The Real Daughter Came Back to Chill and Kill novel Chapter 71

"Even now, the memory felt like a knife twisting in his heart. A lifetime wouldn't be enough for him to let it go.

"We mobilized hundreds of forensic experts just to piece together everyone's remains," he said, his voice heavy with grief.

"But Mr. Stroud was the only one we couldn't find. I immediately led the troops to hunt down those pirates, but they had vanished without a trace.

"That's when I realized this wasn't some random attack. It was a premeditated massacre, and there were accomplices on the inside.

"Out of the thousand security personnel the Stroud family brought, half were killed on the spot. The rest simply disappeared. The Stroud family had been set up. Someone wanted to wipe them out completely."

By now, Edmund's voice shook with hatred and indignation. His emotions were running high.

"But I wouldn't let them have their way!" he declared, his voice regaining some strength. "I entrusted the Stroud family's assets to a collateral branch, helping the family survive the storm.

"But the Stroud family never truly recovered. They gradually declined. Even Mr. Stroud..." Edmund let out a deep sigh.

"I spent eight years searching for him, but I couldn't find him. Then, one day, as I was returning to Silvermere Bay, a gaunt young man suddenly stopped my car.

"He was barefoot, dressed in rags, his hair long and unkempt, reaching down to his shoulders. He looked like a beggar, but I recognized him instantly.

"He looked so much like his father, especially those chilling eyes. They were exactly the same.

"I brought him back to the manor, but he didn't say a word. He would just eat until he was full, then sit there staring into space. If I hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have even realized he was hungry or known it was time to sleep.