Chapter 406
Calvin glared viciously at Davina. “Shut your mouth. Your only job is to take care of Barnard. Stay out of everything else p>
Stung by the reprimand, her eyes darted away, though a flash of defiance remained. “Dad, I’m just looking out for you,” she argued. “Mom loves you so much. How could you do something that would break her heart? Leave the whole legacy-building thing to Barnard and me p>
The Carter family was in ruins now, their company long gone. Davina knew the only reason Calvin had managed to smuggle them away to Valdoria was because he had extorted millions of dollars from Tessa. It wasn’t a small sum; it was enough to fund a lavish lifestyle for the rest of their days. But if Calvin decided to have a second child now, that financial security would be thrown out the window.
“This doesn’t concern you. Go stand over there and keep your mouth shut,” Calvin snapped. He felt entirely misunderstood and had zero patience to waste on her.
Davina was clearly reluctant, but she was still deeply intimidated by the older man. Scowling, she shuffled a few feet away, though she kept shooting suspicious glances in his direction.
Ignoring her, Calvin turned his attention back to his son. “Barnard, you’re overthinking this. Your mother and I have no intention of having another baby. This isn’t the time or place for this conversation. Head back to the hospital for now, and I’ll explain everything when we have a proper chance p>
“What do you mean, ‘a proper chance’?” Barnard demanded. “Dad, if I hadn’t bumped into you today by pure coincidence, you wouldn’t have even bothered to see me, would you? What the hell are you guys doing? What are you planning, and why can’t you tell me? Or do you just think having a double-amputee for a son is an embarrassment? Are you trying to cut ties with me without anyone noticing p>
By the end of his tirade, Barnard was practically shouting. The pent-up emotions exploded out of him, making him lose control.
His heart felt as though it were being devoured by a bottomless, suffocating wave of resentment.
Everything had been perfectly fine. He had never once imagined that a sudden car crash would steal his legs.
Even now, the memory of waking up in that hospital bed to find his lower half gone sent a bone-deep chill through him, dragging him back into an endless abyss of despair.
Yet, during the time he needed comfort and support the most, his own parents were nowhere to be found. They had been actively dodging him for days. The only logical explanation he could come up with was that they were ashamed of him.
Ruined. Everything was completely ruined.
He hadn’t just lost his company; he had been reduced to a shadow of a man.
It was all Camilla’s fault. If she had just answered his calls that day, he never would have ended up like this. She did this to him, and he was absolutely not going to let her off the hook. He was going to bind her to him permanently. He would make it so she could never leave.
But looking at his current state—was it even possible to get her back?
For weeks now, these toxic, tangled thoughts had been tearing at Barnard’s sanity.
Calvin looked at his son’s twisted, agonized expression, a flash of genuine heartache softening his gaze.
He took a deep breath, lowering his voice. “Barnard, neither your mother nor I think you’re an embarrassment. But there are certain things we simply can’t let you get involved in. I really can’t tell you anything right now, so please, stop asking. Just go back to the hospital and focus on your recovery. When the time is right, you’ll know everything p>
As he spoke, a predatory, calculating gleam crept back into Calvin’s eyes, masking a deep, unyielding ambition.
He had come to Valdoria for asylum. Once he earned a certain someone’s trust and secured an introduction to Mike, he would carve out his own empire in this city.
After he had a solid foothold, no one would ever be able to threaten him again. Only then would it be safe to come clean to Barnard.
Otherwise p>
Thinking back on the past, a wave of guilt washed over Calvin. Barnard was his flesh and blood; of course he cared about him. But right now, the most crucial move was to keep his son completely insulated from the fallout.
Barnard pressed him a few more times, but Calvin remained evasive, insisting that he return to his ward and avoid showing his face at social events like this.
He added that Barnard shouldn’t worry about rebuilding the Carter family’s legacy anymore.
Needing to get back to the banquet hall, Calvin couldn’t risk being away for long.
After offering a few more rushed words of comfort, he hurried off. Barnard stared at his retreating back, his gaze burning with unmistakable venom.
He was absolutely certain now—his father was plotting something.
Or worse, he really was disgusted by a son without legs.
There was simply no other way to explain why Calvin was deliberately avoiding his only child.
His fists clenched tightly against the armrests of his wheelchair, his shoulders trembling with suppressed rage.
The more Calvin tried to push him out of the business world, the more determined Barnard became to prove him wrong. Legs or no legs, he wasn’t useless.
And then there was Camilla p>
He was going to rise from the ashes and make her see exactly what he was capable of.
Lost in his dark thoughts, Barnard’s gaze drifted through the layers of floral arrangements before abruptly locking onto a figure, his eyes widening in absolute shock.
Camilla?
Was he hallucinating, or was she actually here in Valdoria?