“Listen.” Instead of blaming Ben, Zachary warned. “I don’t want someone to love me out of sympathy. A
relationship built upon sympathy is meaningless, and I don’t need it!”
Ben kneeled before him on one knee and begged for his forgiveness. “I’m sorry, Mr. Nacht. Please
forgive me.”
“All my life as a businessman, I’ve been through hell, but nothing had ever taken me down. Even now I’m
on the brink of death, I’m not afraid of dying, because I’ve lived my whole life with dignity. So please don’t
take the last shred of dignity away from me. You hear me?” Zachary said in a calm but sorrowful voice.
“Got it.” Ben kept his head down. Tears began to well up in his eyes.
It must have taken this egoistic man a lot of courage to admit how vulnerable he was at this point.
Zachary must have trusted Ben wholeheartedly to make that remark.
He hoped Ben could understand him and stop doing anything that would upset him further.
“All right.” Zachary let out a deep sigh. “You may go.”
“I’m so sorry…” Ben apologized in a hoarse voice and left the room.
After a final puff at his last cigarette, Zachary returned to his bed. He was a little worn out, and his back
hurt. Suddenly, he recalled how weak Dr. Felch was before he passed away.
Right now, he felt just as weak and sickly.
I can’t sleep. I got to stay awake!
Zachary had to remind himself to stay awake as he was afraid he would pass away in his sleep.
After fighting off sleepiness for some time, he gave in and dozed off.
In his dream, countless demons grabbed him from below as if they were trying to pull him into the abyss.
He struggled to escape but to no avail. His body was so stiff that he did not have any energy to fight
back.
All of a sudden, he heard Henry’s voice from afar. “Stay strong, Zachary. You cannot fall. The entire
Nacht family depends on you.”
All these years, he had pushed himself beyond his limits, but at this point, he could not take it anymore.
“How are you feeling? Are you tired? Come, take a break.” His father’s gentle voice emerged from the
other side.
Zachary knew his father had never cared about power or prestige. All his father ever wanted was for him
to be happy.
Yet, in reality, Zachary never had the chance to experience such love and care, as his father passed
away at a young age.
Growing up, Zachary had no choice but to live up to Henry’s expectations and fulfill all the responsibilities
as a Nacht.
“Honey, come to Mommy. Come here…” His mother’s compassionate voice emerged next.
The love and care his parents showered upon him in his dream had comforted him for a bit. How he
wished he could leave everything behind and not have a care in the world.
But soon, all sorts of voices echoed in his ear. “You mustn’t fall, Mr. Nacht! Divine Corporation needs
you, and Nacht Group needs you! The Nacht family cannot survive without you!”
“Our livelihood depends on you, Mr. Nacht. Our lives are in your hands!”
Once again, these voices reminded him of all the responsibilities he had to shoulder.
Zachary dared not put his guard down. He had no choice but to persevere.
In his dream, he also saw the innocent smile on his children’s faces. “Daddy! Daddy!”
Zachary felt much better after seeing their adorable faces and hearing their vibrant voices.
A pair of dainty hands gently tapped on his. The person then whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, I’m here
with you. I’ll be with you till the end of time.”
Charlotte…
What Charlotte said in his dream gave him hope.
He grabbed her hands and tried to crawl up from the ground. Yet, all of a sudden, she pulled her hands
away and shoved him into the abyss.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda