The corner of Gregory's eye twitched, and his mind was in total turmoil. In the midst of all the chaos, he felt a deep sense of
unease and fear.
"I... I don't know what Mr. Justin meant," Paul stammered as cold sweat rolled off his forehead. He found himself in a difficult
situation. If he said anything wrong, he'd be in trouble.
"Earlier... Didn't you say that Mary's death might have been intentional? Why did Justin say it was Shannon's doing? Does he
have evidence? Does he?!"
"You should ask Mr. Justin. I really don't know..."
Gregory let go of his hand, his shoulders drooping like heavy weights, making it difficult for him to even breathe.
His authoritative appearance when he arrived was completely gone. Gregory could accept, tolerate, and stoop to the lowest of
lows, as Shannon had already trampled over all of his bottom line.
Although he had come to thoroughly despise that conniving woman, he had swallowed his pride, turned a blind eye, and played
deaf time and time again, all for the sake of Salvador Corporation's greater good and for the honor of his chairmanship.
But he could not accept the fact that Shannon might have been involved in Mary's death.
Gregory was in denial, telling himself that Justin only said those things out of anger to make him feel guilty and add to his
distress.
Seeing Gregory in such agony, Paul cautiously asked, "Chairman Salvador, do you want me to..."
"No need! Don't do anything!"
Gregory clutched Paul's arm with a tremble, his eyes filled with panic. "The trial is starting soon, and there's still so much for you
to take care of. Stay focused! Getting through the current challenges at Salvador Corporation is the top priority right now!"
Paul understood what he meant.
With Shannon's case about to go to trial, the media had been flooded with negative information about her. As the wife of the
Salvador Corporation's chairman, it was inevitable that some of the sparks would splash onto Gregory, affecting the company's
reputation.
"What about the press conference I asked you to arrange earlier? How's that going?" Gregory steadied his mind. His suit was
already soaked through with sweat.
"Everything has been arranged. The press conference will be held tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. as scheduled."
Gregory nodded, his gaze complex and melancholic as he looked toward Mary's grave, his fingers curling tightly and his nails
biting into his palms.
After a while, he spoke with a darkened expression, "Let's go back."
After leaving the cemetery, Justin looked as pale and cold as the harsh winter days.
Bella gently held his tightly clenched
hand in both of hers, feeling as though she was grasping onto ice. She felt faint ache in her heart. But after hesitating for a
moment, she still spoke gently. "Justin, I hope you understand that when I stopped you just now, it was because
"Bella, I understand your intentions."
Justin opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace. His palm, calloused slightly, gently stroked her cheek, his voice hoarse
with suppressed pain as he said, "You were afraid that I would reveal to Gregory that Shannon was the one who killed my
mother. You were afraid that he might not have enough love for my mother and might obstruct me from seeking revenge for her,
all for the sake of the greater good and for the reputation of the Salvador family."
Justin wrapped his arms around her and held her close. His rough palm grazed her cheek as he spoke in a strained voice, "You
were worried that if Hold Gregory about Shannon being responsible for my mother's death, it could jeopardize the réputation of
the Salvador family and hinder my pursuit of justice for
her."
Bella leaned against the man's chest, nodding slightly. "Yes, but not entirely."
"Is there something else?" Justin raised his eyebrows in surprise, his gaze penetrating.
"When you stopped halfway through your words just now, you definitely piqued his curiosity. He'll probably be restless and
unable to sleep these two days, unable to focus on anything else but your unfinished sentence."
Bella's lips curled up with a hint of mischief. "So, why not leave this huge suspense for him until the end? Only when the
groundwork is laid will the truth have a fatal impact when it finally emerges. Only then will he be deeply remorseful and regret his
actions."
"Huh, deeply remorseful... Will he?" Justin's eyes reddened with anger. "When my mother died, he never felt remorseful. Twenty
years have passed. Will his heart still ache for her?"
Bella pursed her lips, unsure of how to comfort him. At this moment, besides feeling sorry for Justin's mother, she also felt deeply
relieved. She was grateful that, despite being Gregory's son, Justin did not possess an ounce of that man's selfishness and
coldness.
After returning home, Justin changed his clothes and hurried back to work at the Salvador Corporation.
In truth, besides attending meetings, he did not have much to do. However, he was in a bad mood, so he sought solace in work
using the old method, fearing that his negative emotions might affect Bella. Night fell without him realizing it, and if Bella had not
called him multiple times to come home for dinner, he might have ended up staying in his office until late.
lan drove Justin back to the villa he and Bella shared. When they arrived, both of them froze at the door, standing stiffly like two
spears.