Chapter 557


    Chapter 557


    Byron let loose with a string of expletives that would make a sailor blush, his eyes zing with fury,


    “Avery, you son of a–how dare you even speak to me. At least I share a bloodline with Matthew, and he


    looked after me growing up. But who the hell are you? You’re nothing but a bastard born from a fling


    with a bodyguard, and you have the gall to covet the Chambers Group’s fortune?!”


    Harvey stared daggers at the foul–mouthed man, his fists clenching tight with anger.


    Yet, Avery maintained a faint and enigmatic smile as if Byron’s words were water off a duck’s back.


    “If it weren’t for your scheming, my affairs with those women won’t be exposed, and I wouldn’t be under


    police investigation, and things wouldn’t have escted to this mess! The real instigator is you! It’s all


    on you!”


    “Byron, do you really think I’m the instigator here?”


    Avery gently pushed his wire–rimmed sses up his nose with a slender and pale finger and spoke


    evenly, “Do you truly believe that Matthew you’ve idolized all your life cares about family ties? That the


    fact you’ve ended up in this mess has nothing to do with him at all?”


    “Avery, even now you’re trying to drive a wedge between us? How low can you get?” Byron was


    seething with hatred from every pore.


    “I may not like you, but at least I never used you, and I certainly never wanted you dead.”


    Avery looked at him helplessly, “I’m just trying to reim what’s rightfully mine.”


    “What… what are you getting at?” Even Byron, in his slow–wittedness, sensed the undercurrent in


    Avery’s words; his heart started to race.


    “During your days in jail, you must have pondered one question: why you, of all people, got pped


    with a charge of hiring a hitman. Don’t you want to know the real truth? Who’s made you rot away in


    here?”


    Though Byron didn’t trust him, he was hell–bent on getting to the bottom of things, so he slowly sat


    back down.


    Avery motioned with his finger, and Harvey ced a stack of photos before Byron.


    As he flipped through them, his mind exploded like a nuclear bomb going off; his face turned crimson,


    and his eyes turned bulged with shock!


    “You recognize Quincy, right? He’s Matthew’s guy. He’s been in touch with your goons, and I’ve


    checked their ounts–there’s been a deposit of three hundred thousand, from an offshore ount.


    The cops can’t trace the sender. But, I think these photos make it crystal clear who wired the money,


    don’t they?” Avery’s eyes gleamed mischievously behind his sses.


    The photos in Byron’s hands were nearly crushed; his eyes were bloodshot, “Impossible, how could it


    be, how could Matthew?”


    “Do this to you?”


    Avery crossed his legs nonchntly, with a cruel smirk on his lips, “He ‘helped‘ you out, not out of


    family loyalty, but to regain Dad’s favor. But the girl was set to switch sides, and to testify against you


    for assault. He had no choice but to silence her. The risk was huge–if it worked, fine. If not, someone


    had to take the fall.”


    “So he used my people to cover his tracks? And if it blew up, he could pin it all on me?!” Byron gasped


    for air as if he was choked.


    “And more than that, I’ve found out that Quincy has taken control of your right–hand man’s family. Isn’t


    all this evidence enough to show that Matthew is behind your downfall?”


    Harvey added fuel to the fire, “Byron, I know you despise Mr. Chambers. But right now, who else has


    got your back? Matthew’s thrown you under the bus; he ys the saint in front of you, and even tries to


    snatch your shares. Man, he really is cold, ying you for a fool!”


    ying him for a fool?!


    He had seen Matthew as his guiding light, his flesh and blood, but it turned out he had been used as a


    pawn in his games of favor?


    “Harvey, that’s enough,”


    Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    Avery took on a sympathetic tone, sighing, “My brother’s already under enough pressure. Don’t add to


    his troubles.”


    Standing up, he continued, “Byron, we might not share a mother, but we are still our father’s sons, and


    we grew up together. No matter what, I couldn’t frame you for murder. That would be squeezing you dry


    and tossing you aside like trash, far too cruel.”


    Byron’s temples throbbed, and his facial muscles got twitched uncontrobly with rage, “I can transfer


    my shares to you, but you have to give me all the evidence on Matthew framing me! I want to appeal,


    and I want to get out of here!”


    “Of course, I’ll hand it over right now.”


    As if anticipating Byron’s request, Avery ced a prepared man envelope in front of him, “This


    contains all the evidence I’ve gathered. It might not be enough to convict Matthew of hiring a hitman,


    but it should help you overturn your confession.


    However, you can’t bring these into jail, so you’ll need to talk to yourwyer, and assign full authority to


    handle this.”


    Having checked the contents of the envelope, Byron weighed his options, and with a resolute heart–he


    signed his name on the share transfer agreement and stamped it with his thumbprint.


    Avery fought to keep his smile in check, his eyes fierce and predatory behind the genteel sses.


    “It’s been a pleasure doing business. When you get out, I’ll personallye to pick you up with all the


    pomp of the Chambers Group.”


    As they prepared to leave, Byron suddenly stopped him, with teeth clenched, “With the shares you’ve


    got now, you can take on Matthew. Don’t let him off easy, and make sure he goes down hard!”


    “I’ve got this.” Avery’s eyes narrowed with a glint of cold determination.


    Not just Matthew.


    Each and every one of them. They’d all pay, and none would escape a dire fate.


    Stepping out of the detention center, Harvey pped his hands in excitement.


