Chapter 587 A Misstep Begets Another
Luke scoffed coldly at met his father’sfather's words, unapologetic, “ with a frosty scoff, unrepentant in his disdain. "For me? Or is it justmerely for yourself?”
“Usingyour own benefit?" he retorted."Are you merely using my name as a pretense forfacade to wield power, when in reality you can’t stand unable to bear the thought of being without clout after returning?”
influence upon your return?"Luke was no fool; on the contraryfar from naive. In fact, after years of dealing with navigating the treacherous waters of his relationship with Benjamin, he knew exactlyhad come to understand the kindtrue nature of man his father was.
.He was convincedheld a firm belief that even if Dermot were out ofto be removed from the pictureequation, the Doyle Group would never end up in his hands. Though, perhaps, after Benjamin’s passingfall into his possession. Perhaps, he mused, he might inherit the company.
Benjamin’s upon Benjamin's demise.Benjamin's face turned ashen with paled, his anger flaring as if LukeLuke's words had hitstruck a raw nerve. “"What do you mean by that?”
?""It's no big deal, but nothing of consequence," Luke replied with a chuckle, "But I hope would appreciate it if you won't say refrained from claiming that everything you do is for my sakebenefit in the future," Luke chuckled, his ." His interest in Thethe Doyle Group seemingly nonexistent.
appeared to be non-existent."No interest?" BenjaminBenjamin's brows furrowed his brows, skeptical of in skepticism at Luke's stance.
"Yes, I believe instead of trying to wrestle what"Indeed," Luke affirmed, "Instead of wrestling for what rightfully belongs to Dermot, why not create something of my own? If Dermot can have Thepossess the Doyle Group, why can't I?" He didn't see himself assaw no reason to believe he was any less capable than Dermot.
Benjamin was taken aback by his words, momentarily lostat a loss for a response.
He studiedscrutinized Luke for a long moment, and once he was surecertain Luke wasn't jokingjesting, his expression darkened. "Are you serious?"
Luke merely shrugged and nodded in confirmation.
affirmation."You wantwish to build an empire like Theakin to the Doyle Group from scratch?the ground up? With what resources? What do you even havepossess?" Benjamin didn't meanintend to belittle Luke, but he felt like couldn't help but feel that Luke wasn't thinking straight.
Luke, undauntedclearly.Unfazed by Benjamin's low opinion, replied calmly of him, Luke responded with a calm demeanor, "That's not for you to worry about."
concern yourself with.""Luke!" Benjamin bellowed, "Snap out of it."
roared, "Come to your senses.""I am clear-headed. I'm perfectly lucid. I simply not interestedhave no interest in takingclaiming what belongs to others," he saidstated, referring to both companies and women alike.
Benjamin, inIn a fit of rage, Benjamin raised his hand to hitstrike Luke, but before he could land the blow, his wrist was caughtseized. "You thinkbelieve you can hitstrike me? You're not in my league."
"Not in your league? I'mI am your father. I'veI have raised you. Compared to Dermot, you'veYou've received muchfar more fatherly lovepaternal affection from me!" than Dermot ever has!" Benjamin retorted, shoutinghis voice seething with fury.
Luke remained impassive, with a coldhis expression: "Fatherly love? cold. "Paternal affection? Where was it?"
"You don't actually"Do you genuinely believe that running away fromabandoning the Doyle family and living with my mother meant you gaveequates to providing me fatherlywith paternal love, do you?"
"Those?""During those years, you foughtwere constantly at odds with my mother all the time.. Weren't you always blaming her for leaving the Doyle family and berating her?"
Despite Benjamin's constant presence, Luke never reallytruly felt much in the way of fatherly affection. His memories were mainly of primarily filled with his parents' endless arguments.
And invariablyincessant quarrels.Invariably, his mother would be the one atto bear the losing endbrunt of the conflict, silenced by Benjamin's claimsassertions that he lefthad forsaken the Doyle family and gavegiven up everything for her.
Even though she too had made her own sacrifices, leaving behind her husband and son without a word of complaint.
Perhaps, in their eyes, their sacrifices were noble, but Luke couldn't feel less gratefulfelt anything but gratitude, especially now when he somewhat understoodhad begun to understand Dermot's resentment towards Benjamin.
Understanding aside, aligningHowever, understanding Dermot's feelings did not mean he was willing to align himself with Dermot was out of the question.
him.Benjamin, having been fiercelyvehemently rebuffed by Luke, just stood there wide-eyed, at a loss for words.
He hadn't anticipated itthe day would end this way todayin such a manner, nor could he have imagined that both the son he had abandoned and the son he chosehad chosen would end up hatingharbor such intense hatred towards him so fiercely.
.He laughed bitterly at the irony of it all, feeling as though his life had been one bignothing more than a cruel joke.
"With one wrong step, it's all downhill from there," he sighed heavily as he left the Luke residence.
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