Chapter 300: It’s Me

A flicker of guilt flashed through Kevin Hawthorne’s eyes. His gaze darted about, not daring to meet Jared Hawthorne’s deep, dark eyes for even a second.

“Of course I remember. I was the one who personally led the search for you back then. For that entire time, no one in the family slept a wink. Thankfully, you returned safely in the end. You were lucky to be alive—truly blessed by the heavens!”

Jared leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees. His dark pupils locked onto Kevin, and an overwhelming pressure emanated from him.

“Uncle, back then, were you genuinely hoping I was alive, or did you just want to confirm whether or not I was dead?”

Kevin Hawthorne stiffened. A look of feigned confusion quickly spread across his face as he played dumb.

“Jared, where is this coming from? Are you suggesting that I was behind the assassination attempt all those years ago?”

Jared’s thin lips pressed together. He remained silent.

His silence was the sharpest accusation.

“That’s utter nonsense! You’re my own nephew! How could I possibly order a hit on you? Even if I were a fool, I would never be so utterly depraved! Have you forgotten? When you were a child, I doted on you more than anyone!”

Kevin frantically recounted their meager shared affections from the past, trying to use old sentiment to cover everything up. He put on a frank and innocent act, as if the fatal assassination attempt from over a decade ago truly had nothing to do with him.

For all these years, his acting had been superb, his disguise seamless. He had fooled everyone in the Hawthorne family. But now that Jared had already uncovered the truth, watching this performance with cold eyes, he found it clumsy and full of holes.

“You can drop the act, Uncle. The assassins who came after me back then belonged to the Black Dragon Society.” Jared’s voice was level, but every word made Kevin’s heart pound in terror. “I recently captured the middleman who took the job. He’s already confessed that you contacted him in secret and paid a hefty sum to have me killed.”

The words struck him like a clap of thunder. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Kevin shot to his feet, his composure shattered. His face was a mask of rage and disbelief.

“That’s pure slander! Someone is deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us! Jared, you must not believe such malicious lies! I’m your own uncle. Anyone in this world might harm you, but I never would!”

“I wanted to believe you, Uncle,” Jared said, his eyes turning cold, his tone devoid of emotion. “But the man gave me something. Don’t you want to see it for yourself?”

Before Kevin could argue, Jared glanced at Leon Quillan, who stood beside him.

Leon immediately stepped forward and held out a yellowed, old envelope.

The moment Kevin saw the envelope, the color drained from his face. His body trembled slightly.

‘Of course he remembered this thing.’

‘It was the secret letter he had personally written to Hector Garland of the Black Dragon Society over a decade ago!’

Seeing him frozen in place, not daring to take it, Jared narrowed his dark eyes. A chilling coldness swirled in their depths, suffocating and intense.

“Uncle, aren’t you going to open it and have a look?”

Kevin’s fingers were stiff as he tremblingly took the envelope and slowly unfolded the letter inside. As the familiar handwriting came into view, his face grew paler by the second until it was completely ashen.

“You practiced calligraphy with Grandfather since you were a child, Uncle. Your finishing strokes have always had a characteristic upward tilt,” Jared said calmly. “No one should be more familiar with this handwriting than you.”

Kevin’s wrist jerked violently, the letter nearly slipping from his grasp. He scrambled to offer a panicked defense.

“Someone could have deliberately forged my handwriting! This is a setup, a malicious frame-up! Jared, please don’t misunderstand me. Don’t fall into this villain’s trap!”

‘After more than ten years, there was no way he would willingly confess.’

‘He had long since lost the old man’s favor. Jared now held all the power in the Hawthorne family; confronting him head-on would be pointless. Once Grandfather learned the truth of what happened back then, he would surely disown him completely.’

‘Without the Hawthorne family to back him, he wouldn’t be able to survive in Northolme. All his wealth, status, and power would vanish in an instant. Even putting food on the table would become a struggle!’

‘Knowing Grandfather, it was very likely he would cut him off financially and sever all ties.’

“It seems you’re dead set on not admitting it, Uncle.” Jared straightened up, his voice indifferent but radiating absolute control. “No matter. I’ve already captured the person you contacted back then. I’ll take you to confront him face-to-face. If that doesn’t clear things up, we can always get a forensic handwriting analysis. If it truly has nothing to do with you, I, Jared Hawthorne, will personally apologize.”

With that, he turned and walked straight out.

Leon Quillan stepped forward. His posture was respectful, but his manner was firm and unyielding.

“Second Master, if you please.”

Kevin’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach. His face was ashen.

He finally understood completely. Jared had brought him to M-Country precisely because he knew Kevin would be isolated and helpless, with no one to turn to, completely at his mercy!

No matter how much he resisted, it was futile. Leon Quillan and Maxim Chandler flanked him, gripping his arms firmly. Half-supporting, half-escorting, they forced him forward.

The dim dungeon never saw the light of day. Only a single ray of dawn slanted through a narrow, barred window, piercing the oppressive darkness. The air was thick with the heavy scent of rust and the faint smell of blood, and the cold was bone-chilling.

On an iron bed in the center of the interrogation room lay a man covered in wounds. His thigh was wrapped in thick gauze, dark red bloodstains soaking through the layers of fabric. His face was as pale as paper, his breathing shallow. He looked to be on the verge of death.

