“Also, why hasn’t anyone tried to confirm whether he’s dead or alive? The bulk of your family was in a hurry to publicly announce his death after failing to contact him. Not to mention, you and your family members wasted no time battling over your family’s inheritance,” Darius added. He leaned against the car, eyes boring into Austin with curiosity.Only Austin could see the former’s expression as he lay on the ground, facing directly at Darius, who looked down at him. His eyes darted left and right as he thought, “Shit. I’m in deep trouble now. This guy’s right—no one has bothered to look for my nominal father, even though it’s been a while since he vanished. The only people searching for him are my stupid stepsister and this guy. However, I’m pretty sure Kate doesn’t know him because she’s an idiot. Contrarily, this guy clearly has superior wealth and abilities. Guys like him would never associate themselves with Kate, who only invites trouble into her life. That must mean this gu
Austin was still on the ground, his eyes glassy with fear. Edward had guessed every word he intended to say. However, the way Edward said those words made them sound less threatening. “Unless… he and that other guy earlier were never afraid of my family in the first place,” Austin thought. Realizing that, he quickly turned to look at Darius, who now sat in the car. He continued to ponder, “This man owns the latest gun model, which comes with a hefty price tag. It’s enough to purchase at least a quarter of Anderson Group’s shares! If I hadn’t accidentally seen the gun earlier, I wouldn’t have realized it was such an expensive model!”He then propped himself off the ground, sitting upright while still trembling. Throughout the process, he cautiously eyed Edward. He knew Edward was a skilled fighter and was worried the latter would stop him from trying to talk to Darius.If that were to happen, he would never get the chance to see Darius again. Fortunately, things went smoothly; Austin
Darius seemed very composed and did not even open his eyes while he nodded. Then, he opened his eyes, saying, “I’ve considered the possibility of this.”He rested his arm against the car window, fists curling as he continued wearily, “Given Austin’s age, he wouldn’t have the guts to behave this way if he didn’t have someone influential supporting him. Not to mention, he could never afford such an expensive sports car.”His deduction garnered a sharp inhale from Erin.“Judging from his looks, someone must’ve told him about his relationship with William not long ago while spoiling him rotten to gain his trust. When I got close to him earlier, I noticed he had sunburn marks on his body and calloused hands—something only manual laborers develop,” said Darius. He leaned further into the car seat, his eyes narrowing. “That person must’ve lied to Austin. Also, I bet said person owns some of Anderson Group shares. Otherwise, Austin wouldn’t have believed them.”“Try investigating from this an
“My adoptive family doesn’t treat me as well as the outside world believes. Also, the woman who took me away from the orphanage—well, she makes it clear how sick she is of me. My adoptive mother often expresses how helpless she is when I get picked on by everyone else, but I can tell she, too, doesn’t like me,” Maurice revealed, testing the waters as he cautiously looked at Darius.Yet, disappointment soon tightened his chest to know the answer he wanted never came.Darius continued to stare at Maurice, knowing what the latter was thinking. He secretly found it funny how the boy reacted. While everyone was still stunned by the sudden turn of events, he raised his hand, hovering it over Maurice’s head. That caused Maurice to stiffen, holding his breath until the former’s hand rested on his head. Only then did he calm down.Darius quirked a brow but kept his opinions to himself. All he did was calmly point out, “You were hoping to see if I knew your birth parents and whether I could te
However, just as Maurice was about to say the word, he paused before shaking his head.Edward raised both brows in confusion, not expecting this to happen. Immediately after, his brows furrowed tightly, and he wanted to ask why. That was when Edward caught sight of a hinting look from Darius. He immediately fell silent but secretly panicked, unable to hide the growing anxiety in his eyes as he stared at the blond boy.Maurice’s gaze was downcast, his fingers twiddling while tears brimmed in his eyes. He willed himself to hold his breath. Not wanting anyone to see him break down, he kept his head down. Still, he replied loudly, “That’s a huge decision. Before I decide, I have to ask my adoptive mother’s opinion.”He then raised his head and no longer concealed his emotions, earnestly saying, “It doesn’t matter how she treated me before. Without her, I might not have survived until now. Plus, she’s given me plenty of financial aid throughout my life. I never expected her to treat me l
Even Austin’s broken ribs did not hinder him from loudly voicing the shock in his heart. He gradually dropped his hand, widening his eyes and clenching his teeth at Maurice. “That’s impossible!”Darius shrugged but did not speak anymore.That was when a woman’s voice rang out from a nearby car. Apart from Darius, no one else had noticed it arriving at the scene. Moments passed when Kate descended the car, her arms crossed, and chin held high at Austin. “Today is the first time I’ve ever heard your name. I know my father secretly had more than one family and how he fathered many bastards.”“However.” A corner of her lip curled as she sneered, “I don’t care. What concerns me more is that your mother—my aunt—had been plotting to inherit the Anderson family wealth many years ago. She even used the despicable method of switching yours and Maurice’s places without us knowing.”Still kneeling on the ground, Austin paled as his gaze shifted from Darius to Kate. Austin had seen Kate on telev
Austin’s brows crinkled closer. His head shot upward as his eyes pierced through Kate, hoping to catch her off guard and see what she thought. Everything went as he predicted, but sadly, he did not see what he wanted in her eyes; there was a whirlwind of fear, anger, dissatisfaction, hurt, and many more emotions. The one feeling absent in her gaze was a raging desire for him to die. Before looking at her, he assumed she only felt hatred at that instant. If he had to dig deeper, he would have guessed there was a sadistic joy in her eyes, eager to see him die. Yet, reality turned out different from what he had expected. Every part of his body tensed while a frosty aura radiated from him. It contrasted with Kate’s warm and inviting presence, something he refused to welcome with open arms.Kate lowered her head, simultaneously shivering as though the air was cold. It took her a while to discern what the boy’s pointed stare meant; eventually, she realized he was angry. Still, she assume
Austin’s attention was on Kate, who continued to gaze longingly at him but did not seem like she was getting out of the car anytime soon. Only then did he truly realize he was getting deserted. The young lady, whose name appeared several times in the background research documents he asked for, now behaved far more mercilessly than her supposed “naive” nature. His jaw fell wide open as he cried, “What are you doing, Kate? I’m your brother! So what if we have different fathers? We still share the same bloodline—we’re both Andersons! I’m just an Anderson on my mother’s side. Yet, you’re ditching me here? I know you’re capable of saving me! It’s just that you’re not trying harder!”He yelled louder with every passing second. He would have run after Kate’s car if not for the pain in his chest.On the other hand, Kate was frowning. Her chest tightened with guilt when she heard his hoarse cries. Panicked, she turned to look ahead at Erin, who did not hesitate to start the car and pull down