Chapter 743
Chapter 743:
Upon seeing both sides were silent again, Ashton sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. Since when did he become the family’s peacemaker? But now that the matter had reached this point, he had no choice but to keep going.
“Listen, you three. Why don’t you think about it carefully?
Malcom didn’t treat you as family, how could he have begged his father to share his cooking skills with you? If not for those opportunities Malcom had given you, no matter how talented you are, you wouldn’t be where you are now. After you left, Malcom struggled to find a decent chef because the Crawfords made things difficult for him behind the scenes. He had no choice but to step in and do everything all by himself.”
Ashton narrowed his eyes. “And since he has already given you the chance to learn his father’s cooking skills, his own cooking skills didn’t meet the standards at all. This is why he nearly brought the restaurant to the brink of closure.”
Covington, the oldest among the three, was the first to speak up. “Of course, we know what Malcom has done for us. And we’re really grateful to him from the bottom of our hearts. We hope he doesn’t have to shoulder all the burden. However, his rejection was so harsh that we couldn’t help but get hurt. It was tough to swallow.”
Esteban chimed in, “Exactly! Malcom had to handle everything by himself, such as sourcing ingredients, keeping the books, and figuring out ways to attract customers. He barely had time for his family. We only wanted to help him lighten the load, but he treated us this way. How could we not feel frustrated?”
Brewster, who had been silent, also spoke up. “What Stephen said earlier really hit home. Although we are not biological brothers, we were all raised in the Deleon family. But Malcom’s father gave us a different surname, like we’re not part of the family. That’s why, after being rejected back then, we chose to leave. We believed that without us, Malcom was nothing. But we never stopped caring about him. We even planned to save up to buy the restaurant. Then, we could bring him on board as an employee and take care of him.”
After listening to the three men, Malcom felt a sense of relief wash over him. All the resentments in his heart dissipated.
He looked at the Figueroa brothers and said apologetically, “I am very sorry. To protect my pride as your brother, I held back too many things from you, which built walls between us. I didn’t want you to see my struggles or think less of me, so I tried to carry everything on my own. But I want you to know that, in my heart, you are always my family. My father gave you the surname Figueroa because over thirty years ago, we stumbled upon the three of you on the road near Figueroa Village during that severe…”
gⱯ𝗅𝗇0ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺, 𝒲𝗁𝒾𝗇𝑒 𝓬𝓱𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝗼𝗻
Famine. At that time, Staville was plagued by strange disasters. You three were the only survivors in the entire village. My father didn’t want that village with a long history to vanish completely, so he insisted on giving you the surname Figueroa.”
Ashton had heard about the odd natural disasters that affected Staville for several years. But this was his first time hearing about the story between Malcom and the Figueroa brothers.
He couldn’t help but pipe up, “Honestly, blood or surnames don’t define family ties. It’s all about the experiences and memories you’ve shared and the bonds you’ve built. Malcom let you learn his father’s cooking skills, the essence of this restaurant’s legacy. You three, on the other hand, are eager to breathe new life into the restaurant and ensure its success. Isn’t this enough to prove you are family?”
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