Bewitchment

Wanyang Notary Office.

The corridor outside the VIP reception room was spotless, and Milo gazed out at the gray sky.

Footsteps approached from a distance, snapping Milo out of his reverie. He forcefully stubbed out his half-burnt cigarette on the extinguisher at the end of the corridor. He straightened his cuffs and put on his usual polite smile again.

Several employees in formal suits approached, and Milo shook hands with them. "This time, we owe a great deal to Director Barton's mediation, and of course, the strong support of all of you gentlemen. Clarifying patent ownership is crucial for regulating market order, and Director Barton specifically instructed us to ensure that the process is flawless."

One of the staff members responded with a smile: "Of course we take Director Barton's instructions seriously. Rest assured, today's notary team is the most experienced and carefully selected in the department, and the process is absolutely compliant and efficient."

Milo's smile deepened: "I'm completely relieved to hear that." He glanced at his watch. "It's almost time, shall we go in? Let's not keep them waiting."

Inside the meeting room, several people in notary office uniforms were already in place. At the other end of the long table, Blaise was looking down at the patent assignment document spread out on the table.

Hearing the noise, Blaze looked over, his face expressionless and silent, his dark eyes revealing no emotion.

Milo's smile remained unchanged as he calmly walked to the seat opposite Blaise and sat down.

The atmosphere was a bit strange.

Milo smiled and said, "Mr. Blaise and I still need to finalize the transfer details privately. It will be done soon."

The people involved exchanged glances, and the heavy doors closed, isolating them from the outside world.

The gentle smile on Milo's face vanished instantly, leaving only a calm scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.

"You understand everything?" Milo's voice was very soft.

Blaise closed the file.

Milo met his gaze without flinching: "To be honest, this patent is the culmination of my father's life's work. Although he and your mother were partners, the patent's development rights ultimately belonged to my father. After my father's death, the patent naturally went to Suma, and then to you. Over the years, it has generated considerable profits for you, but of course, it has also caused a lot of bloodshed. Now I want to take it back, which is only right and proper."

“I know what you’re thinking.” Milo’s voice softened slightly. “You’re thinking about the factories and workers in Gangu. Don’t worry, you’ve signed the papers. The factory will shut down, but it won’t disappear completely. I will keep it as a production base, and I can promise to preserve the basic employment opportunities for those workers.”

Blaise understood Milo's purpose.

He not only wanted to reclaim the patent, but also to use it to strangle Gangu's new drug plan and completely disrupt Xigong's strategy. Once the patent changed hands, Gangu Pharmaceutical Factory would lose its core value, and becoming a vassal or going bankrupt would only be a matter of time.

His years of acquiescence to Xigong ultimately stemmed from the promise of a bright future. The livelihoods of countless people in Ganzhou depended on the potential transformative power of the new drug; what would happen once he signed the transfer agreement?

Blaise stared at the open document, his grip on the pen loosening slightly.

Seeing this, Milo chuckled: "As expected, you can't do it, can you?"

Blaise frowned.

“How much is that cruise ship worth now, a hundred million, or two hundred million? I can earn that soon. Bodyguard? You're not irreplaceable, I can buy that from Elion.” Milo’s voice trailed off. “Miles said he’d split all his assets with me, but you don’t even have the power to freely transfer them. Blaise, what can you offer me?”

Upon hearing this, Blaise became agitated.

Milo lowered her eyes, gave a self-deprecating laugh, her eyes already slightly red: "Never mind, I shouldn't have pressured you." With that, Milo reached out to close the file.

Blaise blocked his arm, and he gripped the pen again, unscrewing the cap.

The vulnerability in Milo's eyes vanished instantly. His gaze shifted, silently following Blaze's movements until it landed on the signature line, and even his breath tightened involuntarily.

Just as the pen tip was about to touch the signature area of ​​the transfer document, a loud "bang" rang out as the door to the reception room was suddenly pushed open.

Blaze stopped what he was doing, and Milo's eyelids twitched. He suppressed his displeasure and looked over at the sound.

Jesse, dressed in a suit, stood solemnly at the door, followed by two men in suits with serious expressions.

Milo was stunned.

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you.” Jesse’s voice was cold, but his gaze was fixed on Milo. “Mr. Blaise, these two are from the Dale Group. They say they have urgent business to discuss with you privately right away.”

Blaise put down his pen, stood up, his tall figure exuding an imposing pressure. His gaze swept over the two men, then he looked down at Milo.

Milo could only manage a forced smile, feigning nonchalance: "A few more minutes won't make a difference."

