"We aren't sure if it was an accident. The only witness was Ace, who said it was, so it had to be the case… The dead shall remain dead, and I no longer want to dig up the past," Grandpa Moran said cryptically, making Joanna even more curious about the whole thing.
"Well, did you know that apart from Ace being the only witness, he was also the one who deleted the footage of the incident? Don't you find that strange?" Joanna urged.
Grandpa Moran smiled a little, not surprised by the information. "It's normal. They've both been close since they were children. Ace looked up to his older brother, and followed Dylan wherever he went. Dylan died in such a painful way, so maybe Ace destroyed the footage because it ruined his good memories of Dylan and hurt him too much. It's completely understandable."
Although it sounded convincing, it wasn't enough to persuade Joanna.
"I heard that Dylan was supposed to be the successor of Moran Group, but he met with an accident just as he was about to return to the country. The company ended up in the hands of Ace, who was the only witness of the accident. Don't you find any of this suspicious?" Joanna was unusually emotional when she asked this. She needed to find out the truth behind this incident. She hoped that the person she loved so deeply wasn't the kind of scumbag who would hurt his brother for his own benefit!
"Suspicious?" Grandpa Moran asked coldly. "Are you trying to say that Dylan died because of Ace? Is that it?"
Joanna didn't answer, averting her gaze guiltily. There were too many coincidences in this matter, but she didn't want to make any errors in her judgment, which was why she had come to Grandpa Moran for answers.
Unfortunately, Grandpa Moran didn't give anything away. ' Joanna, you knew Ace. Do you really think he was the kind of person who would do something like that?"
"Even if Ace was heartless and emotionless, I doubt he would do something like that. I couldn't possibly have been that blind…" Joanna mumbled.
"In that case, trust your instincts. The Morans are good people, and you wouldn't have fallen in love with him if he wasn't," Grandpa Moran said gently, and stifled a yawn.
"Alright, child. I'm getting tired. If you don't have any more questions, you may leave. Come back once you've thought things through, and if you have any other questions," he said finally.
"I…" Joanna still wanted to talk, but Grandpa Moran had already closed his eyes.
"Please rest well then, Grandpa. I'll visit again when I have the time," Joanna replied softly.
After Joanna left, Grandpa Moran opened his eyes and turned to a nearby shelf, a stern expression on his face as he growled, "She's gone. You've eavesdropped for long enough, so come out already!"
Ace stepped forward calmly, his arms crossed over his chest.
Grandpa Moran was already upset, and seeing Ace in this nonchalant state made him even angrier. "Didn't you hear what she said? She no longer has feelings for you, and she won't get back together with you. In fact, she even suspects that you killed Dylan! How terrible of a husband were you that she'd think of you this way?" "She's just too dumb to tell right from wrong," Ace scoffed, his voice as cold as ice. If it hadn't been for the bigger picture, he'd have come out and knocked Joanna on the head so she'd be able to think clearly
"Hmph, you're the real idiot here!' Timothy scowled. "Her impression of you was already at an all-time low, and now you're faking your own death?!
What the hell were you thinking? You were already growing apart, but this time, you've really dug your own grave! How are you going to mend things now?"
Ace replied, "I have my plans. She hated me when I was alive anyway, so I can just use another identity to stay by her side and win her heart again.'
'Have you lost your mind?!" Timothy was furious. "Who do you think you are? In everyone's eyes, you're already dead! Do you think she'd stay single forever just to mourn your death? I don't care what you're planning, I just need you to clean this mess up! The more you stall, the harder it gets to deal with! You'll regret it if she marries a random man just to fill the hole in her heart!"
Ace's gaze grew cold, his possessiveness showing as he growled, "I will never allow that!"
The reason he chose to fake his own death was so that he could capture all of Moran Group's rivals. So far, the plan seemed to be going extremely well, and all they needed to do was wait for the right moment to seize those who were against the company.
However, his grandfather's words, along with Joanna's, made the man feel slightly panicked. He was worried that they'd drift further apart, so much so that they wouldn't have the chance to get back together again.
After all, the woman was even starting to suspect that he had murdered his own brother.
He was completely innocent when it came to his brother's death – his grandfather was the one who had ordered him to destroy the evidence from back then.
"Grandpa, I still don't understand why you asked me to destroy the footage of Dylan getting shot, and why you wouldn't allow me to hire someone to investigate it… Now look at what's happened -1 can't clear my name at all! It looks like I'm a cold-blooded murderer who killed my own brother just to inherit the company!" Ace sighed.
Moreover, now that he was 'dead', he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Joanna, no matter the accusation.
'This is so frustrating!' He thought.
"I have my reasons. And if what you saw was an accident, it will be known as an accident as well. People who truly know you wouldn't doubt your innocence, so I'm sure Joan will come to the right conclusion."
"I sure hope so." Ace was still worried, feeling like he should do something instead of sitting back and watching the situation unfold.
After Joanna left the manor, she seemed quite spaced out when driving. Timothy's words did ease her mind in a way, and now she wondered if she was just being too dramatic about all this.
'Moran respected his brother so much, and I saw how depressed he was at Dylan's funeral. How could he possibly be the murderer?' With that thought, Joanna felt her mood brightening, as if a weight had been lifted off of her chest.
Just then, an unfamiliar number popped up on her phone screen. She answered the call with a frown, and instantly heard a man's panicked voice on the other end of the line.
"Miss Pierce, please come to The Blue Inn now! You have to save us!"