Edmond asked, "What happened?"
Franklin quickly responded, "Cousin brought his mistress over, Aunt doesn't like her as a daughter-in-law and started hitting her. Cousin tried to protect his mistress and got hurt in the process."
Royce's face darkened, "Franklin, watch your language!"
Franklin sneered, "I didn't say anything wrong. You were fooling around with this Jiang woman even when you were still engaged to Lily. If she's not a mistress, what is she? A slut?"
Royce, already in pain and irritable, snapped, "Say that again and see if I don't beat you up!"
Edmond spoke coolly, "Why beat him? He's not wrong. What's the matter, can't admit what you've done?"
Royce pursed his lips tightly, holding back his words.
Franklin widened his eyes in shock. Hey, Uncle Edmond is actually backing him up? What's going on? Why is Uncle Edmond being so nice to him today, giving him a sports car and now speaking up for him?
Edmond returned to the main topic, "Since the wedding date is set…"
"What wedding date!" Malika quickly denied, "There's no such thing. It's just nonsense from Lily!"
Edmond replied, "I told her. Royce mentioned it to me."
Royce avoided his mother's glare; indeed, when Uncle Edmond asked when, he had flippantly said the wedding date remained unchanged.
Malika shot her son a fierce glare, trying to save face. "It's Lily's fault. She's the one stirring up trouble."
Edmond cast a cold glance at her and turned to Franklin. "You were there. Tell us, was Lily wrong?"
Franklin shook his head immediately. "No, she wasn't!"
He recounted the events from that day in detail. "I invited Lily over. We were having a good time when Royce suddenly barged in. He tried talking to Lily, but she wouldn't even look at him. Then Royce yanked her off her chair, and she snapped, that's why she fought back."
He mentioned there was surveillance footage from the bar. "She was really pushed to her limit. If you don't believe me, I can get the footage."
Malika was fuming. "Regardless, Lily publicly humiliated Royce. If it weren't for her, this mess wouldn't have happened. She's nothing but trouble."
Edmond set down the tea cup with a sharp clink. "Malika, don't be so hypocritical." He sipped the tea brought by the butler, then placed the cup heavily on the coffee table. "You hate Lily because she saved me. If I had died in that accident, your brother would be in charge of the Jinzhou Group."
His calm tone made the room fall silent. "You blame Lily for disrupting your plans, but don't forget, even without me, you couldn't have outmaneuvered Marlon. He was a master of both open and covert tactics. With him around, you'd get nothing."
The living room fell into a deathly silence. Malika's hatred for Lily was known to everyone, but no one dared to speak of it until Edmond brought it up so plainly.
Edmond's dark eyes fixated on Malika, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table. Each tap deepened the shadows on his face. He finally asked, "Where is Marlon?"
This question plunged the room's atmosphere even lower. The older generation held their breath, and the younger ones didn't dare make a sound.
Franklin, initially pleased that Uncle Edmond defended him, quickly retracted his legs and stifled a cough.
Yes, where was Marlon? Grandpa had three wives, six sons, and three daughters. Over the years, everyone remained, except Marlon, because he was dead.
How did he die? Edmond had driven him to his death.
Franklin only knew the general story. Uncle Edmond survived a horrific car accident that Lily had saved him from, but his friend died. Edmond later discovered Marlon's involvement and retaliated fiercely, uprooting Marlon's private businesses and blocking his path in Jinzhou.
Marlon eventually died from an overdose of sleeping pills. Franklin, influenced by movies, once entertained conspiracy theories, but the police found all evidence pointing to Edmond's innocence.
His father had slapped him for suggesting otherwise. "Edmond doesn't kill people. He destroys their spirits. He'll use what you value most to punish you, making you feel worthless. Marlon was simply too impatient."
This past incident was a taboo in the Zhou family. No one dared to mention it, yet Edmond brought it up today.
Uncle Edmond seemed terrifying. Franklin wished he hadn't come here; he'd rather forgo the sports car.
Malika, too, was taken aback, her face turning pale as she looked to Nelson for help. Nelson, however, kept his head down, quietly fingering his prayer beads.
Malika bit her lip in frustration and finally turned to the old master, "Dad—"