Chapter 512

The gambling debt was just the tip of the iceberg. It seems Ralph has been a pawn in a much larger game. The organization behind it failed to sway your father, so they targeted Ralph.

“Under Ralph’s leadership, our family has been on a downward spiral,” Debra mused. “Was their goal to destroy us?”

Looking back, the Frazier family’s decline began with Ralph. His gambling debts had nearly wiped out their centuries-old fortune. The organization had orchestrated it masterfully, swallowing the Frazier family’s business in just a few years. It was chilling.

“The evidence we have now points to Ralph bribing a driver, Jaycob Ewing, to cause a fatal crash. But with Jaycob and your parents dead, there’s no concrete proof. Who would suspect a bribe that led to the driver’s own death? It seems unreasonable.”

Marion paused and added, “Andrew’s people found Jaycob’s son, who had leukemia. Jaycob took the bribe because he desperately needed money for the surgery. It was a matter of life and death.”

Debra asked thoughtfully, “Wasn’t this investigated at the time?”

Marion replied, “It was ruled an accident. No one suspected Ralph.”

The past brotherly respect now tasted like ashes in Debra’s mouth. With no enemies or business rivalries, the Frazier family’s tragedy had been dismissed as a drunk-driving accident. And Ralph, taking the reins after her father’s death, had ensured the case was never reopened.

Debra looked down at the spaghetti, and her appetite vanished.

“Tomorrow, I want to see him. I need to get something from him.”

The key to the shrine hall was still in Ralph’s possession. He had hidden it away, clearly aware of its significance. She was determined to get answers from Ralph.

Marion took her hand. “I’ll go with you.”

Debra pulled her hand back. “You want us to reconcile before everything is out in the open?”

Marion captured her hand again, pressing it against his heart. She could feel its steady beat, her face flushing slightly. As she tried to pull away, Marion leaned in, his lips brushing the corner of her mouth.

His kiss was gentle, almost tentative, as if afraid to scare her off. She instinctively wanted to push him away, but he deepened the kiss, his arms wrapping around her. Only when her body went limp and she was spent did Marion release her.

Marion’s throat bobbed, his skin burning hot. Debra pushed him away, her cheeks flushed.

“Tonight, you’re not sleeping with me,” she said.

Marion looked troubled. “What should I do? I was hoping to tell you more of my stories.”