Charles opened the folder in confusion. As he skimmed through its contents, his hands and feet grew cold, and he looked up at William in a panic. "How is this possible?"
"What's so impossible about it?" William said, glancing at Charles before turning his focus back to the golf ball in front of him. Standing in position, he gently struck the ball, sending it flying in an arc toward the green.
Handing his club to the caddie, William chuckled and said, "Your uncle Marco managed to marry a Japanese woman in her twenties while in his seventies. Did you really think he was some faithful, upstanding guy?
"And you know exactly what kind of person your cousin Toby was. If I were Marco, and I wanted to ensure the Cannes family name wouldn't die out, I wouldn't even need to divorce your aunt. With his wealth, having another child with someone else would be the easiest thing in the world."
"Hah! And to think I've been taking Marco Cannes as my role model all these years," Charles said bitterly, gripping the documents tightly, his face twisted in anger. "I've always been loyal to my girlfriends, never fooling around outside."
His voice darkened as he continued, "So, you're saying the attempt on my life not long ago was also orchestrated by Grace Ballard?"
William smirked, dodging the question. "Charles, if you had made a move and gotten Grace under your control, maybe what happened last night wouldn't have happened at all."
"Damn it, what are you trying to say?" Charles snapped, his frustration evident. "What does Grace killing someone have to do with me?"
"Does it?" William chuckled. "I wouldn't know. But you turned down Grace's advances, didn't you?"
Charles fell silent, and William pressed on. "Mind telling me why? Why did you reject Grace, a beautiful, curvaceous woman you've known for years—someone who's even made a name for herself in Hollywood—and instead fall for a ski instructor who has nothing but her looks?"
Charles hesitated for a moment before replying, "Does that even matter?"
"It does," William said, nodding. "Murders generally boil down to three motives: money, love, and revenge. Do you think it matters now?"
After speaking, William waited for several seconds. When Charles remained silent and visibly unsettled, clearly no longer in the mood for golf, William shook his head and left him be.
Calling for the caddie, William took a putter and lined up his shot on the green. After a few practice strokes, he lightly pushed the ball. It rolled about four meters and predictably dropped into the hole.
The caddie and the attractive coach clapped their hands in surprise, clearly impressed.
William smiled in satisfaction. The hole was a par 4, and he had scored a birdie on his first-ever round of golf. He couldn't help but feel pleased with himself.
The applause snapped Charles out of his thoughts. He looked at William in confusion until he saw him retrieve the ball from the hole. Realizing what had happened, Charles muttered, "A birdie?"
William shrugged smugly, and Charles shook his head with a wry smile. "I really hate people like you. Seriously, seeing you just reminds me of how useless I am."
"Well, that's not my problem," William said with a grin. "You can either learn to live with it or stay far away from me."
The remark made Charles choke on his words. Waving off the caddie who was about to hand him a club, Charles turned to William and said, "Grace and I almost got together once, but the result wasn't what I expected.
"Before I could confess my feelings to Grace, Uncle Marco came to me one day and sternly warned me to stay away from her. He claimed he didn't want anyone from the Cavendish family marrying a Hollywood actress, fearing it might offend my uncle, the Duke of Devonshire.
"You know how it is—I've spent all these years trying to avoid giving Marco any leverage to remove me from the line of succession. Since Grace and I hadn't started anything, I obediently distanced myself from her.
"After that, I felt miserable for years. I went through two girlfriends but couldn't feel anything for them. Then, earlier this year, I met Susie while skiing in Switzerland.
"Her warmth and gentleness were unlike anything I'd ever experienced, and I quickly fell for her. I was tired of feeling oppressed, and with her, I finally felt free.
"But it was all fake—fake!" Charles gritted his teeth, his voice full of resentment. "I should have realized it sooner. A woman surviving in a Swiss ski resort couldn't possibly resist the allure of money. After I introduced Susie to Marco, everything changed."
"Enough," William interrupted, cutting off Charles' lament. He had no patience for the man's soap opera of grievances. "Grace attacked you and her father Marco out of twisted hatred, born from her inability to gain your love or Marco's approval.
"And when she discovered her only chance at inheritance had been taken away, she wanted Marco dead. But the fact remains—Grace didn't kill Marco herself. Now tell me, who was closest to Marco at the time of the murder?"
"It was Toby," Charles replied without hesitation. But Toby had been found dead in his cabin not long afterward. The police even discovered a printed will on his body, claiming that he had killed his father in a fit of rage after learning he'd been disinherited, and then taken his own life out of regret.
But such a story was only fit to fool children. Someone remorseful enough to commit suicide wouldn't have the presence of mind to type up and print a will.
"Other than Toby, the only ones close to Marco were his adopted son Juan Carlos and... and..."
Charles hesitated, his voice trailing off as he broke into a cold sweat under William's knowing gaze.
"Susie, right?" William finished for him.
"Yes, yes, Susie," Charles stammered, seeing no point in denying it now. "But it has to be Juan Carlos."
William didn't confirm or deny the claim. "Go on."
"Juan's father was once a driver for Marco's F1 team. Marco, obsessed with results, ignored the team leader's warnings and pushed Juan's father to race, leading to a crash.
"Juan's father lost both his legs and died a few years later in despair. Juan has every reason to hate Marco and seek revenge, especially since Marco had promised to leave him the team but later changed his mind."
"Fatherly vengeance and a stolen promise—Juan certainly has a motive," William agreed, nodding slightly. Charles eagerly nodded along, hoping for validation.
But then William added, "On the other hand, Susie also has a motive. And given that you, Charles, are the kind of person who always plays it safe, you might have even conspired with her. So, tell me, who should I believe?"
"Damn it, Susie didn't have to do anything! She would have inherited half the fortune anyway. Why would she take such a risk?" Charles argued.
"It's simple," William said, motioning to the caddie, who handed him another folder. Tossing it to Charles, William continued, "By killing Marco, she wouldn't have to tiptoe around an old man anymore.
"She'd get to enjoy tens of billions of dollars after taxes and live the carefree life she's always dreamed of. Otherwise, if Marco dumped her one day, thanks to their prenup, she wouldn't get a single cent."
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Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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