Chapter 91
“I’ve never imagined betraying my own son.” Owen whispered to Pavel, who was shouting that Nikolai would never do such a thing.
“I know you’re a coward, so I was afraid you’d run away, so until the surgery date came, Nikolai said it was a secret.”
If it were Nikolai, there was more than enough reason for him to do that. He could deceive himself and even betray him. Nikolai was looking for a liver that was completely suitable for transplantation. Currently, Pavel was the most suitable candidate, so he was always afraid.
Pavel’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He hastily gathered the pills he had and swallowed them. He was engulfed in a dizzying impulse to do something right away.
It was Pavel who spiked the water his father, who was preparing for surgery by gradually weaning himself off medication, was drinking. And no one expected him to accidentally die in a car accident while driving under the influence of the drug.
Nikolai considered that his son had not been able to quit the drugs, seeing the substances detected in his son’s body. He couldn’t imagine anyone giving drugs to his son. All the people in the mansion followed Nikolai’s lead.
“It’s not me. Even if it wasn’t me, Father wouldn’t have been able to quit the drugs!”
Owen already knew that both Pavel and his liver were unsuitable for transplantation.
And he also saw through Pavel, who couldn’t properly deceive his emotions and acted impulsively. Just like Pavel who trampled on himself without hesitation to avoid losing what he had, Owen did the same.
“That’s right.”
Owen whispered to someone behind Pavel, releasing Pavel’s head.
His bone marrow tingled. Pavel’s pupils began to tremble aimlessly. Once again, he thought the person in front of him was mocking him just like in the hotel room, but the person’s gaze was directly behind him.
Pavel turned around. Yuri, who had been blocking the entrance, was now standing aside.
The person standing with a cane, exerting all his strength, was the only one Nikolai, who never wanted this fact to be revealed.
“You… I raised you myself after your mother abandoned you, Pavel, and you…!”
“No! No, Grandfather! It was all Owen’s doing. Owen ordered it. He kept coming to me, saying nonsensical things, and I couldn’t think straight. I really didn’t know Father was going to drive out. I didn’t know!”
“Even after killing Father while he was drugged, you couldn’t stop. Is that what drugs do?”
Watching Pavel, who was almost kneeling down to plead with Nikolai, Owen spoke in a languid voice.
At that moment, the angry eyes of old Nikolai met Owen’s eyes.
He put so much force into the hand holding the cane that it seemed like the blood vessels would burst. Trembling, he finally struck the floor with the cane.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Grandfather!”
Startled by the sound, Pavel crouched even lower.
With one hand in the pocket of his suit, Owen stood obliquely and looked at him.
The eyes that didn’t hide their anger were now directed at Owen, not Pavel. There was no one here who believed that it was just a mistake because they didn’t understand the language.
“Just a bit too late, and… I’m just…”
“Shut up!”
The cane struck Pavel’s head. His forehead split open, and blood flowed down.
At that moment, the fear from back then flooded Pavel’s mind. He had nightmares every night about being caught by Nikolai for what he had done, hiding in dark places. If Owen were to expose him now, it would mean death for him.
However, it was cowardly to bring up the matter now. They had implicitly promised eternal silence, hadn’t they?
“In this matter… Owen also bears clear responsibility. If you’re going to punish me….”
Blood flowed between his eyes. Pavel raised his head and said that Owen was also responsible for his father’s death. He couldn’t die alone. If he died, it had to be with Owen.
From the moment of birth to the moment of death, it didn’t matter if they were the same.
“Unfortunately, you’ll have to bear the responsibility alone. Nikolai probably loves Eden City too much to pass the responsibility for his son’s death on to me.”
Owen of Eden City.
Owen had only one reason for waiting until he reached a position that Nikolai dared not touch.
He had been holding his breath, overseeing Eden City until he reached a position where Nikolai couldn’t touch him. And when he realized that Nikolai had presented Pavel as the new owner of Eden City in his absence, he knew that both Nikolai and Pavel had deceived him.
In a household where reward and punishment were clear, it was time for punishment.
As Nikolai’s anger deepened, Owen delved deeper. Considering the position of the heir, Owen knew that there would be no flaws in Nikolai’s character that he was unaware of.
In the end, Nikolai entrusted Owen with the ultimate authority over the management of Eden City, which he had never handed over until now.
Several years were enough time for the city to fully recognize Owen as its master.
A well-behaved, well-raised dog.
That’s how Nikolai always thought of Owen. Despite the inconvenience, Nikolai had always come to Eden City himself to finish the job with his own hands. Over the past few years, seeing that Nikolai didn’t doubt him and didn’t come here himself showed that he trusted Owen.
It wasn’t until Owen’s mouth didn’t taste as sweet as it should have after realizing that his long-awaited plan had finally come to fruition that he realized it. The plan had accelerated slightly faster than expected. Despite hiding his anxiety, one hand inside his suit was as tense as Nikolai’s.
Owen passed Pavel and Nikolai slowly. There was a sound of glass dragging Pavel’s neck from behind.
The airplane aisle led to stairs leading outside rather than the airport lounge after Pavel boarded. The sound of footsteps echoed on the metal stairs.
Owen got into the SUV parked just below. When Yuri forcibly pushed Pavel into the car, he struggled.
“Let go! You coward! If it weren’t for you deceiving me!”
The grinding sound of teeth grated on him. Yuri firmly held him so he couldn’t move. His pupils dilated as the golden eyes of his unknown face looked strange and unfamiliar. There had never been a time when he didn’t feel unfamiliar with someone who shared his face.
“Sneaky bastard! For years, with such intentions…!”
Nikolai had a misconception. Owen gave Pavel’s finger to Saren. He realized this now, but he hadn’t received any compensation yet for the accident that happened on this leg.
As Owen reached out instinctively, a bodyguard placed a cigarette in his hand. Despite refusing the offer to light it, Owen carefully chewed on the filter.
However, the statement about quitting smoking seemed meaningless as he eventually took out the unlit cigarette from his lips.
At that moment, Yuri grabbed Pavel’s throat and shoved it under the pre-cut hole in the ice. Pavel struggled as he sank into the water up to his shoulders. But even his struggling was easily suppressed, and as he was pushed deeper into the water, his vigorous resistance gradually waned.
As Owen broke off half of the cigarette with his hand, he touched his left hand, his index finger.
There should always be something.
“Ah… That’s over there.”
Owen’s cold face momentarily crumbled. When he remembered the moment he asked for the ring that was supposed to be tightly attached to Sarin’s finger, a lazy laugh escaped him.
He slowly clasped the empty fingers of his hand again.
Even at this moment, he felt like Sarin was tightly gripping his thumb so as not to miss the ring.
“Owen.”
The struggling completely stopped.
