Chapter 1304

Even with all his anger, when Melvin looked at his son’s lifeless expression, he suddenly didn’t know what else to say. He remembered how Joseph’s face had never carried such a dead look before. No matter what he did, there had always been a bit of vitality in him. But now, at this moment, he seemed far too weary, carrying a kind of heaviness that didn’t belong to his age. Was this really the same son who used to be a careless playboy? For the first time, Melvin began to doubt his own harsh words.

Joseph, though prepared for rejection, felt lighter after speaking his heart out. He had already decided that even if his father didn’t agree about the company, he no longer wanted to keep forcing it. He would step away, adjust his mindset, and only then come back to manage things again.

But the next second, Melvin suddenly said, “Since you’ve already decided, then go abroad.”

“W–what?!” Joseph looked up in shock at his father. He had thought it would take endless persuasion, or at worst, that he wouldn’t be allowed to leave, that he would stay trapped in the company, even as nothing more than a puppet. But now, his father had so easily agreed. He couldn’t understand why. “Dad, are you serious?”

Melvin turned his face aside. “You’re like this now. You’re still my son. I can’t just watch you fall into depression.”

Joseph froze, and only then did he realize that his father’s words might be harsh, but deep down, he still cared. He was simply used to disguising his emotions behind severity. In that moment, Joseph showed the only genuine smile he had since returning home.

Crystal quickly placed some food on his plate. “Alright, eat more. Since your father understands you this much, don’t let down his expectations.”

“I understand, Mom.” Facing Crystal, Joseph’s smile faded, becoming much fainter.

Although Joseph knew Crystal had been a housewife all her life and seemed to lack nothing, deep down she was the most hollow of all. Even so, he didn’t know what kind of attitude he should hold toward her. She was just a pitiful woman who had lived her whole life in a man’s shadow, never once stepping out to see the wider world. Her entire life revolved around family and business. Those society ladies might show her respect, but only because of Melvin. All of it was glory borrowed from a man. Beyond that, she was nothing. It was precisely because he understood this that Joseph found her pitiful.

The very next day after settling this matter, Joseph packed his things without delay and went to the country where Judy was living. There, he contacted the same private detective as before. Back when Judy left him, he had already hired someone to follow her. Thinking she could escape him so easily was impossible–those little games of playing hard to get were child’s play in his eyes. Breathing in the free air here, free from the company, Joseph truly felt his body and mind relax. As for this country, he went so far as to buy himself a villa outright, flaunting his wealth.