Chapter 477

Chapter 477 Protect You in Their Stead

Wesley paused and looked back down at Emelie.

Emelie pursed her lips. “Were you the one protecting me?”

She remembered her last conversation with her father.

He had vaguely mentioned her being a “lucky child“, blessed by some unseen force. Every time she encountered danger, she would escape unharmed. He had even given her a few examples.

At the time, she ignored it because she thought he just didn’t want to shoulder the responsibility. But now, his words took on a new meaning.

Someone had been watching over her, but who?

Wesley seemed like the most likely candidate. After all, hadn’t he previously had Marcel trail her?

After a brief pause, Wesley said, “No, it wasn’t me.”

Emelie released his hand immediately and asked in confusion, “Then who?”

“It could have been someone else Xander trusted.” Wesley picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The mulled wine had cooled considerably, and he could feel it entering his stomach.

He explained, “Xander was a loyal man who treated his friends well. When his company started to decline, some people kicked him when he was down, while some people lent a helping hand.

“Before Xander Group completely fell, Norm… my father alone invested over 50 million to keep it from failing. Only after Xander sent us a message from prison, urging us to stop helping him, did we finally give up.”

Wesley put his glass down. “Ronan decided to take you away and raise you because of how kind Xander was. Perhaps others who remembered his generosity have been secretly watching over you, his sole heir.”

Emelie thought about what he said for a moment before nodding slowly.

This explanation made sense. Wesley was probably right.

“What happened next?” She steered the conversation back to where they left off.

Wesley explained, “Reggie only knew his father’s friend, Edward, had taken Xander’s daughter. He wasn’t aware of Edward’s whereabouts, treating it as a mere story. He didn’t go around publicizing it.

“But with Ronan’s confession, it stopped being a mere story and became an opportunity. Reggie wasted no time informing the Davis family.

“It was only then that the Davis family realized that Xander’s daughter hadn’t died with his wife in the river. Instead, she had been taken by a bodyguard and raised in secret. So, they started having suspicions.”

Emelie suddenly understood what was going on.

She interjected, “So they suspected the bodyguard took not only Xander’s daughter, but also the ledger.”

Wesley nodded lightly.

Emelie felt as though she had just watched a dramatic play unfold, leaving her sorrowful yet enlightened. So, this was what happened. The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.

They said fate worked in mysterious ways. In fact, her fate had already taken a sharp turn three years ago..

Now, she understood why her parents had driven her away and told her to never return. They were afraid that she would become a target if she did.

The Davis family led the four families and cornered Ronan, forcing him to give them “300 Million“, the ledger owned by Xander.

This ledger was the key evidence of their set up, something that after twenty–five years, could bring them crashing down from their pedestals and face the same legal consequences as Xander.

Emelie’s lips turned pale. “They forced my father to hand over the ledger, and when he refused, he committed suicide?”

Wesley didn’t think so. “As Xander’s bodyguard, Ronan must have possessed a strong will. Physical torture alone wouldn’t have driven him to take his own life. After all, he had you to look after. My guess is they threatened him with you.”

Threatened?

Emelie looked at Wesley.

“They might have threatened your father, saying something along the lines of ‘if you don’t talk, we’ll find Emelie and make you watch as we hurt her. We’ll see if you’ll still insist on keeping quiet, then.“”

Emelie felt like she was suffocating.

Xander’s death caused her immense pain. However, the image of Ronan’s desolate figure when she last saw him before he died, would always bring tears to her eyes.

Wesley continued, “In the end, Ronan was afraid that you would be hurt when they used you to threaten him. So, he made the same choice as Xander, taking the secret of ‘300 Million‘ to his grave. He believed that by doing so, they would leave you alone, since you didn’t know anything.”

Emelie took a deep breath of the sea’s air.

When she exhaled, she couldn’t hold back her tears and cried. Both her father and adoptive father had died for her.

Wesley wiped away her tears and said gently, “Don’t cry. From now on, I will always be by your side and continue protecting you in their stead.”