Blaise walked out without a word, and the two men immediately followed.

In a quiet corner of the corridor, the older man lowered his voice, his tone urgent and earnest: "Blaze, you can't sign that transfer agreement! It's a trap set by Milo! He approached you to use you to get the patent. Once he ruins the pharmaceutical factory in Gan Valley, he'll sever the foundation of cooperation between the Dale Group and the South. I know you don't have any feelings for the Dale Group, but this is also Ms. Suma's hard work. You can't just hand it over like this!"

Blaze's cold gaze swept over them, silencing them instantly.

The man was intimidated by that look, but he still steeled himself, took a thick envelope from his briefcase, and shoved it into Blaise's hand, speaking rapidly: "After you read this, you'll understand."

Blaise stared at the bulging envelope, his knuckles turning white. He remained silent for a few seconds before finally taking it.

After tearing open the seal, a stack of photos slid out.

The subject of the photo is undoubtedly Milo, and the picture is quite old. In the photo, Milo has a bright and radiant smile, clear and bright eyes, and a look of complete relaxation and affection.

There are photos of him lounging in Miles' bed, smiling sleepily at the camera; photos of him strolling on a street corner, reaching out to block Miles' lens; photos of the two dining at a fancy restaurant, with Milo gazing at Miles with a smile; photos of Milo laughing heartily on the beach as Miles holds his hand…

Each photo exudes a sense of being deeply loved, pampered, and completely happy.

He had never seen such an expression before, not even a decade or so ago, when Milo was still Theo Green.

Blaise's hands began to tremble uncontrollably as he flipped through the photos.

No wonder Milo wouldn't let him deal with Miles; no wonder Milo insisted on settling things with Miles.

So that's how it is.

It turns out that the two of them really did have feelings for each other.

So this so-called revenge is nothing more than Milo's inability to let go of that unspeakable, twisted love for Miles that he himself dares not face.

Then what is he?

In this torment, Blaise knew he shouldn't look at them. He knew that Miles might be deliberately trying to sow discord behind these photos, but he couldn't control himself and kept flipping through them until he froze completely on the last one.

In the photo, Milo's eyes crinkle with joy as he puts a ring on Miles' finger, who is taking the picture.

He recognized the ring; it was the one Milo had worn and the one Miles still wore.

It turned out to be a pair of wedding rings.

The sun is shining brightly, and love almost overflows from the picture. On the back of the photo is a beautiful line of text: Happy Birthday, dear Miles, I will always love you.

The ring on their hand was the starting point and connection of their relationship, so even after they hated each other to the core, they would still put a beaded ring in the same spot.

He was incredibly stupid to think that Milo pierced his skin like he did with his tongue piercing.

A surge of anger ignited from the depths of his heart; the immense heartbreak and sense of betrayal felt like flames burning through his entire being.

Blaise clenched the photo tightly in his hand, the hard edge of the photographic paper digging deep into his palm, causing a sharp sting.

Just as Jesse was about to speak in the reception room, Blaise pushed open the door and entered.

Upon seeing Blaise return, Jesse's eyes instantly filled with wariness.

Blaise ignored Jesse and the two men chasing after him. He walked straight to the long table, his gaze sweeping over the transfer document awaiting signature, finally settling on Milo's face.

Milo looked back at Blaise, vaguely sensing something was amiss. His heartbeat quickened, but he deliberately maintained a calm expression: "Is there a problem?"

Blaise said nothing. He picked up the pen and, without the slightest hesitation, quickly signed his name.

Milo watched all of this in shock.

Blaze put down his pen, not looking at anyone. Before everyone could recover from their shock, he grabbed Milo's thin shoulders tightly, almost forcefully pulling him up and holding him close.

Blaze's grip was so strong it almost crushed Milo's shoulder. Milo vaguely sensed that Blaze seemed to be holding back something, but this anger was forcibly suppressed, eventually transforming into a terrifying force of control.

Jesse slowly stood up from his chair. He looked at Milo and Blaise, and from their intimate posture and movements, he vaguely realized something. His face instantly turned ugly.

Milo noticed Jesse's embarrassed expression, and at the same time, the pain in his arm intensified. He didn't struggle, but instead looked away from the documents the notary had collected and smiled at Jesse, indicating, "We're together now."

Jesse's face was extremely pale.

A faint smile appeared on Blaise's ashen face.

*

Seaside coffee shop.

Milo and Jesse sat facing each other.

The sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying a salty, damp scent, creating a subtly awkward atmosphere.