Hearing approaching footsteps, the man struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.

The moment he saw Kevin Hawthorne, a desperate spark of life ignited in his dull, dead eyes.

“Silas! It’s him! That’s the man!”

The man struggled to sit up, panting heavily, his voice clear and certain.

“Over ten years ago, he was the one who contacted me! He offered me eight hundred thousand to eliminate Jared Hawthorne!”

“But that kid was too damn lucky. Not only did he not die, but even the assassins I sent were taken out in Northolme.”

“Afterward, he was afraid I’d leak the secret, so he secretly paid me another five hundred thousand in hush money to shut me up for good! Every word I’m saying is the truth, without a single lie! I’m begging you, please spare my life!”

‘In their line of work, paying for silence after a hit was common practice. He had treated it as a normal transaction back then, never imagining it would become a ticking time bomb for him today.’

Kevin’s eyes were practically bursting from their sockets as he roared in fury.

“Utter nonsense! I don’t know you at all! Who put you up to framing me like this?!”

‘Back then, all his contact with Hector Garland had been done secretly online. They had never met, and he had no idea what the man looked like. He was certain the other party couldn’t possibly recognize him.’

‘No meetings, no traces. That was the rule they had agreed on to save their own skins.’

“You may not have seen me, but I’ve seen you!” Hector Garland leaned against the cold wall, struggling to steady his breathing. He stared intently at Kevin, his tone absolutely certain. “When my men were taken out in Northolme, I sent someone to retrieve the bodies. My man took a photo of you and sent it back! Even if you were burned to ashes, I’d still recognize your face!”

Kevin’s face flushed crimson. His cover blown, he flew into a rage born of shame and pointed a finger at Hector, roaring.

“Lies! All lies! If you dare to keep slandering me, I’ll kill you today!”

Hector gasped for air, and upon hearing this, a deeply mocking smile spread across his face.

“I’ve already told them everything! Even if you kill me, you can’t wash away the dirty deeds of the past! You don’t even have the guts to admit what you did. What kind of man are you!”

The blatant taunt completely shattered the last of Kevin’s composure.

His eyes bloodshot, he lunged forward recklessly, his fingers tightening viciously around Hector’s neck, his murderous intent on full display.

Leon stepped forward, his hand shooting out to grip Kevin’s wrist with unerring precision. His hold was strong, instantly restraining him and rendering him immobile.

“Second Master, calm down,” Leon said in a low voice. “Acting like this will only make people think you’re lashing out in shame and trying to silence him.”

“I’m not!”

Kevin struggled, whipping his head around to look desperately at Jared beside him, his eyes filled with panicked denial.

“Jared, believe me! I didn’t do it!”

But Jared remained standing where he was, his expression as placid as still water. There wasn’t a ripple of emotion in his dark eyes, only a bone-deep coldness and detachment.

“I only believe in evidence and facts,” he said, his tone flat but absolute. “Uncle, it seems you won’t give up until you’re faced with the grim reality. In that case, we’ll wait for the handwriting analysis. I can afford to wait. I’m in no hurry.”

That one casual sentence completely shattered Kevin’s last shred of hope.

His lips moved, but no sound came out. His face was a ghastly mix of blue and white.

‘Jared didn’t believe him!’

‘No matter what he said, he wouldn’t believe him.’

Just then, Hector, who had caught his breath, suddenly shouted.

“I have more evidence! I still have all the records of the payments he made to me back then!”

“In our business, you never give someone else leverage over you.”

“It’s a rule of the trade. Every shady deal, every off-the-books account, every contract killing—I keep a separate, archived record of each one.”

At these words, Kevin went cold and stiff. His face turned ashen, and all the fight went out of him.

‘They had agreed: no evidence, no contact. But Hector Garland had broken the rules and kept leverage from their transaction.’

Jared said calmly, “Uncle, is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“It was me!” Kevin knew there was no point in denying it anymore. Giving up all pretense, he confessed. “I was the one behind the attempt to kill you. Grandfather was willing to let you inherit the Forrester Corporation, but wouldn’t give it to me, his own son. I was consumed by jealousy. In a moment of madness, I wanted to get rid of you. Since my older brother wasn’t interested in the business, the Hawthorne Group would be left without an heir, and I could swoop in and become the sole candidate to take over!”

Years ago, he had accidentally overheard a conversation between Grandfather and his brother, Bernard, outside the study. They said that once Jared came of age, he would inherit the family business and take over the company. Before that, Kevin had asked to be given a position at the head office, but Grandfather had always been evasive and never granted his request.

At the time, he was jealous and furious. He felt that Jared was standing in his way and decided he had to be eliminated.

So, through a friend, he found out about the Black Dragon Society in the Middle East. As long as you paid, they would take any job. Their assassins were experienced and decisive. Once the mission was complete, they would leave Northolme, so even if Grandfather investigated, he wouldn’t find any clues.

But who would have thought? The assassins failed. They killed the driver but were killed in return, and Jared went missing! What was even more unexpected was that just a few months later, Jared was sent back, completely unharmed!

Jared’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Uncle, even without me, Grandfather would never entrust the Hawthorne family to someone like you—a man unfit for responsibility, who would plot to murder his own nephew.”

Kevin’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He slowly closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. “It’s come to this. Kill me or torture me, do as you please!”