Volume 1: The Night When the Iris Withered
"That woman... She ruined my life, and you... You are her retribution!" Sean's roar echoed in the empty room, making Irene's eardrums ache. He was like a madman, waving his arms and sweeping everything around him to the ground.
Irene was so startled by Sean's sudden madness that she froze in place. She simply couldn't understand the meaning behind his words. That woman? Her mother? How did Sean know about her mother? And what was the relationship between her mother and the Rockefeller family?
"Sean, calm down. What on earth are you talking about?" Irene tried to soothe him, but Sean wouldn't listen.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at Irene intently, as if he wanted to devour her alive. "Stop pretending! Do you think you've disguised yourself well? Your eyes, your smile, and even that damned birthmark on your shoulder! They're exactly like hers! The Rockefeller family will never be able to escape that woman's curse!"
"The Rockefeller family?" Irene seized the key words in his words. "What do you mean? What's the relationship between my mother and the Rockefeller family?"
Sean let out a shrill laugh, a laugh filled with despair and pain. "Relationship? Her relationship with the Rockefeller family is enough to destroy the entire family!"
He staggered over to the desk and took out a locked iron box from a hidden drawer. His hands were shaking so violently that it took him a great deal of effort to open the box.
Inside the box were a stack of yellowed letters and several old photos. Sean picked up a letter with trembling hands and handed it to Irene.
"Take a look. See how she played with the Rockefeller family back then!" he said hoarsely.
Irene took the letter in confusion. The envelope was written with delicate handwriting, and the signature at the end was: "Isabella".
She opened the letter, and what greeted her eyes were lines of words full of love and yearning, revealing the longings and affections of a young girl between the strokes. The letter was addressed to a man named "Ronald".
As Irene continued reading, her face gradually turned pale. In the letter, Isabella sweetly poured out her love for Ronald, and between the lines, the secret of their private engagement was revealed.
"Ronald Rockefeller." Irene softly pronounced the name at the end of the letter, and her heart sank. Ronald Rockefeller was Sean's grandfather and the previous head of the Rockefeller family!
She looked up in shock and stared at Sean, only to find his eyes filled with mockery and sorrow. "Well? Are you surprised? Your mother, Isabella, was my grandfather Ronald's mistress, a prostitute from the slums!"
Irene felt dizzy. She simply couldn't accept this cruel truth. Her mother was actually the mistress of the Rockefeller family? How could that be possible?
"It's impossible... This can't be true..." she murmured to herself, her voice trembling terribly.
Sean sneered and took out another photo from the box, throwing it at Irene.
In the photo, a beautiful young woman was snuggled up next to a middle-aged man, and both of them had happy smiles on their faces. The woman had delicate features and was pure and charming. It was Irene's mother, Isabella. And the middle-aged man was Ronald Rockefeller.
Irene's fingers trembled as she stroked her mother's face in the photo. Her heart was filled with pain and confusion. She had always thought that her mother was a kind, gentle, and strong woman. She had never imagined that her mother could be such a person.
"This... This must be fake... Someone must be framing my mother!" Irene tried hard to hold back the grief in her heart and attempted to defend her mother.
"Framing?" Sean scoffed. "The evidence is conclusive. Do you still want to quibble? Isabella was ambitious. She wanted to marry into the Rockefeller family and become Ronald's wife. Unfortunately, she failed. Ronald finally chose a noble lady of the same social status, and Isabella was mercilessly abandoned."
"After being abandoned, she held a grudge and began to carry out a crazy revenge on the Rockefeller family. She used her beauty and intelligence to gradually erode the wealth and power of the Rockefeller family. She even... even..." Sean paused at this point, and a flash of fear passed through his eyes.
"Even what?" Irene pressed, her heart filled with unease.
"Even seduced Ronald's son, my father! She tried to completely destroy the Rockefeller family in this way!" Sean roared.
Irene was completely shocked. Was her mother really so terrifying? She simply couldn't imagine that the gentle and kind mother in her memory could do such crazy things.
"There must be some misunderstanding... My mother couldn't have done such a thing..." Irene still refused to believe it and tried to find some reasons to support herself.
"Misunderstanding?" Sean sneered. "If you don't believe it, keep reading!"
He took out a document from the box and threw it at Irene.
Irene picked up the document and found that it was a secret agreement. The content of the agreement was about a deal between the Rockefeller family and a mysterious organization. The Rockefeller family used the shipping industry to smuggle arms and drugs, and this mysterious organization provided political asylum and economic support to the Rockefeller family.
At the end of the agreement, there were two names conspicuously signed: Ronald Rockefeller and Isabella.
Irene's eyes widened. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. Her mother was actually involved in the illegal transactions of the Rockefeller family? What on earth was going on?
"See? This is the truth! Your mother is a complete devil! She used her beauty and intelligence to play the entire Rockefeller family like a fiddle! She is the culprit that led to the decline of the Rockefeller family!" Sean roared.
Irene felt that her worldview had completely collapsed. She had always thought that she was fighting for justice and avenging her fellow slum dwellers. But now, she found that she was actually the daughter of that devil and the descendant of a family full of conspiracies and lies.
