Chapter 1304:
Debora looked at him in dismay. “So, it’s your orders they’re following? You’re the one keeping me here.” Her anger boiled over. “You’re siding with Elyse, even though Grandpa raised you! You’ve truly let me down.”
Elyse gave a light clap and a wry smile. “It’s rather moving. I had assumed no Owen held real affection for him. It seems I underestimated you. Unfortunately, he never saw you as his successor. Even in his dying moments, his thoughts were only of Jayden.”
Debora exploded in rage, shouting, “You’re crossing a line!”
To Elyse, Debora’s outburst seemed merely a childish tantrum. “Is that so? It seems you’re unraveling already?” With a swift move, Elyse grasped Debora’s wrist, her expression cold.
“Feel free to expose my actions tomorrow, but are you truly empowered to speak for all the Owens?” Elyse’s voice was calm but firm.
Trapped by her own words, Debora retorted impulsively, “Absolutely! My family sent me here to confront you and your accomplice! You won’t get away with this!”
Pleased by the response, Elyse loosened her hold and said, “That’s enough. Release her.”
Debora hesitated, momentarily confused by Elyse’s sudden decision to let her go. Her instincts told her that something wasn’t quite right. Still, she felt uncomfortable staying in Jayden’s residence any longer. With lingering doubts, she quickly left.
Once Debora was gone, Pearce grinned, his tone light. “You heard her, Jayden. She claims to act on behalf of the Owen family. If they decide to take action against Elyse, I won’t remain on the sidelines.”
Jayden, still observing Elyse with an unreadable expression, nodded in agreement. “Understood. I’ll stay out of it.”
This response seemed to please Pearce.
Elyse, stifling a yawn, turned to Pearce. “Thanks for coming, Pearce. That’s all I needed you for. You can go now. I need some rest.”
Elyse gracefully made her way upstairs, retreating into the calm sanctuary of her room. Meanwhile, Jayden turned his attention away and addressed Pearce with a hint of intrigue.
“You’ve been delving into the secrets of the Owen family. What have you managed to unearth?”
Unsurprised by Jayden’s awareness of his clandestine efforts, Pearce answered with a measured calm, “More than enough. Should Debora stir the pot too vigorously, don’t hold it against me when I lay bare the skeletons of your family.”
With a nonchalant shrug and a knowing smile, Jayden responded, “Their misdeeds no longer bear my name. I’ve cut all ties with the Owens.”
The most profound lesson Jayden had gleaned from his kin was the mastery of cold detachment. Severing those familial bonds had been almost instinctual for him. No matter how many labeled him callous or thankless, he remained utterly unbothered. Detachment was, after all, the quintessential Owen family creed.
Earlier, when Debora had stormed in, not for a second did Jayden believe her tirade was fueled by a quest for justice for Enzo. There had to be a selfish motive lurking behind her fervor. Predictability was a hallmark of the Owen lineage—each member a cog in a cold, calculating machine, driven solely by personal gain.