Chapter 48

CHASE heaved a sigh before he went inside the study room. The elders and his father’s cousin were gone now, and it was just the two of them who would talk. However, his father remained facing the window and wasn’t speaking a word. He cleared his throat to get his attention, but his father still hadn’t moved an inch. Ah, he must be doing that to show him that he hated what he did earlier. Perhaps he must be waiting for him to apologize before acknowledging his presence. But for Chase, he didn’t do anything wrong. He did what he thought was right. He stood up for love.
“Did you summon me here just to give me the cold shoulder?” he couldn’t help but ask.
That was when his father turned to face him, tightly gripping a glass of whisky in his hand.
“Can’t you pull your act together?” his father said sternly while looking at him with a very displeased look. “Do you know what you’re doing, huh, Chase? You’re putting us all in trouble!”
He saw how his father’s expression turned grim, something he hadn’t seen for a long time. The last time Francis Whitewood wore that face was when his brother Wilford died.
“If only Wilford is still alive—” He couldn’t finish his sentence when his father threw the glass in his direction. Chase was quick to dodge, making the glass hit the wall behind him instead.
“Don’t you use your brother’s name in vain, Chase.” His tone was cold.
“I’m not.” His hands clenched and unclenched. “It’s just that—”
“Enough!” His father’s voice roared inside the study room. “I didn’t summon you here to talk about the dead. You’re here because you have to set things straight, Chase. I will never allow you to disobey the elders and me—”
“Then perhaps you should stop this madness or be at least a little less controlling.”
“What?” His father scoffed. “Do you hear yourself, huh, Chase? Don’t you recognize whom you’re talking to?! I’m your father!”
“I know… I know who you are, Papa.” He slowly shook his head. “I just want you to understand that what I want is a little freedom… to decide whom I’m going to spend my life with—”
“How many times do I have to tell you that this is your fate, Chase—”
“My fate? Can I really call it my fate when it was you and the elders who made this all up?” he countered. “Listen to me, Papa… I don’t give a fuck about the way you honed me. But please… when it comes to matters of the heart—”
“Come on, Chase! It’s you who must listen to your father! Do you really think we are built to love? Love has no place for us both because what must come first is your duty to this family!”
“You don’t love Mama, which means you’re not capable of loving your children as well.” Chase smirked. “I was so naïve to think that you love this family.”
His father’s expression darkened, and he could tell why. Francis Whitewood was triggered to the core.
“This isn’t about me, Chase. We’re talking about you and that woman you brought home—”
“Sybil doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”
“Well, yes. So, you better send her back home. Let her live a peaceful life away from you… away from here. Sybil doesn’t belong here, son. She’s not someone we can—”
“You don’t like her because she is a nobody.” Chase shook his head. “Papa, if you only give her a chance… you will see that she is more than what you think she is—”
“Chase… please, I’m begging you to stop defending that woman and just send her home. This will trouble her, too. Do you think the elders would stop if I allowed you to marry her? They won’t, Chase… They will never let you and Sybil be at peace.” His father crossed their distance and held his shoulders tightly. “Believe me, son. I might not be the best husband to your mother and the ideal father for you and the rest of your siblings… but I will never forsake you.”
His lips twitched. Of course, his father was only saying that because he needed him so that he wouldn’t be in vain. Chase wouldn’t be fooled that easily… not now when he finally opened his eyes to the truth. However, he couldn’t just keep lashing out like that. It was no use.
“I can’t give up, Papa. I love Sybil… and promise her that I will fight for this love no matter what happens.”
His father’s grip on his shoulders tightened, but he freed him afterward.
“Mark my word, Chase. It will never be easy.”
“I know.” He heaved a deep sigh.
“You must prepare yourself for the worst.”
His hands clenched.
“Is that a warning or a threat?”
“Both.”
His father turned his back on him and never looked back. It was his signal to leave the study room. Chase was on his way to the drawing room to see Sybil again when Julian suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway and blocked his path.
“What?” he asked with furrowed brows.
His brother looked around.
“We need to talk.”
“Is it urgent? Because if it isn’t I—”
“Do you think I will waste my time in this mansion if this isn’t urgent?”
Chase heaved a sigh.
“Fine. Follow me.”
He headed to the basement, and his brother followed.
“I won’t beat around the bush,” Julian said when they reached the basement. “I want to hear your plans.”
“About what?”
“Come on!” His brother threw a hand up in the air. Julian’s expression looked annoyed and frustrated at that moment.
Chase exhaled sharply.
“Be specific, Julian. There are lots of—”
“About you and Sybil.”
“I’m keeping her.”
“Don’t you think it’s selfish?” Julian looked at him intently.
“And why would that be selfish?”
“You’re keeping her here despite knowing she would suffer.”
“She came here with me in her own accord, which means that she—”
“She came here with you without knowing the real situation, brother. You didn’t tell her about who you are.”
He pressed his lips firmly and met his brother’s gaze.
“But I didn’t lie when I said that I love her—”
“If I were you, I would let her go—”
“But I’m not you, Julian…. Call me selfish all you want, but I’m letting her go. I will fight for this love, and I will protect her in every way I can. This is what love is, brother.”
He was surprised when his brother suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the wall.
“Don’t lecture me about love,” Julian said through gritted teeth.
Chase didn’t fight back and let him do whatever he wanted. However, his brother freed him and turned around.
“You love Prudence, don’t you?”
He didn’t get an answer. But the way he slammed the door closed was enough confirmation. He knew his brother had feelings for Prudence. Julian wouldn’t ask about his plans if he wasn’t interested in her. The only problem was that… his brother was so good at denying his feelings, even to himself.