Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO

Chapter 822 - 534: Mechanism City [04] Mr. Shaw’s Secret [Part 2]

In terms of appearance alone, Parker Shaw indeed bears some resemblance to the young man.

The difference is, Parker Shaw’s demeanor is gentle and modest, while the young man’s aura is cold and fierce; they seem like two completely different types.

"Who’s Parker Shaw? I don’t know him!"

Within seconds, Clarence reverted to his indifferent, dark-faced expression, and immediately wanted to shut the door after shouting.

With an elbow raised, Marcus Shaw blocked the door.

A seventy-year-old man cannot match the strength of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy. The two battled silently for two rounds before Clarence conceded.

Clarence’s face turned livid, and he angrily yelled, "What do you guys want——"

"Sir, we’re just passing by, here to meet an elder’s old acquaintance." Oliver Scott flashed a welcoming smile, raising two bottles of wine in front of Clarence, shaking them to catch his attention. Then he smiled, "Care for a drink?"

Clarence paused, his Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed.

Oliver Scott subtly raised an eyebrow, giving Marcus Shaw a look: at least, Clarence’s love for wine was not an act.

Marcus Shaw pressed his lips together.

After hesitating for a while, Clarence stood at the doorway, turned his gaze, and asked Marcus Shaw, "Parker Shaw is already dead, what proof do you have that you’re his son?"

His tone was somewhat serious when he asked.

Marcus Shaw slightly furrowed his brows, but wasn’t stumped by the question. Instead, he reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out a yellowed envelope.

"All the letters you sent him, I have them."

Marcus Shaw spoke each word clearly, staring directly into Clarence’s eyes.

Clarence suspiciously glared at him, not entirely convinced. His dark and turbid eyes studied Marcus through the slits, then he snatched the envelope from Marcus’s hand, opened it, and took out the letter. Just a quick glance and he knew it was unmistakably his handwriting.

Shoving the letter back, Clarence folded the envelope and stuffed it into his own pocket, then peeked inside and finally loosened up: "Come in."

Marcus Shaw and Oliver Scott stepped inside.

The small adobe house originally had three rooms: a living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen. However, due to his long absence and the house being old and drafty, Clarence hadn’t tidied the bedroom, only half-heartedly cleaned the living room and the kitchen.

In the already cramped living room, a bed, a table, and two stools made it feel even smaller and crowded, suffocating to even breathe.

Yet, Clarence still shut the door.

"No snacks to go with the wine?"

Placing the two bottles of wine on the table, Clarence gestured for the two brothers to sit on the stools, kicked a wooden stump nearby to sit on himself, and while twisting open the bottle caps to pour the wine into his cup, he complained and mumbled.

"Apologies, it was our oversight." Oliver Scott presented his attitude, polite and obedient, "We’ll make it up to you this afternoon."

Clarence glanced at him, paused, then seemed to chuckle sarcastically.

His stance indicated he saw through their true intentions—once informed, they would never seek out this old man again.

This smile made Oliver Scott sense Clarence’s thoughts and he sheepishly looked at Marcus Shaw. Fortunately, Marcus’s strong mental fortitude remained unfazed by Clarence’s mockery, not even blinking.

With Marcus’s strong heart, Oliver Scott managed to calm his peculiar uneasiness. The little guilt and apprehension were quickly suppressed.

"Bang!"

Clarence abruptly drank two cups of wine, and heavily placed the cup on the table.

He wiped his mouth, "This wine is good."

Oliver Scott exclaimed.

They had deliberately chosen the best wine available at the store to ensure Clarence’s satisfaction.

Clarence turned his head, eyeballed Marcus Shaw who quietly sat on one side, and raised an eyebrow, "I did have some connection with Parker Shaw, but what does that have to do with you as his son?"

Marcus Shaw said, "Never had the chance to know him, I want to learn about his past."

Clarence was slightly stunned, the layer of vigilance and wariness that enveloped him dissipated a little, but he smirked, intentionally asking, "Not just that, right?"

Marcus Shaw’s brow furrowed slightly, seemingly puzzled by Clarence’s remark, unsure of his meaning.

!!!

Oliver Scott was amazed by Marcus’s acting, even muttering that Marcus and Nora Scott surely aren’t blood siblings!

"Parker Shaw knew a lot of people, are you going to find them one by one?" Clarence sneered, revealing, "You even found such a remote and desolate place?"

