Chapter 1305

Neera was somewhat speechless. “What’s there to see?”

Sighing helplessly, she went on, “The Cox family is just a pile of troubles now. I wouldn’t have come if it weren’t for this big incident.”

Jean asked her, “What did the Cox family say?”

“The first elder, Mr. Rio, stated that the Cox family would never violate the law, nor have they ever traded in firearms. He doesn’t know how those items ended up in the Cox family’s auction house.

However, he has realized that there might be a mole involved. He seems to have started suspecting the people in the auction house, but he didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t ask further.”

Jean nodded, “Yes, that’s good. The elders of the Cox family are not idlers. They will surely investigate this thoroughly.”

Neera nodded before murmuring thoughtfully, “However, I don’t know why, but I feel like he has more to say, that he hasn’t told me everything…”

Indeed, there were some things that Rio chose not to tell her for the time being.

He had a vague feeling that this incident with the firearms was part of a larger and deeper conspiracy far beyond their anticipation.

However, Albert didn’t put much thought into this matter.

Instead, he was seething with rage at Neera’s earlier retorts.

“Rio, do you believe the nerve of that girl? Taking advantage of her current status to trample on our Cox family, acting high and mighty! Has she ever considered that without us, she wouldn’t have gotten to where she is today? She even dared to threaten me!”

Rio felt a headache coming on and had lost all his patience. His face hardened as he angrily rebuked Albert.

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble? Don’t you see what situation we’re in? And yet, you’re still causing chaos at home! Can’t you see our family is in dire straits and on the brink of disaster?”

Albert dismissed the words lightly. “Rio, aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill? Is it really necessary? Those firearms don’t belong to the Cox family. As long as we trace their origin, we can clear our name immediately. How could our future be at stake?”

Rio found him utterly unreasonable. He pointed at Albert’s nose, his finger trembling for quite a while, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.

Although Albert was the third elder of the Cox family, he was actually a good-for-nothing.

He had simply gotten the position due to his seniority.

Usually, he was all talk and no action, always bossing people around and looking for trouble, but there was really nothing substantial going on in his head.

Hence, it was not surprising that he could say such words at that moment.

After a good while, Rio finally caught his breath and shot him a look of frustration.

“You think it’s that simple? If this goes wrong, the entire Cox family could be implicated! Do you understand the gravity of illegally hoarding firearms? Do you think it’s easy to trace the source? If they dare to plant it in our auction house, it clearly shows they are not afraid of being investigated. As long as there’s no concrete evidence proving otherwise, the Cox family will remain under suspicion. Once such a serious accusation is made, does it really matter whether the Cox family is truly guilty or not in the end? In any case, the Cox family has now been dragged through the mud. It would be almost impossible to clear our name!”

Albert frowned. “But no matter what, Avery is still the second elder of the guild. That means our family’s position in Bartitsu Guild is unshakeable.”

“The second elder? Unshakeable? Ha, when they say you don’t use your brain, you really don’t think at all, do you? Was the title of the second elder not bestowed by the guild? If the guild can elevate you, don’t you think they can just as easily bring you down? You think the Cox family can rest easy now that we’ve secured this position, but in reality, we’re walking on thin ice. Do you know how many eyes are watching us? Not to mention the other guild elders. They’re like a pack of wolves, just waiting to find a weakness in the Cox family. If we make a single misstep the consequences would be unimaginable!”

At this point, his face was as black as thunder.

Upon hearing his words, Albert finally realized the current predicament of the Cox family.

“So, what should we do? Should we tell Avery about this?”

Rio frowned at him. “Have you grown old for nothing? Mr. Avery is currently on a mission on Adieu Island and is surrounded by danger. The slightest carelessness could lead to irreversible disaster. By delivering the news of the family’s crisis to him at this time, aren’t you deliberately distracting him? If something happens to him, our entire family will be finished instantly!”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. “The Cox family is already in such a state, yet you still have the nerve to protect your good-for-nothing daughter. You even dared to argue with the head of the Gordon family. Aren’t you just asking for trouble? Ms. Garcia could have held a grudge, but she chose to let bygones be bygones and came to the Cox family to check on the situation. She’s already shown leniency. If you continue to be ungrateful and cause even bigger problems, not only will the Cox family be unable to protect you, but even when Mr. Avery returns, he will kick you and Phoebe out. You better think clearly about whether it’s worth it!”

After saying his piece, he stormed upstairs, his body radiating anger.

Albert stood still, his brows furrowed as his face gradually darkened.

It seemed he had oversimplified the matter.

Nonetheless, just the thought of Neera willing to harm Phoebe to such an extent made him seethe with anger.

After a long/pause, he finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, “There’s plenty of time in the future, Neera. We have all the time in the world to settle our scores!”