The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean)

Chapter 1521 The Truth Back Then

The mere thought of such a possibility deepened the grim look on his face.

Meanwhile, a glint of murderous intent flashed across the depths of his eyes.

Since the truth that was hidden years ago might see the light of day, I'm forced to show no mercy.

After giving it some thought, Albert figured that it was better to directly address the root of the problem rather than removing the clues that might be discovered.

That evening, the housekeeper came up the stairs to deliver Avery's medicine on schedule.

Not long after Avery drank it, he fell asleep.

At two in the morning, a dark figure quietly appeared in the corridor suddenly.

Like a phantom, he approached Avery's room without making a sound.

He opened the door cautiously, afraid of waking Avery, who was sleeping soundly inside.

He swiftly slipped in, gradually approaching the bed in the pitch-black room.

Bathed in the sliver of moonlight filtering through the curtain gap, the figure suddenly revealed a sinister expression. With the knife held high, he ruthlessly plunged it toward the sleeping Avery.

However, before the tip of the knife could make contact, Avery, who was supposedly in deep slumber, suddenly opened his eyes. With a piercing gaze, he stared intently at the figure standing beside his bed, and with a swift motion, he grabbed the intruder's wrist.

Caught off guard, the intruder couldn't help but let out a sharp cry of pain.

Just then, the people who had been hiding in every corner of the room suddenly sprang out, instantly apprehending the phantom-like figure. The lights also turned on in an instant.

With a calm expression, Avery gently lifted the covers and got out of bed. He looked at the person kneeling on the ground, and with a swift move, he pulled back the black cloak the man was wearing. The face revealed was one he couldn't be any more familiar with.

"So it really was you, Uncle Albert."

Albert was caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events. Dumbfounded, he stared blankly at Avery, at a loss for words to defend himself.

Avery was the first to ask him, "Why aren't you speaking? Don't you have anything to 'defend yourself with?"

It took Albert a moment to regain his senses. Only then did he grasp the gravity of his current situation.

His mind was racing, yet he couldn't come up with any plausible excuse. He remained silent for quite some time, unable to utter a single word.

His silence didn't surprise Avery at all. He casually sat down on the couch nearby, crossing his long legs. His fingers rested on the armrest of the couch, tapping rhythmically in a nonchalant manner. "Since you don't seem to have anything to say, I'll just ask you directly. Why are you doing this? Are you acting on someone else's orders, or are you the mastermind?"

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Albert's eyes darted around in thought, and after a long while, he came up with a very lame excuse.

"I... I didn't come here to kill you, Mr. Cox. Please believe me. I came here... I came here only because I heard some unusual noises and thought I should check it out... I came here to ensure your safety." As he spoke, he nodded his head with great certainty, affirming himself.

"That's right. It must have been your subordinates who made the noise when they entered your room! I thought a stranger had broken in, intending to harm you, so I came over with a knife. At first, I thought the person on the bed wasn't you, but someone lying there pretending to be you, or maybe they had hidden you away, or perhaps they had already harmed you. In any case... I just... I just wanted to protect you..."

Listening to Albert, Avery couldn't help but laugh. "Do you really think I would believe what you're saying?"

Albert remained stubborn. "What I'm saying is the truth. All of it is true. You have to believe me, Mr. Cox!" Avery, however, couldn't be bothered with Albert's lies and got straight to the point.

"You're here to assassinate me tonight because of the information I've released, aren't you? You heard that the truth about my parents' death has been uncovered, along with clues about the wug poison. That's why you couldn't resist, could you? Tell me, were you the one who poisoned my parents all those years ago?"

Upon being interrogated by Avery, Albert was completely dumbfounded. It took him a while before he hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, it wasn't me. I didn't do it. I had no reason to-"

"Really? I'm not so sure about that, Uncle Albert. From my perspective, you've been coveting the head of the family's position for a long time. Could it be that you had planned to harm my parents and then take over as the head of the family?"

Albert was still defending himself, "No, all of this is just speculation. You have no evidence at all!"

When being good cop didn't work, Avery chose to take the role of bad cop.

"I am, after all, your uncle. It's a disgrace for you to capture me like this. Even if you have suspicions about me, do

you

have any

evidence? Without evidence, you're detaining me arbitrarily. What do you take the family rules of the Cox family for?"

"Family rules?" Avery sneered, "You dare to mention family rules to me? What right do you have? Let me tell you. In the Cox family, I am the law. I do what I want, however I want. Since you're so tight-lipped, refusing to utter a single word, I'll teach you a proper lesson. When you're ready to talk, come and tell me what the truth was back then!"

After he finished speaking, he gave Irwin a knowing glance.

The latter understood immediately, and without delay, he grabbed Albert, dragging him out of the room and straight into the basement. Half an hour later, Irwin came back to report.

"Mr. Cox, at first, he was quite stubborn, refusing to utter a word. But in the end, he couldn't hold back any longer and confessed everything. He said he's willing to reveal the entire truth about what happened back then, all in the hope that you would spare his life."

"Spare his life? That depends on what the truth was back then! Bring him up here!"

With that, Irwin had his men drag the battered Albert into the living room.

At that point, Albert was tortured beyond recognition. There wasn't a single part of his body that was unscathed. Some of his wounds were even doused with a liquid that stung, causing them to fester and making for a horrifying sight.

He seemed to be in such pain that all his strength had been drained, leaving him sprawled weakly on the ground. His mouth was twisted, his eyes askew, and it took him a great deal of effort to finally lift his head to look at Avery.

"Mr. Cox, I... I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you the whole truth about what happened that year, every single detail of it. I beg you to spare my life. Please spare this life of mine..."

Avery looked at him indifferently, his gaze devoid of any warmth.

"Don't try to negotiate terms with me. What I want is the truth. Whether I spare your life or not depends on what the

truth is back then!"

Albert now knew that he had no other way out.

Revealing the truth might buy him a chance for reprieve.

If he didn't do so, not only would he be killed, but he might also be tormented to the point where he rather be dead, never enjoying a moment of peace for the rest of his life.

In that case, it would be better to die and be done with it all.

With a sense of despair, he closed his eyes and finally revealed the truth.