Chapter 409: Collaboration

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Finn Taylor wasn’t truly curious as to what Hilary Stone was up to, so he left.

How was he to know that he had narrowly missed a good show? Hilary Stone and her son were in the woods waiting for someone, and that person was none other than Gremlin.

Of course, Finn Taylor had no idea that he had missed out on witnessing such an exciting scene, much less that Hilary Stone was working with Gremlin.

Neither did Hilary Stone know that Finn Taylor knew Gremlin.

However, such was fate.

“Why did you come only now?” Although Hilary Stone had only been with Finn Taylor for a short while, she had been waiting in the forest for a long time. Gremlin casually strolled over three hours past the time they had agreed on.

“Why? Did you feel anxious waiting for me? You can tell me if that’s the case.”

“We’re working together as equals. The way you treat me annoys me.”

“Equals? You think too highly of yourself. Who are you? San Francisco is so small. I don’t even care about Finn Taylor, much less you!”

“Finn Taylor? You know him? What kind of relationship do you have with him?”

Hilary Stone’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that name. ‘What’s going on? Does Gremlin know Finn Taylor too?’

“How interesting. Finn Taylor has done a great job of hiding his identity over the past three years. You guys don’t even know anything about his background.”

“What are you trying to say? What is his background?”

“Have you heard of the Taylor family from Chicago or Peregrine Hall? Your family’s matrilocal son-in-law is a prominent figure—he’s the eldest son of the family and Master Peregrine of Peregrine Hall!”

This was indeed news to Hilary Stone, and shock was evident on her face.

“No wonder! I finally know why I lost to him—it’s because he has so many influential people by his side. I couldn’t understand where he got all that help from, but I guess I know now.”

“What do you know? You’re just weak. There’s nothing more than that.”

“What do you mean?” Hilary Stone felt that the man was insulting her. ‘Does he mean that I deserve to lose to Finn Taylor just because he’s the eldest son of the Taylor family and Master Peregrine? Does he mean that nobody in San Francisco can win against him?’

“So what if he’s the eldest son of the Taylor family? So what if he’s Master Peregrine? I’m telling you that he doesn’t mean a thing to the family and that everyone looks down on him—his parents, his brother, and even his grandma. He’s like an orphan. Did you think he’s so powerful because of his family or Peregrine Hall? No, he’s earned it all by his own merits. He’s been plotting this since he was six. We’ve all underestimated him.”

Gremlin’s words threw Hilary Stone off. ‘What does that mean? He’s been planning this since he was six? He’s not powerful because of the Taylor family backing him?’

“Supporting him? There are so many people in the Taylor family who want him dead. Besides, his brother is going all out to kill him. Do you know just how many enemies he has back in Chicago?”

“That’s impossible. No matter how evil people are, they won’t kill their own kin. You must be lying to me.” Hilary Stone refused to believe the other. ‘I’m already vicious, but I will never kill Quinn no matter how much you offer me.’

“Why would I do that? You can go make inquiries in Chicago if you don’t believe me.”

“Then, tell me why they want to kill him. He’s part of their family too.”

“That’s easy. When the Taylor brothers were born, someone said that Finn Taylor was a jinx to the family and that he would only bring trouble to them. Eventually, he would cause the downfall of the entire family. On the other hand, his younger brother was a saint who would bring the family to greater heights.”

Hilary Stone burst out into laughter. “I always thought that the Taylor family would be smarter than an average person since they helm Peregrine Hall, but it seems like they’re even dumber than me. This is obviously a trap to pit the brothers against each other so that the Taylor family will be weakened. I’m sure you guys won’t admit to this mistake since you were the ones who fell into such an obvious trap. Now, you can only push all responsibility to Finn Taylor.”

While others might not have spotted the trick, Hilary Stone understood it at once because she had done the same thing in the past. Was she really a promiscuous woman? No, she had only married into the Larson family to get her revenge. Her family had died at the hands of the Larson family, so she was going to pit the family against each other and bring them down too.

Who would’ve expected this? A woman’s revenge was the cause of the Larson family’s downfall!

She had pretty much succeeded. The Old Master had died a long time ago, and his sons no longer got along with each other now, with the youngest already dead.

But the biggest problem now lay in the family’s third generation. Quince Larson was incapable, and so was Eleanor Larson.

The latter was basically a fool in Hilary Stone’s eyes.

Since she had control over her son, the greatest problem lay with Yvette Larson’s family. Everyone looked down on Finn Taylor, but not Hilary Stone.

That was why he was the first person she had looked for after returning..