Elena crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest, glaring warily at the two caddies. "How do you even know I'm single?"
The two caddies burst into laughter and said, "Dear Elena, you're the dream of every man in the Grand Casino Hotel. The moment you became single, everyone knew by the next day."
After finishing nine holes and scoring three under par on his first ever attempt at golf, William felt he might have a future in some of England's golf tournaments. Or, better yet, he could use this skill to hustle unsuspecting opponents out of a fortune.
Handing his club to the caddie, William—now fully aware of Elena's single status—didn't hesitate to take her to a luxury boutique outside the hotel for an hour-long shopping spree.
By 1 p.m., he treated the now ecstatic Elena to a lavish meal at the hotel's restaurant. Around 3 p.m., the two were working out together in the gym when Sunday interrupted William's good mood.
"Sir, Mr. Cavendish is waiting outside your suite."
With a stunning woman beside him, William had no interest in dealing with Charles. He ignored him for over an hour until he had showered, changed, and was finally ready to emerge.
When William finally stepped out, he saw Charles standing there with a smile that hinted at good news. While this reassured William that things weren't as sinister as he had feared, seeing Charles in such high spirits annoyed him.
After all, Marco was undoubtedly a scumbag, but the people vying for his inheritance weren't any better—be they scheming wives, nephews, or ungrateful children hoping for their father's death.
"It seems the results are in your favor," William said, his expression dark.
Realizing William's mood, Charles quickly composed himself, wiping the smile from his face. "I pulled some strings and spent some extra money. The DNA results are out—it's confirmed. The deceased are Marco and Toby."
"Dead is dead. It's not like any of you were saints, anyway." Tossing the report onto the coffee table without a second glance, William asked, "So, what now? Are you planning to expose Grace and Juan as the killers, use the law to strip them of their inheritance rights, and split everything with Susie?
"Or will you stick to the original plan—let Grace and Juan Carlos deal with Susie and the other minor heirs, and then claim the entire fortune for yourself?"
Half or all? Play it safe or take a risk? The question wasn't easy to answer. To William's surprise, Charles only hesitated for a few seconds before lowering his head in thought. Shortly after, he asked, "You don't like Susie, do you?"
"Wow," William said, shaking his head in disbelief. "It seems human greed truly knows no bounds."
If Susie, who stood to inherit half the estate, were eliminated, Charles wouldn't even need to worry about the minor heirs. Ignoring William's sarcasm, Charles shrugged indifferently and said, "Fifty billion versus one hundred billion—how long would you hesitate?"
He wasn't wrong. This wasn't fifty or a hundred dollars—it was fifty billion dollars. If Charles could resist temptation, he wouldn't have been scheming his way into this mess in the first place.
And honestly, if William had any real way to get his hands on Marco's company stocks and the massive inheritance they represented, he wouldn't have settled for the ten billion-dollar payout Charles had promised him.
Faced with such a prize yet limited to mere scraps, William couldn't help but feel a bit resigned. A lazy thought crossed his mind, and he shook his head before saying, "Given the current situation, there's no need for you to fake an assassination attempt anymore. Just sit back and let Grace and Juan handle Susie and the other minor heirs."
Charles immediately shook his head. "No. If Grace or Juan actually turn on me, and I don't have bodyguards, the risk I'd face as a regular person wouldn't be much different from taking that staged bullet.
"Besides, you need to understand something, William. My last name is Cavendish. If I want to inherit the entire fortune without suspicion, I have to take that shot. Otherwise, the rumors of me secretly eliminating all my competitors would follow me for the rest of my life."
Seeing William's silence, Charles joked to test the waters. "Buddy, you're doing practically nothing—just finding me the two real killers—and you'll walk away with over ten billion dollars. Don't you think that's a bit easy? A bit greedy?"
"You're welcome to see what happens if you try not paying me," William replied, crossing his legs. "I skipped my mother's birthday banquet to help you find the killers, pal. That's quite a sacrifice on my part."
Charles sighed, recognizing the dangerous vibe emanating from William. He knew that once William had identified and revealed the culprits, there was no way he could renege on their deal. If he did, being targeted by someone as untouchable as William in England's upper echelons would be far worse than any danger Grace or Juan could pose.
"Alright, let's stick to our original plan. I'm already set to inherit fifty billion dollars after taxes—what's getting shot compared to that? If I'm not afraid to take the bullet, why should the shooter be?"
Sensing the tension, Charles tried to lighten the mood with another joke. "Afraid that if I die, you won't get the winery and the F1 team I promised?"
"You're the one who's not afraid of dying. I have nothing to worry about," William said with a smirk. "Alright, you can leave now. Don't get in the way of my time with the lovely lady."
As Charles reached the door to the suite, William called after him, "And make sure you ditch that bulletproof suit before going back."
Looking down at the bulletproof suit William had gifted him, Charles burst into laughter. "I suppose this is what they mean by every advantage coming with its own drawbacks."
"Get lost."
Dodging the fruit William playfully tossed at him, Charles quickly opened the door and left. Upon returning to the French hotel where the nine suspects were required to stay, he was immediately approached by Audrey and Nick Spitz.
Nick wasted no time making a snarky comment. "Hey, Charles, you've been gone all day. What kind of trouble were you getting into?"
Audrey glared at her husband, knowing he was jealous because she'd once complimented Charles' looks. She slapped Nick on the shoulder and awkwardly said, "Don't mind him, Charles. Nick's just stressed out from being a murder suspect for the first time."
"It's fine," Charles replied with a wave of his hand. "I was bored, so I went to the Monte Carlo casino for a few rounds. How about we have dinner together later? Consider it an apology for dragging you two into this mess."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Audrey asked politely.
"It's just dinner. What's the trouble?" Charles replied casually. "I'll go change first. Let's meet in the lobby in thirty minutes, and then we can head to an Arab restaurant nearby for some roasted lamb. How does that sound?"
"Sounds perfect!" Nick eagerly agreed before Audrey could say anything. "Go get changed. We'll wait for you here."
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American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
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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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