?


    "Back in the day, the Fowler family was a powerful family, on par with the current Salvador family. Chairman Salvador''s first wife was the second daughter of the Fowler family, I Fowler. Their marriage had been arranged by Old Master Nigel, and it was widely known as a business alliance.


    "Rumor had it that they barely saw each other before the wedding. There was no love or any emotional foundation at all. Old Master Nigel orchestrated the union solely to save the Salvador Corporation from the economic crisis of that era.”


    Be listened to her brother''s words in silence. "Marriages of convenience among wealthy families is not a new concept. Even Old Master Nigel once thought of marrying Justin to the Iverson family."


    “I only had one son, which was Grant, the eldest son of the Salvador family. Although the rtionship between her and Chairman Salvador wasn''t particrly good, there weren''t any public scandals either. The Salvador family benefited from their alliance with the Fowler family, and I gave the family an heir. Even if Chairman Salvador hadints, he couldn''t possibly show them."


    Ralph seemed engrossed in the story.


    "What happened next?" Be asked.


    Asher''s gaze darkened. "One night, I took her own life by theke at Tideview Manor, using a hunting rifle."


    Be''s eyes widened in shock, her spine prickling with cold sweat. "She shot herself? Why?!"


    "Whoa! I must have been something else!" Ralph eximed, stunned. "Most people whomit suicide try to avoid pain by jumping off a building, slitting their wrists, or overdosing on pills. She shot herself? She really wanted to end it all!"


    Asher''s brows knitted slightly as he sighed. "The truth behind I''s death has always been a mystery. Our father has always been a gossip lover. Back then, he had a friend who was always snooping around Chairman Salvador. Even though the Salvador family tried to keep it under wraps, word still leaked out."


    Suddenly, Be recalled something. "That year, Justin''s mother was pregnant. Could I have killed herself because Chairman Salvador had a mistress?"


    Ralph''s heart pounded. "A child at the age of four can already remember things. If I''s death was really caused by an affair, wouldn''t that mean that Grant could have grown up holding a grudge and might be seeking revenge on Justin? He might have ulterior motivesing back this time! Justin could be in danger!"


    Be''s heart raced as she listened to her brother''s concerns.


    "It seems moreplicated than that." Asher furrowed his brows in deep thought before continuing in a low voice, "When I was younger, Dad once mentioned that I was a very strange woman. She never liked being around people. After their marriage, Chairman Salvado@never took her out in public, and she rarely left the house. There were no reports of her having close friends among the rich housewives either. She was an incredibly low-profile, mysterious woman.


    "Once, Dad apanied Mom to the hospital for a checkup and ran into I. She looked unwell, pale, and dazed. They barely got a glimpse of her before she disappeared. At that time, Grant had just been born."


    "Maybe it was postpartum depression." Be pursed her lips. "Many women suffer from it when they don''t get proper care after childbirth. If it was left untreated, then she found out Chairman Salvador was cheating on her; it could''ve pushed her over the edge."


    Asher nodded. "That sounds possible."Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    "But what does I''s suicide have to do with the Fowler family''s downfall?" Be still looked puzzled. "Didn''t her brother manage the family''s business?"


    "He was involved in several murder cases."


    "Wait!" Ralph''s attention peaked the moment he heard ''murder'', being a police officer. His eyes gleamed. "I remember an old colleague at the station mentioning this! Thirty years ago, the head of the Fowler family killed two mistresses abroad. After returning, he raped and murdered a 16-year-old girl, dismembered her body, and disposed of the parts in his car. When they arrested him, he didn''t even show any fear or remorse. He even smiled bizarrely at the cameras! My colleague said that in his decades of service, that man was the most psychotic criminal he ever arrested."


    "Yes, that was I''s brother." Asher let out a long sigh, visibly unsettled as he recounted the story. "After Chairman Fowler was imprisoned, the Fowler Group was left without a leader. Eventually, their rivals took over, and the family crumbledpletely."


    Be felt a chill spread through her chest, clenching her teeth in disgust. "What a monster!"


    Outside the room, Steven hurriedly approached with a lunchbox in hand. When he saw Justin standing utterly still at the door like a frozen statue, he was so startled that he almost dropped the box.