Chapter 516

The Frazier family, with its wealth and prestige, was governed by ironclad rules. Debra knew her father was a man of principle, unyielding even toward his own brother. Ralph’s gambling was more than a personal failing; it was a rot that threatened the entire family. And it did.

Ralph’s face contorted with anger; his silence a damning confession. Debra pressed on. “I’m asking you one last time. Did you kill my father?”

Ralph lost his composure and shouted, “Yes, I did it. He was so stubborn! He found out about my gambling and decided to cast me out. I’m his brother! I just needed to borrow money, but he scolded me and threw me out. That’s my family too. Why was he so harsh to me?”

“You were gambling, and my father expelled you according to family rules. He did nothing wrong. Look at what you’ve done to the Frazier family. And you killed my father for that?”

Hearing the truth from Ralph was a bitter pill to swallow. For years, he had been a second father to her. Betrayal stung like a venomous barb, twisting in her heart.

Ralph looked away, the rims of his eyes reddening. His brother and he had grown up together, but when pushed to the edge, people lost their reason. He gritted his teeth. “I was beaten by my creditors for three days and nights. When I came home, your father forced me to explain. I wouldn’t say anything, but he guessed. I owed thirty million dollars, and I couldn’t repay it. When he wanted to expel me, he cut off my lifeline. How could I just accept that?”

Debra’s voice shook with emotion. “But that doesn’t mean you should have killed my father. Do you know this is a crime? Did my father ever fail you? He gave you money, a job, and freedom. Why did you throw it all away on gambling?”

Ralph’s face was a mask of tears and bitterness. “It was because he was too perfect. All people ever talked about was Gael, the genius of the Frazier family. I was nothing. I grew up with your parents, but to outsiders, they were the golden couple. And me? I was just a sidekick, never taken seriously. I loved your mother too, but she never looked at me.”

Years of resentment and jealousy poured out like poison. “I gambled to make big money, to get some respect, but he belittled me. Yes, Gael was amazing. He was the pride of the Frazier family. But what about me? No one cared about me. Did he ever think about what would happen when he expelled me? I could have been killed by those debt collectors.”

Debra couldn’t bear to listen anymore. “After all these years, can’t you see that those who got you into debt wanted to bring down our family?”