“Dad, I’ll go with you,” Warner stepped forward, offering his support.
Landon nodded, appreciating his eldest son’s willingness to accompany him. Among his three children, Warner was his favorite. Although he lacked business talent, he was reliable and never caused trouble for the family. Currently, he was also managing the family business.
Glancing at his other two children, Landon felt his anger resurface.
“This matter isn’t resolved yet. Both of you are not allowed to go out. Stay home and reflect on your actions!”
“Dad…” Maria attempted to explain that despite her selfish intentions, she genuinely wanted to contribute to the family. If it weren’t for the recent events, they wouldn’t be treated this way.
Before she could continue, Sampson grabbed her arm and interrupted, “Stop talking!”
“Why?” Maria wasn’t convinced. “My intention was to do something for the family. I may have failed, but it shouldn’t be unforgivable! It’s unfair to treat us like this!”
Landon clenched his chest, seething with anger. Not only was she refusing to admit her mistake, but she also disregarded his words?
“Enough now! Can’t you see that Dad is angry?” Warner scolded her.
“Don’t pretend to be virtuous in front of Dad. You’re just afraid that Sampson and I will divide the family property and take your place in the company. That’s why you’re trying to please Dad at every opportunity…”
“That’s it!” Landon slammed his hand on the table in anger and began coughing. His face turned red, and Warner quickly patted him on the back.
“That’s how it always is. Warner acts subservient outside and then comes home to kowtow to Dad,” Maria expressed her frustration. Warner was the sole manager of the family business, and despite Maria’s desire to work for the company, he deliberately made excuses to prevent her from joining.
Wasn’t he afraid of losing control of the property?
“That’s enough! Both of you, leave! Go back to your rooms!” Camilla couldn’t bear to listen any longer. They were all her children, and they were all equally important to her.
“Let her speak!” Landon interjected, breathing heavily as if he might faint at any moment.
“Dad, is it fair to leave the company solely to Warner?” Maria had been dissatisfied for a long time, and now she seized the opportunity to voice her concerns.
Warner silently looked at her.
Landon raised an eyebrow. “Are you lecturing me about fairness?”
He wasn’t a naive old man. He favored his eldest son, Warner, because he saw through everyone’s intentions.
Sampson pursued a career in psychology against his wishes and became a psychiatrist. Now that he had returned, he had no knowledge of the business world. Especially in this competitive era, it wasn’t an easy feat.
Was it too late for him to learn? Furthermore, could business even be learned?
Business required ability, courage, and vision.
Sampson possessed none of those qualities.
As for Maria, she initially stayed by Matthew’s side not because of her skills or talent, but because of her pitiful childhood. He allowed her to remain as his secretary, pouring tea, arranging his schedule, and performing mundane tasks.
Moreover, she was a woman who would eventually be married off. Handing over shares to her and allowing her to take them to someone else’s home? It was unthinkable.
And then there was Warner. He attended business school and learned alongside his father after graduation before taking over the company.
Though he wasn’t exceptional, he had spent many years in the business world. He may not have had the ability to expand the company, but he had accumulated enough experience to maintain its current status.
Therefore, his eldest son had performed adequately to retain power, and Landon turned a blind eye to the matter.
“Calm down! They are just children; they’re ignorant,” Camilla approached and comforted him.
Landon snorted coldly, “Children? They’re in their thirties.”
He glanced at his wife. “No one is allowed to leave without my permission.”
“Understood,” Camilla responded cautiously, careful not to further upset him.
Warner extended his hand to help his father up. “Dad, let’s go now. I’m worried things might spiral out of control.”
The momentum was dwindling, but time was short, and not many people were aware of the situation yet. If it were allowed to spread for a couple more days, it would become impossible to manage.
Understanding the gravity of the matter, Landon rose with his son’s support. “Call the driver and have the car ready.”
“I’ll drive!” Warner offered.
“Alright.”
Warner assisted his father in walking out.
Maria turned to Camilla. “Mom, look how biased Dad is. He only trusts Warner and gives him everything.”
She knew exactly what her husband was thinking.
If Sampson had the capabilities, he wouldn’t have been overlooked. Besides, Maria was a girl, and her relationship with her father wasn’t as deep due to her lost childhood.
When compared to Warner’s hard work and thoughtfulness, it was natural for Landon to lean on him.
“You caused such a huge disaster. If you don’t reflect on it and keep fighting with your family, how can your father be happy with you?” Camilla gazed at her daughter. “You’re a woman, and you’ll get married in the future. Whether you join the company or not doesn’t matter.”
“I’m a woman? So what? Am I not a part of this family?” Maria didn’t expect her mother to say such things.
What era was she living in?
How patriarchal!
“You all dismissed me from the start because I was a girl. Why didn’t you just strangle me at birth? Would it have been better if you hadn’t accepted me?” Maria burst into tears and ran upstairs.
Camilla’s body trembled, struggling to stay steady.
Sampson approached to help her. “Mom, don’t be angry. Maria didn’t mean it.”
Camilla waved her hand. “If I get any angrier, I might die of anger. Help me to my room.”
“Your father said that both of you are not allowed to leave the house. Stay indoors for a few days to avoid further angering him,” she explained to her son.
“Alright.” Sampson pursed his lips. “Even though we got into trouble this time, we genuinely wanted to do something for our family but failed. I understand why Dad relies on Warner. I’ve never been jealous of him or had any desire for power.”
It wasn’t that he lacked desire or ambition; it was simply that his desires didn’t revolve around power.
If that were truly what he wanted, he would have done anything to attain it.
Just like Dolores, he deliberately deceived her because of his selfishness as someone from country A.
As Maria had pointed out, he was indeed selfish.
He was just skilled at hiding it.
In the Nelson family…
Jayden practiced calligraphy in his study. After handing over the company to his son, he had completely detached himself from business matters. Calligraphy had become his hobby.
Every afternoon, he would spend three hours in the study, with Victoria grinding ink for him.
Though they were growing older, the scene remained beautiful.
“What’s on your mind?” Jayden looked at Victoria, who was gazing out the window.
She snapped out of her thoughts and continued grinding the ink. “Nothing. I just miss our son.”
Jayden placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do you regret it?”
Just as Victoria was about to respond, a knock came from the study door, and Thomas’s voice followed, “Someone from the Herbert family is here.”
“Isn’t that matter already resolved?” Victoria’s hand paused in the middle of grinding ink, her tone turning slightly cold. “Why is he here?”
She thought it might be about the broken engagement.
They hadn’t caught up with the news today, so they were unaware of what had happened.
Jayden finished his final stroke and placed the brush on the holder. “Let’s go and find out.”