[Flashback]
"But there is one thing we can do," Anna said thoughtfully. "We can see what those three are really up to."
Daniel looked at her, slightly confused by her words.
Anna had been carefully piecing together everything they had learned so far. The more she thought about it, the clearer the pattern beca.
Collin was trying to play both sides.
He was maintaining close ties with Norma while also staying connected to Roseline. To anyone else it might have looked like coincidence, but Anna could see the calculation behind it.
Collin was using them.
And he was probably enjoying how easily he thought he could manipulate the situation.
Anna did not like that.
If Collin believed he could quietly benefit from both sides, then it was ti to shake things up and force everyone’s true intentions into the open.
Daniel watched her silently as she continued thinking.
"What do you have in mind?" he finally asked.
Anna lifted her gaze and t his eyes.
Her expression was calm, but the idea forming in her mind was anything but small.
"Let’s reopen your father’s case."
For a mont, Daniel stared at her as if she had said sothing completely unexpected.
Reopen the case?
That was not a decision people made lightly.
His father’s death had been closed as an accident years ago. Digging it up again would not only attract attention but would also disturb people who preferred the past to remain buried.
Daniel remained silent, studying her face.
Anna did not look uncertain.
In fact, the more she thought about it, the more convinced she beca that this was the right move.
"If Collin is really hiding sothing," she explained, "this will force him to react. And if Norma and Roseline are involved in anything, they will not be able to stay calm either."
Daniel slowly leaned back in his chair.
The idea sounded reckless at first.
But the longer he thought about it, the more sense it made.
If soone had truly been responsible for what happened to his father, reopening the case would shake the ground beneath them.
And people who were hiding secrets often made mistakes when they felt threatened.
A faint flicker appeared in Daniel’s eyes.
The initial surprise faded, replaced by quiet resolve.
Finally, he gave a small nod.
"Okay," he said calmly.
Anna watched him carefully.
"Let’s do it."
***
[Present]
Daniel’s gaze remained steady as he looked at Norma standing in front of his desk.
"I know this is unexpected, and perhaps I should have consulted you first," he said calmly. "But seeing how you keep going behind my back and helping the very people who might be responsible for my parents’ deaths makes question whether I should still trust you, Aunt Norma."
Norma’s eyes burned with anger.
Yet what unsettled her even more was not the accusation itself, but the fact that Daniel was doubting her so openly.
"You are judging just because I helped Collin escape?" she asked, her voice tight.
Daniel simply shrugged.
"And that very action makes it difficult for to trust you, Aunt Norma," he replied without hesitation.
Norma fell silent.
Her jaw tightened as she stared at him, but the longer she held his gaze, the more she realized sothing she had not fully acknowledged before.
Daniel had changed.
The boy who once relied on her guidance had grown into soone who now questioned her decisions without hesitation. His calm confidence made it clear that he was no longer soone she could easily influence.
He had outgrown her authority.
"I do not know why you chose to help Collin," Daniel continued. "But let warn you about one thing, Aunt Norma. He is not a simple man to deal with."
Daniel deliberately kept his words brief. He made sure not to reveal that he had been watching Collin’s movents all along.
Norma listened quietly.
Despite her frustration, she could not deny that Daniel was right.
Collin was far from simple.
In fact, she knew better than anyone how dangerous he could be.
And yet, he was also the only man who had the capability to help her deal with the enemies she could not fight alone.
After a mont, Norma let out a slow breath.
"Fine," she said finally.
Daniel watched her carefully.
"If reopening the case will help uncover the truth, then so be it," she continued. "Let us see what cos out of it now... or whether history decides to repeat itself again."
Norma might have felt offended that Daniel had made such a decision without consulting her, but as she thought about it more carefully, she realized sothing important.
This sudden change could stir up the past in ways no one expected.
Secrets that had remained buried for years might finally co to light.
And for that reason, she found herself strangely looking forward to what would happen next.
***
[Bennett Mansion]
"What do you an they are reopening the case?"
Roseline’s voice trembled as she spoke. The words Hugo had just read aloud from the paper in his hand made her feel as if the ground beneath her feet had suddenly shifted.
For a brief mont, the room felt too quiet.
Roseline stood frozen, staring at Hugo as if hoping she had misunderstood him.
Hugo himself looked surprised. Even he had not expected such news when he first saw the report.
"It is not clearly ntioned here," he said, glancing again at the docunt. "But I assu soone from George’s family has taken the step to reopen it."
The mont the word family left his mouth, Roseline’s thoughts imdiately jumped to two nas.
Daniel.
Norma.
Her expression changed instantly.
A flicker of anger crossed her face at first. The idea that they would dare dig into sothing that had long been buried made her chest tighten with irritation.
But that anger did not last long.
Because beneath it, sothing far stronger began to rise.
Fear.
mories from the past clawed their way back into her mind, refusing to stay buried, with Roseline clutching her hand slowly.
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