In reality, Mira and Valerie aren't the only heirs to the Consortium's throne. They are also the heirs of Sylvester Ash's immense wealth.
Sylvester Ash also had a son. When the Manoban family looked into it, they found that Adrian and Maddox should be around the same age. After looking deeper into the matter, they figured out that Adrian and Maddox were the same people.
The Nagasaki family is currently managing Sylvester Ash's companies and other properties. The previous heir was Christopher Ash when it should have been both Adrian and Christopher.
Adrian's mother had supposedly killed herself after killing Sylvester Ash.
"Imamura was able to trace Valerie's biological mother." Liam tells Leo, "But she's already dead. She died in an accident. I think that Maddox got rid of her. It's easy to hack the cameras on the streets.
Leo gives him a nod, listening carefully.
"Right now, the Nagasaki family is quiet," Liam recalls the funeral that was held for Daniel Nagasaki. Nobody from the Nagasaki family was present at Daniel's funeral. It was revealed that Daniel killed Mira's twin brother. Daniel wasn't buried beside his wife or father-in-law. His body was cremated. "Leo, did Mira ever say something about her father to you?"
"Not much." Leo furrows his brows. "She didn't have a good relationship with his mother. When I went to her house, I found her mother lying on the floor with wounds all over her body. She was also taking drugs. Now that I think about it, her father was strange. Why did he allow Mira to get abused?"
"He was training her for the Consortium." Liam ponders, "Mira did love her father but... I think that she knew about her brother's death. You told me that she killed Ayaka and her grandfather."
"Yes, it was her," Leo says to him. "Why did she let go of her father?"
"She didn't let go of her father." Liam glances at him. "Daniel died in police custody. Someone from the Consortium killed him. Why do you think? Mira revealed that Daniel killed Yuki. The police also doubted Daniel for Mira's murder when she wasn't found in the woods. Only you, Jennie, and I knew that she was alive. Now, we know that the Consortium also knew. They wouldn't send Valerie to us if she was the only heir."
Leo hasn't thought about it. "But Mira didn't return to Consortium. She had been with Furotani, the serial killer. For all we know, she had been killing people with him. Why would she do that?"
"Leo." Liam entwines his fingers together, resting his elbows on his thighs as he leans forward and stares at Leo calmly. "Is Mira someone who will kill people without reasons? Is she a serial killer like Furotani Taro?"
Is she? Leo can't tell. He has been questioning himself. Mira has never been truthful to him. Even after their rebirth, she has acted in an aloof manner. "I don't know."
"Even though you don't know her well, there are certain things that a person can never hide." Liam takes a breath. "To make a lie so believable to the other person, it's always best to use a certain degree of truth in that lie. You should take a look at your memories without bias again and judge her actions."
"She killed her own family." Leo utters with a bitter voice, "She's nothing less than a psychopathic killer. What did Tezuka Henry do? All of her actions suggest that she is a bloodthirsty woman who can't stop herself from killing people."
If someone like her gets the Consortium, he can only imagine what would happen in the underworld.
"He had a connection with the underworld." Liam informs him quietly, "I think that he could have been connected to the Consortium. I am not so sure though. If he was an obstacle between Mira and the Consortium throne, then it's not odd that she killed him."
"Not odd?" Leo wrinkles his nose. "She nearly poisoned Uncle."
"She also saved him." Liam wonders what he is trying to prove to his son. His son still loves Mira but he's arguing against him. "She saved you. She could have killed you if she truly hated you, Leo. She had plenty of opportunities. But Mira didn't do it. However, it's clear that she hates Valerie and Maddox. She hated her own family. It's my guess but... Maybe she doesn't trust the Consortium. Otherwise, she has no reasons to seek help from a serial killer. She might have committed crimes by killing her family and Maddox but the Consortium would never harm her life. "
That's true. Consortium treasures the blood of Sylvester Ash. Did he misunderstand Mira? Yuta frowns. Why did she kill him then? .
"She wants the Consortium but she doesn't want to go to them." Liam speaks slowly, "She wanted to kill Valerie when she knew that it would threaten her control over the consortium even if she became the only heir after Valerie's death. She killed her family and caused Daniel Nagasaki's death, nearly exposing the Consortium to the public, and she pretended to be dead for some time. Leo, I don't think that her only goal is Consortium."
Leo doesn't understand what his father is trying to say. Mira mentioned several times that she wanted the Consortium over anything in her life.
"We might be overlooking something." Liam explains when his son gives him a confused look, "Mira is an adult. She's not someone who kills without a reason. If she was that kind of person, she wouldn't wait for so long to kill you. In addition to that, she took you to the place that was important to her before she killed you. Mira was trained by Daniel Nagasaki to win the Consortium just like Maddox raised Valerie to get what he could never have."
He continues with a solemn look in his eyes, "I understand her obsession. But people like her wouldn't do anything without a good reason. She could have approached you for protection from Yuan Bo but why did she kill you when Valerie wasn't dead? Valerie was certainly your enemy."
"I think that I was a sacrifice," Leo replies. He had revealed everything to his father -- everything that he knew about the Consortium. "At the moment, our family is in the list of potential sacrifices."
"I know." Liam nods. "I have looked into the Consortium. There's not much but I don't think that they choose sacrifices randomly. When Dionne Ash was chosen as the heir, her mother died in mysterious circumstances. I think that Dionne's mother was a sacrifice."
Dionne Ash's mother? Leo purses his lips. Is it common in Mira's family? Mira killed her family. Dionne Ash also killed her own mother.
"Besides, I am guessing that sacrifices are done when the final heir is chosen. We know that Mira died but we don't know how she died. If she had won the Consortium, she wouldn't have tried to kill Valerie when she was still young. She would have gone back to Consortium and tried to gain power by winning people over to her side. But she's not doing anything that she's supposed to do."
"Killing Maddox is logical. But why did she do that to her father who would be on her side?" Liam questions him. "Her father had taken care of her mother's and grandfather's deaths. He made it look like Ayaka killed her father and then, she killed herself. Mira had no reason to do what she did."
"What do you want to say, Father?" Leo furrows his brows together. "Do we need to understand a psychopath's mind?"
"A psychopath isn't a fool." Liam exhales, "Mira isn't a fool either. She can control people like Furotani Taro. Something must have happened between her and the Consortium. The way she had Tezuka Henry killed was a message to somebody. It was probably the Consortium."
"Does she..." Leo scratches his head. "I can't understand her motive."
"It's clear that she won't show herself to the Consortium until the game between her and Valerie starts." Liam concludes, "She's probably hiding from the Consortium while she is killing people who are connected to the Consortium. Doesn't it mean that she's trying to weaken the Consortium?"
If Consortium is important to her, she wouldn't be doing this. Leo asks his father, "Could it be that she doesn't want to be a puppet? Is it Nagasaki family?"
"There's no one left in the Nagasaki family except for..." Liam pauses. "I heard that Daniel Nagasaki has two illegitimate siblings. His father is also alive but he's always sickly. Daniel Nagasaki's sister is unmarried. His younger brother is not much older than you are."
"Not much older..." Leo mumbles, "What's his name?"
"Declan Hale." Liam answers him, "He took his mother's surname. Right now, he's living with his mother in the U Country. As much as I know, his father rarely visits him."