Chapter 505

Jayden and Clive engaged in light conversation as they approached Enzo's house. Clive pushed Jayden's wheelchair; they arrived early, finding Enzo not yet ready. They waited in the living room.

About fifteen minutes later, the butler approached with a formal air. "Please join Mr. Owen in the dining room for breakfast," he announced respectfully.

Clive, ever the joker, raised an eyebrow. "My first breakfast here. What are the odds I'll be drugged and held captive?"

The butler offered a polite laugh. "Oh, Mr. Yates, surely you jest. Mr. Owen has no reason to drug you. Please, feel at ease. All is well."

Clive smirked, eyeing the butler skeptically; his expression suggested he found something sinister in the man's demeanor. Jayden, less prone to suspicion, remained calm. He was confident that, despite his grandfather's ill will, a public scandal was the last thing the old man would risk.

The two men followed the butler into the dining room. Enzo, clad in gray sportswear, greeted them with a bright smile from his seat at the table. "What a pleasant surprise! I usually dine alone. It's truly a joy to have your company this morning."

Clive doubted the sincerity of Enzo's greeting. Having been up all night, he was famished. The lavish spread on the table nearly made him salivate. Without considering whether the food might be tampered with, he began devouring the meal.

Meanwhile, Jayden hadn't touched his food. Observing this, Enzo expressed concern. "Jayden, why aren't you eating? Is there something wrong with the food?"

Jayden glanced up nonchalantly. "Grandpa, do you really care about me?"

Enzo nodded earnestly. "Of course, I do. I raised you. You've always been my favorite grandchild."

Jayden weighed his grandfather's words before replying with a hint of sarcasm. "If I'm truly your favorite, why doesn't it seem like you wish me well? Isn't it true that you just want to control me and see me as nothing more than a younger version of yourself?"

With a peculiar sparkle in his eyes, Enzo responded, "Jayden, you are your own person. There is no one else like you in this world. I simply want you to be my successor; you don't have to be my clone."

Jayden laughed. "But I've faced danger several times. Why is it that you always seem to be involved in each of these incidents, Grandpa? Are they tests, like the ones from my childhood? If I failed those, I'd end up hungry or locked away in a pitch-black room, right?"

Enzo's reply was earnest. "You're an adult now. The consequences are different. I wouldn't starve you or confine you in darkness for failing a test. The rules have changed for grownups. Do you understand that everything I've done was for your benefit?"

Shaking his head, Jayden said, "I'm sorry, Grandpa, but I can't grasp your intentions. To be honest, I've never really understood the principles of our family. It seems like you might be the only one who does."

As he spoke, Jayden tapped Clive on the shoulder, signaling it was time to go. Clive, still peckish, reluctantly set down his utensils, stood, and prepared to leave.

Adding one last remark, Jayden declared, "Grandpa, I will become my own man, someone very different from you. You don't get me. I've seen how you treat me. Next time we meet, I might not be so courteous."

With that, Jayden pushed himself up from his wheelchair, bowed to Enzo, and sat back down. Clive wheeled him out.

(The final ". .noveldrama" is removed as it seems out of place.)