Free Web NovelChapter 675: Thank You, Brother
"Christian has been arrested!" Anthony knew that he had to answer the question by hook or by crook, but he was trying not to embarrass himself in front of the crowd. "I know that in your eyes, Christian is nothing but a demon and a drug trafficker who deserves punishment. But he is my son.
"I did not acknowledge him in the past because that was a mistake I made when I was younger. I did not dare to acknowledge him at that time. Now that he has been arrested, he will soon face justice. Looking at the crimes he had committed, he will definitely be sentenced to life imprisonment or death.
"And I know that he wants to become part of the Lucas family officially. As his father, I do not want him to be known as an illegitimate son even at the point of death.
"As a citizen of this country, I will not tolerate any crime. I will not plead for leniency on Christian’s behalf. What is wrong is wrong. Justice should be served.
"As his father, what I can do for him now is to fulfil his last wish. I know that by acknowledging a criminal as my son, it will tarnish my reputation. There will be backlash, with people saying that I am the father of the drug trafficker, Christian Lucas."
Anthony then made a self-deprecating comment, "But, what else can I do now? I just want to fulfil his last wish. It is the father’s duty to be responsible for his son’s mistakes. I have never been a good father and I showed no concern to him while he grew up abroad. Now, I am just doing what I should do."
Anthony was indeed a well-experienced public speaker. He was calm and was dealing with the situation very appropriately.
Although he arrived at the press conference without knowing what was about to happen, he could think of such a perfect response in just a few minutes.
"What’s going on? I’m actually a little touched."
"Christian has been arrested? This is so exhilarating! The drug trafficker has finally being put behind bars!"
"What do you mean by a little touched? How could you be touched by such a heartless man? He is such an ungrateful man who abandoned his wife and son!"
"Be reasonable! Let’s not talk about other matters first. If what Anthony said is true, he is indeed taking responsibility as a father now."
"Responsibility? Does he have only one son? How about Michael Lucas? How would he feel about having a drug trafficker brother out of nowhere?" freeweɓnøvel.com
"Also, how about his wife? Everyone knows that he is having an affair! He takes responsibility for one person and put the entire Lucas family to shame in exchange.
What nonsense is this?!"
"For those who are touched, let me give you some hints. Go ahead, google Lily Yates and Anthony Lucas. Go!"
Christian frowned as he read on the comments online. It seemed that most of the netizens were rational. But all Christian wanted was to be acknowledged as part of the Lucas family. Anthony had acknowledged him as his son, so Christian had already achieved his goal.
"Chairman Lucas, did you think about how to answer to your wife and son when you chose to acknowledge Christian as part of the Lucas family?" The reporter then emphasized, "I mean your son, Mr. Michael Lucas."
"We’ve also heard that you have moved out of the Lucas family home and are living with Christian and his mother. Is that true? If this is true, does this mean that between your two sons, you actually care more about Christian?"
...
Anthony had just answered a question, but more questions were coming at him.
Anthony gripped the microphone hard as he turned around to look at Michael. He seemed to be asking for Michael’s help.
But Michael did not want to look at him.
"I’ve said that all these are rumors," said Anthony as he smiled faintly. He did not answer the questions directly.
The reporters would not let him off. Anthony did not want to entertain further questions. But Michael was not helping. He allowed more questions to come by nodding his head each time a reporter wanted to ask something.
"Chairman Lucas, you said that you made a mistake when you were young with regards to Christian. When did you realize that you are at fault?"
"Chairman Lucas, I heard that your wife is suffering from mental illness. Is it true that she’s a little abnormal now?"
"Is it true? Your wife was driven crazy by you and Christian’s mother?"
"Where are you staying now, Chairman Lucas? Are you still in contact with Christian’s mother? What exactly is your relationship with her?"
"Mr. Lucas, may I know how do you feel right now?"
"Mr. Michael Lucas, what do you think about your father and your half-brother?"
The questions were getting harder to answer. Anthony could no longer hold the fort.
If he continued to be questioned further, this press conference would turn out to be a session where he confessed to his own sins.
"I’m sorry. That’s all for today," said Anthony as he tried to put on a smile.
Then, he tossed the microphone to the crew and ran away from the crowd immediately.
Alas for him, Michael was not going to let him off that easily. Michael gazed at Mr.