Jesse's gaze swept over the scabbed wound on Milo's lip, hesitating to speak. He guessed that the relationship between Milo and Blaise was far more than a simple case of exploitation and being exploited, nor was it the simple "lover" relationship Milo described. The resolute gesture when signing the document and the subsequent possessive grip pointed to an abnormal, even twisted, relationship, but he simply couldn't bring himself to ask Milo what their relationship was. He didn't have the courage to listen.

Milo keenly noticed Jesse's probing gaze and stirred his coffee somewhat uncomfortably: "What were you trying to say to me at the notary office?"

Jesse pulled a thick brown paper file folder from his briefcase, his expression turning unusually serious. "I'm not here to arrest you, nor to interrogate you about him..." He paused, "I'm here to tell you something very important. I've found new leads regarding Steven's death."

Milo clasped his hands together secretly and moved them from the table to his lap.

Jesse could tell it was a defensive gesture. He tried to tone down his professional tone, saying, "We commissioned the engineering department of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to conduct a professional simulation, reconstructing the angle and depth of the stab wound into the neck. The results show that the height of the perpetrator who caused that kind of wound is basically between 175 and 178 centimeters. This doesn't match Miles's 185 centimeters or Blaise's 195 centimeters." He observed Milo's reaction and continued, "So, currently, the most likely explanation is that you stabbed Steven. As for Blaise, he at most helped you dispose of the body afterward, making him an accomplice."

Milo remained silent.

“However, the forensic report uncovered another suspicious point: there was a very suspicious fracture in the sternum area of ​​the body.” Jesse gestured to the chest area with his hand. “To verify how this injury occurred, we conducted a stomping experiment in the lab using sandbags. The results were clear: to cause that level of bone fracture, the weight of the person stomping would conservatively be at least 75 kilograms, and your weight is clearly insufficient.”

“Blaze’s weight does meet this condition. But here’s a huge contradiction: if you had already given Steven a fatal blow, he would basically be dead. So why would Blaze go to the trouble of stomping on a dead man’s chest to kill him again? It doesn’t make sense.”

Jesse delivered the final conclusion: "This contradiction points to the only explanation: after you, a third person was present at the scene at that time and fatally trampled on Steven's body."

Milo stared at Jesse in shock, his mind reeling.

"We extracted Tengbang carrion flies from the corpse. These flies only lay eggs on dead bodies, reproduce rapidly, and then parasitize the internal cavities of the corpse. Based on the water temperature at the time, the maggots in the corpse's ear canal should have laid eggs around 12:30 that night."

"I retrieved the triangulation data from the cell phone signal base stations at that time and compared your movements with it. Considering the time period when fly larvae lay eggs, there were only two cell phone signals nearby: one was Matsubara Yuma's, and the other was Miles Dale's. Miles's cell phone was continuously detected near the observation tower on the south side of the river bend of Aplin at 12:30, while Steven died around 12:00. Although the cause of death was still excessive blood loss, the fatal injury was not a stab wound to the neck, but rather hemoptysis in the chest and lungs."

"In other words, you weren't the one who actually killed Steven. The killer that Matsubara Yuma saw wasn't you at all, but Miles."

These words struck him like a hammer blow, and Milo's hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Milo, what I want to ask you is, why are you so sure that you killed Steven?"

Milo looked up, his mind so chaotic he couldn't process anything: "What do you mean?"

"Would Blaze make such a mistake? Before disposing of a body, wouldn't he be able to tell if a person has a heartbeat or not? Or is it that he actually wants to become a murderer with you, so he chose to go with the flow and let Steven wait to die?"

Milo's pupils trembled.

Memories flashed through my mind.

On that stormy night, Blaze refused to let him touch Steven's body, and silently dug a hole by himself, filling it in one mound after another.

The lightning flashed, and Blaise looked back at him with a look he could never forget.

He once thought that look in his eyes meant that he would give everything for him.

But perhaps, the true meaning behind that look was that he knew from that moment on, he would never have the chance to turn back.

If Miles was using a cover-up to frame him for murder, he wouldn't be surprised; it was just another way to trap him.

But that's Blaze... the person who seems to become somewhat helpless in front of him... Blaze... could he really lie to him? So, he's been pretending all along too?

Looking at Milo's pale face, Jesse's eyes showed reluctance. He knew his words were cruel, but he had to continue.

“Sometimes you seem to forget that his love for Theo Green is so intense it’s almost obsessive. Do you really think that just because you are Theo Green, he won’t pretend in front of you? Only by dragging you into hell can he completely bind you to him.”

Jesse said earnestly, "Milo, don't you understand? His liking for Theo Green has little to do with whether you are Theo Green or not."