Chapter 188 - 187: The First Sword of Retribution

Cole froze for a moment, seemingly confused by her abrupt change of topic, but he answered truthfully nonetheless.

"My mother passed away during childbirth with my younger brother. It was a difficult delivery, and both of them died."

"As for the other two branches of the family, I’m not sure. I’ve never heard any news about them having a second child, and they don’t even have any illegitimate children. Maybe they just can’t?"

Zachary Jacobs stole a glance at Cole’s face before saying softly, "Well... that’s what I was about to get to. There’s more to your mother’s death. It wasn’t really due to complications in childbirth."

Cole’s pupils constricted, and he shot to his feet. "What do you mean?! Didn’t my mother and the baby die from an amniotic fluid embolism and massive blood loss?!"

"Before your mother went into labor, your aunt secretly met with the attending physician responsible for the delivery three times. Afterward, that doctor resigned and a large sum of cash was suddenly deposited into her bank account."

A murderous glint flashed in Cole’s eyes. "So it was that woman, Deloria. She’s the one who murdered my mother?!"

At this point, it was a wonder Cole was even willing to use her name, let alone call her "aunt."

"That’s about the long and short of it. But as you know, evidence like surveillance footage and audio from ten years ago is very difficult to find."

"But don’t worry. I found out the doctor was afraid of your aunt’s retaliation, so she and her family immigrated to Country X. I’ve already sent people to find her."

"As for your second uncle and aunt only having one child... that’s probably related to her too."

"She had a long-standing order on the black market for a specific type of scented candle. Prolonged inhalation can cause infertility. Even if pregnancy occurs, it will end in a miscarriage."

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. ’Isn’t this basically the same as the musk that’s a staple in every palace-intrigue drama? Are foreigners really this low-tech? It took them thousands of years to catch on.’

"Those scented candles you mentioned, are they purple?" Cole pressed.

"They’re discontinued now, but I’ve seen old pictures. They came in all kinds of colors, and you could even choose the fragrance, but the effect was always the same."

After a pause, Zachary Jacobs continued, "Why? Have you seen them before?"

Cole slumped back onto the sofa, his expression so grim it defied description. He managed a difficult nod.

"She gave some to my parents, too. Said they were scented candles that worked wonders as a sleep aid. If they worked well, she’d get us more."

"But my mother had just found out she was pregnant at the time, so they were just left in the storage room, unused. And Deloria herself... it seems she was using them, too."

Zachary Jacobs stroked his chin and clicked his tongue. "Then she was using them to keep her husband in check. Your aunt is one ruthless woman. She only has one kid herself, so she can focus on paving the way for her only son without having to worry about her husband having an illegitimate child on the side."

"We’ll find out the whole truth once we locate that doctor. What about the explosion ten years ago? Did you find anything?"

Yvonne Lowell asked, glancing at Cole, who was lost in his anguish.

’Better to rip the band-aid off. Laying the whole bloody truth out at once is better than a slow, torturous death by a thousand cuts later.’

As soon as she finished speaking, Cole looked up, his gaze fixed urgently on Zachary Jacobs on the screen.

"Do you know of the Brown Family in your country, Country A?" Zachary Jacobs asked Cole.

Cole thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Never heard of them. I’m guessing they aren’t a prominent family?"

"They’re just an obscure, third-rate family. But before your second uncle and aunt were married, your aunt was in a relationship with the current Family Head of the Brown Family. In fact, you could say they’re still involved."

"The temp who planted the bomb was hired by someone Brown sent. They only paid him a deposit. Shortly after he planted it, he was silenced. That’s why when you found him, he was already dead, right?"

Cole nodded, his eyes rimmed with red. "We only found a body. The scene was staged to look like a suicide. But if the target was my second uncle, why plant the bomb in my father’s car?"

"Are you dense? It was obviously your aunt’s idea," Zachary Jacobs said, rolling his eyes. "Weren’t your father and your uncle heading to the same place that day? How could she pass up a golden opportunity to take them both out at once?"

"Your second uncle has no ambition. He’s happy to just be a freeloader, living his whole life under the protection of his father and yours. And as long as your father was alive, her daughter’s chances of getting ahead were slim to none."

"If you hadn’t been so headstrong back then and had just left, she probably would have either molded you into a useless waste or just had you killed off long ago."

Cole gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Now her daughter wants to kill me, too. Nothing’s changed."

Yvonne Lowell’s fingers tapped on the armrest of the sofa. "Jackie," she said, "send someone to get close to Vena and Brown. Get DNA samples from both of them for a paternity test."

Zachary Jacobs clapped his hands sharply. "Lowell, you’re thinking the same thing I am, aren’t you? That’s exactly what I was about to say! Brown and Vena have been meeting secretly for years. He’s helped her with a lot of dirty work, and they’re as close as a real father and daughter! I’ve already sent people to get the DNA samples!"

"You mean... it’s very likely Vena isn’t my second uncle’s biological daughter?!" Cole asked, stunned.

"Are you an idiot?!" Zachary Jacobs said in exasperation. "You think Brown would be this good to her just because her mother was his first love?"

"Lowell was right. The moment you have to deal with your messed-up family, you stop thinking straight."

Cole thought, ’We’re supposed to be discussing the case, why’s he making it personal...’

He said sheepishly, "I always thought she didn’t look much like my second uncle, and her personality is completely different. I just figured she was so arrogant because her parents spoiled her."

Zachary Jacobs pursed his lips. "After years of her mother’s influence, even if she wasn’t born rotten, she’s certainly not a good person now."

A playful smile touched Yvonne Lowell’s lips as she turned to Cole.

"Why? Does it really matter to you whether she’s his biological daughter or not? Haven’t the things she’s done been enough for you to put justice before family?"

Cole shook his head firmly, his eyes filled with a cold glint. "Of course it doesn’t matter. It would just be the icing on the cake. With that paternity report, I’ll have one less competitor without even having to lift a finger."

"The murderers who killed my parents, my brother, and my second uncle—not a single one of them will get away. And it’s time to settle the score for all the assassination attempts against me over the years."

’Even if they aren’t father and daughter, he can *make* them father and daughter.’

Yvonne Lowell finally nodded, satisfied. This was the Cole she knew.

The first strike in the art of revenge: sever all useless family ties.

And look at that. The moment he did, he started thinking clearly again.