Chapter 138
Finnian had always had a good impression of Phoebe. However, since it was Reece’s personal matter, he did not feel it was his place to interfere. Finnian had warned Reece before, but it seemed Reece had not taken it seriously. On top of that, due to certain circumstances, Finnian had chosen not to involve an innocent person like Phoebe. He had simply stayed out of it.
Now, it appeared that even if Phoebe and Reece were not together, she would still end up caught in the middle.
Brenda disagreed. “There is nothing to feel sorry about. Pheebs should not have to put up with Reece’s nonsense, just like she herself no longer had to tolerate Frank.”
“Reece had her, but he failed to cherish her. Who else’s there to blame but him!” she added.
Finnian chuckled. “I don’t understand you young people and your love lives anymore.”
Reece had secretly been involved with Sienna while still with Phoebe. It was only after Phoebe dumped him that he cut ties with Sienna and tried to get back with Phoebe. From the very start, Reece should never have done such a thing.
Brenda raised an eyebrow. “Well, I do not understand your love life with Ophelia either.”
Finnian sighed in exasperation. “You did not just ask me to dinner today, did you? If there is something you want to say, just say it. If I can give you an answer, I will.”
Brenda did not bother to beat around the bush. “Dad, do you know that Soren is not your biological son?”
Finnian’s expression shifted slightly. “How did you find out!”
Only now did Brenda realize she might have misunderstood her father before. He truly was not just some hopeless romantic. So, he actually is not as blinded by love as I thought, she wondered.
“Pheebs saw it through fortune-telling,” Brenda answered. She then explained that Sienna and Soren were half-siblings, sharing the same father.
Finnian did not look surprised in the slightest. “Looks like Phoebe is quite skilled.”
Brenda spoke with pride. “Of course! Pheebs is amazing!” Then, curiosity flickered in her eyes, “When did you find out?”
Finnian had not planned on telling Brenda about any of this. But now that she already knew so much, there was no point in keeping it from her any longer.
“When he was only a few days old,” Finnian said, “I did a paternity test and found out the truth.”
Brenda was momentarily stunned. “So, you already had doubts before he was even born?”
Finnian nodded. “That’s right. While Ophelia was pregnant, I noticed something was off. My suspicions grew, so I decided to get confirmation.”
Brenda was baffled. “If that was the case, then why did you not expose the truth and divorce her? Not only did you raise Soren, but you even put him in a high-ranking position at Hill Group. And the most unbelievable part! You actually went on to have me and Reece with Ophelia.”
If it were Brenda, knowing she had been cheated on would have disgusted her to death. There was no way she could have stayed with her partner after that.
She looked at Finnian with a mix of pity and disbelief. “You really are a pushover. I thought maybe I had misunderstood you before, but nope. Looks like you really are a love-struck fool.”
Finnian let out a frustrated sigh, clearly exasperated that his daughter saw him this way. He scoffed. “If I were really a love-struck fool, you and Reece might not even be alive today.”
His tone grew serious. “When I first found out the truth, of course, I was furious. My initial instinct was to expose everything and divorce your mother.”
“But then, I discovered that someone was using her and that child to manipulate the Hill family. If I had acted impulsively, the consequences would have been disastrous for our family.”
Brenda thought about it for a moment before asking. “Then why did you marry Ophelia in the first place! She caused so much trouble. Did you actually like her that much back then?!”
Finnian replied. “I was under the influence of evil energy. The moment I laid eyes on her, I felt an inexplicable attraction to her.”
He hesitated briefly before continuing. “And it was not just that I could only feel anything for her. No other woman even registered in my mind.” In other words, when it came to any other woman, he was completely impotent. Then she got pregnant with Soren, and that was why I married her.
He went on. “One night, for reasons I cannot explain, I ended up sleeping with her. That decision was also made on impulse, as if something was controlling me.” That was exactly why he felt something was wrong. After all, he had always been a calm and rational person, never one to let emotions cloud his judgment. He was certain that, deep down, he did not love Ophelia. And yet, Finnian could not help but be drawn to her as if he truly liked her.
He paused for a moment before continuing. Then I discovered that the people backing her were not simple, and the Hill family was in a very passive position. The reason your grandfather left Kitador and moved to that small town was because of this.
“Before he left, he told me that the only way to break free from their trap was to endure. We had to lure out the people behind the scenes and take them down in one decisive strike. Otherwise, the Hill family would be finished.”
Because of that, Finnian played the role of a devoted and love-struck fool, indulging Ophelia and Soren all these years.
Finnian said, “Her pregnancy with you two was indeed an accident.” From the moment Ophelia entered the Hill family while pregnant, Finnian had never touched her again.
Finnian continued. “When she found out she was pregnant, she did not want to keep you. She was planning to get rid of you. Since I was affected by evil energy, I originally thought I would never have any more children.”
“Even though I was disgusted by her and suspected this was all a scheme from the people behind her, I was still looking forward to your birth. It made me genuinely happy.”
He went on, “Coincidentally, she had some health issues, so I had the doctor tell her that aborting you would severely damage her body. She was unwilling to harm herself, so she had no choice but to give birth to you. And just as expected, she never liked you.”
He added. “Especially as you started looking more and more like me. The more you resembled me, the more she disliked you.”
Finnian had already come to terms with the fact that he might never have children. So when this unexpected situation occurred, even though he was repulsed by Ophelia, he did not take it out on his biological children. Instead, he genuinely cared for them. The children were innocent. Since fate had brought them into his life, he would accept them wholeheartedly. They carried his blood, and as their father, Finnian would fulfill his duty. He would love them, protect them, and ensure they grew up safe and sound. We really suffered all these years.
Brenda had never imagined there was such a hidden truth behind it all. Her sympathy for Finnian deepened. “Dad, you have endured these years.”
Finnian let out a sigh. “It’s okay.”
No one could understand how unbearable it was for him to suppress his disgust while being forced to indulge and tolerate those two people.
Brenda sighed as well. “And you have an unbelievable level of patience.”
Finnian had to act like he adored a cheating wife and her illegitimate son every single day. If it were Brenda, she would never have been able to do that. Maybe this was what set them apart.
For the sake of the Hill family and the bigger picture, Finnian had willingly made this sacrifice. “Dad, if you went into show business, you would definitely win an award for Best Actor,” Brenda joked.
Finnian looked helpless. “You think I wanted to do this? For the Hill family, for you and Reece, and for myself, I had no choice but to endure.”
His eyes darkened with a sharp, cold glint. “When the time comes to break free from this, I will make sure they pay the price.”
Brenda bit confused. “Dad, why are these people targeting the Hill family like this!”
They had gone through all this trouble, setting up such a massive plan, there had to be a reason.
Is there something the Hill family has that they desperately want? Brenda asked.
Finnian had already revealed so much. There was no point in hiding it any longer. “Your grandfather suspected that they are after the Hill family’s cumulated fortune and destiny, passed down through generations.”
Brenda’s eyes widened. “They want to steal fortune! But that is forbidden dark magic that Special Force have outlawed, haven’t they?”
Finnian nodded. “That is correct. That is why they have to operate in secret, waiting patiently for the right moment. Special Force has yet to uncover the masterminds behind all this. They are waiting for the right opportunity to let these people surface before closing in on them.”
Otherwise, Finnian would never have had to endure such humiliation for so many years.