"I remember you once told me this …" Feng Bujue looked at Barton and repeated. "You said, 'When I was young, I too had a bright future.' But … you didn't mention a single word about the details of the 'future'. On the contrary, you described your experience in prison vividly. " He turned around and continued to pace. "At the time, I was confused … Theoretically speaking, people are more willing to talk about those glorious and beautiful memories, but you … just as we were about to talk about this topic, you avoided it."
Brother Jue shook the fax paper in his hand and said, "And after I got this, I understood everything. It was not that you did not want to talk about it, but you could not. "He paused." Your bright future when you were young was closely related to your father. "
Feng Bujue turned to face the group. As he walked, he said, "When Mr. Barton was seven, his mother committed suicide due to depression. I think … if that lady could have held on for a few more years, perhaps she would have become the second mistress of this family, and John would have been able to take on his father's surname.
Unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world.
We can imagine Ms. Barton's situation at the time … Year after year, she waited for the man she loved to give her a status, but the man had no intention of divorcing her. He even had a second child with his first wife. When she brought her son to register for school, the child asked her, 'Why are the other students accompanied by their father and mother?' She could not answer. She could not even explain to her son why he had to take on her surname.
But she did not have the ability to leave that man. She was just a lowly mistress. All she could do was wait, cry, and silently protest in the depths of her heart.
Therefore, in the winter of that year, she chose to end her life to be free and to occupy a place in that man's heart forever. "
Colston, who was sitting on the chair by the wall, covered his face with his hands and buried his proud head deeply.
"Later, the guilty father sent the illegitimate child to a boarding school overseas." Feng Bujue continued. "He kept the child far away from him and took care of him like he took care of his mother.
The child grew up day by day. He learned to be independent very early on. He was very outstanding in all aspects and had a far more mature personality than his peers. But … in his heart, he always harbored hatred.
He did not thank his father for everything he had given him. In his opinion, he deserved it. His mother used her life to exchange for it. In the end, his father only wanted to use money to atone for his sins and did not give him any affection.
Therefore, at an appropriate age, the rebellious nature in young Barton's bones finally broke out. A highly educated young man with an outstanding appearance and boundless prospects became a great bandit. "
Feng Bujue pointed at Barton with his palm facing up. "Everyone, please pay attention to my words — thief." He curled his lips. "Although Mr. Barton himself told me that he was just a 'burglar who picked locks' and 'spent two years in prison in Pendonville at the age of thirty... According to the file in my hands, he's definitely not a second-rate or third-rate thief. He's the kind of top expert who can be ranked as Arhat 11 (a film made by Lewis Myerstone in 1960 and remade by Steven Soderberg in 2001 with the same name)."
"Thank you for the compliment," Barton replied coldly.
"You're welcome." Feng Bujue looked at Barton and replied naturally. He continued, "As for the time you spent in prison... It wasn't two years, but ten years, a full ten years." He let out a long sigh. "You were sent to prison when you were in your twenties, and you only served your sentence eight years ago. You have no job and no friends. Your father knows this, and as your only family in this world, he took you in. But his lawful children are of age, and he cannot take a stranger home, and say, as if nothing had happened, 'Hey, you're a stranger!' Come and meet your half-brother, who just got out of prison. '
So... your identity became the gardener here. "
When Feng Bujue said this, he happened to walk to the window. He stopped and was silent for a moment, as if to give the people behind him some time to think.
Not long after, Feng Bujue spoke again. He looked at the night sky outside the window and sighed, "The moon tonight is really beautiful."
The others in the restaurant were not in the mood to admire the moon. They had mixed feelings and did not know how to face this sudden change.
"Then... let's talk about this will." Feng Bujue turned around. "As I said, I've already read it. It's because of that that I'm basically convinced... Denis is not Colston's son."
"Isn't Denis's name on that will?" Scofield followed Brother Jue's train of thought and asked.
"Of course." Feng Bujue pointed to Colston by the wall. "Mr. Lovecraft has always been very good to his family. For example, Master Jack and Miss Nancy. No matter what their life choices were, Master Colston supported them as much as possible. He was never stingy with money and patience. " He tilted his head. "If Jack was my son, he might have starved to death in the first year of 'chasing his dream.'"
"Hey!" exclaimed Jack crossly.
