Although he did not know the specifics of that organization, the fact that Scott was second-in-command was a testament to his high status.

And from the moment Vivienne began to settle scores with the Brooks family, he knew Scott's deeds would one day come to light.

Vivienne was somewhat of an enigma to him. Their interactions had been few, and it was hard to say they shared a close bond, but he could tell that the face she presented to the world was not her true self. Her arrival at the Brooks family was driven by Karen's death and possibly by the organization lurking behind Scott.

So, he stripped Scott of his position as head of the family, hoping to distract Vivienne and Percival while secretly aiding Scott.

All these actions were his way of making amends.

Scott's smile froze on his face, and perhaps it was the way the light hit him, but his usually calm and composed features now seemed twisted and terrifying. "Offset? Haha, offset, you say?"

Scott's gaze followed Baron's retreating figure, a glimmer of hatred flashing in his eyes.

"You have no idea what I've been through, so you have no right to speak to me of forgiveness!"

Scott would never forget the poison injected into his veins, the whip marks that had scarred his flesh, and the relentless crushing of his spirit.

These were cold memories that still sent shivers down his spine.

Vivienne, observing Scott's expression, could imagine what he had endured.

Some choose to either perish or be reborn in the Abyss, but others, like Scott, only continue to drag more innocents into its depths.

He inflicted the pain he had suffered on others, finding satisfaction and validation in their torment.

Baron slowly stood up, using the back of the sofa for support, and approached Scott.

"If you harbor hatred, I won't blame you. I have failed you regardless of whether you are my flesh and blood. If you want to kill me, go ahead." "Grandpa!" Ronald stepped in front of Baron, his voice desperate. "Uncle, if you must kill, then kill me, but don't harm Grandpa, please!"

Scott pushed Ronald aside fiercely and wrapped his arms around Baron in an embrace.

Through the shoulder he was leaning on, Scott stared deeply at Vivienne. "Vivienne, I placed the new bomb in Percival's car and crafted it, too. I know you're here today for my life, so here, take it." Suddenly, a bomb remote appeared in his hand, his thumb pressing hard on the red button.

"No!!"

Melissa's scream pierced the silence, but the explosion that everyone anticipated never came.

Scott pressed the button repeatedly, but no blast followed.

Vivienne's laughter broke the silence, sounding remarkably crisp.

"Surprised?" She looked at Scott, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Scott stared at her in shock. "How? What did you do?"

Her smile deepened. "I overestimated your intelligence. Hiding the bomb inside Baron's cane? Such a lame trick. How did Mr. B ever see your potential to be his double?"

Scott looked at Vivienne as if she were a monster. "How did you know?"

He had considered every possible way Vivienne could discover his plan and had taken precautions against them, yet she had still found out.

"The bomb wouldn't have caused a significant explosion. At most, it would've been enough to kill the two of you," Vivienne said as she walked forward and picked up Baron's cane.

She glanced at Scott, her voice steady. "You made a mistake using a remote device. If it were like the old times, requiring a physical trigger, I would not have been able to reprogram the remote."

It dawned on Scott that Vivienne had known about the new bomb all along.

He had lost.

Swiftly, Scott pushed Baron away and drew a knife, charging at Vivienne.

Leopold was quicker, intercepting Scott and restraining him.

"Think you can sneak up on Vivienne?" Leopold held Scott, only to realize Vivienne had not budged.

Not only that, Percival remained calm and collected.

Something was off.

Scott cursed under his breath, realizing he was immobilized.

Vivienne had drugged him!

With the last of his strength, he lifted his head to look at Percival. "Why won't you kill me?"

Percival shrugged nonchalantly. "My Vivienne won't let me."

Scott paused, then understanding washed over him, and a tear trickled down as he laughed softly. "Vivienne, you and your mother are so sure that I couldn't truly bring myself to kill." Could he ever truly harm the daughter of the woman he loved?

Vivienne only found what Scott said laughable. "You're right. You didn't kill my mother. However, you had the intention to. You think you have the right to act like a devoted lover? How laughable."

Scott remained silent. He had no rebuttal.

Indeed, he loved Karen deeply and was willing to spend the remainder of his life with her.

To him, Karen was a ray of light that shone into his life, bringing hope to all the darkness within him.

Thus, he could never kill Karen himself in the end.

Vivienne, the living reminder of Karen, how could he possibly harm her?

His earlier action was nothing more than a ploy to provoke Percival into killing him to avoid capture by the Vanguard Agency.

But he had not anticipated Vivienne seeing right through him.

Vivienne looked coldly at Scott. Her hatred towards the man had never waned.

No matter how much he tried to hold back against her, in the end, it was nothing but a self-delusion.

Did he really think he had the heart to finish her off?

"Take him away." Percival finally stood up, his lean hand making a dismissive gesture in the air, signaling Leopold to escort Scott out. Leopold yanked off his belt and used it to bind Scott's hands.

With the belt serving as makeshift handcuffs, he was left to carry Scott with one hand and hold up his pants with the other.

However, turning around, he saw several officers from the Vanguard Agency at the door, handcuffs in hand, staring at him wordlessly.

"Damn! You could've said something about having handcuffs earlier!" Leopold cursed, pushing Scott towards the officers while hitching up his trousers. Percival just stood there, speechless.

Who brought this embarrassing man here?

Scott was finally apprehended.

After the Vanguard Agency took him away, Vivienne began packing her things to leave the Brooks Mansion.

Her mother's death was tied to Scott in some way, but not significantly so.

Who exactly had called her mother, prompting her to take her own life, remained a mystery. Vivienne knew her investigation had to continue.

She believed that once she uncovered the head of the GTO, she would finally get the answers she sought.

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