His swollen left cheek seemed to have dampened his air of regality.
He bore a striking resemblance to Charles. The feature that separated them was the color of their eyes.
Charles' eyes, piercing blue like sapphires, made him look like a foreign prince. He was handsome with an air of mystery about him.
Craig's eyes, on the other hand, were dark brown. Razor sharp, he looked striking and righteous.
However, it was his features that gave one the misleading illusion of impartiality.
He cackled instead of answering the question. “I've lost. A life sentence in maximum security will drive one mad. | ask you, Cedrick, for a painless end.”
“Do you want to die so badly?”
Cedrick relinquished his grip on his sleeve, then produced a wet napkin and wiped his hands with the air of a gentleman who had touched something filthy.
“That's not up to you. Matricide is no trivial crime. | will get to the bottom of this even if you refuse to tell me anything. If | find out you did it, | will make sure you'll suffer before you face the firing squad.”
Craig's smile froze. “You've always been this cruel. Being your deputy all these years, I can't believe you wouldn't show me any leniency for all the times | gave everything for you.”
“Still stubborn, | see.”
Cedrick scoffed incredulously. “If only you succeeded in any of the times when you tried to sabotage me and usurp my position, but you did not. For me to have only punished you for each of those transgressions had been my repayment for what you've done for me. | have been lenient with you long enough. Your greed knows no bounds. You just keep taking.”
He waved a hand, and the soldier outside entered with a bucket of water.
There were five canes soaking in the bucket. Slick and supple, they were specially prepared for Craig.
“will make you pay for every single thing you've done. For the key to the top floor of your house, you punished Charles based on your familial laws and broke two canes. He asked that five strokes be returned to you. We will start from that.”
Two more soldiers, clad in uniforms, entered. They swiftly untied Craig only to tie his wrists behind his back. As the rope was connected to a hook above his head, Craig was hoisted up with his toes barely touching the ground.
The other soldier picked up a cane, raised it high above his head, and brought it down with his full strength.
Crack!
The cane landed on his skin with a sickening crack.
Craig grimaced slightly as he endured the blow without a sound.
Cedrick watched, his dark eyes betraying no emotion.
The whooshes of the cane reverberated throughout the interrogation room, one after another, but Craig began laughing maniacally.
“Charles is not as simple as he appears, Mr. Jenson. He has harmed you badly once, and then he helped you. Who knows what the next time will be?”
Cedrick listened without a word. Impassively, he turned to leave.
“Now that I'm deposed, the Newton family is left without a head.
Do not under any circumstances help him. Power is like a drug.
You'll never wrench yourself free from it after a taste. Who knows?
Charles might even turn out to be another me. I'll be waiting to witness that. I'm not a good person, and neither is Charles. You will regret it if you help him in securing power over the Newton family.”
Craig's laughter rang in his ears until he exited the interrogation room.
His repeated accusations of Charles sounded as if he is determined to drag his brother down with him.
After the soundproof metal door slammed shut, the place fell silent again, devoid of the deranged howls.
With his gaze straight ahead, Cedrick walked along the corridor of the interrogation room.
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