Marcus Shaw remained composed, candidly responded, "Not everyone he knew received so many letters."

Clarence was taken aback by this reason.

Marcus Shaw continued, "We are also traveling in the Northwest, and thought we’d stop by to see an old acquaintance of his."

Clarence frowned, seeming hesitant.

After a long while, he simply picked up the bottle, poured himself another glass, and then drank it all down.

The liquor was very strong, but people here seemed to handle their alcohol well, especially a heavy drinker like Clarence. Three glasses in, and he showed no signs of being tipsy.

After finishing, Clarence exhaled deeply and sighed, "What do you want to know?"

Marcus Shaw asked, "How did you know him?"

"That’s a long story—" Clarence paused, incredulously asking, "Is that really what you want to know?"

Marcus Shaw replied with a simple "Yes."

"Alright then."

Clarence waved his hand.

He didn’t start immediately; instead, he got up, rummaged through a cabinet to fetch a plate of peanuts, placed it on the table, ate a couple before beginning his story.

*

Marcus Shaw indeed didn’t know Parker Shaw well.

In his memory, Parker Shaw was gentle and cultured, fond of antiques and calligraphy, a good father, and a good husband. However, he was often away from home, always busy, and once gone, he was away for a long time.

Marcus had little interaction with him; even though their relationship was decent, there was always a barrier, and they weren’t close.

"Have you read all these letters?"

Clarence spread the letters out on the table and tapped on them lightly.

"Yes."

Marcus nodded.

With a sigh, Clarence lowered his gaze, staring at the letters, and after a long silence, murmured, "Parker Shaw found me. I don’t know how he did..."

Clarence didn’t hide the information mentioned in the letters.

More than forty years ago, near the ruins of Lanel City, there was a secretive construction project that gathered over a hundred top architectural designers. The project was later forced to halt, and all personnel was dispersed. Due to confidentiality agreements, no one could disclose any information. However, not everyone kept silent, so even after over forty years, some younger people still emerged trying to learn about that project.

Some went further, trying to uncover the "Loulanel Plan."

Clarence continued, "Parker Shaw was one of the young men who wanted to investigate this project..."

Parker Shaw, after hearing about this project from somewhere, became intensely curious about it. He collected some names of the architectural designers from back then and visited them one by one. Some were no longer around, some had moved and were nowhere to be found, and only a few could be located and identified.

After Parker Shaw found Clarence, he played a trick, not directly stating his purpose but instead asked to be a locksmith apprentice, staying at Clarence’s shop for a few months.

It was only after he gained some familiarity that Parker confessed.

Clarence was furious and drove Parker out of the shop. However, that night Clarence suddenly fell ill, and it was Parker, who was lingering outside the shop, who found him and promptly sent him to the hospital, thus saving his life.

Facing his savior, Clarence really couldn’t hold a grudge anymore, yet regarding the project, he refused to say a word—even though Parker Shaw was already certain of his identity.

Parker Shaw didn’t push the matter; after confirming Clarence’s intentions, he left. But a certain bond formed between master and apprentice, so they occasionally corresponded with each other.

In his letters, Parker often reported his investigation progress to Clarence.

Seeing Parker become more informed, Clarence occasionally added a few comments in his replies, but anything Parker didn’t know, Clarence would surely keep secret, not saying a word more than necessary.

Their sporadic communication continued until Parker Shaw passed away—

"He called me before he died, saying some people found out he was investigating this matter, and it seemed he was being watched, and that he probably didn’t have long to live—" Clarence shook his head, "At the time, I didn’t take it seriously, just thought he was being paranoid. I didn’t expect not to receive another letter from him for over six months. When I called his workplace, I learned he had died less than half a month after calling me. To this day, I can’t figure out if his death was truly an accident, or if it was something orchestrated by ’those people’ he mentioned."

"——"

This twist at the end brought such news that made Oliver Scott’s eyelids twitch.

He instinctively looked at Marcus Shaw sitting across from him.

Marcus Shaw’s brows were furrowed tightly, his expression grim without knowing when it became so, and his demeanor, already indifferent and detached, now seemed cloaked in frost.

Oliver Scott’s heart skipped with an unease.

Finishing another glass of wine, Clarence tasted a peanut, glanced at Marcus Shaw, seemingly unaware of the impact his words could have on a minor, straightforwardly said, "That’s all I know."