Try Begging - Chapter 157.2
“Brainwashing.”
Joe nodded at Leon’s words.
“It was severe. Tried everything to break it, but nothing worked. So, I let her go for her to try and break it on her own.”
He had hoped that once she broke free, she would imprint on him, but instead, she spread her wings and flew away.
Joe, giving Leon a puzzled look as he stopped mid-sneer, thought he had been using Grace purely for revenge and ambition, but now it seemed not. Was it true, or was he just getting old?
“Speaking of which, she had quite a sum of money…”
Leon raised a different topic while still eyeing Joe amusedly.
“When are you planning to stop pretending to be a poor laborer?”
The question seemed to see right through him, leaving Joe momentarily flustered.
No way. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding.”
“…Camouflage. I had really hoped so, d*mn it.”
He tried to appear bitter as he took out another cigarette, but it didn’t work.
“Planning to emigrate?”
“…”
“Given that the old ‘comrades’ and an army desperate to capture you are swarming here, a normal life was doomed from the start.”
Leon scoffed, watching Joe’s reaction.
“That’s right. The one who’s been watching you is me.”
“…Why?”
“Why? Because I can’t let the descendants of the woman who killed my father live in peace and happiness. It’s only natural to push them into the pits of hell, generation after generation. You and your sister, even though I didn’t know her identity at the time. That was my plan.”
Joe tried to appear unfazed.
“But now, to do that, it seems I would have to send your children to hell too.”
“Yes. Consider it lucky for you. You should be grateful to that child for the rest of your life.”
As the devil twisted his lips into a smirk while maintaining a piercing gaze, he threw another jarring statement that shocked Joe again.
“Your sister told me where she’s heading. Says she has a wealthy aunt in Colombia, right?”
Grace had never said such a thing. It was merely a concoction based on what he had pieced together from her diaries and letters, but Joe’s blatantly revealing expression confirmed it.
“Mr. Charles Henderson, your plans for emigration are on hold.”
“….”
“Running away to another country won’t help. You’re still in my hands. That aunt of yours is under surveillance by a detective I hired.”
As his opponent’s face turned even paler, Leon’s eyes curled in amusement.
“Don’t worry. I’ll let you go eventually. But first, you should think about moving. To Winsford.”
“Ha…”
Finally, the frozen man scoffed.
“So that’s it, then. You plan to use my family to pressure Grace.”
“Hostages? I’m merely offering protection, so don’t feel slighted.”
“You’re joking.”
“You’ve nowhere to go anyway. The farm owner will kick you out now that the military has swooped in. And finding a new place…”
Leon gestured towards the old sofa in the hallway, where the woman and children sat clustered together, watching the soldiers with anxious eyes.
“In a world crawling with radicals eager to kill anyone with the Riddle name, being under my care is the safest option for her and for you, too.”
As the other person struggled to respond, Leon pulled out a business card and tucked it into the pocket of Joe’s worn overalls.
“As the head of your family, think it over.”
After the soldiers completed their search and began boarding their military trucks without finding anything, Joe continued to glare in the direction of the sleek black sedan long after Winston’s polished face had disappeared inside it.
As the driver started the engine, Joe couldn’t hold back any longer and approached the car.
“Hey.”
Tapping on the rear window, Winston rolled it down and raised an eyebrow to ask what was going on.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“Jimmy, that son of a b*tch, just kill him. No, just beat him enough to make him regret living.”
With a complex expression that was neither smiling nor displeased, Winston gazed at Joe.
“Do I look like some thug under your command?”
“Why not? Isn’t it an easy favor?”
Joe gave a cunning smile, and Winston snorted. It wasn’t exactly a refusal, so Joe backed away, tapping the roof of the car as if in encouragement.
“That inheritance she received, it’s gold bars, isn’t it?”
How did he know that?
Caught off guard by the unexpectedly accurate comment, Joe was momentarily stunned. Winston, seemingly reading his thoughts, gave an answer.
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