Chapter 573
Gideon’s cockiness evaporated in an instant when realization dawned on him. He looked at Tarquin, panic and fear evident in his eyes, “Tarquin, you wouldn’t dare touch me, would you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll really destroy it?! I…ugh…ahhh p>
Tarquin stood by the window at the end of the hallway, silently smoking a cigarette, listening to Gideon’s screams without a hint of sympathy in his cold, stern expression. Sure, Gideon was his grandfather, but after all the harm he had caused-betraying his father, threatening his mother, and endangering his son-how could Tarquin see him as family?
Human hearts are made of flesh, and had Gideon shown even a shred of decency, things wouldn’t have come to this point. Being kind to a heartless person is merely cruelty to oneself. Thus, Tarquin harbored no pity for Gideon. In Tarquin’s world, his parents and his son were everything. Anyone who dared harm them was signing their own death warrant. Gideon had crossed the line three times! If it weren’t for Gideon possessing something of great importance to Tarquin, he would have been history by now.
In the Bradford family, blood relations meant little compared to personal gain. Without mutual benefits, familial ties were worthless. Just like now, with Gideon’s agonized cries piercing the air, the Bradfords downstairs could surely hear every scream, yet not one of them came to his aid. Assisting Gideon offered them no advantage; it might even provoke Tarquin’s ire. So they stayed out of it, indifferent to Gideon’s fate. Deep down, some probably wished for Tarquin to end Gideon, eyeing a piece of his wealth for themselves.
Tarquin had been naive as a child, not understanding why Kendrick insisted on severing ties with the Bradfords, even demanding his name be stricken from the family records and forbidding his recognition of ancestry. Only after the tragic deaths of Kendrick and Elizabeth abroad, and being forcefully brought back to the Bradfords by Gideon, did Tarquin begin to understand Kendrick. A person with a conscience couldn’t blend into a circle filled with the heartless and ruthless.
Kendrick couldn’t find happiness amidst the cold indifference of the Bradfords. That’s why he chose Elizabeth over the family’s legacy. To the outside world, Kendrick was a traitor, forsaking his kin for a woman. But only he knew his decision was right. He was a man full of life, living to appreciate the beauty of the world, not to be someone’s pawn or puppet. He sought his own happiness, and Elizabeth was his joy-kind, genuine, and radiant, like the sun that chased away his darkest shadows, leaving only light.
Even in death, Kendrick had no regrets, cherishing the years of happiness he had lived… His only regret was dying too soon to protect them. In Gideon’s eyes, Kendrick, Tarquin, and Elijah were mere pawns to secure the lineage and thwart any ambitions within the Bradford family. To Gideon, Kendrick wasn’t a son, Tarquin wasn’t a grandson, and Elijah wasn’t a great-grandson. They were just pieces in his game to maintain control. Being born into the wealthy Bradford family was, ironically, a tragedy.
The door creaked open as Axel stepped out, his expression calm, “I think he’s finally realized the gravity of his situation.” Tarquin snapped out of his thoughts, extinguished his cigarette, and walked into the study. While the room bore no visible traces of violence, the air was thick with the scent of blood.