Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 510

"But when we met, you told me a rebellious brat like him was worse than an enemy, and that I should get rid of him as soon as possible!" Adrian shot back.

"And didn't you love hearing it? I was just telling you exactly what you wanted to hear!" Shane roared with laughter. "I'm your nemesis! Your sworn enemy! Of course I wanted you to march straight into the trap. And looking at how things turned out, you didn't disappoint. What a great friend you are!"

Given how much Adrian hated Ethan at the time, if Shane had actually told him to reconcile with his son, Adrian would have cursed him out.

Idiot. He had five brilliant children and completely failed to nurture or use them. He deserved everything he got.

"My friend, we share some blood ties at the very least. Are you really going to watch me die?"

"My hands are tied. Business is a battlefield, and since we're in the game, we have to play by the rules."

Spare you? Keep dreaming. When my mother and I were thrown out on the streets, did you ever say a word in our defense?

Failing to secure mercy and getting thoroughly mocked instead, Adrian was fuming when his phone rang again. It was Wyatt.

"Boss, Miss Mara was caught stealing company art pieces and trying to sell them. The creditors cornered her."

"What? The company is on the brink of collapse, and she's pulling petty burglaries? Is she trying to bankrupt us faster?"

If the shareholders and creditors realized the founding family was secretly moving assets, it would trigger a full-blown riot.

"Fiona, how exactly did you raise her?" Adrian snarled.

"Calm down, please! I've been managing the company and taking care of you for days. When did I have time to watch her? I'm sure she just meant well. She was probably trying to secure some cash so we have something to live on later."

That evening, he sent Fiona home early. Burying his head under the blankets, he sobbed through the entire night.

He regretted it all. If he had never tangled with Fiona, he could have spent the rest of his life peacefully with Lacey.

Even if he hadn't loved her passionately, she had loved him fiercely. It wasn't an earth-shattering romance, but she had cared for him meticulously and would have given everything for him, even her life. He could have lived in absolute comfort.

He had originally just planned to keep Fiona as a hidden mistress. He had even laid out three rules for her: she could be with him, but she could never disrupt his family.

He had a gentle, virtuous wife and children that made the whole world jealous—not only gorgeous, but incredibly smart and capable.

They were wildly successful, and the corporate empire had been growing stronger by the day. Such a perfect family should never have been destroyed.