Chapter 161: Evil Genius

“Holy shit, I didn’t peg you for a passport bro. Though, to be fair, I don’t think that term really fits your situation,” Mandy said, scrolling through the email Ace had sent her. It was packed with all the dirt his friend had dug up on David Rockworth.

“What’s a passport bro?” David asked, his brow furrowed in genuine puzzlement. The term was clearly foreign to him.

“It’s a guy who travels abroad to find love,” Brooke cut in, her tone dripping with passive-aggressive sweetness. She tilted her head slightly, her face twisted into a mock innocent expression. “But don’t worry daddy because it doesn’t really apply to you. Since you’ve only got a second family in the East. That means you’re just a two-timing bigamist, daddy.”

“Holy shit, you knew?” Mandy exclaimed, her jaw dropping as she glanced at Brooke. The shock in her voice was genuine—Brooke knowing about her father’s secret life was one thing, but what stunned her even more was, “You knew she knew? Unreal. Like father, like daughter. Your mother his luck to have a daughter and husband like you two. No wonder you’re grooming her to take over the family business instead of your ‘dull’ son.”

“Call my brother dull again, and I’ll rip your tongue out, even if it kills me,” Brooke snapped, her eyes flashing as she threw a warning glare at Mandy. Her gaze flickered briefly toward Ace, who lay sprawled on the hood of her G-Wagon, lazily cloud-gazing.

“I hear you twins are inseparable,” Mandy taunted, her voice sharp as a blade. “You’re not dabbling in a little… taboo, are you?”

She stalked toward Brooke, her movements fierce and deliberate. Meeting Mandy’s menacing gaze, Brooke instinctively stepped back, but before she could retreat further, Mandy grabbed her collar. Bringing her raspberry-red lips dangerously close to Brooke’s ear, she whispered, “I have the photos. Unless you want to become the next town gossip as the true redneck hillbilly twins, you better behave and watch your tone around me.”

Brooke’s face turned ashen, the defiance in her eyes draining away. Seeing her reaction, Mandy smirked and released her grip on the collar.

“I’ve half a mind to leak them after the little stunt you pulled last night,” Mandy said, her tone cold and deliberate. “But I won’t—unless you give me a reason to.”

Janice’s family’s cybersecurity team had uncovered far more on Brooke than Mandy had asked for. While Mandy wasn’t planning to use all of it—she had principles and values she refused to compromise—she wasn’t above leveraging it to tame Brooke. This was a far cry from the underhanded tactics Brooke had used against Mandy’s family.

“Leak what?” David’s voice cut through their tense exchange. His face was a mix of confusion and worry as he looked between Mandy and Brooke.

Both women snapped their heads toward him, Mandy’s glare sharp enough to silence him. “This doesn’t concern you, David,” she said coldly. “You should worry about yourself—affairs, tax evasion, bribery, extortion, money laundering, fake witness testimonies, attempt to murder,… Heck, is there any crime you haven’t committed?”

“Don’t slander me!” David shot back, his voice defensive and shaky. “You can’t prove any of that!”

Mandy let out a humorless laugh, crossing her arms as she stared him down. “Oh, can’t I?” she said, raising a brow. “Check your email. I sent you a copy of everything we have on you. Now, here’s the deal: I want you to gift back the land your grandmother stole from Dan’s grandfather.

“As much as I’d love to see you rot in prison for the rest of your miserable life, I know Dan would value reclaiming that land more. So, count your lucky stars and do as I say. If you even think about trying something funny, so help me God, I’ll bury you alive. Literally. And while you’re rotting, I’ll bankrupt your family and buy that land from the bank for pennies.”

David’s face went pale as Mandy’s words landed like a hammer. Her voice was calm, but her tone made it clear she wasn’t bluffing.

Satisfied with his stunned silence, Mandy turned her attention to Brooke. Her expression was icy as she barked, “And you—get on your knees and beg for his forgiveness. Stay there until he forgives you. Now.”

Brooke hurried toward Ace, her high heels clicking sharply against the asphalt road. She passed the unconscious muscle her father had hired to protect them without sparing them a glance. Standing before her G-Wagon, she looked at Ace, who was seated on its hood, leaning back lazily against the windshield, his eyes fixed on the sky as though none of this involved him.

