Chapter 337: You Asked For It!

The moment Antony finished speaking, even Richard was struck dumb, standing next to them. He thought, “This man is insane! How dare he negotiate with General Hawthorne like this?”

“Antony, why should I play your pointless game? Are you just trying to grab my attention so I’ll take you to see Claire?”

“You think you can fool me with such an obvious ploy? How dare you!”

Frederick felt something was amiss. Though he clenched his palms into fists for a second, he sneered. Without a word, he grabbed the gun, loaded a bullet, and stood up. The muzzle of the gun was pointed directly at Antony’s head. It was such a short distance that anyone with even the slightest knowledge of firearms could pull the trigger and end Antony’s life right there, let alone Frederick, a seasoned general who never missed his target.

Richard quickly took a step forward. He was genuinely afraid that Frederick would blow Antony’s brains out right then and there.

But Antony, instead of cowering in fear, burst into laughter. A loud, maniacal laugh echoed through the room.

“Frederick, are you scared? Are you afraid that Claire will choose me over you? Huh? She loves you so much, but what have you done to her?”

“Are you afraid you won’t be able to face your own heart? You want to shoot me? Go ahead! This will just free me from the pain of living!”

“I’ve liked Claire since we were in high school. The moment I saw her, I fell hard for her. But she was the precious princess of the Prescott family, and I knew there was no way she’d ever look at someone like me.”

“I knew she had you, the man whom she loved since childhood. And back then, I thought it wouldn’t hurt me this much.”

“Later, I went abroad and joined the Hiokeeh Group. I worked my ass off. But deep down, I didn’t even know what I was chasing.”

“No matter how successful I became, I always knew I would never be worthy of Claire. I told myself that maybe, just maybe, if I climbed high enough, I could stand beside her. But even then, I was afraid that by the time I got there, the two of you would already be married.”

“When I came back, everything had changed. You sent her to prison with your own hands. And after she got out, you wouldn’t let her go. You tortured her over and over again.”

“When I met her again after all those years, I learned what she had been through. I snapped. I wanted to save her from the hellhole you created. But she refused. She declined my pursuit.”

“Even when she was dying in the hospital, she refused to be with me. She said she didn’t want to get me into trouble, but I knew it was because she couldn’t move on. She still cares about you.”

“Maybe she hasn’t realized it herself, but I love her enough to see it. I know what it looks like when someone is deeply in love with another person. Every time I saw the way she looked at you, it was like a knife stabbing me in the heart.”

“She loves you so much and has loved you for so many years, but you doubt her sincere love for you because of a fucking stupid video. When I met her again after all those years, you two hadn’t even slept together yet.”

“If she really wanted to be with me, do you think she would have given her virginity to you? You’re damn stupid, Frederick! From the case four years ago until now, you’ve doubted her again and again. You’ve never truly believed her! How could Claire ever fall in love with a man like you? I feel so sorry for her.”

“No, I bet you don’t even think you deserve her reckless, all-consuming love. That’s right, isn’t it? You’re the most cowardly man alive! You don’t believe you’re worthy of her!”

Antony was at the end of his rope, driven to madness by the agony of unrequited love. He screamed and pointed at Frederick, his finger shaking as he cursed.

“Antony, you’re asking for it!”