As if he had been hit in the head by a stick, Joseph clutched his chest. The fondness he felt toward Raquel moments ago had been replaced by bitterness; Joseph felt as if he were enduring the torment of a raging fire. That was clearly a testament to their sweet bond, yet under the scrutiny of many eyes, Raquel, to protect herself, didn't hesitate to deny it.
Joseph thought, Could the time we spent together mean so little to her? Upon observing his son’s demeanor, Terry understood everything. However, at such a moment, there was no way he could admit it. Given the circumstances, the only option was to betray Caleb to smoothly sever the ties between his son and Raquel.
With these thoughts in mind, he rose to his feet and confronted Caleb. “Caleb, do you still remember me? I’m Mr. Doyle. You’ve been friends with Joseph for over a decade. How could you set him up in such a crucial moment? Whatever grudges or grievances you have, feel free to come to me. I would have helped you resolve them. Don’t you feel guilty for setting Joseph up to be embarrassed in this situation?”
Unable to hold back, Caleb let out a chuckle. Friends for over a decade? He has the nerve to bring this up? Back then, when Caleb was falsely accused by the Quixall family and unable to defend himself, he thought Joseph would step in to help him. Yet, in the end, Joseph not only didn't help him but also seized the opportunity to sever their friendship, leaving Caleb with a profound sense of complete isolation and betrayal. Now, he had merely read an actual letter, and they were already panicking. Caleb wondered if the Doyle family members fathomed just how desperate he felt when he was wrongly accused by everyone.
He lifted the letter and said indifferently, “Mr. Doyle, I’ll spare you the harsh words. You have nothing to fear if you’ve done nothing wrong. If Joseph truly hasn’t done anything wrong, he surely won’t mind confronting me, right? Yet, why are you the one speaking for him? Can’t he speak for himself?”
With hesitation, Terry cast a glance at his own son. At that moment, Joseph was deeply immersed in a melancholy akin to heartbreak. He was completely lost in his own world, oblivious to the probing gazes around him. Terry watched on, gritting his teeth in frustration. This scoundrel! It’s one thing for him to rely on me to handle his affairs, but how can he be distracted at a time like this? It seems he’s asking for trouble again!
Caleb cast a disdainful glance at Joseph. “Mr. Doyle, you’ve witnessed it yourself, haven’t you? His absent-minded demeanor has already revealed everything. Given these facts, are you still going to accuse me of setting him up?”
Terry, suppressing his anger, said, “I gave him a good thrashing a few days ago. It’s only natural he’s acting…”
You even had the audacity to confront your father in front of our guests just now. Your father worked tirelessly to raise you for twenty years, and this is how you honor him?
See? They’re at a loss for words, and they begin to play the emotional card again. Caleb spoke calmly. “It was his insistence on selling me off to someone else. The moment he engaged in such an act, our relationship was already severed.” Even the deepest of affections would have been completely worn away after that terrible accident. Ha! My so-called good father didn’t even bother to get out of the car to take a glance at me after hitting me with a car. If Gianna hadn’t happened to rescue me, I would have been a lost soul in the underworld by now, forever unable to clear my name in this lifetime.
Terry couldn’t believe that his old friend of many years would betray his own son. He simply thought that Caleb was spouting nonsense, slandering George. “George has always been so kind to you since you were little. How could he possibly have sold you off? It seems to me, you felt the Quixall family wasn’t worthy of you, so you sought out another place.”