Chapter 395

Sherwood leaned back against the iron chair, the metalic clink of his handcuffs striking like cruel music against the silence.

"Humph.Like brother?" He sneered, his eyes glittering with contempt as they lingered on Joseph's twisted face.Remorse had no place there. "Joseph, if you had ever truly treated me like a brother, you wouldn't have swallowed the Ochrerayd market whole!"

He suddenly leaned forward, veins straining in his neck."You knew I was too ambitious to crawl beneath you.While you basked in the sunlight at the summit,I spent every day plotting how to drag you down into the mud!"

His agitation mounted; he gasped as sweat slid down his face."Conscience? A useless trinket! In this world of wolves, only profit is eternal. You know what?When I stole your daughter all those years ago,watching you collapse in despair became my sweetest victory!"

Sherwood threw his head back and laughed-a harsh,unhinged sound that filled the cramped interrogation room like a banshee's cry. "Every time I watched you lot running in circles, struggling, I raised a glass at parties to toast to power and money.With those two,one could always sidestep the law."

Suddenly,he leaned toward the bulletproof glass, his nose almost touching the cold surface, his breath fogging it.

He narrowed his eyes and appraised Joseph, who barely held himself upright, from head to toe.A sinister smile tugged at his mouth. "Joseph, look at you now. No longer standing on top of the world,huh?How did you wind up like this?"

He drawled the words with mockery, the laugh carving deeper lines in his face. "Joseph, do you think I'd feel guilty? Let me tell you the truth-every time 1remember you sobbing at the police station, I felt I'd done something monumental. Hahaha!"

Luis remained rooted, his nails biting into his palms,the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.

He watched his father's faltering figure while his mother's cries in a hospital room-echoes that had haunted them for twenty-five years-rang in his ears.

The overhead light in the interrogation room hummed,throwing Sherwood's insolence into stark relief.

Luis felt his temples throb as he stared at Sherwood's contorted face. The urge to kill nearly drowned out reason. The thuds of Joseph hammering the bulletproof glass grew louder, his voice raw with rage. "You bastard!You'll die a miserable death!"

At once, the older commanding officer and two younger officers moved in and restrained Joseph,who had lost control.

"Sir,please calm down. There are cameras here," one of the young officers warned, the sound of metal clattering underlining his words.

Luis drew a steadying breath to swallow the tidal wave of fury and turned to Joseph. "Dad, please go. I'll handle this."

Though his tone was decisive and measured,a tremor still threaded through it.

Once Joseph was escorted out, Luis walked slowly to the bulletproof glass and dragged an iron chair to sit.The chair's legs scraped across the floor in a grating protest.

He sat upright, hands folded on his knees, unusually composed.

Through the glass he locked eyes with Sherwood,his gaze cold as steel, aiming to pierce the madness behind Sherwood's stare. "Go on. I'm curious about what other filthy words you have." Sherwood shook his wrists in annoyance. "What?Feeling sorry for your old man?"

He cocked his head, eyes bright with provocation."Watching him crawl into churches and beg for salvation back then-that was the real entertainment."

As Sherwood finished, Luis leaned forward without warning. "Do you think that rattles me?"

His voice dropped low but carried an unmistakable force. "Don't forget: now that you're cuffed,you'll spend the rest of your days repenting behind bars."

He paused, enunciating each word like a measured strike. "The more you thrash, the clearer your fear becomes. Wait and see-the law will make you answer for every vile word and every crime."

Sherwood paused his fiddling with the handcuffs. His Adam's apple bobbed; veins in his neck bulged like pale cords.

The glass caught the tiny constriction of his pupils,and Luis seized that fleeting hint of panic.

Before Sherwood could twist his mouth into another sneer, Luis moved closer, the collar of his suit grazing the metal table's edge. "You were comfortable for over twenty years, living like royalty. Did you really believe it would last forever?" Sherwood's spine stiffened involuntarily. His chair scraped faintly against the floor.

Luis curled an index finger and struck the table with it -a heavy knock that made Sherwood flinch.

He tapped out a slow, deliberate rhythm; the metal's vibration sounded like a metronome aimed at Sherwood's core.

"Money laundering, arms smuggling, child trafficking ..." Luis let the list hang, slowing his cadence to watch the color drain from Sherwood's face. "When the verdict comes, you may not have much time left even in prison."

Fear-real and raw-finally showed in Sherwood's eyes.

The thought of waiting for a verdict in a cell, or of someone else deciding his fate, tightened like a vise.

For a man who worshipped his image, the prospect was unbearable.

Then Sherwood seemed to recall something;his tense shoulders eased.

He gave a hoarse laugh. A sick, victorious flicker lit his eyes. "Luis, you must've forgotten-I'm a cancer patient." He coughed on purpose, a flush rising faintly on his sallow face. "The cancer's everywhere; the doctors say I'm not long for this world. My health's failing by the day..."

He lingered on the last words, a warped smile twisting them. "I won't be suffering in prison for long. You won't get the satisfaction."

Luis watched Sherwood's theatrics with a cold smile.

He rose slowly and looked down at the man behind the glass, irony plain in his eyes. "Do you really think you can wiggle out of this with that?"

He drew a diagnostic report from a folder and slammed it down on the table. "I'll have Verena treat you. Don't forget-she's Evelyn, a renowned medical mind, and highly skilled at treating so-called terminal patients like you."

Luis leaned in, words clipped and precise. "Rest assured, you will live. And you will watch the law take you apart."