Chapter 1834
The words from Arabe left the room in a state of mild shock. Could it be that Erik and Martin had
been in cahoots behind the scenes?
"That sedative incense—it''s amon item on the ck market, with a strong aroma. Erik is
somewhat a leader of an organization; he should''ve known what that incense could do. But he got
nabbed by Martin''s bodyguard? A leader taken down by a run-of-the-mill guard? Doesn''t that strike you
as odd?"
"You''re suggesting that Erik got captured on purpose? That from the moment he stepped into Martin''s
ce and sniffed that sedative incense, he knew his daughter wasn''t there. He realized it was a trap
set by Martin, but he still yed along. Could this mean he also wanted to save his daughter? That he
was willing to trade his life for hers?" Keh spected.
"It''s a possibility we can''t ignore," Arabe continued, "Another thing is, the poison that ultimately killed
Erik was a slow-acting one. We guessed that Erik arrived at Martin''s ce around noon or early
afternoon. But the timing of his ingestion of the poison was in the morning."
That meant he had ingested it before heading over to Martin''s.
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Everyone was taken aback at the revtion.
"So, it could really be as Dad said. He knew his daughter wasn''t at Martin''s and took the poison in
advance to avoid suffering at our hands. He went to Martin to make a show of loyalty. Because it was a
slow-acting poison, there was enough time for Martin to save his daughter and clear his own name. If
Martin''s off the hook, our family wouldn''t pursue him, and he could then take care of his daughter,
ensure her safety."
"But Erik doesn''t strike me as someone who would give up so easily," Hans chimed in, "His wife''s dead,
and he''s letting go of that vengeance? He only has his daughter left. Doesn''t he want to be there for
her? To see her get married, have kids?"
"Didn''t you remember the fire at the clinic? If Erik knew who the real mastermind was, could it be that
the mastermind, fearing Erik would betray him if captured by us, forced Erik to take the slow-acting
poison?"
In other words, Erik didn''t take it willingly; he was ckmailed by the mastermind?
Louisa, perplexed by her daughter''s analysis, asked, "But isn''t Erik''s biggest vulnerability his own flesh
and blood? With his daughter under Martin''s protection, what''s there to fear?"
"Remember what Martha said at the unfinished building? That the mastermind has considerable power.
Could it be that not even Martin can stand against him? So, Erik sacrificed himself for his daughter''s
and Martin''s future happiness?"
Dead men tell no tales.
With his death, the mastermind might be willing to spare Serena''s life.
"Who the hell is this mastermind?" Louisa was at a loss. Over the years, who had they angered that
wielded such influence? They hadn''t made any mortal enemies, nor did anyone seem to have the
means!
Except for the McMillian family—but no, they would never do such a thing!
Who could it be?
Who went to such lengths to hurt them?
Eighteen years and they still couldn''t live in peace?
"What exactly did Erik discuss with Martin? Could it be he left instructions for after his passing? Could
Erik have told Martin who the mastermind is. If we ask Martin, wouldn''t we know?"
But Keh''s glimmer of hope was quickly extinguished by his daughter''s calm response, "He doesn''t
know."
Their surprise was apparent, even Louisa couldn''t fathom it, "Be, how can you be sure Martin doesn''t
know the mastermind?"
"He just called me, begging to save Serena. If he knew, he''d have used that information as a
bargaining chip by now."
"And he''s still pleading for that spoiled brat." Louisa was getting angry, "But Erik isn''t stupid. He must
have left something for Serena, something to protect her. There''s definitely something we don''t know
about."
As Louisa spoke, Arabe''s phone began to vibrate.