Chapter 123 A Deadly Revelation
DAVID
The car screeched to a halt in front of the mansion. My guards yanked Matthew from the back seat, his frail body stumbling as they dragged him across the gravel. He reeked of stale alcohol and desperation, his bloodied face turned downward, too weak to resist.
“Where should we put him?” John asked, his voice low but steady.
“The basement,” I said flatly, my gaze locked on Matthew. He was barely conscious, but I wasn’t letting him slip away. Not now. Not after all this time.
The guards carried out my order without hesitation, disappearing down the hall with Matthew. I stood rooted on the driveway, my thoughts swirling. The man who murdered my uncle, who ripped apart my family’s life, was finally in my grasp. Answers were within reach—answers about him, about Bella’s parents.
My thoughts were interrupted by hurried footsteps and the sound of Bella’s voice. “David!” she called, her tone trembling with urgency.
I turned to see her running toward me, Janet close behind. Janet’s jaw was clenched tight, her fury evident in the quickness of her pace.
“Where is he?” Janet demanded, not even sparing me a glance.
“In the basement,” I answered, but she didn’t wait for me to finish. She stormed past, heading straight inside, her determination blazing like fire.
Bella hesitated beside me, her delicate hand finding mine. “Is it true?” she whispered. Her voice cracked slightly, and her wide eyes searched my face for reassurance.
I squeezed her hand gently. “Are you ready to find out the truth about your parents?”
She hesitated, her lips trembling as she nodded. “Yes.”
But I could feel her fear, her apprehension. Her entire world had been shaped by hope hope that her parents were alive, somewhere, waiting to be found. Now, that fragile hope teetered on the edge of shattering.
When we reached the basement, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the concrete walls. My chest tightened. Janet.
I rushed down the stairs, Bella close behind me. The air was thick with the metallic stench of blood. Under the harsh fluorescent light, Janet stood over Matthew, her hand gripping a knife. Matthew was slumped in the chair, his face swollen and smeared with crimson.
“Janet!” I barked, striding forward just as she raised the blade.
She whirled around, her wild eyes meeting mine. “Stay out of this, David!” she snapped.
I grabbed her wrist, forcing the knife from her hand. “Enough!” My voice echoed sharply in the confined space.
“Why are you stopping me?” she hissed, her chest heaving. “This bastard killed my parents! He doesn’t deserve to live!”
“And if you kill him now, we’ll never get the truth,” I said, my tone as cold as steel.
Her face twisted in anguish, but she stepped back, the fight draining out of her. “You think he’ll talk?” she spat bitterly.
“If he doesn’t, I’ll make him,” I said, my gaze shifting to Matthew.
The old man coughed weakly, spitting blood onto the floor. Yet, even in his beaten state, he managed a smirk. “You should’ve let her finish,” he rasped.
I crouched to his level, my voice low and dangerous. “If I had, you’d be dead in an hour. But you’re not going anywhere until you talk. Do you recognize her?” I gestured toward Janet.
Matthew squinted, his one uninjured eye trying to focus. “Should I?” he sneered.
“She’s my uncle’s daughter. The man you murdered on December 26th, 1980.”
Matthew’s smirk faltered, his bruised features twisting in confusion. He turned to Janet, his mouth opening slightly. “She… she should be dead,” he stammered. “How did she survive?”
“That’s not your concern,” I said coldly. “What matters is that you start talking. Now.”
He slumped back in the chair, exhaling heavily. “It wasn’t my fault,” he began, his voice hoarse. “Your uncle died because he heard something he wasn’t supposed to. December 1st, 1980 that’s when Western came to me.”
At the mention of Western, my body stiffened.
“He said he’d clear all my gambling debts if I killed Mr. Desmond Williams of Williams Group. I didn’t want to at first, but I was drowning. Losing everything. And Western… he said it was personal. That Desmond stole the woman he loved. Mrs. Williams.”
Matthew chuckled darkly, his blood-streaked lips curling. “Western said he couldn’t stand seeing them together. Desmond gave him a job, but that only made it worse. Watching the woman he loved give birth to twins for another man? It drove him mad. He wanted them all gone Desmond and the kids. Said it was the only way he could have her for himself.”
Bella gasped softly, her grip on my arm tightening. I didn’t look at her. I couldn’t.
“I took the job,” Matthew continued. “Killed Desmond, kidnapped the twins. I killed one of them, and I was going to kill the other, but…” He trailed off, coughing violently.
“But what?” I demanded.
He strained against the ropes binding him to the chair, his breath ragged, blood dripping from a split lip. His swollen face twisted in rage as he growled, “That bastard took her before I could—” His voice cracked, and he glared up at me, his eyes bloodshot and filled with fury. “Before I could finish it.”
The chair creaked as he shifted, pulling at his restraints. “I tried to get close, to fix it, but he took her. Far enough that I couldn’t find them.”
I leaned closer, letting the weight of my words press against him. “Which bastard?”
His head lolled forward, a bitter chuckle escaping his bruised lips. “Adam,” he spat, his voice dripping with venom.
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I glanced at Bella, her tear-streaked face pale as a ghost. Her knees buckled slightly, and I caught her before she fell.
“Do you realize,” I said, my voice trembling with suppressed rage, “the girl you tried to kill is standing right here?” I pulled Bella closer, locking eyes with Matthew. “She’s my wife.”
Matthew’s bloodshot eyes widened in shock, his breath hitching. For the first time, I saw fear flicker across his battered face.