Chapter 278 The Most Brutal Thing
A silent night descended upon Westhill Villa. After Robin was bailed out, Jason kept him at his place to avoid any exchange with the swarming reporters.
“Father, are you really going to agree to work with that mute? Nothing good can come from her.” “You didn’t need to tell me that. This woman is highly ambitious. If her cause was that beneficial, why would she want to work with me?”
“Then why are you considering it?” “Jefferey is in prison, probably for the rest of his life, but the business recognizes only this one Hudson Family’s signature. Do you think that fool Amber would be able to take on the job?”
Robin was stunned. If it weren’t for his godfather’s mention, he would have forgotten about the existence of such an individual. Ever since Jefferey was imprisoned, Amber had been “relegated” to a nobody as the upper-class society wouldn’t have her, including Arthur who had no longer the slightest interest in her. It was said that she attempted to look for him in the summer villa, only to be blocked off by the guards outside the gates.
“She’s probably easier to manipulate.”
“But what’s that moron gonna do other than being manipulatable? She doesn’t have the formulas.”
Jason took a puff of his cigar and slowly blew out smoke circles before profoundly saying, “Robin, you should know the rules of seeking wealth by now. If Old Mr. Burton won’t entertain us, we should pave a future for ourselves.”
Robin had no objection to his words, but he couldn’t help but feel unjust when he remembered how Rachel set him up. “So you’re gonna partner up with her?”
“It’s not that simple. After all, she roughed us up badly. It’s only right we return the favor, isn’t it?”
…
For consecutive days, Justin had been working overtime in Burton Group and hadn’t even returned home during the weekend. Growing concerned, Rachel gave Janice a call and agreed to meet at West Magnolia Cemetery.
It was a drizzling morning. Since Hans’s tombstone was close to her grandmother’s, Rachel arrived earlier than agreed with two bouquets of flowers. She then placed one bouquet before her grandmother’s tombstone, and after staying there for a while, she headed to Hans’s tombstone––that was when she bumped into Janice.
Although it was merely drizzling, Janice brought a black umbrella with her. She, too, had two bouquets of flowers in her hands as she quizzed, “Why didn’t you bring an umbrella?”
“It wasn’t raining when I came out.”
“Hold this.” Janice handed the umbrella in her hand to Rachel before placing one of her bouquets before the old woman’s tomb.
Watching as she did so, Rachel recounted, “It was raining too… Six years ago during Grandma’s funeral, when you were taken away by the people from the Investigation Bureau.” Back then, Janice was suspended by the bureau for the investigation regarding Justin because there was sufficient evidence.
Janice took a bow before Nancy’s tomb and took the umbrella from Rachel. Then, they walked side by side toward Hans’s tomb. “Why did you call me out so suddenly?”
“You went to see Justin at Burton Group two days ago. What were you looking into? Is it Mr. Onfroy?”
“No,” Janice denied. “It was smuggling.”
“Smuggling?”
“As I told you before, Jason has connections within Hudson Pharmaceuticals. After scrutinizing the Hudsons, we discovered a lot of things, and among those was a book of financial records filled with nothing but ciphers. While we’re still trying to decrypt it, many of the transactions in the book stated the exact same amount of imported garments as Jason had reported to the customs.”
“And those transactions belong to Jason?”
“That’s highly possible, but we don’t have clear proof yet. Besides, judging by Justin’s look, I can’t tell whether he knows about it.”
As they were conversing, they arrived at Hans’s tombstone and placed down their respective bouquets. While doing so, Rachel’s eyes instantly reddened.
Janice uttered, “In the end, Hans’s death was caused by the aftereffect of a smuggling trade. The longer we leave these smugglers be, the greater the number of victims there will be.
Hearing that, Rachel remained silent. Although she wasn’t exactly a patriot or a philanthropist, she definitely agreed with what Janice had just said. “Don’t worry. I already have a plan to expose Jason.”
“What’s your plan?”
Rachel took a deep breath while suppressing her emotion. “I thought the reason behind your visit to Burton Group was to look into the news of the company’s demolition case, so I was going to look for you to explain it.”
Janice frowned in confusion.
Rachel then continued, “Jason is no longer the simpleton we knew. You know his power and influence better than I. He could run around telling everyone he’s a smuggler but the force could do nothing about it as none of us have any evidence against him.”
Janice nodded. Although she wasn’t willing to admit it, that was indeed the truth.
Back when Robin’s kidnapping of Mr. Onfroy’s daughter made the news, Jason effortlessly bailed him out on the same night, and all the policemen simply claimed the situation as ‘a simple misunderstanding’. In the end, no one dared to investigate the problem.
“What are you trying to do, Rachel?” All of a sudden, Janice realized the seriousness of the matter.”
Rachel replied, “Doesn’t matter what I do. Only by infiltrating into their circles will I get to know what they are plotting. I’ll try to provide you with the evidence you need. A man like Jason oughta be given the punishment he deserves.”
“That’s too risky! You have no idea how brutal a smuggler’s actions on international borders can be.”
“I do.” Determination surged on Rachel’s face. “I’ve seen the most brutal thing in the world, and to me, that’s Grandma’s death.”
“As you know, Rachel, I’ve been looking into smuggling activities on international borders for many years. Be it Hudson Pharmaceuticals, Burton Group, or perhaps some even more powerful organization, I’ll still scrutinize them. I devote my life to this field.
But you’re only an ordinary woman. You bear no responsibilities or obligations to do this! Even for Hans’s sake, I’d never wish to drag you into such a chaotic part of the world.” Janice’s voice, despite being disrupted by the sound of the rain, remained clear.
However, Rachel countered, “You didn’t have to drag me. I’m already in this chaos.” Since the day she married Justin, she had made herself the bridge between Burton Group and Hudson Pharmaceuticals, and that was also the day she found herself in the crossfire of lawlessness.
In fact, she thought her involvement in this mayhem commenced much earlier. Perhaps twenty-five years ago, her destiny was already bound to chaos when she first met Justin, who was abducted as a teenager.
“I’ve made up my mind.” Her eyes were calm yet resolute. “I’ll be your insider and investigate the smuggling activities between Burton Group and the criminals at international borders.” Although she didn’t seem like it, she was truly a daunting woman.
At once, Janice was reminded of the first time Hans told her about Rachel. He would describe her with terms like ‘tenacious’ or ‘soft on the outside but tough on the inside’. According to him, no matter what circumstance she found herself in, she would always thrive toward the light.
“And I’ll protect you at all cost.”
At those words, warmth surged in Rachel’s eyes. “But you’ve always done that, regardless of me being your insider, haven’t you?” Ever since Hans introduced Janice to her, Janice had always tried her best to ensure her safety. Despite their entirely unrelated backgrounds and personalities, Rachel perceived Janice as nothing less than her own elder sister.
