From Charlie’s dark eyes, I could tell he was not surprised to see those photos. This confirmed Ashton’s prediction — Charlie had known Christopher was alive.
Ashton had once told me that even though Charlie treated him well, he often felt as if his uncle intentionally stayed away from him. Charlie’s behavior eventually caused Ashton to lose trust in him. It had got to a point where Ashton did not bother trying to figure out what went on in his uncle’s mind.
Ever since he took over the Fuller Corporation, Ashton had finally learned that he could trust no one in this world.
He had always attributed the problem he had with Charlie to interpersonal difficulties. Never in his life had he questioned if he was really related to this family.
Everything that had happened recently had made the man question his identity.
“Am I really your nephew?” Ashton asked icily.
If Christopher could change his identity and forge his death, Ashton believed the man was capable of manipulating the paternity test results too.
Charlie took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Why do you even bother to ask me such a question if you’ve already guessed it right? You’re right. We’re not related by blood. You might not be a Fuller, but we’ve never treated you differently.”
Ashton let out a cold snort but kept mum. Upon seeing his reaction, Charlie shuddered.
Charlie let out a sigh, thinking Ashton did not buy his story. “Your grandpa adopted Christopher, your father. He was not only a hardworking person, but he also has strong business acumen. He did all he could to repay your grandpa’s kindness. The Fullers have always had a close relationship with your mother’s family. Your grandpa decided to matchmake your mother with Christopher when the patriarch learned that she had fallen in love with him. Though your father was not pleased with the arrangement, we all still lived a rather peaceful life.”
“Unlike your grandpa, who didn’t know how to run a business since he was a soldier, Christopher turned the Fuller Corporation into a successful establishment,” Charlie explained, ”Yet, one day, Christopher’s biological family came to J City to look for him. Your grandfather panicked and sent him off to another country. That family, who eventually took my DNA sample for the paternity test, gave up after obtaining the results.”
Ashton’s face continued to be stiffened with dismay. “And?”
He wanted to know why his own father detested him so much.
While Charlie was caught up reminiscing the past, a hard glint flashed through his eyes all of a sudden. He stood up impatiently and made a condescending remark. “That’s all. The Fuller family has done Christopher wrong, but we’ve raised you well. Tell him he should consider all the old scores settled.”
Charlie shot Ashton a sullen glare before stalking back to his room upstairs.
“Uncle Charlie,” Ashton called out, but before he could say anything, Helen interrupted, “It’s getting late. He hasn’t been feeling well lately. Let’s talk about this some other time.”
Ashton and I stared at the couple’s backs as they made their way upstairs in a rather hurried manner.
We eventually went back to your room. Annoyance was written all over Ashton’s face as he went out to the balcony and took a puff at a cigarette.
I sighed. It must be devastating for him to find out he isn’t a Fuller by blood, even though he lived with them for more than two decades. More importantly, he finally knows that Charlie had kept a distance from him because of Christopher.
Ashton was tired of dealing with all the lies; he was afraid to know the truth. However, the man knew he had to face them, no matter how hard and painful they may be.
Instead of piling all the pressure to spill the beans on Charlie in one night, Ashton decided to take things slow and spend the next couple of days in J City. He was determined to uncover more information. He wanted the truth.
