Volume 3: The End of the Lies and the Rebirth of the Iris
"Trust yourself and trust the kindness deep in your heart. The crimes of the Rockefeller family are countless, but you're not the one who committed those crimes. You can choose to change, and you can choose to save the Rockefeller family and save yourself!" Irene said firmly.
Sean was silent for a long time. In the car, there was only the low rumble of the engine and Irene's slightly rapid breathing. His gaze wandered restlessly, as if he was searching for a lifeline in the darkness. The worldview he had built over the past few decades, everything he had firmly believed in, was now collapsing and falling apart at this moment. His father's teachings, the honor of the family, and the love of his fiancée now seemed to be nothing more than a gorgeous coat woven with lies.
Finally, he exhaled a long breath, and that breath seemed to lift all the weight off his body, making him slump down in a state of dejection.
"Tell me... tell me what exactly Carl wants to do?" Sean's voice was extremely hoarse, as if it were a whimper coming from the depths of hell.
Irene clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down. Time was pressing, and she had to make Sean understand the seriousness of the situation. "Carl's goal is the Rockefeller family's shipping empire. He wants to control the economic lifeline of the whole city, and even the whole country."
"What will he do?"
"He will use you, Sean. He will take advantage of your sense of responsibility towards the family and your love for Olivia. He will make you sign some documents and make some decisions, and then... the Rockefeller family will fall into his control without even realizing it." Irene paused, her voice low and full of warning. "He may even... make you bear all the guilt and make you the scapegoat of the Rockefeller family."
Sean's body shook violently, as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water. "He... he wants to ruin my reputation?"
"He wants you to die." Irene said without hesitation, looking straight into Sean's eyes and leaving him no room for illusions. "Only when you're dead can he completely control the Rockefeller family. And he will make your death without a trace, making everyone think that you committed suicide or died in an accident."
The air seemed to freeze. Sean stared at Irene with wide eyes in disbelief, and his body trembled involuntarily. The shadow of death loomed over him, making him feel an unprecedented fear.
"What about Olivia? She... was she really killed by Carl..." Sean's voice choked up, like a person about to drown, desperately trying to grasp the last straw.
Irene closed her eyes and said painfully, "Olivia was killed by me..." I was the one who killed her. Carl guided me to do it. I originally wanted to take her place and win your love, and take revenge on the Rockefeller family. But in the end... in the end, I hurt her and everyone else."
Upon hearing this, Sean completely broke down. He covered his face and let out painful sobs. The fiancée he had loved deeply was dead, and he had been deceived for so long, even living in a world of lies all the time.
Irene reached out her hand, wanting to comfort Sean, but she didn't know how. She was also a victim, a poor soul blinded by hatred.
"What should we do now?" Sean raised his head and looked at Irene with a confused gaze.
Irene took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "We must stop Carl. We must find evidence, expose his true face, and make him pay the price he deserves."
"Evidence? What evidence?"
"Secrets about the Rockefeller family, information about Olivia's death, and Carl's true identity... everything." Irene said. "I know some clues, but we need your help, Sean. Only you can mobilize the resources of the Rockefeller family and find Carl's weaknesses."
Sean hesitated for a moment, and a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes. He knew that this meant he had to be against his own family and betray everything he had believed in all along.
"If... if I really choose to cooperate with you, will the Rockefeller family let me go?" Sean asked, his voice full of fear.
"I don't know." Irene shook her head and said frankly. "But I can promise you that I will do everything I can to protect you. I will make you pay for your own crimes, but I will never let you become Carl's sacrifice."
Sean was silent for a long time. Finally, he nodded slowly. "Okay, I promise you. I'm willing to cooperate with you and expose Carl's true face."
Upon hearing this, Irene felt a surge of joy in her heart. She knew that this was her only chance, and also the only chance for the Rockefeller family.
"We need to go to a safe place now, a place where Carl can't find us." Irene said. "I need to treat my wounds, and I also need to plan our next move."
Sean nodded, started the car, and drove towards the countryside.
Under the dim light of the car headlights, Irene looked at Sean's haggard profile, and her heart was filled with complex emotions. She hated him because he was a member of the Rockefeller family, representing oppression and exploitation. But she also felt sorry for him because he was also a poor soul deceived by lies.
She didn't know what their future fate would be, but she knew that they had to unite as one to defeat their common enemy.
A few hours later, the car stopped in front of a remote cabin in the woods. This cabin was purchased by Sean during his college years, and it was one of his little-known secret residences. The cabin was simple but clean, away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and it was an ideal place of refuge.
With Sean's help, Irene simply treated her wounds. Her arm was slashed by a dagger, and the wound was deep and needed stitching. Sean clumsily helped her stitch the wound. His movements were awkward and cautious, and his eyes were filled with guilt and worry.
After the stitching was done, Irene leaned against the bed and closed her eyes wearily. She knew that the road ahead was still long, full of danger and uncertainty.
"Sean, I need some things." Irene opened her eyes and said to Sean.
"What things?"
"The Rockefeller family's account books, all the documents related to the shipping industry, and all the information related to Olivia." Irene said. "I need to know everything to find Carl's weaknesses."
Sean nodded, didn't say anything, and turned to leave the cabin.
Irene looked at Sean's departing back, and her heart was filled with hope. She knew that as long as they worked together, they would definitely be able to defeat Carl and expose his true face.
In the darkness, a blood-red iris was quietly blooming, nurturing the seeds of hope on the ruins of lies and hatred. But whether this hope could ultimately overcome the darkness was still an unknown.
As night fell, it was completely silent around the cabin. Irene lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Carl's smile, Olivia's body, and Sean's pained expression kept flashing through her mind.
She knew that she had to pay for her own crimes. But she also knew that she had to do everything she could to stop Carl's conspiracy, save the Rockefeller family, save Sean, and also save herself.
She closed her eyes and prayed silently, praying that hope could overcome the darkness and that justice would ultimately prevail. And she was willing to do anything to strive for that glimmer of hope.