"Haha..." Feng Bujue laughed. "But... how does this master treat others?" He turned to Henderson again. "The man who cheated with his wife is nearly seventy years old. He is still his servant and even does heavy manual labor. Is this just a coincidence? Denis's name is not on the will. Did he forget to write it? "
"You … you know …" Nancy immediately understood, and then looked at her father in surprise.
"Yes, I've always known." Colston replied in a hoarse voice. "I knew soon after Denis was born, but I never told his mother or Henderson about it..."
"Henderson, who blamed himself, spent the rest of his life atoning for his sins. Even though his body was no longer competent for the job of housekeeper, he still didn't want to retire. He just wanted to work in this villa... in the place where the lady and his son lived, until the day he died. " Feng Bujue continued. "Colston's dignity was trampled on, and he couldn't let it go. Therefore, he didn't stop Henderson."
"Phew..." Brother Jue let out a long sigh. "After reading the will, I understood why Henderson fainted when he saw the body. Because... the one who died was his son. "
"I'm sorry, Henderson." Barton turned his head and said to Henderson, "I have no grudge against you, but I had to do it."
Henderson didn't respond. He just sat at the table in silence, his face still as pale as a sheet.
"Yes, you had to do it." Feng Bujue continued, "Because this afternoon, you heard the conversation between Colston and Denis in the room on the second floor." He walked back to the table and stuffed the things in his hands back into the paper bag. "Of course, you wouldn't stand in the corridor and stick to the door to eavesdrop. That would be too easy to be discovered. So, you went to the utility room to get a pair of pliers and a ladder, came out of the house, and climbed to a tree closest to the room to eavesdrop. This way, even if someone saw you, you could immediately pretend to be doing trimming work. "
Brother Jue picked up the last bit of red wine on the table and poured it all into a goblet. "However, the height that a ladder can reach, or the height that an ordinary person can climb, is still quite a distance away from the window on the second floor. In other words... even if an ordinary person climbed a tree, they wouldn't be able to hear the conversation in the room. Unless... "
"Unless it's someone with special skills," Scofield said. Scofield added. He had also seen Barton's file and knew a thing or two about his abilities.
"You climbed to a high branch where only a cat can stay and used your superior hearing to successfully eavesdrop on the conversation in the room." Feng Bujue said, "Obviously, the reason why Denis and Master Colston quarreled was not because Colston wanted to remove Mrs. Odetta's name from the will..." He picked up the wine glass and took a sip. "Instead, he wanted Colston to remove everyone's name from the will and then add only one name... 'Denis Lovecraft.'"
Jack, Nancy, and Odetta, the three direct heirs, suddenly changed their expressions when they heard this.
"I think Denis must have used some means... such as bribing Colston's lawyer... to learn the contents of the will." Feng Bujue continued, "Then, as long as he spent money to hire a few private detectives to follow the clues, it would be easy to find out Barton's true identity." He downed the wine in his glass. "A lover who committed suicide, an illegitimate son who was in prison, a rich man who had several marriages... If this story was given to the tabloids, it wouldn't be a problem for them to run it for half a year. Denis undoubtedly used this to intimidate Master Colston and make him submit. "
"No! You're talking nonsense! My Denis wouldn't do that! Why would he force Father to this point? What's an inheritance? He already married me, our family... "Carol said agitatedly.
Feng Bujue interrupted her. "You are indeed very sad."
Carol's eyes widened, tears glistening in her eyes. She seemed to have realized something, but she still couldn't accept it.
"Denis must have known long ago that he's not Mr. Lovecraft's biological son." Feng Bujue said, "This was undoubtedly told to him by his mother before she passed away, which means... he knew it when he was still a child. He must have secretly hated his biological father and his birth, so he was very cold to Henderson. He was also very cold to his younger brother and sister.
He married a wife who was from a higher family than the Lovecraft family to leave himself a way out. He would have checked Colston's will, first, because he knew his identity, and second, because he knew the old man's character.
Denis had no feelings for Colston, his nominal father. The inferiority he buried in his heart was far more than anyone else in this room. When he found out that the name 'Barton' … pardon my choice of words … the bastard's name appeared in the will, and he, who had been someone else's son for decades, didn't get a single cent, it was normal for him to do something like that. "
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