"What do you mean?" Natalie was also furious. This woman was the culprit responsible for her twenty-plus-year separation from her family. Yulia, seeing their expressions, cleared her throat and said, "Because that woman is already dead." "What?" Natalie remained relatively calm, but Ruby lost her composure. "You're saying she's already dead? How could she die?" There was nothing more infuriating than finding out who your enemy was, only to discover they were already dead before you could get your hands on them. Yulia rubbed her nose. "When Candice did what she did, she didn't clean up her mess. My father was afraid it would implicate the Gunn family, so he used family resources to handle the aftermath. This 'handling the aftermath' meant that after he discovered Rachel's dealings with Loretta, he exploited Rachel's greed and recruited her. She's been working for him ever since. As for Candice, my father grew tired of her after this incident and cast her aside. She was locked up in a villa in the suburbs. One night, she tried to escape and was hit by a car and killed." Everyone fell silent at Yulia's words. They didn't know whether to call it karmic justice, but the fire of their anger couldn't be extinguished. Candice was dead, but the damage she had inflicted on the Stone family was a wound that might never heal. Natalie was furious, of course, but her brows were knitted in thought. Candice was despicable and the reason her life had been so difficult, but what about Hayes? "Wait, Yulia. You said Hayes recruited Rachel after cleaning up Candice's mess? Has Rachel been working for Hayes all these years?"As soon as Natalie said this, everyone's expression turned grim as they all looked at Yulia. Baron's eyes darkened, his hands clenching into tight fists. Yulia took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I know what you're asking. My father... he's been somewhat unhinged for years. I can't justify the things he's done, which is why I've been trying to get away from the Gunn family. If they hadn't made a move against Jonas, I might not have left so soon. But over the years, I've also gathered some evidence against my father. I don't know if it's useful to you." With that, Yulia took out a flash drive. Baron's chest heaved, and his voice was dangerously low. "Yulia, are you saying Rachel's boss is Hayes? That he designed all of this, that he's targeting the Stone family? What for?" "He wants the research project the Stone family has." Jonas looked at Baron and said, word by word, "Every generation of the Stone family produces a brilliant scientist. They work for the national research department, serving the country. This was supposed to be a secret, but Hayes found out somehow. He then set his sights on Moses. Some of the data from a gene modification project Moses designed was leaked, and Hayes just happened to get his hands on it. He saw it as an opportunity for the Gunn family to climb to the next level. He tried to buy Moses off, but after being refused, he began targeting the Stone family." "After all, if something happened to the Stone family, Moses—even as a high-security researcher—couldn't just ignore his family's lives. So, when Candice orchestrated the baby swap, Hayes was aware of it. It's highly likely he even approved it. I don't know the specifics. When Candice died, a lot of the details were buried with her. Even with the evidence Yulia has, it might not be enough to convict Hayes. You know Hayes, Baron. He's always been meticulous. He doesn't leave traces." Baron's eyes reddened as he listened to Jonas. He had never imagined that the true mastermind responsible for separating Natalie from her family for so many years was Hayes. It was unforgivable. Waylon and Flynn were also stunned. Hayes? This was a completely unexpected turn. Baron, afraid Natalie would think differently of him, said quickly, "Wifey, don't worry. I will absolutely not let Hayes get away with this. I will never forget what he did to my mother." Natalie knew what he was worried about. Hayes was, after all, his biological father. He was afraid she would hold it against him. But Baron had also suffered immensely, wandering alone all these years. Natalie gripped his hand. "I know how to distinguish right from wrong, and I know who I should hate. Don't be so tense. This flash drive has evidence of Hayes' crimes, but just as Jonas said, it might not be enough for a conviction. Not unless we can get something out of Rachel." At her words, the room fell silent once more. Yulia cleared her throat. "There's one more thing I need to make clear."