Chapter 219
Chapter 219
Shawn's light affirmation confirmed my guess, and I retracted my gaze from that mansion. "I thought Charles has left the Xenos Family?" I asked curiously. Shawn's light affirmation confirmed my guess, and I retracted my gaze from that mansion. "I thought Charles has left the Xenos Family?" I asked curiously.
"Charles has no children or any other family members, and he has worked for the Xenos Family for his entire life. He wouldn't know where to go if we told him to leave, so he ended up staying behind."
Charles was the mastermind behind the plot to ruin Shawn, but despite that, Shawn was willing to bring me to a location where Charles would be at. That could only mean one thing—he understood that Charles was merely carrying out instructions and that he should not be blamed.
Ultimately, the one who gave the order was the person Shawn used to respect a lot—his father.
I hesitated for a short while before asking him, "Don't you hate the Xenos Family for what they did?"
The car slowly cruised up the mountain and he knew the intention behind my question, so he pursed his lips and considered it for a short while before replying, "It's not necessary for me to hate the Xenoses because they were the ones who'd taken me in back then. They were the ones who'd given me a place to stay after my biological parents abandoned me. As for the things that they had done to me this time, I'll just treat it as a repayment for their kindness in bringing me up over the past ten years. My mother… Well, she's my mother after all."
Shawn was brought back to the Xenos Family by Eliza when he was a baby. In other words, he was
given a second chance in life by her. Meanwhile, James had provided him with fortune and power that no one else could surpass.
As such, he was indeed indebted to my biological father.
However, it was precisely this sense of indebtment that led to the most pain when the person he respected was trying to destroy him. The loss of power was not the thing that hurt him the most; it was the relentless attack from the other party. It went without saying that Shawn must have felt so helpless and tormented over that period. As soon as I thought of that, I felt such an ache in my heart that I became pained and aggrieved on his behalf.
It was then I reminded him in a soft voice, "Everything that I have right now is from the fruits of your labor, but Sunny, the Xenoses belong to me while I'm yours. So, everything between us should be shared equally too."
He affirmed in a low voice, "Yes, I'm aware of that."
I was about to say something when he continued before I could, "Even though I'm well aware of that, ultimately, the Xenos Family is a responsibility and badge of honor for you. So, no matter how close our relationship is, you would never be able to give it to me because you rely on that to provide you with confidence. That's why the main thing you should do right now is to learn to take control of it and accept it. You shouldn't be telling me that everything should be shared equally between us. Ray, none of us would be able to predict what's going to happen in the future, so you must own something that you've got complete control of."
He did not care whether the Xenoses' power belonged to him or not, and he had a very clear mindset
which was reflected in his realistic words. Suddenly, I recalled that I had signed a document to transfer my shares to the Felix Corporation when I signed my divorce papers with Nicholas.
It was my fault for not holding onto Felix Corporation and handing it over to Nicholas instead. In the end, he took over the entire corporation and I could not do anything about it. That was also the reason why I was powerless to stop Charles back then.
If only I had the Felix Corporation backing me, then I would definitely be able to stop him and destroy the will by force. Otherwise, Shawn's influence in Europe would not have been annihilated after that.
Naturally, the Xenos Family's elite youth class would not have been disbanded and he would be less likely to be injured.
Ultimately, I was at fault for giving up the power I held so easily to others, and there was no one else to be blamed but me. I was the one who had placed myself in such a precarious situation.
I could identify with Shawn's words and he was a completely different person from Nicholas. Shawn was always trying to instill some values within me and he wanted to teach me how to handle things properly; how not to belittle myself and how to show love.
I agreed and said, "I get what you're trying to say, and I'll strive to learn all that."
Over the past six months, I had completely figured out the Xenos Family, but I just had not gone hands- on to handle things.
Shawn did not respond to my words. He drove on for several minutes before stopping the car by the roadside and opening the door to get out. I followed suit and subsequently held his icy-cold hand
tightly. "Where are we going?"
"The peak of the mountain. We can see the scenery of Bryxton there."
I clung tightly to his arms as he led me up the mountain through an obscure little path. We walked for about half an hour and I was exhausted, so I sat panting on a rock.
He kneeled in front of me and lifted his hand to stroke my cheeks tenderly. I rested my cheeks against his palm affectionately and suddenly heard his calm voice. "We've only walked for thirty minutes, yet you're already out of breath. Back in Russia, did someone piggyback you for that seventy-eight kilometers trek you made overnight in the snow?"
At that moment, I was caught by surprise and did not know how to answer him. A smart woman would avoid admitting it, so I changed the topic and deflected. "Where did you guys end up finding May that day?"
Shawn revealed a smile but no longer insisted on getting an answer to his question. However, he did not answer my question either.
He stood up and glanced at the top of the mountain afar as he spoke calmly, "Bertie's actual name is Robert Saunders and most people address him as Sir Saunders. He behaves perversely, be it toward his friends or foe. He generally does things on a whim. I'm not too sure why he approached you, but he would usually kill off his prey after toying with them. He doesn't care about how influential and capable his prey is. Once he's found his target, he wouldn't hesitate in spending his entire fortune just to get his way. Do you know how he's usually described out there?"
So, Shawn is clear that the person by my side was Bertie, and he had another nickname! He is exactly
as how Shawn described.
I had always felt that Bertie was a perverse person and he had multiple sides to him. Most of the time, he had a weak personality and looked like a childish teenager. NôvelDrama.Org owns all © content.
I did not ask Shawn what the public's opinion of Bertie was but provided an explanation because I wanted to redeem myself. "He was the one who kidnapped me the other day, but he was the one who saved me too. Back then, we didn't have any mode of transport and I was out of energy, so he piggybacked me for quite a distance. We didn't overstep any boundaries at all, though! He was a gentleman the entire time."
Shawn did not react to my words and merely responded in a gentle voice, "Not everyone appeals to Robert. He usually does things on a whim and all he cares about is happiness. Do you know why is that, Ray?"
I continued the topic by asking him, "Why?"
"He should not have lived to this day, so each day he has on earth is a day he should be thankful for."
Should not have lived to this day?! I was stunned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"