Chapter 423

Mike was just about to hit the sack when Jerry called and chewed him out. But when Mike tried to call back, Jerry had already turned off his phone.

"Seriously? You call me in the middle of the night just to yell? What a jerk!" Mike fumed, then dialed another number.

After a few rings, someone picked up. "How's the job going?" Mike asked, trying to keep his cool.

"Boss, we've managed to copy the notes from that love poem, but who do we pin it on?" the voice on the other end asked respectfully.

Mike rubbed his nose and said casually, "Joseph, you know who I mean, right?"

"The Joseph who's second in line among the four big families? Got it, boss." The guy didn't need more details; he just followed orders.

Mike smirked. He'd asked Michael the same thing before, and Michael had immediately pointed the finger at Joseph.

"As an heir to a major family, he's always in the spotlight. Plus, we won't be hurting any innocents, and Paxton won't dare to go after him easily. It's the perfect choice," Michael had said nonchalantly.

"Is this just a personal grudge?" Mike had whispered, knowing Joseph also had a thing for Isabella.

"Think what you want. If you don't like this target, switch it to John," Michael had replied coolly before hanging up.

Mike chuckled, knowing both Joseph and John had beef with Isabella and Michael. It was all personal.

Mike pinched his forehead. "Besides the handwriting, did you recover the body?" he asked.

"Yeah, we got the body and put some key info in its pocket. We've also leaked the message to the Brown Family and John," the subordinate replied.

"Good. If anything goes wrong, let me know right away," Mike said before hanging up.

Everything was going just as Michael had planned. They had backup plans, but it looked like they wouldn't need them.

Meanwhile, Paxton was in high spirits. He hadn't found Joe yet, which was annoying, but he knew finding clues about Pearl wouldn't be easy.

Paxton was happy because Michael had finally agreed to team up with him, and they had started a company together. Now, Paxton could expand overseas, making the whole family happy.

"I knew Mr. Brown could pull it off!"

"Our family's gonna thrive again. Let's toast to Mr. Brown."

"I heard Mrs. Brown worked hard too. Let's toast to her as well."

At the Brown Family's banquet, everyone was showering Paxton with praise.

For them, expanding channels meant more cash rolling in down the line.

Paxton smiled and raised his glass, but there was a flicker of disdain in his eyes.

These folks shared his blood, but to them, he was just a money-making machine. He wanted to avenge Pearl, but they were always in his way.

'When I find the real culprit, anyone who tries to stop me is gonna regret it,' Paxton thought, a cold glint in his eyes.

Just then, Jonah walked in and whispered something in Paxton's ear.

Paxton narrowed his eyes, then turned to the family with a smile. "Enjoy your meal, I gotta take care of something," he said.

The family members weren't dumb. They saw the serious look on Paxton's face and knew something was up.

As Paxton was about to leave, an old man stood up.

"Paxton, got some trouble? We're family. Share it with us, maybe we can help," said Damian Brown, Paxton's uncle.

Paxton looked at Damian with a hint of contempt. Damian had never achieved anything, just lived off the family's wealth. Now, he always tried to act important because of his age.

"Yeah, Mr. Brown, if you have any issues, let us know, we can help," another woman chimed in.

This woman was Paxton's cousin. When her lover got beaten up, she openly opposed Paxton to protect her husband, asking him to back off Isabella.

Paxton didn't care much for these relatives, but as the head of the family, he had to play nice.

Paxton looked at them, a faint smile on his face.

"Since you wanna know, I'll tell you. The person who hurt my daughter has shown up, but they're now a dead body. Unfortunately, John's guys found the body too, and both sides are in a standoff. I'll go handle it," Paxton said, looking around.

The family members looked uneasy at the thought of facing John, especially Damian and Paxton's cousin.

The room went silent. Paxton waited for their response.

Finally, Damian stood up and said, "It's just a body. Both sides want it for an autopsy. We can work together. No need to fight John over a corpse."

The others nodded in agreement.

A hint of mockery flashed in Paxton's eyes, but he nodded. "You're right, it's not worth fighting over a dead body. I'll go handle it. Enjoy your meal."

Paxton's expression didn't change as he left the mansion. After he was gone, no one in the dining room felt like eating anymore.