York, who was below the stage, signaling for him to stop Anthony immediately. He then said to the reporters, "Although I am reluctant to admit that Christian is my half-brother, he is my father’s flesh and blood.
"As a brother, I feel sorry for him. If we had grown up together, we might be helping each other now, and he would not have walked a path of no return.
"My father is right. He did make a big mistake. If you want the details, you may ask him directly." This cast the limelight back to Anthony again.
At the same time, the bodyguards had blocked Anthony’s way out. Michael got off the stage later while the reporters dashed towards Anthony. Soon, they had him surrounded.
"Chairman Lucas, it is said that Christian’s mother is not the only woman you are having an affair with. Is that true?"
"How do you balance your life with all the lovers you have?" ƒrēewebnovel.com
"Chairman Lucas, we hear that it has been some time since you last returned to the Lucas family. Have you severed ties with the Lucas family? Or have you been driven out?"
"You know that Christian was a mistake. How are you going to make it up to your family?"
"Chairman Lucas, is it true that you set up MC Enterprise with the help of your wife, Winnie Quinn’s family?"
Anthony was stumped by the deluge of questions. He saw Michael’s lips twitching into a smile in the distance. Anthony clenched his teeth in anger.
Well, these were his sons. One had embarrassed him by being a drug trafficker. The other had left him in the lurch.
Michael raised his hand and waved at Anthony to bid him goodbye.
...
Michael left the press conference. He had already achieved his goal. As for Anthony, he couldn’t care less. The more miserable Anthony was, the happier Michael felt.
Anthony had never done his duty as a father. The miserable state of the Lucas and Yates families was all caused by Anthony’s selfishness.
After leaving the hall, Michael gave Evan a call immediately. As soon as the call got through, Michael said, "Evan, could you please put Christian on the line?"
But Christian was the one who had picked up the call. He answered, "It’s me."
Even had passed the cellphone to Christian directly when he saw that it was Michael calling.
"Have you watch the press conference?" asked Michael.
"Yes," said Christian as he lifted his head and looked at the moon outside the window. "I will take the blood test as promised. If it is a match, I will go to Lake City immediately for the bone marrow transplant."
"Thank you," Michael held onto the cellphone and remained silent for some time. He did not know what to say to Christian, except thank him.
"I should be the one who’s thanking you," said Christian as he sighed. "I’ve never expected to be officially acknowledged as part of the Lucas family in this manner."
In fact, Christian did not feel the elation that he was expecting. He thought he would feel happy to be accepted by Anthony and Michael as part of the Lucas family. But it did not seem to be the case. He could feel the joy fading.
Suddenly, Christian thought, if he had defeated Michael previously during the duel and managed to kill him, would he be happy then? He actually did not know if this were the case. Could it be that defeating Michael was just an obsession all along?
Looking at Anthony, who was surrounded by reporters and inundated with countless questions, he knew that Michael was the one who had forced him into attending the press conference.
Anthony was such a selfish man who only cared about himself. How could it be possible for him to acknowledge Christian as the son of his own accord?
Christian knew his parents well. Both of them were selfish. Christian felt that he might have inherited his parents’ selfishness.
He had never learned how to love or care for someone else. His heart had been filled with hatred since he was young. The only thing that kept him alive and made him an outstanding businessman was his hatred towards the Lucas family.
In fact, the person who deserves his hate the most was Anthony. Due to his selfishness and irresponsibility, he drove the two families into such a miserable state.
"Thank you, brother," said Christian. It was the first time Christian was calling Michael his brother from the heart.
His eyes glazed over as he looked at the beautiful moon outside the window. He had never expected to acknowledge Michael as his brother.
But it was too late. Now, the only thing that was waiting for him was a death sentence. He knew that he had committed numerous wrongdoings, and he might not even be able to repay the debt in his next life.
Michael’s hand trembled slightly upon hearing Christian calling him his brother. This was not what Michael expected too. To him, Christian had always been the illegitimate son who should never have existed. Christian was the half-brother who had destroyed all the happiness in his life. He had always hated Anthony and Christian to the core.
But when he came to think about it, if Christian could choose his parents, he would not have wanted to be Anthony’s illegitimate son.
Michael took a deep breath as he gripped the cellphone. He lifted his head and looked at the sun in the sky.
He then gave Christian a faint grunt in reply.
