When She Stops Playing Nice by Hale Saxon
Chapter 354

Chapter 354

Although they had only briefly been siblings, she always remembered him as her “brother.”

“Because he felt guilty,” Faith said.

“After you were adopted, didn’t he dislike you? He always rejected you and wanted to drive you away. Later, he discovered that you wanted to leave on your own to restore peace to their family and stop the arguments caused by your presence. He suddenly found you a bit pitiful. So, the day before the massacre, he had changed his mind and wanted to tell you that he had decided to accept you as his sister truly.

“But it was too late,” Faith said, her sorrow overwhelming her, causing her to cough violently.

After all, Mrs. Jefferson was her dear friend, and recalling the past was like reopening an old wound.

Gina understood. Finally able to confirm that Max was indeed the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, she felt a sense of happiness. She thought about what Michael had told her earlier that someone, like her, was investigating the massacre from years ago. It must have been Max.

“It seems you two were destined to be siblings. You have met again as adults,” Faith remarked. “Miss Miller, Max grew up safely because of the protection of the Atkinson family. His identity must never be exposed. Otherwise, the hidden demons who want to eradicate all traces will come after him.”

Gina nodded in response, “I understand.”

She would protect Max, to repay the warmth and love Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson had given her. Even though it was brief, the time she was adopted was the happiest period of her childhood.

“Are you investigating what happened back then?” Faith asked.

Gina nodded in reply. “Yes.”

Faith’s nose tingled with emotion as she approached Gina and took her hand. She said, “Good child… I believe the truth will eventually come to light. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s not hard work; it’s something I should do,” Gina replied with a determined look in her eyes.

Faith sniffled and said, “Go talk to Max. I think he has a lot he wants to say to you too.”

Gina nodded and walked out of the study into the living room. Max was sitting on the sofa. This time, when he saw Gina, he seemed a bit uneasy. He asked knowingly, “What did you two talk about?”

“Long time no see,” Gina said with a smile.

Max lowered his head and was silent for a moment before replying, “I’m sorry.

“When we were kids, I should not have bullied you and tried to drive you away.”

Gina didn’t mind and replied, “It’s okay. It’s all in the past. It was normal for you to fear losing your parents’ love. But now, I would not call you ‘brother’ anymore. It feels a bit awkward.”

Max chuckled. “Alright, I also prefer it when you call me by my name.”

“But what about your finger?” Gina asked, and she thought, ‘Didn’t he have part of his right pinky cut off back then?’

Max took off his glove. His pinky looked complete and well-formed, but in reality, a prosthetic covered it. He removed the

prosthetic, revealing a slightly deformed pinky, and explained to Gina, “After the finger was cut off, it was reattached using a toe. It doesn’t look very good, so I made a prosthetic to make it more presentable.”

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Chapter 354

‘So that’s how it was, Gina pondered in understanding.

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“Have you been investigating the real culprit behind our parents murder?” Max took a deep breath and finally asked this heavy question.

Gina nodded in response, “Yes… but progress has been slow. However, I’ve found out some things. Besides your parents, some of your family members were poisoned.”

“Poisoned?” Max inquired.

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“Before your parents’ deaths, wasn’t there someone in your family who got cancer?” Gina stated. Her words triggered Max’s memories.

Max replied, “My aunt and uncle were both healthy and had no family history of cancer, but they both died of it.”

That matched Gina’s recollections. She remembered that some of the Jefferson family members had died in a manner identical to Emily’s, clearly from poisoning, but the final medical diagnosis had been cancer, leading to their deaths being classified as natural.

Gina thought back to the incident at the hospital, where an assassin disguised as a nurse had poisoned her. The toxin was still dormant in her body, attacking her immune system intermittently. If her immune system was compromised, various illnesses could ensue.

Gina realized this toxin was not as simple as she thought. It wasn’t instantly lethal and was likely a very potent virus.

‘If I hadn’t been skilled in medicine and hadn’t taken care of my health, I might have succumbed to complications or cancer by now.

‘Could this toxin be related to the deaths of Mrs. Emily and the others?’ Gina wondered.

“Let’s take things one step at a time. Since the enemy is hiding, let’s first deal with my brother Chuck’s situation,” Max suggested.

Gina agreed, “Yes.”

She absolutely would not allow Chuck’s evil business chain to continue, and she did not intend to let Chuck g

“What do you need?” Max asked directly.

“The ledgers of his evil business over the years,” Gina said.

“The ledgers…” Max mumbled as he fell deep in thought.

After a while, he said, “I have a good idea where Chuck usually keeps important things.”

*****

“Mr. Chuck, Gina wants to investigate our business. This woman is tough and quite resourceful,” Ben reported. While he didn’t want to praise Gina and diminish his own standing, the facts were the facts. “Why not strike first and make her disappear from this world forever?” he suggested.

Chuck glanced at Ben on the sofa and sneered, “Afraid of a woman? You’ve lived this long for nothing, it seems.”

Ben was taken aback and explained, “Mr. Chuck, you might not know, but Gina’s boyfriend is one of the richest men in the world.”

Though it seemed he was now the second, with the top spot held by a mysterious figure. Ben did not care about the exact ranking; what mattered was that Gina and her backer were formidable.

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“The richest man in the world? Huh,” Chuck scoffed. “So what? In this world, money alone isn’t enough to call the shots! You need connections and power, too. This is Mosnioca, not Shyran. What can Gina do to me here? Does she have ties with any nobility or royalty?”

“No matter how capable she is in Shyran, here in Mosnioca, she can’t touch me,” Chuck said confidently.

Ben found Chuck’s reasoning sound. The Atkinson family was not just a name to be trifled with.

‘Gina? Who did she think she was?’ he contemplated.

However, Ben had another question and he prompted, “But, Mr. Chuck, why is your brother helping Gina? They… won’t join. forces, will they?”

Chuck sneered in disdain. “My brother? He’s just a useless fool.”

STTR GIFT

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