On the side, Gregory was feeling the same as Vickie.
Previously when Vickie disappeared, he still needed to settle the feud with the Flinders. So, by right, he should be feeling cautious and hostile towards this man.
However, while he sat here, maybe it was due to the surroundings, or the opposite party being overly humble, he did not feel any anger at all.
Jeff smiled and said, “You look just like your father.”
Vickie startled a little.
“You know my father?”
“Mm.”
Jeff nodded and looked outside the window. It had started drizzling.
The Autumn drizzle added a dreary feeling to the scenery.
He squinted his eyes and faintly said, “He used to work under me for fifteen years. We were close friends and just like biological brothers.”
Vickie frowned.
Her instincts were telling her that it seemed like there was a story untold.
As expected, she heard him let out a sigh.
“Unfortunately, he passed away when he was young. I didn’t even get to see him before he passed.”
Vickie asked, “You said he was working under you? What are you? And what was he? What were the positions the both of you had in the Flinders family? How did he die?”
Vickie’s endless questions startled Jeff for a bit. He then relaxed and smiled.
“I know you have a lot of questions. There’s no need to rush. Since we have a lot of time today, you can ask the questions one by one.”
As he spoke, he paused, then explained, “The question regarding who I am, I don’t think I need to explain further. Both of you already know.”
Once he said this, Vickie and Gregory were startled.
Initially, it was just a guess, but after he said this, their suspicion became the truth.
Jeff’s face still carried a smile. He looked like he was around Gregory’s age. However, for some reason, when those warm eyes were staring at them, he felt like an elderly person who had gone through a few thousand years of life, and had experienced and seen everything.
He smiled and said, “As to what your father was, you’re already aware of who I am, so I’m sure you should be able to guess who he was.”
Vickie frowned.
“Your trusted assistant?”
“Not too bad.”
He paused, sipped on the tea, and continued, “He was part of the Flinders family as well. His name was Tristan Flinders. He was by my side from when he was young until he grew up. I treated him like a son and a friend. Everything he learned was taught directly by me. I initially thought he would continue staying by my side, handling matters and being loyal to me, but in the end, he met your mother.
“Every marriage in the Flinders needs to be approved by the family. But, your mother didn’t have a clean family background and the family didn’t approve, so he eloped with your mother.”
Once he said that he smiled brightly.
“Well, youths are always high-spirited and hot-blooded. I guess he was impulsive. When I sent someone to look for him, as I expected, he hid really well and it was really difficult for me to track him down.”
“It took about three to five years before we finally found him. Unfortunately, we discovered he had already passed away due to illness.”
Vickie frowned.
Once Jeff finished, the house became silent.
Vickie pressed her lips. Gregory held her hand below the window bench. His warm and thick hand wrapped over her small hand in his palm and she felt a sense of strength.
She looked up and stared directly at Jeff.
“Since you’ve asked us to come here, what do you want to do?”
Jeff was satisfied with her attitude. Even though she heard about her father’s tragedy, she did not look overly agitated.
Calm and smart. These were the qualities he admired.
He leaned back and said leisurely, “Easy, let’s make a deal.”
“What deal?”
“I need both of you to search for something while I supply you with the medicine to stop the disease from progressing.”
Once he finished, Vickie rejected without giving it a second thought, “No.”
Jeff squinted his eyes, “You’re rejecting me without even listening to what I want you to search for?”
Vickie said seriously, “Since you can sit here and even give orders to Louis Flinders, that means your status is definitely above his. Just by looking at the Flinders family’s influence across a few continents, it’s safe to say it is the largest underground power. If it’s something even you guys have trouble looking for, it’s definitely something extremely difficult to search for.
“And now you want us to help you look for it, but the only remuneration I can get in return is medicine that can only temporarily control the progression of my disease. What if the item has been found? Can I still depend on you and continue getting this medicine for the rest of my life?”
After Jeff heard, he was surprised for a moment and laughed immediately after.
“Interesting. This is really interesting!”
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