Chapter 148
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Grace quickly interjected , “The police said the fire was caused by an electrical fault. Where is the murderer ? Didn’t Peter already die ? ”
“ You think Peter was the real murderer? If he had been, he wouldn’t have been killed in the detention center!” Sebastian’s words left the crowd stunned , exchanging confused glances.
Molly asked, “How did Peter die? How could someone kill him in police custody?”
Everyone waited for an explanation, and Sebastian continued, “Because someone added a poison called “Taba* to Peter’s drinking water . It was this poison that caused his death.”
“I’ve investigated thoroughly. The bottled water Peter drank was tampered with before it was delivered to the police,” he added, his voice cold as ice. “For someone to commit a murder right under the police’s nose, they must be extremely cunning.”
Sebastian’s sharp gaze swept over Grace, Marcus, and Raymond.
Grace’s eyes flickered slightly, Marcus showed no reaction, and Raymond remained unfazed, replying in a steady tone, “Who would be capable of such a thing? Have you found the person who poisoned him?”
“Of course, I have!” Sebastian shouted. “Tyler!”
Moments later, Tyler brought in a middle–aged man who appeared rather ordinary and honest. As soon as Marcus saw the man, his expression darkened.
“This is Carmond, the chef responsible for preparing food for the detention center. The day Peter died, it was after eating the food and drinking the water that Carmond brought him,” Tyler explained.
Beatrice asked, “Carmond, do you have any personal grievances with Peter? Why would you want to kill him?”
Carmond hesitated, remaining silent.
Sebastian’s cold voice broke through the tension. “Carmond, you have a chance to confess now. Why did you kill Peter?”
Carmond glanced at Sebastian, then quickly shifted his gaze to Marcus , clearly afraid to speak.
“ You’re not going to talk? Do you want me to help you remember?” Şebastian asked as he took a document from Tyler. “This is a record of your personal bank transactions. On the third day after Peter’s death, your account received a transfer of 100,000. Where did this money come from?”
Sebastian’s intimidating presence made Carmond sweat, his hands trembling.
“Is… is… ” Carmond began, his eyes darting toward Marcus.
Marcus immediately shouted, “Shut up! What evidence do you have? I don’t even know you! Are you trying to frame me ? ”
“Marcus!” Sebastian’s cold voice froze the room, and everyone jumped in surprise.
“So you don’t know him?” Sebastian retorted. “Then why was the transfer made from your account? What do you have to say about that?”
Sebastian held up the transaction details, angrily confronting Marcus.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Marcus, and Molly was shocked. “What does this have to do with Marcus?”
“Sebastian, what exactly is going on here? Why are you dragging Marcus into this?” Beatrice asked, perplexed.
Marcus hurriedly tried to explain, “Beatrice, Mr. Vanderbilt, I’m innocent! Carmond and I are from the same hometown. He asked me for a loan because he was in financial trouble, so I transferred him 100,000 to help him out.”
“ There’s nothing else to it, and it has nothing to do with Peter’s death,” he added quickly.
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Sebastian sneered, “ Marcus! Didn’t you just any you didn’t know him? How come you’re saying now that you’re from the same hometown ? ”
Marcus‘ contradictory statements raised suspicions among everyone present.
Sebastian continued, “You’ve explained everything except one thing. I’ve found records of you purchasing poisonous snakes and Taba toxin on the black market, is all of this just a coincidence?”
Sebastian presented two pieces of evidence, and Raymond was shocked as he turned to Marcus. “Marcus, you’ve been with The Vanderbilt Family for a long time. Why would you want to harm Peter?”
Raymond then turned to Sebastian, asking, “Sebastian, Marcus has always been so cautious and diligent. Is there some hidden reason behind this?”
Sebastian’s cold gaze fixed on his father. “Of course, there is! Since you’ve said Marcus is always cautious and diligent, how could he have the courage to harm someone? Unless… someone is pulling the strings behind him!”
Raymond, feeling the pressure from his son’s gaze, turned away and asked, “Marcus, you better speak the truth. Were you being instructed by someone behind the scenes?”
At this moment, Marcus had no choice but to stop denying everything and finally took responsibility.
“There was no one behind me. It was all my doing. I had a personal grievance with Peter after a conflict, so I wanted to take revenge,” Marcus admitted, though his words left everyone stunned.
Marcus had been with The Vanderbilt Family for years. His way of handling matters was well–known and trusted by the family. If it were just personal grudges, no one would have believed he would go so far.
“Marcus, you’re taking all the blame yourself,” Sebastian pressed. “But who are you protecting? Should I point it out for you?”
At this point, Grace grew visibly nervous, but she maintained a calm appearance.
“I’ll say it!” Sebastian declared. “You’re protecting this woman, aren’t you?”
He pointed directly at Grace. Grace’s face went pale, and she flustered, “What does this have to do with me? Why are you pointing at me?”
“Don’t deny it! This whole thing was your plan, wasn’t it? You instructed Marcus to eliminate me before I recovered, to make sure I was out of the picture.”
“That’s why Marcus contacted Peter and had him release the poisonous snake into my room, trying to kill me. But unfortunately, Caitlin killed the snake, and Peter was exposed.”
“Marcus, fearing that Peter would expose the truth, bribed Carmond to poison Peter, ensuring that his secret would remain hidden.”
“So, Peter’s death was an attempt to silence him, and the snake incident was all your doing, Grace. You’re the one who plotted to kill me!”
Molly immediately shouted in outrage, “Grace! What are you doing? Are you trying to kill Sebastian to help your children secure the family fortune?”
Beatrice was horrified. “Grace, is what Sebastian is saying true? Why would you do this? Did you want to harm The Vanderbilt Family’s bloodline?”
Vincent looked at Grace with disbelief. “Mom, did you really try to harm Sebastian?”
Raymond’s voice trembled with anger. “Grace! Why would you do this? How could you betray your own family? ”
“I didn’t do it! No, I didn’t!” Grace protested, putting on a pitiful face. “Sebastian, I know you don’t like me, but this isn’t because of me, is it? You’ve always been biased against me , and now you’re accusing me without proof!”
1017 Mon, 7 JUL