Ian had to clear up his pockets as soon as possible. When they got rid of their shares of the Michel Group, he would buy however much they sold. There was going to be a change in the stock market tonight. Ian realized that other than him, quite a number of people were emptying their pockets as well;
they were all waiting to purchase the Michel Groupâs stocks, and Michael was one of them.
While everyoneâs focus was on the Yard twins and Linusâ stocks, Linus was standing alone on the hotel rooftop, taking in the evening breeze. Summer in Bayside City was sultry during the day, but cool at night.
Linus propped his hands on the rooftop railing, his head hanging low as tears began to fall. He was happy today, but he was also downhearted; he felt sad and regretful. For twenty years, he had lived with the Michel family in fear. As an adopted son, the pressure he had experienced was unlike any other. He dreamed of becoming a true member of the Michel Family and did not dare to relax for even a day. The heartache he felt for those twenty years was something that only he would understand.
He had only found out today that Cooper was his biological father. The pressure he felt during the past twenty years seemed ridiculous and absurd now. He had actually taken advantage of his biological sister over and over again just to gain a foothold! Now that his identity had changed, his standpoint had changed too. Looking back, he realized how repulsive he used to be; he was simply a monster who would do whatever it took to gain power.
Unbeknownst to Linus, Cooper had appeared behind him. The night was dark, and the cityâs bright neon lights barely outlined Cooperâs fuzzy figure. Linus turned back, and although he could not see his expression, he could guess how disappointed Cooper was at the moment. The man was as sharp as a tack, so it went without saying that he must have seen through all of Linusâ plans by now.
âLinus, do you admit to your mistakes?â Cooper asked coldly.
This time, his terrible ploy had failed once again, but Linus was not scared. Instead, he felt guilty and sad. He slowly turned back until he was facing Cooper, then with a âplopâ, he kneeled on the ground.
âDad, I was wrongâ¦â The pair stayed like that: the father standing and the son kneeling.
Cooper remained silent for a long while before taking a couple of steps forward to help Linus up. Tears were brimming in Linusâ eyes, but he could clearly see Cooperâs expression. There was no look of reproach on his face; instead, there was only a fatherâs heartache.
The father and son stood on the rooftop, looking at Bayview Cityâs bright neon lights. This was their first time being together as father and son, but Linus did not feel strange because this was how they had always gotten along. Even though they did not know about their relationship, Cooper had always treated Linus as his own and had high hopes for him.
âLinus, you must know that Iâm strict with you not because youâre adopted. It doesnât matter whether or not youâre my son, as ever since I adopted you, Iâve taken on the responsibility of guiding you. Iâm strict with you because I want you to be stronger.â Cooperâs words were grave and earnest, but his eyes were filled with sadness. âOnly when you have power and strength, can you protect all those that you love.â
Linus nodded wordlessly. Cooper patted his shoulder and looked at the son that he had found with such difficulty. Sadness surged in his heart, but at the same time, he was gratified. He figured that he had never treated him poorly, and Linus had lived up to his expectations as well. This was enough. It was really enoughâ¦
âLinus, a person strengthens themselves in order to protect everything they love. If you only gain power for yourself, youâll be lonely for life.â
Once again, Linus nodded silently, and he could not hold back the tears that began to fall.
Cooper continued, âYouâre the child that I raised, so I know your character, and I know why you did what youâve done⦠But that doesnât mean Iâll tolerate everything that you do. There is nothing crueler than hurting the person who loves and trusts you. Once the consequences emerge, you wonât even have the chance to make amends. Linus⦠I will never be able to ask for your grandfatherâs forgiveness for the rest of my life, which is why I hope that you wonât follow in my footsteps.â
At this point, Linus sobbed uncontrollably and kneeled in front of Cooper again; he wasnât even able to utter a single word. He was unscrupulous because he had no sense of security, and he felt like he could be replaced at any moment. He lived carefully and cautiously because he feared that he would be sent away mercilessly if he so much as took a wrong step or said something wrong. He really liked his sister, his adoptive parents, and Cooper; he did not want to leave them.
But today, he realized that regardless of whether or not he was Cooperâs biological son, Cooper had always treated him as his most trusted family member.
âDad, I was wrong, and I wonât do it again. Please donât tell Sophia; I donât want to lose herâ¦â While Cooper might have been able to forgive him, Sophia might not.
Cooper shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. âSilly child, sheâs your sisterâyour relative. She will forgive you; after all, weâre family. Linus⦠As long as youâre sincere, you donât have to be as careful as a slave is around their master. Nobody will send you away just because youâre not good enough. Back then, I brought you back because I wanted to give you a home.â
Tears were streaming down Linusâ face like rain now, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke. âDadâ¦â
In the corner, Michael watched everything before quietly leaving. In the end, he did not mention anything to Sophia, so she still thought that it was all a misunderstanding.
He suddenly remembered his childhood when he was adopted by the Fletchers after his parents passed away. People his age were jealous of the affection he got from Mark, so they ostracized him and isolated him. Now, he knew that it was nothing more than children being children, but at that time, he felt as if it was the end of the world. Therefore, he rebelled and left the Fletcher family, not turning back for more than a decade. When he looked back now, he realized that he and Linus were the same type of people.
The only difference was that Linus chose to bear everything silently and strengthened himself by any means, while he chose to turn his back on everything.
In no time, the banquet ended, and everyone was happy. The next day, there were rumors that the Vice President of the Michel Group was adopted, but he had found his biological father and was disowned by the Michel family. He would immediately lose his position in the Michel Group, and they would carry out a reshuffling of power, which would cause internal turmoil. This had resulted in many people selling their stocks.
Michael made haste to collect a lot of loose shares, saving them for Sophia and Carmen. When the time came and she really wanted to return to the Michel family, all of this would be her capital.
Sophia was still staying with Michael at The Imperial, while Linus openly moved back to the Edwards Residence. After he returned home, Michael handled several trivial matters before bringing Sophia and Carmen to the Edwards Residence for dinner. This would be their first meal together ever since they acknowledged their relationship, so it was a rather grand occasion. Michael even took the liberty to bring over a few pounds of rice eels.
At the dinner table, Carmen addressed Linus sweetly. âGranduncle!â
Cooper instantly corrected her. âCall him uncle!â
Carmen pouted with dissatisfaction and spoke as if she were wronged. âPapa said that even though Uncle Linus is my real uncle, Iâll still have to call him Granduncle when Grandpa is around.â
Upon hearing this, Michael was shocked and nearly jumped up to cover Carmenâs mouth. He was doomed!
Sure enough, as soon as Carmen finished speaking, three pairs of eyes shot coldly toward Michael.