Chapter 1589: Deception
Chapter 1589: Deception
Ayan did not deny it, he simply squinted his eyes and looked at Elijah, waiting for Elijah's gaze to shift away before speaking in a calm voice, "I don't doubt your words, and I did investigate your relationship with Preston. Since you don't have any siblings and were adopted by your parents because they couldn't have children, then if you have no blood relation to Preston, why do you help him unconditionally?" This had always been Ayan's question, and even after all this time, it lingered in his mind.
Facing Ayan's inquiry, Elijah fell silent.
Ayan smirked and said, "Mr. Clarke, you are a calculating person. Your self-interests outweigh everything else. If you have no blood relation or simply a cooperative relationship with Preston, then why do you go to such lengths to help him?"
These consecutive questions left Elijah with no chance to evade them. If he didn't provide a straightforward answer to Ayan now, Ayan would not continue with their collaboration.
And then the path he desired would be blocked.
Currently, even though Ayan was in the open, he was much stronger than Preston, who hid in the shadows. Both Ayan and Elijah were well aware of this, except for Preston, who always arrogantly believed he was exceptional.
Elijah remained silent, deeply conflicted about how to respond to Ayan.
Ayan was not as easily fooled as Preston. If he didn't say what Ayan wanted to hear, it would undoubtedly decrease his credibility in Ayan's eyes. If he were then abandoned by Preston, he would truly become a useless pawn.
Elijah was extremely hesitant, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
He wore a poker face, his expression stiff to the extreme.
The atmosphere remained tense, with each passing second. Ayan had no intention of letting it go, as doing so would prevent Elijah from diverting the topic and make him appear guilty.
Thus, they remained in silence. No one knew how many minutes had passed during this process, but it was definitely a long time.
In the end, Elijah couldn't endure the deadlock any longer and took the initiative to speak, "I admit, Preston promised me benefits. I received a portion of the benefits he gained from the Walker family. However, I only took what I deserved. Compared to an uncle-nephew relationship, it's more accurate to say that Preston and I are partners."
Elijah informed Ayan that although he couldn't explain why he maintained an uncle-nephew relationship with Preston, their cooperative relationship was more stable than that superficial bond.
Although Elijah reassured him repeatedly, Ayan knew he wasn't telling the whole truth. He consistently evaded the important matters and instead spoke meaningless words.
Continuing to ask would likely not yield any truthful answers. Ayan didn't want to keep repeating himself, so this topic had reached its end.
Ayan had nothing more to say because it was Elijah who had initiated the meeting today. The main purpose was to inform him that Preston was no longer in Hance City. Ayan was unsure about Preston's involvement with Daisy, so all these details were practically useless.
Ayan's hasty arrival was merely to find out if Preston was making any other moves.
Elijah watched as Ayan's expression turned cold, and a hint of unease flickered in his eyes. His voice became hoarse as he spoke, "Mr. Simpson, what I just said is all true. We are in a partnership now, so rest assured, I won't do anything to betray you."
Ayan replied, "No need to rush. I haven't said anything yet!"
It felt a bit like turning a blind eye to the obvious.
Upon hearing this, Elijah immediately fell silent.
They exchanged a glance, and then Ayan said, "It's getting late. Weren't you looking for an excuse to leave? It's time to go back now, right?"
Elijah nodded and couldn't help but look at Ayan, trying to understand his thoughts. However, Ayan did not meet his gaze throughout, and Elijah couldn't keep staring without any other action. So, after a brief glance, he got up and left the room.
In the end, Sean escorted Elijah back, but Kian arranged for others to follow them, wanting to see if they would go elsewhere.
Just as Sean and Elijah left, Kian's voice sounded, "Mr. Simpson, did you believe what Elijah just said?"
Ayan replied, "True or false, does it really matter?"
Ayan was only testing Elijah, but from Elijah's reaction, it seemed that his relationship with Preston was indeed a secret.
No wonder he couldn't find anything.
As soon as Ayan learned that Elijah was Preston's uncle, he conducted a thorough investigation. However, the results were not satisfactory because it was difficult to find
anything useful from Preston. Fre
Elijah, they could only confirm his identity and address, as he had no siblings. Therefore, the identity of being an uncle was nonexistent.
Since Elijah was adopted, and his parents had passed away many years ago, he rarely visited his hometown. Ayan speculated that Elijah and Preston might have some connection through certain tokens, and they did have a genuine blood relationship as uncle and nephew. Another possibility was that it was
simply a public claim, and they were just partners without any blood relation.
Based on Elijah's reactions and responses today, Ayan couldn't be completely certain.
Elijah was a crafty person, much more calculated than Preston. Otherwise, he wouldn't have balanced his relationship with Preston so well.
Ayan and Kian also left the house together and took a car to the hospital. Meeting Elijah at the villa was not their main purpose. The hospital where the old Simpson lived was closer to this side, so it was just a convenient stop. After all, Elijah hadn't reached the point where Ayan had to make a special trip to see him.
While sitting in the car, Ayan replayed the conversation and every action of Elijah in his mind.
His face grew dark, as if it was
covered with a layer of shattered fragments. Suddenly, his voice resounded, "Elijah is not only
deceiving us but also deceiving net
Preston. He wants to maintain a friendly relationship with both sides,
hoping that they can bothim.
Only then can he benefit. His real purpose is to reap the benefits."
After all, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Elijah wants to be the oriole, but what he doesn't know is that neither the mantis nor the cicada ultimately belong to the oriole; they belong to the hunter.