Chapter 247
“Mr . Malcom, do you really think I’m that stupid? Let’s not talk about my father’s case first . Redmond was the vice leader of the first black-market alliance . Why would he be against Normand? It’s not like he would gain anything out of it . According to what I know, Redmond stayed on to support Normand during his most difficult time . As for you, you just arrived on this island at that time . If the first generation of the black-market alliance was stable, you would have had a tough time getting to where you are today, right?”
Malcolm’s expressions stayed the same, even after hearing what Carina said to him .
“I don’t blame you . Even I missed the real target . Redmond has bigger ambitions than anyone could imagine . As one of the pioneering black-market merchants on this island, he was never worried about his wealth and fame from the beginning until now . However, he was forced to live under Normand’s shadow . If he didn’t do what he did back then, he couldn’t have gotten to where he is today . He is now the leader of the black-market alliance .
“As for me, it’s true that I secretly wished the first alliance wouldn’t last long, all because of profits, of course . I did ask a merchant called Eugene to sabotage the black-market alliance, but the impact was minimal . With Normand’s reputation, it was hard to shake him off from his position . ”
“So, you asked Eugene to coin up a story that Normand had been secretly working with two captains, right? Since you had the guts to do something like this, why should I believe that it wasn’t you who sent my father to jail?”
“It seems like you are well-informed of the past . Whatever Eugene did after had nothing to do with me . I didn’t ask him to frame Normand of something he didn’t do . After your father was jailed, I started my own investigations, and I found out that Redmond had something to do with this incident . ”
“Why would you do that? You are not even that close to Normand, aren’t you? So, why are you investigating this matter?”
“Because I don’t want to be the second Normand . All this time, Redmond had always resented the setting up of the alliance, hoped that it never existed in the first place . He only supported the first alliance to get rid of Normand . This time, he believes that I’m a huge threat . I have to say, he’s one brilliant old man . Though he’s now the leader, and I’m just the vice leader, he knew that I would eventually get to his position within three years . By that time, he would be forgotten everyone around him . ”
“If what you say is true . Why would Redmond agree to form the alliance with you?”
“Why would he support Normand to form the first alliance in the first place?” asked Malcolm .
Before Carina could answer, Malcolm, continued,
“That’s because he couldn’t figure out an effective way to get rid of Normand . If Normand weren’t the leader of the alliance, it would be hard for Redmond to turn everyone against Normand since he’s a rather reputed person here . Things were different when Normand was elected leader . The alliance’s members automatically went against him when they were told that he had been receiving bribes from the captains . The profits of the members were severely affected, causing them to revolt .
“I knew that he would use the same strategy to fight me . Your problem isn’t the only one I’ve had to deal with lately . I have to admit that your business did give me some problems, and if Redmond’s men didn’t stir up trouble, would I have been so passive? Most importantly, Frazer betrayed me . He told me earlier that he had a beef with Zhang Heng, and he was willing to dispose of you and your people for me . However, I started to be suspicious of him after what happened to the Skeleton .
“Don’t you think that Zhang Heng and his Jackdaw arriving that night was too much of a coincidence? Wilton’s Skeleton arrived first, and Jackdaw came right after that . That wasn’t a coincidence . Frazer calculated everything . According to our agreement, the Skeleton was supposed to sink your ship and kill everyone on it . After that, they were supposed to leave Nassau . However, Frazer told me that Wilton was out of control . Not only did he take your money, but he also wanted to use your sailors to rip you off . Can’t you see that he’s fooled us here?
“Frazer is considered to be Zhang Heng’s mentor, more or less . He knows Zhang Heng better than anyone else on this island . In that situation, he knew exactly what decisions Zhang Heng would make . Frazer had already anticipated that Wilton and his men would live past that night . I have to admit that he had it all hidden so well . Though I suspected him before, I couldn’t find anything solid to pin him . So, I decided to trust him once more . When he contacted the captains on the island to leave the alliance and deal with you instead, I realized that I made a huge mistake .
“It was supposed to be a ‘kill-two-birds-with-one-stone’ strategy . If everything went smoothly, I would use the opportunity to destroy you and your business . Once you’re gone, the other captains on this island would have no option but to rely on the black-market alliance even though they don’t like us . The person that destroyed this plan wasn’t Zhang Heng . It was Frazer .
“We all know his conflict with Zhang Heng on this island . I only chose to believe him previously because I thought his target was always Zhang Heng and not me . After this incident, I can tell that he works for Redmond . However, it would be naive for Redmond to think that he can get rid of me so easily . If he can look for Frazer’s help, then I can work with you to get rid of him as well . You get to keep your twelve pirate ships, and I won’t interfere with your business anymore . I can even provide you with assistance to get through certain customs and local markets . Once this whole thing is over, I will help you to get your father out of jail . ”
“What would this cost me?”
“You don’t have to do anything . I just want us to stop fighting each other . I will solve my problem while you just sit quietly and watch the drama unfold . As for your father’s case, I’ll make the person responsible pay the price . Take your time and think over my offer . I’ll give you three days to think about it . We will meet again at the coffee shop in three days . ”
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