Chapter 2: Investigating the Truth

Joseph froze, then quickly asked, "What condition?"

James slowly turned toward them, his gaze sharp. "I want to know how my wife Emily died."

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Joseph and Catherine exchanged glances. Joseph gave a dry laugh. "James, what does Emily's death have to do with us? It was a robbery and murder. Didn't the police already close the case?"

Catherine quickly chimed in, "That's right. We were sad about Emily too, but it has nothing to do with us!"

James nodded, grabbed Jocent off the floor with one hand, and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Catherine panicked. "Where are you going?"

James didn't look back. "Taking Jocent to the Gambino Villa. Since you don't know anything, might as well let him die."

"You!" Joseph's face changed dramatically.

Catherine was even more terrified. She grabbed Joseph's arm and said urgently in a low voice, "Joseph! Say something! Do you really want Jocent to go to his death?"

Cold sweat broke out on Joseph's forehead as he struggled internally.

"Dad! Mom!" Jocent scrambled up from the floor, clutching his chest, his face pale. "If you don't talk, I'm really going to die! I don't want to die!"

He dropped to his knees with a thud, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Dad, just tell him the truth! It's not like it has anything to do with us anyway—we didn't kill her!"

Joseph glared at Jocent, then finally sighed, as if all the strength had been drained from him. "Fine. I'll talk."

He took a deep breath and began with difficulty, "Your wife Emily came to see me a year ago."

James stopped in his tracks. He didn't turn around, but his hands were already clenched into fists.

"She said she wanted to improve our father-son relationship and hoped I would accept you as my son." Joseph's voice trembled slightly. "I... I wasn't home at the time, so I had the servants chase her away."

"Chase her away?" James turned around and pressed him. "And then?"

Joseph thought for a moment and shook his head. "I really don't know what happened after that!"

James stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. "You're lying!"

He had already gotten information from the dark web that on the day Emily died, Joseph's car was parked near his house.

Since his marriage, Joseph had never once visited their home.

How could he possibly show up at their place on the very day Emily was killed? There had to be some dark secret behind it.

Joseph's pupils contracted. "I'm not!"

"If you just chased her away, why are you afraid to say more?" James walked toward him step by step, each step carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"I didn't..." Joseph opened his mouth, but when he met James's eyes—eyes that seemed to see through everything—he swallowed the lie that was on his lips.

James didn't press him further. Instead, he turned to look at Jocent, who was kneeling on the floor.

The next second, he grabbed Jocent by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"...Let go... let go of me!" Jocent's feet left the ground as he struggled desperately.

"James! What are you doing!" Catherine screamed and lunged forward, trying to save Jocent.

James waved his other hand, and a gust of force sent Catherine flying backward to the ground.

"Joseph." James's voice was terrifyingly calm. "I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me the truth, or your son dies right here—saves the Gambino family the trouble."

Joseph's whole body trembled. Watching Jocent struggle in the air, tears finally rolled down his face. "I'll talk! I'll talk! Just let him go first!"

James released his grip.

Jocent crashed heavily to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing violently.

Joseph collapsed onto the sofa, closed his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "Emily offended someone from the Gambino family."

James's pupils contracted sharply.

"I don't know the details. I only heard that people from the Gambino family were looking for her." Joseph opened his eyes and looked at James with a complicated expression. "At the time, I thought if I could catch Emily and hand her over to the Gambino family, maybe I could gain some benefits for the Smith family..."

Catherine added from the side, "We just wanted to catch her to gain favor—we didn't want to kill her! We went to your house, but when we got there, she was already dead. We came back empty-handed without getting anything!"

"That's all we know, really!" Joseph said urgently. "James, your wife's death has nothing to do with us! We wanted to catch her, yes, but we didn't kill her!"

James stood there in silence for a long time.

In his mind, the information from the dark web and Joseph's words intertwined.

The data showed that on the day Emily died, Joseph's car did appear near his house.

Now Joseph had admitted it—they went to catch her, but they arrived too late.

Emily was already dead.

James closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He could tell Joseph wasn't lying.

This couple was despicable, and they had once intended to harm Emily, but they truly didn't kill her.

It seemed he would definitely have to go to the Gambino Villa.

"James..." Catherine looked at him cautiously. "We've told you everything. Shouldn't you go to the Gambino Villa in Jocent's place now?"

James opened his eyes and looked at Joseph. "I have one more thing."

Joseph quickly said, "Ask away! Ask whatever you want!"

"My birth mother." James stared into Joseph's eyes. "Does she have any living relatives?"

Joseph was stunned—he hadn't expected this question.

James asked this because he knew clearly in his heart that to suppress the increasingly strong werewolf bloodline in his body, he had to figure out his origins.

His mother's background was the key to unlocking everything.

Joseph hesitated, then said, "Your mother was an orphan girl I found on the street. She was covered in injuries at the time and couldn't remember anything. I took her in, and later we got together. She died not long after giving birth to you. As for whether she has any relatives, I really don't know."

James stared at him for a long time.

There was no evasion in Joseph's eyes, only fear and exhaustion.

He wasn't lying.

James sighed quietly to himself, asked nothing more, and turned toward the door.

"James!" Joseph called from behind. "Where are you going?"

"The Gambino Villa."