Chapter 104: Julian Fletcher Threatens Me Again

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Julian Fletcher Threatens Me Again

When he saw I was dazed, the little boy rushed over and hugged my leg, holding on tightly and refusing to let go.

"Sweetie, how about I take you home?" the policewoman coaxed gently.

The little boy shook his head, crying, and kept his arms wrapped around my leg.

I looked up at Asher, feeling dazed and helpless.

’My heart was in turmoil.’

’These two children... they definitely know me.’

’The one who was incited to kill Erin Whittaker, and now this little one right here.’

"He likes you. You can take him home," Asher said, stepping forward to block Zeke Shaw’s line of sight.

’I felt a pang of guilt. I was afraid Zeke Shaw would see right through me.’

"Since the boy is so attached to you, you can take him home for now if you’re willing," Zeke Shaw relented.

I breathed a sigh of relief and took the boy’s hand. "Do you want to come home with me?"

The little boy nodded obediently.

"What’s your name?" I asked, crouching down to his level.

His eyes were large. He stared at me for a moment before answering cleverly, "Miss, my name is Kyle."

I smiled. "You’re a good boy, Kyle."

Kyle held my hand and refused to let go. Zeke Shaw and the policewoman left, and Assistant Foster, having received a call, was already on his way to pick us up.

"Miss..." As soon as the police were gone, Kyle hid behind me, staring at Asher in terror.

He was scared.

Scared of Asher.

Asher, in turn, looked at Kyle coldly.

"You don’t like him?" I ventured.

Asher looked away, feigning innocence and trying to sound benevolent. "Not at all. I’m the one who takes care of all those stray dogs."

’But by lumping Kyle in with stray dogs, I could still hear the dislike in Asher’s voice.’

Kyle didn’t like Asher either and watched him with constant vigilance.

"Young Master, Madam." Assistant Foster had arrived and gestured for us to come forward.

I took Kyle’s hand and was about to get into the car, but when I turned back, I saw Asher standing stock-still, his head bowed, clearly unhappy.

"Aren’t you getting in?" I asked, looking at Asher in confusion.

He suddenly held his hand out to me. "You said you’d never lose me."

He was asking how I could hold another child’s hand.

I felt a bit helpless, but given Asher’s special circumstances, I had no choice but to go over and coax him. "Come on, let’s get in the car."

Asher looked at my outstretched hand and took it.

Then, he shot a provocative look at Kyle. "Let go of her. She’s mine."

Kyle trembled in fear. He hid behind me but still managed to talk back to Asher. "No, she’s not! Silvia is mine!"

’This time, I was certain. This child definitely knew Silvia Lynch.’

Afraid that Silvia Lynch’s secrets would be exposed, I quickly ushered them both into the car.

"Silvia, can you tell the police to let my brother go? He did it to pay for my medical treatment," Kyle said cautiously.

I lowered my gaze, unsure of what to say.

"Kyle... how did we meet?" I whispered, asking him secretly while we were on the road.

"Silvia?" Kyle looked at me and whispered, "Are we supposed to pretend we don’t know each other now, too?"

’My heart sank. I was screwed. Not only did they know each other, but Silvia Lynch had told this child to pretend they were strangers in public.’

’Now I was even more certain: Silvia Lynch had a connection to the murderer.’

Back at the Lancaster estate, the butler had a lavish breakfast prepared. By the time we finished eating, day had broken.

Kyle wolfed down his food. It was clear he had been starving.

Asher ate with his head down, glancing up at me from time to time.

"Silvia... can I take the leftovers with me?" Kyle asked, seemingly worried about something as he pointed to the uneaten breakfast.

I nodded and asked a maid to pack up the food for Kyle.

’I had to find out what other secrets this child was hiding.’

’I had to get to the bottom of this.’

After breakfast, I coaxed Asher into taking a sedative and got him to go to sleep.

Once Asher was asleep, I secretly followed Kyle.

