"Dad, you got it wrong, he’s not..." Jacob Garcia quickly tried to calm his father, who was suddenly agitated, eyes wide with shock.
But before he could finish, Thomas Smith spoke leisurely, "Since you know I’m King Hades, answer honestly whatever I ask you, or else I’ll take you to the Underworld."
Jacob Garcia was stunned, shocked, and turned to look at him, "Mr. Smith, you can’t frighten my dad like this! He’s frail, if anything happens..."
"Young Master Garcia, your father’s fear stems from the guilt in his heart. Only by guiding him to confess the wrongs he committed and reflect on them can his heart find peace."
Before Thomas Smith finished speaking, Michael Garcia was already ekly responding, "I’ll speak... I’ll talk, ask whatever you want, I’ll tell... just don’t take to hell... I, I don’t, don’t want to go to hell..."
Jacob Garcia saw his father like this and couldn’t say anything more.
Thomas Smith got straight to the point.
"Back then, how did you et Chloe Norton? And how did you get her to marry you so quickly?"
Michael Garcia almost didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, and imdiately answered, "I... I t her at a friend’s, gathering... saw her, she didn’t... didn’t know ... initially, I just thought she was too... beautiful, with a great... figure... later, later I inquired... found out her family background, was also very good..."
"At the ti... I wanted to do business, was worrying about... not having connections or networks... seeing she was both beautiful and... wealthy, I got the idea to pursue her... but she, simply ignored ..."
Jacob Garcia listened to these words, and his dissatisfaction and resentnt towards his father resurfaced.
When he previously visited his mother in prison, she clearly said that they had been together for a long ti then, and their relationship was stable.
But it seed that his father had shifted his affections as soon as he t Chloe Norton.
Of course, such affection wasn’t pure love, but had ulterior motives.
"I created various opportunities... pursued her persistently, even found ways to get to know River Norton... he thought well of , through work interactions, I... I got familiar with the Norton Family—"
Thomas Smith looked furious, with a face like water, "And just because of that, River Norton gave his daughter to you in marriage?"
"No... no, there was one day... it rained heavily, Chloe Norton had dinner with friends and couldn’t get ho... she called River Norton, I... I was right next to him and overheard... I volunteered to pick her up..."
"River Norton agreed... I drove the Norton family’s car to pick up Chloe Norton... seeing her, her clothes were soaked, clinging to her, making her even more alluring... honestly, my admiration for her... had so sincerity, after all... such a young and beautiful woman, which man wouldn’t be moved upon seeing her—"
"On the way, I confessed to her again... but she still rejected without hesitation, she even wanted to jump out of the car to escape... that night, the rain was heavy, there was no one on the road... her proud disdainful nature... provoked to the point I had bad intentions..."
Thomas Smith clenched his fist tightly, without asking what those "bad intentions" were.
For a man to violate a defenseless woman, the thods must be extrely vile and shaless.
Unexpectedly, Michael Garcia himself composed himself, catching his breath, and disclosed the details on his own.
"She wanted to jump out of the car... I was furious, stopped the car by the roadside... climbed into the backseat, and forcibly made her... drink a bottle laced with drugs. She struggled... resisted... called for help..."
"But, there was no one on the road... even if she scread herself hoarse, it was useless. She was too beautiful... more beautiful than any woman I’ve seen, the more she resisted, the more I... wanted to conquer her..."
By this point, even though Michael Garcia was extrely weak, his face was sohow glowing again, his eyes gleaming with excitent.
Had Thomas Smith not feared that a punch would instantly end everything, he desperately wanted to send him straight to hell!
"That night... was incredibly wonderful. I brought her, unconscious, back ho, and the rest... naturally followed."
River Norton, seeing his daughter hadn’t returned for so long, went from initial anxiety to frantic panic.
He crazily searched everywhere for his daughter, trying every ans to gather information about Michael Garcia.
Finally, by dawn, he found Michael Garcia’s place.
When he forcefully knocked open the door and saw Michael Garcia, disheveled and sleepy, standing before him, and then heard that blood-curdling cry from inside, "Dad, save —"
At that mont, his heart shattered!
He pinned Michael Garcia down and beat him rcilessly, calling him a beast, a scoundrel. Simultaneously, he deeply blad himself, regretted deeply, blad himself for harming his daughter.
At that mont, he even dragged Michael Garcia to the windowsill, wanting to jump off with him, to perish together.
Fortunately, Chloe Norton remained rational and rushed forward to pull her father back.
River Norton looked at his daughter, her whole body bruised, in imnse pain, holding her tightly, continuously confessing and apologizing.
Michael Garcia, beaten black and blue, wiped his nosebleed and then walked up to the father and daughter, kneeling with a thud.
