“Skylar,” Dave replied, his tone cold and distant, “you’re forgetting something. I told you I’d do anything for you except this one.”
Skylar’s bloodshot eyes looked at him, filled with anger.
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“Except for this, huh? Fine then.”
Her eyes shifted to Dave and Bianca, and a cruel glint flashed in her eyes. “Then I wish for you never to marry Bianca.”
Dave’s eyes turned icy. He frowned at Skylar, his voice sharp. “What did you just say?”
Skylar dug her nails into her palms; her red, vengeful eyes looked back at his cold stare. “I said you can refuse to marry me,” she repeated. “But you won’t marry Bianca either. Dave, don’t forget I saved your life, and you made me a promise. You can’t deny it!”
Dave’s voice dropped to a low growl. “Why are you being so unreasonable?”
He tightly clenched his fists and said, “I loved her! You can’t force me, Skylar.”
Skylar froze, completely stunned by Dave’s confession.
Before Skylar could react, a sudden thud startled them both.
Lucas had slammed his cane against the floor.
He had been frozen in disbelief after watching Dave tear up the equity transfer agreement.
It had taken him a long moment to process what had happened.
Dave chose Bianca? The realization hit Lucas like a bomb, even worse than when his son had married a commoner and walked away from the Evans Group. This betrayal burned with anger and deep disappointment.
Years of carefully grooming Dave as his successor were now wasted.
Why would both Dave and his father throw away their futures-and the company-for women? They must be out of their minds!
“Dave, you’ve crossed the line! What do you mean you love her?!” Lucas’s voice shook with fury. He pointed at Bianca, confusion written all over his face. “Wasn’t she with Justin…? What is happening here?!”
Dave stepped forward, shielding Bianca. He stared into his grandfather’s eyes without flinching.
“Grandpa, you’ve never cared about my feelings, only your opinions and decisions. I never told you because every girl who came near me was driven away by you. I hid it all to protect the woman I love. Justin said he bought the necklace, but it was a lie to help me. It was my gift to Bianca. She’s irreplaceable. Like the red diamond, she has my heart.”
Dave’s voice, though calm, carried an unshakable determination.
Lucas stared at him, bewildered, as if seeing a stranger in his grandson.
He had always believed his actions were for Dave’s benefit, to stop him from repeating his father’s tragic mistakes. He thought Dave understood.
Had he been wrong all along?
“Ridiculous. This is absurd!” Lucas exclaimed, stumbling back. His face was a mix of anger and grief. The butler rushed to hold him.
Lucas pointed a trembling finger at Dave. “Don’t you remember how your father died? If he’d listened to me and hadn’t married your mother, he wouldn’t have died so young! Is that the path you want to take?!”
Dave’s expression hardened at the mention of his parents. His cold eyes shifted to Rupert, who stood silently, his eyes blank.
A cold sneer spread across Dave’s face. His voice cut through the air like steel.
“Grandpa, you know the truth about my parents’ deaths better than anyone. Do you really want me to expose it here, in front of everyone? Can you bear the judgment of the world?”
Lucas followed Dave’s eyes and saw his second son, Rupert.
The car accident from years ago… it had been caused by his own sons. He had always known.
Dave had every reason to despise his uncles.
Lucas believed the business world was brutal. Rivalry among brothers was inevitable. Being part of a powerful family meant living under constant threat. There was no room for complacency.
But Dave’s father had forgotten that. He ignored the lessons Lucas had taught him. Driven by a desire for a simple life, he didn’t see how his very existence posed a danger to others.
If he had been more aware, how could his own brothers have taken his life so easily?
The truth was, Dave’s parents had paid the ultimate price for their naivety.
Though deeply heartbroken, Lucas felt an even stronger sense of disappointment in his eldest son and resentment toward Dave’s mother.
It was why he had spent years protecting Dave from opportunistic women.
Just like his father, Dave had become a source of great disappointment for him.
That disappointment turned into hatred, which he directed at Bianca.
Lucas was determined not to let history repeat itself.
He wished he could eliminate the woman he believed was dragging Dave down.
To him, she was the reason for Dave’s failings.
Dave’s eyes grew icy. “Grandpa, your last hospitalization-it was just another act, wasn’t it?”
Lucas’s eyes flickered with unease. “How did you know?”
Lucas stared at Dave, his face full of confusion. The hospital’s director was a close friend of his. He couldn’t believe the director would tell Dave anything.
“I guessed it,” Dave said with a mix of sarcasm and seriousness. He chuckled lightly. “Grandpa, I never thought you’d take your health so lightly. You always told me that respect starts with yourself. Yet here you are, ignoring your own advice. You said you were disappointed in me, but did you think about how disappointed I’d be in you?”
Dave had been watching Lucas secretly. If Lucas was really so sick, he wouldn’t have the energy to threaten him so fiercely.
Dave’s calm questioning left Lucas flustered, forcing him to reveal the truth.
“I… I just…” Lucas stammered, unable to find the right words.
“Sir, this isn’t the right time. Please reconsider,” Lucas’s butler said quietly, hoping to ease the tension. He had never seen Lucas so shaken and wanted to calm him down.
Lucas’s eyes swept over the grand banquet hall, his anger barely under control.
The room was filled with powerful business figures from around the world.
The Evans Group’s reputation was already fragile tonight. Continuing this argument could cause irreversible damage.
As the chairman, he couldn’t allow that to happen.
Forcing himself to stay composed, Lucas turned to Dave, his voice trembling with desperation. “If she’s your choice, then leave. You’re no longer my grandson once you walk out that door.”
Dave’s frown deepened, his voice filled with both frustration and sadness. “Grandpa, why do you have to be so harsh? Why can’t I be with the woman I love? Why must I live by your rules? These things don’t have to be all or nothing. Why turn it into such an ultimatum? Does this really make you happy?”