âMr. Blake, letâs talk about work.â Alexander changed the topic.
His memories with grandpa flashed through his mind.
In front of grandpa, Alexander had always been careful.
He always wanted grandpa to pay more attention to him, so he always tried to do his best.
When Alexander first arrived at the Parks residence, his mother told him to make grandpa happy.
Grandpa had always been very cold to him.
Every time he took the initiative to call grandpa, grandpa would respond indifferently and ignore him.
He envied grandpaâs sternness and affection for Julian.
Grandpa did it without any ulterior motive.
It was pure love.
Alexander wanted it, too.
He studied hard.
Every time he scored well, he would tell grandpa.
âGrandpa.
I got full marks for my essay this time.â âGrandpa.
I won first prize in the mathematics competition.â âGrandpa, three students in our class were chosen to participate in the International Physics Competition.
I got a spot.â âGrandpa.
I won Silver in the International Physics Competition.â At first, grandpa only responded with a nod.
Later, grandpa would say, âKeep it up!â And much later, grandpa would say, âDonât slack off.
Keep working hard!â Later, grandpa said to him, âIt doesnât matter what a personâs background is.
Is he rich or poor? It doesnât matter what a personâs intelligence is.
Is he clever or stupid? It doesnât matter what a personâs ability is, either.
Is he outstanding or mediocre? The most important thing in life is to have the right values and do the right thing.
âWhat are these values? What is right? Everything you do must be done openly, honestly, and with integrity.
You must have a clear conscience.
Everything you do must not harm anyone.
These are the right values.â He knew that grandpa was blaming his mother for having an affair with his father, causing harm to Julianâs mother.
When Alexander first arrived at the Parks residence, he did not dare to face Julian.
He was apologetic toward Julian.
Julian ignored him, but he followed behind Julian and called out to him.
His mother told him to stay away from Julian, but he did not listen.
Later on, after he had called out to Julian enough times, Julian would occasionally respond to him.
with indifference.
Those were his happiest days.
Until that day, when he was extremely hot from playing basketball, he rushed into the house and opened the fridge to drink some water.
However, Julian did not allow him to drink from it.
He said the fridge was his, and all the water was his.
Alexander was not allowed to drink it.
Alexander could only pour himself a glass of warm water.
Julian even threw a handful of tea leaves into it arrogantly.
Julianâs condescending attitude and contemptuous.
gaze had hurt him.
From then on, Alexander no longer followed behind Julian or called out to him.
Alexander felt upset thinking about the past.
It was an indescribable feeling.
Jared smiled.
He replied enthusiastically, âAlright.
Letâs talk about work.â The waiter began to serve the dishes.
Jared immediately poured wine for Alexander.
Alexander covered the wine glass in front of him.
He said, âMr.
Blake, letâs not drink today.
I drove here.â Jared smiled.
âIt doesnât matter.
Iâll get the driver to drive you later.
Come.
Letâs give a toast to our new collaboration.â âOkay.â Alexander moved his hand away.
Jared poured him a glass of wine.
Jared raised his glass.
âCome, Alexander.
Cheers.â âYouâre too kind, Mr.
Blake.
Cheers!â Alexander stood up and raised his glass with both hands.
âItâs a pleasure to work with you.â Jared clinked his glass against Alexanderâs.
âPleasure working with you,â Alexander said.
After drinking a glass of wine, Jared warmly gestured toward the dishes.
âAlexander, come.
Eat more.â âThank you, Mr.
Blake.
Iâll do it myself.
Please eat, too.â Alexander was not used to other people being excessively enthusiastic.
He had grown up being overlooked.
After he and his mother came to the Parks residence, although no one dared to be rude to him, they would quietly discuss and scold him for being an illegitimate child in private.
He was mature, even as a child.
He knew well that there must be a reason why Jared was so attentive.
âAlexander, youâre about the same age as Adam and Preston.
Since Iâm older than you, you can call me Uncle Jared from now on,â Jared said.
âOkay, Uncle Jared,â Alexander replied smoothly.
Jared was delighted.
He chatted with Alexander again.
âAlexander, I heard your performance has already exceeded Julianâs.â âYes.
Iâm in the lead for the time being,â Alexander said.
Jared nodded.
âThat is such good news.
While Julian is busy with the wedding, letâs work harder.â It had to be said that Jared was a smooth talker.
Judging from his words, he had already treated Alexander like his business partner.
âYeah,â Alexander replied.
He had a feeling that Jared was hiding an ace up his sleeve.
But he was not in a hurry.
He waited for Jared to continue.
Jared said, âAlexander, in terms of understanding, I might be one of the few people who can truly understand you.â Alexander looked up at Jared in surprise.
Jared sighed.
He said, âYou and Adam are the same.
From the moment you were born, you were unfairly treated.
The adults made a mistake, but the child shouldnât be blamed.
Be it you or Adam, youâre both capable and hardworking.
You shouldnât suffer this treatment because youâre an illegitimate child.â Alexanderâs grip on the glass tightened again.
Jared felt the indignation in Alexanderâs heart.
He suddenly leaned forward and whispered, âAlexander, thereâs a perfect opportunity now.â âWhat?â
Alexander asked.
A cold glint flashed across Jaredâs eyes as he said in a low voice, âDo you think Julian is still qualified to be Parks Groupâs successor if heâs implicated in a criminal lawsuit? Say, murder?â Alexander was shocked.
He narrowed his eyes and asked, âMr.
Blake, what do you mean?â Jared said, âI mean it literally.â Alexander said, âJulian is a very calm person.
No matter how angry he is, he would never kill someone.â He wanted to see what Jared was up to.
Jared smiled.
He felt that Alexander was still young and could not grasp what was being said.
Jared said again, âWhat if someone killed someone and framed Julian?â Alexanderâs eyes flashed.
He said, âIf Julian didnât do it, he wouldnât admit it.â âWhat if the evidence is conclusive, and he has to admit it?â Jared had a knowing look.
Alexander felt that Jared was too vicious, but he wanted to know what Jared wanted to do.
He said, âIf itâs no one important, my grandpa will help cover it up.â âWhat if itâs Preston?â Jaredâs body emitted a chilling aura.
Alexander almost spilled the wine in his glass.
He could not believe what he was hearing.
Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs.
But Jared wanted Prestonâs life.
He remembered seeing rumors on the Internet that Jared had a hand in Prestonâs car accident years ago.
Perhaps⦠it was true.
Jared was too vicious.