan Crawford pouted and went back to work, feeling wronged.

‘After all that drama, I thought the proposal was off.’

Leo Grant thought for a moment, then took out his phone and sent a message to Caleb Lowell: [Call, angry, reason?]

The reply came back quickly: [Not sure yet. I’ve got people on it. You just focus on preparing the proposal for my sister. But she seems a little off, so keep an eye on her later. Also, stop texting in code next time. My sister can’t see my messages, you dumbass.]

Leo Grant couldn’t help but twitch his lips. ‘I send three words, and Caleb Lowell sends back a whole novel?’

‘He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he? He’s just looking for an excuse to pick a fight because he’s annoyed with me, right? Just finding a random reason to curse me out?’

‘Wasn’t this his idea in the first place?! Argh!’

Still, he had received a positive response, so he didn’t press the matter further for now.

He called Ian Lynch over, whispered a few words in his ear, and Ian turned and left the villa.

Leo Grant himself continued to diligently decorate the venue. Since Yvonne Lowell hadn’t told him anything, he would pretend he didn’t know.

Besides, proposing to Yvonne Lowell on her 20th birthday was something he had planned long ago.

After returning from abroad, he had gone to see the Lowell Family behind Yvonne Lowell’s back. They had relented and agreed to help him coordinate.

‘The day is tomorrow. At this point, it doesn’t matter if it’s Andy or even Ultraman Tiga himself showing up—nothing is going to stop this. Whatever it was, it can wait until after tomorrow. But still… who is Lance Young?’