Chapter 472
The sound made Robert instinctively flinch backward. His eyes, slightly clouded with age, darted in
the direction of the noise.
Dressed head to toe in ck, with a stormy expression on his face, Ian advanced towards him. It
was only then that Robert realized Ian had yed him.
In a calm, measured tone, Robert said, "You''ve got the wrong guy. I''m not this ''Ford'' you''re looking
for."
Ian''s lips curled into a sinister sneer as he approached Robert and yanked off the mask concealing
his face, revealing features that bore an uncanny resemnce to someone familiar. His eyes, dark
and profound, fixed upon the unmasked visage as a chilling, gravelly voice emanated from his
throat. "Ford, did you really think I wouldn''t recognize you behind this little charade?"
With a swift kick to Robert''s stomach, Ian sent him reeling back several yards before he mmed
against a pir, coughing up blood.
Ian''s aura was like that of a man encased in ice, emitting a chill that took one''s breath away. The
thought of this man ruining his wedding celebration and nearly causing the death of ra and their
child made the malevolence within Ian surge.
He strode over to Robert, nted his boot on his neck, and demanded in a frosty tone, "Talk. What
really happened in that fire all those years ago?"
Robert struggled for breath, his face turning a shade of crimson, yet his jaw was clenched tight, a
clear sign that he would rather die than spill his secrets.
Ian let out a scornful chuckle, slowly releasing his foot from Robert''s neck, and crouched beside
him. "You think I can''t touch you if you y dead? The Hayes family has been supporting your wife
and kids for years, not for nothing. It''s been a long time since you''ve seen them, so maybe it''s time I
give you a chance for a little family reunion. Your grandson''s in elementary school now, thanks to
me. It''s the best school in Northbridge, and I bet he''d love to meet the grandfather who ''died''
protecting the Hayes family fortune and then came back from the dead."
Ian pulled out his smartphone, found a video of a child reciting a poem in ss, and showed it to
Robert.
Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.
The sight of the child in the video crumbled the fortress of Robert''s mental defenses. For years, he
had been watching over his family from the shadows. He knew about his grandson attending
elementary school and even masqueraded as an old scavenger just to speak with him once by the
school gates. The boy hadn''t shunned him; he''d even helped him find his way.
How Robert longed to embrace the child, buy him toys, and treat him to a feast. But all he had
managed to say was ''thank you''—nothing more.
Tears streamed down Robert''s face as he stuttered out apologies, "I''m sorry, I had no choice.
Leonora had evidence of my crimes; if I didn''t do as she said, she would expose me."
He confessed everything.
Robert, having served as the Hayes family butler, was in charge of dispensing the staff''s sries
and managing the family''s monthly expenses. Over the years, he had embezzled millions, and
Leonora had caught him red-handed, threatening to blow the whistle. He had begged on his knees,
willing to do anything to keep the matter hushed up.
At this revtion, Ian''s eyes narrowed slightly. "Who''s the woman in the warehouse, and why did
Leonora want her dead? The charred remains weren''t yours, so whose were they?"
Robert confessed, "She was a homeless person. Leonora ordered me to burn a woman who had
seduced Mr. Teo and was carrying his child. When I got there, the woman''s face had been
disfigured beyond recognition, but she seemed to know me and was crying and begging for mercy.
In a moment of heartlessness, I lit the gasoline. That''s when a homeless man burst in, iming the
woman was his savior and that he wanted to save her. I fought with him..."