The Truth Begins to Surface

When he returned home.

The atmosphere inside the Ashbourne residence was unusually tense.

The spacious living room, normally filled with quiet elegance, now felt heavy enough to suffocate anyone who stepped inside. The crystal chandelier bathed the room in warm light, yet it did nothing to ease the cold expressions on everyone’s faces.

Dario Ashbourne sat on the sofa, his complexion pale from illness but his posture still carried the authority of the head of the Ashbourne family.

Standing nearby was the severely injured White Ghost.

His clothes were torn in several places, dried blood stained his sleeves, and his breathing remained uneven. Despite receiving emergency treatment, the injuries he had suffered during the ambush were still obvious.

With lowered head, he was reporting everything that had happened to Steffan.

Thinking about his brother falling into the enemy’s hands.

He was anxious and helpless.

His fists tightened unconsciously.

Every second that passed without knowing his brother’s fate felt like torture.

"We underestimated them," White Ghost said through clenched teeth. "They were prepared from the beginning."

His voice was filled with frustration.

He had never expected an ordinary mission to end like this.

Upon learning that his two trusted men were ambushed.

Steffan was furious and secretly shocked.

His brows furrowed tightly.

His fingers slowly curled into fists beneath his sleeves.

How is this possible?

The thought echoed repeatedly inside his mind.

The D’Aurelius family’s young man had such experts by his side?

In a small place like Valemont, wasn’t a single Gold Realm expert enough to dominate?

Wren Tyson was only in the early Gold Realm and was considered the top expert in Valemont’s Old Martial Arts world.

Where did he find such help?

No matter how Steffan thought about it, nothing made sense.

His plans had been progressing perfectly until Julian D’Aurelius appeared.

Since then...

Everything had begun falling apart.

Every move he made seemed to be anticipated.

Every carefully arranged plan ended in failure.

His expression darkened further.

"Steffan, is this what you meant by definitely bringing the item to cure me?"

Dario Ashbourne, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

His tone was calm, but disappointment and anger were impossible to hide.

He had believed in Steffan’s confidence.

The young man had repeatedly assured him that the medicine would be obtained without fail.

Yet reality had proven otherwise.

Failure after failure.

Dario could no longer suppress the dissatisfaction building inside him.

"You heard it too, it’s the D’Aurelius family from Valemont plotting against us, they’re the ones who harmed you!"

Steffan replied with a gloomy expression.

His voice was low, carrying obvious resentment.

"D’Aurelius family? What does this have to do with the D’Aurelius family?"

Dario Ashbourne let out a cold sneer.

His sharp eyes locked onto Steffan.

He knew the D’Aurelius family of Valemont well.

Although they were influential, they had never interfered with his medical treatment.

Something about Steffan’s explanation simply didn’t add up.

"And the thousand-year Frostheart Ginseng you brought back before, you snatched it from the Whitmore family, right? It was originally reserved by the D’Aurelius family. I think you deliberately wanted to drag our Ashbourne family into trouble."

At this point, Felberta Ashbourne also stood up to question him.

Her beautiful face was calm, but her bright red eyes had become noticeably colder.

She had already sent trusted people to investigate the matter personally.

The truth had returned much sooner than expected.

The thousand-year Frostheart Ginseng had indeed been intercepted midway.

The Whitmore family had never intended to sell it elsewhere.

Someone had forcefully taken it.

Who else could have done it but Steffan?

Looking directly into his eyes, Felberta spoke firmly.

"This wasn’t an accident."

"You used our family from the very beginning."

Her words fell heavily inside the silent living room.

"This person not only had designs on her family but also wanted to use them as pawns against the D’Aurelius family!"

The realization left everyone present with darker expressions.

Steffan didn’t expect Felberta Ashbourne to suddenly confront him.

For a brief moment, even he was caught off guard.

He opened his mouth, intending to defend himself.

However—

The front door suddenly burst open.

Footsteps echoed hurriedly through the entrance hall.

Just as he was about to speak, Zyan Ashbourne stumbled back into the house.

His expensive clothes were covered with dust.

The marks left by the ropes were still visible around his wrists.

His breathing was ragged after rushing all the way home.

The fear he had experienced earlier had long transformed into blazing fury.

The moment his eyes landed on Steffan...

His anger exploded.

Without saying another word, he strode straight toward him and swung a heavy punch.

A flash of murderous intent appeared in Steffan’s eyes, but he didn’t retaliate. Instead, he sidestepped and coldly said.

"Young Master Ashbourne, what do you mean by this?"

His voice sounded calm.

But only he knew how close he had come to striking back.

"You still have the nerve to ask what I mean?"

Zyan roared.

His chest rose and fell violently.

Turning toward his father, he pointed directly at Steffan.

"Dad, you need to be careful of this bastard, he has no good intentions."

The room instantly fell silent.

Everyone’s attention shifted toward Zyan.

Still trying to steady his breathing, he began explaining everything.

"Today, while I was drinking at the bar..."

He quickly recounted the events.

From being knocked unconscious...

To waking inside the moving car...

Pretending to remain unconscious...

Hearing Steffan’s name...

Listening to the kidnappers discuss murdering him...

And finally being rescued by the police.

He left out nothing.

Every detail only made the atmosphere heavier.

By the time he finished, Dario Ashbourne’s face was already livid.

The veins on the back of his hands bulged visibly as he gripped the armrest.

His eyes burned with fury.

Coming to the Ashbourne family to wipe them out?

Did this kid really have a death wish?

Did he really think he, the richest man in Silverhaven city, was someone anyone could trample on?

The pressure inside the room became suffocating.

Everyone instinctively looked toward Steffan.

"Bullshit, when did I order someone to kidnap you?"

Steffan was already furious.

His voice echoed throughout the hall.

One of the things he hated most was being falsely accused.

Although he had such plans.

But that would have to wait until he won over Felberta Ashbourne.

Now, nothing was even close to being settled, how could he act so hastily?

What was going on? Why was his plan going so poorly?

Not only were there problems at every step, but now someone was also falsely accusing him!