Anthony pulled me over to our seats once Armond left.
However, before I could even resume eating, I heard Anthony’s voice ringing clearly beside my ear. “Armond isn’t someone who lets people control him. Instead of letting him off just like that, why not leave him to me?”
Nicolas looked up at Anthony, unfazed. “Don’t try to act smart with me. That guy might be a beast, but I own the whole island. Nothing goes unnoticed under my nose. This is the only thing you need to bear in mind. He’s a lot better than you in many ways.”
“I’ll admit he’s better when it comes to doing unscrupulous things,” Anthony said, “I admit I’m not as good as him in this regard. I don’t have what it takes to do things like harming my own son. I don’t think I’ll ever beat him in that aspect.”
“Are you blaming me right now?” Nicolas interrogated with a hint of anger in his voice.
“Anthony,” I quickly cut in, putting my hand on his and shaking my head.
At my action, my husband clenched his jaw and kept quiet. Before long, his shoulders slanted helplessly. “I’m just giving an example. If you think you can trust Armond, ignore what I said.”
Anthony was a man full of pride. No one would believe him if he were to behave obsequiously to people he disliked. Showing his true colors on and off was more his style, and such a thing was good for us in some sense. The Hall family would be aware that it would not be easy to totally undo what they did to us.
Nicolas letting Armond go right in front of us was a clear warning. He wanted us to know that he still had a way to get back at us if we went against him.
The peaceful family meal we had was nothing more than a facade.
……
After Anthony secretly sent out our location yesterday, he ordered people to sneak to the island to look for the antidote.
But even the best-laid plans could go awry. Nathaniel knocked on our door early the next morning.
Anthony was sitting on the couch working on his tablet, so I went to get the door myself. “Morning, Nathaniel. Is there anything you need?”
“Go get ready. We’re going to the research center on the island to take a look,” he replied, glancing at Anthony.
My mind raced at his suggestion.
No Hall family members were pushovers, nor were they fools. They knew we had our own agendas for coming to the island. After Nicolas blatantly turned down Anthony’s request to be involved in the family business, there was no way Nathaniel would be kind enough to risk incurring his father’s wrath just to help us.
Anthony came up beside me when I was lost in my thought. “Sure thing, Nathaniel. Sienna and I will be downstairs in a bit.”
“Alright.” Nathaniel nodded briefly and walked off to the staircase.
Anthony stood at the door, watching his brother walk away before he closed the door behind him.
When he began dressing, I headed over to help him with his tie. “What do you think of Nathaniel?” I asked.
Anthony’s gaze lowered before he looked back into the mirror to fasten his cufflinks. “He’s easily the most tricky one in the family. He looks harmless on the outside, but his thoughts are deep as the sea.”
When I was done with his tie, Anthony took his coat from the hanger. He shot me a quick look and caught my gaze in the mirror before saying, “He might look amicable, but his every step is calculated.
Since he’s plotting something, let’s play along and see who comes out on top. It so happens that they just sent a message saying security is so air-tight at the research center it’s difficult to break in, so we should just go take a look ourselves.”
Anthony summarised his observation of his brother as he got ready. He seemed confident he would be able to deal with Nathaniel.
I applied on some makeup as I listened to him speak. After I was done, I picked up a cardigan and trotted downstairs with him.
Everyone moved around on scooters on the island, so it took us less than five minutes to get to the research center.
The entire building, which looked modern and innovative, was securely guarded by a transparent protective layer made of special materials. There were surveillance cameras every one hundred and fifty feet, so there were no blind spots. It would not be possible for even a fly to make its way in. Nathaniel scanned his handprint at the security checkpoint, and we walked in through the main gate. Security was seen to be tighter the further in we ventured. Passwords and iris recognition were required to go into the base of the research center. To call it a tech company might sound glamorous, but it was nothing more than just where a bunch of people in white coats worked.
After a trip around the center, we figured that the main industry on the island was pharmaceutical.
Healthcare was an industry essential to humans both in life and in death. Not only did the Hall family had the manufacturing and sales of drugs covered, but they were also involved in researching. They had the know-how to monopolize the whole industry. I finally understood why an affluent philanthropist like Bill Young would work under them.
We did not come across the poison center the entire morning. The whole production chain was legal, sanitary, and green.
When our group arrived at the last research lab, we bumped into Armond, who was busy inspecting the lab at the time.
“Why are they here, Mr. Hall?” Armond asked coldly without the slightest effort to hide his enmity toward us.
“Oh right, I forgot to tell you. I need you for another project, so just put your current project aside for a while,” Nathaniel answered without much emotion in his voice.
“Put my project aside?” Armond glared at both of us spitefully. “I thought you would know what you’re doing, but it turned out you’re just the same as these two good-for-nothings. Are you really kicking me aside now that your family is happily reunited? I have not forgotten the sufferings the Murphys went through because of your family. I will make sure you guys pay.”
“The Murphys only have themselves to blame. The police would not have something on them if they were truly innocent,” I interrupted.
What I saw at Armond’s villa was still fresh in my memory. They were the ultimate villains on earth. They came in second to no one.
No mother would be able to carry herself with composure when faced with the culprit who abducted her own child. Just as I was about to lambast Armond, Anthony tugged me by my sleeve – he was signaling me to calm down.
“You’ve done enough to us,” Anthony pointed out, looking at Armond right in the eyes and pulling me into his arms. “Since we’re all working for the Hall family, I guess I can put your offenses behind.”
I whipped my head toward Anthony in horror and disbelief.
Armond had been disgruntled when Nicolas took our side yesterday. Is Anthony trying to stoke the man’s anger?
As I anticipated, Armond was vexed. “So you’re saying I have to be grateful to you after losing so much on my end?” he replied sarcastically.
“You don’t have to. I’m not that petty. You simply need to make sure you’ve learned your lessons from our past dealings,” Anthony rebutted coldly with a smile.
John’s ability to insult people seemed to have rubbed off on Anthony. I widened my eyes in shock, unable to believe the words that I had just heard come out from his mouth. My husband could outdo John himself.
A chilling stillness filled the air after Anthony spoke. “More like I’ll teach you a lesson!” Armond cried out as he heaved a punch in full speed at Anthony’s face.
Anthony pulled me backward and stood in front of me instinctively.
Just as the impact was about to reach Anthony, a hand flashed before my eyes and caught Armond’s fist with precision. The next thing I knew, the man was hit on the shoulders and flipped over. His body slammed against the floor in a painful thud.
“Mr. Murphy…”
The many security guards around dared not move a muscle because the person who had attacked Armond was none other than Nathaniel himself.
Armond’s face contorted in agony as he groaned on the ground, but Nathaniel seemed totally unfazed. “We will compensate for all the losses your family suffered. You should know your place here. You have no right to touch anyone from the Hall family,” Nathaniel commented passively as he adjusted his suit.
Armond glared at him in fury from below.
Unlike me, who was completely stunned by Nathaniel’s swift reflexes, Anthony did not seem surprised by it.
When I finally came back to my senses, I realized that everything was just as Anthony had said—there was no small fry in the Hall family.
Nathaniel disregarded Armond, who was still on the floor, and wore a smile as he turned toward us. “Let’s head over to our next stop.”
He walked past Armond and headed toward the door casually as if nothing had happened. His indifferent behavior unsettled me.
Anthony looked at Nathaniel’s back quietly before he took my hand in his and followed after his brother.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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