Chapter 1641 I Am Not a Machine
"Exactly," James nodded. "Derek, when did you start acting like Michael?"
"Don't compare me to him." Derek's tone was filled with disdain. "Dad, the Jude family raised me, but you should know that ever since I graduated and came to work by your side, I've been wholeheartedly assisting you in becoming President. Especially during those years of campaigning, I helped you win people over one by one, suppressed those who opposed you, and even personally turned those Ralph had convinced back to our side. You can't just remember your own efforts and forget my hard work."
Carl suddenly felt humiliated. "So, are you saying I owe my glory to you?"
"Dad, although you said serving as your secretary was to train me and later give me a higher position, wasn't it also because you had no one else you trusted to take on the job?"
Derek calmly retorted, "You are my father; you should understand my capabilities. I'm not just good at politics; I could succeed in business or any other field. Honestly, did you ever ask me about my dreams when I was studying? You didn't, and I never told you that I actually wanted to be a doctor. I knew I wasn't allowed to have dreams. You wanted to be President, and until you became President, I had to sacrifice myself to support you.
"Then, after you became President, you wanted me to become President too, and to marry a woman who could help me. I'm a person, not a machine."
Carl was taken aback and then angrily said, "I never insisted you had to become President. At the very least, a man should advance his career. If you insist on being with Laura, your reputation will suffer. Do you understand how serious a blemish on your political career can be?"
"A blemish?" Derek scoffed. "Am I keeping a mistress? Did I betray a marriage? Or am I with a married woman? None of those. My position is based on my abilities. Even if I don't reach a high position, I don't care. In life, not everything goes as planned. As long as I do my best, that's enough."
"You know that following the path I planned for you, you would go further," Carl said earnestly.
"Dad, sometimes it's not about reaching a high position; it's about being happy."
Derek looked into his eyes. "Everyone has their own way of being happy. You crave admiration and respect from others; holding power makes you happy. But millions of people who aren't like you still live happily. Not everyone envies your position. Besides, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility."
Carl was momentarily speechless.
He was happy in his position, but he had to be cautious every day. Every decision, every international confrontation, added a few more gray hairs.
"Alright, stop arguing." Violet suddenly spoke tiredly. "I understand everyone's feelings. From an adult's perspective, we don't want Derek and Laura to be together because their identities pose significant issues, which would negatively impact the Jude family. But considering the children's perspective, as Derek said, they are both single, not related by blood, and of similar age. They are dating because they like each other, which doesn't cross any moral lines. We don't need to stand on a moral high ground to criticize them."
"Laura is your goddaughter, my ex-wife, known nationwide. If the President's son does something like this, it will have a bad impact on the public," Michael didn't want to let it go. Why should he be ruined while these two get away with it?
"We all know why we made Laura your goddaughter. Everyone knows they are not related by blood." Violet stood up, looking calmly at Michael. "They are just dating, not getting married. There's no need for your criticism."
"You—" Michael's handsome face turned pale.
"Moreover," Violet interrupted him, "Laura is your first ex-wife, but from the moment you divorced, there were no legal ties between you except for a daughter. I remember Laura didn't cause you any trouble when you got married. I know you're uncomfortable, but you can't let anger and jealousy blind you.
"You're angry because you think Laura betrayed the marriage, but when you divorced, Laura had just given birth. Would she have the energy to betray the marriage at her weakest moment, and when the baby needs to be taken care of? Of course, if blaming others makes you feel better, I have no objection. I just feel sorry for your parents.
"You don't need to be so angry. From the moment you slept with Megan and signed the divorce papers, you have no right to meddle in Laura's life. Even if Laura didn't date Derek, she would date someone else. Walking down the street, kissing, hugging—it's all normal."
Every word Violet said was like a slap to Michael's face.
Michael's face looked terrible.
Of course, Michael knew all this.
But Michael didn't want to admit it, didn't want to accept it.
"Enough! Have you ever considered my feelings?" Michael shouted in pain. "My once beloved wife is with my cousin. Who can stand that?"
"And how many women can stand their husband betraying them right after giving birth?" Violet coldly retorted, "Don't say you loved Laura. If you loved Laura, would you be with another woman at midnight? If you loved Laura, would your first reaction to her dating someone new be to publicly insult her? This isn't love. You want to destroy Laura because you can't have her."
"I didn't!" Michael clenched his fists, eyes red, and shouted.
Violet ignored him and turned to James and Caroline. "I'm not saying this to defend Derek. I'm speaking from a woman's perspective. I find it very uncomfortable. If every man in Madison thought like Michael, fewer women would want to get married. I don't understand how you raised Michael to be so unreasonable and disrespectful."
James and Caroline looked very embarrassed.
Many high society families had said similar things behind their backs, but this was the first time they were confronted directly.
They felt uncomfortable but had no reason to argue with Violet.
Is Michael like this?
Yes, even they found it hard to bear.
They wanted to send him abroad, but he stubbornly refused to go.
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