Chapter 449 Are You Worthy?
Late at night, the study was quiet, and the moonlight streaming through the window cast a melancholic glow on Patrick's face.
Carl walked in, bringing him his blood pressure medication.
"Mr. Wellington, it's getting late. You've been unwell recently; you should rest early."
"You've had a hard night," Patrick said in a low voice, still flipping through the photos Amanda had left behind.
Carl paused, understanding that he was referring to being hit by Tiffany, and smiled nonchalantly. "I've been with you for so many years; this is nothing."
"But I think, if it were Ms. Robinson, she wouldn't let you worry so much."
"Yes, Amanda would never bear it. She had the softest heart."
As he spoke, Patrick's throat tightened, and his eyes reddened with pain.
"Are you going to draft the divorce agreement?" Carl asked tentatively.
Patrick's eyes were filled with indescribable sorrow as he hoarsely replied, "Now is not the time. There are too many troubles at the moment; the Wellington Group can't afford more chaos."
"And you know Molly's situation. If we divorce, I would have to send Tiffany abroad, as far away as possible. I'm afraid Molly wouldn't be able to handle being separated from her mother, which would worsen her condition."
Carl nodded, understanding his dilemma.
"I asked you to track Edward's whereabouts. Did you find him? Where did he go?" Patrick asked.
"Sorry, Mr. Wellington, you know how skilled Edward is. If he doesn't want to be found, no one can find him," Carl said helplessly.
Patrick said nothing, took out his phone, and dialed Edward's number.
He called several times, and it rang for a long time before Edward answered.
"It's so late. What do you want?"
"Edward."
"If it's about asking me to attend the project meeting, please don't waste your breath. I'm not going," Edward said coldly, with no trace of father-son affection in their conversation.
Patrick pursed his lips and asked in a low voice, "Edward, are you free tomorrow to go out with me?"
"Where to?"
"To see Amanda."
As soon as he spoke, Edward fell into a chilling silence.
Even through the phone line, Patrick could feel the bone-chilling coldness emanating from Edward.
"Are you joking? Listen to yourself. Do you hear what you're saying?"
"I'm not joking, Edward. I'm very serious."
Patrick took a deep breath. As the leader of the Wellington Group, he had always been high and mighty, but for the first time, he felt a sense of guilt and shame. "I know I haven't done enough over the years."
"Even though Amanda is gone, I haven't fulfilled my duties as a husband. I haven't visited her or spent time with her. I really haven't done well."
"Not done well?"
Edward laughed coldly, his voice tinged with hatred. "A few words, and you think you can erase the debt and harm you've caused my mother over the past twenty-three years?
Mr. Wellington, do you think you're worthy? Are you worthy of standing in front of my mother?"
"Forget it. I accompany my mother every year. Don't go over there and upset her."
"What are you saying? I am her husband. I was the one she loved the most!"
Patrick's cheeks burned with shame, but his pride wouldn't allow Edward to trample on him like this, so he argued with reddened eyes, "You can't imagine how deep her feelings for me were. Why can't I go see her?"
"Even if my mother once loved you." Edward's voice trembled with anger, hoarse and terrifying. "When she jumped off the balcony of Riverside Villa, she no longer loved you."
"Sometimes, I truly believe that my mother's choice to leave in such an extreme way, was a blessing. Staying with you, enduring your cold violence every day, watching you share a bed with other women, yet still having to play the role of a good wife."
"That feeling is worse than death. Her love for you was the greatest source of her pain."
In an instant, the scene of Amanda's tragic death flooded Patrick's mind again.
He trembled all over, nearly dropping his phone, his breathing heavy, which frightened Carl, who didn't dare to interrupt their conversation.
"I don't know what kind of shock made you suddenly make such a request, but I just want to tell you, you have no right to stand in front of my mother. Not now, not ever."
With that, Edward hung up before Patrick could respond.
Patrick was drenched in sweat, his face drained of color.
"Mr. Wellington? Mr. Wellington? Are you alright?" Carl asked worriedly.
"Get me a glass of warm water," Patrick said, feeling utterly powerless and exhausted.
"Yes, right away."
After Carl left, Patrick finally allowed himself to show his complete vulnerability.
He sat down weakly, overwhelmed by guilt and pain, which tormented him like a relentless storm.
At this moment, his mind was a chaotic mess, filled with conflicting voices.
"I don't know when it started, but I've become someone who can't be separated from you."
"Every morning when she woke up, the first thing she thought about was how she should die, but then she thought of Edward and couldn't bear to leave her young son behind."
"Even if my mother once loved you. When she jumped off the balcony of Riverside Villa, she no longer loved you."
Suddenly, Patrick's eyes snapped open, his heart racing uncontrollably.
At that moment, Carl came in with the warm water.
"Carl, twenty years ago, about Amanda, how much do you remember?"
Carl paused, then said softly, "I have a good memory. That's why you chose me as your secretary back then, isn't it? If you have any questions, just ask me.""Back then, Amanda was diagnosed with depression. I remember sending you to take her to the doctor and care for her for a long time. How was her condition? Was it really that severe?" Patrick's eyes were dark and bitter.
"The doctor's diagnosis at the time was that Ms. Robinson had severe depression tendencies, but with Mr. Wellington's company and active treatment, Ms. Robinson's condition had improved later on," Carl answered truthfully.
"A woman who loved me, couldn't bear to leave Edward, and just wanted to leave quietly, how could she suddenly choose to commit suicide?" Patrick murmured, rubbing his furrowed brow.
Amanda's suicide had shocked the entire Wellington family.
Although many people with depression suddenly would choose to end their lives, Amanda had clearly been getting better at that time, and her life had become much more positive. Everything was moving in a good direction, and she had Edward with her every day. How could she have committed suicide?
Carl pressed his lips together and slowly asked a shocking question, "Mr. Wellington, there's something I've held back for twenty years. Today, I want to ask you."
"Regarding Ms. Robinson's death, did you ever, even for a moment, suspect that she was murdered?"
Patrick's expression changed instantly, and he looked up sharply at Carl, his ears buzzing.
On the other side, in a presidential suite at a hotel in Torontow.
After the call with Patrick, Edward stood by the window, his fist pounding against the glass, his eyes bloodshot with hatred, and tears welling up.
He was so close to blurting out that Tiffany was the one who caused Amanda's death, but he held back. Now was not the time. He wanted to reveal it in a more brutal, dramatic way, to make Patrick realize what a vile person the woman he had loved for twenty years truly was!
Only then could he completely shatter Patrick's arrogant pride. He wanted the whole world to laugh at his foolishness and revel in his pain!
Eric sighed deeply, walked over, and handed Edward a cigarette.
"Have a smoke, relax."
Edward instinctively took it, then suddenly paused and broke the cigarette.
"I don't smoke anymore. I quit."
"What happened to make you so upset?" Eric asked, wide-eyed in surprise.
He knew Edward had a huge addiction to smoking. He could go without women, but never without cigarettes!
"Evelyn asked me to quit. From now on, I won't smoke anymore."
Only when thinking of Evelyn did Edward's pale, cold lips soften into a warm smile, like the first thaw of ice and snow.
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