Chapter 428

Joe shot John a quick glance, then slammed the door shut with a smirk.

"Open this damn door!" John bellowed.

Joe had really pissed John off before because of Jasper, and now John was out for blood. He finally had Joe cornered.

John's crew started pounding on the door, kicking and ramming it like madmen, making the whole thing shake.

Paxton stood back, watching. He knew if Joe was here, so was that diary. And that diary had the goods on bringing the criminal back to the country.

Finally, Paxton's guys managed to bust down the flimsy wooden door, but to their shock, there was an open window in the house.

Joe was outside, backpack slung over his shoulder, waving. "See ya, Mr. Williams. Got a little present for you."

With a wicked grin, Joe pulled out a lighter and tossed it through the window.

John's crew caught a whiff of gasoline and their faces went pale. They yanked John out of the house in a hurry.

Just as they got clear, flames erupted, smoke billowing out of every crack.

Paxton started to freak out. He needed that diary.

"Get in there and find anything useful!" Paxton barked at his men.

But they hesitated, staring at the raging fire. Charging in now was a death wish.

John sneered at Paxton's crew and waved his hand. "Get in there and find the diary."

Without a second thought, John's guys dove into the flames.

Paxton glared at his men. "Whoever finds the diary gets a million bucks."

That did the trick. Paxton's guys sprang into action, even more determined than John's.

Screams echoed from inside, and some couldn't take the heat, bolting out of the house.

As more and more people fled, both John and Paxton started to lose hope.

Then, out of nowhere, someone burst from the flames clutching a diary, shouting, "I got it! I finally got it!"

John and Paxton's eyes lit up, and they both rushed towards the guy. His face was so blackened by the fire, they couldn't tell whose side he was on.

The guy looked at both of them, then headed straight for Paxton, handing over the diary.

John clenched his teeth in fury. Paxton, on the other hand, grinned like a Cheshire cat as he took the diary.

John watched Paxton's smug grin, a slight smirk forming on his own lips.

Just then, another guy burst out of the burning house.

"I found the diary!" he shouted, beaming.

Paxton's smile vanished.

The guy handed the diary to Paxton, eyes gleaming with expectation.

Paxton blinked, confused by the two identical diaries. "Did Zane have a bunch of diaries?"

The two guys who brought out the diaries glared at each other, both hungry for that $1 million reward.

"Maybe Zane's been keeping diaries for years," one of Paxton's men suggested.

Paxton nodded, thinking that made sense. He shot a smug look at John and patted the two guys on the back.

"Good job, both of you get $1 million," Paxton announced.

The two guys grinned from ear to ear.

Then, another person came running out, also holding a diary.

"Mr. Brown, I found the diary," the guy said, looking confused at the two diaries in Paxton's hands.

Paxton's face darkened. He was starting to feel like he was being played.

John seemed to catch on and smirked at Paxton. "Congrats, Mr. Brown. Looks like you found the diary from two years ago."

Paxton shot John a deadly glare, then snatched the third diary from his guy.

He flipped through it and saw it was similar to the others. All three diaries were from the same year, but which one was the real deal?

"Think there's a fourth diary?" John taunted.

"Mr. Williams, I found the diary!" one of John's men shouted, running out with yet another diary.

John's smile froze, his lips twitching as he took the diary.

He looked at the diary in his hand, then at Paxton's, realizing they all looked the same.

John's face darkened. They'd both been duped.

As John flipped through the diary, he searched anxiously for clues about the serial killer. He dreaded seeing Bianca's name, even though he suspected she was being framed.

Finally, he found the name of the serial killer. But when he saw the info about the intermediary who brought the killer back to the country, he was stunned.

"Joseph? How could it be him? Could Isabella be right-was this all orchestrated by the other two major families?" John thought, his brow furrowing deeply.