Chapter 251 - 250: The Fletchers Absolutely Cannot Be Trusted

Chapter 251: Chapter 250: The Fletchers Absolutely Cannot Be Trusted

"I’m a Silver Diamond Level member of this club..." Killian Lancaster’s reply seemed to evade my question, yet it answered it all the same.

The Global Chamber of Commerce.

A networking gala for the world’s top magnates.

It was a place people would kill to get into. To join, one needed more than just substantial assets; the Chamber also comprehensively assessed a candidate’s intelligence, wealth, abilities, and social status.

In other words, it was a playground for capital.

Killian Lancaster was telling Asher and me that if we wanted to get closer to the truth, we had to get into this club first.

"Joining isn’t that easy." The corner of Killian Lancaster’s mouth lifted. "In the entire Meridia Chamber of Commerce, only the mysterious CEO behind Astraeus Group is ranked above me... at the Golden Diamond Level. As for the CEO of the Fletcher Group, Julian Fletcher, he’s a Silver Diamond Member, recommended by his mother, Wendy Donnelly."

Killian Lancaster chuckled and spoke again. "Back in the day, Marcus Lancaster was a figure who made it into the Chamber’s top ten. You have to understand... he was the only one in all of Meridia to do so. My father wanted Marcus to recommend him, but Marcus refused every time. My father believed Marcus looked down on him, which created a rift between them. Now, the fact that I’ve reached this position has become a source of bragging rights for him."

’The rift in the Lancaster family must have started back then. Master Lancaster was extremely ambitious and vain, hell-bent on climbing to the top.’

’From what I knew, the Global Chamber of Commerce held the lifeblood of the global economy. Only by joining could you leverage its powerful network and resources to carve out your own path...’

’You could say that once you were in, even if you started as a nobody with nothing to your name, you could become one of the elite—as long as you possessed extraordinary abilities in a certain field.’

’For example, in fields like medicine or science...’

’The Chamber’s hierarchy was incredibly strict. The handful of members at the very top were global titans, the kind of people you only see on the news. They typically controlled the economic lifeblood of their respective countries—true masters of the financial world who could change fortunes with the flip of a hand.’

’Below them were several different tiers, such as Golden Diamond, Silver Diamond, and White Diamond.’

’Meridia’s business landscape played a significant role in the global economy, yet in the entire city, only the CEO of Astraeus Group had reached the Golden Diamond ranks.’

’The Fletcher family certainly had the capital to enter this circle. However, before my rebirth, I’d heard Mrs. Fletcher mention it with a tone of disdain. She explicitly forbade Julian Fletcher from getting involved, let alone joining.’

’So why did Julian Fletcher choose to join?’

’Was he also trying to investigate the truth?’

"The CEO of Astraeus Group... just who is he...?" I murmured.

Killian Lancaster’s gaze fell on Asher. "You sold the whole Lancaster family business to him, Brother. You were hoping to get into the club with a recommendation from the CEO of Astraeus Group, weren’t you?"

To get into the club, you need a recommendation from an existing member and have to pass multiple rounds of vetting.

’So Asher got close to Astraeus for this?’

"If you don’t work with me, Brother, with your abilities..." Killian Lancaster’s words were laced with sarcasm and condescension. "It’ll be too difficult to get in. Besides, the CEO of Astraeus Group is a mysterious and fickle man. Even if you sold him the Lancaster Group, there’s no guarantee he’d recommend you. You’d be better off relying on my recommendation." Killian Lancaster was very self-assured.

He was confident Asher had no other choice.

"Hah... In the end, without any real assets to your name, you’re just a Silver Diamond Member with an empty title of ’business prodigy.’ Instead of begging for your recommendation, we’d be better off cooperating with Julian Fletcher. At least... he has the entire Fletcher Group backing him," I said coldly, hoping to take him down a peg.

But Killian Lancaster wasn’t flustered in the slightest. He seemed certain Asher wouldn’t turn to Julian Fletcher. "Let’s not even mention that my brother and Julian Fletcher are hardly on friendly terms... Let’s talk about the Fletcher Group. Can you really trust them? Victor Quinn’s relationship with the Fletcher Group’s Mrs. Fletcher, Wendy Donnelly, is anything but ordinary... Victor Quinn is a core figure in The Genetics Organization. And Wendy Donnelly? Do you really think she’s clean?"

