A Life Debt Repaid By Cheng Xiaocheng Chapter 496
A Life Debt Repaid
Suddenly, Alan said, âTake him with you.â
Cordy did a double take, thinking she had misheard.
She looked up at Alan, and saw a glimmer in his eyes-the glimmer of compromising with what life brought.
Even if he was already seventy and confined to a wheelchair, he remained healthy and spirited, just as he was elegant and imposing. She didnât think that the day would come when life had him beat, since she was convinced that even if age wore him down, his spirit would always remain staunch.
âDicky will live with you from now on,â Alan repeated.
âWhat about you?â Cordy did not say no-because she could not.
Moreover, if Alan made that choice, he must have given it due consideration.
âIâve lived long enough, and itâs time I let go,â he said somberly. âI once desired and demanded too much, and my family had flourished as I foresaw it wouldâ¦but nothing good came out of years of autocratic leadership. Maybe I was mistaken from the start.â
There was no doubt about it.
For a great man to say something like that, he had well and truly succumbed to fate.
Even as Alan continued, his eyes seemed to well with tears. âI was the one who sent Johnâs parents abroad for a business discussion, and theyâd neve have died in that accident if not for me. I was the one who stubbornly denied Jay a relationship with Zoe, which was why he had that accident. If only I could set aside pride and prejudice to let Zoe stay with us, Jay wouldâve been content with staying in the manor. So much tragedy could have been avoided.â i âJayâs situation had nothing to do with youâ¦â Cordy tried to assure him.
Alan simply shook his head, claiming responsibility for all sins.
âAnd now, thereâs John. If I didnât stubbornly force him to marry Jessica Stuart and supported him instead, he wouldnât have to resort to such radical efforts to have his engagement annulled.â
Cordy didnât know what to say, because Alan was well and truly being crushed under the pressure of life. He aged decades in a split second.
âIâll travel abroad and stay with Jay while heâs being treated. That leaves Nancy and Cora, so Iâd be leaving most of Levine Venturesâ affairs in Nancyâs hands.
She might not be able to manage, however, since her focus had never been in businessâ¦â
Alan sounded indifferent, as if he suddenly did not care about an enterprise as grand as Levine Ventures, while appearing more open- minded now. âAnd if Nancy could not keep things going, Iâll liquidate Levine Ventures. No more fame or gloryâweâll be mortals once again, and there just might be less tragedy.â
When one lacked ambition, wealth, fame and influence were a lot less important.