The Tyrant's Stolen Bride-Chapter 109: Where It All Began

Martin drove to the Pierce estate after Kane relayed Rowan’s message. Upon stepping out of the car, he was greeted by the butler and escorted to the parlor.

"Good to see you," Albert said with a quiet smile as they exchanged a handshake. He gestured toward the sofa. "Please, have a seat."

As Martin sat down, Albert’s gaze lingered on him. He searched for any trace of Edgar but found none.

There was no resemblance at all, save for the green eyes and even those only stood out upon closer inspection.

Still, he chose to trust Rowan. His son had never been careless with his faith, least of all when it involved outsiders.

"I believe you already know why I asked you here."

"Yes. It’s about Edgar Hale."

Albert nodded. "Good. Then there’s no need for me to pretend I know nothing about the situation. I’ll be honest."

His gaze fell on the items stacked neatly on the coffee table.

"All of this belonged to Edgar—" He paused as the butler quietly entered the parlor, informing them that the lawyer had arrived. Moments later, a middle aged man in a suit stepped inside.

"Martin, this is Mr. Andrew, the lawyer."

They exchanged nods before Andrew settled into the comfortable seat.

"I’ll have Mr. Andrew go through everything," Albert said, signaling the butler who stood nearby.

The butler opened it one by one, removing the items and files and arranging them neatly on the table while the lawyer explained each in turn while Albert remained seated, listening in silence.

Halfway through, Martin suddenly raised a hand to stop Andrew. With an apologetic look, he shifted his gaze to Albert and spoke.

"I understand why you wanted me to see all this, but I can’t accept it. You must know that, I searched for my father because I only wanted to know who he was, since I never had the chance to meet him. You should keep these. I’m sorry."

Martin declined politely.

Albert raised his brows, clearly surprised by the refusal. After showing him Edgar’s possessions one by one, he had expected a different reaction. Anyone else would have reached for them without hesitation, especially knowing they were the rightful inheritance from a legitimate father.

"All right, you can refuse them, but please allow Mr. Andrew to finish. We’re simply carrying out our responsibility, and then you can decide."

He just tried to persuade him as he was certain that Martin would need at least one of Edgar’s belongings.

When Albert spoke about responsibility, Martin hesitated to refuse. If that word had not been mentioned, he would have excused himself without a second thought.

After a moment of consideration, he finally agreed to Albert’s suggestion.

Partway through the explanation of the inheritance, just as Albert had expected, one of it caught Martin’s attention.

It was Edgar’s house in Blackhollow. Andrew had already moved on to explain another file, but Martin’s gaze kept drifting back to it.

"Is something bothering you?" Andrew asked when he noticed Martin drifting off.

"Oh, it’s nothing. Please continue," Martin said, pressing his lips together.

His eyes kept drifting back to the file several times, even as he tried to focus on Andrew.

A moment later, Andrew finished and closed all the files. "That’s everything."

Albert straightened his back, gave Andrew a brief word of thanks, and redirected his attention to Martin.

"Now it’s up to you. You’re free to decide what you want to do with it. All of it belongs to you."

Immediately, Martin’s gaze returned to the file about the house in Blackhollow.

"This one... I’d like to keep it."

"Of course. All of it is yours," Albert said with a light chuckle.

Martin nodded, but inwardly, he didn’t know how to respond. It didn’t feel right to suddenly accept such a large inheritance.

Even though Edgar had been proven to be his father, they had never shared any real interaction while he was alive. Not once in his life had Martin spoken the word father to Edgar’s face.

He was just about to refuse when Albert continued.

"Don’t refuse it now. You have plenty of time. Just come back if you change your mind."

After being persuaded several times, and not wanting to burden Albert, he agreed not to refuse, at least for now.

Then, Andrew handed him his business card in case he needed to contact him, then excused himself and took his leave.

"There’s one more thing I want to give you," Albert said, calling the butler to retrieve something from his study.

The butler left and returned moments later, a small photo album in hand.

"It was Edgar’s. You might want it as a keepsake." He gestured for the butler to hand the album to Martin.

"Thank you. I’ll hold on to this." Martin accepted it, appreciating Albert’s kind gesture.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave." He inclined his head slightly before heading to his car and leaving the mansion.

Albert went to his study and made a phone call.

Mr. Cray’s voice came through the line.

"Is Agnes resting right now?"

"Yes... but she’d like to speak with you. Please hold on, I’ll pass the phone to her."

Albert didn’t have to wait long before Agnes’s voice came through the line.

"Agnes, I’ve already shown him everything and he only took the house in Blackhollow."

"That’s all right. Don’t rush him. I’m already glad he took at least one. And thank you for helping me."

"I didn’t do much. I was just the go between. Don’t worry too much."

...

As the car eased into the parking spot and rolled to a gentle stop, Martin loosened his grip on the steering wheel.

He stepped out with the items Albert had handed him earlier, carried them inside, and set them down on the table before he sank onto the sofa.

The album was the first thing he reached for. He flipped through Edgar’s photographs one by one, from childhood to adulthood.

After a moment, he finished and set it aside. His gaze then settled on the property file.

Blackhollow.

That place was his birthplace. It was not surprising that Edgar owned a house there. However, he grew up in a city far from that place.

He wondered whether Edgar had ever known about his existence, and what kind of relationship his parents had shared. Were they lovers, or was it nothing more than a single night.

In the end, he decided that maybe he did not need to know all of that. It did not matter anymore.

What mattered was that one day, he would go and see that house for himself.