Chapter 195

Chapter 195

The hospital's underground parking garage was cavernous and cold.

Elizabeth stood beside Cornelius, watching the young man pinned against the wall by Habsburg family bodyguards. Lingering fear still marked his face—the same person who'd claimed to be Nash's "nephew" at Nash's door earlier.

"Hand over the USB drive."

The man hunched his shoulders, eyes evasive. "I... I don't know what you're talking about... I just went to Nash's place to get something..."

He was still trying to resist, eyes darting around as if looking for a chance to escape.

Cornelius stepped forward, pressing a foot against the man's back. "I'll give you one last chance."

Elizabeth looked at the man's pale face, noticing his clenched fists trembling slightly. She took half a step forward. "At this point, resisting is pointless. You're just wasting your energy."

The man lifted his head. His gaze lingered briefly on Elizabeth's face before quickly darting away. "I... I was just doing a job for someone. They paid me to go to Nash's place and find that USB drive..."

"How much did they pay you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Five... five thousand dollars..." His voice grew smaller and smaller.

Cornelius laughed coldly. "Five thousand dollars... you're really worth something. Mark."

Mark immediately understood, pulling a tablet from his briefcase. The screen displayed detailed information about the man. "Marc Murray, twenty-three, unemployed, lives in an old alley in the West District. Mother has kidney failure, needs dialysis twice a week. Father injured his legs in a construction accident years ago, can't walk well, currently survives by collecting trash."

Marc's face turned deathly pale.

"You need money." Cornelius said calmly, but each word cut deep. "Someone found you, told you that if you got that USB drive, you'd get five thousand dollars to solve your emergency. Right?"

Marc's lips trembled. Tears welled in his eyes. "I... I didn't want to... but my mom's medical bills..."

"Hand over the USB drive and I won't press charges." Elizabeth suddenly spoke.

Cornelius frowned at her.

Marc clutched at this lifeline. "Really? If I hand it over, you won't report me?"

"I keep my word. But you have to tell us who sent you."

"...I don't know." Marc shook his head. Seeing Elizabeth's expression turn cold, he quickly added, "I really don't know! They contacted me by phone. The voice used a modulator. The money was left in a designated trash can."

Cornelius narrowed his eyes. "Where is it?"

Marc hesitated for a few seconds. Tied up and unable to move, he could only look toward his chest. Mark untied him. Marc fished a small black USB drive from his shirt pocket and handed it to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth took it, closing her palm around it.

"Can I go now?" Marc asked cautiously.

"Yes." Elizabeth stepped aside.

Marc breathed a sigh of relief and stumbled toward the exit. But he'd only taken two steps when Mark blocked his path.

"You... you promised..." Marc looked at Elizabeth in terror.

Elizabeth also looked at Cornelius. "What's the meaning of this?"

"You promised. I didn't." Cornelius waved his hand expressionlessly. Mark immediately stepped forward with two bodyguards, grabbing Marc from both sides. "Take him to the police station. Breaking and entering, attempted destruction of evidence—that's enough to keep him locked up for a few years."

"You're not keeping your word!" Marc struggled, his voice hoarse. "Ms. Whitaker, you promised me!"

Elizabeth stood in place, watching Marc being dragged away, gripping the USB drive tightly. She wasn't a saint, but seeing this young man who'd taken such a desperate risk for his mother's medical bills stirred complicated emotions in her heart.

"Think I'm too harsh?" Cornelius's voice sounded near her ear.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, it's just..."

"Think he's pitiful?" Cornelius's lips curved. "Not everyone in this world deserves sympathy. Today he'll steal evidence for five thousand dollars. Tomorrow he'll kill someone for fifty thousand. Some lines, once you cross them, you can't come back."

Elizabeth didn't argue.

He was right. After everything she'd been through, she should have understood this long ago.

Coming out of the parking garage, Cornelius took a call. Before leaving, he said to Elizabeth, "Keep that USB drive for now. Don't do anything rash. If anything comes up, we'll discuss it when I get back."

Then he hurried off.

Elizabeth watched his car leave, then headed to the police station.

At the station, Elizabeth handed the USB drive to Cruz. "This contains evidence that Ethan orchestrated Nash's kidnapping of Becky."

She'd listened to the contents on the way over.

It was a recording—a conversation between Ethan and Nash. Just a few brief sentences, but it was definitely Ethan's voice.

The content was simple. Ethan had instructed Nash to kidnap Becky, at a time when Nash was drowning in gambling debts, penniless and desperate.

Officer Cruz took the USB drive, his expression grave. "We'll have the tech department verify it immediately."

"How long will that take?"

"At the fastest, two or three hours." Cruz checked his watch. "Ms. Whitaker can go home and wait for news. I'll notify you as soon as we have results."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'll wait here."

She didn't want to wait a single moment. The injuries on Becky's body were still vivid in her mind. She had to make the mastermind pay.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Nearly two hours had passed. But instead of verification results, Ethan arrived.

Ethan strode in, posture straight, a lawyer following behind him. Seeing Elizabeth, a flash of mockery crossed his eyes. Then he turned to Cruz, who'd hurried back. "I heard someone provided evidence of my alleged crimes? I'm here to cooperate with the investigation."

Elizabeth stood up, looking directly at Ethan. "The evidence is solid. What tricks do you have left to turn this around?"

Ethan laughed, his smile full of disdain. "Your poor little cousin is worth this much effort from me?"

"Because you want revenge on me." Elizabeth thought of that person, a hidden pain in her heart, her tone heavy. "After Daisy died, you've hated me to the bone. All these years you've targeted me—I could bear it. But you shouldn't have touched Becky."

Ethan's smile vanished instantly. His eyes turned ice-cold. "Don't say Daisy's name in front of me. You're not worthy."

The lawyer smiled. "Ms. Whitaker, if the recording can't prove this matter is related to my client, you're committing slander. My client could sue you."

With evidence in hand, Elizabeth was fearless. "Officer, please tell us the results."

But Cruz didn't answer immediately. He seemed hesitant. That expression made Elizabeth's heart sink.

Cruz sighed. "The tech department found obvious editing marks in this recording. Voice pattern analysis shows that while the male voice in the recording is similar to Mr. Glover's voice, forty percent of the characteristics don't match."

Elizabeth froze. "What does that mean?"

"It means this recording is fake." Cruz explained. "Someone first recorded fragments of Mr. Glover's voice, then used technical means to splice and synthesize them, creating this conversation. Though it's not particularly sophisticated, it's enough to mislead non-professionals."

Elizabeth was speechless for a moment.

She never imagined the recording would be fake!

Just then, Ethan walked up to Elizabeth, leaning down slightly, his face mocking as he lowered his voice. "Cornelius should have told you not to do anything rash, right? Why didn't you listen? You really are... so naive."

Elizabeth stepped back, avoiding his too-close proximity. "Whether it's fake or not, you know the truth."

Ethan straightened up, resuming that unhurried demeanor. "When I, Ethan, want to deal with someone, I never need to use such underhanded tactics. Much less... with you."

He said those last few words very lightly, yet they carried bone-deep hatred.