"Well.."Joanna was at a loss for words.
Was Ace really a bad person? He was just emotionless and full of himself. Although he behaved like a cold, indifferent machine to achieve his goals, he had never hurt anyone on purpose. Usually, the people who got hurt had done something wrong in the first place. When Joanna thought about it, he couldn't be blamed…
However, if Dylan's death had something to do with Ace, then he was definitely a bad person!
Joanna hoped she could find some clues from the police department files, but she discovered that the footage of Dylan being shot had been deleted by someone four years ago. According to police records, the person who destroyed the footage was none other than the only witness of the shooting … Ace!
"That's strange!" Joanna was surprised.
The only footage that could ascertain the real cause of Dylan's death was destroyed by the only witness of the crime. Whether it was an accident or not depended entirely on what the witness said.
On top of that, Dylan had been preparing to return to the country and inherit Moran Group before he died. His sudden death meant that Ace had become the successor instead.
This made it all the more suspicious!
After Dylan died, the Moran family had expended a lot of manpower and resources to suppress the news. Back then, not a single media company dared to publish articles about it, and none of them dared to pose any questions. Anyone who made a sound was instantly silenced by Moran Group. Relatively speaking, freedom of speech was a big thing in the City.
However, the Moran family made such a big mystery out of the death of their heir, Dylan. If it wasn't because Ace felt guilty, why else would they do it?
Now that Ace was dead, there was no way of proving whether he was a good person or a bad person. Naturally, there was no point in investigating further!
"Ah, this is so annoying!" Joanna stared at the computer screen for so long that her head hurt.
She took off her glasses and rubbed her forehead wearily.
'Forget it. It doesn't matter,' she thought tiredly. She had no idea why she was getting so worked up over her ex-husband's family matters. It wasn't like she had nothing else to do!
Joanna told herself she wouldn't care any longer, but she still couldn't help but ponder about it. She was distracted the entire day.
In the end, she couldn't keep it in anymore. She decided to go to the person who had the most power in the Moran family, who was also the person nicest to her – Grandpa Moran.
Grandpa Moran treated her like his own granddaughter. She had disappeared without a trace for four years, and now that she was back, there was every reason for her to pay him a visit.
Coincidentally, Clara had also returned home. Joanna was confident that she could look after Adie while she was away.
By the time Joanna arrived at the Moran family's residence, it was already nighttime.
Their personal chef was preparing dinner, while Grandpa Moran was reading about national history in the study. This was how a retiree spent his time.
When the housekeeper saw Joanna, he was shocked for a while. After coming to his senses, he quickly informed Grandpa Moran about her arrival.
"Master, look who's here!"
Grandpa Moran looked up and saw Joanna standing outside the study. He was pleasantly surprised. "Oh, my dear child. I'd heard you'd returned to the City, and have been waiting for you everyday. Why didn't you come sooner?"
Joanna walked in with an apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, Grandpa. I was so busy and couldn't find the time. Once I got some free time today, I immediately came over. Please don't get mad!"
"Silly child, I couldn't possibly get angry at you. If I were to get angry at anyone, it'd be my troublesome grandson…" Grandpa Moran huffed in annoyance. "His wife went missing for so many years, and yet he couldn't even find her. What an embarrassment!"
From the way Grandpa Moran criticized Ace, Joanna figured that he probably hadn't found out about Ace's death yet. "Grandpa, have you… heard about anything major recently?"
"Like what?" Grandpa Moran smiled sadly. "Are you referring to my useless, dead grandson or the fact that Moran Group will soon be transferred to someone else?"
"Ahh…" Joanna looked down with an awkward expression on her face. It seemed that Grandpa Moran knew about everything.
If that was the case, why did he seem so calm?
Grandpa Moran could tell that Joanna was confused. He sighed softly and said, "I'm getting old, and a lot of things are out of my control now.
Everyone has their own fate that's been decided by God. Even if we find something that's hard to accept, we have no choice but to accept it."
Joanna had initially planned to ask Grandpa Moran about whether he knew what really happened when Dylan was shot. However, asking this now would be like rubbing salt into a wound, and she couldn't bring herself to ask him.
"My dear child, you've been away for so many years. How have you been doing?" Grandpa Moran asked curiously and looked Joanna up and down.
"I spent a couple of years abroad, Grandpa. It's been good." Joanna nodded slowly.
"I can tell you've been doing well – you've gotten a lot fairer. Since your marriage to Ace left you with a lot of unhappy memories, you really did make a good choice by getting divorced."
The old man let out another long sigh. "Unfortunately, you weren't able to give birth to a child despite being married for four years. There are no grandchildren for me to miss…"
Grandpa Moran's eyes lit up suddenly, and he stared at Joanna. "There are no outsiders here, so you can tell me the truth, Joanna. Do you still have feelings for Ace? If he was alive, would you consider remarrying him and having children with him?"
"That's impossible!" Joanna answered decisively.
"I won't change my mind once I've decided something. I admit that I loved him back then, so much so that I got badly hurt by him. However, I've learned my lesson, and won't repeat the same mistake," she added.
"Now that he's gone, do you feel sad? Do you miss him?" Grandpa Moran asked.
Joanna couldn't bring herself to lie. She couldn't stop herself from missing him, and she couldn't get him out of her mind. Hence, she just kept quiet.
"Alright, I get it. You're a good kid. Ace was too immature and put you through a lot. Now, he's the one who has to suffer. This is probably fate." Grandpa Moran looked contemplative.
The two chatted for a while, but Joanna was distracted throughout the entire conversation.
Grandpa Moran could tell there was something on her mind. "If you have any questions, go ahead and ask them. It's tough seeing you like this."
Joanna didn't hold back after hearing this. "Grandpa Moran, was Dylan's death really an accident? Did you ever suspect there might be more to it than meets the eye?"