Chapter 189 - 188: You Died Just Like That?

"Cole, I’ve compiled the criminal evidence on those brutes and sent it to you in a document. As for the attending physician and the paternity test results, give me another day. I’ll get back to you tomorrow afternoon."

After a pause, Zachary Jacobs added a word of caution,

"Oh, and that Old Biddington, Brown, is definitely not as simple as he seems. He hides it deep. It took me a long time to dig up the truth about that explosion.

Be careful when you confront him. I’ll keep digging to see if there’s anything else."

Cole nodded quickly. "Got it. Thanks for this, Scorpion."

"Pfft, what’s the big deal? We go way back. Never mind that I, Young Master Jacobs, am handsome and kind-hearted; our ride-or-die friendship alone is reason enough for me to help."

Zachary Jacobs yawned. "It’s late. This handsome guy needs his beauty sleep, or I won’t be the most handsome man in the world anymore. Goodnigh—"

Well, he didn’t even get to finish his little performance before the screen went black. No need to guess who was behind that.

Far away in Kingsland, Zachary Jacobs stared at the disconnected video call and only dared to mutter,

"Damn! Yvonne Lowell, you get me every time. You use me and then toss me aside. It’s always ’Wynn Jones’ when there’s trouble and ’Jasmine Summers’ when things are calm!"

Yvonne Lowell: Wrong. It’s "little bro" when I need something, and "scram" when I don’t.

Cole tentatively pointed a finger at the blank screen. "Yvonne, you just hung up on him like that?"

"The call disconnected. I didn’t. Thank you."

Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Back to business. What’s your next move? Do you have a plan?"

"In a little while, I’ll have someone stir up some trouble for those good-for-nothings. As for the old man... I’m still not sure where he stands with me.

I’ll leak some of the information to him first, then find a way to meet him and feel him out."

Cole pinched the bridge of his nose. In the past, the old man might have had high hopes for him due to his maternal family’s status and his own as the eldest legitimate grandson—he’d even been given his grandfather’s name. But his departure and the years of no contact had surely disappointed the old man.

’Hearts are naturally biased, but after all this time, who’s to say if his is still biased in my favor?’

After what happened today, he could no longer assume the best of any of his relatives in the Jones Family.

’I just hope the old man doesn’t stand in the way of my revenge. If he does... I’ll still fulfill my duty to support him in his old age, but there will be no reason for the Jones Family to remain part of Country A’s aristocracy.’

Yvonne Lowell nodded thoughtfully. "That could work. After all, once you’re done with this purge, aside from you, Old Man Cole will essentially have no heirs left. The second branch of the family is one thing, but your aunt is his biological daughter. It’ll be hard to make a move against her openly."

Cole lowered his gaze, hiding the ruthless glint that flashed in his eyes. "He won’t dare to protect her. He wouldn’t be able to answer to my uncle."

’And even if he does, I have a thousand and one ’accidents’ waiting for my dear aunt.’

’A life for a life—it’s only right. Taking her one worthless life in exchange for the two lives of my mother and brother... she’s getting off easy.’

A playful look flashed in Yvonne Lowell’s eyes as she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot your eldest uncle is a Duke. And your other two uncles are no pushovers, either."

Cole’s mother was the old Duke’s youngest child, born late in his life. She was fifteen years younger than even her youngest brother and had been practically raised like a daughter by her three uncles and their wives.

They probably didn’t look too deeply into it back then. If they had known the truth about his mother’s death, they would have likely marched right over and torn the Jones Family to the ground.

Although Cole had seen his uncles only a handful of times since leaving Country A, he had never lost contact with them. Their relationship was far closer than the one he had with Old Man Cole.

’If this blockhead wasn’t so damn stubborn, he’d probably be the young lord of a ducal house right now, not some gang leader.’

’But... could that hopelessly naive air about him be hereditary?’

’Maybe it’s because Cole’s father was such a good man that his maternal relatives assumed everyone in the Jones Family was decent. Did they never once suspect them of foul play?’

’What a poor soul... No, what a bunch of poor souls...’

At this thought, the playful look in Yvonne Lowell’s eyes slowly gave way to pity.

Cole couldn’t help but shiver under her gaze. "Don’t look at me like that! My uncles are really good to me! It wasn’t them getting rid of me, I was the one who refused to go back with them!!"

"I never said they weren’t. You think I don’t know what you’re like?" Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Alright, you can contact Jackie yourself for any follow-ups. If you need a hand in Country A, you can go straight to Leon. I’ll let him know."

Cole’s eyes flickered. "The Leon you’re talking about... you don’t mean the head of the International Mercenary Corps, do you?"

"Yup. Who else? If you want to see Old Man Cole, using a visit to him as a pretext would be a good way to do it."

"Damn it! I... Wait, when did you two get together? I thought you were always at odds with each other! If you want North, just say so! It’s not like I wouldn’t give it to you. Why are you sending me to be cannon fodder?!" Cole stared at her, his expression full of reproach.

Yvonne Lowell’s expression was hard to read. "Use your brain. Have you forgotten that you and I are also supposedly ’on bad terms’? And you, cannon fodder? You think you’re worth that much?"

Cole froze for a second, his eyes widening in realization. Then, the accusations came spilling out.

"So, the International Mercenary Corps, just like North, they’re all allied with Moonshadow?! Wow! And you call yourself my friend? How could you keep something so huge from me for so long?! Do you even have a heart!"

"I wasn’t trying to hide it from you. I just didn’t think it was a big deal, so it didn’t seem necessary to bring it up."

Yvonne Lowell shrugged innocently. "But if that’s what you want to think, I can’t stop you... sis."

"You... you... you..." Cole was so furious that his pointing hand was trembling.

’Fine, fine, fine! So nothing’s a ’big deal’ to Falcon, is that it?!’

"Alright, stop stuttering." Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes. "I’m leaving. You guys handle the rest from here. Don’t come to me for anything, important or not."

With that said, Yvonne Lowell got up and left.

"Yvonne, thank you."

Just as she reached the door, Cole’s voice sounded from behind her.

This had nothing to do with North or Moonshadow, nothing to do with Falcon. This was simply Cole thanking his friend, Yvonne Lowell.

Yvonne Lowell stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. "Don’t thank me. I just don’t want a certain someone to be so blind and foolish that he gets himself killed. Then I’d have to take over North, and I really don’t have time for that."

As he watched the office door open and swing shut again, a wide grin spread across Cole’s face.

’The little sister he had once casually helped had now grown more capable than him, and in turn, was now the one shielding him from the storm.’