Two weeks later, Theodore returned to the country and headed straight to the Xavier residence.
Theodore's father, Barnaby Xavier, had a few days off and came home last night. He was currently having breakfast with Emma.
Emma was pressuring Barnaby to go to Xyperia, much to his fury.
“He's unconscious. What good would it do for me to be there?” Barnaby snapped angrily. “You, on the other hand, shouldn't have done that. I know you dislike Jasmine, but she won't be marrying into the Xavier family. Why would you hire someone to kill her?”
Initially, Barnaby couldn't be bothered by who Theodore was dating.
Theodore would ultimately have to marry a daughter of a military official, so Barnaby kept silent even though Emma had used his name to make arrangements for Selena to travel to Xyperia.
Rage seared through Barnaby when he recalled how Theodore approached him in a disrespectful manner after Jasmine got into trouble. Livid that Theodore disrespected him and Emma, he blew his top and shouted at Theodore in an enraged tone.
Alas...
Despite his fiery disposition, Barnaby was overcome with worry for his unconscious son's wellbeing.
“I wasn't in my right mind,” Emma explained as she wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief. Overwhelmed by regret, she continued, “I wouldn't have done that if I knew the child by Jasmine's side belonged to Theodore.”
“That's enough!” Barnaby cut in impatiently, frustrated by her sobbing. “What use is there to regret now? I'll get someone to arrange a plane for me to fly to Xyperia this afternoon. How is that child doing?”
Emma took a deep breath and hung her head. “I met him once at the hospital, but he was hostile to me. Despite his cold demeanor, however, I can tell he is intelligent, and his personality is reminiscent of Theodore's.”
“Talk to Curtis and convince him to let us bring that child back home,” Barnaby ordered. “If our son remains in a coma, the child will be the Xavier family's only bloodline. We can't let him stay alone outside.”
Emma said nothing.
She had to be cautious when speaking with Curtis, so she didn't have the nerve to inquire if they could bring Carl back to the Xavier family.
Besides, she had a hunch Carl wouldn't want to come and live with them.
“I'll find a time to talk to Curtis,” Emma finally relented with a sigh.
She had no choice but to give it a try.
They were having breakfast when they vaguely heard the housekeeper talking.
“Mr. Xavier, you're back! Your father and mother are having breakfast. I'll get the kitchen to prepare yours as well—”
“No need for that!”
Emma thought her ears were playing tricks on her when she heard that frosty voice.
She jolted up excitedly from her seat when Theodore entered the living room and came into her view.
“T-Theodore?” Emma stuttered. “You're awake?”
Theodore strode over to them, his expression stone cold.
Emma pushed away her chair and hurried over to him as tears brimmed in her eyes. “When did you regain consciousness? Why didn't you ask someone to inform your dad and me? Do you feel unwell?”
She reached out to touch Theodore, but he roughly grabbed her hand and pushed her away, causing her to stumble backward.
“What are you doing?” Barnaby slammed his fork on the table in anger. “She's your mother! How could you hurt her instead of greeting her?”
“I'm fine, Barnaby. Our son is finally back home, so don't yell at him.” After regaining her balance, Emma quickly ordered the kitchen to prepare another serving of breakfast. Softly, she told Theodore, “Theodore, take a seat. Let's have breakfast together.”
Without a word, Theodore came forward a few paces to stand in front of Barnaby, covering the latter in his frosty judgment.
A few seconds of silence later, he pulled out a black and heavy item from the back of his waist and placed it right beside Barnaby.
Parting his lips, he said flintily, “Here's the gun. You two either commit suicide, or I'll ask someone to send you to the countryside so you can spend the rest of your retirement lives there.”
Barnaby was taken aback by Theodore's demands, but he quickly regained his composure and hollered, “Theodore, are you crazy?”
Rage surged through Barnaby as he grabbed the gun from the table, loaded it, and pointed it at Theodore.
Barnaby was astonished when Theodore suddenly produced another gun, loading it with only one hand before pointing it at his head.
“Theodore, no!” Emma rushed over and tried to push down the gun in Barnaby's hand. She pleaded, “It's my fault. Your father has nothing to do with it.”
Theodore's hand didn't move an inch. He ignored Emma's plea and said, “Three minutes.”
“Let me go!” Barnaby hissed angrily as he tried to push Emma away. “Let's see if he has the guts to kill me...”
Theodore adjusted his gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed Barnaby's face and lodged into the wall behind him.
The loud crack caused the help to scurry out of the dining room in a haste.
The bullet that grazed Barnaby's cheek left behind a bloody trail.
Emma nearly screamed in shock. She wrapped her hands around Barnaby tightly to stop him from getting up. She gazed sadly at her heartless child while tears ran down her face.
“Your dad and I will move to the countryside. We will never come to Norwal City ever again,” she choked out in distress. “Theodore, I'm sorry for hurting you and Jasmine. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but please don't disown us.”
Barnaby growled, “Why did you say that? We worked hard to bring him up and don't owe him anything!”
“That's enough, Barnaby,” Emma cut in. “You've worked hard for a long time, so you must be tired. It's time for you to retire. Head to the base later and hand the reins to Theodore.”
“I worked hard to get where I am today. Why should I hand everything to him? How dare he shoot me?”
Emma wiped her tears away and said gently, “He's your only son. Who else can you hand your position to? Theodore only wants us to move to the countryside, so the Xavier family will be fine.”
Her response caused a ball of frustration to manifest in Barnaby's chest, but he couldn't bring himself to hit her. Furious, he exclaimed, “You ruined everything!”
Right then, two men clad in suits entered the living room.
Theodore commanded coldly, “Old Mr. Xavier is heading to the base. Give him a ride there and bring the stuff back to me.”
“Got it.”
The men went to Barnaby. Their attitude was polite, but it was obvious they were wary of him. “Old Mr. Xavier, if you're done, we'll give you a ride there.”
A deep line appeared between Barnaby's brows. He was about to unleash his wrath when Emma grabbed his arm and shot him a pleading look.
In the end, he gave Theodore a glare and rose to his feet.
Before leaving, Barnaby warned, “Don't you dare lay a hand on your mom. Even if you're my son, I can disown you!”
After Barnaby left with the men, Emma trudged over to Theodore carefully.
She hesitated for a few moments before saying, “It was all my fault, so stop blaming the Xavier family. Don't destroy our family's reputation.”
Theodore responded coolly, “If you lead a peaceful life in the countryside, nothing will happen to the Xavier family.”
“Remember to use the connections your dad left for you. I...” Emma trailed off, not knowing what to say. She wiped her tears away with a handkerchief and added, “Please apologize to Ms. Sanders on my behalf.”
“She doesn't need your apology.” Theodore's face was devoid of expression. “She will never respect you or call you 'Mom’.”
Emma couldn't stop tears from streaming down her cheeks after hearing his words.
She had no idea her actions would lead to the destruction of her family.
Without a word, Theodore went outside and waited in his car.
Around an hour later, Theodore's subordinates brought Barnaby back along with a box of documents that was delivered to his car. He then told his driver to head to Kristie's house.
James opened the door, not at all surprised to see him. “Have you had breakfast yet?”
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