I froze for a moment, my head snapping up.

’Killian Lancaster was right...’

"Wendy Donnelly knew Cecilia Caldwell was a test subject. She knew she was The Genetics Organization’s most valuable guinea pig, yet she deliberately kept Cecilia close, binding her to her side with the prospect of marriage to her son... It was a form of surveillance, and also an experiment—an emotional cognition experiment." Killian Lancaster smiled at me. "From Cecilia’s amnesia, to her entanglement with Julian Fletcher, and all the way to her death, everything was arranged. That Wendy Donnelly... she’s no simple woman."

’Julian Fletcher’s mother... was very likely a member of The Genetics Organization...’

"No... It’s not possible." My voice was hoarse as I took a step back instinctively.

’From my amnesia after the car crash, to Mrs. Fletcher taking me in, to my mistaken belief that Julian Fletcher was my savior... Then the so-called engagement, the tempest of love and hate, the daily torment, Julian Fletcher’s mistrust...’

’Mrs. Fletcher couldn’t have been ignorant of any of it. Nothing in the Fletcher family escaped her notice, yet she never intervened.’

’Mrs. Fletcher had even been the one to deliberately take away my positive pregnancy test...’

’Mrs. Fletcher... she truly felt nothing for me. She just saw me as an experiment.’

’Did she make her own son part of it all?’

Hah... It was all a lie. All of it.

"You can’t trust the Fletcher family," Killian Lancaster said with a small smile.

I looked at Killian Lancaster. He exuded the confidence of a master strategist, moving his pieces into place. He was undeniably brilliant, and he carried the air of superiority that often comes with it.

"I’ll be waiting for your call, Brother." Killian Lancaster placed his business card in Asher’s hand and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he glanced back and smiled at me. "Sister-in-law... you’re a very valuable asset. You’d better stay alive... and take good care of yourself."

I clenched my fists, a chill creeping down my spine.

He said I was valuable, which probably meant my very existence made me an object of observation for these powerful people—their little guinea pig.

They were like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, watching me.

Observing my every move, seeing if I could break through the obstacles they laid out, seeing if I could produce the results they desired... and only then could I be put into large-scale "production."

Hah... I staggered back, feeling weak. Every word out of Killian Lancaster’s mouth seemed designed to make me unravel.

I started to feel afraid, to feel dazed. I felt like there were cameras everywhere, watching me.

Even breathing felt numb.

"Cece..." Asher pulled me into his arms. "Don’t listen to him. Don’t be afraid."

I clutched Asher’s clothes, my eyes darting around warily.

Now, I felt like even the passersby were watching me.

"Cece..."

"Home... Asher, take me home." I gripped Asher’s collar, my breathing ragged, my voice choked with sobs. "Asher... take me home."

’Please, just hide me away.’

’They want to observe me, but by what right? By what right do I have to be their guinea pig, displayed in a cage?’

’By what right!’

I wanted to scream, to fight back.

"AH!" A sudden, sharp pain lanced through my head. I clutched my hair and sank to the ground.

Memories started flooding back... why I had lost my mind, why I had self-harmed, why I had run away with Asher, and why we were "captured" in that warehouse.

It was because I’d overheard my parents on the phone, reporting my every move, my development, and my abnormal behaviors to their superiors.

I had flown into a panic. I wanted to escape. I begged Asher to run away with me.

I begged him to hide me.

"We’re going home, Cece. We’re going home," Asher said frantically, holding me as his own body trembled.

He was afraid of me remembering the past, afraid I would be triggered again and start hurting myself...

But as soon as Killian Lancaster returned, he had dragged me back to Hell with just a few sentences.

"Cece!"

My consciousness began to blur, and the pain made my legs give out, sending me to my knees.

When I came to my senses, my hands were covered in blood.

I had been scratching my own face with my nails. I had been hurting myself without even realizing it...

I lifted my head, staring grimly into the distance. I knew someone was watching me.

"I will find you..." My voice was raspy.

I will find you. And I will eliminate every single person who threatens Asher and me... one by one.