Chapter 422

Chapter 422:

At the Chadwick family’s manor in Hans.

“Shepard, to think you would let a share of the inheritance drive a wedge between you and your own sister!” Weston’s voice boomed, heavy with reproach.

“Dad, did you even hear Davey’s confession? His family was taken hostage, forcing him to alter the DNA report for you and Brielle. She is not even p>

“Silence!” Weston cut in, his frosty stare halting Shepard’s revelation.

Brielle seized the chance and spoke with poised elegance. “Shepard, I know you’ve never cared for me, but to collude with Davey to smear my name? Dad promised the company shares would be split evenly among us three, yet I’ve never coveted them. So, there’s no need for you to be so hostile toward me p>

𝗙𝗈𝘭l𝗼𝗐 u𝘀 𝗼𝘯 ѕ.𝘤𝗼𝗆

Weston’s anger flared brighter at Brielle’s words, his gaze searing as he turned to Shepard. “Behold Brielle’s selflessness, then look at your own actions. I’m deeply disappointed in you, Shepard p>

Weldon, arriving in haste, caught Weston’s scolding and felt compelled to defend his brother. Yet, Shepard’s glance urged him to hold back.

Brielle, noting the silent exchange, concealed her smugness behind a calm mask.

Thanks to Elmore’s foresight, she had stayed ahead of the game.

Elmore’s people had kept close tabs on Davey, and when Shepard’s men tracked him down in Kretol, Elmore’s warning reached Brielle swiftly.

So, before Shepard could bring Davey to Weston, Brielle had already planted doubts, murmuring to Weston that Shepard was plotting with Davey to challenge her heritage.

Initially, Weston had doubted Brielle’s claims, but seeing Shepard arrive with Davey in tow confirmed everything and set his temper ablaze.

“Dad, don’t your words wound the bond between us brothers? Or is it that, in your eyes, we have never mattered?” Weldon asked with a frown.

“You brat! I am your father. How dare you say something like that to me?” Weston thundered.

Weldon was no stranger to the Chadwick family’s tangled affairs, but as Shepard always shielded him, he had pretended ignorance and stayed abroad. Yet now, seeing Weston berate Shepard for Brielle’s sake pushed him beyond restraint.

Ignoring Shepard’s subtle cues to stay silent, Weldon forged ahead, his tone laced with mockery. “Dad, if Brielle is your only treasure, why not declare it in Hans’ daily chronicle? Proclaim that you’re severing ties with us, your sons. It would certainly be better for you p>

Before Weldon could finish, Weston’s hand lashed out, delivering a stinging slap across his cheek.

Unfazed, Weldon offered his other cheek with bold defiance. “Is one strike enough? Or do you need another p>

Weston, his eyes crimson with fury, roared, “Get out p>

With a cold chuckle, Weldon turned to leave without hesitation.

Seeing this, Shepard quickly chased after him.

“Weldon, stop right there p>

As Weldon paused at the exit, Shepard caught up, his eyes lingering on the angry red mark on Weldon’s face.

“Have you lost your mind?” Shepard snapped, fury coloring his tone. “Didn’t you see me urging you to hold your tongue p>

Weldon’s gaze burned with resolve. “What, you expect me to stand by while Dad rips into you p>

At Weldon’s words, Shepard fell silent, his expression clouded with frustration.

Seeing his expression, Weldon tried to ease the moment with a wry smile. “Don’t let it get to you. I’ve been dealing with this since we were kids. I’ve already gotten used to it p>

Weldon spoke the truth; he had long grown accustomed to the family’s skewed dynamics.

From the moment Brielle was welcomed into the Chadwick household, Weston had issued a stern decree. They must always defer to their sister.

Shepard, being older, had mastered the art of maintaining a facade of peace with Brielle.

Weldon, however, was cut from a different cloth. Blessed with sharp intellect and a formidable emotional insight, he had chosen to challenge Brielle openly since childhood.

Had it not been for Kennedy’s steady hand reining in Weston’s temper, Weldon might not have survived his father’s wrath.

Because of this, Weldon had long declared that he and Brielle could never live under the same roof.

Whenever he returned to the country, he would stay at a hotel.

“Shepard, Dad won’t hear a word you say. He is convinced you paid off Davey to lie. What’s our next move?” Weldon asked.

“There is only one path forward,” Shepard replied, his eyes narrowing with resolve.

“And that is?” Weldon pressed.

Instead of answering directly, Shepard shifted to a piece of news he had recently heard from Kretol.

Word had spread in Kretol that Wyatt was on a desperate hunt for a thousand-year-old wildroot panax, a rare medicinal herb prized beyond measure. Though the Chadwick family had no such treasure in their possession, the mention of the herb sparked a memory in Shepard’s mind.

“Weldon, didn’t you say, when you returned from Ekuoledo at eighteen, that there was a thousand-year-old wildroot panax in Elixirspine?” Shepard asked, his tone measured but hopeful.