Chapter 0427
+25 BONUS
“Marcus, you surprise me,” Frank said with a sly grin. “I thought you were smarter than the others, but now I see even you’ve been fooled. I have to admit, when you came to visit me in Switzerland, I thought it was my end. 1 didn’t expect you to leave me alive. I had a decent three years after that…. until ‘that bastard‘ showed up. The damn fool threw acid in my face.”
“What?” Marcus shouted, his patience wearing thin. “What are you talking about? Who are you talking about? Tell me!”
“Who else would I be talking about? Peter! Peter Palmer! That bastard didn’t die, and Theodore helped him get to me. That kid turned out to be smarter than he looked. Theodore and Peter were in cahoots, and for over eight years
-while everyone thought he was dead–that bastard was in a hospital fighting to survive.”
“You’re lying!” Marcus spat.
“I have no reason to lie. Look at me!” Frank barked, gesturing to his ruined face. “Do I look like a man who would bother with lies at this point?”
Marcus stared at him in disbelief. The burns were severe, his skin horribly scarred, his eyes sealed shut from the damage. This wasn’t the result of an accident–it was the work of someone consumed by hatred.
“I’m not falling for your games, Frank,” Marcus said firmly. “I know how you operate. You twist the truth and use dirty tricks to manipulate people into doing what you want
Frank smirked. “Blind and stupid, Marcus. I’ve already told you–I have no reason to lie. If you decide to kill me today, it’ll happen. But if I were you, I’d start investigating. You don’t want the ‘dead‘ suddenly showing up on your doorstep, do you? Imagine how your wife would react to finding out you married her only because her first love wasn’t around anymore.”
“You son of
“Go ahead, say it,” Frank sneered. “But it won’t change the fact that, my dear Marcus, you’ve been living a lie with your wife. How do you think she’ll react to finding out her great love from her youth isn’t dead?”
“How do you e
even know I’m married?” Marcus demanded, his fury barely contained.
“Marcus, you might hold the gun, but I have weapons of my own. I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since you dumped me here. I knew you’d come eventually, and when you did, I’d throw this in your face. You stole your friend’s fiancée. That Mary must be something special
“Shut up!” Marcus roared.
“Come on, Marcus, don’t tell me you feel guilty now. You’re blissfully happy with your wife, aren’t you? The only difference is you’re also playing daddy to her daughter.”
Marcus’s fists clenched, and his patience was wearing dangerously thin. At that moment, a nurse approached
them.
“Mr. Bartz, I need to take Mr. Frank for his medications. Without them, he’ll be in pain later–he’s quite fragile.”
“Oh, of course,” Marcus replied, forcing a smile.
“Oh, of course,” Marcus replied, forcing a smile. “Just give me 15 more minutes, and then he’s all yours.”
The nurse hesitated but eventually nodded and left them alone again.
“Tell me everything that happened. How do you know Peter is alive?” Marcus demanded, his voice low and threatening.
Frank took a deep breath and began recounting the events after Marcus had severed his ear. Then he got to what
12
Chapter
0427
Marcus really wanted to know.
+25 BONUS
“I stayed in Switzerland for at least three more years,” Frank began. “As you know, my money was running out little by little. Theodore managed my finances, but that bastard was stealing from me! I’m sure he used my money to pay your friend’s hospital bills. Can you imagine? I ordered his death, and I ended up funding his recovery,
Marcus’s jaw tightened, his knuckles white as he gripped the chair’s armrests.
“I stopped trusting Theodore with my security. Although, looking back, it’s clear I was wrong. When Theodore was protecting me, you never came near me. But after I replaced him, everything fell apart. All my misfortunes started when I brought in a new man.
