No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 472

The sound made Robert instinctively flinch backward. His eyes, slightly clouded with age, darted in the direction of the noise.

Dressed head to toe in black, with a stormy expression on his face, lan advanced towards him. It was only then that Robert realized lan had played him.

In a calm, measured tone, Robert said, "You've got the wrong guy. I'm not this 'Ford' you're looking for."

lan's lips curled into a sinister sneer as he approached Robert and yanked off the mask concealing his face, revealing features that bore an uncanny resemblance to someone familiar. His eyes, dark and profound, fixed upon the unmasked visage as a chilling, gravelly voice emanated from his throat. "Ford, did you really think I wouldn't recognize you behind this little charade?"

With a swift kick to Robert's stomach, lan sent him reeling back several yards before he slammed against a pillar, coughing up blood.

lan's aura was like that of a man encased in ice, emitting a chill that took one's breath away. The thought of this man ruining his wedding celebration and nearly causing the death of Clara and their child made the malevolence within lan surge.

He strode over to Robert, planted his boot on his neck, and demanded in a frosty tone, "Talk. What really happened in that fire all those years ago?"

Robert struggled for breath, his face turning a shade of crimson, yet his jaw was clenched tight, a clear sign that he would rather die than spill his secrets.

lan let out a scornful chuckle, slowly releasing his foot from Robert's neck, and crouched beside him. "You think I can't touch you if you play dead? The Hayes family has been supporting your wife and kids for years, not for nothing. It's been a long time since you've seen them, so maybe it's time I give you a chance for a little family reunion. Your grandson's in elementary school now, thanks to me. It's the best school in Northbridge, and I bet he'd love to meet the grandfather who 'died' protecting the Hayes family fortune and then came back from the dead."

lan pulled out his smartphone, found a video of a child reciting a poem in class, and showed it to Robert.

The sight of the child in the video crumbled the fortress of Robert's mental defenses. For years, he had been watching over his family from the shadows. He knew about his grandson attending elementary school and even masqueraded as an old scavenger just to speak with him once by the school gates. The boy hadn't shunned him; he'd even helped him find his way.

How Robert longed to embrace the child, buy him toys, and treat him to a feast. But all he had managed to say was 'thank you' nothing more.

Tears streamed down Robert's face as he stuttered out apologies, "I'm sorry, I had no choice. Leonora had evidence of my crimes; if I didn't do as she said, she would expose me."

He confessed everything.

Robert, having served as the Hayes family butler, was in charge of dispensing the staff's salaries and managing the family's monthly expenses. Over the years, he had embezzled millions, and Leonora had caught him red-handed, threatening to blow the whistle. He had begged on his knees, willing to do anything to keep the matter hushed up.

At this revelation, lan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who's the woman in the warehouse, and why did Leonora want her dead? The charred remains weren't yours, so whose were they?"

Robert confessed, "She was a homeless person. Leonora ordered me to burn a woman who had seduced Mr. Teo and was carrying his child. When I got there, the woman's face had been disfigured beyond recognition, but she seemed to know me and was crying and begging for mercy. In a moment of heartlessness, I lit the gasoline. That's when a homeless man burst in, claiming the woman was his savior and that he wanted to save her. I fought with him..."

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