Chapter 248

Augustus's brow furrowed deeply as he forcibly suppressed the fury burning in his chest, knowing Sophia was right. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Stay put and draw the snake out of its hole." A sharp, cold glint flashed in Sophia's eyes as she spoke with precision. "He thinks he's destroyed all the evidence and is at his most complacent right now. What we need most is ironclad proof that no one can refute."

She turned to look at David and Robert. "Gerald switched my sample with Mr. Rivera's, but he would never imagine that Robert is still alive, much less that the Jenkins family would get involved."

Sophia paused, her gaze fixed directly on Augustus. "Mr. Rivera, we need to redo the DNA testing using the most foolproof method—not just me, but Robert as well, and my father David. We need to establish a complete chain of genetic evidence."

Augustus took a deep breath, the shock and rage in his eyes gradually settling into cold calculation.

"You're absolutely right." Augustus nodded, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes. "The Rivera Estate's safe has always preserved hair follicles from when Delilah used to brush her hair, and from my late brother Francis's belongings, we also extracted follicle samples. Using these original samples for comparison, Gerald couldn't fake the results even if he had supernatural powers!"

He immediately called for his trusted aide Barry, who was waiting outside the door.

"Barry, go back to the Rivera Estate immediately." Augustus lowered his voice, handing Barry an antique bronze key. "Go to the safe in my study and retrieve the black velvet box. Remember, absolutely no one can know about this, especially Gerald."

"Understood, Mr. Rivera." Barry had served Augustus for decades and naturally knew the gravity of the situation. He accepted the key with both hands and immediately turned to leave.

David also promptly arranged for the Jenkins family's most elite medical team to come secretly to the Jenkins Estate with precision equipment.

Robert, Sophia, and David each cooperated with the doctors to provide blood and hair samples.

The waiting time always felt particularly long, and the atmosphere in the study was heavy and tense.

About an hour later, the study door was knocked on again.

Barry hurried in, clutching the black velvet box tightly in his hands.

His expression looked somewhat grave, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Mr. Rivera, I've retrieved the items." Barry handed the box to Augustus with both hands.

Augustus accepted the box, opened it to confirm its contents—indeed the follicle samples from Delilah and Francis.

He handed the box to the waiting doctor and ordered in a deep voice, "Begin testing immediately, full priority. No one is to approach."

The doctor left with his orders.

Augustus turned back to see Barry's somewhat unusual expression and frowned slightly. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Barry pulled a recording device from his pocket and handed it over with both hands. "Mr. Rivera, when I went back to the Rivera Estate to retrieve the items, I encountered Mr. Gerald Rivera."

At these words, the air in the study instantly froze.

Sophia's cool eyes narrowed slightly, and David and Robert both turned to look.

"Wasn't he supposed to be at the company? Why would he suddenly return to the Rivera Estate?" Augustus's expression immediately darkened.

"He said he had left some documents in his room and came back to get them." Barry reported truthfully. "When he saw me coming out of your study, he seemed suspicious and insisted on making small talk with me. I was afraid of alerting him, so I went along with his conversation and secretly turned on the recording device in my pocket. You should listen to this."

Barry pressed the play button on the recording device.

After a brief crackling of static, Gerald's warm yet probing voice filled the study.

"Barry, you seem to be in quite a hurry. What important documents did my father send you back to get? Do you need my help?"

This was followed by Barry's steady response: "Mr. Rivera just asked me to retrieve some old contracts, nothing urgent."

"Oh? Old contracts?" In the recording, Gerald chuckled lightly. "Barry, you're my father's most trusted person. My father has been somewhat exhausted lately because of grandmother's situation, and his mind inevitably can't attend to everything. As someone by his side, you need to help him stay vigilant and not let people with ulterior motives take advantage, don't you think?"

The recording ended abruptly there.

The study fell into deathly silence.

Augustus's knuckles turned white as he gripped his cane, the murderous intent in his eyes almost becoming tangible. Gerald's words appeared caring on the surface, but underneath they were a warning to Barry, even probing whether Augustus had made any new moves.

Veins bulged on the back of Augustus's hands, and towering fury and hatred churned in his clouded eyes.

He had navigated the cutthroat business world for most of his life and had weathered every storm imaginable, yet now he had been played for a fool by some bastard of unknown origin for so many years!

This impostor had not only stolen the nest like a cuckoo, enjoying the Rivera family's vast wealth, but had also tried to murder his own flesh and blood, and even caused his mother to fall down the stairs into a coma!

"Good, very good indeed!" Augustus trembled with rage, his voice seeming to squeeze through gritted teeth.

He wanted nothing more than to rush back to the Rivera Estate right now and put a bullet through that beast.

But reason held him back with an iron grip.

Sophia was right—they absolutely could not alert the enemy now. Since Gerald dared to tamper with evidence at the hospital, it meant his power network domestically had already taken deep root. If they acted rashly and cornered him like a desperate dog, it might again threaten Sophia and Robert's safety.

Augustus took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the murderous rage churning in his chest.

He turned to look at Barry, his gaze like an unsheathed blade, carrying a chilling ruthlessness. "Gerald can't be touched right now, but Freya—the one who helped him forge his identity and planted him in the Rivera family back then—absolutely cannot be spared! He thinks hiding abroad will let him sleep peacefully?"

"Barry, immediately deploy our most elite operatives overseas." Augustus's voice was cold as ice. "Spare no expense to capture Freya alive and bring him back! I want him to spit out every detail of how he pulled off that identity theft, word by word!"

"Yes, Mr. Rivera, I'll handle it immediately." Barry's expression became stern as he respectfully withdrew from the study.

The long night passed in torment and waiting.

The next morning, the faint light of dawn filtered through the study's floor-to-ceiling windows.