The corners of Ashton’s mouth twitched. Snidely, he remarked, “Does it matter whether I’ve remembered anything or not? I didn’t even know that you were alive for half my lifetime. Don’t you have your own ways of dealing with things regardless?”
Nicolas’ face had turned crimson with anger, and the veins on his neck were nearly popping out of his taut skin. “That was a matter of expedience!” he retorted.
“The fake accident was a matter of expedience. My kidnapping was a matter of expedience. So was hurting the woman I loved and separating my two children…” Ashton repeated mockingly. “You’ve spent your whole live plotting. What’s the point of even living, then?”
Nicolas’ chest was heaving with rage. Shaking his finger threateningly at Ashton, Nicolas fumed, “Ashton, do you think you can be the CEO of Fuller Corporation without my support?”
The look of tranquility that Ashton maintained throughout Nicolas’ rebuke was almost ridiculous in contrast to Nicolas’ extreme ire.
Ashton’s eyes met Nicolas’ levelly. He then said breezily, “Do you want mutual destruction? Perhaps you could have achieved that six years ago. Let’s see how you try it now. You might manage to do it if I don’t succeed in ruining the entire Hall family first!”
I recalled John telling me that ever since he’d obtained custody of Gregory, Nicolas had recklessly placed all of his eggs in the one basket that was the Fuller Corporation. On the one hand, it would be useful for thoroughly manipulating Ashton. On the other, Ashton was admittedly the most gifted at doing business than anyone else in the Hall family.
After the incident at the island, the Hall family had suffered severe repercussions. It had been impossible for Nicolas to personally intervene, resulting in many complications. The Fuller Corporation had proven to be most useful at the crucial point in time.
Nicolas had allowed himself to be ensnared by his faith in his own hypnosis techniques, never dreaming that Ashton would one day emerge from his stupor.
Nicolas looked at Ashton, utterly aghast. He frantically dismissed Ashton’s claim with a leer, saying, “So what if you succeed in ruining the Hall family? You won’t be able to bring Scarlett back to life. You may despise the Hall family but the blood flowing through your veins is the same as ours. Your fate is irreparably bound with ours. If the Hall family is destroyed, do you think you’ll be able to escape unscathed?”
Ashton met Nicolas’ eyes steadily. Smiling faintly, Ashton answered, “Is that so? I don’t think there’s any benefit to being a member of the Hall family, though.”
Not to be outdone, Nicolas sniffed, and said, “Stop lying to yourself. Is there anything you possess that hasn’t been purchased by me? The food you eat, the clothes you wear, your prestigious position, weren’t all of those given readily to you?”
“I’m willing to give up everything. Even if I leave the Hall family and shed everything, I’ll still be Ashton Fuller. I’ll still be Scarlett’s husband and the father of my children. What about all of you? What will be left of the Hall family when I’m gone?” Ashton taunted. Both Ashton and Nicolas had entered into this fight tooth and nail. Neither evidently had any qualms about ripping the other’s dignity to shreds.
“Very well,” Nicolas said ominously. A perverse gleam shone in his eyes as he continued, “Let’s see just what you’re capable of, then.”
The tension in the room was unendurable. No one dared to meet anyone else’s eyes.
Suppressing his rage, Ashton had pressed his lips tightly into a thin white line. Through gritted teeth, he asked, “Where are those researchers?”
The mention of them roused Nicolas with a start. He gave a dry laugh, then sneered, “The researchers? Are you talking about the project the company invested in? You’re the one who’s supposed to be coordinating that. How would I know?”
Ashton’s hands had been hanging by his side. He now cracked his knuckles, exuding an intimidating aura.
Assuming that Ashton would not dare to lay hands on him, Nicolas pressed, “It must be a pretty big project if you’re taking it so seriously. You can’t miss out on having these experts on your team. Once you’ve found them, bring me along to meet them. We may not get along but that shouldn’t affect our business efforts.”
Looking meaningfully at Ashton, Nicolas emphasized, “After all, we’re a family. We should help each other. Nothing is considered too much to ask. If someone wants to abandon ship, though, don’t blame us for doing what we must to survive.”
