495: Chapter 49 He wasn't even named Hosen

Kevin looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Unfamiliar, yet familiar.

He took a deep breath, the tension and excitement in his chest intertwining like a burning fire.

“Let’s go.”

On the road leading to the Hossen Estate, Kevin remained silent.

The scenery outside the car window rapidly receded.

Those familiar streets, those familiar buildings, were like knives, slicing open his sealed memories.

His hands were tightly clenched.

His fingernails were almost digging into his flesh.

Shen Yan did not look at him, merely closing his eyes to rest.

It was as if the place they were heading to was not a perilous den, but just an ordinary business reception.

The car did not enter through the main gate.

Instead, it circled around to an inconspicuous service entrance at the back of the estate.

A man dressed in a gardener’s uniform was already waiting there, respectfully opening the car door.

“Mr. Shen.”

Shen Yan nodded, handing over an envelope.

The gardener accepted it without looking, merely bowing deeply, then silently retreated into the shadows.

They passed through the dark hedge maze.

They bypassed the glistening outdoor swimming pool.

Finally, they stopped before a heavy oak door of the main residence.

Faint sounds of a fierce argument could be heard from inside the door.

Kevin’s steps halted.

His breathing became somewhat rapid.

Shen Yan reached out his hand, not to push the door.

But to gently knock three times on it.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

The sound was not loud, yet it struck every person in the conference room like three heavy hammers.

The arguing stopped abruptly.

All eyes snapped toward the doorway.

The door opened.

Shen Yan stood in the doorway, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face.

Behind him was Kevin.

The conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Seated around the long mahogany conference table were the core members of the Hossen Family.

In the main seat was Old Hossen, his hair and beard completely white.

His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, stared fixedly at the uninvited guests at the door.

“Who are you?” Old Hossen’s voice seemed squeezed from the depths of his throat, carrying a texture like grinding metal.

“Someone who can solve your problems,” Shen Yan said with a smile, pulling out an empty chair and gesturing for Kevin to sit.

He himself stood behind Kevin, like a loyal knight.

“Solve problems?” Andrew, seated to Old Hossen’s left, let out a scoff.

He was wearing a meticulously tailored black suit today, his hair slicked back flawlessly.

Except for a slightly excessive paleness in his complexion, there was no sign of panic.

“I guess you’re the one bringing the trouble, aren’t you?”

“A liar from the East, colluding with my reckless younger brother.”

Andrew’s gaze fell upon Kevin like a venomous snake.

“Kevin, my good brother, you still have the nerve to come back?”

“You colluded with outsiders to steal company secrets, and now you dare to show your face here?”

“It was you!”

“It was you who handed those so-called pieces of evidence to the Federal Bureau of Investigation!”

Andrew’s voice suddenly rose in pitch; he slammed the table hard and stood up.

“It was you, you traitor, trying to destroy the Hossen Family!”

The conference room immediately erupted in sounds of agreement.

“Andrew is right! He is a traitor!”

“Arrest him! Turn him over to the police!”

Kevin’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

He wanted to retort, but found his throat seemed blocked, unable to utter a single word.

The aunts and uncles who had once seemed kind and amiable toward him now looked at him with eyes full of contempt and hatred.

Just then.

Shen Yan’s hand gently rested on his shoulder.

A steady strength traveled through his shoulder.

Kevin’s restless heart miraculously calmed down.

“Mr. Andrew,”

Shen Yan spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching every corner of the conference room.

“Accusations require evidence.”

“Just like you need evidence to accuse Kevin of being a traitor.”

“And just like…”

Shen Yan paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

“…I accuse you of being a murderer.”

“What did you say?!” Andrew’s pupils contracted sharply.

His expression showed a crack for the first time.

It was no longer the feigned composure, but the startled anger of someone whose tail had been stepped on.

“Nonsense! What evidence do you have!”

“Evidence?”

Shen Yan smiled.

He pulled out a small USB drive from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“This contains the full testimony of Engineer Peter.”

“He detailed exactly how you instructed him to tamper with Kevin’s cable car.”

“Oh, right, there are also recordings of several of your phone calls with him.”

Andrew’s complexion visibly darkened.

From pale to ashen gray.

“Forged! This is all forged!” he shrieked.

“Is that so?”

Shen Yan was unconcerned, taking out a second USB drive.

“Then how about this one?”

“The testimony of the stable hand, Old John. Regarding how you instructed him to smear a drug on Kevin’s saddle that would startle the horse.”

“And all the account records of your money laundering through the ‘Siren’s Song’ Foundation.”

“The flow of every single fund is crystal clear.”

With every sentence Shen Yan spoke, Andrew’s face grew uglier.

Fine beads of sweat began to surface on his forehead.

In his eyes, which had always held a false smile, true panic surfaced for the first time.

The atmosphere in the conference room also began to subtly shift.

Those family members who had been indignant moments before now closed their mouths.

They looked at Andrew, then at the USB drives on the table, their eyes filled with suspicion and dread.

“Enough!”

Old Hossen in the main seat finally spoke.

He heavily struck the armrest.

“These items of questionable origin prove nothing!”

“Andrew is my son, the future heir of the Hossen Family!”

“I will never allow anyone to frame him with such despicable means!”

Old Hossen’s voice was still full of authority.

But Shen Yan keenly caught that the hand gripping the armrest was trembling slightly.

Andrew seemed to grab a life raft and immediately chimed in, “That’s right! Father! They are framing me! This man named Shen Yan, and Kevin, they just want to take everything from the Hossen Family!”

Shen Yan looked at the ‘father and son’ and suddenly smiled.

There was a hint of pity in that smile.

“Mr. Old Hossen, I have always admired you.”

“Starting from scratch, you built such a massive commercial empire.”

“But I also feel regret for you.”

“What do you mean?” Old Hossen’s brow furrowed even deeper.

“The greatest tragedy of your life did not come from commercial rivals, nor from enemies outside the family.”

Shen Yan’s gaze slowly fell upon Andrew’s face.

“It came from the heir you poured your heart into cultivating, a son you treated as your own…”

“He doesn’t even have the Hossen surname.”