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Chapter 258
Helen’s expression changed. “Nothing. You can go to work tomorrow. Do your best, and don’t let me down.”
“Mom, you can’t be asking me to go against Pierre for the throne of the heir, can you?”
“Of course I’m asking you to do that. You’re both John’s son, so why does he get to be the heir, but not you?” Helen told Chris about her plan. He’s grown up now. It’s time for him to know what I have in mind for him.
Chris was stupefied after hearing it. His parents had kept him safe from the realities of the world since he was a child. He was like a well-protected flower who thought nothing of family feuds, responsibilities, and legacies. Even though he studied whatever his parents told him to, Chris did everything as he pleased, and he never imagined competing to be the heir.
Helen’s revelation came as a shock to him. “Mom, why do I have to go against Pierre? Even if I’m not the heir, I can still inherit the shares and the family’s wealth. The money’s enough to last three generations. Is it important that I become the heir?”
That answer warranted him a tight slap from his mother. The sound of the slap resounded in the room, and something broke.
Helen, shocked by her outburst, quickly went to check on her son. “A-Are you alright, Chris? I’m sorry. I was panicking, so…”
Chris kept quiet. He always thought his mother was a kind, gentle woman, but after what she did, he saw her in a new light.
“I didn’t mean it, Chris. I was just worried for you. Even princes of old wanted to take the throne. All of them engaged in bloody battles with their brothers to do so. It’s just the same with families like
ours.” Helen caressed his cheek gently. “You have to fight for it because you’re a part of the family, whether you like it or not. Pierre will ruin you if you don’t.”
“Pierre is not that kind of person,” Chris whispered, but he was almost inaudible and uncertain.
“You can’t know that for sure. Do you know why he’s so distant with us? Because he knows we came later, and we’re a threat to him. You’re a kind man, Chris, but you know nothing of the horrors of the world. Do you know why Pierre created the Empire Group? So he can show his value, making him look better in the fight for the Fowler Corporation’s inheritance battle. He’s an ambitious man. Do you think he won’t do it? You’ll know how he does things once you get into the company. He’s a cruel, cruel man, and you’re just his half brother. Do you think he’ll show mercy when the fight starts?”
Chris stood rooted to the spot. It was the first time he felt vulnerable, and the first time he saw how cold and cruel prestigious families were. Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
“You have to fight for it whether you like it or not. It’s better that you hold your own fate than letting someone else do it for you. We’re safe for now because your father is still alive, but once he passes, Pierre will have free rein, and he will never show mercy to us. You have to do it, Chris. Understand?” Helen tried her best to be gentle, for fear that Chris would run away from fear. He was her son, after all.
Chris grunted, but he couldn’t fully accept the reality yet. Even so, he knew he had to rethink his plans from then on.
After landing in Springvale, Selena went to her home there, the place where she had lived for four years. Despite being far away from the chaos in Astoria, she still couldn’t cheer up.