NOVEL NEXT Chapter 110: It Must Be Him!
Rachel Morgan appeared from her parents' bedroom, looking tense.
Earlier, when Jared demanded to speak with Noah, it had been enough to make her and the others feel uneasy.
More than once, they had wanted to check, but their mother had stopped them, saying, "Jared won't risk harming Noah. Let them talk..."
When Rachel finally saw Noah step inside, she smiled. A wave of relief flashed in her gaze.
Hurrying after him, she called out, "Oh, Noah... I was just about to find you. Grandpa is awake and asking for you..."
Before following Noah, Rachel glanced toward the garden, searching for Jared. She was curious to see if he'd angered Noah again, but she didn't see him behind.
Quickening her steps, Rachel gently pulled Noah's hand to stop him before he entered the treatment room. She needed to make sure her nephew was alright.
"Noah, are you okay?" she asked, worriedly.
Noah frowned in confusion at Rachel before offering a slight nod.
"Yes... of course I'm fine, Aunt Rachel. Why did you assume I wasn't okay?" A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Are you sure your uncle Jared didn't hurt you?" she asked, trying to read Noah's expression.
"Of course, I'm fine..." Noah smiled, sensing what Rachel was worried about. "Uncle Jared didn't do anything; he just asked me something. Well, he is kind to me, Aunty..."
"Oh, that's good, Noah. I was worried he might hurt you..." Rachel said softly.
Then, she gestured with her hand for Noah to enter her father's treatment room.
"Alright, go ahead... your grandfather is already waiting for you."
Noah said nothing; he nodded and walked into the room.
...
Once the door closed, Rachel's smile faded and her gaze sharpened. She turned back toward the living room.
She needed to speak to Jared and scold him.
Although Noah hadn't admitted that Jared hurt him, she had seen the sadness and fear hiding in his eyes.
She didn't know what Jared had talked to Noah about, but she was sure of one thing: Jared had probably hurt him deeply.
When Rachel entered the living room, it was no longer empty, as it had been when she'd passed by with Noah earlier.
Now she saw her oldest brother, Andrew, and her sister, Tanya. And just then, Jared finally entered the Pavilion with a beaming expression.
After Rachel sat down beside Andrew, she called Jared to join them.
"Why are you looking at me like you want to slap my head, Rachel?" Jared Morgan's brow furrowed, his face filled with wrath as he glared at Rachel.
Three pairs of eyes now turned toward Rachel, curious to know why she suddenly looked so angry toward Jared.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Jared? Why are you doing this to Noah? Why do you keep causing trouble for our family when you know we're already dealing with so much?" Rachel finally voiced the worry that had taken over her mind.
Jared Morgan chuckled before replying, "I knew it. That shameless bastard Noah was setting me up. He's clearly trying to ruin my reputation in your eyes, isn't he?"
Andrew and Tanya exchanged confused glances as they looked between Rachel and Jared, unsure whether to interrupt or hear more.
"Jared, please stop. Whatever you're thinking, just let it go, okay?" Rachel's voice trembled as she clenched her fists, trying to contain her growing anger.
"Rachel, you—"
"Just stop it!" Rachel snapped at him, her tone cutting and filled with concern.
"If you cause any more trouble for our family, Dad might not survive it. Just focus on your own problems and stop dragging us into your mess," she added sternly, jabbing a finger in warning.
"What the hell do you say, Rachel..." Jared growled, but his voice trailed off the moment he saw Andrew glaring at him, motioning with a finger to lower his tone and pointing toward their father's treatment room.
"Explain yourself... Jared!" Andrew Morgan finally spoke, his voice cool but sharp. "What exactly did you do to Noah out there?"
Jared shook his head slightly as he looked back at Andrew and said, "Brother Andrew, let me fix your question... What did Noah do to me?"
They all stared at Jared, puzzled by his tone as if Noah had punched him in the face. But even then, they doubted it—Noah wouldn't do that to his uncle.
"Don't try to confuse us, Brother Jared. Speak clearly…" Tanya, the youngest, added.
