Chapter 25
As though to ward off any doubt both brothers had, Charles slid the file across to Jake. “This is the document for everything. I’ve signed it all p>
Raymond shot to his feet, his hands trembling, his voice rising. “You can’t do this, Dad! All my life, I’ve been waiting—preparing—for my chance. You promised me Florittle. You said p>
“I said you would inherit it if you proved yourself,” Charles cut in, his voice merciless. “And you have not. I gave you chance after chance, Raymond, and each time you stumbled. I will not gamble with our empire because you want to play at being a man when you’re obviously still a baby and don’t want to grow. I told you, actions speak louder than voice p>
Raymond’s chest heaved. His vision blurred. The dream he had clung to, the business he had envisioned running, all of it ripped away in a breath. To think he’d even been thinking of asking for another branch so he doesn’t have to leave Sweliss and Bella.
What a joke.
Jake sat frozen, caught between duty and loyalty. He looked at his brother — the devastation written across his face — and his throat ached with unspoken words. He wanted to protest, to ask his father to reconsider, but he knew Charles. Once his mind was set, nothing could sway him. They both had that in common. Though Jake knew that, he still wanted to talk.
“Dad,” Jake began carefully, his voice low, “perhaps p>
Charles raised a hand, silencing him. “Don’t bother. I’m not changing my mind. You are the head of StoneTech now, so do whatever you please with it—just don’t bring shame to my name p>
Raymond’s fists clenched at his sides, fury warring with heartbreak. He turned to his brother, his voice trembling. “So you… You’re just going to accept this? You’re just going to take everything? You’re just going to watch him strip it all from me p>
Jake’s chest tightened. He wanted to say no, wanted to tell him they could runnit together but it seemed Raymond was getting the wrong idea. None of this was his fault.
“I didn’t ask for this, Raymond,” Jake said quietly, the words tasting like ash. “You know I didn’t p>
“That doesn’t matter!” Raymond’s voice broke, the sound raw, agonizing. “You always get everything. Always! And now… now you’ve taken this too p>
Charles’ voice boomed, final and merciless. “Enough. This conversation is over. Raymond, you will either find your discipline or you will find yourself outside this family’s walls. Jake, you know what’s expected. Do not fail me p>
The fire crackled in the silence that followed, the only sound in the suffocating room.
Raymond stood rigid, his face pale, his eyes dark with a pain Jake had never seen in him before. Then, without another word, he turned and stormed out, the door slamming behind him.
Jake sat rooted, the weight of the empire suddenly pressing onto his shoulders like chains. He had been groomed for it, yes, but not like this — not by having his brother feel so betrayed.
Charles adjusted his cufflinks with calm finality. “This was necessary,” he said. “You’ll understand, in time p>
But Jake wasn’t sure he ever would.
The slam of the heavy door still echoed in Raymond’s ears, vibrating through his bones. His father’s voice — cold, and final — would not stop replaying in his head.
Jake is the owner of StoneTech Solutions.
The words rang like a death sentence.
He strode through the hallway, fists clenched, until he reached the terrace doors and pushed them open. The gardens stretched before him, dimly lit by lanterns hung along winding stone paths he barely noticed.
“Raymond p>
The familiar, gentle voice froze him mid-step.
His mother, Evelyn, stood beneath the arch of roses, her emerald gown catching the faint moonlight. She had returned from seeing Helena off. Her sharp eyes immediately caught the storm on his face.
“Why are you looking so angry?” she asked softly, her tone carrying both worry and command.
Raymond’s throat tightened. He wanted to walk past her, to bottle the fury tearing at his insides, but the words ripped out before he could stop them.
“Did you know?” His voice was raw, almost breaking. “Did you know about Dad handing everything over to Jake? Including the hotel business he promised me p>
Evelyn’s gaze didn’t flicker. She stepped closer, her expression calm. “Is that why you’re angry?” Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs.net
She never would have thought he’d be this angry about it.
Raymond snapped, his pain boiling over. “How could I not be angry?” His voice rose, sharp and shaking. “He promised me Florittle, Mom. Florittle was supposed to be mine! I even thought of asking him for another branch here in Sweliss in exchange— I planned for it, dreamed of it. And now? Now I get nothing p>
His words cracked into the night, raw and bitter. Evelyn’s lips parted, sorrow flashing in her eyes. She reached for him, wrapping her arms around him despite his stiffness.
“Oh, my boy,” she whispered, her voice warm, soothing. “Don’t think like that. If you didn’t know, your father… only did this to make you buckle up. He wants you to grow. You must see that.” She pulled back just enough to look into his face, her silver hair glinting. “And besides, Jake can always give you what you want. You’re brothers. This is not the end p>
But Raymond stiffened in her embrace. Slowly, he pulled away, his face shadowed, his gray eyes burning with hurt and pride.
“I don’t want Jake handing me anything,” he said, each word clipped and shaking. “I don’t want pity. I don’t want scraps. I’ll prove to him, to Dad, to everyone that I’m worthy. That I’m not any less than Jake p>
Before Evelyn could answer, he turned sharply and stormed off into the dark, his footsteps echoing across the stone path.
Evelyn stood there, frozen under the night sky, her arms still outstretched as though holding the ghost of her son. Her heart twisted with fear, with love, with helplessness. She had always known this day would come — the day Charles’ harshness would break one son and crown the other.
Now, as the garden wind whispered through the roses, she prayed it wouldn’t destroy the peace she’d always admired in her children’s life.
If Raymond was this mad, she couldn’t help but wonder how he’d feel when he learns the final truth.