novelraw Chapter 455: Are You Planning to Use the Power of a Nation to Conceal Her Past? (Add 100 more for monthly tickets)
Chapter 455: Are You Planning to Use the Power of a Nation to Conceal Her Past? (Add 100 more for monthly tickets)
Ignatius Leclair watched as Leah Squire went inside. Only then did he leisurely make his way down the stairs, spotting Richard Shaw, who had arrived but refrained from showing himself. Ignatius narrowed his long, phoenix-like eyes and curled his lips into a smile. "Has Major General Shaw switched careers to become a bodyguard and chauffeur now?"
Noticing that Richard looked in excellent health, Ignatius couldn’t help but be curious. The man who usually wrapped himself in ragged robes was, for once, wearing a brand-new, casual outfit. For someone in his mid-thirties, this older man sat upright in his wheelchair with an unyielding posture. His sharp and handsome face was meticulously groomed, exuding an almost youthful charm. Was he trying to compete with the younger generation?
The smile tugging at Ignatius’s lips grew increasingly enigmatic.
Still fiddling with his Buddha Beads, Richard Shaw—this typically stern and austere man—allowed a faint smile to creep onto his face. A cool calmness lingered in his voice as he replied, "Taking one’s lady to the hospital is simply what a gentleman should do."
Ignatius snorted lightly. A gentleman? Richard, with his roots in a military culture governed by brute force and domination, now suddenly adopting this gentlemanly pretense? When did he start playing at this charade?
"Leah won’t be out anytime soon. Want to find a place to sit and talk?" Ignatius suggested, squinting slightly.
Richard nodded with a reserved smile.
The two exceptional men found a nearby teahouse. They ordered a pot of Wuyi Da Hong Pao tea, dismissed the tea preparer, and sat alone in a private compartment, sipping their tea in mutual silence.
"When did you figure out that Leah is actually Crystal Landon?" Richard asked. Although he had spent years in the Military District, his upbringing as a scion of an Imperial City noble family still showed in his habits—he had a penchant for tea and would, at leisure, brew it himself.
"The last time you came to Southeast Asia." Ignatius made no attempt to hide the fact, his voice low and languid. "Although the Imperial City’s archives were sealed and already taken by you, there were still some records left here in Southeast Asia. I roughly pieced together the identities of the Squire siblings, but due to the complexities involved, I didn’t say anything."
"Griffith Squire is an illegitimate child. His very existence is likely unknown even to the Cox Family. Had it not been for what happened back then, this man probably would’ve spent his entire life outside of our view." Ignatius’s tone turned cold and serious as he spoke.
Years ago, the Cox Family collapsed overnight. Leah was still a child and was taken in by the Lewis Family. The case had shocked the entire country. This long-hidden illegitimate son, perhaps upon learning of his biological father’s death and his sister’s plight, fought his way out of the Golden Triangle. He eventually surfaced in the Imperial City, pulling off a near-impossible feat by taking Leah with him right under everyone’s noses. This caused Richard to be separated from Leah for seven long years, during which he believed she had perished in the accident.
Richard remained silent, his rough, calloused thumb stroking the wooden teacup in his hand. By bloodlines, Griffith was his brother-in-law. But the resentment between their families made reconciliation impossible. Even now, Richard couldn’t reveal the truth of their identities to Leah.
"I’ve temporarily sent Griffith away. I plan to take Leah back to the Imperial City in a little while." Richard’s refined, chiseled face remained tranquil, yet his calm words were akin to a deepwater torpedo casually unleashed.
Ignatius turned sharply toward him, his brows furrowing unconsciously. "Have you really thought this through, Richard? Leah knows nothing about her past. Are you planning to have the entire Imperial City keep her in the dark, or will you pretend she’s just a stranger who happens to look identical to Crystal Landon?"
"Sometimes you have to destroy before you can rebuild." Richard’s voice carried a tone of unrelenting steel, cold and heavy. "I can’t keep Griffith away for long. There are many matters that must be settled before his return to Southeast Asia."
He had yet to inform the Shaw matriarch about discovering Crystal Landon. The old woman had carried guilt in her heart ever since the incident. The members of the Shaw Family had been weighed down with remorse for years, and the family’s morale had sunk to an all-time low. One way or another, Richard was determined to ease the old lady’s burden.
The blood feud from more than two decades ago was like the sharpest of stones embedded deep within flesh and blood. Only by enduring the excruciating pain of grinding it down with one’s body could its jagged edges be worn away—until it fused into the very essence of one’s being.
Because love ran so deeply, the pain that cut and fractured over years could only be endured with a quiet, unwavering resolve, swallowing it with a wry smile.