Third Person's POV
After leaving the police station, Richard noticed Patricia's pale face and beads of sweat. He immediately supported her, asking with concern, "Mom, what's wrong? You don't look well. Are you upset?"
"My poor Marc..." Patricia's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
Seeing Olivia's face had reignited her longing for her eldest son. If he were alive today, he would surely have been an outstanding entrepreneur.
"Mom, don't be sad. Marc wouldn't want to see you cry and hurt yourself over him," Richard said.
While Richard harbored hatred for his father, he genuinely cared for his mother.
Patricia, unable to contain her sorrow, sat down on a nearby flower bed, covering half her face as tears streamed down. Her heartache was palpable.
Richard's expression grew complicated as he watched Patricia cry. For a moment, he stood there, at a loss.
"Tell me, how did she kill your brother? Why would she do such a thing?"
Patricia wiped her tears and asked sadly.
"She wanted to rise in status, but Marc kept delaying. Bitter resentment led her to harm him!"
Richard shamelessly fabricated the story. "When a woman harbors hatred, she can be deadlier than poison."
"I must warn my three grandsons to stay away from such calculating and dangerous women. I can't let another tragedy happen," Patricia murmured, looking frail and haggard with age.
Richard walked over, squatted down, and handed Patricia a tissue. "Mom, you've worried too much for us. Let's go home."
Patricia wiped her tears, shakily stood up, and the two headed back.
Blake, dressed in a black suit, sat at his desk, his slender fingers picking up a photo.
It was the one he'd asked his assistant to develop—the image of Richard meeting Bianca.
He made minor edits, blurring certain details to leave only Richard's face and silhouette.
It was time to send Richard a warning.
Blake's patience had worn thin.
With Emerson's health improving, Blake knew this would be a protracted battle.
Still, he had to act to keep Richard in check.
He placed the photos in an envelope, sealed it, and called his assistant in.
"Send this anonymously to Richard. Let him enjoy the sight of his own back," Blake instructed.
"Sure, this'll throw him into a panic," the assistant agreed, harboring deep resentment toward Richard.
The assistant's father, once a key subordinate of Marc, had been forced to leave his cherished job due to Richard's pressure.
Now depressed and alcoholic, the assistant longed to see Richard's downfall.
Seeing Richard meet his comeuppance was also the greatest wish of Blake's assistant.
"He ought to be panicked. Otherwise, he'll truly think he's in control and grow increasingly reckless!" Blake sneered.
As instructed, the assistant mailed the photos.
That afternoon, Richard received the anonymous envelope.
He cautiously examined it, bracing for something dreadful.
Feeling the contents, he realized they were photos and quickly opened the package.
Upon seeing the images, Richard's heart raced with anxiety.
Someone had managed to photograph his meeting with Bianca.
"What's going on?" He couldn't believe it. Blake couldn't have uncovered his actions so swiftly.
"Could it be Bianca?" Richard suspected she was sending a warning, likely because she believed he was behind the attack on her and her gang. When he refused to pay for their medical expenses, she might have used these photos to threaten him.
If it was Bianca, Richard could easily silence her with money.
But what if it wasn't?
What if Blake had someone snap these photos of his secret rendezvous with Bianca? The consequences would be dire.
No matter who sent him these photos, Richard was now in a complete frenzy.
His face darkened, and in a fit of rage, he shredded the photos to pieces. Still seeming unsatisfied, he grabbed a lighter and burned them to ashes.
Patricia returned to the Royal Pack, exhausted. Abigail also seemed down, but fortunately, the children were at school, spared from their parents' turmoil.
"Abigail, what's your take on Leo and Sunny?" Patricia asked, seeking her opinion. As a victim of Olivia's actions, Abigail had the right to harbor resentment and to prevent Sunny from joining the Royal Pack.
"I don't know," Abigail replied dejectedly, shaking her head.