Chapter 1 I Don't Understand

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Faced with Zuo Yan’s questioning, Sam appeared very calm.

After all… this was a “planned crime,” and Sam couldn’t have taken action without conceiving some kind of response in his mind.

His current composure was the result of prior preparation.

“Oh…” Zuo Yan responded. “Then I'll explain it, and you can listen.” He paused, then continued, “As you said, if you hired someone to kill because ‘John stole the inheritance that should have been yours,’ you wouldn’t have waited this long… Granted, taking action right after the verdict was handed down would have been inappropriate, but in the year or two that followed… during your angriest and most destitute period, you still refrained from acting. This shows… that ‘having your inheritance stolen’ wasn't enough to make you take such a risk. Even though you knew John was behind it, you didn't cross the line of the law… because, ultimately… you're different from your brother. You're a good person."

"Ha!" John scoffed upon hearing this, expressing his disdain for the statement.

Zuo Yan ignored him and continued to Sam, "It's actually quite ironic. Two brothers, clearly raised in the same environment and well-educated… the one who seems promising in the eyes of outsiders throws the law to the wind to maintain his image, while the one who seems to do nothing but eat, drink, and be merry, still adheres to a bottom line.”

Speaking to this point, he looked at Sam with a slightly regretful expression, and continued, “Even though John harmed you, and you hate him, out of respect for the law, perhaps also out of consideration for blood ties… you ultimately abandoned the idea of extrajudicial revenge.

“In the end, you decided to abandon your past life, live self-sufficiently like an ordinary person, and resolve to never again be associated with the name John Herbert…

“However, just when you thought you had turned the page on your life regarding your family, fate played a very interesting joke on you…”

As he spoke, Zuo Yan took out his phone, operated it briefly, and then turned the screen towards Sam.

At that moment, his phone screen displayed a photo; it was a photo of a man, an average-looking Caucasian man in his forties.

Everyone present could recognize that the man in the photo was the victim in this case.

"Pat Miller, thirty-nine years old this year, unemployed." Two seconds later, Zuo Yan continued, "Although he's unemployed now… many years ago, he was also a high-level white-collar worker, and the company he worked for at the time was…" He looked at John, "...John Herbert Investment Co., Ltd."

The company Zuo Yan mentioned was the one John started when he was young; today, the company still exists, but it has become one of the many shell companies under the Herbert Group.

Generally speaking, large companies play this kind of trick, they register n different small companies in n countries… these shell companies have no office location, no substantial business, and no employees working, but every month they arrange for accountants to report accounts to maintain their existence. When the time comes, large enterprises can use these small companies to digest various transactions and projects in the "gray area," firstly to "avoid taxes (the main purpose)," and secondly… in case they have to go to court for a project for some reason in the future, these "shells" can also serve as a shield for the parent company.

“John Herbert Investment Co., Ltd.” is such an entity.

Once, it also carried John's dreams, but now, it is an existence that has lost its value, like an outdated brand.

"Mr. Zuo Yan, let me interrupt for a moment..." After thinking for two seconds, John suddenly spoke, saying to Zuo Yan, "There's something I think it's better to state now… That's right, I know this deceased, but I didn't recognize him when the incident happened… In fact, I didn't even see his face at the time, because he appeared from behind me and suddenly attacked me; furthermore, I haven't seen him in a long time… Even after his death, I didn't recognize him as anyone, I just thought he looked familiar. It wasn't until shortly before Chief Doister arrived that I remembered that this person was once an employee under me many years ago.”

"Saying 'an employee under me'… isn't that a bit too formal?" Zuo Yan replied, "He was your personal assistant for more than two whole years."

Hearing this, John's expression changed noticeably. He thought to himself, "This kid… he's actually investigated this far…"

"Right now, you're thinking… 'This kid has actually investigated this far'?" The next second, Zuo Yan actually spoke, directly stating John's thoughts, "Heh…" Before John could respond, Zuo Yan smiled and added, "From your micro-expressions and subtle body movements, I can basically guess what you're thinking… Seriously, if you had met me back then, you would have gone to prison to pick up soap a long time ago."

These words were not Zuo Yan's own, but Victor's original words; of course… Zuo Yan didn't mind repeating these mocking remarks in an appropriate tone, because based on what he knew so far, he also despised and hated John from the bottom of his heart.

"Yes, he was my assistant, so what?" John was somewhat exasperated, but he didn't lose his temper. He didn't respond to the mockery, but tried to steer the topic back to the case, "This doesn't conflict with what I just said… I said, he attacked me from behind, and I really haven't seen him in many years; after so long, not to mention an assistant, even a relative… isn't it normal not to recognize them?”

"I didn't consider it to be anything important in the first place, I just mentioned that he used to be an employee of that company… You interrupted me and made the so-called 'statement' yourself, did you forget?" Zuo Yan retorted.

This statement hit the nail on the head, and John was left speechless.

"If you don't mind, I'll continue with what I really wanted to say…" Seeing that he was silent, Zuo Yan turned his head, looked at Sam, and continued, "According to my speculation, it was probably in the autumn of last year that Miller found you, and… told you something; and those things were the trigger for this murder case today…"

"Before you make even more outrageous speculations…" Before Zuo Yan could finish, Sam responded coldly, "What evidence do you have to prove… that I know this Miller guy, and how can you prove that he ever had any contact with me?"