Kyle left the Lancaster estate and ran into an alley, winding his way through a maze of backstreets.

I followed him until my legs ached.

Finally, in a small, abandoned factory, I saw Kyle with seven or eight other children around his age.

Most of the children had disabilities. Some had only one arm, which looked like a birth defect. Others couldn’t speak, and some were blind from birth.

"I brought you all some food," Kyle announced, acting like a little grown-up as he handed out the food.

’I was stunned. These children... why weren’t they in an orphanage? The social welfare policies nowadays should be much better than they used to be.’

"Kyle, where did you get the food?" a little girl asked happily.

Kyle answered proudly, "Silvia gave it to me. But you can’t tell anyone. If you ever see her, you have to pretend you don’t know her, understand?"

Hiding by the door, I felt a surge of panic, but it was overshadowed by a deep heartache.

These children seemed to hold Silvia Lynch in high regard.

’So what exactly was the relationship between Silvia Lynch and these children?’

"When is Miss Rose getting out of the hospital? Is she going to be okay?" a little boy whispered.

"She’ll be fine," Kyle said, sitting down dejectedly. "With Silvia around, she’ll definitely get better."

I listened to the children’s conversation in astonishment.

’Miss Rose? Silvia Lynch’s grandmother? The same grandmother Charles Lynch used as leverage against her?’

’I suddenly remembered—since I was reborn into this life, I hadn’t once gone to see Silvia Lynch’s grandmother.’

’It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go; I didn’t dare.’

’The people closest to you are often the first to notice the slightest change.’

’I’m not Silvia Lynch, and her grandmother would surely be able to tell.’

’No matter what lies I might weave.’

’But now, it looked like I had to bite the bullet and go see her.’

’These children were connected to Silvia Lynch and her grandmother, and Kyle’s brother was connected to the murderer.’

’Everything felt like it was strung together on a single thread. Everyone was a part of it, and any one of them could be the killer.’

’There was no escape for anyone.’

As I left the alley, I planned to head to the hospital first, but a black sedan was parked by the curb. The window rolled down, and sitting in the back was Julian Fletcher.

’Was he following me?’

’Has this man completely lost his mind?’

"Julian Fletcher, what the hell do you want?" ’Yesterday he tried to force me to meet him at the office, and now he’s following me. Does he have nothing better to do?’

Julian Fletcher seemed to know that I wouldn’t go to his office today, no matter how he threatened me.

His expression was flat, his voice devoid of warmth. "Get in."

I turned to walk away.

"If Zeke Shaw found out that you’ve been secretly supporting these children all this time, what do you think would happen? Do you think the police would bring you in for questioning? The prime suspect for inciting these children to kill Erin Whittaker... wouldn’t that be you?" Julian Fletcher’s voice was low and menacing.

He was confident I would yield.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face Julian Fletcher.

’For him to say that, he must have already investigated everything.’

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I retorted, clenching my fists.

"After your adoptive parents died, you lived in the countryside with your grandmother, Rose Wright, from the age of ten. To help you find your birth parents, she brought you to the city when you were thirteen, where you both survived by collecting trash. This little gang of yours has pretty much all benefited from your grandmother’s kindness," Julian Fletcher said, tossing a pile of photos at my feet.

I bent down and picked up the photos. They were, indeed, pictures of Silvia Lynch with the children.

"You were found by the Lynn Family when you were eighteen. Afterwards, you frequently stole from them, sold the items, and used the money to support these children. Am I wrong?" Julian Fletcher watched me with cold eyes. "Losing those things wasn’t a big deal to the Lynn Family, but your sister, Noelle Lynch, found out you were stealing. She used it to threaten you and deliberately called the police to humiliate you. After that, you, the long-lost daughter from the countryside, became infamous throughout Meridia, shaming your parents to the point they wished you’d never been born."

"Two months ago, a scrawny kid played on a woman’s sympathy and lured her into an alley. The woman disappeared, and not long after, her body was discovered," Julian Fletcher continued.