Chapter 22: She Is the Child of My Daughter Emily!

The next morning at ten o'clock.

The Rosenberg Mansion, family meeting hall.

Around the long conference table sat the core members of the Rosenberg family.

Arthur sat to the left of the head seat, with a well-maintained middle-aged lady beside him.

This was Arthur's wife—Caroline!

In addition, there were other core family members, several cousins, and executives from the family business.

Only Edward was missing.

"Why isn't Mother here yet?"

Arthur checked his watch, somewhat impatient. "And Edward, why isn't he here either?"

"Who knows?"

Caroline elegantly sipped her coffee, unconcerned. "Edward hasn't been feeling well lately. Maybe he went to the hospital."

Just then.

The meeting room doors were pushed open.

The butler stood respectfully at the entrance and announced loudly, "Mrs. Rosenberg has arrived."

Everyone immediately stood up, their eyes turning in unison toward the door.

Chloe, dressed in a black business suit, pushed Mira's wheelchair and slowly walked in.

Leo followed behind with his hands in his pockets.

"Mrs. Rosenberg! Your health..."

"How can she be here?"

"Who is that young man? How did he get in?"

"How can outsiders attend a family meeting?"

The meeting room instantly erupted in noise.

Caroline stood up abruptly, pointing at Leo and saying sternly, "Mother! This is an internal meeting of the Rosenberg family! How can you allow an outsider to be present? This breaks the rules!"

Several other family members chimed in.

"Yes, Mrs. Rosenberg, this isn't appropriate, is it?"

"How can we let an outsider know family secrets?"

Mira raised her hand, and the meeting hall instantly fell silent.

"Mr. Ashford is not an outsider."

Mira looked around, her voice weak but carrying undeniable authority. "He is the Rosenberg family's lifesaver and the person I trust most."

"As for Ms. Black..."

Mira reached out and lovingly held Chloe's hand.

"She is definitely not an outsider. Because she is my granddaughter! My daughter Emily's child! The true heir of the Rosenberg family!"

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

"Didn't Emily's daughter twenty years ago..."

The entire meeting hall instantly descended into chaos, everyone's eyes wide with shock.

Caroline's face turned deathly pale, her body swaying slightly, nearly unable to stand.

She instinctively looked at Arthur, only to find him equally shocked—clearly, he had just learned this news too.

"Mother... what... what's going on?"

Arthur spoke with difficulty. "Emily's daughter... wasn't she in that car accident back then..."

"She didn't die."

Mira coldly interrupted him. "She was rescued by the nanny that year and has been living under a false identity in Chicago all these years."

"And now, she's back."

Just then.

All four doors of the meeting hall were pushed open simultaneously.

Over twenty fully armed security personnel rushed in, quickly surrounding the meeting hall.

"What... what does this mean?!"

"Mira, what are you doing?"

"Victor, are you trying to rebel?!"

Family members stood up in panic, only to be forcibly pushed back into their chairs by armed bodyguards.

"Everyone, sit down!"

Victor, the lead guard, shouted coldly. "Without Mrs. Mira Rosenberg's permission, anyone who dares move will be killed on the spot!"

The meeting hall instantly fell dead silent.

Everyone looked at Mira in terror, not understanding what was happening.

"Bring him in."

Mira ignored the crowd's commotion and gave a cold order.

Heavy footsteps came from outside the door.

Then, two bodyguards escorted someone in.

It was Edward.

Edward, at this moment, had his hands tied behind his back, a cloth stuffed in his mouth, looking utterly disheveled.

"Edward?"

"Why is he being held?"

Everyone was even more confused.

The moment Caroline saw Edward, the last trace of color drained from her face.

Her body trembled violently as she gripped the back of her chair.

It's over...

Everything is over...

"Everyone."

Mira slowly began to speak, her aged voice particularly clear in the silent meeting hall. "I've gathered you all here today to announce something. Something about the truth of my daughter Emily's murder twenty years ago."

"What?"

"Murder?"

The meeting hall exploded again.

"And the killer..."

Mira's gaze swept over Edward and Caroline like a knife as she said seriously.

"Is right here in this meeting hall!"

"No! It wasn't me!"

The bodyguards yanked the cloth from Edward's mouth, and he pointed at Caroline, shouting hysterically, "I was wrong! I was all seduced by her! It was Caroline! She contacted the Drake family on her own initiative, saying she could work from the inside to eliminate Emily! I was just momentarily possessed... please, Mira, spare my life!"

"You're lying!"

Caroline shot to her feet, pointing at Edward and cursing, "I didn't! Don't try to pin all the blame on me!"

"Really?"

Leo suddenly spoke, a cold smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

He snapped his fingers.

Another person walked in from outside.

When they saw this person's face clearly, both Caroline's and Edward's eyes widened simultaneously, as if struck by lightning.

Manuel!

The Drake family's butler, the true mastermind behind that assassination!

"Manuel, please tell us what happened back then, one more time."

Leo said lightly.

Manuel walked to the conference table and threw a thick file on it.

"Twenty years ago, Mr. Drake of the Drake family contacted Edward through Caroline."

"Caroline provided Emily's detailed schedule, Edward provided vehicle information and bodyguard details."

"The Drake family paid twenty million dollars to hire the international assassin organization Nightfall to carry out the assassination."

Leo lit a cigarette and looked at Caroline. "Caroline, do you still want to deny it?"

"You can't kill me!"

Caroline suddenly screamed, her face full of madness. "I'm from the Vanderbilt family! If you dare touch a hair on my head, the Vanderbilt family will never let you go!"

She turned to look at Arthur, her voice breaking into sobs. "Arthur! Say something! I'm your wife! We've been married for over twenty years! Are you really going to watch me die?"

However.

Arthur just sat there expressionless, motionless.

While everyone's attention was focused on Caroline.

Leo had been watching Arthur the whole time.

He saw Arthur's right hand quietly reaching into the inside pocket of his suit.

There was an alarm that could call for external backup with one press.

As long as he pressed the button, the Drake family's backup stationed outside the estate would immediately take action.

However.

His hand had just touched the communicator.

A hand clamped down on Arthur's wrist like an iron vice.

Arthur whipped his head around and met Leo's ice-cold eyes.

"Ah!"

Arthur let out a pig-like squeal as the alarm fell to the ground.

Leo crushed the phone under his foot, leaned close to Arthur's ear, and said in an icy voice, "Arthur, it seems you really knew everything all along."

"In fact... You knew about it back then, but chose to turn a blind eye, didn't you?"