Chapter 413
Chapter 413:
Needless to say, the massacre of over a hundred people had been gruesome. It was a bloodbath in the White family, and all the direct descendants had lost their lives. Some of their extended relatives managed to escape, but most of them perished.
Despite this, reports of the tragedy were scant. Someone had intentionally erased traces of the incident in an attempt to minimize its exposure to the public.
Using his connections, Aiden was able to acquire the official reports of the police investigations that followed. In the files, most of the victims were recognizable by their features, with one glaring exception—the eldest son of the White family. His face had been so severely disfigured that it was practically impossible to identify him.
That was the one main thing that had planted doubts in Aiden’s mind.
It was a mass murder; why would the killers go through the trouble of mutilating only one body? It left two possibilities.
Firstly, someone might have been jealous of the victim’s good looks and ruined his face on purpose. Secondly, there might have been an important secret that called for the victim’s identity to be concealed.
Aiden dismissed the first possibility right away and focused his efforts on the second. He proceeded by examining the eldest son’s most recent medical records prior to his death.
It was then that certain discrepancies in the data were revealed.
Minor differences here and there were to be expected, but in this victim’s case, they were significant enough to warrant a whole new investigation if they were brought to the authorities’ attention. All in all, Aiden was pretty confident that the disfigured corpse did not belong to the White family’s eldest son.
“The boys were both six years old at the time of the last medical examination and the time of death. However, one weighed 20 kilograms, while the other weighed 30. One was 100 centimeters tall, the other 119. What do you think? Were these boys the same person?”
Janice stared at Aiden with newfound admiration. “I have to admit, you would make a great detective!” She raised her hand and gave him a thumbs-up.
Aiden hummed, clearly pleased by her compliment. “So, do you know the boy’s name?”
Janice tensed up as she asked the question that had been eating at her. Depending on Aiden’s answer, Stephen might really be her long-lost, biological brother.
Ł∆Ŧ€$† Ç♄₳þŧëяŞ ¡n Ġ∆lnøνεlŞ.cø₥
“Fabian White.”
The name Aiden uttered caused Janice to freeze, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face before she could hide it.
Noticing her reaction, Aiden frowned and asked, “Janice, that reaction… Does it mean you already know something?”
Janice met his gaze. She had intended to keep her thoughts to herself, but given all that Aiden had done for her, pushing him away now seemed too harsh.
Taking a deep breath, she began to share what she knew about Stephen and the theories she had formulated. Aiden listened intently, his expression turning grave. “Your suspicion that Stephen could be linked to the White family isn’t far-fetched. Firstly, his last name is White. Secondly, the Chadwick family’s resources could explain the covert support.”
“Aiden, do you really think Stephen could be part of the White family?” Janice’s eyes searched Aiden’s for reassurance.
Though she had resolved to let go of her obsession with familial connections, the possibility still unsettled her. She thought she was done hoping, but maybe it was just the Edwards family she had let go of. Deep down, she still yearned for a sense of family.
Aiden placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his gaze firm. “Don’t doubt yourself. Your theory is plausible. And if Stephen changed his name to escape his past and his enemies, it wouldn’t be unheard of.”
As Aiden spoke, Janice felt her confidence growing.
“The next step is to obtain a DNA sample from Stephen and compare it with yours. If the test confirms a blood relation, Stephen is your only family member in the world.”
Only…
.
.
.