Chapter 588

Chapter 588

Newton poured a glass of warm water for Jasper, handing it to his grandson, who sat across from

him.

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Jasper gratefully took the glass, sitting up straight. He cupped the glass with

a

hand around the body and another at the base.

"How's your injuries, Jasper?” Newton asked gently.

“They're mostly surface wounds but have healed a lot,” Jasper replied, masking most of his

weakness and

pain. “Don’t worry about me, Grandpa. I'm stronger than you think. I was in the army once, after

all.”

“Then why didn't you fight back when your father hit you?” Newton scowled. “That vixen, Sophia,

clearly

influenced him to hurt you for no good reason. Why didn’t you just snatch the whip away and hit

her back?!

He'd called Jasper over just to question him about this.

Jasper looked down at his glass of water. To Newton's surprise, he stayed silent.

After a moment, Newton asked in a softer tone, “You're my grandson, Jasper, and blood of blood.

You

don't still feel like you owe it to our family, do you?”

Jasper's lips pressed into a thin line.

When he was five years old, he once had to survive in a filthy, narrow little slumhouse with his sick

and

frail mother. It was a stormy night when those cars arrived outside the house. Rainwater had

drenched

the building, and the biting cold wind numbed their fingers

Jasper had been sitting by the bed, trying to feed her mother some water.

Javier had been younger then, clad in a smart suit and tie as he walked into the room. Not even his

leather shoes had a drop of rainwater on them.

All Jasper had in mind at that time when he saw this man was-

“Please. Please save my mom, sir!”

Javier had marched over to the bedside. Tears welled up in his

eyes as he hugged Jasper's thin and sickly

mother. He cried out, “Oh, Anne! My sweet Anne! I'm so sorry it took me so long. I'm so sorry! I'm

finally

here for you and our son.”

Jasper still vividly remembered his father's devotion to his mother, insisting on marrying her no

matter

the pressure from his family and the public. Thus, Jasper, a child born out of wedlock, was

legitimized.

+15 BONUS

He never understood, though. Did Javier really love his mother? If he did, why would he turn his

affections elsewhere, causing his mother to commit suicide when she crumbled under her

depression?

Jasper often wondered whether it would have been better for his mother to die on that cold, stormy

night sick in bed or from the torturous existence the love of her life had caused her.

"You don’t owe a single thing to us, child. We're the ones who owe you.” Newton placed a hand on

Jasper's shoulder, unshed tears in his eyes. “I'm the one who's to blame for what happened all

those

years ago.

“I knew just how much your father loved your mother, but the economic crisis had just hit us. We

would have faced bankruptcy, what with the projects we took on being halted and our assets worth

diminished. That's why I had your father marry the Dutton girl from Minestrom-your brother's

mother.

“It's all my fault, dear child. The suffering that you had to go through when you were a kid

“No, Grandpa. You were only doing what was best for the family and the company. I can empathize

with

your reasons. It's okay.” Jasper didn’t blame Newton at all

Newton didn’t have to hear him say it out loud to hear it. He sighed long and hard in response.

“I didn't fight back earlier because of Justin,” Jasper said. “Before he left the city for Mosgravia,

that I don't get on Javier's bad side too much, for his sake.”

he asked