“Matteo, I used to be like you. I thought the only thing connecting two people in this world was mutual interest. But that doesn't mean genuine feelings don't exist.” Eliza looked at him seriously. “But right now, hatred has blinded you. All you want is revenge and power. You can't see the sincerity in others. For example, I genuinely think of you as a good friend, which is why I hold no malice toward you. I know you lived a miserable life in the past. I never looked down on you, and I knew you would one day become far more formidable than Nathaniel. Even if Nathaniel had been the one to capture me today, if he told me to do something to harm you, I would have refused. That's sincerity.” “That just means you're stupid.” Matteo said coldly, “If Nathaniel had ordered me to harm you, and the price was right, I would have done it without hesitation.” “Is that so?” Eliza said, “You had other options. Like you told me yesterday, you could have killed me and framed Nathaniel. It would have been seamless, and you wouldn't have to worry about me betraying you. But you didn't. Isn't that because you also see me as a friend? Because you have at least a shred of sincerity for me?” Hearing this, Matteo abruptly set down the watering can. He said coldly, "Your time is up. Are you walking upstairs on your own, or do I have to make you go?" Eliza knew it was pointless to say more. She said flatly, “I'll go up myself. Don't worry. Since I know I can't escape, I won't waste your time.” With that, Eliza headed straight upstairs. Matteo watched her leave, momentarily unsure what to say. He knew killing her would have been the best decision. But he quickly rationalized it: killing her carried the risk of being discovered by the Sue family. He couldn't take that risk. Meanwhile, Nolan had already searched every property on the Hartwell list. Because he went personally, Nathaniel's subordinates didn't dare to stop him. News of this quickly spread through the Hartwell family. By evening, Matteo was sitting in the Hartwell residence, and the men who had been loyal to Nathaniel were all gathered before him. “What the hell does Nolan think he's doing? His woman disappears, so he comes to our territory to raise hell?” “Yeah! Who knows what he's playing at.” “I think he's just bored! Deliberately picking a fight with our Hartwell family!” “And Mr. Hartwell is missing. You need to make a decision, boss. We can't just let them walk all over us!” “That's right! Make the call!” ... Matteo looked at the men before him and said, his face devoid of emotion, "I just found my father's body. He was murdered. The killer is, most likely, Nolan." “What! Mr. Hartwell is dead?” “How could Mr. Hartwell just die?” “Yeah, what the hell happened!” ... Just then, Matteo had Nathaniel's body brought in. Everyone turned. They saw Nathaniel's body, pale and bloodless. The wound was in his chest—a fatal blow. And next to the body was a Hayes family insignia. Seeing it, the men's faces changed. “Mr. Hartwell!” “What happened? How could Mr. Hartwell be murdered?” “Was it Nolan?” Someone in the crowd said the name. “It must be! He thought Mr. Hartwell kidnapped his fiancée, so he killed him!” “Right! That Nolan burned his own parents to death when he was a kid. He's clearly bad news!” “What do we do now?” “The Hartwell family can't be without a leader. You must take the leadership position quickly, sir, and avenge Mr. Hartwell!”... The men were all urging Matteo to take charge. But a few of Nathaniel's old guard were not pleased. They had been through hell and back with Nathaniel since they were young, and they knew Nathaniel never trusted Matteo. And Matteo had only ever been an underling. How was it that the moment Nathaniel died, so many were pushing for Matteo to take over? “I think Mr. Hartwell's death is suspicious. We should investigate.” “I've been friends with Nathaniel for decades. It's possible someone set him up, wouldn't you say?”