    “Congrattions, Mr. Chambers! Well done, sir! Your share in the Chambers Group has just increased!


    Another step closer to toppling Matthew!”


    Avery, rubbing his hands vigorously with sanitizer, couldn’t hide his pleasure, “That’s why I’ve kept that


    cur alive.” Harvey had an epiphany!


    “Byron thought his life insurance was Jeff. Hah, he couldn’t be more wrong”


    Avery wiped his hands one more time with a clean handkerchief, and then tossed it disdainfully to the


    ground, “His true life insurance was his share in the Chambers Group. Now, as a person, he’s


    worthless to this world. Get rid of him, and do it fast.”


    Harvey nodded, his eyes darkening at themand.


    Avery, recalling Byron’s hope for revenge, couldn’t help butugh at the thought of him clinging to those


    shares as his salvation.


    Now, everyone Byron could have turned to had been bought by Avery.


    Who did he have left to count on?


    He might as well plead with the Grim Reaper.


    On his way back to The Velvet Haven, Avery received a call from Eden.


    “Mr. Chambers, is the cash ready? And the ne?”


    Feeling good about acquiring the shares, Avery spoke in a tone notably more cordial, “All set, and you


    can get the money right away. You can leave tomorrow, but be extremely careful. The Abernathy,


    Ashbourne, and Fairhaven groups are all after you. Elmsworth is swarming with their spies. One wrong


    move and you won’t make it.”


    “I’lle to you! We can talk when we meet!”


    “No way. You can do anything you want right now, except meeting with me.” Avery was too shrewd to


    agree.


    Meeting him was like putting a target on his back!


    “How will you get the money to me? You’ll have to send someone!”


    “I’ll have my guy leave it at a secret location, and I’ll text you the addresster. You can pick it up when


    it suits you.”


    “And the ne?”


    “Once you’ve got the cash and made sure no one’s following or hunting you, you can leave anytime.”


    Avery’s voice was smooth, but his eyes held a chilling light.


    “Make it quick then! I’ve had enough of this dump!” Eden was out of his element and desperate to


    leave.


    Avery stepped on the discarded white handkerchief, “Just follow my n, and you’ll be on your way


    smoothly.”


    The next morning, Evadne and Thaddeus were shocked to hear the news-


    Byron was found dead in the detention center’smunal showers.


    It was said his death was bizarre and terrifying. His body was rigid, and his face was swollen and


    darkened to a purplish hue. He was strangled by the stainless steel shower pipe that was still wrapped


    around his neck, looking eerily like a suicide.


    But suicide? How could that be?


    How could a man who knew how to keep himself clean suddenly seek death?


    The scandal of a person dying unnoticed in detention had the authorities notify the Chambers Group,


    and Byron’s body was taken for autopsy to determine the next steps.


    After hearing the report from Aaron Ashbourne, Evadne and Thaddeus didn’t know how to respond.


    It wasn’t bad news; the death of that brute was a good riddance.


    But who wanted him dead so badly that they couldn’t even wait for the trial?


    “The funniest part is, when the detention center contacted the Chambers family, Jeff and Matthew were


    so reluctant, and no one wanted to im the body. In the end, they sent a secretary to handle the


    aftermath with indifference. It’s really something that Byron should end up so disregarded; it’s quite a


    tale,” Aaron scoffed.


    Not that he had muchpassion, but he simply thought the Chambers didn’t deserve to be called


    human beings.


    “Aaron, Byron wasn’t the type to seek death. He was murdered. We need to investigate and reveal the


    deeper darkness, and catch a bigger fish.”


    Evadne and Thaddeus sat on the sofa, with her nestling between his legs, his strong arms wraping


    around her waist.


    Thaddeus’s chin rested on the nape of her neck, and his hot breaths tickled her flushed ear, making her


    squirm.


    “Hey, cut it out, I’m discussing serious matters here.”


    “I’m listening,” murmuring, he couldn’t help but nibble at her neck.


    With a soft pop, a bright red mark appeared on her delicate skin.


    Evadne felt her breath hitched, and let out a soft moan.


    “Hey, hey, hey! Show some decorum, will you? Don’t make me listen to some X–rated show over here.”


    Aaron, a virile man himself, couldn’t handle such teasing.


    They were enjoying their yful affection, but he was single and felt tortured.


    “Mr. Ashbourne, let’s proceed as Evadne suggested.”


    Thaddeus spoke softly into the phone, “Whoever acted against Byron is no amateur. This might just be


    the break we need to capture the puppeteer behind the scenes.”


    “Do you think I don’t want that? But it’s not that easy.”


    Aaron’s voice grew serious, “The killer was a pro. He chose the public showers because it’s the only


    ce without surveince. And he was ruthless and professional to use what was at hand so that no


    weapon was left. Water washed away any possible fingerprints and footprints. The killer could be an


    inmate, or a guard, and maybe even more than one person was involved. The suspects could be


    people who had contact with the prisoners, the number of which isn’t small. There are too many


    distractions, and it’s too difficult to investigate and find evidence.”


    Evadne lifted her hand, pressing it firmly against the man’s increasingly bold and impudent face. “You


    know, I think figuring out who exactly took the shot is secondary at this moment. What’s really crucial is


    the motive behind the killing. With Byron on the verge of being convicted, he can’t dodge this bullet.


    Who would take such a desperate gamble, going throughyers of security just to seal his fate? Such a


    high risk must promise some kind of substantial payoff, right?”