"No... This can't be true... I... I'm not..." Irene covered her head in pain. She didn't know how to face this cruel truth.
Sean walked up to Irene and grabbed her shoulders. His eyes were filled with hatred and despair. "Do you think you can succeed in taking revenge by pretending to be Olivia? Do you think you can escape your mother's curse? Let me tell you, it's impossible! You will always be Isabella's daughter, and you will never be able to escape the curse of this bloodline!"
"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Irene struggled desperately. She wanted to escape from this room full of lies and conspiracies, and she wanted to escape from this cruel truth.
Just then, the door of the room suddenly opened.
Carl Howard stood at the door, his face full of worry and confusion. "What's going on? I heard the commotion inside..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the chaotic scene in the room, as well as the pale-faced Irene and the crazy-looking Sean.
His gaze fell on the red birthmark on Irene's shoulder. His pupils shrank suddenly, and his face showed an expression of shock and confusion.
"This... This is..." he murmured to himself, as if he had seen something incredible.
When Irene saw Carl, she was like a drowning person seeing a savior. She stretched out her hand towards him desperately, wanting to ask for his help. "Carl... Save me... Save me..."
When Sean saw Carl, he regarded him as an enemy. His eyes became even more deranged. "Carl Howard! You hypocrite! You also know Isabella's secret, don't you? You were also involved in this conspiracy, weren't you?"
Carl frowned. He seemed not to understand what Sean was saying.
"Sean, calm down. What on earth are you talking about?" he tried to soothe Sean.
"Calm down? Why should I calm down? You all deserve to die! You all should pay the price for the decline of the Rockefeller family!" Sean roared. Suddenly, he picked up a sharp shard from the ground and charged towards Carl.
"Watch out!" Irene exclaimed.
Carl reacted quickly. He pushed Irene aside and dodged Sean's attack. The shard cut across Carl's arm, and blood instantly stained his sleeve.
"Sean! Are you crazy?" Carl roared.
Sean ignored him and raised the shard again, charging towards Carl.
At this critical moment, Irene suddenly pounced on Sean and knocked him to the ground.
"Stop! Sean! Stop!" Irene held Sean down firmly, preventing him from harming Carl.
Sean struggled frantically, trying to break free from Irene's restraint, but he had lost his mind and couldn't control his strength at all.
Carl looked at the two people on the ground. His face became paler and paler, and his eyes were filled with fear and shock.
"Isabella... Birthmark... The Rockefeller family..." he murmured to himself, and some vague memories seemed to flash through his mind.
Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. His body shook violently, and his face showed an expression of disbelief.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Irene. His eyes became complex and profound.
"Irene... You... Are you really not Olivia?" he asked softly, his voice trembling terribly.
Irene's heart sank. She knew that Carl had also started to doubt her identity.
She raised her head with difficulty and looked at Carl. Her eyes were filled with pain and despair.
"Carl... I... I..." She wanted to explain but didn't know where to start.
"Tell me, Irene. Who on earth are you?" Carl asked again, his eyes full of expectation and unease.
Irene closed her eyes. She knew that she had nowhere to retreat.
She slowly opened her eyes, and her gaze became firm and resolute.
"I'm Irene Green, a girl from the slums. I pretended to be Olivia Rockefeller and infiltrated the Rockefeller family to... take revenge!" she said calmly, as if stating a fact.
When Carl heard Irene's answer, his face instantly turned pale.
He staggered backward a few steps and leaned against the wall. His eyes were filled with shock and disappointment.
"Revenge? You... You were actually here for revenge?" he murmured to himself, his voice full of pain and sorrow.
Irene looked at Carl. Her heart was also filled with guilt and unease. She knew that she had hurt Carl, a friend who had always treated her sincerely.
"Carl... I'm sorry... I... I..." She wanted to apologize to Carl but couldn't get the words out.
Carl slowly raised his head and looked at Irene. His eyes were filled with complex emotions.
"Irene... Tell me, why do you want to take revenge?" he asked softly.
Irene took a deep breath and began to tell Carl about her background and revenge plan. She told him about the hardships in the slums, about Olivia's death, and about the sins of the Rockefeller family.
Carl listened quietly. His face became paler and paler, and his eyes became more and more complex.
When Irene finished telling everything, the room was filled with silence, and only the heavy breathing of the two of them echoed.
"Irene... I understand... I finally understand..." Carl murmured to himself, his voice full of pain and despair.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Irene. His eyes were filled with apology and sadness.
"Irene... I'm sorry... I also kept some things from you..." he said softly.
"What did you keep from me?" Irene asked in confusion.
Carl took a deep breath and slowly said, "I... I'm Isabella's younger brother, your uncle."
Irene's eyes widened in shock. She simply couldn't believe her ears. Carl was actually her uncle? How... How could that be possible?
"You... What did you say? You're my uncle?" Irene asked tremblingly.
Carl nodded, his eyes filled with pain and guilt. "Yes, Irene. I'm your uncle, Isabella's younger brother, Carl Howard."