A smirk crept across Jared's face as he leaned in, speaking just loud enough for them to hear.
"I'm not the one who brought shame to the family. It's not my responsibility for all the negative press about the Morgan name…" He paused, his smile widening as he looked at each of them in turn, savoring their stunned expressions.
Jared Morgan continued, "It was that bastard Noah. He deliberately leaked everything about me online just to make the Morgan family suffer. Because... we never truly accepted him as one of us."
A heavy silence gripped the room as Andrew and the others stood frozen, completely blindsided by the accusation.
"So... Rachel, don't pin this on me, alright?" Jared said coldly, his icy gaze locked on her. "I'm innocent in all this. It was that bastard Noah who brought chaos to the Morgan Group. Go ahead, blame him!"
Andrew frowned, his thoughts tangled in disbelief.
"I don't get it. Explain it clearly... How was Noah able to do that? How did he even get the information?" Andrew asked, staring at Jared with sharp suspicion.
"Yes, how could he possibly know about your wrongdoings?" Tanya chimed in. "Even if he was wrong to expose it, it's still your fault for having dirt to expose, bro."
Rachel nodded, backing Tanya up. "Jared, even if Noah's the one who spread it, you're still the one living wild out there…"
"You all doubt me, don't you?" Jared scoffed, shaking his head as he pulled out his phone.
Jared felt thrilled; he had edited the voice recording before coming in, cutting out the part where he ordered the hit man to kill Noah, keeping only Noah's damning words intact.
After locating the file, Jared looked each of his siblings in the eyes before saying, "I've got the proof right here. That bastard Noah admitted it himself... he's the one who did it."
Jared's lips briefly formed a faint smile. He didn't waste any more time, quickly placing his cell phone on the table and pressing 'Play'.
Then, the recording rang out from the speakerphone, making Andrew and the others lean closer to hear it.
...
"You think you can walk away? Stay here, bastard! Or I will..."
"Are you trying to say you'll send assassins to kill me... AGAIN? Even when you've learned what happened the last time?"
"Y-You... What are you talking about? What do you mean?"
"Noah, what are you trying to say?"
"No need to deny it, Uncle. I know everything, and I hold all the evidence..."
...
Jared's smile vanished instantly, his face turning pale, too stunned to understand what he was hearing.
That wasn't the recording he had edited.
He quickly snatched his cell phone from the coffee table and stopped the playback. Cursing in his mind, 'What the hell happened? This isn't the version I made earlier. How could it change...'
Then, hurriedly, Jared checked the file on his phone. He was horrified to find only one recording stored there.
His hands trembled as he stared at the screen, a terrible realization dawning on him.
'Oh, fuck! Someone hacked my phone. It must be him, Noah! It has to be him...'
Jared raged silently, trying to suppress his fury and resist the overwhelming urge to attack that shameless bastard.
Clutching the phone tightly, Jared slowly raised his head to look at Andrew.
But he was caught off guard when his brother suddenly stood, face flushed red, as if every drop of blood was boiling beneath his skin.
"Brother..." Jared barely got the word out before Andrew's fist came crashing into his face. "AUGH! Bro, why did you punch me?" he gasped, struggling to bear the searing pain in his cheek from the brutal punch.
Andrew snapped, voice filled with fury, "How could you send assassins to kill Noah?! Are you out of your goddamn mind? I get it... You live recklessly, but to go that far? To try to murder your own family? You are fucking crazy!"
"Brother... I didn't... The recording, it's not...AUGH!" Another guttural scream tore from Jared's throat as a second punch smashed into his nose, the force so vicious it shattered the bone and drew blood.
"Get out of this house! Don't you dare show your face here again, Jared! Or I swear I'll make sure Dad erases your name from..." Andrew Morgan halted mid-sentence as the butler entered, panic in his voice.
"Master Andrew…"
"What is it?! Come back when I'm finished dealing with this trash!" Andrew barked at the butler, his eyes burning with rage.