Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 542

"Brother, considering you have one foot in the grave and a miserable end ahead of you, let's have a proper chat today."

Shane figured this might be his last chance. The drug he had just used on Adrian was dangerously potent.

He settled back onto the plush sofa, exuding the arrogant aura of his glory days, and stared down at Adrian, who lay helpless on the floor.

"Speaking of which, don't blame me for being ruthless. Did you forget? I'm a part of the Mercer family too."

Adrian glared at him. "A disgraceful, illegitimate bastard. You think you're worthy of the Mercer name?"

"Illegitimate? Your shameless father was the one who toyed with my mother's feelings and lacked the spine to take responsibility.

He played the obedient son and loyal husband at home, but couldn't keep his hands to himself outside.

When the truth came out, he blindly placated his parents and his wife, throwing my mother and me to the wolves."

Remembering the past, Shane's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

When the legitimate wife stormed their home and terrorized them, his father hadn't stood up to defend them once.

He only cared about pacifying that vicious woman, completely ignoring the trauma inflicted on his other family.

It was only after the woman left that his father finally came back to offer empty comforts.

His mother, soft-hearted as she was, believed his sweet words and forgave him.

She had foolishly thought the worst was over, that they could return to a quiet life. She had never actually wanted to destroy another woman's marriage.

Since she was already tied to his father, she figured as long as he provided child support, they could scrape by.

Adrian's mother played the perfect, virtuous matriarch in public, but behind closed doors, she subjected Shane to a relentless campaign of psychological and physical torment.

Outwardly, she showered him with affection, only to secretly confiscate valuable items and frame him for stealing them.

At dinner, his meals looked identical to Adrian's, but they were often laced with broken needles, filth, and heavy sedatives that left him lethargic and disoriented.

Through her calculated manipulations, it took less than a month for the Mercer elders to thoroughly despise him.

Finally, at the matriarch's grand birthday banquet, the heavy sedatives took their toll. Shane collapsed in a corner, falling into a deep sleep.

By the time he woke up, the prestigious guests had already given their blessings and moved on.

The elders, already repulsed by him, felt he had humiliated them in front of Aethelgard's elite. That very night, they beat him savagely and threw him out onto the streets...