Her gaze flicked nervously toward her father, but she found Mandy glaring at her instead. The intensity of that look sent a chill down her spine. Swallowing her fear, she hesitated before lowering herself to her knees, her snow white and rosy kneecaps pressing into a patch of grass sprouting from a crack in the old asphalt.

“I said, beg for his forgiveness!” Mandy snapped from behind, her voice sharp as a whip.

David, meanwhile, was too distracted to intervene. His attention was locked on his phone, scrolling through an email Mandy had just sent him. His face paled as he read its contents. The file detailed many of his white-collar crimes—embezzlement, tax evasion, fraud. Though it lacked evidence of the beat down he had personally committed, it did include enough damning proof of the thugs he’d hired. It was more than sufficient to ensure he’d rot in prison—or face execution. After all, their state had some of the weakest protections against capital punishment in the country.

Brooke’s voice trembled as she finally spoke. “A-Ace, please forgive me. It was wrong of me to frame you and your family for stealing.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, streaking her mascara as she bowed her head, pleading for mercy.

Ace didn’t even look at her. His gaze remained fixed on Mandy, his tone calm but detached as he said, “If you’re done here, let’s go. I have an appointment.”

With Dame Wasp having compiled the entire digital and offline footprint of the Rockworth family, Ace had already uncovered every skeleton in their closets. But digging through their dirt only reinforced one truth: the Rockworths were one of the worst human beings he had seen. That’s says a lot considering his history with the 9Ks. 

He was here for revenge. He wasn’t about to become the very thing he hated the most. His purpose here was simple: to neutralize the threat the Rockworths posed to his family. Mandy now held the weapon to dismantle them, and his role in this saga was complete.

As he slid off the G-Wagon’s hood, his mind was already elsewhere. The only thing on his agenda now was to reach the winery, retrieve the Phantom Pain curse core, and collect Doctor Druid’s doll.

“Hey!” Mandy snapped her fingers sharply in front of David, dragging him out of his daze. He had been staring blankly, still reeling from the proof Mandy had on him. It wasn’t the legality of how she obtained it that haunted him—it was the devastating reality of what would happen if it ever came to light. If leaked, the fallout would be catastrophic. His reputation, his power, his place in this town—all gone in an instant.

As David’s eyes refocused, Mandy leaned closer, her tone cold and firm. “Here’s the deal: I want you to hand over the deeds to those lands to Dan by tonight. No excuses. If you don’t—” she held up her phone, her thumb hovering dramatically over the screen, “—I’ll seal your fate with one click. Your choice.”

Without waiting for his response, Mandy turned away, her heels clicking confidently on the pavement. She glanced at Ace as she passed. “We’re done here. Let’s go,” she said, her tone dismissive.

Ace followed a few steps behind but paused briefly beside David. He leaned in, his voice low, almost sympathetic. “If you care about your kids even a little,” he murmured, “withdraw all your wealth from the bank, sell whatever’s left of your property as soon as possible, turn all of it into cryptocurrency of your choice, and give it to your children. Don’t fight Mandy on this. There is no way you will come out on top of this—just let it happen. If you beg her she might consider giving you some time to make arrangements for your kids. The quicker you cooperate, the less traumatic and painful it will be for your kids. Then maybe… at least they can lead a better life. Even though its not what you had planned for them, its better than the alternative.”

David’s face tightened, his jaw clenching as Ace stepped away. He knew Mandy wouldn’t just spare him if he just returned the land to Dan and Ace’s words just confirmed it. 

Brooke, still kneeling on the cracked asphalt, caught every word of Ace’s quiet advice. Her tear-streaked face turned toward him, confusion flickering in her eyes. She couldn’t understand. Why would Ace, of all people, show even a sliver of concern for them after everything they’d done to his family? Especially after what she had done. The question lingered, heavy in her mind, as she watched him ride away without so much as a glance in her direction.

As Mandy and Ace drove away, Dame Wasp’s voice crackled through the car’s speakers, her tone laced with mock exasperation. ‘Master, you are truly an evil genius.’

Ace smirked faintly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. ‘I’m not evil, Rose,’ he replied calmly. ‘I’m just thorough.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep