Chapter 162 Pain and Hatred
A faint glimmer appeared in Robert’s eyes as he asked, “Then what is it? What do you expect from me
after pulling all that crap?”
Although they appeared calm and composed, there was an undeniable tension in the air surrounding
them. There existed neither harmony between father and son nor the animosity typically found between
enemies. Instead, the atmosphere was marked by a subtle and intricate interplay of emotions.
Lewis asked, “You think you are all that good to me?”
“So you feel that I mistreated you all these years? I gave you shares, and I handed the company to
you. Is this how you repay me?”
Lewis heard his words and laughed. His laugh was dry, and it sounded like he was mocking him.
“Shares? If it wasn’t to shut Alan’s mouth, would you give your shares away? Besides, the 30 percent
shares you gave away weren’t yours to give, am I right?”
Robert’s expression changed because Lewis’ words had hit the mark. Those shares that Robert had
given away weren’t his. It was Alan’s.
Alan had just retired then and wished to distance himself from such affairs, entrusted Robert with
handling them. During that period, Alan had intended for Lewis to assume his position, but Robert had
declined, citing his young age as an excuse. As a result, Lewis was appointed as president to facilitate
his personal growth and development, while Robert took on a more covert role as the chairman,
operating behind the scenes.
Besides, Robert did not want Lewis to have too many shares, so he pretended to be fair and split them
among his few children. Even today, Robert continued to receive accolades for being a commendable
father, unaware that Lewis had somehow unraveled the truth, despite nobody else being privy to
Robert’s underlying motives.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtLewis added, “Since you gave the overseas holding group to Kiran, it would be hard to justify if you
didn’t split the shares evenly, am I right? You claimed you handed the company to me, but did you give
it to me willingly, or was there another reason?”
Robert was no longer calm after hearing him. He stared at Lewis with a puzzled expression and asked,
“How did you find out?”
“Was it difficult to know? What I don’t understand is your purpose for doing this.” Lewis questioned.
Kiran was an illegitimate child. No matter how capable he was, Robert had no reason to be so
considerate toward him.
Robert suddenly stood up and turned away from Lewis, adopting a dismissive attitude as he said, “I’m
no longer the chairman of Alvarez Corp. You have total control over Alvarez Corp now. There’s no
value in knowing the answers to these questions anymore.”
Lewis stared at his back for some time. Then, Lewis abruptly stood up and walked away silently.
Josephine had been seated on the lawn swing ever since she arrived, deliberately avoiding staying
inside the house. A short distance away, two nannies engaged with Bambam, keeping him entertained.
Due to Daphne’s incarceration and Seth’s disappearance, Bambam was returned to this place.
Burdened by the recent events surrounding Daphne, Nancy had been experiencing profound
exhaustion, leaving her with little time to attend to Bambam. Consequently, the nannies became the
primary caregivers for Bambam.
Bambam, who was merely six months old, proved to be a challenging task to care for. As they passed
by Josephine, they carried him while he cried incessantly. One of them remarked, “This child just won’t
stop crying. It’s becoming unbearable.”
“Maybe because he’s not used to not having his parents beside him. What should we do?”
“Even though Mrs. Alvarez hasn’t been particularly attentive to this child lately, if he continues crying
like this, his little body may not be able to withstand it…”
Nancy had not been tending to the child of late. But if something were to happen to him, the nannies
would be in trouble. Josephine watched as the nannies tried to make him smile, but he kept crying until
he lost his voice. She stared at the crying baby in the stroller and instinctively placed her hand on her
tummy, realizing that her own child did not even have the chance to
cry out.
A nanny saw Josephine and greeted, “Madam, you’re back?”
Josephine withdrew her gaze from the baby’s face and nodded lightly.
The nanny said, “Then Master Lewis is also back, right? Both of you should go and take a look at Mrs.
Alvarez. She has been quite distraught lately, leading to her loss of appetite. Consequently, she has
lost weight due to her not eating well.”
Josephine remained silent. She stood up from the swing and walked toward the stroller. When she got
near the stroller, Bambam reached out his little arms toward her as if he was trying to grab something.
The nannies were delighted and said, “Madam, Young Master Baron wants you.”
Josephine was slightly stunned, and she looked up at the nanny. The nanny continued, “Young Master
Baron had been crying non-stop as soon as he woke up. No matter what we did, we could not make
him stop. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Josephine’s eyes flickered. She met this child a few times but never had the chance to touch him.
Every time she came close, Daphne or Nancy would push her away. She lowered her head and looked
at the baby’s chubby face and swollen red eyes. She was reminded of her child again.
Josephine extended her hand cautiously, her fingers tenderly brushing against Barbam’s
cheek. A gentle sensation akin to touching cotton spread through her fingertips. Bambam, in response,
grasped her finger with his tiny hand, and in that very instant, an overwhelming crack emerged deep
within Josephine’s heart. Gradually, it fragmented, breaking into pieces, and a profound ache
consumed her.
Bambam instinctively placed Josephine’s finger in his mouth and began to suckle on it, emitting
adorable baby sounds. Unable to contain herself any longer, Josephine knelt down, attentively
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmobserving the baby. Gradually, his cries subsided, but he continued to hold onto Josephine’s finger
tightly. However, since Josephine hadn’t washed her hands, she had not option but to withdraw her
finger from his mouth. As soon as she did so, Bambam resumed crying once more. Reluctantly,
Josephine had no choice but to offer him her finger once again. Only after he clutched her finger and
placed it in his mouth did he finally stop crying.
The nanny smiled and said, “Madam, you are much better than us at this. Why don’t you carry him? It
will be easier for us if you could put him to sleep.”
The nannies gazed earnestly at Josephine. It had been tormenting to take care of Bambam recently,
and they could not wait to hand over this hot potato to someone else. Josephine was hesitant. She did
not dare to look after such a small child. But one of the nannies lifted. Bambam and passed him to
Josephine. Josephine helplessly looked at the child. After hesitating a while, she carefully took the child
from her hands.
It was the first time Josephine had examined Bambam so closely. The sight of his newborn existence,
as pure as snow, filled her with a sense of fragility. She couldn’t connect this delicate face with Daphne
or even Seth. With great caution, she cradled him, afraid to make the slightest movement. Her gaze
fixated on the baby’s pristine and flawless visage, evoking subtle yet poignant waves of ache within her
heart. If her own child had survived, they would be speaking by now. Her child would be capable of
laughter and tears, just like Bambam.
She was reminded of how Nancy took advantage of her disability to forcibly abort both her children,
saying that it might be genetic. As Josephine gazed upon Bambam’s tearful countenance, she couldn’t
help but envision the same vulnerability reflected on her children’s faces. Her hands started to tremble
uncontrollably. She had a sudden strong urge to let go of Bambam.
The nannies noticed her change in emotions. She was staring at the child with tears welling up in her
eyes, and there was also a hint of pain and resentment, The nannies looked at each other in shock and
wanted to take Bambam from her hands. But before they could touch him, Josephine stepped back,
putting some distance between them.