Chapter 382: It’s Time for Her Return

Arthur quickly stood up, crawled to Nathan, lowered his head, and admitted his mistake. Since childhood, he had never seen Nathan so furious. Even the last time Frederick defied the Military Order, Nathan hadn't been this angry.

Nathan said, “Indeed, I want to get rid of the Prescott family. But how can you easily eliminate them by using Claire? Arthur, you are my son. Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”

“I’m telling you, you are my most valued son. But don’t forget that besides you, I have another son—Frederick. If you two were equally capable, I would naturally choose you, the son born of my legal wife.”

“But you are not equally capable, and you are far inferior to Frederick. Then, don’t blame me for choosing him, even if the Hawthorne family will bear considerable pressure after Frederick’s identity is exposed.”

“It’s still better than letting power fall into the hands of others. Also, don’t even think about tampering with Frederick’s identity. You know what I hate most. Once I find out, you know the consequences.”

“Okay, let’s stop talking here today. Just do your job obediently during this time. Don’t think about doing anything else.”

“As for the Prescott family, you don’t need to do anything. If they had been so easy to deal with, I would have dealt with them long ago. Why would I wait until today? Arthur, remember that you are my top choice for president.”

“I can support you secretly, but even so, you can’t easily control everything. As for the Prescott family, you are not capable of dealing with them. Now that you have just learned to fly, don’t expect yourself to hunt like an eagle and become the overlord of the sky.”

“If you want to deal with the Prescott family, wait until you become president.”

Nathan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to Arthur. After he finished speaking, he turned and left without looking back. Arthur kept looking at Nathan’s back, unable to see his expression. But from Nathan’s tone, he could guess that Nathan was affecting a superior demeanor he despised most, as if he could dominate everything. Nathan had worn the same expression when he first told Arthur, a child then, about Frederick’s existence. Arthur would never forget that day.

From that day, he truly understood what he meant to Nathan. Before that, he had believed he and Nathan were like any other loving father and devoted son. Nathan loved him like any other father, while he was as happy as any other son. But that day, when Nathan brought Frederick back, he realized Nathan had another son, and another choice. Nathan said that if Arthur had outstanding abilities and was obedient, Arthur would always be his best choice as the eldest son born of his legal wife. But if he was incompetent and disobedient, he could give up on Arthur at any time.

At that moment, Arthur truly understood that their deep father-son bond was a façade for outsiders. Nathan needed a capable son, rather than him. Besides him, Nathan had Frederick. At the thought of this, Arthur looked in the direction where Nathan disappeared and suddenly laughed like crazy. What a great father Nathan was! He had always valued his power most. He didn’t care if Arthur or Frederick would be the heir. A son who could increase his power was his good son. An incapable son might not be recognized as his son, let alone receive his love and care.

Arthur thought, “Now, at such a critical moment in the presidential race, Dad actually told me not to do anything recently. If I listen to Dad and just stay at home without doing anything, then Frederick will definitely take the opportunity to win over as many forces as he can to his side. There’s no difference from asking me to give up my presidential campaign!”

“No, absolutely not!” Arthur picked up a nearby vase and smashed it on the floor with a bang. The vase shattered into pieces that flew onto a magazine on the living room table. He saw the cover girl of Kanea, smiling. He hadn’t intended to arrange for this woman to come back so soon. Now that things had come to this, not only Frederick but even his father was pushing him, so he could only make this move quickly.

Arthur clenched his fists, stood up, and told Shawn, who was standing beside him, “Spread the news abroad. It’s time for her return.”