Letting a person live lucidly in pain for the rest of their life was the biggest punishment.
Rowan wiped his hand with a smirk. He took one last look at William and left quietly.
…
The early morning sun spilled through the memorial hall’s traditional window and shone on the portraits of the
Hamerton ancestors.
Many servants were crowding the door as they looked inside in worry. With the dull thud and an abrupt fall of a
figure, they gasped and rushed in.
“Mr. Matthew fainted! Mr. Matthew fainted!”
“Go get Mr. Clark!
Clark came over with some other men to take care of the incident and relayed it to Liam with a solemn face.
Matthew had stayed on his knees in the memorial hall for one whole day without food or water and finally
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtsuccumbed in the morning.
Liam’s brows were furrowed as he tapped his dragon-headed cane on the floor, a cold gleam flashing across his
eyes.
After some time, he got up and strode briskly to Matthew’s place.
Matthew was having chicken soup when he heard that his father was coming to him. He quickly asked his servants
to take it away and weakly pulled his blanket up to rest against the bed.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Oh, dad, you’re here…” Matthew pretended to get up but coughed violently just as he straightened up.
Liam looked cold. “You’re not young anymore. The memorial hall’s cold. How could you kneel there through the
night?”
“Dad… I can’t find peace if I don’t ask for the ancestors’ forgiveness…” Matthew began to wipe his tears. “I… I
really didn’t expect Yale to conspire with William Jenner!”
“Really?” Liam sneered. “The father has no idea of what his son’s doing? Has your father-and-son relationship
faded to this extent?”
“Well—”
“Since you’re distant now, there’s no need to plead his case for him!”
Matthew was rendered speechless.
Liam glanced at him. His voice was stern, and his cane was loud against the floor. “Do you really think I’m senile!?
Do you really feel guilty, or are you putting up a show for everyone kneeling in the memorial hall!?”
“Dad…”
Matthew quivered and turned pale, instantly bouncing off the bed and getting on his knees.
“Dad, are you really going to put Yale behind bars? H-He only wanted to steal the set of medicinal formulas because
that b*stard William Jenner deceived him! He—”
“Shut up!” snarled Liam. “Deluded? Hah, does he have no brain? Does he not know what kind of person William
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmJenner is? I think birds of a feather flock together! He’s the same type of person William Jenner is. That’s why he’s
done such a humiliating thing!”
Matthew was sweating profusely as he shook.
“He’s my eldest grandson. I once had high hopes for him. Even if he is not as talented as Zephyr, I thought it’d be
more than enough that he’d manage the subsidiaries like his cousins. I didn’t expect him to…
“That set of medicinal formulas belongs to the Irwins!” Liam was furious. “And he wants to steal it!? What would
that say about the Hamertons if word about this got out!? The Irwins are our in-laws. Wouldn’t I be embarrassed in
front of them!?”
Matthew had never seen his father this enraged. He was shocked as well and dared not say more.
After a while, Liam sighed. “The law will decide Yale’s sentence. I’ll get him a lawyer. His crime is far lighter than
William Jenner’s, so he won’t be inside for too long!”
“Dad!” Matthew was on the floor clutching Liam’s pants, crying and begging for the latter to have mercy.
“Dad… Yale’s your grandson! It’s embarrassing that he wanted to steal the Irwins’ set of medicinal formulas, but is
it not embarrassing that you send your own grandson to prison?”