Chapter 266

“You are my only child, and this was my promise to your grandfather. If you insist on defying me and pushing my limits, you will no longer be the sole heir,” William said in a low, stern voice, waiting for Sebastian’s response.

Unexpectedly, Sebastian replied, “That’s exactly what I want. But let’s talk about my mother’s dowry first – the money, the jewelry, everything she brought into the marriage 25 years ago. Adjust it to today’s market value and return it all to my grandfather.”

When the topic turned to asset division, William immediately lost his composure. He said dismissively, “Fine. Her dowry was worth about two million dollars back then.”

While William was still calculating the value of the dowry, Dorian suddenly snatched Sebastian’s phone.

“William, if you want to settle the score, you’d better think carefully,” Dorian said menacingly. “Even if he doesn’t marry the woman your family chose, he’s still the Robinson family’s only heir. Do you think the Cox family is just going to sit back and do nothing? You’ve already killed my daughter. What, are you trying to kill my grandson too?”

Dorian had accepted the fact that William never loved his daughter. Looking back, he knew he’d made mistakes–mistakes that had cost him his daughter and his wife. But now that he was old, he didn’t weigh things like young people did. He didn’t care about appearances anymore.

Over the years, William had maintained a courteous front toward Dorian out of guilt. But Dorian’s unrelenting support of Sebastian—shielding him, enabling him to act without consequence—had finally pushed William past his breaking point.

“Mr. Cox, I’ve done more than enough for your family over the years,” William snapped. “He didn’t want to live with the Robinson family, so I let you raise him. But your family never said his marriage wasn’t ours to decide. And now you’re seriously okay with that kind of girl?”

“If my grandson likes her, I will approve of her. Got a problem with that?” Dorian shot back.

“That’s fair—back then your daughter had a crush on me, and you gave us your blessing. In the end, she couldn’t stand my personality, and when tragedy struck, you blamed me,” William retorted sarcastically.

Dorian’s hands were trembling with rage as he gripped the phone. He snapped, “William, if you didn’t love her back then, you should have refused! You only agreed to the marriage alliance because you coveted our family’s fortune and social standing. And now you dare blame me for spoiling my daughter! Let me make this clear. After what you’ve said today, Seb will never marry the woman you chose.” With that, he hung up.

With trembling hands, he slammed the phone down, his clouded eyes burning with fury. “William is a goddamn monster! I never should have let her marry him. This is all my fault.”

Sebastian took the phone, his voice sharp with anger. "Grandpa, this is all William’s fault. It has nothing to do with you or Mom. If you keep blaming yourself, aren’t you just giving someone like him the excuse to feel justified in everything he’s done?”

Dorian looked up at him and said, “If you truly want to be with Abby, then I support you. But after everything your mother went through, I just hope you think it through. Marriage is a lifelong commitment. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and Abby—she’s emotionally guarded. I worry about what that means for the future."

“Even if she doesn’t love me as much right now, I’m sure she’ll come around as we spend more time together. Besides, I’m a man, I can handle the pressure,” Sebastian said.

To him, Abigail was the only one who mattered. He’d watched her grow up, and she was his self-declared childhood sweetheart. And for her to become the woman she was today, he liked to think those money packets he’d slipped her every New Year had something to do with it.

“As long as you’ve made up your mind,” said Dorian. “Given your father’s temperament, he won’t let this go easily. What did you do to the Prescott family?”

Sebastian’s tone remained cool. “Last month, didn’t they grab that prime piece of land? I just exposed how they got it. That’s all.”

Dorian blinked, briefly at a loss for words as he thought, “Never mess with a techie.”

With a sigh, he said helplessly, “You’ve stirred up more than just the Prescott family. Who knows how many powerful names are behind them?”

Sebastian leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed but with a sharp glint in his eyes. “Since I came back here, I’ve dug up every last secret the Prescott family has. If anyone else dares to back them, I’ll air their dirty laundry too. I don’t run a company—they have no leverage over me.”

Dorian had always seen him as a kid, especially when it came to how he pursued Abigail. But now, he could see it clearly—the way Sebastian loved and the way he handled serious matters were two entirely different things.

“I used to worry you wouldn’t be able to stand up to your father,” Dorian said calmly, his gaze drifting to the chessboard in front of him. “Seems I was worried for nothing.”