Chapter 71
“Even now, the memory felt like a knife twisting in his heart. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough for him to let it go.
“We mobilized hundreds of forensic experts just to piece together everyone’s remains,” he said, his voice heavy with grief.
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“But Mr. Stroud was the only one we couldn’t find. I immediately led the troops to hunt down those pirates, but they had vanished without a trace.
“That’s when I realized this wasn’t some random attack. It was a premeditated massacre, and there were accomplices on the inside. [1]
“Out of the thousand security personnel the Stroud family brought, half were killed on the spot. The rest simply disappeared. The Stroud family had been set up. Someone wanted to wipe them out completely.”
By now, Edmund’s voice shook with hatred and indignation. His emotions were running high.
“But I wouldn’t let them have their way!” he declared, his voice regaining some strength. “I entrusted the Stroud family survive the storm.
a
“‘s assets to a collateral branch, helping the
“But the Stroud family never truly recovered. They gradually declined. Even Mr. Stroud…” Edmund let out a deep sigh.
“I spent eight years searching for him, but I couldn’t find him. Then, one day, as I was returning to Silvermere
“He was barefoot, dressed in rags, his hair long and unkempt, reaching down to his shoulders. He looked like a beggar, but I
“He looked so much like his father, especially those chilling eyes. They were exactly the same.
“I brought him back to the manor, but he didn’t say a word. He would just eat until he was full, then sit there staring into space. wouldn’t have even realized he was hungry or known it was time to sleep.
“This went on for two months before he finally said anything to me. He told me he’d killed them all.
man suddenly stopped my car.
I hadn’t
Minded him, he
“When I pressed him for more, he refused to say another word. Around that same time, my private investigator shared what he had found.”
Edmund frowned, his eyes clouded with heartache.
“So, it turns out that after Mr. Stroud was hidden in the gift box and taken away, he ended up at that organization’s training camp by accident.
“He was trained just like any other child. But in that training camp, they didn’t treat the children like human beings.
“They fed them raw meat and forced them to kill each other. Only the survivors were given cooked food, and even that was barely better than what dogs ate.
“That’s how Mr. Stroud fought his way out, slowly and steadily. When he was 13 years old, he found the chance to kill his superior and escape.
“I’m not sure how he made it back here from that remote, wild island. But one look in his eyes told me all I needed to know. He wanted revenge.
“I told him that the only way to find the culprit and get his revenge was to become a normal person and strengthen the Stroud family. He started going to school like everyone else, learning things like playing golf, riding motorcycles, and racing cars.
“On top of his studies, he also delved into finance. During that time, I barely ever saw him sleep. That’s when I realized he had insomnia.
“To help him rest, I would often slip sleeping pills into his milk. Even then, he could only manage a maximum of five hours of sleep before waking up to find something else to do.
“That was until ten years ago. Someone challenged him to a private off–road race in Ashbourne. Do you remember that period of time?” Edmund asked Scarlett.