A Second Chance at Forever

Chapter 1423
The name “Timothy” crashed into Yates’ heart like a stone causing ripples across a pond, gripping his throat with a suffocating
and lethal sensation.
“Is it because I killed Timothy, that Gregory took his revenge on Pauline?” Yates found it hard to believe. He had dug into the
Howard family from the start-after all, he had killed Timothy. A vendetta was only natural, yet no clues pointed to Gregory.
And Gregory, in the presence of the Sharp family, especially in front of his father, had always kept a low profile, meek to the core.
Even when his son was gone, Gregory didn’t dare to confront.
Could such a timid man really have the audacity to establish an underground syndicate, erase all traces, and then murder
Pauline in such a brutal manner?
“No, that can’t be right.” Yates was still full of doubt. “If Gregory knew it was me who killed Timothy, why didn’t he seek revenge
directly from me?”
“Gregory didn’t come after you because of your ex-wife, Samantha.” Bernard sneered.
“Samantha?”
Samantha had been a marriage of convenience for Yates, a business partnership with an agreement to part ways after three
years. Unfortunately, she fell gravely ill and passed away before their time was up.
Her passing came shortly after Pauline’s murder. Yates had been so consumed with tracking down Pauline’s killer that he
neglected Samantha entirely. It was only when the police notified him, after her body had been left undiscovered for three days,
that he realized she was gone.
To Yates, their marriage was nothing more than a formality, arranged by his father. He had barely visited the Stanley household,
and his memories of her were faint.
Now, Bernard was suggesting that Samantha was the reason Gregory hadn’t sought vengeance on Yates, which only deepened
his confusion.
“What does Pauline’s death have to do with her?” Yates asked.
Bernard looked at Yates with eyes calm and deep, then glanced at Yates with snowy white hair in the distance.

“After you killed Timothy, she framed Pauline for it.”
Bernard’s voice was flat, as if narrating a matter of little importance, but to Yates, it was a devastating blow.
“What?”
He should have asked why, but shock robbed him of composure for a moment.
“Samantha didn’t want the divorce to go through, so she took the opportunity to get rid of Pauline.”
Yates was astounded but quick-witted. A hint from Bernard was all he needed to piece it together, yet he still hesitated.
“But... when I was arranged to marry her, she made it clear she didn’t like me. That’s why I chose her from several candidates.
She agreed to all my conditions, claiming she too was forced into this marriage and that it was a good opportunity to collaborate.”
“And after Pauline’s death, she suddenly fell ill and died, which doesn’t seem like the actions of someone who would do anything
to avoid divorce.”
Yates’ words were laced with skepticism, but as he spoke, he began to sense that something didn’t add up.
“Could it be Samantha was being counterintuitive?” Knowing his love for Pauline, could she have pretended indifference, slowly
infiltrating his world while maintaining the facade of a devoted wife?
But then...
“But she died so quickly, without gaining anything...” Was it all in vain?
Bernard, anticipating Yates’ line of thought, looked at him with a pitying gaze, as his mind was overwhelmed with the past.
“If I’m not mistaken, Gregory knew from the start that you killed Timothy and that Samantha was framing Pauline. He just didn’t
care for Pauline and, fearing retaliation from the all-powerful Sharp family due to Timothy’s death, he directed his anger at her.”
Gregory had let the thugs from the Darkness gang assault Pauline, an act clearly driven by spite rather than revenge.
Xavier had mentioned that Gregory believed Pauline had discarded Timothy to climb the social ladder of the Sharp family, even
killing him, and so he projected the pain of losing his son onto her.

Given the clumsy way Samantha had left clues, Gregory, who’d grown up on the streets, would undoubtedly have seen through
the charade, choosing instead to vent his anger.
“And as for Samantha, she was probably killed by Gregory too.”
Yates was perplexed.
“Why would he do that?”
“The reason is simple: to cut off the only lead back to him. He was afraid you’d trace the crime to his doorstep, so he eliminated
the last link.”
The dead don’t talk, which explained why Samantha suddenly passed away after Pauline’s death.
Bernard’s ability to think critically was strong, and with just a few words, he helped Yates understand the entire chain of events.
“You mean to say, Gregory did all this to hide, to grow the Darkness, and gather strength to eventually seek vengeance against
me.”