Chapter 333
Early the next morning.
“Buzz ……”
A loud noise woke Luke up.
Luke slowly got up and walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains to see a family of helicopters landing on the farm.
Two people came down from the helicopter in the direction of the cottage and walked in to see a white woman in her fifties and a white teenager of thirteen or fourteen.
Luke had seen pictures of the Cruise family and these two would be Vernon Cruise’s daughter and grandson.
Vernon Cruise’s daughter, named Marielle, also disapproved of Vernon Cruise’s marriage to Chanel Carr, and she also had an inheritance of property and enough motive to write the threatening letter.
Luke shuffled off to the dining room for breakfast, thinking to take the opportunity of breakfast to get to know each other and talk alone.
What made Luke a little depressed was that the Cruise family was not in the habit of eating breakfast together.
Luke ate from the beginning to the end and did not see the mother and son.
After the meal, Luke skipped around the manor.
When he was tired of walking, he drank tea in the courtyard and looked out at the distant wilderness.
Birds and flowers, horses neighing, green grass and blue sky, a leisurely scene.
At nine o’clock in the morning, Luke finally saw the mother and son again.
The two had changed into a casual outfit, carrying fishing gear, nets and fishing kits, seemingly wanting to go out fishing.
Luke walked over and asked, “Hello, is this Ms. Marielle Cruz?”
The woman scanned Luke, “It’s me, which one are you?”
“My name is Luke Lee, I’m a security consultant hired by Mr. Vernon Cruise.”
“I heard my father mention that, what can I do for you?”
“I’d like a few minutes of your time to talk about that threatening letter.”
Marielle Cruz smiled, “You suspect I wrote that threatening letter? Or was it my father’s intention?”
“No, it’s nothing personal, I’ll be talking to everyone on the estate.”
Marielle Cruz thought for a moment, “Manny, I need to talk to Mr. Lee alone.”
“Mommy, you promised to fish with me.”
“I know, go ahead and wait in the car.”
“You do that every time.” The boy grumbled and huffed.
Marielle Cruz shook her head and sighed, “Children will never understand the agony of adults.
Mr. Lee, you can talk now, and it better be soon.
As you can see, I’m fully booked today.”
“Ms. Cruise, did you read the threatening letter?”
“Yes.”
“What did you make of the threatening letter?”
“The tone of the letter was not very friendly, but …… the engagement ceremony did seem a bit ridiculous.
My father is seventy-five years old, his grandchildren are married, and now he wants to get engaged on a whim; it’s irrational.”
“You and the person who wrote the threatening letter think alike.”
Marielle Cruise laughed, “I know what you mean, I didn’t write the letter, I wouldn’t get into something so low.”
“Then who do you think wrote it?”
“Shouldn’t that be something you investigate?”
“Do you know who wrote the threatening letter?”
“No idea.”
Luke watched her expression, sensing that the other woman was showing signs of lying.
“Ms. Cruz, if you know who wrote that threatening letter, I hope you can reveal some clues to me.
Because from the tone of the threatening letter, this person who wrote the threatening letter might threaten the safety of Mr. Vernon Cruise.
I know you don’t want an engagement ceremony, but I’m sure you’d prefer not to see your father hurt.”
Marielle Cruise stares at Luke, “You’re right, my father’s safety is the most important thing.
If you really value my father’s safety, then you shouldn’t have focused your investigation on the threatening letter, which was simply a diversionary tactic just to divert attention or stir up my father’s triumphalism.
My father is a man who has been stubborn all his life, and the more you don’t let him do something, the more he’s going to do it.”
“Who do you think threatens Mr. Vernon Cruise’s safety?”
“Chanel Carr.
This woman is not engaged to my father for pure purposes.
If my father did marry her, it would be an absolute disaster.
She is the one who will really hurt my father.
You should go and investigate her.”
“Can you tell us why?”
Marielle Cruz asked rhetorically, “My father is 75 years old, why do you think she would want to be with my father?”
Luke said, “Mr. Vernon Cruise may be old, but he’s still fit and a very charismatic man.”
Marielle Cruise laughed, “Bullshit charismatic, he just has a lot of money.” Marielle Cruise added, “Don’t tell him that, he’ll go ballistic.”
