The CEO's Unplanned Heir novel Chapter 1296

Geoffrey's body jolted violently, "What are you implying?"

Skyler said, "If my hunch is correct, we're not twins at all. You're not Tanya's child but the offspring of a maid from the Heninger household. That maid came to the Stirling family with Tanya and later was sent back to Eastwood Heights. I suspect you were taken by Tanya shortly after your birth. Your real mother's whereabouts are unknown. My dad has been searching for her, to no avail. There's a chance she's already gone."

He trailed off, the implication hanging heavily in the air. Leopold had insinuated that the maid might have met a grim fate at the hands of Tanya.

Geoffrey's shoulders shuddered as if he'd been struck by an invisible blow. "You're talking nonsense, and that's impossible." he spat out.

Tanya had always told him he was the older brother, the one destined to shoulder all responsibilities. The idea that he could be the son of a maid was unthinkable.

Skyler had expected Geoffrey to question his origins, but his reaction showed no sign of doubt. It seemed Tanya's indoctrination had been too profound.

Leopold interjected, "Skyler isn't spinning tales. Tanya only had one child, and that's Skyler. You're not her blood, which means you don't belong in the Heninger family. And because you're not truly one of us, she chose you as her avenger. To her, you're nothing more than a puppet. Even if you win, Tanya will never allow you to take the reins of the Stirling family. And the Stirlings would never accept the son of a Heninger maid as their leader. Is sacrificing your life and future for a lie really worth it?"

Geoffrey's face contorted, a vein throbbing violently at his temple as his mouth twisted in anguish.

"Liar, you're all liars. I don't believe a word you're saying, not one damned word."

He was on the verge of collapse, realizing that all the suffering and sacrifices he'd endured since childhood were just part of being Tanya's tool.

"Tell me where the other bombs are," Skyler offered, his voice softening, "I can give you a way out, keep the police off your trail."

Geoffrey gritted his teeth, "I won't utter a word. Let it all go to ruin."

Skyler approached him, "Geoffrey, do you remember the old castle in Country Verdecalma? During the holidays, Tanya would take us there. You locked me in the lab and made me raise insects for you..."

His voice was hypnotic, a low, slow melody weaving through the tension.

Geoffrey's gaze grew distant as if ensnared by the siren song, plunging into a black abyss.

Skyler and Leopold followed him into that darkness.

The place was a maze, dimly lit, with countless intersecting walls.

"We've entered the seventh layer of the hypnotic state, Geoffrey's inner labyrinth. He's lost himself here. If we can locate the remnants of his conscience, we might discover the location of the bombs," Skyler explained.

Several paths forked ahead. To save time, Leopold decided to split up from Skyler.

Leopold wandered for a while until a rain began to fall within the maze. A drenched little boy appeared in a corner, stabbing a small pony with a dagger, "Mama said if I kill you, we'll have roast lamb for dinner. Don't blame me, and I'm just so hungry."

Taking a deep breath, Leopold pressed on, encountering visions filled with carnage and the stench of blood.

"Cut off his manhood and make a soup out of it."

"Sever the tendons in his legs and arms."

Leopold realized that Geoffrey had become a vigilante, dealing with criminals who had slipped through the law's grasp. His methods were extreme, yet his sense of justice and morality was still intact.