Chapter 346

"You're willing to abandon Uncle Xavier's kindness just for Stella Valentine..."

Adrian Roland's eyes flickered. "So my arm was repayment to Uncle Xavier?"

Grant Rubenstein sneered. "What, you don't even want the strength to hold your wife and children anymore?"

"...Was it my choice?"

Grant stabbed his chopsticks into the custard bun. Golden filling dripped onto the white porcelain plate like congealed blood.

"Uncle Xavier said you could leave—but only after leaving an arm behind as payment."

Adrian's lashes trembled.

"Don't believe me?" Grant raised a brow. "No matter how much Uncle Xavier favored you, it could never outweigh Stella Valentine."

"Impossible..."

"Mr. Roland, do you know what I despise most about you?" Grant's laugh was icy. "Your indecisiveness. You collapsed after your parents died, making yourself an easy target. If it were me—"

"You don't understand." Adrian cut him off. "Back then, there was still—"

"Still your precious darling who ran away." Grant mocked. "Couldn't live without her?"

"No."

Grant froze.

"I used to think I could." Adrian's smile was bitter. "But I realized later—whether I hated her or loved her, my life was already tied to hers."

"What's so special about her?"

"If I knew why," Adrian gazed out the window, "there wouldn't be a 'Mr. Alistair' in the first place."

Grant's eyes darkened with malice. "What I'd kill to have, you threw away like trash."

"So you hate me?"

"I'm fucking jealous."

"And for that, Uncle Xavier broke your leg?"

"Exactly." Grant leaned on his cane as he stood. "Now we share the same goal—you want freedom, and I want you gone."

Adrian suddenly rose.

"Where are you going?"

"What did you use to hit me back then?"

"A steel baseball bat."

"Lead the way."

......

"Think carefully. One swing, and you'll either remember—or that hand will be truly useless."

Adrian hefted the weighty bat. "Similar to the one from back then?"

"Close enough." Grant took two steps back. "You sure about this?"

"Stand farther away." Adrian undid his cufflinks. "If my blood stains you, your other leg won't survive either."

"Save your concern." Grant smirked. "Uncle Xavier broke my leg for a different reason."

"What reason?"

"When you remember—"

Crash!

The car hood caved instantly. Blood sprayed across the paint like fireworks.

Adrian didn't flinch. Only the steady drip of blood from the bat broke the silence.

"...Remember now?"

Crash!

The second strike was fiercer. Grant's scalp prickled.

Crash!

After the third dull thud, a small pool of blood gathered on the ground.

"Brutal." Grant stared at the mangled arm. "All for a woman..."

Adrian turned, his shirt soaked with sweat. "What else?"

"What?"

"Important events from the 'Mr. Alistair' period." He panted. "Tell me everything."

Grant narrowed his eyes. "Trying to shock your memory back?" A sudden laugh. "There is one thing...but it'll cost you your life."

"Perfect for you, then."

"Uncle Xavier said the heir won't be you—and it won't be me either." Grant gritted his teeth. "Unless you hand it to me personally."

Adrian chuckled lowly. "Clever scheme."

"Learned from Uncle Xavier." Grant stepped closer. "He used your parents' deaths to tear you two apart, then played savior when you were at your lowest—"

"What did you say?" Adrian seized his collar. "Uncle Xavier was involved in my parents' accident?"

Grant's smile turned eerie. "Since when did Lily Savigny have the power to hide two cars for four years?"