Volume 1: The Night When the Iris Withered
"Sean Rockefeller, you killed Olivia." Irene's voice was cold and calm, as if stating an established fact.
Sean's face could no longer be described as merely pale. It was a deathly grayish pallor, like the complexion of a wraith emerging from hell. He clutched the diary tightly, his knuckles turning white, and the paper was crumpled deeply. "It wasn't me... It wasn't me... I didn't..." He stammered in defense, his voice as fragmented as a glacier on the verge of collapse.
Irene sneered. "It's written clearly in the diary. Olivia had a premonition of her death, and the murderer is you."
Sean suddenly raised his head, his gray-blue eyes filled with pain and struggle. He staggered backward a few steps and leaned against the cold wall. "No... You all don't understand... I... I couldn't control myself..."
Irene wasn't deceived by his show of vulnerability. She continued to press him, "Couldn't control yourself? Is it because of those drugs you've been taking? The drugs that made you lose control of your emotions and turn violent?"
Sean closed his eyes in pain, as if desperately suppressing something. "That was... That was to make me... make me sober..."
"Sober?" Irene scoffed. "Sober enough to kill Olivia? Sober enough to cover up your crime?"
The air seemed to freeze, and only the heavy breathing of the two of them could be heard in the room. Sean slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with despair and madness.
"You won't understand... You'll never understand..." he said hoarsely. Suddenly, he raised his hand and tore the diary in his hand to pieces. The fragments fluttered down like snowflakes, scattering around the room, symbolizing Olivia's final words, now also in pieces.
Irene stared at him in shock. She hadn't expected Sean to destroy the evidence so resolutely.
"Do you think you can cover up the truth like this?" she shouted angrily.
Sean didn't answer. He just stared at Irene intently, his gaze becoming more and more deranged.
"Who... Who on earth are you?" he suddenly asked, his voice full of suspicion and wariness.
Irene's heart skipped a beat. She knew that Sean had started to doubt her identity.
"Of course I'm Olivia Rockefeller," she replied, feigning calmness and trying her best to maintain the elegant demeanor of a young lady.
Sean sneered. "No... You're not. Olivia... She wouldn't look at me with such eyes." He slowly approached Irene, each step exuding a strong sense of oppression.
Irene felt as if an invisible hand was choking her throat, and it became difficult to breathe. She knew that she had been exposed.
"What... What do you want to do?" she asked tremblingly.
Sean didn't answer. His gaze slithered over her like that of a venomous snake. Finally, it landed on her right shoulder.
Irene instinctively covered her shoulder with her hand, and her heart almost stopped.
A flash of shock and confusion passed through Sean's eyes. He reached out his hand, grabbed Irene's wrist forcefully, and pulled her hand away from her shoulder.
Irene's shoulder was exposed to the air. There, conspicuously, was a red birthmark in the shape of a distorted iris.
Sean's pupils dilated sharply, and his body trembled violently, as if he had seen something terrifying.
"This... This can't be... This... This..." he stammered, his voice filled with fear and shock.
Irene stared at Sean in shock. She didn't understand why he had such a strong reaction. It was just a birthmark. She had never shown this birthmark to anyone because she thought it was ugly and unsightly.
"You... You... You're not Olivia! You are... You are..." Sean's eyes became empty, as if he had lost his soul. He suddenly took a few steps backward and knocked over a bookshelf behind him. Books and sundries scattered all over the floor.
Irene wanted to ask him what had happened, but Sean, as if he had seen some terrifying apparition, covered his head in pain and let out a piercing scream.
"Get out! Get out! Don't come near!" he shouted at the air, as if driving something away.
Irene looked at the crazy man in front of her, filled with confusion and unease. She didn't understand why Sean had lost control like this, nor why he was so sensitive to her birthmark.
Suddenly, Sean stopped shouting. His body stood there stiffly, motionless. His eyes stared blankly ahead, as if they had lost focus.
Irene approached him cautiously and asked softly, "Sean? Are you okay?"
Sean slowly turned his head and looked at Irene. His eyes were cold and strange, as if he didn't recognize her at all.
"Who are you?" he asked coldly.
Irene's heart sank. She knew that Sean had completely broken down.
"I'm Irene... I'm Olivia... I'm your fiancée..." she said softly, trying to awaken his memory.
The corner of Sean's mouth curled into an eerie smile. "Fiancée? Olivia? Do you think I'll believe that? You're not her at all. You are... You are..."
He looked at Irene's shoulder again, his gaze fixed on the red birthmark. His eyes were filled with fear and loathing.
"You are... You are that woman's daughter!" he suddenly roared, his voice like that of a fiend from hell.
Irene's eyes widened in shock. She didn't understand what Sean was saying. That woman? Which woman? Her mother had already passed away. How could Sean know about her mother?
"What are you talking nonsense about?" she asked tremblingly.
Sean didn't answer. He just looked at Irene with an extremely complex expression, filled with hatred, pain, and despair.
"That woman... She ruined my life... And you... Do you want to ruin me too?" he murmured to himself, his voice full of desolation.
Irene felt dizzy. She felt as if she had touched an extremely dangerous secret, a dark truth hidden behind the Rockefeller family. And this birthmark seemed to be the key to unlocking this secret.
Just then, there was a rush of footsteps outside the manor, and several bodyguards in black suits burst into the room.
"Master, what happened?" they asked anxiously.
Sean ignored them. His gaze remained fixed on Irene, his eyes filled with madness and a murderous intent.
"Seize her! Seize this impostor! She's that woman's daughter! She wants to destroy our Rockefeller family!" he shouted hoarsely.
The bodyguards were taken aback. They didn't understand what was going on, but they still rushed towards Irene without hesitation.
Irene knew that she had to escape from here. Otherwise, she would be imprisoned in the Rockefeller Manor forever and become a victim of Sean's revenge.
She struggled to break free from the bodyguards' restraint and rushed towards the door of the room. She had to find Carl. She had to figure out the secret of this birthmark. She had to uncover the dark truth of the Rockefeller family.
And this was just the beginning of the bloody whirlpool. An even more dangerous conspiracy was waiting for her...