“So, you think Chanel Carr wants to marry your father for the money.”
“It’s not that I think that, it’s that everyone thinks that.”
“Ma’am, I would love to believe you, but everything is about evidence.
It is my understanding that your father and Ms. Chanel Carr knew each other thirty years ago, and that there was some basis for their relationship.”
“True.
But as you said, it was thirty years ago.
Back then my father was a successful, wealthy, handsome middle-aged man, not an old man.” Marielle Cruz seemed a little impatient and lowered her voice.
“OK, you want proof, I’ll tell you.
Chanel Carr has a young male assistant by her side, around thirty years old and still handsome.
Some time ago, I met them by chance at the mall.
Chanel Carr wrapped his arm around the male assistant, very intimate …… Their relationship is definitely not simple.
You should understand what I mean.”
Luke pressed, “Does your father know about this?”
“No, I didn’t tell him.”
“Why didn’t you tell him? Didn’t you want them to separate?”
“Yes, I did want them to separate.
And what do you think I should say?
Say that Chanelle Carr is keeping a gigolo on the side and that she only married you to cheat you out of your money and then take a gigolo far away.
He’ll be furious.” Marielle Cruz lowered her voice in warning.
“That’s why I’m not going to admit that you found out about this on your own, understand?”
“Understood.”
“Jesus Christ, I don’t want to talk about this anymore, let’s just talk about it or I’m going to be pissed off.
I didn’t think I’d have to worry about something like this at my age.
What a thoughtless old man.” Marielle Cruz stood up and walked in the direction of the villa.
“Mommy, where are you going? You promised to fish with me?” Manny shouted.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’m not in the mood today, some other time.”
“You can’t do that, you promised.”
“SORRY, I’ll buy you a present to make it up to you.
Let me know when you think of it.” Marielle Cruise finished and waved her hand as she entered the villa.
Manny complained, “I just want you to fish with me …… don’t need any gift!”
It wasn’t clear if Marielle had heard and didn’t respond.
Luke could see that Marielle Cruise’s education was simply and roughly smashing with money, what he lacked now was such a mom.
If he really wanted such a mom, he would have already chosen to lie down.
The boy named Manny looked over at Luke and grumbled, “What did you say to my mom? Why is she so mad?”
Luke swept him off his feet and laughed, “You’d better go play.”
Manny cursed, “Shit, don’t look at me with a ‘kids mind their own business when it comes to adults’ look.
Wasn’t it just that threatening letter? Like who doesn’t know about it?”
“You know about the threatening letter too?”
“Yes.”
“Did you read the threatening letter?”
“Yes.”
“But according to Mr. Vernon Cruise, only two people have read the threatening letter, and you are not on the list.”
“Believe it or not?”
“Do you know who wrote that threatening letter?”
“Want to know?”
“Sure.”
Manny squeezed his eyes, “I wrote it.”
“Wow, the person who wrote the threatening letter has been found, I can turn in to Mr. Vernon Cruise.”
Manny mocked, “Idiot, I’m teasing, you can’t really believe the words of a child.”
“A lot of true words are said in a joking manner.” Luke kept his eyes on the other man and didn’t see any signs of lying in his expression, which meant that he was probably telling the truth.
Manny asked back, “So what are you going to do? Take me to my grandfather and tell him that I wrote the threatening letter.
Come on, you can’t catch the person who actually wrote the threatening letter, so you take a kid to the mat.
That’s some security consultant you’ve got there.”
“You’re right, you’re just a kid, I overestimated you.”
Manny retorted, “You’re the one who overestimated yourself.
It’s been days since it happened and you can’t find out anything.
Why don’t you go fishing with me?”
“Why are you inviting me fishing?”
Manny said, “Because I can’t drive.”
“Who am I to chauffeur you around?”
“You’re the one who pissed my mommy off, and this is a long way from the lake, am I supposed to walk?”
“OK, I’ll drive you.”
Manny tossed him the car keys, “Be careful, you can’t afford to pay for a crash.”
Luke caught it smoothly, it was a Bentley’s car key, he really hadn’t driven this car before, it wasn’t a loss to be a free driver for once.
Luke got into the Bentley car, the car’s interior decoration is very luxurious, tall and expensive upscale, this touch that look, study up.
