Chapter 424

The family members huddled together, whispering, their respect for Paxton long gone.

"Didn't Mr. Brown hire a private eye to look into his daughter's injury? Did they finally find something?"

"More than just a lead. Haven't you heard the buzz from the police station?"

"Yeah, I heard. They say some foreign serial killer was brought back and did that to Pearl."

"Captured abroad, huh? Who's got the muscle to bust someone out of prison and bring them here to cause trouble?"

"Whoever's behind this is bad news. Paxton better not drag us into his mess again!"

They looked worried. The situation hadn't hit them directly, so they couldn't grasp Paxton's helplessness and anger as a father.

Paxton had no clue what they were gossiping about, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. He'd do anything for the family, but not at the cost of his daughter.

Driving towards the dock, Paxton's heart ached at the thought of forcing Pearl to marry Michael for the family's sake.

He'd given everything to the family, even willing to sacrifice Pearl for their interests. He ignored her suffering at Michael's hands until she ended up in the ICU. Only then did he realize what being a father truly meant.

"Hang in there, Pearl. I'll make those bastards pay tenfold for what they did to you," Paxton vowed, a cold glint in his eyes.

Though he seemed to be cooperating with Michael now, it was all a ruse to strengthen the family first and then make Michael pay dearly.

Paxton never saw Michael as a partner, only as an enemy to be used.

Meanwhile, at the dock, a bloated, unrecognizable body was found. From the clothes and other features, it was likely the missing serial killer.

People gathered around the body: Paxton's men on one side, John's on the other.

Both sides had gotten a tip that someone saw a guy who looked like the killer being dumped into the sea. It seemed like a case of silencing the killer.

Paxton's men were first on the scene. They got boats and fished the body out.

Before they could inform Paxton, John and his crew showed up.

John's men tried to take the body, but Paxton's guys stopped them.

Guns were drawn, and just as a shootout seemed inevitable, John called it off.

"Get Paxton here. I have some questions for him," John said coldly to Paxton's men.

They exchanged glances, and someone quickly reported the situation.

Before long, Paxton's car pulled up at the dock.

Paxton stepped out, wearing a coat, and walked over to John with a smile. "I heard you wanted to see me, Mr. Williams. What's on your mind?" he asked.

John gave Paxton a cold stare, not buying the friendly act.

"This body here is the one who hurt your daughter. An autopsy might give us some answers. I assume this body is important to you?" John said.

Paxton glanced at the body, his hand tightening in his pocket.

'The real culprit's already dead. This guy got off too easy! He should've been alive to suffer,' Paxton fumed internally.

"Yes, Mr. Williams, this body is important to me. But why did you stop my men from taking it? Are you planning to investigate the guy who hurt my daughter too?" Paxton asked, still smiling.

"I don't know your daughter," John replied coolly.

Paxton felt a twinge of anxiety. He had a hunch John's questions were about the explosion.

And he was right.

John's eyes flashed with anger. "When Bianca and I were at that banquet, there was a car explosion. Was that your doing?" he demanded.

Paxton wasn't about to admit to anything.

"Mr. Williams, I don't know why you'd think that. Everyone knows the Brown Family is the weakest of the four major families, while your Williams Family is the strongest. Why would I pick a fight with you?" Paxton said, shaking his head like it was a bad joke.

John cut to the chase. "Bianca once planned to kidnap Isabella with your daughter. You aware of that?" he asked bluntly.

Paxton's eyes flickered. He knew about it, but he wasn't admitting anything.

"My daughter follows the law. She wouldn't be involved in a kidnapping," Paxton denied calmly.

"Cut the act. You were really after Bianca, weren't you?" John pressed.

"Enough!" Paxton snapped, his face darkening. "How many times do I have to say it? I had nothing to do with that car explosion-nothing! And leave my daughter out of this. You think I'm not upset enough?" He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "All I want is to find out what really happened to her. If you want to keep suspecting me, fine, go ahead!"

Paxton's outburst made John hesitate.

John had no proof that Paxton was behind the explosion, and Paxton's reaction seemed genuine. This left John in a tough spot. Had he and Bianca been wrong?

But Paxton wasn't lying. He had nothing to do with the explosion and didn't even know about it when it happened. The real mastermind was his wife, Zoey. What did it have to do with him?