Chapter 562 - Discord Between Father And Son
Preston ignored Frederick and regained some composure before turning his head to say to Lucas, "I have to make it clear to you that I didn't take this woman from you. The person who abducted her was Scott, not me."
Lucas nodded. "I know. If you let her go right now, I won't hold you responsible for it."
Indeed, the person who had abducted Karen was Scott, so Lucas wouldn't put the blame on Preston. But at the same time, he wouldn't just forget that Preston was using Karen as a hostage now.
He was just dealing with them separately because they were two different things by nature.
Frederick hurriedly said, "Yes, Preston, hurry up and let her go! We can talk things over calmly. Even… even if you've killed your brother Scott, you are still my son. I won't press charges against you."
As soon as he heard what Frederick said, Preston became even more agitated instead. His expression became maniacal again as he asked, "Your son? I don't care to be your son! Frederick Taylor, do you think that you're being a great and noble father by choosing to bury the hatchet and not hold it against me despite knowing that I killed your other son?
"Damn it! You're just a devil! You're a devil who treats your sons like pawns and toys with them as you please! You're the reason I ended up in this plight today!"
Devil?
A devil who treats his sons as pawns?
Frederick was extremely bewildered by this description, but he was also full of fury. "What nonsense are you spouting? If you have a problem with me, you can tell me everything when we get home! Now, I want you to let go of her immediately. Do you hear me?! As your father, I'm ordering you to let go of this woman right now!"
"Father? You don't deserve to be my father!" Preston hollered furiously. "When have you ever treated us as your sons? Ever since we were children, you've been telling us that if we want something, we have to fight for it ourselves and take it from others! Whoever is the best at getting what they want is your best son! The passive one who chose not to fight or snatch things away from others was berated harshly by you for being incompetent, useless, and not driven enough to take on important responsibilities in the future!
"That's how you have taught us since we were children! So you're the one who has honed and turned us into such heartless creatures now. What right do you have to make us obey you and order us around by throwing your weight around as our father?"
He was extremely emotional, and the dagger in his hand shook a little because of how agitated he was. Several times, the blade almost slid past Karen's neck, scaring her so badly that she closed her eyes and screamed in horror. "Don't… don't kill me! Help! Please, please don't kill me!"
"Shut up! Make another sound, and I'll kill you right now!" Preston yelled at Karen impatiently, immediately making her shut up tactfully.
But at the same time, the gaze in her eyes was full of eagerness and resentment when she looked at Lucas. She seemed to be upset with the fact that Lucas was still standing in place instead of saving her from the lunatic.
Lucas sighed slightly without saying anything or moving.
Preston wasn't in the right state of mind, so he wouldn't let her go easily.
Besides, as long as Lucas was here, it was impossible for Karen to die.
Frederick's entire face paled for a moment after hearing his son's accusations. He felt as if his heart had been stabbed by a sharp dagger.
"Spare the rod and spoil the child. I did what I did all for the sake of shaping you brothers into better people! In the current era, if you don't compete and vie with others for what you want, others will snatch your things away from you! I-I just wanted you all to develop such consciousness from a young age. Only then can the Taylors keep improving! Was I wrong to have done so?" he explained with a frown, trying to make Preston understand the rationale of his actions.
"No, it's not like that at all! You just treat us as pawns and tools for helping the family develop. You just like seeing the ugly sight of us fighting for things!" Preston retorted sternly.
"Have you ever cared about what we think? Have you ever cared about our feelings? No! Not at all!
"I was born to a different mother from Scott and Gaston, so they've been bullying me since I was a child, calling me a bastard and an illegitimate child. Even the servants bullied me. And when I went to you crying and airing my woes, you'd only chastise me for being useless and crying over such a trivial matter, which shouldn't be expected of a man!
"I also thought of avoiding them and choosing not to compete with them because I thought they'd let me off if I did so. But neither of them did because you told them that as your sons, they must be competent enough to snatch things away from others, or else they'll be considered good-for-nothings!
"I was almost killed by them several times. They pushed me down the stairs, put snakes in my blanket… Once, they even pushed me into a pond and caused me to almost drown. Yet you merely lightly reprimanded them a few times for their nonsensical behavior, and that was it! You never intervened again!
"Have you ever treated me as your son? My life and wellbeing don't matter to you at all! All you need is the most obedient and useful pawn who can fight and snatch what you want!
"So later on, in order to survive, I also learned to fight and become vicious and malicious. Yet you started praising me for being a competent and capable son, and you even said that I'm very likely to be your successor in the future. But do you know that your words caused me to be a thorn in their flesh, and I almost died at their hands on several occasions!
"No, you knew. You were aware of all of this, but you chose to ignore it. What kind of sons are we to you?! What kind of father are you?"
Preston was hollering at the top of his lungs, so much so that his voice became hoarse. He had obviously bottled up lots of grievances and anger over the past decades and was venting all of it now in one go.
Frederick was astonished to be accused by his son.
He hadn't expected that the education approach he had always taken pride in was so detrimental in the eyes of his son Preston.
Only at this juncture did he suddenly realize that he had indeed been focusing too much on the outcome, such that he rarely paid attention to what his sons had thought and felt.
He really had nothing to say about these grievances and anger that Preston harbored.
"Preston, I admit that I may not have been a good father because I've ignored your feelings. But I really never treated you guys as pawns. I really did it for your own good! If it has hurt you, I will change in the future and treat you well! Just forgive me!" Frederick said remorsefully.
"Change? How can you change? You are already in your seventies, and I'm almost fifty. Most of my life has passed, so what's the point of you changing now?
"Moreover, ever since you killed my mother back then, I was certain that I'd never be able to forgive you in this lifetime!"
Preston gritted his teeth, and a strong hatred emerged from his eyes.
The expression on Frederick's face suddenly stiffened as he said in disbelief, "What? How do you know about this?"
"Because I happened to be hiding in the closet when you killed her with your own hands. I witnessed everything!" Preston roared with all his might, and at the same time, his tears finally rolled down his cheeks.
"You killed my mother because you wanted to take me back to the Taylors' with you, but she was dead against it! She didn't want me to become another one of your pawns, so you brutally killed her! I will always remember this scene, and I'll never be able to forgive you!"
Then Preston suddenly turned to Lucas. "Lucas Gray, if you kill Frederick Taylor right now, I'll immediately return Karen Turner to you!"