Manny sat on the passenger side, revealing a look of contempt, “Can you do it?”
Luke will not let a little kid look down, blindly drive, anyway, is not their own car, adjust the seat, step on the brake, start the car, a foot throttle, directly scampered out.
“Woo-hoo ……”
The car was comfortable to drive and had plenty of power.
What’s more, there was only one car on the entire road, so Luke could drive as much as he wanted and not worry about speeding.
But it was only a few minutes before the car reached the lake, and to be honest Luke hadn’t enjoyed himself yet.
But he still has business, wait to go back in the detour racing is not too late.
The car was parked on the side of the road and the two of them got out of the car and walked to the lake with their fishing gear, the water was clear, seaweed was growing around the edge of the lake and a few mallard ducks swam past in the distance.
“This way.” Manny walked over to a wooden frame platform that stretched all the way to the middle of the lake, the deeper water around it made for a good fishing spot.
Manny then opened his fishing gear and toolbox, moving with great skill.
Luke wondered, “Why do you like fishing? It’s not something you should be playing with at your age.”
Manny hung up the bait and skillfully flung out the fishing rod, “My mommy is very busy, either something is going on at the company or she is on the phone, she seldom has time for me.
She’s actually the one who likes to fish, not me.
I just want to be around her ……”
Luke said, “That brings tears to my eyes to hear that.”
“Come on, it’s people like you who don’t.”
“What kind of person do you think I am?”
“I don’t know, not a good person anyway.”
“It seems you’re not prejudiced against me.” Luke picked up a stone in his hand to hit the water.
“You’re ruining my time alone with Mommy, which may not seem like much to you, it’s precious to me.
There’s no chance that by the time I get back, she’ll be on a helicopter to the airport and on her way to the other side of the world.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would affect you.”
Suddenly the float moved and Manny stood up and started pulling hard on the rod, “Bite.
Tully’s favorite fish is the one I caught.”
“Who’s Tully?”
“My mom’s pet, a recently spayed female cat.”
Luke “……”
“Hey, fish it up for me with the fishing net.”
Luke grabbed the fishing net, walked over to the edge of the platform, and leaned down ready to fish.
Suddenly, Manny raised his foot and kicked at Luke, sending him straight down into the lake.
“Pfft.”
Luke fell into the water and said in annoyance, “What are you doing?”
Manny laughed, “Stupid ass, really think I don’t know how to drive.
Let’s have you run over here and make a mess, take a nice bath in the lake and run yourself back.”
Luke struggled a few times, as if his feet had been hooked by seaweed, and sank straight down.
Manny froze too, he just wanted to teach Luke a lesson, he didn’t want to kill him.
“Hey Luke, can’t you swim?
Answer me, where the hell are you?”
Seeing that there was no movement in the water, Manny panicked a little, he knelt down on the platform and fished in the water with a fishing net, as if he hoped that Luke would catch the net and come out of the water.
“FUCK!
He’s dead.
Jesus Christ, I didn’t mean to hurt him.
He’s so tall, how could he have drowned.” Manny grew more and more panicked and shouted around, “Somebody, somebody overboard here.”
Then there was no one else around at all.
Manny poked half his body off the platform and stuck his fishing net into the deeper lake water.
Suddenly, a shadow floated up under the water, and the floating water splashed Manny’s face.
Then he felt a large hand grab his arm and yank it down.
“With a plop, Manny fell into the lake as well.
“Pfft ……”
Manny waved his hands around wildly, “I can’t swim, save me!”
“Save me.”
After Luke fell into the lake, he directly dove down to the bottom of the lake to observe secretly.
He dragged Manny into the water, while he himself grabbed the wooden frame and climbed up to the platform, sitting on the edge of the platform and looking at Manny who was struggling in the lake.
“I can’t swim, help me!”
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ……” Manny choked.
Luke took the fishing rod and made him grab it, yanking him over to the side of the platform and laughing, “How does it feel to be in the water?”
Manny held the fishing rod with both hands and looked at Luke, who was teasing him on the platform, and said in annoyance, “You idiot, hurry up and drag me up.”
“Looks like you haven’t gotten the hang of it yet.” Luke laughed and stepped his right foot directly on Manny’s head, stomping him into the lake.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ……”
Manny struggled hard to no avail, choking once again.