Lioran had long since enforced a total gun ban. There was no way the three of them could have gotten their hands on those firearms on their own. What’s more, the recoil from a gunshot was intense—and yet they had managed to fire multiple rounds with deadly accuracy from a distance. It meant they had been trained. Which meant they weren’t acting alone. There had to be someone behind the scenes, orchestrating everything. Those three fools had probably been used again. Arthur had long since severed all ties with them. Whatever bonds of mother and sibling they once shared had been destroyed in his childhood, through years of abuse. He had lived two lifetimes—and they had tried to kill him in both. It was one thing if they had only tried to hurt him. But they had gone after Ashley. They had gone after Taylor. How could he possibly forgive them? When Arthur asked his question, Raelynn and Susie flinched. They fell instantly silent. A flash of fear crossed their faces, and they refused to speak another word. Arthur let out a cold, mocking laugh. “You think the Yanbrough family is your salvation? You think Zane truly wants to protect you?” The moment Zane’s name came up, Renee instinctively wanted to defend him. But then she remembered—she was nothing more than a secret mistress, someone who couldn’t even be acknowledged publicly. So she snapped her mouth shut, bitter and ashamed. Even now, even after all this, Renee remembered Zane’s warning: never reveal their relationship. No matter what, her identity had to stay hidden—or it could ruin him. Susie raised her chin defiantly and snapped back at Arthur. “Mr. Stephen absolutely wanted to protect us! You were the one who shut us out, left us on the streets, let us get attacked by thugs!” “If it weren’t for Mr. Stephen stepping in to save us, and the Yanbrough family taking us in, we would’ve died on the street!” Susie defended the Yanbrough family instinctively. She refused to believe that such a powerful family could be taken down so easily.Before this, Zane had hinted to them: as long as they succeeded in killing Arthur, he would let Susie marry into the family—she would become his youngest daughter-in-law, Maris’s wife. Even if they failed, Zane had promised to find a way to bail them out later. And once she got out, she’d still marry into the Yanbrough family. It was too tempting. For someone who already hated Arthur, Susie couldn’t resist. She hadn’t dared act alone, so she secretly approached Raelynn. Of the four of them, only Raelynn supported her marrying into the Yanbrough family. After Susie’s persuasion, Raelynn agreed immediately. She had hated Arthur for a long time. She wanted him dead. And when the chance finally appeared, Raelynn hesitated for a moment—but in the end, she agreed. Arthur listened to Susie’s version of events and laughed coldly. “Oh?” “You’re saying Mr. Stephen just happened to pass by and save you from a gang attack?” Susie lifted her chin proudly. “Of course! He showed up like a god descending from the heavens—rescued us when we were at our lowest!” Arthur and Stanley both laughed. “A god?” Arthur looked at her smug face and couldn’t believe how foolish she was. He didn’t hold back at all. “Then did you know those thugs were sent by Mr. Stephen himself?” That single sentence stopped them cold. Susie and Raelynn immediately tried to deny it. “Impossible! Mr. Stephen is a good man! He would never do something like that. Don’t try to drive a wedge between us!” Raelynn frowned at Arthur, her eyes full of contempt. “Zane is a good man. He took us in out of kindness. And instead of being grateful, you’re here trying to smear his name. What’s wrong with you?”Stanley couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped forward and pulled out his phone. “If you don’t believe us, I’ll show you something. You need to understand exactly what kind of man Zane and his entire family really are.” As he spoke, his fingers moved swiftly over the screen, searching for the file. Raelynn and Susie both stiffened. Something in them didn’t want to see what Stanley was about to show. But Arthur’s words echoed in their ears, impossible to shake. Susie let out a snort. “Fine. Let’s see what baseless trash you’ve come up with to slander the Yanbrough family.” Stanley opened the audio file. It was a recording—taken by one of the very thugs Zane had hired. The man had secretly recorded the conversation to keep some leverage for himself, just in case.