The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 177

Tristan tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest. "Tough, huh?"

Cameron looked a little uneasy, his hand clutching the folder trembling slightly. He set it on the table, brought a cup of hot tea to his lips, and took a sip. "Everyone who knew about this case back then, besides me, is dead. All died under strange circumstances."

"Because of the sorcery worm, right?"

Cameron met his gaze. "So, you already know."

Tristan nodded slightly. "And you’re no exception. If I could find you, so can they. Work with me, and I’ll make sure you survive this."

Cameron gripped the teacup tighter, the steam slowly fading as the tea cooled in his hand.

He looked at Tristan. "My son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter..."

Tristan lifted a hand. Cameron took out his phone and played a short video:

"Dad, we’re all safe now. Earlier, more than a dozen men stormed our house with guns, trying to take us away. Fortunately, Mr. Reid’s people saved us."

Cameron froze. "Why didn’t you show this earlier?"

Tristan crossed his legs, calm and composed. "Didn’t want you to think we’d locked them up. Plus, I needed to give you time to decide—out of respect."

"And if I’d said no?"

Tristan gave a mild smile. "I’m not into hurting innocents. I’d have returned them to you either way, but from then on, their safety wouldn’t be on me."

Cameron set the cup down. "What do you want to know?"

"Did the baby back then have a red birthmark on the wrist?"

Cameron answered firmly. "No. I’m certain because the nanny at the time was a relative of mine. She smelled something fishy at the Richmond house and quit early."

"And Mr. Old Richmond, really dead?"

"Yes, the whole Richmond family was wiped out."

Tristan’s fingers paused mid-tap, his eyes narrowing. "Nathaniel Cooper ordered to bury this case, halted all investigations, right?"

Cameron thought for a moment. "Yeah, that’s right. And I also found evidence of an affair."

"Whose?"

"Mrs. Richmond’s."

When Tristan left, he took Cameron with him.

Snow was coming down hard, quickly covering the car tracks. After sitting for a while at the corner, a black Bentley finally drove away.

Cameron was taken to a secure location. Meanwhile, Tristan headed to private room 508 at Sky Lounge.

He ordered French-style dishes and told Cameron to pack them into to-go boxes for Dreamscape Manor.

He also asked for a pot of jasmine tea.

Not long after, the door opened.

The man walked in with a smile, slyness showing in his sharp eyes. He took off his black leather gloves and sat down gracefully across from Tristan.

Tristan lifted his gaze. "Nice to officially meet you, Mr. Freeman."

Karl let out a quiet chuckle. "Did Megan know we’re meeting?"

"Yeah, she could probably guess." Tristan poured two cups of tea and slid one over. "Jasmine—her favorite." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Karl set his gloves beside him, lifted the cup, and gently blew on it. "How is she?"

"She’s doing great. She’s really grateful to you—for giving her another shot at life."

Karl’s movement paused a second, his eyes flicking up. "Did she ever mention why you don’t remember your past life?"Tristan let out a chuckle. "Probably not a great memory, but I do owe you. If things hadn’t gone wrong, I might’ve never had the chance to meet Megan."

Karl gave a wry smile. "If no slip-up had happened, you wouldn’t be in the picture at all."

"Your grandfather wouldn’t have tolerated Megan being around either," Tristan said, taking a small sip as he looked at him.

Karl laughed bitterly. "You already figured out he’s not really my grandfather, didn’t you?"

Tristan leaned back in his chair. "According to Lucas, the entire Richmond family was wiped out back then—no scapegoats. And the Richmond baby didn’t have a birthmark on the wrist. That means you’re not really one of them. And the Mr. Old Richmond died in that incident too."

Karl looked slightly shocked. "So you’re saying neither I nor he was related to the Richmond family?"

"No," Tristan said, his tone meaningful. "Your grandpa was connected to them."

Karl frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"Back then, Mrs. Richmond had an affair with Jacob Scott, Nathaniel Cooper’s secretary. Nathaniel found out and fired him. Not long after, the Richmond family was massacred."

Karl tightened his grip on his tea cup. "You think that man was Jacob Scott?"

Tristan gave a slight nod. "Exactly. That explains why he went out of his way to help Richmond family—more precisely, help Mrs. Richmond get her revenge. He hated the Bennette and Channing families for striking first, and he blamed the Reid and Lewis families for not coming to their rescue. But most of all, he loathed Nathaniel Cooper."

After a short pause, Tristan added, "Honestly, I know nothing about your real identity. Probably only Jacob has the answers."

Karl let out a dry chuckle. "Got it. Thanks."

He started toward the door, and just as his hand touched the handle, he looked back. "Don’t worry. Even if Jacob plans to go after the Reid and Lewis families, I won’t let him pull it off."

Tristan met his gaze. "My wife, I protect."

Karl laughed softly. "Just keep in mind, if you run into trouble, Megan’s in danger too."

"So... is there really no way to undo it?"

"There is," Karl said after a deep breath. "Once I’ve handled everything else, I’ll personally break the curse for you two."

As the door clicked shut, Tristan couldn’t shake the feeling that breaking the curse wasn’t going to be that simple.

If it had been, Karl would’ve done it already. He wouldn’t want Megan at risk either.

Tristan downed the jasmine tea in one go, got up, and walked to the window, watching Karl drive away.

He didn’t want to owe that man anything. Especially not in a way that would make Megan feel guilty.

Because guilt—once it settles in your heart—stays there forever.

When Tristan got back to Dreamscape Manor, Megan was in the middle of dinner.

The moment she saw him, she ran to him. "Honey, you’re back!"

He gently held her shoulders. "Easy, I’m still cold. Let me take this coat off first."

Megan quickly unbuttoned his coat and hung it up. "You haven’t eaten, right? Come eat with me! The food from Sky Lounge is absolutely on point."

"You like boy or girl?"

Megan pulled him to the table. "I’m betting this one’s a little princess."

"What if it’s not?"

She blinked. "Then what?"

Tristan smiled brightly. "Guess we’ll just toss them aside, huh?"

She shot him a look. "A boy wouldn’t be bad either. He could grow up to protect me, then I’d have two men looking out for me."

Tristan seemed to think about it, then said after a pause, "If it is a boy... could you not breastfeed him?"