No one knew whether he was acting or sincere; he knelt before the Norton father and daughter, willingly admitting his mistake, saying he loved Chloe Norton too dearly, losing his sanity for a mont.
He vowed to take responsibility for Chloe Norton, to treat her well for the rest of his life, to cherish and love her.
But no matter how much he promised, River Norton did not believe him.
He helped his daughter up, intending to call the police.
Michael Garcia shouted fiercely to stop them, taking out a roll of film.
"Uncle Norton, if kind words won’t work, don’t bla for being ruthless. If the contents of this film get leaked, Chloe’s life is over. You better think it over."
River Norton looked at what he held, furious once again, lunged forward and snatched it away.
But unfortunately, Michael Garcia had planned a backup; this wasn’t the only roll of photos he had taken.
"In those days, losing one’s virginity before marriage was not as easily forgiven as it is now... especially for soone like River Norton, who was a notable figure in the Ancient Town..."
Michael Garcia recalled his sins from the past, but there wasn’t a hint of remorse in his words.
Exhausted from saying so much, he was panting heavily, his body trembling more due to weakness from pain.
Even his own son Jacob Garcia looked at him coldly, devoid of any pity.
"In the end... they didn’t call the police... River Norton took his daughter back ho, I knew they had compromised... Afterward, I visited the Norton Family more frequently... At first, they naturally hated , every ti I went, they drove away, but I was persistent... showing sincerity, even kneeling at the Norton Family’s door in broad daylight..."
"Outsiders had no idea what had happened, they just thought... I was deeply in love with Miss Norton, soon, neighbors began to speak up for ... When I was young, my appearance wasn’t bad either... In others’ eyes, Chloe Norton and I were a perfect match..."
"With more onlookers... the Norton Family feared that I would reveal the truth in anger... they had no choice but to let enter. Being able to step into the Norton Family’s gate again, I knew I was one step closer to success—"
"I proposed, once again swearing in front of everyone... that I would definitely be good to Chloe Norton, would definitely take care of River Norton and his wife in their old age... But River Norton still didn’t agree, and kicked out again."
Michael Garcia laughed, coughing as he laughed, with the machines beside the bed shrieking sharply.
The special nurse hurried over upon hearing the commotion, seeing the dire situation, was about to ask the family to leave, but Michael Garcia raised his hand, signaling it wasn’t necessary.
The special nurse had no choice but to adjust the dication more aggressively, and soon, Michael Garcia cald down.
It seed as though he was having a last-minute rally, as he gradually seed more spirited, even able to open his eyes normally.
After waiting for the beeping on his chest to calm down, he continued, "I still went to the Norton Family every day... During that ti, my business had picked up a bit, friends and family acquainted with the Norton Family... all knew I liked Chloe Norton, all assud I was River Norton’s... son-in-law, naturally they treated with courtesy, making business negotiations much easier..."
"Later one day, when I went over, I encountered Chloe Norton and her mother going out... It had been a month since the incident, the first ti Chloe Norton left the house, I quietly followed them, and it turned out... they went to the hospital."
"Yes... Chloe Norton was pregnant, I was overjoyed, I stopped them at the hospital entrance, once again proposing in public..."
Thomas Smith couldn’t listen anymore, whether out of anger or heartbreak, he was in terrible condition, his face pale, his always steel-straight spine finally slumping, unable to stand steadily...
He wobbled, reaching for the nearby seat, collapsing into it.
Michael Garcia seed to transcend ti, returning to that era, his face brimming with excitent and joy, coupled with his sallow, gaunt face, the whole person was strange and hideous, terrifyingly so.
"The news of Chloe Norton’s pre-marital pregnancy spread... everyone naturally assud I was the child’s father, and I never denied it..."
"A few days later, River Norton finally agreed to marry his daughter to ... At first, I didn’t break my promise... I truly treated Chloe Norton well, readily agreeing to anything, ticulously caring for her... She was pregnant, and I pampered her every day... treated my father-in-law and mother-in-law with respect... Gradually, I could see... her attitude towards changed sowhat..."
"Later, the child was born, a girl... I actually wasn’t fond of girls, but thought the future was long, and there could be more children... At that ti, River Norton hadn’t handed over the Norton business to , I knew he still had concerns... It didn’t matter, at that ti, I intended to have a good life with Chloe Norton, everything of the Norton Family... would be mine sooner or later..."
"But I never expected... seemingly gentle and pure Chloe Norton, was quite scheming, deeply hidden... I always thought she was the victim... until I saw the secretly hidden paternity test, I realized... I was the fool!"
Michael Garcia’s face grew increasingly ferocious, humiliation and hatred shooting from his eyes, his withered hands clenching the bedding, gritting his teeth.
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