Chapter 280: Identity Exposed

My heart sank when I received the news. A few years ago, Jake had gone overseas to pursue his career, and we’d drifted apart. I never expected that, just after returning home, he would meet such a cruel fate.

I remembered his love for motorcycles, though he’d toned it down in the past couple of years. When I first learned to ride as a child, he patiently taught me, again and again, never losing his temper. I’d thought I’d never have to deal with the Sanders again, but hearing of their deaths, a feeling of regret stirred within me. They were so young.

It took me a long time to find my voice. “H-how did he die?”

Carter explained, “He slipped into the water after drinking. By the time they found him, he had already stopped breathing.”

Do you really think he would be foolish enough to fall into the water on a cold winter night? Someone must have killed him! But Silas is already in custody, and Anna is in the hospital—who could it be? That organization has more than a few people working for them.

Carter gently wrapped his arms around me and comforted me. “Chloe, we only just learned about his death, and I don’t know the details yet. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

I gripped Carter’s shirt tightly and asked, “What did the Sanders do to deserve this kind of cruelty?”

Carter sighed, unable to answer me. He reached up and stroked my hair. “Chloe, don’t be upset.”

I’d just thought I’d won a battle, having bested Anna for once, but it seemed that only made them speed up their plans against the Sanders. They were a group of cruel, heartless lunatics!

I had deliberately exposed myself to Silas as a test, and it turned out they didn’t know I had been reborn, so for now, I was safe. But the Sanders? They were in danger from all sides! Especially Grandma. Anna hated her so much; there was no way she would let her go.

“Grandma…”

“Don’t worry,” Carter said. “After this, I’ll move Penelope to another nursing home under the Sanders’ name. Only I will know her location.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, yet still felt stressed. “Grandma must stay safe.”

“She will. The Sanders have also increased her security.”

“Carter, did I make a mistake? If I had warned them sooner, maybe they could have avoided this disaster.”

Carter gently touched my forehead and spoke softly, “You did nothing wrong. The Sanders had wronged you, and you weren’t obligated to warn them. This is their fate; don’t blame yourself.”

He glanced at the time. “It’s late. You should rest now. You’re not Chloe anymore; you’re Zoey. The Sanders may have suffered, but your life is just beginning.”

I lay in the warm bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Too many things had happened recently—Anna, Silas, the Gardners, and the Sanders. My mind felt like a tangled mess.

“Go to sleep,” Carter whispered, gently patting my back.

When the lights went out, the dark room felt like a net closing in on me, suffocating me, as if the shadow figure controlling everything was tightening its grip. The sweet scent of incense calmed my frayed nerves, and only then did I finally drift off to sleep.

I slept through the night. When I woke up, my head felt foggy, and I couldn’t recall a single dream. I held my head in my hands and checked the time—it was already noon. Carter was gone. Thinking about Jake’s death, my mood plummeted. There was no joy to be found. Who would be next?

I checked on Silas. His burned face was exposed, and after staring at it for a while, it no longer seemed as repulsive as it had at first. Maybe my mental strength was growing stronger. After biting off his tongue, he could no longer speak. His hands were shattered, broken beyond recognition. His body lay useless on the bed. Only his eyes remained, staring blankly at the ceiling. For him, life and death had lost all meaning.

Even though he was weak, Damian was still keeping an eye on him, afraid he might try something drastic.

“Did he try to kill himself?”

“Yes, but it didn’t work.”

“Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him die. Death would be a relief for someone like him. I want him alive to see how Anna dies.”

When I mentioned Anna, Damian’s calm expression shifted slightly.

“Has anyone approached him?”

“No.”

I wasn’t sure whether they had given up on him, letting him die on his own, or if they had other plans.

The person bringing food arrived, and Damian brought it to Silas’s mouth. He wouldn’t open it, likely trying to starve himself.

I spoke coldly. “If he won’t eat, crush it and force-feed him. Even if it’s just enough to keep him breathing. I won’t let him die so easily.”

Their organization was ruthless. Our methods had always been too gentle. For people like him, we needed to be even more brutal.

“Yes, Mrs. Zoey. I’ll crush it right away.”

“Wait.”

I looked down at the food. “Give it to me.”

Damian, though unaware of my intentions, was like Carter—he never questioned what I did.

I took the food outside and scattered some of it on the ground. Soon, ants began to swarm and carry the food away.

“Mrs. Zoey, do you suspect someone poisoned the food!”

“Better safe than sorry. With Silas being such an important target, they wouldn’t give up that easily.”

As I spoke, the ants carrying the food suddenly dropped dead in masses. Damian immediately grabbed the food. “It’s poison! And it’s highly toxic!”

“Just as I thought. They never planned to rescue Silas but to kill him with poison! After all, rescuing him would be too costly. With their methods, they’d always choose to kill him instead.”

“Mrs. Zoey, someone’s actually targeted the Boltons! If they’re going after you, it would be so easy for them.”

“No, their target isn’t the Boltons—only Silas.”

The situation with the Boltons differed significantly from that with the Sanders. With the eradication of the Sanders, the family fortune naturally fell to Anna. The Boltons were thriving with many descendants. Despite the loss of the main branch, numerous secondary branches stood ready to compete for the inheritance. Besides, we hardly ever ate together except on holidays, and killing one or two people wouldn’t do much. The inheritance wouldn’t go to the killer.

“Mrs. Zoey, you know who it is now.”

I asked, “Who else could it be but her? This trap worked perfectly. It’s drawn in a big fish. Go check the security footage.”

“Understood. And Silas…”

“Make it look like he’s dead. Then take him somewhere else and keep him alive just enough to draw them in. Tonight, when it’s dark, pretend to bury the body in the mountains. Let’s see what else we can catch.”

Damian’s eyes lit up. He asked, “Mrs. Zoey, do you think the organization will come to collect Silas’s body?”

“I’ve set the trap. Let’s see what bites.”

“Let’s hope for a big catch.”