Chapter 86
Reuben's smile faltered. "Well, what do you think?"
Clifford stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly laughed. “It seems I overreacted."
"That's not what I meant..."
"Aren't we supposed to be eating? Let's go." Clifford cut him off, his expression back to its usual impassive state, as if he hadn't been the one furious moments ago.
Santino chimed in with a smile, “Let's head to the dining room, then. No sense standing around here."
Renata linked her arm through his, her face a little strained as she looked up at him.
Clifford turned to Latisha, his fingers gently tracing the injured area around her eye. "Does it still hurt?"
Latisha looked into his face. The concern in his eyes seemed real. He was always like this-sometimes so close she felt she could touch him, like the moon reflected in water. But when she reached for it, the image would shatter, revealing it was only ever an illusion. He would lead her on, step by step, making her willingly leap into the abyss. He'd lure her into the water to chase a moon she could never hold, leaving her to drown in the tide while he watched, detached and clear-eyed, as she sank.
She dropped her gaze, her long lashes hiding her thoughts, and shook her head. Clifford said nothing more, leading her by the hand into the dining room.
Everyone at the table was lost in their own thoughts, and the meal was devoid of any festive spirit. Clifford, seemingly having forgotten the incident with the toy gun, was calmly making small talk with Reuben, asking about the branch company he managed.
The Lambert family empire was vast. It was unclear if Wallace was trying to be fair to his children or if he had other motives, but he had never explicitly handed over control of the Lambert Group to any one person. Even Clifford, the son he was so proud of, was only a CEO with a twenty percent stake. The real power remained firmly in Wallace's hands. Though he had stepped back from day-to-day operations, he still held the controlling interest.
The branch company Reuben ran, which came with ten percent of the Lambert Group's shares, had been part of Yolanda's wedding gift.
Renata had received a similar arrangement when she married-a subsidiary with another ten percent stake. But she had no interest in business, so Santing managed it for her In addition, He also served as a vice president within the main company.
The only one left out was Wallace's youngest son, who had no role in the company and no significant shares He spent his days partying, a
complete wastrel no one bothered
taen in The family de
a tangled web of alliances and rivalries.
were
After dinner, they gathered in the living room a facade of civility masking the undercurrents of discord. Clifford sat off to one side, separate from the conversation. With a faint smile, he beckoned to Hafston.
The boy eyed him warily, but Clifford's smile was so gentle that Halston cautiously approached him.
"What do you want?" Halston asked, his eyes fixed on Clifford.
Clifford glanced at the toy gun still clutched in the boy's hand. "That looks like fun. Can you teach me how to play?"
Halston's eyes widened, his small face puffing up with pride.
"You don't know how? You're so dumb. Here, I'll show you..."
The naive child earnestly explained the workings of the toy gun, and Clifford listened
with rapt attention, his smile never wavering.
“Let me try,” Clifford said, taking the gun from Halston, who handed it over generously.
"Like this?" Clifford flicked off the safety, aimed the barrel directly at Halston, and smiled.
In the split second that Halston stared back, stunned, Clifford pulled the trigger.