Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 162: Chapter 162

Henry picked up the cup from the table and took a small sip. "Miss Parks, have you always lived in Nifelheim City?"
I furrowed my brow slightly. "Mr. Yeats, you did not call me here just to chat late at night, did you?"
I lifted my head to meet his gaze.
He didn't seem bothered by my blunt tone at all. Instead, his eyes softened with a smile, and he chuckled. "Miss Parks, you truly have been one for subtlety."
I frowned in confusion. "Mr. Yeats, did you get something wrong? I'm not part of the Parks family."
"Are you trying to tell me your real father is already dead?" Henry's gaze locked onto mine, his expression unwavering.
I didn't flinch. "Yes," I replied flatly. "I have never met my father. To me, he may as well be dead."
Henry paused for a moment, his eyes dropping, his focus shifting away. "Is your mother's health any better?"
I hesitated before lifting my hand to grab my cup, eyes narrowing. "You know my mother?"
"I know more than just your mother," Henry said with a knowing smile.
I felt a sudden jolt in my chest. Henry leaned back in his chair, still with that same casual demeanor. "I didn't expect your mother to bring you back to Nifelheim City."
I was puzzled. "What are you trying to say?"
"Since you already know who you are, why haven't you gone to find him?" Henry asked.
"Mr. Yeats, I don't know what you're talking about," I said.
"Miss Parks, you are Maddox's daughter. That's a fact you can't change." Henry placed his cup down, and his demeanor shifted, turning serious. "If I can find you, do you really think others haven't found you by now?"
I froze, my mind racing. "Are you saying the Parks family wants to kill me?" I asked, my voice lowered.
Henry's tone was serious. "Laurel, I want to work with you."
"Work with me? Mr. Yeats, you must be overestimating me," I responded, my voice laced with skepticism.
"Not everyone is worthy of my cooperation, but you, Miss Parks, are an exception." He gave me a look that was equal parts admiration and evaluation.
"Mr. Yeats, you're giving me too much credit," I said, forcing a smile. I stood up, ready to leave. "It's getting late. I should be going."
"Don't you want to avenge Angela?" Henry's voice stopped me in my tracks.
When Henry mentioned Angela, I froze. My thoughts raced, but I stayed silent, staring at him, trying to process his words.
Henry coughed lightly, almost in a way that suggested he was faking weakness.
"Don't rush. Your friend will be waiting for you at the door." Henry took a deep breath and smiled softly. "If you agree to my terms, I will help you as much as I can."
"Help me? Why?" I laughed bitterly. There's no such thing as a free lunch. And Henry was far more dangerous than I originally thought.
"I owe you three lives. Helping you is the least I can do," Henry said with a straight face.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"Are you agreeing to work with me?" Henry asked.
I returned to the couch, my hands clenched tight into fists. As long as I could avenge Angela, I didn't think it was a pity even if it killed me.
"Yes," I said, my voice firm.
Henry nodded with evident satisfaction. "I will help you return to the Parks family."
"Then what?" I asked.
"Destroy the Parks family." Henry's eyes narrowed, his voice lowering to something darker, colder. "Can't you do it?"
I shook my head, not understanding. "The people who killed Angela were they from the Parks family?"
Henry's expression tightened, his brow furrowing slightly. "I don't have concrete evidence yet, but they are definitely involved."
"Maddox wants to take over the industrial park project, but it's too big of a deal for me to hand over to the Parks Group alone." Henry's gaze grew calculating. "I've insisted on having two or more companies involved, and the contract has not been signed yet. Everything is still up in the air.
"The Parks family found the Herrera family and wants to bind them together through a business marriage to swallow the industrial park project."
"Next week, Austin will marry Kailyn," I replied.
Henry considered this for a moment before nodding. "If they really join forces, they'll definitely consume a lot of small businesses in Nifelheim City. The Adams family is one of them."
My mind went blank at Henry's words. "Are you saying the Adams family didn't want to work with the Parks family, so they orchestrated Angela's death?"
Henry was silent for a long moment, before letting out a heavy sigh. "The Parks family owes the biggest business consortium in Wadiff City, and they have a hand in both the legal and illegal sides of things. No one dares to cross the Parks family because the consequence of crossing them is a one-way ticket to the grave."
"Mr. Yeats, have you crossed the Parks family?" I asked, looking at him in confusion.
Henry suddenly let out a cold laugh. "I suppose so. I never wanted to be a pawn in their game. And now, I refuse to give them the industrial park project. They've been wanting me dead for a long time."
"But you're still alive," I said.
Henry shook his head. "That's because I have support behind me. Without that, I wouldn't even be able to step foot in Nifelheim City."
I pressed my fingers to my temples. With Henry's background, he wouldn't be able to compete directly with the Parks family.
He had been able to get in their way and steal resources from them, showing that he was not just any player in this game. Whoever had his back must be someone important.
Only the Herrera family could catch the Parks family's eye. If it was the Herrera family, Henry would not have such scruples.
More importantly, there were no absolute friends or enemies in the face of benefits.
Although Herrera Group had always been in Alex's hands, the person who really made the decision was still Raphael.
The Parks family and the Harvey family had always minded their own business. The Harvey family wouldn't provoke the Parks family.
In addition to the Harvey family and the Adams family, there was also the Cole family, which had always kept a low profile, and the mysterious Lambert family. The Cole family and Lambert family would never go after Wadiff City and the Parks family.
After thinking about it, there was only one left. "Is it the Shepherd family helping you from the shadows?" I asked, my voice steady.
Henry straightened up, his gaze deepening as he gave me a smile full of amusement. "Laurel, you really are sharp. It's a pity..."
"I have one last question," I said, my lips pressing together. "How did you and my mother meet?"
Henry fell silent for a moment, clearly choosing his words carefully. Then, he spoke slowly, "Laurel, have you always believed that your mother was just a mistress Maddox kept on the side?"
I raised my gaze to meet his, my brow furrowing slightly. 'Wasn't that the case?' I wondered.
Henry sighed softly. "Your mother, Maddox, and I were all classmates. She was the legitimate wife Maddox married. The thing is, she was too strong-willed, and she couldn't stand having anything wrong in her life. Maddox's family was complicated, so she chose to leave him in the end."
I stood there and stared at Henry, dumbfounded. "How could that be? Isaac is obviously older than I am!"
Henry hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "That's because Isaac is your real brother."
Bang! The words hit me like a ton of bricks. My hand spasmed, and before I knew it, the water cup I had been holding crashed to the floor with a sharp sound, the porcelain shattering into pieces.
"Laurel, are you okay?" Jenna rushed over, grabbing a towel to wipe the water off my clothes.
I shook my head in disbelief, unable to form any coherent thoughts. It wasn't until a cat's meow broke the silence that I finally snapped back to reality.