Chapter 144
Chapter 144:
Casting a penetrating gaze at Alcott, Nina retorted, “Aiden is my son. I don’t need anyone to tell me if his feelings are true. Now, what about you? Don’t you owe me an explanation?”
“Explanation? What are you talking about?” Alcott stuttered, caught off-guard.
“Why was Bart at the charity gala last night? And why did he donate the vase you purchased for over eight million? That was a rather lavish act, don’t you think?”
To the affluent Green family, eight million was a mere trifle. But for Bart, a son born out of wedlock, stripped of claim and privilege, it was the kind of fortune one could only…
As Nina advanced, her imposing demeanor compelled Alcott to retreat a step, his back nearly brushing against the wall.
As the realization dawned on him, Alcott’s face turned a deep shade of red, a clear sign of his mortification. “I felt overwhelmed with guilt for neglecting him over the years, so I decided to offer him some compensation.”
“Compensation?” Nina’s laugh was sharp and mocking. “What kind of compensation does an illegitimate son even deserve? Why such a lavish gesture? The real point here is that he’s exploiting the vase to wriggle his way into the charity event. Don’t tell me he went through all that trouble just to do charity work?”
“Nina, I truly had no clue,” Alcott replied, his voice tinged with distress as he furrowed his brow in frustration. “All I did was hand over the vase to him. The thought that he would exploit it in such a manner never crossed my mind. If you doubt my words, I’m willing to bring him here to explain himself.”
Nina let out a long sigh, her eyes wandering back to the serene scene of the couple in the garden. “Alcott, I’m not asking you to spoil Aiden, but please don’t disappoint him.”
Alcott absorbed her words in silence.
“We’ve shared years of marriage. I’ve grown to understand the unspoken truths you carry,” Nina continued, her eyes glimmering with a trace of melancholy. “You’ve harbored a deep-seated bitterness for not being chosen as the heir. You don’t understand why he chose Aiden over you or why he left the power of decision in my hands.”
In the quiet that followed, Alcott’s eyes shimmered with a cold, hard edge of resentment.
“To put it bluntly, your father thought you were too simpleminded. You’re overly ambitious, but you lack the skills necessary to achieve your goals. As a result, you fail to see the bigger picture and always end up focusing on short-term gains.” Nina’s words stung Alcott.
How could a healthy man stand being looked down upon by his own wife?
“You say that I don’t have the skills? That I ignore the bigger picture?” Alcott’s voice was hoarse as he tried to suppress his anger and resentment. “If all of that was true, the old man would have never had the chance to write such a will in the first place.”
“Alcott, do you even realize what you’re saying?” Nina’s piercing gaze snapped him back to his senses.
“Sorry, I got a little carried away.” Alcott took a deep breath and refused to meet her eyes. “If nothing else, Nina, you must believe one thing—I will never do anything to harm the interests of the Green family.”
Nina pressed her lips into a thin line and said nothing more.
She believed him—Alcott would indeed not harm the Green family. But there was no guarantee that he would never hurt Aiden.
“What are you doing?”
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